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John Lapierre
8884 St. Philips Rd., Winnabow,
NC,
USA
Latitude & Longitude:
34° 2' 24.6984",
-77° 56' 50.2548"
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North Carolina State
Historical Marker |
Marker Text: "Ordained 1707; came to America 1708. Served in many churches in area as missionary of Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, 1732-1755." John LaPierre came to the Carolinas around 1708 as one of the earliest ministers of the Church of England in the colony. Sponsored by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, LaPierre was one of several struggling clergymen who braved the hardships associated with life in early 18th century. A French Huguenot, LaPierre first came to present South Carolina and moved to North Carolina in 1729. He moved to New Bern in 1735. It is probable that he held services at Christ Church in that town, although he is not listed as a regular rector. In 1749 the General Assembly met in New Bern and LaPierre received four pounds for preaching “several sermons” before the lawmakers. In time made his way to St. Philips at Brunswick where he lived until his death in 1755.
LaPierre was instrumental in organizing over twenty churches. Teaching often was combined with preaching and he worked closely with children. He issued appeals back to London for help in building churches and glebe houses. Despite his efforts, relatively few churches were constructed. He often expressed in his letters his feelings of frustration and neglect. In 1733 LaPierre wrote the Bishop of London that any “Clergyman that has a mind to come thither . . . will find a lawless place, a scattered people, no glebe, no parsonage to receive him.”
References:
William L. Saunders, ed., Colonial Records of North Carolina, III, 342, 391-392, 529
Gertrude Carraway, Crown of Life: History of Christ Church, New Bern, North Carolina, 1715-1940 (1940)
William S. Powell, ed., Dictionary of North Carolina Biography IV, 20-21--sketch by Gertrude S. Carraway and W. Keats Sparrow
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John Lapierre Historical Marker Location Map, Winnabow, North Carolina
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