Wilmington daily commercial., 1874-12-05
nrick Meeting House.

soNE FACTS IN THE HISTORY OF THIs ANCIENT AND
wELL-KNowN HouaE OF woRHHiP-rHE EARLY
WeRsHIPPERs.
East Nottingham (Bick Meeting House) s
situated in Cecil county, Maryland Ave miles
southwest of Little Elk, five miles east from
West Nottingham, and four miles southeast from
Nottingham Station, Philsdelphia aud Baltimore
Central railroad. BIid-week meetings, fifth days
at ten O'Clock winter. In 1870 there we're forty
three families and parts Of families. Total, l6C
members.
This meeting was established Ia the year 100.
The year previous, a large number of Friends
removed from Marcus Hook, ou the Delaware,
TO Nottingham, at thst time "deemed far back
in the wilderness. In the year 100, meeting
house (probably log one) was built on tract
of'woodland, donated by William Penn to the
society TAT point where six roads meet his
Lonse served the meeting until l724 when u
eOnmodious brick house WAS erected in its stead,
the bricks having been imported from England.
in the year 1851 this house was accidentally
burnt, and in the following year 1t was rebuilt,
with stone addition of equal dimensions with
the brick. Strange to relate, the meeting
house was again burnt in the year 1910,
and in the next year the present substan-
tlal meeting house was erected, one half of
Which is stone although for more than q centu-
ry, 1t has universally been known, far and wide,
AZ the "Brick Meeting House." Amongst the
original beulefs, tne lhinlits Ol the Cnurcuullr,
Browns, Englands, Kinks, and Haines were
prominent; of the former John Churchmsn was
highly esteemed and eminent minister, who
travelled extensively in the Colonies AZ well ar
10 Europe, and deceased at Nottingham, seventh
ulonth, twenty-fourth, l775 Geo. Churchman,
valued elder and one deeply exercised for the
welfare of the Church, having in his latter
years, visited nearly all the meetings on the econ.
tInent, as well AS the families of many of the
meetings. deceased about 1915, aged eighty five
years. Several others Of the same family were
eminent in their day as land surveyors and
clnyeyancers, but at the present time, not a SIN
gle individual of the name remains large
number Of the descendants of the Browns, even
90 the eighth generation remain in Nottingham
and the adjacent neighborhoods. In 1851 NO
less than six OF the family, viz, James, William
Joshua Thomas, Esther, and Dinah were ac
knowledged ministers in Nottingham Monthly
Meeting. William was brolher-n-law of J ,hf
Churchman and frequently travelled with hin
Va the love of the gospel Joshua was among
the first who removed from Nottingham and set
ted in COnowingo Valley, where Little Britain
Meeting was established He also travelled ex
tensiyely a minister, visiting most il not all
the meetings in the Colonies. In l778, while on
religious visit to Friends who exIled nj Winches
ter, Virginia, oil account OF their Testimony
against war, and to Friends meetings In Virginii
And the Carollnas, he was arrested aud with hi
companions WAS thrown into prison, where Ia
remained nearly six months. Finally he wa
raaAed, and reached home in safety. Ho de
ceased tenth month, fifteenth, 1913, AMI was bu
fled at Little Britain, having been an acknowl
edged minister forty-eight years From Lev
K BrOton's toork on the Society Of Friends w'0
~ he Limits # Baltimore Yearly Meeting.