From Saddle to City BV BuuuY, Boat AND Railway BUITS /^ frci I- '^ v. ^ 3 1924 050 051 964 The original of tliis book is in tlie Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31 924050051 964 D. G. C. BUTTS AND B«IDB, 1872. From Saddle to City BY Buggy. Boat and Railway A» By D. Gregory Claiborne Butts of the Virginia Conference Methodist Episcopal Church, Sowth A» Being the Personal Recollections and Observations of Fifty years service in the Itinerancy, with Pen Portraits of Leaders and Places and Times. 5^? DEDICATION, TO HBK, Who won vie Tjy the charm of her native modesty; Who has held me a willing captive 'by her -fidel- ity; Who has inspired me with courage hy her faith in God; The solution of the problem of my success; The one human explanation of my long life: God'' 8 best Gift; MY WIFE. CONTENTS Page Personal and Introductory 9 CHAPTER I. The Conference of 1870 and Caroline Circuit. . 13 CHAPTER II. The Conference of 1871 and Montross Circuit. . 26 CHAPTER III. The Conference of 1873 and Heathsville Cir- cuit 49 CHAPTER ly; The Conference of 1887 and King George Cir- cuit , 87 CHAPTER V. The Conference of 1881 and Middlesex Circuit. 127 CHAPTER VI. The? Conference of 1885 and Princess Anne Cir- cuit 166 CHAPTER VII. The Conference of 1887 and Wright Memorial, Portsmouth 199 CHAPTER VTII. The Conference of 1890 and Mathews Circuit. 235 CHAPTER IX. The Conference of 1894 and Accomac Circuit. .267 CHAPTER X. _ The Conference of 1895 and Albemarle Circuit. 290 Contents Page CHAPTER XI. Tlie Conference of 1898 and Gloucester Circuit. 327 CHAPTER XII. The Conference of 1902 and Centenary, Lynch- burg 1. ..,.../.. 377 CHAPTER XIII. The Conference of 1906 and Laurel St., Rich- jnond 418 CHAPTER XIV. The Conference of 1907 and Franktown and Johnson's Circuit 444 CHAPTER XV. The Conference of 1911 and North Princess Ann© Circuit 481 CHAPTER XVI. The Conference of 1915 and Central, Hampton. 502 CHAPTER XVII. The Conference of 1919 and Hilton Circuit. . ,525 PREFACE. When my Semi-centennial Address, delivered at Norfolk in November, 1920, met with such general acceptance, and brethren from everywhere wrote me letters of praise, I thought the matter would end tHfere. Later, some of my warmest friends united in the request that my experience and observations cov- ering the fifty years of service in the Conference be given the Church in the form of a book. The thought startled me : I am a novice in the world of letters. I thought of myself as the ragged boy at the baseball park peeping at the game through a knot-hole in the fence. He had never thought of getting inside. Then I recalled that my Journal of Daily Events through thirty-six years had been burned in the fire that consumed the Franktown Parsonage in December, 1909. And I was at a loss for material. The brethren insisted. In an unguarded mo- ment I consented. Here is the result. I have been compelled to rely on memory largely, on some help from contemporaries, on Bennett's "Memorials of Methodism in Virginia." The errgrs in relating events are mine. If the story brings out on canvas the names of men and women whom the world never knew, and so had no chance to forget, the object of the writing is attained. Hilton Village, Va., May 1st, 1922. D. G. C. Butts. FROM SADDLE TO CITY BY BUGGY. BOAT AND RAILWAY PERSONAL AND INTRODUCTORY I am the only child of Col. Augustine Claiborne Butts and Anna Maria Claiborne. He was the son of Genl. Daniel Claiborne Butts and Elizabeth Ran- dolph Harrison, of the "Berkeley," James river family. My mother was the daughter of Rev. John Gregory Claiborne, of "Roslin" Brunswick county, and Mary Elizabeth Weldon, daughter of Daniel Weldon of N. C. I was born at "Roslin" October 10th, 1848. Our home was at Lawrenceville. My grandfather Claiborne was a Local Preacher ''on the old Brunswick circuit for sixty-two years. He died in 1887, at the home of his son. Dr. John Herbert Claiborne, in Petersburg. In 1853 father removed to Hicksford, (now Em- poria,) and in 1855 to Petersburg. My parents took me with them to High Street Methodist church, that being the nearest church to our resi- dence on High St. We were living there in the great snow storm of 1857. In 1858 father bought 10 FROM SADDLE TO CITY a home on Lawrence St. This move brought us so near Washington Street church, that mother joined that church and placed me in that Sunday School. Mr. Willie Cowles, the son of Rev. Henry B. Cowles, of our Conference, was my teacher. When Market Street church was completed, under Dr. John E. Edwards, my mother withdrew from Washington Street, and joined that church, and be- came a Leader of one of the Ladies' Classes. I entered the Sunday School at the same time with Mr. W. C. James as my teacher. I publicly confessed Christ during a great meet- ing held in this church by Dr. R. N. Sledd in 1862. I took up my studies for the work of the minis- try in anuary, 1868, under Dr. (afterward Bishop) John C. Granbery, and, having secured the posi- tion of Station Agent at Stoney Creek on the Petersburg & Weldon R. R. in February, continued with the valuable aid of Rev. Jas. A.- Riddick, then a retired member of the' Conference. In the last week of September of this year I entered Randolph Macon College at Ashland, Rev. John Hannon en- tering the same day. I was licensed to preach by the Fourth Quarterly Conference of the Hanover circuit, held at North Run Church, Henrico county, Va., March 6th, 1869, and the paper is signed by Jacob Manning, Presid- ing Elder. Dr. John Hannon was licensed the same day by the same body. In the summer of 1869 I was employed by the BY BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 11 Presiding Elder of the Richmond District to serve through the summer as junior on the old Glou- cester circuit under Rev. E. M. Peterson, D. D., his patience, his courage, his wise counsel, his kindly care for all that concerned my improvement in knowledge and my growth in grace, had much to do with the success of my ministry in after years. He was a most valuable teacher. When College opened in the fall of '69 I returned to Ashland and completed my second year under the supervision of Dr. Duncan. The death of my father in August, 1870, and the breaking up o^ my home in Petersburg, led me to cast myself upon God absolutely for guidance, not knowing which way to turn. I returned to my room in Ashland, my only home, and waited for the answer to my prayer. It came in a very short while in a very singular way. Rev. Geo. W. Nolley had been taken from the Caroline circuit and made Agent of Ran- dolph Macon College. Bro. P. C. Archer, my room- mate of the last session, had been selected to fill out his term on the charge. Archer wanted help, and sent for me. I went. At the Fourth Quarterly Conference, held at Hopewell church at Guinea's Station, on the E. F. & P. Railway, Bro. J. H. Davis, the Presiding Elder, informed us that Bishop Pierce had written him that one of us must join Conference. The lot fell to me. I went to the Hanover Quarterly Conference which met soon after this, passed the required examination, was 12 THOM SADDLE TO CITT duly recommended for Admission on Trial, and went up to the Annual Conference at Lynchburg in November, with my papers in legal form. Conference was held in the old Court Street church, and on Friday, November 11th, 1870, I was Admitted on Trial, Bishop Geo. F. Pierce, Pre- siding, the other members of the Class being Joshua S. Hunter, James T. Lumpkin, and Geo. W. Matthews. Bro. Matthews was immediately transferred to Arkansas. He and Brother Lump- kin have long since gone to their great reward. Brother Hunter and I alone remain. Of the one hundred and sixty-five members of the Virginia Conference living November 11th, 1870, the following remain October 19th, 1921:— Wm. E. Judkins, John P. Woodward, James O. Moss, S. S. Lambeth, Charles E. Watts, James C. Reed, J. Wiley Bledsoe, Richard Ferguson, Joshua S. Hunter, and Daniel G. C. Butts ; Ten. The following pages record my travels for nine years in the Piedmont region of Virginia, and forty-two years in Tidewater, I have travelled over every mile of this territory by "in the Saddle" and "By Buggy, Boat and Railway." My last move was made in an automobile. The speed un- der the steady eye and the strong hand of my dear brother. Waller L. Hudgins, of Central, Hampton, was too great to place in the title of this story. Much remains untold because the records were not within my reach. I regret that I have been unable to do better work on such an important task. BT BtrOGT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 13 CHAPTER I. The Conference of 1870 and Caroline Circuit. This Conference was remarkable for many things which should not be forgotten. Dr. Paul Whitehead, President of the "Society for the Relief of the Preachers of the Virginia Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and Their Families, Their Widows, and Or- phans," reported to the Conference the organiza- tion of the society under a charter obtained from the Legislature of North Carolina, and asked the ratification by the Conference of the same. This was done on the following Thursday, the 17th, and the following directors were elected : Paul Whitehead, J. J. Yeates, John R. Kilby, Geo. M. Bain, Jr., J. H. Dawson, Richard Irby, D'Arcy Paul, Alex G. Brown, and Thomas Whitehead. Another event which transpired at this Confer- ence makes it historic, namely; the Virginia Con- ference of the Methodist Protestant Church, united with the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Several useful ministers and valuable laymen, and a score or more of churches were enrolled with our membership. Among the ministers I men- tion Rev. Wm. A. Crocker, father of our very use- ful brother, Frank L. Crocker, at Monumental, 14 FROM SADDLE TO CITT Portsmouth, Rev. F. A. Davis, Rev. T. C. Jennings, Rev. John McClelland, and Rev. Wm. McGee. At the Conference of 1871 three more ministers came into our Conference and were enrolled: Rev. W. W. Walker, father of our State senator, Harding Walker, Rev. Starke Jett, grandfather of Rev. Starke Jett, one of our promising young men, and Rev. Wm. T. White. My first appointment was Caroline Circuit, with P. C. Archer, as "one to be supplied," for my jun- ior, the arrangement having been made that we should be sent there in that order, and attend col- lege to the end of that session, June, 1871. Our salary was $250 each, and with this we paid our expenses ; a remarkable instance of Providence coming to my aid in solving the problem of how to remain at school the third year. Here on this charge at Rehoboth Church I met the lady who later became my wife, the daughter of Dr. Geo. F. Swann, the leading steward of that church. The circuit had seven appointments, and extended from Doswell to Summit on the railroad, and from Spottsylvania to King William. Geo. M. Wright was my neighbor on the east, and John Q. Rhodes on the west. One can imagine, who remembers his first year in the itinerancy, the awkwardness of the meth- ods, (or rather lack of methods), which character- ized this years' history of the Caroline circuit. At College five days ; on the circuit Saturday and Sunday, there was no time to meet the people in BY BtTQGT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 15 their homes, and study the needs of these seven congregations. Perhaps the one redeeming fea- ture in this "plan of service" was that we came in contact with the leaders in the churches, who gra- ciously sent to the railway station for us on Satur- day and delivered us to the railway station early Monday morning that we might return to our studies at Ashland. There was much to be gained, even in this unsat- isfactory visiting, for we met men and women who represented the strength, both spiritual and finan- cial and social, of the communities in which they lived, hence we obtained a first hand view of people who set the pace for church work. The fathers, who laid the foundations of Meth- odism in Caroline county, laid them broad, and deep, and strong. Notwithstanding the Baptists had been in the county for years before the pio- neers of Methodism arrived, and their congrega- tion^ were comfortably housed in commodious brick church buildings at central points, yet these early circuit riders succeeded in reaching some of the finest material in all that region, and brought into the Methodist fold as fine a lot of converts, intellectually and socially, as could be found any- where in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Swann, Hancock, Dejarnette, Waller, Wright, Smith, Car- neal. Stern, Doggett, jarrell, Burruss, Catlett, Chandler, Broaddus, and hosts of others, werp names which stood for a high grade of intellec- tuality, incorruptible morality, and social pr?§t,ige, 16 FEOM SADDLE TO CITY which under the lead of Methodist teaching now took first place in the county for spiritual power and devotion. "The Church of the Regenerate Heart," (as Dr. Gilby C. Kelly aptly calls our Meth- odism) had none who more consistently and beau- tifully illustrated the worth of Experimental Re- ligion than the men and the women from the fam- , ilies named above. The following notes on the planting of Method- ism in Caroline county, Virginia, were furnished me by Rev. Samuel Wesley Day, (a grandson of Rev. Luther Wright,) of Crozet, Albemarle coun- ty,: "In the latter part of the eighteenth century the Methodists were holding a Camp Meeting at Fork Church, (Epispocal) in Hanover county. A number of people from Caroline county attended, and among that company was William Wright. The said Wright became so much interested in the way the Methodists conducted the meeting that he invited them to go over into Caroline coun- ty and hold a meeting at his house. The invita- tion was accepted, and the Rev. Chas. Hopkins was sent over to hold the meeting. "When this meeting closed William Wright off- ered his house as a preaching place for the Meth- odists, thus turning his own house into a Methodist Chapel, or "Meeting House" as it was then called. "This arrangement continued for a number of years, and then the said William Wright gave an acre of ground, and built upon that sacred spot a 17 little "Meeting House" at his own expense. That was the first Methodist Meeting House in Caro- line county. The Methodists of Caroline can look at "Wrights Chapel" and exclaim "She is the moth- er of us all." "What is somewhat remarkable, William Wright, through all these years was not a member of the church, but united with the church on his death bed and received the Sacrament of the Lord's Sup- per. "Out of this home dedicated to God, came three noble women, — Elizabeth, Rebecca, and Rachel: and four sons, Durrette, Luther, Wesley, and Cal- vin. Of these sons, two were Local Preachers, and teachers, one a Medical doctor and the other, Cal- vin, died a minor. "There are today preachers, lawyers, doctors, and literary men who can look back to that his- toric ground as the home of their ancestors." When I went to Caroline in December 1870, Old Uncle Luther Wright was a well-beloved Local Preacher on the Charge, and lived in the house in which the first Methodist sermon was preached in the county by Rev. Chas. Hopkins referred to above by Bro. Day. Bro. Day was quite a small boy in those days, but very much in evidence, as Uncle Luther, his grandfather, and the young cir- cuit rider talked under the shade of the tree in the yard, for spring was well advanced and the fruit trees were in bloom. When we went in to dinner Uncle Luther said "This is the room where it all '18 TEOM SADDLE TO 'CITY began." It was enoug-h for me. I felt that I was in one place, at least, where the Holy Ghost had fallen on the people "as it did on them in the begin- ning." I was very young in the work, but my emotions were aroused, and I prayed then, a silent prayer, that the same power might fall on Bro. Archer and me during the year as we went about among the people. There were proofs that the earnest petition reached the Throne and was an- swered in the salvation of souls. "Uncle Luther," (as everybody called him), came into the church in these early days. He was made a Local Preacher very soon after conversion. He was familiar with the writings of the English Wesleyan writers, such as Wesley, Clarke, Watson, and As- bury. He was well read in the scriptures, and be- came a sound preacher of the gospel. He used the word of God liberally in the pulpit and in con- versation, and told me on one occasion, when I re- ferred to his familiarity with the Bible, that he "knew no better help in proclaiming salvation than the message itself." Other books, he hinted, he could use for his own entertainment and infor- mation, but for seeking the lost sinner the Word was enough. I have heard him preach some sermons of great power, and results were immediate and satisfying. "Not in words which man's wisdom giveth, but which God giveth." He died at a ripe old age, and went to his reward in triumph. His sister R^chd, (Mrs. Jarrell), was a woman BY BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 19 of deep piety, and great influence for holiness. The preachers in going the rounds of the work, and in revival season, depended much on Sister Jar- rell to lead in prayer and help at the altar among penitents. The fruit of her toil in the vineyard of the Lord was seen throughout the circuit. Her deep piety, her natural humility|, reinforced by grace divine, her great faith, and her untiring ef- forts for the kingdom, made a profound impres- sion on this young preacher, and aided him might- ily in many a critical hour. Her prayers spoken into the ear of God as simply and with a childlike trust, seldom failed of an answer, either the direct answer, or a wonderful peace and a contented feel- ing that the Father would give the needed mercy, if His wisdom and His love withheld the thing desired. Oh, she was a mighty' wrestler at the throne of grace ! Dr. Wesley Wright, (another one of the brothers alluded to by Bro. Day,) was a fine specimen of the old time Virginia country gentlemen. At the time I first visited his home near Penola station on the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railway, he had abandoned the practice of his profession, and was enjoying the quiet of a comfortable home, the love of his interesting family, and the confi- dence of his fellow citizens. It was a great privi- lege to share the gracious and bountiful hospitality of this courteous old gentleman and his beloved wife and grown children, and to feel that here, at least, was a good place to begin an itinerant 20 FEOM SADDLE TO CITY career with the encouragfement and; advice be- stowed under such conditions. Dr. Wright, on be- ing reminded that he and his brothers and sisters bore names that were somewhat famous in the an- nals of the church, would reply with modest pride, "Yes, my father, William Wright, the first host of Methodism in Caroline, believed with all his heart in the glory and perpetuity of the Church of God, hence he named us Luther, Wesley, Calvin, Eliza- beth, Rachel, and Rebecca." As I have already said, the circuit at that time, December 1870, was composed of seven appoint- ments, as follows: — Rehoboth, Wright's Chapel, Bowling Green, Hopewell, St. Paul's, Vernon and Shiloh. The people got preaching twice monthly such as it was. P. C. Archer and I did the best we could, and the people did the best they could, and right charitably did they listen to two young men who were sincere in their service in the pul- pit, whatever might have been thought of their qualifications. We had revivals at every point, and the blessing of God rested upon the work. In the fall of 1871, my colleague, Bro. Archer, married Emma, the cultured and attractive daughter of Rev. Geo. W. Nolley, and went west and joined the Little Rock Conference. There she died a few years afterward, and Bro. Archer was trans- ferred to one of the Texas Conferences, and was there when I last heard from him. A most confusing situation was precipitated at the Third Quarterly Conference on the Spottsyl- BOAT AND RAILWAY 21 vania circuit that year by the extreme courtesy of two unsophisticated young preachers. Bro. Jos. H. Davis, the Presiding Elder, was sick somewhere up in Culpeper, and sent Bro. Jas. F. Twitty, spend- ing the summer at Culpeper, to this quarterly Con- ference to do the preaching. I went up as a visi- tor, glad to meet Twitty, my college mate, and wel- come him to the field. When the time came, after a bountiful dinner, to hold the quarterly Confer- ence, Brother Rhodes insisted that courtesy "com- pelled him to invite Brother Twitty, his guest, to preside," and I agreed that "it was the proper thing to do." After some persuasion (necessary in handling a modest man like Twitty) Twitty con- sented, and presided. J. P. H. Crismond was exam- ined by all three of us, passed, and was licensed to preach. Then we separated, mutually agreeing that it was a most delightful occasion. When the Fourth Quarterly Conference came, the deluge came also. Brother Davis pronounced the whole thing illegal ; Crismond had to go through the mill the second time, and the records were declared null, so far as a third quarterly Conference was concerned. Brother Rhodes got a dose of law on the half-shell that day. Twitty had already gotten his dose when he reported to Brother Davis what had happened. As for me, I was far away from the scene of the disaster, visiting Dr. Swann's davighter in Caroline. George M. Wright, my neighbor on the east was serving the King William circuit. He was a whole- 22 FROM SADDLE TO CITY souled, faithful man, popular with everybody, and a successful man in the pastorate and in the pulpit. His was a clean life,-^a life of prayer, so he had power with God and man. People believed in him, and in the gospel he delivered. One of his most valuable co-workers was Rev. Chas. H. Boggs, known to many in recent years as "Dear Old Broth- er Charlie Boggs." He was a Local Preacher, and lived at Aylett's, King William Co. Archer and I planned a meeting at one of the churches on our circuit, and during its progress Brothers Wright and Boggs came to the services. They preached alternately for us on Wednesday and Thursday. They would have done the same on Friday, but a most absurd incident prevented their return. The interest on Thursday was very great and swept everything before it. Wright preached in the afternoon, and penitents fell before the "sword of the Spirit." In the midst of the tri- umphant songs of the Church, and the agonizing prayers of confessed sinners, I went down the mid- dle aisle to speak to a young man who, it seems, could not decide for Christ. But before I got to him, a blessed old sister, with a heart overflowing: with joy, stood in my path, took me up in her arms, singing all the while in perfect accord with the con- gregation, "There's a lilly white robe in Heaven for you." When she put me down again, (I was 5 ft. 4 in. and weighed 120 lbs.) I looked around in helpless confusion to find out "what Israel would do," but Israel, (that is, the Church people) had sat BY BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 23 down, stopped singing, and with handkerchiefs, fans, and naked hands were busy at the impossible task of trying to smother merriment. I could find Wright and Boggs nowhere. I found Archer hidden behind the pulpit desk laughing a quiet, hysterical laugh which brings tears. I dismissed the congregation as best I could, and went out to the woods where a strange noise attracted me. There I found Wright on his back on the pine straw, and Bro. Boggs by his side. Wright was in such a paroxism of laughter that he could not speak, and Boggs was in no better condition. They hitched the horse, got into the buggy, laughing all the while, and drove off at full speed down the road, bidding Goodbye to no one. Of course they did not return next day: they dared not; and laughed over that incident as long as they lived. The meeting closed the next day, a pretty dry affair ! If there is a case in the records of the Southern Methodist Church furnishing a reason why the General Conference did the wise thing in granting women equal rights with men on the Official Roster of the Church one woman in the Caroline circuit in the Virginia Conference furnishes the example. Miss Lizzie Walton at Wright's Chapel was that woman. Her intelligent apprehension of Meth- odist doctrine and law and usage, her zeal, her pru- dence, her prayerfulness, commended her to every pastor, and gave her an influence with the congre- gation that was felt over the entire circuit. What 24 FHOM SADDLE TO QlTf she said at Wright's Chapel indicated the success or failure of any enterprise. Not that she "lorded it over God's heritage/' no, not that: but she car- ried her plans, and her suggestions had weight with the Stewards and the congregation by the sheer force of good sense, and irresistible power of a Christian spirit. Her piety was known throughout the Charge. Her consecration to the Lord was without any reservations or qualifications, com- plete and beautiful. She was beloved by every- body, but her influence in her own home was a proof of her sincerity. Her light shined afar because it shined brightest in her nearest circle of friends. The leading Stewards at that point were Jen- nette Carneal and Robert Oliver, earnest and faith- ful men ; but the inspiration of every onward move- ment at Wright's was Miss Lizzie Walton. Dr. George F. Swann, my wife's father, was one of the leading Stewards at Rehoboth church. Dr. Joseph Dejarnette and Mr. L. Partlow were the other two. The present substantial brick church- building was erected about 1858, and Dr. Swann, Dr. Dejarnette, and old Bro. Hancock, the father of Dr. F. J. Hancock, (who later moved his mem- bership to Hopewell, at Guinea Station, and later still to Clarksbury in Middlesex,) were members of the Building Committee. Old "Pisgah," located on the road leading from the Telegraph road near Bethany Baptist church. BY BTJGGY, BOAT AND KAIl.WAY 25 to Guineas Station, was abandoned after the civil war, and "Hopewell" at Guinea Station erected in its place, and most of the members then living went to the new church. These were Dr. Hancock, (as noted above,) the Catletts, and others whose names escape 'me now. Wm. T. Chandler, whose splendid wife founded the Bowling Female College, and Wilbur Broad- dus at Bowling Green, the Broaddus family at Shi- loh, Edgar Swann, Atwill Burruss, and the con- verted Jew, Levi Stern, at St. Paul's formed a strong Official Board of sensible, consecrated men who followed the lead of the pastor in all good works. At the end of the Conference year we reported some increase in membership as the result of revivals in every church, but the financial exhibit showed little advance over the previous year. The county was slowly recuperating from the ravages of the Civil War, and the churches were weak in proportion to the poverty of the people. 26 raoM saddle to city CHAPTER II. Montross. 1871—73. From the Portsmouth Conference in 1871 (held by the courtesy of that congregation in the Court Street Baptist Church, because the old Dinwiddie St. Church could not accommodate the large at- tendance,) I was sent by Bishop Paine to the Mpn- tross circuit, with Headquarters "in the saddle." Rev. Chas. E. Hobday was my successor in Caro- line circuit. Montross was on the north-east side of the Rappahannock river, over on the Potomac. My route lay from Ruther Glen, on the R. F. & P. Railroad, where I spent the last night on the Caro- line circuit at Bro. Levi Stern's, through Bowling Green, the county-seat, to Port Royal on the Rap- pahannock, thence down the Northern Neck thirty miles to my destination. A new experience lay be- fore me. It was a great cross to leave friends I had served one year, and go out into a strange land to serve a new people, in strange churches. And I was young — barely twenty-three. Friends had been made who bound me to them by their pa- tience with my mistakes, their faith in my sincer- ity, their determination to help the young preacher in every emergency, and their unfaltering love for Christ and His Church. Ties had been formed BY BUGGY, BOAT AND KAILWAY 27 that were priceless, and inseparable. ■ To leave these and "Go," relying on God and confident of my own integrity of purpose, was something new. I had no doubt of my call to preach, and three years had been given to preparation; and this is one phase of it. Am I equal to it? was the ques- tion that first night, after I was shown my room in the home of Mr. Wilbur J. Broaddus just beyond the town of Bowling Green. I fell asleep late in the night, weary from meditation and prayer. The next morning the real test came. The time had, in reality, come to go. The Broaddus home was, to me, the border of an "unknown land." Port Royal was beyond the wilderness, and Westmoreland was "across the sea." There must be giants over there : I had read of them in the books, — George Wash- ington, James Madison, James Monroe, Light Horse Harry Lee, Robt. Edmund Lee, William Wirt. Broaddus said they were "big folks," and "such folks always mercifully put up with small preachers, dealing out sermons with nothing in them." With this farewell shot in my system, I set out Tuesday morning, the day after the Decem- ber Caroline Court day, on "Dexter" for Port Royal, thirteen miles away. My outfit comprised a pair of saddle pockets, a heavy brown shawl thrown over my shoulders, and an umbrella strapped to the saddle behind me. My trunk had gone to Fredericksburg to be taken down the river on the steamer to Carter's Wharf, in Richmond county, six miles from Montross in Westmoreland. 28 from: SADDLE TO CITT I arrived in Port Royal at mid-day and went by direction of Bro. Davis, my Presiding Elder, straight to Brother Gibbs' home, and introduced myself as the new preacher for the Montross cir- cuit, on my way to my home beyond the Rappa- hannock. Miy reception was very cordial, and I was informed after dinner, that no preacher ever passed through that town who did not have to pay for his meals and his lodging with a sermon : hence the bell in the tree in the church-yard would pres- ently ring to let the people know that there would be service in the church that night. You will ob- serve that I was not invited to preach: I was simply put up to preach, and I preached. When I retired that night I thought, "The people in his burg are mighty willing to take small pay for three meals and a good bed." The little congregation of, perhaps fifty choice citizens heard the youthful itinerant patiently through a rambling exhortation, and dismissed him at the end with many kind words, and the promise of prayer to follow him in the new field beyond. Next morning I crossed the river with my horse in the ferry-boat, with a negro ferryman and a younger negro at the long oars. The ferryman started an inquiry which ended in my confusion; thus, "Whar you gwine?" I replied . confidently, "To Westmoreland Court House. I think the place is called Montross." Then looking at me with a re- spectful, yet dubious gaze, he asked, "What's yo BY BUGGT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 29 biznis down dar?" I answered, "I am a preacher of the gospel, and I am going down there to take charge of a circuit of three churches."* He looked up the river as if expecting some more rubbish like me coming down on the ebb of tide, grunted, and exclaimed, "You looks lak it." I sat the re- mainder of the tedious journey across, hotding "Dexter" by the bridle rein, and wrapt in the mag- nificent folds of my cloudy meditations revolving those mighty conceptualities, which, in a priori principles, constitute the fundamental conditions on which my youthful brain might discover its normal inferiority so strongly suggested by the dusky American of African ancestry. The ferry landed me at Port Conway, immediate- ly opposite Port Royal, in King George county. Bro. J. Ham Stiff, kept a store on the north side of the road, and there 1 found him "diligent in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord." Two or three boys, his boys, gathered around the young preacher taking his measure, I suppose. Bro. J. W. Stiff, now a member of our Conference was in the group. I picked up some historic facts as I loi- tered about the store porch. Across the way, there in that old house, or in one that once stood on that foundation, James Madison was born. I had reached the land where giants were once made. I dined at Brother Walter W. Stiff's next door to Bro Ham Stiff's. Here are the parents of several boys, and a bright little girl named Kate. One of 30 FROM SADDLE TO CITT the boys developed into a sturdy manhood, and for years has been a credit to his county, — Dr. Frank Stiff. Kate became a very useful woman in the Church of her choice, the Methodist, of course. After tarrying around Port Conway till Thurs- day afternoon, spending the night at Bro. Ham Stiff's, I pushed on down a dreary road through Rollin's Fork to Brother Charles Robinson's hos- pitable home, arriving about sunset. A night in this gentleman's home was profitable to me in many ways. He had travelled very much on the seas, and could spin the yarn of the tumbling wat- ers in charming form, and without weariness to the hearer. Besides he was an authority as to my whereabouts just at that time. He told me that I would pass within a mile of the old home of Will- iam Wirt : at Oak Grove I would be very near the birth-place of James Monroe : that as I passed down the main road southeast, I would have "Hay- wood," and "Blenheim," and "Wakefield," and "Longwood" on my left-hand, all in the great tract of the original Washington homestead, and "Leeds- town" on my right, another place famous in the colonial history of Virginia. That three miles this side of Montross, a road branching off to the left would carry the traveller to "Stratford," the home of "Light Horse Harry" Lee, and the birth-place of the south's great soldier, Robert E. Lee. And so after a good breakfast, with the bless- ing of my good friend and his dear old mother, T 31 set out on the last lap of my long journey to Mon- tross. As I threaded the woods and passed the fields to my destination, I was moved mightily by the reminiscenes of the dead past, stories of the great, the wise, and the good, to whom all these scenes on both sides of my route were familiar. Their boyhood was spent in these parts, they had gone out from this to make Virginia great, and so became great themselves, such is the reflex influence of unselfish service for country and for God! I arrived at Montross about noon on Friday, De- cember the 15th, 1871, closely followed by a driv- ing snow-storm. At the Clerk's office I found Brothers J. Warren Hutt and Chas. C. Baker, the former the Clerk of the County of Westmoreland and Steward of Andrew Chapel near by in a beau- tiful grove of oaks. I introduced myself as the new preacher. He received me cordially, and re- mained my warm friend to the end of his life. His house became my resting-place after many a weary day. His wife, a gracious Christian woman of many virtues, his sister, Miss Bettie, and sons and daughter, my faithful companions. The home of Charles Baker was another place where I had constant reminders of my childhood. A noble woman was his wife, a safe adviser and firm friend. Through all the years since then, none of the family of three sons and three daughters, has ever lost an opportunity to 32 FKOM SADDIE TO CITY S.l^q^ tjieir regard for us. Across the big ravine, in the pld Atwill home, the young preacher found ^ind friends and quiet, where his trunk was placed, and a haven secured to which he could return oc- casionally from a two or four weeks round of pas- toral visiting. Capt. Wm. E. Baker and wife rend- ered valuable service to me in a thousand ways, and made work on the charge, lighter by home-like treatment at times when fatigue and the care of the churches made life not altogether "one sweet song." Those manly boys, Thomas and Willie, and the sweet little girl, Susie, took me for a play- mate, and many a time became my excuse for a return to "Atwillton." There were six legal giants in that clerk's office that dismal Friday. I was presented to each one as "the new preacher in charge of the three Meth- odist churches in that section." As Mr. Hutt and I left the room on his invitation to dinner, I heard pne of those big men, through the door that was left ajar, utter words which nearly broke my heart, but which proved, after all, the compelling force tliat led me to put into my work the best that was in me, and taught me also that I was up against a proposition that would tax the courage of an older man. This is what I heard the big man say : "Why did old Bro. Davis let them send that boy to such a place as this! Hie had better be at school!" The words, spoken, -out of the kindly feelings of a warm heart, sent me to my knees, to my books, BY BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 33 to my daily round of pastoral .duties with a fixed purpose to make the best use of the "horseback university." God became "my refiuge and strength" in a newer sense than ever before. The Montross Circuit was only one year old when I took the charge. It was composed of three appointments; — ^Andrew Chapel, located in a beau- tiful grove near the village ;. Lebanon, three miles southeast at Templeman's Cross Roads : and an unfinished building at Chilton's Cross Roads known as Providence. These churches had been severed .from the old Westmoreland circuit at the Conference of 1870 at Lynchburg, and Rev, Walter C. Taylor appointed to the new charge, with Rev. E. A. Gibbs on the Westmoreland circuit, Rev. W. A. Crocker on the Heathsville, Rev. Thos. J. Bayton on Lancaster, and Rev. W. F. Bain on the King George circuit. This was the clerical force in the Northern Neck for the year 1871. When I took the Montross circuit in the fall of 1871, Bro. Taylor was sent to West Amherst, Bro. Gibbs be- gan his second year in Westmoreland, Bro. Crock- er was returned to Heathsville, Bro. Bayton to Lancaster, and Bro. Bain to King George. I held services for the Providence congrega- tion that winter in a private house at the Cross Roads, and in the spring commenced a movement to complete the building, and succeeded in the work by the time the Conference met in the fall at Pet- ersburg. There were hindrances, but the rallying 34 FKOM SADDLE TO CITY of the scattered members in the spring and sum- mer, -brought about a revolution in the community which culminated in a great meeting there the next year under the leadership of Rev. R. M. Chandler, and the addition of more than fifty peo- ple to the church. At Lebanon the small membership co-operated with the young preacher most heartily, and the outcome of the year's work, both in pastoral visi- tation and pulpit service was very encouraging to all. Broun, Sutton, Claridge, Edwards, Parker, Courtney, Branson, Omohundro, Jenkins, and oth- ers carried on the gracious work there with enthus- iasm and faith, although overshadowed by a strong Baptist Church hardly a fourth of a mile away. But it was at Andrew Chapel that the great tri- umph of my two year's stay on the charge w'as won. A struggling few stood by the work, but very little was accomplished till the meeting was held the latter part of August, 1872, and the first week in September. Capt. Wm. .E. Baker, J. War- ren Hutt, and their families, the Porter family, C. C> Baker's family, the Tififey family, the, San- fords, the Parkers, the McKenneys, the Atwills, formed the base of a strong movement for the conversion cf sinners and the upbuilding of the religious sentiment of the people. The meeting began on the fourth Sunday in Au- gust and continued two weeks with increasing in terest from night to night. Such was the over- BY BUGGY, BOAT AND/ RAILWAY 35 whelming sense of responsibility that burdened my soul that on the second Sunday of the revival, I requested every one who felt the same sense of incompetence and dependence on the Holy Spirit, to join with me in spending the whole of Monday in fasting, humiliation, and prayer before God for help and salvation. I suppose twenty or more. Episcopalians, Baptists and Methodists stood up in response to my call. I shall never foreet that holy Monday. It seems that the influence of that service Sunday night swept through the community like the irresistible rising of the silent waters of a mighty flood. When the hour came for service Monday night, I went into the pulpit feeling that the battle was already won: that the Holy .Spirit had charge : that the untrained and poorly equipped young preacher must simply declare the plain word of the Lord in the best way he could, and not attempt any unusual methods, as I was sorely tempted to do in the presence of a great crowd that came from far and near. And God honored his message. More than thirty people professed con- version at that one service. Some of the best cit- izens of the community were brought into the Kingdom, among them I rejoice to count my dearly beloved brother, Rev. R. M. Chandler, an honored member of the Virginia Conference since 1876. In addition to these mercies God sent . me a good wife, the eldest daughter of Dr. Geo. F. Swann, a prominent and successful physician of 36 - FBOM SADDLE TO CITK ■'/[: Caroline county, and a steward in Rehoboth church in that circuit. Guided by Divine grace, a woman of prayer, and a constant reader of the Bible, she became the builder of my home, the teacher of my children, and has been the inspiration and strengfth of my ministry, my companion and advis- er for more than forty-nine years. Blessed with good sense, strong convictions, an humble spirit, the broadest sympathies, and a sound judgment, she has captured the hearts of the people wherever I have served, from the mountains to the sea; and, oftener than otherwise, has been their reason for requesting my return. Hence, you will not be surprised to, learn that I have served the full term of four years on nine charges, and three years each on. two others. The remaining years were spent on six charges. We were married at "Mt. Tero," the home of her father, Nov. 13, 1872. Rev. Chas. E.Hofeday, performed the ceremony. We went to Conference the next week. The session was held in Washing- ton Street Church, Petersburg, on the 20th. We were graciously entertained by my uncle. Dr. John Herbert Claiborne. My Grandfather and his wife were guests at the same home. My uncle gave a dinner during.Conference week in honor of his nephew and his bride, with Dr. Leo Rosser, Dr. Leroy M. Lee, Rev. Joseph H. Davis, Rev. Wm. B. Rowzie, and Rev. Henry B. Cowles, old friends of my grandfather, and John Hannon, Jas, F. 37 Twitty, Jas. T. Lumpkin, and L think, Herbert M. Hope. It was a g^reat occasion to at least one preacher. I thought^ as I sat and heard those old i men talk, heart.to heart,- of the experience of.sal- vatipn, and the power of the word faithfully de- clared, of the march of Methodism from Norfolk on through Nansemond, Isle of Wight, Southamp- ton, Greensville, Dinwiddle, Brunswick, and on, and on to the ,piue fiidge mountains, under thelpad of the fathers who had fallen asleep, — I say, I thought. Where are our s^reat preachers today? That was in ,1872. We, young men, just sat and listened. There was nothing else for us to do. We did not belong to the period, which boasted of theological goslings on stilts, who, with tire- some and silly contentions, and absurd pomposity, assign older and worthier men a place in the cor- ner; silent, prayerful, that the good Lord will have mercy on the wordy monstrosity who had the floor. Presently we assembled at the dinner, table. As the mistress of the occasion, and the head of my uncle's house since he had been a- widower several years, was our cousin. Miss Josephine Claiborne. She was a woman of splendid spirit, very- devcrtit, well educated, and beloved by all of the family. She had been my grandfather's pride and Cohso- lation ' since her childhood, when bereft' of her parents she came with her little brother 'to Hve in-.theold home -at "RoslJn" - > - '" 38 FROM SADDLE TO CITY John Hannon sat very near that end of the table. She felt it her duty to perform her part in making matters as pleasant for her guests as was in her power. It was the same John Hannon whom all know who have ever met him once. Hannon at college, in the pulpit, at a Camp meeting, on the Conference floor, everywhere. It was John Han- non at Dr. Claiborne's elegant reception that day. Our Cousin said "Brother Hannon, where did you spend the summer vacation, if you were so fortunate as to get a vacation?" John replied, "Oh, yes, I had a vacation. I was at Wesley Grove Camp meeting near Washington City." Miss Clai- borne said, "Ah, I have heard of Wesley Grove : I hope you had a very profitable, as well as enjoy- able meeting." The irrepressible John replied, "Yes, we had a bully meeting." The company was startled for a moment. Miss Claiborne was overcome with amazement and con- fusion. John went on eating, utterly unconscious of the tragic situation. My uncle, always ready to see humor in every situation, suppressed his merry mood, till Dr. Leroy Lee broke the ice With a loud guffaw : then the company gave way to the strain, and everybody laughed except John Hannon and our perplexed and indignant Cousin. And John never did see what he had done. That was John in those far away days in the dim and dusty past. That is John today, devout, sincere, innocent of any wrong or irreverence, a hallelujah in trousers. 39 an Amen ready dressed for any occasion, sitting daily at gate of the City of God, awaiting the open- ing thereof, that he may not be out of place when the gates swing open, and Coronation ceremonies begin ! Rare, holy old John ! It would not sur- prise me in the least if you should startle the angels in heaven when you arrive with some reverent humor.* On Sunday, Nov. 24, 1872, in Washington Street Church, where I first attended Sunday School in 1859, and had for my teacher, Mr. Willie Cowles, son of Rev. H. B. Cowles, of the Conference, I was ordained a Deacon. It was a most impressive mo- ment to me. The memories which thronged that hour pointed the way to a new life, and brought to my heart the renewed pledge of "grace to help" in the scores of prayers sent to the Throne for me, and answered there at the altar as Bishop Paine laid his hands on my head! The hopes of father and mother yonder in the home of the soul, and of an aged grandfather and other kin who witnessed the solemn ceremonial, were realized at last! The Conference session was overshadowed with sorrow by the untimely death on August 22, of Rev. Chas. H. Hall, one of our most successful and devoted men, and pastor of the church in which the session was held. He was a young man, in *Since the above was written Dr. Hannon has passed through the gate into the City, and is very near the Throne. 40 FEOM SADDLE TO CITY the prime of life, having been born in Fayetteville, N. C, in 1831. He joined the Conference in 1853, and nearly six years of his nineteen years' service were spent in the pastorate of Washington Street Church. "Rarely has it fallen to the fortune of any minister in the same space of' time," says his Memoir, "tO' gather to himself such universal ad- miration, esteem, and affection as he enjoyed from the citizens of Petersburg. Nature had endowed him with rare gifts, and such was the fidelity with which he had improved them, and the refining pow- er of Divine grace upon them, that he rapidly rose to distinction, and took a position by public suf- fragCj as well as that of his own church, among the ablest ministers of the State." The most notable feature of the session was the opening s.ermon delivered by Dr. John D. Blackwell on the text "Quit you like men; be strong." 1. Corinthians, XVI. 13., and published by request of the Conference in the Annual for that year. It was a great deliverance, and made a profound im- pression on the great congregation. He quoted Tertullian's great defense — "Our battle field is the tribunal where we fight for truth at the peril of our lives.. Victory consists in gain- ing that for which men fight. Our victory is the glory of pleasing God, and our gain eternal life. We are put to death, what of that ? Death giVes us our ci-owHi Our sacrifice is our triumph. Cru^ cify, torture, condemn, crush us. What avails, in BOAT AND RAILWAY 41 fine, all your refinement in cruelty, but to add one charm more to our sect? Decimated by you, we grow in numbers ; the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. The flaming vestute which enwraps us is our purple robe of royalty. Thus it is we gain the palm and mount the car of victory." At the close of the Conference I was returned to Montross for the second year. The reception of the young preacher and his bride made a bright spot in the life of the couple, who knew so little as yet, of the trials incident to the life of the itin- erant. Board was secured for us in the family of Dr. William H. Fairfax, members of the Episcopal Church. We could not have been more fortunate in the selection of a delightful home if we had made the choice ourselves. She was a Miss Griffith, from The Hague neighborhod, below Nomini Ferry, and he was a scion of the celebrated Fairfax family, which had dwelt in this region from the early days of Colonial Virginia. Of course we were among people whose ancestry and rearing made it unnec- essary to substitute the airs of pride and show for the real thing. There is a something in the blood of gentle breeding which carries in any company. The coarseness of the low-bred, the boorish man- ners, the stranger to the finer traditions of stock, need no advertisement. They are ill at ease any- where except among their own slazy crowd. The 42 FROM SADDLE TO CITY man or the woman of noble birth is at home any- where, and elevates and purifies by his very pres- ence any atmosphere. There is an aristocracy of blood, notwithstanding the protest from certain quarters, and the County of Westmorelriad, in Vir- ginia, had it. The year 1873 began with plans well on the way to consummation looking to the completion of old Providence Church at Chilton's Cross-Roads. Rich- ard M. Chandler was granted a License to Preach at a Quarterly Conference held sometime in the early spring, and together with brother "Ned" Porter was elected Delegate to the District Con- ference held that summer at "Shady Grove" on the Hanover circuit. The dedication of Providence took place late in the summer, the latter part of August, I think, and Chandler took entire charge of the protracted meeting which followed of which mention has already been made. On the 14th of October, 1873, our first child, Mary Claiborne, was born at "Mt. Tero," Caro- line county, the home of my wife's father. I was on my work at Montross when the memorable event occurred. There was joy and consternation in my soul when the letter announcing the fulfill- ment of our hopes was opened and read. It was written by Dr. Swann, my wife's father, in 3 vein of make-believe distress at the "additior to my family, predicting" a corresponding subtrac- BY BUGGY, BOAT AND KAILWAY 43 tion in my $235.00 salary." He went on to say that "in these distressing times when so many Banks had failed the coming of this girl had aroused his sympathy," and so on, until my very bones ached with apprehension of some impending catas- trophy. But as the days speeded by, and I was at length permitted to see wife and babe, the clouds passed away, and the sun came out again to shine for many years on our home as the children came and tarried for a few years, and then departed to make homes for themselves. The middle of November I left Montross charge and our scores of friends, and set out for Confer- ence in Norfolk, by way of my wife's former home in Caroline. It was a sad season to me, for I knew that, the charge being a single man's appointment, I must move. The Fairfax family, the doctor, his noble wife and interesting boy, Fred, had contrib- uted much to my young wife's comfort and con- tentment. The refinement of blood was exhibited in tender ministries and delicate kindnesses shown in hours of need. The highway of gentle living and natural hospitality was a familiar road to these real folks. No extra touch nor padded familiarity ever tarnished the pure gold of their daily behav- iour The Conference of 1873 was held in old Cumber- land Street Church, Norfolk, Nov. 26th, to Dec. 4, Bishop John Christian Keener, D. D., presiding. I had a delightful home in the family of Bro. 44 . FBOM SADDI^ TO CITY -/ Wm. R. Hudgins, near St. Mary's Catholic Church. Dr.S. S. Lambeth and Dr. W. W. Duncan, (after- wards Bishop), often visited the family during the nine day's stay, and I derived much pleasure list- ening to these two bright young men spin yarns. They were the charm of the circle, and frequently during the week were "the reason why" midnight foiind us sitting aroun^ the fireside. It was Bishop Keener's first visit to our Con- ference since his election to the office of Bishop at Memphis, Tenn., in 1870. He was stout, about medium height, quick in action, ready in speech, and systematic in method. His finely formed head indicated a well-developed brain, his keen eye showed a power of penetration that was a terror to me as I stood up before him for the first time to read my report. His ckancut phrases left no doubt on the hearer as to his meaning. I have known presiding officers over more insignificant bodies than the Virginia Conference of 1873 who would have consumed two weeks in dispatching the business disposed of by this vigorous South- erner in nine days. Paul Whitehead was Secretary, of course, and P. A. Peterson and Geo." C. Vanderslice were, his Assistants. A few days later Bro. Peterson re- signed on account of sickness and S. S. Lambeth was elected in his stead. , The election of delegates, clerical and lay, to 45 the General Conference of 1874, resulted in the choice of a strong delegation ; as follows : Jas. A, Duncan, Leroy M. Lee, W. W. Bennettj P. A. Peterson, John E. Edwards, Lemuel S. Reed, and John C. Granbery, clerical; D'Arcy Paul, F. H. Smith, Geo M. Bain, Jr., J. E. Broadwater, Rich- ard Pollard, Wm. Grant, and Thos W- Garrett, Lay. J, W. W. Bennett, Geo. M. Bain, Jr., and. J. W. Hinton, a Committee appointed to consider the question of a "Memorial of Robt. Williams," re- ported the following interesting document. It is history, hence I record it in full: "The Committee to whom was referred th? papers in reference to a Memorial to Rev. Robt. Williams, the pioneer of Methodism in the South, beg leave to report that they have had the matter under consideration, and are highly gratified to learn that the members of our Church in Ports mouth have in course of erection a new and beau- tiful churth building, which stands on the site of the old DlnWiddie Street Church, which is in fact, the original church organized in the SoUth by Rev, Robert Williams. As the new church edifice will be a fitting Memorial of this good man and faithful minister, and as all our people are interest- ed in such Memorial, we cheerfully corhniehd the enterprise of our brethren in Portsmouth to them", and trust" that such aid may be given as will enable us to'erect -a monument' that will do credit to us 46 , FROM SADDLE TO CITY as a great religious denomination. We recommend that this new building bear the name, "THE MON- MENTAL METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, SOUTH." . Rev. J. Powell Garland was returned for the second year as pastor of the old Dinwiddie Street congregation, and the name appears in the list of appointments as "Monumental, Portsmouth" for the iirst time. Memorial services were held in honor of the late Bishop John Early under a resolution offered by W. E. Judkins, in which a committee consisting of Geo. W. Nolley, Leroy M. Lee, H. B. Cowles, W. B. Rowzie, W. W. Bennett, A. G. Brown and W. E. Judkins submitted "a suitable paper expressive of the feelings of the Conference in view of" the sad event. "After introductory worship conducted by Bishop Keener, Leroy M. Lee, and Henry B. Cowles, Bishop D. S. Doggett, (at the request of the Con- ference,) preached a sermon in memory of the late venerable Bishop ; and after the reading of a letter from Bishop Robert Paine, Geo. W. Nolley, from a special committee, presented a report. Both the report and the sermon appear in the Conference Annual of 1873, and are monumental and eloquent documents. "The death of Rev. Wm. G. Cross, of the Balti- more Conference, formerly and for many y^ars, a BY BUOGT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 47 prominent member of this body," was reported by A. G. Brown, and suitable resolutions adopted. Bishop Keener enjoyed sallies of wit as much as any one I ever saw presiding over a dignified body of preachers. His spicy satire and humor are fully and effectively shown in his book, "Post Oak Circuit." He had his opportunity frequently dur- ing this conference. One incident I recall. Brother Joseph H. Davis, Presiding Elder of the Rappa- hannock District had to go up the Potomac River to Washington on a day boat from Nomini River, and then take the night boat to Norfolk in order to reach the seat of the Conference. The day boat having been delayed by heavy freight, arrived in Washington Tuesday night, Nov. 25th, after the de- parture of the boat, "Lady of the Lake," for Nor- folk. Consequently Bro. Davis did not arrive at the old Cumberland St. Church, where the Confer- ence was in session till the morning of Thursday, the second day. When the Bishop called Bro. Da- vis's name he remarked : "You are late getting in, Bro. Davis." The dear old man explaining his tar- diness, said, "I was left in Washington, Bishop, by the Lady of the Lake." The Bishop replied with a smile with those keen eyes almost closed: "And you are not the only man who has gotten left in that city by a lady." Bro. Davis sat down in sub- lime unconsciousness of the humor of the thrust, and the conference laughed till the gavel called for quiet. 48 FKOM SADDLE TO CITY This long session came to an end at last. Many had obtained leave of absence, and had departed, but quite a full Conference remained to the end. 49 CHAPTER III. HEATHSVILLE CIRCUIT. 1873. When the appointments were read at the close of the Conference I was sent to the Heathsville circuit in Northumberland county. Dr. Leo Rosser succeeded brother Davis as Presiding Elder of the District, then called "Randolph Macon." Rev. Jas. H. Maynard succeeded me on the Montross circuit. Rev. Wm. A. Crocker was returned to the West- moreland circuit, Rev. Thos. H. Boggs to the King George circuit for the third year, and Rev. Alfred Wiles was sent to Lancaster circuit, and became my next-door neighbor. I immediately returned to Caroline to get my wife and baby, and within a week began the long journey of more than One Hundred miles in an open buggy to my destina- tion, Mrs. T. S. D. Covington's, at "Surprise Hill, in the lower part of Northumberland. The journey was quite trying on the young mother and the little girl eight weeks old, weigh- ing eight pounds. Both stood the trip finely. My wife is yet alive after forty-nine years, and the little girl has grown to, be a comely wife and the mother of nine children. ' We broke the journey into small pieces,, spend- 50 FKOM SADDLE TO CITY ing the first night out from Dr. Swann's at the Bowling Green parsonage as the guests of the preacher, Rev. Jas. L. Spencer, beginning his sec- ond year on the Caroline circuit. His motherly wife took charge of the baby, and gave the little mother a well-earned rest, after her first day in the itinerancy with this added burden — and joy. The next day we crossed the Rappahannock at Port Royal, and dined in the home of Brother W. W. Stiff, and in the afternoon went on to Bro. Wm. E. Baker's at Shiloh, King, George county. They were my friends at Montross, and had re- moved to this place just one year before. The next day we resumed our journey, and by the early afternoon covered the twenty-two miles to Mon- tross, and were hilariously welcomed by the nu- merous family of Bro. Warren Hutt. I think, how- ever, the little baby girl was the center of attrac- tion. Leaving my little family at Montross I hurried on to the Heathsville circuit, completed arrange- ments for board at Mrs. Covington's and returned to Montross. With wife and baby I left the good friends at Montross on Saturday before the Third Sunday in December 1873, arriving at the most restful and hospitable home of Bro. Andrew Jack- son Brent, just outside of the Village of Heaths- ville the same day at about 2 P. M. On the next day, Dec. 21, 1873, I preached my first sermon on the charge in old Bethany church. The old build- BY BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 51 ing, worn with age and use, stood under the oaks, near the residence of Mr. Thos WiUiams, at the head of the eastern prong of Cockrell's creek. A large congregation, among them the leaders of the host, together the elect women, not a few, gave the young preacher a cordial welcome, and stood with him faithfully in all the work of the four years which followed. My predecessor. Rev. Jas. H. Crown, a Christian gentleman of the highest grade, made my ministry easy, as far as his word and deed could accomplish such a result. The circuit at that time was composed of Hen- derson's Chapel, Cherry Point School House, Heathsville, Smyrna, Corinth, and Bethany. The church buildings at Heathsville and Smyrna were in the Courts, the Methodist Protestant Confer- ence of Maryland claiming them, notwithstanding all the members except one had united with the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, at the Confer- ence session of 1870, as noted in the early pages of this record. The Courts, several years later, gave the title to the Methodist Protestants on the ground, I believe that the rights of that denomina- tion were not impaired by the withdrawal of the membership. A few years later the Methodist Episcopal congregation at Heathsville, erected a substantial and attractive house of worship on the parsonage property, at the junction of the Fair- fields and the Lancaster roads. Rev. C. R. James was the Preacher in Charge at the time. Later 52 FEOM SADDLE TO CITY Still the Smyrna congregation united with the Methodists of that neighborhood and built the "Edgley" church adjoining the land of Judge Sam- uel Downing. We remained at Sister Covington's till I realized that the demands of the work required the preac''er to live nearer the center of the field; so therefore, having secured board in the family of Mr. David Dawson, at Heathsville, we moved our simple be- longings there about the first of July 1874. This home placed me in close touch with the Corinth, Smyrna, Cherry Point and Henderson's communi tics, and, at the same time, did not remove me too far from Bethany. Moreover, I was planning for the future expansion of the work, and the Of- ficiary of the circuit saw the meaning of the move* and endorsed it with all the weight of their valua- ble influence. A very few years vindicated the wis- dom of the movement, for in the fall of 1879, when Bethany Church was made a station, the Heaths- ville circuit became a compact and easily managed work. The Baptist preacher at Coan and Fairfields Churches, the venerable and devout Dr. Wm. H. Kirk, and his equally devoted wife, were boarders at Mr. Dawson's at the same time. We became warm friends. His wife was a great comfort too, and a valued companion of, my wife. This attach- ment lasted to the end of the consecrated lives of these two faithful Christian people. BY BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 53 Our sojourn in the family of sister Covington, though short, was most dehghtful. She was a, real mother to the little babe, Mary Claiborne, to whom she gave the pet name "Quates,'* and a source of consolation and strength to the young mother in many a trying hour. Her two manly boys, Tommy and Charlie, likewise added the zest and inventive genius of enterprising boyhood in the care of the child, passing many an hour with her out under the trees, where the singing birds, the flying clouds, and the jolly boys, made life joy- ous for the child and lighter for the mother with her duties in the house. Besides the Covington family. Dr. J. W. Tankard and wife boarded there and lived in a separate house on the east side of the spacious yard. Mrs. Tankard was Miss Olivia Covington, daughter of Rev. T. S. D. Covington, deceased, by his first wife, who was a Miss Taylor. No nobler man than Dr. Tankard lived. He served his generation as a Christian physician, setting an example of Christian excellency that was an encouragement to those who were living the life, and a standing rebuke to the ungodly and profane. His prayers and his wise use of his medical knowledge brought many a failing body back from the very jaws of death. In his church, as an officer, his counsel was safe, his vision far ahead of that of most of the men of his day, his zeal an inspiration to his co-workers, and his gentle courage and faith the crowning 54 FROM SADDLE TO CITY glory of a consecrated life. His practice covered a large area of Northumberland known as "Fair- fields." His popularity was not limited to his own church, but extended to almost every home in that region. He was a living illustration of the claim held by sensible folRs that a strong Christian char- acter makes the highest grade of citizen in any branch of civic life. He did not permit his pro- tiency as an up-to-date Doctor of Medicine, nor his sterling Democracy, to render his service as an Officer in the Church of Christ spasmodic or secondary, nor destroy his familiarity with the Throne of Grace. He believed in and practiced the "law of the Spirit of life," that access to the Mercy Seat is vital to efficiency in any sphere. Dr. Tankard was born and reared in Northamp- ton county, on the Eastern Shore. He was a mem- ber of the large and influential family of that name. His brothers were John, P. Bernard, and Edward G., of Franktown, and George, of Cape- vill'e. At the urgent call of his many friends in Northumberland, he settled on this side of the Bay, and united with old Bethany church. He died in 1909, lamented by hundreds, both white and col- ored, whose lives he had touched for good in a hundred emergencies. Another strong character at Bethany was Rev. Starke Jett, an Elder in the Methodist Protestant Church (who united with our Church with scores of others when the Va. Conference of that Church 00 united with the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in 1870. He was a man of devout spirit, great faith, uncompromising devotion to his Lord, a very sen- sible and practical preacher, of unlimited influence among his people, and very successfvil in the pul- pit and in the home in molding the daily life of the community. No revival service failed to win the unsaved if the pastor in charge had the good sense to call Bro. Jett to his help. Frequently he stood on the platform in "the very nick of time" and turned the tide of waning interest toward the up- lifted Cross, and won the day for Christ. He taught his household the way of the Lord, and his children and grandchildren are following in his footsteps. His county honored him with a seat in the State Legislature, and he honored his constituency by holding high the standard of a clean representative. He died of pneumonia in 1876, developed from a deep cold contracted on a fish- ing trip in Chesapeake Bay, with Bro. Lewis Ev- ans and this writer. We were caught far away from land in a terrific hail-storm, and before we could reach shore and secure dry clothing both Brother Jett and I were chilled to the bone. I hur- ried to the parsonage at Heathsville where I lay in bed till the crisis was passed. But he grew worse till at length, there in Brother Evan's com- fortable home, three miles only from his own, sur- rounded by his sorrowing family, amid the ten- derest ministrations which a devoted people could bestow, he went triumphantly, exultantly, with a 56 rROM SADDLE TO CITY song upon his lips, "through the gates liWashed in the blood of the Lamb." His funeral wis conduct- ed at Bethany by Rev. W. A. Crocker, attended by a vast multitude of citizens from all parts of the county. I was present, but could take no part in the services on account of my own recent illness, from which I was slowly recovering. "Bro. Jett's son, Hon. T. A. Jett, was Superin- tendent of the Sunday School, and a Steward at Bethany for many years, a member of the House of Delegates of Virginia two terms, a man of gentle spirit and noble deeds, a splendid specimen of the fruits of faithful training of father and. mother. He died in 1920, an humble Christian gentleman, ripe for his unfading crown. His son. Rev. Starke Jett, is a member of the Virginia Conference, treading the "same pathway which his fathers trod, that leads to glory and to God;" an indus- trious and successful preacher, giving promise of increasing usefulness and acceptability among the churches as the years roll by. Brother Littleton Cockrell was another Meth- odist Protestant who joined our Church in 1870. He was a layman of unusual abilities, strong con- victions, candid without coarseness, fearless with- out bluster, and faithful without boasting. He was the Director of Finances, a Steward without a su- perior. When Cockrell got behind a Job, things assumed a definite shape, laggards or objectors fell into line, got left, or run over. He was true to his pastor, whoever or whatever he was, because BY BUGGY, BOAT AND KAILWAY 57 he loved the church. He would "tell the preacher what he thought wrong in him" and show him "how to do things," and lead the way. He had enemies, because he pointed out the double-minded and warned of ruin. Then he kept in the middle of the road himself. If anything wounds the devil more than any other thing it is to leave no vul- nerable place for his assaults after oi* has given him a sound thrashing. Brother Cockrell's youngest daughter, Lizzie, is the wife of Rev. Dr. W. H. Edwards of our Con- ference. She has filled her place in the Church with becoming grace and modesty, and made the preacher's home a model in many ways. The second Betthany was erected during my pastorate and was dedicated by Dr. Leo Rosser in August, 1874. At Corinth Church Rev. Albert F. Rice was the pastor's aid in every movement. He was a splen- did fellow, a preacher of no mean ability, singular piety, and a cheerful disposition. The "people heard him gladly." His prayers, like Starke Jett's, were "talks with God." The answers were often direct: "The Father rewarded him openly." He was as true a friend to me as any I have found in all the journey to this hour. One of his boys, a manly fellow, is a member of our Conference — Rev. A. S. J. Rice: another is Supt. of Bethany Sunday School at Reedville, Va. The eldest was drowned in Great Wicomico years ago, and the mother died of a broken heart. Faith in "Jesus 58 FKOM SADDLE TO CITY and the resurrection" was the joy and strength of his heart till a, few years ago he went to his crown and home about which he had preached so many times to others. It was at Gorinth that I found Joseph R. Stur- gis, a Local Preacher in the M. E. Ghurch, living in the home of his wife's father, Capt. Bradshaw, lately sett||d in Northumberland, having come there from Smith's Island opposite the mouth of the Potomac River in Chesapeake Bay. I discov- ered in Sturgis a gentle, modest, humble Christian doing wha;t he could for the cause of religion with the talents he had. He was Captain of a vessel running oysters and cord wood and railway ties out of Presley's Creek to Baltimore, Crisfield, and other points on the Bay. It was not long before I had secured the transfers of Captain Bradshaw's family, including Sturgis, arid the,y all became useful members of the Southern Methodist Church. He rendered valuable service as a local preacher and I am indebted to him for many uplifting ser- mons, and altar work on revival occasions. He and Rice often came to the parsonage at Heathsville on Court Day "to get a cup of Sister Butts' good coffee." The 16th and 17th days of September, 1876; are days long to be remembered by me. Bro. "Sturgis had to take a vessel over to Smith's Island to its owner and invited me to take the trip with him promising to get me back to meet my Sunday ap- pointments. When we retired in the home of Capt. 59 Ben Marsh, Friday, the indications for a storm were so plain that we all decided that the trip home Saturday morning, the 16th, must be given up. In my slumbers that night it came to me plainly in a dream that my wife was ill, that I must go not- withstanding the storm. I awoke Sturgis and he he awoke Capt. Marsh about 4 A. M. and I told the dream. I added that I believed a Kind Prov- idence would guide us safely over the thirty-two miles of stormy waters. Sturgis replied that for my wife's sake he would risk it. So calling up Willie Spriggs, the white boy, and the colored man, (the crew Sturgis took with him to manage the Schooner coming overj we four went aboard the Bugeye (a large canoe) in Tyler's Creek about 6 o'clock. Sturgis, who was a skilled sailor, steered the boat to the northern-most end of the Island, and then laid his course Southwest, aiming to enter the Potomac River with a fair wind. This course would also enable us to make the mouth of Pres- ley's Creek direct and enter on a smooth sea. This we did, but it was the roughest experience on water I ever had in all my forty-two years on the coast. We went through safely, but not without a good wetting from the heavy seas which time and time again dashed over the stern of the little craft. On landing at Capt. Bradshaw's wharf up the creek, we found a negro boy awaiting to inform me that Dr. Harding at Heathsville had sent word that my wife was seriously ill and I must hurry 60 FKOjr SADDLK TO CITY home. And Capt. Bradshaw had my horse and buggy ready for me when we reached the house. I drove rapidly to the parsonage and found that my dream was true and that God's good hand had brought me safely to her bedside. On Sept. 16, 1916, I wrote Bro. Sturgis remind- ing him that it was the fortieth anniversary of the great "Centennial Gale" in Eastern Virginia. I insert his letter here to give the reader "The Heart of Sturgis" as I knew him. The letter is charac- teristic of the mental and spiritual attitude of one of the truest men I ever knew. "Blackstone, Va., Sept. 24, 1916. "My Dear Brother Butts: — I am sorry that I did not at once acknowledge your letter with the promise to write more at length later on in reply. You so stirred my heart, that I felt a strong desire for a quiet, untrammelled moment when I did write you. I now have that kind of an hour, but it was a long time on the way, somehow. No letter ever came to me more unexpectedly. And I can recall no other that ever came to me that was more prized and appreciated. More and more I am impressed with the reality, and perma- ' nence of the "things not seen ;" and I am affected more and m.ore by the pre-eminence and glory of that which "abides." One proof of its pre-eminence is seen in the fact that through faith we stand without fear and smilingly look on. the passing liY BUOOY, BOAT AND RAIIAVAY 61 and wreckage of "things that are seen," and things that are very near to us too. Take' our physical being. You refer to your forty-six years in the ministry. Has it been that long? Why, it seems but a short step back to the days when you were my pastor. ! And my pastor then was a young man, with a wife still in her beautiful youth, and the one daughter so young that on a Christmas morning she told me, with all of her heart in the telling, how Santa Claus came down the chimney to fill her lit- tle stocking ! And you were a specimen of physical health and young manhood. But what has become of that young preacher who was my pastor then? Where is the youth that then was full-flowered in a splendid physique? You do not have to write me the sad answer to these questions. All that I saw of him then belongs to the "things that are seen." And everything that is seen is under the law of the "passing away." And youthful manhood went down, and maturer manhood is going down in wreckage before your own eyes as well as be- fore mine when I see you. And mine has thus gone and is going. But while the "outward man perishes" day by day, what of the unseen man, the real self? In your case and in mine what of the wreckage "Strewn along our backward track?" Its challenge comes to give up hope, to yield to fear and despair, and thus to go down ourselves with our wreckage in a final plunge. But you are smiling down on your wreckage with its challenge. 