University of Virginia Library

SKETCHES
OF THE
Bishops of Virginia.

REV. DR. DAVID GRIFFITH.

BY J. STAUNTON MOORE.

Rev. Dr. David Griffith was chosen Bishop of Virginia by
the second Virginia Convention, held in 1786, by a vote of
32 out of 49. He resigned his claim upon that office in May,
1789. He was the de facto Bishop of Virginia for this
period, but was not such de jure. At the Convention held in
Richmond in 1787, Dr. Griffith was its president. The Convention
urged the churches to raise funds to pay the expenses
incident to the consecration of a Bishop, and instructed the
Standing Committee to apply without delay to Bishops White
and Provost, or either of them, to admit the Rev. Dr. Griffith
to consecration, by whom the request would have been granted
but for the obligation to the English Bishops, to whom they
felt in honor pledged not to admit any one to consecration
until three Bishops had been obtained from England.

So depressed was the condition of the Church in Virginia,
and so little zeal was found in her members, that it was impossible
to raise funds sufficient to defray the expenses of the
Bishop-elect to London. In response to the appeals of the
clergy, only twenty-eight pounds were raised, a sum totally
inadequate for the purpose. Dr. Griffith's want of means
were so limited he could not himself bear the expense across
the Atlantic. Dr. Griffith, as shown by Saffell's Records of
the Revoutionary War, was both chaplain and surgeon of the
Third Virginia Regiment, as it stood in 1777-1778. The
following certificate attests his service: "These are to certify
that the Rev. Mr. David Griffith was recommended to the
committee of Congress and appointed by me to do the duty of
chaplain to my brigade at the time the committee came to
Valley Forge, which I think was about the 1st of February
last. Given under my hand this 16th day of October, 1778.

"(Signed) Wm. Woodford, Brigadier General."

The following resolution is extracted from the minutes:

"In Congress July 23, 1776.

"Resolved, That Dr. David Griffith be appointed to the station
of chaplain and surgeon in the Third Virginia Regiment,
he being a person of uncommon merit, and there being few
surgeons of abilities who will enter into the army in that
State. This appointment not to be drawn into precedent.
That Dr. Griffith draw pay in both these capacities for the
time he has served in the regiment." Under the act of the
General Assembly of Virginia he received land warrants for
Revolutionary services. In 1789 he was appointed by the
Virginia Convention a representative to the General Convention
at Philadelphia, which met that year in Philadelphia.
His health at this time was feeble; he reached the city, but
was never able to take his seat. He died at the house of the
Bishop of Pennsylvania on the 3d day of August, 1789, and
the journals of the Convention attest the respect which was
entertained for his character. The senior clergymen of the
deputation from each State attended his funeral as pallbearers,
the residue of the Convention as mourners, while his
friends, Bishop White and Mr. Andrews, the lay delegate for
Virginia, were chief mourners.

Dr. Griffith was born in the city of New York, and was
educated partly in that place and partly in England for the
medical profession. After taking his degree in London, he
returned to America and entered on the practice of his profession
in New York about the year of 1763. Determined to
enter the ministry of the Episcopal Church, he went to London
in 1770, and was ordained by Bishop Terrick, August
19th of that year, and returned as missionary to Gloucester
county, New Jersey. The following year he accepted the
charge of Shelbourne Parish, Loudoun county, Va. He continued
in it until May, 1776, when—being an American not
only in birth, but in heart—he entered the service as chaplain
and surgeon. He continued in this service until 1779. In
1780 he became the minister of Christ Church, Alexandria.
He is represented as a man of good size and prepossessing
appearance and pleasant manners, and as enjoying the confidence
of General Washington and the army. From the

year of 1780 to his death, in 1789, Dr. Griffith was the much
esteemed pastor of Christ Church, Alexandria, and that called
Little Falls, on the Potomac. During the greater part of his
rectorship General Washington was his parishioner, having a
pew in Christ Church, and Dr. Griffith was a welcomed guest
at Mt. Vernon.

