1846
Spring - Anderson Presbytery

1846
Fall - joined Red River Presbytery

1846
November 12-13, 1846
Texas Synod
Members absent from Red River Presbytery - William Pervine [sic]
[Source: Minutes of Texas Synod of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, November 12-13, 1846, page 39]

1847

1848

1849

1850

1851

1852

1853

1854

1855

1856
White Rock Presbytery
W. A. Provine, Honey Grove, Texas
[source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1856, page 63]

1857
White Rock Presbytery
W. A. Provine, Honey Grove, Texas
[source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1857, page 75]

1858

1859

1860

1861

1862

1863

1864

1865

1866

1867

1868

1869
Red River Presbytery
W. A. Provine, Honey Grove, Texas
[source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1869, page 87]

1870
Red River Presbytery
W. A. Provine, Honey Grove, Texas
[source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1870, page 82]

1871
Red River Presbytery
W. A. Provine, Honey Grove, Texas
[source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1871, page 82]

1872
Red River Presbytery
W. A. Provine, Honey Grove, Texas
[source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1872, page 124]

1873

1874

1875
Red River Presbytery
W. A. Provine, Honey Grove, Texas
[source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1875, page 84]

1876
Red River Presbytery
W. A. Provine, Honey Grove, Texas
Used 1875 list in Directory
[source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1876, page 94]

1877
Red River Presbytery
W. A. Provine, Honey Grove, Texas
[source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1877, page 89]

1878
Red River Presbytery
W. A. Provine, Honey Grove, Texas
[source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1878, page 98]

1879
Red River Presbytery
W. A. Provine, Honey Grove, Texas
Used 1878 list in Directory
[source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1879, page 94]

1880
Red River Presbytery
W. A. Provine, Honey Grove, Texas
[source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1880, page 121]

1881
Red River Presbytery
W. A. Provine, Honey Grove, Texas
[source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1881, page 93]

1882
Red River Presbytery
W. A. Provine, Honey Grove, Texas
[source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1882, page 122]

1883
Red River Presbytery
W. A. Provine, Honey Grove, Texas
[source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1883, page 131]

1884
Red River Presbytery
W. A. Provine, Honey Grove, Texas
[source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1884, page 120]

1885
Deceased Ministers
Red River Presbytery
W. A. Provine
January 12, 1885
[Source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1885, page 44]

MR. EDITOR:--I have been in Texas upwards of fourteen years; landed March, 1846. I was sent here by the Anderson Presbytery as a missionary, which gave seventy-five dollars to help bear expenses, and the injunction, Preach whilever you are sustained.

Well, having but little in the start, and losing pretty much the balance, beside expense money, by the sinking of the boat in Red river, I was rather in a poor situation for missionating. in this situation I went to work, having but four dollars left in money, and a very little with which to keep house, and no house to keep it in; yet believe me, Mr. Editor, when I tell you, that amid these trying circumstances I did not falter, I was not low-spirited. My faith was in God. So I taught a small school, preaching Saturdays and Sabbaths, and three months had expired, when, almost to my astonishment, two or three revivals were the result. God assisted his servant in preaching, and his people in prayer. Precious souls were added to the Church that are faithful witnesses of the truth until this day.

School out, I started voluntarily (not having joined the Presbytery) in good earnest to preach the unsearchable riches of the grace of God to the people of Texas; continued making and filling appointments up to the time of camp-meetings; then, with the beloved Corley, and the lamented Donnell, attended eight camp-meetings, at each of which the Lord most graciously revived his work.

This fall (1846) I attached myself to the Red River Presbytery, the spring session of which appointed me to ride, preach, and organize churches in all the then settled portion of Texas, west of Fannin county.

Well, Mr. Editor, I rode and preached faithfully five months, for which I received near one hundred dollars, but the Lord was with me, and I was in a succession of revivals, which kept my spirits up. Organized several churches; the most of them are in a prosperous condition until this day.

The above is a brief sketch of my sojourn In Texas the first year; but far, very far from being a full history of all the particular incidents that are thrilling in their character that came under my observation.
        W. A. PROVINE.

[Source: Banner of Peace, October 25, 1860, page 1]

MR. EDITOR:--As you so kindly published my brief sketch the 25th October , I now propose to give a detailed account of the incidents referred to in said article, together with a short history of my labors while thus missionating. It cannot be wholly uninteresting to your readers, especially that class who are or have been engaged in the same glorious work of preaching the gospel to new and destitute portions. I remark, that the Red River Presbytery, by the direction of which I was then preaching, embraced a very large extent of country; the same territory now is the boundaries of several. I will also state that the settlements were in a scattered condition, and that it took a great deal of hard riding to get from one congregation to another. My circuit was about two hundred and fifty miles around. I would generally make the trip in three weeks, riding from fifteen to thirty miles per day, and preaching generally twice, and sometimes thrice. The fare was generally rough, as there was but little variety. The country had only begun to settle the year before, (1845,) consequently the settlers had no tame mest of consequence. The beds were such as people called at that time Texas beds; made of forks, poles, boards, and hay.

