Back on August 13th, I played tourist by going up to Greensboro NC (as some of you with long memories know) - I went to the nearby Battle of Almanace battlefield. This 1771 battle was the upcountry settlers against the Costal British "taxation without represntation" Government. My wife had ancestors who apparently were involved in the pre-Battle attacks on the land speculators in German central North Carolina, and she also had ancestors on the pro-British squash them flat military side. The Teagues also were on the list of folks not granted a pardon, and they quickly moved down to SC, where some of them eventually became Universalists. I found it interesting that one of the leaders of the NC Regulators (who was not at the battle being a Quaker), Herman Husbands, moved back to Pa, and was later envolved in the Whiskey Rebellion. Not Universalist connected - but sill of interest. i noticed that there is alot of Friends in the eastern North Carolina area where Universalists also flourished - worth looking into.
We also looked at the battle of Guilford's Courthouse, and atteneded First Day Service at the NewGarden meeting House. And of course wondered around the tombstones. I suspect I'll need to know more about Lutherans and Morivans and other German of the Carolinas - the more you know, the more you need to find out....

I wonder if Sherrif -Constable J. L. (Leonard) McGowin (McGowan) - who shot "Railroad Bill" in Atmore, Alabama in 1896 was a member of the Universalist McGowans.... Unless somebody pops up and answers this, it will be awhile before I start sorting the McGowans...... but the location seems right for the family.
(and if you dont know the song, I'd wonder how you managed.... ride railroad bill)

Another guy I wondered about, and I hope to have an answer sometime - is a rather famous SC native, who founded what is now a state surported school, who always went by "Rev" on the school's website. I see that back in the 185os, he is mentioned in the Universalist Register as an Universalist minister. Clayton mentions him in his book, as a boyhood friend and a small u universalist, but not as an Universalist minister. The school's website and other historic sites doesnt list his denomination. Hmmm. If he indeed was an universalist minister, this is another lasting contribution to southern history by a southern universalist.

I had someone (well the UUCF) mention my blog, but hinting i did a bit more theology on the blog than I do; should I add more theology? either Southern or not? historical or not?

I note I now get more LWMA searchers than anything else, should I talk more about them?
- add grin here -

Steven R

As someone else has noticed, besides Google Books - there is Google News Archives,
giving us 1-2 sentence news items from the past.

to whet our appetites:

Atlanta constitution (and also run in Fort Wayne Weekly sentential)
April 14, 1895
"D. B. Clayton, one of the oldest ministers in the Country, of Columbia, SC, arrived in the city yesterday, and will preach at the Knights of Pythias Hall on...."

Atlanta constitution
September 12, 1897 somehow mentions D. B. Clayton and Thomas Chapman and convention.
the Georgia Universalist Convention?

A lot more on one of Clayton's son - a SC politician -- to be a SC politician back then, was to be an Episcopalian - so I guess I cant mention him here, right? Even though he was advocating on Feb 18, 1895 mixing cotton seed meal and corn meal as food for humans.......
No wonder his dead headed for Georgia as soon as the weather warmed!

"The First preacher of Universalism of whom we have heard of in North Carolina, was Mr. John Stansel, of Johnstone County. He had been a preacher in some other denomination; but about thirty- two or three years ago, he changed his sentiments and became an Universalist, or Hell Redemptionist as he was called. He retained his views until the hour of his death, and died regretting that he could leave no one behind him to follow up the work. About the same time, although unknown to Mr. Stansel, there was an Universalist preacher lower down in the state, by the name of Tatum.

p420

The Modern History of Universalism: From the Era of the Reformation to the Present TimeBy Thomas Whittemore
(1830) published by Whittemore, Boston, MA

Shelter Neck Unitarian Universalist Camp (formerly an Unitarian School and an Universalist Camp), located near Wilmington NC; is having a Work Day this weekend - if interested, drop me a line, and I will send you the email address of the person to contact. If you cant go this weekend, but would like to keep up with Shelter Neck, check out their home page at http://www.shelterneckuucamp.org/ . This photo is from their last work day and (c) 2006 Andy Wasilewski.

The Unitarian Universalist Christian
published by the Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship has a special issue on Universalism.

Mark W. Harris does a real good article on "Hosea Ballou's TREATISE at 200"
Peter Hughes points out some historical problems in the Chronology of early New England Universalism -
Ernest Cassara has an article on Universalism in the American Experience
Duke Gray looks at What Does the Scripture say about Universal Salvation
Alan Seaburg visits Crane Theological School
and some book reviews

To expand slightly on what I say above, I find Mark giving me, what I feel a very clear understanding of what Ballou has to say - about his loving Calvinist God. He hasnt quite gotten me to be a Calvinist, but Im more likey to not think of it as a dirty word.

If you send $50, you can join the UUCF, it even says right here on this publication that copies are $50, but Rev Ron Robinson says that folks reading this blog can get a copy for $18.
Send to Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship ; P.O. box 6702, Turley, Ok 74156

if you're in the Turley area, you can check out Rev Robinson's home church
see the website at
www.epiphanyspirit.org

George Rogers 1804-1846

died young, 42 is very young to those of us over that age.
short with a high pitched voice.

Born in the United Kingdom, came with his grandmother to the United States in 1818.
spent some time in orphanages in Philadelphia -
in the 1820s, he moved up and down the Atlantic coastline as a traveling non-denominational minister. Around 1829, his studies of the Bible convinced him that the trinity was un-Biblical, that Christ's mission was to reconcile man with God (and not God with man). He became an Universalist in 1830, and began preaching in Philadelphia, Brooklyn, and parts north. He was fellowshiped in 1831, and ordained in 1832. In 1834, he was the first Universalist minister in Pittsburgh, and returning in 1835, he organized an Universalist society, and helped them get a minister.
He moved himself, his wife and child to Cincinnati in 1836, and that remained his base until his death. He became the editor for the local Universalist paper, Sentinel and Star in the West. However he continued to spend most of his time on the road (or on the river). He made at least 6 missionary trips to the midsouth
By 1841, his problems with arthritis worsened. He continued to travel, going north to Maine and Upper Canada, south to New Orleans, east to the Atlantic Ocean, west to Iowa. There were only three states he didn't preach in (the Carolinas and Vermont).

Books:
Pros and Cons of Universalism 1838, 4 printings, 5,000 copies
Memoranda 1845
Universalist Hymn Book 1842 (at least 2 later printings)

this is based on Russell E. Miller's THE LARGER HOPE
part 2 of this will be based on memoranda itself and Roger's southern journeys.

Because of family emergencies, I wasnt able to sit down with Rogers book and an atlas,
this weekend....

so instead, Southern Universalism taken from the Universalist Miscellany July 1843- June 1844. Rev Otis Skinner and E. H. Chapin, co-editors
Chapin had been minister in Richmond Virginia.

#1 July 1843
"Experimental Proof the Highest Evidence for the Truth of Christianity" (E. H. Chapin)

#5 November 1843
United States Convention of Universalists. met in Akron Ohio, in September 1843.
Rev. E. M.Pringree of kentucky, asst Clerk
"resolved that this Convention does not recognize, but diapproves any test of fellowhip in our denomination, or a fitness for a seat in our councils, other than those founded on christian faith and characther, and established by Chirst and his apostles."
(this is response to a vote last session that it is improper for persons who drink alchol to be a delegate). also passed a motion that slave owners re-consider the policy of bondage. Next convention to be in Baltimore in September of 1844.
George Rogers was a deligate from Ohio. E. M. Pingree and A.W. Bruce representing Kentucky.

#8 Febuary 1844
"Dissertation on the Word Gehenna (L. Willis) currently in Mass, later Charleston

#9 March 1844
"The Father Seen In the Son" (E. M. Pingree)
"Christ and the Woman of Samaria" (E. H. Chapin)

#11 May 1844
"Human Nature" (E. H Chapin)

not alot, but next volume (1844-5) contains lists of new ministers and new churches.

The Rev S. M. Simons was the puzzle in my search for pre-Civil War Universalist ministers. I've been unable to find out a thing about him, he wasn't mentioned in Father Clayton's autobiography - he wasn't famous like N. P. Walker or J. A. Chapman; or a writer and circuit rider like Allen Fuller - and unlike J. Mullikin, he wasn't even in the census ....

While actually, he was in the census.... But between Census takers getting his name wrong and Universalist Almanac getting his name in a non-traditional spelling, I couldn't find him. Earlier this week, I found his full name, his burial site, and a beginning of information about him.

Silas Milton Simons (1817-1893) was born in South Carolina and spent most of his life in what is now Aiken County (it had been both Lexington and Orangeburg County while he was there), near Black Creek and Steedman's. He, like so many southerners, went by his middle name. His wife was Susan Simons. In 1843, he was ordained an Universalist minister. He maintained those work until his death in 1893. Sometime between 1881 and 1888, he and his family and sons and daughters moved to Ramsey, Arkansas. Where he is burred in a family cemetery.
After his death, some tragedy (I assume viral) took the life of his two sons and a daughter in just a week in 1913.

At this time, I don't know what kind of person Rev Simons was. The 1880 census has him listed as a farmer (not surprising, all ministers living on a farm in SC are listed in that census as farmers); I don't know is doctrine, or his passions, I don't know what sort of person he was. But I do know he preached and believed in the Universal Reconciliation of man and God. And he preached that in rural South Carolina for 40 years.
Today inbetween Steedman and the Black Creek is the ( a small u) universalist Pauline Church of Christ. While I have no idea how much their other beliefs and the Rev Simons beliefs coincide, and I don't want to suggest that Simons had anything to do with their church - other than to say that he helped tilled the soil that they are now weeding. And I suspect that Rev Simons would be appreciative of knowing that preaching of God's eventual reconciliation with all mankind continues in his backyard.

Jehovah's Fitness wrote inquiring about Universalists in Charleston...
- see
http://scuniversalist.blogspot.com/2005_07_01_scuniversalist_archive.html

for what I know on the Charleston Universalists.


I also previously on this blog wrote a blurb about the missing "No-Hell cemetery" in Charleston.

however, recently I read in the Charleston Geanological society newsletter than a new "old" cemetery was found there this year (2006), and I wondered if this might the Universalist cemetery. As far as I know Shecut's (who is historically important in SC history) - gravesite is unknown.
your question awakens me to the fact that they are not listed in the 1846 or 1850 Universalist Companion. I don't have any of the earliest issues - but if Rev Case was there until 1844, and Rev Newell in the 1850s, why isn't it in the Register?
non-affiliated?

Maxey B. Newell (1807 - 1868)
born Ma, in Ma in 1840,in Norfork Va from 1840 - 1844, in Rhode Island 1845, 1849, Vermont 1868. (dates may be wrong) - but does have time to be in Charleston in the 1850s. Fisk made the papers quite a bit when he was there, quite a rebel rouser (and left the ministry to become a professional rebel rouser).
nor do I have access to anything that might give a clue as to who besides Shecut was a member.

I talked to someone today who's daughter died this week - and the parent had to make a decision about continual lifesurport....
lots of problems in their relationship, and she died as a result of her troubles. Her lifestyle was extemely unhealtful and as everyone told her, it would kill her, which of course it did. I could go on describing how wretched she had made herself in the name of what she thought was happiness. I listen to a griving parent who sacrificed time, money, energy, peace of mind, for a child that never said "I love you".....
"Why did" i was asked "she have to die?"

That's the question ministers are asked, but Im no minister - when it's a parent of a young woman, aasking about the death of the mother of a 6 year old child, it's more heart rendering too....
... I was able to bring some relief....

To bring the title of this thought to the topic, I thought of Universalism and Universalists, and why I am an Universalist.
One of the basic tennets (as I understand it) is that God is Love, and that to do wrong (ie: sin) is to suffer from not being with God. This woman (who I knew for years before I knew her parent) was definately doing wrong, and I certainly feel she was suffering for years. I can not speak with authority, I can only speak my heart -- that parent loved their child with all their heart, and stuck with her as best they could, and would God do less that that? and after trying for 26 years, would God then shrug and punish her for 26,000 plus years? That's the classic Universalist question, to which the Us would say a stong "No!". There is just punishement for doing wrong (sin), but just punishement is just that: just.
Would God punish the parent for the sins of the child? Some folks actually believe God would, and certainly that parent is suffering now as well...but to suffer for their child through all eternity?

I didnt mention Universalism to this parent, but I did attempt to give them "Not Hell, but Hope and Courage".

I dont usually offer much non-history here, Im not a minister, nor claim to be...nor a theologian,
I do see human suffering on a daily basis, so I certainly see the need for the Hope, Charity, Kindness, Love... and the need for Universalists of any denomination....

I was going to post this below mild story on another blog - but that blog just removed commenting and their email address -- and now only allow "team members" to post. Not sure if this is just a response to an abusive poster (my guess) or a temporary accident or what. But it does explain why everyone of my blogs in now comment moderated.

and as soon as I post a non-history stuff, I hear about the possiblity of linkage of various history sites and blogs -- so now I have to figure if I want to continue to add non-history universalism stuff to this blog or not... hmmm

anyway:


you might then (or might not) appreciate this story - taken from an 1870s Universalist publication.

The preacher told us that the Church always ended with the Lords Prayer, and that he gave annoucements right before that. So after the sermon, he got to the annouements and said "Next week, the pulpit will be supplied by Rev Skinner. I know that most of you want to know a little bit about a strange pastor, so I'll say that he has been called the best looking pastor in Maine....." Needless to say after annoucement, we didnt pay as much attention as we should have to the prayer.

"A Clerical Humorist

A friend relates to us the following anecdote: -
"Stopping over Sunday with a brother minister in New Hampshire, who lives near the Connecticut River, and being ourself a clergyman, we were naturally invited to preach for him. Just before the sermon, he said to us it was their custom to close with the Lord's Prayer, and as he should have a notice to give he would attend to the closing of the meeting. At the conclusion of the sermon we stepped aside and the pastor entered the desk and said: "Next Sunday I shall exchange pulpits with Brother B, of S., and, as congregations generally like to know something of strange ministers that they are to hear, I will say that Brother B is called the handsomest man in the State of Vermont. Let us pray". The oddity and ludicrousness of the remark about his Brother B. so distracted our thoughts that we could not command our attention in season to engage in the prayer that followed."

If Brother B. of S, Vermont was Universalist, it would be B. M. Tillotson of St, Johnsbury, Vermont.

Story from the Universalist Register 1875, written by one of the Rev. Skinner(s).

So, now that I ran the real story; anybody got a picture of the Rev Tillotson so we can see if he was indeed the best looking guy in the state of Vermont.

Theme: Universalism: God's Reviving Grace

When: Nov. 2-5, 2006 (full time and one-day registrations available)
Where: Fourth Universalist Society, 160 Central Park West at 76th St.,
(http://www.4thu.org) .
Who: UU Christians, UUs of any theological orientation, Christians of
different traditions, and all who are interested in a spirited engagement of the
heart and mind.
Keynoters: Professor and author Dr. Gary Dorrien lecturing Saturday, Nov.
4th, at 10:30 a.m. on "Liberal Theology Today: Crisis and Renewal in
Progressive Religion" and Pastor and Author Jim Mulholland lecturing Friday morning,
Nov. 3 at 10:30 a.m. on "Resisting Good News."
Schedule also includes:
Opening Worship, Thursday, Nov. 2, 7 p.m. led by Kim Hampton of St. Louis
Friday morning Nov. 3, Taize Service, 9 a.m. led by Chris Walton, editor of
UU World
Saturday morning Nov. 4 Communion Service, 9 a.m. led by Rev. Jeffrey Lane
Gould of Wilmslow, England
Saturday afternoon, Nov. 4, Prayer and Healing Service, 5 p.m. led by Rev.
Peter Boulatta of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.
Sunday Morning Nov. 5 Worship, 10:45 a.m. led by Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt
Workshops on Talkback with the Keynote Lecturers; UU Christianity, the UUCF,
church history, art, music, Small Groups, Sacred Poetry, led by Gary
Dorrien, Jim Mulholland, Tom Schade, Tim Jensen, Barbara Gadon, Dave Dawson, Suzanne
Meyer.
Small groups for more intimate conversation and focused bible study.
Socializing out in Manhattan together in the evenings.
Friday evening Catered Meal and Program.

Lodging Possibilities listed on the website:

Fees: Full time Adult $150. Full Time Under 18 $100. One-Day Adult $100.
One-Day Under 18 $50. Seminarians and Young Adults (under 35) Full Time $75 One
Day $50.

