USA > Virginia > King and Queen County > King and Queen County > King and Queen County, Virginia (history printed in 1908) > Part 4
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of value of one church over the other. (X. Hen. St. at Large, p. 209.)
44. In October, 1784, an act was passed entitled, " An act to amend the act for clearing Mattapony River." By this act it was provided, " That as soon as the trustees under the said former acts shall have re- moved all obstructions to the navigation thereof in the manner therein directed, so that a boat carrying eight hogsheads of tobacco can freely and safely pass as high as Burk's bridge, from thenceforth the proprietors of the land on both sides of the said river below the said bridge, having notice thereof, shall be obliged to take up, remove and destroy all artificial obstructions which may be placed therein contiguous to or opposite his or her land, under the penalty of forfeiting and paying the sum of five pounds for every twelve hours the same shall be or remain therein." By the same act the trus- tees were authorized to open the navigation of the river above Burk's bridge, under certain conditions. (XI. Hen. St. at Large, p. 530.)
45. In October, 1785, an act was passed, entitled, " An act to repeal the act of Assembly for establishing the Town of Walkerton." This act is in the following language :
"BE it enacted by the General Assembly, That the act of Assembly for establishing the town of Walkerton, in the County of King and Queen, shall be, and the same is hereby repealed. That forty acres of land, which were by deed bearing date the thirteenth day of June, one thousand seven hundred and nine, given and granted by John Walker, deceased, for the use of the inhabitants of the said town, as a common, shall be, and the same are hereby revested in the legal representatives of the said John Walker in fee: Provided always, That noth- ing herein contained shall be construed to affect the right of any person to a lot or part of a lot in the said place, or to discontinue the public road to, or ferry across, Mattapony River from the said town." (Although diligent search has been made I have been unable to find the act establishing the town of Walkerton, referred to in the above act. (XII. Hen. St. at Large, p. 207.)
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46. An act was passed October, 1788, entitled, “ An act for opening and improving the navigation of Matta- pony River," By this act Edmund Pendleton, William Nelson, John Baylor, Edmund Pendleton, Jr., John Hoomes, John Page, Mungo Roy, John Taylor, Fran- cis Corbin, Benjamin Temple, Larkin Smith, Anderson Scott, Anthony New, and Lawrence Battaile were ap- pointed trustees " for clearing, improving, and extending the navigation of the said river, from Todd's bridge, in the counties of King William and King and Queen, as far up the same as they may judge it practicable, so as to have a sufficient depth and width of water to navi- gate boats, batteaus, or canoes, capable of carrying four hogsheads of tobacco," and they were authorized to take and receive subscriptions for that purpose. They were authorized also to demand and receive, "for all com- modities transported up or down the same, tolls not exceeding those imposed by the act entitled, 'An act for opening and extending the navigation of Potow- mack River.' " The trustees were declared to be incorporated by the name and title of the Mattapony Trustees, and might sue and be sued as such. (XII. Hen. St. at Large, pp. 698-701.)
47. There was an act passed in October, 1791, en- titled, " An act to amend the act for opening and im- proving the navigation of Mattapony River," whereby the board of trustees was reduced to eleven, who were named, as follows: "Edmund Pendleton, Francis Cor- bin, John Baylor, Edmund Pendleton, junior, John Hoomes, Mungo Roy, John Taylor, Nathaniel Burwell, Joseph Hilliard, junior, James Pendleton, and Thomas Martin," any five of whom could act. (XIII. Hen. St. at Large, pp. 286-287.)
CHAPTER VI
CHURCH HOUSES AND OLD HOMES
The fathers of the Colony had high ideals regarding their homes, and notably their church homes for the worship of God. Think of Greenway Court, Westover, Shirley, Brandon, and many others on the James. Settlers in King and Queen brought this high standard with them and lived up to it when their means allowed.
It will be borne in mind that the Colony was started under English auspices. It came naturally from this, forasmuch as the parent state and the church, which was the Church of England, were indissolubly joined in one, that the worship and forms of that church were para- mount and that it stood without a rival in the Colony.
