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A Brief History and
Background of the
Lord’s church in
Trenton, Georgia
1837-2014
Restoration Movement In Georgia took place all
over the state with a variety of great men
Trenton
William Howard
Sutton
Dr. Daniel
Hook
Atlanta
Nathan W.
Smith
Skull
Augusta
Shoals
Effingham
County
Lowndes Cty.
Dasher
S.H. Hall
Savannah
Christian
Herman
Dasher
• James Buys
– DeKalb County, Georgia – 1828 wrote to
Christian Messenger (CM) concerning
efforts in that county.
– Communion Meeting at Bethel Meeting
House--eleven elders.
– Stated that 26 “joined the Church of
Christ” at this meeting. CM, Dec. 1828,
p.43
– In 1830 Reported another camp meeting
7th of Oct. where “twenty professed faith
in Christ, and fourteen joined the church.”
CM, Jan. 1830, p.46f.
– Also said in same report that he had
traveled to Jackson County, GA on 21st of
Oct to a camp-meeting, “the result was,
about fifteen professed faith in him; ten
joined the Church, and about the same
number were baptized.” CM, Jan. 1830,
p.46f.
– Also reported a meeting in Pike County,
“about ten made an open profession of
faith in Christ, while Christians were much
encouraged” CM, Jan. 1830, p.46f.
Earliest
Years
Atlanta
• Christian Preachers Who
Evangelized Early
– 1833 - Thacker V. Griffin,
Winchester, TN came to
Georgia in winter.
– William T. Lowe baptized in
Old Rose Creek, near the
church, by William R.
Pendleton, believed to be
the first man in North
Georgia to be baptized for
the remission of sins.
Earliest
Years
Atlanta
• 1835 – William R. Shehane, of
Tenn. Made preaching trips
among Georgia Churches in
April, 1835
• 1836 – William R. Hooton,
Tennessee Evangelist came in
the winter of 1836
• The Obituary Of Dr. D.W.
Elder (1809-1901) stated that
he was one of the first
‘Christian’ men in Georgia.
(Read the Bible thru hundreds
of times). He was an elder of
the Republican Church.
• Early 1830s. James J. Trott, a
Methodist Missionary to the
Cherokee Indians, read
Campbell’s writings while
imprisoned in Georgia for
refusal to take an oath of
allegiance to the State.
Earliest
Years in
Georgia
Atlanta
• 1837 – Gospel Meeting held in
Salem (the name of Trenton
until 1840) by two men from “a
town north of Savannah”
baptizing several--The names
have been lost to history
• 1838– Leroy and Elizabeth
Sutton who were already
Christians moved to a farm
near New England and began
worshipping with the
congregation at Union
• 1840– First recorded meeting
house erected about two miles
south of current location (off
Cedar Lane) 20x20 log
building.
• 1844– James J Trott (from
previous slide) held a revival in
Dade County and reported
about 20 members of the
Lord’s church.
Earliest
Years in
Trenton
Trenton
James J Trott
• 1859—There are records of a
Gospel Meeting conducted by
preachers M. Love, T.
Witherspoon and A.P. Seitz with
30 responses during the meeting.
• The Union church of Christ had at
the time a membership of over
100.
• The 20x20 building was
remodeled and had an addition
built on in about 1849 or 1850.
• Later the building was weatherboarded, sealed and painted. The
building was heated by a wood
burning ‘pot-bellied’ stove located
in the center of the building.
• The building had hand made
pews and an “Amen” corner. For
a number of years the men and
women sat on separate sides as
was the custom of the day.
Early
Years in
Trenton
Picture of the old Union building
estimated to be from the 1950’s
after the building had been
abandoned for nearly 20 years.
The building is no longer standing.
• Mid 1800’s – Records indicate
from several sources the
membership at the Union
church of Christ to be 100.
• 1861-1865– Church in Dade
County suffered greatly as did
the county and many areas
during the Civil War. The
Lord’s church survived the
Civil War and Reconstruction
with help from brethren from
around the country and
continued to meet at Union.
