#52Ancestors, Week 31: Flew the (Religious) Coop

I thought of more than a few relatives who might fulfill the guidelines of this particular prompt.  Unfortunately, I have already written posts about them.  Nettie Pearson flew the coop when she left her family and married for the first time at the tender age of 14.  Nettie's brother, Horace, flew the coop (albeit slowly) when there was an apparent break with his family, and he was forced to make his living as a double-amputee door-to-door salesman.  Joseph Allen Pearson flew the coop of Virginia and moved to Illinois prior to the Civil War.  Jennie Grace Terpinitz flew the coop of gender expectations when she enlisted during WWII.  Roy Hudson presumably flew the marital coop when he seemingly faked his own death.  Click on the links to read their stories because they're really interesting!

After sifting through some old newspaper clippings, I decided to focus on James Henry Pearson.  He is not a direct ancestor, but Joseph Allen Pearson (my ggg grandfather) was his uncle because Benjamin Everett Pearson (Cuzzin Heather's direct ancestor) was James Henry's father.  Now that we have all the important lineage out of the way, let's get down to the story.  

James Henry didn't leave his family, nor did he leave his home state in order to avoid the ravages of war.  No, it would seem that James Henry left a "normal" religion for a religious sect.  When he did so, he also left his secure job with the railway (because they operated trains on Sunday).  Then, when he consequently opened a restaurant, he refused to serve coffee because he believed it was sinful to drink it.  

Most of the Pearsons of this era and region were southern Baptists, so it is probably safe to assume that James Henry had been raised in that faith.  Why he flew the religious coop is anyone's guess, but it would end up having catastrophic consequences for his family.  In 1905, James Henry  and his wife, Victoria, had 3 children.  George Dewey had been born in 1898, Grace in 1901, and Freda Lois in late 1904/early 1905.  

In July 1905, Freda became ill. If her father were still (presumably) a southern Baptist, he would have called a doctor.  After all, southern Baptists consider it part of their missionary work to build hospitals and clinics as a way to minister to the needy, so they must also believe in the power of medicine.  Sadly for Freda, her father's new religious beliefs precluded him from seeking/accepting medical aid.  The following headline, consequent bylines, and partial article were taken from the July 18, 1905, Bluefield Daily Telegraph.

The article went on to say that the townspeople had more or less turned a blind eye when adults died as a result of adherence to this sect, but they drew the line at defenseless children. Mr. Pearson was arrested but posted a $500 bail thanks to his wife and a friend and neighbor, F. E. Godsey.  The next day, Pearson's case was dismissed.

With some assistance from Cuzzin Heather and a later article that refers to Pearson's sect as "the Holiness," it was determined that James Henry had likely joined the Pentecostal Holiness Church.  In its early years of existence, members of the Pentecostal Holiness were against medical intervention.  Thankfully, this is no longer the case.