Citizens were taxed without discrimination, for the support of the one church, and the poor fellow who came short in paying was heavily fined. By and by, when Presbyterians, Quakers, Methodists, and Baptists be- gan to show their faces and to assert what they regarded as their God-given rights, in the public proclamation of their doctrines, they were repressed with an iron heel. And so the Church of England had its own way in the Colony, and used in large part governmental aid in the support of its ministers, and in the erection of church houses. These last were built, truly, with a wise fore- cast looking to the future. Beginning at a point near the coast, there appears to have been a cordon of church houses erected about ten miles apart, houses of massive brick walls, not infrequently in the shape of a cross, with family pews raised to the height of four or five feet, a splendid pulpit at one angle, overlooking the en- tire floor, and a reading desk below, while the Creed, Lord's Prayer, and Ten Commandments were engraved in gilt letters on the wall at the east end.
Time, natural decay, and neglect have destroyed many
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of these splendid edifices, but a few of them have been preserved, notably Christ Church and Abingdon, in Gloucester; and Mattapony, four miles above the Court- house in King and Queen, the latter having been taken up and restored by the Baptists in after years. Some ac- count of the last named, presenting it as it stood a hun- dred years ago, and as the writer saw it in his childhood, may be of interest. The walls were nearly three feet thick from the foundation to a point about three feet above the ground. It was constructed of bricks, most of them apparently moulded at the place. The walls, reduced somewhat in thickness as they ascended, rose to about twenty feet, where the roof was set on, a roof composed of timbers so massive as to excite wonder in the minds of beholders. The longer end of the cross in which the house was builded looked toward the west, and there apparently was the principal entrance, though there were doors also in the walls, looking to the north and south. The eastern walls were without any open- ing from the ground up. The floor was almost on a level with the ground. The walls and the roof were plastered in lime, the wainscoting reaching some four feet above the floor, and the walls rising thence to the curve in which they joined the roof. The plastering has long since decayed, and within the roof has been re- placed by pine painted in oil; but the great walls seem built as for eternity. Here the Lumpkins, the Braxtons, the Corbins, the Harwoods, and many other honorable families worshiped-all of them now sleeping their last sleep.
The writer well remembers the high family pews,- with seats running round them on three sides, for patri- arch, wife and children, and the stout door to shut them in,-the splendid pulpit, ascended by means of a balus- trade and steps, the great sounding-board overhead, and the chancel, too, ornamented in gilt and gold, with table of the Law and Creed; and a reading desk on the floor under the pulpit. The scene which caught one's eye on entering the house impressed the mind of childhood with solemn awe and reverence, and could never be forgotten. Some of the aisles were paved with
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marble slabs. This house, we think we can say with confidence, was built as early as 1690. A marble slab, just outside the north door, covers the remains of Colonel Jacob Lumpkin, with this inscription :
JACOB LUMPKIN. Obit 14 die September, 1708, Ætatis 64. Dux Militum, Victor Hostium, Morte Victus, Pax Adsit, Vives Requies, Eterna Sepultis.
Near the south door, are two memorials of George and Mary Braxton, of Newington, parents of Carter Braxton, who signed the Declaration of Independence; while without in the capacious grounds lie the remains of a host of unknown dead. Monuments also are erected here to many who have died in later years, and the graves are often surmounted by structures more or less elegant.
It seems impossible for one to visit this spot without being reminded of verses from Gray's Elegy :
" Beneath those rugged elms, that yew tree's shade, Where heaves the turf in many a mouldering heap,
Each in his narrow cell forever laid, The rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep."
" Perhaps in this neglected spot is laid Some heart once pregnant with celestial fire;
Hands that the rod of empire might have swayed, Or waked to ecstasy the living lyre."
" Some village Hampden, that with dauntless breast The little tyrant of his fields withstood;
Some mute, inglorious Milton here may rest ; Some Cromwell, guiltless of his country's blood."
As was suggested above, this house is now held by the Baptists as a place of worship. The question is natural, How has this come about? It should be re- membered that during the Revolution of 1776 the estab-
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lished Church of England, along with kingly authority, went down under the leadership of Jefferson and Madi- son. It followed from this that church houses of the Establishment were dishabilitated.
This house was for many years unoccupied and neg- lected. Tradition said that birds of the air built their nests, and beasts of the field had resort within its con- secrated walls.
