Celebrate, Acknowledge and Remember: Reconciling and Transcending the History of Christ Church

A Six-Week Lenten Study Wednesdays – Starting February 24 6:30 – 7:30 PM

Christ Church Catechesis for Adults Led by Historians Julie Groce and Dr. Matt Harper

Week 2 Presentation Notes

Julie Groce, 2021. Do not reproduce without permission of author

Episcopal Catechism – The Book of Common Prayer

What is the mission of the church? The mission of the church is to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ.

Baptismal Covenant – The Book of Common Prayer

We live out our faith through our Baptismal Covenant: by seeking and serving Christ in all persons, by loving our neighbor as ourselves; by striving for justice and peace among all people, and by respecting the dignity of every human being.

The Vision of Beloved Community

Where all people are honored and protected and nurtured as beloved children of God, where we weep at one another’s pain and seek one another’s lourishing.

Julie Groce, 2021. Do not reproduce without permission of author Quotations to Guide Our Study

“I don’t write about the past. I write about other people’s present. You can’t understand them if you don’t understand how they perceived reality, and you don’t understand that unless you understand the culture. What did they read? What poetry moved them? What music did they listen to? What did they eat? What were they afraid of? What was it like to travel from one place to another? You scratch the supposedly dead past anywhere, and what you ind is life.” Historian David McCullough

The probability is overwhelming that if we had belonged to the generations we deplore, we too would have behaved deplorably. The probability is overwhelming that we belong to a generation that will be found by its successors to have behaved deplorably. Wendell Berry Poet, Writer, Activist, Academic

Julie Groce, 2021. Do not reproduce without permission of author Rev. Seneca Bragg became rector of Christ Church on January 1, 1833. He was a graduate of Middlebury College in Vermont and obtained his theology degree from Virginia Theological Seminary. Bragg never married and suffered poor health in his later years. During his tenure, Christ Church erected its irst worship building, established the Ladies Aid Society, and began collecting weekly benevolent offerings. Bragg also began a Sunday School for colored children. He retired from Christ Church in 1846 and died at the age of 68 in January 1861.

Julie Groce, 2021. Do not reproduce without permission of author The Town of Macon, 1825

The property originally granted to Christ Church for its use by the GA Legislature was Block 41, Lot 5. By 1833, the church sold that property and purchased Block 19, Lot 6 on which to erect the first structure.

Julie Groce, 2021. Do not reproduce without permission of author

Christ Church’s irst building, erected in 1833 in the form of a Roman Cross and opened for worship in 1834.

Julie Groce, 2021. Do not reproduce without permission of author Julie Groce, 2021. Do not reproduce without permission of author According to Rev. Bragg’s 1834 Annual Diocesan report, Christ Church counted 20 families as communicants, many more regular attendees, and “several young men [who]have also taken pews in the Church.” An average of 25 scholars attended weekly Sunday School. Most of the pews in the new church building were rented by parishioners, and one pew was set aside for visitors. A gallery was located at the rear of the church as a location for enslaved persons and free persons of color to sit during worship.

In 1835, Bragg’s report acknowledged the generosity of individuals who ”caused the church ediice to be surrounded by a substantial enclosure and furnished it with a beautiful chandelier and a sweet toned organ.” This organ was reportedly the irst organ in the City of Macon.

Julie Groce, 2021. Do not reproduce without permission of author By the mid 1830s, several religious newspapers distributed by various denominations advocated for religious instruction of enslaved Negroes: the Christian Index for the Baptist Church; the Charleston Observer for the Presbyterian Church; the Southern Christian Advocate by the Methodist Church; and both the Gospel Messenger and the Southern Churchman for the Protestant Episcopal Church. For Episcopalians, this instruction clearly fell on the side of maintaining the paternalism that encouraged the continuation of enslavement and preserved the South’s cotton economy.

