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- Rev. George W. Pope, son of James Pope, was born in England. He was ra ised in the Church o. f England, in fact, he was named after the famed p riest, George Whitefield, but he changed his faith to Baptist after he g ot to America where he was a minister for over fifty years, forty-five o f the years at Abbotts Creek, North Carolina. When George was only six y ears old, his parents came from England to settle in Philadelphia. Jame s died there and his widow moved south to Baltimore where she dwelled f or some time, finally moving to what is now Guilford Co. , NC and settl ing on Pole Cat Creek. The first account we have of Elder Pope as a preacher is found in the o ldest records extant of Abbotts Creek Chruch in 1783, when it seems tha t they were commencing a new book, where his name is entered as pastor. A h istory of the Liberty Baptist Association (By Elder Henry Sheets) on Pa ge 40, sketches the life of Elder George Whitefield Pope as being one o f the foremost in the service of the church--his work being mainly in R owan (now Davidson Co., NC) "He figured most conspicuously in the Old S andy Creek Association, but his work as pastor for more than thirty yea rs was with the old Abbotts Creek Church. Here he did a work, the exten t of which eternity alone can tell." When he was ordained is not known. It is probable that he was a member o f Buffalo, an arm of Abbotts Creek Church, when he came to Abbotts Cree k as pastor. About 1783, he purchased a farm midway between Thomasville and High Poi nt one mile north of the Southern Railway, on the Guilford side of the C ounty Line. George Pope is given on the 1790 census of Guilford Co., NC, with 1 mal e over 16 years including head of family, 6 males under 16 years of age , and 2 females. In 1795 George Pope purchases 272 acres in Guilford Co., NC from Isaac H iatt. From the McCubbins Collection - Rowan Co., NC Public Library -Salisbury , NC: Rowan Co., NC, b ook 27 page 152: An indenture from the heirs of t he deceased George Pope (who are Mary, Jesse , Charles, James, & Willia m Pope, John & Mary Chaplin, Phelees (Phebe) & Hugh McKaughan, on 6 Mar 1 818 to Isaac & Geo. Whd. Pope for 254 acres on Rich Fork of Abbott's Cr eek, for $160 .00, witnessed by Joseph & Benjamin Albertson, Isaac Glan don & Sherwood Kenneday, proved in a county court held at Lexington (No w the county seat of Davidson Co. where our courts too k examination of M ary (wife of John Chaplin) apart from her husband & proves on 5 Oct 181 9. T his land is a part of an old tract granted to Jacob & Joseph Wilso n by Gov. Samuel Johnston. Book 21 page 646: On 28 Nov 1798, George Pope of Guilford Co., NC gets 2 54 acres on Rich For k of Abbott's Creek, for $782.00 from Joseph Wilso n of Rowan Co., NC, witnessed by William Po pe & James Hopkins.(This ha d been granted by The State to Jacob & Joseph Wilson). History of Liberty Baptist Association , page 82: Morgan Edwards says t hat Shubert Stearns an d his company of sixteen Baptist (including hims elf and wife) came to Sandy Creek 14 Nov 1755 , and on the 22nd day of t he same month, Sandy Creek Church was Constituted. He further say s tha t in three years' time they had increased to three churches and 900 com municants. The fi rst church which sprang off was Abbott's Creek, the o ther. Deep River. Page 83: NC, Rowan Co., Jenevary ye 4 day, 1783: For the Baptist Church i n Abets Crick & afte r confession of faith, members are given with Geor ge Pope as pastor. From this time to Sep 18 13, George Pope was pastor, m aking about thirty-one years. Preached in a log house a few yard s east o f present church. Went to SC later. Commencing January 1783, he continued as pastor without any interruptio n till September 1813 , when he and his wife were granted letters of di smission. From The Descenants of Silas Peace: He was doubtless a man of mo re than ordinary power . The principles as believed and taught by Bapti sts very naturally inculcate liverty of consc ience in all matters of r eligion. He was, therefore, loyal to the American cause during the s tr uggle for independence. This naturally enough rendered him obnoxious to t he Tory element wh o thought that, inasmuch as he was born on English s oil, he ought to be true to King George . Men (who were afterwards foun d to be Torries) called at his home inquiring for him tellin g his wife t hat they desired Mr. Pope to meet them at a certain school house. He me t them pro mptly only to learn that they intended to kill him. He obtai ned permission to preach before t hem for "one last time". In the deliv ery of his sermon, which was one of great power, some we re convicted a nd all were more of less wrought upon. At the close of the sermon, they t old hi m to go home that they would never trouble him again." After Rev. George retired, he kept getting the visions to "go to Lynche s Creek and preach" . He was a man in his eighties and he wasn't inter ested in preaching anymore, and he didn' t know where Lynches Creek was s o he didn't pay any attention to the visions. His crops an d cattle st arted dying so he got on his knees and prayed, "God, what do you want m e to do? " An angel appeared and told him to go to Lynches Creek and p reach; so he saddled up his best pony and headed for parts unknown. La ndmarks in his dreams he had the night before showed him he was on the r ight road. After traveling several days, he came into a town that was h aving a revival so he decided to stop and attend. After everyone had s poken, he asked if h e could say a few words. He spoke with such vigor t hat after the meeting, a group of men cam e to him and asked if he woul d go to their town and preach. He asked them where they lived and they s aid, "down the road about five miles in a settlement called Lynches Cre ek". He was by that time in South Carolina. He was there until he die d five years later. This story i s on his monument in the church cemet ery the congregation erected in his honor.
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Puffer Genealogy
1750 - 1817 (67 years)
