USA > Virginia > Augusta County > Augusta County > History of Augusta County, Virginia > Part 12
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The first effort to plant a church in Staunton was in 1834, and in 1836 Rev. Texas Freeman came into the county and labored as a missionary, but soon left the work, owing to ill health. In 1849, Rev. T. W. Rob- erts was sent as a missionary to Nelson and Augusta counties.
In 1853, Dr. S. B. Rice came to Staunton, and a church was organized in the Town Hall by Revs. L. W. Allen, Samuel Harris and Charles Wingfield, with about twenty members. Major Wm. H. Peyton and S. F. Taylor were the principal members. L. W. Allen preached a sermon from John, ch. xviii, v. 36. Dr. Rice was elected pastor. Funds for erect- ing a church were raised, principally in Eastern Virginia, and the corner- stone of the present edifice was laid June 26, 1855, Rev. J. L. Burrows delivering an address in the Episcopal church. Dr. Rice was succeeded in 1857 by Rev. Geo. B. Taylor. Under Dr. T., the membership increased rapidly, the church debt was paid, and the General Association met with this church, in its first session west of the Blue Ridge, May 31, 1860. After the Civil War, 1865, most of the colored members were dismissed, to form a separate organization. In 1870, Dr. Taylor, who had been ap- pointed Chaplain of the University of Virginia, was succeeded by Rev. W. H. Williams. During his pastorate the Church continued to flourish, and Prof. Hart's school was removed to Staunton. On Mr. Williams' resignation, Dr. Taylor was recalled, and was pastor till 1873, when he resigned, to accept the appointment of missionary to Rome. Rev. Dr. J. F. Deans was engaged to supply his place, and labored with great accept- ance till July, when he removed from Staunton. In the following October, 1873, Dr. Charles Manly became pastor, and served till 1880. He was an excellent pastor, and did more than any one, during his time, to build up the Church in the town and county, Rev. Thos. Hume, Jr., followed Dr. Manly, and served till March 1, 1880, when Rev. J. M. Frost, Jr., took charge, and labored with such success that in 1882 more than one hundred new members have been added to the church. In the county,
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Rev. J. H. Taylor and Rev. C. F. Fry have done much toward building up the denomination. The Baptists now have six churches in Augusta and 891 members. Besides these, are two African Baptist churches in Staunton, Mt. Zion and Ebenezer, and a number of small chapels and churches throughout the county.
THE TUNKER, OR GERMAN BAPTIST CHURCH.
We are indebted to the Rev. Samuel Driver for the following brief ac- count of the Tunker Church in Augusta :
The Tunker, or German Baptist Church, was first organized in Augusta about the year 1790, by Bishop Miller, the father of Bishop John Miller, who now resides near Mount Sidney. Rev. John Miller was the first Bishop permanently settled in the county. After the organization in 1800, the Church received accessions of members, and it was found necessary to district the county, and a Bishop, or Elder, was appointed for each district. The names of the districts are Mt. Vernon, of which the two Elders are Messrs. John Cline and George Wine; 2nd-Barren Ridge- Elder, John Bower; Middle River District-Elder, Levi Garber; 3rd- Valley District-Elders, John Miller and Daniel Miller ; Fourth District is. Moscow-Elder, Levi A. Wenger. In the above list is included all the Tunker churches in the county, but there are several branches or congre- gations who worship at different points in the county, notably, one at Union Hall, in the western part of Augusta ; one at Jarman's Gap, in the Blue Ridge; and one every fifth Sabbath in the Episcopal Trinity chapel, near Hebron. The Rev. Sam'l Driver preaches thus four times a year in Trinity chapel. There are in Augusta about nine hundred communicants. In the United States the Tunkers have three colleges, the first at Hunting- ton, Penn., the second in Ashland county, Ohio, and the third at Lanarck, Illinois. In connection with all Tunker churches there are Sunday-schools, and the Tunker community is justly celebrated for industry, integrity, and piety.
THE LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AUGUSTA.
Wm. E. Craig, Esq., has kindly furnished the following account of the Lutheran Church :
Among the early emigrants to the Valley of Virginia were many Luth- erans, but we have no account of any organized Church in Augusta until about the year 1780, when a congregation was formed, and Coiner's Church built. This church is about five miles southwest of Waynesboro, and we think the first minister was Rev. Adolph Spindle. We have no list of his successors, but the present minister is Rev. Mr. Kuegle, and the number of communicants about 100. The first trustees and organizers of the church were Casper Koiner, Martin Bush, and Jacob Barger. The next church organized was Mt. Tabor, about the year 1785. We have no list of the former ministers, but the present minister is Rev. L. L.