Julie Groce, 2021. Do not reproduce without permission of author Rather than emphasizing The Book of Common Prayer as a whole, southern ecclesiastical leaders of the Protestant Episcopal Church narrowed their scope of emphasis for liturgical readings when addressing enslaved persons. In 1835, Rt. Rev. Nathaniel Bowen, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina, published a series of religious lessons in A Pastoral Letter on the Religious Instruction of the Slaves. The lessons included numerous scriptures “relating especially to servants.” These verses transformed Southern slaveholders into “agents of God’s plan of salvation” and stressed that obedient slaves were entitled to receive a heavenly reward. Julie Groce, 2021. Do not reproduce without permission of author Let each of you remain in the condition in which you were called. Were you a slave when called? Do not be concerned about it. Even if you can gain your freedom, make use of your present condition now more than ever. For whoever was called in the Lord as a slave is a freed person belonging to the Lord, just as whoever was free when called is a slave of Christ.

1 Corinthians 7: 20-22

Let all who are under the yoke of slavery regard their masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be blasphemed. Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful to them on the ground that they are members of the church; rather, they must serve them all the more, since those who beneit by their service are believers and beloved. 1 Timothy 6: 1-2

Tell slaves to be submissive to their masters and to give satisfaction in every respect; they are not to talk back, not to pilfer, but to show complete and perfect idelity, so that in everything they may be an ornament to the doctrine of God our Savior. Julie Groce, 2021. Do not reproduce Titus 2: 9-10 without permission of author Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as you obey Christ; not only while being watched, and in order to please them, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. Render service with enthusiasm, as to the Lord and not to men and women, knowing that whatever good we do, we will receive the same again from the Lord, whether we are slaves or free. Ephesians 6: 5-8

Julie Groce, 2021. Do not reproduce without permission of author Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as you obey Christ; not only while being watched, and in order to please them, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. Render service with enthusiasm, as to the Lord and not to men and women, knowing that whatever good we do, we will receive the same again from the Lord, whether we are slaves or free. Ephesians 6: 5-8

White Episcopal churchmen omitted the next verse, however:

And, masters, do the same to them. Stop threatening them, for you know that both of you have the same Master in heaven, and with him there is no partiality. Julie Groce, 2021. Do not reproduce Ephesians 6: 9 without permission of author In 1837, Bishop Bowen and three other clergymen published A Catechism to be Used by the Teachers in the Religious Instruction of Persons of Colour. Through the lessons in this publication, churchmen intended to cultivate a shared identity of servanthood between Jesus Christ and enslaved persons in the South. The authors hoped to imply that slavery itself functioned as a Christian institution.

As an example, Lesson V helped to reinforce social hierarchy in a religious context:

Have all people the same things in this world? No; some people have much gold and riches and some are very poor; because it is the will of God that it should be so. 1 Samuel 2:7 Ought poor people to complain and be angry because they are poor? No; they should be contented with what God gives; diligent in their work, and submissive to those whom has placed above them. Proverbs 28:6 Julie Groce, 2021. Do not reproduce without permission of author In addition to Bowen’s publications in South Carolina, other southern bishops addressed the religious education of enslaved persons. Bishop Meade of Virginia published Sermons, Dialogues and Narratives for Servants, to be Read to Them in Families, and Bishop Ives of North Carolina wrote a catechism to be used by slaveholders to teach Negroes in their charge. What Episcopal leaders did not do, however, was advocate for teaching negroes to read and write as part of the religious instruction. State codes across the South uniformly prohibited teaching enslaved person to read and write because such skills were thought to encourage thoughts of freedom. The editor of the Episcopalian Southern Churchman took no issue in following this prohibition: “ All the knowledge which is necessary to salvation, all the knowledge of our duty toward God, and our duty toward our neighbor, may be communicated by oral instructions, and therefore a law of the land interdicting other means of instruction does not trench upon the law of God.”

