A HISTORY
OF THE
Rock Presbyterian Church
IN
CECIL COUNTY, MARYLAND
BY THE
REV. J. H. JOHNS
OXFORD, PA
“OXFORD PRESS” BOOK AND JOB OFFICE
1872
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Lewisville, Sept. 4th, 1872
Rev. J. H. Johns,
Dear Sir—The
undersigned Committee appointed by the Trustees of the Rock Presbyterian
Church, respectfully request for publication your discourse delivered at the
re-dedication of the church, on the 4th of July last.
Respectfully,
C.
C. Brokaw,
Charles
Ramsay,
S.
W. Morrison.
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The first
supplies to the church appointed by Presbytery were Robert Cross, of
New-Castle, and George Gillespie, of White-Clay-Creek.
Robert Cross was born in Ireland,
1689, came to this country a Probationer, and was settled pastor of New-Castle,
September 19th,
1719. He did not receive a sufficient
support from that people, and after four years was called to Jamaica,
Long Island.
He was pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia for more than
twenty years. He died in 1766.
George
Gillespie was born in Glasgow,
Scotland,
and came to America
a Probationer. He was ordained and installed pastor of White-Clay-Creek May 28th,
1713; preached a great deal in neighboring
churches, especially at Elk-river. He organized the congregation at the Head of
Christiana, and served it until his death, January 2d, 1760, aged 77
years. He was an active Presbyter, a godly man, and his ministry was both long
and fruitful. His descendants are numerous throughout this region.
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The Rev.
Samuel Young is the first preacher mentioned in connection
with this congregation. He was from Donaghmore,
County
Down, Ireland,
and a member of the Presbytery of Armagh. He was
received into the Synod of Philadelphia, September 23d, 1718, and was appointed
by New-Castle Presbytery to supply Drawyer’s Church,
Del. The Elk-river people gave him a call, Sept. 27, 1720, which he
declined to accept. He preached at Drawyer’s, and
died before June
6th, 1721. He left a
widow.
Rev. Daniel
McGill was called to Elk-river in 1721, and preached
here for nearly two years without accepting the call. He was a native of Scotland,
joined the Presbytery of Philadelphia in 1713, and became pastor of
Upper-Marlborough, on the Patuxent river,
western shore
of Maryland.
He left Marlborough
1720, and in 1721 we find him preaching in this locality. The great difficulty
in the way of his settlement here was the inability of the people to pay the
salary they promised. The Rev. Robert Cross was sent here by Presbytery to stir
up the people on this question, and the salary was paid up. Mr. McGill again
considered the call, but after a time, the salary not being paid, he declined
its acceptance, and acted as a supply to many of the vacant churches. he died February
10th, 1724,
at his home in London-Tract,
Del.
He was a learned man, a valuable member of Synod, and much admired as a
preacher. He was austere in his manner and sulky in his disposition. While
preaching here, the following advertisement appeared:
“1722. Ran
away from the Rev. D. McGill, a servant clothed with damask breeches and black
broadcloth vest, broadcloth coat of copper color, lined and trimmed with black,
and wearing black stockings.”
The Rev.
Thomas Craighead received the next call. He was born in Ireland.
After preaching ten or twelve years in Ireland
he came to New-England, and labored at Freetown,
Mass.,
near Fall river, from 1715 to
1723. He joined New-Castle Presbytery January 28th, 1724,
and was called to Elk-river in May of the same year, but declined. He went to
White-Clay-Creek. In 1723 he went to Pequea,
Lancaster Co., Pa.;
September 7th,
1726, he went to Hopewell,
and in 1738, after preaching a sermon and pronouncing the benediction, he
dropped dead in the pulpit. These four years must have been full of
disappointment and discouragement to the infant church. Three ministers have
been called and all have declined.
The Rev.
Alexander Hutcheson,
a Probationer from Ireland,
became pastor of Bohemia
Church
in 1723. That church was feeble, and he spent much time preaching to other
congregations. He was one of the chief supplies of Elk-river until they
obtained a pastor, and was a valuable minister of the Gospel. He died in October
1766. The church is four years old and still without a pastor, but it
perseveres in its efforts to secure one, and is at length rewarded with
success.
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Joseph Houston came from Ireland
to New-England a probationer, preached a few months at
Freetown,
Mass.,
was received by Presbytery of New-Castle July 29th, 1724,
and appointed to supply the Elk-river church. September 14th,
Robert Linton and Andrew Steel,
commissioners for the congregation, presented him a call. This he considered
until Presbytery met at Christiana, October 6th, when he
accepted it. The commissioners, Robert Finney, Roger Lawson and Andrew Steel, requested that his
ordination might be hastened, showing their eagerness to have a pastor. Hence October 15, 1724,
he was ordained and installed. The records of Presbytery relating to that event
are interesting, and we shall present them. “A proclamation being made three
times at the door of the meeting-house by Mr. Alexander Hutcheson, that if any
person had anything to object against the ordination of Mr. Joseph Houston,
they should make it known to the Presbytery now sitting; and no objection being
made, they proceeded towards his ordination, and accordingly he was solemnly
set apart to the work of the ministry, with fasting, prayer, and imposition of
the hands of the Presbytery. Mr. Thomas Craighead preached the sermon and presided.” Thus began
the first pastorate in this church, which continued for fifteen years. It must
have been successful, although we know it was at times very discordant. In 1726
there was a violent strife among the members about seats. The matter was at
last referred to Presbytery for settlement, and the following action was taken:
“The Presbytery, hearing the mind of the major part of the congregation, Ordered
that the minister’s seat be next on the right hand of the pulpit; Ordered,
that Robert Finney have the seat before William Hoge’s, paying said
William Hoge for his expense in building and dividing
it; or the next to the minister’s, laid out for Andrew Steel, as Robert Finney
shall please to make choice, and in case he choose the last, then Andrew Steel may have the first. Ordered, that
Abraham Emmet, Sr., and Roger
Lawson exchange seats, and if any difficulty be in the value of the seats, that
they accommodate the same in a friendly and christian
manner.” We hear no more of this trouble, but the same year another arose of
still greater magnitude and violence, respecting the organization of the
present New London congregation. Robert Finney, with many others,
lived many miles from the Elk-river church, and were
anxious to have a church organized nearer them, in the neighborhood of
New
London.
Mr. Houston
and the Maryland
part of his congregation stoutly opposed this movement, because another church
so near would weaken their own, and because some of those belonging to the new
enterprise had refused to pay off their arrears of salary. This war between the
two congregations was waged in Presbytery and Synod for four years. However,
the persistent New London
people received a separate organization, May 26th, 1728.
Mr. Houston assisted in supplying many of the churches of Presbytery. His name
appears in the earliest records we have of Lower-West-Nottingham: “March 23d, 1725,
Ordered that Mr. Houston supply the people at the mouth of the Octoraro the fifth Sabbath of May and Mr. Thomas Evans the third Sabbath of April.” The original name
of that congregation was Mouth of Octoraro. Mr. Houston
was moderator of the Synod of Philadelphia, September 19th,
1733, and for a long time stated clerk of
Presbytery. He seems to have been a most active, faithful worker for the cause
of souls. In 1739 he left this church for some unknown reason, and was
installed pastor of the Goodwill Presbyterian Church of Orange county, New York,
before May 1740. He died in October 1740, aged 48 years. His descendants are
still found in Orange
county, N. Y. He died poor, judging from the fact that
his bond was remitted by Synod, in 1740, in favor of his widow and family.
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