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Smith. The number of communicants in this church is about 250. Mt. Zion church, situated about six miles west of Middlebrook, was organized about 1830, with the following trustees : Martin Miller, David C. Arehart, and - Weaver. Its number of communicants is about 100, with Rev. J. M. Hedrick as its present pastor. Under the charge of Rev. J. M. Hedrick is also Mt. Herman church and congregation, situated at New- port, organized about 1850 by Rev. C. Beard, with A. S. Craig, Wm. Black and David Hull as the first trustees and organizers. The number of communicants is about 75. 4th .- Bethlehem, near Fishersville, was organized about 1845, with the following trustees : Absalom Koiner, Cyrus Koiner, and David W. Coiner. Rev. L. A. Fox, DD., has served this charge for a number of years, and is its present pastor. Number of com- municants, 150. 5th .- The second Mt. Zion church, near Waynesboro, was organized about the same time as Bethlehem. Its first pastor was Rev - Bowman. Rev. C. Beard served this congregation from 1854 to 1881. Rev. J. H. Barb is the present pastor. Communicants, 100. 6th .- The congregation at Staunton was organized and the church built about 1850 by Rev. John B. Davis, DD., and George Shuey, B. F. Points and George Baylor as the first trustees. Col. George Baylor was mainly instrumental in organizing this congregation and building the church. The lot was purchased and the church built by the " Virginia Synod," together with the aid given it by Col. Baylor and other representatives of that Synod, under the charge of Col. Baylor as principal superintendent. Rev. J. B. Davis, DD., was the first pastor, Rev. D. M. Gilbert. DD., the second, Rev. J. I. Miller the third, Rev. M. R. Minnick the fourth, and Rev. J. B. Haskell, the fifth. Number of communicants, about 200. 6th .- Salem church is located near Mt. Sidney, and was built about 1845. It has been served by the pastors in connection with Mt. Zion, No. 2. Its number of communicants is about 100. Its present pastor is Rev. A. C. Gearhart. 7th .- The Churchville church was built also about 1850, under the supervision of Rev. J. B. Davis, DD. Rev. C. Beard is now serving it as a supply. Number of communicants, about 75. 8th .- Bethany, near Waynesboro, and Pleasant View, near Staunton, have been organized within the past five years. The Bethlehem minister serves Bethany, and the Staunton minister Pleasant View. The number of communicants of each church is about 75.
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, at Staunton, is situated on a beautiful site on the east side of Augusta street, in a fine grove of maples and other native trees. The edifice, a substantial brick structure, was built in 1850, the lot, which embraces half a square, being donated by the late M. Quinlan, Esq. Until about the year 1841, there were but one or two Catholic fami- lies in Staunton. The Rev. Daniel Downey made missionary journeys to this section from Lynchburg, and labored with such success that in the
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year 1850 he was enabled to gather a flock around him sufficiently large to form the nucleus of a congregation. With zeal they undertook the erec- tion of the church, the reverend gentleman's most active helpers being Messrs. M. Quinlan and Patrick McAlear. Having thus secured a hand- some house of worship, Rev. Downey became the pastor, and con- tinued to minister to the spiritual wants of the congregation until 1857, when he resigned, and was succeeded by Rev. T. A. Sears, who served until 1859. From 1859 to 1861, the church was supplied from Richmond. Rev. Jos. Bixio, a Jesuit, then became the pastor, and continued in that rela- tion until 1866, when he was succeeded by Rev. J. A. Weed, who died in March, 1871. His successor was the Rev. John McVerry, the present pastor. During his pastorate, the Rev. McVerry has been aided by the following assistant pastors, viz : Rev. J. A. G. Riley, Rev. Peter Fitzsimmons, Rev. H. J McKeefry, and the present assistant, Rev. G. T. O'Ferrall. The church has prospered. Its membership now reaches 700. The church property embraces a handsome brick parsonage. The parochial school was, in 1878, placed under the charge of the Sisters of Charity, and since then a commodious and imposing brick structure has been erected for educational purposes. The school itself has made marked progress, and promises, ere long, to be abreast of Staunton's most flourishing seminaries of learning.
CHAPTER VII.
