George Washington Baines
Encyclopedia
George Washington Baines, Sr. (December 29, 1809 – December 28, 1882), a maternal great-grandfather of U.S. President Lyndon Baines Johnson (1963–1969), was a Baptist
clergyman in Arkansas
, Louisiana
, and Texas
who served briefly as natural science
professor
and President of Baylor University
at its first location in Independence
in Washington County, Texas.
coast in Perquimans County
, North Carolina
, to the Reverend Thomas Baines and the former Mary McCoy. In 1817, the Baines moved to Georgia
and then to Alabama
, where Baines attended the University of Alabama
at Tuscaloosa
. He did not graduate because he left the institution his senior year as a result of the stomach ailment dyspepsia
, which plagued him for the remainder of his life. Baines cut and rafted timber to pay for his college tuition. After leaving college, he taught school. Years later, the University of Alabama awarded him an honorary degree for his accomplishments.
in 1834. He was ordained a Baptist minister in 1837. He married the former Melissa Ann Butler of North Carolina on October 20, 1840, and thereafter moved to northern Arkansas, where he founded three churches and baptized 150 converts. He was also a missionary
for the Baptist Home Mission Society of New York City
. Baines even served for three months in the Arkansas House of Representatives
from November 1843 to February 1844 as the member from Carroll County.
, the seat of Boone County
. Baines was a "Missionary" Baptist in orientation (not to be confused with the Missionary Baptist denomination). The Baineses and other mission-oriented members were ousted from the Crooked Creek Church. The "Missionary" Baptists were evangelistic and believed in the constant presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as the propitiation for the sins of mankind and the sole source of salvation in the hereafter. The "Hardshell" segment, also called "Primitive" Baptists, embraced predestination
, which took the view that while some individuals would accept the call of Christ, others most decidedly would not do so. The "Hardshells" eschewed revivals; they merely presented the Gospel, in some congregations only on a monthly basis, and left matters otherwise constant. The two groups were at odds in many locations across the American South.
in Bienville Parish in north Louisiana. He was the Bienville Parish superintendent of schools and also the founding minister of the Saline Baptist Church, constituted on September 7, 1844. The church was later named Old Saline Baptist Church and maintains a cemetery. Baines pastored at Old Saline until 1848, when he relocated to neighboring Webster Parish and served as the first pastor of the Minden
Baptist Church, later the First Baptist Church of Minden. (In 1969, Major dePingre', a journalist
-turned-businessman, published The History of the First Baptist Church of Minden, Louisiana.)
Baines was also the third minister of the Mount Lebanon Baptist Church and the moderator of the Red River Baptist Association. He also assisted in the organization of the North Louisiana Baptist Convention in 1848. While in Minden, he also helped to organize the First Baptist congregation in Marshall
, Texas, the seat of Harrison County
just west of Shreveport.
, where he pastored another Baptist Church. Later, in Independence, Texas, Baines met the legendary Sam Houston
, who became a lifelong friend. Reverend Baines counseled Houston on the desirability of baptism after making a Christian commitment of faith. Consequently, Sam Houston was baptized in the last decade of his life on November 19, 1854, not by Baines, but by the Reverend Rufus C. Burleson, who had succeeded Baines as the pastor at the Independence Baptist Church.
During his ministry in Texas, Baines also pastored in Anderson
, Fairfield
, Springfield, Butler, Florence
, and Salado
. He founded the first Baptist newspaper in Texas, the Texas Baptist, and edited the publication from 1855 until 1860, when it ceased production with the advent of the American Civil War
. He led churches in prayer days, distribution of Bibles, aid to families, and soldier relief work during the war.
Baylor was the first institution of higher learning in Texas, and in time the school became the largest Baptist-related institution of higher education in the world. Baines encouraged women students at Baylor, and he and Mrs. Baines helped to provide them lodging. In his later years, Baines was a trustee of the Baylor female institution, the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
in Belton. The school has since gone coeducational. In 1886, four years after Baines' death, Baylor relocated to Waco
, the seat of McLennan County
.
