History of New Hope Presbyterian Church At Frogville, Choctaw County, Oklahoma

The New Hope Presbyterian Church at Frogville, Choctaw county, was organized about 1872 by Parson Charles W. Stewart, who had conducted occasional services in this neighborhood for some time previous.

The first elders were Elias Radford, who died in 1908 after 36 years of faithful service, and James Pratt, who, after 40 years of faithful official service, is still living (1914) in his own cozy cottage home near the Church. In the interest of the Church, which is located in the Oak forest, along Red River southeast of Hugo, and still fifteen miles from railway, he has from the first been the principal host, to receive and entertain the Frogville circuit-riders, as in the days of Stewart and Homer; and provided rooms in his own home for the resident ministers as in the days of Sleeper, Harry and Starks. When the Presbytery meets at Frogville, he generously plans to entertain about one half the people that are present from a distance. The good he has already accomplished, by his faithful, life-long service in the Church and Sunday school, make him worthy to be long and gratefully remembered, as one of the noblest and most generous benefactors in the community in which he lives.

Others that have been ordained and are still serving as ruling elders in this Church are Willis Buffington, ordained Sept. 7, 1902; and Garfield Pratt, son of James, April 9, 1911.

The succession of pastors of the New Hope Church has been as follows:

Charles W. Stewart, Doaksville 1872-1889.
Thomas C. Ogburn, Goodland 1889-1891.
Wiley Homer, Grant 1891-1892.
Samuel Gladman, Atoka 1897-1899.
Richard D. Colbert, Grant 1899-1900.
John H. Sleeper, Frogville 1900-1904.
Hugh L. Harry, Frogville 1904-1905.
William J. Starks, Frogville 1905-1912.
Julius W. Mallard, Frogville since Jan. 4, 1913.

Rev. Wiley Homer
Rev. Wiley Homer

Wiley Homer, an elder and catechist in the Beaver Dam Church at Grant, as an aid to Parson Stewart conducted most of the services during his last two years, 1887 to 1889.

This Church in 1913 reports 26 members and 59 in the Sunday school. In all probability it was the second Church organized by Parson Stewart.


Collection:
Flickinger, Robert Elliott. Choctaw Freedmen and Oak Hill Industrial Academy, Valliant, Oklahoma. Presbyterian Board of Missions for Freedmen. Pittsburgh. 1914

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