• George Washington Bacon
preached in Dade County and
Rocky Springs, AL during and
after the Civil War and was
very influential in gathering
assistance to help the church
survive in Dade and Jackson
County, AL.
th
19
Mid
Century in
Trenton
Trenton
• Following is a letter from
brother Bacon to David
Lipscomb at Gospel Advocate
concerning the desperate
conditions in Trenton and
Rocky Springs, AL
Reconstruction
in Tri-State
Area
Trenton, GA., January 18, 1868,
Brother Lipscomb: It has occurred to me that, although I have given you in scraps, the success of the
Gospel in my field of labor for the year that has just passed and gone, that it would be nothing amiss to
condense the whole. At the commencement of the year, my broken down circumstances was such that I
thought I would confine my labors exclusively to my immediate neighborhood, and preach for and to the
three congregations in this county as I had no horse to ride, and did so for a time. And having a little
business on the west side of the Tennessee river, in the neighborhood of Rock Springs, Jackson Co. Alabama
the brethren at that place earnestly solicited me to visit them and preach for them. I told them that I had no
horse; Bro. William Hughes proposed to pay my fare on the railroad, if I would preach for them. I thanked
him for his liberal proposition and told him, as we were all broken-down by the war, to keep his money for
other purposes, and as soon as I could make it convenient, I would visit them. So I added that point to my
field, a distance of twenty-three miles, walking all the while. But after my crop of corn was finished, I then
extended my labors down as low as Calhoun county, Ala., the result of which has been on hundred and fiftyeight to the army of the faithful, and the organization of four congregations. To the Lord be all the praise.
And now for this present year, I have engaged to preach for seven congregations, scattered over a large
extent of country, one hundred miles below this. It will occupy four weeks to accomplish one trip, leaving me
only two days in each month to recuperate. I have been resting for some two weeks and shall not ride any
more till the first of March, when I shall start for another year's labor.
My brother, hold out and hold on to the positions taken in the Gospel Advocate, and may God bless you, and
long continue you at the helm of the little bark, for God is with you, and ere long you will get the
ascendency, the good and the wise will take to heart. I am brother, yours in the hope of a glorious
immortality.—Washington Bacon
Following are excerpts from
another letter written in
1866 that expresses the
severe needs in the Union
congregation
Reconstruction
in Tri-State
Area
“…the fifty sacks of food has not supplied
more than half of the actual needs of the
congregation of this county. There are
some (of our members) that are totally
destitute….”
Painting of the Union church of Christ
building by sister Ruby Wheeler, former
member of this congregation now
deceased. Sister Wheeler painted this
when she was 80 years young.
• One of the great early gospel
preachers at Union was William
Howard Sutton.
• Brother Sutton was born near Trenton,
Ga., in Dade, County, on August 21,
1852 and baptized at Union in 1869.
• On January 27, 1875, he was married
to Miss Ella Faulkner, of Lebanon,
Tenn., while teaching in Nashville.
Soon after his marriage he was called
to his old home in Georgia to take
charge of a literary school. After
teaching there for a while he formed a
partnership with Judge Shackleford
and established a business college in
Chattanooga, Tenn.
• In 1881, Brother Sutton accepted a
professorship in Burritt College,
Spencer, Tenn., and taught in that
college nine years. In 1887, while
teaching at Burritt College, he was
asked to take the place of president of
the college. Brother Sutton continued
as president of the college for two
years, resigning in 1889.
19th Century
in Trenton
William Howard Sutton
BROTHER
WILLIAM HOWARD
SUTTON
All who knew Brother Sutton testified that he
was a good man. Brother E. A. Elam said: "
Some preachers are noted for their eloquence;
some, for their logic; some, for their being
debaters; and some, for their eccentricity; but I
would rather live, as Brother Sutton lived, a
power for good, noted for righteousness and
godliness –genuine goodness– than for all other
things combined. Without genuine goodness,
all else amounts to nothing.“
Brother Sutton was in a meeting at Algood, Tenn., in 1905. He had been preaching
there day and night for one week. Soon after nine o'clock on the second morning of the
second week of the meeting, July 9, 1905, he was suddenly stricken and died
immediately. His body was taken to Sparta and laid to rest there. A large multitude
assembled to pay tribute to the memory of this great man of God. Every one who knew
him called him "Brother Sutton." He had a kind word for everybody and his friends
were numbered by his acquaintances. For the length of time that he lived, labored, and
loved, possibly no other man even did more good than did Brother Sutton. —From
Biographical Sketches Of Gospel Preachers, H. Leo Boles, Gospel Advocate Company
• The church at Union continued to
grow through the turn of the
century.
