The Cyclopedia of the Colored Baptists of Alabama: Their Leaders and Their Work

by Charles Octavius Boothe

SALEM MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH, GREENSBORO.

The white Baptists had for many years prior to the late war a prosperous church at this place, with a large membership of white people and colored people—the slaves of their masters. Just about the time of the war the larger portion of the white membership moved away, and from one cause and another, the close of the war found but a few white members remaining, but a large colored membership.

The white members, to whom the property belonged, sold the building and donated $2,000 of the proceeds to the colored members for them to build a church with. This church is the same church that the white people had organized more than fifty years ago.

Rev. H. Stephens was the first pastor of the colored congregation, after they moved their church site, and was pastor for twenty years.

Rev. L. J. Green was pastor for about four years, and Rev W. M. Madison, the present pastor, has been there five years, has built a nice parsonage and greatly increased the membership.

There were 300 members (colored) when the church moved to its present site. They have now a membership of 800.

This is the mother church of nearly every church in Hale county and they have a great many large and prosperous churches in the county. The church property is worth $2,500.

This is saying good things for the white Baptists of Greensboro. Deacon Dock Lane, one of the most honorable and consecrated among men, deserves mention as a pillar in this church. Among the leaders of this church appears the name of Mr. A. Wimbs.

Desiring to make honorable mention of this worthy young man, I requested of him something of his history, and he sends me the following:

“I was born in Greensboro, Ala., September 23, 1860. My mother was named Josephine; she was brought from Washington and sold to Mr. A. L. Stollenwerck, of this town. My father was named Addison Wimbs and resided in Washington; he was a slave on account of his mother being a slave, but his father was a free man, and had bought nearly all of his children and sent them to Canada. What education I have, I received at the town school here—Tullibody Academy—under the management of Prof. W. B. Patterson. I have served my church in the capacity of superintendent of the Sabbath School and clerk of the church; was secretary of the Sabbath School Convention of the Uniontown Association; am a member of the Executive Board of the Convention. I was at one time editor of a small paper here called the Voice.