History of Mt. Zion Baptist Church, Pike Co., AL
We, whose names are hereunto
annexed, met with Letters, Recommendations, Covenant, and Abstract of
Principles and Faith. After preaching
by Bro. B.H. Banks, fifteen minutes intermission
were given and then entered into business and organised by calling Bro. John Danner to the Chair and Bro. V. Bass to act as Clerk.
lst Presented Letters
2nd The Articles of Faith
were called for
3rd In answer to the call of the Presbytery,
Bro. John Danner, B.H. Banks, and
Wm. Pritchett presented the Abstract of
Faith and Covenant Agreement, and after minute examination they were
unanimously adopted, and the right hand of fellowship extended by the
presbytery and the charge given by Bro.
B.H. Banks.
Names
(Male) Names (Female)
John
B. Bray Nancy Bray
William D. Jelks Jane
Jelks
Green Robertson (Roberson) Nancy Robertson
(Roberson)
J.H. Walker
Frank Patterson
4th Adopted the name
Mount Zion
5th Appointed
Bro. J.H. Walker Church Clerk
6th Set apart Sabbath evening after preaching to
go into the choice of a pastor to serve the church the balance of the year.
John Danner, Moderator
W. Bass, Clerk
Covenant and Abstract of Faith
On the following confession of
principles as professed members of the mystical body of Christ we propose to
become a visible church by uniting ourselves in a Holy Covenant and first gave
ourselves wholly unto the. Lord and denounce the vanity of the world, and
secondly, in a Spiritual Sense gave ourselves to one another to live together
in a church capacity according to the order of the gospel and agreed in
faithfulness to watch over each other in love and good works and will endeavour
to glorify God with our bodies and with our substance.
Thus eight
persons from five families were organised into a church with the help of
pastors and leaders from the Salem Baptist Association.
The
first known pastor was E.J. Jackson.
According to associational records he left Mt. Zion to begin serving Springfield in October 1861. He was still living in that community and
serving as pastor in the late 1890's.
It
would be good to know just why the group decided to organise a church at this
location at this particular time. We
know some churches were organised by families who simply heir life from the
Carolina's or Georgia to transplanted to Alabama. They chose the frontier as the place to establish homes, farms,
and businesses. They resolved to build
a place of worship along with these to undergird life with spiritual power.
Many times families travelled in groups and settled together. They would bring Letters of Recommendation
from the former church to commend them to some congregation. If none was available, they would band
together to organise a new church.
Other churches developed from
the work of pioneer pastors who travelled the territory ministering to
families. They would lead services in homes and preach revivals in school
houses or brush arbours. Their passion for new growth let to numerous
congregations on the frontier.
Still other churches resulted from
missionary work. Many associations
engaged in mission work through the associational missionary," a term that
would be heard in Alabama for a century and a half.
Another couple living in Pike County was Nancy
and John Bray. They lived on a farm near the place that came to be known as
"Hamilton Cross Roads", where Carter Brothers Manufacturing Company
is now located. Mr. Bray was granted 160 acres in November, 1856. It lay on the
south side of the Hamilton-Tennille road.
He obtained an adjoining 40 acres in 1860. Bray's 200 acre farm was
valued at $320.00. Part of this farm later was bought by John Timmons in 1879,
and is now in the Charlie Shiver family.
Another part is now owned by the Willie Shiver family. The Brays moved
from the Madison County, Georgia area to Alabama. John Bray was born in Georgia
in 1818, and his wife in 1827. Their
son William was born in Georgia in 1842. Daughters Mary (1844) , Louise (1845)
, and Melvina (1848) were born before the family moved to Alabama about
1850. Children in Alabama included
Jasper, born in 1853. Frances, born in
the year that Mt. Zion was organised,
was married to Leroy Flowers December 28, 1877. Their ceremony was performed by E.J. Jackson, the first known
pastor of Mt. Zion. Another daughter, was born in March,
1860. Mr. Bray was serving as Church
Clerk when he and his family were dismissed by letter in 1873.
