Previous to 1809 this church was known as Strodes Station or Strouds Fork Church and was located in Clark Co. KY, 1 1/2 miles west of Wincheste on the Lexington dirt road. The first record of this congregaton is found in the minutes of Marble Creek Church (now East Hickman) in 1791, when a committee was appointed consisting of her pastor Rev. John Price and Flanders Callaway, who were to attned Stroud's Fork Church and inquire into the standing of that branch of Tates Creek Church and to constitute them a church agreeable to their request. Marble Creek Church of Fayette Co and the Tates Creek Church of Madison Co. (the latter having been gathered by John Tanner about 1785 or earlier with Regular Baptist churches and belongs to South Elkhorn Assn., while most of the churches in the vicinity of Winchester were Separate Baptist Churches ....
The minutes of South Elkhorn Assn. for 1791 stste that stroud's Fork Church was received into that ody the same year, reportin gto have 9 members. She reported to this Assn. each year until 1796. Her membership during that time never exceeding 9. No further records of this church from 1796 until 1804 when she recieved into North District Assn. which convened with Providence Church in Clark Co. At this meeting Stroud's Fork Church reported 23 members, and Elder Wm. Morris and Wm. Rush were her messengers. At the same meeting Elder Morris was selected to preach the introductary sermon at the next association of the Assn. but for some reason he failed to do so, and the introductory sermon was delivvered by Elder James Quisenberry. After 1804, Strodes Station Church reported annually to North District Assn. until 1809 and when the Assn. vonvened that year with Bald Eagle Church in Montgomery Co. the congregation of strode's Station reported under the nane of Friendshp Church with 50 members. Her messengers were Araham Weldon and Joseph Kelly. Friendship became a strong and influential church in North Dist. Assn. and later in Boone's Creek Assn. Reiben Smith was ordained to the Ministry from Strode's Station Church in 1793, and Bryan's Statio Church refused to take part in the ordination because of the alleged irregularity of his baptism.
Deed for 1 acre of land at or near Strides Station, from Thomas Cinstant and others on Constent and others on Constant Creek including including the Baptist meeting house on the land consideration 5 shillings to be occupied as a Baptist place of public worship. (Deed Book No. 3, page 73 in Clark Co.)
Strode's Station was erected prior to 1780. Strodes Station was besieged by a large body of Indians in 1780 who attempted to cut off the supply of water, but ailing in this they were repulsed. In the ppursuit one of several brothers named Swearingen was killed.
In 1779 the Legislature of Va. passed an act authorizing the Governor to appoint a Commission to come to Ky. and sit as a Court to hear proof and quit titles by issuing certificates to rightful claimants. At a meeting of this Court held at Boonesborough on Dec. 27, 1779 the following certificate was issued to John Strode: (see exerpt - Ky Land Titles.)
This church has long since disbanded or lost her identity as Friendship Church. We have been unable to locate any of the church records, with the exception of these of the Primitive Baptists, who worshipped at this place, of whom we will speak later ....
Elder James Quisenberry was pator of Friendship Church in 1812; in Oct. of that year he baptized Wm. Vaughn into the fellowship of that Church. Vaughn had been an infidel.
James Quisenberry was pastor of Friendship Church in 1822. In Feb. 1811 this church granted license to Wm. Vaughn, James Garrard, Anson Mills and Ninman Ridgeway to preach the Gospel. The North Dist. Assn. held her annual session in 1814 with Friendship Church at whick time this church reported 113 members.
In early 1819 it could be seen there was likely to be trouble for this congregation in the near future, for in that year in her letter to North Dist. Assn. she requested the Assn. to propose a correspondence with Licking Assn. which subject was postponed until the next Assn....
When the North Dist. Association convened in 1822 she was confronted with 2 letters from Friendship church, each claiming to be the curch at Friendship. The Assn. appointed a committee to investigate the standing of Frinedship Church and report to the next annual session of the Assn. In 1823 when the Assn. convened at Log Creek meeting house in Clark Co. Ky the committee appointed the year before to investigate the standing of Friendship Church made report, which was in part as follows:
"That party which wrote that long letter to the Association last year, in which letter they informed the Association that they had excluded that whole party which wrote the other letter to the Association, which excluded party then was, and still is, a majority of the members and the party which had excluded the others had restarted some, and sent letters and messengers to Licking Association, and was received in to said Association ..... And upon the whole case we are of the opinion that the exclusion, so called
(except as to four) having taken place on the day that those who had gone to Licking Association declared themselves independent have therefore very little validity."
And the Assn. upon that report, restaarted the majority at Friendship Church to their former standing in North Dist. Assn., and the minutes of said Assn. for 1823 show that Friendship Church reported 72 members, the messengers being Abraham Weldon, Josiah Ashley, Griffin kelly and Zach Ridgeway.
In 1825 Friendship Church reported 227 members.
In 1825 there is recorded in Clark Co. a deed to the Christian Church at Friendship - Joseph Ashley, John D, Thomas and Zachariah Ridgeway as trustees. Abram WEldon Clerk.
It will be seen that as early as 1825, four years before the separation fo the Baptists and Reformers who were affiliating with the Baptist churches and associations, the congregation at Friendship was not really a Baptist church.
The congregation requested of North Dist. Association while convened in July 1825, a letter of dismissal to unite with Boone's Creek Association, which was granted according to the records of the latter Association, Friendship Church because a member of that body in Sept. 1825, reporting 230 members.
In eed Book No 27, page 327, (Clark Co. KY) there is recorded a deed dated July 11, 1827 from Johnn Hampton to the Trustees of Friendship Church (meaning the Christian Church at Friendship) for a lot on Washington Street in Winchester, on which they erected a new church house, presumably during the same year. It was this congregation that entertained the annual session of Boone's Creek Association in 1828, in all probability in this new house on Washington Street, in Winchester, and Elder Wm. Morton preached the introductory sermon.
Dr. Spencer says of Elder Morton that "he was the first preacher of his region of the state to embrace the teaching of Mr. Campbell, but he affiliated with the Baptists until 1829."
It was at this session of the Association that there began a movement which terminated in a separation fo the Baptists and Reformers at the next annual session of the Association (this session, i.e. in winchester in 1828)...... this change in or abolishment of the constitution came before the next session, which was held with Hind's Creek Church, Madison County in 1829 at which Friendship Church was one of the 6 churches that voted to abolish the present constitution fo Boone's Creek Association. This is the last time that this congregation at Friendship had any connectin with a Baptist Association.
Elder Wm. Rash was born in Va. in 1783, moved with his parents to Ky., joined the Baptist Church at David's Fork in 1801, moved his membership to Friendship Church, Clark Co. in 1812 and remained a member of said church until his death in Feb, 1859. He was the leading member of the Independents in the division of Friendship in 1822, which united with Licking Assn. The congregation affiliated with Licking Assn. until 1850 .... Serious trouble arose in Licking Assn. as the result of a letter published by Elder Thomas P. Dudley, intitled "Christian Warfare", which was regarded heretical by some of the churches, Friendship being one of them, so they withdrew from Licking Assn. Elder Rash seems to have been the leading spirit in this movement, and they constituted the Twin Creek Assn. of Old Regular Baptists. |
