John W. Stevens Letter, Dec. 26, 1878

I will say something more of the Baptist Churches, as I became a member of Brush Creek Church in 1818.  I have already stated at that time there were but three Baptist Churches in what is now Campbell County.  These three churches belonged to the North Bend Association, in 1828 there were three more Baptist Churches in the County.   These six churches, with Wilmington and Banklick churches on the west side of Licking river, met at Brush Creek church and constituted Campbell County Association.  In 1837 or 38, this Association was held at the old Twelve Mile church and brother Owens, of Mason county, was there and protracted the meeting and many joined the churches.  This meeting caused some trouble in some of the churches, and especially in Brush Creek church, which at that time numbered 32 members.  After trying to unite for some time they sent to sister churches for help.   When the delegates met and decided the question, sixteen out of thirty-two of the members withdrew from the church, after this some young men came into the church, who had joined under Brother Owens.  They soon started prayer and visiting meetings from house to house.   There was a great revival in the church and it soon numbered more than one hundred members.  About this time the two Brothers Herbut, of Four Mile church, Thomas and Josiah Junior, were ordained to preach.  I name all these old brethren that their names may not be forgotten, as they bore the burden in the heat of the day among those churches with others, dressed in their home-made clothes without any salary, and would not take anything offered to them, as they thought it was not right, and preachers and hearers were all on an equality.

from the Newport Local, December 26, 1878