Newspapers / The News-Herald (Ahoskie, N.C.) / Jan. 1, 1959, edition 1 / Page 88
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PAGE 2—THE HERALD. Ahoskie. N. C.—MILESTONE YEAR 1959 Circuit Riders Started Solid Growth of Hertford Methodism History Is a Long One Early priests from the Church of England, coming to Hertford Coun ty as representatives of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, found the going rough. First of aU, there were those “so-called Anabaptists and B a p - tists,” as one of the Anglican priests wrote home to London, who seemed to have a toe hold in the area. Secondly, the Anglicans were plagued by the Methodists (as they called themselves) who made con stant forays across the Virginia border into North Carolina. It was harder for the Church of England to compalin about these exponents of the gospel, for their founder, John Wesley, was himself a priest in the Church of England Furthermore, the Quakers sided with the non-Anglican views, which added insult to injury. The perseverance of the Metho dist “circuit riders” was also al most without equal. Even their Bishop, Francis As- bury, spent most of the year on horseback, riding from Pennsyl vania to the southern states, and as far west as Kentucky, holding prayer meetings with any who wished to hear the words of the gospel. “The Gospelers,” the scattered farmers called these preachers, and gave them welcome in their homes. One of the earliest to visit the Murfreesboro area was Jesse Lee, who was at that time living i n Prince George County, Va. He passed through Murfreesboro in 1792, on his way to Edenton. Oddly enough, a record of this early Methodist visit is recorded in the history of the Meherrin Baptist Church, written by the Rev. J. M. Duncan of Murfreesboro in 1929: “Lee’s fervent zeal and lively ex hortations endeared him to the hearts of the people of this section and he found a heartfelt welcome in every family circle, as there were professors of no other name, besides the Baptists, in this vicin ity. Mr. Lee was received and esteemed without reference to pe culiarity of religious opinion. Their hearts were warm, and they could know no difference. The parlors were his chapels, and their houses his home.” Another of the famous Gospelers was Lorenzo Dow, who came down from the Virginia mountains full of zeal, and visited Murfreesboro in his travels about 1800. Following him was Samuel Wells, who set up public worship about 1805, and later built a house of worship across the “great road to Virginia,” where the Red Apple Supermarket stands today. New Circuit So great was the Methodist i n - fluence that in 1822 the Rev. Jacob Hill was assigned to the new Murfreesboro circuit of the Nor folk district of the Virginia Con ference. In the Journal of the next year, Pastor HiU reported 24? white and 38 colored members of congregations in the circuit. He was followed, about 1825, by the fiery Rev. Daniel Southall, who had come from Amelia County, Virginia, in 1815 and assumed the first fuE - time pastorate at Mur freesboro when the church grew to 61 white and five colored members. Southall not only fathered a distinguished line of descendants, but was such a fine preacher that he drew crowds from as far away as Como, a hazardous trip across creeks and the Meherrin River. Jacob Hare, nephew of Col. Starkey Sharp II and a prominent Maney’s Neck resident, was one of those who joined the Methodist church as a result of Southall’? sermons. New Hope But the distance was so great to Murfreesboro that Hare, with several other men, helped organize the New Hope Methodist Church near the Virginia border in 1833. While Lee, Wells, and Hill were winning Methodists in Murfrees boro, other Methodist preachers were riding the southern section section of Hertford County, then part of the Bertie circuit. A rare, handwritten record dated 1895 is preserved in the archives of the Duke University Library. In it is the only mention of the earliest history of Methodist churches at Harrellsville (then called Bethel) and Union: “The church at Harrellsville first called Bethel and Union are the oldest churches on the circuit and were in existence before the War of 1812 as this territory was traveled by the Rev. Humphrey Ward as P. C. in 1811.” The antiquity of the Union Meth- by tales told Mrs. H. J. Brown of. odist Church is also substantiated Union, now in her late sixties. As a child, Mrs. Brown remem bers hearing from a very elderly woman that the first Methodist church was located about one mile out of Union, towards St. John’s, on the Liverman Mill road. The building was probably o n OLD MURFREESBORO METHODIST—One of the most archi tecturally interesting buildings in Hertford County was the old Murfreesboro Methodist Church, its plan copied from a blue print of famed English Architect Sir Christopher Wren. The building was razed in the 1950’s. It stood on Main Street in Murfreesboro. the old Benjamin Beverly place, at the triangular junction of roads. Cornwallis There? There is a tale at Union (though pf doubtful truth) that Cornwallis camped under a huge tree, now cut down, on the old school grounds. The school, long gone, and the