The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1883-06-02
HISTORICAL SKETCH
OF THE PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL
CHURCH IN NORTH ELK AND
TRINITY PARISHES.

Sermon Delivered IN Trinity Church,
Elkto- by the Rector, Rev. VIM.
Schouler, on Sunday,
May II, 1883.
The Lord our God be with Us as He was will
| our fathers. - Kings: s: 81.
The year 1883 marks the one -hundredth
anniversary of the organization of the
Diocese of Maryland, embracing within
its limits both the parent Diocese and
orr own youthful Diocese of Easton.
During the present week the occasion
will be marked by commemorative ser
vices to be held in the city of Baltimore,
and in which the two dioceses will unite.
1t is natural that, at such Il time,
churchmen should bestow especial
| thought, not only upon the general his
tory of the Church within the limits OF
the State, from its first planting in our
commonwealth, but also upon its history
in their own neighborhood; endeavoring
to gather wisdom and inspiration for the
future, in view of the lessons of the past.
| purpose this morning to present a
brief outline of the history of the Church
in this immediate region. y history OF
Trinity Church, in Elkton, as a separate
congregation, must needs be somewhat
brief, when compared with that Of the
Church in the parish North Elk in
which it was originally included. The
organization of Trinity Parish is an event
within recent remembrance. The plan
pursued in this sketch will be to trace
the varying fortunes of the Church, in
this portion of Cecil county, from its be-
ginning, in the early portion of the last
century, and during the period when the
venerable church in North East was the
parish church for those resident in this
vicinity, as in other portions of North
Elk Parish; combining the view, however,
to Trinity Church and to its own imme-
date field of operation, after the separate
organization had been effected. 1t is
proper to state here that the material for
the brief sketch here presented, has been
derived very largely, might say almost
entirely SO far as the earlier portion of
the history is concerned, from the valu-
able work of our fellow townsman, Mr..
George Johnston, and in which the reli-
gious, as well as the secular history OF
Cecil county, receives careful treatment.
The history of the Church in this
First. that of the planting and establish
ing of the Church. when it was known as
the Church of England. Second, that of
collapse and threatened ruin following
the Revolution): and, third, that of res
toration and growth.
Our attention will be directed first to
establishment of the Church in this re-
gion.
The first clergyman Of the Church of
England, who is mentioned as visiting
Cecil county, is the Rev. John Yeo, about
the year 1911. l am able, however, to
record nothing further than the fact Of
his visit Whether he performed any
ministrations in the county, and particu-
larly in this portion of it, does not APP
pear.
In the year 1892 North and !s0uM
SaSstrar Parishes Gas they were called)
were erected; the former including
the region known as North Sassa-
frax, Bohemia and Ell Hundreds' Men
ton is made of the Rev. Laurence Van
derbush as then officiating III North Sass
afras. Whether he performed any minis
trations in ELK Hundreds" or its neigh
borhood we are not informed. At this
time the population embraced within the
present limits of Cecil county, was prob
ably not far from 1, 300. There was then,
at this time sufficient church strength to
warrant the erection of a parish in this
region. \ place of worship was used,
which was spoken of at the time as ''the
present meeting house" (probably in the
region south of the Bohemia river) which,
of course, to the Jealous, who priced the
ministratiuns of their Mother Church of
England would be accessible even to any
such who might live as far distant as
eek Hundreds or its immediate
neighborhood.
But little remains to be noted in regard
to whatever connection church folk in
this region may have had with the con-
gregation gathered in the neighbor-
hood of the Bohemia river The inter-
val was a brief one that preceded the Or
ganization of the separate parish of
North Elk. During this brief period we
have the record of the ministrations in
North Sassafras Parish, of the Rev. Jas.
Crawford and the Rev. Richard Sewell,
the latter of whom had been sent to
Maryland by the then Bishop of London,
and who had been appointed to the two
parishes of North and South Sassafras.
There seems to have been some differ
ence of opinion between the Lower
house of the General Assembly, on the one
hand, and the Upper House and the Gov
trnor on the other called out by ques-
tom of making appropriation, customary
in such cases, for the sermon preached
by the Rev Mr.. Sewell before the AS
sembly, it being urged by the lower
house that Mr.. Sewell "did not give that
satisf action to the country that was ex-
pected of him." The appropriation,
however, was made. In 1901 the inhab
itants of North Elk and Bohemia Hun
dreds made complaint to the General
Assembly that Mr.. Sewell had neglected
them. but we have no record of any ac-
ton taken on the complaint Of the peti-
TONERS.
A little previous to this time the mat
ter of building a chapel had been breach
ed, and an agreement was entered into
for the erection of one by the Elk River
on St. Johns Manor, in Elk Neck, it is
supposed. Whether it was ever built is
matter of uncertainty. A Parish
Church, however, was erected a few years
later, tne HrSG OF. SIepneH ), ana oc-
cupying position on or near the site of
the present structure.
We take leave now of the history
as connected with the North Sassafras
Parish organization. The General AS
sembly at the session of 1906 authorized
the erection into separate parish, I'M
der the name of NORTH Elk, of all that