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BRARY
ONGRES
1800
TI
Old Chapel" Clarke County, Virginia
CONTENTS
Historical Sketch of the Old Chapel Decoration Day Address "A Gentleman of Verona" The Cemetery Record
Copyright, 1906, by Charles Randolph Hughes
PRINTED BY The Blue Ridge Press BERRYVILLE, VIRGINIA, NINETEEN SIX
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LIBRARY Of CONGRESS
Two Cop es Received NOV 24 1906 Copyright Entry nit. 30. 1906 OLASS A XXc., NO. 161821. COPY B.
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The Old Chapel
Photograph by T. W. Whitaker, Berryville, Va.
The following Historical Sketch of the Old Chapel was written by Capt. William N. Nelson, and was delivered by him as an address at the Anniversary Celebration on September 7, 1890. First published in The Clarke Courier, October 9, 1890.
IT is difficult to realize how completely the events which interest us now, and make an important part of our active lives, will be obliterated in the short space of two or three generations. Even the passing away of one generation is sufficient to efface the recollection of events thought lightly of at the time of their occurrence, but of so much interest when all the actors in them have passed away and time has enveloped them in uncertainty.
IN this era of centennial celebrations it has occurred to us that it is well to mark, in some appropriate way, the hundredth year of this venerable building. No better method of doing this has occurred to us than to gather up the fragments and rescue from oblivion such facts as remain to us of its past history.
F ROM want of accurate records we are forced to assume the centennial year. As far as can be ascertained, this building
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was erected in the Year of Our Lord 1790-just one hundred years ago.
IN his "Old Churches and Families of Virginia," Bishop Meade writes: "The present stone building was ordered to be built in 1790. At what time it was completed does not appear, but probably the same year." In a communication to the Southern Churchman of February 3, 1881, from the pen of the late Dr. Robert C. Randolph, he says: "The present building, which was erected in 1798 or '99, stands within a few yards of the site of the old one," &c., &c. On a granite slab placed over the grave of the wife of Marquis Calmes, which, for its preservation, the Doctor had brought from near the Tilthammer mill and placed in this cemetery, he caused to be engraved that this church was erected in the year 1800. In a communication to THE CLARKE COURIER in 1869, signed X, and which, as I recollect, was written by the Doctor, he says: "At a meeting of the vestry in 1790, it was 'RESOLVED, that a house of worship be erected at the Chapel spring, and that Rawleigh [sic] Colston and Thomas Byrd, Esqs., do signify to Nathaniel Burwell, Esq., the grateful sense of this vestry for his gener- osity, and request him to execute a deed for the two acres of land which he has offered them for the purpose of building a church thereon, and for a burying ground.' The present stone building was erected soon after this time, and was the cradle of the Episcopal Church in this section of country." Though it appears to the present writer that to the old log building, that preceded this, would belong that honor.
IT will be seen that there is some uncertainty as to the exact time of the erection of this dear Old Chapel, where some of the saints of the earth worshipped so long, and whose bodies lie in this sacred ground, in the hope of a joyful resurrection. The evidence seems to be fairly in favor of 1790.
F OR many years our venerable friend, Dr. Robert C. Ran- dolph, devoted his time and intellect and money to this old church and cemetery. It is well that it should be known to those now living that it is to him we are indebted for the beauty of this cemetery, and almost for the preservation of this building. It was a labor of love to him to keep the building in repair and the grounds in order. The book in which he kept the records of this Chapel, the burying ground,
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and Christ Church, Millwood, is invaluable. Could I but copy his simple, guileless, affectionate record, I would have no fear of holding the attention of my hearers much more fully than I can hope to do with this imperfect sketch. As some slight indication of their sense of what was due his services, the vestry ordered to be placed in this house a mural tablet to his memory, which stands just opposite to one he had placed as a memorial of our great Bishop, who commenced his ministry in this house.
WILL now proceed to give a short sketch of the history of I this Old Chapel, with such incidents as I have been able to gather, that are suitable to the time and place. In giving the history of the Old Chapel little more is necessary than to follow Bishop Meade in his "Old Churches and Families of Virginia," adding such incidents as are hardly worthy of the dignity of history.
