ROBERT W. WOODRUFF
FIBRARY
REV. WILLIAM CAPERS, D.D.,
One of the Bishops of the M. E. Church, South.
PREFACE.
The following pages record the results of missionary enter¬
prise among the African slaves of the Southern states. From
the earliest records available, the editor has obtained the narra¬
tive of the operations of various Christian Churches, including
Baptists, Presbyterians, and Episcopalians. The chief authority
for this narrative was kindly forwarded to me by the Hon.
Richard H. Clark, a gentleman who honors the judicial office in
the city of Atlanta, Ga.
To Miss Annie Maria Barnes is due the credit of collecting
the materials of this volume from contemporary sources. The
work of the editor has been confined to selection, abbreviation,
and arrangement of these materials. When no authority is
given for a statement in the text, the editor is responsible.
That the general public will be surprised to learn some of
the facts recorded in these pages the editor is firmly persuaded.
Who among us realizes the fact that the people of the South
expended nearly or quite tvjo millions of dollars for the evangel¬
ization of the slaves on the cotton and rice plantations between
the years 1829 and 1864? This amount does not express the to¬
tal sum expended by Southern slave holders for the benefit of
the negro slaves. '' Plantation missions " are alone represented,
and these comprised a minority of the slaves in most of the South¬
ern states. Nor do we include the expenditures made by other
Christian Churches. The two millions of dollars were con¬
tributed by the slave holders and their friends to forwai-d the
missions to the slaves conducted by the Methodist Episcopal
Church from 1829 to 1844, and from 1844 to 1864 by the Meth¬
odist Episcopal Church, South. The Editor.
Nashville, Term., January, 1893.
CONTENTS.
Chapter I. Page
St. Paul and the Greek Slave 7
Chapter II.
The Degradation of a Name 17
Chapter III.
Man Was Created to Have Dominion over the Earth 29
Chapter IV.
A Brief Historical Sketch 38
Chapter V.
A Brief Historical Sketch (Continued) 57
Chapter VI.
A Brief Historical Sketch (Concluded) 70
Chapter VII.
The Period of Decline: The Cause 88
Chapter VIII.
The Negro without the Gospel 96
Chapter IX.
Negro Insurrections in
Chapter X.
Beginnings of Missionary Work 117
Chapter XI.
Mission Work (Continued) 136
Chapter XII.
The Gospel on the Plantation 1]V
(5)
6 The Gospel among the Slaves.
Chapter XIII. Page
Plantation Work Continued to 1844 I7I
Chapter XIV.
Notes from the Pioneers *97
Chapter XV.
Plantation Missions from 1844 to 1864 297!
Chapter XVI.
Traits of Christian Character 327
Chapter XVII.
Memorials of Faithful Slaves 364
Chapter XVIII.
Testimony of Prominent Freedmen 376
CHAPTER I.
St. Paul and the Greek Slave.
ST. PAUL was the first preacher of the gospel
to slaves. It is in his writings that we have
the first distinct view of slavery as it existed in
New Testament times, and from the pen of this
apostle to the Gentiles we have distinctly defined
the attitude of the Church toward human slavery:
Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou
mayest be made free, use it rather. For he that is called in
the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also
he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant. Ye are bought
with a price; be not ye the servants of men. Brethren, let
every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God. (i
Cor. vii. 21-24.)
This being the attitude of the Church toward a
civil institution, one with which the Church had
nothing to do, in enlarging, contracting, or abol¬
ishing the relations of master and slave, it is the
logical consequence that this apostle should teach
as a religious duty the service which the state ex¬
acts solely as a political duty. St. Paul says:
Let as many slaves as are under the yoke count their own
masters [AcGTrdrac;, despots] worthy of all honor, that the name of
God and his doctrine be not blasphemed. And they that have
believing masters, let them not despise them, because they are
brethren: but rather do them service, because they are faithful
and beloved, partakers of the benefit. These things teach and
exhort. (1 Tim. vi. 1, 2.)
It will be a profitable inquiry if we look brieflv
(7)
8
The Gospel among the Slaves.
into the character of the civil institution of slavery
as it existed in the lifetime of St. Paul. Prof.
Becker, one of the most accomplished scholars of
modern times, endeavors to account for what he
calls a striking contradiction between the princi¬
ples and the practice of the Greeks. He says:
One of the most striking anomalies in the character of the
Greeks is, that though they acknowledged above all other na¬
tions the value of personal freedom, and kept a jealous guard
against every thing that threatened it from within, and were
ready to resist to the death any encroachment made upon it
from without, still they did not recognize the equal claims of
all to this blessing, but withheld it from millions of their fel¬
low-men, whom they made mere personal instruments of their
will, and reduced to a condition little superior to that of domes¬
tic animals. This strange contradiction may be partly due to
their assumption that the barbarians were creatures of a natu¬
rally inferior order to themselves, though there was nothing in
the habits of those nations which could excuse such arrogance.
But the root of slavery lies elsewhere, and must be rather
sought in the general disinclination to menial labor, and that
abhorrence to servitude, based on false notions of liberty, which
first made the possession of slaves desirable. In process of
time this grew into an imperious necessity, which refused to
take into consideration the justice or injustice of the case; and
as there now existed a class of men which had, by birth and
education, become divested of all the habits and feelings that
were regarded as the essential characteristics of an Dxvdspng
(freeman), the notion of their belonging to a different race of
mankind seemed justified and strengthened. (Chariclea, p. 356.)
In the ideal republic of Plato human slavery was
an integral factor. Different laws are given for the
freeman and the slave, verbal censure being the
punishment for a freeman, where corporal chas¬
tisement should be inflicted upon the slave; and
offenses punished by fine in the case of the free-
St. Paul and the Greek Slave.
9
man were visited with capital punishment when
the criminal was a slave. These distinctions are
perfectly in keeping with the Greek view of the
inferiority of the slave race or races. Captured
in war, and bought sometimes for only a few shil¬
lings, the ancestors of the slaves of St. Paul's day
were either intellectually or morally incapable of
contending for their freedom against their mas¬
ters.
Aristotle does not enter into the question of the
origin of slavery, or the moral right that one man
has to claim property in the life and service of an¬
other. But he distinctly avows the doctrine of
the inferiority of the slave race. He contrasts the
works, the genius, the achievements in arms, the
intellectual eminence of the ruling race with the
vices and degradation of the slave, and concludes
that the relative position of the two classes is the
due of each, the proper reward for innate greatness
and innate weakness. He declares that the slave
belongs to a Etepov ysvog1, heteron genos, a foreign
race, an outside genus; and therefore the eternal
law that the strong must rule the weak is in per¬
fect keeping with all that we know of the fitness
of things in the moral government of the universe.
This argument compels him to the conclusion that
there is a code of laws especially adopted to the
wants and necessities of the cjbucrei Sov^ol, the slave
natures. Here and there we find a Greek poet,
as Philemon, who entered a mild protest against
this view of the subject, but from the great mass
io The Gospel among the Slaves.
of the slaves in Greece there was seldom a note
of remonstrance or an attempt at self-assertion in
contest with their masters for personal liberty.
With the exception of the Helots of Sparta, the
Greek slaves were in a much more tolerable con¬
dition than those of Rome. The Spartans carried
their barbarities to a great length, and in so doing
were only giving play to the distinctive features of
their character. They were a cruel people. Cru¬
el to their children and to those whom they loved
best, it could not be expected that they should be
kind and benevolent to those whom they disdained
and despised. The clemency of the Athenians
toward their slaves does not appear to have been
caused by the great preponderance of the slave over
the free population. The free burghers of Attica,
in the time of Demetrius Phalereus, were found
by a census to be twenty-one thousand; there were
of resident aliens ten thousand, and of slaves four
hundred thousand. Where the physical force was
twenty to one against the masters, it was not the
lack of power, but the want of capacity or dispo¬
sition, which prevented the uprising of the servile
population against their owners. Nor does it ap¬
pear that the Greeks anticipated any trouble from
the practice of educating their slaves to the various
forms of skilled handicraft used in those times.
Elevated above the manual labor which they con¬
sidered servile, the Greek gentlemen did not even
employ themselves with the conduct of their own
business interests, but placed these in the hands
St. Paul and the Greek Slave. n
of a better and costlier class of slaves, for whom
they often gave extravagant prices, but not so ex¬
orbitant as those paid for a similar class among
the Romans.
There are writers who are at a loss to imagine
what principle was at stake in producing the long-
continued and virtually voluntary subjection of a
people who outnumbered their masters in the pro¬
portion of twenty to one. These persons seem
to have but little knowledge of their own times,
and especially of the classes of theorists whose
speculations they represent. New England has
been the quarter from which the most offensive
and the most fanatical of these agencies have em¬
anated. If we are to believe Mr. J. Fenimore
Cooper, "the besetting, the degrading vice of his
section of America is the moral cowardice by
which men are led to truckle to what is called
public opinion." When this public opinion was
supposed to be in favor of protecting the manu-
fucturing interests of New England, an abolition¬
ist was mobbed in Boston as freely as a patriotic
citizen was threatened with the same treatment if
he dared openly to purchase a United States bond
in 1814, during the last war with England. Why
it was that the Greek slaves, who were not lack¬
ing in either intelligence or courage, were really
attached to their masters, and would even die in
their defense, it is utterly impossible for such wor¬
shipers of power to understand. Even Mr. Fran¬
cis A. Walker, in his recent work on the "Wages
12 The Gospel among the Slaves.
Question," cannot resist the inborn tendency of
his people to measure the consciences of others by
the clearly defined defects of their own ethical sys¬
tem. He says: "We know, by a mass of revolt¬
ing testimony, that in all countries avarice, the
consuming lust of immediate gain, a passion which
stands in the way of a true and enlarged view of
self-interest and works unceasing despite to self-
interest, has always despoiled the slave of a part
of the food and clothing necessary to his highest
efficiency as a laborer." (Walker's "Wages
Question," p. 59.) To this very oracular state¬
ment of matters that may have passed under his
own eyes, among the people of his native borough,
he characteristically attaches the allegation of a
universal custom, holding good in all lands, those of
which he has no knowledge as well as those with
which he is acquainted. To this oracular deliver¬
ance he attaches in a note an ill-grained and surly
hypothesis which reveals the weakness of his
brethren of the abolition propagandist school in
New England. "When slavery was a political
and social institution," he says, "as in the Middle
States of the American Union, something of grace
and kindliness might come to climb upon it." It
is a bare possibility that such a thing might be,
and this reluctant and ungracious acknowledg¬
ment is wrung from this man, who actually be¬
lieves himself an advocate of truth, by a "mass of
testimony" that is "revolting" to fanatics, be¬
cause it falsifies their declarations and convicts
St. Paul and the Greek Slave. 13
them of uttering the foulest slanders against those
who have done them no wrong.
But in direct antagonism with all the declara¬
tions of self-styled " philanthropists," the Greek
slave was attached to his master, as a rule, and
therefore the advice of St. Paul was by no means
a hardship. "Art thou called being a slave?" Do
not suppose that any merely outward circum¬
stances can procure or promote the happiness of
the soul. Do not sorrow over the social relation
that makes you the inferior of the so-called " high¬
er classes," but accept the grace of God, be faith¬
ful to the trusts committed to you, and make your
inferior position a means of showing forth the
power and glory of the gospel. Nevertheless, if
your master sees proper to release you from the
estate of bondage, accept the gift of freedom,
and use it as wisely as you would have employed
yourself in the service of a master. The calling is
the same to all men, there is neither bond nor free
in the kingdom of God, for all are brethren. And
because all are brethren, " let every man, wherein
he is called, therein abide with God." To strive
against the bonds that Providence has permitted
to be placed upon you is to challenge the justice
of God, professedly under the influence of the
saving grace of the gospel.
The annals of the world have many records of
super-serviceable people who have been dissatis¬
fied with Providence, and, like Rebecca, have en¬
deavored to hurry up the plans and purposes of
14 The Gospel among the Slaves.
divine wisdom. In every case such well-meant
actions have involved the subjects of their inter¬
ference in sorrow and disaster. Rebecca's strata¬
gem, by which she caused Jacob to personate his
elder brother, Esau, was successful in stealing a
blessing that would have been rightfully and regu¬
larly bestowed upon her favorite son if she had
suffered the hand of Providence to direct his own
counsels.
Against this folly the apostle cautions the Greek
slave. " Let as many slaves as are under the yoke
count their own masters worthy of all honor, that
the name of God and his doctrine be not blas¬
phemed." The bare refusal to do honor to the
master is declared to be blasphemy against the
name of God and his doctrine! How utterly ir¬
reconcilable is that teaching with the anarchical
declarations that pronounce the slave's master a
fiend, and the slave's condition a crime, the one
to be murdered by knife and bullet, and the other
to be abolished by fire and sword!
"And they that have believing masters," con¬
tinues St. Paul, " let them not despise them be¬
cause they are brethren, but rather do them serv¬
ice, because they are faithful and beloved, par¬
takers of the benefit." The caution against the
abuse of the brotherhood of Christ, by making it
a pretense to assert the equality of social station,
and because all men are equal in the kingdom of
Christ, in point of privilege, to wrest this princi¬
ple by applying it to the organization of society,
St. Paul and the Greek Slave. 15
where all are not equal, never have been, and
never will be, even in the millennial state; to do
this, is to despise the master and dishonor the
Lord Christ. " These things teach and exhort."
These were the doctrines that gave Christianity
an open door to the Greek and Roman world.
The revolutionary theories and incendiary speech¬
es of a Clarkson, a Wilberforce, or even a Wesley,
to say nothing of the heaven-daring impiety of
New England fanatics, whose souls seemed in
many instances to relapse into a state of positive
savagery, would have doomed the early Church to
extinction in the lifetime of the first preachers of
the gospel.
I am aware that these utterances of mine are
not popular in this generation, but popularity is
not evidence of truth. When hard pressed with
these writings of St. Paul, the abolitionists of forty
years ago renounced St. Paul, the Bible, and the
God of heaven, because it was impossible to de¬
fend their insane denunciations of Southern slave¬
holders by the pages of Holy Writ.
Nor was the motive of these crusaders the same
that actuated St. Paul in his exhortations to the
slaves of Greece. Paul loved the souls of these
men. The abolitionists, as a class, cared nothing
for the religious welfare of the negro. They were
ready to move heaven and earth, and they de¬
clared that they were willing to sink the nation in
the gulf of irretrievable ruin, unless they could
abolish slavery. But once set free, the negro
16 The Gosj>el among the Slaves.
might starve for aught they cared. To do an in
jury to his master, in his pocket or his pride, they
were ready to spend and be spent; but when the
unfortunate subject of their zeal had perpetrated
all the wrong against his owner that he was capa¬
ble of doing, then these marvelous "philanthro¬
pists" turned the freedman out of doors to look
out for himself. They did not hesitate to say that
their mission was ended when the bonds of the
slave were broken.
"O my soul, come not thou into their secret;
unto their assembly, mine honor, be not thou
united."
CHAPTER II.
The Degradation of a Name.
IT is a singular fact that the word slave occurs
but once in the Authorized Version of the New
Testament, and in that case it is not a translation
of the original word employed by St, John. The
fall of " Babylon the great" is vividly described
in Revelation xviii., and part of the merchandise
lamented as forever lost by the " merchants of the
earth " are the proceeds of the sale of " wine, and
oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and
sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and
souls of men." In the Greek text the word transs
lated " slaves" is the bodies of men, as
the souls of men form the counterpart in the next
phrase. In Jeremiah ii. 14 our translators have
supplied the term slave, placing the word in italic
letters to show that there was nothing in the orig¬
inal Hebrew to answer to it. The word occurs
nowhere else in the English Bible. The text in
Jeremiah is one of the many cases in which our
English version departs from the letter to preserve
the spirit of the Hebrew text. Undoubtedly the
prophet intended to ask the question, " Is Israel a
slave? Is he born in the house, the property of a
master? Why then is he despoiled?" So far
from inferring any degradation in this question,
2 (17)
18 The Gospel among the Slaves.
the prophet's mind is engaged in considering the
fact that as a slave, belonging to a great master,
who was able and willing to defend his own prop¬
erty, it is an anomalous thing to find Israel " de¬
spoiled." With the usual strength of the parallel
inquiry, "Is he a homehorn slave?" the prophet
calls attention to the fact that Israel is a member
of his master's household, a part of his family, en¬
titled to the protection of the sovereign power, the
head of the family. Therefore, the despoiling of
Israel is a surprising fact, and the reason for it
can only be found in the treachery and desertion
of the favored slave who has cast away his mas¬
ter's shield and fallen a victim to enemies stronger
than he.
But in the New Testament we can scarcely as¬
certain the reason that induced our translators to
omit the rendering "slave" wherever the Greek
word bovXog occurs. It is absolutely certain that
a bondman, one bound to a master, bought with
his money, or transferred to him as being -profer-
ty, is the meaning of the original word. It is a
term of specific meaning. It never signifies a hired
servant. The word for hired servant in Luke xv.
17, 19, is h'igBioi, paid servants, or, as the Latin
Vulgate has it, mercenarii, mercenaries, serving
for wages. It is worthy of notice that in the
process of time these words, " slave " and " hired
servant," have changed places. As early as the
old Itala, and later, in the days of Jerome, the
latter part of the fourth and beginning of the fifth
The Degradation of a Name. 19
century, a hired servant was a mercenary, one in
whom the employer had no other interest than the
contract of service warranted. The degraded re¬
lation is further shown in the parable of the prod¬
igal son. When the homeless wanderer " comes
to himself " in the far country, finding himself re¬
duced to share with the swine in their coarse and
revolting food, he remembered not the slaves of
the family, for these were nearer to his own sta¬
tion and place, but the hired servants. " How
many hired servants of my father's house have
bread enough and to spare!" In the progress of
the world, the " hired servant" is now the honor¬
able relation, and the "slave " is odious and infa¬
mous.
In all ages and in all countries the existence of
a principle which produces a true aristocracy in
society has been the most important factor in the
progress and elevation of mankind. An aristoc¬
racy is nothing more than the organization of the
best members of the social compact. When the
tests of superiority are virtue, gentleness, refine¬
ment, education, and usefulness, there can be no
possible objection to the sentiment which produces
and the fidelity which preserves this distinction
among men. It is the legitimate product of the
world's renowned maxim, " Knowledge is power,"
and there can be no possible injury to society as a
whole by the maintenance of such distinctions.
But when the possession of money, however ob¬
tained, whether dishonestly or righteously, by op-
20 The Gospel among the Slaves.
pressing the poor, the orphan and the widow, or
by diligence, frugality, and self-denial—when
wealth is the only test of aristocratic place and
position, a great good is transformed into a great
evil. We can have patience with the man who
lives in the past and boasts of the great deeds of
his ancestors. It is a laudable pride when the de¬
scendant proves himself worthy of those who have
gone before him, but not otherwise. When it is
made the basis of a claim to honors and privileges
not possessed by the masses of the people, and
when illustrious birth is made an excuse for a de¬
based life and degrading actions, the very refer¬
ence to the honors of a noble ancestry aggravates
the crimes of those who dishonor their parentage
while they cover themselves with infamy.
But no man can rightly become indifferent to
the sentiment that creates an aristocracy of worth.
In early times, physical strength, united to cour¬
age and moral worth, designated the proper sub¬
jects for the possession of social distinctions, in
titles conferred by kings, and honors pointed out
by the voice of the people. The various grades
of European nobility are founded upon supposed
merit, not upon kingly caprice nor popular par¬
tiality. In the course of ages, here and there, in¬
stances have occurred in which the true principle
of aristocracy has been overlooked, or despised,
but the advancement of our race from the moral
degradation of paganism to the present position of
civilized society is largely due to the principle of
The Degradation of a Name. 21
honoring and ennobling the best members of the
social compact.
The Christian Church knows nothing of antag¬
onism to this aristocracy of merit. The estimate
placed by St. Paul upon these social dignities
would be sufficient to illustrate the importance of
the principle. St. Paul does not disdain to men¬
tion the prominence of Tarsus, the city of his
birth, as a claim that demands at least a hearing
at the hands of his enemies. When under guard
at Jerusalem, and accosted by the chief captain
as " that Egyptian " which had gathered a mob of
four thousand men and led them out into the wil¬
derness for purposes of robbery and murder
(Acts xxi.), he does not hesitate to assert his re¬
spectability, and says: " I am a man which am a
Jew of Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean
city." But while he shows himself to be proud
of the city of his nativity, he does not expect or
desire exemption from righteous punishment, or
escape from just responsibility on that account.
He desires to be heard, to defend himself by the
highest and grandest of all the forms of logic: the
logic of truth.
Prior to this time he had been imprisoned in
Philippi, after having endured that most excruci¬
ating of all corporal sufferings, the chastisement
of the rod. In the noise, confusion, and madness
of the hour the apostle had no opportunity to
make his voice heard, or he would doubtless have
uttered the plea which was so effective the next
22 The Gospel among the Slaves.
day. (Actsxvi.) After the wonderful occurrences
of the night, the earthquake, the open doors of the
prison, the conversion of the jailer, and the sud¬
den alarm of the magistrates of Philippi, word is
brought to Paul and Silas in the morning, that the
magistrates have ordered their release.
St. Paul exhibits a greatness of soul that as¬
tounds his enemies, particularly when they be¬
come aware of the cause of his refusal to depart.
" They have beaten us openly uncondemned," he
declares, and surely this was a charge of sufficient
magnitude to cost any magistrate his official posi¬
tion; but Paul adds two words of fearful import
to these unworthy officers: "being Romans."
There was magic power in that expression, and
when the guilty men heard of it, they were only
too glad to humble themselves in the presence of
these Jews whom they had despised a few hours
before. " They came and besought them." That
liberty of which they had deprived Paul and Silas
was now tendered to them, with the most abject
fear and the basest alarm, lest the Roman citizen,
whose birthright of immunity from the lictor's rod
had been grossly violated, should prosecute them
in just retaliation, and bring the power of Caesar
into exercise in vindication of Roman citizenship.
Paul proceeds no further, however, than to hu¬
miliate the magistrates, while he gives to the gos¬
pel whatever there may be of more favorable con¬
sideration from the discovery of his social position.
" I am a Roman citizen" was a truly noble rec-
The Degradation of a JSfa?ne. 23
ord. It did equal honor to the giver and to the
receiver. Citizenship in a state that was master
of the world was a partnership with all Rome in
the glories of more than seven hundred years of
the most wonderful history known to men.
Once more the apostle has an opportunity to
employ that magic phrase, " I am a Roman citi¬
zen," and on this occasion it protects him from
the brutality of the Roman scourgers. The chief
captain ordered Paul to be punished in order to
find out the cause of the unreasonable madness of
the mob that clamored for his life. Paul appeals
to well-known principles of Roman jurisprudence.
Although Caesar is all-powerful, the law is Caesar's
mouthpiece. "Is it lawful for you to scourge a
man that is a Roman, and uncondemned? " No
Roman could be scourged, whether condemned or
uncondemned. In this case, the language of St.
Paul is the strongest possible statement of the out¬
rage, indignity, and crime which they were about
to commit. The centurion sought the chief cap¬
tain and cautioned him. "Take heed what thou
doest; for this man is a Roman." (Acts xxii. 26.)
Fear lends celerity to the chief captain's move¬
ments. He interrogates the prisoner: " Tell me,
Art thou a Roman?" "Yea." Then said the
chief captain: "With a great sum obtained I this
freedom." "But I," replied Paul, "was free-
born."
Whether the Roman citizenship of St. Paul was
due to the honor conferred upon the city of Tar-
24
The Gospel among the Slaves.
sus, or whether it was a special favor conferred
upon the family of St. Paul, is a question that can¬
not be definitely determined. There are weighty
arguments on both sides, but the legitimate infer¬
ence from the conduct of the chief captain is in
favor of the hypothesis of a family gift. When
Paul informed his custodian that he was a native
of Tarsus, "no mean city," the chief captain cer¬
tainly did not infer from that statement that Paul
was a Roman citizen, which must have been the
case if at his birth Tarsus had conferred that
privilege. It is possible, however, that this citi¬
zenship was only conferred upon a particular class,
upon those, for example, who were born in the
higher stations of society. The language of Paul,
" but I was freeborn," may be understood to ap¬
ply to the birthright of the Roman citizen, if we
reject the word "free," supplied by our translat¬
ors, and read, in substance, " but I am a Roman
citizen by birth." This is a sufficient contrast
with the man who had bought his privileges with
" a great sum." However the fact may be, the
greatness of the honor increased the ground of
apprehension on the part of the chief captain.
But this apostle, a nobleman of nature, did not
seek to inflict punishment upon the petty officer
who had endangered place and even life itself by
dishonoring a Roman citizen. He makes no plea,
utters no complaint, but, when occasion comes,
tells his experience and preaches through his own
past history the unsearchable riches of Christ.
The Degradation of a Name. 25
What shall we think of this apostle, then, when
we find him announcing himself in Romans i. 1
as " the slave of Jesus Christ? " Is there a special
ignominy, an incurable, indelible stain imparted
by the word " slave ? '' Why then does the apostle
use it in regard to himself? Why does he make
the strange contrast in Galatians i. 10: " If I yet
pleased men, I should not be the slave of Christ?"
How shall we account for the peculiar form of ar¬
gument which asserts in Galatians iv. 1: "Now
I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differ-
eth nothing from a slave, though he be lord of
all?" In Titus he combines the word with the
apostolic function: " Paul, a slave of God and an
apostle of Jesus Christ." There is nothing pecul¬
iar to St. Paul in this use of the word. St. Peter
calls all Christians the "slaves of God" in 1 Peter
ii. 16. So St. James (i. 1.) calls himself " a slave
of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ." So also
Jude i. and St. John the Divine, Revelation i. 1.
Now these are no accidental facts. The word
Sov/log never meant anything but a bondman.
The very essence of the word repels the idea of
hired service. It is a permanent, lifelong bond
that unites the servant to his lord. It is so abso¬
lutely settled, fixed, determined, that the servant
never looks forward to a period when it shall
cease to be. Every interest of the slave is bound
up in the same bundle with his master's welfare.
The consequence is that the bonds are reciprocal.
The slave is bound to his lord, and the master is
26 The Gospel among the Slaves.
bound to the slave. Nothing that makes for the
physical and moral welfare of the slave can be
overlooked or neglected by the master without
blame when that master is a pagan, or without
sin when that master is a Christian. By the very
ties that unite them—ties that are above the sordid
nature of a money interest in the labor of the slave—
there is nothing that can contribute to the benefit
of either that is not shared in some degree by the
other.
That there were some Christian masters in
Greece is evident by the story of the runaway
slave, Onesimus. No refined and cultured mind
can read St. Paul's letter to Philemon without feel¬
ing his estimate of the manhood of Paul enlarged
and exalted. The slave Onesimus leaves his mas¬
ter, and in his wanderings, probably at Rome, he
meets with Paul and listens to his preaching. The
gospel finds its way to the heart of the fugitive,
and he makes known to Paul the truth in regard
to himself. He is a runaway. Perhaps he has
taken the money of his master, and, like the prod¬
igal son, has spent all, and has no means of repay¬
ing it. He cannot go to Philemon, for he is afraid
of his master's righteous anger.
Paul volunteers to help him. Unlike the Gar¬
risons, Gerritt Smiths, and Henry Ward Beech-
ers, who cast themselves in the very teeth of hu¬
man and divine law, and did all that they could to
rob the Southern masters of their lawful property,
St. Paid determined at once that Onesimus must
The Degradation of a Name. 27
return to his master. That was the first, necessa¬
ry, inevitable step. But the apostle further prom¬
ised to interpose in behalf of the runaway slave,
in order to lessen the anger of the master, and to
secure to the fugitive a kind reception.
In this spirit Paul pleads most eloquently, ten¬
derly, and efficaciously with the injured master.
He reminds him that Philemon himself belongs to
Paul, as a convert to the gospel, and therefore owes
him far more than he can ever repay. Neverthe¬
less, if Onesimus has taken his master's money,
and if the master holds him responsible for the
loss of his time, Paul generously offers to pay the
whole debt, and binds himself to do so.
Between the conduct and spirit of St. Paul and
the conduct and spirit of the abolitionists of fifty
years ago there is an "impassable gulf." The
one is the conduct of a man who is himself the
slave of Christ; the other is the conduct of those
who are only hired servants, who remain in the
household just so long as the wages are forthcom¬
ing and the sumptuous fare holds out.
It is impossible to read the Bible with attention
without perceiving that the inherent sinfulness of
human slavery is not taught in the word of God.
So far from constituting even a defect in the char¬
acter of the men of olden times, the most illustri¬
ous men in sacred history are recorded as the
owners of slaves, and no blame is imputed to them
on that account. Abraham, the father of the faith¬
ful and the friend of God, was able to raise up
28 The Gospel among the Slaves.
a considerable army among the slaves born in his
own house. Nor is there a solitary instance in
which the mere possession of slaves is stated as a
fault, much less a crime.
It is scarcely conceivable that the case could
have been otherwise. The time has been in the
world's history, and the time now is in the history
of many millions of human beings, that the alter¬
native existing for these millions is either slavery
or perpetual barbarism.
CHAPTER III.
Man Was Created to Have Dominion over
the Earth.
THAT the aboriginal races of men, occupying
the soil for thousands of years, yet failing to
accomplish the object of their creation, must give
place to a higher type of mankind possessing both
the genius and the energy to subdue the earth, and
to exercise dominion over it, is a truth that is illus¬
trated by the history of every aboriginal race. In
no quarter of the earth has a savage people been
redeemed and civilized without bringing the pen¬
alty upon the defaulters. Within a very brief pe¬
riod the Australian tribes have furnished a striking
proof of the operation of this law of nature. Mere
tenants at will on the domain of Providence, neg¬
lecting, and stubbornly refusing to be assisted in
learning and developing the powers of the soil upon
which they had tented for ages, these people were
incapable of obeying the terms of the Great Charter
of Man as an occupant of earth. " Be fruitful, and
multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it."
This is the command given to the first man. The
great charter of humanity, the tenure by which
any race holds the earth on which they dwell, is
given in the first chapter of Genesis, verse 26:
"And God said, Let us make man in our image,
after our likeness: and let them have dominion
(29)
30 The Gospel among the Slaves.
over the jlsh of the sea, and over the fowl of the
air, and over the cattle, and over all the earthy and
over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the
earthT
Dominion over the earth is the condition of
man's residence upon the globe, and wherever
any tribe or race shall cease to exercise that do¬
minion in the measure possible to the opportuni¬
ties of the age, that tribe or race will fade away
and be no longer a cumberer of the ground. In
proof of this proposition we cite the testimony of
Rev. J. G. Wood, author of " The Uncivilized
Races of Men: "
This one tribe is but an example of the others, all of whom
are surely, and some not slowly, approaching the end of their
existence. For many reasons we cannot but regret that entire
races of men, possessing many fine qualities, should be thus
passing away; but it is impossible not to perceive that they are
but following the order of the world, the lower race preparing
a home for the higher.
In the present instance, for example, the aborigines per¬
formed barely half of their duties as men. They partially ex¬
ercised their dominion over the beasts and the birds, killing but
not otherwise utilizing them. But, although they inhabited the
earth, they did not subdue it nor replenish it. They cleared
away no useless bush or forest, to replace them with fruits; and
they tilled no land, leaving the earth exactly in the same condi¬
tion that they found it. Living almostly entirely by the chase,
it required a very large hunting ground to support each man,
and a single tribe gained a scanty and precarious living on a
tract of land sufficient, when cultivated, to feed a thousand
times their number. In fact, they occupied precisely the same
relative position toward the human race as do the lion, tiger,
and leopard toward the lower animals, and suffered in conse¬
quence from the same law of extinction.
Man to Have Dominion over the Earth. 31
In process of time white men came to introduce new arts
into their country, clearing away the useless forest, and covering
the rescued earth with luxuriant wheat crops, sufficient to feed
the whole of the aborigines of the country; bringing also with
them herds of sheep and horned cattle to feed upon the vast
plains which formerly nourished but a few kangaroo, and to
multiply in such numbers that they not only supplied the whole
of their adopted land with food, but their flesh was exported to
the mother country.
The superior knowledge of the white man thus gave to the
aborigines the means of securing their supplies of food, and
therefore his advent was not a curse, but a benefit to them.
But they could not take advantage of the opportunites thus of¬
fered to them, and, instead of seizing upon these new means of
procuring the three great necessaries of human life—food,
clothing, and lodging—they not only refused to employ them,
but did their best to drive them out of the country, murdering
the colonists, killing their cattle, destroying their crops, and
burning their houses.
The means were offered to them of infinitely bettering their
social condition, and the opportunity given them, by substitut¬
ing peaceful labor for perpetual feuds, and of turning profes¬
sional murderers into food producers, of replenishing the land
which their everlasting quarrels, irregular mode of existence,
and carelessness of human life, had well-nigh depopulated.
These means they could not appreciate, and, as a natural con¬
sequence, had to make way for those who could. The inferior
must always make way for the superior, and such has ever been
the case with the savage. I am persuaded that the coming of
the white man is not the sole nor even the chief cause of the
decadence of savage tribes. I have already shown that we can
introduce no vice in which the savage is not profoundly versed,
and feel sure that the cause of extinction lies within the savage
himself, and ought not to be attributed to the white man, who
comes to take the place which the savage has practically va¬
cated. ("Uncivilized Races," Vol. II., p. 79°0
The proofs presented by Mr. Wood are such as
no reasonable man can call in question. The Aus-
32
The Gospel among the Slaves.
tralians are nearly extinct; many tribes of them
wholly so. The slow but steady steps that lead to
the extinction of the great masses are replaced, in
some instances, by an exceedingly rapid progress
to oblivion. A missionary testifies as follows con¬
cerning the Barrabool tribe, the people whose his¬
tory occasioned the foregoing remarks of Mr.
Wood. Mr. Loyd says:
When I first landed in Geelong, in 1837, the Barrabool tribe
numbered upward of three hundred sleek and healthy-looking
blacks. A few months previous to my leaving that town, in
May, 1853, on casually strolling up to a couple of miam-miams,
or native huts, that were erected upon the banks of the Burwan
River, I observed seated there nine loobras (women) and one
sickly child.
Seeing so few natives, I was induced to ask after numbers
of my old dark friends of early days—Ballyyang, the chief of
the Barrabool tribe, the great Jaga-jaga, Panigerong, and many
others, when I received the following pathetic reply: "Aha,
Mitter Looyed, Ballyyang dedac [dead], Jaga-jaga dedac, Pani¬
gerong dedac," etc., naming many others; and, continuing their
sorrowful tale, they chanted, in minor and funeral tones, in
their own soft language, to the following effect:
"The stranger white man came in his great swimming corong
[vessel], and landed at Corayio with his dedabul boulganas
[large animals], and his anaki boulganas (little animals). He
came with his boom-booms (double guns), his white miam-
miams [tents], blankets, and tomahawks; and the dedabul um-
mageet [great white stranger] took away the long-inherited
hunting grounds of the poor Barrabool coolies and their chil¬
dren," etc.
Having worked themselves into a fit of passionate and ex¬
cited grief, weeping, shaking their heads, and holding up their
hands in bitter sorrow, they exclaimed, in wild and frenzied
tones: "Coolie! coolie! coolie! where are our coolies now?
Where are our fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters? Dead! all
gone! Dead." Then in broken English they said: "Nebber
Man to Have Dominion over the Earth. 33
mind, Mitter Looyed, tir; by'm by all dem black fella come
back white fella like it you." Such is the belief of the poor
aborigines of Victoria; hence we may fairly infer that they
possess a latent spark of hope in their minds as to another and
better world.
Then, with outstretched fingers, they showed me the un¬
happy state of the aboriginal population. From their state¬
ment it appears that there existed of the tribe at that mo¬
ment only nine women, seven men, and one child. Their
rapid diminution in numbers may be traced to a variety of
causes. First, the chances of obtaining their natural food were
considerably lessened by the entire occupation of the best
grassed parts of the country, which originally abounded in
kangaroos and other animals upon which they subsisted. The
greater number of these valuable creatures, as an irresistible
consequence, retired into the wild, uninhabitable countries, far
from the hands of the white man and his destructive dogs.
Having refused the aid of the government and the Mission¬
ary Societies' establishments on the River Burwan and Mount
Rouse, the natives were, to a serious extent, deprived of animal
food, so essential to a people who were ever exposed to the in¬
clemencies of winter and the exhausting heats of summer. In¬
fluenza was one of the greatest scourges under which they suf¬
fered. Then, among other evils attending their association
with the colonists, the brandy, rum, and tobacco told fearfully
upon their already weakened constitutions. (Ibid., p. 789.)
No proposition can be sustained by a greater
amount of moral evidence than that which asserts
that a mild and Christian form of domestic servi¬
tude would have preserved these tribes in the land
of the living perhaps for ages. But the temper of
the times was not in accord with, that view of
things. White men desired to have communica¬
tion with these dark-skinned barbarians only as
their own necessities required. The white man was
not responsible if the Australian bushman chose
3
34 The Gospel among the Slaves.
to starve to death. There was work for him to
do, and honest wages were paid to all that would
work. But the accumulating energies of a thou¬
sand years found expression in the white man's
"push " and " go," for all of which the Austra¬
lian had neither sympathy nor toleration. Unable
to adapt himself to the changed world which white
immigration had created; unwilling to place him¬
self in the position of a learner, that he might be
taught how to accommodate himself to it; and ut¬
terly powerless to prevent the growth and estab¬
lishment of a state of things which meant nothing
but death to him, the miserable savage groaned
his life away, leaving his native land in the hands
of another, but superior race.
This is perfectly in accordance with all that we
know of the divine policy in the government of
this earth. Why has God placed in the bowels of
the earth immense stores of the precious and the
useful metals; inexhaustible supplies of materials
that must be sought out, prepared by human skill
and industry for the purposes of a civilized society
of men? The same great law of design may be
seen exemplified in the mineral world that we find
in the animal and vegetable kingdoms. Man was
born to labor, and only by labor is the highest type
of human character attained. We are baffled by
difficulties, but encouraged by partial successes,
led on, step by step, to further and greater effort,
conscious, meanwhile, that no lawful exertion can
prove an utter failure. Even the life that has been
Man to Have Dominion over the Earth. 35
devoted to noble purposes, and yet failed of actual
attainment of the object of lifetime study and re¬
search, can be pronounced in no sense a lifetime of
labor lost. No man toils after this sort without en¬
riching his generation, and his race, while his own
personal exaltation is the legitimate and unfailing
reward of his exertions.
Will it be said that a race of human beings who
have no capacity to appreciate an argument of this
kind have, nevertheless, the right to prevent others
from developing the resources of the soil? Has
the American Indian, for example, any moral right
to hold as his own ten thousand acres per capita,
when multitudes of honest, hard-working men
have not a yard of earth that they can call their
own ? Shall the unknown and unmeasured capac¬
ity of the soil be doomed to perpetual barrenness
because the Indian delights in hunting buffalo and
deer?
There are people mad enough to answer all of
these inquiries in the affirmative, but there is an
unwritten code of moral sentiment that writes its
decrees in great events and answers all criticisms
by the founding of empires and the creation of a
nobler civilization. The horseman who carried a
letterbag across the continent was compelled to
give way to the driver of the stage coach, and he
to the steamboat and the railroad, and these in
turn to the captured forces of nature serving the
pen of the ready writer with electric power, span¬
ning a continent in a moment of time. Other un-
36 The Gospel among the Slaves.
developed forces lie asleep in the bosom of nature,
ready to be awakened whenever the superior man
shall break the locks and throw off the chains that
have hitherto preserved these agencies until the
fullness of time should come, and the wants of
mankind should call for their resurrection.
That the African race has been made a partaker
in the progress of the nineteenth century is due to
the institution which bound them to masters who
exacted profitable labor at their hands. In no oth¬
er country in the known world has the negro race
increased in numbers. From 757,178 in 1790 the
American negroes increased to nearly four millions
and a half in seventy years. The various census
reports that have been made of the West Indian
negroes show a stationary and, in many places, a
decreasing population. Left to themselves in the
tropics, these sensual races earn a bare subsistence
amid the most abundant provisions of nature.
What is there in the character of the African to
make his case an exception to all others among
the black tribes of men ? If, in a tropical land
where one day's work in seven will serve to pro¬
cure food, and little clothing is required by reason
of the climate—if in a land so endowed by nature
we find the inhabitants absolutely destitute of the
common necessities of life, what must be the con¬
dition of the same race when compelled to do bat¬
tle with the forces of a superior and dominant
race?
Can the negro maintain himself in the presence
Man to Have Dominion over the Earth. 37
of the Caucasian ? So long as the ties engendered
by their former history and experience endure,
there will be partial progress and partial develop¬
ment. But the continuance of the struggle must,
sooner or later, bring into the field the same moral
and physical features which have removed a kin¬
dred population in every country that man has
conquered from the desolation and ruin of the
Adamic fall.
That the negro has many fine qualities of head
and heart, and that these qualities were recognized
by their masters in the days of slavery, it will be
the purpose of this volume to show.
CHAPTER IV.
A Brief Historical Sketch.
IN the year 1842 Rev. C. C. Jones published in
Savannah, Ga., a book on " The Religious In¬
struction of the Negroes in the United States."
From this excellent work we copy a short summary
of the missionary movements among the slaves prior
to the beginning of the nineteenth century. After
giving the number of slaves and free persons of
color at 757,178 in the census of 1790, the author
says:
Having brought distinctly to view this multitude of people
introduced amongst us in the inscrutable providence of God, the
original stock being in a state of absolute heathenism, we may in¬
quire into the efforts made for their religious instruction.
1673. Mr. Baxter published his " Christian Directory," in
which he has a chapter of " Directions to Those Masters in For¬
eign Plantations Who Have Negroes and Other Slaves; Being
a Solution of Several Cases about Them."
The first direction calls upon masters to " understand well how
far your power over your slaves extendeth and what limits God
hath set thereto."
"(Remember that they have immortal souls,Nmd are equally
capable of salvation with yourselves; and therefore you have
no power to do anything which shall hinder their salvation.
Remember that God is their absolute owner, and you have none
but a derived and limited property in them; that they and you
are equally under the government and laws of God; that God
is their reconciled, tender father, and if they be as good doth
love them as well as you, and that they are the redeemed ones
(38)
A Brief Historical Sketch.
39
of Christ. Therefore so use them as to preserve Christ's right
and interest in them."
(The second direction: "Remember that you are Christ's
trustees, or the guardians of their souls ;Vnd that the greater
your power is over them the greater you/charge is of them and
your duty for them. So must you exercise both your power and
love to bring them to the knowledge and the faith of Christ,
and to the just obedience of God's commands."
The third ( " So serve your necessities by your slaves as to
prefer God's interest and their spiritual and everlasting happi¬
ness. Teach them the way to heaven, and do all for their souls
which I have before directed you to do for all your other serv¬
ants.^ Though you may make some difference in their labor
and diet and clothing, yet none as to the furthering of their sal¬
vation. If they be infidels, use them so as tendeth to win them
to Christ and the love of religion, by showing them that Chris¬
tians are less worldly, less cruel and passionate, and more wise
and charitable and holy and meek than any other persons are.
Woe to them that by their cruelty and covetousness do scandal¬
ize even slaves and hinder their conversion and salvation!"
(The seventh and last direction: " Make it your chief end in
buying and using slaves to win them to Christ and save their
soulsj Do not only endeavor it on the by when you have first
consulted your own commodity, but make this more of your end
than your commodity itself; and let their salvation be far more
valued by you than their service; and carry yourself to them
as those that are sensible that they are redeemed with them by
Christ from the slavery of Satan, and may live with them in the
liberty of the saints in glory."
The works of this eminent servant of God had an extensive
circulation, and these directions may have been productive of
much good on the plantations of those owners into whose hands
they fell.
1630. Forty-four years after the settlement of Connecticut,
the assembly forwarded answers to the inquiries of the lords of
the Committee of Colonies, wherein they say: "There are but
few servants and fewer slaves; not above thirty in the colony.
There come sometimes three or four blacks from the Barbadoes,
which are sold for £22 each. Great care is taken of the instruc¬
tion of the people in the Christian religion by ministers catechis-
The Gosfel among the Slaves.
ing and preaching twice every Sabbath and sometimes on lec¬
ture days ; and also by masters of families insti ucting their
children and servants which the law commands them to do."
1701. "The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in
Foreign Parts " was incorporated under William III. on the
16th day of June, 1701, and the first meeting of the society under
its charter was the 27th day of June of the same year. Thomas
Lord Bishop, of Canterbury, Primate and Metropolitan of all
England, was appointed by his Majesty the first President.
' This society was formed with the view, primarily, of supply¬
ing the destitution of religious institutions and privileges among
the inhabitants of the North American colonies, members of
the Established Church of England; and secondarily, of extend¬
ing.th.e gospel to the Indians and negroes.
It had been preceded by a company incorporated by Charles
II. in 1661, for " the Propagation of the Gospel amongst Heathen
Nations of New England and the Parts Adjacent in AmericaJ"
which, however, did not accomplish much; the design, for the
times then present and the necessities of the colonies, being too
narrow. The Honorable Robert Boyle was first President of
this company, and it was his connection with this society which
led him to a deeper interest in the defense and propagation of
the Christian religion, and he therefore left in his will an an¬
nual salary, forever, for the support of eight sermons in the
year for proving the Christian religion against notorious infidels;
and he requires that the preachers employed " shall be assisting
to all companies and encouraging them in any undertaking for
propagating the Christian religion in foreign parts."
" The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign
Parts " entered upon its duties with zeal, being patronized by the
king and all the dignitaries of the Church of England.
They instituted inquiries into the religious condition of the
colonies, responded to " by the Governors and persons of the
best note " (with special reference to episcopacy); and they per¬
ceived that their work "consisted of three great branches: the
care and instruction of our people settled in the colonies, the
conversion of the Indian savages, and the conversion of the ne¬
groes." Before appointing missionaries they sent out a travel¬
ing preacher, the Rev. George Keith, an itinerant missionary,
who associated with himself the Rev. John Talbot. Mr. Keith
A Brief Historical Sketch.
preached between North Carolina and Piscataqua River in
New England, a tract above eight hundred miles in length, and
completed his mission in two years, and returned and reported
his labors to the society.
The annual meetings of this society were regularly held from
1702 to 1819, and 118 sermons preached before it by bishops of
the Church of England, a large number of them distinguished
for piety, learning, and zeal. The society still exists.
The efforts of the society for the religious instruction of the
negroes are briefly as follows:
In Jime, T70?■ 1-amxiel-Thojnas, the first missionary,
was sent to the colony of South Carolina. The society designed
he should attempt the conversion of the Yemassee Indians; but
the Governor, Sir Nathaniel Johnson, appointed him to the
care of the people settled on the three branches of Cooper
River, making Goose Creek his residence. He reported his
labors to the society, and said " that he had taken much pains
also in- instructing t he negroes and learned twenty of them, to
rea^l^ He died in October, 1706.
Dr. Lefeau succeeded him in 1706. and found " parents and
masters indued with much good will and a ready disposition to
have their children and servants taught the Christian religion."
He instructed and baptized many negroes and Indian slaves.
His communicants in 1714 arose to seventy English and eight
negroes. Dr. Lejeau died in 1717, and was succeeded perma¬
nently by Rev. Mr. Ludlam, who began his mission with great
diligence. " There were in his parish a large number of ne¬
groes, natives of the place, who understood English well. He
took good pains to instruct several of them in the principles of
Christian religion, and afterward admitted them to baptism. He
said if the masters of them would heartily concur to forward so
good a work, all those who have been born in the country might
without much difficulty be instructed and received into the
Church. ^Mr. Ludlam continued his labors among the negroes
and every* year taught and baptized several of them; in one
year eleven, besides some vuilattocs
The Indian war checked the progress of the society's mis¬
sion for several years. The parishes of St. Paul's (1705), St.
John's (1707), St. Andrew's and St. Bartholomew's (1713), and
St. Helen's (1712) received missionaries. Mr. Hasell was settled
42
The Gospel among the Slaves.
in the last-named parish, and the inhabitants were " 565 whites,
950 negroes, 60 Indian slaves, and 20 free negroes."
^ Rev. Gilbert Jones was appointed missionary of Christ
Church Parish in 1711. He used great pains to persuade the
masters and mistresses to assist in having their slaves instructed
in the Christian faith, but found this good wprk lay under dif¬
ficulties as yet insupei-able. He wrote thus concerning this
matter: " Though laboring in vain be very discouraging, yet (by
the help of God) I will not cease my labors; and if I shall gain
but one proselyte, shall not think much of all my pains." He
was succeeded in 1722 by Rev. Mr. Pownal. Two years after
he reported in his parish 470 free born and above 700 slaves,
some of which understood the English tongue; but very few
knew anything of God or religion.
In the parish of St. George, taken out of St. Andrew's, the
church stands twenty-eight miles from Charleston.
1719. Mr. Peter Tustian was sent as missionary, but soon re¬
moved to Maryland. The Rev. Mr. Varnod succeeded him in
1723. A year after his arrival, at Christmas, he had nearly fifty
communicants, and, what was remarkable, seventeen negroes.
He baptized several grown persons, besides children and ne¬
groes belonging to Alexander Skeene, Esq. The Rev. Mr.
Taylor, missionary at St. Andrew's Parish in South Carolina, re¬
ported to the society " the great interest taken in the religious
instruction of their negroes by Mrs. Haige and Mrs. Edwards,
and their remarkable success, fourteen of whom on examina¬
tion he baptized." The clergy of South Carolina, in a joint let¬
ter, acquainted the society with the fact "that Mr. Skeene, his
lady, and Mrs. Haige, his sister, did use great care to have their
negroes instructed and baptized." And the Rev. Mr. Varnod,
missionary, had baptized eight negro children belonging to Mr.
Skeene and Mrs. Haige, and he writes to the society that "at
once he had nineteen negro communicants."
/Mr. Neuman was sent as a missionary to North Carolina in
/1722. He reported sometime afterward that he had "baptized
269 children, 1 woman, 3 men, and 2 negroes who conld snythe
Creed, the Lord's Prayer and Ten Commandments, and had
good sureties for their further information."
The Rev. Mr. Beekett, missionary in Pennsylvania in J723,
reported that he had baptized " two negro slaves."
A Brief Historical Sketch. 43
In 1709 Mr. Huddlestone was appointed schoolmaster in New
York City. He taught forty poor children out of the society's
funds, and publicly catechised in the steeple of Trinity Church
every Sunday in the afternoon, " not only his own scholars, but
also the children and slaves of the inhabitants, and above one
hundred persons usually attended him."
Thp sncip.tyiestablishp.d also.a catechising school in. NejvYork
City_hx-i7Q4, in which city there were computed to be about
1,500 negro and-Indian slaves. The society hoped their example
would be generally followed in the colonies. Mr. Elias Neau,
a French Protestant, was appointed catechist. He was very zeal¬
ous in his duty, and many negroes were instructed and baptized.
In 1712 .the negroes in New York conspiring to destroy all the
English discouraged the work of their instruction. The con¬
spiracy was defeated and many negroes taken and executed.
Mr. Neau's school was blamed as the main occasion of the bar¬
barous plot. Two of Mr. Neau's school were charged with the
plot; one was cleared and the other was proved to have been in
the conspiracy, but guiltless of his master's murder. "Upon
full trial the guilty negroes were found to be such as never came
to Mr. Neau's school; and what is very observable, the persons
whose negroes were found most guilty were such as were the
declared opposers of making them Christians." In a short time
the cry against the instruction of the negroes subsided. The
Governor visited and recommended the school. Mr. Neau died
in 1722, much regretted by all who knew his labors. He was
succeeded by Rev. Mr. Wetmore, who afterward was appointed
missionary to Rj7e, in New York. After his removal " the rec¬
tor, church wardens, and vestry of Trinity Church, in New York
City," requested another catechist, there being about 1,400 ne¬
gro and Indian slaves. A considerable number of them had been
instructed in the principles of Christianity by the late Mr. Neau,
and had received baptism and were communicants in their
Church. The society complied with this request and sent over
Rev. Mr. Colgan in 1726, who conducted the school with success.
Mr. Honeyman, missionary in 1724 in Providence, R. I., had
baptized in two years 80 persons, of whom 19 were grown, 3
negroes, 2 Indians, and 2 mulattoes.
In Narragansett the congregation was reported to be 160
in 1720, with twelye Indian and black servants.
44 The Gosfel among the Slaves.
At Marblehead the missionary reported (in 1725), having bap¬
tized two negroes, "a man about twenty-five years old and a girl
twelve, and that a whole family in Salem had conformed to the
Church."
The society looked upon the instruction and conversion of
the negroes as a principal branch of their care, esteeming it a
great reproach to the Christian name that so many thousands of
persons should continue in the same state of pagan darkness
under a Christian government and living in Christian families
as they lay before under in their own heathen countries. The
society immediately from their first institution strove to pro¬
mote their conversion, and inasmuch as their income would not
enable them to send numbers of catechists sufficient to instruct
the negroes, yet they resolved to do their utmost and at least to
give this work the mark of their highest approbation. They
wrote, therefore, to all their missionaries that they should use
their best endeavors at proper times to instruct the negroes, and
should especially take occasion to recommend it zealously to the
masters to order their slaves at convenient times to come to
them that they might be instructed. These directions had a
good effect, and some hundreds of negroes had been instructed,
received baptism, and been admitted to the communion and
lived very orderly lives. (Pages 6-14.)
The Bishop of London's " Letter to the Masters
and Mistresses of Families in the English Planta¬
tions Abroad, exhorting them to encourage and
promote the instruction of their negroes in the
Christian faith," and a similar Letter to the Mis¬
sionaries Engaged in Preaching the Gospel in the
English Plantations," exhibit the interest of at least
one bishop of the Church of England as early as
1727. The work of the " Society for the Propaga¬
tion of the Gospel in Foreign Parts " receives par¬
ticular mention; and the author brings down his
sketch to the commencement of the work among
A Brief Historical Sketch. 45
the negroes under the direction of the Methodist
Episcopal Church:
Dean Stanhope, of Canterbury, states in his sermon in 1714
that success had attended the efforts of the society, and speaks
of " children, servants, and slaves catechised."
Bishop Berkeley was in the colony of Rhode Island from 1728
till late in 1730, and he also preached a sermon before the soci¬
ety February 18, 1731, in which he thus speaks of the negroes:
"The negroes in the government of Rhode Island are about
half as many more than the Indians, and both together scarcely
amount to a seventh part of the whole colony. The religion of
these people, as is natural to suppose, takes after that of their
masters: some few are baptized; several frequent the different
assemblies; and for the greater part, none at all. "An an¬
cient antipathy to the Indians, whom, it seems, our first plant¬
ers (therein as in certain other particulars affecting to imitate
Jews rather than Christians) imagine they had a righ-t to treat
on the foot of Canaanites or Amalekites, together with an ir¬
rational contempt of the blacks as creatures of another species,
who had no right to be instructed or admitted to the sacraments,
have proved a main obstacle to the conversion of these poor
people. To this may be added an erroneous notion that be¬
ing baptized is inconsistent with a state of slavery. To unde¬
ceive them in this particular, which had too much weight, it
seemed a proper step, if the opinion of his Majesty's Attorney
and Solicitor-general could be procured. This opinion they
charitably sent over, signed with their own hands, which was
accordingly printed in Rhode Island and dispersed through the
plantations. I heartily wish it may produce the intended effect.
It must be owned that our reformed planters, with respect to the
natives and the slaves, might learn from the Church of Rome
how it is their interest and duty to behave. Both French and
Spaniards take care to instruct both them and their negroes in
the Popish religion, to the reproach of those who profess a
better."
From a " Proposal to Establish a College in Bermuda," first
published in 1725, the bishop remarks: "Now the clergy sent
over to America have proved, too many of them, very meanly
qualified, both in learning and morals, for the discharge of their
4 6
The Gospel among the Slaves.
office. And, indeed, little can be expected from the example or
instruction of those who quit their native country on no other
motive than that they are not able to procure a livelihood in it,
which is known to be often the case. To this may be imputed
the small care that hath been taken to convert the negroes of
our plantations, who, to the infamy of England and scandal of
the world, continue heathen under Christian masters and in
Christian countries, which would never be if our planters were
rightly instructed and made sensible that they disappointed
their own baptism by denying it to those who belong to them;
that it would be of advantage to their affairs to have slaves who
should 'obey in all things their masters according to the flesh,
not with eyeservice as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart
as fearing God;' that gospel liberty consists with temporal
servitude; and that their slaves would only become better slaves
by being Christians." (Berkeley's Works. Copied by Rev. W.
W. Eells.)
In 1741 Archbishop Seeker, after enumerating other suc¬
cesses, adds: " In less than forty years great multitudes, on the
whole, of negroes and Indians, were brought over to the Chris¬
tian faith."
Bishop Drummond in 1754 notices the negroes in his sermon
before the society, and insists upon the duty and safety of giv¬
ing them the gospel.
The amiable Porteus, in 1783, when Bishop of Chester (after¬
ward Bishop of London), took a lively interest in this work, and
preached a sermon before the society in support of it, which
may be found in his works.
In the year 1783 and the following, soon after the separation
of our colonies from the mother country, the society's opera¬
tions ceased, leaving in all the colonies forty-three missionaries,
two of whom were in the Southern States, one in North and one
in South Carolina. The affectionate valediction of the society
to them was issued in 17S5. Thus terminated the connection of
this noble society with our country, which, from the foregoing
notices of its efforts, must have accomplished a great deal for
the religious instruction of the negro population.
Thus it is perceived that the negroes were not forgotten by
the Church of Christ in England, Were they remembered by
the Church of Christ in the colonies themselves? We have no
A Brief Historical Sketch. 47
records of missions or of missionary stations established by or
in any of the colonies in bphnlf) exclusively, of the negroes up
to the year 1738.
1738- The.Mora.vian or United Brethren were the first who
formally attempted the establishment of missions exclusively to
the_jrag£oes. A succinct account of their several efforts down
to the year 1790 is given in the report of the " Society for the
Propagation of the Gospel among the Heathen," at Salem, N. C.,
October 5, 1837, by Rev. J. Renatus Schmidt, and is as follows:
"A hundred years have now elapsed since the Renewed
Church of the Brethren first attempted to communicate the gos¬
pel to the many thousand negroes of our land. In 1737 Count
Zinzendorf paid a visit to London, and formed an acquaintance
with Gen. Oglethorpe and the trustees of Georgia, with whom
he conferred on the subject of the mission to the Indians, which
the brethren had already established in that colony in 1735.
Some of these gentlemen were associates under the will of Dr.
Bray, who had left funds to be devoted to the conversion of the
negro slaves in South Carolina; and they solicited the Count to
procure them some missionaries for this purpose. On his ob¬
jecting that the Church of England might hesitate to recognize
the ordination of the Brethren's missionaries, they referred the
question to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Potter, who gave
it as his opinion ' that the Brethren, being members of an Epis¬
copal Church whose doctrines contained nothing repugnant to
the Thirty-nine Articles, ought not to be denied free access to
the heathen.' This declaration not only removed all hesitation
from the minds of the trustees as to the Brethren amongst the
slave population of the West Indies—a great and blessed work,
which has, by the gracious help of God, gone on inci-easing even
to the present day."
The same year Brother Peter Boehler was deputed to com¬
mence the desired mission, with Brother George Schulius as
his assistant. They set out by way of London in February,
1738, and repaired, in the first instance, to Georgia, hoping to be
provided with means for the prosecution of their journey by the
colony of the Brethren already established there. Obstacles
however being interposed through the interested views of cer¬
tain individuals, this mission failed, and our brethren, settling at
Purisburg, took charge of the Swiss colonists and their children
48
The Gospel among the Slaves.
in that town, Georgia not being at that period a slaveholding
colony. In 1739 Schulius departed this life. In 174° Peter
Boehler emigrated to Pennsylvania with the whole Georgia
colony, of which he was minister, because they were required to
bear arms in the war against the Spaniards, which had recently
broken out. In 1747 and 1748 some Brethren belonging to Beth¬
lehem undertook several long and difficult journeys through
Maryland, Virginia, and the borders of North Carolina in order
to preach the gospel to the negroes, who, generally speaking,
received it with eagerness. Various proprietors, however, avow¬
ing their determination not to suffer strangers to instruct their
negroes, as they had their own ministers whom they paid for
that purpose, our brethi-en ceased from their efforts, /it appears
from the letters of Brother Spangenberg, who spent the greater
part of the year 1749 at Philadelphia, and preached the gospel
to the negroes in that city, that the labors' of the Brethren
amongst them were not entirely fruitless.) Thus he writes in
1741: " On my arrival in Philadelphia I saw numbers of negroes
still buried in all their native ignorance and darkness, and my
soul was grieved for them. Soon after some of them came to
me, requesting instruction, at the same time acknowledging their
ignorance in the most affecting manner. They begged that a
weekly sermon might be delivered expressly for their benefit.
I complied with their request, and confined myself to the most
essential truths of Scripture. Upward of seventy negroes at¬
tended on these occasions, several of whom were powerfully
awakened, applied for further instruction and expressed a de¬
sire to be united to Christ and his Church by the sacrament of
baptism, which was accordingly administered to them."
At the Provincial Synod which was held in Pennsylvania in
1747 Brother Christian Frohlich was commissioned to take
charge of the negroes of New York, who had evinced a great
desire for the gospel, and of whom several had been already
won for the Redeemer by means of their attendance on the min¬
istry of the word. ("in 1751 he visited the scattered negroes in
New Jersey, by whom he was everywhere received with joy,
and preached Christ crucified to a hundred of them at once with
considerable effect, besides conversing with them at their work)
A painting is preserved at Bethlehem in which the eighteen
firstfruits from the heathen who had been brought to Christ by
A Brief Historical Sketch. 49
the instrumentality of the brethren, and had departed in the
faith prior to the year 1747, are represented, dressed in their
native costume and standing before the throne of Christ with
palms in their hands, with the inscription beneath: " These are
redeemed from among men, being the first fruits unto God and
to the Lamb." (Rev. xiv. 4.) Amongst the number are Johan¬
nes, a negro of South Carolina, and Jupiter, a negro from New
York. The graves of colored Christians who have died in the
Lord are also met with in several of our burial grounds in the
North American congregations.
At the request of Mr. Knox, the English Secretary of State,
an attempt was made to evangelize the negroes of. Georgia. In
1774 the brethren, Lewis Muller, of the Academy at Niesky,and
George Wagner were called to North America, and in the year
following, having been joined by Brother Andrew Broesing, of
North Carolina, they took up their abode at Knoxboro, a
plantation so called for its proprietor, the gentleman above men¬
tioned. They were, however, almost constant sufferers from
the fevers which prevailed in these parts, and Muller finished
his course in October of the same year. He had preached the
gospel with acceptance to both whites and blacks, yet without
any abiding results. The two remaining brethren being called
upon to bear arms on the breaking out of the war of independ¬
ence, Broesing repaired to Wachovia, in North Carolina, and
Wagner set out in 1779 for England.
In the great Northampton revival, under the preaching of
Dr. Edwards in 1735-36, when for the space of five or six weeks
together the conversions averaged at least " four a day," Dr.
Edwards remarks: " There are several negroes who,from what
was seen in them then and what is discernible in them since,
appear to have been truly born again in the late remarkable
season."
At a meeting of the General Association of the colony of
Connecticut in 1738 " It was inquired whether the infant slaves
of Christian masters may be baptized in the right of their mas¬
ters, they solemnly promising to train them in the nurture and
admonition of the Lord, and whether it is the duty of such mas¬
ters to offer such children and thus religiously to promise.
Both questions were affirmatively answered." (Records as re¬
ported by Rev. C. Chapin, D.D.)
4
5° The Gosjyel among the Slaves.
Of the condition of the negroes about this time in New En¬
gland it has been said: " Their lot was far from being severe.
They were often bought by conscientious persons, for the pur¬
pose of being well instructed in the Christian religion. They
had universally the enjoyment of the Sabbath as a day of rest
or of devotion."
Looking over the old records of " Entryes for Publications"
(z. e., for marriages) " within the town of Boston," I observed
the following, among others:
" 1707. Negroe.—Essex, a Negro man of Mr. William Clark,
Esqre.; Gueno, a R. Wo. of Walle Winthrop, Esqre. Negro.
Will, reg. serv't of Wm. Webster: Betty, reg'r serv't of Wm.
Keen, March 9th.
" 1710. Negroes.—Charles and Peggy, Negro Serv'ts of Sam'l
Hill; Esther, Negro serv't of Robert Gutridge, Oct'r 27."
By which it would appear that the community was not indif¬
ferent to their condition, inasmuch as their marriages were pub¬
lic and legalized.
1747. Direct efforts for the religious instruction of negroes,
continued through a series of years, were made by Presbyte¬
rians in Virginia. They commenced with the Rev. Samuel
Davies, afterward President of Nassau Hall, and the Rev. John
Todd, of Hanover Presbytery.
Mr. Davies began his ministry in Hanover in 1747, and left
Virginia about 1773 or 1774. Mr. Davies, four or five years after
his settlement in Hanover, " found it impossible to afford even a
monthly supply of preaching to the congregation organized by
him. Accordingly he sought an assistant in Mr. John Todd, a
young preacher from Pennsylvania, who was installed in the
upper part of Hanover November 12, 1752."
In a letter addressed to a friend and a member of the " Soci¬
ety in London for Promoting Christian Knowledge among the
Poor," in the year 1755, he thus expresses himself: "The poor,
neglected negroes, who are so far from having money to pur¬
chase books that they themselves are the property of others;
who were originally African savages, and never heard of the
name of Jesus and his gospel until they arrived at the land of
their slavery in America; whom their masters generally neglect,
and whose souls none care for, as though immortality were not
a privilege common to them as with their masters—these poor,
A Brief Historical Sketch. 51
unhappy Africans are objects of my compassion, and I think
the most proper objects of the society's charity. The inhab¬
itants of Virginia are computed to be about 300,000 men, one-
half of which number are supposed to be negroes. <^The number
of those who attend my ministry at particular times is uncer-*
tain, but generally about three hundred who give a stated at¬
tendance; and never have I been so struck with the appearance
of an assembly as when I have glanced my eye to that part of
the meeting-house where they usually sit, adorned (for so it has
appeared to me) with so many black countenances, eagerly at¬
tentive to every word they hear, and frequently bathed in tears.)
A considerable number of them (about a hundred) have been
baptized, after a proper time for instruction, having given credi¬
ble evidence not only of their acquaintance with the important
doctrines of the Christian religion, but also a deep sense of them
in their minds, attested by a life of strict piety and holiness. As
they are not sufficiently polished to dissemble with a good grace,
they express the sentiments of their souls so much in the lan¬
guage of simple nature and with such genuine indications of
sincerity that it is impossible to suspect their professions, es¬
pecially when attended with a truly Christian life and exemplary
conduct. There are multitudes of them in different places who
are willing and eagerly desirous to be instructed and to embrace
every opportunity of acquainting themselves with the doctrines
of the gospel; and though they have generally very little help
to learn to read, yet to my agreeable surprise many of them, by
dint of application in their leisure hours, have made such prog¬
ress that they can intelligibly read a plain author, and especially
their Bibles; and pity it is that any of them should be without
them." (Mr. Davies furnished the negroes with what books he
could procure for them, and requested from the society a supply
of Bibles and Watts's psalms and hymns, which enabled them to
gratify their peculiar taste for psalmody. " Sundry of them have
lodged all night in my kitchen, and sometimes when I have
awakened about 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning a torrent of sacred
harmony has poured into my chamber and carried my mind
away to heaven. In this seraphic exercise some of them spend
almost the whole night. I wish, sir, you and other benefactors
could hear some of these sacred concerts. I am persuaded it
would surprise and please you more than an oratorio or a St.
52 The Gospel among the Slaves.
Cecilia's day." He observes: "The negroes, above all the
human species that ever I knew, have an ear for music and a
kind of ecstatic delight in psalmody, and there are no books they
learn so soon or take so much pleasure in as those used in that
heavenly part of divine worship." J
On one sacramental occasion " he had the pleasure of seeing
forty of them around the table of the Lord, all of whom made a
creditable profession of Christianity, and several of them gave
usual evidence of sincerity, and he believed that more than
1,000 negroes attended on his ministry at the different places
where he alternately officiated."
Mr. Davies writes Dr. Bellamy in 1757: "What little success
I have lately had has been chiefly among the extremes of gen¬
tlemen and negroes. Indeed, God has been remarkably work¬
ing among the latter. I have baptized about 150 adults, and at
the last sacramental solemnity I had the pleasure of seeing the
table graced with about sixty black faces. They generally be¬
have well, as far as I can hear, though there are some instances
of apostasy among them." The counties in which Mr. Davies
labored were Hanover, Henrico, Goochland, Carolina, and
Louisa.
"The Society for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts,"
already noticed, in 1745 established a school in Charleston, S. C.,
under the direction of Commissary Garden. It flourished greatly
and seemed to answer their utmost wishes. It had at one time
sixty scholars and sent forth annually about twenty young ne¬
groes well instructed in the English language and the Christain
faith. This school was established in St. Philip's Church and
some of its scholars were living in 1822, of orderly and decent
characters. (Bishop Meade and Dr. Dalcho.)
(The year 1747 was marked in the colony of Georgia by the
authorized introduction of slaves.^ Twenty-three representatives
from the different districts met in Savannah, and after appoint¬
ing Major Horton President they entered into sundry resolu¬
tions, the substance of which was that the owners of slaves
should educate the young and use every possible means of mak¬
ing religious impressions upon the minds of the aged, and that
all acts of inhumanity should be punished by the civil authority.'^
1764. The Rev. Ezra Stiles, D.D., afterward President of
Yale College, and Dr. Samuel Hopkins undertook the educa-
A Brief Historical Sketch. 53
tion of two apparently promising negroes with a view to the
ministry, but it was finally a failure. (Dr. Plumer's report.)
