Pryde Edward Hinton
1897-1978
Courtesy Of Alabama Restoration Journal
Pryde E. Hinton
Pryde Edward Hinton was born in Manchester, Coffee county, Tennessee on the 6th day of February, 1897. He was the fourth of six children born to Levi J. and Nettie Hinton. At some stage in his adolescence his family moved to Hanceville, Alabama. It was there that he came under the influence of J. Henry Horton, a preacher in the church of Christ. It is assumed that brother Horton immersed young Pryde into Christ. As early as thirteen or fourteen years of age he determined that he wanted to be a preacher, but it would be a few years later before it came about.
In June of 1918 the nation was embroiled in world war. "Pride Edward Hinton" was the spelling he signed on his draft card, as the young man was considering how he might carry out his duty to his country. He strongly rejected the idea of carrying weapons and engaging in combat, thus he managed to qualify for non-combatant service. On the 5th of August, he made his way to Cullman to enlist in the U.S. Army. He was listed as a farmer on his entrance form, and assigned to Camp Hancock, in Augusta, Georgia for boot camp.
After serving his country, he returned to his home in Hanceville, Alabama. His fervor for God, along with encouragement from brothers J.H. Horton and M.A. Creel, he decided to make his first talk. It took place at his home congregation the third Sunday night in August, 1919. From that day nearly every Sunday Pryde Hinton was filling a pulpit somewhere. He soon filled regular appointments for the Sulfer Springs church of Christ in Hanceville.
On January 1, 1920 Pryde married a young lady by the name of Nannie Gladys Thompson. She was the daughter of Titus H. and Dora R. Thompson. Gladys was born December 2, 1901. Within three months of their wedding she was baptized into Christ by M.A. Creel. Gladys was highly devoted to the cause of Christ, right along side her husband-preacher. She made a very supporting and dedicated preacher’s wife. Two children were born to this union, Horton C., born on December 17, 1920, and Alice L., born in 1923.
In 1925, the family moved to East Point, Georgia where Pryde became the preacher for the church there. The congregation had been planted in August, 1911 during a five-week meeting held in that town by S.H. Hall. The presence of the Hintons helped to further solidify the strong hold that church has had down through the years, for it became the mother church of other great congregations that meet in metro Atlanta area to this day. While in the area, Hinton continued to travel around and preach in gospel meetings, all the while assisting the brethren at East Point as his primary ministry.
In the summer of 1926, he and Gladys conducted a two-teacher Vacation Bible School for the children and adults. Gladys took the children while Pryde taught the adults. It was perhaps the first Vacation Bible School in the history of churches of Christ. He also recalled one he did in 1929 when B.C. Goodpasture preached in the evenings while he did the teaching during the days. It proved to be a great success. (Gospel Advocate, 1956, 07,19, p.637.)
In February 1929, the young family was greatly disturbed when Glady became deathly ill. All that was humanly possible was done to bring about her recovery, to no avail. This led to her passing on March 14, 1929. Her body was returned to the Thompson family burial ground at Mt. Grove Congregational Christian Church Cemetery, just east of Hanceville. Her marker is inscribed simply, "wife of Pryde Hinton."
Before the end of the year Pryde remarried a young lady by the name of Lydia Inez Nunn. Inez was born March 9, 1913. She was the daughter of William C. and Grace C. Nunn of Blount County, Alabama. At the age of sixteen years, the very young Inez was thrust into the world of motherhood, caring for two children under the age of ten.
With a new family and a new life, Pryde thought it best to give his family a new home. The work in Oneonta, Alabama was needing evangelistic work desperately, and the family moved there in October, 1929. The still young 32 year old preacher continued to be very busy evangelizing all over the countryside in gospel meeting efforts. During the summer of 1930 he baptized fifty people into Christ during his summer meetings. The following year the churches in Oneonta and Cullman continued to support him to evangelize in the area around his home. Most of his meetings were in Alabama, but occasionally opportunities arose to preach in Florida, Mississippi, and as far west a Texas.
In 1932, the Hintons was blessed with the birth of a baby girl, Nettie Grace. She was to be the only child Inez would bring into the world.
