Home Page

Organizational Meeting Minutes
January 14, 1843, McCracken Co., KY


Here is an exact transcription (grammar errors and all) of the organizational meeting minutes dated January 14, 1843, for Spring Bayou Baptist Church in McCracken County. The church carried an original name of Newton's Creek Church until April of 1847 when a site located near Spring Bayou Creek was found to build the first house of worship. Up until that time they met in members homes. Thanks!!!

Richard B. Davis


Ballard County, State of Kentucky, January 14, 1843

We whoes names are hereunto subscribed having been Baptised upon a profession of our faith in Christ Jesus our Lord and having belonged to Baptist Churches, but in the providence of God we have settled in the North of Ballard and west of McCracken Counties far from any Church or so far as not to enjoy the benefits of a Church as often as we desire and our families can seldom attend on the administration of the word of Life. Therefore we have made arrangements to form ourselves into a Church having obtained letters of dismission from our respective Churches and invited ministering Brethren and others to attend here at the House of Brother Ferney B. Martin's and on the day Being Saturday the 14th Day of January 1843 all being now present and the Elders and Deacons with us, we therefore covenant and agree to give ourselves to each other in the fear of the Lord having given ourselves to God to live together in a church capacity to act together as members of one body, holding Christ our Lord as our head in which capacity we agree and promise to live in love endeavouring to keep the unity of spirit in the bonds of peace we will (by the help of God) do all we can in our different sphears to promote the cause of our dear redeemer by watching ours and this admonishing and counselling each other we promise to support the cause of God by our pecuniary aid in the upholding a preached word amongst us and the other ordinary expenses of the Church as the Lord shall give us ability in testimony of which we have hereunto sett (or caused to sett) our names this day and state above written. 

Charter Members: 

Ferney Martin
H. S. Edwards
Elyah Edwards
Wilford Edwards
Hawkins C. Pitt
Jonathan D. Martin
Issac B. Edwards
Elbert Werten
Walter W. Lovelace
Michael Robertson
Sarah Y. Edwards
Martha Pitt
Naney Edwards
Marion Edwards
Marian Martin