USA > Virginia > Henrico County > Henrico County > History and reminiscences of the Monumental Church, Richmond, Va. : from 1814 to 1878 > Part 11
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"My dear children, be attentive to your lessons while you are in school; be obedient and civil to your teachers; kind and gentle to your school fel- lows; courteous and decent in your deportment at all times; read your Bible regularly every day ; meditate on what you read ; wait upon God every Sabbath day in His holy temple; desecrate not His holy day by improper conduct, for it is the Lord's day, and He hath said, 'Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day.'
"This is the commandment of God, who sees and hears and knows all your actions, words, and thoughts, and will assuredly call each one of you to account on the great day.
"My dear young friends, make God your friend, and you will have nothing to fear, either in life or
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death. And may we all, officers, teachers, and scholars have a happy reunion in the mansions of eternal bliss, prays' your affectionate friend, your late first superintendent,
THOMAS NELSON."*
From a memorandum furnished Col. Thomas H. Ellis, in the hand-writing of the late Mr. John Wil- liams, (the father of Mr. John Williams, of the firm of John .A. Lancaster & Co., of Richmond,) who succeeded Captain Nelson as first superintendent, taken from a record book which cannot now be found, of the proceedings of the board of directors
* NOTE. - Captain Nelson was a nephew of General Thomas Nel- son of the revolution, whose statue is in the group of the Wash- ington monument in the Capitol square of Richmond. His widow was the daughter of General Nelson ; and of her Bishop Johns speaks in his report to the council of May, 1867, as fol- lows, (November 21): " I breakfasted at Oakland, the residence of Mrs. Judith Nelson, the mother of our beloved brother, the Rev. Robert Nelson, missionary to China, who, with his wife and children, were to leave the next morning for 'Shanghai.' Their youngest child I baptized in connection with the morning prayers of the family, which was formed on this occasion of a large num- ber of relations, who assembled to unite in commending their loved ones to the Lord, for whose sake they were now about to relinquish kindred and friends and home, and all its delightful associations, and also to implore abundant support and consola- tion for the venerable mother, who, strong in faith and love, was surrendering to her Saviour of the best she had to give, and that not only without a moan, but with praise for the privilege of presenting to Him a son, so precious to her own heart, and, through grace, so prepared for the Master's work." May they have and enjoy the "promised hundred fold" here, and when they meet again, inherit everlasting life .-- T. H. E.
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of the Monumental Church Sunday-school, it appears that the first meeting of which there is any record was held on the 2nd of December, 1817, when a resolution was adopted to purchase clothes for the children of the school who might be in need.
At a meeting held on the 17th of January follow- ing, three teachers were appointed to each class, (the classes being divided into sections,) and it was resolved to open the school at the hour appointed, if only two scholars should be present; Miss Marshall was appointed substitute for the superintendent, in case of his absence; and tickets were directed for rewards.
On the 6th of March, meetings for the school were directed to be held in the afternoon as well as the morning; and on the 19th of November, the first annual meeting of the board was held at the church, when the following officers were elected :
Right Rev. Richard Channing Moore, D. D., President.
Rev. John Buchanan, Vice-President.
Mr. John G. Williams, Superintendent. Mrs. Thomas H. Drew, Treasurer. Miss Janetta Fisher, Secretary.
DIRECTORS.
Mrs. George Fisher, Mrs. John Bell, Mrs. Charles Copland.
Mrs. John Ambler,
TEACHERS.
Miss Elizabeth Fisher, Miss Nicholas,
Miss Julia Wickham,
Miss Richardson,
Miss Fanny Burwell, Miss Wood,
Miss Blair,
Miss Cringan,
Miss Dandridge,
Miss Eleanor Dandridge,
Miss Selden.
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At a meeting on the 3rd of March, 1820, it was resolved to solicit four gentlemen to become teachers, and to sit in the gallery of the church with the boys during Divine service; and on the 20th April, 1824, a resolution was adopted to teach the children writing.
The superintendence of the school seems to have been successively as follows :
1817, Mr. John G. Williams, Superintendent.
1818, Miss Eliza Marshall to act in his absence.
1824, Mr. John G. Aymar, Superintendent.
1824, Mr. Samuel C. Nichols, second Superintendent.
1826, Miss Eliza M. Woodward, second Superintendent.
1827, Mr. Asa Otis to act in place of Mr. Aymar if absent.
1828, Mr. Asa Otis, first Superintendent. Mr. John Williams, second Superintendent.
1830, Mr. John G. Williams, first Superintendent. Captain Thomas Nelson, second Superintendent.
1833, Captain Thomas Nelson, first Superintendent. Mr. John Williams, second Superintendent,
1835, Mr. John Williams, first Superintendent.
