Book review of Smyrna history

A History of Smyrna Baptist Church, 1873 – 2008. By James W. Griffith and Robert Lee Vaughn. Mt. Enterprise, Texas: Waymark Publications, 2009. 115 pp. 

In the words of that old song “brighten the corner where you are,” the church at Smyrna has been fulfilling its mission in south Rusk County, Texas for well over a century. First, the authors show proper deference to the congregation’s Georgia roots, home of half of the charter members coming from the Powell Creek church dating from 1786. Organized in 1873 at Chinquapin Spring, Smyrna’s initial action was to launch into a protracted revival meeting for several days, which added more new members. A spirit of local cooperation ensued from the start with fifth Sunday meetings and association and district meetings. Smyrna even invited visiting brethren to monthly business meetings. 

For its first fifty years, frequent mention is made of church discipline for sins great and small. Nevertheless, these were the days of ALL day church sings, dinner on the grounds, free will offerings of money and food for the needy, and visits from overseas missionaries from as far away as Syria. Since Smyrna evolved slowly into becoming a missionary Baptist church, the authors devote some time to the controversy of the day between the Board Party Faction and the Mission Party Faction. To students of Baptist history, this book opens a small window into how missions were funded and the controversy between R.C. Burleson and B.H. Carroll and those who opposed mission boards. The authors conclude that “unended bitterness” resulted from the early twentieth-century schism between Baptists. In 1892, the church moved a few miles and by 1907 had located in the Oakflat community where it is today. Over time it has often shared its facilities with the Methodists. 

Several customs and policies are worth noting such as the first women on committees about 1910 and one long-serving pastor between 1910 and 1930. Traditionally, pastors were recalled once a year by a church vote. In 1921, John Waller was so beloved that he was called to serve as pastor indefinitely. Other customs included the annual cemetery day, church reunions, third Saturday night church sings (including Sacred Harp music), and writing resolutions of respect for deceased members. In 1918, a resolution of support was offered for all their soldier boys in the Great War. 

In spite of strong emphasis on local control, Smyrna church was a key player in the Mount Zion Baptist Association and a big advocate of the associational missionary concept. Several young men were “liberated” (called) for the ministry in those early days. Shifting demographics saw a decline in church numbers as well as church discipline after World War II. Death and urbanization reduced membership, but these did not diminish the zeal for missions and the gospel. 

The research is good, and the writing flows fairly well. Leaders and church programs are covered equally well, and the appendices contain lists of former members, pastors, clerks, deacons, and current members. There is also a good historical representation through photographs. As the book of Revelation records, “To the Angel at the church in Smyrna write, ‘Keep the faith and pass on your traditions.’”—Reviewed by Don Brown, Adjunct Professor of History, Dallas Baptist University

Texas Baptist History: the Journal of the Texas Baptist Historical Society, Volume XXXII, 2012, pp. 87-89

Church naming conventions

When looking at our Rusk County history through the lens of Baptist history, one interesting feature is the church names – that is, the names by which one local Baptist congregation identifies itself as distinct from other local Baptist congregations. By far the most common are names based on Bible places and names based on the location of the church building (by town, street, etc.). Some names may incorporate more than one feature. For now I have categorized the church names into 9 divisions.

1. Auxiliary names.

Names that are auxiliary, that is they help distinguish with a simple identification often in reference to chronology, such as being the “first” church, “new” church, or “original” church.

First, Second, Greater, New, Old, Original. 

2. Bible names.

These names can be found in the Bible one way or another – most often from a place mentioned in the Bible. 

(Bible places) Antioch, Bethel, Calvary, Corinth, Ebenezer, Emmanuel, Enon, Macedonia, Mount Hebron, Mount Zion, Sardis, Smyrna, Zion; (Bible concepts) Grace, Middle Cross, Providence, Trinity; (Bible people) St. John, St. Paul.

3. Geographical feature names.

Features such as creeks, flats, hills, and valleys. There are quite a few “mount” names, but generally they are from Bible names (and may or may not relate to a “mountainous” land feature). Sometimes the geographical features become location/place names.

Beech Creek, Cool Springs, Gum Springs, Hickory Flat, Hickory Grove, Pine Grove, Valley Grove; (geographical feature + Bible name) Zion Hill.

