The Old-line and Progressive Primitive Baptist Debate
FOREWORD
Converted from Word with true two-way endnotes. Click any [n] in the body to jump to the note; use the ↩︎ in the note to jump back.
From the time of the major division in the early 1800s, there have been a variety of conflicts and splits among the Old School or Primitive Baptists. Some of the divisions appeared to be necessary at times to maintain the distinctions the Primitive Baptists were convinced gave definition to a New Testament church. Some of the divisions were local and regional, while others were more extensive. At the turn of the twentieth century, another controversy among the Primitive Baptists was dawning, most notably in Georgia and the surrounding southern states. However, the Primitive Baptists at large, through the means of associations and periodicals, were knowledgeable of even local disputes and participated in the debates through writings and associational meetings. Such was the case with this particular controversy. Around 1910, the lines were being drawn for a formal split. The two sides were called the Old-liners, who opposed the use of instrumental music in the worship service, and the Progressives, who accepted or advocated the use of musical instruments in the song service. The two sides would indeed divide and develop into two separate groups, with a reported 2000 persons joining the ranks of the Progressives when the split was solidified.[1] A number of issues were debated and discussed, but several of the issues were isolated to a very small number of churches or possibly exaggerated and misunderstood by those on the other side.
Elder William Crouse[2] of the Progressives, who was respected by the Old-liners as a sound theologian, wrote about these issues and the charges levied at the Progressives from the Old-liners:
First: We knew we were to be charged with advocating what was as the Federal Government for our churches.
Second: We were charged with holding fleshly revival meetings.
Third: We were charged with believing that God used the ministry and the gospel as a means of regeneration and of exhorting alien sinners to gospel obedience.
Fourth: We were charged with advocating the reception of alien baptism.
Fifth: We were charged with advocating Sunday Schools as practiced by other denominations.
Sixth: We were accused of advocating a salaried ministry.
Seventh: We were charged with fellowshipping brethren who were members of secret orders.
Eight: We were charged with using musical instruments in our song service.[3] From the eight accusations and charges listed, Elder Crouse denied and disputed the first six charges. However, he wrote concerning the seventh charge relating to secret orders:
That was true. It is true yet. Our people are opposed to our brethren affiliating with certain secret orders. Many of our churches would not allow one of their members to affiliate with these orders. But instead of making this a strict test of fellowship, we consider it a matter of teaching and leave it to each church to handle for herself. We have a few secret order men among us. Our position is the position of MANY brethren called "Old-liners." It has seemed rather inconsistent to hold a bar against us on this issue and, at the same time, live in sweet fellowship with other bodies of Primitives who hold the same position as ourselves.[4]
Concerning the eighth charge, and probably the most heated topic and decisive offense in the eyes of the Old-liners, that being the charge of implementing musical instruments in the song service, Elder Crouse responded, "Many of our churches have them. We use good spiritual songs, sound in sentiment. The only use we make of the instrument is to help us in the singing of them."[5]
While protracted meetings and church auxiliaries would continue to be a part of the debate and arguments among the brethren, it was the organ or musical instrument in the worship service that would eventually be the focus of the split. According to Elder T. J. Bazemore,[6] he first witnessed an organ in the Primitive Baptist Church in 1897 or 1898 at Sharon church in Monroe County, Georgia[7]. In the next few years, Elder Bazemore claimed that seven or eight churches had started to use organs, including the Forsyth church in Monroe County, Georgia. After the death of Elder W. C. Cleveland,[8] who served as pastor of the Sharon and Forsyth churches, Elder S. T. Bentley[9] was called to serve as pastor of the church in Forsyth. Elder Bentley refused on account of the organ, and afterwards, the trouble over organs increased among the Primitive Baptists.[10]
The Progressives would argue that the organ was a minor issue and should not be a cause for division, while the Old-liners saw the introduction of a practice not taught in the scripture to be a new innovation that could not be tolerated. Elder Bazemore expressed this point in writing:
Brethren and sisters were led to believe that there was a great departure from the faith in using the organ. And, strange to say, many of our Elders, instead of teaching the brethren and sisters that there should not be stress put on minor things, things in which there is no principle involved, did, to the contrary, teach there was a great departure, and thus led many astray. In this, it seems to me, the Elders were governed by tradition themselves.[11]
Elder T. E. Sikes[12] expressed similar sentiments to those of Elder Bazemore.
