PAGE G—THE HERALD, Ahoskie, N. C.—MILESTONE YEAR 1959
ANTE-BELLUM SERVICE—The sliver communion service donated to the Mount Tabor Baptist
Church in 1C60 by Mrs. Sarah Moore Darden, wife of Alfred W. Darden, is now in the possession
of Mr. and Mrs. Lee Gatling of Ahoskie. The pitcher and three cups were returned to Mr. Gatling
as great-grandson of the Dardens, when the church purchased a service with individual cups. (Staff
photo.)
FIRST CHURCH CLERK—Alfred W. Darden, first clerk at Mount Tabor Baptist Church after its
organization in November, 1839, was an important figure in the history of Hertford County. At his
home in Elm Grove, he supported a high school for young ladies in the decade before 1850. Mrs.
Sallie Gatling, shown looking at a portrait of Mr. Darden which hangs in the home of her son,
Lee Gatling, in Ahoskie, is the wife of the late Mark Gatling, who was the grandson of Mr.
Darden. (Staff photo.)
GREAT-GREAT-GRANDMOTHER—Six-year-old Sheila Gatling, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lee
Gatling of Ahoskie, takes a good look at the portrait of her great-great-grandmother, Mrs. Sarah
Moore Darden, who was active in the affairs of the Mount Tabor Baptist Church over 100 years
ago. The portrait, done in dark oil colors, is one of a pair hanging in the Gatling home. The sec
ond portrait is of Mrs. Darden’s husband, Alfred W. Darden, and both are presumed to have been
painted by an itinerant German j^ainter during the Civil War. (Staff photo.)
Mount Tabor Church building, built in 1860, is county's oldest church sanctuary
Church Beside the Potecasi Started in 1839
Mount Tabor Church—Vigorous Offspring
Is Now Venerable Hertford Congregation
The Meherrin Baptist Church,
“mother church” of the Baptist
churches in Hertford County, pro
duced a number of offspring, One
of them, Ahoskie, came into being
in 1804 and branched out into
organization of the Bethlehem
Church in 1835. In the same year,
the Meherrin Church produced
another offshoot, at Como, in the
Buckhorn Church.
This development of two strong
churches in one year inspired an
other group of Baptists, most of
whom had been attepding the
Meherrin Church, to organize a
fifth church in the county. They
selected a site on a hill overlook
ing Potecasi Creek, midway be
tween Murfreesboro and Winton,
and gave their new church a
Biblical name. Mount Tabor,
suitable to its location.
There were 21 members who
met on Saturday, November 23,
1839, to establish the covenant
and rules of decorum of the
church. Amos Raynor was select
ed as moderator and R. B. Cobb
and Thomas Barnes were ordain
ed as deacons. Alfred W. Darden,
who lived at Elm Grove, was se
lected as clerk and his brother,
William Darden, was named
treasurer.
After approval of the rules of
decorum, the clerk was instructed
to send word immediately to the
Biblical Recorder, Baptist paper
in Raleigh, that the church had
been formed. The ample sum of $1
was subscribed to cover the ex
pense of printing the minutes.
By 1840, the congregation had
erected a small church building
and membership had grown from
the original 21 members. Their
names were recorded in the first'
book of minutes: Thomas Barnes,
R. B. Cobb, his wife Temperance
Cobb, A. W. Darden, Sarah Gat
ling, David Gatling, Millie Gat
ling, William Jones, Elizabeth
Jones, A. J. Jones, Martha Jones,
Mary Langston, R. Moore, Simon
Murfree, Charlie Powell, Susan
Powell, Amos Raynor, G. M.
Tompson, William Darden, Mar
tha T. Darden and Jane Darden.
Also on the 1840 roll were the
names of several Negro members
—Allen of Charles Powell and
Henry of James Powell.
New Building
The new little church took care
of its housekeeping irr 1840, by
appropriating $1 to “Sister Jones”
to “keep the meeting house” for
one year. By 1860, in the prosper
ous-ante-bellum era, the church
had outgrown its humble begin
nings -and members agreed to
have a new building constructed.
The committee named to secure
subscriptions for construction re
ported to an 1860 conference that
$1,256.46 had been raised. This
was enough to finance a hand
some white edifice with large
sanctuary, high belfry and Sun
day school rooms in the rear of
the sanctuary and in the balcony
space.
The interior of the new build
ing was furnished sumptuously
for the times, with members of
the church contributing various
amounts for specified articles of
furniture. Each donor is given
credit for the amount he gave,
and the clerk meticulously listed
in the records for what purpose
the gift was to be used. Total
funds were pooled, however, and
the furnishings ordered from
various manufacturers, with the
freight charges added to the costs
in the minutes.
