1785,-nine years after. No delegation then appears, and the name of Tillotson disappears from the journal until the year 1830, when the Rev. Mr. Osgood, minister of Moore parish, Campbell county, reports some services in it. In the year 1833, the Rev. Mr. Swift was there. In the year 1838, the Rev. Mr. Cofer,-how long before or after we have not the present means of ascertaining. In the year 1845, the Rev. Mr. Meredith appears as its minister, and has continued so to the present time. A new church has been erected in this parish, which now stands at Curdsville, having been originally placed a few miles from its present site, but recently removed to its present more convenient position. No vestry-book remains to furnish the names of the old vestrymen and families of this parish. There were two old churches in Buckingham. At one of them, called Goodwin, near the court-house, we have officiated. The locality of the other we cannot specify, but think that it was somewhere near the Methodist Female College. PARISH OF FLUVANNA, IN FLUVANNA COUNTY. These were separated at the same time by an Act of Assembly, in 1777, from Albemarle county and St. Anne's parish. Just entering on the war, during which little or nothing was done, even in the old parishes, it is doubtful whether a vestry was elected or any steps taken toward building a church. At any rate, there is no record of it. The following extract, from the letter of a friend to whom I applied for information, tells nearly all that is known. of this parish: "Our annals do not go far back. From 1835 to 1849 we were connected with St. James parish, Goochland. At the Convention of 1849 we were admitted into union with it, as Rivanna parish.* Our first minister was the Rev. Mr. Pleasants in 1835, and, I think, the first who ever preached statedly in the county. He only remained about three months. The next was the Rev. Mr. Doughen, who remained less than two years. He was followed by the Rev. J. P. B. Wilmer in 1838 and 1839. He was succeeded by the Rev. R. H. Wilmer in April, 1839, who continued until the fall of 1843. The Rev. J. P. B. Wilmer returned to the parish and continued until Easter, 1849. After our separation from Goochlaud. the Rev. Lewis P. Clover was with us from October, 1850, to Aprií, 1852. The Rev. Mr. Bulkley succeeded him, and was with us from July, 1852, to December, 1855. The only Episcopal Church which has ever been in * The name given it by Act of Assembly, in 1777, was Fluvanna parish. Perhaps this fact was not known or thought of at the time of its new name. the county is St. John's, Columbia, which was consecrated on the 30th of July, 1850. The only Episcopal families prior to 1835 were the Carys and General Cocke's. Since that time the two Mr. Galts, Mr. Archy Harrison's, Mr. Bryant's, Mr. Brent's, and a goodly number of other families. have been added. ARTICLE L. Fredericksville and Trinity Parishes, in Louisa and Albemarle Counties. AFTER the separation of Louisa county from Hanover, in the year 1742, and of Fredericksville parish, Louisa, from St. Martin's, Hanover, the parish of Fredericksville was enlarged by taking in a part of Albemarle lying north and west of the Rivanna. After some years Fredericksville parish was divided into Fredericksville and Trinity, the former being in Albemarle and the latter in Louisa. We first treat of it in its enlarged and undivided state. It was then without a place of worship, except an old mountain-chapel (age not known) where Walker's Church afterward stood. The first meeting of the vestry was in 1742. The vestry-book has some documents worthy of introduction as historical antiquities. They were the tests required of vestrymen at that period of England's history: "I. 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. "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 excommunicate or deprived by the Pope, or any authority of the See of Rome, may be deposed or murdered by their subjects or any other whatsoever. And I do declare that no foreign Prince, Prelate, Person, State, or Potentate, hath, or ought to have, any jurisdiction, power, superiority, pre-eminence, or authority, ecclesiastical or spiritual, within this realm. So help me God. "II. Oath of Allegiance. "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 himself the style and title of, the King of England, or by the name of James the Third, or of Scotland by the name of James the Eighth, or the style and title of King of Great Britain, hath not any right whatsoever to the crown of this realm, or any other dominions hereto 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 his Majesty King George the Second, 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 