If the saying is true that "God is in history," it is emphatically true that God is in the history of his people. The recital of their illustrious deeds is proclaiming to the world what God has wrought through their agency. 'The record of their achievements brings us near to God, and distinctly marks out his ways among the children of men. It shows that God has done great things for mankind by the religion of Christ, and any contribution to this department of human knowledge, however small or circumscribed, is adapted to awaken in thoughtful minds, trains of reflection which may be turned to profitable account.

Grassy Creek is one of that oldest Baptist churches in Upland North Carolina, and was for many years the seat of operations for the denomination in the regions around. There are many interesting facts connected with its early movements, some of which have been lost in the rubbish of time, and others are rapidly sinking into the bosom of oblivion. The writer having been happily connected with the church as pastor for nearly thirty years, and naturally feeling a deep interest in its history, was induced to undertake the work of compilation, believing that unless he did, it would probably never be done. The labor, not to say perplexities, in collecting the materials for its preparation, greatly exceeded his calculations; but still he was much interested, and hopes benefited in the investigation; and should the reader enjoy the perusal of its pages, and be profited by the facts and sentiments expressed, the writer will be amply repaid. Uninfluenced by pecuniary motives, the work was undertaken with an earnest desire to be useful, by contributing something, however, small, to the stock of church history. With the best wishes for the prosperity and religious elevation of his fellowmen, the author presents this little work to the public, hoping it may be of service to the cause of truth and righteousness.

				    R.I.D. 
      Young's X Roads, N. C., June, 1880.

[Taken from pp. 3-4.]

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CONTENTS

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I. A Bird's Eye View of the Early History of North Carolina, . . . . 9

II. A Bird's Eye View of Early Granville county, . . . . . 27

III. Distinguishing Principles of the Baptists, . . . . . 29

IV. The Church Covenant and Rules of Decorum, . . . . 43

V. The Organization of Grassy Creek Baptist Church, And Incidents connected with its Early History, . . . . 49

VI. History of the Church derived from its Records, with Interesting Items, and Remarks by the Compiler, . . . 71

VII. Biographical Sketches of its Pastors and the Ministers Sent out from the Church, . . . . . 103

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History of the Grassy Creek
Baptist Church

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Section I
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A Bird's Eye View of the Early History of North Carolina

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The first permanent settlement made in North Carolina by the whites, was in April, 1663, on Durant's Neck, on the north side of Albemarble Sound, in Perquimans county. These colonists came from Virginia, having been driven off by religious persecutions.

In 1665, the proprietary government was established by charter, which, without regret, terminated in 1729. The total population of the colony at this time was about 10,000.

The first legislative body ever called together in North Carolina, termed the General Assembly, held its session in 1666, at the house of a Quaker, on Perquimans River. George Durant presided. Up to 1720, the Assembly met at private houses, on the same river, but generally at the house of Capt. Wm. Sanderson, whose land is now owned by Hon. George Brooks, United States Judge of the Eastern District of North Carolina.

In 1729, the boundary line between North Carolina and Virginia was run under the direction of commissioners appointed by both provinces. The people who lived on the border manifested a good deal of anxiety about the matter, afraid lest the line should pass south of their dwellings, which would compel them to submit to religious intolerance. The laws of conformity were never attempted to be enforced in North Carolina. The people were comparatively free from ecclesiastical oppression. The surveyors reached the bank of Hyco on the 6th of October, at least 50 miles west of the residence of any white inhabitant. Here the North Carolina commissioners left, but the Virginia party continued the work until the 26th of October. The surveying party was so delighted with the beautiful appearance which the face of the country presented, along the borders of Granville and Person, in North Carolina, and Mecklenburg and Halifax in Virginia, that they called it the

Land of Eden. At this time (1729) there was not a white settler in the county of Halifax, Virginia, and up to 1733, there were only two, -- Peter Mitchell, in the Fork, between Dan and Staunton rivers, and Aaron Pinson, (1) on the south of Dan, one mile below the mouth of Hyco.

In 1730, the colonial government was established under royal authority. George Burrington was appointed Governor of the Province of North Carolina by the king of England, and the next year he qualified at Edenton, and entered upon the duties of his office.

On the 13th of April, 1731, the first legislative assembly of the province, under the authority of the King, convened at Edenton. During this session the three primary divisions of North Carolina were abolished, and each precinct was denominated a county. Governor Burrington's administration was short and oppressive. To escape the gathering storm, he returned to England.

In 1734, Gabriel Johnston was appointed Governor, and took the oath of office in November of the same year. His administration was the longest, purest, and by far the most prosperous during the colonial existence of North Carolina.