It was during this time that the unholy war over musical instruments broke in upon us. Quite a few of our Georgia churches had been using instruments in their song services for some years before this date. None of my own churches were using instruments, and no effort was being made to introduce them. But some leading preachers in other sections of the state had issued orders to force a separation between those churches using instruments and those that did not. All my own churches, including this one at Oak Ridge, were seeking to hold fellowship with all the churches that were sound in doctrine, but the division leaders pressed the issue, demanding that this church take sides immediately, one way or the other. We pleaded with them to be allowed to fellowship churches on both sides, but our pleadings were ignored.[13]
Both Elders Bazemore and Sikes brought up an issue that the two sides would use in the debate and eventual division. The Progressives claimed that church autonomy gave them the right and prerogative to hold fellowship with sister churches that had not departed from the core principles of the faith. However, the Old Liners were convinced that adding musical instruments was sufficient enough of a departure from the faith as to warrant withdrawal of church fellowship. The Old-liners discussed in many of their writings their objections to instrumental music in the song service. Too, they declared their unwillingness to fellowship with churches that would tolerate instrumental music even if the church abstained from musical instruments themselves. When there was not a stated command or an explicit example in the New Testament, the brethren among the Old-liners were convinced that it was as if there was a clearly stated prohibition.
Elder R. H. Pittman stated the Old-liner position concerning instrumental music in churches by writing:
Recently, some of our churches in Georgia have introduced the organ in their service, which has caused confusion, bitterness, strife, and will evidently lead to permanent division unless abandoned. The plea for musical instruments in the churches is based upon the fact that it is not condemned in the New Testament. Neither are Sunday Schools, Missionary Societies, Secret Societies, Christmas Trees, Cake-Walks, and various other things tolerated and practiced by Arminian churches condemned in plain terms in the New Testament; and the same reasoning or fellowship that would allow the introduction of instrumental music would also allow the introduction of any other thing not plainly condemned. Christ established His church and thoroughly furnished her with all good works and useful things, and the only safe rule by which to measure the service of God's house, to glorify Him, and benefit His people is that the things needful for the church of Christ were placed in the church by Christ and His Apostles and the absence of a thing is its divine disapproval and everlasting condemnation.[14]
Elder C. H. Cayce[15] often commented on the departure by the Progressives throughout his tenure as the Editor of the Primitive Baptist.
We have thought for some time that the brethren in some places were rather slow or slack concerning matters of this kind--in receiving into their midst those who hold to and engage in new measures that destroy the peace and fellowship of the churches introduced. We desire peace and fellowship to abound in our churches, but peace cannot be had where such practices are continued. The churches in our section will not receive among them those who tolerate the use of instrumental music in the churches.[16]
From the turn of the twentieth century and for many decades following, numerous articles would appear defending and condemning the use of instrumental music among the Primitive Baptists in religious periodicals or Primitive Baptist papers. At times, as so often is the case, the division and split made for warring and name-calling. Elder Crouse makes mention of the antagonism expressed by both sides, "Brethren talked ugly about each other, and ministers thought their sermon incomplete unless they had taken a good hot fling at the other side.[17]
Eventually, lines were clearly drawn and both sides made their stand, resulting in a formal division, and very little, if any, fellowship existed between the Progressives and Old-line churches for nearly 100 years. Even today, an article will occasionally be printed in a Primitive Baptist periodical or can be found online stating the reason musical instruments are or are not to be used or tolerated in the New Testament church. However, much of the ugly talk and hot flings mentioned by Elder Crouse are no longer heard from the Primitive Baptists' pulpits. Neither is it uncommon to see an Old-line attending a Progressive service or a Progressive attending an Old-line service from time to time, though the division is still continued between the two groups to this day.
Jamey Tucker is pastor of Eureka Primitive Baptist Church, Chula, Georgia, and is a board member of the Georgia Baptist Historical Society.
https://www.progressivepb.org/uploads/2/7/4/7/27474925/pb_history.pdf
Endnotes
Julietta Haynes, "A History Of The Primitive Baptists," 74
↩︎ backElder William H. (Harlan) Crouse (1874–1941)—a pivotal Progressive Primitive Baptist pastor–editor who shows up right at the fault-line with the Old-Line/Old-School side we’ve been discussing.