4. Location or place names.

Just as described, the name is based on the where the church meets.

(communities and towns) Arlam, Glenfawn, London, Millville, Minden, New Salem, Stewart, Turnertown; (streets and roads) Longview Drive, Tyler Road, West Main; (neighborhoods) Highland Park, Shawnee Village (general direction/location) Eastside, Southside, Midway, County Line.

5. Personal/family names.

These are names that is based on the name of a person or family. There seem to have been only a few of these. St. Clark in Henderson may be one of these, but I do not yet know the origin of their church name.

Jameson Memorial (former name of First Free Will Baptist, named in honor of E. S. Jameson), Isabel Chapel (variant spelling of the Isbell family name), Mount Homer (former name of Henderson Primitive Baptist), perhaps after Homer Phillips or Homer Pool).

6. “Pleasant” names.

This is a term I am using for names often based on a biblical concept – such as “unity.” Some names combine the “pleasant” concept with another feature, such as geographical: Forest Home, Good Hope, Pleasant Grove, Pleasant Hill, Union Grove, and Union Spring.

Fairview, Fellowship, Friendship, Greater Love, Harmony, Heritage, Liberty, Maple Grove, Open Door, Unity, Victory. 

7. “Chapel” names. 

Chapel is a very common designation for Baptist meeting places in the United Kingdom, but it does not seem to be used as much in the U.S. 

Chapel Hill, Christian Chapel, Crims Chapel, Isabel Chapel, Jacobs Chapel, Owen’s Chapel, Smith Chapel.

8. Miscellaneous/uncategorized names.

(Texas history) Fredonia, Lone Star; (denominational/theological) Bible Baptist, Landmark; (patriotic?) Mount Vernon.

9. Spanish names.

The Spanish church names currently are “auxiliary” (Primera/First), “Bible” (El Cordero de Dios/The Lamb of God; El Camino/The Way) and “pleasant” (Nueva Esperanza/New Hope).

Another aspect of church names is the “sub-denominational” name (a name that tells what kind of Baptist). Many Baptist churches in their church names identify and denominate themselves within a certain type or affiliations of Baptist – Bible Baptist, Free Will Baptist, Missionary Baptist, Primitive Baptist. Southern Baptists usually give a clue on their signage as to their being Southern Baptist (SBC initials, the SBC logo) and churches in the ABA and BMAA sometimes do that as well. The group name “Primitive” was first a designation after an 1830s division of Baptists in the United States, “we are the original or primitive Baptists.” It came to be used as a sub-denominational identifier. Some earlier group identifiers are no longer used in Rusk County, such as Colored, Free, Predestinarian, Separate, and United.

---

Note: A sub-denomination is a “subordinate denomination or class,” that is, Baptist being the denominational name of churches holding a common denominator of beliefs, and the sub-denominations being those who diverge from one another because of other distinct doctrinal differences.

Big Spring and Mount Vernon Anniversaries

The following announcements give us an idea of how old Big Spring Baptist Church and Mount Vernon Baptist Church are. 

In 2014 Big Spring was celebrating its 117th Anniversary, meaning it must have been organized circa 1897. Mount Vernon was celebrating its 100th Anniversary, meaning it must have been organized circa 1914.

Henderson Daily News, Sunday, November 2, 2014, p. 3A

Both of these Baptist churches are predominantly African American. Big Spring meets in the Big Spring Community in west central Rusk County. Mount Vernon meets just north of Henderson on Highway 43.

Association historical markers

The History & Archives Committee of the Missionary Baptist Association of Texas is responsible for erecting some memorial plaques for deceased ministers. There are several of these in Rusk County cemeteries, as well as on the grounds (plaza) at the Sweetgum Grove Museum in Henderson. In Rusk County I know of the following:

Ebenezer Cemetery

• Allen John and Anna Loree Nelson Kirkland (1984)

Holleman Cemetery

• J. W. Griffith (2000)
• O. H. Griffith (2007)

Sweetgum Grove Museum

The church museum was erected in 1982 by the History and Archives Committees of the Mt. Zion Association and Missionary Baptist Association of Texas. I believe those at the Museum included below all pastored in Rusk County.