In 1738, the boundary line between North and South Carolina was run.

In 1741, the laws regulating marriage were enacted, making it a civil contract, and authorizing justices of the peace to solemnize the rites of matrimony. The Church of England was in theory, and by law, the established Church in North Carolina till 1776, but there were not many parish ministers -- no persecutions for conscience' sake, while dissenters of all denominations increased rapidly throughout the province, unmolested. But under the old ecclesiastical establishment, no minister could celebrate the rites of matrimony but an Episcopal minister, according to the ceremonies prescribed in the book of Common Prayer. In 1766, the Presbyterian clergy was granted the privilege of celebrating the rite, but Baptist ministers were not allowed to perform the marriage ceremony until the Revolutionary war, when ministers of all religious denominations were put on the same footing.

In 1754, New Berne was the seat of Government. Here the Governor resided, but the Colonial Assembly convened in Wilmington. Arthur Dobbs, who was an Irishman and an ex-member of the Irish Parliament, having been appointed Governor of the province of North Carolina, by King George the Second, who then occupied the British throne, arrived in autumn and entered upon the duties of his office. During his administration there were no violent outbreaks, as it would seem there was no cause for such, but still the public mind was in a state of constant uneasiness; for the people had learned by sad experience that officers who were appointed from abroad were usually unfit for the stations which they held in the colony. Indeed, the great mass of the people were in a state of dissatisfaction and suspense throughout the whole of their colonial existence. At this time, there was not a newspaper published in North Carolina; but, for the want of mail facilities, such publications would have been almost useless. Even the laws enacted by the Legislature for a long time were not printed -- they were published by being publicly read in the hearing of the people at the next court after their passage. In 1764, a committee of the Legislature contracted with Andrew Stuart for the printing of the laws of North Carolina; and James Davis, the printer, having some leisure, undertook the publication of a periodical paper called "The North Carolina Magazine," the fist number of which appeared June 1st, 1764. This was the first newspaper ever published in North Carolina.

At this time (1754) there were very few public buildings for courts, or other public business. There were no post-routes traversed by mail carriers. Even up to 1790, under Gen. Washington's administration, there were only four post offices in North Carolina, namely: Edenton, Newbern, Washington and Wilmington. Letters and papers must be sent by special or private messengers, or by travelers who might by chance be going to the place to which they were directed.

There were, especially in the middle portion of North Carolina, no public roads, -- they were mostly only foot-paths from house to house and from settlement to settlement, distinguished by notches in the trees. The mode of traveling was on horseback with packhorses, carrying the bare necessities of life.

It appears that the relations which subsisted between the whites and natives, were generally most amicable up to the horrid massacre and Indian war of 1711 or 1712. In this, as in almost every other outbreak of the Indians, they were instigated and deluded by bad designing men. It is doubtless true that there is not a State in the Union that has dealt more justly with the aborigines than North Carolina, and not one in which more uniformly friendly relations existed between the whites and natives. Their rights were protected by law; the strangers were prohibited from trading with them. A full title to land could only be acquired by an emigrant after two year's residence in the colony. At this time (1754), Middle or Upland North Carolina was little less than one vast forest, dotted over with small settlements, with a few scattered log cabins intervening, without towns, villages or public highways. The woods were full of wild game of various kinds to allure the huntsman; honey, gathered by the wild bees, was plentiful; swine multiplied and fattened on the fruits of the forest, and cattle increased rapidly on excellent pasturage which was found almost everywhere. Milk, butter and cheese were abundant. About all the planter was required to do, so far as his stock was concerned, was to keep them gentle and protect them from the beasts of prey. The luxuriant growth of wild pea vines, and other vegetation, which covered the face of the earth, was not sufficiently destroyed by the frosts of winter as to render the feeding of stock necessary. But money was very scarce. Trade was chiefly carried on by barter. Debts were frequently paid in country produce, deer skins, hides, furs, &c. The population of North Carolina at this time (1754) was probably a little over 60,000; but it was increasing very rapidly. Immigrants were pouring in from almost every quarter. They came not from one land, or one profession, or one religious sect, but from a number of nations, belonging to several religious denominations; and in general, they were not the adherents of any temporal ecclesiastical hierarchy.

