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History of Disciples of Christ in Upper East Tennessee

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History of Disciples of Christ in Upper East Tennessee University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Masters Theses Graduate School 8-1943 History of Disciples of Christ in Upper East Tennessee H. C. Wagner University of Tennessee - Knoxville Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Wagner, H. C., "History of Disciples of Christ in Upper East Tennessee. " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 1943. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/1051 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a thesis written by H. C. Wagner entitled "History of Disciples of Christ in Upper East Tennessee." I have examined the final electronic copy of this thesis for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Master of Arts, with a major in History. Stanley J. Folmsbee, Major Professor We have read this thesis and recommend its acceptance: J. Wesley Hoffmann Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) August 14:, 1943 To the Committee on Graduate St udy: I am submitting to you a thesis written by H. C. Wagner entitled "History of Disciples of Christ in Upper East Tennessee." I recommend that it be accepted for nine quarter hours credit in partial fulfil lment of the require­ ments for the degree of Master of Arts, with a major in History. We have read this thesis and recommend its acceptance : k� Accepted for the Commi ttee Dei1?��l HISTORY OF DISCIPLES OF CHRIST IN UPPER EAST TENNESSEE .......... _- .. A TH ESIS Submitted to The Committee on Graduate Study of The Unive rsity of Tennesse e in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the de gree o£ Maste r of Arts by H. C. Wagne r August 1943 ii F:)�10RD Any student of Tennessee his tory is aware of the fac t that from tl'le beginning the churches have played an important part in the development of the life of the state . The Disciples of Christ have been especially ac tive in Ea st Tennessee in the last 125 years, yet nothing has been writ­ ten of their work. The purpose of thi s study has been to make a beginning on the re search necessar;y for a full his­ tory of the Disciples of Chri st in Tenne ssee. As such, it is large ly a study in local church history , with a view to preserving the data and arranging them in usable form. At the same time , the ahn has been to insert enough local color to make the work a readable narrative to anyone in terested in the Di sciples of Christ. No attemp t at interp retation has been deliberately undertaken . No one would deny tha t ani religious group has social and economic influenc e wherever it operates. How­ ever, such inf luence is diff:i.c ult to evaluate. This is espec ially true where each congregation is a unit and local autonomy is cherished as a privilege ; such is the case among the Disciples of Chris t. Then, too , this group has no t been primarily interested in the soc ial and ec onomic aspec ts of Christianity. Their great emphasis has been upon a pro­ graIn of evangelism whic h advocated a reasonable approach to " iii salvation rather than an emotional one . Coupled with this, they have preached much on Christian unity as a prerequi­ site to an effective church. The refore, the write r has not chosen to attempt, in this thesis, any inte rpretation of influences that might be possible upon further research. The task of gathering local histo ry is not an easy one. Church records have more ways of getting lost than a magician has tricksJ In one city the writer dis­ covered that the original record book fo r each of thre e churches had disappeared; one was stolen out of the cle rk's car; another was burned by an irate woman; and still anoth­ er was carried off to parts unknown when the church clerk decided to moveJ That was but typical of a day's wo rk in gathering the data. The task would have been much more dif­ ficult without the co operation of many of the writer's friends and acquaintances. Almost every minister in the Christian Churches in East Tennessee aided in some way . 