62 FROM SADDLE TO CITY — and so am I. We defy the very law that is pull- ing down the "seen" structures around us and of us, to even touch the youth and immortality of our hearts. And over everything, and all that is "passing away" from us. Faith is triumphant. For Faith knows that the passing and the wrecking is only of that which can be spared, and means the treasuring and the final manifestation of "that which remains." They used to sing, "I come to find them all again. In that eternal day !" "I do not like the process of growing old. I nev- er appreciated youth and young manhood so much as I do now. But the ageing and its wreckage has no terrors for me. I am a sinner; one of the chief of sinners ; but blessed be God, I am a sinner ; SAVED ! And I can look on the passing away of the glory of the bodily and the seen because faith dwells in the spiritual and the unseen with the things that remain, that abide forever. And I be- lieve, Brother Butts, that my tranquility regard- ing that which is going and that which is doomed to go, would itself "abide" amidst the universal "Wreck of matter and crush of worlds." "I have thought much lately of what David said, — "We will not be afraid, though the earth be re- moved." Think of it ! A man swinging out foun- dationless in the depths of. space, as the earth slips from under his feet, so that the feet rest on noth- ing! "We will not be afraid" in advance should BT BtTGGT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 63 it happen, for as the earth passes away the gravi- tation of the skies, HIS HOME, would not mere- ly hold us up safely, but would draw us up to HIM and to home, as it once drew Him from Olivet and the sad disciples; "Therefore," 'we will not fear though the earth be removed.' Your own state- ment as you face the future with its approaching Conference is as fearless as that. You say, "I am ready for work or otherwise ! Joyfully will I do either !" I really believe it requires more of grace for a preacher to face or to enter the Su- perannuated (your "otherwise") relation than it does for him to face death — either in advance or at hand. "But I did not intend to write so much on that sweet thought. Your stressing of the forty-six years in effective service, and the spirit in which you are facing the future set me going, and it is much easier to keep on than it is to stop. One of the most precious things included with those that "abide," is FRIENDSHIP. Based on a sincere re- gard and affection it can never die. By virtue of the very facts and their memories, John will still be a little closer to the Master than most of us. And who would or could be jealous of the fact? How can I ever forget or ever ignore the memory that you came into vital and divinely helpful touch with my life at a most critical period? You strengthened my convictions regarding my call. You encouraged me in taking the first steps toward 64 FltOir SADDLE TO CTTT the door of the itinerancy. You were with us when God removed my last objection and barrier when he took dear little Maggie to himself. We stand connected with so many interesting incidents and events. From the days of "Dexter" (you "trotted" him uphill as well as down as you swayed in the two-wheeled — something; — what was it?) on, while you were both at Heathsville and King George and afterward we were associated in special trips, and sharings and happenings. Do you remember — but I know you do, as also Sister Butts does— the trip to Montross and the organization of their Good Templars Lodge? And the shower, rather the hard rain that overtook us on our returning the next day, with the glorious vision we had of a transfigured earth and firmament as the rain ceased and the Sun broke through the dark cloud bank be- fore us, A year afterward at a Quarterly Confer- ence at Corinth brothers Crocker (P. E.) and Br'ari- nin insisted that I preach that afternoon. I am sure now that it was a sort of a "trial" sermon. T preached on The Transfiguration, and used the Sunlit storm and landscape as an illustration. I wrote the sermon and its illustration soon after our return from Montross, and while I was under the influence of the trip and facts. Concerning the illustration, brother Brannin afterward asked me privately if T did not quote from some flight of Henry Ward Beechcr, and I think he died some- what in dread of its not being my original produc- BY BTJGGT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 65 tiotl. I turned on him with something of slight re- sentment, and told him to ask brother Butts if the storm and after vision were not actually like I de- scribed them. I think I have the descrintion scme- where now. If I have I will send you a copy as a long delayed souvenir. ''Of course you remember the establishment of Marvin Grove. But do you remember the night of the almost-midnight caucus held by DeBerry Butts and myself around a stump, East (I think it was) of the Camp ground. There had been no "Go" in the meeting and we attributed it to the peculiar way in which our P. E. was managing it, owing to his desire to be complimentary or considerate toward all the visiting brethren. We decided tliat a different plan and policy must be adopted. The }'. E. must be tackled and shown a better way. All of which was done, and "go" was henceforth in the services of a splendid and most successful meet- ing. But the stump caucus I shall never forget. "And out of many others, you have mentioned, one happening forever etched and displayed on memory's walls. You speak of it as 'The perilous trip you and 1 took across Ches- apeake Bay on Saturday, September the' 16tli. 1876.' Yes, forty years ago it was, but it does not seem that long. No, I can never forget it. Even the amazement occasioned ])y the Potatoe Bugs oti the buoy (in the middle of the Bay) still stirs and per- 66 THOM SADDLE TO CITT plexes me when I recall it. And do you remember that we crossed the bows of a very large, full rigged ship, with all sails furled except a few lower ones adjusted to and driving her through the storm? The wind being from the east gave her a 'leading breeze ;' and you will recall, also, how she 'listed,' or careened, even under the few sails open to the ', gale : it is still known as the 'Centennial gale.' But, most impressive of all, was the stately mag- nificence, even grandeur, of her appearance, as she seemed to be flying over, rather than through the angry waters. A living, sentient thing she seemed, in majesty and mastery, defying wind and wave, and compelling them to do her bidding. An Em- press of the seas she was, and it is seldom given to men to see one like her, as she appeared just then. Ignorfng our own danger, except to steer our little craft wisely, our eyes were held by her until long after she had passed our wake, not more than a hundred yards away. "One final fact in the history of that trip stands out vividly in line with many other facts. Do you recall the great contrast between crossing the wjld and dangerous waters of Chesapeake Bay, and the mouth of the Potomac river, with the quiet, placid waters of Pressley's creek, into which we glided so tranquilly? It gave us welcome and havening! All tossing and rolling and roughness were past, all danger back of us far away, as we entered that Haven of Rest, whose shores spelled, with their BT BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 67 welcome, that word of words, — 'Home, sweet Home !" Those dearest to us on earth were there, and we knew they were waiting, longing for us ! Other similar experiences of passing from stress of storm and seas had been mine, but that experi- ence, above all, that escape and safe arrival, types for me what lies ahead of us when we reach 'The Other Side, Beyond the stormy Tide, Where loved ones are waiting for me.' "You and I, and all of us in the ranks of the 'Old Guard' are not so far away from the thinning verge of life's last zone that ends at the Other Side." (signed) J. R. STURGIS. Well, Joe has landed safely on the "Other Side," "on the bright eternal shore ;" and, stretching far away into the stormless eternities, the "sweet fields of Eden, where the tree of life is blooming," invite his blood-washed soul to that "rest that re- mains for the people of God." My glorified friend and brother, the young preacher who showed you the land looming in the distance, and the light that shined to guide, and bade you steer your storm-tossed craft by that light, — that young preacher sails yet the sea of life, but the prow of his ship is pointing to the haven where you an- chored a few months ago! Meet me when the anchor chains sing the song of my voyage ended, and furled sails on spar and boom, tell the story of deliverance from life's perilous deep ! 68 FROM SADDLE TO CITY Old Bro. Thomas Doulin, at Corinth Church was quite a character. He was not learned except in the Scriptures. He was familiar with prophecy and the promises. He built his life and home on these, and never lost faith in God. Others might imbibe strange doctrines and wander away into a wilderness of spiritual confusion, but he dared not leave the beaten path of trust in God to be led by men no wiser than he, and so his hope was "an an- chor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, reach- ing into that within the veil, whither the fore-run- ner has for us entered, even Jesus." He was eccentric as some men count distinct pe- culiarities. He shocked our dear brother Rev. J. H. Crown, my predecessor on the charge one fine da}^ when brother Crown sympathized with him at his loss of a fine orchard from a dreadful storm. Brother Crown said, "It is a great pity, Bro. Dou- lin that you have lost so fine an orchard." Bro. Doulin replied, with some feeling — "No pity at all, sir, no pity at all : it is a sin and a shame for any- body's orchard to git blowed down this way. Sir, yes Sir." Bro. Crown dined at his home on a certain dav. The hospitable old man welcomed him to his table with that perfectly • natural brusque cheerfulness for which he was noted, and assured Bro. CrcAvn that, if he did not see what he wanted, he could ask for it. Brother Crown gratefully accented the challenge and added "If you haven't got it I can BT BUGGT, BOAT AND RAII.WAT 69 easily wait till I can g-et to some brother's house who has got it." Bro. Doulin exclaimed, "Well, sir, if you can eat all I can give you, I don't want ^you to come here any more, sir, yes sir!" The good old man knocked the enthusiasm out of me one day at Corinth. My text was "Why be- holdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, and considerest not the beam that is in thine own e^-^e." Expounding the text I said the best author- ities interpreted mote to mean a chip, or splinter or some little foreign matter which, getting into the eye, interfered with a clear vision. That the con- trast was between a small piece of wood in the eye, which partially obscured the vision, and a great beam Avhich completely obscured the vision. I delivered \\4iat I considered a helpful sermon, and closing called on Dr. Jas. Smith, local preacher, to lead in prayer. At the conclusion of the service I was in the chancel shaking hands with my people, among them Bro. Doulin. He said, "My young brother, that was a mighty good sermon, but you have got a curious Bible. Your book says chips, but my book says mote, and that book on the pulpit says mote, and when Smith prayed. Smith said mote, and I just come within a ace of say- ing 'Hurrah for Smith' right down there on my knees before the Lord." I had in my pocket that day the customary white linen handkerchief which my wife was very care- ful to see that I used whenever I went out on the 70 FROM SADDLE TO CITY work among my people. The perspiration began to flow very freely as I listened to my critic. He noticed me closely as I wiped my face with this very important adjunct to a preacher's outfit. He was about to turn away but stopped short and added. "And I see that you*have your wife's hand- kerchief, a mighty ugly thing for a young preacher to carry into the pulpit. I'll give you a red ban- danna to use hereafter, if you cannot buy one your- self." I did not make the change in my habits as the good old man suggested, and he never referred to it again. I was in those days frequently the subject of nervous headaches. On a certain day in 1876 a young friend in the village went with me down into Hack's Neck about ten miles from home to drive home a fine milch cow which I had bought. The day was very warm, and the trip was a severe test of my endurance. Upon reaching home, I went to bed with one of these headaches, and soon became delirious. My wife, becoming alarmed at my condition, called in our family physician. Dr. Hiram W. Harding. He suggested a mustard plas- ter, and I heard him. I sat up in bed and pro- tested — "Dr. Harding, I think you are the biggest fool I ever saw in a sick man's room. That cow has horned a hole in my side large enough for one to put his fist in. Now, Sir, did you ever hear of a doctor wkh good sense, prescribing a mustard BY BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 71 plaster for a hole of that size?" He was rather confused on the moment, but my wife says she gave him the wink, and he .replied, "Well, sir, we will sew up the hole and you will be a well man." I answered "That's sensible." Nevertheless, the plaster was applied, and the next day I was up and about as usual. Dr. Harding, who was one of my best friends, told me the story with much merri- ment a few days later. It was in June, 1874, that I ran up against that champion of Justice, Mercy, and Prayer, Rev. Josiah D. Hank, Pastor of the King & Queen circuit. He is the father of Hon. J. D. Hank, Asst. Attorney General of the State of Virginia, Rev. P. Manning Hank of the Virginia Conference, Mr. Wailes Hank Attorney at Law, Norfolk, Va., and several other valuable individual Assets. The circumstances were peculiar. Circumstances, if one has been careful to notice the movetnent of the machine, are usually peculiar, except when they are not worthy of note. The peculiar, and I may say incidental, accident which brought about our meeting was this : — Dr. Leo Rosser had pub- lished his Second Quarterly Conference for the King & Queen circuit for a certain Saturday and Sunday in June, at Pace's Chapel. In the mean- time he had held his Quarterly Conference for the Westmoreland circuit at Warsaw in the new church which was just completed and dedicated on the same occasion. The services were protracted, .ind (2 laJOM SADDLE TO CITY the meeting had developed much interest. At the urgent request of the pastor, Rev. W. A. Crccker, and his people, the doctor decided to remain an- other week. I had been attending the meeting, but had returned to my work in Northumberland, to find our baby very sick. On Wednesday of the following week, I received a letter from Dr. Rosser directing me to "go to Bro. Hank's Quarterly Con- ference at t'ace's the next Saturday and bunday and preach for the Presiding Elder," and carefully informing me that "Bro. Hank will attend to the other matters." Here was a dilemma : — A sick child, an anxious wife, the order from the Elder, uncertain mails, and forty miles between the Elder and me ! I went to Dr. Tankard, our physician and friend, with the letter. He said, "Of course you must not go, and I will so write the doctor. In the meantime we will pray over it, and decide by tomorrow (Thursday) what you can safely do." There was the Chris- tian physician 1 Late Thursday night he came to our room to see the child, our little Mary Claiborne. After a care- ful examination he said, "The crisis is passed. The child is better. You may go." ' I replied, "Wife and I have reached the same conclusion." Yet the child was still very ill. So, therefore, early Friday morning, leaving sister Covington and the doctor with my weary wife and sick child, I set Ou.t, for Bro. Boughton's, beyond Warsaw, near lir UUGGY, BOAT AND KAILWAY 73 lue Tappahannock I'erry, arriving about sunset after a torty-hve mile drive. Here 1 spent the uight with a Christian household, and early next morning", leaving my horse in the care of Bro. Boughton, 1 crossed the Rappahannock and was met by Bro. Hank in Tappahannock. We pressed on behind a splendid horse, (Hank never owned any other kind) arriving at Pace's Chapel in time for the morning service. I preached as best I could, and that was a very lame effort, yet my heart was in the subject. When Quarterly Con- ference assembled after lunch I did not attempt to put up the game on Bro. Hank which John Q. Rhodes put on Twitty and me in Spottsylvania three years before, for two substantial reasons. First, I had an itinerant in the person of riank skilled in the law, and no man could tickle him in- to doing an illegal act. And secondly, I had learned my lesson well under Bro. Joseph H. Davis, and he is unaccountably brave, or reckless, who will butt his head against a wall twice under the same conditions. But I did one thing which brought a hearty exclamation from Bro. Hank. I remarked in a sort of an off-hand fashion, "Of course, you will preside over the Quarterly Conference as the law requires." He replied, "Of course ; what do you take me for?" and broke forth into one of his jolly guffaws, which brought the blush to my cheek as I recalled the fiasco of 1871 in Spottsylvania. And honestly, although I did not press the matter, 74 FROM SADDLE TO CITY I think Bro. Hank was thinking of it too; for all the preachers had heard of it. I spent that night in his delightful home, the parsonage. The Sunday services passed off with- out incident, I preaching both morning and after- noon. But one thing burned itself into my soul, and is treasured today, a precious memory of Jo- siah D. Hank as I knew him then: — the prayers he sent to heaven fresh from a heart that shared the burden which rested on my own, that God would "spare the precious life of the little babe of the dear brother who has come so far, and under such a weight of anxiety, to help us at this hour !" Leaving the church immediately after the after- noon service Bro. Hank took me in his buggy be- hind the same fine horse to the ferry, and I was soon on the Richmond county side, where I found Bro. Boughton awaiting me with his own horse. After supper I left for the long drive to my home, my wife, my child, at "Surprise Hill." Arriving early Monday morning, my wife met me with the good news, "Mary is improving as fast as we can hope for." And I was glad: I had served my Church, and the life of my first-born was spared. Time would fail me to tell of the devoted Chris- tian women, and the consecrated men in this region. Modest Jesse Crowder, the rough diamond, Lewis Evans, old father Billy Evans, the silent, holy man, Mitchell Evans, at Bethany, Hayes, and Davis at Corinth; W. P. Anderson, A. J. Brent, and Dr. Jas BT BUGGY, BOAT AND KAILWAY 75 Smith at Heathsville, Billy French and Jas. Wright at Henderson's, Webb, Beane and others at Smyrna. Oh! they were mighty at living the life "hid with Christ in God," because they counted the quiet hour in prayer, as the commander of an army counts the base of supplies, a necessary thing in a campaign against the enemy. The circuit was without a parsonage, but the ladies of the several churches had gotten together money enough to furnish a house. Therefore in the fall of 1874 the stewards rented the DeShields home in the north end of the village of Heathsville, and my little family, (now increased to four by the addition of my wife's sister. Miss Sallie Swann) moved in, and we commenced house-keeping just before Christmas. The Conference of 1874, met in Elizabeth City, N. C. It is memorable for the great sermon de- livered by Bishop Enoch M. Marvin, on "Do we make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law." (Rom. HI. 31.) The sermon was delivered at the 11 A. M. hour Sunday. The multitude fell under the power of the sacred eloquence as I had never seen it before. Sinners came up the aisles and fell prostrate before the uplifted Christ, and a triumphant Church rejoiced in the victory of the day. I sat by Dr. R. N. Sledd, and I shall never forget the transparent glory of that good man's face as he followed the inspired orator to the end. I said something to him about 76 FROM SApDLE TO CITY, the wonderful sermon and the effect upon himself and upon me. But he did not reply : he only laid his, hand upon my knee and closed his eyes, while the great tears rolled down his cheeks. It was a great moment in my life, never to be forgotten, when that flaming apostle, annointed afresh by the Holy Ghost, laid his hands on my unworthy head, ordaining me "Elder in the Church of God," and giving me "authority to preach the word, and ad- minister the holy sacraments in the congregation." At the close of the Conference I was returned to the Heathsville circuit, with Rev. Edward P. Wilson, Presiding Elder. The winter was a hard one. In February 1875 Bro. Wilson and I came near freezing to death in a snow-storm on a bitter cold Sunday afternoon, travelling in Bro. Brent's rock-a-way drawn by my horse, from Heaths- ville to Bro. Richard Lyell's at the village of Farn- ham Church in Richmond, Co. Both of us fell asleep in the conveyance thoroughly benumbed by the intense cold. The faithful horse^ "Dexter,", familiar with the road,, carried us down the side lane leading to the barn, and soon aroused the en- tire population by pawing at a side gate near an out-building where two colored men slept. When Bro. Lyell was informed that "Mr. Butts's horse was out thar hitched to a kerridge with no- body in it." He came out to investigate. He very soon discovered that Bro. Wilson and I were there, and fast 4sleep. We were quickly carried into 77 his warm parlor, where his very practical daughters put in some successful rescue work with blankets and hot coffee. We slept the rest of the night in that comfortable room on the sofas, not caring to undress and get in bed. Late next day I returned home, none the worse for my thrilling experience. Brother Wilson was more than a week from that day getting back to his home at Ashland, on ac- count of the Rappahannock being locked up with ice. When he reached home he had been away about a month. Rev. Alfred Wiles, as I have already said, was my neighbor on the Lancaster circuit. That cir- cuit at that time was composed of Bethel, Reho- both, Whitemarsh, Whitestone, and Irvington; strong appointments, with large congregations made up of some of the best people in the county. He and I formed a compact for co-operation, and joining our forces, conducted at several revival services in Northumberland and Lancaster which resulted in the conversion of hundreds of souls : notably at Bethel, Whitemarsh and Whitestone in his circuit, and at Smyrna, Corinth, and Hender- son's on mine. More than Six hundred were added to the churches in the two circuits in two years, and the people of God, baptized with the Holy Spirit, were confirmed and strengthened in our most holy faith. The vision of the Church was en- larged, and the convictions of the people on per- sonal responsibility for the salvation of sinners were deepened. There was a mighty uplift of all 78 FfiOM SADDLE *0 Cil*t the interests of the Kingdom in all these parts in these two years, — 1874 and 1875. I cannot let this opportunity pass for naming a few of the leading men on the Lancaster circuit. Judge Samuel Downing, wise, faithful, zealous, hospitable, and a man of prayer. He had faith in God, and enjoyed the confidence of the people. He read me a lecture on prudence, one certain Court day, when he sat upon the Bench at Heathsville in the trial of three young men for disturbing public worship. I thought there were mitigating cir- cumstances such as would indicate that there was no deliberate infraction of the law. Instead of speaking of the matter to the Attorney for the boys, I laid myself open to a more serious charge by writing the Judge a note expressing my con- viction that the boys were innocent of any wrong doing, and pleading with the Judge to be as lenient with them as possible. It was a fatal mistake for anyone, even a Methodist preacher and a close friend, to take such a liberty with so incorrupt- ible a man as Judge Downing. He said nothing to me then, but sentenced the young men to "Five minutes confinement in the county jail." On the adjournment of court that day the Sheriff told me "Judge Downing wants to see you in his office." I went in haste, remained with him ten minutes, and came out having more intelligence in my sys- tem on the subject of what contempt of Court meant than I ever thought I could learn in the course of a life time. He said, "Bro. Butts, you 79 have done a very foolish and a very dangerous thing, and I think I can save you some trouble in the future if you will take to heart what I have to say. Had you written that note to certain Judges, whom I might mention, either one would have fined you heavily. But I know you. And I propose this method of censure in a private way, because no one knows what you did but myself. Don't dare ever to do such a thing as that again. God bless you: you may go." And I went. His daughter Kate, (afterwards Mrs. Rozzie Broun,) was converted in the great meeting at Whitemarsh. She was a beautiful girl, a skilled musician, with a well trained voice. She had prayed at the altar several days. Moved by a consuming desire to get this promising young life into the Master's service, I asked her on a certain day as she knelt in prayer, "Miss Kate, can't you trust your Saviour?" She thrilled me with this reply; — "Yes, I can, with all my heart : and I want to sing!" I answered, "Well stand up here and sing with all your heart." She arose from her knees with a beaming face, and joined the congregation in the song they were singing, and Whitemarsh never heard such music from the human voice be- fore. The congregation was melted to tears, God's people gave evidence of their joy in shouts of praise, and the triumph of the day was complete. Judge Edwin Broun was another one of God'? noblemen. He was a safe adviser, a man well-read in the Scriptures, humble, consecrated. He was true 80 FROM SADDLE TO CITY as steel, faithful unto death, zealous as an Apostle. The preachers depended on hiim. He was the leading man at Rehoboth. Rev. William Brent a modest, earnest, scriptural local preacher. Dr. Wm. Newbill, cultured, enthusiastic, aggressive, "the beloved physician." Irvington owes much to Newbill for the development and cultivation of that interesting field. And there Svere others, true men and elect women who made Methodism in that region strong, uncompromising, clean-cut, the very best experimental interpretation of a vital religion. Later there came into he active membership of the church a vigorous young north- erner named Bellows, whose personal piety, arid good deeds were known throughout the county, and beyond in other parts of the Conference. The Fourth Quarterly Conference of 1875 author- ized the Parsonage trustees to secure a suitable property for the circuit parsonage as soon as prac- ticable. During the session of Conference held that year in Danville, Va., I received a note from Bro. Littleton Cockrell, enclosed in a letter from my wife, urging me to "hurry home as soon as Conference adjourns :" that "the parsonage Trus- tees have a parsonage in the village of Heaths- ville, and you (I) must raise $333.33% to make the cash payment thereon on Jan. 1, 1876." I came directly home as he requested, the money was raised, and the present parsonage property was secured to our Church in "fee simple" under the lead of some of the wisest laymen in Methodism. BY BTTGGT, BOAT AND HAILWAT 81 The other two payments, making a total of $1,000.- .00, and interest, were made before I left the cir- cuit, Dec. 1, 1877, and the charge was equipped with as fine a piece of property as there was on the District. A few years later, during the pastor- ate of Rev. W. H. Edwards, the old building was' remodeled, and a very comfortable and beautiful home for the preacher constructed. Here in the old house on the 9th of December 1875, our second child, Anna Maria Waller, was born. Mr. Joseph Anderson's wife. Wm. P. Anderson and family, the GuHck's. (staunch Presbyterians from Northumberland Co.. Pa.,") were valuable units at the Heathsville Church. Down in Cherry Point the Hardings, and the Travises formed the nucleus for a growing congregation, which in after years erected a neat house of worship called "Mel- rose" unto this day. Bethany church was made a station in 1879, and Rev. W. H. Edwards was the first pastor, followed by such men as J. T. Mastin, R. M. Chandler, and others among the strong, enterprising, and devoted young men of that day. Hopewell church, which stands at the corner of the Lancaster, Heathsville, and Richmond circuits was built during the terms of Bro. Wiles on Lan- caster, Brb. Crocker on Westmoreland circuit, and my own on the Heathsville circuit, under the di- rection of a Joint Committee from the above charges, consisting of Rev. W. A. Crocker, Chair- 82 FROM SADDLE TO CITT man, Rev. Alfred Wiles, Judge Samuel Downing, Mr. Richard Lyell, Mr. Andrew J. Brent, and my- self. This was in 1875 and 1876. All of this territory, on both sides of the Rap- pahannock river, was called "Fredericksburg Dis- trict" until 1866, then "Rappahannock District" until 1871, when the name was changed to "Randolph-Macon" in recognition of The College^ town of Ashland, then the District headquarters, and was known by that title until 1890. In the midst of this period, that is from November 1876 to November 1878, the Northern Neck, composed of six circuits, namely: — King George, Montross, Westmoreland, Heathsville, Richmond, and Lan- caster, was raised to a separate district with Rev. Wm. A. Crocker as Presiding Elder. Somebody (it would be unwise to enquire who,) at the Con- ference of 1890, suggested that the whole territory on both sides of the Rappahannock be named the "Northern Neck District;" but an error that con- tradicted the physical geography of the State could not stand, so at the Conference of 1891 it went back to its ancient title of "Rappahannock," and so remains to this day, with the Presiding Eld- er's residence at Urbanna, Middlesex Co. The Richmond circuit was created at the Con- ference of 1876, and Junius B. DeBerry, a devout Christian, a good pastor, and a fine preacher, was the first to fill the appointment, with the parsonage near Calvary church. The churches on this new BT BTIGGT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 83 charge were Warsaw, Calvary, Oakland, and, (I think,) Hopewell. Out of this part of the Northern Neck came J. R. Sturgis, J. R. Gill, A. S. J. Rice, Starke Jett and J. T. Sewell from Northumberland ; W. H. At- will, R. M. Chandler, J. G. Unruh, H. P. Balderson, Wilbur F. Davis and C. T. Thrift, from Westmore- land, and W. B. Beauchamp and G. T. Forrester from Richmond County. Before leaving Northumberland I wish to add to this record. Marvin Grove Camp Ground was secured, and the first meeting held August 2-11, 1878, by the co-operation of the laymen of the four counties of the Northern Neck of Virginia : namely, Richmond, Westmoreland, Lancaster, and Northumberland. The first Board of Managers, as I recall them, was composed of those sturdy Chris- tian men, whose good name was rife on all tongues' in that region: Littleton Cockrell, Samuel Down- ing, Edwin Broun, Richard Lyell, and James Walker. Dr. Leonidas Rosser was Presiding Elder and ex-ofiicio in charge of the religious forces of the meeting. Bishop David S. Doggett was the lead- ing preacher, and delivered several of his great sermons. The fame of the man, who was born in Lancaster county not far from this hallowed spot, had gone before him, and "multitudes came from all the region round about" to hear the great preacher. All they had heard of him was fully con- firmed, and the provincial pride of the old country was wonderfully stimulated. A Methodist Bishop 84 FROM SADDLE TO CITY of such dignity, such magnetic rhetorical abilitv. swaying crowds of simple country folks, as well as high church aristocrats who did not comprehend the great spiritual power of the man, going- out from the very shades of old "King Carter's" Co- lonial church on historic Corotoman river, where tlie big people of the James, the York, and the Po- tomac came in olden times to do their courting, was a severe shock to the ecclesiastical sensibili- ties of certain religionists in those parts. But when they were reminded that Enoch George, another Bishop of the Methodist Church, was another con- tribution from the same section sixty years earlier, amazement took the form of consternation, and presently settled down into silent protest. Between Marvin Camp Gr'pund and Horner's Corner, is a road leading down westward into the woods to the old home of Rev. Griffin Forrester, a local preacher licensed by Philip Bruce, Presiding Elder, about one mile from the main road. Adjacent to the yard of that old residence is an an- cient grave yard, containing the grave of a young preacher who died while serving the old Lancaster circuit more than one hundred years ago. I found that grave by the help of Brother George Forrester of Oakland church when I lived at Heathsville. Recently, through the kindness of Rev. John S. Wallace, the present pastor at Heathsville, I have located the grave afresh, and secured a copy of the inscription on the broken tomb. It reads as fol- lows : — 85 "In Memory of Rev. Henry Padgett, who was born in Cecil Co., Md., on the 8th of December, 1791, and de- parted this life on the 10th day of September, 1817." "Mark the perfect men and behold the upright : for the end of that man is peacer" Psalm 37: 37. The father of Rev. G. T. Forrester of our Con- ference was born about this time and called "Rich- ard Padgett" after this young preacher. Among the leading men who stood as the repre- sentatives of vital godliness on the Westmoreland circuit at this time, I mention only a few of the most eminent. At Carmel was John W. C. Davis, and Rev. Wilbur F. Davis, for awhile an active and efficient member of the Conference, sons of my old Presiding Elder, Rev. Joseph H. Davis ; Bro. Geo. Murphy, a son-in-law ; the Sanfords and Baileys ; Rev. W. W. Walker, the silver tongued preacher and lawyer, Bro. James Walker, his brother, and the Wright family at Oldham's X Roads, Omohun- dro and others at Warsaw ; Richard Lyell and Bro. Yeatman at Calvary ; — these men and their families represented the standard of the social, intelectual and spiritual forces of all that region. Their fath- ers laid the foundation of Methodism on the sohd rock of Faith in God, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in a conscious salvation by Regeneration and 86 FROM SADDLE TO CITT the Witness of the Spirit. These sons built the Church of the present on that and it stands today. "The gates of heli shall not prevail against it." bt BUQGt, BOAl* ANb ftAlLWAY St CHAPTER IV. THE CONFERENCE OF 1877, AND KING GEORGE. The Conference of 1877 met in the City of Lynch- burg in old Centenary church on Church Street. It was the saddest gathering of preachers and lay- men that had assembled in Virginia for many years. That peerless preacher and successful College President, Rev. Dr. Jas. A. Duncan, President of Randolph-Macon College died during the year. A cloud of sorrow hung over the entire Church. Vir- ginia Methodists stood appalled in the presence of the catastrophy, and no one seemed to know which way to look for his successor. Rev. John C. Gran- bery, D. D., (afterwards Bishop,) read a very el- oquent and appropriate Memoir of the distin- guished minister at the Memorial service held in Centenary Church Tuesday, November the 20th. On Thursday, Nov. 22nd, the Committee on Edu- cation, Rev. R. N. Sledd, D. D., Chairman, sub- mitted a Resolution requesting the Presiding Bishop to appoint Rev. W. W. Bennett, D. D. Presi- dent of Randolph Macon College, he having been elected to that office by the Board of Trustees and 88 . FRQM SADDLE TO CITY the problem of a President for the College was solved. The year, 1877, had been an unusually fatal one to the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in the loss of some of its most prominent men. Dr. Wm. E. Munsey, and-Rev. Mr. Coe of the Baltimore Con- ference, Dr. Duncan and Dr. Albert Taylor Bled- soe, and Bishop Enoch M. Marvin, died this year. Besides these men of church-wide note, our Con- ference lost David F. Hodges, and Alexander Don- iphan, two men well-beloved, devout, and useful. The Class "continued on Trial" at this Confer- ence included the names of some young men who have wrought well, and made a fine record in the Itinerancy. Here are the names : — R. M. Chandler, B. F. Lipscomb, J. T. Mastin, J. M. Burton, N. B. Foushee, R. H. Younger, W. H. Edwards, W. O. Waggener, J. E. Barrow, J. C. Rosser, S. H. John- son, W. E. Evans, C. E. Wren, and J. B. DeBerry. Waggener was transferred to one of the western Conferences, Evans and Wren withdrew from our Church to join other Communions, Rosser, Younger and DeBerry have gone to their reward, Barrow has escaped my following, and the rest are with us yet, enjoying the confidence and love of their breth- ren, and serving the Church efficiently under the blessing of God. It was at this Conference that Bishop Doggett delivered that great sermon on "Therefore every scribe wjio hath been made a disciple to the king- BY BUGOr, BOAT. AND RAILWAY 89 dom of heaven is like unto a man that is a house- holder, who bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old." (Matt. XIII. 52.) The Bishop was at his best that day. He stood in a pulpit facing the lot across the street on which once stood the old church in which the Methodists worshipped in the first decade of the 19th century. (A brick building afterward took its place.) The pall of sorrow, which rested on the session on account of the loss of Dr. Duncan, added greatly to the general interest. The theme itself, the wisdom and in- dustry of the ministry when moved by the com- pelling impulse of a conscious salvation ; these, and many other considerations inspired the cul- tured mind and fired the sensibilities of a man nat- urally gifted as an orator. The great congregation was swayed by his perfect rhetoric, and lifted on the exultant wing of an imagination which was at home in the highest heights. Added to this was the skill of the preacher in analysis and exposition of the word of God. At the close of the service the people gathered about the chancel, anxious to hold the hand of the prophet who had carried them on the wings of sacred eloquence to the very highest heaven. Among them was our dear brother Rev. Geo. M. Wright, whom everybody knew and loved ; dear old George, who had more souls, saved through his instrumentality, to meet him at the pearly gates when he swept through, "washed in the blood of 90 FROM SADDLE TO CITIT the Lamb," than any man of the same talents and time for work, since the days of the Wesleys and Whitefield: yes Dear old George put his hand on the Bishop's shoulder and made a remark which startled .all who heard him, except Bishop Doggett. The Bishop knew George, and honored him for his work's sake, and loved him for his rugged honesty, and his Christian simplicity and humility through- out a successful ministry. George said, "Ah, Bishop, you certainly did handle yourself pretty today!" The Bishop replied, with a hearty grasp of the hand, "God bless you George : you have always had my love !" No one but George Wright could have taken such a liberty with Bishop Doggett: and Bishop Dog- gett would not have received, in such a cordial spirit, an apparently light-hearted criticism from any one else. The Bishop knew his man, as a sin- cere, generous soul, who had no thought of dis- turbing the holy atmosphere of an occasion long to be remembered. Prom that Conference I was sent to the King George circuit, with the parsonage in a rented house at the Court House village sixty miles north- west of Heathsville. I succeeded Rev. Charles E. Watts, a Christian gentleman of blameless life, a clear mind well stored with the learning of the best schools, and an apt scholar in the use of the purest English. He was a capital preacher, and a skillful and safe expounder of the Scriptures. L 91 was succeeded on the Heathsville circuit by Rev. Jas. F. Brannin, a holy man, who "walked with God," and led the church into the higher life. Mr. Joseph Gulick kindly agreed to put my family on the steamer at Monaskon Wharf on the Rappa- hannock, so, therefore, in order to meet them at Port Conway, King George, it was necessary for me to go the day before. I loaded as much of thy property as I could get into my rockaway, and Dexter and I struck out up the ridge of the back- bone of the Northern Neck for our destination, spending the night at Montross, among old friends, arriving the next afternoon. Bro. Walter Stiff and his good wife took charge of my family when they arrived at Port Conway, and I joined them the next day. With the assistance of some of the church ofificials I quickly had them and all my var- ious boxes and barrels and packages housed and unpacked for another term. A hot dinner was served by the kind ladies of the church, and Miss Carrie Jones, daughter of our chief steward, and county Treasurer, James E. Jones of "Edge Hill," was there acting as hostess. King George circuit was made up of Fletcher's Chapel, in the Passapatanzy hills. Trinity at the Court House, Union at Shiloh village, and a preach- ing place in a school house below RoUin's Fork just over the line in Westmoreland. The leading men at this point were Chas. Robinson, William Spilman, Robert Marshall, John T. Payne, (after- 92 FROM SADDLE TO CITY ward a member of our Conference,) Dr. Wheel- wright, and Josiah Hayes. A year or two later Bro. Walter StiflE removed from Port Conway to Rollin's Fork, and added his valuable personality to the strength of the class. In 1880 the work had obtained such prominence that a nice, comfortable church-building, at a cost of about $1,800.00, was planned and erected near Josiah Haye's residence, and named "Grace." The meeting was protracted, and about 60 souls were added to the church. Dr. J. Powell Garland, our Presiding Elder, was pres- ent on the memorable night when I received these people into the church. He and Bro. Payne were witnesses to a conversation between me and a certain citizen, whose name is omitted for ob- vious reasons. As we came out of the church after service that Friday night, I noticed this man and his wife stand- ing there by the steps as if hesitating to go home. I said, "Mr." , you professed to be converted last Tuesday night ; you did not join the church tonight: you have made a serious mistake." He replied, "I can't jine de church, sir; and I'm sorry to say I can't." "Well," said I, "What's wrong?" He replied, calling his wife's name, "Me and ain't married, sir, and dat's got to be fixed up be- fore we can jine." Said I, "You are right, broth- er; go to Westmoreland court house and get your license, and I will marry you Sunday morn- ing and receive you into the (Church." Said he, "I BY BUGGT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 93 got no money to pay for cle license, and no horsc to ride, and it is too far to walk." Well, I ended the whole matter by giving him a note to Bro. Warren Hutt, the Clerk of the County Court, and Bro. Robert Marshall loaned him a horse. Early Saturday morning Dr. Garland and I went up to Fletcher's Chapel where the 3rd Quarterly Con- ference was held. Then leaving Dr. Garland to handle the Sunday service there I returned to Josiah Hayes's, arriving about 8 P. M., having stopped, in passing the parsonage, long enough to eat supper. Sunday morning, accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. Hayes, I went to Mr. 's home, and married him to the woman he had been living with for seven years. All of us then went to the church nearby, and after a most impressive ser- vice I received this man and this wife into the Church of God, and at their request baptized their two little girls, the one three years old and the other five ! This was one of the victory days of my ministry. Do not say these were illiterates, and obscure people. That is true : but the kingdom of God is meant for such. If not, where is the haven of refuge? There are thousands of so-called "re- fined," "cultured," "society" people in this coun- try living in adultery, and worse, who would come into the Kingdom today if they were willing, as these "obscure" people were, to publicly confess and forsake their sinful life. Instead of doing the 94 FROM SADDLE TO CITY honest thing, they persist in their infamy, turn up their nose at practical religion, and make the ministry the butt of ridicule. I want to place the credit for beginning the ref- ormation of this community where it belongs. When Bishop Payne, the Protestant Episcopal Bishop on the West Coast of Africa, was compelled to give up his work in that Foreign field on ac- count of ill health, he located in this neighbor- hood, and decided that this was a good field for Home Evangelization. He planted a school, preached in the building to as many as came, vis- ited among them and taught them morality and religion. He was greatly beloved for his work's sake, and sincerely lamented when he ended his useful life. When I took charge of King George circuit a few years later, I found the Rev. Mr. Latane carrying on the work the Bishop began. I knew this was a field where Methodism could feel at home, so I went into the work with all my heart, and, under the blessing of God, succeeded. At Union church there was a strong organiza- tion. Jones, Baker, Edwards, Quesenberry, Stiff, Omohundro, Ninde, Payne, Dishman, Brown, Gouldman, and Playes, are names of families which formed a devoted, intelligent, and influential body of men and women, both in the Church and in the social life of the county. They were Methodists of the "most straightest sect." Preachers "count- ed it all joy" when they were read out for King BY BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 95 George. It was here that I found Jas. W. Stiff, Richard O. Payne, and John T. Payne, and con- tributed somewhat to their advancement and ad- mission into our Conference. Out of this same charge came Wm. E. Payne, the rugged, stalwart giant in righteousness, and a successful ministry. He ceased from his labors and got his "crown'' in 1895, while Presiding Elder of the Charlottes- ville District where he had just begun his term of service. In the summer of 1878 we had a great meeting at Union, not great in point of numbers added to the church : but on account of the profound im- pression it made upon the community, and the character of the conversions. Among the many who came into the church at that meeting I note Mr. Isaiah Hayes, his son Lawrence, his daughters Hattie and Elvira, also Mr. Hayes' brother, Jo- siah, his son Henry, and daughter. Isaiah Hayes' people and mine have remained warm friends ever since. About this time there came into Hayes' business and family, a young man of quick mind, high moral standard, and great industry. Time and again I met him at brother Hayes' home, and he impressed me most favorably. At the Marvin Grove Camp meeting of 1879, he professed conversion, and joined the Methodist Church. The next year, Sept. 9, 1880, I performed the ceremony of mar- riage which made Hattie Hayes and Ed. White- 96 FROM SADDLE TO CITY house man and wife. I baptized the first babe, Susie; the second babe was named for me, Law- rence Butts, and is a successful druggist in Lynch- burg. Then when Susie married and became a mother I baptized her babe. Thus through the years we have kept pace with each other on the changing road of Hfe, ever keeping in sight of each other's home, rejoicing together, and mingling our tears sometimes when we look around us and find the empty chair. But hoping and singing again when the light of the other life breaks through the rift of some impending cloud, and above the storm of sorrow we hear the familiar voice of Je- sus, — "I am with you alway, unto the end of the ages." At Fletcher's Chapel there was a plain, faithful, earnest membership, who did things for the King' dom, and largely dominated the moral and relig- ious life of that whole section. Pratt, McCarthy, Henderson, Grigsby, Rollins, Robinson, Morgan, Arnold, Taliaferro, Lee, Elkins, are names dear to this preacher's memory, and reminders of co-oper- ation in hard work, and patient planning, and bound- ing joy when the days went by with a song. There lived among them a practicing physician, a staunch Presbyterian of the old school, whose re- ligion was broad enough to take into his confidence any who named the name of Jesus. He dedicated to active service a talented brain and a warm heart for building up the Kingdom of God in that com- munity. I refer to Dr. John W. Ayler. I rather 97 congratulated myself when I found so wise and good a man heartily engaged in the Sunday School, in the prayer meeting, in aiding to solve the finan- cial problems of the church at that place. When I told him on my first visit to his house, "Ardenvohr," how glad I was to find so capable a Methodist among these people, he replied, "I'm no Methodist : I am a blue-stocking Presbyterian." But during my whole term of four years on that charge I never saw any diflFerence between his religious zeal and activity and the most active Methodist in that section ; except, perhaps, his was a regulated systematic movement as a rule, destitute of emo- tion, while their's, when not fired by emotion, had little motion that produced results. The queenly wife and splendid children shared with the father in his devotion to his Lord. He died a few years ago, while I lived in Hampton. He had become a well-known and sincerely be- loved citizen of Newport News, and it was my priv- ilege, granted me by Dr. Welford, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of that city, to speak a few words of appreciation at his funeral. James McCarthy was a "Rough Ashler" in the temple of God. He had very limited advantages for an education when a boy; nor was he permitted, by circumstances over which he had no control, to become familiar with those finer conventions which dignify the better class : yet there was not a man on the charge who was his superior! in the practice of those virtues which distinguish men as yo TROM SADDLE TO CITT gentlemen and examples in a field where the high- est morals and the most rigid rules govern. As a practical Christian I have never known a man whose sense of dependence on the blood of Jesus was so acute, and whose trust in the guidance of the Holy Spirit was so evident, including in its sweep all the activities of a consecrated life. He may have worn a grammatical head-ornament quite ridiculous when tested by the pattern of the books, but his garment of righteousness, made white by the blood of the Son of Man, so covered his "flesh" that one could see that it was his own, made for him alone in response to the demands of a firm faith in the Living Christ. He was swift to run to the help of the needy, for "uncomely" feet were shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace." His shield, "faith," quenched the fiery darts of the wicked," and with "the sword of the Spirit" he was a match for Satan and his emissar- ies. Rare old Jim! All heaven heard you sing as you entered the gate ; and many a preacher's horse wept, if he could weep, when he was told that you were dead, if his equine intellect took in the full meaning of that distressing news ! Wm. S. Brown was Clerk of the Courts of the county for years, succeeding his father in that of- fice ; himself a veteran of many years' experience in the service of his county. He was the leading Steward at Trinity Church in the village, and a man of influence on the entire charge. He had a most BY BXJGGT, BOAT AND KAILWAT 99 interesting family: — a refined and cultured wife, six fascinating daughters and two sons. They were kaders in the work of the church, and held the standard of efficiency high. I had the singular privilege of performing the Ceremony of Marriage in that family oftener, I reckon, than any other preacher in any other family anywhere. That's pretty broad ; but I'll risk it. A niece living in the lovely home, "Waverly," Miss Julia Carpenter, was married there in the parlor, Dec. 27, 1877, to Mr. Lawrence Washington. Another niece. Miss Kate Ashton was married March 28, 1878, in the same room to Mr. James Barron. A daughter. Miss Belle, was married Dec. 10, 1879, in the same room, to Mr. Henry T. Garnett. Miss Nannie, the eldest daughter, was married May 31, 1881, to Mr. W. J. Dougherty, but the event occurred in Trinity Church. Several years later, our dear brother Paul Bradley won to his home and heart Lucy, next to the youngest of these attractive girls : but another performed the ceremony. Brother Bradley went to his blessed reward in 1907. Mrs. Dougherty was bereft of her devoted husband in a few years. She was an accomplished, beautiful, useful and popular young woman. She had a sweet little baby girl, which grew to woman-hood to be the strength and comfort of an invalid mother throughout long years of suffering. In January 1921 this devoted Chris- tian "widow indeed" passed to her place in the "Saint's eternal rest." 100 FROM SADDLE TO CITT The Ninde family at that lovely home, "Middle- boro," was another interesting group. Dr. Ninde was a Baltimorean, but came to King George in early life, and married the sister of the Brother Brown above referred to. Dr. Julian Ninde, the eldest son, died during my pastorate, ending what promised to be a lucrative and successful career as a practicing Physician among his own kinsmen and friends, who knew his worth and lamented his untimely death. His younger brother, Falirfax, early prepared himself to succeed his deceased father and brother in the profession, and has be- come one of the leading Physicians of the county. Sister Ninde, was, for years, a prisoner in an in- valid's chair, a victim' of Rheumatism. Yet from this strange pulpit, as Paul did from a Roman prison, this patient and cheerful sufferer directed her house-hold, and delivered, to all within reach of her influence, the gospel of Life and Consolation. Hundreds turned to this prophetess of a trium- phant faith for thoughts and inspiration to guide when days were dark and doubts were strong. Across the road, far off from public view, as if built to "blush unseen," was a quiet Christian home. Brother Eddie Brown, his amiable wife, and sons and daughters, lived in modest comfort and plenty. One of these refined and cultured Christian girls be- came the wife of Rev. Chas. H. Williams of our Conference. Williams is a wonder ! How he won her no one seems to know. But I have this to say BOAT AND EAILWAT 101 in extenuation of the act of either one in choosing the other; — They both showed pretty good judg- ment. A distressing bereavement visited the home of Brother Brown during my pastorate : — Henry, the eldest boy, fell a victim of typhoid fever. In this "valley of the shadow of death" the family found comfort in the assured presence of the Great Comforter. "As thy days may demand" was solid ground for feet, over against the insecure founda- tion of the world's vain hope. There were many noble men and women in that section, whose names stand out strongly in con- trast with others of smaller make. They repre- sented the strength of Methodist principles in the times of which I write. No better type of Chris- tian character could be found in any county, and the Methodist doctrines of sin and a conscious re- demption through the saving grace of Jesus Christ, is the best explanation I can give of their worth to the community. Methodism has always had a hard fight for a living in King George. There prevailed in all that section at this time a "form of godliness without its power." Such a religion is always popular with a certain class of sinners who confound the exter- nals of Christianity with Christianity itself, as if one could hold in one's embrace the corpse of a lovely woman or a splendid young man, for the living, joyous, helpful being that once lived in the now lifeless form. And this corpse of a once liv- 102 FROM SADDLE TO CITY ing force "vaunted itself," and was "puflfed up," and "behaved itself unseemly" on all occasions, and frequently made occasions, claiming for itself the prestige of age, and struck at anything which had life in it as being new and man made. Two of these sects had "water on the brain," and were constantly disputing among themselves about which had "the right to eat the Lord's Supper." The other had no life of any sort, and therefore made little noise : only now and then could be heard out in the ecclesiastical cemetery, mumbling, in sepulchral solemnity, "WE ARE IT." Nobody disputed it. A vigorous religion like Methodism always has a fight to wage when it lifts its voice, in a com- munity like that for righteousness. A sinner who has made up his mind to go to heaven by the eas- iest road does not take easily to the rigid demands of "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus." He prefers to substitute the manipulations of priestly hands, or the plunge into water, for "repentance toward God and fkith toward our Lord Jesus Christ." Nevertheless, the preaching and careful pastoral work of Wm. F. Bain, Thos. H. Boggs, Chas. E. Watts, and other sturdy apostles of the Spirit, who preceded me, laid well the foundations of the church on "The Impregnable Rock of the Holy Scriptures." Their work and their teaching ac- counts largely for the type of men and women BY BtJGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY lOS who formed the rank and file of the Methodist Church in King George at that day. Out of this circuit have come into the conference Wm. E. Payne, Wm. B. Jett, John T. Payne, J. Wil.lard Stiff, and Rich. O. Payne. Among the laymen who have thrown the influence of their strong charac- ters with the church in other sections are Dr. Frank W. Stiff, so long useful at Centenary, Rich- mond; Edward B. Whitehouse, Fred. Brown, Eu- gene Ninde, and Dr. John Stiff in Fredericksburg; and numbers of others "whose names are written in heaven."' On the 14th day of April 1878, our son Herbert Swann, was born, and there was great joy in our home. The Conference of 1878, held in Petersburg, Va., Nov. 13-19, ended the life of the "Northern Neck District," which began its existence in November 1876, under the Superintendence of Rev. Wm. A. Crocker, as Presiding Elder. The territory was too small, (covering only five counties) and held out no hope for expansion. Bro. Crocker was an ideal friend and brother, clean and true ; a holy man in all manner of conversation. He possessed the "wisdom which is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy:" a man of prayer, imitating his Lord with child-like faith and beautiful simplicity. He was a fine preacher, a close student, an expositor of no mean ability, as his little books on "Daniel" and "Rev- 104 FROM SADDLE TO CITY elation" abundantly show. He excelled as a pastor, succeeded in every charge he served. The rich and the poor, the learned and the unlearned alike claimed him as a friend, and delighted in his preach- ing because they knew him in the home. He died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Mo- reau Blackwell, in Northumberland County June 27, 1901. He was nearly 76 years of age. Rev. Dr. Wm. G. Starr, in the Memoir of Bro. Crocker, read at the session of Conference held in Trinity Church, Newport News, November, 1901, describing the last illness "of this ascended minis- ter, says ; "During his last illness, he remarked to an at- tendant at the bed-side : 'Only the body dies. I will leave that behind me. It is so weak and help- less now. It is drifting away from me. It will soon go ashore in the graveyard, but I shall be with God.' Only two hours before his death, he exclaimed: T feel that a wonderful change has taken place in my flesh. The physical fact I cannot account for, but it seems as if the sweet peace of God has taken absolute possession of both body and soul.' He refused to use an opiate which was adminis- tered to alleviate pain when death drew near, be- cause, as he said, 'I want my mind to be clear so that I can understand everything around me as I go gliding out of this world into the next.' When the end came he was ready to go over and rest with God. As the chill of death crept up BY BUGGY, BOAT^AND RAILWAY 105 from feet to heart, he was heard to say, 'The arms of my Father are strong enough to carry me through the valley of death;' and again, 'They are calling me across the narrow stream ; many voices are calling me; I am going home to meet the friends who are waiting for me on the other side.' And so, with the world behind him and heaven in full view, this saintly man of God met the hour of his translation as calmly as might an arch- angel returning from his post of duty to make re- port of the work he had wrought in building a new world for the glory of Christ Jesus the Lord." When the Northern Neck was re-incorporated with the Randolph-Macon District at this Con- ference Dr. Leonidas Rosser became my Presid- ing Elder for the second time, he having served the District in 1873-4. He gave me many a profit- able hour as we travelled together up and down the Northern Neck. His long itinerant life had furnished him with an inexhaustible store of very interesting material. His cheerfulness was nat- ural, perennial, contagious. His constructive method of teaching the fundamentals of Method- ism was very helpful to the young preacher who sat by his side and permitted the trustworthy horse to find his own way. Often he selected a tedious journey as the occasion for a sermon, and preached it as we went. I "hid these things in my heart" and head. Once upon a time, in a hot August pe- riod, I trarvelled all night in my buggy from the King George parsonage to Marvin Grove Camp- 106 FROM SADDLE TO CITT meeting arriving at the breakfast hour. L-Iearirig that I had come he came to the Preachers' Tent and informed me that I must preach at 3 o'clock that day! I protested that I could not, on ac.:ount of my all-night drive, face a congregation for any profitable results. He replied, "O yes, you can: you know the hour; you can prepare while rest- ing from now till then, six hours." "Well, doctor," said I, "If you will not release me I shall be com- pelled to use one of those good sermons you have been giving me in our travels." He replied, "That settles it ; but it will be a very unwise thing to do," and left me without another word. So, therefore, recalling the story which I had heard when a boy, of one of our preachers who used Bishop Early's sermon in the Uishop s pres- ence at a camp-meeting, I set my mer.;ory to work to reproduce Dr. Rosser's sermon on the text, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved." As I faced the congregation he sat on my right, and watched me with ill-concealed astonishment when I announced the text. As I proceeded to develop the thoughts indicated in the anahsis, just as he had done as we travelled the sandy roads of King and Queen County, his" interest, either in the des- perate young preacher, or in the ian'.iliar method of discussion, quickened, so that I could feel the cut of his eagle eye to the very center of my being. At the end of the service, which was, of course, without results, I turned to find him standing just behind me. I extended my hand, and said, "Doc- BT BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 107 tor, I did the best I could." He replied, "Yes, you did well ; and used my material. You are the most impudent preacher on my district," and turning, left me there waist deep in a flood of mixed emo- tions that almost swept me oflf my feet. I drove into the parsonage yard on a certain day and found him there just arrived from somewhere. My buggy was loaded with good things the peo- ple had given me. He examined the supplies mi- nutely, and then lifting his hands above his head, cried out, "Aaron with the golden calf!" Said I, "And who are you?" "Moses on the mountain with the Lord!" "Ah!" said I, "Moses fasted forty days : you seem to be hungry, doctor ; share with Aaron and his family these good things the. people of God have sent, anticipating your need." He laughed aloud at the simplicity of my answer, and replied, "I will indeed." The average congregatioii seldom thought in the rich, logical lines along which he delighted to lead them ; hence in the first few days of his great- est meetings, the interest lagged. But, after that, certain folks began to see a master in the pulpit, and the tide began to rise. Crowds filled our largest churches, and in the end, with mighty spir- itual power, he gathered the best elements of the community into the Church. He was a great preacher because he was a great expounder of the Word of God, and had unlimited faith in the prom- ise of the Holy Spirit to own the Word. He died at Ashland, Va., January the 2Sth, 1892. 108 TEOM SADDLE TO CITT "For thirty-six years he was a Trustee of Ran- dolph-Macon College. Educated himself, he was fully enlisted in the educational work of the Church. He was a regular attendant upon the sessions of the Board, participated in its discussions, entered heartily into its plans, and did faithfully what- ever duties were assigned him." He was the Elijah of the Church of the New Tes- tament, the grey eagle of the Conference, at home on the peaks of an exalted Christian experience; never at rest till he had carried his congregation to Pisgah's summit ; mighty in prayer and at the altar with a struggling penitent. He was a cul- tured preacher of great power, whose elegant dic- tion and finished periods cut their way to convic- tion, and then pointed the trembling sinner, in high life as well as low, to "the Lamb of God" as the remedy for acknowledged sin. I saw life as a minister of the Gospel in its real- ity in King George. In Northumberland I had "plain sailing with fair breezes,'' as the waterman would say. In Ring George head winds prevailed. But, by the grace of God I did not drift : I an- chored my craft in the haven of changeless truth. When compelled to put to sea, I gave the helm to Christ, and rode out the storm. Dropping the fig- ure, let me say ; — vice prevailed and was unblush- ing in its boasting and threats. I realized in ex- perience that no man knows the power of Divine grace to direct, to vitalize human determination to BY BUGGY, BOAT AND HAII-WAY 109 win, and to defend, and to deliver, till he is com- pelled, by the taunts of enemies and the weakness of some who claimed to be friends of right, to trust it altogether. As a true minister I had fre- quently to stand out in conflict, with a few faith- ful men and women, and wage a losing fight. The men in authority, from the highest to the lowest, were against civic righteousness, took sides with the liquor power, the gamblers, and other lawless elements : called in question our motives and be- labored me with infamous epithets. This was not at all to my liking, but I held on to the end, and God greatly blessed my labors in adding to the church about 260 souls, and building up the peo- ple in vital religion and solid morality. On the 10th day of July 1880, our fourth child was born, and sunshine flooded the parsonage again. We named her Carrie Weldon, for her Great-grandmother Mrs. Caroline Waller, and her Great-grandmothers Mrs. Caroline Waller, and Mary Elizabeth Weldon. She was quite an in- dependent Miss, and ruled the family from the be- ginning of her interesting career. She is now Mrs. John T. Fitzpatrick, of Nelson county, Va., and the mother of three splendid children. The Conference of 1880 met in Main Street Church, Danville, Va., Nov. 17th-23rd, Bishop Keener presiding. Virginia was blessed with a glorious Autumn. Balmy breezes, clear skies, fine roads, g'ood crops, a great abundance of fruit. 110 FEOM SADDLE TO CITT made a happy prosperous people. Some com- plained, but they were chronic grumblers, to whom the good Lord had failed to commit the job of run- ning the government of the world. I had closed a good year, and, in gladness of heart, planned a visit to my grand-father's. Rev. John Gregory Claiborne, in Brunswick county, one hundred and forty-eight miles through the country with my wife and four children. Brother Robert Marshall, of Grace church, father of the noble wife of Rev. W. L. Ware, of our Conference, loaned me an extra horse to help "Frank" draw the load. A right merry time we had all along the way, after we got fairly started. My route lay across the ferry at Port Conway, on through Bowling Green and Milford to the Old Telegraph Road, and then by that road to Richmond and Petersburg. At the very outset our plan was upset. A strong wind was blowing right down the Rap- pahannock. We got the team and carriage into the ferry-boat and started across. We had gone scarcely a hundred yards when one of the great oars, called "a sweep," broke in two, leaving us with all that precious cargo of wife and children, and horses and carriage drifting at the mercy of wind and tide. However, skillful management brought the boat safely back to King George shore, but about a half a mile down the river, in a gentle- man's field. Then we had to drive up the river road, 25 miles BY BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 111 to Fredericksburg and cross the river at that point on Scott's Bridge. This threw us off our Bowling Green road several miles, so that night found us at Dr. W. J. Hancock's near Thornsburg in Spotsylvania county. The next morning we struck the Telegraph road near by, and stopped at a big grove near Ruther Glenn in which stood a brick church owned and occupied by the Baptists. Here we got good wate.r and ate our dinner. The children made much of our resting place, and trans- formed the sojourn of an hour into a period of frolic. We then, refreshed and in fine trim pushed on across the North Anna, the Middle and the South Anna, rivers to Richmond, arriving after dark. We found the residence of Dr. John J. Lafferty on Leigh St., and received a hilarious wel- come from the doctor and his household. They were not expecting us, but the suddenness of our coming, and the number of children we unloaded in front of his home, seemed to bewitch the entire company of Laffertys, and gave both wife and me the feeling that we were sorry we had not done that deed before. Next morning, Saturday, we left the gracious hospitality with regret, and ar- rived at my Uncle's, (Dr. John Herbert Claiborne) in Petersburg about 1 P. M. Monday morn- ing we began the last leg of our long drive to my Grand-father's arriving there late in a drizzling rain. Excepting the last ten miles of the one hun- dred and forty-eight, the children made merry of 112 FROM SADDLE TO CITY the trip. Whenever they became tired of the car- riage we put them out, (except the baby,) in the road to run and play, to chase the birds, to find now and then a gushing spring of clear, cold water, then to get back into the carriage to fall asleep quickly from sheer exhaustion. Thus for three days and a half we travelled, and not even the five months old baby, Carrie Weldon, put up the lux- ury of a real first class cry or whine. When we disembarked that Monday night, just when dark- ness made driving over a twisting country road both difficult and dangerous, I told the weary little folks that they were at "Roslin," the place of my birth, and of their grand-mother's birth and child- hood's home, the only one who was wide awake enough to appreciate the situation and the romance of it, said, as he staggered up the pathway lead- ing to the front porch, "I don't care ; I want to go to bed now." Leaving my family at "Roslin" on the morning of the 16th of November, I took the train at what is now Blackstone for Danville where Conference assembled the next day. Bishop John C. Keener Presided. Paul White- head was elect-Secretary, and Peter A. Peterson and Geo. C. Vanderslice, Assistants. The entire session was marked by interesting items. On motion of P. A. Peterson, "A memorial service for Bishop David S. Doggett" was "held at 2 P. M., on Sunday," and, at the request of the BY BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 113 Conference, Rev. R. N. Sledd, D. D., delivered an eloquent sermon on the occasion. Among the Deacons ordained at this session we find the names of T. O. Edwards, J. W. StifJ, R. O. Payne, W. T. Green, W. T. Williams, A. A. Jones, W. W. Sawyer, W. F. Davis and J. B. Askew. Those ordained Elder were R. M. Chandler, J. T. Mastin, J. M. Burton, N. B. Foushee, W. H. Edwards, W. O. Waggener, S. H. Johnson, W. E. Evans, N. J. Pru- den, C. D. Crawley, B. F. Lipscomb, and W. R. Smithey. All these are brethren beloved, who have wrought well in every field to which the au- thorities have sent them. Some of them have gone to "the great reward," the others are among us yet, "serving their generation by the will of God." The following in regard to "the proper date of the beginning of the sessions of the Virginia Con- ference," is of special interest. The paper was of- fered by A. G. Brown, from the Committee ap- pointed at the last Conference to investigate and report. Whereas, we believe that the sessions of our Con- ference should be numbered from the first meeting after the organization of the M. E. Church by the Christmas Conference of 1784; and whereas, its first session thereafter was duly appointed and held by Bishops Coke and Asbury, at the house of Mr. Mason, Brunswick County, Va., May, 1785; and whereas, from that day to this, a session thereof has been held in regular succession, year 114 FEOM SADDLE TO CITT after year, with in the geographical limits assigned to it by the General Conference of 1796, except as to the years 1791 and 1841, when changes in the time for the meeting of Conference made it neces- sary to hold two sessions in each of these calendar years ; Therefore, Resolved, That the Secretary of the Conference be, and he is hereby instructed to conform the Con- ference Journal to these historical facts, numbering this as the Ninety-eighth Session of the Virginia Annual Conference M. E. Church, South. W. W. Bennett, J. B. Dey and J. D. Blackwell cfifered a paper on Friday, Nov. 19th, which was read ; and, on motion, it was laid upon the table for the present, and ordered to be printed. On Tues- day, 23rd, it was taken from the table, and after some discussion, was adopted as a whole, under the operation of the previous question, moved by J. E. Edwards. Its contents are so vital, as indicating the views of the majority of the Conference forty-one years ago, that I desire to aid in its preservation by in- serting it at this place. "Whereas, the work of Methodism for above a hundred years, fully attests its value as one of the branches of the Church ' of Christ on earth ; and whereas, we believe that no changes can ever oc- cur in the social, intellectual or moral condition of mankind to demand a departure from the essential BY BUGGT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 115 doctrines and features of the system; and whereas, there exists in the minds of many of our people a fear lest Methodism should drift from its anchor- age in the great principles held and practiced by our fathers, lose its efficiency, and fail in its work by a gradual departure from the premises on which it has achieved its grand results ; and where- as, the Virginia, one of the original Conferences in America, is Convinced that the success of our Church has been due to a clear apprehension of the value of the following leading principles of the system, and a steady adherence to them — to wit : 1. A ministry experimentally religious, thor- oughly sound in Christian doctrine and entirely consecrated to the work of preaching the Gospel on the Methodist plan. 2. A membership soundly converted, carefully trained in the doctrines and duties of religion, and completely separated from the world in spirit and practice. 3. An itinerant system of supplying the people with the Word of Life, wisely, firmly, and impar- tially administered in all its departments, so as to secure to every field the preacher best suited in all respects to cultivate and develop it as a part of the Lord's vineyard; therefore, , Resolved, That we feel bound by our sacred ob- ligations to the great Head of the Church, who has called us out of darkness into light, and counted us worthy, puttirig us into the ministry, to use our 116 TEOM SADDLE TO CITT Utmost efforts to ground Methodist people deeply in the doctrines held by our Church, and to urge them to a complete separation in spirit and prac- tice from the world, and to constant and careful cultivation of family and social religion. 