Men of peaceful habits -- hunters and fugitives from religious intolerance, with their wives and children -- came and quietly settled themselves in different portions of North Carolina. Sometimes they came singly, but generally in small companies and settled in the same vicinity for mutual aid and protection, as well as social enjoyment. Many who were denied soul-liberty in other regions came to enjoy the mild shade of religious toleration in North Carolina. Here the refugee from ecclesiastical oppression could find an asylum -- a city of refuge. It is true, that the people were compelled to pay annually an unrighteous tax to support the Episcopal Clergy, and they were also taxed to purchase glebes, &c., until British rule was forever abolished; but otherwise, so far as the writer is informed, no one was disturbed or persecuted by ecclesiastical domination. Every person was free to worship God, as how own judgment and conscience might approve.

Dr. Hawks, in his history of North Carolina, (vol. ii,) from 1663 to 1729, informs us that there were various religious sects in the colony; such as Scotch Presbyterians, German Lutherans, French Huguenots, Irish Romanists, English Churchmen, New England Congregationalists, and American Quakers, but he does not say one word about the Baptists. Indeed, he has not mentioned anywhere in his book the name by which they are distinguished as a Christian sect; if so, the writer of this has failed to observe it. From his silence in relation to them, the reader might justly conclude that the Baptists had really no existence in the province of North Carolina previous to 1729. But now turn to the list of the jurymen (freeholders) that were in the various precincts in the year 1723, (pp. 62-67,) and you will find the names of at least four Baptist preachers, namely: Paul Palmer, Wm Burgess, Wm. And Joseph Parker, and a considerable number of Baptist laymen. But this distinguished author was, perhaps, so much exercised about the Quakers, that he failed to discover that there were any Baptists in the colony at that early date. While most of the North Carolina historians are as reticent concerning the Baptist as Dr. hawks, yet some of them have referred to that denomination, but in such a way as to make the impression that they came into the province about the beginning of the Revolutionary War.

As early as 1795, there were individual Baptists in North Carolina, scattered here and there, in the settlements of the colony. At this time there were in all the province not more than five thousand inhabitants.

The first Baptist church known within its bounds was organized in 1727. It was gathered by Elder Paul Palmer, who was a native of Maryland, and baptized by Elder Owen Thomas, the pastor of the Welsh Tract, Delaware. Among the names of its male membership are those of Parker, Copeland, Brinkly, Parke, Darker, Welch, Evans, Jordan, Burgess, Burket, and others. This old church, now called Shiloh, is situated on Pasquotank river in the county of Camden. The settled portion of the colony was then (1727) divided into three counties, namely: Albemarle, Bath, and Clarendon, -- containing in all, eleven precincts, and a population little less than ten thousand.

In 1752, by the labors of Palmer, Parker, Sojourner, and other ministers raised up in that region, the churches had increased to sixteen.

The writer has made some effort to ascertain the number of Baptist churches in the province, in 1776, the year in which the war of the Revolution began in earnest, and from all the light he can find upon the subject, it is evident that there must have been at that time not less than forty regularly constituted Baptist churches in North Carolina; besides, a considerable number of branches, which afterwards matured into churches. The records of Grassy Creek show that there were several branches of much interest under its supervision, which were not regularly organized until after the close of the war. What was true, in this regard, of this church, was also true of many others. The Sandy Creek Association was organized in 1758, with nine churches, and the Kehukee in 1765, with eight more, besides some unassociated churches. There were at least twenty Baptist churches in North Carolina in 1760, and as the next sixteen years were years of great activity among the ministers, it will be safe to set down the number of Baptist churches in the colony of North Carolina, in 1776, not less than forty.

Gov. Tyron is represented to have said that "the Regulators were a faction of Quakers and Baptists, who aimed to overturn the Church of England." The statement is palpably false in two respects: First, it was a civil and not a religious commotion, and secondly, there were really no Baptists among the Regulators. The Baptist churches were not only free from factions, but they excommunicated any of their members who united with parties in opposition to the government. Among the four thousand Regulators who were scattered through Granville, Orange, Guilford, and other counties., where there were many Baptists, only seven were found among them, and they were expelled by the advice of the Sandy Creek Association, in 1769, two years before the battle of Alamance.

Bishop Ives, in referring to the war of the Regulators, on a commencement occasion at Chapel Hill, asserted that "the Baptists had persecuted for conscience sake." There is not a shadow of truth in the declaration. (See Benedict's History of the Baptists, vol. 2, pp. 115, 116; Purefoy's History of Sandy Creek Association; Wheeler's History of North Carolina.)