In the year 1803, Major Thomas Jeffries, Captain Robert Courtney, who afterwards served in the War of 1812, and other citizens, being at the time identi- fied with no church, but feeling the need of the stated worship of God, came hither, and at some expense to themselves, cleansed the house, and invited the people to meet together in it, and worship the Lord God of Hosts. Rev. William Todd, then a young man of the Baptist faith, and deputy clerk, under his chief, Robert Pollard, Sr., was invited to lead in the worship. He was then a member of Bruington Church. By and by he was regularly ordained by a Presbytery of his brethren, and was privileged to baptize a few into the fellowship of this faith. Among these were Colonel John Pollard, Mrs. Mary Hall, and others.
From adjacent churches also, accessions were made, among the rest, Captain Courtney, John Redd, Captain Hall, Miss Priscilla Pollard, and some others.
In 1828, Colonel Pollard, with the encouragement and aid of other citizens, secured from the Governor of the State a warrant authorizing the Baptists to use and occupy the house with adjacent grounds, and a deed was given them to that effect. It should be remembered that glebe, and other property in the Commonwealth be- longing to the Church of England, had long since been confiscated by formal act of the Legislature of Virginia.
The old so-called " Apple Tree Church," where doubtless the Robertsons, the Wilsons, and many about Dunkirk and Ayletts, attended worship, stood on the river road, some four miles above Walkerton, and on lands now held by John N. Ryland, Sr., Esq. It has long since become a mouldering ruin, and nothing re- mains but a few scattering bricks to tell of its ancient
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glory. The so-called " Old Church " still stands some two miles below Little Plymouth, and is used by the Methodists.
There was also a church house of the Establishment on the land of Lieutenant Robert Roy, some miles still lower down, which has also gone into decay. There were three parishes, each covering a part of King and Queen, Stratton Major below, and Drysdale above, St. Stephens intervening.
In more modern times, it is scarcely necessary to add, church houses creditable to the citizens, have been erected throughout the length of the county, by the Methodists, Shackelford's, (below Centreville), Provi- dence (northward from Stevensville), Shepherd's, and Walkerton; by the Baptists, Poroporone, Olivet, lower King and Queen, Exol, Bruington, St. Stephens, and up- per King and Queen; and Smyrna, by the Disciples. The Protestant Episcopalians have erected a neat chapel at King and Queen Courthouse, with ample grounds about it. These houses are statedly filled with large congregations of devout worshipers. As a rule, a devout religious sentiment, coupled with the spirit of worshipfulness, is a characteristic mark of the people, and has been for many years.
LOWER ST. STEPHEN'S PARISH CHURCH-NOW MATTAPONY
By Rev. John Moncure, D. D.
There is a section of Virginia where the Church once flourished; where, in Colonial days, our people from the motherland came to make their new homes, bringing with them the religious teachings handed down through the ages by their forefathers, and building houses of worship in the land of their adoption. Time has wrought many changes, and among them the elimina- tion alike of name and memory of many of these houses.
In the northern part of the county of Middlesex and throughout the counties of King William and King and Queen there is not one Colonial church where the serv- ices of the Book of Common Prayer are read to-day.
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Yet time was when it was the book of worship of the country. In this section there are no less than six, and probably more, Colonial churches which are now occu- pied by other religious bodies, they having been aban- doned by their original occupants more than a hundred years ago.
Among these venerable buildings is the Old Brick or Lower Church of St. Stephen's Parish, King and Queen County. It stands in the southern section of the county, near the King William line, about three miles from the Mattapony River, in a body of woods in which are many of the fine old trees that, like the church, have been identified with the lives of those who worshiped in the latter and now sleep their dreamless slumber under their branches and its walls. Could the whisperings of the winds through the branches of these giants of the forest be translated into words and become the story of long-gone days, many indeed would be the interesting lives which would be brought to light.
The building is of brick; whether brought from Eng- land in accordance with the prevalent tradition or not, is not known. For solidity of construction and archi- tectural beauty it has not its superior, and probably not its equal, among the churches of Old Virginia. The walls are three feet in thickness. The brickwork is as nearly perfect as is known in the mason's art, the mor- tar being of adamantine hardness and looking as fresh as if it had been spread but a few months, showing the marks of the trowel with peculiar clearness. The bricks are alternately glazed and plain, this arrangement con- tributing greatly to the quaintness and beauty. The joists and the great timbers under the roof are of oak and poplar, some being so large that one's arms can scarcely more than span them. They are as firm and sound throughout as when first put in place : this after a duration of two hundred years.
