A history of the Quitman Methodist Church  1-6-07

The Quitman Methodist Church was organized about 1868. In that year, the earliest pastor appointment recorded in church records was J.L. Terry.

A Quarterly Conference record dating back to the 1870s is in the church’s possession. The first pages of the book are gone, so the first record is on the Fourth Quarterly Conference of Winnsborough Circuit dated August 12th, 1871.

There were no print forms for minutes in those days. The record was carefully written in the flowing and readable hand of Bro. Asa Weems, who for many years was the recording steward.

The churches on the Winnsborough Circuit at that time were: Quitman, Stinson’s Chapel, Shady Grove-Winnsborough, Smyrna, County Line, Cornersville, Sand Ridge, and Independence.

In the minutes for 1874, $375 is shown as the salary of the pastor, Rev. D.F. Fuller. Dr. John H. McLean was the Presiding Elder in 1874. Dr. McLean became a very prominent leader of the church in Texas. He served as president of Southwestern University for a number of years. He lived to the age of 86 and died in Dallas in 1925.

In this same year, 1874, the Trinity Conference became the North Texas Conference. Statistics for that year show that two of the nine churches owned buildings. Winnsboro had a building valued at $1,000 and Quitman had a building valued at $700.

The late Mrs. J.B. Goldsmith, who lived in Quitman for over 80 years, provided much information about the church in the early years. She recalled attending the old Methodist church which was across the street south of the present county jail.

Early in the 1880s, this building was moved to Liberty and the Baptists shared their building with the Methodists for many years. Services were presented on alternate Sundays. The present Methodist church building was erected in 1914.

Quitman has had four Methodist parsonages. The first was on the site of Mrs. Goldsmith’s home. The second was at the present site of the John Horton home and the third was across the street west of the Don Roberts office. Brother J.C. Calhoun was the pastor.

Several years before, the church lot had been bought by the Women’s Missionary Society. Although a member of the Baptist church, Mrs. Goldsmith worked with the Methodist ladies to raise funds for the church lot and building.

The Quitman congregation has always been small, but since 1882, the Quitman church has been the head of a circuit. That year, Quitman circuit was organized with Shady Grove, Liberty, Vernon, Quitman, Stinson’s Chapel and Forest Ridge (later called Forest Hill) on the circuit.

This congregation has grown considerably in more recent years.

In the church register are the names of 53 pastors who served the Quitman church during the 82 years of record. Two outstanding pastors were Bro. Charles Tower. He was pastor in 1894. He received 115 members into the church and baptized 31 babies that year. Rev. Joe Z. Tower was, from 1934 to 1938, was the district superintendent of the Tyler district.

The Quitman circuit became a part of the East Texas Conference in 1895. In 1902, the conference name was changed to the Texas Conference.