endeavour 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 subjects,' is, and stands limited to, the Princess Sophia, late Electress and Duchess-Dowager of Hanover, and the heirs of her body, being Protestants; and all other these things I do plainly and sincerely acknowledge and swear, according to these express words by me spoken, and according to the plain and commonsense understanding of the same words, without any equivocation, mental evasion, or secret reservation whatsoever; and I do make this recognition, acknowledgment, abjuration, renunciation, and promise, heartily, willingly, and truly, upon the true faith of a Christian, so help me God. "THOMAS PAULETT, "Test-Oath. ROBERT LEWIS, CHARLES BARRETT, "I do declare that I do believe that there is not any transubstantiation in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, or in the Elements of bread and wine at or after the consecration thereof by any person whatsoever." From the foregoing it is evident that the apprehension of Popery and the success of the Pretender was quite strong, and that the English Church and Government endeavoured, not only at home, but in the Colonies, through her officers, to guard most effectually against both. Those who signed the above tests were the first vestrymen after the organization of the parish in 1742. The following were added different times until the division of the parish in 1762:-Thomas Walker, John Meriwether, Nicholas Meriwether, David Mills, Robert Harris, Robert Anderson, Tyree or Tyrce Harris, William Johnson, John Harvie, Thomas Johnson. After the division, a new vestry was elected from Fredericksville parish. Some of the old ones continued, and others were added, as Morias Jones, Isaac Davis, Thomas Caw, William Barksdale, John Foster, Hezekiah Rice. Robert Clark. Nicholas Lewis, and at differ ent times afterward John Walker, Henry Fry, Thomas Jefferson,* William Tims, John Rodes, John Harvie, Mordecai Ford, Isaac Davis, James Quarles, William Dalton, Dr. George Gilmer, David Hooks, James Marks, Thomas Walker, Jr., Robert Michie, James Minor, Peter Clarkson, William Michie, Reuben Tinsley, Francis Walker, George Nicholas, Joseph Tunstall, William D. Meriwether. The last election of vestrymen was in 1787; and the last act r corded in the vestry-books was the election of Mr. John Walker as lay delegate to the Convention of that year. Having thus drawn from our record all that relates to the vestrymen, we will return and gather up whatever else is worthy of notice. There being no churches in the parish, the services were held at Louisa Court-House and at various private houses at different points in the county. These were performed by lay readers on Sundays, and for some years by the Rev. Mr. Barrett, from Hanover, twentyfour times in the year during the days of labour, three hundred and twenty pounds of tobacco being paid for each sermon. In the year 1745 it was determined to build three frame churches, one in some central place in Louisa county, called the Lower Church, and sometimes Trinity Church; another in Albemarle, called Middle Church, and which was doubtless the same with Walker's Church; and the third between the mountains on the Buckmountain Road, which is doubtless the same with that now called Buckmountain Church. Each of these was built at different times during the few following years. In the year 1763 another church was resolved on nearer to Orange, whether built or not I cannot say. In the year 1747 the Rev. Mr. Arnold was chosen for one year, and continued until his death, in 1754, when his funeral was preached by Mr. Barrett. * Mr. Jefferson, then living at Shadwell Mills, on the west side of the Rivanna, was in Fredericksville parish, and appears to have been an active vestryman for some years. Himself and Nicholas Meriwether were ordered to lay off two acres of land including a space around Walker's Church,-land given by Mr. Walker. Of the Walkers, four of whom appear repeatedly on the vestry-book, I have only been able to obtain the following notices. Dr. Thomas Walker is believed to have been the first discoverer of Kentucky in 1750. In 1755 he was with Washington at Braddock's defeat. In 1775 he was one of the committee of safety appointed by the Convention of 1775 on the breaking out of the troubles with England. He was also repeatedly a member of the General Assembly. Colonel John Walker, his eldest son, was for a short time aid to General Washington during the war. He was also for a short time a member of the Senate of the United States. Colonel Francis Walker, the youngest son, was repeatedly member of the State Legislature, and represented the counties of Albemarle and Orange in Congress from 1791 to 1795. |