Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1942-02-27
BOyhOOd RGCOIlGCtiOnS
The Five Churches OF POCOmOkG
City
By EBEN HEARNE
Chapter Five
Bethany Methodist Church

In my boyhood this church was
known as the Methodist Protestant
Church of Newtown. The church l
knew then was the building that was
the successor of the first building
that was erected in 1884.
The first church was remodeled from
a store house that occupied the site
of the present Coffman-Fisher Co.
store, at the corner of Second and
Market Streets. This original build
ing was moved to the southwest cor
ner of the present Bethany Cemetery
That store house that was converted
into a church was bought from John
Burnett. 1t served the purpose of the
congregation nearly twenty years.
It's successor, the church l remember
so well was erected in 1858 and after
being occupied for nearly 30 years,
it was sold to the late S. Douglas
Melvin, who moved it and converted
it into a barn at his farm in 1882.
During that year the new Bethany
Church was erected on Market Street
during the passionate of the late Rev.
S. A. Hoblitzen.
The leader in the movement for the
organization of the first Methodist
Protestant Church of Newtown in
1884 was the Rev. Avra Melvin. His
home was on the farm on Market
Street extended now known as "The
Pocomoke Inn which is now the
property of Mrs. VIM. J. Payne. Mr..
Melvin in his day occupied a very
prominent place in the church and
the community of Newtown. 1t is
fitting here that 1 should include in
this article a condensed sketch of the
life of this very remarkable man and
minister who figured so extensively In
the early history of the two Methodist
churches in Newtown, and about
whom so little is known by the men,
bers of the present generation of
Methodists. Mr.. Melvin was born on
July 8, 1880. He was the son of VIM.
Melvin and the name of each appeared
on the Glass book of the original
Salem M. E. Church, as each was a
mong the organizers of that church
previous to the building of that
church in the year 1903. He joined
the Philadelphia Conference of the
N. E. Church in that very year 1903.
He was ordained a Deacon In 1910
and an Elder in 1912. He served sew
eral circuits in that conference be-
tween 1903 and 1928. In the latter
year he retired and returned to his
home near Newtown and when his
father (Wm. Melvin died, he preached
the sermon at his funeral. For many
years he was the only resident minis
ter in Newtown Gas the Salem pastors
resided in Snow HilD. Mr.. Melvin
performed HOO marriage ceremonies
and, conducted a great many funerals
and baptized 5000 persons. was told
in my childhood that he performed
the ceremony at the marriage of my
maternal grandparents, Thomas d.
Atkinson and Mary Long in the year
1929. It is said that Mr.. Melvin knew
the Scriptures almost by heart.
On April IL, 1882, Mr.. Melvin
withdrew from the M. E. Church and
with others organized Methodist
Protestant Church at Nassawango,
near Snow Hill. AS stated above, he
was also one of the organizers of the
Methodist Protestant Church in New
town.
After withdrawing from the Phila-
delphia Conference he joined the
Maryland Annual Conference and
spent fourteen years in serving as
pastor of several Methodist Protes-
tant Churches In 1916, he retired
and located again at his former home
in the southern suburbs of Newtown,
where he spent the remaining
years of his life. He died in 1853. He
married Miss Catherine Bailey of Ac-
comac County, Va. An aged colored
woman, Amelia Bailey Gunby re-
Gently died in Pocomoke City at the
advanced age of 102 years. She was
formerly a slave in the Bailey family
of Virginia.