1848
March 17, 1848 -
Charlotte Presbytery
Congregation not represented:
Shiloh
[Source: "Extracts
of the Minutes of the Charlotte Presbytery," The Banner of
Peace and Cumberland Presbyterian Advocate, May 10, 1848, page
2]
1850
October 26-27, 1850 -
Charlotte Presbytery
Representative from
Shiloh congregation: J. W. Stone
[Source:
"Extracts of the Minutes of the Charlotte Presbytery,"
The Banner of Peace and Cumberland Presbyterian Advocate, December
27, 1850, page 1]
1855
March 16-17, 1855
Charlotte
Presbytery met at Shiloh Church - Montgomery County,
Tennessee
Moderator - Rev. D. R. Marshall
[Source:
"Extract of the Minutes of the Charlotte Presbytery,"
The Banner of Peace and Cumberland Presbyterian Advocate, April
5, 1855, page 1]
1881
September
16, 1881 - Charlotte
Presbytery
Shiloh, Montgomery County,
Tennessee
[Source: "Extract
of the Minutes of Charlotte Presbytery," The Cumberland
Presbyterian, April 14, 1881, page 5]
1890
March 7,
1890 - Charlotte
Presbytery
Shiloh congregation - Montgomery County, Tennessee
[Source: "Extract of the Minutes of Charlotte
Presbytery," The Cumberland Presbyterian, March 27, 1890,
page 5]
The Shiloh Cumberland Presbyterian Church is located about eighteen miles south of Clarksville, Tennessee, on highway thirteen, in the Shiloh community.
The first minutes of the session have been destroyed. Therefore, this history has been written from a very limited number of sources.
The Shiloh Cumberland Presbyterian Church was organized about 1865 by Rev. Nute Larkins. The only known charter members of the church were Sam Nesbett, grandfather of Louis W. Nesbett,(1) and Mrs. Mary Baggett, grandmother of Rhea Biter.(2) Sam Nesbett was one of the first elders of the church. Soon after its organization, the church joined Charlotte Presbytery.(3)
The Shiloh church has had four buildings.
First building. Sam Nesbett gave the church three acres of land for a building site. This land was located in the hollow on East Creek. A one room log building was built on the land about 1865.(4) It has not been determined when this building was torn down. Mrs. Fred Bailey said, "The logs from the first building are in the walls of the northeast room of my home. They have been sealed and weather-boarded over, but are still standing."(5)
Second building. Sometime before 1880, the second building was erected on the same lot of the log church. It was a one room boxed structure. In 1886, this building was valued at five hundred dollars.(6) It was used as a school as well as a church. This building stood until about 1910.(7)
Third building. In 1910, a third building was erected on the same building site of the other two buildings. It was a two story framed structure. The building was owned jointly by the Shiloh Cumberland Presbyterian Church and the Modern Woodmen. The church used the main floor of the building, and the Modern Woodmen met in the upper story.(8)
Sometime before 1927, the Modern Woodmen became disorganized and sold their part of the building. Charlie T. Allen bought their share of the building and gave it to the church. After this the upper story was used for Sunday school rooms.(9)
On many occasions it was impossible to get to the church because of high water. The creek got into the building several times.
