Older Baptist churches in Rusk County
The following notes suggest some of the older Baptist churches in Rusk County. These are preliminary and subject to reassessment, clarification and/or correction as I research all the Baptists in Rusk County.
African-American Baptist
Mother Zion, Henderson, 1876
Mt. Zion, Laneville, 1870
Information from Clyde McQueen’s Black Churches of Texas: A Guide to Historic Congregations and Mt. Zion’s cornerstone
American Baptist Association
Pleasant Hill, New London, between 1855 and 1859
Information from Mt. Zion minutes, 2003
Baptist (not classified)
[ext.] Enon, southeastern Rusk County, ca. 1845 (in the Sabine Baptist Association by fall of 1845)
[ext.] Henderson, Henderson, ca. 1845 (in the Sabine Baptist Association by fall of 1845)
[ext.] Hepsaba, Henderson, ca. 1847 (in the Sabine Baptist Association by fall of 1847)
[ext.] Mt. Zion, Lawsonville, by 1857 (Mt. Zion Association was organized at this church)
Information from Sabine Baptist Association minutes
Baptist Missionary Association
New Salem, New Salem, 1858
Information from Baptist New Service’s BMAA Directory and Handbook
Free Will Baptist
Good Hope, Henderson, before 1878 (constituent member of the Texas Free Will Baptist Association in 1878).
[ext.] Union Springs, location unknown, before 1878 (constituent member of the Texas Free Will Baptist Association in 1878).
According to the History of Free Will Baptist State Associations (Robert E. Picirilli, ed., 1976, Randall House Publications, Nashville, TN), the first Free Will Baptist Church in Texas was organized at Clayton in Panola County (Rusk County’s eastern neighbor) in 1876. In contrast to this, Z. N. Morrell identifies a division of the old Sabine Baptist Association as the “Free Will Missionary Baptist Association” (org. sometime before 1850, with churches evidently in San Augustine and Sabine counties; p. 192, Flowers and Fruits from the Wilderness).
Primitive Baptist
[ext.] Mt. Ararat, Henderson (was in the Union Association at least by 1854 and the Little Hope Association in and after 1855; the Henderson Primitive Baptist Church may be a descendant of Mt. Ararat)
[ext.] Little Hope, New Salem (was in the Little Hope Association at least by 1855; one can wonder whether the association might have been formed at this church circa 1846)
[ext.] Pilgrim’s Rest, Mt. Enterprise (was in the Little Hope Association at least by 1855)
[ext.] Union, Harmony Hill (was in the Little Hope Association at least by 1855)
[ext.] Concord, Millville (was in the Little Hope Association at least by 1855)
[ext.] Pilgrim, Belleview (was in the Little Hope Association at least by 1855)
Information from notes on East Texas Associations made by Pauline Shirley Murrie and housed at the East Texas Research Center at SFA, Nacogdoches. I have not seen the above minutes.
Southern Baptist Convention
First Baptist, Henderson, 1850
Pine Hill (orig. Holly Springs), Pine Hill, 1851
London, New London, 1856
First Baptist, Overton, 1857
Information from Rusk-Panola Association minutes, 2000
United Baptist
[ext.] Friendship, New Salem (was in the Eastern Texas Association by 1852)
Information from notes on East Texas Associations made by Pauline Shirley Murrie. I have not seen the above minutes.
The notation “ext.” is for “extinct”, meaning the church is (evidently) no longer in existence.
**Updated, October, 2019**
African-American Baptist
Mother Zion, Henderson, 1876
Mt. Zion, Laneville, 1870
Information from Clyde McQueen’s Black Churches of Texas: A Guide to Historic Congregations and Mt. Zion’s cornerstone
American Baptist Association
Pleasant Hill, New London, between 1855 and 1859
Information from Mt. Zion minutes, 2003
Baptist (not classified)
[ext.] Enon, southeastern Rusk County, ca. 1845 (in the Sabine Baptist Association by fall of 1845)
[ext.] Henderson, Henderson, ca. 1845 (in the Sabine Baptist Association by fall of 1845)
[ext.] Hepsaba, Henderson, ca. 1847 (in the Sabine Baptist Association by fall of 1847)
[ext.] Mt. Zion, Lawsonville, by 1857 (Mt. Zion Association was organized at this church)
Information from Sabine Baptist Association minutes
Baptist Missionary Association
New Salem, New Salem, 1858
Information from Baptist New Service’s BMAA Directory and Handbook
Free Will Baptist
Good Hope, Henderson, before 1878 (constituent member of the Texas Free Will Baptist Association in 1878).
[ext.] Union Springs, location unknown, before 1878 (constituent member of the Texas Free Will Baptist Association in 1878).
According to the History of Free Will Baptist State Associations (Robert E. Picirilli, ed., 1976, Randall House Publications, Nashville, TN), the first Free Will Baptist Church in Texas was organized at Clayton in Panola County (Rusk County’s eastern neighbor) in 1876. In contrast to this, Z. N. Morrell identifies a division of the old Sabine Baptist Association as the “Free Will Missionary Baptist Association” (org. sometime before 1850, with churches evidently in San Augustine and Sabine counties; p. 192, Flowers and Fruits from the Wilderness).
Primitive Baptist
[ext.] Mt. Ararat, Henderson (was in the Union Association at least by 1854 and the Little Hope Association in and after 1855; the Henderson Primitive Baptist Church may be a descendant of Mt. Ararat)
[ext.] Little Hope, New Salem (was in the Little Hope Association at least by 1855; one can wonder whether the association might have been formed at this church circa 1846)
[ext.] Pilgrim’s Rest, Mt. Enterprise (was in the Little Hope Association at least by 1855)
[ext.] Union, Harmony Hill (was in the Little Hope Association at least by 1855)
[ext.] Concord, Millville (was in the Little Hope Association at least by 1855)
[ext.] Pilgrim, Belleview (was in the Little Hope Association at least by 1855)
Information from notes on East Texas Associations made by Pauline Shirley Murrie and housed at the East Texas Research Center at SFA, Nacogdoches. I have not seen the above minutes.
Southern Baptist Convention
First Baptist, Henderson, 1850
Pine Hill (orig. Holly Springs), Pine Hill, 1851
London, New London, 1856
First Baptist, Overton, 1857
Information from Rusk-Panola Association minutes, 2000
United Baptist
[ext.] Friendship, New Salem (was in the Eastern Texas Association by 1852)
Information from notes on East Texas Associations made by Pauline Shirley Murrie. I have not seen the above minutes.
The notation “ext.” is for “extinct”, meaning the church is (evidently) no longer in existence.
posted by R. L. Vaughn at 8:00 PM
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