Dr. Griffith was not only a patriot at this crucial period in
the history of his country that tried men's souls, but his love
for and interest in the Church shows that whilst not consecrated
a Bishop according to the rubrics of the Church, his
heart was thoroughly consecrated to her interests. His deep
concern in the welfare of the Church and his earnest solicitude
for her condition is voiced in the following letter, written
in 1783, to Dr. John Buchanan:

"Dear Sir,—You may recollect the conversation we had
when I had the pleasure of seeing you at Richmond; that we
mutually lamented the declining state of the Church of England
in this country, and the pitiable situation of her clergy,
especially those whose circumstances are not sufficiently independent
to place them beyond the reach of want. I am satisfied
our Church has yet a very great number of powerful
friends, who are disposed to give it encouragement and support,
and who wish to see some plan in agitation for effecting
a business so important, and at this time no necessary. It is
(and very justly) matter of astonishment to many that those
whose more immediate duty it is to look to the concerns of
their religious society should show so much indifference and
indolence as the Church and clergy do, while the leaders of
almost every other denomination are laboring with the greatest
assiduity to increase their influence, and, by open attacks
and subtle machinations, endeavoring to lessen that of every
other society, particularly the Church to which you and I
have the honor to belong, in whose destruction they all
(Quakers and Methodists excepted) seem to agree perfectly,
however they may differ in other points. Against these it
behooves us to be cautious. But, unless the clergy act conjointly
and agreeably to some well-regulated plan, the ruin
of our Church is inevitable without the malevolence of her
enemies. Considering her present situation and circumstances—without
ordination, without government, without

support, unprotected by the laws, and yet laboring under
injurious restriction from laws which yet exist—these things
considered, her destruction is sure as fate, unless some mode
is adopted for her preservation. Her friends, by suffering
her to continue in her present state of embarrassment, as effectually
work her destruction as her avowed enemies could
do by their most successful contrivances.

"In the late contest for a stake of the last importance to
this country, it would have been imprudent to enter on a
regulation of ecclesiastical affairs, or to attempt anything
that might interrupt that union which was so necessary for
our mutual security and preservation. But that time, God
be thanked, is happily over, and those reasons no longer exist.
It seems to be high time for those whom it concerns to be
engaged in the important business of regulating the affairs of
the Church. I have been for some time in the hope that
some of my brethren near the seat of government would have
set on foot this necessary business; and my reason for addressing
you at this time is to be informed whether anything
of the kind is begun or intended—the time when, the place
where, and manner how—and if nothing of the kind should
be yet determined upon, to request of you, as your situation
renders it no way inconvenient, to undertake to promote a
Convention of the clergy for that purpose. I shall also presume
to offer my advice. In order that the measures agreed
on may be generally acceptable to the clergy and no objection
remain to impede their future execution, it will be necessary
to have as numerous a meeting as possible. I would recommend
to have the clergy summoned to this Convention both by
public notice and private information; for, as the Virginia
newspapers seldom come into this and several other quarters,
perhaps the end would be best answered by sending printed
circular letters to all quarters of the State; if circular letters
were not sent, many of the clergy might not have timely notice.
I would recommend this Convention to be called on the
authority of the few clergy contiguous to the seat of government—the
notices to be signed by the whole of them, or one
as chairman. I would advise the notices to be couched in
general terms, to avoid, as much as possible, assigning reasons
for it, especially such as may alarm the Dissenters and rouse

