USA > Pennsylvania > Lancaster County > East Donegal > Authentic history of Donegal Presbyterian Church, located in East Donegal Township, Lancaster Co., Pa > Part 1
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PRESB
IRCH
FROM THE LIBRARY OF
REV. LOUIS FITZGERALD BENSON. D. D.
BEQUEATHED BY HIM TO
THE LIBRARY OF
PRINCETON THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
Sca 10186
Photo by JOHN K. MILLER, Maytown.
DONEGAL CHURCH.
LIBRARY OF PRINCE
JAN 13 1932 N
THEO OLOGICAL GED
AN AUTHENTIC HISTORY
OF
Donegal Presbyterian Church
LOCATED IN
East Donegal Township, Lancaster Co., Pa.
BY
VV
J. L. ZIEGLER, A. M., M. D.
Member of the Historical and Genealogical Societies of Pennsylvania, The Presbyterian Historical Society, The Lancaster County Historical Society, etc., etc.
MOUNT JOY, PA.
Propter amorem, non lucrum.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1902, by J. L. Ziegler, M. D., in the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.
PHILADELPHIA : F. MCMANUS, JR., & Co. PRINTERS AND PUBLISHERS
1902
To the memory of a loving wife, Harriet Patterson Ziegler A descendant of a long line of Donegal ancestry and a consistent member of Donegal Church, whose devotion encouraged and strengthened a prolonged and laborious professional life, this work is affectionately and gratefully dedicated by The Author.
PREFACE.
T HE history of Donegal Church was undertaken with the desire to correct some of the many erroneous statements that have been promulgated at various times concerning the church, the pastors and families which constituted the congrega- tion. Much time and labor have been devoted to the procuring and examining authentic documents, such as the records of the church, the records of Presbytery, Presbyterian history, wills, land-titles and family records. Nothing traditional has been introduced as authentic.
The author has been a member of the congregation since 1845, when his name appears upon the records as an auditor of accounts, and has attended the church services as early as 1836. He taught school one term in the old school-house, a few yards from the church, and commenced the study of medicine with Dr. Nathaniel Watson in 1840, whose residence (now Hon. J. Donald Cameron's) was a few hundred yards north of the church, thus enjoying the privilege of forming the acquaintance of many of the congregation, so that he can lay a just claim to some personal knowledge during a period of sixty years. The author, after having freely used all appropriate and authentic material accessible, does not claim perfection and makes no pretension to a complete biography of the membership of the church and congregation, but rather the presentation of land- marks by which the future historian may elucidate facts and incidents that will assist in tracing a more complete history and biography. He hopes this work will meet the approbation of
all who may feel an interest in the preservation of the history of an old landmark whose impress has been made upon the Church and the nation by those who have gone out from its sacred precincts.
The author, in his various researches, has found the site of an old, extinct Presbyterian church incidentally connected with Donegal and Derry churches, the memory of which has been almost obliterated, and also of an old Moravian church of which nothing remains but the burial place of some of its long-departed members, known only by the peculiarity of the position of their tombstones.
The author, having enjoyed his early tuition in an academy established by a son of one of the pastors of the old Moravian church, adds what remains of the history of the old church as a small tribute of respect to his memory. Acknowledgment is made to the late Messrs. James A. Patterson, Henry H. Wiley and Dr. Egle, State Librarian ; to the Rev. Wm. A. West ; to Alfred Percival Smith, Esq., of Philadelphia ; Mr. John K. Miller, Photographer, of Maytown, Pa .; Dr. Jas. P. Ziegler, of Mt. Joy ; to Rev. Richard Downes, Pastor of Donegal Church, for assistance and valuable information, and to others to whom acknowledgment is made elsewhere in this work.
Mount Joy, Pa., Nov. 13th, 1901.
THE DONEGAL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
The tyranny and cruelty which the profligate monarchies of Europe imposed upon the early Presbyterians-German Reformed, Lutherans, Moravians and others-caused thousands to leave their native land and seek an asylum in this land, which was the wilderness of the New World. Even here, persecution followed them so that the struggles and trials of the early settlers were almost unendurable.
Their ministers, ever in the van of the cause of liberty and freedom of conscience, stood as a bulwark against the oppressor ; though but few in number, we are to-day enjoying the rich blessings of a free government, the seeds of which they planted and nurtured until it has grown into a nation of freemen such as the world has never witnessed. The sturdy pioneers who established and constituted the congregation of Donegal Church took an early and prominent part in our struggles for inde- pendence, and all along the subsequent upward path of the nation's progress in the arts and sciences of civilization we find here and there the resting place of some eminent descendant of old Donegal Church ; while the living at present occupy places in the front rank of eminence in the learned professions, and the highest office in the gift of the people was filled by a descendant in the person of Major William McKinley, as President.
