According to an article published by Leo Boles in the Gospel Advocate 11 Dec. 1930, John Dobbins donated a plot of land for the construction of a religious meetinghouse in Leipers Fork (Hillsboro) in 1815, named Union, which was dedicated to be shared by all denominations with usage by the various groups an alternating Sundays.  Primitive Baptists dominated both the community and usage of the meetinghouse in its early years.  Dissension arose in their ranks in the following years over the preaching of “Campbellism”, predominately by Baptist ministers Andrew Craig and Joel Anderson, and, after being withdrawn by neighboring congregations for preaching heresy in 1829, the two assisted in forming a Christian church comprised of other excluded Baptists in the community that would share usage of the meetinghouse, believed to be the oldest Christian Church/church of Christ south of Nashville.  The charter members signed the following declaration on 2 Jan., 1830:

We, whose names are hereunto subscribe, being the professed disciples of Jesus Christ in the vicinity of Leiper’s Fork, do hereby agree to live together as a congregation of the Lord, to be denominated “the church of Christ on Leiper’s Fork”, and we do hereby agree to take the Bible to be the word of God in such a sense as to hold ourselves bound to believe all its declares, do all that it requires of us as Christians, as well as to abstain from all it forbids.  We do consider it the only rule of faith and practice in Matters of religion.  So there is no occasion for any other judge of controversies, or for creeds, confession of faith, traditions, or acts of councils, to supply its supposed defects.  We take that Book for our creed in all matters pertaining to us as a church and individuals.

Signed:  JACOB CARL, NANCY BROWN, MARY HUGGINS, FRANCES POTTER, POLLY MEADOR, ELIZABETH ALLEN, MERRITT BROWN, WILLIAM SPARKMAN, BIRD DODSON, JUDAS DODSON, POLLY WALKER, ELIZABETH HUNTER and MARGARET DODSON.

(Note: Polly Walker is Mary, William Sparkman’s widowed daughter, and it is interesting to note that although Rosanna Sparkman can later be established as a member of the Boston church of Christ, formed by members of this congregation, she is not among the signatories.)