John Gill Landrum (October 22, 1810 – January 19, 1882) was a Baptist pastor from

Spartanburg, South Carolina Spartanburg is a city in and the county seat, seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city of Spartanburg has a municipal population of 38,732 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the 11th-largest c ...

, the namesake of

Landrum, South Carolina Landrum is a city in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 2,376 at the 2010 census. Landrum was founded in 1880 and incorporated in 1912. It is located just west of Interstate 26 between Spartanburg and Asheville ...

. He signed the South Carolina

Ordinance of Secession An Ordinance of Secession was the name given to multiple resolutions drafted and ratified in 1860 and 1861, at or near the beginning of the Civil War, by which each seceding Southern state or territory formally declared secession from the United ...

. He was most prominently at Mount Zion Baptist Church, where he is buried. He also served Bethlehem Baptist Church.

Early years

Landrum was born to Rev. Merriman Landrum in

Rutherford County, Tennessee Rutherford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is located in Middle Tennessee. As of the 2021 census, the population was 352,182, making it the fifth-most populous county in Tennessee. A study conducted by the Univers ...

. He was baptized in 1824, and moved to South Carolina in 1828.

American Revolution

He was conversant in the history of the state, and when a monument was erected on the

Cowpens Cowpens may refer to: * Battle of Cowpens, a battle in the American Revolution * Cowpens National Battlefield, a unit of the National Park Service that protects the battlefield. * Cowpens, South Carolina * USS Cowpens (CG-63), USS ''Cowpens'' (CG-63 ...

battlefield A battlefield, battleground, or field of battle is the location of a present or historic battle involving ground warfare. It is commonly understood to be limited to the point of contact between opposing forces, though battles may involve troops ...

in 1856, gave a speech. He was also at the 1855 celebration of the Battle of King's Mountain. Landrum gave the funeral sermon for Joshua Hawkins, a member of his church and hero of both Cowpens and King's Mountain. Hawkins had a ball from a British gun in his leg all his life, but did not wish to be buried with it. Landrum exhibited the ball at his funeral.

Civil War

He was a delegate to the secession convention of South Carolina and signed the Ordinance of Secession. During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, he was a

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

who was the chaplain of the 13th Infantry regiment.

Personal

He was the father of physician and town historian J. B. O. Landrum. He was a contributor to the ''

Southern Harmony The ''Southern Harmony, and Musical Companion'' is a shape note hymn and tune book compiled by William Walker, first published in 1835. The book is notable for having originated or popularized several hymn tunes found in modern hymnals and sha ...

''; another contributor was Matilda T. Durham, at whose marriage he officiated. On his death, musician A. J. Turner wrote this

acrostic An acrostic is a poem or other word composition in which the ''first'' letter (or syllable, or word) of each new line (or paragraph, or other recurring feature in the text) spells out a word, message or the alphabet. The term comes from the Fre ...

Lo! a Prince in Zion has been taken away. And mourners thread the streets day after day. No face is seen that does not deepest sorrow show; Departed are our joys and only bitter woe Remains, since thou, oh! Counselor and friend, Unto thy grave are gone can no longer lend Mankind thy sage advise - God pity on us send."The life and times of Rev. John G. Landrum". p. 260

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Landrum, John Gill 1810 births 1882 deaths People from Spartanburg, South Carolina Confederate States Army personnel People of South Carolina in the American Civil War 19th-century Baptist ministers from the United States People from Rutherford County, Tennessee Baptists from Tennessee Religious leaders from South Carolina Shape note