Nancy and Green Roberson lived on the Hamilton to Tennille road
between the Brays and Reuben Vining. Green
B. Adkins, five-year-old son of Mary and Calvin Adkins, became a part of the Roberson family in the summer of
1860. This points to the death of one
or both of his parents. Having "Green" as a given name also
suggests that there was a connection between the two families. Mary and Calvin Adkins lived on the
Frederick Williams farm at Mr. Zion, next door to Elder William Pritchett.
Since the Williams, Calvin Adkins, Mrs. Pritchett, and Nancy Roberson, were originally from South Carolina, we believe
they were friends if not relatives.
Aunt Ella Anderson Bundrick, who
lived on the farm that joined the Bray farm, stated that the Roberson’s lived on the 40 acres next
to the Vinings. Mr. Roberson's second wife was Susan Vining. As some of
the older people remembered, Mr. Vining gave the farm to his daughter. This farm was first granted to James
"Atkins, or Adkins". Later
owners include Henry D. Jackson, Mrs . Jim Ellis, and Mr. and Mrs. L.D. Todd.
The Roberson's son John
served as Church Clerk in 1897 and 1898.
Although he was around eighty, Mr. Roberson
was able to travel from Campbellton, Florida for the Centennial celebration of
Mt. Zion in 1958. He was the only
relative of a charter member to attend the Centennial.
The family of David Bundrick lived
near the Bray and Roberson
family. They were later connected with
Mt. Zion. A son Andrew, J. served as Church Clerk and still later as the
pastor.
We have tried to determine just how and when Elder William
Pritchett came to live here. We do not
know if he moved to the community before helping to start Mt. Zion, or later. it would seem likely that
the association would want to appoint a missionary who lived in a newly settled
area.
Since the Williams, Calvin Adkins, Mrs.
Pritchett, and Nancy Roberson, were
originally from South Carolina, we believe they were friends if not relatives.
Between 1856 and 1860 the area changed from river
swamps and pine covered rolling hills to a regular frontier community. More
than sixty white families could be counted between the Dale county line and
Clearwater Creek between Pike County and Pea liver. In addition to mechanics for machinery, there was Elisha Davis
the cobbler who lived next door to Mr. and Mrs. Jelks. And next to the Davis family lived another
Baptist preacher, Isaac R. Kent. We
have no record of the Kent family being in Mt. Zion or churches that he
served. Also living with the Kent's was
a Dr. William C. Leake. The communities
only merchant also lived with Brother Kent.
John Sawyers, the merchant from Georgia, in all probability was the J.D.
Sawyers who served as church Clerk a few years later. According to information presently available, Brother Kent and
William Bass lived along the road between the Jelks at the Crossroads and the
Ed Goodson place where Mr. Aaron Johnston later lived.
Not only can we count a variety of
occupations among the people, but also native states. While a few were born in Alabama, the heads of families usually
had been born elsewhere. Robert Turner, who lived next door to Brother Kent,
was born in England in 1815. A few
counted Virginia as home. Quite a
number had been born in North Carolina and South Carolina. Records show that
several families stopped over in Georgia in the move from the Carolinas to
Alabama.
We do not know if the members organised in a home and
then built, or built and then organised.
One unconfirmed source states that the original building was erected by
J.W.D. Jelks, his father-in-law, Thomas G. Frazier, and Elder Pritchett. In all likelihood members organised in the
Pritchett home, then built. The location selected proved to be a very wise
choice. Frederick Wi1liams a1lowed the church and cemetery to be located on his
property. The site chosen was at a crossroads,
on a hill over1ooking Pea River and Frazier's Mill. This placed the near a point that was important to a growing
community.
Rivers and streams provided power for gristmills, gins, sawmills, and
other uses. Many who lived in the area
would at time pass the church as they had corn ground into meal, or trees sawed
into lumber. The road which passed the mills and the church would in years
develop into a major north-south highway reaching from Panama City, Florida to
Chicago, Illinois. During the early years of the church, riders would exchange
mail pouches here in this vicinity. The
east-west route that passed the door of the church tied together people from
Tennille and Barbour County to the community's further west in Coffee County.
