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1803 - 1903
A History of The Dean Swamp Baptist
Church
Compiled by Rev. H. L. Baggott
[transcribed by Dena Whitesell from materials
provided by Gretchen Gardner & John
Howel]
Pursuant to an appointment made by the
Bethel Association, a Presbytery composed of the following
named Ministers of the Gospel, Rev. Henry King, Rev. Thomas
Deloach, Rev. John Landrum and Rev. George Delaughter, did on
the 5th. of November, 1803,
organize a Baptist Church with 31 members, called "The Baptist
Church of Christ on Dean Swamp." This church
hasworshipped on the sane ground through all these years,
having had three houses of worship. The first was
built soon after the church
was organized, the second in 1845.
It would be
interesting to be able to give here the names of the charter
members, but the record fails to tell us who they
were.
We are not able to determine definitely who the
first Pastor was. Rev. Isaac Debosque was a
member of this church, and a record in the Minute Book shows that he
died Oct. 24th., 1806. His name appears
often in the minutes of the Conferences, and doubtless he preached for the church,
whether as pastor or as an itinerant preacher it is impossible
to say.
In the records of 1807 there is to be found
the following: Whereas, the Rev. Mathew Goss has labored
amongst us in word and doctrine, and as we think it our
indispensable duty to contribute to the support of the same, we
promise to pay, six months after date, the sums to our names
annexed:
William Williamson............. $10.00
H.
Prothro ..................... 7.00
Jeremiah Jones
................. 5.00
Wm. Gardner....................
2.00
MathewKitchings ............... 1.00
Ruel Cumbaa
.................... 1.00
James Prothro ..................
10.00
Allen Sloan..................... 1.00
Davis Dyches
.................... 2.00
James Wright ....................
1.00
James Cumbaa .................... 2.00
Josiah
Keadle ................... 3.00
J. T. Cumbaa
.................... 10.00
Peter Cullum
.................... 5.00
John Cooper .....................
1.00
John Corbitt, Sr................ 1.00
N.
Yon.......................... 1.00
George Dykes
.................... 1.00
John Corbitt ....................
1.00
L. Wooley ....................... 2.00
Robert
Rushton .................. 1.00 About $44.00 appears to be
canceled on above subscription. Whether the remainder was ever
paid is not known.
On Feb. 20th., 1813, the church
petitioned Little Stevens Creek of the Edgefield Association
to ordain to the gospel ministry Mr. James Head. Rev. Samuel
Marsh carried the petition . The supposition is
that the petition prevailed, as Rev. James Head afterwards figures largely in the history
of this church.
On Nov. 19th., 1814, the church gave
power to James Head, Josiah Keadle, and J. Jones to open the
door of the church, receive and baptize members on Bull
Swamp. On June 7th., 1815, the church gave to
James Head and Josiah Keadle the power to establish an arm of the Dean Swamp church
on Bull Swamp. In 1816 the present Bull Swamp
Baptist Church of the Orangeburg Association was fully
organized. This church is the result of the
enterprlze above mentioned.
Many of the names found in
this record are the names of our best people of
today. There were the Fanning's, the Corbitts,
Salleys, Kitchings'.
Prothros, Cumbaas, Keadles, Corleys, Williams', Williamsons,
Evans', Heads, Peeples'. Howels, Yons, Porters, Gardners, Courtneys, Coopers, and
others.
Among the pioneer preachers there are
interwoven into the history of this church the lives and
labors of Rev. Carson Howel, Rev. Josiaj Keadle, Rev. James Head,
Jonathan Courtney, Gasper Staley, Darling Peeples, J. Wheeler,
W. J. Pickling, Wm, Brooker
and others, who did itinerant work in this country, largely at
their own expense, thus laying the foundation upon which
those who came after them
built so well.
Church discipline in those days was
strict; sometimes rigid, Non-attendance was a serious
offence, for which many members, male and female were summarily dealt
with.
Many cases of drunkenness appear on the record,
many of which suffered the extreme penalty of church
authority.
The church was a forum for the settlement of
many things, public and private. In dealing with
refractory members a favorite method was to place them under censure of
the church, and then continue the case for months trying it at
their leisure. At other times they would deprive them of their
spiritual privileges.
