USA > Virginia > Fairfax County > Fairfax County > The history of Truro Parish in Virginia > Part 2
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THE HISTORY OF TRURO PARISH
Summers to "pale in the yard about the new Church after the same manner the yard about the Church at Pohick is paled in, (only the pails to be sawed,) to make good and sufficient shutters for the windows of the said Church, and to make and erect two good and substantial horse blocks," for 3000 pounds of tobacco.
THE REV. CHARLES GREEN, M. D., THE FIRST REGULAR RECTOR OF TRURO PARISH.
The Vestry which met on the 13th of August, 1737, was the first which was held under the aus- pices of a regular Rector, and the following pro- ceedings were entered on the minutes :
"Whereas at a Vestry held for this Parish on the nineteenth day of August one thousand seven hundred and thirty six, the now Reverend Mr. Charles Green was recommended to the Right Honorable Thomas Lord Fairfax, for his presen- tation of the said Green to the Lord Bishop of London for his ordination. And it now appearing to this Vestry, as well by the letter of the Honor- able William Gooch Esqr. Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, as the letter of the Reverend Mr. James Blair Commissary, that the said Green is regularly and legally ordained. It is therefore ordered by this Vestry, that the said Green be received into, and entertained as Minister of, this
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THE HISTORY OF TRURO PARISH
parish; and that he be provided for, as the laws of this Colony direct."*
This being passed there is noted as "Present, the reverend Mr. Charles Green Minister."
"Ordered, that the Church Wardens place the people that are not already placed, in Pohick and the new Churches, in pews, according to their several ranks and degrees."
"Ordered, that the sum of two thousand five hundred pounds of tobacco be yearly levied for the Reverend Mr. Charles Green, until the build- ings that are to be erected upon the Glebe be com- pleated according to agreement made with the undertaker."
"Ordered, that the Reverend Mr. Charles Green preach four times in a year only, at the Chappell above Goose Crek. And that the Sun- day he preaches at the said Chappell, the sermon shall be taken from the new Church."
At a Vestry on the third day of October, 1737, the usual appropriations for the salaries of the minister and other officers of the Church, and for the poor and other current expenses of the Parish,
*The Rev. Mr. Green was a Doctor of Medicine before he took orders, and appears to have practised to some extent afterwards. On at least one occasion he was called in at Mount Vernon, for lack of a regular practitioner, and prescribed for the relief of Mrs. Washington. He was a large landowner, and his Deeds, in which he is described as Doctor of Physic and Clerk of Truro Parish, are of frequent occurrence in the land records of the County. In his latter years his health appears to have been poor. In his will, pro- bated August 19th, 1765, he leaves 3,000 acres of land, lying in Fairfax, Prince William and Loudoun, to his wife. He also men- tions certain relatives in Ireland, and advises his wife to return to that country, from which it is supposed that he was an Irish- man.
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THE HISTORY OF TRURO PARISH
were made, amounting to 38,383 pounds of tobac- co. The Parish Levy was at the rate of 421/2 pounds per Poll. The next year it was 45 pounds. Among the appropriations made were;
To the Rev. Charles Green,
Minister, salary, 16729 lbs. tobacco.
To Mr. Joseph Blumfield, to be paid Rev. Chas. Green .. 1597
To Edward Washington, Sub Sheriff, per account .. 300 "
To Francis Aubrey gent. for finding books for the Chap- pell
200 66
To buy ornaments for the
Churches and books for the Chappell, and Plate for Communion 8000 6
To Mr. Richard Osborn for taring the Churches, &c .... 1100 66
To Edward Emms for sali- vating James Boilstone .... 1000
The Readers at the churches received their usual 1000 pounds, and the Sextons 500. A com-
*The Ministers salary was fixed by the law of 1696 at 16,000 pounds of tobacco. In 1727 the "cask" was added, for which an addition of eight per cent. was allowed; though for some reason in Truro only four per cent. was added for cask, and Mr. Green's sal- ary after this time was 16,640 pounds, until in 1748 an additional four per cent. was allowed for "shrinkage." Thereafter the salary was 17,280 pounds, with, of course, the Glebe and buildings de- manded by law. The value of a Minister's "Living" depended not a little on the quality of the tobacco raised in his Parish. Com- missary Blair used to distinguish between "Sweet-scented" and "Oronoco" Parishes.
+The Rev. Mr. Blumfield, who seems to have performed occa- sional ministerial services in the parish before the arrival of Mr. Green.
THE HISTORY OF TRURO PARISH
mission of 6 per cent. was paid for collecting the levy.
