Cool Springs MethodistChurch

A  HISTORY    

of 

COOL  SPRINGS  METHODIST  CHURCH

Located in the Hominy Ridge Community

Franklin County, Mississippi

By

Edward Graham Sullivan

Written about 1975

Copied from original pamphlet October, 2002 by Glenn Cupit     e-mail: glenncupit@msn.com

(with some minor corrections and church members full names added) 

with permission of children of E G Sullivan

  The Setting 

        The time in history is 1798.  Mississippi had not yet been made an official state.  A strip of land beginning at the present Mississippi – Louisiana line south of Natchez and extending north to the mouth of the Yazoo River at Vicksburg bordered on the west by the Mississippi River and on the east by the Chattahoochie River (present Alabama – Georgia line) was acquired by the United States by treaty with Spain in 1796.  This was known as the Mississippi Territory.  It’s first governor, Winthrop Sargent from Massachusetts, was appointed along with a secretary and three judges by the United States Congress. 

          The Natchez Indians, the principle tribe of this vicinity, had been practically wiped out by the French years earlier but small settlements of Indians from other tribes were still present in the territory.

        Natchez was the largest and oldest settlement in the territory and farming was well established in a large area both north and south of the city.  The area which was to become Franklin County later was called the Homochitto District.  The first census of the Mississippi Territory in 1800 lists the Homochitto District as having 462 inhabitants.  This figure was increasing rapidly   and had more than doubled in a few years.  Hominy ridge was one of the earliest settlements in the District with many families already settled prior to 1800.

Enter Methodism

          Methodism was well established as a major denomination in the original colonies and adjacent settlements.  As settlers moved west and south, Methodist ministers followed preaching and establishing churches.  So, it was no surprise that soon after territorial government was established by Congress for the Mississippi Territory in 1798, that a Methodist minister appeared on the scene.  This minister was Tobias Gibson.  He arrived in Natchez early in 1799 from South Carolina.  Reverend Gibson immediately set about the task at hand.  He traveled by horseback both north and south of Natchez preaching the gospel wherever he could gather a few people around him.  This was often in or around some resident’s house.  By early in 1800, two churches had been established, the first at Washington and the second at Kingston. 

          Unfortunately, Tobias Gibson did not keep a journal of his daily activities as many early explorers and ministers did.  This leaves many unanswered questions about his actions in the early 1800’s as he brought Methodism into the Mississippi
  Territory including the area that was to be Franklin County later.  We do know that other ministers joined him early in this period and still other locals were licensed to preach. 

Cool Springs Organized

          The lack of records for the period leaves many gaps concerning the establishment of Cool Springs Methodist Church.  Questions have been raised as to the organization date.  Was it 1801, 1805 or 1809?  Convincing evidence points toward its organization date as some time in 1801 making it the first organized church in what was to become Franklin County.  Based on records of churches organized later, there is little doubt that the organization took place at someone’s residence, perhaps under a shade tree or front porch if it was warm weather or inside by candle or fireplace if it was winter.  The pastor in charge at the time could have been Tobias Gibson or any of the several others who had joined him by this time.  We will probably never know much about this congregation through the early years of its existence. 

          Some of the material gathered by Dr. J. B. Cain in his work on Methodism in Mississippi indicates that Cool Springs was probably served for the first five years by the Reverends Tobias Gibson, Moses Floyd, Hezekiah Harriman and Learner Floyd.  Some of the family names of people in the vicinity who were probable charter members are the Picketts, Kings, Bislands, Gibsons, and McKnights. 

        For the first five years, Cool Springs was in the Natchez Circuit.  It was placed on the newly formed Wilkinson Circuit in 1806.  Through the years the Church was in several circuits and districts including the Meadville Circuit.  After the Nebo Circuit was established in 1909, Cool Springs remained there until the last few years of existence as an active congregation.  These few years were in the Union Church Circuit. 

          We know very little about the activities of Cool Springs until it was placed on the Meadville Circuit in 1869.  Proceedings of quarterly conferences of the Meadville Circuit are available for the period it remained there.  This writer spent many hours studying these records for bits and pieces of information about Cool Springs as reported by the pastor in charge.  If such records of quarterly conferences of the Nebo Circuit were kept, I have not been able to locate them.  This leaves another period of many years with very few written records except names of pastors, elders, etc., which are listed in the appendix.  So, such questions as when and where the first building was erected, who the members and officials were, how often were services held and the many other details we would like to have will never be known unless, by some miracle, such records are discovered. 

The Church Buildings 

        As stated above, there is no record of the first Cool Springs Church building.  There was certainly some type of building erected in the early 1800’s.  We do not even know if it was at the present church site.  There is reason to believe that it may not have been because of a statement in the Meadville Circuit record for the Fourth Quarterly Conference, November 7, 1874.  This was a report given by George Cope, Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Cool springs which stated that four acres of land had been secured by deed.  He reported further that the house was in bad condition but a new church was under construction.  The building committee consisted of James Prather, George Cope and James Callander.  This church property was valued at $75 at that time.  At a quarterly conference a year later, Z. Lincoln, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, reported that a new church had been built except for seats.  One other report in 1879 simply stated that the church property was valued at $100 and that the church needs finishing.  There is evidence that these were very lean years for Cool Springs.

        The present building was constructed in the late 1920’s.  Modernization, such as asbestos siding, the removal of wood heaters and installation of a butane system and electricity were added after WW II.  

          From a complete review of the quarterly conference reports of the Meadville Circuit, the following bits of somewhat fragmented information are presented.  Names of persons mentioned are given for people who are interested in the part their ancestors played in the activities of Cool Springs Church.

