This is an excerpt from "Some Methodist History Along the
Neuse and Contentnea" address delivered by Rev. Yancey T. Ormond
before the North Carolina Conference Historical Society at Kinston
on 21 November 1911. Copy found in the papers of Frederick Lee
Edwards although the paper is not complete.
Yancey Thomas Ormond was born in Greene County, 12 April 1858,
son of Thomas Coke and Margaret Ann Edwards Ormond. He was the
great nephew of Rev. William Ormond, well known Methodist Circuit
Rider. Yancey Ormond attended Trinity, now Duke University.
Rev. William Ormond kept a Journal during his years of
preaching and the original is located at Duke University. The
Journals are extensive; however, he usually just referred to
people as Brother Smith or Sister Jones and usually made no entry
as to exactly where he was. Someone familiar with surnames can
often identify which county he was in but not the people. He
traveled through Jones, Lenoir, Greene, Pitt, Beaufort and
Edgecombe Counties and probably others. He also went to
Washington, DC on one occasion and to the middle part of Virginia
on several occasions as well as the Norfolk area. There are
several entries for couples he married, and he does give their
first names. For funerals, he usually just referred to them as
Brother Jones or Sister Smith.
TEXT
Sometime prior to 1735, with two of his brothers, William
Ormond came to North Carolina from England and settled in Beaufort
County. He had only one son who lived to attain manhood, and he
was born in 1738, just a little more than one year before his
father died, and was also named William. He remained in Beaufort
County until 1768 when he moved to Dobbs County, now Greene, and
settled three miles north of the present town of Hookerton and
seventeen miles north of Kinston, being one mile south of the
present site of Ormond's Chapel, and became a large land owner in
the community.
The thoroughfare referred to as passing near Rainbow passed
near William Ormond's home, which was early known to travellers as
the "Ormond House" and in those early days was one of the few
places where the passing stranger was entertained. Just when the
first Methodist itinerant passed this way is not known. But this
family was brought under the influence of Methodism quite early
and this home became the stopping & preaching place of its
itinerant preachers.
William Ormond, the oldest son, was born in 1769 and was
converted in 1787 at the age of 18 years. He joined the Virginia
Conference in 1791 and continued therein as an itinerant preacher
until 1803 when he died at Norfolk while serving the Norfolk
Circuit.
Carolina Circuit was formed in 1776 and was divided in 1778
into Roanoke, New Hope, and Tar River Circuits. Dobbs County must
have been embraced in Tar River Circuit and it must have been
under the preaching of the pioneers of Carolina or of Tar River
Circuits that Methodism was first introduced into this community,
and it is not improbable that William Ormond, Sr., was brought
under its influence before he moved from Beaufort County. We know
that long before Ormond's Chapel was built and before Contentnea
Circuit was formed there was preaching at William Ormond's home
and there was an organized society. In 1796 Bishop Asbury preached
at Father Ormonds and left feeling that the "Lord would yet do
wonders among these people."
It has always been understood that the organization at Rainbow
was older than that at Ormonds. If so, the log meeting house at
Rainbow must antedate 1787, the date of the conversion of William
Ormond.
There were but few meeting houses and churches in which the
largely Methodist preacher could preach, and most of the preaching
was in private residences, out houses and under trees. Asbury
notes in 1812 that there had been a society in Greenville for
thirty years and there was no house of worship at that place.
Rev. William Ormond left in his will a legacy of $500 for the
erection of a chapel, having prior thereto conveyed a site for its
location. In the written instructions to his executors he urges
them to hasten the settlement of his estate and the erection of
the chapel which was much needed. Early in 1804 we find an
accounting of the executors in which it is shown that $500 is in
hand for the erection of the church building. We assume that the
building was erected soon thereafter. This was Ormonds Chapel and
the first church building erected in that community. It was a
plain frame building and stood without change until 1894, when it
was remodeled, being newly weather boarded and plastered and
another story built along for a temperance hall, only the old
frame being retained. In 1896 a new church building was erected on
the same site, the old building being moved away a short distance
to be used for a school house. In this house ever since there has
been a high grade preparatory school from which has been sent a
number of young men and women to college. This educational spirit
in this community manifested itself quite early. William Ormond
left in his will certain legacies to his brother's children to be
used for their education. This spirit has been kept alive in the
succeeding generations and in the days when schools were few and
scarce and educational advantages were rare, there was maintained
in this community a preparatory school of high grade, whose
advantages were sought in other communities and counties.
Rev. Samuel W. Ormond a nephew of Rev. William Ormond was for
years a local preacher at Ormond's Chapel and preached with great
power. He was invaluable to the preacher in charge, especially on
revival occasions. Rev. A. L. and J. M. Ormond of this conference,
are grand-nephews of Rev. William Ormond and are the (sic) of the
combined ?? influences of Rainbow and Ormond's Chapel, their
mother being the daughter of Rev. W. G. Cunninggim and sister of
Uncle Jesse Cunninggim.
NOTE: The Cunninggim and Gibbons families were well known
early Methodist ministers (mmm)
In 1787, the year of William Ormond conversion, Thomas Bowent
and Thomas Weatherford were preachers on the Tar River Circuit and
Edward Morris and Henry Ozburn were on the New River Circuit. From
the data before me I have been unable to determine which of these
circuits at this time included Dobbs (Greene) County. Tar River
included the counties on the North and East and the New River
included the counties of the South, Lenoir, Jones and Onslow. I am
of the opinion that it was embraced in the Tar River Circuit. At
any rate it was probably under the preaching of one of the men
above mentioned that William Ormond was converted.
In 1790 Contentnea, then spelled Contentney, Circuit was
formed and embraced portions of Greene, Pitt, Craven, Wayne and
Lenoir Counties. John Baldwin was its first preacher. This circuit
was contrived until 1808 when it was dropped and this territory
was included in Trent and Goshen circuits. Neuse Circuit was then
formed and Green and Lenoir together with
END OF DOCUMENT
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