University of Virginia Library

ARTICLE LIII.

St. George's Parish, Spottsylvania County.

I am saved all trouble in the examination of records and documents,
in order to the execution of this part of my work, by the full
and interesting history of this parish from the pen of the Rev. Mr.
Slaughter. His authorities are the old vestry-books and Henning's
Statutes.

The county of Spottsylvania was established in 1720, being
taken from the counties of Essex, King William, and King and
Queen. It extended westward to the river beyond the high mountains,—the
Shenandoah. The parish of St. George's was then
commensurate with the county. In the year 1730, the parish was
divided into St. George's and St. Mark's,—St. Mark's lying in the
upper portion, which, in the year 1734, was made the county of
Orange, and contained all that is now Orange, Madison, Culpepper,
and Rappahannock. At the first establishment of Spottsylvania,
in 1720, fifteen hundred pounds were appropriated by the House
of Burgesses to a church, court-house, prison, pillory, and stocks.
Governor Spottswood, after whom the county was named, established
the seat of justice at Germanna, and there built a church,
&c. In the year 1732, the seat of justice was, by Act of Assembly,
removed to Fredericksburg, as a more convenient place; but, seventeen
years after, the law was repealed as derogatory to his Majesty's
prerogative to take from the Governor or Commander-in-Chief of
this Colony his power and authority of removing or adjourning the
courts because it might be inconvenient in a case of smallpox or
other contagious disease. Fredericksburg was founded, by law, in
the year 1727. Colonel Byrd, in his visit in the year 1732, says
of it at this time, "Besides Colonel Willis, who is the top man
of the place, there are only one merchant, a tailor, a smith, an
ordinary-keeper, and a lady who acts both as a doctress and coffee-woman."
A church was built in that year, (1732.) There had
been a church near Fredericksburg in the year 1728, (as also one
at Mattapony,) called the Mother-Church, besides that built at
Germanna, by Governor Spottswood's order, at the first establishment
of the county. Its first minister of whom we have any knowledge

was the Rev. Theodosius Staige, whose name is found incorporated
with the Davis family, of Albemarle, and with some others,
I think. He continued until November, 1728. The Rev. Mr. De
Butts, of Westmoreland, became a candidate for the parish; but
the Rev. Rodham Kennor, having been recommended by the Governor,
was accepted. He continued the minister for eighteen
months, and then preached there once a fortnight for more than
two years,—the Rev. Mr. Pearl occasionally officiating. The Rev.
Mr. Kennor appears to have been a rolling stone,—passing from
parish to parish,—and the vestry of St. George's were well pleased
to part with him. In 1732, the Rev. Patrick Henry, uncle of the
celebrated orator, and who was afterwards, and for a long time,
minister of St. Paul's parish, Hanover, became the minister, and
continued until April, 1734. Governor Gooch sent a Rev. Mr.
Smith to the parish; but his preaching was so unacceptable that
the vestry sent a deputation to inform the Governor that they could
not accept him. They also petitioned the Governor to allow the
Rev. James Marye, who was the minister of the Huguenot settlement
at Manakintown, in King William parish, then in Goochland,
now in Powhatan, and who was willing to come, to leave his parish.
He was accordingly inducted in October, 1735. During his ministry
two chapels were built in the parish at places not now to be identified.
Roger Dixon was allowed to have any pew in the church,
except two already granted to Benjamin Grymes, provided he did
not raise the pew higher than the other pews. In the year 1767,
after a ministry of thirty-two years in this parish, Mr. Marye died,
and was succeeded by his son, James Marye, who was born in
Goochland, in 1731, was educated at William and Mary, and had
been minister in Orange county. His father was one of the Huguenots
who fled from France at the time of the persecutions of the
Protestants in that country. He married a Miss Letitia Staige, of
London, daughter of an English clergyman,—perhaps the one who
was minister in Fredericksburg. Mr. Marye, Jr. continued the
minister until 1780. He was the father of Mrs. Dunn, wife of the
Rev. John Dunn, of Leesburg, and of Mrs. Yeamans Smith, of
Fredericksburg. During his ministry a new church, near Burbridge's
Bridge, was built, and was used as an Episcopal Church
long after the Revolution, though now occupied by other denominations.
The parish also was divided during his time, and Berkeley
parish cut off from it. The parish was now vacant for seven years,
at the end of which the Rev. Thomas Thornton was chosen its
minister. Under his ministry and the voluntary system, which was
of necessity adopted after the Establishment was put down, the
congregation increased so as to require an addition to the church.
This addition made it a cruciform church. It was, however, getting
to be like an old garment with new cloth put upon its rent. During
Mr. Thornton's ministry, General Washington, coming to Fredericksburg
to visit his mother, attended, as usual, the Episcopal
Church, which drew such a crowd that something gave way in the
gallery, which produced great consternation in the attendants, who
rushed out of it through the doors and windows. It, however, still
lasted for a number of years. I was in it in the year 1811, but a
more dark and cheerless place I have seldom seen. The rite of
confirmation was first administered in this parish by Bishop Madison,
in the year 1791, during the ministry of Mr. Thornton. Soon
after this Mr. Thornton left the parish, and died at Dumfries. The
following obituary, taken from a paper of that day, shows not only
that he was a minister of that parish, but also the high esteem in
which he was held:—