It is evident that there were many Baptists in North Carolina anterior to the war of the Revolution, and that they shared largely in that great struggle for Independence. (2) They then proved themselves to be what they have ever claimed, the friends and firm supporters of political and religious freedom. Their patriotism and bravery were alike fully demonstrated by their steadfast adherence to the American cause, and the heroic valor which they displayed on the battle-field. It was their lot to stand in the ranks and toil in obscurity, but firmly and efficiently. The share they bore, and the influence they exerted, that helped infuse liberality in the Constitution as well as in the Bill of Rights, have never been fully appreciated or acknowledged. Their noble deeds, amid the stirring events of that long and bloody contest for life and liberty lie, buried in the ruins of history, where they will probably, for the most part, remain concealed.

The following statistics of the Christian denominations in North Carolina, gathered from the minutes of 1879, may not be exact, but they are very nearly so:

Baptists, Regular 				        167,000
Baptists, Anti-Missionary				  9,750
Baptists, Cambellite					  5,970
Baptists, Free-Will					  6,516
Methodists, Episcopal					 77,175
Methodists, Episcopal (colored)				 33,400
Methodists, Protestant 					 13,500
Presbyterians						 17,750
Episcopalians 						  5,540
Lutherans					about    10,000
Christian (O'Kellyite)					  4,600
Quakers							  4,850
Moravians 						  2,000
Roman Catholics					about     1,000

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Section II
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Bird's Eye View of the Early History of Granville County

Granville county was formed from Edgecombe in 1746, and was so named in honor of the Earl of Granville, the owner of the soil. When it was first established, it embraced a very large territory, comprehending Warren and Franklin counties on the east, and extending to the Pacific Ocean on the west. The following is a list of the names of officers of the county as organized in 1746, namely: Wm. Person, 1st Sheriff; Robert Foster, Clerk; Robert Jones, Jr., King's Attorney; Wm. Eaton, William Person, James Payne, Edw'd Jones, Edw'd Martin, John Wade, Lemuel Lanier, Gideon Macon, John Brantly, West Harris, Lemuel Henderson, and Jonathan White, Justices of the Peace. The court at first held its sessions in a private house on the plantation of Wm. Eaton.

In 1749, a court house and jail were built by contract, for L150 Virginia currency. The dimensions of the court house were 32 feet long, 20 feet wide, and 11 feet pitch, with two windows on each side, and one window in each end above stairs, with shutters, but without glass. The jail was 20 feet long and 10 feet wide. That remarkable good order prevailed in Granville at this early period, is naturally inferred from the scanty provision made by the court for the safe keeping of criminals.

The court house was located in what in now Warren county, seven miles above Gaston, on Rocky Creek, near Boiling Spring. Bute county was formed from Granville in 1764, which was, in 1779, divided into Warren and Franklin, and the name of Bute was obliterated from the list of counties of North Carolina. Granville being reduced in 1764 to its present dimensions, the place for holding its courts was removed some two miles above the town of Henderson, at the mouth of Mr. Brodie's lane, on the road leading to Oxford, where one or two terms of the court were held, when it was removed to Harrisburg, and after holding one court, it was removed to Oxford about 1769.

From the best information the writer has been able to obtain, it appears that Granville, as it now is, began to be settled about 1715; and about this date the Indians, the Red Men of the forest, migrated and left the whites in the unmolested possession of the soil. Among the first settlements, which were effected in Granville, were those among its northern border on Nutbush and Grassy Creek, and on the Tar River.

As in all frontier regions, the houses of the first settlers in Granville were mostly log-huts, which required but few tools, and very little skill in their erection. The axe, the augur, and the saw, were deemed sufficient in building these rude structures. They, with dirt and stick chimneys, covered with clap boards, hung on laths by wooden pegs, with doors turning on wooden hinges, and with locks made of the same material, were finished without iron work or nails. If the homestead was enclosed at all, it was with a rail fence, or pales, which were wattled or wreathed in and out, making a firm fence, but as destitute of iron as the house which it surrounded. The articles of furniture within were few, and as roughly constructed as the building which contained them. They consisted of a few stools, a bedstead, a corner cupboard, containing some pewter plates, dishes, &c., and at that time, two other very important articles, a spinning wheel and a loom. But better houses with brick chimneys gradually arose, which were supplied with a better class of furniture. With the early emigrants, a number of mechanics, such as carpenters, masons, blacksmiths, tanners, hatters, and weavers, came into Granville and settled in various parts of the county. But agriculture was the principal business of the people. All were in some way connected with the cultivation of the soil. This was necessarily so from its local position. The principal articles cultivated were, then as now, corn, wheat and tobacco. The citizens could then live well with comparatively little labor, as Indian corn yielded abundantly, and meat was obtained without much pains, besides the woods afforded plenty of wild game.

