According to the journal of the Diocesan Convention for 1881, the register of the Episcopal Churches in Washington County at present is as follows: St. John's Parish: St. John's Church, Hagerstown; St. Ann's Chapel, Smithsburg; Rev. Walter A. Mitchell, rector.
College of St. James: St. James' Chapel; Rev. Henry Edwards, chaplain.
St. Andrew's Church, Clear Spring; Rev. Coupland R. Page, rector.
St. Mark's Church, Lappon's Cross-roads; Rev. Henry Edwards, rector.
St. Paul's Church, Sharpsburg; Rev. Henry Edwards, missionary.
St. Thomas' Church, Hancock; Rev. Henry Wall, S.T.D., rector.
Hagerstown is a city of churches, and no community of its size in Maryland can boast of as many handsome church edifices. In point of architectural excellence, it is doubtful if its churches would not bear off the palm in competition with any of the rural cities in the whole country. Especially beautiful and even imposing is St. John's Episcopal church, belonging to the strongest religious congregation in the city, but several of the other churches are striking enough in their appearance to render any very marked distinction impossible. The Lutherans, the Presbyterians, the Catholics, and the Methodists all have fine church buildings, which are really models of style, and finished in a uniformly handsome manner.
The records of'' The Vestry of Washington County" were begun on April 21, 1787, when ''a number of the inhabitants of Washington County professing the Protestant religion of the Episcopal Church" met at the court-house in Elizabeth Town (Hagerstown) and elected as vestrymen John Stull, Daniel Hughes, Alexander Claggett, Thomas Sprigg, Richard Pindell, Nathaniel Rochester, and Elie Williams. On May 19th the vestry contracted with Henry Bowart for twenty-six thousand bricks for the church, and on June 2nd they awarded to John Willar, at forty-five pounds, the contract for the carpenters' and joiners' work. The church stood near what is now the southern end of Locust Street, and was a substantial brick edifice.
On April 13, 1789, "a number of inhabitants of Washington County" again met at the court-house, and elected as vestry Rev. George Bower, Alexander Claggett, Thomas Sprigg, Daniel Hughes, Elie Williams, Richard Pindell, and Hezekiah Claggett. The church-wardens appointed were Rezin Davis and Wm. Gordon. Col. John Stull was allowed £24 16s. 8d. for " lyme, scantling, and hauling;" Alexander Claggett £1 16s. 8d. for sundries for the use of the church; Alexander and Hugh Claggett, for sundries advanced for the use of the church, £6 8s. 4d., and Frederick Alter ten shillings for altering a window in the church. At the meeting of the vestry on May 11th of same year the collectors of subscriptions were directed to proceed by legal process against the subscribers who had not paid the amounts for which they had set down their names. .To collect actual money seems to have been rather difficult at that time, and when, on May 18th, the vestry contracted with John Willar to erect a pulpit and lay floors for the sum of £25, in case the parish did not pay him, Alexander Claggett, Daniel Hughes, Hezekiah Claggett, Elie Williams, Thomas Sprigg, and Richard Pindell made themselves responsible for the money. Hezekiah Claggett was appointed " to represent this parish as a lay deputy in convention to be held in Baltimore Town on the first Tuesday in June next." On Oct. 5, 1789, the vestry meeting drew up a subscription paper " for the purpose of employing Rev. George Bower to officiate for the term of one year" from Dec. 1, 1789. On April 5, 1790, the next meeting at the court-house was held, when the same vestry were reelected, except that Mr. Bower was dropped and John Ingram was elected. Nathaniel Rochester was elected register of the vestry, and Daniel Hughes the lay delegate to the Diocesan Convention. Capt. Rezin Davis was appointed " to confer with a person to execute; the duty of sexton; also to direct the grave-digger in what manner the graves are to be dugg (sic) in future." At the next meeting, June 7th, Rezin Davis informed the vestry that he had not been able to collect " any of the monies subscribed for furnishing the church;" and Samuel Finley was appointed collector, and Rev. Mr. Bower was requested " to make use of every endeavor to induce those in arrears to discharge the sum due by them, and that he inform such as use further delay that necessity will prevent the vestry from granting further indulgence." On August 2nd, Capt. Rezin Davis reported that Titus Rynhart had agreed to act as sexton in return for the privilege of digging the graves in the churchyard. Benjamin Claggett was appointed to collect moneys due the church and one-half the salary of Rev. Mr. Bower, which had been for some time in arrears, but at the vestry meeting on November 1st it was still unpaid, and Rezin Davis was appointed to assist Mr. Claggett in raising subscriptions both for the pastor and the clerk, the salary of the former being now fixed at one hundred pounds per annum. Charles O'Neal accepted the position of clerk, and the vestry agreed to pay him twenty dollars for his services for eight months, from April 1st to November 30th. On Feb. 7, 1791, Henry Gamwell was appointed to collect the pastor's salary and the balance due on the old subscription papers, for which he was to receive five pounds.