1770. While Dr. Stiles was pastor in Newport, R. I., there
were many African slaves in that town. " Of eighty communi¬
cants in his Church in that town, seven were negroes. These
occasionally met by his direction for religious improvement in
his study."
f JMethodism was introduced into this country in New York in
f 126&+.and the first missionaries were sent out by Mr. Wesley in
1769* One of these, Mr. Pilmore, in a letter to Mr. Wesley
from New York in 1770, says: " The number of blacks that at¬
tend the preaching affects me much." The first regular Con¬
ference was held in Philadelphia in 1773; number of ministers
ten, and of members 1,160. From this year to 1776 there was a
\ great revival of religion in Virginia under the preaching of the
Methodists in connection with Rev. Mr. Jarratt, of the Episco¬
pal Church, which spread through fourteen counties in Virginia
and two in North Carolina. One letter states " the chapel was
full of white and black;" another, " hundreds of negroes were
among them with tears streaming down their faces." At
Roanoke another remarks: "In general the white people were
within the chapel and the black people without."
1780. At the Eighth Conference in Baltimore, the following
question appeared in the minutes: " Question 25. Ought not the
assistant to meet the colored people himself and appoint as
helpers in his absence proper white persons, and not suffer them
to stay late and meet by themselves? Answer. Yes." Under
the preaching of Mr. Garrets on in Maryland, "hundreds both
white and black expressed their love of Jesus."
1786. The first return of colored members distinct from
white occurs in the minutes of this year, and then yearly after¬
ward—white, 18,791; colored. i.8qo. " It will be perceived from
the above," says Dr. Bangs in his " History of the Methodist
Episcopal Church," "that a considerable number of colored per¬
sons had been received into the Church, and were so returned
in the minutes of the Conference." Hence it appears that at an
early period of the Methodist ministry in this country it had
turned its attention to this part of the population.
Mr. Rankin, writing on the general state of Methodism in
the colonies at the commencement of hostilities, observes: " In
54 The Gosj>el among the Slaves.
May, 1777, we had forty preachers in the different circuits and
about 7,000 members in the society, besides many hundreds of
negroes who were convinced of sin, and many of them happy in
the love of God." (" Life of Coke," page 33.)
In the year 1786 the following case of conscience was over-
tured from Donegal Presbytery, in the Synod of New York
and Philadelphia, namely: " Whether Christian masters or mis¬
tresses ought in duty to have such children baptized as are under
their care, though born of parents not in the communion of any
Christian Church? "
Upon this overture " the Synod are of opinion that Christian
masters and mistresses whose religious professions and conduct
are such as to give them a right to the ordinance of baptism for
their own children, may and ought to dedicate the children of
their household to God in that ordinance when they have no
scruple of conscience to the contrary." (Minutes, page 413, and
Minutes of General Assembly, page 97.)
And on the next page (414) it was overtured " whether
Christian slaves having children at the entire direction of un¬
christian masters, and not having it in their power to instruct
them in religion, are bound to have them baptized; and whether
a gospel minister in this predicament ought to baptize them.
The Synod determined the question in the affirmative.
1787. The minutes of the Methodist Conference for this
year furnish the following question and answer, indicative of
continued interest in the colored population: " Question 17. What
directions shall we give for the promotion of the spiritual wel¬
fare of the colored people? Answer. We conjure all our min¬
isters and preachers by the love of God and the salvation of
souls, and do require them by all the authority that is invested
in us^to leave nothing undone for the spiritual benefit and sal¬
vation of them^vithin their respective circuits or districts; and
for this purpose* to embrace every opportunity of inquiring into
the state of their souls, and to unite in society those who appear
to have a real desire of fleeing from the wrath to come; to meet
such in class, and to exercise the whole Methodist discipline
among them." Number of colored members, 3,893.
1790. Again: "Question. What can be done in order to in¬
struct poor children, white and black, to read? Answer. Let us
labor as the heart and soul of one man to establish Sunday
A Brief Historical Sketch. 55
schools in or near the place of public worship. Let persons be
appointed by the bishops, elders, deacons, or preachers to teach
gratis all that will attend and have a capacity to learn, from 6
in the morning till 10, and from 2 p.m. till 6, where it does not
interfere with public worship. The council shall compile a
proper schoolbook to teach them learning and piety." The ex¬
periment was made, but it proved unsuccessful and was discon¬
tinued. Number of colored members this year, 11,682.
The Methodist is the only denomination which has preserved
returns of the number of colored members in its connection. I
find it impossible to make any estimate of the number in con¬
nection with the other denominations. The Methodists met
with more success during this period in the Middle and Southern
States than in the Northern, and as they paid particular atten¬
tion to the negroes large numbers were brought under their in¬
fluence.
The first Baptist Church in this country was founded in
Providence, R. I., by Roger Williams in 1639. Nearly one hun¬
dred years after the settlement of America " only seventeen
Baptist Churches had arisen in it." The Baptist Church in
Charleston, S. C., was founded in 1690. The denomination ad¬
vanced slowly through the Middle and Southern States, and in
1790 they had Churches in them all. Revivals of religion were
enjoyed, particularly one in Virginia, which commenced in 1785
and continued until 1791 or 1792. "Thousands were converted
and baptized, besides many who joined the Methodists and Pres¬
byterians." A large number of negroes were admitted to the
Baptist Churches during the seasons of revival, as well as on
ordinary occasions. They were, however, not gathered into
Churches distinct from the whites south of Pennsylvania, ex¬
cept in Georgia. Brief notices of Churches composed exclu¬
sively of negroes will be given in the second period of this
sketch. Before the Revolution the negroes in Virginia at¬
tended in crowds the Episcopal Church, there being no other
denomination of Christians of consequence in the State; but
upon the introduction of other denominations they went off to
them. Old Robert Carter, or Counselor, or King Carter, as he
was commonly called among the richest men in the State, own¬
ing some 700 or 800 slaves and large tracts of land, built Christ's
Church in Lancaster County, Virginia, and reserved one-fourth
56 The Gospel among the Slaves.
for his servants and tenants. He was himself baptized, and aft¬
erward emancipated a large number of his negroes, and living
fourteen or fifteen years a Baptist embraced and died in the faith
of Swedenborg.
Our author proceeds to give a brief summary
of the moral and religious results of the war of in¬
dependence. However salutary in a political sense
the struggle of the colonies with the mother coun¬
try might be, the effect of a war which divided
whole communities and often set brother against
brother and father against son could only be dis¬
astrous to the religious welfare of the people. War
carries on its front an aggregation of horrors; and
leaves in its wake death, desolation, and moral cor¬
ruption in every community. It might be appro¬
priately said that the American war of the Revolu¬
tion, although right and just from every point of
view, undoubtedly left all moral and religious
principles in a state of solution, mixed up in a tur¬
bid current of appalling wickedness. It is not our
purpose to examine the methods taken to redeem
and purify the newly erected states. We have in
these pages to deal exclusively with the interests
of the African part of the population.
CHAPTER V.
A Brief Historical Sketch (Continued).
HE author whom we quoted in the last chapter
has given an impartial review of the special
labors of missionaries of various evangelical
churches among the negroes. We cannot con¬
dense the information he has given in smaller space,
and therefore we copy from his pages:
1790. The interest awakened in Virginia by the labors of
President Davies continued throughout this period, as appears
by the following letter from the venerable Dr. Alexander, of
Princeton:
" In addition to the efforts made by the Rev. Mr. Davies, of
Hanover, I would mention the name of a faithful coadjutor in
this iield, the effects of whose labors are still apparent in Cub
Creek congregation in Charlotte County, Virginia. The min¬
ister to whom I allude was the Rev. Robert Henry, a native of
Scotland, who was for many years the pastor of Cub Creek and
Briery congregations united, although their distance apart was
not less than twenty miles. This gentleman possessed very
humble talents as a preacher, blundered much, and sometimes
lost himself, so that he had to conclude abruptly. He was so
absent that on one occasion after preaching, finding the horse of
another person hitched where he commonly left his own beast,
he mounted and rode him without noticing the mistake. He
was notoriously a man of prayer; for when he turned out of the
public road to go to the house where he usually lodged the
evening before he preached at Briery, he could be heard pray¬
ing aloud long before he was in sight, and sometimes he became
so much engaged that his old bald horse would come up and
stop at the gate whilst he was still in earnest supplication.
"This man judiciously turned much of his attention to the
negroes, and to them his ministry was attended with abundant
success. Many were converted and gathered into the Church
at Cub Creek. As this congregation was situated on the north¬
ern bank of Staunton River, where the land is very fertile, there
(57)
58 The Gosfel among the Slaves.
were several large estates, possessing many slaves, within leach
of the house of worship where he preached."
The Rev. Henry Lacy succeeded Mr. Henry, during whose
ministrations at Cub Creek about two hundred were added to
the Church. There were sixty belonging to the Church under
the care of Mr. Cob. (Rev. W. S. Plumer's report.)
Dr. Alexander proceeds: "Many years after Mr. Henry's
death I was settled for several years in this county, and preached
at the same places where Mr. Henry had labored. At Cub
Creek I found about seventy black communicants, twenty-four
of whom belonged to one estate. They were, in general, as or¬
derly and as constant in their attendance on the word preached
as the whites. Some of them had been received in Mr. Henry's
time, but others afterward. The session of the Church appoint¬
ed two or three leading men among them to be a sort of over¬
seers or superintendents of the rest, and we found that they per¬
formed their duties faithfully.
" It was in this same county, and very much to the large col¬
ored congregation at Cub Creek, that Dr. Rice labored after I
left the place. He was when first settled pastor of Cub Creek
and Bethesda, a new congregation which grew out of the former.
As he was willing to bestow a part of his time entirely to the
blacks, the Committee on Missions of the General Assembly ap¬
pointed him for about three months in the year to labor among
them, and I know that he was much encouraged in his work,
had some very promising jmung converts, and the number of
communicants was not diminished in his time. The present
pastor (1840) is the Rev. Clement Read, a native of the county.
He has labored there and at Bethesda for many years past. In
general the negroes were followers of the Baptists in Virginia, and
after awhile, as they permitted many colored men to preach, the
great majority of them went to hear preachers of their own
color, which was attended with many evils.
" In some parts of the State the Methodists also paid much at¬
tention to the negroes and received many of them into their so¬
ciety, but still professors among the Baptists were far more
numerous. In many instances those who had been brought
into the Presbyterian Church were swept off by one or the other
of these sects, but as long as I was acquainted with the con¬
gregation at Cub Creek I never knew one of them to leave
A Brief Historical Sketch.
59
their own communion for another. We had the testimony of
their masters and mistresses to their conscientiousness, fidelity,
and diligence. The lady who owned twenty-five of the com¬
municants selected all her house servants from the number,
though not herself a communicant in the Presbyterian Church.
And on several estates, instead of overseers, some of these pious
men were appointed to superintend the labor of the other field
servants."
The Rev. Henry Patillo, pastor of the Grassy Creek and
Nutbush Churches, in Greenville County, North Carolina, la¬
bored successfully among the negroes about this time, the good
effects of whose efforts continued to be felt for many years after.
(Dr. Plumer's report to Synods of North Carolina and Virginia.)
1792. Toward the close of this year the first colored Baptist
Church in the city of Savannah began to build a place of wor¬
ship. The corporation of the city gave them a lot for that pur-
pose.y The origin of this Church, the parent of several others,
is briefly as follows: George Leile, sometimes called George
Sharp, was born in Virginia about 1750. His master sometime
before the American war removed and settled in Burke County,
Georgia. Mr. Sharp was a Baptist and a deacon in a Baptist
Church, of which Rev. Matthew Moore was pastor. George
was converted and baptized under Mr. Moore's ministry. The
Church gave him liberty to preach. He began to labor with
good success at different plantations. Mr. Sharp gave him his
freedom not long after he began to preach. For about three
years he preached at Brampton and Yamacraw, in the neighbor¬
hood of Savannah. On the evacuation of the country in 1782
and 1783 he went to Jamaica. Previous to his departure he
came up from the vessel lying below the city in the river, and
baptized an African woman by the name of Kate belonging to
Mrs. Eunice Hogg, and Andrew, his wife Hannah, and Hagar,
belonging to the venerable Mr. Jonathan Bryan.
The Baptist cause among the negroes in Jamaica owes its
origin to the indefatigable and pious labors of this worthy man,
George Leile. It does not come within my design to introduce
an account of his efforts in that island. I shall add only that in
1784 he commenced preaching at Kingston and formed a Church,
and in 1791 had gathered a company of 450 communicants and
commenced the erection of a commodious meeting-house. It
60 The Gospel among the Slaves.
finally cost, with steeple and bell, £4,000. He was alive in 1810
and about sixty years of age.
About nine months after George Leile left Georgia, Andrew,
surnamed Bryan, a man of good sense, great zeal, and some
natural elocution, began to exhort his black brethren and friends.
He and his followers were reprimanded and forbidden to en¬
gage further in religious exercises. He would, however, pray,
sing, and encourage his fellow-worshipers to seek the Lord.
Their evening assemblies were broken up and those found
present were punished with stripes. Andrew Bryan and Sam¬
son, his brother, converted about a year after him, were twice
imprisoned, and they with about fifty others were whipped.
When publicly whipped, and bleeding under his wounds, An¬
drew declared that he rejoiced not only to be whipped, but would
freely suffer death for the cause of Jesus Christ; and that while
he had life and opportunity he would continue to preach Christ.
He was faithful to his vow, and by patient continuance in -well¬
doing he put to silence and shamed his adversaries, and influential
advocates and patrons were raised up for him. Liberty was
given Andrew by the civil authority to continue his religious
meetings under certain regulations. His master gave him the
use of his barn at Brampton, three miles from Savannah, where
he preached for two years with little interruption.
Not long after Andrew began his ministry he was visited by
the Rev. Thomas Barton, who baptized eighteen of his follow¬
ers on profession of their faith. The next visit was from the
Rev. Abraham Marshall, of Kioka, who was accompanied by a
young colored preacher by the name of Jesse Peter, from the
vicinity of Augusta. On the 20th of January, 1788, Mr. Marshall
ordained Andrew Bryan, baptized forty of his hearers, and con¬
stituted them with others, sixty-nine in number, a Church, of
which Andrew was pastor. Such was the origin of the first col¬
ored Baptist Church in Savannah. (" Holcombe's Letters,"
"Analytical Repository," and " Benedict's History of Baptists,"
from which the preceding account has been taken.)
Before dismissing this notice, I cannot forbear introducing
the remarks of Dr. Holcombe on Andrew Bryan, written in
1812Andrew Bryan has, long ago, not only honorably ob¬
tained liberty, but a handsome estate. His fleecy and well-set
locks have been bleached by eighty winters; and, dressed like
A Brief Historical Sketch. 61
a Bishop of London, he rides, moderately corpulent, in his
chair, and with manly features, of a jetty hue, fills every per¬
son to whom he gracefully bows with pleasure and veneration,
by displaying in smiles even rows of natural teeth, as white as
ivory, and a pair of fine black eyes, sparkling with intelligence,
benevolence, and joy. In giving daily thanks to God for his
mercies, my aged friend seldom forgets to mention the favora¬
ble change that has of late years appeared through the lower
parts of Georgia, as well as of South Carolina, in the treatment
of servants.") (Letter 17.)
1793. The African Church in Augusta, Ga., was gathered by
the labors of Jesse Peter, and was constituted this year by Rev.
Abraham Marshall and David Tinsley. Jesse Peter was also
called Jesse Golfin on account the name of his master, who lived
twelve miles below Augusta.
The number of Baptists in the United States this year was
73,471. Allowing one-fourth to be negroes, the denomination
would embrace between eighteen and nineteen thousand.
1795. The returns of the colored members in the Methodist
denomination from 1791 to 1795, inclusive, were 12,884, i3,S7i,
16,227, I3)^I4> and 12,170.
Several Annual Conferences recommended a general fast, to
be held in March, 1796, and in the enumeration of blessings to
be invoked the last mentioned was " that Africans and Indians
may help to fill the pure Church of God." And in the matters
recommended as subjects of grateful remembrance in the day
of thanksgiving for the last Thursday in October, 1796, the last
mentioned is: "And for African liberty; we feel grateful that
many thousands of these poor people are free and pious."
1797. The Methodists reported in 1796 11,280 colored mem¬
bers. The recapitulation of the numbers for 1797 is given by
states, and as it is a most interesting document, I insert it entire,
so far as it relates to the negroes.
State. Members.
Virginia 2>49Q
North Carolina 2>07i
South Carolina 890
Georgia 148
Tennessee 42
Kentucky 57
State. Members.
Massachusetts 8
Rhode Island 2
Connecticut 15
New York 238
New Jersey i27
Pennsylvania 198
Delaware 933
Maryland 5>IQ6
Making a total of i2,2I5
62 The Gosfel among the Slaves.
Nearly one-fourth of the whole number of members were col¬
ored. There were three only in Canada.
Dr. Bang adds: "It will be seen by the above enumeration
that there were upward of 12,000 people of color attached to the
Methodist Episcopal Church. These were chiefly in the South¬
ern States, and had been gathered principally from the slave
population. At an early period of the Methodist ministry in
this country it had turned its attention and directed its efforts
toward these people with the view to bring them to the enjoy¬
ment of gospel blessings. The preachers deplored with the
deepest sympathy their unhappy condition, especially their en¬
slavement to sin and Satan; and while they labored unsuccess¬
fully by all prudent means to effect their disenthrallment from
their civil bondage, they were amply rewarded for their evan¬
gelical efforts to raise them from their moral degradation, by
seeing thousands of them happily converted to God. These
efforts added much to the labors of the preachers, for such was
the condition of the slaves that they were not permitted, on
working days, to attend the public administration of the word
in company with their masters; and hence the preachers de¬
voted the evenings to their instruction after the customary labors
of the day were closed. And although at first there was much
aversion manifested by the masters toward these benevolent ef¬
forts to elevate the condition of the slaves, yet, witnessing the
beneficial effects of the gospel upon their hearts and lives, they
gradually yielded their prejudices and encouraged the preach¬
ers in their labors, assisted in providing houses to accommo¬
date them in their worship, and otherwise protect them in their
religious privileges. While, therefore, the voice of the preach¬
ers was not heard in favor of emancipation from their civil
bondage, nor their remonstrances against the evils of slavery
heeded, the voice of truth addressed to the understandings and
consciences of the slaves themselves was often heard with be¬
lieving and obedient hearts and made instrumental in their de¬
liverance from the shackles of sin and the bondage of Satan.
Those who were thus redeemed were enrolled among the peo¬
ple of God, and were consequently entitled to the privileges of
the Church of Christ. In some of the Northern cities houses
of worship were erected for their special and separate accommo¬
dation, and they were put under the pastoral charge of a white
A Brief Historical Sketch. 63
preacher, who was generally assisted by such colored local
preachers as may have been raised up among themselves; for
many such, from time to time, possessing gifts of edification,
were licensed to preach the gospel to their colored brethren,
and some of these have been eminently useful. In the more
southern states, where the municipal regulations in respect to
slaves are more severe, some portion of the churches where the
white population assemble is usually set apart for the blacks.
Their behavior has generally been such as to insure the con¬
fidence of their masters and the protection of their civil rulers,
though they labored under the disabilities incident to a state of
servitude."
1799. This year is memorable for the commencement of that
extraordinary awakening which, taking its rise in Kentucky and
spreading in various directions and with different degrees of
intensity, was denominated " the great Kentucky revival." It
continued for above four years, and its influence was felt over a
large portion of the Southern States. Presbyterians, Metho¬
dists, and Baptists participated in this work. In this revival
originated the camp meetings which gave a new impulse to
Methodism. From the best estimates the number of negroes
received into the different communions during this season must
have been between four and five thousand.
1800. The number of members in connection with the Meth¬
odists was 13,452. The bishops of the M. E. Church were au¬
thorized to ordain African preachers, in places where there
were houses of worship for their use, who might be chosen by
the majority of the male members of the Society to which they
belonged and could procure a recommendation from the preach¬
er in charge and his colleagues on the circuit, to the office of
local deacons. Richard Allen, of Philadelphia, was the first
colored man who received orders under this rule.
1803. The second African Church in Savannah was formed
out of the first, December 26, 1802, and Henry Cunningham
elected pastor and ordained to the work of the ministry Janua¬
ry 1, 1803. On January 2, 1803, another Church was formed
out of the first, called the Ogechee Colored Baptist Church,
and Henry Francis appointed to supply it. Henry Cunningham
was a slave, but obtained his freedom. He is still the pastor of
the Second African Church, far advanced in life, and from age
64 The Gospel among the Slaves.
unable to attend to his sacred duties, except to a very limited
extent. He still enjoys, as he has always enjoyed, the confi¬
dence and esteem of all classes of the community in which he
has lived so long, so virtuously, and so usefully. The Metho¬
dist Conferences reported 22,453 colored members, an increase
over the last year of 3,794,
In the report of the congregation of the Moravian Brethren
at Graceham, Md., for 1801, Rev. Frederick Schlegel, under date
of April 19, writes:^'As a number of negroes had for several
Sundays successively attended our divine worship, I collected
thirteen of them and, after a suitable address, prayed with them.
They were very devout, and declared it to be their sincere desire
to be truly converted. ) A few Sundays after, Brother Browne
(who preached the gospel to the negroes on Staten Island), be¬
ing here on a visit, preached to thirty negroes, and after the
sermon baptized two children. The transaction made such an
impression on two of the adult negroes that they requested that
this rite might be immediately performed on them. They were
however satisfied with the reasons assigned for deferring it till
they had received further instruction in Christianity. A very
affecting scene took place at the close of the meeting. A ne¬
gro overseer, who was present, kneeled down with his people,
and in an impressive prayer thanked God for what their souls
had enjoyed dhat day. The number of negroes that attended
increased almost every week. At their request a regulation
was made according to which separate meetings will be held
with them at stated times. Opportunities will also be offered
them for private conversation on religious subjects. Some chil¬
dren and a few adults were in the sequel baptized. (" History of
the Church of the Brethren," Vol. II., pp. 292, 293.)
1805. An African Church was formed in Boston under the
ministry of Thomas Paul, a colored man. Their house of wor¬
ship was finished in 1806; the lower story was fitted up for a
schoolroom.
1806. The Baptist Churches in South Carolina were 130; the
number of ministers, 100; and communicants, 10,500, of whom
perhaps 3,500 were negroes.
1807. The Hanover Presbytery (Virginia) addressed a circu¬
lar to the Churches under their care solemnly exhorting them
not to neglect their duty to their servants. (" Virginia Maga¬
zine," Vol., III., p. 159.)
A Brief Historical Sketch. 65
1809. The Abyssinian or African Church was formed in the
city of New York, the house of worship in Anthony Street;
also an African Church in Philadelphia, supplied for a time by
Henry Cunningham, of Savannah, Ga. The estimate of col¬
ored communicants in the Baptist Churches of Virginia this
year I set down at 9,000.
1810. By the reports of the state of the congregations of the
Protestant Episcopal Church in South Carolina, made in the
convention, there were 199 colored communicants in 3 Church¬
es—viz., St. Philip's and St. Michael's, Charleston, 120 and 73,
and Prince George's Winyaw, 6. The other reports do not dis¬
tinguish between white and colored communicants.
1813. There were 40,000 negroes connected with the Baptist
denomination in the states of Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia,
North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. The historian
remarks that "among the African Baptists in the Southern
States there are a multitude of preachers and exhorters whose
names do not appear on the minutes of the Associations. They
preach principally on the plantations to those of their own color,
and their preaching, though broken and illiterate, is in many
cases highly useful."
1816. There was a report adopted by the General Assembly
of the Presbyterian Church in the United States on the ques¬
tion, " Ought baptism on the promise of the master to be ad¬
ministered to the children of slaves? " as follows:
"1. That it is the duty of the masters who are members of
the Church to present the children of parents in servitude to
the ordinance of baptism, provided they are in a situation to
train them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, thus
securing to them the rich advantages which the gospel promises.
" 2. That it the duty of Christian ministers to inculcate this
doctrine and to baptize all children when presented to them by
their masters." (" Minutes of the Assembly.")
The subject of Missions to the negroes occupied the atten¬
tion of the General Assembly, but no plan of Missions was car¬
ried into effect. Dr. Rice, of Virginia, was employed by the
Committee on Missions in the Assembly for a part of the year,
and his labors were encouraging, as already stated by Dr. Alex¬
ander in his letter, and as appears also from the Minutes of the
Assembly, p. 372.
5
66
The Gospel among the Slaves.
The Colonization Society was formed this year, and I notice
it as furnishing an index to the feelings of many in relation to
the improvement of the negro race.
The Methodists reported this year 42,304 colored members,
and a decrease of 883 since 1815. Dr. Bangs says: "This was
owing to a defection among the colored people in the city of
Philadelphia, by which upward of 1,000 in that city withdrew
from our Church and set up for themselves, with Richard Al¬
len, a colored local preacher, and an elder in the Methodist
Episcopal Church, at their head. By habits of industry and
economy, though born a slave in one of the Southern States,
he had not only procured his freedom, but acquired considera¬
ble wealth, and since he had exercised the office of a preacher
and an elder, obtained great influence over his brethren in the
Church. At the secession they organized themselves .into an
independent body, under the title of the "African Methodist
Episcopal Church." At their first General Conference in April,
1816, Richard Allen was elected bishop. At the Conference, in
1828 Morris Brown was elected joint superintendent with Al¬
len; and on the death of Allen, in 1836, Edward Watters was
elected joint superintendent with Brown. The colored congre¬
gations in New York City followed the example. They adopted
the itinerant mode of preaching and have spread themselves in
different parts of Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Mary¬
land, and Delaware. There are also some in the Western
States, and a few in Upper Canada. In the more southern
states the Allenites could make no favorable impression, as
their preachers were not recognized by the laws of the states,
and the slave population who were members of our Church
had the character of our white ministry pledged as a guarantee
for their good behavior."
1818. Under the report of colored members for this year, the
same writer remarks: "That while there was an increase of
white members amounting to 9,035, there was a decrease of
4,261 of the colored members." He states that this was owing
to the Allenite secession, although not all who through its in¬
fluence declared themselves independent attached themselves
to the Allenites.
1819. The increase of colored members this year was but 24.
(1819, 39,174; 1818, 39,150.) The smallness of the increase isac-
-A Brief Historical Sketch.
67
counted for by the secession of the negroes in New York City,
amounting to " 14 local preachers and 929 private members, in¬
cluding class leaders, exhorters, and stewards."
A report dated June 14, 1819, of a committee of the Board of
Managers of the Bible Society of Charleston, S. C., respecting
the progress and present state of religion in South Carolina,
will cast some light on the subject before us: "From the best
information the committee have been able to obtain, they find
that the gospel is now preached to about 613 congregations of
Protestant Christians; that there are about 292 ordained clergy¬
men who labor amongst them, beside a considerable number of
domestic missionaries, devoted and supported by each denomi¬
nation, who dispense their labors to such of the people as remain
destitute of an established ministry. From actual returns, and
cautious estimates where such returns have not been obtained,
it appears that in the state there are about 46,000 Protestants
who receive the holy communion of the Lord's Supper. In the
city of Charleston upward of one-fourth of the communicants
are slaves or free persons of color; and it is supposed that in the
other parts of the state the proportion of such communicants
may be estimated at about one-eighth. In every Church they
are freely admitted to attend on divine service. In most of the
Churches distinct accommodations are provided for them, and
the clergy in general make it a part of their pastoral care to de¬
vote frequent and stated seasons for the religious instruction of
catechumens from amongst the black population."
It may be proper to state in connection with this report that
from the beginning, with scarcely an exception, the negroes
applying for admission into the Churches have been under the
instruction of white ministers or members; have been baptized
and have partaken of the Lord's Supper at the same time with
white candidates and members, and been subject to the same
care and discipline; no distinction being made between the two
classes of members in respect to the privileges and discipline of
the Churches.
The Episcopal Church reported in part the number of col¬
ored members from 1812 to 1818, the majority in Charleston.
The highest number reported was in 1817, 328. In 1818 there
were 289.
1820. Bishop McKendree presented an address to the Gen-
68
The Gospel among the Slaves.
eral Conference, at Baltimore, in which he took notice of "the
condition of the slaves." The number of colored members, oy
the Minutes of the Conference, was 40,558.
The census of 1800 gave us 893,041 negro slaves and 110,555
free, making a total of 1,003,596; that of 1810 was 1,191,364 slaves
and 195,643 free; total negro population, 1,387,007; that of 1820,
1,538,064 slaves and 244,020 free; total, 1,782,084.
The importation of Africans into our country ceased, by
law, on January 1, 1808. The traffic was abolished by Virginia
in 1778; Pennsylvania, in 1780; Massachusetts, in 1787; Connect¬
icut and Rhode Island, in 1788. And before the year 1820
measures Avere taken by all the present free states, in which
slavery had existed, for bringing the system to a close. What
special efforts, if any, were made in these states by the Church¬
es, or by Societies, for the religious instruction of the negroes
thus obtaining their freedom, I have had no means of ascer¬
taining with accuracy. From the best information in posses¬
sion special efforts were very few and very limited.
As a nation we were scarcely reviving from the Revolution
and the excitement of the formation and establishment of our
Constitution when we were involved in a war with France,
which, Avith its influences, and Avhat Avas worse, the infidelity
and skepticism Avhich our previous connection Avith that nation
introduced among us, most seriously affected the interests of
religion, and the decline Avas perceptible in a greater or less
degree over the Avhole Union. Not long after, our troubles
with England began, Avhich resulted in a four years' Avar. Not¬
withstanding these interruptions, the Spirit of God was poured
out largely in different parts of the country. Indeed, the first
quarter of the nineteenth century Avitnessed a remarkable re¬
vival of the missionary spirit in the American as well as En¬
glish Churches. Many societies were organized on a large and
liberal scale (in whose existence the Avorld has reason to rejoice)
for the spreading of the gospel, both at home and abroad, as
well as by the circulation of the Scriptures and auxiliary pub¬
lications, as by the living teacher.
This spirit wrought in the hearts of ministers and people
generally, and a new and mighty impulse was given to religion.
In the South it awakened many to see the spiritual necessities
of the negroes. Many ministers began to preach particularly
A Brief Historical Sketch. 69
and more faithfully to them and to attempt a regular division
of their time on the Sabbath, between the whites and blacks.
[Attempts were also made in some parts of the South to teach
the negroes letters, so as to enable them to read the word of
God for themselves. - These schools were short-lived, but the
fact of their existence evidences that there was considerable in¬
terest felt in their religious instruction. Houses of public wor¬
ship, exclusively for the use of the negroes, were erected in
many of the chief towns, and they worshiped in them under
the care of white or colored teachers. In numbers of white
churches space was allowed for the accommodation of the ne¬
groes, in the galleries or in the body of the house below; and
within sight and hearing of the country churches, in some
pleasant grove fitted up with booths, with a stand or pulpit for
preaching, the negroes would ofttimes be seen assembling for
worship between services or in the afternoon. There were
planters also who undertook to read and explain the Scriptures,
and pray with their people.)
It is not too much to say that the religious and physical con¬
dition of the negroes were both improved during this period.
Their increase was natural and regular, ranging every ten years
between 34 and 36 per cent. As the old stock from Africa died
out of the country, the grosser customs, the ignorance and pa¬
ganism of Africa died with them. Their descendants, the coun¬
try born, were better looking, more intelligent, more civilized,
and more susceptible of religious impressions. Growing up
under the eyes and in the families of owners, they became more
attached to them, were identified in their households and ac¬
companied them to church. The gospel was preached to mas¬
ters and servants; servants having no religion to renounce grew
up in the belief of that of their masters. On the whole, how¬
ever, but a minority of the negroes, and that a small one, at¬
tended regularly the house of God, and, taking them as a class,
their religious instruction was extensively and seriously neg¬
lected.
CHAPTER VI.
A Brief Historical Sketch (Concluded).
DR. JONES brings down his summary of facts
to the year 1842. We quote the record as
follows:
1821. The Methodist Episcopal Church reported this year
42,059 colored members in the United States, and their num¬
bers gradually increase.
1822. The account of the labors of the Moravian Brethren
by Mr. Schmidt, already referred to, brings down their labors
to 1837, and is as follows:
" In January, 1822, a Female Auxiliary to the Missionary So¬
ciety was formed at Salem, and at their special request an at¬
tempt was made to collect the negroes into separate congrega¬
tions of their own—a plan which had, indeed, long been an ob¬
ject of desire. Brother Abraham Steiner was commissioned to
make a commencement of the work by holding a monthly
preaching on a plantation about three miles distant from Salem,
where the negro communicants resided. At his first sermon
there, March 24, 1822, more than fifty black and colored people
were present. After a fervent prayer he discoursed on the
words of our Saviour: ' The Son of man is come to seek and to
save that which was lost.' With this monthly preaching, which
was well attended by the negroes, catechetical instruction in
the great truths of our religion was combined. On May 19th
the Lord's Supper was celebrated with the three persons who
were already communicants as the first fruits of this infant ne¬
gro flock. Great stillness and devotion continued to mark the
attendance of the negroes on divine worship, yet few sought for
closer fellowship, so that this little flock has never to the pres¬
ent day numbered more than twenty members.
"A negro chapel was built in 1823 at the expense of the Fe¬
male Auxiliary and consecrated by Brother Benade the resi-
(70)
A Brief Historical Sketch. *ji
dent bishop, December 28, in the presence of nearly a hun¬
dred negroes and colored people and many members of the
congregation at Salem. This was followed by the baptism of a
married negro woman, and the solemnities of the day were
closed by a cheerful love feast, at which the object of our cov¬
enant was explained and two negroes were received into the
congregation. It was a day of blessing for the negroes, many
of whom seemed to be deeply affected. Having now a place of
worship of their own, the meetings could be better adapted to
their circumstances. Sevei-al sisters offered themselves to keep
a Sunday school for their benefit, and it was diligently fre¬
quented not only by children, but also by adults. This hope¬
ful project was soon, however, painfully interrupted by a law
which passed the Legislature of North Carolina forbidding any
school instruction to be imparted to the negroes—a prohibition
which likewise operated very injuriously on their attendance at
the meetings. On May 22, 1833, the negroes were called to
mourn over the loss of their faithful and much-loved pastor,
Brother Abraham Steiner. His place was supplied by Brother
John Renatus Schmidt. For the last year or two they have
manifested a greater desire for the word of life, and visited
the house of God more diligently, and our testimony to the
sufferings and death of Jesus appears to find more entrance
into their hearts. In the private meetings of the little negro
flock, and particularly at the holy communion, the peace of
God is powerfully perceptible. The company of emancipated
negroes, upward of twenty in number, who sailed last year for
Liberia, on the western coast of Africa, had all been diligent
attendants on our meetings and former Sunday school, and one
of them was a communicant member of our flock. At parting
they declared with tears that nothing grieved them so much as
the loss of these privileges. They promised to devote them¬
selves to the Lord Jesus, and to remain faithful to him.
" In the fourteen years which have elapsed since their church
was dedicated, 10 adults and 73 children have been baptized and
8 received into the congregation. The little flock consists at
present (1837) of 17 adult members, 10 of whom are communi¬
cants.
" On the settling of the Brethren in Wachovia, N. C., it was
their most cherished object to communicate the gospel both to
y2 The Gosfel among- the Slaves.
the Indians on the borders of the Southern States and to the
negro population of those states, amounting to several thou¬
sands, especially to such as resided in the neighborhood of our
congregations, hoping that they might be favored to gather
from among them a reward for the travail of the Redeemer's
soul. Special meetings were accordingly commenced at Hope
and Bethany and elsewhere in the neighborhood of Salem, and
the negroes, who were numerous in these districts, were in gen¬
eral diligent in attending them. The various ministers sta¬
tioned at Salem, the late brethren, Fritz, Kramsch, Wohfahrt,
Abraham Steiner, and their wives, interested themselves with
particular affection for the spiritual welfare of the negroes in
their vicinity, and the Lord so blessed their labors to the hearts
of many that they could be admitted to a participation of the
Lord's Supper. A thankful remembrance of their faithful serv¬
ices is still retained by the negroes.
" In the prosecution of the Mission amongst the Cherokees,
and in the attempt to establish one amongst the Creek Indians,
the negroes dispersed among them were not forgotten. Our
brethren at Springplace had the gratification of baptizing the
firstling of these negroes July 29, 1827. He was a native Afri¬
can of the Tjamba tribe, and was baptized into the death of
Jesus by the name of Christian Jacob, continuing faithful to his
Christian profession till his happy end."
The Rev. John Mines, pastor of a Church at Leesburg, Va.,
published at Richmond in 1822, "The Evangelical Catechism,
or a plain and easy system of the principle doctrines and duties
of the Christian religion. Adapted tn the nsw of Sabbath,schools
and families, with a _Q£W-method of instructing those, who, can¬
not read."
His " new method " was what is called " pral instruction,"
the scholars repeating the answers after the teacher until com¬
mitted to memory. (Mr. Mines was much interested in the re¬
ligious instruction of the negroes.^ In the preface of his cate¬
chism he states that he had severaLdas&es of them (taught by
his friends). He commends the use of it to masters and mis¬
tresses as " a humble attempt" to furnish them with appropri¬
ate means for the instruction of their servants in religious
knowledge; and he commends it also to his "colored friends
in the United States" as a book written "especially for them,"
A Brief Historical Sketch. 73
and says: "With the help of God I will attend particularly to
your spiritual interest while I live."
1823. Bishop Dehon, of the Diocese of South Carolina, had
all his good feelings excited in behalf of the negroes. " In his
own congregation he was the laborious and patient minister of
the African, and he encouraged among the masters and mis¬
tresses in his flock that best kindness toward their servants—a
concern for their eternal salvation." " He endeavored to en¬
lighten the community on this subject." " He would gladly
embrace opportunities to converse with men of influence relat¬
ing to it," etc. (" Life," by Dr. Gadsden.)
The Rev. Dr. Dalcho, of the Episcopal Church, Charleston,
this year issued a valuable pamphlet entitled: "Practical Con¬
siderations, Founded on the Scriptures, Relative to the Slave
Population of South Carolina." Its design is given in the first
paragraph, namely: " To show from the scriptures of the Old
and New Testament, that slavery is not forbidden by the divine
law; and at the same time to prove the necessity of giving re¬
ligious instruction to our negroes." Dr. Dalcho mentions that
in 1822 there were 316 colored communicants in the Episcopal
Churches in Charleston and 200 children in their colored Sun¬
day schools.
A few months before this pamphlet appeared, Dr. Richard
Furman, President of the Baptist State Convention of South
Carolina, in the name of that convention addressed a letter to
his Excellency, Governor Wilson, giving an " Exposition of the
views of the Baptists relative to the colored population of the
United States," in which, among other observations, we find
the following: "Their religious interests claim a regard from
their masters of the most serious nature, and it is indispensa¬
ble."
The lamented Dr. John Holt Rice, already mentioned in this
sketch, presented the subject of the religious instruction of the
negroes in a strong light to the consideration of his fellow-citi¬
zens of Virginia in the Evangelical Magazine, Vol. VIII., pp. 613,
614. He printed a sermon on the duty of masters to educate
and baptize the children of their servants. Through his influ¬
ence many in Virginia were induced to give the duty of the re¬
ligious instruction of the negroes serious consideration, which
resulted in action. One of his objects in devoting himself to
74 The Gosj>el among the Slaves.
the establishment of the Prince Edward Theological Seminary
was that a ministry might be educated at home and fitted for
the field composed as it is of masters and servants, bond and
free. This was also one prominent object in the minds of many
ministers, elders, and laymen in the foundation and endowment
of the Theological Seminary of the Synod of South Carolina
and Georgia in Columbia, S. C.
1828. The number of colored members in the Methodist
Episcopal Church was 48,096, and for 1825, 49,537; 1826, 51,334;
1827, 53,565; 1828, 58,856; showing a steady increase. fIn 1828
" a plain and easy catechism, designed chiefly for the benefit of
the colored persons, with suitable prayers and hymns annexed,"
was published by Rev. B. M. Palmer, P.P., pastor of the Cir¬
cular Church, Charleston, S. C.") Six or eight years before this
he had published a smaller work of the same kind and bearing
nearly the same title. During all his ministry in Charleston,
he was a firm supporter of the religious instruction of the ne¬
groes, both in word and deed.
1829. The Hon. Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, of the Epis¬
copal Church, delivered an address before the Agricultural So¬
ciety of South Carolina, in which he ably and largely insisted
upon the religious instruction of the negroes. This address
went through two or more editions and was extensively circu¬
lated and with the happiest effects.
1830. The historian of the Methodist Episcopal Church re¬
marks: "This year several Missions were commenced for the
special benefit of the slave population in the States of South Car¬
olina and Georgia. This class of people had been favored with
the labors of the Methodist ministry from the beginning of its
labors in this country, and there were at this time 68,814 of the
colored population in the several states and territories in our
Church fellowship, most of whom were slaves, fit was found
/however on a closer inspection into their condition that there
) were many that could not be reached by the ordinary means,
| and therefore preachers were selected who might devote them¬
selves exclusively to their service."^
He alludes particularly to the " Missionary Society of the
7 South Carolina Conference, Auxiliary to the Missionary Socie¬
ty of the Methodist Episcopal Church," which, at least so far as
its efforts respect the negro population, the Rev. Williams Ca-
A Brief Historical Sketch.
75
pers, D.D., superintendent of these Missions to the negroes
from their commencement, has spared no exertions to extend
and render successful. The reports of the Board of Managers,
drawn up from year to year by himself, exhibit the purity and
fervor of his zeal in so good a cause, as well as the remarkable
progress which it has made.
In the winter of 1830 and the spring of 1831, two Associa¬
tions of planters were formed in Georgia for the special object
of affording religious instruction to the negroes by their own
efforts and by missionaries employed for the purpose. The first
was formed by the Rev. Joseph Clay Stiles in Mcintosh Coun¬
ty, embracing the neighborhood of Harris's Neck, which con¬
tinued in operation for some time, until by the withdrawment
of Mr. Stiles's labors from the neighborhood and the loss of
some of the inhabitants by death and removals, it ceased. The
second was formed in Liberty County by the Midway Congre¬
gational Church and the Baptist Church under their respective
pastors, the Rev. Robert Quarterman and the Rev. Samuel
Spry Law, which Association, with one suspension from the
absence of a missionary, has continued its operations to the
present time.
One or more associations for the same purpose were formed
in St. Luke's Parish, S. C., in which John David Mungin, Esq.,
took an active part.
1831. An address entitled "The Religious Instruction of the
Negroes," delivered before the Associations of Mcintosh and
Liberty Counties, was published and circulated in newspaper
and pamphlet form.
1832. Edward R. Laurens, Esq., delivered an address before
the Agricultural Association of South Carolina, in which this
duty in the form of oral instruction, under proper arrangements
is recognized. (Southern Agriculturist, 1832.) "A short cate-<
chism for the use of the colored members on trial of the M. E.
Church in South Carolina: by W. Capers, D.D., Charleston,
1832."
This short catechism was prepared by Dr. Capers for the
use of the Methodist Missions to the negroes of the South Car¬
olina Conferences, and it is used by all the missionaries.
1833. The Missionary Society of the South Carolina Con¬
ference, which had now fairly entered upon its work, reported
76 The Gospel among ..the Slaves.
that the Missions were generally in flourishing circumstances;
that there were 1,395 colored members, and 490 children under
catechetical instruction at the Mission stations. The Society
also recommended the establishment of four or five new sta¬
tions and the appointment of three or four new missionaries
for stations already occupied. (Report, pp. 12-15.)
The " First Annual Report of the Liberty County Associa¬
tion was published and circulated in two editions.
Two essays were read before the Presbytery of Georgia, in
April, 1833: one on " The Moral and Religious Condition of Our
Colored Population," and the other "A Detail of a Plan for the
Moral Improvement of Negroes on Plantations," by Thomas
Savage Clay, Esq., of Bryan County. They were both pub¬
lished by order of the Presbytery. The " Detail," etc., by Mr.
Clay, which was indeed the result of his own experience and
observation on his own plantation for many years, was exten¬
sively circulated and received with approbation, and has done,
and is still doing, much good.
In December of this year the " Report of the Committee to
whom was referred the subject of the religious instruction of
the negroes," of the Synod of South Carolina and Georgia was
published. To this report a series of resolutions were subjoined:
" 1. That to impart the gospel to the negroes of our country
is a duty which God in his providence and in his word imposes
on us.
" 2. That in the discharge of this duty we separate entirely
the civil and religious condition of the people; and while we
devote ourselves to the improvement of the latter, we disclaim
all interference with the former.
" 3. That the plan which we shall pursue for their religious
instruction shall be that permitted by the laws of the state, con¬
stituting the bond of this Synod.
"4. That we deem religious instruction to master and serv¬
ant every way conducive to our interests for this world and for
that which is to come.
" 5. That every member of this Synod, while he endeavors
to awaken others, shall set the example and begin the religious
instruction of the servants of his own household, systematically
and perseveringly, as God shall enable him.
"6. That we cannot longer continue to neglect this duty
A Brief Historical Sketch. 77
without incurring the charge of inconsistency in our Christian
character; of unfaithfulness in the discharge of our ministerial
duty; and at the same time meeting the disapprobation of God
and our consciences."
The narrative of religion of the Synod at the same session
holds the following language: "The Synod continues to feel
the same responsibilities and desires on this subject which they
have repeatedly expressed. They rejoice to find that increas¬
ing attention is paid to it on the part of many who are largely
interested as owners in this class of our population." (Min¬
utes, pp. 24-34.)
The project of forming a Domestic Missionary Society, un
der the cafe of the Synod, with special reference to the reli¬
gious instruction of the negroes, was somewhat discussed, chief¬
ly in private, and a committee was appointed by the Synod to
bring in a report at the next meeting.
The reports from the Episcopal Churches in South Carolina
to the convention evidenced much attention to the negroes.( The
Rev. Joseph R. Walker, of Beaufort, reported 57 communicants
and 234 members of the Sundayschool, which was conducted
by the lirsFand best society in the place.^
Bishop Ives, of North Carolina, addressed the convention
"on the interesting subject of providing for our slave popula¬
tion a more adequate knowledge of the doctrines of Christ cru¬
cified." He stated in a letter to Bishop Meade that active erf-
forts, in behalf of this people, were made in five or six of the
Churches, and singled out the Church of St. John's, Fayette-
ville, embracing between three and four hundred worshipers, of
whom forty were communicants.
There were several religions newspapers, conducted by dif¬
ferent denominations,(_that advocated openly and efficiently
about this time the religious instruction of the negroes :Jthe
Gospel Messenger, Episcopal, Charleston; the Charleston Observ¬
er, Presbyterian; the Christian Index, Baptist; the Southern
Christian Advocate, Methodist; the Western Luminary, Ken¬
tucky ; and there may be added the New Orleans Observer and
the Southern Churchman, Alexandria, besides others. Through
these papers, having an extensive circulation, the subject was
presented to the minds of thousands of our citizens.
There was published this year (1833) "A Plain and Easy Cat-
78 The Gospel among the Slaves.
echism, designed for the benefit of colored children, with sev¬
eral verses and hymns, with an appendix; compiled by a mis¬
sionary: Savannah." This missionary was a Methodist, the
Rev. Samuel J. Bryan, who labored among the negroes on the
Savannah River. )
" The encouraging success which had attended the labors of
our preachers among the slaves and free black population of
the South stimulated our brethren in the Southwest to imitate
their example by opening Missions for the special benefit of
this class of people. Hence at the last session of the Tennessee
Conference the African Mission, embracing the colored popu¬
lation of Nashville and its vicinity, was commenced. A regular
four weeks' circuit was formed, and the good work was prose¬
cuted with such success that in 1834 there were reported 819
Church members." (Bangs 4, p. 143.)
1834. A meeting was held in Petersburg, Va., in March,
1834, composed of representatives from the Synods of North
Carolina and Virginia. After disposing of the special business
for which the meeting was called, the subject of the religious
instruction of the negroes was discussed, and as a result a com¬
mittee was appointed, consisting of three ministers and elders
in each of the states, " to bring before the Presbyteries the sub¬
ject of ministers giving more religious instruction to the col¬
ored people, and to collect and publish information on the best
modes of giving oral instruction to this class of our population "
That committee, of which Rev. William S. Plumer, D.D., now of
Richmond, was the Chairman, performed its duty and presented
a report to the Synods of North Carolina and Virginia at their fall
sessions in 1834. The same report, with some accompanying
documents, was forwarded to the Synod of South Carolina and
Georgia, and read before that body in December, 1834.
The committee of the Synods of North Carolina and Vir¬
ginia reported a plan "for forming a society by the concurrence
of two or more Synods for the purpose of affording religious in¬
struction to the negroes in a manner consistent with the laws
of the States and with the feelings and wishes of planters." The
plan was laid before Synod of North Carolina and acceded to.
It was laid over by the Synods of Virginia, South Carolina, and
Georgia to their session in 1835, and then, for special reasons,
indefinitely postponed. A report was presented by a committee
A Brief Historical Sketch. 79
of the Synod of South Carolina and Georgia, on this plan. The
report was adverse to it, on account of the extent of the pro¬
posed organization, the excitement of the times, and the belief
that each Synod could of itself conduct the work more success¬
fully than when united with the other two. The Constitution
of the proposed society, the reasons in favor of it, and Dr. Plum-
er's report, were all laid before the public in the columns of
the Charleston Observer. The report has been several times re¬
ferred to in this sketch.
The Synod of South Carolina and Georgia in December,
1834, passed the following resolutions:
'• 1. That it be enjoined upon all the Churches in the Presby¬
teries comprising this Synod to take order at their earliest meet¬
ing to obtain full and correct statistical information of the num¬
ber of colored persons in actual attendance at our several places
of worship, and the number of colored members in our several
Churches, and make a full report to the Synod at its next meet¬
ing ; and for this purpose that the stated clerk of this Synod fur¬
nish a copy of this resolution to the stated clerk of each presbytery.
" 2. That it be enjoined on all Presbyteries in presenting
their annual report to the Synod to report the state of religion
in the colored part of the congregations, and also to present a
statistical report of the increase of colored members, and that
this be the standing rule of the Synod on this subject." The
narrative states that " increasing efforts had been made to im¬
part religious instruction to the negroes." (Minutes, pp. 22-29.)
The Synod of Mississippi and Alabama, in their narrative
November 1, 1831, says: "Another very encouraging circum¬
stance in the situation of our Church is the deep interest which
is felt in behalf of our colored population, and the efforts which
are made to impart to them religious instruction. All our min¬
isters feel a deep interest in the instruction of this part of our
population, and when prudently conducted we meet with no
opposition. A few of us, owing to peculiar circumstances, have
no opportunity of preaching to them separately and at stated
times; but embrace every favorable opportunity that occurs.
Others devote a portion of every Sabbath, others a half of ev¬
er}' Sabbath, and two of our number preach exclusively to
them. During the past year the condition and wants of the
colored population have occupied more of our attention than at
8o The Gospel among the Slaves.
any previous period, and in future we hope to be moie untiring
in all our efforts to promote their happiness in this life and in
that which is to come." In their resolutions this Synod en¬
joined all under their care directly to make "united efforts to
provide means for the employment of missionaries to give oral
instruction to the colored population on the plantations with
the permission of those persons to whom they belong."
In this same year (1834) "the Kentucky Union, for the
moral and religious improvement of the colored race" was
formed, and a " circular " addressed to the ministers of the gos¬
pel in Kentucky, by the Executive Committee of that Union,
to which the Constitution was appended. It was " a union of the
several denominations of Christians in the state." The Rev.
H. H. Kavanaugh was President; there were ten Vice Presi¬
dents, selected from different quarters of the State, and an Ex¬
ecutive Committee of seven members, located in Danville, of
which Rev. John C. Young was Chairman. President Young
told me at the General Assembly of 1839 that this Union had
not accomplished much.
The " second annual report" of the Liberty County Associa¬
tion was published, giving some good account of their opera¬
tions. "An Essay on the Management of Slaves, and especial¬
ly on their religious instruction," read before the Agricultural
Society of St. John's, Colleton, S. C., by Whitemarsh B. Sea-
brook, President, was published by the Society. Mr. Seabrook
reviews some former publications on the religious instruction
of the negroes, and suggests his own plans and views on the
subject. The Right Rev. William Meade, Assistant Bishop of
Virginia, published an admirable " pastoral letter to the minis¬
ters, members, and friends of the Protestant Episcopal Church
in the diocese of Virginia, on the duty of affording religious in¬
struction to those in bondage." The bishop, in his zeal and per¬
sonal efforts on this subject, demonstrates the sincerity of his
published opinions.
The Missionary Society of the South Carolina Conference
Jreported five missionaries to the blacks; one in North Carolina,
the rest in South Carolina, and 2,145 members and 1,503 chil¬
dren under catechetical instruction.
"The Colored Man's Help; or the Planter's Catechism: Rich¬
mond, Va." was now published.
A Brief Historical Sketch. 81
Also, in the Charleston Observer, " Biographies of Servants
Mentioned in the Scriptures; with Questions and Answers,"
These admirable sketches were prepared by Mrs. Horace S.
Pratt, then of St. Mary's, Ga., and now of Tuscaloosa, Ala. The
Rev. Horace S. Pratt, previously to his appointment to a pro¬
fessorship in the Alabama College at Tuscaloosa, and while pas¬
tor of the St. Mary's Presbyterian Church, gave much of his
attention to the religious instruction of the negroes and pre¬
pared at his own expense a comfortable and commodious house
of worship for them, and which they occupy at the present
time.
Also, "A Catechism for Colored Persons: by C. C.Jones,"
printed in Charleston.
1835. "The Third Annual Report of the Liberty County
Association " was printed and more extensively circulated than
the two preceding.
In the narrative of the state of religion in the Synod of
South Carolina and Georgia, it is said: " Even the religious in¬
struction of our slave population, entirely suspended in some
parts of the country, thx-ough the lamentable interference of
abolition fanatics, has proceeded with almost unabated diligence
and steadiness of purpose through the length and breadth of our
Synod." (Minutes, 1835, P- 62.)
Bishop Bowen, of the diocese of South Carolina, prepared at
the request of the Convention and printed "A Pastoral Letter
on the Religion of the Slaves of the Members of the Protestant
Episcopal Church in the State of South Carolina," to which he
appended "Scripture Lessons," for the same.
The subject had been presented to the Convention by an able
report from a committee, and a portion of the report was em¬
bodied in Bishop Bowen's letter.
The Missionary Society of the South Carolina Conference
reported this year 2,603 members and 1,33° children under cat¬
echetical instruction.
1836. The Rev. George W. Freeman, late rector of Christ's
Church, Raleigh, N. C., published two discourses on " The
Rights and Duties of Slaveholders." Mr. Freeman with pathos
and energy urges upon masters and mistresses the duty of re¬
ligious instruction.
The report of the Liberty County Association was prepared,
6
82
The Gospel among- the Slaves.
but not published this year. The operations of the Association
during the year had been successful.
The bishops of the M. E. Church in the United States, in
their letter of reply to the letter from the Wesleyan Methodist
Conference, England, held the following language: "It may
be pertinent to remark that of the colored population in the
Southern and Southwestern States there are not less than
70,000 in our Church membership; and in addition to those
who are mingled with our white congregations, we have sev¬
eral prosperous Missions, exclusively for their spiritual benefit,
which have been and are still owned of God to the conversion
of many precious souls. On the plantations of the South and
Southwest our devoted missionaries are laboring for the salva¬
tion of the slaves, catechising their children and bringing all
within their influence, as far as possible, to the saving knowl¬
edge of Jesus Christ. And we need hardly add that we shall
most gladly avail ourselves, as we have ever done, of all the
means in our power to promote their best interests." The total
number of colored members reported for 1836 was 82,661.
1837-38. The subject of the religious instruction of the ne¬
groes was called up and attended to in the Synod of South Car¬
olina and Georgia both these years, and many Sunday schools
for children and adults reported from the different Presbyteries.
It also received attention in all the Southern Synods. There
appeared to be a growing conviction of the duty itself, and on
the whole an increase of efforts.
The instruction of the negroes in Liberty County by the As¬
sociation was carried forward as usual during the summers of
these years, but in consequence of the absence of the mission¬
ary in the winters no reports were published.
The Missionary Society of the South Carolina Conference
prosecuted its work with encouraging success. In an annual
meeting in the town of Columbia, S. C., they collected for their
Missions to the negroes between $1,200 and $1,500.
Bishop Meade collected and published " Sermons Dialogued,
and Narratives for Servants, to be read to them in families:
Richmond, 1836."
The second edition of the "Catechism for Colored Persons;
by C. C. Jones: Savannah. T. Purse, 1837." Also, "A Cate¬
chism to be used by the teachers in the religious instruction of
A Brief Historical Sketch.
persons of color, etc., prepared in conformity to a resolution of
the Convention, under the direction of the bishop: Charleston."
The reverend gentlemen of the diocese of South Carolina, who
united in preparing this catechism, were Dr. Gadsden (now
bishop), Mr. T. Trapier, and Mr. William H. Barnwell.
The following resolution was passed in the Episcopal Con¬
vention of South Carolina in 1838: "Resolved, That it be re¬
spectfully recommended to the members of our Church, who
are proprietors of slaves individually and collectively, to take
measures for the support of clerical missionaries and lay cate-
chists, who are members of our Church, for the religious in¬
struction of their slaves."
And again: "Resolved, That it be urged upon the rectors and
vestries of the country parishes to exert themselves to obtain
the services of such missionaries and lay catechists."
1839-40. From the reports of the Liberty County Associa¬
tion for these years, it appears that a revival of religion com¬
menced toward the close of the summer of 1838 among the ne¬
groes, and extended very nearly over the whole country, and
continued for two years. (The whole number received into the
Congregational and Baptist Churches, on profession of their
faith, was fully two hundred and fifty .J (The number of adults
and children under catechetical instruction in the Sabbath
schools connected with the Association and the different
Churches ranged from five to seven hundred^ The Mission-,
ary Society of the South Carolina Conference reported in 1839
13 Missions, 210 plantations, 19 missionaries, 5,482 Church
members, and 3,769 children catechised; in 1840, 13 Missions,
232 plantations, 19 missionaries, 5,482 Church members, ancj^
3,811 children. (Minutes.)
The Methodists returned in 1840 94,532 colored persons in
their Conference.
The Rev. T. Archibald (Presbyterian) labored as a mission¬
ary to the negroes in Mississippi for several years, and in 1839,
after leaving his charge in consequence of the abolition excite¬
ment, he received a call to preach to the negroes in Marengo
County, Ala.
The Rev. James Smylie and Rev. William C. Blair (of the
same denomination) were and still are (if our late information
be correct) " engaged in this good work systematically and con-
84 The Gosfel among the Slaves.
stantly " in Mississippi. (The Rev. James Smylie is character¬
ized as "an aged and indefatigable father; his success in en¬
lightening the negroes has been very great. A large prnpnr.
tion of the negroes in his old Church_can _recite both Willison's
and the Westminster Catechism very accurately." )
The names of many other pastors in the South might be
given, who have conscientiously and for a series of years de¬
voted much time to the religious instruction of the negroes con¬
nected with their Churches.
^The Rev. James Smylie and Rev. John L. Montgomery were
appointed by the Synod of Mississippi in 1839 to write or com¬
pile a catechism for the instruction of the negroes. ) The man¬
uscript was presented to the Synod in October, 1840, and put
into the hands of a committee of revision, but it has not yet
been published.
The table on the state of the Churches of the Sunbury Bap¬
tist Association, Georgia, gives six African Churches with a
total of 3,987 members, as returned. One of these Churches
did not return the number of communicants. Of the other
Churches in the table, five have an overwhelming majority of
colored members. The three African Churches in Savannah
are all connected with this Association. In the Appendix to
the Minutes it is said: "The committee to whom was referred
Brother Sweat's letter on the subject of a Mission among the
African Church reports that it is highly important that such a
Mission should be established, and recommend that the subject
be turned over to the Executive Committee with the instruction
that the brethren engaged in that work during the past year be
compensated for their services. Your committee further rec¬
ommend that Brother Connor be employed as a missionary by
the Association, provided he will devote half his time to the
colored people."
And again: " That the table showing the state of the Churches
may be more correct than the present, it is requested that at
the next meeting of the Association the Church clerks will dis¬
tinguish in their reports between the white and colored mem¬
bers, and that such Churches as send no delegates will forward
a statement of their condition."
" Missions to the people of color" is noticed in the annual
report of the Missionary Society of the M. E. Church in 184a
A Brief Historical Sketch. 85
The report thus speaks: "And surely those who devote them¬
selves to the self-sacrificing work of preaching the gospel to
these people on the rice and sugar plantations of the South and
Southwest are no less deserving the patronage of the Mission¬
ary Society than those who labor for the same benevolent ob¬
ject in other portions of the great work. Of these there are
chiefly in the Southern Conferences 12,402 members under the
patronage of this Society." (Report, p. 23.)
1841. The report of the same Society for this year refers
also to " Missions to the colored population." In no portion of
our work are our missionaries called to endure greater priva¬
tions or make greater sacrifices of health and life than in these
Missions among the slaves, many of which are located in sec¬
tions of the southern country which is proverbially sickly, and
under the fatal influence of a climate which few white men are
capable of enduring even for a single year. And vet, notwith¬
standing so many valuable missionaries have fallen martyrs to
their toils in these Missions, year after year there are found
others to take their places, who fall likewise in their work,
" ceasing at once to work and live." Nor have our Superin¬
tendents any difficulty in finding missionaries ready to fill up
the ranks which death has thinned in these sections of the
work; for the love of Christ and the love of the souls of these
poor Africans in bonds constrain our brethren in the itinerant
work of the Southern Conferences to exclaim: " Here we are,
send us." The Lord be praised for the zeal and success of our
brethren in this self-denying and self-sacrificing work.
The Missionary Society of the South Carolina Conference
reported this year of Missions exclusively to the negroes, 14;
plantations served, 301; members, 6,145; children under cate¬
chetical instruction, 3,407; and missionaries, 18. The report
gives an animated and cheering view of the prospects of these
Missions. The great object of the Society in them is thus ex¬
pressed: "So to preach this gospel that it may be believed, and
being believed may prove ' the power of God unto salvation ' is
the great object, and we repeat it, the sole object of our minis¬
trations among the blacks. This object attained, we find the
terminus of our anxieties and toils, of our preaching and
prayers." (Report, pp. 12-17.)
The total of colored communicants in the Methodist connec-
86 The Gospel among the Slaves.
lion is given in the Minutes of the Annual Conferences foi the
years 1840 and 1841. For 1840, 94,532> aid foi 1841, 102,158.
The South Carolina Conference is ahead of all, having 30,481;
(next comes the Baltimore Conference, i3,9°4; then the Geor¬
gia Conference, 9,989; Philadelphia, 8,778; Kentucky, 6,321, and
so on. (Minutes, p. 156.)
The Sunbury Association reported this year seven African
Churches, with 4,430 members (from one no returns); adding
to this number the returns from the mixed Churches of white
and black, and an estimate of some from which no returns were
made, a total of 5,664 colored members is obtained. Appendix
B: "Resolved, That the committee be authorized to offer a sum
not exceeding $50 per month for one or more ordained minis¬
ters to labor among the colored people and destitute Churches
within the bounds of this Association."
Bishop Meade, of Virginia, made a report to the Convention
of his diocese " on the best means of promoting the religious
instruction of servants," the result of his extended observation
and long experience in this department of labor.
Bishop Gadsden, of South Carolina, devotes a considerable
portion of his address to the Convention to the subject of the
religious instruction of the negroes, He thus speaks: " Of that
class peculiar to our social system, the colored people, many
are members of our Chuixh, as are the masters of a very large
number of them who as yet are not converted to the gospel.
To make these fellow-creatures, who share with us the precious
redemption which is by Jesus Christ, good Christians is a pur¬
pose of which this Church is not and never has been regardless.
The interest and efforts in this cause have increased. But the
feeling ought to be much deeper, and the efforts more extended.
Consider the large number who are yet almost, if not entirely,
without the restraint, the incentives, the consolations, and the
hopes of the gospel, under the bondage of Satan, and on the
precipice of the second death. I speak more particularly of
those the smoke of whose cabins is in sight of our ministers who
live on the same plantations with members of our Church. Can
nothing be done, ought not everything be done that can be, to
bring such persons to the knowledge and obedience of Christ?"
^There are thirty-one parochial reports. In twenty-two of
the thp-ty-nnp Chm-rhps there are colored members, amounting
A Brief Historical Sketch. 87
to 869. In fifteen there are Sabbath schools for colored chil-
dren, amounting to 1,4.59 scholars. Eight of the clergy preach
on the plantations as well as to their colored congregations, and
there are two Missions to the negroes, embracing 1,400 in the
congregations. Children catechised on the plantations.
The practice of the Episcopal Church in this diocese cannot
be too highly commended to those who are of similar faith in
the matter referred to, which is the baptism of the infants and
children of negroes who are members of the Church. When
God established his visible Church on earth, he constituted the
infant seed of believers members of it, and therefore command¬
ed that the sign and seal of his gracious covenant should be ap¬
plied to them. His Church has ever remained the same, the
members the same, and under the same Constitution. Our
practice ought to confirm to our faith, and to the plain teach¬
ings of the word of God. A recurrence to this subject will be
necessary when the means and plans for the religious instruc¬
tion of the negroes come under consideration in the fourth part
of this work, and I therefore dismiss it in this place. There
were 159 colored children baptized in the Churches of the dio¬
cese by the parochial reports. (Journal of the Fifty-second
Convention, pp. 10-13 and pp. 33-48.)
From the seventh annual report of the Liberty County As¬
sociation for the religious instruction of the negroes, it appears
that the efforts of the Association during the year had been suc¬
cessful. There were 450 children and youth under catechetical
instruction, and adding four schools not immediately under the
care of the Association, but conducted by members of it, there
were 265 more. Seven Sabbath schools in all were returned, and
three stations for preaching. Congregations during the year
full and attentive; general order of the people commendable.
Appended to this report is the address to the Association by
the President, the Rev. Josiah Spry Law; an address which re¬
ceived the cordial and unanimous approbation of the Associa¬
tion as one which placed the religious instruction of the negroes
in a clear light, as the great duty of their owners, as well as of
the Churches. It was believed by the Association that the ad¬
dress was calculated to exert a favorable influence wherever it
should be circulated in our country, and it was therefore, with,
the consent of the author, ordered to be printed.
CHAPTER VII.
The Period of Decline: The Cause.
LIVING in the midst of these missionary move¬
ments, and heartily in sympathy with them,
Dr. Jones becomes an important witness in regard
to the period of decline which followed the aboli¬
tion propaganda of New England. He gives a
statement of the tendency among the negroes to
throw off all dependence upon the whites, taking
the control of their own Church affairs in the so-
called " Free States." Concurrently with this se¬
cession in the North, the agitation of the slavery
question in New England alarmed the slaveholders
of the South. The consequence was inevitable.
The religious interests of the slaves suffered seri¬
ous damage by the incendiary utterances of the
Garrisons and other leaders of the abolition move¬
ment. Our author states the case in conservative
language :
Of late years the negroes in the free states have manifested
a strong inclination to be independent of the influence and con¬
trol of the whites, and to create and manage their ecclesiastical
establishments in their own way; a very natural inclination, and
not to be wondered at nor objected against, provided they are
capable of taking care of themselves, which, however, many of
their warmest friends not only seriously doubt, but wholly deny.
As a specimen of this disposition I would refer to the secession
of Richard Allen and his associates in Philadelphia, from the
Methodist Church, which secession extended into New Yoik
(88)
The Period of Decline: The Cause. 89
and other states. Of this secession in New York, Dr. Bangs
thus writes: "It is now (1839) twenty years since this secession
took place, and the degree of their prosperity may be estimated
from the following statement of their number of circuits and
stations, preachers and members taken from their Minutes for
1839: Circuits, 21; preachers, 32; members, 2,608. These cir¬
cuits and stations are found in the states of New York, New
Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. In the
city of New York, where the secession originated, they have a
membership of 1,325, making an increase of 396 in twenty years,
which is by no means in a ratio with their increase while they
remained under the care of their white brethren. In the city
of Boston, however, their success had been greater in propor¬
tion. In 1819 they had only 33, but now, in 1839, they have 126.
As the M. E. Church never derived any temporal emolument
from them, so we have sustained 110 other damage by the se¬
cession than what may arise from missing the opportunity of
doing them all the good in our power as their pastors," etc.
In the slave states there has been action in ecclesiastical
bodies on the religious instruction of the negroes, and the value
of such action is that it discovers a good disposition on the part
of ministers and Churches to fulfill their duty to this people.
The Episcopal Church has rather taken the lead in making
efforts and in keeping up an interest in its own bosom. Bishop
Meade, of Virginia, a long and unwearied advocate of this cause,
Bishop Ives, of North Carolina, Bishop Bowen, of South Carolina
(before his decease), and the present bishop of that state, Dr.
Gadsden, have each addressed their dioceses on this subject, and
commended it to the clergy and laity. The subject has been
discussed in their Conventions, accompanied with some able re¬
ports. Many of the clergy devote time to the instruction of
the negroes attached to their congregations, and have regular
and flourishing Sabbath schools. It is a stated fact that in the
Episcopal Churches generally in South Carolina there are Sab¬
bath schools for the negroes, and some of them large and flour¬
ishing.
There are several Episcopal missionaries to this people in
the state. The Churches in Charleston have always been act¬
ive in the instruction of the negroes, and the present bishop,
Dr. Gadsden, has been long known as an advocate of the work.
90 The Gospel among the Slaves.
The lately elected Bishop of Georgia, Rev. Stephen Elliott, D.D.,
has brought the subject before his Convention in his "primary
address " (1841), and urged attention to it with an energy and a
zeal which promises great blessings to the negroes connected
with the Churches of his new and interesting diocese. The ne¬
groes connected with the Episcopal Church have generally
been noted for intelligence and fidelity.
The Methodists do not yield in interest and efforts to any
denomination. From the commencement of their Church in
the United States they have paid attention to the negroes, of
which we have had ample proof in the progress of this sketch.