For the total sum of $134.35
Clerk Darden lists the following
purchases: “One marble slab
table, 2 soffas, 2 revolving chairs,
communion set with box to hold
it, oil carpet, 4 stone spittoons ...”
It is sad to note that the “marble
slab table” donated in 1860, which
stood for the ensuing 98 years be
fore the pulpit in the sanctuary,
was stolen last year. Thieves also
took an antique wall clock which
had been in the church many
years, but no record of the clock
can be found in the church min
utes.
Communion Set
The communion set mentioned
in the records was donated by
Mrs. Sarah M. Darden, wife of
Alfred W. Darden, church clerk.
A. 'W. Darden was the son of the
Rev. Jacob, Darden, noted pastor
of the Old Southquay Church in
Southampton County. Va. With
his brother, William, Alfred mov
ed to this county, making his
home on a large farm at Elm
Grove, about four miles west of
Murfreesboro at the-edge of the
county. He married Sarah Moore,
daughter of John Moore. One of
Alfred Darden’s daughters, Lilly,
married John D, Gatling, Through
the Gatling family, the original
communion set given the church
in 1860 has passed into the pos
session of Lee Gatling of Ahoskie.
When a newer communion set
was purchased in this century, the
set donated by Mrs. Sarah Dar
den, Lee Gatling’s great-grand
mother, was returned to the
Darden-Gatling family by the
church.
Civil War Record
Mount Tabor is one of the few
churches in Hertford County
whose records reflect the dif
ficulty of the days of the Civil
War. Many of the churches note
that some of their members were
away in service, but the Mount
Tabor minutes throw specific light
on the progi-ess of the war.
First mention of the war occurs
in the minutes of the conference
in October, 1861. “On motion re
solved that the church and con
gregation worshipping here meet
next Friday the 15th of the
month, at the usual hour and ob
serve the same as a day of fasting
and prayer to Almighty God for
the success of our cause,” says the
record.
In July, 1862, the church noted
letters from J. B. Weston, A. S.
Rowles and A. M, Darden, “now
in the army,” asking the prayers
of the church.
In September, 1863, plans were
going ahead as usual for a bap
tismal service. A committee was
appointed to “clean out the
growth and water at the bridge,
the usual place for baptising.”
Later that year, in August, a col
lection was taken to send the
Biblical Recorder “to our North
Carolina troops, member-s of the
congregation now in the field.”
In October, 1863, church clerk
John A, Vann noted: “No con
ference in consequence of a raid
by the enemy the day of our No
vember meeting. The bridge
across the creek was burnt the
same day by our own troops.”
This may refer to the Battle of
Mount Tabor about which Civil
War historians differ in opinions.
B. B. Winborne of Murfrees
boro, author of “The History of
Hertford County” in 1906, scoffs
at the idea of battle: ‘. . . the
‘bloody battle’ of Mt. Tabor, when
in the imagination the earth was
covered with the dead bodies of
Union soldiers, and the waters of
the noble Potecasi Creek was run
ning red with their blood, not
withstanding no one was hurt and
no damage was done, except a
cabbage cart distributed its cargo
along the road from Hill’s Bridge
to Murfreesboro and the horses
of the gallant band werQ soon
windless from the speedy retreat
from the ghost of Banquo.”
There are, however, still re
mains of the entrenchments
thrown up by troops near.Mount
Tabor Church, during the period
in which Union soldiers marched
from their landing at Winton to
wards Murfreesboro. Both sides
fought back and forth in this gen
eral area.
Danger lo Building
In the conference minutes of
February, 1864, it is evident that
the members were concerned
about the safety of their new
building. “W. Darden, P, Jor
dan and J. A. Vann to see Col.
Hinton and ask protection of him
for our meeting house and grove
from being abused by his men,”
reports the record. “Col. Hinton”
was commander of the 68th Regi
ment, North Carolina troops, two
companies of which were raised
in the summer of 1863 from Hert
ford, Bertie and Gates counties.
Apparently the home-county'boys
were using the church building
and the handy firewood in the
grove for other purposes than the
church desired.
Once, again, in April of 1865,
the clerk noted “no conference in
April in consequence of a raid by
the Federal army.” The church
survived the hectic state of af
fairs, however, and at the end of
the war, in February, 1866, took
note of the freedom of slaves.
Simon of John Gatling and Isaac
of John H, Griffith were selected
subdeacons to keep order in the
“gallery” of the church, by a com
mittee including William Darden,
A. W. Darden and John Gatling.
Nine Negro males and 23 Negro
females remained in the mem
bership of the church at the war’s
end.
