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States Marshal for the state. He took part in the
campaign of 181143 and was elected Colonel of Jen-
nings county militia in 1817; he laid out the town of
Vernon and was pastor of the Vernon Baptist church
from 1821 to 1848. He was elected to the lower
House of the State Legislature 1831-35, and to the
State Senate in 1836. He was a strong advocate of
state internal improvements. In 1848 he moved to
Morgan county and was the leading spirit in building
up that village. He built and presented a brick meet-
ing house to the Baptist church in Morgantown, and
as was said before he was influential in the formation
of the Mount Zion Association. He was a man of
marked idiosyncracies, but no one ever doubted his
loyalty to his Lord; his ambition was to do good by
all means and especially by leading men to accept the
Savior. He was destined to be a leader in whatever
cause he was interested; many of the churches of the
state felt the power of his presence and counsel An-
ticipating death he dictated his own epitaph (leaving
a blank for the date of his decease) and this is it:
With all his titles, here lies the remains of
Elder John Vawter.
Born in old Virginia, Jan. 8th, 1782;
Died Aug. 17th, 1862.
The effort of his long life as a Christian
was to nourish and build up
the true Christian Church
on the Original Apostolic foundation.
As a statesman he was
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progressive, conservative, believing the
State Legislature held the
great material interest of the body politic
in its hands; that the
prosperity of the State in education,
agriculture, internal improvements,
mechanical arts, finance and commerce could
be advanced by judicious, or
retarded and crypted by unwise legislation.
Another minister who deserves special mention was
Elder John W. Ragsdale. He was born in Kentucky
in 1811; he came to Indiana in 1837 and found a home
in Johnson county near Trafalgar. He had joined
a Baptist church in his native state; he preached his
first sermon in an old school house some time during
the Mexican war. He became the preacher for the
country churches not being averse to riding scores of
miles, if thereby he could encourage a church, or per-
suade a sinner to come to the divine fountain for
cleansing. His own approximate estimate is that he
had ridden fifty thousand miles, mostly on horse-back,
and that he had baptized fifteen hundred persons. -He
was made moderator of his. Association nearly every
year till he became too feeble to undertake the ser-
vice. He has served fifteen different churches as pas-
tor; they are located in all the counties included in the
Association. He and his wife made their home a very
welcome place for their brethren and sisters, and es-
pecially for fellow ministers. Their children loved
them intensely, and were ready at all times to do all
