Cooper-POWG-4 - gslat
Subject: Cooper-POWG-4
From: gslat
Date: December 20, 1999

COOPER, RICHARD - VOL. VI: He and his wife are bur. Dead River Cem., 
Montgomery Co., Ga. In the third line from the bottom of the page, delete 
the words "after the war". He stated in his declaration, 10/31/1834, 
Bulloch Co., Ga. that he resided for 9 years in Duplin Co., N.C. during 
which time he served in the Revolutionary War.

--------------------------------------------
I transcribed the complete set of records of the Piedmont Baptist 
Association from copies of the originals.  This is the Richard Cooper above 
mentioned.
He shows in the records until 1821.  In 1831, a Jesse Cooper shows up for 
only that one year.
------------------------------------------

Constitution of the
 Piedmont Baptist Association

Transcribed by Charles Edward Westberry

From a long series of experience we the churches of Jesus Christ being 
regularly Baptized upon the profession of our faith in Christ and are 
convinced of the necessity of a combination of Churches to perpetuate a 
union and communion amongst us, and perserve and maintain a correspondence 
with each other in our union.
We therefore propose to maintain and keep the orders and rules of an 
Association according to the following plan or form of government.

Art 1st  The association shall be composed of members chosen by the 
different churches in our union and duly authorized to represent them in 
this Association who shall be members whom they judge best qualified for 
that position and producing letters from their respective churches 
certifying their appointment shall be entitled to a seat.

Art 2nd  In the letters from the different churches shall be expressed 
those members in full fellowship those Baptized, received.  Letter 
dismissal, expelled and dead since the last sitting of the Association.

Art 3ed  The members thus chosen and convened shall have no power to Lord 
it over Gods Heritage, nor shall they have any clerical power over the 
churches nor shall they infringe upon any of the internal rights of any 
church in the union.

Art 4th  The Association, when convened shall be governed and ruled by a 
regular ____ proper
decorum.

Art 5th  The Association shall have a moderator and clerk and shall be 
chosen by the suffrages of the members present.

Art 6th  Every church in the union shall be entitled to representation in 
the Association and no church shall send more than three members.

Art 7th  New churches may be admitted into this union who show petition by 
letter and delegates and upon examination if found orthodox and orderly 
shall be received by the Association and manifested by the moderator giving 
the right hand of fellowship to the delegates.

Art 8th  Every query presented by any member in the Association shall be 
once read and before it be debated the moderator shall put it to a vote and 
if there be a majority of it's being debated it shall be taken into 
consideration and be debated, but if there be a majority against, it shall 
be withdrawn.

Art 9th  Every motion made and seconded shall come under the consideration 
of the Association except it be withdrawn by the member who made it.

Art 10th The Association shall endeavour to furnish the churches with the 
minutes of the Association.

Art 11th We think it absolutely necessary that we should have an 
Association fund for defraying the expenses of the same, for the raising 
and supporting of which we think it to be the duty of each church in the 
union to contribute such sums as they shall think proper and send by their 
delegates to the Association and those amounts thus contributed by the 
churches and received by the Association shall be deposited in the hands of 
a Treasurer appointed by the Association who shall be accountable to the 
Association for the same.

Art 12th There shall be an association docket kept and the proceedings of 
every Association shall be regularly recorded by a secretary appointed by 
the association.

Art 13th The minutes of the Association shall be read and corrected if 
needful and signed by the moderator and clerk before the Association rises.

Art 14th [At this point the sentence is split by a page being overlayed and 
filmed in that position.  The page was taken from the first anniversary 
minutes.  It continues thusly.]

The Association shall have power to withdraw from a church in this union 
which shall violate rules of this Association or deviate from the orthodox 
principles of religion.

8th  To admit any of the ministering brethren present [not members of this 
body] as assistants who may be present at the sitting of the Association 
whom they may judge necessary.

9th  The association shall have power to adjourn to meet at any future time 
or place they may think most convenient to the churches in the union.

Signed and approved at Little Canoochie this ? Saturday ? [Moses Westberry 
had signed his name there and the day was written over it] of October NR 
the year of our Lord 1815,

Moses Westberry, Senr
William Smith, Senr
Richard Cooper
William Whiddon
William Harrell

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