The Blackwell Family traces their ancestry back for more than 500 years to Gloucester County, England.  Their Coat of Arms was one of the most distinguished in the Book of Heraldry.  Their American Ancestor Joseph Blackwell came to America in 1656 and was granted a land patent for 4000 acres in Westmoreland and Cumberland Counties, Va.  Through the descendants of Joseph Blackwell Rev. John Blackwell, the son of James Glenn Blackwell was born in 1755 in Culpepper, Va. In 1775 he migrated to Tryon County, NC, now Polk County, NC., with his wife Susannah (Suckey) Glenn whom he had married that year in Surry County, N. C.  Susannah was the daughter of Tyree and Sarah Glenn.
     After moving to Tryon County in 1775, he purchased a piece of property from James Ridings on Green Creek.  Here he established his home on the frontier of the Carolinas with all the hardships of frontier life plus the possibility of an Indian raid at any time.  (The treaty with the Indians did not last long, and the Indians became active just before and during the Revolutionary War which began in 1775 with the first shots at Lexington and Concord, Mass.)  John and his wife Susannah began to rear a family, farm, and hunt the wild game so abundant at that time.
     At the beginning of the Revolutionary War, the State of N.C. established a militia force in western North Carolina under the command of Gen. Griffith Rutherford.  This force was to protect the home front and also be available for service against the British forces under Cornwallis that had become active in South Carolina and North Carolina and had seized most of South Carolina.  Rev. Blackwell joined the militia force about this time and served with honors until the end of the Revolution in 1781 He fought in the Battle of Kings Mountain and probably several other battles including the Battle of Cowpens where the British were completely defeated by Gen. Daniel Morgan and his forces.   Rev. Blackwell had a very colorful career as a Revolutionary War soldier during a very critical time in the struggle for independence of the United States of America.  His rank was Private, Rutherford Militia.
     Green Creek First Baptist Church has a very colorful background being a pioneer church established by this Revolutionary War hero and pioneer who lived on the East Branch of Green Creek and later bought more land and constructed a home on a knoll between West Branch and East Branch of Green Creek.   He later sold the property to George Feagan and again moved to Walker County, Ga., about 1834.
     This home site now belongs to Hoyt Gosnell, and the old house was recently torn down. This site was at the intersection of Green Creek Drive and Hines Road. In 1797 Rev. Blackwell and his family, along with Henry Feagan's family and the Thomas Lyles family, established Green Creek Baptist Church on Jack's Branch about 1/2 mile from where it flows into Green Creek, thus getting its name from this creek.  This was on the plantation of Thomas Lyles who owned approximately 600 acres on Green Creek and White Oak Creek.  In 1797 Green Creek Baptist Church joined the Bethel Association which was made up mostly of churches in Spartanburg County, S.C. and Rutherford County, N.C.  In 1800 most of these churches left the Bethel Association and formed the Broad River Association. Green Creek was one of these churches.
     In 1798 Green Creek, with John Blackwell as delegate, assisted in the formation of Salem Baptist Church which was the Forerunner of Mill Springs First Baptist Church.  In 1803, Green Creek established an arm called Wolf Creek near Earlville, S.C., an early settlement on North Pacolet River.  Rev. John Blackwell served as pastor here and also at Green Creek Baptist Church.  In 1817 this mission was constituted into a regular Baptist Church with Rev. Blackwell as pastor. He was well liked and was able to settle differences that arose within the congregation. He was also very influential in the life of the Broad River Association.  Rev. Blackwell continued as pastor of Green Creek and Wolf Creek Baptist Churches until 1833 when he resigned from both and moved to Walker County, Ga., with part of his family, where he lived until his death in 1840.  He was buried in Walker County, Ga.  Rev. John Blackwell served Green Creek Baptist Church for 36 years and Wolf Creek Baptist Church for 30 years.  Wolf Creek Church is now Landrum First Baptist Church, Landrum, South Carolina.
     Rev John Blackwell and Susannah Glenn Blackwell had thirteen children:

(1)    Sally married John Ridings and later Jonathan Wall and moved to Georgia with her father's family.
(2)    Tyre -- no history
(3)    John Jr. married Nancy Elvira Hughey b. 1790, d. 1847; Rutherford County; had 8 children
(4)    George -- no history
(5)    Joseph -- no history
(6)    Dick -- no history
(7)    Elizabeth (Betsy) married William Hester and moved to Georgia
(8)    Frank married a Maddax
(9)    James married Polly Scott
(10)  Lettie marrie (a) Frank Vernon (b) A. Capsaw
(11)  Thomas (b. 1790) married Mary Wall
(12)  Jeremiah Glenn married Margaret Ann McWilliams
(13)  Robert -- no history