CENOTAPH
Founder of this church in 1817.
He was buried at Old Mt. Tabor Baptist Church, located today at 1901 S. Murray Ave., Anderson, S.C., but then called Orr Mills. His tombstone later was moved to First Baptist Church, but his bones were not. His marker read, "Founder of This Church."
See Memorial# 51110824.
Some family trees give birth as June 1774 and death 18 Feb 1836.
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Findagrave Contributor Teresa Reed (#47801938) reports that his tombstone is now no longer there or is not readable. Furthermore, "Cemetery office has no record of this person."
(! "Founder of this Church."!)
Rev. James Burriss was a son of Joshua Burris(s) and Sarah (Chamblee). He married Susan (Susannah) Cain. They had a large family of sons and two daughters. The sons and grandsons of Joshua Burris(s) were said to have chosen different spellings of the family name in order to differentiate between the branches and to get the correct household mail. Different branches of the family were known as Burris, Burriss, Burres, Burress, Burroughs, Burrows, Burrus.

When the highway destroyed the old Mt. Tabor burying ground, James Burriss' gravestone was moved to the First Baptist Church graveyard. Some say his grave was moved also, while others think only the headstone. A new stone later replaced the moved stone.

First Baptist Church
307 S. Manning St.
First Baptist Church was originally known as Mount Tabor, organized by Rev. James Burriss in 1817 and located at what is now South Murray Avenue. The church moved to its current site in 1834 and renamed Anderson Baptist Church. The church was renamed First Baptist Church in 1892. The bell was added in 1892, and removed in 1976 when the old tower was razed.


About Our Church
Churches come into existence when there is a need. Such was the case of Anderson First Baptist Church. Originally called Mount Tabor, it was located one and a half miles south of Anderson where the Saluda Baptist Association Office now stands on South Murray Avenue. A number of people of the Baptist faith lived in this area, and in 1817, Rev. James Burriss began his ministry here. His congregation gathered under a brush arbor. A log house of worship replaced the arbor in 1819, and the church became a mission of the Shockley Ferry Baptist Church. In July 1821, Mount Tabor was constituted as an independent church with 56 members. Sanford Vandiver was the first pastor, a position he filled until 1842 (21years). In 1822, the church was admitted to the Saluda Baptist Association.

In 1834, the congregation of 86 people moved into the Village of Anderson. A small white frame building was erected on the present site and the name was changed to the Anderson Baptist Church. From that time to the present, the church, in order to meet the growing needs of its members, built new buildings, purchased additional properties, and added new facilities.

The church called its first full time pastor, the Rev. J. Scott Murray, in the Fall of 1851. The Sunday School was established in the early 1860's. The woman's Missionary Union was organized on April 20, 1875. Discipleship Training, as it is now called, was organized in 1900 as the Baptist Young People's Union.

In the fall of 1892, the name of the church was changed to the First Baptist Church, and it was incorporated by the State of South Carolina on February 2, 1903. The first Vacation Bible School was held in the summer of 1920.

On the grounds of the present church office building, formerly the church parsonage, stood Johnson Female Seminary. It was organized in 1848, and named for Dr. William B. Johnson, the first president of the Southern Baptist Convention. He came to Anderson in 1853 as the Chancellor of this institution, the forerunner of Anderson College. At his death, Dr. Johnson was buried in the church cemetery where a handsome marker was erected by the South Carolina Baptist Convention.

Eighteen pastors have served First Baptist Church. Dr. James R. Thomason is the current (19th) pastor. The church's spiritual growth, evangelistic efforts, and contributions to missions and Christian education can be attributed to the labors of these men of God who have taught and led the people into a fuller life of Christian service. Under their capable leadership, the church has grown into one of the largest churches in the South Carolina Baptist Convention. From its beginning, it has contributed leadership and monetary support to all denominational causes.

The Janie Chapman Offering for State Missions was named for Mrs. J.D. Chapman, the first state Women's Missionary Union President. Mrs. Chapman's husband was pastor of the church from 1900 to 1907. Both of them were active in leading the youth of the church in Christian service. One of the young men involved in their organizations was W. Marshall Craig. Dr. Craig became recognized throughout the Southern Baptist Convention as an outstanding minister and evangelist. He is one of many of First Baptist's sons and daughters that have entered Christian vocations, serving at home and abroad.

First Baptist Church has a noble heritage which serves to challenge today's members to work diligently for the advancement of the Kingdom of God throughout the world.

See also BURRISS FAMILY GENEALOGY (1980) by Maude Burriss Johnston (1893-1986), et. al., Burriss Family History Committee, 7 volumes (900+ pages).∼ORIGINAL grave of Rev. James Burriss is here. His headstone was removed to First Baptist Church, but the original grave was not.
The other is a cenotaph, or he has two graves.
People continue removing this memorial in order to obliterate preservation of information about the real location of his grave.

Mt. Tabor Baptist Church was established in 1817 on what is now South Murray Avenue near Orr Mills. The church was later moved to its present location and the name changed to First Baptist Church in the 1890s.
Several of the graves were moved to the new First Baptist Church but most were not.
The original church cemetery was destroyed by highway construction.

The cemetery was located at 1901 South Murray Avenue, Anderson, SC 29624, the present location of the office of the Saluda Baptist Association's headquarters.

Saluda Baptist Association
1901 South Murray Avenue
Mailing Address: Post Office Box 13005
Anderson, South Carolina 29624