"A HISTORY OF THE DAVIESS-McLEAN BAPTIST ASSOCIATION IN KENTUCKY, 1844-1943" by Wendell H. Rone. Probably published in 1944 by Messenger Job Printing Co., Inc., Owensboro, Kentucky, pp. 289-290. Used by permission. [Daviess] WILLIAM PERRY BENNETT, D.D: Perhaps no other man wielded a larger influence in his day and generation than Brother W. P. Bennett. He was born in Washington County Kentucky, February 19, 1823, and was the only son of Philip and Lucy Nall Bennett. The greater part of his long and useful life was spent in the State of his nativity among those who knew and loved him. At the age of seventeen he gave his heart to Christ and was baptized into the fellowship of the New Hope Baptist Church in Muhlenberg County, Ky., being baptized by Elder Frederick Tanner. He was strongly influenced to take this step by the death of a friend about his own age. Sometime previous to this he had tried to reform his life, but never found the needed peace until he trusted in Him who is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life." Brother Bennett was graduated from the Medical Department of St. Louis University in his twenty-first year and for a number of years practiced his profession in Muhlenberg, Daviess, and Henderson Counties. After his removal to Yelvington he was ordained as a deacon of this church in February, 1857. On April 15, 1858, this church licensed him to preach the Gospel. His ordination took place on April 16, 1859, at the same church, Elders J. M. Dawson and T. N. Robinson serving as the presbytery. From that time until he was cut down by a partial stroke of paralysis in 1905 he continued actively in his calling. During a ministry of about fifty years he pastored thirteen churches, as follows: West Point, Walton's Creek, and Hartford in Ohio County; New Hope, Mt. Carmel, and South Carrollton in Muhlenberg County; Oak Grove (Utica) and Pleasant Grove in Daviess County; Island, Mt. Liberty, Calhoun, Buck Creek, and Station in McLean County. The constitution of the church at Central City was the result of a revival conducted by him and Bro. D. J. K. Maddox. The constitution of the Island Baptist Church was the result of a meeting conducted by him and Bro. R. D. Peay. He was chosen as the first pastor of the Island Church and remained for a period of twenty years. His pastorate of the Oak Grove (Utica) Church for fifteen and one-half years saw the membership grow from 60 to 257. The present church building there was completed during his pastorate. Success also crowned his labors in the other churches he served. His last sermon was preached at Pewee Valley, Ky., in October, 1904. This was during the pastorate of his son at that place. His last participation in a public service was to aid in the ordination of his grandson, Clay O. Bennett, at Oak Grove Church, in May, 1907. When Dr. Bennett entered the ministry he concentrated all of his abundant resources of mind and heart into the preparation for that work. He studied theology under Dr. J. S. Coleman at Beaver Dam, Ky., and pursued literary studies under Professor Hagan at Yelvington. When past fifty years of age he took a course of study in New Testament Greek under his son, and though advanced in years obtained a splendid working knowledge of that language. In recognition of his literary attainments and theological ability he was honored by two different colleges with the degrees of Master of Arts and Doctor of Divinity, the latter degree when he was past sixty years of age. He was the author of several strong tracts, among which may be mentioned, "The Inconsistences [sic] of Pedo-Baptists," "The Origin, Principles, and Perpetuity of the Baptists," and "The Sabbath, the First Day of the Week." Dr. Bennett was a strong and fearless defender of the Baptist faith. In a debate with G. G. Taylor at Island, Kentucky, his presentation of the Scriptures so completely overthrew the sophistries of Alexander Campbell that Campbellism has never revived in that community. As a result of the debate he baptized large numbers of Campbellites into the fellowship of the Island Church, of which he was then pastor. Dr. Bennett married four times. To these unions seven children were born. Only two lived to survive him. Four died in infancy and one girl died at about the age of twenty. One son became a minister and another served many years as a deacon. His death occurred at his home on October 29, 1910, and he was laid to rest in the Utica Cemetery. "He was a hard student and painstaking sermonizer, an earnest preacher, and a self-denying pastor that delighted to honor his Lord and help mankind by preaching the Word of God," is the well-deserved eulogy of his pastor at the time of his death, Bro. O. M. Shultz. The Daviess County Association honored him with the office of Moderator for one year and that of Secretary for seven years. He also preached the Annual Sermon before the Association in 1873. Bennett Nall Tanner Dawson Robinson Maddox Peay Coleman Hagan Taylor Campbell Schultz = Washington Muhlenberg MO Henderson McLean Ohio http://www.rootsweb.com/~kygenweb/kybiog/daviess/bennett.wp.txt