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. Frin 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.

Vaughn and Matlock

When I was called to pastor Old Prospect in 1983, I did not know much about the church and community. I would later learn that my great-grandpa Vaughn had connections there. For example, Beeman Strong told me that M. L. Vaughn once preached a two-week revival at Old Prospect and stayed with his grandfather John R. Strong. More recently I found that M. L. Vaughn was a good friend and co-laborer with J. A. Matlock, who lived on Beech Creek and pastored churches in the area, including Old Prospect. M. L. Vaughn pastored two churches associated with the Matlock families – Union Springs and Isabel Chapel.

The Mt. Enterprise Progress, Thursday, June 5, 1924, page 1

The context dictates that there is a typo in the statement “over fourteen funerals,” obviously meant as “over fourteen hundred funerals.”

The Mt. Enterprise Progress, Thursday, June 5, 1924, page 1

“Oak Flat News,” The Mt. Enterprise Progress, Thursday, June 5, 1924, page 1

Notice the difference in how the newspaper speaks of “Rev.” Matlock, while M. L. Vaughn speaks of “Elder” Matlock.

Note: the date on Volume 6, No. 5 of the newspapers is incorrect. It was likely printed on the 12th. J. A. Matlock died on June 8th, so his death could not have been announced on June 5th.

East Texas Baptist Convention

This regional convention was organized at Overton, Rusk County, Texas, whose purpose was “to encourage and foster the missionary spirit in our Churches and to develop the powers and resources of this section of the State.” The body adopted a constitution December 12, 1877. In addition to the Overton Church, some Rusk County Baptist churches participated in this Convention during its lifetime from 1877 to 1885 (at least Harmony Hill, Mt. Zion, and Henderson).[1] Though they sent no delegates, the “St. John’s (Colored)” Baptist Church contributed $3.10 to the convention in 1882.[2] At this time it is uncertain which St. John’s Church this was.

Over the years the churches in East Texas felt neglected in the state works, which was part of the impetus for organizing the East Texas Baptist Convention. Leaders in other parts of the state, such as B. H. Carroll, opposed it. This feeling of the East Texas churches was longstanding and ongoing, and in part led to a majority of churches in East Texas withdrawing from the Baptist General Convention in 1900 to form the Baptist Missionary Association of Texas.

In 1885, this East Texas Baptist Convention consolidated with the Baptist General Association of Texas, which in turn consolidated with the Baptist State Convention to form the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Below are two pictures showing the 11 articles of the Constitution adopted in 1877.

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[1] 1877, Overton; 1878; 1879; 1880; 1881, Marshall; 1882, Buena Vista; 1883, Longview; 1884, Tyler; 1885, Center.
[2] It is not clear which St. John’s Church this was. Several exist and have existed with that name.