ON page 280, Volume II, of his book, he says: "In the year 1738 the Assembly, in consideration of the increasing number of settlers in the Valley, determined to cut off two new counties and parishes; viz., West Augusta and Frederick, from Orange county and parish, which latter then took in all West Virginia. The county of Frederick embraced all that is now Shenandoah-with a part of Page, Warren, Clarke, Frederick, Jefferson, Berkeley, and Hampshire." [See also Henning's Statutes at Large, Volume V, Chapter 21, page 78.]
IT is not pleasant to recall that even in those primitive days public moneys were not always as accurately accounted for as might have been expected. Somewhere between 1738 and 1744, £1,500 had been raised for the purpose of building churches and chapels in the parish. This was at that time a very considerable sum of money. The return in the way of places of worship was very unsatisfactory. In his book [page 281, Volume II] the Bishop says: "In 1752 an Act of Assembly was passed dissolving the existing vestry and ordering a new election, on the ground that it had raised more than £1,500 for building a number of churches, which were unfinished and in a ruinous condition. As the churches of that day and in this region were log houses, costing only from thirty to forty or fifty pounds, there must have been much misspending of money." There is nothing heard of this vestry, except that
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they appointed processioners in 1747. I presume these were men appointed to lay off metes and bounds of parishes. It was dissolved in the year 1752, and in their place the following vestry was chosen, viz., Thomas, Lord Fairfax, Isaac Perkins, Gabriel Jones, John Hite, Thomas Swearingen. Charles Buck, Robert Lemmon, John Lindsey, John Ashby, James Cromley and Lewis Neill. Evidently a respectable body of gentlemen, in whose hands the public funds were safe, and sure to be properly applied.
A S showing the great difference between those primitive days and those in which we live, and with what sort of quarters our predecessors were accommodated, it will be inter- esting and instructive to copy a part of a contract for building a church, and also to give some account of repairs on one. In 1752, under the new vestry, when things were to be improved on the old style, Abraham Keller contracts, under bond, with Peter Ruffner as security: "To build a chapel at Ephraim Leith's spring (near the south river of Shenandoah [called in an old document Chenandoah Creek] in Frederick county) of logs squared and dove-tailed, thirty feet long in the clear, and twenty-two feet wide in the clear, and eleven feet high from the sill to the wall plate. To underpin the whole, to make four windows thereto, two in the front and two in the back part over against those in the front, each window being to have eighteen panes of glass of the size of ten by eight. To make shutters to the windows with bolts, &c., within to keep them closed when shut, and catcher without to keep them back when open. A good strong door in the middle of the front, with a good lock, &c. A floor of good plank grooved and tongu'd. A communion table with-work." [The sort of work is omitted; possibly the copyist could not make out the word.] "A suitable number of benches for seats in the chapel. A Pulpit with a reading desk and clerk's desk, a sounding board over the Pulpit, a good roof of feather edge shingles, and to furnish nails, plank and whatever else shall be necessary for building the said chapel in manner aforesaid, for forty-nine pounds current money of Virginia.
"THERE is no record of the exact time the old log house (known as Cunningham Chapel) was built. Bishop Meade in his book says [page 283, Volume II] that this chapel, with
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several others, was probably completed for use between the years 1740 and 1750. In the vestry book, of which I have before me a copy made by Dr. Randolph at the request of Bishop Meade, I find no allusion to it until the year 1760, when the vestry contracted with Capt. John Ashby, of Fauquier county, to make the following repairs, viz., "To cover the roof of said chapel with clapboards, and double ten nails, repairing the outside with clapboards, when wanting, &c." Among other items he is to make "a new door to the women's pew," and, "making tight and secure under the eaves of the roof to prevent the birds coming in thereat." I do not learn what is the meaning of the "women's pew." Our ancestors were hardly so ungallant as to shut up the ladies of the congre- gation in one pew.
W THILE our church was thus building up in this quiet corner of his Majesty's dominions, it may serve to fix the time in our minds by taking a slight survey of what was going on in some other parts of the world. About this time our Sovereign Lord, the August George II, was King of Great Britain, Ireland, France and the Dominion of Virginia. The occasional mails of that day brought rumors of a general European war, in which England, under Walpole's rule, was ally of Maria Theresa, of Austria, in a war against Prussia, Spain, &c. At this time also that excellent gentleman, Mr, Gooch, was governor of the Colony of Virginia, and within this period Colonel Byrd, of Westover, with his far reaching sagacity, formed the project of establishing the cities of Richmond and Petersburg. All of which sounds like very ancient history.
