The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-07-08


planting corn. getting out clapboard
and specimens of timber to send back
to England, with sassafras roots and
other crude products of the land.
This poor little building of logs,
covered with turf and sedges, lasted
only about six months. Early in Jan
uary. 1905, just after Newport's re-
turn from England, bringing supplies
Of men and provisions, the town
caught fire and the reed matching Of
the huts and church made a fire so
fierce as it burned their pallizadoes
although 10 or II yardes distant
with their armes bedding. apparel
and much private provision. Good
Master Hunt. our preacher, lost all
his library, and all that he had but
the clothes on his hacke yet (did)
none ever see him repine at his losse."
Newport came 10 their help, and while
the men were repairing the store
house and other buildings, Viewpoints
mariners rebuilt the church. proba-
bly, on the site Of the old one; and
this is the second church built. and.
like the first, II was q hurriediy- con
structed and poor affair.
These two churches are the only
ones which Captain John Smith knew
in Virginia for he returned to Eng
land in October 1909. Hunt had
then been already some months dead.
As for the two ministers who took
their turns at jamestown in those
days. one was the Reverend Richard
Buck, who had come with Sir Thorn
as Gates. He was an oxford man
and AN able and painful preach
err" He served the church at James
town st least eleven years, and may
be longer and died in Virginia He
seems 70 have been Of a rurftanical
turn Of mind. for ne called his chill
dren. successfully. Mara, Gershom,
Benoni and Peleg. The other min
lister must have come with Lord De
la War; and his name is not given,
bur he is thought to have been the
Rev. William Mease. who came at
this time. and was in Virginia num-
Der OF years. being in Elizabeth City
parish in 1915. This church, which
Newport built and Lord De la War;
renovated was Of course built of
wood, and in it. in April 1914, Poca-
hontas was married 10 John Rolfe.
probably by Mr.. Buck. 1t is more
probable that Pocahontas was bap-
tized at Henrico by the Rev. Mr.,
Whitaker. as she seems to have lived
there with Sir Thomas Dale at the
L time or hef conversion.
In 1917 Captain Araall arrived in
jamestown. and served as deputy
governor. He found the church which
De Ia War; had renovated again in
ruins. and services being conducted
III a storehouse. Some time during his
tanure- of -nlHce-=i--4e-,-- hatasaE-IgIfT
and 1919, a new church was built
at jamestown, wholly at the charge
Of the inhabitants of that cittie, OF
timber, being fifty foot In length and
twenty foot in breadth: and this time
the site was removed and the new
church was placed TO the eastward
of the old stockade toutside of it,
and in the midst of or adjacent to
] the rueful graveyard where so many
victims of hunger. heat. cold, fever
and massacre lay buried. 1t was
erected upon a slender cobblestone
and brick foundation, only the length
or one brick in thickness. This foun-
dalton was discovered by the careful
explorations Of the Association for the
Preservation of Virginia Antiquities in
1891, and lies within the foundations
I OF the next building, that is, of the
one the tower of which is now stand
ing This slender foundation of the
church, built between 1917 and 1919,
IL the oldest structure which has been
discovered at jamestown,
{ How long this little building, the
third church, lasted and was used,
we do not know.
4 The same letter makes mention of
the first brick house at jamestown,
which was the residence of Secretary
Richard Kemp. 1t was but sixteen
/ by twenty-four feet in dimensions, but
Governor Harvey speaks OF it as the
fairest ever known in this country for
substance and uniformity" This
fourth church. built by Governor
Harvey, stood and was used until
September, 1876, when ii was burned
along with the rest of jamestown by
i Nathaniel Bacon and his men. But
it is most probable that the tower
and walls stood. and that when
Jamestown was partially rebuilt be-
tween 1916 and 1856, that the orig
inal tower and walls built by Mar
vey about 1889. were repaired and
used. Thus repaired. the church con-
tinued TO be used for many years.
4 The last minister in the old church
was certainly Bishop James Madison.
who served the parish from lTS5 to
1912. The old church was In ruins
before 1912. and the las tservices in
the parish We're held in brick
church a few miles off on the road to
4 Williamsburg, called The Main"
Church--that is. the church on the
main land as distinguished from the
island. This church has now dis
appeared.
The font of the old church and its
interesting communion vessels were
taken to Bruton church. in the new
/ Colonial capital at Williamsburg,
where they are still carefully pre-
served.