Person:Joseph Pepper (8)

Rev. Joseph Pepper

According to LaRue County, Kentucky, Marriage Records 1843-1876, by Edward Benningfield, Sally Skaggs, daughter of James Skaggs, III married Joseph Pepper, a Baptist Minister. Joseph and Sally lived in the Powder Mills section of Hart County. In the estate appraisal of Sally's father, Joseph Pepper is listed as having paid six dollars for the large bible that belonged to James Skaggs, III. Rev. Pepper was a long-time member and pastor of the Mt. Zion Baptist Church of Hart County.

Benningfield states that it is believed that Sally and Joseph had sons, Shelby Pepper, James Pepper, Garret Pepper, and Henry Pepper, and three daughters. After Sally died, Rev. Pepper married Malinda Peace and had Joseph P. Pepper, Catherine Pepper, and Benjamin Pepper. Rev. Joseph Pepper died December 31, 1864 in Hart County.

According to the Green County death records, Sally Skaggs and Joseph Pepper had a daughter named Sally Pepper who died at age 45 on January 23, 1852. Sally married to a Pierce, and she was 'the daughter of Joseph and Sally Pepper.' The cause of death was dropsy.

Rev. Joseph Pepper was from Virginia and born about 1785. He married Sally Skaggs, dau. of Rev. James Skaggs, Jr in the early 1800s. Joseph Pepper made his home in the Powder Mills section of northeastern Hart County, formerly Hardin County. It is believed that Joseph was greatly influenced by his father-in-law, Rev. James Skaggs. Rev. Skaggs died in 1814 and in Order Book C, Hardin Co. records, we find that on 10 Oct 1814 Joseph Pepper was appointed surveyor of the same road which James Skaggs dec'd was surveyor of. The road was described as lyhing between Thomas Beans and the Green County line. All hands residing inside this area that assisted Rev. Skaggs were asked to assist Pepper in keeping said road in repair. Thus, Joseph not only lived on the same road as Rev. Skaggs, possibly next to him, he likely had worked closely with him in maintaining the road previously. In late 1814, four men appraised the estate of Rev. Skaggs. One item of property was a large Bible, which they valued at five dollars. On Monday the 10th of April 1815, at the Elizabethtown courthouse, Joseph paid six dollars at auction for the book. The book was more than a family treasure to Joseph and it perhaps sparked and interest that led him into the ministry.

Rev. Pepper was an early member of the Mt. Zion Baptist Church of Hart County and was a delegate to the Nolynn Association in 1822. He was a long time pastor of the Mt. Zion Baptist Church and attended the Nolynn Association meetings as a representative of that Church from 1822 thru 1852. Rev. Pepper was also pastor at the Liberty Baptist Church of Green County during part of the 1830s.

According to Shelby G. Bale, Jr., Rev. Pepper had the following children by his first wife: Shelby, James, Garret, Henry and three daughters which Shelby did not name in his letter to Ed Benningfield. Rev. Pepper married a second time in the 1840s after his first wife died. His second wife was Malinda Peace and their children were Joseph P., Catherine, and Benjamin. Rev. Pepper died on 31 Dec 1864. Gilbert and Charles Slayton reported that the cemetery in which Rev. Pepper was buried in Hart County was bulldozed away several years ago.

One of the unnamed daughters may have been Jane, who married James Peace, son of Simon and Mary Polly (Akin) Peace.

Rev. Moses H. Huber 'The Elder'

• Rev. Moses H. Huber was born in Mercer County, Kentucky on 24 Jan. 1795. The Huber family came to Green County in the early 1800's. Moses married Lydia Skaggs, the daughter of Rev. James Skaggs Jr., Hardin County, on 23 Feb. 1819. Rev. Skaggs helped to constitute the Rolling Fork Baptist Church in 1801. Moses Huber lived for a short time in Henry County, Tennessee near Sparta. However, Moses moved back to Green County with his family in the mid 1820's.
• Moses and his wife both joined the Liberty Baptist Church on Brush Creek in northern Green County. Moses joined by "recommendation" in May of 1829 and had close ties to this particular church till about 1850. There were many men from the Liberty Baptist Church that were bound to have influenced Moses. Men such as -

Rev. James Skaggs

Rev. David Elkin,

Rev. Joseph Pepper,

Rev. Moses Etherton,

Rev. William Downs,

Rev. John D. Oaks,

Rev. Johnson Graham,

Rev. Hiram Johnson, and

Rev. Elijah Etherton.

• Rev. Moses Huber was of the Baptist faith most of his life. He began to perform marriage's in about 1840 in both Green and LaRue County. thus, he was likely ordained as a mininster at Liberty Baptist in the early 1840's.
• He was connected with the Mt. Zion Separate Baptist Church near Zero in Hart County during the 1850's. He was pastor of Mt. Moriah Baptist Church from May of 1859 to Feb. 1864.
• On January 22, 1863, Moses Huber, 66, married Malinda Atherton, Etherton, 52. Both were born in Kentucky and both had been married once before.
• On April 29, 1868, Moses married America Kestler. This marriage record states that Moses was born in Mercer County, Kentucky and that he was 70 years of age.
• In April of 1868 he returned to Mt. Moriah as a member of that body. His first wife, Lydia had died in November of 1862. His second wife Malinda Atherton, Etherton is not with him. Moses married a third wife America Kessler in April of 1868. She was the widow of D. W. Kessler. In June of 1872, Moses and America joined the Mt. Zion Separate Baptist Church where they were members till Moses died 'cause Measles'.
• Moses Huber deeded much of his property to his three living children, James H. Hoover, Mary Hoover, and Mrs. Louisia Jane Johnson before he died. Moses spent some of his last days in the watch care of Sydney L. Johnson, his son-in-law, who was the first merchant and postmaster of Mt. Sherman. Moses H. Huber or Hoover as it was sometimes spelled died on 17 Nov. 1874 and is buried at Mt. Sherman by his wife Lydia.