Tri-County Times, 1977 (Newspaper articles)
�Origin of the First Baptist Church of Oliver Springs� by Snyder Roberts.
These are fairly long articles and I will only do abstracts from the pages that have the Seiber name. Thanks to Pat, Snyder's daughter, for granting permission to do these..
Tri-County Times
May 25, 1977
The First Baptist Church in present Day Oliver Springs was established at the shelter near the Sulphur Springs on Monday, October 26, 1846 by Reverend Joshua Frost. Mr. Roberts listed early members of the church which were:
Polly Cross, William G. Butler, Thomas SEIBER, Harris Woods, William C Griffith, Louisa Lockett, Kezziah Butler, Charlottia Manley, Caroline, Judy, Polly Butler, Celia Griffith, Rebecca Woods, James Davis, Rebecca Davis, Angelina Davis, Alexander Linch, Isabel Linch, Mary Linch, Daniel Crase, Nancy Crase, Humphrey Thacker, Judy Thacker, E. W. Ketchum, Charles Davis, Margaret Ketchum, Sarah Hoskins, Lucinda Shaw, Samuel SEIBER, Winney SEIBER, Mary SEIBER, Eliza Thomas, Thomas N. Burris, Mariah Burriss, Mahala Bennett, Nancy McKamey, Henry SEIBER, Sintha Farmer, Edward P, Bray and Mariah SEIBER.
Tri-County Times
June 1, 1977
The Sulphur Springs Church was the mother Church for a number of area Baptist Churches. These local churches had their origins as �arms� off the mother church. The Sculpture Springs Church had only been organized less than a year when the name of an Arm appears in its minutes. On first Saturday in July 1847, Rev. Chesley Boatright being in attendance the Church was set at the home of Moses Duncan (Frost Bottom) for preaching and reception of members Mary SEIBER was received by experience. Other Arms were added in Frost Bottom in the next few years. Some of the names for the Frost Bottom arm were: Moses Duncan, Samuel SEIBER, Blufort Braden, Tommy SEIBER, Mary Brown, Vesta Brown, Charlotte Webb, Joseph Webb, J. Chiles, Vesta Braden, James A. Brummette, Susanna Kesterson, and James Kesterson.
Frost Bottom had the preaching services of Tommy and John SEIBER, Chesley Boatright, and Joshua Frost.
Comment: For ones who do not know Rev. Joshua Frost was Uncle to Isabelle Frost who married Samuel Seiber.
The Sulphur Springs Church had additional arms as revealed by its minutes August 1860, The Church appointed Tobias Peters, William C. Griffith, Noah Stonecipher, and Thomas SEIBER to meet with the arm at Farmers Schoolhouse to assist in settling a dispute. This particular arm probably was located in Dutch Valley.
Tri-County Times
June 8, 1977
Deacons:
These early Church records mention the setting apart of several members to be ordained as Deacons, but others may have served who are not mentioned in the minutes. Those ordained July 1848 were: Thomas SEIBER, William C. Griffith, and James Davis.
Tri-County Times
June 22, 1977
Pastors:
The known Pastors for the first twenty one years are:
1. Chesley H. Boatright was called February 28, 1847.
2. Isaac Ellege was called for one year in November 1847.
3. Elijah Walker was called February 28, 1850 for 12 months and was called again in January of 1852.
4. Tommy SEIBER was called in October 1858 and again in May of 1860.
5. Charles R. McGlothin was called January 1860.
6. After the Church had been without a pastor for some time (during the Civil War) James McGlothin was called in June 1866.
Tri-County Times
No date, 1977
Sulphur Springs Church.
Mr. Roberts said there was no membership roll call found but a loose leaf list of names with no caption or title was found in the Minute Book which had more than 250 names. He says that the list is evidently almost complete, but a few names are listed in minutes as members which do not appear on this list. There are 252 names listed.
I will type only the ones that are Seiber or have a Seiber connection.
3. Thomas SEIBER
29. Samuel SEIBER
30. Henry SEIBER
31. Mary SEIBER
33. T. N. Burris
34. Mariah Burris
36. Nancy McKamey
37. Henry SEIBER
38. Sintha Farmer
40. Mariah SEIBER
41. Elijah Duncan
42. Polly SEIBER
44. Nancy McKamey
47. Nancy SEIBER
48. Robert SEIBER
125. Lucinda Grubb (mother of Franklin Boyd Grubb who married Rutha Seiber)
172. Melvina SEIBER
179. Melvina SEIBER
183. Elizabeth H. Chiles
185. Jane Taylor (SEIBER)
186. Louisa SEIBER
207. Mary SEIBER
210. Moses SEIBER
214. Jane Silvey (SEIBER)
Note: Please let me know if you know your family was a member and I will send it to Jeanette to add.
Tri-County Times
No date, 1977
Pastors:
Thomas SEIBER.