• William Herbert Brown (2006)
• George Ballard Crawford (2003)
• Cub Havis McBryde (1999)

Zion Hill Cemetery

• R. E. Rodgers (1988)

In addition to this, there are some markers outside of Rusk County that memorialize men who pastored in Rusk County – such as G. D. Walters, who is buried in Polk County.

Baptist historical markers, 2024

I have found at least 15 Baptist churches in Rusk County have historical markers:

Antioch (Baptist Church and Community)

A group of freedpersons established the Antioch Community when they organized Antioch Baptist Church in 1866. The congregation planted five other area churches between 1884 abd 1914, and served as a focal point of the settlement. Another important institution was Antioch School, whose one-room structure was replaced by a four-room building financed through the Rosenwald Fund in the early 1920s; the school closed in 1966 due to integration. Residents interred the deceased in New Prospect Colored Cemetery; an additional burial ground, named Antioch Memorial Garden, was later added. Today, Antioch continues to be a community eager to preserve its rich heritage. (2009)

Arlam Baptist Church

Organized as Mt. Pisgah Missionary Baptist Church of Christ, this congregation began meeting in the Pine Flat schoolhouse in Nacogdoches County in August 1897. Eleven members met for services with pastor M. L. Hones in the schoolhouse until December of 1898, when they moved to the Arlam School in Rusk County. In 1904 the congregation, in cooperation with the Woodmen of the World Lodge, erected a new structure in the Arlam community, near the school, which they shared with area Methodists. A tornado devastated that structure in 1942, and a new sanctuary was built on the site of the old Arlam schoolhouse. By 1951 church minutes reflected the change of the congregation's name to Arlam Baptist Church. The church continued to thrive, serving the community with a variety of programs. (2000)

First Baptist Church of Henderson

Begun in 1845 by the Rev. Lemuel Herrin (d. 1852), pioneer missionary Baptist minister from Tennessee, this church was reorganized in 1850 by Elders John B. Renfro and J. O. Walker, and the Rev. Jesse Witt, who served as the first pastor. Total membership in 1850 was 21. In its early years, the fellowship shared a meeting place with the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. The present church building was dedicated April 25, 1954. At least three other congregations have been sponsored by this one. The membership has grown steadily in recent years to the current total of over 1800. (1976)

Forest Home Baptist Church

This congregation was organized in 1889 by the Rev. J. R. Goode and eight charter members: Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Jefferson Mercer; Mr. & Mrs. George Augustus Meadows; Mr. & Mrs. Isaac Johnson, Sr.; and Mr. & Mrs. Isaac Johnson, Jr. The first sanctuary was a one-room log structure with one door and no windows. It was replaced by a larger frame building which also served as a school for children from Rusk and Gregg counties. Additional facilities were built over the years to accommodate the growing congregation, which includes descendants of the charter members. (1990)

Hickory Grove Baptist Church

Cross Roads Community, located in northern Rusk County and southern Gregg County, recognized a need for a cemetery and church in 1911. In 1912, five acres of land which adjoined the pre-existing Hickory Grove Cemetery on the west side were purchased. Construction of a church began in late 1912. In 1930, the name was changed from Missionary Baptist Church of Christ at Hickory Grove to Hickory Grove Baptist Church. In 1991, the building was relocated across Rusk County Road 284 to land donated by the Still family. The original sanctuary was replaced in 1992 with a new auditorium. For over a century, Hickory Grove Baptist Church has been an active source of support for the community and those in need. (2014)

Liberty Missionary Baptist Church

Organized in the Sugar Hill community in 1866, the Liberty Missionary Baptist Church was accepted into the Mt. Zion Baptist Association in 1868. A new building was erected east of the original church and school in 1897. In 1927 the church had 68 members, and by 1945 the congregation reached a record 159. In 1949 and 1950 the church joined the Baptist Missionary Association on regional, state, and national levels; weekly worship services began in 1952. An expanded modern facility replaced earlier structures in 1991. The Liberty Missionary Baptist Church continues a proud tradition of religious worship and community outreach. (1998)