them into opposition. The time for sending and publishing
these notices should be near three months before the intended
Convention, that the clergy might with certainty be informed
of it and be prepared to leave their homes. As Richmond is
near the centre of the State, I think it is the properest place
to hold the Convention at. The time for holding the Convention
I would recommend to be about the 20th of April
next. It will be impossible to have anything like a full meeting
in the winter season; and about the season I have mentioned,
the weather is generally fine for travelling and the
roads settled. Besides, our plans should be agreed upon
previous to the session of Assembly, as we must necessarily
have recourse to it for the repeal of those existing laws which
made a part of the old establishment, and which, while they
do exist, must prove ruinous to the Church in spite of any
regulations the clergy may adopt. I have not the pleasure of
knowing Mr. Blagrove, chaplain to the House of Assembly,
but I think his name, or yours, or both, would not appear
improperly at the bottom of the notices, or anything that will
answer the purpose. If the above proposal should be adopted,
I shall be much obliged to you for informing me of it as soon
as it is determined on. Please direct to me at Alexandria,
either by post or some private hand. If a meeting is likely
to take place, it would not perhaps be amiss if yourself and
our brethren in your neighborhood were to digest some plan
for the consideration of the Convention. If it was well considered
by sensible men what regulations were wanting and
what reform necessary, it would save abundance of time. If
I have timely notice, I will cheerfully devote all the spare
time I have to this service. And if the Convention is resolved
on, I will engage to send the notices to all the clergy
in the Northern Neck above Falmouth, if the copies or a form
are sent to me in time. You may remember that when I had
the pleasure of seeing you I expressed a wish that a coalition
might take place between us and the Dissenters; it is still
my most earnest wish, but I am now satisfied it is a vain
one; and I think our Church has no chance of preserving any
of its ancient and excellent forms of worship, but from the
united zeal and efforts of her clergy. I think it is this alone
that can preserve her very existence. I am, etc.,

RT. REV. JAMES MADISON, D. D., BISHOP OF VIRGINIA
1790 TO 1812.

BY W. G. STANARD, OF THE VIRGINIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

The Rt. Rev. James Madison, D. D., a member of the same
family as President James Madison, was a son of John Madison,
who was long a prominent citizen of Augusta county,
and was born in 1749.

He was educated at William and Mary College, and prior
to the Revolution was professor of natural philosophy
and mathematics in that institution. He succeeded John
Camm as president of William and Mary in 1777, and in
conjunction with Jefferson, then a member of the Board of
Visitors, made many improvements in its constitution, notably
that of introducing the elective system.

In 1790 James Madison was chosen first Bishop of the
Diocese of Virginia, and was consecrated at Lambeth Palace,
London, in September of the same year.

Bishop Madison seems to have entered upon the duties of
his office with a sincere desire to elevate the character of the
Church and to employ a commendable zeal in the prosecution
of such measures as would be likely to promote its prosperity,
but his efforts proved of but little avail, and the Church sunk
so low that some even of its best friends began to despair.
We know now that the disestablishment of the Church laid
the foundation of its present vigor and usefulness; but at the
moment this reform, like many reforms, seemed to work
chiefly for evil. The loss of Church property, the poverty
of the people, the moral degeneration consequent upon a long
war, the violent opposition of other branches of the Church,
and the spread of French infidelity combined to almost work
its ruin.

Though almost any one might have failed to stem the tide
of destructive influences that threatened the Church in Virginia,

Rt. Rev. James Madison, D. D.,

First Bishop of Virginia.

Bishop Madison may not have been the best man for
the difficult task. There is no doubt that he was learned and
good, and his broad Christian charity is shown by the fact
that in the General Convention of 1792 he introduced a proposition
for a union "with all sincere Christians." It has been
sometimes thought that his devotion to scientific subjects and
to the affairs of the college detracted from his usefulness as a
Bishop, and it is evident that, while profoundly a Christian,
the bonds of Churchmanship lay lightly upon him.

Bishop Madison married Miss Tate, of Williamsburg, and
died in 1812, leaving several children.

RT. REV. R. CHANNING MOORE, D. D., BISHOP OF
VIRGINIA 1814 TO 1841.

BY W. G. STANARD, OF THE VIRGINIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

Richard Channing Moore, descended from a prominent
New York family, and son of Thomas Moore and Elizabeth
Channing his wife, was born in the city of New York on
August 21, 1762, and died at Lynchburg, Va., on November
11, 1841.

He was educated at King's College (now Columbia University),
studied medicine, and commenced the practice of
that profession, but becoming a communicant of the Episcopal
Church, he not long afterwards determined to enter
the ministry, and was ordained a deacon July, 1787, by
Bishop Provost, of New York. Admitted to priest's orders
in September of the same year, he was called to the charge
of Grace Church, Rye, Westchester county. In 1789 he
became the rector of St. Andrew's, Staten Island, and in
1809 of St. Stephen's, New York City. In each of these
parishes he was much beloved and did very successful work.

