Milestone Hertford Rural Congregation
Bethlehem—Link With Famed Past
"WORKMANLIKE" BUILDING—Bethlehem Baptist Church, midway between Aho^ie and Har-
rellsville, stands today on the sarhe two-acre plot of ground given by Abraham Thomas in 1835
for the church site. The immaculate, white frame building was ordered built in 1902, at a cost of
$375, replacing two earlier structures. (Staff photo.)
History of Famous Church
The year 1835 was a good one
for Hertford County Baptists. In
that year, two of the sturdiest off
shoots of thg mother church at
Meherrin were formed — Buck-
horn at Como, and Bethlehem,
midway between Ahoskie and
Han-ellsville. Most of the mem
bers of the new church at Beth
lehem came from the Ahoskie
church, according to the history
compiled by Miss Mary Thomas
in 1935.
Miss Thomas was the logical
person to write the history of
Bethlehem, for it was her grand-
, father, Abraham Thomas, who
gave the two acres of land on
which the church stands today.
Abraham Thomas was the son of
a Revolutionary War soldier,
James Thomas, who lived in Ber
tie County. Abraham was born in
Bertie in 1799, the year of George
Washington’s death, and married
Nancy Mitchell. It was Nancy’s
land in Hertford County which
brought the Thomas family to
live near Bethlehem Church in
the early 1800’s.
Abrgham Thomas is pictured in
Winborne’s history of Hertford
County as a “most faithful ser
vant,” both of his adopted county
and of his church. He served as a
member of the county’s special
court from 1830-40, and was the
first clerk for Bethlehem Church,
serving.for 25 years.
The earliest records of Bethle
hem, Church, from 1835-42, have
been lost, but judging from the
records of 1848, the first building
would have been considered
“comfortable” by the standards of
that day. In 1848, according to
the church minutes, H. M, Jones
was delegated to raise a subscrip
tion fund to build “good benches
with backs” to put in the church.
In 1849, the meeting house was
lengthened by 16 feet, and larger
windows installed,
First Pastor
Elder Thomas Hoggard was the
first pastor of Bethlehem Church,
reports Miss Thomas. He moved
to the Bethlehem community in
1842, as learned from his obitu
ary written by the Rev. R. R.
Savage and recorded in the Cho
wan Baptist Association minutes
of 1882, and verified by an old
“certificate of exoneration” grant
ed him by Bethlehem Church on
Sept. 11, 1847. This certificate
showed that he had been pastor of
Bethlehem for ten years, which
places the beginning of his min
istry in 1837.
Among the earliest names re
corded in Bethlehem’s church
. minutes- are those of Abraham
Thomas, A. Bass, William Pearce,
Wade Adkins (who later moved
to Murfreesboro), John Harrell
and William Hoggard, N,o record
was kept of the slaves who were
members of the church, although
the records tell of the acceptance
into the church fellowship of
black women and men, with the
names of their masters.
Apparently the Bethlehem con
gregation was dedicated to keep
ing their place of worship neat
and in good condition, for in
the minutes of 1847 there is an
authorization for “tarring the
meeting house.” Again, in July,
1852, “the committee appointed to
stop round the house to keep the
stock out is to continue and have
suitable blocks put under the
house.”
The fervent interest of the
early church is evidenced in the
fact that in 1847, only 12 years
after it was formed, the church
sent forth William P. Britton, Jr.,
to be ordained as a minister. Brit
ton obviously was held in great
esteem by his home church, for
in 1850 he was called as the
fourth minister of the church.
Elder John Nowell had suc
ceeded Elder Hoggard as the sec
ond minister, serving from 1847
to 1850. He was followed by Elder
James Delk, who had held mem
bership with Bethlehem since
1848, when he and his wife, Eliz
abeth, brought letters from Cole-
rain. Elder Delk is noted in the
records of several Hertford Coun
ty chui^hes as a fine preacher,
and he served the Bethlehem
Church, preaching on first Sun
days without pay.