second Methodist church building were supposed to have been locat ed about where the present Union Baptist Church stands. Mrs. Brown quotes her grand mother as recalling that the Meth odist church was abandoned at that spot, however, because there were so many noisy saloons, open every day across the road, that services were disturbed. So Thomas Wynns, grandfather of Mrs. Brown, donated a plot of land for a third Methodist church to be bunt about 1870, where it now stands. The neat little white frame church is now set back from the main paved road to California and Winton, almost hidden from view by a double lane of trees. Enthusiastic response in the Union area to the Methodist mes sage led to the establishment of a church at Vann’s Grove, near Ben- thall’s bridge. This was built in about 1837 by the Revs. R. Adams and A. Caruth. Meanwhile, both Baptists and Methodists had suffered a setback in Murfreesboro. It was 1840 before the Rev. G. M. Thompson and his family moved into the village and commenced services in the week “at candle-lighting.” “From thence a new era dawn ed upon our prospects,” says Dun can’s history. “At this time religion was at a low ebb in town. Members of the church were in a cold, life less state. Scarcely were the out ward forms of Christianity attend ed to. The house of God was too often exchanged for the tavern, and the distinction between pro fessors and nonprofessors was lost. Efforts had been made from time to time, by the most acceptable ministers, in the Methodist and Presbyterian church to no p u r - pose.” Wesleyan College With this rebirth of Methodist purpose, the Murfreesboro church prospered and the town became the site for the V/esleyan Female Col lege, established in June of 1853 by the Virginia Conference. In 1854, the presiding elder of the newly- created Murfreesboro District was living in Murfreesboro. The influx of Methodist girls was too much for the old church, and a larger building was erected o n Main Street. This church, with a high spire, was believed to have been modeled of a daguerreotype made in Boston of a church designed by Christo pher Wren, the noted English architect. The second church stood until 1955, when it was razed to make way for a new, third church. During the Civil War the college was closed and Murfreesboro transferred to the Petersburg dis trict, but in 1865 and 1866, the col lege reopened and the Murfrees boro district was reorganized. There were 160 white and 40 colored members in the local church. Wesleyan Female College grew and prospered until 1877, when i1 was destroyed by fire. Since i n - surance covered the loss, it was re built and opened in 1881 with E E. Parham as president. More Churches During the years just after the Civil War, mure Methodist churches were springing up in the southern part of the area. Colerain was organized by the Rev. Jere miah McMullen in the summer of 1868, and PowellsviUe was built by the Rev. William Grant and was a post of the Bertie Mission in 1878. Winton was built by the Rev. R. N. Crooks in 1878 or 1879. With these additions, both the Murfreesboro and HarrellsvOle cir cuits were reorganized. Winton was added to form the Murfreesboro circuit in 1879, and in 1870 the Harrellsville circuit was formed from part of the Bertie cir cuit, with Harrellsville, Union, Vann’s Grove-and Colerain church es. The Rev. Joseph H. Riddick was pastor until 1873, when it was again united with the Bertie circuit. During the second pastorate of the Rev. Mr. Crooks in 1879, the Bertie Mission was formed and olaced in charge of the Rev. Mr. Grant, who built three churches. This meant a division at the 1880 Virginia Conference session, when PowellsviUe and Winton were add ed to others on the HarrellsviUe circuit. Important changes in Conference boundaries were made at the 1890 Conference session, when the Mur freesboro District was dissolved and the Murfreesboro - Winton charge was placed in the Warren- ton district of the North Carolina Conference. The HarreUsville circuit was also transferred to the North Carolina Conference, and only New Hope Church in Hertford County re mained a part of the Virginia Con ference. Another Fire Final ties with Virginia were broken in 1893, when the three - story Wesleyan Female College building burned again in M u r - freeshoro, and was never rebuilt. Next change in grouping came in 1920, when the Murfreesboro-Win- ton charge was transferred to the Weldon district, with Union and HarreUsvUle churches added t o form a new four-point circuit with 269 members. Meanwhile, Ahoskie had become the site for a new church, organiz ed in 1901 with members primarily from the Union church. By 1930, when the Murfreesboro church was transferred to the Elizabeth City district with the rest of the county, Ahoskie had built a hand some brick building. During the past two decades, Murfreesboro has seen a signifi cant program of growth culminat ing in the erection of the present brick building in 1949, during the ministry of the Rev. J. C. Chaffin. In 3954 the church was cleared of indebtedness, and in 1955, became once more a station church with full-time pastor. Formal dedication of the building was held on September 14. 