Julie Groce, 2021. Do not reproduce without permission of author The Rev. Stephen Elliott of South Carolina was elected the irst Bishop of the Diocese of Georgia at the 18th Annual Convention held in Clarksville in 1840 and consecrated on February 28, 1841. Elliott took leadership of a diocese that had only about 300 communicants and only six organized parishes: Christ Church, Savannah; St. Paul’s, Augusta; Christ Church, St. Simons; Christ Church, Macon; Trinity, Columbus; and Grace, Clarksville. By the time Bishop Elliott presided at his irst Annual Convention in 1841, two additional parishes had been organized: St. Stephen’s, Milledgeville and St. John’s, Savannah.

Julie Groce, 2021. Do not reproduce without permission of author • Born in 1806 in Beaufort, South Carolina, Elliott was the scion of an afluent and intellectual family that held inherited wealth in land and enslaved persons. • He was educated at Harvard and South Carolina College and studied and practiced law before sensing a call to the ministry in 1833. • Bishop Bowen ordained Elliott as a deacon in 1835, and shortly thereafter, Elliott was elected Chair of Sacred Literature and Evidences of Christianity at South Carolina College. He served this program as chaplain and was ordained as a priest in 1836. • During his tenure at South Carolina College, Rev. Elliott gained a wide reputation for his polished and passionate lectures and sermons and his embrace of learning and scholarship. He mentored his students to learn how to think and how to express their thoughts both orally and in writing. • Elliott was consecrated as Bishop of Georgia by Bishop Meade of Virginia, Bishop Ives of North Carolina, and Bishop Gadsden of South Carolina, all proponents of religious education for negroes.

Julie Groce, 2021. Do not reproduce without permission of author Bishop Elliott lost no time in implementing two key elements of his episcopacy:

1. Establishment of a diocesan school known as the Georgia Episcopal Institute and Christ College at Montpelier Springs in Monroe County

2. An ambitious plan to bring religious instruction to negroes throughout the diocese.

Both of these elements involved enslaved persons, and both included the active participation of members and vestrymen of Christ Church Macon.

Julie Groce, 2021. Do not reproduce without permission of author Montpelier Institute

• In 1840, G.B. Lamar of Savannah donated 800 acres in Monroe County to The Trustees of the Diocese of Georgia. Two of the ive original trustees were Ambrose Baber and Nathan Munroe of Christ Church.

• Bishop Elliott founded a church, St. Luke’s, to serve the school and the surrounding community. From 1844-1853, Bishop Elliott and his family made Montpelier their permanent diocesan residence.

• Elliott did not solicit funds from the diocese for support: ”We ask nothing of the church but its children.” Primary income to support the school was to be derived from a stock farm worked by enslaved persons owned by the Institute, with tuition payments covering the cost of instructors from as far away as Oxford and Leipzig, By 1850, Montpelier would own 71 enslaved persons.

• Although schools for both males and females were originally planned, the girls’ school eclipsed the one for boys. Montpelier became the second college for women chartered in Georgia and attracted students and throughout the South and even from northern states. A contemporary account described Montpelier by stating: “It may be truly said that in this school true religion, useful learning, and polished reinement, are inseparably united.”

Julie Groce, 2021. Do not reproduce without permission of author

• Without an endowment and after ambitious expansion over a period of years, Montpelier’s expenses signiicantly outpaced its income. To pay off mounting debt, the property and its enslaved persons were sold at a sheriff’s sale in the fall of 1850. Bishop Elliott pledged his own inancial resources to meet the remaining demands of creditors, and this forced him to sell nearly 200 enslaved persons held by himself and his wife as well as the lands those hands had worked in Beaufort, South Carolina

• Within a year, the parishes of Christ Church Savannah, Christ Church Macon, and Trinity Columbus pledged enough money to repurchase the Montpelier property and reopen the school. At the 1851 Annual Convention, Bishop Elliott convinced delegates to support Montpelier, and parishes began making regular offerings to maintain the school “it for the education of the children of reined and Christian parents.” The college remained in operation as an Episcopal institution through 1855.

