FAITH OF OUR FATHERS (AND MOTHERS)

       We have a rich Christian heritage in our families.  Since all of our family lines date back to the Colonies, it is quite possible many, if not all, of our ancestors came to America for religious freedom.

        My Uncle Harold CHURCHWELL (1915-1997) noted that early Churchwells were Primitive Baptist – no musical instruments were allowed in the church, and they regularly practiced foot-washing as part of their worship service.  The earliest records I have are for my 2x great-grandfather, Thomas CHURCHWELL (1810-1880), who joined with the Missionary Baptist Church.  When my Grandpa, William Thornton CHURCHWELL (1890-1954) moved the family to Washington County, Colorado, the nearest church was a Methodist church in Last Chance.  My mom told me her dad used to always say, “We are Baptist, even if we are going to a Methodist church.” 

My great-grandfather, John Glover WALLIS (1861-1945), joined the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Shelby County, Missouri.  This is possibly where my grandparents Iva WALLIS and Will CHURCHWELL met.  In the obituary of Iva’s mother, Lucretia Virginia SMITH WALLIS (1870-1937), it states, “She joined the Baptist Church in her early life and lived up to that faith until the day her Maker called her home.” 

My 5x great-grandfather, Henry PATTERSON (ca.1730-1781) is probably buried in Hills of the Santee, South Carolina, where he died delivering cattle to Col. Green’s camp during the Revolutionary War.  His wife, Elizabeth, then married Robert Carson, Sr; nothing more is known about Mr. Carson.  There is a marker in the Methodist Church cemetery in Alexander County, North Carolina, erected by Henry and Elizabeth’s oldest son John, my 4x great-grandfather; it is the burial place of Elizabeth, but on the opposite side of her grave marker is an inscription for Henry.  It is not known why Elizabeth is buried in a Methodist cemetery.  According to “Ira Patterson 1805-1863 and His Descendants,” a family history by Mary Elizabeth Wilburn Steffens, “Ira [my 3x great-grandfather] was a devout Presbyterian and Jane an equally devout Methodist; both denominations flourished harmoniously in the household, and they attended each other's church services indiscriminately.  Ira was at one time a member of Lebanon Presbyterian Church . . .  By 1839, Ira was a member of the Demopolis Presbyterian Church, and a plaque at the church memorializes Ira and eight others as founding members.” 

I don’t know much about my early LAREW ancestor’s church affiliation.  I have to wonder if the immigrant ancestor was a Huguenot.  Huguenots were French Protestants; they faced persecution from the Catholic French royalty.  Especially brutal was Catherine de Medici.  The Huguenot Church (French Reformed Church) began in France and eventually faced fierce persecution there. The first large migration of French Protestants (Huguenots) began after the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre in 1572. A more peaceful time started in 1598 when the Edict of Nantes granted religious freedom.  Unfortunately in 1685, the Edict of Nantes was revoked, removing all religious freedom. Persecution became fierce. About 200,000 Huguenots fled to foreign nations, including the Netherlands (50-60,000), England (40-50,000), Germany (about 25-30,000), Switzerland (22,000), Ireland (10,000), and America (10,000). 

My great-uncle Hobart LAREW recalled of his mother Margaret, “she was a wonderful Christian woman.”  His father Charley did not leave a similar impression.  Not long after moving his family to Colorado, my grandparents Jim and Helen LAREW began attending Fruitdale Baptist Church.  Jim’s brother Hobart had married Helen’s sister Golden, and they attended the Nazarene Church in Morrison. 

William Arthur DENBY (1824-1898), my 2x great-grandfather, served during the Civil War as a Surgeon and Chaplain; he served from July, 1861 until late, 1862, resigning his position after being elected to the Missouri State Senate.  He was re-elected in 1864.  He later served as a minister in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.  William was the father of Margaret Caroline who married Charley Porter LAREW, my great-grandparents. 

James Webb VANHOOSER (1827-1911), my 2x great-grandfather, was written about by one of his sons in a family history: “James left Kentucky [probably actually Tennessee] in the summer of 1861 by wagon train to Missouri. James was a charter member of the New Hope Church, built in 1868; the building was near the schoolhouse for all eight children.”  I found a listing on Google for a New Hope Baptist Church in Dadeville, Missouri, and also a Hulston New Hope Church, no denomination mentioned.

Daniel STOCKTON (1727-1804) my 5x great-grandfather, was a Quaker.  Andrew Jackson STOCKTON (1832-1902) my 2x great-grandfather, helped build Grassy Valley Church in Missouri.  I don’t know what the denomination was of that church. 

         What a wonderful thing to have this deep, rich Christian heritage.  God loves the world and gave us a Savior so we can spend eternity with Him.  There is an old saying, “God doesn’t have grandchildren.”  Regardless of ones religious background, we each must consciously make the choice to accept Christ.  I know some of us were raised in pretty strict, Christian homes and it may have left a bad taste in some mouths, but when we stand before God, we have to answer for what each of us has accepted or rejected, regardless of what our parents or pastors were like.  I pray we will have a wonderful Family Reunion in Heaven, rejoicing in God the Father and His faithfulness to the prayers of our ancestors for their children and grandchildren.  I try to pray regularly for my grandchildren as well, hoping to continue the legacy of praying for the youngest generation to accept Christ as their Savior.