In the slave states they have, next to the Baptists, the largest
number of communicants. The negroes were brought under
the same Church regulations as the whites, having class leaders
and class meetings and exhorters, as the Church Discipline re¬
quires. The number of negro communicants is reported at
their Conferences as well as labors in their behalf, and where
it is necessary traveling preachers are directed to pay attention
to them. In the South Carolina Con.£exerm&-the^Migginnarj
Society, already referred to, has a field of operations among the
negroes along the seaboard, from North Carolina to the south¬
ern counties of Georgia. The missienaries-ef-this-see-ioty labor
chiefly on river bottoms, and in districts where the negro popu¬
lation is large and the white population small, and it is under¬
stood receive most of their support from the planters them¬
selves, whose plantations they serve. (We know of no other
Missionary Society in this denomination so fully devoted to
this particular field, but there are Methodist missionaries for
the negroes in Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, and other slave-
holding states, j Without a doubt, as the Lord has opened wide
the door of usefulness to this denomination among the negroes,
it will not fail to exert itself to the utmost. Bishop J. O. An¬
drew, whose circuit is in the Southern States, has taken up the
subject in good earnest and is prosecuting it with energy and
success.
The Baptists have no societies in existence expressly for
evangelizing the negroes, although their Associations and Con¬
ventions do, from time to time, call up the subject and act upon
it. There are more negro communicants and more Churches
regularly constituted, exclusively of negroes, with their own
The Period of Decline: The Cause. 91
regular houses of public worship, and with ordained negro
preachers, attached to this denomination than to any other
denomination in the United States.
It is difficult to collect the direct efforts of this denomination
for the instruction of negroes, as the reports of the Associations
are not easily obtained, they being printed and circulated chieiiy
within their respective bounds. If investigation were carefully
made, it might be found that in many of the Associations of
this denomination as much attention is paid to the instruction
of the negroes as in the Sunbury Association, Georgia, already
referred to. There are missionaries in destitute settlements
who devote a portion of their time to this people. Perhaps in
most of the chief towns in the South there are houses of public
worship erected for the negroes alone. There are three, for
example, in the city of Savannah. A year or two since I
preached to the Baptist negroes in Petersburg, Va., in their own
house of worship, crowded to suffocation.
The Presbyterians have had ecclesiastical action within the
present period in the Synods of Virginia and North Carolina,
South Carolina and Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Ala¬
bama, and in the Presbyteries of all these Synods. Some Pres¬
byteries have distinguished themselves by their zeal and activ¬
ity in the instruction of the negroes.
It is unnecessary to transcribe the resolutions, reports, and
acts of these several bodies. Some have already met the eve of
the reader. The latest and most general and satisfactory re¬
turns in our possession were gathered from the statements of
members of the General Assembly of 1839, from the slavehold-
ing states, at a meeting called by themselves for the purpose of
taking into consideration the religious instruction of the ne¬
groes, and of communicating information and suggesting plans
of operation. It will suffice to present the sum of the whole in
a few words.
In the Synods of Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, Ten¬
nessee, and West Tennessee it is the practice of a number of
ministers to preach to the negroes separately once on the Sab¬
bath or during the week. There are also Sabbath schools in
some of the Churches for children and adults, and in all the
houses of worship, with a few exceptions, a greater or less
number of colored members and negroes form a portion of
The Gospel among the Slaves.
every Sabbath congregation. In portions of these Synods the
abolition excitement checked and in others materially retarded
the work of instruction.
In the Synods of Alabama and Mississippi almost all the
ministers devote a portion of the Sabbath to the negroes. There
are two or three missionaries within the bounds of these Syn¬
ods, and some flourishing Sabbath schools. Access, in many
parts of the two states, may be had to the negroes, of unlimited
extent. The abolition excitement injured the cause.
In the Synod of South Carolina and Georgia many minis¬
ters preach to the negroes separately on the Sabbath or during
the week, and maintain Sabbath schools. Especially is this the
fact along the seaboard of the two states. The Presbytery of
Georgia has one missionary to the negroes, and in the country
where he labors there are seven Sabbath schools connected
with the Congregational and Baptist Churches, and upward of
600 children and youth in a course of catechetical instruction.
There are three stations for missionary preaching on the Sab¬
bath, occupied in rotation, and in addition, during the winter
and spring, preaching on the plantations. There are colored
members in all the Churches in this Synod, and accommoda¬
tions for the negroes in the houses of public worship. The ses¬
sions conduct the discipline of the colored members in the same
manner that they do the whites. They are received into the
Churches under the same form and partake of the ordinances
at the same time.
The ministers in the newly formed Presbytery of Florida
are devoting attention to this field of labor, dispersing informa¬
tion and preaching as opportunity offers.
Such are the principal facts touching the religious instruction
of the negroes during the third period from 1820 to 1842. And
in view of them, as we close the period, we feel warranted in
considering it a period of the revival of religion in respect to
this particular duty, throughout the Southern States, more es¬
pecially between the years 1829 and 1835.
This revival came silently, extensively, and powerfully, af¬
fecting masters, mistresses, ministers, members of the Church,
and ecclesiastical bodies of all the different evangelical denom¬
inations. Some local associations of planters were formed, and
societies on a large scale contemplated, and one brought to per-
The Period of Decline: The Cause. 93
feet organization. Sermons were preached and pamphlets pub¬
lished, the daily press lent its aid, and manuals of instruction
were prepared and printed. Nor was there any opposition of
moment to the work, conducted by responsible individuals,
identified in feeling and interest with the country. Some por¬
tions of the South were in advance of others, both in respect to
the acknowledgement and performance of the great duty, but
the light was gradually diffusing itself everywhere.
| Such was the onward course of things when the excitement
in the free states on the civil condition of the negro manifested
itself in petitions to Congress, in the circulation of inflamma¬
tory publications, and other measures equally and as justly ob¬
noxious to the South, all of which had a disastrous influence
on the success of the work we were attempting to do.) The ef¬
fect of the excitement was to turn off the attention of the South
from the religious to the civil condition of the people in ques¬
tion, and from the salvation of the soul to the defense and pres¬
ervation of political rights. The very foundations of Society
were assailed, and men went forth to the defense. A tender¬
ness was begotten in the public mind on the whole subject, and
every movement touching the improvement of the negroes
was watched with jealousy. Timid, ambitious, and factious
men, and men hostile to religion itself, and men desirous of
warding off suspicion from themselves, agitated the public
mind within our own borders. The result was to arrest in
many places efforts happily begun and successfully prosecuted
for the religious instruction of the negroes. It was considered
best to disband schools and discontinue meetings, at least for a
season. The formation of societies and the action of ecclesias¬
tical bodies in some degree ceased.
(The feelings of men being excited, those who had under¬
taken the religious instruction of the negroes were looked upon
with suspicion, and some of them were obliged to quit the
field. )It was not considered that a separation might be made
between the religious and the civil condition and interests of a
people, and that a minister could confine himself to the one
without interfering at all with the other. This entire effect
upon the slave states of the movement in the free states, con¬
sidering all circumstances, was natural, but it was wrong;
wrong because, let others act as they might, we should have
The Gosj>el among the Slaves.
gone forward and done what was obviously our duty. We
could have done it; for the whole arrangement of the religious
instruction of the negroes, as to teachers, times, places, matter,
and manner, was in our own power. And wrong again be¬
cause, admitting that the wishes of these professed friends of
the negroes were to be consummated, no better could be done
for the negroes, nor for ourselves, than to teach them their
duty to God and man. The gospel certainly hurts no man and
no body of men. Parts of the southern country took such ac¬
tions as was deemed necessary (if at all), calmly and decidedly,
nor were any difficulties thrown in the way of the regular
course of religious instruction. A missionary in the heart of
three or four thousand negroes, during the period of excite¬
ment, visited plantations during the week, and met congrega¬
tions on the Sabbath, varying from 150 to 500 persons; yet it
cannot be denied that the Northern movements did sensibly af¬
fect the feeling in favor of the religious instruction of the ne¬
groes throughout the whole slaveholding states, and the first
prominent cause of the decline in the revival of which we
speak was unquestionably those movements, and I mention
the fact because the cause of that decline is sometimes inquired
into.
From information obtained by correspondence and in other
ways, there are favorable indications that a reaction has taken
place within one or two years past, and that, taking the coun¬
try throughout, more religious instruction is communicated to
the negroes now than ever before. The old friends of the
cause for the most part retain their integrity and labor on,
while the Lord is impressing deeply the hearts and consciences
of owners, and is raising up many youth in the ministry and in
the Churches to carry forward the work more extensively.
The third period is now completed, and with it this historical
sketch of the religious instruction of the negroes, since their
first introduction into this country to the present time. I shall
add in the conclusion the following general observations:
1. The negro race has existed in our country for two hun¬
dred and twenty-two years, in which time the gospel has been
brought within the reach of and been communicated to multi¬
tudes, and tens of thousands of them have been converted, and
have died in the hope of a blessed immortality. And there are
The Period of Decline: The Cause. 95
at the present time tens of thousands connected by a creditable
profession to the Church of Christ, and the gospel is reaching
them to a greater extent and in greater purity and power than
ever before.
2. While there have been but few societies (and those limited
in extent and influence) formed for the special object of pro¬
moting the moral and religious instruction of the negroes, and
while there have been comparatively but few missionaries ex¬
clusively devoted to them, yet they have not been altogether
overlooked by their owners nor neglected by the regular min¬
isters of the various leading denominations of Christians, as the
facts adduced in this sketch testify.
3. Yet it is a remarkable fact in the history of the negroes
in our country that their regular, systematic religious instruc¬
tion has never received in the Churches at any time that gen¬
eral attention and effort which it demanded, and the people
have consequently been left, both in the free and in the slave
states, in great numbers, in moral darkness and destitution of
the means of grace.
4. The great and good work, therefore, of the thorough re¬
ligious instruction of our negroes remains to be performed.
The colored population of the United States in 1830 was
2,009,043 slaves and 319,599 free, making a total of 2,328,642.
By the last census, 1840, it was 2,487,113 slaves and 386,235 free,
with a total of 2,873,348. This aggregate of 2,873,348 is cer¬
tainly large enough to awaken our most serious attention,
whether we view this people in a religious or civil point of
light.
CHAPTER VIII.
The Negro without the Gospel.
WE have given the foregoing sketch of mis¬
sionary operations among the negroes be¬
cause it was prepared by one eminently fitted for
the task, and the materials gathered by him em¬
braced all accessible means of information. The
fact that Dr. Jones was not a Methodist gives ad¬
ditional force to his highly complimentary notices
of the labors of the Methodist Episcopal Church
in this important field of evangelization. But after
we have given due credit to the efforts of the early
missionaries of the " Society for the Propagation
of the Gospel in Foreign Parts," and the occa¬
sional visits of evangelists of the Presbyterian and
Baptist Churches, it must be confessed that the
greatest harvest of souls has been reaped by the
followers of Coke and Asbury. Methodism was
an organism filled with deep and earnest piety.
The fervor of the worship accorded with the im¬
pulsive and emotional nature of the negro, and
thousands of the race heartily embraced the truth
under the preaching that touched their hearts and
filled their imaginations with the liveliest pictures
of religious joy. But these negroes were, for the
most part, " house negroes." They were slaves
being in immediate contact with white persons.
(96)
REV*. HENRY M. TURNER,
Bishop of the African M. E. Church.
(See page 37D.)
The Negro without the Gospel. 97
From their masters and mistresses they insensibly
imbibed many refining and elevating tendencies,
and when these masters were professed Christians
their influence helped to form a superior class of
negro slaves. Many of the household servants
were present at the family altar, and the daily
prayers were addressed to the court of heaven in
their behalf in common with the white members of
the family. Lectures on the Sabbath day were
given for the benefit of the negroes when there
was no regular service by a Christian minister.
These advantages created a favored class among
the negroes, and the eye of a Southerner can al¬
most instantly detect, by the grace of manner and
the easy bearing of the person, the members of
this " household of saints " belonging to the " old¬
en time."
But the great majority of slaves were not thus
favored. Living to themselves onlarge~rIce and
cotton plantations, they had no social and, in the
earlier times of this century, no religious facilities
for development or progress. (Having no standard
of morals higher than their own, and coming in
contact with no correcting authority, not even the
reproof of well-wishing equals, we cannot be sur¬
prised at the low moral status of the "plantation
negro.The proofs of this depravity are very
numerous; and as the state of the negro previous
to missionary efforts will be contrasted in these
pages by the results of pioneer work among them
at a subsequent period, we present the picture of
7
98 The Gosfel among the Slaves.
the African slave without the gospel as that pic¬
ture has been drawn by those who knew him in all
the lights and shadows of his being.
Edwin C. Holland, Esq., published in Charles¬
ton, S. C., his " Refutations of Calumnies against
the Southern and Western States in 1822." Re¬
ferring to the practice of allowancing the negroes
in the lower parts of the Atlantic States, Mr. Hol¬
land says:
If it be asked why those in the lower country are allowanced
while those of the interior are not, the answer is that such are
the facilities of transportation to market and the disposition to
thievery so innate to the blacks, that a planter's barn would in
a very short time become bankrupt of its wealth, and the whole
of his substance vanish like unsubstantial moonshine.
Every one acquainted with the surroundings of
the rice planters in South Carolina and Georgia
will readily vouch for the correctness of this state¬
ment. In almost every section of the thickly pop¬
ulated regions there will be found agents of Satan,
who tempt the slaves in time of slavery, and the
hired freedman in the time of freedom. These
execrable wretches are generally foreigners, and
by keeping a small stock of groceries on hand in
little shops disguise the sale of ardent spirits to ne¬
groes. These tempters have no moral restraints
of any kind. They induce the negroes to buy ar¬
dent spirits, and in order to pay for the indulgence
the slave, having no money, carries to the gin mill
his master's rice or whatever would be received as
a subtitute for money. These leeches, by making
enormous profits both ways, on the execrable liq-
The Negro without the Gospel. 99
uors they sold and the merchandise taken in ex¬
change, soon laid the foundations of large for¬
tunes, acquired, in the beginning at least, by a
trade but one degree below, if not indeed as infa¬
mous as the kidnapping of men and women on the
shores of Africa.
Reputable merchants were always careful in
their dealings with the negroes on these large
plantations, but there were so many willing tools,
known in the city courts as " fences," people who
assisted the thief in the disposal of stolen property,
that the master was often compelled to appear
harsh and cruel, when a contrary course would
have ended in his own financial ruin. There are
traditions in all of our Atlantic seaboard territory
of places, islands, swamps, dense coverts far away
from civilization, where this unholy traffic has
maintained large populations unknown to the tak¬
ers of the census. Magnified these stories may be,
but there is some foundation for them, and those
who so fiercely denounced the rice planters of fifty
years ago would do well to remember that all the
facts have never appeared in their defense against
the charge of inhuman treatment of their negroes.
[But the African, as a savage, transported to
America, must bring the sins and vicious nature
which belong to his people and his tribe. The
foolish dream of a virtuous savage, communing
with nature, and rising to the highest altitudes
of virtuous humanity, has long been dispelled, as
nearer acquaintance revealed to the world the truthj
ioo The Gospel among the Slaves.
The fearful picture of the Jieaihen who knows not
God, as given by St. Paul in the first chapter of
the Epistle to the Romans, is as true to-day as in
the day in which it was written. We cannot be
surprised then that these negroes, many of them
born in Africa, should deserve the severe sentence
of Dr. Delcho, of the Episcopal Church, in a pub¬
lication issued in 1823. " Ignorant and indolent
by nature," he says, " improvident and depraved
by habit, and destitute of the moral principle, as
they generally appear to be, ages and generations
must pass away before they could be made virtu¬
ous, honest, and useful members of society."
This language is too severe. "Destitute of the
moral principle," they are not, as a race, for we
shall have occasion to produce some of the finest
specimens of moral integrity that the annals of hu¬
man character can show. Nevertheless, it is not
surprising that observing men, such as Dr. Delcho,
should use such unqualified language. They " gen¬
erally appear " to lack the foundation upon which
Christianity must build if the gospel is to mold the
life and habits of the negro.
The same deficiency, the absence of the moral
sense, is attributed to the Chinese, as a nation, by
Bayard Taylor. If we mistake not, he makes the
charge without any qualifying sentence. But Mr.
Taylor did not weigh his words. If the Chinaman
and the negro have no mnral sense, it is useless to
preach the gospel to them. They have no souls
according to this dark view of their condition.
The Negro without the Gospel.
101
But Chinamen have been converted and have tes¬
tified in life and in death, witnessing a good con¬
fession under circumstances not greatly dissimilar
to the trials of the apostles of the first century. So,
also, we are prepared to exhibit many instances of
commanding eloquence, testimonies of faithfulness
not inferior to Paul's integrity and Peter's firmness.
Even death itself could not break the bands of
truthful allegiance, or shake the confidence of
these black heroes of the cross.
Notwithstanding these instances, however, the
life-ofLthe slgye., removed from the influence and
example of the whites, was a scene of great de¬
pravity. Gen. Thomas Pinckney, in a work pub¬
lished in Charleston in 1822, savs:
Everything consigned to the management of the slave, who
has neither the incitement of interest nor the fear of certain
punishment, is neglected or abused; horses and all inferior an¬
imals left to their charge are badly attended; their provender
finds its way to the dramshop, and they are used without dis¬
cretion or mercy; their carriages and harness are slightly and
badly cleaned; the tools of the mechanics are broken and lost
through neglect; their very clothing becomes more expensive
through their carelessness arising from the knowledge that
they must be supplied with all these articles, as well as their
subsistence, at their master's expense, and waste, that moth of
domestic establishments, universally prevails.
The Hon. Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, in an
address before the Agricultural Society of South
Carolina in 1829, says:
("There needs no stronger illustration of the doctrine of hu-
(man depravity than the state of morals on plantations in gen¬
eral. Besides the mischievous tendency of bad example in
parents and elders, the little negro is often taught by these his
102
The Gosf>el among the Slaves.
(natural instructors that he may commit any vice he can con¬
ceal from his superiors, and thus falsehood and deception are
among the earliest lessons they imbibe. Their advance in
years is but a progression to the higher grades of iniquity.
The violation of the seventh commandment is viewed in a more
venial light than in fashionable European circles. Their depre¬
dations of rice have been estimated to amount to twenty-five
per cent, on the gross average of crops, and this calculation
was made, after fifty years' experience, by one whose liberal
provision for their wants left no excuse for their ingratitufigj
Hon. Whitemarsh B. Seabrook, in an "Essay-
on the Management of Slaves," Charleston, 1834,
says:
As human beings, however, slaves are liable to all the in¬
firmities of our nature. Ignorant and fanatical, none are more
easily excited. Incendiaries might readily embitter their en¬
joyments and render them a curse to themselves and the com¬
munity. . . . The prominent offenses of the slave are to be
traced, in most instances, to the use of intoxicating liquors.
This is one of the main sources of every insurrectionary move¬
ment which has occurred in the United States. We are, there¬
fore, bound by interest as well as the common feeling of hu¬
manity to arrest the progress of what may emphatically be
called the contagious disease of our colored population. What
have become of the millions of freemen who once inhabited
our widely spread country ? Ask the untiring votaries of Bac¬
chus. Can there be a doubt but that the authority of the mas¬
ter alone prevents his slaves from experiencing the fate of the
aborigines of America? ... At one time polygamy was a
common crime; it is now of rare occurrence. . . . Between
slaves on the same plantation there is a deep sympathy of feel¬
ing which binds them so closely together that a crime commit¬
ted by one of their number is seldom discovered through their
instrumentality. This is an obstacle to the establishment of an
efficient police, which the domestic legislator can with difficulty
surmount.
C. W. Gooch, Esq., of Henrico County, Vir-
The Negro without the Gospel. 103
ginia, in a prize essay on agriculture in Virginia,
says:
The slave feels no inducement to execute work with effect.
He has a particular art of slighting it, and seeming to be busy-
when in fact he is doing little or nothing. ^Nor can he be made
to take proper care of stock, tools, or anything else. He will
rarely take care of his clothes or his own health, much less of
his companion's, when sick and requiring his aid and kindness.
There is perhaps not in nature a more heedless, thoughtless
human being than a Virginia field negro. With no care upon
his mind, with warm clothing and plenty of food under a good
master, he is far the happier man of the two. His maxim is:
" Come day, go day, God send Sunday." His abhorrence of the
poor white man is very great.^ He may sometimes feel a re¬
flected respect for him, in consequence of the confidence and
esteem of his master and others. But this trait is remarkable in
the white, as in the black man. All despise poverty and seem
to worship wealth. To the losses which arise from the disposi¬
tions of our slaves must be added those which are occasioned by
their habits. There seems to be an almost entire absence of moral
principle among the mass of our colored popidation. But details
upon this subject would be here misplaced. To steal and not
to be detected is a merit among them, as it was with certain
people in ancient times, and is at this day with some unenlight¬
ened portions of mankind. And the vice which they hold in
greatest abhorrence is that of telling upon one another. There
are many exceptions, it is true, but this description embraces
more than a majority. The numerous free negroes and worth¬
less, dissipated whites who have no visible means of support, and
who are rarely seen at work, derive their chief subsistence from
the slaves. These thefts amount to a good deal in the course of
the year, and operate like leeches on the fair income of agricul¬
ture. They vary, however, in every county and neighborhood
in exact proportion as the market for the plunder varies. In
the vicinity of towns and villages they are the most serious.
Besides the actual loss of property occasioned by them, they
involve the riding of our horses at night, the corruption of the
habits and the injury of the health of the slaves, for whisky is
the price generally received for them.
iOz£ The Gospel among the Slaves.
These are gloomy pictures of the moral qualities
of the negro on the large plantations of the South,
but those who were fully acquainted with the slave
and his surroundings cannot deny the accuracy of
the statements we have copied from writers of sev¬
enty years ago. It must be observed, however,
that these slaves were so situated as to come un¬
der the influence of the white race to a very small
extent, and these representatives of a higher civil¬
ization were by no means qualified to instruct or
elevate the negro. In many instances, as Mr.
Gooch says, these "poor whites " were not only
the accomplices in crime in common with the ne¬
groes, but they were the instigators to petty thefts
and raids upon the supplies of the planters.
J If the negro slaves were thus depraved and al-
/most destitute of moral principle, what can be
said of those negroes who were set free early in
this century, in the states of the North, as well as
those of the South? Very many experiments were
made in the South, and the conviction of conserv¬
ative minds, after full and fair trial, was that the
negro's condition was not improved by emancipa-
ItionJ The picture drawn by Dr. Jones gives the
following view of the moral and religious condi¬
tion of the free negro population:
flThey are emphatically lovers of pleasure and show.} All
kinds of amusements, except those which involve labor or re¬
flection, possess great attraction for them, and their indulgence
is limited only by their means of access to them.
^With a passion for dress, }they frequently spend all they
make in fine clothes; their appearance on the Sabbath and on
The Negro -without the Gospel. 105
public days is anything else but an index of their fortunes and
comforts at home. They hire clothing for set occasions if they
have none sufficiently good.
Proverbially idle, the majority work not except from neces¬
sity, and as soon as they collect a little money they must enjoy
themselves upon it. They have been known to refuse employ¬
ment because not exactly out of money. Their love of ease
overcomes that of gain. This propensity to idleness exposes
them to manifold temptations, plunges them into numerous
vices, and subjects them to great privation and suffering.
They are amazingly improvident. One melting ray from a
summer sun dissipates every remembrance of a long and dreary
winter of suffering. The golden season of labor is passed in
lounging along the streets and basking in the sun, or a lazy,
bungling, and fitful attempt at work. Those that have regular
trades and employment do better. Profane swearing, quarrel-
ing, fighting, and Sabbath breaking are such common vices that
they require no special notice.
Drunkenness, with its attendant woes, hurries large numbers
of them to sudden and untimely ends. Low, dark, secluded,
and filthy dramshops are favorite resorts; often the deposito¬
ries of stolen goods. I have seen them living upon a few
crackers a day and as much whisky as they could procure;
their life spent in idleness, nightly revels, drunkenness, and de¬
bauchery.
Thrift is still with them, in a state of freedom, a character¬
istic vice. Their petty larcenies are without number, and they
advance to burglaries and give constant employment to police
officers. Let any one attend the city courts in our chief towns
in the free states or read the reports of cases in the newspapers,
and he will be surprised at the number of colored persons among
prisoners charged with crime. Stabbing and murder have, of
late years, not become infrequent.
Lewdness is without bounds. Great numbers, both in the
slave~ancTfree states, not only pursue the vice, but are trained
up to it as a means of living. Infanticide and the crimes and
wretchedness connected with the vice are found among them.
The crime of infanticide is far more common among the free
negroes in the free than in the slave states. Indeed, it is by no
means common among the free negroes in the slave states.
io6 The Gospel among the Slaves.
Their marriage relations, too, are subject to dissolutions from
infidelity and various other causes. It is a remarkable fact
that a large proportion of those of marriageable age remain sin¬
gle, especially in the free states, where the support of a family
is difficult. This fact has a considerable bearing on their state
of morals.
With a few extracts from different publications of sixty years
ago, this branch of our inquiry shall be dismissed:
" The experience of the states north and east of the Susque¬
hanna, with regard to this class of persons, is not on the whole
much more encouraging—/, e., than that of the Southern States,
where it is bad. The number of respectable individuals is con¬
siderably greater, indeed, but the character of the mass nearly
the same. ( Noi^can it-bc-uuged that they are here debarred ac¬
cess to the ordinary means of moral and intellectual regenera¬
tion. On the contrary, schools are established for them, they
are aided in procuring the conveniences of religious instruction
and divine worship, they are united into societies adapted to
produce self-respect and mental activity, exemplary attention is
paid in numerous instances to the regulation of their habits and
principles.\ They have every facility which is enjoyed by the
laboring classes among the whites of acquiring a plain educa¬
tion and a,comfortable subsistence and of making provison for
their children. They have the same legal security in person
and property, and generally the same political rights as the rest
of the community." (Walsh's Appeal.)
"fraken as a whole, the free blacks must be considered the
most worthless and indolent of the citizens of the United States.^
It is well known that throughout the whole extent of our Un¬
ion they are looked upon as the very drones and pests_of soci¬
ety. Nor does this character arise from their disabilities and dis¬
franchisement, by which the law attempts to guard against them.
In the nonslaveholding states, where they have been more ele¬
vated by law, this kind of population is in a worse condition and
much more troublesome to society than in the slaveholding and
especially in the planting states. Ohio, some years ago, formed
a sort of land of promise for this deluded class, to which many
have repaired from the slaveholding states; and what has been
the consequence? They have been most harshly expelled from
that state and forced to take refuge in a foreign land. Look
The Negro without the Gospel.
107
through all the Northern States and mark the class upon whom
the eye of the police is most steadily and constantly kept; see
with what vigilance and care they are hunted down from place to
place, and you cannot fail to see that idleness and improvidence
are at the root of all their misfortunes. Not only does the ex¬
perience of our own country illustrate the fact, but others fur¬
nish abundant testimony." (President Dew.)
" Governor Giles, upon a calculation based on the average
number of convictions in the state of Virginia from the peni¬
tentiary reports up to 182Q, shows that ' crimes amongytheJiree
blacks-are_more than three times as. numerous as among the
w/bit£&,. anxL four and a half times more numerous than among
slaves,' and that the proportion of crime is still not as great
among the free blacks in Virginia as in Massachusetts. Hence
it is inferred that they are not so degraded and vicious in Vir¬
ginia, a slave state, as in Massachusetts, a free state." {Ibid.)
"We are not to wonder that this class of citizens should be
so depraved and immoral. Idleness and consequent want are
of themselves sufficient to generate a catalogue of vices of the
most mischievous and destructive character. Look at the penal
prosecutions of every country and mark the situation of those
who fall victims to the law, and what a frightful proportion do
we find among the indigent and idle classes of society! Idle¬
ness generates want, want gives rise to temptation, and strong
temptation makes the villain. Mr. Archer, of Virginia, well ob¬
served in his speech before the Colonization Society that the
free,blacks were destined by an insuperable barrier to the want
of occupation, thence to the want of food, thence to the dis¬
tresses which ensue that want, thence to the settled deprivation
which grows out of those distresses and is nursed at their bo¬
som." {Ibid.)
/ A colony of free blacks were expelled from Ohio in 1832 on
jaccount of their dissoluteness and dishonesty and misery, being
/considered in the light of vagabonds and nuisances. A college
; for free negroes was projected in New Haven about the same
i time, and the respectable citizens opposed and suppressed it,
{ because the increase of that class of population was considered
Van evil.
" Few of them (the free negro population) are engaged in
any trade or commerce or have any hopes of elevating them-
io8 The Gospel among the Slaves.
selves to that situation. Nine-tenths of them are in subordi¬
nate and menial situations, and likely thus to remain at low
wages. That they labor under the most oppressive disadvan¬
tages which their freedom can by no means counterbalance is
too obvious to admit of doubt."
" I waive all inquiry whether this be right or wrong. I
speak of things as they are, not as they might or ought to be.
They are cut off from the most remote chance of amalgamation
with the white population by feelings or prejudices, call them
what you will, that are ineradicable. The situation of the ma¬
jority of them is more unfavorable than that of many of the
slaves. With all the burdens, cares, and responsibilities of free¬
dom, they have few or none of its substantial benefits. Their
associations are and must be chiefly with slaves. Their right
of suffrage gives them little, if any, political influence, and they
are practically, if not theoretically, excluded from representa¬
tion in our public councils. No merit, no services, no talents
can ever elevate the great mass of them to a level with the
whites. Occasionally an exception may arise. A colored indi¬
vidual of great talents, merits, and wealth may emerge from the
crowd. Cases of this kind are, to the last degree, rare. The
colored people are subjected to legal disabilities more or less
galling and severe in every state in the Union. . . . There
is no reason to expect that the lapse of centuries will make any
change in this respect—i. e., the jealousy with which they are
regarded. They will always, unhappily, be regarded as an in¬
ferior race." (" Carey's Letters," Letter 12.)
Mr. Everett, in a speech before the Colonization Society,
1833, says: "The free blacks form in Massachusetts about one
seventy-fifth part of the population. One-sixth of the convicts
in our prisons are of this class."
A memorial presented to the Legislature of Connecticut in
1834 states: "Not a week, hardly a day, passes that they (the
colored people) are not implicated in the violation of some
law. Assaults and batteries, insolence to the whites, compel¬
ling a breach of the peace, riots in the streets, petty thefts,
and continual trespasses on property are such common occur¬
rences, resulting from the license they enjoy, that they have
ceased to become subjects of remark. It is but recently that a
band of negroes paraded the streets of New Haven armed with
The Negro without the Gospel.
clubs and pistols and dirks with the avowed purpose of prevent¬
ing the law of the land from being enforced against one of their
species. Upon being accosted by an officer of justice and com¬
manded to retire peaceably to their homes, their only reply con¬
sisted of abuse and threats of personal violence. The law was
overshadowed and the officer consulted his own safety in a
timely retreat." The memorial then proceeds to show that the
evil complained of has so rapidly progressed that the whites
have become the subjects of insult and abuse whenever they
have refused to descend to familiarity Avith them; that them¬
selves, their wives and children have been driven from the
pavements, where they have not submitted to personal conflict;
that from the licentiousness of their general habits they have
invariably depreciated the value of property by their location in
its neighborhood, and that from their notorious uncleanliness
and filth, they have become common nuisances to the commu¬
nity. (Memorial.)
From the report of the warden of the Connecticut State
Prison, 1838, it appears that " the number of blacks in confine¬
ment compared with the whites is ten to twelve times greater
than is the proportion of the black to the white population in
the state." (Journal of Commerce, May 16, 1838.)
" The records of crime in the free states show a frightful
disproportion in the numbers of white and black offenders, and
especially in those states where there are no disabilities or re¬
strictions by law imposed upon the blacks."
"In Massachusetts they are i-74th part of the population,
yet they are in the proportion of 1-6 of the convicts in the state
prison; in Connecticut, i-34th part of the whole, 1-3 of the
number in the penitentiary; New York, i-35th, and 1-4 of the
convicts; New Jersey, i-i3th, and 1-3; Pennsylvania, i-35th, and
1-3. In Ohio the black population is 1 to 115 whites; convicts,
7 to 100. Vermont, by the census of 1830, contained 277,000
souls; 918 were negroes. In 1831 there were 74 convicts in the
prison, and of these 24 were negroes. When compared Avith
what is reported of the proportion of negroes in the prisons of
the slaveholding states, it is shown that the proportion of ne¬
groes in the penitentiaries of the free states is in the ratio of
more than ten to one in favor of the slaveholding states. The
free negroes in Ohio in the aggregate are in no better condition,
no The Gospel among the Slaves.
therefore, than the slaves in Kentucky. They are excluded
from social intercourse with the whites, and whatever of educa¬
tion you may give them will not tend to elevate their standing
to any considerable extent. (From the report of the committee
on the judiciary, relative to the repeal of laws reposing restric¬
tions and disabilities on blacks and mulattoes, by Mr. Cushing,
February 21, 1835. Agreed to unanimously. Legislature of
Ohio.)
These testimonies are taken from a wide range
of authorities, and there is not a dissenting voice
among them. The sudden emancipation of the
negro race in 1820 or 1830 would have resulted in
desolation and ruin to every interest of the South¬
ern States. Car; any one be surprised that the
owners of slaves and those who owned none were
alike interested in resisting the furious fanaticism
of New England abolitionists?
CHAPTER IX.
Negro Insurrections.
IT is not an uncommon thing for the hostile writ¬
ers of the North to declare that the inhumani¬
ties practiced upon the slaves were the causes of
rebellion among them. Attempts at recovering
their freedom were made, we are told, because
Southern masters were cruel and drove their ne¬
groes to insurrection as the only remedy for their
intolerable evils. ( The fact is that the first insur¬
rection of note in this country, an insurrection of
blacks against the whites, occurred in the city of
New York in 1712A Mr._Neau had established
a school for the religious instruction of the blacks,
and when the negroes, who numbered about twelve
hundred, formed a conspiracy for the extermina-
tioryof the whites, it was charged immediately that
the„&chool _of Mr.JNeau was at the bottom of all
the trouble. A fearful state of excitement existed
for a time, but when the calm inquiry of the judi¬
cial authorities was made, the truth became appar¬
ent. " The guilty negroes were found to be such
as never came to Mr. Neau's school, and what is
very observable, the persons whose negroes were
found most guilty were such as were the declared
opposers of making them Christians."
This is a remarkable proof of the salutary influ-
(111)
H2 The Gosfel among the Slaves.
ence of the gospel among the negro race. The
influence of a single, school, taught by one man,
prevented the entire complicity of a race in the
attempt to burn a city and to murder the whole
population. The dreadful massacre was to begin
at the hour of midnight, and from refreshing slum¬
bers a whole city was to be deluged with blood.
Providential interference saved the city of New
York in 1712, but what motives prompted the ne¬
groes of New York to insurrection? /
Another insurrection is upon record, occurring
in New York in 1741. It is doubtful, however,
whether this was a real rebellion or only the crea¬
ture of the excited imagination of the New York
people. Similar "scares" were experienced by
Boston, of all the places in the world. But these
instances are wanting in positive proof. Never¬
theless, what state of things gave rise to the fear
of insurrection? Was it the cruel treatment of
the slaves by their Northern masters? It may
have been so; but one notable fact may be stated
as part of the record. At no time did the black
population of the North number one-half or one-
third of the entire inhabitants, and in a contest of
mere physical ability the negroes were never the
equals to the whites. On the contrary, in the
states of South Carolina and Georgia, there were
large sections of the country in which the blacks
outnumbered the whites by five to one. What
power was it that preserved the authority of the
masters, if it was not the moral power exerted by
Negro Insurrections.
"3
a superior race? Could this power control the
thousands who were exasperated against the hun¬
dreds of whites, if there were no ties, no kindness,
no respect engendered by humane treatment, and
uniform justice among the masters?
There was a rebellion and an attempt at insur¬
rection in South Carolina in 1730, and three in
1739, but these were fomented by the Spaniards
of St. Augustine, and cannot be regarded as the
instinctive movements of the slaves.
The insurrection of 1816 in South Carolina is
the only one in which negroes hitherto religious
were found to be concerned in the capacity of
leaders. "Two brothers," says Mr. F. S. De-
liesseline, " engaged in this rebellion could read
and write, and were hitherto of unexceptionable
characters. They were religious, and had always
been regarded in the light of faithful servants. A
few appeared to have been actuated by the instinct
of the most brutal licentiousness and by the lust
of plunder; but most of them by wild and fanatic
ideas of the rights of man, and the misconceived
injunctions of Holy Writ."
Of the insurrection of 1822 in Charleston, S. C.,
Mr. Benjamin Elliott writes: "This description
of our population had been allowed to assemble
for religious instruction. The designing leaders
in the scheme of villainly availed themselves of
these occasions to instill sentiments of ferocity by
falsifying the Bible." After showing how this
falsification of the Scriptures was done Mr. Elliott
8
H4 The Gosjycl among the Slaves.
remarks: "Another impediment to the progress of
conspiracy will be the fidelity of some of our ne¬
groes. The servant, who is false to his master,
would be false to his God. One act of perfidy is
but the first step in the road of corruption and of
baseness, and those who on this occasion have
proved ungrateful to their owners have also been
hypocrites in religion."
Referring to the same affair of 1822, Mr. C. C.
Pinckney says: "On investigation it appeared
that all concerned in that transaction, except one,
had seceded from the regular Methodist Church
in 1817 and formed a separate establishment in
connection with the African Methodist Society of
Philadelphia, whose bishop, a colored man named
Allen, had assumed that office, being himself a se-
ceder from the Methodist Church of Pennsylva¬
nia. At this period Mr. S. Bryan, the local min¬
ister of the regular Methodist Church in Charles¬
ton, was so apprehensive of sinister designs that
he addressed a letter to the city council, on file in
the council chamber, dated November 8, 1817,
stating at length the reasons of his suspicion."
"The South Hampton affair in Virginia in 1832
was originated by a man under color of religion,
a pretender to inspiration. As far back as 1825
the Rev. Dr. J. H. Rice, in a discourse on the in¬
jury done to religion by ignorant teachers, warned
the people of Virginia against the neglect of the
religious instruction of the negroes, and the dan¬
ger of leaving them to the control of their igno-
Negro Insurrections.
"5
rant, fanatical, and designing preachers. His
prophecy had its fulfillment in South Hampton.
If we refer to the West Indies, we shall behold re¬
ligion exerting a restraining influence upon the
people, and particularly on one occasion all the
negroes attached to the Moravian Missionary
Churches to a man supported the authority of
their masters against the insurgents.
"Enough has been said to satisfy reasonable
and Christian men that sound religious instruction
will contribute to safety. There are men who
have no knowledge of religion in their own per¬
sonal experience, and who have not been careful
to notice its genuine effects upon servants, and
they will place little or no confidence in anything
that might be said in favor of it. They can place
more reliance upon visible preventives of their own
invention than upon principles of moral conduct
wrought in the soul and maintained in supremacy
by divine power, whose nature they do not under¬
stand, and whose influence, however good, is in¬
visible, and for that very reason not to be trusted
by them. Nor have they either the candor or the
willingness to make a distinction between false and
true religion. In their opinion the gospel is no
benefit to the world. Such men we are con¬
strained to leave to the influence of time and ob¬
servation, and invoke for them the influence of
the spirit of God. (i shall never forget the remark
of a venerable colored preacher made with refer¬
ence to the South Hampton tragedy. With his
ii6 The Gospel among the Slaves.
eyes full of tears and his whole manner indicating
the deepest emotion, he said: ('Sirr it is the gos¬
pel that we ignorant and wicked people need. If
you will give us the gospel, it will do more for the
obedience of servants and the peace of the com¬
munity than all your guards and guns and bayo¬
nets. j This same Christian minister, on receiv¬
ing a packet of inflammatory pamphlets through
the post office and discovering their character and
intention, immediately called upon the Mayor of
the city and delivered them into his hands. Who
can estimate the value, in a community, of one
such man acting under the influence of the gospel
of peace? "
We may append to these remarks of Dr. Jones
the following inquiry: Who can measure the atroc¬
ity of the society or the individual who, in the safe
shelter of a New England town, could write and
print pamphlets and books designed to excite an
insurrection of the slaves and the murder of their
masters ? Is there a more horrible act of wicked¬
ness in the whole catalogue of human crimes? Yet
the time has been and now is when the writers of
such pamphlets and the authors of incendiary
tracts have been praised in the pulpit, and hymns
to their memory chanted in the house of God by
professed ministers of the gospel I
CHAPTER X.
Beginnings of Missionary Work.
IN 1758 Mr. Wesley made his first African con¬
vert, and the first African convert in the world
to a Protestant religion. This was a slave woman
belonging to one Mr. Nathaniel Gilbert, a rich
West India planter. This conversion took place
during Mr. Gilbert's sojourn in England. Of the
glorious results of this conversion and also that of
Mr. Gilbert every reader of Methodist history is
familiar. It was the means of planting Methodism
in the West India Islands.
" Slavery was introduced into Georgia in 1740.
Consequently it was not there during the stay of
the two Wesleys, nor at the time of the first visit of
Whitefield. On the second visit of the latter, how¬
ever, it had been just introduced. During his
third, fourth, fifth, and sixth visits, we have the
repeated record of his preaching to slaves in the
congregations of the whites from Georgia to New
England. In more than one instance there is the
account of a happy conversion.
" On Mr. Whitefield's seventh and last visit to
America he brought with him a young man, Cor¬
nelius Winter by name, who became the first mis¬
sionary to the negroes.* The young man found a
* Smith's " History of Methodism in Georgia."
(117)
Ii8 The Gospel among the Slaves.
stanch friend in James Habersham, afterward
Governor of the colony. He had come out the
year before with Whitefield to act as teacher, but
had now taken to merchandising. Winter's first
post was that of catechist on the plantation of a
retired Episcopal clergyman. His efforts seem to
have been marked with very little success from the
first. This was doubtless not owing either to the
young man's inability or lack of zeal, but simply
to the fact that at that early day the planters of
Georgia, as elsewhere, were not in sympathy with
the effort to spiritually enlighten their slaves. Still
Winter kindled a little beam of light here and
there that doubtless continued to shine for many
a day. In a year's time, discouraged with the op¬
position he met, Winter returned to England.
"The year before the coming of Cornelius Win¬
ter to Georgia saw the building of the first Meth¬
odist chapel in New York, and the second in
America. On the list of subscriptions raised for
this building appeared the names of many African
slaves. They were allowed a place in the congre¬
gation of the whites, and treated with respect and
consideration within the walls of the building their
zeal had helped to rear. Embury preached to
them, and so did Webb. Doubtless good Mother
Barbara showed many of them the way of life.
Later we find Boardman, Pilmoor, Rankin, Shad-
ford, Owens, Watters, Williams, and the other
early Methodist itinerants, preaching to them here
and there, as they would congregate with the
Beginnings of Missionary Work. 119
whites. Asbury, from the moment of his landing
on the continent, had his heart filled with plans
for their spiritual amelioration.
"Almost simultaneously with the introduction of
Methodism came cotton into the colonies. Now
let us pause for a moment and see what relation
one had to the other, and herein trace the work¬
ings of that providence which had in its hands the
shaping of ends then little dreamed of by man.
(^Before the introduction of cotton, we find indigo,
rice, and tobacco the three staples of the colonies,
according to geographical situation.^ For some
years, owing to the lack of certain facilities, all
three had begun to decline in marketable value,
especially rice and indigo. The planters were
awakening to the realization that in the end it cost
as much, or almost as much, to maintain their
slaves as they gained from their crops. Dissatis¬
faction with slavery was, therefore, rife in the col¬
onies, and the thought of emancipation had come
to be seriously entertained.
"'King Cotton' suddenly appeared upon the
scene. He made his appearance at first only in a
few fleecy stalks raised in flower gardens. But
some one went to experimenting, and when, in
1784, eight bags of this staple arrived in Liverpool,
the customhouse officers seized it on the plea that
so much could not be raised in America.*
"In 1787, just four years after the last British
* Barnes's "United States History."
120 The Gosfel among the Slaves.
soldier had left American shores, the first cotton
mill was established at Beverly, Mass. But not
yet had cotton raising become profitable. One
great obstacle stood in the way: to clean a pound
of cotton by hand required a day's labor. On
some of the plantations this work of picking the
fleece from the seed used to be performed at night
often by members of the planter's family. It is
related of more than one of the earlier Methodist
preachers, especially of Bishop Asbury, that while
seated around the fireside of their host they would
engage with the family and servants in picking out
the cotton seed. Doubtless at such a time other
seed were dropped by the way, the precious seed
of immortal life.
"This slow and tedious way of picking out the
cotton seed could not continue if profit was to be
realized from the staple. Something must be
done—some expeditious means of separating lint
from seed must be found. Much was said, and
much written. The question was agitated from
New England to Georgia. Inventive genius was
aroused. Many suggestions were made, various
plans were tried. Then came the invention of the
cotton gin by Eh Whitney, a Massachusetts man,
while residing with the widow of Gen. Nathaniel
Greene, at Mulberry Grove, Ga. But even he
did not succeed at first. It was a woman, after
all, who gave him his principal idea. Said Mrs.
Greene: 'Crook the pins.' This he did, when
lo ! the result gave to the world one of the foremost
Beginnings of Missionary Work. 121
inventions of the nineteenth century. The news
of the wonderful invention spread from state to
state. The spirits of the planters began to rise.
Cotton would yet become profitable to cultivate,
and the source of a great revenue. No thought
now of emancipation."
The reader will be interested in the fact that the
first great monopoly of inventions in the United
States was the manufacture of the cotton gin.
Whitney's success, by the help of Mrs. Greene,
led to the construction of a machine that was ab¬
solutely indispensable to the planters. This fact
promoted the cupidity and avarice of the inventor,
and he attempted to extort an enormous price for
the use of his cotton gin. The following extract
we take from the columns of the Louisville (Ga.)
Gazette, of November 12, 1800. It is a part of
the message of his Excellency, James Jackson,
Governor of the State of Georgia, addressed to
the Legislature of the State:
And here I request your attention to the patent gin monop¬
oly, under the law of the United States, entitled "An Act to ex¬
tend the privilege of obtaining patents for useful discoveries
and inventions to certain persons therein mentioned, and to en¬
large and define the penalties for violating the rights of pat¬
entees." The operation of this law is a prevention and cramp¬
ing of genius, as respects cotton machines, a manifest injury to
the community, and in many respects a cruel extortion on the
gin holders. The two important states of Georgia and South
Carolina, where this article appears to be becoming the princi¬
pal staple, are made tributary to two persons who have obtained
the patent, and who demand, as I am informed, two hundred
dollars for the mere liberty of using a ginning machine, in the
creation of which the patentees do not expend one farthing, and
122 The Gospel among the Slaves.
which sum, as they now think their right secured, it is in their
power in future licenses to raise to treble that amount, from the
information given me by a respectable merchant of this town,
whose letter on the subject is marked No. 6. When Miller and
Whitney, the patentees, first distributed tne machines of their
construction, they reserved the right of property in it, as also
two-thirds of the net proceeds arising from the gin; the ex¬
pense of working to be joint between the patentees and the
ginner. Finding, however, a defect in the law under which their
patent was obtained, they determined to sell the machines, to¬
gether with the right vested in them, for five hundred dollars,
and for a license to authorize a person to build and work one at
his own expense four hundred. But finding, as I suppose, that
the defect of the law was generally understood, and that they
could get no redress in the courts, they lowered the demand to
the present rate of two hundred dollars. That they may raise
it to the former rates is certain, and that they will do it unless
public interference is had there can be little doubt. I am in¬
formed from other sources that gins have been erected by other
persons who have not taken Miller and Whitney's gins for a
model, but which in some small degree resemble it, and in im¬
provement far surpass it, for it has been asserted that Miller
and Whitney's gin did not on trial answer the intended purpose.
The right of these improvements, however, it appears from the
present act, is merged in the right of the patentees, who, it is
supposed in the honest calculation, will make by it, in the two
states, one hundred thousand dollars. Monopolies are odious
in all countries, but more particularly so in a government like
ours. The great law meteor, Coke, declared them contrary to
the common and fundamental law of England. Their tendency
certainly is to raise the price of the article from the exclusive
privilege, to render the machine or article worse from the pre¬
vention of competition and improvement, and to impoverish
poor artificers and planters who are forbidden from making,
vending, or using it without license from the patentees, or in case
of doing so, are made liable to penalties in a court of law. The
Federal Circuit Court docket, it is said, is filled with these ac¬
tions. I do not doubt the power of Congress to grant these ex¬
clusive privileges, for the Constitution has vested them with it,
but in all cases where they become injurious to the community,
Beginnings of Missionary Work. 123
they ought to be suppressed, or the patentees paid a moderate
compensation for the discovery from the government granting
the patent. The celebrated Dr. Adam Smith observes that mo¬
nopolies are supported by cruel and oppressive laws. Such is
the operation at present of the law on this subject. Its weight
lay on the poor industrious mechanic and planter. Congress,
however, did not intend it so, for when the first law on this
subject was passed in February, 1793, a few individuals only
cultivated cotton, and it was not dreamt of as about to become
the great staple of the two Southern States—a staple, too, which,
if properly encouraged, must take the decided lead of any other,
bread kind excepted, in the United States. The steps proper to
be taken to remedy this public grievance you will judge of;
but I should suppose that our sister state of South Carolina, be¬
ing so much interested, would cheerfully join Georgia in any
proper application to Congress on the subject. I am likewise
of the opinion that the states of North Carolina and Tennessee
must be so far interested as to support such application. If you
think with me, I recommend communication with all of them.
This is a very interesting paper from several
points of view. It shows the rapacity with which
the fortunate inventors of the day preyed upon the
necessities of the planters. It exhibits also the fa¬
cility with which the strong arm of the govern¬
ment was made tributary to private interests.
There can be no question that the inventor has a
property in his own work, but when public inter¬
ests are involved, and the welfare of society can
be advanced by a liberal reward for the inventions
of men of genius, it is a cruel wrong for monopo¬
lists to extort unreasonable sums for the use of
machines in which all the people are interested.
We are not informed as to the measures adopted
by the States mentioned by Gov. Jackson, but, as
he became a Senator in Congress a few months
124 The Gosjyel among the Slaves.
after writing his address, we presume there must
have been a compromise, one by which the in¬
ventor received a just reward and the people were
allowed the use of a necessary invention.
We return to the thread of our history.
"The Methodist itinerants, having their hearts
aglow with the pure missionary fire, preached to
all alike. ' Christ came into the world to die for
every sinner ' were the broad and liberal words
emblazoned upon their shields. Everywhere that
Methodism went, it went in that spirit. It was the
religion for the rich and the poor, for the black
and the white, for master and slave; in short, for
all. It was a noticeable fact that wherever the mas¬
ter obtained this religion, really and truly obtained
it, he was anxious also for it to be made known
to those in bondage under him. But sometimes,
through influences or other irritating causes, there
were exceptions to this rule. But these were rare.
And there were many, very many, who, being bit¬
terly opposed to this religion for themselves, were
still more bitterly against its introduction among
their servants.
"But many Christian masters, in the face of
public opinion, had the courage and the will to
place in the way of their servants the means of
their soul's salvation. Noticeably among these
was Henry Dorsey Gough. Soon after the intro¬
duction of Methodism into this country, he became
a convert and built 4 Perry Hall,' his elegant res¬
idence, twelve miles from the city of Baltimore,
Beginnings of Missionary Work. 125
and a commodious chapel, which was designated
as ' the first Methodist church in America that had
a bell.' This bell rung every evening, summoning
his household and his servants to family worship.
These slaves were nearly one hundred in number.
They filled the body of the chapel. The circuit
preachers preached here regularly twice a month,
and the local preachers every Sunday. Often
members of the Baltimore bar, the very elite of
the state of Maryland, beautiful, aristocratic wom¬
en, and gay and handsome men, on a visit to the
family, assembled in this chapel. Among them
the slaves of the household always had their place.
They were never excluded on any occasion. The
hymns were nearly always raised by these colored
servants, and often they were called on to pray, to
which prayers the whites gave the utmost atten¬
tion, many profiting thereby.
"Gough's own conversion, through hearing his
slaves praying in their quarters on the plantation,
is familiar to many Methodist readers. Even be¬
fore this chapel was built and these noble efforts
put forth in their behalf by their owner, Metho¬
dism had reached the slaves of this plantation.
And it came in such a gladdening form that Henry
Gough, on hearing them singing and praying,
could not refrain from exclaiming: ' How much
more blest are they than I! '
" Other masters followed the example of Henry
Dorsey Gough in having their servants present
when the preacher came around on his appoint-
126 The Gospel among the Slaves.
ment. Many of these slaves were happily con¬
verted, and died a Christian death. Others lived
to bear glorious witness of the power of the gospel
of Jesus Christ to reach and cheer every condition
of life.
"In the great revival that spread through Vir¬
ginia in 1775-76, we have constant mention of
blacks being in the congregations. Shadford,
Lee, and Rankin often had as many as from two
to three hundred blacks to hear them, filling up
the doors and windows and vacant spaces about
the walls. Many affecting scenes occurred among
them. Rankin gives this note in his account of
one of these scenes: 'Hundred of negroes were
therewith the tears streaming down their cheeks.'
Sometimes their cries for mercy, out of the great
depths of the darkness that ingulfed them, were
heartrending. And all praise to these noble-
hearted Methodist itinerants who knew neither
race nor condition in their efforts of evangeliza¬
tion. Through them many of these poor Africans
were brought to the redeeming knowledge of life
through Christ Jesus.
" One of the most useful, and consequently one
of the most famous, of the early Methodist preach¬
ers was ' Black Harry.' When Dr. Thomas Coke,
the newly ordained bishop of the Methodist Episco¬
pal Church, landed in America, he found in As-
bury's servant an African of remarkable gifts.
This was Harry Hosier, or as he was more famil¬
iarly known, ' Black Harry.' Harry could neither
Beginnings of Missionary Work. 127
read nor write, but he was one of the most power¬
ful exhorters, white or black, then on the conti¬
nent, and was taken along by Asbury in his jour¬
neys principally to preach to the blacks. Harry
was not only gifted, but truly pious, and through
a long and eventful life accomplished untold good
to his race.
"Harry was small in stature, coal black, and
with eyes of remarkable brilliance and intelli¬
gence. He had a quick mind, a most retentive
memory, and such an eloquent flow of words,
which he could soon put into almost faultless Eng¬
lish, that he was pronounced by many 'the great¬
est orator in America.' Nor was this at all unde¬
served. He traveled in turn with Asbury, Coke,
Whatcoat, Garrettson, Jesse Lee, and other dis¬
tinguished Methodist preachers, to each of whom
he acted as 'driver,' but 'excelling them all in
popularity as a preacher.' The bishops were
proud of Harry, and brought him out on every oc¬
casion they could, not only among the blacks, but
also in the congregations of the whites. When
sick or disabled, they would unhesitatingly trust
their pulpit to Harry, without a single fear of his
disappointing the people. Asbury was fond of
openly declaring that the best way he knew to
obtain a large congregation was to announce that
' Black Harry' would preach, as that never failed
to bring a far more numerous concourse than if
the announcement had been made for himself.
"It is related that on one occasion in Wilming-
128 The Gospel among the Slaves.
ton, Del., where Methodism was so long unpopu¬
lar, a number of the citizens who had not been in
the habit of attending the Methodist meetings
came together out of curiosity to hear Bishop As-
bury. The chapel was so full that they could not
effect an entrance, and so were forced to remain
outside. Here they stood listening as they sup¬
posed to Bishop Asbury, but in reality to ' Black
Harry.' They were so much pleased that they
exclaimed in honest praise: ' If all Methodist
preachers can preach like the bishop, we should
like to be constant hearers.' Great was their sur¬
prise to learn that it was not the bishop, but his
servant, ' Black Harry.' Instead of decreasing
their estimation of the bishop, however, they only
raised it the higher. 'For,' said they, ' if such be
the servant, what must the master be? '
" It was no wonder that such extraordinary pop¬
ularity should, for a time, have turned poor Har¬
ry's head. Many a stronger one could not have
withstood the alluring excitement connected with
it. Harry for years bravely met the temptations
aroused by his great popularity, but in one evil
moment fell through a glass of wine temptingly
proffered him. However, he proved the real stuff
of which he was made when he showed the moral
courage to cut himself loose from the fetters. He
withdrew to himself and spent the solitary watches
of the night under a tree wrestling in prayer until
victory came. Like a true soldier Harry remained
faithful to the end. He died about the year 1810,
Beginnings of Missionary Work. 129
in Philadelphia, a glorious and triumphant death,
and was borne to the grave by a great procession
of white and black admirers, who buried him as a
hero once overcome but finally victorious.
" ' Blacky Harry Hosier' must not be confounded
with ' Black Harry of St. Eustatius,' who occu¬
pied so enviable a place in the story of the found¬
ing of Methodism in the West India Islands.
" Two years after the meeting of Coke and
' Black Harry Hosier ' witnessed the rather ro¬
mantic meeting with the other 'Black Harry;'
for it was in that year (1786) that Coke, ' driven
by the winds of heaven' far out of his course,
found a landing place on one of the many island
worlds of the West Indies. This led to the found¬
ing of Wesleyan Missions among the blacks of
these islands, and the putting into active force of
an agency that contributed directly to the moral
and mental improvement of the West Indian ne¬
groes.
" In the same year that witnessed the founding
of the Wesleyan Missions to the slaves of the West
India Islands, Freeborn Garrettson, itinerating in
the bleak wilds of Novo Scotia, found there a little
society of colored Methodists. They were refu¬
gee slaves from the United States, who, without
the direction and aid of white pastors, had organ¬
ized themselves into a Church. Garrettson formed
sixty of them into a class, baptized nineteen, and
administered the Lord's Supper to about forty.
These African negroes to whom Garrettson came
9
130 The Gos-pel among the Slaves.
in the leadings of providence were to be the found¬
ers of Methodism in Sierra Leone, and of the
whole scheme of Methodist evangelization in Af¬
rica.*
"At the Conference of 1787 the first decisive
step toward the evangelization of the slaves was
taken. In the rules for this year we find the fol¬
lowing question and answer recorded: ' What di¬
rection shall we give for the promotion of the spir¬
itual welfare of the colored people?' We conjure
all our ministers and preachers by the love of God
and the salvation of souls, and do require them by
all the authority that is invested in us to leave
nothing undone for the spiritual benefit and salva¬
tion of them within their respective circuits and
districts, and for this purpose to embrace this op¬
portunity of inquiring into the state of their souls,
and to unite in society those who appear to have
a real desire of fleeing the wrath to come, to meet
such in class and to exercise the whole Methodist
Discipline among them.'
"At this time there were reported 3,893 mem¬
bers in the various societies, extending from New
England to South Carolina. The Methodist itin¬
erants everywhere endeavored faithfully to follow
these injunctions, and the result was a gratifying
change in the spiritual condition of many a poor
African throughout the various territories traveled.
And it is a fact worthy of notice that during the
succeeding years the numbers in societies were
* Stevens's " History of Methodism."
Beginnings of Missionary Work. 131
nearly doubled. Wherever the banner of Metho¬
dism went upborne by these sturdy hands, it car¬
ried life and light to all; to the master in his lux¬
uriously furnished home, to the poor slave in his
humble cabin.
"In that same year (1787) the Cumberland
Street Methodist Church, in Charleston, S. C.,
was finished, with galleries for the negroes. At
that time it had a colored membership of sixty-five.
Other Churches followed this example, until soon
it was a common sight to see white and black meet¬
ing together as one congregation.
"A few years after this Asbury, visiting Charles¬
ton, was much surprised at the religious spirit pre¬
vailing among the blacks. Indeed, he expressed
himself as having stronger hopes of their steady
growth in religion than of the whites, for Charles¬
ton was at that time such a gay and careless city
that the good bishop was shocked by the wicked¬
ness abounding on every hand. He writes: 'Re¬
ligion is reviving here among the Africans. These
are poor; these are the people we are more imme¬
diately called to preach to.'
"Asbury devoted special attention to these ne¬
groes, and while in Charleston assembled them
every morning at 6 o'clock for instruction and
prayer. Many touching scenes occurred, which,
to his zealous heart, were like the fresh, sweet
oasis in the desert. Others, again, thrilled him
with the keenest pain, and made him, like John
Wesley, take unto himself the undying resolve to
132 The Gosjyel among the Slaves.
know neither rest nor cessation of zeal till poor
Ethiopia lifted up her darkened eyes in glad rec¬
ognition of a Saviour found.
"They were so grateful to him that they were
constantly bringing him little presents, which they
continued to press upon him, despite his generous
refusal, seeming much hurt at this refusal, which
they did not understand. One black woman, sixty
years of age, who supported herself by picking
oakum—being free, it is supposed—brought him a
French crown, and insisted on his taking it. 'But
no,' he declares, ' although I have not three dollars
to travel two thousand miles, I will not take money
from the poor.'
"There was always something peculiarly touchy
ing in the manner in which these negroes pressed
their little gifts upon their preacher. It seemed as
if they could not be grateful enough to him who
had come to open the darkened chambers of their
soul to the warm, sweet light of the gospel. Revs.
Samuel Leard, A. M. Chreitzberg, W. W. Mood,
and other former missionaries to the slaves, in
writing of their labors in this connection, tell many
incidents of the slaves pressing up about them
after the preaching, with little offerings of eggs,
pretty bird feathers, shells, or whatever else their
humble resources could produce. There was al¬
ways something delicate and graceful, as well as
grateful, in their manner of offering these gifts.
Sometimes it was: ' Here is somethin' for my mis¬
sionary.' But often it was: 'Here is somethin'
Beginnings of Missionary Work. 133
for my missionary's lillie [little] girl or boy,'
whichever the case might be.
"In the year 1796-97, in the great revival that
spread from Maine to Tennessee and from Geor¬
gia to Canada, many negroes were converted and
brought into the folds of the Church. There were
prayer meetings in private houses and on planta¬
tions, very few of which were not attended by the
slaves. The quickening spirit extended. White
and black were alike brought under its influence.
In the evenings the chapels and the meetings in
the private houses were crowded, while by day
the harvest fields and workshops resounded with
the Methodist shouts and hymns.
" It was about this time that the first Methodist
Episcopal Church, exclusively for the negroes, was
organized in New York City. In 1800 this soci¬
ety built its first house of worship, and called it
Zion. Though in organization it was separate
from the Methodist Episcopal Church, with which
its members had been previously connected, its
ministers and pastoral oversight were supplied
from the parent Church for about twenty years.*
"The revival that broke forth with such power
in 1796-97 continued to spread. The excitement
connected with it was greatly increased through
the breaking out at about the beginning of the
present century of the yellow fever scourge in
many parts of the Atlantic coast. The scourge
spread with frightful rapidity; hundreds, both
* Methodist Centennial Year Book.
134 The Gospel among the Slaves.
white and black, being cut off. News came from
every direction of the great increase in the num¬
bers joining the Methodist societies. More than
a thousand colored members were added during
the year 1800, and more than two thousand in
1801.
" In 1801 Senator Bassett, writing from Dover,
Del., says: 'One hundred and thirty, white and
black, joined the society here yesterday. Many
more went away sick and sore.' For a week they
had been holding daily preaching and sunrise
prayer meetings. The multitude was often esti¬
mated at from seven to eight thousand a day. So
great did the crowds finally become that three
preachers had to be employed at once to preach
to them. On Sunday the sacrament was adminis¬
tered to from twelve to fifteen hundred, black and
white. Wilson Lee wrote of the glorious work in
Maryland and Virginia, during which scores of
slaves were brought to a knowledge of redeeming
mercy through Christ Jesus.
" Thomas Ware, on his work in the Philadel¬
phia division, which extended from Wilmington,
Del., to Seneca Lake, N. Y., spoke of a glori¬
ous revival flame that had swept from length' to
breadth of his territory. This religious excite¬
ment embraced all classes—governors, judges,
lawyers, statesmen, old and young, rich and poor,
' including many of the African race.'
" Similar reports continued to come from all
the Churches, north and south, east and west,
Beginnings of Missionary Work. 135
down to 1805. At that time there were 24,316
colored members in the bounds of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, an increase of over ten thou¬
sand in five years."
The year 1792-93 was noted for the secession
of James O'Kelly and his followers because the
General Conference refused to incorporate a rad¬
ical change in the economy of the Church. It is
a little remarkable that the colored membership
should exhibit the close relations of the two races
in this discussion. When the white membership
began to decrease, the colored membership like¬
wise decreased, and when the white membership
recovered its losses the colored membership fol¬
lowed the example. In 1793 the white member¬
ship was 51,416, and this aggregate was not
reached again until the year 1800, when the fig¬
ures were 51,442. Notwithstanding the great re¬
vivals in 1796, the white membership went down
to 45,384, and the colored to 11,280, the lowest
figures since 1790. In 1793 the colored member¬
ship was 16,227, and these figures were not reached
again until 1802, when a large increase brought
the colored membership up to 18,659.
CHAPTER XI.
Mission Work (Continued).
IN 1800 the South Carolina Conference was com-*
posed of Georgia, South Carolina, and a small|
part of North Carolina, forming but one ecclesi-;
astical district, and presided over by Benjamin
Blanton. In these boundaries there are now sev¬
eral large and flourishing Annual Conferences,
which are speaking proofs of the rapid growth
of Methodism. The Conferences then had 16
charges, 32 preachers, with a white membership
of 4,802, and a colored membership of 1,535.
" In 1801 this Conference was divided into two
districts: the Georgia, with Stith Mead as presid¬
ing elder; and the South Carolina, with James
Jenkins as presiding elder. It so continued until
1830, when Georgia was made a separate Confer¬
ence.
" In 1808 there appeared in the South Carolina
Conference a man whose name was destined to
become identified with the work of Missions to
the blacks, and whose monument was to bear a
prouder epitaph than that of the greatest warrior
or statesman who ever lived. This was William
Capers, afterward a bishop of the Methodist Epis¬
copal Church, South, who, when a youth of eight¬
een was sent for his first ministerial work to the
(136)
Mission Work.
137
Wateree Circuit. This charge was what might be
termed a broad range, for in order to fill his twen¬
ty-four appointments once in every four weeks the
young preacher had to ride a distance of three
hundred miles. He had a membership of 498
whites, and 124 colored. From the first he took
a deep interest in the latter, being as care¬
ful and conscientious in his ministerial duties to
them as to the whites. The superstitious tenden¬
cies of many of them pained him deeply, while on
the other hand his heart was greatly rejoiced at
the pure religious spirit and understanding of oth¬
ers. No doubt on this circuit were sown the seeds
of a purpose that in the heart of the young preach¬
er were to ripen into rich fruition, and bring bless¬
ings to thousands of this race.
r'ln 1809 the first special efforts to evangelize
the slaves were made by the South Carolina Con¬
ference. James H. Mallard was sent as a mission¬
ary to the blacks ' from Ashley to Savannah River,'
and James E. Glenn as missionary to those 4 from
Santee to Cooper.'^ There were so many obsta¬
cles in the way, however, that after awhile the
work was given up. But preaching to the negroes
in the white charges, and taking them in as mem¬
bers and allowing them all the rights of the Church
still went on zealously.
"In this year (1810) the South Carolina Con¬
ference reported 8,202 colored members, an in¬
crease of nearly two thousand from the preceding
year. Of these, 1,650 were in the city of Charles-
138 The Gospel among the Slaves.
ton. Virginia reported a colored membership of
6,150. It is interesting to note the steady increase
of the colored membership in the South Carolina
Conference from 1800 to 1818: from one to three
thousand yearly. But in the year 1818 occurred
the noted schism in Charleston by which over five
thousand negroes withdrew from the Church.
From 1810, when the colored members numbered
8,208, to 1817, their numbers increased to 16,789,
thus in seven years more than doubling their num¬
bers—a ratio of increase of 104.95 per cent. Al¬
though so large a number withdrew in 1818, still
there began to be a slow but steady increase in
the numbers of those added up to 1828, when the
first decisive measures for special missions to the
slaves were inaugurated by the South Carolina
Conference, at which time there were nearly nine¬
teen thousand of them in the communion of that
Conference.
" In 1810 William Capers, sent to serve the
charge in Fayetteville, N. C., found there a most
remarkable colored man, who, in the face of much
opposition and no little persecution, had accom¬
plished a work that deserves to be kept in undy¬
ing record. This work had been not only to his
own race, but also to many whites. This man
was Henry Evans, whose name Methodist histo¬
rians will never let sink into oblivion. But we
will let Mr. Capers tell the story in his own words:
The most remarkable man in Fayetteville, N. C., when I
went there, and who died during my stay, was a negro by the
Mission Work.
139
name of Henry Evans. I say the most remarkable in a view of
his class, and I call him negro with unfeigned respect. He was
a negro—that is, he was of that race, without any admixture of
another. The name simply designates the race, and it is vul¬
gar to regard it with opprobrium.
I have known and loved and honored not a few negroes in
my life, who were probably as pure of heart as Evans, or any¬
body else. Such were my old friends Castile Selby and John
Boquet, of Charleston; Will Campbell and Harry Merrick, of
Wilmington; York Cohen, of Savannah; and others I might
name. These I might call remarkable for their goodness. But
I use the word in a broader sense for Henry Evans, who was
confessedly the father of the Methodist Church, white and
black, in Fayetteville, and the best preacher of his time in that
quarter; and who was so remarkable as to have become the
greatest curiosity of the town, insomuch that distinguished vis¬
itors hardly felt that they might pass a Sunday in Fayetteville
without hearing him preach.
He eluded no one in private, but sought opportunities to ex¬
plain himself; avowed the purity of his intentions, and even
begged to be subjected to the scrutiny of any surveillance that
might be thought proper to prove his inoffensiveness; any¬
thing, so that he might be allowed to preach. Happily for him
and the cause of religion, his honest countenance and earnest
pleadings were soon powerfully seconded by the fruits of his
labors.