Who he was, in brief
Identity & dates. Primitive Baptist elder, born 1874 in Indiana; died 1941 in Georgia. Also a hymn compiler. (Hymnary)
Editor–organizer. Early editor of The Pilgrim’s Banner (with A. V. Simms and R. H. Barwick). Founded the Primitive Herald (Statesboro, 1916). In 1918 those two papers merged to form The Banner-Herald, long the house journal of the Progressive Primitive Baptists. (THE BANNER-HERALD)
Pastorates (Georgia focus). First pastor of Baptist Rest PBC (Twin City) from its 1907 constitution, after moving south from Indiana/Kentucky. (Historical Rural Churches of Georgia)Served Tifton PBC beginning in 1917 and for “sixteen consecutive years.” (Internet Archive)Called as pastor, Atlanta Primitive Baptist Church in 1928; their history calls him “probably the ablest preacher of our denomination at that time,” serving until 1940.
Hymnal. Compiler of The Pilgrim’s Hymnal (first ed. 1908; later editions followed). Hymnary records him as editor/author. (Hymnary)
Where he sat in the PB family tree
Crouse became a leading voice among the Progressive Primitive Baptists—the wing that (especially in Georgia) embraced things the Old-Line resisted and later came to include instruments, Bible studies, youth ministries, and coordinated publishing. (Wikipedia)
Even some Old-Line writers later dubbed him “one of the more conservative of the Progressives,” but still squarely identified with them. (pblib.org)
Why he matters for your Great-Commission/Acts-8 threadCrouse’s career shows the Progressive instinct to organize witness and nurture—through periodicals, hymnals, and (eventually, in his communion) structured ministries—versus the Old-School insistence that “go, preach, baptize, teach” belongs strictly to church-sent ministers without extra-church machinery. His leadership in Pilgrim’s Banner → Primitive Herald → Banner-Herald is a prime exhibit of that divide. (THE BANNER-HERALD)
Where to read him / about him
The Banner-Herald history page (how the papers merged). (THE BANNER-HERALD)
Local histories documenting his Georgia pastorates (Baptist Rest; Tifton; Atlanta PBC). (Historical Rural Churches of Georgia)
Hymnary entry for Crouse and his Pilgrim’s Hymnal. (Hymnary)
Emerson Proctor, “Elder William H. Crouse: Primitive Baptist Pastor and Religious Writer” (Viewpoints: Georgia Baptist History 22, 2010) — the most focused scholarly overview. (JSTOR)
↩︎ backElder W. Crouse, "Old-Liners and Progressives," The BannerHerald, July 1928, 212-213
↩︎ backCrouse, 213
↩︎ backCrouse, 213
↩︎ backElder T. J. (Thomas Jefferson) Bazemore — Primitive Baptist elder, editor, and author (fl. 1878–1907)
T. J. Bazemore emerges in the record as a Georgia-based Primitive Baptist elder whose work straddled pastoral labor, periodical editing, and printed sermons. By the late 1870s he was already active in PB print culture: library catalogs of Primitive Baptist periodicals credit him as founder and first editor of a short-run paper launched in October 1878 at Macon, Georgia. In the 1880s–1890s he appears in the major Old-School press—Zion’s Landmark—signing from West Point, GA, and in other PB journals, placing him within the Old-Line orbit that emphasized church-sent ministry and “gospel order.”
Bazemore also left a book: Autobiography and Book of Sermons (Greenfield, IN: D. H. Goble, 1901), a typical Primitive Baptist mix of personal narrative and doctrinal preaching. Later PB compilers cite his sermon on “Idolatry” (p. 267) as representative of his tone—experimental, admonitory, and wary of innovations.
In the congregational life of Georgia, notices place him itinerating across west/central Georgia (e.g., preaching engagements near Powder Springs in 1895) and locating his “office” at Chipley, GA (Harris County) in 1893, consistent with his Landmark correspondence from nearby West Point. During the early 1900s, as tensions sharpened between Old-Line and Progressive Primitive Baptists, an Atlanta Journal item (Sept. 26, 1907) prints a public “card” in which “Rev. T. J. Bazemore” explains Primitive Baptist doctrine “in reference to differences existing in the church”—evidence that he was participating in that debate from the Old-School side.
A later Progressive PB historical survey even preserves Bazemore’s recollection of first seeing a pipe organ used among Primitive Baptists (at Sharon Church, Monroe Co., GA, 1897/1898)—a tiny but telling data point in the story of how the “Progressive” wing introduced practices Old-Line churches resisted.
Bottom line: Bazemore is a useful lens on Georgia Primitive Baptist life ca. 1878–1907: a Landmark-era elder who edited briefly, published sermons, preached widely, and weighed in publicly on the identity of Primitive Baptists during the Old-Line vs. Progressive split.
