I will start a mini series and it remains to be seen how many notes there will be in it. I draw for my information upon the " Bicentennial Sketch of the Jeffersonton Baptist Church ", published first in 1932, and reissued with new material in 1973. The church is located in Culpeper Co., Virginia, in the district known as the Little Fork. Many Germanna people were among the earliest settlers of this region. The original 1932 notes were augmented by notes in 1973 by Woodford B. Hackley.
The community of Jefferson is close to the Hedgman River, a portion of the North Rappahannock River. Just across the river is Fauquier County. Much of the history of the Jeffersonton Baptist Church is tied to events in Fauquier County. The river was not an insurmountable barrier to social and economic interchange. (Germantown, where many relatives of the Little Fork Germans lived, was across the river.)
Several years before the Revolutionary War, a young native, John Pickett, of Fauquier County, was much given to dancing, gaming, and sports of every sort. While he was on a trip to North Carolina, he was converted in his religious views by Joseph Murphy, and he returned to Fauquier in 1767. At first he exhorted his friends privately, then he instituted family worship, and then he preached more openly. Within the year, thirty-seven people whom he had converted were organized as Carter's Run Church. He was not ordained until four years later and at that time he became their pastor.
His work drew the attention of the persecutors who did not look favorably on the Baptists (earlier notes have talked about the introduction of religions other than the Church of England). Once, while preaching, a mob entered the church and carried him off to jail in Warrenton where he was confined for three months. Never one to miss an opportunity, Pickett preached through the bars to everyone within an earshot. When released from jail, he renewed his efforts and the Carter's Run increased its members significantly. It became desirable to establish branch churches to reach more people and to reduce the traveling distance to church. At least five churches were spawned from Carter's Run, all bearing the names of water courses.
Elijah Craig was the founder of Hedgman's River Church. He was the pastor of Blue Run Church in Orange County, which had been founded four years earlier. His greatest gifts were not his education but his melodious voice and his readiness of speech. His contributions to the early Baptists in Virginia are not to be overlooked. He encouraged the converts to hold meetings in their own neighborhoods. While plowing one day, he was taken by magistrates in Culpeper Co. and lodged in jail.
We gratefully acknowledge the work of John Blankenbaker who published over 2,500 Germanna History Notes via the Germanna-L@rootsweb.com email list from 1997 to 2008. We are equally thankful to George Durman (Sgt. George) for hosting the list and republishing the notes via rootsweb.com.