Thanks and blessings,
Rev. Ron Robinson

"Sometimes I fear we fail fully to realize the conditions of many in our rural and small-town churches. We assemble in some fine church in a big city and from velvet cushions and gilded pews study the problems of the Church at large. Yonder in the background, quite beyond the range of our vision, are the poor, struggling congregations, burdened by debt, and with failing numbers, in hostile communities where the very name Universalist is anathema. Then, too, there are the scattered Universalists, hundreds of miles from their nearest fellows, no State Convention, no support from without, no fellowship even with kindred souls. For these, especially in the South and West, Universalism is a hard religion, and those who persist and carry on are the real heroes of the faith. I appeal to you in comfortable, united and prosperous congregations not to forget those less favored churches and church members."

- from Universalist General Convention President Roger S. Galer address
to the Universalist General Convention October 25, 1923

I first started to quote this because I was thinking of using "For these, especially in the South and West, Universalism is a hard religion, and those who persist and carry on are the real heroes of the faith." as a subhead for this blog - and I still might -- but then as I thought of it, particuarly the isolated Universalist, I thought ya know this is why God invented the internet......

It says right there in my blog profile, that I am not a minister.
But I do give sermons and UU lectures - and this weekend, I take the sad step of officating at a funeral....
I've been asked by the family and how could I refuse. I've also been asked to say something about the kind of man he was, and how could I refuse.... but it's breaking my heart and making me cry. How do real ministers do this on a regular basis?

I know what the family wants and I and my wife will try to help them as best we can.
We looked at songs, we looked at readings, we got quiche and cookies.

... but this is my blog and I can do what I want here - this isnt the history of Universalism in the South, but today this is now one man joining history, one man who's love of life and optimism kept us going, one tiny congregation getting even smaller...and since this is my blog, I can write words to comfort me - and I will.

"Love Never Ends" there is no need for me to type in all of this beatiful words attributed to Paul, because that's what it comes down to - Love Never Ends. Love is all conquering, and there is no foe it will not subdue. Love never lets go.
When we face the overwhelming pain of grief and sorrow, we need to remember that Love Never Ends. amen

Sometimes it's interesting to look at a particular location and see how so-called liberal religion takes hold (or doesn't) in a location.

Florence SC was a railroad town, founded as a station on the Manchester - Wilmington Railroad in the 1850s and named after the Railroad president's daughter. During the war, there was a prisoner of war camp there, and then after the war, a National cemetery for the soldiers who died there, and then other veterans (I note at least one chalice on the grave in the old cemetery). Henry Timrod (who probably didn't inspire Bob Dylan after all) taught school nearby.
Into the early 20th Century, Florence became a hub of transportation, partially due to it's being midway between New York City and Miami. First railroad (and before sleeper cars, they stopped at the hotels in Florence) and then highways, and now interstates.

While it is probable that D. B. Clayton did some preaching in Florence, (particuarly when he lived 30 miles away in Cash's Depot); I have yet no evidence of that.

Thanks to recent detective work by Carol Simmons, we do know that the treasurer of the North Carolina Universalist Convention, Inc. in the mid 1930s lived in Florence SC.

In 1961 and 1962, there was a short lived Unitarian Fellowship of Florence; with members in Marion and Florence. The timing is the same when the AUA was making a big effort to start Fellowships and Churches throughout the south - with surrport of money and leadership. Some of the Churches made it (in SC, like Clemson and Columbia), many did not - having got trapped in the tension of race and outsiders and politics ).

In the mid 1980s, another fellowship was started in the Florence area. I think it ran until about 1988. From what I recall it was under the leadership of a College Professor at Coker College in Hartsville, SC.

In 2001, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Florence was founded by a couple who after a couple of years, moved to Fayetteville - and started a UU church there.
After almost 6 years, the UUCF is still alive, if small.

The mid 1930s UCoNCi treasurer and the 1961/2 congregation are pieces of the Florence puzzle that I found out within the past week! Not much significance in the big picture, but an interesting light in the little picture!

(and yes i will cross post this on the UUCF blog too, what ya expect?)

ok, go to this website


http://report.bookfinder.com/2006/


and go down to biography - and what do you see?

wow! how's that!

Two weeks ago, a member of our tiny UU Congregation died, and his wife
asked me to do the funeral and eulogy - with my wife, Sharon,'s help I
did so
We discovered that Sharon's father was in the hospital in Thailand,
prognosis unknown (he is still in the hospital, prognosis better)
A friend emailed me telling me that he was dying and asking me to take
over one of his projects.

last week, my car was damaged in the undercarriage to the tune of
$2000 - the adjuster still hasnt been to see it - I live in an area
with no mass transit, so ive been getting a ride to work, eating
lunch in the office, and walking home at night.

Wednesday my mother didnt answer her phone, so we went down and
discovered she had had a massive stroke - prognosis still not good.

Today - I recieved an email that my friend had died earlier today of
a heart attack

I am sending this out, not because Im looking for sympathy; Indeed as
I read this I'm thinking of a a sermon by Rev Tutlle of Minneapolis
in the 1890s, where he quoted a sick man who said "I cant complain -
of my 53 years, I had 50 of excellent health".
Instead I am just thinking out loud about the fraility of life and the
importance of compassion and love. Of focusing on what is important
and not on what is not. Of not complaing when we could be celebrating

(and of course on living wills, and wondering who should get my
collection of Universalist and UU books!)

best wishes to all
Steven R

"I Reccomend 'my bad month' to all of my friends.."

is what some rejected comment stated, and his friends apparently had websites dealing with loans, bedroom supplies, drugs, and more loans.


as for me, Im starting to recover......

Ok, it's back to basics on this blog -
This is now a history blog and will remain so.
The exceptions will be pictures of current southern Universalist Churches (and maybe some universalist Churches) and maybe items of interest to folks interested in southern Universalist history.

I have lots of items to tel: what famous southern writer had an Uncle who was a Universalist - and maybe an Unitarian - minister? which famous dogs were breed by an Universalist minister? What other old southern school was founded by an Universalist minister? What southern Universalist minister was a private in the Confederate army and what southern Universalist minister was a Lieutant? What southern Universalist minister was a Chaplin in the confederate army? (hint: he wasnt an Universalist then!) Which southern Universalist ministers became Spirtualists? What famous southern small town was founded mainly by Universalists?

The non-history material will be moving over to http://uu-ing.blogspot.com

as I try to tidy my blogs and my life!

http://www.cuuf.net/uusi/uusi.html

Is like the website I would like to do (and indeed started using one of Scott Wells then unused websites) - One of the advantages of a website instead of a book (even one like REBELLION IN THE MOUNTAINS: THE STORY OF UNIVERSALISM AND UNITARIANISM IN VERMONT (1976) Edith Fox McDonald is that corrections can continue to be added as they are found.

The "Our Home" Universalist Unitarian Church has an article on the UUA webpage at

www.uuworld.org/news/articles/8823.shtml



I could certainly go into a discussion of if the 1880s-1910s were the golden age of Southern universalism or if the 1830s-1840s were the golden age. However, this would be one of those fun but unwinable "How Many Angels can dance on the head of a pin" debates.

With the mention of the decline starting in the 1970s - plays into one of my current theories about the failure of organized universalism - that it doesn't flourish well in a society steeped in cynicism. And certainly deeprooted cynicism was one of the core features of the 1850s-1870s, 1920s, and 1970s-now. How can one care or think about Universal Reconcilliation or God is Love, when actually God is Dead, Nobody Cares About You, it's everyman for himself, and watch your back.

This sort of starts to push away from the core topic of this blog (history) - (the 1970s cant be history yet, can they?) but does bring up to me one of what I feel is an important cores of Universalism - the optimism of knowing a loving god - the optimism that even those cynics will eventualy be optimistic.....No wonder Universalism didnt grow past the 1910s!

optimisticaly yours!
sr

Everyone once in a while I like to post that I am still working and still digging.

Yesterday (for example), I discovered two names of members of the Universalist Church of Charleston - besides J.L.E. Shecut! It also seems likely that the Church survived past 1859. I hope to give a full report on this later this week (as I may be getting a look at, and copies of documents!)

I've learned a bit more about Rev Westall - who wasn't an Universalist minister as long as he was an Unitarian minister (went to Tufts and switched denominations!) He does appear in various stories by his nephew - Thomas Wolfe. I assume some Wolfe scholar has studied this....

Ok, I went to the State Archives, and looked at a couple of the documents...
on microfilm! Did I ever mention how much I hate microfilm?

anyway the Universalists were petitioning the SC General Assembly to let them change their name, sell some of their land, etc. They were doing that as late as 1859 - certainly looking like they made it up to the war....

Still doing research into the few names I found...

and then there is this from a 1970 reprinting of the famous works of Theophilus Fisk (minister and banking reformer) where former SC Governor J. L. Wilson (1784-1849) writes Fisk a letter on behalf of the trustees of the board of the First Universalist Church in Charleston, asking him to please renew his contract for another year. I don't know when Gov Wilson became an Universalist, but this was after the time he was Charleston's representative to the 1832 Nullification Convention, and before the 1838 publication of his most famous book CODE OF HONOR, which basically is a gentleman's dueling book. This was THE how-to book on correct dueling etiquette...


the book:

I've been doing some mild research into Gov Benjamin Tillman of SC, who's father died when he was a small child. BT got his father;s books, and I've seen quotes about his reading his father's copy of Ivanhoe, etc. However his father also had a very large Universalist library and was an Universalist himself.
There is no indication that BT had any Universalist sentiments, or is there? While we nowadays look at BT as the racist that he was - he was also the first SC politician who was a populist (even if that populism was for whites' only). An interesting if disturbing thought if he was an Universalst, would he had been better? Or if there was no Universalist tinge, would he never had been elected and we therefore spared the BT legacy? Pretty interesting idea for a thesis for a college student - particularly - if as likely, the list of Universalist books does still exists....


(I posted this on the new UU board http://choosingfaith.informe.com/index.php
and knew I couldnt let them keep that to themselves)

Hmm, pardon the lull in the action here.

There's been a little bit of talking about Charleston SC Universalist Historical Society mailing list.
Talking about Shecut (I didnt mention I picked up volume one of his novel, did I?) and the address of the Church was given, and that the money was invested when the building was sold. You dont have to be a member of the UUHS to be on their email list (of course membership has its privilege).

I admit that I haven't done much work on southern Universalism history recently,
haven't stirred up those boxes of notes to see what comes up.

I did see the name of an unknown minister in Moundville, SC; so it's been tempting.....
but Ive been researching my mother's family in Ohio and Pa - and have now gotten her a breakthrough back to German in the 1740s. She's been wanting this information for 60 years (ever since the DAR stuck their tounge out at her and said "prove it"). We knew about the Rice family and their bravado -spies for Gen Washinton - but we just couldnt prove that they married into the family (even though a brother and a sister married a sister and a brother). Probably still cant prove it. I couldn't join the DAR anyway, and could work on the SAR from my dad's side of the family if I really wanted to. but my mother is in poor health, and a picture of her grandfather's grandfather, and stories about him were a little tonic for her.

The Universalist Convocation will be within 33 miles of the old Rice farm in New Pittsburgh (Wayne Co) , Ohio; so you can bet I will put my feet on the ancestor's soil, when I go to the UC in six weeks.

I'm posting most of this type of modern material in my other blog
www.uu-ing.blogspot.com, but thought I would mention it here too.



the 2007 Universalist Convocation will be held the first weekend in May
in Bellville Ohio.

Bellville is just south of Mansfield and north of Columbus Ohio.

I will be attending and this will be my third convocation.


a charge is involved (but dinner is provided)
Sunday worship service is open to everyone. So if you've never seen a Church full of Universalists, this would be your chance.

The convocation doesnt have a website, but the Bellville All Souls UU does

and they include UC schedule.

2007 Universalist Convocation: Universalist Peace Witness
Friday May 4
registration
welcome by Justin Lapoint
worship led by Derek Parker

Saturday May 5
Worship by Wells Behee (his sermon draws from his experience in WW2)
Break
Address by Dr. Stephen Potthoff (Department Religion and Philosophy at
Wilmington College (Willmington Ohio)
Group Photo
lunch
workshops: Musical Workshop; Supreme Worth of Every Human
Personality; Peace Witness; Historic Tour of Bellville;
dinner at an Amish Restaurant
entertainment: Cedar Creek High School Jazz Band

Sunday May 6
Annual Business Meeting
Morning Worship by host pastor, Rev. John Martin
Church will provide sack lunches when we depart around noon

nearby airports
Columbus, Cleveland, and Akron (regional airport at Mansfield)

I havent had the time or desire to write a long history piece -
- but I have been studying some --
-- i got more of the history of SC's Rev. S. M. Simons - and I see while in Lexington County he ties into Feasterville right easily;
I found a brief mention that Rev. Edgar Halfacre of Newberry might have preached for awhile out of the state, up north of the Mason-Dixon line...

and I bought Sallie Blanchard's copy of 'HISTORY OF UNIVERSALISM IN NORTH CAROLINA" from an antique dealer . Mrs. Blanchard died in 2004 at the age of 103. She was an Universalist from way back - and wrote several of the articles in this 1968 book. an interview with here appeared in the Universalist Herald. A revisied edition of this book is due out near the end of this year, so I wont be quoting it --

On on way to the Universalist Convocation - and stopped at a restaurant in downtown Parkersburg, WV. I notice picturesof the owner's family - and one mentioned a family member (in the early 1920s?) living in Shinnston. I immediately start talking to the significant other about a resident of Shinnston, the Rev. Q. H. Shinn.....
Luckily I didnt have too much to say about Shinnston, and sure dont know if the restaurant family knew Rev Shinn...
... but it did suddenly occur to me, that this might be a case of knowing too much....
If one has to ask "am I boring you" then one probably is.....
... so I will keep my Universalist stories to my blog - and hopefully prevent anyone from talking about my long suffering significant other...

"Bro. S. M. Simons received letters of fellowship as a preacher of the gospel, at a convention recently held in Fearlaville [actually Feasterville], S. C. Bro. S. had previously been ordained by the Baptist denomination, but could no longer conscientiously preach the doctrine of endless misery. He has embraced a better faith, and we trust he will zealously labor in its dissemination."

"Bro. N. P. Walker was ordained at a convention of Universalists, recently convened at Fearlaville [actually Feasterville], S. C. Sermon by Bro. Fuller. Text: "Preach the World."

Universalist Miscellany Volume 4 #5 October 1847 Boston and New York
edited by O. A. Skinner and A. P. Cleverly


This is information is a breakthrough, both for slightly more knowledge on Simons (who lived near what is now Aiken), but more importantly on Walker. Walker is an important person in SC history - because of his founding of the South Carolina School for the Deaf and Blind (still in existence) two years later. Walker is generally considered to have been a Baptist minister, and I dont suggest (at this time) that we wasnt prior to, or post the 1847 date.

1847 (early Fall) ordained Universalist minister
1849 (Jan 22) founds School for the deaf at Cedar Springs (a former resort) near Spartanburg SC
1855 hires teacher to teach blind students
1856 State of SC buys school and 157 acres
1860 school moves into new building (now known as Walker Hall)
1861 dies from Measles - wife takes over school

Newton Pinckney Walker

Manford's Monthly ran monthly (gee) from 1859 to 1895.
During most of it's run, it was a two person publication - mainly Rev and Mrs Manford (atlhough after his death, she ran it for awhile before she sold it. The new owners kept it going for around 3-4 years or so).

It was very much a one family show (and the only Universalist magazine with the editor's name on the cover), and I suspect that what wasnt by the editors was taken from other publications.
It has fiction - incuding some by Dime Novelist Sylvanus Cobb Jr, articles by other Universalist ministers - including the man who saved California for the Republic: Starr King, and articles on Manford's debates and preaching.

A little on southern Universalism (he had ideas about preaching down south), but not much.
So not something I generally talk about here.


Currently I own about 4 years of this 36 year publication - in about two weeks I will own 16 of the 36 years. Looking at holdings at some libraries, I dont see an archive with more than what I will have.

Will i be the owner of the largest collection of Manford in the nation? and if so, what should I do with it on my (hopefully not soon) demise?

So what southern Universalist ministers were in the military?

Good question, let's start off by nick-picking to begin with....
... what do we mean by "Universalist ministers"? ;-)

let's be lose in our defination, so we can include Giles Chapman, who wasnt an Universalist minister, but he preached the same doctrine and at the same church as did his replacement Elijah Lynch, who was an Universalist minister.

Giles Chapman, contiental soldier in the Virginia line (Revolution)
D. B. Clayton, private from Mississippi - (War of 1860s)
A. J. Strain, Lt from Georgia (War of 1860s)
W. C. Bowman, chaplain from NC (War of 1860s) - Methodist at this time
Joshua Inman, pvt? from NC (war of 1860s) POW
Lyman Ward, officer from ?, (war of 1860s) moved south after war
Leonard Prather, ----- from Mississippi (ww2)

These are the ones off the top of my head, I'm sure there are plenty of others.
the "war of 1860s" was just a name that came to my head as I was writing this. You know how us bloggers are.........

