James Milton Carroll (January 8, 1852 – January 10, 1931) was an American

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...

pastor, leader, historian, author, and educator.

Early life and education

James Milton Carroll was one of twelve children born to Benajah and Mary Eliza (Mallard) Carroll. His father was a Baptist minister. Born near

Monticello, Arkansas Monticello ( ) is a college town in, and the county seat of, Drew County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 9,467. Founded in 1849 in the Arkansas Timberlands near the Arkansas Delta region, the city has long ...

, he moved in 1858 at age six with his family to

Burleson County, Texas Burleson County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,642. Its county seat is Caldwell. The county is named for Edward Burleson, a general and statesman of the Texas Revolution. B ...

. Carroll was orphaned by age seventeen.

Marriage and family

On December 22, 1870, at age 18, Carroll married Sudie Eliza Womble from Caldwell, Texas.Francis White Johnson, ed. Eugene C. Barker and Ernest William Winkler, ''A History of Texas and Texans'', vol. 3, Chicago and New York: The American Historical Society, 1914 Despite leaving school at a young age, he attended

Baylor University Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of the ...

at Independence in 1873 and graduated after five years of intensive study, winning scholarships and oratory awards. Baylor awarded Carroll an honorary Master of Arts in 1884.Carroll, James Milton
J. A. Reynolds, Handbook of Texas Online, Uploaded on June 12, 2010. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.James Milton Carroll Papers
Accession #90, The Texas Collection

Career

Carroll founded and led the Education Commission of the Baptist General Convention of Texas through its first ten years. He later served as secretary and statistician for the Convention. He was also involved with the regional Southern Baptist Convention (which became a national organization). He pastored churches in Anderson, Corpus Christi, Lampasas, Taylor, Waco, and San Antonio. Active as an educator, Carroll helped found and was the first president of San Marcos Baptist Academy. He later served as the founding president of

Oklahoma Baptist University Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU) is a private Baptist university in Shawnee, Oklahoma. It was established in 1910 under the original name of The Baptist University of Oklahoma. OBU is owned and was founded by the Baptist General Convention of ...

Shawnee The Shawnee are an Algonquian-speaking indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. In the 17th century they lived in Pennsylvania, and in the 18th century they were in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, with some bands in Kentucky a ...

, paying off the university's debt with his own funds, followed by service as president of

Howard Payne University Howard Payne University is a private Baptist university in Brownwood, Texas. It is affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Howard Payne College was founded by Reverend Noah T. Byers and Dr. John David Robnett in 1889. The institu ...

in Brownwood, Texas. In addition to education, Carroll held various other positions. He was the solicitor for the Texas Baptist and Herald and served as an agent for the Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board in Texas. Carroll worked as the financial agent for Baylor College (now the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor) and the endowment secretary for Baylor University. His lasting legacy among Baptists is his booklet entitled ''

The Trail of Blood ''The Trail of Blood'' is a 1931 book by American Southern Baptist minister James Milton Carroll, comprising a collection of five lectures he gave on the history of Baptist churches, which he presented as a succession from the first Christ ...

'' (1931). This collection of five lectures describes Baptist history as a direct succession from apostolic times of early Christianity. ''The Trail of Blood'' promoted the Landmarkist view of Baptist origins, a movement that developed in the mid-nineteenth century among Tennessee and western congregations, and had lasting influences.William Hull, "William Heth Whitsitt: Martyrdom of a Moderate," ''Distinctively Baptist: Essays on Baptist History'', ed. Marc A. Jolley, John D. Pierce, pp. 237-78, p. 255, note 70. Carroll’s other publications include ''Texas Baptist Statistics'' (1895) and ''A History of Texas Baptists'' (1923). James Milton Carroll also wrote ''B.H. Carroll, The Colossus of Baptist History'' (1946), a biography of his older brother Benajah Harvey (B. H.) Carroll, a prolific Baptist preacher and Baylor educator involved with founding the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. B.H. Carroll also worked with the Waco Baptist Association and facilitated the move of Baylor University to the Waco location. James Milton Carroll died in Fort Worth. He was buried in

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

Books

* ''Texas Baptist Statistics'' (1895), * ''A History of Texas Baptists''(1923), and * ''B. H. Carroll, the Colossus of Baptist History'', a biography of his brother

Benajah Harvey Carroll Benajah Harvey Carroll, known as B. H. Carroll (December 27, 1843 – November 11, 1914), was a Baptist pastor, theologian, teacher, and author. Biography Carroll was born near Carrollton in Carroll County in north central Mississippi, one ...

. (Later edition, ed. J.W. Crowder (Fort Worth TX: pvt. prtg., 1946)

References

External links