A study of the records shows that Mt.
Zion reached families from Tennille, then known as Bibb, Alabama, to
Hamilton's Cross Roads, then north for a few miles toward Brundidge. Families from near Tarentum came to worship.
Others from the Coffee County community of Java found here their church home.
Still others travelled from Wilson's Crossing near Ariton, and from Rocky
Head. Mt. Zion reached out for miles in all directions to serve families in
Coffee, Dale, and Pike ties. Some of
these members left Mt. Zion to help
begin churches nearer home. Two of
these were the Ariton and Rocky churches begun in the 1890's.
William Pritchett and
Frederick Williams were messengers to the Salem Association, which convened
with the Grove Baptist Church October 5, 1861. This shows that they were among the 67 members at Mt. Zion, now just over three years old. E.J. Jackson was reported as the pastor, and
J.D. Sawyer was the Church Clerk.
Jackson was called to Springfield Baptist Church near Brundidge and
William Pritchett became the pastor of Mt.
Zion in October, 1862. One
source says that he served the church throughout the years of the Civil
War. He was still active in revivals
for sister churches during these years.
Pritchett assisted the pastor of the Elam Baptist Church at Elamville in
the summer of 1863. The South
Western Baptist reported 14 baptisms resulted.
Not only did Mt. Zion change
pastors, but a new Church Clerk was named.
S.E. Wilkins was elected for the year 1862-63. Membership had dropped to 63, showing that the war had touched
the church.
The war brought years of suffering and hardship. Every able-bodied man was called to serve
with the Confederate Army. Many of the soldiers died from wounds and
disease. Drugs and food were always
scarce. Both of my grandfathers were
called to duty. Grandfather Patillo
Anderson told that at one time the men of his unit had only parched corn to
eat. Most of the troops had to "forage,"
eating whatever they could get from the local people.
The children, women, and the men too old to fight faced
many needs at home also. Because
medicine and doctors were scarce many would die. The food that they could grow was sometimes taken by soldiers,
both Union and Confederate. My daddy
told of having to do without flour and biscuits. The only bread they had came from corn. They were anxious for his daddy, Elias Todd, to grow a crop of
wheat to have ground into flour. This meant that his family had to wait for a
year after the war ended before having biscuit cakes, and such.
Despite the losses and hardships, pastors and churches kept on with
their ministry. According to some, many
communities would lose one-fourth of its people during the war cause of battle
injuries and disease. This meant that
fewer people had to do more. Those left
had given much to begin the Lord's work, and they wou1d do whatever it took to
keep it going. The disruptions caused by the war and reconstruction probably
explains the scarcity of records for this time.
W.H. Todd and Annie Cornelia Anderson stated that they were baptised
into the membership of Mt. Zion the
same day in her father's rice mill pond.
They were baptised by the pastor, Ben Bennett, of Pea River, Alabama, in
about 1881. The rice mill pond was the
regular place for baptismal services for several years, according to my
parents. Patillo Anderson and his wife,
Sophie Mathews Anderson, had moved from Dale County to Victoria in Coffee
County and then to this community a few years after my grandfather returned
from the Civil War. In addition to
farming he set up a mill to process the rice which he and many of his
neighbours grew. The dam across the
small stream held enough water to provide power needed for the mill. It was to this pond that members would come
to hold their "baptising."
1883-1907
In the span of one generation
the Mt. Zion community had changed from
unclaimed land to a developed area. In
the span of another generation still more significant changes happened. Zion would be in the 20th century with telephones,
railroads, cars, and airplanes.
Another obvious change was in
who was living in the area. For
example, Thomas Frazier sold the mill on Pea River to the Munn family around
1875 to 1880. Some of the people had
died, and others moved on to new territories.
Those who enjoyed the challenge of new beginnings moved to the
"piney woods" of Covington and Escambia
Counties. A few travelled to Texas or
Oklahoma.
The movement of people was still
from east to west. If some did move to
the west, there were others from Georgia and the Carolinas to move into
Alabama.