As to the women,(3) all bear strong testimony to their virtue and industrious habits. In many instances they not only performed the household work, but also a large portion of what was done on the farm. Besides the work of the dairy, they kept the spinning-wheel and the loom busily employed. The domestic cloth, manufactured by their hands, out of their own cotton, wool, and flax, served to keep their families decently clad. Dressed deer-skins were also much used in making garments. This was a common article in the apparel of the woodsman. The early settlers of Granville were remarkable for their kind and generous hospitality. This noble characteristic of their ancestors they still maintain. In regard to the amusements in which the people indulged, the writer would simply say, besides hunting and fishing, that dancing, foot-racing, horse-racing, shooting-matches, &c., were among the most common sports of that day.

The patriotism of Granville, for which it has ever been noted, shone brightly in the war of Revolution. The county afforded quite a number of men, whose names are conspicuous in the annuals of heroism, who distinguished themselves for wisdom in counsel and courage on the field of carnage during the long and terrible struggle for life and liberty, while the mass of the people gave their constant and hearty support to the cause of freedom. John Penn, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, was a resident of Granville. He lived in the vicinity of Grassy Creek meeting-house (some six miles distant.) He was not himself a member of any church, but several of his servants were members of the church at Grassy Creek.

It appears that a very large proportion of the early settlers were from Virginia, and were either Baptists or Presbyterians in religious sentiment. That there was a healthy religious sentiment pervading the early colonists of Granville, is evident from the fact that ministers of the Gospel, upon whom rested no suspicion of secular motives for preaching, seldom failed to obtain large congregations in all the settlements they visited.

At the time when Grassy Creek Church was founded, by far the larger portion of the county was a wilderness, with here and there a settlement, interspersed with log cabins, and small cleared fields. There were no public roads or mail facilities; for, in 1812, Williamsboro was the only post office in the county, and up to 1816, there were only three: Williamsboro, Oxford, and Lemay's X Roads.

Among the early Baptists in Granville, there were some men of means, but the most of them were in the humble walks of life -- moderate in their pretensions, coveting no positions of worldly honor, or titles of rank. Having been harrassed [sic] and persecuted for conscience' sake, in the land of their nativity or adoption, they came to North Carolina to find repose and gladly moved along in the retired paths of life, having as little to do in public political affairs as possible, asking only to be allowed to worship God as they judged right, unmolested. Their influence was efficient in assisting to give that religious and moral tone to society, for which Granville has been noted. They were as a strong under-current, which but seldom appears upon the surface, but still it is not the less powerful. They have abundantly proved themselves to be eminent alike for their patriotism and Christianity.

Seeing, then, that many of the first settlers of Granville were Baptists, consequently, as might be expected, there has ever existed a strong Baptist element in the county. The number and influence of the denomination have kept pace with the increase of its population. The Baptists at a very early period, gained important and permanent standing in society, which they have with the Divine blessing, maintained up to the present time. They, as a denomination, have, amid the fluctuations of time, been preserved from error and division. The steady and uniform course which they have pursued, affords convincing proof of the intelligence and excellency of the character of the founders and adherents of the denomination. There are now eighteen white Baptist churches in the county, with a membership of 2,200. These churches are working together harmoniously, lending their aid to every benevolent enterprise for extending the kingdom of Christ in the world, and whose membership constitutes a noble band of brethren -- in doctrinal sentiment -- sound in the faith. The Baptist churches of Granville will, perhaps, compare favorably in numbers, piety, intelligence and respectability, with any other like number of churches in the land.

Notes

1. Aaron Pinson's name appears on the church book at Grassy Creek among its first members.

2. It appears, from all the information the writer can obtain, that the Baptists, to a man, espoused the cause of the Revolution, and freely periled all, in maintaining the independence of the colonies.

3. The first white woman who came into Granville was Abigail Sugan, a French Huguenot. She married a man by the name of Cook, who was so improvident that his wife was under the necessity of swaddling their first born with old meat sacks hastily gathered up at his little mill. Cook, having died, she married the second time, a man by the name of Christimas, who lived at the place now known as Jones' White Sulphur Springs, in Warren county. Five of her descendants were Generals in the Confederate Army, and three are now distinguished members of the United States Senate, namely: Ransom of North Carolina, Harris of Tennessee, and Cockrill of Mississippi.

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[Robert I. Divin, The History of Grassy Creek Baptist Church, 1880; reprint, 1977, pp. 1-27. Scanned and formatted by Jim Duvall.]

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