"Whereas the Rev. Charles Green hath this day agreed with the Vestry to take the tobacco levied to purchase books for the Chappell above Goose Creek and ornaments for the Churches, at the rate of eleven shillings current money per hun- dred. He by the said agreement obliging himself to find and provide the said books and ornaments, being allowed fifty per cent. upon the first cost in accounting with the Church Wardens. It is or- dered that the collector pay to the said Green the sum of 8000 pounds of tobacco, it being the quan- tity this day levied for the purpose aforesaid." Mr. . Green also contracted to build the addition to the Glebe house for the sum appropriated.
Among the offices of the Church Wardens was the duty of binding orphan and other indigent children as Apprentices; and ten pages of the Ves- try Book at this period are filled with Indentures. Their specifications in regard to the duties and morals of those apprenticed, their being taught to read English and the "Art and mystery" of shoe- making, or of a Carpenter, or Cooper, etc., are curious illustrations of the times.
At a Vestry held 6th. of October, 1740, a peti- tion was presented from William Fairfax Esqr. Catesby Cocke, Gent. and Charles Green, Doctor of Physick, "setting forth that the Church at Pohick is too small to admit of a commodious re-
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THE HISTORY OF TRURO PARISH
ception for the parishioners who resort to divine services at the said Church, and praying that they may be admitted to build a Gallery at the West end of the said Church for the reception and more easie accommodation of themselves and their fami- lies, and that the same may be erected at their own proper cost. It is ordered that they may have liberty to erect the same, so that it does dis- commode the lights of the Church, or interfere with any other conveniency thereto belonging." "Col. John Colvill is appointed and chosen Church Warden in the room of Thomas Lewis."
In 1741 nothing appears on the record but the ordinary routine of laying levies, and making an- nual appropriations for the poor, and the other current expenses of the Parish.
INSTITUTION OF FAIRFAX COUNTY
In 1742 Fairfax County was taken from Prince William, and the boundary lines of Truro Parish and of the new county coincided .*
*The Act forming the new County, "Consisting of the Parish of Truro," (including what are now Loudoun and Alexandria Counties, as well as Fairfax,) took effect December 1st, 1742. (Hening, V, 207.) The first Court-House was established on "Freedom Hill," a mile or two north of the present village of Vienna, on land deeded to the County by William Fairfax. Probably that was then near the center of population. In 1754 the Court-House was moved to
Alexandria, and on July 1st, 1757. Loudoun County was cut off from Fairfax. An Act of Assembly was passed December 4, 1789, direct- ing two acres of land to be purchased and the county buildings to be erected "Within one mile of the cross roads, near Price's Or- dinary," that being near the center of the County. But it was not until 1801 that the present Court-House was completed, on land deeded by Richard Ratcliffe, and the Court removed. The village which slowly grew up at the County seat received the name of
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THE HISTORY OF TRURO PARISH
Among the duties of the Vestries was the appointment every four years of reputable Free- holders to "perambulate" the Parish,-going around the plantations and renewing the land- marks. This was called "Processioning. * To this end the Parish was divided into precincts, like our modern Townships. These are reproduced because they throw light upon the geography and population of the precincts at the time of the sev- eral processionings, and also because the Proces- sioners named owned land within their several precincts at that date, and their names and locali- ties are thus prescribed.
At a Vestry held the 8th of August, 1743, for appointing Processioners, etc. "Pursuant to an order of Fairfax County Court the Vestry pro- ceeded and laid off the said Parish into precincts and appointed Processioners in manner following : "Ordered, that Richard Simpson and Thos. Ford procession all the pattented lands that lye
Providence, while the County seat of Culpeper County was known as Fairfax. The old Virginia habit of calling the County seat "The Court-House" prevailed, however, and both villages lost their names, until finally, aided by the mandate of the Post Office De- partment, "Culpeper Court-House" became "Culpeper" and "Fair- fax Court-House" has now become "Fairfax."
*This was a revival in Virginia, in about the year 1662, of an old English and Scottish custom which had already fallen into dis- use in the old country. Processionings were required every four years. Originally the Vestries had only to mark out the precincts, and appoint the days, between Easter and Whitsunday, for the processioning, which was performed by the parties interested, but after 1705 they had also to "appoint at least two intelligent honest freeholders of each precinct to see such processioning performed, to take and return to the Vestry an account of every persons land they shall procession, and of the persons present at the same." These accounts were to be carefully recorded and preserved by the Vestry in books specially provided. Three processionings fixed the
bounds of lands beyond dispute.
