- Title
- Abbott's Creek Church and the Raper Family
-
-
- Date
- 1928
-
-
- Place
- ["Guilford County, North Carolina, United States"]
-
- Local Call Number
- 400.1.1.1662
-
-
Abbott's Creek Church and the Raper Family
Hits:
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Sunday, September 16, 1928
THE HIGH POINT ENTERPRISE— Piedmont Center of
/п
A«trf«_HIGH POINT, NORTH CAROLINA
PAGE S
LOCAL AGENCY GETS
FULL RECOGNITION
OE ASSOCIATIONS
Bennett - Williams Company
Has Record of Fine Growth
and New Is Given Official
Recognition
High Point now has the dis¬
tinction ot being the home of
the only fully recognised advertis¬
ing agency In North Carolina. The
Bennett-Wllllams Company of this
elty, one ot the oldest and largest
North Carolina advertising agen¬
cies. was established here nearly
seven years ago as a one man
organization with a volume of
business less than ten thousand
dollars a year. Today this com¬
pany does well over one hundred
thousand dollars annually and
operates In the state* of North
Carolina. Sooth Carolina, and Vir¬
ginia.
The official recognition of the
American Newspaper Publishers
Association, Southern Newspaper
Publishers Association. Associated
Business Papers and the Agricul¬
tural Puhllahera Association Is the
stamp ot approval given to signi¬
fy an organization's advertising
ability and financial responsibility.
It Is granted only after an agen¬
cy has proven itself successful
from protessional and business
standpoints. Ot the several thou¬
sand advertising ' agencies in the
Hatted States only a few hundred
come In the class fully recogulzed
and it is this distinction that has
been granted to the local com¬
pany. In its seven years of oper¬
ation the Bennett -Williams Com¬
pany has endeavored to do a con¬
structive Job in Southern adver¬
tising. Most of its business to¬
day Is done with concern* whose
advertising It has fostered from
small beginnings into sizeable ac¬
count*. It has helped locate new
inndustrles in the state, it has
helped to bring new people into
the community and In general,
taken an active part in the de¬
velopment of this section ot the
south. _
Fish Goes "Manning"
I.AKE WALES. Kin.— An attack
by a huge black bass resulted in
a broken rib for "Dad" Gray, com¬
mercial fisherman. The base, en
tangled In the meshes of a seine,
knocked Gray down and he had
to be taken to a hospital.
Meeting of Members of Raper Clan
THE FOUNDATION OF
PERFECT HEALTH
Showing the First Steps
Necessary to Get Rid of
Disease.
Like a crumbling wall, my
health was failing, said Mr. W. F.
Mock, bricklayer, living at 216
West End Boulevard. Winston-
Salem. N. C.
I waa suffering from Indigestion.
My stomach wa* ont of order all
the time. Fearing distress. I hard¬
ly dared cat anything. My body
was under-nourished so that I wa*
steadily losing weight. My starved
nerves were on edges so that I
conld not rest. On rising 1 felt
worn out and orten so dizzy that
I would not stoop over to lace
my shoes. Frequently I would
have spells of sick headache last¬
ing several days until by a drastic
purging I got myself to feeling
better.
These attacks became more fre-
tuent until I felt badly about all
the time and lost ten or twelve
pounds In the last six months.
In this group of reunion!*!* taken at Abbott's Creek church in Davidson county are caught a number of High Point faces. For instance.
Judge Lewi* Teague, of the municipal court, 1* of the fanrtly and in the picture. These interesting m -.tubers of a big family heard the
address on the Kaper* delivered by Dr. W. T. WUtseH.
Abbott’s Creek Church
The Raper Family
(Historical Address Before the Raper Family Association at Abbott's
Creek Church, High Point, N. l\, September 9, 1928)
By DR. W. T. WHITSETT, Whitsctt. N. C.
SIR. W. F. MtM'K
After many medlrines has tailed
to fix me up 1 began to study my
ease Just like I would have If I
had been called upon to repair a
crumbling wall.
I saw that the first thing to do
wa* to clear away tbo waste — get
down to a clean sound foundation
and build on that.
I bad heard of this treatment by
nature's products Herb Extract,
formerly called Herb Juice. Be¬
cause It is made of herbs I felt
that It might do what other medi¬
cines had failed to do.
It proved to be Just what I need¬
ed — the first bottle convinced me
that It was working. By the time
the second was gone I felt better
than for months and now after
five bottles I feel like a new man.
