PAGF 3—SECTION F
HERTFOKD COUNTY HERALD. AHOSKIE, N. C.
1939 ■Historical EDITION
HISTORY OF AHOSKIE BAPTIST
CHURCH
(.Continued from i')
left rhe cliiuxh for some cause. The membership oi tlie Ahos-
kie chnrrli as reporred in 185c} icas, ivhite "63 and colored 34,
a lotnl of 397.
In iH.pp ihc first Sunday School ivas reported iviih 90
scholars and 13 teacliers. It is eiident that they ^vanted a very
IciA scholars to a teacher. That year nine Sunday schools
ivere reported in the Ciho^van Association of 42 churches and
five of them irere in Mertford County—Alioskie, Betlilehem,
lUickhorn, Meherrin and Mt. Tabor. The first church clerk
reported was Janies Molloman in 1842, jiosloflice. St. Johns.
In 1844, Dr. A. Jack Askeiv \\'as clerk, postofficc, Pitch
landing. In the church letter he gaie the following note: •
“Church has not liecn blessed in its special effort, (only
five bapti;:cd) as in former years, in consequence of a lery
great sickness prevalent among the members; but they are
not discouraged and are resolved never to forsake the blood
stained banner of the cro.ss which is nailed to the mast.”
\otes by Dr. Askew given in Church letter in 1847 -when
the Association met at Mt. 'Fabor: “ (M’e) have enjoyed a
glorious revii’al during the last year.” (34 were baptized.)
“During the last year (1846—Ahoskie) erected a commo
dious and comfortable house greatly to their credit.” This ivas
the third meeting house Iniilt here.
To show some of the customs and abuses of special
church meetings in those days and for the encouragement of
church people today a paragraph is given here in connection
ivith this meeting of the ^Association at Mt. Tabor in 1847.
Tiiis teas written by Samuel Saunders, historian for the Asso
ciation in 1894.
“At the session in 1S47 stands ivere erected all about the
grounds, from which confectioneries and ^viiiskey wxre sold.
In 1S53 the Old Chowan .\s.sociation met ivith the Meherrin
church, convening as had been its custom on Friday. But
there was at this meeting .so much selling and drinking of
■whiskey and horse racing in a field near the church, carried
on, not only on the other days of the meeting, bur also on
Sunday, that the Association, to avoid this desecration of the
Lord’s day in connection with their sessions, decided at their
meeting to convene aftertvards on Tue.sday, instead of Friday,
.so that all delegates and visitors to the Association could leave
their homes after Sunday and return to them before the fol-
loiving Sundav, surely, then, in some respects ive ha\’e made
progress.”
The first gift by Ahoskie for Home Missions was in 1853.
The amount was ,813.00 which was next to the largest gift
made.
The postorate of Rc\-. John Xmvell was noted for the
fine laymen in the church, Jesse Barnes was first reported a
delegate in 1837. It is said that he and his wife sold their
home and firm and gave half the proceeds to Chenvan College
•ndJialf to-Wake-For-est C-ollege. The farm is now the home
place of "W'. A. Baker on the Aulander highway. Dr. A. Jack
FIFTH .SUNDAY SONG
SERVICE AT AHOSKIE
Sho-wn above i-s a small section
of the. crowd that attended the
/fifth Sunday Bertie County Sing
which was held in the Ahoskie
Baptist Church, Sunday afternoon,
January 30, 1938. In the back
ground, on the pulpit dais, are the
Rev. Oscar Creech, pastor of the
host church; L. J. Godwin, of
Ahoskie, song leader, and L, S.
Mizelle, of Windsor, who presided,
Behind them is the mixed choir
•with Miss Maidie Wade at the
Hammond organ. In the fore
ground is part of the congregation
which filled the auditorium to
more than capacity.
ClIAPTFR II
J860-] 889-PERIOD OF WAR AND
RECONSTRUCTION
Askeu’ was first a delegate to the Association in 1843 and M’’.
\V. Mitchell in 1850. These two last named men were among
the great laymen in tfie Cho^van Association. Other names
occurring as delegates during this period ^v'erc James Hollo
man, Joseph Holloman, Jno. S. (iodtvin, John Chamblec. J.
B. Slaughter, R. B. Cobb, J. C. Jenkins, iv. Slaughter, Ceo.
Holloman, W. O. Wynns.
In 1850 Wkake Forest College began an effort to raise en-
downment liy selling scholarships for .S-,00.00. Mr. James S.
Purefoy ^vas appointed to this w'ork. His first effort was in the
Chowan Association. “It was the church at Sawyer’s Creek in
Camden County that took the first scholarship and paid the
$500.00. This action stimulated the church at Ahoskie to a
similar effort.” {Paschal's Histoiy of Wake Forest College.)
So Ahoskie seems to ha\’e been the second church to take a
scholarship.
Rev. John Nowell died February 12, 1859 at an early age,
5G. His pastorate alone i.s a -worthy monument to him. He
came to a church of 175 members and left a large church of
409. How he was loved and esteemed is given by Dr. A. Jack
A.skew- rvho was appointed by the Chotvan Association in
1859 to rvrite the obituary for his pastor.
Obituai-y in part of Elder John Nowell:
“The subject of this short sketch was born in Hertford Coun
ty, N. C., 6th day of September, 1803, near Colerain; near by he
spent the most of his life. Elder John Nowell, soon after making
a profession of religion was baptized on 18th of March, 1832, by
Brother James Delk. As soon as he was received into the church,
he immediately manifested a strong and earnest desire to work
for the church and gain the salvation of sinners, which ever after
wards seemed to be the object of his living and laboring; and age
nor time effaced from his mind “living for Christ.” But grew with
his growth and strengthened with his strength, and instead of
losing that heaven-born zeal in his ripe years for the conversion
of sinners, it has been burning on the altar of his breast ever since,
and continued until the day of his death.