2. Resolved, That we recognize the wisdom of the principles on which our itinerancy is based — to wit, the surrender of natural rights both on the part of the ministry and the laity, of the former to choose their charges, and of the latter to choose their pastors, and the reference of this extremely delicate matter to the General Superintendents of the Church, to be decided by them in the fear of God and according to the best lights before them, without improper interference either on the part of preacher or people ; that this plan, distributing as it does the varied talents of the whole body of travelling preachers to every part of the entire work, and recognizing no class as entitled to spe- cial places or special favors, and never leaving a church without a pastor, has in it excellences and advantages fully attested by the unprecedented success of Methodism in every part of the world, and has so positively commended itself to the best minds in other Churches that they are seeking by evangelism -fo engraft it upon the congregational system; that we feel that any departure from this time-honored and heaven-approved plan, would be the opening of our system to an antagonistic prin- ciple which would in a shorter time than we may suppose result in the obliteration of one of the BY BUGGT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 117 marked features of Methodism, and necessitate what would be probably a fatal change. 3. Resolved, That we fully recognize the wis- dom of the fathers of our Church as shown in the method of administering the itinerant system, and feel assured that a wise, firm and impartial distribution of the ministerial talent of the Church, under this system, keeping in view the size and de- mand of the families of the preachers for a fair support and for educational facilities for their children, though it may work in some cases hard- ships, self-sacrifice, and even suffering, will re- ceive the cordial approval of all who, in the true spirit of Methodist preachers, have given them- selves to this work; for no such system can be successful without serious personal inconven- iences ; but these are nothing when compared with the general benefits secured to preachers and people. 4. Resolved, That we are convinced that the office of Presiding Elder is of. great value to the Church, and we have not been able to see what substitute for it can be introduced into our system which would equally as well meet the demands of our work ; that in full accord with the teachings of MtKendree, Soule, and other illustrious Meth- odist leaders, we look upon the Presiding Elders as sub-bishops, representing in their districts the General Superintendents, who are charged with the careful and faithful administration of all mat- ters essential to the success of Methodism in every 118 FROM SADDLE TO CITT part of our work; and in this view of the case, we feel that this most valuable office demands the very best talent that our ministry can furnish, men in all respects qualified to take charge of our Districts and to oversee personally and conduct to complete success, all the work of the Church com- mitted to their care. 5. Resolved, That we will earnestly strive to awaken all our people to the work of the Church in every department, especially the great work of missions, of education, and the circulation of a sound religious literature, and thus secure the el- evation of our people to a higher plane of spir- itual life, and bring each one of them to a life- long effort in the work of 'spreading scriptural holiness over these lands'; thus retaining for our cherished Methodism, to the latest generation, that high title conferred by the great Chalmers — 'Christianity in earnest.' " P. A. Peterson, J. D. Southall, J. E. Edwards and A. G. Brown offered the following paper on the evening of the last day. J. J. LafiE.erty moved that it be laid on the table, but the motion was lost. Here is the paper, and there was a warrn discus- sion over the contents. "Whereas, it is deemed expedient to divide the Virginia Conference so as to make two Conferences ; therefore. Resolved, That a committee of three cler- ical and two lay members of this Conference be appointed to consider this matter, and re- BY BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 119 port to the next Conference a plan for said di- vision." The Board of Missions reported having received the past, year For Domestic Missions $4,409.62 For Foreign Missions 7,419.69 Total $11,829.31 The following in regard to Dr. W. W. Royall may be of interest to his many friends and brethren both in the ministry and laity of our Conference. On motion of P. A. Peterson, this paper was adopted : — Whereas, since the last session of our Confer- ence one of our number, Rev. W. W. Royall, has been accepted by the parent Board of Missions as a Missionary to China, and is at this time on his journey to that distant land ; therefore Resolved, That we profoundly sympathize with the spirit of devotion to the spiritual welfare of the heathen evinced by Brother Royall; and that we will follow him with our prayers for the blessing of God upon his labors, and for the protection and preservation of himself and family." Another item of interest just at this time when all who knew him are lamenting the death of Dr. John Hannon is the following: "In answer to question 6, Bishop Keener an- nounced the transfer of John Hannon from the Louisana Conference to this Conference." Bro. Hannon had been transferred to the Baltimore 120 FROM SADDLE TO CITT Conference from our Conference in Nov. 1872, and stationed at Warrenton, Va. Returning to Blackstone after Conference ad- journed I found my little family at the Nottoway parsonage, then occupied by Rev. J. C. Reed. This is the first time I had ever been thrown with Brother Reed, and we have been warm friends ever since. No man ever had a truer friend than I have found him, and my wife has had a very pro- found regard for the entire household since that bitter cold day when Brother Reed's first wife and children ushered that cold bunch of travellers into a warm room where a blazing fire started the sluggish blood through frozen (arteries till the laughter and stories of the dreadful trip took the place of tears. The next morning, leaving Bro. Reed making preparations for moving to Peters- burg, where he had been sent to the pastorate of High St. Church, we went on as far as Mr. Charles Harris's near Wilson Depot, where Mrs. Geo. F. Swann, my wife's stepmother, had her temporary home. From thence we travelled to Ettrick, a suburb of Petersburg, to the parsonage of Rev. Jos. R. Sturgis, taking with us my wife's half sister, Annie Swann, as a choice addition to our family. The weather was very cold. Upon the snow already on the ground, a cold drizzle had formed a sleet, which made travel very disagree- able. One of the children was sick, and Sturgis had sickness in his home. Times were out of joint. Yet Sturgis and his good wife, did all they BT BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 121 could to give us the spirit of content and help to keep it alive. Sturgis permitted me to preach for his people twice on Sunday, and took that service as pay for the board of part of my gang, whilst Bro. Wheary, (who by the way, was the father of the wife of Rev. N. J. Pruden,) housed my boy Her- bert and myself, and furnished stable room and feed for the horses. My Uncle, Dr. John Herbert Claiborne, having been called in to see our sick child, decided that it would be unwise for my family to travel by pri- vate conveyance the eighty-five miles to Fred- ericksburg. Therefore I departed on Tuesday, leaving Sturgis to send them to me on Thursday, December the first. I met them at the station, and after lunch, hastened on across the river, and down the Neck, twenty-two miles to the King George parsonage, arriving at almost the close of day. The next day, Friday Dec. 2nd, winter began in earnest, (hitherto it had only threatened,) and continued, with very few moderate days, till late in March. This was the commencement of my fourth year in King George. Dr. Leonidas Rosser was re- moved from the District, and Rev. Dr. J. P. Gar- land placed on the work in his stead. Dr. Gar- land came to us from that magnificent church, Market Street, Petersburg. He became my trusted friend and adviser from the time he first entered my home to the end. He was very cordial. His generous view of men 122 FEOM gADDLE TO CITT and movements, his strong devotion to the doc- trines and discipline of the Church, impressed me greatly. Some, who think they knew him, may not agree with me in this view, but I am giving my estimate of the man after the closest possible in- tercourse for a number of years. He was with me on occasions when my courage was severely tested, and, by his firm stand, made me brave to do that which I might not have done if I had had a less courageous supporter. The result was, cer- tain troublesome men and women were excluded from the Church, and Methodism and your speaker made stronger in all that region. I never saw him weaken but once. It was in February, 1881. The Rappahannock was frozen over from Fredericksburg to Chesapeake Bay. Dr. Garland was on his first visit to the churches of the Northern Neck, and his fitjst appointment over there was my First Quarterly Conference on King George circuit. I met him in Port Royal and pushed him across the river in a chair on the ice. I had on my best skates. He presented an absurd picture of fear and melancholy as he took his seat in the chair with his grip in his lap, and gazed across at the other shore, half a mile away. As he sat waiting for me to tighten my skates for the run, he remarked, in droll but honest conviction, "I may never see my family again, but I am trying to meet my appointments.'' I could not resist the temptation to be a little merry, and replied, "You 123 will soon be a sliding Elder indeed." He noticed the remark, and said, "You don't seem to realize the seriousness of the situation, bait some men are made that way." We reached the Port Conway side of the river safely. At Bro. Ham Stiff's store I had another thrill ready for him. My horse was there hitched in a pair of shafts, and these shafts were shackled to a strong set of sleigh runners. On these run- ners I had fastened a large dry-goods box, in which was a comfortable seat for two persons, and a good supply of warm buggy blankets. Dr. Gar- land examined the outfit critically, then, looking me full in the face, "Bro. Butts, how far is it to your parsonage?" I replied, "Seven miles." With a pathetic emphasis that no printed words can con- vey he asked, "Am I to ride in that thing?" I re- plied, "Yes,^Doctor, it brought me here: it will certainly take us both back." As he took his seat in the box, he said, with profound seriousness, "I hope this method of conveyance on the District is out of the usual, at least as far as I am concerned." The ride to the parsonage was without incident. The roads were as slick as a thick coating of ice could make them, and the horse swift and full of the spirit of his mission. There was no "let dov/n" in "Frank" when he felt the weight of a new Pre- siding Elder fresh from the pastorate of a great city church. The Quarterly Conference was held the next day, 124 FROM SADDLE TO CITY Saturday, at Trinity church, at the Court House village. He preached finely in the same church Sunday morning and at Union in the afternoon. He made a good impression on both congrega- tions both in the pulpit and socially. We spent the night at Bro. Isaiah Hayes's hospitable home, where I was counted as one of the family. The next morning young Robert Baker, Brother Gar- land and I, with Brother Hayes as our driver, set out, in a cariage drawn by two horses, twenty miles down the Northern Neck to Montross over a road covered with ice and snow the entire distance. We left him at Bro. Hutt's in good hands. When we were ready to depart on our return trip the same day, he said, "I have survived my trials since Fri- day: I think I can live through the winter." I have already said the winter of 1880-81 was a hard winter. The snow and ice covered the ground from Dec. 2nd till the last weeTc in March. The Rappahannock did not open for traffic till about the same time, although the Baltimore steamers, which had been tied the whole winter did cut their way through for a trip a week in February; sail vessels found it very dangerous till April. The country mails were greatly demoralized. The heavy "through mail service" was abandoned en- tirely, and was banked up in Fredericksburg and Tappahannock, awaiting a time when wagons could be used for transportation. The work of the churches was seriously handicapped. But with BY BUOGT, BOAT AND EAILWAY 125 the aid of the faithful few the Sunday Schools and congregations were kept at work the whole year round, as usual. A story I omitted to relate in its place can be easily inserted here, because it occurred on this charge. The District Conference of 1872 was held at Union Church. Rev. W. F. Bain was the pastor, and Rev. Joseph H. Davis was Presiding Elder. Dr. Jas. A. Duncan attended the conference and preached on Thursday afternoon a sermon which greatly impressed the large congregation which as- sembled under the arbor to hear the great preacher. His text was "The same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him." I had preached at 11 A. M., but after Dr. Duncan's wonderful effort, the con- gregation forgot that such an one as I had ever stood on that platform, except one good old Bap- tist brother. A few days after the conference this old gentleman, beloved of everybody in the neigh- borhood, went to Lewis Jones's store at Shiloh. Bro. Jones said, "Uncle Johnnie, I have not seen you since the District Conference : how did you like the preaching?" Uncle Johnnie replied, "I didn't hear but two sermons ; that young preacher Thursday morning, and the other one in the a.fter- noon. That young preacher used so many big words and climbed so high, I never did know what he was talking about. But, when the' other man preached after dinner. Dr. Somebody, I dunno who, he was just my kind, and I understood him from the 126 FROM SADDLE TO CITY time he started twell he finished. I never did hear no such preaching as that before, and I never ex- pect to hear nothing like it again. It done tny soul good." And so when I heard the story some months later I made up my mind that God's old saints should never complain against me again for using big words and "climbing." Uncle Johnnie Owen's sermon delivered in Jones's store had laid bare some of the faults of one young fooL The Conference having ended I made prepara- tions to go to the session in Charlottesville. Dr. Garland was delighted with the reports handed in at the Fourth Quarterly Conference held at Union Church, and declared, after he had heard the fare- well words of the preacher and the stewards, that "This has been a busy session which has ended in a Love Feast." BY BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY, 127 CHAPTER V. THE CONFERENCE OF 1881 AND MIDDLE- SEX CIRCUIT. The Conference of 1881 met in Charlottesville, Va., Nov. 16-21. Bishop Holland N. McTyeire, D. D., presided. At its close I w^as sent to the Mid- dlesex circuit as the successor of Rev. M. S. Co- lonna, the father of our Dr. M. S. Colonna and of Mr. W. B. Colonna of Newport News. Rev. Thos. H. Boggs succeeded me in King George : — his sec- ond term on that work, to the delight of hundreds of the people of that county who loved this modest Christian gentleman and faithful pastor. I had served three charges in the Northern Neck through a period of ten years. I had become at- tached to the people in that section, not only in the congregations I had served, but to numbers of the people on the other charges. I had assisted my brethren in revival work at every church between the Potomac and the Rappahannock rivers, and had been entertained in the homes of some of "the salt of the earth." And annually at Marvin Grove for four years, (or each year since the establish- ment of that great Methodist Institution in 1878,) we had met to hear the word preached, to tell, in 128 r FEOM SADDLE TO CITT experience meetings, of the mercies of the Lord, to help with our prayers and private counsel any who might be "seeking the Lord while he might be found," and rejoicing together over the victories of the uplifted Cross. I had formed many strong ties of friendship which have lasted to this day. Strong men and splendid women stood with me throughout all this period. I had baptized hun- dreds of Adults and Infants, married scores of couples, ministered to the sick and bereaved, and buried their dead. The entire section from a few miles inside of Stafford county to the Chesapeake Bay, and from river to river was engraven on my heart, and written into the warp and woof of my life, as historic scenes in Oriental tapestry. It seemed to me that I was "leaving home" when I bade farewell to the Northern Neck and boarded the Weems Line Steamer that would take me down the Rappahannock nearly to its mouth and land me on the south side in a strange land, among people I had never seen before. Brother Eddie Brown, father of the wife of Rev. Chas. H. Williams, of our Conference* was the last one of our dear friends over there from whom we parted. He car- ried the last load of my freight to Port Conway, and was about to leave for his home when I and my family arrived at the wharf. He bade my wife and children farewell as best he could, for his emo- tions were fast reaching the flood stage. When he and I grasped hands we lookd into each other's face, and realizing in the depths of our souls the BY BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 129 mutual sorrow, we turned away in tears, neither saying a word! We had parted with Brother Isaiah Hayes' fam- ily early that day. Brother and Sister Hayes had, from the first, received me and mine into the home as "a part of the brood." The children loved me with a sincerity which could never be translated into human tongue. Ed Whitehouse and Hattie Hayes I had united in the holy bond of marriage, and they have always occupied a warm place in the esteem of both myself and wife. The Hayeses were Pennsylvanians, and Ed was a down east Maine Yankee, whilst I was an "unreconstructed Virginia Rebel," yet it can hardly be said that more devoted friends could be found anywhere than that devout, intelligent, unpretentious family. In an- other place I have spoken of the singular ties that bind us to each other : I will add only this ;> — through the years agone we have never failed to exchange visits at longer, or shorter periods as Providence opened the way. And it will be thus "till death us do part !" The Conference was, as usual, a very busy ses- sion. Delegates to the General Conference of 1882 were elected, and this took up much time. It was a strong delegation, composed of the best minds of the church, consecrated men whose work on hard fields in other days had contributed to the spread of Methodism in the state. On the first ballot W. W. Bennett, R. N. Sledd, John E. Edwards, and John C. Granbery were elected. There was no 130 FROM SADDLE TO CITY election on the second and third ballots, so in order to save time, S. S. Lambeth offered the following, which was adopted : "Resolved, That if, on the next ballot, there shall be an election of the two clerical representatives yet remaining to be chosen, the three next highest in the vote to those elected shall be declared re- serves to serve in the order of their votes, respect- ively, in case any of the clerical representatives shall be unable to attend the next session of the General Conference.'' The same resolution was adopted in regard to the Lay delegates. On the Fourth ballot J. D. Blackwell, and Peter A. Peterson were elected, and E. P. Wilson, Paul Whitehead and A. G. Brown were chosen as re- serves. The Lay delegation was just as representative of the piety and wisdom of the Conference, as fol- lows :.— W. W. Walker, Geo. M. Bain, Jr., Richard Pollard, F. H. Smith, Richard Irby, and L. L. Marks, with T. B. Hamlin, M. H. Garland and Thos. Branch as reserves. W. W. Bennett from the Committee appointed at the last Conference to report a plan for division of the territory of this Conference so as to form two Conferences, made a report which was adopted "unanimously," as follows : — "Resolved, That in the judgment of this Con- ference, unless by a readjustment of the Confer ence boundaries we can secure an accession of ter- BY BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 131 fitory, there is no line by which to effect an equable and judicious division of the Virginia Conference territory into two Conferences." A substitute was offered by J. H. Amiss and J. E. McSparren, but it was defeated, after full discus- sion. J. B. Askew, R. F. Gayle and J. S. Wallace .were admitted into full connection. Brothers Gayle, Wallace, J. M. Campbell, J. W. Carroll, W. E. Grant, and J. T. Routten were ordained to the order of Deacons. Bro. Askew was already a Local Dea- con. J. W. S. Robbins, John O. Moss, W. H. Rid- dick, T. McN. Simpson, T. P. Duke, R. B. Scott, A. B. Warwick, R. B. Blakenship, A. J. Bradshaw and R. H. Younger were ordained Elders. The following paper in the regard to the re- tirement of Dr. L. M. Lee from the "active work of the ministry" was reported by Dr. A. G. Brown, from the Committee appointed for the purpose, and adopted: "Deeply regretting that his failing health has made it necessary for Dr. Lee to retire from the active work of the ministry, to which his life has been devoted for more than half a century, there- fore Resolved, That his venerable age and the dis- tinguished ability, fidelity and success with which he has served the Church as preacher, editor and author, endear him very tenderly to our hearts, and justly entitle him to the warmest gratitude as well 132 FROM SADDLE TO CITY as the generous sympathy and care of his breth- ren. Resolved, That carrying into his retirement a spotless reputation, as wide as the domain of M'Cth- odism, if the providence of God should not permit him to be present at the future sessions of this Body, with which he has been so closely identi- fied for fifty-three years, we will ever hold him in loving and grateful remembrance, and will fer- vently pray that the period of his retirement may be as peaceful as his active life has been laborious and useful." Here is an item of business which reads strange to the men who lived to see the great Bishop and leader of the Southern Methodist Church at the summit of his career: "Dr. A. W. Wilson, Missionary Secretary of the M. E. Church, South, made a short address to the Conference." Upon the adjournment of Conference I returned to King George and completed arrangements al- ready begun for moving. Boarding the Weems Line Steamer at Port Conway with my family, (which consisted of wife, four children, my wife's brother, (Bascom Swann,) arid sister, ;(Annie,) on Thursday, Dec. 1st, at 6 P. M., we began the tedious trip down the Rappahannock rii^er to West Urbanna wharf. The steamer "tied up," as usual, at Leedstown for the night, and resumed the voy- age Friday morning at 4 o'clock, landing us at West Urbanna at about 3 P. M. We were met by 133 Bro. Thos. G. Jones, Commonwealth's Attorney and Steward at Forest Chapel and taken care of that night in his hospitable home near by. Our brother, Bascom Swann went on to the parson- age at Saluda with the baggage. The next day, Saturday Dec. 3rd, I moved my tribe to the par- sonage. We found the house open, and a good fire burning brightly, but provisions as scarce as money. The people were prepared to meet us the day before, but we had disappointed them by stop- ping at Urbanna. However, with a brave and eco- nomical wife, I took up the work, made myself fa- miliar with our surroundings, and hoped for the best. It all came in good time. Good neighbors called and made themselves acquainted, and we called and found a field that invited honest toil and promised good results. Congregations were large but backward in many of the things which go to make up a strong church. The liquor element was in control, and vital Christianity known to a few faithful people who gave me unqualified sup- port when they learned that I purposed to wage a relentless war on the traffic. The year, was spent in righting wrongs in the Church, and placing em- phasis on experimental religion as the only cure for our troubles. He who, with a steady hand and anxious heart, has tried to purge the Church, knows I had no easy task. And he knows, also, that I made enemies. The circuit had one of the best Official Boards I had met up to that time. Thos. K. Savage, Dr. 134 FEOM SADDLE TO CITY Wm. F. Bland, Dr. Jas. E. Bland, T. M. Wyatt, M. P. Maxwell, T. G. Jones, J. H. Archibald, R. T. Bowden, John L. Groom, Jos. Milby, Wm. Palmer, Wm. R. Segar, B. B. Button, Southey Grinnells, and Ed Moffitt. These men stood by me in my work, and carried cheerfully their share of the burden. Besides these there were scores in the Church who were strong for the truth. And in- numerable women, inspired by a strong faith, added their invaluable influence to the cause of vital re- ligion. The circuit was composed of seven churches, namely : — New Hope and Old Church in King and Queen, St. Andrews in Gloucester, Hopewell, For- est Chapel, Lower Church and Clarksbury in Mid- dlesex. There was a mid-week appointment at Urbanna, with a strong constituency, but no church building. The pastoral' work extended from Bro. Savage's above Little Plymouth to six miles below St. Andrews : and from "Montagues" in Essex to "Stingray Point," Middlesex Co. at the mouth of the Rappahannock river, at Chesapeake Bay. There were about five hundred members in this territory, covering thirty-five miles north- west and south-east, and twenty miles east and west from Urbanna to Dudley's Ferry, opposite West Point. There were in the limits of this charge eight Baptist churches with an aggregate membership of about fifteen hundred. So the Methodist circuit rider was "up against it," as the saying' goes, so far as the question of water is con- BV BtfGGf , feOAf AKD SAfLWAf 135 cerned. But I had a great many warm friends in that church who co-operated with me in my work for Christ and good morals. I began my pulpit work on the charge at New Hope and St. Andrews on Sunday Dec. 4th, 1881, and kept on the move till November 1885. In July, 1882, the Presiding Elder, Dr. Garland, sent me a Helper in the person of Rev. E. P. Par- ham, a Local Preacher of Sussex Co. He proved to be a pious, studious, prudent, and energetic young man, a good preacher and a faithful pastor. The Lord rewarded our labors that summer in the conversion of eighty souls. Bro. Parham labored with me on the charge till the next Conference, when he was received on Trial into the Travelling Connection, and sent to Chatham, Pittsylvania Co. He served the Church faithfully as long as his health permitted, was superannuated in 1914, and passed to his reward in heaven Nov. 5, 1918, leav- ing his church the legacy of a good name. On the 15th day of October, 1882, our fifth child, and second son, Emmet Dabney, was born. He still lives ; the comfort and strength of our advanc- ing years. He served his country as Sergt. -Ma- jor in the First Va. Infantry on the Mexican bor- der in 1916, and as First Lieut, of Artillery in the 42nd ("Rainbow") Division in France during the "World War." He is now in business in Richmond, Va. His only brother, sleeps in an honored soldier's grave in St. John's Cemetery, Hampton, Va. He 136 FROM SADDLE TO CITY went to France with the 60th Coast Artillery, "E" Co., 8-inch Howitzers, from Fort Monroe. Having been marked as "Expert Gunner" by the War De- partment, after a service of fifteen years in the Regular Army, he is made First Sergeant. On his arrival "Over Seas," he is detailed as Instructor in the Artillery School at Clermont-Ferrand, in the Province of Pay de Dome, and died there Oct. 22nd, 1918, of Bronchial-Pneumonia. His body was brought to this country in May, 1921, and deliv- ered to us in June. My beloved old Church, Cen- tral, Hampton, took charge of the funeral ceremo- nies on the 18th of June, and followed the precious remains to their last resting place. This is the boy who was born at King George Court House, April 14th, 1878, Herbert Swanri. Bro. Thos G. Jones, who received us at his home so graciously, was a sensible, broad-minded, de- voted Methodist, with a beautiful wife, who was a Miss Perciful, educated under Dr. Paul White- head at Murfreesboro Female College. He grad- uated in Law at Georgetown University at the age of twenty-six, came home and announced himself candidate for the office of Commonwealth's At- torney for the county, and was elected over Hon. A. Brown Evans and Robert McCandlish, combined. He served in this position forty-three years. He enjoyed the respect and confidence of the profes sion, as well as of the best element of his fellow- citizens. His usefulness as a Steward in the Meth- odist Church was recognized over the entire cir- BOAT AND RAILWAY 137 cuit, and his advice sincerely sought, and oftener than otherwise followed by the Preacher in Charge who valued the support, and trusted the leadership of such men. He passed away in 1912, lamented by the entire county. He was blest with a large fam- ily of attractive children, — four sons and four daughters. One of the girls is the wife of Rev. Otis M. Clarke of our Conference, another married a Mr. Motley at Sharpe's wharf, two are still un- married, and the fourth died a few years ago. One son. Dr. Percy Jones, married the daughter of Rev. R. F. Gayle, Lewis is Commonwealth Attorney of the county, Thos. G. jr., is a Banker in Urbanna, and Carey, the fourth, is a farmer. Another trusted official of the church was Bro. Muse Wyatt, the rugged conscientious, popular Druggist at Urbanna. Everybody liked him, and numbers loved him. He was level, square, and up- right in all his dealings with the people. He was a great lover of his Church, his home, his pastor, his business, and good eating. Big oysters and fat were his specialty, and many a time has this writer made a special visit to his home when notified that the luscious sea-food would grace the evening meal, and that no other dish would incumber the table to divert the guest's attention from the point of attack, or claim a share in the excitement of bat- tle and the shame of going down in utter defeat. Wyatt was my friend. When the end came the family sent to Princess Anne county for me to conduct the funeral services. I knew no more ap- 138 FROM SADDLE TO CITT propriate text for the occasion than "We believe, therefore have we spoken.'' It was in itself the content of an analysis of his faith and of his life, and many were kind enough to say that the choice was divinely directed. Lum Burton lived in Urbanna also, with a jolly wife and a set of lively children. Sparkling eyes, merry laughter, the rough and ready romp with anybody am' everybody placed the entire family in strange conlrast with quiet, easy-going Lum. And yet he was not altogether sedate. He knew a good joke and could tell it, as well as hear one told. He furnished by honest toil the means by which his home was free from care, and life, at its best, was the heritage of his children and the crown of the devoted woman who had given him her heart. Down on the creek at West Urbanna lived hon- est John Gayle, who gave a daughter to the Con- ference in the person of the wife of Rev. E. F. Garner. And the Chandlers were there on the creek, solid, dependable people, who loved God and blessed the community with good lives and strong faith. Higher up the creek lived Brother Blake and his wife, (sister of Mrs. Burton,) at the old Hackney home. These sisters were the daughters of Brother Hackney, for many years a steward at Forest Chapel. He died before my going to Mid- dlesex. There were others in the community, some Bap- tists, some Episcopalians, who won my esteem by their cordial and most appreciative attendance upon D. G. C. BUTTS, 1880. 139 my ministry, and their visits to my home. Dr. Wm. S. Christian, the courteous Christian gentleman and beloved country doctor. He was a leader among the Temperance forces of the county and the State, having been elected Grand Worthy Chief Templar of Good Templars of Virginia at least twice and perhaps oftener. Then there were the Marstons, the Bristows, Fitzhughs, and many others who brought me under lasting obligations by tender ministries and unaffected friendship . They sel- dom failed to honor my ministry with their pres- ence at my services, and showed in many v/ays their appreciation of my honest desire to give them the word of life. Ten miles above Urbanna, down near the river on an out-of-the-way road that skirted the farms of some of the most noted families of Virginia, (the Montagues in particular,) was old "Hopewell" ■ Church. The membership had either died, or moved away, or joined the Baptist Church. The building was in a sorry plight, and the few mem- bers left were not able nor willing to rebuild. Therefore, under the lead of Bro. Maxwell, (whose wife was also a Hackney,) a lot was secured, out on the main road from "Church View" to Essex near Jamaica, and "Bethel" Church was erected upon the site. M. P. Maxwell was a Steward at Forest Chapel, an industrious lumberman, and the people readily followed his wise, courageous and devoted leadership. Since then, 1884, a goodly membership has been gathered, and a flourish- 140 FROM SADDLE TO CITY ing Sunday School has confirmed the wisdom of Bro. Maxwell's undaunted and self-sacrificing pur- pose to build at that point, and sell the old Hope- well building. Bro. Fleet Lawson has become a worthy successor of the man who began the work. The building was completed in 1884, at a cost of about $1,800.00, (if my memory serves me right,) and dedicated by Rev. R. N. Sledd. About three miles above Saluda was Forest Chapel, the oldest established congregation in that part of the county. The Church was organized sometime between 1840 and 1844, for the records of the old Gloucester circuit for The First Quar- terly Conference of 1844, held at Bethlehem, Feb.' 10th, contains this note: "The preachers had gone over into Middlesex with Methodism." So the name "Gloucester-Middlesex Circuit" appears on the book for several years afterward, and the names of Robert Healy and Lewis Jones appear as having been elected stewards at that meeting. G. M. Keesee is Presiding Elder, and Kinchin Adams and Allen Carner are the preachers. Robt. Healy has grandchildren living yet in Middlesex. Lewis Jones was the father of T. G. Jones, already men- tioned in this narrative, and of Lewis Jones, Ex- Treasurer of the County and father of Ashby Jones, a recent addition to the Lower Church. A singular story is related of the coming of a Methodist Circuit Rider to Middlesex sometime in 1840. BY BtTGGT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 141 In the fall of 1840 the children attending the "Old Field School" located a short distance up the road from Forest Chapel, the Methodist place of worship, noticed a man in the church yard acting in a very peculiar way. As children will do when their curiosity is aroused, the whole school went down to the church in a body to see who the man was, and why he acted in such a very "funny way." When they reached the church yard the man got "down on all fours" and galloped around the church building several times, and then walked up to the group of astonished children standing there look- ing on, and told them his name was "Rev. Mr. Hun- nicut. Circuit Rider for Virginia,'' and that his cir- cuit was so large that he "had to date his preach- ing appointments six months ahead." And that six months before he had notified, some of the mem- bers of that church that he would "be there that day to preach, and he had found no one to hear him." He charged the children to "tell their parents what they had seen him do, and that he would be at that church six months hence, and preach." He told the children that he "wanted a congregation to hear him, and would depend on them to give the notice of that meeting six months hence." The time came and the preacher came with it on horse-back, with large saddle-bags strapped to his saddle. He found not only the members of the church, but every man, woman and child 142 FROM SADDLE TO CITY in the neighborhood had come out to hear this "curious old man" preach. I have been unable to locate this "Rev. Mr. Hun- nicut." There was a Rev. Mr. Hunnicut in West- moreland, who, just preceding the Civil War, es- tablished an appointment near Chilton's Cross Roads, and beg'an the erection of old Providence church. The work was abandoned when the war came on, but the appointment was taken up and carried on by the ministers on the Westmoreland circuit of our Conference. Bro. Walter C. Taylor, who was the first pastor of the "Montross circuit" in 1870, held a meeting there in the summer of 1871. When I went to the circuit in November 1871, the cfiurch building was a mere skeleton, and I held service every two weeks in a private house at the Cross Roads. In the summer of 1872 I succeeded in completing the church-building at a very small cost. A meeting held there by Rev. R. M. Chand- ler in 1873 resulted in many additions to the church. Whether the Hunnicut who started this building was the same one who created the unusual excite- ment at Forest Chapel in Middlesex in 1840, I know not. Dr. Wm. S. Christian, a sterling Christian gen- tleman and a Baptist, as well as a practicing Phys- ician in Middlesex several years ago, is responsible for the story of Hunnicut. He, with the curiosity BT BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 143 of the other folks, was one of the congregation that heard Hunnicut that day. Another interesting item is, that, while the Pub- lic Schools of the State were not organized until 1873 in Middlesex, this school near Forest Chapel was virtually a Public Free School. There were three of these "Free Schools" in the county, one in each Magisterial District. These schools were made up of all the white children of the neighbor- hood who desired an education. Those parents who were able paid the fee for tuition : while those who were unable to pay had the expense paid out of the "Poor Fund." This fund allowed the sum of 6 and J4 cents per day for tuition for each child. The teachers were generally bright young men from College who solicited the children's at- tendance in each district. Dr. Christian, at one time taught one of these schools. The teacher of the Forest Chapel School was a man named Mon- tague, who was preparing for the practice of Law. He was killed in battle during the Civil War, and was a member of Dr. (Col.) Christian's command. I am indebted to Mr. E. C. Perciful, formerly of Middlesex, for rescuing this interesting story from oblivion. It appears that there were three substantial brick churches erected in Colonial times for the use of the clergy and congregations of the Church of En- gland arnong the original settlers. The "Upper 144 TEOM SADDLE TO CITT Church" at Church View, was bought by the Bap- tists, and is called "Hermitage"; the "Lower' Church" became the property of the Methodist Church through the liberality of Mr. Robert Healy, St., who bought it from the county Glebe Fund. "Christ Church," near the home of 'Mr. Lewis Jones, has been improved and kept in good condi- tion by the few Episcopalians in the county, and is still in use by them for regular services. Six miles below the Lower Church is "Clarks- bury," founded about 1843, as recorded in the min- utes of the 1st Quarterly Conference of the Glou- cester circuit at Bethlehem Church, Feb. 10, 1844. A new church building has taken the place of the one in use in my day. The congregation is large, and the work of the Master is well cared for. This part of the county is very populous. The people live in comfortable houses on small tracts of land, and are engaged in trucking, fishing and oystering. There are few renters, and prosperity is the normal condition of the mass. Education was at a low ebb thirty years ago, but the public school system has made a change for the better. Moral- ity and religion dominate the thought and life of the people generally. Of course like the average community, there are citizens there who neither believe nor practice either. Seventy-five per cent of the people are professors of faith in Christ. The remaining three churches, — St. Andrews, BY BtrOGT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 145 New Hope and Old Church are on the west of the Dragon Swamp, which separates Middlesex from upper Gloucester and King and Queen counties. St. Andrews, nearest to Saluda, is near Glenn's. It was organized, I think, under the administration of Brother M. S. Colonna, Sr., my predecessor, growing out of the needs of the children of Sun- day School age in that community who lived too far away from Salem on the Gloucester circuit. Out in the forest five miles from Glenn's is "New Hope." It first appears in the minutes of the Glou- cester Quarterly Conference held at Shackeliford, Dec. 15, 1810, as "Groom's." But in 1823, the name was "New Hope," and so remains today. This church has never been very strong, but it has served its generation well considering the material at hand, and the talents it possessed. , They are hemmed in by Shackelford's on one side, and the Old Church and the Dragon on the other. They were not an aggressive people, but did the best they could in the circumstances. Further away, also in King and Queen Co., be- tween Centerville and Little Plymouth is "Old Church, figuring in the old records of Gloucester circuit in 1817. It is a colonial structure, solidly built in the 18th century by the Enghsh govern- ment. At the time I served Middlesex circuit it was a strong appointment, containing some of the best people intellectually and morally in that 146 FEOM SADDLE TO CITY county. Their spirituality was not of the highest type, but they were a staunch set, sustaining the church and supporting its institutions with zeal and wisely. The Conference of 1882 met in Portsmouth, Va., in November. I had a delightful home at Brother Geo. L. Neville's on London St., and many a time I have had occasion to thank God for bringing me into the fellowship of this rugged Christian man and his cultured family. As the years have passed, I have time and again enjoyed their gracious hos- pitality, and discovered the real worth of the peo- ple there. Bro. Neville was a leading merchant of the city, and one of the official members of Monumental Church. His house was a place of meeting, rest and refreshment for the preachers, travelling and local. The family seemed never to tire of the coming and going of folks. I have often thought that, if there happened to be a halt of a week or ten days in the procession of migratory saints and sinners across the front-door sill, some one in that cheery household would be selected to examine the daily paper for a railway wreck or steamboat disaster. When folks didn't come as fast as the lovable hosts expected them to move, a wire was sent to inquire for the reason. Besides myself during this Conference, Bro. Neville entertained Rev. Oscar Littleton, Louis L. Marks, Secty^ of the Joint Board of Finance, and BY BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 147 Bro. Bunkley of Isle of Wight county. Marks and Neville were a lively pair, diligent servants of the Church, and as devoted to each other as a pair of lovers. Good beds kept the guests asleep in the morning till the smell of breakfast broke the chains of slumber.. Smithfield ham, turkey, and other things coaxed us from important meetings, and kept the procession to the table punctual in the advance upon the tempting dishes, and slow to learn the meaning of retreat. The Conference was a most interesting occa- sion : epochal, in that it was the One Hundredth session, and, by a happy coincidence, held its meet- ings with the first Methodist Society organized in the State, and in the building, — Monumental Church, — erected to the memory of Robert Will- iams, the first preacher, and the recognized Founder of Methodism in Virginia. The Centennial Cel- ebration was held on Thursday night, Nov. 16th. Bishop Geo. F. Pierce, the President of the Confer- ence, presided. Rev. W. W. Bennett, D. D., de- livered an address on The Rise and Progress of Methodism in Virginia. Rev. John E. Edwards, D. D., then followed with an address on The Persona! History of the Virginia Conference, including those who formed the North Carolina Conference in 1836. Then brief speeches were made by Rev. Le- onidas Rosser, D. D., and Rev. John B. McFerrin, 148 FROM SADDLE TO CITT Agent of the Methodist Publishing House at Nash- ville, Tenn. At the close of the Conference I was returned to Middlesex for the second year, with Rev. J. F. Boggs, Presiding Elder. There were some who re- sented my return because I had succeeded in get- ting rid of the Liquor element in tha church. The greater majority, however, welcomed my re- turn as an endorsement of my administration, among these were the best people in all the churches, people who wanted to see righteousness upheld by the pastor. I will recite a significant in- cident, not by way of self-praise, but to point a moral. Here it is : — A score of worldly men, who loved their dram, but despised hypocrisy, sent me to Conference clothed in an elegant suit, with over- coat and hat to match : and these men were among the first to welcome me back to the circuit. I have said the parsonage is in Saluda, the county town. There was in that town a noble citizen- ship. Shackelford, Marston, Hewitt, Archibald, Bowden, Bristow, Anderton, Clemments, Davis, Smither, McCandlish, and Dr. Wa'lker. Outside of the town, but near by, lived Woodward, Perkins, Street, Lee, Jones, and Beasley. Some of these were Methodists, and some were Baptists and Episcopalians : yet with cordial and sincere spirit gave the greeting of brethren on my return. In a short while a movement was begun for the BY BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 149 erection of a church in the town for our Method- ist congregation. Forest Chapel, three miles away, was deemed too far for our children to attend Sun- day School. My wife organized a Sunday School in the Parsonage, to furnish the proof that such a building was needed. Very soon the three rooms down-stairs and the pastor's office in the yard, were filled with eager parents and children. Bro. William Shackelford, our neighbor, rendered val- uable aid as Superintendent, assisted by the Hew- itts and Archibald, and the consecrated Methodist 'women, who had already joined my wife in the movement. I enter here some leaves from my Journal which was destroyed in the Franktown parsonage fire, Dec. 26, 1909. Janusury 9th, 1883. "Immediately after Confer- ence, taking Anna, our second daughter, we vis- ited my dear mother's only sister, Mrs. G. J. Thomas, at 639 Fulton Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y. I heard Henry Ward Beecher preach the modern gospel, which, if true, is really good news to the sinner who has determined to have a good time in this life, and then "pass out of existence like a dog," according to Beecher. But if untrue, and God's Book says it is, how great is the guilt of the man who preaches it ! and how great is the blindness of the man who receives it ! At the evening hour I th eman who receives it ! At the evening hour I 150 FROM SADDLE TO CITY comforting, gospel message. Anna and I returned to Virginia Dec. 2nd, and I at once took up my work for the year. January lO'th. Yesterday a terriffic snow-storm began about 1 P. M., and continued till today at noon. The snow drifted in many places to the depth of four feet. On a level in our yard it is 16 inches deep. Today is cold and bleak. I am grate- ful to God that my family is comfortable. We have a plenty to eat, and an abundance of fuel. My peo- ple have supplied us with many of the neqessaries . * of life, and by other acts of kindness have mtensi- fied my desire to^ serve them faithfully in spiritual matters. Some folks know how to do a nice thing nicely : others do not know how to make a home, either for themselves or any one else. Yesterday I received a very queer letter from a very natural young lady. She wanted my advice about accepting an offer of marriage from a certain young man, whom I did not know. I gave it. She will follow my advice if she feels like it, which is very doubtful. I am weather-bound by the deep snow, so I have the opportunity to spend the day in reading and meditation. Since beginning my ministry in 1869 I have the conversion of 1173 souls in -my own meetings. January 12th. After three days of snow the weather has cleared up, a,tlr SADDLE TO CITT him in the dining room enjoying a rest in the midst of that hospitable, cultured and Christian family. In a few rnoments the family withdrew, and left Dr. Garland arid myself alone. He opened the in- terview by saying that he had "heard" that I "de- sired to take up circuit workvagain." I told him that he had heard the correct story. Then said he, "I want you for the Mathews circuit, but I will not ask the Bishop to send you there without your con- sent." I expressed my cordial appreciation of his interest in me, gave my consent, and that ended our very pleasant interview. As the time for the Copference session in Lynch- burg approached I perfected all my arrangements for the move. Numbers of my friends in my con- gregation and in the city expressed their regret at my going, and insisted on my remaining to the end of my term, one year more. But I thought I had better "go while the going was good." I had noticed that some of my dear brethren in the Vir ginia Conference did not know when "going is good :" hence, I have known of some who moved when no one wept. BT BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 235 CHAPTER VIII. THE CONFERENCE OF 1890 AND MATHEWS. The Conference of 1890 met in the city of Lynch- burg, Wednesday, Nov. 12th, and continued in ses- sion from day to day till Monday night, Nov. 17tji. Bishop R. K. Hargrove in the Chair. Paul Whitehead was Secretary, with P. A. Peter- son, S. S. Lambeth, and A. C. Berryman, Assistants. By the action of the General Conference in Miiy, 1890, that portion of the Murfreesboro District made up of Murfreesboro, Garysburg, Northamp- ton, Meherrin, Bertie, Harrellsville, Dare, and Kitty Hawk Mission was transferred to fhe North Carolina Conference, and the following brethren serving these charges were transferred with the territory:— F. M. Edwards, T. J. Bayton, C. W. Cain, and John M. Campbell. The following breth- ren transferred with the territory at the same time, were transferred back to our Conference at their request :— N. J. Pruden, W. H. Riddick, and R. H. Mullen. At the Conference of 1891 F. M. Edwards and T. J. Bayton were transferred back to us and a few years later C. W. Cain and John M. Camp- bell came back by the same route. With the trans- fer of the charges named above the old Murfrees- 236 rUOM SADDLE TO CITT boro District ceased to exist, and "Sufifolk Dis- trict" became the title of the territory left, with the following charges added to make up for the loss : — South Norfolk circuit and Smithfield and Benn's from the Norfolk District, and Surry cir- cuit and Isle of Wight circuit from the Peters- burg District. At this Conference Dr. W. W. Royall is trans- ferred to the West Virginia Conference and Stone- wall J. Brown to the Southwest" Missouri, and our dear young Brother, Willie O. Waggener to the East Columbia Conference. Our brother R. O. Payne locates in order to join the East Ohio Con- ference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Heck- man, Rawlings, W. B. Jett, and Garner were ad- mitted on Trial, and Maxey, McFaden and Rowe were ordained Elders. The dead this year were from our choice men, as usual. Jlead these names, J. H. Crown, a prince among men ; J. S. R. Clarke, bulky in body and brain; B. F. Woodward, "the Asaph of the Con- ference choir ;'' Alfred Wiles, the gentle and faith- ful friend; T. L. Williams, the scholarly preacher and successful pastor. A strange thing was done in the cabinet at this session of the Conference ; the name of the "Ran- dolph Macon" District was changed to "Northern Neck" District ! How it happened it would be un- wise to inquire, but an act which contradicted the geography of the State was soon corrected, and the natural name for that work, lying on both sides of BY BTJGQT, BOAT AND KAILWAT 237 the Rappahannock river, was bestowed at the ses- sion of 1891, and the District has borne the name "Rappahannock" District to this date. The following changes were made in the bound- aries of certain Districts, to wit: Two Districts were formed out of the old Richmond District, the dividing line falling somewhere between 5th and 10th Streets, the territory west taking the name of West Richmond, and that east retaining the old name. Mathews and West Mathews were trans- ferred from the Richmond District to the so-called "Northern Neck" District, and Williamsburg, York arid Newport News were transferred from the East ern Shore District and East King and Queen from the said "Northern Neck" District to the old Rich- mond. Other changes were made in the general shaking up growing out of the formation of the West Richmond, but these were all outside of the region in which I was operating, and therefore are omitted from this story. Bishop Granbery had just returned from a visit to our Mission field in Brazil, and was present at this session of his old Conference. Hence a paper offered by Dr. A. G. Brown, and signed by him- self, Paul Whitehead, J. A. Peterson, Louis L. Marks, J. Powell Garland, B. F. Lipscomb, Little- ton Cockrell, Geo. C. Vandlerslice, W. E. Judkins, E. B. Brown, Geo. L. Neville, and W. W. Vicar, was most timely and appropriate, and "was adopted by a unanimous rising vote : — " "Resolved, 1st, That the safe return of Bishop 238 FROM SADDLE TO CITt Granbery from his long and perilous visit to our Missions in Brazil, and his iDrovidential presence at this session of his old Conference, gives us sincere personal pleasure and fills our hearts with profound gratitude to our Heavenly Father.'' When the appointments were read I was so busy taking them for the "Norfolk Landmark" that I did not hear my own name read for the Mathews cir- cuit, nor for any other work. I was listening with my pencil instead of with my ears ! I had beaten Bro. Wm. P. Wright in a race to the Telegraph of- fice ; (he was writing for the "Norfolk Virginian") ; as soon as he entered with his notes for the wire, I asked him if he could tell me where I had been sent. When he said "Mathews ; didn't you know?" I replied, "Yes, I knew it two months ago, but I have been waiting for the Bishop to sav it." I watched Wm. E. Evans, as he sat up close to the chancel in old Centenary that night, in a chair brought in for the occasion, the house being densely crowded, awaiting the long-prayed-for moment when Bishop Hargrave would throw that luscious plum, "Granby Street, Norfolk," right into his out- stretched hand ! I saw him catch it : smile ; swal- low it : and then grow indifferent as the other plums fell to other m&n, but none so sweet as this ! The taste did not abide ! James Cannon, Jr., re- turns to "Newport News," with the word "Mis- sion" eliminated from the charge, and E. H. Rawl- ings goes to "Ashland and Ashland Mission," with BT BtraOT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 239 "One to be supplied." W. B. Jett strikes out across the country for "Marvin Grove," a new circuit right around there in the old territory once cov- ered by the "Richmond circuit." Heckman hits the hill country on the "Snow Creek Mission," while Garner goes, to "Montross," the training ground for many an itinerant recruit, where the legal giants got my measure in '71, and the big folks listened with pra)'erful patience to my slazey, but sincere, sermons through two trying (to them") years. 'Twas good to sit there and watch the boj^s go out into the night that night, "not knowing whither" they were going. A man, clothed with authority by the church to do that thing, had said "Go." To these boys, as it had been with hundreds of us before, it was the voice of Heaven! They had prayed, as many before them had done, for the spirit of obedience : the prayer was answered that night : so they went in the name of the Lord. and returned a year afterward with the flush of triumph on cheek and brow, for they had won vic- tories in His name ! I returned to Portsmouth and marked my packed stuff "Williams Wharf," and then set out to tell my people at Wright Memorial "Farewell." Here I found myself "up against it" sure enough. John Carroll was my successor, and I spoke a good word for him all around, but after that I had to say. "Goodbye." In street after street, and house after house I found them "sorry I was going," "didn't 240 FROM SADDLE TO CITT know I was going till they saw it in the paper," till actually J got sorry myself. There were some who didn't say much either one way or the other. I did not press the matter with these, neither did I prolong the interview. I carefully refrained from extended conversations with this class, hence I could truthfully say, (had any inquisitive preach- ers asked me,) "No, I heard no one say they were glad I was leaving." Brethren of the Virginia Con- ference, do not talk to "one too many" folks when you are leaving a charge : some folks will stick to the habit of telling the truth. Pick your crowd, then "push in your question punch," and you will leave with tears of regret, to be followed by smiles of gratitude that the Good Lord led you to talk to the right persons. When I asked George Wray at Central if he thought the time had come for me to leave, George said, "Yes, by all means. Butts ; you have been at Wright Memorial too long already ; get out and go." But I did not take George seriously, because I had been bleeding his congregation, and he did not like that sort 'er thing, neither would you. So I went to Dr. Willie Edwards for his opinion, and he replied, without a moment's hesitation, "No, Gee Butts, T am sorry you did not ask me before Garland got hold of you. You know I've got to have somebody I can abuse when the notion strikes me ; and I have thoroughly enjoyed having you to use in that way. You take it as a matter of course, so no harm came of it. But now I am at a loss to BT BtrOGT, BOAT AND BAILATAT 241 know which way to turn to find a providentially adjusted punch bag. John Carroll will not stand it, neither will George Wray. Farewell." And I left him in much sorrow. Thanksgiving, November, 1890, witnessed my de- parture from the Harrison Street rented house, and the removal of the furniture to the newly pur- chased parsonage on Randolph St. between 3rd and 4th Sts. At Williams' Wharf, on East river in Mathews county, a goodly company of people met us with conveyances to convey us and our multi- tudinous packages to the parsonage at the Court House Village. It was located in a spacious lot on the other side of the head-waters of what is known as "Put In" creek, commonly called '*Pud- din creek" by citizens careless of the refinements of good society and the rules of classic English. The dinner served by our new friends was one never to be forgotten. It measured up to the stand- ard set for all Thanksgiving dinners, and went be- yond. Besides the turkey and his "accoutre- ments," there were the best oysters the county boasted of, served raw, stewed and fried. It would have done your heart good could you have wit nessed the interest those children manifested in turkey and oysters which had not seen a city mar- ket house. Then, after they romped over the big yard, and inspected the creek with its promises for summer sport, they got a big supper and went to sleep, some of them at the table, others in the chamber, and those able to climb the stairs found 242 FROM SADDLE TO CTTT the room up there, and were soon "asleep in the arms of morphine," as a very self-;important ac- quaintance of mine in Westmoreland used to sa}'. He it was who said that "Mrs. Hemans was the no- ticeable authur of that most eloquent saying, 'Judge not that ye be not a judge.' " But hold on: I think I was in the Mathews par- sonage when the above interruption was inter- jected. I will resume the narrative at that point. When the good friends had taken their departure late in the afternoon, wife and I commenced an in- vestigation to find out "the damage." The pantry was filled with good things for the inside of folks, and the woodyard was piled up with the thing needed to keep out the cold. The stable had no horse, but there was enough for a reasonable horse for many weeks. We were "at home" as we had a habit of being through eighteen years of married life ; and were satisfied ! My circuit comprised five churches, namely : — "Central," in the parsonage yard; "Salem," in "The Havens," a section north east of the village, "Bethel," in the "Garden Creek" and "Winter Har- bor" section, "Point Comfort," six miles, and "Beu- lah" two miles farther down the road, in the sec- tion known as New Point, with Mobjack Bay on the west and Chesapeake Bay on the east. In fact. Chesapeake Bay was on the east of the entire work. with Mobjack Bay on the south and west, and East river on the west. The Cricket Hill section of the West Mathews circuit was on the north. My charge BT BtTGGT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 243 in shape, resembled a scientifically trimmed South- ampton ham, and it was as delightful a field to work as the said ham usually is to the taste. This was my judgment after going around the cir- cuit once. The history of three of these churches dates back to the Quarterly Conference of the Glouces- ter circuit held at "Shackelford's Meeting House. Dec. 15, 1810. The three churches mentioned are "Point Comfort," "Bethel," and Billups's, later called "Salem." Thos. Logan Douglass was Pre- siding Elder, John Ballew was Preacher in Charge, and Joseph C. Bell was Helper. The Quarterly Conference of August 30, 1811, was held at "Bethel." Two names appear on the record, that of "Thomas Lilly, Local Preacher," and "John Thomas, a Class Leader." I found the descend- ants of these two men living, the Lillys at Salem, and the Thomases in Point Comfort. Rev. Thomas Cooper, Junior Preacher, or "Helper" as he. is called, presided. At the next Quarterly Conference held at "Shackelford's Chapel, the Presiding El- der is still Thos. Logan Douglass, and the Preacher in Charge is named Hezekiah McClelland, with the same Brother Cooper as Junior." At the Quarterly Conference held at "Providence Camp-meeting, September 3rd, 1812," Humphrey Billups, Thos. Lilly, and John Thomas are present from churches in this section, and Humphrey Billuns is Licensed to preach. He died May the 30th 1871. a Super- annuated member of our Conference, and his Mem- 244 FfiOSI SADDLE TO CITT oir was read at the Portsmouth session in Novem- ber of that year. It was my first year in the itin- erancy and I must have been present at the ser- vice. At the next Qua,rterly Conference, held at Olive Branch, Dec, 12th, "Richard Billups is rec- ommended to the Annual Conference for Deacon's orders." He was from Salem neighborhood. The writer obtained from good, old sister Stoakes, mother of Brother Walter Stoakes at Salem, the following incident illustrative of the "good old times." She was a young girl on her way to Quarterly Conference up in Gloucester county, with her father perhaps. At Church Branch they overtook Bro. Henry Fleet going that way also. She asked him if he had collected much for the. preacher that quarter. He replied that he "had collected 87 and Yz cents, and paid most of that myself." Here is the financial report from the three churches on my present charge made at the Quar- terly Conference held at Mt. Zion, June 21st 1817. Read it, ye Mathews saints, and think of your be- ginningis \ — B'illups's $2,875^, (thiat was S&lem,) Bethel $7.68, and Point Comfort $6.48. I might add for the entertainment of the West Mathews brethren that Mathews Chapel paid in at the same meeting $2.50, and Providence $3.87^. Another Quarterly Conference is held in the bounds of the present charge at "Bethel, June 12th 1819." Edward Cannon is Presiding Elder, Sam- uel Garrard is the Preacher and Geo. Chesley is Junior. BT BTTGGT, BOAT AND RAIL1VAT 245 I discovered in these old Gloucester records (pre- served so carefully by Bro. Jefferson Stubbs, a steward at Bellamy's church,) an important item showing when the first move was authorized by the Quarterly Conference to erect a church in "The Havens." Here is a paper adopted by the Quar- terly Conference held at "Shackelford's Chapel Sept. 22, 1821, Edward Cannon, P. E., Caleb Leach, Preacher, and Wm. Eastwood, Deacon." "We appoint the following persons, to-wit ; John Billups, Wm. A. Billups, Jos. Knight, George Forrest, John Forrest, Wickham Billups, August- ine Diggs, William Brooks, and Bailey Diggs as Trustees of a meeting-house to be built in the neighborhood of Richard Billups' for the use of the Methodist Episcopal Church." Humphrey Bill- ups was the Secretary of that Quarterly Confer- ence. Here is a record which must go into this nar- rative for obvious reasons. The Presiding Elder is Caleb Leach at the Quarterly Conference held at Olive Branch, in Gloucester county, August 21, 1824. The Junior, Chas. Witherspoon, is also pres- ent, but the Preacher in Charge, Samuel Cushen. had died since the last Quarterly Conference, and here is the note bearing upon that sad event: — "Paid by consent of the stewards to James W. Howard, expenses for carrying Sister Cushen home $5.00. Paid John P. March for making Brother Cushea's coffin $10.00. Cash in hand to pay in part Dr. Shepherd's bill against Brother Cushen 246 FROM SADDLE TO CITT $10.52. Paid for wine for Brother Cushen while sick $1.00." Rev. Samuel Cushen died near Mathews Court house in July, 1824, and his body lies buried in the cemetery in the field in the rear of the resi- dence of Bro. Walter R. Stoakes, in.Milford Haven, near Salem Church. He left a widow and one child, a little girl, who married Jas. E. Jones, a prominent official in the Methodist Church in King George county, Va., and became the mother of the first Mrs. Alexander Pratt, Mrs. Chas. Rob- inson, Mrs. Charles Pollard of Baltimore, Md., Mrs. Taylor Rollins, Mrs. John T. Payne of our Conference, and Frank Jones, Esq., of King George. Cushen's widow later married a Mr. Johnson, of King George county. Mrs. John T. Payne was named "Ellen Cushen" for this, her grandfather. The First Quarterly Conference for 1825 was held at Providence church April 23rd, and the fol- lowing members from this section of the work were present: — Humphrey Billups, William A. Billups, Armistead Stewart, Caleb Hudgins, John Thomas, Joseph White, Thos. Hunley, Augustine Diggs, and John Forrest. At the next Quarterly Conference William Lane is made one of the Par- sonage Trustees. The Fourth Quarterly Confer- ence for 1828 was held at Bethel. The Fourth Quar- terly Conference for 1829 was held at Billups' Meet- ing-house in Milford Haven, Mathews county, Nov. 14th," and is the first Quarterly Conference ever Bf BtTGGf, tiOAt AND RAILWAY 24? held at that point. Lewis Skidmore is P. E., Sam- uel Harrell is Preacher in charge, and William B. Rowzie is the Junior preacher. The Fourth Quar- terly Conference for 1830 was held at "Point Com- fort Meeting-house, in November, but the exact date is not given. The preachers are Lewis Skid- more, P. E., George A. Bain is Preacher in Charge and Robert L Carson is Junior." This is the first time the Quarterly Conference had ever met in Point Comfort. Humphrey Billups is recommended to the Annual Conference for Elder's orders. I have traced the history back thus far in order that we may get at the very beginning of the work in this region. As far back as 1810 the record is plain, beyond that we have very little on which to rely. But the travelling preachers had been through Milford Haven, Garden Creek and Win- ter Harbor sections, and then down into Point Comfort with the Gospel, so that the seeds of Methodism are carefully sown in Mathews from Church Branch, on the borders of Gloucester, to the end of the Neck in Point Comfort one hundred and ten years ago. At a Quarterly Conference held in "Point Comfort Aug. 15th 1831," I noticed these names in addition to those already given in- dicating the survival of Methodist stock: — Thos, Banks, Geo. lanson, Bartlett Gayle, and William Brownley. Now we come to an epoch in the history of Methodism in this region. At the Third Quarterly Conference "held at Bellamy's, the 22nd day of 248 FROM SADDLE TO CITT August 1839, Henry B. Cowles, P. E., Jas. McDon- ald, P. C," the following resolution was adopted : — "Resolved that the Parsonage Fund be equally- divided between the Mathews and Gloutcester cir- cuits, and that John Summerson be appointed our agent to receive from their agent our portion of the fund." It appears from this that Mathews circuit was organized and set apart in 1839, and was composed of Mt. Zion, Mathews Chapel, Providence, Billups', Bethel and Point Comfort. This is the record. But it seems that the act of separation was not pleasing to our Mathews brethren, for they sent up a request to the Fourth Quarterly Con- ference of the Gloucester circuit, held at Bethle- hem, Oct. 16, 1841, "asking that arrangements be made for re-uniting the two circuits :" "but the Gloucester brethren" "returned the paper to the Mathews brethren with the statement that Glou- cester is satisfied with the present arrangement." However, the Gloucester brethren recanted, as the following, adopted at the "2nd Quarterly Con- ference held at Salem church, Gloucester circuit, on Saturday the 28th day of May, 1842," proves. "It being known that considerable dissatisfac- tion has been created in said (Mathews) circuit by an alteration made in the circuit at the Con- ference held in 1839, when Mathews and one ap- pointment in Gloucester was cut off and was es- tablished into a separate circuit, and against the wishes thereof. It is resolved that we respectfully BY BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 249 solicit and petition the Presiding officer who may preside at the next \^irginia Conference to re- unite Mathews and Gloucester into one circuit, and do also request Brother G. M. Keesee, our Pre- siding Elder, and Brother Askew, our Preacher in Charge, to use their best endeavors to effect the same." The Bishop, (Waugh) presiding at the Annua! Conference held in Petersburg, Va., November, 1842, granted the request contained in the above paper, and re-united the circuits. At the First Quarterly Conference for the re-united work, held at Bellamy's Feb. 13, 1843, a re-organization of the Board of Stewards was had, and the fol- lowing from Mathews were elected: — Wm. M. Brownley from Point Comfort, John Hudgins from Bethel, and Bartlett Gayle from Providence. The Preachers are Joseph Lear and Allen Carner. This re-united plan was tried only one year, — scarcely that,' — for at the "Third Quarterly Con- ference for the year 1843, held at Providence church in Mathews county, (date not given) "The follow- ing preamble and resolution were moved and adopted without a dissenting voice." "To the Bishop who may preside at the next \'ir- ginia Annual Conference to be held in Richmond: Whereas, we the official members of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church, since the reunion of the Gloucester and Mathews circuits find that the said union does not answer the end anticipated, and 260 FBOM SADDLE TO CITT that it would be much better both for the minis- ters and people that the circuit be again separated, Therefore, resolved, that we most respectfully and earnestly request the Bishop who may preside at the next Annual Conference to re-divide the present Gloucester circuit." Bishop Morris presided over the Conference of 1843 held in Richmond, and Mt. Zion, Mathews chapel, Providence, Billups', Bethel, and Point Comfort were the second time in three years, made a circuit called the MATHEWS CIRCUIT, and the arrangement stood. The records of the Mathews circuit from the time of its formation in 1843 to 1870 are not within my reach, but from the latter year to the time of my appointment to the charge in 1890 I have the Annuals, kindly furnished me by friends at my request through the Advocate. From these I learn that the circuit is yet on the Rich- mond District, Leroy M. Lee, P. E., and F. M. Edwards, Preacher in Charge. That Brother Ed- wards is succeeded in 1870 by Alfred Wiles who remains three years. Dr. Lee remained on the District four years and is succeeded by D. P. Wills, and Brother Wiles by Alex. M. Hall, who remains two years, with W. H. Atwill, as Junior in the sec- ond year. Wm. G. Williams follows for one year, W. C. Vaden three years, with Dr. Lee, P. E., again for three years. At the Conference of 1877 the West Mathews circuit is formed by cutting oflf Mathews Chapel, Providence and Emanuel, from 251 the M'athews circuit, and probably with Gwynn's Island added. W. W. Royall is the first pastor. Geo. C. Vanderslice succceeds Bro. Vaden on the old Mathews circuit in November, 1879, and is fol- lowed by J. Carson Watson in November, 1882, E. M. Peterson in November, 1884, Jas. O. Moss in November, 1887, and D. G. C. Butts in November, 1890. Dr. Sledd was Presiding Elder two years, succeeding Dr. Lee in the fall of 1880, and was succeeded by Dr. Paul Whitehead in November, 1882, and he by Dr. J. P. Garland in 1886. In the fall of 1890 both of the Mathews circuits were shifted over to the (so-called) Northern Neck District, and Wm,. E. Payne is Presiding Elder. It will be seen from this record that the men who served the circuit up to 1890 were men of no mean ability. And the character of the work they had done indicated, if nothing else did, the fact that it was the standing aim of the Bishops to send skilled, consecrated, faithful ministers to this im- portant field. Hence the Mathews circuit had long been recognized among the preachers of the Virginia Conference as a first class charge. So, when I arrived on the field and took in the char- acter of the work, as indicated in the size of the congregations, the spirituality of the leaders, and their standing among the citizenship of the county, I saw my utter insufficiency to meet the demands upon me without an especial endowment of Divine grace : and I threw myself upon the Divine mercy at once, and cried to Heaven for help. My prayer 252 FROM SADDLE TO CITY was answered, for I never entered upon the busi- ness of visiting my people, and preaching on Sun- day with such zeal and confidence in the grace of God, and the joy in the daily tax upon me, as I did that December day in 1890 when I "entered into the labors" of the worthy men whom I had been appointed to follow. And at every church I found a God-fearing and faithful band of leaders who pledged the new preacher support, sympathy, co-operation, and prayer to God for His blessing on my pastorate. At Salem there was Walter Stoakes, devoted to his church, "knowing and loving the Methodist doctrine and discipline," true to his pastor because he was his pastor, a leader among his people, pray- erful, sincere, calm in emergencies, wise in deal- ing with the backward, inventive of means and measures for carrying on the work, the preacher's right hand man in every case w'here a mediator was needed between the pulpit and the pew. His dear old mother, Mrs. Harriet Stoakes, was the light that shined for him on all problems, the hand that guided him in all he sought to do for his church and community. She had been blind for a long time, but the word of God was open to her, and her feet walked steadily in the pathway of holi- ness. She was President of the Ladies Aid So- ciety for the circuit, and did as much work for it with her own hands as many who were blessed with unhindered vision. She was very necessary to me in scores of instances when wisdom, and patience. 