USA > Pennsylvania > Chester County > Brandywine > History of the Presbyterian Church in the Forks of Brandywine, Chester County, Pa. (Brandywine Manor Presbyterian Church), from A.D. 1735 to A.D. 1885 : with biographical sketches of the deceased pastors of the church and of those who prepared for the Christian ministry under the direction of the Rev. Nathan Grier > Part 12
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James Miller.
David Moore.
James Moore, Esq. William Moore. William Moore, Jr.
Hugh Morton.
William Neely.
Robert Nesbit.
David Pittsford.
Charles Reed.
David Robeson.
James Robinson.
John Robison.
Matthias Shoenar.
Col. Robert Smith. Andrew Stanly.
Matthew Stanly, Esq.
William Sterrett, Sr.
William Sterrett, Jr.
John Todd. John Strong.
James Tarrance.
Rachel White.
John Winans.
Jonathan Wynn.
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HISTORY OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
TEMPERANCE SOCIETIES.
THE Lectures of Dr. Lyman Beecher and others had directed public attention in New England to the increase of intemperance, and measures had been adopted to arrest its progress before any means were devised to stay its ravages in the Middle States. The first Temperance Society was formed in Boston, Feb- ruary 13, 1826, and some years later a few associa- tions having the same object in view, were formed in Pennsylvania.
The first Temperance Society within the bounds of this congregation, and among the earliest organized in Chester County, was formed in 1831. Towards the close of April in that year, a number of residents in the neighborhood assembled for that purpose, in what was long known by the name of Walker's School-House, near the village of Rockville. The meeting was or- ganized by calling the Rev. Dr. J. N. C. Grier to the chair, and the appointment of Master John W. Pink- erton as Secretary. After some remarks by the Chair- man, and an interchange of views on the subject, a Temperance Society was formed and a constitution adopted and signed, pledging those whose names were appended* to abstain from making, selling, or using intoxicating liquors.
* See Appendix J.
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IN " THE FORKS OF BRANDYWINE."
Of the twenty-eight who then came forward and avowed their determination to aid in lessening or re- moving the manifold evils of intemperance, twenty- six are dead. Some of them were men whose heads were whitened by the frosts of time, and who had long witnessed and deplored the direful consequences arising from the. use of spirituous liquors. Others were men of middle age, around whom families were clustering, and who desired to guard their households against a fruitful source of poverty and disgrace. The majority, however, were young men about to go forth to meet the trials and temptations which beset the pathway of life, and who wisely girded themselves with the armor of total abstinence before they engaged in the conflict.
So far as is known no one violated the obligations entered into on that day, while some of them advo- cated temperance, both orally and through the me- dium of the press, with ability and faithfulness.
Meetings were held and addresses on the subject delivered for several years, but although much good was accomplished the enthusiasm subsided, the most active workers became gradually dispersed, and the Society as a distinct organization ceased to exist.
Before closing an account of the first temperance society, it ought to be stated that the use, or more cor- rectly the abuse, of intoxicating liquors was, at that time, far different from what it now is. Then, a la- borer would refuse employment unless he received a morning dram, and a building could scarcely be erected or a harvest gathered without the use of ar- dent spirits. Even aged and otherwise respectable
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men often found it difficult to preserve a steady gait when returning from vendues, elections, or other public gatherings. The smoke of five distilleries daily rose within the bounds of this congregation, and to get drunk occasionally was scarcely a disgrace.
In 1851 a meeting for the furtherance of tem- perance was held at Howard Academy, Rockville, and a society formed, of which Elder John Rals- ton was chosen President. A large number signed the pledge. Public meetings were frequently held, and addresses delivered by the Rev. Dr. J. N. C. Grier, Dr. Lehman, Dr. Hotchkin, Dr. A. K. Gaston, Rev. George Chandler, Rev. William W. Latta, the Principal, and some of the leading students of Howard Academy. Finally, however, this society, like its predecessor of twenty years before, was per- mitted to languish and die, but not until, through the influence of it and kindred associations, the distilla- tion of ardent spirits in Chester County had ceased, and intoxicating liquors were no longer furnished to those employed in the workshop or the field .**
* Local Memoranda; Records of Howard Academy ; Personal Reminiscences.
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A LIST
OF SUBSCRIBERS TO THE FUND FOR ENCLOSING THE GRAVEYARDS BY A STONE WALL, IN 1794-95.
A.
Ephraim Allen. Hugh Anderson. Margaret Anderson. William Anderson.
B.
Eleanor Barker.
Robert Beatty.
Samuel Beatty. Sarah Brown.