London Baptist Church

London Baptist Church traces its history to 1856. By 1857 church members shared meeting facilities with the Odd Fellows Lodge in a jointly owned building located on the stagecoach route from Henderson to Waco. The structure was destroyed by fire in 1877. In 1897 a new building was constructed near the same location. When oil was discovered in the area in 1930, London became a boom town and the church prospered, as well. Throughout its history, London Baptist Church has served the community with a variety of worship, educational, and outreach programs. (1991)

Mission Springs Baptist Church

Several members of Ebenezer Baptist Church, organized nearby in 1884, established Missionary Springs Baptist Church n 1894. The church is named for springs at the site of initial brush arbor services. The Rev. William Hendrix was called as first pastor in 1902, the year the church joined the Southern Baptist Association. A frame sanctuary was erected at this site about 1905. Renamed Mission Springs Baptist Church about 1918, the congregation has acquired new facilities over the years and continues its support of a Sunday School, youth groups, and home and foreign missions. (Sesquicentennial of Texas Statehood 1845 – 1995)

Mt. Zion Baptist Church & Cemetery (Laneville)

Pending (applied for, not yet erected)

New Prospect Baptist Church & Cemetery

Located on part of the Hansel Wright Survey, this congregation and cemetery were established in the 1850s. Many early church members, including organizers Thomas Ballenger (1811-1882) and B.F. Montgomery (1810-1900), migrated to the area from Spartanburg County, South Carolina. This site was named in honor of a church in their home state. The first property here was obtained in 1855 from Miles Yandle, the son-in-law of Hansel Wright. The burial ground contains the graves of many pioneer settlers and members of the fellowship. (1980)

Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church

Captain Robert W. Smith (1814-51), a veteran of the Texas Revolution, donated land at this site in 1845 for use by a Cumberland Presbyterian Church. The first building here, a log chapel, was also used for school classes. In 1856 the property was traded to a congregation of Baptists from the nearby community of London (4 mi. NW). Organized that year as Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church, the fellowship has continued to worship here. The church and adjacent cemetery were legally separated in 1953 by court decree. (1980)

Sardis Baptist Church

In the 1850s, several families settled in an area that became Pleasant Grove, also known as Shake Rag. In 1911, the community organized a Baptist Church. The church met in the Pleasant Grove school house that was shared with the Methodist church. In 1921, Rufus and Mary Allen donated 1.5 acres and lumber from his sawmill for a church building. The deed expressly stated that the frame building would be shared by all denominations. The first pastor was Brother Deckert Anderson. In 1951, a Sunday School room was added, but in 1958, the building was sold and a larger church was built to accommodate the growing membership. The church is all that remains of this community. (175 Years of Texas Independence 1836-2011)

Smyrna Baptist Church

This congregation grew from the pioneer Mt. Carmel Baptist Church, which was organized in 1858. On August 16, 1873, following the earlier dissolution of Mt. Carmel, several former members and area residents attended a meeting at Chinquapin Spring which resulted in formation of the Smyrna Baptist Church. Early facilities at Chinquapin Spring and Redland were shared with local Methodists. A separate sanctuary was constructed here in 1907. Since the organization of Smyrna Baptist Church in 1873, the congregation has been a member of the Mt. Zion Association. (1981)

Sulphur Springs Missionary Baptist Church

While no church records predating 1895 exist today, tradition holds that Sulphur Springs Missionary Baptist Church dates to 1890, when area residents formed the congregation. They first met in the Sulphur Springs schoolhouse near the springs for which the community is named. In the early part of the 20th century, the congregation moved to this site, where it built a frame sanctuary. Other facilities were added during the next several decades as the church continued to grow. Over the years, members have supported other churches through the Texas Mission Builders program, as well as denominational organizations such as the American Baptist Association. (2005)

Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church & Cemetery

In 1867 Augustus Ferguson deeded 8.5 acres of land for a church and school. This congregation was formed in 1868, with the Rev. John Sparkman (1821-82) as the first Pastor. According to tradition, there were 15 charter members. Services were originally held in a log cabin. A frame church, built in 1880-81, was destroyed by fire in 1943 and replaced by the present structure. Unmarked graves in the nearby cemetery predate the church's founding. Burials there include church members, war veterans, and former slaves. (1978)

Other

In addition, the Campground Cemetery marker mentions that the “Mt. Zion Baptist Association, composed of thirteen area Baptist churches, was organized on this property in 1857” and the Redland Church historical marker mentions Smyrna Baptist Church.

