Rowan Baptist Church (Sampson County, N.C.) Records
According to Morgan Edwards, Great Cohara was named for a creek emptying into the Cape Fear River, near the meeting house in what was then Duplin County, N.C., 60 miles west of New Bern. The church was known by several names but by 1828 it became known as Rowan. In 1846 forty-four members were dismissed and formed Boykin's Chapel. This collection contains minutes of quarterly and yearly meetings of the "church in Sampson County" or "Roan", now Rowan Baptist Church, including the organization of the church; rules of decorum; male, female, and enslaved peoples' membership rolls, undated lists of members of Culbirth's (now Pleasant Union) and Fork meeting houses; an 1846 list of members of Boykin's Chapel; a copy of a 1771 church letter from Morristown, N.J.; and a history of the church.
On this page
Summary Information
- Repository
- Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives
- Title
- Rowan Baptist Church (Sampson County, N.C.) Records
- Date
- 1771-1975 (inclusive)
- Extent
- 1.5 Linear Feet / 1 oversize box
- ID
- MS754
Biographical and Historical Note
According to Morgan Edwards, Great Cohara was named for a creek emptying into the Cape Fear River, near the meeting house in what was then Duplin County, N.C., 60 miles west of New Bern. Edward Brown, who was ordained by William Sojourner at Kehukee Church in 1749, began preaching in the area that same year to some 20 families, eight of whom were in communion as a church under the General Baptist order. Ten years later, October 15, 1759, the membership called for a presbytery to transform them into the Particular Baptist order. The presbytery consisted of Revs. Thomas Pope, Jonathan Thomas, and Stephen Hollingsworth. There were 12 constituent members. The church grew in members until the Regulator Movement (1768- circa 1771) when they left the area and the state leaving only eight members. The church was known by several names but by 1828 it became known as Rowan. In 1846 forty-four members were dismissed and formed Boykin's Chapel.
Name Changes: Great Cohara, Cohari, Cohory, 1749-1788; Sampson, 1789-1827; Rowan, 1828-
Association Membership: Charleston, 1761- c1775; Kehukee Non-Reformers, 1776-1788; Kehukee, 1789-1793; Neuse, 1794-1805; Cape Fear, 1806-1826; Goshen, 1827-1843; Union I, 1844-1864; Eastern, 1865-1879; South River, 1880-1902; Eastern, 1902-
Pastors: Edward Brown, 1749-1783; Fleet Cooper, 1785- c1828; Allen Morris, 1828- ; George Brown, 1831- ; David S. Williams, 1833-1838; William J. Finlay, 1838-1840; Hezekiah Woodard, 1842-1843; Jesse Howell, 1847-1848; G.W. Wallace, 1851- ; Isaac W. West, 1851- ; William M. Kennedy, 1853- ; G.S. Best, 1860- ; 1890-1891; William H. Howard, 1865-circa 1870, 1977- circa 1879, 1886-1887; J.W. Bell, 1880-1883, 1888-1889, 1905; J.O. Tew, 1884-1885; O.P. Meeks, 1892-1898; J.J. Douglas, 1899- ; C.T. Tew, 1901- ; J.M. Page, 1906-1910; B.F. DeLoatch, 1911-1915; E.L. Weston, 1917-1919; A.L. Turner, 1921- ; N.D. Blackman, 1924- circa 1926; W.R. Beech, 1928-1934; H.G. Bryan, 1935-1937; E.C. Chamblee, 1938-1939; E.A. Walker, 1940-1944; E.S. Morgan, 1945-1947; Roy R. McCulloch, 1948-1951; Millard M. Johnson, 1952-
Collection Overview
This collection contains minutes of quarterly and yearly meetings of the "church in Sampson County" or "Roan", now Rowan Baptist Church, 1790-93, 1801-56; 1907-1964, including the organization of the church; rules of decorum; male, female, and slave membership rolls, 1846, 1854, and undated; undated lists of members of Culbirth's (now Pleasant Union) and Fork meeting houses; an 1846 list of members of Boykin's Chapel; a copy of a 1771 church letter from Morristown, N.J.; and a history of the church.
Controlled Access Headings
Geographic Names
Subjects
Administrative Information
- Publication Information
- Juno Zhu and Stephanie
- Revision Description
- Revised by Katie Lawrence and Finley Turner, 2018 November
- Access Restrictions
- This collection is open for use.
- Copyright Notice
- The nature of the WFU Z.Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The Archives and Special Collections of ZSR Library claims only physical ownership of most materials. The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to the U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
- Preferred Citation
- Rowan Baptist Church (Sampson County, N.C.) Records, (MS754), Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.