1Eany other interested church leaders gave valuable aid. rEany of them wrote letters; some went to the trouble of writing out valuable infonnati on. H. H. Smith , of Blount­ ville, Tennessee, S. A. Mo rton, of Johnson City, Tennessee, and R. B. Cassell , of Harriman, Tennessee, did so . Mrs . Mary Hardin 1\1cCown, Johnson City, Tennessee , generously al­ lowed the writer the privilege of using her valuable collec­ tion of histo rical data on all phases of East Tennesse e history . J. J. 1:1usick, of Elizab ethton, Tennesse e, and iv Iv!. B. Miller , of Mountain City, Tennesse e, also furnished valuable information. The writer is also indebted to Enos DO.... il ing , Librarian of College of Religion Library, Butler Un iversity , Indianapolis , Indiana , for courteous help in gaining access to files of some old periodicals. In the composition of the manuscript , the writer is also indebted to others. Professo r Stanley J. Fol�sbee , of the University of Tennessee , has been most considerate in reading the manuscript and making suggestions, go ing to the extent of read ing two chapters in the original long­ hand and anothe r after it was typed before the writer had gone over itl Pro fessor J. Wesley Hoffmann , of the Univers­ ity of Tennesse e, also read the manuscript and made several valuable suggestions . Two of the author's colleagues , Pro­ fesso rs H. R. Garrett and C. K. Thomas , of Johnson Bibl e College , also read parts of the original draft of the manu­ script and gave eithe r good suggestions or encouragement . Last , but not least, my wife has been most kind and co n­ siderate . She made the long-hand copies legible for the typist , did some typ ing, and spent several hours of pure drudgery in co rrecting my many mistakes and those of the typist on the rough draft . On the whole , no writer could ask for bette r cooperation or mo re kind consideration . T1;. erefore , the author assumes ful l blame fo r the imperfec­ tions of the work . H. C. W. --- v TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I BEGINNING AND EARLY GROWTH OF THE DISCIPLES OF CHRIST •...••• " . ........................... 1 Causes or the movement--James O'Kelly--Abner Jones--John Wright--Joseph Hostetler-­ Barton w. Stone of Kentucky--Thomas Campbell --His break with Seceder Presbyterian Church --Declaration and Address--Alexander Camp- bell--Father and son agree on matters of church--Brush Run church--Union or Stone and Campbell movements--Status of Disciples of Christ In 1909 . II POST OAK SPRINGS CHRISTIAN CHURCH •••••••••••••• 27 Location of the church--The marker--Lack of authentic data--Isaac Rice--E. D. Moore --Major John Smith--Acred and Long--Isaac Mulkey's leadership--Possible connection of Post Oak Springs and French Broad Bap­ tist Church--The Randolphs--William J. Owings--Effect of Civil War--'Il. J. Owings and the socialistic experiment--Erection of present building--Uneventful history since --Post Oak Sprin gs not in true sense the "Mother" church of the state. III OLD CHURCHES OF UPPER EAST TENNESSEE ••••• • ••••• �5 James Miller possibly the first preacher of the Reformation in the section--llis re­ vival in Boone's Creek Valley--Boone's Creek Church of Christ organized--Hale's Chapel Church of Christ--IIarrison's Chapel Church of Christ--Buffalo Creek Church of Christ--Union Church of Christ--Liberty Church of Christ--Sullivan County churches: Weaver's, Buffalo, Poplar Ridge, Central Holston Church of Christ, Blountville Chris­ tian Church--Turkeytown Church of Christ-­ Hampton Church of Christ--Valley Forge Church of Christ--Blount County--Mountain ./ View Church of Christ. vi Chapter Page IV LARGER CHURCHES AND CENrERS OF INFLUEN CE ••••••• 85 First Christ ian Church , Johnson City-­ Gr eenevill e Chr istian Church--Morr istown Christ ian Church--Second Church of Christ , Jo hnson City--Third Christian Church , Jo hnson City--Fourth Christian Chur ch , Jo hnson City--First Christian Church, El izab ethton--East End Christian Church, El izabethton--Southside Christian Church , El izab ethton--West End Christian Church , Elizab ethton--Central Chr ist ian Church1 Bristol--Erw in Church of Chr ist-- Jonesboro Christ ian Church--Thorn Gro ve Chr ist ian Church--First Christ ian Chur ch , Knoxv ille-­ Bearden Christian Church--Forest Av enue Christian Church--Rockwood Christian Church --Harr iman Christ ian Church--Newport Chr is­ tian Church--Maryville Christian Church-­ Ro gersville Chr istian Church. V THE COOPERATIVE WORK OF THE CHURCH ES OF CHRIST IN EAST TENNESSEE •••••••••••••••••••••••132 Christ ian churches and eccl esiast ical bod i es--Early cooperative work in East Tenness ee--M eeting at Boone 's Cr eek , 1829 --18'3 meeting at Boone 's Cr eek--18'5 meeting at Weav er 's--18'6 meet ing at Buf­ falo Cr eek Church--From 1846 till aft er the Civil War--1 873 meeting at Bristol-- 1876 meet ing at Turk eytown--1885 meeting at Jo hnson City--1888 meet ing--1890 meet­ ing at Bristol--1891 meeting at Hale's Chapel--Subs equent data sc att er ed--Enlarge­ ment of work--M eeting pl ac es sinc e 1931 .
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