Thomas Brown. William Brown.
Samuel Byers. Samuel Byers, Jr. Widow Byers. John Buchanan. Matthew Buchanan.
C.
Hugh Calhoun. Adam Campbell. John Campbell. David Carson. Robert Carson. Mary Carswell. William Christy. John Craige.
Robert & Samuel Craige. William Culberson. Samuel Cunningham. William Cunningham.
D.
John Darlington. Joseph Darlington.
Isaac Davis.
Methusaleh Davis.
David Denny.
William Denny.
George Dorlan.
Nathan Dorlan.
Joseph Dougan. Daniel Dunlap.
James Dunwoody. John Dunwoody.
E.
Margaret Elliott. William Elliott. Thomas Ewing.
F.
Widow Ferguson. Andrew Forbis. Jolın Forbis.
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James Forrest. James Fritz.
G.
Alexander Gillipsie.
Peter Graham.
John Gray.
Dr. Isaac Gibson.
Mrs. Goudey.
Rev. Nathan Grier.
John Grier.
Joseph Grier.
Adam Guthrie.
James Guthrie. William Guthrie.
H.
Jacob Happersett.
Abram Harler.
Henry Harler.
William Henderson.
James Hood.
Sarah Hughes.
William Hunter, Esq. James Hutcheson.
I.
John Irwin, Jr. Mary Irwin. Theophilus Irwin. Thomas Irwin.
William Irwin.
J.
Elizabeth Jack. David Jones. John Jones.
K.
William Kennedy. Samuel Kennedy. George Kennedy.
L.
John Lewis.
Mrs. Lewis.
Joseph Leviston.
William Long.
Alexander Lockhart.
James Lockhart.
William Lockhart.
M.
Richard Mather.
Patrick Maitland.
Samuel Maitland.
William Maitland.
Samuel Mackelduff.
Alexander Marshal.
James McCachran.
Benjamin McClure.
James McClure.
Joseph McClure.
James MeConnel.
Alexander M'Conaughy.
Patrick MeRahey.
Jane M'Crosky. David MeCrony.
Samuel Mccullough
Bryan MeCune.
John McFarland. James McGugan.
Samuel MeKinly. Paul McKnight.
James Miller.
James Moore.
IN "THE FORKS OF BRANDYWINE."
209
William Moore. James Morton.
N.
James Neely. William Neely. James Nesbit. Robert Nesbit.
P.
Stephen Pattup. Joseph Parker. Mark Peelor. Isaac Phillips. Nathaniel Porter.
R.
Charles Reed.
David Robeson.
Hugh Robeson. James Robeson.
John Robinson.
Nathaniel Robinson. William Robeson. John Root.
S.
Andrew Stanly. Matthew Stanly. Daniel Shenky. Widow Sherer. James Steen. William Sterrett.
Robert Sterrett. John Smith. John Smith, Jr.
Colonel Robert Smith.
William Story.
T.
Widow Thompson.
W.
Robert Wallace.
Jacob Waters.
John Walker.
Aaron White.
Widow White. Nancy Wilson.
William Wilson. Alexander Wilson.
John Winanee.
Jonathan Wynn.
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HISTORY OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
LEGISLATORS.
Legislators who resided within the bounds of the congregation .*
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS.
Robert Jenkins was a Member from 1807 to 1811. Two terms.
David Potts
1831 to 1839. Four terms.
Abraham MeIllvaine
66 1843 to 1849. Three terms.
MEMBERS OF STATE LEGISLATURE.
Col. Robert Smith was a Member in 1785.
" 1788.
James Moore, Esq.,
Col. Thomas Bull 66 from 1793 to 1802.
Methusaleh Davis
66 in 1802, 1803, 1804, 1805, and 1806.
Gen. Matthew Stanly 1829.
Jesse James, Esq.,
1829, 1851, and 1852.
Dr. Benjamin Griffith
66 1830, 1831, and 1832.
Bernard Way, Esq.,
1835.
Abraham McIlvane " 1836 and 1837.
Col. Thomas K. Bull
1846, 1847, and 1848.
James M. Dorlan
1850.
Andrew Buchanan
" 1855.
Morton Garrett
1857.
Capt. Levi Fetters
66 1883 and 1885.
* State and Congressional Records.
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PHYSICIANS.
Ir is a matter of surprise and regret to every one, when examining the annals of the past, to find that so little has been placed on record of physicians, and especially of those who practised in rural districts. While much that is noteworthy in the lives of clergy- men, members of the bar, legislators, and military men has been preserved, materials for biographical notices of physicians, for the most part, must be sought by the dim light of tradition or gathered from the fading recollection of friends who have survived them. This is particularly the case with those who have practised medicine within the bounds of this congregation.