Another factor that helped to increase the number of residents
was the size of families. Better
health care meant that more babies survived and increased the population.
Families with six, eight, or even ten children were not uncommon. As these in turn began their families, more
land was cleared and put into production.
Farming was still the main way to earn a living, but there were now
people who could go into other work, such as sawmills, factories, and
railroads.
Many in the area suffered, physically and financially, during the war and reconstruction days. Yet the "Panics" of the 1880's and 1890's were just as hard. Farmers who borrowed money lost their land when they were unable to pay. If a farmer's crop came up short, or if the price for it fell, it usually meant foreclosure. This happened to Frederick Williams who sold or donated the two acres for the church site. In 1884 Williams transferred title to 120 acres in a foreclosure deed.
Some
of the crop failures happened because of the soil. "New ground" usually made better crops than did
"old ground, " unless the land was fertilized. Guano was not plentiful, and farmers thought
they could not afford it. This made
some farmers want to move on to a new farm.
Some of the larger farms were broken into smaller farms. Many families
would give each child forty acres and a mule when he married and started a
family.
Mt. Zion was touched by the growth
of our nation. During the 1880's large companies were set up in steel, oil, and
railroads. Travel and communication was
quicker and easier. The drive to build a network of railroads nationwide
brought a line through here.
The Alabama and Midland Railroad, connecting Montgomery and Dothan, was
completed in 1890. The route chosen
from Brundidge to Ozark followed Walden Creek, also known as Bowden Mill Creek,
to Tennille. It crossed Pea River about
two miles upstream from Munn's Mill, formerly known as Frazier's Mill.
The
railroad provided farmers a means of shipping cotton through Montgomery or
Dothan to major markets. They could
have supplies shipped in. Guano, lumber
for buildings, tools, furniture for the houses, and other items were unloaded at
Tennille. One merchant ordered a
carload of salt since farmers used it by the hundreds of pounds in hog
killing. The man hired to unload the
salt bag-by-bag described it as a very "rough" experience.
The
growth of the nation and the community brought problems. Every associational minute from the early
1880's on tells of the burden the pastors and messengers had because of
liquor. Reports were given telling how
serious the problem had become. Appeals
were made to legislators to pass laws to give some control.
Another change discovered was the name of the
post office. Sometime between 1875 and 1882 the name "Tennille"
replaced "Bibb". Then with
the completion of the railroad, mail was routed to the members in Coffee County
through Tennille instead of Rocky Head.
Furthermore,
we see from the associational minutes that the growth of Mt. Zion has slowed. As Church Clerk in 1888,
Bro. Faulkner reported two additions, one by baptism, and one by
letter. He reported that the church had
44 "in fellowship." This probably referred to those attending
services. Two years later, the Church
Clerk, N.H. Davis, reported that the church had no additions for the year, but
several losses. He listed 13 lettered
out, 2 deaths, and 9 expelled from membership.
The final count was 98 members.
It
is quite possible that the 1888 membership was 144. With a drop in 1889, plus
the 24 lost in 1890, the 98 member number could be explained. (From this time
on for many years, the records will be hard to follow.)
During these years members carried
their own hymnal to church so they could join in the singing. Baptist
Psalmody was one of those used at Mt. Zion. These hymnals had only
words, no music. The
"meter" was indicated just under the title of each hymn. Members
learned melodies that corresponded to various meters. They could then sing the
words. However, one melody might be used for several different hymns.
One family keepsake is a copy of Manly's Choice. This small hymnal would easily fit in a
shirt pocket or purse. Basil Manly
selected the words of hymns that were not only favourites, but doctrinally
sound. The price of the hymnal was 12
cents when ordered from Louisville, Kentucky.
Another change that took place was
in the church building. Sometime
between 1890 and 1895 the members replaced he first building, which was
probably built of logs. The second
building was formed with hand-hewn timbers running the entire length. Dressed weatherboard was put on the outside
of he walls. W. H. Todd was the first
member to split and nail on a thousand shingles for the roof. This building served the church for about
sixty years until 1955.