One after another began to suspect their servants of attend¬
ing his preaching, not because they were made worse, but won¬
derfully better. The effect on the public morals of the ne¬
groes, too, began to be seen, particularly as regarded their hab¬
its on Sunday and drunkenness. And it was not long before
the mob was called off by a change in the current of opinion,
and Evans was allowed to preach in town.
At that time there was not a single church edifice in Fay¬
etteville, and but one congregation (Presbyterian), who wor¬
shiped in what was called the Statehouse, under which was
the market; and it was plainly Evans or nobody to preach to
the negroes.
Now, too, of the mistresses there were not a few and some of
the masters who were brought to think that the preaching which
140 The Gosfel among the Slaves.
had proved so beneficial to their servants might be good for them
also, and the famous negro preacher had some whites as well
as blacks to hear him. Among others, and who were the first
fruits, were my old friends, Mr. and Mrs. Lumsden, Mrs. Bow-
en (for many years Preceptress of the Female Academy), Mrs.
Malsby, and, I think, Mr. and Mrs. Blake.
From these the gracious influence spread to others, and a
meetinghouse was built. It was a frame of wood, weather-
boarded only on the outside, without plastering, and about fifty
feet long by thirty wide. Seats, distinctly separated, were at
first appropriated to the whites near the pulpit. But Evans
had already become famous, and these seats were insufficient.
Indeed, the negroes seemed likely to lose their preacher, negro
though he was; while the whites, crowded out of their appro¬
priate seats, took possession of those in the rear.
Meanwhile Evans had represented to the preacher of Bladen
Circuit how things were going, and induced him to take his
meetinghouse into the circuit, and constitute a Church there.
And now there was no longer room for the negroes in the
house when Evans preached; and for the accommodation of
both classes the weatherboards were knocked off and sheds
were added to the house on either side; the whites occupying
the whole of the original building and the negroes those sheds
as a part of the same house. Evans's dwelling was a shed at
the pulpit end of the church. And that was the identical state
of the case when I was pastor.
Often was I in that shed, and much to my edification. I
have known not many preachers who appeared more convers¬
ant with scripture than Evans, or whose conversation was
more instructive as to the things of God. He seemed always
deeply impressed with the responsibility of his position, and
not even our old friend Castile was more remarkable for his
humble and deferential deportment toward the whites than
Evans. Nor would he allow any partiality of his friends to
induce him to vary in the least degree the line of conduct or
bearing which he had prescribed to himself in this respect:
never speaking to a white man but with his hat under his arm,
never allowing himself to be seated in their houses, and even
confining himself to the kind and manner of dress proper for
negroes in general, except his plain black coat for the pulpit.
Mission Work.
141
"The whites are kind to me and come to hear me preach," he
would say, " but I belong to my own sort, and must not spoil
them." And yet Henry-Bjmns was a Boanerges, and in his
duty feared not the face of man.
I have said that he died during my stay in Fayetteville this
year (1810). The death of such a man could not but be tri¬
umphant, and his was distinguishingly so. I did not witness it,
but was with him before he died, and as he appeared to me tri¬
umph should express but partially the character of his feelings,
as the word imports exultation at victory, or at most the vic¬
tory and exultation together. It seemed to me as if the victory
he had won was no longer an object, but rather as if his spirit,
past the contemplation of triumph on earth, were already in
communion with heaven. Yet his last breath ..was drawnjn
the act of pronouncing 1 Corinthians xv. 57: "Thanks be to
God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ."
[it was my practice to hold a meeting with the blacks in the
church directly after morning preaching every Sunday. And
on the Sunday before his death, during this meeting, the little
door between his humble shed and the chancel where I stood
was opened and the dying man entered for a last farewell to his
people. He was almost too feeble to stand at all, but, support¬
ing himself by the railing of the chancel, he said: " I have come
to say my last to you. It is this: None but Christ. Three
times I have had my life in jeopardy for preaching the gospel
to you. Three times I have broken the ice on the edge of the
water and swam across the Cape Fear to preach the gospel to
you. And now, if in my last hour I could trust to that, or to
anything else but Christ crucified, for my salvation, all should
be lost, and my soul perish forever." A noble testimony! wor¬
thy not of Evans only, but of St. Paul. His funeral at the
church was attended by a greater concourse of persons than
had been seen on any funeral occasion before.^ The whole
community appeared to mourn his death, and the universal
feeling seemed to be that in honoring the memory of Henry
Evans we were paying a tribute to virtue and religion. He
was buried under the chancel of the church of which he had
been in so remarkable a manner the founder. J
142 The Gospel among the Slaves.
"It is perhaps not out of place at this point to
make mention of the labors of Rev. William Mer¬
edith, who, as early as 1784, came to Wilmington,
N. C., and began to preach there the doctrines of
Methodism. His first congregations were com¬
posed solely of blacks, and he found a noble co-
laborer in Rev. Jesse Jennett, or ' Father Jennett,'
as he was known. He was persecuted on all
sides, and finally thrown into prison; but through
persecutions and fiery trials he went on to victory.
His church was burned; the voluntary contribu¬
tions of humble but faithful negroes built another.
That was the beginning of Methodism in Wilming¬
ton. Thus we see that in two of the proudest
cities of the Old North State, Methodism, so great
a power now, was first implanted among their
humble slave population.
\" Persecutions against those who undertook to
preach to the negroes were now rife in every di¬
rection. |The abolition sentiment had taken pos¬
session of the machinery of the Church, and had
brought into existence the bitterest feelings on
both sides. The Methodist preachers were every¬
where looked upon as sheep in wolves' clothing,
were treated accordingly, and in many instances
roughly handled. U[n Charleston in 1801 occurred
the first mob raised on the slavery question, when
Rev. George Dougherty, as pure and good a man
as ever lived, was dragged to a pump and nearly
drowned with the water, for no other offense than
that of being a Methodist preacher and preaching
Mission Work. 143
to the negroes and the whites.^ The Charleston
congregations, too, came in for much of this
abuse, not only because they were of the despised
sect known as ' Methodists,' but because they al¬
lowed negroes in the galleries of their churches.
"About this time that pure and fearless man of
God, the Rev. Samuel Dunwoody, was preaching
to the negroes in the swamps around Charleston,
by the light of the moon, for fear of attracting the
attention of the lawless class of whites. Here he
many times administered the holy sacrament of the
Church as though they were ' things the daylight
might not look upon.' He is said to have re¬
mained all night in the woods at the very season
when the dread pestilence was abroad, baptizing
and administering the Lord's Supper to a large
concourse of blacks. Fully three hundred were
baptized on this one night."
No apology can or ought to be made for the
miscreants who resorted to violence in their treat¬
ment of the Methodist preachers, not because they
cared for the slaves or their masters, but because
they loved deeds of violence. But the truth of
history requires it to be stated that the Methodist
Episcopal Church had assumed the position of an
abolitionist society. At the very beginning of our
organization the subject of slavery was recognized
as a fit subject for Church legislation, and the at¬
tempt was made to force slaveholders to emanci¬
pate their slaves or retire from the Church. The
attempt to brand slaveholding as a crime, an of-
144 The Gospel among the Slaves.
fense that would exclude the offender from the
kingdom of heaven failed, but it was not for lack
of diligent efforts on the part of Coke and Asbury,
or the majority of the traveling preachers. After
reading the character given to the free negroes by
statesmen and politicians, no one can wonder at
the opposition offered to emancipation by the peo¬
ple of the South.
It was precisely the question best calculated to
arouse the most intense feelings of bitterness
among the holders of slaves and all who believed
that the measure would fill the land with lazy and
idle negroes, whose chief subsistence would come
from the barns and smokehouses of the industri¬
ous whites.
Dr. Coke was indicted as an incendiary in Vir¬
ginia, and no doubt, from his point of view, there
was no disgrace in the fact. Yet the calm, un¬
prejudiced mind cannot look at the subject from
that point of view. He was interfering with a
civil institution, lawfully established, and a stran¬
ger in England striving to overthrow monarchy
was not one whit more guilty of impertinent inter¬
ference with the laws of a country than Dr. Coke
was in his diatribes against slavery.
The prudent observation of Bishop Asbury
caused him to abate his zeal, and finally to
cease all public effort in this behalf, for he saw
how disastrously all of his public movements had
been. But it was difficult to convince the preach¬
ers that they were not called to destroy the institu-
Mission Work.
HS
tion of slavery. One of the greatest provocations
offered to the slaveholders of the South was an ad¬
dress issued by the General Conference of 1800,
and published, probably, by every newspaper in
the South. This address confirmed many thou¬
sands of the people in the belief that all itinerant
Methodist preachers were abolition emissaries
and, as a consequence, promoters of insurrection
and rebellion among the negroes.
We give this address as we find it in the Louis¬
ville Gazette, a newspaper published in Louisville,
Ga., in October, 1800:
The Address of the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal
Church to All Their Brethren and Friends in the United States.
We, the members of the General Conference of the Metho¬
dist Episcopal Church, beg leave to address you with earnest¬
ness on a subject of the first importance.
We have long lamented the great national evil of negro slav¬
ery which has existed for so many years, and does exist in many
of these United States. We have considered it as repugnant to
the inalienable rights of mankind and to the very essence of
civil liberty, but more especially to the spirit of the Christian
religion.
For inconsistent as is the conduct of this otherwise free, this
independent nation, in respect to the slavery of the negroes,
when considered in a civil and political view, it is still more so
when examined in the light of the gospel. For the whole spirit
of the New Testament militates in the strongest manner against
the practice of slavery, and the influence of the gospel wher¬
ever it has long prevailed (except in many of these United States)
has utterly abolished that most criminal part of slavery, the
possessing and using the bodies of men by the arbitrary will,
and with almost uncontrollable power.
The small number of adventurers from Europe who visit the
West Indies for the -sole purpose of amassing fortunes are hard¬
ly worth our notice, any farther than their influence reaches for
10
146 The Gospel among the Slaves.
the enslaving and destroying of the human race. But that so
large a proportion of the inhabitants of this country, who so
truly boast of the liberty they enjoy, and are so justly jealous of
that inestimable blessing, should continue to deprive of every
trace of liberty so many of their fellow-creatures equally capa¬
ble with themselves of every social blessing and of eternal hap¬
piness is an inconsistency which is scarcely to be paralleled in
the history of mankind.
Influenced by these views and feelings, we have for many
years restricted ourselves by the strongest regulations from
partaking of the " accursed thing," and have also laid some
very mild and tender restrictions on our Society at large. But
at this General Conference we wished, if possible, to give a
blow at the root of this enormous evil. For this purpose we
naturally weighed every regulation which could be adopted
within our own society. All seemed to be insufficient. We
therefore determined at least to rouse up all our influence in
order to hasten to the utmost of our power the universal extir¬
pation of this crying sin. To this end we passed the following
resolution:
" That the Annual Conferences be directed to draw up ad¬
dresses for the gradual emancipation of the slaves to the legis¬
latures of the states in which no general laws have been passed
for that purpose; that these addresses urge in the most respect¬
ful but pointed manner the necessity of a law for the gradual
emancipation of the slaves; that proper committees be appoint¬
ed out of the most respectable of our friends for the conducting
of the business; and that the president elders, elders, deacons,
and traveling preachers do secure as many proper signatures
as possible to the address, and give all the assistance in their
power in every respect to aid the committees, and to further
this blessed undertaking. And that this be continued from
year to year till the desired end be fully accomplished."
What now remains, dear brethren, but that you coincide
with us in this great undertaking, for the sake of God, his
Church, and his holy cause, for the sake of your country, and
for the sake of the miserable and oppressed. Give your signa¬
tures to the addresses; hand them for signatures to all your ac¬
quaintances and all the friends of liberty; urge the justice, the
ability, the necessity of the measure; persevere in this blessed
Mission Work.
147
work, and the Lord, we are persuaded, will finally crown your
endeavors with the wished for success. O what a glorious
country would be ours if equal liberty were everywhere estab¬
lished, and equal liberty everywhere enjoyed!
We are not ignorant that several of the Legislatures of these
states have most generously stepped forth in the cause of liber¬
ty and passed laws for the emancipation of the slaves. But
many of the members of our society, even in these states, may
be highly serviceable to this great cause by using their influ¬
ence, by writing or otherwise, with their friends in other states,
whether those friends be Methodists or not.
Come then, brethren, let us join hand and heart together in
this important enterprise. God is with us, and will, we doubt
not, accompany with his blessing all our labors of love.
We could write to you a volume on the present subject, but
we know that in general you have already weighed it, and we
have great confidence that your utmost assistance will not be
wanting, and we promise to aid you with zeal and diligence.
That our gracious God may bless you with all the riches of
his grace, and that we may all meet where perfect liberty and
perfect love shall eternally reign is the ardent prayer of your
affectionate brethren.
Signed in behalf and by order of the General Conference.
Thomas Coke, \
Francis Asbury, c Bishops.
Richard Whatcoat. )
Ezekiel Cooper, \
William McKendree, v The Committee.
Jesse Lee. )
The publication of such a pragmatic document
as the foregoing was well calculated to destroy the
Methodist Church in the South. At a later period
it would have produced such a result. But the
fact was that the antislavery sentiment was stron¬
ger at the South before the Methodist Church be¬
gan to meddle with the subject than it was at any
subsequent time. The effect of this " address "
148 The Gospel among the Slaves.
was injurious to the preachers, to Methodism, and
to the slaves themselves.
It caused every Methodist preacher to be re¬
garded with suspicion, as an abolitionist, and the
agent of an abolition propaganda. Indiscreet men,
carrying out the resolutions of the Conference,
brought upon themselves the deserved condemna¬
tion of the public, and this censure naturally ex¬
pressed itself in violence by the lawless elements
of society.
We have in this document a reason for the riot¬
ous conduct of many of these persons who mal¬
treated Methodist preachers in the early part of
the century. The English "tough" thought he
was showing zeal for " the Church " when he
mobbed Mr. Wesley and his preachers. The
Southern "tough" was showing his zeal for the
Southern cause when he helped to "duck" a
Methodist preacher who could be nothing but an
abolitionist in disguise.
Colored Members in the Methodist Episcopal Church
Reported in the Minutes for the years 1786 to 1829.
Year.
Members.
Year.
Members.
Year.
Members.
Year.
Members.
1786.
1,890
... 3,893
1797.
, . .12,218
1808.
• - . 30,308
1819.
...39,174
1787..
1798.
. . . 12,302
1809.
. ..31,884
1820.
...38,753
1788.
... 6,545
1799.
1810.
.. .34,724
1821 .
. . .42,059
1789..
... 8,243
1800.
...I3,452
l8ll..
...35,732
1822.
...44,377
i790..
. . .11,682
1801 .
... i 5,688
1812.
...38,505
1823.
...44,792
1791..
12,884
...13,871
1802 .
1813..
• • .42,859
1824.
. . 48,040
1792..
1803.
...22,453
1814.
...42,431
1825.
...49,435
1793-•
. . . 16,227
1804.
...23,531
1815..
...43,187
1826.
1794••
...13,814
1805.
. . .24,316
1816..
• • .42,304
1827.
...53,542
*795-•
... 12,170
1806.
•••27,257
1817.•
• • .43,4"
1828.
...59,056
1796..
11,280
1807.
. . .29,863
1818..
• • •39,I5°
1829
.. .62,814
CHAPTER XII.
The Gospel on the Plantation.
THE regular organization of missionary forces
to operate among the negroes on the planta¬
tions is by some attributed to an overseer, and
by others to the Hon. Charles C. Pinckney. Like
many other important ideas, it is doubtless true
that the propriety and expediency of such a move¬
ment had been suggested to many minds before
any action was taken. The prime movers in the
enterprise deserve the thanks of mankind, and it
is pleasing to be able to record the name of a
great statesman, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney,
among the benefactors of the negro race.
But without detracting anything from the merits
of other persons, the Rev. George W. Moore gives
the honor to Mrs. Bearfield, a pious lady who, in
1828, made earnest efforts to have the gospel
preached on the plantation of Mr. Charles Baring,
on Pon Pon, in South Carolina. It is certain that
regular Missions to the negroes began in the South
Carolina Conference, and the year 1829 is given
as the date at which the movement was inaugu¬
rated.
We have already spoken of the prejudices en¬
tertained by the planters against Methodist preach¬
ers as a class. The revolutionary attempts of the
(140)
150 The Gospel among the Slaves.
early Conferences and their constant attacks made
upon the institution of slavery by zealous but in¬
discreet men had created a feeling that required
almost a whole generation of time to overcome.
Where the negroes were mingled with the mem¬
bers of the white family, worshiping under the
same roof and taught by the same minister, it was
easy enough to break down this prejudice. But
on the large plantations of the seaboard country
in South Carolina and Georgia, where the only
white persons were the overseer and his family, it
was quite another matter. Who could assure the
owner that under the pretense of preaching the
gospel to his negroes the itinerant preacher, a
stranger oftentimes, would not instill principles of
rebellion in the minds of the slaves? Did not the
General Conference of 1800 declare that the whole
tenor of the New Testament was hostile to slav¬
ery? Did not that Conference identify emancipa¬
tion with the gospel, and did they not declare per¬
petual hostility to a lawful institution, recognized
by the state and the Constitution of the United
States ?
It seems to us quite natural that men of the
world, generally careless about the welfare of
their own souls, should care but little for the
religious instruction of their slaves. If it could
be made plain to them that the gospel, instead of
becoming a means of creating trouble and strife,
was really the best instrument to preserve peace
and good conduct among the negroes, there would
The Gospel on the Plantation. 151
have been no hesitation whatever. In point of fact
it was this conviction that ultimately opened the
way for the gospel on the large plantations. But
this result came only after the Methodist preachers
had repudiated the action of 1800, and this was
brought about by exchanging the fanaticism of the
General Conference for the wise, conservative, and
Christlike opinions and example of St. Paul. So
far from breathing hostility to any civil institution,
the spirit and letter of the New Testament com¬
manded obedience to king, archon, or president,
whatever the chief rulers of a nation might be, and
so far from declaring one form of civil government
preferable to another, the grievous national bond¬
age of the Jews to the Romans was never alluded
to in the way of censure by either our Saviour or
his apostles.
Owners of large plantations, coming to the
knowledge of this change in the dispositions of
the Methodist preachers, and finding many of
them following the example of the illustrious bish¬
op, then Mr. Capers, and seeing the good effects
produced by the preaching to the negroes on the
plantations of their neighbors, ultimately gave their
consent to permit their slaves to hear the gospel
from the lips of capable white missionaries.
It may be proper at this point to observe that al¬
most every Methodist preacher, in town or city,
became a special missionary to the negroes prior
to 1865. It was a service courted by many, for
there was a peculiar unction that descended upon
152 The Gosjoel among the Slaves.
the preacher in the presence of these sable chil¬
dren of Africa. While they were not good judges
of rhetoric, they were excellent judges of good
preaching, and by their prayers and that peculiar
magnetism which many have felt and none can ex¬
plain the power of the Holy Ghost seemed often
present in the preacher and the hearer. That
sense of constraint which the minister feels when
he stands in the view of hundreds of critical eyes
was unknown in the pulpit of a colored Church.
No learned exposition of difficult texts was needed.
No exhibition of the acquirements of the preacher
was provoked in that presence. He felt himself
face to face with immortal souls, and indifferent
to all things belonging to " delivery" and "elo¬
cution."
"God bless all the benefit sharers," said a ne¬
gro preacher in our hearing; and who will say
that he did not make a happy blunder and give a
profoundly accurate definition of the word " ben¬
eficiaries " when he made it "benefit sharers?"
It was this arrowlike directness, flying straight to
the mark, and the simple, unadorned language of
the needy soul feeling its wants—these were the
conditions that made preaching to the negroes a
blessing to every city pastor. The dry, decorous,
and stiff congregations that too often looked like
wax figures assembled in Church, and were just
as often destitute of any visible evidence of inter¬
est in the preacher and his message—these were
terrors to many city pastors, and from this Sahara
The Gospel on the Plantation. 153
of form and show they were glad to escape and re¬
ceive a baptism from above in delivering the gos¬
pel message to appreciative hearers in a negro
congregation. The chasm opened in 1865 and
after by the malignant efforts of messengers of
Satan who sowed the seed of mistrust and enmity
in the minds of the negroes against the whites,
against the preachers especially, has not been en¬
tirely closed at this day, but time will accomplish
the task, and then the preachers who have never
known this blessedness in the pulpit may have op¬
portunities to understand what otherwise may seem
inexplicable to them.
The condition of the negro slave had greatly
improved in 1830, when South Carolina first es¬
tablished her Missions on the plantations. The
African slave trade had legally expired in 1808,
and the moral sentiment of the people of the South
condemned it with great severity. There were
many New England ships ready to be engaged in
the traffic as of yore, and their owners were not
averse to measuring arms with the feeble coast
guard of the Federal Government. In nearly two
thousand miles of coast line, it was simply impos¬
sible to prevent the landing of slave ships if the
people on shore gave the necessary encourage¬
ment. But this stimulus was wanting. The con¬
sequence was that the negroes on the rice and
cotton plantations were now natives of the soil,
for the most part. Here and there a " Guinea ne¬
gro " could be found, but his existence was proof
154 The Gosj>el among the Slaves.
of the humane treatment of his master. After
twenty-two years of service, the slave captured at
twenty-five or thirty becomes a source of expense,
not of profit to his master. There were many of
these doubtless, but they had learned English,
after a fashion, and their own dialect was suffi¬
cient for their intellectual wants. The preachers
who devoted their time and study to the attain¬
ment of a simple style and homely manner of ad¬
dress became useful in a high degree.
Among these effective preachers was the Rev.
George W. Moore, of South Carolina.
"To Mr. Moore belongs the honor of having
been the first plantation missionary. It is true he
was not regularly appointed by the Conference,
but this did not deter him from preaching to these
darkened souls with all the zeal and faithfulness
of a heart that counted no labor too exacting, no
service too lowly in its Master's cause. In these
noble efforts Mr. Moore was warmly seconded and
aided by his colaborer on the circuit, the Rev.
Samuel W. Capers.
" Mr. Charles Baring was so much pleased with
the results of Mr. Moore's preaching to his slaves
that he joined with Col. Lewis Morris, a neighbor¬
ing planter, in making application to the South
Carolina Conference for a missionary to be regu¬
larly sent to preach to their people. ' In the au¬
tumn of the same year,' says Dr. Shipp in his
"History of Methodism in South Carolina," 'the
Hon. Charles C. Pinckney, feeling a deep interest
The Gosjpel on the Plantation. 155
in the religious welfare of the colored people, in¬
voked the aid of Rev. William Capers, Superin¬
tendent of Missions, in procuring the services of a
Methodist exhorter in the relation of overseer for
his plantation on Santee River. His attention was
called to the object and aim of the Missionary So¬
ciety, and he therefore made application also for a
missionary.'
"As the result of these requests, the South Car¬
olina Conference, in 1829, sent out two missiona¬
ries specially to the slaves—the Revs. John Hon¬
our and John H. Massey. The former was sent
as missionary to the slaves on the plantations south
of the Ashley River, and the latter to those south
of the Santee. The Rev. William Capers was
made superintendent of these missions. A mel¬
ancholy incident marked their opening. The Rev.
John Honour, although a native of the low coun¬
try, and acclimated, as it was supposed, contracted
the fever from exposure in the swamps, was taken
seriously ill on the nth of September, and died
the week following, on September 19, 1829.
"Mr. Honour was a noble, zealous, Christian
minister, not ashamed of the lowly work to which
he had been called, but joyfully resigning even life
itself in the cause. Through the kindness of Rev.
William W. Mood, of Ridgeway, S. C., we have
been permitted to make use of the following extracts
from a letter written to Mr. Mood by Mr. John L.
Honour, of Charleston, S. C., the grandson of
Rev. John Honour:
156 The Gos-pel a,7nong the Slaves.
A brief history of my grandfather can easily be furnished
you, as a few months prior to the decease of my beloved father
he wrote a sketch of the Honour family " for the benefit of its
members who may come after me." Of his own father, the
Rev. John Honour in question, he writes thus: "John, the sec¬
ond son of Dr. Thomas Honour, was born in St. Andrew's Par¬
ish, South Carolina, July 22, 1770. In early boyhood, having
lost his father, he left Charleston in a vessel trading between
that port and the West Indies on a trip to Havana. On the re¬
turn passage the vessel foundered at sea, and the persons on
board took to the boats and were for three days without food or
water, when they fell in with a vessel bound for Philadelphia,
which took them on board and carried them to that city, whence
John made his way home to Charleston. Not wishing any fur¬
ther acquaintance with the sea, he entered into business, in
which he continued for many years. In the meantime, he and
his wife had become members of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, and he became a local preacher, preaching every Sun¬
day in the city and surrounding country. At length he deter¬
mined to give up business and devote himself entirely to the
work of the ministry, and was received into the South Carolina
Conference. About the year 1829 the Conference established a
mission to the blacks in the southern portion of the state, in¬
cluding the Sea Islands, and the Rev. John Honour was ap¬
pointed first missionary. In this cause he successfully labored
until the fall of 1829, when he contracted malarial fever, on the
Combahee, of which he died September 19, 1829."
"The remains of the Rev. John Honour, first
missionary to the slaves, were interred in the cem¬
etery of Trinity Church, Hazel Street, Charleston,
S. C. In the great conflagration of 1838, in which
the church (a frame one) was burned, the tomb¬
stone was almost totally destroyed from the heat
of the burning church. Mr. Honour, the grand¬
son, writes that only a few fragments of the first
monument remain. In this way the original in¬
scription has been lost. The present monument
The Gospel on the Plantation. 157
was erected by the missionary's son, and bears
the simple inscription:
Filial to Parental Love.
In Memory of
Rev. John Honour,
born july 22, 1770,
died september 19, 1829.
"Although this first mission to the slaves had
such a deplorable beginning, it continued to flour¬
ish as a tree that heaven watereth. One faithful
soldier had died, but there were others ready and
willing to take his place. The work went forward
with healthy activity. Those noble-hearted men
who were first in the movement to have the gospel
preached to their people ever remained firm and
helpful friends of the missionaries, giving liberally
of their substance in support of the work. Dur¬
ing the first year of these missions the faithful
laborers gathered four hundred and seventeen
Church members among these hitherto neglected
blacks.
" The Rev. George W. Moore was deemed a
fitting successor of the faithful and lamented
Honour. In 1830 he was sent as missionary to
the slaves on Pon Pon and Combahee, while Rev.
John W. Massey was returned to those on the
Santee. In the meantime another mission to the
blacks had been established on the Savannah and
Broad Rivers, and the Rev. James Dannelly sent
to serve it. In the second year—that is, at the end
158 The Gosjycl among the Slaves.
of 1830—these faithful missionaries nearly trebled
the work of the first year, returning a colored
membership on these Missions of 1,077.
" The call for means to keep up these Missions
was most urgent. Back of this was but a meagerly
filled treasure-chest, for during the year 1830 the to¬
tal amount collected by the Conference for Missions
was only $261.* But to the credit of this grand
old Conference be it said that she never once fell
short of her duty because of a depleted treasury.
" In the Minutes of the South Carolina Confer¬
ence of 1830, the same year in which the Georgia
Conference was set off, we find record of the es¬
tablishment of another mission on the Little River,
in the Athens (Ga.) District.
" In 1831 there were four distinct missions to
the slaves in the bounds of the South Carolina
and Georgia Conferences—three in the former
and one in the latter. The total number of blacks
taken into the Church on these missions was
1,242, an increase of 165. In the meantime ac¬
tive and zealous souls had been at work, and the
amount raised this year for missions in the South
Carolina Conference alone more than trebled that
of the previous year, being $727.67. What amount
was given by the Georgia Conference for the sup¬
port of her one mission the writer has been un¬
able to find.
" The largest of these four missions was that on
Combahee and Pon Pon, which had a black mem-
* Statistics given in 1856 by Rev. William M. Wightman.
The Gospel on the Plantation. 159
bership of nearly 700. In addition to this there
were upward of one hundred little negroes regular¬
ly receiving the benefits of a plan of catechetical
instruction adopted by the Conference that year.
"In this year (1831) the Rev. Allen Turner,
writing from the Little River Mission in Georgia,
says that this mission grew out of a great revival
among the whites and blacks that began at the
Fountain camp meeting held nearsWarrenton.
"At the anniversary of the South Carolina Con¬
ference Missionary Society, held January 28, 1832,
the cause of Missions to the slaves was declared
' one of wide and growing interest,' and that the
success which had marked the enterprise proved
that God had sanctioned it, and offered ' cheering
argument in favor of its ultimate triumph, as well
as a strong inducement for increased exertion.'
This shows well the temper and zeal of the men
who had this work in hand. No wonder it flour¬
ished and increased despite the slanders and op¬
position of its enemies. The closing words of this
address are worthy of enduring record: 'Thus,
after years of delay on our part, the debt of jus¬
tice due to Africa's sons has begun to be consid¬
ered. Guided by experience and cheered by suc¬
cess, we come to bind ourselves afresh to the holy
work, and to renew the solemn obligation which
the enterprise of negro salvation and instruction
imposes on us. Into this long-neglected field of
danger, reproach, and toil we again go forth bear¬
ing the precious seed of salvation; and to the pro-
160 The Gospel among' the Slaves.
tection of the God of Missions our cause is confi¬
dently and devotedly commended.'
" In 1832 we find the return made of four dis¬
tinct colored missions from the Georgia Confer¬
ence, which shows that this Conference had start¬
ed out with all the zeal of the mother Conference.
Indeed, this year, she not only ran abreast, but
ahead, reporting four missions to two in the South
Carolina Conference. This looks a little strange
at first, but is easily accounted for by the transfer
of a part of the territory of the South Carolina
Conference, including one of its missions, to the
Georgia Conference. This was the Little River
Mission which, although it was established in
Georgia, was nevertheless at first under the con¬
trol of the South Carolina Conference.
" The other three missions in Georgia at this
date were those on Broad River in the Athens
District, the one near Macon, and the one on Su¬
gar Creek, in the Milledgeville District. The
names of the missionaries serving them were:
Robert G. Edwards, Whitman C. Hill, and John
Collinsworth—all names honored as pioneers in
Georgia Methodism. John Collinsworth was es¬
pecially noted for the access he had to the hearts
of the slaves and the confidence of their masters.
He was then a man in the prime of life. He died
September 4, 1834, while stationed at Eatonton,
Ga.
" The two missions in the South Carolina Con¬
ference were the Pon Pon and Combahee Mission,
The Gosj>el on the Plantation. 161
and the one on the Santee River. Rev. George
W. Moore was the missionary to the former, with
Rev. John R. Coburn his colaborer, while Rev.
Christian G. Hill had charge of the latter. The
number of members returned on these two mis¬
sions alone was 1,395. Another cause of the de¬
crease in the number of missions in the South
Carolina Conference was that during the year
1831 the negroes served on the Savannah River
Mission had been put into the regular work of the
circuit. This mission must not be confounded
with that of the Savannah Back River Mission es¬
tablished by the Georgia Conference in 1834.
" In 1832 we find the Tennessee Conference fol¬
lowing the example of the Georgia and South Car¬
olina Conferences and establishing two missions to
the blacks. But though established by this Con¬
ference, these missions lay in the bounds of an¬
other state—the one in Madison and Limestone
Counties, and the other in Franklin and Lawrence
Counties, Alabama. The two missionaries sent to
serve these missions were Thomas M. King and
Gilbert D. Taylor. This makes eight slave mis¬
sions in operation for the year 1832.
"The reports from these missions, with but
slight exception, were encouraging. The good
work had spread; the minds and hearts of the
planters had been opened to the marked benefit
of the system, and in several instances they were
beginning to contribute liberally toward the main¬
tenance of the missionaries.
11
162 The Gospel among the Slaves.
" The Rev. George W. Moore, writing from the
Pon Pon and Combahee Missions, in South Caro¬
lina, in February, 1832, said: 'At no time has
there been more fixed attention to the word than
at present. If we are to decide on its advantages
from the statements of those who are best ac¬
quainted with the colored people, the master and
overseer, it is their decided conviction that much
good has been done.'
" On the Santee Mission, same Conference,
where that good and true man, Christian G. Hill,
was in charge, matters were also in a highly pros¬
perous condition. During one quarter he received
-on trial eighty-six adults and had the accession of
three large plantations to the mission. He had,
too, a class of nearly two hundred children under
^.catechetical instruction.
" In January, 1832, the Georgia Conference, in
session at Augusta, passed a resolution to the ef¬
fect ' that in the opinion of the Conference it was
the duty of the missionary to the slaves and the
colored people within its bounds to consider them
his special charge, to collect them into societies
and divide them into classes wherever it is practi¬
cable ; that he should carefully instruct them in
the doctrines of Christianity and bring them under
the discipline of the Church, as in the case of all
other members.'
" On the missions within the bounds of this
Conference everything seemed to be in harmoni¬
ous working order. Near Macon was at this time
The Gospel on the Plantation. 163
one of the most prosperous missions. This mis¬
sion had been organized by the Rev, Whitman C.
Hill. He was succeeded in 1832 by Rev. Jesse
Sinclair. This mission embraced a tract of thir¬
ty-five miles in length and about twenty in breadth.
It lay west of Macon, in the counties of Bibb, Mon¬
roe, and Upson. By the summer of 1832 Mr. Sin¬
clair reported 12 regular preaching places, nearly
500 members in full connection, and with nearly
100 on probation. Among many things of inter¬
est, he wrote of a quarterly meeting just held in
which many of the slaves spoke at love feast' calm¬
ly and rationally on the goodness of God in their
awakening and conversion.' Their faces shone
with a new light, the tears streamed down their
cheeks. Many of the owners of these slaves were
present and joined with them in the praise of God,
weeping as they wept and rejoicing as they re¬
joiced.
" During the year 1832 (report made at the be¬
ginning of the year of 1833) the South Carolina
Conference appropriated $1,519-45 to Missions,
and the Georgia Conference $856.25, the greater
part of which went undoubtedly to the keeping up
of their slave missions. The Rev. Mr. Chreitz-
berg, the able statistician of the South Carolina
Conference, writing in reply to the author's in¬
quiry, says: 'You can safely set down fully two-
thirds of the amount from each year's Mission re¬
port of the South Carolina Conference as appro¬
priated to slave missions.' We suppose this will
164 The Gospel among the Slaves.
hold good of other Conferences having these mis¬
sions in their bounds. It is certainly not an over¬
estimate, as for several years after the establish¬
ment of slave missions the total amounts collected
for Missions by the South Carolina Conference
were appropriated, with but little reservation, to
the keeping up of its missionaries in the slave mis¬
sion fields.
"What amount the Tennessee Conference con¬
tributed to the support of its two missions in Ala¬
bama, during 1832, we have been unable to learn.
The total colored membership within the bounds
of these missions at the close of the year 1832 was
something over 2,500, and the three Conferences
reporting special missions to the slaves had a col¬
ored membership of nearly 26,000.
"Now it must not be supposed that because no
special missions to the blacks had at this time been
established in the other Conferences they were neg¬
lectful of this work. Not so; there was not at
this date a single Conference within the Metho¬
dist Episcopal Church that had not, in some way
or other, made provision for the spiritual enlight¬
enment of the blacks. A large part of this mission
work was done by the regular ministry. There
was not a circuit of any size that did not have its
colored charge, or its colored membership. Thus
the Kentucky Conference, which, up to 1838, had
established but one mission to the people of color
(that in Lexington and vicinity) had a colored
membership of 5,854. So, too, of the Holston
The Gospel on the Plantation. 165
and Virginia Conferences which, for several years
later, did not establish separate and distinct mis¬
sions for the blacks; the former had a colored
membership of 1,820, and the latter 2,951. What
was true of these Conferences was also true of the
others, to a greater or less extent.
"The year 1833 opened with five missions in
the Georgia Conference, ten in the South Caro¬
lina, and one in the Tennessee—sixteen in all, a
wonderful increase over the previous year. Rec¬
ord is also given of the establishment of a mission
partly to the whites and partly to the blacks, by
the Baltimore Conference on Mattawoman Creek;
but as no further account of it is obtainable from
the Minutes, no estimate of it can be given. The
two missions under the control of the Tennessee
Conference in Alabama were now placed in the
work of the circuits, and no separate account of
them is available.
"On June 5, 1833, the Rev. A. Hamill, presid¬
ing elder of the Savannah District, reported the
mission to slaves in Burke County, Georgia, un¬
der the management of the Rev. L. C. Peck, in a
highly prosperous condition. There were twenty-
six appointments in all, with a population of nearly
two thousand slaves enjoying the preaching of the
gospel. 4 The planters,' wrote Mr. Hamill, 4 are
generaly inclined to favor the introduction of
Christianity among their slaves.'
"The Savannah River Mission, under the
charge of the Rev. Samuel J. Bryan, had, in
166 The Gospel among the Slaves.
addition to a large membership, six schools in
which 214 children were regularly catechised
and instructed in the knowledge of God. Mr.
Bryan mentions several instances of masters and
slaves being gathered around one common altar,
beseeching mercy from the throne of grace.
"There was another mission near Savannah,
that was known as the Ogeechee Mission, which
was this year served by the Rev. John M. Rems-
hart. The prospect, as reported by this noble old
soldier himself, was ' cheering and full of interest.'
At one meeting he received twenty-seven members
on trial. At every preaching place he had large
congregations, 'eager to hear the word of life.'
Some of those who had but lately embraced re¬
ligion could tell, though in broken language—' a
whole and perfect experience.' ' By the help of
the Spirit,' continues this consecrated missionary,
' we shall continue to sow the seed, looking to God
for the shower.'
" From South Carolina the reports were fully as
cheering. But the brave missionaries, of course,
did not find it all sunshine and easy sowing.
"About this time a report from the Rev. Thom¬
as D. Turpin, the missionary in charge of the May
and New River Mission, speaks of one of the
many obstacles in the way of the mission work—
doubtless one of the most stubborn against which
they had to contend. A number of the negroes
on this mission lived on a secluded island. Pre¬
vious to the coming of the missionary, being de-
The Gospel on the Plantatio 167
prived of Church privileges, they had organized
societies among themselves. These were decid¬
edly of Roman Catholic proclivities. Among oth¬
er things they had a regular form of doing pen¬
ance. There were three degrees of punishment,
inflicted according to the magnitude of the crime.
If the crime was of the first magnitude, the perpe¬
trator was condemned to pick up a quart of benne
seed (among the smallest of seeds) which had
been thrown on the ground by the priest; if of
the second degree, a quart of rice; and if of the
third, a quart of corn. Many times the poor cul¬
prit condemned to pick up the quart of benne seed
could not get through in a night. In that case, he
had to return to the task on the following night.
They also had high seats and low seats, which were
used as a means of punishment or reward. It was a
rule among the members of these societies, rigidly
enforced, never to divulge the secret of stealing;
to do so brought dire punishment upon the in¬
former. Against such superstitions and ignorance
as this even the bright light of the gospel and the
zeal of its noble bearers made but slow headway.
"One of the most interesting of the negro mis¬
sions at this time was that of the African charge in
Nashville, Tenn., under the guidance of that grand
old pioneer, Rev. James Gwin. Writing from that
place, under date of August 14, 1833, he says:
' The work of the Lord was greatly increased in
this mission among the colored people the last
quarter. Our campmeeting for this state closed
168 The Gospel among the Slaves
last Thursday, about a thousand colored people
attending. Brother McMahon, our elder, ad¬
dressed them, and administered the Holy Sup¬
per. I have never seen so great a display of
divine goodness. During the meeting thirty pro¬
fessed to find peace with God, fifty-nine joined
the Church on trial; the work spreading all
through the city. At our 3 o'clock meeting in
the brick church last Sabbath about one hundred
fell round the altar, apparently deeply sensible of
their lost state. Several professed to find peace,
and seventeen joined the society. We have a
membership of seven hundred, nearly all of whom
profess to be happy in their Saviour; and what
greatly encourages me, there is no opposition from
the owners of slaves.'
"During the year 1833 there was expended for
the support of these missions an amount which,
based upon the two-thirds system estimate, will
give more than $5,000 from the South Carolina
and Georgia Conferences alone. From the South
Carolina Conference, according to the statistics
gathered by Rev. William M. Wightman, the ap¬
propriation was $3,600. We find record of $2,185
paid out by the Georgia Conference.
" Five years of mission work among the slaves
had forcibly demonstrated the feasibility, as well
as the true Christian spirit of the experiment.
Other Conferences beside the South Carolina,
Georgia, and Tennessee were now seriously and
prayerfully contemplating participation in the
The Gosjyel on the Plantation. 169
good work. More than one of them, in the reso¬
lutions adopted in the yearly session about this
time, declared it their intention to urge upon
slaveholders the necessity of paying more atten¬
tion to the moral and spiritual condition of their
slaves. The preachers, too, were urged to do ev¬
erything they could to promote this work.
"The success of the plan, especially in the
South Carolina and Georgia Conferences, had
shown beyond a doubt the susceptibility of the
negro to the enlightenment of the gospel. Only
half a decade had elapsed since the introduction
of these missions and the first coming of that no¬
ble pioneer, the plantation missionary; and now,
in place of the ignorant, superstitious, and im-
bruted creature that had first met his gaze and ap¬
pealed to his pitying heart, he had, in many in¬
stances, a mild and rational being, earnest, moral,
grateful, and rejoicing in the blessed knowledge
of a rich inheritance gained through a close and
faithful walk with God.
"At the close of the year 1833 there were in the
separate colored missions embraced in the Con¬
ferences mentioned upward of 4,000 Church mem¬
bers in full connection, in addition to nearly 2,000
more on probation, 800 children under catechet¬
ical instruction, more than 150 regular preaching-
places, and a population of from 18,000 to 20,000
blacks reached in some way by the missionary.
These figures are not given at random, but have
been carefully and patiently culled from various
170 The Gospel among the Slaves.
sources, principally from the letters of the mission¬
aries themselves in the Christian Advocate. In
the Nashville African Mission alone there were at
the close of this year 819 members in full connec¬
tion. One mission in the South Carolina Confer¬
ence also returned as many as 1,155 members.
This was the one on Combahee and Pon Pon, the
mission which Rev. George W. Moore called 'the
child of Providence.' "
CHAPTER XIII.
Plantation Work Continued to 1844.
THE year 1834 opened auspiciously for slave
missions. Many hearts hitherto cold were
warmed to the work. Tennessee had added an¬
other mission to her list (that on Duck River, in
the Nashville District), which was placed under
the charge of Rev. Joshua W. Kilpatrick. Mis¬
sissippi, too, had come bravely to the front by es¬
tablishing her first slave mission, the one to the
colored people in New Orleans. Georgia had
nearly doubled her list, showing up nine missions,
while South Carolina had ten, an increase of one.
Two of the missions in the Georgia Conference
were in Florida: one in Gadsden County, served
by Rev. C. A. Brown, and the other in the St.
Augustine District.
"One of the largest and most prosperous mis¬
sions at this time in the bounds of the South Car¬
olina Conference was the mission to the blacks
near Beaufort. This mission was in charge of
Rev. George W. Moore. In writing of his work
he said: 'In taking a general view of the negroes
in this country, it is very perceptive that a decided
change has taken place in their general moral char¬
acter. On a plantation where there are about two
hundred negroes, the overseer told me the other
(171)
172 The Gosjycl among the Slaves.
day that he believed that not a pint of ardent spir¬
its was drunk in a month on the plantation.'
"Brother Moore recorded a very interesting in¬
cident that occurred on this work. On one of
the plantations were two little deaf and dumb ne¬
groes. Despite their affliction they were always
present during the catechising of the other chil¬
dren. Once, soon after catechising, Mr. Moore
noticed that the elder of these two little boys
seemed much affected. He was very desirous of
knowing the cause. The younger boy, not notic¬
ing the tears in the eyes of the elder, took him by
the hand and brought him to shake hands with the
missionary. But on noticing the tears, he seemed
to recall what his brother was crying about. The
tears, it seems, were not tears of sorrow for sin,
but tears of anger, he having, a few moments be¬
fore the catechising, grown very angry with a little
girl who had done him a supposed injury.
" The younger boy now made signs to the elder
to go and light the little girl. At this juncture the
old woman who acted as nurse began to tell them
by signs how wrong it was to fight. The younger
boy, who was the brighter of the two, seemed to
read correctly her every gesture. He now turned
to his brother, and pointing upward, as though to
heaven, and then downward, as though to hell,
blew on his hands, and then wrung them as in
pain, as much as to say that if the other did fight
God would punish him in fire. 'What struck my
mind forcibly,' wrote Mr. Moore, 'was how this
Plantation Work Continued to 1844. 173
little fellow, so young and deprived of any partic¬
ular assistance from any outward circumstance,
had conveyed to his mind this knowledge.'
"From the beginning to the close of 1834 m°st
favorable reports continued to come from all the
missions. In April Rev. Thomas C. Benning
wrote from the missions to slaves on the islands
below Savannah, that, though a new work, he had
an interesting one which extended to the slaves of
five islands. These islands had a population of
80 whites and over 1,200 blacks. There were
180 colored children in classes.
"A little later the Rev. SamueRfr-Bryan wrote
from the other mission near Savannah, that on
the Savannah and Back Rivers. This mission em¬
braced eighteen plantations and reached about two
thousand negroes. On one plantation there were
297 members. ^The planters, as a general thing,
were not only favorable to the mission, but liberal.
One of them had already begun to give $100 a
year to the mission work. One pleasing sign was
the readiness with which the children learned the
catechism and hymns. It had been only about
twelve months since the opening of the mission,
yet they could sing with interest all the songs and
verses which they had been taught, as well as an¬
swer correctly all the questions on the forty pages
of the catechism prepared expressly for them by
Dr. Capers. There were several Sunday schools
connected with this mission.) The laws of South
Carolina and Georgia, as of other slaveholding
174 The Gospel among the Slaves.
states, threw no obstacle whatever in the way of
the instruction of the blacks orally in 'the first
principles of natural and revealed religion.'
"From the Little River and Sugar Creek Mis¬
sion in Georgia Rev. Samuel Harwell sent cheer¬
ing accounts of an interesting and growing work;
two new houses of worship exclusively for the
blacks; members ' improving in rational, religious
enjoyment,' and other encouraging prospects.
"Rev. E. Leggett, serving the Cape Fear Mis¬
sion in North Carolina under the auspices of the
South Carolina Conference, wrote of having gone
to his work under many disadvantages, yet of
having the mission at the time he wrote generally
prosperous. All through the work there was a
deep awakening, many inquiring with tears what
they must do to be saved.
" During the same year, Burke County Mission,
in the Georgia Conference, served by the Rev. L.
C. Peek, had twenty appointments, two regular
houses of worship, and three more in use; two of
them belonging to the whites of the circuit, and
the other to the Presbyterians. Everywhere the
mission was looked upon with favor by the slave
owners.
"From the Wateree (S. C.) Mission, in May,
1834, the Rev. Frederick Rush wrote: 'A great
door is opened here for preaching the gospel.
The only dissenting voices are from those who
have neither might nor means to oppose us.'
" Rev. Charles A. Brown, stationed on the Gads-
Plantation Work Continued to 184.4. I7S
den County Mission in Florida, sent about this time
a letter to the Christian Advocate published in
New York, in which he declared: ' This mission
meets with the approbation of every gentleman
with whom I have conversed. The slave owners
speak of it with deep interest. They feel for
these immortal beings that are committed to them
not with the austerity of a reckless despot, but
with the charity of Christian masters.'
"From the Forsyth Mission, Georgia Confer¬
ence, Rev. John P. Dickinson, after reporting an
encouraging work that covered fourteen planta¬
tions, closed with these words: ' God is preparing
a highway for himself in these ends of the earth.'
" In the summer of the same year Rev. The-
ophilus Huggins, on May and New River Mission,
South Carolina, wrote of preaching in a barn and
under a stand in the woods to congregations of
negroes that averaged not less than 800 to 1,000
each time.
" From the Pedee Mission, same Conference,
Rev. John B. Chappell, after speaking of the en¬
couraging prospects of his mission, the kindness
of the planters, and his own determination to do all
the good he could for the spiritual welfare of this
long-neglected people, drew a pathetic picture of
the missionary, notwithstanding the deadly malaria
of the river swamps, gathering his charge by night
under the spreading oak, ' bareheaded, by torch¬
light, opening to these poor creatures the word of
life and salvation.'
176 The Gospel among the Slaves.
" For the support of her slave missions, includ¬
ing amounts contributed by the planters and others
interested in the missions, Georgia gave during
1834 a sum closely approximating in round num¬
bers to $3,000. It may have been something more
than this, as some items here and there have
doubtless escaped the eye of the compiler. The
amount contributed from the South Carolina Con¬
ference, as per plan of estimate, was $2,615. Like
that from the Georgia Conference, it was doubtless
more.
" In the meantime quite a forceful impetus had
been given the mission work by a most powerful
sermon on the subject, delivered by Rev. James
O. Andrew (afterward Bishop Andrew) at the
Conference session of 1832, held at Darlington,
S. C. Bishop Wightman's eloquent pen thus de¬
scribes that masterful effort:
He drew a picture of the irreligious, neglected plantation
negro, Claudelike in the depth of its tone and coloring. He
pointed out his degradation, rendered but the deeper and dark¬
er from the fitful and transient flashings up of desires which
felt after God—scintillations of the immortal, blood-bought
spirit within him, which ever and again gleamed amidst the
darkness of his untutored mind. He pointed out the adapta¬
tion of the gospel to the extremest case. Its recovering power
and provisions were adequate to the task of saving from sin
and hell all men, of all conditions of life, in all stages of civili¬
zation. He pointed to the converted negro (the noblest prize
of the gospel) the most unanswerable proof of its efficiency.
There he was, mingling his morning song with the matin-cho¬
rus of the birds, sending up his orisons to God under the light
of the evening star, contented with his lot, cheerful in his la¬
bors, submissive for conscience sake to plantation discipline,
Plantation Work Continued to 184-4. I77
happy in life, hopeful in death, and from his lowly cabin car¬
ried at last by the angels to Abraham's bosom. Who could re¬
sist such an appeal, in which argument was fused with fervid
eloquence? The speech carried by storm the whole assembly.
"In 1833 there were 8 missions to the slaves in
South Carolina with a Church membership of over
3,000, employing 9 preachers, and covering be¬
tween 75 and 80 plantations. In Georgia there
were 6 with a membership of 1,266, and about 45
plantations embraced. The two Conferences to¬
gether gave over $5,000 in support of these mis¬
sions, beside the amount the planters contributed.
Tennessee had two missions, and Mississippi one.
What sums were contributed for their support the
writer has been unable to find.
" In 1836 both South Carolina and Georgia in¬
creased their list of slave missions. Georgia had
now 8 missions; South Carolina, 9; Tennessee, 2;
Mississippi, 1; and Alabama had just established
her first mission, the Canebrake Mission, in the
Greensboro District. Twelve missionaries were
employed in South Carolina and nine in Geor¬
gia. The mission family in the two- states alone
had increased to nearly 6,000, while the amount
contributed for their support was about $7>000,
The new mission established in the South Caroli¬
na Conference in 1836, that on Waccamaw Neck,
brought to light the interesting story of ' Black
Punch,' a name deserving, and will doubtless
have, perpetual record in the history of Metho¬
dism. It is a name peculiarly and touchingly as¬
sociated with that of the venerated Asbury.
12
178 The Gospel among the Slaves.
"We copy the record from the pen of Rev.
William M. Wightman:
On one of the bishop's tours of visitation, in 1788, on his way
to Charleston, S. C., he was passing through All-Saint's Parish,
and found, at a creek on his road, a negro engaged in fishing.
While his horse was drinking, the bishop entered into conver¬
sation with the fisherman. 'What is your name, my friend?'
' Punch, sir.'
' Do you ever pray ?'
' No, sir,' said Punch.
With this he alighted, fastened his horse, took his seat by the
side of Punch, and entered into conversation with him on the
subject of religion, explaining to him in terms suited to his un¬
derstanding the main peculiarities of the Christian system.
Punch was sufficiently astonished at all this, but listened atten¬
tively ; and as the good bishop sang the hymn,
Plunged in a gulf of dark despair,
and closed it with a short but fervent prayer, the poor negro's
tears came fast and free. The interview over, the bishop bade
him an affectionate farewell and resumed his journey, never
expecting to see his face again. After the lapse of twenty
years, however, when on one of his latest visits to Charleston,
Bishop Asbury was waited on by Punch, who had obtained per¬
mission from his master to do so, and had traveled seventy
miles on foot for the purpose. How touching must have been
their second interview! What a harvest had sprung from the
handful of bread-seed cast upon the waters! It appeared that
the bishop had no sooner left Punch than, hastening homeward
with
The thoughts that wake,
To perish never—
stirring within his soul, he began to practice upon the instruc¬
tions of that memorable conversation. He found the knowl¬
edge of salvation by the remission of sins after several days of
distress and earnest prayer. The change was too remarkable
to escape notice. His fellow-servants began to inquire into the
matter. Those were strange things which Punch had to tell
them. One and another resorted to his cabin to hear further
about these things. The interest spread; many were brought
Plantation Work Continued to 184.4.. I79
to the knowledge of God. One remarkable result followed.
An irreligious overseer had charge of the plantation. He as¬
certained that some new influence was stirring among the peo¬
ple. Punch was holding prayer meeting at night, and this was
not to be allowed. He ordered him to desist. Punch accord¬
ingly, with a sorrowful heart, dismissed the company of wor¬
shipers. A week or two passed away, when one evening the
overseer's voice was heard calling for Punch, while the latter
was engaged in prayer. In no small alarm he went out, when
lo! the overseer was found kneeling under a tree, calling upon
God for mercy, and asking the benefit of Punch's prayers. The
upshot was his conversion. He joined the Methodist Church,
became an exhorter, and finally a preacher.
" The missionary who was sent to the Wacca-
maw Mission found, on the plantation where Punch
lived, between two and three hundred blacks un¬
der the spiritual supervision of the gray-haired pa¬
triarch. ' I was much interested,' said he, * on
my visit to the old veteran. Just before I reached
his house I met a herdsman and asked him if there
was any preacher on the plantation. " O yes,
massa; de old bishop lib here." Said I: "Is he a
good preacher?" "O yes," was the reply, "he
word burn me heart." He showed me the house.
I knocked at the door, and heard approaching
footsteps and the sound of a cane upon the floor.
The door opened, and I saw before me, leaning
upon a staff, a hoary-headed black man, with pal¬
sied limbs but a smiling face. He looked at me a
moment in silence, then raising his eyes to heaven
said: "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart
in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation."
He asked me to take a seat, and I found, in the
180 The Gosjocl among the Slaves.
following remarks, the reason of his exclamation.
Said he: "I have many children in this place. I
have felt for some time past that my end was nigh.
I have looked around to see who might take my
place when I am gone. I could find none. I felt
unwilling to die and leave them so, and have been
praying to God to send some one to take care of
them. The Lord has sent you, my child. I am
ready to go." Tears coursed freely down his
time-shriveled but smiling face. This interview
gave me much encouragement. He had heard of
the application for a missionary, and only wanted
to live long enough to see his face. After this I
had several interviews with him, from which I
learned his early history. I always found him
contented and happy. In the lapse of a short
time afterward, he was taken ill and lingered a
few days. One Sabbath morning he told me that
he would die that day. He addressed affecting
words to the people who crowded around his dy¬
ing bed. His theme was: 4' Lord, now lettest thou
thy servant depart in peace." He applied these
words to himself, and continued his address to the
last moment, and death gently stole his spirit away
while saying: " Lord, let thy servant depart in
peace, let—let—le—" His mistress sent for me to
preach his funeral sermon. The corpse was de¬
cently shrouded, and the coffin was carried to the
house of worship. I looked upon the face of the
cold clay. The departed spirit had left the im¬
press of heaven upon it. Could I be at a loss for
Plantation Work Continued to 1844.. 181
a text? I read out of the gospel: " Lord, now let-
test thou thy servant depart in peace." '
" This missionary, if the writer mistakes not,
was the Rev. Theophilus Huggins, one of the no¬
blest soldiers in the ranks, who early entered it
with a zeal and devotion surpassed by none.
" There is something else connected with this
Waccamaw Neck Mission that deserves to be put
in perpetual record, and that is the active and zeal¬
ous efforts made by the Rev. James L. Belin to
Christianize his slaves. Says Rev. A. M. Chreitz-
berg in a letter to the writer: ' He began the mis¬
sion work on Waccamaw Neck as early or earlier
than the earliest named.' Investigation of the rec¬
ords show that Mr. Belin began the mission work
to the slaves as early as 1819, ten years before the
Revs. John Honour and John Massey were sent as
regular missionaries. Among the first plantations
on which he preached were those of Robert With¬
ers and Maj. Ward. With the assistance of the
Rev. Theophilus Huggins, Mr. Belin, in 1836,
formed the Waccamaw Neck Mission. Mr. Belin
continued to the day of his death to labor strenu¬
ously for the salvation of the souls of the negroes.
He was killed in 1859 by a fall from his buggy.
He bequeathed nearly all his large property to the
carrying out of this work of salvation among his
slaves. In the same year of Mr. Belin's death
Rev. Mr. Chreitzberg dedicated a commodious
house of worship erected for the slaves. As
much as $40,000 of Mr. Belin's magnificent be-
182 The Gospel among the Slaves.
quest to his slaves survived the wreck of war,
and Mr. Chreitzberg, who is a trustee of the fund,
writes that, ' the negroes having gone into other
Churches, the mission is now kept up to the poor
whites.'
"In 18,^7. there were 25 distinct slave missions
throughout the bounds of the following Confer¬
ence: South Carolina, 10; Georgia, 6; Mississip¬
pi, 4; Alabama, 2; Tennessee, 2; Kentucky, 1;
and Arkansas, 1. The numbers in the mission fam¬
ily had now increased to nearly 10,000. This was
exclusive of those in the regular circuits. The re¬
port of the South Carolina Conference Missionary
Society declared nearly all the missions in the
bounds of that Conference as highly prosperous
and promising beyond the most sanguine expecta¬
tions. A like cheering report came from Georgia.
Before these respective societies numerous commu¬
nications from the most respectable and influential
sources, in high praise of the mission work, were
read, and greatly cheered the hearts of the work¬
ers. The South Carolina Society declared that,
' notwithstanding the troublous times on which we
are fallen, and the agitations that have swept in
swelling waves through the public mind and the
giant shadows cast by pending events, we bless
God and take courage.' The missionaries were
recommended to concern themselves alone with
the moral and spiritual wants of the negro popula¬
tion and to avoid all political discussions.
The catechising of the young was found a
Plantation Work Continued to 1844. 183
most promising means of enlightenment. Rev.
Thomas J. Williamson, writing, about this time,
Vrom the Burke County Mission, in Georgia, said:
' I have become more interested in teaching the
young. Many of them progress astonishingly, all
things considered. They appear quite anxious to
learn, and some of them inquire after the mission¬
ary, and wish the time to come when they may
meet him again. I discover that a majority of
them possess a strong attachment for me, which is
very necessary to render me more useful to them.
The present generation will soon be past, and the
rising one that we now instruct catechetically will
take their place. And we hope and pray that by
the blessing of God upon our humble exertions the
latter will be higher in the scale of religious knowl¬
edge than the former.' Mr. Williamson also adds
this significant remark: 'The people who attend
my ministry are comfortably and neatly clad;
and I can assure you that a congregation of ne¬
groes in this section of country presents no mean
nor deeply degraded appearance, whatever may be
said to the contrary, notwithstanding.' ^
"Rev. William McQuentock, writing at this same
period, also bears testimony to the ease and facility
with which the minds of the young negroes grasped
the first great truths of Christianity. All the mis¬
sionaries seemed to recognize fully the importance
of carefully instructing the children- and also to
give them every religious opportunity. Rev. Sam¬
uel Leard, one of the most faithful and successful
184 The Gospel among the Slaves.
of this noble army of light bearers, relates a most
affecting incident that took place in the summer
of 1837. He was holding a class meeting, when
his attention was attracted by the sound of con¬
tinued sobbing on the outside of the house. Step¬
ping to the door, he there saw the touching spec¬
tacle of many children gathered about it weeping
as though their hearts would break. They heard
some of that which was going on within, the va¬
ried and thrilling experience of those cleansed of
their sins, and it had pierced their souls. The
heart of the good missionary was moved. He de¬
termined to hold special services for their benefit.
He did so, and was rewarded. Many were con¬
verted and brought rejoicing into the Church.
" Rev. John R. Pickett, from the Black Swamp
Mission, South Carolina, also wrote of special ef¬
forts made by him among the children, which
were crowned with rich results. He also spoke
of the families of the owners and overseers keep¬
ing up the catechising in his absence.
" This year South Carolina and Georgia alone
raised nearly $10,000 for Missions—that is, basing
it upon the two-thirds plan. That it was in excess
of this is strongly evidenced by the report of the
Rev. Thomas C. Benning, Conference Treasurer
of the Georgia Conference, giving the amount of
appropriations for missions from that Conference
as $6,282, and adding these words: 'mostly for
missions to -peofle of col or., Another significant
matter is that Mr. Benning says in his report that
Plantation Work Continued to 184.4.. I^5
' it is less this year than it has ever been before.'
These words alone will show that the amounts
given in the statistical tables are far below
what they ought to be. It must ever be a source
of regret that these appropriations for the support
of slave missions were not separated. The total
amount contributed by the South Carolina Con¬
ference for the year 1837 was $7>24-6-78, $2,156.-
16 of which was contributed by the planters of the
different missions.
"At the anniversary of the Georgia Missionary
Society, held at Athens, Ga., in January, 1838, it
was resolved that renewed efforts should be put
forth in behalf of the colored people of the sea-
coast. The peculiarities of their location, se¬
cluded from the circuits, called for special efforts
to give them the advantages of the gospel. Many
of them had never heard preaching from a white
man's lips until they heard it from those of the
faithful Methodist missionary. The picture pre¬
sented of their wretched condition, ' intrenched
within rice dams and surrounded by the pestilen¬
tial miasma, an isolated, cast-off race, unvisited
by the common preacher,' was truly startling, and
surely did call for the most zealous exercise of
Christian endeavor. But where the ' common
preacher ' hesitated to go, there went the Meth¬
odist missionary, undismayed by danger, strong in
the mighty upholding of his own zeal and faith in
a sustaining God.
"At the beginning of 1838 much good was done
186 The Gosjyel among the Slaves.
the mission cause through a widely circulated ser¬
mon delivered by the Rev. George Freeman, of
Raleigh, N. C., on < Duty to the Slaves.' He
took for his text Colossians iv. i: 4 Masters, give
unto your servants that which is just and equal;
knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.'
Never had a more forceful sermon been delivered
on a more vital question.
" Many affecting scenes were constantly taking
place between the missionary and the people.
They seemed the most grateful of creatures, as
if they could not do too much for him who had
come to lead them out of the darkness. Rev.
John N. Davis, writing from the Pocotaligo Mis¬
sion, South Carolina Conference, related a most
touching incident that took place at the close of
his first sermon on a plantation just added to the
mission. As he closed his sermon, many of the
poor creatures thronged about him, while with
__tears rolling from their eyes they said: 4 T'anky,
massa; t'anky, missie; t'anky, my good preacher,
fur de gospel.' It is needless to add in the mis¬
sionary's own words, ' it was a moving scene.'
Doubtless those tears fell upon his already faithful
heart with the dew of consecration.
" Rev. Edwin White, on the Burke County Mis¬
sion in Georgia, also writes of a similar touching
experience in an assembly of weeping negroes, to
whom he had just preached, crowding up about
him to bless him for the light and comfort he had
brought them. In that last day how many such
Plantation Work Continued to 184.4., 187
pearls—words of blessing and of gratitude from
the lips of the poor slave—will shine in the crown
of these noble, Godlike men who counted nothing
dear, not even life itself, that they might minister
to the spiritual comfort of such as these!
" Many other similar instances could be re¬
corded ; indeed, they were constantly occurring.
Nor were the children less grateful. Revs.
Thomas Ledbetter and William C. Kirkland, after
writing many interesting things of their work on
the Beaufort Mission, spoke of the great joy with
which the children of the various plantations of the
islands hailed the period of the missionary's regular
visits. How eagerly they ran to open the gate ! how
they crowded up about him, touching his hands,
his clothing with the most affectionate freedom, yet
with an unmistakable air of veneration mingled
throughout it all. When he went away, there was
the same readiness to open gates, but not the same
air of cheerful alacrity, while the tear-filled eye and
the tremulous lip showed the depth of feeling even
in their young hearts, as they looked at him wist¬
fully with the earnest reminder: ' Come back again
soon, sir.'
" That the gospel preached by the faithful mis¬
sionary had power to reach all hearts, the fol¬
lowing incident, related by Rev. S. D. Laney,
missionary to the Pedee Mission, will show: 'Jim
had stolen some of his master's corn, and was
absent from the preaching, and on my inquir¬
ing after him, one remarked thus: "Ah, massa,
188 The Gospel among the Slaves.
he 'fraid you preach at him, dat make him no come
to-day." One who is guilty of an offense of this
sort is looked upon with general contempt. This
is an effect of the gospel being preached to them.'
"At the end of the first decade of slave missions
the ground covered, in South Carolina alone, ex¬
tended from Waccamaw Neck and Pedee River
on the east to the Savannah River on the west,
and embraced 234 plantations. These plantations
were served by 17 missionaries under the general
supervision of three superintendents. These mis¬
sionaries preached at 97 appointments, and had
under their regular pastoral charge 6,556 Church
members, to whom they furnished the preaching
and administered the sacraments and discipline of
the Christian Church. And, further, they had
under regular catechetical instruction 25,025 negro
children.
" Truly these active missionaries had not been as
'dumb driven cattle,' but as ' heroes in the strife.'
Imperishable should be the record to their memory.
" The year 1839 opened with 54 special missions
to people of color throughout the various South¬
ern Conferences having them in their bounds,
with a membership in this mission family alone of
between 18,000 and 20,000. This did not include
the members in regular charges or the colored
members in separate Churches in the cities and
larger towns, known as city colored charges, but
simply included those served by the regular plan¬
tation missionary.
REV. J. A. BEEBE,
Bishop of the Colored M. E. Church.
(See page 380.)
Plantation Work Continued to 1844. 189
" Some of these 'African charges,' as the city
colored Churches were styled, were at several
places in excess of the white membership. Very
few of them that did not run largely into the hun¬
dreds. Thus the Kentucky Conference, that only
reported in the bounds of its two regular missions
to the slaves 313 members, had in the Louisville
colored charge alone 495 members. The largest
colored charge of all was that in South Carolina,
at Charleston, which numbered 3,742. The next
largest was the Sharp Street and Asbury, of Balti¬
more, 2,600; and the next the Nashville African
Mission, well up in the hundreds. Virginia, which
up to this time had not reported a single special
slave mission, had, in all the larger cities and many
of the small towns, flourishing colored charges,
noticeably that at Norfolk, which numbered 337—
seven more than the white membership of the city.
The total colored membership for 1838 throughout
the various Conferences having special slave mis¬
sions—the Georgia, South Carolina, Kentucky,
Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee—was 58,3I3»
of which 27,630 were in South Carolina and 10,-
180 in Georgia. This does not include the other
Southern Conferences, each of which had a large
slave membership scattered through the various
circuits and charges. The total colored member¬
ship of 1839, lying in the Southern body, was 84,-
332. In 1839 Texas, too, added her first colored
charge—43 members.
" In 1841 Virginia established her first slave
190 The Gospel among ike Slaves.
mission (the Prince Edward Colored Mission),
which was put in charge of Rev. Matthew N.
Dance. From that time on we find his name
constantly associated with this work, as also those
of Benjamin Devaney, Samuel Phillips, and Lewis
Skidmore.
'' Kentucky had, in the meantime, thrown her two
missions into the regular circuit work, and cared for
them there. In the next year after Virginia, 1842,
the North Carolina Conference, also, came to the
front with her first regular slave mission, the Roa¬
noke Mission, in the Washington District. But up
to this time she, too, had been far from idle in the
matter of the spiritual care of her slaves. Like
the Kentucky, Holston, and other Conferences,
she had made faithful provision for them through
her circuits and charges. At the time of the es¬
tablishment of her first regular slave mission, she
showed a total colored membership of 9,373. The
names of some of the noble veterans who were the
earliest in this work from the North Carolina Con¬
ference were Bennet T. Blake, William Carter,
R. J. Carson, Joseph Goodman, and Thomas J.
Cassaday.
"In this year (1842) Arkansas established her
second regular slave mission, or what was at that
time her only one, as the other had been put into
the regular charge. This second mission, which
was the first she kept running as a regular mission,
was known as the 'Red River Colored Mission.'
It is but proper to remark at this point that Arkan-
Plantation Work Continued to 184.4..
sas was actively engaged in caring for the Indians,
numbers of whom were within her borders. But
she too had been faithful in the care of her col¬
ored people, showing at that time a total colored
membership of 828. The names of A. L. Kava-
naugh, Henry Hubbard, and Alexander Avery ap¬
pear prominent among the first of her slave mis¬
sionaries.
" South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennes¬
see, and Alabama were advancing in the good
cause. Plantation after plantation was put into the
hands of the missionary. East, South, and West
fields stretched white to the harvest. Louder and
more prolonged grew the cry for more laborers.
The Church responded with promptness and en¬
ergy. Said one of the most zealous of the Con¬
ference Treasurers at that time: ' Though our
funds are exhausted and we know not where the
next are to come from, still this work must go on,
these missions to the slaves must be kept up, cost
what it may.' He but echoed the sentiment of
every Christian heart when those words were ut¬
tered. Poor Ethiopia struggled in the bonds of pa¬
gan darkness—bonds far more terrible than any
that bound her bodily. Her wailing cry fell on
the ears of a Christian brotherhood, who heard,
pitied, and succored.
" In the meantime the work had spread even to
the wild frontiers of Texas. Through the kind¬
ness of Dr. Homer S. Thrall we are enabled to
give a few points touching the early mission work
13
192 The Gospel among the Slaves.
to the slaves in Texas. These would otherwise
have been left in obscurity, as the Minutes do not
give these missions as colored missions, but sim¬
ply as missions. This makes the author fear that
injustice has been done in other directions and
many missions that were colored missions have
been left unrecorded. This difficulty we have en¬
deavored to avoid as far as possible by noting the
membership given, whether under white or colored
column. But often this discouraging line has met
the eye: ' No returns given.'
