Rev

Reverend John Andrew

John Andrew was born of Puritan parents on September 14, 1758, in Midway, Georgia. At the age of 15, he was orphaned and left in the care of his uncles.

When the Revolutionary War broke out, he joined in the fight under Gen. James Screven. After the death of Gen. Screven in the Battle of Midway Church in 1778, he fought under Samuel Elbert and in 1779 he fought in the Battle of Brier Creek. In this battle, the North Carolina regiment retreated during the fighting leaving only the Georgians to face the large British force. Four hundred men were killed or captured as compared to the five killed in the British force.

John Andrew fought in the Battle of Savannah later that year and after that city’s fall, he became a Georgia refugee and fled to South Carolina to continue the fight. There he fought under Thomas Sumter serving as quartermaster. When he returned home, he found that his crops had been burned twice and his furniture destroyed. He served in the Georgia state legislature from that area.

He moved to Elbert Count where he became a schoolmaster and itinerant minister. John Andrew became the first native born ordained Methodist minister in Georgia. He married three times: his first two wives, Ann Lambright and Mary Buer Andrew, died in childbirth and left a daughter each, and his third, Mary Overton Cosby, bore him eleven children.

Toward the end of his life, John Andrew accepted the job of minister at Mt. Zion Methodist Church just below Bishop, GA, in what was then Clarke County, now Oconee County. He was the minister there when he died on March 10, 1830. His grave was marked by Elijah Clarke Chapter NSDAR in April 2006. Previously marked only with a simple marker stating “Uncle John,” it now has a Veterans Administration marker with his birth and death dates and notes on his Revolutionary Service. An informational marker was placed at the same time, giving additional facts on his life. His grave is one mile south of Bishop, GA, on Highway 441 at address marker 3131.

Like many American patriots, Rev. Andrew served his country in duty and humility and with no expectation of a reward more than freedom. Although he suffered from much personal tragedy, his steadfast work for the Lord made his life a monument of faith. We are proud to honor him who, although not famous or rich, represents the common man who became a patriot through simple love of country, a sense of duty, and honorable actions.

His service record, the fact that his crops were burned, etc., and his death date came from the pension application of his widow, Mary Overton Cosby. His birth came from the records of Midway Church and was taken from history and published records of the Midway congregational church.

Grave Marker provided by the U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs April 2006 by application of descendant Elizabeth Collins, a member of the Elijah Clarke Chapter, NSDAR, Athens, GA. In a ceremony on the same day, the informational sign was placed by the Elijah Clarke Chapter NSDAR.

Rev. John Andrew’s grave with a marker set up by his nephew James Osgood Andrew, also a Methodist minister and Bishop in the church. On it he gives no dates, but refers to him as “Uncle John.” It was this lack of name and date that qualified Rev. John Andrew to receive a VA monument.