Rev. Needham Washington Hurst

January 1892 to September 1892

Rev. Needham Washington Hurst was born September 22, 1866, near Sylvania, Georgia, in Screven County. He was a son of James and Candace Burke Hurst. He graduated from Hephzibah High School in Richmond, near Augusta, Georgia on June 23, 1891, and graduated from Mercer University, Macon, Georgia in 1895 with both B.S. and D.D. degrees. He preached at Dublin First Baptist Church and at Indian Springs, Georgia.

Rev. Hurst was president of Robert E. Lee Institute, Thomaston, Georgia in 1897. Then he took refresher courses from the University of Chicago and Columbia University in New York.

On June 22, 1898, Rev. Hurst married Ethel Kate King, daughter of Peter Crawford King and Carolyn Grantland Brewster of Thomaston, Georgia. They had two sons, Needham King and Stanford Brewster, and three girls, Wilhelmina, Bernice, and Carolyn.

Rev. Hurst was Vice-President of Gordon Institute, Barnesville, Georgia from 1900 until 1906. He then moved to Eastman, Georgia where he became Superintendent of Schools until 1906 afterwards moving to Blakely, Georgia to become pastor of the First Baptist Church for two years. He then returned to Eastman, Georgia as Superintendent of Schools from 1908 until 1917, then moving to Forsyth, Georgia to become Vice-President of Bessie Tift College for Women where he remained until 1920.

From 1920 to 1923 he taught school at Marietta, Georgia. From 1923 to 1928 he taught in schools at Doles, Georgia and also Byron, Georgia. Then as his health began to decline, he sold World Book Encyclopedia and in 1933 retired in Macon, Georgia. Later having a stroke, he died April 21, 1946, on Easter Sunday, and is buried in Glenwood Cemetery, Thomaston, Georgia.

Rev. Hurst began the pastorate of First Baptist Church of Dublin on January 2, 1892, and was promised at least $35.00 per month. He gave some good advice when he preached on July 2^nd and spoke on the coldness of the church. He announced that he would not be able to serve as pastor the next year, due to obligations at college, and his last sermon at Dublin was preached on September 5, 1892.