A Sketch of the Early History of the Primitive Baptists in the State of Georgia
In 1770, Elder Daniel Marshall began to preach in Columbia County, and in 1772 formed the Kiokee Baptist Church, the first established in Georiga. While in prayer, he was arrested, in the presence of his audience, for preaching in the parish of St. Paul, and made to give bond for his appearance at court in Augusta. He stood trial and was ordered not to preach in Georgia. He answered in the language of the apostles, "We ought to obey God rather than man." This church was constituted at the present site of Appling. About this time Elder Bostford began to preach in Burke and neighboring counties, where he formed a church now called Bostford Meeting House, near Waynesboro. The following year, 1774, the third church was established at Abilene; the fourth church was established in 1777, now called Little Brier Creek, in 1783; the fifth church was established at Fishing Creek, in 1784; Greenwood Church was also founded in 1784.
This brings us to the date of the organization of the first Association, called the Georgia, because it was the only one in the State. The aforementioned six churches are supposed to have composed the Association. This body was constituted at Kiokee in 1784 through the work of Elder Daniel Marshall.
The first ten years of the history of this Association were years of great prosperity, and many new churches are supposed to have composed this Association, that were constituted during this ten years time, and it had become so large that in 1794 part of the churche organized the Hepzibah Association. At the close of the first ten years, after the organization of the first Association, there were in the State about fifty-five churches with about 5,000 members.
In 1799 the Serepta Association was formed. Three years later, 1802, the Savannah Association was formed of churches in Savannah and vicinity. It was called Savannah River in 1806, because it contained churches on both sides of the river. Later, 1817, the Association divided, the churches in South Carolina side retained the name Savannah River, and thoe on the Georgia side adopted the name Sunbury.
The formation of the Ocmulgee Association in 1810, with about 1,200 members, made the fifth Association. About this time, the question of foreign missions began to be considered by Georgia Baptists. The introduction of missions began in Georgia when a mission society was formed in Savvah, in 1813. In 1814 Jesse Mercer pushedthe new society at the Georgia Association, and he was chosen president of another similar society. In 1815 Luther Rice attended the Georgia Association to promote his religious system based on money and human effort. Only two of the eight Associations in Georgia sent delegates to the General Baptist Convention which Rice had nefariously organized. Over the next several years, sometimes for years together, the Georgia Association was the only Association represented. From 1835 to 1837 there were statewide divisions among the Baptists over the modern mission system. Satan was at work here, as well as many other places throughout the country. More detailed information regarding the trials it brought upon the churches may be seen elsewhere on our website.
