South Carolina Baptists Leah Townsend

SOUTH CAROLINA BAPTISTS 1670-1805 by Leah Townsend, Ph.D. THE BAPTIST HISTORY COLLECTION STATE HISTORIES SOUTH CAROLINA BAPTISTS 1670-1805 by Leah Townsend, Ph.D.. Thou hast given a standard to them that fear thee; that it may be displayed because of the truth — Psalm 60:4 The Baptist Standard Bearer, Inc. Version 1.0 © 2005 SOUTH CAROLINA BAPTISTS 1670-1805 BY LEAH TOWNSEND, PH.D. TO THE BAPTIST MINISTERS AND CHURCH CLERKS OF SOUTH CAROLINA whose cooperation has made this publication possible. Originally Published Florence, South Carolina 1935 Page 1 of 247 SOUTH CAROLINA BAPTISTS 1670-1805 by Leah Townsend, Ph.D. Table of Contents ABBREVIATIONS................................................................5 FOREWORD.....................................................................6 CHAPTER 1. BAPTIST CHURCHES OF THE LOW COUNTRY...............................7 INTRODUCTION..............................................................7 THE CHARLESTON CHURCH AND ITS BRANCHES....................................9 EUHAW CHURCH AND ITS BRANCHES............................................20 WASSAMASSAW CHURCH.......................................................26 THE GENERAL BAPTISTS OF CHARLESTON AND STONO.............................26 GEORGETOWN CHURCH........................................................27 CHAPTER 2. BAPTIST CHURCHES OF THE PEEDEE SECTION...........................29 WELSH NECK CHURCH........................................................29 CHAPTER 3. CHARLESTON ASSOCIATION OF BAPTIST CHURCHES.......................47 CHAPTER 4. EARLY BAPTIST CHURCHES OF THE BACK COUNTRY.......................52 INTRODUCTION.............................................................52 FAIRFOREST CHURCH AND ITS BRANCHES.......................................53 CONGAREE CHURCH AND ITS BRANCHES.........................................58 HIGH HILLS OF SANTEE, CHURCH AND ITS BRANCHES............................60 OTHER SEPARATE, BAPTIST CHURCHES.........................................62 TUNKERS (OR DUNKERS) AND SEVENTH DAY BAPTISTS............................64 CONGAREE ASSOCIATION.....................................................66 CHAPTER 5. POST-REVOLUTIONARY REVIVAL.......................................68 INTRODUCTION.............................................................68 TURKEY CREEK CHURCH AND ITS BRANCHES.....................................71 ABBEVILLE COUNTY CHURCHES................................................74 AIKEN COUNTY CHURCHES....................................................76 ANDERSON COUNTY CHURCHES.................................................76 BAMRERG COUNTY CHURCHES..................................................78 BARNWELL COUNTY CHURCHES.................................................78 CHEROKEE COUNTY CHURCHES.................................................79 CHESTER COUNTY CHURCHES..................................................79 EDGEFIELD COUNTY CHURCHES................................................80 FAIRFIELD COUNTY CHURCHES................................................81 GREENVILLE COUNTY CHURCHES...............................................81 GREENWOOD COUNTY CHURCHES................................................84 LAURENS COUNTY CHURCHES..................................................84 MCCORMICK COUNTY CHURCHES................................................86 NEWBERRY COUNTY CHURCHES.................................................86 OCONEE COUNTY CHURCHES...................................................86 PICKENS COUNTY CHURCHES..................................................89 SALUDA COUNTY CHURCHES...................................................89 SPARTANBURG COUNTY CHURCHES..............................................89 UNION COUNTY CHURCHES....................................................92 YORK COUNTY CHURCHES.....................................................94 NEGRO BAPTISTS...........................................................94 CHAPTER 6. BACK COUNTRY ASSOCIATIONS........................................98 CHAPTER 7. SIGNIFICANCE OF SOUTH CAROLINA BAPTISTS.........................102 BIBLIOGRAPHY............................................................117 FOOTNOTES..................................................................131 Page 2 of 247 SOUTH CAROLINA BAPTISTS 1670-1805 by Leah Townsend, Ph.D. Page 3 of 247 SOUTH CAROLINA BAPTISTS 1670-1805 by Leah Townsend, Ph.D. MAP Baptist Churches in South Carolina prior to 1805, with location and date of construction. Compiled by Leah Townsend, drawn by E. Lamar Holman. Page 4 of 247 SOUTH CAROLINA BAPTISTS 1670-1805 by Leah Townsend, Ph.D. ABBREVIATIONS CB — Church Book CC — Clerk of Court JC — Journal of the Council JCHA — Journal of the Commons House of Assembly