A few posts ago, I stated that Edgar Halfacre may have served churches north of the Mason-Dixon line. To which

tica9 responded that

Edgar Halfacre served churches in Pensylvania in the 1920's, possibly bit earlier also. That may be where my grandmother knew him as she was in Penn at the same period.

Which is exactly what state that I had found a note about him preaching in. Thanks so much for the that. I would be happy to hear what else you may know about him.

Burried in the Clayton Memorial Unitarian Universalist Church cemetery in Newberry SC. yes, buried in the half acre of Halfacres. He was born to Perry and Hassy Halfacre on March 24, 1881. Graduate of Newberry College in 1907. Ordained as a Universalist minister in 1913. Living still in Newberry in 1918 (where he called himself a "minister of the gospel" on his draft registration form. He was described as medium height, slender built and blue eyes. by 1930 he was back in Newberry, preaching at the family church and farming. He remained single and in 1930 was living with two of his sisters and an Uncle.

thanks again

So the material I was taking from the Manford's Monthly disappeared into a blogger void.....
.... which means I have to re-go through all these issues....
Rev Manford was snarky back before snarky was a term....you do have to know some stuff to know who he was talking about when he mentioned a "bogus new testament translation" - the same family he thought slandered his wife and insulted Mary Livermore in "Our Women Workers"....
stuff i recall was a brief mention of SC preacher S.M. Simons' finical problems after the war (the 1860s war). He described Simons as an Union man during the war. I know most of his wife's family was not.....
Manford mentioned an Universalist Hearld report in the 1870s of an unknown to me black Universalist preacher (ordained?) in Mississippi (I think Mississippi). the first in the south, Manford said.

A nice Librarian at Harvard says they will look at Edgar Halfacre's ministerial file for me.
I will report back when I do. My spouse (a former research librarian ) says all librarians are nice.

I was interviewed by someone from UU World about S. H. Quinn. While I was just one of many, I hope that i presented Quinn accurately - I havent been interviewed in 25 years - I hope it's more accurate these days......

I do read other stuff than Universalist material. I just got through reading " Unitarianism on the Pacific Coast" and "the Secret Six". I have to admit to being startled when I started reading Secret Six - a book about the Unitarians who funded John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry. I had never heard of such..... i might review this book on the other blog, if I can get a good handle on what spin to take. Of course, now I really want to know what happened to Theodore Parker's brain? and I mean that quite literally.

Reading some fiction too - on a noir kick, so reading some of the HARD CASE CRIME BOOKS; and I just picked up a Manly Wade Wellman's children's book I didnt have (I believe I have all of his fiction for adults). Wellman is best known nowdays as a southern fantasy-horror writer. But write lots of kids books and non-fiction. A realative of mine is mentioned in his non-fcition "Dead and Gone". Not sure I can figure out a way to put a story about Wellman's connection to Thomas Merton here (I will mention that I, my father, and my grandfather all three met Wellman).

Manford's Monthly Magazine 1879

January 1879
Manford does an editorial about "Parson Deitzler" from Kentucky who preached a sermon about Universalists, including mentioning an unnamed town in Kentucky that Universalists were the only denomination. Deitzler went on to say that the town became " a perfect Sodom", and finally abandoned for it's wickedness. Manford, of course, asks Universalists to demand that he either name the town or admit that he lied.

Now, I actually wonder I know some of this story..... Manford doesnt name the denomination of Deitzler other than not Universalist, Baptist, or Cambelite. I do know that Methodists had a story of Beverly Allen (the very early ex-Methodist missionary and church leader - best known to be the first person to kill an U.S. Marshall) after escaping jail in Georgia the second time, went to a lawless area of Kentucky and became an Universalist. Up to his dying hours (as the typical Anti-Universalist story went) when he wept to another Methodist missionary about how Universalism wasn't a good religion to die in. While there are holes in this story (Allen's children went with him to Kentucky and apparently were very active in the Methodist Church); I wonder if this might be the building block of Deitzler's story?


February 1879
"Alabama. - A church has been organized in Beebe. Br. T. F. Jones is preaching for it."

I have to admit that I don't know where Beebe Alabama was (or is).
Timothy Faustus Jones was ordained in 1867, and in Big Run, Ohio in 1876 gone by 1892

"Kentucky. - Br. C. C. Connor, a young man of good education and natural ability, a resident of Burlington, proposes soon to enter our ministry and take charge of the Boone County Church. He has been urged by the friends who know his fitness to assume the responsibilities of the preacher, and will probably apply to the Indiana convention for a letter of license. Br. Connor is at present the superintendent of the Boone county Church and is doing a good job for the cause."

Charles Chambers Connor was ordained in 1880, and in 1892 was living in Hamilton Ohio. The church in Burlington, Ky was founded in 1876. It seems to have been short lived.

There is a letter in this issue from Rev D. Williams from Illinois; who mentions taking his church with him, when he went from "Predestination Baptist" to Universalist. This might be a good place for any researches checking the several (many?) Primitive Baptist to Universalist switch in southern Illinois during the late 1800s to start looking.

March 1879
"Tennessee. - Rev. William Hale who was licensed fifteen months ago by the Universalist Convention of Georgia, is an earnest yet solitary sentinel of our Zion in eastern Tennessee. He is busy lecturing and preaching as the opportunity offers. He reports much ignorance of our faith, and the necessity that exists of practical, earnest missionary work in that section."

Georgia. - Rev W. H. Grigsbsy, who graduated in 1868 at the Canton Divinity School, is at the present time Superintendent of the Experimental Farm connected with the "State College of Agriculture and the mechanic Arts of the University of Georgia." He has recently issued a Report which contains a vast amount of scientific and technical information. It is unique among reports of this kind, in that the peculiar genius of the Superintendent runs through every line. Intermingled with phosphates and fertilizers, clearing, fencing, the science o culture, and the organic elements of plants, there is wit, poetry, philosophy and theology, making the report whose racy style will insure its reading. Mr Grigsby was for several years private secretary of Alexander Stephens and subsequently Secretary of the Georgia Senate. He has many friends among his old school-fellows who admired his brilliant and eccentric talents."

(note: spelling of Grigsby corrected. see post on Willis Harrison Grigsby)

Alabama. - Says the STAR: Br. B. Conine of Camp Hill, writing on business, has this word to offer: It has not been quite a year since I became identified with the Universalist Church. I yet find nothing to regret in the change. I love my Methodist brethren as well as ever, and often worship with them. The public mind is undergoing a wonderful change in this country, and the Macedonian cry, "Come and help us" is heard from every direction. "

Britton Conine, of Camp Hill, Alabama


April 1879
"Alabama. - Rev. J. O. Robinson, who debated some time since in Madison county with Rev. S.S. Roripaugh, is now defending the doctrine of the Restitution - so says the (UNIVERSALIST) HERALD.
Br. E. B. Armes, of Garland, in a note says "Our cause is doing well on my circuit which includes Covington, Coffee and Dale County Ala, and Waterton county Florida"

Elias Ball Arms, ordained in 1853. Stephen Leroy Roripaugh ordained in 1856, in New York in the 1870s, moved to California by the 1890s.

July 1879
"Georgia. - Br. K. Strain writes that a Sunday-School has been organized at the Alford Chapel in Meriwether county."

Kossuth Strain -
the brother of A. G. Strain, and son of B.F. Strain. He was helping his brother in Texas in 1893.

August 1879
This issue has an obituary of Rev. (Marmaduke) M. Gardner, who died on May 4th, 1879 at his home near McDade, Texas; after an illness of 8 days. He was born in South Carolina, moved to Mississippi, and then to Texas. He had been the pastor of Church in Williamson county Texas for 25 years. -- I recall that he was born in the Edgefield District of South Carolina, that he was converted to Universalism by the pamphlets given out by William Ives, a traveling salesman.
two of his son-in-laws began preaching in the area the next month.

September 1879
"Meetings.
"Georgia Convention will hold its annual session at the Universalist Church in Cherokee county, commencing Friday September 26th.
"Alabama State Convention of Universalists, for 1879, will be held at Camp Hill, Tallapoosa county, commencing on Friday before the fifth Sunday in August, and continuing three days."

"Tennessee - Our people at Free Hill hope soon to build a temple.
Br. Henry Garst (Gabst?), Dunker, of Washington county, Tenn., says he holds to the final restoriation of all souls to holiness and happiness. We gladly welcome him to the joys of this great truth.
Br. Wm. Hales of Tennessee writes that he is actively engaged in the Sunday-school. He writes that some Dunkers in Tennessee have avowed Universalism. "
Alabama - Br. J. C. Kendrick, though far advanced in life, is still eager to proclaim the great salvation. He is at work in South Alabama, and has good meetings; he lately went a distance of forty miles to preach. His regular meetings are at Mossy Grove Church.
North Carolina. Bro. Bowman writes that a Dunker preacher of Mitchell county, N. C.; has withdrawn from his denomination, and applied for license as a Universalist Minister."
Georgia. - Br. J. Parks writes that he expects to organize a church in Athens.
Br. W. C. Bowman has been holding a series of meetings in the Capital building of Atlanta, to audiences that increased all the time. He organized a Church of eleven members, and thinks he will locate in Atlanta. "

Dunkers are the nicknames for the German Baptist Brethren, who dunk three times for Baptism. Small u universalism was part of their doctrine in the 18th century and early 19th.
I suspect I know who the Dunker in Mitchell county is, later moved to Tennessee

October 1879
"Alabama. - Sixteen were added to the Church at Camp Hill recently.
Dr. Jas. O. Robinson, a late convert from the Baptist ministry, is preaching Universalism in Jackson county. "

November 1879 - unknown

December 1879
"Kentucky. - The new temple at Burlington is finished. It is a beautiful building.
Georgia. - Rev. J. D. Cargill, who several years ago labored in Southern Kansas, and is now preaching in the South, recently organized a Society in Mitchell county of twenty-one members."

That would be southwest Georgia.

In my last post, I quote from the MANFORD MONTHLY:

"Tennesse -
Br. Henry Garst (Gabst?), Dunker, of Washington county, Tenn., says he holds to the final restoration of all souls to holiness and happiness. We gladly welcome him to the joys of this great truth."

as mentioned also, "Dunker" was the popular nickname for the German Baptist Brethren Church of the Brethren denomination.

Ok, lets do a little research -
first I see that Garst not Gabst is a popular name in "Dunker" circles in east Tennessee.
second I see that Washington County , TN is where Johnson City is. Johnson City has some nice bookstores as well as an Unitarian-Universalist Church and a Primitive Baptist Universalist church. So the seeds of universalism still exists there.

and a little more looking (in THE BRETHREN ENCYCLOPEDIA), we find his history.
Henry Garst (1820-1898) born near Salem Virginia; Moved to Tennessee in 1837. elected a deacon in 1845, a minister in 1859, and an elder in 1861. He visited all of the NC, TN, Kentucky and Virginia Brethren churches during the civil war. Served at Knob Creek near Johnson City.
an entry on his son (a Brethren and college president) is also included.

So Br. Henry Garst was a small u universalist - and never became a big U Universalist.

Scott mentioned Grigsby on his blog, so I thought I would do a bit more research --
-- and first of all, I sure hope it was Manford and not me who typoed his name as "Grisby".
The Universalist Register, at one time had him as W. H. Griggsby.

W. H. Grigsby was born October 28, 1838 in Springfield Missouri.
He graduated from "Canton Theological School" in 1868, and married Amelia "Mellie" Willard on August 17, 1868.
In 1869, he served the Universalist Society in Frankfort, N.Y.
Four children were born : Mary Serena in 1870, Willard Channing in 1873, Belle in 1875 (she died one year later), and Ida Virginia in 1878. At which point, 1878 Grigsby wrote his booklet "Genealogy of the Grigsby Family".
1870 in Notasulga, Alabama
1873 Georgia
1874 -1875 in Atlanta, Georgia
1880-1920 in Washington DC, as a clerk for the US Goverment.
He died somewhere in the middle 1920s.

One of the Rev. Spencer Chambers in Guntersville Alabama, named his son: Willis Harrison Grigsby Chambers. (yes, there were two different Universalist Rev. Spencer Chambers in Guntersville, Alabama. Cousins I believe).

(last edited June 15, 2007)

September 1879 Manford's Monthly Magazine
"Bro. Bowman writes that a Dunker preacher of Mitchell county, N. C.; has withdrawn from his denomination, and applied for license as a Universalist Minister."

William Clayton Bowman was living at Bakersville, Mitchell County, NC - and as also reported in Manford getting ready to move to Atlanta, Georgia. So a new western NC Universalist preacher would be good.

This would be Garret. D. Bailey, of Bakersville, NC. (1818 - 1894)

listed in one article as the grower of the biggest Tobacco crop in Mitchell County.

He was fellowshipped into the Universalist Church in 1881.
He was listed still in Bakersville in 1884, He wouldn't last long however.

In their 1892 almanac, he was listed as a minister of the German Baptist Brethren
(now Church of the Brethren and often called Dunker) in Mayday Tennessee.
(Bakersville to Mayday is about 40 miles, but it's mountain miles).
He died in 1894 in Jonesboro TN.

I'm putting parts dealing with southern Universalists from Manford .
This year is 1880.

January 1880
an article on Col. Ingersoll and "Atheist Ranting" and a letter from Joseph Smith III, head of the "Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints". This letter denying that his father ever presented a revelation about multiple wives to Brigham Young, as Young stated in 1852. this was a regular part of the III's views as expressed elsewhere.

Feb 1880
"Universalism in Kentucky - Rev. R. H. Eddy who has been preaching in the Church of the Redeemer for several weeks, recently received the following from a friend in Philadelphia:
In 'Sketches of Virginia' by Wm. Henry Foote, pastor of a Presbyterian Church at Rowney, Virginia, he gives a biography of Rev. Cary Allen, a well known revivalist of the presbyterian denomination. Foote says (in 1792 or thereabouts) pp 228 'on Silver Creek Kentucky was a settlement from Virginia - with them was living a Baptist minister, who had removed with them. He had grown lax in his sentiments, and peached Universalism - many admired the doctrine - Allen was invited to preach and the Universalist took is seat alongside - Allen then said, "A man has been preaching here, who tells you he has found a little back door in hell, where you may step out, and get safely round to heaven at last; and because he preached you gulped it. Poison, rank poison.'
I did not know before, that Universalism was known in Kentucky as early as 1792 - I have not however, had A.C.T.'s book to refer to. who was tis Baptist, Universalist Clergyman?"

R. H. Eddy was writing his Universalist history at this point.

March 1880
from THE HERALD
"The Resurrection -- Rev. William Hale, of Tenn. enquires -- "What think you as to the time that intervenes between death and the resurrection? Is the resurrection simultaneous, or progressive? (the response) We do not believe the spirit dies or sleeps at death, but its immortal existence in continued right on, uninterrupted. Its resurrection, we believe to be its Moral Exaltation which brings it into harmony with all that is pure. The time required to accomplish this grand result, may be longer or shorter in different cases. The original word, rendered resurrection, means elevation - exaltation, which we think refers to the final perfection of the immortal part of man. The gospel of Christ proposes nothing less than this for the entirety of the Adamic race."

"North Carolina -- Br. D. B. Clayton writes in the HERALD: "Our Zealous sisters Jennie Hartsell and Mattie Newberry have resolved on building a neat little church a (sic) Magnolia. They recently started out with a subscription paper, and in about two hours had about $250 subscribed. The amount was increased to $300 before I left. They deserve success, and will, I believe achieve it. Many of the limitarian friends there subscribed liberally. among the number who subscribed for the purpose, was the pastor of the Baptist church there."
"Georgia -- Br. A.G. Strain of Jackson County, has commenced preaching. He is a son of the late B. F. Strain.
"Tennessee -- Br. Wm Hale has organized a church at Free Hill.
"Alabama -- The membership of the Mossey Grove church is thirty six - so says the ATLANTA UNIVERSALIST. "

April 1880
"Preacher converted. - Rev A. J. Carley, of Louisiana , has embraced the truth and joined our church at Camp Hill, Still there is room. Come along Brethren of all denominations.
Georgia --Our brethren in Walker county, think of building a temple. The same of the brethren in Jackson county.

I asked on the Unitarian Universalist Historical Society email list, if someone could tell me the churches that Edgar Halfacre preached at - and Jessica Suarez, Archives Assistant at

Andover-Harvard Theological Library nicely checked their ministerial files for me.

Edgar Halfacre served at
Brooklyn Universalist Church in Brooklyn, PA from 1917 to 1919
St. Paul's Universalist Church in Victor, New York from 1919 to 1920,
and Clayton Memorial Church in Newberry South Carolina from 1923 to 1929.

the 1933 and 1934 Universalist Church Year books do list him as living in Newberry, but not as preaching there.

