Historic Fredericksburg Part 23

Reverend Patrick Henry resigned his charge in 1734, and Sir William Gooch, Governor, sent a Mr. Smith, who, on account of his "faithfulness or the contrary," was very generally disliked, and after two sermons, left. The names of two ministers, father and son, appear successively on the interesting old yellow rolls at this time, Reverend James Marye, Sr., and Reverend James Marye, Jr. who officiated at St. George's for almost half a century, and who were faithful and zealous. The salary of these men was fixed by law at sixteen thousand pounds of tobacco. It is impossible to compute with accuracy this equivalent in English money, "minister's tobacco" representing many varieties, and its value seeming to fluctuate.

In general four pounds of tobacco equaled one shilling. The elder Marye married Let.i.tia Mary Ann Staige, the sister of the first rector; and Yeamans Smith, who built the attractive country seat "Snowden" in 1806, married Ann Osborne, a daughter of James Marye, Jr. From these families are lineally descended many of the worshipers at old St. George's today.

[Sidenote: _The Oldest Cemetery Here_]

In 1751 the first bell, the gift of John Spotswood, was used. In 1755 the legislature pa.s.sed an act directing that each parish should provide for the maintenance of the poor, thus the first "poor-house" was established.

In 1722 an act was pa.s.sed by the General a.s.sembly relating to the churchyard, and authorizing the vestry to reduce the dimensions thereof.

This small and interesting spot, so carefully maintained today, was used as "G.o.d's Acre," before the legal establishment of Fredericksburg in 1727.

Contiguous to the church on the north, this little "City of the dead," is a gra.s.sy hillside, sloping gently to the east; and amid the st.u.r.dy elms and maples, the graceful fronds and purple blossoms of the wistaria and lilac, the old fashioned roses, the clinging ivy and periwinkle, rest the ashes of those who helped to make the Fredericksburg of long, long ago. We love to think of those noted personages sleeping there, that

"It is not hard to be a part of the garden's pageantry When the heart climbs too, set free."

Colonel Fielding Lewis, of Kenmore, and his three infant grandchildren, sleep beneath the old stone steps of the church. William Paul, the brother of John Paul Jones, is under the linden tree. Archibald McPherson, the generous Scotchman and friend of the poor, sleeps under a tangle of ivy and roses. Reverend E. C. McGuire and his relict, Judith Lewis, great niece of General Washington lie close to the loved old church beneath the weeping willow. Under the shade of the same beautiful tree, sleeps the father of Martha Washington, Colonel John Dandridge of New Kent County.

Others, well known, are not far away.

Reverend James Marye, Jr., a faithful scion of the Huguenot faith, taught a parochial school here, which George Washington as a youth attended. It is thought to have been at this school that he wrote, under Mr. Marye's dictation, his celebrated "Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior," the original of which is preserved among the country's archives. The faithful service of Reverend James Marye, Jr., ended with his death on October 1, 1780, and during seven years following the parish was without a minister.

In 1785 agreeably to the law pa.s.sed in the legislature giving all Christian denominations the privilege of incorporation, the people of St.

George's Church met, and elected the following vestrymen: John Chew, John Steward, Mann Page, Thomas Colson, Thomas Crutcher, Daniel Branham, Thomas Sharp and James Lewis.

In 1787 Reverend Thomas Thornton was unanimously elected rector of the church. Steady faith, unaffected piety, ability to a.s.sociate the dignity of the minister with the familiarity of the man, are some of the characteristics which his biographers have attributed to him, and which made him acceptable to all cla.s.ses. It was during his ministrations that the Fredericksburg Academy was held in such high estimation. Many eminent men have attended this old school.

[Sidenote: _Washington's Last Attendance_]

Four pews in the gallery of St. George's were reserved for the use of the professors and students. An interesting incident which occurred at this time is told by Judge John T. Lomax, then a small boy. An addition to the galleries had just been completed, when George Washington, with freshly won honors, came on what proved to be his last visit to his mother, and as usual attended service at St George's Church. Because of the presence of the hero, a great crowd gathered. Suddenly, during the service, there was heard from the galleries the sound of creaking timbers; this proved to be only the settling of the new rafters, which had not been well adjusted, but which caused great fear and excitement in the congregation.

