Life of Robert Josiah Willingham

p. 5R. J. WiLLiNGHAM was thoroughly surcharged with the passiou of giving the gospel to a lost world; surely the story of his life cannot be told without arousing greater missionary interest. If, on account of this book, Southern Baptists shall become more deeply interested in Foreign Missions; if some shall contribute more liberally to the great cause; if one shall give his life in service on the foreign field — then, indeed, the labors of the author will not have been in vain.

p. 6The author wishes hereby to extend her sincere thanks to all who have in any manner assisted in the pi*eparation of this book. Especially would she express her appreciation to Dr. J. F. Love, who first suggested that she undertake this work and has ever encouraged her by his sympathetic counsel; to Dr. T. B. Ray, for his kind interest and timely suggestions; to Dr. W. H. Smith, for his helpful advice and uniform kindness; to Dr. E. H. Pitt, who has graciously given his time to counsel the author and to criticize her manuscript; to Dr. J, C. Metcalf, for his literary suggestions; to Dr. W. A. Harris, for kindness extended her while consulting the files of the Religious Herald in the archives of the Virginia Baptist Historical Society ; to Dr. B. J. W. Graham, for access to the files of the Christian Index; to Mr. J. D. Crump and Mr. J. B. Ferneyhough, for helpful business advice; and to all who have written for the pages of this book. Grateful mention must also be made of the kindness of the late Dr. T. P. Bell, who, more than any one, aided the author in forming a plan for the latter part of the book.

p. 11was inclined to ridicule family trees and pride in ancestry ; as he grew older, however, and his extensive travels throughout the South brought him in contact with many descendants of his early forefathers, this feeling of ridicule gradually changed into an interest in ancestry that grew steadily as the years passed by. From many sources he obtained information in regard to his family; and it became one of his greatest pleasures, in his leisure moments, to work on this material and out of it to evolve a family stream, in which form he jjreferred to preserve the records. There are many tributaries to this stream, most of them having as their source a colonist from Switzerland, England, Ireland, or France. In so brief a sketch it is possible to mention only a few of those forefathers whose influence can be seen in the life and character of their descendant.

Dr. Willingham's given name can be traced back nine generations to his earliest known ancestor, David Robert, of St. Imer, Switzerland, a descendant of the large Rhobert family of Wales, a family which is noted for its piety and devotion to God's Word. In l.^).5(), soon after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, David Robert and his son Pierre, a Huguenot preacher, the record of whose ordination is still in the old Hugenot church at Basle, Switzer-land, came over as exiles for religion's sake, and settled at Santee, South Carolina. Soon after his arrival Pierre Robert became the first pastor of the Huguenot church of that place and served in this capacity until his death. The p. 12church has since died out, but in the old Huguenot church at Charleston is still found a tablet bearing the following inscription :

Pasteur Pierre Robert french santee, so. ca.

Other ancestors were noted for their religious convictions. One of these was Dr. George Mosse, a graduate of to St. Helena Island, near Beaufort, South Carolina. He and his brother-in-law, William Norton, organized a church on this island and were its first deacons. Later, upon moving to Savannah, Georgia, Dr. Mosse became one of the charter members and also senior deacon of the First Baptist Church of Savannah, which was organized by Dr. Henry Holcombe, the great grandfather of Mrs. R. J. Willingham. The old charter of this church, on which appear, among other names, those of Dr. Holcombe and Dr. Mosse, is still in existence.

p. 12Three of Dr. Mosse's daughters married brothers belonging to the Lawton family of South Carolina. Benjamin Themistocles D'lon Lawton, who married the fourth daughter Jane, was a prosperous planter, owning property not only in South Carolina but also in southwest Georgia. For many years he was a deacon in the old Lawtonville Church. His daughter Phebe Sarah married Thomas Willingham, a young man of English descent.

Thomas Willingham's father, Thomas Henry Willingham, a prosperous merchant of Charleston, South Carolina, had died at an early age, leaving him an infant. His mother had later married again. The ample inheritance which his father had left him dwindled during his boyhood, on account of mismanagement, and he found himself ready to p. 13face the world a poor 3'ouiig man. He was not afraid of liard work, however, and, by his own efforts, became one of the wealthiest men in his community. He took the highest stand not only in business and social but also in religious life, serving as deacon in old Lawtonville Church for more than fifty years. His seven sons, influenced by their mother's beautiful life and following their father's example, became deacons in the Baptist church. One of those sons %yas Benjamin Lawton Willingham, the father of Robert Josiah Willingham.

B. L. Willingham was a man of marked personality ; he exerted a great influence over the life of his son, and many of the latter's most prominent characteristics can be seen in him. He was educated at the Citadel, in Charleston, and later spent one year at Madison College, now Colgate University. He cared little for books, but preferred to receive his education through his eyes and ears; he felt no hesitancy in asking about whatever he wished to know. Throughout life this habit clung to him ; and, by a few skillful, pointed que.stions, he could find out what a person "knew." In this way he obtained a wonderful insight into human nature.