Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1902-05-03

they contain.
The chronicle says that Thomas
Elliott was the first of that name to
come from England to Accomack
County, Virginia. He was OF highly
respected parentage, OF ministerial
descent, refined, and we'll educated
for that day, with pedigree dating
back two hundred years. He sailed,
June II, 1874, on the ship Angola,
from London to Norfolk; and early
on the morning OF July II the ship
was wrecked on Dawson Shoals, of
the coast OF Accomack County, but
all on board were saved.
Well pleased with the place on
which he had been accidentally
thrown, Thomas Elliott decided to
remain, and here his descendants
live to this day. He married Miss
Anne Wescott of Northampton
County, and their third child and
second son, William Elliott, was born
October 20, 1854, and died September
%, 1886.
At the age Of twenty-five years,
William Elliott became soldier in
the Revolutionary War, fought for
American independence, and always
claimed the right of freedom, both
politically and religiously. He mar
ried Anzele Bradford, a lineal des-
cendant of the first Bradford, who
came to Virginia from England prior
to 1868. He was converted by
Methodist missionaries several years
before the establishment of the
Methodist Episcopal Church In his
native county, which was organized
in 1854. Mr.. Elliott considered
slavery morally wrong, and when
ever he bought slave it was with
the understanding that, when the
purchase money had been worked
ont at regular wages, the servant
should be free; consequently, most
OF his "help" was white men and
boys. For this reason, he was closely
associated with q large number OF
poor boys who were reared In his
family, In a Christian home, where
God was honored and revered, and
were taught to read the Scriptures.
In order to teach them, Mr. Elliott
organized a Sunday-school, which
met every Sunday afternoon, and in-
structed the boys in his charge, and
also the children OF his nelghbors, in
the rudiments OF reading, so they
might be able to read Gods Word.
This Sunday-School was regularly
conducted at his home for many
wears. After the organization OF
Methodism, and the founding OF Bur
ton Church, Mr.. Elliott united with
it, and some years later the school
was brought there under his super
intendency. The Sunday'school was
held in this church until it was re-
placed by new and larger building
in 1S4S, in which the same school was
continued until 1870, when the church
was burned. Then the present house
OF worship was erected, and the orig
inal school, through the vicissitudes
of more than 3 century, lives to this
day, and is hourishing in every de
partment of its work.
The course OF study in the early
Sunday-school was, first, teaching
the child to read. After he had adj
vanced sufficiently, the Catechism
was studied, and, later on, Bible
reading by the class, with explana
tions and comments by the teacher.
This course continued until 1873,
when the INSTRUMENTATION sys-
tenn was adopted, and still remains
in use.
During the more than century's
existence OF this Sunday-school there
have been but nine superintendents,
all prominent in church and secular
work. William Elliott carried on
the work until incapacitated by age,
Joshua Burton succeeded him, and,
beginning with 1910, James K.
Garrison served for twenty years.
John R. Kellam came next, then
George b. Mapp, and Teackle I.
Wescott followed with Leonard o..
Mears as his successo Afterward,
l.. James Hyslup served until 1897
when w. Fisher Mears, the present
incumbent was elected. One of these
became an ordained Christian minis
ter. another served In the State legis-
lature, the others were, or still are,
prominent men in the county.
AS time passed and population in
creased, another school, an offshoot
from the original one, was organized
1
in a schoolhouse at the head OF Brad
ford,s Neck. From this two churches,
Methodist and a Presbyterian, have
sprung, both Of which have flourish
ing sunday-schools. Another was Or
gained at the head of Upshur's
Neck, in a house ten by twelve feet.
This has developed into an organized
church with a prosperous Sunday
school. These are but little OF the
streams ofinhuence that have broad
ened and deepened in the last one
hundred years. From the first ex =
ample OF child training in the scrip
turaI truth others have followed I'M
til now, even in this county, its depth
and breadth cannot be estimated.
Within this first Sunday-school
seven ministers have been trained.