The Rev. Mr. Britton was Beth
lehem’s pastor in 1851, when the
old Chowan Baptist Association
met there. Included in the min
utes of the meeting was the cata
logue of the Chowan Female Col
legiate Institute, founded only
three years previously at Mur
freesboro. Mr, Britton was
preaching at Meherrin, Bethle
hem and other churches when he
met a tragic death in 1852. Meher
rin draped the pulpit and each
door in mourning for 30 days.
First Sunday School
The earliest record of the or
ganization of a Sunday school is
found in 1854, when A. Bass, Sr.,
was appointed superintendent.
The Sunday school struggled for
a number of years, and was some
times discontinued. In the church
conference minutes of June, 1862,
the clerk recorded the fact that
the congregation voted to have a
Sunday school “by a very slim
margin,” with J. A. Meazles and
A, Bass, Jr., as superintendents.
The prosperous days.before the
Civil War saw the erection of a
new house of worship at Bethle
hem. In 1858, a committee was
named to be in charge of the con
struction of the new church. The
conference agreed that there
would be “four doors to the meet
ing house,” and that the new one
would stand back of the old one.
Into the new church went a
handsome pulpit Bible and silver
communion service, given as a
legacy by Mi’s. Ann Askew. Mrs.
Askew’s death occurred during
the pastorate of Elder W. W.
Kone, whom the church gave
$38.33% to help him move into
the Association. She is the first
woman to have the honor of hav
ing her death recorded in the
minutes of the church, for wom
en had no voice in conference ex
cept when they joined the church
or were reproved by it.
The communion service, do
nated in 1855, is now in the cus
tody of Miss Mgry Thomas. The
silver serving plates fell apart
several years ago, and are beyond
repair, but the silver pitcher is
still beautiful.
According to the records, con
struction of the new building was
begun in September, 1858, when
Abraham Thomas, W. J. Perry,
H. M. Jones, A. Mizell, J. W. Har
rell, W. W. Sessoms, George Val
entine, John Baker, David Har
rell and George Baker became
responsible for $100 each. George
T. Holloman and James Shaw
agreed to pay $50 each. The build
ing was completed in 1859, when
Elder A. M. Craig was pastor. In
1860, John Wilson Harrell was ap
pointed church clerk, succeeding
Abraham Thomas, who had serv
ed for a quarter of a century.
During Civil War
The War Between the States hit
Bethlehem Church hard, for
many of its young men volun
teered. In August, 1861. a collec
tion .was taken at conference to
send the soldiers testaments and
tracts. In December, 1861, the
minutes record a letter to the
church from John W. Birch, ask
ing their prayers while he was in
the Confederate Army. A long
letter from Alanson Holley, also
in the Confederate Army, is re
corded in December, 1862.
Not every member joined the
Confederate forces, however,
judging from a query posed to the
conference of February, 1863. A
member asked, “Is it right or
proper to hold a member iiji full
fellowship 'who has voluntarily
taken an oath to fight in the Con
federate Army and now has taken
up arms against it?” The confer
ence decided to postpone answer
ing this tricky question indefi
nitely.
The fortunes of war came clos
er to home to Bethelehem on
February 12, 1864, when the
church clerk, John Wilson Har
rell, wrote this in the minutes:
“This day I turn over the
church books to the assistant
clerk, in consequence of my be
ing in the service of my country.
May God, in his wisdom, and
goodness, soon restore peace and
harmony to this once happy, but
now distracted land and country,
and that He may watch over me
in the visisitudes of a camp life;
and keep me from the evils, and
sins, that doth so easily beset
one in the army . . .”
Apparently Harrell survived
the “visisitudes” of war and re
turned, for his name is again
signed to the chui’ch minutes in
March, 1865. Despite the war,
however, the church brooked no
foolishness, for A, Askew was ex
pelled in March, 1865, for “fid
dling and dancing,”
The strict adherence to deco
rum was also noted in March,
1866, when the conference was
asked, “Should the church toler
ate these singing and promenad-
ing plays,” to which it answered
a hearty “no.”
Dr. John Mitchell, one of 'the
beloved Baptist pastors, became
the Bethlehem pastor in 1868, and
the following year, the church
again was host to the Association.
The church went on record as op-
Bethlehem Baptist Church
has managed to span the
course of history to be al
most the only connecting
link between modern times
and a period when the area
in which the church is lo
cated was a center of Hert
ford County life.