In 1814, when Dr. Moore was elected Bishop of Virginia,
the Church was at its lowest ebb here, and there was
only one Parish in the diocese which could promise proper
support to its rector; this was the new "Monumental," in
Richmond, and as there was then no "Bishop's Fund," the
only way in which it was possible to provide for a bishop
was to elect him rector of the new Church. For twenty-seven
years he presided over a parish and a diocese alike devoted
to him. The work he did can be best shown by the statement
that in the Convention that called him to the Episcopate
there were only seven clerical members, while at his death
there were ninety-five clergy in the Diocese.

As a man he was gentle, tender and sympathetic, admired
and beloved by all who knew him; as a preacher eloquent,

Rt. Rev. R. Channing Moore, D. D.,

Second Bishop of Virginia.

fervent and forceful, setting forth the truths of the Bible
and the teachings of his Church with earnestness and conviction.
As a Bishop he was strong in his maintenance of the
principles of the Church, wise and firm, but gentle in his discipline,
and untiring in his labors. Bishop Moore was twice
married and has many descendants in Richmond and elsewhere.

RT. REV. WILLIAM MEADE, D. D., BISHOP OF VIRGINIA
1841 TO 1862.

BY W. G. STANARD, OF THE VIRGINIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

William Meade, son of Richard Kidder Meade, a distinguished
officer of the Revolution, was born near Millwood,
Virginia, November 11, 1789, and died in Richmond, March
14, 1862.

He graduated at Princeton; studied theology, and became
deacon February 14, 1811, and priest January 10,
1814.

So hopeless was the state of the Church at the time of his
ordination—only one person having been ordained for a
long time by Bishop Madison, "and he," says Bishop
Meade, "a most unworthy one," it created surprise that a
young Virginian should enter the ministry of the Episcopal
Church. But William Meade was not to be daunted and he
has the glory of being one of the group of godly and brave
young men who at this dark time laid the foundation stone
of the Church as she now exists. He became, in 1811, rector
of Christ Church, Alexandria, but after two years returned
to Millwood as assistant, and became rector of that
Parish in 1821. On August 19, 1829, he was consecrated, in
Philadelphia, Assistant Bishop of Virginia, and succeeded
Bishop Moore in 1841. He had been active in the selection
of Bishop Moore as leader in the movement to rebuild the
fallen Church, and his labors through life, as rector and
Bishop, for the same great end bore such fruits as to make
them of enduring memory. Not only does the Church in Virginia
owe to his devotion and tireless energy vast increase in
numbers and vitality, but his personal influence and the
character of his Churchmanship have left a stamp upon the
Diocese which it still bears.

Bishop Meade was a man of courage and convictions. With

Rt. Rev. William Meade, D. D.,

Third Bishop of Virginia.

him there were no compromises. In the intensity of his
feelings in regard to right and wrong he has been compared
to the best type of the old Puritan. In addition to all he
accomplished in building up the Church in his native State,
he was its historian. He was the author of numerous works,
by far the most valuable of which is the well known "Old
Churches and Families of Virginia," published in two volumes
in Philadelphia in 1857.

It may interest students of heredity to learn that the
Bishop was descended lineally from Richard Kidder, Bishop
of Bath and Wells, and also from a sister of Reginald Pole,
the last Roman Catholic Archbishop of Canterbury.

He was twice married, both of his wives being members
of the well known Nelson family of Virginia, and he has
numerous descendants.

RT. REV. JOHN JOHNS, D. D.

BY RT. REV. R. A. GIBSON.

The Rt. Rev. John Johns, D. D., third Bishop of Virginia,
was born in New Castle, Delaware, July 10, 1796.
He was the son of Kensey and Anne (Van Dyke) Johns.

In his eighteenth year he became a communicant of the
Episcopal Church. When nineteen he was graduated from
Princeton College. There he also studied theology, and
with the greatest exactness, according to the testimony of
the Rev. Dr. Hodge, a lifelong friend. He was ordained
deacon by Bishop White in St. Peter's Church, Philadelphia,
May 19, 1819, and priest probably about 1820. His first
Parish, when too young for priest's orders, was All Saints
Church, Frederick, Maryland.

In 1829 he became rector of Old Christ Church, Baltimore.