Primary sources & references (plain links)
Zion’s Landmark (vol. 24, 1890–91) — includes a letter signed “T. J. Bazemore, West Point, Ga.” (scan PDF):https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/Zion%27s_landmark_%28serial%29._%28IA_zionslandmarkser2418unse%29.pdf
Autobiography and Book of Sermons (1901) — first-edition listing confirming imprint (D. H. Goble):https://www.abebooks.com/first-edition/Autobiography-Book-Sermons-First-Edition-Elder/12764670567/bd
The Gospel Messenger (1893) — scan noting “Eld. Bazemore’s office now is Chipley, Ga.” (text view):https://archive.org/stream/gospelmessenger15hass/gospelmessenger15hass_djvu.txt
Marietta Journal (Aug. 22, 1895) — local notice: “Elder T. J. Bazemore… will preach at Powder Springs” (OCR page):https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn85034082/1895-08-22/ed-1/seq-5/ocr/
Atlanta Journal (Sept. 26, 1907) — “Primitive Baptist Explains Church Doctrine — Rev. T. J. Bazemore writes a card…” (newspapers.com clipping):https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-atlanta-journal-rev-thomas-jefferson/182961916/
Primitive Baptist Library (Periodicals & Hymn Books) — entry noting Bazemore founded and first edited a PB paper; “first issue appeared in October 1878.”https://pblib.org/Periodicals.html
Craig, History of the Primitive Baptist Church — cites “Elder T. J. Bazemore, Sermons, p. 267 (Idolatry)” (PDF):https://primitivebaptist.net/Articles/Church-History/baptist-history-by-craig.pdf
Progressive Primitive Baptist history PDF — records Bazemore’s organ recollection (Sharon Church, 1897/1898) in the instruments controversy:https://www.progressivepb.org/uploads/2/7/4/7/27474925/pb_history.pdf
↩︎ backSharon Primitive Baptist Church (Monroe County, GA)—the Strouds Cross Roads congregation near Culloden.
Sharon PBC: 1827 → present
Constitution & early records (1827).Sharon was constituted August 7, 1827. Two independent sources line up: (1) the Georgia Baptist church-records guide lists Sharon “C 1827,” with multiple church record books on microfilm at the Georgia Archives; and (2) an on-site marker photographed in the church cemetery reads “Constituted Aug. 7, 1827.” (The Gagen Web)
Where it sits (Strouds Cross Roads).County histories place the church in the old Strouds community, noting the name progression “Sharon Baptist Church, later called Sharon Primitive Baptist Church.” Today it’s just south of Culloden on GA-83. Recent obituaries give the active address as 5843 GA-83, Culloden (with a mailing line also shown as 5827 Hwy 83 S). (RootsWeb)
Association life (19th c.).Sharon appears among member churches in Towaliga Primitive Baptist Association minutes (Monroe County congregations were part of that orbit). A tabulated line reads “Sharon – , Monroe …” alongside other churches—an indicator of the church’s associational participation in that era. (USGW Archives)
A living church (centennial and beyond).For its hundredth year, the congregation (or its friends) produced a typescript “History of the Sharon Primitive Baptist Church for the past One Hundred Years” (1927, 35 pp.), and later a brief historical sketch (1954)—both preserved via the Georgia Archives microfilm reels. In 2002, a stand-alone illustrated congregational history was published: Sharon Primitive Baptist Church, 1827–2002. (The Gagen Web)
Community footprint.Sharon shows up regularly in local papers—e.g., The Monroe Advertiser (Aug. 8, 1929) announced a church barbecue at Strouds Cross Roads to raise funds for the congregation. That’s the sort of everyday notice that confirms an active rural church in the interwar years. (Georgia Historic Newspapers)
Cemetery & continuity.The on-site cemetery (cataloged as Sharon Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery) and modern funeral notices show continuing use of the church and grounds for services and burials. (Find A Grave)
A tiny controversy footnote.In later Primitive Baptist historiography, Elder T. J. Bazemore recalled the first organ he ever saw among Primitive Baptists was at Sharon in 1897/1898—a detail often cited when charting the Old-Line vs. Progressive debates over instruments. Treat it as a recollection preserved by later writers, not an official minute entry. (Progressive Primitive Baptists)
Key holdings you (or a researcher) can consult
Georgia Archives microfilm for Sharon PBC (Monroe Co.):record books 1827–1897, 1898–1919, 1916–1955, 1955–1970; alphabetical membership list 1827–1967; 1927 centennial history (35 pp.); 1954 sketch (6 pp.). (The Gagen Web)
