Revised to place in chronological order. Additions in rust colored text.
The Three Greatest Events in Anyone's Life - The three greatest events in anyone's life is when they decide to serve The Lord, when they marry, and the births of their children.
Floyd Kilpatrick married Lorena
Rhoden on March 12, 1908. Floyd was eighteen. Lorena was the daughter
John Henry and Jemima Annie Sisk Rhoden of Madison County. She was
one of ten children of the Rhoden family. Great-Grandmother was seventeen
when she married Great-Granddad. Floyd and Lorena would take up residence
at the community of Deposit in Madison County. Carl (my granddad) was
Floyd's and Lorena's first child. He was born at Deposit, Madison County,
Alabama on March 27, 1909. Lonnie would be born there May 9, 1910. After Lonnie's birth, Floyd and
Lorena moved down to Belleview, Florida. Oma was born there on May
19, 1911.
The Kilpatrick family were Presbyterians when they came to this country in the 1750's or 1760's. Many became Methodists and Baptists in the 1790's and early 1800's. One of our uncles was even a delegate in the first Baptist Convention in 1845. It is probable that Floyd was brought up in the Flintville Baptist Church. He was also probably baptized into the Flintville Baptist Church or a Baptist church near Deposit or Bell Factory. When Great-Granddad was baptized into the Baptist church, he was given a New Testament which he promised the preacher that he would read. He kept that promise, and this was a turning point in his life. As he read more, he noticed discrepancies between what he was reading and what the preacher was preaching. He would point out these discrepancies to the preacher each time, trying to find answers. The preacher could not provide any substantive answers to Floyd's questions and finally in anger said that he must have been listening to some "Campbellite" preacher to have got such ideas. At that point Great-Granddad made up mind to go and hear one of these "Campbellite" preachers because if he was teaching what he was reading in his Bible, then he was kind of preacher he wanted to hear. Great-Granddad Floyd would soon have an opportunity to hear evangelist John T. Smithson at a brush arbor or tent meeting in 1912. He heard the Gospel preached as he had read it in his Bible, and he obeyed it. This time he would be baptized unto the remission of sins, baptized into Christ instead of a church. He would not only obey the Gospel but he would later decide to become a preacher of that Gospel.
We know that sometime before January 05, 1913 Floyd moved his family to Bell Factory, Alabama, because that is when and where Sam was born, but they would be back in Florida for Clayton to be born there on March 16, 1915. This would be their last move to Florida. Although Great-Granddad would go down to Florida to visit his mother, he would never live down there again. They would move back to the Tennessee Valley to stay in 1917. MyGranddad, Carl, would recall this last move saying that they traveled in a covered wagon, coming up through Georgia, through Atlanta, before going over to the Tennessee Valley. The trip through the city of Atlanta would take them all day, and they camped outside of town that evening. Floyd and Lorena moved on a farm on what is now Hurricane Creek Road near Sharps Hollow Road in Hurricane Valley. Iva was born on May 02, 1917, Laymon on February 27, 1919, and Fred on April 02, 1921.
Between 1921 and 1923 Great-Granddad and Great-Grandmother moved into the old Samuel Baker home on what is now called County Lake Road near it's intersection with Hurricane Creek Road. ThereNelta Faye was born on March 2, 1923. I am told Netta Faye had Hydrocephalus (water head). Lewis was born in the Sam Baker house on October 18, 1924 and Leon on March 14, 1927.
Sources:
"History
of Hurricane Valley" by Elaine Stiles Russell Gotvald.
"Preachers' of Today, 1959 Edition", Gospel Advocate
Information on Children's birth dates and places from Lorena Rhoden Kilpatrick's Bible
Thanks to my dad Jimmy Kilpatrick for his recollections.
Thanks
to Wayne Kilpatrick for providing the excerpt from "Preachers of Today".
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