Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-10-11

was built are said to have been burned
| on n farm about mile southwest of the
| church. In size il was 30xi0 feet There
| were two entrance doors, the one in the
| front for the use of the men and the one
! in the rear for women. There was a centre
| aisle, the women sitting on the right OF
| the preacher and the men on the left. The
| dedication sermon of the brick church
| was preached by Rev. Solomon Higgins,
an able and much-loved preacher in the
| Philadelphia Conference.
After being used until the year 1877,
| the church was remodeled by adding 10
| the height of the walls, making some
changes in the windows and rearranging
and refurnishing the interior | assume
the church at the present time is sub
stantially in the same condition as it was
after the completion of the remodeling
of 1877. All of the church structures have
occupied substantially the same site.
In 1865, the first organ was introduced
as an adjunct TO the choir. This IN
novation was not received with favor and
the church authorities ordered the instru-
ment closed, and it was banisbed to the
southwest corner of the building, where
u is said to have remained unused for
several years, presumably until some of
the older heads Of the meeting had passed
away and were unable To further object
to instrumental music in Methodist meet
ing, or as some called IL the devils music
box
NV presumption is that the name was
changed To Thomas Chapel about the
time of William Thomas death. which
seems to have occurred sometime in
February, 1900 But little can be learned
of William Thomas. Presumably he was
raised in this vicinity and owned land
hereabouts Of which this church lot is a
part He evidently became interested IN
the preaching Of Asbury and the other
Methodist pioneers. and | suppose was
converted under their minlstrations
TRAVELLING PREACHER.
on Nav -, 1884 in the conference al,
Baltimore. William Thomas was adj
mitted rs n travelling preacher in the
Methodist Church and assigned as a
Junior preacher with Freeborn GarTettson
to the Talbot Circuit. He served as u
travelling preacher until 1890, his work
covering substantially the whole PENN
sula, south of this place In the con
ference of 1890 his name appears among
the appointments as travelling book
steward After that year his name does
not appear in the minutes The fact that
proven at Dover on February IL Of the
same year, established the fact that he
died between those dates, and that he
considered himself at the time Of his
death resident Of Kent county. His
will makes mention of his wife, Rebecca
Thomas. but no children are named
| assume that he was buried in the
enclosure surrounding this church. Oh
his family or his descendants | have been
unable to obtain any information. No
mention Of his death was made IN the
minutes of the conferences, as was the
usual custom at the time in the case of
ministers who died between sessions Of
the Conference. His six years of service
rs a travelling minister, the fact that he
gave the plot Of ground on which we are
met today, coupled with the fact that the
church was named for him all attest that
William Thomas was generous man and
a loval Methodist, so feel sure that an
obituary notice of fcllow-minister recited
in the Methodist minutes of l7SS applies
as fitly to Thomas as It did TO the de-
ceased brother, when IL says: He labored
much in the word and doctrine, travelling
for weeks and months in the back settle
ments in the infancy of the work. He was
man of honest heart, plain address,
good utterancc and sound Judgment. He
gave himself up 10 work :
The graveyard IS coexistent with the
church At some time the original plot
of half an acre has been added to, until
the enclosure now, igcluding church and
burying ground, embraces two or more
acres. Here truly. ''the forefathers Of the
hamlet sleep: here they repose after
tier generous to~l" How many rest
under the shadow of the old church we do
not know. no man can tell, and only at
the final resurrection whit hey come forth.
II is said that the first person buried here
was one William Dickey, an IrisAman,
who came to these parts about l770 and
was the first school teacher of the neigh
borhood Over his grave she giant oaks
have been chanting TequleIn for l40
years. Peace to his ashes.
As | said earlier, this was forest when
this old church was built. The march Of
civilization has not made serious inroads
In conditions hereabouts. The forests
have largely disappeared, but it remains
a quiet rural countryside into which the
noise and hustle and confusion of city
life have not entered, where none modest
nor make afraid.
NOW HAZLETTyILLE.
What was Sewardville in the old days,
afterwards Georgetown, is now Hazlett-
vile, and notwithstanding that its latest
name was given in honor of the only man
who was twice elected governor of Dela-
ware, his native State, that fact SEEM
ingly did not spur it on to more ambition
as it remains the same modest assemblage
of country store and half dozen homes as
it doubtless was a century and half ago
When this old church was new, Mary
del, two miles to the wstward was called
Halltown, but the dignity of the new
name coupled with the whistle of the
locomotive has reused its former drowsy
popuIace, and spritely little town is
growing on both sides of the State line;
and with the Marydei Church, Thomas
Chapel is now united, although for many
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