Reuben Young Blalock was born in Mc Dowell County, North Carolina, February 9, 1867, the son of John Collins Blalock, a farmer and Baptist preacher, and Susan Caroline (Young) Blalock. He was saved at fourteen years of age under the preaching of Elder Stephen M. Collins, a great uncle on his father's side, who was known as "Joshua of the Mountains."

In his early twenties Reuben Blalock felt called to preach, but he came west instead to Walla Walla, Washington, where a cousin, Dr, N. G. Blalock, lived, and worked for him on his fruit farm. After a time he secured a position in a state institution in Fort Steilacoom and attended the First Baptist Church of Tacoma, taking an active part in the church work. In 1893 he at last surrendered to the Lord's call, resigned his job and returned to North Carolina to go to school under Dr. R. L. Patton, a great teacher and preacher in Morganton.

Reuben Blalock was licensed to preach by Bakersville Baptist Church in 1894, and that fall he entered Southern Baptist Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky, In 1895 at the close of the school year he was ordained by Franklin Street Baptist Church of that city, Dr. John T. Christian preaching the ordination sermon. He came west to Oregon in June of that year and preached his first sermon after being ordained at Wingville, west of Baker, on the second Sunday of June. After preaching about that area and in Eastern Washington until 1896 he attended the newly organized North Pacific Coast Convention of churches opposed to alien-immersion, which met at The Dalles. Here he was invited to pastor the church at Stayton, Oregon, which he did until 1897, after which he pastored at Dallas, Oregon, for another year. In 1898 he went over to Tillamook County and pastored two churches in the Nestucca Valley for one-fourth time each, using the other Sundays to preach in school houses in the country. While holding a week's meeting in Fairview school house east of Tillamook, he stayed at the home of Amanda Donaldson, where he met her daughter, May Donaldson, then a school teacher. So it happened that May Donaldson and R. Y. Blalock were united in marriage on September 6, 1899.

There were seven children born to Mr. and Mrs. R. Y. Blalock: Cordie in 1901, Miles in 1902, Ella in 1905, Leland in 1907 (who died in infancy), John in 1911, Harold in 1914, and Winona in 1916. Except for Cordie, who was killed in an automobile accident in 1947, and Leland, these were all alive as of the writing of this biography in 1977. (Today only John remains at the age of 98. Webservant's Note)

Reuben Blalock and wife took up a homestead on the Nestucca River about five miles above Beaver, and from here he went out to preach, pastoring at Cloverdale one-fourth time and preaching at school houses over the country at other times. Of the forty school houses in the country he preached or held meetings in 32 of them. In 1901 he pastored at Goldendale, Washington, for a year. Again in 1911 he pastored at Condon, Oregon, for a year, but only as a half time pastor, so he preached in a mission at Rock Creek, about 12 miles north, on the other Sundays.

The family moved back to the farm in 1912 from whence R. Y. Blalock traveled to different places on week ends. He pastored a little church seven miles northwest of Sheridan, called Rock Creek, also in Sheridan and at old Union Church 4 miles south of Sheridan. Union Church is the only one still in existence. (At this writing 1977. It is currently property of Salem Missionary Baptist Church.) He traveled either on horseback or afoot that thirty-five miles over the mountains each way, wading the cold swift rivers, sometimes through the rain and snow of winter.

In December, 1914, Mrs. Blalock was badly burned in rescuing their two small children from the fire, when the house on their homestead burned to the ground. A new house was built there, but Mrs. Blalock was never well again.

In 1915 R. Y. Blalock began publishing "The Western Baptist", a paper in the interest of true Baptists of Oregon and direct mission work. He discontinued it in 1917 because of his wife's health, and in 1918 took her and the family to Southern California. Mrs. Blalock did not improve and was terribly homesick, so in August they returned to Oregon to live in Cloverdale near a doctor. There he bought the "Cloverdale Courier", a weekly newspaper, and renamed it the "Nestucca Valley Enterprise" and entered the newspaper business. On November 21, 1919, May Blalock passed away at Cloverdale, Oregon, leaving six motherless children, the youngest just 3 years old.

