: pQ9» 4, The Carolina Indian Voice
'PREACHER TOMMY"
by Connee Brayboy
Much has been written
about the Indians of Robeson
County. They are known for
many attributes. Foremost
among them is for being
devoutly religious. Indeed,
several persons have come
from the midst of the Indian
people whose entire lives have
revolved around the spiritual
well being of mankind. Such a
man is Rev. T. M. Swett- a
man tall in statue, yet humble
in spirit.
In talking with Rev. Swett
one is amazed at his vast
knowledge of the Bible. He is
quick to quote the appropriate
scripture and even quicker to
"reveal” the meaning of it.
Often during conversation his
face lights up in one of the
most sincere, encompassing
smiles I’ve ever seen. His
speech is flowered with the
phrases and terminology from
our past- that Early Eliza-
bethean brogue adopted from
the early English colonists and
handed down from generation
to generation. He is very
impressive with his smile, vast
knowledge, simple faith, com
bined with his dedication to
the winning of souls.
During his seventy-six years
in Robeson County, “Preacher
Tommy” has touched the lives
of countless people. He has
been an inspiration to many-
ministered to thousands- had
compassion for and been a
friend to all who came into
contact with him. His life has
been an example of unceasing
dedication and love coupled
with a desire to serve his
fellowman.
Not actually a native of
Robeson County. Rev. Swett
was born in 1898 to the late
Frank Swett and Maggie Ow
ens Swett, both natives of
South Carolina (near Latta). In
19(X) Frank and Maggie Swett
moved to Robeson County
where their son. Rev. T. M.
Swett. has remained. The late
Frank Swett served for many
years as a Deacon at Little
Zion Church which was located
near Shoehill Creek outside of
Maxton.
Rev. Swett married the late
BeulahStrickland in 1916. She
was the daughter of the late
Noah and Pricilla Strickland,
both natives of Robeson Coun
ty. They moved to the Rowland
area and spent their first years
together on what is called the
“Smith’s place.” In 1925 they
moved to Rev. Swett’s present
location, off Highway 74.
Rev. Swett said he “married
a Methodist girl.” Having said
that, we went into a discussion
about the early Missionaries.
Rev. Swett recalled that Mr.
Henry (H. H.) Lowry was the
man who began Methodism
among the Indians.
Marrying a Methodist girl
may have been a contributing
factor to Rev. Swett’s joing the
Methodist Conference upon be
ing “called to preach.” He
confessed Christianity in 1919,
In 1922 he began preaching
the gospel in the Lumbee
Methodist Conference. He
first served the New Bethel
Circuit, consisting of Rowland
and Fairmont, etc. He helped
to establish the New Hope
Methodist Church in South
Carolina, near the location of
his birth. His 20 years in the
Lumbee Methodist Conference
included pasturing at New
Hope in South Carolina; Union
Chapel Methodist Church,
New Prospect Methodist
Church, and Cherokee Chapel
Methodist Church, all in Rob
eson County: and Macedonia
Methodist Church in Hoke
County. He exhibited humble
pride in revealing the fact that
he had ministered in all the
churches in the Lumbee Meth
odist Conference, except Hope
well Methodist Church. Smil
ing softly he said, “Of course,
I have been on a funeral at
Hope Well, but I was never
pastor there, you understand.
I have served on funerals at all
denominations in the county-
including the Seventh Day
Adventist Chruch and the
Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter Day Saints (Mormon).”
It is easy to understand why
Rev. Swett went into the
ministry- aside from being
called by God, he has a love for
church work. In conversing
with him it is very difficult to
sway the topic from Christian
ity and the foundation of the
church. He seems to apply the
basic principles of Christianity
to everything around him. His
entire being seems centered
around his “God called work”
of living the principles of
Christianity.
I was surprised to learn,
however, that Rev. Swett, who
has been referred to as that
“old John the Baptist” began
his ministry in the Methodist
Church. He spoke quite em
phatically and emotionally
about being referred to as
“John the Baptist.” Said he.
"Thank God, 1 am the voice of
one crying in the wilderness-
telling people to get ready. I
tell them He sees something
good in every
does too.!”
“The important thing is to
stay with it. That’s what I’ve
always tried to do....aiming
at it as I go- like Paul,” he
continued.
After twenty years in the
Methodist denomination, Rev.
Swett became a Baptist. He,
as always, was very specific in
stating when the decision to
Baptist As.sociation as part
time pastor of Bear Swamp
where he serves as full time
pastor today, While serving
Bear Swamp he also served
Mt. Olive Baptist Chntch from
1942-1947 and from 1949-
1966; Mt, Moriah Baptist
Church from 1945-48: Gray
Pond Baptist Church and
Beulah Baptist Church. He
also served Deep Branch Bap
tist Church as part time pastor
from 1945 until 1972. Only
recently has the pace of Rev.
Swett’s life slowed down. He
has been full-time pastor of
Bear Swamp for only four
of us. And'He 30 years as part
time pastor.
When asked how much
formal education he had, Rev.