Edgar Lee Halfacre (March 24, 1881-Nov 20, 1962)

November 24, 1892 The Christian Leader

"Georgia
The State Convention Of Universalists met with the Church at Consolation Sept. 23, Mr John Adams, the President in the chair. Prayer by Rev. Thomas Chapman. Sermons made the bulk of the work. "

This particular John Adams was born 23 October 1820 in Walton County, Georgia.
He died on 8 Feb 1904 in Walton County, Georgia, and was buried in Adams' Family Cemetery in the Gratis Community in Walton County.

He married Martha ("Patsy") Shepard Camp on 17 October 1844.
Martha (1814-1876). This was her second marriage and is first.
She was a charter member of the "Center Hill Baptist Church" in 1867, which was near the Adams homeplace. She became a Methodist before her death.
While a farmer, John Adams made shoes for soldiers in the 1860s.

He married Martha Ellen Park in 15, November 1876. She is also burried at the Adams family cemetery. She was an Universalist. Adams was president of the Georgia Convention for several years.
There is apparently a genealogical booklet about him entitled "John Adams of Walton Co. GA" (1973)

http://www.smokymountainnews.com/issues/06_07/06_20_07/art_fr_heritage.html

Inman Chapel, Forks of the Pigeon NC

---

"The third annual Cold Mountain Heritage Tour will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 23. 2007

•"Inman Chapel — The chapel was built in 1902 by the Reverend James Anderson Inman, brother of “Inman” of Cold Mountain fame. Rather than the Baptist, Methodist, or Presbyterian Churches so typical in the mountains, Inman Chapel was a Universalist Church. This church advanced a socially progressive ministry that included many first’s for the county and even for the state: kindergarten, vocational training, summer school, handicraft classes, adult education classes, school for African American children, library, and the county’s first free public health clinic. Inman Chapel will be restored to its original grandeur after this year’s tour."

So, I was "vacationing" in Washington DC, and had to figure out where to go to Church on Sunday Morning. Do I go to my host's church, or All Souls UU , or Universalist National Memorial Church?

This being a Universalist history blog, you know of course where i went.....

To be honest, I use an artifical line when I do my research. I still include Kentucky and West Virginia - and they are more a part of the mid-west history; I don't include Texas, and it definately has southern roots; Louisiana is a special case - and Missouri is also tied in to the mid-west. DC, I generally group with Maryland and Baltimore. So DC gets short shift here in this blog.

But anyone doing Universalist history will see the work on the Universalist National Memorial Church. And the national money contributed to build this church. Built in 1929, It is impressive; French Gothic (it says here), big. I have no clue if it was worth the money - but it is grand - a fitting shrine for visiting Us or UUs. If my non-digital photos turn out ok, I will post them "here" at some point.
it was a special service honoring Church volunteers, but sermons are posted on the church website. The current pastor seems enthusiastic - usually a good sign. The congregation seemed friendly enough to me (one admitted to reading the Universalist Herald).

Just because I have been quiet, doesnt mean that I'm not studying Universalist history.
Still gathering information on John Adams of Walton County Georgia (the man was aving Children in his 70s! Havent been able to prove that his second wife was the daughter of E.H. Lake), I found that C. F. R. Shehane's wife moved to Missouri after the war, she has a biography in the 1883 History of Jasper County, Missouri.
Red Hill in Clinton NC has a new website, and I plan to add that and other historic Universalist Churches to my links. Of course, that would mean I have to figure if Atlanta counts or not.....

The news hasn't been announced yet (and I haven't been sworn to secrecy either), but
someone from Bookfinder wanted to know why D. B. Clayton's autobiography was on the "most wanted" list again this year.... (number 2 last year, but dropped some this year)

my response:

Well, I can start off by saying that this year, it wasnt me looking for it!
I own a copy!
I think this a classic case of demand exceeding supply, but demand
probably not warranting a reprinting andnot an expensive
reprinting.....(there are lots of books like that).
Rev Clayton was an Universalist minister who preached throughout
the south, with regular congregations from eastern North Carolina to
western Mississippi down to Florida. Indeed at his death in 1907, he
had churches named for him in NC, SC, Florida, and Mississippi.
The appeal for book searchers now possibly is that this is one
of the few first hand accounts of the history of one branch of
liberal Christianity in the antebellum and reconstruction south. This
includes names of families, churches, politicians from Virginia to
Texas. So folks looking for information on their families and their
locations would be looking for this book. I suspect not many copies
show up on bookfinder, as it was self-published ( in two variant
editions with different bindings, one with a picture of Father
Clayton, one without). Ive seen 3 copies, and I know where a total of
about 8 are.
I havent really met anybody who wanted to pay big money for a copy -
but Ive met folks who state they'd like to READ my copy!

Manford's Monthly Magazine
(on the front page known as Manford's New Monthly Magazine)
volume 9 #4-7 September - December 1865


Not much about the southern Universalists in these issues -
the American Civil War ended in June of that year in the then west - and Universalists were just starting to slowly rebuild.
indeed the only thing is these issues concerning the southern Universalists was an exploratory meeting to determine if there was a need and desire for a General Meeting of Universalists, Northwest. J. D. H. Corwine of Kentucky was named to the committee on correspondence. (meeting held on September 5, I do not see that Corwine actually attended).

This reinforces my feeling that Kentucky was really part of the Midwest Universalists.

There was an ad in all issues for the "Mystic Star" a monthly Mason magazine by Chaplin and Billings. I suspect strongly that this Billings was the future Texas Universalist.

there is a story (article?) by the late George Rogers - "An Old Settler's Narrative" - I have no idea if true or not, or a reprint or not.

The saddest thing is a mention that George W. Depler, an Universalist from Fort Wayne Indiana, was trying to find his son, age 12 - who joined the military and had not been heard of since the Siege of Atlanta. G.W. Depler's wife was extremely grief stricken.

I've been doing some work on semi-southern Universalist history.
folks who left the south and became Universalists in the midwest, and even a gentleman who was a professional musician in the 1920s-1950s whose legal middle name was "D B Clayton" and who's grandparents were Georgia Universalists....

but today and continuing I'm going to list some of the Universalist bookince the merger.
s and booklets I have.
This will include only material prior to merger and historical books
I'll list about 6 at a time. this should have least give me something to put here on a regular basis....

A BOLD EXPERIMENT: THE CHARLES STREET UNIVERSALIST MEETING HOUSE; Maryell Cleary, editor; Meadville Lombard Press; 2002 - this is the story of the Charles Street Meeting House, 1949-1980; the organized attempt to move the Universalist Church into a religion of one world. IN PRINT, History

THE SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF UNIVERSALISM; Clarence R. Skinner; Universalist Publishing House (Murray Press); 1915 - "How to transform this old earth into the Kingdom of Heaven - that's the primal question." One of the first books on the "New" Universalism....

A SERIES OF LETTERS IN DEFENCE OF DIVINE REVELATION; Hosea Ballou; Dodo Press reprinting of the 1820 edition. This is really the group of letters between Ballou and Abner Kneeland that for a brief time kept Kneeland in the Universalist Pulpit. IN PRINT

BIBLE THREATENINGS EXPLAINED; J. W. Hanson; Universalist Publishing House; 1888 reprint of the 1878 edition. "Passages of Scripture Sometimes Quoted to Prove Endless Punishment Shown to Teach Consequences of Limited Duration." Hanson did quite a few of these - available as an e-text on web

A SERIES OF LECTURE SEMRONS; Hosea Ballou; A.Tompkins; 1848; 3rd edition revised by the author. as titled.

A CLOUD OF WITNESSES; J. W. Hanson; The Star and The Convent" 1880 - quotes from non-Universalists attesting to universalim; an admitted updating of the author's 25 year old WITNESSES TO THE TRUTH.

There is a new book in the Arcadia Publishing Company's Postcard History Series entitled LAURENS COUNTY, (2007), compiled by the Laurens County Museum Association.

On page 112 is a picture of the Universalist Church that was in "downtown" Mountville.
They used the postcard that is at the South Carolinia Library in Columbia.

Three things come to me as I look at the photo - the minor one is the ethics of scanning and sharing it - It's from an out of copyright postcard -fair game now? or should I wait till the book is out of print? I wonder this, because I'd love to share this picture.

The Church and Church building no longer exist.

For a small rural church, the church is wonderfully built. it's not the plain style favored by Woodington (NC), Philadlphia (Miss), Feasterville (SC), or Saluda-Chappels (SC) congregations. Considering the size of the congregation - it is fancy. Yes, it's a small family church - The cemetery - correctly called the Universalist Cemetery in the last burial (about 15 years back); is generally known to genealogist and cemetery surveys as the Simmons Cometary. The Church is actually one of the last of the Teague family Universalist Churches. The Teagues were active in southern Universalist history from at least the 1830s to 1930s. From what I recall the name of the Church was "Church of the Eternal Hope".
It says here that the Church was built in 1910 using materials donated from churches in Saluda and Chappels. I dont think that is right, as a building was there 10 years previous - but it could have been remodeled. Since there was only One Universalist Church inbetween Saluda and Chappels - I suspect there is some confusion there.
Without looking it up, I'd think the church lasted from the 1890s to the 1940s. -
In the 30s-50s, demographics begain to change and rural towns begain to shrink as folks left the farms (and farming communities). As far as I know - no Universalist preacher regularly preached in SC since the early 1930s.

When I first saw that Guntersville Alabama had three (count them 3) Universalist Preachers in the 1880s, I was flabbergasted. What a hotbed of Universalism, I thought.

It was fairly easy to find information on one of them: Spencer Chambers
- not that easy to find information on another (also named Spencer Chambers! and apparently a nephew). And impossible to find information on the third - a "Thomas K. Roe".

The other day while spending time recovering from whatever illness I had; I looked at the census for the entire county of Marshall, Alabama - for the 1870-1900 period - to discover NO Thomas K. Roe in the entire county. Hmm. A shy person who didnt want his name on the census?

Now, "Roe" is a good fine name -- and many folks in the late 1800s changed their spelling to "Rowe", also a good fine name... No Thomas K. Rowe in the county either. Indeed there is only one Thomas Roe who seems to fit by reason of age - a Thomas W. Roe... This Roe is related by in-law-ship to the Chambers. Makes his a suspect - but not proof of course.

Oh, this family of Roes originated from SC - and ties the Orangeburg and the Chester Roes together neatly -- and seems not to be any kin to the eastern NC Roes/Rowes.
I should mention that while I havent connected them exactly - the Coleman's of Feasterville do appear to be connected to the Roe/Rowe's of eastern NC.

If you searched for this blog after reading a mention of a " blog on southern Universalist history " as mentioned in the article
"Quillen Shinn, Universalist circuit rider" in the Fall 2007 UU WORLD, you found it!

This is a hobby site, so I basically write as the spirit strikes me....
about Universalism and the Universalist Church in the south from the 1700s to the 1900s.

From Virgina to Florida to Mississippi. I admit that I flipflop on Kentucky and West Virginia,
(they're really more connected with the great mid-west than with Tennessee and Virginia. It also is true that Kentucky almost had almost as many Universalist Churches in the 1850s as the entire rest of the south did - thus my flipflop - less work to skip Kentucky!)

One of the big points here is also Father D.B. Clayton, a native of South Carolina, who preached throughout the south - from South Carolina to Florida to Tennessee to Mississippi (he traveled in Texas, but I don't think he preached there). After his death (101 years ago), he had 4 congregations or churches named for him, one in Mississippi, one in Florida, one in North Carolina, and one still remaining in Newberry, South Carolina. He died at age 79, as he was getting ready for church, leaving Columbia SC for Greenville NC -275 miles away. For the past two years, Clayton"s autobiography has been listed as one of the top 10 searched for biographies on the used book selling site, bookfinder.

Part of the fun of this website for me is finding stuff and sharing stuff. I've answered questions (somewhat) on possible congregations in Georgia, on ministers in South Carolina, and my favorite - what kind of Bar-b-que did a particular NC Universalist Congregation eat! (answer: eastern NC vinegar style!)
I dont always post everything I should - I havent posted a full story about the well known musician named after Rev. Clayton, or why I now feel that there is no "No Hell" cemetery in Charleston SC (yes, I think Ashley Cooper was wrong).
I admit that when I dunno, I ask folks - like Linda F, Carol S, and Peggy R (I didn't ask if they wanted their full names mentioned yet ). Thank yall so much.

I also admit that I skip some very famous folks -like the Rev. Strains. Father, two sons - who were very important - but i just don't know enough about. Not enough about Lyman Ward, or the Bowers, or Halfacres, or Ministers of the 1920s-1950s just dont have the glamorous appeal to me of the horse and buggy guys. I also havent said too much about Rev. James Inman, brother of Cold Mountain...(Carol S. is the woman to ask)

If you got a question, ask away - researching can be fun. For me this whole blog is fun.

There is a great wonderful story in southern Universalist history ---and while this isn't the blog to find out more there is a great wonderful future for southern Universalists (or even southern Unitarian Universalists) as well !
Put me in your RSS feeds, and let's enjoy!

Quillen Hamilton Shinn, DD (January 6, 1845 - September 6, 1907)

you can read the biography of Shinn at Google Books (search for "Faith With Power" Shinn)
and you can read an article in the current UU World

Once when I visited an UU Church (on a homecoming Sunday), one of the things that was shared was a picture of a child standing with Quillen Shinn. This child became the parent of the person sharing (if I have the story right), but the big thing in this, is that having your parent meet Q. H. Shinn was indeed a big thing.

Taken from the above mentioned biography, comes this:

Morning: a Prayer
"Our father: every morning is a fresh return of Thy loving kindness. When we sleep, the vigils of Thy love are 'round about us. At the threshold of this new day, may it please Thee to inspire us with lofty aims, so that we may rise out of our selfish selves into conscious kinship with Thee. Help us to know the mystery of Thy love, how limitless and all comforting it is and, animated by its sweet law, may we go out into this great and needy world with hearts to sympthaize, with words to cheer and with hands to minister. Then shall we know the Divine Nature of our faith, the joy of Christlike living and fully realize that love is the fulfilling of the law.
Amen."

First printed in the anthology "The Optimist's Good Morning". Somewhere around here, I have a book with a picture of Shinn preaching at the grove at Ferry Beach - with the altar big and clear with "God is Love" engraved boldly on it. This is what Universalism was in 1907 - Optimism, Love, and the joy of Christlike living. No matter what one's theological views, we sure could use more of those three things in 2007.

So what do I do when I get a semi-plug in a national magazine? Do I put up something every few days to keep the folks who dont use a RSS feed? No, I dont even put up a "best of"....

two things being going on: research for others and allergy season.

The research for others has confirmed somethings, opened my eyes to others, but been even more fragmented. The allergy season has been draining. And we have to put in some work and family issues in the time thing too....

i have found -thanks to the book DEFEND THIS OLD TOWN; WILLIAMSBURG DURING THE CIVIL WAR (2002) - that J. L. C. Griffin's diary is in an archives - although now i can find ouyt where. this would help confirm his Universalist school in Magnolia, and would tell us more about him.

I have read a little bit on Inman Chapel, J.C. Burruss, and on Virginia - not much going on in Virginia, but it's still more than I thought.....

222 years ago on September 14, 1785, a group of New England Universalist Churches joined together to form the New England Convention of Universalists. this eventually became the Universalist Church of America. I didn't see the UUA celebrating their birthday (or is it their parents birthday?)

In honor, I had a cup of ice cream (the fact that it's still in the 80s at 9:30 PM might have something to do with that too....)

and what did you do to celebrate?

Just a real early note that on December 2, 2007, I will be talking to Outlaw's Bridge Universalist Church in the Outlaw's Bridge community near Seven Springs NC, about Southern Universalist Missionary Father D. B. Clayton.
Whether this ends up as a lecture or sermon or preaching; I'm not yet sure. The topic should be inspiring - we will see if the presenter is as good as the subject matter.

I last wrote about the Charleston Universalists in January 2007.

since then, I now have the Charleston Universalists still around in 1860 (looking to hire a new minister). This is close enough, that we can basically say that the Church lasted until the war.

As for the No Hell cemetery - I have a possible cite of a "Elizabeth Roberts" who died on September 12, 1838 and buried in September 13, 1838 in the "Universalist Yard". that would suggest on the lot on what was Anson and Laurens. I have no idea if they were removed after the war, or remain there. Anybody here with a good source of Charleston cemetery books?

Rev John Gregory (1810-1881) was minister and editor of the "Southern Evangelist" for a year around 1838.

Governor J. L. Wilson (1784 -1849), I see the Methodists slam him as an Universalist in a Methodist history book in the late 1800s, with an amusing story where he discovered his pastor in a local bar and had a drink with him. Good thing Wilson wasn't upstate with the teetotaler Universalists. The teetotaling Methodists weren't amused. I see in a mason book a letter from Wilson to Rev Albert Case. I suspect that all the Charleston Universalists were masons.

and the 1827-1829 Charleston Trinitarian Universalist book, "the Evangelists Manual" is on google books now.

