Biography
Rev. Elias L. Vaughan
Submitted by Frank R. Vaughan

When sixteen years of age, our late civil war commenced, and
although so young, he enlisted under the first call for volunteers,
and served through the entire war. He was converted in May
1862, during a meeting held in the army, and began, even at
that early age, to exercise in public, moved by a burning zeal to
declare the goodness of God.

At the terrible battle of Chickamauga, in Northern Georgia,
he was severely wounded, and was sent to the hospital in
Macon, where he became acquainted with Miss Andrews, of
Twiggs county, whom he married on the 11th of May 1865.
She was taken from him a little over four years afterwards,
and on the  10th of April, 1870, he was married to Mrs. A. E. C.
Hughes, eldest daughter of Jeremiah Walton, of Burke County,
a descendant of George Walton, one of the signers of the
Declaration of Independence. Having moved his membership
from Crooked Creek church, Carroll County, Virginia, to the
second Baptist church, Macon, Georgia, Mr. Vaughan was
licensed by that church in October, 1874, his zeal and call to
preach being both very apparent to the church. In 1875, he
accepted the pastorate of the Bethel church, eleven miles west
of the city of Macon, and was ordained by Dr. A. J. Battle, Rev.
J. A. Ivey, and Rev. J. Thomas. He took charge of the Bethel
Church in January, 1876, but felt so greatly the need of more
preparation for ministerial labor, that he repaired to Greenville,
South Carolina, and entered the Southern Baptist Theological
Seminary, in the fall of that year. During the winter his studies
were interrupted by the accidental loss of an eye, and he returned
home, sorely tried by that strange dispensation of Providence.

His zeal, however, remained unabated, and in November, 1877,
he was appointed a missionary of the State Mission Board, for
the counties of Dodge, Telfair and Montgomery, in which work
he has continued to labor usefully and successfully to the
present time (1881).

Mr. Vaughan is an earnest minded and devout man, a pure
hearted Christian, and a laborious worker in the Master's
vineyard. He possesses extraordinary zeal, and, though his
limited education detracts from the power of his sermons,
his earnestness, warmth, and sincerity of purpose, united to
untiring energy and undoubted piety, make him a good and
useful preacher, and render his labors productive of good
results.

He has a fine personal appearance, pleasant manners, and
a lively, social disposition. His ministerations have proved
very acceptable in his field of Labor; but no doubt he would
be still more useful in the regular pastorate, on account of
his pious zeal and social qualities.
 

According to Jeffery C. Weavers' 63rd Virginia Infantry, an
Elias Vaughn, (age 20) Co. I/Co. B./Co. E enlisted 4-1-1862
at Abington, VA, transferred from Co. G 50th VA to Co. E
7-1-1863, WIA at Chickamauga, sent to hospital.

Present 8-1864, On muster roll of Co. C, 2nd Battalion Troops
& Defence of Macon, GA 12-31-1864.

Taken prisoner at Macon, GA 4-20-1865.

Elias was not listed with his mother, Kesiah, and Frances in
the 1860 Carroll County VA Census. He would have been
about 15 years old.

The 1870 U.S. Census that was taken the following July 7th,
after Elias and Ann were married in April, indicated that
Elias was 26 years old and a carpenter, and his wife, named
Ann was 35 years old.

Elias L. Vaughn and his wife Ann, were traced thru the 1900,
1910, and 1920 U.S. Census. During this period they lived in
Atlanta GA and probably died there. Ann was always about
10 years older and they probably had no children (the 1900
Census indicates that Ann had had two children, but none were
surviving in 1900).

The author's requests from the Georgia Department of
Human Resources for Elias' and Ann's death certificates
from Fulton County, GA in the 1920-1930 era were not
successful.
 
 

Linda_Welden@Vaughan-Vaughn.org

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