Recent newspaper article on George DeBenneville

This is a link to a 23 Feb 2012 article in the Reading, Pennsylvania  newspaper about Dr. George DeBenneville
 I suspect that probably in the next 3-9 months that the article will no longer be gone.
I even suggest you look at the comments. (or at least how they were when i wrote the recommendation)

 http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=366772




His connection with southern Universalism is two
1) his friendship with Ellahanan Winchester (admittedly after EW had left the south)
2) his connection with the German  Baptist universalist community near him, that did indeed 
move south to the Carolinas and then west and midwest.

Allreds of White Springs, Florida -

Excepert from Rev. Q. H. Shinn's coloumn "Personal Expericnces In Making Universalists" that appeared in the March 6, 1906 issue of ONWARD

"Now I'm going to tell about a Florida boy. I am at present in the home of his parents in White Springs, Florida, and the boy, their only child, is in Atlanta Ga. Eight years ago his father was a practicing physician in Jasper, Florida. His mother being a strong Universalist had me visit them and give a series of meetings in the Baptist Church. It was easy to secure the use of this church, since his father was a Baptist. One day the boy, then 13 years old, came up into my room, and after showing a little embarrassment, made a request that surprised me. He asked me if I intended to "open the doors of the Church," saying he wanted to join. I told him it would be hardly proper to ask people to unite with the Universalist Church at a service held in a Baptist house of worship; besides there was no organization in Jasper, and only one outspoken Universalist - his mother. But this made no difference with the boy; he wanted to join. At the close of my sermon that night, I explained his wishes, and asked those who desired to unite with the Universalist Church to come forward. Promptly the little fellow stood before the altar, and one of the intelligent ladies of the place, a friend of his mother, came up and stood by his side. I administered baptism, and extended the fellowship of our Church, and sent their names to be recorded on the roll of members at De Funiak Springs.
The boy had good Universalist blood in his veins. His mother is a Cawthon, her father a great Universalist. Her grandfather, John Cawthon, the father of Universalism in Western Florida. And now the boy is a promising young man, ambitious to be a great surgeon. He is in a medical college in Atlanta. He is worker in our church in Atlanta. He is secretary of the Y.P.C.U. His name is John Allred. "

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Mother: Mary Melissa "Ashley" Cawthon Allred (1864-1958) buried in Silver Hill Cemetery, Frostfree, Florida.
Father: Idus Park "I. P." Allred, MD (1860-1930) also buried in Silver Hill Cemetery.
Son: John Glenn Allred (1885 - 1952) also burried in Silver Hill Cemetery.

This modern-day non-family member has no idea if John Allred continued as a member of the Universalist Church pass the dates mentioned above (c1899 -1906), nor do I know why he didn't became a surgeon. We know that both his father and his father's father were medical doctors (his father actually had an article of his reprinted as a booklet for massive distribution), so no doubt there was pressure on him, the only child to also be a doctor. He was in medical school from at least 1906 - 1910, but around 1912, he became an electrician - at first wiring a town and owning a telephone company, then providing the knowledge to power mining equipment and towns, and then to help electrify Florida for what became the Florida Power and Light Company (now Progress Energy). He married also around 1913 (and his wife was the telephone operator of his telephone company).

The Allred family lived in Jasper (Hamilton County), Florida -1898; White Springs (Hamilton County), Florida c1898- July 1912, Florala, (Covington County), Alabama , July 1912 -
Frostfree, Florida (Polk, County) -1920-1958.

Mrs. I. P. Allred was Vice President of the Florida Universalist Convention from 1910-1911.
Her sister and father had been officers of the Convention prior to her service. The state convention was held at White Springs in 1905.

Burrus Memorial, Hamburg, Madison County, Florida

Hamburg Florida is a small community in Madison County, Georgia. It's about 18 miles south of Quitman Georgia, and therefore the biggest town around would likely be Valdosta, Ga, on I-75.
I can't tell if any buisness are left in Hamburg, but looks like there's Shiloh United Methodist Church and some homes. And there used to be a Universalist Church there.

At first it was a preaching station.
Universalism came to Madison County around the 1840s, when Samuel S. Hinton (1812-1872) moved there from Abbeville, SC. His father was one of the co-founders of the Universalist Church in Abbeville in the 1830s. His brother-in-law, Judge James P. Martin (1838 - 1916) proudly had the slogan " A True Universalist" carved on his tombstone. Hinton's father, Thomas Hinton (1789 - 1863) moved to Hamburg himself in 1862, with him came other members of the Hinton family.
Some of the above are burred in the Ebenezer United Methodist Church Cemetery in Hamburg.

The Elijah Linch family was living in nearby Madison, Florida in the 1840s-1860s ( His father was Elijah Linch Sr - the Universalist minister of Newberry SC. Son was active in Georgia Universalist Convention in the 1880s ).

Thus when Universalist ministers came through the area, there were enough folks for a good
service, if not enough for a good congregation. By the way, Judge Martin was not known to be a liberal in politics, just in religion.

Finally after 50 years, it was time to start a formal church.