Julie Groce, 2021. Do not reproduce without permission of author 1850 Slave Census, Montpelier Instute List of Enslaved Persons Owned by Bishop Ellio

Julie Groce, 2021. Do not reproduce without permission of author Instruction of Negroes

As devoted as Bishop Elliott was to the development of Montpelier, he was equally urgent in initiating religious instruction to enslaved persons in the Diocese of Georgia. He urged all of his parishioners to begin holding Sunday Schools and challenged the clergy to produce “a body of well instructed coloured communicants in every Episcopal Church.”

Elliott called attention to the fact that Baptists, Methodists and Presbyterians were well ahead with Episcopal efforts among the negroes: “It does not become us as the Church of Christ, whose treasures have always been the poor and the aflicted and the ignorant, to devolve the slaves whom the Lord has entrusted to us, upon any other teaching than our own.”

Julie Groce, 2021. Do not reproduce without permission of author Religious instruction among enslaved persons at Christ Church did not begin with Bishop Elliott’s directive. The irst documented participation by colored persons at Christ Church was in 1837, when Rev. Seneca Bragg noted the baptism of “one colored person.” In 1839, Rev. Bragg noted in his Annual Report the baptism of 13 colored children.

After Bishop Elliott came to Georgia, Rev. Bragg noted in his 1843 annual diocesan report: “The expectation in regard to the Sunday School for colored children has not been realized. Oral instruction has been regularly and faithfully given; but we have not seen that decided fruit of our labor, that we desired. Still the Superintendent and Teachers have resolved to persevere in their efforts. The number of scholars attending varies from ten Julie Groce, 2021. Do not reproduce to thirty. “ without permission of author

In 1844, Bragg reported: “We report no decided improvement in the col. S.S. [sic] 2 female Teachers aided by the Supt of the white school have labored very faithfully, to give instruction to the servants of the congregation, and to others who assemble on the Lord’s day. We will persevere in our efforts and pray for the blessing of the Divine Head of the Church Who is ‘no Rejector of persons.’ “

In Rev. Bragg’s inal report to Annual Convention before resigning in 1846 due to declining health, he noted that Christ Church had 75 communicants, a Sunday School with 60 white pupils, and a Sunday School for colored children with 30 students.

After retiring from his rectorship, Bragg moved to Montpelier and helped to administer the school when Bishop Elliott was traveling elsewhere in the diocese. He also assisted at St. Luke’s where numerous enslaved persons were baptized and catechized.

Julie Groce, 2021. Do not reproduce without permission of author Rev. Joseph Shanklin became rector of Christ Church in August 1846 immediately after being ordained as a priest. He graduated from the University of Virginia and Virginia Theological Seminary. During his tenure, Christ Church added at least four colored communicants to its membership and erected the 1851 church building. Shanklin and his wife had three children and lived on College Street. He owned six enslaved persons. Shanklin resigned in 1854 to become rector at St. Peter’s in Charleston, where he contracted yellow fever in 1856 and died at the age of 34.

Julie Groce, 2021. Do not reproduce without permission of author Shortly after Rev. Shanklin assumed the rectorship of Christ Church in 1846, Bishop Elliott reported that Christ Church “is in a state of growing prosperity.”