When Bethlehem Baptist
Church was ' organized in
in 1835, the “Pitch Landing”
area, w’hich stretched along
the road from present-day
Harrellsville to the bustling
waters of Chinkapin Creek
(where the village of Pitch
Landing was located) on to
the Bethlehem crossroads,
was an area of large', fertile
farms. The village of Pitch
Landing was an important
water commerce point, the
starting place for shipments
of naval stores (tar) which
gave it its name,
The village was perhaps
third largest in Hertford
County, only Winton and
Murfreesboro were larger.
It was one of the four vot
ing places in Hertford Coun
ty during pre-Civil War
days.
The importance of its
“port” on the Chinkapin
Creek, a tributary of Wic-
cacon River, is evidenced
by the fact that an “inspec
tor of naval stores” for the
landing was regularly ap
pointed by the county court
during the entire pre-Civil
War period.
This area, one of the first
settled in Hertford (there
is evidence of settlement
here within a few years
after the turn of the 18th
century), was—when Beth
lehem Baptist Church was
formed—the county’s most
prosperous farm area.
Today, Bethlehem Baptist
Church stands as the link
with the past in this his
toric corner of Hertford
County.
posing the selling of confection
eries, liquor, lemonade or any
thing to disturb the peace of the
Association within two miles of
the church, and respectfully re
quested all persons to refrain
from such.
Church Roll
The church roll, revised in 1871,
showed that 194 males and 236
females had been affiliated with
the church. No rev'ision was made
of the colored roll, but the last
colored members on record were
Allen Harrell and Gammer Har
rell, who asked for letters of
dismission in 1871. Before the
close of The waV, in 1864 Noah of
W, P. Shaw, Peter of J. A. Meaz-
zelles, and Bob of John W Simons
were appointed to keep order in
the gallery.
In 1872, Elder John W. Hog
gard accepted a call to the Beth
lehem Church at a salary of $200
yearly. During Mr. Hoggard’s pas
torate, says Miss Thomas, the
church held its- own in spite of
the very hard times of Recon
struction period. At the close of
1876, the minutes show that Mr.
Hoggard “very graciously agreed
to reduce his salary.”
It was during this period that
women began to be recognized in
a small way. The first committee
of women was appointed to solicit
money for a new church carpet—
but the committee to purchase it
was composed of men! More than
ever, during this period, the
church came to the assistance of
needy members, of whom there
seemed to be a postwar abun
dance.
It was during the Reconstruc
tion period that another Thomas
rose to prominence in the history
of the Baptist church, Abraham
Thomas, one of the “founding
fathers” of Bethlehem, died in
April, 1879, leaving four children
out of the 11 he had fathered. His
youngest son, Roscius P. Thomas,
had returned from medical stud
ies af the University of Virginia
and New York University to
practice medicine for a short
while at his home. Although lame
from what was probably polio,
Dr. Thomas had volunteered for
the Confederate Army, but had
been refused. In the last year of
the war, however,-he had served
in the commissary department.
His medical practice was limit
ed to a few years, due to ill
health, but Dr. Thomas became
one of the most important farm
ers of the Bethfehem community.
He married the year that his
father, Abraham, died, and soon
after built a handsome new home
for his bride, on the road running
from Bethlehem to Cofield. It is
in this home that Dr, Thomas’s
children, William A. Thomas,
Miss Mary Thomas arid Miss Ruth
Thomas, live today.
Dr. Thomas was for manv vear^
superintendent of the Bethlehem
Sunday School. One of me
ers, Major John W. Moore, had
distinguished himself in the Third
Artillery Battalion of the Confed
erate Arrny. When the West Cho
wan Baptist Association was
BETHLEHEM RELICS—Among the wealth of valuable historical items in the possession of Misses
Mary and Ruth Thomas and their brother, William, are these articles denoting the history of the
Bethlehem Baptist Church. The original communion set, including a pitcher, two cups and two
plates of heavy silver, dates back nearly to the formation of the church in 1835, when the
Thomases’ grandfather, Abraham Thomas, gave two acres of land for the church site. A hand
written receipt is also shown on the table, made to Abraham Thomas for his payment of $9.29 in
1833 for a preaching station at “Slaughter’s old house.” The wooden gavel was presented to Dr.
