The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1890-12-05

ruary IL was esOlved, THAT Thomas SHIRE
dine, the late Sheriff, is to be sued" The OBJ
ject of this suit is nowhere stated, nor the
result given. At this time John Paca was
the register. This was no doubt Capt. John
Paca, son of the first Aquilla and father Of
the Signer. In June the vestry agreed with
Mr.. John Paca, Jr., to make a door to Mr..
Lendrum's pew, and to make up seats in the
lower part of the Church" From what is
afterwards recorded, this refers to "the
Church in the Forrest )" that is, the Chapel
the rebuilding of the parish Church being de-
ferred as not SO urgent. John Paca, Jr., was
a son of the second Aquilla and nephew of
Capt. John Paca.
august 23d, 1853. Order drawn to pay
Mr.. John Hall 1873 pounds of Tobacco for
keeping the Church plate and linen one year"
1t is little strange that there is no hint in
the vestry-book of the following event which
is recorded in the archives of Baltimore coun-
ty:
house and kitchen of Rev Andrew Lendrum OF
ST. Georges Parish were burnt to the ground.
Whether or not these buildings were on one
of the glebes there is nothing to show. as
there is no record of Mr. Lendrum's place
of residence at this time.
In May of the following year, John Paca
agrees to cover the westinghouse for 400 to-
bacco. The Register is ordered TO advertize
the pews to be sold on the 10th june" This
no doubt refers to the pews in the Chapel.
The price of each pew is given, five being
valued at f10 each, one at ELL one at f12,
two at f8 each and four at f9 each in all,
thirteen pews to be sold, the sum total be-
ing f125. 1t is not likely that these were all
the pews. At any rate, they did not constitute
all the church accommodations, for, as we
houa aaf.atc in the lower
part of the Chapel" which were not desig-
mated as pews. At the same meeting it was
ordered that mo person in Spesutia Lower
Hundred, which at that timeprobably en-
braced all the territory below the Old
Post Road purchase Of the Chapel pews
till twelve months after date. John Paca
is to have 500 tobacco to procure sex
ton for the Chapel for one year. From
the proceedings of this meeting it is probable
that the Chapel of Ease was first ready for
use some time during the summer of 1904
The object in excluding the parishoners OF
Lower Spesutia Hundred from purchasing
pews until a year had elapsed, was, of course,
to prevent them from getting the most eli
gible ones-,hey being in general, weather.
than the Chapel people.
On the Goth of August, "a meeting of the
Vestry was held at the Chapel. So far as ap-
pears the first held there, at which were pres
emit, Rev. Mr.. Andrew Lendrum, George Gar
rettson, Pallard Keene, John Paca, Jr., Church
Warden, Richard Wells, Jr. Mr.. Bennett
was paid f63.13 for building the gallery and
William Fisher 5 shillings for two bottles OF
wine"
While it is not impossible that this wine
was intended for sacramental purpose, the
probability is that it was one Of the appli-
ances for celebrating, at this meeting, the
completion of the Chapel, which was truly
a great triumph after a hard struggle of
several yeare. Indeed, for those times, this
was not only very moderate quantity, but
a very mild quality OF liquor for such an &C.
casion, since 1t is matter ofrecord that GER
tain Baltimore county vestry (though, Tor
tunatey, or unfortunately, the names OF
neither vestry nor parish are given) had
standing order that the sexton provide at
each meeting, at the expense of the parish"
q quart of rum and sugar equivalent, and as
much diet as will give the vestry dinner,
which order held good until quashed by an
emphatic protest from the parishionels, and
thereafter the rum and diet consumed on
such occasions had to be furnished at the
expense of the consumers, as shown by the
following countermand
"Jan'y z, 1862, ordered by the vestry of
fl Parish, that each vestryman and
warden in his turn find dinner and quart
of rum and sugar, to take off the great scandal
and charge the Parish has labored under"
So, in those days, no one ever thought OF
Directing to the use of rum, even by the min
ister-the only question being "whose treat
is it?"
1t may possibly be that this standing order
was adopted by the mysterious vestry to
ensure full attendance. 1t is told of Frank
lin, that when he once had command of
frontier militia company, on the chaplain
complaining that the men were exceedingly
lax in attending upon religious services, the
sage, with his wonted readiness in meeting
emergencies recommended that his Reverence
deal out gill of rum to each warrior at the
end of prayers. This simple plan the good
man at once adopted. and so great was its sue
cess that he kept it up throughout the cam
paign.
In September it was Ordered that John
Paca take James Leis and John Dunnis
bonds for making over the land purchased
for the Chapel" And in December, shat
Daniel Preston run out the Chapel lands at
once, and return a certificate by the 10th
drawn for levy of 10 lbs. per poll"-Col. Will
liam Young being mentioned in this connec-
ton as Sheriff Doubtless the object for this
levy was to defrsy expenditures of the new
Chapel.
In Sept, 1855, "the vestry gave Rev. Mr..
Lendrum an order on the sheriff for t6,OOO
lbs. tobacco, which Mr.. Lendrum is to pay
in Crop hogsheads, the vestry paying the
expense of cropping"
On the ID June, 1855, Samuel Webb is
empowered to agree for a Sexton for the
Chapel. At the same meeting Capt. John
Hall agrees TO make, burn and deliver 1OO,O0O
bricks fit to be worked into wall, at %
shillings per thousand, to be delivered as we
shall want them, till LIST May next, one-halfto
be paid on the 10th Nov next, the other half
on 10 of June, 1857" The total cost, deliver
ed, would be f125, or about $500.
In 1855 the Assembly passed an act-which
remained in force for eight years-levying q
tax on wines, liquors, billiard-tables and
misunderstanding, however, such OF the
last named articles as were under twenty-five
years of age and such as had not an income
of f1O0 per annum. Those whose incomes
were from f100 to f300, were taxed i've
shillings-exceeding f300, twenty shillings.
The names of the unfortunates ofSt. Georges
and the amount of tax upon each, are still to
be seen the vestry.book.
In July, 1866, "the Vestry agreed with MIR.
Bennett for digging and walling well and
putting in a pump at the Chapel, after the
Parish Church is built" April-"Met and
adjourned flor want of enough presently to
Swan Creek, to meet Mr.. Lendrum, and met
him. 1t was ordered that the sitting Assem-
bly, be petitioned to order a levy of 1850 cur
rency in two equal installments TO build the
church"