This conclusion was apparent by the report of contributions made to the parish for benevolences: Value Today

Diocesan Missions 106.50 $3,400 Domestic Missions 80.00 $2,550 Foreign Missions 60.00 $1,915 Jewish Missions 11.00 $ 350 Chapel at Montpelier 50.00 $1,600 Church at Atlanta [St. Philip’s] 67.43 $2,150 Other objects connected with the church 205.00 $6,530

Julie Groce, 2021. Do not reproduce without permission of author

Christ'Church'Parishioners''184031860'Overview' ' Category)Descriptions:) ) 1846)Pew)Renter)–)The)church)archives)contain)a)diagram)that)shows)the)assigned)pew)location)of)parishioners)who) pay)an)annual)pew)fee.))Rental)fees)were)the)principal)source)of)parish)income)for)decades.))Names)are)marked)with)an) asterisk)if)they)are)listed)on)this)diagram.) ) 1850)Church)Subscriber)–)Church)vestry)records)list)the)names)of)each)person)who)pledged)a)subscription)toward)the) erection)of)a)new)church)building.))Those)who)pledge)$50)or)more)were)entitled)to)an)annual)pew)assignment.))Names) are)marked)with)an)asterisk)if)they)are)on)the)subscription)list.))A)few)companies)are)listed)as)well.)) ) 1850)Subscription)Amounts)–)Specific)subscription)amounts)are)listed)for)each)person)and)each)company.))Corporate) subscriptions)are)generally)made)by)parishioners)who)are)principals)in)those)companies.) ) 1856)Annual)Pledge)–)Rector)Henry)Rees)proposed)the)idea)of)parishioners)pledging)an)annual)amount)(at)least)$50))to) increase)steady)support)of)the)church.))Only)a)few)men)made)this)pledge.) ) #)Enslaved)Persons)Owned–)These)numbers)are)taken)from)the)1850)Slave)Census)or)from)primary)sources)related)to) specific)individuals.))Several)planters)owned)land)and)held)enslaved)persons)in)more)than)one)county,)and)land)holdings) in)counties)other)than)Bibb)are)stated)in)Additional)Notes.) ) Additional)Notes)–)Additional)pieces)of)information)for)each)person)are)listed)if)known,)including)the)country)or)state)of) birth,)occupation,)date)person)joined)Christ)Church,)death)date,)etc.) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ' Julie Groce, 2021. Do not reproduce without permission of author ' '''''''''''''''''''''''''''1846) 1850) ) ))))))1850)) ))1856) ) ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))Pew))))))))))))Church) ))))))))))))))Subscription) Annual) )))#)Enslaved) ))))))))))Name) ))))))))))Renter)))))Subscriber)))))))))))))))))))Amount)) )Pledge) ))))))))Owned) ) ) ) Additional)Notes))))))))))))) ) Ayres,)Asher) ) *) ))))*) ) $)))250.00) ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))16) ) New)Jersey;)Ayres,)Wingfield)&)Co.)Grocer)and)capitalist) Ayres,)James) ) *) ))))*) ) $)))))25.00) ) ))))))))))))))17) ) NJ;)Master)builder)of)1851)structure)and)many)other)structures;)) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) )))))estb.)city)waterworks)with)Robert)Collins;)lived)at)Washington)) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) )))))Hall)Hotel;)died)1859) Artope,)James)B.)) *) ))))*) ) $)))))50.00) ) ))))))))))))))13) ) Stone)mason)and)owner)marble)works,1837^1883) Atkinson,)R.A.)Logan) ) ))))*) ) $)))))50.00) ) )))) 1) ) Merchant) ) ) ) ) ) ) Baber,)Dr.)Ambrose) ) )))))))) ) ) ) ) ))))))))))))))19) ) 1st)Jr)Warden)1825,)died)1846) Baber,)Mary) ) *) ) )))))))))) ) ) ) ))))))))))))))10) ) Joined)1833;)Widow)of)Ambrose)Baber;)sold)Walnut)St.)house)to)) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) )))))John)B.)Lamar) Bailey,)Colonel)S.T.) *) )))))))))) ) ) ) ) ))))))))))))))20) ) Vermont;)Joined)1833;)lawyer;)died)1870) Banks,)Dr.)W.)H.) ) ) ))))*) ) $)))))75.00) ) ) ) ) Lived)at)Floyd)House)Hotel)) Barker,)George)R.) ) ))))*) ) $)))))50.00) ) ) 