With the first colonist to Virginia came a clergyman of the Established Church, and from that time onward the Church was protected and fostered in Virginia. Non-conformists were expelled from the colony, and a fine of 5,000 pounds of tobacco was exacted from participants in the meetings of Dissenters. Papists, Presbyterians, and Quakers, were alike perse- cuted, and those who even entertained a Quaker were liable to a heavy fine. The first sect to make head against this intolerance was the Presby- terian, under Rev. Francis Makemie, and the Scotch-Irish settlers of our Valley. About the year 1698, this intolerant spirit began to decline, and by the year 1776, more than half the people of Virginia were Dissenters, and during the war, the Church went down, apparently unregretted. The course and reason of the change can be readily followed. The reaction which ensued after the intense spiritual excitement of the seventeenth cen- tury produced a species of religious lethargy in the eighteenth. Frigid
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morality, a well-bred abhorrence of anything like zeal, and a worldly indif- ference, characterized the English clergyman of the latter period and their Virginian brethren. The colonial ministers, as a class, were ruder and narrower than those of the mother country, and their coldness and indif- ference to great religious principles showed themselves more plainly and coarsely. Religion declined, and " paganism, atheism and sectaries " be- gan to prevail. "Quakers," says Byrd, "prevail in Nansemond county, for the want of ministers to pilot the people a better way to heaven." Advantage was taken of this relaxation by the Presbyterians, who exacted, as we have seen, from Gov. Gooch, promises of toleration to those of their faith. Their eloquent and earnest men, however, soon aroused the latent hostility of the ruling Church, and Gooch himself joined in the resistance to the new doctrines. But the Dissenting sects were full of vitality, and grew apace, while the Established Church, maintained simply as a part of the social system, declined with proportionate rapidity. The success of the Revolution, and the withdrawal of support, caused the Church to fall into ruins.
The Church of England was, as we have said, established by law in Virginia, to the exclusion, and without toleration of any other denomina- tion. The Act of Conformity, passed by the British Parliament, was ac- knowledged as law, and carried into execution by the magistrates. It must be remembered, however, that while the Church of England was thus recognized, from the settlement at Jamestown down to the Revolu- tion, it was, during this long period of 170 years, kept in a state of bondage to the Government, which never allowed it to organize. For political reasons, it was not permitted to have a bishop, and there were no ordi- nances or confirmations in Virginia during the whole colonial period. Candidates for orders had to make the voyage to England. The Church was not only denied an executive head, but it had no legislature. It had no authority to pass a law, enact a canon, or inflict a penalty, not even for the discipline of its own ministers and members, and it never performed one of these functions. And this enslavement, no doubt, impaired its spirit, and rendered it less active in the cause of religion than would other- wise have been the case.
In the previous chapter, we have referred to some of the minor reasons which begot a spirit of liberality early in the eighteenth century with the colonial authorities in their policy towards Dissenters west of the Blue Ridge, namely : A desire to erect a barrier against the encroachments of the Indians. Such motives doubtless had their weight with men like Gooch, but there was a deeper and broader motive beginning to influence the people of Virginia, and which showed itself conspicuously at a later period. This was their hostility to the establishment of any religion in America by the British Parliament. This feeling, which existed long be-
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fore the Revolution, led the sages of 1776 to unite afterwards in destroy- ing all ecclesiastical establishments by the bill for religious freedom, which was passed by the General Assembly of Virginia December 16, 1785.
Though the Episcopal was the established religion, no church existed in Augusta previous to 1746, and Rev. Joseph Doddridge, DD., the first minister of the Episcopal Church who visited the regions of Western Vir- ginia and Eastern Ohio, in his " Notes on the Settlement and Indian Wars of Western Virginia and Pennsylvania, from 1763 to 1783," thus speaks upon the subject of this apathy and neglect :
" The Episcopal Church, which ought to have been foremost in gather- ing their scattered flocks, had been the last and done the least of any Christian community in the evangelical work. Taking the western coun- try, in its whole extent, at least one-half of its population was originally of Episcopalian parentage, but for want of a ministry of their own, they have associated with other communities. They had no alternative but that of changing their profession, or living and dying without the ordinances of religion. It can be no subject of regret that these ordinances were placed within their reach by other hands, whilst they were withheld by those by whom, as a matter of right and duty, they ought to have been given. One single suffragan bishop, of a faithful spirit, who, twenty years ago, should have ordained these elders in every place where they were needed, would have been the instrument of forming Episcopal congregations over a great extent of country, and which, by this time, would have become large, nu- merous and respectable ; but the opportunity was neglected, and the con- sequent loss to this Church is irreparable. So total a neglect of the spir- itual interest of so many valuable people, for so great a length of time, by a ministry so near at hand, is a singular and unprecedented fact in eccle- siastical history, the like of which never occurred before. It seems to me that if the twentieth part of their number of Christian people, of any other community had been placed in Siberia, and dependent on any other ecclesiastical authority in this country, that that authority would have reached them many years ago with the ministration of the Gospel. With the earliest and most numerous Episcopacy in America, not one of the Eastern Bishops has yet crossed the Alleghany Mountains, although the dioceses of two of them comprehended large tracts on the western side of the mountains. It is hoped that the future diligence of this community will make up, in some degree, for the negligence of the past. There is still an immense void in this country, which it is their duty to fill up. From their respectability, on the ground of antiquity among the reformed churches, the science of their patriarchs, who have been the lights of the world, from their number and great resources even in America, she ought to hasten to fulfill the just expectations of her own people, as well as those of other communities, in contributing her full share to the science, piety and civilization of our country. From the whole of our ecclesiastical his- tory, it appears that, with the exception of the Episcopal Church, all our religious communities have done well for their country."