On Oct. 4th, 1806, Marlon Whitney
and William Davis were licensed to preach within the limits of
the church.
In 1811 James Prothro was ordained a Deacon. On
the 20th. of July, 1811, the church elected delegates to the
Edgefield Association, to be
held at Red Bank Church, now Saluda C. H. The
following were elected Delegates: Josiah Keadle,
Jeremiah Corley and James
Prothro. Alternate, R. Rushton.
On July
15th., 1815 a committee was appointed as follows, Messrs.
Salley, Gardner, Cooper, Courtney, Prothro and Jones, to
attend with Rev. Mather Goss
at Mr. John Cooper's, with church power to receive members on
experience. In 1829 the Rocky Grove Church was organized as a result of
this work.
On Nov, 17th. 1815, the church considered
the matter of conferring church power on a committee, and
decided that it was not proper to do so.
Jan. 15th,, 1819,
Moses Rushton was appointed Clerk of the
church. Up to this time the record does not
show who the Clerk was.
Aug. 17th., 1821, the church
considered the Baptist State Convention, and gave it their
sanction. (This was the year in which the State Convention was first
organized.) About this time we are favored with a
revised list of the membership of this church, which is as follows:
James Head, Pastor:
Jacob Salley and Jonathan Courtney, Deacons: Moses Rushton,
Church Clerk. Elijah Gardner, John Evans, Thomas Yon, John Lee, Joseph Cooper,
Nathan Porter, William Prothro, John Wilkison, Holoway
Williams, Evans Prothro, Solomon Prothro, Joseph Sloan, John
Brewerm, Gasper Staley, William Yon, Newport Head, James
gardner, james Cumbaa, John
Corbitt, John Courtney, Elisha Gardner and Thomas Jones,
Susannah Keadle, Ann Corbitt, Elizabeth Salley, Mary Lee, Ann
Rushton, Susannah Yon, Easter
Prothro, Elizabeth Kitchings, Mary Cooper, Mary Porter, Catie
Gomilion, Mary Harth, Mary Keadle, Rebecca Head, Sarah Prothro,
Margaret Cooper, Mary Carson, Charity Bryant, Margaret Rambo,
Susan Ruchton, Margaret
Busby, Celia Courtney, Ann Williamson, Martha Gardner,
Elizabeth Davis, Elizabeth Hydrick, Elen Parker, Margaret
Johnson, Catharine Smith,
Rachel Corbitt, Mary Head, Mary Staley, Ann Yon, Sarah
Prothro, Sarah Rushton, and"Cage" a black member.
On April 19th. 1823, Elijah
Gardner was ordained a Deacon by Rev. James Head and Rev.
Gasper Staley.
In July, 1823, a resolution was adopted
authorizing the Deacons to say when the negros should come
into
the house and when they should not.
About this
time the name of the church was changed from "The Baptist
Church of Christ on Dean Swamp," to
"The Dean Swamp Baptist
Church."
On Aug. l6th. 1823, the church resolved to
withdraw from the plan of itinerant preaching.
Also resolved to
withdraw from the State Convention of the
Baptists of South Carolina.
The writer now reaches a
perion of thirteen years in the church's existence of which
there is no available record. And for the
next sixty-two
years the following facts are obtained from the Minutes of the
Edisto Association. It is said that one of the
books of record was burned by
Gen. Sherman during his raid through South Carolina in
1865.
In 1835 a convention was held with the Dean Swamp
Church by messengers from a number of churches. The
purpose
of this convention was to consider the practicability of
forming a new Association. As a result of
this movement, 1836 the
Edisto Association was organized at the Tabernacle
Church. Dean Swamp church was
one of the
charter members of this honored body, and Josiah Keadle,
Josiah Corley and Gasper Staley were her delegates to said
Association. In
this meeting the Dean Swamp Church led in the contributions,
and reported twenty-four baptisms for the year.
The
following facts will doubtless be of interest to many:
In
1837 the church was supplied by Josiah Keadle and Wm. Brooker;
Josiah Keadle, in 1838; J. Wheeler, (rest of article in
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