I found some TarHeel Universalists in a library in North Carolina this past weekend (for those of you not from around here: Tar heel is a nickname for North Carolinians). this was a fair run of most issues from 1947 to 1955. Since this was an unexpected bonanza, I wasnt prepared with tons of dimes to make copies - but I did skim and make some notes.

Rev O. E. Bryant and Rev Lyman Ward died in 1948. Rev Bryant had retired, but was preaching one Sunday a month at Inman's Chapel in the mountains. Dr Bishop was living in Aberdeen and commuting (Aberdeen was my father's home place from the 1920s and I still have an aunt living there now. Our family farm is now condos in Pinehurst). Rev Thomas Chapman was a vegetarian, Rev L. C. "Tex" Prather was a scoutmaster. Woodington was still known as Clayton Memorial in 1947, there was a Goldsboro Fellowship in 1953,
- and I know three of the UYF (I assume this is Universalist Youth Fellowship) officers in the early 1950s. Still active in UU over 50 years later. good for them!
I will go back to make some copies of articles later -

I was reading Volume 3 of Patrick O'Kelly's four volume "NOTHING BUT BLOOD AND SLAUGHTER The Revolutionary War in the Carolinas (2005); when I came accross a mention of the Cloud Creek Massacre. I knew of the massacre, but it hadn't occured to me how late this was.
This was a month after the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, and two months after the battle of Eutaw Springs, SC (with General Greene losing the battle but winning the victor as usual).
Of course the last fighting in SC was over a year after the massacre....

let's see what we can see...

http://www.alleneasler.com/clouds.html
here's a picture of Padgett's Lake, a millpond on Cloud's Creek; and where the Padgett family (under a variety of spellings) had a mill....

googlemaps of lake

Cloud's creek itself - starts between Monetta and Ridge Sping, SC (off SC 23) goes northworth for a few miles then turns north east toward what used to be the Little Saluda River (and is now
the western side of Lake Murray. Easiest to say that Cloud's Creek is between the town of Saluda and Batesburg-Leesville in SC.

below a google map of
The massacre site


David Martin was an universalist restoration minister of the German Baptist Brethren, and did circuit preaching from his home near Newberry. Towsend's history is the source of most of the below non-war information.

1768 Martin held "first love feast" in this area (this is a specific type of communion)
among those recieving were Snowden and Sybil Kirkland. Kirkland until recently had been with a group of 7th Day Baptists on the Savannah River.
1770 James Warden has two hundred acres on Cloud's Creek.
1772 the Cloud's Creek church has 42 baptized members and -in 30 families. Members included James Warren (leader of the church) and Snowden Kirkland. All were English ethnic background. Cloud's Creek celebrated both Saturday and Sunday as days of worship.
1780 Martin was known to be preaching universal restoration.
November 1781 Cloud's Creek Massacre - at Carter's house (log cabin) on Cloud's Creek.
After the surrender of Captain Turner's remaining militia to Major Cunningham, Cunningham had them killed.
May 1782 Cloud's Creek militia in fight at Dean's Swamp Creek (near Wagener and Salley SC)
against Cunningham.
1790 a Cloud's Creek Baptist Church exists. It does not seem to be the same as the 1770s church. Although the minister there may have some very mild connections with the 1820s Universalist Convention of SC.
1803 original Warren and Padgett landgrants sold to others. Kirkland witness.
1804 death of Snowden Kirkland at Cloud's Creek. Kirkland's grandson called the father's family 7th Day Baptists in his declaration in 1847.
Three of Kirkland's sons were Tories. One of his great great grandsons married into the Dennis-Lester family that was associated with the Dunkers-Universalists of Newberry. I have conflicting reports as to Snowden being the brother of Moses Kirkland, an infamous in SC Loyalists.

We know little about Cloud's Creek - the question that I've wondered in putting this timeline together, is does the war and the massacres (of which Cloud's Creek is just one local one from just one side) affect David Martin and his universalist views?

The Ephrata Cloister
is apparently celebrating it's 275 anniversary this weekend. This group, a spin off of the German Fraternity of Baptists (German Baptist Brethren, Church of the Brethren) had a cloister or commune in early Pennsylvania. Yes, they did believe in universalism, and yes, former residents moved to the South and Midwest. And yes, some of those former Ephrata members and their descendants founded Universalist Churches. George Adam Martin was even known to preach in the New Jersey coast - prior to 1770.


from the press release

Ephrata Cloister to Mark 275 Years With Special Ceremony, Interactive Tours

Launching a weekend of unique tours, the Ephrata Cloister will host a
commemorative ceremony and press conference at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday,
Oct. 13, to mark its 275th anniversary.

The celebration will include a performance by the Ephrata Cloister
chorus, a public cake-cutting and remarks by Barbara Franco, executive
director of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, as well
as local dignitaries.

Interactive tours will feature performances by the chorus. Guests will
have the chance to assume the roles of the area's original immigrants as
they learn about life in historic Ephrata, one of America's earliest
religious communities.

LOCATION: Ephrata Cloister
Welcome Center Auditorium
632 West Main St.
Ephrata

Directions and tour information are available at
http://www.ephratacloister.org/.

Source: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
Web Site: http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/

from the Ephrata website:

* Second Sunday Series
October 13 (Saturday)
6:00-9:00 p.m.
October 14 (Sunday)
2:00-5:00 p.m.
Discover Ephrata’s musical heritage with a special program that combines a first-person style tour with music performed by members of the Ephrata Cloister Chorus in several locations on the historic site. This special anniversary event will be offered by candlelight on Saturday evening in addition to Sunday. Tours are limited in size and advance registration is strongly suggested. Admission charged.

Being the 275th anniversary of the Ephrata Cloisters, I decided to celebrate in my usual style - by getting a book. In this case, VOICES OF THE TURTLEDOVES (2003) by Jeff Bach. This illustration is from the historic site giftshop

There is a brief mention from cloister documents about universalism and George de Benneville is mentioned. There is plenty about mysticism and even pages about alchemy. Looks good.

There is also a map of Cloister colonies - including 4 in South Carolina
Beaver Creek (c1748-)
Broad River (c1754-)
Cloud's Creek (c1768-)
Edesto (c1770-)
he defines these as "Mixed Congregations of Seventh-Day and First Day Dunkers and English and German Sabbatarians").

He doesnt mention his reference for this, but it's slightly possible it's the Brethren Encyclopedia, Volume 3 (1984) which lists those four congregations -although the BE had Edisto spelled the usual way. The BE map was titled "the Colonial Brethren Congregations and Settlements 1719-1770".
and also lists the nearby Georgia and NC congregations, of which one in NC was small u universalist and the one in Georgia a 7th day group. the Georgia folks moved to Cloud's Creek and Broad River area of SC prior to the American Revolution

for those of you confused - these Churches above were the founding blocks of the churches later affliated with the "Universalist Church of America".


The Ephrata Cloisters was a German Pietist settlement near what is now Lancaster Pa in the mid 1700s. It consisted mainly of folks formerly associated with what we now called the Church of the Brethren. It is believed by some that David Martin, founder of those SC churches above, was the son of George Adam Martin. G. A. Martin was hand picked by the founder to be the leader of Ephrata, and GA Martin was a leader at Snow Hill. Thus the importance to Universalist history.

All we know about this photograph is that it is an Universalist Church, probably in Georgia.
- the design makes identification harder, as this was a popular style for rural Universalist southern Churches. It is NOT the Saluda SC church, nor does it appear to be Woodington NC. It doesnt seem to be Liberty in Mississippi (all of those churches have this design).

Do you know what church this is?

I have a copy of "A Discussion on Universal Salvation and Endless Punishment" (1875 edition) between Universalist Rev. E. Manford and Disciples Rev. J. S. Sweeney.

My copy was owned by a southerner who had glued in various pages from Manford's Monthly. An article about a later debate (1882) between Manford and Sweeney, and an 1887 article about a debate with Rev Thomas Abbott and JR. Now I won't name JR because his grandchildren might still be alive, he had children still alive 30 years ago.

The last line of the article ( actually a debate summary) is thus "(JR) made no reply here, but referred to the vengeance of God, and said it was an attribute of God, which (Abott) could not meet. "Vengeance is Mine and I will repay."
#############################

"Nix" is written by the books original owner next to that. "I know that the law of retaliation belongs to God; but how cruel vengeance can be an attribute, I can't see.
(JR) is the man THAT married (VK) and left her and took up with another woman."

JR was born in in 1846 in Tennessee, he married (LK - the V could be a nickname for L)in Feb 1868, when he was 21 and she was 26. They moved to Illinois with her brother a Baptist minister. JR went to college to become a minister, and then got a pulpit in Mississippi. His last child with LK was born in 1871 in Illinois. In 1872 he married ST (who was 10 years younger than LK)in Mississippi. JR and ST moved to various states until they made it to Arkansas, where the debate with Rev Abbott was held in 1887. (I could not find a death date for JR). The previous owner of my book was living in the area where LKs grandparents and cousins lived - I have no proof of his statement, but the facts fit.

Are there morals to this story? Sure, one could be that even with scant clues, someone could find your flaws from 135 years ago. Since JR keep his side out of his official biography, we'd dont know his reasons. LK could have been a horrible person, well worth getting rid of, and the family themselves were upset to get her back.
- but another moral is, that we look at flaws - your sins, as basic ones: you dont make promises that you cant keep, if you are in the ministry or public service, you must be better than normal. It's a cold cruel world (but lots of fun for those of us who like to research - because even your sins will out).

That debate book I mentioned on the previous post was originally owned by Augustus (A.C.) Bowers of Boone Creek, Washington County, E. Tennessee.
He dated the book March 14, but neglected to put the year. It's an 1875 edition, so it was after that time, and published by Universalist minister E. Manford. Copies of Manford's Magazine from 1882 -1887 are glued in his book.

A. C. Bowers (1847 - 1921) was born in Boone Creek, which is now a suburb of Johnson City.He was a member of the Union Army during the War Between The States, serving (if I read this right) as part of Stoneman's Calvary. In 1879 he was a internal revenue collector and in 1890 was a census taker.

The Johnson City area was the home to Dr. William Hale, who was ordained in 1877, and founded a Universalist church in "Free Hill" in 1880. I'm not sure how long the church lasted, up to the 20th century, I believe. Universalist was also believed in that area by some in the Church of the Brethren and there is a Primitive Baptist Universalist Church in the area.

The formal name of the Universalist Church in Gratis Georgia was "Consolation church". The Universalist Register says the church was built in 1886 (and organized in 1887), made of wood and costing $500. That would make it the same age and likely construction as many other southern Universalist Churches. The church was gone by the great depression, but still active as of 1902. I have no source of data from the 1900s to the early 1930s. Ellen Adams was the clerk of the Church in 1902. I'm not 100% sure where that church was in Gratis. Next to the Adams Family Cemetery?

Gratis in the 1890s was the home of two Universalist ministers.
James Harrell Park (1829-1903) ordained to the Universalist ministry in 1860. Missionary Baptist minister up to that time. Called by some "the Love Minister" -back when that would be a band of honor. Not sure when he moved to Gratis, seems to be in the late 1880s. He is no known kin to Martha Ellen Adams Parks.
T. H. Gunter, I admit to knowing nothing about, other than he was in Gratis in the 1890s.

Ellen Adams lived to 1941, and is buried beside her husband in the Adams Family cemetery.

If you noticed in my previous post on Augustus C. Bowers, that while I mentioned his ownership of a Manford debate book and his pasting of Manford's monthly pages in that book, I carefully didnt mention if he was an Universalist - frankly because I wasnt sure. Owning a book doesnt make one an Universalist.

Now I am sure. Not only was he an Universalist, he was an Ordained Universalist Minister! ordained in 1892, in the minister's listing from 1892-1908+ subscriber to Manford's Monthly in 1899. As far as I know, he didnt do any preaching other than missionary work - no Universalist church at Johnson City, Boone Creek, Grey, et al at that time.
No kin to Rev. J.M. Bowers of Canon Georgia - and publisher of the Universalist Herald.

the joke I was making at work was that I would get into the Christmas mood on Friday at 6 PM... While I have slightly more Christmas spirit, it's not the exuberant joy I would like to have... Christmas is a hard time for lots of folks, lots of expectations that cant be met...
.... but there is always next year. The Hope of a better day is good.
Readers of my other blog know that I've spent December (after work) acting as my mother's health care power of attorney, and making medical decisions for her. Not very Christmasy in one way.

However in the mailbox Christmas Eve, I go the current issue of GOOD NEWS, the Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship newsletter; the current issue of the UNIVERSALIST HERALD; a copy of the 1913 printing of the 1903 GLORIA PATRI REVISIED, a devotional manual for public Universalist worship; and three years of the weekly STAR IN THE WEST from the mid1840s. This Ohio - Indiana paper usually had some southern Universalist news, and I'll be posting the news as I run across it.
So wonderful Christmas presents for myself - and what better way to enjoy presents than sharing?

"Dearly beloved brethren, we have assembled as the disciples of him who came into this world as a little child and thus brought joy and gladness into every home, to lift up the voice of joy and praise, and to recommend ourselves and all our concerns to the care of our heavenly Father. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Put your trust in him and you shall not be disappointed. And pray you, as many as are here present, to accompany me with a pure heart and humble voice unto the throne of heavenly Grace."
(prayer) "O God, whose blessed Son was manifested that he might save his people from their sins, and show them to be the sons of God, and heirs of immortal life, grant, we beseech thee, that, having this hope, we may purify ourselves, even as he is pure; give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, and grant that, at the last, we may rise to the life immortal, according to thy promise through him who liveth and reigneth with thee world without end. Amen."

Star In the West and Glad Tidings
volume 6 #1 (April 15, 1843) old series volume 14
Cincinnati Ohio, John A. Gurley, editor; E. M. Pingree, associate editor

Lynchburg, Virginia
The Universalists in this place are building a meetinghouse, 40 X 60 feet. It will be ready to dedicate in two or three months. Our cause is reprented as being remarkably prosperous in Lynchburg.

More Laborers In Kentucky
the "Register" for 1843, gives the names of 4 Preachers in Kentucky, and says there are five societies in the State. One of the Preachers - Br. Dean- has removed to Illinois; - the names of the other three are not familiar to us nor do I know in what part of the State they are, or whether they are living and preaching, or not. --
As for societies, I know of only tow-- one in Louisville and the other in Warsaw. Probably the other Societies and Preachers are in the Southern portion of the State.
I have just seen a letter from Wm Bates, Esq. P. M. at Wilkes Creek, Butler Co., Ky to Br. Chapin, of this City, in which the names of two young men are given as having recently commenced preaching the "Gospel of Salvation": with good success - John S. Phelps and R. J. L. Phelps.


Br. Pingree's Residence in Louisville - Is on the west side of Brook Street between Main and Market, 1st brick house North of Market. He may be found by inquiry at Gad Chapin's store, corner of 8th and Market, or at Asa Wood's Shoe Store, on Main a few door below Fourth.
The above directions are given here, so that my friends in the neighborhood, and those passing up or down the River, and calling at Louisville, may ready find me; as I shall be well pleased to see the faces of my old acquaintances who may happen to be this way.
Louisville, April 3 E. M. P.

#2 April 22, 1843
Universalist Books In Louisville
For the Information of our friends in Louisville and vicinity, as well as those visiting the City, from the South and West, I would say that most of the Universalist publications may be purchased at Br. G. Chapin's store, on the N. W. Corner of 8th and Market Sts. (titles of books deleted by poster).
br. Chapin is also Agent for most of the Universalist periodicals. Recollect, he is on the corner of Market and 8th sts, having removed thither from the corner of Market and 7th, where he formerly kept. - EMP

The Convention in Warsaw, Ky - In the call for a Convention to meet in Warsaw, on the 11th of May, nothing was said about the number of delegates to be chosen by each Society. As each society sends (lines torn) Associations, generally, it is well and proper to send that number in this case.
Where societies can be formed, between the present time and the time of the meeting proposed, so as to be represented in the formation of the Convention it is earnestly urged on the believers so to do; for the Societies in Kentucky, are now "few and far between". Brethren! wiil you not think of this? - EMP

#3 April 29, 1843
no Southern news

STAR IN THE WEST, AND GLAD TIDDINGS.