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THE HISTORY OF TRURO PARISH
between Occoquan and Pohick on the upper side of the Ox road, and between that and Occoquan as far up as Popes head. and that they perform the same sometime in the month of October or No- vember next, and report their proceedings accord- ing to Law." In like manner it was ordered, that William Champneys and Francis Cofer procession between Occoquan and Pohick, and on the lower side of the Ox road, as far up as the head branches of Popes head; that John Manley and John Brown procession between Pohick and Doegs Creek, from the head branches of Pohick by Col. Fitz- hughs Rolling road, to the head of Doeg's Run; that Zephaniah Wade and Sampson Darrell pro- cession between Doegs Run and Great Hunting Creek; that Daniel French Senior and John Glad- din procession between Great Hunting Creek and Pimmetts Run; that James Robertson and Guy Broadwater procession between Pimmetts Run and Difficult Run; that John Trammell and John Harle procession between Difficult Run and Broad Run; that Anthony Hampton and William Moore procession between Broad Run and the south side of Goose Creek as far as the fork of Little River; that Philip Noland and John Lasswell procession between Goose Creek and Limestone Run as far as the fork of Little River; that Amos Janney and William Halling procession between Limestone Run and the south branch of Kitoctan; "Between the south fork of Kitoctan and Williams Gap, no
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THE HISTORY OF TRURO PARISH
freeholder in this precinct. Between Williams Gap, Ashbys Gap, the county line, and Goose Creek, to the Beaver Dam, and back to the Gap. No freeholder in this precinct. Between the Beaver Dam and the north east fork of Goose Creek. No freeholder in this precinct."-that Lovel Jackson and Jacob Lasswell procession be- tween the north east and north west forks of Goose Creek; that John Middleton and Edward Hews procession between Little River and Goose Creek; that William West and William Hall Junior pro- cession between Little River and Walnut Cabbin branch; that George Adams and Daniel Diskin procession between Walnut Cabbin branch, Broad run and Cub run; that William Berkley and Vin- cent Lewis procession between Cub run and Popes head. "Ordered, that the Processioners, accord- ing to their judgement, shape a line from the head of one branch to the head of another; and that if any persons land crosses any of the natural boun- darys mentioned, the first set of Processioners are to go round the land."
VESTRY DISSOLVED, AND A NEW VESTRY ELECTED
In 1744 it was represented to the General As- sembly that divers members of the Vestry of Truro Parish were not able to read or write, and were not otherwise qualified. The Vestry was dissolved
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THE HISTORY OF TRURO PARISH
by an Act of Assembly, and the Sheriff of the County was ordered to call a meeting of the free- holders and housekeepers to choose a new Vestry of the "most able and discreet persons in the Par- ish." In obedience to this order the following persons were chosen to compose the new Vestry, Viz :
Capt. John West
Capt. Richard Osborn
Capt. Lewis Ellzey
Mr. Daniel French
Mr. John Sturman
Mr. Edward Emms
Capt. John Minor
Mr. Robert Boggess
Mr. Hugh West
Colo. John Colvill
Mr. Andrew Hutchinson Mr. Charles Broadwater.
These persons, having taken the oaths required by law to be taken, subscribed the test, and to be conformable to Doctrine and Discipline of the Church of England, were sworn Vestrymen of the Parish of Truro .*
Bishop Meade expresses surprise at this dissolu- tion in view of the number of intelligent men in the Parish, and supposes that it must have taken place elsewhere. But the Rev. Charles Green made a note in the Vestry Book which explains the proceeding. He says that "One of the causes assigned for the dissolution of the Vestry was that
*These political oaths were three in number, and the third was quite long. They were oaths of allegiance and of abjuration of Popery and of the Pretender, etc., and were required of all Civil and Military officers by the laws of England and of Virginia. They may be seen in Bp. Meade's "Old Churches, Ministers and Families of Virginia," Vol. II, p. 41. It seems to have required as many as six oaths and subscriptions properly to qualify a Vestryman in those days.
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THE HISTORY OF TRURO PARISH
several of them were illiterate. There was but one of them illiterate, namely Edward Emms, who was reelected." The truth seems to be that the Dele- gates to the Assembly and other leading men often had Vestries dissolved when they displeased them .*
John West and Lewis Ellzey were sworn as Church Wardens, and William Henry Terrett was elected Clerk of the Vestry.