After the resignation of Mr. Thornton in 1792, the following names appear on the church rolls, and follow each other in quick succession: Reverend John Woodville, James Stevenson, Abner Waugh, Samuel Low and George Strebeck. During the ministry of Reverend James Stevenson two inst.i.tutions of learning were established, and the benefit and advantages derived therefrom are felt to this day. The male Charity School had its beginnings in 1795, with these gentlemen as subscribers: Benjamin Day, Charles Yates, Elisha Hall, William Lovell, Fontaine Maury, George French and Daniel Henderson.

Though this school ceased to exist years ago, there are still three stone tablets inset in the wall of the old building on Hanover Street, where the sessions of this school were held. (This building has been rejuvenated lately, and is now the home of the Christian Science Society.) These tablets are in memory of three of Fredericksburg's philanthropists, Archibald McPherson, who died in 1754, bequeathing his property to the poor of the town, Benjamin Day and Thomas Colson, whose services to the school were many and valuable and whose charity was broad.

[Sidenote: _The Female Charity School_]

The Female Charity School was established in 1802, by the women of St.

George's parish, generously a.s.sisted financially by Miss Sophia Carter, of Prince William County, and is still maintained to this day; their present substantial brick building on upper Main Street has been occupied since 1836 and houses at the present time eight happy little maidens who, with their predecessors numbering into many hundreds, would probably, without its gracious influence have grown into womanhood without a spark of that light attained by education and religious influence.

But notwithstanding these blessings times grew sad for the Church of England in Virginia. The Revolution in which each was involved was destructive to the upbuilding of the Church and the growth of Virginia.

The results of that war were many and far reaching. The church had been closely a.s.sociated with that tyrannical government which the people had now thrown off. Its liturgy, its const.i.tution, its ministry and members were naturally subjects of criticism, prejudice and abuse. Having had the strong right arm of a strong government for protection, it was now forced to stand alone, and it seemed for a while to totter, and almost to fall.

Such were the conditions under which Reverend Edward C. McGuire took charge of St. George's Church in 1813. In writing of his reception here he says, "I was received with very little cordiality, in consequence I suppose of the shameful conduct of several ministers who preceded me in this place.... Under these disastrous circ.u.mstances, I commenced a career most unpromising in the estimation of men."

Nevertheless, this inexperienced young man of thirty years proved that by living himself the gospel of truth and love and preaching "simplicity and G.o.dly sincerity," he could overcome those difficulties implied in the hopeless condition which prevailed at the outset of his ministry, when, we are told, there were only eight or ten communicants of the church. But his long ministry of forty-five years was one of prosperity and blessing.

[Sidenote: _New Edifice Consecrated_]

In 1816 the second church on the same site and this time a brick edifice, was consecrated and Bishop Moore confirmed a cla.s.s of sixty persons.

Reverend Philip Slaughter says in his history of St. George's Parish, published in 1847, "There is apparently but one thing wanting to the outward prosperity of this congregation and that is, room for its growth.... I trust that the parishioners will build such a house for G.o.d ... as will be a fit monument for their thankfulness ... a suitable reward to their venerable pastor for his life-long devotion to their service."

His hope materialized, for in the fall of 1849 the present beautiful edifice was completed. A few years after the completion of this building, July 9, 1854, a fire occurred, and the church was damaged. The loss was covered by insurance, and the building quickly restored to its former beauty. There is an authenticated story told in connection with this fire; the day succeeding the fire there was found, on the Chatham bridge, the charred and blackened remnant of a leaf from an old Bible and almost the only words legible was the significant verse from Isaiah, _Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised Thee, is burned up with fire and all our pleasant things are laid waste_.

[Sidenote: _Some Notable Vestrymen_]

Shortly before the death of Dr. McGuire, in 1858, the climax of his ministry was realized in the cla.s.s of eighty-eight souls, which he presented to Bishop Meade for confirmation. Reverend Alfred M. Randolph, afterwards beloved Bishop of the diocese, succeeded Dr. McGuire, and in chronological order came Rev. Magruder Maury, Rev. Edmund C. Murdaugh, D.

D., Rev. Robert J. McBryde, Rev. J. K. Mason, Rev. William M. Clarke, Rev.

William D. Smith, Rev. Robert J. McBryde, D. D., the second time, and Rev.

