Scott County, Tennessee
FNB Chronicles

This page was created 06 Sep 2008

(page 12)

Reverend Maynard Jeffers

Reverend MAYNARD JEFFERS was ordained a minister at the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church at the age of 32. He served as Pastor of several churches, the last being the Low Gap Baptist Church, where he began as pastor in 1951 and devoted his full time to the ministry from that time on. During his ministry, he preached approximately 3,000 funerals, sometimes he would preach two funerals a day. The number of converts, baptisms and marriages would run into the thousands. He served as Moderator of the New River Association for 29 years, resigning in 1960.

Aside from his religious work, Reverend JEFFERS was a public spirited man. He served efficiently as Road Commissioner one term and served as Count Court Clerk 16 years. He was a member of the Oneida Masonic Lodge. He graduated from Huntsville High School in 1922. He taught in the public schools of Scott County for 21 years.

Reverend L. MAYNARD JEFFERS was born December 19, 1896. He was the son of Reverend JAMES H. JEFFERS and MILLIE JANE PEMBERTON. Reverend MAYNARD JEFFERS and his wife, DELLA, were parents of six children, four girls and two boys.

1. CLAUDE E. JEFFERS -  retired from Highland Telephone Cooperative, married to IRIS BLAKLEY, retired from Scott County School System.
2. CHRISTINE JEFFERS WALKER (deceased) - married to SHERMAN WALKER, Jr. (deceased);
3. JAMES W. JEFFERS - retired from Scott County School System, married to FAYE ROSE, retired from Scott County School System;
4. Mary Helen Jeffers Walker - retired secretary from Union College in Barbourville, Ky., married to STANLEY WALKER, retired as a Federal Bureau of Mining inspector;
5. ELIZABETH JEFFERS FREELS - retired from Morgan County School System, married to DALE FREELS, retired from Martin Marietta;
6. VIVIAN JEFFERS BOWLING - retired from Tennessee Technology Center, married to WILLIAM BOWLING, retired from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.

Reverend JEFFERS was a well known fox hunter who always kept a pack of hounds. He went to Field and Bench Shows quite frequently. He organized the Friendship Fox Hunters Association composed of hunters from Scott, Morgan and Fentress counties. Among his fox hunting friends were Dr. COOPER, BILL McELROY, CALDWELL SMITHERS, CLAUDE ROBBINS, SAM HALL, BOB BROOKS, A.K. DeBORD, CLAUDE WEST, and his sons JAMES JEFFERS and CLAUDE JEFFERS.

Reverend JEFFERS held his last revival at the Cross Roads Baptist Church during March 1963. His last sermon was preached at the Low Gap Baptist Church on Easter Sunday 1963. His last funeral in Scott County was ARCHIE ELLIS.

MAYNARD died August 3, 1963 and DELLA died October 28, 1989. They are buried at Carson Memorial Park.

(FOOTNOTE — Primary source used for this article was Esther Sanderson ‘s Profiles of Scott Countians).

FNB Chronicle, Vol. 10, No. 3 – Summer 1999
First National Bank
P.O. Box 4699
Oneida, TN 37841
(page 12)

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