Powellsville Baptist -1909
Riverside Baptist - Colerain - 1913
Wakelon Baptist - Colerain - 1940
Republican Baptist Church
Membership List (1828-1860)
It derived its name because the church was used for community meeting.
ROSS BAPTIST CHURCH
Ross Baptist Church (Minutes 1806-1872) 2 vols. microfilm
Duke University Special Collections
Photo from Neil Baker
A Brief History
According to documentation, Ross Baptist Church was organized in early 1804, but the story of its "birth" begins a few years earlier. About the year of 1800 two clergymen from Martin County, Elder Martin Ross, and Elder James Ross began a crusade to establish a "new religion" in the area known as the Baptist Missionary Society. According to traditional stories, they began to meet in the old Indian Graveyard at Cucklemaker Creek where they held "camp meetings" periodically. Converts were baptized in a designated area of the creek. The same area was used for over 100 years as a baptismal site for Ross Church, and is still known today as the "Baptizing Hole at Cucklemaker Creek." The most prominent names among the early converts were Cowan, Oxley, Pugh, Yeats, Hughes, Newbem, Mizelle, White, Mitchell, and Freeman.Soon after the area crusade for a missionary society began, Martin Ross moved to Perquimans County and intensified efforts to establish the society from the Chowan River to the Virginia Line. James Ross moved to Bertie County and became a member of the Cashie Meeting House in Windsor. Traveling from the Windsor location, James continued to hold "Divine" services at the old Indian graveyard. Thomas Newbem, during the year of 1802 deeded a plot land to the Baptist Society on which a "meetinghouse" would be built. During the year of 1803, people of the area worked together as they cut trees, hewed logs, and hoisted them into place to build the first house of worship. The building was completed in 1804, and was described in the minutes of the Kehukee Association as the "Log Meeting House of Bertie County." The same year, 1804, the building became an established place of worship. Contrary to traditional stories, Ross Church was not named in honor of Elder Martin Ross. It was named in honor of Elder James Ross, and was known for many years during the 1800s as the "James Ross Meeting House."
The names of all the charter members of Ross Church are not known. The charter members that are known were William Cowan, John Cowan, Thomas Newbem, Ishmael "Isma" Yeats, Aaron Freeman, John Mizelle, Henry Pugh, George Outlaw, Benjamin Folk, and Cornelius Hughes. Elder James Ross served the church over fifty years - thirty-two years as the first pastor. Only one other pastor exceeded this record. Thomas Hoggard served forty years as the second pastor. They preached to a membership that shared traits of a mixture of English, French, and American Indian ancestor. Many of the members, male and female, were "hard drinking, undisciplined, and disorderly" individuals. For over 100 years the church maintained a tough policy in an effort to discipline its membership. Some of the many charges brought against the members included intoxication, absenteeism, rioting, fighting, failure to support the church, fornication, adultery, and disorderly conduct in conference.
When charges were brought against a member, a committee of several men was appointed to investigate. If the committee confirmed the charges, the accused was "cited/ordered" to appear at the next church conference for a "trial." Many members were "excluded," or "excommunicated" from the church when they were tried. During church services women were segregated from the men, and were not permitted to vote or express their opinion on church policy, unless asked to do so. But the women were subjected to the same "judicial type proceedings" and disciplinary action as the men. During the year of 1921 the church relented, and permitted women to vote and participate in the decision-making process. Woman's participation in church policy was a major factor in terminating the "judicial proceedings," trials, and exclusions that the church had enforced for over 117 years.
For many years, Ross Church met on "Saturday before forth Lord's day" of each month for business conference, followed by "Divine Services" on Sunday. If there were many misconduct charges pending, or to be tried, the meetings would begin on Thursday, or Friday, and continue until all the cases had been heard. In 1829, midweek prayer services began. Services were held once each month on the Wednesday after the third Sunday. The first Sunday school was established in July 1859. The members of the school met the first Sunday of each month until about 1900, when they began to meet each Sunday. Sunday school was one non-graded class until 1930. Ross Church began worship services the second and forth Sundays of each month during the 1940s. The church shared pastor duties in a field with various other churches until 1975. Since 1975 the pastor's duties at Ross has been a full-time position.
Probably, the most memorable events witnessed by some of the members of the old James Ross Meeting House were the "protracted (extended) meetings" that began in August of 1840, and were repeated many years thereafter during the same month. Ministers from various churches were invited to participate in the worship services that were conducted afternoons and evenings. Some of the meetings continued for two weeks, and produced over fifty candidates for baptism. The church recorded record numbers in attendance during that time in its history.
In the business meeting of December 1858, the church appointed a committee to replace the old log meetinghouse. Members on the committee were William J. Mitchell, Aaron S. Mizelle, Starkey E. Mizelle, Ruffin M. White, A. J. Morris, Josiah Mizelle, William H. Hoggard, Henry Mizelle, and W. D. Wynn. Henry Mizelle was appointed "Head Workman." By May of 1860 the log building had been removed and the new building completed. The new building was described as modem, with "weather boarded" exterior walls. The interior walls were surface plastered. Galleries with stairway access were located on each side of the sanctuary at the entrance. The galleries accommodated a large membership of slaves until slavery ended in the mid-1860s.
