FIRST CHURCH ORGANIZATION IN ELLENDALE
(From Records of Alexander Baptist Association.)
June 7th, 1797
At a meeting held at the new Meeting house in Burke county middle little river a Presbettara being called for to constitute a church and ordain officers and found prepared the members names as follows:
Edward Teague, Henry Holtsclaw Elders; Benjm Auston, Wm. Sherrill Deacons; Nathun Auston; George Pain, George Thompson, Excld. Jehue Barns, James Oxford, Sarah Teague, Mary Austin, dismist; Rebecca Austin, Elizabeth Thompson, Excld. Nancy Pain, Rebecca Foster, Ruth Pressly, Elender Dockery, Tabitha Spradlin, Elijah Austin, dismist by letter; Harry a Negro, deceased. Lurana Barnes, Mary Auston Sen.
Feb. 28, 1798. On the reverse side of the document in a different handwriting, was written: Richard Brown Elijah Austin Dismist by letter Rachel Brown about October Mary Austin the first
(In printing the above, the old manuscript has been followed as regards spelling, punctuation, the use of capital letters, etc.)
The church established as shown by the above document was in the meetinghouse at the place now known as "Munday's graveyard", and was the growth of seed scattered from Alamance by Tryon's muskets, Edward Teague, the founder, all the Austins, George Payne, Jehu Barnes and probably Henry Holsclaw came from Orange. James Oxford, William Sherrill and the Negro, Harry, were born on the Catawba River and lived in what is now Caldwell County. There is neither document or tradition to show it as a fact that Harry was the same Harry that saved the women and children from the Cherokees in 1768 in the blockhouse where they had taken refuge, while the men were cone to meet the Indians, but from the conditions and circumstances at that time and years following it is more than probable that he was the identical Harry.
The "MeetingHouse" was burned down perhaps twenty-five or thirty years after it was built and the organization dissolved but was soon after followed by the organization at Antioch, which will came next.
Edward Teague and his wife Sarah, are buried in the cemetery where the church was built. The identity of their grave is lost, but their descendants are making arrangements to perpetuate their memory by a suitable monument.