John Roberson,
son of charter member Green Roberson,
served as Church Clerk for two years during1897 and 1898. This (he) is our last known link with the
charter members.
These changes in membership only
serves to show that God builds and maintains His work.
1908-1933
The twenty-five years between 1908
and 1933 included times of prosperity, epidemic, war, and depression. The farmers knew prosperous times, but
suffered from the "Cotton Panic" around the time of World War I. The
epidemic of influenza took many lives during the war years. This period closed during those years called
"Hoover Days," or "The Great Depression."
Mt. Zion reached fifty years of age
on March 13, 1908. There is no
record of the members observing the anniversary. In fact interest was very low at this time. The membership had fallen from 128 in 1902
to 63 at the beginning of the church year. It dropped to 60 the next year. The interest was so low that there was not
even a report made to the association in 1908. There was a lack of
participation in the associational work also. No longer are messengers
reporting, and leaders participating, as in early years.
In 1910
W.U. ("Uriah") McWaters, the Church Clerk, and Andrew J.
Bundrick, the pastor, served as messengers to the association. They reported 13 baptisms for the year and a
gain in membership to 75. However, the
decrease was not stopped. There were no reports and no messengers to the
association during 1912, 1913, and 1914.
At this point membership was down to 36. Part of this large drop is
explained by a wholesale excluding of members for non-attendance to the church
conferences. In those years the church
held conference once a month on Saturday at 11 o'clock. The pastor would preach, spend the night,
and preach at 11 o'clock the next
morning. At one such conference, the
pastor and clerk struck a large number of names from the roll, granted
themselves letters of dismissal, and resigned.
The farmers were suffering
financially because of the "Cotton Panic" of 1914. Every one seemed discouraged about the
church, their farms, and life in general.
War had broken out in Europe.
In 1915 Mr. Alpha Tatum, an elderly
Civil War veteran, showed a great concern for Mt. Zion, although he was not a member. He obtained permission from
some of the members to contact Rev. Jehu Black about preaching a revival. It took two days for this elderly Christian
gentleman to walk to see Bro. Black,
who agreed to conduct the "protracted meeting," as they were called
then. In October the church reported 34 baptisms from the revival, and
membership was up to 84.
Bro. Black agreed to accept the call to serve as pastor. Interest in
the church increased. In 1916 the
building was about twenty-five years old, and because of neglect, was in need
of repairs. Rotten weatherboard on the
outside was replaced and the inside was sealed with 1 x 4 tongue and groove
lumber. The rotten wooden shutters were
replaced with glass windows. When the
new flooring was put in, it was sloped from the entrance to the pulpit for
better visibility.
Influenza swept the nation killing
numbers of people. Several who died of
the "flu" were buried in the cemetery at Mt. Zion.
Conditions led many to turn to the church for comfort and spiritual
nourishment. Participation in the
church is shown in the membership of
114 reported to the association in October, 1918. This was the highest membership since 1902-1903, and stood as the
record for years.
Finally, after years of struggle,
the churches found relief from the problem of liquor. The entire nation was so fed up with the abuse of alcohol that
the Eighteenth Amendment was adopted stopping the manufacture and sales.
In 1919 members again asked John W.
Reynolds of Tennille to serve as pastor.
However, membership had dropped badly, down 31. Brother Reynolds was paid a salary of
$125.00 for preaching on the third Sundays of each month.
The Ku Klux Klan was active during
the early 1920's. About 20 or 25 white-robed Klan members filed into the church
building while revival services were being held once. The group formed a semi-circle in front of the pulpit. When the Congregation finished the hymn
being sung, the pastor stood and led in prayer. When he concluded, the Klan members placed an offering on the
table in front of the pulpit, and quietly left.
Members continued to look forward to
the "protracted meetings" each July.
The first to arrive took care of lighting the kerosene lamps. One was placed on either side of the pulpit
so the preacher could read his text.
One or two hanging on each wall had a reflector behind the globe to
direct the light toward the congregation.