"Says Dr. Thrall: 'The first report of mem¬
bers of the Methodist Church in Texas was in
1839, an^ there were reported then 43 colored
members. We have but brief records of the work
of Dr. Martin Ruter, the first superintendent of
the mission work in Texas; but in those notices
it is stated that he, and indeed all the preachers,
devoted Sunday afternoon to the slave population,
wherever there were slaves to preach to. There
was a universal willingness on the part of the
planters to have their negroes preached to and
catechised. The first preacher appointed exclu¬
sively to the slaves was Jesse Hord to the Brazoria
Mission, in 1843. At a later period J. W. Devil-
biss, Joseph P. Sneed, Robert Crawford, Francis
Wilson, M. Yell, and others equally worthy were
employed in the work. At the organization of the
Texas Annual Conference, in 1840, there were re¬
ported 230 colored members. Ten years later
there were 1,847, and in i860, 7,440, with 20 mis-
Plantation Work Continued to 184.4. 193
sions to the colored people, mostly, however, con¬
nected with white charges, the same preacher
serving both congregations.' "
The remaining notices, required to bring the
history of the work up to the year 1844, will be
found in the various contributions to this volume
made by the missionaries themselves, and in the
extracts from a large variety of articles which will
not readily conform to the division of the work
adopted by the editor. It is our purpose to show,
firstly, the interest taken in the salvation of the
slaves by the white race of the South, slaveholders
and nonslaveholders alike; secondly, we propose
to show that the division of the Church in 1844
emphasized and enlarged that interest, but did not
create it.
For this purpose we think that the year 1844
forms a definite historical era. Whatever existed
prior to that time was not the product of that time,
and inasmuch as the sending of the gospel to the
African slaves was an enterprise that had grown
into proportions nearly or quite equal to the mis¬
sionary efforts in behalf of the white race, the
reader will be able to see how greatly the cause of
Christ was placed in peril by the action of the
General Conference of 1844.
In order to bring the statistics of the plantation
work from 1829 to 1844 distinctly into view, we
append a table which gives in regular order from
year to year the number of missions to slaves es¬
tablished by the various Conferences, the number
J94
of m
amor
ated
the v
Year.
1829
1830
1831
1831
1832
1832
1832
1833
1833
1833
1834
1834
1834
1834
1835
1835
1835
*835
1836
1836
1836
1836
1836
1837
1837
1837
1837
1837
1837
1837
1838
1838
1S38
1838
1838
1838
1838
1839
1839
aropri-
port of
Amount
ipropri'd.
216 00
727 67
1,519 45
856 25
656 35
3,600 00
25,00 00
465 00
2,615 00
2,818 65
850 00
2,821 42
2,445 00
4,194 00
2,749 58
950 00
757 72
165 00
4,831 20
4,118 00
1,440 00
745 65
204 50
4,53o 36
2,860 22
1,056 72
1,485 40
911 42
756 00
4,464 80
3,398 74
The Gospel among the Slaves.
ssionaries, the number of Church r
y the African slaves, and amounts a
>y the several Conferences for the su
ork.
Statistics from 1829 to 1844.
Conference.
Missions.
Members.
Mission¬
aries.
2
4*7
2
3
1,077
3
3
1,242
3
1
"5
1
2
G395
3
4
936
4
2
190
2
9
1,426
H
5
1,105
5
1
819
1
10
2,913
n
9
1,385
9
2
824
2
1
1
8
3U34
9
6
1,266
7
2
621
3
1
1
9
4,417
12
8
i,357
11
2
701
2
1
523
1
1
i39
1
10
9,693
12
6
1,298
7
2
810
2
4
459
4
2
383
2
1
1
1
1
12
6,556
13
6
1,381
6
5
960
5
5
710
5
2
2
1
718
1
1
130
1
18
7,160
24
16
3,864
19
South Carolina...
South Carolina...
South Carolina...
Georgia
South Carolina...
Georgia
Tennessee
South Carolina...
Georgia
Tennessee
South Carolina...
Georgia
Tennessee
Mississippi
South Carolina...
Georgia
Tennessee
Mississippi
South Carolina.
Georgia
Tennessee
Mississippi
Alabama
South Carolina...
Georgia
Tennessee
Mississippi
Alabama
Kentucky
Arkansas
South Carolina...
Georgia
Tennessee
Mississippi
Alabama
Kentucky
Arkansas
South Carolina.
Georgia
Plantation Work Continued to 184.4. I95
Statistics from 1829 to 1844 (Continued).
Year.
Conference.
Missions.
Members.
Mission¬
aries.
Amount
Appropri'd.
1839
Mississippi
10
3,672
12
$ 3,741 26
1839
Alabama
6
1,671
6
I,8oo OO
1839
Tennessee
9
2,3i6
10
2,700 OO
1839
Kentucky
2
505
2
600 00
1840
South Carolina...
18
7,631
24
3,780 90
1840
Georgia
15
3,972
17
3,100 OO
1840
Alabama
9
2,691
9
2,326 OO
1840
Mississippi
8
3,9o8
10
2,400 OO
1840
Tennessee
7
3,251
8
2,100 00
1840
Memphis
4
769
4
1,200 OO
1841
South Carolina...
16
7,557
21
4,950 80
1841
Georgia
12
3,913
H
8
4,821 06
1841
Alabama
8
2,793
2,160 24
1841
Mississippi
10
4.302
12
2,432 OO
1841
Tennessee
5
1,120
5
1,213 43
1841
Memphis
5
923
5
1,500 00
1841
Baltimore
2
2
600 OO
1841
Virginia
1
1
300 OO
1842
South Carolina...
i7
7,866
25
5,576 79
1842
Georgia
i3
3,787
16
3,978 45
1842
Alabama
8
2,009
9
3,028 25
1842
Mississippi
7
2,466
8
3,028 96
1842
Tennessee
4
1,624
4
1,200 OO
1842
Memphis
7
1,567
8
2,037 10
1842
North Carolina...
1
1
300 OO
1842
Arkansas
1
125
1
300 OO
1842
Virginia
2
261
2
600 OO
1843
South Carolina...
16
7,262
23
7,695 22
1843
Georgia
11
3,291
i3
4,464 55
1843
Mississippi
9
2,187
10
2,392 5°
1843
Memphis
9
2,261
10
1,812 25
1843
Alabama
6
2,131
7
3,364 95
1843
Tennessee
4
696
4
1,512 36
1843
Virginia
3
428
3
900 OO
1843
North Carolina...
2
153
2
908 50
1843
Arkansas
1
138
1
300 OO
1844
South Carolina...
16
7,922
21
7,356 20
1844
1844
Georgia
9
3,051
11
3,870 30
Memphis
10
2,655
12
2,134 10
1844
Mississippi
10
3,419
12
1,624 95
1844
Alabama
9
2,146
10
2,864 85
1844
Tennessee
6
1,707
6
1,820 75
1844
Florida
3
530
3
905 90
1844
North Carolina..
2
148
2
902 20
1844
Virginia
2
357
2
600 00
1844
Arkansas
1
128
1
300 00
196 The Gospel among the Slaves.
Thus it appears that from the small beginning
of the two plantation missions in 1829, with 2 mis¬
sionaries and 417 members, within fifteen years
the work had grown to 68 missions, 71 missiona¬
ries, and 21,063 members. The amount appropri¬
ated by the South Carolina Conference was so
small that no record had been made of it for the
year 1829, but in 1844 the Southern Conferences
paid $22,379.25 for this work, South Carolina
Jeading the list with $7,356.20.
It has already been stated that the actual amount
expended cannot be accurately known because
many contributions were given under circum¬
stances that rendered it difficult to ascertain the
amounts and the names of the contributors. Pres¬
ents in kind to the family of the missionary, valua¬
ble as the money itself, could not always be rated
in that way for obvious reasons, yet they lessened
the cash requisitions upon the missionary treasury
and gave great aid to the cause. After making
as thorough an examination as the case will allow,
there can be little doubt that the Southern Confer¬
ences contributed fully $200,000 to the special
work of sending the gospel to the slaves on large
plantations between the years 1829 and 1844.
Of the total amounts reported to the Annual
Conferences, $168,458.87, the South Carolina
Conference paid $58,879.81: Georgia, $41,980.-
80; Mississippi, $19,302.79; Alabama, $17,366.-
36; Tennessee, $14,524.56; Memphis, $8,683.45;
Virginia, $2,400; North Carolina, $2,110.70; Ar¬
kansas, $1,104.50; Florida, $905.90; Baltimore,
$600; and Kentucky, $600.
CHAPTER XIV.
Notes from the Pioneers.
NO description of any movement can be better
understood than by giving close attention to
the words of those who were the leaders in that
movement. Many of the pioneers in the planta¬
tion mission work have left such records to the
Church, and from these we will endeavor to give
the reader an insight of this enterprise at its com¬
mencement. Tedious details will be avoided, and
much of the matter that was instructive and profit¬
able when these accounts were written, must, of
necessity, be omitted. Time has rendered many
allusions obscure, and incidents that derived their
chief interest from local causes have ceased to be
attractive to the modern reader. For these rea¬
sons we shall abridge from time to time, and some¬
times it may be that we shall remodel a communi¬
cation. The object is to unfold the surroundings,
and to give to the mind of the reader a distinct
picture of this missionary work.
The first of these " Notes " was written by Rev.
G. W. Moore, of the South Carolina Conference.
As fair samples of these sketches, we will vouch
for the reader's interest in the details of 4'Life
among the Lowly."
(197)
198 The Gospel among the Slaves.
combahee, PON PON, Beaufort, and cooper
River Missions.
By Rev. George W. Moore, of the South Carolina Conference.
The Combahee Mission may be considered a
child of Providence. It had its rise in the follow¬
ing manner: A Mrs. Bearfield, a pious old lady, a
member of the M. E. Church, was employed by
Mrs. Charles Baring to look after and attend the
sick. Through her an invitation was extended
from Mrs. Baring to one of the preachers of the
Black Swamp Circuit to visit the plantation and
preach to their people. The preacher, however,
did not attend, in consequence of Mr. Baring not
being at home at the time, he supposing it would
not be prudent for him to do so. At his failure to
come Mrs. Baring was greatly disappointed.
Being in the neighborhood and hearing of Mrs.
Baring's disappointment, I proposed to go, and ac¬
cordingly did so. I stayed with Sister Bearfield,
and went out that night and preached to the blacks
in a large room near Mrs. Baring's dwelling. We
had quite a good meeting. Sister Bearfield got so
happy she shouted. Mrs. Baring had company
that evening, among the guests being the Episco¬
pal minister. He, with the family, I was after¬
ward told, stood near the window during a part of
the service. Soon after the meeting closed, Mrs.
Baring sent a servant with refreshments to me and
an invitation to call on her the next morning. I
did so, and had quite a pleasing interview with her,
in which she expressed her satisfaction at my com-
Notes from the Pioneers.
199
ing and desire for the continuance of my visits to
her people. This was in the year 1828. Brother
Samuel W. Capers and myself, being on the Or¬
angeburg Circuit, our appointment reaching down
near Mr. Baring's plantation, we embraced that
place in the plan of the circuit, and preached there
regularly. The next year, I think it was, it was
set off for regular mission work, and Rev. John
Honour appointed missionary. The year follow¬
ing I was sent to the mission, Brother Honour
having died in the work. This year the mission
also embraced Mr. John Dawson's plantation in
St. John's and was called the St. John's, Pon Pon,
and Combahee Mission. There was a church
built in the vicinity of Mr. Dawson's place for
the blacks, which still exists, and in which I
preached to a large congregation of devout wor¬
shipers last Sunday. The place is now connected
with the Cooper River Mission, and embraces
members from several plantations in the neighbor¬
hood.
The Pon Pon Mission, when I took charge of it,
embraced Col. Morris's place on the Bluff, with
several places on the other side of the river be¬
longing to the estate, and Gov. Aiken's place on
Jehossee Island. I generally preached in an old
cooper shop opposite the Bluff Place, where the
negroes from all the other plantations attended.
Here we usually held a sunrise prayer meeting
and catechised the children from the estate place.
I have often been interested in seeing the little fel-
200 The Gospel among the Slaves.
lows running on the rice bank toward the cooper
shop, and entering almost out of breath. The first
thing they would do would be to clasp my hand
and tell me " how-dy," and while upon my knees
in prayer they would get as near as possible, some
of them leaning against my feet with their heads.
The negroes from the Bluff and the estate all wor¬
shiped in the cooper shop, and O how often has
my heart rejoiced in their joy at the knowledge of
the gospel of Christ Jesus!
Col. Morris and others would attend sometimes
with their families and with the overseers and their
families, and often around the same altar you could
see several of those white persons mingling their
cries for mercy with those of the blacks, and many
together found the pearl of great price.
Among the most prominent of the colored lead¬
ers on this work there was January, a very faith¬
ful man, who generally held a long reed in his
hand, and if he saw any one asleep he would
give them a tap on the head to wake them up.
In the love feast if any one would speak as he
thought a little too long he would cry out: ''Short
and sweet, my hearty, short and sweet."
These love feasts were precious seasons, and
highly prized by the members of the Church.
You could see two or three up at one time wait¬
ing to speak. On one occasion one of the mem¬
bers, hearing some of the others speak of their
trials and difficulties, said: "My bredren, I hab
my dif'culties an' trials too, but de Lo'd so good
Notes from the Pioneers.
201
to me I ain't hab time to t'ink ob dem fur de mer¬
cies he sends me long wid 'em." Another said:
"My bredren, I hab my hard bone fur to chaw,
an' my bitter pill fur to swaller, but bredren, I tell
you what, 'ligion makes de bone turn to marrow
an' de bitter to sweet. 'Ligion's jus' like de
spring in de back country, de furder you go de
sweeter de water tastes."
Their sweet songs, sung with a fervidness inde¬
scribable, added much to the pleasure of the occa¬
sion.
We generally preached at the estate place in the
morning, and in the afternoon at Jehossee. Here
we preached in a room next to the hospital, so that
the sick might hear as well as those who were not
sick. Gov. Aiken was exceeding kind to us; so
was his overseer, Mr. Bagwell. The first letter I
received from Gov. Aiken, inclosing his donation
of $100, impressed me sensibly. It had the same
effect upon Bishop Andrew, who asked me to let
him keep it.
The overseers would generally send up to the es¬
tate place for us a large boat rowed by six or eight
hands. I remember a conversation that took place
between Dr. Capers and one of the hands on the
boat. The Dr. asked him, among other things,
how he liked the overseer, which is the test ques¬
tion among the negroes. In reply he said: t( Mas-
sa he good man; he nebber promise nuffin he no
gib you. If he promise you whippin', you's as
sho' to git 'em as if you had 'em on you' back."
202 The Gospel among the Slaves.
I soon found the secret of the good government
on this place; it was decision of character. I vis¬
ited the place at all times during the year, and I
never, to my recollection, heard the overseer swear,
get in a passion, or whip a negro during all that pe¬
riod, and it was all because the negroes understood
that he meant what he said, and a promise was as
good as performed.
I have already mentioned that in preaching at
Mr. Charles Baring's we occupied a room near to
his dwelling. Adjoining this was another of small¬
er dimensions, where the white persons who at¬
tended sat, among whom could generally be seen
Mr. and Mrs. Baring, who took a deep interest in
the welfare of their people. I have often seen
Mrs. Baring, when the negroes were singing, catch
the motion of their bodies and do just as they did.
On one occasion, when taking my seat at the din¬
ner table, Mr. Baring took my hand, and, while
under the influence of much feeling, said, with em¬
phasis: "Sir, this [referring to the service that
had just taken place] must do good, it will do
good, it shall do good." And he pressed my hand
very warmly in his. At another time, when about
leaving for their summer residence, they asked me
to retire with them to a private room and there en¬
gage in prayer for the salvation of their people.
On one occasion I preached to a British Admi¬
ral, who was an American born citizen, who was on
a visit to the family. He sat in the rear of the ne¬
groes and was quite attentive during the service.
Notes from the Pioneers. 203
Mr. Baring was most generous in the support of
the mission, and I believe at one time carried it
entirely. His good wife was not one whit behind
him in zeal. Often when coming from the serv¬
ice I have heard her say to him: "Now, Charles,
I hope you will take to heart what Mr. Moore has
said." Noble woman, I hope she is in heaven!
The Beaufort Mission was attached to the Com-
bahee and Pon Pon in 1832, and John R. Coburn
sent with me to serve the work. The Beaufort
Mission had its origin through a religious revival
that took place among the Baptists and Episcopa¬
lians in Beaufort and vicinity, instigated by Rev.
Mr. Daniel Baker, a Presbyterian minister. The
stores were closed and business in the town sus¬
pended for several days, so great was the interest
taken. This revival caused the planters, several
of whom made Beaufort their summer residence,
to turn their attention to the condition of their
slaves. Not being able to get the services of an
Episcopal or Baptist minister, they, through the
influence of Mr. Pinckney, who at the time had
the services of a Methodist minister on his planta¬
tion on the Santee, applied to our Conference for
help, and Beaufort Island was taken in along with
Combahee, Pon Pon, and Wappahoola, the mis¬
sion having that name at the time.
One pleasing part of the Beaufort work was
jthat the young ladies took quite an active part in
(the instruction of the colored children, both in
Waufort and on the plantations of their fathers.
2C>4 The Gosjoel among the Slaves.
Frequently I found them under the shade of the
spreading oak, with a group of little negroes around
them, instructing them in the catechism. The
planters too were active in the work. Some of
the wealthiest and most distinguished gentlemen
would spend every Sabbath afternoon in impart¬
ing religious instruction to the negroes, young and
old.
I commenced my labors in Beaufort by preach¬
ing to the negroes in the old Tabernacle Church,
belonging to the Baptists, and holding prayer
meetings, with the assistance of a few Christian
gentlemen, in the Episcopal lecture room. We
soon enjoyed as great a revival among the colored
people as there had been among the whites. I ex¬
tended my labors to Paris, Cat, St. Helena, Da-
than, Coosa, Lady's, Beaufort, and Big Islands,
and on the mainland, where we soon enjoyed
much prosperity. I left the converts free to join
the Church of their choice. At one time, with
my full consent, over two hundred of them were
added to the Baptist Church.
The mission at that time was similar to a circuit,
I went regularly round, week day and Sunday.
We preached on Paris Island on Sunday, the ne¬
groes from all the plantations attending. We had
no church building at that time, but occupied a
house on the plantation of our patron, Mr. Robert
Means. We would also preach at some of the
other places at night. I recollect on one occa¬
sion preaching with a negro holding a lightwood
Notes from the Pioneers. 205
torch at my back to throw light on my Bible and
hymn book. At first we preached at two or three
places on the island on Sunday, as we confined our
labors a good deal to plantation preaching. We
catechised during the week, and also preached at
several places on week days. Robert Means,
Esq., Dr. Thomas Fuller, Rev. S. Elliott, Mrs.
Habersham, and William Eddings owned the en¬
tire island, and we had access to all the plantations.
' There were two very remarkable cases of the
power of the voice of conscience that occurred on
this island. After one of my sermons on Mr.
jMeans's place, a woman got possession of the key
of the house where the molasses was kept. She
jwent to steal some to send to a woman on a neigh¬
boring island, and when she had put the key in
[the door, she stood motionless, having no power
! to open it, and was found in that position by the
^driver. I was an eyewitness to her agony. She
could neither move nor speak. Afterward she
seemed very penitent, especially when she knew
that I was acquainted with all the circumstances.
The other case was that of a man who attempted
to get into the corncrib and carry off a sack of
corn. He was discovered and taken down by the
driver, having no power of his own, either to go
forward or to come back. How long he had been
in that position was not known.
From Paris Island we went to Cat Island, owned
by Rev. R. Fuller. Here we preached on week
nights, the negroes assembling in a vacant house
206 The Gospel among the Slaves.
on the place. On one occasion when Brother
Coburn preached, the negroes were so much
pleased with his preaching that they begged him
to remain for the next day and preach again.
This he consented to, and at an early hour the
place was filled. One fact I have often noticed
is that not only on the cotton but also on the rice
plantations those negroes who are industrious can
accomplish their task during the hoeing season by
the middle of the day, and thus have the afternoon
to themselves.
Our next appointment was on St. Helena Island
at Rev. Mr. Field's, Col. Stapleton's, and Dr.
Scott's. From there we went to Dathan, owned
by Dr. B. Sams and Mr. L. Sams, his brother.
At the different places on Dathan we preached at
night and catechised the children during the day.
At Dr. Sams's, however, we preached on a week
day, the negroes coming out of the fields to assem¬
ble at the appointed time in a large cotton house.
At the close of the services the smaller negroes
would remain to be catechised. At Mr. L. Sams's
we preached at night and had some most attentive
hearers. Here there was soon erected a very
comfortable house of worship. \
From Dathan we crossed to Mr. Barnwell's
place on Coosa Island and preached at night, and
then crossed over to Lady's Island in a canoe,
swimming our horses alongside the boat. Here
we also preached at another of Mr. Sams's places.
On Beaufort Island, where my family lived, we
Notes from the Pioneers.
207
preached at Mr. Josiah Smith's plantation, at the
Misses Elliott's, and the place now owned by Mr.
L. Sams. All these appointments were on Sun¬
day. We also preached at Rev. Mr. Barnwell's,
on Laurel Bay, Broad River. Rev. Mr. Barn¬
well commenced his ministerial career by preach¬
ing to his own blacks and holding prayer meetings
with them every morning before sunrise. We also
had an appointment at a place called Myrtle Bush
in an old brick dwelling. Here we had some re¬
freshing times. Old Palidore, the colored leader,
was a remarkable man. He never began his
prayer without calling God's blessing upon the
missionary who had come so tedious a journey to
tell them of the Saviour.
While preaching at this place once, in reference
to besetting sins, I touched upon a sin then preva¬
lent among them, that of taking cotton out of the
house and carrying it to the field and bringing it
back at night saying that they had picked it.
While speaking a woman fell upon her knees
and looked very earnestly at me, as if to ques¬
tion: iiH'oiv did you find that out? "
One of the most flourishing places on the mis¬
sion was Big Island, owned by Mr. Thomas Cuth-
bert, who was greatly interested for his people,
and among the most liberal patrons of the work.
He very soon built a comfortable church, and al¬
lowed his people to attend week days as well as
Sundays. On preaching days he would not per¬
mit any of his people to do anything to interfere
14
208 The Gospel among the Slaves.
with the hour of service. Every time we visited
his place he gave up the labor of sixty hands for
half the day. On this place I baptized thirty at
one time, twenty-nine by immersion and one, the
driver, by pouring. Mr. Cuthbert and his little
daughter, he being a widower, were generally
present at the church. He would always com¬
mune with his people.
In going to and fro on my work on the mission,
I have ridden horseback, in a gig, and often on a
negro's back. Sometimes it would be in a boat
pushed through the mud. Often I have had to be
pushed some distance through the mud to get to
water to baptize the negroes.
Our great enemy was superstition, which pre¬
vailed to an alarming extent. Idolatry too entered
greatly into negro worship. I remember on one
occasion, while preaching, a woman was so much
excited she rose and fell at my feet, embracing
them in her arms. I had a great effort to contend
with this inclination to man-worship. At another
place, when leaving, an old woman came after me,
begging me on my return to bring my " big book "
with me and find out whether she was an old witch
or not. I thought she gave me a difficult task to
perform, but I determined to please her so far as
I could. Accordingly on my return I read to her
from the Bible and told her that, according to that,
she was not an old witch, and advised her not to
play the witch any longer. She left me perfectly
satisfied.
Notes from the Pioneers.
209
I have already stated the commencement of the
Cooper River Mission, where I am now laboring.
The mission embraces two appointments for
preaching on the western side of the Cooper
River, one on Back River, which serves the
plantations on that river and those on the oppo¬
site side. The other appointment is at the church
near Wappahoola Creek, a branch of the Cooper
River. I catechise during the week and on Sun¬
day in this part of the mission. This place serves
the negroes on that creek and several of the plan¬
tations on the western branch of the Cooper River.
I catechise throughout the mission both during the
week and on Sundays. In this part of the mission
there are two church buildings, one of them old
Cumberland, removed from Charleston. Here we
have large and attentive congregations. At Cum¬
berland the planters and their families usually at¬
tend, and also commune with the people. On last
Sunday there were persons present from seven or
eight different denominations, and five of those de¬
nominations were represented at the Lord's table.
It was a pleasant sight to behold.
On the other part of the mission I have three
appointments and two churches. At Bonnoe's
Ferry I preach at Dr. Prioleau's, sometimes in a
negro house and sometimes under a widespread-
ing oak. I also preach under an old brick shed,
where the negroes from several of the plantations
on the eastern branch of the Cooper attend. We
hope soon to have a church here. Another ap-
210 The Gospel among the Slaves
pointment is at a very comfortable church given
to the mission by Mrs. Simons. This church,
which is large and commodious, serves the ne¬
groes on both the eastern and western prongs of
the Cooper River. Mrs. Simons also left a very
comfortable house as a parsonage. Another ap¬
pointment is on the opposite side of the western
branch at the plantation of Col. James Gadsden,
where we have a large society and a very good
church building. In all the Cooper River Mission
has five Sabbath appointments and four churches
served every other week. At the last Conference
I reported 649 members m full connection and 318
catechumens. I would suppose that there were
from 2,500 to 3,000 negroes within reach of the
appointments. Our average attendance at each
place is from 100 to 150.
Since the establishment of these missions there
has been a great reformation in the condition of
the negroes. Whereas before many were lazy,
immoral, untrustworthy; they are now industrious,
cheerful, and worthy of confidence. Many of
these negroes are left in charge of the planta¬
tions during the absence of their masters in the
summer. On one occasion an old negro told
Brother Coburn that the gospel (meaning the
preaching of the missionaries) "had saved more
rice for massa than all the locks and keys on the
plantation." It has also happily affected their do¬
mestic relations, joined many of them lawfully,
made them better husbands and wives, and im-
Notes from the Pioneers. 211
proved their condition in various other respects.
I have often been awakened in the morning by the
songs and prayers of the negroes, some of whom
attended regularly to their family devotions. The
negroes generally are fond of class meetings and
love feasts, and are very apt to give some expres¬
sion of approbation when pleased with preaching.
On the whole they are a very grateful people.
The Wateree and Black Mingo Missions.
By Rev. Frederick Rush, of the South Carolina Conference.
At the beginning of the year 1834, at the Con¬
ference held in Charleston, Bishop Emory ap¬
pointed me to form a mission to the people of color
on the Wateree River. I first consulted the plant¬
ers in the neighborhood of Camden, and obtained
their permission by certificates to operate on their
plantations. This was the first missionary effort
to people of color in that section. Previous to
this time, however, the question had been consid-
ably agitated. There was much talk for and
against it. The overseers generally were opposed
to it, but the planters seemed to take to the idea.
Mr. James C. Doby made his house my home
and stood by me at every point of opposition, also
Col. W. W. McQuillay and others who were de¬
termined to give the mission a fair trial. In a
short while I had as much ground as I could oc¬
cupy, and the planters to a unit soon expressed
their opinions earnestly in favor of the work.
212 The Gospel among the Slaves.
Sometime in April, while enlarging my new field,
I went to Mr. Stratford's, about twelve miles above
Camden, 10 have an interview with him respecting
his plantation. He soon gave me his consent to
take it into the work. This was on Thursday or
Friday, and the rains beginning to fall, then heavy
floods came and detained me there three or four
days, during which time I preached three times to
the family and servants, also to such of the whites
and blacks as came from the neighboring planta¬
tions.
During my stay there I conversed with an old
negro belonging to Mr. Stratford. He was from
Africa, and totally ignorant of spiritual things. He
said that in their country they had all heard of the
devil, but none had ever heard of the other one
of whom I told him, Jesus the Christ. He took
my advice and began to call upon the name of the
Lord for enlightenment and mercy. He was soon
happily converted. The next morning after this
happy conversion he went to the field as usual.
Soon after he commenced his work, he saw his
master coming into the field. Mr. Stratford was
then seventy years of age, and up to this time had
made no effort to get religion. The old African
dropped his hoe and ran at once to meet his mas¬
ter, telling him in his broken way of the Jesus he
had found, and entreating him also to seek the
blessing which Jesus only could give. Mr. Strat¬
ford was melted to tears. He told me afterward
that he did not wish to be seen crying by his
Notes from the Pioneers.
213
slaves, but that he could not help it. This was the
start of a great work here. Soon after that affect¬
ing incident in the field, Mr. Stratford joined our
Church, and I baptized him and his daughter and
twenty-four of his negroes at one time in his
house. Not long afterward he was thoroughly
converted after some hours of the most earnest
prayer, and like his servant, George, he rejoiced
greatly in his new-found happiness in Christ.
I formed a society and preached here for a few
weeks under a bush arbor. By the end of the
year we began to worship in our new and com¬
modious chapel, which had, in the meantime, been
built. I left this place with sixteen white and I be¬
lieve about forty colored members. I do not re¬
member the exact number on the entire mission,
but I know that I left it in a very sound and pros¬
perous condition, and that the planters generally
requested its continuance. I was there but one
year. Brother W. A. Gamewell was my suc¬
cessor.
The next mission field to which I was appointed
was the Black Mingo Mission, during the years
1832-33. This mission had been formed by Broth¬
er Abraham Nettles, and I went to it in the second
year of its existence. There were thirty planta¬
tions served on the mission, with 9 preaching
places, 49 white and 586 colored members. That
year I catechised about seven hundred children.
I remember also that the contributions from the
planters more than covered the expenses of the
214 The Gospel among the Slaves.
mission. That year I formed a society at Cedar
Creek, on the Williamsburg District. It had 35
whites and over 100 colored members. These
whites were chiefly among the patrons of the col¬
ored mission, and the society was principally for
their benefit, but there were the number of col¬
ored members I have already stated. By the ad¬
vice of Brother Derrick, the presiding elder, they
were transferred to the Black River Circuit, and
it is at this time one among the most important so¬
cieties of that circuit.
The patrons of the Black Mingo Mission were all
warm friends to the work, especially Mr. William
Burrows and Mr. J. B. Pressley, who were very
active in its starting, and whose zeal was as warm
as ever in 1853.
At Mr. G. Cooper's, one of the patrons, I went
to see a sick negro who was very old. He told
me that he was a member of the church, and had
been going to church as faithfully as he could un¬
til stricken down with the weight of years and
sickness, but that there was one thing that troub¬
led him a great deal. This was about three Gods
of whom t£mossa" (the missionary) had told him.
He was bothered to know which was the head
man and to which he should go when asking for
anything. I began and tried to explain to him as
clearly as I could why the three persons in the
Godhead were one. The Lord graciously helped
his infirmities while I was talking, and he soon
saw clearly. He was filled with deep joy when he
Notes from the Pioneers.
215
realized God the Father and Christ the Saviour.
His cheeks glistened with tears and his counte¬
nance beamed with joy. In a few days he died
in great triumph. I will add here that his master
is a very pious and upright man, and that few men
afford their servants more religious privileges than
Mr. Cooper. The great darkness and supersti¬
tion of his race stood in the way of this poor old
man; the veil was so thick it was long ere he could
see through it clearly. This circumstance, when
it became known, did much for the cause of col¬
ored missions, by showing the importance of visit¬
ing and catechising even the grown negroes on
various religious subjects. I left this mission in a
prosperous condition, and Brother J. Parker was
my successor.
In 1834 1 was appointed to the Cheraw Mission.
From the moment I took hold of the work I real¬
ized that it was not missionary ground, and so,
through my advice, the Conference discontinued
it, to devote its time and money in more promising
fields
Twenty-two Years in the Mission Fields of
South Carolina.*
By Rev. Charles Wilson, of the South Carolina Conference.
I received my first appointment to the mission
field at the Conference held in Charleston, S. C.,
* Abridged from a manuscript found in the collection of Rev.
H. A. C. Walker, who proposed at one time to publish a " His¬
tory of Missions to the Blacks."
2i6 The Gospel among the Slaves.
in 1834, t0 t^le Combahee, Ashepoo, and Pon Pon
Mission. I was sent as a colaborer with Dr. Boyd,
who had labored there a part of the previous year
with Brother Coburn.
This mission was in the midst of the rice fields,
then looked upon as " the graveyard of South Car¬
olina-" But despite this, I knowingly slept in their
midst two or three nights of every week the year
round. During such times, in the sickly season of
the year, I have known as many as two corpses to
be carried to the graveyard within hearing of my
room. Whether this exposure of myself was a
piece of recklessness on my part or not I do not
now pretend to say, but this much I can assert: I
never enjoyed better health.
We had at that time but one appointment on
Combahee River. This was at the plantation of
Mr. Charles Baring. He was a warm and zealous
friend of the missionaries. If I am not mistaken,
it was at this plantation that the blessed work of
missions to the slaves had its beginning. In addi¬
tion to the negroes on this place, we had those be¬
longing to Capt. N. Heyward, one of the largest
slaveholders in the state. Pie had some eight or
ten plantations, all lying together on the Ashepoo.
We preached on three plantations: those of Edward
Webb, J. G. Godfrey, and Hon. Barnwell Rhett.
At the latter place we also had in attendance the
negroes from Mr. Thomas Rhett's plantation. On
the Pon Pon we preached on one of Mr. Baring's
plantations; on Mrs. Morris's, at that time under
Notes f rom the Pioneers.
217
the direction of Col. Morris; and on Mr. Aiken's,
on Jehossee Island. In addition to these we had
one or two small places at which we preached
occasionally. At the regular appointments we
preached every Sabbath from two to three sermons.
A portion of each week was devoted to the work
of catechising the children and visiting the sick
and aged.
(We preached in barns, cooper shops, hospitals,
and other plantation buildings, which were gener¬
ally fitted up in comfortable style. ) So far as we
could judge we had the entire confidence of the
planters, which they evidenced by their kindness
and liberal hospitality. As to the negroes them¬
selves, their artless expressions of gratitude, their
rapt attention bestowed upon our sermons touched
us deeply and made us all the more resolve to be
faithful. In the early part of this year we added
another plantation to the mission. This was that
of Mr. Mason Smith, one mile above the ferry. A
touching incident is connected with the establish¬
ment of this mission. Going to keep the appoint¬
ment, Mr. Smith met me, telling me how glad he
was to see me, and how gratified at the prospect of
having regular religious service among his blacks.
He accompanied me to the house where the meet¬
ing was to be held. We found it well filled with
a neatly dressed congregation, with countenances
giving ample proof of their own joy and gratifica¬
tion in the prospect before them. I read a chap¬
ter in the Bible, gave out and sung a hymn, the ne-
2i3 The Gospel among the Slaves.
groes all joining in. I then prayed and preached
a sermon, which I endeavored to make as plain to
them as possible.
At the close of the sermon Mr. Smith arose and
addressed himself with deep emotion to his people.
He said: "Now, my people, you have heard
preached to you this day from that blessed book
[pointing to my Bible] the very truths I have al¬
ways been trying to impress upon your mind; and
now I feel perfectly willing to commit your reli¬
gious instruction and spiritual welfare to these men
of God. May God be with you!" By this time
his feelings got so completely the mastery of him
that he burst into tears and rushed from the room,
praying God's mercy upon them and upon himself.
The emotion displayed by their master had an
electrifying effect upon the negroes, and scarcely
have I witnessed such a scene as now took place.
The result was many converts to the Church. And
never have I known a more submissive and orderly
plantation in my life as a missionary, nor a Church
that gave less trouble in the administration of the
discipline. It was touching to see the love and
gratitude bestowed upon their minister, and they
were always desirous of making him some little gift.
It was the regular custom to catechise the chil¬
dren on this plantation every Monday morning
about ii o'clock. Sometimes the grown people
working near the house would also come to take
part. When the catechising was over, the little
ones would scamper away to the cabins, returning
Notes from the Pioneers.
219
in a few minutes laden with their modest gift of
eggs for the minister. Some would have six, some
five, some three, and so on. These they would
spread out on the ground in front of him. On one
loccasion these offerings numbered no less than
seven dozen.
In the winter of that year, or in the early spring
of the year following, we obtained permission to
preach on the plantation of Mr. Thomas Lowndes.
He was a near neighbor of Mr. Smith, and owned
a large number of slaves. Mr. and Mrs. Lowndes
both appeared deeply interested in our work, and
not only entertained us hospitably during our stay
in that section, which was only during the winter
and spring; but also made every arrangement for
our comfort at their house in their absence. Our
congregations here were generally large and our
preaching to them productive of much good. A
number soon became members, and adorned their
professions by a life of consistent piety. Mr.
Lowndes was a most liberal patron of the mission,
giving regularly one hundred dollars per annum to
its support.
At the time that our missionaries first found their
way among the larger plantations of lower Caro¬
lina, the Episcopalians had a few churches scat¬
tered about, principally in the upper borders of the
rice-growing section. These were built mostly, if
not altogether, for the accommodation of the plant¬
ers and their families. Consequently they were
only preached in during the winter and early part
220 The Gospel among the Slaves.
of the spring. As may be supposed, a sermon
prepared expressly to the taste of the learned and
enlightened could be of little use to the profoundly
ignorant. Chlence the coming of the Methodist
missionaries with their plain and simple story of
the cross was like the opening of a new world to
the spiritual mind of the negro
During this year, 1835, Hon. R. B. Rhett put
up at his own expense a comfortable church build¬
ing on his plantation on the Ashepoo. Here we
preached regularly to his own negroes and to those
of his brother, Mr. Thomas Rhett, never failing to
have large and interesting congregations. Through
the lavish kindness of Hon. Mr. Rhett I and my
family occupied his residence during his stay in
Washington. This put me in the center of my
work, and enabled me to leave home after 8 o'clock
in the morning, reach the most distant place in my
charge, catechise the children, visit the sick, and
return before 2 in the afternoon. On Sabbath
mornings I was also enabled to hold sunrise prayer
meetings on the neighboring plantations and to re¬
turn home in time to set out for my regular day's
preaching. This kind hospitality on the part of
Mr. Rhett not only rendered my work doubly
pleasant and satisfactory, but also of increased
profit to those among whom I labored. I could
give them far more time and attention and devise
many ways for their instruction and entertainment.
I now began to spend an hour of each night of the
week with those on the place in teaching them the
Notes from the Pioneers. 221
various hymns used by the Church. Having a
natural ear for music, they soon made rapid prog¬
ress. But these delightful meetings were brought
to a close by a severe illness that now attacked me,
and laid me low with hemorrhage of the lungs.
The devotion of these negroes to me at this period
was one of the brightest chapters in my missionary
life. I cannot speak of it too highly. As soon as
they had finished their daily labors they were at
my bedside ready to do any act of kindness in their
power. Though weak from suffering, I neverthe¬
less endeavored to talk to all who came, and many
scenes that I think God must have loved to witness
occurred in my sick room. When at last, having
recovered, though with my health seriously im¬
paired, I came away, I believe it was as a much bet¬
ter Christian and a more useful minister.
The Hon. Mr. Rhett was, I think, a truly pious
man. He seemed deeply interested in the spiritual
welfare of the black population of his country, and
contributed most liberally every year to the support
of the mission.
At the next meeting of the Missionary Board of
the Conference, I believe in February, 1836, the
mission was divided, and what was known as
"The Barings Mission " taken from it and placed
in charge of Dr. Boyd. Brother A. W. Walker
and myself were given the other part. This divis¬
ion, I think, lasted only one year. During this
year Brother Walker and I had fair success both
in preaching to the negroes and in extending the
222 The Gospel among the Slaves.
bounds of the mission. We added to it the plan¬
tations of Mr. James Lowndes, Dr. Fraser, and
Mrs. J. L. Gibbes. We found easy access to the
confidence of the planters, and I believe to the
hearts of the negroes. All the persons whose
plantations we served contributed more or less to
the support of the mission.
At the next meeting of the Missionary Board, in
1837, *he mission was again divided. The part
embracing the Pon Pon River was taken from the
Combahee and Ashepoo, and from then until now
(1856) has been known as the Pon Pon Mission.
Dr. Boyd was appointed to this work, while I was
continued on the remaining part, assisted by Brother
T. S. Daniels. We had on this mission large
classes of children, which we were very particular
in catechising. Many of our friends were at this
time of the opinion that our only hope of thorough
evangelization of the race lay in the children; that
the grown up portion had become so debased in
sins of almost every kind it was almost, if not quite,
impossible to change their habits and instill into
them principles of morality and virtue; but I did
not share this opinion. While I too had strong
hope of the children, I yet had as strong faith in
the almighty power of Christ's gospel to enter every
heart, no matter how debased, and bring it to the
salvation of God. I had continual verification of
this belief in the number of genuine conversions
among those who had grown gray in vices of the
lowest order.
Notes from the Pioneers. 223
I served the Ashepoo and Combahee Mission
for five years. It had proved a most interesting
field of labor, abundantly worthy of the money that
had been appropriated to its cultivation. In 1839
I was sent to the Pon Pon Mission, and in order to
be as centrally located as possible took up my
abode in the pine lands of Adams' Run. At Wil¬
ton I found that my predecessor, Dr. Boyd, had
succeeded in getting a very convenient church
erected. The mission embraced nine plantations,
with four preaching appointments.
This year we had some trouble with the overseer
of Mrs. Morris's plantation, who tried to do what
he could to oppose the mission work. Mrs. Morris
was away at the North at the time; but when she
heard of it, she promptly discharged him and urged
us to go on with our labors among her blacks.
In 1840 I was returned to the work. During
this year several plantations were added: Mr.
Faber's, Mr. Wilkin's, and Mr. King's. By the
end of the year every plantation from Jacksonboro
to Edisto Ferry, a distance of twelve miles, on the
east side of the Pon Pon, was open to missionary
labor. Being alone, I had no time for rest, but was
kept constantly going.
In the spring of 1841 or 1842, Bishop Ives, of the
Diocese of North Carolina, paid Mr. and Mrs.
Charles Baring a visit at their family residence on
Pon Pon. On my first visit to the plantation after
this distinguished arrival, Mr. Baring took me in
to get an introduction to the bishop. I found him
15
224 The Gos-pel among the Slaves.
a pleasant companion and an agreeable talker. He
spoke approvingly of the mission work of the
Methodist Church among the blacks. As he
seemed much pleased with the arrangement of
Bishop Capers's catechism, I asked him if he
wouldn't hear me catechise the little blacks. He
at once consented.
In the meantime Mrs. Baring had gone out and
collected the little band and had them all washed
and brushed up in fine order, and formed in a
semicircle around the front door. As soon as I
saw their eyes sparkling with animation, I knew I
had nothing to fear in their performance, for it
would have been sadly mortifying to me for them
to have bungled. Mr. and Mrs. Baring, Mrs.
Ives, and one or two others sat on the piazza, while
the bishop and I stood on the steps. I commenced
and carried them through, and the little fellows
were really beyond themselves. Their answers
were prompt, distinct, and correct.
At the close Mrs. Baring, filled with gratifica¬
tion, cried out to her husband: "Charles! Charles!
they must have a treat! Get something for them!''
He walked back into the house, which I thought
was unnoticed by the bishop, who had begun to
make them a little talk. In the midst of it Mr.
Baring reappeared with a large bowl of sugar and
a spoon in his hand. Such another breaking up
of ranks and charge for the bowl as there was
then! The bishop was left to wind up his lecture
to unlistening ears.
Notes from the Pioneers.
225
I spent four years on the Pon Pon Mission. At
the end of that time, my health being sadly impaired
through repeated attacks of fever, I was given an
assistant, Brother Nathan Bird. Having now more
leisure, I was again pressed with the old desire to
add new fields to my work. Through the invita¬
tion of Col. Morris, who had his summer home at
Edingsville, I now began preaching on Edisto
Island. I found the fields white to the harvest, and
the planters almost unanimous in their desire to
have the work of evangelization pushed among
their people. One of them, Mr. J. J. Mikell, had
already gone so far as to erect a comfortable chapel
on one of his plantations, not knowing whom he
might get to serve his people. My first preaching
appointment on this island, the second Sunday in
October, 1840, was a memorable one tome. Mrs.
Townsend, a zealous and pious member of the
Baptist Church, and its most active member on the
island, invited me, there being no pastor in charge,
to preach at her church. At the hour appointed I
reached the building in company with Col. Morris,
at whose home I was staying, and found a large
collection of blacks and a considerable number of
the planters. I next had an invitation from Mr.
Lee, the Presbyterian minister, to preach in his
church. I again had a crowded house and spoke
with much freedom. Mr. Lee, who was a faith¬
ful and zealous minister, had already done much
efficient work among the blacks on the island. The
dav following I returned home with the deep con-
226 The Gospel among the Slaves.
viction that here was a promising door for mission
work waiting to be opened. The mission was sub¬
sequently established, and I was sent to serve it.
Six hundred dollars a year for the support of the
missionary was readily subscribed by Messrs. J. J.
Mikell, William Seabrook, Maj. Murray, and the
Messrs. M. A. and S. Seabrook.
I had on the Edisto Mission, to begin with, six
preaching places and eleven plantations to serve.
One of these was Gov. Aiken's place on Jehossee
Island, which for convenience sake was taken from
the Pon Pon Mission and attached to the Edisto.
Unlike Edisto, which is a cotton-growing island,
Jehossee is mostly a rice plantation and owned en¬
tirely by Gov. Aiken. It is naturally a part of
Edisto, but has been made into a separate island
by the opening of a creek by a canal connecting
the two rivers.
The mission on Jehossee had from the first been
one of the most promising in the bounds of the
Conference. I became acquainted with it in 1834,
my first year in the mission fields; and from then to
the present time, a period of twenty-two years, I
have preached regularly on the place, with the ex¬
ception of 1837 and 38, when it was in charge of
Dr. Boyd.
There is quite a commodious chapel on this
island, which has been erected by Gov. Aiken as
a place of worship for his blacks. At first it stood
in a grove of live oaks on the lawn in front of his
dwelling; but his plantation enlarging, it was sub-
Notes from the Pioneers.
227
sequently removed to a more central spot. Here
an addition of twenty feet was made to the build¬
ing, which had become too small to accommodate
the crowds. A portico has also been attached to
the front. This chapel has a bell, and a regular
sexton in attendance. The occasion is rare when
it is not filled to the door with the blacks, with the
exception of a small space reserved for the whites.
In this church alone sixty-two couples of blacks
have been united by the sacred ties of Christian
marriage. I recollect to have married here at one
time five couples.
From the beginning of our labors on Jehossee
Island to the commencement of 1844 our course
was generally onward and prosperous. But at that
time that terror and destroyer of humanity, cholera,
made its appearance for the first time on the island.
Gov. Aiken, then in Washington, was duly notified
when the disease became epidemic, and, like a man
true to his responsibilities, hastened away from his
family and business in Congress to afford whatever
comfort and assistance might be in his power to
his suffering and dying people, and for near or
quite three weeks, regardless of danger, passed his
time in visiting from hospital to hospital both day
and night.
The first case occurred while Brother Bass, who
was with me, and I were at Conference. But as
soon as we returned and heard of the situation of
our charge at that place we went among them, de¬
sirous of rendering any assistance in our power,
228 The Gospel among the Slaves.
though not whhout serious apprehension of danger.
The first hospital I went into had a corpse lying in
the front room in preparation for the grave—a
young man, whose mother was sitting by his side
and in deep sorrow. I offered what comfort I
could, prayed with her, and left. In that day's
round of visits I saw four corpses. From the dis¬
ease's first appearance there were two physicians
on the place in constant attendance night and day.
About three hundred of the negroes were removed
to camp, which was composed of temporary build¬
ings in the woods. Dr. Kinloch was called from
Charleston. Brother Bass or I was there every
day almost, rendering whatever assistance we could
by offering the comforts of religion to the sick and
dying, and sympathy to afflicted friends over the
dead. The disease continued about six weeks, in
which time I think over seventy died.
One of my most important fields on the Edisto
Island Mission was the plantation of Mr. J. J.
Mikell, already referred to. He had a new and
commodious chapel which was largely attended. I
soon gathered into the Church at this place a num¬
ber of orderly and highly interesting people. Our
efforts among them were greatly facilitated by a
well-ordered system of plantation discipline.
Though a firm and decided Presbyterian, Mr.
Mikell nevertheless gave his hearty and unswerv¬
ing support to the Methodist mission. Always,
when at home, he and his family attended the
preaching at the negro chapel. He was an exceed-
Notes from the Pioneers. 229
ingly liberal man. Unaided he built a mission
house at a cost of $300 in the village, besides pro¬
viding a winter residence for me nearly all the time
of my stay.
On the plantation of Mr. Edward Whaley we
had another interesting class. He too was a most
liberal patron of the mission, giving annually one
hundred dollars.
My labors for the first two years on the Edisto
Mission were hard, preaching once a fortnight at
all my appointments, and catechising the children
and visiting the sick and aged during the week. I
have on some occasions preached five sermons and
rode on horseback forty-five miles all in a day,
leaving home at 4 o'clock in the morning and re¬
turning at 8 in the evening, sometimes much later.
But the Lord mercifully supported me through it
all. At the next Conference I was given an as¬
sistant in Rev. J. L. Shuford.
In the early part of the year I learned that Mr.
Thomas Hutcheson owned a small island on the
west side of the Ashepoo, on which he had about
two hundred negroes entirely destitute of all re¬
ligious instruction; and though I had never seen
him, nor had he ever heard my name, yet I became
anxious to pay his island a visit, and wrote him a
letter informing him that I had heard that he owned
a large number of negroes remote from all religious
privileges, and that I would be happy to visit his
island in the character of a Methodist missionary
to the blacks, and referred him to Col. Morris,
230 The Gos-pel among the Slaves.
Gov. Aiken, and other gentlemen with whom he
was acquainted for particulars respecting my object,
and immediately received an answer saying that he
would be happy to see me; and, accordingly, ar¬
rangements were made, and on the appointed day,
sometime in May, a boat was sent for me. Upon
reaching the shore I found a horse and servant
waiting to take me up to his dwelling. I found
him polite and glad to see me, particularly on the
business on which I had come: desirous that his
negroes should have the gospel preached to them.
I told him that we would preach to them regularly
once a fortnight if he would send a boat for us,
with which he seemed delighted.
After preaching to a large congregation in a barn,
himself and overseer and family in the number, we
parted, all gratified with the prospect, but none
more so than the negroes, who seemed to look as
if a sort of jubilee was beginning to dawn on
Hutcheson's Island.
I asked an intelligent-looking old black man how
long he had lived on that island and what they had
done in that time for religious instruction. He re¬
plied that he had been living there for forty years,
and that nearly all the people I saw had been born
and raised there; that no minister of any denomi¬
nation had ever been on the island to his knowledge
before; that nearly all the people that had been in
the meeting-house that day had never heard a
white man preach before; and that they had been
wholly dependent upon each other for all the re-
Notes from the Pioneers.
231
ligious instruction they had ever gotten. This
statement I believed to be altogether true from my
knowledge of the surrounding country and the lo¬
cality of the island. My heart was filled with grati¬
tude and thankfulness to God for the great privi¬
lege of being an honored instrument in his hand of
carrying the gospel to those who had never heard
it before, although they were in my own native land.
After a year's preaching, at the first opportunity
given them, one hundred and eleven came forward,
a larger number, I am disposed to think, than ever
has been on an ordinary occasion received into the
Church at one time within the South Carolina Con¬
ference. They all, with but few exceptions, proved
true to their vows.
But this mission had a sad ending, for Mr.
Hutcheson, not long after this, dying with brain
fever, the estate fell into the hands of his mother,
who was a Roman Catholic. I called to see her,
and when she learned that it was her son's wish
that the mission should continue, she expressed her
willingness to have it so. But in a few days there¬
after she had a visit from her priest, which put an
end to the work in that part of the field.
In 1847 my assistant was removed to the Beau¬
fort Mission, and Brother R. P. Franks appointed
my junior. Other plantations were added. In
1850 Brother Banks labored with me. In the be¬
ginning of the succeeding year he was removed
and Brother H. A. Bass appointed in his place.
And from the beginning to the present time we
232 The Gospel among the Slaves.
have held firmly the confidence of all concerned.
Our labors have doubtless proved a great blessing
to the inhabitants of Edisto Island.
Nine Years of Plantation Mission Work on
the Santee Mission and Elsewhere.
By Rev. Samuel Leard, of the South Carolina Conference.
In the year 1836 I began my mission work among
the blacks on the Manchester Mission. I had my
headquarters for a time at Manchester, which stood
about four miles from the Wateree River on the
Sumter side. It was the central point of a large
population, both white and black. Very few of the
whites belonged to the Methodist Church, being
for the most part Baptists and Episcopalians. But
there was a large colored membership collected,
mainly by my predecessor, Rev. Sherwood Owens.
We had for our preaching place in Manchester an
old frame church building, which had served as a
church for many years. There we had a large
colored society, and a still larger number of the
little negroes under catechetical instruction.
The prominent planters of the neighborhood
were generally patrons of the mission. Among
these were Mrs. Belsar, Mrs. Moore, Judge Rich¬
ardson, and many others.
The children were catechised during the week
at their plantation homes, and generally made fine
progress.
REV. SAMUEL LEARD,
Of the South Carolina Conferenci
Notes from the Pioneers.
233
From this central point our work extended above
to Statesburg, and down the river until it finally
reached Murray's Ferry, on the Santee River, and
some sixty miles above the city of Charleston.
Going down the river from Manchester, we soon
reached Broughton's, a very public place; and be¬
low him Mr. Mat James, Col. Richard Richard¬
son, Mrs. Richardson, Col. Peter Richardson (the
father of the present Governor of South Carolina),
Dr. Boyd, and Col. David DuBose, all of them
wealthy and refined gentlemen. They owned
large numbers of slaves, and were sincerely de¬
sirous to see them Christianized and improved in
their moral character.
The writer could furnish the reader with an en-
taining and instructive volume were he to enter mi¬
nutely into their system of plantation government;
their care of the young slaves, as well as of the old;
the houses built for their comfort; the nurses pro¬
vided for the sick and helpless (there was on large
plantations a sick house or hospital, and a physi¬
cian employed by the year to minister to the sick
and aged); the watchful care of masters and mis¬
tresses over not only the health but the moral and
spiritual interests of the slaves. Add to this the
earnest desire of the planters to have their slaves
Christianized, their willingness to pay for mission¬
ary labor, their personal attention to the religious
meetings, and we have a picture of Christian phi¬
lanthropy on the one hand, and of appreciative
obedience and satisfaction on the other, such as
234 The Gos-pel among the Slaves.
the world has rarely witnessed under similar cir¬
cumstances.
Near the center of our mission field, and some
little distance from the river plantations, was old
St. Paul's M. E. Church and camp ground, be¬
longing to the Santee Circuit. Manchester Mis¬
sion had no direct connection with this church and
neighborhood, and yet, upon the principle of nat¬
ural and religious attraction, the missionary found
here such a home and welcome and spiritual en¬
joyment as no words can describe. Our mission
work extended some fifteen or twenty miles below
St. Paul's, including many plantations, and at least
two Methodist church buildings and congrega¬
tions of white and colored members of the M. E.
Church.
For two years I spent a part of my time in this
delightful Methodist community, preaching to
white and colored, and catechising large classes
of children.
A charming and beautiful portion of my work
lay on the southern side of the Santee along the
river swamps, in the Parish of St. John's Berkely,
Charleston District, and was called the " Santee
Mission." It would be difficult to describe that
beautiful section of country as it was then, with
its refined and elegant citizens, brave men, cul¬
tured women, its contented servants, fruitful fields,
and comfortable homes. Alas! the terrible rav¬
ages of the civil war left it a desolate waste.
The whole country on both sides of the river
Notes from the Pioneers.
235
was opened to the missionary, and with a thankful
and prayful heart he entered it to sow the seed,
trusting in the God of the harvest to grant a gra¬
cious yield. For four years I served this mission,
from 1836 to 1840, and count them now as among
the most useful and satisfactory of my whole min¬
isterial life. I was not ashamed of the work. I
felt that I had as much my Master's service to
perform here as though I toiled in the most prom¬
ising mission field of China or India. I gave my
heart, time, and what talents I possessed to the
work, and God abundantly blessed me. In 1839
I had 740 colored members on the mission. In
addition to the children, the preaching and cate¬
chetical instruction extended to hundreds of adults
outside of the Methodist Church, and perhaps to
quite as many children.
The planters and overseers, as a general rule
(many of whom were godly men), welcomed the
missionary to their homes and plantations; and no
one had a better opportunity of studying the char¬
acter and relations of the master to the servant,
and of the servant to the master, than he. The
preaching of the gospel was not a new thing to
the colored people on the Santee. Rev. Sher¬
wood Owens had preceded me, and had gained
the confidence of masters and servants in the full¬
est degree. In general terms the gospel ministry
was a great boon to masses of them. It was a
great blessing to them to have their attention di¬
rected to the higher interests of the soul and the
236 The Gospel among the Slaves.
hope of immortality and eternal life. They were
not disturbed in mind by nice points of doctrines
or ceremonial parts of Christianity, and hence
were prepared to listen to the exposition of the ex¬
perimental and practical parts of religion. They
were not concerned with the questions of what
shall we eat or drink or the thought of houses to live
in or the care of the sick or even of the clothing
they should wear. All these were provided for
them by their owners, and while they were required
to work, it was not excessive labor, and they had
no fears of suffering when old age with its infirmi¬
ties should come upon them. Cruelty of the owners
in any shape was the exception and not the rule. I
assert, weighing my words carefully, and speaking
from what I know and saw, that no class of poor
people in the world were better provided for, and
none had fewer cares than the slaves on the large
plantations in the lower part of South Carolina
prior to and during the war. And while I speak
for this section there are others, many others, who
can truthfully testify these same things for other
sections of the country. The time has come for
these facts to be clearly established that the true
story may go down to our children and to our chil¬
dren's children.
As the years went on I grew more and more de¬
voted to my work. God's blessing seemed con¬
stantly to rest upon it. Especially in the neigh¬
borhood of St. Paul's, Rehoboth, and St. Mark's
Churches did I enjoy the richest measure of sue-
Notes from the Pioneers.
237
cess. Large classes of the young of both sexes
were taught the entire catechism prepared for their
use by the late Bishop Capers. They also com¬
mitted to memory numerous hymns and select pas¬
sages of scripture. Having fine voices generally,
their singing was unsurpassed in sweetness and
power. The older ones would catch up the re¬
frain, and their voices being of unsurpassed depth
and power, they would make the fields, churches,
and woods ring with the sacred songs of Zion.
On one occasion I remember catechising a class
of fifty or sixty youths and children under the large
oak, which stood in front of old St. Mark's, on a
Sunday, and in the presence of my presiding elder,
the late Rev. Hartwell Spain. Happening to glance
around at him during the height of the services,
my heart was thrilled to see him bathed in tears.
His emotions in gazing upon that scene of the
humble blacks being taught the way of life and
hearing their tuneful voices raised in loud praise
to the Maker of all had almost overpowered him.
Surely God and the angels took note of that
scene.
The spirit of religion soon spread abroad in the
whole community, and harmony of feeling between
the white and colored people was unsurpassed by
anything I have ever seen. I doubt if I ever shall
see its like again. The masters and mistresses ex¬
ercised the greatest kindness and consideration
toward their servants, who in turn were faithful,
obedient, and devoted.
16
238 The Gospel among the Slaves.
In 1843 I served a very important mission field
not far from Georgetown, S. C., called North and
South Santee Mission. It included the large rice
plantations on either side of the two branches of
the Santee River and the large delta between them.
This was a region of immense wealth, great fertil¬
ity of soil, and of extensive planting interests.
Here thousands of slaves cultivated the fields of
rice. I have a lasting impression of the culture
and refinement of the planters and their families,
of the care they took of their slaves, of the pro¬
tection furnished to them against imposition and
cruelty, and the almost perfect system of planta¬
tion regulations. This last included even the ne¬
gro's church going, and was most particular as to
the hospital service and the marital relations of the
sexes. I remained but one }rear on this very in¬
viting but laborious field of mission work, and left
it with regret, despite the arduous labors entailed.
The mission fields in the low country of South
Carolina were largely self-sustaining, the contribu¬
tions of the planters covering largely the appropri¬
ations made by the Missionary Society. To the
planters of Lower Carolina great praise is due for
their liberal support of our domestic missions.
Years of various itinerant service, on stations,
districts, and circuits succeeded, until, having fin¬
ished two years on the Black Swamp Circuit, in
the Beaufort District, I was sent by the bishop to
organize and serve a mission field called the Bluff-
ton Mission, including the mainland and islands
Notes from the Pioneers.
239
in the neighborhood of the May and New Rivers,
Calliboga Sound, and Broad River. This inter¬
esting field of mission labor was occupied until
the battle of Fort Walker, on Hilton Head Island,
in 1861. The lovely village of Bluffton was aban¬
doned, and finally the whole coast yielded to the
arms of the United States.
In addition to my work on the regular missions
I constantly had large numbers of the colored peo¬
ple under my charge in the various cities and towns
of South Carolina. In Charleston, in the years
1846 and 1855, when pastor of the Cumberland
Church, I had some 1,200 colored people under
my pastoral care. There was not a night in
the week that we did not have some Church or
society meeting in their behalf in the large base¬
ment story of the church. On Sundays hundreds
of them occupied the large galleries in the body of
the church morning, afternoon, and night, for
there were three services every Sabbath. Besides,
their monthly love feasts and sacraments were duly
administered. I never failed to visit them in their
own houses during the week or when they were
sick or dying. I leave the reader to imagine the
amount of labor involved in a pastorate of twelve
hundred souls, in addition to the cares and labors
bestowed on two hundred white members. As
can readily be surmised, it was no child's play.
In closing this article I cannot forbear to remark
that from the moment my work began among them
in 1836 to the present time—when an old man
240 The Gospel among the Slaves.
worn in my Master's service I await the voice that
is to call me hence—I have had the negroes' moral
and spiritual welfare sincerely at heart. I have
known them all my life. I have mingled with
them, talked to them, wept over them, prayed with
and for them. I have studied every phase of their
character from that of the tattooed African fresh
from his native land to the aged and dying Chris¬
tian, telling forth in clear, unbroken English the
preciousness of a crucified Saviour. I have re¬
joiced with them when one of their number reached
a plane of sincere usefulness and ability. I have
felt for them when tricked by unprincipled politi¬
cians to serve their own corrupt ends. I know their
needs and their weaknesses, while I, at the same
time, bear willing testimony to the faithfulness and
integrity of the many who have come directly under
my notice, and I pray God, in his own good time, to
bring them to that state or condition in life which,
in the wise fulfillment of his purpose, he deems
the best and fittest for their good.
The Pedee and Upper Santee Mission.*
By Rev. S. D. Laney, of the South Carolina Conference.
In 1838 I was stationed on what was then called
the Pedee Mission. This mission was afterward
♦Abridged from the original manuscripts among the papers
of Rev. H. A. C. Walker. The writing bears the date of May
10, 1856.
Notes from the Pioneers.
241
merged into the Liberty Chapel Mission, near
Mars Bluff.
The year I labored on this work it extended from
Mars Bluff near to Society Hall on the Great Pe-
dee. But the most important, or at least the most
interesting, portion was that which lay onLynch's
Creek in Darlington District, and covered the
plantation of Moses Sanders, Esq., who then re¬
sided in Darlington village. He was one of the
mission's strongest supporters, but unfortunately
died at the close of the year. This was doubtless
the cause of the mission being discontinued for a
time, though Mr. Sanders left a liberal provision
for it in his will.
Captain Gibson was also a warm patron of the
mission, as was Maj. Cannon, both worthy mem¬
bers of the M. E. Church, South.
In the early part of the year I made a visit to
John McLenehen, Esq., who cordially invited me
to take his plantation into my work, which I did.
Mr. McLenehen was a highly respected member
of the Presbyterian Church, as was also his accom¬
plished lady, but both were warm supporters of the
mission, and were constantly contributing to the
comfort of the missionary. At this appointment I
formed a good society and had a most interesting
class of catechumens among the children. Gen.
Williams, of Society Hill, and the Hon. Mr. Erwin,
of Darlington, and others whose names I cannot
now recall, were also patrons of the mission.
At almost every appointment I had a class of
242 The Gosfel among the Slaves.
catechumens. These afforded me the rarest delight
in the catechising. One class I recall with special
pleasure. This was at Springville, the residence
of Maj. Cannon. On one occasion I invited the
Rev. Ira L. Potter, then in charge of the Darling¬
ton District, to go out to this appointment and wit¬
ness the exercises. He listened with the greatest
concern, and was greatly affected after hearing the
children answer the questions with such intelligence
and promptness, as well as sing the doxology and
stanzas of various other hymns without a jar.
There was in this class one little fellow of about
ten or twelve years of age that I specially recall
for his quick ways and readiness of thought.
Great respect was given the missionary on this
mission. Especially did the blacks look up to him
with great trust and veneration. Our strongest
foe was superstition, which is always the bane of
the ignorant. Especially did I find it to predomi¬
nate in this race. But always I found the blessed
gospel of Christ with the power, if rightly compre¬
hended, to dispel this state of feeling from the
mind. In a good many instances I saw fruit
through the course of this year.
Whether, upon the whole, this was a mission
proper, is very questionable. Very nearly all the
appointments were accessible to the preachers of
the circuit. The mission money was paid into
their hands and reported to the credit of the cir¬
cuit, while I think a majority of its patrons were
members of the circuit charge.
Notes from the Pioneers.
243
There was at this time in the vicinity of Mars
Bluff a very corrupt state of society. I was fre¬
quently interrupted in my services with the blacks.
On one occasion a great blustering man threatened
to whip me for reproving his wife for boisterous
talking in the congregation. I had thought at the
time that it was one of the negroes. But I met
him coolly, and so, after swearing around the house
for awhile, he left. I really felt during the prog¬
ress of the year 1838 that the neighborhood of
M&rs Bluff was a modern Sodom. But thank
heaven! they were not all depraved. There were
some very worthy citizens, and some who were
pious. Other difficulties attended my work
during my connection with this mission, but
there were none so formidable as at Mars Bluff.
But even there I had many seasons of refreshing
in the colored congregation, and left them at the
end of the year in a healthy condition. The
next year they were transferred to the Darlington
Circuit.
It was at the close of this year that an incident
transpired that showed to what an extent the influ¬
ence of the missionary extended. It happened
while I was on my way to the up country in com¬
pany with Rev. Ira L. Potter. As we passed along
through a portion of the Wateree Mission, then
served by Brother Whatcoat A. Gamewell, we dis¬
covered on a river plantation a large group of little
negroes performing some light work by the road¬
side. The thought struck me that they were
244 The Gospel among the Slaves.
Brother Gamewell's little negroes. As we came
near to them I observed to Brother Potter that I
would test the matter and exhibit to him a season
of interest. When we came within speaking dis¬
tance I began the catechising: '' Who made you ? ''
I asked. "God!" immediately shouted many
voices. As the question was answered they
dropped their work to a man and eagerly rushed
after us; and for nearly a half mile they trotted along
after us, answering questions until I could proceed
no further from memory. I mention this instance
to show what interest even the children took in this
work of grace, and how well they were trained by
the worthy missionary.
During the Conference year of 1840 I served the
Upper Santee Mission, which lay on the south side
of the Santee River in the bPunds of the Charles¬
ton District, but in the order of the Conference in
the Columbia District. Brother H. Spain was the
presiding elder, but from some providential causes
made no visit to it during the year. I was left
wholly to myself, the Lord being with me. It was
a year of great affliction to me, physical and mental.
My mind was gloomy the greater part of the year.
Much sickness prevailed, and many deaths oc¬
curred both among the whites and blacks. I vis¬
ited and prayed with the sick and dying until I was
compelled to abandon my post, driven away by the
poisonous malaria. But I think the Lord helped
me to sow some seed eternity will show. I preached
and catechised at four different places each Sab-
Notes from the Pioneers.
245
bath. Maj. Porcher was one of the warm sup¬
porters of the mission.
Another important appointment embraced the
people belonging to the " Santee Canal Company,"
called " Big Camp." The entire work lay up and
down the river between Pineville and Vane's Ferry,
embracing the settlements of Mrs. Marion, Mrs.
Gaillard, James Gaillard, Peter Gaillard, T. W.
Porcher, and others. I have never before or since
encountered beings in human shape so far removed
from civilization and Christianity as the blacks on
this mission, and yet I found their owners intelli¬
gent and refined. It was with the utmost difficulty
that I could understand the language of these ne¬
groes. I noticed one peculiarity of expression
which I never found among others. They inva¬
riably used the masculine gender. If it was a fe¬
male, it made no difference: she was called "he."
There were but two classes of the white population
here—namely, the owners and the overseers—con¬
sequently the negroes did not mingle with a third
class of whites as at Mars Bluff, and this may ac¬
count, in a great measure, for their being under
the influence of manners entirely their own. But
they labored less and were better provided for here
than at any other place under my observation. It
was on this work that I became acquainted with
that truly pious man of God, Rev. Joseph War-
nock, who himself became a missionary, and died
not long since in the city of Savannah, Ga.
This mission was discontinued at the close of
246 The Gospel among the Slaves.
the year, and I think the ground is now mostly oc¬
cupied by the Protestant Episcopal Church, as I
noticed in Bishop Daves's late report that there
were several of my old places embraced.
My Year on the Beaufort Mission.
By Rev. A. M. Chreitzoerg, of the South Carolina Conference.
In the year 1843, which was the fifth of my itin¬
erancy, I was sent to preach the gospel to the slaves
on the Beaufort Mission. I was only the junior on
the work, that noble old veteran in the cause, Rev.
Thomas E. Ledbetter, being the senior. I felt
honored in having been assigned to this important
field of labor thus early in my ministry, as I knew
our Conference was careful always as to whom
they intrusted with a work so delicate in many
ways.
Both Brother Ledbetter and myself had our
families with us, he in his own house at Beaufort
and I in a hired one at the same place.
