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- "Covenant of 4 Mile church, The Baptist Church of Jesus Christ constituted at Brother Bethuel Riggs on 4 Mile Road 28 December, 1799 in Campbell County, Kentucky.” Thus begins one of the five record books in the possession of First 12 Mile Baptist Church. The covenant of the church follows, but no further information is recorded in this book until 1870. Minutes of several of the church business meetings were written in shorthand' in 1874. In its report to the Baptist Association in 1812, 4 Mile reported that it had organized in 1799, but did not give the names of the nine constituting members.
Bethuel Riggs was pastor of 4 Mile during its early years. In 1817 John Stevens was serving the congregation, but became minister of First 12 Mile when that church was organized 18 September 1818. The present 12 Mile church is located on 12 Mile-Oneonta Road, California, Kentucky.
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Sulphur Lick Baptist Church—Dr. Mudd says, in his history, that Rev. Bethuel Riggs organized the Sulphur Lick Baptist Church, in 1813, but this is evidently mistake as to the time, and most likely a mistake of the printer, as the sequel will show. At that date the few settlers and their families were confined in the forts, on account of the hostilities of the Indians during the War of 1812-15. A definite account of the organization of this church is given by Rev. R. S. Duncan as follows:
“This church is in Lincoln County, eight or nine miles northwest of Troy, the county seat. It was organized by Elder Bethuel Riggs, in his own private’s house, near a large spring, called Sulphur Lick, close to the north fork of Cuivre, four miles east of the present site, in the year 1823, or for members, viz.: Bethuel Riggs, Nancy Riggs, his wife, Armstrong Kennedy and Polly, his wife. John Cox and his wife, Polly, were received by experience the someday of the organization, and were baptized by Elder Riggs. In 1826 or 1827 it moved to its present location, and a few years after erected a substantial brick house, which was replaced by ts present frame building, in 1856.”
Bethuel Riggs, a pioneer preacher of Lincoln and adjoining counties, was born about 1760 in the colony or State of New Jersey. Not much is known of his very early life, he having spent more than half his life our to Missouri. At the age of seventeen years, while but a youth, young Riggs enlisted as a soldier in the War of the American Revolution, and for the services rendered therein he afterward received a pension. He married in early life. His wife was Nancy Lee, sister of a celebrated preacher by the name of James Lee, who used to preach under the trees with his gun by his side, apprehending an attack form Indians. At the age of eighteen years, Bethuel Riggs was converted to Christ and became a Baptist, and soon after moved to North Carolina and subsequently to Georgia, where he lived some years, and he not only began his ministry but traveled and preached somewhat extensively. ***While still a comparatively young man, he, in company with a large colony came across the Indian country to Kentucky. This trip was made during the early Indian wars. Mr. Riggs settles in that part of Kentucky opposite Cincinnati. In the year 1808 he come to Missouri and first settled on Dardeene Creek, in St. Charles County, where he lived some eight years. He then moved higher up the country and settled north of Troy by the Sulphur Lick Spring. Here he organized the Sulphur Lick Church and spent much of his time itinerating. He preached over large portions of Lincoln and adjoining counties. Subsequently he moved to Monroe County, and from there to Illinois, thence to Ohio and back again to Missouri, where he died and was buried by the side of his faithful wife, the companion of both his youth and hips old age.*
*Duncan.
Stout’s Settlement (now New Hope) Baptist Church was organized June 16, 1821, by Elders Bethuel Riggs and Jesse Sitton…[by 1826 Bethuel had started another church]
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Biography of Rev. Bethuel Riggs (1757-1835)
Compiled by Andrew Boyd, P.O. Box 831, Twin Peaks, CA 92391.
From various sources, primarily source was a book on early Baptist ministers of Missouri, also from Lincoln County History, p. 475.
Rev. Bethuel RIGGS, born 13 Dec 1757, Mendom Township, Morris Co, New Jersey (father: Isaac RIGGS, mother: Mary PIERCE[<—this has not been proved!]), married abt 1778 Nancy LEE, and died 25 Jul 1835, Lincoln Co, Missouri. I pasted together this biography from several sources but most of it is from a book on early Baptist ministers of Missouri.
While a resident of Morris County, NJ, he enlisted in 1776 and served at various times, amounting to five months in all, as a private in Captain Jared Condict's company in Colonel Ford's New Jersey regiment. He then went to Wilkes County, NC and served as Lieutenant with NC troops under Captain Benjamin Cleveland and when Captain Cleveland was wounded, he took his place as Captain. He was in the battle of Ramsour's Mill and arrived at the battle of King's Mountain at the close of the battle and assisted in guarding the prisoners taken there. His entire service as a Captain amounted to 18 months.
At the age of eighteen, Bethuel Riggs was converted to Christ and became a Baptist. After the Revolutionary War he moved to Georgia, where he lived for some years. There he began his ministry; traveling and preaching extensively. Long before that state was densely populated he traveled from settlement to settlement and preached to poor sinners, warning them with tears in his eyes to flee the wrath to come. While still a young man, he, in company with a large colony, came across the Indian country to Kentucky. The trip was made during the early Indian wars. While crossing the mountains and the unsettled portions of country, the emmigrants were in great peril. But they used every precaution and were watchful and vigilant, and finally reached Kentucky in safety.
Bethuel settled in Campbell County opposite the city of Cincinnati, Ohio.
A 1800 taxpayer (1 Sep) for Campbell Co., Ky, he was the only Riggs in the county. While living in this place a somewhat rare incident occurred in his life. There were some restrictions in the territorial laws concerning marriage. One day a couple came to his house wishing to be married. Owing to the above named restrictions they could not be married in the territory. An expedient was thought of, which was to get into their canoes and go out into the river. And this they did, and when about midway in the Ohio River, Elder Riggs married them, and they went on their way happy.
In 1809 he came to Missouri and first settled on Dardenne Creek, in St. Charles County, where he lived for eight years. He then moved north and settled north of Troy, Missouri, by the Sulpher Lick Spring. This spring possessed some excellent medical qualities. Here he organized Sulpher Lick Church and served as pastor several years. He spent much of his time itinerating, preaching over large portions of Lincoln and adjoining counties. Later he moved to Monroe County, where he lived for awhile preaching in the settlements in the Salt River country. From there he moved to Illinois, to Ohio and finally back again to Missouri. He was buried by the side of his wife in Lincoln County.
A 1821 taxpayer Bedford Twnship (SW corner of county), Lincoln Co., MO. Bethuel was a delegate to the first meeting of the Missouri Baptist Association on 24 Oct 1818. He was elected to the Board of Managers of the "United Society for the Spread of the Gospel" to set up missions and schools for both whites and indians in the west. The meeting was in St. Charles County, MO. [2, 3, 4]
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1757 - 1835 (78 years)
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