IN his admirable History of the People of Virginia, the distinguished writer, John Esten Cooke, says (page 331): "In Virginia, as elsewhere, towards the middle of the eighteenth century, religion and piety had grown to be conventional." "Men," he says, "were earnestly attached to their church and religion; they would fight for it and, if necessary, die for it; but living in accordance with its precepts was quite a different thing. Reproducing Colton's celebrated apothegm, 'Men will wrangle for religion; write for it; fight for it; die for it; do any thing but live for it.'" Many of the clergy were little better than the layety. Bishop Meade states that often the clergy
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acted in a most unclerical manner, and relates that in a quarrel with his vestry one of them made a personal assault on a high dignity at the vestry meeting, pulled off his wig; and, on the following Sunday, preached from the text; "And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair." [Neh. 13: 5-25.]
THE temptation is great to wander discursively over this whole field, but it would make this paper too long to give way to such inclination. We are more directly interested on this occasion in the ministers who had charge of this parish.
W TE learn from the Bishop's book ("Old Churches," &c., page 285) that the Rev. Mr. Gordon was the first. It is not known when his ministry began or ended. The Rev. Mr. Meldrum is next. He continued in charge until 1765. Between him and the vestry a long law suit was carried on, which terminated in his favor. The vestry applied to the Assembly for relief and obtained it. From 1766 the Rev. Mr. Sebastian was minister for two years. In 1768 the Rev. Charles Mynn Thruston became the minister, binding himself to preach at seven places, scattered over the large parish, including Shep- herdstown. In 1769 the county and parish of Frederick were divided into the counties of Dunmore (now Shenandoah), Fred- erick and Berkeley; and into the parishes of Beckford, Frederick and Norborne. There was complaint made against Mr. Thruston that he neglected his duty, in that he had preached in his parish church but once since laying the parish levy. How long that was is not stated. The charge seems to have been established, but at the next meeting of the vestry (December 27, 1770), he having given satisfactory reasons for his neglect of duty, was excused by the vestry, and agreed to make up the deficiency by preaching on Wednesday, if required to do so. His salary was 16,000 pounds of tobacco, equal to £214. In 1777 Mr. Thruston laid down the ministry and entered the Continental army as Captain. He was afterward promoted to a Colonelcy, but, having no regiments, rendered no further active service. He never resumed the ministry, and died many years afterwards in New Orleans.
FROM the time of Colonel Thruston's resignation in 1777 to 1785 there is no record, as far as I can ascertain, of any minister in the parish. In the latter year a vestry was elected Page Six
consisting of Col. Richard Kidder Meade, George F. Norton, wardens; John Thruston, Edward Smith, Raleigh Colston, Gerard Briscoe, Robert Wood and Maj. Thomas Massie. Prior to this the vestries had been legal bodies. Among their duties they collected tithables to pay the minister, to build and repair churches, and to support paupers and other persons chargeable on the county or parish.
IT appears that in case of vacancies, ministers made application for appointment, and were selected by the vestries from among the applicants. This was changed by the separation of Church and State in 1780. The above named vestry selected Rev. Alexander Balmaine as minister. He was a native of Scotland, but sympathizing with the Colonies in their struggle with the mother country, he came to this country and became Chaplain in the Continental army. He continued the Rector of Frederick parish until his death. Bishop Meade, having been a lay reader at this Chapel, was ordained Deacon in 1811 and acted as assistant to Mr. Balmaine. The Bishop was minister at the Old Chapel for twenty-five years. He gave up the charge of this church a year after Christ Church, Millwood, was built. In 1835 the vestry called the Rev. Horace Stringfellow. He continued in charge about five years. The exact date of his resignation does not appear in the minutes of the vestry. He occupied the log house, back of the house built by the late James H. Clark, in Millwood. The Rev. Wm. H. G. Jones was called to take charge of the parish as its Rector on the 20th of April, 1840. He continued in charge seven years and resigned on the 15th of September, 1847. He resided in what is known as the Tuley house, now owned and occupied by Mr. John W. Copenhaver. October 13, 1847, Rev. John F. Hoff accepted a call to take charge of the parish. After a short residence at White Post, he occupied the house known as the Rectory, near Millwood, now owned by Rev. Joseph R. Jones. Mr. Hoff's resignation was tendered and accepted on the 21st of June, 1858, having had charge of the parish for nearly eleven years. On the 9th of August, 1858, Rev. Joseph R. Jones accepted a · call by the vestry to the Rectorship of the parish. He continued in charge until April 18, 1881, when his resignation was tendered to the vestry and accepted. He lived at his present residence. Our present Rector, Rev. C. B. Bryan, having accepted a call
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to this parish preached his first sermon here on the first Sunday in August, 1881.