My system cleansed of poison, my
nerves at ease. I sleep soundly
and rise refreshed, hungry, ready
to eat and without fear of dis¬
tress. Have gained five pounds
in weight and am feeling stronger
and better than for years.
For *ale and recommended by
Tlie Hurl Drug Company, next to |
the Poet Office, and all leading j
drug store* and dealer* In modi- 1
cine everywhere.
Certain Name* and Place*
Associated
It Is remdrkablo how certain
name* and places become asso¬
ciated in our memories. Some In¬
stances of this may be of interest:
Wordsworth, Coleridge, and South¬
ey, English poets of the Roman¬
tic period of literature, are known
everywhere as the Lake Poets
Wordsworth was educated at
Hawkehead. In the beautiful lake
region, and spent the last fifty
years of his life In his beloved re¬
gion ot lake*, at Grasmere >ud at
Rydal Mount, with his sister. Dor¬
othy. Here the sun. moon. sure,
and forest*, and lakes were his
dally delight. No wonder that he
hears:
"Among the solitary hills.
Low breathings coming after me,
and sounds
Of undietiagulshable motion.”
Hla name will forever be asso¬
ciated with Nation, and "all her
stores unrolled."
In 1811, Sir Walter Scolt bought
the estate of Abbotsford on the
Tweed, and In nine well-known
novels such as Waverly, Marmioa
Lady of the Lake, The Heart of
Midlothian. Old Mortality and oth¬
ers. Scott reviewed the chief points
of Scottish history so well that
lie heroism, its clannish loyalty,
and Us unbounded faith, all live
with such vividness that when we
travel over those scenes today we
speak of passing through "Sir
Walter Scott'a country" so close¬
ly is his name associated with
that section of , Scotland.
The mention of 8hakespeare
suggests Stratford-on-lhe-Aron:
Robert Burns, the peasant life
of Scotland; Samuel Johnson, that
famoua literary club In London
which ntlrairted Pitt. G!M»ou.
Burke, Goldsmith and others of
the roost famous men of that
time..
In' our own country we always
associate the name of Emerson
with his Concord home; Haw¬
thorne with the House of Seven
Gables; Longfellow with the old
Cragie House; Poe with the cot¬
tage at Fordbam; Washington
with Mount Vernon; Jefferson
with Montlcello; and Andrew
Jackson with hla home. "The Her¬
mitage" near Nashville. Tenn.
Names and places thus become In¬
timately associated in our mind*.
William Raper and Abbott'* Creek
Community
For more than a century and
a half the name of William Raper
has been associated with the sec¬
tion known as the Abbott's Creek
community. Let us examine for
a moment this name — Abbott's
Creek. Rev
С.
B. William* tells
us In hie history of the Baptists
in North Carolina that Shiloh
Church, Camden county I* the
oldest Baptist chnrch In the State
established 1727. In 1765 Rev.
Henry Abbott, eon of John Ab¬
bott, Canon of St. Paul's In Lon¬
don. went to Shiloh Church a*
pastor. Now In 1755 Rev. Shuhel
Stearns, came from Virginia aud
established a Baptist chnrch at
Sandy Creek, and in 1758 estab¬
lished the churcb at Abbott* Creek
It Is a logical supposition borne
out by many evidences that the
name Abbott waa selected because
ot the reputation and success of
Rev. Henry Abbott of eastern
Carolina. Abbott was so popnlsr
that he was a member ot the
Halifax Convention. 1776, and
served on the Committee to pre¬
pare the Constitution, and Is said
to have prepared the clause which
guarantees religious liberty in
North Carolina. He eerTed in the
Convention in 1788 that ratified
the Constitution of the United
States. Here doubtless, we find
the source of the name Abbott as
applied to the chnrch and the
creek of Davidson county.
Some claim that Rev. Sbubei
Stearns waa Indirectly, not directly
the cause of the establishment of
Abbott's Creek church, and in hi*
history of the Liberty Baptist
preacher was preaching at Abbott's
Creek; and that Marshall met with
so much success that he was made
permanent pastor until he left
some year* later for Beaver Creek
in South Carolina. Beyond doubt.
Abbott's Creek was the first
church that sprang off as a re¬
sult ot the splendid work at Sandy
Creek under Steams. When the
Sandy Creek Association was or¬
ganized in June lrtS. It was form¬
ed of Sandy Creek, Abbott’s Creek
and Deep River churches; this
was the fourth body of its kind
In America.