The little animal that I rode suffered, as one might suppose, living upon grass. It did not know the use of a stable, but understood the lariat well. Yet notwithstanding all these difficulties, I continued to ride and preach, from neighborhood to neighborhood, over hills and across valleys, with but little to interrupt my meditations, except the broad and long prairies, which were continually in the distance. It is true that I would frequently suffer fro water and food, frequently be lost for hours, as there were but few roads.

I will now state one circumstance, and leave out many of a similar kind, though not of such magnitude. It was during one of those lowering, cloudy spells of weather that we sometimes have in Texas, and everywhere else, that I turned out of my course; on I went, and on I went, with no trace of human beings; no sun to guide me, and still on I went, not knowing whither I was going. Late in the evening I found myself surrounded by bellowing streams, over which I could not pass. What to do I did not know. It was by this time very dark. After a little time I backed out a little piece into the prairie, where I took lodging, sat down on my saddle, tied my pony to a small tree; could hear nothing apparently but the hoots of owls and the screams of panthers, and felt very uncomfortably situated, as you may suppose. After a short time, however, being overcome with fatigue, fell to sleep, and slept profoundly until about eleven o'clock, when I was awakened by the gathering storm. The lightnings played, the thunders roared, and soon the rain began to fall in torrents, and fell until the whole earth was covered with water. The wind blew with such power that my umbrella was turned the other side out, and I wet all over. My condition was not enviable by any means; but after a few minutes, to the joy of my soul, the clouds disappeared, the sky became bright, and the stars shone with uncommon brilliancy. And now, to cap the climax, the moon had just arisen in the East in all her glory. Nature seemed to sparkle, and thus speak forth the praises of nature's God. The contrast was so great that I could but look around me and admire the scene, though I knew not where I was, or whether I was within twenty miles of any house. But I was not long shaping my course, being guided by a friendly moon. I travelled in a northern direction, the only way by which to gain a dividing ridge. In this direction I continued to travel until sunrise, (say three hours,) and then turned eastwardly, believing that the way to the settlements. At ten o'clock I found myself by a warm fire, where I partook of some refreshments. At night caught up with any appointments, after missing two. Now, strange as it may appear, after all this I continued my peregrinations through the wilds of Texas, evercoming every obstacle in order to be the instrument of saving sinners. Hence I tried to preach in "power and demonstration of the Spirit.' My theme was "Christ and him crucified." My labors were blessed of Heaven, and sinners were converted to God. To Him be all the glory.          W. A. PROVINE.

P.S.--You will please correct a typographical error found in a communication by W. P. Smith, published October 18th, 1860. As it is, I stand connected to Brother Piner as a Methodist minister. I am a Cumberland Presbyterian, ever have been, and ever expect to be.         W. A. P.

[Source: Banner of Peace, January 10, 1861, page 1]

In our last communication we left Israel Folsom burning his books. After this he attached himself to the Presbyterian Church, where he remained until he united with the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, which occurred on this wise. He visited brother Provine, a Cumberland Presbyterian minister, in Fannin county, Texas, where he found the Confession of Faith of our Church. "Oh!" said he, "I have found the Church of my mother; the one in which she was converted." He at once wanted brother Provine to take him into the Church, but he declined receiving him at that time; but gave him an appointment to preach at his church in the Choctaw Nation, when he would receive him and any otherds that might wish to join. This satisfied him, and on returning home he published the appointment, telling his people that he was going to join the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, at the same time telling them the difference between the two Churches. That the Cumberland Presbyterians discard the doctrine of fatality, which they understood to be taught in the Westminster Confession of Faith. Many of them said, "If you join that Chruch we will join too. We will go with you."

The result was, that when brother Provine filled his appointment, and received brother and sister Folsom into the Church, there were some ten or twelve others of the same Church to which they had belonged, who united with them, among whom were the following persons: Jeremiah Folsom, brother to Israel, and Solomon Archibald, both elders in the old Church; also Mary Folsom, wife of the said Jeremish. She and the wife of Israel were sisters.

Thus there were three ruling elders received in the new congregation, namely, Israel Folsom, Jeremiah Folsom, and Solomon Archibald, who were all regularly reinstated as ruling elders in the new copngregation; so the organization was complete.

This transaction occurred on the 19the day of July, A.D., 1848, at the old Hu-shuk-wa church, in Blue county, in the Choctaw Nation. This was the commencement of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in the Indian Territory. It retained the old name of Hu-shuk-wa and continues to occupy the same place for worship, for the old organization was quite broken up, nearly all of its members having joined the new one. It was taken under the fostering care of Red River Presbytery of Texas Synod, as well as all congregations subsequently organized in the Nation, until the organization of this Presbyery.

At what time Israel Folsom became a candidate for the ministry, or was ordained as a minister, I am not informed. That was done in Red River Presbytery in Texas, from which it is not convenient for me to get the information. But when Bethel Presbytery was organized in 1860, he had evidently been a minister several years, for he then stood at the head of the ministry of his own Church, and continued to retain that standing while he lived.

R. S. Bell.

[Source: The Cumberland Presbyterian, October 10, 1878, page 5]