The young boys would take a pitcher to the nearest house, fill it with
fresh water drawn from the well, and return it to the pulpit. Needless to say in a non-air-conditioned
building most of the revival preachers paused to quench their thirst during
sermons. The congregation tried to stay cool by fanning with fans from the
funeral home and hardware.
Brother Plant returned to the church
in 1950 and served two years. J.H.
"Jim" Johnson, a student at Troy State Teachers College, became
pastor in October 1952. He resigned in
the spring of 1954 to become the full time pastor of Ariton Baptist Church, the
other church he had been serving. W.M.
Todd served his interim until
Johnnie B. Spurlin became the pastor in October 1954.
There had been a lot of talk for several years
about a building program. Some looked
into adding rooms onto the wooden building. Others talked of a completely new
building. The building fund had grown
to about $5, 000.00 when Bro. Spurlin came to serve as pastor. The church approved a plan to tear down the
d building and erect a brick veneer structure.
The last service in the old building was February 27, 1955. Services were held temporarily in a house on
Mr. Dock Lee's farm.
The church hired Louico Allen,
grandson of former pastor Dave Allen, to lead in the construction. Men of the church donated their time to help
build. Much of the lumber from the old
building was used in the new one. The new building was entered on the fourth
Sunday of June 1955. It was dedicated
in October of that year.
William Baker, a Howard College
student of Skipperville, Alabama, became pastor in 1956. He pastored for two
years and led the church in the service celebrating one hundred years of
ministry in June 1958.
FAMILIES
Many of the present members are descendants of
those who lived here in early years.
Some of the families became members, while others only attended. A partial list of the numerous families
would include:
Adams Edwards Holder McWaters Shiver
Adkins Ellis Hudson Merritt Simmons
Allen Faircloth Hughes Mims Smith
Anderson Farmer Inman Mobley Stone
Barefoot Faulk Jacobs Mosley Stephens
Bass Faulkner Jackson Moore Stewart
Black Flowers James Munn Timmons
Bowden Frazier Jelks Newman Todd
Bray Frederick Jeter Nichols Turner
Brooks Cary Johnson Oliver Vining
Bundrick Goodson Jones Phillips Walker
Burks Grant Kent Pritchett Ward
Carter Graves Kyser Pryor Waters
Clark Griffin Laney Richards Wilkes
Colven Grimmer Leake Renfroe Wilkins
Courtney Hall Lee Reynolds Williams
Cowart Hamilton Leverette Roberson Wilson
Daniels Hatten Logan Sawyers Wright
Davis Hayes Mattox Segars Yarber
Downing Henderson Maulden Senn
Eagerton McDaniels Shehane
THE
CEMETERY
The oldest known grave in the cemetery is that of Frances E. Eagerton,
born March 18, 1861, died September 28, 1864.
This shows that the church has been on this site since 1864.
Members and families have continued to choose burial plots here for 120
years or more. Those buried here range
from infants to the very elderly. Some
died of epidemic, some from accidents, and others front wartime service.
Our nation has been involved in five major wars since Mt. Zion was
organised. Bodies of men who have
served in all of these conflicts are buried here. John Pryor, A.M. Shiver, and T. Ed Wright served in the
Confederate Army. Harry Bishop, Dan
Connor, and L. B. "Dock" Bowden were veterans of World War I. The
body of John Henry Downing was returned to Mr. Zion for burial after World War
II. Marion W. Justice died in service
during the Korean war. David T. Bell
died in Vietnam.
Regarding your
query; the Pike County Marriage Records of 1830 to 1900 list the following:
Green Roberson to Mrs. Susan Clark - March 2, 1871 - Book 6 - Page 558
Jackson’s buried at Mt. Zion Baptist Church:
William T. Jackson, son of JC and SA Jackson 1-18-1870
- 3-10-1892
Sarah A. Jackson, wife of JC Jackson 11-2-1831 -
1-22-1902
Radford G. Jackson 1838 – 1916 CSA Navy
Willie Ozella Jackson 3-22-1876 -
1-1951
Henry D. Jackson 9-1873 -
3-1930
Nancy Jackson’s maiden name is Renfroe. She came
from South Carolina with her family and was the first wife of Green Roberson.