253 and prudence, and firmness were taxed almost be- yond the limit. She looked upon me as her special charge, and placed all the treasures of her con- secrated life on deposit payable to the order of my constant need. It was her 'joy to entertain the preachers in her home. Presiding Elders and pas- tors had a room under that hospitable roof, and a seat at the table at meal-time, and the horse a stall and abundant feed. She had adopted at various times during her long life, homeless children, and gave them the careful. Christian training of a God- fearing mother, and a fireside welcome which de- stroyed the feeling of servitude in the growing boy or girl. It was told the writer by more than one person in that section that not one of these boys or girls, brought up at her footstool and wit- nessing her example of fidelity to her Lord, had disappointed her in after, life. She was success- ful with the most unpromising cases. She often reminded me of Oliver Mead, Sr., in Brunswick near my childhood's home. He was a great fiddler. When called, upon he could play his violin on any number of strings from one to six : it made no difference to him ; he asked that the violin have one string, and he would play lis tune on that, while an astonished audience sat and listened. So with Sister Stoakes and her charges, whether they were her own four daughters and son, or the waifs picked up for the Lord's sake; she got the right tune out of any Hfe that fell to 254 FROM SADDLE TO CITY her care. She only asked that the child had a fac- ulty that she could touch with her skilled hand. At Bethel was the largest number of men who prayed in public I have seen in any one congrega- tion anywhere. It was a large congregation with a large membership, and a noble band of men and women noted for their piety, their faithfulness, the clear understanding of the fundamentals of experi- mental religion. Elkana Diggs and Jack, Jethro Thomas, Oscar Hudgins and Oscar Hudgins again, Alex. Diggs, Laban Hudgins, Uncle Bailey Diggs, Ed. Owens, Billie Brooks, Anthony Hudgins, Ri- enzi Brooks, and a host of others whose names I cannot now recall, constituted a solid front for righteousness, and opposing every evil thing. The preacher of a saving gospel felt himself sure of an Amen ! and a shout ere he proceeded far in the de- livery of his message. The impress of such a body of men and women on the community for godliness, as well as morality, was powerful. Of course, there was a small majority, as there is in every neighborhood, whose claim on the people's confidence lacked the commanding evidence of a sincere purpose to serve God. But these did not count when the great revival campaigns were jn progress. And sinners easily detected the differ- ence. On that road leading from Winter Harbor to Port Haywood, is the old home of Sands Smith, Clerk of the County in my day. Near by is the home of Colie Borum, whose wife was a Smith. At BY BUGGT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 255 Port Haywood Charles H. Hudgins and Thomas Hudgins, (Long Tom) kept stores. Here, also was the resting place for the ministers of the circuit. Two miles down the road in The Point as it was called, was Point Comfort Church. Two miles be- low this is Beulah Church. This whole eastern sec- tion of Mathews county, from Fitchett's Wharf in "The Havens" to Newpoint beach is a stronghold of the most faithful grade of Methodism. No other denomination has a family in all that region. What I meant by saying that no other denomi- nation has a family In all that region is this : such was the faithfulness of the first preachers in de- claring the merit of the blood of Christ as the only remedy for the burdened sinner, no one going into that section recommending the high church non- sense of water, or gowns, or anything else, has ever been able to get a hearing. And it is so all over Ma- thews, and Gloucester, and everywhere else that I serve the Church as Pastor. That is the reason a holiness preacher gets a hearing among our peo- ple. Our folks are seeking higher ground: if a preacher comes along who says he can show them the way, some of the thoughtless and unwary, and most of the spiritual deficients will listen. When the sensible discover, that which others knew all the time, they acknowledge that they have been deceived, and come back. They have learned that Methodism teaches the highest standard of holiness ; that it was born among a group of young men who were seeking the Highlands of Christian experi- 256 FEOM SADDLE TO CITY ence, and never rested till they found themselves "saved by the blood." One of the first things that arrested my inter- est on the Mathews circuit was the need of two good church buildings : — one at Point church, and the other at Salem. The people rallied at both places to supply the need when I told them those buildings did not represent the people of the church correctly. I said moreover, that if a, stranger trav- elling that way should judge the people by the kind of house in which they worshipped God, such a stranger would put them down where they did not rightly belong. That started them, and did not let up in their interest till "St. Paul's," supplanted the old "Point Comfort" church, and was dedicated by Rev." A. Coke Smith, D. D., thftn at Granby Street church, Norfolk, and the present large and comfortable building took the place of the old structure at "Salem." My plan for the roof at Salem was upset by a dear good old brother who changed the sharp roof that the plans called for, for the flat roof yet on the building, on the plea that a flat roof church was more in keeping with his ideas of "a solemn, religious building." I call no names : I only give the fact. The dedication service for Salem was conducted by Rev. F. M. Edwards, who was Preacher in charge of the big circuit in 1870. Methodism was a strong force in Point Com- fort in those days. Mrs. Chas. Hudgins at Port Haywood, one of "the salt of the earth," Ransome, BY BUGGY, BOAT AND. RAILWAY 257 Foster, White, Enos, Capt. Smith, the Jameses, Gayle, Diggs, the father and mother of our dear brother Waller L. Hudgins at Central, Hampton, the Millers, Tom Borum and Bill Ransome, (gems, if there were ever such in trousers,) then further on down the road was Brooks, and Brooks again, Morgan, and Hudginses on the right and on the left all the way down till one gets past a Brooks and strikes a Hudgins in the New Point Light House ! And there were Thomases down there : old brother John (Rock) Thomas, coming down to us from the olden times, telling- of the revival days when the old time preachers won so many for the Lord in the old house that had been laid aside for the new one; and John William Thomas, the Keeper on "Wolf Tra^" Light House in the great freeze of 1893, when the Chesapeake was frozen from shore to shore, and the Light House was carried away by the ice, and he was saved by the merci- ful intervention of Providence with a Tug Boat stuck fast three hundred yards away. He was a praying man, and Beulah needed him about that time, when "Speak-easys" prevailed in the Point, and the Church had to fight them at the Throne of Grace. And Rev. Geo. E. Thomas was there ; the splendid Christian gentleman and popular Local Preacher, the Pastor's "right arm," the communi- ty's guide, and adviser, and standard in all good living and labors ! Then there was Kirwan, Buck Armistead, (whose oysters, cultivated carefully in Horn Harbor, I have eaten at Murphy's in Rich- 258 FEOM SADDLE TO CITY mond,) and John Brownley. At Central, Dick Wes- ton, the Richardson's, Tom Weston, the father of ou,r Harry, (a small boy then, but now in the Con- ference with a wife,) Dick Foster and Capt. John Miles, and old brother Guion, the grandfather of Harry Weston, and father of Rev. W. H. Atwill's first wife. Down the creek near the rear of the Parsonage were the twin brothers, Carl and Marion White, just reaching a sturdy manhood, and their devoted aunts, the Misses Minter. Further down the creek, on a beautiful point looking out into creek and river, the faithful James sisters Misses Harriet and Laura, and their brother. But time would fail me to tell of others. Outside of the Methodist Church we found some very valuable friends. There was the Sears fam- ily. Judge Taylor Garnett and his numerous and happy household. Dr. Hunley our family physi- cian and his neighborly wife. Dr. Thos. B. Lane, and Geo. E. T. Lane, father and son of the old Virginia stock, noted for refined and genertous hospitality, Mr. John B. Donovan, the skilled At- torney and conscientious Counsellor, the Millers, the Pughs, the Sibleys, and a score of others. There is nothing better for a hard-working pas- tor to do, when he wants relaxation from the wearing tasks of regular work, than to get "out- side" sometimes and hear what the other folks are thinking and talking about. The vigilant military officer reconnoiters the fields and forests to put himself in touch with the enemy's movements. BY BUGGT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 259 Such foresight saves him from the humiliation of surprise and possible defeat. This is not saying that people of other faiths, or no faith, are our enemies. It has probably not occurred to you that the thinkers in other faiths have confined their criticisms of Methodism to those phases of our faith which we have placed in our catalogue of non-essentials. So far have they kept away from attacking the fundamentals of our Creed, they have either incorporated these into their own statement of doctrine, or tacitly admitted the basic character of these principles, giving that as the reason for our marvellous growth, after centuries of vehement denial. Therefore a Methodist preacher can afford to go around on the outside sometimes if for nothing more than to learn that Methodism has always contended for "the faith once delivered to the saints," and has not wasted her consecrated energies in "beating the air." So I have frequently said to my congregations in these latter days, "Our Episcopal brethren say you have not an ordained ministry, scripturally authorized to administer the Sacraments ; our Presbyterian brethren say you| cannot be saved unless you are one of the elect ; and our Baptist brethren say you have never been baptized; therefore, if 'the blood of Jesus Christ,' in answer to your trust in Him, has not 'saved' you from your sins, there is no hope for you." . Our brethren of other Churches have always been very fraternal in their intercourse with me. 260 FROM SADDLE TO CITY entertaining me in their homes, honoring me with their presence at the services of my church, and in many other ways showing their regard for me and my message. True, I found in some of my travels a fellow so ignorant of the fundamentals of Chris- tianity that he would exclude from the Kingdom people of his own church who did not think as he did, and so narrow in his conception of the value of personal grace among such that no showers of grace from the visitation of the Holy Spirit could fall upon him, and remain on him long enough to wet the soil of liis heart and make fruitful the seeds of truth sown there by some faithful disciple. But these were strangers to the power of the Gospel to set one free from the bondage of darkness, and did not appear to know that the Holy Land is not in America, and that the birthplace of Jesus is in Asia. The enlargement of Bethel church became a cry- ing need during the third year of my pastorate. It was a very easy matter to accomplish such a work with the kind of men and women who gave me their support. A more devoted and enthusiastic body of people I had not found in all the past of my ministry. Some, of course, would endorse, nothing' unless they originated and headed the movement, but as their movement was either backward, or a-'standstill, I selected my leaders from the consecrated and progressive element, and the church, with its face to the sunrise, moved 261 forward at a word from this preacher, and the work was done and paid for. The annual gathering of the churches on the circuit at the great Tabernacle for a ten-days' re- vival service was a well-established and profitable institution when I went to the circuit in Novem- ber, 1890. I think Rev. Wesley C. Vaden was the father of the plan ; or, perhaps it was founded during his term on the charge. The multitude came from all parts of the two Mathews circuits. The dinners were abundant, substantial, good for di- gestion, with no attempt at show. The preaching was done by the Preachers in Charge, and fre- quently by visiting ministers. The spiritual strengthening of the membership and the salvation of sinners was definitely set forth as the purpose of the meeting. Anything that failed to contribute to this end was cast aside as harmful and hinder- ing. The old time Methodist hymns and the deeply spiritual and fervent prayers ofifered by laymen whose deeds illustrated the soundness of their pro- fession were the forces used to give point to the pulpit message. Results were not always to the hopes of either the ministry or the laity, yet good was always done and the triumphant Christ was glorified. There was one thing which counteracted the holy influence of that meeting and of Christianity in general throughout that county more than any- thing else, namely : the custom of the Old Domin- ion Steamship Company to run an excursion 262 I FROM SADDLE TO CITY steamer to East river during the summer, and es- pecially whilst that meeting was in progress. Ev- ery Sunday crowds of vehicles met the boat at Williams' Wharf. Scores of Norfolk people, for- mer residents of Mathews, took advantage of the low rates to "come home" for the day. Many quasi church-people who only needed an excuse for evil-doing, and many others who gloried in their irreligious principles, flocked to the wharf in the, morning to meet their friends, and flocked back to the wharf in the afternoon to see them off; thus throwing to the winds the teaching of the fathers and the sanctity of God's holy day. A community that yields to the temptation to dis- regard the Divine law of the Sabbath upon any pretext whatsoever, must pay the price at last in a decadent moral sense among the younger gen- eration of the time. And Miathews has not failed to reap a harvest of this sort. Rev. Wm. E. Payne, Presiding Elder of the Rappahannock District at this time was one of our most successful circuit preachers before his pro- motion to this office in the Church. He had filled acceptably every charge since his admission on Trial in 1869. He was a good preacher, following the hortatory method. His sermons were not or- nate, nor constructed with the skill of a scholar. Without the training of our schools, he was a full graduate of the "Horse-back University," depend- ing upon a careful and prayerful reading of the Bible of his mother, and the Methodist Standards B¥ BtfGOIr, 130A* AJTD SAILWAY 26S as indicated in the Discipline and the Hymn Book. He was a man of stalwart frame, robust, and the picture of health. He prayed much, and had power with God and men. His prayers in the family, as well as in the great congregation, were fervent appeals inspired by the Spirit in a heart conscious of a sincere purpose to leave the time and method of the answer to the God of wisdom and love. I have often thought that he adopted Rev. Wm. F. Bain as a model, for they were as near alike in this respect as any two men I ever knew. He was at ease in any home, perfectly natural, wearing his everyday manhood and simplicity because they suited his idea of a minister's responsibility, and had never learned how to adjust to his person the uncomfortable squeeze of that other thing known as "put on for the occasion." Hence he was a man of influence among sensible people : his person and spirit commanded respect. The office of Presiding Elder was not injured by this occupant, nor did his brethren smile the sickly smile of pity at the com- ing and the going of this Apostle of simplicity, as at the movements of a smaller man with louder pre- tensions. He was not whimsical, nor impulsive, nor erratic, nor obstinate ; n.either was he a dreamer or a coward. He would fight when the need arose, not with fist nor scurrilous tongue, (he had more invincible weapons, than these,) and make amends when clearly convinced' of a mistake. He was never guilty of knowingly inflicting a wrong upon another. He was too pure in heart to contend for 264 FEOM SADDLE TO CITT a blunder for fear of the charge of inconsistency. The blunder might harm another; he feared noth- ing for himself : his case was in the hands "of a faithful Creator." His administration was impar- tial, sensible, helpful to his younger brethren, and firm. He went from the Rappahannock to the Char- 'lottesville District at the Conference of 1894, sent from the session in Charlottesville. He was mak- ing his first round of Quarterly Conference, and had held his Quarterly Conference for the Albe- marle circuit at Mt. Moriah and had preached to a delighted congregation at 11 A. M., Sunday. He went home with Bro. Thos. L. Rodes, a leading Steward at that church, and was stricken with paralysis at the dinner table. He never recovered his health sufficiently to permit him to continue his w^ork, and died at the District parsonage in Char- lottesville July 30, 1895. His death was a serious loss to our Conference. To me it was a personal bereavement. He had been my warm friend for years. He was one of our waiters at our marriage in 1872. In my home he was a trusted arid welcome visitor. Our children greeted his coming as the return of an absent member of the family. He per- formed the ceremony of marriage for our eldest daughter when she became the wife of Mr. G. S. Marchant of Mathews. When the news of his death reached us at Temperanceville, Accomac county, we mourned his demise' as the loss of one of our home circle. I reached the end of my four-year term on this BT BTJGGT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 265 circuit in November, 1894, with the love of nine- tenths of my people. I did not hope, nor did I try- to please everybody. But "my rejoicing is this, the testimony of my conscience, that with simplic- ity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, I had my conversation with" this people. Some had misjudged me, and had fallen away from me, denying me their sup- port to the last. Many had stood with me through all my trials, and tried to interpret my spirit and my aims to those who opposed me. God will re- ward them for their fidelity to the pastor and to the Church. They commanded my respect and challenged my gratitude and my love, and received both out of the fullness of my heart. My record is with God. When I had packed all my belongings that could be packed before going to Conference, I sat down and wondered where I would land in the reading of the appointments. For the second time since 1873 I was in the dark on the subject of my next ap- pointment. My going to Heathsville at that time was a surprise to both wife and me, but I was in- formed befo/e Conference of 1877 that I would go to King George, and in 1881 that I would go to Middlesex, and in 1885 that I might go to Princess Anne. Then came the Wright Memorial shock in 1887 ! Mathews was in sight at the end of my third year at Wright Memorial. Now the moving time had come again, and not a hint did I have as to my destination. Lawrenceville, West Dinwiddie, 266 FROM SADDLE TO CITT Louisa, and even Campbell was whispered to me during the session of Conference, but I was kept so busy with my newspaper duties I had no time to "run the rumour down." When "Accomac" fell from the Bishop's lips I halted in my writing- and looked up into the vacancy above me, and imagi- nation pictured a whole county with my parsonage in the center, where I could go an occasional vis- itor. Rev. Wm. P. Wright was the Presiding El- der, and when I asked him what I had, he calmed my anxious soul with the information that I must serve only three churches in the northern part of the county of Accomac, with Temperanceville as my home. So I felt better after this. But that is another story. BT BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 267 CHAPTER IX. THE CONFERENCE OF 1894, AND ACCOMAC CIRCUIT. The Conference of 1894 assembled in Charlottes- ville Nov. 14th, and adjourned Tuesday, Nov. 20th. Bishop Atticus G. Haygood, D. D., presided. Paul Whitehead, S. S. Lambeth and' Ernest Stevens were the Secretaries. Bishop Haygood had visited our Conference be- fore his election to the office of General Superin- tendent, when representing one of the connectional offices at Nashville, the Board of Missions I think. He delivered a sermon of great power on Sun- day morning during this session which stirred the large congregation mightily as they listened for more than an hour to his simple analysis, his im- passioned appeal. He won his way to the heart of the Conference by his generous bearing, his firm- ness in handling a great Conference that likes to de- bate, and warm sympathy for all the men committed to his care for an appointment by the law of the Church. Brother Wm. E. Payne and I had an in- terview with him on a very important subject, not our appointments. He was exceedingly kind and merciful, and we left his presence impressed with the manliness of the man. During the quadrennium from 1890 to 1894 many 268 FEOM SADDLE TO CITY changes had taken place in our Conference. The increase in membership was 9,721. Eighteen min- isters had died, five were discontinued, and two had withdrawn from our Church. Fifty-seven had been admitted on Trial, and nineteen had been received from other Conferences. A very amusing situation found Brother R. H. Mullen over in the North Carolina Conference on transferred territory twice within five years so that he had to be trans- ferred back to the Virginia Conference each time. The following brethren were brought back to their home Conference at the same time, 1894; C. H. McGhee, J. W. S. Robins, J. W. Stiff, C. C. Wortenbaker, C. D. Crawley, A. C. Jordon and J. K. JolliflE. R. H. Bennett was returned to us from the Baltimore Conference, and Langhorne Leitch from the China Mission Conference. The Suffolk District was discontinued and a new Dis- trict formed at this session called the "Portsmouth District." This move was made necessary by the loss of all the territory in North Carolina, (former- ly served by our preachers,) by the action of the General Conference of 1894. Dr. W. J. Young was transferred to us in 1891 from the Baltimore Conference, and F. M. Edwards and T. J. Bay- ton came back from the North Carolina Conference. Some of the men admitted on trial during the four years, 1891-1894 were : B. M. Beckham, G. H. Spooner, J. B. Winn, E. T. Dadmun, J. N. Latham, H. E. Johnson, S. C. Hatcher, J. Sidney Peters, T. K. Jolliff, Geo. F. Greene, W. Ashbury Christian, BY BtrOQT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 269 Geo. E. Booker, jr., A. B. Sharps, R. T. Waterfield, W. B. Beauchamp, M. S. Colonna, Jr., L. T. Will- iams, W. T. A. Haynes, Gus W. Dyer, Geo. Wesley Jones and F. G. Davis. That is a list any Confer- ence might be proud to receive in four years. Sup- pose we count from the session of 1890, and we have W. B. Jett and E. H. Rawlins to add to the num- ber, making twenty-three young men of the fifty- nine admitted at five sessions of Conference who have made remarkable advance in coming to tiie front as representatives on some important field of toil, and some of these have won applause over the whole Church as successful leaders of the Church's forward movement. Among those who had ceased from their labors and had fallen asleep in Christ, I note the following : Dr. John E. Edwards, who died at the end of a long ministry, in March '91, Dr. Leonidas Rosser. o[ whom I have spoken at length, iti January "92, Dr. Peterson, for a long time one of the assis- tant secretaries, Rev Thos. H. Boggs, the modest successful pastor and preacher. Rev. John D. South- all, the sweet singer, Rev. F. J. Boggs, the zealous and faithful friend and popular Presiding Elder with preachers and people. Rev. Thos. M. Beck- ham, the man with the pleasant countenance and the warm heart. Rev. John B. Laurens, ("Uncle Larry,") and Rev. Jas. F. Twitty, of whom I wish to speak particularly because he was my friend at college, and I knew him there better than I did after he entered Conference. Dr. Whitehead, 270 FROM SADDLE TO CITY who read his Memoir at the Conference of '92, expresses my estimate of the man founded on daily contact with him at college. "A man of lovelier disposition and purer character has not belonged to our ranks. Obliging, unassuming, cheerful, sweet-spirited, those who knew him best loved him most. * * * * Faith in Christ was with him the clearest, simplest, act of religious life, and in his lile it brought forth the fruits of a pure righteousness. He had no weaknesses of self-seeking, maneuvering, or grasping, nor any offensive or hampering faults." That is a fine pen-portrait of this devout young man, whom I met first in Petersburg on my return from the west, and afterward at Randolph Macon, where he and I entered at the same time in the fall of 1868. "On the morning of the 28th of November, 1893, in Danville, Va., while our Conference was in session in Main Street church, the soul of one of its veterans, John D. Southall, separated itself from its 'muddy vesture of decay,' and joined the goodly company" of saints in the better land. "None saw his departure. The tent of clay was found without a tenant, in the sacred building" where his brethren were busy with the urgent matters of the church. He died in the basement with no one near to help in the last moment. He was a native of Surrey County and we^-^ j"st 59 years old. "He was a Christian gentleman. His friends gave him complete confidence. His BT BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 271 sermons contained the marrow and fatness of the Gospel. He brought men to God. His death starts streams of tears on a thousand cheeks. He was a counsellor in perplexity." (Lafferty.) Brother Frank J. Boggfs had died Jan. 3rd, 1S94, He was my Presiding Elder while I served tlie Middlesex circuit. He was one of the most lov- able men I ever knew. He was an artillery officer during! the Civil War, and never lost his martial spirit. In the pulpit he was natural, spiritual, earnest. In the chair patient, careful, courteous, firm. In social life an agreeable companion, an entertaining talker, a polite listener, jovial, honest, clean, transparent. As an adviser and friend he was safe, sincere, loyal. "He knew how to grow oki gracefully, and retained to the last his cheerful humor." "Asbury Chapel in Richmond was one of his first charges in the Virginia Conference. Here an extensive revival of religion crowned his ministry and blessed our church in the metrop- olis of the State. That suburban charge so pros- pered that a larger and more attractive church took its place, which from that time has been known as "Union Station." In recent years the growth of this church has been phenomenal. Its members, numbering nearly a thousand souls, have just completed, (1894) on the old site, one of the most substantial, commodious, and attractive houses of worship anywhere to be found in South- ern Methodism." To the gratification of Brother Boggs, and of the good people of "Union Station," 272 FROM SADDLE TO CITY he was present and took part both in the last services held in the old church and in the cere- monies connected with the laying of the corner • stone of the new and beautiful edifice." Rev. John B. Laurens, the children's "Uncle Larry," died May 17th, 1894. He was the Founder of the "Rosebud" Missionary Society which has had a marvellous growth and a wonderful history. Dr. Lafferty tells it: "While connected with the Richmond Advocate he turned his attention to ths" children, and starting with a mite society origi- nated in the family of the Rev. T. H. Campbell of our conference, he nourished the tiny plant till its boughs bore fruit among the heathen beyond the Pacific Sea, also in the land of the Aztecs, and among red men of the plains." "The story of how this broken soldier of the church militant mustered the thousands of in- fants in our homes into bands of rosebuds, has become a thrilling and engaging tale known to the utmost verge of Methodism and beyond. The recruits at first were few ; the finances were num- bered in nickles. By inviting the letters of the tiny tots to the paper; by exhortations short, stirring, simple ; by organization ; by personal visits, the Church saw, with glad wonder, a children's crusade for Christ that seemed marshalled by magic and moved by magnetism. The gifts went up to $55,000.00. The little men and the little women have erected a college in the country he campaigned and conquered (he was a Mexican War BY BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 273 veteran) when a lad for the children of the men he met in battle around Monterey." During the General Conference in Richmond, May 1886, in the Academy of Music a notable Rosebud Rally was held. Thousands of Rosebuds were there. "On the platform were the mighty men of Israel. The one figure that caught all eyes was a tottering old man, with flowing beard, presiding over the vast assembly of little children — 'Unlce Larry.' The orators, statesmen, editors of our Church, gave him reverence, and saluted the most marked man of Providence in our bounds." "It is needless to add, he lived a life of honor, • godliness and stern integrity. He died in peace." Dr. John Ellis Edwards died March 31st, in Lynchburg. He was the platform summer breeze, the instructive preacher, the great word-painter, the tireless pastor, the friend of the children and of the old folks, everybody's counsellor and sym- pathizer. He was my mother's pastor at Wash- ington Street church, Petersburg, and again at Market Street, of which he was the founder. I loved him as a boy loves the pastor who comes to his home as one of the family, and charms the circle with yarns and laughter — the preacher who leaves his stilts outside, and keeps folks awake on Sunday in church with his fascinating pictures and thrilling incident. He was the father of Leroy S. Edwards, my brother's chum at College, of Rev. Dr. Wm. E. Edwards of our Conference, and of Dr. Landon B. Edwards of Richmond. "He was 274 FROM SADDLE TO CITY born in Guilford county, N. C. Aug. 1st, 1814. He was converted in 1832, and joined the Virginia Conference in 1833." In 1837 when the North Carolina Conference was formed he had served two circuits over there, and afterward two more ; then he served one year in Beaufort, two in New- berne, and two in Raleigh. After eight years in North Carolina Conference, he was transferred to the Virginia Conference, and put in charge of Centenary, Richmond. The remaining years of his ministry were spent in Richmond, Norfolk, Peters- burg, Danville and Lynchburg. He was eminently a city pastor by adaptation and by length of ser- vice." "Peter A. Peterson, D. D., was born in the city of Petersburg, Va., Sept. 28th, 1828. He learned the carpenter's and builder's trade under his uncle, and applied himself with diligence and success in the pursuit of his calling. When about eighteen years of age the Mexican war had commenced, and volunteers were called for. He enlisted in the company raised in Petersburg by Captain Fletcher H. Archer, and was commissioned a lieu- tenant.'' Returning to his home after the war, "he married Miss Lucy A. Williamson" of the same town. Renewing his covenant with God, he was "licensed to preach and exercised his gifts awhile, and joined the Virginia Conference held in Fredericksburg in 1852," and "was sent to Din- widdle circuit as junior preacher, Jesse K. Powers being in charge," His development in mind and 275 soul was continuous and sound," and he reached the position of an able and widely influential minister of the gospel." He was not only assist- ant secretary for a long time, but he was the leader of song, in the Conference. With a mellow voice, of far reaching power and perfect harmonj'', he led our Conference congregations with ease, and to the delight and edification of all. He was wise in counsel, patient under the most trying conditions, and devout withal. He died Oct. 6th, 1893, in his third year at Trinity church, Richmond, "after a term of forty-one years of unbroken effec- tive relation." He was the grandfather of our William Archie Wright. One item of interest must not be omitted from this story. When Rev. Wm. E. Evans, D. D., pastor of Granby Street church, Norfolk, surrendered his credentials and withdrew from our church, his place was immediately filled by the transfer of Dr. A. Coke Smith, (at that time a Professor in Vanderbilt University,) from the South Carolina Conference. This was speedily brought about by the firmness and wisdom of Dr. William E. Ed- wards, Presiding Elder of the District; who was in the Eldership only one year in all of his career, the year 1891-2, and seems to have been brought "into the kingdom" of the Bishop's Council "for such a time." The Conference lost a Gunn the same year in another district. Dr. Smith won a place in our hearts at the very beginning of his service in our Conference, and 276 FROM SADDLE TO CITY held it to the end of his life, which terminated while holding the high position of a Bishop in the M. E. Church, South. Another transfer in 1892 was Jas. W. Moore, from the Holston Conference. He was taken from US' a few years later by Episcopal authority, but he has been returned to us recently fresher, strong- er, brighter than before he went away. He holds a high place among us a brother beloved, a man, and a preacher. Conference adjourned on Tuesday, November 20th. I was sent to Accomac circuit. Rev. Wm. P. Wright, Presiding Elder. I returned at once to Mathews, and made preparations to move. Tem- peranceville was the town in which the parsonage was located, and "Bloomtown" was marked on my stuff, and was the limit of my railroad tickets. The Eastern Shore had never appealed to me. It seemed to be across the seas somewhere too far from home, and I had no desire to go ; but the authorities said "Go"; therefore I went. We left our many friends, and our eldest daughter, Mrs. G. S. Marchant, with many tender words at part- ing, and began the journey to the land of strangers. The one night in Norfolk, the ride across the Bay to Cape Charles, and the speedy run to Bloomtown on the New York, Philadelphia, & Norfolk rail- way, fifty miles north of the steamboat terminus, brought us to our destination by 2 P. M. Our reception at the parsonage was cordial and re- freshing. Dr. J. E. Broadwater, whom I had often BY BUGGT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 277 met at our Conference sessions, had sent his car- riage to transport myself and wife and five chil- dren to the preacher's home, and an ample dinner met the call of appetite, and placed it hors du combat in a little while. After this abundant feast, and we were sitting around viewing the surroundings, the neighbors began to come in to pay their respects, and to get the measure of the man. Pruitt, Broadwater, Matthews, Byrd, Jones and others showed themselves for awhile, and we got their measure. They were just like other folks. Plain, religious, common sense white folks, trying to find out whether "the wife of the new preacher needed the whole creation, or would be satisfied with just such a slice of it as the church" in that community "was ready and anxious to supply." So we all went to sleep that night in our new home as well satisfied as we had ever been anywhere among strangers. And Bill Nocik came the next night: solid, de- pendable, silent Bill. The children came, the chil- dren of the town, and soon had the youngest of my set on terms of intimacy with almost the entire population. They came back home from these clandestine visits with information, exultation, con- solation, and every sort of thing that a child picks up in its migrations through a community. Sunday came in due course of time. It fell into that habit centuries ago, and has kept up the prac- tice everywhere once a week, except where the Athletic Associations find it unhealthy and un- 278 FROM SADDLE TO CITT profitable. Perhaps you have noticed this. The preacher with an old sermon, which |had been thoroughly tested on other congregations in other parts, looks forward to the time when he can test it on a new congregation. My sermons were in a box in a freight-car somewhere between Nor- folk and Bloomtown. Nobody knew when they would arrive, flhe new congregation at Tem- peranceville and Guilford would be treated to something old and easily delivered without notes of any sort. The morning service at the former place, and the afternoon service at the latter, brought out a large attendance, and the people went away satisfied of two things, nanaely: that the new preacher had the best foot forward even if he did limp on the other; and, that they had a willing man on the work. ' And the new preacher went back to the parsonage thanking the Lord that the day contained so much to gladden his heart, and so little to discourage. ■ The circuit was triangular, occupying both sides of the New York, Philadelphia & Norfolk Railroad, from Bloomtown to Hopeton, northeast and south- west, and from the Chesapeake Bay to the Alan- tic Ocean east and west. It included three churches, namely; Temperanceville, Sanford and Guilford, with an extra appointment in a new church build- ing called St. Thomas's, in the neck below Guilford. There were some fine examples of the abounding grace of the Lord Jesus Christ in these congre- BY BUQGT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 279 gations of men and women won to the service of God and humanity who had once been "the servants of sin." And yet there were some who knew neither the form nor the power of our holy relig- ion, and the world marked them and avoided them. No man with his eyes open, be he saint or sinner, will trust the "light, if the light that is in thee be darkness." But the examples of consecrated good sense, of spiritual resourcefulness, and fruit- fulness were many, and offset in some degree, at least, the evil done by the inconsistent. 'My neigh- bor on the north, and only three miles away, at "Downings" church was one of our best and truest men. His charge was called "Atlantic," and was made up of Downings, Horntown, and Pocomoke. And in order to reach my church at Sanford I had to pass by the door of his church, Pocomoke. And our membership in that section was badly mixed. It was an unnatural and cumbersome arrangement, brought about to accommodate certain contentions which it would serve no purpose to discuss. I re- mained on the Accomac circuit long enough to bring to pass some things which, in my judgment, needed to be done, and then I left. One was to put the charge in better shape, so as to make it easier for the pastor to do his work; and the other was to put churches together that would make a homogeneous body, and thus make the circuits stronger by this very fact. I insisted that two pastors, living within three miles of each other, and serving six churches in an overlapping terri- 280 FROM SADDLE TO CITT tory, as it was required of Bro. J. C. Watson and me, was contrary to the ordinary rules governing business, and was certainly in opposition to sound Christian expediency. Hence I recommended that a new circuit be formed of Saxis Island, Sanford and Pocomoke, and another be formed of Down- ing's, Horntown, Assawamman and Temperance- ville. And that Guilford, Thomas's and Wood- bury be made a circuit to be called "Bloxom." The first suggestions were not adopted then, but they were a few years later. The latter was adopted, however, at once. A parsonage was built at Bloxom, and a lot secured for the erection of a church at some future time. And that has already come to pass, and "Bloxom circuit," even with Woodbury cut off and attached to Drummond- town, is a good charge. Now we have three com- pact circuits, with a preacher in a parsonage at Sanford, another in a parsonage at Temperance- ville, and the third in a parsonage at Bloxom. There was opposition, but it was based upon a local prejudice, and not on that broader view of the interests of the universal Kingdom of Jesus Christ as the controlling spirit. A very laughable situation was precipated at Guilford on a certain night during a revival ser- vice conducted by our dear brother. Jack Rosser. There were some people in that neighborhood that could not be trifled with. They took everything seriously, especially if a preacher said it in the uulpit. Moreover, there were no cowards in that 281 class, as many an unwise man has discovered, to his life-long regret. For any man' to walk around through that set with a chip on his shoulder was a dangerous thing to do. Well, Jack tried it, — tried it once, — only once. The very first ser- vice brought out a crowd that filled the little coun- try church to capacity. Jack stood up behind the pulpit, and, looking over "the sea of upturned faces," before announcing his text, said, with a wave of his hand, "I can whip anything in this house." There was consternation, but nothing was said. I was filled with dismay, and knew not what to do. Then Jack preached, made a fine impression, and the incident apparently was forgotten ; but it was not, as the sequel shows. Two or three nights afer- ward a little boy gave me a neatly folded note as I entered the church. When I took my seat in the pulpit I saw that the note was addressed to "Rev. Jack Rosser," so I gave it to him seated on the sofa with me. As he read it his face colored, and I knew something had occurred to upset Jack. He then handed it to me to read, and it read thus : "My Dear Brother Rosser : I was not in the church the other night when you said you could whip anything in there : I was coming down the bay. But if you still think that you can, I will meet you anywhere at any time, and we can settle it." A name was signed that gave me some very unpleasant feelings, for there sat the owner of that name on the front pew, and he was a man who could stand by any proposition he chose to 282 FROM SADDLE TO CITY submk. Jack looked at me and said, " He has lost his senses : doesn't he know that I didn't mean it that way?" I repHed, "No, Jack, he has not lost his senses, but you have. You cannot joke these people in that form." But I did not indicate the brother on the front pew ! After the sermon, (which was the best I ever heard Jack deliver,) and while the cong-regation was singing, and pen- itents were coming to the altar, I went to this brother, requested him "not to say a word to brother Rosser tonight," and made an engagement to dine at his house the next day. We had a fine meeting that night, and on our way to the place where we were to spend the night I told Jack that "Bro sat on the front seat tonight, and seemed to enjoy the services very much, and that we would dine with him to- morrow." "Butts are you crazy?" "No," said I, "but I am going to cure a crazy preacher, if the Lord will help me." "I am not going," exclayned Jack. But he slept it off, or prayed it off, and we did go. We met with a cordial reception, got a fine dinner, parted in the afternoon to go else- where, and neither of them mentioned the subject which was uppermost in each man's mind, as it was in mine, during the whole delightful visit. Surely the grace of God prevailed in this instance, and brother Rosser was charmed with his meeting at Guilford, as well as with the people in general. A singular custom prevailed among certain of these people Which I have never seen anywhere BT BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 283 else in all my travels. They had the habit of tak- ing the solemn vows of matrimony sitting in a buggy, (which, by the way, they called a "car- riage,^') in the main road, while the officiating min- ister stood on the ground between the front and the hind wheel. I married eleven couples in the one year I was on this charge, — one in the church at 'Temjjeranceville, one in the church at Guilford, arid nine on the road, — as follows : two in Guilford church yard, four at the parsonage gtite, and three on the road at a spot agreed upon by this preacher and the hopeful swain. I was told that these folks inherited this custom from their forefathers from way back in the dim and distant past, and that the descendants feared to depart from the custom lest some awful luck should overtake them. They had another custom, that of going over the line into Maryland to be married. About ten miles above .Tem^eranceville on the main road to Poco- .raoke .City, there was a stone indicating the boun- dary .between thie states of Maryland and Virginia. jThisiwas the ''Gretna Green" for parties matrimo- ■aaiaUy inclined. On the north side of this stone, vfrhich was about four feet high, and a foot square,, the feet of scores of couples without a license have ;trainpled the earth till the grass has decHned to 'grow. I had an engagement with a young man to imeet him and his sweetheart at this stone on De- cember the 26th, 1894, the very first month of my residence on the Eastern. Shore. The tirhe was 2 P': M., and the day was raw and threatening ;to 284 FROM SADDLE TO CITT snow. Wife went with me for the novelty of the trip, and to be a witness. We kept comfortable with warm wraps. We awaited in vain the arrival of the pair, and, at the end of an hour, returned home without the usual two dollar fee, in a shower of "the Beautiful Snow," arriving at the parsonage just in time to perform the ceremony at the gate for a couple of whose purpose to be married that day, or at any other time, I knew nothing, till I found them there impatiently awaiting my return. That night in the church, near by, in the presence of a large company, I married the second couple for the day. Business along this line would have been considered brisk for one day, at least, if the young man who promised to m'eet me at the State Line Stone had kept his engagement. I hope he did not skip his promise to the girl : but I have not heard to this day whether he did or not. There are some men around Guilford of whom I wish to speak. A. W. Short was the guiding spirit in that congregation, and had the hearty co-op- eration of Bro. Saml. Matthews, Bro. Major Mason, and the other leaders. These men stood at the , front and led the people in true apostolic style, not "lording it over God's heritage," but by strength of character, faith in God, and an unselfish love for the Church of Jesus Christ, and for the Methodist Church as the clearest interpretation of the Gospel, they carried the church with them in all good things. Matthews has gone to get his crown, but Short and Mason are still there, ex- BY BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 285 amples of consecrated common sense and practical religion. Brother Short has represented his charge at District Conferences, and his District in our Annual Conferences for a number of years. And he has been elected Lay Delegate to at least one Gen- eral Conference, and perhaps more than that. He is the preacher's friend, and the church's faithful son. Around Temperanceville there were others, be- sides those already named, who were my friends : — Henry Byrd, a member of "Downings," the enthus- iastic man with gun and dog, and always the best dog in the county. Well, if anybody had the right to an opinion about a dog, Brother Henry was that man. He lived with a dog at his feet, he carried the dog on his mind and in his heart; and had the weight and worth of the dog at his finger tips. He knew dogs. Brother Byrd was one of my friends. He spent ten days with me down on the Currituck Marshes the winter of '95, and we had a good time with Seneca, my Bethel church friend, and with, others. We took home some game, and talked about it "right smart," but it was too slow for Brother Henry, and he lost his patience. He wanted to hunt game that would do what he said they must do under the drive of a well-trained dog: and the ducks were not that kind. One had to get into a blind and await the decision of the duck as to what was best to do ; and Brother Henry fell out with the ducks, and went home. Nevertheless, 286 FROM SADDLE TO CITY he spent the winter of '95-6 in those marshes wait- ing for ducks to learn obedience. S. Wilkins Matthews was my friend. His hos- pitality knew no limit but his ability. His warm heart was ever alert to another's call. He was •brusque, candid, truthful, sensible, a lover of his church, his family, his county. He represented Ac- comac in the Legislature several years, and was Secretary of the Board of Fisheries a long time. He was trustworthy and diligent, and made ene- mies among the opposition gang. That's proof of his manhood. Joe Bill Taylor was a quiet, good man, and in- dustrious. So busy attending to his own business that he never got in anybody's way. The folks who knew him, pinned their faith to him, and sailed away on any statement of which Joe Bill was the author or circulator. And good Lem Chesser "stood by the stuff till the cock crew in the morning," so, therefore, the As- sawamman church was planted, and developed and has thriven under the leadership of this plain man ' with a big soul. And Joe Jones ! Did you ever hear of a neigh- borhood without a Jones that could be counted in ■ the census, in the marts of trade, in the corn field, or on the battle-field? I never did. The Joneses'have kept the country intact ever since the aggregation of mortality that landed at Jamestown sealed the fate of the Red man. And my Joe Jones at Temperanceville was that sort. He was addicted BY BtTGGT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 287 to fair-dealing- without fuss, good deeds without the use of the horn, and firmness without laying himself open to the charge of being the descend- ant of the mule. There were young men coming along at the time of my pastorate who carried in them the "making of men;" and since then in the movement of the years, the report has reached me that they are mak- ing good in the church and out of it. I remember very well my introduction to the town of Drummondtown. It occurred the week after my arrival at Temperanceville. The Presid- ing Elder, Brother Wright, had called the District Board of Stewards to meet at Oriley. My Dis- trict Steward, Dr. J. E. Broadwater, invited me to go with him that I might see the country, and get acquainted with the roads and the pedple, and I consented with delight. We had to pass through the old shire town of Drummondtown. Just in front of the Hotel Dr. Broadwater stopped his horse to spealc to a gentleman on business. Brother Turlington, also on his way to Onley, was di-iving close behind us, but we did not know it. So when our horse stopped Bro. Turlington's horse came right up on top of our left hind wheel with his head close to my shoulder. I decided instantly that proximity to a stfuggling horse on top of a bUggy wheel was no place for me, and jumped! My foot hung in the driving reins, and I went down at full length on my back in the sand. Men sitting on the Hotel porch rushed to my assistance, and picking 288 FROM SADDLE TO CITY me up, asked if I was hurt. I replied, "No, gentle- men, I am not hurt. This is my usual method of entering a town ; I go my whole length." Somehow I never did get the right swing on the Sanford congregation. Bro. Wm. P. Wright, my Presiding Elder, on our way to the First Quarterly Conference at Guilford, heard me preach at Sanford at 11 A. M. the Second Sunday in December, 1894. It was my first sermon at that point. There was a great crowd, and I had great liberty. He thought I had landed my congregation at the first attempt, and so did some of the ofificers of the church. But they were doomed to disappointment. As the year sped along into months pastor and people drifted apart. We did not travel in the same groove. We did not get the same point of view. We did not think alike. I did not approve certain customs which prevailed in that neck of the woods, and which some thought were entirely correct : and when I mentioned these things in the pulpit I raised a storm that darkened the horizon of my career in that locality permanently. I was de- nounced in public places and at the fireside, and treated with such an array of vacant pews that any painter would feel certain that it was a safe place to scatter varnish without fear of damaging clothing. And then it occurred to me that my re- moval at the next Conference was the best thing for the Church in that section. The parsonage at Bloxom having been completed and ready for the incoming preacher, the Quarterly BT BtrOGT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 289 Conference having confirmed the plans submitted by me for a re-arrangement of the work, I made ready to leave for another field, and packed my goods with that prospect in view. Then I set out for the session of Conference in Richmond. 290 rllOM SADDLE to GIT* CHAPTER X. THE CONFERENCE OF 1895 AND ALBE- MARLE CIRCUIT. The Conference of 1895 assembled in Centenary Church, Richmond, Va., Wednesday, November the 13th, and adjourned November the 20th. Bishop Charles B. Galloway presided. Paul Whitehead was Secretary, and S. S. Lambeth and Erniest Stevens were Assistants. The Conference is memorable for the number of investigations and trials. Certain questions had arisen between three of our most useful and well- beloved brethren of the ministry which had pre- cipitated "an unhappy controversy in the church papers" that bordered on the tragic, in that the question of veracity was avoided and eliminated by a most capable committee, and the characters of the brethren passed. In the other two cases the report of the committees indicated that the charges were not sustained, and recommended the passage of the character of each ; which the Conference did at once. Bishoi? Galloway decided two questions of law "arising in the business of the Conference." The first was as follows : — "If during the session of Conference, a Presiding Elder knows of any report 291 against a preacher in his district of such gravity as to require investigation it is his duty to mention it to the Conference, although no written charge has been presented." The other question was, — "Can the report of a committee of investigation, appointed at a session of an Annual Conference, and finding a charge simply of improper conduct, be referred to a committee of trial before all the preliminary steps presented in the Discipline touch- ing such cases have been complied with?" (Signed) W. E. Edwards. Answer, "No." (Signed) Chas. B, Galloway. The following were admitted on trial into the Travelling Connection : — C. E. Blakenship, L. C. Shearer, H. F. B. Martin, Alex. L. Franklin, G. E. B. Smith, J. D. Hoosier, G. H. Lambeth, W. L. Ware and P. H. Clements. The following had died:— D. P. Wills, E. P. Wilson, J. W. Hildrup, S. W. Eason, W. E. Payne, J. C. Martin, and W. F. Robins. C. W. Cain and C. H. Galloway came back to us from the transferred North Carolina territory. The membership of the Conference is reported as 84,373. ' The Class admitted into full connection con- tained the names of some fine material, whose "gifts, grace and usefulness" during the two years of trial gave promise of a successful future. Sev- eral of these men have fully vindicated the pre- dictions of those who knew them well, and have fulfilled our highest hopes. Dr. W. B. Beauchamp, 292 FHOM SADDLE TO CITT General Secretary of the Laymen's Missionary Movement, Secretary of the Centenary Commis- sion, and Foreign Secretary of the Board of Mis- sions, was a member of this Class. He was one of the Commission of three, (Bishop Atkins and Dr. W. W. Pinson being the other two,) who visited Europe in 1920, and succeeded in planting our mis- sion in Belguim, Poland and Czecho-Slovakia. His good sense, his Christian diplomacy, his charming personality, and his abounding faith were the fac- tors in his make-up which contributed to his suc- cess. Dr. SamL C. Hatcher, Vice-President, and Secre- tary and Treasurer of Randolph-Macon College, was another member of this Class. He has suc- cessfully filled some of our best stations, and is beloved wherever he has served as pastor. He is quick, sensible, zealous, genial, and a preacher whose sermons and addresses indicate careful preparation and prayer. At times the holy fire flies from his strokes, and the conscience and heart of the hearer are won to, his cause. Dr. George E. Booker was another member of this class of the 2nd year in 1895. If Bishop Gallo- way was the "Prince Charlie" of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, our inimitable George is the "Prince George" of the Virginia Conference. He is a fine specimen of the culture4 Christian gen- tleman. He is clean in purpose and method, cou- rageous and firm when a question of principle is involved, devout and faithful as a pastor, and pre- BY BtJGGT, BOAT AND KAILWAT 293 eminently successful in getting a hearing from the pulpit and the platform. He is an attractive preacher, holding his congregations with eleffant diction and well-rounded periods. He distinguished himself at College by winning the prize for oratory. He has filled many of the leading churches in Vir- ginia Methodism. Add to this the notable fact that he has been a member of three General Con- ferences, and you have the measure of the man as his friends have measured him. Everybody loves George because George is a lover. On the adjournment of Conference a whisper, which had come to me concerning my appointment, was confirmed by the Bishop reading "Albemarle, D. G. C. Butts." Rev. Joshua Soule Hunter was made Presiding Elder of the Charlottesville Dis- trict, and I was glad. Brother Hunter and I en- tered Conference together in the Class of 1870, and we had remained warm friends through all these twenty-five years. I saw much of him during his splendid pastorate at Queen Street church, Nor- folk. I was delighted with the prospect of tarrying, if only one year, in the Piedmont section of Vir- ginia. The change, I was sure, would be beneficial to my whole family. Ripe fruit and good water are a sure cure for torpid livers : and some of my tribe had that trouble. Besides, I wanted to come in con- tact with a class of people I had never known. I had never met the mountaineer. I wanted to see him in his own home, in his rocky field digging dol- 294 FROM SADDLE TO ClTT lars out from under barrifers that make a tidewater citizen tremble at the thought. I wanted to mfeet him in his churches, and learn to know the kind of faith that served him amidst insUpei*a'ble diffi- culties. So I prepared to move to the hill country with "great expectations." It was a long move, and an expensive one from the Atlantic seaboard to the foot hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Before leaving the seat of Conference I had an interview with my predecessor, Rev. M. S. Watts, (he going to the Middlesex circuit,) arid we traded hof'ses on the spot. He agreed to leave his horse, "John," at the Albemarle parsonage for me, an 91' his going with a sincere grief, and the shadow fell upon my home as it di^upon his. Of his hterary equipment and masterful writings I have no power to speak, and few. have. Such a mind and such writings can engage no sympathetic criticism from any but the brain that travels easily along the highways of thWg;l;i|;;where the Greek and the Latin masters found themselves at home. Alas ! departed friend of my earliest pleasures, and of my latest labors, none seemed to see the glory of the sunset but the little boy you loved so well, and he did not, and does not yet, understand the meaning of the cloud. His wife, (as I have already said elsewhere,) was a Miss Brown, of "Brown's Cove," a choice speci- men of the refined Virginia woman, who placed her' thought and heart in the making of a home, and in the worship of God. She had no time nor taste for public parade and private gossip.' Her visits carried sunshine and help to the poor: to her kin and others, the blessing of good will and upright and joyous demeanor. She gave herself, without reserve, to woman's highest and holiest duties,^ — the cheerful sharing in her husband's burdens with- out complaint, and beautifully proved to the world how far afield faith will carry ^ soul and body and home when everything else has failed. The Hadens, Clifton and Curtis, were sound, de- pendable Fluvanna stock, adding weight and worth to Albemarle's gentry by their coming to Crozet. Their forefathers had set the standard high down 310 ' FROM SADDLE TO CITT at Palmyra, on the James, and these sons had stepped up on that moral and religious plain with- out a struggle. The motive power was in the blood. The movement upward was, to the sons, easy and natural, just as water seeks its level. They were industrious with moderation, economical without avarice, and pious without cant, or the "sounding of a trumpet." The Bible has a de- scription of the Hadens: — "Diligent in busi- ness, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord." Rev. Thos. H. Haden at the great Methodist College in Kobe, Japan, is a brother, a man of the same type. Dr. William Joseph Jones was another of my warmest friends and supporters. He was the Nes- tor of the church at Crozet, the poet and essayist for our church paper. He had a simple rule for living close to Christ -J- — Get up so near the Living Lord that in any other place in the Kingdom on«> wJU feel dissatisfied. His feet touched the earth because he had no wings. ' "His conversation (cit- izenship) was in heaven," and so he was prepared above all others in his profession to serve men. He carried to his home the beauty of a strong devo- tion to every member of the family "without par- tiality and without hypocrisy." He carried to his patients the wise discretion and practical senss of the physician, and the humble spirit of prayer- ful dependence on od. The Lord went with him in his practice, and the people trusted him to the utmost. A monument to the mighty men among our lay- BY BtTGQt, ftOAt Atfb «AtLWAt Sll men should be raised, but who shall do it? They have made possible the success of the preachers : and the reason why some one has not stoned those few grumbling clericals in whose thought every- thing is going wrong, is because these godly lay- men have stood between them and deserved pun- ishment. But why mention a monument? It has already been reared by these faithful men and women. "On this rock," the indestructible granite of blood-washed character, cemented by prayer and tears, and dried stone-hard in the sunshine of the constraining love of Christ, God has "built His church" through the centuries, and "the gates, (the judgment seat) of hell cannot prevail against it." This is their monument: it will endure through eternity. At the Conference held in Lynchburg November, 1896, a fine class of eight young men was received on Trial : — John E. White, Francis B. McSparren, John C. Granbery, Jr., Jesse B. Lavinder, Jas. E. Oyler, Robt. C. Garland, Saml. J. Battin, and Ernest L. Peerman. Can you beat that? Two presiding elders came out of that bunch, — McSparren and Battin. John Granbery, when last heard from, was down south somewhere in a College teaching ideas how to sprout. Ernest Peerman is a growing man. He was seven years a Missionary in Korea, but is back in America still seeking an education. Oyler is a Supernumerary, and selling first-class clothing in Richmond. White and Lavinder are travelling circuits, and any one can hear them "Go" who will 312 FROM SADDLE TO City "stop to listen. Garland was located at the Confer- - enceof 1892. , • " When I was returned to the Albemarle circuit in 1896, Lavinder was given his first appointment as my junior. He did good work for a,.-.yqung man with his equipment. He has made friends and im- proved year after year, till now he^is'bne of our trusted and Successful itinerants. Lavinder used to make some mighty bad slips in preaching, and so did I. Lavinder used to deliver some mighty poor sermons, and so did L Lavinder has gotten over that in a large measure. I am not so cer- tain about my own case. And there are others. Some of us never do. Ask the people who hear us when they can stand it. ".Let him that is with- out" a soft place in his brain,'' and splits in his rec- ord, "cast the first stone" at.., Lavinder and me. Lavinder is all right. My »-wife believed in Lavinder. I like Lavinder. ''■.; I had a hard time training him: we always" like the things that cost us the most labor, except Arithmetic, and Lavinder is not that. Lavinder is in my heart. I think it was sometime in the year 1897 that I was invited by a preacher, high in the official cir- cle of the Conference, to meet him at the residence of a certain layman somewhere in the country around in the vicinity of Norfolk. His letter in- formed me that "a grand Coon Hunt" was planned for that week, and certain brethren of the Con- ference had agreed to become members of the party. The rooms and beds had been provided for tJlf mobt, bOAt Aitb KAltWAV iU the entire party at the good brother's home, and that a royal good time was promised. If I should write the names of these prospective chasers of the gay and funny coon into this story it might add a little to the interest thereof: it certainly would give it a tinge of dignity, which, under the circumstances, must be discarded in the telling; for I think it best to let the narrative take the form of a comedy with the names of in- dividuals carefully eliminated. Then identffication will be almost impossible, unless the hopeful hunts- men come forward and confess, " 'Twas I that did it " " On account of the constant and imperious de- mands of my heavy work on my time and thought, I was compelled to decline the invitation, and await, in my piedmont home, the report from the field. At the end of ten days the expected report came, ]yut it was not the report which was expected. A brief note, written in a fog of dejection, said, "On account of weather, and mud, and sickness," and a lot of other obstructions which no ecclesiastical derrick could remove, "the coon hunt was indefi- nitely postponed, and we returned to the city weary of life, and heavy laden with disappointed expec- tations." This report was too much for me. My artistic impulse got on a rampage at once. Pictures of that delectable gang around Norfolk surrender- ing to anything began to form themselves in niy 314 fttoM SAbbtE to cttt brain cavity, crying out, "Draw me !" I folded the dismal note, and laid it on my desk. I took a pad, and seated at riiy up-stairs window, where no one would interrupt, with the charming scenery all around to inspire, I began to describe in pencil marks, "The Memorable Coon Hunt of 1897." There were in that procession which took its de- parture from the city for the field of conflict, the following : — (excuse these indefinable initials which tell noth- ing : J. P., with the Book of Ecclesiastical Law in his hand ; W. H., perspiring freely and gracefully waving the needed palm-leaf fan in the still sum- mer air ; W. A., with cane, and gloves, and silk hat, and cigar ; J. T., a tired itinerant^ ready to ride any- thing upon the slightest pretext ; and R. C, with flute, and smile, and manly stride. G. S., with slouched hat, and Prince Albert coat, and creased trousers, and bonnie blue tie around a spotless col- lar with corners turned down, was already at de- voted layman's home when the hunters arrived. After supper the hunt began. The forest was penetrated and searched, and the night was almost gone when one of the dogs "treed !" Instantly J. P. summoned the brethren to stand in a half circle around- him, that he might read unto them "the Law on the catching of coons." The group was formed arpund the prelate while the dog barked, and the laughing stars looked down upon the clandestined ecclesiastical court. W. H., the fat saint, pronounced the weather too hot for him BT BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 315 to bear a recital of that sort; besides, he said he did not know there was such a law in the Dis- cipline." W. A. said, "I want no law : I will show you how to capture coons if you will follow my example : I have caught bigger game than coons with my plan. Treat 'em courteously, and they will come right down into your hand." R. C. said, "We want no law: I can bring down any coon with the music of my flute." J. T. said, "I will not stand here listening to all this nonsense : I will lie down." The men in that darksome wild turned to look at him, and discovered that he brought a wheel-barrow, and was coiled up in that with his umbrella over him. This was too much for the dignity and order- liness of the mind of G. S., so he suggested to the hospitable layman that "we call off the hunt till we can get someone out here who knows something that ain't in the books." The dear brother con- sented. Now, if you had seen that disconsolate procession on its way to the home of the layman you would have had the laugh of your life. There was J. T. sprawled out in a round bunch in the wheel-barrow, protesting that he "would stay there in those woods all night before he would walk another step." Moaning that "everywhere hurts me, and I have been opposed to coon hunts all my life." Then those devoted men, who never have been guilty of forsaking a brother in trouble, divided among themselves the beneficent job of taking the tired brother home to the hospitable lay- 316 FROM SADDLE TO CITY man's house in the simple conveyance provided by this man of simple tastes and aching bones. A rope was attached to the front of the wheel-bar- row, and dear Brother W. H., the perspiring and popular pastor of ******* church, attached him- self to that. R. C, with flute carefully stored away in his upper left coat pocket outside, grappled the handles. J. P., the tall representative of the Law, walked in front, adding weight and authority to the purpose of the procession, whilst dignity and affability shined forth in the person of W. A. with silk hat, gloves and cane. The blessed layman fol- lowed in tears ; he remembered his meat house and chickens, and the distance from Norfolk. G. S. went to his own home not far away, declaring his disgust with the whole business. This was the picture my imagination flung on the canvas outlining the inglorious coon-hunt, in- spired by the solemn note which came to me from J. P., aided largely by the fascinating scenery which catches the eye and thrills the soul of him who looks out over into "Brown's Cove" from the upper window of the parsonage at Whitehall. I had many a ride through those mountain gorges, and along the summit of the Blue Ridge for miles, and down into the innumerable and lonely vales, and never had a fear of man or beast. The charm of these trips away from the care of the churches, the blessed silence, the thrills which came when I climbed the rocks, leaving my horse in the shadow of a graceful cliff which lifted its BT BtTGGT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 317 level top to the sky, these, and the fascination of scenery caught from a point of view where none had ever stood before except the mountain hunter, drove the goblins away, or led me to ignore them if they came. But the torrential rains and consequent floods were my terror. I think it was the great storm of September or October 1897, which shook my faith in the solidity of a mountain road, and the inno- cence of a mountain stream. The rain fell in great sheets through the afternoon and night. By mid- day the next day Moorman's and Doyles rivers were a resistless flood hundreds of yards wide, filling all the flats, and sweeping through the nar- row openings between the hills with appalling swiftness, threatening houses and stock with ruin and death. The roads up Sugar Hollow and Brown's Cove were practically destroyed, and had to be rebuilt at a cost of hundreds of dollars. After the flood had subsided wife and I drove up the Cove road beyond the Moorman's river bridge as far as we dared to go with horse and buggy. We stopped under a tree by the roadside attracted by the sight of six ears of corn brought down by the angry waters from some farmer's field, and caught here in the fork of the tree as high up as the waters had risen. I stood on tip-toe on my buggy seat, and could reach the corn with my hand stretched upward as far as I could. The height from the ground was not less than ten feet. I am five feet five inches high. 318 FROM SADDLE TO CITY I crossed the Rivanna at Rea's Ford on a cer- tain night in August, 1898, about twenty-four hours after a big rain storm in the mountains. I did not think of danger till I had driven into the cut too far to turn back. Then I heard the rush- ing* waters. Covering my suit-case with my horse- blanket, and sitting up on the back of the seat with the cushion in my lap, I ordered "John" to go in; and he went in up to his breast. The Water came up to the seat on which my feet rested. It was not broad but deep. "John" took me over quickly and safely. Bro. Ed. Wingfield, living on the hill near by, asked me a few days later, if I did really cross that Ford that night. When I told him I did, he charged me never to risk my life at that place again: that it is a most dangerous Ford in high water, and on that particular night the water was up to the danger line ! The Hydraulic Ford was a sunken road-way, perfectly safe in ordinarily high water. The river there was broad and not very swift. But no one ever attempted to cross at the flood stage of the river. Millington Ford, near Bro. Jeter Jones's home, was a long shallow crossing, and was easily negotiated except when the mountain springs over- flowed, and discharged their mad waters into the piedmont. Then no place was safe unless it was the hill-top and a good shelter. Up in the very heart of the Blue Ridge in "Sugar Hollow," near the head of Moorman's river, lived Oscar Early, a great big bodied, big hearted moun- 319 taineer. He could entertain by the hour with mi- raculous stories of mountain adventure, hair- breadth escapes from bears and wild-cats, and the successful chase of the hundred different kinds of varmints that infest those parts. The hair would stand up on one's head as he told of the rushing floods that swept down the Hollow, and cut hirii and his devoted wife and adopted daughter off from civilization for weeks at a time; and of the cloudbursts that tore gulches out of the hill-sides in which one could bury a city hotel the size of Murphy's in Richmond. Yes, all of that, and then some, till one almost feared to go out of his home again lest one should be overtaken by one or more of these dreadful creatures, or an inanimate foe to human life. But after all, Oscar Early was my friend and brother. His home suited me : his food suited me : his cold spring water and milk suited me : his yarns held me spell-bound by day, and helped me to dream some wonderful dreams at night: his beds were what the weary body needed after a tramp over those hills : and his good wife never wearied in trying to make her guests comfortable, and ever ready to repeat the visit. Over the mountain to "Black Rock Springs," and up to the "Black Rock" itself affords as charming and romantic an outing as one can wish for. To get the full value of such a trip, one should leave the parsonage, in summer of course, after an early breakfast, strike out up the banks of Moorman's 320 FROM SADDLE TO CITY river, crossing that stream twenty-three times in the ten miles to Mr. Early's home. See that you let him know that you are coriiing, and do your utmost to arrive there in time' for a bountiful dinner. There'll be a dog under the table at your feet while you eat, but never mind the dog: give your full time to the dinner. Spend the afternoon lounging around the yard in the shade, or hunt the hill-sides for birds, and the trees for squir- rels, and the streams to their source for startling effects in water falls and springs. About a mile down the river from Oscar's home there is on your left a fall of water not more than a. yard wide, tumbling over a rocky ledge into a pile of loose stone below, with a sheer drop of more than one hundred feet. On the western side of the river, we followed, in one of our tramps, a small stream till we came fo a clear deep pool. Into this pool a sheet of water, ten feet wide and as thin as a sheet of plate glass, slips over an inclined plane from a summit of not less than twenty feet. The pool was a fine place for bathing in those days : six feet deep, clear as crystal, but not large enough for swimming. On the top of the hill, on the road from "Sugar Hollow" to "Black Rock Springs," is a depression called "The Low Place in the Ledge." Here, qn the right as you approach the summit, is a spring of the purest water, as beautiful as a fountain in a park, and as bountiful in supply as an Artesian well. Both man and beast slake their thirst at BOAT AND RAILWAY 321 this place, and take a long-wished-for rest at the end of the climb either from the Springs on the west or the Hollow on the east. Here a road turns sharply to the