Origin of Old Friendship Church

NOTE: The  original church book from Nov. 1875 to April 1941 plus a few pictures &  history of Old Friendship Church is on microfilm at Nashville – copies can be
bought from:

The Historical Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention
901 Commerce St., Suite 400, Nashville, Tn. 37203-3620

Pub. #5531.

The following  was hand written and signed by William Raleigh Clack. The original is in the possession of William Baxter Clack.

Preamble,  Explanation for the cause of the division of the Bethel and Sulphur Springs churches and the constitution of another church at Breeding, School house. Rhea County Tennessee. Whereas a majority of the members of Bethel and Sulphur Springs Churches have not complied with the terms of union agreed upon by the Hiwassee Baptist convention, held at Concord meeting house Meigs County Tenn. in October A. D. 1865, and afterwards ratified by the Churches of the Hiwassee Association, and; Whereas, they have served themselves and gone off from said Association in disorder; And Whereas said majority hold and teach the doctrine if a hired Clergy, claiming that it is right and Scriptural to make contracts with their Clergymen and agree to pay them a stated salary for their services  as Pastor or Missionary, and; Whereas, a Minority of said Church Members  dissenting there from, and desiring to respect the afore said terms of union and to live in union and fellowship with their sister Churches of the Hiwassee Association, and; Whereas, they hold that the Doctrine of a hired Clergy is absurd and unscriptural and that it is the Doctrine of men and not of Jesus Christ. Therefore said minority called for and obtained letters of dismission  from their respective Churches for the purpose of being constituted a Church of  Jesus Christ at this place. Third Saturday in October 1875 James Johnson, Chairman  W.R. Clack, secretary.

(This was included here because this act preceded the
forming of Old Friendship Church—ECS)

Costs of the Meeting House – Contract

Article of  agreement for the building of a meeting house near Dr. Wilson’s. The house is  to be 37 ft long & 25 ft wide and 12 ft from sill to joist to be weather boarded & ceiled & covered with shingles using good material the floor to be tongue & grooved but laid without dressing. Now it is understood that  W. R. Clack & Jas Johnson has undertaken to build said house except 2 ft in  length for the sum of two hundred dollars and paid in proportion for said two  ft in length payable in subscription when said house is finished in good  substantial workman like manner and received by Arch McCaleb, Wm. M. Wilson  & S. G. Clack the same being 3 of the 5 trustees of said house. All the  building material for the house is to be delivered at the place of building.  The house is to have one door at the front end double shutters about 5 ft wide  and ……… windows in each side 12 lights to each 10 x 16 inches. This  material also to be furnished as above. The benches are also left out of the  above agreement. The corner posts door posts and all the window post are to be  morticed at the bottom end in a good substantial manner and well fastened. All  the weather boarding ceiling & flooring to be put down with broken joints.
(The above contract was hand written, apparently by W.R.
Clack – ECS)

Cost of Lumber, Materials, and Labor

(This is the building of Old Friendship Church before 1880–ECS)

Amt  of lumber furnished by James Johnson;
4438  feet at 1.75 per hundred delivered 77.66
500 feet at 1.00 per hundred at mill 5.00
184 & one half lbs nails & hauling load shingles from Newports 10.85
TOTAL 93.51
Amt  of lumber furnished by W R Clack;
$1.75  per hundred delivered
also 1700 shingles at $4.00  6.80
also  hauling 2 loads shingles  2.00
also hauling sash & fixtures from Phillips  1.50
amt  shingles furnished by S G Clack = 2500 1.50
amt  of shingles furnished by F M Clack = 2500 10.00
amt shingles bought of A Newport 20.50
amt paid in lumber by W H Johnson delivered 10.00
amt  paid in lumber by Houston Hurst 10.00
amt  hauling by Granville Hurst 5.00
amt of building material furnished by Wilson 24.00
cost windows & door shuters, W R Clack & James
Johnson  for geting (or seting?) 9 joist
at 81 and one quarter cents  7.31
for scoring & hewing 17 sleepers 2.69
for building the House under contract 200.00
for additional 2 feet in length in proportion

We agreed to  take the subscription list for amount specified above when received by Arch  McCaleb, W M Wilson and S G Clack.

