William D. Petty (1834-1917)

Here is what I have on my great Uncle Danel Webster Petty's brother William D. Petty

William loved to quote from the Bible and sing religious hyms.

This is from the publication SUMACH ON THE HILL:

William D. Petty was born on November 29, 1834 and was almost 83 years old at the time of his death.  He was recognized  as one of the best successful farmer and a deeply religious  man.  He was seventeen years old when Sumach Church was organized may have been one of the charter members.

At age 32 in 1866, William D. Petty was ordained an elder and served for the next 51 years.  He remembered the first church building and the first shed used at Shumach for camp meetings and revivals.  He was likely one of the leaders in the establishment of the Sumach Seminary around 1876.  He also attended all presbytery  meetings as a ruling elder of the Sumach congregation for many years.  On September 21, 1904 he voed with a majority of the ruling elders and ministers of the Chattanooga Presbytery in opposition to the organic union of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church with the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A.

In 1913  William D. Petty donated the necessary funds and building materials to construct a second shed at Sumach.  An old brush arbor  which had stood for many years was destroyed and the second shed was located  on or near the site of the first.

Someplace I read he was very versed on the Scriptures, could read Latin and love sing Hymns..  He also came to the church early every Sunday in the winter to get the stoves burning.