In 1817. now more than a cen¬
tury ago, we find In the records
that "our deacon. William Raper"
Is appointed as "our Trustee" to
receive contributions, and to cor¬
respond with such missionary as
may be appointed for the Sandy
Creek Association. Thus, early be¬
gins the Intimate association of
the name. Raper. and Abbott's
Creek, which continues down tu
this day.
We do not know how long Rev.
Daniel Marshall served at Abbott's
Creek, but It was several years,
and after Mm the first pastor we
know was Georgs
Горе
who ser¬
ved about thirty years. He began
In 1788, and we have this rec-
■Td preserved: "North Carolina.
Roan (Rowan) county, Jenevary
( January) ye 4 day, 1788. For the
Baptis (Baptists) church in Abet*
Crick (Abbott's Creek.)" In 1825
portions of Sandy Creek and Pee
Dee Associations met at Liberty
Church, and organized the Ab¬
bott*» Creek Union Association,
and Abbott's Creek church Joined
this, remaining until 1832. Here
sraid the delightful groves, history
has been making for all this time.
The records give os only the
names of Daniel Marshall, George
Pope, and Ashley Swalni for the
first seventy-four years. Like many
of us of today, there were but
few in the older days that looked
carefully after the preservation of
records, and hence, much that
would be ot Interest and Import¬
ance today haa been lost with the
passing years. If the records were
kept with care, each community
would find that its life and story
would be a small section of the
full life and story of the world of
Its dar. It It remarkable. Indeed,
to find how mnch of the history of
the world itself is to be found Ih
a careful study of community his¬
tory; for from each community
there run ont lines connecting It
with all the activities of the world
at large. Political turmoil, reli¬
gious disagreement, and even state
and national strife, write them¬
selves in indelible words upon local
community life. An epitome of
the history of the world may .oft¬
en be found written in the 'life
story of one man
ш
a community
We cannot be too thankful for
men like Elder Henry Sheets who
gathered together twenty years ago
the available information ot Lib¬
erty Baptist Association, embrac¬
ing this particular Abbott’s Creek
church, and gave It to us In his
history. It Is Invaluable to the
student of this particular part of
our state. Each church should
have its historian, and each fam¬
ily should have some one to gath¬
er and preserve family records, and
such valuable data as bears upon
human history and progress. Here
In the South, where we have made
so much history; we have been all
too careless as to Its preservation
with the result that often histori¬
cal facts are challenged, and call¬
ed Into question, by those who
would gladly snatch from us the
Just need of praise that is due.
Interesting Historical Events
For the story of the Colonial
and Revolutionary history of Da¬
vidson county we must turn to
Rowan county from which Da¬
vidson waa formed In 1822. and
named from Gen. Wiiliam David¬
son, who lost hla life at Cowan's
Ford on the Catawba river, dur¬
ing the Revolutionary War. on
February 1. 1781. The early his¬
tory of Western North Carolina Is
the history of Rowan county, which
was former from Anson county In
1758. Wheeler says of this terri¬
tory: "The prudence of the Ger¬
man. the sagacity of the Scotch,
and the fiery ardor of (he Irish,
here united; and were fit material*
to form an industrious, thrifty,
and gallant nation."
In 1847 we find William Ra¬
per serving as one of the Wor¬
shipful Justices In the Court of
Common Pleas and Quarter Ses¬
sions which held four times each
year, with sessions of one week
each. Usnally. the Raper family
has not sought public office, but
Paul R. Raper, was in the N. C-
Loglalature In 1925 as representa¬
tive. Elisha Raper from 1870 to
1875 served as County Examiner,
and Emery E. Raper was County
Snperintendent of Public Schools
from 1885 to 1888. Of the 982
men from Davidson county of the
white race who aenred in the World
War we find the names of Clctus
Raper, Joe Raper. William Raper,
Julius R. Raper aud W. E- Raper.
The name. Abbott's Creek, ta
wrliten boldly In the hiaiorr of
the county. One ot the county's
seventeen townships bears this
name, and according to the record¬
ed history. Abbott's Creek ranks
as Davidson's oldest Baptist church
The authorized history of the coun¬
ty ranks it as the wealthiest of
Baptist churches in the country
of this territory. Abbott's Creek
church during Its first three quar¬
ters of a century from 1757 or
1758 down to 1832 was served
by Revs. Daniel Marshall, George
Pope, and Ashley Swaim. so far
a* the revealed by the records;
since 1882 down to the present,
of a full century, it has been senr-
a period of only ton
г
years short
ed by the following pastors: Revs.
Ell Phillips. Josiah Wiseman. En¬
och Crutchfield. Benjamin Lanier,
William Hammer, William Turner.
