10
Formation of a Church


I
t appears the early settlers occupied the period between April 1819 and April 1820 establishing themselves in their new settlement erecting homes, clearing land for crops, building roads and generally securing and organizing their lives.  

By May 4, 1820, matters had progressed to a point sufficient to consider forming a church among "The scattered members of the Baptist order in the neighborhood."  On that day, twelve Baptists "living on the Oakmul-gee" Creek met at the home of Jonathan Beason located East of the creek in Dallas County.  The assembled Baptists agreed to call a presby-tery of officiating clergy and, if found in order, to be constituted into a church on June 10, 1820.

A petition to accomplish this purpose was prepared and Thomas Lowe, one of the twelve neighbors, took it to the church at Mulberry, and John Tubb took petitions to churches at Union and Cahaba.  The petitions were received and the presbytery necessary to constitute a church was formed.  The officiating clergy included William Calloway, William Harrod, Charles Crow and Isaac Suttles.  The presbytery met on Satur-day, June 10, 1820 with the petitioners, conducted public worship and "proceeded to business."  Isaac Suttles was chosen to moderate the pro-ceedings and Charles Crow to record the business as clerk. 

Six males and seven females presented themselves for membership by letter in the church being formed.  The presbytery ministers examined each person who asked to be accepted.  The petitioners included Jona-than Beason, Clark Crocker, Tabitha Dunn, Alsey Jackson, Thomas and Winneford Lowe, Andrew and Nancy Mays, Elizabeth Traylor Liles, Ally Prestridge, Sally Scott and Charles Warren.  

The ministers concluded they were all " . . . united in Christian fellow-ship, sound in the faith and we believe capable of keeping up Gospel dis-cipline.  We therefore do constitute and pronounce them a gospel church, possessing full power and church authority to carry into effect every part of the business of a church independent of any other church whatso-ever."  

The congregation began preparing an Abstract of Faith setting forth the principal beliefs of the church and Rules of Decorum governing the method of conducting sessions of the church congregation.  On July 1, 1820, the congregation held its second meeting electing Reddick Simms as clerk and received four new members by letter including Ann Crocker, Stephen McCraw, Robert Melton, and "bro. Bobb, a man of colour."  At the August 5 meeting, four new members were granted membership - - Cynthia Jackson, William S. Norris, Rebecca Norris and Milly Warren.  On August 12, the men of the church met to "fix on a site for a meeting house."  

In this way, the Ocmulgee Church continued to grow and attract Bap-tists in the neighborhood to its ministry.  On November 5, Mary Craw-ford, Nancy Dalton, Green and Clarisey Jackson  and "Dafney, a woman of colour," were received by letter, and Joseph Prestridge, Cynthia Traylor Warren, Parthenia Dennis, and Elizabeth Prestridge by professions of faith in Jesus Christ.  By the end of 1820, the church had thirty-three members, a growth of sixty-four per cent since the founding.  

The church did not have a pastor after six months and moved in Novem-ber to select one.  November 18 was set aside "as a day of fasting and prayer to Almighty God to direct our minds a right in the choice of a pastoral supply."  Three ministers had preached at Ocmulgee Church prior to November 18.  John Tubb and William Harrod preached in Sep-tember, and Charles Crow on November 5.  On the appointed day, the congregation gave serious consideration to the matter and chose Charles Crow as pastor.  He was not present, and Reddick Simms was sent to give him notice of his election.  Charles continued as pastor at Ocmulgee until April 28, 1822, serving sixteen months during his first tenure.  

Thirteen days after his election as pastor, Sarah Harlan gave birth to her final child who was named Jesse M., born on December 1, 1820.   Sarah Harlan's fate is a mystery.  She does not appear on the rolls of Ocmulgee Church and no grave or headstone has been found to supply the missing information.  In all likelihood, Sarah lies buried in an unmarked grave on the property owned by Charles Crow south of the Ocmulgee Church site in the northeast corner of Section 30.  The cemetery at the church was not established at the time of her death and burials in private plots were common in that day.  In 1820, Sarah was forty-five years of age, and one wonders if she died as the result of complications associated with Jesse's birth.  Whatever Sarah's fate, the last note of her this writer has found is Jesse's birth.  Had Sarah Harlan lived much beyond the Crow family's early days in the county, one must believe that evidence would be available.