H HAVING begun a list of the clergy who have offiiciated as ministers in charge of this chapel, it was thought best to bring it up to the present time.
I WILL now return to where the narrative was left off in 1785.
Prior to that time, and from the year 1764, the lay readers of the different parishes were John Ruddell, James Barnett, (who was also a vestryman, and afterwards resigned, having connected himself with the Baptist communion), John Barnes, Henry Nelson, James Graham, Henry Frencham, Morgan Morgan, John James, William Dobson, William Howard (reader at this Chapel) and John Lloyd. In the accounts in the old vestry book we find items of amounts paid these lay readers. On which the present custom of voluntary service is a decided improvement.
B' Y an act of the General Assembly of Virginia of October 3, 1780, the old vestries were dissolved and the severance between the Church and State was effected.
IN addition to the vestrymen already named it will be of interest to give the names of a few others who served in that capacity prior to 1780. They are Isaac Hite, John Hite, Jacob Hite, John Neville, Charles Smith, James Wood (afterwards a General in the Continental Army, and Governor of Virginia about 1816) ["Old Churches," &c., page 284], Angus McDonald, Philip Bush, Marquis Calmes, John McDonald, Warner Washington, Edmund Taylor, &c.
UBSEQUENT to the division of Frederich parish into the
S three parishes heretofore referred to, there were other divisions of that parish. It will not be necessary to follow all the divisions. A full account will be found of them in Dashiel's Digest of the Councils in the Diocese of Virginia, and in Bishop Meade's "Old Churches," &c. In his account of the parishes in Frederick county the Bishop says: "In the year 1827, Christ Church, Winchester, was organized into a separate parish, to be called the parish of Frederick, Winchester." Luther parish, afterwards changed to Clarke parish (Berryville), was admitted in 1853. Greenway Court parish was admitted in 1868. It was in 1866 that the name of Cunningham Chapel parish was adopted for this parish. [See Dashiel's Digest for foregoing
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statements.] This is clearly a missnomer. That had never been the name, as is stated in our vestry book for the year 1866. The parishes named above, and others, had been cut off from time to time from Frederick parish. This parish has never been so cut off, and remains what is left of the original Frederick parish. It will be observed that the Winchester parish recognized this in giving itself the name of Frederick, Winchester.
W 7E learn from Bishop Meade's invaluable book [page 288, Volume II] that, among the first things done by the vestry of Frederick, after its reorganization in 1787, was the adoption of measures for the building of a stone chapel where it was designed to erect that one which failed through the disagree- ment of the people and the vestry as to its location just before the Revolution, viz., where Cunningham Chapel stood. The land having come into the possession of Col. Nathaniel Burwell, the same two acres for a church and burying ground, which were offered by Col. Hugh Nelson before the war, were given by Colonel Burwell, and the present stone chapel ordered to be built in 1790. [See action of vestry, Vestry Book, page 68.] The old log building, which has been spoken of, stood a few paces south of the present building, near the north corner of the stone enclosure nearest this house. After Bishop Meade took charge of this church, Mr. Philip Nelson, of Long Branch, was the first lay reader. Of him Bishop Meade says in his obituary: "He was a lay reader in this parish for a long series of years, keeping the church open in my absence. He was one of the best of readers, and had a most melodious and powerful voice." [Vestry Book, page 172.] The ordination of Bishop Meade in 1881, and his becoming minister of this parish, brings us much nearer to our own time. He remained a Deacon for four years, and was then ordained a Presbyter by Bishop Clagett, of Maryland, there being no Bishop in Virginia at that time. He says that his salary during his ministry here did not average more than $250 a year; but, as he writes, he "took care to make the people contribute liberally to various good works."
