I have previously written about the Oklahoma
Landmark Baptist State Association HERE and HERE. I found some information in a
source about which I had forgotten. As I was looking around for resources that I
might have on Oklahoma Baptists, my eyes lit on My Fifty Years of Gospel Ministry: an Autobiography, by G. W.
Crawford. George Washington Crawford was born in Hill County, Texas in 1874.
Around 1894 he moved with his parents to Indian Territory. In 1899, the Lake Valley
Baptist Church licensed him to preach, then ordained him April 30, 1900.
G. W. Crawford was one of the preachers who supplied the historical committee facts about the association formed in Tulsa in 1903. However, he does not mention that association in his autobiography. On the other hand, he mentions the state association. He describes it as being “reorganized,” though he does not explain the particulars of his meaning of that.
The present State Association was reorganized at McAlester, in October 1912. We met there as per arrangement for the purpose of reorganizing the State Association. A little bunch of brethren, J. H. Milburn, H. M. Cagle and C. R. Powel, from out of the state, me with us and the writer was elected Moderator and T. L. Roberts, clerk.
We organized with seven churches. Then we arranged to meet at East Ardmore Baptist Church two months later. I was then pastor of this church. This next meeting was well attended and a fine crowd of messengers and visitors from other states was there. Plans were made here to put two missionaries on the field. J. C. Magee and myself were chosen. We were also indorsed by our churches for this work. A paper was launched. C. R. Powel was the editor of this paper and its name was “The Sword and Trowel.”
This paper was owned by a bunch of stockholders. I give a few names here of the stockholders of this paper: R. V. Thompson, Bob Thompson, C. R. Powell, Uriah Farthing and myself. There were others, but I do not have their names at hand. This was the breeziest paper I ever saw. It lived for awhile and then died. I will not mention the cause of its death, and its nature.
Poor Charley and the paper went down but we went right on with our work. When we lost the paper we then had no means of communication—only to write personal letters and that was hard. We met with ugly things everywhere. We were dubbed as kickers, splitters, Anti-Mission Baptists, Hard Shells and all these things, but we went right on with our face on Jerusalem. None of these things moved us. Today we look around us and see the results of our labor on the right and on the left.[i]
Though Crawford’s memory of the reorganization of the State Association is doubtless correct, his memory missed a few details regarding the time. The meeting in McAlester occurred in July 1912 (around the 9th) rather than in October.[ii] The later meeting at East Ardmore was held November 26-28, 1912.[iii] The state association with the following officers in 1912: G. W. Crawford, moderator; T. L. Roberts, clerk; R. V. Thompson, treasurer.
This helps, though more work remains. A reorganization could mean that the old body had died out, and they came together to start it again. It might also mean that they changed the organization, such as adopting a new name, new constitution, and/or new bylaws. That the reorganization rose from a called meeting in July rather than the previous meeting of the old association suggests that the former association had become disorganized or died. Regardless, the reorganized body dated its session from the renewal in 1912 rather than from the original organization in 1903.
[ii] See “Our State Association,” Sword and Trowel, September 26, 1912, p. 15.
[iii] See “State Association Goes to Ardmore,” Sword and Trowel, October 3, 1912, p. 7, and The Daily Ardmoreite, November 24, 1912, p. 4. Crawford was the pastor at East Ardmore Baptist Church at the time.
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