The records of Donegal Church prior to 1786 are lost, and those immediately subsequent are fragmentary ; all the history that can be authenticated is gleaned from family records, land- titles, wills, records of Donegal Presbytery and the early histories of the Presbyterian Church of America. When we consider
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THE DONEGAL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
that it was founded less than a score of years after the organiza- tion of the first Presbytery in America-the country at the time being thinly settled, the facilities for communication between neighboring settlements difficult and often dangerous, organiza- tion and the means for the preservation of records incomplete, the turbulent and unsettled state of the country-the paucity of data becomes obvious. When was Donegal Church organized ? When was the present building erected? And as it is supposed there was another building before the present one, where was it located ? These are questions which can only be answered approximately, if at all. There are no records extant, at least none can be found that will answer them.
The fact that one hundred and eighty years ago there was preaching at Donegal and that there was a place of worship is evident, and that the country around Donegal was settled by the Scotch-Irish who fled from persecution in the old country to seek an asylum where they might worship God without molest- ation, and that they constituted the Donegal congregation. Many of their names are recorded in the adjacent silent abode of the dead. Some of their posterity still worship within the sacred precincts of the structure which their ancestors erected .*
* There have been many erroneous and misleading statements pub- lished as authentic history concerning Donegal Church and the families connected with the congregation which, in justice to the descendants of the old Church, should be corrected. The following extract from a paper printed, framed and hung in the Church deserves a .passing notice : " There are not half a dozen of the descendants of the Scotch-Irish who attend the church and there is seldom preaching in it .- April 28th, 1877." On one occasion during the summer (1897), when services were held there, twenty members were counted who were regular attendants, most of them communicants and direct descendants of the Scotch-Irish ; their ancestors were prominent members of Donegal Church, none less than one hundred, some one hundred and fifty-seven, and in one instance one hundred and sixty-four years ago. With regard to the "seldom preach- ing in it," my personal recollection extends over a period of sixty years and during that time the Church has not been without an organization, both spiritual and secular, nor without a pastor, and regular services at least once a month, and ad interim Presbytery appointed a moderator and stated supplies.
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THE DONEGAL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
The first intimation of a church organization at Donegal is as follows : "In 1714, the tide of emigration following up the eastern side of the Susquehanna had reached the valley of the Chicquesalunga, now in Lancaster County, when Donegal Church was organized in that year."-(West's Origin and History of Donegal and Carlisle Presbytery. ) And again : "Application was made by Andrew Galbraith to Newcastle Presbytery, August Ist, 1721, for supplies for Chickens Longus (Chicquesalunga*), and Gillespie and Cross were sent. Roland Chambers renewed the request next year. In May, 1723, Conestoga applied, but Hutchison failed to go, being unable to obtain a guide thither. In the fall, he and McGill were sent to Donegal. In 1725, Donegal obtained one-sixth of Boyd's time, and he served them until they called Anderson."-(Webster's History of the Presby- terian Church of America. ) From these extracts we can readily infer that there was an organization at Donegal earlier than has been heretofore recognized. Andrew Galbraith's land adjoined the Glebe land and his application for supplies indicates a deep and early interest in matters pertaining to the Church.
* The stream from Donegal Spring was called Little Chicquesalunga Creek in a deed of the Rev. Peter Nissley, situated about three-fourths of a mile east from the Church.
On the 4th of June, 1740, two hundred acres of land were deeded to the "Rev. James Anderson, Pastor, John Allison, James Mitchel and David Hayes, Elders of the Church, by Thomas Penn, by the powers and authority to him granted by the said John and Richard and of his own right."-( Patent Deed. ) This was bounded on the north by the land of James Stephenson, and on the south by Mary Moderil or Mortheril ; on the east by Andrew Galbraith, and on the west by Ephraim Moore's land. One month after the receipt of the patent deed the Rev. James Anderson died. t
t From this we learn that the congregation had probably occupied the land about twenty years before a patent had been received. The reason for this delay is obvious when we recall the fact that William Penn died in 1718 and no patents were issued for a number of years after his death.
