The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1888-12-15

r. Ii. Pattison; 1863 to 1864, Gassoway
Dram; 1865 to 1867, j. A. Brindle; 1865,
Charles Hill; 1869 to 1870, VIM. E. Eng
land; 1871 to 1878. T. E. Martindale.
During the pastorate of J. A. Briudle
Hon. Jacob Tome had begun the erec-
ton of third structure as a memorial
to his wife, a short distance north of the
first and on the same side of the. street.
This was finished in 1872 October 9th,
1872, att p. m. Bro. Martindale preached
the last sermon in the church that had
become precious by the worship of gen.
Grafton from Hag. II, g. this was followed
by the Lords Supper. On the following
Tuesday memorial service of great IN
terest was held III the old building pre-
sided over by DR.. Matack and addressed
by number of the former pastors. Oc-
tober 30h, 1872, the new church was
formally presented by Mr. Tome and was
dedicated. Bishop Simpson preached in
the morning from Heb. VIII, 4; Thomas
| Guard in the afternoon preached from
Eph. III, s. and at seven and a-half D. m.
there was platform meeting. Besides
those named the following ministers were
present: Brothers Cunningham, Mason,
Pattisou, Hill, Matlack, Brindle, Curtis,
r. w. Todd, Quigg, Watson, T. L.
Tompkinson and Lightbourne, besides
Revs. Squier, Eicock and Johns of the
Presbyterian Church. This handsome
structure is 55x102-it will be perceived
that every time we have built new
church we lave taken the length of the
next preceding for the width of the new
and this promises to be more than ade-
quate for all the needs of the indefinite
future. Just here it may be proper to
say word about another structure. for
hardly any Methodist society known to
me has been so prolific in buildings as
Port. In 1858 the present, large and ex-
cellent parsonage was built on the lot
north of the second church. The church
record triumphantly states that the first
floor is above "high water,' but, alas
| for the uncertainty of human calcula-
| tions, in 1886 the aforesaid first floor was
| dUOut IuTt6 ltel, InTee lucn6S u0Qof
water. For all that the man who can call
it his temporary home has no cause to
repine at his lot. The pastorate in the
present church has been as follows: 1874
to 1875, Charles Hill; 1876 to 1878, J. D.
Rigg; 1878 to 1881, N. NJ Browne, under
whom occurred one of the greatest re-
vivals in the history of the church
1882 to 1884, R. G. Jones; 1885 to 1887,
(and following spring, as Iii each of the
foregoing cases), l.. E. Barrett; spring of
| 1888, J. P. Otis. The membership has
tuctuated considerably during all these
years, rising from twelve at the start to
as high as 272 members and probationers,
| and being at last conference 1856, this ap-
parent shrinkage being due largely, in
part to removals, and in part to severe
pruning of the records.
have said nothing about Sunday
School work in the foregoing sketch. for
it holds position of such Importance
both in the past and present of the Port
| Deposit church that it seemed better to
|
A year or two after John Goforth estab-
lished an appointment in the school
house on the Rock Ran hill-about 1921
Miss Hannah E. Reynolds began a
! Sunday Schoo! with one scholar. Then
or soon after she had associated with her
as workers, Elizabeth White, VIM. Douty
| Patt ha oil laaI
jah Moore and Sarah Ring. She contin-
ued in charge of the school till 1928
where she became the wife of Rev. Rob-
ert Gerry OF the Philadelphia Conference.
| But though thus separated from the
school she had established, and dying
| anite early in her married life, she still
| labors most effectively among us IN the
persons of her son L. A. G. Gerry, ESQ.,,
and Of his family, all of whom are men,
| bers of the church and nearly all are
| also in the Sunday School. She was sue
ceeded in the experimenting by Daniel
Megredy; he in 1881 by E. D. McClena-
han; he in 1S43 by James Wilson, who
served only parS of the year, when E.
| D. McClenahan took the Office again; 1874
Oliver P. Killingsworth was elected; 1S45
| Elijah Reynolds; 1916 Edwin Wilmer;
| 1S4S Robert Stephenson; 1S49 David
White; 1851 Elijah Reynolds; 1857 Edwin
Wilmer and Elijah Reynolds; 1867 T. J.
Vanneman; and in 1876 John NJ. McClen-
| ahan the present genial and efficient sup
erlr tendent was elected. Like the church
membership the Sunday School has had
| its fluctuations of prosperity, but at the
present time it is in high staUe of sue
cess. numbering last spring 3s3 scholars
| and So officers and teachers. To a not
| able and very encouraging extent the
pillars of the church to-day are descen-
dants or relatives of the early membe S,
| and their children are very largely walk
| ing i'll the same path.
The above figures of church member
| ship refer only to whites, but it would be
very unjust both to Port Deposit and to
| our brethren of color to close without
some reference to the work among them
Down to about 1859 they continued in
CuuiCu IHcinooiShip WIFI 1noi "hito
brethren aud some of them were mem.
| bers of the Quarterly Conference. 10 1S41
| and for some time afterwards there were
four classes of colored people two in Port
Deposit, one at Cokesburg and one at
Octoraro the membership at one time
mum mbering as high as $50. Several of the
| white brethren labored among them as
leaders notably Jacob Gwinn and Robert
| Stephens. There were, however, raised
up among them men of their own race
| who are affectionately remembered still
for sterling piety and worth of character,
such were Robert Howard, Samuel Haw-
kins, Henry Nelson, Cuff Oliver and Lit
tleton Gale. At length the times of sep
aration came; Cokesburg still abides, the
members in Port, or part of them formed
a church and built Howard Chapel in
Foundry Hollow while the class at O3to-
raro became the nucleus of circuit of
| the A. NJ. E. Church and a house of wor-
ship was built III Port by them also in
| Still House Hollow.
l would simply close this review of
| what God has wrought for US by attend
| ing to the fact that God has given seals
| to the work not only in the conversion of
souls but also by calling into the minis