A History of Kentucky Baptists From 1769 to 1885, Including More Than 800 Biographical Sketches, J. H. Spencer, Manuscript Revised and Corrected by Mrs. Burilla B. Spencer, In Two Volumes. Printed For the Author. 1886. Republished By Church History Research & Archives 1976 Lafayette, Tennessee. Vol. 2, pp 171-177 [Union County] WILLIAM CALMES BUCK was one of the leaders of God's host, in Kentucky, at a period when a wise, bold leader was most needed. To him, the Baptists of this Commonwealth, and of the whole Mississippi Valley, owe, more than to any other man, their deliverance from the narrow prejudice against missionary operations, which had been chiefly fostered by Alexander Campbell, and the chilling spirit of Antinomiaism, enkindled by Parker, Dudley, Nuckols and their satellites. More than any other preacher in the State, did this champion of christian benevolence stir up and foster the spirit of missions. Possessing great physical strength and remarkable powers of endurance, he traveled on horse-back, among the churches, winter and summer, day and night, and urged upon them the solemn duty of supporting their pastors, at home, and sending the gospel to the perishing, abroad. He possessed a strong, steady nerve, a cool self-possession and a courage that did not falter. His tongue was as the pen of a ready writer, and his voice was as the roaring of a lion. Perhaps no other man ever preached in Kentucky, that could command the attention of so large an audience, in the open air. Who will question, that God called and qualified him, for the specific work he performed! William C. Buck was born in Virginia, August 23, 1790. His educational advantages were poor. But having a quick, strong native intellect, and being ambitious to acquire knowledge, he became what is termed a self-made man, of excellent attainments, both in general literature and theology. In early life, he united with the church at Waterlick, in Shenandoah county, Virginia, where he was ordained to the ministry, in October, 1815. In 1820, he moved to Kentucky, and settled on the present site of Morganfield, in Union county. Here he took charge of a little church, called Highland. The same year, he gathered another small church, called Little Bethel, to which he also ministered. He afterwards took charge of a church near Princeton, where he baptized William Morrison, a Presbyterian licentiate, who became a very useful Baptist preacher. In September, 1820, Highland Association was formed, of the two church ministered to by Mr. Buck, and a few others, almost equally small and poor. Within the bounds of this little fraternity, with no other Baptist preacher within thirty miles of him, and two- thirds of the population of his county being Catholics, he labored about sixteen years. In 1835, he moved to Louisville, where he succeeded the lamented John S. Wilson in the pastoral charge of the First Baptist church in that city. He served this church four years, during which period, its membership increased, from 306, to 532. In 1838, with the consent of his pastoral charge, he accepted the General Agency of the General Association of Baptists in Kentucky. It will be remembered that, at that period, very few Baptist pastors, in Kentucky, received a salary for preaching. It is probably that a very large majority of them received less than five dollars a year, for their ministrations; and the small pitances they did receive, were understood to be "gifts," and not pay. The first object of the General Association, was to correct this evil. To secure the payment of reasonable salaries to the pastors, was the principal object of Mr. Buck's agency; although he collected such small amounts as he could, consistently with this object, for missionary purposes. [4 page minutes not included]. In the manner described in the report, Mr. Buck continued to canvass the churches, as long as he was Agent of the General Association. But, in 1841, believing that he could reach the churches of the whole State, more speedily and effectively, through the medium of the press, he took the editorial charge of the Baptist Banner and Western Pioneer, a large religious weekly, hitherto conducted by John L. Waller. He edited this paper about nine years, with much ability. In 1840, he resigned the charge of the First Church, after which, among a multitude of other engagements, he preached in the market house, in the eastern part of the city, till East Church was constituted, in 1842. To this Church, he preached the rest of the time that he remained in the State. In 1850, having lost his property, through an attempt to conduct the Louisville Advertiser, which he had purchased, on the retirement of Shadrach Penn, he moved to the State of Alabama. Here he labored some ten years, both with tongue and pen. He published a book entitled the Philosophy of Religion, and was editing a religious paper at the breaking out of the Civil War. After this he went to Texas, where he spent the evening of a long, busy and eminently useful life. He died of a cancer on his face, at his residence near Waco, surrounded by his children, on the 18th of May, 1872. Buck Campbell Parker Dudley Nuckols Morrison Waller Penn = Shenandoah-VA Louisville-Jefferson-KY AL TX Grabbed on 12:07, Tue, May 29, 2001 This page has been grabbed using Zip Up The Web!