Notes |
- From the "History of the First Baptist Church, Summerfield, FL"
From 1906-1912 the Clyburns lived in Pedro on Hwy 475 south of Hwy 42. They were not strangers to the residents of Summerfield since they had lived here before, and upon coming back they moved into the Kerby house on Newsome Street. The house was near where the post office is today, 1999. Across the street was a hotel. The next year the Clyburns built a beautiful two-story house facing the railroad track south of the hotel. In 1917 they bought the hotel named the National Colony House.
R.L. was in business with Nathan Mayo and tended to the grocery section in Mayo's Store. Later across the tracks R.L. built a two story brick store and was In business for himself. That particular store was lost to fire, and over the years he was the proprietor of other stores. Today we would call Mr. Clyburn a bivocational pastor. As early as 1911 he was an ordained minister and preached in our church. He was elected Sunday School Superintendent in 1912 even though he was not a member. This is an indication of how people held him in such high esteem and regard.
Before moving to Summerfield, Mr. Clyburn was preaching every third Sunday at the Longhammock schoolhouse. He was also Pedro's first pastor for three years. After they moved to Summerfield, Mrs. Russell as a little girl remembers her father hitching up the wagon on particular Sunday mornings and going off to preach for a morning and evening service. She and her sister Grace would sometimes go with him to Pedro. Grace liked to suggest to her father with whom they should eat lunch. Usually there was more than one invitation for the preacher. Grace preferred to go to a home where there was a baby so she could tend to it. After the evening service on the return trip home the girls often would go to sleep in the wagon. Upon arrival their father would gently wake them saying "We're home." Mrs. Grace told many times she knew what it would sound like when she got to Heaven. In that same manner her earthly father spoke, her Heavenly Father would say "Gracie, you're home."
|