In 1936 the family moved to Selma, Alabama. There he preached weekly on WHBB radio. Before the end of the year he returned to his home in Bangor. Then in January, 1937 the family moved again, this time to Dora, Alabama. It was there at Dora where Pryde Hinton did his most successful work, for he continued to live there the remainder of his life. For at least the next twenty years, his habit was to preach every two weeks for the local brethren, and preach at other locations on alternate Sundays.
Pryde E. Hinton was a serious student of the Bible. He sought to know the truth on all Bible subjects. When seeking to know the truth he would send questions into the Gospel Advocate. In the early years of his work he was very careful to report on his meeting work of the successes he was seeing take place. Writing was something that brother Hinton enjoyed doing. In addition to reports occasionally sent in, he also wrote articles for the Gospel Advocate, the Gospel Guardian, and other papers. After his death, his wife Inez produced three different volumes of his sermons that were sold for several years.
He took a great interest in the training of young people. In the 1950s he conducted special training sessions daily for young boys and girls. After school he would have sessions at the church building at Dora where he would drill students in oral and reading and speaking. He would pick two or three young men to participate in the mid-week evening services. This served to prepare many young women to teach, and young men to preach the gospel. He taught all ages, even encouraging children to attend as soon as they were able to read. His thinking was "Bend the twig early, while it is tender!" (Gospel Advocate, 1957, 03,21,p.185,186)
Hinton was a capable song leader. When not preaching, he was often used in gospel meetings by other preachers as the song leader. He led singing for several different preachers over the years like Roy H. Lanier, Gus Nichols, C.R. Nichol, E.H. Ijams, B.C. Goodpasture and N.B. Hardeman.
In the years of his evangelism, hundreds came to the Lord as a result of his preaching. Some later baptized others, as they became gospel preachers themselves. Some of the men he baptized who became preached were Albert E. Holt, Howard Patrick Horton, and Edward Neal Summey. All his life, Rex Turner, Sr. claimed that his earliest recollections of encouragement to preach was from Pryde E. Hinton among a few others.
Pryde Edward Hinton passed from this life January 28, 1978. He was buried in the church cemetery at Pleasant Hill church of Christ in Warrior, Alabama. His wife, Inez, continued to live to the ripe old age of 93 before passing November 2, 2006. She was buried by his side, there to await the coming of the Lord.
It was a pleasure to visit the burial sites of these two good people of God in March, 2013. C. Wayne Kilpatrick and your writer were returning to our respective homes after the Faulkner University Lectures when we made our way to Warrior, Alabama to locate their graves. While in the cemetery, we visited also the grave of another gospel preacher of yesteryear, J.M. Joiner. Brother Joiner baptized thousands in his day, among whom were the Camps, of whom was the beloved Franklin Camp.
-Scott Harp, webeditor, March 15, 2013
Realized Ambition
A 1920 Article In The Gospel Advocate by Pryde E. Hinton
When I was a boy thirteen or fourteen years of age, my highest ambition was to be a true gospel preacher; and how well I remember one of my very dearest friends, Brother J. Henry Horton, speaking encouraging words to me! On one occasion he was talking with an unreasonable sectarian, and I, standing by, could not refrain from quoting a verse of scripture which he was needing. This man insulted me my saying that "little boys should be quiet"—that they did not know enough to talk on the Bible. And then how Brother Horton reproved him and encouraged me to study more and make a good preacher! And, brethren, I have always loved that man and held him as my ideal. But he could not be near me, and there was no active congregation near, no one to encourage me but my good father and dear old mother.
With no encouragement except from home, my desire to preach the blessed truth became weaker and weaker, being supplanted by other ambitions, until I was called to the United States Army, and in that sad hour of parting with my precious loved ones Brother Horton again comforted me. I told him I absolutely would not use carnal weapons, and asked of him his prayers for the ordeal through which I must pass. How sweet was the comforting assurance of both his and Brother M. A. Creel's prayers, and, indeed, of the whole of my home congregation! Well, I demanded a noncombatant service and obtained it.