When she died or where she buried is unknown as yet.
Roberson’s buried in Campbellton Baptist Church:
Fletcher Roberson 3-27-1920 still
alive (Lockard’s son)
Elsie Eldridge Roberson 12-16-1917 still
alive
James “Andy” Andrew Roberson 7-20-1973 -
8-19-1994 buried
next to Sherman
Infant son of Harold and Nell Roberson 2-4-1933 -
2-4-1933
Marcus E. Roberson 6-28-1926 still
live
Lessie H. Griffin 4-16-1918 -
4-21-1994
Luella P. Roberson 2-24-1895
- 3-19-1983 Harold’s
5th wife
Robbie V. Roberson 1-20-1910
- 1-30-1968
John Reuben Z. Roberson was clerk of the Mt. Zion Baptist
Church at 18 years old then moved to Florida. He met Nettie Foy Jackson at Tinnelle, Ala. (only several miles from Mt.
Zion) formerly Bibbs.
CAMPBELLTON
BAPTIST CHURCH
The
first congregation in the county was formed at Bethlehem Baptist in March
1825. Later known as Friendship and
still later as Campbellton Baptist, it is reputedly the oldest church of that
denomination in Florida, but its early years were stormy and its continuity was
sometimes in doubt. E. H. Calloway was
the first minister. James Chason and Clark Jackson, two of the original 19
members were named deacons at the organisational mecting.26
The church added 17 new
members during its first year, licensed two to preach, and ordained three ministers. In its second year, Bethlehem became
embroiled in a bitter dispute with Bethel Church in Dale County, Alabama. The problem was John Beasley, who had been
ordained at Bethlehem and sent to Bethel to preach, and Bethlehem's minister,
E. H. Calloway, both apparently had unacceptable habits. After an investigation of their
intemperance, both were excluded from the church."
During the 1830s the
Bethlehem congregation dwindled and it seems to have been inactive by the early
1840s. The decline was part of a
general situation at Campbellton - perhaps because of the severe disruption of
the economy during the national depression.
A post office had been established there in 1829 and remained throughout
the 1830s, but in 1842 it was moved to Scurlock's Springs for a brief
period. The post office department
recanted later that same year, and the office was restored to Campbellton with
Britton Barkley as postmaster. By the
late 1840s, Campbellton was again the center of a community sufficient to
attract the Raymond Menagerie for a performance.
As was customary at the time black- slaves were admitted as full members
of Bethlehem, but attended services in a separate place provided for them. The log church, which was originally erected
also, had separate doors through which men and women entered for services.
Sheriff Roy Roberson
When Sheriff Barnes died
in office in early 1954, he was succeeded by Mrs. Barnes who thus became the
first female sheriff in the county. She
was succeeded in late 1954 by Roy Roberson
who served six years. Although he was
also concerned with liquor control and ordinary violence, Roberson encountered a little variety in 1955 when he and the
Washington County sheriff broke up a bolita ring, which was operating at Lee's
Tourist Court west of Marianna. Also
somewhat unusual was the $10,000 robbery of the Farmers Rank of Malone in July,
1960, by the same man who had already taken $1,500 in a similar action two
weeks earlier. He also broke up an
organised theft ring, which was operating in Georgia, Alabama, and Florida from
a Graceville service station. But it
was the FBI who arrested Jesse M. Cooper, JR., when he was accused of
embezzling $900,000 from the Bank of Graceville. Barkley Gause returned to the sheriffs' office in 1961 and served
until 1973. He was succeeded in turn by
Ronald H. Craven and Charles Applewhite.
John P. McDaniel has been the sheriff since 1981.
Roy
Roberson served as Jackson County Sheriff from 1954 to 1961. Information
provided by the book, "Jackson County, Florida - A History" by
Jerrell H. Shofner, published by the Jackson County Heritage Association,
Marianna, Florida
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