 | Annals of Henrico parish |  |
INTRODUCTION.
A history of Henrico Parish, and particularly of old St.
John's Church, has been a long-felt want, embracing as it
does statistical information, historic facts and Church data
that are obtainable from no other source than its old records.
Convinced of the importance of such an undertaking and impressed
with this public need, the Vestry of St. John's
Church, on the 4th day of February, 1902, on motion of
Mr. G. G. Minor, adopted the following resolution unanimously,
That a committee be appointed, to be known as
the Committee on St. John's History, whose duty it shall
be to gather from time to time material looking to the publication
of a history of St. John's Protestant Episcopal
Church. Members are as follows: J. S. Moore, Chairman;
Cyrus Bossieux, Senior Warden; John F. Mayer, Junior
Warden; P. R. Carrington, W. W. Davies. The committee
met and delegated the compilation of the work and the
writing of the history to its Chairman, Mr. J. S. Moore.
Many of the records of St. John's have been lost or destroyed,
and some of those in possession of the Church are
fragmentary and imperfectly kept; hence this compendium
is necessarily incomplete and contains errors and important
omissions. The records since 1860 are fairly well kept, and
are in good condition.
During the period of the administration of Rev. William
H. Hart (the exact date does not appear), the congregation
was composed chiefly of "Heads of Families," and the members
of the same, very few of whom were communicants. A
list is given showing "Heads of Families" 63, members 204,
of whom only 42 were communicants.
In 1840 Mr. Hart gives the list of communicants as only
41 in number. At another period he gives the list of communicants
as only 21, including the minister and his wife,
at this time was at a very low ebb.
During the Rev. J. H. Morrison's incumbency, it appears
that the congregation was composed of "pew holders." A
list given by him in 1845 shows 45 by name, but it does not
state how many of these were communicants.
Rt. Rev. Lewis William Burton, when rector of St. John's,
commenced the annals of the Parish and Church, and at the
earnest solicitation of the Vestry, he kindly completed his
labor of love after he became Bishop of the Diocese of Lexington,
Ky. His annals of Henrico Parish are embraced in
this volume. It was also deemed proper to include in this
volume the portraits of all the Bishops of Virginia, the ministers
and assistant ministers of St. John's Church, the portraits
of Col. Wm. Byrd, Jr., who donated the grounds upon
which the old Church stands; the site was then known as
"Indian Town Hill"; of the Rev. Alexander Whitaker (the
"apostle"), the first Episcopal minister of Virginia; of
Patrick Henry, whose eloquence served to render the old
Church famous; of the Church itself, with its furniture, etc.
A copy of the Old Vestry Book of Henrico Parish, with
notes by Dr. R. A. Brock, from 1730 to 1773, with its quaint
entries, is also embraced in this volume.
As the compiler of this work and as chairman of the Committee
on the History of St. John's, I desire to testify to the
faithfulness of the individuals of the committee, and to tender
publicly my thanks for their helpful aid and cordial
co-operation. Each has rendered efficient assistance, and
without their help in getting together the portraits and other
work my task would have been prolonged and difficult. I
am under special obligation to Mr. W. W. Davies and Mr.
P. R. Carrington for pictures of the Bishops and ministers
that were unobtainable through any other source; and to Mr.
Carrington for data, the result of tireless energy and deep
research. Captain John F. Mayer has, during the progress
of the work, shown that courtesy of manner and obliging
disposition that have always characterized his individuality.
Captain Cyrus Bossieux has by his prompt attendance at the
meetings of the committee lent the encouragement of his
presence and counsel. In fact, no chairman could have had
blessed with. It was our sad misfortune to lose by death
one of our companions, who was always the first to be present
whenever a meeting of the committee was called, and who
was deeply interested in the department he was so well qualifid
to fill—the collection of portraits.
In the midst of our labors, in December, 1903, our associate,
Mr. William Williams Davies, was called to his eternal
rest. The deaths in this family within a period of two
months have been peculiarly touching and distressing. About
the middle of November last his eldest daughter was stricken
and died; she was the light of his life, the apple of his eye, the
pride of his soul. Mr. Davies, though a man of strong will
power, was physically weak and never recovered from this
blow. He was completely crushed. Soon after her death
he gave up, and had a premonition of his own approaching
end; but he never lost interest in the work of the committee
as long as he drew breath, and his love for the Church never
waned. One of the last acts of his life was to donate by will
a "Davies Memorial," to cost $1,500. To this munificent bequest
Mrs. Davies has added the further sum of $500, making
the total "Davies Memorial" $2,000. Mrs. Davies has also
presented St. John's Sunday school with a splendid organ.