December 1905, Rev Q. H. Smith holds meetings in Hamburg. Thomas Martin, the county clerk, is an Universalist. His wife and most of his children are Methodist. Douglas Martin, when then (Shinn reports is) ten years old, rides his pony home to ask his mother if he has her permission to join the Universalist Church. She agrees, and after his 20 mile round trip ride, he is baptized and joins as a member of the new Universalist Church.

Thomas Martin ( 1860 - 1926, and son of Judge Martin), Douglas Martin (1893 - 1978).
The math does suggests that Shinn was off by a few years in his story.

One source says that the Church was named Burrus Memorial, for the circuit rider and Universalist Herald editor.

Feb. 1907 building dedicated, and the Florida Universalist Convention was held at the church.

1907 - 1908 Isabelle "Belle" Martin (1868 -1944), daughter of Judge Martin, lay leader in 1907-1908. The church is served by supply ministers, and 6 families make the membership.

1908 - 1910 William C. Smith (1872 -1937) , member of the congregation, is active in the Florida Universalist Convention, serving as President in 1908 - 1909, and Treasurer in 1910. His wife is the daughter of Judge Martin.

June 1923 Rev. Stanley Manning preaching there.

1929 Rev. A.G. Strain was doing some regular circuit riding in Hamburg.

1934 - 1939 + William "Carlton" Smith (1899 - 1963), son of the above William Coffee Smith, was a lay leader of the church.

1960 large turnout at the Homecoming at the Church.

1961/1962 Not listed as one of those churches that joined the new Unitarian Universalist Association.



Updated Dec 18, 2011 (twice)

Hosea Ballou - Morning Prayer

Come let us raise our voices high, and form a sacred song,
to Him who rules the earth and sky, and does our days prolong.
Who thru the night gave us to rest, this morning cheered our eyes;
and with the thousands of the blest, in health made us to rise.

Early to God, we'll send our prayer. Make haste to pray and praise,
that He may make our good His care, and guide us all our days.
And when the night of death comes on, and we shall end our days,
may His rich grace the theme prolong of His eternal phrase.

Hosea Ballou - 1808



from a Sacred Harp singing. The words of Father Ballou continue to be sung.
"this morning cheered our eyes" indeed!

NC and Georgia Universalist Conventions 2011

Both the North Carolina and Georgia Universalist Conventions are being held this Fall.

NC (under the abbreviation UCONCI) meets October 8 -9, 2011
has information on their website and a brochure that is being passed out.
This is at the Shelter Neck Camp in eastern NC.

Georgia is a little more low key and much shorter, and will be meeting Sunday Morning September 18, 2011 in Canon, Georgia.

(disclaimer: I will be attending the shorter meeting in Georgia)

old Universalist Church building in Americus, Georgia

This building was built in 1900 as an Universalist Church in Americus, Georgia. There was a long history of Universalism in the area. Indeed among the founders of the Plains of Dura were Universalists (and an Universalist minister). When the town moved and changed its name to Plains, a new Universalist Church was built there as well. Rev L. F. W. Andrews lived his last few years in Americus (1870s) , and we know that Rev. C.F.R. Shehane had a debate in town in the 1850s.
We know that the Christian Scientists were in the building in the 1910s (the city directory states they and the Universalists were both there). In the late 1920s, the building was sold to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), who added the Sunday School building and changed the windows (and later added air conditioning). They last met in circa 1998/1999. as of 2011, the building is being used by the First United Methodist Church as their Spanish Language Mission.
The last known Universalist Church service in Americus was circa 1930 by the Rev. Stanley Manning.


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Giles Bowers (1827-1863)

I found a mention of an Universalist minister in Georgia, that I had not heard of, Giles Bowers.
I wondered if he was kin to the Bowers in the northeast Georgia, he's not (at least not close), but does have a little story to tell.

Giles was born in the White Oak Community of Coweta County, Georgia.
He was the first child of Jacob Bowers and Mary "Polly" Bowers. Both had been from
Newberry, SC; and Polly's father was the Rev. Elijah Lynch (Linch) , who was the Newberry ministerthat switched his church's denomination from Fraternity of German Baptist Brethren (Dunker) to Universalist.

We don't know much at all about this Rev Bowers, and he was listed only in the 1856 Universalist Companion (which came out around November 1854). He listed his address as Whitewater, Georgia,; and both it and the current Brooks are within 10 miles of Senoia, where Universalists had a meeting house. As an adult he had his house next to his father, and to his Uncle, David Linch. He died of disease in Richmond, Virgina during service in the Civil War, leaving a widow and five children. Buried in the Elmore Cemetery.

His father and mother are buried in the County Line Christian Church Cemetery.
His uncle, David Linch, was very active in the local Universalist Church.
Why only one year? Mistake on the part of the editor of the Companion, or his source?
Mistake on Bowers part? Left the ministry on his own, due to lack of time, lack of inspiration,?
or removed by his congregation?
We don't know anymore. There may be something in the Georgia Universalist newspapers, or those issues may not have stood the test of time.