Eastern Shore
Quakers
by Grady Gordon
Brickhouse
Quakerism on the Eastern Shore
of Virginia became of a great interest to me when I discovered that
my family had originally settled on the Eastern Shore near a small
town called Nassawadocks and had Quaker connections.
The search for my family
history began nineteen years ago during the last year I was in
college. I was studying to become a history teacher when I was given
a project in one of my history classes to construct a family tree
going back as far as I could from interviews with relatives and
original source documents such as Bibles, death certificates and
other records my family might have in their possession. It
wasn’t very long before I realized how little my immediate
family knew about my father’s side of the family.
My father died when I was only
five years old. My mother told me that she never knew my
father’s mother or father because they had died before my
parents were married. She knew his brothers and sisters, but very
little other information.
I never realized the journey I
would begin from what seemed like a small project. My search lead me
to the small North Carolina town of Columbia, the birthplace of my
father.
Columbia is situated in
northeastern North Carolina along the Scuppernong River which empties
into the beautiful Albermarle Sound. It was originally called
“Hearts
Delight” by the
early settlers. My first visit was anything but a “hearts
delight”. I spent the entire day viewing microfilm and checking
records. At the end of the day, driving back to my brother’s
house in Elizabeth City my eyes were blurry from reading microfilm
and I was going home with more questions than answers.
Several years of additional
research and writing hundreds of letters was required in order to
finally construct a family tree from Peter Brickhouse who moved to
Tyrrell County, North Carolina in December, 1755 down to me. That is
where I found myself up against a wall or should I say a
“Brick” wall. The trail ended in Columbia.
Genealogy begins as a small
school project or a hobby and ends up becoming an obsession. I wanted
to know how Peter Brickhouse and his family first arrived in Tyrrell
County and where they lived before moving to Tyrrell County. This
quest for knowing would consume many hours and days of my time.
Checking libraries and indexes in books became my favorite
pastime.
After continuing my
investigation for several years, I discovered an article published in The Virginia
Magazine, by
Dr. Kenneth L. Carroll who is a Professor of Religion at Southern
Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, and is considered an authority
on Quakerism in Colonial America. In Dr. Carroll's article on page
176, George Brickhouse was listed as a member of the Quaker
congregation at Nassawadox, Virginia. Dr. Carroll again mentioned
George Brickhouse on page 178 of his article by
saying,
"A second meeting
house, erected at some unknown time was built at Nassawadox. In
1689, George Brickhouse, whose wife was named Hannah gave a tract
of his land to his daughter Ann, but made exception of 'one Acre
whereon the meetinghouse standeth which I freely give to the
people called Quakers
forever.'"1
After reading this article, I
felt as if I had struck gold. My search now turned northward to
Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Not only did this article point me in
the right direction for family research, but it sparked within me a
desire to research my Quaker roots.
It was only a short time before
I located a copy of the Encyclopedia of
American Quaker
Genealogy. This
book provided me very little information about George Brickhouse that
I did not already know, but did begin to shed some light on the
Quaker community that had existed of the Eastern Shore of
Virginia.
Quakers first arrived on the
Eastern Shore as early as
1655/56.2
The first meeting house was built at Nassawadox in 1657 by Levin
Denwood.3
George Brickhouse
provided the second meeting house which was built on his land
sometime before 1688 near Franktown.
I was almost heartbroken to
discover that all of the records for these early meetings of Quakers
at Nassawadox and Accomac had been destroyed or misplaced over the
years. Many of these records would have given me a better
understanding of George Brickhouse and the other members of the
Quaker congregation.
So what happened to these
records? They were last in the possession of a Society member,
William Waters. He died in 1733 and the records were to be delivered
to the custody of the Third Haven Monthly Meeting in Maryland, but
they never
arrived.4
Because Quakers refused to be
married by
“hireling
priest” of the
Church of England, many of the early marriages are not recorded in
the public records of Northampton County. Quakers kept records for
births, marriages and deaths for their own purposes, but never
recorded them in the public records. Many family researchers probably
wonder why so many marriages do not appear in Northampton County
records. Many of the missing marriages are probably Quakers.
