Thanks to our partner, University of Mount Olive, DigitalNC welcomes 61 issues of a new church newspaper called The Free Will Baptist, which span the years 1874 – 1913.

In 1873 the General Conference of the North Carolina Free Will Baptists authorized editor and proprietor E. Robert Ellis to print this weekly newspaper in Fremont, N.C. for the benefit of the denomination, although it was originally called The Free Will Baptist Advocate. Over the course of its publication history, the paper’s location was moved to at least four other North Carolina cities — including Toisnot (now known as Elm City, not included in this batch), New Bern, Ormondsville, and Ayden. After 1880 when the paper was again publishing in Fremont, N.C., the word “advocate” was dropped from its name. This would be the community paper’s second and final name change.

The publications regularly feature poetry, sermons, editorial pieces…

…and of course, advertisements:

The ‘Locals’ section offers a fascinating look into the comings and goings of the community this newspaper served.

Clipping from ‘Locals’ section of The Free Will Baptist, Vol 19, Iss. 11

View the entire collection of the Free Will Baptist at DigitalNC!