1958, Plonters Betik in Ahoskie Began Its Service in 1954 By JOEL T. LEE, Vice President and Manager AHOSKIE — To the music of the Ahoskie High School Band and the ribbon-cutting ceremonies of Mayor Joseph B. Burden, The Planters National Bank and Trust Company opened its Ahoskie office for business on Thursday morning, February 25, 1954. In an open letter to the people of Ahoskie and vicinity, Archie W. McLean, president of the bank, wrote: “We are eagerly looking for ward to taking our place along side the other fine institutions and enterprises in the Roanoke-Chowan area which are dedicated to com munity development. ‘Community Builders Since 1899' is more than a motto with our staff. Our whole organization, now numbering some 80 local employees, is dedicated to wide awake community service. Even though our Ahoskie quar ters are brand new from front with Bishop Paul N. Garber o f Richmond presiding, and the Rev. •F. Owen Fitzgerald as pastor. Growth of Ahoskie as a town ha? been reflected in the building pro grams of the Methodist church. In 1927, the first brick sanctuarj was built at the corner of McGlo- hon and Church Streets. In 1954, construction of a brick educational building was begun be side the church, to accommodate the need for Sunday school class rooms and a pastor’s study. The debt on this building has been con siderably reduced, and future plans call for a fellowship building be hind the church, the connect with the new educational facilities. — MARY ELLEN ALBARES (This article was compiled by reference to “Northampton par ishes” by Henry Wilkins Lewis; the “History of Meherrin Bap tist Church,” by the Rev. J. M. Duncan; Winborne’s “History cf Hertford Coimty”; “The Gospel ers” by Rebecca Harding Davis in the Saturday Evening Post of 1905; a history of the Harrells- IlarrellsvOle C^cuit, written by by the Rev. C. P. Snow in 1895, now in the Duke University ar chives; information from Mrs. H. J. Brown of Union and a historical sketch of the Miu-frees- bero Methodist Church.) doorstep to back door, the name it will bear—The Planters National Bank and Trust Company—is back ed by 54 years of experience and outstanding bank service in all phases of commercial banking. Our staff at Ahoskie will be headed by Mr. Cohen W. Parker, vice president and manager, a na tive of the Roanoke-Chowan area, and a valued member of our staff for 29 years. Our assistant manager, Mr. Joel T. Lee. is also well known to the people of Ahoskie, having served several years as Secretary-Treas urer of the Ahoskie National Farm Loan Association and several other related organizations. This is a cordial invitation to visit our new Ahoskie Office on opening day. Better still, make your plans to open an account with us that first day. It will be a memorable occasion for us, and we believe it will be for you, too.” Thus wrote the president of The Planters National Bank and Trust , Company in February 1954. Today, . five years later, the management of the bank looks back with great pleasure on what truly was “a memorable o c - casion” . . . for the bank’s re markable progress in Ahoskie has exceeded even the most optimistic predictions of its founders. Boasting every modern banking facility, the bank now is confi dently “building for the future in an area with a future.” Joel T. Leo, vice president and manager, commenting on the bank’s assimilation into the com munity, said “All of us at Planters National are deeply grateful for the interest, encouragement, and support of the many individuals and businesses who have made possible our splendid record of growth and success in Ahoskie. Certainly the confidence of the past has been justified, and we are even more enthusiastic about prospects for the future.” Members of the present bank staff are: Joel T. Lee, vice presi dent and manager; E. T. Cope land, Manager Time Payment De partment; Sid Tayloe, Jr., Assist ant to the Manager; Howard D. McAdams, Asst. Mgr. Time Pay ment Department; Miss Libby Jones, Office Secretary; Mrs. Dor othy Mitchell, Teller; Mrs. Wyn- dloyn Eure, Teller; Mrs. Myrtle Overton, Time Payment Depart- See BANK, Page 6 7947-/959 ^^Pioneer Gas Dealer In This Section ” DOWI^SGAS The Fuel that gives you the convenience of Gos wherever you live! Drop in at my store and let me show you WHY more and more city, suburban and rural homes in this area are turning to "DOWNSGAS" (bot tled gos) for ® COOKING ® HEATING ® HOT WATER ® REFRIGERATION * TOBACCO CURING ® CHICKEN BROODERS Serving You With BULK PROPANE GAS It's easy to buy . . . Easy to install... Easy to use . Easy to pay for! and What's more—we have the appliances in stock ready for your home the very day you buy—if desired. No "wishful thinking," or "booking your order for de'ivery, when possible"—we have the appliances IN STOCK, and they include such nationally advertised lines as-— Schools ond Churches Be sure to call us about your heating problems and needs. . . . 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The News-Herald (Ahoskie, N.C.)
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Jan. 1, 1959, edition 1
88
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