The tide of population was moving westward, a new
Church was erected in 1837-'38 on Gay street (now the
Church of the Messiah), of which Mr. Johns was rector,
until he was consecrated Assistant Bishop of Virginia, to
which office he had been elected on Saturday, May 21, 1842,
at the Council in Staunton. In Monumental Church, Richmond,
October 13, 1842, he was consecrated Bishop by
Bishops Griswold, Meade, Ives and Whittingham.

In his address to the Council the year after Bishop Meade
said: "For this kind dispensation of Providence to myself
and the Diocese of Virginia I have cause for daily gratitude."

As the years went by Bishop Meade felt it more and more
a cause of gratitude that Bishop Johns was with him.

After living in Richmond a few years Bishop Johns was,
in 1849, elected president of William and Mary College, to
which position he remained for several years. Of this period

Rt. Rev. John Johns, D. D.,

Fourth Bishop of Virginia.

Bishop Meade says: "During the five years of his continuance,
notwithstanding the arduous labors of his Episcopal
office, he so diligently and wisely conducted the management
of the College as to produce a regular increase of the number
of the students, until they had nearly reached the maximum
of former times; established a better discipline than
perhaps ever before had prevailed in the institution; and
attracted more students of divinity to its lectures than had
ever been seen there in the memory of any now living."

In 1854, feeling that Alexandria was the centre of the
Diocese, so far as travelling facilities were concerned, he
built a house near the Theological Seminary, and in September
of that year removed thither with his family. At the
death of Bishop Meade, in June, 1862, he became Bishop of
Virginia. The Journals of 1863 and 1864 show how busy
he was in supplying the Confederate army, personally and
officially, with the ministrations of the Gospel.

Gen. Jackson, just before his death, sent him a special request
to send, if possible, forty faithful ministers to supply
that number of vacant Chaplaincies in the army on the Rappahannock.
Gen. Lee added his earnest request, and the
Bishop appealed to the Council. By a solemn resolution
the Bishop was asked to call upon the ministers then without
Parishes to render religious services to the army for such
a time and at such a place as he might designate; and the
whole clergy of the Council, in a body, offered themselves for
the work.

In 1865, the re-union of our Diocese after the war between
the States took place. Bishop Johns was ready to participate
in this movement, but the Diocese preferred to wait until
the General Council of Confederate Dioceses sanctioned
such action.

Alone now in the office of the episcopate, Bishop Johns
began the toilsome work of rebuilding the wasted Parishes,
and cheering the many darkened homes and broken hearts
of his clergy and people. The re-united Episcopal Church
proved immensely attractive to the people of the Diocese and
the confirmations numbered a thousand or more every year.
Though blessed with an uncommon degree of health and
vigor, Bishop Johns soon began to feel the incessant labor

too great for one who had already attained his "three score
years and ten." In the spring of 1867 he intimated his need
of an assistant. The majority of the committee to whom
were referred the subjects of an assistant and the division of
the Diocese were in favor of a division; but as the need
seemed pressing, they yielded their own wishes to the
Bishop's necessity. His request was granted by the election
of the Rev. Francis M. Whittle, of St. Paul's Church, Louisville,
Ky.

Eight years longer was our Bishop spared to us, fulfilling
more than thirty-three years of a most useful and honored
episcopate. The Psalmist's description was true of him, he
"shall bring forth fruit in old age, his leaf also shall not
wither." His love to God and his fellowman seemed to increase
as he grew older. His mind and heart expanded and
grew more tender. His influence in the House of Bishops
was year by year more distinctly felt and acknowledged.
His opening sermon at the General Convention of 1871,
"The love of Christ constraineth us," touched a chord in
every true Christian heart, and largely promoted the spirit
of harmony and charity and missionary zeal which marked
the proceedings of that body. It was at this Convention,
also, our Bishop showed his unabated vigor of mind, and his
skill in the command of language, as well as his increasing
influence among the Bishops, by the important part he took
in framing the "Declaration of the House of Bishops" on the
use of the word "regenerate" in the baptismal service. It
cost him nights' sleep to fix upon the single word "determine"
in the sentence, "We declare that in our opinion, the word
`regenerate' is not there so used as to determine that a moral
change in the subject of baptism is wrought by that sacrament."
But the expression was satisfactory to the two warring
factions, a burning question was removed from the
midst of an imperilled household of faith, and the declaration
was adopted almost unanimously.

