The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1879-05-31
BETHEL.
THE CHURCH AUD CEMETERY.
A May Visit to This Beautiful Burying
Ground

A May Visit to This Beautiful Burying
Ground.
Bethel is one of the oldeS! Methodist
churches in this country. 1t stands close
by the site of the old Broad Creek PreShy-
terrain Church, which was built early in the
last century, upon part of an acre of land
that was decided in l12;: to - Samuel Alex
ander and Peter Bouchell and the rest Of
the Presbyterian congregation dwelling at
Long creek Bohemi:, and the parts ada
cent" 10y Richard Thompson, for an an
nual rent of one ear of Indian corn, if de
mandrd
AT the time that Broad creek gave name
to the church that stood upon its bank, it
was quite us we'll defined and was of quite
as much importance as either of the other
creeks that washed the shores of the Three
Bohemia Sisters" which was the name ap
piled to the land from Long creek to Back
creek, that Augustine Herman took up
about 200 years ago for an inheritance for
his three daughters whose names We're
Anna Margarctta, Judith and Franrina.
The waters of Long creek and Back creek
still flow down to meet and minglc with the
waters of Il thousand other streams in the
beautiful bay. But ii is not SO with Broad
creek The march of civilization and i'm
improvement have abridged its freedom,
and it is, gully when an oyster boat, pnngy
ii, Lii IL of
water craft that ply upon the Chesapeake
X Delaware Canal is passing through the
locks, that its pent-up waters are allowed
their former freedom.
Just here, we pause to remark that, one
of the descendantS,-Mr. s. ThompsonS,-of
the iliuStrious Bohemian, resides close by
the site of the old Broad Creek Church. upon
part of the land once owned by the first
lord of Bohemia Manor. The Presbyterian
church seems, from all we know of its his
tory, never tn have been very strong; and
there is reason to think that the ScliSm
caused by the preaching of Whitetield, when
he visited the county about the middle of
the last century, had much to do with caus-
ing it to ,lwindle and die, which it shortly
afterwards did, many of its members beconl-
ing members of the Forest Church, near
Middletown.
We have been unable to learn the date of
the organization of the Bethel Methodist
Church, bur il was probably organized !:
few wears previous to the erection of the
first church building belonging Ia that de-
nomination, which stood Il few yards east
of the site of the present church building,
and was built i'll 1880. This building stood
till 1919, when it was demolished, and the
present house was erected i'll its stead
There has always been Il graveyard near
these churches, and five antique and wealth
er-beaten tombStoneS may YET be seen about
Il hundred yards back of the church, and
quite close to the State line, that We're erect
ell i'll memory of members of the Clark fam
lily, one of whom was buried there in l151.
These muSS-covcred stones once stood i'll the
old Presbyterian graveyard, but now they
are in the midst OF the grass and the way
ing grain, and the memory of the persons
they were designed to prrlrtuatc has per
iShed from the earth. This is Il beautiful
location for Il cemetery, and few of the many
"sicnt cities OF the dead, that are seat
tered over the land, occupy a more brauti-
full site. The tombStones i'll the modern
grave yard contain very few ancient dates:
the early pioneers of Metho,lism and their
followers being SO meek and transformations,
not to say austerc, that few of any kind We're
erected.
We recently visited the cemetery and
spent an hour in rambling among its tombs
and along its beautiful walks, and We're
pleased to see that the very efficient Board
of Directors had done SO much to beautify
and adorn the last resting place of those
who sleep their last long sleep inside of the
sacred enclosure. 1t seems to us that the
beauty of the place was calculated to rob
the Grim Monster of half his terrors.
The Bethel cemetery was incorporated by
the Legislature of Maryland at the session
of lS49-the incorporator> being j. l.. Clay
ton, Noble Biddle, Samuel Thompson, ID.
ID. Pearce, john BigsS, and George HAIR
bert. They We're authorized to obtain by
purchase or condemnation not more than
four acres of land south of the Methodist
graveyard, and to do all other acts and
things necessary and proper for maintain
ing a cemetery. They Immediately procured
by purchase one acre of land, which they
laid out into burial lots most of which are
now covered with graves. Subsequently
another acre was added, and very recently
the present Board of directors, who are as
follows, Noble Biddle, President: Samuel
Thompson Treasurer: James A. Lewis, Sec
rotary: Joshua Clayton, Henry Clayton,
;zhn ID. Eliason, and Joseph Brooks, have
addSIs:$4 acres to the other purchases, the
wholc".lg enclosed with the old grave
yard and kept in nice repair, and adorned
and beautiticd by flowers, plants, shrubs,
and eversrcen>: it being made obligatory
upon the directors by the act of incorpora-
ton to spend all the money obtained from
the sale of lots, except what is used in en-
largng the cemetery i'll this manner.
Many of the ancestors of the people rosl-
in. in the upper part Of the Manor, and
also in Delaware, are buried in this GENE
terry. The Claytons, Smiths, PearceS Bid
dies, Prices, Be:lstons, HARNESSES, Thomp-
sons and Biggses are the names we noticed
81 lao,
copied the inscription on Il marble slab, AZ
follows:
''Sacred to the memory of Hon. Joshua
Clayton, Esq, who departed this life the
Ilth of August, 1893, in the 9th year of his
age \ sincere friend and an honest man,
he was kind, humane, and benevolent
Mr. Clayton was once Governor of the
State of Delaware and at the time of his
death represented that State in the L. :.
Senate. Close by his grave is that of his
son. DIR. James Lawson Clayton, who died
in 1888, i'll the 9th year of his age. An
other son, Capt. Richard Clayton, is buried
in the part of the cemetery All of
these and many Others of the same family,
have handsome monuments erected to their
memory. The remains of the Rev. Law
renee Lawrenson, who was relative of the
Clayton family and il distinguished and sue
ceSSful Methodist preacher, are buried in
the old graveyard. He died in 1899, in the
5lst year of his age. The remains of the
Revs. John $. Taylor and William II. Bris-
bane, both eminent Methodist ministers in
their time, are also inferred at Bethel, as
well as those of the late John Henderson,
who represented this county i'll the Legisl:,-
ture in 1888. The remains of Mrs. Martha
Torbert, reict of the Rev. William Torbert,
who, in his day, was a representative min
lister of primitive MethodiSm and an asso-
ciatc of Bishop -ASbury, are inferred here:
also those of her daughter, Maria, relict of
the late Rev. Henry +. Hurn, who died in
Philadelphia, but was brought here for in
terment
DnpM nrDlGIN IWEMZ