VOLUME Vi NO. 6 May 20, 1843

Louisville Ky, has between 25,000-30,000 residents. Churches are 2 Episcopalians, 3 Presbyterians, 2 Roman Catholic, 3 Methodist, 1 Unitarian pastor there is Rev. Heywood who recently replaced Rev. Clark), 1 Cambellite, 1 German Methodist,1 English and1 German Lutheran, 2 Baptist, 1 Jewish Synagogue and 1 Universalist Church.
"some years ago" Theolopius Fisk preached here a few times in an amphitheater. An Union church for Unitarians and Universalists was built, which the Unitarians took control of. 5-6 years ago, Wadsworth lived in Louisville, publishing the BUREAN until his death. Br. Dean came to town, and started a new Universalist Church , buying a building on Chapel St (a former Episcopalian Church). this was at the lower end of town, 2 squares below the gaslights. There were problems and the church suspended, and Br. Dean moved to Illinois. Brother Kelso came to the city in Jan or Feb (of 1842) and restarted services in the Chapel Street church. Brothers Rogers and Gaylord preached, and around November (of 1842), Enoch Pingree was invited to be the minister, and he moved to Louisville on April 1, 1843. they begin a building fund to build a church in a more central part of town. Anti-universalism sermons were preached in other churches and Rev Pingree responded by preaching responses several times a a week at various locations in the city(article by Pingree)

Pingree responds that despite the libels of Rev Crane, Rev Peck, and Matthew H. Smith; the "grocery store" owned by G. Chapin in Louisville; sells groceries and Universalist books. It has never sold alcohol, and indeed Brother Chapin does not drink himself. this is response to a question by J. L. C. griffin in the NAZZARENE (
blogger: I'm not sure when Griffin became an Universalist)

correction: Pingree states that the community he reported last month as Wilke's Creek, Ky is actually Welch's Creek, Ky. An Universalist Society had been organized there some months ago.

George Roger's new hymn book is being used in the church in Louisville.

subscribers include someone from Hardin's Tavern, Va, Fleminsburg, Ky and E.R.Smith Centerville Ky.


Volume VI # 7 May 27, 1843
Formation of the Kentucky State Convention
Thursday Evening of last week, held at Warsaw Kentucky lasting to Sunday. while only two societies sent delegates, they undertook the buisness of founding a convention.

"Dear Brother: I write a few lines to inform you that the doctrine of universal love is gaining considerable with us. We have two young men, sons of old Father James Phelps who have commenced preaching the doctrine of the world's salvation with considerable success. - they have formed a little society in butler County, Ky, with something over 30 members, and have built a meeting house which will be finished in the course of the summer. On next Sabbath they will hold a sacramental meeting for the first time. we have the right to rejoice seeing the spirit of Enquiry is aboard and the whys and wherefores are enquired after, and the doctrine of endless misery must cease with intelligent minds.
Jacob Miller; Carneyville Ky, May 11, 1843"

Brother Byington will preach at Bank Link, Kentucky 2nd Sunday in June

As far as we know, Coleman Blease (and someone came up with a website just for him!) the SC Governor and US Senator, known for his populism and his racism was NOT an Universalist.
(1868-1942) He was quite an interesting figure, but not one most folks would want to stick on their list of highly admired folks.

We did we wonder if he was an Universalist? Well some of the Bleases from Coleman were universalists.... and Coleman Blease was from Helena and Newberry SC, and tied in with other SC universalist families....


All the SC Bleases are descendants from Thomas Wainwright Blease who emigrated from England to South Carolina, and died in the late 1830s, leaving 7 children. Thomas' wife Bethany was converted and baptized by the Baptist minister Basil Manly in 1823 in Edgefield South Carolina.

Their son, Henry Horatio Blease was the father of Gov. Coleman Blease.
Another son, Thomas W Jr; was the father of Luther Blease
Luther's wife and their son were Universalist -
Dunno about Luther Blease himself.

So at this point we can say that Coleman Blease's cousin Luther's family were Universalist;
but there is no evidence that Coleman himself was.

... because, Coleman Blease may be a Methodist. Or at least somebody claims him for the Methodists.

The Rev D.D. Smith (Daniel Drowne Smith) seems to be an interesting person in his own right, but he is overshadowed by his more famous father and brother; both of whom were also preachers who burned brightly in the Universalist skies before moving elsewhere.

His father, Elias Smith, was a free will Baptist minister turned Christian minister. There is a biography of his life available (which I admit to not having read), the Perfect Law of Liberty.
His brother Matthew Hale Smith is best known for being an Universalist minister turned anti-Universalist book writer. These books are available on Google Books.

D.D. Smith was born December 16, 1807 in Portsmouth , NH; and died on March 17, 1878 in Brooklyn NY. He had two careers, first as an Universalist minister; then as a homeopathic medical doctor.

He preached at various Massachusetts and Maine locations from the late 1820s to December 1838. From That date to April 1841, he preached at Gloucester. Something happened to lead him to resign and preach in Richmond, Virginia. The sources that I've read don't spell it out, so I can't even guess as to what happened. But it couldn't have been too bad, as
in 1843 or 44, he returned to lead a new "Independent Universalist Society" in Gloucester, preaching there until the summer of 1848, when he left the ministry.

His medical career was in New York State; and he taught at the Homeopathic Medical College in New York for nine years. Upon his death in 1878, he was a member of Henry Ward Beecher's PLYMOUTH CHURCH in Brooklyn.

He was involved with several newspapers, supossibly the UNIVERSALIST in it's first year (he's not mentioned in my bound volume however), and then changed the name to UNIVERSALIST AND LADIES REPOSITORY in 1834-1835. He edited the Richmond paper CHRISTIAN WARRIOR, a weekly from April 1842 to his removal to the north.
Books include
1834 REPORT OF A PUBLIC DISCUSSION (a debate with A. Ballou. Smith was the Ultra-Universalist; Ballou the restoriationist)
1836 CHILD'S OWN UNIVERSALIST COMPANION
1837 LECTURES ON DOMESTIC DUTIES

In his anti-Universalist books, his brother states that D.D. stated that he was only in the ministry because it paid so well. Now if there is one thing that gives us pause here in the 21st century, that would be it. Ministry pays well?

addition: 'THE PERFECT LAW OF LIBERTY, lists the middle name as Drown, and that he was born in June 1797. The above name and date are from his obituary.

(corrected January 26, 2008)

Frankly there isn't much Southern Universalist Historical Fiction - at least that I know of.
But there is one, and now you can read it for free!

The Mockingbird's Ballad
Doak Mansfield

Now I own a copy, liked it enough to give it a good review on Amazon -
and I certainly don't want to discourage anyone from going out and buying a copy.
but you can read it for free on the first link

Free Reading site

(i have the Amazon site linked on the second, but if you go through the Amazon links on the
Universalist National Memorial Church or the www.UniversalistHerald.net, or some other charitable group, then those groups get a couple cents from Amazon for the referral).

amazon

I met the author the year after I reviewed the book, and was glad to have him sign my copy- and he's pictured here in this blog (from where he spoke at the 2006 Universalist Convocation) - I'm waiting for his next book - I sure hope he's writing one!

"If it were left up to us, without doubt we should so order our life on earth that it would be all glad and beautiful, bright skies and a green earth, waving forests, and running streams, and lovely landscapes. No clouds should come between us and the sun, no storms should weep over our path; no disappointments nor griefs should come to us; and sickness and death, and the lone household and the long-sorrowing heart, should be strangers to us and to ours. And so life should be to us a pleasant and merry holiday; and we, like the butterfly or the hummingbird, with bright plumage flashing in the sun, would go dancing from flower to flower, stopping only long enough to gather the honey, and rejoice in the beauty that welcomed us from all sides.
"So should we make life, if God would yield to our vain prayers, and suffer our will to be done."
-Thomas Baldwin Thayer, 1864, Over the River, or Pleasant Walks into the Valley of Shadows

"In an hour like this, nothing can take the place of the outstretched hands of human sympathy and understanding, the spoken or the silent assurance given by friends - "We have walked this way of sorrow also in times past and tasted its bitterness and sense of loss. We stand ready to help you through your valley of sorrow until that time comes when you emerge again into the light, and to continually assure you that you do not walk alone."
- Alfred S. Cole

"Love Never Fails"
-Paul

Ok, it's been a bit quiet on the old southern Univeralist history blog.....
-those changes that life brings has a tendency to do what it says: change things.

But I plan to get back to this blog on a regular basis, the story of Universalism in the south still has a lot left to tell. And no doubt, a lot left for me to learn.

Some of the stuff I may never learn, such as why did Clayton not mention Simons in his autobiography? Was it non-Church Politics or doctrine? Will I learn more about Rev Laura Simons - what happened to her? When did the church in Charleston SC actually stop having services?

What Ive done recently is give a sermon at both Outlaw's Bridge and All Souls Waccamaw. On Easter Sunday I went to Clayton Memorial in Newberry, and then went to Lynch's Woods, a nature perserve- formerly the property of Rev Lynch (Linch), the SC Minister who formerly hooked his Church up with the Universalist association in New England. His children went west founding early Universalists churches in Georgia, Florida, and west. Walking on this land helps me literally see some of what they saw.
I also got some new books, which I need to read....

the plans for this blog remain that at some point, I will start up a website and start removing material to make for an easier way to find that material. Today, I decided to once again remove Kentucky from the South, because it remains more in character for the Ohio River valley area - I reserve the right to wonder what in the world I was thinking of, and thereby possibly in the future putting Kentucky and West Virginia back in the south..... Hey, isnt it great to have the power to move the states around at whim?????

information taken from the UNIVERSALIST LEADER
Lyman Ward (of Camp Hill, Alabama) was part of the contributing staff
Southern Superintendent (of churches): Rev. Frances Briton Bishop, Montgomery Alabama
Georgia State Superintendent: Rev. A. G. Strain, Atlanta, Georgia
Kentucky state Superintendent: empty
Texas State Superintendent: Rev R. L Brooks, Elgin, Texas

May 26, 1923 issue
the director of the Young People's work; Stanley Manning is to be in Winder Georgia on May 26, Chapman Alabama on May 29, Brewton, Alabama on May 30, DeFuniak Springs, Florida on June 3, and Hamburg, Florida on June 4.
Rev. Thomas Chapman (of the Newberry / Saluda SC Chapman family) has an article on the centenary of the church in Belpre, Ohio

June 2, 1923 issue
Stanley Manning writes his column in Deep Run, NC on May 17th. He mentions visiting Suffolk, Virginia, and seeing closing exercises for the year at Rev Joseph F. Jordan's school - he mentions two new African-American ministers preaching within a 50 mile radius of Suffolk - a father and son, but doesn't name them.

June 9, 1923 issue
Stanley Manning writes his column while "down in Alabama" on May 28th. He mentions the depression in Georgia which had been going on for the past three years (yes years before the stock market crash and in the midst of the Roaring 20s). This has led the following Universalist ministers and professionals to head north: Hal Kerns, Will Garner, Mary Slaughter, Armon Cheek, Thomas Chapman and J. M. Rasnake. Manning mentions that he himself had been on the Southern Georgia circuit for his first four years in his ministry.

June 16, 1923 issue
Stanley Manning is back home in Ma. He mentions going to Canon, Georgia; Atlanta, Georgia; Brewton, Alabama; Outlaw's Bridge, NC; Newberry, SC; Feasterville, SC; Camp Hill, Alabama; Rocky Mount, NC; Kinston, Durham; NC. In Canon Georgia, Manning watched the graduation of Stanley Owens from High School. "my namesake. One of the dangers of being born in Dixie is that you may be named for any tramp preacher than may happen along about that time."
He went to Camp Hill, Georgia, and Americus, Georgia (where he had been ordained by Dr. Shinn), to Winder Georgia, and to DeFuniak Springs, where Manning preached before leaving the south. "Visits there are always a real home-coming". Rev. A. Arnold Ross was the preacher then as well as a writer for the local "The Breeze". In Chapman, Alabama, he stayed with Mr and Mrs. Greeley McGowin - and spoke at the Union Church there. In Brewton, Mrs Miller was ill, so he stayed at the home of Mrs. Sam Foshee. In Pensacola, Florida; Mr. Herrider, a city editor of the local paper, was supplying the pulpit. His last stop was the Hamburg Florida Church near Madison.

ATLANTA.-- " Rev. Ernest J. Bowden, pastor. Rev. Bowden, who took charge of the work here in February, was given a call on May 27 to become pastor for one year, and has accepted. The Sunday School is flourishing under the superintendency of Hamilton Douglas and Mr. Knox. An orchestra has been organized by Mr. Bowden to augment the music of Sunday School and young people's meetings. The Y. P. C. U. meets every Sunday at 6 O'Clock, and the meeting is followed by a social hour with light refreshments. A Hikers' club has been organized among the young people, of which Mr,. and Mrs. Bowden are members. The Women's Union is interested in a movement to improve prison conditions in Atlanta.

"SOUTHERN UNIVERSALIST YOUNG PEOPLE'S INSTITUTE- Chattanooga, Tenn July 20 to 30, 1923
The fifth meeting of the Southern Universalist Young People's Institute will be held at he Q. H. Shin Memorial Church, Friday July 20. The opening sermon will be preached by Rev.
F. B. Bishop, D.D.
The faculty is composed of the following: Rev. George A. Gay, Director; Rev. F. B. Bishop, Southern Superintendent; Rev. L. B. Fisher, Dean Ryder Divinity School; Rev. Stanley Manning, Directory Young People's Work; Mrs. Katharine Haskell Ball, Missionary. The program will include lectures each morning from nine until twelve; excursions to Lookout Mountain, Signal Mountain, and other points of interest; sunset praise services on the mountains; special sermons by noted preachers; delightful social affairs in the homes of Chattanooga members. education, Inspiration, Recreation. " Terms: $1 enrollment fee and $10 board and room.

June 23, 1923 issue
THE W.N.M.A.
(Women's National Missionary Association)
News from the Clinton Circuit by Martha G. Jones from Clinton NC
Clinton has 20 members, Red Hill has 17, and there are 8 members-at-large. Clinton WNMA had a food both at the County Fair in the fall top help pay the delinquent street paving tax, and the parsonage and church roof painted.


Mr. O. W. Eames of the Crane Theological School will spend the summer in NC preaching for Rev. Harry L. Canfield who plans to be in New England and attend Summer School at Harvard.

Greensboro, North Carolina; Rev. R. S. Kellerman, pastor. four children christened recently and three adults added to the membership in June.

June 30, 1923 issue
Future North Carolina resident, Carl Sandburg, was given an honorary Doctor of Letters at Lombard College, He had graduated from Lombard in the class of 1902.

In Stanley Manning's column he mentions that he will be going to the Southern Young People's Institute in July and the Texas State Convention in August in New Castle)

Rev Dwight Ball preaches the first Sunday evening, two services on the second sunday, and weekly midweek services at Kinston NC since October.
In Deep Run, Rev Ball preaches on the first Sunday afternnon at the home of Martha and Nannie Grady. a large Sunday School has meet weekly for the past two years, currently under the direction of Preston Harper (who is a 19 year old high school student). Current membership is 54, and a lot was donated by Mr. Grady. The church was founded by Mrs. Ball.

July 7, 1923 issue
Stanley Manning's column mentions Clayton Memorial and the Feasterville Church in SC.
and he mentions the 200 year history of Universalism in South Carolina.

Mary Slaughter (picture in this issue) becomes the "Colleague of the President" of the General Sunday School Association. She was born in Camp Hill, Got a BA degree at Judson College for Women and the St. Lawrence University, She taught at the Southern Industrial Institute, and spent a year as the Assistant pastor of the church in Haverhill Mass. (this is described as being interim between ministers).

Christian Hill, NC - Rev Dwight A. Ball minister; weekend of the 4th Sunday, service Saturday evening, and two Sunday services" 5 new members and two children christened. In June 100 attended the Sunday Morning service and a 100 for the afternoon service.

----
this confirms that Feasterville SC was active in 1923 as was Americus Georgia. This also tells us why the decline of Universalism in the South started post WW1 - the depression led to a shortage of ministers. North Carolina's ministers were being paid for by the WNMA


there are a couple of good quotes that still work 80 years later that will be going on UU-ing, I will link to this post (for those of you who dont read both of my blogs)

sr
some typos corrected April 13, 2008

William Miller Bledsoe (1761 -1811)

thanks to an anonymous poster
SC Universalist: a working history: Manford's Monthly Magazine 1880 Jan - April

for pointing out this from
A History of Kentucky Baptists
By J. H. Spencer

WILLIAM BLEDSOE, the first pastor of Crab Orchard church, was the son of Joseph Bledsoe, the founder and first pastor of old Gilberts Creek church of Separate Baptists. He, with his father and brothers, was among the early settlers of what is now Garrard county. He was a brother of the distinguished judge Jesse Bledsoe, who served two terms in the United States Senate from Kentucky.