The earliest whose name has reached the present time is Dr. Thomas Rheese, who appears to have been engaged as a physician previous to the middle of the last century and some years afterwards.
Dr. Rheese was succeeded by Dr. John Flavel Car- michael, a son of the Rev. John Carmichael, and Dr. Joseph Gardner, a son of Elder Francis Gardner. Dr. Carmichael followed his profession in the bounds of his father's congregation until 1788, when he entered the Army of the United States as a surgeon. Dr. Gardner was engaged principally in the southern and western portions of Mr. Carmichael's charge. In 1790, he removed to Maryland. He acquired a high
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HISTORY OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
reputation as a physician, and his professional en- gagements extended over a large area.
About 1780, Dr. Thomas Harris, who was much esteemed for his medical skill, commenced the practice of his profession at Indian-town, in Wallace Township. He seems, after the removal of Dr. Carmichael and Dr. Gardner, to have had no competitor nearer than Dr. Sturgis, of Downingtown.
Dr. Thomas Kennedy, the friend and pupil of Dr. Harris, succeeded to his practice in 1796 or '97. Dr. Kennedy soon became noted for his skill and attention to his patients. His practice consequently embraced a large extent of country. Several years before his death, in April, 1814, he was the only resident physician within the bounds of the Rev. Nathan Grier's charge .*
Dr. John E. Grier, a graduate of Dickinson Col- lege and of the University of Pennsylvania, began the practice of medicine in 1813. Being well edu- cated and having a good reputation as a surgeon, he was largely patronized. Dr. Grier remained until about 1825, when he removed to the State of Ohio. He took up his residence in the Miami Valley, where and in other parts of that State, he remained until his death, in 1844.
In 1814, Dr. Benjamin Griffith began the practice of medicine near Glen Moore, and continued in the active discharge of his professional duties upwards of forty-four years. He died May 12, 1858. Unas-
* Dr. Todd was practising in West Brandywine Township in 1800, but in what part or how long, the writer has been unable to learn.
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IN "THE FORKS OF BRANDYWINE."
suming and attentive to those who needed medical aid, Dr. Griffith was much esteemed as a physician and respected as a friend and a neighbor.
Dr. John M'Calmont, who, in 1810, settled near Waynesburg, in the Western part of the congregation, practised with much ability and success until a few years before his death, in 1870. Like his contempo- rary, Dr. Griffith, he enjoyed the entire confidence of the community.
In 1818, Dr. Isaac Pennington, a well-read physi- cian, who had been a surgeon in the Army of the United States during the last War with England, lo- cated a little below Waynesburg. He soon obtained a lucrative practice, which he retained until his re- moval, in 1832, to one of the Southern States. After an absence of several years he returned, and remained in the practice of his profession until his death, near Compassville, May 6, 1849.
Dr. Joseph F. Grier, a younger brother of Elder James K. Grier, finished his medical studies in 1828. Dr. Grier erected the building lately owned by Mrs. Agnes Happersett, in which he resided and gave the community the benefit of his medical skill, until the Fall of 1837. He then removed to Lewisburg, Union County, where he continued in the discharge of his professional duties until a short time before his death, in February, 1858.
About three years after the withdrawal of Dr. Grier, Dr. A. K. Gaston removed from Easton, Pa., to where he lately resided, and engaged in the practice of medi- cine. Being not only an able physician, but also a gentleman of general culture, he was soon in the en-
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joyment of an extensive practice, which he retained until his death, December 22, 1882.
Dr. Nathan G. Thompson, eldest son of the late Dr. Thompson, a prominent physician of Fagg's Manor, commenced the study of medicine with Dr. A. K. Gaston, and after his graduation, February 28, 1852, engaged in the practice of his profession, in which he has been eminently successful. He is now the principal physician actively engaged within the bounds of the congregation.
Dr. Isaac Gibson, about 1786, and Dr. Effinger Happersett, about 1816, commenced the practice of medicine ; but as neither of them had received a med- ical education they were not largely patronized.
Such is a brief record of the laborious, self-denying, and, in many instances, gifted men, who have practised the healing art within the varying bounds of this con- gregation, during the last hundred and twenty-five years.
It is a meagre and imperfect sketch, but should it be considered strange that it is so, when even the Medical Department of the University of Pennsylvania cannot furnish a complete list of its graduates prior to the be- ginning of the present century, when degrees began to be annually conferred ? *
* MS. Collections.
215
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GRAVEYARDS.
