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.
