Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1893-03-31
Historic Houses.

A correspondent Of the Baltimore SIN, writ
ing from Brighton, this county, under date
22nd instant, says
The funeral service of Miss Mary Garrell,
sister of VIM. Caleb Gartrell, near Brighton,
Montgomery county, was held az the resi-
dence of the latter on Sunday afternoon,
Rev. VIM. ii, Laird, of st. Luke's Chapel,
Brighton. officiating. The pail bearers were
Messrs. James Thomas Holland, Marshall
Brown, John o. Clark, James Townsend,
Thomas Lizear and Milton Brown, Miss
Gartrell was nearly seventy six years OF age
and died while sitting In her chair.
The house was built in l750-iust one
hundred and forty three years ago. 1t is
upon u tract OF land surveyed in 1923, which
came into possession Of the present owners
about l740 1t lies upon the Patuxent,
from which many farms in Howard county
may be seen. in the village of Brighton Is
the site of the oldest church Of Montgomery
county except one chapel at Rockville. 1t
was very near the present site of ST. buke's
Chapel and the new Grange Hall.
In the records Of that parish find the fol-
lowing petition Of many progenltors of tami-
lies still residing here. IL is addressed To
"Governor Sharpe" and is headed Prince
George and Frederick parish. Rawlings
River Chapel 1t reads "rhs petition,
therefore, most humby prayeth that his Ex
cellency and the honorable the Upper and
Lower House Of Assembly would be gra
ciously pleased to pass an act 10 empower
the commissioners Of Frederick and Pr zee
George parish 10 levy such sum Of money a.
TO their hOnors II may appear sufficient tor
erecting new chapel-called Chapel OF
| Ease--to be located upon or near the branch
of the Patuxent, commonly called lIewilng
| River, and to his Excellcncy and their
honOrs the petitioners shall as ia duty bound
ever pray"
(Sgned,J William Waters, Thomas Riggs,
Elisha Riggs, Robert Owen, Thomas DAVIS,
Benjamin Gather, stephen dariherlll,
Aaron Gartherill, Richard Clarke, Henry
| Luke, Jr, ancestors Of the large Brown IAN
| lily, Josiah Holland, John Holland and mao
others whose descendants cannot now be
traced.
This chapel Ia now only one wing Of
of the large circuit, including two large
churches, St. Johns and st. Bartholomew,
under Rev. Mr. Lard's pastoral charge
Within eight miles of Brighton Is another
| historic place, upon which rests the remains
| Of Major Greene, Of revolutionary service,
whose tombstone dates back some eighty
years or more.
Becoming afterward the property Of TWO
bachelor brothers, Thomas and Nicholas
| WorthingtOn, by will II was inherited by
Nicholas Clarke, Of Howard county, brother
of the late John r. Clarke, who died in the
Confederate service, after which II became
the property Of Mrs. Renehan, Of Baltimore.
She has just completed its recent sale ~
Samuel and Joseph Janney, relatives Of
Johns Hopkins and grandson Of Mr.. Elisha
J. Hall, long principal Of Bro0koyle Acad-
envy. Mrs. Renehan still resides there.
One more historic house is in sight. II
Is the property Of James Thomas Holland
descendant Of John Holland, one Of the
signers of the above petition, but who, be
coming dissatisfied, offered his large dwell
ing for organizing the first Methodist denom'
ination which worshpped here, In l793
and from which delegates were sent to Tho
first Methodist convention Of Maryland
which met in Baltimore in 1884
Mr.. Clinton Dorsey, having recently
bought the old homestead Of the Misses Hol
land, adjoining, and also a portion of thu
Renehan property, has greatly improved
the same by remodellng and painting TN
dwelling and other buildings.