Later I was to discover that
Virginia refused to recognize the marriages of Quakers as legal.
England and Maryland accepted Quaker marriages, but Virginia would
not. The Quaker marriage ceremony consisted of a simple ceremony
without the aid of a priest or minister. Quakers believe that
marriages were ordained in Heaven and sealed in the presence of God
and not performed by any
"hireling
priest" as required by
Virginia law. Many Quakers were fined for not obeying the laws
concerning marriages. Their children were considered illegitimate and
their parents were made to suffer accordingly.
If the following examples of
Quaker marriages did not appear in the court records in 1679 and 1690
in Northampton County, the record of their marriages would also have
been lost forever.
“Whereas Mary
Gouldsmith was
sumoned to this Court to answere the Crime of Fornicacon; and
forasmuch as George
Johnson and Mary
Gouldsmith being called to answere,alledged that they were married
according to their Custome and manner and did acknowledge they
ware not married according as the Law enjoynes...[each was
fined 500 pounds of
tobacco].”5
“This day Susanna
the relicit of Vrinson
Foster deceased
Exhibitinge an Account of the said decedent’s Estate;
whereupon it was demanded of her by Robert
Foster, brother to
the said Vrinson Foster, how shee could make it appeare shee was
his said Brother’s lawfull wife: Whereupon shee producinge a
Testimoniall of her marriage to him after the manner of the people
called Quakers - This Court humbly represents the same to the
Right Honorable Lieutenant Governor and Councell for theire
Honors’ advice and direction therein; it beinge impracticable
and without precedent in this Court’s
memory.”6
The size of the Quaker
congregation and its influence on the Eastern Shore community was
considerable. It is impossible to give an exact number of the Quaker
membership on the Eastern Shore, but a good estimate can be found by
looking at the number of missing marriage records in individual
families between 1655 and 1720.
In my particular family the
only marriage I can find for the Brickhouses between 1655 and 1720 is
the marriage of George Brickhouse to Hannah Luddington in 1661. This
marriage took place in Hunger’s Parish in Northampton County. It
leads me to believe that George Brickhouse was not converted to
Quakerism until after this date. From wills, deeds and other records,
I have determined that there were at least nine other marriages
during this time period that are not found in the public records of
Northampton or Accomack Counties.
Another good indication of the
size and influence of the Quakers was the acts passed against them by
the General Assembly beginning in 1659/60, 1662 and 1663. These Acts
instead of stomping out Quakerism, only caused it to
flourish.
Although, we cannot say for
certain how large the Quaker congregation on the Eastern Shore was,
we do know, that ,
“Among their
leaders were: Henry
Vaux, Levin
Denwood, Ambrose
Dixon and Henry
White. Among their
members we know the following: Stephen
Horsey, John
Parsons, of Muddy
Creek, George
Johnson of Muddy
Creek, Jonas
Jackson of Ocahanock, Thomas
Price, the leather
dresser; Henry
Boston, the cooper
and former Burgess; George
Brickhouse,who gave
the land for the meetinghouse; Mrs. Judith
Patrick, who gave
money for its repair; Henry
White who was
imprisoned for his staunch defense of his faith; Levin
Denwood, father and
son; Robert
Harris of Savage
Neck; Thomas
Leatherbury, Thomas
Brown and his wife Susanna
Denwood; Capt. William
Michell, the
Burgess; James
Jones, Sara
Jones, William
Knox of Matchaprague; Richard
Waters and wife; John
Hale, Nicholas
Waddelow and his
three daughters, Comfort, Temperance
and Patience; Timothy
Coe, Sara
Coe, the widow, John
Drummond, Rogers
Mikell, Thomas
Everden, George
Drewitt of Mulberry
Grove; Daniel
Ayers, Thomas
Fookes, George
Truitt, Christopher
Mather, William
Nock, Richard
Moore, Mary Johnson of Muddy Creek and
her son, John; John
Eyre and Robert
Hutchinson, the
first clerk of Accomac county; and the wife of Walter
Lane at Nassawadox.