1) ) Joined)1846;)dry)goods)and)grocer) Benson,)Dr.)Joseph)W.) *) ) ) ) ) ) )))) 1) ) Canada;)joined)1846) Benson,)William)) ) ))))*) ) $)))))50.00) Bivins,)J.M.) ) ) ))))*) ) $)))))25.00) ) ) ) ) Clerk;)sister)Sarah)later)becomes)church)organist) Bloom,)Frances)S.) ) ))))*) ) $)))))35.00) ) ) ) ) NY;)Joined)1846;)Clerk;)lived)at)Floyd)House)Hotel;)Major)CSA;)) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) )))))died)1861) Boardman,)Joseph))M.) *) ))))*) ) $)))250.00)))) 100.00) )) 5) ) Joined)1846;)bookstore)owner);)President)Macon)Savings)Bank;)) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) )))))owned)Macon)Gas)&)Water)Co.) Bond,)E.)) ) ) ))))*) ) $)))))25.00) ) )))))))) 5) ) E.)Bond)&)Co.)grocer;)president,)Manufacturers’)Bank) Bond,)Joseph) ) ))))))))))))))))))))*) ) $))100.00) )))))))))))) ))))))))))))249) ) Died)1859;)owned)multiple)plantations)in)Lee)and)Baker)Ctys;) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) )))))shot)by)overseer)at)remote)plantation;)posted)) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) )))))world’s))largest)cotton)crop)1857)(2,200)bales)@)$100K))))) Bradley,)E.A.) ) ) ))))*) ) $)))))25.00) Bragg,)W.H.) ) ))))))))))))))))))))*) ) $))100.00) Brown,)Eliphalet)E.) *) ) ) ) ) ) ) 9) ) Joined)1846;)owner)and)operator,)Brown)Hotel) Brown,)Thomas)A.) *) ))))*) ) $)))250.00) ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))26) ) Rhode)Island;)merchant)and)cotton)speculator;)slave)owner)in)Bibb) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ))))))and)Talbot)Ctys;)East)Macon)Alderman)1835;)tavern)owner) Burnett,)B.L.) ) *) Carhart,)James)D.) *) ))))*) ) $))100.00) )))))))) ))) 4) ) Joined)1851;)commission)merchant) Carhart,)W.B.)))))) ) ) ))))*) ) $)))))50.00) ) ) ) ) Carhart)&)Curd,)Hardware) Coleman,)Mrs.)[Mary]) *) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) Widow)of)Robert) Collins,)William) ) ) ))))*) ) $)))))50.00) ) ))))))))))))))25) ) Brickmaker,)Hardy)&)Collins) Conner,)Z.T.) ) *) ))))*) ) $))100.00) ) ))))))))))))))10) ) Joined)1835;)commission)merchant;)councilman)1850)and)1851) Cowles,)William))))) *) ))))*) ) $)))))50.00) ) ) ) ) Son)of)Jerry)Cowles) Cutter,)Mrs.)[Anna?]) *) ) )))))))))))) ) ) ) )))) 5) ) Widow)of)Capt.)Henry)S.)Cutter) ) ) ) ) Julie Groce, 2021. Do not reproduce without permission of author ) ) )))))'''''1846) 1850) ) )))1850) ) ))1856' ) ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))Pew))))))))))))Church) )))))))))))Subscription) Annual) )))))#)Enslaved) ))))))))))Name) ))))))))))Renter)))))Subscriber))))))))))))))))Amount))) Pledge) ))))))))))Owned) ) ) ) Additional)Notes))))))))))))) ) Day,)Charles) ) *) ))))*) ) $)))500.00) )))))))))) ) )4) ) Jeweler/merchant) DeGraffenreid,)W.)K.) *) )))))))))))) ) ) ) ) )))) )4) ) Attorney) Dibble,)William) ) ) ))))*) ) $))100.00) ) ))) )8) ) Owner,)livery)stable;)councilman)1849)and)185) Eddy,)W.)H.) ) *) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) Vermont;)merchant;)lived)with)Edmund)Russel) Ells,)Charles)A.) ) *) )))))*) ) $))200.00) )))50.00)))))))) )6) ) Joined)1846;)H.N.)Ells)&)Co.)grocer;)operated)city)waterworks;)died)1865) Evans,)John)P.) ) *) ) )))))))))))) ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) )))) )4) ) Joined)1835;)owner)and)operator)of)boarding)house) Fish,)James) ) ) )))))*) ) $)))))20.00) Fitch,)Horace) ) *) )))))*) ) $))100.00) ) ) ) ) Joined)1835;)H.)Fitch)&)Co.)clothier)) Freeman,)Warren) *) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) NY;)Joined)1846;)merchant;)lived)at)Floyd)House)Hotel)with)family;)) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) )))))put)in)charge)of)music)dept)at)church)1853) A)Friend,)Per)L.N)Whittle)) )))))*) ) $)))))25.00) Gibson,)Thomas) ) ) )))))*) ) $)))))20.00) ) ) ) ) England;)shoemaker) Graybill,)Midas)L.) *) )))))*) ) $))200.00) ) )) )6) ) Joined)1835;)cotton)merchant;)died)1852) Green,)Dr.)H.K.) ) *) )))))*) ) $)))250.00) ))) )) )6) ) Joined)1837;)brother)of)James)Mercer)Green) Green,)Dr.)James)Mercer) ) )))))*) ) $)))500.00))))))))))))))))50.00))))))))))))))))))12) ) Baptized)1847;physician);)founder,)Academy)for)the)Blind;))) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) )))))established)Infirmary)for)Negroes)1857) Griffin,)Larkin) ) *) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) NC;)speculator;)lived)at)Orrlgood)House)Hotel;)died)1854) Hall,)Samuel) ) *) )))))*) ) $)))250.00)))) ) )) 9) ) Joined)1846;)attorney)and)state)legislator) Harrold,)James) ) ) )))))*) ) $)))))50.00) ) ))))))))))))))13) ) NC;)farmer)in)Upson)Cty)GA)and)Perry)Cty)AL) Hodgkins,)Daniel) *) )))))*) ) $)))))50.00) )))) ))))) 4) ) Joined)1837;)D.C.)Hodgkins)&)Son,)Gun)Manufacturer) Hutton,)I.S.) ) ) )))))*) ) $)))))25.00) Hutton,)John)Shaw) ) )))))*) ) $))))10.00) ) ) ) ) Asst.)Agent,)Mechanics)Bank;)died)1876) Johnston,)William)B.) *) ) ) ) ) ) ))))))))))))))27) ) Banker;)railroad)investor;)owned)plantation)in)Putnam)Cty)GA) Jones,)John)L.) ) *)))))))))))))))))))*) ) $1,000.00) 100.00) ) 9) ) Joined)1833;)began)with)A.M.)Blackshear)&)Co.,)Clothiers;)estb.) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) )))))own)clothing)store)1857;)longtime)Vestry)Secr./Treasurer) Kibbee,)J.M.) ) )))))))))))))))))))))*) ) $)))))50.00) ) ) ) ) Merchant;)died)1856) Ladies)Association) ) )))))*) ) $1,500.00) Lamar,)John)B.) ) ) )))))*) ) $)))))50.00) ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))168) ) Plantations)in)Bibb)&)Sumter)Cty)in)GA)&)Lowndes)Cty)AL;))) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) )))))purchased)Baber)House)after)Ambrose)Baber’s)death;))state)) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) )))))legislator)and)US)Congressman,)aide^de^camp)to)Confederate)) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) )))))Gen.)Howell)Cobb)(brother^in^law);)killed)in)battle)in)1862)) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) )))))and)left)Christ)Church)its)first)legacy)of)$6,000) Lanier)House) ) )))))))))))))))))))))*) ) $)))))50.00) Low,)John) ) ) )))))*) ) $)))))20.00) ) ))))))))))))))43) ) Planter) Menard,)Stephen) *) ) ) ) ) ) ) 2) ) Jeweler;)Joined)1846) Mitchell,)Mrs.)[A.M.]) *) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) School)Teacher) ) Mitchell,)Peter)C.) ) )))))*) ) $)))))20.00) ) ) ) ) Joined)1835;)farmer) Mix)&)Kirkland) ) ) )))))*) ) $)))))50.00) ) ) ) ) Boot)and)Shoe)merchant;)) ) Albert)Mix) ) ) ) ) ) )))50.00) ) 3) ) ) Albert)Mix)died)1862) Munroe,)Nathan)C.) *)))))))))))))))))))*) ) $1,000.00) 200.00)))))))))))))))))11) ) Joined)1835;))banker;)died)1868) Julie Groce, 2021. 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Do not reproduce without permission of author ' '''''''''''''''''''''''''''1846) 1850) ) )))))1850)) ))1856) ) ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))Pew))))))))))))Church) ))))))))))))))Subscription) Annual) ))))#)Enslaved) ))))))))))Name) ))))))))))Renter)))))Subscriber))))))))))))))))))Amount)) )Pledge)))))))))))Owned) ) ) ) Additional)Notes))))))) ))))))) Washington,)James)H.) *) ) ) ) ) ) ))))))))))))))52) ) Bank)agent;)planter)in)Wilkinson)Cty) Warner,)B.A.) ) *) White,)A.I.) ) ) )))))*) ) $)))))50.00) Wilson,)Mrs.)[Julia]) *) ) ) ) ) ) )))) 6) ) widow)of)William)S.) 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Julie Groce, 2021. Do not reproduce without permission of author Total Macon Enslaved or Year Population Free Persons of Color

