Bullittsburg Baptist Church

A historical marker at the site of the church.

A small Baptist church formed in 1794 in Boone County, on land donated by George Gaines.¹

The church admitted black members owned by white members to fellowship; see Eslinger article in friend1999 for context on this practice, and also a much older Walter B. Posey article.

The church attracted my interest because a “Bill” and “Daphne” (slaves with the same names as the parents of Henrietta Wood) appear in the ledgers of the church in 1812; at the time they both belonged to John (or James?) Terrill, but perhaps this was before they were purchased by Tousey Family, which settled very near the church.

See transcriptions of the church’s ledger books, which also mention a Daphne owned by Michael Glore, for more references to these names, plus a “Will” owned by Terrill. There is also a listing of 113 slaves in the church as of May 1813. Quotes below are from the transcriptions:

• On June 4, 1809: “Receiv’d John Terrill & Rebecah his Wife by letter of Dismission.” (This confirms it is John Terrill Sr. and his wife Rebecca Cornelius.)
• On January 5, 1811: “Receiv’d for Baptism … Brotr. Terrill[’]s Bill.
• On January 20, 1811: “Was receiv’d for Baptism, … Bro’r. John Terril[l’]s Will, John Cave’s Adam, John Graves’s Lucy”
• On February 3, 1811: “Rec’d for Baptism … Daphney b[e]longing [to] Michael Glore by a letter of recommendation.”
• On April 6, 1811: “Jesse belonging to Bro’r John Terrill came forward and related a repentance for his Backslidden state and was restored to the fellowship of this Church.”
• On April 5, 1812: “Rec’d for baptism Nancy Carter … J. Terrill[’]s Daphney”
• On November 7, 1812: “Jack - a black member belonging to Mr. John Cave - brought in a Complaint against Bill, belonging to bro’r. John Terrill & Fanny belonging to John Cave, for being guilty of unseemly conduct together. The matter was taken up, first respecting Bill - he was found guilty of sin and failing to give satisfaction - was Excluded. Second respecting of Fanny - she was also found guilty of sin & failed to give satisfaction, [she] was also Excluded.”
• On January 2, 1813: “Bro’r Whitaker laid in a complaint against his black woman (a member of this Church) by the name of Siller, for Disobedience of orders, for going to dancing frolicks & for departing fom the truth,”
• On June 5, 1813: “A motion was amde by bro’r Wm. Montague in behalf of the black brethren, to know whether they might appoint meetings contrary to a former act of the Church, or whither (if they wanted a meeting contrary to that act) they should as leave of the Church, the matter was taken up and determined that they should ask leave.”
• On February 5, 1814: “Brother John Terrills, Sam, came forward to this Church with a complaint agains him Self for committing the sin of adultery, and the matter was tacken up, and he found guilty of sin and this matter was investigated and he suspended. Brother John Terrills, Daphny, came forward with a complaint against hur Self for committing the act of fornication and the matter was tacken up, and She found guilty of sin and the matter was investigated and She Suspended.”
• On March 5, 1814: “The reference respecting brother John Terrills, Sam was tacken up and he was excluded - The reference respecting brother John Terrills, Daphny, was tacken up and She failling to attend and she was excommunicated”
• On November 2, 1816: “Bill (belonging) to bro’ Terrill came and related a repentance for his backsliden State and was restored to the fellowship of the Church”
• On February 4, 1817: “Sam formerly a black member of this Church belonging to Bro. John Terrill was restored to fellowship by satisfying the church for the crime for which he was excluded. On motion to privilege the black members of the Church to assemble for the purpose of worship in the night was investigated & it is thought best notto assemble.”
• On April 5, 1817: “Mr. John Cave’s Fanny formerly a member of this Church was restored to fellowship”
• On May 3, 1817: “Bro. John Terrill’s Daphny was restored to fellowship by repentance for her backsliden state”
• On January 2, 1819: “A complaint against John Terrell’s Isabel for departing from the truth, was taken up and bro. E. Graves app’d to cite her to the next meeting.”
• On June 5, 1819 (p. 50): “Bro. John Terrell bought in complaint against Dafney a black member of this church for having an eligitimate child. The mater was taken up and bro William Cave appointed to cite her to the next meating.”²
• In July 1819: “Bro. John Terrell’s Billy bought in a complaint against Jefsee for abuesing his wife and him self also for makeing some threats toward his person and refuesing to here the helps as called by himself to settle the difficulty. The matter was taken up & appointed brethren Edward Graves William Cave John Morrafs John Terrill and James Graves as a committee to get the Brethren together a settle a difficulty and report at the next meeting. The Reference concerning Bro. Webb’s Lidia taken up Satisfaction obtained and she restored. The reference of bro. John Terrell’s Dafney refured and that the same brother attend to the order of last meeting”
• In August 1819: “The reference concerning Bro. Terrells Dafney taken up and she failing to attend and beaing found gilty of sin is excluded. The reference concrning Bro. Terrell’s Jefse Was taken up and the bretheren ware appointed to settle the matter reported that they have attended to the order of the church an after a full and fare investigation of the mater and a proper understanding of each other they acknowledged there rong and profesed to be in full fillowhsip, which reporte was received as st____"