In 1866, Baines traveled as field agent for the Texas Baptist State Convention and in 1867 moved his family to Salado, where he pastored the First Baptist Church. In 1877, he became an agent for the Education Commission of the Baptist State Convention, but in 1881, the Salado congregation compelled him to resume the pastorate there. After the death of second wife Cynthia Baines on February 4, 1878, Baines lived with his daughter Anna Melissa Baines in Belton
in Bell County
until he died of malaria
. He is buried in Salado, also in Bell County. Joseph Wilson Baines, one of the ten children of George and Melissa Baines, was the father of Rebekah Baines Johnson, the mother of Lyndon B. Johnson.
The Fairfield church in Freestone County
honored former pastor Baines with an historical marker unveiled in 1965.
Lyndon Johnson attended the 125th anniversary of the First Baptist Church in Minden in the fall of 1969, when the churched particularly honored the memory of LBJ's great-grandfather.
The George Washington Baines House
has been restored and operates as the popular Baines House Bed and Breakfast Inn in Salado.
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
clergyman in Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
who served briefly as natural science
Natural science
The natural sciences are branches of science that seek to elucidate the rules that govern the natural world by using empirical and scientific methods...
professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
and President of Baylor University
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
at its first location in Independence
Independence, Texas
Independence is an unincorporated community in Washington County, Texas, United States. Located twelve miles northeast of Brenham, it was founded in 1835 in Austin's colony of Anglo Americans. It became a Baptist religious and educational center of the Republic of Texas...
in Washington County, Texas.
Early years, family, education
Baines was born near the AtlanticAtlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
coast in Perquimans County
Perquimans County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 13,453 people, 4,645 households, and 3,376 families residing in the county. The population density was 46 people per square mile . There were 6,043 housing units at an average density of 24 per square mile...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, to the Reverend Thomas Baines and the former Mary McCoy. In 1817, the Baines moved to Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
and then to Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, where Baines attended the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
at Tuscaloosa
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Tuscaloosa is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama . Located on the Black Warrior River, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama, with a population of 90,468 in 2010...
. He did not graduate because he left the institution his senior year as a result of the stomach ailment dyspepsia
Dyspepsia
Dyspepsia , also known as upset stomach or indigestion, refers to a condition of impaired digestion. It is a medical condition characterized by chronic or recurrent pain in the upper abdomen, upper abdominal fullness and feeling full earlier than expected when eating...
, which plagued him for the remainder of his life. Baines cut and rafted timber to pay for his college tuition. After leaving college, he taught school. Years later, the University of Alabama awarded him an honorary degree for his accomplishments.
Call to the ministry
Baines was baptized in the Salem Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa CountyTuscaloosa County, Alabama
Tuscaloosa County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama.It is named in honor of the pre-Choctaw chief Tuskaloosa. In 2010, the population was 194,656...
in 1834. He was ordained a Baptist minister in 1837. He married the former Melissa Ann Butler of North Carolina on October 20, 1840, and thereafter moved to northern Arkansas, where he founded three churches and baptized 150 converts. He was also a missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
for the Baptist Home Mission Society of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Baines even served for three months in the Arkansas House of Representatives
Arkansas House of Representatives
The Arkansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arkansas General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The House is composed of 100 members elected from an equal amount of constituencies across the state. Each district has an average population of 26,734...
from November 1843 to February 1844 as the member from Carroll County.
A church schism in Arkansas
In March 1844, the "Hardshell" Baptist dissenters gained control of Baines' Crooked Creek Baptist Church, located south of Harrison, ArkansasHarrison, Arkansas
Harrison is a city in Boone County, Arkansas, United States. It is the county seat. According to 2007 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 13,108. Boone County was organized in 1869, during reconstruction after the civil war. Harrison was platted and made the county seat. It is...
, the seat of Boone County
Boone County, Arkansas
Boone County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 36,903. The county seat is Harrison. Boone County is Arkansas's 62nd county, formed on April 9, 1869. Boone County is part of the Harrison Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:Boone County...
