Minister to the Cherokees

Contents: Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1 James Anderson Slover--His Parentage--Birth--Events and incidents of the first ten years of his eventful life. Chapter 2 Death of Grandfather Slover--Birth of his youngest brother--At the old Mill again with his brother Isaac--Marriage of his sister Katherine--A cousin from Illinois visits his father's family--Harvesting wheat--Mowing hay and taking care of it--His Mother makes nurse of him--His Father's family moves three times in three years--Marriage of his sister Sallie--He is hired out to work--His school facilities during his boyhood. Chapter 3 His religious experience--Conversion--He unites with Dumplin Creek Baptist Church--Has a narrow escape for his life January twelfth 1843--His brother Abraham gets married--The winter fever or Typhoid Pneumonia--His first trip down the Tennessee River on a flat boat--Incidents of his return trip--His brother John gets married--Visits his people in Jefferson County with his sister Elizabeth--Is employed by Randals brothers for six months--Mexican War and why he did not volunteer--In school again. Chapter 4 His call to the Ministry--Enters Black Oak Grove Seminary near Mossy Creek in Jefferson County, East Tennessee, early in March 1847--Is captured by a young lady, a farmer's daughter--Courtship by letter after leaving the Seminary--His prospects frustrated by the young lady's father--Seeks the heart and hand of another and is married January the seventeenth 1850--Teaches school--Is present at execution of a Negro man in Dandridge--Concludes to go West to Arkansas with his friend Samuel Cook--The building of a flat boat for emigration--Some of the incidents while making the long trip by water--Detained at Van Buren on account of sickness--Reaches Washington County in October--Again in the school room with the "Toothpickers" so-called--Is ordained to the field work of the Gospel Ministry in June 1853--Revivals of that year--Is called to the Pastorate of Missionary Chapel Church--Again in the school room--Teaches his last school in 1856. Chapter 5 His first school in Arkansas--The character of this school--School closes with little credit to teacher and less to the Patrons--A new field sought--Teaches a summer term of five months and cultivates a small farm--The new location--Finds a Baptist church--His wife is baptized--Buys a young black mare as a saddle animal for his wife--The mare threw her Mistress--Also her sister--Smart "Ellicks" and Wise-acres--Locates near Elm Spring on forty acres of Government land--Enters the same under the graduation law--Again in the school room--His first child is born--Changes his church relationship--Is ordained to the full work of the Ministry--A protracted meeting is held--Good results--Is met, at Mount Zion Association, by a delegation from Missionary Chapel Church--Becomes its pastor--Compelled to teach school again--Secures a good school near Evansville--His second child is born there--Returns to his little farm in January 1856--Teaches his last school in that year--Incidents at Latties schoolhouse. Chapter 6 He accepts an appointment from the Southern Baptist Convention through the Domestic and Indian Mission Board located at Marion, Alabama, to preach to the Cherokee Indians--His visit to the Chief for an interview in regard to locating in the nation--Moves to Tahlequah--Begins operations as a Missionary--Cold snap in April--Russel Holman, Corresponding Secretary, visits the field--The Missionary is interrogated as to his plan of operations, touching the vexed question of Slavery--His answer is well received--A girl baby comes to his home to stay--His first year's labor closes--Indians give him a name--Incredulity of the Natives. Chapter 7 Encouraging prospects--Travels and preaches--Makes a trip to Fayetteville, Arks.--Takes sick--Narrow escape from drowning--Dwelling house built--A Cherokee Lawyer interprets His sermons--Family increased by one--Churches organized--Association formed--A Judge interprets for him--Incidents--The Civil War begins--Actual hostilities or first gun is fired April the tenth 1861--He is employed as Chaplain for the first Cherokee Regiment under Col. Stand Watie, Confederate Mounted Volunteers, serves eight months--Cherokee Nation secedes in the fall of 1861--Terms etc etc--He concludes to abandon the field. Chapter 8 The Union Troops under Gen. Blunt on Cherokee Territory--Stand Watie's headquarters burned and his staff made prisoners--Gen. Blunt's letter to Chief Ross--Ross's ingenious answer--Mutiny of the Treaty Regiment--In company with his brother preacher E. L. Compere, the Missionary visits Chief Ross for information--Temporarily abandons his field--Three hundred Union soldiers make a raid on Tahlequah wanting the Missionary and