north on the very back-bone of the ridge, which, with a grad- ual rise for nearly two miles, ends in a grove of birch and live oak at the base of one of the many piles of immense rock found at infrequent dis- tances on the top of the mountain throughout this region : and I suppose, the same features prevail on the entire Appalachian range from New York to Alabama. A hundred yards west of this grove, where we tied our horses, is the edge of one of Virginian's natural wonders. All around are loose stones from the size of the fist of the normal man to that of the body of a short man weighing 200 pounds ; pass over this obstruction and you come to another of more pretentious character : — a wall of black rock rising to the height of perhaps 30 feet. The wall is split in pieces of varying size. Some would weigh 500 tons, whilst others would tip the scales at ten thousand tons. We climb this wall by a flight of stone steps flung at various degrees of ascent, till we reach the top, and there stand in speechless wonder at the scene. Before you, from north to west, the boulders cover the mountain side for fifteen acres, to the depth of, no one knows, how many feet. The sight makes this first impression; — that some furious wind storm with hurricane ve- locity, struck this one-time majestic mountain 322 FHOM SADDLE TO CITY home, and prostrated it in a night : that an earth- quake followed, with an electric storm as an ac- companiment, finishing, with fire and chasm, what the wind had left, and burying in the ruins a thou- sand feet deep the luckless dwellers in this doomed abode. From the summit of the highest and levelest of the wall left standing, a view of the Shenandoah Valley is obtained which lingers in the memory for years. Over here on our right, in the north, six miles away, on the other side of "Brown's Gap," is "Big Flat Top," of which I have already spoken. That yellow thread you see, across the chasm, two miles away is the "Brown's Gap" and "Port Re- public" highway, over which Stonewall Jackson marched his victorious army to the enemy's rear in 1862, (see page 198). To the left, or south of us, is a point called "Calloway's Rocks," resembling the one on which we stand. Directly in front of us, to the northwest, is the famous Valley of Vir- ginia, or that portion of it lying in Rockingham and Augusta counties. Over there is Masanuttan Mountain resting on the banks of the Shenandoah river, looking like a yawl boat bottom side up on the beach, its sharp- keel outlined on the blue ho- rizon. In the distance the level top of the Alle- gheny range is plainly seen. To the west and southwest the city of Staunton, the Twin Sisters, two round cones near Fishersville, and Waynes- boro, are dimly visible. Above it all the blue sky bends, — a canopy covering the works of the Great BOAT AND RAILWAY 323 Creator. The heart of the Christian leaps with a thrill of gratitude, and the spirit of worship prompts the lips to utter a song of praise. Among those who had died during the year 1897 was Rev. Edward Marshall Peterson, D. D. He was a good man, conscientious, zealous, success- ful as pastor and preacher. He was an authority on Conference relations, baptism and hypocrisy. He was a terror to the Ritualist, especially to that particular speciman who unwisely remarked to Brother Peterson one fateful day that he (the Ritualist) could not exchange pulpits with him (Peterson) "'because the canon of the church for- bade it." Peterson replied, "I can spike that little canon with a three-penny nail !" He was a source of perplexity and confusion to our deep-water brethren, as many in Tidewater Virginia and else- where can testify. And hypocrisy sought a hiding place, side by side with the proselyter, in the tall timbers when it was "norated around" that old man Peterson with his long linen duster was com- ing. "Never did the official record of this Conference," says Dr. VV. G. Starr in his Memoir read at this session, "contain a name that will be more affec- tionately treasured in time to come than the name of Marshall Peterson. We all love him, and the fragrance of his memory will linger long in the hearts of his brethren." The election of Delegates to the General Con- / ference of 1898 was taken up, and consumed thf* 324 FROM SADDLE TO CITY larger part of the fifth day's session, morning and afternoon. The result was as follows: — J. P. Gar- land, R. N. Sledd, Paul Whitehead, A. G. Brown, A. Coke Smith, and W. E. Edwards. Reserves :■ — ■ J. C. Reed, W. G. Starr and J. J. Laflferty. Lay Delegates :—W. W. Smith, A. E. Kellam, C. E. Vawter, R. W. Peatross, R. S. Paulett, and John P. Branch. Reserves : — E. G. Mosley, J. C. Parker, and Carter Glass. As the close of my third year drew near I be- gan to feel that the charge needed a new preacher. The work had not improved during my pastorate as I had hoped. Revival services had been held at every appointment, but had not resulted in many additions to the church, notwithstanding, I, had the valuable aid of such men as John C. Rosser, then at the summit of his usefulness ; George E. Booker, a charming preacher who filled Mt. Moriah church with a congregation twice daily for a week; E. T. Dadmun, who won his way to the hearts of my people by his spirituality and tenderness ; and Chas. L. Bane, whose sermons compelled attention, al- though the manuscript was closely followed. I found, on my arrival on the charge in December, 1895, that the church register had not been culled for several years, hence it carried one hundred and fifty names of people, who either disclaimed mem- bership, or had removed. This loss I had to bear at the very beginning of my term. It was not the first time I had had such an experience, and there- fore being accustomed to it, I bore it resignedly. BY BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 325 But the additions from conversions did not meet my expectations. Eighty-four in three years at seven churches was not a good average. Seventy- eight received by Certificate helped somewhat to make my gain 162 in three years. But my losses were heavy. For instance, Deaths 27, Removals by Certificate 81, and Withdrawals 53; with 150 loss to start with, and it will be seen that my net loss for my term was. 149. So I thought the con- dition of the work indicated the need of a new man. There was another factor entering into the in- vestigation which moved me to ask for a change : this, I had been a tidewater pastor all my life till now. For twenty-five years I had served the peo- ple on the coast, and I understood them, their hab- its of thought, their manners and customs. I did not understand the people of the piedmont region. The pastoral work was too heavy for me to do it as I had been doing it all my life. I did not know what to do with those long, rough roads. I could not do the work as I thought it should be done, and as my conscience moved me to do it. I would kill my horse and myself too. So I determined to leave, and let the Presiding Elder feel free to sug- gest any one else he pleased as my successor. Therefore when I went to the Conference of 1898, I was ready to move. Quite a number of my friends, both in the church and out' of it, and mem- bers of other churches, expressed their regrets when informed of my decision, and suggested that one year more would not hurt me. But they 326 FHOM SADDLE TO CITY all, with one accord showed in many ways that their sorrow at my going was sincere, and not the gush and froth of sentiment. There are PEOPLE in Albemarle circuit:— BIG PEOPLE, and f have been careful to drift back there frequently since my removal, if for nothing else than to be able to say that I HAVE SAT DOWN WITH THE GIANTS ONCE MORE. BY BtTGGT, BOAT AND RAILWAT 327 CHAPTER XL THE CONFERENCE OF 1898 AND GLOU- CESTER CIRCUIT. The Conference of 1898 met in the Monumental Church, Portsmouth, Va., November the 16th and remained in daily session till late Wednesday night the 23rd. This was the One Hundred and Sixteenth annual session, and was presided over by Bishop R. K. Hargrove. Paul Whitehead was Secretary, and S. S. Lambeth, B. M. Beckham and Geo. F. Greene Assistants. This proved to be one of the busiest sessions in the history of the Conference. A large class was admitted on trial into the Travelling Connection, viz: Thos. S. Leitch, William L. Jones, Wilmot C. Stone, L. Hunter Early, Jas. E. McCulloch, Daniel T. Merritt, Robert L. Busby, William L. Murphy, J. Franklin Carey, Henry W. Dunkley, and W. G. Burch. Dr. A. Coke Smith presented to the Conference resolutions of the Epworth League Conference held at Norfolk, Va., during the present year on the subject of establishing, through the agency of the League, a Methodist Orphanage for the Virginia Conference ; which, on motion, were referred to SSS FROM SADDtE TO CiTY the Epwbrth League Board of this Conference.. The Board reported on the morning of the sixth day the following : — "We have carefully considered the paper referred to us by the Conference con- cerning the establishment of a Conference Orphan- age, and report a unanimous and most enthusiastic sentiment in favor of such an enterprise, and rec- ommend the appointment by the Conference of a committee, who shall take the whole matter under advisement, with full power to act in the premises; provided they incur no debt, and who shall report at the next session of the Conference. We rec- ommend the following brethren for appointment on that committee : Revs. A. Coke Smith, W. J. Young, and E. H. Rawlings, and Brothers P. T. Barrow, E. G. Mosely, S. S. Lambeth, Jr., W. H. Vincent, S. Q. Collins and W. W. Smith." The appointment of this committee followed the adoption of the report of the Epworth League Board, and this was the beginning of the history of our Orphanage in Richmond, which has won its way to the hearts of the people throughout our bounds. Dr. Young J. Allen, Missionary to China was a welcome visitor to the Conference. His last visit was at the session in Lynchburg in 1870. A mo- tion offered by Dr. Sledd, and adopted by the Con- ference requested Dr. Allen to address the Con- ference on conditions in China on Friday. On that day at 11 A. M. he delivered his memorable ad- dress on "China Made Willing," an address which BY BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 329 created a profound impression on his great audi- ence. The developments of the last twenty years have singled Dr. Allen out, not only as a Christian statesman, but as a prophet of no small ability. At the request of the Conference Bishop John C. Granbery delivered his "Semi-Centennial" sermon, and the Conference, by resolution, requested the Bishop to furnish the same for publication in the Conference Annual. It was a fine exhibit of the spirit of the Bishop : full of tender reminiscences of men and events, a just estimate of men of mark, a story of the times, long gone, full of incident, and humor, and pathos. The list of those who had died contained the fol- lowing: — L. S. Reed, the father of our Dr. J. C. Reed, born in 1819, licensed to preach in 1846, joined the Virginia Conference in November, 1849, at Petersburg, granted the Superannuated Relation in 1893, and died in 1897. "Through fifty-one years he bore the title and adorned the office of a Meth- odist preacher. In the councils of his Church and the advisory boards of his community, he was es- teemed for his strong common sense and for his practical wisdom. His knowledge of men and mea- sures was exceedingly accurate." He was a Del- egate to the General Conferences of 1866, 1874, and ' 1878, and an Alternate to the session of 1886, "serv- ing a part of the session when Dr. W. W. Bennett became too feeble to attend." Jacob Manning, after fifty-five years of faith- ful service. "No man was more loved by his breth- 330 FBOM SADDLE TO CITY ren, and no man more generously loved them. He sought the good of others," and others poured the benediction of their gratitude into his gentle bosom. Geo. C. Vanderslice died in March, 1898, in the city of Richmond, while pastor of Union Station, after an illness of less than a month. His death was a shock to the City, to his Conference, to his friends everywhere. No thought of such a calam- ity was associated with the mention of his name. His lively stride, his rugged frame, his aggressive spirit, his discount of difficult and taxing toil, had g^ven those who stood nearest him only the idea of what life really meant. He carried a conse- crated soul, and a brave heart. David M. Wallace joined the Conference in 1853, and died in April, 1898, a faithful pastor, an evan- gelical preacher. Joseph J. Edwards gently breathed his last at the home of his son, J. Travis Edwards, in Berkley, (now a part of Norfolk,) April 20th, 1898. The fu- neral services were condticted by Rev. R. M. Chand- ler, and the precious remains were laid to rest in Elmwood Cemetery, Norfolk. "He was a good man," a man of faith, and prayer, and withal a deeply sympathetic man, carrying the burdens of others upon his own heart as- if they were his own. This is Christ-like. At the same time, as Dr. Wm. E. Edwards says in his Memoir, "He was as art- less and unsuspecting as a child. He was pain- BY BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 331 fully distrustful of himself, and as modest and re- tiring as he was distrustful." Jas. L. Spencer closes the list of the worthy men the Virginia Conference lost this year from her ranks. He was born in 1826. He joined the Con- ference in November, 1850, but from 1858 to 1872 was not on the effective list. As a preacher Dr. Spencer "was clear, scriptural, spiritual, earnest, pointed. Like Moses he communed with God on the mount. In labors he was abundant. He sowed beside all waters diligently, and fruits of his min- istry were not lacking." The Conference did a very unusual thing on Wed- nesday morning, the seventh day. The usual ses- sion began at 9 A. M. The minutes of the last ses- sion were read and approved. Then, "There being no business ready, on motion. Conference adjourned to meet again at 11 o'clock A. M. today." "Conference met at 11 A. M. according to ad- journment," and went on with a great amount of business. Late that night the appointments were read, and I found myself sent to the Gloucester circuit as the successor of Rev. Joseph E. Potts. Rev. John M. Burton succeeded me in the Albemarle' circuit. The first record of the Gloucester circuit that I have been able to find is in the Journal of Bishop Francis Asbury. The date is "December 29th, 1781." The record reads: — "Rode to Stedham's * in Gloucester circuit. This man was once famous for racing : he is now a servant of the Lord Jesus 332 JKOM SADEBUE TO OITT Oirist." "Tuesday, January 1st, 1782," the Jour- nal reads : — Having preached several tiines in the neighborhood of the Qld Church, (King and Queen county,) to very unfeeling congregations, I rode to Dudley's Feriry, in order to cross York river, but v*ra« disappointed, the boat being on the opposite side. We retur«ed .to widow Gs, and had a. congre- gation of sixty or seventy people. We then rode back to the Ferry, -and passed over immediately." "Decem-ber 4th, 1783," he passicd over that route again. He says, "I preaqhed to abovit thirty people at ol4 father Stedham's m King and Que^n county, * GlQUcester circuit; myself and the people were blessed in waiting on the Lord." , "T.hursday, May 12th, 1785," he is a,t "Yorktown, lately the seat of War." His note .on jthis place is short and plain, "Here Lord CornwAllis surrendered to ,the com- bined armies of America and Ffftnce. The inhabi- tants are di3soIute ajid careless. I preached to a few serious women at 1 o'clock, and at the desire of the ladies agajn at 4 o'clock. I caipe to Mrs. Row.e's." That is, he crossed the river to .GIoji- ce^ter I^oint, .for he ,^oes on to say, "Saturday the 14th, I directed my course for Ur,banna. I was apprehensive of ji ^ust while crossing the Rjippa- hanjiQck.; but I reached the .other side in safety." The .•f-ollowing note he -makes of Gloucester cir- cuit is dated Sunday, Ja-nuary 21st and Monday Jan- uary 22nd, 1787. He has ijiust come across the Rap- pahannock fuom the great revival that wa^s sweep- BY BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY SSS ing through the Northern Neck. He says as he strikes this rehgious iceberg, "Cold times in ihis circuit compared with the great times we have had in Lancaster. "January 3rd, 1788," he "cjross.ed the Rappahan- nock : went on to Blake's ; came to Brother Billup.s', Kingston Parish, Gloucester county. Here we were happy in our religious exercises." This Brother Billups was Rev. Armistead Billups, father of Mrs. Harriet Stoakes, and grandfather of our dear Brother -Walter R. Stoakes, of Mathews cir- cuit. Many a preacher has been able to say of that home, "we were happy in our religious exercises." He left this delightful haven pf re^t, and "xode forty miles to Cappahosic ferry, but bein,g jjnable to cross, we ro.de ten miles to the widow Rowe's." He crossed the York at Yorktown, comin|^ south. He came into Gloucester circuit from Lancaster, crossing the river Urbanna, Tuesday, December 29, 1789, went on over Turk's Ferry on the Pianki- tank river, to Sister Button's, where he found "three of the preachers waiting for us, pr-eadhing having been appointed for the morrow." Perhaps this meeting was held at a place called "Cheese Cake," near the present home of John L. Farin- hoJt. The place is mentioned elsewhere in fe-is J-purnal, and is on the direct route from Glouces- ter Point to Urbanna over Turk's Ferry, wliicjh he traveled so often. Thursday the 31st of De- cember, 1789, he is at "Rev. Joseph Bellamy's." 334 PROM SADDLE TO CITY Bishop Whatcoat is with him. Brother Bellamy- was a local preacher, living in the field adjoining the. lot on which the present Bellamy's church stands. The church was founded in 1795, says a headboard placed at the grave of parson Bellamy in the church yard by Mr. Jefferson W. Stubbs in 1895. Dr. W. W. Bennett, in his "Memorials of Meth- odism in Virginia" has this note preserved by Rev. Thos. Scott. "Our Quarterly Conference was held at the house of Mrs. Chapman, situated in a place called Guinea. Rev. Stephen G. Roszell came with the Presiding Elder, Philip Bruce, and preached on Sunday." A great revival resulted, the meeting "continued till a late hour, and several struggled into life." Bethlehem church must have gotten its start from this great meeting. This was in the year 1789. Decen;iber the 29th, 1790, he is in the Gloucester circuit again, and at "Brother Bellamy's," coming from Lancaster. He turns north at this point, going up through King and Queen, and on Christmas day is at Han- over with Wm. Glendenning, one of the preachers. Wednesday, November 11th, 1795, he comes across the Rappahannock into the Gloucester cir- cuit again, this time at Bowler's in Essex county. He says, "I rode eight miles to Brother Mann's in Essex, where I preached fifteen .years ago." "Mann's Meeting House" was still standing on the BY BUGGY, BOIt AND RAILWAY 335 north side of the main road in 1882-3 above the village of Montague's in Essex, as one travels from that point to Center Cross. "November 14th, visited Brother L. R. Cole," is the brief entry in the Bishop's Journal. Cole's Chapel, in Essex, no doubt got its name from this worthy man. "November 16th, after a rainy morn- ing, I rode to Phaup's Chapel and had nearly a hun- dred people. Spent the evening with Mrs. J. El- lis, Bro. Phaup, and Bro. Perry." This was in the neighborhood of Pace's Chapel, for he afterwards speaks of the growth of the work at Pace's. No- vember 17th he crossed the Mattapony river at Frazier's Ferry and the Pamunkey at "Putney" this furnishing evidence that he was at Pace's Chapel "November 16th, 1795," the Chapel being near that Ferry. Saturday, November Uth, 1797, he came into the Gloucester circuit at "the widow Rowzie's in Es- sex, having ridden twenty miles from Pprt Royal, in Caroline county. We were kindly and comfort- ably entertained. We then hastened on to Leroy Cole's. He and his wife were gone to Quarterly Meeting eight miles down the river." (This meet- ing was no doubt held at Mann's Meeting-House already referred to.) "A pious sister and house- keeper made us comfortable." After a rain-storm "we hastened to the meeting-house. Preached. Rode fife miles to Widow Hundley's: here was all kindness and love. We rejoiced to see our much- 336 FROM SADDLE TO CITT esteemed brethren, Cole, McKendree, and Mead, and to hear of a great and gracious work of God." Gloucester circuit shared in this gf^at work in 1797, under the preaching of William McKendfee, Leroy Cole and Stith Mead. "Signs of revival ap- peared edrly in the spring' in different parts of Ma- thews and Gloucester. * * * * These indications in- creased in nuftibef and importance, until on Whit- Sunday, at Mt. Zion, a chapel erected by Mrs. Mary Mason Tabb, a lady of wealth and refinement, the friend of Asbury, and a mother in Israel, a most extraofdinary wOrk broke out." (Bennett) "While I was preaching," Says Stith Mead, "my own soul b^ing overwhelmed by a supernatural power, an awful trembling shook the place throughout the congregatiori," The revival swept through that en- tire section of the circuit, more than five hundred being added to the church during the year, and among them many persons of wealth and influence. The oldest Methodists declared that they had never witnessed' such displays of Divi'ne power." (Ben- ' nett's ""Memorials.") Stith Mead, on account of his zeal and 'su<;cess, was honored with a full share of persecution. He writes, "Persecution has grown to perfection. The burdefl falls mostly on me, yet my colleague has his share. At' the beginning I was styled a road- liiafl it Was declared that I threw my Bible at a man's head : others said if I had ftly deserts I would be tied neck and heels and cast out of the BY BtrOGT, BOAT AND HAILWAT 3S7 meeting-house. I visited a neighboring Quarterly Meeting, and it was reported that I had murdered a man, stolen his money and his horse and run off. Some said I deserved to have my neck broken ; wrhile others determined that I should not return out of Mathews county alive. I went on board of a new ship on the stocks and they declared that I had laid a spell on her so that she could not be launched." "The year closed with a great Christmas meet- ing at Mathews Chapel. While we were commem- orating the birth, crucifixion, death and resu*rec- tion of our Blessed Saviour," says Mead) "Satan assembled his agents and fixed his powder guns around the meeting-house. It was a time of great grace among the Christians, while the dlevil and his subjects were nnade ashamed. On Tuesday the Lord was with us of a truth ; the floor was strewed with shrieking sinners, and before: the meeting was over six souls professed to be converted." He computed the year's results at 500 converted, and 540 added to the church, besides thos^ who united with other denominations." (Bennett's "Memo- rials," Pages 363-366.) Asbury's durnal continues : — "Monddy, Ndvem- . ber 13th, 1797, preached at Pace's on John XIV. 6." Now he passes oil down the' road through King and Queen county, and on Tuesday the 14th was at Shackelford's Chapel in a three hour's meeting. "We had a larg'e and solemn cong'regation. 338 TEOM SADDLE TO CITY Preached on 1 Cor. II. 12." He adds, "In the month of July last, the Lord visited this place in mercy, and it is judged thirty souls not only pro- fessed to be, but really were converted to God." "Wednesday the ISth. A snowy day, and very cold, I rode seven miles, cased and curtained up in the carriage. I kept house at Brother Bellamy's— it is seven years since I was here. My mind enjoys peace, but my body is languid." The road from Shackelford's Chapel to Bella- my's is familiar to many of our preachers. It passes "Plain View," goes out of King and Queen over the Mill Dam into Gloucester, by "Adner" P. O., near "Mt. Prodigal," Warner P. Roane's old home, over Wood's Mill Hill, by Wood's Cross Roads, by "Church Hill," the home of Hon. Jas. N. Stubbs, by Enos Fork to within a fourth of a mile of "Sassafras," where a sharp turn to the left carries the traveller to Bellamy's church, one mile away. Bishop Asbury travelled this road on the 14th and 15th days of November, 1797. It is five miles from Shackelford's Chapel to Wood's Cross Roads, and seven miles from that point to Bella- my's. It is very probable that he spent the night of the 14th at Wood's Cross Roads, and went the next day, "the 15th, seven miles, cased and cur- tained up in the carriage" to Brother Bellamy's" near the church. Historic and sacred soil ! Why should not a Meth- odist wish sometimes to pass over these highways BY BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 339 hallowed by the diligent feet of holy men like As- bury, and tarry now and then at Wood's Gross Roads ? His Journal says, "A society of near forty here (Bellamy's) has increased to one hundred. I preached on Hebrews IH. 12-13. William Wilkinson, one of the preachers on the circuit died "in the midst of his labors," in 1798. April the 18th, 1799, Asbury is in Gloucester cir- cuit again, but this time in King and Queen, county, at "Benj. Pace's." He says, "There are one hun- dred members here," Pace's Chapel. "Went across Layton's Ferry in Essex over into King George." April 15th, Wednesday, 1800," he is "at Mt. Zion. Jesse Lee came in before us and had begun to preach ; I had a headache and fever, so said but little. I had the pleasure of beholding with my eyes the excellent plantation of Mr. Tabb, and receiv- ing every favor the heart of love and the hand of liberality could bestow. I am a stranger that tar- ried." "Thursday the 16th, at 'Cheese Cake' I said a little upon James H. 5. Here is a new house and society." From its location and surroundings I should judge this to be the foundation of "Olive Branch" church, Gloucester, near New Upton. He went on from this point to Urbanna, but could not cross the river on account of a storm, so went up into Essex, by way of Jamaica, Montague's and Mann's Meeting-House to the Widow Hundley's. "Saturday the 18th, we rode fourteen miles to Le- 340 FEOM SADULB' TO CT&t roy Cole's. Monday the 20tH rode twehty-five miles' to the widow Rowzie's." She lived' in uppefr Essex in the neighborhood' of Lloyd's. At the ses- sion of the Annual Cortfe'renee held at Blount's Chapel, Isle of Wigh^^ c'dunty, April, 1800', the Gloucester circuit reports 1,059 memtfers on the roll.. The classes on the circuit are, Shackelford's, Groom's, Old Church, Pace's and Sheppard's in King and Queen, Mann's and Cole's Chapel in Es- sex, Thrift's, Olive Branch, Bellamy's, Guinea, Ab- bingdon Chapel, and Mt. Zion in GlouGester, and Mathews Chapel, Billups', Providence, Bethel and Point Comfort in Mathews county; eighteen ap- pointments. In 1901 there were ten charges in this territory reporting fiVe' thoussuid thriee hun- dred {uid twenty members in thirty-eisht churches ! King and Queen, Essex and Middlesex are strong Baptist counties. The First entry in the old Quartei^Iy Conference Records of the circuit is very incomplete. Neither the date nor the place is given, but Thomas Logan DougJas is Presiding Elder, and John Ballew is Secretary. The next entry is more satisfactory. The Quar- terly Conference was "held at SHackelfdrd's Meet- ing-House, December 10th, 1810. Present Thomas Logan Douglas, P. E. ; John Ballew, Asst. P., Jos; C. Bell, Helper; Peter B. Davis, Local Elder;: John Brumly, Local Deacort; Wm. Brumly, Local Dea- con ; Wms. E. Davis, Local Preacher; David Diggs, BY BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 341 Local Preacher ; Peter Brooks, John Hundley, Wm. Button, Wm. Thrift, Class Leaders; Thacker Muire, Steward. Wms. E. Davis was granted a License to preach. Williams E. Davis was promitient in Methodist events in Gloucester circuit for a number of years. He was the father of Williams T. Davis of the Southern Female College in Petersburg, and of Rev. Joseph H. Davis of our Conference. He was the grandfather of Hon. R. B. Davis, Attorney at Law, and Arthur Kyle Davis, of the Southern Fe- male College, Petersburg, and of Mr. Joseph Da- vis, of Portsmouth, father of Rev. W. H. Davis, 1st Church, Hampton, and of Mrs. O. B. Morgan, mother of Mrs. E. T. Dadmun, Of Richmond. He lived near Gloucester Court House, and left the influence of a good name among the people. William Thrift lived near the present SaletH church in upper Gloucester. It was at his hoUSe the "Thrift's" class met, and that was the foun- dation of what later became "Salem" church. "Abingdon chapel" was an abandoned Colonial church, used by the Methodists for several years, because the state of religion among the Church people was at such a low ebb theire was no organi- zation, no congregation, and no rector : so the Methodists served the people with the word and the Sacraments, until the house was taken up by the Episcopalians and put in thorough repair, and has since been used by them to this day. 342 FROM SADDLE TO CITT At the next Quarterly Conference, August 13th, 1811, which was held at face's in King and Queen, "Minton Thrift was recommended to the Annual Conference for Admission on Trial." I remember old Brother Thrift, as a Superannuated preacher living in Petersburg when I was a little boy. He died there in 1869. Cole's Chapel was replaced in later years by "Lebanon" in Essex; Grooms' was the original of "New Hope" in King and Queen; and Billups' of "Salem" in Mathews. There was no Methodist church in Middlesex in 1810. At a Quarterly Conference "held at Bethel in Mathews county December 14th, 1822, John Morris recommended to the District Conference for Li- cense to Preach." At the Quarterly Conference held at Shackelford's Chapel, September 22nd, 1821, "James Ware, James Howard, and Wm. Armistead Billups, (W. R. Stoakes' grandfather,) were rec- ommended to the District Conference for License to Preach." It will be seen by. these two items that District Conferences were held in those days, and that that body licensed men to preach upon the rec- ommendation of the Quarterly Conference. This law was repealed later by the General, Conference, and re-enacted in 1898. "Christopher Thomas was- recommended to the District Conference to be recomm,ended by that body to the Annual Conference for Admission on BY BtTGOT, BOAT AND RAlLWAT 343 Trial." That is the record of the Conference above noted as having been held at Bethel. This Quarterly Conference appointed "the Com- mittee, John Martin, Robert Bland, and William Bland, to secure the ground and ascertain the' smiount necessary to build a house of worship in the neighborhood of said Martin's agreeably to the Discipline. Part 2. Section 2." This committee laid the foundation of a wooden structure, and erected it near the big oak tree within a few yards of the present brick building called "Salem" in Gloucester. Peyton Anderson was Presiding El- der, and John C. Ballew and John Thompson were the preachers on the circuit. Anderson, while yet Presiding Elder, died the next year, 1823. In July, 1824, Samuel Cushon died in Mathews county; which event I have already recorded in the Chap- ter on Mathews circuit. An event, of some importance in keeping history straight, transpired at the Fourth Quarterly Con- ference for 1824-5, held at Pace's chapel, January 22nd, 1825. The preachers were Saml. Cushon and Chas. P. Witherspoon, with Caleb Leach as Presid- der. Cushon died in July and Witherspoon took took charge, and at the next Quarterly Conference, held at Cole's chapel, a young man appears as Helper who was destined to figure prominently in some of the most stirring events of the Church. This was William A. Smith. Smith was secretary of that Conference, and he records "no business." 344 FROM SADDLE TO CITT At the next Quarterly Conference, the fourth noted above, the record shows the following: "William A. Smith received the approbation of the Conference, and was recommended to the An- nual Conference to be Admitted as a candidate for the ministry." (Signed) Chas. P. Witherspoon, Hezekiah McClellan, Sec. President. William A. Smith, according to the next record, was received, and returned to the circuit as Preacher in Charge. Read it: — "First Quarterly Conference, held at Providence church, Mathews county, on the 23rd day of April, 1825. Caleb Leach, P. E., William A. Smith, A. P." An important incident of the Conference of 1870 should be noted: a committee consisting of Rev. Dr. Leroy M. Lee, Rev. Dr. (afterward Bishop) John C. Granbery, and D'Arcy Paul, was appointed and reported a paper expressing "the sentiments of ■ the Conference in view of the sad event," the death of Rev. Wm. A. Smith, D. D., of the St. Louis Conference, who for forty-oiie years was a prom- inent and beloved member of this body, and whose distinguished^ services, no less than his exalted re- ligious and ministerial character, entitle his mem- ory to perpetual regard in the Church. The paper was read by Dr. Granbery on the even- ing of the eighth day of the session. "Dr. Smith wa« born in Fredericksburg, Va., in 1802, and died in Richmond in March, 1870. He was one of the great BY BUGO'T, BQAT AND HAILWAT .3i45 men of Southern Methodism, a leader in our Con- ence ,and on the floor of the Geijer&l Conference from 1832 to 1844. He was a great debater. In the gre^X polemic .battle in the General Con- ference of 1844, which resulted in the division of the Church, he won a reputation wide ,as the XJnitjed StatCjg, and inferior to th^t of no minister in .apy denomination for the highest deliberative and fo- r.ensic .eloquence,. He w^s a member ©f the Louis- ville Conventiqn in 1845, which organized tjie M. E. Church, South, and of all the General Conferences oj this Church to the .djiy of .his dcAth. He com- mande.d uniyers,^.! respect and confidence among his bretliren by the sincerity of his zeal, and the power of his .reasoning." He wa,s ^resi.dent ,of .Rando.lph- Macpn .College for twenty years. The above is a paragraph taken bodily out of the report of that committee. I dare not substi- tute my lame language for the pure English of those three men who represented the piety and the wisdom of the Church. The body of Dr. Smith rests in beautiful Hollywood, RiohmoM. Over the grave is a mpnument .er.ecte.d by order of the Con- ference and the donation^ of those who loved him. Another item is of interest to many. of us who knew and revered the holy man. Wm. B. Rowzie was junior preacher on -the circuit in 1829, with Samuel Harrell as Senior, and Lewis Skidmore, Presiding Elder. -.Geonge A. Bain, (father of the late W. F. Bairt, 346 FROM SADDLE TO CITY and grandfather of Dr. E. L. Bain, both of our Conference,) and Robert I. Carson are the preach- ers on the ciruit in 1830, with the same Presiding Elder. The Church at West Point is added to the circuit. Stephen D. Winburn appears as Assistant Preacher at the First Quarterly Conference for 1833, and John T. St. Clair is Helper. Moses Brock is the Presiding Elder, but is not present. At the Second Quarterly Conference at Olive Branch, June 15th, the Presiding Elder is present and so, also are the preachers. But at the Third Quarterly Conference held at the Camp Ground at Bellamy's church, John Summeirson appears as Assistant Preacher, and it was ordered that fifty dollars be paid to Moses Brock for Stephen D. Winburn's es- tate. The Conference records show that he died that year. This Quarterly Conference met at the Camp Ground September 3rd. His death therefore occurred between the 15th of June, and the 3rd of September. Rev. Gervais M. Keesee is the Preacher sent from the Lynchburg session of the Conference held in February, 1835. Moses Brock is yet Presiding Elder. The churches in the King and Queen, ac- cording to action taken at the Second Quarterly Conference held in June 1835, had been organized into the "King and Queen circuit" at the Lynch- burg session. Rev. G. M. Keesee is returned to the circuit as BT BUGGT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 347 Assistant Preacher, and Moses Brock is the Pre- siding Elder, from Conference held in Norfolk, Va., January, 1836, but is not present at any of the Quarterly Conferences till the Third, held at Point Comfort, November 12th. Now for a little shocking history; shocking, per- haps, to our Protestant Episcopal friends whose boast in the "Historic Episcopacy" did not lead them, to exhibit a zealous concern for their sub- stantial church buildings, erected in Colonial times. Yet these same Churchmen kept up their splendid homes, their extravagant, and sometimes, intem- perate entertainments, where wine and cards and the all-night dance made famous the names of the aristocracy. Here is the fact in history, which I desire to re- cord: — ^The Fourth Quarterly Conference for the Gloucester circuit, of the Virginia Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, was held in Ware Church, January 28th, 1837. No Presiding Elder was present, but the Preacher in Charge, G. M. Keesee, Presided, and Caleb Leigh, is Secretary. John W. White is the next Preacher in Charge, with Henry B. Cowles Presiding Elder. This is from the January session 1837, held in Petersburg, Bishop Waugh, Presiding. Jas. McDonald and John H. Waitman come to the circuit in 1838. At the Conference held in Edenton, N. C, January 1839, the Mathews circuit is formed including Mt. Zion in Gloucester, Mathews Chapel, Providence, 348 FEOM SADDLE TO CITY ' Billups', Bethel and Point Comfort. Jas. McDon- ald is sent in charge of the old Gloucester circuit without help. Jas. E. Joyner is the Preacher in 1841, and G. M. Keesee is Presiding Elder. J. F. Askew is sent in 1842. At this session the two cir- cuits are re-united at the request of the brethren of both charges. Here follows the resolutions : — "It being known at the Second Quarterly Meet- ing, held at Salem Church in Gloucester circuit on Saturday the 28th day of May, 1842, that consider- able dissatisfaction has been created in said circuit by an alteration made in the circuit at the Con- ference held in 1839, when Mathews and one ap- pointment in Gloucester was cut off and estab- lished into a separate circuit and against the wishes thereof ; It was resolved, that we respectfully so- licit and petition the Presiding officer who may pre- side at the next Virginia Conference, to re-unite Mathews and Gloucester into one circuit, and do also request Bro. G. M. Keesee, our Presiding El- der and Bro. Askew, our Preacher in Charge, to use their best endeavors to effect the same." And it was done. The Preachers sent this year, November, 1842, are Joseph Lear, (the father of our brother. Dr. W. W. Lear, who died in 1918,) and Allen Carner. On account of the re-adjustment of circuit boundaries three Stewards are added to represent the Ma- thews churches : — Wm. M. Brownley from Point Comfort, John Hudgins from Bethel, and Bartlett Gayle from Providence. BY BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 349 The Fourth Quarterly Conference for the year was held at Olive Branch November 4th, 1843. Thos. Diggs was licensed to preach and recom- mended to the Annual Conference for Admission on Trial, and John W. Howard was licensed to preach. It appears that the re-union of the Mathews and Gloucester circuits did not prove satisfactory, therefore, the Third Quarterly passed the Pream- ble and Resolution, which paper sent up to the Conference held in Richmond in November, re- questing the division of the circuit again. Bishop Morris, who presided over the Confer- ence, granted the request of the petitioners, and the history of the divided circuits begins at this session, — November 1843. Kinchin Adams and Allen Carner are the next preachers. At the Second Quarterly Conference, * the preachers having gone over into Middlesex with the Methodist propaganda, this work is in- corporated with the Gloucester circuit, three new Stewards are elected, — Roderick Bland, Robert Healy and Lewis Jones, and the circuit is after- ward known as "Gloucester and Middlesex." Ma- jor Roderick Bland was for years one of the lead- ing citizens of lower King and Queen county, and a substantial and devoted member of Shackelford's Chapel. His children were Hon. Geo. C. Bland and Mr. James Bland of Centerville, Mrs. Warner Roane, Mrs. D. G. Anderson, Mrs. Marston of 350 FROM SADDLE TO CITY West Point, and Messrs. Richmond and Joseph Bland of West Point. Mr. Lewis Jones was the father of Hon. T. G. Jones, late Commonwealth's Attorney for many years in Middlesex, and of Mr. Lewis Jones, late Treasurer of the same county. Mr. Robert Healy has grandchildren yet living in Middlesex. One of his grandsons was Mr. G. S. Healy, late Sheriff of Middlesex. At the above Conference * held at Forest Chapel, May 11th, 1844, Forest Chapel, Lower Church and Clarksbury re- port for the first time. (See Chapter VL on Mid- dlesex.) At the Fourth Quarterly Conference held at Bel- lamy's October 17th, 1844, Jefferson W. Stubbs is Secretary. A committee, consisting of Jas. W. Howard, John W. Howard, Hazlen Nuttall and Wm. R. Singleton, is appointed to "take the Dis- ciplinary steps for the erection of a house of wor- ship in Ware Neck for the use of the Methodist Episcopal Church." The next preachers for 1844-5 are Wm. H. Starr and Thos. H. Haynes, and Dr. Abram Penn is Pre- siding Elder. The First Quarterly Conference held at Bellamy's March 1st, 1845, adopted a strong body of resolutions in regard to the great division in the Methodist Church in this country in 1844. They were designed as a reply to a certain article appearing in one of the Northern church pa- pers over the signature of some one signing him- self "Antisecessionist," "asserting in broad terms that the Gloucester circuit was opposed to division BT BtJGRT, BOAT AND BAILWAT 351 tinder any circumstances." This paper, signed by "Abram Penn, P. E.," and "Jeff. W. Stubbs, Secty." and adopted by the Quarterly Conference declared "we are in favor of a peaceful separation accord- ing- to the plan proposed and adopted by the last General Conference." A resolution adopted at the Third Quarterly Conference held at Forest Chapel, July 11th, 1846, with W. J. Norfleet as Preacher in Charge, asking for a division of Gloucester and Middlesex into two .separate circuits, was not granted by the Bishop, who presided at the Conference held in Boydton at the old Randolph-Macon College, in November. W. J. Norfleet is returned to the charge, with A. W. Sale as Junior, from the Conference held in Charlottesville, November 1847. At the Conference of 1848, held in Elizabeth City, N. C, Bishop Capers presides and sends Thos. A. Hayes and Geo. W. Carter to the circuit with Jas. E. Joyner, Presiding Elder. The son of this Brother Hayes was Orderly Sergeant of "A" Com- pany at the Virginia Military Institute in 1864-5, and was the Mayor of the City of Baltimore, Md., in 1901, and had .been for several terms. Mrs. Julianna Hayes, the First President of the Wo- man's Missionary Society, of the Southern Meth- odist Church was the widow of this circuit rider. The same Presiding Elder, Joyner, and the same Preacher, Hayes, are returned for the year 1849, 352 THOM SADDLE TO CITY but C. W. Petherbridge is Junior in place of Geo. W. Carter. A committee consisting of Wm. Richardson, Robt. Bland and Peter Bray, was appointed by the Second Quarterly Conference held at Shackelford's the 12th day of May, 1849, "to make the necessary arrangements for building a church at, or near, the Old Church site." This building was never erected, and a few years later the "Old Church" fell into the hands of the Methodists. Jas. E. Joyner is yet on the District, but the preachers are John Wesley Childs and T. J. Bayton. This is the assignment from the Petersburg Con- ference of 1849, Bishop Jas. O. Andrew, Presiding. From the Conference of 1850, held in Richmond, Lemuel S. Reed and Richard Shane are sent to the circuit, with Joyner as again Presiding Elder. From the Conference of 1851, held in Alexandria, Bro. Reed is returned for the second year, but the Junior is Wm. F. Bain. Lemuel S. Reed was the father of our Dr. J. C. Reed, who retired to the Supernumerary ranks at the last Conference. Rev. Wm. F. Bain was the father of Dr. E. L. Bain, of our Conference. A letter from Dr. Reed at Blackstone informs me that his father "rented the . little house opposite the store of Mr. George Stubbs at Belroi, and in this little home Dr. Walter Reed," his brother, "was born in 1851. The present parsonage was •built by my father in 1851. At first it was a Story and a half, with a hall, two rooms below, one of BT BTTGGT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 353 them a shed ; a back porch at the end of the hall, and one room up stairs.'' The following, copied by Chaplain J. T. Moore, U. S. Army, (now at Walter Reed Hospital, Wash- ington, D. C, May, 1922) from the International Encyclopedia seems to be an authentic account of the work and death of Dr. Walter Reed, of Glou- cester, Va. "Dr. Walter Reed, Medical Corps, U. S. Army, was born in Gloucester county, Va., in 1851. He, with two other officers, was sent to Havana, Cuba, in 1897, to work put a system to combat Yellow Fever. Reed had consistently maintained that Yellow Fever could be contracted only by being bitten by a certain variety of mosquito which had previously bitten a person infected with Yellow Fever. With faith in his theory Reed submitted to inoculation from a thus infected mosquito, devel- oped the Fever and recovered therefrom. Dr. Reed died five years later from the effects of an operation for appendicitis." A memorial tablet was placed in Court House at Gloucester in his honor a few years ago. The Memorial Hospital at Tacoma Park, D. C, is com- memorative of his service to his country. A pub- lic School building in Newport News is named for him. I have no record of the ministers who served Gloucester circuit from November 1852, to No- vember 1868. At the Conference of 1868. Rev. E. 354 FROM SADDLE TO CITT M. Peterson was appointed to the charge, and was returned in the fall of 1869. For four months in the summer of 1869, I was his Junior. 1870 J. C. Martin, four years, with L. B. Betty, Junior the last two. 1874, Oscar Littleton three years, with Bro. Betty the first two and N. J. Pruden the last one. 1877, Geo. E. Booker, four ^years, with S. H. Johnson one year, and S. L. Thrift one year. 1881, H. C. Cheatham, with J. C. Camp- bell as Junior. 1882, J. C. Martin, four years, with T. J. Wray as Junior three years. 1886, Thos. H. Campbell, with W. J. Hubbard as Junior. 1887. C. C. Wertenbaker, two years ; and W. O. Wag- gener, 1889, one year. 1890, W. H. Gregory, three years, with C. H. Galloway as Junior one year, and W. C. Smith, as Junior one year. At the Conference of 1893 Bethlehem was cut oflf and the Gloucester Point circuit was formed, and Paul Bradley sent as the first pastor. He was fol- lowed by G. H. McFaden, then Jas. O. Moss, then Asa Driscoll, and then Chas. H. Hobday. At the 1893 session J. D. Hank was sent to the old Glou- cester circuit as Bro. Gregory's successor, and re- mained only one year. In 1894 Joseph E. Potts, with his son E. J. Potts as Junior, went to the circuit and remained four years, and was succeeded by me in 1898. I was sent back to Tidewater where I had spent twenty-iir« years of my ministry, and to an ap- pointment where so many great men in Virginia Methodism had served: where Methodism got BT BUGGY, BOAT AND RAIL\TAT 355 its rooting in the days of Asbury, McKendree, Stith Mead, Wm. A. Smith, and others : I was go- ing back among the friends of my early ministry when I tried so hard to preach in 1869: to the old parsonage at Belroi where I had my room as Jun- ior under dear Brother Peterson, twenty-nine years ago; back to Salem, Olive Branch, Bellamy's and Singleton's Chapel in Ware Neck, — churches I served when not quite twenty-one years of age. Some of these fine people were living still, but many had "crossed the flood." I would enter their homes joyfully, talk of the months of triumph and the sinners saved in the summer of '69, of the be- loved who had fallen asleep, and mingle our pray- ers and our praises once more, at the old fireside, before the throne of the Good Father who had heard us and blessed us in the long ago ! I was supremely happy when I learned that I was to go to Gloucester, and so were all my family. We did not rejoice at leaving the lovely Piedmont and the scores of sweet associations we had formed; but for the reasons given above, and the additional fact that we would live within twenty miles of our eldest daughter, Mary, the wife of Mr. G. S. Marchant at Mathews Court House. I sent my family by railway to Richmond and West Point, thence by steamer to Clay Bank, where the watchful and kindly officers of the Church at Bellamy's met them and conducted them to the parsonage at Belroi. I and my faithful horse, John, set out through the country, hoping 356 TEOM SADDLE TO CITT to reach my destination, home, by Sunday after- noon, the 4th of December ; but I did not succeed in this as the sequel will show. At the end of my first day's drive I put up for the nig-ht at the home of Bro. John Hopkins, Keeper of the Albemarle Alms House, near Kes- wick. The second night, Thursday, December 1st, overtook me at Bumpass's Station on the C. & O. Railroad in Hanover county. The third night I spent at Manquin, King William county. Satur- day I ate lunch at King William Court House, crossed the Mattapony river at Frazer's Ferry, and arriveid at Dr. Jas. E. Bland's, at Shanghai, King and Queen county, after dark, in a cold rain. All along the route the people were exceedingly kind, taking in the moving itinerant and feeding his horse without charge and gladly. At Sum- pass's I was directed to the home of a fine Chris- tian gentlemen, a member of the Disciples' church. His wife had died, but his daughters and son and wife's mother added to a very bountiful and ele- gant supper an evening of song and conversation, which brought the hour to retire to our rooms all too soon. There is something in Christian fel- lowship, clever, clean conversation, and sacred mu- sic which takes the weariness out of a traveller's body, and sends him to the family altar, and to pri- vate prayer in a strange room with a glad heart and a stronger faith in God. And in the night- watches starts a song, and his meditations take a clearer view of eternal things. Oh, that the world BT BtJGGT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 357 knew the worth and inexhaustible sufficiency of this Fountain! Nearly two years later with three young men, companions on a vacation trip from Gloucester to the Valley of Virginia, I stopped for the night at this same home. The father had joined his wife in "the better land," and was reaping the reward of a life well spent : but the same hospitable greet- ing and entertainment were given us four that had been given to the lone itinerant on his first visit. And when pay was offered for food and lodging for four hungry men and two horses, it was firmly re- fused on the ground that "father solemnly charged us never to charge you a penny, no matter when ■you came." When I tried to convince these g'ood people that FOUR made a difference, the reply was "It makes no difference to us." And so we left them with our blessing^— all that they would take out of our grateful hearts and willing hands. At Manquin, King William, I found Brother Thos. Cocke ready to take me in and care for horse and man: but he had a sick wi'fe, and therefore made satisfactory arrangements with a gentleman a-cross the road to care for the man, while he cared for the horse. The quarters obtained were com- fortable. They were Disciples also, but whilst the wife was a good listener, the husband was of an argumentative cast of mind, and would let no chance escape to let anybody know that he differed with everybody about everything, from batter- cakes to Baptism, from the ordination of the min- 358 FROM SADDLE TO CITT istry to the movement of the stars. I did not men- tion the fact that his wife was a very comely per- son and gracious in spirit toward "the stranger within her gates." I hesitated to give him an op- portunity to wound her feeHngs by contradicting my statement. I felt that he would not hesitate to do it. He went so far as to call in question the scriptural character of the blessing I asked upon the food she served and upon the hand which served it and the heart which moved her. With him it was as it was with another of his faith, of whom I had heard : " 'Without controversy great is the mystery' of everything; and controversy is the Heaven ordained method of solving all mysteries, because 'the mystery of godliness' is solved by that method, and that alone." It was a long drive from Manquin to Dr. Jim- mie Bland's, and haying been delayed in crossing the Ferry, it was dark when I arrived there, and raining. The doctor and his family welcomed me with the old-time cordiality, and a very delightful evening was spent around the big open fireplace, in which the blazing logs cheered the weary trav- eller, and drove away thoughts of the long road over which he had come since early morning, and the discomfort of a cold rain outside. Sunday inorning, December 4th, dawned with a north east snow storm in full swing. My in- tention to reach "Memorial," on my circuit in time to preach at 3 P. M., was upset, and I had to ac- cept the situation with the grace of a man who bt BtJGGt, bOAt AiJb SaIlway 369 was perfectly satisfied to "let well enough alone." I was among my old parishioners on the King and Queen end of the old Middlesex circuit before the formation of East King and Queen circuit in 1883. The good hand of God had brought me here to this haven of rest, where warm hearts and open hands made the tarrying all that one could ask. Late in the evening of that day the wind came around to the north west, drove away the clouds with a cold blast which locked up the whole country in a blanket of frozen snow. The night was intensely cold, but I was in comfortable quarters, and noth- ing disturbed me but the roaring wind. Early Monday morning my good friends gave me a hot breakfast, and then a God-speed as I drove away on the last lap of my long journey from Crozet, Albemarle county to my new home, Belroi, Gloucester county. My route lay through Centerville, so I stopped here to let my friends, George and James Bland, know that I had arrived in the land of good fish, fat oysters, skillful boat- men, broad rivers, and rich farms. After a few minutes spent in talk, wherein prophecy, and hope, and sincere fraternal exchanges made the flying minutes golden, I went on my way, passing Shack- elford's Chapel, and over the mill dam into Glou- cester, arriving about 11 A. M. at Wood's Cross Roads. Here I got the first greeting from some of my own people — Mrs. Harry Bland and Brother Claiborne Roane, the father of Mrs. Chas. H. Gal- loway, the widow of our dear Brother Galloway 360 FROM SADDLE tO CITT of' our Conference. "Well, you have come back home,, have you? Now stay here, and don't run away aga.in," was the first sentence one of them uttered. But I was so glad to be '"at home" again, I paid no heed to the matter of locating the speaker. I was nine miles from . Belroi : so I hastened on, passing many familiar homes by the way till I came to Sassafras, took the left hand road, and witliin twenty minutes drove into my yard at. Belroi. My journey was ended, about onC' o'clock. P. M. Monday, December the 5th. I had left Crozet Wednesday, November the 30th at mid- day. My family had been there keeping house since Thursday night. I received the usual "family sa- lutes," then put John, my faithful mountain horse, in his new quarters, and prepared for the year's work in the low-lands. It would be different. There were some few depressions in the roads crossing ravines making back from the York and Piankitank rivers. The people called these de- clivities and acclivities "hills." But John knew the difference between these and the hills of Albemarle as soon as he tackled the first serious depression up near the "Old Church." The upper country gave John the much desired opportunity to walk a mile or two when climbing, and to skillfully guide the rolling buggy going down for about the same distance. The King and Queen and the Gloucester hill ended within fifty or a hundred yards, and the r.eiuainder of the highway was a sandy level, the BY BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 361 terror of a horse who wants to take care of him- self sometimes. It was a test of my poor John's endurance : he developed a large amount of pa- tience. Our nearest neighbors the family of Mr. Geo. W. Stubbs, the merchant at Belroi, lived across the road opposite the parsonage; and with them his wife's brother, Andrew J. Stubbs, a rheumatic in- valid, a prisoner for ye^ars in a rolling chair. On the adjoining lot the Howard family; down the road, at the Clay Bank fork, Wm. Howard, and on the road to Clay Bank, Saml. Pointer and his very useful wife ; at the wharf Mr. Chris. Weaver, and his interesting family, who later moved to Newport News to enter the lumber business. At Sassafras, the Newcombs, the Shackelfords, Dr. Jones ; at "Valley Front," the old home of Jefferson W, Stubbs, I found a royal welcome awaiting me. The old gentleman was gone, but his daughters. Misses Mattie and Lizzie Stubbs, were there, dis- pensing the old time hospitality to visitors in gen- eral and the preacher and his family in partcular. Old Stubbs had been prominent in the affairs of the circuit since the Second Quarterly Conference, held at Salem church, Saturday, May the 28th, 1842. At that session he was elected Recording Steward, and remaind in that office till liis death. Dr. Walker Jones was an old friend of mine. He carried me through a severe attack of Ma- larial fever at the home of John Leigh, below "Valley Front," when I was on the charge as Jun- 362 FROM SADDLE TO CITT ior in 1869. It was a pleasure to sit by the coun- try physician again and hear him tell of my honest attempts to preach, and of his honest attempts to practice. He was too kindly a host to draw the contrast too sharply. He was in feeble health now, and in a few months I buried the remains of the fine old gentleman, and commended his "spirit to the God that gave it." "Tip" Shackelford was the son of the "William Shackelford" whose name had figured in the An- nals of Gloucester circuit since the "Third Quar- terly Conference held at Bellamy's, August 17th, 1829." His brother, Munson, was a leader of sing- ing at Salem. Another brother, Alexander, is a strong Christian character at Bellamy's, and an- other, George, was one of my mainstays at Cen- tenary, Middlesex. Thus the old man left behind him representatives worthy of him in the active membership of the circuit. And Ben Newcomb, although not a member, was one of the active supporters of the preacher, and his home was ever open for his entry. It was Newcomb, Shackelford and young Jeff Stubbs, the son of Maj. J. N. Stubbs, who carried this preach- er's family in their love and thought through ten weeks of heavy trial when two of our children lay at death's door with typhoid fever in the summer of 1902. And these men were the men who told me,, at the end of it all, that "somebody has paid the entire bill!" The week after my arrival on the charge was a Bt BtTGGt, BOAt AKD BAlLWAt 863 very cold season, but having been informed of the critical illness of Sister Robin Stubbs, I went up to her home at Enos's fork, to see her. It proved to be the last time, for she passed aw^ay not very longf afterward. When I entered the room and took her poor wasted hand in mine, I thanked God that I could hold once more the dear hand that ministered so many times to my need when I was a boy preacher. She was very cheerful and happy, and greeted me with a warm hug, and said, "Have they sent our boy back to us, sure enough?" I replied, "Yes, and no one is happier than the boy." That house was one of my many homes twenty- nine years agone. This old couple was very mer- ciful to me in those testing days, and much encour- agement did I get from them,-^a thing- a young preacher, conscious of his limitations and his needs, looks for and welcomes as one of the signs that the Lord is with him. When she died a few weeks later I was in bed at the parsonage with rheumatism and another had to conduct the funeral services. December the 11th, 1898, I met my first congre- gations,' — Salem and Olive Branch, and spent the night in the home of old friends at New Upton, — O. J. Harcum of Northumberland, and his wife, a Gloucester lady of culture and a fine spirit, a Miss Stubbs. At both churches I met old friends, but many had "fallen asleep, and some had fallen away." Many attended service at both places whom I first 304 FKOM SADDLE TO ClT* met at "St. Andrew's" on the Middlesex circuit in 1881-85. The people at Salem had long seen the need of enlarging the old building which was erceted in 1844. It was 30 ft. x 40 ft., with gallery on two sides and one end. It was filled at every service. I starteid a campaign for enlargement. The people were ready, and needed only organization and a leader. Within two years the plans were consum- mated, and double the former seating capacity, af- ter the gallery was removed, greeted a glad con- gregation which filled the house as before. These devoted people placed me under a heavy obligation of love for them and devotedness to Christ by plac- ing, on the front panel of the beautiful pulpit, a silver plated tablet commemorating my ministry there from December, 1898, to November, 1902. Just about the time that Salem got on a new out- fit the wide-awake folks at Bellamy's said "Me too." Then that host of earnest, consecrated peo- ple went to work with a will ; put in new pews, changed the approach to the gallery, got paint on the inside and outside, paid for it as they went along, just as the Salem throng had done. Sam Pointer, Geo. Stiibbs, Will Aheron, Tip Shackel- ford, and, — and, — and,^ — ^oh, \yhat's the use of call- ing the roll? They answered then, and some of them cannot answer now, but "their works do fol- low them." I went down into the depths of Bishop Asbury's Journal and found "Mt. Zion Meeting-House," in BY BtJOGt, BOAT AND RAILWAY 365 which "the' great awakening" in Gloucester be- gan in 1797. I attached "John" to my buggy and went on a search for the old building. I found it, "beautiful for situation," on a stately hill over- looking "Toddsbury" and the North river, the Mob- jack Bay, and beyond, out into the Chesapeake. It was hidden from the vision of the traveller along the road at the foot of this hill by rank under- growth and great oaks and pines. I inquired about the present ownership of the property. Hundreds had passed this way, the main thoroughfare be- tween Gloucester and Mathews, but had never seen the old church on the hill, and did not know that this was the old battle-ground of Methodism, where William McKendree, Stith Mead and Leroy Cole, the great Local Preachers of Essex, began the fight for "righteousness through faith in the blood of Christ" on Whitsunday and ended at Mathews chapel in a joyous Christmas service. More than iive hundred souls were brought into the Kingdom. I found the owner of the property, and, having un- raveled the legal kinks, obtained a "Fee Simple" deed for our Church, and held a re-opening service before I left the charge. Here are the graves of the Howards, the old stock from which Rev. John W. Howard of our Conference came. I think some of the Davis fam- ily are buried here on this consecrated spot: but I am not certain of this ; yet I am certain that this church yard was used as a place of burial for the members of that congregation up to the Civil War. 366 rsoM sADDtK -To oitir A few years after I left the circuit a dear brother in the Conference, then in Charge, permitted the old "Mt. Zion" building to be taken down and a modern chapel erected in its place ! Criticism would do no good : I simply state the lact, and my grief at the loss of a "Meeting-House" erected in 1795 by a pious woman, the friend of As- bury, out of her own means, and made holy by the prayers and sacred songs of the fathers ; and which would have stood a hundred years more as a memo- rial of the zeal of Wm. McKendree, Mead and Cole. In Ware Neck, between the Ware and the North rivers, a plucky band had a flourishing Sunday School, and kept the church at that place together in a Chapel built by a Committee appointed by the Fourth Quarterly Conference held at Bellamy's October 17th, 1844, and referred to on page 124 of this story. Wm. K. Davis and John D. White, of the older membership, were still "adorning the doc- trine of God in all things," and testifying to the sufficiency of grace to save ; while a younger set, of more or less efficiency, heard the word on regular preaching days. There was one young disciple down in that Neck, who got angry on a certain day in a family quarrel, and forsook the little band of Methodists he tried to represent. He walked into an Immersionist pool, and swam out to the ex- clusive Island of Close Communion, and was safe ever afterwards from interference from any source. Bellamy's church during my term, 1898-1902, is BT BtrOGT, BOAT AND RAILWAT 367 still a strong bodj^ of stalwart men and zealous wo- men. The membership holds first rank in citizen- ship as well as in ecclesiastical matters. The pol- icy of the circuit was, in the main, directed by her leaders. From the Court House to Enos's Fork, across to Pinetta, the vicinity of Willie Aheron and Harry Moore, around by Almondsville, Sassa- fras and Cappahosic, Clay Bank, Belroi and to the Court House, this congregation lay like a vast city on the Western plains. There was a chapel at Cap- pahosic, but the congregation was an offshoot from the parent stock, vigorous, but handicapped by a limited territory. "Memorial," at Signpine, under the zealous and sensible leadership of Bro. Richard Coleman, Was another child of this prolific Mother of Methodism in this part of the county. Rev. Joseph Bellamy, the founder of this church; has already been mentioned on page 119. His wife was a Miss Leigh, sister of John Leigh, the father of the wife of Rev. Dr. Wm. G. Starr of our Con- ference, of Mrs. Addie Martin and Mrs. Frank Wi- att of Gloucester, and of John Henry Leigh of Baltimore, Md. After the death of Mr. Bellamy his widow married William Garrett, and became the mother of Rev. Joshua Garrett of our Con- ference. After Mr. Garrett's death she married Mr. John Hibble, near Belroi. The great snow storm of February 11th, 12th and 13th, 1899, will not soon be blotted from my memory. I left home Saturday, the 11th, against my better judgment, yet impelled by a sense of 368 FROM SADDLE TO CITT duty which had always led me to be in the neigh- borhood of my Sunday's appointments the day be- fore. On arriving' at Woods Cross Roads the snow began to fall on hard frozen ground, and Brother Harry Bland advised me to return home, adding that "the Richmond paper of today says that a great blizzard is raging in the west, and is coming this way." I should have followed his counsel, but Brother Munson Shackelford, near Salem, was expecting me, so I pressed on four miles to that hospitable home. The storm inn creased in fury. All night long the wind blew a gale, the snow fell in great blankets and drifted high over the fences. Sunday we sat around the fire, conversed and nodded, and read, and made only two trips to the dining room. On Monday about 11 A. M., I decided that I had better try to get back to Belroi to my family, eleven miles away. Munson and his devoted wife protested, but I wrapped up in my "Norfolk Landmark" over- coat, put on my rabbit-hunt leggings, and gloves, with my Temperanceville bufifalo robe over my lap, I took the reins from Charlie Shackelford, who had very thoughtfully brought the horse and buggy to the lee-side of the house, and told "John'' to go, and he went ! We faced the storm till the main road was reached, then turned our right side to it till we turned to the left at Woods Cross Roads. From that point onward the storm raged at our back, and all went well. I arrived home at 5 P. M., — having consumed five and a half hours in making BT BtTGPT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 369 the eleven miles. I made "John" comfortable for the nig-ht with "food and raiment," and then sought my own welcome fireside, where the children made merry at father's wonderful wrappings, and wife, with a nourishing supper, drove away the anguish of an aching void. A ridiculous incident occurred on this drive in the blizzard. I and others had long suspected tiie existence of a "speak-?asy'' on that road: but »ve could get no proof. In the midst of the driving snow I came to that store. I drove as close to the door as I could, and tapped on it with my buggy whip. The proprietor opened the door and in- vited me in. "No," said I, "I am in a hurry, and have no time to stop. Have you any palm-leaf fans?" He replied, "No, you block-head; but I have some of the best old Rye whiskey you ever drank!" "Thank you," I replied, "I am looking for fans," and went on my way amused at the way this fellow had given himself away. It turned out that he did not recognize me ;, for a few days later a gentleman in the neighborhood rode out to the store to learn the news, and casually remarked that his was the first track made since Monday. The proprietor of the shop exclaimed., "You are right : and no one but a fool salesman buying up palm-leaf fans would have been on the road such a day as that was." The gentleman said, "That was no salesman : that was Brother Butts, be- cause Harry Bland phoned us to stop him, and take him in; bot he got by our gate before we 370 FROM SADDLE TO CITT could get out to the road." The keeper of the rum-shop cried out in profound consternation, "I am a ruined man : when he asked for them fans I told him I had some good Rye whiskey !" Very little more was heard from that store and its men- ace to the community. The keeper either kept matters quiet around there, or ceased to keep it altogether. It was not many months before the shop ceased to do business along all lines. Amen ! The parsonage question was a "continued story" for years. The first mention of it is in the Minutes of the Second Quarterly Conference held at "Old Church" in King and Queen, August 5th, 1825, when Wm. A. Smith was Preacher in Charge. The Board of Trustees named then was made up as follows : "William Garrett and William Watts of King and Queen county, Williams E. Davis, John Martin and James Leigh of Gloucester county, Peter Brooks of Essex county, Charles Blake, Rich- ard Foster and William Lane of Mathews county." At the Second Quarterly Conference held at the same plkce June 17th, 1826, Wm. Garrett reported the parsonage bought, and asked for an inspection of his account. He showed a receipt signed by John Howlett for $450.00, and witnessed by Jesse Thrift. 'He turned in $32,521/^ as balance in his hands. It appears that this property was later sold, but there is no record ; yet at the Quarterly Con- ference held at Mathews Chapel, June 27th, 1835. King and Queen churches ask for "a division of BT BUOGT, BOAT AND RAILWAT 371 the money arising from a sale of the parsonage." That part of the circuit had been formed into a new charge. Then a Committe, consisting of Wm. Field, D. D. Hall, and James Leigh, was appointed to confer with "Mr. John Tabb" about "terms" which might be made in "erecting a parsonage at or near Gloucester, with suitable out-buildings," That failed, for on August 4th, 1838, at Shackel- ford's, another Committee, consisting of Wm. M. Brownley and John R. Lumpkin of Mathews, John Summerson of King and Queen, John Leigh and John Hughes of Gloucester, was "appointed to select a location and build a parsonage." That effort failed also, because the Second Quarterly Conference of 1841, held at "Hickory Hill," the home of Mrs. Lucy Field, the widow of William Field, one of the Stewards, adopted a very clear and bold resolution offered by Rev. Jas, E. Joyner,- Preacher in Charge, regarding the obligation rest- ing on the Board of Stewards to prrovide a home for the "married preachers" as soon as possible be- cause "no one was willing to board them." No date for the meeting is in the record. At the First Quarterly Conference held at Bel- lamy's, February 26th, 1842, another Committee is appointed "to collect funds to establish a parsonage at or near Gloucester Court House." Here are the names : — "Roderick Bland, John Leigh. Con- quest Royster, John Martin, Robert Thurston, Wm. Shackelford and John Hughes." The Second Quarterly Conference for 1843, held at New Point 372 FROM SADDLE TO CITY church May 13th, William M. Brownely is ap- pointed "to act with John Hughes to ascertain what has become of and to collect the money re- ceived from the sale of the old parsonage." At Bellamy's, July 20th, 1844, Bro. Hughes presented his report and it was "accepted and filed," and he was "ordered to secure the said fund to Brothers Wms. E. Davis and John Martin, Trustees of the Parsonage." The 13th of August, 1849, at Salem, "Jeflf W. Stubbs, Wm. Shackelford, John Leigh, John W. Backhouse and Roderick Bland were appointed to raise funds with which to buy a par- sonage." Brother Stubbs reported at the Quar- terly Conference at Salem, January 25th. 1851. that he had "paid for the property and furniture for the parsonage out of the parsonage fund. In 1849 fifty dollars for the furniture ; in 1850, $37.00 worth, and an additional $37.00 was due two brethren on the feather beds." This was ordered paid. "John Hughes resigned as steward, and John W. Hughes, his son, was elected in his stead." That is the end of the record as I have it, and the property refered to above in Bro. Jeff. Stubb's report to the "First Quarterly Conference at Salem, January 25th, 1851," as having been "bought and paid for out of the parsonage fund" is the par- sonage property at Belroi. Revivals on the circuit had brought many into the Church during my term. Brothers Dunkley and Peerman assisted in a great meeting- at Salem and Cappahosic, and Olive- Branch. In the spring BT BtTGGT, BOAT AND BAILWAY 373 of 1901, Rev. C. D. Crawley of Mathews, Rev. R. P. Lumpkin, his junior, Rev. W. L. Ware of the West Mathews circuit, and I, planned an evangelistic campaign in six of the largest churches in the two counties. All day services were held, and each preacher "took his turn" in preaching. Time and again we were hindered by the shouts of the peo- ple, and it was not unusual to see sinners crowd- ing the altar before the sermon commenced. Souls were converted at all times and anywhere in the vicinity of the meeting. The altars were filled with penitents daily. The prayers of the people, offered up at home, on the church grounds, on the public highway, prevailed, and there was a great out-pouring of the Holy Spirit. Some who had left the Methodist church, on account of their pe- culiar views of the Second Blessing theory of Ho- liness, led astray by peripetetic meddlers who had lost their job at home, came back to the Mother Church, and shouted the praises of God with us. Doctrinal disputes arose in these meetings some- times, but the 'Holy Spirit moved mightily among the multitudes, and contention melted away like snow in a June sun. At Olive Branch a certain man who would be a leader, had been taken by these travelling screamers and rollers down to the Pi- ankitank and immersed that his cleansing might be complete. He came to the revival service at the church, and started his game for converts out doors during the intermission. On assembling I stated to the church that Bro. "had with- 374 FHOM SADDLE TO CltT drawn from the Methodist Church and joined an- other church, and I desired to let them know the fact so that there should be no misunderstanding on the subject." He arose to his feet and said "I am still a Methodist: who told you I had quit?" I replied, "You have publicly, out there in the yard proclaiming the fact that you had to be immersed to get rid of your sins. That is not Methodist doc- trine, nor is it Scriptural." He came forward, and wanted to shake my hand and ask my forgiveness, but I said, "You have done me no wrong, brother, but you have belittled your Church : if you will apologize to the Church and take the vows over here at this altar that will settle it and nothing else will." This he declined to do so I took the vote of the church then and there, and he was marked upon the Gloucester church register "With- drawn." I quote these facts from a letter just received from Bro. W. L. Ware, who was present and approved the action of the preacher. Some dear brother may say that I made "a moun- tain out of a mole-hill ;" but when you are dealing with moles what other method do you suppose one should use than that of digging under the mole- hill? My action that day ran the moles out of that garden of the Lord ! I had a somewhat similar case in a former charge. Under the advice and guidance of Rev. Dr. A. G. Brown and Rev. Dr. Paul Whitehead a bill of Charges and Specifica- tions was constructed, a preacher from another charge conducted the trial, and the offending mem- fit BUGGt, BOAt Atfb RAtlWAt 375 ber, refusing to repent, was expelled from the Church-, and the next Quarterly Conference refused to hear an Appeal. Brother Harry L. Weston rendered fine service on the circuit during the summer of 1899, and his name has often been mentioned to me by choice people of that county since then, in terms of the sincerest appreciation.