Page 88 - History of the United Methodist Church in Rockingham County
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History of Congregations of Winchester District June 12, 2024
establishing and providing money for construction of churches for blacks. The above-named trustees—
along with Newman, the Dallard twins, Ambrose and Reuben—contacted Clifford and “set the wheels in
motion” for establishing a church in Newtown, Harrisonburg, Va. The Board of Missions of the U.B.
Church had previously arranged for transportation and supplies for missionaries to open a charge in
Vicksburg, Miss., with the end result being erecting churches for freed men. This altruistic goal was
never achieved, but rather than abandon the idea, the focus was shifted to the Shenandoah Valley, where
according to A. W. Drury in History of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ [Drury 1924], “the
most lasting work among freedmen” was achieved. It was through the Freedmen’s Mission, Virginia
with Rev. T. K. Clifford at the helm that the Kelley Street U.B. Church became the focal point for
meeting diverse needs of individuals in Newtown for approximately 20 years.
An article in The Rockingham Register, 1892 reports: Rev. T. K. Clifford, Colored, will organize
a congregation of United Brethren in Christ, in Harrisonburg, Sunday evening, Nov. 27, 1892, at 7:30,
at the residence of G. A. Newman. We, the undersigned, respectfully invite all colored United Brethren
in this community to be present, and all other persons who desire to join us. A church will be erected
just as soon as the lumber can be secured and brought here. The lot has already been secured, Bro. A.
Dallard having given it for the above purpose.
A second article appeared later in the same publication in which T. K. Clifford clearly declares
his enthusiasm: I organized a United Brethren Church in Harrisonburg last Sunday night, with twenty
odd members, and there are still others to come in. So you see by this that we are going on in the
strength of the Lord. I think this is a good step for us. I believe that in one year from this time
Harrisonburg will be the best point on Freedmen’s Mission.
It was this fervor which served as impetus for organizing the church congregation, erecting the
building, and conducting various fund raising activities to render the church debt free. The account of
the activities and the names of the persons who took a part in the successful venture are recorded in the
two ledgers which follow [Toliver 1998, pp. 1-94 and pp. 95-122]…. Newman’s disillusion stemmed
from the reassignment of Rev. T. K. Clifford to another charge and his subsequent replacement by Rev.
W. W. Colley. Colley’s style was so very different from Clifford’s causing a slowdown in progress of
the church. Ledger entries indicate that when Rev. Clifford returned to the small church, G. A. Newman
returned to an active role as well; consequently, a surge of renewed effort on the part of church members
became apparent. Newman and Clifford immediately recalled “subscriptions” earmarked for purchasing
a church bell.
Both Clifford and Newman had been born free—Clifford from Hardy Co., W.Va., and Newman
from Frederick Co., Va. Little biographical information is available on Clifford other than his leaving
home at age 15 to enlist in the regular army of the United States. Afterwards, he preached for 11 years
in the Methodist Episcopal Church, but joined the ranks of the U.B. Church in 1887 and served its
Freedmen’s Mission until his death. Rev. A. P. Funkhouser, in his History of the Church of the United
Brethren in Christ, Virginia Conference [Funkhouser 1921], describes T. K. Clifford as a man of above-
average ability who always deported himself in a way that demanded respect. Clifford and his family
eventually bought a home on Johnson Street near Main Street and settled in Harrisonburg. His daughter
Arlena married J. Walter Francis, who served in various capacities within the church organization.
George A. Newman’s early days had been spent in an atmosphere of educational grooming, as
his parents early recognized his superior intelligence and thus placed him in the care of a benevolent
individual, who was able to teach him, not only the rudiments of education, but trained him in voice and
piano as well. Since it was against the law in Virginia to teach persons of African descent to read or
figure, Newman’s benefactor often passed him off as her servant. He became her traveling companion
and visited many states within the United States, thus enhancing his scholarly temperament. He spent
II.B.4 Kelley Street Freedmen’s Mission Church 76 Volume 5
establishing and providing money for construction of churches for blacks. The above-named trustees—
along with Newman, the Dallard twins, Ambrose and Reuben—contacted Clifford and “set the wheels in
motion” for establishing a church in Newtown, Harrisonburg, Va. The Board of Missions of the U.B.
