Contemplating a new association

On August 22, 1857, eleven churches met at the Shiloh Church in Rusk County “to consider the propriety of organizing a new Association.” These churches were: Harmony, Union (Nacogdoches County); New Salem, Cool Spring, Mt. Moriah, Mt. Zion, Shiloh, Holley Springs (Rusk County); Bethel Macedonia, Independence (Panola County). Allen Birdwell served as chair and A. Parker as secretary. They gave as primary reasons for a new organization the “great destitution that must be supplied with the preaching of the Word” and “the extent of the territory embraced in the bounds of his Association to which we belong.”

The Texas Baptist (Anderson, Texas), Wednesday, September 2, 1857, p. 3

When they met at Mt. Zion October 30-31, 1857, thirteen churches were represented: New Salem, Union (Nacogdoches County); Cool Spring, Friendship, Holly Springs, Mt. Carmel, Mt. Moriah, Mt. Zion, New Prospect, Pleasant Grove, Shiloh (Rusk County), Bethel, Independence (Panola County). Harmony in Nacogdoches County and Macedonia in Panola County were represented in August, but not in October. Both of them joined the association in 1858. New Salem listed as in Rusk County in August was probably in error and instead was the New Salem church in Nacogdoches County – which was in the organization. Regardless, the New Salem Church in Rusk County joined the association in 1858.[i] There were four Rusk County churches present in October that were not present in August: Friendship, Mt. Carmel, New Prospect, Pleasant Grove.

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[i] It is also possible that Friendship at New Salem in the organization in 1857 reorganized and joined the association as New Salem in 1858. However, there are no names in common between the 1857 Friendship Baptist Church at New Salem and the 1858 New Salem Baptist Church. From 1857 to 1858 the association grew from 13 to 19 churches.

Traveling on horseback

The Singing reported here occurred in Troupe (now Troup), which is in Smith County, in the summer of 1908. The report mentions some of the represented singing classes, including “Old Bro. and Sis. Russian” (sic) from Zion Hill. This was Travis David Rousseau (1824-1914) and Julia Ann Iverson Rousseau (1832-1913) of Zion Hill in Rusk County. Mr. Rousseau was of Huguenot descent, and head of the Rousseau clan of Rusk County. He and his wife were members of the Baptist Church at Zion Hill, and were avid Sacred Harp singers. The article says that even at age 84, Travis Rousseau would travel 40 or 50 miles on horseback to attend a Sacred Harp Singing.

The Troupe Banner, Thursday, August 6, 1908, page 5