HISTORICAL SKETCHES

CANE CREEK BAPTIST CHURCH

Number 15: March 2006 www.canecreek.org 6901 Orange Grove Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278

The Diary Of James Mason

James Mason farmed a large tract of land east of Chapel Hill. He married into the Morgan family (the same Morgans who named Morgan Creek), and took over the farm which later became known as Mason Farm. Mason's widow donated the tract to the University and it is now where the Botanical Preserve and the UNC golf course are located. The reason I am devoting a Sketch to James Mason is that he was our pastor for ten years beginning in 1871. He kept a diary which is housed in the Southern Historical Collecion on the UNC campus. I wish that we had diaries back earlier but the first one is for 1876. This is the same year that James Cheek, the author of Footprints of a Human Life, arrived (at age two) in our community.

In those days, preachers of all denominations usually had a "circuit" of churches they preached at. Each church might pay them a hundred or so dollars a year so a preacher could make a small living with four churches, attending to each church once a month. Mason's circuit included Bethel, Lystra, Mt. Morriah, and others. He preached at Cane Creek on the third weekend of each month. He would arrive about midday on Saturday, conduct a business meeting, and deliver a sermon. Then he would go to a neighbor's house for the evening. The next day he would go to church, deliver a sermon at the morning service, eat at a home in the community, and return to his farm. Mason's diary was a small thing which he could carry with him in a vest pocket.

On the first page of his 1881 diary he wrote: "Everything still burried in snow. I communicate this diary praying that I may live to write something good on every page in it. Oh, that if I do live through the year, I may be blessed and glorify God in my body and spirit which are his."

I wish I could report that he wrote down some shrewed and insightful observations aboout the people at Cane Creek. But he didn't. What we mainly learn about is the weather, where he ate meals, and where he spent the night. Here is his first Cane Creek entry in its entirety:

Saturday, January 15, 1876: "Rose at 5 and fixed off for Cane Creek. Started 25 minutes before 8. Went to Abner Conklin's. T. D. Oldham went with me and stayed all night with me. My buggy was found to be badly broken. A smith lived nearby and mended it that night. Charged me 40 cents. Quite sleepy. Retired at 9. Slept only tolerably well."

Sunday, January 16: " I slept at Abner Conklin's with T. D. Oldham. Arose about 7. Went to the top of Smith's Mountain. Knelt down and prayed. Returned to the house and started to church at 10. Started for home. Never stopped only a few minutes to pray with M. Lindley who I think is on his dying bed. Found all well at home. Retired at 9. Slept well."

From this, you would be corect in judging that many entries would have to be read in order to collect a few little gems and to learn the names of people prominant in the church. The following are some little semi-precious gems:

Saturday June 17, 1876: Mr. ??? went with me to Thompson's Mill. Got some flour. So rainy, no meeting. Stayed with Thomas S. Cates.

Sunday, June 18, 1876. Went to Mrs. Snipes to marry John L. Sykes to Callie Snipes. Dinner at Thomas Dodson's. Came through by Pickard's Mill.

Sunday, January 20, 1878: I came to church to preach the funeral of old Sister Roach. but it was raining so hard, no congregation.. I did not get out of my buggy. They arrivd at the grave with the corpse while I was in the church yard.

Saturday, April 20, 1878: Quite a number arraigned before church for dancing and drunkenness. Mostly females for dancing.

Sunday, October 20, 1878: Went to church via Thompson's Mill to baptize a candidate, one Brother Reaves.

Sunday, September 1, 1879: Went to J. T. Minnis's to marry Ed Snipes to Maggie Minnis. Too wet for church.

Sunday, October 19, 1879: Went to church by way of Thompson's Mill to do some baptizing. But the weather being so unfavorable, the candidates did not come.

Saturday, April 17, 1880: I went to Cane Creek. I stayed at Brother T. J. Cates. Rev. G. W. Purefoy, DD, died between 8 and 9PM. [Purefoy was our pastor for 13 years beginning in 1839.]

Sunday, April 18, 1880. Back to church. Preached a funeral. Then went to Cool Spring. Preached at 3PM. Stopped on the way for dinner at T. J. Cates'. Spent the night at Mr. N. D. Bain's. Dr. Purefoy burried this evening.

Sunday, September 18, 1881: Back to church via Thompson's Mill. Baptized 6 persons. After preaching, walked to T. S. Cates' to marry one N. Jones to T. S. Cates' daughter. Dinner there. Walked back to Mrs. Snipes where my horse and buggy was. Horse sick during preaching.

1881 was Mason's last year with us. In that year typhoid fever ravaged his family, taking his two precious daughters and leaving him an ill and broken man. An obituary in the Biblical Recorder (8/16/93) said: "the farm hands were bringing in the sheaves of wheat and closing up their labors for the rest of the sabbath. The cattle were returning along the lanes. The sunset was clear and serene over the beautiful fields and woods, and evening was bringing all things home. And he too, the master, the husband, the preacher, was going home. As the sun sank behind the hills he died peacefully and without a struggle, in the full posession of his mind and sustained by an unfaltering faith."

For many years following Mason, Cane Creek continued to be served by a circuit preacher once a month. The first person to prech twice a month was W. O. Petty in 1909. Our first fulltime preacher was Harry Byrd who began his ministry in 1953. Ed Johnson