Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1884-01-29
- For the SPECTATOR.
Tinkling Spring Church.

| Mr.. EDITOR: Perhaps your oldest and
one of your most punctu,l subscribers,
think of more than half century as the
reader of the SPECTATOR, has sent me some
interesting items of history of this old
church. He is near eighty-f1ve years old,
and remembers many of them; others have
. come. to him by tradition. / am sure it
would CRAFTY him to see them in print, as
many Of his friends at distance would see
them who first saw the light within its
bounds. l refer to the venerable Matthew
Pilson, for many years an Elder in Beth |
church. / may be pardoned for using these
few lines from DR.. Foote as an introduc-
ton:
sGoing down from the splendid prospect
| on R,ckfsh Gap to the edge of the lake
country as the sage Of Monticello termed
it. you enter the bounds of the oldest con-
gregation in Augusta county, one that con-
tends with Opequnn for the honor of being
the first in the great Valley, and the first
in the State after the days of Mckenzie
the congregation of the Triple Forks of the
Shenandoah. which formerly stretched
across the Valley from the Gap to the
Ridge, in the western horiz'n. You are.
too, in the bounds of that division of the
congregation named Tinkling Spring. &c.
''lt was orglnlz'd, as you know" says
Mr.. P, "by Rev. Mr.. Blair in 1747. The
seeing some of tho old sills. They were
1905 or 1906. There was yard enclosed
west of the church, on the slope of the hill,
with post and rails to hitch horses in, to pro-
tect the saddles and brides from the stock
running in the range. Many of the posts
remained after was grown, and were us.d
to hit ch horses to. The secord church was
of stone, long and narrow, with the pulpit
in the side, (north,) perched near to the
ceiling, with :; s''unding board over it. It
was well furnished with peWs, according to
the old style. I should have mentioned
that in the fist one corner was cut off
from the balance of the church by
ratings and door openi' from the
outside. This was the Preston corner;
no one but the family Of Plestons en-
tered, unless invited. Old Father Craig
was the Fl st minister. Rev. James Wad-
dell, the Blind Preacher, the second, who
served about seven years. He lived on the
Col. James Patton farm, on South River,
called Spring HILL, lately owned by Zach
ariah McCne>ney. The next Pastor was
the Rev. John McCue who served twenty
eight years. On the - of September, 1918,
Rev. James G. Wilson took charge. There
was difficulty in getting home for him.
His fatlier-ir-law, a M. Coleman from
Eastern VII ginia, said If suitable place
could be bought, be would pay for it.: Pres
emily $50 acres of Col. Andrew Fulton's
Wsynesborp', ,--ssas -keugl,t at S5250 per
acre. On Mr.. Coleman's return home to
make rangements for paying for it, he
dis d suddenly, when his estate was found
comparatively insolvent. Very soon there
after Mrs. Wilson died. Mr.. Wilson was
placed in very embarrassed situation.
Mr.. John Alexander, who lived where Mr.
Weaver now does, a son-in-law of Benjamin
Stuart, g',t up meeting, which agreed tn
pay MIR. Wilson six Yeas salary in ad-
vance. He commenced female school,
which, in conncc'i ion with the proceeds of
his farm, enabled him 10 support his fam
lily mp to the time of his death. That was
sudden and occurred in the postoffice at
Way nesboro', whilst waiting for his mail
He, like Mr.. McCue. served the cnngrega-
tion a. a supply, and for term of twenty
two years, most faithful Y. Rev. B. NJ
Smith succeeded him for about six years.
Then Rev. Dr.. Dabney and Rev. VIM. Cal
hnun preached some months b. fore the Rev.
Mr.. See, whose term of service was about
fourteen yeais; then Rev. DR.. Strickler, Mr.
Preston, &c.
In the days of my boyhond, the Elders
were George Hutch nson, Samuel Prison,
Col. Andrew Full on, Maj. Alexander Hall,
Walter Davis, Matthew Hunter, Thomas
Calbraith, and. think, Andrew Mcclure
The Clerk, as the leader of the singing was
Go lied, was Georgr P,lson in Mr.. Waddel'>
time; some time after him, Mr. Mccall;
tltnr afr snly nrI
Steele a short time; then MIR. VIM. Glike
son, followed by Col. Frank McCue, who
served perllal forty years. And yet it is
strange that this old church, with such an
array of able ministers, in period of 1876
years, has furnish d but tUo minister's, II
Mr. Mcclure, born, think, on the Michael
A. Cnyner tarm. licensed by Old Hanover
Prrsbytery and went to Kentucky; the
next was Mr.. Moff-tt. The Rev. Newton
Craig, D. ID, Is claimed, but imp operly,
as he was born in Pocahontas comfy, Oh a
farm sold his father, George Craig, by
the late James A. McCue. What | have
told you of Mr.. Mcclure, my father told
me. l am sincerely your friend,
MATTHEW PILsoN."
''Rev. Andrew Mcclure was the forty
third minister, born in Augusta, 1855; was
received as a candidate November. 1881, at
the St'ne Meeting house; licensed October
2jti, 1889 ut New Providence viii, Msssrs.
Hou-,"u, Rankin. and C.r,ick. Accepting
call from The North Fork of Roanoke, he
Was ordained Nav 9th, 1884. He removed
to Kentucky in 1885, and occupies place
in DR. Davids ms History. He died in
1893 ''-hr. Foote. p. Iii.
The writer spent IL day or two in the fam
lily Of a great grandson Of his, thirty five
years ago, in Woodford county, Ky.
We lnay here contrast Bethel. built about
1779, with Tinkling Spring. She has sent
out the f.mous VIM. McPheeters. D. D.,
ak, the two Logans, and Mines, up TO
1856, and Mr.. Lewis, grandson of DR.. Nc
Farland. and it may be others the writer
can't recall. OLD MORTALITY.
BAD THOUGHTS, Bad thoughts. if cher
shed. blight virtue, destroy purit :, and
undermine the stabl st foundations of char
acter. They are li,:e rot in timber; like
rust in iron. They eat into the man And
when the process has gone on for while,
and there comes stress of outward temp
tatinn. down they go into a mass of ruins!
Ships go out to sea all bright with fresh
paint, their sails all spread and streamers
flying. and never come back-never reach
port Why? They met storm, and went