- Index
- From the Author
- Dedication
- About the Author
- Anniversaries
- Awards
- Agriculture
- Lealon Wyatt is First Countian
- Books Published
- Birthdays
- Churches and Ministries
- Churches Play Part
- Decatur County Church
- Decoration Day
- Hickory Grove Church
- Mt. Nebo Church
- Events
- Do You Remember . . .
- Midwifery Work
- DAR-UDC
- Fish Tales
- Perry County, Tennessee
- Post Offices and Postal Workers
- The River
- Scotts Hill's History
- Tolley Baseball Team
- Schools
- Bear Creek School
- "Pig-Tail School"
- Educational Changes Since 1927
- First School in Parsons
- Hickory Grove School
- "Miss Allie Mae" Retires
- Mt. Tabor School
- Sugar Tree Got Its Name
- War
- Copter Pilot Feels Lucky
- Mr. Tolley Recalls World War I
- Vietnam Orphans' Plea
- World War I Ending
- Healthy Looking Vietnamese
- Jerry C. Adkisson
- Eathel and Dorskie Austin
- Mr. & Mrs. Theodore Austin
- John Britt
- Tom Burton
- Sue Carrington
- Mike Chandler
- Charles Maxwell Collett 1
- Charles Maxwell Collett 2
- Charles Maxwell Collett 3
- Janice Collett
- Parker Collet
- James Charles Cooper
- Hazel Cottrell
- J. D. Dodd
- J. J. Douglas
- J. D. Featherston
- Lois Frizzell
- Linnie Maxwell Garner
- J. W. C. Gibson
- Lonnie Glasscock 1
- Lonnie Glasscock 2
- Mr. & Mrs. Daniel Graves
- Mr. & Mrs. Otis Graves
- Rube Haney
- Eugenia Hawkins
- Guy F. Hester
- Ralph Holland
- Stanley Holland
- Jerry House
- Kenny Houston
- Boyd Fielder Hufstedler
- David Inman
- William Mac Johnson
- Mr. & Mrs. Ray Jordan
- Kirby S. Kapp
- David Keen
- Effie King
- Bernard Lee
- Bernard Lee Family
- Edd Lee
- Lynette Lindsey
- Holland Odle Miller
- Myra Looney
- Chester Mays
- Mrs. Stanley Mays
- Everett McIllwain
- Horace K. Melton
- Earl Midgett
- Ada Moody
- Mary V. Moore 1
- Mary V. Moore 2
- Mrs. Ben Morris
- Benjamin F. Morris and Ben Morris, Jr.
- Doyle W. Neal
- Kermit E. Neal
- James Overton
- Bobby Pinkley
- Joe Potts
- Imogene Pratt
- Allie Ragsdale
- Mr. & Mrs. Jess Readey
- Harold Reeves
- L. C. Reeves
- Alice Ann Reid
- James Floyd Rogers
- Hettie L. Scott
- Harvey Smith
- Allie Mae Stevens
- Lowell Stonecipher
- John Tinker
- Mr. & Mrs. Ernest Taylor
- Joseph Bailey Taylor Family
- Billy W. Townsend
- Byron Townsend
- W. B. Townsend
- Mr. & Mrs. R. L. Wallace
- Elton Watlington
- Mrs. Robert Watkins
- Willard Watson
- Carolyn Davis Weatherford
- Lewis Welch
- Mr. & Mrs Andy West
- Lealon Wyatt
- Leo Yarbro
- Sallie Young
- Lillye Younger 1
- Lillye Younger 2
From Lillye Younger, People of Action (Decatur County Printers, 1983). Special thanks to Constance Collett and the estate of Lillye Younger for permission to make this web page.
DECATUR COUNTY CHURCH LISTS HISTORICAL PAST
Lillye Younger
PARSONS—New church buildings are springing up like mushrooms in Decatur County. New Prospect Missionary Baptist church celebrated its 11th anniversary in a new church building. The Rev. Mitchell Rayburn, pastor, delivered the first sermon in the new building.
The one story brick structure was constructed for a cost of approximately $8,300. It is located 11 and one-half miles north of Parsons in the Hydro community.
The church dates back to 1851 according to minutes of the Southwestern District Baptist Association. "The land was deeded by Josiah Brewer, my grandfather," Mrs. Ada Hearington, 81, of 224 Georgia Avenue North in Parsons, explains.
"The original church building was a log structure," Mrs. Hearington continues. "I professed religion when I was 13 years of age, under the preaching of the Rev. N. B. Williams. The log building wasn't used as a church-school combination as was many in this section."
The one room frame building, which was built in 1901, was torn down after standing for 68 years to give room for the new brick structure. The congregation outgrew the frame building. Their membership increased from 66 in 1951 to 176 today.
Recorded in the yellowed cardboard back ledger dating back to 1896 the total membership of the church was 77 males and 137 females, listed in segregated fashion, the women's names on separate pages from the men's.
Pioneer members hailed from North Carolina and Virginia. Listed in the ledger are the names of John Greenway. J. A. Quinn, J. H. Dodd, J. I. Johnson, C. M. Hearington, W. D. Colwick, W. P. Jennings, Dr. J. C. Bostick, males. Females included Nancy Dodd, Syrilds Coiwick, Sarah Johnson, Rebecca Arnold, Catherine Guledge and many others.
Pastors who have served the church are Rev. Robert Anderson 1895, Rev. D. Brewer 1896, Rev. N. B. Williams, 1900, Rev. George Hollowell, 1901, Rev. S. K. Hurst, 1902, Rev. T. M. Boyd, 1905 and Rev. Oley Davis, 1908.
According to the minutes of October 1894 E. D. Bostick resigned as clerk of Prospect Church and W. M. McCauley succeeded him. McCauley's penmanship is of excellent quality. McCauley was succeeded by W. D. Colwick, a former merchant of Parsons for many years.
Members were dismissed from the church on grounds of treating the church with contempt and by not cooperating with it, provided the motion for dismissal was carried, according to the minutes.
Expenses were quite different in those pioneer days. In 1896 on motion the clerk was ordered to buy one-half gallon of coal oil and three lamps. One glass lamp at the cost of 40 cents, two small lamps at 15 cents each one-half gallon of coal oil for 10 cents.