Swett replied, “it’s very limi
ted. I finished the 5th grade.”
This fact, however, is not
apparent in conversing with
him. This fact may have been
instrumental in his realization
of the need for education. He
quoted an old friend who told
him one time, "education can
help to develop one into
change denominations was - becoming an intelligent person
ij„ .„i.. .v-. .u. ..jt
and make a fool out of some.”
“Common sense,” he con
tinued, “has a big place in
one’s life. But education helps
to sharpen the mind. A saved
and educated man is a real
tool.” He stressed the up
lifting of God and mankind.
His six surviving sons and one
daughter, evidently, believed
what he was preaching and
teaching. They have all ob
tained various post secondary
degrees and all lead quite
successful lives.
James F. Swett was the
eldest son of T. M. and
Maggie Owens Swett. He was
born in 1918. He graduated
from Pembroke High School as
Valedictorian of his class. He
then went to the Indian
Normal School (“Old Normal”
made. He told me that in the
Methodist Conference the
Bishop decides where the
pastor is to go. He was, at the
time of his decision to change,
being moved from one church
to another. “1 was riding along
when the though came to me:
‘Who am I doing it for?’ ”
So, in the fall of 1942 he
joined the Burnt Swamp Bap
tist Association. One of the
reasons he stated, for this
change was that the Baptist
congregation makes the final
decisions, whereas the Meth
odist Bishops decide. He
spoke of the tears and sad
feelings involved in departures
from one church to another.
The decision to change was not
made, 1 am sure, without
much meditation and prayer.
He began his work in the
What to do about the
cost of electricity. Besides
just comjdaining.
B/erybody knows that the
amount of electricity you
use this month directty
affects the amount of your
electric bill next month.
But what few people
know is that the amount of
electricity you use now also
affects how future electricity
prices are determined.
'fbu see, right now, we re
going through one of the
hottest times of the year
Wlien air conditioner usage
reaches its peak. And when
electricity usage reaches
its peak.
Naturally to ayoid haying
blackouts or brownouts, we
must haye the generating
capacity to handle these
'peak load" periods of time.
Nobody knows exactly when
they will come, but they
usually occur during the
summer Last year our peak
load period occurred on
August 25. Whenever it
comes this year; it determines
the maximum generating
capacity we have to supply
During recent years, peak
load has continued to climb,
requiring us to invest in more
generating capacity And
with building costs higher
than ever before, eventually
this means higher prices for
your electricity
'\bu don't want that. And
neither do we.
The trick is to keep the
peak load as low as possible.
Monthly peak
demand for electricity.
during early morning or late
evening hours, preferably with
cold water.
When you have to use the
dishwasher, wait until it's
full and turn it on just before
you go to bed.
Try to take showers before
9AM or after f 0PM.
Try serving cooler meals,-
avoid cooking as much as
possible during peak load.
And finally keep your air
conditioner at the warmest
possible comfort setting.
Of course, these and other
conservation measures we
Hourly nsaee
The best way to help do
that is to use less electricity
between the peak load hours
of 9 AM and 10 PM during
the hottest months, June
through September (As you
can see from the chart,
summer usage starts getting
high aroundPAM and stays
high until 10 PM).
Do your laundry either
talk about will always help
you keep your costs down.
But, during these critical
"hot times)they can also help
us keep future construction
costs down.
And, in the long run, the
less we have to spend to
make electricity the less
you'll have to ■
spend to use it.
as Rev. Swett still refers to it)
after which he obtained a B. S.
Degree in Chemistry from the
University of Virginia. He
returned to Pembroke where
he began teaching eighth
grade at Pembroke High.
Before his first year of teach
ing was completed, he volun
teered for the Army Air Corps-
this being during World War
II. He received his wings and
began flying B-24s, B25s and
B-26s. He was flying transport
from Puerto -Rico to Africa
when his plane crashed in the
Carribean Sea in 1944. He was
married to the former Mary
Porter, a then resident of
Robeson County.
The second child of Rev. and
Mrs. Swett was a daughter,
Vergie. She died as an infant,
being approximately 8 months
old.
The third child was Furman
S. Swett who is now 53 years of
age. Furman was graduated
from Pembroke High School as
valedictorian of his class. He
attended Pembroke Normal
School then went to Chicago,
Ill. to attend an Electronics
School. After Electronics
School he began working for
Western Electric in Chicago.
He also entered the Army and
spent three years on duty over
seas. After his tour in the
armed forces he again worked
for Western Electric. In the
late 1950s he began emplpoy-
ment with Associate Electronics
as Regional- Sales Manager.
He later became employed
with Linkurt Electronics, a
subsidiary of General Tele
phone and Electronics. Pre
sently he is National Sales
Director for Linkurt Electron
ics in San Carlos, Calif, where
he and his wife, the former
Gladys Powers of Chicargo, HI.
reside.
Vardeil Swett, 51, is pre
sently pastor of Terryville
Congregation Church in Terry
ville,Conn. He was the fourth
child of Rev. and Mrs. Swett.