The church is cruciform, of lofty proportions, and was built to seat about seven hundred people. Origi- nally the aisles were laid with flagstones, but these have long since been removed. The ceilings are vaulted, in designs that are churchly and very attractive.
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At the north angle of the cross once stood the old " three-decker " pulpit with the great sounding-board, without which no Colonial church was complete. These two have passed away. In the east end of the cross was the chancel, with its reredos, on which in gilt letters are painted the Lord's Prayer, the Apostles' Creed, and the Ten Commandments, with the name of God in He- brew above them. It is Gothic in form, being sur- rounded and adorned at the apex and corners by repre- sentations of lighted tapers. The coloring is still rich and beautiful, and a retouch would make this reredos one of the most beautiful of its kind in Virginia.
The churchyard is not less interesting than the church itself. Here are the tombs of some, and the unidenti- fied graves of very many, who were doubtless of the leading people of the State. At the southeastern corner of the church are the graves of George Braxton, Esq., and his wife, the parents of Carter Braxton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Over each is a mar- ble slab, in which the inscriptions are scarcely decipher- able, but with some difficulty one may read that of Mr. Braxton, as follows: "Here lies the body of George Braxton, Esq., who departed this life the first day of July, 1718, in the -Ist year of his age, leaving issue a son and two daughters. He died much lamented; a good Christian, tender parent, kind master, a friendly, charitable neighbor."
Before the door leading into the north transept is a marble slab. One must almost step on it in entering the church. The inscription, thanks to interested friends of Virginia antiquities, has been rechiseled. It reads as follows: "Jacob Lumpkin, Obit 14 die September, 1708. ÆEtatis 64. Dux Militum, Victor Hostium, Morte Victus. Pax adsit, vives requies, Eterna Sepultis."
So many are the unmarked and entirely defaced graves that, to avoid digging into them, those who use the churchyard now must bury their dead quite a dis- tance from the building.
There is very little to learn from the church in refer- ence to its history,-only a fragment here and there.
LOWER CHURCH OF ST. STEVEN'S PARISH, NOW MATTAPONY CHURCH Burial place of father and mother of Carter Braxton and tomb of Captain Jacob Lumpkin, obit, 1708.
FACING 62
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On a brick over the southern or front door is the name " David Minitree," and on another brick the letters "W. L." The name, Thomas Hogg, is over one of the windows. As to who these were, there is, as with the sleepers in the churchyard, the great silence.
The Bible of the old church has been rescued from the ravages of the past. It gives its testimony as to the name and antiquity of the church, which might other- wise not be known. It is a well-preserved book, bound in undressed calf. On the back is the name "Brick Church." On a fly-leaf, in a very legible hand, the ink being remarkably well preserved, are the words: " The Lower Church of St. Stephen's Parish, in King and Queen. Anno 1733, June."
The font is also among the articles preserved. It is of attractive design, the bowl large enough to contain about ten gallons of water. It was, many years ago, presented to the Old Fork Church, in Hanover, where it now is in use.
Little is known positively of the rectors and people who worshiped in the old church. Bishop Meade men- tions the parish and some interesting facts concerning it, but his statements are based upon merely fragmentary testimony. Among other things he says: "This par- ish was probably established in 1691, there being no account certain of it." In a footnote he states that in 1724 the Rev. John Goodwin was minister. The parish was thirty miles long, and had three hundred families and sixty communicants. The first minister of whom there is record was the Rev. John Skaife, who was in charge in 17II. He is mentioned in Dr. Dashiel's work on the " Councils in Virginia." Others were the Revs. H. Dunbar, 1753, and Thomas Andrews, 1793. There is a part of the county, called Dunbar, which can trace its name to the clergyman. A remarkably fine apple has been produced on this place, and is called the " Dunbar." His name lives in a good fruit, typical, let it be hoped, of a life fruitful in good works.
