Old churches, ministers and families of Virginia.

This was separated from Southam parish in the year 1771. Its
early history is very brief,—at least such of it as has come down to
us. The Rev. Christopher Macrae appears on our lists of clergy as
minister of Littleton parish, Cumberland, in the years 1773-74-76,
and 1785; after which he appears no more. In the next year Mr.
Mayo Carrington appears as the lay delegate, without any clerical
representation. In the year 1790 he appears again with the Rev.
Elkanah Talley as the minister. He continues the minister for
three years, and then removes to Ware parish, Gloucester. In
1797 the parish is represented by two laymen,—Alexander Brand
and James Deane. In the year 1799 the Rev. James Dickenson
and Mr. Alexander Trent are in the Convention. There being no
journal, and perhaps no Convention, between 1799 and 1805, and
none between 1805 and 1812, and having no other means of information,
we are unable to say how long Mr. Dickenson continued
in the parish, or whether he had any successor until some time after
the revival of the Church commenced. Still, there were laymen
there who, at the first signs of reviving life, came forward to declare
their readiness to help on the good cause. In the first of
our renewed Conventions—that of 1812—Mr. Codrington Carrington
is the delegate, and, in 1813, Mr. Samuel Wilson.

A long interval again appears where all seemed hopeless. At
length, in 1843, the Rev. Mr. Kinckle takes charge of it in connection
with some other of the waste places around. He is succeeded
in 1844 by the Rev. Mr. Bulkley, who, after some years,
was succeeded in part by the present minister, the Rev. Mr. Meredith,
who, in connection with the church in Buckingham, serves
the congregation at Ca-Ira. Of the ministers yet alive it is not
my purpose in these sketches to speak. Of those whom we have
named as the ministers of this parish before 1800 we know nothing,
either by report or otherwise, with the exception of Mr. Elkanah
Talley and Mr. Macrae. Of the former we have spoken elsewhere
in terms which it was our regret to use. Of the latter the testimony
of those who ought to have known him best is most satisfactory. He
was by birth and education a Scotchman,—probably ordained about
1765 by the Bishop of London. He was a man of prayer, retiring
from his family three times a day for purposes of private devotion

and study. He was a Scotchman, and not a modern Virginian,
in his notions and habits of governing his children and the boys
committed to his care, and was therefore complained of as too
strict. He did not enter with spirit into the American Revolution,
and was suspected of favouring the other side, though he said and
did nothing, so far as we can learn, to give just offence. He had
a right to a conscientious opinion on the subject; but the temper
of the times did not allow this, and some violent young men either
waylaid him at night or took him out of his bed, and severely
chastised him, leaving him naked in the woods. Tradition says
that he was prudent in the affair, and never opened his lips in the
way of complaint or sought to find out his nocturnal and cowardly
assailants, well knowing that it was too good a story to be kept
secret, and that if he did not they would reveal it. Accordingly,
in due time, they boasted of the deed and were witnesses against
themselves. They were summoned before a tribunal of justice,
which did not allow any patriotic feeling to prevent the punishment
of such an outrage. A heavy fine was accordingly inflicted upon
them. Patrick Henry, who was then in the Legislature, being
well acquainted with Mr. Macrae, took some public occasion to
animadvert upon the conduct of these young men, and spoke in
the highest terms of Mr. Macrae. The sons of Mr. Macrae, I believe,
are all dead, but three daughters and grandchildren are yet
alive, and love the Church and the religion of their fathers.[6]

I have no record from which to derive the names of vestrymen
or their doings in this parish. I know nothing of its former

churches, except that old Tar Wallett has long been in the service
of other denominations. Two new ones, one at Ca-Ira and another
near Cartersville, have been erected of late years, and are in constant
use.

[6]

The following is an extract from a letter received from one of the daughter,
of Mr. Macrae —

"We were young at the time of our father's death, and regret not being able to
give a more satisfactory history of his life. He was educated in Edinburgh, I believe,
at the same college with Beattie, author of the celebrated Hermit. They
were classmates, and corresponded in after-life. A professorship was offered him
as soon as he graduated, and he was told all that would be required was that he
should sign his belief in the Confession of Faith. He said he had never read it, but
would do so immediately. On perusing the volume, there were portions he could
not conscientiously subscribe. He therefore came to America, and settled in Surrey
county, Virginia, where his health failed, and during that attack he became interested
on the subject of religion, returned to England, and was ordained by the
Bishop of London, came back to Surrey county, (where he married Miss Harris, in
1778, the daughter of Mr. John Harris, one of his vestry,) where he laboured for
several years. His own and family's ill health determined him to remove to Cumberland
county, where he preached for many years at Tar Wallett and Turkey
Cock. During the Revolutionary War he was called out to visit (the messenger said)
a dying neighbour who was anxious to see him. He had not proceeded a mile from
home, when three men, armed with clubs, assailed and knocked him off his horse.
The servant that accompanied him rode with speed to friends, who came immediately
to his rescue. They left, supposing he would not survive. One of the men was
killed, on that very spot, by a tobacco-hogshead, and another revealed the whole
matter just before he was hung for some capital offence. A petition was sent to
the Legislature, then in session at Williamsburg, praying that he, Mr. Macrae,
might be banished. Patrick Henry instantly rose, and said that there were many
fictitious names on that paper; that he knew Mr. Macrae intimately, and that if he
was banished they would lose one of their best citizens; he hoped nothing would
be done till he could send an express to Cumberland, who returned with a counter-petition,
signed by the most respectable portion of the community, praying that he
might remain with them; which was granted. Letters were put in the pulpit
threatening his life if he ever dared to preach there again, but he knew no fear
when in the path of duty, and never in a single instance omitted going to church.
The Rev. Christopher Macrae died at his residence in Powhatan county, on the 22d
of December, 1808, in the seventy-fifth year of his age. Dr. Cameron preached his
funeral sermon."