seventeen other men--He stops outside of Indian Territory with Deacon J. W. Greer's family--His anxiety and mental trouble--His hazardous trip to Tahlequah and final abandonment of the Mission. Chapter 9 Another Skedaddling necessary--Preparations for a move to Texas--Has charge of an old preacher and family--Rainy weather--A breakdown in the mountains--Missionary fills the old preacher's wagon wheel at night--Stops at Richmond near Red River--Learns of the death of two brothers in Cherokee County, Texas--The Civil War closes--Is made acquainted with Mrs. Josephine M. Rodgers, a Rebel soldier's widow--Whom he afterward marries. Chapter 10 The Missionary and widow's courtship and engagement--His visit with the Domestic and Indian Mission Board--Southern Baptist Convention in Alabama--His sickness in Marion, Alabama--Returns by Crystal Springs, Mississippi--Archibald Fitzgerald and what his brother Aaron said of his copper--Sees the Rev. E. L. Compere and wife--Chances for courtship while making this visit--Is appointed Domestic Missionary by the Board--And finally reaches home in November and finds his affianced suffering from a fall from a horse--They get married in February 1866. Chapter 11 His labor as Missionary of the Southern Baptist Convention ceases--Is appointed to the Office of County Clerk of Little River County--Elected Justice of the Peace in 1868 in Little River County--A serious time in Rocky Comfort on the day he finishes his duties as Clerk--Little River County under martial law--Loses his horse and saddle--Militia soldiers in Richmond--Makes a trip to Washington County preparatory to crossing the Plains to California--Emigrates to California--A whole year on the road--One summer near Visalia--Locates on Tule River in Tulare County. Chapter 12 The Preacher locates a Preemption on the Tule River--Joins the Baptist church in Visalia--Is appointed by the American Baptist Home Mission Society to preach in Visalia and vicinity--His first attempt at farming in California--Dry season--Irrigating wheat--Crop short--Stage stand and Post Office at his residence--Another new comer in his family--His daughter Fannie narrowly escapes being burned to death--He is elected School Trustee and clerk of the Board--Is elected to the Office of Justice of the Peace--Another severe attack of erysipelas--The Doctor's bill--His daughter Rachel Jane marries Hugh W. Riggs--The last babe is born and dies--Borrows money at two per cent per month to pay for land--Gets United States Patent for the Preemption--Attends a South Methodist protracted meeting for six weeks--The Grange--Mutual Aid Society of Los Angeles, California. Chapter 13 With his farming in Tulare County, California, a failure--Two years in three total failures--Mortgage increases--The fifth crop is very cheap--No fence law passed for Tulare--His last year in California--Makes a desperate effort to make a good crop--Contemplates a move to Jackson County, Oregon--Mortgage foreclosed on his farm--Land redeemed by his two sons and son-in-law--He moves to Oregon in September 1881--Incidents of his trip. Chapter 14 He emigrates to Oregon--Preparations for the trip--The move and incidents of travel--Is unloaded at the residence of his friend, G. F. Pennebaker--Soon locates in a rented house belonging to Wm. Erbe of Ashland, Jackson County, Oregon--The terms rather hard--Makes the best crop perhaps ever made on the farm--Gains the confidence of the Oregonians around him--Nine months on the Erbe farm--Buys hotel property in Jacksonville, Oregon--Moves and takes charge of the hotel--Changes places in the same town--Daughter marries A. F. Eddy--His son James A. goes into the employ of Dr. Roberson to learn the drug business--Has a cash sale--Moves to Roseburg--Nine months in the Hotel business there--The business there--The business closes on him--Attempts another cash sale--Emigrates south of Grants Pass. Chapter 15 Homestead--His first improvised cabin--Builds a house ten by twelve feet as a homestead residence--Erects a good dwelling house, wood and poultry house--Clears and fences several acres of land--Plants an orchard--Miners desire to prospect for gold quartz--Harbin's placer--The Miners' contest--Homesteader loses forty acres of his Homestead--He submits his final proof--Riley Morrison enters a protest--He conceives a plan to build a house for New Hope Baptist church--Building erected under the supervision of a building committee--Dedication of the new church house--Incidents. Chapter 16 His move from his Homestead--Works on Deacon Glass' house--Is sick with pneumonia--Telephones to Ashland for medicine--All winter in Ashland--Holds a protracted meeting with New Hope church in May 1899--Again prostrated with pneumonia--Daughter Mrs. Eddy goes to San Francisco to attend the Baptist anniversaries--Three