The Bulletin of the Loudoun County Historical Society, Volume IV, 1965Various
History
The Bulletin of the Loudoun County Historical Society, Volume IV, 1965
Various
Loudoun County (Va.) -- History
As early as 1746 Fairfax Quarter granted to Friends settled on the banks
or tributaries of Goose Creek, which also included South Fork, at Union
(now Unison), the priviledge of holding a meeting for worship on the
third day of each month at the residence of the members. About 1750, or
51, a regular meeting was established at Goose Creek. The first meeting
house was built of logs and was said to have been built on the site
where Hannah held her devotions.
A traveling minister wrote in his autobiography: “On seventh day we went
to their monthly meeting at Fairfax, 8 miles from Leesburg, which was
large and solemn—On second day was at Goose Creek, 8 miles ye Meeting
house small yet did not hold half ye pepal which was a great
disc-advantage yet came away pretty Ese.”
That the French and Indian War did not overly affect Loudoun County is
well known. However, the people well knew the hardship endured by the
Friends in the Valley, as this bit from the “Autobiography of William
Reckitt,” who was a visitor in our county in 1757 shows. “Crossing
Potomac we came into Virginia to Fairfax; where we had a meeting on the
second day of the week and 12th of the 12th month. It was a good
meeting, truth having the dominion—We lodged at Mary Janney’s, a
discrete orderly woman, who had several sober, well inclined children.
From hence we went to Goose Creek and had a meeting on third day; it was
well. On 4th day we had a meeting at David Pole’s several Friends
accompanying us. I had a travail in spirit—We left David Pole’s house on
5th day and rode over the Blue Ridge or Blue Mountains, where the
Indians had done much mishief, by burning houses, killing, destroying,
and carrying many people away as captives; but Friends had not hitherto
been hurt: yet several had left their plantations and fled back again
over the Blue Mountains, where the lands had been rightly purchased of
the Indians.”
Daniel Staunton in “Life, Travels and Gospel” reports that in December
of 1760, “We went forward crossing the Patowmac into Virginia: the next
Meetings were Fairfax, Goose Creek, Potts’, or the Gap, some of which
were largely favored with solid comfort and satisfaction, there
appearing many dear Friends with whom I had unity in Spirit: from the
last place we traveled till we got over Shanandore river, and lodged at
John Vestal’s.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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