It has a small picture of him and caption reads �Rev. Thomas SEIBER, Pastor of Sulphur�
Quote:
The fourth known Pastor to be called by Sulphur Springs Church was Thomas SEIBER in October of 1858 after he had been ordained in the Church in August of 1858. He was called again as Pastor in May of 1860. Tommy SEIBER was the most active members of the Sulphur Springs Church over a long period of time his name appears in the minutes more than fifteen times. His name is included in the first roll of the Church, he served as a delegate to the Associational Meetings numerous times and on committees conducting church trials, and is mentioned in various other capacities. Rev. John and Rev. Thomas were the sons of Samuel SEIBER , and the grandsons of Phillip SEIBER Sr. (abt 1765 � abt 1841.
Mr. Roberts lists the genealogy of Samuel Seiber:
Samuel SEIBER was born April 5, 1790 in Maryland. He was a soldier of the War of 1812. He married first Isabella Frost the daughter of Macajah and Nancy (Robbins) Frost. Samuel and Isabella had 7 children (2 sets of twins)
1. Nancy SEIBER born 17 September 1810
2. Phillip SEIBER born March 26, 1812, married Mary McKamey. Was bushwhacked near the door of his home in Frost Bottom and was killed.
3. Elijah SEIBER born April 28, 1816, and
4. John SEIBER a twin to Elijah born April 28, 1816 (John a preacher)
5. Thomas SEIBER born November 28, 1821; he was married 1845 by Rev. Joshua Frost to Mary �Polly� Chiles. Daughter of Macajah Chiles and Elizabeth (Wilkens) Chiles. She was the sister of Sally Chiles who married Elijah Frost Duncan and the sister of William Chiles. He moved to Illinois to evade the family feud that came about with his brother Philip being bushwhacked.
6. Samuel SEIBER Jr., was born February 28, 1827.
7. Mariah SEIBER February 28, 1827 was a twin to Samuel.
Samuel SEIBER, Sr. marries secondly to Elizabeth Wilkins Chiles. Elizabeth was b. 5/1/1805 who was the widow of Macajah Chiles and the mother of the three Chiles mentioned above.
Samuel and Elizabeth had 6 children:
1. Frederic SEIBER born September 2, 1835, served in the Confederate Army and died in a Confederate Veteran�s Home.
2. Elizabeth SEIBER born June 12, 1837
3. Massey SEIBER born January 1, 1839
4. Analiza SEIBER born September 27, 1842
5. Malinda SEIBER born June 9, 1847
6. Benjamin SEIBER born March 26, 1849 who lived in Illinois
Tri-County Times
July 6, 1977
He next discusses Elder John SEIBER and Rev. John SEIBER his Uncle.
Rev. John SEIBER
Rev. John SEIBER was born April 28, 1816 was the grandson of Phillip Seiber Sr. (abt. 1765-1847, the son of Samuel SEIBER b. 1790 in MD and the brother of Pastor Thomas SEIBER. He was a participating minister in a sacramental meeting at the Sulphur Springs Church in 1852, and served as Moderator for the Church Session in 1858. He was called as Pastor of Poplar Creek (later New Fairview) about 1857. Rev. John was well-known in the tri-county area. He preached the introductory sermon of the Clinton Baptist Associational Meeting in 1884 at Coal Creek, and preached at a night service during the organization of the Big Emory Association in 1875.
In his Autobiography, Rev. John SEIBER says that he was married (1840) Alvina Kincaid. He professed faith in Christ September 4, 1848, licensed to preach by Mt. Zion and in 1852 was ordained. Rev. John served as Pastor at New Bethel, Mt. Zion, Poplar Creek, and Fairview (all of Roane County) He helped to organize New Bethel, Mt. Zion and rebuild East Fork and Robertsville Churches. He helped establish 7 churches. Rev.
John and Alvina had the following children:
1. Rutha married first a Copeland, secondly a Grubb
2. Nancy married a Grubb
3. Phoebe married Ananias McKinney
4. Mariah
5. Malinda married Pryor Hoskins
6. Betsy
7. Margaret married John Davis.
Rev. John died May 25 1891 and is buried in East Fork Cemetery in Oak Ridge.
Rev. �Uncle� John SEIBER.
Preacher John SEIBER born 1797 in Maryland may not have preached in the Sulphur Springs Church.
Rev. John SEIBER and Millie built their home, a mill, and a Church at the juncture of the Hoskins Hollow Road with the Frost Bottom Road.
Rev. John and Millie SEIBER had a family of at least eleven children in1850.
1. Levi 1821
2. Katherine 1824
3. Phillip 1828
4. Clarissa 1831
5. Frederick 1834
6. Hyram 1836
7. Malinda 1838
8. George 1840
9. Mark 1840
10. Jurdon 1842
11. Stephen 1848
It is seen that the early Seiber families made a sizable contribution in the early struggles of the Baptist Churches in Anderson and Roane Counties.
Mr. Roberts also gave a little genealogy on Phillip SEIBER Sr.
Phillip SEIBER, Sr. born about 1754 was reported to be of German ancestry and is the progenitor of most of the Seiber (various spellings) families in this area. His will dated 1833 mentions wife Mary and sons Frederick and Joseph but fails to list all the children and heirs. Records indicate other children as Phillip, Jr., Samuel, Nimrod (1803) married Mary Farmer (moved to Illinois), Robert (1812) married Winnie Jane Farmer, and Rev. John born 1797 in Maryland who married Millie Lively daughter of John Lively.
