Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1918-02-14
AN HISTORIC OLD DEED

Given IN 1SU0 Nhich HAS JuSl be''
Turned Over to the First Baptist
Church of Alexandria.
Judge C. f. Nicol of this city las
night formally turned over to tnt
First Baptist church Of Alexandria az
interesting document in the form q
the original deed, which conveEct
the land upon which the present
church edifce now stands to the mem
bers of what was known at the t!!ne
the deed was drawn, one hundrec
and twelve years ago, as the "Baptis'
Society" The story connected wit:
the history of the old deed is Of sc
much interest that the Gazette take:
pleasure in giving space to an art!-
Gle written by Judge Nico conce!l
ing it:
Your correspondent has 4 client
living in Washington. He is q spien-
did gentleman, now over eighty
years of age. His name is James {.
Grimes. He was born and raised -
Alexandria, District Of Columbia, now
Alexandria, Va. He removed FROM
this city some years ago to Washing
ton, D. C. A few days ago he inforEi-
ed you. correspondent that he mad
in his possession the original dead
conveying the ground on which inc
First Baptist church of Alexandra
is erected. He stated that nc came
into possession Of the deed in this
way:
His father was the Clerk of Inc
First Baptist church of Alexardr'",
Va, in the year 1898, when the spl |
in that church arose over missions
and Sunday-schools. Some, favore@
missions and Sunday-schools, aHd
others opposed. The differences were
irreconcilable. Appeal was made to
the court. Those opposed TO Sunday
sshools maintained that by the terms
Of the deed they were entitled to he
possession. OF the ground and chnrcn
building. Those who favored SUNDAY
schools and missions hcarkencd back
IN tha same deed and by that token
maintained that they We're entitled
to the possession of the ground aAu
church building. The court IN is
perplexity, as to where the true right
of the case lay, directed that vG;"
Of the congregation be taken and Or
,ered and icc:ced that if 4 majority
of the members voted for missions
and Sunday schools, that the ground
and church building should belong
n that branch of the membership.
and if a majority Of the congregation
voted against missions and Sunday
schools, that the ground and churca
buildings should belong to that brancn
Of the membership. On the vote be
inc taken a majority Of the members
voted in favor of missions and sun
dav schools, and on that fact being
dnlv certified back to the court, tae
court decreed that the ground ana
ohurch bnilding belonged to that
branch of the membership favorinS
r,;ssions and Sunday schools. Taert-
nnon the branch Of the member
shin opposed to missions and Sunday
schools went out OF seeded from me
nh,,rcb and established their place
of worship elsewhere. The sequel IS,
,b,t the Missionary Baptists stlli
ho,a the fort, the First Baptist
church of Alexandria having q mem
bership at this time of about seven
hundred and fifty, and the primitive
hantists. sometime called old school
rant;s+s have no church building and
10 congregation in the city of Alex
andria.
The church building of the f1fs'
Baptist church of Alexandria IS over
a hundred years old, and having been
remodeled recently at a cost OF over
twelve thousand dollars, IS now con-
sidered by many to be the hano-
soonest church building IN AieN@h-
dria. certainly it has the most oeapu'
ful auditorium. Back Of the baptis1r'
is a wonderful oil painting eXecuteV
bv Miss Fannie Burke of Alexan'
dria, an Episcopalian, and wnies
has been donated to the churen. II
is painted from photograph OF 1h'
scene on the river Jordan. where i
IS supposed our Saviour was haptiza
Persons, who examine it critically
especially At night, when the electri'
light plays on il. say it is wor'
nj Genius and inspiration.