Our work lay in and around Beaufort, princi¬
pally around it, among the plantations situated upon
Lady's Island, Paris Island, Dawfuskie, and others
not necessary to mention. These were reached
from the mainland by boats which the planters
kindly placed at our service. We could cross and
recross at any time we pleased.
The plantations served belonged to some of the
most prominent families in the state: the Smiths,
Notes from the Pioneers. 247
Barnwells, Cuthberts, Elliotts, etc. With but one
or two exceptions the planters were all sincerely in
sympathy with the work of evangelization among
their slaves. They threw no hinderance in our
way, but put forth every effort to interest the
negroes in the religious services. In many in¬
stances they and their families were members of
other Churches, yet frequently attended our ap¬
pointments.
During the week myself and colleague visited
the different plantations, catechising the children.
In some instances there were as many as two or
three hundred of these children, all kept together
under the care of an elderly female, and orders
were given to have them all assembled whenever
the preacher came on his catechising rounds. In
no instance that I can recall were these children
kept away at work or for other purposes during
the occasions of the missionary's visit; but, on the
other hand, were always assembled, generally
smiling and clean for their instruction.
On Sundays we would preach twice, thrice, and
even four times a day, to old and young alike. It
was no holiday time, this work of a plantation
missionary, but one that required the utmost con¬
centration of effort, the most unflagging spirit of
zeal, and, in some instances, a self-sacrifice that
was heroic. Especially was this true of those
whose labors lay among the slaves of the rice plan¬
tations. Here their lives were constantly in jeop¬
ardy from the deadly miasmatic exhalations of the
248 The Gospel among the Slaves.
rice fields; but thanks to the watchful care of a
beneficent Providence, and to the retreats afforded
by the pine lands, but few of them died. As to
the slaves themselves they seemed to thrive better
in these localities, owing to their similarity in tem¬
perature and topographical features to their own
country.
But despite these drawbacks and the many hard¬
ships and discouragements with which I had often
to meet, my year on the mission was pleasant and
of much satisfaction to me. There were many
charming families. In the home of one of these
especially were many happy hours passed, delight¬
ful to look back upon even at this distant day.
This was the family of Capt. John Joiner Smith,
himself one of nature's truest noblemen. His plan¬
tation was known as "OldFort," and was situated
on a bend of the river about five miles distant from
Beaufort, and in plain view of the city. The place
was so called from the remains of a structure, com¬
posed of shells and lime, supposed to have been
built by the Spaniards.
Capt. Smith and his wife were Episcopalians,
but were both earnestly devoted to the Methodist
mission, giving liberally of their substance to its
support. They took a personal interest in each
slave's spiritual condition, constantly inquiring
thereinto with the devotedness of the missionary
himself.
At this plantation there was a most comfortable
church, which its black members took great delight
Notes from the Pioneers.
and pride in adorning for their missionary's com¬
ing, with such simple material as the forest gave
them. Around the upright posts of the neat pine
pulpit their zealous hands would twine the beauti¬
ful drapery of the long gray moss, while graceful
festoons of the same moss would hang in front
with cords and tassels attached, the latter formed
by the bur of the pine. In the rear swept the
waters of the river, while in a grove that surround¬
ed the building was the burial ground of the ne¬
groes, kept ever clean and neat. Here year after
year, ever since the coming of that noble old pi¬
oneer, George W. Moore, the founder of the mis¬
sion in 1833, the slave had been taught of Jesus
and the resurrection; had been pointed to the
Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world.
The service would begin with the rising of the
missionary in the pulpit, followed by the simulta¬
neous rising of the entire congregation, who would
repeat after him line by line the Apostles' Creed.
Then came explanatory questions, which were
readily answered. The Commandments would
next be repeated, and then the reading of a portion
of Scripture, which was always carefully explained.
After that a hymn was sung, a prayer offered, and
the sermon began, followed all the way through by
the closest attention and constantly responded to
by a nod of the head, a gentle clapping together of
the hands, or a deep " Amen ! " according as their
religious fervor moved them.
I found them a grateful and faithful people, much
250 The Gospel among the Slaves.
devoted to their old spiritual instructors, and con¬
stantly inquiring after them. Especially had
Brother Moore won their deepest affection. I
shall never forget a touching incident that occurred
illustrative of this. In one of the charges was
Fortune, a fine specimen of his race: honest, in¬
telligent, and one of the most consistent members
of his Church. I could scarcely believe that he had
once been one of the worst negroes on the planta¬
tion, and, on questioning him as to his conversion,
was deeply moved by the expression of his face
and the tone of his voice as he replied: " Yes, sir;
all that you have heard is true. I was what they
have told you, even worse than that. I never can
forget how Mr. Moore, when I was a wicked sin¬
ner, walked his horse six or seven miles to talk to
me all the way about my soul. I would walk this
day twenty miles to hear him preach once more !"
That walking six or seven miles with the earnestly
devoted missionary, who showed that he set a
precious price upon this soul, a negro's soul though
it was, moved Fortune as nothing in his stormy life
had ever done before, and resulted in his conver¬
sion. Through just such soul-burning devotion as
this, illustrated again and again in the life of the
plantation missionary, has many a darkened and
benighted soul been brought into the light and lib¬
erty of the gospel.
Another duty of the missionary, in addition to
catechising the children and preaching to the
adults, was to visit the sick and aged at their cabins.
Notes from the Pioneers 251
In this way he reached a surer and firmer spot in
the negro heart than in. almost any other; for by
these visits he made it plain to the occupant of the
humble cabin that he was not ashamed to enter it,
or to grasp him by his rough and toil-worn hand
as a friend and brother; or, kneeling upon the
floor beside the rude bed, to offer fervent petition
to God in his behalf. In very few instances did it
fail to take the simple, rugged heart and bind it
firmly to the cross.
It was on one of these visits that I first became
acquainted with old Friday. He was a genuine
African, not so long from his native wilds and
greegree worship that the shadows of them did
not still hover about him. But Friday had that
in his heart now that shed light upon all the dark
places. He was so happy in his religion, so in¬
tensely grateful to the man who had first brought
him to the light—our dear and departed Brother
Coburn—that he came near to drifting back toward
the dangerous shoals of his old idol worship by
setting up unto himself an idol in the flesh. At one
time, if Brother Coburn's name was even men¬
tioned in his presence, new life seemed to possess
him. He would roll his sightless eyes around and
exclaim: " Way he dey? [Where is he?] Way
he dey? Let me see um! "
Friday was fully eighty years old at the time I
met him, but his mind was still vivid with memo¬
ries of his native land. In the clear, peaceful light
of the gospel that had come upon him, he was a
252 The Gospel among the Slaves.
living illustration of the power of the word of Jesus
Christ to tame and make as new creatures his sav¬
age race. All Friday's remembrances of having
had any form of religion in his native land was that
of prostrating himself when the sun or moon arose,
and in crying: "Allah II Allah!" One conver¬
sation I had with him deserves to be recorded, as
showing the truly benighted condition of these
poor creatures when first brought from their native
wilds. On entering his cabin I said to him: "Well,
Friday, how'dye?"
" T'anke, my mausa, I dey bless de Jesus.
Mausa, I jis wake up; I been da dream. I see
one all white. He say: ' Friday, you b'long to
me.' I say: 'Lord, what you sabe me for, po'
sinner?' He say: ' Neber mine, I sabe you.' He
say: 'Friday, you lub me?' I say: 'Yes, my
Lord.' He say: ' Berry well den, bimeby I come
tek you home.' O my mausa," turning his sight¬
less eyes full upon me, from which the tears
coursed down his dusky cheeks, and extending
his arm upward, " I want to go home ! I weary, I
weary to get home ! "
I said to him: " But you must patiently wait the
Lord's time, Friday."
"Trute, my mausa, trute! De Lord no reddy
yet. I 'tay here lillie bit longer."
I asked him if they knew anything about God in
his country.
"Dey no t'ink 'pon um; dey t'ink dey mek
demself."
Notes from the Pioneers.
253
" How long were you in this country before you
heard about Jesus, Friday?''
" Long, long enough, my mausa! "
" Who first talked to you about him? "
A smile of joy inexpressible radiated his with¬
ered old face as he cried: "Aha, Mass Coburn!
Mass Coburn ! " repeating over and over again the
name of the missionary, as though but to call its
syllables was a delight that thrilled his soul.
Friday rarely attended preaching, his age and
infirmities confining him closely to the house.
When he did, it was an occasion that made its im¬
pression upon all. How vividly I recall one of
these occasions! I had already begun the services
when, happening to glance up, I saw the old man
come tottering in, leaning upon the arm of his son.
On entering the church he paused for a moment,
clasped his old and trembling hands together and
looked upward with a countenance beaming with
devout thanksgiving. Never have I seen a look
upon a human face that so thrilled me with the
intense fervor of its devotion. So grateful was
he to be once more within the house of God that
his withered old face shone as though the light
streaming from the very foot of Calvary gleamed
upon it.
At the close of the service I lingered to talk with
him. How his grateful expressions toward the
missionaries and their work among his people
cheered my heart, giving it a fresh impetus in its
labors! I could not refrain from asking him if he
17
254 The Gosj>el among the Slaves.
was sorry he had been brought to this country. You
should have seen his countenance as he replied:
" Ough, mausa, buckra country too much better
dan nigger country! Too much better! too much
better! Nigger country you can't go from here to
nex' place by yerse'f; nigger meet you in de path;
he got knife, he kille you. All you got do in dis
country is worrack [work]. Friday got good
mausa, good missus; he ole. Friday do not'ing,
mausa tek care o' him; anyt'ing Friday want he
get um. Berry well den, I jis de wait till de good
Massa way up top senna for me."
It was not uncommon often to be sent for to go
to see dying negroes. I thank my Master that I
never once turned a deaf ear to any of these calls.
Once I performed the burial rite over one of these
humble slaves at night. The memory lingers viv¬
idly to this day.
I left home about sunset, on a calm and pleasant
evening, and took my way along the high bluff of
the river. The distance was four or five miles, so
that it was dark ere I arrived at the plantation.
Just before the dead man's door was the corpse,
already in its narrow house. Beside it sat the
widow, and to her I addressed myself, bidding her
trust in God, " the Husband of the widow and the
Father of the fatherless." His fellow-servants
were seated around, the deep-drawn sigh showing
their sorrow for the departed, their sympathy with
the bereaved. I addressed them on the uncertainty
of life, the necessity of making preparation for
Notes from the Pioneers,
255
death—in a word, I preached Jesus and the resur¬
rection, and by the glimmering of the lightwood
fire was the burial service read, and the body com¬
mitted to the dust.
It was after 9 o'clock as I took my way home¬
ward, and passed through the dark avenue of oaks,
trusting to the instinct of my horse to find the way,
illumined momentarily by the fitful flash of the
firefly. It was a time for serious thought, for a
communion with the heart and with God. I asked
myself if I had tried in every way to fulfill my duty
since I had come to these perishing souls to teach
them the way, the truth, and the life? Sweet in¬
deed was the whisper that came in answer to that
question. Forgotten now were all the pains and
toils of the way. The true missionary glow was
burning within. A peace unutterable filled my
soul as to myself I murmured the lines:
Labor is rest and pain is sweet,
If thou, my God, art there.
I felt that God had indeed been with me; that
he had blessed my labors, and I felt the same
sweet assurance many and many times afterward
on the other mission to which I was sent in 1855 •'
Black River and Pedee, from which I was re¬
moved to the upper country of Carolina owing to
the debilitating attacks of fever engendered by
the rice fields. Here, after several months in the
purer air of the Piedmont country, I was fully re¬
covered.
256 The Gospel among the Slaves.
The Congaree Mission, with Other Points
and Items.*
Bj Rev. William Martin, of the South Carolina Conference.
At the Conference that met in Fayetteville, N.
C., in December, 1845, Bishop Andrew presiding,
I was appointed " a missionary to the plantations
of the Congaree River."
To this appointment my heart said "Amen! "
God had the past year, in Wilmington, given me
great success in my ministrations to my colored
charge, and I felt he would again.
Yes, my heart was enlisted in this work of giving
the gospel to our servants at the South, and I be¬
gan with health renewed, and, thank God, I gave
to this work six years of the prime of my life and
ministry. It was no sinecure. I knew it was hard
work and poor pay—in fact, so poor that all our
own resources and the income of a school my wife
opened were found necessary for our support. But
the work paid in many ways besides money: it was
a great work, a momentous work, a special one for
the South. If we did not do it, no one would or
could. No one should think himself too good for
it. I for one did not.
This year my mission lay along the Congaree
River, reaching down the river from Columbia
about twenty miles, and extending to the sand
hills on either side. We had on the mission one
* It is but just to the memory of Mr. Martin to state that this
article is compiled from two or three chapters of reminiscences
written by him at different periods for the press.
REV. WILLIAM MARTIN, D.D.,
Of the South Carolina Conference.
(256)
Notes from the Pioneers. 257
regular church building, and one used both as
a church and a schoolhouse. At the other ap¬
pointments we occupied large barns or gin houses,
and sometimes in the summer months for preach¬
ing and catechising we sought the shade of an um¬
brageous oak or gum tree. I usually preached
at three plantations, generally some miles apart,
on every Sunday, catechising after the regular
preaching service. I also during the week cate¬
chised the children and visited the sick in their
humble cabins, where in sickness and death I fre¬
quently witnessed evidences of faith and hope that
greatly confirmed my confidence in the power of
our blessed Christianity to comfort and sustain its
believers.
This mission had been previously served by
Brother Samuel Townsend, its first missionary,
who, at the Conference of 1844, reported 300
Church members and 262 children catechised.
In 1845, when I came to the charge, there had
been a small increase both in members and in cat¬
echumens. There were eight regular appoint¬
ments in all, and two or three plantations where
I preached occasionally, thus reaching a popula¬
tion of from 1,500 to 2,000 souls.
One of my principal appointments was at Mill
Creek Church, one of the oldest in the state, and
where many stirring scenes in early South Caro¬
lina Methodism had been witnessed. It was for¬
merly what was known as a free church, one not
suppUed regularly, and had been taken into the
258 The Gospel among the Slaves.
mission by my predecessor, Brother Townsend.
It was now one of my regular appointments, at
which I preached one Sabbath in every three.
Both white and black worshiped at Mill Creek
Church. At one common altar master and slave
took the sacrament; and what was very noticeable,
there was no irreverent hurrying away at its close,
as is often the case.
But with the morning's preaching, singing, cat¬
echising, and administering the sacrament, the
missionary's day of labor was but half over, for
there were the afternoon services, with other min¬
isterial duties intervening. Often I have traveled
a dozen miles through the snow or sunshine,
whichever the case might be, preached from two
to three sermons, held a love feast or class meet¬
ing, catechised the children, administered the
communion or the rite of baptism, and married
a couple, all in one day.
Intimately associated with the religious interests
of the servants was the missionary's influence over
the masters. So I endeavored, by the grace of
my Master, to be all things to all men, to the
learned and the unlearned, to the bond and the
free. As I prayed for the soul of the slave, so did
I pray for the soul of the planter; and two of the
wealthiest and most influential of these (with their
families) Maj. Lykes and Gen. Hopkins, joined
our missionary Church at Mill Creek.
One of the most prominent patrons of our mis¬
sion was Thomas Heath, Esq. He had a place of
Notes from the Pioneers. 259
worship for his slaves on his plantation, and in
every way contributed to their spiritual welfare.
Another patron was Col. Wade Hampton. His
preaching place was adjacent to the negro quar¬
ters. In every way the situation was novel and
pleasing. An avenue of large water oaks led from
the quarters to the place of worship, forming an
impervious shade to the fiercest noonday sun. It
was but one of the many appliances for the com¬
fort of the blacks of this large and admirably
conducted plantation. The room stood directly
over the foaming waters of the creek, that in
front spread out into a pond, and in the rear
went piping off into a dancing cascade. It was
neatly and comfortably fitted up with pulpit and
seats.
At this mission, as at the others, there were
many living, speaking examples of what the gos¬
pel could do, and had done, for this race. Usu¬
ally before the sermon, there was held a class
meeting. How rich was the Christian experience
of many of these old slaves ! How gratefully they
testified to their blessings! How fervently they
thanked God for the comforts he had given them,
for their kind master and gentle mistress; but
above all for the blessed gospel that had been
brought to their very cabin doors!
One of these ripe Christians was old Daniel,
whose hope seemed ever near fruition. Like his
namesake, he was a man of faith and prayer; his
example ever a practical comment on the good the
260 The Gospel among the Slaves.
missions had done among his people on that plan¬
tation at least.
After the class meeting the sermon was preached.
Then came the catechising of the children. This
was done occasionally on the Sabbath, that others
beside those in the regular week day classes might
receive the benefit of this mode of instruction.
On one occasion as I had finished catechising,
and each member of the class had, as usual, come
forward to shake hands with me, a venerable old
negro handed me a letter which he requested me
to read to the congregation. The proprietor of
the plantation had sent a part of his force a few
years before to colonize a plantation in Mississip¬
pi. This was a letter from one of the people out
there, telling of their comforts and privileges in
that distant country, but especially giving vent, in
strong terms, to their gratitude that there they had
been followed by the ministry of the gospel.
There too they had a missionary to administer
to them the word of life, and many had been
awakened and converted. This was what was
known as the Lake Washington Mission, and
which afterward became one of the most flour¬
ishing in that section of country.
Six years in all I spent on the Congaree Mis¬
sion, when I left it to take other work, and Broth¬
er Nicholas Talley was appointed to succeed me,
which he did, following up the work most faith¬
fully until it was broken up by the war.
Besides this work on the Congaree Mission, I
Notes from the Pioneers.
261
had other work among the negroes in the cities.
I preached to large congregations of them in Wil¬
mington, Charleston, Columbia, and other Caro¬
lina cities. The galleries were always given up to
them, and long before the regular missions to them
began, in 1828, they were considered a part and
parcel of the Church.
It cannot be refuted that from the earliest ap¬
pearance of Methodism in the South the negro has
shared largely in the labors and care of her minis¬
try. The Minutes make the first mention of mem¬
bers in Charleston in 1786, 35 white and 23 colored;
and when I was stationed in Charleston, with
Revs. William M. Kennedy and George F. Pierce,
in 1834, we had under our pastoral care 3,249 col¬
ored members. All the Methodist churches, as
previously estimated, were built with reference to
the accommodation of the colored people. They
sat under the same roof and enjoyed the same
preaching with the white people; they communed
at the same altars; they were served by the same
hands, and drank in remembrance of the crucified
One from the same cup. They shared in the same
class meetings and love feasts; they were married
and baptized by the same ministers, and thousands
upon thousands of them were brought to a saving
knowledge of the truth, and were made happy
partakers of the gospel hope of salvation.
When I was admitted into the South Carolina
Conference (in February, 1828), there were in the
limits of the Conference, which then included a
262 The Gospel among the Slaves.
large portion of North Carolina, all of South Car¬
olina, Georgia, Florida, and a part of Alabama,
18,460 colored members. This year (1828), as is
well known, was the year in which began the sys¬
tematic operations among the slaves on the planta¬
tions. The Minutes show how well and rapidly
the work spread, how faithfully and zealously
those who had it in charge labored.
At the end of the Conference year 1845, at
which time I was sent to the work, Georgia and
Florida having been organized into a separate
Conference, there was in the South Carolina Con¬
ference 25 ministers devoted to the colored mis¬
sions alone, supported by collections taken up
within the Conference bounds, and the colored
membership had increased to 41,074. In i860 we
had in the South Carolina Conference alone a
colored membership of 49,774. This year there
were 30 ministers employed in this great work,
and the South Carolina Conference raised for do¬
mestic colored missions $24,463.54. For several
years previous to the war the South Carolina Con¬
ference raised and expended annually for the reli¬
gious advancement of the negroes sums varying
from $20,000 to $32,000, and employed from 25
to 35 of her ministers in preaching to them the
glorious gospel of the blessed God.
I was frequently sent for to marry or to bury ne¬
groes who had at different times been under my
charge. As to the latter sad rite, I had for years
standing engagements with many of them, noticea-
Notes from the Pioneers. 263
bly among these Ned Arthur and Sancho Cooper,
of Columbia. I happened to be in Charleston
when Ned Arthur died, in 1869. He had been a
member of the Methodist Church for more than
fifty years, and a preacher and leader among his
people for over forty years, honored and respected
by all who knew him—a faithful servant and a sin¬
cere Christian. He had long since engaged me to
preach his funeral, and when dying charged his
family to send for me and keep his body until I
came. They telegraphed for me, and I left
Charleston at 9 p.m., came home, buried the ven¬
erable man, and hastened back to Charleston the
next night to keep my engagements in that city.
I remember a little instance that happened in con¬
nection with this burial. On my return I met on
the train a Northern gentleman of considerable
influence, who expressed great surprise when he
learned of the errand from which I was returning.
He confessed to much astonishment at a feeling
of this kind existing between a white man and a
negro at the South.
Sancho Cooper was a pure-blooded African.
He was for many years the faithful servant of the
celebrated Thomas Cooper, LL.D., second Pres¬
ident of the South Carolina College. Sancho had
a standing engagement with me for more than
twenty-five years to "preach his funeral." At
the time of his death he was ninety-five years old,
had been a blameless member of the Methodist
Church about seventy years, and a class leader
264 The Gospel among the Slaves.
for more than sixty years, and throughout had the
confidence of all, black and white. For some
years previous to his death he was confined to his
comfortable cabin, his old master, Dr. Cooper,
having left in his will a sufficient living for him in
his old age. He, however, still kept his class and
prayer meetings, his members coming to him at
his own house.
I have been moved to this digression from the
regular course of my narrative, and that I might
give a consecutive view of my personal observa¬
tion and experience of the efforts Southern Meth¬
odism has been making for the past fifty-four years
for the enlightenment, elevation, and salvation of
"the brother in black." There appears to have
been recently a great awakening in some quarters,
both North and South, of interest in behalf of the
colored people in our midst. I am glad to see
this, but let us not, in our zeal for his future
good, forget what our fathers did for him under
the most trying circumstances of the past; how
for him they toiled and suffered and some of them
died; how, when every other white man fled from
those miasmatic regions, the humble missionary
held on his weary way, teaching the living how to
live, and the dying how to die, while trusting in
the merits of the blood of the Lamb shed for the
redemption of the whole human race.
Notes from the Pioneers. 265
Sea Island Slave Mission Work.
By Rev. M. L. Banks, of the South Carolina Conference.
My first experience as a missionary to the slaves
was on the Edisto, Jehossee, and Fenwick Mis¬
sion. It was in 1849. Rev. Charles Wilson was
my senior and, as I remember, the founder of the
mission. He was the negro's friend. He sacri¬
ficed much to show him the way of life, and he
succeeded. About twenty years of his ministerial
life was spent on this mission. It must have been
a severe trial to himself and family to be isolated
from congenial companionship during these long
years. What but devotion to the negro's spiritual
welfare could have reconciled him to this? He
was there for near two decades, and likely would
have ended his life there but for the war and its
results. In those days we had a number of preach¬
ers who could adapt themselves to the comprehen¬
sion of the negro in preaching. Of these Charles
Wilson was in the lead. But he never talked non¬
sense. He never let himself down to the negro's
way of talking, but strove to lift him up to his own.
I once asked Brother Wilson to give me some les¬
sons in the art of preaching to the negroes. His
reply was characteristic. " In preaching to ne¬
groes," said he, " I always preach the best I can."
He thought that any sort of talk was not good
enough for them.
Our work that year covered three islands. Fen¬
wick was difficult of access, with a wide river or
sound lying between it and Edisto. Crossing over
266 The Gosfel among the Slaves.
and back in a small boat was not without its perils.
On Fenwick we were furnished with a pony to ride
to our appointments. This sturdy little fellow was
so used to mosquitoes that he showed little signs
of discomfort, though his neck was covered with
them as a network.
Jehossee was separated from Edisto by a small
creek spanned by a bridge. That, to me, was the
most interesting part of the work. Ex-Governor
Aiken lived there, and was sole owner of the is¬
land. He owned hundreds of negroes, and few
slaves ever had a kinder master. His negro quar¬
ters looked like a little village, and much whiter
and cleaner than many villages I have seen.
The large building he had erected for his people
to worship in was generally crowded at the hour
of preaching. The worshipers appeared in decent
apparel, and not a few were dressed like ladies
and gentlemen. What a privilege it was to hear
them sing! I have sat in the pulpit and listened
until I would weep for joy.
Mr. Mikel, another planter, also had a nice
church erected for his negroes in a pretty spot.
He and his family were in the habit of worshiping
with them. They would kneel at the chancel
where their slaves did, and receive the holy com¬
munion at the hands of the same minister.
The Savannah River Mission lay in sight of the
city of Savannah, Ga. Rev. Reddick Bunch and
I, both young men, received an appointment to
this work in 1851. Bunch was a young minister of
Notes from the Pioneers.
267
good mind, of fine social qualities, and deeply in¬
terested in his work. We boarded together with
" Uncle Tom Hardee," as he was familiarly called,
and I promised myself much pleasure in associa¬
ting with him. But alas! he died at the beginning
of our first year's work. We carried his body to
Purysburg, some distance up the river, and laid it
away until the resurrection morn. The work was
quite enough for two men, but after Brother
Bunch's death . I had it all to do. In serving
the mission I had to travel in the saddle on rice
field banks. These banks were ofttimes so soft
that even a small horse with a light rider was in
danger of going down to stay. What must it have
been for a large man like Brother Charles Betts,
for instance, who was my presiding elder? He
tried it once or twice, however, and got through
manfully, but always afterward preferred a route
of firmer footing.
Judge Huger, a distinguished jurist, was a prom¬
inent patron of the Savannah River Mission. He
was deeply interested in the work of the mission¬
ary among his people. He talked to me fully of
his own spiritual well-being. I trust that, ere he
was laid away in the narrow house appointed for
all living, he found firm footing upon the " Rock
of Ages."
In 1854 I was sen^ *° Waccamaw Mission
with Rev. William Carson as my colaborer. An
intimate friendship sprung up between us which
has lasted to the present. Having a family, he
18
268 The Gospel among the Slaves.
occupied a part of the parsonage, and Rev. J. L.
Belin, a superannuate, with whom I boarded, the
other part. The mission extended from a little
above the parsonage down the Waccamaw on the
right and the seacoast on the left to a point oppo¬
site Georgetown across Winyaw Bay. Rev. J. A.
Minick spent many years on this mission, and in
1855 went to his reward. His works praise him.
To the faithful work he did the mission owed much
of its prosperity. His remains and those of Broth¬
er Belin lie in sight of the parsonage.
Of the planters who patronized the mission I
have very kind remembrances, of one in particular,
a Mr. Alston. Whenever the missionary wanted
to visit Georgetown, his boat and oarsmen were at
his service. They could come and go when they
pleased. The distance across the beautiful Win-
yaw Bay to town was, I think, three miles. Joe
Hemingway, one of the overseers, had a Metho¬
dist family, and was a Methodist himself. I al¬
ways felt at home in his family, where I knew a
hospitable welcome awaited me.
Combahee was my last mission, but by no means
the least. It was first-class, but I dreaded it. My
predecessor had had trouble. Could I hope to
still the troubled waters and bring about a reign
of peace? I was leaving one of the best circuits
in the Conference, and I wondered why I was
changed. When I found out the reason, I could not
but feel the compliment. The planters had been
careless on this mission. They had provided no
Notes from the Pioneers.
269
proper dwelling house for the missionary and his
family. I found them in a muttering mood over
the constant change in preachers.„ When I spoke
to them of the poor accommodations, they seemed
for the first time to realize their neglect in that di¬
rection, and to be ashamed of it. A comfortable
home for the missionary was soon secured, and
there was no change of preachers for five years.
Indeed I stayed on the work as long as the Yan¬
kee gunboats would allow me to stay.
I must here speak of the overseers on this work.
They and their families were, in the aggregate,
respectable members of society, and connected
with the Methodist Church. They lived in com¬
fort, and their tables were spread with tempting
viands. The missionary felt at home among them.
I had a very warm attachment for many of them,
and parted from them with a pang of regret.
Abram Thomas stood at the head of his class as
an overseer. He was independent, having a fine
plantation of his own in Southwestern Georgia.
His salary was $3,000 a year, and besides this his
table was furnished, free of charge, with every¬
thing the plantation afforded. It took a consider¬
ation of this sort to induce him to leave his com¬
fortable home in Georgia. I esteemed Stephen
Boineau as a Christian gentleman. He was cour¬
teous, refined, intelligent, and pious. His wife
was his equal in every respect. The children
were orderly and obedient. A better-regulated
household I have seldom, if ever, visited. Sib
270 The Gosjyel among the Slaves.
Jones, Boineau's brother-in-law, was the wag of
Combahee. He was pleasant, playful, and witty.
If the missionary was ever troubled with the blues,
let him visit Sib and they were sure to vanish.
Of the Combahee planters I have very pleasant
recollections. They valued the missionary not only
as the pastor of their slaves, but as a companion
of themselves and families. They welcomed him
to their houses, and were not afraid of their fami¬
lies coming in contact with him. It was not so
everywhere. They lived in princely style. The
dishes on their tables were of the best quality and
in great variety. I declined nothing but the wines
and liquors, and it was a trial to do that. To hold
to my temperance principles under a perfect bat¬
tery of both masculine and feminine hospitality
was not the easiest thing in the world to do.
Charles Lowndes, James B. Heyward, and Dan¬
iel Blake had very neat chapels on their planta¬
tions, where not only their negroes but themselves
and their families worshiped. Charles Lowndes
lived the lowest down on the mission. His house
was the home of the missionary whenever he chose
to make it so. He was a noble, upright, consci¬
entious man, extremely courteous to those in an
inferior situation. James B. Heyward lived near
the center of the mission. His was an attractive
home. He had a large estate, but was a plain
man, simple in manner, courteous in deportment,
fine-looking, and of dignified bearing. He gave
liberally to the support of the mission.
Notes from the Pioneers.
271
Daniel Blake's plantation lay in the extreme up¬
per end of our mission. He, as I remember, was
an Englishman by birth. He was a noble speci¬
men of humanity. He despised affectation and
looked with perfect contempt upon all snobbery.
There was no man more in sympathy with the
work of the South Carolina Conference among
the rice fields and cotton plantations of the coun¬
try than he. Though a member of the Episcopal
Church, I think he was about half Methodist. At
the handsome church building in sight of his resi¬
dence, where I preached to the negroes of his
place, he was a regular attendant and a close lis¬
tener. When he had company on preaching day
at the church, he proposed to the company that
they all go out to the preaching, and they did it.
He once said to me that he wanted the missionary
on Combahee not only to preach to his people,
but to visit his family. He lived up to that senti¬
ment. His house was the missionary's home.
Mr. Blake was a most humane master, and his
negroes were devoted to him. I think they would
have fought for him to the death had the occasion
for it arisen. I remember preaching to his people
on the atonement and used an illustration which
they interpreted to mean that their master had
sold them to a neighbor. The excitement was
tremendous. They ran to him from all parts of
the quarter to know if such was the case. He ex¬
plained, and they were content. There was, in
their eye, no other master like the one they had.
272 The Gospel among the Slaves.
I think there was not a great deal of clear money
made on Mr. Blake's plantation. He fed and
clothed his negroes too well and worked them too
moderately to admit of that. Among the devout
masters who will be saved in heaven with their
pious slaves I feel safe in counting Daniel Blake,
the missionaries' friend and the negroes' bene¬
factor.
We had no protracted meetings on negro mis¬
sions. Our preaching was confined chiefly to the
Sabbath. Revivals, as conducted among the
whites, were not practicable. At the stated ap¬
pointment, however, we had, now and then, sea¬
sons of refreshing. Penitential tears and tears of
joy would at times fall like raindrops. A great
drawback to the preaching of the missionary was
dullness of comprehension on the part of his hear¬
ers. Such was to be expected in view of the
extreme ignorance prevailing. Intelligence was
mainly confined to house servants. But thank
God, the experience and practice of religion was
not confined to the intelligent. "The wayfaring
man, though a fool." may know enough of the
way of life to walk therein. It would not be put¬
ting it too strong to say that thousands of unlet¬
tered negroes on our missions were led into the
light of God's countenance by the faithful preach¬
ing of their pastors.
I touch now upon the rice field negro's type of
piety. Rev. Mr. W is credited with the re¬
mark that the negro of that time was sadly defi-
Notes from the Pioneers. 273
cient in the three cardinal virtues of veracity,
chastity, and honesty. In these particulars, how¬
ever, there was marked improvement under the
power of the gospel as preached by the Methodist
missionary. The marriage relation generally had
come to be held sacred, and but few cases of ly¬
ing and stealing came to the knowledge of the
missionary. Still, in our estimate of the religion
of our parishioners, there was need of the exer¬
cise of considerable charity. Of course their
standard of Christian morality could not be ex¬
pected to measure up to that of their more enlight¬
ened white neighbors. Where little is given, little
is required. In judging the debased and ignorant,
the principle is not always adhered to as it should
be. As the negro race advances in knowledge,
both mental and spiritual, we must begin, of
course, to measure them by a stricter standard. As
they grow in intelligence and in the earnest desire
for moral and spiritual elevation, so will the effi¬
cacy of the gospel to touch and meet every need
of their case increase with corresponding force.
We must measure one's piety by his knowledge
of God's truth. If we do this for the negro, he
will compare favorably with any other class or
race of equal knowledge of the Bible. For him
Christianity has done much. It found him igno¬
rant, debased, scarcely above the brute order in
mental and spiritual understanding. It left him
as a new creature in Christ Jesus. What may it
274 The Gosjjel among the Slaves.
Memorials of the Pioneers.
Rev. Daniel G. McDaniel was born in George¬
town, S. C., on February 15, 1791; was converted
at the Light Street Church, Baltimore, Md., when
a youth of nineteen, and entered the ministry in the
South Carolina Conference in 1821. He served
various circuits and missions from that year on to
1854, *n which year he died while serving the
Wateree Mission for his seventh year. He was a
true man, upright, conscientious, and devoted to
duty and to the doctrines of his Church. No man
in South Carolina or elsewhere did more for the
evangelization of the colored race than he. One
of the finest tributes to his memory is the monu¬
ment erected almost solely by the contributions of
the negroes, to whom he had been as an apostle of
light.
Mr. McDaniel was one of four Methodist preach¬
ers who married the four daughters of Michael
Schenck, of Lincolnton, N. C. Judge David
Schenck, of Greensboro, N. C., is the grandson
of Michael Schenck. In recording some of his
early recollections of his kinsman, Judge Schenck
says:
I frequently accompanied Mr. McDaniel on his "rounds" to
the plantations on the stated days for catechising the children.
The little negroes were drawn up in line, and I was very much
astonished at the ease and rapidity with which they answered
the simple questions of the catechism. They knew all the es¬
sential truths of salvation, and seemed to appreciate them. A
prayer, a word of exhortation and kindness ended the visit, and
the dear old gentleman never turned to leave without being fol¬
lowed by the " God bless you " from the old "mauma," who had
Notes from the Pioneers.
275
the children in charge. If any were sick, they were visited and
comforted, and the aged received a word of sympathy and en¬
couragement.
The Sabbath services were so novel and interesting that I
was greatly impressed with them. The singing was so full of
" the Spirit" that the singers often reached a sort of rhapsody
or joyful exhilaration that gave peculiar interest to the tune and
the hymn. The prayers, rude in language and boisterous in
tone, were still full of faith and earnest supplication.
The idiom and vocabulary and provincialisms of this class of
people in that region were so peculiar that it was quite difficult
at times to understand the language or to comprehend its mean¬
ing. At times it was laughable, and at others it impressed the
hearer with its force and vigor and directness. The politeness
of the negro to a gentleman never failed to elicit respect and a
kindly feeling for them.
Mr. McDaniel continued on the Wateree Mission until his
death, and was buried at Camden, where a monument was
erected over his grave, the result of small contributions by the
slaves, supplemented by their masters. He died like a patriarch
and was "gathered to his fathers," lamented, respected, and
loved by all who knew him.
Mr. McDaniel was a soldier in 1812 in the second war with
Great Britain, and was in the battle for the defense of Baltimore.
I remember to have heard him relate the anecdote that while
the troops were drawn up in line awaiting the attack a tall sol¬
dier who stood immediately behind him said humorously,
" Dan, you get behind here, and I will stand in front so the balls
can't hit you," and stepped forward and made the change, laugh¬
ing at "Dan's" little stature and remarking how safe he was
now. And Mr. McDaniel said that at that moment a bullet
struck his comrade dead in his tracks, and he himself was
spared. Mr. McDaniel's widow drew a pension from the
United States Government as long as she lived.
In the nature of the case, many of the memorials
of missionary work, written by the friends of the
missionaries, must go over the same ground and
employ almost the same language. In endeavor-
276 The Gospel among the Slaves.
ing to avoid this defect we have grouped together
such incidents as commend themselves to our no¬
tice, giving here and there only a complete article
from the pen of a sympathizing friend. One of
these articles is entitled: "Recollections of a Plan¬
tation Missionary's Daughter," by Miss Isabel D.
Martin, of Columbia, S. C.:
Memory carries me back to the time when, early in the
morning, through heat and cold, sunshine and rain, I used to see
a plantation missionary set out in his buggy and go to preach
the gospel to the slaves on the surrounding plantations; and my
joy would be full as I would be invited to take my seat in the
buggy and go with the missionary on his rounds.
Sometimes we would cross the Congaree with its tumbling
shoals, its yellow water, and its never-ceasing voice as it goes
murmuring to the sea. Again our way would take us through
dense pine forests, where the solemn old long-leaved pines
waved their stately limbs, or we would drive through long ave¬
nues of oaks draped with long, drooping gray moss. Then
sometimes, pleasantest of all, we would drive right through
Mill Creek, and while we stopped to let our good old horse get
his draught, I would count the shining pebbles at the bottom of
the wine-colored stream, or, childlike, clap my little hands at
the minnows as they went flitting by.
When we reached the plantation gate, the cry would be heard
on all sides, "Preacher's comin'! preacher's comin'!" and from
every side we could see the little negroes gathering. At least
twenty of the grinning, ebony-faced little creatures would spring
forward to open the gate for us and to escort the preacher's
buggy up to the " catechising place." Others of the larger
children would hurry to deposit the little brothers and sisters
they were nursing with the old " maumas " at the hospital; while
others, again, impressed with a sense of the decorum of the oc¬
casion, would go through the ceremony of hand and face wash¬
ing ere presenting themselves before the preacher.
At last silence and perfect order reigned. A line would be
fli-ivri Un(l°r Ibo c-Vinrtp of somo ctirpa<1i'v< n'd mk and fl'p ontf-
Notes from the Pioneers.
277
chising begin. The class was rarely under fifty in number,
ranging in age from the toddling wee thing of three and four
to boys and girls of fourteen and fifteen, clad generally in the
most airy of garments. I cannot now recall one instance of bad
conduct, nor do I remember once having seen one of the class
deprived of the handshake from the preacher, an honor most
highly prized by them all, and never denied except in cases of
extreme naughtiness.
The preacher would then carry them through Capers's Cate¬
chism, the Creed, and Commandments, give them a little—very
little—talk, then sing a simple hymn, and afterward, with bared
head, kneel upon the ground, and, with all these slave children
clustering around him, together they would repeat: "Our
Father who art in heaven."
Since that time I have seen God worshiped in many ways. I
have knelt with the multitude in the grandeur of a great cathe¬
dral, where the "dim religious light" came softly stealing
through the pictured glass and the rich-toned organ melted the
heart to thoughts of prayer. I have listened to the gospel in
the midst of a crowd of gray-uniformed men, whose next orders
might be a summons to death. I have heard the words of truth
proclaimed on the top of a lofty mountain, where we seemed
"to see God in every cloud, and hear him in the wind." I have
mingled with the throng around the holy altar in the midst of a
wide-spreading forest, where every breeze that swept by seemed
to say: "The groves were God's first temples!" I have sat in
the rustic church amid the humble country worshipers, sun¬
burned with toil and hardened with care, when I have said to my¬
self: "God is here worshiped in spirit and in truth." Yet now
as I look back, it seems to me I have never been in circum¬
stances so pleasing to God and his holy angels, or seen worship
so welcome to them as when I saw that man of God teaching
the little negro slaves to say: "Our Father."
The catechism lesson being over, the preacher would inquire
for the sick. If any were very sick or too old to leave their
cabins, he would be taken to them to minister of spiritual things;
and sometimes, though, little child as I was, I knew it not, I was
very near the gate of heaven. Often I have seen the mission¬
ary's face radiant with the light of the throne as he came from
th~s° ministrations besi'le the bed of the dving Christian slave.
278 The Gospel among- the Slaves.
As we were leaving a pleasing scene would occur, pleasing to
me at least, for then the old " maumas " would come from their
cabins with two or three eggs apiece, or the children with old
birds' nests, sassafras roots, blackberries, and other simple treas¬
ures, to show their love of the missionary by these humble of¬
ferings to his little daughter. These scenes would recur at one
plantation and another until the whole of a long summer morn¬
ing would be exhausted, and so would pass the week away.
When Sunday morning would come, the grown negroes, who
were at work in the fields during the week days, would assemble
for preaching in neat, clean garments. Sometimes this would be
in an upper room over the ginhouse, nicely arranged with pulpit
and benches, or again in a pleasant little church built by the
liberal and pious slave owners. Long before we reached the
plantation gates we could hear the untutored voices of the as¬
sembled worshipers in songs of praise. Then would follow the
simple service of the Methodist ritual and a sermon gloriously
beautiful in its gospel simplicity, followed by the repeating of
the Commandments and Creed by the whole congregation, occa¬
sionally by the administration of the holy communion, and very
often a marriage and baptism.
One calm spring morning, beautiful and clear, the missionary
and his little daughter, after leaving the preaching place and
driving a few miles, stopped at the residence of a planter, whose
name is now a household word, a part of our glorious chapter in
the world's history—Wade Hampton.
The estate was called "Millwood," and who that has once
partaken of its princely hospitality can ever forget it?
After dinner we found the daughters and two little grand¬
daughters of the planter ready to accompany us to the planta¬
tion. After the sermon was over the marriage ceremony of two
of the house servants was performed, and then the solemn voice
of the minister said, "Let those to be baptized be brought for¬
ward," when a throng came forth, and in front of the pulpit
stood in a semicircle, the parents bringing twenty-two little
black babies to receive the holy rite. Each of these babies was
dressed in a pretty white dress, and the sleeves looped up with
white ribbons. Both ribbons and dresses had been given and
the dresses made by the hands of the youngest daughter of the
planter. The noble Christian girl has long since gone to her re-
Notes from the Pioneers. 279
ward, and I have often thought of the joyful meetings there
must have been when, in the high courts of heaven, she met
some ransomed soul that had gone to glory from her father's
plantation.
When I hear the imputation cast—which is, alas! too often the
case—that our fathers and grandfathers were sinners above all
others, because they owned and cared for their slaves, which
were theirs through no fault of their own; when again I hear it
asserted that on the Southern plantation nothing was heard but
the sound of the lash and the groan of the oppressed, I cannot
but think on some of these things which I have herein narrated,
which I have seen with my own eyes and know to be true
—things to which others can bear witness, which are but an in¬
finitesimal part of that grand work that had its origin and its
carrying out in hearts as noble and as humane as ever received
the Deity's impress. And when I think how one Church alone
—for others there were engaged in this work—the Methodist
Episcopal Church, South, gave of her time, her talent, her treas¬
ure the best that she had, to teach these slaves the way to the
one great and universal Father, how I pray God to hasten the
day when she shall receive the full measure of her due!
How I wish I could take every reader of this article to a
church that has been erected to take the place of one burned
down by the soldiers of the United States army on the 17th of
February, 1865; for near by I could show them a monumental
shaft, plain and uncostly, without ornamental design or sculp¬
tured device of any description. And yet that shaft is a more
glorious monument than Greek or Roman fancy ever pictured,
for it bears this simple inscription:
To the memory
of
William Capers, D.D.,
One of the Bishops of the M. E. Church,
South,
The Founder of Missions to the Slaves.
We have given a large space to the movement in
the South Carolina and Georgia Conferences, not
because these Conferences stood alone in the prog-
280 The Gospel among the Slaves.
ress of this great work, but because the record of
the work in these old Conferences was fairly typical
of the labors of missionaries in other states of the
South. The peculiar conditions that distinguished
African slavery in South Carolina did not exist to
the same extent in any of the Southern states.
There were not as many large plantations occupied
by slaves alone, or by the owners and the slaves,
without any environments of social order in white
communities.
But there were a few extensive plantations, and
the number was gradually increasing in Alabama,
Mississippi, and Louisiana, in which the absence
of a gospel service was a want felt, acknowledged,
and ultimately supplied by the generosity of the
planters on the one hand and the heroism of the
missionaries on the other.
The Rev. Edwin G. Cook contributes a brief
account of the work in Vicksburg, Miss.:
I here give my recollections of religious services among the
colored people in our community (Vicksburg, Miss.), where I
lived for many years before the war:
I of course refer to such work as was under the auspices of
the Southern Methodist Church. About 1850 the Methodists
entered into the new church which they now occupy. The old
church was a good brick building, fronting the courthouse, and
could have been sold for a considerable sum, but the trustees
decided to hold it for the use of the slaves of the city—that is,
for the preaching and other services by ministers who might be
sent to the Vicksburg Colored Mission.
The minutes before and after 1850 will show the Vicksburg
Colored Mission to have been supplied by the presiding elder.
It was always understood that this supply was to be Edwin G.
Cook, a local elder, the writer of these recollections. In this
Notes from the Pioneers.
281
old church I conducted all the services directed in the Discipline,
including Sunday schools, by oral instruction. Many of the
scholars, however, could read the catechism and Bible. I had
an official Board of Stewards; and, slaves though they were, the
finances were properly managed and the house kept clean and
in repair.
The teaching and preaching were intended to be scriptural
in doctrine, legal as to practical life, and great caution was en¬
joined as to profession of real or supposed spiritual attainments.
The slave holders generally attended these meetings, as request¬
ed by law, to give authority to the services among slaves in the
absence of an ordained white preacher. The colored men of
this charge, and from elsewhere, would sometimes preach and
often exhort and pray most effectively. One colored man I re¬
call was a natural orator. When it was known that he was
going to preach, a great number of white hearers would congre¬
gate at the church. His name was Henry Adams. He was a
large, black, rather coarse-looking, but a good man, sincerely de¬
voted to the work of evangelizing his race, and his work was
owned and blessed of God.
'One item that I here recall deserves mention. William
C. Smedes, one of the most popular lawyers of that time in Vicks-
burg, an Episcopalian, now deceased, purchased more than fifty
slaves from South Carolina and placed them on his plantation
below Vicksburg. Mr. Smedes stated to the writer that these
slaves applied to him for a Methodist preacher to be sent to
them, as many were of that Church, and all had been accus¬
tomed to hearing preaching from Methodist preachers in the
state whence they had come. Mr. Smedes, having their welfare
sincerely at heart, at once made application to Conference for a
minister to be sent to these blacks, assuring out of his own
pocket the amount usual in compensation for such services.
Mr. Smedes's noble example was not the only case among the
planters in the vicinity of Vicksburg.
At a dining in New York, when the neglect of religious serv¬
ices to the slaves was charged upon the people of the South, I
stated that I knew one slave owner who had a plantation of
nearly a hundred slaves left to him on the death of his father,
and another besides, on both of which he had preaching regu¬
larly by an itinerant Methodist preacher; and that the owner of
282 The Gospel among the Slaves.
them not only often closed the services to his slaves, but that he
himself was in charge of a colored mission in that city. Oneof
the guests, Rev. P. P. Sanford, spoke up and said he supposed
this item was given from report. I replied: "It is given from
no report, but from actual knowledge. I am the man in ques¬
tion." They were astonished, and seemed reluctant to believe,
if in truth they ever did believe.
I can give but a few scattered items to add to this wonderful
history of missions to the slaves. Chapter after chapter could
be written, each more wonderful than the other. It is a record
of which our Church ought to be proud, that she ought never to
let willingly die; too much of it now lies in obscurity. Dr. C.
K. Marshall, J. B. Walker, C. F. Evans, of New Orleans, and
many of the old preachers of the Mississippi Conference could
add much to this information.
I have not lived in Vicksburg since the war. When I visit
there, I often meet the colored members of the Church which I
served for nearly ten years. It is a great pleasure to me, and
they express and show an equal pleasure. My old body servant,
who was a preacher when a slave, is now a preacher in charge
of a Church of the A. M. E. I visited him lately, and we parted
with prayer and the Christian hope:
" Till we meet again."
In order to show the likeness between the work¬
men engaged in these missions to the slaves in the
widely separated communities of South Carolina,
Mississippi, and Louisiana, we copy in full a paper
from the hand of Rev. H. J. Harris, of Missis¬
sippi :
Missions to the Slaves in Mississippi.
By Rev. H. J. Harris, Hattiesburg, Miss.
There were no more extensive missionary opera¬
tions in any Conference than in the Mississippi.
At the first our people were somewhat skeptical as
Notes from the Pioneers. 283
to whether it was compatible with the relation of
master and slave. The mistaken idea was main¬
tained, among the irreligious especially, that the
gospel to the negroes was but another name for
abolition interference, and that it would generate
insurbordination and insurrection. But the test
made upon the rice plantations in South Carolina,
under the leadership of the lamented Capers and
his colaborers, demonstrated the power of the gos¬
pel to save the negro in our own land as well as in
Africa; and when such men as Wade Hampton
and the Pinckneys indorsed it, the cotton planters
of Mississippi soon fell into line and became the
most enthusiastic patrons of the enterprise.
The Methodist Church was in every place the
pioneer in the missionary work among the negroes,
and has done more for their evangelization than
any other branch of the Church in America, and
especially in the South. As far back as 1839,
when I was admitted on trial in the Mississippi
Conference, and anterior to that date, many of our
people who were slave holders recognized the ob¬
ligation to give their slaves the benefit of religious
instruction, but it was imparted under certain limi¬
tations and restrictions. When the circuit preacher
came on his regular rounds and had "family
prayer" with the whites, the negroes were sum¬
moned to take part in the worship, and the word
of exhortation was also given them. Gradually
the sentiment grew until arrangements were made
for special services to be had at the "quarters"
19
284 The Gospel among the Slaves.
for the benefit of the negroes. Master, mistress,
and their family regularly attended and took part
in these services.
As the work progressed—and it was found that
the gospel, where rightly administered, made better
servants as well as masters—the demand became
general for the services of the circuit preacher.
About 1846, under the leadership of some of our
largest slave holders, the work of regular planta¬
tion missions was inaugurated.
Chief among those who first favored this move¬
ment was that great and good man, Judge Edward
McGehee, of Wilkinson County, Miss. To his
worthy name all praise is due as the patron of
everything that was good. Under his roof Francis
Asbury had lodged, and many other ministers of
God found a hospitable home. He owned perhaps
a thousand slaves, and had ten large cotton planta¬
tions, with an average of one hundred slaves on each.
He made it a point that they should be comfortably
clothed and fed, have comfortable quarters, and
receive ever the kindest attention. Added to this,
he provided amply for their religious instruction:
had missionaries sent specially to his plantations,
with carte blanche, to preach, teach, catechise, and
in every way instruct the negroes in the way to
heaven.
About the same time that prince of merchants in
the palmy days of New Orleans, and prominent
Methodist, H. R. W. Hill, who had settled several
large plantations in the delta region of Mississippi,
Notes from the Pioneers. 285
became enlisted in this good work, and the min¬
utes of the Conference show for years, up to the
time of the civil war, that he and others of our
large slave holders in that region were careful to
provide missionaries to their negroes. Wade
Hampton, of South Carolina, became a large cot¬
ton planter in that region, and brought with him
the ideas obtained from the noble work in his own
state, and at once applied to the Conference for a
missionary for his plantations. Prominent in the
list of appointments for that period appear
"Hampton's Plantations," "Hill's Plantations,"
"Deer Creek Mission," "Sunflower Mission,"
" Clover Hill," and scores of others where the
congregations were made exclusively of plantation
slaves. Nor would these planters have illiterate or
inexperienced men, but always demanded experi¬
enced and competent men, such as they would
have preach to their own families.
This writer had the honor of being among the
first of those appointed from our Conference to
this special work. My field was a new and deli¬
cate one to fill. It lay along the Bayou Pierre, a
tributary of the Mississippi, running through Clai¬
borne County from east to west, and entering the
great river just below Grand Gulf. From its
source to its terminus the stream was lined by a
most fertile valley on either side, and was one con¬
tinuous cotton plantation. There were thousands
of slaves working these plantations. Their owners
were, to some extent, connected with the various
286 The Gospel among the Slaves.
religious denominations. The majority, however,
were not of any Church at all.
It was my privilege to serve this mission as the
first missionary to the negroes in that quarter, and
I recur to it as the most complimentary appoint¬
ment that had been given me up to that time. It
had been given me in response to a letter numer¬
ously signed, addressed to my presiding elder,
Rev. B. M. Drake, the loved and lamented, ask¬
ing for an able and prudent man.
I had full liberty to arrange my own plans as to
the preaching and catechising. These I endeav¬
ored to map out according to my best judgment.
We were permitted to occupy neighborhood
churches, where the slaves from several planta¬
tions came together on the Sabbath, while during
the week we served them on the plantations.
Among others we occupied an Episcopal church,
which demonstrated the general interest taken in
the work.
In visiting pastorally the sick in the cabins, I
witnessed scenes that would gladden the heart of
an angel. Not unfrequently when I reached a
plantation among the first matters claiming my at¬
tention was that some poor slave who was sick de¬
sired to see the missionary. Then, accompanied
by some member of the master's household, bear¬
ing delicacies from master's table—luxuries suited
to the palate of a king rather than a slave—we
would repair to the sick room of the aged
" mauma," at the " quarters," or maybe some
Notes from the Pioneers.
287
poor fainting sick one of younger years. There
we would kneel and pray together and sing sweet
songs. Often have I seen and heard a young mis¬
tress read the precious word of God, then kneel
and pray at the sick bed of the aged servant who
had nursed her when an infant, and with her own
delicate hand wipe the cold sweat from the dying
brow.
I have witnessed, too, many a season of refresh¬
ing in which master, mistress, and slave alike par¬
ticipated, and seen them all rejoice together. If
permitted to gain heaven through grace, I expect
to meet many a poor slave to whom I preached the
blessed gospel, which is the " power of God unto
salvation " to all them that believe.
The following paper relates to a period subse¬
quent to the division of the Church in 1844, but it
exhibits the same spirit that actuated the pioneers
of 1829:
Labors in the Slave Mission Fields of Mis¬
sissippi from 1858 to 1861.
By Rev. J. F. W. Toland, Jonesboro, Tex.
I was admitted on trial into the Alabama Con¬
ference of 1858, and was appointed to the mission
to the blacks in Lowndes County, Miss., for my
first year. Having thus before me a large terri¬
tory in which to work, I was compelled to preach
three times on two Sabbaths of the month, never
less than two, and sometimes four. On one oc-
288 The Gospel among the Slaves.
casion, owing to a sick family, I traveled thirty
miles and preached three times in one day.
The instructions of the Conference to the mis¬
sionary to the colored people was to catechise the
children at every appointment, as well as to preach
to the adults. These instructions were always
faithfully carried out.
Many of the negroes on these plantations were
of Baptist persuasion themselves, but their owners
were either Methodists or of no Church affiliation.
But there was no sectarian feeling shown in hav¬
ing the gospel preached to their slaves. Many
who belonged to no Church themselves were fore¬
most in their efforts to help the missionary in his
work. Prominent among these families was that
of the Hairstons. Frequently I preached in the
elder Hairston's dwelling house. All the mem¬
bers of the family and many of the neighbors
would assemble in one room, while the servants
filled the hall, the adjacent room and the gallery.
In summer my pulpit was arranged in the porch
of the house, the servants all being seated in the
yard and the whites in the rooms and hall.
Other planters (Gen. Cocke, of Virginia, and
Col. Billups, of Columbus, Miss., among them),
having large negro quarters, built a church con¬
venient for the servants of the three plantations.
The attendance of each one able to do so was re¬
quired at this church for each service, though be
it said, greatly to the credit of the negroes, this
compulsion was hardly ever necessary. They
Notes from the Pioneers.
289
came gladly and in the most teachable spirit. At
the church the missionary held his protracted
meetings, sometimes to the whites and colored
together. One incident connected with an occa¬
sion of this kind I must mention. Brother George
Shasffer, a name closely connected with the mis¬
sion work to the negroes of this section, would
often come to help in these meetings. Though
the services might be to the whites, still a space
was always reserved for the negroes, and they
were included in the invitations. Old Brother
Shasffer was a great favorite with Col. Billups,
and he regularly had him once a year to conduct
these meetings. It was a sight to see him get hap¬
py and go around shaking hands with white and
black alike. O he was a grand old man, and the
fruit he planted abides to this day. The negroes
came to the altar on the same invitation as that to
the whites, and the preachers were just as earnest
praying for and talking with them. And when
communicants were invited to commemorate the
death and sufferings of our Lord and Saviour, the
old Colonel and his good wife would go up and
kneel round the same table with as many of their
servants as could be served. It was a picture to
be remembered.
The missionary found quite a difference between
the intelligence and religious status of the negroes
on the various plantations. I found these condi¬
tions, in the greater part, dependent upon the as¬
sociations they had had with the whites, as well as
290 The Gospel among the Slaves.
the class of whites with whom they mingled. If
these associations were of the best, then they had
left their imprint on the negro for the best in every
way: manners, speech, morals, and everything.
On many of the plantations colored preachers
of credit were found. Some of these were really
talented as speakers. They gave valuable assist¬
ance to the missionary when holding protracted
meetings. On one occasion Billy, an intelligent
mulatto, a fine speaker—indeed, a natural orator—
came to me during the exercises with the mourn¬
ers and asked me to find for him the hymn which
contained the couplet
Turn, sinners, turn, why, why will you die?
Why grieve your God and die?
I found it for him, he could read, and he rose to
tell his experience. He said that while he was a
thoughtless sinner the words, "Why grieve your
God and die?" had arrested his attention. He
went on, with deep feeling and pathos, to relate
his struggles and final conquest. It melted the
hearts of all present.
Old Uncle Emanuel was another of these preach¬
ers. He was a man of sound piety and of good
practical sense. Emanuel was a Baptist, as were
all the negroes on Sister Winston's farm; but he
loved the Methodists, and he always concluded
his exhortations to his people by urging them to
pay attention to and profit by the teachings of the
missionary. When negroes on the farms of Bap¬
tist owners were converted, they usually received
Notes Jrom the Pioneers. 291
baptism at the hands of the Methodist missionary,
and were left to pursue their own inclination as
regarded Church membership. If they preferred
the Baptist Church, they were considered as Bap¬
tists, though included in the mission. I am satis¬
fied that there were as many Baptists as Metho¬
dists in my charge.
At the next Annual Conference I was returned
to the same work. My return was asked for by
the planters, for they said that I seemed to under¬
stand the negro's nature; besides, the mission was
doing a great good among their people.
I must here note one peculiarity of the negro
that I was not long in discovering. The first year,
when they saw the preacher coming, they would
say, "Yonder comes the preacher;" the second
year, " our preacher;" and the third, " my preach¬
er." The longer the missionary remained the
nearer he got to the heart of the negro. The
planters seemed to realize this, and often asked
for the same man back again.
At the next Conference the whole territory ly¬
ing between the Mobile and Ohio railroad and the
Tombigbee River on the west and east, Columbus
on the north, and the line between Noxubee and
Lowndes Counties on the south was thrown into
one mission field to the blacks. Brother George
Shseffer, who had long been in charge of the col¬
ored mission church in Columbus, was appointed
superintendent, and Brother James Hood and my¬
self as the regular missionaries. Brother Shceffer
292 The Gospel among" the Slaves.
was required to visit these missions as often as he
thought it necessary. While on these visits, if on
my part of the mission, I must fill his pulpit in the
city; if on Brother Hood's part, then he had, in
turn, to take Brother Shaeffer's place in the city.
During this year we had times of great power
among the blacks. The wave of revival spread
from the country to the city, and from the city
back to the country again. I must here say a few
words in regard to this colored Church in Colum¬
bus, Miss. It was a Church of very large mem¬
bership, made so by the indefatigable labors of
Brother Shaeffer, who had served it for a number
of years. There were several prominent negro
preachers in the Church, possessing exceptional
talent, especially in exhortation and song. O if I
could once again hear such singing as I used to
hear from those negroes! Thirty years and more
have passed since then, but I have never heard
any to equal it from that time to the present.
My fourth appointment was to a circuit, and my
fifth also to a circuit, the latter the Pickens Cir¬
cuit, in Pickens County, Ala. On this work there
were three churches in a rich portion of the coun¬
ty, each attended by a large concourse of negroes.
O the times that Dr. Perry, of Vienna, and my¬
self used to have among those negroes! The rec¬
ollections come back to-day with a force and pow¬
er that send my heart into a glow.
The negroes would begin assembling in the
morning, and by the time services for the whites,
Notes from the Pioneers. 293
at 11 o'clock, were ended, the yard would be filled
with the negroes. The service to the whites con¬
cluded, they would soon crowd in until the house
was packed. Sometimes the throng was so great
that many of them could find no space in the
house. They began singing, and by the time
Brother Perry and I had finished our refresh¬
ments the waves of their melody would be sound¬
ing out like the beat of the surf upon the shore.
Even after the services were over and we had dis¬
missed them, they would linger about the groves
until nightfall, singing and praying and shouting.
Dr. Perry has passed to his reward. He died
in Gatesville, Tex., but the seed of his sowing is
bearing its precious fruit to this day. So many of
the old missionaries have passed away that but few
remain to tell the story", as thrilling as any there
is in Methodism. O that it had been written
years ago! There must, of necessity, be much
lost, many, too many threads missing from the
strand. But the Master has gathered all the
broken ends to himself, and in that last day he,
and he alone, will show them complete.
In concluding this chapter we avail ourselves of
the following " Items of Slave Mission Work in
o
Mississippi," by Bishop C. B. Galloway. A wor¬
thy son of a noble state, he enables us to give a
record of the principles which governed the slave
holders of Mississippi more than sixty years ago.
The Gospel among the Slaves.
" It is a significant fact," says the bishop, "that
Mississippi retired to private life her ablest and
most distinguished statesman because of his sup¬
posed opposition to the religious instruction of the
negroes. The early history of the state contains
no name equal in broad statesmanship and legal
learning to George Poindexter. As largely the
author of her first Constitution, the codifier of her
laws, Governor of the State, and United States
Senator, he was peerless at home and the peer of
Clay, Calhoun, and Webster in the upper house
of Congress. But in 1822 he was defeated for
Congress because of a provision he had inserted
in the Code of 1820-21 supposed to be unfavora¬
ble to the religious training of slaves. Of this de¬
feat Claiborne, in his ' History of Mississippi,' thus
writes:
These provisions were intended as matters of police and as
safeguards against insurrection, but a majority of our citizens
regarded them as substantially excluding the colored people
from religious privileges, and they expressed their disapproba¬
tion by casting their votes against their favorite and ablest
statesman. He who had heretofore carried every election by
large majorities, and had trampled down innumerable slanders
was defeated by a sentiment of religious duty and compassion for
the blacks. . . . With no extraneous influences acting upon
them, the citizens of Mississippi, feeling that all mankind are
equal in the sight of God, and that all are equally entitled to
hear his word, indignantly rejected the law proposed by Mr.
Poindexter, and consigned him to private life. . . . The
obnoxious provisions proposed by Mr. Poindexter had been re¬
jected by the Legislature in 1822. The colored people had the
same religious privileges as the -whites. They had their colored
ministers. They often knelt in prayer in the family circle, in
the parlors of their masters. And the very system of plantation
Notes from the Pioneers.
295
preaching which it was charged Mr. Poindexter desired to pre¬
vent was in full operation.
" I know of no more significant event in the
whole history of the South which more clearly in¬
dicates the true spirit of the people toward the
moral and spiritual well-being of the negro. A
great statesman, almost omnipotent in political in¬
fluence, was hurled from place and power because
he was regarded as unsound on that great issue:
4 plantation preaching.'
"As illustration of the system adopted by all the
Churches to reach the great mass of the negroes
on the plantations, I reproduce a letter written by
Rev. B. W. Williams, a Presbyterian minister and
addressed to Gen. John A. Quitman, one of the
most distinguished citizens of Mississippi.
Pine Ridge, Miss., September 4, 1831.
To Gen. John A. Quitman.
Honored and Dear Sir: I doubt not you will excuse me for
trespassing upon your attention for a few moments, especially
when you learn the occasion. The Church of Pine Ridge,
within whose bounds you have a plantation, is now making an
effort to give the gospel to every rational being under its care,
the young as well as the old, the bond as well as the free. In
order to do this effectually, it is necessary to adopt the system
of plantation preaching, which is now acknowledged to possess
more advantages than any other. It requires, however, a
greater number of preachers than where all can be assembled
in one place. One minister can take charge of about nine plan¬
tations, giving them instruction, preaching and catechising every
second or third Sabbath; preaching during the week when de¬
sired, celebrating marriages, visiting the sick, and burying the
dead. There are already two such assistants employed in my
parish, and thus far the plan has succeeded admirably.
Nearly all the planters here feel their responsibility for their
The Gos-pel among ihe Slaves.
servants so deeply that they have united to provide regular and
frequent religious instruction for them by good and competent
teachers. In this way the servants are made accountable for
themselves, and the master is relieved from his most solemn
responsibility in this respect.
Nearly every plantation has adopted the plan, and by unit¬
ing, the expense is very trifling, about one dollar per head, for
all over four years of age. The services of an educated man
(and none others are so well suited to the work) cannot be ob¬
tained for a salary less than $500 or $600.
Some of the smaller plantations, in order to have as frequent
services as the others, give rather more than a dollar apiece.
As a Church we are laboring and praying for the conver¬
sion of the whole world, and we deem it but reasonable that the
good work should commence at home. And masters, when
they remember their accountability, and that they are to meet
their servants at the judgment bar of God, readily concur with
us. They acknowledge their obligation to provide for the spir¬
itual as well as the temporal wants of those whom God has in¬
trusted to their care.
I would further add that the teachers employed will be un¬
der the constant supervision of the session of the Church, some
of whom are themselves planters in this neighborhood.
Hoping to hear from you as soon as convenient, and to learn
your views and feelings as regards the subject in general, and
also in reference to your own place in particular, I remain
Yours most respectfully and truly, B. W. Williams.
"That letter is interesting as detailing: 1. The
plan for plantation preaching. 2. The early day
when such systematic work was in full operation.
3. The candor and honesty with which ministers
talked to masters as to their spiritual obligations
to their servants. Of course Methodism, with its
itinerant system, could most efficiently work the
plan of plantation preaching, and soon had the
largest negro membership of any Church in the
South."
CHAPTER XV.
Plantation Missions from 1844 to 1864.
THE division of the Methodist Episcopal Church
in 1844 emphasized the work of sending the
gospel to the slaves in the South. At various pe¬
riods the deliverances of the Church had been so
threatening in their character, and imprudent men
had so often placed the very existence of Metho¬
dism in jeopardy, that the doctrine of noninter¬
ference with civil institutions by officers of the
Church, in their ecclesiastical capacity, removed
every obstacle in the way of the Southern Metho¬
dist Church. There was no longer any danger
that the professed missionary would become an
incendiary, and therefore a man indorsed by a
Southern Conference was considered by the own¬
ers of slaves as trustworthy by virtue of that in¬
dorsement alone.
The deposition of Bishop Andrew, because he
could not emancipate a slave belonging to his wife,
was the occasion of the division of the Church.
No sooner was the Methodist Episcopal Church,
South, organized than the "Macedonian cry"
was heard in every portion of the Southern terri¬
tory, where large numbers of slaves existed. In¬
creased contributions came to the treasury, and
large numbers of the ministry were soon engaged
(297)
298 The Gospel among the Slaves.
in this labor of love. Within the twenty years
comprised between the years 1845 and 1864 more
than $1,800,000 was expended, and at the close
of the civil war there were over 300 missionaries
employed in preaching the gospel to the slaves on
the large plantations in the South. As thoroughly
organized as any other portion of our Church
work, the missions were filled by men compe¬
tent to teach, men adapted by nature and by
grace, as well as by education, to teach and
guide the souls committed to their care. Born
in the South, thoroughly versed in the negro
character, understanding their faults as perfectly
as they recognized their virtues, these men of God
were welcomed everywhere by the masters and by
the slaves. If any exception occurred, it was too
insignificant to warrant a record in these pages.
So far from entertaining any feeling hostile to the
advancement of the slave, common sense taught
the slave holder that by as much as his negroes
were true Christians by so much were they better
servants. If anywhere in the South a model of
Mrs. Stowe's slave holder could be found, he was
no more a typical specimen of Southern character
than Prof. Webster was a type of Boston civiliza¬
tion. Webster murdered his creditor, Dr. Park-
man, and burned his body in the stove which
heated the professor's room, but all Boston sci¬
entists cannot be judged by the standard of this
bloody fiend. In like manner, in every age, cruel,
ungodly men have dishonored every calling and
Plantation Missions from 184.4. to 1864. 299
every community, and the existence of some of
these fiends among Southern slave holders was
undeniable. But the people of the South detested
them, and public opinion was as outspoken against
them in the Southern as in the Northern states.
The extraordinary conduct of the slaves during
the civil war is an inexplicable feature in the his¬
tory of that great struggle. Inexplicable, we mean,
if this evangelizing work of the missionaries is not
taken into the problem. Many writers have be¬
lieved that Mr. Wesley's followers prevented the
uprising of the masses of the English poor at the
time of the French Revolution. Religion is the
strongest tie that unites man to man in the social
constitution. The diffusion of religion " pure and
undefiled" is the best safeguard, and the most po¬
tent agency for the preservation of civil societ}r.