Joseph E. and Penelope Cale Hoggard deeded additional land to the
church in 1889.
Photo from John Cowand
In 1904 the church building underwent extensive renovations, including an addition to the rear that was referred to as the "kitchen ". During the same time, the galleries were removed and replaced with a large balcony. Strip paneling was installed in diagonal patterns on the interior walls and ceiling, and new stained glass windows were installed. The windows and paneling are still in place today. Some of the work was not completed until 1906. The "kitchen" was renovated in 1931 and divided into eight Sunday school classrooms. A parsonage was built during the year of 1948. The financial burden for the parsonage was supplemented by funds from the estate of Mrs. J. T. Newbern. Two additional classrooms and two restrooms were added to the church building in 1959. The restrooms were the first with plumbing fixtures. The building received a "fresh appearance" in 1970 when the old exterior wooden walls were covered with brick.
In 1974 a Community Center/Educational Building was built by the membership. The building consists of five classrooms, a nursery, a utility room, two rest rooms, a kitchen area, and a fellowship hall. During 1990 a concrete tennis court was installed on church property that had been donated by Mrs. Doris Daily, a former member. Cost for the court was supplemented by funds from the estate of Mr. Howard Harrison. In October of 1991 an outdoor children's playground/family center was dedicated to God, and in memory of four and one-half year old Samantha Ross Hoggard. All equipment was donated and installed by Samantha’s family. During November 1991, Ross Church agreed to become treasurer of the Samantha Hoggard Memorial Fund, and administer the Samantha Hoggard Memorial Scholarship Program that had been previously established. Funding for the scholarship program is through memorial contributions that are still received in memory of loved ones. A metal utility building was erected in 1998 for housing and storage of church equipment. The building is also equipped with cooking and dining facilities. Funds from the estate of Mr. C. Owen White supplemented the cost of the building.
Associates assisted the pastors during the 1800s. Those that served as associate pastors in respective order were Ishmael "Isma" Yeats, William Jones Newbem, Aaron Spivey, Henry White, Moses L. Mizelle, Ira Odom, and John N. Hoggard. Pastors that have served Ross Church were, and are James Ross, Thomas Hoggard, Jeremiah Bunch, West Leary, J. A. Speight, T. T. Speight, R. B. Lineberry, W. H. Howell, J. H. Barnes, Alonzo Finch, G. W. Burch, J. 0. Walton, W. 0. Andrews, E. R. Stewart, Lonnie Sasser, Roy Young, E. G. Willis, Norman Hicks, Robert Lambert, Charles Hodges, Henry Huggins, James Branch, David Giffin, Gary Mickey, Gordon Rawls, Tom McLean, and Roger Kiker. The pastors that served in the late 1800s and early 1900s boasted of congregations that frequently exceeded 800 members. Due to the establishment of many area churches, the membership at Ross declined and stabilized at about 230.
A cemetery was established on church property when member Lewis W. Miller was "laid to rest" on March 7, 1937. Mr. Miller requested that privilege before he died. Many have followed him. The early members of the church were buried in many of the old "graveyards" in the general area. Some of the burial sites will probably never be found, or identified again due to the forest growth that covers them. But the legacy of the early members still lives through the history of the old Log Meeting House, and the events that occurred through the years that shaped our membership into what we know today as Ross Baptist Church.
Neil Baker requested this brief history. Neil has shared many pages
of information with us over the years, including pertinent information
that was used in the general history of early Ross Baptist Church and
its Membership. The general history has been published and is now
available as a book for a small fee. (see below) The fee will be used to recover
the cost for publishing. Any excess funds will be used in programs
administered by Ross Church for humanitarian causes.
Stanley Hoggard
Resource: Ross Baptist Church-The First Seventy Five Years
1804-1879 The People and the Community
Printed 2000. $15.00 shipping included.
Ordering information:
E-Mail: omhighsmith@coastalnet.com
Address: O. M. Highsmith
1406 Wakelon Rd.
Colerain, NC 27924
Phone: 252-794-9767
Askewville Baptist Church came from Ross Baptist Church
Sandy Run
See Bertie Church above.James A Delke - "History of the North Carolina Chowan Baptist Association" pub. 1882.
Prof. James A. Delke's history of the North Carolina Chowan Baptist Association(1882). In it he summarizes the history of the Baptists in NC. "As early as 1695, individual Baptists were found in NC; first church was organized in 1727 called Perquimans.. . In 1742 a church was constituted on Kehukee creek in Halifax county, 120 miles North-west of Newbern, the church as usual taking the name of the water course; which church was destined to become the mother of such a numerous and distinguished offspring. Other churches were soon formed and in 1752 there were sixteen churches holding what were called "Yearly meetings" Most of the first Baptists in North Carolina came from Virginia. They were at first called General Baptists by some, Free-will, holding views strictly Arminian. In a few years more orthodox principles were introduced by John Gano, and those apostles of the new Reformation, Miller and Van Horn, and soon the little leaven had leavened the whole lump, and they called themselves Regular Baptists. In 1765, the reformed churches convened at Kehukee in Halifax county, and regularly organized the Kehukee Association. In 1790 the number of churches having increased to sixty-one with a membership of 5000 scattered over a wide territory in North Carolina and Virginia"