) -.)

I r: .:- ..)

I ')).

\ ( RBCOHDS

of

'dELLS Cli . .-1PEL CHUE\JH

Fo.rmer Ly "Bu l tal 1"

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Org-anized 1756

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The Records previous to 1793 caLnot

be f'cund

'l1nese are the o:ciginal old RI;CORD.::i

of the Church from 179v to 18~7.

Books I, I I, I I I, Iv , V.

!ells Chapel

In the early part of the eighteenth

century large numbers of imigran ts f'o ur ... d

their way into the r ... orthern s e t t Lemerrt s of

New Hanover Co ur.t y, Nor th Carolina. An.ong

them were people from England, France, Ire­

lar ... d , Scotland and the Color ... ies fs.r the r

north on the Atlantic ~eauoard. In some

instances there were whole colonies which

came together from their former country

homes. These were often Linspeople of

those who had freely intermarried and were

in full sympathy of interests.

The following were among the family

names in the Barrels citore section in early

times:- Herring, ITewton, Hufham, Bland,

r.ogers, Highst.ith, Newz i r k , Stallings, Buxton,

'.filliams, Wells, Pe nne L, Hall, Lat this, ... -..lder-

man, Eerrington, Sweatman, Sikes, Cashwell,

ana. others. Some of these families may have

come in a little later, but tney were all

f'arr.I Lf.a'r names by the close of the Revo Lu't Lori-

I.any of them patriotic soldiers in

tnct great struggle for inQependerce. 1he

names of some of them hre recorded in the

rosters of Revolutionary soldiers •

. bout the yeL.r 1 7 b5 Il.lE;TIJ people moved

from South Jersey to this section of Horth

Carolina. One colony went from Cape Uay to

lockwoods Folly in Burnswick CouLty. There

was evidently some connection between the

people of the Harrells Store section and those

at Lockwood Folly. The Rev. rriuel Fewton

was the pioneer Baptist minister for ooth

settlements.

In 1756 './ells Chapel church, then called

Bu I l.a i L, was organized with Rev. Sai:..-uel ... Icwt cn

as pastor. 00 f~r as ve have been able to

uiscover he continued pastor of the churGh

ULtil his Qeath which occured during the

~'evolu 't.l o nur y ' .. s.r. lo re cord can o e four d

of t ns church during the period from 1760 to

1709. In 1789 Bultail was affillated with

tte old ~ehuKee ~ssoci&tion. Re v , 'filliam

Cooper w&s p~stor. It is not known .nvw long

he had b&eL pastor, out the ala.est minutes

ext~Lt iLdic te th~t ne Laa been with tne

church some ~ears before 1790. It is to be

hoped thut some old recora.s may yet be fom~d

wh i on may help fill in the hiatus in its

.:i. t a meeting: in con.ferer.ce in :uly 18;,5,

~resolution was oassed to change tne name

from 11Bultail11 to '/ells Ohap e L,

-S ~ill be seen t ~re ~?e only a f6W

short notes of .records of the church from

1796 to about .. 798, a ter which the ~ e c o-r d s

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. - - . . . •,

.. - ,,,_ ~ '' lo-"- - ., - _.. ... " ) •' - - ~ - I ~ ~

a1e complete to 11;:;7 in these old records.

Bendict in his History of the 3aptists

of __ rne r i ca gives; "Bu.l t a i I organized in 1?56n.

~o other f&cts are mentionea.

'l1he History o f the .s.ehu k e e z.e ao c if ti on

nren t ions Bul tail 1.. e belonging to the esso-

ci&tion in 1 ?tl9. 'l'h i s history merrt i.ons ,_,a •.. uel

l.evrton in years previous to t hs evlutionary

.. ar , He wa.s a g:rec. t p r ea ch e r in his time. lie

mar r i ed a Lee ar;o. left two ch i Ld r e n , Iiises

l;e-1 ton and .iirisn. New t o n , 'l'he four brothers,

u muel, Jc;.cob, George c nd I. ac c lfev t on were

the progeni 't o r s of the 1 ewt ori ft:!mily in o r th

Carclina. lhis fEct is .~ntioneu ec~u2e

;::>2.:...uel we e Lhe f'Lr s t pastor of ·ells Lapel

church. TLe church n&s a freEt Listory

( rel. Lnd it) anc, : .. any people 1lc. ve b e er,

oJ e s s ed b~- t1.e influences '· hich Lave gone

:i:'orth f'r om its life.

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CreeL, B€thel ar.d ,PTh~ p s o th e r s v~e.!. e the

i .. list o f the fai th.t'ul rd 111 s t er s of

t.r;e .;uspel, of the cc nee c r s .. tea. lt ;y-rr~e.L, and

t.h e s a i r tl:>· women wno hav e gone out f'r oc: the

church presents a ee.lt.~xy of r.1.&LE,S Of Which

any church rr.i['.·ht well be proud •

... s er rly t:: s l?SO the cnurch met oc ce.s i cn-

all;>r at Loores Creek, ano. later at Cvncord,

and La t e r at othe.c po i n t s which have long: ago

uecome strong indepenuent churches. 1he

labors and s~crilice~ of tLose ~en &Ld women

loLg ago in their endeuvor to Flent churches

i.n eVE;Yj' C0ri!l1AI i t;)7 V.'8'.!:'e CTQ1; Led V1 i th SliCC:eSS

ar d t h e clrur ch c a c.t L.isbon, ~0.::cord, •·-ors

rebu-ts of their leuors.

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