At this time Hamilton County Baptist Associational minutes for 1880, have not been found. Blue Ridge (with a membership of 12) was included in the 1881 church membership roll of Hamilton County Baptist Association (HCBA). Early minutes of "Blue Ridge Baptist Church of Christ" have been lost and the list of charter members is no longer available. Charter members did include:

James Lemuel Grisham, Sr.

Margaret Amanda Jones Grisham

William Robert Richey

Sarah Ann Wright Richey

W. S. Stephens

Blue Ridge experienced a dramatic increase from 12 members in 1884 to 101 members in 1886 when 58 baptisms were reported making Blue Ridge the largest church in HCBA. (HCBA minutes for 1885 are not available at this time--May 3, 1997.) Bennett Creek Baptist Church at Center City was the second largest church in HCBA with 80 members, and New Providence Baptist Church at Star Mountain was the third largest church with 75 members.

By 1886 Christopher Columbus Powell had moved to Blue Ridge from (or had changed his church membership from) New Hope Baptist Church in Hamilton County. C. C. Powell was clerk of HCBA from 1884 thru 1894, except for 1889. Blue Ridge remained the largest church in HCBA in 1887 with 110 members while Sweet Home Baptist Church (now First Baptist Church, Evant) was the second largest church with 70 members. By 1887 HCBA had been divided into four districts. Churches in the First District included Siloam (Lamkin, Comanche County) , Grove (Hico, Hamilton County), Shiloh (Townsend’s Mill--now Adamsville--Lampasas County), Sycamore (Lanham, Hamilton County), Hamilton (now First Baptist Church, Hamilton), New Hope (Hamilton, Hamilton County), Macedonia (Hico, Hamilton County--later became Pleasant Hill which then became Olin), Blue Ridge (Hamilton, Hamilton County), Honey Creek (Carlton, Hamilton County), and Lamkin (Lamkin, Comanche County). Church services were held twice a month in 1887--on the 2nd and 4th Sundays. Prior to 1887 and again in 1888 services were held once a month. In 1888 Blue Ridge was in the Second District with Sweet Home (now First Baptist Church, Evant), Bee House (Bee House), Hillsdale (Townsend’s Mill--now Adamsville), Cottage Hill (Shive), New Providence (Evant), Bennett Creek (Center City), Liberty (Star, Mills County), Simm’s Creek (Lometa, Mills County), and Shiloh (Townsend’s Mill) . With 102 members in 1888 Blue Ridge remained the largest church in HCBA. Hamilton with 74 members was the second largest church in HCBA. This was the same situation in 1889 when Blue Ridge had 100 members and Hamilton had 70 members. In 1890 Hico was the largest church in HCBA with 93 members while Blue Ridge was the second largest church with a membership of 84. By 1892 membership had decreased to 45 and ten churches in the association were larger than Blue Ridge.

In 1890 the pastor’s salary was $100; $16.00 was contributed to home and foreign missions; $12.20 was given to Buckner’s Orphans Home; the church did not own any property; and church services were held on the second and fourth Sundays. Christopher Columbus Powell, member of Blue Ridge Baptist Church remained Clerk of Hamilton County Baptist Association.

Services in 1891 were held on the first Saturday and Sunday; eleven members were dismissed by letter; eight members were excluded; one member died; there were no reported additions by baptism, letter, or statement; and there were 65 members--28 males and 37 females. C. C. Powell remained clerk of Hamilton County Baptist Association.. Blue Ridge paid its pastor $100, gave $10 to Associational Missions, $9 to foreign missions, $5 to state missions and $6 to Buckners Orphans Home. By this time Blue Ridge ranked fifth in membership behind Hico (131), Carlton (97), Stringtown (King, Coryell County) (73), and Cow House (Pottsville) (67). In 1895 church membership at Blue Ridge had decreased to 25.

There were 31 additions to the church in 1899--21 by baptism and 10 by letter. Four members were lost during the year--1 by letter, 2 were expelled, and 1 died. Twenty-nine of the 74 members were male and 45 were female. Services were held on the first Sunday each month.

One of the early church organist was my grandmother, Ida Rose Anna Grisham Fergusson, who played by ear on the pump organ.

