I, E.V. (Ethrage Vernon) Carrier was born September 6, 1909. My parents, Virgil and Mattie Martin Carrier, lived in a two room boxed and stripped house setting in the open country at the time of my birth. This home was beside the New Salem Baptist Church in Lincoln County, Ky., on the headwaters of Green River. When I was two weeks old, my father decided they needed a larger house so he moved the two rooms across a small valley and attached them to two other rooms that he had bought from a brother-in-law. At that time, the children numbered three--two boys and a girl, namely: Vertriece Carrier, deceased, E.V. (me) now residing at Elizabethtown, Kentucky, and our sister Iva Carrier, who died at the age of 4 years with the croup. After her death two more girls were born into the family, Mrs. Madell Douglass of Louisville, Ky. and Mrs. Roberta Childres, Demossville, Ky.

In the fall of 1933 I was asked to conduct the singing in a revival meeting at Liberty, Kentucky. During that meeting I met Miss Gladys Ashley who was teaching school in the city school system. Needless to say it was love at first sight and just a short year and a few days later we were married on December 22, 1934 at McKinney, Kentucky. We have two daughters, Mrs. Dixie Herring of Lakeland, Fla., and Vicki Carrier of Elizabethtown, Kentucky. On September 6, 1922, 1 was converted during a revival meeting at the New Salem Baptist Church in Lincoln County. The pastor was Rev. K. G. Martin and the evangelist was Rev. Gash, pastor of Hustonville Baptist Church.

I started to school at the age of seven in a one room school called the Richard School House. Mrs. C. D. Sims, now living in Okolona, Ky. was my teacher.

I did seven grades in this location. We only had six months of school at Richard. At the close of my seventh year in school the family moved down the river into Casey County. This move was made so we children would have a graded and high school to attend. After graduating from high school, I enrolled in Eastern Teachers College at Richmond, Kentucky and graduated from there with the Bachelor of Arts Degree. I also attended the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary at Louisville, Kentucky and graduated with the Bachelor of Theology Degree. I taught school in Casey and Lincoln County before I began my pastorial work. Then during the World War II, when men became scarce as teachers, I was asked to teach and I taught two years during the war.

At about the age of 22 1 felt the call to preach. It was during a revival meeting at the Middleburg Baptist Church and Rev. E. C. Stevins was the evangelist, Rev. B. E. Settles was my partor. Bro. Settles was pastoring two churches, the one at Middleburg and the First Baptist Church of Liberty, Kentucky.

When Gladys and I married, we decided to live at Liberty, so I moved my membership to the church there. In the Spring of 1935 the Liberty Baptist Church called for my ordination. Shortly after my ordination, I was called to pastor the Grove Baptist Church in Casey County. After pastoring there for a few months, the Ellisburg Baptist Church called me and that made me a full time pastor. I preached at Ellisburg on the first and third Sundays and at Grove on the second and fourth. I served these two churches about three years.

I was then called to the New Salem Church in Lincoln County. This was the church where I was converted. We moved into a five room parsonage that sat on the same spot where the two room house sat when I was born. Dixie was born while we lived in this house.

After serving at New Salem for four years, we were called to McKinney Church and while here I taught school during the war. We didn't stay at McKinney two years, but we were able to build Sunday School rooms and double the Sunday School attendance while there.

We then moved to Waynesburg, also in Loncoln County. I finished the Seminary while pastoring here. This was our longest pastorate to this time at six years and two months. From here we left the county and began our pastorate at Carlisle, Kentucky, in January of 1949. Carlisle is the county seat of Nicholas County. It was here that Vicki was born. During our stay at Carlisle, the church planned and adopted a building program, but I resigned before the building was started. However, today when I pass by the church, I think of that fine Sunday School building as the fruits of my labors.

We had been at Carlisle just a little over four years when we received a call from the Crab Orchard Baptist Church. This was the second time the Crab Orchard Church had invited me to be their pastor. So I said yes and we moved in March when Vicki was one year old. They had a new building at Crab Orchard, but they hadn't organized to fill it with people, so in September we elected teachers for every age group and set out to double the attendance. We almost did. While at Crab Orchard, we were able to pay off the building debt several years earlier than planned. We then redecorated the church and bought new pews.

In January of 1960, I was called to Pioneer Baptist Church in Mercer County. I lived in Harrodsburg--the church having no parsonage, I had to buy a house. Harrodsburg was an old town, but the Pioneer Church was new, young, and poorly organized. However, the fastest growing work I have ever had was here.

In June of 1963, I moved to Muldraugh Hill Baptist Church in Marion County. It was here we set ourselves to the task of paying off the church debt. Our White Christmas Offering proved to be the way the Lord had of challenging his people to a worthy task.

I am now serving at the Immanuel Baptist Church of Elizabethtown, Ky. I was recognized this year in Who's Who in Kentucky, 1974. My longest pastorate was Crab Orchard, 6 yrs. 10 mos; the next was Muldraugh Hill, 6 yrs. 7 mos., and if I live to the last of December this year will be my next, 6 yrs. 1 mo. I plan to retire from the pastorate January 1, 1975 and do supply work and revivals, plus many other things.

Bro. E. V. Carrier