John Robertson, Amos Weaver, J.
It. Jackson. J.
В
Richardson,
в.
W. Harman, R. R. Moore, S. F.
Conrad. S. H. Thompson, J. N
Stallings, J. M. Hilliard, Thom:
Carrick, and the present pastor, l
F. Mumford.
The Stream Catted Abbott'» Cree V j
In the History of Davidson Cour-|
ty the claim is made that Abbott >
Creek, haa furnished more power
to turn the wheels of corn, wheat
and other mills than any otb< *
stream in the county, the
пив
-
her being, perhaps, thirty or
том
among the best known being Hol¬
mes. Howard, and Hoover; Younr.
Fritts. and Berrier; Green, Finch,
and Wagner: Ward. Kennell an I
Haynes; Leonard, Kennedy,
ас
l
Slceloff.
Seven pages of the Centennla.
History of Davidson County, pub¬
lished in 1927, are given over Ci
the "Ghosts of Abbott's Creek. '
In February of 1781, when Lori
Cornwallis touched the Crotis
Bridge crossing on Abbott's Cree.i
he found himself encumbered wit t
a barrel of gold and silver coin,
and the story-
*«•«
that U w. •
buried In the mud bottom ot Ab¬
bott's Creek, and that from that
day to this the ghosts have haunt¬
ed that vicinity- Strange light*
more about at night, hunters art.-
lost in the woods nearby; th
barrel of coin la heard to roil
tkunderlngly down the slopes again
and plunge into the water with j
splash; dogs are unable to tre?
the oppossum of that section;
and wierd ghosts ride behinl
frightened horse-back riders who
have occasion to pass that wa*
near the midnight hour. Doors art
said to open and close touche-1
by mysterious hands: keys fly from
the nails on which they are place 1
and spook* *care frightened bath¬
ers from the cool, near-by
роо’з
of rippling waters. While these le¬
gends are not taken aerionaly to¬
day it la interesting to remember
that they have clung to Abbott's
Creek for nearly a century and a
half, since Gen. Nathaniel Greene,
pursued by Lord Cornwallis, pass¬
ed through this section on the
memorable trip in which the ru¬
ing waters of both the Catawbi
and the Yadkin rivers saved Greene
from being overtaken, and in * I
probability overwhelmed. It * ;
on this memorable trip that Mrs.
Elizabeth Steele of Salisbury gave
to Gtn. Greene the purse contain¬
ing her sranty savings that so en¬
couraged him. From here th
march moved on to Guilford Cotir.
House where on March 15, 178).
Greene struck Cornwallis such a
blow that the surrender of York-
town, Va., followed some time
later. The local tales and legends
that still survive are most attrac¬
tive material for some future poet
aud writer who shall clothe Ab¬
bott's Creek with the halo tha'
Irving threw around the Catskills
by the witchery of his pen and
his Imagination. We have lost
much by our neglect of many most
interesting incidents that our his¬
tory affords.
Summary of Local History
The story of Abbott's Creek
Church with Ita 14 pastors.
«
church clerks, and 653 members
is a most interesting one. The
sketch given at the dedication of
the present church building by C.
H. Teague is valuable, he having
served this church for thirty-
three and one half years oe clerk
from 1882 to 1916.
Saturday before tl)e 4th Sunday
of June. 1832 was a history-mak¬
ing day
Гог
this place. Then It was
that HU Phillips. Thomas Arm¬
strong. and William Dowd, acting
as a Presbytery, after prayer by
Alexander
ТЬотаз
conelstuted 5
brethren and 8 sisters Into a re¬
gular Baptist Church. These pion¬
eer Christians were as follows:
Alexander Thomas, William Dowd,
James Evans, James Odell, Davis
Raper, Hannah Thomai. Keztah
Raper, Anna Evans. Elizabeth
Payne. Elizabeth Brown. Phoebe
Horney. Mary Evans, aud Martha
Teague.
In Dee. 1832 William Raper was
made deacon. Philip Horney and
Davl* Raper, clerks and Joseph
Spurgeon. leader of singing. Jun:
19, 1835 Ell Phillips preached the
the first sermon In the new church
fro;n John 5:39, "Search the
Scriptures for in them yo think
ye have eternal life, and they are
they which testify of Me." The
church clerks have been Philip
Horney. Davis Raper, John Tea¬
gue. W. R. Hedgecock. W. B. Waff
С.
H. Teague and W. D. Spurgeon.
In a church conference In Jan.
