Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1910-10-28


come. In the midst of the Lancaster
collection, beginning with Col Robert
Carter, or old King Carter, and Mary
Ball, mother of Washington, is d tablet
of fine marble. four feet high and
two feet eight inches wide, with
lettering in black and gold. to the mem
ory of the Presbyterian minister, James
Waddell, who wrote his name indelibly
on the religious history of this county
and of Virginia. 1t was presented to
the county in 1905 by Captain George
2. Squires, a native of New York and
a resident of this county for some years.
and bears the following inscriptions:
IN MEMoRIAM.
REV. JAMES wADDELL, ID. D.,
The Blind Preacher, leader, and Ora
tor.
Son Of Thomas and Janet Waddell, of
the County Down, Ireland. Born on
the Atlantic Ocean in 1879, when his
parents emigrated to America; died in
Louisa CO., Va, Sept. 18th, 1906. Lii
censed as probationer April 2nd, 176l.
by the old Presbytery of Hanover. Re-
sided on Corrotoman River, Lancaster
Co.. Va, in l762, and had three preach
ing places, viz: Lancaster C.. H., the
Forest Westinghouse. and the North
cumberland Westinghouse.
In 1868 married Mary Gordon. daugh-
ter of Col. James Gordon. of Lancaster
Co., an elder i'm the church, a member
of the court, and the maternal Grand
father of General William +. Gordon of
Albemarle.
Taught Meriwether Lewis and Gov
James Barbour. Was at one time min
lister of Thinking Spring Church. in
Augusta Co., Va, and patriot in the
Revolution; addressed Tate's company
at Midway, Rockbridge Co., Va.
Immortalized in Wirt's British Spy,
when in \ sermon of thrilling oratory
and magic eloquence on the passion of
our Saviour, he electrified his hearers
by the beautiful and sublime quotations
from Rousseau: Socrates died like a
philosopher, but Jesus Christ like a
Cod"
Some scattered Presbyterians there
must have been i'm all the counties of
the Northern Neck from very early
Colonial time, probably Scotch and
Scotch-Irish coming through Jersey and
Delaware. In 1857 and 1858 Hanover
Presbytery received petitions for the
visits and services of ministers from
the counties of Westmoreland, Rich
.mond, Lancaster and Northumberland.
The Rev. Samuel Davies, then in Han
over, received earnest appeals from
Richmond County, and in 1857 urgent
requests for ministerial service came
to the Presbytery from Lancaster
and Northumberland. Mr.. Davies,
Mr.. Todd and others were ap-
pointed to visit these counties and
administer the sacrament. That por-
ton of the Journal of Col. James
Gordon which survives in manuscript
copies begins in 1853, and early in JAN
uary of 1859, tells of the building of
'the Meeting House," the opposition
of "the parsons" and the visit and
preaching of Samuel Davies and John
Todd in the March following. After so
long a time of waiting Col. Gordon and
his family and friends had the JOY of
hearing the Word preached and of sit
ting at the table of the Lords Supper.
BY the commentator of Mr.. Davies,
the company of Presbyterian dissenters
in Lancaster invited a young man,
James Waddell, then teaching in Louisa
County, to come to Lancaster as their
minister. Born at sea, when his par
ents were coming from Ulster to Amer
lea, in his boyhood he was a student in
the Log College of DIR. Finley at Not
tingham. At nineteen he set out on a
long journey to South Carolina. propos-
ing to settle in Charleston as a teacher.
But lin Hanover County, Virginia, he
came under the influence of the person
and eloquence of Samuel Davies, who
claimed him for the gospel ministry.
He received theological instruction from
the Rev. John Todd in Louisa County
whileassisting in teaching in the famou.
classical school of MIR. Todd, known al
''the Court of st. James," a name Of
lofty dignity given by the school boy,
themselves. He was ordained to preacl
the gospel by Hanover Presbytery Jun,
l6. 1852, in Prince Edward County.
Coming to Lancaster at twenty-five,
years of age, he found hospitality, in
telligence and piety in an attractive cir
Gle of Gordons, Seldens, Chichesters an
others, and at once attracted congrega
tions from all the country around. Col
Gordon's Journal says: April l8, 176l
) "May the Lord be praised, / at last hav
| had the comfort of going with my wifi
, and family to meeting where Mr.. Wac
dell performed to admiration. II
: went about his ministry in two countie
with fidelity and earnestness, preachin
t to whites and to negroes, teaching an
: examining or catechizing and gatherin
/. many into his three churches. Fos
d years after he came to Lancaster,
2 l76S, he married Mary Gordon, daugl
i ter of his elder, Col. James Gordol
n Sickness prevailed in all this section ,
: that time, and Mr.. Waddell's health b.
e came seriously impaired. After fou
i teen years of fruitful work in Lanca
s ter he removed to Augusta County ar
= was for time the pastor of the TIM
& ling Spring and Staunton churches.
d He lived at place called Spring Hi
n on the Shenandoah river. few mil,