Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1896-11-19
STATE HISTORICAL. SOCIETY
Its Meeting Monday Evening Of
Considerable interest.
TWO DELIGHTFUL PAPERS, READ

TWO DELIGHTFUL PAPERS READ
The Receipt of Many Donations
Acknowledged.
Several Applicants Elected Members--Dr.
winian t. skinner and Henry O. Conrad
Given Vote of Thanss---Ap pointmen of
COMMITTEES to Nominate Officers.
Two papers of historical interest we're
read at the regulsrsmeeting OF the His
torical Society of Delaware Monday
Dr. William T. Skinner OF Glasgow
gave a history OF the old Pencader
Church and Henry Q. Conrad reviewed
the four Constitutional Conventions
which Delaware has hao. The latter
paper was of special interest in view of
the coming Of the next and fifth con-
vention. Chief Justice Charles b.
Lore presided at the meeting last night.
Amung the donations announced were
Hundry papers read at the Friends
Conference at Swarthmore, Pa. /, August,
1896, souvenir of organization OF Eliza
beth Cook Chapter, Daughters Of the
American Revolution from Mrs. Annie
Il. Hall, Dover; Governor WinsIow, II is
Part and Place in Plymouth Colony, I"
Rev. William COPY Winslow; Missouri
Historical Society Publication XII ];
Frontier Forts within the Wyoming
Valley, Pa. by Sheldon Reynolds
Frontier Forts within the North and
West branches of the Susquehanna,
John M. Buckalew; Names OF Soldiers
of the State of Maine in the American
Revolution, from Norris S. Barratt,
Philadelphia; reprint of the minutes
of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania,
A. f.. A. NJ, from Mr.. Barratt; steel
engravings of John Dickinson and
Thomas Mexican, and miscellaneous
portraits from Henry @. Conrad; photo
graph of Belmont Hall, below Smyrna,
where the Legislature once met, from
Mrs. @. e. @. Peterson Speakman ;
lot of arrow heads from DIR. Ii. w.
Morrow.
X. TRtnall Warner, DIR. John Palmer,
Jr., and Benjamin Nields we're elected
to active membership. William M I.
Drein, Mrs Ben jamin Nields and Mrs.
Il. Tatnall Warner were elected to asso
ciate membership.
In his paper on old Pencader Church,
DIR. Skinner said it's organization was
probably not antedated by that of any
other Presbyterian Church in Della
ware. with the exception Of New
Castle, which was organized in 1854 or
1885. and perhaps Lewes. which makes
rivals of Pencader in this respect are
Drawers and Head Of Christiana
churches. Tho word Pencader come
hA L ...t.u
seat. The church was first known as
the Welsh Tract Presby terian Church
and was SO recorded at the meeting OF
the Presbytery Of New Castle in 1717.
but appears as Pencader in the minutes
for 1928. The history of Pencader
Church and of the Welsh Tract Baptist
Church ut the foot of Iron Hill is sim
ply the history OF the settlement OF
Welsh Tract, which comprises the
greater part of Pencader hundred. The
Penoader Church hprang from Welsh
Presbyterian Church in Great Valley,
Chester county, Pa, which formed part
of a, grant from William Penn of 40, 900
acres to Welsh settlers. The Welsh
Tract Of Delaware, 10000 acres. was
granted by Penn October 18th, 1701, ia
David Evans, William Davis and Will
liam Willis. So
The Welsh Tract Baptist Church
was organized in Wales in l7Ol and
first settled at Pennepek near Philadel-
phia, but in 1703 moved TO Welsh Tract
in Delaware and soon afterward built
their first meeting. house on the site OF
the present building.
DR.. Skinner voiced theory that set
Elements Of Presbyterians and Baptists
running from Pennepek north of phila-
delphia through Montgomery. Delaware
and Chester counties, Pa, to the Welsh
Tract in Delaware offered a strong
barrier against hostile invasion OF
Penn's settlement and that Penn had
this in mind when he made the grants
The doctor laid stress on the fact
that the pioneers of Pencader Presby-
terrain Church were on the field before
the Baptists; that they did not come
over with the Baptists, but from the
Great Valley settlement. He thinks il
not improbable that Pencader Church
was organized in Great Valley soon
after 1854 and moved to Welsh Tract in
Delaware in 1701 OF soon after.
The Presbytery OF Philadelphia met
for the first time in 17O5. David
Evans, son OF David Evans, ESQ.,, was
found preaching without license OF
authority to the Welsh in Welsh Tract
and Great Valley and was promptly
silenced by the infant presby tery, which
on September goth, ITO, ordered him
to study for year under the direction
Of men specified. " Evans was licensed
to preach in I'LL, graduated from Yale
College inI7l3 and supplied the Welsh
Tract congregation for year. He
was ordained minister OF PencadeI
Church November Sd, 17l4. Owing to
an opinionatiye difference between him
and one Samuel James, the pastoral
relations were dissolved in 1921. Mr..
Evans became pastor of the Great Val
ley Church. He published a work en-
titled "Law and Gospel on Man Wholly
Ruined by tho Fall and Recovered by
the Gospel" being the substance Of
sermons he had preached. He was the
first clerk of the Presbytery OF New
Castle. In 1T25 he was moderator Of
the synod.
The date Of the erection of the first
building at Pencader, which is still in
existence, cannot be definitely fixed.
1t must be between l701 and ITO.
DIR. W. E. Moore of Columbus. o.,
who was once connected with the
church, places the date not less than
l7O6. It was frame building, about
20x36, low-pitched, one-story, with
sharp peaked roof and occupied the
spot where the sexton's house now
stands. 1t was moved to the southern
part of the village in the latter part OF
the last century and still stands upon
the hill near the blacksmith's shop.