Local press mentions showing congregational activity and location continuity. (Georgia Historic Newspapers)
Cemetery/marker confirming the Aug. 7, 1827 constitution. (Find A Grave)
Sources (plain links)
Georgia Baptist Church Records guide (lists Sharon PBC, “C 1827,” and all microfilm holdings):
https://thegagenweb.com/gahancock/images/baptistrecords.pdf
Monroe Advertiser, Aug. 8, 1929 (Sharon PBC barbecue at Strouds Cross Roads):
https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn85034048/1929-08-08/ed-1/seq-1/ocr/
Monroe County communities page (notes “Sharon Baptist Church, later called Sharon Primitive Baptist Church”):
https://sites.rootsweb.com/~gamonroe/comm/communities.htm
Find A Grave – Sharon Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery (photo of marker: “Constituted Aug. 7, 1827”):
https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2389285/sharon-primitive-baptist-church-cemetery
Obituary page confirming active address and service location (5843 GA-83 / 5827 Hwy 83 S, Culloden):
https://www.monroecountymemorialchapel.com/obituaries/al-abrercrombie
Sharon Primitive Baptist Church, 1827–2002 (illustrated congregational history—bookseller record with cover image):
https://www.shelleyandsonbooks.com/pages/books/026138/sharon-primitive-baptist-church-1827-2002-first-edition
Towaliga Primitive Baptist Association minutes (membership table includes “Sharon – , Monroe”):
https://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/butts/churches/towaliga309gbb.txt
Progressive PB history PDF (records Bazemore’s organ recollection at Sharon, 1897/1898):
https://www.progressivepb.org/uploads/2/7/4/7/27474925/pb_history.pdf
↩︎ backHere’s a concise bio of Elder W. C. Cleveland (Wilde Clayton Cleveland):
Name: Wilde Clayton “W. C.” ClevelandBorn–Died: April 9, 1836 – October 31, 1904Home base: Culloden, Monroe County, GeorgiaDenomination: Primitive (Old-Line) Baptist elder
Life & work.Cleveland studied at the University of Georgia, read law, and was admitted to the bar in the late 1850s. During the Civil War he served as captain of Company E, 6th Georgia Infantry, and was wounded at Sharpsburg (Antietam). After the war he became a prominent Primitive Baptist minister in middle Georgia. (Antietam on the Web)
He was long identified with the Echeconnee Association and was frequently called on for constituting or advising churches. For example, Columbus’ East Highlands (originally “Columbus”) Church lists him—“Elder W. C. Cleveland, of Echeconnee Association, of Culloden, Georgia”—among its organizing ministers. (USGenWeb Archives)
In Monroe County he pastored Sharon and Forsyth Primitive Baptist churches. Forsyth PBC was organized on October 12, 1892 with 13 members; Cleveland of Culloden was chosen its first pastor and served faithfully until his health failed in 1904. After his death, the church called other pastors. A local report also notes him preaching there in 1895. (Georgia Historic Newspapers)
Elder T. J. Bazemore later wrote that the appearance of the organ in Primitive Baptist worship in Monroe County (first seen at Sharon in 1897–98) fueled the split between “Old-line” and “Progressive” Primitive Baptists; after Cleveland’s death, Forsyth’s next pastor declined on account of the organ—showing how Cleveland’s pulpits sat right on the fault line of that Georgia debate.
Family & death.His widow, Mrs. Nannie (Nancy) Cleveland, died in 1909; the local notice called W. C. “loved and honored by the Baptist all over the southern states.” Both are associated with burials at Culloden cemetery. Cleveland’s death year of 1904 matches contemporary summaries and soldier registers. (Georgia Historic Newspapers)
Dates at a glance (key confirmations).
Birth/death: 1836–1904 (soldier register and compiled family history). (Antietam on the Web)
First pastor, Forsyth PBC (1892–1904). (Georgia Historic Newspapers)
Minister tied to Echeconnee Association; helped constitute East Highlands Church (Columbus). (USGenWeb Archives)
Sharon/Forsyth organ controversy context.
If you want, I can pull period association minutes and cemetery entries to flesh this out with exact dates of ordination, marriage details (Nannie/Nancy H. Stevens appears in genealogies), and a fuller list of churches he served.
↩︎ backElder S. T. (Samuel T.) Bentley—with regular links at the end.