Campground Cemetery

The Mt. Zion Baptist Association, composed of thirteen area Baptist churches, was organized on this property in 1857. The cemetery's name is derived from the use of the Mt. Zion Baptist Church sanctuary and grounds as a campsite by Confederate General John A. Wharton's Cavalry troop in 1864-1865. Although the first recorded burial is that of Guss Christopher in 1910, the presence of a number of unmarked grave sites suggests earlier burials. The cemetery contains about 140 burial sites and continues to serve as a graveyard for the surrounding rural community. (Sesquicentennial of Texas Statehood 1845 – 1995)

Redland Church

This church traces its history to 1873, when a small group of worshippers gathered together at Chinquapin Springs (one mile east) to build a community church. A small one-room log structure was completed on August 16, 1873, and was used by both Methodist and Baptist congregations.

 Land at this site was donated for church and school purposes by pioneer settler Hugh Blair. The log church at Chinquapin Springs was relocated here and used as a Union church and school. The Baptist and Methodist congregations continued to share the facility. Blair donated an adjoining acre of land in 1887 and a new frame sanctuary was built.

 The Baptist congregation ceased using the Union church in 1906 when they moved to the Oak Flat community and built a new church (now known as Smyrna Missionary Baptist Church). After 1906 the Union church was known as Redlands Church and was occupied solely by the Methodist congregation.

 The Methodist congregation disbanded in 1964 and the Redlands Church was purchased at auction by a group of former members. The building is maintained by a Board of Trustees and is used for special services such as memorials, funerals, and weddings.(1989)

Chalk Hill Community Church mentions Baptists

Worship services began about 1917 in the Chalk Hill schoolhouse until a church building was erected in 1921. Materials for the community church were purchased through donations solicited from the citizens of Chalk Hill. In 1925 the women sold baked goods and quilts to purchase a piano for the church. Through the years the structure has served the Baptist, Apostolic, Methodist and Presbyterian denominations. Owned by the community, the building continues to serve as a spiritual and social center of the Chalk Hill area. (1996)

Glenfawn Cemetery mentions church

Cemetery was begun after the death of Julien Sidney Devereux (1805-56), with the remains of his father, John W. Devereux (1769-1847), and an infant son reinterred soon after. Called Devereux and Sand Field, the plot served nearby Forest Hill community ( 1 mile N), site of academy founded by Devereux in 1850. Name was changed to Glenfawn in 1872 when post office opened with Charles Nunnally, postmaster. The settlement had several stores, two blacksmiths, school, church and Masonic Lodge building. The old Methodist-Baptist Church was located east of cemetery. (1973)

I thought Pine Hill Baptist Cemetery had a marker that mentions the Holly Springs Baptist Church, but I did not find the marker. Holly Springs Church originally met across the road from the cemetery.

Old Prospect Anniversary

Sunday, October 6, 2024 is the Fiftieth Anniversary of Old Prospect Baptist Church, organized Sunday October 6, 1974. Anniversary services (d.v.) will be held 2 p.m. Please join us.

Old Prospect Baptist Church is an independent unaffiliated missionary Baptist Church in the Sand Flat Community of southeastern Rusk County, Texas. Stafford Harris came to the community as missionary pastor in December of 1972. The Old Prospect believers were constituted as a church on October 6, 1974, by 44 charter members with letters from Landmark Missionary Baptist Church in Mt. Enterprise, Texas. At that time the church affiliated with the Mt. Zion Baptist Association and American Baptist Association. Brother Harris remained at the church until September 1975. Following a brief pastorate by Charles Miller, Old Prospect called Glenn Matlock as pastor with the agreement the church would no longer affiliate with the American Baptist Association. Other former pastors include Clyde Stephens, James “Harry” Matlock, and Joe Fulton. The current pastor is R. L. Vaughn.

R. V. Holleman

Today I post brief bios of two first cousins, Richard Valentine Holleman (1874-1969), son of Clinton Marion Holleman) and Roe Thomas Holleman (1884-1912), son of Robert Houston Holleman). These were previously posted on my other blog, here and here.