1838, Rev. Z. Mead, first Superintendent. Mr. Wm. D. Gibson, second Superintendent.
Mr. Wm. H. Macfarland, first Superintendent.
Mr. Wm. D. Gibson, second Superintendent.
1840, Mr. Wm. D. Gibson. first Superintendent.
Mr. Fabius M. Lawson, second Superintendent.
A LIST OF MINISTERS who have been trained in the Monumental Church Sunday-school, or whose parents (one or both) were members of the Monumental Church congregation :
REV. CHARLES E. AMBLER, Zion church, Charles- town, Jefferson county, W. Va., graduated at the Theological Seminary of Virginia, in the year 1848.
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REV. THOMAS M. AMBLER, his brother, Bruton Parish, Williamsburg, graduated 1853.
REV. FRANCIS M. BAKER, Grace church, city of Richmond, 1845.
REV. THOMAS U. DUDLEY, JR., Harrisonburg, Rockingham county, Va., 1867, but now (1878) as- sistant bishop of the State of Kentucky.
REV. BENJAMIN R. DUVAL, some time a well known circuit-rider of the Methodist Episcopal, church, and general agent for Randolph Macon College.
REV. WM. DUVAL, his brother, former missionary in the city of Richmond, 1845. See memoir of him by Rev. Cornelius Walker.
REV. ANDREW FISHER, Lunenburg Parish, Rich- mond county, Va., 1844.
REV. CHUCHILL J. GIBSON, D. D., Grace church, Bristol Parish, Dinwiddie county, Va., 1841.
REV. JOHN H. GILLIAT, Christ church, Pomfret, Connecticut. It is believed he took orders in Eng- land.
REV. EDMOND W. HENING, formerly missionary to Africa, 1844, since then he has become entirely blind from the effects of that climate, and is now (1878) living in Philadelphia, a married man the second or third time.
REV. WILLIAM G. JACKSON, Grace church, St. Den- nis, Maryland, 1833.
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HISTORY OF THE
RIGHT REV. HENRY CHAMPLIN LAY, D. D., LL. D., missionary bishop of Arkansas and the Indian Ter- ritory, 1846; consecrated 1859.
REV. JOHN C. MCCABE, of St. Matthew's church, Bladensburg diocese, of Maryland, and now of New Jersey, (1868,) but has since then departed this life, 1878.
REV. RANDOLPH H. McKIM, Christ church, Alex- andria, Va., 1864.
REV. WM. C. MEREDITH, Christ church, Frederick Parish, Winchester, 1845.
REV. RICHARD CHANNING MOORE, JR., formerly of Christ church, Williamport, Pennsylvania, 1832, but has since departed this life.
REV. ROBERT NELSON, missionary to China, 1845. Bishop Johns, in his report of our diocese in May, 1867, gives an interesting account of his last inter- view with Mr. Nelson. then on a visit to his mother in Hanover county, on the 21st of November, 1866, when he baptized Mr. Nelson's youngest child, and a day or two before he and his family were to return to China. For Bishop Johns' account of his visit on that interesting occasion, the reader is referred to pages 168, in note.
REV. JAMES S. PAGE, missionary at State Line, Fulton county, Kentucky.
REV. EDMUND T. PERKINS, St. Paul's Church, Louisville, Kentucky, 1847.
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REV. PATRICK G. ROBERT, Christ Church, Little Rock, Arkansas, 1850.
REV. CORNELIUS WALKER, D. D., professor of ecclesiastical history and polity, and pulpit eloquence, in the Theological Seminary of Virginia, 1845. Prior to his appointment as professor, he had for some years charge of a large church in Winchester, and was a most beloved and popular pastor .*
REV. J. AMBLER WEED, formerly of St. George parish, Accomac county, Va., 1846. Some years afterwards he joined the Romish church, and since then has died.
RIGHT REV. CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, D. D., missionary bishop for China and Japan, 1855; con- secrated in 1866.
REV. WM. C. WILLIAMS, his brother; St. Peter's church, Rome, Georgia. Mr. Williams did not com- plete his course at the Theological Seminary; but being forced to leave there by the state of his health, repaired to Georgia, where he prosecuted his studies under Bishop Elliot, (in whose family he resided) and finally took orders in that diocese.
Before proceeding with the record of the church,
* NOTE .- He was educated for the ministry through the influ- ence of the late - George Woodbridge, D. D., and his congrega- tion, then of Christ Church in Richmond. Few ministers of the gospel or professors in theology can exhibit a life of greater purity and godliness, combined with marked learning in his pro- fession, than Dr. Walker .- G. D. F.