On the 19th of February, 1876, the Bishop preached his
last sermon, and soon after had a slight attack of paralysis.
His death occurred April 5, 1876, and his burial took place
on the seventh of the same month from the chapel of the
Theological Seminary; Bishops Pinkney, of Maryland, and

Dudley, of Kentucky, and the Rev. Dr. Packard, of the Seminary,
officiating.

Bishop Johns was a preacher of consummate power and
of exquisite polish. His memory was trained in his seminary
days on the elaborate divisions and subdivisions of "Turretin
Theology" and his voice was sweetened and extraordinarily
flexible. It was his habit to distribute mentally the different
sections of his sermon to different parts of the church building
in which he was speaking. This seemed to help his
memory, for he always spoke without notes, and at the same
time prevented the suggestion of the effort of speaking memoriter.

The Southern Churchman of April 16, 1876, says of the
Bishop: "He was devoted to the Protestant Episcopal Church,
and in times when others were thought careless of such
things was himself strictly rubical. He was inclined to be
conservative in practice, hopeful of the future of the Church.

"The influence of his steady adherance to evangelical
truth and unabated confidence in the formularies and
standards of our Church, will always be remembered by those
who write the history of our Zion."

RT. REV. F. M. WHITTLE, D. D. LL. D.

BY RT. REV. R. A. GIBSON.

Francis McNeece Whittle, fifth Bishop of Virginia, was
the son of Mr. Fortescue Whittle, of Mecklenburg county,
Va., and was born in that county July 7, 1823. He was
next to the youngest of nine sons. Only one of his brothers
survives him.

Bishop Whittle was educated at the Episcopal High
School, and taught for a while after leaving school. He
entered the Virginia Seminary and graduated with the class
of 1847. Of that class of fifteen he was the last survivor,
except the Rec. C. Winter Bolton, of Pelhoweville, N. Y.

He was ordained deason in St. Paul's Church, Alexandria,
July 16, 1847, by Bishop Meade, and he was ordained
priest in St. John's Church, Charleston, Va. (now West
Virginia), October 8, 1848, by the same Bishop. As deacon,
he was sent to Kanawha Parish, in what is now West Virginia.
In October, 1849, he accepted a call to St. James's,
Northam Parish, Goochland county, Va., and there fulfilled
his ministry till October, 1852, when he went to Grace
Church, Berryville, Va. In Berryville Bishop Whittle remained,
doing not only his Parish work, but much active
missionary work, until October, 1857, when he accepted the
rectorship of St. Paul's Church, Louisville, Ky. Here he
became a conspicuous leader in Church affairs and represented
the Diocese in the General Convention.

He was in Louisville during the trying times of the war
between the States, and though he was known as an ardent
Southern sympathizer, so high was his character, so splendid
his integrity and so pure his conduct, that he lost no
part of his influence or power for usefulness because of his
views.

On the 17th day of May, 1867, he was elected Assistant

Rt. Rev. F. M. Whittle, D. D., LL. D.,

Fifth Bishop of Virginia.

Bishop of the Diocese of Virginia, and was consecrated
Bishop April 30, 1868, in St. Paul's Church, Alexandria
(where he had been ordained deacon). His consecrators
were Rt. Rev. John Johns, Bishop of Virginia, Rt. Rev.
Alfred Lee, Bishop of Delaware, and Rt. Rev. G. T. Bedell,
Bishop of Ohio. Bishop Bedell preached the sermon.

Upon the death of Bishop Johns, April 5, 1876, Bishop
Whittle became Bishop of Virginia.

There were then twelve thousand communicants in the
Diocese of Virginia, which consisted of the States of Virginia
and West Virginia.

