Found this document tucked away in my files. By Wade…

Found this document tucked away in my files. By Wade Phillips

A reconstruction of
The Life & Times of Richard Spurling

by
Wade H. Phillips

Time Line

1810 Born in Richmond County, North Carolina

1811-1821 Spent childhood on farm in Cleveland County, North Carolina

1822 Migrated with family to Anderson County, Tennessee

1823 Lived in Clinton. Attended Zion Baptist church.

1829 Migrated with family to Fentress County, Tennessee. Lived and farmed with his parents near Jamestown.

1830 Family attends Hope Baptist church. Active in the Stockton Baptist Association.

1832 Married Nancy Jane Norman

1833 James Jr., is born

1834 Sarah, is born.

1838 Nathan is born.

1841 Daniel is born

1844 William is born

1845 Bought land and moved to Morgan County, Tennessee near Clear Creek.
Enrolled in the Union Baptist church.

1846 Nancy is born

1849 Hiram is born

1852 Helped to establish the Clear Creek Baptist church. Family transfers to this church

1853 Richard is ordained by the Clear Creek church

1853-1855 Delegate to the Clinton Baptist Association. Becomes active in ministry and missionary work

1855-1856 Ministering in the Springtown church in Polk County, Tennessee, near the Monroe County line. Becomes active and influential in that area.

1856 Leads some of the members of the Springtown church into missionary Baptist views. Church divides and Richard is instrumental in the establishment of the Spring Creek Missionary Baptist church across the line in Monroe County.

1857 Returns briefly to Morgan County. Does missionary work in Kentucky near Williamsburg.

Richard Green Spurling is born while in Kentucky.

1858 Returns to Monroe County with his family. Buys land on Dry Creek and begins to farm. Resumes ministry in that area.

1859 Helps to establish the Holly Springs Baptist church. Family members transfer to this church. Richard active in this church and the Sweetwater Baptist Association.

1860 His father and mother, James and Francis, die. Buried in Dehart cemetery.

1861 Civil War begins. Richard is too old to be drafted into action. But sons, Daniel, Nathan, William, are drafted or enlist.
.
1861-1863 Difficult times. Turbulence, violence, lawlessness in the region

1863 Abruptly, he and Nancy, terminate their membership with Holly Springs church.

1863-1867 Struggles to survive the awful conflict in the region. Appears to have taken refuge in Morgan and McMinn Counties

1868 Living again in Monroe County. Buys land and farms. Richard G., Hiram, and Nancy still at home to help with chores. Petitions the Holly Springs church for a recommendation.

1875 Returns to the Holly Springs church with his family. Active in the local church and the Eastanallee Baptist Association

1876 Richard G. marries Barbara M. Hamby. Moves in with her family in Cherokee County, North Carolina. Begins to attend and joins the Pleasant Hill Baptist church, Barbara’s family’s home church.

1878 Nancy Jane Spurling dies. Buried in Dehart cemetery. Richard is alone at
68 years of age. Health is broken from the trial and turbulence of the war.
Goes to spend time with Richard G. andBarbara in Cherokee County.

1882 Richard, R. G., and Hiram buy adjoining properties (40 acre gold lots) on Barney Creek in the Coker Creek community. Together they build and operate a gristmill and sawmill.

1882-1884. Richard and R.G. begin to fraternize with the Methodists in the area. Become involved with the revival fervor in the local Methodist (Episcopal South) church .

1883 Richard G. is reprimanded by his Baptist church for not following the order and discipline of the Missionary Baptist faith, which is consistent with Landmark Baptist exclusivistic views.

1884 Richard G. begins to challenge the Baptist creed (articles of faith and decorum),
and resists the counsel of the Baptist elders who forbid him to preach in
non-Baptist pulpits. This results in the revocation of his license and exclusion
from the Baptist church.

1885-1886 Richard G. “takes shelter” in the Methodist church at Coker Creek.
Barbara continues to attend her Baptist church at Pleasant Hill. Richard
and R.G. begin to study the doctrine of the church in the Bible and in
church history.

1886 Richard is sympathetic with his son’s plight with the Baptist church at
Pleasant Hill. Disagrees with the way he has been treated and begins to
disagree with certain Baptist tenets of faith and order. This, in turn, raises
protest from some of the ministers and members at his church at Holly Springs.
On August 19, 1886 Richard G. preaches a revolutionary message for
independent action to restore the church of the Bible. Richard then, in his
capacity as an ordained elder, calls the group to order for an official business action to form an independent church. Whereupon he, R.G.’s wife, Barbara with six others covenant to form Christian Union. Richard G. is
recognized as the supply pastor and on September 26, 1886 is ordained by his
father in regular order. Richard is exluded from the Holly Springs and two
months later restored.

1887 Richard marries Nancy Sue (Mitchell) Smallin.

!889 Richard and wife, Nancy Sue, sell their property on Barney Creek and
prepare to move away.

1889 Richard G. Is active in his ministry. Establishes another local Christian Union
at Pine Mountain. Sells property on Barney Creek moves back with Barbara’s
family in Cherokee County.

1890 R. G. buys property from his father-in-law, Killis Hamby, on the north side of
the Hiwassee River at Shuler’s Creek in Cherokee County. Starts another church
there with five or six members.

1891 Richard (with his new wife and step-daughter, Betsy) decides to move back
to Morgan County or Scott County near his sons, William, Hiram, and James.
On March 26 1891, they take the train to the Oliver Springs and Betsy decides
she does not want to go.She begins to run away on Bucklick Road in the tenth district of Anderson County near the Morgan and Scott Counties line. Richard
runs after her and dies instantly after collasping headlong into a ditch along
the road. (The county coroner rules out heart attack).