This church, which has been variously known at different periods of its hitory as the Fifth Street Baptist Church, the Pierson Street Church, the Freeman Street Church, the Third Baptist Church, the Pine Street Church, and the Lincoln Park Baptist Church, has had but two corporate names, viz: the Fifth Street Baptist Church and its present one, the Third Baptist Church. The other names have been given in order more perfectly to mark its location.The church had its origin in a movement begun by four Baptists in Southwestern part of the city in February, 1841. These four were Mrs. Martha Brown, her son-in-law Henry DeCamp and his wife, and Mr. Joseph Johnson, father of Dea. Thos. Johnson of the Third Church from whom the personal reminiscences for this history were obtained. These four brethern and sisters began their meetings in an old saw mill (near what is now Sargent Street.) which had been fitted up for a Sunday School. An evangelist, Rev. King Griswold, was invited to hold a series of meetings with them. He is described as a man of great physical strength and boldness of speech and he had marked success amongst the rude elements of the population in that river region. A. great revival followed, so that a Baptist Church of 120 members was organized March 23, 1841. Rev. S. W. Lynd, D. D., of the Ninth Street Church, preached the sermon at the recognition of the new church, and its history as an organized body has its beginning at that date.
The church, whose origin seemed almost to renew the Pentecostal history of the early church, was destined also to share with the early church an experience of martyrdom. King Griswold, through whose labors the church was brought into being, had incurred the enmity of certain wicked young men, and one young man had been known to threaten the preacher with violence if his sister should be baptized. About the middle of March, 1841, as Mr. Griswold was returning from a meeting, a rock was thrown from a lurking place, striking him on the head and crushing his skull. He is said to have spent much of his time praying for his assassin (who was never brought to justice) until, one week later, he died.
Recovering from this terrible blow the young church proceeded to build its first house of worship, its front being first on Pierson Street, and
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afterwards on Freeman Street. It was situated but a little distance back from Fifth Street, which at first was the only street of any prominence in that region. Hence the variance in the early nomenclature of the church. This was the first church building erected west of Central Avenue, and is still standing, though used as a manufactory. The house was dedicated in October, 1843.The little church passed through a variety of unfortunate experiences during its first few years, diminishing in membership until in 1845 but 56 members - half its original number - were reported to the association. Brighter days came with the beginning of Eider Daniel Bryant's pastorate, December 14, 1845. There was a steady upbuilding during the seven years of his pastorate, 212 members being added in that time, and, in spite of the removal of many members, the church attained in the sixth year of his pastorate to a membership of 203, the highest number recorded at any time until the present year (1886). Elder Bryant was one of the noble pioneer preachers of Miami Association, serving for over sixty years, until he finally dropped dead in the pulpit from heart disease. His pastorate extended from 1846 to 1852 inclusive. Following these seven years of plenty were ten years of spiritual famine which devoured the increase of the proceeding years. "And when they had eaten them it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they were still ill-favoured." Even the efforts of such men as Marsena Stone and the late Rev. Jas. Cooper, D. D., could not overcome the downward tendency of affairs.
During a term of pastoral and supply work of five years Rev. Joseph Emery held the church steady and brought it to an admirable habit of systematic benevolence. With the coming of Rev. J. S. Gillespie in October, 1868, the work of the church greatly revived, although large diminutions by letter kept the church membership from any great numerical increase. Following his pastorate the church again sank to a low condition and was aided by the Church Union.
A new era began when Rev. S. A. Collins, with nearly 100 members from the First Church united with the Freeman St. Church. The charter name, 5th St. Baptist Church, was resumed, then the church removed to Pine St., and built a house of worship, and was re-incorporated as the Third Baptist Church of Cincinnati. This pastorate began March 25, 1872. The Pine St. Church was dedicated Nov. 23, 1873. The name of the church was changed in January, 1874, and the new body incorporated July 7, 1874. For these two years the church was paying a salary of $2,500 to its pastor and was supporting from one to three native preachers in the Foreign Mission Field and a student in the South. It is recorded of them that most of the members were giving one-tenth of their income to the Lord's work. But this period of prosperity was brief. At the end of two years the pastor's health and the church's financial ability were both impaired. The pastor resigned, to die soon after, and the church curtailed its operations.
From 1875 to 1879 inclusive, Rev. F. J. Parry, Rev. C. A. Quirell and Rev. A. M. Worcester, served as pastors in the order named, and for a little more than a year each. At about the beginning of the year 1880, Rev. E.