Roscius P. Thomas, Abraham’s son, who was the first moderator of the West Chowan Baptist As
sociation. (Staff photo.)
formed from the Chowan Associa
tion in 1883, Dr. Thomas was
chosen as moderator, serving
until 1896. He was also president
of the board of trustees for the
Chowan Baptist Female Institute
in 1887,
In 1883, the Rev. D. A, Woodson
came to the pastorate. In the four
years he served, the church was
at its strongest. It raised his sal
ary, sent him to the Southern
Baptist Convention at Baltimore,
Md., contributed to the endow
ment of C. B. F. Institute and
Wake Forest College, and to the
building of other churches in the
Association.
Later, the church also gave to
the salary of ilr. and Mrs. T. C.
Britton, who went to China as
missionaries from the Association.
Mrs. Britton was a niece of Mrs.
A. B. Adkins, who with her hus
band contributed the church pul
pit and desk furniture.
It was during the 16-year pas
torate of the Rev. L. M. Curtis,
which began in 1892, that the
present Bethlehem Church build
ing was constructed, An agree
ment between Willis Hofler of
Gates County and the church
committee—Dr. R, P. Thomas, W.
P. Britton, Sr,, A. B. Adkins, C. C,
Sessoms, W. A. Perry and the
Rev. Mr. Curtis—is contained in
the church records. By virtue of
this agreement, Hofler contracted
to build “a nice, handsome, work
manlike building” on the order of
the Connaritsa Church, for $375,
to be finished by the fall of i902.
The building, standing today, is
indeed, “nice, handsome and
workmanlike.” It serves a congre
gation somewhat diminished in
this century from the larger num
bers of the late 19th century, but
still energetic and enthusiastic.
Many of its members are de
scendants of the men. whose
names were enrolled in 1842.
Chief among these would be
William A. Thomas, long-time
church treasurer, Sunday School
superintendent, and grandson of
Abraham Thomas, and his sisters;
Mrs. Mary Jordan, at 87f the old
est member; and J. Raynor
Moore, grandson of Major John
W. Moore of Confederate fame.
Moore is at present church clerk,
and the Rev. Levi Gillikin has
served as pastor for three years.
(Material for this article was
obtained from conference min
utes of Bethlehem Baptist
Church, 1842-31, in the custody
of Miss Mary Thomas; the his
tory of the church, written by
Miss Thomas for the centennial
in 1935; clippings and articles
in the possession of Mr. and
Mrs. J. Raynor Moore of Pew-
ellsville; the 1935 files of the
Hertford County Herald; min
utes of the 271h annual session.
West Chowan Baptist Associa
tion, Oct. 27-28. 1909; and B. B.
Winborne's "History of Hert
ford County.")
BRANTLEY'S
(Continued from Page 1)
16, 1926, members were delegated
to canvass and see “who would
give an acre, and the Sunday
eggs.” With the encouragement of
the pastor, the Rev. Oscar A.
Creech (now assistant to the pres
ident of Chowan College in Mur
freesboro), the men of the congre
gation were invited to donate the
proceeds from what was raised
THOMAS HOME—Set far back from the road between Bethle
hem Church and Cofield is the massive, ornate frame home
built by Dr. Roscius P. Thomas for his bride in 1880. Surrounded
by two fences, the home sits shaded by immense pecan and mag
nolia trees. It is filled with antiques and memories of the af
fluent days of the'19th century. Misses Mary and Ruth Thomas,
with their bi'other, William, have spent their lives in this house
which their father built. (Staff photo.)
FORMED—1835. One of two
Baptist churches formed that
year in Hertford, the other at
Buckhorn, present-day Como,
Membership mostly from
Ahoskie Baptist (formed 1804).
FIRST PASTOR was Elder
Thomas Hoggard, who prob
ably started service about 1837.
THE FIRST BUILDING was
constructed during early peri
od, another in 1858, and the
present church building con- ^
I structed in 1902.