On August 16--18, 1900, the Twenty-Fourth Annual Session of the Hamilton County Baptist Association was held at Blue Ridge. In 1906 HCBA returned to Blue Ridge for the 30th Annual Session on August 15-17, 1906. Host churches were responsible for food and lodging for messengers and their horses during the session. The Annual Associational meeting of HCBA was held at Blue Ridge in 1915 with C. C. (Christopher Columbus) Powell welcoming the association to Blue Ridge in the opening service. Several church members from Blue Ridge participated on committees of this session: Christian Education--Hobart Waldrop; Home Missions--T. E. (Thomas Edwin) Stribling--my great-grandfather; Committee on Obituaries--Ora Drake; Ordained Ministers--C. C. (Christopher Columbus) Powell; and Church Music--Sister Anna (Anna Jane) Stribling--my grand aunt.

Blue Ridge hosted the 47th Annual Session of HCBA on August 22 to 24, 1923. It was at one of these early associational meetings that two mischievous church women (my grand aunts)--(Anna Jane Stribling and Sarah Bertie Sparks Grisham), served fried chicken gizzards to a visiting pastor (Clarence Allen Morton--pastor of Hamilton Baptist Church), who fondly loved these "delacacies." The ladies gathered the gizzards from all the fried chickens brought for lunch that day and strung the 49 gizzards together with needle and thread, then placed the connected gizzards on a platter with some other pieces of chicken on top. The ladies took a platter of chicken to the gizzard-loving-preacher and asked if he would like a piece.  Spying a gizzard peaking out Bro. Morton inserted his fork into the protruding gizzard and immediately the lady withdrew the platter leaving this preacher holding a strand of 49 fried chicken gizzards.

Jesse Andrew Grisham--my grand-uncle--served as Secretary to the Executive Board of HCBA in 1907. He was also elected Clerk of HCBA on August 14, 1907, but asked to be excused from that position on August 15.

The first Sunday School at Blue Ridge was started between August, 1907, and August, 1908, when HCBA minutes reported the average attendance to be 50 with Oliver Perry Stuckey as the Sunday School Superintendent. From August, 1908, to August, 1909, there were 43 additions to the church--24 by baptism and 19 by letter. Church services were changed from the first to the second Sunday of each month.

In 1911 James L. Stuckey presented the obituary report at the HCBA Annual Session. In 1912 church services were held on the fourth Sunday. A BYPU (Baptist Young Peoples Union) was organized in 1915 with 50 members . In the 1920's several young people from Blue Ridge--Robert Verne Crain, Clara Elsie Fergusson Crain, Lura Bernice Crain Perry, Jeff Madison Perry, and others were very active in the Hamilton BYPU Federation as well as at Blue Ridge; however, the associational minutes do not report details of BYPU/BTU/TU/Discipleship Training for many years.

Blue Ridge members who participated on committees at the 1916 Annual Session included: Sunday School--Hobart Waldrop; BYPU--Miss Ora Drake and J. T. (John "Jack" Thadeus) Stribling--my grand-uncle; Denominational Literature--Joe (William Joseph) Stribling--my grand-uncle; Orphans Home--M (Maynard) Winningham and Miss Anna (Anna Jane) Stribling; and Foreign Missions--Hobart Waldrop.

Members from Blue Ridge who participated on committees at the 1918 Annual Session of HCBA included: Reading (church letters)--F. H. (Hobart) Waldrop; BYPU--Bro.and Mrs. F. H. (Hobart) Waldrop; Christian Literature--T. E. (Thomas Edwin) Stribling and J. W. (James Wesley) Crain; Buckners Orphans Home--Miss Anna (Anna Jane) Stribling; and Temperance--N. A. (Neil Augustus) Stribling--my grand-uncle,  and Miss Annie (Annie Bell) Sparks; Hobart Waldrop, pastor of both Blue Ridge, was clerk of Hamilton County Baptist Association in 1918. There is an inconsistency in reporting his name--both F. Hobart And Hobart F. are used.

