Tract Society of Athens

Transcribed by Nelle Price Epps

Constitution of the Tract Society of Athens- 1817

John Espy
Josiah Newton
John Brown
John Hodge, Deceased
James Fullton
Robert Espy
John R. Golding
Augustus L. Clayton
John Henning
James Meriwether
Wm. H. Hunt
James Camak
Asbury Hull
Ebenezer Newton
Alexander Thompson, Removed
John King
George Haines
Samuel Henderson
James Espy

Catherine Newton
Mary Brown
Polly Espy
Sarah Kerr
Jane Appling
Rebecca Dougherty

At a meeting of several citizens of Athens and its vicinity on the 21st day of December, 1817, the following Constitution of a Religious Tract Society was adopted. (viz) 

Art.

This Society shall be styled the Tract Society of Athens.

  1. The object of the Society is the purchase and gratuitous distribution of tracts on moral and religious subjects for the purpose of moral and religious improvement.
  2. Any person may become a member who shall pay one dollar into the funds of the Society; and each member shall, so long as he continues such, pay the sum of fifty Cents at every Semiannual meeting.
  3. Each member shall be entitled to receive a number of tracts equal in value to half the amount of his entrance money and half yearly contributions; as also of any donation which he may make to the Society.
  4. The officers of the Society shall consist of a President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer, who shall be elected annually by a majority of members present.
  5. It shall be the duty of the Secretary to keep a record of the proceedings of the Society and conduct the correspondence.
  6. The Treasurer shall take charge of the funds and keep a regular account of the receipts and expenditures.
  7. The Society shall meet Semiannually on the first Saturday in February, and on the day of the annual meetings of the Franklin College Bible Society, at which last meeting the officers are to be elected.
  8. The President may call a meeting at any time; and in the case of his absence, the Vice-President shall preside
  9. A committee of five members shall be chosen, of whom the President, Secretary and Treasurer shall be three whose duty it shall be to make arrangements for obtaining and istributing the Tracts. They shall meet monthly or oftener if they think proper, and shall make report of their proceedings to the Society at their Semiannual meeting.
  10. The Constitution may be altered by the vote of two thirds of the members present at any of the regular meetings.

At the above named meeting and in conformity with the fifth Article of the Constitution,. John R. Golding was chosen President, Asbury Hull, Vice-Pres. Ebenezer Newton, Secretary, and James Camak, Treasurer; which four gentlemen with Mr. Henning Constitute the committee of arrangement.

Feby. 23rd, 1818

At a meeting of the Managers this evening present Mr. Golding, Prest., Msrs. Camak, Hull & Newton. On motion it is resolved that the Secretary transmit all the money collected, the sum of twenty dollars forthwith to the Secretary of the Augusta Tract Society, requesting him to forward to the Managers of this Society, the amount of that Sum in Tracts.

Resolved; that, of the two hundred tracts presented to this Society by Mrs. Findley, Fifty be assigned to each of the four Managers present, to be distributed at their discretion.

Resolved unanimously, that the thanks of this Society be presented to Mrs. Findley for the friendly & liberal donation which she has made to it.

Resolved that the Secretary furnish Mrs. Findley with a copy of the foregoing resolution.

Signed:

Ebenezer Newton, Scry
John R. Golding, President

March 30th 1818

The Managers met this evening; present as above. The Secretary then stated to the Managers that a number of Tracts had this day been received from Augusta and awaited their disposal, but that no communication from the Secretary of the Augusta Tract Society accompanied them. Whereupon the Managers forthwith proceeded to the division of them, as the Constitution directs when it appeared that about seven hundred pages were assigned to each member, besides the portion retained, to be entirely at the disposal of the Managers. To distribute which they intend to avail themselves of at the earliest opportunities, and in such manner as , if possible, to obtain new Subscribers

The above Constitution and Minutes were a part of a gift of Manuscripts given to the First Baptist Church by Lollie R. Hutchins, September, 1941 and are in the Archives there.

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