Underwood, Perdie Anderson, 1891-1947

4,. __ /~,I rsl
Ferdie Anderson
NAME
b.
'1/. T
(!_B}i., 1912' M.A • ' 1914
a.
Ancestry
Record
see
H.F.
c.
Alumni Daraclbgry.
File No.
(Over)
\(
-Funeral
Today-
1'lrs. Underwood
Dies At Age 79
Mrs. Sallie R. Underwood, whose husband was pastor of Kannapolis' First Baptist Church in the early 1930s, was to be buried
today at Salemburg.
Mrs. ·un<lerwooi( 79, died Monday in a nursing home in Anderson County, S. C. Since retirement she had resided in Abbeville, S. C.
Her husband, Rev. P. A. Underwood, died a number of years
ago. He suffered a heart attack while attending a session of the'
State Baptist Convention.
In those depression years,
After completing their work the preacher was the church's
at the First Baptist Church only employe. Mrs. Underwood
here, the Underwoods went handled most of the office routo Pembroke to establish an tine, usually working at the
orphanage for Indians. She parsonage, then located on
continued this work after the West Ave. She provided the
Rev. Mr. Underwood's death, "push" to keep the Training
being "mother" to some 30 Unions alive, was the inspirachildren.
tion for the WMU and was '
While in Kannapolis, Mrs. a key promoter of the SunUnderwood was the unpaid
School.
"co-pastor" of the First Bap- day
The Underwoods pioneered
tist congregation.
the Daily Vacation Bible
School program in Kannapolis.
The couple never had any
children, but there were usually children at the parsonage
at every mealtime. Several
high schoolers made the
parsonage their" second home".
They dropped by to chat with
the Underwoods, talk through
personal problems, and borrow books.
Walter Smith, an orphan
who came to Kannapalis in his
youth, "adopted" the Underwoods as parents. He lived
with them while in high school
and then, with their encouragement and help, went on to become a preacher in the Chicago area.
Oscar (Chuck) Funderburk
came under the influence of
the Underwoods. He wanted to
become a preacher, and they
kept telling him that he would
become a pastor, although the _
road would be tough. The · .
young man and his wife, Al}!1ie ·. ,;
See DEAT~~ Pa~~--- ;
laillls
1.1
Belle, packed their belongings
and begged a ride to college
He became a preacher, and
has been at Beaver Dam near
Shelby 16 years.
Wayne . Oates came
to
Kan~apohs during those years
~ot .mvolved in a lot of activit:
res m the First Baptist Church
and was encouraged by the
(!nderwoo~s . to go into fulltime Christian service He
earned his doctorate ~d is
now a p~ofessor at the Southe~ Baptist Seminary in Louisville.
The Underwoods encouraged ~ and assisted - the
launching of Centerview and
North
Kannapolis
Baptist
churches.
After their service here the
Underwoods went to Pem~roke, obtained an old, rambling. house and opened it 'to
Indian orphans.
Baptists in that Indian territory supported the orphanage
as much as they could, but
e rw 0 0 d
-FROM PAGE ONE
this was inadequate.
The
~irst Baptist Church here
ii:i more prosperous years, as:
s~sted the orphanage, and additional help. came from other
North Carolina Baptists.
By the time Mrs. Underwood retired, the orphanage
was on a sound footing.
. Mrs. Underwood was a native of Anderson County, s. C.,
daughter of Mathias Richards~n and Mrs. Sarah Newton
Rich~dson. She was educated
at Limestone College and
Sout_hwestern Baptist Seminary m Ft. Worth, Texas.
Funeral services were to be
conducted at 11 a.m, today at
~he Sullivan-King Mortuary
in Anderson County.
She is survived by a brother
M. B. Richardson of Pendleton'
S. C.;
four sisters Mrs'
Carooll Duckworth of' Ander:
s_on, S. C., Mrs. Louise R. Martm, Mrs. A. L. Welbrun and
Mrs. J. E. Allgood, all of p _
dleton.
en
ITig~fiorn"rt'nterpnse ----Jacksonville Daily News
Kannapolis Independent;
Kinston f rec Press
Lenoir News-Topic
Lexington Dispatch
Lumberton Robusonian
Morganton News-Herald
New Bern Sun- Journ..t]
Ralc~gh News & Ooscrvc r
Raleigh Times
Reidsville Review
:ock.ingham: Richmond Co. Journal
PENELOPE: HER FIRST ONE HUNDRED YEARS, 1888-1988
By: Faye Richie Abernathy
(286.1756785/Alp)
Grove 1910-1920.
Also at Warlick's.
Rev. L. P. Smith
Served as Pastor at Penelope 1919-1920.
Rev. Millard Ivey Harris
Born in Old Fort, North Carolina, October 4, 1878.
Married Lillie Mae Benfield of Burke County on
December 25, 1900, in Caldwell County. The couple
had six children.
M. I. Harris attended South Fork Baptist Institute, Maiden, N. C. Studied with the Moody Bible
Institute. Completed summer work with the Southern Seminary, Louisville, Ky.