Last January I returned home; and during our meeting last August, Brother Horton again urged me to start preaching. I permitted him to announce that I would make a short talk on the third Sunday in August, and since that time I have been busy nearly every Lord's day. Brethren, we need more men and women who-" walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us" (Eph. 5: 2); who believe that "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance (Gal. 5: 22,23) ; and who also believe these words of the blessed Christ: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16: 15). Are we doing it? No, there are millions who have never heard the true gospel preached, and all because we do not strictly follow Christ. and walk in love. Let's wake up! Read Ezek.3:18.
-Pryde E. Hinton, Gospel Advocate, January 22, 1920
Gospel Advocate Obituary For Gladys Hinton
Late on the afternoon of March 14, 1929, after a long illness, which was patiently and courageously borne, Gladys Thompson, wife of Pryde E. Hinton, minister of the East Point church of Christ, passed from the circle of her many dear friends of earth to join the immortals on the mount of God. Sister Hinton was born in Alabama on December 2, 1902. She was married to Brother Pryde E. Hinton on January 1, 1920, and to this union two children were born, both of whom are still living. In March, 1920, she was baptized into Christ by Brother M. A. Creel. Her body was carried back to Alabama to repose in its last sleep among the familiar scenes of her childhood near Hanceville. The writer of these lines conducted the funeral services in the presence of a large gathering of friends and relatives. The life of Sister Hinton was one of marvelous spirituality. That "God is love" was the staff upon which she leaned without reservation, the source of her comfort in days of bereavement and disappointment. She went down into "the valley of the shadow of death" with the Twenty-third Psalm on her lips. She was a devoted wife, a loving mother, and a faithful Christian. All who knew her loved her, and will, with mention of her name, pause with deep emotion and tender words to pronounce a blessing upon her memory.
B. C. Goodpasture, Gospel Advocate, October 3, 1929, page 953.
Another Obituary For Sister Hinton
A devoted daughter, sister, wife, and mother has passed on to her reward. She was born near Douglasville, Ga., on December 2, 1902, and was reared near Steppville, Ala., and will perhaps be better remembered by friends there as Miss Gladys A. Thompson. She was married on January 1, 1920 to Pryde E. Hinton, and was baptized into Christ three months later. They moved to East Point, Ga., in August, 1925. For the past four years she was a faithful and efficient coworker with Brother Hinton and this congregation in all the exacting duties of a preacher's wife. Into her eight years of Christian activity were crowded the achievements of more than an ordinary lifetime. Teaching, visiting, sacrificing, encouraging, planning, she was always in the vanguard of God's forces, carrying on with all her strength of body, mind, and soul, consecrated Christian, genial and lovable, whose exemplary manner of life was a powerful influence for righteousness. On the morning of February 14, 1929, Sister Hinton was stricken with an acute illness that stubbornly defied all medical and surgical skill. On March 14, defeated in the battle for life, but patient, kind, and optimistic to the end, the tired spirit slipped gently from mortal keeping out into the everlasting arms. Surviving her are her husband, Brother Pryde E. Hinton; two children, Horton and Alice, eight and six years old, respectively; father and mother, Mr. and Mrs. T. H. Thompson, of Steppville, Ala.; three brothers and three sisters, all of Alabama. The church of Christ in East Point and throughout this section pays loving tribute to her memory.
-J. M. Lee. Gospel Advocate, August 29, 1929, page 832.
Directions To The Grave of Pryde E. Hinton
Pryde and Inez Hinton are buried in Pleasant Hill Church of Christ Cemetery in Warrior, North Jefferson County, Alabama. From Birmingham, head north on I-65 to Warrior, Exit 282, and turn left (west). Go about a mile and turn right on Co. Rd. 89, Arkadelphia Rd. Go about three miles and turn left on Co. Road 8/Corner Rd. Go about a mile and the church will be on your on a hill. Go up and park in front of the building, next to the cemetery. If you are parking close to the church building, you should be able to look straight ahead and find the Hinton monuement fairly easily. Note: Also buried in this cemetery is another Restoration Movement preacher, J.M. Joiner.
GPS Location
33.821735,-86.911785
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Photos Taken 03.05.2013
Website produced 03.15.2013
Courtesy of Scott Harp
www.TheRestorationMovement.com