- He has, aided by a choice wife, taken an advanced position in the Confer- ence. The end of my term was fast approaching with the close of a hard year. As already mentioned briefly in this chapter, two members of our family, our younger son, Emmet, and our niece, Georgie Tiffey, were stricken with typhoid fever, and lay ill for many weeks. Our faithful and skillful phy- sician, Dr. Davis, carried them through to complete recovery, with the aid of a devoted trained nurse and the unfailing vigilance of my wife. My peo- ple released me from all "care of the churches," prayed daily and especially in the Sabbath service for our afflicted home, paid every penny of the cost, and glorified God when their prayers were answered. The recovery of our dear children was an instance of the direct answer to prayer. One is a happy wife and mother in Lynchburg, and a useful member of Memorial Church, whilst the boy, having served his country on the Mexican border and in the "Rainbow" Division in France, is a successful business man in the City of Rich- mond. Moreover, he has annexed a bright and 376 FllOM SADDLE TO CITY brainy wife, the last achievement of an enterpris- ing youth. The people of Gloucester had bound me to them with hooks of steel. Down into the very depths of my ■ heart they' had buried themselves, and as I Was about to leave them I we-nt around that broad field from house to house bidding them farewell, and commending each family group to "God and the word of His grace," "praying them, with much entreaty," to meet me in Heaven. In some homes the parting was sad; I had failed to bring some there into the Kingdom. In others it was a "time of refreshing from the presence of the Lord." BY BtJGGtr, BOAT AND KAlLWAt 377 CHAPTER XII. THE CONFERENCE OF 1902, AND CEN- TENARY, LYNCHBURG. The Conference of 1902 met in Broad Street Church, Richmond, Virginia, Wednesday, Novem- ber 12th, Bishop William Wallace Duncan, Pre- siding, Bishop John C. Granbery being also pres- ent. Paul Whitehead was Secretary, and S. S. Lam- beth and Geo. F. Greene Assistant Secretaries. Gloucester circuit was in the Richmond District when I was sent there in November, 1898, and R. T. Wilson was my Elder. At the Conference of 1899 the charge was trans- ferred to the so-called R. M. District. At the Con- ference of 1900 the name of the District was changed to "Rappahannock," and I fovmd myself, without moving a' single item of my junk, back on a District wh'ere I had travelled nineteen years of the thirty years' service. I was off the District three periods' — five years on the Norfolk, and one year on the Eastern Shore, and three on the Char- lottesville. Twenty ministers had died during the quadrien- nium, among them some of our leading men. Rev. Geo. E. Booker, D. D., was not a spectacular 378 fhom: saddle to citt apostle. The business that absorbed his thought and consumed his resources was the rescue of men. The instrument of his success was the Gospel, in its purity and pristine power. He did not dilute the stern element of the truth. He entered Con- ference in 1859, and died in 1899, February 13. Dr. Sledd came to Market Street as the suc- cessor of Dr. J. E. Edwards in 1860. He was quite young: had been in the Conference only three years. But he had "risen rapidly to high useful- ness and distinction," and his congregation soon learned that the appointment was not a mistake. He was a charming preacher,^ — gentle, modest, grave, intensely in earnest in the pulpit, not always eloquent, but holding attention and arousing in his hearers a sympathetic emotion like unto that which blazed in his fervid paragraphs and flashed in his brilliant eyes, as he caught the spirit of his theme. His daily converse with men gave him the right-of-way to thousands of hearts, and won mul- titudes to Christ. Under his ministry I publicly confessed Christ and joined Market Street Church in October, 1862. "He was a delegate to all the General Conferences from ~1878 to 1898 inclusive. He was a fraternal delegate to the Canadian Meth- odist Church in 1890, and discharged the Trust ac- ceptably and with distinction." He attended the session of the General Board of Missions in Nashville, Tenn., early in May, 1899. He left Nashville on the Sth of May for his home in Danville, Va., where he was serving as pastor of BT BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 379 Main St. Church, going by way of Atlanta, Ga., to visit his son. Dr. Andrew Sledd, Prof, of Greek in Emory College, Oxford, Ga. He was attacked with a severe illness on the train, and assisted by a Commercial Traveller to his hotel. As soon as his son arrived, he had him removed to Grady Hos- pital, and there he died May the 15th. His death was a great loss to his church and his Conference. "A prince had fallen." His preciou's remains lie buried by those of his devoted wife in the old home cemetery in Powhatan county. Rev. Jas. A. Riddick was another of my valuable friends who had died during this year. When I held the post of Station Agent at Stoney Creek in 1868, I took my meals at his home in the grove near by. He was a father to me, and a guide in my theological studies which I perused at that time, having been first directed to the proper course of study- by Dr. J; C. Granbery. His pious wife and splendid daughters were a help to me a young man, on the threshhold of life, assisting me in various ways to make the preparation I needed so badly. She, like her husband, was a diligent stu- dent of the Bible, and made many things plainer to me which I had learned as a child. Her daugh- ters were highly cultivated, and had ordinary sense along with it, a happy combination that gave them an attractive character which some learned people lack, and lacking, are ill at ease unless they fall in with folks of their own class. The Misses Riddick, like their parents, were at ease anywhere. 380 FROM SADDLE TO CITT Brother Riddick made opportunities for me to conduct prayer-meetings in the neighborhood and in the station waiting-room. He often carried or sent me to Sunday service, and to revival meet- ings on the Sussex circuit. By his thoughtfulness I was permitted to attend a meeting of some im- portance (I do not now recall what) at old "Jones's Meeting-House" in the summer of 1868. The only thing about Ihat meeting I recall is the fact that Rev. Geo. N. Guy preached and Rev. Richard Fer- guson sat in the pulpit. It was the first time I had ever met these two brethren. Dr. A. G. Brown was another whose death was a severe blow to our Conference. He was a con- structive worker, endowed with a vast amount of common sense. He was a leader, a pioneer in pro- gressive enterprises. "His service extended over a period of more than forty-five years of active and laborious labor. Before he was forty years old he began to come to the front in the affairs of Southern Methodism serving in the General Con- ference of 1870 as Alternate for Dr. Jas. A. Dun- can who was absent. In this, his first appearance in the chief legislature of our church, he made a marked-impression by his business ability, his judg- ment and power of debate. When, twenty years later, he again entered that body, he had gained largely in experience, knowledge of our polity and history, and influence over men, and easily took a commanding position in that and the two succeeding sessions, upon all . questions of prac- 381 tical legislation." "His valuable services as chair- man of the Executive Committee of the Finance Committee of the Board of Trustees of Randolph- Macon College" is placed on record in the Memoir written by Dr. Paul Whitehead in 1900, and from which the above quotations have been made. He held fast the fundamentals of Doctrinal and Ex- perimental religion. He was not a great preacher, but he was a monumental success in every post assigned him. Revs. J. H. Riddick, Wm. A. Crocker, J. R. Wag- gener, W. F. Bain, John L. Clarke, and H. C. Cheat- ham had also put oflf the armor of conflict, had "fought a good fight, had finished" their "course," and had gone to receive "the crown that fadeth not away." Of Brother Crocker I have already spoken. Of the others I knew them slightly, but of Brother Bain I wish to say that he was the greatest pleader at the Throne of Grace I have ever heard. I recall that, at eight different ses- sions of our Annual Conference, the Bishop pre- siding has called upon "Brother W. F. Bain" to "lead in prayer" just before the appointments were read. Dr. Laflferty, in his admirable Memoir has this to say: — "In hours of woe, and to the hearth- stone shadowed by the gloomy wings of Death, he was the Jesus of the Conference, a son of con- solation. The living in dark days, seemed to hear from his lips the echoed voice of Him who wept with the sisters at Bethany. The dying knew that their Lord was leaning over and listening to the 382 FKOM SADDLE TO CITf petition of His servant, for there was a breath and atmosphere about the couch bearing the fragrance of Paradise. During the sessions of our Confer- ence, in moments of profound interest when a mes- sage would come from a dying member, Wm. F. Bain seemed fittest to invoke the mercy of God. And the outflow of his own soul in simple words found response in the murmur of assent through- out the great congregation.'' The Conference of 1900 greatly honored your humble servant by appointing him to "preach the Opening Sermon" at the next session of the Con- ference. At the Conference of 1901, held in Trin- ity church, Newport News, I performed that duty to the best of my ability in the presence of a large congregation. The "dear preachers" kindly heard me, and prayerfully I believe, for the Spirit gave me great liberty. Then, to make the honor doubly secure, published the manuscript in the Confer- ence Annual for that year. A very ridiculous fea- ture of the last performance was, the Editor of the Annual failed to say why the sermon was delivered, and who delivered it ! And then explained the omission by saying that I did not attach my name to the manuscript, and the printer followed copy,. Well, I can say this, the dear Editor has always been my friend, and moreover my name was not needed because everybody who had ever heard me preach knew my "thought-prints ;" those who wanted to hear me preach that night, and heard me, obtained some information they did not have be- BT BtJGGT, BOAT AND RATLWAT 383 fore ; and others have never cared who wrote the "thing," and have never looked up the fScts. Forty-three young men were received on Trial during the Quadrennium, of whom the greater part have risen to places of usefulness and influ- ence, five have died, and one has withdrawn from Church. John C. Granbery, Jr., who had been re- ceived on trial in 1898, and discontinued in 1900. is received the second time in 1902, and transferred to the West Virginia Conference in 1909. W. A. Jeffries received in 1899 was discontinued in 1900, and received the second time in 1902, and given the Supernumerary Relation in 1921. Four have been lifted to that precarious elevation known as Pre- siding Elder, — J. J. Bradford, H. C. Pfeiflfer, twice, J. F. Carey, who at last Conference, 1921, jumped into the Missionary Secretary's office, and Boyd E. Hudson. The biggest leap of all was made by the red topped transfer from Western North Carolina, J. M. Rowland, in 1921, when he mounted the Rich- mond Advocate tripod, and cracks his whip and his jokes just like a well-trained teamster and joke- smith. Rowland has been to Palestine, and was caught by the jaws of War in uncomfortable sit- uations on the "other side of the Pond" in 1914. He tells it in books, and his books sell. Otto Wright, G. W. M. Taylor, and Forrester served as Chaplains in the great war, the two first in France. Gee goes to the General Conference of 1922. Lumpkin is Secretary of the Board of Managers of the Richmond Advocate. V. R. Turner is a 384 FROM SADDLE TO CITY Missionary in Korea. Hearn is Secretary of the Conferenc'e Board of Church Extension. Pleas- ants is homing Homeless Children. And Smith is the skilled writer on Methodist History and Doc- trine. And the others are climbing! We challenge any Conference in the Southern Church to produce as many men from four Classes for Admission on Trial who were "promising cases, Bishop," and have made good. This list is takeii from the Classes of 1899, 1900, 1901 and 1902. And although I have not made the test, I confidently assert that, "on a pinch," we can produce another list from an- other quadrennium almost as large as this. Well, if my memory serves me right, I think I was about to say a word or two about the Con- ference in Broad Street church, Richmond, in No- vember, 1902. Here is an interesting item of business that should go into this record. The Committee, John P. Branch, J. Powell Garland, W. V: Tudor and H. M. Hope, appointed to erect stones to mark the graves of Rev. Leroy M. Lee, D. D., and Rev. Wm. B. Rowzie, reported that with the consent of the surviving members of the family they have moved the remains of Rev. W. B. Rowzie from the fam- ily burying ground in Essex county to beautiful Hollywood Cemetery, where already rested the remains of Rev. L. M. Lee, D. D., and the precious dust of so many of our distinguished dead. By the generous permission of Rev. T. J. Tay- lor, the re-interment of Rev. W. B. Rowzie's re- Bt BUGGT, BOAT AND RAILAVAT 385 mains was made in Hollywood. A monument hias been placed at each grave exactly alike in size, form and material. The expense incident to this work has all been met. Conference adjourned on the night of the seventh day, Wednesday, November the 19th. All along through the last two days there were low mut- terings about where I was going, but I could not get a soul to "speak out in Meeting." Bishop Dun- can looked at me now and then, in the midst of the debates, as if he had something on mind re- garding me and disliked to shift it to my keep- ing, but he carefully avoided saying a single word, I knew he had a document in his Portfolio, that, he said, was "the first he ever saw," relating to my appointment, but he did not tell me he had it. Bro. Amiss, my Presiding Elder, was the bearer of that paper to the Bishop. It was a "Petition from the Colored Baptist Sunday School Conven- tion for Gloucester, Middlesex and Mathews, re- questing the Appointment of Rev. D. G. C. Butts, as Presiding Elder of the Rappahannock District of the Methodist Conference, on account of his fine influence for good among the Colored people, Bro. Amiss's term having expired." But I did not learn that fact till after Conference, when Brother Amiss told me, that, when Dr. Whitehead nomi- nated nie for Centenary, Lynchburg, the Bishop said to him "Bro. Amiss, shall we let him go?" It was in that conversation that Brother Amiss 386 FROM SADDLE TO CITT told me about this petition from my colored friends. During the last night of the session, Bro. Amiss, sitting near me in Broad Street church said, "Gee, go back home and sell old John." Dr. Garland, near by, said, "Have you got a silk hat?" I re- plied, "No." "Have you kid gloves?" I replied, "No." "Have you a Prince Albert?" "No." Then Dr. Garland sjubsided, and Bro. Amiss said, "Well, you are in a bad fix." And thus they kept it up till the appointment was read, then my head got to buzzing, and swelling, and my heart took thfe palpitations, and my knees got so weak that I feared to stand up to sing the Doxology., I was at sea, in a tub, with a mustard spoon for a ]?addle. I was up a tree, with not even the body of the tree there as a ladder to the ground; some one had taken that away. I was utterly at a loss to know how to plan for such a task. Centenary was one of our best stations. I was a "circuit preacher" by training and experience. My old grandfather, Rev. John Gregory Claiborne, was, for sixty years, one of the sturdy band of Local Preachers with regular appointments on the old Brunswick circuit. Time and again during my youth, had I gone with him to his appointments, and had thus become fa- miliar with roads, and congregations, and sleeping away from home in all sorts of rooms, and trav- elling in all sorts' of weather. "Pelham's," "Pleas- ant Grove," "Macedonia," "Rocky Run," "Leb- anon," "Bethel," "Liberty," "Lawrenceville," ex- pected me just as certainly as they expected him. 387 When I returned each fall to Petersburg to school, the first question asked when he drove up to the church without me, was "Where is the boy?" Since my coming into the Conference in 1870, I had spent twenty-nine years in the country work, and three years at Wright Memorial, Portsmouth. A horse was a part of my paraphernalia: I had ridden horses since I was able to sit on a horse with a negro man walking on each side to hold me on. A saddle or a buggy had become as natural to me as the limb of a tree is to a bird. To get up early in the morning to feed and rub down the horse, "man's best friend," had become a habit. What could I do afoot, and in town, anyhow! Besides wife had to give up her pigs, and chickens, and ducks once before, and it had grieved her might- ily. And the children, who needed more room to fling themselves around than a flock of quail, would, in the restricted confines of a city parsonage yard, feel very much like the citizens of "pent-up Utica." The preaching part did not worry me : I knew I could handle that end of the job. I had heard a number of these city preachers itj my own churches when they came out into the country to stretch themselves, eat cherry-rolls, and get out in the main road and holler, and on Sunday shoot oflf a "Sugar Stick" on my people. And some of my good judges of preaching had taken me around be- hind the church, and asked, "Where did you get him?" And then solemnly plead with me, "Don't 388 FROM SADDLE TO CITT do it again!" So I knew, if the city folks could stand all that, I could make them shout at my coming. The contrast would more than over-bal- ance what I said. So this was not the problem with me ; mine was a far more serious oile. How can I leave behind me all my valuables except a few things that had never given me anxiety? Clothes and books and pickles and pre'sefves had never bothered me, be- cause my wife attended to hiy clothes, the Pub- lishei-s sent me books, and as' for the other things I was seldom at home long enough for them to attract my attention. But horse, buggy, saddle, bridle, curry-comb, pitch-fork, these, till the boys relieved my by assuming their share of the work, had been a part of my life for twenty-nine years : now I must substitute for these a clothes-brush and a shoe-brush, and tramp the streets of the ruggedest city in the State ! We spent the last night in Gloucseter at the sweet home of Bro. Ben Newcomb, at Sassafrasj and Tuesday morning, departed on th6 York river boat to West Point, thence to Richmond. Here we tarried till the next day with some of my wife's kin, arriving in Lynchburg the 3rd at about 2:30 P. M. Brother John W. Lankford, one of "the old Guard," met us at the station, and very soon placed us in a comfortable parsonage on Church Street next door to the church. A committee of ladies received us, made my wife acquainted with the mysteries of a Methodist parsonage sittirlg up on fiT BtTGGT, BOAT AND RAIIAVAT 38i) a hill-side, and then left us to "occupy till removal." To a very fine gathering at the mid-week prayer- meeting in the Lecture room that night I had very little to say. Everything looked so big, so unusual, so absolutely out of my class, that I sat there won- dering how I could ever fit into the niche so that I would not rattle as I moved around. I had seen so many cases like the present one, small men in a big place, like a hand-full of buckshot in a half gallon tin bucket, that every move they made started the dogs to barking on the next block. And I had laughed at the noise, and wondered when the fellow would find out that noise was not every- thing. And the thought came rushing in on me, that my day had come, and "he laughs best who laughs last." And I couldn't laugh to save .■ my life, I was that upset. The good brethren talked. They spoke some very kind words about my predecessor. Dr. J. T, Whitley, and that made me feel better. I took it as a good sign. One can trust the prayers and count on the support of the man or the woman who hesitates to tear to tatters the good name of the preacher who has just left. There are ex" ceptions but they prove nothing except that they are exceptions. The Official Board was as fine a body of men as ever bore the burden of the secular affairs of any church. Brother John W. Lankford was the pa- triarch of Centenary: devout but not pain- fully pious : a man of great power in prayer when 390 FROM SADDLE TO CITY he got a vision of the Lord : true to his convic- tions, to his church, to his pastor, and to the poor and to his Saviour, Jesus Christ. He was as ten- der hearted as John, the Beloved disciple, as gen- erous as the widow who gave her mite, and as faithful as Abraham, the friend of God. W. Ben Snead, the giant in practical religion ; candid with- out rudeness, kind-hearted without boasting, wise in matters of doctrine and practice. He was my friend to whom I would unbosom myself as I did to Walter Stoakes in Mathews and to Gates Garth in Albemarle. I accepted his friendship as Heaven- sent for my good because he was sincere, his ad- vice because he was safe, his rebukes because he loved me, and defended me publicly. He Avas too brave to enter the holy of holies of my self-respect, and, with the lash of the cruel critic's tongue, de- mand that his will be accepted as law. He knocked at the door of my heart, and, having won admis- sion as the privilege of a brother, challenged me to tread the higher latitudes, and held my hand while my feet stood firm on a solid foundation. Then, with a smile, and sometimes with tears, would boast of his preacher, and tell of his regard for him. As an officer of the church he had no su- perior. Chas. H. Beasley was that kind of a man also, but different. If he had anything to say he said it, and made an end of it. Devoutly consecrate? to his Lord without show or bluster, skilled in the use of his talent for the natural interpretation of fiY BtJGGY, Boat and railway 391 the Bible, in his method of grappling the financial problems so often taxing the brains of the Board of Stewards, strong in his views of personal conduct and business integrity and constant in his devotion to the interests of his church, and in his faith in God. He was a stalwart Christian merchant of un- impeachable rectitude and spotless reputation. He died in the prime of life. His passing was a dis- tinct loss to both his church and his city. James W. Wray, timid but ever on the job, his timidity was not cowardice : it was consecrated prudence. His readiness to do, and his firmness, his silent courage in an emergency, his self-possession, and withal, his high regard for the call of duty, com- mended him to the pastors of his church as they came and wrought and departed. The pastor of his church was his pastor, no matter what sort he happened to be. If it had not been for this fea- ture in Jim Wray's make-up he would never have taken to me ; — and some others. Clayton Myers was a fine business man, with a high sense of honor, consumed with the desire to serve his generation. Keen to detect the untrue, the unfaithful, the un- clean. Open and frank in all his dealings with men. Candid yet kind in his opinions and measures. One could find him when one wanted or needed him, and he was never missing when truth and righteousness demanded a defender. He could tell one of his error, and help to the right way in the same breath. Joseph L. Thompson the other twin, — Jim Wray being oney — was hard to beat.' He 392 FROM Saddle To OiTiT was an inveterate story-teller, (hot liar,) with an incident dug up out of his prolific store of reminis- cence, to illustrate any topic, from the conversion of a "sinner from the error of his way" to the storming of the heights at Gettysburg: (he was in that awful conflict,) from the gathering of stones to mark the triumph of Commercial grit in his town, to the amusing narrative of the negro who tried to watch all night in a haunted house for five dollars, and failed. Brother Joe has never been in a hurry. He says lives have been lost by haste. He learned the lesson at Gettysburg. When Pickett's brave men fell back across the "plain of death," the man in a hurry overtook the passing shot, and fell. He walked back deliberately into the zone of security, — the shot passed him, search- ing for fugitives ! Joe Thompson was all right : pure gold ; weeping the silent hallelujah tears when the triumphant note of the gospel was struck from pulpit, or prayer, or song: and smiling his honest smile of appreciation when imagination or fancy were charmed by the word pictures of the Truth. He was my friend and brother. Hence I tell it as I know it. With a stranger, or a chance acquaint- ance, I would not dare to say as much. A. Lee Beasiey, the silent lover of the honest man who tries to do the right, although he makes mistakes. Lee believes, (yet I have never heard him say it,) that all the people who have quit making mistakes are iti the Cemetery. He retails no scandal, and knows none, for he will not permit the foul thing BOAT AND RAILWAY 39;> to enter his ears. The unclean or the unjust thought of another never enters the walled city of his soul. He guards that portal as he guards that incorruptible gem, — his personal character, well- rounded by the faithful hand of early training. The seed of truth which fell upon the soil of developing youth, found no "stony places, without deepness of earth," nor "thorns springing up" to "choke" the expanding stock of manhood. 'Twas "good ground," and the yield was an hundred fold." Harvey Shepherd, old "Rough and Ready," who had no shine for men with shoe-string back-bones, slop, and sillybub. He would take to anything and anybody that was in "the middle of the road," and stay by it or them without regard to what people said. I have heard him say, "Wind is the cheapest thing we have !" Another saying of his was, "If wind had to be paid for by the cubic foot, there are some people in the church would suffocate within an hour after the tax is published." He was "the listening post" for the preacher. He was no eavesdropper nor tattler, but some folks had a habit of talking their complaints about everything that the church was trying to do, and Harvey had the habit of telling what he thought of them. And Harvey was right eight times out of ten. The first time the Officail Board met after Conference closed, and before my arrival, the question was passed around the room, "Who is this man Butts? Where did he come from?" Nobody knew anything ex- cept that a "Brother Moorman out in Campbell 394 FROM SADDLE TO CITT county had told Brother Lankford that "Butts is a sociable sort of a fellow, and would know every- body in Lynchburg within three months." Har- vey, who had sat throughout the "inquest" in si- lence, startled the body by exclaiming, "I know: he is just something the Conference has dumped out on Centenary because there was nowhere else to dump him!" Now, understand; no one told me this but Harvey himself. He took me into his little cigar shop on the south side of Main St., ■ about six months after my arrival, and told me he was "sorry" he said it, but it was exactly what ,he thought then. We were wedded then and there in the holy bond of a reciprocal friendship and con- fidence, and "lived happily together ever after- ward." John Wells, the Superintendent of the Sunday School was a success in that field. He was an organizer, a peace-maker, a doer, an upright man who made no compromises with either ex- pediency, (unless it was necessary as a saving in- strument,) or with unsavory methods under any circumstances. His piety was of the Pauline type. He was "all things to all men if by any means he might save some," but to the clamorings of hy- pocrisy, or the protests and threats of the Phar- isee, he "gave no heed, no, not for one hour." He was popular with all, and beloved on account of his high character, and his influence was felt in every circle in which business or religion carried him; Charlie Offterdinger dealt in meat and good manners. He sold his meat to people who knew a BT BtTGGlr, BOAT AND KAltWAY 395 good thing and bought it on the spot. He Jcept his good manners for daily use, a personal pos- session "above the price of rubies." His sense of justice and estimate of truth commended him to all fair minds as a man who had a standard of honor for a Christian gentleman, and tested his own life by that. Charlie could be depended on. He carried his creed in his words and behaviour, of the same worth to him as blood and breath are to a human being. Ernest Williams, the business expert, took me to. his modest home on Clay Street the first Sun- day night after service. There his handsome wife had fruit and cake for the new preacher, and V/il- liams had cigars. I did not smoke, so I sat and in- haled the rich aroma, while he expressed regrets, and hopes. These delightful evenings were en- joyed for more than a year. At last his hopes were realized : he had taught me the charm of a cigar. He was a born organizer. System was his hobby. He applied it to three lumber mills down south and a railroad, and our Centenary Sunday School. He always said he "didn't have much or any, religion," but he loved his Church, and gave his money and worked for it. He was of great use to the Church in housing the State Epworth League Conference, the joint Commencement of the Randolph-Macon System of Colleges and Schools, and was one of our main advisers in entertaining the Annual Con- ference in 1904. He befriended us in a very sub- stantial way during the illness of one of our 396 FSOM SADDLE I'O Cl'l'Y daughters in the, first year of my pastorate. We have not forgotten his delicate kindnesses minis- tered in time of severe trouble. His generous sup- port of important measures, and his wise counsel on financial questions made a profound impression on me. The Adjuncts to the Official Board were many, and valuable. A'onzo and John Wray; safe, solid, sensible, silent except when called. Echo could not travel faster than they "in such an hour." There are two women, either dead or still alive, who lost a good opportunity when they allowed these two men to get out of the trap, or, perhaps failed to coax them in. John Shaner, the good feeder and bluff, warm-hearted friend. John Bell, sure-footed in word and faith ; too apt in looking at the dark side in some things. Strict and just in business, serving God and man all the year 'round. Mike Goodman, another good man, with a body too frail for the soul that lived in it ; a successful teacher of the Woman's Bible Class : whose life was all too short for the carrying out of the plans he had form- ulated. Perhaps, after all, God took him to the world where work for Him could be done without pain or fatigue. Joe Lee, the singer, had as warm a heart as ever beat in the bosom of man. Ner- vous, like the sensitive strings of a harp, one could get stirring music out of Joe if one struck the right key. Pitch, melody, harmony, were things that fascinated him. Discord made him tingle to his finger-tips. Unfair criticism gave him IMt BtJGCr, nOAT AND RAILWAY 397 the jim-jams, as if a mouse had gotten into a piano. I loved Joe : Joe understood me. John Humphreys, another "sensitive plant" in the gar- den of the Lord. He had a strong will, and being a teacher of music and a trainer of others, he de- lighted in leadership, with its opportunities for the study of people. He was a "born chorister," and could get as much real singing out of a congrega- tion as any man I have ever known. He led the singing in the Sunday School for fifty years. Then there was Bill Taylor, not an adjunct to the Board, but my Adjunct. I annexed him early in the first year of my term. He annexed, me about the same time. He sells building material, and it is worth what he gets out of it, and more. He puts into the bill a wise head, an honest heart, and clean hands. He "toes the mark" in every trade of stuff for cash or credit, and demands that the buyer stand up to the same line. That's fair. There is no grinding process here. "As ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so unto them." Which is best, "Get rich quick," or "Get honor quickly, and hold on to it?" The other fel- low soon loses that which comes to him through crooked ways ; one cannot lose this. Bill Taylor has been my younger brother through all these years, and will be to the end. There are others. McD. Landrum, Malony, Whitmore, Crutchfield, and the modest, but capa- ble and successful physician, Dr. Dinsmore. And "elect women not a few." This volume can- 398 , FROM SADDLE to CitY not hold their names and deeds! The Recording Angel has the list ! Rev. W. Asbury Christian, D. D., the present President of the Blackstone College for Girls, but at that time pastor of High Street Church^ Peters- burg, Va., in his admirable address delivered to Centenary Church, at the celebration of the "Cen- tennial of Methodism in Lynchburg," on Sunday, January 14th, 1906, gave the story of the founding and development of the old Church and of the other Methodist churches in the City as follows : — "Among the. 'pioneers were ,Wm. McKendree, Presiding Elder, and Joseph Moore, the preacher assigned to Bedford circuit in 1798. , This year he added a new appointment to his already laborious work. It was the appointment to preach at the Quaker Meeting-House, the nearest place of re- ligious worship to Lynchburg. Although the town was chartered in 1786, and there were several hun- dred inhabitants, yet there were few besides the several Quaker families who professed Christian- ity. It is true an English Church was built dur- ing the reign of George III about 1765, and stood in the woods near where. Col. Watt's residence now stands on Court St., but this was abandoned at the beginning of the Revolutionary War and was later destroyed. The grave yard which surrounded it, however, was used for a number of years later. The preacher on Bedford circtiit later took up an appointment in town, aind once a month preached BT BTTGGT, BOAT AKD'HAILWAT 399 at Mason's Hall. He ma;de little progress, but it was a beginning. "September 1800 Bishop Francis Asbury and Richard Whatcoat, accompanied by Wm. McKen- dree, Presiding Elder of the Kentucky District, em- bracing the whole State, came to Lynchburg. In his Journal Bishop Asbury thus speaks of his visit : 'We rode from New Glasgow to Lynchburg, twenty miles. Samuel Mitchell had dinner prepared for the preacher at Mr. Miller's. I preached in Ma- son's Hall (a warm day and place) on Titus H. 12." "Samuel Mitchell was a local preacher who lived on the farm afterwards owned by Judge William Daniel, Jr., now Daniel's Hill. He preached in Ma- son's Hall, and also in his own house. At his home in 1802 he organized the first ■ Methodist Society in Lynchburg. Three joined; Mrs. Barnal, Mrs. Roher, and Geo. Sullivan. This faithful band con- tinued to work in the face of great discourage- ments, for the town was noted for its ungodliness. Later Rev. William P. Martin, a local preacher, and his wife, Eliza:beth Martin, joined them. In 1803 Rev. William Heath came from Eastern Vir- ginia and added one more to the little band. The Society grew Slowly, and at the beginning of 1804 it numberled twenty members." Dr. Christian goes on with his story; — "If to any one man may be accorded the title of 'Founder of Methodism in Lynchburg,' that man is Stith Mead. A- native of Bedford county and a local preacher before he entered the travelling connec- 400 FROM SADDLE TO CITT tion, he preached in Lynchburg as early as 1799. As a faithful minister of Christ he cried aloud and spared not. His preaching was effective, for the public paper began to persecute him, calling him 'a pharisee,' 'a hypocrite,' 'a devil,' 'a maniac,' 'a con- temptible, vaporing brawler,' 'a greater disgrace than the most dissolute man in Lynchburg.' "He was greatly blessed as an instrument in the conversion of sinners, and whenever he preached the word was a power unto the salvation of souls. He was a man mighty in prayer, and near his home there is a rock known as 'Mead's Rock' where this man of God repaired daily to pour out his soul in supplication. A simple slab marks his grave, with the inscription : — 'Stith Mead, bom SepL 25th 1767. EHed Aug. 1st, 1834.' But of him it can be justly said ; 'If you would see his monument look about you,' "The year 1804 was memorable in the history of Lynchburg. It was the year of a great revival in the town and in the surrounding counties. Nearly twelve hundred were converted. In May, Lorenzo Dow, a very eccentric preacher, held a series of meetings in 'Chestnut Grove,' which was near the corner of Main and 11th Streets. He says in his journal : 'Hence I went circuitously to Lynch- burg, where I spoke in the open air in what I con- ceive to be the seat of Satan's Kingdom. Lynch- burg is a deadly place for the worship of God.' "Mr. Mead says in his journal: 'In 1804 on my way from Georgia to the General Conference in BT BTTOGT, BOAT AND RATLAVAT 401 Baltimore, I sent an appointment to manage a camp-meeting in my native county, Bedford. Hav- ing an appointment in Mason's Hall in Lynchburg, the old battleground, I preached and had a melt- ing time. I preached also in Amherst. I returned to town and preached again in Mason's Hall. Eight souls were converted. I repeated the same the night following and ten souls were converted ; and so on in town and county, until hundreds were con- verted and a Society of above one hundred mem- bers formed in Lynchburg, and .so under God I gained the victory over my adversary, the devil, and his agents, my spiritual adversaries.' "William Heath, writing from Lynchburg, July 24th, 1804, to Ezekiel Cooper, the Book Steward, says ; 'From a class of twenty members we now have one of 160.' "This year Methodism was firmly established in Lynchburg, and the building of a meeting-house was begun. The funds soon gave out, and the work was stopped. The deed to a lot was not made till December 2nd, 1805. Geo. Sullivan, and Sally Sullivan, his wife, in consideration of £50, deeded to Stith Mead, Samuel K. Jennings, Wm. Heath, Wm. P. Martin, Geo. Sullivan, Thos. Wiatt, Jno. Schoolfield, Wm. Blake and Jas. Fox, Trustees for the Methodist Society, "a piece of ground on Church St., (then 3rd Street) between Tenth and Eleventh," for the purpose of building a church. "The first meeting of the Trustees was held at pep, Sullivan's house January 6th, 1806. Stith 402 FBOM SADDLE TO CITIT * Mead was chosen President, Wm. Heath, Secre- tary, and Thos. Wiatt, Treasurer. Thos. Wiatt wrote to Mead in Georgia : 'Our meeting-house progresses slowly. I do not, however, yet feel dis- couraged and will do all in my power to encourage the workmen to go on.' Mr. Mead was transferred from Georgia and placed on the Richmond District. Now he put forth every effort to complete the house, and in order to continue the work, he pledged his private property. In 1806 the meeting- house was completed and the Society moved in. "This house, however, did not stand; the walls began to crack, and in 1814 it was pulled down and a new one was built in its place. This house now stands, having been once used as a place 'of amuse- ment, Holcomb Hall. Now it is a double tenement. "February 2nd, 1808, Conference was held in the new meeting-house, and Bishop Asbury presided. He rode on horseback from North Carolina. Among' those received on Trial at this Conference was John Early, afterwards Bishop. In the min- utes of this session for the first time it Was re- corded : 'The appointments of the preachers were read out.' " If the reader will remember, the Chapter XII, on Gloucester, Stith Mead was Preacher in Charge of the Gloucester circuit when the great revival of 1797 swept through that region carrying all before it. Dr. W. W. Bennett in "Memorials of Method- ism in Virginia," preserves a fine account of this great awakening. BT BtJGGT, BOAT AND"iR^L,WAT "403 Dr. Christian proceeds: — "Mention was made of Wm. P. Martin and his wife Elizabeth. He was a good man, a local preacher, and of fervid piety. Special attention must be directed to' his wife, 'Aunt Martin,' as she was called, foi^ she was the early type of that noble womanhood for which Methodism in Lynchburg has long been noted. A niece of Edmund Pendleton, she was a woman of fine mental attainments, beautiful in personal ap- pearance, and lovely in Christian character. Her influence in the community was great, and she ex- erted it to lead many souls to Christ. Her public prayers melted the hardest hearts, her thrilling re- ligious experience told in the class-room often caused a shout in Zion, and her works of love and mercy made her visits among the poor and sufifer- ing like an angel's visit. She died in the spring of 1831 in her 81st year, and 'being dead she yet speaketh.' "Lynchburg continued an appointment on Bed- ford circuit until the Conference of February, 1811, which met at Raleigh, N. C. Then it was made a station and Rev. John Weaver was appointed pas- tor. The membership at that time was 153 white and 54 colored. The next year it was put back on Bedford circuit. The following year it was again made a station with Christopher Mooring as Preacher in Charge. He remained one year, and was followed by Robert Griffith, under whose ad"- ministration the new $8,000 meeting-house was built. This house was not completed when in 1815 404 FROM SADDXE TO CITT Conference again met in Lynchburg. Bishops As- bury and McKendree were present, and John Early was Secretary. Fletcher Harris was appointed to Lynchbui-g. Thos. Moore followed him in 1816. In 1817 Ethelbert Drake was Preacher in Charge. It was during his pastorate of one year that John Thurman, Geo. R. Walker and Jas. McGehee or- ganized the first Sunday School in Lynchburg. A notable fact about this Sunday School is that four of its scholars became United States Senators." (William Allen, and Allen G. Thurman of Ohio, and Isaac P. Walker of Wisconsin, and the fourth from Mississippi. D. G. C. B.) Thos. Burge was appointed Preacher in Charge in 1818. The fol- lowing year Lynchburg was again put back on Bed- ford circuit and remained till 1821, when Geo. W. Charlton was appointed to the charge. He re- mained two years and in that time did a great work for Methodism. He was a man of splendid perr sonal appearance, gifted with stirring eloquence, and, though a young man and delicate, he was a great preacher. Large crowds attended upon his ministry and many were converted and added to the Church. "This year John Early came to Lynchburg to live, and at once became one of the City's great- est factors both in its civic and religious progress. His influence in upbuilding Methodism here is eternal in its duration. "The next pastors were Thos. Crowder, Thos. Howard and Caleb Leach. In 1828, Wm. A. Smith, BT BTTGGT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 405 that son of Anak both intellectually and spiritually, was appointed pastor." (He was recommended to the Conference for Admission on Trial by the Quar- terly Conference of the Gloucester circuit, held at Pace's Chapel, King and Queen Co., January 22nd, 1825. (D. G. C. B.) "He was a young man, but one of the strongest preachers of his day. The summer after he came he held a great revival which was notable for its wonderful effects. It was during this pastorate that a division took place in the church, and sixty members left for the Methodist Protestant Church. The other preach- ers who served the church were Martin P. Parkes. (who was a young lieutenant in the U. S. Army and a man of remarkable gifts,) David S. Doggett, (afterwards Bishop,) H. B. Cowles, Edward Wads- worth, Jas. McDonald, Anthony Dibrell, and Dr. Wm. A. Smith again. "In 1849-50 Geo. W. Langhorne was pastor. At this time a movement was started which meant a a great deal for Methodism. The congregation had outgrown the old church and there was an ur- gent need for a new church in town. John Early led the movement. Subscriptions were taken, a lot on Court Street was bought, and a new church costing $19,000 was erected. , It was dedicated June 29th, 1851. The morning sermon was preached by Rev. John Early, the afternoon by Geo. W. Langhorne, the first pastor, and the night by John C. Granbery, (afterwards Bishop,) the pastor of the Third Street Church. The first Board of "406 FHOM SADDLE TO CITT Stewards was R. S. Morris, Ambrose Rucker, Wm. L. Saunders, J. L. Brown, E. D. Christian and G. G. Curie. The new church was organized with sixty members and the same number of Sunday School Scholars. This was the beginning of the splendid work done by Court St. Church under such leaders as R. N. Sledd, Nelson Head, Jacob Manning,' Geo. W. Carter, John E. Edwards, W. E. Judkins, A. C. Bledsoe, W. E. Edwards, P. A. Peterson, L. B. Betty, A. Coke Smith, W. J. Young, and the pres- ent pastor, (1906) Gilby C. Kelly. "During Dr. (now Bis'hop) Smith's pastorate the movement for a new church was started. It was completed under Dr. Young, and the new church was dedicated free of debt November 23rd, 1902. Bishop Granbery preached in the morning and Bishop Morrison at night. "The next forward movement of Methodism in Lynchburg was the forsaking of the old Third Street Meeting-House, hallowed by so many sad- red memories, and the ibuilding of a new church across the street. Centenary was begun under the pastorate of Chas. H. Hall, and was corfipleted by Rev. A. G. Brown. The new church was dedicated May 2nd, 1860. Bishop Doggett preached in the morning. Dr. Paul Whitehead at night. The new church cost $17,000. The pastors who have served it are: H. P. Mitchell, Geo. W. Langhorne, W. E. Edwards, W. E. Judkins, W. H. Christian, George C. Vanderslice, J. S. Hunter, H. C. Cheatham, S. S. Lambeth, W. H. Atwill, Geo. H. Ray, W. Asbury BT BtJGGT, BOA^ XHt) RAILWAY 407 Christian, J. T. Whitley and the present pastor, D. G. C. Butts. "During the pastorate of W. H. Atwill the church was greatly improved at a cost of $17,000, and was i-e-o.pened November 12th, 1893, Bishop J. C. Gran- bery preaching the sermon. "The next child of Methodism was the church in Madison. This work was projected by Rev. T. H. Early, who with R. F. Henning, of Centenary, and others, carried it to, completion. It was dedicated September 14th, 1873, by Rev. W. H. Christian. "Another new church dedicated June 27th, 1880, by Rev. D. P; Wills, P. E., was Danielstown, after- ward Cabell Street. While Rev. Ernest Stevens was pastor plans for a new church were started. This present Rivermont Avenue Church was begun under the Pastorate of Rev. G. W. Dwyer, 1897, and was completed by Rev. G. H. Lambeth. The church was dedicated by Bishop A. Coke Smith in 1902. "On July 20th, 1884, Trinity was dedicated by Rev. Geo. C. Vanderslice pastor of Centenary. "This same year Conference met at Court Street and immediately after its adjournment, November .23rd, Memorial, the daughter of Court Street, was dedicated. Dr. David Sullins preached the ser- mon, and Dr. W. E. Edwards dedicated the church. Dr. John Hannon had already been assigned as pastor of the new church. The other pastors were T. McN. Simpson, Jas. A. Duncan," (son of the im- niortal President of R. M. College 1868-77. D. G. 408 FKOM SADDLE TO CITY C. B.) "E. M. Peterson, J. C. Reed, J. W. Stiff, and the present pastor, Ernest Stevens. "In 1890 South View was established, and in 1896 West Lynchburg and Dearington. "Methodism in Lynchburg has been blessed with many great revivals, and by means of them thou- sands have been brought into the Kingdom of God. During Dr. Sledd's first pastorate at Court Street a great meeting was conducted by Dr. Leo Rosser. Then at the same church in 1878 under Dr. A. C. Bledsoe there was a remarkable meeting. At Cen- tenary under W. H. Christian, Dr. Rosser held an- other wonderful meeting. Later at the same church while Dr. Vanderslice was pastor, Rev. James W. Howell held a meeting of great power. Then at Memorial under Dr. Hannon hundreds pro- fessed faith in Christ.'' I have quoted Dr. Christian with his gracious consent, and fully, because it is history, and I thought it the right thing to link up the deeds of the men who made history with the deeds of the men who took up the work as they laid it down and carried it on with such signal success. Lynchburg reported in November, 1921, seven churches with an aggregate membership of 4,585, . and one church across the river in Madison Heights with 414 members; making a total of 4,9^9; — this from the small beginning in 1802 in "the home of Samuel Mitchell," when "3 joined the Society." Add to this number the names of those who have died in the faith, and of those who, converted at 409 our altars, joined other denominations, and we are ready to exclaim, God has indeed answered the prayers of the faithful saints who continually cried before Him for a blessing to fall on Lynchburg! So this was the Church to which I had been sent from Gloucester circuit: a Church whose history begins with the nineteenth century ; whose founder, Stith Mead, was the chief instrument of the Spirit in the great revival in Gloucester and Mathews in 1797, and the object of ridicule and abuse in that region, and bore the indignities and won the vic- tory in the city of Lynchburg: a Church at whose, altars the strong men of Methodism, John Early, Wm. A. Smith, Caleb Leach, Martin P. Parks, Da- vid S. Doggett, Edward Wadsworth, Anthony Dib- rell, Geo. W. Langhorne, John C. Granbery, Chas. H. Hall, A. G. Brown, W. E. Edwards, Geo. Van- derslice, S. S. Lambeth, had ministered. Three of these became Bishops, — Early, Doggett and Gran- bery. Here stalwart laymen had taken the vows of Church-membership, and in the commercial and professional life of the City had shined forth as witnesses to the saving power of the Christ, and had consecrated their lives, their time and their means to building of Zion: and devout women had "adorned the doctrine of God" by deeds of mercy, and the miracles wrought in prayer through faith. The thought of my responsibility as I stood to serve these children of a notable past overwhelmed me. My utter insufficiency for the task fell so heav- 41(3 FROM SADDLE tO Cltt ily on my heart that I lay nigfht and day for weeks at the feet of my Lord, pleading for the only Help that could give me spiritual strength to do my, work. Even as I walked the streets looking for people that r might "impart to them some spirit- ual -gift," I found comfort only in feeling out for the Hand that must guide me. And although I always, in the privacy of my Study every Sab- bath besought the Lord to help me, when I knelt to lead the congregation in prayer I felt time and again that my heart would break under the weight that rested upon it. The Lord was always with me! To Him be glory! The Official Board made my work comparatively easy by taking! a large portion of the secular affairs of the church off my shoulders, and by cordial co- operation, timely advice, and kind "words spoken in season." I had trials, 'tis true, test of faith and courage, but I found myself at all times surrounded by a loyal people, who overlooked my faults, glo- ried in my evident intent and effort to give them good service, and invited and frequently challenged the critics to know me first, and then condemn, if they must. I say not these things to commend my- self to any, but to publish to the world the kind of men and women who stood with me in Centenary Church, and in Lynchburg, without regard to Church or condition. I was misunderstood by some, and sometimes misrepresented, but I determined that', amid it all, I would carry "a conscience void of offense." I BT BUGGT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 411 knew that if I could never satisfy some, I could suffer in silence, and wait. I would "stand in my lot till the end" of my term, then go and leave the future to God. Friends, friends, friends, I was never lacking for friends. They flocked to me from all quarters, and brought words of cheer and still more substantial proofs of loyalty. Some fine revival services were held; not the community-sweeping and irresistible meetings I had witnessed elsewhere, yet valuable people were added to the church, and a substantial, aggressive membership gathered at our altar, and God's blessing was on the work. I did not know until my time came to leave Lynchburg that I had so many friends outside of my own congregation. An incident will illustrate my meaning. On the eve of my departure I was called to a boarding house on Church Street, and presented with a beautiful and durable umbrella with ivory handle ornamented in gold. I was told that fifteen of my friends were the givers, and not one of them was a M'ethodist. There were Episcopalians, Pres- byterians, Baptists, Roman Catholics, and Jews. A gift of this sort I from such a bunch of friends, who represented a different faith from my own, made a profound impression upon me. While I have carried the umbrella on many occasions, and sometimes' have left it at home, I have always car- ried these generous donors in my heart. My co-workers in the ministry. Dr. Young one 412 FROM SADDLE TO CITT year and Dr. Kelly, three at Court Street, Bro. Stevens at Memorial, Bro. Shackford at River- mont Avenue, and Bros. Wertenbaker and Candler, each two years, at Trinity, gave me invaluable aid in many ways, and our fraternal intercourse was delightful and, the Father knows, unbroken. My Presiding Elder, Dr. J. C. Reed, who had been my Elder once before, won my admiration for his firm stand for righteousness, and drew out to the ut- most my love for his patience with me, his generous sympathy, and his unstinted brotherly-kindness. I know no other words to express my gratitude to him for kindly help in the trying hour. And when we walked down hand in hand into "the valley of the shadow of death" in the dreadful autumn of 1918, we learned what co-passion meant in a very real way, (our boys had died in France within ten days of each other) and we "comforted each the other with the consolation wherewith we had com- forted others." When a large number of my friends, Methodists and others, expressed in a petition to the Presid- ing Bishop of the Conference of 1906, that I be chosen to succeed him as Presiding Elder of the Lynchburg District, he came to my Study and asked me if I "really wanted the place." I re- plied, "I do not : my good friends are mistaken in their man." He approved without qualification, my sentiments of gratitude and appreciation of the honor my friends had done me, and likewise my view of the matter. 413 The more I thought of it the the better I thought of myself. I had read of the zealous, but unwise farmer, who, determined to milk an untamed cow, tied her tail to his boot-strap, and proceeded with his job. When he went into the house about twenty minutes later to be treated to a few layers of absorbent cotton and strips of plaster, and a bath of soothing oils, he told his wife, in the same confident spirit that he showed when he first went to the cow-pen, "That thar pesky critter hadn't drug me 'round that thar pen more'n three times before I was purty certain I had made a mistake." And I had seen somewhere in my travels a big fat woman with a poodle in her lap. Either of these, or both, the misguided farmer, or the over- whelmed poodle, presented to my imagination the "sight that must have been. seen" had I been made Presiding Elder of that District ! I would have discovered my mistake before I had been around the first time ! Or, if you please, imagine that great fat District with me in its lap! And there is another view, if you please. I did not care to appear, by contrast with the men who had served the District, any smaller than I really was. Besides, I had a pretty fair name in the Confer- ence, and I wanted to keep it. We have had some sensible Bishops in my day. I was not made Pre- siding Elder of the Lynchburg District, nor of any other District. I am a little ahead of my story. The Conference 414 FEOM SADDLE TO CITT of 1904 met in my Church, Centenary, Lynchburg, and the prospect of the coming deluge of Preach- ers and laymen and visitors was not pleasant, un- til I got a clear view of the situation. Then I found* that fear had taken the place of my usual calm in an emergency, and that imagination had put in some very successful work. She is a great artist : it is her business. When the Lynchburg Preachers' Meeting held a Council for Investigation and Organization, the mists dissolved and the sun of our dearest hopes shined forth in perfect splendor. Our Committees were formed, the task of each was allotted, the work began, progressed, and was carried to a con- clusion successfully: the Conference adjourned satisfied, delighted, charmed with the hospitality of the city, and amazed at the ease with which the whole thing was done. Congratulations poured in on me, the Chairman, by every mail. The fact is, I had done nothing but enjoy the high distinction of presiding over the best group of Committees a Chairman ever had. I sat in an arm-chair on a soft cushion, and drew my breath and the com- mendations of the dear people who had enjoyed our food and our beds, while the consecrated men on the four Committees were doing everything they could to make the Conference a great suc- cess. A very embarrassing situation as it related to me, but very amusing to Brothers Atwill and Sid- ney Peters and others, was precipitated by me on BY BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 415 Conference Sunday. Everybody, except me, knew Bishop A. W. Wilson's habit of holding firmly to privileges and prerogatives of his office as sacred and unassailable! He came into my Study, on the left side of the eastern vestibule of the church, with Brother Atwill, greeted me cordially, and remarked casually that it lacked just ten min- utes of eleven. I repied, with the same cordial- ity, "I am glad to see you this morning. Bishop, and we will gq at once to the pulpit if you are ready. But before you announce your hymn my choir will chant the Lord's Prayer." The good Bishop exclaimed, "No they will not: I have no time for these frills and thrills. I have got to preach, then ordain these men, and then get my dinner. Besides, I am in charge of this service, and you have nothing to do with it." "But," said I, "Bishop, as this is my church, I thought I Would make everything as pleasant for you as possible." "But this is not your church. You haven't got any church till I give you an appointment at the end of the session." In the meantime. Brother Atwill and the others had fled from the room. Then thinking to end the matter, I said, "Well, Bishop I am very sorry that I have said anything: I hope you will think of it as not having been said." "But," said he, "you have said it, and it cannot be un- said." Filled with dismay, I sent a messenger hurriedly to Mrs. Christian at the organ to "leave out every- thing except the Doxology." But, pshaw, that 416 FKOM SADDLE TO CITY choir, under that leader, took the bit in its teeth that day, and we had music, we did ! I followed the Bishop up the aisle to the pulpit. I knew not which way Atwill had fled till I found his tracks in that aisle from the door to the chancel. The mischievous messenger of truth had spread the news of "the scrimmage in the Study" to every preacher on that side of the church, for^ as I went up that aisle, disheveled and broken, like Hector dragged by the heel at thje tail-board of the chariot of Achilles, man after man, commenc- ing with Peters just inside the door, stopped to ask, "Butts, when is your choir going to chant?" For the life of me, I could not see the humor in the occasion; but they saw it, and that was enough. The music that morning was never better. The Bishop gave us one of the greatest sermons of his wonderful and inspiring career. He was a prince in the pulpit, one of the greatest preachers in the Southern Methodist Church. Incidentally I had to forward a package to him a few days later, a package which came to him af- ter Conference adjourned. I received a letter from him promptly acknowledging the receipt of the package, my "thoughtful care of him during the session," and "congratulations upon the ease Con- ference was entertained." His great heart was in every word and line of that letter. The close of the year 1906 came, and I prepared to go. I did not doubt for a moment that I had my destination already in my mind, but still I BT BUGGT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 417 feared to mark my goods. Other men had been mistaken when they were "certain." I went to Portsmouth to a very agreeable session, spent a delightful week, and returned to Lynchburg with the Bishop's order carefully adjusted to the thought in my mind, and the two tallied to a dot. 41S FROM SADDLE TO OITT CHAPTER XIII. THE CONFERENCE OF 1906, AND RICH- MOND. The Conference of 1906 met in Monumental Church in the City of Portsmouth, Va., November 14th and adjourned the 19th. Bishop Eugene R. Hendrix presided. Paul Whitehead was Secre- tary, and S. S. Lambeth and Geo. F. Greene were Assistant Secretaries. The quadrennium ending with this session was costly in the loss of some of our purest and best men by death ; men of achievement, who had stood up before their brethren of the Southern Metho- dist Church as representatives of an aggressive body of consecrated ministers and laymen. Her- bert T. Bacon, John B. Dey, Jas. E. Gates, Thos. H. Early, (son of the Bishop,) J. Carson Watson, (father of our brother J. C. Watson in Danville,) M. S. Colonna, Sr., (father of our Dr. M. S. Co- lonna, and my predecessor in Middlesex,) Jas. M. Anderson, (father of Dr. D. R. Anderson at the R. M. Woman's College at; jLynchburg,) R. A. Compton, (my successor on the Mathews circuit,) Dr. Wm. E. Edwards, Sr., (son of Dr. John E. Ed- wards, and a most valuable friend to me,) John T. BY BXJGGT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 419 Moore, N. H. Robertson, R. H. Younger, R. E. Bentley, Dr. J. Powell Garland, (of whom I have written at length in another chapter,) Thos. S. Leitch, John W. Crider, Thos. H. Campbell, (in whose parsonage on Gates circuit the Rosebud Missionary Society was started in 1879,) T. J. Wray, and B. C. Beahm, — nineteen! "These all died in the faith." "Their works do follow them." J. M. Anderson was orthodox and faithful The morning after I delivered the opening ser- mon before the Conference at Newport News in No- vember, 1901, Brother Anderson met me in front of the Church on 29th Street, and invited me to take a walk. He commended in his earnest, sin- cere way, my treatment of my theme "The Atone- ment" in the sermon of the evening before. It was high praise from a man like him. About this time we met one of our most prom- inent preachers. He challenged me to cut out a certain point I had made, adding "If you cut that out, the sermon has not a flaw." Before I could reply, Brother Anderson said "Cut out nothing, you are absolutely correct in your position." The following were received on Trial during the quadrennium : — Henry W. Davis, Thos. Rosser Reeves, Frank L. Wells, Ben. T. Candler, J. W. * Dixon, Chas. Tinsley Thrift, (now in the North Carolina Conference,) Clayton O. Tuttle, J. T. Allen, H. V. Shenton, Jas. T. Moord, (now Chap- lain in U. S. Army,) L. G. Crutchfield, J. R. Laugh- / ton, P. Manning Hank, and John W. Shackford, 420 FROM SADDLE TO CITY Supt. Teacher Training for the Sunday School Board of our Church. This is a fine body of men. Many of them now occupy places of prominence in the Conference, and all of them are "showing forth the praise of Him who called them" to the exalted station of a Minister of the Gospel of our Salva- tion. Dr. Gilby C. Kelly came into the Conference in 1903 from the Tennessee Conference. He is a ripe scholar, a profound thinker, a patient student of problems of faith and conduct, grappling them with the ease of a skilled workman who has learned his art from the Master of Assemblies. His childlike trust in Jesus Christ, his generous requital of my friendship, (the friendship of a smaller man than he,) won me, and I have honored him to this day. His modest reserve has not made him universally popular. In this respect he has been unjust to himself. In debate he never uses those ordinary weapons, known to the platform as invective, irony, sarcasm. He deals in the heavy artillery of the 16-inch rifle, — a logical movement from an undisputed premise to a conclusion that sweeps away the pleas of an antagonist as one would a cobweb with a broom ; a method which sometimes leaves the other angry; or "skulking in his tent ;" or, metaphorically, dead on the field of conflict. • The doctor often disarms his opponent at the outset, but if not, he has so smashed his defence as to make "further talk useless." His sermons have the charm of originality, poetic at times, al- BY BTJGGT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 421 ways profoundly intellectual, but never at the ex- pense of spirituality : concrete exhibits of the clear- est Christian Philosophy. There is none more sin- cere, nor truer, nor braver, than my Western friend and brother. Dr. Gilby C. Kelly ! A very appropriate and beautiful incident halted the business of the Conference for, perhaps, half an hour, on the morning of the first day. "Dr. S. S. Lambeth, on behalf of the members of the Con- ference, presented to Dr. Paul Whitehead, Secre- tary of the Conference, a Loving Cup, as a token of their love and appreciation of his service for many years in that office. The Secretary responded, and Bishop Hendrix made appropriate remarks." The question of changing the date for the time of meeting of the Annual Conference came up on a motion made by Dr. Cannon, Dr. Lipscomb and Dr. Reed, and a special "Committee of one preacher and one layman from each District was appointed to consider and report on the question at this ses- sion of the Conference." This committee was con- stituted as follows : — T. G. Pullen, W. H. Vincent, J. W. Stiff, John Hope, W. P. Wright, Geo. L. Stevens, L. H. Early, D. M. Pattie, C. E. Hobday, J. W. C. Davis, W. W. Royall, J. A. Morriss, W. H. Edwards, J. E. Rogers, J. K. Jolliff, A. L. Adamson, Jas. Cannon, Jr., W. E. Homes, E. M. Jordan, Isaac L. Price, J. K. Holman and N. P. Angle. A very able body of men, capable of reaching a clean cut conclusion without haste or carelessly. This Committee reported on the fourth day, through its 422 FROM SADDLE TO CITY Chairman, T. G. Pullen, as follows: — "After care- fully canvassing almost the entire Conference for the purpose of ascertaining its sentiments with reference to the proposed change in its date of meeting, and a thorough discussion of the advis- ability of a change, the Committee adopted the following resolution: — Resolved, that after care- fully considering the question of a change in the time of holding the Conference session, we are of the opinion that there is no pressing demand for such change, and that further agitation of the sub- ject may be safely postponed." Dr. Reed offered a substitute for the report, but, after discussion, it was rejected and the report adopted. It seems perfectly clear to me that the Com- mittee, from its own statement in the preamble, got the vote of the Conference before the Confer- ence got the report before it for consideration ! A feature of the Conference which added worth to every day's session was an address each morn- ing at the devotional hour by Bishop Hendrix. Beginning with Thursday, the 15th, he spoke on "The Friendship of the Senior and the Junior Preacher, — Elijah and Elisha." Friday Morning, "The, Unbroken Friendship." Saturday Morning, "The Interrupted Friendship, — The Parting of Paul and Barnabas." Monday Morniing, "The Perfect Friendship,' — Jesus and John." At Charlottesville in 1903 the Bishop inaugurated this feature of the devotional exercises. Each day BT BtJGGY, BOAt AKD RAILWAY 423 he delivered a valuable and inspiring address on some phase of the work of the Holy Spirit. The first day on "The Authentication of the Holy Spirit." The second day on "The Epiphanies of the Holy Spirit." The next day on "The Friendship of the Holy Spirit." On Monday on "The Home of the Holy Spirit." And on Tuesday on "The Holy Spirit in the Har- vest Field." These Addresses, brought into play the mag- nificent analytical powers of Bishop Hendrix, and the deep spiritual emphasis, together with his mas- terly use of the best English, aroused the emotions and stirred the conscience of the large congrega- tions which assembled each morning at 9:30 to partake of the feast. His eloquence was set to the Pentecostal note. The Holy Spirit honored this servant of the Church, and made effective for edification each day's message. Conference adjourned on the 19th, and I was ap- pointed to the Laurel Street Church in the City of Richmond. Rev. Joseph A. Thomas became my successor at Centenary, Lynchburg. The Laurel Street parsonage was then at 603 West Main Street, opposite that beautiful spot, Monroe Park. When I was a student at R. M. College at Ashland in 1868-71, this field was the Fair Grounds, enclosed with a higli fence. Above the parsonage, perhaps three blocks, was "Sidney 4^4 FHOM SADDLE TO CITT Chapel." "Laurel Street" Church was the hand- some child of the old "Oregon Hill" church where Duffey, Compton and Ferguson of the Baltimore Conference, and John Hannon and I from the Vir- ginia, all students at Ashland, preached during the College session ; testing our blades on the tender sensibilities of a patient people, or whetting them for skilled labor in the harvest fields of the future, or sowing seed for the reapers who might follow. Those were great days. The people were of a sturdy cast of mind and much patience. I found only one or two old sisters at the new church on Laurel Street who heard me "try to preach" in the old building on Church St., thirty-seven years ago. The others had "gone the way of all the earth" awaiting in the slumber of death the res- urrection of all. The year was not a brilliant one for me. Several ■'slips'' jarred the movement of my career and threatened permanent ditching. I made my first mistake on the night of our reception in the Lec- ture room of the church : I said too much, and the people got my measure. Some never came again. No doubt they believed I had told them all that I knew ; so they decided not to attend another service until another preacher came. That was sensible. What's the wisdom of listening to the same old story Wednesday night and twice on Sunday? My next mistake consisted in getting down in bed with erysipelas in the face. While my dear younger brother. Dr. Nuckles, treated the case from BOAT AND RAILWAY 425 thcv standpoint of the physical, and succeeded splendidly, Rev. Dr. W. J. Young, then at Cen- tenary, and Rev. Geo. H. McFaden, of Asbury church, called on me in a very fraternal sort of way ; sat in my best chair, (not at the same time, altho I do not deny that there was ample room for both,) and declared that there was none more homely than I: that I resembled an African, and that could the Virginia Conference in session get a good view of me it would disown me. This was the kind of medicine these clerical com- forters poured into my soul. Expert practitioners with a tough case. It is needless to say I recov- ered. The witticisms of George Mac, and the re- fined incisive style of the "Little Minister," led me to understand that my place was on "the trite and oft-trodden path" of pastoral visitation. The worth of linguistic deliverances in the room of the sick depends upon who talks, and how. The per- son and the tone can "kill or cure." I knew a doc- tor on one of my charges who drove certain folks out with, what I took to be, the threat of the gun, and went straight out and got another person and turned him into the room where the grave yawned. A couple of thin sisters of doubtful age recom- mending bread pills for the itch, or ipecac and par- egoric for bilious fever, ought to start an inquiry over the phone, "Can the undertaker come on short notice?", or a hurry-call for the police to perform the quick operation of excluding the loquacious murderers! But if you wish to heal quickly, em- 426 FHOM SADDLE TO CITY ploy a couple of the disciples of humor and prayer : lead them to the bedside of the sick, and they will cast out the Devil of Freezing and Fire with the only weapon Satan hates. Dr. Hope, in Ports- mouth, resorted to this method with me when I was ill on Harrison Street in 1889. I had ex- changed pulpits with Dr. Wm. E. Edwards on a certain Sabbath morning. The strain threw me into a severe attack of fever. Dr. Hope brought Dr. Edwards and four other spirits like him, and put them into my room: kept the brother and the sister with the "chronics" out in the street, threatening them with a sousing application of city water from Lake Kilby, and I was soon well again. Hope was an expert at that sort of thing, and I got well in a hurry. I had an uncle who was a physician. He contended that he lost more pa- tients from the visits of Dyspeptics than from any other cause. I reckon he was correct: I myself, seldom sick, have often felt like calling for a Hos- pital Ambulance on the departure of such a visitor from my Study. Mistakes are unusual with my wife. People who knew her will believe that assertion. But she made one on the first Sunday of her sojourn in Richmond. She allowed herself to be blown up by a gas stove ! She did not look well after the explosion. When I responded to her call for iielp I had to get into the kitchen through the window from the back-yard. The impact from the ex- plosion had locked both doors leading to that room. 427 Her escape from death was marvellous. Hence our rejoicing. My earliest mistake was in not arriving in Rich- mond till the Friday of- the second week after Con- ference adjourned. My goods, were all in a freight car in Lynchburg on Monday before sunset. I was ready to go on Tuesday, but could not get into the Laurel Street parsonage till Friday. So wife went to our daughter's home at Arrington with our diminishing family, whilst I stayed around town sometimes in one "home," and sometimes in another, till Thursday night. Then, according to agreement, we assembled at Sister Guy's on Col- lege Hill, and boarding the "Roanoke & Peters- burg Local" on the N. & W. at 8:30 next morning arrived in Richmond about 2:30 at the Byrd St. station. Officials of the church met us there, and in a short while we were in the parsonage, and at home, though late. The story of Methodism in Richmond is an in- tensely interesting narrative. It can be found in a volume edited by Rev. Dr. E. L. Pell, entitled, "A Hundred Years of Richmond Methodism; The Story as told at the Centennial Celebration, 1909." The addresses delivered by leading ministers are of thrilling interest to any one who delights in the triumphs of faith, and in the growth of the King- dom. Rev. W. W. Lear, D. D., then at Centenary church, tells the story of the founding of "Oregon Hill Chapel." He says :— 428 FROM SADDLE TO CITY "On a rainy Sunday afternoon in October, 1849, a few earnest workers from Centenary got to- gether in a private house in the southwestern part of the City, not far from the Penitentiary, and or- ganized a Sunday School with Watkins Taylor as Superintendent. A few weeks afterwards a So- ciety was organized and a house of worship (known as Oregon Chapel) was erected on the corner of Church Street and Maiden Lane. The first pastor of the new church was Rev. Jas. E. Joyner, the second Rev. John L. Clarke, and the third Rev. Saml. L. Eskridge. For several years Oregon was a small and struggling church, but under the min- istry of Rev. Henry B. Cowles matters mightily improved." In the fall of 1870 that Apostle of the Evangelical faith, Rev. Geo. W. Nolley