JAMES KENNON: PIONEER BAPTIST
PREACHER
By Dallas
Bogan
Reprinted with Permission from Dallas
Bogan.
This article is taken from J.J. Burnett‘s Sketches of Tennessee's
Pioneer Baptist Preachers, published in 1919.
James Kennon was a son of Thomas and Rachel ( Walker) Kennon, who
came from Virginia in the last quarter of the eighteenth century, settling
in Jefferson County, Tennessee. He was a double brother-in-law to Hughes
O. Taylor - he marrying Taylor's sister Rebecca, and Taylor marrying
his sister Elizabeth.
There is no record of James Kennon's conversion and baptism. He was
most likely baptized by Isaac Barton into the fellowship of Bethel
South (Morristown First) Church. He was a messenger of this church
to the Holston Association, along with Hughes O. Taylor, Elihu Millikan
and others, from 1815 to 1825. In the last-mentioned year he was likely
lettered off with other Bethel South members, to form Blackwell's Branch
Church. In 1827 he represented Blackwell's Branch in the Powell's Valley
Association. He was a messenger of Blackwell's Branch to the Nolachucky
Association, and moderator of that body in 1831 and the three following
years. He preached the introductory sermon in the years 1833, 1840
and 1845. In March of 1826 he "was received to the pastoral care
of" the Mouth of Richland Church, and remained with the church
as pastor twenty-nine years and a half. Church "agrees to let
Brother Kennon or any other brother have house to preach on temperance,
except church-meeting. days" (August Minute, 1835). "April,
1837, received by letter Jas. Kennon and wife, Rebecca." " August
11, 1838, choose Joel Aldredge [sic] assistant pastor." "August,
'second Saturday, 1853, J. Kennon offers his resignation as pastor,
having served the church twenty-seven years." Old pastor is re-elected "indefinitely" and
serves till September, 1855.
In 1828 Elder Kennon was a corresponding messenger from Powell's
Valley Association to the Tennessee Association, meeting with the Forks
of Little Pigeon (now the Sevierville) Church. "Brother Kennon
and Brother S. Love, by appointment, preached on the Sabbath, after
which, having been invited by the church, the association joined in
commemorating the death and sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ, and
the sympathetic tears which flowed in abundance on the occasion was
satisfactory evidence of the propriety" of the observance. In
1840 Brother Kennon was elected moderator of the Tennessee Association,
and in 1846 was preacher of the introductory sermon. At this time he
was pastor of New Market, Adair's Creek and perhaps other churches,
as well as his home church, the Mouth of Richland. He was elected pastor
of the Mossy Creek Church (now the Jefferson City First), "November,
second Saturday, 1848," and continued in that connection for six
years. He was pastor of the Sevierville and Boyd's Creek Churches I
know not how many years.
James Kennon was one of the ablest men of his day. As a preacher
he was a man of dignified and courtly mien and a commanding speaker.
He was at home in preaching, on occasions, to lawyers and judges and
the best scholars of his day. Tall and imposing in appearance, with
a massive physique and a massive voice, he was a commanding figure
anywhere, in the pulpit, in the presiding officer's chair, in the social
circle. He was ambitious, strong and uncompromising in his views of
truth or duty, and when he took a stand it was hard to change him.
The following incident related to me some years ago by one of the
old members of the Boyd's Creek Church, of which Elder Kennon was pastor,
will be of interest as illustrating the value to a preacher, at times,
of a powerful voice, as also showing how Providence sometimes co-operates,
with the preacher in securing results. It was August of 1848. The pastor
was in a meeting with his church. Saturday was an election day, and
the people were late getting to church at night. Then a great storm
came up; the thunder and lightning were terrific. But the preacher
had a powerful voice; the louder the thunder the louder he preached.
The storm subsided for a minute or two, then reinforced itself with
fury. The rain poured, the wind blew like a hurricane, the thunder
roared. "God is speaking," said the preacher, "we must
speak too, and the sinner must listen." Every sinner in the house
was forward for prayer but one. The meeting continued till past midnight.
The church door was opened to receive members some two or three times,
and twenty-odd members were received on the one night. The text of
the occasion was, "Come, for all things are now ready." The
preacher went home with the one unsaved sinner, a Methodist by prejudice,
and by way of improving the occasion and the opportunity said to his
host: "Well, Brother W., you see the Lord knew what I had to do,
and helped out with the sermon, and sent plenty of water; let the Lord
have his way with you, and cast in your lot with his people."
Another incident: Elder Kennon was holding a meeting in Union County.
One of the neighbors, an old man and a sinner had to go for the doctor,
riding horseback for some miles. A sudden and very heavy rain raised
the waters till fording was exceedingly dangerous. Everybody was anxious
for the man's safety, some telling him he had better be religious before
he got into worse trouble. The man was afterwards heard to say: "The
prayers of Uncle Jimmy Kennon saved my body from a watery grave, and
will not let my soul go to hell.'; Whether the man was finally saved
or lost my informant could not say.
"Sabbath day, June 28, 1846, Elder James Kennon delivered a
very able sermon on the subject of baptism, after which and a short
intermission, the Rev. William Minnis, a Presbyterian minister, delivered
a sermon on the same subject, advocating sprinkling to be the true
mode of baptism. The meeting was then dismissed." (Records of
the Dandridge Church.)
James Kennon was assistant, associate and acting pastor, with Elder
Duke Kimbrough, of the French Broad (later the Dandridge) Church, from
1843 to 1847, preaching to lawyers, judges and other educated men,
and greatly admired by James Harvey Carson and others of his hearers
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