Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist
Church
Greenfield area of Weakley County, Tennessee
History & 1986 Tennessee Homecoming
History
of Pleasant Grove
Baptist Church and Cemetery, Weakley Co., Tennessee
The land that is now within the 16th District of Weakley County, TN
began to be settled after the Jackson Purchase of the land west of the
Tennessee River in 1819. This land was a part of Gibson and Carroll
County prior to 1837 when the S. Fork of the Obion River became the
line making the 16th District then in Weakley County.
One of the earliest settlers was Elisha Fly, Jr. William Rogers Capps,
Henry Capps and John Whitsett Cochran who were married to 3 of Elisha
Fly’s daughters. They were Lucy, Anna and Rebecca. The Cherokee
Indian heritage comes from the wife of Elisha Fly, Jr. thought to be
named Rebecca Reed.
From this name this general area has been referred to as
“Flytown.”
Soon Flytown was beginning to thrive since there were more and better
roads, not to mention the river traffic. It reached such proportions as
a blacksmith shop, a millinery shop, a cooper, Goodlow School where
children were taught the "Three-R's" in a one-room log schoolhouse. The
building was also used for the Missionary Baptist congregation to
worship before they built their new church building. Goodlow School was
located on Capps land that once was part of the Elisha Fly land.
Descendants of these early settlers Calton Travis Capps and wife Sarah
Martha “Mattie” Cook Capps gave by deed land to the Missionary Baptist
Church on Feb. 21, 1894, and on April 11, 1894 James Maneese Cochran
deeded land to the Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist church for the sum
of $5.
During that year of 1894 the original church building was built. Over
the years many additions and improvements have been made.
The following is from the Homecoming and book compiled in 1986 on the
history of the church;
The people of Stafford Store first met for preaching in the old Goodlow
School House, which was located west of the present church site on the
Hubble property. Then C. T. Capps and J. M. Cochran gave the land the
church presently sits on to build a church house to worship in.
At first, there was only one room and a wood stove for heat. Presently,
there is a large auditorium with carpet, central heat and air, padded
pews, a baptistery, a grand piano, Seven Sunday School rooms, three
bathrooms, and a fellowship hall with complete kitchen facilities. The
church is covered with brick and the parking lot is paved. The church
owns a bus, fondly called "Old John". There are currently 386
members.
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Pastors of Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church
1923 C. C. Bullington (resigned Sept. 1923)
November 18, 1923 Jim Dunning
October 1924 L. R. Riley
October 1925 Ed Crocker
November 1927 Bart Arnel
February 5, 1928 ..... Ellie Hue Martin
October 1928 R. H. Hampton
March 1930 O. H. Joyner
September 1932 …Raymond Hampton
(resigned April 1941)
May 11, 1941 O. H. Joyner
September 26, 1941 W. H. Hopper
October 1944 T. L. Glisson
February 1945 Clyde McCord
(resigned September 7, 1945)
September 1945 ……T. L. Glisson
October 1948 Raymond Hampton
September 1950 J. T. Powers
September 1951 Arthur Greener
July 1953 Dennis Beal
September 1960 Vance Rushing
March 1966 Jack McClain
October 1967 Jerry Gallimore
October 1968 Alton Prather
November 1, 1970 Dennis Beal
(resigned August 13, 1989)
December 17, 1989 Charles Rushing
(October 21, 1990)
October 4, 1992 Claude Prince
(resigned July 30, 1995)
September 17, 1995 Bobby
Robertson (resigned March 4,2001)
September 2, 2001 Richard Allen
October 2004 ……Don Bowlin
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History of Pleasant Grove Cemetery
In 1969 one acre of ground-was purchased from James T. Hughes. This was
the beginning of Pleasant Grove Cemetery. It was only a few
months later that Mrs. Ivy Stafford was put to rest, being the first in
the church cemetery. Time passed and others came to rest at Pleasant
Grove; In the early cemetery joining Mrs. Ivy was Mr. Luther Stafford,
Mr. Jack Crocker, Mrs. Frances Holt, Mr. Mike Holt and Mr. Gaither
Luker. For several years the church had the responsibility and upkeep
of Pleasant Grove Cemetery. In 1971 another 1 1/2 acres was purchased,
from George Bridgewater, to extend the church cemetery. As time passed,
it became evident that there was a great amount of money involved in
taking the best care of the cemetery. Shortly thereafter, Pleasant
Grove Church allowed the cemetery to be put in a perpetual care
program. This meant that the cemetery upkeep would continue without
interruption with funds provided through the purchasing of plots. A
designated chairman & committee were appointed to carry out the
required duties of the newly adapted program.
submitted by Joe Stout
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