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: 31.894075, -94.502540
• 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 right near 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 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] At least that is what I remember being told. However, on a 1955 General Highway Map of Rusk County, Texas, the church house symbol is shown on the left, on the cemetery side.
[ii] Griffith, Century One, 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.

M. L. Vaughn Family

 

You should be able to click on and enlarge the photo.

The entire family (children and grandchildren) of Marshall Lewis Vaughn and Martha Jane Sanders, of Oak Flat, Texas, circa 1909.

From left to right: Grace Vaughn (married Taylor Lyles), Ben Vaughn (died 1912), Marshall Vaughn (behind picture), George Vaughn (died 1905), Martha Jane “Mat” Sanders Vaughn (behind picture), Wiley J. Vaughn (died 1895), Ruth Vaughn (died 1924), Pearlie Mae Vaughn (babe in arms), James T. “Jim” Vaughn, Delanie Jane “Lanie” Whitten Vaughn, Ada Vaughn (married Horace B. Woolverton), Alice Vaughn (married Moody C. Holleman), Levi Vaughn (married Viola Allen).

I assume the old dog trot style house was probably built around the time Marshall and Martha Jane married, 1881. An intriguing feature is the shingles on the roof, suggesting one side was added on later. This old home was torn down around 1960 or so, I believe.

I am guessing a date of 1909 for this photo. The little girl in the picture, my Aunt Pearl, was born July 14, 1908. The next child, Uncle Lewis, not born yet, was born April 7, 1910. It was taken between those dates. A good guess on how old Pearl is in the picture would date it a little better.

Elder M. L. Vaughn

Newspaper article about Marshall Lewis Vaughn.

“Pioneer Minister Preaches Regularly Despite Age of Over Seventy-Five,” Henderson News Herald. Sunday, February 5, 1933, page 2, section 2

Update on Elder M. S. Bourland

After writing about Melton Stuard Bourland in May of last year, I found some more information that I had not noticed at the time.

The Bourlands were in Texas at least by March of 1867, when he was present on “Saturday before the first Sabbath in March” at the Union Baptist Church near Nacogdoches, and conducted the divine services. At the conference of Union Church the next month – Saturday before the first Sabbath in April – “Elder M. S. Bourland and Sister S. A. Bourland presented a letter from Liberty Church Kentucky and were received.” This suggests the Bourlands may have first settled in East Texas near Nacogdoches.

The punctuated preacher and a stinging sermon

Here is a story about Brother W. G. Griffith and the chicken mites, a punctuated sermon preached just inside the Rusk County line. It is recorded in 50 Years in East Texas Pulpits: the Life of W. G. (Greer) Griffith, 1891-1974, James Wyatt Griffith. Henderson, TX: J. W. Griffith, page 8.

The County Line Missionary Baptist Church and Cemetery is in the Eulalie Community in southeastern Rusk County, but sitting just across from the Panola County Line. County Line was organized in 1884; J. H. McLeroy was the first pastor. William M. and Martha J. (Keating) Britton donated the land for the church and cemetery.