Newspapers / Brevard News (Brevard, N.C.) / May 14, 1931, edition 1 / Page 3
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Interesting Chapters in W. N. C. History BREVARD-DAVIDSON RIVER CHURCH OLD PRESBYTERIAN INSTITUTION By (JUDGE ROBERT L. GASH) (1841?1844) Wheh Rev. Christopher Bradshaw moved to Cherokee County in the fall of 1841 this left the church without a pastor until the arrival of his succes sor, Rev. H. F. Taylor, the following summer. It is evident that Mr. Bradshaw left with the most cordial relations that was between him and his former flock for the next year he returned and took part in the usual , Camp Meeting season. At the Camp Meeting in 1842 the old pastor, C. Bradshaw and the new pastor, H. F. Taylor and a visiting preacher, Rev. Joseph McKee, officiated, It was at this Camp Meeting that ' J. W. Killian joined the church. He was later made an elder of the church ' and was active in the church work for several decades. He was a prominent business man of this section for many years and was chairman of the first county court when Transylvania ] County was established in 1861. At the same Camp Meeting Samuel Hefner and his wife, Hannah, Rach ael Neill and Sophronia Davis also joined the church. In March, 1843 the brief record is made that J. E. Patton joined the church on profession when the sacra iment of the Lord's Supper was ad j ministered to him in his own house. 'This was but a few weeks before Mr. Patton died and tradition tells us that he was one of the few of his day who had conscientious scruples on the temperance question. In those days a small distillery was almost as cus tomary a piece of farming equipment as a plow or a wagon. A large part of the "cash crops" was the turning of corn into whiskey and the surplus apples and peaches into brandy. Mr. Patton, while a regular contributor to church expenses would not unite with the church while he or his slaves engaged in the manufacture of alco holic drinks. In 1843, George Orr, John McClain and his wife, Polly 0. McClain joined the church. George Orr was later ^ made an elder of this church, was county surveyor of Henderson coun ty' and later was county surveyor of Transylvania and laid out the origin al town of Brevard, locating the streets, lots and alleys. John McClain was prominent in the section about Horse Shoe. At the Camp Meeting in 1843 there were a number of the old stalwarts of this section that joined the church, among whom were: James W. Clayton, Isobella Twidi, Elizur Patton, Robert L. Mackey, Mary J. Tramwell, Elizabeth P. Clay ton, James F. Claytoa, George C. Neill and Samuel Orr. In April 1844 at the regular jCom munion Service at Davidson River the record ends with the following: "And at said' meeting, Elijah Young and his wife, Henrietta Young joined the church and had their children bap tised. Viz: Ananias, Robert, Pene lope, William, Ephraiam, James, Jos eph, Thomas, Mary E., Sarah A., and G. Washington. From this we can gather that in the early days this church believed in infant baptism and did not hesitate to class children as infants at any age from a babe in arms to full ma turity. At the time of their baptism Mr. Young's children varied in age from one year to twenty. Mr. Taylor left during the sum mer of 1844. In that year we dn not have the usual account of the Camp Meeting and at this late day we are unable to state whether this omission was due to the lack of a pastor or that it was one of the records that was lost. It was several years later during the pastorate of W. A. Graves that he collected all of the old rec ords he could locate and copied them ! into a permanent book. It is of in- 1 terest to know that during the early ! 1840's a number of men went from this section to Texas. The writer has read of H. F. Taylor among those taking part in the struggles between Texas and Mexico. A man who was a preacher, farmer, school teacher and a sort of general "jack-of-all trades." But he has no way of tell ing that it was or was not the the same man, however, he loves to imag ine that the old Davidson River pas tor, H. F. Taylor, was the same H. F. Taylor who took part in the settle ment and liberation of Texas, j It was during Mr. Taylor's pastor ate that the records of the meetings held at Mills River Academy state that they were held at Mills Rivet' | Academy instead of at Mills River , Camp Ground. The educational facil , ities in this section were very limited ; there were a number of well-tordo farmers and business men located in the valleys of Mills River and David son River and about 1843 they built Mills River Academy and secured good teachers to give their children the benefite of what was for that day and time a liberal education and inci dentally to give better educational fa cilities to the children of their neigh bors. The Mills River Academy (es tablished a few years later) gave th? people of this field better educational and cultural advantages than was us ual at that time in the Southern Ap palachians. (TO BE CONTINUED) > _ - OUR ANNUAL Range Campaig BEGAN Featuring Automatic Electric Ranges Lower Prices THAN EVER BEFORE ! Longer Terms THAN EVER BEFORE OUR GREATEST OFFER ONLY FIVE DOLLARS DOWN Two Whole YEARS ? to Pay the Balance . An Allowance for Your Old Stove Our Prices Are For Ranges Completely INSTALLED There Are No "Extras" For You To Buy. . Electric Cookery is Fast, Economical, Clean, Cool Simple and Dependable Begin NOW to Enjoy its Advantages. Our Campaign Offer is to Customers on Our Own Existing Lines Exclusively Southern Public Utilities Company Electricitu?the Servant in the Home.
Brevard News (Brevard, N.C.)
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May 14, 1931, edition 1
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