I
CAN find no record of a visit to this church by Bishop
Madison-the first Bishop of Virginia-but that he did visit here and confirm here was stated by a venerable lady who has passed from among us. She and other young persons were
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confirmed by him. Bishop Meade was, probably, confirmed at that time. This visitation must have been not far from the year 1800. (Since writing the above I find that Bishop Meade, in Volume I, page 22, speaks of Bishop Madison's first and only visit to this part of Virginia. The Bishop says he was a small boy when he was confirmed by Bishop Madison.)
WING to the incompleteness of the records it is difficult to find at what time the first vestry meeting was held in this place. As early as April 24, 1796, a vestry for Frederick parish met, of whom five out of eight present were residents of this immediate neighborhood. In 1802 a meeting of the vestry is recorded, of which a majority belonged to this congregation. At a meeting on the 25th of September, 1803, the members of the vestry reported present are Richard Kidder Meade, Nathaniel Burwell, Thomas T. Byrd, John Page, Robert Page, Robert Carter Burwell, John Smith and Philip Nelson; John Page and Robert Page, wardens. As all of these were residents of this neighborhood and members of this congregation, we may fairly assume that this was a vestry for Cunningham Chapel, distinct from any other church or chapel.
H AVING brought the history of the Old Chapel up to a period-though not in the memory of any present-easily in the reach of tradition, some incidents occur to me that may be of interest, and illustrate the customs of our more immediate predecessors. One impression seems to be indelibly impressed on the minds of those who were brought here as children; that is, that the house was intolerably cold in winter. It is well known that the good Bishop, while pastor here, was not unwilling that people should "endure hardness," as a good discipline; but it must be remembered that he spared not himself. Few persons who were brought here as children can forget the melancholy swing of the old C-spring carriages, as they rolled through the mud, nearly axle deep, while their saintly mothers sang the good old hymns and psalms of the collection of that day. One of their favorite hymns was-
"Children of the Heavenly King, As we journey let us sing."
Sº OME now living will remember old Robin, the courteous old colored sexton, who had a little stand by the right hand side of the south door as you come in, where he kept a pail of Page Ten
cool water from the Chapel Spring and a nice clean gourd, for the refreshment of those who came many miles to church. They came fifteen or twenty miles, so greatly were the services of the church valued. This must have been after the revival of the church in Virginia. For before that I fear many of the gentry would have gone farther to see a cock fight or a horse race than they would to attend service at church.
IT would be interesting to know just where the venerable old people sat. This was for a long time the common place of worship for the Episcopalian families of Berryville, Millwood and White Post. Though not difficult to ascertain it would be confusing to attempt to describe where the different families had their seats. In a letter from a lady, whose memory goes as far back as that of any one in the congregation, she says: "The large middle pew held the magnates of the land." That refers to the benches running across the house from the east to the west doors. I will make no apologies for quoting her language. "There," she writes, "sat grandpapa," Mr. John Page, of Page Brook, of whom Bishop Meade said in his funeral sermon, "He was almost worshipped as a being more than human"-"Mr. Nat. Burwell, Mr. Philip Burwell, Uncle Nelson" -i. e., Mr. Philip Nelson of Long Branch-"in his high-top boots. Mr. Robert Page, of Janeville, always had ruffles at his breast and sleeves, high-top yellow boots, and a beautiful cue." This dear lady, who must have been as lovely in her childhood as she was in after life, writes further: "I had to go there when there was little comfort-I and my little green silk calash lined with bright red. I was dreadfully ashamed of my head dress; but there I stood saying the catechism in the corner by the side of the pulpit." One lady of the congregation recalls seeing a child taken out and chastised by its mother three times during one service-and not only whipped, but afterwards vigorously thumped down on the pew by the side of the wrathful parent. A proceeding that was approved by the Rector. When the house was crowded the children had to sit on the steps of the chancel.
T THERE is but little further of special interest to record of the Old Chapel-as it is universally called-until it was found necessary to have a larger building. In the record for the year 1832, I find in our vestry book this minute: "About
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this time the connection ceased between the Millwood-or Old Chapel-congregation and the Berryville and Wickliffe congre- gations." The next vestry reported after that time is composed entirely of gentlemen from the Millwood neighborhood [Vestry Book, 119-20.]
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