Perhaps the most prominent name both socially and politically on
the roster of the Eastern Shore Quakers was that of Matilda
West, widow of Lt.
Col. John West and the daughter of Colonel Edmund Scarbourough,
who, almost a hundred years before, had hardly been able to bear
his own contempt of the sect.
Others who seem to have been
Quakers and yet whose identity as such is not positive are; John
Winborrow, John
Hudson, William
Stephens, Jane
the wife of William
Micholl, Barbara
the wife of John
Winborrow, Edward
Southerne, Mary
Denwood and William
Colbourne. All these
were brought before court for some dissent in religious matters
and the indications are that they were Quaker sympathizers if not
official
professors.”7
Early Quakers were not well
appreciated in Virginia. Virginia was the first permanent English
colony in the New World and the Church of England was the official
church of the colony. It was supported from the public treasury.
Naturally, any attempt to bring about a
"new
religion", with strange
beliefs such as healings, revelations from God and no ministers was
considered heresy. William Robinson, the first know Quaker missionary
to work on the Eastern Shore was hanged in 1659 in
Boston for his activities in promoting the Quaker cause. Robinson was
on the Eastern Shore prior to 1658, preaching and establishing Quaker
assemblies. He,
"was accused of heresy
and of being a seducer of the people to faction and committing in
open court the felony of denying the humanity of
Christ."8
Henry Vaux, mentioned earlier
as a leader of the early Quakers on the Eastern Shore, was arrested
and imprisoned in June of 1658 for allowing William Robinson in his
home. He was again arrested in 1660 for putting Quakers ashore at
Nassawaddox. He had pretended to be taking them up the Chesapeake Bay
to the area of Annapolis-Patuxent in
Maryland.9
The Quakers were extremely
active in preaching on the Eastern Shore during 1658 and 1659. This
fervent activity brought about the passage of laws against the
Quakers in 1659-1660 trying to restrict their activities.
"This act described
Quakers as, 'An unreasonable and turbulent sort of people......who
contrary to the law do dayly gather together unto them unlaw ' ll
Assemblies and congregations of people teaching and publishing,
lies, miracles, false visions, prophecies and doctrines, which
have influence upon the communities of men both ecclesiasticall
and civil endeavoring and attempting thereby to destroy religion,
laws, communities and all bonds of civil Society.' " 10
This new law against Quakers
was very severe, and far reaching affecting every aspect of their
daily lives.
"It provided for a
fine of 100 pounds sterling on any ship's master who brought in
Quakers and imposed prison terms for Quakers not leaving the
colony, penalties for returning to Virginia, entertaining Quakers,
permitting assemblies of Quakers, and publishing Quakers beliefs
were also provided. " 11
Heavy fines were imposed on
many of the Quakers living on the Eastern Shore. Some were imprisoned
in the James City jail in Jamestown; others who refused to take an
oath of allegiance and supremacy were by,
"wind and weather
.......cast away and
lost."12
The persecution of Quakers
became so widespread during that period that many of the Quakers were
forced into exile in Barbados and southern Maryland. George Wilson,
one of these unfortunates was imprisoned at Jamestown, during this
period. He died in 1662,
"as a result of the
heavy irons with which he was fettered irritating his
flesh."13
During this same time period,
Governor Calvert, desiring to populate the county from which Somerset
County, Maryland would be formed, offered anyone willing to settle in
this region fifty free acres of land as well as an offer of religious
freedom. About fifty people left the Northampton-Accomac, Virginia
area to settle in Maryland,
“within the first
six months following its proclamation in November
1661.”14
“With few
exceptions the persons named in the above list came from
Northampton-Accomack County, in Virginia, viz: [Stephen]
Horsey, [Ambrose] Dixon, Thomas Price, [Henry]
Boston, [Henry] Hart, Draper, George Johnson,
[William] Coulbourne, Curtis, Hasfurt, London, Williams,
Minshall, Tull, Catlin,Revell, Elzey, Thorne, Anthony Johnson,
Furnish ( in later records Furnis and Furnes), Bosman, Westlocke,
Barnabe, Boyes (Boyce), Nutter, Gillis, Covington, Waller, Jenkin
Price, Walley, Wale (later Whaley), Dennis, Manlove, Quillaine,
Townsend, James Jones and
Rice.”15
Many of the Quakers chose to
remain in Virginia in spite of the religion
persecution.