was sent to Oregon Chapel, and was followed in regular order by Revs. Lewis A. Guy, John T. Moore and George M. Wright. Bro. Wright served Oregon Chapel four years, beginning November, 1875. During his term they moved over to a new building on Laurel Street, and at the Conference of 1877 the name "Oregon" disappears from the list of appointments, and "Laurel St.," takes its place. Then Rev. Wm. P. Wright, father of our Archie Wright, is sent to the church in November, 1879, and was succeeded at the end of three years by Rev. A. G. Wardlaw who remained only one year. At the end of one year, Bro. W. P. Wright is returned to the church, 1883, remaining this time four years. It was dur- ing this second term, I think, that the present BY BUGGT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 429 church edifice was completed. Then the following ministers served the church for the terms indi- cated : — W. O. Waggener, two years, November 1887 to November 1889; C. C. Wertenbaker, two years, No- vember 1889 to November 1891 ; W. E. Judkins, two years, November 1891 to November 1893; T. J. Taylor, four years, November 1893 to November 1897; R. F. Gayle, four years, November 1897 to November 1901 ; H. E. Johnson, three years, No- vember 1901 to November 1904; Jos. E. Thomas, two years, November 1904 to November 1906; D. G. C. Butts, one year, November 1906 to Novem- ber 1907. So I entered upon my \vork as the twentieth pastor of this congregation from its organization as a church in October, 1849, to November, 1906. I have no data from 1849 to 1870 but the Oregon Chapel reported in 1870, one hundred and seventy church members, and ninety-eisrht Sunday School scholars ; raised for all purposes, at that Confer- ence $515.18, by the three congregations, Oregon, Sidney and Rocketts. At the Conference of 1906 there are 306 Sunday School scholars, and 512 Church members, and $4,612.57 raised for all pur- poses at Laurel Street alone. In the meantime, Park Place had taken the place of Sidney, and Ep- worth had been built, and also Asbury, Bro. Mc- Faden's church still further out. On the Fulton side of the city Denny St., and Fulton Hill had taken the place of Rocketts. Here was develop- 430 FBOM SADDLE TO CVtY ment from the three churches existing in 1870, and reporting as one Charge. As soon as my health would permit, about the middle of January, 1907, I took hold of my work with all the zeal that was in me. I had a noble band to co-operate with me, and my courage never was on in better shape. The first work that en- grossed our thought was the proposal to grapple with the debt on the parsonage, some $700.00, and get that out of the way. The plan was well con- ceived, the organized effort was put in trim for work, the people gave liberally and cheerfully, and by the middle of April, the last dollar was in, and the note paid. Then we had a great "Bond Burn- ing Meeting" in the auditorium of the Church, and rejoiced accordingly. After about three months' rest I tried to lead the leaders of the church up to the point of making plans for improving the old building. It needed a new dress badly. A re-adjustment of the Lecture room as well as the audience room above, called loudly for immediate attention. . Two popular and attractive churches in the vicinity, — the Protest- ant Episcopal and the Baptist,— the former under the leadership of a progressive and beloved Rector, the latter under the pastorate of a man who had served the congregation for more than thirty years, and had built up a strong membership ; — these two institutions were sapping the life of Laurel Street Church. Something had to be done, and there was no time to lose. I tried to show the folks the BT BUGGt, BOAT AND RAILWAY • 431 need, but I failed. Then I resorted to the last rem- edy. I determined on my course, and I did not hes- itate. I went over to Petersburg and confided my plan to Dr. Wilson, my Presiding Elder, but be- fore anything more in the way of consultation could be had. Dr. Wilson had passed to his eternal reward, and the matter was dropped, till Bro. J. T. Mastin took up the work Dr. Wilson had left. On my arrival on the charge Bailey, Boltz, Ham, Miller, Farmer, Davis, Redford, Gilliam, the Miller boys. Pool, Henry Winston, and others of that size gave the incoming pastor the right hand of fel- lowship, and from that time on he had their val- uable co-operation. But it was hard going. It seemed to the preacher that the great effort made in the winter to pay the parsonage debt had over- strained a tendon in the lumbar region of the en- tire membership, and a weak back was the result. Or, whilst they were resting after the strenuous drive they fell asleep with the window open, and caught "cold in the feet." Chilled enthusiasm and spiritual lumbago will halt any movement except backsliding: the law of spiritual gravity applies here. The cohesive force in nature, (the power on the throne keeping order in the senate of worlds,) is paralleled in the spiritual world by "the law of the Spirit of Life,"' — that activity in *the kingdom of God is the price of vitality and development. Yet, after all our set-backs are considered, and the many times I was "ditched" during the "run," the year was a very pleasant one. Many incidents 432 FROM SADDLE TO CITY transpired to make us glad we came to Richmond. I was, for the first time in my ministry of thirty- six years within haihng distance of my old home, — Petersburg. Here the last of my kin resided, Mrs. W. B. Mcllwaine and Mrs. Bernard Mann, the daughters of my mother's brother, the late Dr. John _ Herbert Claiborne. His widow, who was Miss Annie Watson, lived there too in the old home on Union Street. Miss Nora Fontaine Maury Da- vidson, the "unreconstructed rebel" and founder of the Confederate Memorial Day, the daughter of my father's eldest sister, yet lived in the old town.. In old Blandford Cemetery my dead were sleep- ing "till Jesus bids them rise ;" my honored father, straight as an arrow, gallant, courteous, clean and true ; my mother, a woman of prayer, modest, beautiful, constant, affectionate ; my half- brother, Robert Emmet, the crown and joy of the home, the promising young lawyer, who lay down his life for the Confederacy in the "Battle of the Crater;" my grandparents on both sides, — Gen. Daniel Claiborne Butts and his wife, Elizabeth Randolph Harrison, and Rev. John Gregory Clai- borne and his wife, Mary Elizabeth Weldon, and my mother's brothers. Dr. John Herbert Claiborne and Dr. Gregory Weldon Claiborne. And my father's brother, Capt. Daniel Butts, and all his were buried there. For the first time since 1868 I was so near all these precious relics that I made it a matter of conscience and heart to visit the old shrine four or five times during the year. It gave BOAT AND RAILWAY 433 me joy to sit over there in a quiet place near my dead, and think of them, of my duty, of the Good Father who gave them to me, and of the claim of the Church upon my faithful use of time and talent, the call of a needy world, and immortal nature of my own spirit. It was a mournful privilege in my grasp that year, and my soul took courage from the teaching of my environment. Each time I re- turned to my task in Richmond with a higher ap- preciation of life and its daily opportunities for usefulness. Nineteen hundred and seven was the year of the Jamestown Exposition. Numbers of our iriends from other parts of the State, on their way to, or from, the Exposition, made Richmond a resting- point. We flung our doors wide open for their use, and we rejoiced in the privilege. Mr. B. Gates Garth, with several of his family, beloved friends from Albemarle county, in whose hospitable home. I and mine had found gracious and abundant treat- ment when on that circuit, drifted in on a certain kindly tide. Two daughters of Dr. (now Bishop) Collins Denny, of Nashville, Tenn., honored us with a sojourn of two days. We found them to be just plain folks, such as we had been accustomed to all our lives, — refined, sensible, not "righteous over-much," easily satisfied with what they found in a Methodist parsonage, and very pleasant young people everyway. It is not surprising that each married a minister of the Gospel,i — one a member of our Conference, the other a missionary to a 434 FROM SADDLE TO CITY foreign land. It is fine policy to send our Chris- tian girls out among the heathen of any country, that the heathen may have an object lesson on what Protestant Christianity can make of a wo- man: and still more, what a Protestant Christian woman can do for our social life ! Another very delightful occasion of the year was the Reunion of the Confederate Veterans. This was the magnetic incident which attracted the thinning ranks of Grey from west and south once more to the old Capitol of the Confederacy. They came, also, to fight over again the battles of '61 to '65 in story and song, and to retail the old yarns for the one hundredth time, then separate for the last time, possibly, till "the Roll is called up Yon- der." Into our open door they came by day and by night; it mattered not when to us, so they came. From Lynchburg came the Lynchburg Confederate twins Jim Wray and Joe Thompson. These in- creased to triplets before the day had died for Bill Gregory had a bed down the street in another house, but he stayed at our home, ate there, loafed there, and was one of us. Then when I hitched on, Mrs. Butts had the rankest quartette of "Inno- cents in Grey" that ever she had bargained to handle in all of her life of unselfish service. When Wray, Thompson, Gregory, and "the parson" mixed and meandered with that jolly multitude in the streets of the Metropolis that memorable week, four happier men could not be found within the BY BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 435 corporation. They were easily fed, soundly slept, and quietly dispatched out upon the streets again when the peace of the parsonage demanded it. And when the three departed they left behind such melancholic silence that one could hear it sigh ! The year was not without its bereavement to our great Church and Conference. Dr. Richard T. Wilson, Presiding Elder of the West Richmond District, died August 28th, at his home on a farm near Petersburg. He presided over the District Conference at Beaver Dam in July, and although many of us knew that he was not well, few of us suspected that his useful life was so soon to end. A graduate of the Virginia Military Institute at Lexington, in 1870, a Professor of Mathematics in a college in Arkansas, later a diligent student of law, his career seemed to have already begun with the promise of such success as would satisfy the most ambitious. But his long struggle against the early call to the Ministry at last broke down. He abandoned the practice of his profession for the vocation of the pulpit and the pastorate. "A sig- nificant event following his joining Conference was the appointments he received in the midst of the • people among whom he practiced law-. His first appointment was Wesley Petersburg, where his ministry was eminently successful. Going from that church to Chestnut St., Berkeley, (now Mem- orial,) thence to Clay St., Richmond, he was then appointed to Market Street, Petersburg, where he had served as Steward for nine years, and as Super- 436 FROM SADDLE TO CITY intendent of the Sunday School for sixteen years. Here was his most successful pastorate. "The peo- ple respected him and loved him, and evidences of his faithful and zealous labors are still appar- ent." He was "a member of the General Confer- ence of 1906, Presiding Elder on three Districts — Richmond, Petersburg- and West Richmond, and was completing his quadrennium on the last named when he heard the summons to higher labors" and unending life. Dr. Paul Whitehead, who for fifty-four years had been the Secretary of the Annual Conference, died in St. Luke's Hospital, Richmond, April 3rd, 1907. He was received on Trial into the Conference with fifteen others at the sesion of 1853 in Court Street Church, Lynchburg. In 1856 he was stationed in Lexington, Va., "and was there brought into in- timate association with the now famous Stone- wall Jackson. He was nine times elected to the General Conference. He was appointed to rep- resent the Southern Methodist Church in the Third' Ecumenical Conference of the World's Methodism in London in 1901. He was Presiding Elder twenty-five years. He was a fine ecclesiastical lawyer, and contributed of his fine memory, clear judgment, and constructive talent in framing our present Discipline. Two Bishops died this year, both elected to this high office from the ranks of our Conference : — Bishop John C. Granbery and Bishop A. Coke Smith, BY BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 437 Dr. W. J. Young, who wrote the Memoir of Bishop Granbery, says he "was a native of Virginia, having been born in Norfolk, and for many years served the leading stations of the Virginia Confer- ence. During these years he was recognized as a faithful, painstaking pastor, and a helpful ex- pounder of the pure word of God. In the vigor of his manhood he turned aside from the pastorate to become a Professor in the Vanderbilt University. While here he preached nearly every Sabbath to the edification of all who heard him, and in these days no one in Nashville was more gladly heard than he. His influence over the young men under his instruction, especially those preparing for the ministry, was uplifting and inspiring, — an influence created, perhaps, by his character more than by his teaching. "Bishop Granbery was so transparently sincere that his life was known and read of all men. And how simple he was, as humble as a little child, pos- sessing the sort of childlikeness of which the Mas- ter spoke, when he made it the condition of en- trance into the Kingdom of Heaven. "His was a spotless life. No one was ever heard to call in question his motives or to accuse him of anything short of downright uprightness." Dr. R. H. Bennett says of Bishop Smith: — "Coming to us in middle life as a stranger he en- tered at once the inmost citadel of our hearts, and grew, if possible, dearer to us with the passing years. His buoyant spirits, rollicking humor, won- 438 FROM SADDLE TO GIT'? derful magnetism, scorn of all ignoble things, abounding usefulness, chivalrous manliness, broth- erly sympathy, generosity of heart and humility of soul, were the golden keys to our interest and our love; while his scholarly attainments, simple yet profound faith, his deep and unaffected piety, and his prophet's vision deepened our admiration and increased our esteem. He was the best equipped man for the pastorate we have ever known." Paul Bradley, one of our best and truest young men, fell at his post of duty on the walls of Zion this year. I knew him as a candid, sincere, earnest Christian gentleman of the old school, in which rudeness, coarse manners, and impurity are un- known. His smiling face was the reflection of a clean heart. His courage was the product of a high aim. His modesty and amiability were nat- ural. His industry was an index to his sense of re- sponsibility for the wise use of his talents. None but the kind of man Paul Bradley was could have won for his wife the accomplished and lovely young woman who surrendered her life to him, and when he fell at her side in the path of duty, lamented his going, — becoming "a widow indeed, and desolate, trusting in God, and continuing in supplications and prayers." Dr. W. W. Lear, in the admirable Memoir of Bro. Bradley, says of him : — "It seemed strange to me when I c'ame into the Conference room a few days ago that I could not find, in the gathering throng, the smiling face of the friend whose pres- fit BtTOGlr, fioAt A*rt) AAitwAt 4$9 ence for more than thirty years, at each recur- ring session, I had eagerly sought. But I know where he is, and the coming years, when my own work is done, I shall look him up, and once more we shall talk heart to heart, and our friendship will be unbroken forever." Paul Bradley died July 30th, 1907. Dr. Lear on February 1st, 1918, joined his "room-mate and chum," whom he knew so well and loved, and the interrupted "fellowship" between these two worthy men was renewed on the soul's eternal campus. The end of the year came on apace. My reso- lution, formed in July, to ask removal from Lau- rel Street church because, in my judgment, I was not meeting the needs of our Church in that part of the City, had become stronger as the months went by. My decision was unalterable. My own destination gave me not a moment's thought. I knew that the church could not afford to wait twelve months longer that I might try for better results another year. I communicated my views to Bro. Mastin Presiding Elder and left the matter in his hands. Then I concluded to "face the throne" with the same facts; so therefore, on the Norfolk & Western train, between Lynchburg and Farm- ville, I gave Bishop Galloway the whole story. When he opened the session of Conference the next week in Petersburg he was fully informed of my reasons for believing that I should give way to a man of different type from myself, but he was not satisfied with the wisdom of my decision. He 440 FROM SADDL£ TO CITY advised that I try again, but I would not agree to do so, and I do not think the good Bishop was pleased with our interview. He asked me where I wanted to go. I told him I had given it no thought : that he and my Presiding Elder could settle that matter without my help. But as Conference drew near I found it a greater trial than I had thought it would be to give up my friends at Laurel Street, as ^yell as many outside of that charge, who had made my short stay among them so very delightful. Prof. Frank Woodward and John Landstreet, the friends of my College days at Ashland, had given me a welcome to the city just one year before that took away the lonely feeling of the first few weeks of a residence among strangers. Woodward had developed into a brainy and successful member of his profession. At Col- lege his studious habits, his quick mind, his vig- orous, abounding life, his wonderful popularity prophesied a future of unusual achievement. He entered the ministry but discovered his mistake in time to devote his life to the calling for which he was especially equipped. He was an orator of no mean ability; handling the best English with ease, exercising an imagination which placed be- fore his audience the topics of his theme in the most attractive form, and with the boldest fancy springing to the most daring flights of rhetorical speech. "Gig" Woodward, as his familiar friends called him, was as lovable a college boy as I ever knew, and he has held my esteem ever since. He BT BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 441 was the son of Bro. B. F. Woodward, a beloved member of our Conference. John Landstreet was always the sturdy, rollicking, go-ahead chap that made him manager in one of the largest Tobacco Companies in this country. He looked big to me at College, so much so that when I saw him com- ing down the track I climbed the fence and let him have the whole road. John usually "got there" at whatever he attempted, except in the books. Those things were made in a room with four walls, a roof, and no ventilation. John knew that, and had little .sympathy with "the Fads of Filosophers," foB quagmires, quicksand, or drowning awaited the man out of step with their wanderings in the swamps of impossible, hence unnatural, theories. John stuck to the fields, the cool, fresh air, or climbed the stately oak of a real, undisputed fact, or swam out, never beyond his depth, into the translucent waters of positive truth. Hence John, with all his rugged, romping, knock-down-and- drag-out about the earth, the stars, the human family, and personal responsibility, got to be a man who did things, and did them well. John was the son of a preacher in the Baltimore Conference, M. E. Church, South. Jas. T. Lumpkin was another one of my bosom friends and College chums. He was a man of fine intelligence, clear mind, warm heart and generous impulses. He was of a devout spirit, praying much, and "content with such things as he had." He was not penurious but economical, saving that 442 FEOM SADDLE TO CITY he might serve others. He counted wastefulness as great a sin against Providence as vulgarity is against grace: both condemned by a just and righteous God. We did not room together; we loved each other too well. We associated with each other, and studied together, and visited to- gether, and joined Conference at the same time in 1870 at the Xynchburg session, and hugged when we met at each recurring session. When I went to Richmond in the fall of 1906, Tom Lumpkin sought me out and clung to me to the end of my short term. Then he lamented my leaving, up- braided me for the view I held, challenged me to be a man, and stand my ground, and all that, and more. He worshipped with us at Laurel St., fre- quently, and his presence was ever an inspiration. Bro. Lumpkin was an unusually strong man on Christian Doctrine, and the Methodist Standards of Theology. His prayerful and patient study of the Word, made him a safe interpreter of the text. Had he possessed talent for delivery, none could have withstood him in a contest over disputed points. He was a good man, an humble child of God. It was quite a tax on my sensibilities to meet my official board for the last time and bid them fare- well before going to Conference knowing that, whatever else befell me, I would no longer be their pastor and associate. The social gathering at the parsonage on the eve of my going to Peters- burg, was a love-feast, marred only bv the fact BY BUGGT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 443 that it was "the parting of the ways." They knew, now, very well my reasons for asking a change. I had no fault to find with them, either as officials or individuals: my going, was for their welfare, and of my own choice. We sat at the table that evening in my own home as brethren beloved, with not an absentee to start regrets. And when they left my door at the close of the pleasant evening's visit, they each one left a blessing on the heart and head of both wife and me. I think I had a taste of the extraordinary feel- ings of Romeo the night of his farewell interview with Juliet on the balcony of the home of his sweetheart, when he sighed that tearful sigh which has shaken the tender emotions of the centuries : "Parting is such sweet sorrow that I could say 'Goodbye' until tomorrow." 444- FEOM SADDLE TO CITT CHAPTER XIV. THE CONFERENCE OF 1907: FRANKTOWN AND JOHNSON'S. The one hundred and twenty-fifth session of the Virginia Conference met in Washington Street Church, Petersburg, Va., November 13th, 1907. Bishop Chas. B. Galloway, Presided. "Dr. Paul Whitehead for forty-seven sessions, the faithful and efficient Secretary, and, for seven sessions preceding, the Assistant Secretary, hav- ing passed to his reward on the 3rd day of April last, the roll was called by S. S. Lambeth, the As- sistant Secretary of the last Conference." The Conference then elected S. S. Lambeth, Secretary, and B. F. Lipscomb and Geo. F. Greene, Assistants. All the preachers passed in examination of char- acter except Chas. L. Bane and Norman R. Smith, who had withdrawn fi/om the ministry of our Church during the year and surrendered their cre- dentials. The Conference through Rev. J. H. Amiss, pre- sented Dr. S. S. Lambeth a purse of gold in ap- preciation of his long and faithful service' as As- sistant Secretary. Resolutions of Respect adopted by the Board of hY BtTGGf, BOAT AND RAILWAY 445 Directors of The Preachers' ReHef Society, in re- gard to the death of Judge Wilbur J. Kilby, of Suffolk, were read to the Conference, and ordered placed upon the record. The following class of "well-equipped young men" was admitted on Trial, and the Conference adopted a resolution of thanks to Almighty God for the "unusually large number." They were W. A. Smart, O. M. Harris, A. K. Lambdin, J. W. Bouldin, R. V. Owen, G. B. King, Chas. E. John- son, J. Calloway Robertson, L. A. Smith, J. S. Maxey, and J. E. Daniel. Dr. J. C. C. Newton and T. H. Haden from the Japan Mission Conference, John L. Bray from the Oklahoma Conference, and C. T. Collier from the China Mission Conference, were received by Trans- fer. A handsome gavel made from a part of the chan- cel of the old Union Street Church in which the first General Conference of the Methodist Epis- copal Church, South, was held in May 1846, was presented to Bishop Galloway by Rev. J. B. Winn, in behalf of Hon. R. B. Davis of Petersburg. Besides the deaths already noticed in the preced- ing chapter on Richmond, the following were re- ported as having passed away during the year: — Wm. E. Bullard, born in Bowling Green, Caro- line county, Va., and died on the South Lunenburg circuit aged 52 years. He was "a great-grandson of Rev. Isaac Lunsford, who helped to establish Methodism in far-away Nova Scotia." 446 FROM SADDLE TO Clft Jas. W. Baker of Madison county, faithfully did his work as an itinerant preacher for fifteen years, then closed his eyes upon the scene of his earthly labors. Robert B. Beadles was the next. His itinerant life began in 1855 as Junior Preacher with Rev. John B. Dey on Lancaster circuit and ended in 1907 in Richmond as a Superannuate. His "con- scious call of God to preach gave quality and tone to all his subsequent ministry, and inspired him with unqualified consecration to this great work." My home during the session of this Conference in ray home town was with the family of Hon. Wm. B. Mcllwaine, who was the husband of my cousin Joe Claiborne, the daughter of my mother's eld- est brother. Dr. John Herbert Claiborne. My co- laborer at the breakfast, dinner and supper table, was my dear brother Joseph Shackford, Presiding Elder of the Lynchburg District. He did well, but not as well as he might have done. He had a habit of falling down on nearly every proposition submitted by the exceedingly polite person who waited on the guests at the table. He did better at night when, in the privacy of his room, (Mrs. Mcllwaine put us in separate rooms,) he gave him- self to slumber and snoring. He had something on his mind every night that he seemed to wish to communicate to some one, I know not who. He was a member of the Bishop's Council for the first time. I suppose some of the discussions of men and places, reeled off in that mysterious conclave. 447 got soaked into his anatomy, and this was his method of reheving his pent-up emotions. How- ever that may be, in the morning when I faced him with the charge before the entire household, he knew nothing about his "antics of the night," and the inquisition had to be abandoned. Presiding Elders are queer "specimens of the carnivorous genus of mammalia." While they are in the ranks of ordinary mortals they are as lo- quacious as a child with its first discovery of a tongue, meeting the "dear brethren" down in the basement of the church of the Conference session, and criticising the whole thing from Bishops to County Constables, making appointments and tak- ing men from charges that "never dreamed of los- ing the dear brother." But, let them once get into the exclusive, secretive and contemplative group, they will pick up whole mouthsful of information, meditation, prudence and silence, and walk around on rubber heels, with plasters on their mouths which are not even porous. The only way to annihilate the "Kitchen Cab- inet" is for the Bishop at the next session of the Annual Conference to discharge all of the silent saints now in the Cabinet and let in the Basement Solomons. If that does not cure them I recom- mend transfer to the Pacific Coast. Conference closed on the night of the 20th, whilst I was in Richmond officiating at the marriage of a choice j'oung woman of my congregation at Laurel Street church. I was appointed to the 448 FROM SADDLE TO CITY Franktown and Johnson's circuit in Northampton county, across the Chesapeake Bay, on the East- ern shore of Virginia, twenty miles north of Cape Charles. Rev. Jas. H. Moss was sent as my suc- cessor at Laurel Street. . This proved to be a most happy selection. He entered upon his duties with a zealous and intelligent grasp of the situation that carried the church into a season of prosper- ity it so well deserved. His congregation increased from the first service, and at the close of his pastorate of four years, he left the church in bet- ter condition every way than it had been for a long time. It was a source of gratification to me, for my judgment that I was not the right man for the crisis which was taxing the staying qualities of the congregation at that time, was vindicated. The Official Board was kind enough to honor me with a place on its program at the re-opening of the reconstructed building sixteen months after Bro. Moss went to the charge, and I was glad enough of the opportunity to remind them of my prophecy, that "another and a different sort of man was all they needed to put them in their rightful place of influence among the progressive churches of Richmond." And I added "the Lord had the man ready for you in the person of Dr. Aloss, and you should sing the doxology right now." Well, the next day after the adjournment of Conference I went down town, found Brother Mas- tin, my outgoing Presiding Elder, and said some very foolish things. "I had been to the Eastern BY BUGGT, BOAT AND BAILWAT 449 Shore once, cut off entirely from America, and every other continent on the face of the earth, except Philiadelphia. All their complaints con- cerning jurisprudence and the oyster crop went to the Governor of Pennsylvania, unless we except those minor cases which can be tried in an inferior court, — these went to Salisbury." That was the kind of whining I did. And I was that upset that when I went back up town to the Parsonage, I hired two men to pack my stuff, (a thing I had never done before, and the proof of it is, that I fre- quently went to a new charge with my thumb tied up in a rag,) and paid them $12.00 for the job, and a mighty poor job it turned out to be. We went to Norfolk, and from thence to Cape Charles next day, the New York, Philadelphia & Norfolk train delivering us at Nassavradox about mid-day. The first person to greet us when we struck the ground at that station with the Indian name was a pretty, black eyed girl with dark hair and the neatest raiment. And we were satisfied! She took all of the lonely, homesick feeling out of our constitution at once, and bid us welcome to the greenest pastures and tallest clover that ever a poor preacher was sent to graze. And her name, so she informed us, was Mary Rogers. The next message I sent Mastin was couched in language something like this : — "My postofiice is on the su- burbs of Glory land: my telegraph sign is Halle- lujah!" And Alastin never did reply. I learned later that Finley Gayle did it: so I hung up his 450 FROM SADDLE TO CITT photograph in my study, with this legend in- scribed : — THE MAN WHO UID IT! For the second time in my ministerial career I was the successor of Rev. Chas. E. Watts. Right glad I was to get the privilege of repeating my ex- perience of 1877, when I succeeded him on the King George circuit. He helps his successor by word and by deed. So I had easy going from the very start. We met him on the highway between the station and the parsonage at Franktown. He bade us a cheery farewell, and hoped in his earnest, un- affected style, that "the blessing of Heaven would rest upon my work on the charge." And so we moved in. The parsonage was an- tiquated, but comfortable. There was a good fire for warmth, a plenty of tempting food for the hun- gry, and cordial welcome for all the preacher's fartiily from the least unto the greatest. But a shadow rested on the church and the town. Brother Bernard P. Tankard's son, Bernard, Jr., the only child, had been desperately ill for many weeks with Typhoid Fever and its attendant ills. He required constant nursing and care day and night, and it was late in the spring of 1908 before he was out in the fresh air, recuperating slowly under the shade of the beautiful trees. Anxiety filled every breast, till late in the summer, when he was pronounced well again. The history of the "Northampton Circuit" dates back to the distant past. I have no data earlier 451 than the session of the Philadelphia Conference held at Smyrna, Delaware, commencing on the first day of June, 1800. I have some extracts from the Journal of Rev. Thos. Smith, who wa^ "received into full connection, and ordained deacon." "My appointment was to Northampton circuit, Virginia, I received it as coming from the Lord, believing he had a work there for me to do. I set out for my circuit, rejoicing in spirit, anxious to get into my work." , So he begins his story. This preacher was born in Kent county, Mary- land, June 3rd, 1776, and was, therefore just 24 years of age. When we read on further in the record of his travels and trials we are very apt to think that he was, at least, a man of middle age and large experience. And we can account for his great victories over the enemies of the faith, amid the most discouraging circumstances only by the conviction that the circuit riders of that day were men of unusual courage, invincible faith, and a great nerve for "enduring hardship." Let us therefore, with grateful hearts that God sent such men to lay the foundations of Method- ism in these parts, get as much of this Journal into these pages as may be useful in enlarging our knowledge of men and events, and thus stirring our own hearts to greater diligence in carrying on the work they began. Let us read : — "Sunday, June 22nd, 1800, I preached at Down- ing's Chapel. Our meeting, was well attended. In the afternoon I preached at the house of Captain 4§2 THOM SADDLE TO CITT Watts, on the seaboard. We had a pleasant sea- son." "Sunday, June 29th. At Garretson's Chapel the Master of assem- blies was present in his sanctuary, and I felt I loved the place and people. In class-meeting we were greatly blessed of the Lord. On Tuesday, while preaching, I saw, by faith, the little cloud rising, though small as a man's hand, which I believed would do much for North- ampton. O Lord hasten on thy coming kingdom with power and great glory ! "July 2nd. At Floyd's the good Lord was in our midst. "Sunday, July 10th. At Johnson's Chapel I labored hard ; looked for help and power from on high, but the word fell as on unbroken ground. I returned to brother John- son's and to my chamber, and wept, because I saw no fruit of my labor. At Northampton Court House in the afternoon, I had more liberty, but the fruit was the same ; the word made no impres- sion. I went home with brother Sympkins, who was kind to me, sorrowing much for the cause of God : but though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be precious in the eyes of the Lord." "July 12th. ' I preached at the house of Col. S. Ames, where we had a comfortable meeting. In class-meeting our much esteemed sister James was filled full of glory and of God. Such as she is the salt of the BT BtJGGT, BOAT AND RAILAVAT 453 earth. I preached at night, and there was one con- verted: truly a brand plucked from the fire." "July 29th" I was taken ill of the bilious fe- ver, and "was carried to the house of brother Thos. Ames. Two physicians attended me, and three young gentlemen waited on me day and night in their turn ; all three of them were converted to God during my illness ; two of them were con- verted in my room, and the other in an orchard, not far from the house, in the dead of the night. They were all useful members ; Mr. J. Garrettson became a steward of the circuit ; Mr. Richard Ames a class-leader; and Mr. Zorobabel Ames a valuable private member. All so lived and all so died." "Having so far recovered my health as to admit it, I resumed my labor. I met a large assembly at B. Floyd's, on the 10th of September, where I preached and had a gracious season. Sister Floyd gave us a shout." "September 15th. I preached on Rom. XIII. 19, 20. The meeting lasted from ten o'clock in the morning till two o'clock the next morning. There was so great a press of people that we knew not what to do with them. During the day and night there were many souls born again, and translated from the power of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear Son." "September 22nd. At Johnson's Chapel the con- gregation was large ; there being no other min- istry in the place, the rich and the gay assemble 454 FROM SADDLE TO CITY with US. Our Zion here is sickly ; many are turned aside to worldly vanities." "September 24th. At Col. S. Ames's our meet- ing held from eleven in the morning till ten at night. Poor sinners came crying for mercy to God, and we had to joy to see many souls con- verted, eleven of whom came forward and joined the church on probation at the close of the meet- ing." "November 1st. Our meeting was at brother Thos. Ames's, where we seldom fail to have a great meeting. Seven joined on probation. Our so- cieties are getting so large I know not how to meet them." "November 6th. I preached on Math. XXIV. 14. From this time there was a gracious revival. Bro. Bonnal, at whose house we preached, was a good and holy man, and here the ark of the Lord rested for many years." "November 10th. Meeting was today at brother Thomas Ames's, that family of piety where the ark of the Lord has so long rested. The crowd was so great we knew not where to put the peo- ple, as the day was too unfavorable to occupy the yard. I preached, and the Lord worked for his own glory. ****** j proposed that those who had experienced like precious faith with us, and had made up their minds to join the church, should come and give us their names, when eighteen came forward. Captain Bayman and family led the way, bt BtrOQY, isOAT AND RAILWAY 455 followed by a number of the first families in that part of \'irginia." '^November 30th. I preached at Bro. B. Floyd's both morning and evening." "December 3rcl. I preached at brother Thomas Bradford's. The people came in crowds and filled the house to overflowing, and the Lord made one in our midst. His coming was glorious. We feasted on redeeming grace and dying love." "December 14th. We commenced a two days' meeting at Pungoteague, in the warehouse. Won- der at this, O people of Accomac county ! a place so recently overrun with vice, and where . Satan's seat was, is yielding to the power of grace ! And what is it that the God of Israel cannot do? Glory to his name who has taught our hands to war, and our fingers to fight. The change in this place has astonished the world. I wonder they do not be- lieve also. Brother William Downing, a local preacher, first addressed the people, and I followed him. There was a general move in the assembly, and several souls, that day and night, were con- verted to God. ****** At eleven o'clock brother Downing took the pul- pit, and I followed him with a subject on the gos- pel of the kingdom, &c. The day was fair, and the concourse of people was such that we knew not where to place them. All gave attention ; even the wicked were awed into reverence. The place was awful, by reason of that power that shakes the heavens and the earth. When the services were 456 FROM SADDLE TO CITY closed there was a great gathering of the people around the stand, and a solemn dedication of many souls to God." "Sunday, January 25th, 1801. Downing's chapel is the most northerly appointment on the circuit, but the south breezes of God's Holy Spirit sweetly l^ass over this place, thawing and melting down the frozen heart. My tongue was loosed, my mind il- luminated, and my heart warmed with heavenly fire, while I preached unto them. In the afternoon I preached on the seaboard, in the house of Cap- tain Watts, to a crowded house ; but here I saw no special good, no tears of penitential sorrow, no cry for mercy." "January 29th. I preached at brother J. Garrett- son's in the evening. We had a good time. The place and the people were solemn, and the Lord was in His word." "March 28th and 29th. Quarterly meeting was held at Drununondtown. The Prjesiding Elder", Rev. Thos. Ware, preached on Saturday and Sunday; his subjects were well chosen, well ar- ranged and well applied. The work of the Spirit of God was too visible in the assembly to admit a doubt of what God was about to do in that place. The enemy of souls was aroused to action, and while the Master of assemblies was going from heart to heart, four young gentlemen" (he under- scores that word, indicating that he uses it sar- castically,) "left the house, swearing that they would be revenged on me as soon as I should come BY BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 457 out of the house, and, having provided themselves with weapons, they stationed themselves without, near the door. When the meeting broke up I passed the young men, brushing their clothes, and saw their clubs, but felt no blows. Poor Lucifer, he can go no further than the length of his chain. While brother Ware was preaching in the house on Sunday morning, I was preaching to at least three thousand people of color, where I believe much good was done." "Tueisday, April 1st. My appointment was at Guilford. I prevailed on brother Ware to go with me and preach. It was a time long to be remem- bered. The sky was clear, the sun was bright, and nature seemed smiling all around. When we ar- rived at Guilford the meeting house was already filled, and hundreds were seated in the yard out- side for want of room in the house. At ten o'clock brother Ware took the stand, and the meeting lasted six hours. Ministers and members were astonished at the power of Israel's God. The peo- ple were falling in all directions, in doors and with- out. The place was gloriously awful. Sudden and powerful were the awakenings, and sudden and powerful the conversions. Clouds of mercy over- shadowed the place, and shower after shower de- scended. Parents were seen looking up their chil- dren, and praying over them ; and children were holding on to their parents, crying, 'O, papa, come to Jesus ! God will bless you,' &c. ; and such cry- 458 FROM SADDLE TO CITY ing for mercy, and such shouts of joy, surely Vir- ginia never heard before !" (At four P. M. he received Forty-four into the church. They wrere joyfully received by the mem- bers of Guilford.) "As night was coming on it was thought expe- dient to adjourn the meeting to brother Thomas Evans's, where it was kept up all night till the sun rose next morning; and how many souls were converted to God that night, is a secret we must leave until the morning of the resurrection shall reveal it." "Friday, April 4th. As I was going to my ap- pointment I was waylaid by four young men who bound themselves under an oath that they would spill my blood that day, for insulting them, they said, on Sunday last at Quarterly meeting. On ris- ing a hill I saw them in the road before me, with clubs in their hands, and seeing no way to escape, I said, 'Lord, what shall I do? I will put my trust in thee.' I passed them on a full trot, without re- ceiving one blow. Whilst passing I heard one of them say to another, 'Damn you, why didn't you knock him down?' and the other said, 'Damn you, why didn't you knock him down?' Thus, while they raved and swore at each other, I happily es- caped as a bird out of the snare of the fowler. I arrived at the place of my appointment in good time, and preached. After the meeting our friends wanted me to bind these young men over to keep the peace, but I BY Bt:OGT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 459 told them I had committed myself to the Lordj and he would take care of me." "Monday, May 4th. My appointment was at brother Thomas Burton's. We had another good day's work." "As I have mentioned the name of Captain Thomas Burton it may not be amiss to give some account of his conversion to God, and his becom- ing a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Brother Burton's change from nature to grace was when he was advanced in life. His youthful days and riper years were spent in the follies and plea- sures of this world. In the early rise of Method- ism in Virginia his mind was misled as to their doc- trine and discipline. He was professionally a Churchman, and a man of strong prejudices, and, being ardent in whatever he engaged in, he did much for his church and his parson. In the year 1800 it pleased God to pour out his S|pirit in that part of Virginia in which Burton resided, and a great many people forsook their sins, turned to God, and were converted from the error of their way. God converted them, and they came to us, and applied for membership in our church, and we took them in, and Rev. Mr. became highly ofifended ; and, in order to put us down, he ap- pointed that he would on Christmas day, 1800, preach the funeral sermon of Methodism on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. At the time and place appointed a large assembly convened to see the final downfall of Methodism, and man of our mem- 460 rhoM SADDLE fo cift bers also attended to see for themselves. Captain Burton, of course, was there with all his prejudices in favor of his own church, and against Methodism. The Reverend gentleman having commenced his discourse, dug up the ashes of our beloved Wes- ley, that he might show, as he pretended, why Wes- ley left the Church of England. I wonder the Rev. gentleman did not know that Wesley never left the Church of England. However, he tried to make Mr. Wesley anything but a Christian and a gen- tleman; and after pouring all the odium that he could on our church, and especially on our minis- try, he dismissed the meeting. The next day I met with our much-esteemed friend. Col. W. Par- amour, a member of long standing in the Methodist Episcopal Church, who gave me the outlines of the parson's discourse, and remarked, that he thought it would be expedient for Dr. Coke to return from England, and clear up Mr. Wesley's character, or we should be ruined as a church. I told the colonel I thought our cause was safe ; it was in the hands of God, and he would take care of it." "Strange to tell, under this very sermon Captain Burton became so troubled that he could not rest day nor night, through fear that his minister might be wrong and the Methodists right after all. Three days having passed and his trouble remaining, Mrs. Burton said to him, 'What is the matter with you ? You have not been yovirself since you came from church on Christmas day. What is the cause of your distress?' He told her that it was a fear that bt BtrOGt, BOAT AND HAltWAT 461 he and his minister were both wrong, and the Methodists, after all, were right. She advised him to send for a Methodist preacher to come and see him; but he objected, saying, 'My dear, how can I send for a people to come to my house whom I have so bitterly reviled?' She replied, 'Well, Cap- tain Burton, I have always thought the Methodists were the Lord's people, and if the Lord will for- give you, I am sure they will'." The sequel of this story is that the Captain sent a note to this young circuit rider, twenty-five years old, asking him to call. He went, was received kindly by the family, and was informed that they wanted to know something about Methodism. Young Smith took out his Discipline, read the Gen- eral Rules, and compared the doctrines of Meth- odism with the doctrines of the Church of Eng- land, and stated that the difference consisted only in form. He then gave them a brief account of the rise of Methodism in England and America, and the opposition it had encountered, and that Methodism had prospered all the way through. He left the family in tears and went to his appoint- ment. In answer to another message from Captain Burton, requesting him to preach at his house, he appointed New Year's day at 3 P. M. When he ar- rived at the place he found the yard crowded with people. He preached on Romans XVL 19, 20. At the very beginning of the service the Holy Ghost fell upon the assembled crowd, and many fell under conviction. The meeting continued night and day 462 FfiOM SADDLE TO CiTt for thirteen days and nights. Smith did the preach- ing and the members did the praying. At the close of the meeting "fifty-five who had never had their names on the class before were received." "Brother Burton's family, both white and colored, were con- verted to God, with many other whole families, and brother Burton's house was made a regular preaching place." He tells of a pious and useful family. Captain William Seymore, in Northampton. Seymore was a man "of talent and weight, both in and out of the church." He says, "Mrs. Seymore was a bright and shining light, and their children were brought up to know the scriptures and to fear God." "Col. Paramore, of Northampton, was a pious and in- fluential member; Sister Paramore was deeply pious and devoted to God; their children were fa- vorable to religion ; William, their son, was a stew- ard on the circuit." When this itinerant and his helper compared notes at the end of the Conference year in May, they had taken into the church in Accomac and Northampton, called the "Northampton Circuit," six hundred and seven members. He says the Conference of 1801, met in Phila- delphia, May 20th. On his way to that meeting he met brother Ware, the Presiding Elder, and Bishop Asbury at Dover, Delaware ; at the Bishop's re- quest he "turned back to Virginia and resumed my work for the second year." **** "The Virginians 463 hailed my return and I was glad. Our work ex- tends over two counties." "May 30th, I preached on the Bay side." "June 6th, Preached at brother T. Ames's. Wc had a great time in class. Dear sister Scott was overcome with the divine presence." "June 13th, I preached at Downing's meeting- house. Brother Downing -is one of our plain, holy men. In the afternoon I preached at Brother Watts's, on the sea-side, to a good congregation." June 17th and 18th. Quarterly meeting was held at Garrettson's chapel; it began well on Sat- urday morning, when there was a great shaking among the dry bones." "July 13th. I preached at brother B. Floyd's to a large and serious congregation. They cried and prayed, and grace and mercy flowed all around, and many a cup was filled to overflowing.'' "Aug^ust 7th. I preached at Guilford. The con- gregation at this place is well known to be large and zealous. *** Great is the peace and prosper- ity of our Zion at Guilford. I am always glad to come to this appointment.'' There is a long gap in the Journal of this young preacher at this point, the Editor having cut out several months. "Saturday momins;, March 16th, 1802. We com- menced a two day's meeting at Guilford. The crowd was great. I preached on Isaiah XXXII. 2. Soon the great power of God was felt. Many sin- ners lay weeping on the floor ; nor would they 464 PHOM SADDLE TO CITT give over till Jesus said, 'Go in peace, and sin no more.' " Then follows a description of one of the most re- markable visitations of the Spirit I have ever read. We have no such revivals in this day. It is be- cause the people are not praying for such. The man who invented the "Hand-shake" route into the kingdom, of God belongs to the class of teachers who are teaching sinners to "climb up some other way.'' "March 20th, I was called upon to preach the funeral of Mr. Wm. Bell, whose residence was on the seaboard, and where, it is said, he had found k vast amount of money in a hogshead, which had rolled ashore from some ship wrecked on the coast. **** A few days after this I was called upon to preach a funeral sermon at the house of Captain John Revel. I was accompanied by Captain Wil- liam Seymore, a relative of Mr. Revel. This gen- tleman had not been in the habit of attending our church, but from that time he and his family at- tended constantly at Drummondtown on the Sab- bath day." "March 24th. I preached at Johnson's Chapel. This congregation is generally well attended, sol- emn and attentive, but, strange to tell, no special work of God has appeared here throughout this extensive revival. There have been a few con- versions, and now and then a quickening of mem- bers, but no general revival, although we have en- deavored, from time to time, to give this place a BT BtTGGT, BOAT AND HAILWAT 465 start, by love feasts, watch-nights and prayer- meetings. In the afternoon I preached at North- ampton courthouse, to the court and people of that place. All was calm, still and attentive. We hope to see a better day for Northampton." "Tuesday, March 26th. I preached at brother S. Ames's. We had a pleasant meeting." Now as he approaches the end of the second year, and is certain of removal he says, "The stew- ards of the circuit and myself have lived in har- mony. They have paid us all the discipline allows us. The friends in Virginia have been exceedingly kind to me the two years I have been with them. They have given me plenty to do, and all things that I needed. Their presents to me have been large and many. Some would give me five dollars, some ten, some twenty, some fifty. On leaving brother C. Sympkins put a piece of paper in my hand, saying, 'Brother Smith, accept a small pres- ent.' I did so ; and after taking leave of the fam- ily, and riding a short distance, I thought I would look at my small present, when, lo, it was a hun- dred dollar note." He received 483 into the church this year, which, added to the 607 received last year, makes one thousand and ninety in the two years of his ser- vice on the circuit ! A wonderful work ! "April 20th, 1802, he met Bishop Asbury at Drummondtown, where the Bishop "preached to an overflowing congregation." After dinner he and the Bishop "set out for brother D. Watts's, where 466 FROM SADDLE TO CITT the Bishop preached at night with liberty and power." Thus ends this Journal of his work in Accopiac and Northampton. This Journal shows that there were Downing's, Guilford, Burton's, Garrett- son's, Floyd's, Johnson's, — six churches in exist- ence in 1800 — 1802, and they are still in existence, but apparently a long ways apart. Now I want to make my public bow to Mrs. S. B. Fox, of Franktoiwn, Va., who kindly loaned me the above very valuable record of the labors of this remarkably successful young preacher. Rev. Thomas Smith. The old "Floyd's Meeting House" was situated in what is now known as "Hare Valley," a negro settlement about two miles north of Franktown. The old Franktown Church, which succeeded Floyd's, was built in 1846, and Samuel Moorman was the Preacher on the circuit. The new Frank- town church was erected in 1893, after a long dis- cussion about the location, and the old church build- ing in Hare Valley was sold, and I am told was moved down to Mr. Allie B. Dunton's, and used as a barn. Through the kindness of Brother L. J. Hyslup and Dr. John E. Mapp, of Keller, I learn that "the regular preaching place," established at Captain Burton's house, (as noted on page 163) resulted in the organization of "Old Burton's Church," (now Oak Grove and Burton's Church.) This was in 1801. Fifteen years before this, that is, "In 1875 William Elliott organized in his own house in Brad- BT BUGGT, BOAT AND HAILWAT 467 ford's Neck, Accomac county, a Sunday School," which proves, from a manuscript in Elliott's own handwriting in possession, of the Oak Grove Church, to be the oldest Sunday School in point of "continuous existence," in America, After the organization of the "Old Burton's Church" Elliott brought his Sunday School out of the Neck to the church. The people there claim that "this Church is the mother of more churches and Camp meet- ings than any tliVee churches, combined, on the Eastern Shore." These camp meetings were sus- pended during the Civil War, but after the War were continued in the famous "Turlington Camp- meeting." Drs. Duncan, Doggett and Granbery, (the two last became Bishops) visited this great Camp and thrilled the multitudes with their won- derful sacred oratory. The Church, at large, owes these thoughtful brethren, Hyslup and Mapp, a debt of thanks for having preserved these valuable records. Hence I thought it my duty to obtain this record and put it in this permanent form. Dr. Mapp is the father of the Hon. Walter G. Mapp, of the Virginia State Senate. The following preachers have served this charge since 1846, when it was known as the "Eastville circuit." Saml. Moorman 1846 B. H. Johnson 1847-48 Kinchin Adams and John C. Granbery 1849 468 FROM SADDLE TO CITT H. H. Gary 1850-51 "■ Saml. Eskridge a part of 1852, then a Dr. Butt. John B. Dey and R. S. Nash 1853 J. J. Edwards and Heritage Ayers 1854 Penfield Doll 1855 Chas. H. Hall 1856 Cyrus Doggett ^. 1857 Cyrus Doggett and J. S. Porter.. 1858 Thos. Diggs 1859 Geo. F Doggett and M. S. Colonna 1860 A. M. Hall and J. C. Martin 1861 Local Supplies during the years 1862-63 B. W. Daugherty 1864-65 i (No name given in 1866) ' W. H. Camper 1867 •' (No name given in 1868) J. B. Merritt 1869 C. E. Watts 1870-1-2-3 Lloyd Moore 1874-75 The name was then changed to "Eastville and Belle Haven." Jas. L. Spencer with Lloyd Moore Supernumerary 1876 At the next Conference the old name "Eastville" is resumed. Jas. L. Spencer 1877-8-9 John W. Hildrup 1880-1-2-3 BT BtrOGt,.BOAT AND KAILWAT 469 John N. Jones ■ . 1884 E. H. Pritchett 1885-6 Chas. E. Hobday 1887 Chas. E. Hobday and V. W. Bargamin 1888-9-90 W. R. Crowder 1891 Then the Franktown and Johnson's churches are cut out of the Eastville circuit and called "Frank- town Circuit," and W. R. Crowder is placed in charge 1892-3-4 N. H. Robertson 1895-6-7-8 Geo. H. Ray 1899-0-1-2 C. E. Watts 1903-4-5-6 D. G. C. Butts 1907-8-9-10 John O. Moss 1911-12-13-14 John W. Gee 1915-16-17-18-19 J. D. McAllister 1920-21 There are two breaks in the record of the old Eastville circuit, no minister's name being given in 1866, and again in 1868. I do not know the rea- son for this, and I found no one in the circuit who seemed to know. The Franktown circuit, as I traveled it, ex- tended from Hadlock on the north to Mr. Geo. Y. Bell's home on the south, just a few miles from Eastville, and from the seaside to the Bayside. The travel was easily accomplished, the only discom- fort being found on the Bayside, indented with broad rivers and creeks making back from Ches- apeake Bay, thus forming a series of "Necks" sev 470 FROM SADDLE TO CITT eral miles I'ong, which made long rides necessary in order to visit the people living in these "Necks" on the large farms. Church Neck, from Hungar r. Church to Jas. Wyatt's was at least three miles long, and perhlaps more. Wilsonia Neck from Shady Side to the extreme point was about three miles. The people throughout the charge were thickly settled, hospitable, church-going, law-ab'd- ing, and thrifty. The voice of the Potato could be heard in the land. He regulated the price s, now grown to manhood, Jeff. Walker, and a score of others, including Pitts Westcott, lame in his foot-less limbs, but a live-wire in spite of it; then up the road the Westcott's again, and further yet, John Ames and his good wife and daughters. I may have overlooked some ; Tom Ward, the Turners, etc., on the Wardtown road, and Ashby at the station ; but how can I carry this bunch of believers and unbelievers in my little brain? Of course the reader recalls my remark that I and my family got off the train into a most cordial atmos- phere of greeting which took all the pangs of loneliness out of the heart. Well, that black-eyeJ girl, with raven locks and tidy raiment captured Jeff Walker's son, Linwood, and is now the mcther of a frisky brood of boys ! And Charlie Turner, 472 TKOM SADDLE TO CTTT who ran a print-shop on elevated rails, broke down at traveling the Franktown road at all hours o1 the day and night, and took Miss Jennie Pills over to Nassawadox to help him through the des- ert of life, Herbert Arnold captured a comely maid named Fox, and transported her to a farm, and one of Sam Kellam's boys carried off Nancy Pitts to another farm, while Darrell Kellam got himseli a Reed so that he could lean on that amid the trials of any untoward luck. It is not to be wondered at, therefore, that we scarcely felt the loss of so many valuables in the parsonage fire, when we had so many, and such generous people to suffer with us. Now we ,go to Johnson's, the old appointment mentioned by Rev. Thos. Smith so frequently Near Bridgetown lived John H. Roberts, Dr Dalby, old brother Sturgis, and a host of others down in Church Neck named for the old colonia Church of the Establishment, situated on the mair road just at the entrance to the Neck. At Bridge town lived Edmund Roberts, and others Below was Shady Side, where Bro. David Kellan had ample food for the inner man and a restfu room for tired flesh and bones. In Wilsonia Necl Ben Moore and a group of earnest people claime( the preacher every Sunday. At the Jacob's hom( and Geo. Y. Bell's the southern end of the chargi was reached. Out at Machipongo, the railwa; village, John Saunders, John Gibb, Charlie an( Theron Bell, Melson and the rest of the inhabitant »t BtTGGlr, flOA* AJfb ItAtLWAir 47S kept the front gate open and the table set whenever it was rumored that "the parson is coming." At Theron Bell's it was a little different. If "Rags," the big bull dog, was on the front porch, the trembling parson announced his arrival with a yell, while standing up in the buggy. If it was different, it was the same after all : the family welcome was gracious and warm, and "Rags" received a lecture for his lack of reverence. Mr. Geo. Mapp lived around in there behind those woods on the seaside road in an old time home which reminded one of the extreme care the old settlers displayed in selecting a location for dwell- ing, and the delightful comfort shown in the build- ing itself. A drive northward on this seaside road brings one homes of Frank Bell and Geo. Mapp, Jr., while back from the road on a graceful knoll, is the restful residence of Mr. Southey Wilkins, with its books, and its leisure, and its royal wel- come, with helpful talk and waffles and syrup. Through the woods a short distance, as neighbors lived in olden time, Hon. William Bullitt Fitzhugh, the inimitable, the jolly, the gentleman, the trav- eler, lives at "Sylvan Scene," the homestead of Dr. Geo. E. L. Tankard, the father of Mrs. Fitz- hugh. Out on main bayside road from Eastville to Franktown, lives Sidney Ames, and at Johnson- town, at the fork, Mrs. Sue Mapp, a devout and faithful mother in Israel. Old Johnson's Church, a few hundred yards up the road, was erected sometime before the. Civil 474 FROM SADDtE TO CITY War, and has one of the best congregations on the Shore. It was in a poor state of repair when ] went to the charge in November 1907. But witli some persuasion, much prayer, and much kindlj criticism, the people pulled themselves together or the question of improving the property, went tc work with a will, the product of faith, and on Sun- day, August, 20th, 1911, a comely edifice was ded- icated anew to the service of God. Rev. Thos. Ros- ser Reeves, D. D., then Principal of Blackstone School for Girls, delivered the sermon, and ob- tained from the large congregation $1,600.00, a sum sufficient to pay off every dollar of the cost The generous folks then honored themselves and placed this pastor under a debt of gratitude he will never be able to discharge, by presenting him with a purse, with instructions to go off on a va- cation of two weeks at the Blue Ridge Springs, The "Temple Builders," an organization of ladies in the church, had already placed an expensive Memorial window in the front end of the church, to commemorate my Pastorate, — "1907-1911." Birdsnest, another station on the railway, (New York, Philadelphia and Norfolk,) was still another community reached by this Johnson's pulpit. There was Sister Sue Badger, the Buchannon family, Bro, Dunton, the Merchant, Tank Badger and others, A mile away, towards Johnsontown, was my good friend and brother John Dunton, his wife and boy, a promising lad ; a place where the preacher could spend the night or day, or go home by starlight BY BTTGGT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 475 or spend a week. It made no difference to them so far as I could see. A little further on the Gar- retts lived in ease and plenty, with systematic work. I held several meetings at Johnson's, assisted by other brethren, notably, Bro. J. W. Stiff and Bro. Porter Hardy, but the results were never what they should have been. Still the church grew in strength of piety and numbers, efficiency and ag- gressiveness. Rev. E. C. Glenn, Evangelist, from Greensboro, N. C., conducted a meeting of great power at Franktown in 1909. Congregations were large and the interest continuous to the end — two weeks. The ice in the church, the pulpit, and the community, was broken, the Christians did successful personal work, and sinners were converted and added to the church. Glenn was a fine preacher and a skilled or- ganizer. His appeals for co-operation for personal consecration were deeply spiritual and as powerful as any I ever heard. In the home he was easily entjertained, a bright, cheerful, prayerful visitor, a sympathetic and patient guest. He had ever on his mind the thought that he was a leader of a campaign for righteousness ; nor did he over- look the other fact that his temporary home vv^as a human affair, run under conditions which made it necessary for each to help with the burden of the work. Glenn was sensible, as well as religious. Some folks are neither. Some are religious, but lack sense. Some have sense, but lack religion. 