The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1878-04-27

lhey give as q reason why they wanted
the road-that the country was settling SO
fast that the old road was about to be closed
up.
The church road, referred to in the petit
ton, was a road leading from some point,
probably, near the mouth of the Octoraro
to the Episcopal Church at the head of
North East, or to the chapel connected
with it, that stood short distance east of
Port Deposit.
The writer has made much inquiry about
the Indian town, but has been unable to
learn any thing in reference to its location
or history.
The people who were settling the county
so fast as to excite the apprehension of the
inhabitants of Susquehanna hundred that
their road would be closed, were probably
the Scotch Irish Presbyteriaus who settled
contiguous to Nottingham and who were
the founders of the Nottingham Presby-
terrain Church. The road they speak of
was probably the one they travelled from
the upper ferry now Port Deposit to Phila-
delphia, and was continuation of the old
Philadelphia and Nottingham road which
ran from the former place to Darby, thence
to Chester, thence past Concord meeting
house to Kenneth and New London X roads
and reached Nottingham at the brick meet
ing house. Some of these Scotch Irish
appear to have settled on the romantic hills,
oh ha f,,l
so impetuously to meet and mingle with
the more stately Susquehanna. Others of
them settled Immediately south of the
western part of Nottingham. In the course
of time, and as opportunity offered, many
of them became residents of the original
Nottingham grant. The Ewings, Moores,
Evanses, Pattons, Maxwells and many 9TH
ers whose descendants are now members of
the West Nottingham Presbyterian Church
were there prior to the grant to Penn or
very soon afterwards. As early as 1924
they had organized church, and it is
probable, Judging from the fact that in
1870 their meeting house is called the old
meeting house, that they were numerous
enough to have organized a church and
erected a house of worship several years
prior to the year 1920. 1t is matter of
doubt where the first house of worship
stood. Even tradition, with its contradic-
tory stories, is silent upon this subject.
The name of the congregation, as it first
appears on the records of the Presbytery, is
-, e
called Lower Octoraro. In 1880 it received
the name Of Nottingham, by which it has
been known ever since, notwithstanding
there was an effort made in 1903 to change
the name to Ephesus, and in 1914 to change
it to kirkwood, both of which efforts failed
OF the history of this church and the dis
tingushed divines that have been connected
with it, as we'll as of the history of the Not
tingham Academy, the Observation-Disclosures
permitting will speak more at length in a
subsequent chapter.
The Quaker settlement of Nottingham
was frequently visited by itinsrant Friends
when they were journeying from place to
place to proclaim the gospel.
1t is worthy of remark that at this time
the Indians still lived in Lancaster county,
and that few traders were stationed at or
near the mouth of the Conestoga. Some
of these Indians were refugees from Mary
land that had been driven there by the
encroachments of the Europeans who had
settled near the head of Chesapeake bay
and along its tributaries. About this time
17O5) the digntaries from PENIS planta-
tons along the Delaware paid them visit
and made a treaty with them.
The eminent Quaker preacher, Thomas
Chalkley, visited Nottingham in 1905, and
as he expresses it, had a concern upon
his mind to visit the Indians living near
Susquehanna, at Conestoga. He laid it
before the elders at Nottingham meeting,
with which they expressed their amity and
promoted my visiting them" Accordingly,
having secured the services of an inter-
of the citizens, set out through the forest
to visit the Indians. The party travelled
on horseback and carried their provisions
with them. They spread their food upon
the grass and dined under the shade of the
trees in the prmeval forest, refreshing
themselves and horses with water from the
river, upon whose banks they had stopped
to enjoy the midday meal. The Indians re-
evidence that the preaching of this humble
Quaker, whose zeal was only equaled by
his meekness, had touched their hearts and
prepared them for the reception of the
| divine grace and light, an abundant meas
ure of which appears to have been vouch-
safed to him. There were two tribes of
| these Indians-Senecas and Shawansee.-
One of the tribes was governed by an en-
! press-so Chalkley calls her, Whose ad-
vice the Indians sought before they con-
sented to hold the meeting. She appears
to have been a woman of age and expert
ence, and had had remarkable dream a
short time before the visit of the Quakers,
which seems to have left deep impression
upon her mind. Though the Friends sane
toned the preaching of women, they were
evidently surprised to find this tribe of
Indians under the government of woman,
and inquired why it was so. The Indians
replied, "That some women were wiser
than some men," They, no doubt, had
selected her as their ruler on account of
her wisdom and superior qualifications for
the position.
Among the early Quaker settlers in Not
| tingham, whose names do not appear among
the original grantees of the township, were
the Aliens. They took up the land since
owned by John Mount; their descendants
continued to reside in Nottingham till 1913,
when they removed to Ohio. They were a
distinguished family, and took an active
part in the affairs of the society One of
them was an elder of the meeting at Ken
nett, whittier she had removed and where
she died in 171S
John Day removed his right among
Friends from Philadelphia to Nottingham
in 1r21 Ia hnr