The names of Anderson Scott and Henry Young ap- pear as lay delegates in 1785, and those of Thomas Hill and William Fleet in 1796. The building was not used
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much after the Revolution, and finally was entirely de- serted, and remained so for fifty years. In 1824 the Baptists began using it, occupying it for twelve years before, by a grant from the Governor of Virginia, they became its owners. They have been in possession ever since, and some of the most aggressive and useful works of that denomination in Virginia have emanated from those who worshiped in the old church.
Many Baptist ministers in this and foreign lands have received their religious training here. The first minis- ter of the body here was the Rev. William Todd, a man of great usefulness and consecration. His influence was so great that in the old Bible is written "Todd's Meet- ing House," as the name of the church when he was minister. It is now known as the Old Mattapony Church. One of the most useful laymen under Mr. Todd was Mr. Pollard, who, with his wife, was among the first members and most earnest worshipers. It was through his interest that his people became owners of the building after its abandonment, and it is through the kindness and courtesy of a descendant of his, Mr. Rob- ert Pollard, who lives near by, and who is a deacon of the church, that much of the foregoing account has been obtained.
The interior of the church has been remodeled, the old floor being covered by one of plank raised two feet above the original foundation. The chancel is parti- tioned off, but behind it is the old reredos. In exca- vating beneath the chancel to arrange a baptistry, in 1855, human remains were found, supposedly those of the first rector. These were reverently reinterred be- neath the church.
MATTAPONY CHURCH RECORDS
1842 Jan. 8th .- The term of Bro. Evans, who occu- pied our pulpit every 4th Sunday, having expired, Bro. R. H. Bagby, who had been licensed to preach, was called to supply his place and the call accepted.
1842 July 9th .- Bro. R. H. Bagby regularly or- dained to the ministery.
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Bro. Collins, of Pittsburg, Penn., a noted revivalist, being providentially with us, at his instance a protracted meeting was commenced. Preaching and prayer was held at the church during the day and from house to house at night. The religious feeling produced by the preaching of Bro. Collins and others was so great that nearly every family was brought under its influence, not only in this community, but throughout the whole sur- rounding country, and the interest continued to extend, until it became the greatest revival of religion ever known in this section of the country. Hundreds were added to the churches; to this church alone, on the 17th of July, 1842, were baptized 45 white and 37 colored, and on August 14th, 28 white and 25 colored,-total I35. The interest continued and many more were brought into the church.
1842 Dec. 10th .- Bro. R. H. Bagby dismissed to join Bruington Church, being called to the pastorate of that church. It seems that he continued to preach at Mattapony till Aug., 1843.
When Mr. John Bagby died he had over 50 grand- children, many great-grandchildren, and one great- great-grandchild. This would be interesting to many.
By B. H. W.
I propose to write some account of the people, old colonial seats, and incidents connected with the people of long ago, on and near the Mattapony River.
" THE MOUNT "
If my information is correct, the home of the Todd family near Dunkirk, called " The Mount," is the old- est colonial residence on the upper waters of the Mat- tapony.
When the Todds first came to this country they set- tled in Gloucester County, at Toddsbury. One of the family accompanied Gov. Spottswood on his expedition over the Blue Ridge Mountains, and was one of the Knights of the Horse Shoe. One branch of the family moved to King and Queen and made a home near Dun-
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kirk, which place at first was called Todds. There they acquired large possessions in lands and built on a very commanding bluff overlooking the Mattapony flats and river. The original owner was William Todd, who married a Miss Waring and died leaving a large fam- ily. The oldest son, also called William, inherited, under the law of primogeniture, all the landed estate, and Mrs. Todd was left comparatively poor with a number of sons. Being a woman of energy and judg- ment, she opened a hotel at Dunkirk, and, being suc- cessful, was enabled to educate her children, sending one son to Edinburgh, Scotland, to be educated as a physician.
There is a tradition that this place, now known as the " Mount," was the residence of Henry Edmond Washington (see Thackeray's "The Virginians "), and called by him "Fanny's Mount," after his wife, who was Fanny Mountain.
William Todd, 2d, left two daughters, one of whom married Samuel G. Fauntleroy, Sr., and the other Mr. Macon of Hanover. Mr. Fauntleroy was the last man in the county to use the coach and four. He continued to take his family to Bruington Church in his coach and four long after other families had discontin- ued the custom.
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