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under the ministry of the Rev. Wm. Norwood, Col. Ellis thought it appropriate to introduce a letter which he had received from Mr. Thomas H. Drew, an old merchant of the city of Richmond, and a most estimable and excellent gentleman, then in the 84th year of his age, his handwriting, still clear and distinct, exhibiting very little of the tremor of age. The following is a copy :
" RICHMOND, June 8, 1868.
" COL. THOMAS H. ELLIS :
"Dear Sir,-I came to this city on the 1st of November, 1800. At that time the only Episcopal church in this city was the old parish church, now called 'St. Johns,' of which the Rev. John Buch- anan was' rector. It was opened every Christmas day, Easter-day, and Whit-Sunday, when the sacra- ment of the Lord's supper was administered to the Episcopalians, and persons of other denominations that chose to unite.
"When some repairs were to be made to this church about thirty years ago, an examination of the timbers of the original building, erected by the British government, brought to view a plate on which was engraved, 'Charles the First.' The date was obliterated ; but as Charles ascended the throne in 1624, and was beheaded in 1644, we may conclude that this wooden building has been used as an Epis- copal church upwards of two hundred and thirty years.
" I did not see this plate myself, but heard of it
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through Mrs. Eliza Carrington, a niece of the late Dr. John Adams, and a sister of the late Col. Geo. M. Carrington, of Church Hill, whose statement I do not doubt in the least degree. The plate, as I understand, was not removed from its place in the building.
"The Methodists, at the time to which I refer, had a small but comfortable church, built of brick, at the corner of Nineteenth and Franklin streets, in which they held services morning and evening on Sundays, and night service during the week; the Rev. Mr. Cowling (father of the late Mr. James M. Cowling, so long a book-keeper in the Bank of Vir- ginia,) officiating as their minister.
"This building was afterwards used as a bakery, and the site is now occupied by a large tobacco factory, erected by Mr. Wm. H. Grant.
"The Baptists worshipped in an indifferent old wooden building, on the square formed by Main and Cary streets, and Second and Third streets, the house fronting on Cary street, in the rear of what was Major Dunscomb's residence. Mr. John Courtney was their minister.
" When the Rev. James B. Taylor was some years ago building the block of tenements still belonging to him on this square, fronting on Main street, I have understood that a number of graves were found about the middle of the square, showing that some of the ground around the old church had been used as a burying ground.
"There was then no Presbyterian church in the
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city, but by permission of the governor the hall of the house of delegates was occupied every Sunday morning, alternately by the Presbyterians and Epis- copalians, the Rev. John D. Blair officiating as min- ister for the former on one Sunday, and the Rev. John Buchanan for the latter on the next; the con- gregation, however, in both cases being nearly the same. On such occasions the antique colonial speaker's chair was used as pulpit and desk. The choir was composed of some of the ladies and gen- tlemen of the city, among whom I remember partic- ularly the late Mrs. George Fisher and the late Mrs. Charles J. Macmurdo, senior, and that Mr. Patrick Gibson performed very sweetly on the flute.
"The first church erected after I came to the city was the Baptist Church, now known as the 'First African Church,' on Broad street, below the Monu- mental Church, near what was then the Theatre; and I think their first minister was the Rev. Joseph Gregg, an Englishman of some education and ability.
" In an old file of the Richmond Enquirer, I have lately found two notices which may perhaps interest you. The first dated May 8, 1812, is this :
"The Rev. Mr. John H. Rice, being on his way to take up his permanent residence among us, will preach next Sunday morning at the usual hour at" the ' Mason's Hall,' introductory to his regular gos- pel ministry in this city, and it is expected he will continue to occupy said hall regularly thereafter, until the Presbyterian Church, which is in a way of soon being finished for him, shall be ready for oc- cupancy.
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"The church here referred to, situated at the foot of Church Hill, between the dock and Main street, near 26th street, now Hardgrove's factory, was com- pleted in the fall of that year, when Mr. Rice was installed as its pastor, according to the Presbyterian mode, which was then witnessed in Richmond for the first time.
"The other 'notice' to which I have alluded, is dated September 22nd, 1812:
"The Rev. Dr. Miguel, apostolical missionary, delegated by the Most Rev. Archbishop Carrol, of Baltimore, to open and institute the Roman Catholic worship in the metropolis of Virginia, gives notice to all his Catholic brethren in Richmond and its vicinity, that he has provided a chapel (in D street in the house formerly called the 'Brick Academy,') until means are obtained for the building of a church; and that he has opened a book of subscrip- tion for the maintenance of the Catholic worship. He expects that all his brethren will call on him and manifest their zeal for the establishment of their old and holy religion, and good men of all denomina- tions will favor an establishment which will cer_ tainly add to the prosperity of the city.
