Index: Minutes of Old Providence Baptist Church
I wanted to share a source that I use often in my research in pre-statehood Florida. In 1976, the Jacksonville Genealogical Society published the book, Minutes of Old Providence Baptist Church: Providence, Union County, Florida Established 1833.
This chosen title can be very misleading. First, the church is currently located in Union County, but in the 1830s and 1840s, this church was part of Columbia County. Second, the church was called “Providence Baptist Church” and the word “Old” in the title is a descriptor and not indicative of the church’s actual name in the 1830s and 1840s.
The May-June publication of the Legacy journal by the Florida Baptist Historical Society notes:
“Old Providence Church, Union County, 1833 The migration of settlers from southeastern states into the Florida Territory (before becoming a state in 1845) continued into the 1830s. Itinerant Georgia preacher John Tucker is credited with helping to organize numerous Missionary Baptist churches in the northeast and north central region of the territory. However, Tucker, who began to preach at age nineteen in 1806, initially spent twenty years’ service as an itinerant Methodist circuit rider in Georgia. By 1828, Tucker experienced a spiritual awakening as his studies of the scriptures most likely caused him to determine that he should be a part of the Baptist faith tradition. He was baptized into his adopted Baptist faith by Elder Jacob King, a Baptist missionary at Thomaston, Georgia. After coming to Florida in 1832, Tucker was ordained as a Baptist minister in 1833.
Following his ordination, Missionary Tucker traveled on horseback to a settlement on the Florida side of the Olustee River then located in Columbia County (now part of present day Union County). Tucker was requested to lead a preaching service in the wilderness home of Henry Beals on April 12 – 13, 1833, where the settlers had agreed to organize a church. They requested Elder Tucker to assemble a presbytery to assist in constituting a church. On July 13, 1833, a constituting service was held and present were ordained ministers John Tucker, Fleming Bates, William A. Knight and Paul B. Colson. The church’s charter members were Theophilus and Ann Weeks, John D. and Martha Osteen, Abraham Colson, John M. and Ezilia Prevatt, Ephraim and Jane Miller, Benjamin Miller, Mary Gaskins and Margaret T. Campbell.
Old Providence Baptist Church, Lake Butler, Union County First Baptist Church, Jasper, established 1832, was originally called the Baptist Church of Christ, Concord, then shortened to Concord Baptist Church The Providence Baptist Church (or the Church of Christ, Providence, as they originally referred to themselves) initially agreed to adhere to the principles of faith held by the Ochlocknee (Georgia) Association. Soon thereafter the church changed its rules of decorum to reflect it pro-missions’ commitment. The church agreed to call John Tucker as their pastor, who would travel through the area once a month. In time, as other churches adopted the name Providence, the church added the prefix “old” to its name to distinguish itself as being the original. Old Providence Church, located in Union County’s Lake Butler community, in 2018 is expected to observe its 185th anniversary since founding.”
While this is a derivative source, it is extremely valuable to researchers. The names of many female Florida pioneers are listed in these church minutes that often exist in no other source. I have created an index of the people named in the church minutes as an aide to help other researchers determine if their ancestors are mentioned within the pages of this book. If someone you are researching is listed in these pages, you will need to request this book via interlibrary loan to find out more.
Index of Names Included in the Providence Baptist Church Minutes 1833-1870
Abbott, Brother
Abbott, J.
Albritten, Brother
Bates, Brother
Bates, Fleming
Beal, Nancy
Beals, Henry
Bell, George W.
Blackwelder, Moses
Blair, John
Brooks, Casandrow
Brooks, Jemima
Brooks, William
Brooks, William H.
Bryant, Brother
Bryant, David R.
Campbell, Margaret T.
Carter, Hope
Carter, Jesse
Carter, Jobe
Carter, Margaret Ann
Carter, Pope
Carter, Sarah A.
Castilo, John M.
Cathcart, Delina
Cathcart, Elina J.
Chambers, Kinney
Clark, Brother
Clifton, John
Clifton, Johnathan
Clifton, Mary
Cody, Brother
Collens, Littleton
Colson, Abraham
Colson, Elijah
Colson, Hope E.
Colson, Paul B.
Colson, W. M.