William Bledsoe was a native of Culpeper county, Virginia. He was probably raised up to the ministry, under the preaching of his father, in Gilberts Creek church, after he came to Kentucky. He was the most active laborer in that wonderful revival in Lincoln and Garrard counties, in 1789, and the years following. He was in the constitution of Cedar Creek church, at Crab Orchard, in 1791, and became the first pastor of this church. During the revival just referred to, in 1789, two hen's eggs were brought to Gilberts Creek meeting-house with this sentence written on them: "The day of God's awful judgment is near." It was pretended that this writing was on the eggs when they were found in the nest. "Elder W. Bledsoe," says Mr. Boulware, "read aloud. The people were alarmed. Elder Bledsoe professed to feel alarmed, preached, exhorted, warned, invited, etc., etc. This revival lasted several months. I have seen from five to twenty come up, or led up, to be prayed for at one time. There were about 400 added to the church."⁵ "He" [William Bledsoe], says John M. Peck, "was a smart, rather than a pious preacher." John Bailey, who was one of the laborers in this revival, subsequently became a Universalist. Bledsoe also apostatized to Universalism, and then became indifferent to a religious life and reckless in his conduct. "Elder W. Bledsoe," says Mr. Boulware, "and many of his converts embraced the doctrine of universal salvation, and soon after he became

---

[p. 232]
a deist, and died a practicing horse-racer. I continued an acquaintance with these converts for eight or nine years, and then knew not of one that had not, like the dog and sow, turned to their vomit and mire again.” Such were the fruits of this shameful fraud and hypocrisy, and the end of the man who practiced them. "God is not mocked: whatsoever a man soweth that shall he reap."

always hard to know what is what. certainly the last lines is the typical anti-0Universalist messages. Certainly early Kentucky is known in the literature as a hot bed of dietism, and wickedness. Certainly horse racing was a widely popular event in the South - George Washington being one of those sorts.
William Miller Bledsoe (1761-1811) was indeed the son of Rev. Joseph Bledsoe. His father moved himself and his entire Baptist congregation (one source says) from Culpepper County to Kentucky. This apparently in the late 1770s or very early 1780s. William Miller Bledsoe's children and brothers were apparently very active in the Restoration or Campbelite Movement.
WMB had over 13 children. Lived and his buried in Lancaster Kentucky.

from the Universalist Herald - thanks to the Canon Universalist folks in Georgia for this scan.

"Kentucky, You are the Dearest Place Outside of Heaven to Me...."
The comment below mine is taken and moved up here to the front of the blog...

The problems with strict congregationalism is that when a church begins to decline, there is no one to fix it but themselves. In the old days, you could count on traveling Universalist preachers who preached because they had too, and had other occupations because they had too.
I have lots of reasons for not wanting to include Kentucky in my dealing with Universalist history - in the days of Enoch Pingree, Universalism swept like fire through Kentucky - with the Restorationist Brethren in the rural areas preaching their verson of the goodnews --- there were probably more Universalist or universalist Churches in Kentucky than in the entire rest of the south.
By the Civil War, the Brethren Restorationists had gone from Kentucky to Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa and other parts of the (back then) wild west. Pingree died young, Imagine how much he could have built, if he had lived double his lifespan, until his 60s - and able to do twice the work he had done in Kentucky.
To do right by Kentucky, means that someone should know Kentucky history and Kentucky geography. I'm still struggling to learn about those semi-foreign lands Mississippi and Alabama.
while I feel sure that someone will eventually cover Kentucky Universalist history better than I ever could, right now however is the time we have. and if not me, then yeah......

(so about those pictures...............)

cdmhogan said...

KY Universalist Convention: Rasnake, 1907-09; Chapman, 1916-1922, Bodell, 1935-1941.

KY is sort of an "Orphan State", isn't it?

There's 3 buildings still standing that Rasnake, Chapman and Bodell waxed eloquent in, 2 abandoned, Beulah and Good Hope, and I fear Hopkinsville will soon join them. It is 45 miles from my house, and after 15 years of attendance, I've slowly withdrawn, and it's wobbling along!

There's no Ohio Valley Universalist History interest, and if your blog abandons KY, it will certainly continue it's slide into oblivion! There are fourteen photos of Universalist ministers who served the KY Convention on display in the Hopkinsville church, but how long they'll survive is problematical. I have photocopies, but the originals are there in a broken frame as of last year.

Clio

a new name for the blog ---
same address, just clearer name for what it is.....

(and where are you folks with other church history blogs?)

I've been in Massachusetts attending the Universalist Convocation, held this year at the historic and former Universalist / UUA owned, now private Clara Barton homestead and Barton Center in North Oxford.
A field trip for us history buffs including visiting the former Church in Oxford Ma, where Hosea Ballou was ordained by (former SC resident) Elehanan Winchester.
I took a side trip to Boston and visited the UUA headquarters and saw a former Universalist HQ.
also a side trip to Gloucester.
while in Boston, I picked up the two volume set of HISTORY OF UNIVERSALISM by Richard Eddy for $25. this is the classic early history. One volume is available on google books, but for us old folks, there is just something about reading paper... I see the early guys in Kentucky are quoted... Waiting for me in the mail were some issuess of Utica NY's Evangelical Magazine and Gospel Advocate of the 1830s. Including an article by "D.S." about his short stay preaching in Richmond Virginia. It's hard to know where to start reading first!

Dolphus Skinner (1800-1869)
was an Universalist minister and publisher most associated with Utica, New York.
the above link will take you to a biographical summary -which also states that
"Skinner frequently traveled south in hopes of repairing his health. He stayed in Richmond, Virginia for about half a year in the winter of 1837-38. While there he preached to the Richmond Society."

Skinner himself says
in the EVANGELICAL MAGAZINE AND GOSPEL ADVOCATE for June 15, 1838.
"Return from the South.
"After an absence of between seven and eight months, we again find ourselves, together with our family, within our own quiet domicil (sic) in Utica, and by the blessing of Divine Providence, in the enjoyment of general health. The same benignant Parent of all, who is over all and with all, who watches over all for good, in their out-goings and in-comings, their up-risings and down-sittings, in their travels by land and by water, their sojourn at a distance or their abiding at home, has been with us and the many friends we left behind. The same eye has looked upon, the same potent arm has protected, and the same munificent hand has supplied the wants of all, and to him be all the praise."
...
"We had two principal motives for our sojourn at the South, during the Winter: the one was, to supply the preaching of the word of life, the First Independent Christian church in Richmond, Va, which had long been destitute and sin a somewhat of a languishing condition for the want of a pastor. The citizens of Richmond, generally, appeared to have learned comparatively little of ur distinguishing sentiments, though we found a few very warm-hearted and devoted friends, who cordially took us by the hand, and co-operated with us in efforts to diffuse more generally our glorious views of the Divine character and government, and the ultimate destiny of our race. Though Superstition frowned upon, and Bigotry denounced us and the doctrine of a world's salvation, yet our meetings were usually well attended, by a very respectable class of citizens, and continued to increase steadily as long as we stayed. And we sincerely hope that they will continue to increase under the labors of our young and highly esteemed Br. Chapin, who succeeds us for a season in that place. Richmond, as the capital of the State and the largest city in the Old Dominion, is an important place, and should not be neglected - the truth should there especially be preached faithfully, fully, and constantly; and if so preached, we doubt not its fruits will be an hundred fold.
...
Another object in spending the Winter at the South, was to avoid the extreme severity of climate which the inhabitants of this Northern region have for several years past experienced. By a location in a milder region, we hoped to recover from a severe affection and chronic soreness of the throat, or passages leading to the lungs... We were not as successful in obtaining the last object as we hoped to be; for although our general health has been, for the most of the time, very good, and we were able to preach regularly every Sabbath... the difficulty is not removed, nor are we certain that it is in the least mitigated. ..."
++++++++++
thus we add Rev Skinner as the minister in Richmond for circa October 1837 to May 1838, when Br. Chapin took over suppling the pulpit there.
...

the link here should take you to Rev Scott Wells' website and a post that he links to google maps showing The New Harmony Universalist Church in the Windsor community, near Loganville Georgia.
( I hope I have that address correct)

Clicking on the line on the road, you can "drive" up and down past the building.

New Harmony isnt a church that I've researched, so I can tell too much about it yet.
It apparently lasted from the 1880s to maybe the 1960s.

The Church yard is nicely kept up.

I'm starting near the end here, rather than the beginning.
This is because I'm not sure when it started in Georgia , and neither was "The No Hell People" (circa 1986) written by William H. Belkan. The first Georgia Universalist Convention was established July 1838.

Georgia was another state that didn't enjoy the Roaring 20s, suffering under the rural depression effecting other southern states - which resulted in Preachers and residents heading north, looking for work.

the SC Universalist Convention ended, so Clayton Memorial of Newberry SC joined the Georgia Convention in 1939 (NHP).

Merger talks with the Unitarians started seriously in the 1950s and several of the Georgia churches were against it; and sent a pention denoucing the idea. Among those churches were Allatoona, Bowers Chapel. and Loganville (Windsor). In 1959, the vote was held and the Georgia Universalist Convention affiliated churches voted against it.

by the time of the merger with the Unitarians in 1961, there were maybe 6 Churches left.
Canon, Senoia, Winder, and Windsor. Atlanta was a resurrection by the Unitarians of the Unitarian killed "United Liberal Church" and the fellowship in Athens was listed in the 1961 and 1962 Unitarian Universalist Directory as the "Universalist Unitarian Fellowship".

What happened to Bowers Chapel and Allatoona, I cant at this time say. they either disbanded or never joined the UUA.

Atlanta was the biggest by far with 355 members in 1961, and 419 members in 1962. We dont know the membership of Athens for those years. Canon had 46 members, Windsor has 28 and Senoia had 20. We dont know the membership of Winder for those years.

by 1976 and 1978, Athens was a regular Unitarian Universalist Fellowship . Atlanta had increased its numbers to over a thousand, and changed their name to Unitarian Universalist Congregation. Their Universalist roots appear lost - and It doesnt seem that either was a member of the Georgia Universalist Convention. Canon had 15-20 members, Senoia had 14-15, Winder had 10. Windsor (Loganville) was no longer affiliated with the UUA.

By the mid 1980s, Windsor (Loganville) was struggling with the decision to stop services, and at some point in the late 1980s, it do so, now having a yearly reunion that continues to this day (per Scott Wells 2008 website). Winder dropped out of the UUA sometime in the late 1990s, but is apparently still having services in their historic Rockwell Church.
The Georgia Convention continues and Canon and Clayton Memorial (Newberry SC) continue to have services twice monthly. But have regular ministers preaching on those Sundays. Both have web pages.

there are (I hear) other small u Universalist Churches in modern Georgia, but they are not connected with the historic Universalist Convention. I also dont know enough about the modern Georgia UUA congregations to speculate on their universalism (of any kind) or lack thereof.

addition: somehow I forgot to mention that the Senoia Church ended in the late 1990s, the building was sold to a couple that made a home of it. As of early 2000, they welcomed old members of the congregation into their home.

late addition: Removed was my comment of the end of the Georgia Universalist Convention. I was misinformed, and glad to hear that I was.

I'm up in Haywood County NC, having visited Inman's Chapel (and various other NC historic sites), I'm going to blog more about the actual church later - but I am very excited about the work that the Inman family are doing, both on their restoration and on their family and Church history. The chapel looks wonderful and what research I've heard and seen seems accurate. Very well done, I will be praising them more later -
Today though, I want to talk about and ask about blue ceilings. The ceiling at Inman's Chapel was painted blue - as the original ceiling was blue. I have been told that the church near Saluda, SC also had a blue ceiling. That church would have been built around the same time. Rev. Terry Robinson, also visiting, mention that he knew of a blue ceiling in an Unitarian Church.
This weekend I am reading a book where blue is mentioned as a popular color in some of the early churches - I havent seen anything about blue ceilings though - but of course these things set my mind to wondering - can folks name more blue ceiling Churches?

From the Universalist Companion of 1848 - I'll be doing Kentucky separately

Tennessee -
W.C. Brooks, Memphis
M.P. Fisher, Brownsport (former "partialist")
C.H. Gardner, Decatur County
L.M. Gaylord, Memphis
C.F.R. Shehane, Lewisburg (former "partialist")
I. D. Williamson, Memphis
one new minister. a society and a meeting house in Memphis.
W.F. Tannehill, bookseller, Memphis, keeps Universalist books for sale.

Tennessee is a long thin state. Memphis is on the Mississippi River, across from Arkansas and just north of Mississippi. Father D.B. Clayton in Red Springs, Mississippi, is less than 50 miles from Memphis. Brownsport is in Decatur County, halfway between Memphis and Nashville.
Lewisburg is in the middle of the state, halfway between Nashville and Huntsville, Alabama

Virginia
H. Bain, Norfolk, (not in formal fellowship), later moves to Goldsboro, North Carolina
G.W. Bailey, Richmond
J.L.C. Griffin, Williamsburg (Williamsburg is his home town)
G.L. Lumsden, Bellehaven
Societies in Richmond, Bellehaven, Lynchburg, each owns a meeting house. Sunday Schools in Richmond and Lynchburg. Norfolk is on the coast, just past the Virginia Beach on the James River - go further northwest on the James River and you come to Williamsburg (and the National Historic Site) and go further northwest on the James River up to Richmond. Belle Haven is on the Eastern Shore of Virginia - on the other side of the Chesapeake Bay. lynchburg is in the center of the state, west of Richmond.

North Carolina
State Convention was founded in 1844, Brother William Farrior, of Hallsville is Standing Clerk. Preacher is J. C. Burress (sic) of Kingston (also sic). 1 Church and 17 Union Meeting Halls.
Rev Burruss is best known for his Universalist Herald newspaper in Alabama. Kinston is in the coastal plains, midway between Greenville and Jacksonville (Camp LeJune). Hallsville is in Duplin County 20-30 miles from the current Universalist Churches in Outlaw's Bridge and Red Hill.

South Carolina
State Convention rev. A. Fuller, Salubrity, Standing Clerk. 4 Societies, 9 meeting houses
A.Fuller, Salubrity
J. Mullikin, Slabtown
D.B.Clayton, Dunlapville (see Mississippi)
N.P. Walker, Mountain Shoals (not in full fellowship, former partialist)
S. M. Simon, Newberry Court House (former partialist)
Salubrity was the post office that Allen Fuller had in his home, just south of Liberty SC., slabtown like Salubrity is between modern Clemson and Greenville. Dunlapville is an unknown location, somewhere in Laurens County (not too far from Huntsville). Mountain Shoals is the old name for Enoree, between Spartanburg and Newberry, and Newberry is between Spartanburg and Columbia. The correct spelling is S.M. Simons.

Georgia
Convention, Rev. James C. Kendrick of Greenville is standing clerk.
1 society at Greenville, 4 meeting Houses, at Coweta County, Cobb county, Lumpkin County and Mulberry Grove. Preachers include
D.H. Porter, Clarksville
J.C. Kendrick, Greenville (not in full fellowship)
H.G. Andrews, Henry County
Greenville is midway between Atlanta and Columbus, Cowetta county contains Senoia (and is close to Greenville), Cobb County is home of Atlanta, Lumpkin County has Dahlonega as county seat- in the middle top of Georgia, the Georgia Goldmine area. - I seem to recall a Georgia Universalist Church that had gold on the property, but not sure which is was., Mulbery Grove is the home of the Rockwell Universalist Church, Georgia's second Universalist Church, founded in 1839. It's between Athens and Atlanta. If this is Clarkesville, it's in the northeast side of Georgia - not far from Tallulah Falls. Harris County is south of Atlanta.

Alabama
J. Hubbard, Talladega
S.J. McMorris, Wetumpka
J. Martin (unknown, former partialist, not in formal fellowhsip)
No known meeting house (the one at Mobile had been paid for, but lost due to a defective title).
Rev. C.F. Shehane, editor of the RELIGIOUS INVESTIGATOR at Montgomery. This becomes the Universalist Herald.
Talladega is east of Birmingham. Wetumpka is south of Montgomery.

Mississippi
D.B. Clayton is in Red Banks, not SC at this time. No society, but he preaches in the community, and around. West Mississippi, Near the Tennessee line.

I hope that saying where these places are, helps some of us place them better.

Definition of Christian

Back in 1892 J. W. Hanson defined Christian as

"all those who accept Christ as an authoritative teacher, in whatever attitude of being they may locate him or whatever extent to his mission they may give, are entitled to be called Christian. Christians are those who accept his claims as they understand them, and are endeavoring to be his followers." (A Pocket Cyclopedia, published by the Universalist Publishing House - which was owned by the Universalist Church).

Would this have been a controversial definition then, or one used in the South in 1892, I'm not sure. It does remind us that we need to not define folks by our definition of them, but by their own definition of themselves.

I stumbled across this definition while responding to
An Unitarian Universalist Minister In Mississippi

and is offered in the spirit of
Universalist Quote of the Day

Hanson lived in New England and the Mid-west, and was a prolific writer and editor for Universalism and other subjects (wrote a book on Dwight Moody!) - He's probably the most quoted historic Universalist minister out there in the 21st century.