"D street is now Cary, and the 'chapel' here described is the brick building at the corner of Cary and 7th streets, in the rear of the 'Spottswood Hotel,' and was once Haller's Academy, in which General Fremont's father was some time a teacher.
"When Haller ran away from here, he was suc- ceeded in his academy by Gerardine, who continued
12
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Burke's History of Virginia, from the point at which it was left off by Skelton Jones. On the 26th of December, 1811, the Richmond theatre was burned.
"The day after the conflagration, there was a meeting of the citizens, and another of the Common Hall, and a committee of citizens was appointed, Judge Marshall at the head, to ascertain the cause of the fire, and to make arrangements for burying the dead and for erecting a monument over them on the ground where the theatre stood.
"A monument only was contemplated at first, but after the lot had been purchased it was determined to add a church, and the committee appointed to ob- tain the necessary means placed in my hands a paper soliciting contributions both for the church and mon- ument. I recollect that my first application was made to Mr. Joseph Gallego, who subscribed per- haps more largely than any other individual. He had lost his wife and niece, Miss Sally Conyers, (who was also his adopted daughter,) in the theatre.
"The Common Hall made an appropriation of five or six thousand dollars towards the accomplish- ment of these objects.
"Although the amount subscribed was insufficient to cover half the probable cost, steps were immedi- ately taken to build the church and monument ; and Mr. Mills, of Philadelphia, who had been awarded the premium for the model of the Washington mon- ument at Baltimore, was chosen the architect. He furnished the design and plan of the church, and was its architect, including the dome over the monument,
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but the monument was furnished by some young man, whose name I do not remember, a native of Stafford county, I think, who, without order or authority, proceeded to make a monument, which he brought around to Richmond complete, and through the influence of his friends (among them the late Mr. John H. Eustace,) prevailed on the vestry or committee reluctantly to receive it; for it was not entirely approved by them, and even some of the names were inaccurately spelt.
" The cost of the building was much increased by bringing the stone, which proved to be of an inferior quality, from the mouth of Acquia Creek, on the Potomac, when we had an abundance of the very best granite on the canal within a half mile of the city. After the church"was sufficiently finished (it has never been finished according to its design, which includes a steeple, in the rear,) the pews were sold, and the money which had been borrowed or advanced, over and above the subscription, was re- funded.
" Before the sale an estimate was made to ascer- tain the prices at which the pews must be sold to produce the amount that would pay off all the debts.
"Mr. Charles J. Macmurdo, who, next to Dr. Brockenbrough, was perhaps the most active and influential of those who engaged in its erection, and who had either made advances or made himself re- sponsible for a considerable amount, attended the sale and bid on each pew until it reached the price assessed as its value. In this way he became the
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owner of some ten or twelve pews, which he either subsequently sold or rented out at the assessment put upon them until he was reimbursed.
"The pews having been sold, a vestry was elected from among the pew-holders, and, according to the best of my recollection, the following named gentle- men were those chosen: Mr. Robert Greenhow, Mr. Robert Pollard, Col. William Mayo, Col. John Am- bler, Dr. John Brockenbrough, Mr. Charles J. Mac- murdo, Mr. Patrick Gibson.
"The church was opened for service in May, 1814. The Rev. Wm. H. Wilmer, of Alexandria (father of the bishop of Alabama,) preached the first sermon.
"Soon after the Rev. Wm. Meade, late bishop, preached several times, and he, I think, was mainly instrumental in procuring the call of the Rev. Richard Channing Moore, of New York, as rector of the Monumental Church, and his election, at or about the same time, as bishop of the Diocese of Virginia. Until Bishop Moore arrived with his family, some time in the ensuing fall, Dr. Buch- anan generally officiated on Sundays.
"After the bishop's permanent settlement as rec- tor, Dr. Buchanan did not often preach at the Mon- umental, but frequently read the service; and he was, I think, the best reader I have ever heard.
"Strange to say, I have no recollection of the con- secration of the Monumental Church, although it was something entirely new to me, having never seen a church consecrated before. Four persons
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only of those who escaped from the conflagration of the Theatre became pew-holders in the church, viz: Mr. Carter B. Page, Mr. John H. Strobia. Mr. Geo. Robertson, and myself.
