James III and Mary "Polly" Callaway were married in the Indian Creek Baptist Church a mile above Greenville in 1796, then in Greenbrier County. "Polly" bore James 14 children, half on the 320 acre Indian Creek farm they got in 1804 Monroe County, which was formed in 1799. After their marriage, James Taylor in his 1838 book (Lives of Virginia Ministers) says James was regular in church attendance and family prayer for awhile, then lapsed into "wickedness" until he joined the Indian Creek Church in 1800. He then attended regularly, began preaching and was ordained an Elder in 1808. Taylor also said James III had little education because of his family's poverty, but hls talent for public speaking made him a popular preacher in this family known for its Baptist preachers i.e; James II, James III and five of his sons, Addison, Joseph, Felix, Matthew the most distinquished Baptist preacher of his day and James Elias, who was my ancestor.
In 1810, "Polly" and James III, his sister Elizabeth "Betsy" and her husband Daniel Shumate were among the first settlers in the coal marshes, when they moved their families to the mouth of Hazy Creek on the Coal River at what is now Edwight, West Virginia and built two cabins just 20 feet apart. Then in 1812, Daniel moved his family to the Sand Lick farm that later belonged to George W. Callaway, a grandson of "Polly's" brother Joshua. Daniel was also a charter member of the Guyandotte Baptist Church, which selected him as the clerk and James III as the preacher for this first church in Wyoming County. This is on a sign by their present church in Jesse, where it was moved five miles from Oceana in 1870. Their first church charter meeting was held at Thomas and Ellen Riggins Cooke's log cabin under the gnarled beech tree, which is known as the "Old Baptist Beech" shown on this page and it is still there. James III then moved his family southwest 15 miles to below the coal marshes at the Trump Mill Ford to preach in Oceana.
About 1817, James III moved his family back to the New River Ridge, where they lived near the Farley Meetinghouse, probably so he could replace his father as preacher at the newly built Red Sulphur Baptist Church. James II had probably resigned, since he had fathered Barsheba, an illegitimate mixed race daughter of his slave Fanny. In 1818, James III also became the Little Bluestone Primitive Baptist preacher at their log church in Lilly and then he became the preacher at Greenbrier in 1821 when John Alderson Jr. died. Taylor's book says James also preached at other churches in then Virginia counties of Giles, Monroe, Greenbrier, Bath and Nicholas. In these early days, the scattered churches would usually meet for two days monthly with a traveling preacher until they had enough people to support their own preacher. James III or James II was also probably the Ellison preacher listed at camp meetings in the 1830's at the "Old Shed" on Shed Mountain near McComas in Mercer County.
By the early 1820's, James III and Daniel Shumate had sold their farms on Hazy Creek to Jacob Pettry, who was married in 1821 and later attached their cabins to make room for his 19 children. In 1827, the Baptists in the Fayette County coal marshes began holding meetings, with James III preaching when he traveled between the Red Sulphur and Oceana churches. In 1829, he moved his family to Daniel Shumate's Sand Lick farm north of Glen Daniel and preached in the New Hope Meeting House, which was built of logs that year between Harper and Skin Poplar Gap on today's WV highway 3. Then in 1836, the New Hope Baptists formed the Coal Marsh Missionary Baptist Church on Trap Hill, in an area which became Raleigh County in 1850. Sadly, James III was unavailable since he had died in 1834, so they licensed his son Matthew to preach. They ordained Matt in 1837 and he preached there for 45 years in addition to many other churches, including Greenbrier and Guyandotte.
Taylor's book says James III became ill while traveling to the 1834 General Baptist Association in Richmond, Virginia with one of his sons, probably Matt. He was able to attend the meetings, but became too ill to travel after two days on their way home, so they stopped at a friend's house. James III lingered there a week and died early in the morning of May 28, 1834. This friend was probably a member of a Strawberry Baptist Association church, where James had preached on the way to Richmond. James III's youngest child, James Elias, says in his autobiography that his father died in Bedford County near Fincastle and the August 26, 1950 Beckley Post-Herald says he died in what was Roanoke County, when it was formed in 1838. Taylor's book said he died between Fincastle in Botetourt County and Liberty in Bedford County, where Liberty was the name of the town of Bedford before 1890. The best combination of these places for his death is the Bonsack area, which is 14 miles from Fincastle and was in Bedford County when James died and in Roanoke County, when it was formed in 1838. His friend, in whose house he died, may have been John Bonsack (1790-1859) who this area was named for when he donated the railroad land in 1852 and their train stop was called Bonsack Station. John's son Jacob (1819-1889) then donated land for the Bonsack Baptist Church, which was in the Strawberry Baptist Association. FYI, Jacob's son James Albert Bonsack (1859-1924) became rich after he invented the cigarette rolling machine in 1883. James III must have been cremated since Page 10 of the 1842 Annual Meeting of the Greenbrier Association says he died in Bedford County and his Ashes now quietly repose at the foot of the Blue Ridge. They were probably buried or scattered near Bonsack. These 1842 Meeting minutes also say that Ellison Hatfield of what became the feuding "Hatfields & McCoys" was named after James III when he was born in 1841.
