Here are some records that I got from the MS Baptist Historical Commission on the little country church that my family participated in from its beginning.  Emily Jones Lum , the first pastor's wife in 1867, was an aunt of mine. My granddaddy E. H. Jones was a deacon for many years, etc.  The picture of the church is one my aunt took of  the 1867 church in Claiborne County taken in the 1950's.

Sue B. Moore

BEECH GROVE BAPTIST CHURCH,

CLAIBORNE COUNTY ,  MISSISSIPPI,  1867-2002

The church was first organized in the summer of 1867 as the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church.  The name was changed in 1875 when the congregation voted to re-locate, build a new church, and call it Beech Grove.

Minutes, as originally written, of the first meeting with charter members:

August 1867

State of Mississippi Claiborne County

On Saturday, before the 3 Lord's day in August, 1867 after an interesting discorse by ELDER O. L. JONSON and 36 and we will not forsake the house of our God after which the following Brethern and Sisters came together JOSEPH PRICE, A. L. TREVILION, S. M. TREVILION, L. R. TREVILION, JOHN ROAN and JACOB HURLONG (HERLONG) and Sister ELIZABETH PRICE, M. E. GREER, T. L. TREVILION, and J. A. ROAN and on motion ELDER A. R. LUM cald to the moderators chair and BRO. S. M. TREVILION was appointed C. Clerk (church clerk) and on motion the above Brethern and Sisters resolved among themselves into a living Body by Adopting the Articles of faith of the Union Baptist Association.

On motion this Church will be known in the future by the name of MOUNT PLEASANT.  The Church then joind in giving the hand of Church fellowship.  The Conference meeting then was went into by calling ELDER A. R. LUM to the modrators chair.  On motion we went into the Election of a Church Clerk which resulted in the choice of BRO. S. M. TREVILION.  On motion the Church cald BRO. A. R. LUM to suply them as paster the remander of the yer.  On motion BRO. A. L. TREVILION a  liceneat minister be invited to assist BRO. LUM in his ministerial labors at this church.

On motion the Church went into the Election of Deligats to reperesent them in the Union Association which Election resulted in the choic of the following Brethern JOSEPH PRICE, A. L. TREVILLION, AND S. M. TREVILION.  Altenats(alternates) JOHN ROAN,  J. M.  HURLONG, and A. L. TREVILION.  On motion BRO. A. L. TREVILION was apointed to write the petishonary (petitionary) letter to the association and the require coppy of their minuits.

On motion resolved that each male member of this Church contribute 50 sents anuley (50 cents annually) for the Church and associational purposes each. 

On motion Bro. Modr. was invited to prepare the ruls of Decorum and Covnant.  On motion BRO. A. L. TREVILION was apointed to procure a suitable book for the Church record and the Church defray the expence.

On motion our regular church meeting will be on Saturday before the 3 Lord's say in each month.

On motion adjurned.  (signed) A. R. LUM, MODR.    S. M. TREVILION C. CLERK

Notes: The following month the Church adopted the Rules of Decorum and elected two deacons J. (JOSEPH) PRICE and J. M. HERLONG, but Mr. Herlong later asked to be excused from the office.  Mr. Price was ordained.  In October A. R. LUM was elected pastor again in the annual call.  A decade later, in September of 1874 the Church met for the first time at Beech Grove.  The following month, the Church elected a committee to report on the feasibility of moving the old church or building a new one.  By July of 1875, a building committees was elected which included JOSEPH PRICE, S. R. NEAL, and ELBERT GLOVER, and the Church was recorded in the October minutes as being called BEECH GROVE and J. J. GREEN was pastor.

In June of 1880 MR. MARTIN was allowed to teach school in the church.  Beech Grove Public School was actually a three-room building near the old church, approximately where the current church now stands.  In 1884, MARTHA  R. NESMITH gave the trustees two acres for the church.

In 1961, the church dedicated a new brick building. The pastor at the time was C. O. STEGALL, and the deacons were W. G. GREER, DELMAR GREER, EDWARD HOOKER JONES, VERNON YOUNG JONES, and secretary MRS. W. HUGH (MARGARET) ROGERS.  In 1967, Beech Grove celebrated its centennial year.

Submitted by Sue Burns Moore, Longview, TX sbmoore@swbell.net

from microfilmed records of the church at the Mississippi Baptist Historical Commission, Clinton, MS.

 BEECH GROVE BAPTIST CHURCH CLAIBORNE COUNTY MISSISSIPPI

 Membership Roll as taken from Book 1 -  August 1867 - August 1883

(Note:  In the 1800's and early 1900's members of the  Baptist church who did not live up to the Rules of Decorum or who exhibited what was then considered unseemly behavior could be "churched" or brought up on charges before the congregation.  Most of the time the accused party would be given ample opportunity to apologize, to ask forgiveness of the church,  and to be restored to fellowship.  Charges which resulted in exclusion might range from breaking any of the Ten Commandments to not attending church for several Sundays in a row, dancing at a party, playing cards, gossiping, or drinking, etc. Joining another kind of Baptist church or another denomination also resulted in removal from the rolls of the church.  Only occasionally is there a notation as to why a member has been removed from the list.  Some simply moved away or died.  Many names have been stricken by having a line or lines drawn through them, making them difficult to read.  The clerk often spelled phonetically and often differently the same name.  For example, “McGrew” is spelled “Magrue”, “McGru,” and “McGrue.”  In this copy of the rolls, I will put an asterisk beside those who were marked out* or erased* indicating that they were no longer members for one reason or another.)

Names of Male Members                                 Names of Female members

This list is not numbered and appears to be a “updated” list of member

Males Excluded           Females Excluded       Died                              Dismissed