"If I mistake not, the only survivors of the adult members of the original congregation are your mother, Mrs. Strobia, Miss Deborah Couch, Miss Fanny Eggleston, and myself. I was elected a ves- tryman and warden, I think, in 1816. While I was a member of the vestry an organ was ordered from London, through Messrs. Tompkins and Murray, of this city ; it was purchased by Mr. John Dunlop, and cost £1,000 sterling. Mr. Charles Southgate was chosen as the organist, and gave entire satisfaction to the congregation. Previous to this he had acted as clerk, leading the responses of the congregation with a remarkably fine voice. Before the arrival of the organ we had pretty much the same choir which had been accustomed to sing in the hall of the house of delegates.
"A well known servant colored man, named Sy. Gilliat, was the first sexton, he was succeeded by another named William Muse. Besides the regular services on Sunday morning and evening, Bishop Moore, when in the city, almost always had a lecture on Tuesday evening after tea, at the house of some member of his congregation.
"Among the houses most frequented in this way, I recall Col. Ambler's, Mr. Greenhow's, Mr. Gib- son's, Mrs. Hayes', Mrs. Hylton's, his and my own.
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" When he first came to Richmond the bishop rented a wooden house on the north side of Grace street, between 1st and 2nd streets, in which Dr. Foushee afterwards lived, next to the present re- sidence of Mr. James Thomas, Jr. ; subsequently he rented Mr. Prosser's house, now called the Carlton house on 12th street, between Broad and Marshall, in the rear of Mrs. Joseph Allen's, where he con- tinued until he bought the house on 5th street, between Clay and Leigh, in which he lived until his death.
"My impression is that the bishop received $2,500 for his salary as rector of the Monumental Church. As diocesan, he received some small compensation, $300 I believe, and his travelling expenses ; and while acting as bishop of North Carolina, previous to the consecration of Bishop Ravenscroft, in 1823, he received a stipend, which, he told me, was a great help to him, with the large family and other ex- penses then devolved upon him.
"I did not know Dr. Buchanan personally until about the time of Aaron Burr's trial. After that time I saw a good deal of him, and knew him very well.
"When he first came to Richmond he was poor ; but under the will of his brother James, who died some years before my removal to the city, he in- herited a handsome property. Besides one or more houses and several lots in the city, his real estate embraced 500 acres of land in the county of Henrico, adjoining the city of Richmond, extending from
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what is now Mr. Samuel J. Rutherford's lot at the intersection of Adams and Grace streets, to what was formerly Mr. William Mackenzie's property, ad- joining ' Camp Lee,' in one direction, and in another from Bacon's quarters branch to Mr. John Harvie's property, afterwards laid out by him as the 'town of Sidney,' and including ' Elba,' the subsequent resi- dence of Judge Dabney Carr, 'Bellville,' the resi- dence of Col. Jno. Mayo, and 'Columbia,' the resi- dence of Mr. Philip Haxall. Of this land, however, it may be said that it was not then worth perhaps more than one pound Virginia currency per acre.
"Dr. Buchanan sold off most of it before the war of 1812, retaining only about 70 acres for his own use. This was his farm called 'Gielston,' in front of Richmond College. It embraced Buchanan's spring, the resort of the famous 'Quoit club,' of which Dr. Buchanan was an honorary member, and which he delighted to attend in company with Judge Marshall, and the other eminent gentlemen who so long gave it character and distinction.
" The beautiful grove of native forest trees which then adorned this attractive spot has disappeared, and by the newspapers I perceive that its present German owners call the place 'Spring Park.'
"Mr. James Buchanan's residence was in a house facing James river, on a large lawn between Cary street and the river, below 14th street, and above the old rock landing, through which the dock and Dock street now pass. Dr. Buchanan made this house his office and study, and kept refreshments there for
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himself and friends; but after I knew him, he boarded with Mrs. Dr. Cringan, whose house was on 8th street, between Franklin and Grace, in the rear of what was, until the 3rd of April, 1865, the United Presbyterian Church. When he died, his property was estimated at about $80,000.
"It is some evidence of his character that he evinced his gratitude towards an early friend and benefactor, Mr. Jaquelin Ambler, or 'Treasurer Ambler,' as he was commonly called, by leaving the bulk of his estate to Mr. Ambler's four daughters, viz: Mrs. Mary Willis Marshall, the wife of Chief- Justice Marshall, Mrs. Elizabeth Jaquelin Carring- ton, the wife of Col. Edward Carrington, deceased, Mrs. Lucy Nelson Call, the wife of Daniel Call, Esq., and Mrs. Ann Fisher, the wife of Mr. George Fisher, all of whom were conspicuous members of the Monumental Church congregation.
" He also left bequests to his intimate friend, the Rev. John D. Blair, to Mrs. Anne Cringan, the widow of Dr. John Cringan, at whose house he died, and to others, including a 'stocking' maker in Scotland.
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