Providence
Anderson County, TX
Status: Located
Year Established: 1865
Council of Governments: ETCOG
Public History: “From Providence Missionary Baptist Church History page (Written and documented by Reggie Browne and Sherron Gardner-Haggerty):
“”Providence Missionary Baptist Church was established on August 13, 1865. This was within two months after the slaves were freed in Texas on June 19, 1865. It was begun with a chartered membership of twenty churchgoers.
Rev. Nathan Oggs was the first pastor in 1865.
Providence Cemetery was established in 1890. R. A. Oldham sold 4.8 acres, for the sum of twenty-three dollars to Providence Missionary Baptist Church on January 10, 1890. The church trustees were Marion Baston, Joseph Thomas and Henry Day. The property deed is listed in Property Deed Book – Volume 43, page 281, in the Anderson County Clerk’s office. The cemetery is completely fenced in on all four sides and the grass is maintained very well. It sits on a hill and there is a pond nearby. It is also known as Coleman # 3 or Providence (at Montalba). There is another Providence Cemetery located near Slocum.
A portion of the property was used for the Providence Baptist Church site for many years, until the church was relocated to FM 321 in the 1950s. A school building also occupied part of the cemetery land in the early 1900s. The first burials in the cemetery were Harriett Patterson-Hamlett on November 26, 1893, Lilly Robinson on June 22, 1894, Scott Brown on July 5, 1895 and Mollie Robinson on November 7, 1896.
The church was named for the existence of “PROVIDENCE” that is proved by God’s power, wisdom, knowledge and love.
A group of former slaves from the Oldham and Hamlett Plantations near Montalba, who were Christian believers with spiritual needs and ideas, began to yearn for a place to worship. Members of this group pooled their ideas, talents, and work ethic, which resulted in the construction of a little wooden church on a hill on the present-day ACR 2409. The membership included six deacons and a church mother, Sister Littie Patterson. Some of the deacons at that time were: John Allen Shadrick, Billy Updack, Billy Ingram, Marion Baston, Horace Baker and Allen York. The Charter Members were: Marion Baston; Fannie Duke; Harriett Fowler; Isaac Fowler; Jim Garrett; Florence Hamlett (a former slave on Hamlett Plantation); Billy Ingram; Lizzie Ingram; Kenchin Karo; Mary Lelayvond; Cathie Morrison; Feabie Oldham (a former slave on the Oldham Plantation); Littie Patterson; Mary Robinson; Peter Robinson; John Allen Shadrick; Billy Updack; Kitty Updack; Allen York and Malinda York. John Allen Shadrick was the founder, along with Rev. Nathan Oggs as the pastor, and Green Gardner as the financial backer (he was a former slave on the Oldham Plantation).”””
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Cemetery: Providence Cemetery (Coleman #3)
Church: Providence Missionary Baptist Church