Its operation is uniform. Cultured and uncultured
people are alike affected by its precepts. Whether
the population be as humble as the hundreds dom¬
iciled upon a rice plantation, or as greatly blessed
with this world's bounties as the richest and most
favored society, precisely to the extent that religion
has a place in the hearts of the people to that ex¬
tent will harmony, love, and peace prevail.
[No grander tribute can be paid to the power of
the gospel on the one hand, and the sincerity of
the poor Africans who professed it on the other
than that which is furnished by the state of the
negro population of the South in the four years
expiring in 1865. Masters in the army, even to
20
300 The Gospel among the Slaves.
the age of threescore in many instances, and com¬
ing down to the lad in the midst of his teens in
thousands of cases; women left alone upon exten¬
sive farms, where an able-bodied man could scarce¬
ly be found in a day's ride; negroes taking charge
of every interest of their owners, planting, har¬
vesting, selling the crop, and laying in the planta¬
tion supplies, tenderly guarding every species of
property in danger of waste or loss; careful and
faithful stewards of absent owners; these people
wept for the slain of the household and rejoiced
with the fullness of joy when victory perched upon
the banners of their owners, and they kept them¬
selves true to their trust until the last day of their
bondage. So few were the heinous offenses against
person or property, that the writer does not remem¬
ber half a dozen instances of assault committed by
a negro upon the person of a white woman in all of
those terrible years. That crime was almost un¬
known. A symptom of decaying civilization, it
was held in such horror that it was scarcely con¬
ceivable as a possibility to either race.
Alas ! the fearful outbreakings of lawlessness in
these latter days are eloquent proofs of the degen¬
eracy of the people, and fearful tokens of dangers
to come. But the religious spirit of the Southern
slaves was not occasional nor transitory during the
war period. Principles, deep-seated and true,
held the dark sons of Africa to the gospel of
Christ. The Bible was their refuge and their
tower of strength, and we shall have occasion to
Plantation Missions from 184.4. t° *864. 301
see the types of character developed by the in¬
struction received from the ministry of the mis¬
sionaries.^
If it were necessary to enter into the details of
the work on the plantations, we have abundant
material. But we have already described the
scenes occurring in this mission field, and by the
workmen themselves the reader has been thor¬
oughly informed of all of its peculiarities. It is
only necessary to state that subsequent to 1844 the
plantation mission attracted increased and increas¬
ing attention. In 1849 there were fifteen Confer¬
ences in whose territory this class of missions was
established, and 107 distinct appointments were
recognized, with 122 regularly appointed mission¬
aries. In some Conferences, as in South Caro¬
lina, Georgia, and Mississippi, there were super¬
intendents whose special work was the right or¬
dering of this important enterprise.
South Carolina kept in the lead, although Mis¬
sissippi followed very closely. In the latter Con¬
ference there was a slave mission district, com¬
prising thirty-five or forty plantations, served by
eight or nine missionaries, with a presiding elder
at their head. Lake Washington District was cre¬
ated solely for the purpose of giving the greatest
efficiency possible to this work. It would be in¬
vidious, perhaps, to mention the names of these
missionaries, unless we could give place to them
all, and to do this would require space equal to
the record of a great part of the Conference.
302 The Gospel among the Slaves.
The table which closes this chapter will show
the relative strength of the various Conferences,
the number of missions, missionaries, Church
members, and the amount of money expended
for the maintenance of the work. In this table
the reader will see the gradual expansion, from
year to year, until, in i860, there were no less
than 207,000 African slaves enrolled upon the
register of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
South.
" The religious sentiment of the whole Southern
country was now keenly and zealously aroused in
behalf of slave missions. Every effort within the
power of her Christian people was put forth to
furnish the negro, especially the plantation negro,
the light of the gospel. Women, and even little
children, contributed to the treasury fund. There
is more than one instance on record where the
former parted with earrings, breastpins, and other
jewelry, that their value in dollars might go to
teach the poor negro the way of eternal life. And
once—ah ! let us forever preserve that incident—a
child gave its toys.
"The few planters who had at first opposed the
entrance of the missionary, fearing malicious out¬
side influence, had now, with rare exception, ac¬
knowledged their error. Indeed, the case of
Louisiana was but the case of every Southern
state at this time; the call for missionaries far ex¬
ceeded the supply. Masters and mistresses, even
little children, now helped with the work. Many,
Plantation Missions from 1844. to 1864.. 303
many pictures are drawn of Southern maidens, re¬
fined and delicately reared, seated under the shade
of spreading oak or within some outhouse, teach¬
ing the catechism to the little negro children; or
again beside the bed of the aged sick, reading
from the Bible or hymn book. The mistress, in
the absence of her husband, assembled her slaves,
morning and evening, reading to them from the
most precious of books, while the words of prayer
were either from her own lips or those of some
earnest, faithful negro.
"On the cold, hard boards of a negro cabin,
with only a light wrap covering the night clothes
which she had not had time to remove in the haste
of her summons, a young girl, delicate herself in
health, knelt, hour after hour, repeating the words
of Scripture for the last time and singing hymns to
the fondly loved old mauma on whose bosom her
baby head had been pillowed.
"On a plague-infested island, where death held
high carnival and every breeze was a vehicle for
his poisoned breath, a man high in social and po¬
litical position—in short, the Governor of his state
—went from cabin to cabin, periling his own life
that he might see to the needs and comforts of his
stricken people.
" On a bed of pain and sickness, when almost
every movement was a torture, a little child—God
bless that little child—opened the way of eternal
life to the old slave man who attended him.
" On what he thought to be his dying bed Rev.
304 The Gospel among the Slaves.
Charles Wilson still taught his people, night and
morning, often with their eyes wet, around him.
In the same spirit he and his noble colleague faced
the fearful perils of plague-stricken Jehossee. A
similar instance of devotion was that of Rev. Mr.
Bryan on the islands around Savannah, Ga.
'' High and low alike entered into this noble
work. There was no phase of it too humble, no
duty connected with it too unpleasant to deter the
most earnest and painstaking effort. Bishop Mc-
Tyeire, of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South,
declared that during a long ministerial life there
was nothing connected with it in which he took
more pride and satisfaction than the remembrance
of the more than three hundred sermons he had
preached to negro congregations. As these words
were penned in 1857, he could doubtless have
added another three hundred to the number.
Bishop Haygood holds as among the most pleas¬
ing memories of his maturer life the fact that, as a
boy, he endeavored to teach his father's old ne¬
gro plowman to read.
"Two of the most zealous and untiring friends
the negro race ever had at this period, who
preached to them, worked for them, and even,
on more than one occasion, catechised their chil¬
dren, were Revs. William Capers and James O.
Andrew, of South Carolina, both of them at that
time bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
South.
"The death of Bishop Capers, January 29,
Plantation Missions from 184.4. 1° 1864. 305
x855, was a sad and heavy blow to the cause that
owed its beginning as much to his devoted and
zealous effort as to any other source. Even
though the first request for a regular missionary
to the slaves came from outsiders, it was, never¬
theless, the energy and eloquence with which Wil¬
liam Capers presented the point before his Con¬
ference that secured for the movement its prompt
and hearty inauguration. Miss Martin is right
when she says that his monument at Columbia
bears a grander inscription than that of the great¬
est soldier or hero of earth:
4 Founder of missions to the slaves.'
"As the corpse lay in the chancel of the church
at Columbia, one of the most affecting scenes in
connection with the day was the large number of
negroes who pressed around, each seeking to get a
last look at that noble and serenely reposing face.
He had been, in the truest sense, their friend, and
he was dead. Tear after tear fell streaming from
their eyes upon his coffin.
"There was scarcely any comparison now be¬
tween the condition of these plantation negroes
and their condition when first the light of evangeli¬
zation had been kindled among them. Ignorant,
superstitious, grossly immoral, it was like seeking
to pierce the well-nigh impenetrable darkness
locked in the very bowels of the earth. Thou¬
sands of them could only speak English in a
broken way; hundreds still jabbered unintelli¬
gibly in their Gullah and other African dialects.
306 The Gospel among the Slaves.
It was pitiful to hear them trying to address words
of petition to God in their broken language.
"'O mausa, I no know dis country talk," cried
an old woman, with streaming eyes, in the Charles¬
ton class meeting. * I know not'in' but de Af-
ricay.'
"'Then, my sister,' said the minister, ' pray
to God in the African. He will hear you all the
same.'
"When she saw him again, her face was radi¬
ant. She said: ' I do as you telle me. I pray
God een de Africay. Meh Lord Jesus yerry
[hear] me, en now meh soul go free.'' Her joy
grew greater still when she learned to talk to God
in the language of the missionaries.
"On an island near Beaufort, S. C., Rev. John
R. Coburn found an old negro whose sole reli¬
gious ideas consisted of crying to the sun and
moon when they arose. He soon left him shout¬
ing the unspeakable praises of one living and
eternal God.
"In the canebrakes of Alabama an old negro
named Jack, still clinging to the darkness and su¬
perstition of his greegree worship, met a mission¬
ary, Rev. E. Mortimer, and after a hard struggle
finally opened his soul to the true light. Jack
lived to be one hundred and fifteen years old.
The light shining so radiantly from his soul found
its way to others. For a long while he could only
talk in a broken way of his new feeling, but final¬
ly the words came clearer and fuller, and he could
Plantation Missions from 1844. to 1864. 307
pray ' fervent, effectual prayers.' The missionary
says of Jack's death: ' Old Jack died on his knees
while at prayer, without any previous sickness to
admonish him of approaching dissolution. His re¬
mains were followed to the grave by one of the
largest funeral processions ever seen in this vil¬
lage. The citizens and ladies of Greenwood
turned out as though to do honor to some wor¬
thy citizen.'
"Many of the branches plucked from decay
became themselves the source of life to others.
Many of those who had caught the seed on fruit¬
ful ground became themselves, in turn, sowers of
the word. Hundreds of such instances could be
given, but I have space for only one: 'At the
Plaquemine quarterly meeting,' says a missionary,
wridng from Louisiana in September of 1857, 'we
observed, on Sunday morning, a deeply interested
hearer, a black man, on a rear seat. After serv¬
ice he presented himself with a request. He had
come with his wife eight miles to have a child bap¬
tized, and though sermon and sacrament had been
appointed there for colored people in the after¬
noon, he could not wait so long. His request was
attended to. No missionary had ever been on his
place, yet he was well instructed and pious; a na¬
tive of Frederick, Va., and converted there; his
wife, he said, was in the gospel before him. On
that sugar plantation of Louisiana was seen the
leaven principle of religion; he was a witness and
evangelist, preaching to his fellow-servants in his
308 The Gospel among the Slaves.
own way, and showing them the way of salvation.
Said he joyously: "Fourteen of our people turned
to the Lord last year." '
"With encouragement and advice he went his
way, ' toting ' the new Christian. He plunged into
the cane fields, there in obscurity to be a witness
for the Lord. Some day he will come again,
bringing his sheaves with him.
"And thus the work went on and grew year by
year, spreading out and striking its rootlets into
the soil, occupying, more perseveringly still, the
old. The sentiment expressed at this time by
Bishop Andrew on behalf of the South Carolina
Conference was but the sentiment of the others:
' Whatever becomes of the other mission work, we
will never abandon our negro missions.' Faith¬
fully were these words kept, even through the
storm-rocked period of disastrous war.
"At the close of 1858 there were actively oper¬
ated 221 distinct slave mission fields, in addition
to a full twoscore and more of special colored
charges, with a membership in the mission family
proper of 53,773 souls. The total colored mem¬
bership in the Southern Conferences at this period
was 155,932, with the additional lists of 32,104 on
probation and about 14,000 children under cate¬
chetical instruction.
" Presbyterian and Baptist preachers, as well
as Methodists, had their regular charges among
the slaves. But the greater work done by these
was in the congregations of the whites. Preach-
Plantation Missions from 184.4. 1° J864. 309
ers and people alike worked faithfully, prayerful¬
ly to bring poor sin-darkened Ethiopia into the full
noonday of spiritual righteousness. It was not a
romantic work by any means. It lacked many of
those elements which stir the pulse of enthusiasm,
but it was nevertheless the work of hope, of faith,
and of pure consecrated effort. It was missionary
work in its highest sense, and into this work the
Church entered with the full measure of her zeal
and liberality. The record of this work should
be preserved forever as a glory that cannot be
dimmed.
"Though Bishop Capers was dead, the noble
and zealous Andrew still lived to push the work
with consecrated zeal and vigor. The negro race
in America never had a more devoted and sympa¬
thetic friend than James O. Andrew, bishop of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Wherever
he went he talked and worked in their behalf.
Neither pen nor tongue was ever silent when a
word could be urged for the good of the cause.
" ' I remember,' says Dr. C. K. Marshall, of
Vicksburg, Miss., 'that when the saintly Bishop
Andrew presided over our Conference years ago
he emphasized the duty of fidelity to Christ's poor
in preaching the gospel, by dwelling at considera¬
ble length on the obligation of preaching to the
slaves. Said he: "Mybrethren, our estimates of
men differ widely from God's. With him it is not
a question of age, condition, or color. He looks
alike on master and the servant. With him souls
310 The Gospel among the Slaves.
are souls. And the soul of the poorest slave, washed
in redeeming blood, is dearer to God than the un-
regenerated spirit of the greatest monarch. For
myself I would rather know that some poor slave
would cast a flower on my grave when I am gone,
in grateful memory of my agency in leading him
to Jesus, than to have any honor this poor world
could bestow upon me." I quote the bishop's
words from memory, but never had the great truth
thus announced so fixed itself upon that memory.
The pathos, the transparency, the inspiration with
which he poured forth that half-hour's appeal
filled every attentive ear and feeling heart with a
fresh and profound sense of growing obligation to
carry the light of divine life into every negro cabin
where it was possible to find access.'
" By 1859 number of slave missions had in¬
creased to 290, served by 292 missionaries and
covering a field that extended from the Potomac
to the Gulf of Mexico, and from the Atlantic sea¬
board to the Mississippi and beyond. In all this
Southern territory few were the plantations that
were not now included in the missionary's regular
visit or else within access of some church used by
both whites and blacks. The number of members
exclusively in this mission family throughout the
different Conferences was for this year (1859)
56,468. The total colored membership for the
Southern Methodist Church at this period was
163,296. Of this number, South Carolina had
41,127; Georgia, 21,455 ; Alabama, 20,577; North
Plantation Missions from 184.4. i° J864. 311
Carolina, 11,708; and Mississippi, 11,008. The
increase of colored membership for this one year
was 7,274. The amount paid out for the mainte¬
nance of these missions for the one year aggre¬
gated $130,076.88. In addition to this there were
a number of colored Churches partly supported
by the whites. In other cases, where the slaves
themselves paid their pastors, they were given the
opportunity by their owners to earn the money for
themselves.
" It had now become the custom in all the larger
cities and in many of the smaller towns for the
preachers to devote Sunday afternoon to the reli¬
gious instruction of the slaves who could not at¬
tend the preaching of the whites in the morning.
A large amount of missionary work was done in
this way. Indeed, the Church was reaching out
in every direction to care for and save the souls of
the negro population within her bounds. Not for
a moment did she slacken in her duty; never once
did her prayers grow less or her zeal grow colder;
never did she draw her purse strings against any
appeal that it lay in her power to answer. Econ¬
omy in many directions was practiced, that the
largest liberality might be possible in this depart¬
ment of Church operations among the blacks.
During the thirty-six years of its missionary labors
among the slave population of its plantations the
South Carolina Conference alone expended a sum
closely approaching in round numbers $400,000,
or an average of more than $10,000 a year. Next
312 The Gospel among the Slaves.
to this came the Alabama Conference, which gave
$354,416.67. Following Alabama was the Geor¬
gia Conference, giving $302,530.94. This was
also an average of more than $10,000 a year for
Alabama, and in the neighborhood of $9,500 for
Georgia, as the latter was two years and the for¬
mer five years behind the South Carolina Confer¬
ence in beginning missionary operations. Accord¬
ing to the length of time, putting the calculation
upon the basis adopted, the Alabama Conference
gave more than any other in the support of this
work.
I "In 1861, at the beginning of the war, there
were in this mission family 77,802 members. This
[included three colored churches in the cities that
were purely mission churches. In the plantation
family proper there were 70,301 in full connection
in addition to 12,672 probationers, and nearly six¬
teen thousand children under catechetical instruc¬
tion. In South Carolina alone there were over two
hundred plantations served. The next largest ter¬
ritory occupied was in the Mississippi Valley, and
covering ground of both the Mississippi and Lou¬
isiana Conferences. For this year Mississippi re¬
ported the largest number of slave missions in any
Conference—42 in all. While the figures reported
in her missionary appropriations are not so large
as those of other Conferences occupying like her¬
self much territory, it is doubtless true that much
of the revenue expended in the support of these
missions was not included in the report of the
Plantation Missions from 1844. to 1864. 313
Minutes. We have found many instances of Mis¬
sissippi and Louisiana planters donating bales of
cotton and hogsheads of sugar and syrup toward
the salaries of the missionaries. There is also
more than one instance of planters paying their
salaries entire. There is no possible way of get¬
ting a correct table of these additional funds. The
true amount expended in the evangelization of the
slaves, not only by this Conference but by the
others of the Southern connection, will never be
known until the pages of God's account book lie
open in the presence of an assembled world.
"During the year 1862, when the guns of an
invading army were thundering at her doors and
every sinew of finance was strained to its utmost
tension, the South, through the Southern Metho¬
dist Church alone, paid out of her treasury for the
evangelization of her slaves $93,509.87. What
the other Churches paid we cannot tell, but it was
probably as much as $57,000, amounting in all to
$150,000. For this year (1862) the Methodist
Church, South, had in her slave mission family
63,649 members. Several thousand of those in
the regular mission family had for various reasons
been placed in the work of the regular circuits.
Here they were as faithfully cared for as they had
been in their own mission. The heroism and the
zeal with which the Southern Churches kept their
faith in this work of evangelization throughout all
this stormy period forms a chapter that must thrill
every Southern heart and win the honest admira-
314 The Gospel among the Slaves.
tion and commendation of every fair-minded per¬
son, irrespective of creed or section.
"From the year 1862 the numerous breaks in
the mission Minutes form insurmountable obsta¬
cles in the way of preparing anything like a defi¬
nite statement. From the beginning of that year
to 1865, first one Conference and then another
had portions of its territory 'within the enemy's
lines.' Sometimes an entire district, maybe two
and three, would be thus situated, and were there¬
fore left out of the statistics of the Minutes; or the
omission would be that of a whole Conference,
with no annual meeting at all. But because there
was no report given we must not understand that
there was no work done. Far from it. This we
know to a certainty: whatever lay within the scope
of human power strengthened by divine aid was
done that the work might go forward with its full
vigor. There were heroes outside the army, mor¬
al heroes as well as physical, men who were con¬
stantly sacrificing self and the tenderest feelings
that this work of salvation to the negro race of the
South might not grow stagnant in a single vein
through which the life current might be made to
penetrate. Physical heroes they were too. The
story comes of a brave old missionary out in the
Tennessee Valley, who, finding the bridge gone,
burned by a retreating army, swam the icy current,
that he might preach to his waiting charge on the
other side. The negroes made him a fire of pine
knots, and as he dried his steaming clothes he
Plantation Missions from 184.4. 1° 1864. 315
preached to them the word of life. Down through
a line of pickets, with a shower of bullets follow¬
ing him, rode another of these heroic knights of
the cross, that the little band of expectant negroes
in the pine woods of Georgia might not be denied
the sacrament for which they waited.
"Dr. C. K. Marshall, of Vicksburg, is right
when he says of this stormy period as well as of
the trying times that preceded it: 'I doubt if more
trying conditions ever taxed the power and piety
of foreign missionaries, save in a few fields of re¬
markable embarrassment, than were encountered
by the intrepid and faithful workers of those days.'
Consecrated women, too, as well as men, strug¬
gled to keep the flame of this noble work aglow.
Instances innumerable are given of these Christian
women, in the absence of their husbands in the
army, assembling their slaves, night and morning,
for prayer. Often, too, when the missionary was
detained, either providentially or by the interven¬
ing lines of the enemy, they gathered their slaves
for the regular worship, and, reading a selection
from the Bible, endeavored to give them a plain
and practical sermon from it. This deep and
earnest solicitude for the salvation of the negro
race had its abiding place deep in the hearts of
thousands of the Christian men and women of the
South. Born of the Spirit of God, supplied from
the fountains of an ever springing humanity, it
could not be quenched, even by the angry and
turbulent floods of raging war. It was an ever
21
316 The Gosj>cl among the Slaves.
living presence sweetening and purifying, eleva¬
ting and ennobling. To-day the fair flowers of
righteousness that it watered into immortal growth
within the hearts of hundreds—nay, thousands—of
the old time negro race of the South exhale a
sweetness and a fragrance that is unlike that of
the later and more exotic growth that surrounds
them. We do not intend to demean the younger
generation of the negroes of the South. There
are many instances of this sweet humility, this
deep earnestness of nature, flowing in an unbro¬
ken stream from parent to child. Where the reli¬
gion is pure and deep and fervent, a true, breath¬
ing, living religion, the fragrance of gentle pur¬
poses, of wholesome endeavors, of elevating in¬
stincts, of love, of good-will, and of genuine Chris¬
tianity will show itself unmistakably.
" Though paralyzed in every nerve by the strain
of a three years' war, and having every resource
well-nigh exhausted, the South paid out during the
year 1864 for the religious instruction of her slaves
a sum that would closely approximate, we think,
$250,000. Of this amount the Methodist Epis¬
copal Church, South, paid nearly two-thirds, or
$158,421.96. During the very last year of the
struggle, when poverty and prostration lay on ev¬
ery side, and fully two-thirds of the Southern ter¬
ritory had been swept as though by a cyclone, the
sum of $80,000 was raised by the Southern Meth¬
odist Church in support of negro evangelization.
" During the thirty-four years of its slave mis-
Plantation Missions from 184.4. t° 1864. 317
sion period, the Methodist Church, South, paid
cut upward of $2,000,000 for the Christianizing
of the negro race. There is no going behind that
sum; to go beyond it—well beyond it—would give
the more accurate estimate. I have no doubt
whatever, from the careful examination and in¬
quiry that I have given the subject, that a full half
million more might safely be counted. What a
glorious chain it would form could every ' missing
link' be added! And yet there are some people
who say that we have done nothing.
"At the setting off, in 1870, from the Methodist
Episcopal Church, South, of the Colored Metho¬
dist Episcopal Church, the colored membership
numbered nearly 80.000. This was a considera¬
ble falling off from the membership of over 200,-
000 it had numbered a few years previous. The
question naturally arises: What had become of this
membership? The two African Churches of the
North had absorbed a large share of it, and the
other portion had gone to the Northern Methodist
Church.
"Bishop Haygood, in his 'Brother in Black,'
estimates that at the close of the war between the
states there were nearly half a million negroes who
had been brought into the folds of the different
Churches through the efforts of the Christian men
and women of the South. How many more of
this great mass had felt the uplifting influence of
the leaven of consecrated effort no man can esti¬
mate."
318 The Gospel among the Slaves.
The following table presents a view of the ap¬
propriations made by the several Conferences from
1845 to 1864 inclusive, a period of twenty years,
disturbed, in the latter part of the time, by the oc¬
cupation of the Southern territory by the Federal
troops. The fidelity of the white people of the
South to the religious welfare of the African slaves
is one of the most remarkable facts connected with
the most remarkable struggle recorded in modern
history.
Statistics from 1844 to 1864.
Year.
Conference.
Missions.
Members.
Missiona¬
ries.
Amount
Appropri'ed.
1845
South Carolina...
17
8,3H
22
$ 9,720 60
1845
Georgia
IO
3,106
12
4,343 50
1845
Tennessee
12
3,3H
H
2,848 75
1845
Mississippi
ii
3,022
12
4>I52 5°
1845
Memphis
ii
3,383
12
3,254 16
1845
Alabama . „
ii
2,900
12
4)384 35
184S
Virginia
3
481
3
1,985 60
1845
North Carolina...
3
187
3
900 00
184S
Arkansas
1
113
i
300 00
1845
Florida
3
563
3
1,210 50
1845
East Texas
1
1
300 00
1846
South Carolina...
9>32i
24
9,398 24
1846
Georgia
12
3,487
15
5,776 40
1846
Tennessee
16
3,7o6
18
3,862 00
1846
Mississippi
10
2,397
12
3,600 00
1846
Memphis
13
3,394
16
3,900 00
1846
Alabama
13
3,149
15
4,35o 00
1846
Louisiana
8
2,165
9
3,966 00
1846
Virginia
3
433
3
2,266 00
1846
Florida
3
465
3
815 02
1846
North Carolina...
2
224
2
1,068 00
1846
Arkansas
1
109
1
300 00
1846
Louisville
1
211
1
300 00
1846
St. Louis
1
421
1
300 00
1847
South Carolina...
i7
9)439
24
11,870 00
1847
Georgia
12
3,176
H
5,110 00
1847
Tennessee
19
4,7i6
21
3,221 75
i847
Memphis
H
3,567
16
3,286 40
1847
Alabama
H
3,583
16
4,350 60
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320 The Gospel among the Slaves.
Statistics from 1844 to 1864 (Continued).
Year.
Conference.
Missions.
Members.
Missiona¬
ries.
Amount
Appropri'ed.
1850
South Carolina...
16
8,326
24
$ ii,8o8 16
1850
Georgia
ii
3,908
13
8,142 02
1850
Mississippi
l6
2,750
18
3,845 32
1850
Alabama
io
3,021
io
6,330 66
1850
Louisiana
4
I,38l
5
2,874 OO
1850
Florida
5
585
5
1,333 32
1851
Virginia
3
1,098
3
900 00
1851
Tennessee
6
1,284
6
4,316 22
1851
Arkansas
1
220
1
300 00
1851
North Carolina...
4
1,328
4
2,816 70
1S51
Memphis
7
L896
7
6,168 84
1851
South Carolina...
18
8,700
25
12,265 32
1851
Georgia
13
4>°39
i5
10,184 60
1851
Mississippi
19
4>r6i
21
3,982 68
1851
Alabama
10
2,475
11
17,220 66
1851
Louisiana
7
1,563
7
2,197 3o
1851
Florida
4
75i
4
1,903 18
1851
East Texas
2
2
600 00
1851
Texas
2
2
600 00
1852
Tennessee
7
L9I5
7
5,I45 86
1852
Arkansas
3
3i4
3
848 66
1852
North Carolina...
4
L793
4
3,846 00
1852
Virginia
4
2,141
4
4,896 00
1852
Memphis
10
2,729
11
9,717 76
1852
South Carolina...
20
9,910
27
14,907 66
18152
Georgia
11
3,9i2
13
11,218 28
1852
Mississippi
23
4,768
26
6,900 00
1852
Alabama
IS
3,H3
16
13,420 00
1852
Louisiana
12
2,368
14
7,256 96
1852
Florida
4
1,016
4
1,618 00
1852
East Texas
1
109
1
300 00
18152
Texas
6
603
6
2,029 62
1853
Virginia
6
2,218
6
9,069 68
1853
Tennessee
9
2,277
9
2,700 00
18=53
Arkansas
2
277
2
600 00
1853
North Carolina...
4
L7I3
4
2,400 00
1853
Memphis
11
2,816
12
8,169 76
1853
South Carolina...
22
",653
28
16,699 40
1853
Georgia
21
6,104
H
n,93i 72
1853
Mississippi
26
5,o36
28
7,800 00
1853
Alabama
21
4,890
23
15,133 20
1853
Louisiana
11
3,627
12
2,552 66
1853
Florida
6
1,460
6
2,002 60
1853
East Texas
1
34°
1
300 00
1853
Texas
9
811
9
2,773 02
Plantation Missions from 184.4 1° J864. 321
Statistics from 1844 to 1864 (Continued).
Year.
Conference.
Missions.
Members.
Missiona¬
ries.
Amount
Appropri'ed.
1854
Tennessee
7
2,187
7
$4,083 38
1854
Memphis
H
3,196
15
7,801 64
1854
Mississippi
23
5,886
24
4,385 68
1854
Louisiana
10
3,606
11
2,923 3o
1854
Virginia
5
2,496
5
3,000 00
1854
North Carolina...
5
2,632
5
3,000 00
1854
Georgia
28
9,H5
3i
11,265 86
1854
South Carolina
26
II,546
32
15,188 06
1854
Alabama
20
6,215
21
13,980 50
1854
Florida
6
1,324
6
3,082 34
1854
Texas
11
902
10
2,305 80
1854
East Texas
2
453
2
600 00
1854
Arkansas
3
3i9
3
600 00
18SS
South Carolina...
25
10,523
32
15,375 00
1855
St. Louis
1
278
1
300 00
1855
Tennessee
8
2,368
8
5,5H 66
1855
Memphis
19
4,203
20
8,965 3o
1855
Virginia..
6
2,121
6
3,600 00
1855
Ark. & Wachita..
3
321
3
900 00
1855
Mississippi
23
5,426
25
7,821 82
1855
North Carolina...
6
2,981
6
3,600 00
1855
East Texas
3
408
3
L372 56
1855
Alabama
21
7,578
21
15,522 74
1855
Florida
6
1,059
6
2,726 72
1855
Louisiana
13
3,838
H
2,901 54
lSS5
Texas
13
848
13
1,866 66
1855
Georgia
27
8,031
29
12,636 20
1856
St. Louis
2
1,200
2
600 00
1856
Holston
1
401
1
300 00
18^6
Tennessee
8
2,621
7
6,138 24
1856
Virginia
6
2,120
6
3,600 00
18^6
Ark. & Wachita..
6
L691
5
3,990 02
1856
Memphis
20
4,5i3
18
5,133 32
1856
Mississippi
26
5,651
19
7,700 00
18^6
North Carolina...
6
2,161
6
3,000 00
1856
South Carolina...
24
9,982
3o
18,275 44
x8s6
1856
Alabama
34
8,487
33
20,933 32
Florida
11
L578
9
3,896 40
1856
Louisiana
9
3,232
9
6,110 98
i8<6
East Texas
2
322
2
600 00
1856
Texas
5
921
5
3,000 00
18=56
Georgia
24
8,214
21
I4,4I° 34
i8S7
St. Louis
2
1,231
2
600 00
i8S7
Tennessee
7
2,53i
6
5,6i5 48
1857
Holston
1
421
1
300 00
322
The Gospel among the Slaves.
Statistics from 1844 to 1864 (Continued).
Year.
Conference.
1857
Memphis
x857
Mississippi
1857
Virginia
1857
North Carolina...
1857
South Carolina...
1857
Georgia
1857
Alabama
i8S7
Florida
1857
Texas
1857
East Texas
1857
Arkansas
1857
Wachita
1857
1858
Louisiana
South Carolina...
1858
St. Louis
1858
Tennessee
1858
Holston
1858
Memphis
1858
Mississippi
1858
Louisiana
18.58
Virginia
■18:8
North Carolina...
1858
Georgia
1858
Alabama
1858
Florida
1858
Texas
1858
East Texas
1858
Arkansas
1858
Wachita
*859
St. Louis
1859
Tennessee
1859
Holston
1859
Memphis
1859
Mississippi
1859
Louisiana
1859
Virginia
1859
North Carolina...
1859
Georgia
1859
Alabama
1859
Florida
1859
Texas
*859
East Texas
1859
Arkansas
1859
Wachita
1859
South Carolina...
ambers.
Missiona¬
ries.
Amount
Appropri'ed.
4,291
23
$ 8,197 94
5>984
30
7,137 xo
2,857
8
11,666 66
2,431
6
6,400 70
11,026
33
16,023 52
7,891
22 .
12,396 26
8,301
30
l8,i44 74
1,384
7
4,100 36
3,821 92
897
z4
760
3
2,524 78
934
5
2,368 62
581
5
2,732 82
3,5X2
10
5,33i 84
12,102
34
18,755 34
275
1
300 00
2,678
8
5,474 42
324
2
600 00
4,579
20
7,55x 26
6,061
34
9,491 20
1,928
1,483
9
5,142 06
11
14,294 18
2,298
8
5,418 76
8,364
29
15,430 02
7,583
32
22,486 46
1,624
6
4,029 44
960
12
5,^73 86
694
6
2,003 32
391
4
1,628 12
434
4
3,333 32
334
2
600 00
2,618
10
4,626 90
408
3
900 00
4,°57
18
7,683 78
6,289
36
10,200 00
2,012
H
4,534 58
3,539
l5
14,588 44
7,058 44
2,127
10
10,734
43
16,420 66
8,381
39
25,849 10
2,878
1,658
13
3,332 80
25
6,451 80
781
7
4, *33 20
626
6
1,568 80
922
12
4,000 00
9,104
37
18,128 38
Missions.
24
29
9
7
27
23
32
8
15
4
5
5
10
28
1
8
2
18
32
10
13
9
28
35
7
x4
7
4
5
2
10
3
19
35
H
16
10
40
38
12
27
9
7
x4
3i
Plantation Missions from 184.4. t° 1864. 323
Statistics from 1844 to 1864 (Continued).
Year.
Conference.
i860
St. Louis
i860
Louisville
i860
Tennessee
i860
Holston
i860
Memphis..
i860
Mississippi
i860
Louisiana
i860
Virginia
i860
North Carolina...
i860
South Carolina...
i860
Georgia
i860
Alabama
i860
Florida
i860
Texas
i860
East Texas
i860
Arkansas
i860
Wachita
l86l
South Carolina...
l86l
Louisville
l86l
Tennessee
l86l
Holston
l86l
Memphis
l86l
Mississippi
l86l
Louisiana
l86l
Virginia
186l
North Carolina...
186l
Georgia
l86l
Florida
186l
Alabama *
l86l
Texas
l86l
East Texas *
l86l
Arkansas
l86l
Wachita
1862
Louisville*
1862
Tennessee
1862
Holston
1862
Memphis
1862
Mississippi
1862
Louisiana
1862
Virginia
1862
North Carolina...
1862
South Carolina...
1862
Georgia
imbers.
Missiona¬
Amount
ries.
Appropri'ed.
431
2
$ 600 oo
983
5
2,500 oo
3>4X 7
12
5,140 86
593
4
1,200 oo
4>°93
23
7,023 06
7,659
48
14,400 oo
2,957
18
6,333 30
4,587
20
x3,558 44
3,259
12
6,558 44
10,231
38
16,309 02
11,071
41
19,292 04
9,208
40
27,091 66
2,913
10
3,490 46
1,761
29
8,702 62
824
674
8
2,400 00
7
2,400 oo
1,226
10,928
18
2,545 32
42
9,692 62
928
4
1,200 00
3,557
14
4,800 oo
674
4
1,200 oo
4,124
21
6,300 oo
8,061
43
8,733 50
2,633
13
3,900 00
4,492
20
6,000 00
3,264
13
3,3i8 14
11,125
41
11,838 52
2,821
9
2,966 28
9,208
40
27,091 66
2,045
3o
4,429 32
824
8
2,400 00
654
7
2,100 00
1,221
18
2,540 02
928
4
1,200 00
3,45i
13
4,500 00
711
5
2,691 48
4,iio
18
6,000 00
7,432
40
11,700 00
2,433
14
4,200 00
4,362
18
4,200 00
4,166
iS
4,424 75
8,737
32
10,285 44
13,798 20
10,931
39
Missions.
2
5
13
4
24
46
16
20
12
33
38
40
11
29
8
8
20
38
4
16
4
22
42
13
20
H
39
10
40
32
8
7
20
4
15
5
20
39
14
18
16
26
38
* Figures for this year not given. These are the figures for preceding year.
324 The Gospel among the Slaves.
Statistics from 1844 to 1864 (Continued).
year.
Conference.
missions.
members.
missiona¬
ries.
amount
appropri'ed.
1862
Alabama
36
8,962
35
$10,800 oo
1862
Florida
8
2,652
7
2,400 oo
1862
Texas
28
2,oii
27
8,400 oo
1862
East Texas
9
868
9
2,700 oo
1862
Arkansas
7
654
7
2,ioo oo
1862
Wachita
21
1,241
18
5,400 oo
1863
Tennessee
15
L35i
13
3,900 oo
1863
Holston
4
684
4
1,200 oo
1863
Memphis
22
3,912
20
6,648 46
1863
Mississippi
36
7,302
36
10,800 oo
1863
Louisiana
12
2,332
12
3,600 oo
1863
Virginia
12
3,124
11
3,300 oo
1863
North Carolina...
I4
3,821
14
4,200 oo
1863
South Carolina...
25
29
27,000 18
1863
Georgia
39
11,611
39
45,160 34
1863
Alabama
37
9,020
37
31,311 50
1863
Florida
10
2,804
9
2,700 oo
1863
Texas
28
2,011
27
8,400 oo
1863
East Texas
9
868
9
2,700 oo
1863
Arkansas
7
654
7
2,ioo oo
1864
Louisville
2
613
2
600 oo
1864
Holston
3
694
3
900 oo
1864
Virginia
h
3,226
H
8,400 oo
1864
North Carolina...
13
3,654
13
3,900 oo
1864
South Carolina...
29
* 13,373
32
42,475 80
1864
Georgia
37
11 >421
36
11,700 oo
1864
Montgomery
22
5,J53
22
24,508 oo
1864
Mobile
23
5,684
33
26,938 16
1864
Florida
9
2,703
9
2,700 oo
1864
Texas
29
2,213
27
8,100 oo
1864
East Texas
10
963
9
2,700 oo
1864
Arkansas
8
684
8
2,400 oo
1864
Wachita
18
1,172
16
4,800 oo
*Th:s includes the newly established mission in Charleston, which num¬
bered 3,842.
In the foregoing table we have placed the Con¬
ferences in the order in which plantation missions
were established. The collections taken for the
purpose extended in some few instances to the
year 1864, but the last year of the civil war af-
Plantation Missions from 184.4. to 1864. 325
forded no opportunity for missionary operations of
any kind. In 1864 the Alabama Conference ap¬
pears in the divided territory, forming " Mobile "
and " Montgomery" Conferences, and the aggre¬
gate contributions of these bodies are included
under "Alabama."
It will be seen by this table that the highest fig¬
ures were recorded in i86i_j_the first year of the
civil war. At that time there were 329 missions,
j}2£_missionaries, 66,559 members, and $86,359.20
appropriated for the " plantation " missions to the
slaves in the South. As increasing operations of
the Federal army reduced the territory of these
Conferences, the work of the missionaries was
suspended, and ultimately it was destroyed by the
results of the war.
It must be remembered also that many of the
Conferences had no extensive communities of Af¬
rican slaves, and therefore the " plantation mis¬
sion " was not in existence. The gospel was
preached to the negroes in common with the
whites everywhere throughout the South, and in
many places, smaller stations especially, a negro
mission was attached to the work of the pastor,
and once a month or oftener the pastor gave a
part of the Sabbath to the " colored charge." In
regular stations of the larger classes the afternoon
was usually a special time allotted to the negroes,
and the only exception to this rule was in the large
cities, where the negroes were sufficiently numer¬
ous to form p.astoral charges of their own. To
326 The Gospel among the Slaves.
those experienced and often able ministers were
regularly appointed.
The reader will be interested in the table which
follows. We have taken the appropriations made
by each Conference from 1829 to 1864, and by
dividing the time into two periods we are able to
see the work accomplished prior to and subse¬
quent to 1844. As in the table of details, the
Conferences appear in the list in the order in
which plantation missions were established.
Amounts Appropriated for Plantation Missions from
1829 to 1864.
Conference.
1829 to 1844.
1844 to 1864.
Total.
South Carolina....
Georgia
Tennessee
Mississippi
Memphis
Alabama
Virginia
North Carolina....
Arkansas
Florida
East Texas
Louisiana
$ 58,879 81
41,980 80
14-524 56
19,302 79
8,683 45
I7.366 36
2,400 00
2,110 70
1,104 150
905 90
$ 315,197 18
255.050 72
83,094 14
130,773 06
120,751 00
340,166 67
109,825 00
66,316 53
27,804 22
46,416 42
26,133 86
70,769 06
3,900 00
6,700 00
68,066 88
9,891 48
25,351 48
$ 374,o76 99
297,o3o 52
97,618 70
150,075 85
129,434 45
357,533 03
112,225 00
68,427 23
28,908 72
47,322 32
26,133 86
70,769 06
3,900 00
6,700 00
68,066 88
9,891 48
25,351 48
St. Louis
Louisville
Holston
Wachita
Total
$167,258 87
$1,706,207 70
$1,873,466 27
CHAPTER XVI.
Traits of Christian Character.
IN no land, east or west, has the gospel won a
greater number of conquests than those record¬
ed by the missionaries to the slaves in the South.
The character of the negro in his savage state we
have seen described by thoughtful and impartial
observers. His removal from his native country
to the United States, accomplished by the basest
of treachery and the cruelest of means in the great
majority of instances, only transferred him from a
heathen to a Christian country. In the nature of
the case it was impossible for many of the direct
blessings of civilization to reach him as a slave on
a large plantation, cut off from all means of im¬
provement and from all associations likely to ele¬
vate his moral character.
It was in this relation to American society, that
of a transplanted heathen, that the negro became
a subject of philanthropic labor and self-sacrific¬
ing toil. Unlike the stolid Chinaman, the negro
has a temperament eminently adapted to religious
emotions. Forms and ceremonies go for little,
because to whatever extent these sons of Africa
are capable of appreciating them, to that extent do
they relegate them to the fetichism and voodoo
worship of their native land.
(327)
328 The Gospel among the Slaves.
But the religion that one can feel and enjoy and
that cripples no sense of enjoyment by the rigid
enforcement of an iron-bound decorum is the reli¬
gion that captures the African. When St. Paul
said "we are saved by hope," he uttered a senti¬
ment that touches the lowly sons of toil at every
point of their pilgrimage. " There's a better day
a coming" are the words of an old refrain that
have girded up the loins of millions who were just
about to faint by the wayside.
When the Methodist preachers came with stir¬
ring songs and earnest exhortations, and, above
all, when they followed St. Paul's example and
told a thrilling experience, the dusky children of
Africa surrendered all they had to surrender and
became Christians of the best type that they knew.
Shall any man call in question the genuineness
and sincerity of their profession? Let us listen
to the testimony recorded in the amazing history
of four millions of peaceable, quiet, and obedient
slaves, exercising the most sacred trusts for four
years while a war was waged for their emancipa¬
tion from bondage to their masters. Let us hear
the testimony of wise and good men, thorough
judges of human character, who have described
the virtues of these humble followers of Christ,
and have acknowledged themselves debtors even
to the poor slave whose faithfulness enlarged the
blessings of God conferred upon their religious
instructors.
From the notable persons whose memorial can-
Traits of Christian Character. 329
not perish from the earth, we shall select a few as
examples of great numbers for whom we can find
no space in these pages.
First among the witnesses to the fidelity of the
converted African we shall introduce Bishop Ca¬
pers. A man of large heart, sympathizing with,
the poor, the lowly, and the distressed everywhere,
his philanthropy had a practical turn, and he did
more than any other man of his time for the relb
gious welfare of the slaves. From his pen we
take the following sketch of
Castile Selby.
" I can call to mind no other person of our cob
ored society of that early day, who, of nearly Cas¬
tile's age, was estimated as much as he, though
there were some very worthy men among them.
The weight and force of his character were made
up of humility, sincerity, simplicity, integrity, and
consistency; for all of which he was remarkable
not only among his fellows of the colored society
in Charleston, but I might say among all whom I
have ever known. He was one of those honest
men who need no proof of it. Just what
he seemed to be he invariably was—neither more
nor less. Add to this a thorough piety which, in¬
deed, was the root and stock of all his virtues, and
you will find elements for the character of no com¬
mon man; and such was Castile Selby.
Love of order was a ruling passion with Daddy
Castile. Not only was the house he lived in and
330 The Gospel among the Slaves.
the few inferior articles of furniture it contained
kept in order—that is, clean and to rights but
there was order in that old tarpaulin hat and well-
patched linsey-woolsey coat, which marked the old
cartman as he trudged the streets from day to day
with his old bay horse and well-worn cart hauling
wood. And then there was order in that clean,
unpatched, but still linsey-woolsey coat, and that
blue-striped handkerchief tied about his head, in
which he was to be seen at the house of God, morn¬
ing, afternoon, and evening, on the Sabbath day.
" If I ever knew a man who was so completely
satisfied with his condition as to prefer no change
whatever, that man was Castile Selby. His dwell¬
ing might have been better, his apparel better, and
he might have relieved himself of much fatigue
and exposure, but he deemed it unbecoming. On
these and kindred subjects I knew his feelings
well, having had much conversation with him, and
telling him plainly I thought him wrong. But I
could not convince him, while he satisfied me he
was governed by a sense of duty, the fitness and
force of which he was better prepared to judge
than perhaps I was. For example: Noticing the
meanness of his clothing, and expressing a. fear
that it might not be comfortable, 'No, master,'
he said, 'these old clothes make me quite com¬
fortable. They just suit my business, and so they
just suit me.' Remarking on his Sunday clothes,
that he might improve them a little, 'Ah, sir,' he
answered, ' don't you see how our colored people
Traits of Christian Character. 331
are turning fools after dress and fashion, just as if
they were white. They want somebody to hold
them back. I dress for my color. Besides that,
sir, how can I take what the Lord is pleased to
give me to do some little good with and put it on
my back ?'
" But it was his indefatigable industry, not al¬
lowing of a reasonable suspension of his labors in
bad weather, which most frequently induced our
most friendly disputes
'" Well, well, Father Castile,' I would say, 'out
again in the rain with that old coat! Why in the
world will you expose yourself so ? And are not
your legs swelled even now? '
" 'Ah, sir, I thought you would scold if you
happened to meet me. But no matter, master.
The rain won't hurt me: I am used to it.'
" ' But it will hurt you; it must hurt you. And
I dare say those swelled legs came by just such
exposure as this. You ought to be at home; and
do, pray, now go home and keep yourself com¬
fortable.'
" ' For your sake, sir, I would go home, but
several families are looking for me to haul them
wood to-day, and I must not disappoint them.'
" 'And who will haul them wood after you have
killed yourself ?'
" ' I won't kill myself, sir. I have been used to
this all my life, and use, you know, is second na¬
ture. I never find myself any better for lying up.
But, master, aren't you out too?'
22
332 The Gospel among the Slaves.
" ' Yes, I am; but it is only for a little time, and
I am fully protected; but here you are regularly
at it for a day's work, with no protection from the
weather but your hat and that threadbare blanket
overcoat. You really ought to go home.
You can't stand it, Father Castile, and you ought
not to try to stand it. Do, pray, go home.'
" 'Ah, master, they say, " better wear out than
rust out." There are too many lazy people rust¬
ing out for me to lie up because it rains a little.
. . . I can't help working, sir, and I don't
want to help it. It is the lot it has pleased God to
give me, and it suits me best.'
"As the infirmities of age increased on my old
friend, and while his habits of continual industry
seemed indomitable, I became anxious about him;
and after conversing with several of our brethren,
and finding them of my own mind with respect to
him, I determined to adopt a course which I sup¬
posed must prove effectual. I told him that while
his long course of holy living had made him
friends of the principal members of the Church,
who shared with me the kindest feelings for him,
and were more than willing to provide for all his
wants, it placed him in a position with respect to
the colored society which we thought required
both for himself and them that his time should be
differently employed from what it had been. We
were fully persuaded that it was our duty to res¬
cue him from his cart, and put it in his power to
employ all his time in a way which we believed
Traits of Christian Character. 333
would prove more to the glory of God; and that
was (while he should be able to go about), to
visit the sick, aged, and infirm, and look after the
flock generally, praying with them, and doing
them all the spiritual good in his power. For his
comfortable support during the remainder of his
life, such and such reliable gentlemen would
pledge themselves, I would pledge myself, and
the stewards of the Church would see that he
lacked nothing.
" 'Now, my old friend,' said I, 'we want you
to sell your horse and cart immediately and use the
money as you think proper. You shall want for
nothing. And let it be your only business to help
all the souls you can to heaven.'
"He received this proposition with profound
sensibility and many thanks, but could be induced
only to add that he would think of it. It was just
before my journey to attend the General Confer¬
ence, and on my return to Charleston I had
scarcely reached my door before I saw Castile
Selby, just as aforetime, seated on his throne,
the old cart.
"'Ah, master,' said he, 'the very thing you
would do for me to make me useful would hinder
more than it would help me. It would make some
envious, some would call me parson and say the
white people had spoiled me; and nobody would
take me to be the same Castile I have always been.
There is nothing better for me than this same old
cart.' "
The Gospel among the Slaves.
Thus far Bishop Capers wrote. Castile died in
1849. Of his death the Southern Christian Ad¬
vocate says:
About the time Mr. Polk, ex-President of the United States,
breathed his last, there was to be seen in this city [Charleston]
a venerable patriarch among the colored members of the M. F.
Church, South, lying on his dying bed, extensively known as
" Father Castile." He has been for fifty-seven years an up¬
right, consistent, and useful professor of religion. ... He
has been honored with the respect and confidence of every
minister of the South Carolina Conference who has been sta¬
tioned in this city during the lapse of half a century. Bishop
Capers, in particular, has ever felt for nim a warm personal at¬
tachment, well deserved on the part of the patriarchal class
leader.
We remember a scene we witnessed some twenty-eight
years ago, in what was supposed to be at the time the dying
chamber of Dr. Capers. Given over by his accomplished phy¬
sician, Dr. S. H. Dickson, surrounded bv his weeping family
and nurses, the Doctor had spoken, as he thought, his farewell
words. At that moment Father Castile entered the room. " I
am glad to see you," said his sick friend, "you find me near
my end; but kneel down and turn your face to the wall and
pray for me." Many a tear fell during the solemn moments of
that prayer. By what the philosopher would call a singular co¬
incidence, but what the Christian resolves by the first principles
of his religion into an answer to prayer, the Doctor passed the
crisis while the good old man was on his knees. In a few mo¬
ments he said: "I feel better."
Father Castile died in perfect peace after little or no illness,
and with no apparent suffering, in the eighty-eighth year of his
age. A funeral sermon was preached in Bethel Church over
his remains by the presiding elder of the Charleston District,
and all that was mortal of the good man was followed to the
grave by a large assemblage of his friends.
In the city of Charleston there were many faith¬
ful negro men and women whose lives were con-
Traits of Christian Character.
formed to the principles of the doctrine of Christ.
Prominent among these was one who was popular¬
ly called " Maum Rachel." Of her and other
noteworthy members of the Church. Dr. A. M.
Chreitzberg furnishes the following notes:
Her name was Rachel Wells. She lived in Anson Street,
Charleston, and was a member of Trinity Church. She hap¬
pened to a severe accident while coming down the steps of the
gallery, which laid her upon a bed of agonizing pain at the
very time that a number of the ablest of Methodist ministers
were in the city and a great revival was in progress at the
Church. Bishop Capers, knowing what a great deprivation it
must be to her to stay away from the exercises, called to see
her. He said to her: "Sorry I am, very sorry for you, Maum
Rachel; and the more, that this sad accident should have hap¬
pened just now, when we have such good meetings every night
at Trinity. You would be so happy if you could be with us
there."
"I hear ob de meetin', sir," she answered, "an' t'ank God
fur 'em fur you' sake; but as fur me, I hab no need o' dem. I
couldn' do widout Trin'ty Chu'ch 'fo'e, an' while I well I neber
off my seat dar, day nur night, but since dis t'ing come 'pon
me you call bad acciden', I hab no need ob Trin'ty Chu'ch.
All he do fur me wid de meetin' befo'-time, he do fur me now
widout de meetin', an' mo'e too, bless de Lo'd! "
" Could a synod of divines," says Bishop Wightman, in speak¬
ing of these words, " have set forth more strikingly the true doc¬
trine in regard to the 'means of grace' than Maum Rachel
did? They were necessary for her in ordinary circumstances,
but providentially precluded from them, the blessed Jesus had
a shorter way to her than by Trinity Church. What a depth of
divine philosophy is unfolded in the thought, so clearly con¬
ceived, though uttered in broken English!"
Maum Rachel was, at the time of her death, the oldest mem¬
ber of the Charleston Methodist Church, white or colored.
She was the first colored member who joined the Society, at the
time when the first regular meetings were held at the house of
her master, Mr. Edgar Wells. She saw the foundation laid of
336
The Gosj>el among the Slaves.
the First Cumberland Street Church, a year or two after the
close of the Revolution. She outlived two generations of Meth¬
odists—" a beautiful example of the power of religion to make
a servant upright and happy."
Another of these saintly old colored women who adorned
Charleston Methodism was " Maum Mary Ann Berry." Dr.
Capers gives us the picture of her, clear, beautiful, strong, a
picture before which the best of us feel like uncovering: "I
never knew a female, of any circumstance in life, who better
deserved the appellation of deaconess than Mary Ann Berry;
one who seemed to live only to be useful, and who, to the ut¬
most of her ability, and beyond her ability, served the Church
and poor. And I might say, too, that what she did was always
exceedingly well done, directed by an intelligent mind as well
as a sanctified spirit; so that, humble as was her position in
common society, she was really a mother in Israel. Her meek¬
ness, her humility, and a peculiar gentleness and softness of
spirit, which distinguished her at all times, might have done
honor to a Christian lady of any rank."
And here again he gives us the picture—pen painted, it is
true, yet how vivid and touching—of Maum Nanny Coates.
What an example to inspire zeal in welldoing! "Did I men¬
tion Maum Nanny Coates? Bless old Maum Nanny! If I had
been a painter going to represent meekness personified, I should
have gotten her to sit for the picture. It was shortly after I
had been appointed Secretary for the Missions, that, being in
Charleston at the house of my brother, as we were sitting to¬
gether in the parlor one evening, Maum Nanny entered. I
wish I could show her to you just as she presented herself, in
her long-eared white cap kerchief and apron of the olden time,
with her eyes on the floor, her arms slightly folded before her,
stepping softly toward me. She held between her finger and
thumb a dollar bill, and, courtesying as she approached, she ex¬
tended her hand with the money. 'Will you please, sir,' she
said in subdued accents and a happy countenance, ' take this
little mite for the blessed missionaries? ' I took it, pronounced
that it was a dollar, and said: 'Maum Nanny, can you afford to
give as much as this?' 'O yes, sir,' she replied, lifting her
eyes, which until then had been upon the floor,' it is only a tri¬
fle, sir. I could afford to give a great deal more, if I—I had it.'"
Traits of Christian Character. 337
These three women were all freed by their owners for their
faithfulness and virtue.
And while Dr. Capers was writing of his " friends" in
Charleston, Bishop Andrew, too, was paying many feeling and
beautiful tributes to his friends in Wilmington. Writing from
that same Conference—the North Carolina at Washington—
where he had made so noble an effort in their behalf, he says:
"And then among the blacks there was our faithful old choris¬
ter, Roger Hazle, who used to set the tunes for us. I have his
image before me now as I used to see him when I gave out the
hymn, rise in his place in the gallery, hymn book in hand, and
set the tunes for the whole congregation. And I remember,
too, how I used to stand in the pulpit, weary and hoarse at the
close of my third sermon, and when I gave out the last hymn,
how the colored people used to sing with so much sweetness
and power that it seemed almost enough to raise the shingles
from the roof. And who that knew Wilmington in days of
yore would fail to remember in this connection old Will Camp¬
bell, venerable for his years and greatly beloved for his consist¬
ent piety? His record was on high—he was an honest, guile¬
less, simple-hearted Christian, a man of sterling integrity and
unblemished reputation. And with these were associated many
others of great worth who filled up their humble stations in so¬
ciety and passed quietly away from earth to heaven."
One of the most pious and devoted of these colored mem¬
bers at Wilmington was one Bishop Andrew does not mention
in this letter, but who is often referred to by Bishop Capers
and by Mrs. Margaret M. Martin, of Columbia, S. C., in her re¬
ligious writings. This was Uncle Harry Merrick, a figure as
prominent in the Church circles of that place sixty years ago as
any in it, black or white. He occupied a front seat in the gallery,
and that seat, from the time of the erection of the church build¬
ing almost to the day of the old saint's death, was scarcely ever
vacant at any of the meetings, day or night. He could pray
and sing. O how he could sing! "I've come to see Jesus,"
and "Band of Music," could ever any one sing them as Harry
Merrick did? Mrs. Martin speaks of hearing him after he had
grown very old and his voice was quavering. She says: "We
have a delightful choir in Wilmington, one of the finest I know
anywhere, and generally it swells in its full tide of song even
338 The Gospel among the Slaves.
above the music of the congregation; but at that time you
could catch it but at intervals of one single note of silvery
sweetness. Much as I love fine music, I confess there a'nd
then I did not regret that old Harry Merrick's dear old cracked
voice from the gallery was heard above all the rest. Nobody
listened to it but felt there were notes there that had gone right
up to make up the heavenly diapason. To the Christian's
heart, at least, it was 4 harmony, it was heavenly harmony.' "
Harry Merrick was a power in prayer as well as in song.
Often, while the white mourners were at the altar, he was
called on to pray for them; and there, kneeling at his place in
the gallery, he sent forth mighty supplications to the throne of
grace. He has long since gone to mingle his buglelike notes
with the choir celestial.
Dr. John W. Hanner, a veteran of the Tennes¬
see Conference, still lingering along the shores of
time, furnishes us with some pleasant notes of
"Aunt Joycie" and others among the African
contingent in Tennessee and Alabama. The
manner of preaching, peculiar to some of these
sable orators, is thus described by Dr. Hanner:
In 1843 the Tennessee Conference included Huntsville, Ala.
Here we had a large colored membership to whom we regu¬
larly preached and administered all the rites of the Church.
Some of these negroes were very intelligent, and many of them
far advanced in the spiritual life. They had a chapel built spe¬
cially for their use, and it was always crowded on the Sunday
afternoons of the regular appointment.
On one of these occasions, going to preach to them, I found
the house packed and running over. As I advanced toward
the pulpit I saw a colored preacher sitting in it. He met me
and asked permission to preach that time. I readily consented,
for I thought it advisable for them to hear one of their own
race occasionally.
After singing and praj^er the preacher began:
441 don't know why de Lord called dis unwordy sarvant to
preach dis fun'ral; but I's got it to do. My tex' is in de River-
Traits of Christian Character.
339
lation, ' Behol', I stan' at de doo' an' knock; if any man open de
doo', I will come in an' sup wid him, an' he wid me.'
"I'm gwine to preach de fun'ral o' Tom Cook. You all
knowed Tom Cook, how weeked he war. He played cards, an'
de fiddle, an' danced, an' tole lies, an' cheated, an' took t'ings
w'at didn't b'long to him, an' drunk whisky. Poo' Tom! he's
dead an' gone to hell; an' his wife's dar too! I'm gwine ter preach
boff dere fun'rals to wonct." And preach them he did, with a
startling candor few would have had the courage to imitate.
" I'll tell you how de Lord knocks," he concluded. " One
day I was gwine to mill, an' a voice spoke to me from de sky:
'George! George Purdom!' I looked up to see whar de voice
come from, an' dar I seed twelve angels standin' roun' de sun.
Ebery one had a watch in his han', an' ebery one say: ' Twelve
o'clock.' Den de divine power come down an' knock me cross
de full lengt' o' de big road; an' I saw all my sins go down into
hell like a gallon pot o' black dye. You sinner man, laughin'
at me out dere, I tell you de day's gwine to come when your
laughin'll be turned into mournin'.
" In ole Virginny when de rich ladies ride out in de car'age
dey take 'long a book fur to read. So de young lady open de
book an' a voice spoke to her fum de book: ' Your gole is can¬
kered, your silber is turned to dross, but de lub o' God shall
stan' forever!' She shut de book an' begun to cry. She war
mighty rich. She says: ' Driber, turn de car'age roun' an'
dribe me home.' Pier fader come out an' seed her cryin' an' he
axed: ' O my daughter, w'at is de matter wid you ? If you'll quit
dis 'ligion, I'll gib you a bar'l o' gole an' a bar'l o' silber.' An'
she said: 'Fader, de book says, "Your gole is cankered, an'
your silber is turned to dross; but de lub o' God shall stan' for-
eber." ' An' he begin to cry, too; so dey boff got 'ligion. Dat's
de way dey do t'ings in ole Virginny, whar I come from, an'
dat's de way dey's got to do it ebery whar dey gits it.
" Now, sinners, you hear me; if you don't repent an' git dis
'ligion, you's gwine to hab a ram-shack-lin time o' it when deff
comes fur you."
His utterance of the last paragraph was vehemently fervid,
rapid, and loud, emphasizing the right words. The effect was
amazing. Like the trees of the forest when moved by the
sweeping winds, his congregation swayed to and fro, their
340 The Gospel among the Slaves.
heads moving from side to side; then a wild, ringing shout
burst from the throats of fully one-half of them. Evidently
there were many who had the religion referred to, and didn't
need to fear the coming of the pale-horse rider.
This sermon is not given by way of caricature, but as an il¬
lustration of the deep and intense fervor that so often swayed
many of these exhorting sons of Ham.
Rev. Elisha Carr, for a long time a member of the Tennessse
Conference, spent the last years of his life doing little else save
preaching to the negroes and catechising their children. Great
is the debt owed him by this race. He was untiring in his ef¬
forts to bring thein to the knowledge that is in Christ Jesus.
In the days of the old time camp meetings, seats were pro¬
vided for the negroes back of the stand. One night, the ser¬
mon preached and mourners called, Brother Carr went to his
work around the altar bearing a lighted candle. Seeing a young,
spruce-looking negro looking on with apparently little concern,
Brother Carr said to him: "Have you got religion?"
" No, sir."
"Are you trying to get it?*'
" No, sir."
" Do you wish to try? "
" Not now, sir."
" Then hold this candle while I sing and pray with those who
do wish it." And he held it, sweating freely. The place grew
too warm for him; next night he was a mourner.
When catechising, Brother Carr placed the little darkies in
line and spoke to each one by name. After the usual questions
of the catechism, he often put questions not in the book. He
was catechising on one of these occasions when he suddenly
put the question: " What's your name?"
" Little Ben, sir."
" Who made you ? "
" God, sir."
" What did he make you out of? "
" Biscuit, sir."
" What did he make you for? "
"To eat biscuit an' 'lasses an' wait on de white folks."
It is needless to add that Brother Carr soon corrected Little
Ben's notions of existence and duty.
Traits of Christian Character. 341
Sometimes Brother Carr would ask questions and seem to
know things that would startle his dusky audience considerably.
It was this apparent knowledge of their various misdoings that
caused them to regard him with a kind of superstitious awe,
and to declare frequently that he was " kin to God."
Rev. N. A. D. Bryant, formerly of the Tennes¬
see Conference, but in later years a resident of
Texas, gives a number of anecdotes and reminis¬
cences of his ministerial labors among the slaves.
Although he was a slave holder, there was no prej¬
udice against him on that account, and his course
as a missionary to the slaves on large plantations
was highly beneficial to the humble parishioners,
and to their owners.
" In my rounds as a missionary," says Mr.
Bryant, " I met with many negroes who were
constantly giving me striking evidences of more
than ordinary character and ability. Some of
them have since made their mark in the world,
noticeably Bishop Lane, of the Colored Methodist
Church. More than one of those on my missions
afterward made preachers, and by no means mere
commonplace ones. One of the best negroes I
ever knew was Emanuel Mask. I became ac¬
quainted with him in 1855 at his master's house in
Fayette County, Tenn., when he was a slave. He
was then authorized to preach the gospel among
his people. His master, who was a noble man
and a Christian, and who had for years evinced
the deepest interest in the salvation of the negro
race, gave Emanuel a written permit to go around
the country and preach to his race. This he did
342 The Gosjyel among the Slaves.
to the great pleasure of the people everywhere,
white as well as black, for Emanuel was an ear¬
nest and forcible speaker, and even the whites
listened to him with profit. I frequently invited
Emanuel to my house to preach to my slaves.
Some members of my own family were always
present on such occasions, and most heartily did
they bear testimony to his wonderful ability to ar¬
range and make clear his subject, and to the apt¬
ness and fitness with which he quoted passages of
scripture.
"Another remarkable negro of my acquaintance
was Silas Philips. I did not know him, however,
until after the war. He came to La Grange,
Tenn., soon after freedom. He had enjoyed
both moral and religious advantages in his old
home, and was an eloquent illustration of what the
gospel could do for his race and of the earnest ef¬
forts of those who had sought to shed the light
upon his way. When he came to La Grange, he
had a modest sum of money, with which he pur¬
chased a home, and at once entered upon his
course as a moral and useful citizen. His fine,
manly conduct soon won the confidence and re¬
spect of all. He had been taught to read, and
though comparatively illiterate, could, neverthe¬
less, expound the scriptures with great clearness
and force. He soon became a prophet among his
people.
" Simon Plunt was another one of his race who
deserves more than a passing notice. Simon had
Traits of Christian Character. 343
been born a slave, though he was only a youth
during the war. Still he was large enough to re¬
member the earnest catechising he had received
from the missionary. Many words, too, of the
sermons to which he had listened had taken deep
root in his heart. Simon was born within sight of
my house, and I knew him from a youth up. He
was a model in every way. Soon after freedom
came he made the right start on the new road by
joining the Church. Shortly thereafter he was li¬
censed to preach. He became a power among
his people, for few preachers, white or black, sur¬
passed Simon in native eloquence. Some of his il¬
lustrations were truly astonishing. He could sweep
an audience as the wind of the forest sweeps the
leaves that bestrew its track. He had a fine pres¬
ence, a remarkably fine head and face, but what
was more attractive still, he deported himself with
manly dignity, an inbred gentleness of manner that
none could help but admire. Wherever Simon is
to-day, may the Lord continue to bless him and
make him as a second Moses to his people!
"My pen is upon a subject in which it finds
something more than a mere pleasure. Cheer¬
fully, heartily does it bear witness to the many fine
traits of character, the real nobility of soul that
distinguished so many of those who were once
in so lowly a position among us. Tenderly, too,
does it linger over that old time affectionate rela¬
tion that existed between so many masters and
their slaves. I do not speak at random, but from
344 The Gospel among the Slaves.
experience ; not for the sentiment of the thing, but
on the part of truth. By inheritance and purchase
I owned quite a number of slaves. When told, in
1863, that they were free, only ten or fifteen of my
servants left, the rest remaining and working as
usual. Considering the state of affairs then exist¬
ing, the excitement of the war, the commotion of
social affairs, it was a wonder that many more did
not go. The conduct of those who remained only
stands out more forcibly. When the war came to
an end and freedom was universally established,
these negroes who had remained faithfully by me
through every trial, came to me and said: 'We
do not want to leave you. You have been a good
master to us, and we desire still to serve you.
Furnish us with land and mules, and we will work
for you and for ourselves.' This was done, and
well and faithfully for twenty-two years did they
carry out every requirement of the new relation.
It was only broken by my removal to Texas."
From the pen of Rev. A. P. McFerrin, brother
of Dr. John B. McFerrin, we have the following
anecdotes of the family altar and the religious as¬
sociations of the slaves in Christian families. No
one acquainted with the Southern people forty
years ago can fail to indorse the sentiments of one
whose testimony is valuable from whatever point
of view it may be considered:
Another means of grace outside the preaching in the white
churches and the evangelical work on the plantations was in
the family prayer meeting. There were many religious mas¬
ters who, night and morning, regularly assembled their fami-
Traits of Christian Character. 345
lies and also summoned their slaves to prayer. And this
brings to mind an interesting incident of my boyhood days.
Old Uncle Dick was a native African, brought to this coun¬
try when a boy. He was a true and earnest Christian. My
father, Rev. James McFerrin, who was a member of the Ten¬
nessee Conference, had, on a certain morning when out quite
early, occasion to speak some special words to Uncle Dick con¬
cerning some matter that had not gone well. It was not a seri¬
ous matter, anyway, but Uncle Dick was very sensitive, and
had become highly wrought up in his feelings. Just at that
moment the summons went forth: "Come in to prayer." Fa¬
ther read the scripture lesson, followed by a hymn, which was
always in the order of family service, and then prayed a fervent
prayer. Uncle Dick was so deeply moved that when the prayer
ended he arose weeping and almost shouting. Forgotten now
were his wounded feelings of the moment before, and in his
deep joy he almost embraced my father. The incident reached
every heart and brought the utmost peace between the two
principals of the morning scene.
The sounding of the horn, morning and evening, was the
signal for all to come to prayer, big and little. Such a family
life as this was sure to bring about the most beneficial results,
especially where both master and mistress took a direct interest
in the welfare of every soul, which was often the case.
Mentioning the morning and evening horn blowing calls up
another touching incident of an old slave. At the death of my
father, when the estate was divided, an aged negro by the name
of Charles fell to the share of my brother, the late William M.
McFerrin, of the Memphis Conference. In time, through age,
Charles became superannuated, spending the evening of life in
and around his quiet cabin. One afternoon, about the going
down of the sun of a serene and beautiful day, Uncle Charles
stood near his gate, leaning against the fence, a few feet from
his cabin door, earnestly gazing upon the heavens. Suddenly,
on looking up, he cried out: " Hear! hear! de ho'n is blowin'! "
He then turned slowly toward his cabin, lay down on his bed,
and in a few moments gently breathed away his life. Had the
" horn " called him from earthly prayers to eternal praises in
his heavenly Master's kingdom?
There can be no just conception of Southern slavery with its
The Gosfel among the Slaves.
many modifying and qualifying influences, without its qualify¬
ing adjective of domestication, making it what it really was, do¬
mestic slavery, with rare exceptions.
A native of the South, with a lifetime lengthened out to the
allotment of man's earthly pilgrimage, and with fair opportu¬
nity of forming a judgment from many standpoints, the writer
is free to express the opinion that the people of the South, taken
as a whole, white and black, were, prior to the war, the best to
do people morally, socially, and religiously that the world has
ever beheld. No people of equal extent of population and like
ample surroundings ever lived so free from want, starvation,
inhuman oppression, and those grosser iniquities that degrade
and brutalize humanity.
