George Jones Memorial Baptist Church Records
This collection consists of three volumes of church rolls and minutes for the George Jones Memorial Baptist Church in Wheat, Tennessee between 1853 and 1951.
Volume I begins with a note from the building committee upon establishing the church as a Missionary Baptist Church, signed by J.W. Arnold, George Jones, A.M. Roberts, and Daniel Jones. This is followed by the handwritten Articles of Faith and Rules of Decorum. There are then several pages listing the members, beginning with Liscie Watson and Lucinda Jones in 1853, George Jones in 1859, and many others, eventually being entered without dates. The minutes begin on August 1895 and run through October 1931, followed by many empty pages. In the back, there is a resolution from 1901 requesting an investigation into church funds, a report from May 1928 listing the deacons being ordained, and a survey of their lot from February 1927. The building committee's report is repeated here, too.
Volume II, entitled Church Roll and Record, has the Articles of Faith, Church Covenant, and Rules of Order preprinted in the front. The membership rolls are listed by the first letter of their last names, and there are a handful of dates by the reasons for reception and dismissal. There are no minutes in the second part of the book.
Volume III, entitled Convention Church Record, also has preprinted Church Covenant, Declaration of Faith, and Rules of Order followed by members on alphabetical pages. The minutes run from December 22, 1931 to December 6, 1942 when the church disbanded per government orders. At the back, there are a few annual reports from the 1930s when C.M. Dutton was the pastor.
Dates
- 1853-1951
Conditions Governing Access
Collections are stored offsite and must be requested in advance. See www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.
Conditions Governing Use
The UT Libraries claims only physical ownership of most material in the collections. Persons wishing to broadcast or publish this material must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants on www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.
Extent
0.25 Linear Feet (1 quarter box [3 folders])
Abstract
This collection consists of three volumes of church rolls and minutes for the George Jones Memorial Baptist Church in Wheat, Tennessee between 1853 and 1951.
Biographical/Historical Note
The George Jones Memorial Baptist Church was founded in Wheat, Tennessee in 1854 as the Mount Zion Baptist Church. It was renamed in 1901, upon completion of the new building, because member George Jones had donated most of the land. In 1942, the US Government bought the entire town of Wheat as part of the Manhattan Project. Most of the town's buildings were destroyed, and its residents were displaced, but the George Jones Memorial Baptist church building and its graveyard remain, just west of Oak Ridge. The church is the only remaining building from the Wheat community and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.
George Jones was born on October 3, 1830, to James M. and Nancy (Butler) Jones. He married Lucinda McKinney on July 27, 1852. Lucinda joined the precursor to the George Jones Memorial Baptist Church in September 1853, and George joined in 1859. In 1879, Jones deeded land to the church, which influenced its new name in 1901. Jones died on October 15, 1903.
Arrangement
This collection is in one box.
Acquisition Note
These records were donated to Special Collections by J.E. Arnold, A.L. Christberry, and W.W. Williams, three deacons of the church, in 1966.
Repository Details
Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository