University of Virginia Library

EPISCOPAL.

By the old law of Virginia, the Anglican, or Episcopal,
was recognized as the Church of the State. The territory of
the State was divided into parishes for ecclesiastical government,
just as it was divided into counties for civil government.
The officers of the parishes were styled vestrymen,
twelve honest and discreet men for each, originally elected
by the freeholders of the parish, and vacancies afterwards
occurring to be filled by themselves. They had charge of
the erection and preservation of the church buildings, the
choosing of the rectors, and the care of the poor. The two
parishes which Albemarle contained were Fredericksville in
the north, and St. Anne's in the south. The dividing line
between them was the Three Notched Road, entering the
present limits of the county near Boyd's Tavern, and running
to Woods's Gap. Before the formation of the county, the
scattered inhabitants of the southern part, being still in
Goochland and the parish of St. James Northam, were the
objects of the spiritual care of Rev. Anthony Gavin. He
was the rector of that parish from about 1736 until his death
in 1749. From the description of him given by Bishop
Meade, and a letter of his quoted by him, he was evidently
a man of devoted industry and zeal. Though his residence
was in the neighborhood of Dover Mills, and the present
bounds of Goochland afford a large field of labor and travel,
yet he made frequent visits to the people living "up in the
mountains." In these remote parts he had seven places of
service, and in his journeys within the space of two years had
forded the North and South Rivers, that is, the Rivanna and
the James, nineteen times.

In St. Anne's parish two churches were built in early
times, the Church on Ballenger's Creek and the Forge
Church. The former is still standing, and has been altered

and occupied as a private residence. It is situated near the
creek, between the road from Warren to Howardsville, and
that passing through Porter's Precinct. The Forge Church
stood on the north side of the Hardware River, about a mile
or two below Carter's Bridge. From an act of the Legislature
passed in 1777, directing the Sheriff to summon the
freeholders of the parish to meet "at the new church on
Hardware," to elect a new vestry, it is inferred that it was
built but a short time before. Bishop Meade describes a
service held in it with Bishop Moore, not long after the latter
came to Virginia, which must have been about 1814; and
the account he gives of its dismantled condition, and the
open crevices through which wind and rain were wont to
drive, touches the heart with its pathos. At a meeting of
the Convention in Charlottesville in 1822, they adjourned to
meet at the Forge Church on Friday, and at Walker's on
Saturday. The Forge Church was still standing a few years
ago, but reduced to ignoble uses. Converted into a barn,
and filled with the fodder, in some way it caught fire, and
burned to the ground. The glebe of St. Anne's was bought
from William Harris in 1751 by Samuel Jordan and Patrick
Napier, Church Wardens of the parish. It consisted of four
hundred acres, and was located on the south fork of Totier
Creek, where it is crossed by the road from Scottsville to
Howardsville. After the glebes were declared public property,
it was sold in 1779 by Thomas Napier, George Thompson
and John Harris as Commissioners, to Joseph Cabell.
He gave it to his daughter Mrs. Breckinridge, and it was the
residence of her husband till his removal to Kentucky in
1793. The proceeds of the place, as well as of all the glebes
of the county, were eventually applied to the erection of the
University buildings.

The first rector of St. Anne's was Rev. Robert Rose. His
residence was in what became Amherst County, not far
from New Glasgow, but he occasionally preached in the
churches in Albemarle. He was succeeded by Rev. William
Camp, who in a short time went west, and was killed by the
Indians near Vincennes. He was followed by Rev. John

Ramsay, who in 1759 purchased from Jacob Eades three
hundred acres of land on the south fork of Totier. It is
judged from his will, which is on record, that he died in
1770. He left his whole estate to his wife Barbara, who the
same year sold the land on Totier to Abraham Eades, Jr., and
bought more than four hundred acres on Hardware, adjoining
the lands of the Carters and Hudsons. This land is
described as being near Scratchface Mountain, which it is
impossible now certainly to identify. Mrs. Ramsay subsequently
sold to John Wilkinson for the Iron Company, was
married to Thomas Richards, and removed to Bedford
County. Rev. Charles Clay, a cousin of Henry Clay, was
the next incumbent. He was an earnest minister, preaching
not only in the churches, but also in private houses and at
the Prison Barracks. He unhappily became involved in
lawsuits both with his vestry and with individuals, and this
occasioned his removal about 1784. He finally settled in
Bedford County, where he died, and by the directions of his
will an immense heap of stones, twenty feet in diameter and
twelve feet high, was piled up upon his grave. Rev. Isaac
Darneille succeeded Mr. Clay. He seems to have lived in
Nelson. Incurring heavy debts, he became a lawyer, and
finally escaping his liabilities as well as forsaking his family,
he went South.