Next to wife and children the slave owner's sympathy and
concern were for the welfare of the colored members of his
family. Never has the ownership of slaves, as held by South¬
ern masters, been so sadly misunderstood as by those unfamil¬
iar with its true import. No intelligent owner of slaves, as held
in the South, ever conceived the idea of being possessed of an
absolute property in the life and soul of his slave, as repre¬
sented by some whose opinions were formed simply on the
vague representations of such as really never had a true con¬
ception of the reality of the situation. The owner held propri¬
etorship in the product of his slaves' labor, and was accounta¬
ble to the laws of the land and public sentiment for the perpe¬
tration of wrongs inconsistent therewith. Duty and self-inter¬
est alike created a felt concern in behalf of the slaves' welfare,
while this limited ownership was the surest protection of the
negro, since the value of the anticipated services depended on
the health and prolongation of life. Hence healthful and com¬
fortable conditions were specially looked after, and prompt and
careful nursing afforded in cases of sickness. Multiplied thou¬
sands of negro children were brought safely through the crit¬
ical periods of childhood and youth by the attentive carefulness
and tender nursing of the mistress of the household.
Much of the special work of the missionaries of our Church
was in behalf of the slaves of the large plantations, the pastors
of the regular work being used to subserve the purpose of look¬
ing after the religious welfare of the domestic portion remain¬
ing in their midst. But in this respect, as well-nigh all others,
Traits of Christian Character. 347
the civil war made an end of the old regime; and no thought¬
ful Southerner would, if in his power, restore the old order of
things. That has passed away, and with trust and hopefulness
we look forward to the new; for the appearing of those better
things to come, which in due time will be manifested under the
guiding hand of Him who makes all things to work together
for good to his trusting ones. Already the signs of the horizon
point to the coming of a betterment that far surpasses anything
that could have been imagined by the most fervent enthusiast.
The good seed sown in the past, amid the most discouraging sur¬
roundings, will ultimately show their fruits. Sown in prayers
and watered with tears, as they were, such sowing cannot fail
of its harvest, rich and sure. The old system of domestic slav¬
ery, so harshly criticized and so widely blamed by the outside
world, has this one indisputable sequence, a fact evident to God,
to man, and to angels—namely, that the slaves of the South,
thus developed in our midst, are the best and most hopeful
specimens of the African race which the world has ever beheld,
and that whatever elevation the African world may ever attain
unto will be brought about by the instrumentality of these same
once enslaved but now enfranchised people, developed and still
dwelling in our midst. The question naturally presents itself
to every thoughtful mind: May not these Christianized freed-
men of the South yet prove the indispensable factor in working
out the redemption of the great continent whence sprang their
forefathers? " By their fruits ye shall know them," saith Jesus,
and behold! here are the fruits.
Rev. S. M. Cherry, of the Tennessee Confer¬
ence, contributes some interesting notes relating
to the missionary labors of Elisha Carr, the ven¬
erable man whom the negroes were accustomed
to say was " kin to God."
" Sometimes Brother Carr catechized a whole
congregation of negroes," says Mr. Cherry. "On
one of these occasions, after preaching, he pro¬
pounded this question: ' What was the name of
the first bird that Noah sent out of the ark?'
23
348 The Gosftcl among the Slaves.
"A gawky boy on the front bench answered:
' I b'lieves hit war a jay bird, sir.'
" 'Wrong,' said Brother Carr; ' again.'
" ' I thinks hit mout er bin a blue heron,' ven¬
tured another.
" ' I see,' said Brother Carr, frowning his dis¬
approbation, ' that you are guessing. Now I want
some one to answer who knows what he is talking
about.'
" Just at this point an old negro in the back of
the church whispered to his neighbor: 'I thinks I
knows.'
" Brother Carr, overhearing him, demanded
an answer; whereupon the old darky, straight¬
ening himself with a great deal of consequence,
boldly asserted: ' Dat bird war a turkey buz¬
zard, sir.'
" This so disgusted Brother Carr that he brought
the examination to a close at once."
Dr. T. L. Boswell, a man of commanding in¬
fluence in the Memphis Conference, furnishes a
sketch from which we select two paragraphs, re¬
gretting that the limits assigned to this work will
not allow a publication in full.
" I have witnessed many affecting scenes," says
Dr. Boswell, " between Christian masters and
their slaves in the old slavery times in the South.
One case that I specially recall was that of Ned
Davis and his body servant, Dennis. Dennis was
a true Christian, pious and faithful. He had been
the close attendant of his master in the latter's
Traits of Christian Character.
349
wild days in North Carolina and other places, and
had had to follow him into many places where a
Christian man would not voluntarily go. But
Dennis was a bondman and must obey, though he
maintained his Christian integrity at all times.
When I knew master and servant together at La
Grange, Tenn., in 1840, Ned had become reli¬
gious, and I often saw the two happy together,
shaking hands and rejoicing on their way to the
better land. Ned often spoke of the sinful ways
into which he had compelled his servant to go,
while tears of regret filled his eyes. It was indeed
a goodly sight to see them together praising God.
"The good done among the slaves by the gos¬
pel was manifest in many ways and on many oc¬
casions, but in none more conspicuously and ben¬
eficially than during the war. Here the old men,
women, and children were left without any human
protection in their midst and at their mercy. And
in this exposed and helpless condition I do not re¬
member a single instance in all this country where¬
in they laid hands on them to hurt them. And
when the Yankee armies came, carrying away
many of the less civilly disposed of the blacks
with them, the better class remained to work for
the support and protection of old master and mis¬
tress and the children till freedom came."
Rev. T. J. B. Neely relates the following affect¬
ing incident:
Gambro was an old slave owned bj my father. He was one
of the noblest of his race. In his hands weie placed gieat le-
350 The Gosfel among the Slaves.
sponsibilities, and in no case was he ever unfaithful. Re¬
ligion was his theme, the enthusing current of his life. At
night he sung and prayed in his cabin, and exhorted his fellow-
servants to righteousness. All knew Uncle Gambro, and all,
wherever he went, honored and respected him. As my father
stood beside his dying bed old Gambro said to him: "Master,
you have been merciful and good to me and Nancy, and I want
to thank you for it before I go. You've preached to us a long
time, sir, and we've seen some mighty good times together, but
now they say I must die. I feel that I shall soon be gone. I've
been talkin' to the Lord a long time about this matter. I have
now come right up to the river and the next step—O, my Lord,
■where shall I land? On the other bank? on the glorious bank?
Yes, thank the Lord! As you prayed last night, sir, he will
raise me up at the last day, and I will be satisfied when I wake
up in his likeness."
The next morning he lay stretched upon the plank cold and
stiff in death. The neighbors came in, both white and black, to
pay the last tribute to the grand old man they had truly hon¬
ored. He had fought a good fight; he had kept the faith. My
father gave him a Christian burial, and with loving hands we
covered him in the clods of the valley. Dear Uncle Gambro!
peace to thy ashes, and a blissful immortality when we shall all
be raised up at the last day!
Rev. W. A. Parks furnishes the following pleas¬
ing account of the religious influence exercised by
the white pastors over their colored charges. Mr.
Parks was stationed in Athens, Ga., in 1857,
serving a large and flourishing "colored charge."
"During the first revival in the Athens Mission,"
says Mr. Parks, "about one hundred were con¬
verted and joined the Church. Among the num¬
ber was a sprightly lad some twelve years of age,
the slave of Prof. Johnson, of Franklin University.
Lucius Holsey.—for such was the lad's name—was
house servant, waiter in the dining room, and er-
Traits of Christian Character. 351
rand boy. He was of a bright color, rather small
for his age, quick of movement, and with a clear,
penetrating eye.
4'Thirty years had come and gone since the
conversion of that boy when the North Georgia
Conference was in session in Augusta. I was ap¬
pointed to preach on Sunday at 11 o'clock in
Trinity Colored Methodist Church. I was greeted
by a large audience of the most intelligent of the
colored population. Seated in the pulpit was Hol-
sey, then bishop of the C. M. E. Church. He
gave me a cordial welcome to the pulpit, for he
had been pastor of that church. He was to me a
stranger; but I was not a stranger to him, and he
greeted me as though he had been a lifelong
friend. He closed the services for me. After
the prayer he arose and addressed the congrega¬
tion in about these words:
" ' I must be pardoned for detaining you, but
I must relate to you a bit of my experience. I
was converted at Athens when a boy about twelve
years old. There was a great revival in the
Church, and many were converted. The gentle¬
man who has just preached to you was the pastor.
He preached a sermon on Sunday morning that
sent conviction to my heart, and brought me to see
that I was a sinner and lost without salvation. I
went away from the church with a heart burdened
with sin. I found no comfort in the company of
my former associates. I could do nothing but
pray. I prayed as I waited in the dining room; I
352 The Gospel among the Slaves.
prayed as I went to and from the post office; I
prayed all the week, and thought of little else but
my sins-, with a yearning for deliverance I cannot
express.
"'On the next Sunday morning my duties were
such I could not go to church, but I went at night.
I answered the first call to the altar, and there I
wrestled with God in prayer. I had gone to the
altar to find salvation, and I was not willing to
leave it till the burden was rolled from my heart.
Finally all others had left the altar, the congrega¬
tion had been dismissed, and I alone remained,
crouched down in front of the altar in an agony
too great to describe. All but a few had left the
church. Mr. Parks said: ' Brethren, I think this
boy will be converted to-night. Let us get around
him and pray for him.' They knelt around me,
the pastor and my colored friends. Mr. Parks
led the prayer, and while he was pleading with
God for my salvation the Lord rolled the burden
of sin from my heart and heaven's light came shin¬
ing in. O what a happy boy I was! I have had
many ups and downs since then, but in all my sor¬
rows and toils in the ministry the Lord has been
with me. I still have that same light and joy that
came into my heart as I knelt at the altar of the
Athens church.'
" Then turning to me, his forefinger pointing to
heaven, the tears coursing down his cheeks, he
said to me: * Brother, when you get to heaven,
and the blessed Lord places a crown on your head,
Traits of Christian Character. 353
I will be one star in that crown! ' Then with a
heart too full for utterance, and in a tremulous
voice, he dismissed an audience nearly all of whom
were suffused in tears."
The Rev. Leonard Rush, of the Georgia Confer¬
ence, relates an incident that illustrates the liberal¬
ity and fraternal feeling of these sons of Africa:
" One of the plantations I served on the Chat¬
tahoochee Mission belonged to ex-Governor
Hamilton, of South Carolina. When I took
charge of this place, I found two leaders, a Meth¬
odist and a Baptist. The Methodist leader was a
low man in stature and the Baptist a tall one.
The name of each was Billy. They called one
' Short Billy' and the other ' Long Billy.' There
were four hundred slaves on this plantation. Long
Billy and his flock held a certificate of member¬
ship from the Baptist Church in Savannah. When
I had been preaching at this place two years,
' Long Billy' came to see me one day and said:
'Master Rush, I have heard you preach two years,
and you preach just what I believe, and I and all
my members will join your Church, provided you
will immerse us when we wish to be baptized.' I
promised to do so, and he and all his charge—I
think about thirty in all—became members of our
Church.
" They had some customs on this plantation that
I very much admired. When a child was born,
as soon as the mother was able to carry the child
to the place of worship, they had a day of thanks-
354 The Gospel among the Slaves.
giving to God for the preservation of the mother,
and that another human being had been brought
into existence. They then presented the child
before the congregation and offered it to God with
many prayers for its safe passage through the
world, and for its eternal welfare in the world to
come. When any one became a seeker of salva¬
tion, if it was a woman, they committed her to the
care of two or three of their most pious women,
who advised her, prayed for her, and led her on
until she came through the Spirit. By coming
through the Spirit they meant what we call con¬
version. If the seeker was a man, two or three
of the brethren took charge of him in the like
manner.
"About the close of my fourth year on this
mission we had a wonderful work of revival, and
between forty and fifty came through the Spirit.
I examined each of them carefully, and I believe
they were truly born of the Spirit. The day I
appointed to baptize them turned out to be one
of the coldest I had ever known. We had to
march a mile to the Chattahoochee, where the
ordinance was to be administered. On leaving
their cabins they formed a procession two deep,
the leaders in front, next some of the principal
members, then the candidates for baptism. Be¬
hind them came the other Church members, with
the worldings in the rear. As they started they
raised a song, and how they did sing! They sung
all the way to the river.
Traits of Christian Character. 355
"The day was beautiful, the sky was clear, and
the water as clear as the sky. The sun shone
with noonday splendor. When we entered the
bed of the river, we had to pass over a bed of clean
white sand before we got to the edge of the water.
Here Short Billy presented his candidates for bap¬
tism, and then Long Billy presented his. The
latter said: 'Master Rush, here are seventeen
that I wish you to immerse, but here are three
sickly ones, and it would be unsafe for them to go
into the water, so I only want you to sprinkle
them.' I went through our baptismal formula, and
then arranged all to be baptized by affusion in a
line facing the water, leaving room for me to pass
between them and the water. They then all knelt
down, facing the water, and I dipped the water in
my mission-horn and baptized them according to
the rites of the Methodist Church.
"Long Billy then waded out into the water to
where it was of sufficient depth for immersion,
and, standing with his face upstream, offered a
very devout prayer. I then, with his assistance,
immersed his subjects. When I entered the water,
I felt like I was on fire until I lost all feeling. I
then had to ride a mile before I could change my
clothes. I very narrowly escaped an attack of
pneumonia from that day's work."
From the pen of Dr. H. S. Thrall, of Texas,
we have these pen-portraits of remarkable negro
Methodists in Texas.
"In 1842," says Dr. Thrall, "Austin, Tex.,
356 The Gospel among the Slaves.
was depopulated by Indian raids. The govern¬
ment returned to the city in 1844, and in the ±al1
of that year the writer of this was sent there to
reorganize the Methodist Church.
" When I arrived in the city, one of the first
acquaintances formed was that of Rowan Hardin,
a lawyer, belonging to a celebrated Kentucky
family of Methodists. Mr. Hardin informed me
that the only religious services held in the city, of
which he had heard, were those by a colored
preacher named Nace Duval, a slave of the Duval
family.
" Nace was an excellent Christian, with consid¬
erable preaching ability. He had collected a large
class of colored Methodists, and was active in
visiting, exhorting, and holding meetings. I found
him efficient help in my work among his race. He
had considerable influence with the whites, and,
with his assistance, we built a small house of wor¬
ship for the negroes. It was located on the hill
where the colored congregation of the M. E.
Church now worships in that city.
"After freedom, Brother Nace removed to San
Antonio, and organized a Church for the colored
people in that city in connection with the African
M. E. Church. That congregation now has a
resident bishop. Their church is on the west side
of the San Pedro Creek in that city. Their patri¬
arch, Nace, died in the faith at a good old age,
universally loved and respected.
" In 1848 the writer traveled what was then
Traits of Christian Character. 357
known as the Washington Circuit. At Independ¬
ence he found one of the most able and influential
preachers he has ever met. He was universally
known as ' Uncle Mark.' The planters paid his
master for his time, and he traveled extensively,
preaching, organizing churches, and doing an
excellent work for his people. About that time
the owner of Uncle Mark removed to the West,
and the planters, unwilling to lose his labors and
influence among their slaves, raised the money
among themselves, and purchased him; but as
our laws did not allow of emancipation, he was
deeded to three Methodist preachers in trust for
the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.
" In 1853 the Texas Conference elected Uncle
Mark to deacon's orders as a local preacher, and
Bishop Paine ordained him at the Conference at
Bastrop. After the war he united with the A. M.
E. Church, and lived to a good old age, loved and
respected by white and black.
" I once heard Uncle Mark illustrate the con¬
duct of unstable Christians. £ You,' said he,' are
in and out, joining the Church and backsliding.
Bless your souls, the Lord don't count you in the
crop! You belong to the " Drop Shot Gang!" ' (a
gang composed of feeble women and children, not
counted as hands in the crop).
" On another occasion he was preaching against
pride. He said: 4 You think a poor negro has
nothing to be proud of; but on Sunday afternoon
give one of these boys a red bandanna handker-
358 The Gospel among the Slaves.
chief and white cotton gloves, and he's as proud
as Lucifer.'
" There was a singular depth and pathos in the
good man's voice, and he had a wonderful facility
in illustrations. At that early period there was less
prejudice against colored preachers than now
appears in some places. Uncle Mark often attend¬
ed our camp meetings, and certain hours at the
preaching-stand were given to the negroes. When
he arose in the pulpit to address his fellow-slaves,
numbers of the whites would gather near and
listen with profound attention to the old man's
eloquent appeals.
"In 1850 and 1851 I was stationed at Galveston.
We then had but one church building, and on
Sunday afternoon Ryland Chapel, as our church
was named, was occupied by the colored people,
the pastor conducting the services, which usually
consisted of preaching, catechising, etc. I found
here an excellent colored society, among them
some truly gifted speakers. Their names have
escaped me, but the record is on high. One of
them was a barber who hired his own time and
who kept one of the most fashionable shops in the
city. He managed to have a good deal of leisure,
and was a great help in doing pastoral work among
the negroes.
"We soon found it necessary to have a separate
place of worship, and with the help of the white
congregation, and such assistance as the negroes
could give, we secured a lot on Broadway and
Traits of Christian Character. 359
built a small church. Some of the happiest meet¬
ings I had during my Galveston pastorate was
with the colored brethren in the Broadway Church.
After the war that congregation and property went
into the possession of the African M. E. Church.
There is now a commodious building on that
Broadway lot, belonging to the A. M. E. Church."
From the pen of Rev. Whiteford Smith, D.D.,
of the South Carolina Conference, we have the
following account of a famous character among
the colored people in South Carolina:
" I first knew Sancho Cooper while I was in
college at Columbia, S. C.—1826 to 1830. He
was then the trusted servant of Dr. Thomas Cooper,
the noted skeptic, President of the college.
"As our first recitation in the morning was held
at sunrise, the students were in the habit of em¬
ploying some of the servants who resided in the
campus, or its immediate vicinity, to bring them
water and make fires at or about daylight. Sancho
Cooper was one of these, as it did not interfere
with his duties at home. Of his early life the
tradition, as I have heard it, was that his former
owner had had no objection to him except on the
score of his religion. He was bitterly opposed to
his holding meetings and praying with the negroes
on the plantation; and inasmuch as Sancho could
not be persuaded to give up his conscientious con¬
victions of duty in this respect, he was threatened
and afterward cruelly punished to make him stop
praying, and finally sold for no other fault but this.
360 The Gosjyel among- the Slaves.
" I have heard that when Dr. Cooper purchased
Sancho he told him he had no objection to his
praying, so that he faithfully discharged his duties
to him. I have heard Dr. Cooper speak in terms
of warm approval of Sancho's character, and
express a wish that all the negroes were like him.
As far as I ever heard, he had the confidence and
respect of the Doctor's family and the community
at large. It is related that on one occasion an aged
negro woman lay dying in the kitchen. The fam¬
ily was greatly attached to her and had gathered
about her bed, smitten with deep emotion. While
Sancho was praying with and for her she became
very happy, shouting the praises of God, where¬
upon Sancho, turning to them, called upon them
to witness how happy were the effects of religion
on an old negro.
" Sancho was class leader among the colored
members of our Church in Columbia for many
years, and held in high respect by his pastors and
by the white membership of the Church generally.
His honesty and truthfulness I never heard ques¬
tioned. At one time he was at the head of a
society, composed of the colored members of the
Church, who had banded together for the purpose
of mutual improvement, and also for charitable
purposes. They met once a week and regularly
contributed to a fund called " the poor fund," the
surplus of which went to the sick and aged.
" In 1832 I entered upon the work of the min¬
istry. In 1841-42 I was stationed in Columbia.
Traits of Christian Character. 361
Dr. Cooper was then dead. I found Sancho still
one of the faithful leaders among the colored
people. Gaining his confidence, he spoke to me
freely of his master's death. One day during the
Doctor's last illness he called Sancho into his
room and directed him to shut and lock the door.
He then pointed to a large quarto Bible upon a
shelf and bade him take it down. Sancho did so,
when the Doctor told him to keep it for his sake.
He then spoke to Sancho very feelingly of the
religion that faithful old servant had so long pro¬
fessed—told him it was right and to hold on to it,
that he had known what it was himself when he
was young, but that the people in public life and
high positions, with whom he had been called to
associate, had been the means of leading him away
from it. Sancho went on to say that Dr. Cooper
had told him that he wished him to kneel down
and pray for him. To this Sancho objected, on
the ground of his unlettered ignorance and inca¬
pacity to pray for so learned a man, saying, ' I
am not fit, master, to pray for so great a man as
you,' and urged him to send for one of the min¬
isters then stationed in the city, who would be far
more able to talk and pray with him. But the
Doctor told him he was good enough to pray for
him, and insisted on it until Sancho complied with
his wishes to the best of his ability. Upon Sancho
further urging him, he asked what minister would
come to see him. Sancho told him that he knew
Rev. William M. Kennedy would come. He said
362 The Gospel among the Slaves.
the Doctor finally consented, but objections were
interposed, and thus Mr. Kennedy was never sent
for. Thus we have evidence that the hard and un¬
believing heart of this noted skeptic was indeed
melted at the last, and there is no doubt that the
consistent life of this faithful old negro had much
to do with it, else why did his master so cling to him
when the dark waves of death's river were beating
about his feet?
" Sancho brought the Bible his master had given
him to the parsonage to show to me, and left it in
my possession some days. He treasured it highly
and had determined that at his death it should be
given to the library of Wofford College. But in
the destruction of Columbia during the late war it
could never be found, and is supposed to have
been consumed in the conflagration of that city.
This Bible was said to have belonged to Dr.
Cooper's father, who was a minister of the gospel
and a great friend of John Wesley. I heard Dr.
Cooper say that he had known Mr. Wesley very
well and often been dandled on his knee when he
stopped over at his father's house on his travels.
"As an instance of Dr. Cooper's kind consid¬
eration of Sancho's religious feelings and devotion
to duty, I have heard it said that on one occasion,
when the Doctor had company on the evening of
Sancho's class meeting, finding that Sancho re¬
mained to attend on the house, he reminded him
that this was the evening for his meeting, when
Sancho replied that the Doctor had company.
Traits of Christian Character. 363
The Doctor answered him, ' No, no!' and insisted
on his not allowing that to detain him from his
meeting, and bade him go.
" Sancho lived to a ripe old age, well provided
for by his master, who had left him an annuity in
his will."
24
CHAPTER XVII.
Memorials of Faithful Slaves.
Mrs. SUSAN S. McPHERSON, of Fayette-
ville, Ala., records some reminiscences of a
Southern plantation.
" I used regularly to read the Bible," says Mrs.
McPherson, " to all such as came to hear. I had
stated seasons set apart for this. After reading
the texts I would explain them as well as I could,
and then give a little talk touching religion carried
into the daily life. Three of our men became
preachers, powers for untold good among their
people. All three of these men could read. They
had been taught on the plantation. One could
consult Dr. Clarke's ' Commentary ' on any subject
he desired. He could write also. When set free,
he supported himself by teaching school. I also
encouraged my children to teach the young ne¬
groes how to spell and read. Sometimes we had
regular schools on the place, at which the young
instructors did something else besides merely -play
at teaching.
"We had many trusted family servants, who
were treated like anything else but servants, and
who, in turn, were devoted to us. I must tell of
one of these. Her name was Amanda. She had
been born in our home and raised up there. We
(364)
Memorials of Faithful Slaves. 365
never thought of Amanda as a servant, much less as
a slave. Hers was one of the most beautiful char¬
acters I have ever known, black or white. If
ever she exhibited even the least inclination to
bad temper, I never knew it. In her disposition
she was most gentle and docile, with plenty of
spirit, yet yielding obedience with a sweet and
hearty readiness that was sure to win all who saw
her. Amanda came as near being a perfect hu¬
man being as I have ever known. She was posi¬
tively without fault, save a little shortcoming here
and there that could not be said to amount to a
fault. She was coal black, not a particle of mixed
blood in her, a truly noble specimen of her race.
She is still living, a courteous, gentle old woman
that it is a real pleasure to know. Around her
has grown up a family of children whose polite
manners and good behavior is the remark of all.
Such negroes as these are a blessing to any com¬
munity.
"Among my husband's slaves was one that had
been brought direct from Africa. He had been
taken from there when fifteen years of age. It
took him a long while to learn to talk so that we
could understand him. When he heard of the
good world where he might meet his friends, old
Jack was one of the happiest negroes on the earth.
After he was converted his cup of joy seemed run¬
ning over. His religion shone in his face and
spoke in every tone of his voice. Daily he praised
God for having sent him to America, where he
366 The Gospel among the Slaves.
had learned of things so precious to him. When
old Jack got happy, he would hug his master and
bless God for having placed them together. Jack
had unusual intelligence, was quick to understand,
and as quick at retort. Once, just after he had
been publicly shouting and proclaiming how pre¬
cious he had found Jesus to his soul, a young
man looking on said to him: 'Jack, don't be so
certain about having Jesus with you. You only
hope you have him, I guess.'
" ' Mr. Thomson, you hopes you have your hat
on your head ? '
" ' Hope, Jack? why I know I have it on.'
" ' But you can't see it: it's on the back of your
head.'
" ' But I can feel it,' returned Mr. Thomson, a
little out of patience with Jack's questioning.
" ' Yes, that's jus' so. You feels it. Well, Mr.
Thomson, that's jus' de way wid Jack. I knows
I's got my Jesus in my heart. I can't see him,
but I feels him. O how I feels him! Bress de
Lord! bress de Lord! ' And Jack went to shout¬
ing again.
"In 1850 Jack expressed a desire to go to Af¬
rica and preach to his people there. That he
might have the wish of his heart, my husband set
him free. He also began the preparations to send
him over; but when the time came, Jack's heart
failed him. He couldn't leave his family. Of
course we could not think of sending his family
with him, for Jack was quite a patriarch, having a
Memorials of Faithful Slaves. 367
wife and twenty children. All his children who
grew up made good and useful men and women.
Several of them are living now in this place. They
stand well in the community. His grandchildren
and great-grandchildren still serve my family.
They do all my house work and attend to other
calls. The tie that exists between us is strong.
Only death can sever it.
"As to Jack, he died in great peace, still shout¬
ing forth the praises of his Jesus. His master had
him buried in the family burial ground. There
he sleeps beside the generations of those he loved
and served so well. The attachment of these old
family servants to the old plantation home was
touching. It was always hard for them to leave
it; and when fortune or chance drifted them back
again, they were the most overjoyed of creatures.
" Some time after freedom one of our old serv-
unts who was at a distance was attacked with a
lingering sickness. She constantly begged to be
carried back to the old home, pathetically protest¬
ing that she could not die away from it. At
length her desire was granted. Her happiness
was touching to see. The last words on her lips
were: ' I have a home in glory.' "
We could fill many pages with the records of
faithful servants who preserved after their emanci¬
pation their affection for their former masters and
mistresses, proving the reality of their attachment
by testimony that cannot be doubted. Within the
knowledge of the editor of this volume there are
368
The Gospel among the Slaves.
more than a score of instances in which emanci¬
pated slaves, or " freedmen " and " freedwomen,"
as they are called, have labored for years as hired
servants, taking their monthly wages to eke out
the small income of their former owners. Deny¬
ing themselves of all the luxuries and many of the
conveniences of life, these faithful negroes have
ministered to those who were in other days their
masters and mistresses, recognizing the debt of
gratitude that was due to those who were, under
Providence, their benefactors in the days of slav¬
ery.
Many instances similar to the one recorded by
Col. J. J. Stockwell, of California, might be in¬
serted. This one is of a peculiar character, and
we give it in full:
In the year 1873, owing to the prevalence of yellow fever,
we fled from Shreveport, La. Every one had lost his head on
account of the dire scourge. Friends were deserting friends,
and even among the members of the same family cases of cold-
hearted desertion were known to have occurred. Against so
unprepossessing a background the example of faithfulness I
am about to relate stands forth the more luminous.
In our flight we came near to the house of a former slave of
my father, Mary Ann by name, who was then, with other hired
hands, working on a farm in the vicinity. She had lived with
us on the old home plantation; had been kindly treated and
brought up in the light and knowledge of the gospel. In return
her heart was filled with gratitude and affection. Few white
people would have proven it with the heroism she did.
It soon became known all through the neighborhood that we
had been exposed to the fever. In consequence we were
shunned as though the dread plague had broken out among us.
No white person would come near us, not within a hundred
yards of our dwelling place. But this faithful old woman, this
Memorials of Faithful Slaves. 369
former servant, came regularly to administer to our wants, and
this, too, in the face of the strongest opposition. She came
daily to bring us milk, vegetables, and other necessities. But
for her and the supplies with which she furnished us, we must
have suffered sorely.
When the man for whom she was working heard of her
coming to us, he harshly forbade her to do so again, threatening
to discharge her if she persisted. But Mary Ann's faithfulness
was far above any worldly consideration. She continued her
visits to us, but now chiefly at night, bringing her small tokens
of care and affection.
But this was not the only instance of Mary Ann's faithful¬
ness. Several years before this, during my father's illness, she
left her home and came to nurse* him, remaining with him to
his death. I have known Mary Ann on several occasions to
walk twenty miles to visit us, and to bring us such little pres¬
ents as she could afford. Through the varying changes of life
her heart still clung faithfully about those who had been con¬
nected with her and who had been good to her in the old plan¬
tation home.
The following article, from the pen of Mrs.
Mary Winans Wall, of Louisiana, makes worthy
mention of a nobleman of nature, whose name will
be perpetuated as long as goodness and generosity
are esteemed among men. As this record embod¬
ies the subject of this chapter as well as the pur¬
pose of this book, we give it in full:
I speak from experience when I say that Southerners—many
of them—were warmly zealous in their endeavors to promote
religious instruction among their slaves.
It was always a matter that lay near the hearts of Methodist
preachers. Being a preacher's daughter, and wife, I can speak
from knowledge. In my childhood days negro servants were
considered as part of the family, and treated very much as the
children were, being cared for and directed in their duties. In
families where I was intimate the servants were regularly
called in to prayers. In my own family, during the absence of
37o The Gospel among the Slaves.
my father, my mother would read a chapter, we would all sing
a hymn, and then often she would ask "Uncle Winter" to lead
us in prayer.
Judge McGhee, who owned hundreds of slaves, was very
careful to have them regularly preached to. His son's (Capt.
George McGhee's) earliest recollection is of sitting in his
nurse's lap and hearing preaching to the slaves in a large room
on his father's plantation. I will not be positive, but I think
that it was a bishop who preached to them that night. I was
visiting at the house, and I remember that Conference was sit¬
ting at Woodville.
In the Mississippi Conference there were always missionaries
appointed to preach to the blacks. As a general thing they
were favorably received and encouraged in their labors. Some
of the planters, however, did not want their negroes preached
to, fearing abolition teaching.
At old Midway Church, in Wilkinson County, Miss., there
was a part of the building that was especially set apart for the
negroes, and they often outnumbered the whites. They heard
just the same gospel, and had the same sacraments that the
whites had. This was from 1818 to 1840. Slowly things
changed. The abolition excitement, then at white heat, com¬
bined with other things, began to tell, and the patriarchal sys¬
tem of domestic slavery reached its decline. Yet the mission¬
aries, despite the cold shoulder often turned upon them, went
from plantation to plantation preaching and teaching. Nobler
and grander soldiers of the cross were never found. They
counted no sacrifice too great in their Godlike efforts to advance
this lowly work. Let the Church honor their memory, and
keep it green forever.
A gentleman in West Feliciana, La., who was not a Chris¬
tian, asked for a preacher for his slaves. He said: "I do not
wish to see my negroes die rvithout religious training." He
voiced the sentiment of many who were nonreligious them¬
selves.
At Clinton, La., where I moved after marriage, there was a
large congregation and membership of colored people. They
were regularly preached to on Sunday afternoon. They met
at 2:30 o'clock, and were a neatly dressed, good-looking, and
contented people. Sometimes a white minister preached to
Memorials of Faithf ul Slaves, 371
them, and again one of their own color. The law was then
that a white person must be present during the services I
have often sat and listened to their exercises, when my husband
was away.
I always tried to teach the colored children, as my mother
had done before me. After I came to Clinton I established a
Sunday school for them that was always well attended. It was
at that time not a very popular thing to do, but I persevered.
I could afford to do so, as I had influential friends to defend my
course. I had one ladv to say to me, " I can't help believing
you are an abolitionist," and all because I was simply making
an effort for the souls of these black creatures. Even my own
sons were against me, or that is against the work. One of them
used to say, nearly every Sunday: " Mother, let those negroes
alone." But I kept resolutely on my way, despite all dissuasion
or opposition. I had blessed help in the work. Sometimes
Mrs. Judge McVea and Mrs. Lucy Barton helped me. One
sweet young girl helped me for awhile, but her uncle made
her quit it.
There are two colored ministers who claim me as their theo¬
logical instructress. As they are exceptionally intelligent and
pious, it is no small credit that they reflect. One of these is
Blind William Nailor. He learned every word of Capers's
" Smaller Catechism " from me and nearly all the larger one,
together with the Creed, many hymns, and a great deal of the
Bible. He is now a minister in the A. M. E. Church. He
comes to see me at intervals, and gratefully thanks me for the
care I bestowed upon him. Often when traveling about the
parish I come upon those, now grown men and women, who
joyfully recognize me, and speak to me as their former Sunday
school teacher. It warms my heart to think that many of these
have gone right. But there are some who have not. That
worries me, but then I remember that it is the way of the world
ever: all who are taught, never mind how conscientiously or
well, do not do right.
I have seen consistent lives among some colored people who
did not join the Church. One of the most faithful people I
ever knew was " Uncle Toney." He could not be induced to
join the Church, and yet he was in every way to be trusted.
His father was an African, surrounded by all the dark super-
372 The Gospel among the Slaves.
stitions of his race, and I have often wondered if he were not
the cause of his son's refusal to come into the Church. But I
think Toney tided to live right. When dying he made this
answer to those who were endeavoring to get him to acknowl¬
edge himself a follower of Christ: " I've always tried to keep up
my plantation." Rev. J. C. Burruss, to whom it was repeated,
said that was as good a confession of faith as we need wish—
for Toney.
Some of these old time slaves were a pleasure to all and a
blessing to their owners. Judge McGhee owned a man named
Charles. He had manners as courtly as Henry Clay—-my model
of manners. He had a nice white frame cottage, rode a horse,
and enjoyed the confidence and favor of the white people, yet
he was just as deferential as the humblest field hand. He was
worthy both of love and esteem. Always on his return from
New Orleans or the North, Judge McGhee brought a quantity
of supplies not only for his family, but for his servants. Once,
as they were spread out before him, he said to Charles: " Charles,
what do you want of those things?" "Well, master," returned
Charles, " I would like some of that furniture checks." I have
forgotten whether he said he wanted the checks for a spread,
or some bed curtains, but think it was for curtains. If Charles
had said, "Master, I would love to have a silver mug, or a
carpet," I do not doubt that Charles's wish would have been
gratified, so highly did his master esteem him. But Charles
was the humblest of creatures; he never once thought of such
things as being suitable to him. He was, too, one of the most
faithful. No one ever seemed to him to equal his own folks.
When Gen. Taylor, after the Mexican war, had a reception
in Woodville, Charles was in attendance on his white people.
Next day some one said: "Charles, what do you think of the
General?" Well," returned Charles, "he was well enough,but
I did not see any gentleman who came up to the Judge?
I kept faithfully to my class in the Sunday school till freedom
came. Twenty years in all had I faithfully devoted to them,
and it pained me to see the readiness with which they left me,
until only seven were left. William Nailor stood steadfastly
by the Church into which I had brought him, until that Church
made separate provision for its colored members, when he
entered the A. M. E. Church.
Mem or ials of Faithful Slaves. 373
Not unfrequently the missionary to the slaves
was called upon to follow the example of St. Paul
in returning a runaway slave to his master. One
instance of this kind Mrs. Lizzie T. Gulick, of
Texas, relates. She was the daughter of Rev.
John W. Talley, of the Georgia Conference, who
was for many years distinguished for his labors
among the negroes.
"One morning," says Mrs. Gulick, "our old
nurse came in and told brother and me that there
was a runaway negro in the kitchen. With fear
and trembling we went out to see him. His clothes
were in rags and his head and feet were bare. He
sent a message by us to father. He was engaged,
but returned a message to the negro that he would
see him after awhile. In the meantime, he told
us to see that the cook gave the poor fellow some
hot coffee and a good breakfast.
" I saw tears on the negro's black face, but his
eyes brightened as soon as my father appeared.
He had heard my father preach, and many times
he had been kindly talked to and encouraged to
make a brave and faithful man of himself. His
story was soon told. When angry with another
negro, he had been insolent to his master, and in
his passion and fright had fled from the field to
the woods, where he had remained hidden ever
since, living as best he could. Now he wanted to
go home to his master, but he was afraid to go
alone. In his loneliness his heart turned to the
good, kind preacher. He had no other friend who
374 The Gos^pel among the Slaves.
could go with him to his master, and help in the
task of telling how sorry he was for the wrong
he had done.
" My father's heart was touched. Soon all was
arranged, and in a little while he, with the ragged
runaway negro in the buggy with him, was on
his way to the master. With a little intercession,
the master was soon ready to forgive and forget.
The old negro loved my father to the end of his
life with a deep and idolatrous affection."
Rev. A. D. Betts, of the North Carolina Confer¬
ence, furnishes the following:
In the later days of slavery the laws of North Carolina did
not allow negroes to hold religious meetings without the pres¬
ence of some white person, so the pastor appointed a white
class leader for the negroes in each church.
At Zion Church, in Brunswick County, we had a large num¬
ber of negro members. They requested me to appoint Brother
W. H. Walker their class leader. At that time he owned a
small farm, had a nice family of children, and owned a few
slaves. Some years before he had been overseer on the largest
plantation in the neighborhood. What a tribute was this! these
slaves choosing for their spiritual guide the man who had for
years governed them on the farm!
About the middle of the year I preached on Missions at n
a.m. and took up a collection. It was a fine one. Among
other contributions, four persons paid twenty dollars to have
their pastor made a life member. There was the usual number
of negroes present, and I noticed them paying very close at¬
tention.
That afternoon, as was my custom, I preached specially to
the negroes at 3 o'clock. At its close 1 took up a collection for
Missions. I was taken greatly by surprise when the negroes
began at once, and in fine spirit, to raise twenty dollars to make
their class leader a life member of the society. In a few min¬
utes it was done. Brother Walker was deeply moved, as he
Memorials of Faithful Slaves. 375
had need to be. Never have I known a heartier or a more
honest compliment paid.
Afterward we rode to Wilmington and had our certificates
framed. I do not know which was the prouder, he or I. His
hung in an honored place on his parlor wall through life. The
incident related needs no further comment.
CHAPTER XVIII.
Testimony of Prominent Freedmen.
THAT the missions to the slaves on the large
plantations involved greater risks than other
stations of itinerant ministers will be conceded by-
all persons acquainted with the facts. The rice
plantations especially were centers of malarial in¬
fluence. Large bodies of water kept stagnant
upon the level rice fields, permeating the soil to a
great depth, filling crevices and subterranean
lakelets, just deep enough to be within reach of
atmospheric changes, and the recession of the
pent-up mass of water leaving these pools and
lakelets to welter and boil in the summer sun with
myriads of decaying vegetable germs of disease-
producing quality—these were the conditions out
of which periodical attacks of fever could not fail
to come. The blacks, accustomed for genera¬
tions and for ages to similar conditions in the
tropics and on the seacoast of Africa, were hard¬
ened against these fevers, but the whites were al¬
most universally attacked whenever they came
within range of the deadly miasma. How many
soldiers of the cross died as martyrs to these fe¬
vers we will never know. The yellow fever has
its times of visitation, and thousands fall while the
world looks on, pities, sympathizes, or mourns the
(376)
Testimony of Prominent Freedmen.
destruction of human life. Heroes on these occa¬
sions are immortalized. They die in the glare of
newspapers and telegraphs, throwing a halo of
glory upon such deathbeds. But from year to
year, one by one, the patient itinerant died by the
wayside, and the people of his own state scarcely
heard of it. He alone knew the risks in venturing
upon the work, and he alone knew the reward of
the faithful messenger who died in carrying the
Lord's message.
An illustration, which is one of more than a
score that might be given, will be found in the
following paper from the pen of Rev. John W.
Talley, of the Georgia Conference:
In 1836 I was made presiding elder of the Savannah District,
and for four years combined the duties of this position with
that of superintendent of the slave missions on the Savannah
River: Skidaway, Whitemarsh, Burnside, Islands below Savan¬
nah, Back River, S. C., Ogeechee, etc. This work was re¬
garded by some as the forlorn hope, by others the field of
honor, and the best men of the Conference were willing to be
sent there. I knew and loved two promising young men who
were appointed to this dangerous work, and there died in young
manhood. One, Alfred Beatty, of handsome form and face, of
fine intellect, educated at West Point, gave himself up for this
work. The first year in it he fell by the country fever and left
his widowed mother and a devoted wife. The other was a
young brother by the name of Rawls. He was a lemaikably
saintly youth, and devoted to the work of the Mastei. The
day before his attack he, Rev. James E. Godfrey, and m 3. self
went from the wharf at Savannah in a boat to the plantation on
Back River and north end of Hutchison Island. On many rice
fields the flood gates had been opened to the putrid water that
had stagnated under a burning sun. I, Brothers Rawls and
Godfrey, in a four-oared boat, rowed, that Sunday morning,
378 The Gosfel among the Slaves.
over the putrid water from the rice fields to Mr. Smith's plan¬
tation, and returned to Savannah Sunday night. That young
missionary's work was accomplished; the Master said it was
enough. He had nothing more to do but to lay himself down
and die. Monday morning revealed the fearful truth. The
physician kept his own counsel, and the young, saintly Rawls
suffered. All day and all night Brother Godfrey and I, as¬
sisted by our good wives, sat by his bed and soothed and min¬
istered to him as best we could. One short week he suffered;
black vomit ensued and his death was imminent. We never
left him. Young, promising, talented, devotedly pious, an¬
other martyr had fallen in his zeal to rescue the negro's soul
from the thraldom of sin.
Who will write of the dangers and sufferings and death
Southern Methodist preachers endured in preaching the gospel
of the Son of God to the negroes of the rice and cotton fields?
Brother Samuel J. Bryan was an angel of mercy to the ne¬
groes on many of these plantations. He traveled on the rice
dams from plantation to plantation, and at all hours of the day
and night to mitigate the sufferings of the negroes prostrated
by the cholera. The owners were at a distance, in many in¬
stances the overseer dead, and agents and physicians too fright¬
ened to risk spending one night in the house occupied by the
cholera patients. But Samuel Bryan, with his trust in God,
knew no fear. He could be seen stooping over their prostrate
forms, ministering to their wants, and helping to load the boats
with the sick and frightened negroes whom their masters were
sending to high pine lands, where they could be better nursed.
Again he was seen disbursing the provisions the affrighted
owners had ordered for the relief of their suffering slaves.
The owners would not risk their own lives on the infected
plantations, though the loss of slaves and property amounted
to a loss of thousands. But Samuel Bryan and the other mis¬
sionaries for the love of God and the hope of saving souls were
happy in their work of love to the poorest and most ignorant.
Afterward Rev. Andrew Hammell was superintendent of
this mission field, visiting it often in company with the regular
missionaries: Brothers John Davis, Quillen, John W. Rems-
hart, and others.
Then Dr. Lovick Pierce, in his time, was visiting and cate-
Testimony of Prominent Freedmen. 379
chising, from plantation to plantation, and preaching at the va¬
rious places. Can the world or the Church produce such an
array of men, heroes as well as servants? There are others,
many others, I have not named, but their names are written in
heaven.
That the negroes of this generation should cher¬
ish the kindliest feelings toward the whites, and
especially their old masters, is perfectly natural, and
we should not be surprised to find utterance given
to this sentiment. Bishop Henry M. Turner, prob¬
ably the foremost man in the African Methodist
Episcopal Church, of which he is now a bishop,
was born free; but his wife was a slave, and his
first introduction to the people of Athens, Ga.,
was in 1858, when he was soliciting money to pur¬
chase his wife's freedom. Rev. W. A. Parks, of
the North Georgia Conference, who gives us this
information, could not state whether success at¬
tended the efforts of the preacher, but he testifies
to the deep interest kindled among the white peo¬
ple by Turner's preaching.
The Rev. Samuel Leard, one of the most use¬
ful missionaries in the South Carolina Conference,
received a letter from Bishop Turner, of which the
following is a copy:
To Rev. Samuel Leard.
Dear Father in God: Language is inadequate to express m}r
pleasure at a reception of the letter from one to whom I owe so
much; who when I was a wild, reckless boy, in 1851, at the
camp meeting just beyond Abbeville Court House S. C., opened
to me my sad condition, in one of your masterly sermons, and
as a mighty instrument in God's hands led me to the feet of a
pardoning Jesus.
From 1851 up to this moment I have carried in my breast a
25
380 The Gos-pel among the Slaves.
grateful heart that God ever gave jou to the ministry. I love
you while living, will love you when dead, and will love you in
heaven.
A short sketch of my life would run as follows:
I was born near Newberry Court House in 1833-34, possibly
1834; went to Abbeville with my parents when a boy, and was
bound to Mr. Thomas Jackson (carriage maker) to learn the
trade. I joined the Church under Rev. Mr. Crowell, on proba¬
tion, at Abbeville, in the latter part of 1848, but soon went to
cursing and getting drunk whenever I could get whisky, and
was the worst boy at Abbeville Court House until you, at Sha¬
ron Camp Ground, in 1851, so stunned me by your powerful
preaching that I fell upon the ground, rolled in the dirt, foamed
at the mouth, and agonized under conviction till Christ relieved
me by his atoning blood. I was licensed to exhort shortly after¬
ward by Dr. Boyd, now sleeping in the cemetery at Marion, S.
C., and from that time to the present I have been in the Master's
service.
I went to St. Louis, Mo., in 1858, was admitted into the itin¬
erant service of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and
went to Baltimore and spent four years at Trinity College, with
a view of going to Africa as a missionary. But the war being
in full blast disarranged my plans. ... I have preached and
worked for God in every position held, from the day I gave you
my hand up to the present. I am a poor sinner living upon the
mercies of God, and would be thankful to be remembered by
you at a throne of grace. God, however, has honored me far
beyond my merits.
God bless you, and may your earthly career terminate amid
blessings innumerable!
Your humble servant, Henry M. Turner.
Bishop J. A. Beebe, one of the bishops of the
Colored Methodist Episcopal Church, says:
I was born in Fayetteville, N. C., June 25,1832. My parents
were both slaves. I belonged to the family of the Beebes,
whence I get my name. I remained a slave until I was about
twenty-seven years of age; at which time, my owners giving
me the opportunity, I bought my freedom. I was a hoot maker
by trade, at which trade I made the money to buy my freedom.
Testimony of Prominent Freedmen. 381
I joined the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in 1849, un¬
der the Rev. Mr. Conner, of South Carolina. I was made fully
satisfied of my spiritual change under the preaching of Rev. Mr.
Samuel Frost, in 1850. In 1851 I was blessed to have the pleas¬
ure of listening to a number of sermons on the subject of sanc-
tification by the Rev. A C. Adams, and by the aid of the Rev.
Mr. Bobbit and the Holy Ghost I was led into the blessed light
of the indwelling of the Spirit of the Lord, during which time
I was moved to preach the Gospel of Christ. But owing to the
condition of things at that time in the State of North Carolina,
I could not then do so.
In 1865, immediately after the late war, I received license to
preach from the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. In
November of the same year I joined the traveling connection
of that Church, and was ordained deacon by Bishop J. J. Clinton,
and in 1866 elder by the same bishop. In 1871 I severed my
connection with the Zion Church, and joined the Colored Meth¬
odist Episcopal Church under Bishop Miles. In 1873 I was
elected a delegate to the General Conference of that Church,
held at Augusta, Ga., and was there elected a bishop.
While a member of the Methodist Church, South, before the
war, I had constant opportunity of hearing the gospel preached.
We had regular preaching from the ministers who were ap¬
pointed from the Conference to labor among the colored people.
In addition to this we had the opportunity of hearing the reg¬
ular preacher to the whites. On every Sunday evening oc¬
curred the special preaching to the colored people. Then the
church would be crowded with those seeking to hear the prom¬
ises of the gospel of Jesus. The conversion of hundreds of my
people resulted from this preaching. As to myself, I hold in
dear remembrance the blessings of those days.
Bishop Lane, of the Colored Methodist Episco¬
pal Church, writes:
I began to seek religion at the age of twelve years. My
owners were pious and religious people. My old master held
his familv prayers night and morning. He was a Methodist of
the purest type. He had been a class leader for fifty-eight
years in succession I heard preaching from the time I can
382 The Gospel among the Slaves.
remember. The missionaries came regularly on their visits,
and my master made every opportunity for his people to hear
them. He was a good, true man, faithful to God and his obli¬
gations, and I pay this tribute to him from my heart.
In the year 1854, on the nth day of September, I embraced
REV. ISAAC LANE,
Bishop of the Colored M. E. Church.
a hope in Christ. On Monday morning, while in the field at
my work, I was made happy in a Saviour's love, and joined
the Church soon after. I carried joy and comfort in my
soul for several days. I felt and wished that my poor moth-
Testimony of Prominent Freedmen. 383
er could enjoy the gift of saving grace. I at once began
to pray for mother and wife. But the prayer offered was to
myself when alone. At night I would hold family prayer
with my wife and mother. And in those prayers the good
Lord blessed my labors and brought them all into the Church.
After my old master's plan, I wanted to be alone at noonday;
so one day as I was seeking a secret place to pray I was
overcome with the feeling that I ought to preach. I strove
for months to get rid of it, but all in vain. I went to my old
master and made known to him my struggle and the feeling
that was then strong upon me. He gave me his sympathy, and
directed me to a certain preacher for counsel and aid. But
this man did not believe in a negro preaching, and he gave
me no aid at all, and so my trouble fell heavier than ever. I
next went to an old colored preacher whom the Methodists had
helped and were friendly to his exhorting. He was a pure
Christian, and he told me that if God had really called me, he
surely knew his own business better than man, and for me not
to trouble myself, but to trust in God. I did trust him, and the
inspiration soon came to send in to the Southern Methodists my
petition to preach. I did so at one of their Conferences. They
did not refuse me. Indeed, they held out a hand of help and
encouragement. Rev. George Harris was the presiding elder,
and Rev. A. R. Wilson the preacher in charge. I thought then
that he was the best man in the world. My mind has not suf¬
fered much change yet, as he is now living in the same town in
which I live, and he is the presiding elder of the Jackson Dis¬
trict.
I was licensed to exhort in the year 1856, by the Southern
Methodist Church at the fourth Quarterly Conference on the
Jackson Circuit. I was called on often after that by the white
preachers to preach to my people on the Sabbath evenings.
The white preachers all respected me and helped me in every
way they could. Still it was very embarrassing to me, without
any education as I was, to preach before the white preachers.
But they were kind to me, and seemed not to notice my mis¬
takes. So I got so after awhile that I could preach before them
without much embarrassment, such preaching as it was. But
God helped me, and wonderfully blessed my work.
From that date to 1865 the white preachers and I held meet-
384 The Gospel among the Slaves.
ings for my people. We had glorious meetings and many
converts, which soon made our country famous for Methodism
during the war. But we had stormy times at some places. The
old days of the beginnings of the Wesleyan movement in En¬
gland, in Ireland, and Wales had their reflex in these. Many
times my life was in danger, and my white brethren were con¬
stantly persecuted for allowing me to preach. The persecutors
even went so far as to burn down church after church because
I had preached to my people in them. But my white brethren
upheld me. And not only the Methodists, but Christians of
other denominations. One good old Presbyterian brother said
to me after I had preached in his church: "Brother Lane, keep
on preaching to your people, and we will keep on building
churches until the trumpet blows. Let them burn down. We
will build, and you shall preach."
That was the spirit in which the Christian whites met me,
and that is the spirit in which they would do the same thing to¬
day did the opportunity offer. I pay this tribute to my noble
white brethren with a heart warm and grateful toward them. I
want to see my race in unity and harmony with the whites. I
want to see peace and love and the spirit of Christianity pre¬
vail, and not the vicious doctrines of bad men, of corrupt poli¬
ticians, who have only their own ends to serve, and in serving
them care naught for the negro's welfare nor for his soul.
Among the excellent men elected bishops of the
Colored Methodist Episcopal Church, set apart in
1870 as an organization distinct from the Methodist
Episcopal Church, South, Bishop Lewis H. Holsey
occupies a prominent position. He contributes to
these pages the following interesting paper:
I was born in 1842 near Columbus, Ga., and mainly reared in
Sparta, Hancock County, Ga. In 1858 my owners moved to
Athens, Ga. During the first months of this year (1858) I made
up my mind that I would learn to read, so that I could read the
Bible. To accomplish this coveted end I stopped going visit¬
ing at night, and devoted all my spare time to my spelling book.
In those days "the old Webster blue-back speller" was the only
Testimony of Prominent Freedmen. 385
spelling book used, so far as my knowledge goes. I bought two
of these little books, one of which I tore into leaves. Each day
while engaged in my work I studied from a single leaf taken
from my speller, so folding the leaf that a lesson or two was on
the outside of the fold. When night came on, and I had fin-
REV. LEWIS H. HOLSEY,
Bishop of the Colored M. E. Church.
ished mjr labor about the house and yard, I went to my sleep¬
ing apartment, and there on my back, with head toward the
fireplace, I took down my whole speller, going over and re¬
viewing the lessons that I had studied during the day from the
386 The Gospel among the Slaves.
folded leaf. My light was made by burning fat pine wood
chipped from old roots and stumps that stood in the yard and
garden.
I learned the alphabet by hearing the white children repeat
it. Being in earnest and industrious along this line, I learned
to read the Old and New Testaments in six months, besides
learning to write and commit to memory many passages of the
blessed word of God. From reading the word of God, and
hearing it expounded by the preacher, I made up my mind to
be a Christian. That year (1858) Rev. W. A. Parks was sent to
Athens as pastor to the colored people. It was during the
months of April and May that he had a revival meeting in
which one hundred colored persons were converted and added
to the Church, many of whom lived exemplary lives, demon¬
strating the power of a vital Christianity.
I had been praying some time before this meeting, but with
no firm and decided conviction that I would seek religion in
earnest. I went to church one Sunday, and Brother Parks
preached from the text: "Friend, how cometh thou in hith¬
er, not having on the wedding garment?" As the glowing
words fell from his mouth they seemed as arrows piercing my
heart and soul, and my frame quivered with fear. I felt as if
the Jesus of whom he spake was talking to me with his own
thrilling accents. At the close of his sermon he invited seek¬
ers to the altar for prayer. My feeling was indescribable.
Must I go or must I stay? was the momentous question that
my spirit seemed to propound to me. At any rate, when I
found myself I was upon my knees at the altar. This was on
Sunday. While on my knees I promised the Lord that if
my life was spared I would seek him day and night until I
should find him. When I went home, I went to the barn and
prayed for many hours, and nearly all night I continued in deep
humility and earnest prayer to God for the pardoning of my
sins, which appeared to me to be as the stars of heaven and as
the sands of the seashore for multitude. For one dreary, long,
dark seven days, whether at work or otherwise engaged, my
prayer like smoke on a calm day ascended in earnest words to
God in the name of his dear Son who loved me and gave him¬
self for me. During that week I attended church every night,
going to the altar each night for prayer. Sometimes our faith-
Testimony of Prominent Freedmen. 387
ful and loving pastor would preach, and then some others; but
no matter who preached, he closed up the meeting by a few
words of instruction to "the mourners."
Sunday came; the day passed. It was a day of sorrow,
agony, and prayer with me. I began to fear that I had com¬
mitted the unpardonable sin against the Holy Ghost. What
that sin was I did not know, but I was afraid of it. But anoth¬
er Sunday came, and as usual during the past week I went to
the altar, with a determination that if I went to hell I would go
praying. After prayer I remained at the altar. Brother Parks
rose up and laid his hand 011 my head and said: "Brethren, I
believe God will convert this boy right now." When he said
this, I felt that all my sins and condemnation left me, and light¬
ness of heart and a thrill of joy ran through my frame, and I
wanted to sing and cry out, but by great effort I subdued my
feeling. The meeting continued some days after, and I felt like
a new man—yea, I was new. Never, to my latest day on
earth, can I forget the time, place, and the experience. As
Brother Parks was not an elder, his uncle, H. H. Parks, who
was then pastor of the white Methodist Church, did the baptiz¬
ing. I was baptized by him, and taken into the Church.
Never shall I forget the zeal, earnest, and honest work of
Brother W. A. Parks and his uncle Harwell. They could have
done no more for the salvation of their own people than they
did for the colored. They prayed, preached, and worked with
a devotion for the good of the colored people in their charge
that seemed not only heroic, but angelic. I am a brand
plucked from the fire by their heroic and splendid efforts. All
over this Southland many, if they would, can bear the same
testimony, because they came out of the bondage of sin into
his blessed light by or through the preaching and labors of
other noble white men who, like Brother Parks, toiled faithful¬
ly for the redemption of their souls. Indeed, the colored Meth¬
odists of this country may go into other divisions of the Meth¬
odist Church, and associate with whom they please, but let us
and them remember that the brethren of the M. E. Church,
South, begat them unto a lively hope in Jesus Christ.
The course of this brother has been eminently
conservative, and in every difficult position he
388
The Gospel among the Slaves.
has proved himself an able and trustworthy coun¬
selor of his race.
Hon. Charles H. J. Taylor, late Minister to Li¬
beria, writes:
I am one of those who incline to the opinion that American
African slavery was the way intended by an all-wise and om¬
nipotent Creator to bring the negro race to civilization and
Christianity, who, with their fathers during the prosperous days
of prehistoric Africa, had turned their backs upon God and
gone off after idols. " The soul that sinneth it shall die." For
tevery crime there must be punishment. It is right, it is nat¬
ural that it should be so. Let no one think for a moment that
I seek to paint in mild color the cruel and unchristianlike
treatment meted out to slaves by some who served as masters
only to afflict the decent, sober, and God-fearing element—by
far the larger part—of the slave-holding states. There are two
sides to the slavery question; the one should be told with as
much pleasure to cause joy, as the other is related to occasion
pain and irritate old sores left by fratricidal conflict. To tell
the worst feature and leave the best unsaid would not only be
wrong, but a crime.
To say that there were hundreds of masters who owned
slaves who desired continually their spiritual and temporal
welfare is to say what every informed person knows. I know
now an old slave owner—God bless him!—who takes pleasure
in relating how glad he was to own slaves, that he might con¬
strain—yes, compel—them (for they were, in their untutored
state, but children) to walk in the paths of industry, morality,
and Christianity. He had often said to me that no food came
into his house that did not enter for all alike, the bond and the
free. When he purchased clothing or presents for his family,
they were counted a part and got their share. Another picture:
Sunday morning when he started to the old church in Perry
County, Ala., they accompanied him. He was, indeed, a can¬
dle set upon a hill, a light which was not and could not be hid.
So he lived during those days when responsibility and anxiety
rested entirely with one class, while obedience, and with that
obedience happiness, belonged to the other. The habits of the
Testimony of Prominent Freedmen. 389
slaves so reared served them well as slaves and have made them
successful as freemen.
only last night I was conversing with a gentleman who is
engaged in business in front of my office, and we happened to
begin talking about the agitation and the general unsettled con¬
dition of "these times;" and then, by way of contrast, of the
old times when there was, in so many, many instances, the
most tender relation between black and white, owner and slave.
How different then from now, when everything is in a ferment
through the poisonous words and baneful influence of those
who have no real interest in the negro himself, but simply de¬
sire to use him as a tool in furtherance of their own selfish
ends! He talked about a certain old family black man with
whom he was raised; how his father never bought him any¬
thing without purchasing the same thing for the black. Free¬
dom came, and with freedom the sower of evil, and dissatisfied
the old family servant with his surroundings. He left the home
bought by his former master, which belonged as much to him
as though he had a deed from his master for it. He had in his
possession when he left a good supply of clothes, some money,
and other property. Years after he returned in rags and tat¬
ters. He had gone wrong; never having to care for himself,
being always provided for, the faculty of " self-preservation "
was undeveloped. This gentleman told me that his father was
dead when the old servant returned, and the thought of how
the servant looked when he left home and his appearance when
he returned hurt him so much and made him feel so sad that
he could not restrain his tears. He said that he would rather
have lost one thousand dollars than to have seen the sight.
A distinguished citizen of this place (Atlanta, Ga.), and an
office holder, a few days ago was telling me about the letum-
ing to him of a woman he used to own. She had been gone
ever since the war, and he believed her dead. He said that he
was as proud to see her as he could possibly have been to see
his natural mother. She is now at his house, and can live there
until she dies if she desires.
Hundreds of the negroes who own their little homes m t e
South can and are glad to testify how their former owners
helped them to acquire these places.
Every morning of my life when I visit the Recorder's couit
390 The Gospel among the Slaves.
room and the City Court, about the first thing I observe is a
white man whispering in the ear of Judge James Anderson, or
seeking Hon. Howard Van Epps in his room, on behalf of
some unfortunate darky, said darky having been at one time
the old family servant. This is not all: the interested white
man waits, and if the colored man is fined, he pays the fine for
him.
This article cannot be closed until I have performed my duty
by a class of whites who, although not yet commented upon,
stand entitled to the longest robe, the brightest crown, and a
higher seat than any that has yet been mentioned. I speak of
that class who are entitled to the noble honor of having been
the first to enkindle the glowing light of evangelization in the
darkened soul of the negro. Good men and women they were,
with the spirit of their divine Master aflame in their hearts, and
made of such material as asked only to wear out in that service
toward which the noblest impulses of their Christianity had di¬
rected them.
I have talked with numbers of negro men and women who
gladly tell me that they first felt the heaviness of their sins, and
how wretched and lost was their condition without the applica¬
tion of the blood of Jesus, by attendance upon the meetings
held by these saintly men and women I have named. No one
knows, except those who have passed through the difficulties
they encountered, just what their afflictions often were. Many
were the cruel " cuts in words " they received for having faith
in their ability to make the negro an intelligent Christian wor¬
shiper. But being full of the divine unction from above, and be¬
ing strong of purpose, they continued, never halting, never faint¬
ing, never daunted, ever ready, ever waiting, and always will¬
ing, until now those of them who still live can rejoice in the
God of their salvation at knowing that the seed they sowed
years ago—though by many thought to have been in barren
soil and lost—has quickened and sprung up into living trees of
giant usefulness for the service of the Lord. God grant their
eyes may not close in death until they see another picture, that
of the American African brought to Christ through their ef¬
forts, taking passage for his former benighted land, there to
evangelize that great continent, bringing its people to a knowl¬
edge of the truth they themselves found in the bonds of slav-
Testimony of Prominent Freedmen. 391
ery! Yes, God grant that those who worked while others slept
(at a time when my poor race was owned as property in this
country), to teach them the doctrine of true liberty—the free¬
dom of religion—may be spared, many of them, to gaze upon
the good result of their noble, Christian labors!
When these Christian pioneers die—that is, when they go
into another house, for die they will not—let no negro, if seats
are scarce in that celestial city, sit down while one of them is
standing. In other words, let my race make haste to act up to
the noble principles so early instilled into them by these evan¬
gels of light, these Christian men and women who went about,
and who still go about, doing good—yea, make them glad that
they ever formed our acquaintance and taught us what a good
thing it was to know God in the pardon of our sins.
The feeling of affinity that binds these two races together
can never be destroyed, let bad men say what and do what they
will. The time is ripe for the springing seeds of love—Chris¬
tian love—good will and unity. The Lord send the harvest!
The Rev. A. J. Stinson, presiding elder of the
Columbia, S. C., District, in the Colored Metho¬
dist Episcopal Church, writes:
I was born in Crawford County, Ga., January 13, 1847. My
father and mother, then slaves, were converted before my birth
under the ministry of the Methodist Church, South. At the
age of three or four years I moved with them to Floyd County,
nine miles west of Rome. Here in the neighborhood the white
people had a schoolhouse in which meetings were held on
Sundays for the colored people. We were preached to alter¬
nately by the Revs. Kitchens and Newton. Mr. Oliver Mc-
Clennan was our class leader. They were all of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, South, and all labored nobly among us. I
remember vividly, though then a child, the gracious times of
those days.
At the age of five I was baptized by the Rev. Mr. Newton.
I then felt my first and lasting impression of religion and real¬
ized deeply my obligation as a baptized believer, both to God
and to his Church. The keen remembrances of that hour to
this day electrify my soul, and I see in my mind that old man
392 The Gospel among the Slaves.
as he took me in his arms and, looking toward heaven, said:
"God bless this child!" Here a flood of holy fire sweeps over
my soul, but I must not let my emotions overcome me.
At the age of fifteen I felt assuredly the call to preach, though
I had not as yet made an open profession of religion. Then
the terrible clash of war, which demoralized our civilized coun¬
try, came on, and for four years cannons roared, musketry rat¬
tled, and sabers clashed, while the brave bled and died. Yet
the fire of God's holy spirit, as a living volcano, burned on in
my heart, and in the hearts of others of my race, where the sa¬
cred flame of evangelization had been enkindled by the noble
efforts of the white Christians.
At the close of the war I moved to Waters District, a few
miles east of Rome. Here, at Rush's Chapel, Thursday, Au¬
gust, 1866, while Revs. Thomas Pledger, William Hickey, and
A. M. Thigpen—the latter then pastor in Rome—were conduct¬
ing a revival meeting for the white people, but which any of
us who wished were allowed to attend, my soul, while Rev. Mr.
Pledger preached, was revived as into a burning flame. Think¬
ing, however, that it would appear rude to give vent to my
feelings there—though the whole congregation was shouting—-
I made for the door, then outside to the woods, where I praised
God alone for four hours. On the Sunday following Rev. Mr.
Pledger preached for the colored people in the same church,
and thirty-five of us became members. Rev. William Hickey,
our pastor, was present and appointed me the same day as class
leader and exhorter.
But I must not conclude ere telling how I came to be at that
Thursday meeting, where Rev. Mr. Pledger aroused such a fire
in my heart. It was through Mr. Branchfield, father of Rev.
William Branchfield, of the Georgia Conference. God bless
him! Passing me on his way to church, he said to me: " Come,
my boy, and go to church with me." I told him I would be on
soon, but I had no idea as I spoke of keeping my promise.
After the good man had gone, however, his words, his face, and
his manner all came back to me so forcibly, seeming to speak
to me even then, that I could resist no longer, and so I went on
after him to the house of God, and was there and then glorious¬
ly converted. Thank God that I can say, like David: " I was glad
when they said to me, Let us go into the house of the Lord."
Testimony of Prominent Frcedmcn. 393
Rev. Washington Phillips, with his sons, occu¬
pies a prominent place in the Colored Methodist
Episcopal Church. Rev. J. T. Phillips writes:
I was born at Newnan, in Coweta, Ga., June 24, 4837. I am
the oldest son of Rev. Washington Phillips, of Milledgeville,
Ga. My father joined the Methodist Church at the age of fif¬
teen; he has been a member sixty years. My mother was con¬
verted when I was four weeks old, and joined the Methodist
Church shortly afterwards. She has been a member fifty-three
years
I joined the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, under the
preaching of the Rev. Mr. Knox, who was then pastor of the
Church at Milledgeville. It was during the time of a revival;
white and black were alike powerfully impressed. The preacher
preached to both white and colored, as faithfully to one as to
the other. Milledgeville was a station. The pastor preached
once a month also in the country to white and colored. I was
converted May 8, 1859. That date remains engraven upon my
memory. I at once commenced talking, going from house to
house, telling my people of the blessed Saviour I had found.
The church at Milledgeville was very large. The colored mem¬
bers were given full use of the gallery. They ci-owded it day
and night.
I was licensed to preach by Elder Josiah Lewis in 1867, and
joined the Conference in 1869. I preached four years in Mil¬
ledgeville, was five years presiding elder, and eleven years on
circuits. While I was presiding my white brethren were ever
kind to me. They helped me gladly in many ways. They gave
me money and they gave me encouragement. I cannot tell how
many of them gave me lots on which to build churches. I have
never bought a single lot on which to build a church; all have
been given through the kindness of my white brethren. I grate-
fully give this testimony to their kindness, help, and liberality.
They treated me as a Christian and a brother. May it return to
them a hundredfold.
My owners, too, were kind. They allowed their children to
teach my father's children to read. I will be fifty-three years
old in June. I have three brothers, and all four of us are Meth¬
odist preachers. By God's grace we hope to meet in heaven.
394 The Gospel among the Slaves.
I have seen many ups and downs in life, but through them all
the star of light, kindled through the noble Christian efforts of
the white ministry, has shown over the way, lighting me along
the path that leads to my Father's house of many mansions.
I long to see harmony, good will, and brotherly charity be¬
tween the two races that it seems God's will shall live together.
I want the sentiments and teachings of Christian men and
women to prevail and not the plots and vile intrigues of schem¬
ing politicians. As a general thing, the negro loves the white
man. He looks up to him and trusts him, and it is a great mis¬
take when the white man fails to meet this trust with the kind¬
liness and grace he knows so well how to use.
I say to my colored brethren to trust the white man whose
noble concern is for their immortal souls, whose hand is fear¬
less to help in time of trouble, whose souls is knit to them by
the old kindly ties of days of yore, whose ancestors through
pains and noble toils brought spiritual light to the negro's soul.
These are the men—and thank God there are many of them
throughout the South to-day!—who have sincerely at heart the
negro's best interest, who treat him as a fellow-human being,
who are glad to see him succeed in life, who deal justly with
him, are considerate of his claims, and who meet him as a
brother, a brother in Christ, on the broad plane of Christianity.
With these testimonies of gratitude from the
members of a race formerly held in bondage we
close the record of toil, hardship, and self-denial
on the part of the missionaries of the cross. That
they have not been exposed to every danger in¬
curred by pioneers in heathen lands is true, but
they encountered difficulties peculiar to their times
and to the nature of their work. Most of these
workmen have gone forward to the meeting of the
" General Assembly and Church of the Firstborn "
in heaven, and those who remain must follow soon.
To each will come in due season the welcome
plaudit: "Well done, good and faithful servant,
enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."