July library speaker to present living history

Dr. George W. Cobb will be Moon Lake Library’s featured speaker on July 8 at 6:30 p.m. Cobb will present a living history portrayal of the Rev. Samuel Doak, who addressed several Patriot Frontier Militia groups during their muster at Sycamore Shoals near the historic Watauga Settlement in the Colony of North Carolina (modern-day Elizabethton, Tennessee) on Sept. 26, 1780, during the Revolutionary War. Doak was an 18th-century Presbyterian missionary pastor who established several frontier churches and was a member of the local militia. He also performed the wedding ceremony for the better-known John Sevier (Nolichucky Jack) and his bride, Bonni Kate.

Cobb is a retired Methodist minister and living historian whose extended ministry includes serving as volunteer chaplain for a variety of historical organizations: Little River Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution in Fort Payne; the Overmountain Victory Trail Association (O.V.T.A.); and the Nathan Bedford Forrest Camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans in Rome. He is a graduate of Birmingham-Southern College (bachelor’s); Candler School of Theology at Emory University (master’s in theology); and the Universal Bible Institute (doctorate of divinity).

For more than 17 years, he and his wife, Betty, have participated in the annual re-enactment of the 1780 March to the Battle of King’s Mountain, sponsored by the O.V.T.A., and in which they often portray the Doaks at Fort Watauga at Sycamore Shoals State Park in Elizabethton. In addition to Doak, Cobb portrays several other 18th-century clergymen, such as John and Charles Wesley and Bishop Francis Asbury. He has written and presented several historical articles for various historical organizations and library clubs.

The Cobbs recently celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary. Their family includes two married sons, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. After retiring in 2004, they moved to Cedar Bluff, Alabama, where they remain active in church and community activities. He is beginning his 17th year as pastor of Hebron Methodist Church off U.S. Highway 411 between Centre, Alabama, and Cave Spring, Georgia.