Carrollton Patriot Newspaper
21 Jan 1915
What! Endorsed Slavery?
Slavery was endorsed and Bible authority quoted for it at a
religious assembly held in Greene County seventy years ago, and
Carrollton church people not only participated in the meeting,
but were members of the committee that framed the report.
This seems a rather startling assertion, more than fifty years
after the abolition of slavery, but public sentiment often
reverses itself in less time than seventy years.
In his travels over the Greene-Jersey Baptist Association, Rev.
W.H. Dickman recently picked up an old time stained leaflet
containing the minutes of the seventeenth annual meeting of the
North Baptist Association, held at Mt. Gilead Church September
6, 1844. They spelled it “Mt. Gilliad”. The title page shows the
imprint of the “Advocate Office”, Carrollton. The Advocate is
said to have been the first newspaper published here.
Elder Moses Lemon was moderator, J.O. Graves and D. Pierson,
both of Carrollton, were clerk and assistant respectively. The
two latter, with Elder S. Crane, the pastor, and W. Fales were
Carrollton messengers. Other churches in the association were
Kane, White Hall, Bethel, Mt. Gilliad, Delaware, Jerseyville,
Taylor’s Creek and Bluffdale. Kane with 117 members was the
largest church. Carrollton church reported 84.
The slavery issue came before the association in two questions
contained in the letter from the Jerseyville Church. They were:
1. “Is not slavery in any and all of its’ connections a sin and
a bar to fellowship?”
2. “What does the Scripture say on this subject?”
These questions were referred to a committee composed of three
ministers – Elders E.
Dodson, Roberts and Moses Lemon – and two lawmen – D. Pierson
and J.O. Graves.
The report of the committee was quite a labored effort. In reply
to the first question it
said:
“In our opinion there are many conditions in and connections
with slavery in which there is no sin, and brethren thus
situated should not be denounced as heretics, thieves, etc.”
The oddest part of the report is that the committee quoted
numerous passages of Scripture which they construed as
authorizing human slavery.
“Your committee are of opinion that the relations of master and
servant is regarded in the Word of God,” they reported. Here are
several of the passages quoted:
“Let every many abide in the same calling wherein he was called.
Art thou called being a servant, care not for it” etc. “Servants
be obedient to your masters according to the flesh with fear and
trembling.” “Let as many servants as are under the yoke count
their own masters worthy of all honor.”
The record says the report was presented, received and adopted
by the association.
Transcribed 07 Dec 2002 by Linda Jones Craig
18 Feb 1915
“First Negress” in Carrollton. First Negro woman in Carrollton Aunt Jane a slave and maid servant of Judge Woodsons family and later in the Locke family. She came from Shelbyville, Ky to Jerseyville Aug 11, 1862 and then Carrollton. She was no common negress but cultured and of pure Africa blood. She had been associated with the Parkers, Todds, Woodsons, Lockes, Burfords and others of Ky. and knew Miss Mary Todd before she married Abraham Lincoln. An escaped slave of New Orleans, Louisiana was captured more dead than alive from exposure and eating only corn & wheat in grain and meat raw or partly cooked and lodged in Carrollton jail. It was suggestedto advertise and send him back to his owner under the fugitive slave law, but was never done. He was the negro man in Carrollton and Aunt Jane took advantage of leap year and made him her husband. They had quite a numberof children of whom Sam Evans was the eldest.
Transcribed 10 Dec 2002 by Shirley A. Aleguas