Elder S. T. Bentley (1845–1917) — Georgia Primitive Baptist elder
Name & dates. Cemetery records list him as “Elder S. T. Bentley”, born January 11, 1845, died October 21, 1917, buried at Mt. Carmel Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery in Crawford County, Georgia. A companion entry records his wife Sarah Elizabeth (1846–1923). (The Gage Network)
Where he lived and labored. Newspaper notes place him in the Robley community of Crawford County (near Roberta/Musella) and show him hosting and traveling for meetings in the region. (Georgia Historic Newspapers)
Association work (Echeconnee). At the 79th annual meeting of the Echeconnee Association (Macon, Sept. 16–18, 1904), the Macon Telegraph reports that “upon a motion of Elder S. T. Bentley” W. W. Childs was elected moderator pro tem when W. C. Cleveland was too ill to preside; the article prints a long roll of participating churches (Forsyth, Mt. Carmel, Salem, Providence, etc.). (Georgia Historic Newspapers)A later digest of Georgia PB minutes lists S. T. Bentley as moderator in 1907 for Echeconnee, confirming his standing among the Old-Line elders. (Scribd)
Preaching footprint. A Houston County report (1897) prints the speaking order at a large bush-arbor meeting—“Afternoon—Elders G. P. McDonald and S. T. Bentley.” (Georgia Historic Newspapers)
Ordinations & presbyteries. The Ephesus Primitive Baptist (Talbot County) congregational history records Bentley forming the presbytery, with W. C. Cleveland offering the ordination prayer and S. T. Bentley delivering the charge—evidence that neighboring churches regularly sought his help for ministerial ordinations. (USGenWeb Archives)
On the Progressive/Old-Line fault line. When Forsyth PBC (Monroe County) moved toward using an organ, a later Progressive PB survey notes that the church called Elder S. T. Bentley as pastor, and he refused on account of the organ—a snapshot of Old-Line convictions during Georgia’s late-19th/early-20th-century split. (Progressive Primitive Baptists)
Quick read of the man. The paper trail paints Bentley as a Crawford–Monroe–Houston circuit stalwart: widely trusted in Echeconnee, frequently on the road to preach, called on to constitute/ordain, and immovable on non-instrumental worship—the classic Old-Line profile for that time and place. (Georgia Historic Newspapers)
Sources (plain links)
Mt. Carmel Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery (Crawford Co., GA) — entries for Elder S. T. Bentley and Sarah Elizabeth Bentley:https://www.thegagenweb.com/gacrawfo/Cemeteries/mtcarmel2.htmhttps://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/crawford/cemeteries/mtcarmel.txt
Macon Telegraph, Sept. 17, 1904 — Echeconnee Association session in Macon; “upon a motion of Elder S. T. Bentley…”:https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn89053320/1904-09-17/ed-1/seq-8/ocr/
Houston Home Journal (Perry, GA), Sept. 23, 1897 — meeting lineup listing Elders G. P. McDonald and S. T. Bentley:https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn89053612/1897-09-23/ed-1/seq-2/ocr/
Monroe Advertiser (Forsyth, GA), Mar. 5, 1909 — note on “Elder S. T. Bentley of Robley”:https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn85034048/1909-03-05/ed-1/seq-8/ocr/
Ephesus Primitive Baptist (Talbot Co.) history — presbytery/ordination line naming S. T. Bentley and W. C. Cleveland:https://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/talbot/churches/ephesus.txt
Progressive PB survey (PDF) — Forsyth call declined “on account of the organ”:https://www.progressivepb.org/uploads/2/7/4/7/27474925/pb_history.pdf
Context for Robley (Hickory Grove) community, Crawford County:https://www.thegagenweb.com/gacrawfo/Cities/hickorygroverobley.htm
↩︎ backT. J. Bazemore, "Review," supplement to The Banner Herald, 3
↩︎ backBazemore, 3
↩︎ backHere’s a tight, source-backed sketch of Elder T. E. Sikes—full name Thomas Eugene Sikes—that fits with the Georgia PB story you’re compiling.