years labor on his son-in-law's Ashland farm--Homestead trouble renewed--Surveying had to be done before Patent could issue--Personal interview with the Commissioner, Binger Herman, at Medford--Homestead trouble ended after the lapse of 14 years. Chapter 17 A long desire gratified--Visits relatives and preaches in Tulare County, California--Receives fifty dollars from his (New Hope) church--Notifies his daughter at Ashland, Ore., to go east to the Southern Baptist Convention--Preparations for the long journey--Sends letter to Manly J. Breaker, d.d., to meet him at train in St. Louis--Visits old-time friend at Farmington, San Joaquin County, California--four weeks in Stockton--Boards the train the second day of May at eleven p.m. for St. Louis--Reaches the city one day behind time--All night in City--Boards the train at eight a.m. Wednesday the 7th for Asheville, n.c.--Two and a half days at Convention--Left Asheville for East Tennessee--A week with friends at Mossy Creek--Reaches his sister's at Sandy Ridge on May 19th--Many places of his boyhood days visited in Jefferson and Sevier counties--On the 8th day of August leaves his sister Katherine via Mossy Creek, Cleveland, Chattanooga, Tenn., and Bridgeport, Ala., for Elmyra, Mo., arriving on the 12th of Sept.--On the 15th celebrates his 78th birthday there--Visits relatives in St. Joseph, Clinton and other places in Missouri--On the 23rd of October boards the Santa Fe train for his brother, Thomas Slover's, at Henderson, Okla.--Spends four months with relatives in Oklahoma and Indian Territory--March the 12th boarded the Santa Fe train at Purcell, Indian Territory, for Visalia, Calif.--Incidents of the journey--Visits in Visalia, Calif.--March the 27th boards the Southern Pacific train for home in Ashland, Ore. Chapter 18 He takes charge of rented garden--A trip to Grants Pass and his (New Hope) Church in Sam's Valley--A cart for conveyance--The cart and horse for sale--A sudden attack of cholera morbus while en route for home--The kindness of a good brother and wife--Reaches home safely--Has grippe--Weeds grow all the same--Berries to take to packing house--He is notified that a purchaser for his Homestead is ready to conclude the deal--They meet at the Real Estate office of Dan Richards in Gold Hill--Visit to Homestead--A deed is made and four hundred dollars received as the consideration--Then the Preacher boarded the train for Grants Pass to meet with the Rogue River Association--Returns to Ashland--Places his money in First National Bank of Ashland, Ore.--Stores wood for the winter--The family moves to another house--Pleasant winter passes--Three hundred dollars invested in the Story Cotton Company of Philadelphia, Pa. Chapter 19 He leaves Ashland, Ore., for San Francisco, Calif.--Work for Book and Bible House--Also for Royal Manufacturing Company, Detroit, Mich.--In April 1905, he goes to Tulare County to spend the summer with daughter and granddaughter--He preaches to Woodville church and baptizes two--Then accompanies his daughter to Sanger, the town of her residence and church membership under Pastor Williams--A move to Rosedale, Kern County--Attends Baptist Association at Orosa--Death of daughter and funeral services conducted by her Pastor, Rev. Williams--Interment in Tulare Cemetery--He with granddaughter returns to her home at Woodville--The Preacher sorely afflicted with an ingrown toenail and boils--Two weeks rusticating at the Deer Creek Hot Springs--His return to Porterville--Thence to Woodville--In the latter part of October he makes his way to Dinuba and Fresno to visit grandchildren and acquaintances--And thence to San Francisco, his home. Chapter 20 Change of houses--The new residence--The Preacher again killing time with Brazil silverware--Granddaughter Edna Riggs' letter relative to her marriage--The great Earthquake and fire of San Francisco, April 18th, 1906--Works six days for Uncle Sam on refugee camps--Another visit with grandchildren--Visits one week in Visalia--The marriage of granddaughter Edna and Elbert S. Hicks at San Diego--He remains there until the third day of September--Meets his niece in Los Angeles, whom he never had seen--Arrives in Tulare City at ten a.m. Sept. 4th and is taken to his granddaughter's, Mrs. J. W. LaMarsna, at Woodville--A carpenter's job--Death of Carrie Jenks at San Diego--In March 1907 begins canvassing for Royal Manufacturing Co.--His equipage and success--Changed localities--At Dinuba with his granddaughter, Edna Hicks--Begins canvassing July 6th--Edna Hicks' first child--Starts for San Francisco about the 20th of November--Parlier and Fresno City and whom he meets at those places--Leaves Fresno City in the night of 29th of November for San Francisco--Arrives there in forenoon of 30th. Notes Selected Bibliography Index