The following information was assembled from numerous sources and cannot be used directly as proof of Qualifying Service or Lineage.
It is considered a research aid and is intended to assist in locating sources that can be used as proof.
State of Service: VA
Qualifying Service: Patriotic Service
Birth: 15 Nov 1745 / Spotsylvania / VA Death: 18 May 1808 / Scott / KY
Qualifying Service Description:
Auxilliary Chaplain from Virginia - Baptist
Additional References:
Rev C Rogers McLane, ed. 1991, American Chaplans of the Revolution, pg 30, NSSAR Louisville KY 40203
Robert L Scribner and Brent Tarer 1977, Revolutionaet Virginia The Raod to Independence, Vol III, University Press of Virginia, pg 441-442, 450-453
William S Simpson Jr 1990, Virginia Baptist Ministers 1760. 1760 -1790 Vol I, pg 11-13
Photos used with permission of Compatriot Mitchell Anderson, 229001, KYSSAR
Per Find-a-Grave burial details are unknown
Patriot's name is listed on DAR Revolutionary War monument and a plaque in the Royal Spring Park in Georgetown, KY
Directions to Cemetery / Gravesite:
Author: Sir Melvin James McNeal Jr
Prior to Elijah Craig being ordained in May of 1771, he was the pastor of the “Old Crossing Church” where meeting were held in his tobacco barn. He then became the pastor of the Blue Run Church. Elijah Craig was a very ambitious entrepreneur with an overwhelming drive. He built the first mill for clothing manufacturing; first to begin rope manufacturing; started a lumber mill and grist mill; was the first to use charred oak barrels to distill whiskey; served as a Chaplain in the American Revolution; and was also the fire chief. Elijah Craig whiskey is still being distilled today. Elijah Craig worked closely with James Madison to permanently insure our nation’s religious freedoms
In The Separate Baptist Revival and Its Influence In The South, James J. Sightler, points out that Elijah Craig was imprisoned in Orange County, Virginia in 1768 but simply kept preaching out through the bars of his cell, attracting large crowds. James Madison, then a boy, and his father heard imprisoned Baptists preaching from the jail windows. This is confirmed in an article from the Annual Report of the American Historical Society for 1901, written by Gaillard Hunt for the US Department of State. Madison has moved by hearing Elijah Craig, became a proponent of religious liberty, and later introduced the Bill of Rights. The first amendment prohibited congress from establishing an official state church.
In A History of Kentucky Baptist, J. H. Spencer notes that, “In 1774 the question was sprung in the General Association of Virginia Baptist, as to whether all the offices mentioned in Ephesians 4:11; were still in use in the Church of Christ. After a long and heated debate, the question was decided in the affirmative, the Association proceeded at once to elect and consecrate two Apostles for the north side of James River; the lot fell on John Waller and Elijah Craig. Samuel Harris was appointed an Apostle for the south side of James River. These Apostles exercised no real authority, and their office was about equivalent to that of an Evangelist, appointed by our modern General Associations. It had however a pretentious name, and found so little favor among the Churches, that it was discontinued at the end of one year’s existence. These three men were the only Baptist Apostles who have lived since the death of the original twelve.”
The Craigs are as much of this land as the soil itself. Their unwavering spirits forged and tempered our moral fiber we live by today and for that we owe them much gratitude and respect. As we move forward and prepare the world for future generations, may we also demonstrate the devotion and integrity they showed along with prayers for Devine blessings to sustain us.
Send a biographical sketch of your patriot!
Patriot biographies must be the original work of the author, and work submitted must not belong to another person or group, in observance with copyright law. Patriot biographies are to be written in complete sentences, follow the established rules of grammar, syntax and punctuation, be free of typographical errors, and follow a narrative format. The narrative should unfold in a logical manner (e.g. the narrative does not jump from time period to time period) or have repeated digressions, or tell the history of the patriot's line from the patriot ancestor to the author. The thinking here is that this is a patriot biography, not a lineage report or a kinship determination project or other report published in a genealogy journal. The biography should discuss the qualifying service (military, patriotic, civil) of the patriot ancestor, where the service was rendered, whether this was a specific state or Continental service, as well as significant events (as determined by the author) of the patriot's life. This is the entire purpose of a patriot's biography.
Additional guidelines around the Biography writeup can be found here:
Send your submission1, in a Microsoft Word compatible format, to patriotbios@sar.org for inclusion in this space 1Upon submission of a patriot biography, the patriot biography becomes the property of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, and may be edited to conform to the patriot biography submission standards.