Robert W. Glover
Encyclopedia
Robert W. Glover, sometimes known as Bob Glover (November 15, 1866 – March 29, 1956), was a Baptist
pastor and a Democratic
politician from Sheridan
in Grant County in south Arkansas
.
, burned at the stake for his religious convictions. Another, John Glover, was a brigadier general
in the American Revolution
under General George Washington
. Glover's grandfather, Delany L. Glover (1814–1885) was born in South Carolina
and came to Arkansas from Tennessee
about 1840. He and his family settled on the Fourche Creek southwest of Little Rock
, where he established a sawmill. The Glovers cut much of the timber that went into the early buildings of Little Rock. Later they moved to the Palestine Community north of Sheridan. Delany Glover was a postmaster in the Belfast Community in Saline County and later operated a gristmill in Sheridan until his death.
Glover's father, William Harrison Glover (1836–1906), a veteran of the Confederate Army
, established a sawmill in Sheridan. W. H. Glover was married to the former Margaret Caroline Crowson. In 1870, William H. Glover moved to the Philadelphia Community south of Prattsville
, where he cleared a large farm and established another mill there, powered by water and located on Polk Creek.
Robert W. Glover was born in the Palestine Community, lived for a time in the Belfast Community and was reared mostly in the Philadelphia Community. On July 4, 1889, he married the former Mary Ann Young and purchased 138 acres of his father's farm to start his own agricultural operation.
(1905–1910) and the Arkansas State Senate (1911–1912) from Grant County. In 1909, Representative Glover sponsored the legislative bill to establish agricultural colleges in Arkansas. One of those schools, Arkansas State University
in Jonesboro
, since a comprehensive university in northeastern Arkansas, was established in 1909 as one of four regional schools of agricultural instruction in the state. Glover was also a county judge, tax assessor, postmaster during World War I, and the first county agent in Sheridan.
David Delano Glover
, Glover's younger brother who was born in the Belfast Community, was an attorney in Malvern
, Arkansas, and a U.S. representative from south Arkansas from 1929 to 1935. Like his brother, David D. Glover also served in the Arkansas House.
in Grant County. They taught their children the tenets of Scripture despite the divided denominational loyalties. Robert Glover was first called to the ministry as a teenager but rejected the calling of the Holy Spirit for some thirty years before he surrendered to preach in 1915, at the age of forty-eight. He preached in the Philadelphia Community until he was eighty-six, when he became disabled and died four years thereafter.
Conrad N. Glover (1895–1986), also a clergyman, described his father as "the best educated man that I knew in my youth. Not because he went to a lot of schools, but because he read almost everything that was printed.... He was a progressive man who believed in the institutions of government and believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and His work." One day near the end of their father's life, Conrad Glover and two sisters were sitting by R. W. Glover's bedside. Near an open window some clouds were visible; the sun was setting, and the clouds exuded a purple hue. Conrad Glover said, "What a beautiful sunset." Glover replied, "Children, I know that my sun is soon to set." Conrad replied: "Dad, we know that, and we are glad you know it. How does it look to you beyond the sunset?" The reply is engraved on R. W. Glover's tombstone: "The way is clear, the gate is open, and I am ready to go."
Shortly before his death, Robert Glover told his son Conrad: "No man has ever lived who has had a more dutiful son than you have been to me.... You have done all for me that is possible for a boy to do for his dad...."
Robert Glover preached 41 years in the ranks of Missionary Baptists. Another son, Guy Glover, operated an automobile mechanic shop in Sheridan. Still another, Ralph B. Glover (1898–1970) preached for fifty-three years, first in the ABA from 1919 to 1932. He was the host pastor of the County Avenue Missionary Baptist Church in Texarkana
, Texas
, in 1924, when the General Association closed and the ABA, the Missionary Baptist denomination, was launched. Thereafter from 1932 to 1958, Ralph Glover preached within the large Southern Baptist Convention
. He returned to the much smaller ABA in 1958 for the last dozen years of his life.
Prior to 1924, R. W. Glover was once clerk of the General Association while son Ralph was the associational assistant clerk. R. W. Glover was also chairman of the Auditing Committee of the General Association, the predecessor of the ABA, and the moderator of both the Pine Bluff and Arkansas State associations. He also served on many committees, first of the General Association and then of the ABA. In 1917, he introduced the resolution naming the ABA Sunday school publications...."
The former ABA president A. T. Powers
referred accordingly to R. W. Glover, the first person that Powers met when he came to Sheridan in 1921 to attend the former Missionary Baptist College there:"I looked upon him as one of the great men that I knew. He was somewhat an earthly father to me because he was the age of my father, of whom he reminded me. His counsel and advice [was like] what my father would give me, and I admired him. ..."
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
pastor and a Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
politician from Sheridan
Sheridan, Arkansas
Sheridan is the largest city and county seat in Grant County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 3,872 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Little Rock–North Little Rock–Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area. .-History:Robert W...
in Grant County in south Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
.
Background
Glover's descendants included a previous Robert Glover of EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, burned at the stake for his religious convictions. Another, John Glover, was a brigadier general
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
in the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
under General George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
. Glover's grandfather, Delany L. Glover (1814–1885) was born in South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
and came to Arkansas from Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
about 1840. He and his family settled on the Fourche Creek southwest of Little Rock
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
, where he established a sawmill. The Glovers cut much of the timber that went into the early buildings of Little Rock. Later they moved to the Palestine Community north of Sheridan. Delany Glover was a postmaster in the Belfast Community in Saline County and later operated a gristmill in Sheridan until his death.