A successor to Mr. Thornton was chosen in 1792, in a way most
unusual in an Episcopal congregation, and contrary to her laws,
except in the case of Christ Church, Norfolk, which is provided for
by a special act. A notice was given in the old "Virginia Herald"
inviting the subscribers to the Episcopal church to meet in the
town-hall to elect a clergyman. On that occasion ninety-six
votes were given for the Rev. Mr. Woodville, and thirty-four for
the Rev. Thomas Davis. Mr. Woodville resigned the parish in
1793,—the year after his election,—and removed to St. Mark's, Culpepper,
where he lived until his death, respected by all who knew
him.

On the 6th of January, 1794, the people assembled in the market-house,
and again, by a popular vote, unanimously elected the Rev.
James Stephenson their minister. Mr. Stephenson resigned in
1805, on account of ill health. Mr. Stephenson married a Miss

Littlepage, a lady of fine intellectual endowments. He was the
father of the Hon. Andrew Stephenson and Mr. Carter Stephenson,
also of Mrs. Woodville.

In 1806, the Rev. Abner Waugh took charge of the parish, but
was obliged to relinquish it by reason of ill health. Retiring to
Hazlewood, where he soon died, he addressed the following letter
to his friends in Fredericksburg:—

In the year 1808, the Rev. Samuel Low succeeded Mr. Waugh
Mr. Low was a man of gigantic stature, stentorian lungs, and forbidding
countenance. His powers of oratory were great. He had
been, before his coming to Fredericksburg, preaching to crowds in
Norfolk, Richmond, and elsewhere, on duelling and gambling, and
other special topics. Some of these sermons were published. He
was at that time living with a woman who was not his lawful wife,
having deserted her who was his true wife and the mother of his
children. It was some time before the news of this reached Fredericksburg,
and when it did, he solemnly denied it in the pulpit.
The fact being established beyond all doubt, he acknowledged it in
a letter to the vestry, which is on record, and going to the North,
obtained a divorce from his wife and married the other. The effect
of all this must have been most disastrous to the Church.

In the year 1811, the Rev. Mr. Strebeck was chosen to fill the
vacancy occasioned by the resignation of Mr. Low, but the Church
was little benefited by the change. Such was the unhappy condition
of the parish, that the people, in 1813, were glad to avail
themselves of the services of their present minister, as lay reader,
one year, I believe, before he was old enough to be admitted to
Deacons' Orders.

As it has been a rule observed by me in these notices to avoid all
praises or censures of the living, and in the fewest possible words refer
to the acts and successes even of my oldest friends, therefore to Mr.
Slaughter's account of the revival of the Church in this parish
during the thirty-three years of Mr. McGuire's ministry, ending
with his history of the parish, to which must now be added fourteen

more, I refer my readers for a full view of the subject. Suffice it
to say that, from that time, a succession of revivals, or rather a
continued one, under faithful evangelical preaching, has added
great numbers to the Church; that two new churches, each increasing
in size and expense, have been called for; that several
young ministers have issued from the parish,—among them the Rev.
Launcelot Minor, whose remains are on the African shore, alongside
of those of Mrs. Susan Savage, the devoted missionary, whose
spiritual birthplace was St. George's Church, as Fredericksburg
was that of her other nativity. Mr. McGuire and he who makes
this allusion entered the ministry at a short interval apart, and
cannot be long separated in leaving it behind, for another and we
trust higher ministry, in the presence of our Redeemer.

Having done with the ministers and churches of St. George's
parish, nothing remains but to present a list of the vestrymen of
the same.

BERKELEY PARISH, SPOTTSYLVANIA COUNTY.

This parish was taken from St. George's in March, 1769-70.
The first minister was the Rev. James Stephenson, who was afterward
the minister of St. George's. As he was ordained in London
in 1768, and appears on the lists of 1773-74-76 as minister of
Berkeley parish, it is more than probable that he was ordained
expressly for this parish, and became its minister in 1769. He
was, I believe, a citizen of Virginia, and an inhabitant of Fredericksburg,
before his ordination. From the time that the Rev. Mr.
Stephenson left it for Culpepper, previous to his removal to Williamsburg
in 1794, we are unable to state who, if any, was the
minister of Berkeley parish, until the year 1789, when the Rev.
Hugh Coran Boggs appears on the journal of Convention. He
was either ordained by some other English Bishop than the Bishop
of London, or else by Bishop White, or some other American
Bishop, since Bishop Madison was not consecrated until 1790.
Mr. Boggs continued to be the minister of Berkeley parish until his
death. Rev. Mr. Ward succeeded him in 1837. The Rev. Dabney
Wharton, the present minister, succeeded to Mr. Ward in 1843.
Two new churches have been built in this parish within the last
year: one of them is near the court-house, and the other near the
Louisa line.