OWING to their situation at a different level along the Turnpike Road, the graveyards belonging to this church were named accordingly ; the one South of that Road being generally known by the name of the Upper Graveyard, while the one North of the same highway is usually called the Lower Graveyard.
UPPER GRAVEYARD.
Shortly after the erection of the first Meeting- House, a piece of land immediately to the East of that building was appropriated for a burial-place. This continued to be used as THE graveyard until that Meeting-House was abandoned. The burial-ground was then enlarged, chiefly by extending it towards the South and East, and enclosed by a board fence. In 1794 or 1795 it was again enlarged, and the board fence replaced by a stone wall.
The entrance, which was on the North side, next to the public Road, remained there until 1822, when the marble posts and iron gate, still in use, were procured by the late General Matthew Stanly. The entrance was then placed where it now is, on the Eastern side of the burial-ground, and near to the church building.
In 1853, mainly through the exertions of Elder James K. Grier, another addition was made to this
216
HHISTORY OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
graveyard. The wall was also repaired, and a gate- way placed on the Southwestern side.
At present this burial-place is an irregular six- sided plot of ground, containing about two acres, and from the dryness of the soil and the absence of sub- stances which render excavation difficult, is admirably adapted to the purpose.
For upwards of three-quarters of a century after it had been set apart as a burial-ground, the remains of a suicide were not permitted to be interred within its limits. But the custom, derived from a barbarous age, of denying the usual rites of burial to those who had died by their own hand, gave place to more enlight- ened and Christian sentiments.
The first lettered headstones placed in this yard are those at the graves of Mrs. Jane Sterling and the in- fant children of Mr. Carmichael, although they were not the first persons buried within this enclosure. These stones were prepared at Burlington, N. J., then the rival of Philadelphia .*
Until a recent period no record of the interments was kept, and many of those buried there sleep with- out even an unlettered stone to mark their last resting- place.+ It is, therefore, impossible to ascertain how many have been buried in this graveyard. Taking the average at twenty-five annually,-and some years it was much greater,-the whole number cannot be less
* The oldest tombstones are those which cover the remains of the first proprietor of Springton Forge, Robert M'Conaughy, and of his . wife and son. The first monument, except a very small one, was erected about 1840, by General Stanly, in memory of his wife.
+ See Appendix R.
217
IN " THE FORKS OF BRANDYWINE."
than three thousand five hundred. Among them are the remains of the Rev. John Carmichael, the Rev. Nathan Grier, the Rev. John W. Grier, the Rev. J. N. C. Grier, D.D., of more than twenty who were Ruling Elders in this church, and of several who fought, and some who fell in the Revolutionary and other national conflicts.
Unfortunately, no plan has been followed in the in- terments, each member of the congregation having, in most instances, selected his family burial-place as he thought proper, and therefore the attraction which regularity would have added to the naturally beauti- ful site cannot be obtained.
This burial-ground is now furrowed with graves and white with the memorials which affection has placed to perpetuate the names and the virtues of the departed, and only a few years can pass before another ad- dition to it will be required.# But whatever the ex- tension may be, or however great the number which will be laid there to await the Second Coming of the Son of Man, we have the pleasing assurance that it will never be desecrated. The recent erec- tion of a large and costly Meeting-House adjoining it, and the determination which has been shown by the present members of the congregation to keep the fire continually burning which was kindled on the altar in the wilderness by their forefathers, are guar- antees for its preservation. No greedy owner of ad-
* It has recently been enlarged by an extension south. The new enclosure has been laid out in lots and arranged in accordance with the plan of modern cemeteries.
15
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HISTORY OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
jacent land will be permitted to call it his own, nor the hand of an unfeeling husbandman be allowed to remove the memorials of the departed, and change places, often wet by the tears of sorrow and affection, into cultivated fields. That such an event might occur may seem to many the offspring of a highly- wrought imagination. An examination, however, would show them that covetousness and vandalism have removed every trace of several graveyards which belonged to Presbyterian Churches established at an early period in Lancaster, Berks, Dauphin, and other counties.
LOWER GRAVEYARD.
When those who withdrew from Mr. Black's con- gregation and placed themselves under the direction of the Synod of New Brunswick built their Meeting- House, they set apart a portion of the land which they had obtained for a burial-ground, and it is still used for that purpose. Among the first interred in this graveyard was their lamented pastor, the Rev. William Dean. The tombstone which covers his remains was probably placed there several years after his death. There are circumstances which lead to the conclusion that his age is incorrectly stated. It bears an earlier date than any memorial stone in either graveyard.
