This congregation dates to the 1830 and the present church building, dedicated in 1952, is quite formal in contrast to many of the Primitive Baptist meeting houses. I’m most accustomed to their truly primitive architecture in South Georgia, and while I’ve seen other formal examples, this Colonial Revival version is one of the nicest. Like many Primitive Baptist churches, the architecture is asymmetrical.
Jan Winter writes: From the history brochure I have, it states that Enon Primitive Baptist Church was constituted June 19, 1830 with the original name being Bethlehem. The name was changed to Enon in July 1831. The original Meeting House was at Jones Mill. On November 22, 1834 the church appointed a building committee to build a new meeting house there. My Great Grandfather, Baker Mann, was on the building committee. After over fifty years at Jones Mill, in 1882 the building was sold, property purchased in Gay, and a new meeting house was built on the present site. My Great Great Grandfather, Maltire Thrash was on this building committee. No photos exist; however it was described as a barnlike structure with only wooden shutters to keep out rain and wind. The congregation sat on long wooden benches which had only one rail for a back rest. This building underwent very little change until it was replaced in 1951 by the new meeting house in the photograph above. From everything I’ve read in the brochure, it appears to me that Enon was an Old Line Primitive Baptist Church. There is much more in the brochure, but I will end here. One footnote – Elder Samuel H. Whatley, mentioned in another post by Matt Bell, was pastor at Enon from 1919 – 1923.
Hello. Does anyone know where the burial grounds are for this church? My 5x great grandfather is Bartlett Milam (1800-1878). He was said to have been buried here and I am sure some other members of his large family were as well. How would I find this cemetery? Thank you!
-Victoria McCarty
Illinois
My mother who was born and raised in Gay passed away late last year. So, out of nostalgia I’ve been looking up places I went as a child when we used to visit Gay in summers growing up (turns out it was mostly ponds in the middle pastures for fishing). When we went to church we went to the Methodist church in Gay because that’s where my Grandmother went. My Grandfather was a member of Enon (they went to different churches their married lives). Anyway, the only time I was inside Enon was for my Grandfather’s funeral in 1982, but it left an impression.
Granddad was Royce Estes. It was strange to exit the church and encounter Herman Eugene Talmadge, Jr outside after the funeral. I always wondered why he was there.
From the history brochure I have, it states that Enon Primitive Baptist Church was constituted June 19, 1830 with the original name being Bethlehem. The name was changed to Enon in July 1831. The original Meeting House was at Jones Mill. On November 22, 1834 the church appointed a building committee to build a new meeting house there. My Great Grandfather, Baker Mann, was on the building committee. After over fifty years at Jones Mill, in 1882 the building was sold, property purchased in Gay, and a new meeting house was built on the present site. My Great Great Grandfather, Maltire Thrash was on this building committee. No photos exist; however it was described as a barnlike structure with only wooden shutters to keep out rain and wind. The congregation sat on long wooden benches which had only one rail for a back rest. This building underwent very little change until it was replaced in 1951 by the new meeting house in the photograph above. From everything I’ve read in the brochure, it appears to me that Enon was an Old Line Primitive Baptist Church. There is much more in the brochure, but I will end here. One footnote – Elder Samuel H. Whatley, mentioned in another post by Matt Bell, was pastor at Enon from 1919 – 1923.
Thank you. I will share this information on the post.
My husband also descends from Maltire Thrash. Looking for info on James David Oneal an Elder at this church mid to late 1800’s. He died in 1921.
My husband is = relaed to Baker Mann, though not direct, but Maltire Anthony Thrash is a great great grandfathre. This through daughter Lucinda, mar James David Oneal, daughter Jennie Lee Oneal, mar George Frank Hall, down to my husband, David Hall….all of GA.
Hi, Janet. Thanks for your write up about this church. I’ve always been drawn to it’s colonial revival architecture, especially due to it being a Primitive Baptist Church. I have many an ancestral connections to other Primitive Baptist Churcbes and they were all the typical simple style.
I’m also a descendant of Baker Mann as well as Christopher Columbus Thrash, Maltire’s father. I have connections to Jones Mill area as well. My ancestors, Leander Jones Milam and Mary Milam lived there are are buried there.
Paul
Elder Whatley served the Statesboro Primitive Baptist Church in 1919.
Looking at The Banner Herald of the 2022 directory of Progressive Primitive Baptist Churches, I do not find Enon church listed. Perhaps they did not submit the information or the church is not Progressive but rather Old Line. Perhaps Janet Winter can post the correct information.
Interesting. I can’t find much information about the church online, but this elder who served Enon has a biography from the Banner-Herald: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/87170652/samuel-houston-whatley
I notice that he also served Macedonia at Sasser, a progressive church that was still active as of a few years ago.
This is the church my Daddy attended when growing up in Gay. I attended church services in this church every July growing up as part of our family reunion weekend. I have a history brochure about the church that states it was constituted June 19, 1830. I attended the sesquicentennial celebration of the church in 1980.
I’ve been here and looked in the windows. I believe I saw indications that it was a Progressive PB church, which tend to have more sophisticated architecture.