1926 It wa* decided to erect the
present bouse of worship to better
serve the present needs of the
mmbcrshlp of more than two
hundred. It may well bring a
thrill of pride and deep thanks¬
giving when we recall the 170
years from 1758 to 1928, and re¬
member that from' the beginning
of the work set up here by the
labors of James Younger and Da¬
vid Marshall, assisted by Sbubei
Stearns we feel sure, this place
ho* stood like a city set upon a
hill, casting its rays ot righteous¬
ness over a wide territory, and
ever seeking to lead humanity to
a higher and holler life. The worth
of influence of Abbott's Creek
church cannot be weighed in mere
human scales of man's under¬
standing and estimation. Eternitv
alone will reveal the glorious story
of the souls that have found the
way of life upon these hallowed
grounds, through the devoted la¬
bors of the men and women who
have labored in this vineyard of
their Lord. Many ot them have
passed from these scenes of earth,
but "their works do live after
them" and their deeds do "smell
sweet, and blossom from the dust. '
We do not come today to exalt
or unduly praise the Raper fam¬
ily, but because more than a half¬
hundred descendants and connec¬
tions ot this Raper family are
at this time In the membership of
Abbott's Creek Chnrch this is an
appropriate place to review the
history of this family, with its
traits of honesty, thrift, and sob¬
riety; seeking through these long
years to set a pattern ot up¬
right living and clean citizenship.
As we gather the ancestral lines
into a story for today, we trust
that future generations may be ao
Inspired by the past that an even
finer story may be woven by them
of genuine progress, and Christian
citizenship. It is in this spirit of
hope for a constantly increasing
growth In life's finer elements that
we come to this occasion.
Tiic Firet Raper Immigrant
William Raper, born lu York¬
shire, England, about 1725. emi¬
grated to America in 1754 and
in 1755 settled in what was then
eastern Rowan county now Guil¬
ford county, N. C.. five miles north
of High Point. N. C. Yorkshire 1*
a north-eastern county of England
the largest in England, bounded
on the east by the North Sea
This original William Raper o(
Y'-rkshire was descended from an
ancient family ot Normandy in
France whose original name wa*
del Rip.:. Before leaving Yorkshire
he had married, but the name of
Ms first wife la unknown. Hie
second wife was Rebecca Simmons
of Rowan Co.. N. C., a daughter
of William Simmons whose estate
was settled by William and Re¬
becca Raper. under date of May
6. 1772. His third wife was Eliza¬
beth Hollingsworth, and the date
of marriage was Feb. 2, 1793
His will is on record in Guilford
county in Book A p. SIS; it was
written July 6, 1794, and pro¬
bated in Feb. 1795. Following the
custom of his day, Wiiliam Raper
was buried on hie farm, his grave
today is marked by a stone with¬
out Inscription. William R»u*r
purchased 620 artes of land from
William Churton (or 50 pounds.
Churton acting as agent tor the
King of England. A tax receipt for
the year 1766 still exists. William
Raper died Feb. 1795. We have no
record of any children either by
hie first or third wife, but the
following are known:
Children of William and Rebecca
(Simmon*) Raper
1. Christian who married Rich¬
ard Glover.
2. Elizabeth who married James
Gray,
3. Lydia who married Daniel
Kelley,
4. Thomas
5. Jacob
6. William born Dec. SO, 1771.
died May 29. 1859; married Kezlah
Davis who was born Oct. 27. 1775
died May 27. 1851. being a daugh¬
ter of William aud Elizabeth Da¬
vis.
The descendants of the original
William and Rebecca (Simmons)
Raper (1725-1795) became wide¬
ly scattered, being found today In
one halt of the State* ot the Un¬
ion.
Family of William (2nd) and
Kezlah (Davis) Itnper (1771-18.19)
1. Solomon, married 1st Eliza¬
beth Manlove, 2nd Asenath Mill¬
er.
2. Sarah.
3. William, married Anna Char¬
les,
4. Jacob, married Hannah Field.
5. Sarah, married John Spur¬
geon,
6. Elizabeth, married William
Welch.
7. Joseph, married Elizabeth
Mock.
8. Davie, married Margaret Mock
9. Austin, married Martha Mot-
singer,
10. Kezlah, • married Elisha
Charles.