In 1943, the church purchased a building lot on the ridge, about one-fourth mile east of the original building site. In the fall of 1943, the third building was torn down.(10)
Fourth building. Construction started on the fourth building in the fall of 1944. The Cumberland Presbyterians continued their Sunday school in the Nazarene church while the building was under construction. A modern one room brick church was completed in the spring of 1945.(11)
In 1950, the church built three Sunday school rooms across the back of the building, with a basement under them. In the fall of 1952, a gas heating system was installed in the church.(12)
School building. In the fall of 1955, the enrollment in the local Shiloh School fell below the state requirements for holding a teacher. Consequently, the school was closed and consolidated with neighboring schools. On December 10, 1955, the school property, which was adjacent to the church, was sold at public auction. The Shiloh church purchased this property, which consisted of a three room frame building, including kitchen, and three acres of land, for a sum of two thousand and fifty dollars. This was purchased for a educational plant.(13)
CYF. On January 3, 1954, a Cumberland Youth Fellowship was organized at Shiloh with an enrollment of twenty-two young people. This organization has continued to grow since its organization.(14)
Full time. On October 3, 1954, the Shiloh church began a full-time program, employing Newsome Harvey for every Sunday of the month. Previous to that time, the church had been on a half-time program.(15)
The following ministers have served the Shiloh Cumberland Presbyterian Church: Nute Larkins, 1865; Albert M. Taylor, 1872; W. M. Cooley, 1885-1888; J. R. Rye, 1890; H. N. Cooley, 1882-1893; S. B. Zaricor, 1895; R. H. Craig, 1896-1899; S. L. Robertson, 1901-1902; H. S. Carr, 1903; B. F. McCican, 1906; R. M. Cunningham, 1907; A. H. Sykes, 1908-1911; H. H. Binkley, 1912-1916; G. E. Danley, 1917-1918; A. C. Biddle, 1920; J. E. Powers, 1921-1922; A. W. Clinard, 1923; D. A. Hatcher, 1928; J. L. McMillan, 1929; G. E. Danley, 1930; Z. N. Clinard, 1931-1936;(16) Herschel E. Jones, June, 1937-May, 1939; Turner Clinard, October, 1939-August, 1941; J. T. Coleman, February, 1942-March, 1943; Carl F. Davis, January, 1945-July, 1950; L. N. Garner, October, 1950-June, 1952; and Newsome Harvey since July 6, 1952.(17)
Entertained presbytery. Charlotte Presbytery met with the Shiloh congregation on the following dates: Friday before the third Sunday in September, 1881,(18) and March, 1890.(19)
In 1899, the Shiloh church became a part of Clarksville Presbytery.(20) Since that time Clarksville Presbytery has met with the Shiloh congregation on the following dates: October 22, 1901;(21) October 10-12, 1911;(22) and March 27-28, 1945.(23)
Members entered the ministry. The Shiloh church has had three members to enter the ministry: A. H. Sykes, J. E. Powers and Jerry Lynch. A. H. Sykes was ordained sometime between 1904 and 1908.(24) J. E. Powers was received into the Clarksville Presbytery as an ordained minister on October 12, 1908.(25) Jerry Lynch came under the care of Clarksville Presbytery on September 27, 1955.(26)
1. Louis Nesbett (This information was received by the author in a personal interview on June 24, 1955.).
2. Rhea Biter (This information was received by the author in a personal interview on September 4, 1955.).
5. Mrs. Fred Bailey (This information was received by the author in a personal interview on August 2, 1955.).
6. History of Tennessee (Nashville: The Goodspeed Publishing Co., 1886), p. 801.
7. J. B. Sullivan (This information was received by the author in a personal interview on January 14, 1956.).
10. Boyd Britt (This information was received by the author in a personal interview on February 11, 1956.).
12. Minutes of the Session of the Shiloh Cumberland Presbyterian Church Book I. (no page number)
14. Minutes of the Shiloh CYF, January 3, 1954.
15. Minutes of the Session of the Shiloh Cumberland Presbyterian Church Book II.
16. Minutes of the Cumberland Presbyterian General Assembly, 1865-1936, (statistical tables).
17. Minutes of the Session of the Shiloh Cumberland Presbyterian Church Book I.
18. Minutes of the Session of the Wells Creek Cumberland Presbyterian Church Book I. (pages not numbered).
20. Minutes of the Tennessee Synod of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church October 17-20, 1899, pp. 47-48.
21. Minutes of Clarksville Presbytery of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church October 10-12, 1911, p. 25.
23. Ibid., March 27, 28, 1945, p. 4.
24. Ibid., March 10-11, 1908, p. 14.
25. Ibid., October 9-12, 1908, p. 10.
26. Ibid., September 27, 1955, p. 6.
[Source: Ollie Newsome Harvey. "A History of the Existing Churches of Clarksville Presbytery of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church." B.D. Thesis. Cumberland Presbyterian Theological Seminary, 1956, pages 138-144]