The fourth vestry was elected by public meeting May 2, 1791, as follows: Daniel Hughes, Alexander Claggett, Elie Williams, Richard Pindell, Hezekiah Claggett, William Gordon, and William Reynolds, who chose Rezin Davis and William Prather to be church-wardens. On September 19th, John Willar submitted to the vestry his account of forty-five pounds for erecting pews, additional gallery, glass-rack, platform with steps, etc. He was debited with £19 4s. 8d. already paid him, leaving the balance due £25 5s. 4d. Willar's family was in distress for the necessaries of life, but up to November 8th the vestry could pay him but £3 5s. of the money due him, and William Reynolds was commissioned to collect the arrearages of subscriptions. Solomon Rawlings was made sexton, and was allowed £3 yearly, in addition to the usual compensation for digging graves. Of the latter he was to have a monopoly, the resolution of the vestry declaring that he shall " dig all graves that may be necessary in the English Protestant Episcopal churchyard." Hezekiah Claggett and William Reynolds were directed to procure bags in which a collection shall be taken up by the church-wardens each church Sunday. At the meeting on November 28th, Rev. Mr. Bower consented to remain as rector another year at the same salary, and it was decided to pay £7 10s. to the clerk, and £5 to a collector of subscriptions. On Feb. 6, 1792, the vestry settled up Mr. Bower's salary for 1790 and 1791, it appearing that they owed him £112 18s. On Easter Monday, April 1, 1793, the meeting for the annual election of vestry, previously held at the court-house, was convened in the church, and Elie Williams, Richard Pindell, Hezekiah Claggett, William Gordon, William Reynolds, Samuel Finley, and Rezin Davis were chosen, who elected as church-wardens Alexander Claggett and Cephas Beale. Rezin Davis was continued as treasurer, and Nathaniel Rochester as register. Solomon Rawlings was voted £3 yearly for taking care of and cleaning the church, and Titus Rynhart was continued as grave-digger. The treasurer was ordered to pay Mr. Bower £20 as soon as it could be collected, to enable him to finish his house. On October 14th, Turner Gor was appointed clerk, and it was ordered that " no person attempt to assist him in the clerk's desk but such as he shall invite for that purpose." As the register was directed to serve a copy of the order upon a certain Mr. Jones, it is probable that that gentleman had been intruding himself into the position. There is no record of the election of vestry in 1794. On June 14, 1795, The Spy contained an advertisement of " a lottery to be held at Elizabeth (Hager's) Town, Washington Co., to erect a church for the Episcopal congregation. There were two thousand tickets at two dollars," the prizes amounted to three thousand dollars, and eight hundred dollars was raised. The managers were Daniel Hughes, Thomas Hart, Elie Williams, Henry Schryock, Frederick Rohrer, Alexander Claggett, and Michael Fackler.
July (5, 1795, the regular meeting of parishioners elected Elie Williams, Richard Pindell, Rezin Davis, John Claggett, Cephas Beale, Charles Ogle, and William Gordon. The record here speaks of All Saints' Parish for the first time. On July 21st, Alexander Claggett and Cephas Beale were appointed trustees to superintend the building of an addition to the church. In June, 1796, a corpse was stolen from the churchyard, and the vestry offered a reward of thirty dollars for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the offender. On Aug. 13, 1797, the church and graveyard were consecrated by Bishop Claggett, who also on the same date confirmed the following persons: Mary Stull, Sophia Rochester, Ann Miller, Lucinda Bower, Catherine Swearingen, Matilda Stull, Elizabeth Rawlings, Rebecca Hughes, Susanna Hughes, Elizabeth Hall, Margaret Taylor, Otho Williams, Joseph Williams, Holland Stull, Prudence Williams, Allen Dowlas, Phoebe Grieves, Sarah Owen, and Sarah