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P. Roberts began his pastorate of five years. These were years of faithful work under difficulties - the weak financial condition of the church, the greatest municipal degradation of the city's history, and the flooding of the church by the unprecedented high water of 1884, all combined to bring the church low, yet these years were marked by the removal of the church to much the best location it has ever had, and to a gradual increase in the membership; and they formed at least a negative preparation for the success to follow.The present pastor, Rev. A. S. Carman, began his pastorate Sept. 1, 1885, being ordained by this church on the completion of his course at Rochester Theological Seminary. The thirteen months since the beginning of this pastorate, have been filled with blessing to the church. 107 members have been received, nearly every one of whom has become a valuable addition to the church's work. The church is raising twice as much money for its own work as before the beginning of the pastorate, the members are being trained to general systematic benevolence through our denominational societies, and there appears to be a solidity to the work which gives every promise of permanence. The church is hoping that at last its record of alternate advance and retreat may give place to one of steady if not brilliant progress henceforth.
During the forty-five years of its history the church has received 999 members into its fellowship, an average of over 22 for each year of its existence. The exceeding^ unfavorable location of the church and the consequent removal of its members to the suburbs and elsewhere, are partly responsible for the failure to retain more of these members to the present day. Laxity in the reception and care of members growing out of the extreme brevity of many of the pastorates and the periods of supply work between, will doubtless account for much more: but that the church has done a valuable work in these years none will deny. No record of the church's benevolent work can be obtained for all its history; but the unbroken record of its last 13 years (which do not include the two years of Rev. S. A. Collins' pastorate) show contributions to benevolence amounting to over $3,500 - a record surpassed by few churches of its financial ability. If the benevolent contributions of the years '72 and '73 could be definitely ascertained they would doubtless add $1,000 to this amount, and there are evidences that the church has always given liberally of its means.
Other items of interest may be gleaned from the appended tables containing the list of pastors and supplies, and the reports of the church to the Annual Autumnal Meeting of Miami Association for the whole period of its history. The present pastor of the church is a great-grandson of Elder Joshua Carman, who was one of the constituent members of Miami Association in 1797, and who preached the introductory sermon before that body in 1805.
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Statistics Reported at the Miami Association for FIFTH STREET or THIRD BAPTIST CHURCH.
Year - Pastor or Supply.
1841 - Rev. K. Griswold, Rev. L. French 1842 - Rev. L. French, Rev. S. Goodin, Supply 1843 - Rev. E. S. Davis 1844 - Rev. Jacob Tharpe 1845 - C. Grant, M. D., Supply 1846 - Rev. Dan'l Bryant 1847 - Rev. Dan'l Bryant 1848 - Rev. Dan'l Bryant 1849 - Rev. Dan'l Bryant 1850 - Rev. Dan'l Bryant 1851 - Rev. Dan'l Bryant 1852 - Rev. Dan'l Bryant 1853 - Rev. J. G. Bowen 1854 - Rev. Marsena Stone 1855 - Rev. Jas. Cooper 1856 - Rev. Watson Clark 1857 - Rev. Watson Clark 1858 - Students supplied by Fairmount Seminary 1859 - Rev. L. R. Jayne 1860 - Rev. L. R. Jayne 1861 - Mr. Henry Francis, Supply 1862 - H. Francis and J. Emery, Supply 1863 - Rev. Jos. Emery 1864 - Rev. Jos. Emery 1865 - Rev. Jos. Emery 1866 - Rev. O. N. Sage & J. Emery, Supply 1867 - Rev. O. N. Sage & J. Emery, Supply 1868 - Rev. J. S. Gillespie 1869 - Rev. J. S. Gillespie 1870 - J. S. Gillespie, Pastor, E. G. Dalton, Supply 1871 - Rev. C. Monjean Rev. T. Hanford. 1872 - Rev. S. A. Collins 1873 - Rev. S. A. Collins 1874 - J. K. Friday, Supply, Rev. F. J. Parry, Pastor 1875 - Rev. F. J. Parry 1876 - Rev. C. A. Quirell 1877 - Rev. C. A. Quirell 1878 - Rev. A. M. Worcester 1879 - Rev. A. M. Worcester 1880 - Rev. E. P. Roberts 1881 - Rev. E. P. Roberts 1882 - Rev. E. P. Roberts 1883 - Rev. E. P. Roberts 1884 - Rev. E. P. Roberts 1885 - Rev. A. S. Carman 1886 - Rev. A. S. Carman ============== [From the Miami Baptist Association Minutes, 1886, pp. 16-19. Document from the Miami Baptist Association Office, Cincinnati. - Transcribed and formatted by Jim Duvall.]
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