Our information is that the first church here was a Missionary Baptist church, built in the seventies. After several years they moved to Yadkin, a few miles up the creek, and the Church of Christ built a building near this site, which is in use today by the latter church. The English, Higginbotham, Rogers, Kellett, Marriott, James, Davis, Bailey and other families reside in this community, and members of these families are identified with both churches.
The Shiloh Baptist. church, five miles northwest of Pocahontas, was organized about 1875 by Rev. ]. R. Pratt and others and is in a community which was settled around 1830, There is a likelihood that there was a church in this community many years before this church was organized. Early records show that the Shiloh, Antioch and Cherokee Bay churches joined the Bethel Association in 1857. So this tends to prove that there were earlier churches of these names before the present ones were built.
There are several "lost" congregations, or old churches, their location of which is not known. We know that there was a "Hum's Chapel," an "Indian Lake" and a "Hopewell" church in Randolph County in the early days. The Indian Lake is supposed to be the old Cherokee Bay church. This is not definitely known. The records show that Isom Amos was ordained to preach at Hopewell in 1858. There are several others not known to the author which are known locally. We regret that we do not know the names of each dead and existing church that has ever been in the county.
There was a Janes Creek Church of Christ in existence in 1840. The records show that Eld. Samuel H. McCullah preached here and also Daniel Rose. Eld. McCullah married Sarah Alcorn in 1840. There is an entry on the records of December 4, 1842, where McCullah asked the church "on Fourche de Mas" for permission to preach at that church. Two of the elders of that church were W Kellett and B. States there was a "County Line Baptist Church of Christ" somewhere in Randolph County before the Civil War. Levi Roberts, J. H. Leftchurch and William Martin were members. There is a possibility that this church may have been on the Sharp County line, somewhere along the western side of Randolph. On September 29, 1850, William Jones was ordained to preach at Concord church in Randolph County. The exact location of this church is not known.
There is supposed to have been a Spring River Baptist church at Old Jackson during the existence of the town, and possibly for several years afterward.
The author is well aware that there are other early churches which we have missed in this chapter. Possibly most of them are named here or in the stories of the towns or communities, but the reader must bear in mind that we have intended to name only those churches which have been established around fifty years or more. And in seeking information that is from one hundred down to fifty years old is no easy task.
But since writing the above we note that we have overlooked the old church at Birdell. Once known as Old Union, on the west side of Elevenpoint, it was one of the first churches built by the Christian people of the county. The Dunn, Hufstedler, Campbell, Lemmons, Perrin and other families have long been identified with this church.
Another old church of the county is the Baptist church at Sharum. This is an old community of the Black River bottom section of the county and the church has been in existence since before the War Between the States. The Dean, Luttrell, Brooks, Rogers and others, including the Shoffit and Staten families, have long been identified with this church and community. There are other congregations of the Methodist and Christian churches in this section which have been established many years.
The Baptist church named above in this article is a Missionary Baptist church. The Freewill Baptists also have a nice sandstone building in the city. It was built about 1939. Eld. G. W. Million, Will S. White and others were sponsors of this church. Eld. Ralph Staten is the present minister, and the church has one of the largest memberships in the city.
The Shiloh Baptist. church, five miles northwest of Pocahontas, was organized about 1875 by Rev. ]. R. Pratt and others and is in a community which was settled around 1830, There is a likelihood that there was a church in this community many years before this church was organized. Early records show that the Shiloh, Antioch and Cherokee Bay churches joined the Bethel Association in 1857. So this tends to prove that there were earlier churches of these names before the present ones were built.
There are several "lost" congregations, or old churches, their location of which is not known. We know that there was a "Hum's Chapel," an "Indian Lake" and a "Hopewell" church in Randolph County in the early days. The Indian Lake is supposed to be the old Cherokee Bay church. This is not definitely known. The records show that Isom Amos was ordained to preach at Hopewell in 1858. There are several others not known to the author which are known locally. We regret that we do not know the names of each dead and existing church that has ever been in the county.
There was a Janes Creek Church of Christ in existence in 1840. The records show that Eld. Samuel H. McCullah preached here and also Daniel Rose. Eld. McCullah married Sarah Alcorn in 1840. There is an entry on the records of December 4, 1842, where McCullah asked the church "on Fourche de Mas" for permission to preach at that church. Two of the elders of that church were W Kellett and B. States there was a "County Line Baptist Church of Christ" somewhere in Randolph County before the Civil War. Levi Roberts, J. H. Leftchurch and William Martin were members. There is a possibility that this church may have been on the Sharp County line, somewhere along the western side of Randolph. On September 29, 1850, William Jones was ordained to preach at Concord church in Randolph County. The exact location of this church is not known.
There is supposed to have been a Spring River Baptist church at Old Jackson during the existence of the town, and possibly for several years afterward.
The author is well aware that there are other early churches which we have missed in this chapter. Possibly most of them are named here or in the stories of the towns or communities, but the reader must bear in mind that we have intended to name only those churches which have been established around fifty years or more. And in seeking information that is from one hundred down to fifty years old is no easy task.
But since writing the above we note that we have overlooked the old church at Birdell. Once known as Old Union, on the west side of Elevenpoint, it was one of the first churches built by the Christian people of the county. The Dunn, Hufstedler, Campbell, Lemmons, Perrin and other families have long been identified with this church.
Another old church of the county is the Baptist church at Sharum. This is an old community of the Black River bottom section of the county and the church has been in existence since before the War Between the States. The Dean, Luttrell, Brooks, Rogers and others, including the Shoffit and Staten families, have long been identified with this church and community. There are other congregations of the Methodist and Christian churches in this section which have been established many years.
The Baptist church named above in this article is a Missionary Baptist church. The Freewill Baptists also have a nice sandstone building in the city. It was built about 1939. Eld. G. W. Million, Will S. White and others were sponsors of this church. Eld. Ralph Staten is the present minister, and the church has one of the largest memberships in the city.