William Berkeley, the Colonial
governor, was relentless in his quest to stamp out Quakerism. The
governor wrote letters to officials, in Lower Norfolk, expressing his
displeasure at them for not ridding their area of the colony of
Quakers.
"Mr. Conquest August
8th 1660 I hearr wth sorrow yt you are very remisse in yor office,
in not stopping frequent meetings of this most pestilent sect of
ye quakers, whether this be so or not, I doe charge you (by virtue
of ye power ye grand assemble has entrusted me with) not to suffer
any more of theire meetings or Conventicles & if any such
shall be refractory, yt you send them up prisoners to James Citty.
I expect your obedience to this wch I send you without enclosing
yt all may take notice of it.
Yor Loving ffrend,
William
Berkley
ffor Mr. Richard Conquest:
Sherr of Lower
Nofl:"16
Three years later he sings the
same song of hatred:
"The Governor, his
love to ye gent of ye County of Lower Norfl:Gentlemen I thanke you
for yor care of ye County & desire you to continue it, &
especially to pvide yt abominated seede of ye Quakers spread not
in yor County, which to prvent I think fitt to add these fower to
the Commission vizt: Mr. Adam Thurrowgood, Mr. Wm. Carver, Mr. Wm.
Daynes & Mr. Thomas Ffulsher, Mr. Hall I heare is ancient.
Once more I beseech you gent: to have an exact care of this
Pestilent Sect of ye Quakers.
Yor most affectionate frend,
27th of June 1663 William
Berkeley"17
Many Quakers were imprisoned by
Governor Berkeley and their property seized. Some were banished
because they refused to swear an oath of loyalty or promise to
refrain from holding their meetings to worship God.
Just when you thought things
could not get any worse for the Quakers, the Virginia Legislature
(House of Burgesses) in Williamsburg passed,
"An Act against
Persons that refuse to have their Children
Baptized"18
They followed up with another
act against Quakers in September 1663, entitled,
"An Act prohibiting
the Unlawful Assembling of
Quakers"19
A Quaker could be fined 2,000
pounds of tobacco if he refused to baptize his children. The Unlawful
Assembly Act prohibited Quakers above the age sixteen or older from
gathering in groups of five or more to practice their religion. If
you were caught violating the law against assembling, the first
offense could cost them as much as 200 pounds of tobacco, the second
offenseup to 500 pounds. If a Quaker was unable to pay a fine levied
against him, it could be collected from other Quakers who had the
means of paying the fine. The fines were used to promote others to
inform on Quakers. Any person informing on a known Quaker would
receive one half of the fined imposed. The remainder of the fine went
into the public treasury.
The sex of a person provided no
protection for Quaker women. Alice Ambrose and Mary Tompkins were
whipped in 1663 for promoting their
beliefs.20
John Porter was thrown out of the House of Burgesses for being,
"loving to the
Quakers".21
It is little wonder that many
of the early Quakers in Virginia fled into Maryland seeking religious
freedom.
In 1677, John Boweter (Bowater)
visited the Eastern Shore of Virginia and held meetings in various
Quaker homes up and down the Eastern Shore. He listed the meeting
places as “Accamack, Pongaleg, by Accamack Shore, Pocamock Bay,
Annamesia in the home of Ambose
Dickson, Mody Creek in
Accamack in the home of George
Johnson, Savidge-Neck
in the home of Robert
Harris, the home of George
Brickhouse, Nesswatakes
(Nassawadox),
Ocahanack in the home of Jonas
Jackson, Mody-Creek in
the homes of John
Parsons, Annamessiah in
the homes of George
Johnson and George
Wilson.”22
By 1699, Quakerism, on the
Eastern Shore was dying. Quaker leaders in Maryland were concerned
because of "Friends marrying outside of their Society and intermixing
in worldly
affairs."23
They sent
several Friends down to Virginia to report on the Quaker activities
in that region. Their report was not good.
