Church History from the WPA History of Lawrence County
The Works Progress Administration was part of Pres. F.D. Roosevelt’s “New Deal.”
One of the programs was the recording of historical documents.
http://www.wwcd.org/policy/US/newdeal.html#WPA
Contributed by Mitchell Sanders
The Methodists were credited with the first Church organization at Monticello in 1815. The Baptist Denomination followed soon after when Silver Creek, (now called Old Silver Creek) Baptist Church was organized in the same year. No record survives of any other church organization in this county that early, but it is logical to suppose that Harmon Runnels, who founded Monticello in 1812 and who with his large family was a zealous Hardshell Baptist must have organized his denomination also sometime near that date.
Bethany Baptist Church, which was then in Lawrence County, but now in Jeff Davis, was organized in 1819 by Elder John P. Martin, who served the church as pastor until succeeded by Norvel Robertson, Jr., in 1833.
Hepsibah Baptist Church in the eastern part of Lawrence County was