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THE DONEGAL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
It may not be out of place to presume that the present Church edifice was not erected until after the patent was granted. There were no trustees prior to the receipt of the patent, as the deed was in the name of the Session as being the only representatives of the Church. Not as stated in the paper before quoted and hung in the Church: "The Trustees, James, Andrew and John Allison, James Mitchel and David Hayes procured a patent," etc. I have frequently heard the statement that William Penn had presented the Glebe land to the Church. The patent deed clearly shows that it was paid for, as all other tracts were, and with the usual annual ground rents of one shilling for every hundred acres or proportion thereof, with the reservation of all ores and minerals.
September 11th, 1786, a charter was granted to the Rev. Colin McFarquhar, John Baille, James Baille, James Anderson, Robert Spear, Brice Clark, Samuel Woods, James Muirhead and Joseph Little, as trustees and their successors. Nine members constituted the Board of Trustees until March 29th, 1805, when an act was passed reducing the number to three. The congrega- tion, no doubt, progressed quietly and peacefully (as the long pastorate of twenty-six years under the Rev. Joseph Tate indi- cates) without any organization but the Session. They found it necessary to have a charter in order to sell part of their land, which they did immediately on the receipt of that instrument. This also accounts for the beginning of the trustees' records in 1786 ; prior to this date their records were kept by the Session and are lost. .
As these nine members were constituted the first Board of Trustees by an act of Assembly, it may be interesting to the reader to know the proceedings of their first and some of their subsequent meetings. At this time we have the beginning of the only authentic records of the Church. The following is a verbatim copy of their proceedings at the first meeting, held at Donegal, November 15th, 1786 :
" When being convened the Rev. Colin McFarquhar, Messrs. Robert Spear, John Baille, James Baille, James Muirhead, Samuel Woods, Brice Clark and Joseph Little-Mr. James Anderson was absent-who were all chosen and appointed trustees by the members of the congregation of Donegal met together for that purpose, and said trustees having now taken their seats in that
II
THE DONEGAL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
capacity, agreeable to an act of the Assembly of Pennsylvania, passed for incorporating the said congregation, did proceed to choose their President, Secretary and Treasurer, when they did as they hereby do make choice of the Rev. Colin McFarquhar for their President, Mr. Joseph Little for their Secretary and Mr. Samuel Woods for their Treasurer. The trustees have, as they hereby appoint their Secretary, to purchase a book for having their proceedings recorded therein. The trustees took into their consideration a legacy of one hundred pounds currency which was bequeathed in the latter will and testament of the late Samuel Scott, a member of this congregation of Donegal, which sum was appointed in the will to be settled as a perpetual fund for the benefit of the congregation. The trustees have appointed the following persons to collect the Minister's salary or any part thereof due before January, 1787, viz. : Mr. Robert Spear in Big Chiques quarter, Mr. John Baillie in Mill Creek quarter, Thomas Baillie, Jun., in the Riverside quarter, Mr. Brice Clark in the meeting-house quarter, Mr. Samuel Woods in the Cania quarter, Mr. James Moorehead in the Mount Joy quarter, and Mr. Joseph Little in the Little Chiques quarter, who are hereby authorized to certify to those who have been hitherto remiss in paying their proportion of salary, and that in a short space of time after this they will be sued in law, by order of the trustees. The trustees adjourned to the eighth day of January next, then to meet at Donegal meeting-house.
"Signed by COLIN McFARQUHAR, Pres't. "Attested by JOSEPH LITTLE,1 Sec."
"Jan. 8th, 1787 .- The trustees of the congregation of Donegal met according to adjournment ; the President being absent, John Baillie was unanimously chosen in his room ; the congregation being met at the same time, their votes are taken respecting the Glebe land belonging to said congregation. Now, it is the unanimous vote of this congregation, now met, to put
1 Proper names are differently spelled in the Church Records and on the tombstones ; for example : Little, Litle and Lytle ; Hayes and Hays; Muirhead and Moorehead, etc., being the same family names, the writer has given them as found, not deeming it proper to make any alteration.
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THE DONEGAL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
the Glebe land into the hands of the trustees for to be sold by them or their successors, only reserving thirty acres of said land for the use of said congregation.
"By order of said congregation
"JOSEPH LITTLE, Clerk.
" The trustees adjourned to the 15th of February, to meet then at Donegal meeting-house.
"Signed by COLIN McFARQUHAR, Pres't."
