Tuscarora Valley Baptist Church
An Old School or Primitive Baptist Church
The Baptist church organized in the Tuscarora Valley in 1794 could trace it�s origins to England and to the Reformation of the early 16th century. The Reformation began as an attempt by men like Martin Luther to change the teachings, doctrines and practices of the Catholic Church. Other reformers who influenced the Baptist Church include Ulrich Zwingli [the leader of the Protestant Reformation in Switzerland], Jacob Arminius, a Dutch theologian, and John Calvin whose philosophical, political and religious thinking had a profound impact on the emerging Protestant church.
While most Protestant reformers could have arguably agreed on the reforms that were needed in the Church they were not able to agree on the developing theology that was an outgrowth of the dramatic rift with the Catholic Church. In England, in 1612, John Smyth organized the first English Baptist church after returning from time spent in Holland with Dutch Mennonites. This church�s beliefs were heavily influenced by Arminius and as result they came to be known as General Baptists. In 1638 the first Baptist church embracing Calvinism was founded and they came to be known as Particular Baptists. In 1644 the Particular Baptists define their beliefs in the document which became known as the London Confession of Faith which further separated them in beliefs from the General Baptists.
The first Baptist churches in America were founded in Rhode Island about 1639 by Roger Williams and John Clark who are both credited with being the founder of the American Baptist faith. Pennsylvania�s Baptist churches were established between 1684 and 1689 in the Bucks County and Philadelphia areas. In 1707 the first colonial Baptist association was found in Philadelphia. While this association was only an advisory council in 1742 it adopted the 1689 London Confession which aligned American Baptists with the Particular Baptist Calvinist ideals. The beliefs of this church were in general orthodox, their faith, church organization and society founded on the literal reading of the Scriptures.
The Tuscarora Valley Baptist Church was organized on Saturday, May 17, 1794 by Elder Lewis Richards [of the Baltimore Association] and Elder William Clingnan [1]. During their first recorded meeting, about thirty individuals were examined by the elders and after offering up evidence of their true belief, they traveled about � mile to the banks of the Tuscarora Creek for a baptismal ceremony [2]. The following month William Patton donated an acre of land on which to build a log church which was eventually constructed [3]. The records of the church show that when members came together for worship and church business they did so for both Saturday and Sunday. They also regularly met in Thompsontown to hold services and communion. The minutes also report the human struggles of the members to live up to the ideals of living a Christian life. Often mentioned are complaints against various individuals. They document complaints of bad conduct and of putting members under censure with a warning to appear at the next meeting, sometimes male members were asked to see other male members to talk to them and �warn them to appear at the next church meeting�. One female member was found to be unworthy of �holding union and communion�for asmuch[sic] as she walketh, disorderly, absenting herself from worship�also for breeding Discord among brethren and revealing the Secrets of the Church�and Sundry other Crimes of the Like nature�. If the member appeared before the church membership and expressed remorse and penitence they were received back into the membership; if the membership felt their conduct was still �irregular� they would continue under �censure�. If there conduct never improved they were excommunicated [4].
The minutes record the church membership meeting faithfully until August of 1806. Then for reasons not recorded in their minutes, they did not meet again until October 1819 when they met and decided to reestablish the church �to its former priviliges�[sic]. About this time they also began to meet in Mifflintown and at the Union School in Lost Creek. In November of 1828 the church membership gave power to several of their members to sell the small piece of land in Turbett Township [proceeds $25.00] on which the old log church stood and to buy � of an acre of land �at the crossing of Licking Creek near the old forge�. To save money members decided to use the logs of the old church in the construction of the new. The membership donated the funds to construct the new church. In May of 1830 the church meeting was held �at our new meeting house it being in such a state of forwardness as to admit of preaching� [5].
In the early part of the 19th century a divisive controversy enveloped the Baptists of America. There were many Baptist churches which held to traditional views and opposed missionary work as well as seminaries, Sunday schools, Bible societies, revivals and temperance societies. In 1832 a group of conservative Baptists met at Black Rock, MD and composed a document which announced their decision to withdrawal from fellowship with liberal Baptists. Those churches known as primitive Baptist are descendants of churches who opposed these innovations and chose to retain or restore the primitive [original] patterns of church life such as unsalaried ministers, a cappella singing and feet washing [6,7].
There is no mention in the surviving church minutes of the Black Rock Address or any controversy within the church about these issues. This controversy could explain the why the church meetings apparently ceased after August 1806 and in October of 1819 members sought to re-establish the church. Records of the Primitive Baptist Library in Carthage, IL do record this church as being a member of the Primitive Baptist family of churches [8]. The church continued to meet [according to surviving minutes] until 1918. The last recorded meeting occurred on 31 August 1947 when the congregations of Sidelong Hill and Trough Creek Churches met at the Tuscarora Church house.
[1] Primitive Baptist Family history Assistance, Churches: Tuscarora Valley 1794
http://www.carthage.lib.il.us/community/churches/primbap/pbl.html; July 18, 2005
[2] Primitive Baptist Family history Assistance, Churches: Tuscarora Valley 1794
http://www.carthage.lib.il.us/community/churches/primbap/pbl.html; July 18, 2005
[3] History Of That Part Of The Susquehanna And Juniata Valleys Embraced In The Counties of Mifflin, Juniata,, Perry, Union, And Snyder In the Commonwealth of PA, Vol. I Evert, ,Peck & Richards, Philadelphia
[4] Records of the Baptist Church of Tuscarora Valley 1794-1828, Juniata County Historical Society
[5] The Book of Records of The Tuscarora Baptist Church, Commenced &Continued from the Old Book, November 1828
[6] The Black Rock Address, http://www.olpbc.com/black_rock_address.htm
[7] Primitive Baptist, Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, http://wikipedia.org/wiki/Primitive_Baptist
[8] Email from Robert L. Webb of the Primitive Baptist Church, Carthage, IL February 6, 2004 to Audrey R. Sizelove
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