Elder T. E. (Thomas Eugene) Sikes (1860–1943) — Vidalia-based Primitive Baptist elder
Who/where. A Primitive Baptist elder centered in Vidalia, Toombs County, Georgia. His wife’s memorial identifies her as “wife of Elder T. E. Sikes” and a member of Vidalia Primitive Baptist Church; his own memorial places him in Pinecrest Cemetery, Vidalia with dates 1860–1943.• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/124297328/susan-m.-sikes• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/124297438/thomas-eugene-sikes
Organizer (presbyteries). Helped organize Baptist Rest Primitive Baptist Church (Emanuel Co., constituted July 27, 1907). The church history notes the presbytery was Elder R. H. Barwick (Moderator) and Elder T. E. Sikes of Vidalia (Clerk).• HRCGA write-up: https://www.hrcga.org/church/baptist-rest-primitive-baptist/• Pitts/Emory description: https://digital.pitts.emory.edu/s/digital-collections/item-set/32418
Active across the region. Newspaper snippets show him regularly on the road:• Fitzgerald (1914): announcement—“Elder T. E. Sikes, of Vidalia, Primitive Baptist, will preach at the Presbyterian Church.”https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn85038489/1914-03-20/ed-1/seq-5/ocr/• Culloden Bible Conference (1922): “Elder T. E. Sikes is in Culloden, where he is attending a Bible Conference of the Primitive Baptist church.”https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn89053358/1922-10-26/ed-1/seq-3/• Wheeler/Alamo (1936): assisted at a funeral at Union Primitive Baptist Church (“…assisted by her brother, Rev. T. E. Sikes, of Vidalia”).https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn90052161/1936-11-20/ed-1/seq-1/ocr/
Benevolence & periodicals. In 1922 the Vidalia Advance summarized his letter in the PB paper Banner-Herald, urging that a proposed Old Women’s Home be expanded to include an orphanage—and suggesting Vidalia as the site; editor R. H. Barwick publicly praised Sikes’s “cool, conservative… good business judgment.”https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn89053358/1922-11-02/ed-1/seq-1/ocr/
Author. Published an autobiographical/reflective volume: Memories and Thoughts Along Life’s Journey (East Point, GA: Martin-Johnson Printing, 1943).• Google Books catalog entry: https://books.google.com/books/about/Memories_and_Thoughts_Along_Life_s_Journ.html?id=WSqStgAACAAJ• Georgia Historical Society bibliography listing the same imprint/date: https://www.georgiahistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Annual-Report-2011.pdf (see p. 159/“Sikes, Thomas Eugene”)
Where he stood in the organ/Progressive–Old-Line dispute. In his book he described the “unholy war over musical instruments” in Georgia PB life. He wrote that none of his own churches used instruments and no one was trying to introduce them, yet he pleaded to keep fellowship with churches on both sides—a moderate, church-autonomy posture during the fight. A denominational history quotes him (citing p. 178 of his book) and sets his stance alongside Elder T. J. Bazemore’s reportage from Monroe County.• PDF excerpt with the Sikes quotation and footnote to p. 178: https://www.progressivepb.org/uploads/2/7/4/7/27474925/pb_history.pdf (see pp. 40–41 of the PDF)
Family notes. His wife Susan M. Rivers Sikes (1860–1931) lies with him at Pinecrest, Vidalia, and multiple local notices connect him to Montgomery/Wheeler/Toombs counties through funerals and meetings (see items above).
Quick timeline
1860 Sept 30 — Birth (per memorial).
1907 — Serves as presbytery clerk to constitute Baptist Rest PBC (Emanuel).
1914 — Preaching engagement noted in Fitzgerald.
1922 — Attends Culloden Bible Conference; letter in Banner-Herald (reported by Vidalia Advance) advocating home + orphanage in Vidalia.
1936 — Assists funeral at Union PBC (Alamo).
1943 Jan 25 — Death (per memorial); book Memories and Thoughts Along Life’s Journey issued same year.
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↩︎ backElder T. E. Sikes, Memories and Thoughts Along Life's Journey, 178
↩︎ backElder R. H. Pittman, "Instrumental Music in Churches," Biographical History of Primitive or old School Baptist Ministers, 382
↩︎ backHere’s a tight, source-backed bio of Elder C. H. Cayce—the Primitive Baptist editor you keep bumping into in the Georgia/Kentucky/Arkansas orbit.
Elder C. H. Cayce (Claudis/Claudius Hopkins Cayce, 1871–1945)
Who he was. A widely read Primitive Baptist elder, debater, and publisher, remembered above all as editor of The Primitive Baptist newspaper and as compiler of the hymnbook The Good Old Songs.
