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From Ronnie Mallow Newsletter
S.N. Redford
FROM "THE BAPTIST TRUMPET" 1914: "I was born the 20th day of November 1872 in Washington County, Texas. There were only three of us children, two boys and one girl; the little boy older than me died in infancy. In my early childhood, I remember having very serious thoughts and somehow I felt that God was to be greatly feared. My father (Elder B. F. Redford) was a Primitive Baptist preacher, my mother was a member, too, and I often heard them speak of God as one to be greatly honored and praised. My dear mother often talked to me of Jesus. My mother has long since been called from this world of sorrow, but she preached to me the truth and I hope I will be enabled to contend for it while I live".
"I remember again she called me to her bedside one day and said to me, "Sammie, if you ever get in trouble, pray to the Lord and He will deliver you out of your trouble." O, my soul, how true this has been with me! He has delivered me out of every trouble I have ever had, but space forbids my telling more of her godly admonitions. At the age of seven, I came home from school one day and ran into the house to tell her how I had succeeded at school that day, and found my dear and precious mother lying dead on the floor, she having died of heart trouble. Although only a child, it seemed my poor heart would burst at the thought that I would speak to her and she did not answer me with her kind and gentle voice. In a few moments, I went out to the field where my father was plowing and told him, my little sister having gone to my uncle's a short distance away. When I was eleven years of age, my father moved to Llano County, Texas, and as I grew older, I began to drift with the world, taking delight in vain and foolish things. The dancing hall was a place of great delight to me until the summer of 1893. I was out one morning alone in the woods when all at once, Jesus hanging on the cross flashed into my mind. I had often seen Him pictured on the cross, and it hadn't affected me, but this sight seemed to make me tremble. I did not know what was the matter; I felt like someone was watching me, and just the breaking of a twig alarmed me. I tried to shake off the feeling. I tried the dancing hall; and I am ashamed to say, I tried more wickedness. I tried swearing, but my burden went with me wherever I went.
Sometimes I could not sleep; sometimes I could not keep from shedding tears. Oh, it seemed at times my sins, when they would loom up before me, were enough to damn a whole world. Time rolled on; I grew more and more distressed. Oh, my soul, if there was a time that I felt to be without hope and God in the world, it was while I was under conviction".
"But in the month of July 1894, I was cutting fodder, and it seemed all day that I could not live. Oh, what gloom settled all around me. In spite of all I could do, I would beg for mercy. I could have asked anyone on earth to pray for me. Somehow, I felt that it was my last day on earth. About sundown that evening, I cut fodder out to the end of the row and stood looking at the setting sun. I felt perhaps it was for the last time in life. In my deep trouble, I thought I would try one more time to pray. I fell to the ground saying, "God have mercy on my poor soul." At that moment, children of God, the sweetest peace I have ever felt filled my poor soul, instead of a burden. Oh, how happy I felt: It seemed that all the fountains of the deep of God's everlasting love broke loose in my soul. I can never describe what my poor soul felt, how glorious everything appeared, but indeed it was a heavenly place".
FROM HIS OBITUARY: Elder S. N. Redford was born November 20, 1872, in Washington County, Texas, the son of Elder B. F. Redford and Sarah Jane Redford. He moved, with his father and sister (his mother having passed away a few years before) to Valley Spring, Llano County, Texas in 1883, where he grew to manhood. On November 12, 1895, he was married to Henrietta Elizabeth Milton. He joined the church at Valley Springs February 1896; made his first attempt to preach in March 1899; and was ordained to the full work of the ministry, July 1900, at the Friendship Association convening at Valley Springs. Elders S. R. Woods, P. T. Watson, B. F. Redford, and Deacons J. R. Clark, N. R. Jeffrey and S. S. Redford sat as a presbytery for the ordination.
During his fifty years in the ministry, Elder Redford traveled widely over the country, as well as pastored churches locally. Following his father in 1923, he served Valley Springs Church as pastor for twenty-four years. A gifted writer, he wrote extensively for Baptist papers. Although a very able preacher, he was an humble man with an open mind, qualities which endeared him the more to the Baptists. Elder Redford passed away on January 19, 1950.
FROM "A GREAT MAN" BY ELDER AFTON E. RICHARDS: “One of the great men of a generation or two ago, that I had the privilege of knowing was Elder S. N. Redford.
My first memories of the church include Elder Redford, and my hearing him preach at the associations, and special meetings. The Lord gave him a special gift, and these who tried to copy him did not get along very well. As the old expression goes, a borrowed ax will fly off the handle.
In the days of his prime as a gospel minister, it was nothing unusual at all, as he warmed up into his subject for people to break out in shouting praises to the Lord, and they would literally shout him down. When they would start shouting, he would usually quit, and privately he would say, "I can't compete with the sisters."
He was sound in the doctrine, and preached it in an experimental way, very seldom getting controversial with his approach. He traveled extensively, and was known all over the nation during those days.
I recall very vividly the last meeting I had with him. It was the day he, along with Elder Norman and Elder Crain, conducted the funeral for my grandfather. We were on the way to the church house in my car. I was driving, and he was sitting in the back seat. He made a remark about an article I had written and said to me, "I want to reach all the way from my country to yours and give you my hand on that" and reached across the seat behind me, and gave me a warm handshake”.
“He was a great Old Testament preacher. One of his favorite texts was "My love, my dove, my undefiled, she is but one." Another embraced the scripture about getting honey from the rock and oil from the flinty rock. I recall at one time he quoted this scripture, and I thought, well, I can see the honey, but I can't see much in the idea of getting oil out of the flinty rock—but he hadn't been talking long before I could. I had not associated this oil with its healing qualities—but he did, and had so many beautiful things to say about it. Perhaps we do have men today of his caliber, but not any with just the special gift he had. The memories I have of this great man, Elder S. N. Redford or Sammie as my grandfather called him will long be precious to me”.
Elder Samuel Newton Redford and Elder James Gilliam Webb in Tioga, Texas 1912.
This photo was taken at the Big Sandy Association in the early 1900’s. Elder Redford is standing third from the left. The brethren standing are: Elder W.A. Bishop, Elder J.C. Ross, Elder S.N. Redford, Elder A.H. Insco, Bro. C.C. Easterling, Elder John Grist, Elder John Adams, Elder H.L. Golston and Bro. Lemay Miller. Seated are Elder Zack Stallings, Elder C.F. Carruthers, Elder E.L. Hinson, Elder W.T. Jackson, Elder J. Phillips, Elder C.H. Cayce, Elder J.G. Webb and Elder R.C. Taylor.
Elder S.N. Redford baptizing Sis. Hattie Faught in circa 1910.
Elder Pleatus Watson, Elder J.J. Edwards, Elder S.N. Redford and Elder Franklin Baker. |
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