Old Baptism Records by:
Bro. "Bunk" Milton Sloate 1995
A Bro. Elias Brewer, baptized a brother John Carl McDonald in England. Brother Elias remained in England, but Brother John Carl McDonald came to America. It is said, Bro. McDonald settled in Tennessee, in the late 1700's or early 1800's. Then he went to Illinois to preach. The report is, that Bro. McDonald baptized a Bro. Jim Caldwell. I do not know where they were baptized at. Bro. Jim Caldwell baptized a Bro. Ed Johnson who baptized a Bro. Jim Hays, who baptized around a thousand people. He helped establish Homestead, Okla., then Fay, Okla.. He baptized a lot of Brethren there. Then it is reported, he came to the Weatherford, Hydro areas, but apparently did not get anything established here. Then it is reported he went to the Rocky, Okla. area, 1902 1905, baptized several there. And then going to the west, and northwest, and into Canada, establishing churches. He established at least one Church in Alberta, Canada.
Bro. Jim Hays daughter gave me some of my information. She was in her 90's when I met her, but she had a good clear mind. She told me she left Canada on horseback and came to Montana and married a man outside of the Faith and lived with him until he died. Then she came on to Stillwater, Okla., or in that area. She married another man that was not in the Faith. She lived with him until he died. This was Sis. Daisy Hays Maiden name. I believe Bro. Johnny Case of Cushing, Okla., found Sis. Daisy and got her started back to church. Sis. Daisy then married Bro. Frank Manues, from DeWitt, Arkansas. They ended up in a nursing home in DeWitt, because they were of great age when they married. Bro. Frank passed away, and Sis. Daisy's two stepsons moved her back to Stillwater and into a nursing home there. She lived, I believe to be over 100 years old.
I don't know if all this interests you, but I thought it was good for record and you know where some of the information came from. I got this history from several sources, and compared them and it seems that this is the true genealogy of the church in America, or one of the genealogies. It seems that most of the brethren go back to this lineage; I am now working on a list of all the ministers and elders, and deacons in the church, and who baptized them. By this, if I can get a few more links, I can run most brethren's lineage back to Bro. Elias Brewer. It is reported that Bro. Jim Hays died in 1916 and is buried in Yelm, Washington. He was also in the land run in the late 1800's, near Stillwater. And when Stillwater was surveyed and laid out, that Bro. Jim Hays built the first building in Stillwater. A blacksmith's shop. I got this out of a book written by another Hays in Stillwater, who was not in the faith, but said it was reported, Bro. Jim Hays baptized 1000 souls.
I like to write about this brother because he was such a great minister, but I have heard that he died in adultery. Bro. Jim Hays baptized Bro. Will Nation, another great minister, who I was able to know. Bro. Will Nation baptized over 100 souls, I have record of 116, but this only goes to 1939, and he lived until 1949. So it could be several more. Bro. Will Nation baptized Bro. Lawrence Watkins, in DeWitt Arkansas, who was also a good minister. Bro. Lawrence Watkings in DeWitt baptized a Bro. Jim Carender, also a good brother, but did not baptize a lot of people in his short life, but Bro. Jim Carender baptized me, Bro. Milton "Bunk" Sloate. This Bro. Jim Carender's father was also a minister in the church, who baptized at least one of my kindred. His name was Peadrow Carender. This old brother died at my father's house. He apparently traveled and preached. When he died, he left three children, a boy and two girls. My dad, built them a house and let them farm some to take care of themselves. The two girls married two of my brothers. The boy, baptized me in the faith. My father and mother, Bro. Jasper and Sis. Eva Sloate were baptized in the faith in the early teens of 1900. I am not able to know all the details. They were apparently baptized in the Hill Country of Arkansas, by Bro. Wesley Gross, my father's brotherinlaw. My folks moved to Grand Saline, Texas where my dad was ordained an Elder. My dad did not stay in Texas. Apparently the church began to diminish, and my dad moved back to Pangburn, Arkansas. There was an assembly there in the early thirties, 33 or 34 maybe, there was a Typhoid Fever epidemic hit the brethren in this area. My oldest brother died of this fever. My mother told me that I lay unconscious for 40 days myself, but she continued to feed me some and to have faith and I recovered. Apparently because of persecutions, the church moved from the Pangburn area. There were four ordained Elders there at the time. The whole church moved away. Three elders moved to DeWitt, Arkansas, and one moved to Bristol, Virginia.
Bro. Jim Hays was born in 1855, and was baptized in 1891 by Bro. Ed Johnson. Preached at Homestead, Okla., which was established in 1894. Then to Fae, Okla. established in 1900. then Rocky, Okla., established in 1902 to 1905. Bro. Jim Hays went west and northwest on into Canada, baptizing many into the faith.
These are the records that Bro. Bunk compiled, and gave to me, Bro. Bill Porter.
I have inserted some of my words in the list below so you know what I know.)
Below, the name after the number is person who baptized.
Name under that name, is people that this person baptized
1. Elias Brewer (Lived in England)
John Carl McDonald
2. John Carl McDonald
Jim Caldwell, Marion Reese,
2a. Marion Reese
Charlie Smith, (Moved to Silver Creek Valley, in Idaho, in 1900)
2b. - Charlie Smith
George White, ( and several of his relatives, in Idaho)
2c. George White
Jack Hunter, (Idaho)
2d. Jack Hunter
Ed Jenson, (Boise, Idaho June 10, 1951)
3. Jim Caldwell
Nate Parasho, Tommy Parasho, Gabriel Parasho, Ed Johnson
3a. Marion Reese
Conn Smith, Charlie Smith, (Idaho)
3b. Tommy Parasho
Walter Marriman, Josh Collins, (1896 Elder), Jim Ratcliff, (1896 Elder)
3c. Walter Marriman
R.B. Williams, Billy Williams
4. Ed Johnson
Jim Hays, Wilburn Hays, Cornel Leonord
5. Jim Hays
Bob McCallister, Charlie Lowe, Charlie Holman, Eli Bridges,
Will Nation, George Johnson, Henry Tomlinson, Harlan Spain
5a. Eli Bridges
Farris Howard
5b. Farris Howard (The Howards at Parkland. My Aunt married one of his son's
(My Great Grandfather, Bro. Will Tibbett, one of the first Elders at Parkland,
was killed in a car wreck with Bro. Farris, coming from Dewitt, Arkansas. They were
down around Harrison, Arkansas when it happened about 1938-39.
Dave Crank, (whom I knew well) Loyal Thompson
5c. Dave Crank
Ike Taylor (and wife and some of the family. Bro. Dave told me all about this,
as he was acting on a vision he seen on his bedroom wall of a big white house.)
6. Will Nation
Lawrence Watkins, Jap Earnest, Claude Dobbs,
Fred Herring, Will Davis, Roy Carmichael
7. Lawrence Watkings
Dewey Wright, Paul Davis, Floyd Martin, Jim Carender, Bud James
8. Jim Carender
Milton "Bunk" Sloate, Johnny Sloate
9. Milton "Bunk" Sloate
Bill Hooks, Glenn Davenport, Eugene Davis, Milton Outlaw, Carl Davis