Glover's father, William Harrison Glover (1836–1906), a veteran of the Confederate Army
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
, established a sawmill in Sheridan. W. H. Glover was married to the former Margaret Caroline Crowson. In 1870, William H. Glover moved to the Philadelphia Community south of Prattsville
Prattsville, Arkansas
Prattsville is a town in Grant County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 305 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Little Rock–North Little Rock–Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, where he cleared a large farm and established another mill there, powered by water and located on Polk Creek.
Robert W. Glover was born in the Palestine Community, lived for a time in the Belfast Community and was reared mostly in the Philadelphia Community. On July 4, 1889, he married the former Mary Ann Young and purchased 138 acres of his father's farm to start his own agricultural operation.
Political experience
Early in the 20th century, Glover, who resided with his family in a large, old house in Sheridan, served in the Arkansas House of RepresentativesArkansas House of Representatives
The Arkansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arkansas General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The House is composed of 100 members elected from an equal amount of constituencies across the state. Each district has an average population of 26,734...
(1905–1910) and the Arkansas State Senate (1911–1912) from Grant County. In 1909, Representative Glover sponsored the legislative bill to establish agricultural colleges in Arkansas. One of those schools, Arkansas State University
Arkansas State University
Arkansas State University is a public university and is the flagship campus of the Arkansas State University System, the state's second largest college system and third largest university by enrollment. It is located atop on Crowley's Ridge at Jonesboro, Arkansas, USA...
in Jonesboro
Jonesboro, Arkansas
Jonesboro is a city in and one of the two county seats of Craighead County, Arkansas, United States. According to the 2010 US Census, the population of the city was 67,263. A college town, Jonesboro is the largest city in northeastern Arkansas and the fifth most populous city in the state...
, since a comprehensive university in northeastern Arkansas, was established in 1909 as one of four regional schools of agricultural instruction in the state. Glover was also a county judge, tax assessor, postmaster during World War I, and the first county agent in Sheridan.
David Delano Glover
David Delano Glover
David Delano Glover was a U.S. Representative from Arkansas.-Life and work:Born in Prattsville in Grant County, Glover attended the public schools of Prattsville and Sheridan, the seat of Grant County....
, Glover's younger brother who was born in the Belfast Community, was an attorney in Malvern
Malvern, Arkansas
Malvern is the county seat of Hot Spring County, Arkansas. The city had a population of 10,318 at the time of the 2010 census and is also called the "Brick Capital of the World" because of the three Acme Brick plants in the area...
, Arkansas, and a U.S. representative from south Arkansas from 1929 to 1935. Like his brother, David D. Glover also served in the Arkansas House.
Baptist clergyman
The extended Glover family consisted of Presbyterians and Methodists; the Youngs were Baptist. Robert Glover was a steward in the Concord Methodist Church in Grant County; his wife, however, retained the Baptist affiliation. The couple lived first at PrattsvillePrattsville, Arkansas
Prattsville is a town in Grant County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 305 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Little Rock–North Little Rock–Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
in Grant County. They taught their children the tenets of Scripture despite the divided denominational loyalties. Robert Glover was first called to the ministry as a teenager but rejected the calling of the Holy Spirit for some thirty years before he surrendered to preach in 1915, at the age of forty-eight. He preached in the Philadelphia Community until he was eighty-six, when he became disabled and died four years thereafter.
Conrad N. Glover (1895–1986), also a clergyman, described his father as "the best educated man that I knew in my youth. Not because he went to a lot of schools, but because he read almost everything that was printed.... He was a progressive man who believed in the institutions of government and believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and His work." One day near the end of their father's life, Conrad Glover and two sisters were sitting by R. W. Glover's bedside. Near an open window some clouds were visible; the sun was setting, and the clouds exuded a purple hue. Conrad Glover said, "What a beautiful sunset." Glover replied, "Children, I know that my sun is soon to set." Conrad replied: "Dad, we know that, and we are glad you know it. How does it look to you beyond the sunset?" The reply is engraved on R. W. Glover's tombstone: "The way is clear, the gate is open, and I am ready to go."
Shortly before his death, Robert Glover told his son Conrad: "No man has ever lived who has had a more dutiful son than you have been to me.... You have done all for me that is possible for a boy to do for his dad...."
Robert Glover preached 41 years in the ranks of Missionary Baptists. Another son, Guy Glover, operated an automobile mechanic shop in Sheridan. Still another, Ralph B. Glover (1898–1970) preached for fifty-three years, first in the ABA from 1919 to 1932. He was the host pastor of the County Avenue Missionary Baptist Church in Texarkana
Texarkana, Texas
Texarkana is a city in Bowie County, Texas, United States. It effectively functions as one half of a city which crosses a state line — the other half, the city of Texarkana, Arkansas, lies on the other side of State Line Avenue...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, in 1924, when the General Association closed and the ABA, the Missionary Baptist denomination, was launched. Thereafter from 1932 to 1958, Ralph Glover preached within the large Southern Baptist Convention
Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...
. He returned to the much smaller ABA in 1958 for the last dozen years of his life.
Prior to 1924, R. W. Glover was once clerk of the General Association while son Ralph was the associational assistant clerk. R. W. Glover was also chairman of the Auditing Committee of the General Association, the predecessor of the ABA, and the moderator of both the Pine Bluff and Arkansas State associations. He also served on many committees, first of the General Association and then of the ABA. In 1917, he introduced the resolution naming the ABA Sunday school publications...."
The former ABA president A. T. Powers
A. T. Powers
Austin Toliver Powers, known as A. T. Powers , was a leading figure from the 1930s to the 1970s in the theologically conservative American Baptist Association, based in Texarkana, Texas...
referred accordingly to R. W. Glover, the first person that Powers met when he came to Sheridan in 1921 to attend the former Missionary Baptist College there:"I looked upon him as one of the great men that I knew. He was somewhat an earthly father to me because he was the age of my father, of whom he reminded me. His counsel and advice [was like] what my father would give me, and I admired him. ..."