Smyrna times., 1904-02-03
How Bishop Asbury Was Sheltered.

How Bishop Asbury Was Sheltered.
This was while Asbury was shelter
ed and cared for on the White planta-
tion. On the death of Asbury in 1916,
Rev. Ezekiel Cooper, one of the
earliest Methodist preachers from the
Peninsula, preached a funeral dis
course on Asbury in St. Georges
Church in Philadelphia in the course
of which, referring to this period, he
said, "Asbury found an asylum as his
castle of safety in the house and with
the hospitab BILE family of his fast and
firm friend, Thomas White, ESQ, one
of the Judges of the Court in Kent
county, Delaware. He was a pious
man and his wife one of the holiest of
women, they were great friends to the
cause of religion and to preachers
generally. From this place of retreat
and protection, as in a castle of re-
pose and safety, he could correspond
with his suffering brethren, who were
scattered abroad in different parts.
| He could also, occasionally travel
about, visiting the societies and some
times preaching to the people, in some
| of their movements they had to be
very cautious and circumspect, for
they were watched as the hawk
watches the partridge on the noun
tain, and as the wolves watch the
sheep of the pasture and the lambs of
the flock. The fact that subsequently
Judge White was honOred with i'm
purtant public station would indicate
that he continued in favor with the
p0pulace as we'll as those in authority.
whites Chapel" Their Place of Worship.
One of the earliest Methodist churches
on the peninsula was whites Chap
el," named for the Judge, and situat-
ed near Judge Whites residence. A
church bearing the same name still
stands few miles from the old site.
The original Whites Chapel falling in
disuse, went to decay, but years after
wards, the frame work that remained,
was removed a mlle::or more westward,
across the State line into Maryland,
and there it was used as part of the
super structure of what was called
Lees Chapel, and for many years was
regularly used for Methodist services.
La course of time it was supplated by
Shepard's Chapel and the building,
still in good state of preservation,
is used as barn or storehouse on the
Carter farm, adjoining the old location
of Lees Chapel.
First Methodist Conference at Judge Whites.
1t was at Judge Whites house that
the first conference of the Methodist
preachers was held on April 2Sth, 1879,
and it was here that the important and
significant step was taken of appoint
ing Francis Asbury, the general assis-
tant or superintendent in America,
with the right of determining ques-
tiOns in conference after due consider
alton. From this time Asbury be-
came the recognized centre of Metho-
dism in America, and in Judg e
Whites house was born the idea of
Episcopal Supervision.
Judge White died at his plantation
in 1895, in the sixty-ffth year of his
age. Asbury in speaking of the death
of Judge White, makes his eutry in
his journal: "This news was attended
with an awful shock to me. 1 have
met with nothing like it in the death
of any friend on the continent. I
have lived days, weeks and months
in his house. He was friend to the
poor and oppressed; he had been a
professed churchman aud united to
the Methodist connection about seven
teen or eighteen years. His house
and heart were always open; and he
was a faithful friend to liberty in
spirit and practice; he was a wise, in
dulgent husband, a tender father,
and an affectionate friend"
Judge White devised his home place
called 'Belisle," to his son Samuel
White. This son seems to have haC
the advantage of good education. He
studied law presumably with Richard
Bassett, and was admitted to the bar
at Dover in March 1893. Soon afteI
his admission he seems to have de
serted his native county, and as far a,
is known never occupied the farm
which his father devised to him. Tn
farm he sold in 1906 TO John Orrell
4 and with this his connection wit
Kent county ceased. He took up hi
. residence in Wilmington, where he re
. sided during all the time he was i
~ public life. He was a FederalIst i
politics, but held no office until az
u pointed United States Senator o
L February 2sth, 1901, by Governor Bar
sett.