John J. Lanier, scholar and author, who is the present rector.

These men were all more or less gifted with a high degree of mentality and spirituality. Of a later and another day they were potent agents in diffusing the blessed light which must emanate from the church.

For nearly two centuries St. George's Church, its three edifices each more costly and imposing than its predecessor, has commanded the summit of the hill at Princess Anne and George Streets. Its interesting tablets and beautiful windows tell in part, the story of its engaging past.

In glancing over that precious ma.n.u.script, the old parish vestry book, which numbers its birthdays by hundreds of years, names familiar to every student of American history are noted. Colonel Fielding Lewis is there and General Hugh Mercer, General George Weedon, and Colonel Charles Washington, also Dr. Charles Mortimer, the physician of Mary Washington.

Others dear to the hearts of old Fredericksburgers are Reuben T. Thom, who held the unusual record of serving the vestry for a successive period of fifty-two years; Zachary Lewis, attorney to his majesty, the King of England; Lewis Willis, grandfather of Catherine, Princess Murat; Captain John Herndon, Francis Thornton, Ambrose Grayson, Francis Talliaferro, Robert Beverly; but for the fact that there is such a vast a.s.semblage of names, interesting to the generation of today, an entertaining recital of them in this brief sketch, would be possible.

_The 250th Birthday_

_Fredericksburg Celebrates an Anniversary_

Many months were given to preparation for this greatest event in the modern history of Fredericksburg, the celebration of her 250th birthday as a chartered community. Much thought was spent on how best to portray the Town's history from the granting of the "Lease Lands" by Governor Berkley, in May, 1671, to be settled by the Colonists.

The entire city officially and individually had given itself up, practically, to staging a Celebration befitting the unique occasion. All the hard working committees declared things ready for the Morning of the 25th of May, when the ceremonies of the day would begin at nine o'clock with an official reception to delegates with credentials, and special guests of the city, at the Court House. Doubtful ones had not lacked prediction of failure, and they were confirmed in their fears when the early morning began with a thunder storm and down pour. The stout hearted and faithful who had carried on the work were, however, at their posts of duty, and gladly saw the sun break through just in time for the opening festivities. The entire city was elaborately decorated, flags flying and "the colors" displayed in bunting on every home and building. A program, replete with events, half solemn, gay or merry, was arranged for the day, of which every moment was taken up. Never before in its varied history did such an air of gayety envelop the city. Visitors flocked to Fredericksburg and long before the beginning thousands had gathered, sidewalks, steps and porches were crowded with merry throngs in carnival mood. While the thousands of visitors were pouring into the town by railroad and by highway the celebration was formally inaugurated when the official guests appeared at the courthouse and presented Chairman W. L. Brannan of the Celebration Committee, and Mayor J. Garnett King their credentials, which will become a part of the archives of the town. This formality took but a few minutes.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FEDERAL HILL

_Built by Judge Brooke, Brother of Surgeon Brooke, of the Bon Homme Richard_]

At nine thirty A. M., exercises were held on Lewis Street to mark the boundaries of the Lease Lands, which was done under the auspices of the A.

P. V. A., one of whose members, Mrs. V. M. Fleming, had in searching old records, come across the forgotten doc.u.ment of the Lease Lands and worked hard for the celebration. A granite marker was unveiled with the following ceremonies:

Opening prayer--Rev. R. C Gilmore.

Address--Dr. J. P. Smith, introduced by Dr. Barney.

Unveiling--by Jacquelin Smith, a descendant of Lawrence Smith, first Commander of the town.

Acceptance--Mayor J. Garnett King.

Benediction--Rev. J. J. Lanier.

These exercises were very impressive and largely attended.

Receptions, addresses by distinguished guests, parades of soldiers and marines, veterans of three wars and descendants of Indians were all on the program which followed and fascinated the crowds at various points. In front of the Princess Anne Hotel was presented a lively scene, with one of the bands of marines from Quantico playing on the balcony while throngs of gaily dressed women, citizens, officials and marine officers made up a remarkably brilliant ensemble.

[Sidenote: _Real Indians In War Dance_]

One of the most interesting numbers of the morning program was an Indian War Dance, in costume, by members of the Rappahannock tribe of Indians, actual descendants of the men who concluded the first treaty with Capt.