On the 28th of February, 1787, the trustees, according to the action of the preceding meeting, exposed at public sale the Glebe land, reserving thirty acres for the use of the congregation. The result of this sale is shown by the following minutes :
"At Donegal meeting-house, the twenty-third day of March, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-seven, when the trustees being met, convened the Rev. Colin McFarquhar, Messrs. Robert Spear, James Moorehead, Joseph Little, Brice Clark and Samuel Woods ; absent James Anderson, John Baillie and James Baillie. This meeting being intended for consulting with James Moorehead, the purchaser of said Glebe land. The proper measures for conveying the said land to the said purchaser, and for receiving from him, the said purchaser, a satisfactory se- curity for the same; and the trustees, judging that in order to issue this matter properly a member of their body should be nominated and chosen for this purpose, did accordingly nominate as they do hereby nominate and appoint Mr. Brice Clark to prepare the several writings necessary, which the said Mr. Brice Clark undertook to perform with all convenient speed.
"Signed COLIN McFARQUHAR, Pres't. "'Attested JOSEPH LITTLE, Sec."
There is no account in the records of the sum paid for the land, only that the purchaser is to pay six per cent. interest. There are other entries in the records of the trustees that may be of interest. The following item may be a historical reminiscence :
"April 16th, 1787, the trustees took under consideration a certain donation that was lodged in the hands of James Work
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THE DONEGAL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
for the use of the congregation of Donegal by a certain William Moore, deceased, which we find was lost by Continental Money; therefore the trustees do acquit the aforesaid James Work of the aforesaid donation.
"JOSEPH LITTLE, Sec."
The David Jamison legacy bequeathed to Donegal Church was entailed (before the adoption of the United States Constitu- tion) on land situated between Elizabethtown and Bainbridge. The entailment has not been removed and is being paid at the present time, although the land has been divided into several tracts, the present owners paying their pro rata. The first account of this legacy is as follows :
" Date last mentioned (June 4th, 1787) Samuel Woods, executor of David Jamison's estate, paid unto the trustees of Donegal congregation the sum of Twelve pounds, it being a donation out of said Jamison's estate for two years to said con- gregation, for which sum Woods obtained a receipt.
"Signed by MR. COLIN MCFARQUHAR and JOSEPH LITTLE."
The following extract from the minutes is given as an illus- tration of the treasurer's account of the expenditures and also the auditors' report of their examination of the proceedings of the trustees :
"June 12th, 1787, Mr. Samuel Woods, by order 6. s. d. of the trustees, has paid into the hand of Joseph Little for the use of Jacob Baillie for printing advertisements for the sale of the Glebe land the sum of .
15 As also to Mr. McFarquhar when going to synod . As also to James Craig for surveying the Glebe . As also to Brice Clark for the purchase of the trustees' book
2 5
I IO
II
As also to Mr. McFarquhar who purchased a large Bible for the use of the congregation .. I IO
As also paid into the hand of Brice Clark, by order of the trustees for to pay the whritings belonging to the Glebe 5
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THE DONEGAL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
"We, the commissions of accounts to settle with the trustees of Donegal congregation, have examined their proceedings and do find that they have acted honestly and justly and according to the approbation of the congregation in our opinion. Given under our hand this Ist day of August, A. Dom., 1787.
" JOSEPH WORK, "WM. CLINGAN,
"JOHN WATSON."
The Rev. McFarquhar kept the accounts of the stipends, as appears from an old book in the possession of the present (1897) Board of Trustees and also from the following extract from a report of a committee of trustees to settle with Mr. McFarquhar :
"November 25th, 1788 .- Mr. McFarquhar produced an account against the congregation and from April, 1784, to April, 1788, amounting to twenty pounds for keeping the congregation books as their clerk.
" WM. KELLY, " JAMES COOK, "JOHN WHITEHILL, JUN'R."
"May 11th, 1789 .- An election held for trustees for Donegal congregation, were unanimously chosen, viz. : the Rev. Colin McFarquhar, Hugh Pedan, Samuel Woods, John White- hill, Zachariah Moore, James Cooke, Brice Clark, William Kelly and John Watson to serve for 1789."
The following is the first account of the graveyard wall in the minutes of July 29th, 1790 :
"The graveyard wall is unanimously agreed to be sufficiently done in a workmanlike manner, four feet above ground and set on a good foundation, and eighteen inches broad ; and the persons nominated to attend to this business are Richard Keys, James Cook and James Wilson and to see that it is completely finished.
"JOHN WHITEHILL, Sec."