Seventy two grandchildren of
William and Keziah (Davis) Ra¬
per have been traced
Dcftcrndant
»
of William Raper, 2nd
Solomon Raper and bis wife As¬
enath Miller: children — Rich¬
ard. married Mrs. Rebecca Thorn-
bill; William, married Amelia
Hoggar; Martha married lveo
Bnrtlow; Davis, married Martha
Wyckoff; Smith, married Martha
Stanley; Cyrus, married Emily Ar-
vin; Mary, married James Wyck¬
off; Hallie, married 1st Frederick
Weber, 2nd Fred Howe; Julia,
married Henry AsbVr. These are
scattered throughout III., Mo.,
Kane., Ore., Wash.. Colo., and
Okla.
William Raper. 3rd, and
Ы*
wife Anna Charles — children • —
Eliza, married Barnett Hedgecock;
Sarah Raper. unmarried; Rebecca,
married Abram Jones; Elisha,
married Paulina Tesh; William 4th
married Mary MoUlnger; Madison
married. 1st Jane Spurgeon, 2nd
Eliza Teague; Lucinda, married
Aqutlla Watkins; Jane, marrieo
Levi Horney; Martha, married. 1st
John Shields. 2nd James Motslng-
er.
Jacob Raper and his wife Han¬
nah Field —children — Louisa,
married Rev. Isiah Spurgeon; Ke-
zlah, unmarried: Austin, married
1st Amanda Charles. 2nd Dora
Field, 3rd Mary Perdue, Jonatha
married Mary Petraas; Joseph,
married Martha Pet
газе;
Ruham-
ma. married William Spurgeon.
Sarah Rapor, and husband, John
Spurgeon —children Keziah. mar¬
ried Andrew Cllnard: Phoebe mar¬
ried Hudson Mendenhall; Elizabeth
unmarried, Joseph unmarried; Wil¬
liam. married 1st. Emily Cllnard.
2nd Mrs. Elizabeth Clodfelter
Cllnard; Jane, married Madison
Raper; Austin Spurgeon, married
Ann Charles: Louisa, marrletf
William Robertson: Ann unmar¬
ried; Sanford, married Grace Payne
Elizabeth Raper. and husband,
William Welch — children Kezlsb
married Jeffrey Horney; Sarah,
married Harrison Montsinger;
Mary King, married William Clln¬
ard; Elizabeth, married Henry
Horney; Louisa, unmarried, Aus¬
tin. unmarried; Alfred, unmar¬
ried; Pleasant, married. 1st Mar¬
tha Davis, 2nd Margaret Bradley
Jasper married Elizabeth Pickett;
Henry, unmarried; Julia, married
Anderson Idol.
Daria Raper and his wife. Mar¬
garet Mock. — children — Wesley
married Sarah Smith; Pleasant,
married Eliza Teague; Jasper, mar¬
ried Elizabeth McGhee; Milton,
married Emeline Hlnshaw; Chris¬
tian. married William Welborn:
Kezlah. married Ell Hlne; Eliza,
married Napoleon Pearce; Louis*
unmarried.
Austin Raper. and his wife. Mar
tha Montsinger. children — Louisa
married William Idol; Lavlnia.
unmarried; Martha, married Ed
B. Wheeler.
Kezlah Raper and her husband
Elisha Charles, children — • La
vinla. married Andrew Idol; Jane
married Julius Ellison; Eliza Ann.
unmarried; Julia, unmarried;,
Kezlah, unmarried; Vetura. mar¬
ried Avery Walker; Addison, mar¬
ried, 1st Louisa Hiatt. 2nd Flora
Pegg; Jennie, married 1st Thom¬
as Carter, 2nd John Ballard.
Solomon Raper and Elizabeth
Manlove, children — Manlove, mar¬
ried Charily Thomas; William, un¬
married Sarah, unmarried; Augus¬
tus. married 1st Caroline Parsons,
2nd Mary Cooper. 3rd Mrs. Susan
Snorder; Jacob, unmarried.
Without going further into the
recent genealogy ot the Raper fam¬
ily It Is easily seen that any re¬
cent line ot the family can be di¬
rectly traced back to the original
founder of the family; the fan:
lly of Wiiliam and Rebecca (Sim¬
mons) Raper who In 1755 settled
near Abbott'a Creek Church.
Tracing Individual Genealogy
We have herein set up the flrei
Raper Immigrant to this section
William Kaper. 1725-1795. and
given a list of hi* children,
аз
descended from his 2nd wife, He
becca (Simmons) Kaper. We have
followed this by giving the fam¬
ily ot the 2nd William Raper and
his wife Keziah (Davis) Raper.
1771-1859, and followed this by
Riving a list of his descendants.