Bishop Meade differs with Dr. Doddridge as to the percentage of Epis- copalians in the population, and assigns very reasonable causes for his belief; but as Dr. Doddridge wrote of a country in which he lived, and
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with whose people he mingled, he is more likely to be correct than a sub- sequent writer. We cannot but attribute the tardiness of the church in evangelizing to the character of the Episcopal clergy, of whom the Bishop of London said about this time in a letter to Dr. Doddridge : " Of those who are sent from hence, a great part are the Scotch or Irish, who can get no employment at home, and enter into the service more out of necessity than choice. Some others are willing to go abroad to retrieve lost fortune or lost character. For these reasons, and others of less weight, I did apply to the King, as soon as I was Bishop of London, to have two or three bishops appointed for the plantations, to reside there."
Of the clergy, more particularly the English, as contradistinguished from the Scotch and Irish representatives of the Church in the pulpit, the fol- lowing is a picture-graphic, and, no doubt, perfectly true :
With some exceptions, the Virginian clergy aped the manners and habits of the laity. Most of them were men who cultivated their glebes like other planters, preaching once a week, and performing the other services of the Church for the sake of an addition to their income. Their morals were loose, and the general tone of the profession was low. Here and there might be found a man of exemplary life and high character ; but the average parson was coarse and rough, and his parishioners might be thankful, if he was not also a drunkard and gambler. They hunted the fox and raced horses; they played cards ; turned marriages, christenings and funerals alike into revels, and sat out the stoutest planter after dinner to finally accompany him under the table. One reverend gentleman bawled to his church warden during communion, " Here, George, this bread is not fit for a dog." Another commemorated his Church and office by fighting a duel in the grave-yard. Another received a regular stipend for preaching four sermons annually against atheism, gambling, racing, and swearing, although he was notorious as a gambler, swearer, and horse- racer. Still another, of great physical strength, thrashed his vestry soundly, and then added insult to injury by preaching to them next Sun- day from the text, "And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair."-[Meade, vol. I, pp. 18, 162, 231, 250, 275, 361, 387, 470: Vol. II, 179.] One married a wealthy widow, although he had a wife living in England. Another was brought before a magistrate for drinking and carousing on Christmas Eve, and another, who dined every Sunday with a great planter, was sent home tied in his chaise, under care of a servant. At every race-course and cock- pit might be seen reverend divines betting on the contending birds or horses .- [Foote, II: 371.] The petty tradesmen would not trust them beyond their salary, and extorted 150 per cent. for interest.
Among the colonial clergy there was another class, quite the reverse of the rollicking blades described, and less to be admired. These were the
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self-seeking and ambitious, who, in order to impose upon the world, and secure professional success, kept up a constant appearance of sanctity. There was no defective preaching or evil living on the part of these models of decorum. The sanctity of such, as may be readily imagined, did not proceed from spiritual motives and the sentiments of the heart ; it was a certain exterior, which they found themselves compelled to preserve. Their devotion did not spring from devout feelings; it was affected, whether experienced or not. This gave something formal and uncouth to their manners. And it could scarcely have been otherwise. A continual attention to a pious exterior necessarily gives a constrained and artificial bearing to the carriage. The characters of all ministers, under a religion established by law and supported by taxation, are liable to be disadvanta- geously affected by their situation as legalized guides and teachers of others. They address their, audiences at stated periods, and no one is allowed to contradict them. They pronounce the prayers of the congre- gation, visit the sick, and officiate as oracles to such as are in distress. They seek to govern the thoughts of their parishioners, and to restrain the irregular sallies of their understandings. They warn their flocks against innovation and the intrepidity of thinking. The adversary is silent before them. With other men he may argue, but if he attempt to discuss a subject freely and impartially with them, it is construed into a personal insult. Thus, the circumstances of every day tend to confirm in them a dogmatical, imperious, illiberal and intolerant character. Worthy Bishop Meade, who recounts the doings of our colonial clergy with much sorrow, says there was not only defective preaching, but, as might be sup- posed, most evil living among the clergy. The natural result followed, and the revival of the eighteenth century broke down the old clergy and their abuses. Then came the ill-advised struggle for salaries, famous as " The Parsons' Cause," the fatuous effort to procure a bishop, and a fatal indecision and lukewarmness in the contest with England. The Revolu- tion was the finishing-stroke, and the old Church of Virginia perished.