He also entered the armed
forces shortly after completion
of high school. Rev. Swett had
three sons on. duty overseas
during the same time. Vardeil
attended Pembroke State Col
lege for one semester and then '
transferred to Stetson Univer
sity in Deland, Florida. During
his school years at Stetson he
was known locally as the Bible
salesman. He received a B. S.
Degree from Stetson. He then
went to Eastern Theology
Seminary where he received a
Bachelur of Divinity Degree.
For 18 years he served as
pastor of a church in upstate
New York. Vardeil and his
wife, Audrey, have four chil
dren.
Rev. Swett said that he
raised two sets of children.
The second set begins with
Purnell Swett, now 42 years of
age. This was said because
there was 9 years difference in
the ages of Vardeil and
Purnell.
Purnell graduated also from
Pembroke High School and
Pembroke State College. After
which he taught in the Robe
son County Public School
System. He has served as
principal of Rex- Rennert
School. He received his Mas
ter’s Degree in Public School
Administration from Western
Carolina University. He is
presently emnloyed as the
Associate Superintendent of the
Robeson County Schools. He is
married to the former Annette
Locklear of Pembroke.
Dorothy Swett Blakely, who
is 39 years of age, was the only
surviving girl. She is an
elementary physical education
teacher in St. Peters, Mo. She
received her B. S. Degree
from Pembroke State College
and has done some graduate
work. She has taught also in
the public school- system of
Robeson County.
Rev. and Mrs. Swett’s
seventh child was Tommy
Dorsey Swett who is 37 years
old. Tommy, too, graduated
from Pembroke High School
and Pembroke State College.
He obtained his Master’s
of Education at East Carolina
University. He is presently
Director of Special Programs
at Pembroke State University.
He was also the top vote getter
in the recent nominations for
members of the Robeson
County Board of Education.
He is married to the former
Otha C. Brewington.
The baby in the Swett house
was James Bruce Swett. He
also finished at Pembroke
High School. He attended
Pembroke State for a summer,
however, he decided to receive
training in areas other than
those chosen by his brothers
and sister. Bruce went to
Fayetteville Technical Insti
tute where he became a
machinist. Presently he is a
Representative for the Ameri
can Family Life Assurance Co.
Bruce is well known for his
role in the gospel singing
group, the New Harpertones.
He is married to the former
Peggy McGirt.
Said Rev. Swett after 1
commented on the
educational accomplishments
of his children, “I always
encouraged college. But I did
not insist. I gave my views, but
abided by their decision.”
The late Beulah Swett
departed this life in 1967. In
1968 Rev. Swett married the
former Clatie Oxendine and
she and he reside on his
residence near Highway 74.
Talking with Rev. Swett was
a refreshing change for me. I
was reminded anew of the
always sustaining faith that
Indians in general have. We
pay great homage to those
Native Americans who have
become successful economi
cally, and especially those who
rise in the political arena. I
contend that our success is'
deeply inbeded in those great
church leaders who have kept'
us spiritually well by being an
example of love and offering a
promise of life. So has been
the faith of our fathers since
first we adopted the religion
brought to us by the mission
aries 200 years ago. Such a
man is Rev. T. M. Swett.
Thursday, Sepfember 23, 1976
“The first thing I notice about
a person is their facial expres-
The second thing is their
personality.
The third thing is their
clothes.
The last thing is their
color.”
Besides helping individuals
to develop basic reading and
writing skills and helping
persons find solutions to per
sonal or family problems, I
enjoy the opportunity to get to
know other workers also en
gaged in this process of
helping people to help them
selves.
After staff meeting one day
at the Center, one of the other
literacy workers and I were
carrying on an informal con
versation. As we were talking,
she casually made the state
ment above. To me it sounded
rather profound, so 1 asked her
if I could quote it for my
column. She seemed flattered.
When I get to know people.
I forget about their back
grounds. But, to make my
point clear, the words above
were uttered by a sincere
young white woman who grew
up in Robeson County. Since
we met last spring, she’s been
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treating me the same as if I,
too, were in my early twenties
instead of my late forties. No
wonder I enjoy being around
her!
She also reminds me of my
cowgirl cousin, Betty, from
Montana- back in the days
when we were college students
sharing a room with our aunt
and uncle in Emporia, Kansas.
I had transferred for the
University of Montana, but it
was Betty’s first year away
from home and the horses- she
loved. Since she could no
longer ride horseback every
day. she plastered her half of
the wall with huge pictures of
horses and covered her table
with miniature horses of every
kind and color. Like my friend
at the Center, Betty enjoyed
writing and many other activi
ties. But she stayed home on
the ranch the following year.
That fall she rode with her
brother on the
annual cattle roundup, where
she met Lee, a cowboy who the
following June became her
husband. Betty and Lee, who
se son and daughter are now
grown, live in a trailer across
the road from my parents’
somewhat modernized home
stead cabin, moved to that site
around 100 years ago. Having
Lee and Betty just across the
way has been a real comfort to
me, since ! am about 2700
miles away.
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