Gilead Baptist Church of South Carolina’s Grindal Shoals community dates to September 27, 1804. Revolutionary veterans comprised six of the founding members. Upon the commencement of the Civil War, many members joined the Confederate Army, including pastor Philip Ramsour Elam. William Lee took Elam’s place as pastor for 1861 and 1862. During Lee’s pastorate, three…
Under Union occupation during the Civil War, Alexandria, Virginia became a safe haven for runaway slaves (also known as contraband). Near an old slave pen area on Duke Street the Shiloh Baptist Church, a congregation of former slaves, began on March 29, 1863. The first worship service was held in a U.S. government mess hall.…
Treated as non-humans by Southern state laws in the decades prior to and during the war, slaves were not allowed to marry. Many slave couples compensated by engaging in simple rituals signifying informal marriages. White Baptist leaders of the South remained defiantly supportive of black slavery throughout the war, although some voiced support of laws…