?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> ms775 Asheville First Baptist Church (Asheville, N.C.) Records MS775 John Hagerty and Stephanie Bennett Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives 2017 April PO Box 7777 Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27109 URL: This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2024-05-28 10:58:42 -0400 . Description is written in: English, Latin script . Describing Archives: A Content Standard 2018 November, 2020 Revised by Katie Lawrence, Olivia Field Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives Asheville First Baptist Church (Asheville, N.C.) Records Asheville First Baptist Church (Asheville, N.C.) MS775 554 0.21 Linear Feet 1 half-document box 1829-1881 Asheville First Baptist Church, originally called Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, was founded in 1829. Materials in this collection include meeting minute books, membership lists, transcripts, and church records. English . Historical note On February 28, 1829, Mr. and Mrs. Swan Burnett and Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Gasperson met in a home near Beacham's Curve and began holding religious services. In March, Peter and Naomi Stradley were baptized in the French Broad River at Smith's Ferry. On December 6th, a presbytery, consisting of Isaac Mills from New Found Creek and Moses Freeman of Bull Creek, met to constitute a church. Peter Stradley and Swan Burnett were elected deacons. The church was admitted to the French Broad Baptist Association in August, 1830. Thomas Stradley was ordained at this same association meeting and was called a pastor of Mount Pleasant. He served the church for 45 years, resigning in 1875. This collection includes records and materials from the First Baptist Church of Asheville in Buncombe Co., North Carolina. The church was built in 1927. Name Changes: Mount Pleasant, 1829-1851; Asheville, 1852-1886; Asheville First, 1887 Association Membership: French Broad, 1830-1838; Salem [E], 1838-1882; Buncombe, 1882- Pastors: Thomas Stradley, 1830-1875; John Mitchell, 1876-1879; Amzi Clarence Dixon, 1880-1882; John Mitchell, 1883-1884; John Lemuel Carroll, 1885-1886; William Alexander Nelson, 1887-1891; Jacob Lee White, 1892-1895; J.S. Felix, 1895-1898; W.M. Vines, 1898-1904; William Lunsford, 1904-1909; W.M. Vines, 1910-1911; Calvin B. Waller, 1912-1916; William Francis Powell, 1917-1920; Robert Johnston Bateman, 1921-1930; William Russell Owen, 1930-1932; Erasmus Gibson Davis, 1933-1937; John W. Inzer, 1938-1943; William Perry Crouch, 1944-1964; Cecil Edwin Sherman, 1964- Histories: Asheville First Baptist Church Celebration of Victory Program, 1951. 20p. (NCCF); Pastor's tenth anniversary and sanctuary dedication, 1954. 16p. (NCCF); N.A. First Baptist Church got its start 131 years ago. Asheville Citizen Times, July 17, 1960. (NCCF); N.A. Memorandum brief. In re: First Baptist Church - highlights of history. undated 10p. (NCCF); N.A. Pageant: "History of the First Baptist Church, Asheville, N.C.". 14p. (NCCF); Tucker, J.H. Origin of the First Baptist Church Asheville. [First chapter reprinted from THE ECHO, March 19, 1898 and appeared in the church bulletin on Nov. 8, 1942]. 1p. (NCCF); Ramsey, Gertrude "First Baptist Church to hold three-day victory celebration." History sketch with pictures of the church and former pastors. Asheville Citizen-Times, December 31, 1950. (NCCF) Collection Overview This collection includes materials pertaining to Church membership and administration matters of Asheville First Baptist Church. Materials in this collection include minute books, membership lists, church records, and transcripts. Digitized materials from this collection are available in Z. Smith Reynolds Library Digital Collections. Preferred Citation Asheville First Baptist Church (Asheville, N.C.) Records, (MS775), Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA. Access Restrictions This collection is open for use. Copyright Notice The nature of the WFU Z.Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The Archives and Special Collections of ZSR Library claims only physical ownership of most materials. The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to the U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source. Related Materials Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives holds a related microfilm collection, Asheville First Baptist Church (Asheville, N.C.) Records (CRMF630). Related Materials Digitized materials from this collection are available in Z. Smith Reynolds Library Digital Collections. Processing Information Collection described by Kathleen Darling, 2014. Formerly identified as CR41. Immediate Source of Acquisition Typescript copy is a gift from the church from Dr. John E. Inzer, pastor, Feb. 1, 1943. The manuscript volume is on loan from the church. It was brought to the Collection by George Pennell, Asheville, N.C., Feb. 6, 1951; N.C. Baptist Historical Collection, ZSR Library, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, N.C. Nov. 12, 1974; Mar. 23, 1993/JRW. Church records and registers -- North Carolina -- Asheville Church records and registers -- North Carolina -- Buncombe County Buncombe County (N.C.) -- Church history -- Sources Baptists -- North Carolina -- Buncombe County -- History -- Sources Architecture, Domestic -- Conservation and restoration -- North Carolina -- Clay County African American Baptists -- North Carolina Western Baptist Convention of North Carolina Truett, George W. (George Washington) Buncombe Baptist Association (N.C.) Asheville First Baptist Church (Asheville, N.C.) Minutes 112836 1829 Minutes of church conferences from February 28, 1829 to August 15, 1868 and March 13, 1881, including articles of faith; the church covenant; male and female and Negro membership rolls, 1830-1862 [broken series]; a list of charter members, 1829; and by-laws, 1834. Subjects include the appointment of delegates to the association; the branch of the church at Bull Creek; the dismissal [July 1883] of church members and the constitution of Berea Baptist Church [August 3, 1853]; baptismal services; the Lord's Supper; an obituary of Elizabeth Gasperson [May 8, 1831] and other deceased church members; the ordination of Thomas Stradley [1830]; the reception, discipline, and dismissal of church members; requests for assistance from New Found [1831] and Swannanoa [1834]; the sale of the church site [1850]; the Western Baptist Convention [1858]; and the new church house [1860]. 1 1 Minute book 126100 1829-1881 This collection includes records and materials from the First Baptist Church of Asheville in Buncombe Co., North Carolina, which was built in 1927. Materials in this collection include church records, minute books, transcripts, membership lists, and other administrative records. 1 2 Minute book, transcript 126101 1829-1881 1 3