The Diocese covered about sixty-seven thousand square
miles of territory. Much of the travel could be done only
in private conveyance, and private conveyances were scarce
in the country. The ravages of the war had been only partially
repaired and the Church people had suffered worse
proportionately than any other part of the population. Into
this field of work the Bishop threw himself with characteristic
zeal, energy and self-denial, and when West Virginia
had been cut off, in 1877, he held the other 42,000 square
miles alone in spite of every effort on the part of clergy and
laity to divide it until 1883, when Bishop Randolph was consecrated
as his assistant.

In 1892 the Diocese of Southern Virginia was organized
with Bishop Randolph as Diocesan, and now has more communicants
than the entire old Diocese had when Bishop
Whittle succeeded Bishop Johns.

Bishop Whittle married Emily Cary Fairfax, daughter
of Stewellyn Fairfax, of Alexandria, and had five children,
three of whom survived him.

Bishop Whittle was a faithful and godly man, a positive
man, a power and a power-making for uprightness of life in
whatever company he moved. Although apparently strong
beyond the ordinary, he suffered much pain and his sufferings
were borne with great fortitude. In every position
which he held in the Church his service was marked by diligence,
faithfulness, wisdom and courage. He went in and
out among his people, known of all men as a faithful minister
of Jesus Christ.

His character was laid out on large lines, his mind was

vigorous, his memory singularly accurate and retentive, and
his utterances, especially in the pulpit, were strong and emphatic
to a degree which his hearers will never forget.

He was buried in Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Va.,
on June 20, 1902, and the epitaph on his gravestone, after
his name and title, is by his own direction simply this:
"Psalm 51."

Rt. Rev. R. A. Gibson, D. D.,

Sixth and Present Bishop of Virginia.

RT. REV. ROBERT A. GIBSON, D. D.

BY REV. R. A. GOODWIN.

Rt. Rev. Robert A. Gibson, D. D., sixth Bishop of Virginia,
was born in Petersburg, Va., on July 9, 1846.

He is the son of Rev. Churchill J. Gibson, D. D., who for
more than fifty years was the rector of Grace Church, Petersburg,
Va.

His mother was, before her marriage to Dr. Gibson, Miss
Lucy Fitzhugh Atkinson, sistor of Bishop Atkinson, of North
Carolina.

Bishop Gibson was educated at the Episcopal High School,
near Alexandria, Va., at Mt. Laurel Academy and at Hampden
Sidney College. He studied theology at the Theological
Seminary of Virginia, graduating in 1870.

Though but a boy, he was in the Confederate Army. As
a member of the Rockbridge Artillery he loyally and faithfully
served his country in the last trying year of the war
between the States, and reluctantly surrendered with his
command at Appomattox.

He was ordained deacon by Bishop Whittle in the chapel
of the Theological Seminary, June 24, 1870. Immediately
after his ordination he began work as missionary of what
was then called the Southeastern Convocation of Virginia.
He labored faithfully to revive old Parishes which had been
desolated by war, and to open new places for the Church in
Dinwiddie, Nottoway and three other counties on the south
side of James river. While engaged in this work, he was
ordained priest by Bishop Johns in Grace Church, Petersburg,
Va., on the 4th of June, 1871.

Obliged by sickness to leave this field of missionary work,
after eighteen months of active service, he became assistant
to Rev. Dr. Peterkin, of St. James Church, Richmond, Va.,
and continued in that position for six years. The last four
years of this time his energies were given chiefly to Moore
Memorial Chapel (now the Church of the Holy Trinity),
which had been built by St. James' congregation as a mission.

While assistant at St. James he married Miss Susan Baldwin
Stuart, a daughter of Hon. A. H. H. Stuart, of Staunton,
Va. The joy and success of his future ministry were
doubtless increased by her earnest interest and loving sympathy
in his work.

In 1878 he became rector of Trinity church, Parkersburg,
W. Va.

The Diocese of West Virginia had but recently been
organized, and Parkersburg was the Bishop's place of residence.
Active, earnest work in the centre of the new Diocese
was very important, and no mistake was made when Dr.
Peterkin's assistant was called to do this work. During the
nine years of his rectorship of Trinity church a new stone
church was built and consecrated. A Parish house was
built, a chapel was built on the southern edge of the Parish,
and the Episcopal residence was designed and completed
under the superintendence of the Vestry of his church.