Parson Buchanon has often lamented to us that his brother Macrae would not
consent to be nominated as Bishop. He gave his advanced age as the reason for
declining.

We have received an old manuscript sermon of Mr. Macrae, on the death of
Colonel George Carrington and his lady, who died in the year 1785, within a few
days of each other. We have already spoken of this, the first of Carringtons in
Virginia, and of his wife Anna, daughter of Mr. William Mayo, one of the two
brothers who first came to this country; but it is due to departed worth and piety
to add the following testimony from the pulpit. The text is from the 35th Psalm,
37th verse:—"Mark the perfect man and behold the upright, for the end of that
man is peace." The sermon itself, I am very sorry to say, is too much like those
so common at that day, which, while containing no heretical doctrines, and sometimes
having passages recognising the true ones, yet are of the moralizing rather
than of the evangelical cast. For instance, although in one place, and in one only, he
speaks of "a firm affiance and unshaken confidence in the mercy of God through
Christ," yet he often speaks in a manner well calculated to encourage the belief that
virtue and integrity must be our reliance. He quotes from Pope, "The soul's calm
sunshine and the heartfelt joy are virtue's prize;" says that "Heaven is our reward for
a well-spent life;" that "peace is the result of integrity of life;" that "peace and
serenity of mind can only be secured by a virtuous life;" of the "reward due to
our actions." Now, I doubt not but that some had juster views of the plan of salvation
than the language used by them would seem to indicate, and that they intended
more by virtue, and goodness, and integrity, than is due to such words; but, after
all the allowance that charity can make, we must acknowledge that there was a
dreadful deficiency of the Gospel in such preaching, and that sermons of that cast
would never awaken sinners to a sense of their lost condition and conduct them to
a Saviour. With these remarks, which truth and fidelity require of me, I proceed
to the close and application of the sermon —

"Having now done with the text, give me leave to observe, that though I very
rarely say any thing concerning the character of a departed friend [an honest example,
worthy of imitation] on any occasion, I thought it not consistent with duty
to pass over the character of persons so eminently distinguishable for the practice
of piety and virtue, as our worthy departed friends, Colonel Carrington and his
lady, without recommending their exemplary life as a pattern of imitation to those
who survive them. I have had the pleasure of being personally acquainted with them
both for more than twelve years past, and can confidently affirm that they have always
appeared to me to be as punctual and exact in the performance of the duties of their
several stations, as it is possible for persons clothed with flesh and blood to be.
And I have reason to believe, from general report and the relation of their acquaintances,
that the same uniformity of conduct and regularity of life had always
secured to them an unexceptionable good character in the opinion of all good men
of their acquaintance, of which they have left sufficient proof in the world in a
numerous offspring, (eleven children,) who all behave themselves as children of
such worthy parents. They were generous and charitable without ostentation, and
religious without noise. The gentleman filled the chair of a legislator with the
integrity of a Cato, and that of a magistrate with the justice of an Aristides. All
the public offices which he undertook (and they were many) he filled with credit
and discharged with honour. His benevolent disposition enabled him to serve the
public with so much punctuality and exactness, when there was no prospect of any
other reward but the pleasure of doing good, that it is rare to meet with an instance
of the same kind in an age. I have reason to conclude that both our departed
friends had many friends, and no foes—if any—but such as a good man would be
ashamed to number among his friends. They had as many virtues and as few failings
as we can expect to meet with in any of Adam's fallen race, and, in short, I
know not whether I ever knew two characters more perfect that were heads of the
same family. It is certain they were both an ornament to human nature, an
honour to their country, and a blessing to their neighbourhood. Time would fail me
to enumerate their good qualities: suffice it, therefore, to observe that their lives
were truly exemplary, and that it is our duty to imitate their virtues, that we may
after death partake of their felicity, which, I firmly hope, they do now, and ever
will enjoy through the endless ages of eternity.' "

University of Virginia Library

LITTLETON PARISH, CUMBERLAND COUNTY.