With the war over, Baptist churches of the South that survive the great conflict strive to return to some sense of normalcy. Many churches face a generational future of far fewer white male members than prior to the war. In addition, black members, if they have not already, are certain to leave within weeks, months…
Today the 13th Amendment passes in the House of Representative, thus clearing the United States Congress. The amendment abolishes slavery, declaring “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” Now, the…
From the border state of Kentucky, a Baptist writes of the war-generated excitement in his state. Benjamin Franklin Hungerford (1825-1916) is a Baptist minister who is a Union man and anti-slavery. His journal reveals his interest in the war, an interest shared by many other of the state’s residents. A Union report briefly details some…