James III and Mary "Polly" Callaway were married in the Indian Creek Baptist Church a mile above Greenville in 1796, then in Greenbrier County. "Polly" bore James 14 children, half on the 320 acre Indian Creek farm they got in 1804 Monroe County, which was formed in 1799. After their marriage, James Taylor in his 1838 book (Lives of Virginia Ministers) says James was regular in church attendance and family prayer for awhile, then lapsed into "wickedness" until he joined the Indian Creek Church in 1800. He then attended regularly, began preaching and was ordained an Elder in 1808. Taylor also said James III had little education because of his family's poverty, but hls talent for public speaking made him a popular preacher in this family known for its Baptist preachers i.e; James II, James III and five of his sons, Addison, Joseph, Felix, Matthew the most distinquished Baptist preacher of his day and James Elias, who was my ancestor.
In 1810, "Polly" and James III, his sister Elizabeth "Betsy" and her husband Daniel Shumate were among the first settlers in the coal marshes, when they moved their families to the mouth of Hazy Creek on the Coal River at what is now Edwight, West Virginia and built two cabins just 20 feet apart. Then in 1812, Daniel moved his family to the Sand Lick farm that later belonged to George W. Callaway, a grandson of "Polly's" brother Joshua. Daniel was also a charter member of the Guyandotte Baptist Church, which selected him as the clerk and James III as the preacher for this first church in Wyoming County. This is on a sign by their present church in Jesse, where it was moved five miles from Oceana in 1870. Their first church charter meeting was held at Thomas and Ellen Riggins Cooke's log cabin under the gnarled beech tree, which is known as the "Old Baptist Beech" shown on this page and it is still there. James III then moved his family southwest 15 miles to below the coal marshes at the Trump Mill Ford to preach in Oceana.
About 1817, James III moved his family back to the New River Ridge, where they lived near the Farley Meetinghouse, probably so he could replace his father as preacher at the newly built Red Sulphur Baptist Church. James II had probably resigned, since he had fathered Barsheba, an illegitimate mixed race daughter of his slave Fanny. In 1818, James III also became the Little Bluestone Primitive Baptist preacher at their log church in Lilly and then he became the preacher at Greenbrier in 1821 when John Alderson Jr. died. Taylor's book says James also preached at other churches in then Virginia counties of Giles, Monroe, Greenbrier, Bath and Nicholas. In these early days, the scattered churches would usually meet for two days monthly with a traveling preacher until they had enough people to support their own preacher. James III or James II was also probably the Ellison preacher listed at camp meetings in the 1830's at the "Old Shed" on Shed Mountain near McComas in Mercer County.
By the early 1820's, James III and Daniel Shumate had sold their farms on Hazy Creek to Jacob Pettry, who was married in 1821 and later attached their cabins to make room for his 19 children. In 1827, the Baptists in the Fayette County coal marshes began holding meetings, with James III preaching when he traveled between the Red Sulphur and Oceana churches. In 1829, he moved his family to Daniel Shumate's Sand Lick farm north of Glen Daniel and preached in the New Hope Meeting House, which was built of logs that year between Harper and Skin Poplar Gap on today's WV highway 3. Then in 1836, the New Hope Baptists formed the Coal Marsh Missionary Baptist Church on Trap Hill, in an area which became Raleigh County in 1850. Sadly, James III was unavailable since he had died in 1834, so they licensed his son Matthew to preach. They ordained Matt in 1837 and he preached there for 45 years in addition to many other churches, including Greenbrier and Guyandotte.
Taylor's book says James III became ill while traveling to the 1834 General Baptist Association in Richmond, Virginia with one of his sons, probably Matt. He was able to attend the meetings, but became too ill to travel after two days on their way home, so they stopped at a friend's house. James III lingered there a week and died early in the morning of May 28, 1834. This friend was probably a member of a Strawberry Baptist Association church, where James had preached on the way to Richmond. James III's youngest child, James Elias, says in his autobiography that his father died in Bedford County near Fincastle and the August 26, 1950 Beckley Post-Herald says he died in what was Roanoke County, when it was formed in 1838. Taylor's book said he died between Fincastle in Botetourt County and Liberty in Bedford County, where Liberty was the name of the town of Bedford before 1890. The best combination of these places for his death is the Bonsack area, which is 14 miles from Fincastle and was in Bedford County when James died and in Roanoke County, when it was formed in 1838. His friend, in whose house he died, may have been John Bonsack (1790-1859) who this area was named for when he donated the railroad land in 1852 and their train stop was called Bonsack Station. John's son Jacob (1819-1889) then donated land for the Bonsack Baptist Church, which was in the Strawberry Baptist Association. FYI, Jacob's son James Albert Bonsack (1859-1924) became rich after he invented the cigarette rolling machine in 1883. James III must have been cremated since Page 10 of the 1842 Annual Meeting of the Greenbrier Association says he died in Bedford County and his Ashes now quietly repose at the foot of the Blue Ridge. They were probably buried or scattered near Bonsack. These 1842 Meeting minutes also say that Ellison Hatfield of what became the feuding "Hatfields & McCoys" was named after James III when he was born in 1841.
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