. Baines was a "Missionary" Baptist in orientation (not to be confused with the Missionary Baptist denomination). The Baineses and other mission-oriented members were ousted from the Crooked Creek Church. The "Missionary" Baptists were evangelistic and believed in the constant presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as the propitiation for the sins of mankind and the sole source of salvation in the hereafter. The "Hardshell" segment, also called "Primitive" Baptists, embraced predestination
Predestination
Predestination, in theology is the doctrine that all events have been willed by God. John Calvin interpreted biblical predestination to mean that God willed eternal damnation for some people and salvation for others...
, which took the view that while some individuals would accept the call of Christ, others most decidedly would not do so. The "Hardshells" eschewed revivals; they merely presented the Gospel, in some congregations only on a monthly basis, and left matters otherwise constant. The two groups were at odds in many locations across the American South.
Pastoring in Louisiana
Baines and his family left Crooked Creek and moved south to Mount LebanonMount Lebanon, Louisiana
Mount Lebanon is a town in Bienville Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 73 at the 2000 census.-History:Mount Lebanon was probably the first permanent settlement in what is now Bienville Parish. Its pioneers were Baptists from South Carolina who quickly established a church and...
in Bienville Parish in north Louisiana. He was the Bienville Parish superintendent of schools and also the founding minister of the Saline Baptist Church, constituted on September 7, 1844. The church was later named Old Saline Baptist Church and maintains a cemetery. Baines pastored at Old Saline until 1848, when he relocated to neighboring Webster Parish and served as the first pastor of the Minden
Minden, Louisiana
Minden is a city in the American state of Louisiana. It serves as the parish seat of Webster Parish and is located twenty-eight miles east of Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish. The population, which has been stable since 1960, was 13,027 at the 2000 census...
Baptist Church, later the First Baptist Church of Minden. (In 1969, Major dePingre', a journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
-turned-businessman, published The History of the First Baptist Church of Minden, Louisiana.)
Baines was also the third minister of the Mount Lebanon Baptist Church and the moderator of the Red River Baptist Association. He also assisted in the organization of the North Louisiana Baptist Convention in 1848. While in Minden, he also helped to organize the First Baptist congregation in Marshall
Marshall, Texas
Marshall is a city in Harrison County in the northeastern corner of Texas. Marshall is a major cultural and educational center in East Texas and the tri-state area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Marshall was about 23,523...
, Texas, the seat of Harrison County
Harrison County, Texas
Harrison County is a county of the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 62,110. It is named for Jonas Harrison, a lawyer and Texas revolutionary. It is located in the Ark-La-Tex region...
just west of Shreveport.
Pastoring eight churches in Texas
After his service at Mount Lebanon, Baines relocated to Huntsville, TexasHuntsville, Texas
Huntsville is a city in and the county seat of Walker County, Texas, United States. The population was 35,508 at the 2010 census. It is the center of the Huntsville micropolitan area....
, where he pastored another Baptist Church. Later, in Independence, Texas, Baines met the legendary Sam Houston
Sam Houston
Samuel Houston, known as Sam Houston , was a 19th-century American statesman, politician, and soldier. He was born in Timber Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, of Scots-Irish descent. Houston became a key figure in the history of Texas and was elected as the first and third President of...
, who became a lifelong friend. Reverend Baines counseled Houston on the desirability of baptism after making a Christian commitment of faith. Consequently, Sam Houston was baptized in the last decade of his life on November 19, 1854, not by Baines, but by the Reverend Rufus C. Burleson, who had succeeded Baines as the pastor at the Independence Baptist Church.
During his ministry in Texas, Baines also pastored in Anderson
Anderson, Texas
Anderson is a city in Grimes County, Texas, United States. The population was 280 in 2009. It is the county seat. The city and its surroundings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Anderson Historic District.-Geography:...
, Fairfield
Fairfield, Texas
Fairfield is a city in Freestone County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,094 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Freestone County.-Geography:Fairfield is located at ....
