Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

Use microfilm copy, Cumberland County (Va.) Reel 88.

Preferred Citation

Cumberland Baptist Church Record Book, 1856-1896. Cumberland County (Va.) Reel 88, Local government records collection, Cumberland County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Acquisition Information

This item came to the Library of Virginia in shipments of court papers from Cumberland County under the accession number 41989.

Historical Information

Cumberland Baptist Church was founded in 1810 by Joseph Jenkins. The church first met in a log building. Members of Cumberland Baptist church met alternately at Booker's Meeting House and Tar Wallet Meeting House between 1836 and 1843 when the congregation divided. The members living near Tar Wallet formed a separate church and the remaining members constituted Cumberland Baptist Church. The congregation met at Booker's Meeting House from 1856 until 1858 when the congregation began meeting at Jenkins' Meeting House.

Prominent families who were members of Cumberland Baptist Church include Jenkins family, Anderson family, Reynolds family, Dowdy family, Dunkum family, Meador family, Nunnally family, Parker family, Sanderson family, and Talley family.

Scope and Content

Cumberland Baptist Church Record Book, 1856-1896, records the church's monthly and quarterly meetings. Information found includes date and location of meetings; names of members attending meetings; election of church officers; reports of church officers; reports to James River Association providing the number of members both white and African American; resolutions passed by church membership; and decisions made by the church membership related to the activities of the church such as excommunication of members, reconciliation of church members, and baptism of new church members. The church's membership included African Americans most of whom were slaves of church members. The record book lists the names of slaves baptized and their owners. It also records the withdrawal from the church of African American members in 1866 for the purpose of forming a Baptist church for African Americans.

The record book includes an index that lists in alphabetical order the names of church members. The index includes additional information such as the year the individual joined the church, the year they were removed from the membership roll, and the reason for their removal (excommunication, death, transfer of membership, etc.)

Conservation was performed by the Library of Virginia Conservation Lab in 2020 and funded by a donation made by Georga S. Williams to the Library of Virginia Foundation's Adopt Virginia History Program.

Arrangement

Chronological.

Related Material

A negative photostatic copy of Cumberland Baptist Church Minute Book, 1836-1856, can be found at the Library of Virginia under the accession number 24200.

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Cumberland Baptist Church (Cumberland County, Va.)

Subjects:

• African Americans -- History.

Subjects:

• Baptism and church membership -- Virginia -- Cumberland County.
• Baptists -- Virginia -- Cumberland County. -- History.
• Church meetings -- Virginia -- Cumberland County.
• Excommunication -- Baptists.
• Slaveholders -- Virginia -- Cumberland County.
• Slavery and the church -- Baptists.
• Slavery and the church -- Virginia -- Cumberland County.
• Slaves -- Virginia -- Cumberland County.

Geographical Names:

• Cumberland County (Va.) -- Church history -- 19th century.

Genre and Form Terms:

• Church records -- Virginia -- Cumberland County.
• Local government records -- Virginia -- Cumberland County.
• Minute books -- Virginia -- Cumberland County.

Adjunct Descriptive Data