Dates & name. Most library and catalog entries give his full name as Claudius/Claudis Hopkins Cayce, born 1871, died 1945.• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/75522845/claudis-hopkins-cayce• HathiTrust catalog (lists him as “C. H. (Claudius Hopkins) Cayce”): https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/102473582
Editor of The Primitive Baptist. Cayce worked in his father Elder S. F. Cayce’s print office from 1886, then succeeded him as editor in 1905, guiding the paper for decades; a contemporaneous biographical sketch notes the subscriber list rising from ~6,500 to ~10,000 under his hand.• Full text excerpt (R. H. Pittman, Biographical History of Primitive or Old School Baptist Ministers): https://archive.org/stream/biographicalhist01pitt/biographicalhist01pitt_djvu.txt• Hassell’s History… appendix cites him as editor 1905–1945: https://primitivebaptist.net/Articles/Church-History/hassells-historyof-the-church-of-god-appendix.htm
Where the paper lived. The paper originated in Fulton, Kentucky, later relocating to Arkansas: moved to Arkansas in 1919, then to Thornton (Calhoun Co.) in 1928, where the Cayce Publishing Company operated; later yearbooks list The Primitive Baptist as a Thornton semi-monthly.• Arkansas Family Historian (publishing timeline & editors): https://argensoc.org/wp-content/uploads/afh/AFH553Sep2017.pdf• Yearbook of American Churches (lists Primitive Baptist, Thornton, Ark., post-Cayce era): https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.89809/2015.89809.Yearbook-Of-American-Churches-1949-Edition_djvu.txt
Family line of editors. His father S. F. Cayce edited the paper before him; his son W. Hartsel Cayce edited it after him—three generations tied to the same periodical.• Primitive Baptist Library (periodicals overview referencing S. F., C. H., and W. Hartsel Cayce as editors): https://argensoc.org/wp-content/uploads/afh/AFH561Mar2018.pdf (see “Obituaries from The Primitive Baptist…,” intro note)• Hartsel Cayce bio note: https://primitivebaptistsermons.org/ministers-details.php?id=108
The hymnbook. In 1913–1914 Cayce issued The Good Old Songs, a songbook that became ubiquitous in Primitive Baptist congregational life; later printings continued through the 20th century.• Publisher site (history & recent revision): https://www.thegoodoldsongs.com/history/• HathiTrust catalog record (Thornton, Ark.: Cayce Publishing Co., ©1914): https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/102473582
Doctrinal footprint.
He wrote constantly on election & predestination (see his series begun in 1910 and later compiled).• Sample: “Predestination Again” (The Primitive Baptist, Mar 15, 1910): https://www.primitivebaptist.net/Articles/Predestination/predestination-again-by-ch-cayce.htm• “Election & Predestination” series (1942): https://primitivebaptist.net/Articles/Election/ch-cayce-on-election-and-predestination-july-2-1942.htm
He rejected “means” in regeneration (e.g., a 1938 editorial on infant salvation argues the Spirit saves apart from human instruments).• PDF excerpt quoting the 1938 piece: https://www.pbpage.org/Deceased_Infant_Salvation1.pdf
Debater & public figure. Cayce was a prolific debater with Campbellite/Church of Christ and Missionary Baptist opponents. Lists of public debates include several of his engagements (1905, 1917, etc.).• Primitive Baptist Library – Debates index: https://pblib.org/Debates.html• 1917 debate notice (Howell vs. Cayce): https://www.thelordsway.com/site19/custompage.asp?CongregationID=1202&CustomPageID=586
Books/compilations of his editorials.Collected as Editorial Writings from The Primitive Baptist (multi-volume), drawn from his Fulton/Thornton years.• PrimitiveBaptist.net index of Cayce editorials: https://primitivebaptist.net/Articles/CH-Cayce/ch-cayce.htm• Example retail records (to verify imprints/dates):– Vol. 4 (Cayce Publishing Co., 1938): https://www.biblio.com/book/editorial-writings-primitive-baptist-volume-4/d/926337353– Modern reprints: https://www.lulu.com/shop/c-h-cayce/editorial-writings-from-the-primitive-baptist-volume-5/hardcover/product-1255vym2.html
A note on the 1900 Fulton meeting. Cayce moved in the circles that convened the Fulton, Kentucky “national” meeting that appended explanatory notes to the 1689 London Confession—a key turning point for PB identity in the 20th century.• Fulton Confession (primary text): https://www.pb.org/PBDocs/FultonConfession.html• Overview: https://www.pblib.org/nationalconventions.html
Bottom line. Elder C. H. Cayce was a center-of-gravity voice for Primitive Baptists from the 1900s to the mid-1940s—as editor, hymnal compiler, frequent debater, and doctrinal polemicist. If you’re mapping the Old-Line debates (predestination, “means,” “time/temporal” salvation), his editorials are the motherlode.
↩︎ backC. H. Сayce, "Concerning Organs," Editorial Writings From The Primitive Baptist, Vol. II, 61
↩︎ backCrouse, 211
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