From the CHRISTIAN LEADER dated september 17, 1927

WEST VIRGINIA
Fork Ridge. - This church has been having preaching twice each Sunday during August, by Rev. W.G. Price of Columbus [Ohio], who spent his vacation here. congregations have averaged about seventy-five. One new member united with the church. Aug. 26-28 the West Virginia Confrence met here, and was well attended, Stanley Stall, State Superinteddent of Ohio, and Rev. Elmer Druley and Rev. W.G. Price each spoke twice. W. M. Crouch was re-elected president. Miss Eva Terrill secretary, John Ritchea treasure. The Fork Ridge church voted to co-operate with Mr. Stall in settling a pastor for services every two months. a sign is to be placed in front of the building and new song books secured.

notes: Fork Ridge is located near Moundsville and Glen Eaton, and is in the panhandle of West Virginia, between Ohio and Pennselvania. The church lasted from 1835 to the late 1990s.

Kentucky had enough Universalist Churches in the pre-Civil War era, that they split them into associations. The standing clerk in the 1848 state Convention was Rev. E. M. Pingree of Louisville.

LICKING association. Rev. C. B. Tharp of Paris was the standing clerk. 6 societies:
Harrison County: 1st - Rev. C.G. Cox lives in Leesburg.
Bank Lick - meeting house
Fleming County: 1st
Fleming County: 2nd - meeting house, near Paris
Bourbon County: 1st - new society
Berea - meeting house - new society

the name Licking comes from the Licking River, a river in Northeast Kentucky that flows northwest empting into the Ohio River opposite Cincinnatti, Ohio at the towns of Covington and Newport.
Bank Lick is an unincorporated area in Kenton County, not far from Interstates 71 and 75. Just south of what is now the Cincinnati Ohio Metropolitan area. Harrison County is about 60 miles south of the Ohio, and conatins the town of Cynthiana, where Rev. S. Stirman lived in 1847. Boubon County is southwest of Harrison County and is where Paris is located, home of the Rev. C.B. Tharp, who had been a "partialist" minister and Rev Henry Webster, not yet in formal fellowship.. it's also where the Cain Ridge meetings of 1801 was held.
the current Berea Kentucky is in Madison County, but is said to have been known as "Glade" prior to 1855, so this might not be the same Berea.

MURRAY ASSOCIATION, E. M. Pingree, Louisville, standing clerk
societies:
Louisville: 1st - has Meeting House - Rev E. M. Pingree preacher
Shelby County: 1st - meeting house in Clay Village.
the 2nd Louisville and the Warsaw churches closed this year.

I assume that the Murray Association was in honor of John Murray, the first well known Universalist minister in the Americas. Shelby County is in the current Louisville Metropolitan area. Warsaw is between Louisville and Cincinnati on the Ohio River. Rev. W.B. Chamberlain is still living in town.

GREEN RIVER ASSOCIATION, Rev. W.W. Curry, Madisonville; standing clerk
societies:
Ohio County: 1st and 2nd
society has partial ownership of an Union Meeting House in Hartford.
Hancock County: 1st and 2nd
1st Society has a meeting house
Muhlenberg County: 1st
Meeting house in Bremen
Edmondson County: 1st
Davies County: 1st - society is new
Caldwell County: 1st has meeting house - society is new
Butler County: 1st has meeting house

the Green River runs from central Kentucky west throughout about half of the state before flowing north to the Ohio River across from southwest Indiana. Parts of the valley were known as "Rouge's Harbor" in the late 1700s. In the 1840s, locks made the river navigable up to Bowling Green.River

(no association)
Christian County - meeting house Rev W. Babbitt lives in county
Hardin County - meeting house
Hopkinsivlle - L.T. Braizer, not in formal fellowship lives here; Joab Clark lives here
one source says that this town is also known as Masonville, Rev. John Bozworth and Rev. M. Hudson and Rev E. smith living there.
Licking - one source tells me this is currently the area of Blue Licks. Rev J. M. Brain lives in this area, former partialist preacher
New Castle (near Louisville), Rev. J. Chowning, former partialist living there
Caneyville _ Rev C. Miller, and Rev J. Miller, former partialist, living here.
Humphreys (location unknown) - Rev I. R. Semple resides here


itinerant preachers: Aiken James, J. S. Phelps
rev R.J.L. Phelps (brother of J.S. Phelps) discounted preaching for the time being.

Not being able to find "Humphreys, Kentucky" home of Rev. I. R. Semple, I decided to find out what I could about him, and to see if i could find Humphreys. A source cites a Humphrey in Case County, but I couldnt find any secondary source to that. I did find a few things about I.R.Semple. we see that he is actually deceased before the 1847/1848 directory comes out. The source that year was (as usual) Rev Pingree of Louisville. If Semple was living in the western part of Kentucky, that a year and a half could have gone without Pingree knowing of his death.
We also see that he was fairly young and not long an Universalist minister.

the plan will eventually be that each southeast Universalist Minister (and church) gets their own spot on a hyperlinked website - with additions added as facts become known. I still have years of the STAR IN THE WEST to read, I'm sure I'll know more about Kentucky Universalists when I do.



Issac Robertson Semple (June 25, 1808 to Feb 16, 1846)

last name also spelled Sample, Sempill, etc.

married Eliza Brandenburg of Brandenburg Kentucky.
She was the daughter of Captain Solomon Brandenburg founder of Brandenburg and owner of the Old Walnut Log Tavern in town (back then, a tavern would also be a restaurant and an inn).

Per the Universalist Companion
1845/1846 Brandenburg Kentucky - not in formal fellowship
1847/1848 Humphreys Kentucky
1849/1850 not listed

1850 census, widow and 7 minor children living in Ballard County, Kentucky. Ballard County is on the northwest edge of Kentucky, where the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers meet.
I. R. Semple is thought to have died in Ballard County.

addendum (21/7/2008):
July 1845 writes letter from his home in Brandenburg. He states that he begain preaching in the spring of 1844, and is to go to the Green River Association, the Kentucky State Confrence, and the Indiana State Confrence.
I. R. Semple was elected moderator for the first meeting of The Green River Association of Universalists on August 22, 1845. Meeting was held in Butler County.

"My message is love to God and love to man, deal justly, love mercy, and walk humbly before God."

It's occurred to me that I haven't plugged "A History of Universalism in North Carolina"!
I was waiting to get a scan of the cover - but wasn't able to (my scanner is currently gone - a 24 pound cat sleeping on it doesn't help electronics)
A History of Universalism in North Carolina c/o Guild Masters P O Box 31184 Raleigh NC 27622-1184. The price is 24.95 plus 5.00 shipping and handling

I skimmed through 1946 of the "Star In the West" and I see that Allen Fuller and D.B. Clayton were acting as agents to sell subscriptions. When one of the southern papers went under, the subscribers list went to the Star (of Cincinnati Ohio)

I had someone make an interesting comment (ie: Shecut wrote a manuscript about the Charleston Church) - I'll be glad to hear more about it
(and I've changed the comments section to add the year to it, to make it easier to follow reading).

I like the quote from Rev Semple (last post) and hope to continue to put their own words back in the mouths of these folks.

When I first saw the Coleman family history, I was intrigued with one thing - the frequent use of the "Roe" middle name. I discovered that the matriarch of the Newberry Colemans came from Halifax county North Carolina.
My family was in eastern North Carolina since around 1700. "Wouldnt it be cool" I thought (yes, I do think that way, at least I didnt think "wouldnt it be boss....") if I was related to the Coleman-Feaster family.
I suspect we know where I'm heading with this, so I'll cut to the chase - the alleged connection is the immigrant William Wroe, who moved to Westmoreland County Virginia, dying in 1730. A son was my ancestor, a daughter married the Colemans. The Wroes also went by Roes.
So now, I can look at the Colemans, who became Universalists sometime in the 1700s, and moved and founded Universalist Churches from Florida to Mississippi, and know that they were my people indeed....

One of my reference books is Henry Smith Stroupe's THE RELIGIOUS PRESS IN THE SOUTH ATLANTIC STATES 1802-1865. Duke University Press, 1956.

States in this case include Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia (which includes West Virginia). I do not know of a volume that includes Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky - or covers 1865-1965. Maybe if I ask here, someone will know of one.

Universalist periodicals include

Christian Warrior (Richmond) 1842-1844
Evangelical Universalist (Macon) 1838 - 1840
Liberalist (Wilmington) 1826-1828
Semi-Monthly Progressionist (Newnan, Ga) 1856-1859
Southern Evangelist (Charleston) 1834 - 1838
Southern Pioneer and Gospel Visiter (Richmond) 1831 - 1837
Southern Universalist (Macon) 1838
Star of the South (Milledgeville, Ga) 1826-c1827

8 Universalist
57 Baptist
3 catholic
2 Chistadelphian
1 Christian
11 Disciples of Christ
8 Episcopal
2 Lutheran
22 Methodist
28 Presbyterian
1 Quaker
2 Spirtualist
2 Unitarian
1 United Brethren
8 Nonsectarian
6 unknown denomination

Universalist Herald would be Alabama for this time period.

Occasionally I thought I would mention what "new" old items I've
recently acquired. One of the reasons is to let folks know that I
(and others here) have resources available to us.

Universalist's Miscellany Volume 1 - 5 1797 -1801
Universal Theological Magazine volume 6 - 7 1802 -1802

an UK publication, edited by William Vidler.

This is one of the earliest Universalist magazine / newspapers.
It is mainly of theological bent, but does include some items of
historical bent. I see that they published a pamphlet (book?) on De Benneville.

Vidler was inspired by, and a friend of short-term South Carolina resident (and when Vidler knew him, English resident) Elehanan Winchester. I'm afraid that I don't know enough to know how much Vickers and English Universalism was influenced by Winchester.
In 1806, the publication was sold, and became "the Monthly Repository" lasting to 1838 as an English Unitarian publication.

Universalist Leader August 30, 1924

a letter from Ruby C. Paris of Alpharetta, Georgia and member of the Liberal Christian Church in Atlanta. talks about her experince as a disabled person. She regrets that she was unable to go to school - as she thinks that learing to read and write at an early age would have helped her become independent. A reminder of how things have indeed changed for the better.

Texas Universalist Convention July 11-13, 1924.
Held at the new Universalist Church in Ponta. Texas. President was Judge J. D. Barker of Cisco.
Assistant Secretary was W.A. Prather of Welasco. There was an afro-american congregaion near Ponta, that apparently had been meeting for over ten years (hard to tell by the article when it was founded by Ben Grey and Charles White, the layleaders of the congregation).

Universalist Leader October 25, 1924
This issue prints the sermon "Are We Needed?" given by George A. Gay at the Georgia Universalist Convention. Rev Gay was the current preacher in Chattanooga.
the North Carolina Universalist convention was held September 25-28, and the article written by J. R. Miller. Mr Miller was from Florence NC, a small town east of New Bern.
Mary Slaughter of the General Sunday School Association was visiting in her home church of Camp Hill in August. She also attended a service in Friendship and Brewton Alabama. From there to Pensacola, Florida. Then to Atlanta (and the Georgia convention) and Canon Georgia, followed by the NC convention, then up to Washington and the north.
Rev. H.T. Crumpton was the regular preacher of Ariton, Brewton and Chapman. Chapman, a lumber town is now a regular organized church. Chapman will be hosting the Alabama Convention.
The New York Convention has given to Rev. Edgar L. Halfacre a letter of transfer to South Carolina.


Rev. Francis Britton Bishop of Montgomery Alabama was southern superintendent
Rev Thomas W. Murray of Hopkinsville was Kentucky superintendent
Rev A. G. Strain of Atlanta, Ga was Mississippi superintendent
Rev. R. L. Brooks of Elgin, was Texas supeintendent.

I note that there are trademarks on:

World A Journal of the Unitarian Universalist Association
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
Unitarian Universalist

and that the UUA attempted to trademark the words Unitarian and Universalist last October (2007) and gave up in the spring. You really cant trademark frequently used words.
I note however that a cosmetic company is trying to trademark "universalist" as a brand of cosmetics.

I gave a sermon once starting "The Universalist Church started here in the Carolinas. I know that's true because I read it on the internet - and if you can't believe Wikipedia, who can you believe?"

Yes, Wikipedia and other sources state that the first Universalist Church in South Carolina and perhaps the whole United States of America was at Freedonia Meeting Hall in Newberry County, South Carolina. Tellingly, they don't say when or where the Church was.

I bring this up because James asked me this question last week, I had to admit that no one knows where it was - and that I was doubtful of the "first" designation. He asked another local expert who suggested it might be Liberty Church (in Feasterville); and I went ahead asked a Newberry County historian who had never heard of it (I should state that the historian was in the middle of a picnic and miles away from any Newberry reference books).

See my earlier post on the actual pointlessness of putting the name first to "something in the air"
but I hope to use this area (and later the comments) to put some documentations on Fredonia.

***********************************'
In Clayton's book, he mentions that in 1845 he was to alternate preaching monthly between two Churches in Newberry County, Hartford and Fredonia.

An obit of Rev. Elijah Linch mentions that he last preached at the Fredonia Meeting House in June of 1842.

this page
http://genealogytrails.com/scar/newberry/equity1868-1869.html
lists Fredonia as appearing in a genealogy book:
Newberry City Equity 1868-1869, and Washington Equity Records 1816-1843.
I have not however seen this book.

as time goes by, we will add whatever else we find on Fredonia here on this page.
Please add what you know in the comments section.

In my next post (already half written) I talk about what some on the internet call the "First" Universalist Church in the United States. And yes, since this is a southern history blog, it is of course here in the South. But I thought I would need to go ahead and talk first about "first' and why it's so hard to pinpoint what we mean by that.

For the first Universalist Church, do we mean the First Church to have Universalism as an important cornerstone of the doctrine? Do we mean the First Church to call itself Universalist? Or do we mean the first Imortant Church to call itself Universalist, or do we mean the first Church to call itself Universalist that joined the Universalist General Convention?

As far as I know the first Church that called itself sorta by that name was "The Society of Universal Baptists" in Philadphia in 1784. It suspossibly became the "first Independent Church of Church, Commonaly known as Universalists" in 1790. John Murray's Church was 1779, but was not titled an Universalist Church. Can anyone add or change, confirm, etc what was the first church with the name Universalist?

As for the doctrine - it's fairly well known that there were many Universalist preachers at the same time as Murray - up and down the coast - the whole setting of the Murray Miracle story was that he was put ashore at a church which was waiting for an Universalist minister.
The Conneticut River valley was full of Universalist Churches that were either informal enough or didnt care about reporting to the Goverment that we don't know much about them. If you didnt leave written reocrds - then 200 years later, you're not remembered. This is the same problem we have in the Middle Atlantic states, where we know that universalist met - but they either didnt keep records - or, in a few cases, they wrote them in German - and are as yet untranslated. The same is true in the south, almost no records exist - and we base some of our knowledge on what other non-sympathetic folks said in their records.

it's fairly safe to say that the Murray Church is the oldest surviving Universalist Church in the United States. Its over 200 years do count for something, and it was universalist in theology from the start and stayed universalist. As for the finner points of "First". that's up to hairsplitters of all kinds and internet bloggers

Everything We Know about UUA history is wrong - or at least somethings that I thought I knew about UUA history is wrong. At least that is what I am thinking after reading the 1973 book RELIGION AMONG THE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS: CONVERTS IN THEIR STEPFATHERS' HOUSE (Robert B. Tapp). This book was based on surveys and studies done in 1966 - and is an interesting snapshot of the UUA just before the late 1960s meltdown.
the Peak year for the UUA was 1968 with a membership of 282, 000 - the current membership (2008) is 155,000, but the decline was in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1977 membership was 145, 000. This loss of half the membership in nine years explains a lot about what happened to the denomination during that time frame (and what happened to the denomination also explains what happened to the membership).

Okay. lets look at some of the 1966 views
30% said that "God" was irrelevant or harmful
44% said "God" was a name for some natural process in the universe (such as love)
26% said that "God" was real

12% said they prayed frequently
52% said they prayed occasionally or seldom
36% said they never prayed
(34% had said they found the term prayer non-useful)

43% said they were Christian - 57% said they weren't
70 % said religious education was very important to what a church's emphasis should be.9the topic percentage)
The most important skills for a minister were Dealings With People 84% and Preaching 74%, Religious Education 59%, counseling 58% and Social Action 45%

11% wanted the UUA to be more Christian in ten years
37% wanted the UUA to be a more universal religion in ten years
52% wanted the UUA to be a more humanistic religion in ten years

12% were born UUs

18% voted for Barry Goldwater in 1964 (39% of the vote was the National USA percentage)

the 12% who were born UUs is roughly the same for what it is now ---
Too bad there's no survey to show us what UUs were believing in 1978.....it would be interesint to see who left - the usual thinking was the left and the right left, leaving just the middle .....but we dont really know.