William D. Nowlin served the Third Baptist Church of Owensboro, Kentucky, from 1905 to 1909. He was born in Weakley County, Tennessee, on March 10, 1864, the son of William David and Caroline Glass Nowlin. He attended the Southern Baptist Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky, and the University of Chicago. He received the Doctor of Divinity Degree from Georgetown College and the Degree of LL.D. from Union University in Tennessee. His conversion took place at an early age and we find him being ordained to the Baptist ministry in May, 1892, by the First Baptist Church of Martin, Tennessee. He has held pastorates at Hickman, Kentucky, 1893-1895; Nicholasville, Kentucky, 1895-1898; Upper Street, Lexington Kentucky, 1899-1904; Third Baptist, Owensboro, Kentucky, 1905-1909; Mayfield, Kentucky, 1910; Lakeland, Florida, 1911-1914; Beaderick Avenue, Knoxville, Tenn., 1915-1917; 22nd and Walnut Streets, Louisville, Kentucky, 1917-1919; Greenville, Kentucky, 1919-1924; Arcadia, Florida, 1924-1934. For the past few years he has been retired from active pastoral work. He was married to Miss Mattie W. Wood of Fulton, Kentucky, in November, 1887. Seven children blessed this union, three sons and four daughters. For some time he served as associate editor of the Western Recorder. He was also owner and editor of the Florida Baptist Witness for some time. He has served on the Relief and Annuity Board of the Southern Baptist Convention; on the Florida State Mission Board for twelve years, as Moderator of the Peace River Association in Florida for seven years; as Moderator of the General Association of Kentucky Baptists in 1907-1908; as Moderator of the Florida Baptist Convention for two years; and as Vice-President of the Southern Baptist Convention. He served as Moderator of the Daviess County Association in 1906-1908 and the Muhlenberg County Association in 1922-1923 and preached the annual sermon before these two fraternities in 1906 and 1923 respectively. He is the author of a Kentucky Baptist History and other subjects. His ministry has been very extensive and fruitful over a period of fifty years. For a number of years he was one of the most outstanding pastors in the Southern Baptist Convention.
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[From Wendell H. Rone. A History of the Daviess-McLean Baptist Association in Kentucky, 1844-1943, pp. 406-407. -- jrd]

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