Church had previously arranged for transportation and supplies for missionaries to open a charge in
Vicksburg, Miss., with the end result being erecting churches for freed men. This altruistic goal was
never achieved, but rather than abandon the idea, the focus was shifted to the Shenandoah Valley, where
according to A. W. Drury in History of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ [Drury 1924], “the
most lasting work among freedmen” was achieved. It was through the Freedmen’s Mission, Virginia
with Rev. T. K. Clifford at the helm that the Kelley Street U.B. Church became the focal point for
meeting diverse needs of individuals in Newtown for approximately 20 years.
An article in The Rockingham Register, 1892 reports: Rev. T. K. Clifford, Colored, will organize
a congregation of United Brethren in Christ, in Harrisonburg, Sunday evening, Nov. 27, 1892, at 7:30,
at the residence of G. A. Newman. We, the undersigned, respectfully invite all colored United Brethren
in this community to be present, and all other persons who desire to join us. A church will be erected
just as soon as the lumber can be secured and brought here. The lot has already been secured, Bro. A.
Dallard having given it for the above purpose.
A second article appeared later in the same publication in which T. K. Clifford clearly declares
his enthusiasm: I organized a United Brethren Church in Harrisonburg last Sunday night, with twenty
odd members, and there are still others to come in. So you see by this that we are going on in the
strength of the Lord. I think this is a good step for us. I believe that in one year from this time
Harrisonburg will be the best point on Freedmen’s Mission.
It was this fervor which served as impetus for organizing the church congregation, erecting the
building, and conducting various fund raising activities to render the church debt free. The account of
the activities and the names of the persons who took a part in the successful venture are recorded in the
two ledgers which follow [Toliver 1998, pp. 1-94 and pp. 95-122]…. Newman’s disillusion stemmed
from the reassignment of Rev. T. K. Clifford to another charge and his subsequent replacement by Rev.
W. W. Colley. Colley’s style was so very different from Clifford’s causing a slowdown in progress of
the church. Ledger entries indicate that when Rev. Clifford returned to the small church, G. A. Newman
returned to an active role as well; consequently, a surge of renewed effort on the part of church members
became apparent. Newman and Clifford immediately recalled “subscriptions” earmarked for purchasing
a church bell.
Both Clifford and Newman had been born free—Clifford from Hardy Co., W.Va., and Newman
from Frederick Co., Va. Little biographical information is available on Clifford other than his leaving
home at age 15 to enlist in the regular army of the United States. Afterwards, he preached for 11 years
in the Methodist Episcopal Church, but joined the ranks of the U.B. Church in 1887 and served its
Freedmen’s Mission until his death. Rev. A. P. Funkhouser, in his History of the Church of the United
Brethren in Christ, Virginia Conference [Funkhouser 1921], describes T. K. Clifford as a man of above-
average ability who always deported himself in a way that demanded respect. Clifford and his family
eventually bought a home on Johnson Street near Main Street and settled in Harrisonburg. His daughter
Arlena married J. Walter Francis, who served in various capacities within the church organization.
George A. Newman’s early days had been spent in an atmosphere of educational grooming, as
his parents early recognized his superior intelligence and thus placed him in the care of a benevolent
individual, who was able to teach him, not only the rudiments of education, but trained him in voice and
piano as well. Since it was against the law in Virginia to teach persons of African descent to read or
figure, Newman’s benefactor often passed him off as her servant. He became her traveling companion
and visited many states within the United States, thus enhancing his scholarly temperament. He spent
II.B.4 Kelley Street Freedmen’s Mission Church 76 Volume 5
