Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-10-18

",,ntcs from the payment OF parish
icv,es (i2). There IL basis for tho be-
lief that the persecution OF the
Ouakers was never inexorabie and
that their religious meetings were allowed
from the period OF tne'r hrst sea'inv
her OF the House of Burgesses from lower
Norfolk county. was arraigped before tho
House for being loving 10 the Quakers,"
and being at their meetings He was
aIso CHARGED with being 80 far an Ana
b,p,ist IA to DO against the baptizing OF
children" OBJ. l recall among the trea..
sures of the very interesting museum OF
this college precious relic. br'ck from
the Chesterfield JAIL a votivc shrine OF re-
hrious liberty. "a the prison of Baptist
aipstles. Foote, the Presbyterian histo-
rian. asserts that under the provisions of
the Act of loleration--lst. William and
Mary. 1859. the minister Francis Mackenzie,
who was also merchant, was the first
Dissentor licensed to hold meetings in Vr-
cinia. the date being October, 1899. and
the places his three houses at Pocomokc,
Accomack town. and Onancock ga.
II is well known that the Quakers were
quite numerous in Nansemoud and Isle OF
Might counties about the middle Of the
seventeenth century.
nESRoo QUAKEEs.
John Peasants. the ancestor of the
worthy family of the name in this coun-
try. emigrated from Norwich. England. 10
Virginia In 1865. and settled in Henrico
county IN 1868. In the records Of the
county. of date October /. 1862. appears
| the following >.
John Peasants, in bchalt Of himself
aud other Quakers, did this day. In open
1 QUAKER places of public meeting IN TINS
couuty-viz., Att our Public Meeting
House. 2 Thomas Holms presumed to be
| TIE minister's Att Mary Maddoxs, q
monthly meeting; AT John Peasants.
These are directed to be committed 10 re-
cord ~ the Act of Parliament enJoins,
they being the places OF worship, -
q John Peasants. Henry handoiph' -
! C.15.) NJ.
The Record Book Of the Henrico Meet
,ncs of the Society of Friends from 1929
| to l7i6 Is preserved.
monthly meeting of the Society OF
| Friends held March 3. 100, 1t was agrecu
with John Peasants 10 build u nei7 meet
lnc-houso 30x70 feet in dimensions WAeGd
ofrsp0wng M old one. A gust inference ~
| that the old one was 50 dllapldlted that IL
wa. iudicious to build IA new structure.
! II may he of interest to note that the
! ancestors Of the lamented Henry h. Ely
soy, the late hOnOrcd president OF the
| BOARD o. Trustees of tins college were
members OF the Heprico Meeting OF
| Friends. Ii there was not an earlier mouse
Of worship Of tho Quaker> III NoriolH,
| Nans,mont or Isle Of Wight counties, WIN
| some II might be held that IN this early
licensed meeting house in Henrico county
! ro,f, the honor of the germ OF religious
Liberty III Nlrsinla.
Sweet charity. how wayvardly thy be-
hcsts and sometimes mislnterpretei.
IL - to bc deuIOred that the zeal on some
I Z . int n
| utterauces. Ii would be rare Christian.
indeed. who would be pleased with char-
| ectprizati0n suca as TINS " At church ye
pray to the dr,ll-your good works damn
YOU and carry you to he'll. All your preacn,
,rs preach false doctrines. and tney andall
| who follow them are going 10 he'll. Is IL 10
| lie wondered that a religious people thus
abused felt aggricvcd Were these an
| cestors Of ours besOttei bgOts! IL would
seem that we have still unrest OF Christ
| .u1ou ~ Tho Presbyterian synod. III seS-
slonin philadelphia May n. lIi5. deemed II
prouer III an address 10 Governor Gooch. OF
! Virginia, TO d.sclaIm cOuntcnance 81 such
provOcations and ascrlbei tnem - sens
| instics who had been excluded from the
| SYNOD IN iii (16). Happily there have
been mod lications ID Christian oXemplIa-
| cation thrOCs hOut our land since our
colonial era. ! have no sectarlan interest
in this discussion. New EnglandcrS are
among nv kindest and most cherished
friends. IN their regard for literature We
might probably emulate them.
rIsHcP MEADE's WORK.