1874 – Four Sabbath schools are in operation on the Circuit; one of which was Cool Springs.  George Cope was approved as a local preacher.

1875 – First quarterly conference, February.  All Sabbath schools closed due to heavy rains, swollen streams and extreme cold.  Will reopen when weather breaks in the spring.  Second quarterly conference, May.  George Cope elected steward replacing Z. Linton.  Fourth quarterly conference, November.  Total amounts raised for the year was $8. 

1877 – First quarterly conference, January 20  .  By vote of the stewards, it was ordered that there be no assessment made upon Cool Springs for that year.  Second quarterly conference, May 18.  E. F. Cobb, William Hemphill and A. J. Robinson were elected trustees.  Total funds collected for the quarter  was $3.75.  John M. Simmons was elected steward. 

1879 – Second quarter conference, May.  J. M. Simmons, superintendent of Sabbath School, reports three classes in operation.  Fourth quarterly conference, November.  A. J. Sullivan was steward.  T. J. Flowers was elected to the Board of Trustees.  Collected for the quarter was $7.40. 

1880 – Fourth quarterly conference.  A. J. Sullivan and John Lee resigned as trustees.  Ephraim Emfinger and William Lee, Jr were elected in their place.  To give some indication of the economic conditions for this period, the assessment for pastoral support for two preachers for the Meadville Circuit was reported as:  Meadville $100, Nebo $65, Oak Grove $40, Beech Groove $100,  Cool Springs $20, Mt Carmel $50, Providence $30, Smyrna $50 and Greenwood $50. 

        The period from 1877 until around 1890 was a very difficult one for the church.  Economic conditions were not good.  Several of the strongest members moved out of the community though some moved back later.  The A. J. Sullivan family moved to Providence Church; the Cope family to Kingston; the Cobbs and Mingees to Locust Grove in Adams County and Reverend E. A. Glowers left the community to serve a pastorate elsewhere.  In fact, it seems probable that no services were held during 1886.  A committee was formed by the quarterly conference in August, 1886, consisting of B. F. Youngblood of Nebo, T. J. Flowers of Cool Springs and W. M. Sullivan of Providence to investigate the property at Cool Springs and make a recommendation to the conference.  This committee reported to the conference in November of the same year that it was not necessary to sell the Cool Springs property.  Regular services were resumed the following year and for the next twenty-five or so years the church reached what was perhaps its strongest point.  It seems appropriate to recognize the Methodist Ministers who came from Cool Springs.  The Copes, George W., Sr. and George W., Jr., both became local preachers in the Methodist Church.  Two other local preachers were Henry Mingee and John D Willis.  Two whose names were widely known over Mississippi were Ephraim A. Flowers, a member of the Mississippi Conference from 1853 until his death in 1901 and William M. Sullivan who held membership in the conference from 1888 until his death in January, 1946.  Reverend Flowers held pastorates across Southwest Mississippi including Cool Springs in 1867 and 1868.  Reverend Sullivan held pastorates across the whole Mississippi Conference area and served 10 years as presiding elder in the Meridian, Seashore and Newton Districts.

Conclusion

        When I began compiling data for a history of Cool Springs Church, I never realized how frustrating it would be to search for much needed information only to find that it simply was not available.  My research carried me to the Millsaps College Library, the Natchez Library, the Meadville Library, contacts with some of the Mississippi Conference officials and many hours with the records at the Meadville Methodist Church.

        In the records of the Meadville Circuit for instance, the pastor’s report would usually be in great detail.  It included names of members brought in by profession of faith, transfers, names of people baptized, infant baptisms and members who transferred but in most cases it was a report of the whole circuit grouped together.  There was no way to separate what happened at Cool Springs.

        One point of real confusion which I have not yet been able to straighten out is the amount of land in our church property.  At the fourth quarterly conference, November 7, 1874, Mr. George Cope, Chairman, Board of Trustees for Cool Springs, reported that four acres was secured by deed.  No mention was made of who deeded the property to the church.  From records which were in my dad’s (Dewitt Graham [Gray]Sullivan) hands and which I now have, I find two letters from the chancery Clerks office at Meadville concerning this property.  Apparently this was an attempt to answer questions that were bothering church officials at that time.  The letters are dated September 18, 1935.  They are signed by Cliff Herring.  He states that he could find only one deed to this property and it is from James (James McCaa, Jr  ?  b about 1795 - ?) and Nancy McCaa (Nancy Rutledge McCaa  1799 - abt 1880) to the trustees of Cool Springs Church given on June 23, 1838.  He further states that if this is the only deed, the property consists of two and one-half acres instead of ten.  The other letter describes the property as 20 poles square and states that the beginning point in the description is indefinite since none of the stakes can be located.

          So, if this sounds like a document with some holes in it, you have read it correctly.  I believe that some of this can be filled out if we continue to search for old records.  Some of this could be in trunks or boxes that have been handed down by our ancestors.  This could particularly be true in some of the families connected with Cool Springs in the first 40 or so years of its existence.  For your information and help in our search, some of these family names are:  Flowers, Willis, Cope, Linton, McCaa, Stroud, Hemphill, Prather, McKnight, King and Cobb.  Should any person who reads this know of such records, regardless of how unimportant they may seem, I would appreciate hearing about it.

(Contact Preston Graham Sullivan [son of the writer] at PO Box 4483 Fayetteville, AR, 72702 -  

phone 479-443-0609 or by e-mail at: prestons@nwaisp.com )

        The search will continue and if sufficient data should be located, this document will be revised.

APPENDIX

Pastors of Cool Springs Methodist Church