1840 3,927 40.9% 1850 5,720 41.1% 1860, 8,247 34.3%

Between 1842 and 1860, the number of people in Macon who owned 10 or more enslaved persons rose from 25 to 32, an increase of 22%. In 1860, there were a total of 793 slaveholders in Macon. This means that only 9.6% of the city’s population owned enslaved persons. Of that slaveholding total, 75% owned less than 10 enslaved persons. 81 slaveholders, or less than 10% of the city’s total population, owned more than 20 enslaved persons.

Cash Equivalency

1850 Today $25 $ 838.40 $50 $ 1,676.81 $100 $ 3,353.62 $250 $ 8,384.04 $500 $16,768.08 $1,000 $33,536.15 $1,500Julie Groce, 2021. Do not reproduce $50,304.23 without permission of author

“In the course of the coming fall we expect to occupy our new building and then by setting for the church in the completeness of her services, and thus bringing Christ ever before our people; we humbly trust that God will bless his truth and the means of his appointment to the conversion of sinners and the building up of Saints.” Julie Groce, 2021. Do not reproduce without permission of author Macon Churches and Membership of Enslaved Persons

Following the organization in Macon of Christ Church in 1825, Baptists, Methodists, and Presbyterians all organized congregations in 1826. After erecting permanent buildings, all four of Macon’s churches had galleries in which enslaved persons and free persons of color sat for worship. In general, religious instruction outside of worship was segregated at all of the churches.

Although accurate membership lists are not available for all of the churches, documents reveal that by the mid 1830s, a majority of members at the Baptist Church were enslaved persons – 283 negroes and 199 whites. Under supervision of the white pastor, the black members conducted separate services with a licensed minister and deacons of their own color. In March 1845, First Baptist Church deeded land and a building to the colored members “for religious services and moral cultivation forever.” This church settled at the corner of Cotton Avenue and New Street.

By 1860, the Presbyterian and Methodist churches had separate congregations for colored members.

Julie Groce, 2021. Do not reproduce without permission of author