, Springfield, Butler, Florence
Florence, Texas
Florence is a city in Williamson County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,054 at the 2000 census, and 1,109 in the 2005 census estimate.-Geography:Florence is located at...
, and Salado
Salado, Texas
Salado is a village in Bell County, Texas, United States. Salado was first incorporated in 1867 for the sole purpose of building a bridge across the Salado Creek...
. He founded the first Baptist newspaper in Texas, the Texas Baptist, and edited the publication from 1855 until 1860, when it ceased production with the advent of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. He led churches in prayer days, distribution of Bibles, aid to families, and soldier relief work during the war.
The Baylor years
Baines served as Baylor's president from 1861 to 1863 at a salary of $1,600 per year. He struggled to keep the school afloat despite financial woes and problems with his own health. He also taught grades 7-12—Baylor educated all above the sixth grade—and his college science class as well as handling the administration of the school. Baines resigned from the Baylor presidency because he believed himself to have been more suited for a pastorate than a college administrative post.Baylor was the first institution of higher learning in Texas, and in time the school became the largest Baptist-related institution of higher education in the world. Baines encouraged women students at Baylor, and he and Mrs. Baines helped to provide them lodging. In his later years, Baines was a trustee of the Baylor female institution, the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
The University of Mary Hardin–Baylor, generally referred to as UMHB, is a Christian co-educational liberal arts institution of higher learning located in Belton, Texas, United States. Founded by the Republic of Texas in 1845 as "Baylor Female College," it has grown to approximately 2,700 students...
in Belton. The school has since gone coeducational. In 1886, four years after Baines' death, Baylor relocated to Waco
Waco, Texas
Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region....
, the seat of McLennan County
McLennan County, Texas
McLennan County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in Central Texas. In 2000, its population was 213,517; in 2008 the U.S. Census Bureau estimated its population to be 230,213. Its seat is Waco. The county is named for Neil McLennan, an early settler....
.
Family obituaries
On January 21, 1865, Mrs. Baines died while the family was living in Fairfield. Baines' mother had died months earlier, after having come to live with the family. Mrs. Baines is buried in an unmarked grave in Fairfield Cemetery. The grave was not located by family members until 1960. Baines made her coffin with his own hands. Six months later on June 13, Baines married a then 33-year-old widow, Cynthia W. Williams, also originally from North Carolina.In 1866, Baines traveled as field agent for the Texas Baptist State Convention and in 1867 moved his family to Salado, where he pastored the First Baptist Church. In 1877, he became an agent for the Education Commission of the Baptist State Convention, but in 1881, the Salado congregation compelled him to resume the pastorate there. After the death of second wife Cynthia Baines on February 4, 1878, Baines lived with his daughter Anna Melissa Baines in Belton
Belton, Texas
Belton is a city in Bell County, Texas, United States. The population was 14,623 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Bell County.Belton is part of the Killeen – Temple – Fort Hood metropolitan area.-Geography:...
in Bell County
Bell County, Texas
Bell County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. Bell County was founded in 1850. It is part of the Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 2000, the county's population was 237,974; in 2010 the U.S. Census Bureau reported that its population had reached...
until he died of malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
. He is buried in Salado, also in Bell County. Joseph Wilson Baines, one of the ten children of George and Melissa Baines, was the father of Rebekah Baines Johnson, the mother of Lyndon B. Johnson.
The Fairfield church in Freestone County
Freestone County, Texas
Freestone County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2000, the population was 17,867. Its county seat is Fairfield.-Geography:...
honored former pastor Baines with an historical marker unveiled in 1965.
Lyndon Johnson attended the 125th anniversary of the First Baptist Church in Minden in the fall of 1969, when the churched particularly honored the memory of LBJ's great-grandfather.
The George Washington Baines House
George Washington Baines House
The George Washington Baines House is located in the city of Salado, county of Bell, in the U.S. state of Texas. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places listings in Bell County, Texas in 1983, and designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1981.George Washington Baines was...
has been restored and operates as the popular Baines House Bed and Breakfast Inn in Salado.