For the 171st Anniversary of Eden Baptist Church in Lake Lindsey, Hernando Sun is publishing a piece written by Bobby and Betty (Cason) Snow in October 2011 entitled "Eden Baptist Church, The Early Years, 1840s and 1850s". The article was originally published in the "Eden Baptist Church Homecoming Celebration" on October 16, 2011. It is a very comprehensive history and we plan to publish it in segments. The following segment describes the "environment that the seeds of Eden Baptist Church began" as well as the earliest pastors and charter members of the church. Bobby Snow sadly passed away in August of 2015, but his wife Betty continues to record the history of this great landmark.
The Early Years 1840's and 1850's
by Bobby and Betty (Cason) Snow, October 2011
From the mid 1820's until 1843, this area was Alachua County which had stretched all the way north to Georgia. Florida was still a Territory. The U.S. Government had already fought two long, expensive Indian Wars in Florida and had failed to remove all of the tribes, many of whom had united with each other as they had been driven south.
In 1836, Colonel William Lindsey, Commander of the Alabama Volunteers, was wounded by an Indian's arrow near a lake in what is now Hernando County. He was bleeding badly but managed to make it to the cabin of a Mr. Lewis where he died. To this day, this lake is known as Lake Lindsey.
Simply put, the white men wanted these lands in Florida, and a larger population was needed for statehood. The Military actions had failed. With this failure came another Government plan, the Armed Occupation Act. This Act was sponsored in Congress and passed through the Senate by Senator T.H. Benton of Missouri and was intended to do what the Military could not-- let settlers bearing arms finish clearing out the Indians in exchange for free land, most of it south of Newnansville (now Gainesville) and the Withlacoochee River. This became law on August 4, 1842.
The first wagon train in this area of about 30-40 wagons, including the James Baker family, soon arrived, and camped around what is now McKethan Lake until they could stake out and claim their land permits, which would be 160 acres each. Out of the 1250 total permits allowed, all of Hernando County secured about 400 settlers.
They had to travel by wagon, or horseback up to Newnansville to file their papers and stake their claims. Trails had to be made, their farming land had to be cleared, supplies had to be secured, and their homes had to be built. The Government had promised provisions of weapons, seeds and free food for one year, but actually provided some food for only one month to some settlers who were convenient. Hostile Indians were still here and they prevented the making of any crops in many instances. Many settlers were forced to abandon their claims and return to their old homes.
It was in this environment that the seeds of Eden Baptist Church began.
Jeremiah Madison Hayman (born 1822 in Bryan County, Ga.- died 1902 Bartow, Fla.) and his father, James, received two land permits, near Lake Lindsey. It was at a funeral service preached by Rev. John Tucker on July 7, 1844 that Jeremiah was converted, and he and one of his sisters were baptized that afternoon in Lake Lindsey. They were among the Charter members of the church. This is the first recorded baptism in Lake Lindsey. John Tucker (born 1785) was in Florida before 1827 as he had a son, Jesse, born that year in Alligator (now Lake City). He is listed as a Pastor in a report to the Association in 1848. In that year, he was also listed as Pastor of Bethesda Baptist Church in Benton (Hernando) County. Rev. John Tucker was instrumental in the organization of Eden Baptist Church and we believe, has to be considered as the first Pastor at Eden, even though there were no resident pastors in those days. He preached in a Circuit that took him thirty days to make his rounds to twenty different settlements. He was the first known ordained Baptist minister in the area.
On March 3, 1845 Florida was adopted as the 27th state of the United States. Hernando County had been carved out of Alachua and Hillsborough in 1843 and named for Hernando de Soto, but by 1844 was named Benton County in honor of the sponsoring Senator of the Armed Occupation Act. Benton County was changed back to Hernando County in 1850.
In September 1845, a Baptist church was constituted at Lake Lindsey, and Jeremiah Hayman was chosen as its first Clerk, and was ordained as a Deacon. He sold his farm in 1850 and moved to Hillsborough County and was destined to become a leading Baptist minister on the Florida West Coast, as was his brother, James Henry Hayman (1829-1916).
The next segment of this article will be published in the Nov. 11th, 2016 issue and it will cover some of the county's earliest leaders who attended Eden Baptist Church.