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| Black Creek Baptist Church |
During a time of great political and religious upheaval in Hanover County, the
Black Creek Baptist Church was established in 1777 by Elder John Clay, father of statesman Henry Clay. The original meeting house was constructed on the east side of the road which extended from the New Castle Ferry to Bottom's Bridge, near the headwaters of Black Creek and the New Kent border. Today, this road is known as McClellan Road, and
Black Creek Church is now located on the west side of the road. Below is a
Civil War era map which shows the early location of Black Creek Church and its vicinity.
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| Map of the Vicinity of Richmond and Part of the Peninsula courtesy Library of Congress |
According to the book,
A History of the Rise and Progress of the Baptists in Virginia written by Robert Baylor Semple in 1894, the first pastor of Black Creek Church was William Barnes. The earliest known extant record for William Barnes in Hanover County is the 1782 St. Paul's Parish land tax record. On April 25th, the tax recorder visited the property of William Barnes along with his neighbors as shown in the below record:
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| 1782 St. Paul's Parish Land Tax Record |
We know from the above 1782 tax list and the below Hanover County deed, that Elder William Barnes' neighbor was Julius Lane, and that Lane owned property on a branch of Black Creek. In addition, the lands described in the below deed were on or near
"the road that leads from New Castle to Bottom's Bridge". Note that William Barnes was a witness to the deed. We can assume that Elder William Barnes and others in this 1782 land tax list were living on the branches of Black Creek, in the Black Creek Church "neighborhood". One can't help but wonder which names in the 1782 tax list and 1783 deed were members of the Black Creek Baptist Church. It is this 1782/83 "neighborhood" which gave rise to the title for this entry, "For The Body Does Not Consist of One Member But of Many".
- 30 Jul 1783 Littleberry WADE & Luranah his wife of Hanover Co., to Alexander Crafford BURNETT of same, £133; 152 1/2 acres on the head of Black Creek joining Littleberry WADE... corner on the path that leads from sd. WADES to Mary CARTER...John BLACKWELLS line... James DANIELs line ... head of a branch...of Black Creek to Julius LANEs line....down
the branch along said LANE’s land to Black Creek thence up said creek side by
marked trees upon Littleberry WADEs line across the road that leads from New Castle to Bottom's Bridge. signed - Littleberry WADE Luranah (x) WADE Wit: William BARNES, John WADE, John ALEXANDER
In his book,
A History of the Rise and Progress of the Baptists in Virginia, Semple goes on to say that Elder William Barnes was "remarkably weak, though a well-meaning preacher, the church languished under his care." Semple doesn't explain the circumstances of Elder Barnes' departure, but he does state that Elder William Barnes left Black Creek Baptist Church about 1785. This date is consistent with the below conveyance of land which occurred sometime between May 1785 and May 1786.
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| 1785 to 1786 St. Paul's Parish Conveyances |
The above conveyance shows that since 1782, William Barnes had added 9 acres to his original 100 acres. And that within the 1785/86 tax year, Barnes had "gained" 21 1/4 acres. Unfortunately, the conveyance doesn't state from whom he obtained the 21 1/4 acre tract. What is interesting is that the two tracts were combined to equal 130 1/4 acres when conveyed to William Peace. One could conclude that the two tracts were adjacent to one another. The below 1787 St. Paul's Parish land tax entry for William Peace gives credence to this possibility as he is taxed for only one tract of land that is 130 1/2 acres.
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| Captured from 1787 St. Paul's Parish Land Tax Record |
Although Elder Barnes left Black Creek Baptist Church and its neighborhood, the "body" of the church continued on and flourished, as did its neighborhood.
copyright©2020 Deborah Thurman Parks
