The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1878-10-19
Historical Researches that QuiIp
made Us Il Bohemian.
General History OF the Presbyterian
Churches from the time OF Whitefield's
Visit 10 the Revolutionary War.
CHAPTER XNN[

THE ESTABLISHED CuURCu-LoCATIoS oil
THE FIRST CHURCHEs-THE CHURCH A
BROAD cREEK-wHITEFIELD's yIsIr-ul
breaches At NOTTINGHAM, NORTH EAST
ELKToN AND BOHEMIA MANoR-THE ELK
TON CHUKCH-MADAM CATro-sAMUEI
FISLEY-NoTTIHGuAM ACADEMY AND TIL
FREE SCHOOL ON BOHEMIA KIyER-Tul
ACADEMY NEAR LEwIsvILII, PA.-KI.v
JAMES FINLEY HARIEsTowS
The reader of these sketches will recol
lcct that New Munster was settled by a col
ony of Scotch-liish Presbyterians, and tina
the church at the Head of Christiana wa
founded by them and few others in tn.
adjoining counties of Chester and New Cas-
tie very early in the history of that settle
ment. The early pastors of the presbyter
ian churches in this county were very zeal
Gus and full of missionary spirit, and it i,
nothing to their discredit that the Rev
Hugh Jones. rector of North Sassafras par.
ish, who was a Jealous churchman, shoult
have complained of the trouble they causet
him. So intimately was the Established
Church connected with the government oi
the province of Maryland, that it WAS nc
wonder the clergymen of that church were
a little pulled up. They derived their sup
port from the tax Of forty pounds of to-
bacco that was annually levied upon each
taxable i'll their respective parishes; and
their vestrymen, strange as ii may appear
were ,enjoined TO nominate the inspectors
of tobacco for each of the counties, and
were invested with certain other privilege.
that were not accorded to tho officers oi
other churches. The churchmen being fed
at the expense Of the body polite, and FIRE
quently being favortes of the royal gov.
errors, by whom they were presented to
their lvings, no doubt looked with Jealous
eyes upon the encroachment of the Others
who. having 4 democratic form of church
government, and many Of them being til,
descendants of those who had suffered from
the dcspotism of the Stewards in the Mother
Country, no doubt felt themselves aggrieyed
and oppressed by being taxed for the bene
fit of the Established Church.
1t is n singular fact that ali the early
Presbyterian churches in this county, ex
cept the one in Nottingham, which was
then considered as part OF Pennsylvania,
we're quite near where the boundary lines
were afterwards established. The old
church at the Head OF Christiana on the
site of which the present church stands, is
only ten chains east of the line between
the two provinces, as noted in the journal
of Mason and Dixon when they run tina;
line. The church at Broad creek, which
stood quite near where the Bethel NJ +.
Church now stands Judging from the site
OF the old grave yards. was still nearer the
State line, as was also the first church on
the forks of the Elk river, which stood al
the stone grave yard near Lewisvile, Pa.
1t was probably the intention OF those
who erected these churches To place them
beyond the jurisdiction Of Maryland, so
that the members of the congregations
from Pennsy lvania would not be affected
by the legislation of the former province,
which prohibited the solemnization of mar
riage, except according to the ritual of the
Church of England. The records of ST.
Stephens Church show that some of the
early Presbyterian ministers occasionally
performed the marriage ceremony i'll that
church.
The Presbyterian Church at Broad creek,
there is reason to believe, was founded 10y
the Lawsons aud Alexauders from Society
and New Munster, few of whom had set
tied i'll that neighborhood. This church is
notable on account of its failure OF its
early history We know but very little, ex
cept that in 1928 Richard Thompson leased
an acre of land to Samuel Alexander aud
Peter Bouchell for > years. for the use OF
the Presbyterian congregation at that place,
for au annual rent Of one ear of Indian
corn. 4 few years after this time in 1889 i.
Peter Lawson who was afterwards one o.
the parties to a chancery suit that grew on,
Of claim that he, i'll some way, had for a
part or all of Bohemia Manor purchased
the Back creek mill, and it is worthy OF
remark, as Calculating the history of that
period, that the landing and salt house are
mentioned in the deed from Thomas Col
willie to him for the mill
The first pastor of this church was the
Rev. Alexander Hutchinson, a Scotch Irish
Presbyterian, who was installed in 123
1t appears to have always been feeble, for
during the most Of his psstorate, he was
directed by the Presbytery to supply the
Presbyterian Church on Elk river, rs the
Rock congregation was then called. Peter
Bouchell was one of the first elders, as was
probably Samuel Alexander, and certainly
also John Brevard.
This church seems to have been almost,
if not quite, extinct in l140, when Rev
Geo. Whitetield visited Bohemia Manor
Most of its members probably Joined
the Forest Church in Delaware, when that
church was organized in 1850.
Whiteiield first visited this section OF
nal, a copy Of which he presented to sis
ter of Rev. John Wesley, and which is now
in the possession Of the Historical Society
of Pennsy lvania. On the End of Decem-
Der of that year he preached at White Clay
creek to an audience of 10000 persons.
The next day he preached at North East;
but little notice having been given, there
were only about !, 800 persons present. On
the l+th of May, l740, lie addressed large
meeting at Nottingham, after which he
went south, visiting Georgia and the Caro-
linas, and returned the following Autumn
and preached At Nottingham again to an
audience of 5000 persons. After this ne
visited Bohemia Manor. and on the eth Of
November preached at the house of Mrs.
Bayard to an audience of ,, 900 persons. lie
does not mention the Broad creek church
in his journal, from which we infer tina,
the church had ceased to exist at that time,
or was SO very feeble that it did not exist
much longer.
Ii was no doubt during this interval,
when IOurneyiup from Nottinpham tn Rn.