James Monroe Hyde
1822-1882
The Life of James M. Hyde
James Monroe Hyde was a 19th‑century, South Carolina–born farmer and gospel preacher, who became an early religious leader in Arkansas. He spent most of his adult life in Greene County, Arkansas, where he preached, raised a large family, and helped establish a historic church of Christ.
Early life and family
James was born on November 11, 1822, in South Carolina. He was the son of Isaiah Hyde (1798–1860) and Mary Ann Hester Hyde (1799–1860). Raised in the early decades of the nineteenth century, Hyde came of age during a period when the American frontier was pushing steadily westward and new communities were forming across the South.
In 1844, he married Sarah Higgins (1822–1908) in South Carolina. Sarah was later remembered in local tradition as a full-blooded Cherokee woman, a detail that became part of the Pine Knot community’s story and identity. Together they began a family that would grow as they moved west into newer settlements.
Between 1848 and 1850, James and Sarah relocated to Cherokee County, Alabama. Not long after, by 1851, they moved again—this time to Greene County, Arkansas. There James would spend the remainder of his life. The 1860 U.S. Census places the Hyde household in St. Francis Township, Greene County, confirming their settled place within the county’s growing population.
James and Sarah were the parents of eight children, whose lives spanned the Reconstruction era and into the early twentieth century: Charles Francis Hyde (1845–1908); Greenbury Walker “G.W.” Hyde (1848–1912); Ara Adeline Hyde (1851–1917); Array Angelina Hyde (1852–1915); Martha Jane Hyde (1854–1918); Thomas Isaac Hyde (1856–1906); Hester Ann Hyde (1857–1933); and Charlcy Elizabeth Hyde (1861–1929).
Pioneer Preacher and Founder at Pine Knot (1841 onward)
In 1841, when he was about twenty years old, James helped establish New Testament Christianity at Pine Knot in Greene County, Arkansas. The Pine Knot church of Christ—located southwest of Paragould near today’s Finch community—has been remembered as the oldest continuous church of Christ in Arkansas, and possibly the oldest west of the Mississippi River.
According to local accounts, the original Pine Knot church building was a simple log cabin with a dirt floor, one door, and one window. Hyde was said to be the first preacher there. Oral tradition recalls him preaching barefoot on the dirt floor, wearing plain overalls—an image that reflected both the hardship of frontier worship and Hyde’s humble spirit. The original land for the congregation, a 39-acre tract, was donated by James and his brother Perry Hyde, securing Pine Knot as a permanent spiritual center for the area. Historical notes about Greene County’s early religious life describe Pine Knot as the first congregation of the “Christian” tradition in the county. Hyde served alongside other founding elders, Benjamin Tennison and L. C. Thompson.
Civil War Service and Return Home
When the Civil War came, James served the Confederacy. His military record includes service in Davies’ Battalion of Cavalry, Gipson’s Battalion of Mounted Rifles, and Gordon’s Cavalry (Companies A–B). Like thousands of Arkansas men, he fought through the long conflict close to home.
Hyde surrendered to Union forces on May 11, 1865, and was formally paroled at Wittsburg in Cross County, Arkansas on May 25, 1865. After the war, he returned to Greene County and resumed the steady life of a farmer, family man, and church leader—roles that anchored him through the turbulent Reconstruction years.
Reputation and Character
County histories and neighbor recollections consistently portray James Hyde as a man of uncommon integrity. One widely repeated story tells of a traveling stock dealer who hesitated to sell Hyde a pair of mules without cash in hand. After asking local residents about Hyde’s trustworthiness, the dealer was told that men in Greene County would stand good for “Jim Hyde” even when they would not stand for themselves. Convinced, the dealer completed the sale and even offered to wait until Fall for payment.
The story was preserved not merely as anecdote, but as testimony to Hyde’s character: plain in dress, modest in manner, but unshakably honest and dependable. His word, neighbors said, was as good as a bond. Such accounts suggest why Hyde became a trusted pillar in both civic life and the church.
Final Years and Legacy
James Monroe Hyde died on May 23, 1882, in Greene County, Arkansas, the place that had become his lifelong home. Sarah lived many years after him, passing away on August 19, 1905. Both were laid to rest in the Old Pine Knot (Honey) Cemetery, near the congregation they helped establish and serve.
Hyde’s legacy rests in two intertwined gifts to his community: one, a pioneering family line that helped populate and shape Greene County, and a spiritual foundation at Pine Knot, a church known for its enduring continuity from 1841 to the present.
To later generations, James Hyde stood as an early frontier preacher, a war-worn but faithful Christian, and—above all—a man whose life was marked by humility, service, and sterling integrity.
-Scott Harp, Editor, 11.28.2025
Sources: Ancestry.com; Local history reports.
Report In The Gospel Advocate By R. B. Trimble
Gospel Advocate, 11.15.1877, p.713
webpage for R. B. Trimble
used by permission
Directions To Grave
The Old Pine Knot Cemetery is located in rural Greene County, Arkansas. From Paragould, head west on S. 3rd (Bus. 412) for 4.9 miles and turn left on Co. Rd. 724 (Greene Rd.) Go 3.2 miles and turn right on Parkinson Rd. Pass the Pine Knot church of Christ on your right and turn right at the next road to your right (Co. Rd. 7777) The cemetery will be on your left.
GPS Location
36°01'58.1"N 90°36'05.9"W
or D.d. 36.032798,-90.601628
Sarah Hyde
Born August 20, 1822
Died August 19, 1905
Gone but not forgotten
Rev. James M. Hyde
Born
November 11, 1822
Died
May 23, 1882
Aged
59 yrs& 6mos 12ds.
Photos Taken 11.27.2025
Webpage produced 11.28.2025
Courtesy Of Scott Harp
www.TheRestorationMovement.com
Special Recognition: Special thanks for photos on this page to my son, Richard S. Harp, his father-in-law Chuck Palmer, and brother-in-law, Donnie Vick, who visited the old Cemetery at Pine Knot, Greene County, Arkansas on Thanksgiving Day, 2025.