The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-01-27

by C ourtesy of Southern Churchman Co
of James Madison, President of the
United States
There preached in this parish, and
at a church called The Fork. near
Ground Squirrel Bridge" Samuel
Davies. the great Presbyterian preach
! er and president of Princeton Col
| lege, as well as founder of the Han
| over Presbytery, that virile body.
whose staunch stand against the Es-
| adjustment has been well described
| by Cooke. the Virginia historian.
! st. Martins Parish still owns the
beautiful communion service, the pat
| en- and chalice inscribed with the fol-
| lowing legend: For the use of the
| churches in ST. Martins Parish. in
| Hanover and Louisa counties. Virginia,
1852
The history of this service 10 lost.
| There are two traditions about 1t.
/ One that 1t was presented by ST.
/ Martins church. London. and the
I other that ii was presented by VIII
! liam Nelson, president OF the Coun-
oil and brought over by his son
| Thomas afterwards Governor Nell
SOM, upon his return from England
that year, upon the completion OF his
! education.
The following incidents are also re-
lated of this old service. in each of
which Mrs. Berkeley. of "Airweli," Is
the heroine: LIST, that she defied Gen.
eral Tarleton and his raiders when
they demanded the service: and I'd.
that she defied the overseers of the
poor who demanded 1t after the glebe
lands were taken from the church.
Bishop Meade Is authority for the
last statement 1t Is of interest to
note that this same service IL now
kept at the same place by the de-
scendants OF that redoubtable church.
woman.
Near the Fork church were grants
/, of land made by the crown to Thomas
Nelson, grandfather of General Nell
} son. upon a part of which his de-
scendants now reside. The Marquis
de ChastelluX. he served in America
J as ajor- general under Rochambeau,
describes his visit to the "O6ley,"
the home of General Nelson, few
} miles above the Fork church. 1t was
at Mont Air. the home of his son
, Francis. who so long represented
: tho parish in the councils of the
: church that General Nelson died: and
1t was within few miles of the old
} church at springfield" that his wild
ow lived, having survived him nearly
forty years. Beneath the shadow OF
the old church her remains lie buried
: along with those of a great number
} Of her descendants. 1t may be safely
asserted that from this sainted lady
: the church has had as many adher-
ents, both clerical and lay, as have
: ever sprung from one stock In the
same length of time. With the aid OF
At one Of her granddalIght@rs. Il nave
counted UP twenty-four clergymen OF
the Episcopal church among her de-
scendants. When during the war the
vestrymen were unable to raise the
! minister's salary. a daughter OF hers
sent them word that she would guar
/ antee 1t personally.
Among those ministers furnished
J by this parish, Bishop Meade men
tons the Rev, w. N. Pendleton. Wash
: angton Nelson, Robert Nelson and
Farley Berkeley. To these may be
added the names of the Rev. G. w.
, Nelson, late rector at Warrenton, and
the Rev. Frank Page. OF Brooklyn.
1t was to this parish. and to the
home of DR.. Carter Berkeley that
Bishop Meade came to choose his sec
ond wife. Thomasia Nelson. STEP
daughter of DIR. Berkeley. She. too,
is buried at the Old Fork church.
To the neigh borhood OF this old
church came Lewis Minor Coleman.
with his Hanover Academy and his in
fiuence for good hardly second to that
of DIR. Arnold. of Rugby. which school
and influence were well maintained
by his successor. Colonel Hilary p.
Jones. who had. however. to yield to
the inevitable. and this great school
Is now but memory.
The picture OF this old church will
| racatl MANY racollarffcn~ n fha frr-
mer students at Hanover Academy,
many of whose names may now be
found on the backs or seats OF the
solid heart-pine pews.
In the early part OF the last GEN.
fury that demon OF architecture.
which Mr.. jefferson said had spread
its maledictions over the land. broke
loose. and the high backed pews were
taken out, and the pulpit. which had
been at the side of the church, was
put at the end.
An old Bible in the parish, that of
the Fontaines shows that in 1887 the
Rev. Robert Barrett was in charge.
1t was he of whom Bishop Meade says
he received 800 pounds OF tobacco
for each sermon preached in Louisa
county. where he preached twenty
four times Year during days of la
Dor.
IH6 iist VI clergy WHO nave HlniS-
tered in the parish since Mr.. Barrett
includes the Rev. Messrs. Peter Mel
son, who became a Baptist; Boggs.
Philips, wydown, Cooke. Bowers,
i Stringfellow. Isaac Gibson. William
A. Alrich WHOSE first wife. a lovely
woman. the sister OF James NJ. Love,
Esq. OF Fairfax county. lies buried
at Fork church,. r. Douglas Roller.
Edward S. Gregory. r. Roane Clai-
borne, Curtis Grub, Anselem Buch-
anan. $. s. Hepburn and Alexander
Gait To all these godly men the
parish and this church are greatly
indebted. Perhaps to MrA Hepburn
more than any other person il due
the present excellent condition Of
the Fork church. and the grounds
surrounding It,
The present wardens OF the church
arc Nathaniel Burweli Cooke and Jos.
r. Grubb.
Within the last few ysaru two funds
] Of 1900 and t2oA raanoattxAlx. haaa.
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