SOME EARLY PASTORS
were Elder Hoggard, 1837-47;
i Elder John Nowell, 1847-50;
j Elder James Delk, 1850, six
months supply; W. P. Britton,
Jr.. 1851-52; James- Delk, 1852-
54, supply; Aaron J. Spivey,
. 10- months 1854; William W.
Kane, 1855-59; Andrew M.
Craig, 1859-63; J, M. C. Luke,
• 1864-67; John Mitchell, 1838-
71; John N Hoggard. 1872-81;
i John Mitchell, 1882; T. G. Wood,
. seven months, 1883; D. A. Wood-
son, 1883-87; L. R. Pruitt, 1387-
1 89; C. N. Donalson, 1890-91;
; L. M. CurtL, 1892-1908,
CHURCH CLERKS have not
I changed as frequently as pas-
, toi's. Until the early 1900’.s there
j had only been five church
; clerks. The first was Abraham
Thomas,- 1842-60, who also do
nated land for the church site;
William J. Perry followed him
for a few months frora August
to November, 1860; John V/.
Harrell served from 1830-71,
i with a few months off during
I the Civil War; N. L, Shaw. 1871-
I 73, was followed by A. B Ad-
' kins, who served from 1873
until past the turn of the cen
tury. The present clerk is J.
Raynor Moore of Powellsville.
on an acre of land, and the wom
en wore asked to donate money '
from the sale of eggs.
W. R. Willoughby recalls that
on the third Sunday of each No
vember for five years, beginning
in 1926, the “acre and egg money”
was placed on the altar to pay
for the new building. T. S. Over-
ton of Ahoskie was contractor for
the church building, a brick ve
neer structure which he complet
ed for the handsome .sum of
$5,000.
While work was proceeding on
the new building, the church
held services in the school house
across the road. The old frame
building was sold to J. W. God
win of Ahoskie, who dismantled
it and moved it so the new build
ing could be erected on the same
spot,
Cornerstone Laying
The ceremony of laying the cor
nerstone for the new building was
conducted on Sunday, August 6,
1926, by the Woodmen of the
World, of whom the Rev. Mr. Kiff
was an official. The Hertford
County Herald recorded the event
in its issue of August 12, 1926,
describing the large crowd who
attended the homecoming sei-v-
ices and the “impressive” corner
stone ceremony that afternoon.
Among those present for the
great day were four charter mem
bers of the church, says The
Herald: George Holloman- of
Woodland, Joe Holloman of Au-
lander, and G. C. Overton and
Mrs. Nannie Brantley, both of
Brantley’s Grove.
Money to build the church in
1926 was borrowed from a bank
in- Ahoskie. Mr. Willoughby was
one of the trustees who signed
the note, and he remembers that
within five years the church was
paid for. “For the first four years,
the money flowed in so fast those
third Sundays in November that
we could hardly get it all in the
plate,” he ^ays. “But the last year,
when there w^s just a little left
to pay, it didn’t come so easy.”
That is understandable, since 1931
wa.s a bad year for everyone.
An example of depression-days
pay for preachers is shown in
the church minutes of 1931, when
the Rev. Oscar Creech agreed to
preach two sermons monthly for
$300 a year. On the other hand,
inflation boomed the salary of the
Rev. Earl Sapp to $1,200 and $200
for travel, to preach two sermons
monthly in 1949. The Rev. A. J.
Mustian of Ahoskie served the
church for a number of years in
the last decade, until forced to
resign because of ill health. The
present minister is the Rev, W. E.
Carter.
After 85 years of service, it
seems unlikely .ihat Brantley’s
Grove will ever revert to the es
tate of its donor. All of the Brant-
ly family is gone, but the church
still stands in the grove of trees
beside the road running from
Catherine Creek towards Sally
Archer’s Cro^roads, now called
Cofield,
—MARY ELLEN ALBARES
(Informaliop.;for this article
was secured from the 1926 files
of the Herlfoi-d-County Herald;
conference ’:minutes of the
Brantley's Grove Baptist
Church and the original deed
for the land’, dated March 4,
1873, now in custody of W. R.
Willoughby, Route 3, Ahoskie;
church minutes from Herbert
Willoughby, church clerk.
Route 3, Ahoskie; and minutes
of the West Chowan Baptist
Association, Oct. 27-29, 1896.)