The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1914-03-19
PRINCE FREDERICK
PARISH REGISTER
GIVES INSIGHT INTO RELIGIOUS
AND SOCIAL LIFE OF EARLY
WILLIAMSBURG.

IL Is NY uO illSdllo IHS SoI liSoI, UuI
think will be of interest; it gives US
an insight into the religious and
social life in Williamsburg at that
early period. Yours truly,
S A GRAHAM.
Heinemann, S C, Feby 26, 1914.
PRINCE FREDERICK PARISH REGIS
TER, PAGE 2.
Prince Frederick Parish,
Sunday May I'd 1756
Divine Service ended, the Vestry
Men & Church Wardens assembled
to hear the Letters read that they
had ordered drawn & laid before
them, which they approved and
signed. The following is copy of
those wrote to the Rt Revd Thos Id
Bpp of London:
Black River So Carolina
May 1st 1855
My Lord
We the Vestry Men & Chh War
dens of the Parish of Prince
Frederick in So Carolina, beg leave
to address Your Lordship That this
our Parish is now vacant, & desti-
tute of Minister thro the Resig-
nation and dismission of the Revd
Michel Smith from this Cure. A
Gentleman who has not been long
resident with US, but who in that
short space has rendered himself
quite infamous, & obnoxious to
every Individual almost of this
Country thro his tlagrant Manners
and bad conduct for in 3 years 1.-THE
Time he was here) he has done
more injury to the cause of Virtue,
Religion, and the Church, than his
Successors can repair in many. We
therefore put ourselves under Your
Lordship's paternal care and Pro-
lection, desiring and hoping that
Your Lordship would be pleased to
appoint some worthy good Clergy
man to be our Pastor, whom We
should be glad to see and receive as
soon as possible. We hope that
your Lordship will not take it amiss
to observe that this Parish is the
largest and most populous in this
Province, Yet tho numerous in In
habitants We of the Church are
widely scattered, and but few in
number, The Pensioners being
for the most part of the Commun-
ion of the Church of Scotland, and
settlers from thence and the North
of Ireland. who have two Meetings
and large Congregations so that this
Parish above all others in the Prov
ince merits Your Lordship's Care
and thought, and requires diligent,
grave and pious Minister to take
care of the interests of the Church,
which are hourly suffering & will
wholly sink if not timely and prop
erly supported, for Mr. Smiths bad
and irreligious Manners has caus'd
Members to join themselves to other
Congregations or to turn their Backs
on the Church and Divine Service,
choosing rather to stay away than
sit under the hearing of prof1igate
Teacher. Our Back Country is fill
ed with Numbers who never heard
the Word of God preach'd or saw
q Minister among them. Indeed
Mr. Smith did make a Tour into these
remote Parts of the Parish, But he
had better stay'd at home, for the
consequence has been that thro'
his indiscreet Carriage, I'VE shd
rather say immoral Conduct among
them, instead of bringing them
over and joining of them to the
Communion of our Church he has
unhappily driven them to send for
Anabaptist Teachers from Phila-
delphia, who dip many, and form
them into congregations SO that the
regaining of them and making them
Members of the Established Church
will 1--WE judge) be attended with
great pains if not an impossibility,
A Gentleman of Gravity, Virtue &
Prudence will not fail of reaping
plentiful Harvest here both in Spir-
ituals and Temporals-and we have
a neat Parish Church, genteel Par
sonage, G!ebe, Cattle and other
emoluments, for accommodation of
what judicious Minister Your Lord
ship may send over, whose Salary
will be One Hundred Pounds Sterl-
ing, & upwards. paid half yearly, by
the Publick Treasurer, besides Per-
quisites, which may amt to as much
or more or less according to his
Conduct. A Minister'S Income here
depending much on his Carriage and
Manners, We shall only add That
the adjoining Parishes around Us
are also destitute of Ministers so
that there is not Clergyman from
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