Two days before his death the writer sat at his bedside and
held in his grasp his feeble hand as he talked about the work
upon which we were engaged, evincing to the last the keenest
interest. A few days after Mr. Davies' death his other
daughter and the last of his children succumbed also to the
grim tyrant, leaving his widow entirely alone.
Mr. Davies was entirely conscious of his condition. No
fear of the future seemed to disturb his mind; having lived a
godly life, he died the death of the righteous. He exhibited
in his last moments that courtesy and consideration for
others that characterized him in his daily life, and a chivalric
feeling, a sympathetic thought, worthy of a Chevalier Bayard
or a Sir Philip Sidney. A few moments before he drew
his last breath he turned to his wife at his bedside and said,
quietly and calmly, at the same time lovingly patting her
hand: "Little Marie, go out for a little while, I don't wish
you to see the last struggle"; but his wife, with true devotion
years I have been to you a faithful wife, and I will not desert
you now!" Thus passed away one of the most kindly
and courteous of gentlemen. Let us trust
His sun is risen, not set;
His life is now beyond
The reach of death or change—
Not ended, but begun."
I think it but proper I should pay this tribute to one associated
with us in this work, and who was so deeply interested
in its success.
The committee is greatly indebted to Dr. R. A. Brock, the
distinguished historian and antiquarian, for placing at its
disposal inscriptions from tombstones and monuments of St.
John's Church-yard, taken soon after the late civil war.
Many of these tombstones have since been destroyed by the
elements and the disintegration of time; and but for Dr.
Brock it would have been impossible to have secured them.
Dr. Brock not only placed his copies of these inscriptions at
our disposal, but has kindly added brief annotations to many
of them that make them interesting and instructive.
Our beloved Bishop, R. A. Gibson, has also added to the interest
of this volume by his entertaining sketches; as has our
beloved rector, R. A. Goodwin, in contributing sketches of
some of the Bishops of Virginia. We are also under many
obligations to Mr. W. G. Stanard, of the Virginia Historical
Society, for brief biographical sketches of the same character.
We are also greatly indebted to Mr. D. C. Richardson for permitting
us to take from his notes of Henrico County Court
Records, the list of marriages of Henrico Parish from 1682
to 1765. This list of marriages was copied by Mr. P. R.
Carrington. I should also be remiss in my duty if I did not
acknowledge the helpful services of my wife and my daughter,
Mrs. Alice Moore Franklin, who have rendered material aid
in the verification of this work—the only aid in this line that
I have had during the tedious task. We are also indebted to
Miss Stella Williams, Miss F. P. Gretter and Miss Pearl
Bodeker, for pictures and portraits.
Every effort has been made, but without success, to obtain
the picture of Rev. David Griffith, the first Bishop-elect of
Virginia. We have also been unable to obtain a picture of
the Rev. Wm. Stith, the distinguished Virginia historian and
the first rector of St. John's Church. The only thing we
have been enabled to secure is the coat of arms and the autograph
of Mr. Stith.
This volume contains the names of two thousand communicants,
all of whom were connected with St. John's since 1860.
This does not include the special lists of "pew holders,"
"heads of families," etc., prior to 1860. Of these two thousand
souls, 559 are males and 1,441 females, showing that the
women still maintain their reputation for zeal, piety and devotion;
they were in the days of old first at the sepulchre
and the last at Calvary, and to their fidelity and faithfulness
are due, in a great measure, the growth and usefulness of old
St. John's.
The number of marriages given is 779, of which 340 are
since 1860. In this number are not included the marriages
from the records of Henrico county.
The number of baptisms, 1,922, of which 1,308 are since
1860.
The number of burials, 1,335, of which 1,103 are since
1860.
The number of confirmations during the administrations
of Dr. Weddell, Rev. L. W. Burton, and Rev. R. A. Goodwin
is 925; the records previous to this date are fragmentary and
incomplete.
This entire work has been a labor of love without any remuneration
or reward—other than the pleasure derived from
duty performed by all engaged and enlisted in the enterprise.
If what we have collected and put in shape for the present
and future generations shall prove of interest and use, we
shall have accomplished our object and gained our reward.
| Annals of Henrico parish | |