Rev.
Ordained in 1917 at Sardis Baptist, Hudson, N. C.
Pastored in eight churches prior to 1920 in
Morganton. Came to Pene 1 ope April 11, 1920 and
remained until October, 1926.
1926-1928 · - Pastor at Lincoln Avenue Baptist,
Lincolnton, N. C.
Returned to Pene 1 ope May 6,
1928 and served unt i1 July 23, 1933. Pastor at
First Baptist, Valdese, N. C. ,1933 until April,
1949. Left First Baptist, Valdese to unite with a
Morganton Church. Died July, 1949.
Sources:
The Hickory Daily Record, July
articles; Church Records.
~Rev.
1949
P.A. Underwood
Born April 10, 1891. Died when he suffered a
heart attack while attending a session of the
Baptist State Convention (a number of years before
his wife, Sallie Richardson Underwood, died in
1970).
Educated at Wake Forest College and Southwestern
Baptist Theological Seminary; ordained in 1917.
Pastored in Virginia, Winston-Salem, Mooresville,
Gastonia, Penelopia Baptist Church, Hickory, in
628
Rev.
PENELOPE: HER FIRST ONE HUNDRED YEARS, 1888-1988
By: Faye Richie Abernathy
(286.1756785/Alp)
Grove 1910-1920.
Also at Warlick's.
Rev. L. P. Smith
Served as Pastor at Penelope 1919-1920.
Rev. Millard Ivey Harris
Born in Old Fort, North Carolina, October 4, 1878.
Married Lillie Mae Benfield of Burke County on
December 25, 1900, in Caldwell County. The couple
had six children.
M. I. Harris attended South Fork Baptist Institute, Maiden, N. C. Studied with the Moody Bible
Institute. Completed summer work with the Southern Seminary, Louisville, Ky.
Rev.
Ordained in 1917 at Sardis Baptist, Hudson, N. C.
Pastored in eight churches prior to 1920 in
Morganton. Came to Pene 1 ope April 11, 1920 and
remained until October, 1926.
1926-1928 · - Pastor at Lincoln Avenue Baptist,
Lincolnton, N. C.
Returned to Pene 1 ope May 6,
1928 and served unt i1 July 23, 1933. Pastor at
First Baptist, Valdese, N. C. ,1933 until April,
1949. Left First Baptist, Valdese to unite with a
Morganton Church. Died July, 1949.
Sources:
The Hickory Daily Record, July
articles; Church Records.
~Rev.
1949
P.A. Underwood
Born April 10, 1891. Died when he suffered a
heart attack while attending a session of the
Baptist State Convention (a number of years before
his wife, Sallie Richardson Underwood, died in
1970).
Educated at Wake Forest College and Southwestern
Baptist Theological Seminary; ordained in 1917.
Pastored in Virginia, Winston-Salem, Mooresville,
Gastonia, Penelopia Baptist Church, Hickory, in
628
Rev.
PENELOPE: HER FIRST ONE HUNDRED YEARS, 1888-1988
By: Faye Richie Abernathy
(286.1756785/Alp)
1927-28, Texas in 1929-30,
Church, Kannapolis in 1930.
and
First
Baptist
After leaving Kannapolis, the Underwoods went to
Pembroke to establish an orphanage for the Ind i ans.
-1920.
October 4, 1878.
County on
The couple
k Baptist Instih the Moody Bible
k with the Southst, Hudson, N. C.
ior to 1920 in
ril 11, 1920 and
Avenue Baptist,
Penelope May 6,
1933. Pastor at
1933 until April,
e to unite with a
9.
Rev. Underwood served at Penelope from October 24,
1926 until April, 1928.
Sources:
North Carolina Baptist Historical
Collection, Wake Forest University library.
Rev. Lawrence Alexander McClure
Born October 10, 1890 in Alexis, N. C. Died in
1966 on his 76th birthday. Married Edna Rose Anna
Helderman. They had seven children. Was in the
ministry for 41 years.
"At times Mr. McClure served seven or eight
churches at one time on a part-time basis".
(Obituary, Gastonia Gazette, 1966).
Rev. McClure supplied at Penelope from October,
1933 until January, 1934.
Sources:
North Carolina Baptist Historical
Collection, Wake Forest University library.
Rev. Fred Gordon Womack
n he suffered a
session of the
r of years before
derwood, died in
and Southwestern
rdained in 1917.
lem, Mooresville,
rch, Hickory, in
Born August 18, 1895 in Broadway, N. C. Died
February 3, 1984 in Bay Pines, Florida, at the age
of 88 on February 3, 1984. Buried in Pinellas
County, Florida (Sylvan Abbey Memorial Park in
Dunedin).
Veteran of World War I - U.S. Army. At death was
survived by wife, Ruth S., son, Fred Spicer of
Jacksonville, Florida, and a daughter, Ann Mangham
of Thomson, Georgi a. Mrs. Womack is living in
Florida at this writing.
Pastor Womack came to Penelope on January 7, 1934,
629