The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1958-07-08

Editors note: the following paper
on The Founding OF Early Prince
Edward Churches" was prepared
by Mrs. Frances Gee and delivered
before the Judith Randolph Chap
ter. Daughters OF thc American
Rcvolutionl.
In colonial Virginia tie ccclesias-
ucal ORGANIZATION was ~ important
as the political THE Church Of h,na-
l.ni was the established church
Dust as TIE county WAS the local
unit Of political government tho
parish Was the local rn't Of eeclea-
as.lcal government When Prince
Edward County WAS established, Il
was within the bounds If NottoWay
Parish A separate parish 5
wanted for the nrw county. so a
petition askina that Prince Edward
b. made a parish vas presented Ia
the court and an act was passed
making Prince Edward County q
separate parish. 10 b. called 81
Patrick $. effective September T.
lT55
III September Of that year Ten Of
The twelve, vestrymfl took the pres
er'bed oath. pledgiliR support 10 the
gown and promising ID conform To
the doctrine and discipline of the
chuich Of England They We're
John Nash John Nash. il George
Walker Thomas Scott CHARLES Ven
able. Peter LeGrand. Thomas Has
klns DAVID Flonrnoy James Vim
Dish and John l.eNeve Tie eleventh
Nestryman WAS Charles Anderson
and lhe twelfth was probably Sam
Tel Goode
The people Of St Patrlck's We're
not satisfied With Their yestry and
III 1859 elected 4 new one Robert
HASTE. Peter LeGrand X har 4
Woodson. John Nash, John Nash
Jr.. Richard Burks. Philemon Hal
comb John Graham Obadiah Wood
soL Zachsriah Leies. John Leigh
and John LeNeve Changes between
1859 and 1866 show Thomas Scott
Thomas H4skins vestfymen agaln
w.th4 Peter Johnston ana paschal
Glenhlll also elected i0 ft. taca
cts
Even Ill these very early years
there was 4 tendency 0n the part "a
Vesffynen to leave the Church u
t,nqi4ni to Jlin q dissent nv c6n4s
atlan An aet was passed prohibit
ana 4 disseMer from serving ~ A
Xest,Hinan When XtstrEman b@-
came a dissanter fhe vest'v waS n
4cjed to elect another person III ms
place :. veStryman who haa be-
c,He i d.ssenter coald y re-4l,ci
M ta ih' VeStgy II INA returned N
lie Church Of ENGLAND AS t'le slorY
u the establishment NJ PRINCE hi
ward churches goes Oh wFss'ee ia-
stances of several If inc first res
isYnlen instrumental in actually
founding other churches
VestryS Duties
The vestry IF the parish bad many
duties. some Of them We would eaA
sider entirely secular today Some.
of the more important duties were
first. 10 call the parish minister +
second. to have land processi0nad \
that is. the vestry was required by
iaw to appoint two Of more ~intell-
sent, honest freeholders" % walk
around the boundaries of every per-
sons land every -four years. CON
part It's boundary with the ORIGINAL
I4cefds Of boundaries. and report
Ill account Of these lands
Third. to look after orphans any
enid whose father was dead was
cOnslderet~a orphan The Vestry
vas obligated to see that they were
bound out to suitable persons Al
The age Of fourteen child was gen
orally allowed to choose guardian
Fourth. to make provision for the
ISL did not welcome prospective re-
lief cases. and sent back such a
man from Charlotte who was con-
Aldeled likely TO become very
ehargeable
Fifth. to investigate cases Of sus-
pected moral delinquency and pre-
sent them to court II evidence justi-
ted. sixth. TO collect fines imposed
tor such offences. AT the May l7o5
Court one man was fined for drank
enness. four for swearing. and two
men for not going to any capita
place Of capital worship for one
month
Seventh, to lay and collect the
parish levy. eighth to provide Tor
the erection. maintenance. equip
lnent and worship. Of churches ana
chapels, and ninth, to purchase
slebe ana u build and repair The
necessary glebe buildings
In 1867 the yestly provided each
church With a sundial placed on a
post Worship service was to begin
Al eleven O'Clock from April ! 70
October 81 and at twelve O'Clock
during the winter months. Although
some people owned watches and
clocks people were accustomed to
work by the sun. not timepiece
First Two Churches
When St Patrick S Parish was
created there were already two
churches in its territory Sandy
River and Buffalo. Sandy River had
been mentioned as a chapel in l744
in the Amelia records; and it was