Baptist Preacher
Richard Curtis, Jr. is recognized as the first Baptist Preacher in the Mississippi Territory. He helped found and organize several churches including the first in the territory, Salem Baptist Church. He was born in southeast North Carolina near the New River. As a child he moved with his family to Society Hill in South Carolina where they were living when the Revolutionary War broke out. He and his family supported the rebels and fought with Francis Marion. Tories began harrassing the extended family and nearly killed a cousin. To avoid the hostilities the family migrated to Natchez, Mississippi in 1780. The Mississippi territory was under the control of the Spanish who granted free land to all immigrants. Richard had informal training in the Gospel, and his family and neighbors looked to him to preach sermons. The Spanish government discouraged the formation of Protestant congregations and prohibited them from performing marriages. Richard ignored the prohibition and performed a clandestine wedding for his niece. The Spanish Governor issued a warrant for his arrest and appointed a posse to capture him. Richard fled the territory and returned to South Carolina. Three years later he was able to return when Mississippi became a territory of the United States. He continued to preach and form new churches until his death at the age of 55. Richard's life was cut short by cancer. While attempting to travel to Baton Rouge to obtain medical treatment he stopped at his sister's home for the night where he died. She attended the Ebenezer Baptist church located nearby. Richard helped found this church in 1806 and it is the oldest active Baptist church in the state. The family was unable to transport his body to the church cemetery because a creek was flooding. He was buried next to his sister's house which no longer stands. The actual gravesite is located in the middle of a cow pasture a half mile from the church. Richard has two gravestones a tall thin one in the church cemetery and a second shorter square gravestone in the field. The second gravestone was donated by the Mississippi Baptist Historical Society in 1956. The dedication ceremony was attended by Governor Coleman and Lillian Belle Curtis second great granddaughter representing the family.
Richard Curtis, Jr. is recognized as the first Baptist Preacher in the Mississippi Territory. He helped found and organize several churches including the first in the territory, Salem Baptist Church. He was born in southeast North Carolina near the New River. As a child he moved with his family to Society Hill in South Carolina where they were living when the Revolutionary War broke out. He and his family supported the rebels and fought with Francis Marion. Tories began harrassing the extended family and nearly killed a cousin. To avoid the hostilities the family migrated to Natchez, Mississippi in 1780. The Mississippi territory was under the control of the Spanish who granted free land to all immigrants. Richard had informal training in the Gospel, and his family and neighbors looked to him to preach sermons. The Spanish government discouraged the formation of Protestant congregations and prohibited them from performing marriages. Richard ignored the prohibition and performed a clandestine wedding for his niece. The Spanish Governor issued a warrant for his arrest and appointed a posse to capture him. Richard fled the territory and returned to South Carolina. Three years later he was able to return when Mississippi became a territory of the United States. He continued to preach and form new churches until his death at the age of 55. Richard's life was cut short by cancer. While attempting to travel to Baton Rouge to obtain medical treatment he stopped at his sister's home for the night where he died. She attended the Ebenezer Baptist church located nearby. Richard helped found this church in 1806 and it is the oldest active Baptist church in the state. The family was unable to transport his body to the church cemetery because a creek was flooding. He was buried next to his sister's house which no longer stands. The actual gravesite is located in the middle of a cow pasture a half mile from the church. Richard has two gravestones a tall thin one in the church cemetery and a second shorter square gravestone in the field. The second gravestone was donated by the Mississippi Baptist Historical Society in 1956. The dedication ceremony was attended by Governor Coleman and Lillian Belle Curtis second great granddaughter representing the family.
Baptist Preacher
Richard Curtis, Jr. is recognized as the first Baptist Preacher in the Mississippi Territory. He helped found and organize several churches including the first in the territory, Salem Baptist Church. He was born in southeast North Carolina near the New River. As a child he moved with his family to Society Hill in South Carolina where they were living when the Revolutionary War broke out. He and his family supported the rebels and fought with Francis Marion. Tories began harrassing the extended family and nearly killed a cousin. To avoid the hostilities the family migrated to Natchez, Mississippi in 1780. The Mississippi territory was under the control of the Spanish who granted free land to all immigrants. Richard had informal training in the Gospel, and his family and neighbors looked to him to preach sermons. The Spanish government discouraged the formation of Protestant congregations and prohibited them from performing marriages. Richard ignored the prohibition and performed a clandestine wedding for his niece. The Spanish Governor issued a warrant for his arrest and appointed a posse to capture him. Richard fled the territory and returned to South Carolina. Three years later he was able to return when Mississippi became a territory of the United States. He continued to preach and form new churches until his death at the age of 55. Richard's life was cut short by cancer. While attempting to travel to Baton Rouge to obtain medical treatment he stopped at his sister's home for the night where he died. She attended the Ebenezer Baptist church located nearby. Richard helped found this church in 1806 and it is the oldest active Baptist church in the state. The family was unable to transport his body to the church cemetery because a creek was flooding. He was buried next to his sister's house which no longer stands. The actual gravesite is located in the middle of a cow pasture a half mile from the church. Richard has two gravestones a tall thin one in the church cemetery and a second shorter square gravestone in the field. The second gravestone was donated by the Mississippi Baptist Historical Society in 1956. The dedication ceremony was attended by Governor Coleman and Lillian Belle Curtis second great granddaughter representing the family.
Richard Curtis, Jr. is recognized as the first Baptist Preacher in the Mississippi Territory. He helped found and organize several churches including the first in the territory, Salem Baptist Church. He was born in southeast North Carolina near the New River. As a child he moved with his family to Society Hill in South Carolina where they were living when the Revolutionary War broke out. He and his family supported the rebels and fought with Francis Marion. Tories began harrassing the extended family and nearly killed a cousin. To avoid the hostilities the family migrated to Natchez, Mississippi in 1780. The Mississippi territory was under the control of the Spanish who granted free land to all immigrants. Richard had informal training in the Gospel, and his family and neighbors looked to him to preach sermons. The Spanish government discouraged the formation of Protestant congregations and prohibited them from performing marriages. Richard ignored the prohibition and performed a clandestine wedding for his niece. The Spanish Governor issued a warrant for his arrest and appointed a posse to capture him. Richard fled the territory and returned to South Carolina. Three years later he was able to return when Mississippi became a territory of the United States. He continued to preach and form new churches until his death at the age of 55. Richard's life was cut short by cancer. While attempting to travel to Baton Rouge to obtain medical treatment he stopped at his sister's home for the night where he died. She attended the Ebenezer Baptist church located nearby. Richard helped found this church in 1806 and it is the oldest active Baptist church in the state. The family was unable to transport his body to the church cemetery because a creek was flooding. He was buried next to his sister's house which no longer stands. The actual gravesite is located in the middle of a cow pasture a half mile from the church. Richard has two gravestones a tall thin one in the church cemetery and a second shorter square gravestone in the field. The second gravestone was donated by the Mississippi Baptist Historical Society in 1956. The dedication ceremony was attended by Governor Coleman and Lillian Belle Curtis second great granddaughter representing the family.
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