R. V. was a Primitive Baptist preacher. R. T. was a Missionary Baptist preacher. Both were born in Rusk County, Texas, but R. V. never pastored in Rusk County. Both were first cousins of my maternal grandmother, a daughter of Moody Valentine Holleman. One candle burned brightly and quickly. Cousin Roe Holleman died of spinal meningitis in the 27th year of his age. He was licensed to preach in March 1901, and ordained December 21, 1902 – making his time in the ministry about ten years. The other candle burned slowly and steadily. Cousin Richard Holleman died in the 95th year of his age, after nearly 63 years in the ministry. He was ordained December 15, 1905. Surely now any religious differences they had are all resolved!

At least two other Holleman-side first cousins were also preachers – Nehemiah Morris “Nead” Holleman, son of John Lawrence Holleman, and Moody Cunningham Hays, son of Parmelia C. Holleman Hays. I have little biographical information on either of these, but may be able to post something later. I once heard the following story about Nead Holleman. He received a call to a church to the south – perhaps around Livingston where he is buried. He moved, did not harvest his crop, but left it for his neighbors to harvest and to have.

FROM ELDER AFTON RICHARDS IN THE “BANNER OF LOVE” OCTOBER 1961: Our Profile this issue is of Elder R. V. Holleman, a pioneer minister of Southeast Texas.

I have not been very closely associated with this good man, but have corresponded with him for some 20 or more years, and heard him preach a few times.

He is counted as one of the truly great old fathers in Israel. While he retired a few years ago, he is still a great influence for good among Primitive Baptists.

My father, who was more closely associated with him, especially in the mid 40’s, said the courts missed one of their best gifts when Brother Holleman did not study law. He said that he had a brilliant technical mind. And my observation of him has proven to me that this is true.

I remember some two years ago some time after he retired, at a session of the Primitive Association, Brother Rowell, the moderator, whom custom said should preach Sunday morning, in his kind way bowed out and gave the time to Brother Holleman. His mind was so clear, and he took a subject and discussed it from a technical standpoint, like an attorney briefing his case. This too, presented in the spirit of the Lord. It could not be put into words the great worth to the cause of Christ of such able old soldiers as Brother Holleman.

WRITTEN BY ELDER HOLLEMAN: I was born in Rusk County, Texas, August 28, 1874 and moved to Leon County October 1884. I have lived in the Wealthy Community since. I united in marriage to Miss Eva Mae Gilbert (who was born Dec. 25, 1884) Dec. 15, 1907. She has been loyal.

I united to Union Church in Leon County on Saturday before the second Sunday in October 1894 and was ordained Dec. 15, 1905. I was in the constitution of Mt. Zion Church at Wealthy in April 1904, and I am the only living charter member.

During my ministry, I have served the three churches in Leon and Madison Counties, one of them (Shiloh) for 47 years. I have served as moderator of our association for 19 years. I have united in marriage 210 couples. I have estimated that I have been in 750 funerals. I have baptized 169 persons.[i]

WRITTEN BY DAVID MONTGOMERY: Elder Holleman had a wide influence in southeast Texas, and the memory of his ministry still lingers in the hearts of the Primitive Baptists in that area. He served the Fellowship Church in Madisonville, Texas for 45 years. He was a civic leader, being instrumental in the extension of rural electrical service into his area. He was postmaster of Wealthy, Texas from 1905 to 1914. He ran a general store at Wealthy for several years and almost went bankrupt when he accepted cotton for more than its value in lieu of money just to help his neighbors out. He served as a school trustee and was a member of the Leon Country Volunteer Parole Board. He was well respected in the church and in his community. He was laid to rest September 12, 1969 at the age of 95 years and 14 days.

The above is taken from Biographical Sketches of Primitive or Old School Baptist Ministers, Volume 2 –  Published 2001 by David Montgomery and Mark Green, and used by permission.

