The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1907-04-24
FROM DORCHESTER

our correspondent returned
from Marion. Va. on Sunday
morning from attending The
spring meeting of the Abingdon
Presbytery. This meeting was
held IN the Royal Oak Preshv
terrain church, one Of the first
churches organized IN this part
OF old Virginia. The pioneer
preacher who organized the
first church at Sinking Sprin0
NOW Abingdon. i'm 1873. also
organized the Ebbing Spring
church. NOW Glade Spring..
and the Royal Oak church I'M
lI4t, the year i'm which the
Declaration Of Independence
was signed. was Rev. Charles
cummings, who came from
County Antrim, ireland. i'm 1868
and began his work I'm 1872
The Indians at that time were
very troublesome % the new
settlers and IN Fosters Sketches
OF Virginia at this time. I found
The following items a fort or
stockade was erected ION or
about the place where Camp
bell gate now stands i'm Nbinp-
don In this fort the scattered
families concentracteda and tool
retugue IN time of danger. and
II II on record that Rev. Charles /
Cummings in the month of Julv /
l916, after "a weeks STAY Inn tha +
Tort essayed 90 take Trim 10 /
his farm with some Of ha
friends IN wagon. bat before
they got p "A st the meeting
mouse they were surprised bv
a band of hostile reds. ANA
the driver of the wagon was
killed and three of the others
wounded. Rev. Cummings ana
ms servant. Job. who We're well /
armed. fired into the band Kim n
ing some and kept the others af 4
bay till help from the fort .who
mad heard the shooting came
TO the relief. drove Oft the
savages and brought back tho
dead and wounded 10 the fort
Tn Sabbath the minister hela
TWO services with "a half hours I
recess between and the men AN :
came armed with muskets. the y
preacher being no execution Y
shows that the women
~ that date were as brave ms !,
ne men, and mention one Incl 1
lent out OF hundreds of like :
'haracter that took place al this F,
'eriod. Mrs. Margaret Camp- 4.
'ell lived az Royal oak. nov =
iarlon,l aud while her husband y,
nj hired men were la the field -
lowing, some distance from -
he house, she heard shots and q
moving what IL meant gath p.
red her children together i'm a J
ale corner she took down the =
lie and having chained th.. 1,
cor she kept th. r,d skins "a. Z"
y I'LL her husband arrived fran.
ne field where h,. had rmffu.|
ANages 20 rest With m- rig. B.
IN reading this record s..
aought what a blessing We are. a.
nJoylng as the fruit OF ia. a.. ia
ot'on and self denial Of these IN
loneers who blazed the way I j.
n the religious liberty We now "
lJoy, and how little we appre- liI
ate 10. 81
This spring meeting was n IA
rye one. and the business ol
ansacted there will tend to ho
crease the efficiency Of ne
lurches IN this part Of the Tot
ate. The retiring Moderator. de
sv. Dr. Ramsey of King Col
&c, preached sermon on Ell
lhty. his text being lone ioi
'dy. after which the business Sct
the Presby terry was taken up ,
"a Rev. Bittinger was elected 60.
oderator for this year The -
)st interesting item IN the g,
seting was the subject of
ser relations with the north
church as embraced in arti-
: OF the Charlotte, y c.. Con. b"
ence, which were debated for iriei
o days and on the final vote pr
re not accepted, the vote ,i..
ng 20 for and "a against re. siso
wing them Your correspon- guar