The Story of Black Jack Bethel Church : Page 18

Concerning Bethel Baptist Church ( BlackJack ) And Some of the Old Preachers

In the early eighteen-thirties there was a great inrush of settlers to the eastern half of Yazoo county. The government had just purchased the land from the Indians, and the farmers of Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia eager for the fertile lands, came pouring in. This particular section was vast forest ofgiant trees, and when the land was cleared it produced big crops of cotton at a great profit. Naturally, within a few years there was a family on nearly every hill.

The early pioneers were a sturdy stock, and with their guns and axes soon established their homes here in the wilderness and began to prosper. But there were a Godfearing people, and like Abraham of old, they brought there altars with them.

As there were hardly enough of them belonging to the same denomination to establish denominational churches the most of the early meeting-houses were Union churches. Accordingly, the first church named Blackjack was a Union church. It evidently got its name from the fact that there were a few blackjack oaks on its premises, as I never heard any other reason given for it. It was a house built of logs, and it stood on a spot North of the present brick building. Here, for some years, religious services were conducted by wayfaring preachers, colporters, and pious men of the community. Finally, there were enough people for a baptist church.

It was a tribute to the men who founded a baptist church here that four acres of land were given for the purpose by two of the community's prominent and prosperous citizens. On September 11, 1843, William Henry Stubblefield deeded the two acres West of the public road to the new church, and on the same date Robert Day deeded the two acres East of the public road. Neither of the donors was a baptist, yet they evidently envisioned a long life and a great future for the new church. For present needs, at the time, one acre would have sufficed, yet here we find the two old pioneers giving four acres of valuable land for an infant church and cemetery. Somebody was wisely looking forward to this day, one-hundred years later; somebody had great confidence in the founders.

Duncan C. Henderson, Campbell Bull, and John McCormack were very prominent in our early history, this without detracting from any other member. They headed the important committees, were the first deacons, and in general spoke with authority. However, these three were the committee appointed in 1846 to ?elect a new name in the place of the pioneer Blackjack. Their choice of Bethel was unanimously adopted by the conference, but the old name persisted and now has started on its second hundred years stronger than ever.

We now cal the roll of the Charter Members, as given in Minute Book No. I.

(Read at the 100th and also on the 150th Anniversary)