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Photo & text submitted by: Dorothy Semenyna (Jan 2009)
Baptist Boyett was born in Wayne Co NC on January 10, 1808. He was the son of Henry and grandson on Thomas. His father, Henry married Elizabeth Rooks abt. 1806.

The Henry Boyett family settled south of Mason Hall, TN near Kenton (on the Gibson/Obion Co line) in 1820. First to Bedford for a few years, then Baptist moved to Gibson Co abt 1822. Gibson Co was established on October 21, 1823. A Gibson CO TN history indicates that Baptist and Mahulda Crain were among the pioneers who came from NC to Gibson Co. (If Mahulda was born in Robertson Co as indicated by a Crain researcher, Baptist would have married her in TN rather than NC.)

Baptist was one of the early settlers of Mason Hall. The most convincing record of the settlement of the Mason Hall community comes from an entry of the marriage of Baptist Boyett to Mahulda Crain on May 9, 1828. All of the community knew Davy Crockett personally and Baptist's sister Cla(o)rinda married William Finley Crockett, son of Davy and Polly Finley Crocket.

After the death of Mahulda on April 13, 1847, Baptist married Mary Ann Frentris on January 16, 1848. Mary was more than 20 younger than Baptist. Although Baptist and Mahulda had nine children, he and Mary Ann had no children but Mary Ann raised his younger ones who were still at home.

Baptist was an early merchant, state representative in the Lower House of the 36th General Assembly of the State on TN Legislature representing Lake and Obion Counties, charter member of the first organized worship at the Methodist Church and served as Justice of the Peace from Dec 26, 1848 to Feb of 1852.

In early West TN, the Methodist Churches were organized in homes and the church was named after the family. The name was changed from Robinson's Chapel to Boyett's Chaple in 1895 when it moved to a new location.