With but slight knowledge ol
any one family line, tbit makes It
possible to trace back to the ori¬
ginal William Raper.
For example; the Historian of
the family. Mis* Pearl Idol, traces
her line back through the family
of Austin and Martha (Montsinger)
Raper. Judge Lewis Teague of
the High Point City Court would
trace through his grand-parents.
Keziah Welch who married Jef¬
frey Horney. Dr. Charles Lee Raper
dean. Syracuse University. New
York, traces through Solomon An¬
drew Raper. son of Manlove Ra¬
per. who was himself a son ol
William Raper, 2nd the father of
William Raper 2nd being the ori¬
ginal settler William Kaper. Rev.
A. S. Raper ot Erlanger, N. C
lung a minister In the Methodist
Episcopal Church, South, in this
state traces bis ancestry through
Elisha Raper, a son of William
Raper. Hon. Emery E. Raper.
prominent attorney of Lexington,
N. C.. traces his ancestry also
through Elisha Raper. as do his
brothers. J. R. Raper, Llnwood:
Ed. E. Raper, Winston-Salem; and
Rev. A. S. Raper. as above stated,
also S. T. Raper of Lexington.
Miss Eleanor Idol of the Class of
1928 High Point City schools, who
hag had two plays accepted by the
Dramatic Association at the Uni¬
versity of North Carolina, traces
her ancestry through the family of
Austin and Martha (Montsinger)
Raper. Mrs. Loretta Carroll Bail¬
ey of Chapel Hill, N. C. who wrote
one of the three plays which was
presented this year by the Caro¬
lina Playmskers, and which was
given first rank of the three, traces
her line of ancestry as a great-
great-granddaughter of Davis and
Margaret (Mock) Raper. Other
examples might be giren. but these
are sufficient to show the ease
with which the family line of the
Raper family ot this section may
be traced, after having secured by
research the founders of this fam¬
ily and placed them on record.
William Raper (1773); Abbott'»
Creek Church (1758)
When we recall that William
Raper. the original settler, came
here in 1755, and that Abbott's
Creek Church was established in
thL community three years later,
that is in 1758. It at once sug¬
gests a consideration of the in¬
fluence and help that William Rap¬
er. the founder of the Raper fam¬
ily here, might hare had in the
setting up of this church. Know¬
ing as we do the strong religious
tendencies of the Raper family,
and their love for all that pertain»
to religion and morality it is easy
to imagine that William Roper wel¬
comed the movement that gave to
the community in which he had
settled a church organization.
Again, the tact that hi» descend¬
ants have always been willing
and able helpers of church work,
leads us to believe that this prin¬
ciple must have been an Inherited
trait. Unfortunately, we have no
early records preserved to carry
this full story; much is left to
the imagination. From tradition
though, we must conclude . that
William Raper gave liberally of
hi* Influence and his efforts to¬
wards this church enterprise, and
in the minds of all who study this
matter his name will always be
associated with the beginnings ot
the religious effort* at Abbott's
Creek. It must ever be a matter
of pride with this family to have
this church work In its very in¬
ception connected thus with the
family name.
"Long, long be my heart with
such memories filled!
Like the vase in which rosgs klV*
once been distilled:
You may break yon may shat-
. ter the vase it you will.
■
■;
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suit. The coats are the new style,
in single breasted models. A range
of unusually good colors to choose
from at our low price.
But the scent of the roses will
hang round it still.”
Thomas Moore.
Lack of time forbids the trac¬
ing ont ot much Interesting family-
history In this Immediate commun¬
ity: for Instance the family lines
of
С.
E. Spurgeon, and W. D. Spur¬
geon, of the Sarah Kaper Spurgeon
line; Ivey Orrell. E. E. Crldle-
baugh. Arthur Hedgecok. and W.
T. Hedgecock of the William Ra¬
per 3rd line; W. P. Welborn and
Charles Raper of the Davis Raper
line; C. L. Cllnard of the Eliza¬
beth Raper Welch line; and oth¬
ers that might be named.
Ollier Ra|»cr Family History-
In Pasquotank and Perqulmzn*
counties in North Carolina the
Raper family settled In the ear¬
lier days, and some of the mem¬
bers took part In the Revolution¬
ary War. It is believed that the
original William Raper had two
brothers who came over. also, at
an early date and settled In Fred¬
erick county. Virginia. The rec-4
ords show three North Carolina
Rapers as among the Revolution¬
ary soldiers. The Census of 1790
liets 12 members of the family for
North Carolina. In this particular
section, William Raper la listed lu
the Census ot 1790 with hie wife,
one younger son. and two son»
grown, also one slave. For the
State the name ot other Rapers
In the Tenant are — Cornelias.