JHR — Journal of the House of Representatives JS — Journal of the Senate PC — Probate Court RMC — Register of Mesne Conveyance SCHGM — South Carolina Historical and Genealogical Magazine YBC — Year Book of the City of Charleston Page 5 of 247 SOUTH CAROLINA BAPTISTS 1670-1805 by Leah Townsend, Ph.D. FOREWORD The manuscript of South Carolina Baptists 1670-1805 was submitted in 1926 to the Department of History of the University of South Carolina and accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of doctor of philosophy in American history. The undertaking grew out of the writer’s intense interest in religious history and the absence of any general account of the Baptists of this State; the effort throughout has been to treat Baptist history alone, and to give only enough political and religious background to present a clear view of the Baptists themselves. The summaries and deductions are the personal opinions of a layman; the material, largely from church books and minutes of associations, includes a mass of biographical data employing the spelling of names used in the church books without attempt to suggest modern equivalents. Professor R. L. Meriwether, head of the Department of History of the University of South Carolina, supervised the work from its inception and supplied the inspiration of wide knowledge and insight into social problems and of a peculiar power to stimulate historical thought. The charming personality and eager helpfulness of the late Dr. Yates Snowden, in opening up his library of rare Caroliniana and in bringing such unusual offerings as the clipping describing the Henry Holcombe pamphlet, often relieved the drudgery inevitable to the undertaking. The manuscript has had the benefit of historical inspection by Dr. Anne King Gregorie, Mount Pleasant, S.C., and by Mr. A. S. Salley, Secretary of the Historical Commission of South Carolina, whose accurate knowledge of local history and biographical material was of extraordinary value. Thanks are due the late Dr. W. J. McGlothlin, President, and Miss Eva Wrigley, Librarian, Furman University, for their generously permitting the use of the Baptist Historical Collection; to Miss Ellen M. Fitzsimons, of the Charleston Library Society; to Rev. Frank G. Lewis, Librarian, Crozer Theological Seminary, Chester, Pa.; to Mr. Alester G. Furman, Sr., Greenville, S.C.; and many others, including Mrs. Margaret Babcock Meriwether, of Columbia, S.C., for her criticisms of style and arrangement, and Miss Flora B. Surles, of Mount Pleasant, S.C., for her painstaking preparation of the manuscript for the printer. LEAH TOWNSEND Florence, South Carolina February 14, 1935 Page 6 of 247 SOUTH CAROLINA BAPTISTS 1670-1805 by Leah Townsend, Ph.D. CHAPTER 1. BAPTIST CHURCHES OF THE LOW COUNTRY INTRODUCTION As a distinct denomination, the Baptists first appeared during the religious revolt of the sixteenth century. However, according to their own historians, Baptist principles were the essence of the primitive church; continuing, obscured, through the darkest days of church corruption, they again became pronounced in the twelfth century, and were large part of the Protestant Revolt under Zwingli, Calvin, and Luther in his earlier days. Persons professing these peculiar beliefs, not separated from other groups before the second quarter of the sixteenth century, only gradually came to be called by some variation of the term Baptist, as Anabaptists, Catabaptists, Antipedobaptists, and finally simply Baptists, though they at first strenuously objected to all of these names, wishing to be known as Brethren or Christians. f1 The explanation of these designations lies in the interpretation which other sects put upon the action of the Baptists with regard to baptism. The Baptists claim that baptism, as authorized by the Scriptures, must be by immersion only, and if carried out according to Scriptural prescription, the sacrament must be administered to regenerate persons only, that is, to those who have experienced the consciousness of personal salvation through Christ. Since practically all western Europeans had been, at the time of the Protestant Revolt, baptized by sprinkling in infancy, and thus had not been through this regenerating experience before baptism, which, as an added fault, had been incorrectly administered, it naturally followed that they must be rebaptized before they could be members of the true church; hence the names Anabaptists, Catabaptists, or rebaptizers. The Baptists themselves have always objected to having it said that they rebaptized persons who had been sprinkled as infants. Infant baptism they regard not only as having no Scriptural warrant, but as being directly opposed to the commands of the Scriptures. Therefore, in baptizing

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