Amt. of lumber furnished by Jas. Johnson
some 4438 ft. at 1.75 per hundred 7.66
some 500 ft at $1.00 per hundred at mill 5.00
219 1/2 lbs nails 10.60
Hauling 1 load shingles from Newports  2.00
Total 95.26
Amt. of lumber furnished by W. R. Clack
1700 shingles at 4.00 per 1000 6.80
Hauling 2 loads shingles 2.00
Hauling sash & fixtures from S. Phillips 1.50
2152 ft of plank & scantling at $1.75 for 100 ft 1.50
1193 ft sheeting at $1.25 per 100 ft (Paid) 14.91
Newport for 2050 shingles (Paid) 7.00
Wm.  Bell for hauling shingles 1.20
Total 71.07
S. G. Clack made 2500 shingles 10.00
F. M. Clack made 2500 shingles 0.00
500 ft of plank furnished by W. Johnson
$2 per 100 ft 10.00
500 ft plank furnished by Houston Hurst at
$2 per 100 ft 10.00
Granville Hurst for hauling 2 loads of shingles
& 1 load of plank from C. G. Gipson  5.00
W. R. Clack & Johnson for getting out joists
and hewing sleepers 10.00
Window sash, blinds & c 37.20
Whole Amt 258.53
Amt. for building as per agreement 200.00
Lumber timber hauling by Wilson 28.00
Total 486.53
Expenses of building J. Johnson
Paid McCain 47.55
Paid Jas.Bell for Board 4.00
Paid Mrs. Paul 9.00
Work on doors 5.00
Total 65.55
 :
Expenses of building W. R. Clack
Paid McCain(Paid) 10.20
F. M. Clack(Paid) 4.00
George Farmer 4.25
work by self, 22 1/2 days 22.50
Total 40.95

SUBSCRIPTION LIST FOR THE CHURCH HOUSE

Wm. M. Wilson (X) 100.00
James Johnson (P) 50.00
Mc. Clack (P) 20.00
Wm. R. Clack (P) 10.00
F. M. Clack (P) 10.00
S. G. Clack (P) 10.00
Wm. H. Johnson (P) 10.00
Houston Hurst (P) 10.00
Stephen Breeding (P) 10.00
Tho. Breeding (X) 10.00
Evan Breeding (P.$5) 10.00
W. S. Wyrick (X) 5.00
Jas. P. Roddy (P) 5.00
Maryville  Hurst (P) 5.00
Jesse Stinecipher (P) 10.00
Hamilton Ponder (X) 5.00
Granville Hurst (P) 5.00
R. L. Garrison (P) 5.00
Calvin Gipson (P) 5.00
J. C. Abernathy (P) 5.00
Birt Leuty (P) 5.00
A. J. Gibson (X) 5.00

Wm. M. Wilson for the ME. Church south $100.00 paid $22.00 Jan., 1878

Garet Tallent (P) 25.00
Jas. L. Cash (P) 5.00
J. Peters (P) 1.00
J. L. McPherson (P) 1.00
John Pyott (X) 2.00
Wm. Gass (P) 1.00
Wm. Cash (P) 2.00
Coleman Smith (P) .25
Arch Paul (P) 1.00
Mrs. Paul (P) 3.00
Arch McCaleb (X)  25.00
Asa Newport (P)  10.00
Lucinda Gillespie (P. $5) 10.00
S. Phillips (P) 10.00
John Hoyl (P) 5.00
Mrs.  Anderson (P) 5.00

Received of Wilson $25.00 for the ME. Church
June 19th., 1879.

Submitted by: Edna Clack

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