• In the 1920’s the first effort to
move to Trenton was made.
• The congregation made
arrangements to share a building
with the then existing
Presbyterian church—one group
meeting in the morning and one
in the evening.
• This arrangement soon fell apart
and the congregation returned to
the Union building.
• In 1937, as the congregation
marked its 100th Anniversary, in
the midst of the Great
Depression, property was
secured in our present location
and a building was erected. This
facility served the congregation
until 1975.
th
20
Early
Century in
Trenton
.
• From 1937 until the 1970’s, the
Trenton congregation grew into
and then out of the ‘old building’.
• It was a time of great memories
for many as the congregation
grew and was filled with young
people. Can you find Bill Newby
in this picture from 1940-41?
• From weekly Bible classes to
annual Vacation Bible School in
the summer, the congregation
grew and prospered.
• It became evident as the 1960’s
came to an end that a new
facility would be needed.
• The decision was made to build
a new building but stay at the
same location just off the square
in downtown Trenton.
20th Century
in Trenton
.
• In 1974 a new auditorium was built
and then a new classroom and
fellowship hall were added. These
were completed in 1976 at a cost of
about $100,000 due to the
generosity of not only finances but
of labor by many of the men to
build the facilities.
• In the late1970’s the congregation
began to host a mother’s day out
program known as Thursday
School. For a number of years
this program had a significant
impact on many youngsters in
Trenton. The program was revived
in 2013 after being discontinued for
a number of years.
• The sign that stands in front of our
current building was built of stones
taken from the foundation of the old
Union building when the new
building was built.
th
20
Late
Century in
Trenton
.
•
•
In 1980 Trenton was part of a campaign
to St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands.
The campaign was very successful with
13 members of this congregation going
on the trip. Several of our current
members including Jackie Hill, Suzan
Gross and Ghanell Forester were on the
trip. Trenton would continue to have an
impact on the Lord’s work around the
world in the new millennium.
In 2005 plans were made and in
January, 2006, brother Don Walker was
sent by this congregation on a mission
trip to the island of Luzon in the
Philippines. Since then the annual trips
have been part of establishing and
strengthening numerous congregations
and helping with a school of preaching.
Chris Gerber, Bradley Hicks and Jamie
Walker have been on several of the trips
as that work grows. This work continues
today and Trenton just spearheaded the
drive and purchased property for a new
congregation in Asingan while helping
support the workers there.
20th &21st Century
Missions of
Trenton
.
• In 1980 under the leadership of
the late Charles Hill and others,
Trenton began to host the
annual Tri-State Singing on the
third Friday night in May. That
tradition continues to this day.
• Through the early 1990’s the
youth group that was very
active, grew up and many
moved away. The congregation
had ‘greyed’ or gotten older as
many congregations did in the
80’s and 90’s.
Late 20th
Century in
Trenton
.
•
•
•
•
In the second decade of the 21st century the
Trenton church of Christ has revitalized and
currently is averaging close to 90 members
each Sunday and has become very involved
in a number of evangelistic programs.
Currently the Trenton Youth Group has
roughly 20 members including 5 attending
college. The decision was made 3 years ago
to begin to employ a summer youth intern
from a Christian college. Our young people
are also very active in Lads to Leaders with
nearly 50 of our young people and adults
attending this year.
In 2010, after many years without elders or
deacons, on Sunday, September 5 a new
eldership was appointed for the first time in
nearly three decades. Deacons were
appointed the following year.
The congregation is virtually debt free and
continues to make plans to expand our
efforts at home and abroad. Recent years
have seen wonderful growth and we continue
to look for God to open doors of opportunity
for this family of believers. We currently are
averaging about 90 for worship services on
Sunday morning and 70 on Sunday night and
Wednesday night.
21st Century
in Trenton
and Beyond
.
Editor’s Note and
Acknowledgement
• I received information from many sources
for this presentation. Brother Scott Harp’s
work was especially helpful.
• If you know of any updates that could make
it more accurate or photos that would add to
it, I would appreciate if you would email
them to me [email protected]
• Thanks so much!