This graveyard, which occupies a rectangular space of about half an acre, was enclosed by a stone wall in 1796. It has remained without any enlargement, except a small extension on the Southern side in 1860, when the wall was also repaired and capped with flag-stones.
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IN " THE FORKS OF BRANDYWINE."
In 1821 the iron gate and marble posts at the entrance were placed there, in accordance with the will of Isaac Smith, who also left a small sum for the purpose of keeping the yard and its surroundings in a proper condition.
Like the Upper Graveyard, this burial-ground possesses the advantages of dryness of soil and of freedom from obstructions beneath the surface; but owing, probably, to its greater distance from the Church building, the interments in it have been much fewer than in the other burial-place.
The Lower Graveyard, the Meeting-House which then stood near it, and the whole of the ground, for which payment was made by Mr. Dean only the May before his death, became after the Union the property of the United Congregation. It, together with the land previously obtained, still remains in the pos- session of the Church .*
* Local Memoranda ; Reminiscences of aged Residents.
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HISTORY OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.
SIXTY years ago but four vehicles could be seen at the Manor Meeting-House on the Sabbath, and these were the old-fashioned two-wheeled gig, with leather springs. A majority of the congregation came afoot, the rest on horseback. For convenience in mounting and alighting, "upping blocks" were placed under almost every shade-tree or place suitable for the stand- ing of horses. Fans were commonly used, umbrellas were few, and parasols almost unknown.
The pews until quite a recent period were personal property, and generally owned by those who occupied them on the Sabbath. Sometimes when the owner did not need the whole of his pew, he either sold a part or rented it to those who were unable to obtain sitting, as it was called, elsewhere. On one occasion, the creditors of a man, who had become bankrupt, seized and sold his pew, but instances of such rapacity were rare.
Owing to the nearness of the turnpike road to the meeting-house, the noise occasioned by heavy vehicles passing along the rough highway on the Sabbath was frequently a source of great annoyance. During the period that the turnpike road was the principal route for the transportation of merchandise to Pittsburg and other Western cities, the disturbance caused by the heavily-loaded wagons, often closely following one
221
IN " THE FORKS OF BRANDYWINE."
another, was so great as sometimes to interrupt public worship. A number of the teamsters were arrested and fined for pursuing their occupation on the Lord's Day, but this proceeding rather increased than dimin- ished the evil, as after that many of them made it an object to pass along the road during divine service.
In 1798 the school-house on the church property, on account of its size, and being near to the point where the three townships of West Nantmeal, Honey- brook, and West Brandywine joined, was selected for holding the annual election. As political contests were then conducted with a bitterness and a resort to personal violence now comparatively rare, much oc- curred on "election day" which ill comported with the sacredness of the place. Fighting was not un- common. Ardent Democrats and Federalists did not hesitate to use staffs and clubs as " knock-down argu- ments." The liquor-stands caused the steps of many to become unsteady. Boisterous and profane language was freely used, and altogether a scene was presented in sickening contrast with the precepts of that Gospel at whose advent was proclaimed, Peace on earth and good-will to man. Finally the impropriety of using any of the property belonging to the congregation for a secular purpose which was attended with disorder and contention, became so manifest that another place was selected where the citizens of the three townships could meet, wrangle, and cast their votes.
The salaries of clergymen during many years were low, and after making allowance for the difference in the price of the necessaries of life, when compared with the cost of like articles at the present time, it is
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often difficult at first sight to understand how they ac- quired property as many of them did. This difficulty is due to overlooking the fact that the amount promised as salary was but a part, and frequently the smallest part, of what was received. The farmers in the Fall, especially, did not forget to furnish the minister with flour, potatoes, wood, meat, and in some instances material for clothing, sufficient for the greater part of the year; those, too, who expected to call occasionally at the manse, generally included among their gifts a keg of peach-brandy, then a much-esteemed beverage.
Another source of income was marriages. As a marriage performed by a magistrate was generally considered less respectable, and by some less binding than when it was solemnized by a minister, well- known clergymen were called upon to perform the interesting ceremony not only by members of their own congregation, but by many others. On these occasions, although the bride frequently adjusted her attire by the aid of a pail of water as a looking-glass, and the thoughtful bridegroom carried in rude sad- dle-bags "a bite for the horses" during the delay at the parson's, yet those who rewarded the pastor with less than a one-pound note were commonly regarded as having made a bad start on the road to connubial happiness.
Psalm-books being scarce and some of the congre- gation being unable to read, the precentor or clerk usually lined the psalm ; that is, he read two lines aloud, and when these had been sung, the next two, until the conclusion of the exercise. This man- ner of conducting the singing was continued long
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