Additional information from his niece, Opal Holleman Miller, who described him as “a gentle smart man”:

• R. V. Holleman was baptized by Elder J. C. Denton on Sunday October, 14, 1894, the morning after he united with the Union Primitive Baptist Church by experience.
• R. V. Holleman taught music and was a song leader, in addition to his preaching ministry.
• R. V. Holleman resigned the pastoral care of his churches in 1952, but continued to serve Mt. Zion and Union in other ways, including church clerk.
• Beginning in 1948, couples he had married started a tradition of visiting Elder Holleman and his wife every 3rd Sunday in May, and continued the tradition until his death.[ii]

---

[i] Sometime after writing this, Richard Holleman remembered one other baptism he had forgotten, bringing the total to 170. A complete list of “Baptisms Held by Elder Richard Valentine Holleman, Primitive Baptist Minister” can be found in Leon Hunters Dispatch, Vol. 14, No. 3, Spring 1993, pp. 80-85.

[ii] When Gilford Vaughn pastored Crossroads Missionary Baptist Church at Normangee, Texas, he told me that R. V. Holleman had married most all of the older couples in his church.

R. T. Holleman

Today I post brief bios of two first cousins, Richard Valentine Holleman (1874-1969), son of Clinton Marion Holleman) and Roe Thomas Holleman (1884-1912), son of Robert Houston Holleman). These were previously posted on my other blog, here and here.

R. V. was a Primitive Baptist preacher. R. T. was a Missionary Baptist preacher. Both were first cousins of my maternal grandmother, a daughter of Moody Valentine Holleman. One candle burned brightly and quickly. Cousin Roe Holleman died of spinal meningitis in the 27th year of his age. He was licensed to preach in March 1901, and ordained December 21, 1902 – making his time in the ministry about ten years. The other candle burned slowly and steadily. Cousin Richard Holleman died in the 95th year of his age, after nearly 63 years in the ministry. He was ordained December 15, 1905. Surely now any religious differences they had are all resolved!

At least two other Holleman-side first cousins were also preachers – Nehemiah Morris “Nead” Holleman, son of John Lawrence Holleman, and Moody Cunningham Hays, son of Parmelia C. Holleman Hays.[i] I have little biographical information on either of these, but may be able to post something later. I once heard the following story about Nead Holleman. He received a call to a church to the south – perhaps around Livingston where he is buried. He moved, did not harvest his crop, but left it for his neighbors to harvest and to have.

The youngest man ever to serve as pastor of the First Baptist Church in Nacogdoches was Roe Thomas Holleman, in 1907 and 1908. He was born on September 27, 1884, in the Oak Flat community between Mt. Enterprise and Laneville, Rusk County, Texas. His parents were Robert H. Holleman and Nancy Jane Vaughn.

Roe Holleman attended rural schools in Rusk County, and graduated from high school at Cushing, Nacogdoches County.[ii] He felt the divine call to preach at the age of seventeen. He was licensed by Smyrna Baptist in March 1901. In the March conference Smyrna church elected a committee “to investigate the matter in regard to Brethren Roe Holleman and Edwin Stanford’s application to preach.” The committee retired forthwith, evidently in consultation with the prospective ministers, came back and made their report in the same meeting, and the two were given “the privilege to preach.” Roe Holleman began preaching in rural churches in Rusk County.

Roe Holleman conducted divine services in the Smyrna Church conference of July 1901, and again in August. He enrolled in Jacksonville Baptist College, and seems to have attended there 1902-1904. On October 18, 1902, Smyrna Church considered the request of W. B. Perry, representing Mt. Enon Church, for ordination of Bro. R. T. Holleman to the full work of the ministry. Ordination of Brethren J. W. Bryan and J. A. Jones to the deaconship was already pending, the first date for the deaconship service not having been kept “on account of Providential hinderance (sic) in the form of rain.” Consequently, the two deacons and the minister were all ordained on December 21, 1902. Bro. J. A. Lee preached the ordination sermon; other members of the presbytery were Elders E. C. Rice, M. L. Vaughn, Wm. M. Pruitt, V. T. Vaughn, Jas. A. Long, and J. J. Burks.

In 1906-1907, he served as pastor of both the Sacul Baptist Church in Sacul and the Central Baptist Church in Cushing, both in Nacogdoches County. In 1908 he served the Baptist Church at Mt. Enterprise, Rusk County. His reputation as a preacher soon spread to the town of Nacogdoches, where the First Baptist Church secured his services as pastor. After resigning his Nacogdoches pastorate, he returned to Cushing where he again served as pastor for a time.

