I was born October 27, 1851. Was converted in the summer of 1865 under the ministry of Rev. T. Jeff Dixon, and joined the Cumberland Presbyterian Church at Mt. Carmel in Williamson County, Tennessee, the same year. I felt that I was called to preach the gospel soon after I was converted, but I refused to accept the call for about eighteen years. I could never get the impression of the call off my mind. I was taken under the care of Richland Presbytery in the spring of 1884. Was ordained to the work of the ministry by the Richland Presbytery in 1890, in the fall meeting of the presbytery. I was employed to preach to three churches the next year, New Bethany, Smyrna, Mt. Lebanon, in Richland Presbytery, and after preaching for them three years, I was called to Bellvue and McKay in Lebanon Presbytery, and I moved my membership to that Presbytery and remained there four years. The Synod changed the Presbyterial lines and that put me back in Richland Presbytery. Here is where unionism first began to come to the front, for at the first meeting they changed the name of the Richland Presbytery to Columbia Presbytery for the Southern Presbyterians had a Columbia Presbytery that covered the same territory and they wanted to push them out of their own Presbytery for according to their way of thinking, there would be two Presbyterian Presbyteries covering the same territory. The next meeting of our General Assembly was at Nashville, Tennessee, and the committee on Fraternity and Union was appointed and was to make the report at the next meeting of the General Assembly which met at Dallas, Texas. I was elected a commissioner from Columbia Presbytery to the Dallas Assembly. The leaders in Union said that the Union was the burning question of that Assembly. If all the fraud, and untruthful things that were done and told in that assembly were printed it would take several pages to record them. First and last and all the time, I am for the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. I love her doctrines. I love her people. I love the memory of those who have gone on to the other side.
[Source: Our Senior Soldiers: The Biographies and Autobiographies of Eighty Cumberland Presbyterian Preachers. Compiled by The Cumberland Presbyterian Board of Publication. The Assistance of Revs. J. L. Price and W. P. Kloster is Greatfully Acknowledged. Nashville, Tenn.: The Cumberland Presbyterian Board of Publication, 1915, pages 275-276]

Memorial Service Committee
Report of Memorial Committee was adopted as follows:--
We your Committee on Memorial, find that since our last session of Presbytery Rev. John Stephens and Rev. D. E. Dortch have departed this life. We, therefore, extend to the bereaved our love and sympathy. We recommend that at some time during this session the Moderator appoint some one to conduct a memorial service for Brothers Stephens and Dortch.
REV. JOHN R. MORRIS
REV. G. W. PHILLIPS
ELDER J. M. SANDEFUR

MEMORIAL SERVICE
A Memorial Service was held for Revs. John Stevens and D. E. Dortch who had died since the last meeting of Presbytery. Rev. J. L. Dillard conducted the service. Tributes were paid to the departed brothers by Revs. J. L. Dillard, W. M. Neelley, J. M. Forsythe, G. W. Phillips, L. C. Hartley; and Elders E. J. Gilbreath and C. T. Carwford.

[Source: Minutes of Richland Presbytery, April 4, 1929, pages 5 & 8]

Report of Committee on Mortuary.
John Stevens died in Spring Hill, Tenn., March, 1929.
[Source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1929, page 114]