In 1887 he removed to Cincinnati, Ohio, to take charge of
Christ church—the mother church of all that section of
country. Under his rectorship the church was rebuilt, and
the Constitution of the ancient corporation adapted to modern
needs. The membership of the church increased, and
the Sunday school was doubled.

When Bishop Randolph was elected Assistant Bishop of
Virginia, Mr. Gibson received a number of votes for that
office. When Bishop Newton was elected he was again voted
for. After the death of Bishop Newton he was elected
Bishop Coadjutor of Virginia on June 30, 1897. He was
consecrated on November 3d of the same year in Holy Trinity
Church, Richmond, Va. His consecrators were Bishops
Whittle, Peterkin and Randolph. He was presented by
Bishops Peterkin and Vincent. The sermon was preached
by Bishop H. M. Thompson. Bishop Gibson entered upon
his new duties with his accustomed earnestness and zeal.
Owing to the age and infirmities of Bishop Whittle, most of
the work of the Diocese devolved upon him. Upon the death
of the beloved and revered Bishop Whittle, June 18, 1902,
he became the sixth Bishop of Virginia, and is now zealously
leading his Diocese in its great missionary work from the
mountains to the sea.

Rt. Rev. J. B. Newton, D. D.,

Assistant Bishop of Virginia 1894-1897.

RT. REV. JOHN B. NEWTON, D. D.

BY REV. R. A. GOODWIN.

The Rt. Rev. John Brockenbrough Newton, D. D., Bishop
Coadjutor of the Diocese of Virginia, was born in Westmoreland
county, Va., February 7, 1839.

He was educated at the Episcopal High School near Alexandria,
the Edge Hill School, and Schouler's School, near
Fredericksburg. He attended a Medical School in Winchester,
Va., and afterwards graduated from the Medical College
of Virginia, at Richmond.

At the beginning of the war he entered the Confederate
army as a private in the Fortieth Virginia Regiment, Gen. A.
P. Hill's division. He was soon appointed assistant surgeon;
afterwards was promoted to full surgeon, in which
capacity he served till the close of the war.

He married Miss Roberta Page Williamson, November
5, 1862.

At the close of the war he settled in his native county, and
began to practice his profession. In the absence of a rector,
Dr. Newton conducted lay services. While thus engaged,
he felt the Master's call to enter the sacred ministry. He
studied theology privately, and supported his family by
practicing medicine.

He was ordained deacon by Bishop Whittle, June 25, 1871,
and presbyter the following year by Bishop Johns. He
commenced his ministry in South Farnham Parish, Essex
county, Va., where he did excellent work for four years. His
next charge was St. Luke's, Norfolk, Va. In this church
his work was much blessed. During his rectorship of eight
years the congregation grew so steadily and rapidly that it
was twice necessary to enlarge the church building. In September,
1884, he accepted a call to the Monumental church,
Richmond, Va., where he worked earnestly, faithfully and

successfully till the day of his ordination to the Episcopate.

Dr. Newton was elected Assistant Bishop January 31,
1894, by a special Council which met in St. Paul's church,
Richmond, Va.

He was consecrated in Monumental church on the 16th
of May, 1894.

Within less than one week he was off on his first visitation
through the Diocese; and from that time until his sudden
death on the 28th of May, 1897, he grew in the respect, the
confidence and the love of the clergy and laity of his Diocese.
For several years Bishop Newton had represented the Diocese
of Virginia in the General Convention. His clear judgment,
high character, earnest manner and sound churchmanship
won the confidence of both clergy and laity of all schools
of thought.

That he was called to the Episcopate in Virginia, where
his whole life had been spent, and, consequently, where he
was best known, shows that his brethren loved and revered
his manliness and piety.

As a preacher his style was simple, earnest and energetic.
He preached "Jesus Christ and Him Crucified" with the
true eloquence of a loving heart. He was sought for as a
mission preacher, and he led many to Christ.

He was a man of gentle, modest, simple habits. His heart
was warm and affectionate. His mind was clear, and led
straight to the truth. His life was pure, true and faithful.

He was buried in Hollywood, Richmond, Va., by Bishops,
clergy and laymen, who felt that a dear brother and faithful
servant of God had gone to be with Christ.