The Reconstruction period saw
the Mount Tabor membership di
minish, with the formation of
churches at Winton and Union.
C.' L. Cobb of Kelford, now de
ceased, was 85 when he attended
the centennial of Mount Tabor
Church held in November, 1939.
Mr, Cobb was born in 1854, the
son of R, B. and Temperance
Cobb, and reminisced on the fact
that he was born only 15 years
after the church was organized
and had been baptized in Pote
casi Creek along with 63 others.
In 1885, Mr. Cobb had been one of
a committee named to help or
ganize Baptist churches at Union
and Roxobel.
Association History
■ Mount Tabor Church was host
to the old Chowan Baptist As
sociation in 1845 and 1862 and en
tertained the West Chowan Bap
tist Association at its 12th annual
Mount Tabor Church Facts
FORMED—1839. The fourth Baptist church in Hertford Coun
ty, with membership primarily from the Meherrin Baptist
Church.
FIRST PASTOR was the Rev. Quinton H. Trolman, 1843-54.
Until the first pastor was called, G. M. Tompson and Simon
Murfree "supplied” as preachers from 1839-43.
THE FIRST BUILDING was constructed in 1839, with the
present building being erected in 1860.
PASTORS who served from the date of organization until
the centennial observance in 1939 were: Quinton H. Trolman,
1843-54; John Webb, 1855-58; Trotman, 1859; Webb. 1860-65;
R. R. Savage, 1866-86; W. C. Durham, 1886-89; Braxton Craig.
1890-92; T. G. Wood, 1893; Samuel Saunders, 1894-5; Dailey
Cale, 1896; J. T. Riddick, 1897-8; George P. Harrell, 1899-1902;
A. T. Howell, 1903-12; C. W. Scarborough, 1912-17; P. A. Under
wood, 1918-20; R. E, Ingram, 1920-1; V. E. Duncan.' 1921-3;
R. B. Lineberry, 1923-6; E, C. Andrews, 1927-31; W. V. Tarlton,
1931-8; Dr. J. L. Carrick, 1938-.
CHURCH CLERKS numbered 16 by the 1939 centennial. A. W.
Darden was the first, elected in 1839. After him came J. A. Vann.
John P. Lee, John D. Galling for three terms, Thomas M. Par
ker, John F. Newsome, D. F. Parker for two terms, John A.
Parker for two terms, H. P. Gatling, M. D. Gatling, H. O. Boul
ter, Gladstone B, Storey, L. J. Parker, W. M. Forbes, B. W.
Fisher, and H. W. Holloman.
meeting-, in 1894. The minutes of
that 1894 meeting give a history
of Mount Tabor:
“This church was constituted
in November, 1839, and so is two
years younger than the Buckhorn
Church, and three years older
than the Murfreesboro Church. It
was formerly much stronger than
it is now, having in its member
ship a large, number of the
wealthiest, rf^st cultivated and
most influential people in all
this section. She gave generously
of her best material to form the
Winton Church and not a little also
to the Union Church, This church
gave to the world the much-loved
and talented R. T. Vann, D, D.,
now the faithful pastor of the •
Scotland Neck Church (Ed. note:
Dr. Vann was ordained into the
ministry at Mount Tabor Church,
and served as president of Mere
dith College for a number of
years); and also that experienced
and successful educator, who has
been the clerk of this and the old
Chowan Association for 25 years
and is now the popular principal
of the academy for boys and
girls at Seaboard, Brother W. C.
Parker.
Drinking Whiskey 1
“The old Chowan Association
met with this church in 1845 and
in 1862,” continue the minutes.
“At the session in 1845 stands
were erected all 'about the
grounds, from which confection
eries and whiskey were sold. In
1853 the old Chowan Association
met with the Meherrin Church,
convening, as had been its cus
tom, 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, but also on
Sunday, that the Association, to
avoid this desecration of the
Lord’s day in connection with
their sessions, decided at this
meeting to convene afterwards
on Tuesday, instead of Friday,
so that all delegates and visitors
to the Association could leave
their homes after Sunday and re
turn to them before the following
Sunday
“Surely, then, in some things we
have made progress,” the record
.'ends on a slightly wistful note.
Further progress of the church
was noted at the 1939 centennial,
when Mrfe. L, 'w. Holloman read
a history of the first 100 years.
The church still occupies the fine
frame building built in 1860, serv
ing a membSjship of about 220
active ' persons Only the over
grown trenches in the woods
nearby and some tracts and
Bibles in the church library with
Civil War dates inscribed, are
evidence that Mount Tabor was
once in the thick of an earthly,
as well as a spiritual, battle.