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“Elder” John Alderson From The Journal Of The Greenbrier Historical Society On  Alderson, West Virginia - Written by Kenneth D. Swope - Compiled and Transcribed by Barry Worrell

The   Old   Greenbrier   Baptist   Church   had   its   birth   with   the   Nation.   Cornwallis   surrendered   to   Washington   at Yorktown   October   19,   1781.   Thirty-six   days   later,   "Elder"   John   Alderson   organized   the   Greenbrier   Baptist Church,   November   24,   1781.   Since   then   dozens   of   writers   and   historians   have   eulogized   "Elder   John"   and the   church.   Probably   the   most   nearly   accurate   history   is   that   written   by   his   son,   Joseph Alderson,   in   1842 for    the    Greenbrier    Baptist   Association    of    which    he    was    Moderator.   At    a    meeting    of    the   Association September   8   and   9,   1842,   the   Greenbrier   Church   was   represented   by   Joseph Alderson,   Lewis A. Alderson, and   George   Smithson.   Joseph   Alderson   was   requested   to   write   the   history.   Years   later,   this   history   was reprinted   in   the   Beckley   Post-Herald   of   December   30,   1947.   Joseph Alderson’s   history,   the   Minutes   of   the Old Greenbrier Baptist Church, and other sources, are used for this sketch. "Elder   John"   Alderson   was   pastor   of   the   Linville   Creek   Church,   Rockingham   County,   Virginia.   The   reason John   Alderson   was   called   "Elder"   instead   of   Reverend   was   not   because   of   his   age.   Under   British   colonial rule   a   minister   could   be   called   Reverend   only   if   he   served   as   pastor   of   the   Established   Church.   So   John Alderson was called "Elder" by custom. Between   1773   and   1777   Elder   John   Alderson   visited   the   Greenbrier   area   and   baptized   three   people,   two of   whom   were   John   Griffith   and   a   Mrs.   Keeney.   Early   in   1777   he   started   with   his   family   for   Greenbrier   to establish   a   home   but   when   he   arrived   at   Jackson's   River   he   heard   Indians   had   attacked   the   Graham   home killing   one.   (This   is   the   log   house   at   Lowell   near   the   highway.)   He   remained   at   Jackson’s   River   for   two   or three months, and finally arrived at Jarrett’s Fort at the mouth of Wolf Creek in October 1777. "Elder"   John   acquired   400   acres   of   land   on   the   south   side   of   the   Greenbrier   consisting   of   all   of   what   is   now the   Monroe   side   of   the   Town   of   Alderson.   He   built   a   house   on   the   south   side   of   the   river   just   west   of   the present Alderson Hotel. His brother-in-law, William Morris, owned 525 acres across the river. Elder   John Alderson   began   his   ministry   and   preached   in   the   various   forts.   By   November   24,   1781,   he   had gathered   a   small   band   of   believers   and   the   Greenbrier   Baptist   Church   was   founded.   Twelve   charter members   were   his   flock:   John   Alderson,   pastor,   Mary   Carroll   Alderson   (his   wife),   Thomas   Alderson   (his brother),   John   Kippers,   John   Sheppard,   John   Skaggs,   Katherine   Skaggs,   Joseph   Skaggs,   Lucy   Skaggs, Bailey   Wood,   Ann   Wood,   and   James   Wood.   The   Skaggs   family   came   from   Wolf   Creek   about   six   miles south   of   the   church.   Their   descendants   are   still   prominent   in   Alderson.   Who   Kippers,   Sheppard,   and   the three Woods were, is not known. Some   of   those   first   members   lived   as   far   as   twenty   miles   from   the   church   and   Elder   John,   with   other members,   held   church   meetings   in   other   places   such   as   Second   Creek   Gap,   Big   Levels   above   Lewis- burg, and on New River. On   July   25,   1783,   the   first   baptism   was   conducted   on   Greenbrier   River,   and   four   members   were   baptized on   New   River August   8,   1785.   The   membership   was   growing   but   scattered.   In   addition   to   the   three   places mentioned   where   meetings   were   held,   other   members   lived   on   Indian   Creek,   and   one   member,   a   Mr.   Burr, lived on Spring Creek thirty miles away. In   June   1783   it   was   decided   by   Elder   John   and   his   followers   that   a   church   should   be   built   and   the   next year   on   July   4,   1784,   the   first   meeting   was   held   in   the   rude   log   structure.   The   first   church,   located   on   the site   of   the   present   church,   was   25   by   17   feet   with   a   chimney   in   the   middle.   