Fredericksville parish at first occupied Louisa County;
but when in 1761 the western portion of Louisa was annexed
to Albemarle, the parish was divided by the county lines, the
part remaining in Louisa receiving the name of Trinity.
Two churches were erected in this parish, one on either side
of the South West Mountain. That on the east side was
first called Belvoir Church, then in common speech Walker's,
but is now known as Grace. When it was first built does
not appear. It already existed in 1769, as in that year John
Walker conveyed to Thomas Walker, Mosias Jones, Isaac
Davis, William Barksdale, Thomas Carr, Nicholas Lewis,
Nicholas Meriwether, John Rodes, Mordecai Hord, Thomas
Jefferson and William Simms, Church Wardens and Vestrymen
of Fredericksville parish, two acres "whereon the

Belvoir Church is situated." The church on the west side of
the mountain was the Buck Mountain Church. It originally
stood on the Buck Mountain Road, west of Earlysville.
The date of its construction is unknown. Bishop Meade
mentions that in 1745 it was determined to build three
churches in the parish, the third to be erected on the Buck
Mountain Road between the mountains. Its first mention
in the records occurs in 1797, when Lucy Mills, Executrix of
David Mills, conveyed to David Michie thirty-three acres,
"whereon the Buck Mountain Church was built." The
edifice, having fallen into disuse, was occupied by the
Baptists in 1801. They held services in it till 1833, when
the Episcopalians, being increased in numbers, asserted their
right, and resumed possession. In subsequent years the
church was rebuilt in Earlysville.

Rev. James Maury became the rector of Fredericksville
parish in 1754, and continued until his death in 1768. He
was succeeded by his son Rev. Matthew Maury, who
served until his death in 1808. Neither of these ministers occupied
the glebe, choosing rather to reside on their own farms.
This glebe on the side east of the mountain, consisting of four
hundred acres, was sold in 1809 to Nathaniel Ragland by
Edward Garland, Stephen Moore and others, who at the time
were acting as Overseers of the Poor. There was also a
glebe on the west side of the mountain, which was situated
between the Burnt Mills and Earlysville, and which was
sold in 1780 by Thomas Johnson and William Simms,
Church Wardens, to Epaphroditus Rhodes.

For many years after the death of Rev. Matthew Maury,
there was no Episcopal preaching in the county except occasionally
by ministers, who in passing held services in the
courthouse in Charlottesville. In 1818 Rev. John P. Bausman
was settled in the neighborhood for a short time. He
was followed by Rev. Frederick W. Hatch in 1820, who
lived in Charlottesville till 1830. He was an active and earnest
minister, and a zealous mason. During his incumbency
the Episcopal Church in town was built. The memory of
the older inhabitants differs in regard to the manner of its

erection, some affirming that it was built solely as an Episcopal
Church, and others as a Union Church. The truth
seems to be that the affair began as a union effort, but that
the house was at last erected as an Episcopal place of worship.
Bishop Meade states, that while the project of a union church
was agitated, it was opposed by Mr. Hatch. An advertisement
appeared in the Central Gazette on January twenty-third,
1824, proposing to purchase a lot for the building of a
church, and it was discontinued on April sixteenth. On
March nineteenth another appeared, inquiring for a lot for
an Episcopal Church. Doubtless the change of plan took
place in the interval between January and March. The
building was commenced that year. As already stated, a
letter dated in March of the ensuing year mentions that the
town contained "a half finished church." After the removal
of Mr. Hatch, and a short period of service by Rev. Zachariah
Mead, Rev. Richard K. Meade, son of the Bishop,
became rector, and the termination of his long pastorate is a
somewhat recent event.

Mr. Hatch, in addition to his busy ministerial labors,
preaching frequently at Buck Mountain and Walker's as well
as in town, was a school teacher. He erected as his residence
the brick house on the northeast corner of Market and Seventh
Streets, and taught in the one story brick near the east
end of Main, now occupied by William Durrett. A ludicrous
incident is told of him in connection with his celebrating the
rites of matrimony. In performing this useful work, he often
rode miles in the country in every direction. On one occasion
he was called to unite a couple in the Ragged Mountains.
When the ceremony was finished, the groom announced with
some confusion that he was unable to remunerate him for his
trouble. Mr. Hatch, observing a long string of gourds festooned
on the wall of the room, proposed accepting a number
of them. The young man was overjoyed at discharging his
obligation so easily. He cut off a goodly array, and to relieve
the parson from the inconvenience of carrying them, tied
them around his horse's neck. Thus accoutred, he started
on his return. As he approached the top of Vinegar Hill,

the horse took fright at something by the wayside, and set
off at full speed. The clash and rattle of the gourds increased
his panic, and made him dart ahead at a still wilder rate.
Down the hill he dashed, with his rider thrown forwards, and
clinging around his neck with both hands, the gourds all the
while keeping up their discordant clatter. The mad race
continued through the whole length of the street, before the
gaze of the astonished townsmen; nor was the rider released
from his perilous position, until the panting steed drew up
at the stable door. While Mr. Hatch was a resident of
Charlottesville, a son was born to him, who received his
own name, became a distinguished physician, and died a few
years ago in Sacramento, California.

Besides the meeting of the Convention in 1822, it met
again in Charlottesville in 1829, and during its sessions Rev.
William Meade was elected Bishop of the Diocese of Virginia.