The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1906-03-17
Church of
England
Eplsc ARTI clPATIoNlAT
The JAMESTOWN Exp osITloN
RoYJlr FsNllY Has MADE
TWO PRESENTS.


In 1907, tie year Of the James
town Tercentennial, the General Con.
yentlon Of the Episcopal Church VIII
be Held ii Richmond. virginia!
jamestown was q Crown colony,
created under a charter granted by
the King to a commercial body, called
the London Company. and the reli.
gion Of jamestown was the established
creed OF England.
when the Convention met some
years ago in washington, a pilgrimage
was made to Jamestown and q marble
cross was then erected 70 comnemo-
rate the visit
1907 was the three lanndresh ami
yersary Of the Jamestown settlement
and that a great exposition was to be
hel1 at that time at Hampton Roads
for the purpose q commencing
this event. that Richmond. the capital
Of virginia, was selected as the site
Of the gathering.
AT jamestown the ,frst Protestant
church In America was erected, and
the first regular service conducted in
English on the western continent was
contemporaneous With the landing, at
which time the Rev. Robert Hunt
oficiated under a sail cloth suspended
from trees.
The first recorded English wedding
in America occurred in December,
1905. when Ann Burras was married
to John Layton in the jamestown
Church. The first known baptism
of an indian in the United States was
witnessed at the same church where
also was first celebrated the first law
ful marriage between a white man and
an Indian.
Ii is very probable that the EplseoT
ual Church viii take a prominent part
in the celebration Of the Tercenten-
nlal aside from the mere convention az
Richmond.
The original settlers were I'M
loubtedly q rather rough lot, but they
were never without q church, and It y
rather singular that the first structure
thew erected was q place for religious
services and the only yestige Of any
building to remain after the lapse Of
centuries is the church tower.
The jamestown Parish Church as It
WAS known until the closing decade Of
the nth century, enjoys the dlstlnc'
tIon Of being the only church in Amer
icajwhich has had two sets Of Com
m6nion silver given to 1t by England's
ROYAL Family. One of these was
presented through Queen Anne and
the other, gift from William and
Mary. This silver is now kept in the
yestry of Bruten's Parish Church At
WILLIAMSBURG, tho town which sue
ceoded Jamestown as capital Of the
Colony.
Bruten Parish will soon have ano'
ther gift from England's ruling family
for when Mr.. Harry St. George Tucker
President of the jamestown Exposi'
ton Company was in England, King
Edward gave him for Bruten Parish
a handsome Bible and It is interest
Ing to know that President Roosevelt
added a handsome Lecturn to the
gift
Old Jamestown Is a short ride from
the site Of the Jamestown Exposition
and It will certainty be mecca for
patriotic visitors to the great celebra
ton.
Several plans have been suggested
both by historical aud religious asso'
Citations for taking advantage Of the
Exposition, in order to draw the ut.
tention of the American people more
conyincingly to the lessons to be
learned from the pioneers. In the
effort the Episcopal Church will
probably do It's full share, since there
are few things more certain about
the earliest days Of Virginia than the
record Of that church.
When the Bishops Of the Episcopal
Church made their pilgrimage to
Jamestown in 1895, they establlshed
an association called "The Order of
Jamestown in 1907" which has for its
aim the restoration Of old English
churches In America.
The church tower now standing al
Jamestown is a relic Of the third
church erected ia1s2O. It was small.
but a very strongly built brick strac.
ture and replaced the wooden build.
ing which formerly occupied the spot.
This. tower was efectsd for tie dual
purpose Of Suse and ornament. lts,
form makes Il certain that lookontsr
and aentIlea 5y1at rnllad ~ 800 ara 1t,e