Yeopim Baptist Church (Chowan County, N.C.) Records
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Summary Information
- Repository
- Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives
- Title
- Yeopim Baptist Church (Chowan County, N.C.) Records
- Date
- 1791-1947 (inclusive)
- Extent
- 3 Linear Feet / 2 oversize boxes
- ID
- MS810
Biographical and Historical Note
Yeopim (Yoppim) Baptist Church is located near Edenton, N.C. in Chowan County. The church was originally a branch of the Camden Church and was formally constituted in 1775. There had been a mention of "Yoppim" as early as 1764, as recorded in the Kehukee Association history by Lemuel Burkett and Jesse Read. In 1795 the Kehukee Association met at Yeopim. In 1806 the Yeopim Church joined the Chowan Association.
There are no records for the period prior to 1791. In 1974, the church was divided into seven districts composed of Bear Swamp, Yeopim Creek, Pratt's Mill Swamp, Sound Side, Dickerson's, Mill Swamp District, and Old Meeting House Green Hall District. In April of that year, the church decided to drop the Fork Road meeting house from the stops made by the traveling ministers. On March 22, 1806, the brothers who separated from Old Yoppim were constituted into what would be the new church. "Yoppim Chapel" agreed to divide not by fixed boundary or line but with each member choosing the way he wish to go. The new church was called Bethel and was situated on Indian Creek. Bethel agreed to resign her right in the volume entitled "Baptist Record of Yeopim" with the condition that the records previous to the division of the church be preserved and that Bethel shall have access to the records. In May 1806, Yeopim received the church record book mentioned above and gave Bethel a blank volume belonging to Yeopim. Yoppim Chapel was thereafter known as Bethel.
Collection Overview
This collection contains minutes of church conferences from May 1791 to June 1927 [broken series]. Church records include a church covenant, church letter, deacon's reports, financial papers, membership rolls, and a Sunday school minute book, 1804-1925 [broken series].The Yeopim (Yoppim) Baptsit Church Record Book, Vol. I, 1791-1882, is entitled on the spine "Baptist Record of Yeopim." This ledger-size volume contains the monthly and quarterly minutes of the church for May, 1791 until August, 1882. Pages 1-4 are missing. There is an index list (torn) in the front of the volume. A roll of male, female, and black members of "our Baptist Society" is on page 35. There are a few obituaries and death dates scattered within the minutes. Of special interest are the few references found relative to Thomas and James Baines, ancestors of President L.B. Johnson.
Administrative Information
- Publication Information
- Juno Zhu and Stephanie Bennett
- Revision Description
- Revised by Katie Lawrence and Finley Turner, 2018 November
- Access Restricitions
- This record is open for research.
- 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
- Yeopim Baptist Church (Chowan County, N.C.) Records, (MS810), Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC USA.