Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-06-01
WHITE CLAY CREEK
CHURCH TO OBSERVE
2OOTH ANNIVERSARY
This Congregation, One of the
Oldest in the Country. Has
an Interesting History.
ALSO HAD MANY TROUBLES

ALSO HAD MANY TROUBLES
Special Correspondence Every Evening.
Newark, June 1.-white Clay Creek
Presbyterian Church. established
when wilmington was only a village
of "A few hundred inhabitants and
when there were probably less than
half dozen churches in Delaware,
viii celebrate it's 20oth anniversary
next sunday. Monday and Tuesday.
REV. David A. Reed. pastor of the
church. and members of the congre-
gatien have planned 10 make this one
pf the most notable occasions in the
long history Of the church. The open
ing anniversary service will be held
SUNDAY morning. when the address
will be made by Rev. II. Clay Fer
guson. pastor of the Harper Memorial
Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia.
when boy Mr.. Ferguson lived in
the locality and attended this church.
That evening there will be an address
hy Rev. Joseph Brown Turner of Port
Deposit, Md. historian of the Pres
bytery OF New Castle. on The Flood
of Years and also by Roy. Hcary
Runner. Special music will feature
the services on this day as well as the
entire anniversary program. Pres
hytery of New Castle will hold a meet
ing at the church on Monday and
there will be special addresses by Rev.
u. Franklin Smiley of Wilmington
and Frank L. Middleton Of Washing
II ~ =.
he held Tuesday evening of next week
when the Hon. Il. G.. I,owrey. LII. D.,
Congressman from Mississippi. will
speak
This old church is especially rich
al the early history Of the country
Tor half a century before the Revo-
iutionary War Records of the
church tell something Of the stirring
times Of those days. These records
also tell 81 some unusual happenings
during the years when the church was
divided into two factions. one pas
tor Is shown to have been severely
reprimandcd for bathing in White
Cray creek on a sunday and another
gave the Presbytcry much trouble be-
cause of trying 10 get out of an en-
sagement 20 marry young woman
member Of the church after the en-
eagemcnt had been announced. It is
recorded that during the church fac
tional fight. the different factions would
gu Co the church earlier and earlier
each sunday 20 get prior rights until
at last they went there Saturday
evenings and remained all night to be
IN possession for the Sunday services.
Rev, william ID. Mackey. a former
pastor of the church. prepared a his
torical sketch Of this old church for
the special anniversary exercises held
Iuiy ., 1875. In this sketch he says
that some historians have evidently
confused white Clay Greek Church
with the Head Of Christiana Presby-
terian Church. In this connection MIR.
Mackey In his sketch says:
Origin of the Church.
1T appears from the records of
the preshytery Of Philadelphia, that
IN i70s a part of the New Castle con-
gr~gatson. styled the people of and
about White Clay Creek desired to
have the ordinance of the gospel adj
minissered nearer their places of abode
but several persons in the town Of
New Castle craved that they should
not be suffered TO set up a meeting
house in the country The Presby-
terry ordered that the Rev. Mr.. Wilson
the pastor. preach one Sabbath in
New Castle and the other in the coun-
Uy. In lT12 Mr.. Wilson died. and in
INA there is an account of the ordin-
ance Of Mr.. George Gillespie on. a cal
from the people of White Clay Creek.
1T is perfectly natural that his
torians not acquainted with any facts
bearing upon this point except these
should have been misled by the
language here employed. and should
have taken il for granted that here is
the origin of this church; but there
are many facts utterly irreconcilable
with this opinion, and the following
reasons have convinced US, that
the people of and about White Clay
Creek who withdrew from the New
Castle church, and who in 1713. called
the Rev. George Gillespie, were the
founders OF the Head of Christiana
Church. and not of the present White
Clay Creek Church"
After setting out the reasons foI
reaching this conclusion. Mr.. Mackey
in his sketch says: We were some
what surprised by the conclusion a;
which we have arrived. but il seems
% be clear that the Rev. George Gil
lespie never was pastor of his church
but. on the contrary, was pastor o1
the Head Of christiana Church alone
from his ordination in 1713 until his
death In 1850, and that there is M
original authority for the genera
statement made by the historians thai
his charge seems 10 have embraced
FOR several years. besides White Clay
Red Clay, Lower Brandywine and Eli
River"
The FIRST movement OF which. We
have any intimation Cor the estal,-
lishment of a chut.;h in this neigh
borhood occurred in the year 1871
and we infet. from all we can find
that WHIP. there were some persons
residing on this side Of tha creek
who sere connected with the Head oi
Cl<1stiana Church. the movement was
frsdo. IN the main. by others"
MIR. Mackey gave as his opinion
church was probably made up Of our
Scotch Irish ancestors who came here
because Of prosecutions which oc.
cured in Scotland and Ireland about
that time. lie says there were a large