John Thadeus "Jack" Stribling was corresponding clerk in 1922 and treasurer of HCBA from 1923 through 1932. His older sister, Miss Anna Jane Stribling was clerk of HCBA from 1927 through 1932. Thanks be to God that I have inherited many of the early minutes of HCBA from Uncle Jack and Auntie and their father (my great-grandfather) Thomas Edwin Stribling. The 1934 minutes were missing from this collection--I found it safely archived in the Roberts Library at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. As I was photocoping the 1934 minutes, a letter written 20 February, 1934, from the E. P. Alldredge, Secretary Survey, Statistics and Information, Baptist Sunday School Board to Miss Anna Stribling fell out of this book. I was not allowed to claim the letter, but could photocopy it.  Aunt Anna remains the only lady to have ever convened a session of the Hamilton County Baptist Association/Hamilton Baptist Association.

The present church building which seats 250 people was erected in 1923.

At the Annual Session in 1924, the B.Y.P.U. report was presented and discussed by Robert Verne Crain. He also presented the BYPU report in 1928. In 1925 Lura Bernice Crain presented the BYPU report. In 1925 Blue Ridge was the fourth largest church in HCBA with Hamilton (492), Carlton (272), Hico (248) being larger.

In 1929 when Miss Anna Jane Stribling was Clerk of Hamilton County Baptist Association, the first Historical Table of Place, Moderator, Clerk, Missionary, and Annual Sermon was included in HCBA minutes.

In 1930 special prayer was given for Joe Stribling who was ill. Duncan (Donovan Duncan)Tidwell and Jeff (Jeff Madison) Perry presented the report about Baptist Literature. Jeff Perry and R. A. Driver presented the report about Layman’s work.

In the absence of the moderator the 55th Annual Session of HCBA was convened by Miss Anna Stribling, August 26th, 1931. The effects of the Great Depression took a toll on HCBA and the minutes of 1931 and 1932 were included in the printed minutes for 1933. At the 1931 and 1932 sessions Jeff Perry gave the report on missions, and Verne Crain gave the BYPU report in 1931. In 1932 Jeff Perry also presented reports on temperance and gospel music.

Jeff Perry was appointed to the Committee on Commmittees at the Annual Association in 1935 along with Sam Drake and G. C. Wright.

The Sixty-Third Annual Session of the Hamilton County Baptist Association was held at Blue Ridge on August 22-23, 1939. Some men from Blue Ridge dug a pit and another member (probably Jack Stribling) donated a beef to bar-b-que to serve to the guests. In 1939 only First Baptist Church, Hamilton (517), First Baptist Church, Hico (385), and Carlton (372) were larger than Blue Ridge (118).

In 1941 Mrs. W. J. Stribling was a "Key Woman" for W.M.U. at Blue Ridge. At that time churches which did not have a W.M.U. had a Key Woman. Verne Crain was a member of the Nominating Committee for HCBA Officers in 1942. Miss Anna Stribling was a "Key Woman" in 1944.

In 1946 the Digest of Letters at the Annual Association of HCBA was presented by R. V. Crain.

Eight girls were enrolled in Girls in Action in 1975.

The 1976 HCBA minutes noted that there had been ten fellowship dinners at Blue Ridge as part of the Bi-Centennial Celebrations.

A nursery was completed and the church was carpeted in 1977.

SOURCES:

Powell, C. C., Clerk, Minutes of the [Tenth Annual Session] of the Hamilton County Baptist Association held with the Baptist Church at Siloam, Texas, September 10th and 11th, 1886, "Statistical Table.

Powell, C. C., Clerk, Minutes of the Eleventh Annual Meeting of the Hamilton County Baptist Association held with the Baptist Church at Sweet Home, Texas, September 9th and 10th, 1887, "Statistical Table."

Powell, C. C., Clerk, Minutes of the Fourteenth Annual Meeting, Hamilton County Baptist Association, Held with the Baptist Church at School Creek, Texas, September 12, 13, and 14, 1890, Statistical Table.

Powell, C. C, Clerk, Minutes of the Fifteenth Annual Hamilton County Baptist Association Held with the Baptist Church at Salem, Texas, August 13, 14, 15, and 16, 1891, Statistical Table.

This New Hope Baptist Church consolidated with Grove Baptist Church in 1891 to form Leon Baptist Church, which was located near the current Providence Baptist Church.

Rodgers, J. C., Clerk, Minutes of the Twenty-Third Annual Session of the Hamilton County Baptist Association Held with the Martin’s Gap Baptist Chrurch, Fairy, Texas, August 17, 18, and 19, 1899, Statistical Table.

Ibid., p. 7, 8.

