The Pastoral Lineage

The first pastor of the Leading Creek Church was David P. Murphy and served for 31 years. He was one of the strong-minded men of his time and was an able expounder of his faith. He was eloquent in expression and clear in his explanation of his belief, and was also known for speaking out in regards to questions of theology. He was more inclined to be argumentative in nature with his belief.  At the time of his death, the pastoral care of the church was then passed on to his second son, James Murphy, soon after his father’s death. James Murphy was the pastor for 18 years and had a different approach than that of his father. He was also strongly grounded in the religious belief, but did not disagree with others’ customs or manners of worship. He preached humility, kindness, and charity to all men. The next two pastors of Leading Creek adopted similar attitudes, traits, and characteristics of James Murphy.  An additional note about James Murphy is that he was unable to walk because of rheumatism and would ride on horseback to the church. He was carried to the pulpit where he sat in a revolving chair in order to deliver his sermons.  The Civil War began in 1861, and James was a true believer in God, Jesus Christ, and the great commandment found in Matthew chapter 22: vs. 36-40.  A portion from this passage reads “Love thy God with all thy heart, and love thy neighbor as thyself.” He vowed never to go to war to kill a neighbor or a brother. He was arrested as a “Southern Sympathizer” by the Union and put in prison 40 miles away at Grafton. Because winters were very cold, he spent nights crawled up under a building to keep from freezing to death and, thereby, developed rheumatism causing him to never walk again. Interesting to note, he had three brothers who were with Stonewall Jackson’s 25 th  Virginia Regiment in the Shenandoah Valley and this may have been another reason for his arrest. After the Civil War, he became an Elder of the church.

Elder Jonah Stansbury Murphy was elected pastor following the death of his father, James, and served for 48 years. I have in my possession Jonah Murphy’s cane. When looking at it, it’s straight forward, simply crafted with no inscriptions, and nothing added to it, but it is very functional in its use. I compare his cane with his life…very strong and sturdy. He scratched out a living in black dirt. Nothing came easy. He was mild in manner and exhibited human kindness. He studied the Scriptures and promoted goodness both in the church and the community. He married Lenora D. Shoemaker and had ten children: Burr, Bessie, Beman, Burland, Bernice, Bycie, Benton, Bunie, Bonnie, and Beulah. Many descendants of Jonah Murphy are buried in the Leading Creek Primitive Baptist Cemetery along with Jonah and Lenora Murphy.

At the death of Jonah Murphy, his grandson, Elder Velden B. Linn, my father, served in the pastoral role here at the church for 63 years. My father was the third son of Bernice Murphy Linn, daughter of Jonah Murphy.  Dad was well-loved by all the congregants. He studied the Scriptures and read extensively. He knew his Bible. He had a full library of material and correspondence from others of like belief. My father traveled to many meetings throughout the country from California and Texas to Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Alabama, and all over West Virginia, getting to know many people over the years. Because of this he was called to conduct many marriages and funerals. My father was inspired by the Lord to do what he did, and I feel he was also greatly influenced by his grandfather, Elder Jonah Murphy. He was a WWII vet, having served in the South Pacific from 1939 to 1945. There are many vets in this cemetery…War of 1812, Civil War, Spanish American War, WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and Gulf Wars. We proudly fly the American flag and salute our vets!

The church was often referred to as the “meeting house” as the true church lived in the hearts and minds of its members. The cemetery became a final resting place for Primitive Baptists, Methodists, IOOF members, and many others in the Montrose community. There are now over 700 marked burials and approximately 160 unmarked gravesites. An additional note: Irish and Italian immigrants who were used to work on the railroad throughout this area died from disease and were buried in the cemetery. Many had no last names for the markers since they were unknown.