Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1942-05-01
BOyhOOd ReCOllGCtiOnS
OF
The Five Churches OF POCOmOkO
City
REAL ESTATE HOLDINGS OF
BETHANY METHODIST CHURCH
By EBEN HEARNE
No. 10

tery-the SAID part Jhat Is IOcaIeo
10 the left of the entrance gate, fac
ing on 3rd or Church Street, and run
ming back to the Miss Annie Young
property on Second Street.
Near the front of the lot was the
first Methodist Protestant Church in
Newtown erected in the year 1884.
After that small frame building
was abandoned, the second church
was erected in 1853. The lot was
purchased from Lewis Agar Jones.
The property originally was a part
of "Cowley." The deed, dated Feb,
5, 1886, was signed by Lewis Agar
Jones and Mrs. Sallie Jones (his
wife) and made out to the trustees
of the Methodist Protestant Church in
Newtown, Rev. Aura Melvin, VIM.
H. Tilghman, Isaac Davis, Edward
S. Young, James Blades, DR.. James
B. Horsey and James I. Dickinson.
The witnesses to the deed were Jas.
Stevenson and John Burnett.
(See Liber J. C. H. No. 8 Page 42.)
The second Real Estate tract was
also bought from Lewis Agar Jones.
It adjoined the first tract (the pres
ent cemetery and on it was erected
a parsonage which was occupied by
the pastor of the church until the
Market Street present parsonage was
occupied. The deed of the 3rd or
Church Street parsonage lot was
dated Sept. %, 1850, and was signed
by Lewis Agar Jones and Mrs. Sal
lie Jones (his wife) and made out to
the five following trustees: Rev.
Aura Melvin, Thomas B. Melvin, Ed
ward S. Young, Isaac Webb and Isaac
B. Landing. The witnesses to the
deed were Francis Messick and John
o. Mills.
(See Liber E. D. M. No. 5, Page
287.
For many years, the Mrs. Sallie
Jones, named above, conducted a
hotel. 1t was located on Market
Street, where the |. H. Merrill Co.,
store building now stands. Mr.. Fran
els Messick also conducted hotel
for many years. 1t stood where
the store of the ]. C. Penney Co..
is now located on Market Street.
AS their tombstone indicate the
graves of Lewis Agar Jones and his
wife, Mrs. Sallie Young Jones, are
located directly behind st. Mary's
P. E.. Church in the cemetery of that
church. Mr.. Jones died on July 13,
1852, aged 60 years, and Mrs. Jones
Died on Feb. 5, 1858, aged n years.
The remains of Mr.. Francis Mes
sick and his first wife, Mrs. Har-
riett Stevenson Messick after lying
buried in a private cemetery for sew
eral years, were removed and REIN
tered in the Pitts Creek Presbyterian
Church Cemetery beside the grave of
the second wife of Mr.. Messick, Mrs.
Anne Stevenson Messick. Mr. Mes
sick and Anne, his wife, have two
granddaughters, who now reside in
this county, Mrs. Nan Dryden Park
er, the wife of DR.. A. A. Parker OF
Pocomoke City, and Miss Cecilia T.
Houston, of Stockton.
Another valuable piece of Real Es-
tate that came into possession Of the
M. p. Church of Newtown is the
parsonage property now occupied by
the present pastor of Bethany Church,
Rev. G.. E. Lester. 1t was left to
the church by the will of the late
Mrs. Henrietta Maddox Anderson.
The will was dated May 20, 1876,
the church to come into possession
of the property at the death of her
husband, the late VIM. Anderson.
The witnesses to the will were James
H. White, John w. Selby and Ed
gar Fontaine.
(See Liber G. T. B. No. 80, Page
40.
The larger part of the present Beth
any Methodist Cemetery that lies in
front and to the right of the spres-
ent entrance gate was purchased by
deed dated September 81, 1871, sign
ed by Samuel T. Landing, Jr., and
made to the following trustees: Levin
Atkinson, James H. Young, George
W. Landing, VIM. Anderson, L. T. c..
Davis, S. D. Melvin, James G. Steven
son, Robert H. Pennewell and John
S. Richards The land was decided
together with the buildings thereon.
The witness to the deed was James
L. Mock, Justice of the Peace.
(See Liber l. T. M. No. 2, Page ~
The lot on Market Street, adjoin-
ing the Post Office property on which
is located at present the new Beth
any Methodist Church was purchas-
ed from the late Mrs. Josephine
Adams Robinson. The deed, dated
March A, 1882, was signed by Mrs.
Josephine Adams Robinson and ]. D.