Hickory Grove Church (7)
FREE WILL BAPTIST
The earliest known reference to Hickory Grove Church of Bucklesberry is a church letter submitted to the Bethel Free Will Baptist (F.W.B.) Conference in 1841. Historically significant, this letter confirms Hickory Grove was organized as a church congregation by that year. Although associated today with the Methodist denomination, the 1841 church letter also provides undeniable proof that Hickory Grove has not always been a Methodist work. Without question, the church's origin is indisputably F.W.B.
The 43 churches represented at the 1841 Bethel Conference, including Hickory Grove, did not all share the same theological doctrine. Many were dissatisfied when "Free Will Baptist" was eliminated from the Bethel Free Will Baptist Conference name that year. In response, wrote Dr. Michael R. Pelt, Ph.D., a group of F.W.B. church "leaders who wished to remain loyal to their traditions as Free Will Baptists" met at Lousan Swamp Church in Lenoir County in 1842. What ensued was creation of the North Carolina Original Free Will Baptist (O.F.W.B.) General Conference.
The first recorded minutes of an annual O.F.W.B. General Conference meeting occurred in 1845. Of the 38 participating churches that year, 21 were previously among the 43 churches listed in the Bethel Conference four years earlier. Interestingly, all six Lenoir County churches named in the 1841 Bethel Conference minutes, including Hickory Grove, had transferred to the O.F.W.B. General Conference by 1845 and were operating as F.W.B. ministries. Remnant churches that did not join the O.F.W.B. General Conference largely became Disciples of Christ churches.
Hickory Grove's 1845 church letter documented a membership of 169 with 0 received, 7 baptized, 4 dismissed, 4 excommunicated, 1 died, and a $2.00 donation. When compared with 28 members recorded a few years earlier in the 1841 and 1842 Bethel Conference minutes, the 169 membership for Hickory Grove in 1845 reflected an unbelievably extraordinary 503% increase. Virtually impossible to have achieved, the "1" digit recorded in the 169 membership number was almost certainly an unintentional typographical error. The more likely membership for Hickory Grove was probably 69.
The Hickory Grove Church of Bucklesberry and the Hickory Grove Church named in the 1841 and 1842 Bethel Conference minutes, as well as in the 1845 O.F.W.B. General Conference minutes, are unquestionably one and the same. The Church's delegate, John Robert Daly (1817-1900), identified in the 1845 Conference minutes, further confirms it.
Known locally by his middle name, Robert was listed in the 1850 Lenoir County Census as the 33-year old head of household with his mother and several siblings, including a brother, Joshua Daly (1820-1903). The Daly homeplace, no longer standing, was situated directly off of Hardy Bridge Road in Bucklesberry, a couple of miles from present-day Hickory Grove Church. Virtually hidden in a small grove of trees nearby is the Joshua Daly Cemetery. A brick house owned by Wesley and Vivian Sutton now occupies the former Daly homeplace site.
Next month's article will discuss Hickory Grove's earliest years as a Free Will Baptist church. Interested readers may enjoy reading a previously published Bucklesberry article titled "Death and Drinking: Spring 1922" available at https://t.ly/CHm0N.
Neuse News is an independent, locally-owned startup based in downtown Kinston. We’re committed to providing free, hyper-local news across Lenoir, Greene, and Jones counties—the kind of stories that matter most, delivered in a format built for today.
We don't charge subscriptions. Instead, we rely on readers like you—and the businesses that serve our community. When you shop local, dine local, and click on our sponsor ads, you help us keep real journalism free and accessible.
