The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1874-11-28

Brick Meeting Housewife following
history of this noted Friends Meeting
House is from recent work published by
Levi X. Brown, the title Of which is " An
account of the meeting of the Society OF
Friends, within tho limits of Baltimore
yearly meeting; illustrated by map, show
ing the location of the different meetings,
&c.
East Nottingham Brick Meeting House,
is situated in Cecil county, Maryland, five
miles southwest of Little Elk. five miles
east from West Nottingham, and four
miles southeast from Nottingham Station,
Philadelphia and Baltimore Central Rail
road. Mid-week Meetings, fifth days, at
ten o'clock, winter. In 1879, there were
forty three families and parts of families
Total, 160 members.
This meeting was established in the year
1900. The year previous, large number
of Friends removed from Marcus Hook, on
the Delaware, to Nottingham, at that time
"deemed far back in the wilderness. In
the year 1900, meeting house probably
a log one) was built on tract of wood
land, donated by William Penn to the
Society sat point where SIR roads meet.
This house served the meeting until 1924,
when commodious brick house was erect
ed in its stead, the bricks having been i'm
ported from England. In the year 1751
this house was accidentally burnt. and in
the following year it was rebuilt, with
stone addition OF equal dimensions with
the brick. Strange to relate, the meeting
house was again burnt in the year lSl0,
and in the next year the present. substan-
tial meeting house was erected, one half OF
which is stone, although for more than
century, it has universally been known. far
and wide, as the "Brick Meeting House.
Amongst the original settlers, the families
of the Churchman's, Browns, Englands,
Kinks, and Haines were prominent; OF the
former, John Churchman was highly
esteemed and eminent minister, who trav-
eled extensively in the Colonies as we'll as
in Europe, and deceased at Nottingham,
seventh month twenty-fourth, 1715. Geo.
Churchman, a valued elder, and one deeply
exercised for the welfare of the Church,
having in his latter years, visited nearly all
the meetings on the continent, as well as
the families of many of the meetings, de-
ceased about 1915, aged eighty-fi five years
Several others of the same family were
eminent in their day as land surveyors and
conveyancers, but at the present time, not
single lndlVlQual OF Inc name Telhaius'
A large humber of the descendants Of the
Browns, even to the eight generation re
main in Nottingham and the adjacent
neighborhoods. In 1851 no less than six of
the family. viz, James, William, Joshua,
Thomas, Esther, and Dinah were acknowl
edged ministers in Nottingham Monthly
Meeting. William was brother-in-law of
John Churchman, and frequently travelled
with him in the love of the Gospel. Joshua
was among the first who removed from
Nottingham and settled in Conowingo Val
ley, where Little Britain Meeting was estab-
lished. He also travelled extensively as
minister, visiting most, if not all, the meet
ings in the Colonies. In 111S, while on a
religious visit to Friends, who were exiled
at Winchester, Virginia, on account of
their testimony against war, and to Friends
meetings in Virginia and the Carolinas, he
was arrested, and with his companions,
was thrown into prison, where he remained
nearly six months. Finally he was released,
and reached his home in safety. He de-
ceased tenth month fifteenth, 1898, and
was buried at Little Britain, having been
an acknowledged minister forty eight years.