Colson, William
Combs, Georg
Combs, Jiney
Combs, John
Cone, William
Coon, Brother
Coon, Isaac T.
Coon, J. S.
Cooper, William B.
Cooper, William E.
Crewse, Mary
Cribben, Ann (or Ann Gribben)
Davis, Zara
Donnels, Brother
Donnels, MC
Douglas, A.
Douglas, James
Douglas, Winniford
Dryden, John
Edwards, Matilda
Ellis, Giles U.
Ellis, Mary
Ellis, Thomas
Farlis, America
Friar, Ruan
Gage, William
Gardner, Eliza
Gardner, John
Gaskins, Mary
Gaskins, Thomas
Green, Margaret
Groover,
Guelles, Brother
Hancock, Cades
Hancock, Cador
Hancock, Civility
Hancock, Martin
Hancock, Mary
Harad, Elizabeth
Harrington, Cassa
Harrod, William
Hart, William T.
Herad, Laura
Hodges, A.
Holliday, Thomas A.
Howard, Seth
Jenkins, James
Johns, William
Jones, Civility M.
Jones, Simeon
Jones, T. F.
Knight, Elias J.
Knight, William A.
Landcaster, Mary
Long, Fannie
Long, Matilda
Long, Redding
Mann, Solomon
Manning, Jobe
Miller, Benjamin
Miller, Ephraim
Miller, Hester
Miller, Jane
Miller, Martha
Miller, Sarah
Miller, Timothy G.
Monday, Brother
Moott, J. M.
Norton, Eliza M.
Osteen, Abraham
Osteen, Ada
Osteen, Allen
Osteen, Elias
Osteen, Elizabeth
Osteen, H. C.
Osteen, Isaac
Osteen, John D.
Osteen, John
Osteen, John Q.
Osteen, Kelsedra
Osteen, Martha
Osteen, Mary
Osteen, Rachel
Osteen, Sarah
Osteen, Shadrack
Osteen, Solomon
Osteen, Winniford
Overstreet, Albert
Overstreet, Celia
Overstreet, Elbert Prevatt
Overstreet, Selia
Parish, John T.
Parish, Martha
Parish, Tiney
Parish, Tyre
Pellum, Levy
Pennington, William
Peterson, Bertha
Peterson, Sabetha
Polk, Sarah C.
Prevatt, A. J.
Prevatt, Caroline
Prevatt, Catherine
Prevatt, Cora Nelius
Prevatt, Elizabeth
Prevatt, Ezilia
Prevatt, H. A.
Prevatt, James P.
Prevatt, James
Prevatt, John M.
Prevatt, Mary
Prevatt, Rebbeca
Prevatt, Reuben
Prevatt, Thomas J.
Prevatt, Thomas
Quinn, Elijah P.
Rank, Brother
Revels, Riley
Ridaright, Sarah A.
Roberts, John
Roberts, Riley
Roberts, Sanderling
Roberts, Zibba
Row, T. J.
Sanderland, Robert
Sap, John
Sap, Shaderach
Saulsbury, Sister
Scarborough, Sterling
Scarborough, G. U.
Sheffield, Daniel
Simmons, Daniel
Simmons, J.
Sims, Brother
Smith, E. W.
Smith, Elizabeth
Smith, Nathan
Sparkman, Aksey
Sparkman, Alsy
Sparkman, Madison
Sparkman, Sister
Standlen, Brother
Stewart, John
Strickland, Brother
Suberry, Mariah
Tap, Thaserark
Thigpen, Mellus
Thomas, Dorothy
Thomas, Elizabeth
Thomas, Jesse
Thomas, Nancy
Tillis, Joseph
Townberg, Mariah
Townsend, Nancy
Townsend, William
Tremeral, William
Tucker, John
Tucker, Mary
Varns, George
Ward, Rosetta
Ward, William W.
Weeks, Ann
Weeks, Archibald
Weeks, David
Weeks, Elizabeth
Weeks, Ester
Weeks, Hariet
Weeks, James
Weeks, Lucy
Weeks, Martha
Weeks, Mary
Weeks, Memina
Weeks, Mourning
Weeks, Silas
Weeks, Theophilus
Weeks, Thomas
Western, William
Wickham, Winnie
Williams, Ada C.
Williams, Alsey
Wreckwise, Sarah
