East Tennessee is part of Appalachia. At the end of the French and Indian War, colonists began drifting into the area. In 1769, they first settled along the Watauga River. During the Revolution, the Overmountain Men defeated British loyalists at the Battle of Kings Mountain. The State of Franklin was formed in the 1780s, but never admitted to the Union.
The History of Sullivan County said New Bethel was organized in 1782 by Reverend Samuel Doak (1749) in Piney Flats, Sullivan County, Tennessee.
The first members were followers of the Reverend Dr. Joseph Rhea, who was pastor of the Piney Creek Presbyterian Church in Maryland. After serving in East Tennessee during the American Revolution, he encouraged his congregation to relocate there. Rhea died on the way.
I was to furnish logs, boards and all timbers needed to build a large house, with a section of benches in the back side for the Massengale and Cobb negroes, numbering at this time, 151 souls, so these slaves can come out and be refreshed in body and soul. This house of worship was completed by July 1777, and was known as the Massengill House of Worship.
In the early history of the church the first building of logs was erected... The pulpit was in the west end, around which the male portion of the congregation gathered. The women and children occupied the end near the chimney corner.
Reverend Samuel Doak
(1749–1830)
Presbyterians are Protestant Christians. The denomination originated in Scotland and congregations are ruled by elected elders. Presbyterian theology follows the Calvanist tradition and emphasizes the sovereignty of God, the authority of the Scriptures, and grace through faith in Christ.
