The whole number of persons who constituted or composed this early church is not known. There is a partial list of some of them found in the church records. The first pastor was Elder John Koons (a.k.a. Koontz). Elder Koontz was himself baptized in 1768 and ordained a minister in 1776, and served in the ministry for forty years. He died in 1832 and is buried near Alma in Page County, Virginia.
         So, Thornton Gap Church was established just eleven years after American Independence was claimed from Great Britain. Of course to those who know the facts, prior to February 1833 the church and its congregation were citizens of Culpeper County.
         It has been written in the old church records that the original congregation met in the woods, or a brush harbor, prior to any building. This may be true, but it wasn’t that long before the first building was erected. Quoting from the Church Record, "the first log house, which stood in the flat....was built in the year 1788". 3 On or very near the site of present day Thornton Gap Primitive Baptist Church "near the spring". This was 4 built of logs; size; i.e., length or width not known. On October 17, 1789 "John Swindler was appointed to choose the plank for the meeting house". On March 12, 1791 it was"appointed that all male members do meet at 10 o’clock the next meeting in course to fall on some regular method to make payment for the ballance due for the meeting house." The land upon which this first church was erected was sold to the newly organized and constituted congregation by heirs of William Bryan, who died in 1806. Record dated September 1790, "John Swindler and Henry Menefee chosen to prepare a deed for Isaiah Bryan to acknowledge a piece of land to the church whereon the meeting house stands." This Mr. Bryan was a son to William Bryan.
         The church settled into their business, commencing with their first conference on January 12, 1788, when among other things a church rule was adopted... "A Rule adopted by this Church, that no member is to go to law with another in fellowship without taking a gospel step, that is, to try all reasonable methods and if that will not work then he is to carry him before the church and the church is to take the matter up, and if he will not give satisfaction to them, he is to be dealt with as though he did not belong to the church, as they may think proper." First deacons were Isaac Dunaway, ordained June 1790; and John Swindler, ordained April 2, 1791. First Clerk was a Brother Adams as can be found in the minutes.
3 Church Records and Thornton Gap Sketch, 1951 by J. Harvey Daily.