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| J. Monroe Denton |
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Elder Jesse Monroe Denton was born on January 25, 1898 in San Saba County, Texas, and passed from this life on February 4, 1979. He was baptized on September 7, 1919 by Elder J. A. Goodman. He was ordained on August 17, 1935 at the Lone Pilgrim Church in Stratton, Texas. He was married on November 7, 1920.
He served many churches in Texas and taught many singing schools. Elder Denton attended a Sacred Harp Singing in Coryell County, Texas, as a child and continued to teach Sacred Harp even after moving to Georgia. His ministry in the Church at Maud, Texas, was especially notable. The Church prospered and Primitive Baptists became known as "Old Fogeys."
Elder Denton was president of the school board and active in civic affairs. One half of the congregation of the Maud Church was composed of young people. In 1943, three churches in Macon, Georgia, (Pilgrim's Rest, Sardis, and Emmaus) called him as pastor. He served them faithfully until July 1976 when a heart attack in the stand at the Sardis Church precipitated his retirement.
My thanks to Sis. Linda Denton (nephew's wife) for sharing the photo above, as well as other photos, and to Elder David Montgomery for the texts taken from his 2001 Ministers Book. Other information was pulled from Ancestry.com.