In his earliest ministry, Roe Holleman apparently maintained his membership for the most part of the time in the Smyrna Church, though he was pastoring elsewhere. His ministry began in turbulent times for associational Baptists in Texas. Disgruntled members (and possibly some non-members) of the Baptist General Convention of Texas – often designated as the “church-party” – formed the Baptist Missionary Association of Texas in 1900. Smyrna Church supported the “church-party” and the BMA of Texas. Supporters of the BGT of Texas were termed the “board-party.” Roe Holleman struggled with his affiliation. In February 1905, the church voted to “receive the credentials of Bro. R. T. Holleman for the present by his request to wait for further developments.” Subsequently the church voted to restore the credentials of Brother Holleman on July 15 of the same year. This circumstance likely was related to the division and his attempt to find his place in it. Eventually Roe Holleman cast his lot with board-party (Convention) Baptists.[iii]

Roe Holleman married Ola Menefee of Huntsville, Texas on December 30, 1908, who was at that time teaching in the Cushing High school. To this union were born two sons, Irvin Thomas Holleman and Samuel Brooks Holleman. At some point, he enrolled in and attended Baylor University, with 1911-12 being his senior year. Roe Holleman died during that senior year on January 18, 1912, of cerebral meningitis. While attending Baylor, he had an appointment once a month at Cushing. He had traveled from Waco, filled his appointment at Cushing on Sunday morning January 14, and then went to his parents’ home in the Oak Flat Community. He became sick Sunday afternoon, and suffered greatly from what was diagnosed as spinal meningitis. He died on Thursday in the home of his parents.[iv]

Roe Thomas Holleman was considered a very brilliant young preacher, who, had he lived a longer life, might have become one of the foremost preachers in Texas.[v] From the sources we know that Roe Holleman pastored at least these churches in his brief career: Central Baptist, Cushing, Nacogdoches County; Cool Springs Baptist, Rusk County; First Baptist, Mt. Enterprise, Rusk County; First Baptist, Nacogdoches, Nacogdoches County; Minden Baptist, Minden, Rusk County; Mt. Enon Baptist, Rusk County; Sacul Baptist, Sacul, Nacogdoches County.

This biography combines information from Seventy-five Years in Nacogdoches by William Tellis Parmer, Centennial + 5 by James Wyatt Griffith, East Texas Family Records, and family information passed down.

---

[i] Roe also had three first cousins on the Vaughn side who were Baptist preachers, Robert Raymond Scruggs, Benjamin Lewis Vaughn, and William Wyatt Vaughn.

[ii] Likely because the rural schools did not have as many grades as the schools in towns. Even in the 1930s when by parents were in high school, Oak Flat had 10 grades, and both went to other schools to attend the 11th grade.

[iii] Planning a simple memorial service for Roe Holleman was not so simple. The following incident reminds us of the super-strained feelings from the Baptist division of 1900. “Unended bitterness resulted from this schism of Baptists. Especially was there strong feeling in the beginning. The most apparent case in the Smyrna Church was that involving Bro. Roe Holleman. After the untimely death of Bro. Holleman January 18, 1912 some desired to hold a memorial service in the Smyrna Church building, with Bro. Leland Malone, a Convention pastor, giving the message. This was not allowed until, on March 12, ‘on motion the church granted Elder Leland Malone the use of the church house to hold Bro. Roe Holleman’s funeral service the third Sunday in April, 1912.’” Centennial + 5: History of Smyrna Baptist Church of Rusk County, Texas, 1873-1978, J. W. Griffith, Henderson, TX: , 1978, p. 18.

[iv] There are some conflicts on his death date. Seventy-five Years in Nacogdoches gives January 17. An obituary reproduced in East Texas Family Records (Vol. 7, No. 2, Summer 1983, p. 29) says he died “Friday morning at 7 o’clock” – which would have been the 19th of January. Engraved on his tombstone is January 18, 1912, which I have accepted as correct and consistent with our family records.

[v] Seventy-five Years in Nacogdoches: a History of the First Baptist Church, 1884-1959, William Tellis Parmer, Dallas, TX: Dorsey Company, 1959, pp. 207-208. His widow, Mrs. Ola Parker, gave some of the biographical information given by William T. Parmer.