EV. WILLIAM M. CRAVEN lived in Randolph county, North Carolina. He was a member of the North Carolina and Virginia Christian Conference, the part which was formed into the Deep River Conference, and later into the Western North Carolina Conference.

      In 1845, he was present at the North Carolina and Virginia Conference at Apple's chapel, in Guilford county, as a licentiate, and representative from Shiloh church In Randolph county, and was also at the Conference at Union chapel, in 1846. At the Conference at New Providence in 1848 he was present as a licentiate still. He attended the Conference at Mt. Pleasant in Randolph county in 1853, and at New Providence in 1855. He was ordained an Elder in 1856, at Hanks' chapel, by the presbytery composed of Elders Thomas J. Fowler, Alfred Iseley, and Wm. B. Wellons. He and Jas. W. Wellons were ordained at the same time. In 1857, he reported to the Conference at Bethlehem, in Alamance county, by letter.

      For a number of years he was inactive, and had well nigh given up attending the Conferences till the organization of the Deep River Conference of which he became a member. In 1870, he was assigned to preach at Salem, with Rev. J. W. Scott, and in 1871, was a fraternal messenger from the Deep River Conference to the North Carolina and Virginia Conference at Mt. Zion church in Orange county. At his Conference at Union Grove, in Randolph county, in 1872, he was chairman of the committee on statistics. In 1874, he served on the committee on Sabbath schools at the Conference at Pleasant Grove, and was appointed by the committee on home missions to preach at Brown's chapel with Rev. W. R. Brown. His ministerial report records that he [253] preached thirty-three sermons and assisted in Sunday school work.

      In 1880, he attended the Conference at Pleasant Grove; he preached at Oldham's Grove, and other points. At the Conference at Big Oak, in Moore county, in 1884, he was present, and was appointed a fraternal messenger to the North Carolina and Virginia Conference.

      About the year 1898 or '94 his name disappears from the minutes.

[LCM 253-254]