Jack Hyles in Rusk County

Jack Frasure Hyles became a famous preacher as the pastor for First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana from August of 1959 until his death in February of 2001, a period of over forty years. At times during the pastorate of Hyles, First Baptist of Hammond was recognized for having the world’s largest Sunday school (1970s) and for being the largest Baptist Church in the United States (1990s). Jack Hyles led First Baptist Hammond to found the Hyles-Anderson College and Hammond Baptist Schools. For many years he was associated with John R. Rice, editor of The Sword of the Lord. Late in his ministry, Hyles attraced a lot of negative publicity.

Before going to Hammond, Indiana, Hyles pastored four churches in Texas, Marris Chapel at Bogata, Grange Hall in Marshall, Miller Road in Garland – and the Southside Baptist Church in Henderson, Rusk County, Texas. He was probably pastor in Henderson for about 1-1/2 years (and probably a student at ETBU in Marshall at the time). Jack F. Hyles is listed as pastor of Southside in “Table A. Church and Membership” of the Rusk County Missionary Baptist Association “For Year Ending September 30, 1952” (p. 43), but not again in the 1953 minute book. Comparing the 1951-1953 association minutes suggests that Hyles came to Southside after September 30, 1951 (probably early-to-mid 1952), and left sometime in 1953 before Southside prepared their September 30, 1953 report. He led Miller Road Baptist Church of Garland out of the Southern Baptist Convention to become an Independent Fundamentalist Baptist Church. He also led First Baptist Church of Hammond out of the American Baptist Convention.

Jack F. Hyles was born 100 years ago in Italy, Ellis County, Texas. He is buried at the Memory Lane Memorial Cemetery in Schererville, Lake County, Indiana.

Mt. Zion Association changes Article V

“On motion of N. Conner, the fifth article of the Constitution was stricken out and the following inserted in its place, viz: Churches petitioning for membership in this Association by letter and delegates, or delegates, may be admitted if upon an examination of their faith they are found to be orthodox, according to the principles of this Association, which shall be confirmed by the Moderator, giving their delegates the right hand of fellowship.” 1858 minutes, p. 3.

The article as adopted in 1857 originally read:

“New churches may be admitted into this Union, who may petition by letter and delegates and upon examination, if found orthodox and orderly, holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience, they shall be received into the Union, which shall be manifested by the Moderator giving the delegates the right hand of fellowship.” 1857 minutes, p. 10.

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

Another form of burglary

The Mt. Enterprise Progress, Thursday, June 12, 1924, p. 4.

M. L. Vaughn, 1858-1947, Rusk County Baptist preacher

Rusk County Baptist History Project

Lord willing, I will present the “Rusk County Baptist History Project” at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday July 15th to the Timpson Area Genealogical & Heritage Society. The meeting is held in the meeting room of the Timpson Public Library located at the intersection of Austin Street and Bremond Street.

I am compiling a history of the Baptist Churches of Rusk County, Texas. I have four goals:

• Compile history of each church through a questionnaire to each church, as well as researching other resources (such as association records, newspaper accounts, personal memories).
• Preserve as much history as possible in electronic files, including written history and photographs of church buildings.
• Place the completed questionnaires and electronic file on record at the Rusk County Historical Commission.
• Print an abridged version of the history of the Baptists of Rusk County.

I hope to contact and visit every existing Baptist Church in the county. There are currently nearly 100 active Baptist Churches in Rusk County, and since the commencement of the project I have visited about 3/4 of them. In the past I have also attended some of the churches that are no longer in existence.

Mt. Zion, Oak Grove

Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church

• Other names: Oak Grove
• Type: Missionary Baptist
• Language and/or ethnicity: Predominantly Anglo-American
• When organized: Unknown, at least by 1926
• Charter members: Unknown
• First pastor: Unknown
• Other pastors: Brother Melton, J. D. Pate, Walter H. Ingram, Brother Eason,  Alvin Pate, Calvin L. Honea, Cullen R. Keating, Vada S. Lyles, Jack Lucas, Stafford S. Harris, Herman Bryan, J. F. Tompkins
• Zone: Southeast Rusk County
• Location: County Road 3280, Oak Grove Community. Approx: 31.893896, -94.503048
• Affiliation: Shelby County Association, Missionary Baptist Association of Texas, American Baptist Association
• When disbanded: After 1966

The Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church met in the Oak Grove Community south of Caledonia, Rusk County. The building was a short way down what is now County Road 3280. The building was on the left (west) near or before the 90-degree curve.[i] What’s left of the abandoned cemetery is across the road. J. F. Tompkins is listed as pastor in 1968 Missionary Baptist Association of Texas minutes; by 1972 the church was no longer listed in the MBAT Year Book. (This was probably a case of simply leaving a disbanded church in for several years before removing it.) Mt. Zion was not represented in the Shelby County Association 1967, but last represented in 1966. This church was in the Shelby County Missionary Baptist Association from 1926 to 1966, according to J. W. Griffith’s Century One history, pp. 72-73. When the church disbanded, “the majority of members moved to New Columbia.”[ii]

Known cemetery burials/markers are HERE.

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[i] I originally thought I was told that the church building was on the right, across the road from the cemetery. However, on a 1955 General Highway Map of Rusk County, Texas, the church house symbol is shown on the left, on the cemetery side. This has been confirmed by people what have attended there in the past, including Betty Hancock and Jeff Elliott.
[ii] Griffith, James Wyatt. Century One: Shelby County Missionary Baptist Association, 1881-1980; a Brief History, Henderson, TX: Criterion Press, 1980, page 72.