"Three of the friends
appointed by our last Yearly Meeting at West River to visit the
Lower Monthly meeting on the Eastern Shore [are present]
& Report that they visit the sd meeting and find that many of
their late Elders are dead which hath weakened them so that
Discioplying is much Let fall & that they have had no monthly
meetings [for business] at Muddy Creek nor Noswoodox these
several years, but now they seeme to be willing to settle a
monthly meeting at William Nocks which is between the sd
meetings."24
By 1750, Quakerism had all but
disappeared from the Eastern Shore of Virginia, but its influence
would continue for almost another hundred years. Quakers were the
first to openly opposed slavery. Many Quakers would buy slaves just
for the purpose of giving them their freedom, even though it was
illegal to do so in Virginia. I found a deed of freedom granted by
Ann Brickhouse in 1796 in which she frees twenty two slaves as they
reached the age of twenty one. Shortly before this deed was granted
Virginia changed its statute to allow for the emancipation of former
slaves.
A Supplement to the 1810 Census
of Virginia identifies one hundred and thirty one free black males
living in Northampton County. A footnote to this census record notes
that some of the slaves had been freed by Ann Brickhouse. I believe
that it was this Quaker influence in my family that brought about the
freeing of slaves sixty five years before the Civil
War.
The 1860 federal census also
attest to the Quaker influence for on this last census prior to the
Civil War there were 963 free Negro residents of Northampton County,
many of who had received their freedom as a result of the legacy left
by the Quaker community of Virginia’s Eastern
Shore.25
|
Sources |
| 1Carroll,
Dr. Kenneth L., The Virginia
Magazine,
"Quakerism on the Eastern Shore of Virginia", pages
178-179. |
2Ibid,
page 170. |
3
Jacobsen, Phebe R. , Quaker Records in
Maryland, page
76, Publication No. 14, The Hall of Records Commission, (State of
Maryland: Annapolis, MD) 1966. |
4Ibid,
page 76. |
5Whitelaw,
Ralph T., Virginia’s
Eastern Shore, Volume II, page 1402
(Camden, Maine: Picton Press) 1989. |
| 6Ibid,
page 1403.-1404. |
7Hinshaw,
William Wade, Encyclopedia of
American Quaker Genealogy, Volume VI, page
11 (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co.) |
8Carroll,
Dr. Kenneth L., T he Virginia Magazine, "Quakerism on the Eastern
Shore of Virginia", page 171. |
9Ibid,
page 171. |
10Ibid,
page 172. |
| 11Ibid,
page 172. |
12Ibid,
page 172. |
13Ibid,
page 173. |
14Ibid,
page 174. |
15Torrence,
Clayton, Old
Somerset on The Eastern Shore of
Maryland, page
280, (Richmond: Whittet & Shepperson) 1935. |
| 16Hinshaw,
William Wade, Encyclopedia of
American Quaker
Genealogy,
Volume VI, pages 9, (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing
Co.) |
17Ibid.,
page 9.
|
18Carroll,
Dr. Kenneth L., The Virginia
Magazine,
"Quakerism on the Eastern Shore of Virginia", page
174. |
19Ibid.,
page 175. |
20Ibid.,
page 175. |
| 21Ibid.,
page 175. |
22Boweter,
John, Christian
Epistles, Travels and Sufferings, of That Antient Servant of
Christ,
(London: T. Sowle) 1705. |
23Carroll,
Dr. Kenneth L., The Virginia
Magazine, "Quakerism on the
Eastern Shore of Virginia", page 173. |
24Ibid,
page 184. |
25Latimer,
Frances Bibbins, 1860 Census for
Northampton County,
Virginia,
(Eastville: Hickory House) 1994. |
|