“The Colerain church granted him license to preach in June
1834. His preaching was so acceptable, his deportment so unex
ceptional, his character so unsullied that in May 1835 (only a year
after he commenced preaching and only three years after he
commenced preaching and only three years after putting on Christ
by baptism) the same church ordained him. In December his
church called him as pastor and he remained there until the year
preceding his death when he voluntarily resigned. He built up a
large and influential body, the largest church'in the Association.
His sermons were characterized by no display of oratory or learn
ing but abounded In' many useful lessons of wisdom and truth.
“He was born of humble parentage and received only an or
dinary education. The deep-toned piety however, which ever
characterized his conduct at all times under all circumstances, at
all places wherever he might chance to be, gave him such a repu
tation as the man of God as any man might justly and truly be
R, n. Williams. 1860-1883
J. M. C. T.iilcp, lRa-lB6S
Joim Mitphoii, 1869-1871. 1R86-S7
U. R. Savage, 1872-1885
M. T. William,. 3888-1889
F. B. i860—
^/AR, panics, depve.s.sions, etc., may come and but
dnirches mo^•e on. Tims we can truly say of Ahoskie duv-
iiio- the (a\’il \Var and the period of reconstruction that fol
lowed. Outside conditions do not close churche.s long,
but inside conditions may dose them in-
definiiely.
Rev. B. B. Williams, of Mars Hill in Ber
tie County, -was called to the church as pas
tor follotving the death of Rev. John
Nowell. When he came to tliis church the
membership was reported a.s 409. He was
ciih the churdi 4 years as pastor and left it
with 409 members -which speak.s well lor
him. lie baptized 36 people during his
pastorate. Three years of the War had pa.ss-
ed and. of course, it tras thinning the ranks,
B. B. Williams
proud of.
“But his usefullness was not to be confined to Colerain and its
vicinity. Ahoskie church was in need of a pastor; the Rev. George
Williams resigned his pastorship to embark for the West in March
1836. Then Brother Nowell was called and remained with us till
the hour of his death and his labors were blest. He had built up a
large church and surely never did a pastor more completely gam
the entire esteem, respect and love, not only of the brethren and
sisters, but. of the whole congregation and neighborhood than did
he; he was the ideal of his brethren and sisters.
“Although our Brother was a man of humble pretensions, yet
he was a man of such qualties as we rarely, if ever, meet with.
The writer of this humble tribute has known him long, and was
Intimately associated with him for about 25 years, and he can say
with truth, that that he was the most firm, constant, undeviating,
unchangeable, upright man, he ever beheld and he acted as if he
were always in the immediate presence of God. We have seen
him in all the relations of life and he was always the same:
Whether you saw him in the pulpit or on the court yard or mus
ter field, or at the excitement of an election, or whether you visit
ed him at the home circle (as the writer has often done) or amid
strangers afar from home,'you ever beheld the same placid coun
tenance, the same—constant, unchangeable man of God.
“His deportment before the world was loud preaching. He
had a small farm from which he was principally supported; his
church (Ahoskie), be it to their shame, gave him a mere pittance;
but being prudent and economical he managed to live well and
rear six or seven children. He had long been afflicted with a
chronic affliction to which his system finally fell a victim. He
was in a stupor nearly 2 days before his death. But death stole
upon him slowly and entered his chamber as if he were about to
encounter a strong man armed and he feared lest he might rise up
in his strength and devour him. He expired on the 12th day of
February, 1859, in his' fifty-sixth year of age.
A. J. ASKEW, Chairman.”
Tims ends tiie third pa.storate of Alioskie diurch-fifty
five years. 1804-1859.
making it more difliciilt to hold the number of members up.
Elder Williams served both in the army and as pastor. He
was Lieutenant in Company F, in the 6Sth N. C. Regiment.
He had a deep interest in soldiers. In May 1862, he read his
report on periodicals before the Association and then a,sked
for a collection, wliich amounted to .$38.00, to pay for Biblical
Recorders to distribute among the .soldiers. Again at the As
sociation in 1863 he appealed for an offering for tlie same pur
pose. This offering amounted, to $332.30, in Confederate
money. The pastor’s unusual interest in the soldiers may ac
count some-what for tlie use of the churdi grounds and build
ing at times during the 'war by the soldiers. By tlie year 1862
conditions •^vere beginning to be hard. This was the only year
the church ever failed to be represented at the association. No
minute fund tvas sent tvith the church letter and many
churches failed to send minute fund that year.
Elder ^Villiams was an ardent dry. He probably did more
during his day to push fonvard the cause of temper
ance in the Choivan section tlian any other preacher. He had
a temperance lecture which he called. “The Dark Valley
Railroad.” This lecture made a deep impres.sion upon many
who heard it. _ . . . ■
The Ahoskie cliurcli tvas fortunate not only 111 liaving a
ivise pastor a,s leader for those trying days but in having also
some splendid laymen. Dr. A. J. Askew was one of Bertie s
outstanding citizens. He was a man of great ability and used
his altility for the glory oi God. it is said of him that as a
pin-sician lie never entered an account on a hook. He was ap
pointed bv his dinrch twenty times as a delegate to the asso
ciation and ivas present sixteen times. In 1844 he was electe
assistant clerk of the a.s.sociation. He iras a lilieral supporter of
(Continued on Page 2, Section G)
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