SWEETWATER, GEORGIA Est. Before 1839 |
Sweetwater is clearly shown as a community in its own right in historic maps from Sweetwater Primitive Baptist Church was organized on December 8, 1824 in the Wells school house by Tyre Landers and G. B. Waldrop. The following were charter members: Frances Landers, Clarissa Woodruff, Sara Morgan, Elizabeth Niblet, Precilla Woodruff, Mary Hedrick, Hannah Spradlin, Heziah Lawrence, Sarah Schamblee, Margaret Minchem, Cynthy Barnett, Editha McDaniel, Elley Davis, Nancy Hendrix, John Hendrix, Elizabeth Doneyhoo, James Donehoo, Thomas Mason, Prodence Wells, James Wells, Bodie Waldrop, Benjamin Waldrop, Alsey Waldrop. The
first
building was
erected in 1824 and replaced in
1909. The first minister of
the church was James Hale, who served 16 years
consecutively, and an
additional
12 years two years later. Sandra Waldrop
Doolittle shares
this about her early Gwinnett ancestors: Rev. Green Berry
Waldrop, his family, his
papa Benjamin Waldrop and Bodi ...attended the
Sweetwater Baptist
Church. My gr grandpapa was born there about
1826. The Waldrops left
Gwinnett County in 1827 and moved to Harris
County for the 1827 Georgia
Lottery. They were in Harris County for 14 years
before moving to
Mississippi. My Rev. Green Berry
Waldrop help constitute
the Baptist Churches in Gwinnett, Harris,
Taylor, Talbot Counties in
Georgia. His papa Benjaman moved to Cowetta
County and married Rachel
Griffith or Griffin, they has two sons, Benjamin
, Jr. and Archibald
Waldrop in the mid 1820s.
Located
on
Pleasant Hill
Road between Duluth and Lawrenceville, near the
corner of Cruse Road,
the
church today is used as Sweetwater
Memorial Chapel. The
cemetery
is relatively well maintained, and several
graves are decorated with
small
Confederate flags. The Eli Landers house
is seen directly behind
the cemetery. It was moved years ago from the other side of Pleasant Hill Road. See Sweetwater in Historical Maps of Gwinnett County University of Georgia. You'll find more photographs in the Gwinnett County Photo Album.
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