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THE DONEGAL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
At a meeting of the trustees, April 9th, 1791, the following appointments were made :
"The trustees do appoint Col. Alexander Lowry, Brice Clark and Zachariah Moore as a committee to meet with the trustees appointed to build the graveyard wall to settle with them when they shall call on them. The final settlement was made June 6th, 1791."
The following resolution and the action of the congregation needs no explanation :
"Feb. 13th, 1799, convened to take the sense of the con- gregation what to do with the money .- Resolved, that as Congress has enabled the President of the United States to open a loan of five millions of dollars, to be redeemed on the faith of the United States, for which they will pay at the rate of eight per centum per annum, and that quarterly, and that it is the sense of the trustees that the members of this congregation shall meet at Donegal meeting-house on Saturday next, 23d, at eleven o'clock, to consult whether it will not be for the benefit of this congregation to put their funds in said loan. By order of the President.
"ALEXANDER LOWRY, Pres."
"Feb. 23d, 1799, voted and lost the motion .- Agreeable to notice given the preceding Sabbath according to law the congregation met and the above motion carried in the negative, six to one.
"JOHN WHITEHILL, Sec."
"At an election held at Donegal meeting-house, Tuesday, the 13th day of May, 1800, the following gentlemen were unanimously elected trustees for the ensuing year, viz. : Messrs. Alexander Lowry, Samuel Cook, Zachariah Moore, Brice Clark, John Whitehill, John Hayes, Thomas Baillie, Samuel S. Gal- braith, Joseph Little, settlers Alexander Boggs, Samuel Evans, Dr. John Watson."
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THE DONEGAL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
At a meeting of the trustees, Nov. 19th, 1800, the following bill was presented and approved, to which I will make special reference subsequently :
" The congregation of Donegal to Zachariah Moore. Dr. £. S. d.
To wood for the stove in the meeting-house IO
To cash paid Jacob Greable for wood, do 7 6 To hauling two loads of lath and one of boards for and towards covering the meeting-house I 15
To cash paid John Smith for breaking a door in the end of the meeting-house . I 5
"Approved by the President. "JOHN HAYS, President pro tem. " For which an order was given on the Treasurer.
"JOHN WHITEHILL, Sec." "Signed JOHN HAYS.
The following extract from the proceedings of the trustees explains itself :
"At an election held at Donegal meeting-house, May 14th, 1805, were chosen trustees for the ensuing year, viz .: Brice Clark, John Whitehill and Robert Spear." (N. B .- This is the first election for trustees after the number being reduced to three by a supplement to the law ) "The auditors elected at this time were John Watson, Joseph Litle and John Pedan."
The first account of dollars and cents is dated Nov. 30th, 1807. The accounts prior to that time were kept in {. s. d. until June, 1809, when the £. s. d. were entirely dropped. The study house was built in 1810-11. The trustees at this time were: for 1810, Alexander Boggs, Dr. John Watson and Robert Spear; and for 1811, Brice Clark, James Anderson and James Whitehill. The only record is the receipts for material and work, and dated September, October and December, 1811. This was subsequently altered into a dwelling-house and is at present occupied by the sexton. An extension to the graveyard was made in 1834, of which there is no record except credits paid for material for the wall.
It is said that the congregation (sometime during our Revolu- tionary struggle) surrounded the large white oak tree which
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Photo by JOHN K. MILLER, Maytown.
MANCAAL CODINA AND CUIDOU
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THE DONEGAL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
stands near the east end of the Church and pledged their allegiance to the cause of the Colonies against Great Britain ; there are several versions of the story, which may be true in the main features, though we have no evidence but tradition ; at all events, later enthusiasm has conferred upon this tree the title of " Witness tree."
At a meeting of the congregation held June 6th, 1851, the trustees were unanimously authorized and instructed to sell all the land belonging to the Church west of a line about sixty feet from and parallel with the western wall of the graveyard, and that part of the proceeds arising from the sale of the said land be applied to repairing and remodeling the Church edifice, and the plan of repairing and remodeling be left to the trustees. At the same meeting, land was granted for the purpose of erecting a school-house thereon-this was built and occupied for a number of years. When the Directors of East Donegal Township purchased a plot of ground a short distance south-east from the Church, they removed the house on the Church ground and built the present structure. The action of the congregation was ratified by the Session, which consisted of the following members: Rev. J. L. Rodgers, Pastor, John Clark and Col. James Pat- terson, Elders. The trustees for 1851, who did the remodeling, were Dr. Nathaniel Watson, John M. Hoover and James A. Patterson. *
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