Cady, P. M., Clerk, "Minutes of the Thirty-First Annual Session of the Hamilton County Baptist Association Held with the Shiloh Baptist Church, Adamsville, Texas, August 14 and 15, 1907, pp. 4 and 16.

Newman, J. C., Clerk, Minutes of the Thirty-Second Annual Session of the Hamilton County Baptist Association Held with Carlton Baptist Church, Aug. 12, and 13, 1908, Sunday School Statistics.

Newman, J. C., Clerk, Minutes of the Thirty-Third Annual Session of Hamilton County Baptist Association Held with Hamilton Baptist Church, August 11,12, and 13, 1909, Statistical Table.

West, John D., Clerk, Minutes of the Thirty-Fifth Annual Session of the Hamilton County Baptist Association Held with Indian Gap Baptist Church, August 16, 17, 18, 1911, pp. 4, 12.

West, John D., Clerk, Minutes of the Thirty-Sixth Annual Session of the Hamilton County Baptist Association Held with Center Valley Baptist Church, August 14 and 15, 1912, Statistical Table.

Davis, J. N., Minutes of the Thirty-ninth Session of the Hamilton County Baptist Association Held with Blue Ridge Baptist Church August 11, 12, 13, 1915, p. 24.

Fewell, A. A., Clerk, Minutes of the Fortieth Session of the Hamilton County Baptist Association Held with Carlton Baptist Church, August 16, 17, 18, 1916,pp. 5, 6.

Waldrop, H.(Hobart) F., Clerk, Minutes of the Forty-Second Annual Session of the Hamilton County Baptist Association, Held with Spurlin Baptist Church, August 28, 29, and 30, 1918, pp.2, 3.

Gillespie, J. T., Clerk, The 48th Annual Session of the Hamilton County Baptist Association at Hamilton, August 27 to 29, 1924, p. 8.

H. W. Henderson, Clerk, The 49th Annual Session of the Hamilton County Bapitst Association at Spurlin, August 26 to 28, 1925, p. 14.

Stribling, Miss Anna, Clerk, The 52nd Annual Session of the Hamilton County Baptist Association Held with the Evant Baptist Church, August, 1928, pp. 8 & 9.

Stribling, Miss Anna Jane, Clerk, The 53rd Annual Session of the Hamilton County Baptist Association Held with Providence Baptist Church, August 28, 29, 1929, "Historical Table."

Stribling, Miss Anna Jane, Clerk, The 54th Annual Session of the Hamilton County Baptist Association Held with Agee Baptist Church, August 27, 28, 1930, p. 8.

Stribling, Miss Anna Jane, Clerk, The 55th Annual Session of the Hamilton County Baptist Association Held with the Ohio Baptist Church, August 26-27th, 1931, p. 1.

Lovelady, Mrs. E. D., The 59th Annual Session of The Hamilton County Baptist Association Held with Evant Baptist church, August 21-22, 1935, p. 3.

Dehart, Mrs. Allen, Clerk, Hamilton County Baptist Association of Texas, Sixty-Second Annual Session, Held with Fairy Baptist Church, August 24-25, 1938, "Church Property of Hamilton County Baptist Association Table."

Miller, Stephen W., Clerk, Hamilton County Baptist Association of Texas, Sixty-Fifth Annual Session Held with Hamilton Baptist church, August 21-22, 1941, "Church Property Table."

Wheeler, Mark V., Clerk, Hamilton County Baptist Association of Texas, Sixty-Sixth Annual Session Held with Ohio Baptist Church, August 20-21, 1942, p. 2.

Abernethy, Mrs. A. M., Clerk, Hamilton County Baptist Association of Texas, Sixty-Eighth Annual Session Held with Providence Baptist Church, October 12-13, 1944, "WMU Officers and Committee Chairmen."

Sylvester, Rev. Chester, Clerk, Hamilton County Baptist Association of Texas, seventieth annual session held with Hamilton Baptist Church, October 7-8, 1946, p. 6

Williamson, Lee Roy, Director of Missions, 1972 Annual of the Tri-Rivers Baptist Area, A. M. Abernethy, Clerk, "Hamilton County Baptist Association Minutes of the Ninety-Sixth Annual Session Held at the First Baptist Church, Hico, Texas, October 2, 1972, ‘Historical Table Hamilton County Baptist Association,’" p. 97.