LONG CANE ASSOCIATE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
The beginning of the church at Long Cane was in a fort where the settlers would go for safety. After the Cherokee and the Creek massacres people built Fort Boone which served as a haven of safety as well as a "school house" and also served as a "meeting house" where the settlers assembled for worship. In an Act, dated February 7, 1780, the church at Fort Boone was incorporated as the "Presbyterian Church called Fort Boone congregation at Long Cane settlement." Prior to this Long Cane Associate Reformed Presbyterian church was organized in 1771 as Associate Presbyterian church. A number of the congregation were from Ireland who along with about one hundred families left Newry, Ireland for America. They arrived in New York on the 28th of July on the ship John. This large body of passsengers were all part of the Rev. Clarke’s congregation from Ireland. Part of this group went to Salem, New York and the other part migrated to Long Canes section and formed the congregations of Little Run, Long Cane and Cedar Creek (later Cedar Spring) churches. Dr. Clark visited his congreation in 1771 as a result of this visit the church was organized. He also visited the church in 1779, as an order of Presbytery and again he visited in 1782. Dr. Clark spent the remainder of 1782 and the greater part of 1783 at Long Cane, Little Run (Little River) and Cedar Spring (organized in 1782. In the summer of 1783 he was called North and identified himself with the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church (organized in 1782); and during this time he labored as a missionary among the churches of this branch in the North.
Sometime between 1772 and 1775 Rev. William Martin came to America in 1772 from Ballymena, Ireland and who was pastor at Catholic church, Chester county, preached at Long Cane. Another supply minister Rev. William Ronaldson also preached at the church as well as at Joppa, Jefferson county, Georgia, and at Poplar Springs, Georgia. Dr. Clark preached his last sermon at Long Cane Meeting House, December 25, 1791, he died soon afterwards. A larger church replaced the same site of the original log church on land that was given by James Hutcherson survey. Following Dr. Clark’s death Long Cane had supplies for four years. The first year, the Rev. Peter McMillan (frequently written as McMullan) pastor of Due West, supplied when he was able.
In 1770, Rev. Alexander Porter, the first native-born minister of the Presbytery of the Carolinas and Georgia was born. He was born and grew up near Parsons’ Mount (named by the owner of this mount and surrounding land, James Parsons, a lawyer, of Charleston), Abbeville County. After completing his education and theological training at Dickinson College, Pennsylvania and having been licensed to preach by the Second Associate Reformed Presbytery of Pennsylvania, he returned home and began to preach at Long Cane and Cedar Spring, January 1, 1797. On March 22, 1797, a call was moderated for him, and signed by the following members:
| William Hill Adam Hill Simon Beard Hugh Beard Robert Smith Pat Quin John Campbell Nat Weed Reuben Weed William Dale, Jr. James Nelson William McDonald, Jr. Peter Totten William Deal, Sr. Andrew White, Jr. Matthew Shanks Adam Beard Samuel Patterson John Wilson John Beard John Kown David Wiley Thomas Wiley John Learry Robert Pressly Samuel Spence Thomas Jordan Agnus Massey Henery (Henry) Weems Thomas McBride George Hearst James McBride Hugh McBride Thomas McMillan Gilbert Wilson William Stewart John Foster Joseph Jones John Young James Foster, Jr. David Kenedy Nathaniel Weed, Sr. Samuel McClinton George Con John Hearst John Devlin Thomas Mealey David Cochran Archibald Thompson Jane Vickery Bart. Waems, Sr. James Foster, Sr. Mary Black Robert Crawford Andrew Paul John Lesley Samuel Young Robert Margey William Black Andrew Jones John Morrow, Sr. James McBride Jane Patten John White William Cochran George Macbeath Robert McMical Samuel Leard James Foster |
John Waddle Andrew English, Jr. Samuel Foster, Sr. James Cochran Archibald Thompson, Jr. Samuel McClinton, Sr. Samuel McClinton, Jr. Robert Bradford Mary Ann Nannaway John McCullough Rosanah McKinney Marget Riley Jane Hannah Edward Wailes Mary Boggs Griel Findley James Smith John Kown William Fife James Gray, Jr. James Patterson Charles Beaty John Beaty, Jr. Andrew Cochran James Thompson John McClinton Archibald Morrison Hugh McCullough Alexander Patterson William McBride John Robertson John McBride Thomas McBride James McCormick John Gilmer John Deal William Etward Samuel Leard Abraham Little Thomas Hearst Timothy Russell John Miller John Cooey (Coudy) James Conn Agnes Irwin Elizabeth Boggs Elias Gibson John Pressly John McGaw James Bonner John Leard John Thompson Andrew McCormick Robert Taylor Michel McClimmins Mary Glasgow Andrew Ewart John Campbell Pat Bradley James McMillan George McFarlin Ann Lessly John Patterson Pat Gibson, Jr. James Shanks William Buck John Beaty, Sr. Francis Hunter James Gray, Sr. |
Margaret Meaben James Hawthorne Martha Downey Elizabeth Chalmers Andrew Paul Samuel Foster, Jr. Samuel McClinton James McClinton Robert Gibson John Gibson Joseph Couey Hugh McCormick Gennit Quin Alexander Spence Arthur McCrery Alexander Clark John Tygart Robort Hearst John Diffur John Douglas James Foster, Jr. John Gaston William Nelson James Young Robert Kewn Robert Foster James Lesley Agnes Rogers Collen Forbis James Forbis Frederick Hart Malcolm Kays Robert Corley William Foster Enos Crawford, Jr. William Norris William Clark William White Robert Cravin Rowand Kewn Anthony Tittle John McBride William McDonald William Henderson William Robinson Jane Patten Arthur Morrow, Sr. Arthur Morrow, Jr. James Morrow John Morrow, Jr. John Black Joseph Hearst John Anderson David Anderson Alexander Gaston John Kewn John Beard John Wilson James McBride John Morrow Thomas Lindsey Joseph (James) Lindsey Robert McDonald John Pinkerton Simon Beard Samuel Stewart James Anderson Samuel Pressly |