It   was   known   as   Greenbrier Meeting House. The   church   was   across   the   river   from   where   Elder   John   lived,   on   an   acre   of   land   belonging   to   William Morris,   who   gave   it   (with   no   deed)   for   a   house   of   public   worship   and   public   burial   ground.   Evidently,   before the    Greenbrier    Baptist    Church    was    organized,    the    small    group    had    been    meeting    but    considered themselves   a   branch   of   the   Linville   Creek   Church.   Thus   started   the   first   church   in   what   is   now   southern West   Virginia.   Unlike   eastern   Virginia   there   were   no   restrictions   on   religions   or   denominations   in   the Greenbrier   area,   and   Baptists   were   not   harassed.   In   1782   Greenbrier   Baptist   Church   joined   the   Ketockton Association. Between 1785 and 1794, twenty four members were added to the church rolls. The   old   graveyard   back   of   the   church   was   first   designated   a   burial   ground   May   24,   1783.   As   said   before, William   Morris   gave   the   acre   of   land,   but   no   one   bothered   about   a   deed.   It   was   not   until   October   22,   1825, that   Joseph   Alderson,   who   had   bought   nearly   all   the   land   now   North   Alderson,   gave   the   land   by   a   formal deed   to   the   church.   It   is   not   known   whose   were   the   earliest   burials   in   the   cemetery.   Some   of   the   oldest grave   stones   are   gone,   some   are   not   legible.   The   oldest   person   with   a   legible   stone   is   Jonathan   Newman who   was   born   December   25,   1730.   He   was   a   Revolutionary   War   veteran.   Near   his   grave   is   that   of   the   old religious   patriarch,   Elder   John,   who   was   born   March   5,   1738,   and   died   March   3,   1821,   and   Mary   Carroll Alderson   his   wife,   1739-1805.   One   gets   a   real   feeling   of   early   Alderson   history   by   visiting   the   old,   old cemetery. In   1792   the   first   new   church   formed   from   Greenbrier   Baptist   was   on   Indian   Creek,   and   that   church,   with   the old   church,   joined   the   New   River   Association.   In   1796,   Elder   John,   Elder   James   Johnson,   and   Josiah Osborn   started   the   Big   Levels,   or   Lewisburg,   Baptist   Church.   Johnson   was   the   first   Baptist   minister   whom Elder   John   had   seen   in   this   section.   The   same   two   ministers   organized   a   church   on   the   Kanawha.   These four   organized   churches   then   became   the   Greenbrier   Association.   It   has   been   written   that   Elder   John Alderson helped organize several other churches. His son did not mention any others in his history. Elder   John   certainly   was   a   "marrying"   preacher.   The   first   marriage   records   in   Greenbrier   County   Court   are completely    obliterated    from    1778    through    1780.    But    beginning    in    1781    marriages    are    recorded alphabetically,   and   Elder   John   was   marrying   people   with   great   frequency.   The   first   recorded   marriage   was on   January   11,   1781,   when   Michael   Keeney   was   married   to   Catherine   Lewis   by   Elder   John.   (Of   course, there   were   many   marriages   performed   in   the   Greenbrier   area   long   before   1781,   but   these   were   recorded   in Augusta County, or Botetourt, Virginia, before Greenbrier County was formed in 1778.

In   the   22   years   of   the Aldersonian   on   the   Internet,   it   suddenly   dawn   on   me   that   the   founder   of Alderson   has never   been   given   his   proper   due   in   these   pages.   I   searched   through   all   my   files   and   what   I   had   was seemly,   “not   much”.   I   even   searched   the   Internet   and   it   was   basically   bits   and   pieces   of   what   I   had.   After more    searching    I    discovered,    under    “Churches”    in    Journal    Of    The    Greenbrier    Historical    Society    On Alderson ,   there   was   information   on   Elder   John   Alderson.   This   journal   was   written   by   Kenneth   Swope, husband   of   a   descendant   of   Elder   John   himself,   Francis   Alderson,   who   co-authored   the   journal   before publication. Seems   only   fitting   to   find   him   under   “churches”,   for   that   was   his   business.   I’m   sure   there   must   be   more, and I invite any descendant of Elder John Alderson to add any new information to this article. Perhaps someday, we might have a statue of John Alderson, standing there, watching over his town. Here’s to you , Elder John. We’re glad you walked this ground.__ Barry Worrell