Mississippi Baptist preachers

Preface

"I have perpetrated a book," as Rev. R. E. Melvin would say. But it is a book which I am profoundly convinced is needed. It has proved to be one exceedingly difficult to prepare, not because of any extraordinary intellectual power demanded — then I had despaired — but because of the extreme difficulty in securing the necessary material. Baptist preachers— God bless them all ! — I have found exceedingly modest men, unwilling to "blaze abroad" their deeds, and 1 appreciate them all the more for that fact. I can assure every one who is kind enough to read these pages that if there is anything "set down" which savors of vanity, it is to be accredited to myself and not to the brother who is being sketched. In all cases where I have obtained material directly from brethren it has been mainly a brief outline, and the picture has been filled in by myself, In many cases sketches have been furnished by some friend. In some cases churches have appointed committees to gather and write sketches of former ministers. But, alas, after all, how meager are these results of five years' gathering of material ! Many good brethren have neglected appeals in the Record, "a personal request" sent directly, and every other appeal for data. A church committee on sketches wrote: "DEAR BRO. FOSTER: — The church record is lost, the family have died and moved away and we have not all the dates. Yours truly, Committee." That is the sad story of the life-work of many an honored and useful minister of Jesus Christ.

Because of the modesty of Baptist preachers, and because of the general indifference of Baptists to their history, some honored names may not appear in these pages. None can regret this more than I do. I wished to have the entire brotherhood of the pulpit represented. I perseveringly tried to do this, but did not fully succeed. There was not material in hand for complete success in my effort and no friend supplied the deficiency. As to the portraits, there has not been a single one inserted except upon a personal request from me, or the desire of some friend or relative of a deceased brother to have the portrait inserted. The engravings belong to friends who have paid for them, and will be sent to them as soon as these pages see the light. Should any of these engravings become injured by any accident I can secure duplicates at a sjnall cost each.

I have a greater respect for and a much higher appreciation of my brethren in the ministry by reason of what I have learned of them during the preparation of these pages. I have also been impressed with the fact of the frequent occurrence of sketching a father and son who were preachers, and in one case, father, son and grandson — John P. Martin, his son, M. T. Martin, and his grandson, T. T. Martin. The cases of father and son are too numerous to mention.

It is possible that some mistakes may have occurred in the spelling of proper names, for in some of the communications it has been exceedingly difficult to make out the names — in a few cases 1 utterly failed and was obliged to leave out the names — and it would be marvelous if I have not in some instances made mistakes in such difficult work, without any guide to help, or any context to enable me to rightly decipher names. However, the best possible effort has been made to secure accuracy in this particular.

Acknowledgment is hereby made of help received from Maj. Louis H. Everts' Cathcart's "Baptist Encyclopaedia," Borum's "Sketches of Tennessee Baptist Preachers," John G, Jones' "Protestantism in Mississippi and the Southwest," Capt. John T. Buck's Historical Articles, Catalogue of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Bond's edition of Minutes of Mississippi Association, kindly furnished me for use by Rev. J. B. Hamberlin, and from many kind friends.

No doubt some will be ready to criticize the work. The pictures will not please all, notwithstanding they have been made by one of the best of portrait engravers. Other things will not please others. Well, "fire away, brethren;" your criticisms are all merited and more besides.

May the Holy Spirit graciously bless what has here been written for His glory, and may it all be stimulating and helpful to the future. L. S. FOSTER.

Senatobia, Miss., Dece?nber 10, 1894.