Piney Grove Church — By Tommy Purser

Fleta McKever made a telephone call to the Ledger recently. It was during the week preceding last month’s homecoming at her church in the southwestern corner of Jeff Davis County.
I visited her church — Piney Grove Baptist Church — only once – for the funeral of Mr. Emory “Em” Watkins. The small country church was packed that November day 32 years ago.
I wrote in my column then, two days after Mr. Em’s funeral, “They came by the droves, young and old, rich and poor, black and white. Traversing the winding, dusty dirt roads on a windy, overcast fall day to gather together and pay their last respects to one of Jeff Davis County’s finest citizens.”
Today, instead of “winding, dusty dirt roads” there is a winding, paved road leading to the church. Going past the church, one would drive a short distance on a dusty dirt road to arrive at Piney Grove Baptist Church Cemetery. Among the graves there is one for Nathan “Nate” McKever.
Nate’s widow, Fleta McKever, is the lady who called my office recently and, later, stopped by for a visit.
I’ve known who Fleta McKever was for years, but her recent call was the first time I had ever spoken with her. And her subsequent visit marked the first time I had ever seen her.
I’ve known who she was for years because I knew she was Nate McKever’s widow. And Mr. Nate McKever, like Mr. Em Watkins, was, in my opinion, “one of the Jeff Davis County’s finest citizens.”
For many years, Nate McKever drove a school bus, not only to transport children to and from school, but also to transport Jeff Davis High basketball teams to and from out-of-town games. Driving a bus along with Nate to and from Jeff Davis High out-of-town basketball games was Johnny Watkins, Em Watkins’ son. Johnny, like Mr. Em and Nate, I consider to be one of the finest citizens in Jeff Davis County.
But enough about the fine Jeff Davis County citizens I know. Let’s get back to the call and visit from Fleta McKever.
Her call was for an inquiry. She wanted to know if she could perhaps learn how old her church was by searching through old issues of the Ledger to maybe find some reference to her church’s age.
After her visit, I did the search for her.
I didn’t find out how old Piney Grove was but what I did find out was of great interest.
During her visit, Mrs. McKever mentioned the name of George Peterson who, she was told, lived to be 106 years old. He had passed away long ago but, as she understood it, George Peterson was a key figure in the history of Piney Grove Baptist Church.
Indeed, he was.
I found in a May, 1959, issue of The Jeff Davis County Ledger, an article written about the passing of George Peterson. The headline read, “Aged 108, Negro Leader Succumbs.”
The article:
“George Peterson, aged Negro man who spent practically all his life near Snipesville in Jeff Davis County, and who is reputed to be 108 years of age, died at the home of one of his sons in Helena Sunday.
“Relatives said the former slave who came to Georgia from his native North Carolina at the age of 20, was born in Warsaw, N.C., on September 28, 1850. He came to the Snipeisvlle section of this county, married Oro Kemp and reared his family (there were 16 children in all) and was widely known and respected by people of both races.
“At what most people term ‘middle age’ he purchased 88 acres of land from Jack Pickren and cleared the land himself. Noted as a hard worker he prepared, and cut logs from his own land to construct a Negro church near his home and named in Piney Grove Church. Active in the church from young manhood, he is reported to have been a deacon for 85 years and was Sunday School moderator for well over a half century.
“Peterson was an active worker until a far advanced age, and he was able to be up and looking about the farm work until recent years. When his eyesight failed, and when he was not longer able to get about he told The Ledger in an interview that he supposed ‘it is jus’ old age settin’ in.’ He was 106 then.
“He lived on his beloved place near what is known as Traveler’s Rest, until less than two years ago. At that time he went to Helena to live with a son, and was there until his death.
“Funeral services will be held Sunday at 2 p.m., at Piney Grove church, and burial will be in the church cemetery.”
After finding that old Ledger article, I made copies of it and drove out to Fleta McKever’s home to deliver a copy to her. Fleta (Mrs. Nate) McKever’s home is a short distance behind the home where Mr. Em Watkins raised his son Johnny and his other children.
From there, I drove to Piney Grove Church Cemetery where I searched in vain for the grave of Mr. George Peterson. There are a number of unmarked graves in that old cemetery and I feel sure one of those is the grave of George Peterson whose remains were buried there 76 years ago.
Let’s see …. According to that 1959 article, less than two years before, in 1957 or 1958, he was 106 and lived on his place in Jeff Davis County and at that time moved to live with a son in Helena.
Mr. Peterson built the church, named it, and served as a deacon there for 85 years. Assuming — and this is just an assumption — that Mr. Peterson was a deacon at Piney Bluff from the time of its establishment until 1957 or 1958 when he left to go live with his son, that would mean he built and named the church in 1872 or 1873.
But that’s just my assumption.
That would put the age of Piney Bluff Church at 152 or 153 years.
If true, that would mean that the young Peterson, who was born in 1850 and moved to Georgia when he was 20 — 1870 — built and named Piney Bluff at the age of 22 or 23.
But, again, that’s just my assumption.
If any of Mr. Peterson’s descendants read this column and knows which unmarked grave is that of George Peterson, please let me know.