Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1885-08-27
trines which developed on the west side of
Tho 4 tlantic into the great North American

trines which developed on the west side of
the Atlantic into the great North American
Republic. A number of the Renwicks, re-
latfons of the martyr, came to America:
Two of them preached the gospel in what
is now Newberry county, South Carolina,
and many of their descendants are there
still.
North of the "Monument to the Virgin
Martyrs'' is the statue of Rev. Ebenezer
Erskine, who together with William Will
son, Alexander Moncrief and James Fisher
founded the secession church of Scotland.
Ebenezer Erskine was born at Dryburgh
ON the 22d of June, 1880 and died at Stirling
on the I'd of June, wanting but twenty
days of being seventy-four years old. In
1888 he entered the university of Edin-
burgh and in June, 1897 graduated at the
early age of seventeen. On the 18th of
February, 1903, he was licensed to preach
the gospel and was ordained and settled as
pastor of the parish of Portlnoak on the
22nd of September of the same year. After
laboring in Portmoak for twenty-eight
the High Church in Stirling. He was in
stalled over his new charge on the 9th of
September, 1871.
In the High Church he continued to
preach until 1880, when he and all who
Joined with him in opposing the notorious
corruptions of the Church of Scotland were
thrust out. In the same year, the people OF
his charge built for him church on st.
Johns street. In this church he was
preaching when he died and under it he was
buried. The church was afterwards moved
back from the street a short distance, but
the slab which marks the spot where his
dust reposes still remains. One other per
son was buried beside him, and near by, L
;rcf fof hn oIr nff tho ahnrnh
ing, several members of Mr.. Erskine's fam
ily are buried. The monument in the new
cemetery consists of Scotch granite pedes-
tai, on which is life-sized statue. On the
die of the pedestal is engraved
EBEN. ERSKINE,
and nothing more, but this is enough. The
sermons of Eben. Erskine have been pub
lished, both in Great Britain and America
and by various denominations. They were
published few years ago by an Episcopal
Board of Publication. In the new ceme-
terry there are statues of John Knox, An
drew Melville, Alexander Henderson and
James Guthrie, one of the ministers OF Stir
ling who, in 1861, suffered martyrdom at
Edinburgh. In that quarter of the new
cemetery nearest the Castle, there is what is
called, The Star Pyramid, or Salem ROck.
1t is strong stone structure OF six or eight
sides, fifteen or twenty feet in diameter and
perhaps twenty-five feet high. On each side
are engraved Scripture texts and beautiful
symbolical designs. The intent of this
monument is to commemorate the doctrines
of the Bible. 1t is monument erected to
the Bible. This, together with the statues
to Knox, Melville, Henderson and Guthrie
and also the marble sculptured group, the
Virgin Martyrs, was erected by William
Drummond. This individual was passion
ate admirer of the Martyred Covenanter:s,
and he not only erected monuments to their
memory, but befriended their descendants.
He died in 1868, leaving five thousand dol
lars, the interest of which is to be used in
keeping in repair the new cemetery.