KINGSTON PARISH, MATHEWS COUNTY.
This was originally one of the parishes in Gloucester. There
are loose leaves of an old vestry-book, going back to the year 1677,
the first of which leaves do not indicate how much older the book
was. It was called the parish in North River precinct. It has a
peculiarity distinguishing it from all other parishes. With the
vestrymen, who were generally very few, there met a larger number
of the inhabitants, who seem to have managed the affairs of the
parish in conjunction.
From 1677 to 1691 the Rev. Michael Typerios and James Bowker
were ministers; but when their ministries began or ended cannot
be made out. In the year 1740 the Rev. John Blacknal appears
on the first page of another imperfect vestry-book. It cannot be
ascertained how much of the vestry-book was lost, and how long
Mr. Blacknal may have been the minister before 1740. He died
in 1747, and was succeeded by the Rev. John Dixon in 1750, the
Rev. John Locke having served meanwhile for three months. In
the year 1770 Mr. Dixon resigned, and died in 1777. Four applicants
appeared for the parish,—the Revs. Thomas Baker, Thomas
Field, Arthur Hamilton, and Archibald Avens, of whom Mr. Field
was chosen,—Mr. Baker having previously served three months.
In the year 1778, Mr. Field either dying or resigning, Revs. Robert
Read and William Dunlop were candidates, when the former was
chosen. In the year 1784 the Rev. Thomas Hopkinson became its
minister, and in the year 1789 the Rev. James McBride. In 1794
the Rev. Armistead Smith, of the old family of Smiths in that part
of Virginia, became the minister, being ordained by Bishop Madison.
He served the parish until his death in 1817. "His descendants
and relatives," says the Rev. Mr. Carraway, the present
minister of the parish, "are amongst the foremost friends of the
Church, and most of them communicants." One of the family, the
late Miss Elizabeth Tompkins, was the instrument under God for
the revival of the church. Under circumstances the most discouraging,
she determined to build a house of prayer, in which the few
scattered ones "who loved the old paths" might worship the God
of their fathers. Her efforts were crowned with success. She
lived to witness the completion of her dear little church, and her
highest earthly joy was experienced when she first heard within its
walls these solemn words:—"The Lord is in his holy temple,"
"declared by the minister of salvation." Mr. Carraway adds that
there were once four places of worship in the parish, over two of
which the plough and the harrow have passed. On the sites of the
others two churches have recently been erected,—the one just mentioned,
and another under his special care. Tradition says that
one of the old churches was a private chapel of the "family of
Hesse," the residence of the Armisteads.
By giving a list of the old vestrymen we shall see who were the
most prominent persons in Church matters. Mr. Carraway mentions
them as the "Dudleys, Armisteads, Carys, Tabbs, Gwynns, Billops,
Throckmortons, and Sir John Peyton,"—the latter being the patriot
of the Revolution as well as the Churchman.
Names of the Vestrymen, beginning in 1677.
Richard Dudley, James Ransom, James Hill, Sands Knowles, George
Burge, Thos. Bayley, Robert Elliot, Ambrose Dudley, Peter Ransom,
John Billop, William Tompkins, Charles Jones, John Coot, Humphrey
Tompkins, Edmund Roberts, George Dudley, John Hayes, Hugh Gwinne,
Robert Barnard, Charles Debrum, William Marlow, Humphrey Joye
Tabb, Wm. Armistead, Kemp Plumer, Gwinne Reade, Thomas Hayes,
Wm. Tabb, Chas. Blacknal, John Peyton, Captain Thomas Smith, Kemp
Whiting, George Dudley, John Armistead, James Ransom, Robt. Tabb,
Wm. Plummer, Wm. Armistead, of Hesse, Edward Hughes, Francis
Armistead, John Willis, Gabriel Hughes, John Billop, Walter Keeble,
Edmund Custis, Edward Tabb, John Dixon, Thomas Peyton, Robert
Mathews, Dudley Cary, Mordecai Throckmorton, James Booker, Josiah
Dean, Thos. Smith, Jr., Samuel Williams, Joel Foster, Armistead Smith,
Robert Cary, Thomas Tabb, Richard Gregory, James Bibber, Sands Smith,
John Cary, Wilton Glasscock.
In the above list hundreds scattered through Virginia and various
parts of the land will see the names of their forefathers.
The remaining history of Kingston parish is very brief. The
erection of a church, chiefly through the zeal of Miss Elizabeth
Tompkins, near her father's house, led to the employment of a
missionary about the year 1841 or 1842. The Rev. Mr. Rooker
spent some time between the two counties of Mathews and Middlesex
in this capacity. He was followed by the Rev. Mr. Carraway, who
to this day continues to perform the arduous labours required by so
large a field. Under his ministry a new church on the opposite
side of the county has been built on the ruins of one of the old
ones.
