Beaverdam Baptist (Wilkes County, Ga.)

The first records show that "The Church of Christ at Beaverdam" was constituted on March 19, 1836. As was most often the case, a small crowd of close neighbors, seven men and seven women, wanted to start a church. The Rev. William Stokes was chosen as the first pastor. Surviving records of this first meeting show columns listing the name of each member, the date received into the church, how received, and how dismissed. These listings reflect what was a normal practice in antebellum days throughout Georgia. White and black men and women all belonged in the same congregation. Regular church meetings were held the second Sunday of each month, but they also met in "conference" the day before to take care of business matters. After the Civil War, African American members began to form separate churches but this did not take place for several years in many cases. Immediately after the war, almost all of the churches conducted business as usual, but eventually the black members decided to form their own separate congregations. That point for Beaverdam did not come until 1874, according to the church records. The minutes of May 16, 1874 - "Granted letters of dismission to 13 colored members for the purpose of constituting a colored Baptist Church in the vicinity."