476 TROM SADDLE TO CITT To ignore God and His Son, Jesus Christ, and to be great sticklers for other things, is to enterprise a blind career, and face a tragic end. We got into the new parsonage Thursday, Sep- tember 1st, 1910, after having spent eight months in a rented home. Among the first blessings which came upon that new house was the visit of Bishop Walter R. Lam- buth, the saintly Apostle of an aggressive and tri- umphant gospel, and Dr. W. B. Beauchamp, my long time friend and brother in the Conference. They came into my charge at Machipongo. By the kindness of Dr. Downing at Franktown, I was enabled to furnish them with speedy and comfort- able transportation in a good automobile. The Bishop first addressed an attentive congregation in our temporary quarters over brother Roberts' store at Bridgetown, then we went to the par- sonage for supper. That night in the Franktown church a large congregation listened for an hour to his great sermon. He made a profound impres- sion on the people of the Eastern Shore wherever he went. In my home he was just plain folks. He had no swell nor strut ; he did not need these : he had the other things. Folks who haven't the other things which make a man, must get the swell and the strut. Can you blame them? Two or three delightful variations from the mo- notony of the daily round of work transpired. The first was my dear kinsman by matrimonial con- tract Hon. Bernard Mann, Attorney at Law, BOAT AND RAILWAY 477 Petersburg, Va., executed a judgment upon my af- fability, and foreclosed the mortgage by paying me a visit. His coming was the flooding of the par- sonage with sunshine, and his stay was the sowing of seeds for better service to my people. He wea- ried of abiding under the roof of a man complaining of the tyranny of General Debility, with Major Complaints, a subaltern, tramping back and forth on the playground of nerves and muscles, and took himself off for a night on the ocean front across Broadwater Bay, with a party of young people. He had a strenuous time of it, fighting mosqui- toes and wrestling with insomnia brought on by the industrious actions of a score of very live youths and maidens who flung into his teeth the doctrine that A man should not live by snores alone> but oftener than otherwise by the music of the spheres. So they insisted that he sit up and listen to the chorus of the planets ! His visit to my home was profitable unto me : we traded books, and I got a bargain. The proof is here; — a devoted friend of mine saw the book in my li- brary ; I have never seen it since ! Another good thing \yhich happened to us was, the coming of good old Bill Taylor and his wife and two musical geniuses, those talented girls, from Lynchburg for a season. We were in the borrowed house down the road — (that was the rea- son they came to see if we needed anything) and we went fishing. Now Bill is a fisherman and a good shot, but Bill never saw fish bite as they bit 478 FROM SADDLE TO CITT that day out in the Broad-Water in a thirty foot channel. He kept bringing them in at the end of his line till I told him that the buggy would be overloaded; and then we went home. The women folks would have mobbed us for bringing "all those fish and crabs" if we had not consented to clean them if they would preside at the cook-stove. Then peace came on willing pinion, and sat on the rim of the frying-pan and the peak of our emo- tions. Lastly, the Eastern Shore District Conference met in the Franktown church July 26th-28th, 1911. Dr. W. H. Edwards, the Presiding Elder, was Pres- ident. It was a most delightful and inspiring ses- sion. Dr. Sam Hatcher, McAllister, and others made a tremendous impression on the great crowd by their eloquent addresses. The parsonage was honored with a sociable sec- tion of the servants of the Church. Reeves came in late, but early enough to get a bed, and was as welcome as the others who had "borne the burden and heat" of two meals and a session already. Mrs. Butts was in her glory, and feeding was never better. It is always first-qlass at my house, and has been since she first took charge of a parsonage at Heathsville in the autumn of 1874. But there have been occasions when I feared she would sal- ivate the Itinerants who were not accustomed to such high living. And this was one of the times : yet Hatcher made the run of the meals safely, and Reeves was on the job whenever I inquired of BY BUGGT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 479 Headquarters about the state of affairs in the din- ing room. As far as I could learn each visitor left the seat of Conference thoroughly satisfied with the entertainment Franktown had so gladly supplied, and with not a doubt that the commun- ity could entertain an Annual Conference if it could furnish rooms for the Committees to hold their business meetings in. One "advance movement" on the charge must be noted before I close this chapter. A very promis- ing Sunday School was organized at Nassawadox over James's store, under the lead of Brother Pitts and R. M. White and H. P. Myers were in the list. Westcott and a few devoted Methodists in that vil- lage who felt that they could not attend Sunday School and preaching service regularly at Frank- town. Subsequently an eligible lot was bought and secured to our church, and a very creditable building erected for the school. The work has grown since the beginning of its life. In the fall of 1911 the time of my departure to another field arrived. Wife and I did not know what the future had in its hand for our testing. But we faced the silent custodian of our destination with confidence that God, who had guided our steps all these years, would take care of us now. Our baby girl, Emma Gregory, the last of our girls to marry, had found the man of her choice, and we had given her in marriage to him just a month be- fore Conference. We saw the last star in the cor- onet of our married life go off at a tangent to shine -ISO FEOM SADDLE TO CITY in another orbit : so moving had ceased to be one of our problems. Wife and I sat, as we did thirty- nine years before at Petersburg in 1872, alone, waiting for the Bishop to say "Go," and Where. BY BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 481 CHAPTER XV. THE CONFERENCE OF 1911, AND NORTH PRINCESS ANNE. The Annual Conference for 1911, assembled in Trinity Church, Salisbury, Maryland, Wednesday, November 15th. Bishop John C. Kilgo, Presided over the body. It was his first visit to our Conference, and his pres- idency gave general satisfaction. It was also the first time that the Virginia Con- ference had ever held a session in its Maryland territory. The town covered itself with glory by the quality of its service, and the delegates and ministers had little difficulty in explaining their re- grets at the close of the session. , I had a good home in the family of my good friend, Emory Disharoon, where cordial welcome and gracious entertainment made my stay ex- ceedingly pleasant. The quadrennium, 1908 to 1911 had left, strewn along the fields of service twenty-four of our trav- eling preachers. Among these were several of my warmest friends; as for instance, J. W. Nicholson, E. E. Harrell, Dr. J. J. Lafferty, Joseph Shackford, J. D. Hank, and Charlie Crawley. The others I 482 FEOM SADDLE TO CITX knew and loved for their work's sake but these men had been interwoven in my life and work for forty years and their going made the field of toil look mighty lonely to me. I have spoken of Lafferty, Hank, Harrell and Shackford in another place. "Nick," (as his close friends called him, was no orator,) but he was sensible, kind-hearted, brave, and true. His home was wide open as his heart, and his generous doings never found a limit till the bottom of his "pile" was struck. Charlie Crawley was a good horseman, a capital preacher, a fearless champion of righteousness and justice and mercy. He had the "whip hand" on the devil or any of his agents, and feared none of their threats, and cired less for their cavortings. Sometimes I thought Crawley hit 'em harder than usual because he liked to see them rear and kick. But with those who knew him well, he was as gentle as a woman. Everybody loved him because one was not obliged to search around in the rubbish of his constitution to find out the kind of fellow he was. He carried no chip on his shoulder, but he carried his soul on the outside. Thirty-two had been received on trial during the quadrennium. Two of my boys were in the lot, — • Frank McLean and Starke Jett, — both born while I was the pastor of their parents. Charlie Green and R. M. White and H. P. Myers were in the list. Two have been discontinued, and one, — H. P. Bald- erson finished his work early in his career and went to his reward. Jack Peters, Garland Unruh, the 483 junior Bates and Archie Wright, Hopkins, Kidd, and Jackson came out into the open and said "We will go where you want us to go." And so with the rest of them>^a band of well-equipped men, workmen for God and humanity. Conference adjourned on Tuesday, November 21st, at 11:30 A. M., and I was appointed to serve North Princess Anne circuit, at that time called "Providence and Cape Henry," with Dr. B. F. Lipscomb as my Presiding Elder. We left Salis- bury at about 2 P. M., and I left the dear breth- ren, who had to make the trip across the Bay that stormy afternoon, at Nassawadox. I envy no man his lot who has to cross from Cape Charles to Old Point on a day when a Northwester, or a South- easter, is on its mettle, making the surface of the Chesapeake resemble a flock of sheep on the sides and tops of tumbling mountains. It is said that scores of those Methodist ecclesiastics, getting news by gra.pev>j.ne telegraph of how the Baptists were cavorting around on the Methodist sheep pastures during the shepherd's absence from the western shore, imagined, amid the direful experi- ence of seasickness that the Baptists had turned loose the floods upon them with just a sheer love of fun. And some of them were hunting every- where on the boat for tlie men who had voted to take the Conference across the sea for another ses- sion. The report was common talk in Norfolk that some of these declamatory saints formed a chorus on the boat just before she reached the 484 FROM SADDLE TO CITY Norfolk wharf, and marched ashore singing, in doleful measures, When we left the land of 'taters We were full of food and pride ; Now we're empty to our gaiters, We've no food nor sin inside. We've been purged by rolling billows ; We've been forced to pray and groan: Lead us to our downy pillows, We can hardly stand alone. All this time I was in Franktown enjoying a good supper in the parsonage. The week previous to my departure for my new field was spent making farewell calls, and in pack- ing the odds and ends that must be left for the last minute. A part of my family went to our daughter's home in Mathews county, whilst I remained to welcome my successor, Rev. John O. Moss. He arrived with his good wife and daugh- ters and son on the morning train on Thursday, November 30th. Others carried his family to the parsonage at Franktown, whilst I took him in my ■buggy behind "Bertie," the luiti-auto mare, who preferred to jump a fence, or race across a corn- field, or back up on the level of a wide road, then turn and beat the machine on the run to anywhere. Brother John said he could handle "Bertie," when he agreed to buy horse and buggy, so after I had BY BTTGGT, BOAT AND BAILWAT 485 told him all about her, I let go, and said no more. Now dear old Moss has gone to his blessed re- ward, and can say nothing, but I believe sister Moss and her very sensible daughters will testify that Brother got disgusted with "Bertie's" sensi- tive disposition before the winter was out, and traded her to Brother Lafayette Sparrow in Church Neck for a horse that could tell the middle of a road from a potato patch, or a corn-field ; and cer- tainly had the moral attitude on straight enough to be able to decide without argument that no kind of a preacher has any business racing on the Sab- bath* day, especially when he is on his way to church. When Brother Moss and I turned into the Frank- town road that midday from the station, I showed him first the public school building, and he was pleased. Then I pointed out Bro. Ed. Tankard's nice home and Sam Tankard's, and Allie B. Duntons, and Brother Nottingham's, and he said, "Butts, these are some folks, ain't they?" Then I pointed out the elegant home opposite Brother Nottingham's, and said "A stranger is moving into that house today. His family has arrived; and they are look- ing for his coming every minute." He said, "Who is he : I want to get acquainted with the man who lives in a house like that." I replied, "Well, that's your home." He was delighted with the outside of the "case," but when he got inside and looked at the "works," he talked very little. I stopped long enough to eat some of the good 486 FROM SADDLE TO CITY dinner those Franktown people know so well how to fix, and then I took my leave. He went out to the buggy with me, (Otho Walker was there to take me away,) and taking me by the hand said some very kind words to me which I had best keep in my heart. I spent the last night on the charge in the delightful home of Sister Nellie H. Rogers at Nassawadox. Next morning at 6 o'clock 1 departed by way of Cape Charles and Norfolk for Oceana, my future home, at least for awhile. My first night in the new work was spent in the home of my dear brother, Wm. T. Brock, whose young- est son, Swepson, had become the husband <»f my youngest daughter on the 11th day of October, last passed. The parsonage, projected by my worthy predecessor, Rev. James Riddick Laugh- ton, son-in-law of my old friend. Dr. B. B. Button, of Lower Church, Middlesex, was unfinished, so, when my wife arrived, December 14th, we took up our temporary abode in the home of this daugh- ter, who lived in a snug little bungalow on the lot adjoining the lot on which the parsonage stood. Mother and daughter each needed the other more now than ever before, if possible. Dr. Lipscomb must have had the interest of those two worthy ladies at heart when he opened the matter of my appointment to my P. E., Dr. W. H. Edwards, and Bishop Kilgo placed us under lasting obligations when he sanctioned the bargain with the public announcement. Some of my brethren thought it a "come down'' BY BtJGGf , BOAt AND BaILWAT 48Y to be appointed to this place, after having served Franktown four years.' But it is hardly true that they knew the facts in the case. I don't know them all, but I know this, that when the stewards of this charge met, they decided to give me the same salary I had received for the past four years. And somehow, I got it into my head that the ap- pointment pleased them. There is another view I intend to express at this point: I am obliged to say, looking back over my long term of service, that it is a most unfortunate habit many of us have of measuring a man by the kind of work he is given, instead of by the kind of work he does. It is no real discredit to an effi- cient man, all other things being equal, such as adaptability, &c., to put him on a charge which needs just the kind of man he is. Isn't it time to stop sending inefficient, lazy, unpractical, consti- tutional failures to charges that have been pray- ing the Good Lord for deliverance from this class of pastors, and have had to carry such burdens 30 long that they have lost faith in the Bishop and the Presiding Elder too, and abandoned all hope for the struggling church? Why not give these faithful laymen a show? Their long-time loyalty cries aloud for recognition and corona- tion. Another fact made the appointment very pleas- ant to both wife and myself was this : — Providence church was one of my apointments on the old Prin- cess Anne circuit in 1886 and '87. The congrega- 488 FROM SADDLE TO CITT tion knew me and I knew them as the children of the men and women whom I had served in the long ago. They welcomed my return as the com- ing of an old friend, and with delightful unanim- ity; and brought to our hearts the restful, home- like feeling that all of us were satisfied. Brother Wm. T. Brock was the only one of the old stewards of the old Providence left. Brother Israel Griggs was yet living, but his name was transferred to the Virginia Beach membership soon after my arrival. New men were on the Board, but they had familiar names ; names associated with my first pastorate of twenty-four years ago. Harrison Brock, George Ferebee and the older Gimberts were gone, but here was Robert W. Woodhouse, Sawyer Woodhouse, M. T. Ives, and Harvey Gimbert, all of the modern set. John James and George Brown and Sadie Ferebee, (the daughter of Geo. Ferebee,) and N, B. Godfrey. A stranger to the soil had come, also George Parker. Preston Scaff, with his mother and sisters, and Miss Cassie James and Mrs. Laura Hunter, all from Nimmo's, were there. And Dr. Broots, the "beloved physician," and Joe Bell about a mile be- yond the Eastern Shore Chapel. So, therefore, I took up the work with new men, the children, sons and daughters, of the past, but they soon became old to me, just as it had happened elsewhere, and the Master's work went on. This was the congregation which, at my suggestion, had sold the old church building at Sea Tack, and BY BUGGT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 489 had commenced the construction of this building in the late summer of 1887 just a short while be- fore Conference. My prediction that the develop- ment of Virginia Beach would require the erec- tion of a church building there, and the removal of Providence would be a necessary action, had come true. A small band of enterprising Methodists at the Beach were struggling to get a church: but I will give the story later on in this narrative. The mantle of Miss Jaca Brock, (to whose good judgment and zeal the congregation owes so much in the work of building up this point, and who was torn from her task by tuberculosis in the midst of her labors,) — the mantle of this devoted young woman had fallen upon the shoulders of a dozen consecrated women, who took up her work in ear- nest, and carried it to a happy consummation. The parsonage was ideally located at Oceana, across, the field about three hundred yards from the church, on a road running parallel to the one on wh'ch the church stands. It is near enough to the railway station, travel infrequent, and close enough to the stores for the good of the purse. Four charges had been carved out of this terri- tory since I served it in '86 and '87, — namely. Prin- cess Anne, South Princess Anne, North Princess Anne, and Lynnhaven, only one church, Haygood Memorial, having been added to make up required strength to support a pastor over there. At Cape Henry there was a small congrega- tion of non-pressive people. Three men worked 490 FROM SADDLE TO CITY hard there to keep things moving, Capt. Holmes of the Life-Saving Station, Walter W. White, and a young brother from the Weather Service Station at the Cape, vs^hose name I cannot now recall. He was a man of strong Christian qualities. The out- look for development was poor, and the co-opera- tion of the dwellers on the beach was lacking. There were many who never came to public wor- ship on the Sabbath day, and the young found little' encouragement at home to serve the Lord. Some- how there was an absolute divorce between these people and the religious life. There was no recog- nition of the obligation to serve Almighty God. Death was believed to be nothing more than the in- evitable dissolution of the physical : there was no living in view of a coming Judgment day. There were half a dozen exceptions who cried daily unto Heaven for help. When the United States Government began to measure out the ground at Cape Henry on which to build Fort Story the great block included the lot on which our octagonal house of worship stood. This had to be taken in, and the authorities ap- praised the land and the building at $2,500.00. As soon as the check was received by the Trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, it was paid over to the Quarterly Conference of the North Princess Anne circuit. That body divided it be- tween the parsonage at Oceana and the new church building at Virginia Beach. Thus did Divine Prov- idence furnish a satisfactory solution of a vexing BY BTTGGT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 491 problem. A portion of the membership at the Cape transferred to the Beach, a portion to. churches in Norfolk, and the remainder just drifted away. We moved into the Oceana parsonage January the 8th, 1912. It is a good building, comfortable, and all that a small family needs. Our neighbors, besides our baby daughter, Mrs. S. A. Brock, are cordial, kindly disposed, and very helpful in many ways. The need for a church building at Virginia Beach to accommodate our growing congregation was ev- ident to me early in the first year of my term on the charge. Our congregation was worshipping in the Galilee Chapel, a building erected years before, for the use of the different denominations repre- sented in the population of the' rapidly growing town. The Methodists owned a lot on 16th Street, next door to the home of Dr. Emerson Land. But the route of the railroad was changed from the Avenue which runs back of the Cottages the whole length of the Beach, to its present location, — the lot became undesirable because of its nearness to the railway, and we sold it to Dr. Land, and bought the lot on which the church now stands. The cor- ner-stone was laid by the Masons of Norfolk in June, 1913, and the work left in its unfinished state, with the foundation up as high as the floor joists, until the following April, in order that the walls might settle completely. All through these months the Sunday Schools and churches throughout the 492 FROM SADDLE TO CITY Conference, in answer to my appeal through the columns of the Richmond Advocate, were respond- ing' with generous gifts in cash. The work con- tinued without a hitch as fast as we could pay. The Norfolk District Woman's Missionary So- ciety held a very well attended and profitable meet- ing in the unfinished building on the 10th of June, 1914, and the Norfolk District Conference met in the same unfinished building July 28-30, of the same year. There was no discomfort experienced by the large congregations which assembled. I alone had one mishap. On the first day I had a chill, but remained at my post all day. The sec- ond day was one of rich reports and speeches. But on the third day, when I wanted to be with my brethren, and look after their needs, I was at home in bed with a raging fever and delirious. This sick- ness took all the spirit out of me, and although, as my wife, who went in my place, informed me, the brethren understood the situation, sympathized with the sick pastor in a kindly resolution, and all that; yet, sweet as these messages of consola- tion were, they could not take away the distress of my soul that I was not there. I was in a fine meeting with Rev. James T. Moore, of the South Princess Anne circuit, at Wash Woods church beginning July 1st, 1912. This church was constructed during the pastorate of Rev. Wm. P. Wright, about 1889, and is, largely the product, of Church Extension money. The building has a fine location back of the Live Oak BY BUQGT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 493 forest, between Wash Woods and False Cape Life, Saving Stations, on the shores of Knott's Island Sound. I left Virginia Beach at 6 A. M., Monday in a sand cart drawn by one of those horses owned by the Life Savers, (called "Life Guards," in recent years,) who knows the sea and the sand so well, that he understands how to use the hard beaten surface of the one, and to dodge the heavy rolling billows of the other as they come tumbling in from a chase across from the shores of Spain. It is a seventeen mile drive down the beach to False Cape Life Saving Station, and a very delightful trip it is when the tide is down. I have always counted it a romantic opportunity which comes very seldom into the life of a highland mortal. It is not exactly the thing one wants in winter, when the wind is cold and blowing nearly every day. But even then, with all its discomfort, there is something thrillingly enjoyable about it. Then, when one comes to a Station, and is greeted quietly and as a matter of course by those hardy fellows, who seemed to be expecting you, although you have sent no message ahead, you are satis- fied that the warm house and the warm hearts are parallel effects of an oath and a training which keep them on the lookout for strangers on that desolate coast. We passed Dam Neck Station, five miles down at 7 A. M., and Little Island Sta- tion at 8:25. Then after a short rest here, and changing teams, so that the Virginia Beach Life 494 FHOM SADDLE TO CITY Saver, who had kindly brought me thus far, might return to his station, with a new driver and a new horse, we went on southward seven miles to the False Cape Station, arriving at 11 A. M. Capt. De Lon, the Keeper, and his family greeted me cordially and at noon, ushered me out to the Station dining room to as good a dinner on fresh fish, just out of the sea, and fried chicken, just out of the fattening coop, as a weary traveler ever got at Jimmie Jones's in Norfolk. Then came the afternoon nap up stairs in the Station on one of Uncle Sam's first class single spring beds, with the cool breezes of the ocean fanning one's cheek whilst one drifted away into dreamland on the wingless zephyrs of an intangible world. At 3 P. M. I was called. A ride across the sand- dunes to the boat landing at a Gunning Club House, watched over by our brother, Lem Waterfield, and we embarked in a fast driven motor boat a little over a mile around the point to the Church land- ing. I preached at 4 P. M. to a very good con- gregation. The community is not very populous, —not more than twenty families, but the attend- ance is augmented by those who come from Knott's Island and Cedar Island to these protracted ser- vices. The meeting increased in interest daily until its close on Friday, when Bro. Moore received eight into the Church, including Capt. Knight, the Keeper of Wash Woods Life Saving Station, his wife and two daughters. Capt. Knight and his family made BY BTJGGT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 49r> US welcome at his Station, where I had spent many- pleasant and restful days during the years, 1886 and 1887, when Capt. Malichi Corbell, John Water- field, and the rest of his splendid crew were on the job. The meeting having closed Friday afternoon I went over to the mainland, ten miles in a motor boat, and spent the night with Jim Brock, near Charity Church. Next morning I boarded the train at Pleasant Ridge at 6 o'clock, and was at Oceana at 8 A. M. July 29th I assisted brother Moore in another meeting, this time at Charity where we won' such a great victory in 1886. The power of God was manifested in the salvation of some, and in the hardening of others. There were some who, as young men, passed through the great revival of 1886, declaring that "There is time enough." To that hour, after twenty-six years, they had not yielded to the claims of Jesus upon their lives and their service. Now they are past middle age, and the gospel of God's great love is an old song soon forgotten. I was with brother Moore at Bethel in Septem- ber, but there was some trouble in the way, and "the word preached did not profit, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it." We could not lo- cate the sin, but it was sin, for nothing but sin pre- vents God from using his servants for his glory in saving others. We had another fine meeting, on JCnptj;'s Jslaad that summer, where the Lord madq 496 FROM SADDLE TO CITY bare His arm in the salvation of many, and the strengthening of His people. Brother Moore is a man after my own heart, — and so is his wife, — and so are his two splendid "chips." He is a firm believer in the need of man for Christ in the life, and in the sufficiency of the grace of God to bring deliverance to any captive held fast by the fetters of any vile habit. Men be- lieve in him because he depends on the Spirit, and the best results follow his labors everywhere. Dur- ing the great War, as Chaplain in the Army, his doctrine and his life lifted the office to its rightful place of respect and esteem both among officers and men. IsTone excelled him in the valuable service he rendered us during the dark days which fol- lowed the death of our son in France : when he kept us in constant touch with the authorities on both sides of the ocean. At the close of the War he remained in Virginia more than two years, or till the Army was demobilized and the camps around Newport News were vacated by the re- moval of the troops. Since then he has been on duty at Fort Thomas, Kentucky, still kept in his place, a tribute to his efficiency and worth in this branch of the service. Bro. John M. Oakey held a meeting for us at Virginia Beach in March 1915, which resulted in adding many to the church, and building up the membership. Besides this, it uncovered the sin of some who pretended to be leaders, when they were kickers by profession and practice. The BY BtTGQT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 497 mercy of the Almighty is from everlasting to everlasting. If this were not true, the Pharisee and the Hypocrite would not live an instant. The Par- able of the Tares in the Wheat finds its interpre- tation right along here. We had at the Beach a faithful few struggling to get a church building. Mr. and Mrs. W. G. Gard- ner, Mrs. Dr. South, (a good woman, full of en- ergy, but who did not live to see our church fin- ished,) Mr. and Mrs. Enoch Ferebee, Mr. and Mrs. Hibbert, Mrs. Walter Griggs and her daughter, Mrs. Harry Holland, and Mrs. Frank Rice. Later I transferred the Providence members at Sea Tack, and received Mr. and Mrs. Hardison by letter. This was the group which brought the church to completion and dedication October 24th, 191.5. The dedication service was conducted by the Pre- siding Elder, Rev. Dr. George Wesley Jones. The sermon was delivered by Rev. Dr. Gilby C. Kelly, the pastor of Ghent Church, Norfolk. It was a great sermon listened to with profound interest by a large congregation. No appeal for money was made to the congregation, because every dollar needed to pay the debt on the building was in hand. At night Rev. Fred. G. Davis, of Bramble- ton Ave. Church, Norfolk, preached a fine sermon. The day was ideal. The preachers werf; in fine trim. The people were glad. As for me, I was ready to build another church as soon as the op- portunity arose. November came and the end of my term on this 498 TKOM SADDLE TO CITY delightful work came with that month. During the District Conference at Hickory, Norfolk county, July 20th-22nd, of that year, there were hints dropped from certain quarters that I had already been "placed for the coming year: that it would take care of me, but give me a plenty of hard work. However that may be, the fact is when brother Jones asked where I wanted to go, I told him "Anywhere." He asked my wife. She re- plied, "You settle that, brother Jones. We'll go." When he asked if I would like to remain in his District I replied earnestly, "I would rather stay in your District than go anywhere else." Then he said, "That settles it." Notwithstanding the fact that there was no way to stop my leaving this charge, the law demand- ing my removal anyhow, the other fact remains, I did not want to leave. There were some things that needed adjustment, and no man knew the best move to make in bringing about that needed work but me. I know there are a number of men in the Conference wiser than I, but no man loves Meth- odism more than I, and no man is more ready to rid Methodism of her hindering people than I, after other, and milder methods, have failed. Here is a place that needed the application of the new law of 1918, and couldn't use it because we didn't have it; namely that the preacher can stay as long as the congregation wants him, and "a majority of the Presiding Elders can concur by ballot:" The people did not desire a change, nor did I. Yet a BY BUGGT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 499 law moved me just when the charge needed me. The good brother who succeeded me knows what I mean, and approves my view. But I had to go, and I went. Bro. Jones had been my Presiding Elder two years, and we had a very good time together. Dr. Lipscomb had been removed to the Petersburg Dis- trict in 1913. His going was a grievous loss to me. As a visitor in the parsonage he had no superior. He gripped our confidence as well as our esteem; from the first. His administration was magnifi- cent, dignified, intelligent, with no sign of the "martinette," "clothed with a little brief author- ity,'' and galloping around astraddle of a broom- stick. He compelled admiration of the office, and love for the man. You just could not help your- self. You fell in because the edges of the pool were slippery. He had given me one of the very best appointments I had ever received in all my long years of traveling, and I was afflicted when the Bishop took him away. Then came Jones. Breezy, splendid, getting all over one the very first time he comes around. Does anybody know anybody who can beat Brother George Wesley Jones at talking against himself, and talking up everybody else? Listen; here is one of the many other good things he said to me "in perfect confidence :" "They have given me this thing, but I don't know what to do with it, to bless me." He talks up the Church. He talks up movements, and men, and measures, and, after he 500 FEOM SADDLE TO CITT finishes, he's done. Then comes the unbending pro- cess, relaxation, merriment, companionable chat, an "all of that, and all of that !" Bro. Jones and Dr. Smoot, (at that time holding down Epworth Church, Norfolk,) came to my home at Oceana for , recreation and other things. My enterprising wife had a dinner. Jones and Smoot tasted the food, and called for more. It was de- lightful to see disciples of a city menu take to the natural fare, and make a fuss over it. Wife said, "Bring them out again !" Said I, "No : they are salivated now !" After the feast, we, three filled followers of John Wesley, went out to the spa- cious grove in which Providence church sits, to express ourselves on "The desirability of Country appointments as contrasted with the City." Jones and Smoot were decidedly and eloquently in fa- vor of circuit work as an incentive to piety and an aid in the selection of diet. But I have noticed that neither has profited by his philosophical dis- sertation, for Jones went from the Eldership to Monument church, Richmond, and Smoot from Epworth to Centenary, Richmond, and sticks there to this hour. Blame it on the Bishop? Well, yes, Bishops are good angels anyhow. But I am a little too fast in my story. Dr. Smoot, in order to demonstrate the expansive quality of country air, gave a most hilarious and welkin ring- ing shout. JoneS and I were startled from our meditations on the heat of side-walks and the price of coal, and asked our pleased companion what BY BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 501 ailed him. He replied, "That is the first real good opportunity I have had to express myself in ten years." Jones replied, with reckless imprudence, "The two helpings to that cherry-roll have pro- duced this alarming state of disorder in an other-- wise meek and quiet man." Now Jones should not have said that, because he laid himself open to an ignominious exposure when we rettirned to the parsonage. Dr. Smoot quietly asked Mrs. Butts "how many times did you help me to cherry-roll. Sister Butts?" That good lady, who is as truthful as sunshine, replied, "I offered you the second helping; you declined, but Brother Jones accepted without a murmur." Now, there we have the facts laid bare by a good woman who always spoke the truth. Jones could not yell because he was too full : and Smoot yelled because he did not get it ! But ah ! man, that was a great day with me. My brethren had been in my home ! It was worth more to me than riches ! 502 FROM SADDLE TO CITT CHAPTER XVI. THE CONFERENCE OF 1915 AND CENTRAL, HAMPTON. The one hundred and thirty-third session of our Conference was held in Cumberland Street Church, Norfolk, Va., November the 17-23, 1915. Bishop Warren A. Candler, Presided. Rev. Dr. S. S. Lambeth, on account of physical infirmities, declines re-election as Secretary, and the Conference adopted a suitable resolution ex- pressive of its "appreciation of the splendid ser- vice he has rendered the Conference through all the years of his incumbency of the secretaryship, our affectionate regard for him personally, and our wish that he may be spared yet many years to bless us in our annual sessions with his genial and noble presence." B. F. Lipscomb was then elected as Secretary, and J. T. Whitley and Frank L. Wells assistants. George F. Green had been one of the Assistant Secretaries for many years, but in 1907 H. J. Pay- lor was made Assistant and served till 1911, when Frank L. Wells and J. T. Whitley were made As- sistants. Nineteen of our preachers had died during the BY BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 503 quadrennium ; namely, Jas. F. Brannin, A. Clarke Bledsoe, Wilbur F. Davis, Jos. E. Potts, W. E. Edwards, E.. M. Jordan, C. S. Wamsley, and T. J. Bayton among the Superannuates, J. B. Merritt Chaplain Seaman's Bethel, and Chas. H. Galloway, L. W. Guyer, C. E. Hobday, R. G. James, R. D. Smart, M. S. Elliott, Geo. E. B. Smith, M. L. Wil- liams and J. H. Kabler from the effective list. Forty-one had .been received on Trial during the quadrennium, and Dr. S. A. Donahoe, Dr. J. H. Light, Dr. S. T. Senter, Fred R. Chenault, Ernest L. Pea^rman are among those who were transferred to us from other Conferences. This session was a very busy one, and many im- portant matters were disposed of during the six days on which the Conference sat. Among these was action in regard to the establishment of a Summer School of Methods. A communication from the Norfolk District Conference recommend- ing such a movement was read, and referred to a special committee, which was constituted as fol- lows: G. C. Kelly, J. T. Catlin, John Victor, T. S. South- gate, S. P. Jones, J. C. Reed, G. H. Lambeth, J. N. Latham and D. G. C. Butts. Dr. Cannon presented a paper regarding the ef- fort to establish a "great central Assembly Grounds at Lake Junaluska." Dr. Stuart delivered a characteristically earnest appeal to the body upon the subject referred to in the resolutions. 504 FROM SADPLE TO CITT The death of Thos. J. Bayton, one of our oldest preachers was announced, he having "passed away this morning, November 19th." The report of the special committee on the Sum- mer School of Methods was read on Monday the fifth day of the session by G. H. Lambeth, Secre- tary of the Committee, and adopted after remarks by D. G. C. Butts, and is as follows : — "Your committee appointed to consider the paper presented by the Norfolk District Conference in reference to establishing a Chautuaqua and Summer School of Methods at Virginia Beach, to be con- ducted under the auspices of the Virginia Con- ference, desires to report that it considers the plan both desirable and feasible. Your committee suggests that the following committee be constituted and 'authorized to orr ganize and promote the movement for the sum- mer of 1916: G. C. Kelly, D. G. C. Butts, T. S. Southgate, M. C. Ferebee, and Nv C. Scott." Immediately after Conference closed the above committee met and organized with G. C. Kelly, President, D. G. C. Butts, Secretary, and M. C. Ferebee, Treasurer. The Chautauqua and Summer School ^eld two sessions at Va. Beach, 1916 and 1917, and although the best talent in this country was employed at a heavy expense for the Chau- tauqua platform addresses, and the Sunday School, Mission, Epworth League and Educational Boards, each, had a School of Methods for the Training of Workers, it was deemed advisable at the close of BOAT AND RAILWAY 505 the session of 1917 to abandon the School for the present. In 1919, however, thq Sunday School Board, under the lead of our present progressive Secretary, Rev. J. H. Montgomery, re-established the School at Blackstone, and later moved it to the Randolph Macon Woman's CJolIege at Lynch- burg. The School is now a permanent and valuable agency in our Conference for the Training of Teachers and Missionary Leaders. Conference adjourned sine die on Tuesday night, November 23rd, and I found myself exactly where rumor said I would be, the pastor of Central Church, Hampton, Va., I was still on the Norfolk District, and Brother Jones was still my Elder; all of which was very pleasing to both my wife and "her husband." That night before I left the church I had my measure taken by a young man and his wife, members of Central. J. A. Ferguson and his pretty little wife were visiting the session of Con- ference, and incidentally to get the gauge of the new pastor for Central. I was pointed out as a "hand-me-down" from "way back." The gray hair and the stately steps of the sexigenarian appalled them. They fell into an attitude of reverential awe, till a closer examination revealed the sham decora- tions the new appointee wore to perplex disinter- ested saints : then they tumbled to the sign and declared that "Centra.1 can stand artything one year." I think Jones pointed out the "impending encumbrance." 506 FEOM SADDLE TO CITT Brother Burdi, my beloved predecessor, had re- turned home before the close of Conference, . so I could get no interview with him, — a thing most desirable at that time, in view of the fact, which I learned that night, that his dear wife was quite sick, and it was uncertain when I could get into the parsonage. I went over to Hampton to "view the landscape o'er," and had confirmation of the report I had heard of Brother Burch's unfortunate di- lemma. It was true : he could not get out. Pun- goteague "must wait a time with patience the will" of autocratic events, and in the unhurried advent of the future get what was coming its way,"— "Gad, a troop cometh." Gen. 49:19. On my return to Oceana the day of my going to Hampton I found a post-card from my beloved brother. Waller L. Hudgins, Superintendent of the Sunday School at Central; whom I had known as a youth in Mathews circuit in 1890-94. He said, "I will meet you at Old Point any date you may fix upon, and take you and your wife to my house. Ship all your freight to Hampton: the Official Board 'will look out for that." So, the Lord had arranged the whole affair for us, wife and me, and there was no htirry nor confusion of any sort. I could enter upon my pastorate at Central without any delay, and good Brother Burch and his sick wife could make themselves content amid perplex- ities which could be borne for awhile in the hope of better times later on. ;. re o a. o » o re Ui a a. ^ Ul i *< 3 CO CQ -6 o s: u V d f. d u re X 4) +J m 3 o to 507 We arrived at Brother Hudgins's quiet home on the second day of December, 1915, wife in perfect health, but I with the most horrible pains from Sciatica that I had ever suffered in all my life. And for twenty-one days and nights I got no re- lief from any remedy yet tried. At last Dr. George K. Vanderslice, (son of our glorified Vanderslice of the Conference,) in desperation said he would try his "last resort." I don't know what it was, but it struck the pain such a blow that it fled, never to return again, I hope ; but it left the hip and thigh on that side, (the right,) so weak that I dare not trust it in emergencies. Several months after my going to Hampton, indeed, a few days after the new postoffice was occupied, I fell down those steps prone into the street. Two very sympathetic gen- tlemen hurriedly came to my rescue, (one of them Mr. John Weymouth, one of Hampton's brainest young lawyers, the other I cannot recall now,) and having "set me on my feet, and estabished my go- ings," significantly asked, "Doctor, where did you get it?" I referred them to Dr. Vanderslice as the custodian of those remedies which heal any com- plaint." When I first made my bow to the Central con- gregation on the first Sunday in December, I was so lame in the right leg that I had to use a cane. When I went up the pulpit steps that morning there was much amusement in a corner of the building where sat two immortal jesters. 508 FBOM SADDLE TO CITT It appears, from the best sources that are within reach just now, that, at the last meeting with the Presiding Elder, one of the leaders on the Official Board had addressed the P. E. in language some- thing like this ; — "Bro. Jones, please don't send us an old man who cannot do anything; nor a young man who does not know anything; but send us a medium man." Well, when these inimitable jest- ers saw me "go up them steps," they said, one to the other, "Thar now : they have sent an old man with a gray head, and one leg." Bro. Burch was one of the best pastors the church had ever had. His work was done thor- oughly, with great care and persevering industry. As I went around from house to house after his departure I found his tracks on every door-sill, and the imprint of his blessed influence for right- eousness on every life. "He pointed others to higher realms of conquest, and led the way." So I entered upon my work with this advan- tage : I did not have a scattered and disaffected membership to visit and plead with for their re- turn to the first love ; they were already in place, waiting only for a "new" shepherd to do his part at care-taking and "feeding time." I found a vig- orous band of young ladies under the tender care of Mrs. Annie Ashby, Mrs. J. A. Ferguson, and Mrs. Annie Rouse. There was a consecrated body of young men, such as J. A. Ferguson, Waller Hudgins, Will White, Norman C. Barbour, Richard and Geo. Moger, Pitman Bryant, Harry Owens and BY BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 509 Others, who indicated in their spirit and methods the strength and perpetuity of the future church. Then were the tried and faithful old men, on whose shoulders the young church rested in the years of toil in the past : the men whose prayers and patience brought the young church to its pres- ent strength ; Isaac Wheeler, Henry Topping, Jesse Miller, Geo. F. Richardson, T. Jeff. Rowe, Henry D. Owens, Philip and Thos. Davis, R. E. Rollins, W. H. Haynes, and others. Later on as the work grew such men as Isaac Smith, Eddie Roche, E. R. Shields, O. C. Barbour, Willie Richardson, Jesse Haynes, M. M. Mann, E. Clif. Scott, and those transferred live-wires, Floyd Diggs and Jim Mitchell, mixed in with the "'mov- ers," and the young church moved out into a nev/ field where faith could exercise itself far out upon the promises of the Omnipotent and Unchange- able God. I must not omit the women : Those Altar-lit Torches, Spirit filled and unconquerablfi, who took their places in the fore-front of the advancing host, "saw the triumph from afar, and brought it nigh by faith," smiling at obstructions which the cal- culations of unbelief said could not be overcome. I have already mentioned Mrs. Ashby, Mrs. Rouse, Mrs. Ferg^uson. But there was Mrs. Ruth Hudg- ins, Miss Annie Wilson, Mrs. D. W. Moger, and a multitude, to name whom time would fail me. In May, 1916, Brother JefT. Rowe, one of the 510 FROM SADDLE TO CITY leaders mentioned above, went to his reward, after months of feebleness, failing daily till the end came. He was ready. His Master's voice the signal that his work was done. Sister Topping in May, and Bro. Topping in October, 1917, ended the long journey of life, and went home to rest. It was in this month, too, that the town was shocked by a boiler explosion at a saw mill, which snuffed out the lives of five men and desperately wounded two boys. Our brother, Alex. Weston, was instantly slain, and his eldest boy wounded. His life hung by a single thread for many days but he finally re- covered. In August, 1918, Bro. Dudley, a faithful man and a devoted father, died in the faith. Then the leader of our young people, Mrs. Ashby, full of faith and the Holy Spirit, closed a beautiful life of good deeds for Christ, and left the church "cast down but not forsaken." I have no records of the pastors in Hampton farther back than 1869, when J. D. Lumsden served "Hampton and York." The charge was on the Nor- folk District. Then followed Thos. C. Jennings, who came to our church from the Methodist Prot- estant Church, November, 1870. York was cut off from Hampton that fall, Joseph Lear becoming the first pastor. H. C. Cheatham was sent to Hamp- ton in 1871. In 1872 the appointment read "Hamp- ton and Warwick, B. W. Daugherty and J. W. Con- nelly." 1873 "Hampton and Fox Hill, B. W. Daugh- erty." Jas. L. Spencer came in 1874 and remained BY BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 511 two years, followed by John B. Laurens in 1876, Jas. H. Crown in 1877, Wm. McGee in 1878, R. J. Moorman in 1880, (when Fox Hill was cut oflf) J*. P. Mitchell in 1882, E. P. Wilson in 1884, W. H. Christian in 1888. The work was established in Newport News in 1886 with J. T. Bosman as preacher, and that charge, with Hampton, Fox Hill and York, was placed on the Eastern Shore District, a very singular mixture, — -western shore charges on a District called by a name that con- tradicted their location. In 1875, Fox Hill was served by a "Supply" till 1882 when J. G. Lennon was sent there. Mitchell returns to Hampton in 1883. At the Conference of 1887 the appointments read, "Hampton, E. P. Wilson; Fox Hill, T. J. Wray ; York, Chas. R. Taylor ; Newport News, John T. Bosman." In 1888 Jas. L. Spencer is sent to Fox Hill and Bascom Dey to Newport News. In 1889 we have "Newport News, Jas. Cannon, Jr.," In 1890 Christian is returned to Hampton, and Spencer to Fox Hill : Newport News has Cannon for the sec- ond year, but that work and York are put on the Richmond District. In 1891 W. F. Hayes goes to Fox Hill and R. M. Chandler to Newport News. In 1892 H. C. Cheatham is sent to Hampton for the second time, (having been there in 1872.) In 1893 Bargamin goes to Fox Hill. Hobday in York, and Chandler beginning his fourth year' in Newport News, we have "Hampton and West End, E. M. Peterson and R, S. Baughan ; Fox Hill, Bargamin," 512 TROM SADDLE TO CITY and these two charges shifted over to the "Ports- mouth District, J. H. Amiss, Presiding Elder." t Here we have the beginning of "The Story of the Methodist Movement in the West End, Hampton, Va. The paper containing the recorded facts, was prepared by Bro. J. D. Miller and me during my pastorate at "Central." "Some time during the year 1894, while Rev. E. M. Peterson, D. D., was pastor of the Methodist Church on Queen Street, the movement began un- der the leadership of Rev. E. P. Wilson, a Super- annuate of the Virginia Conference, M. E. Church, South, and Rev. W. W. Topping, a Local Preacher. These godly men have ever been recognized as the fathers of the movement. "Between sixty and seventy people withdrew from the church down town and organized the West End Church and Sunday School, and the sta- tion was printed in the Annual Conference reports as "Hampton and West End." The building in which the work started was bought from the Pres- byterians for $600.00, the lot on which the building stood having been previously given by Mr. J. M. Willis for religious purposes. "The Conference of 1894 sent Dr. Peterson to the charge with R. S. Baughan as Junior Preacher, so that the work might hav« regular service and over- sight. On June 13th, 1895, Rev. E. P. Wilson died, lamented by a large circle of loving friends. At the end of the first year Brother Baughan was sue- BY BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 513 ceeded by Rev. Graham H. Lambeth as Junior un- der Dr. Peterson. Brother Lambeth served the charge three years most acceptably, and the work was greatly built up under his ministry. Brother Topping died February 16th, 1897 ; his death was a great loss to the Church. "The rear of the lot on which the church stands was bought from Mr. Willis, and the new end, and a larger part of the frame building, were erected during Brother Lambeth's term. "Brother S. J. Battin became pastor in Novem- ber, 1898, and was succeeded by Rev. J. D. Lang- ley in the fall of 1899. All of these were young men, and unmarried. "Rev. Arthur B. Sharpe, the present Superintend- ent of the Virginia Conference Orphanage at Rich- mond, was appointed to the charge in November, 1901, and Rev. Asa Driscoll in 1903. The latter served three years. During the year 1904 the old frame church building was moved back from the street, and the splendid brick church, which now occupies the site, was erected, and the house, next door to the church on the west, was bought from the Presbyterians for a parsonage. At the Confer- ence of 1904 the appointment appears in the Con- ference Annual as "CENTRAL." "Brother Driscoll was followed on the charge by Rev. John F. Cuthriell in 1906, and he by Brother Wm. P. Wright, (father of our brother Wm. 514 FEOM SADDLE TO CITY Archer Wright, in 1907, and Brothei< Chas. E. Green in November, 1909. "Brother W. G. Burch was sent to the charge in November, 1911, and Rev. D. G. 0. Butts in No- vember, 1915. "The charge was on the Portsmouth District when organized in 1894. At the Conference of 1899 it was placed on the Richmond District with- Rev. J. P. Garland, Presiding Elder. At the 1909 ses- sion of Conference it was put on the Norfolk Dis- trict, Rev. L. B. Betty, Presiding Elder. Rev. Geo. Wesley Jones came to the District in 1913." So reads the "Story" compiled in March 1917. The term of Rev. Geo. Wesley Jones, Presiding Elder, having expired, he was succeeded at the ses- sion of 1917, held in Court Street Church, Lynch- burg, by Rev. T. McN. Simpson, D. D., the staunch friend; the sincere Christian, the modest and faith- ful Administrator of the law, the earnest preacher. He did not supplant brother Jones in our hearts ; he just naturally got in along of Jones and made him- self at home, and everybody around our neighbor- hood, approved of the act. Brother Jesse Miller moved over to Newport News in the fall of 1917, and Central felt his de- parture seriously until the Lord, fulfilling His promise, "I am with you unto the end of the age," sent Jim Mitchell to take his place as Teacher of the Men's Bible Class, and led the Official Board to select Capt. Bill White as Chairman. Then the '■H Hr'^&K ^V' ^ ^-^'^i^^^m i^H ■m^- ^^1 1^ ^ ■ ^^^^^^H HH EU j:rs. d. g. c. butts, 1921. BY BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 515 "Good Ship" swung out into the channel again, and did some fine sailing over the sea of opportunity. Norman Barbour as Treasurer and Jake Ferguson as Lay Leader, were purser and skipper. Then came the end of 1918, with all collections paid, and $706.00 for the Japan Special. In the Centenary Missionary Drive, the church accepted its allotment of $10,000.00, and raised $19,000.00; devoting $17,500.00 of that sum to "Specials." And Central paid its Annual quota at last accounts. Nashville can tell. And this pastor received as salary that year $1,500.00. Central Church played its part bravely and with- out weariness during the Great War. More than a quarter of a million of troops passed our doors. Between fifty and eighty thousand were in our midst all the while from April, 1917, to late in the summer of 1919. At the barracks, in the canton- ments, at Langley Field and Camp Stuart, our young people and many of the older, with the preacher following, as best he could, this earnest band, ministered to the needs of the men, and fre- quently furnished Musical and Literary entertain- ment. Notably at Langley Field Balloon Gas Sta- tion did they make a specialty. And, to the credit of the officer in command at that point, let it be said, not one of my people ever had cause to re- gret our visits to those boys. On one occasion the Lieutenant agreeably shocked us by proposing to "give this bunch of splendid young men and wo- 516 FKOM SADDLE TO CITY men An Army Dinner, if we would come at an ap- pointed time." WE WENT, We spent a glorious evening: went down in an Army truck sent up to the church at 3 P. M., ended the bountiful and de- licious feast with canteloupes and watermelons, the Long Metre Doxology and the Benediction by this preacher, then returned to town in the same way we had gone. These fine young American soldiers showed their appreciation of our sincere service by attend- ing Sunday School, public worship, and other ex- ercises at the church. Two or three were valuable aids to the choir. Others taught classes and led the Mid-week prayer-meeting. They came into our homes : big-hearted, clean, consecrated to God and their country. They came from Texas to Maine, from California to North Carolina, and brought the proofs of good breeding. There may have been some "Toughs" among the thousands that passed through our community. There must have been : few escaped. But they knew their place; they found the "birds" of the "same feather," and joined that "flock." I want to put into these pages the names of the men whoni I can recall. They must be held in everlasting remembrance. G. N. Ameson, Northfield, Minn., a splendid fel- low, a modest Christian,- an efficient teacher, a brave Airman. Young Anderson from Tangent, Oregon, (I forget his given name.) Alan Osborne from the BT BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 517 Pacific Coast. In 1920 he wrote from Pomona Col- lege, Claremont, Calif. John W. Luening from Chicago, 111. ; Arthur H. Graham, of Den- ver, Col. ; and Hamilton and Miller from Oklahoma ; McDonald from Minnesota, and young Hill, with that devoted young wife who followed him across the continent from a camp in California, and remained, while he was in the Training School for Specials at Fort Monroe. They lived in Hib- bing, Minn., and she married him after he went to the Army. They brought their Church letter to Central, and entered into church life, among stran- gers as if they were at home. It was a shining ex- ample of "Christianity in earnest." Since they re- turned to their far western home, a little baby girl has appeared, and it was my privilege to write the young lady a letter and send her my photo- graph. Abernathy of Missouri captured one of our girls, and Umstead of North Carolina, found a splendid Ruby somewhere and married her when the war closed. These mixings with the boys so far from home became a joyous service to my young people and to myself and wife. We had two sons and two grandsons across the sea in the American Expedi- tionary Forces. We called the boys in for the sake of the mothers back yonder in the north and the west and the south, and we thought that per- haps we might be helping the Lord to answer some fervent prayer sent from the home altar. Two 518 FROM SADDLE TO CITY fine young fellows from Connecticut, in the Navy on the battleship "North Carolina," acting as con- voy to the army transports carrying our troops across in the years 1917-18, interested us very much, and I took care to write home about them. Alva Farrow of Newark, N. J., and Earl Boogar of Los Angeles, Calif., were among us to help, and created a bond so strong that their departure seemed to us like the cruel severing of home ties. The late autumn of 1918 was, to many of us in the old Virginia Conference, a period of sorrow, as the news from the front in France came over the wires of Washington. Dr. J. C. Reed, Dr. H. E. Johnson, Bro. John M. Burton, Bro. John T. Payne, and I had lost our boys over there, and Lewis Betty's son, George, passed away in a Training Camp in this country. Bro. Betty was spared the anguish of this bereavement, — he had gone on ahead to welcome his son in the sinless clime. Our Conference, on the motion of Chaplain J. T. Moore, held an impressive service in memory of these boys on Friday, the third day of the session. The solemn service was conducted in the Char- lottesville Church, Bishop R. E. Hendrix, presid- ing. The Conference was led in singing by a soldier choir from the University of Virginia, and Bishop Hendrix delivered a sympathetic address, which was followed by testimonies spoken by Dr. Johnson, Chaplain Moore, Prof. E. Sumter Smith of Bedford Academy, and Dr. Gilby C. Kelly of R. M. College, at Ashland, Va, 519 At Central my beloved people went down with the pastor's family into this distressful "'valley" where the "shadow of death" had cast gloom over the entire community. Our son had been one of the young people of the church. They knew him, his cheerful heart, his merry face, his co-operative spirit, his sincere devotion to home and country. They lamented his death ; they embalmed his mem- ory in their hearts, and placed a beautiful marble tablet in the western wall of the spacious audience room of the church, then stood by the old father and mother patiently awaiting the return of the remains from Clermont-Ferrand. When in June, 1921, the War Department delivered the precious dust to their keeping they assembled first in the sanctuary, where the dead soldier had so often met with them in worship. Here the services were in charge of Rev. H. W. Davis, of the First Church, Hampton, assisted by Rev. W. P. Stuart, of the Hampton Baptist Church.- Then in solemn pro- cession, led by a detail of soldiers from Fort Mo roe, the body was deposited in old St. John's Cem- etery, and the grave has had tender care ever since. This is not the end of the story of the devotion of Central Church to its Pastor. Bro. E. T, Dad- mun became my successor in 1919. He was a zeal- ous and devoted leader, a man of fine spirit, and capable. In the summer of 1920 he had an auto- mobile accident in Amherst while helping the preacher there in a meeting. A long period of 520 FBOk SADDLE 'TO Olt* illness followed, and he was never able to do full work again during that year. Nevertheless, this brave young Official Body, backed up by a loyal church, asked for his return, saying, "We know him. We love him. We will take care of him." And they did take care of him through another year, employing "Supplies" as they could get them, until the Conference of 1921, when he was placed on the Superannuated list. For the last few months of that year the pulpit was served acceptably by Bro. John D. Hosier, a member of the Conference, and, at that time, Assistant to Bro. Sharpe at the Orphanage. Rpv. J. S. Gresham came to the church from -the Conference of 1921, and begins a most promising pastorate. As the end of my pastorate at Central, Hampton, neared, my preparations for "going" assumed a very serious aspect. From my point of view I had had a very successful term. I had not added many to the church, but those added were a sub- stantial and abiding set. My aim from the very beginning was to develop a strong, efficient, con- structive, aggressive group of Leaders, both men and women. My experience had taught me that the Church of the past thirty years needed these, in order that the ministry might give itself wholly to preaching and pastoral duty. Then Centenary Commission, when it made that the high aim of the Centenary Drive, simply put its stamp of ap- proval on my theory of the pastor's opportunity, 521 and succeeded gloriously. If anything else ex- plains the wonderful development of Central Church along all lines of church work in the past six years, I do not know what it is. When I closed my term in the fall of 1919, there were men and women, from middle age down to youth, capable of "Doing Things," and doing them well and for the glory of God, than any church I have known anywhere in my travels. And the tribe is yet on the job, brave enough to attempt any work if you will call them to prayer first, and true enough to their plans and hopes and the cause of Christ to carry the thing through, without asking who or what is in the way. To them. Obstructions are steps heavenward: Difficulties are Faith develop- ers : Elnemies are proofs that Christ leads : Proph- ets of «lisaster are well-wishers of the kingdom of Satan. And that settles it : if some zealous, but thoughtless, backer has promised this group of DOERS a golden prize of any sort, that individ- ual had better have the prize ready for the un- expected call; its coming. The Norfolk District Conference met that year (1919) at "Denby Church," eight miles from Nor- folk towards Ocean View. It was my forty-ninth session: my first was at Culpeper in 1871. My brethren made me Secretary for the sixth time. I had been on the District eight years. I could not serve at the Virginia Beach session of 1914, be- cause I was the host of the Conference, and Dr. 522 FEOM SADDLE TO CITY Whitley was made Secretary on my motion. He has a,lways been a pre-eminent success in that office. For carefulness and neatness he has no superior. At Hampton in 1912 Bro. Jas. T. Green was Secretary, and I was his assistant. The District Conference, knowing (I guess,) that I would not be on the District another year, adopted the following, on motion of Rev. J. M. Rowland : "Whereas, our genial and efficient secretary. Rev. D. G. C. Butts, has attended forty-nine Dis- trict Conferences, without missing a single one, and nineteen times serving*, as secretary, therefore, Be it Resolved, — That we, the members of the Norfolk District Methodist Conference, express to him our appreciation of his faithful service to his Church and his fellowman, aiid assure him of our love and our interest in his life and work. We re- joice with him in the great success and popularity which attends his ministry at Central Church, Hampton, and we pray God's blessing upon him and his family." The paper was offered by "J. M. Rowland and Emil Hauser." The Conference adopted it with a rising vote. I tried to respond, but the brethren had taken away my speech by their beautiful trib- ute ; so I did the best I could, and sat down over- whelmed with confusion and beaming with grat- itude. The ministers of the different Churches of Hamp- ton were exceedingly cordial in their intercourse D. G. C. BUTTS, 1921. BT BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAT 523 with me, — the elder brother. Their kindly spirit and courteous treatment were without limit and very gracious. Rev. Edwin Royal Carter, Rector of old St. John's, never forgot the blood and train- ing of centuries, but with unpretentious and pleas- ing manner commended himself to my warmest esteem. Rev. Qiarles Friend of the Presbyterian Church, placed me under a score of obligations for continuous and unstinted kindnesses coming from a kind heart, and prompted by a clean purpose. Those two Baptist boys, — Rev. W. P. Stuart, of the Hampton Baptist, vied with each other in show- ing the fraternal spirit toward this Methodist preacher, who does not hesitate to record their high regard for Ministerial etiquette. They won his respect for their fidelity to their own Denom- inational views, for the high grade of work they did for their Lord, and his love for the men them- selves. Their are some religionists so small in their apprehension of their calling that they call abuse of the opposition defense of their own posi- tion. Stuart and Haley were too big to fit in that small circle. An attempt to drive them in wih a maul would burst the little kitten ring wide open. So, we came to the end of the year, and Confer- ence would meet in Richmond. I made it known that I was opposed to the new law allowing the Bishop to appoint a man to a charge for a longer term than four years, "provided the Quarterly Con- 534 FROM SADDLE TO CITT ference shall request it, and a majority of the Pre- siding Elders shall concur by ballot." I made it known in May, 1918, when the law was enacted by the General Conference ! So, I had 'em or they had me : it does not make much difference which it was ; I was going. If I had any opposition to my return, I could say, "Oh, well ; you are too late : that's all fixed: I am going anyhow, but not to please you." If anybody contemplated the pas- sage of a drastic resolution by the assembled con- gregation demanding that the Quarterly Confer- ence fix up the "request," and send it to the Bishop, so that he might take the vote of the Elders "by ballot," I could protest that "my mind was made up, and it would be contrary to my principles to change it." Can you not observe in all this the conspicuous solidity of my natural courage, as well as the acuteness of my native intelligence? Of course. So it was easy work, and safe, to pre- dict the change of pastors, notwithstanding the 'conditional extension of the time limit." 525 CHAPTER XVII. THE CONFERENCE OF 1919 AND HILTON CIRCUIT. The one hundred and thirty-seventh session of Conference rnet in Centenary Church, Richmond, Va., on Wednesday, November 12th, 1919. Bishop E. R. Hendrix presided, and B. F. Lips- comb was elected Secretary with Frank L. Wells and Roscoe M. White, Assistants. During the quadrennium twenty-two of our preachers had gone to their "great reward." Eleven of these. Revs. R. N. Crooks, T. J. Taylor, W. G. Starr, J. H. Amiss, W. V. Tudor, W. R. Crowder, J. Q. Rhodes, H. C. Bowles, E. P. Par- ham, J. T. Payne and C. C. Wertenbaker were on the Superannuated list ; Bro. W. H. Camper had been a Supernumerary for many years ; but Rob- ert B. Blankenship, Saml. R. Drewry, Lewis B. B. Betty, Bascom Dey, J. W. S. 'Robins, W. W. Lear, L. C. Shearer, H. P. Balderson, and W. W. Sawyer, Elders, and T. M. DeShazo, Deacon, ceased from their labors, cut down in the midst of their work, getting their crown before the day was done. Bros. Amiss, Crooks, Tudor, Camper, Starr and 526 FROM SADDLE TO CITT Bowles were the oldest men in our ranks to pass away during the quadrennium, whilst Bros. Balder- son and DeShazo were the youngest. Bro. Amiss came into our Conference in 1854, and DeShazo in 1914, exactly sixty years between these dates. Bro. Amiss had been in the Conference sixty-two years, and Bro. DeShazo only four years. Bro. Payne came into the Methodist Church, and was licensed as a local preacher, under my ministry in King George in 1879, and we were drawn to each other in the warmest bond of fra- ternal intercourse since that time. He was a kind- hearted sincere man, who knew nothing of the doubtful, double dealings of the world; a Christian minister who preached well, and practiced his own doctrine of life that he might tell others that it would stand any test. "He married a wife." That brief text of scripture shows well the spirit of the man, when he went to find a woman to help him build a home. She was a true woman. Finding her place beside a man who had been called of God to the "ministry of reconciliation," she gave herself to the task assigned her by Divne Provdence, — the task of making a home that was the standard of home life for the churches her husband served. This was the typical "helpmeet" : and he honored his call- ing in the selection he made for this Heaven-ap- pointed task. He . could not have shown greater wisdom. She was the grandaughter of Rev. Saml. Cushen, the Senior Preacher on the old Glouces- BOAT AND RAILWAY 527 ter circuit, who died near Walter Stoakes' home in Milford Haven, Mathews county, in 1824, leav- ing a young wife and a little babe, who lived to become the mother of Sister Payne, whose maiden name was Ellen Cushen Jones. Dr. Willie Lear, Lewis Betty, Jno. Rhodes, Travis Taylor, and Sewell Robins, each one was my friend and brother. I was strongly attached to them. They were valuable men, "holding forth the word of life" in the pastorate, and the more public work of the pulpit. Constructive workers, laying carefully the detail of daily toil on the im- pregnable foundation of the Living Christ. Of Bro. Parham, who was my junior in Middlesex, in 1882, I have spoken in the chapter on that work. Of Bro. Wertenbaker, a native of beautiful Al- bemarle, born in that county in 1844, Dr. Lafferty writes in the Sketches of the Virginia Conference, as follows : "We never saw a man who slung a rifle that was truer to his post than Wertenbaker. At a prayer-meeting or a skirmish Charley was ready to improve the occasion. He was cocked and primed to put in a shot or a shout. Daniel in Babylon was not braver than the stripling soldier and boy class leader in the Confederate Army. His record is luminous. His courage rallied the wav- ering soldier ; his Christian integrity made stead- fast the faltering disciple." Dr. Wm. G. Starr was born in Rappahannock county in 1840. "He was a poet, a brilliant writer, 528 PKOM SADDLE TO CITY a brave soldier, an humble Chrisi".iar, an eloquent preacher, a cheerful and helpful friend, a careful student of the Bible, an apostle of "a living gospel, suited to every age, to every condition and phase of life, the answer to every question, the solution of every problem, temporal and spiritual.' (Edi- tor Copeland, in Nev^rport News "Daily Press.") Of Brother Amiss I have written in another place. During the quadrennium twenty-six preachers had been received on trial into the traveling con- nection; four had been discontinued; one had located; and fourteen received by Transfer from other Conferences. Of theso. Dr. John B. Winn, Dr. J. W. Moore, Brothers Wallace R. Evans. 1. D. McAlister, and J. K. Holnian wer; simply coming back to the old Conference after serving a few years as a loan to other field.;. Perhaps some one thinks on reading this, that I am a little mistakea in the case of Dr. J. W. Moore. But I am not. Dr. Moore came to us years ago from Ilol'-'ton. He served Queen Street Church, Norfolk, very accept- ably; and then was taken away. Bro. Aberuathy has but recently joined another Church. Bro. Ship- ley returned to the Mission field in China last sum- mer. The Methodist Church in general, and the Vir- ginia Conference in particular, suffered a great loss this year, 1919, in the death of two very valuable laymen, — W. W. Vicar of Norfolk, and Capt. E. V. 529 White of Portsmouth. The Preachers' Relief So- ciety adopted the following paper and caused it to be spread upon their minutes : — "Since the last meeting of this Board, two of its most useful and beloved members have ceased from their earthly labors and gone up to their heavenly reward. It is fitting that we should here record our appreciation of their fellowship and services, and our profound sorrow on account of their re- moval from our midst. "Willis Wilson Vicar departed this life on the 14th of February, 1919, having passed his sixty- ninth birthday. He had been a member of the Methodist Church from his youth, and for many years was a trusted and valuable officer of the Church. In all the various positions of trust that he held in the Church and community, he mani- fested the highest type of Christian character, and won to himself a multitude of friends in all the walks of life. It is safe to say that no more faith- ful and honored Christian man lived among us than he, and none whose departure will be more keenly felt. He became a member of this Board in 1885, and was elected Secretary and Treasurer on the 23rd of November, 1886, continuing through more than thirty-two years of unbroken service to discharge the duties of his office. His patient fi- delity, his wise business management, and his dil- igent administration of the important matters com- mitted to his charge, have contributed very largely 530 TEOM SADDLE TO CITY to the progress and prosperity of the Society, and to the relief of those for whose benefit it was formed. In thus expressing our appreciation of his character and services, we tender our respect- ful and cordial sympathies to his afflicted family in their great sorrow. "Capt. E. V. White finished his earthly course at Clifton Springs, New York, on the 28th of Feb- ruary, 1919, in the eightieth year of his age. He had been for many years a prominent figure in the business and religious life of Portsmouth and Norfolk, and was held in high esteem by a wide circle of friends and associates. During the Civil War he fought bravely for the cause of the Con- federacy, and was an officer of the "Virginia" (or Merrimac) in the historic fight in Hampton Roads. He was largely instrumental in founding Park View Methodist Church in Portsmouth, and con- tributed much to the various enterprises of the Church. Captain White became a member of this Board in November, 1887, and was at once placed upon the Investment Committee, now called the Finance Committee. In 1909 he was appointed also a member of the Executive Committee. In these places of trust and usefulness he served with con- scientious fidelity, and was always ready to attend the meetings of the Society, and to be present at the sessions of the Annual Conference whenever possible. The Society and its beneficiaries owe much to his wisdom and care. We beg to tender BY BUGGY, BOAT AND RAILWAY 531 to his surviving loved ones our cordial sympathy in their bereavement. "It is hereby directed that this minute be spread upon the records of the Society and that a copy be sent by the Secretarj'- to the family of each of these deceased brethren." (Signed) "J. T. Whitley, Secretary and Treasurer." On motion of E. Frank Story, "a standing vote of thanks was extended Thos. S. Southgate, Con- ference Campaign Director, for his efficient ser- vice rendered in the Centenary Drive." Surely this was a deserved recognition of sys- tematic, sustained, intelligent and conscientious work given to his Church by one of the busiest business men in the nation. The business relations of brother Southgate extended over the entire South, with connections north and west, and "feel- ers" running out to the Pacific Coast, and across that ocean to the coasts beyond. Yet this man, of not too vigorous a body, and often weary beyond endurance, pushed the Centenary Campaign, with the aid of selected District Directors to the most remarkable results ever achieved in the history of the old Conference. His presence inspired con- fidence : his addresses, albeit there was much sameness in them, were fresh, strong, courageous, devout, indignant at times almost to the verge of fiery Invective, always appealing to the faith, to the loyalty, to the sense of honor of the people, led 532 FROM SADDLE TO CITT the Conference, including his own District (Nor- folk) to stand in the front of all the Southern Church in the total amount of money subscribed, and the total number of leaders brought to the consecration altar for life service. Time and again during the past fifteen years Brother Southgate plead with his brethren to per- mit him to lay down his burden that another might take it: but they turned a deaf ear to his pleas, and by prayer and supplication at the throne of grace that the Holy Spirit might lead this able worker, and the power of God strengthen him 'for his task, they placed the commission in his hand year after year, awaited his plans for conquest, and his word to advance, first pledging sympathy and co-operation. The Conference has constantly called him to do the difficult thing: he was too humble a man to push himself into leadership ; he was too brave and too loyal a child of the Church to retire. Hence he is at the front yet, and will be to the end. He is the friend of the preachers. Many of them would speak out if they dared break the promise they made on a certain day when Tom Southgate put his arm around the heart and the home of the struggling itinerant, and uttered the charge, "Keep this to yourself." I have often been reminded, by his unostentatious generosity, of D'Arcy Paul in Petersburg, of Walter Stoakes in Mathews, of Tom Rpdes in Albemarle, of Tim Bowden on Knott's BY BUGGY, BOAT AND RAII-WAY 533 Island, South Princess Anne, and Jim McCarty, the unlettered man of moderate means in King George. God chooses his leaders from among the men and women of faith, without regard to their posi- tion or wealth. They furnish the instance of fidel- ity in the cultivation of talent, whether it be one or five. He furnishes the field and "grace to help in every time of need." I am not a traitor to the person of deep learning, or broad culture, or of im- mense riches because I place beside him the per- son of Jimited culture, or limited m3,terial re- sources. Christ did this when he placed the man with the two taletits beside the man with the five : he would have given the man with the one talent the same praise if he had not been "wicked and slothful." The point of the whole story is that the glory belongs to God, after all, and not to any accident of education, position, or wealth, to fidel- ity in the discharge of duty with the equipment we possess, and not to any inherited right, or acquired title. Conference adjourned on the 17th of November, and I was read out for "Hilton," Portsmouth and Newport News District. It was a new appoint- ment, out and out. I was considerably upset when I first heard the news. No church-building, no membership, no anything but an opportunity. I was seventy-one years old. I had been selected out of a lot of men twenty-five, and thirty-five 534 FROM SADDLE TO CITY years younger than myself to go out into a new field from the delightful surroundings at Central, Hampton, to do pioneer work, and the Board of Missions had appropriated $500.00 to take care of me. I grasped the idea in this form, and lifted my heart in thanksgiving to God that he had given me this honor at this period of life, when other men, far more worthy than I, had been given easier places, or had retired from travel altogether. I asked brother Simpson, my Presiding Elder, why I had been assigned such work at my age? He said "We all believed you are the man to do that work." So I accepted the appointment as an opportunity from the hand of the Lord, and I went to Him in prayer, and committed myself, with every power of my being, to the task, and begged for grace to help me do His will as far aS my tal- ents permitted. And up to this time the Lord has been with me. Dr. W. H. Edwards, who had been my Presid- ing Elder once before, (four years on the East- ern Shore,) took charge of me again, and I was satisfied. We had, in fact, been associated "at long range" for a long time. He was, in his early ministry, on the West Brunswick circuit, that sec- tion of the old Brunswick circuit, where I was born, and had his home at "Roslin," the home of my grandfather. Rev. John Gregory Claiborne, and my birthplace. My grandfather esteemed him very highly, and predicted for him a successful ca- BY BUGGT, BOAT AND RAILWAY 535 reer. My step-grandmother was somewhat ex- travagant in her admiration of him because of his general usefulness in doing odd jobs around the place cheerfully and without coaxing. In my early ministry at Bethany, in Northumberland, I had re- ceived his devoted wife into the church when she was a girl just entering her teens. So, notwith- standing the fact that he had turned loose a stream of cold-water on my sensitive hide at the Salis- bury, (Maryland,) Conference of 1911, by telling me there was "nowhere for me to go," it was very pleasajit to have him for my Elder again. I thought of dear brother William E. Payne, at Charlottes- ville in 1894, when his term expired on the Rap- pahannock District, and mine expired in Mathews circuit. I said to him as we went on to Conference, — "Look out for me, brother Payne, and don't let me die on the auction block." He replied, — "A nig- ger of my acquaintance once had a dog named 'Tige,' that his owner said would bring out a coon from anywhar. He and some white men took Tige out coon-hunting on a certain night; turned Tige loose in the woods, and waited for Tige to 'open.' The nigger said, 'When you hyears Tige, you may know Tige is arfter sump'n.' But presently Tige came out of the jungle like a streak of lightning, and the white men asked, 'What's the matter with Tige?' The nigger replied, 'Thar's sump'n arfter Tige.' Now, Butts, don't forget: this fall thar's sump'n arfter Payne." So I thought of Brother 5ii6 FfiOM SADDLE TO CIfY Edwards; it was his fourth year: there was "some- thing after" him. But he and brother Lipscomb together took special care of me that fall, and I have always beem grateful to them for the appoint- ment I received. I had everything at the Central parsonage ready to send up to Hilton Village to the rented house, 87 Hopkins Street, by the middle of the next week. Nobody had to get out of my way, but I had to get out of the way of my successor. Rev. E. T. Dad- mu-n. Yet he did not hurry me. He knew the ladies of the church were putting things in order for his coming, so he came when the signal was given. I was delighted that such an efficient and useful a man as Dadmun had proven himself to be, had been sent to such a strategic post as Central Church. Two fine congregations heard me at Central, November the 23rd, but on Monday night a "Fare- well Service" was held and Central people sur- prised Mrs. Butts by presenting her with a purse of fifty dollars in gold, and rendered me speech- less for awhile by presenting me, through that wonderful veteran Christian and Confederate sol- dier. Brother Isaac Wheeler, with a costly gold watch suitably inscribed. Will Richardson and Floyd Diggs said such a gift meant that I had bored the people there long enough, and the time to travel had arrived, and I had better go while "going was good." Yet I have noticed that these 537 two men have visited my home at Hilton oftener than anyone else in Hampton. Perhaps they re- pented their rashness long ago. But, then, they know I am never happier than when they bring the sunshine of a jolly soul, and a warm heart into my home. Our last meals in Hampton were taken at Mrs. C. C. Marchant's on King Street, Waller Hudgins's and E. L. Carmines's. Thursday, November 27th, wife and I occupied our new home in Hilton Vil- lage, and Sunday, the 30th met my new congre- gation for the first time. The people gave us a warm reception, and I entered upon my new work in a cheerful, hopeful mood. The outlook that day was fine, from every point of view. The people were in good spirits, and predicted a successful year. The founding of the Hilton Village Church is the work of a band of earnest men and women brought together here from many states by the call for skilled labor in the Newport News Ship- building and Dry Dock Company's plant during the great War. The Emergency Fleet Corporation began the construction of the village in the early spring of 1918, to provide homes for the immense increase in the population of Newport News, and thus give shelter to the large number of workmen in the Shipyard seeking dwellings for their families. The village is three miles north of the city in War- 53S TROM SADDLE TO CITY wick county, immediately on the C. &. O. rail- way between "Camp Hill" and "Camp Morrison." The concrete road from Fort Monroe to York- town passes through the place. The village is composed of about 475 houses, and is laid off into three streets running perpendicular to Warwick Road, on which is the car line to Newport News; the names of these streets being Hopkins, Main and Post. Parallel with Warwick Road are the^ following Avenues : — Piez, Hurley, Palen, Fergu- son, and River Road. These buildings are com- fortable, furnished with heating and cooking ap- paratus, water and electricity. On the 8th of June, 1919, Rev. Mr. Bomboy of Norfolk, Field Agent of the Presbyterians, and Rev. Walter Smith, a Member of Chestnut Avenue Methodist Church, Newport News, organized a Sunday School in the Firemen's Qub House with 12 teachers and scholars. June 15th, with 37 pres- ent the organization was completed, with Rev. Mr. Bomboy, Supt., and Brother Smith, Assistant. As the number increased and the people decided to hold all the exercises out doors, under the trees, behind the Club House. Mid-week services were held in private houses by Brother Smith. As the summer was nearly ended other quarters for the winter must be had. Mr. E. T. Massey gave them per- mission to use the old building that had been used as a hospital while the village was in course of construction. It proved to be suited to both Sun- o o M o H O