The loving and gentle Bishop Meade OF
blessed memory. III the mort hcalioh 81
piou. humility perchance, thought proper
/ IN that precious garner Ot the past, ne
old Churches and Families OF Virginia.
70 record the fraltIes Of some OF the colo
ma clergy. | doubt If there were Aat
score Of such weak and eTr.ng sprlis-ccr-
family not 80 many are cited and single
| biack sheep has given bad name u
| our entire flOck-yet irglnan anu
/ an EuscOpalian has recently taken license
| to assert sweepln.ly that more as
reputable class of men than the ealy ~
GINA parsons II would be dlmcult -
| Imagine" 10 The lndulgenccs Oh the
Nirginan If the eighteenth century We're
not peculiar T. hlm alone. They largely
prevailed In New England. They were the
natural rehex OF the laXlty OF English
morals under the Georges.
However liable the Nirginian may have
been to the charge Of intolerance. super
stitlou seems not to have beughted his
nature. His courts record but one IN
/ stance of an arlalgnm ut tor wltchcrait.
Ipon the complaint of one Luke iilli and
| yife IN 1903 Grace Sherwood vas tried by
the County Court OF Princess Anne on
the suspicion of witchcrait." Sne Was
first searched by an able jury Of " antlent
! women and then subjected t. the wafer
/ test-heinc cas-. into the river and "sho
! swiming w'n therein and bound. con-
trary TO custom, was again committed 10
! We common goal OF Yc county 10 be
! brought u a future tryall there ll9).
The court. however. Lot knowing low
10 proceed = JudGmt y referred the case
| 10 the Supreme Court, the Council. for de-
| 4 4 l.. law 70
fcrred II o. the Attorney General, Stevens
Thomson. He gave it as his "opinlon
thai the County CT should have maize a
fuller examination Q9'.
The persecution of the alleged witch It
may be concluded ended with tins opin-
ion, rs there l. no further record OF the
case She survived. it appears, until III,
her will. in which she bequeaths her estate
T. three Sons. beng of record IN that year
IN lrncess Anne county go. 1t l. signi-
ticant that the forewomgn OF the able jury
! WAS Eliza Barns from Anne Arundel cOun-
~. Nd, which was the harbor OF the Pun
| tals.
The RACE ELEMENTS.
The constitution of the population Of
! virginia in the seventeenth century-the
! race elements that entered into Its compO-
| sitlon may be noted. 1t Is concluslyeiy
! demonstrated In preserved record, printed
| and MS, the latter embracing the registry
of lands patents from 1920 and the records
| of the several county courts. that the set
tiers were preponderantly English. There
was "a considerable number OF the Welsh
and a sprlnkhng of French, ltalans. Irish;
and Dutch. Among the last were skilled
artisans. and one of that race--Onc Doodas
or Doodes Minor. or Minor Doodes. Tor
the name is thus variably recorded-waS
the ancestor OF family OF eminent edu-
Gators.
There were refugee iiuguenots who found
asylum desultorlly III Virginia before 100,
but the chef influx was IN that year when
more than 500 came and settled, chiefly at
Manakintown. OF the Scotch. but few
Immigrants before the union Of Scotland
with England. III 1907, may be identified.
William Drummond, who had been Gov
ernor of North Carolina, and who was
hung by Berkeley IN 1916 rs a rebel, Is SAID
to o c been ScOtchman. The founder
of the distinguished Nelson family was
called. 1t may be significantly, Scotch
Tom" but he was born in Cum
berland county, England. DIR. James
Blair was a Scotchman but he came to
Virginia through the alembic of England
as the famous race of the Valley OF Nir-
1 4 1