The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1901-09-13
Historic Brick Meeting House.

House, in Cecil county, suggested
and laid out in 1901 by William
Penn, will celebrate it's two hun
dredth anniversary on September
IA. For more than century the
village bore the name of "Brick
Meeting House," until in 1878 the
Postoffice Department gave the
name of Calvert to the locality for
brevity.
The village is close to the Penn.
sylvania State line, and at the time
it was established the 40 acres of
land which Penn gave with the
meeting house site were part of
his Great Nottingham lots, which
he supposed extended from New
Castle to the Chesapeake bay.
The meeting house site and 40
acres were afterward decided to the
Friends by PENIS son John, who
inherited the property. When the
boundary line dispute between
William Penn and Lord Baltimore
was adjusted in 176S the early set
tiers on PENIS grant were required
to show the Maryland authorities
the validity of their title.
The original settlers were Henry
Reynolds, John Guest, Ebenezer
Empson, John Churchman, Cor
nelius Empson, John Empson, John
Richardson, James Brown, William
Brown, Henry Bates, Edward Ben
son, James Cooper, Randall Janney,
Andrew Job. These colonists ar
rived in 1902, and meeting was
established at the house of William
Brown and continued until 1909,
when the first meeting house was
erected. This house was con-
structed of chestnut and poplar
logs. The present brick meeting
house was built in 1724. Here a
large company worshiped, and Of it
John Griffith, q travelling minister
who had visited all the meetings in
America and England, wrote: cit
was very large meeting and a
Jealous body Of Friends then be-
longed thereto, amongst whom |
had good service and great unity of
the Spirit being lovingly enjoyed.
In 1851 the woodwork Of the
meeting house was destroyed by
fire, but repaired the following
year. 4 stone addition was erect
ed, but the cid name, "Brick Meet
ing House," remained. Fire in
1910 again destroyed the woodwork,
which was again repaired. The
records of the meetings are com
plete and preserved from 1870 to
the present day.
| Several members of the meeting
were disowned during the Revolu-
tionary War for taking up arms in
violation Of discipline to defend
their country.
In April, 177S, a detail of Gen.
Smallwood's division of the Cont
rental army reached the village and
took possession Of the Meeting
House,
The descendants of the pioneers
of Nottingham lots are scattered in
various parts of the country. Ben
jamin Chandlee, one of the settlers,
was married March %, ITO, in
Friends Meeting, Philadelphia, to
Sarah, daughter of Abel Cottey,
matchmaker of Philadelphia. AS
"a present Cottey gave his son-in
law lot of 400 acres at Brick
Meeting House. Chandlee's son
Benjamin became one of the famous
makers Of tall clocks with brass
dials, and at his workshop at the
"Brick" he also manufactured sci
entiiic mathematical and chemical
instruments. John Kay was
among the early Friends who set
tied at Nottingham. He is claimed
10 have been descendant of the
first male child born in the city of
Philadelphia. The Job family,
members of which are still resi-
dents of the Brick Meeting House,
We're among the pioneers of the vii
lage, and probably no one of the
pioneers Of the Brick can trace his
back to those Of greater celebrity
than the Job family.
1t was Andrew Jobs son Thomas
who, in 1925, married Elizabeth
Maxwell, niece of Daniel Defoe,
she having run away from her|
mother and uncle in London when
but Is years of age on account of
being refused encouragement in
matrimonial engagement. She
agreed with the captain of the
ship, having no money to pay her
passage, to be sold On arriving in,
America for IA term OF years, the
purchase money to go to the cap
tain for her fare. Andrew Job was
a visitor in Philadelphia the day
Elizabeth Maxwell was offered for
sale, and he bought her for term
| Gf years. After her marriage Eliz-
abefil Job wrote her mother and
uncle Of neg surroundings. Her
upoIo ranIia,1 tn her Iefsar Stotino