1745, April 15th. Messrs. John West, Hugh West, Hutchinson, French, Boggess and Broad- water were appointed to "view the most con- venient place between Sailsbury plain, Little river and Potomac river for a Chappel of Ease to be built, and to treat with the workmen about the building thereof," and report to the Vestry.t Also
*The Act of Dissolving the Vestry of Truro was proposed in the House of Burgesses by Lawrence Washington, Esq., Oct. 15, 1744. It will be found in Hening's Statutes, Vol. V, p. 274. The pre- amble states that "many of them were never lawfully chosen or qualified; that several are not able to read or write." While the charge of illiteracy was doubtless overstated there can be no doubt that some of the Vestrymen were not lawfully chosen; for while the law was very explicit in limiting the number of Vestrymen in a parish to twelve, there were at least sixteen at one time in Truro, and on three occasions thirteen were recorded as being present at a Vestry.
By an Act of Assembly in 1745 the election of the new Vestry was confirmed, and the said Vestry was established as the legal Vestry of the Parish. Hening, Vol. V, p. 380.
*This Church was not built by the Truro Vestry. On October 7th of this same year it was "Ordered, that the Church to be built be built at Rocky run instead of the place already appointed, it appear- ing there is no water there, and that the Clerk prepare deeds for Capt. Newton to sign and execute for land for the use of the Church." After this we hear nothing more of it in the Vestry Book, and no tobaccoo was levied in this Parish for its erection. The site se- lected fell in Cameron Parish upon the division in 1749, and that the Church was built immediately thereafter we discover from a fragment of the records of the County Court of Fairfax for that period which escaped destruction. On July 21, 1752, the Court ordered "That Lewis Ellzey, Hugh West jr. James Hamilton, Dem- sie Cairde and James Halley, or any three of them, view and mark a way for a road to be cleared the most convenient way from
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THE HISTORY OF TRURO PARISH
ordered that Messrs. John West, Ellzey and French view what necessary repairs are wanting at Goose Creek Chapel and agree with workmen therefor; that a gallery be built in the west end of the upper Church and the Church Wardens agree with workmen for the same; and that the Minister make choice of proper persons to officiate as Read- ers at each Church. May 21st it was ordered "That a Church be built at or near the spring nigh Mr. Hutchinsons and the Mountain road," 40 feet long, 22 feet wide and 13 feet pitch, weather- boarded, shingled, and "ceiled with quartered plank beaded and plained,-with pulpit, desk, Communion Table, pews, doors, windows and seats after the manner of the upper Church." The Clerk was instructed to prepare deeds for Mr. Hutchinson's conveyance of two acres of land for the Church and churchyard, and articles of agree- ment and bond for Hugh Thomas, who undertakes to build the Church for 24,500 pounds of tobacco, to be finished by the end of October 1746. On October 14th, 1746, John Summers, William Harle and Thomas Darus were appointed "to view the new Church, and to report on oath the state
Alexandria to Rocky Run Chappell, and report to the Court." On November 21st the same parties were sworn and ordered to open the road. Doubtless this is what is now locally known as the old Braddocks Road; and if a part of Gen. Braddock's force did pass over it in the spring of 1755 they may have found it in such an unfinished condition as to compel them to do further work on it, so giving rise to the tradition that it was opened by Braddock. The site of the Chapel would seem to have been at or near the point where this road crosses Little Rocky Run, about half a mile east of Centerville.
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THE HISTORY OF TRURO PARISH
and condition of the work, whether there is an de- ficiency or not." Also it was "Ordered, that the . Minister preach eight times in the year at the New Church, and that he do proportion the times equally from each Church."*
The following items from the accounts current show the payments to the officers of the Churches, etc. :
Rev. Charles Green, Salary and cask
16,640 lbs. of tobacco
Clerks at Pohick, Upper
Church, New Church,
and Goose Creek, each ..
I200 66
66
Clerk of the Vestry
500
66
Mary Bennit, Sexton at
the Upper Church. .
400
66
66
Do. for washing the sur- plice
125
Philip Howel, Sexton at Pohick, and washing
surplice twice
550
Hugh West, for account book
IIO
66
Do. for bringing said
book from Williamsburg
66
50
66
*This Church was probably located near the present village of Dranesville. The deed from Hutchinson to the Vestry is on record in the Clerk's Office of Fairfax, dated August 19th, 1745. He con- veys two acres, near the Mountain road, to be laid off at the ex- pense of the Parish, so as to include the Church intended and agreed to be built thereon, with a spring, etc. On the division of the Parish this Church fell in Cameron.
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THE HISTORY OF TRURO PARISH
Dr. Robinson, physick and
attendance on poor. I200 Dr. Daniel Hart, per ac- count, for poor. 3880
66
66
Various items, relief of the
poor, one year.