• In September 1820: “bro. George Gaines laid in a complaint, against bro. Lewis, a black member / belonging to bro. Robt. Terrill / for purloining and denying it when charg’d with the offence. The matter taken up he found guilty of sin is excluded”
• In November 1820: “Bro William (a black member belonging to bro. Jno. Terrell) laid in a complaint ags’t Sister Hannah (a black member belonging to Mrs. Ana Smith) for the sin of fornication She being absent, the matter taken up, said bro. Robert Terrell appointed to cite her to attend at the next meeting”
• In December 1820: “bro. Robt Terrill laid in a complaint against bro. William (a black member belonging to Mr. Nathan Watts) for intoxication profane swearing & offering to fight”
• In January 1821: “bro Mathew laid in a complaint against Sister Lucy jun’r (a black member belonging to bro Wm Cave) for adultery … The matter taken up, & brethren Geo Terrile, Jas. Graves, & William Cave are appointed to cite her to the next meeting.”
• In August 1821: “Bro. Cave laid in a complaint against sister Lucy (a black member belonging to Jas. White) for runing away from her master She found guilty of sin & being out of the reach of this chruch is excluded”
• In October 1821: “bro. John Terrill laid in a complaint against bro Will & Sam (two black members belonging to himself) for geting into an affray”
• In November 1821: “Bro. Cave laid in a complaint against bro. Peter (a black member belonging to Walter Goodridge) for making improper threats to injure bro. George Terrell, and bro. Terrells barn being burnt shortly afterwards. The matter taken up, he found guilty of sin, & being out of the reach of the Church is excluded. The refference respecting Bro. Will & Sam (two black members) taken up & appointed Brethren Jas. Dicken, Geo. Gaines Rob’t Kirtley, Roland Botts, & Whitfield Early a committee to investigate the dificulty between them & try to settle the same & report at next meeting”
• In March 1821: “bro. Bill laid in a complaint against Sister Rachael (a black member belonging to Bro. Whitaker) for dancing and useing profane language. The matter taken up & she being absent it is laid over untill next meeting. & bro. Rob’t Terrill apointed to cite her to the Same”
• In February 1824: “Sister daphne (a black member belonging to bro. Glore) laid in a complaint against herself for the sin of intoxication The matter taken up & she found guilty of sin & giving satisfaction is restored”
• In April 1824: “Patienc (an excluded member belonging to Jas. Riddle) and Daphne (an excluded member belonging to bro. Jno. Terrill) Rec’d to the fellowship of the church”
• In June 1824: “Bro. Glore laid in a complaint against Sister Daphne (a black member belonging to himself) for the sin of intoxication. The matter taken up & bro. Milton Garnett is apointed to cite her to the next meeting -”
• In July 1824: “The refference respecting Sister Daphne taken up. She failing to attend & give satisfaction, found guilty of sin & is excluded -”
• In August 1825: “Two [of] our black brethren to wit Bill and Will belonging to brother John Terrill, came forward and informed the Church that they had entertained very unpleasant feelings toward each other for a considerable time, with evil surmisings and hard exprefsions, the matter taken up, and investigated, the Church is of opinion, that they have acted very improperly, and are guilty of sin. But both of them frankly acknowledging their fault is restored.”
• In August 1826: “Bro. Edward Graves laid in a complaint agst Bro. Bill a black member ^ of this church / belonging to Bro. Jno. Terrill for having absconded from his master — leaving his wife & children and taking up with another black woman belonging to Bro. Terrill and running away with her — the offending member beng now removed out of our reach, & ^ it / being impracticable to deal with him as is customary with us. The matter is therefore taken up — & heard — & he found guilty of sin and excluded.”³
• In June 1827: “A letter was received & read from the church at Mount Zion in Missouri written by Bro. Uriel Sebree setting forth that Bill a black man and an excluded member of this church who formerly belonged to Bro. Jno. Terrill had been removed to the neighbourhood of their church, and that Bill had related to their church a desire to become a member with them, and given them a statement of the cause for which he was excluded — and they request of this church to give them a statement of Bills standing while in this church, and also give them liberty to do with Bill as their church might think best — It is agreed that said letter be answered by giving them the standing of Bill as a member when he was with us & in doing which, to give it as it appears upon our records & that the church at Mount Zion be at liberty to act at their discretion in relation to receiving Bill in Union with them — and if any member of this church knows certainly of any improper act of Bill’s which has come to his knowledge since Bills exclusion any such member is at liberty to add it to said letter — and Brethren Rob’t Kirtley & Willis Graves are appointed to prepare and forward said letter”
• March 1832: “Sister Dilsey a black member belonging to Bro. Jno. Terrell, has also departed this life since our last meeting.” Is this John Terrell Jr.?

The elder Terrill was from Culpepper County, Virginia, originally, as was Glore/Clore, and a later census record for Daphne Tousey states her place of birth as Virginia around 1780. John Terrill is listed only four lines under Moses Tousey in the 1820 Boone County census (it’s an alphabetical listing) with 15 slaves (4 males under 14, 1 male 14 through 25, 4 males 26 through 44, 1 male 45 and over, 2 females under 14, 3 females 26 through 44 (which would be Daphne’s age range if it is the same one). He then seems to appear in the 1830 census in Callaway, Missouri, with no slaves.