Henry. Jacob, two Johns. Thomas.
Robert. Robinson. Luke and Eliza¬
beth. In the North Carolina Colon¬
ial Records we find Caleb Raper.
Vol. 16. p. 1143; Henry Raper.
Vol. 4. p. 513; John Kaper, Vol.
16 p 1143; Robert Raper Vol 16 p.
1143; Henry Raper Vol 32 p. 353.
Josiah Raper. Vol. 22 p. 352. and
several others. Clark's Colonial
Records speaks of William Raper
signing a petition to Governor Mar
tin asking that the county sea'
be not moved. As Gov. Martin from
1771 to 1775 these date fit in
perfectly with the history of Wil¬
liam Raper as we have related It.
In his wonderful essay on HIs-
Thoma* Carlyle says; "History
I»
the essence of immumerable bio¬
graphies.” and thus, nearly a cen¬
tury and three quarters of the
history of this section is covered
by the lives of those who Jiave
descended from William Raper who
settled here in 1755. (
Lord Bacon tn his essay on
The Advancement of Learning
gives us a fine Insight as to how
real history Is rescued from for¬
getfulness. He says:
"Industrious persons, by a scru-
pulnn and exact diligence and ob¬
servation, ont of monuments,
names, words, proverbs, tradition*
private records, and evidences, fra¬
gments of stories. passages of
books that concern not stories, and
the like, do save and recover some¬
what from the denlge of Time."
The preservation of worthy rec¬
ord! is a genuine contribution to
the progress ot mankind.
M. P. CONFERENCE
MEETS AT WINSTON
101st Annual Session Will
Gather At Twin City On
October 31
New Italian Stamps
ROME — Stamp collectors will
soon have two new Italian Issues
to covet. One Is to commemorate
the 400th anniversary of the birth
of Emmanuel Philibert of Savoy,
the other the tenth anniversary of
Italy's victory of Vittorio Veneto
in the world war.
LEXINGTON. Sept. 15,— The
101st annual smsion of the North
Carolina Methodist Protestant
Conference will convene In th*
First Methodist Protestant church
at Winston-Salem October 31. tt
is announced by Rev.
С.
B. Way,
of this city, general publicity
agent for the denomination In
North Carolina. The conference
will be in session for six days,
ending on Monday. November 5.
Rev. J. H. Moton is pastor of
the Winston-Salem church and
will be host to the annua! gather¬
ing of more than 200 ministers
and laymen who, will be In at¬
tendance during the six days con¬
ference. The pastor and congre¬
gation of the Winston-Salem
church will begin soon to make
preparations for the entertain¬
ment of the conference which will
be on th* Harvard plan, providing
lodging and breakfast in the
homes of the Methodist Protest¬
ants and others in the Twin City.
The coming conference will have
a number of interesting feature*
which the program, which is now
In the making, will provide. On
the first day of the annual meet¬
ing of the church body the annual
message of the president. Rev.
S. W. Taylor, of Greensboro, the
conference sermon to be delivered
by Rev. J. E. Pritchard, of Ashe-
boro, and the election of confer¬
ence officers will feature. The
North Carolina conference of Meth¬
odist Protestants is the second
largest in the entire denomina¬
tion in the United States, there
being 234 chnrches. with 84 ac¬
tive pastors serving a total of
94 pastoral charges. The church
has a property valuation of ap¬
proximately <2.800.000, including
the property of High Point Col¬
lege.
The conference at Winston-Sa¬
lem is expected to be one of the
largest and most Important In
recent years. Among the church
dignitaries who are expected to
attend 'be sessions Is Dr. J. C.
Broomfield, president of the gen¬
eral conference, who will be the
honored guest of the conference.
Other representatives of the gen¬
eral conference will attend and
apeak in the interest of the edu¬
cational and missionary enter¬
prises of the denomination.
In addition to Rev. 8. W. Tay¬
lor. president, of Greensboro, the
officer» of the conference are as
follows: Rev. C. W. Bate», of
Greensboro, secretary; Rev. P. W.
Paschall, of Asheville, assistant
secretary: Rev. H. F. Surratt, of
Charlotte, statistical secretary; V.
W. Idol, of High Point.* treasurer;
Rev.
С.
B. Way, of Lexington,
press reporter: Rev. J. E. Pritch¬
ard of Asheboro, conference hls-
torlan.
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