The journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, Vol. IX, 1910Various
History
The journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, Vol. IX, 1910
Various
American-Irish Historical Society -- Periodicals; Ethnology -- United States -- Periodicals; Irish Americans -- Periodicals
Again, according to Meade, “It is not wonderful that disaffection should
take place and dissent begin.” It was under these conditions and after
Lord Howard of Effingham succeeded Culpepper in Virginia, having
received royal instructions “to allow no person to use a printing press,
on any occasion whatsoever,” that there came into Virginia the man whose
influence in the cause of religious liberty in the colonies must be
reckoned as second to that of but few others—this was Francis Makemie,
the Irish founder of organized Presbyterianism in America. He came by
the way of the Barbadoes and settled at Rehoboth by the river and
founded the Presbyterian Church at Snow Hill, Maryland, 1683. He was
earnest, fearless and indefatigable in his labors for the spiritual
uplift of the people with whom his lot was cast, and it is worth noting
that in those days of the intolerance of the established church, that
the Presbyterian denomination began its existence in a colony founded by
a Roman Catholic nobleman, Lord Baltimore. Having raised the blue banner
in Maryland, he traveled by land as far as Norfolk and proceeded to
Carolina, where it seems he labored among the people until the spring of
the following year, as he was in North Carolina in May.
In a letter to Increase Mather, written July 22d, 1684, from Elizabeth
River, Virginia, he speaks of a voyage engaged to South Carolina, but he
met with contrary winds and was driven as far north as Delaware Bay and
eventually had to put into Virginia, where he was persuaded by Colonel
Anthony Lawson and other inhabitants of the Parish of Linhaven in lower
Norfolk County to stay that season. Their pastor, formerly from Ireland,
died the August before and left them without a leader.
Makemie seems to have remained at Elizabeth River for a considerable
time. He writes again from there to Increase Mather, Boston, N. England,
under date of July 28, 1685, in which he acknowledges the receipt of a
letter and three books and refers to a Mr. Thomas Barret, a minister
living in South Carolina and from whom he had received a letter from
Ashley River, stating that he was about to take shipping for New England
and for whom Makemie enclosed a letter. Just how long after this he
remained with this people is not known, only that in the following year
he made an extended preaching tour southward to Carolina, ministering to
the spiritual necessaries of the people in neglected communities and
performing the other duties devolving upon a true minister of the
Gospel. It was no easy task that confronted him, while nearly three
fourths of the population were dissenters from the established church.
“It is safe to say,” says Cobbs, “that no small proportion of the people
were without any definite religion.” This was especially true of North
Carolina.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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