Jeffcoat's Meeting house (link to drawing of Jeffcoats Meeting House) was built before the saw mills and ponds were constructed on Bog Pond Branch so there wasn't any flooring except the earth. The pews were split logs with legs pegged in, and a piece of round heart pine adorned the roof top according to tradition.

The old cemetery extended to the creek say Ebenezer folks. When Mr. E. A. Poole who was the sold part of the church property about 1930 constructed a pond on the branch the water covered part of the cemetery. Those buried nearest the creek were said to have been slaves.

When the log house was torn down about 1832 saw mills were humming on the branch--Benjamin Mill was near by, and a building of wide hand dressed boards replaced the first. This one had a floor and steps extending across the front with two doors and board windows. Mrs. Maggie Reed, a member who remembered this church said on cold days with the windows closed it was quite dark inside. "I can imagine the preacher using one of those tiny brass lamp like my grandmother used for quilting. He could have placed it right on the good book."

This church was torn down and a new one was begun during the pastorate of Rev. Ed Smith 1899, or Rev. Otis Allen Jeffcoat 1900 according to Rev. J. K. Inabinet who came in December 1901. He said it was hauled in when he came and completed in the Fall of 1902. This church had glass windows and was finished inside. In the previous church the men entered one door and the ladies the other and sat on opposite sides in the church. In this one husbands and wives sat together and there was no longer segregated seating. Rosa Lee Jeffcoat, great granddaughter of Edward was just a teenager when this church was being built. She and her sister, Lillias, helped carry boards from the saw mills to the kiln for drying. Her brother-in-law, Jim Roof, was the main carpenter. The mill at this time belonged to Cornelia J. Witt's brother, "Big Herb" Jeffcoat.

Henrietta Harley Kennerly, fourteen years old and granddaughter of Daniel and Phereby Jeffcoat on her father's side and greatgrandaughter of Samuel Jr. on her mother's side, picked cotton to buy chairs for the new church. She and her brother, Walter, carried dinner to their father (not lunch in those days) who was helping to build the church. This church was remodeled about 1925, and was replaced in 1968 with a lovely brick building--Buch Jeffcoat was the contractor.

The minutes of the Methodist Quarterly Conference Meetings show that Samuel's sons and grandsons were leaders in the church. The Meeting House was represented by them from the first meeting recorded in Orangeburg Circuit August 1, 1819, Cattle Creek, to those held on Hollow Creek Circuit from 1825-1833, and then Barnwell Circuit until 1840, then back to Orangeburg Circuit.

Jeffcoat men from Samuel's family who attended the conference meetings were: Elijah, Preacher; his son, Joshua Allen; and grandson, John J. were class leaders and Charters; Benjamin (class leader and exhorter, sons John M. (Preacher) Urbane Elijah, Benjamin Lendard, Needam Price (class leaders and exhorter) John son Joel Jacob (Exhorter). These aren't all the men who worked in the church just the ones who attended the Quarterly Conference Meetings and were licensed to preach or exhort. They were examined on a yearly basis as to their character and their license was renewed or suspended accordingly. In reading the minutes, I saw where some lost their license, but never a Jeffcoat. Benjamin did try for a preachers' license a couple of times which wasn't granted.

The earliest recorded Quarterly Conference held at Jefcoats' Meeting House was 15th and 16th September 1820.

Present: Lewis Myers, P.E.

Allen Turner, Circuit Preacher

Thomas Gardner, Circuit Preacher

Henry Whetstone, Local Preacher

Thomas McAdams, Local Preacher

Elijah Jeffcoat, Local Preacher

Benjamin Jeffcoat, Exhorter

Jacob Jeffcoat, Sr., Exhorter

Jacob Jeffcoat, Jr. Exhorter

David Felder, Exhorter

David Riley, Class Leader

George McAdams, Class Leader

Lewis Houser, Class Leader

Item 1. Lewis Houser nominated and appointed secretary

2. David Riley applied for license to preach, laid over until tomorrow for further examining.

3. Joseph Winningham nominated and appointed steward

4. All officials examined and a number not present.

5. Concluded by prayer and adjournment until tomorrow after preaching.

September 16 met according to adjournment. Members present in addition to those above:

Joseph Winningham, Preacher

Henry Segrist, Preacher

John Jefcoat, Preacher

Jacob Duramus, Class Leader

Walker Duramus, Class Leader

Item 1. David Riley's Case according to yesterday's proposal examined and granted.

2. Jacob Jeffcoat - applied for license to preacher - granted.

3. William Whetstone and Henry Segrist recommended to the ensuing annual conference to be elected to Elders Conference.

4. William Dickerson - applied for preaching license to be renewed - granted.

5. John Jeffcoat - recommended to the ensuing conference to be elected to Deacon's office.

6. Names of those renewed and expelled read.

7. The examinations of official characters both present and absent gone through.

8. Concluded by prayer.

Lewis Houser, Secretary

Lewis Myres, P. E.

These people came from all over the great Orangeburg Circuit. There was not a hotel or motel in the Jeffcoat settlement. They must have been invited to spend the night with different members of the church.

I have not studied church history enough to know when the Circuit Rider made his last monthly visit. Nor do I know when Annual Conference organized charges within the Districts composed of two or more churches with an appointed preacher for each charge, but it must have been after 1850, or after the Civil War even.

Elijah Jeffcoat's picture is not in the glass case at Ebenezer with the other preachers, but as the local preacher at Jefcoat's Meeting House I am sure he did the baptizing, the marrying, and burying in this church for more than thirty years up until circa 1850. Before him, it may have been his father, his uncle, or a cousin. After him. . . . . . . .

The church that was built in 1900 was remodeled in 1925 when D. C. Jeffcoat was pastor. It is the one shown in the Bible School Pictures.

Ebenezer in 1967 was in poor condition, both spiritually and building wise. But a wonderful thing happened. A minister who had three churches already, asked for Ebenezer to be added to his work load. What a Preacher!

When Rev. Enoch Finklea came, warm compassionate, loving, filled with the Holy Spirit, beaming with such joy and excitement, the dying ember that was Ebenezer burst into a flame under his guidance.

Our taking about building a church that never got anywhere changed suddenly. The attendance picked up and so did the offerings. A joyous fellowship and excitement filled the church as we worshiped with this great man of God. His deeply moving sermons and the Holy Spirit moved the church into action.

Rev. Finklea even had the children saving their pennies. He figured up how many pennies laid side by side in a line it would take to reach from the church to the community house where we had service, and this was their goal. Woodrow Jackson built a small replica of the old church for them to drop their pennies into.

Another generation of children are dropping coins into the little church while the ushers take up the offering. I see visitors watching these tots and smiling. I guess they are wondering what they are doing. I smile because they are so cute, and because I remember.

Our new church needed a birth date to celebrate so Rev. Finklea and I decided on 1792. I believe if Ebenezer had been a lady she would have been very pleased. I do not believe Samuel waited until he was a grandfather to build a church. I believe his children were brought up in a church from an early age. The log house was probably built ten or twenty years earlier. (*Taken from Dell Jeffcoat’s book, “Seed of Jacob” Second Edition, Revised)