But we must return. With such a clergy as above described, no mis- sionaries could be found to cross the Blue Ridge, and there was no Estab- lished Church in Augusta until nearly fifteen years after the foundation of the colony, when the ground was already occupied by Presbyterian and other Dissenters. There were doubtless a few Episcopalians in Augusta, though it has been observed, we do not know how truly, that persons of that denomination do not like new countries, or are deficient in zeal, where it is not cherished by parish or tithe. There may have been another rea- son. Education is in the Episcopal Church a necessary qualification for administering the affairs of both Church and State, and both the educa- tion and population of the Valley, to a great extent, belonged to the Scotch- Irish, or Dissenting element. In 1745, steps were taken to introduce the
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Established Church in the county, and in 1746 the first election for 'a vestry of Augusta parish took place and resulted in the choice of the following persons : James Patton, Thomas Gordon, John Buchanan, John Madison, Patrick Hays, John Christian, Robt. Alexander, Jas. Lockhart, Jas. Bu- chanan, Jr., Jno. Archer, Jno. Mathews, and J. Smith. John Madison was elected clerk, and Robt. Alexander and James Lockhart church wardens, who, before entering upon the discharge of their duties, took the follow- ing oaths :
OATH OF ALLEGIANCE.
" I, A. B., do sincerely promise and swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to his Majesty, King George the Second. So help me God."
OATH OF ABJURATION, ENFORCED BY ACT OF 1701, ABOLISHED 1858.
" I, A. B., do swear that I do from my heart abhor, detest, and abjure, as impious and heretical, that damnable doctrine and position that Princes excommunicated or deprived by the Pope, or any authority of the See of Rome, may be deposed or murdered by their subjects, or any other what- soever. And I do declare that no foreign Prince, Prelate, Person, State or Potentate, hath, or ought to have, any jurisdiction, power, superiority, preëminence, or authority, ecclesiastical or spiritual, within this realm. So help me God."
OATH OF ALLEGIANCE, IMPOSED 1558, CHANGED 1689, MODIFIED 1838.
" I, A. B., do truly and sincerely acknowledge and promise, testify and declare, in my conscience, before God and the world, that our Sovereign Lord, King George the Second, is lawful and rightful King of this realm and all other his Majesty's dominions and countries hereunto belonging ; and I do solemnly and sincerely declare that I do believe in my conscience that the person pretended to be Prince of Wales during the life of the late King James, and since his decease pretending to be, and taking upon him- self the style and title of the King of England, or by the name of James III, or of Scotland by the name of James VIII, or the style and title of King of Great Britain, hath not any right whatsoever to the crown of this realm, or any other dominion hereunto belonging ; and I do renounce, refuse and abjure any allegiance or obedience to him, and I do swear that I will bear faithful and true allegiance to H. M. King George II, and him will defend to the utmost of my power against all traitorous conspiracies and attempts whatsoever which shall be made against his person, crown or dignity ; and I will do my utmost to endeavor to disclose and make known to his Majesty and his successors all treasonable and traitorous conspiracies which I shall know to be against him, or any of them ; and I do faithfully promise, to the utmost of my power, to support, maintain and defend the successor of the crown against him, the said James, and all other persons whatsoever, which succession, by an act entitled 'An act for the further limitation of the crown and better securing the rights and liberties of the subject,' is and stands limited to the Princess Sophia, late Electress and Duchess, dowager of Hanover, and the heirs of her body, being Protes- tants; and all other these things I do plainly and severally acknowledge and swear, according to these express words by me spoken, and according to the plain and common sense understanding of the same words, without
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