4630 66 66
A MANDAMUS
In the proceedings of the Vestry for June, 1747, it is said that a Mandamus was presented to the Vestry in behalf of William Grove; who being ex- amined denied that he knew anything of its being prosecuted, and also quit all claim to the Clerk's place. This is the first instance of a Mandamus being served on a Vestry that I have met with. It is explained by a note on the margin by the Minis- ter, thus: "William Grove was recommended to me by Capt. Newton as a person capable to be Clerk Etc. but on trial was found not capable. Also he came into the County convicted, though probably he might have behaved well afterward. For these reasons I appointed Wm. Champneys Clerk, which occasioned the Mandamus."
William Grove was made Sexton at the new Church.
In 1748, in addition to the usual items, pay- ments were made to John Graham, Valentine Wade, Mary Willis, Baldwin Dade, John Carlyle,
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THE HISTORY OF TRURO PARISH
and William Moore for levies overcharged, and to Dr. John Hunter for services to the poor.
FIRST DIVISION OF TRURO PARISH
By an act of the Assembly of October, 1748, it was enacted that from and after the eleventh day of June then next Truro Parish should be divided, "by Difficult Run and its meanders from the mouth to the head thereof, thence by a line to the head of Popes head run, and down the said run to the mouth thereof." All on the lower side of said runs and line to retain the name of Truro, and all on the upper side to be "one other distinct Parish and called by the name of Cameron."*
Truro was now limited to the foregoing metes and bounds; and Cameron Parish had jurisdiction above the said line, with its own Minister and Ves- try. The division transferred 707 tithables to Cameron, leaving 1240 in Truro. Several of the
*See Hening's Statutes, Vol. VI, pp. 214 and 271. In 1757 Fair- fax County was divided and Loudoun County formed, the line being as follows: "Difficult run, which falls into Patowmack river, and a line to be run from the head of the said run, a straight course, to the mouth of Rocky run;" (Now known as Little Rocky Run, emptying into the Bull Run. ) This left a small part of Cameron Parish, lying between Popes Head and the above line, still in Fairfax. By another Act, however, in effect January 1st, 1763, this was taken from Cameron and added to Truro, so that the parish and County lines should coincide. (See Hening, Vol. VII, pp. 148 and 612.) In 1798 the present line between Fairfax and Loudoun was established, being about eight miles west of the old line; but of course at that date no change was made in the Parish lines by the Legislature, and Cameron again lay partly in Fairfax. This fact was forgotten, however, and when in 1884 a new Parish was formed, almost entirely within the territory of Cameron, it received the name of Upper Truro Parish.
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THE HISTORY OF TRURO PARISH
old Vestrymen also lived in Cameron. The new Vestry of Truro consisted of,-
Hugh West,
Abraham Barnes,
George Mason,
Thomas Wren,
James Hamilton,
Robert Boggess
Charles Broadwater,
John Turley,
Daniel Mc.Carty,
William Peake,
William Payne, Jeremiah Bronaugh.
This is the first appearance of the great Author of the Bill of Rights in the Vestry Book. Mr. Bronaugh died within a few months, and was suc- ceeded as Church Warden by Mr. Mason and as Vestryman by John West .*
February 19, 1749-50, the Vestry agree with Charles Broadwater Gent. to make an addition to the Upper Church, according to plans produced, for 12,000 pounds of tobacco. It was also ordered that the sills and sleepers of Pohick Church be repaired, the north side of the Church newly shingled with poplar or chestnut shingles, that windows be made in the "Justices Pew" and in the "Womens Pew," that the Church be raised and new blocked, and that a Vestry House be built, sixteen feet square, framed and clapboarded, to have "an inside wooden chimney and to be lofted with clapboards." Capt. Daniel McCarty under- takes this work for 5,500 pounds of tobacco, he
*This was the third Vestry of Truro. We miss henceforward several familiar names, among them our old friends, Edward Emms, Richard Osborn and Andrew Hutchinson. It is very likely that two at least of these would be found on the first Vestry of Cameron.
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THE HISTORY OF TRURO PARISH
having also the material in the old Vestry House to make what use of he can in building the new. Afterward this work was ordered to be deferred, and two years later the contract, with the addition of a window by the pulpit and making good the pews and floor, was given to Mr. Daniel French for sixty-three pounds current money.
On the 20th of May, 1751, it was ordered, "That the Clerk of the Vestry present unto the next Court of Claims and Propositions a petition in the name of the Minister, Churchwardens and Vestry of this Parish to Honour'1. House of Burgesses setting forth the insufficiency and inconveniency of the Glebe land of said Parish in order that an Act of Assembly be obtained for the Vestry to sell the same and buy land more convenient for the same uses, and also to pay the upper Parish of this County their proportion of what the said land may. sell for."* In 1752 an Act of Assembly granted the petition.
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