Native Americans built Baptist association's strength

I'm reblogging this bit of Christian His-Story in honor of the Somers family heritage which began with Capt. John Somers of Caswell County, NC in the 1700's, and continued with his son in Tennessee and eventually my Great Grandfather settling in Butler County, Missouri... and to my Native American Cherokee ancestry which was hidden for many years to avoid racial persecution. - AW

The original Burnt Swamp Baptist Church hosted meetings that led to the formation of the Burnt Swamp Baptist Association in 1881. The association moved the structure, which has its original floor joists, to the current association office property in Pembroke, N.C. (Photo by Alan Oxendine)

By Jim Burton - Posted at Baptist Press:

PEMBROKE, N.C. (BP) -- In 1881, Burnt Swamp Baptist Association, an association of Native American Baptist churches, was established. From its humble beginnings of three churches in Robeson County, N.C. -- two of which still exist -- the association now includes 70 churches in 10 North Carolina counties and two neighboring states.

Coharie, Haliwa-Saponi, Lumbee, Pee Dee, Tuscarora and Waccamaw Siouan make up the multi-tribal association's membership, which was distinctively Baptist from its beginning.

"As far as we can tell, it's the first organization of an association set up by Indians for Indians," said Mike Cummings, a Lumbee who, since 1988, has led what may be Southern Baptists' first affinity-based association.

Associational strength and community gave the southeastern North Carolina tribes perseverance to battle harsh realities in a segregated South.

At its first meeting, the association appointed a Domestic Board to evangelize Native Americans and established Indian education as a core concern of its churches. The association aggressively raised money to develop elementary schools, often planting churches in the same communities where schools were built. The association also engaged in a larger effort to raise funds for a high school for Indians.

"This was the only place we could come; [we] couldn't go to black or white meetings," Cummings said. "We were on the fringe of North Carolina Baptist life.

Read more here...

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Somers Scottish Connections

In the mid 1970's my dad traveled to Scotland while serving in the Air National Guard. When he returned home, I remember him telling me that while he was there, he visited Edinburgh Castle and found a book that contained the names of those who had served in the Scottish military hundreds of years ago... And much to his surprise, there were many named "Somers" listed in the book. Dad also tells the story of a bed and breakfast owner who spelled the Somers name correctly when he first checked in. He was surprised because most folks want to add an extra "m" or spell it like the season. He complimented her for getting the spelling correct, to which she replied "Is there any other way to spell it?" These two events prompted him to do some family research while in Scotland and when he returned home, he was convinced the Somers family had roots there. Yesterday while researching the Somers family from Caswell, County, NC, I came across information ...

A Scots Cherokee? Possibly...

Great Grandfather Henry Francis Somers Indications are I'm Scottish through my mother's family line (the Lawson's) and the oral family history from my father's side handed down from my Great Grandfather Henry Francis Somers to his son, my Grandfather, William Henry Somers, and to my father, Jesse Cecil Somers, is that we are descended from both the Scots and the Cherokee. So, I'm sharing these informative excerpts and resources for the Somers family researchers. The Cherokee Indian Nation (Scottish Tartans Authority) : It may seem strange to link tartan with some of the great tribes of north American Indians and you could be forgiven for querying the link. It is however, part and parcel of the legendary global spread of the early Scots adventurers who permeated all walks of life and all cultures. The modern appeal of tartan as a unique identifier with those adventurers - whether the links are by nature or nurture - is a fascinating phenomeno...

Cherokee Confederate Veterans Reunion taken in New Orleans in 1903

"Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth." Ephesians 6:2,3 (AKJV) The following caption appears under the original image: Above is shown the last photograph ever taken of the remaining members of the famous Thomas Legion, composed of Cherokee Indians in the Confederate Army. The photograph was made in New Orleans at the time of the New Orleans Reunion of Confederate Veterans. The inscription on the banner, displayed in the photograph, is as follows: "Cherokee Veteran Indians of Thomas Legion. 69 N. C. Regiment. Suo-Noo-Kee Camp U. C. V. 4th Brigade, N. C. Division." Reading from left to right, those in the picture are: front row, 1 Young Deer; 2 unidentified; 3 Pheasant; 4 Chief David Reed; 5 Sevier Skitty; back row, 1 the Rev. Bird Saloneta; 2 Dickey Driver; 3 Lieut. Col. W. W. Stringfield of Waynesville; 4 Lieutenant Suatie Owl; 5 Jim Keg; 6 Wes...

Excellent Resource for those with Scottish Roots: 'Jardine's Book of Martyrs'

A Rare List of Covenanter Baptisms #History #Scotland #genealogy By Dr. Mark Jardine - Posted March 30, 2016 Image from Jardine's Book of Martyrs Excerpt: A remarkable document survives from the field preachings of the late 1670s. It is a list of baptisms conducted ‘in Fields and other places’ in Torphichen parish, Linlithgowshire, between 1675 and 1679. One of the things that makes individual Covenanters of the 1680s and their children hard to trace is their withdrawal from the established church that produced records of births and marriages. Among those who had children baptised were two individuals of particular significance, Edward Marshall , who was hanged in 1685, and George Hill , one of the leaders of the United Societies. A third name, Patrick Walker in Slamannan parish is probably Patrick Walker ‘in Drumcria’, aka. Drumclair. He may be the Patrick Walker who wrote the lives of Cameron, Cargill etc. Walker did know people in Torphichen parish and ...

Five Generations of Godly Womanhood

Image is from the Clay County Courier, Corning, Arkansas, March 28, 1968 * The article states that a strong family resemblance is noted, and the strong family resemblance continues today in 2015 (90+ yrs. since this photo was taken) for the descendants of these lovely women. ** This article states the mother of Nancy (Jones) Wright as Nancy Jones, but the Somers Family Bible, as recorded by Lillian Mae (Weaver) Somers, states Mary Ann Jones as the mother of Nancy Wright. I have found that Lillian's records in the Family Bible are accurate in other matters and believe the name used in this article for the 85 year old Mrs. Jones may be a misprint.

Our Somers Family Heritage

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