In the spring of 1920, when school was out, R. Y. Blalock set out with the four youngest children in a Model T Ford to travel to North Carolina. He visited the two associations of Oregon, at Mitchell and Crane Creek churches, and was called to pastor the church at Lake City, California. This he accepted on condition they allowed him a month to visit in North Carolina. Traveling by train he and the children visited his old father and mother and brothers and sisters in the east, meeting his brother, Tom, with his lovely new bride at his father's home. Back in California by September he pastored the Lake City church until the summer of 1921, then returned with his children to the farm on the Nestucca River. Here he was married in August, 1921, to the former Clara (Clark) Bowden, who had been the children's school teacher in Lake City. Brother J. T. Moore, pastor at Cloverdale, united them in marriage.

Mrs. Blalock had one child, Curtis, by her previous marriage, and in 1922 a son, Robert, was born, then in 1924 a daughter, Ruby, was born to this marriage. In 1924 R. Y. Blalock sold all their household goods and in the spring of that year, in an old 1916 Model T Ford, set out for Idaho, settling at Meridian, where he organized a small Baptist church. The next year he traded for a farm near Middleton, where they could live, working out from there in mission work at Jerome and at Caldwell. In 1927 he traded this farm for an apartment house in Caldwell, and that year he organized the Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in that city. Here he pastored and lived until 1932, meanwhile traveling many places in mission work, to North Idaho and once to Nipawin, Saskatchewan, Canada.

In 1934 on a trip to California R. Y. Blalock heard of the need for a church in Salinas, so in 1935, in June, the family sold their possessions and moved there, at that time being sponsored by the Landmark Missionary Baptist Church of Roseville where Elder J. L. Whitmire was then pastor. Soon the Hebron Heights Missionary Baptist Church was organized in Salinas. He pastored there two years, building them a house. Then he moved to Modesto and started Airport Missionary Baptist Church. While at Modesto he organized another work at El Nido, which is a thriving church to this day. Leaving Modesto he started a work at Pinole, which then moved and became San Pablo Gardens Missionary Baptist Church of Richmond, California. He served this church as pastor for a year, then he went to Antioch and started a work that became the First Missionary Baptist Church of that city.

In 1944 R. Y. Blalock Began a work in Concord, California. He had to buy a home there to be close to the work as gas was still being rationed. They organized the Concord Missionary Baptist Church and met in the Legion Hall, then in the Farm Bureau hall until 1950 when a house was built out toward Martinez. In 1944 he helped Elder R. R. Farris organize the First Missionary Baptist Church of Oakland, which is now called Landmark Missionary Baptist Church at Hayward. In a meeting in Southern California he later organized Newberry Missionary Baptist Church, baptizing a number into the new church and helping to ordain their pastor.

In 1947 R. Y. Blalock celebrated his 80th birthday by preaching at Concord. There was a big birthday cake and many gifts from many places and people. In June he attended the Middle Oregon Baptist Association and from there went east to Kentucky where he debated on the question of Baptist direct missions. This was a great disappointment for his opponent had nothing but railing accusations against some missionaries and nothing to show the method to be unscriptural. He then went to North Carolina to visit his brothers and sisters, returning by way of Tennessee, Arkansas and Texas, visiting old friends and preaching on the way. He arrived in California in time to go to the Northern Association at Oroville in November of that year.

In February, 1948, just about his 81st birthday, R. Y. Blalock took sick and a few days later was in a coma. For some time he lay in a hospital, then was brought home, but he knew no one until some time in June, when his mind slowly came back to him. After the long time in bed he was never able to walk again but he did get back the use of his hands and arms. His wife, Clara, faithfully nursed and cared for him, at last curing the awful bed sores on his body.

For the next 14 years R. Y. Blalock was bedfast, only getting up when others helped him to, which his youngest son, Robert, often did. Then Robert was killed in a Motorcycle accident, leaving his parents to raise his daughter, Cathy, who was always a ray of sunshine and happiness in their home. Throughout all his last years his mind was clear, and he took great interest in all the church papers he received, praying for and writing letters of encouragement to missionaries and churches. Sometimes he was helped into a wheelchair and taken to church to preach. In fact he preached his last sermon just a couple of months before he died, December 2nd, 1962, at the age of 95 years and almost ten months.