History of Western Maryland. J. Thomas Scharf

health. He resigned in December, 1852, and Rev. George C. Stokes declining the call that was extended to him. Rev. Walter N. Ayrault was elected on March 23, 1853, who continued until Sept. 1,1856. Rev. William W. Lord was offered the position, but could not accept it, and in December Rev. Henry Edwards was chosen. Gas was introduced into the church in May, 1857, and in April, 1859, Mr. Edwards was able to announce that the church had been freed from debt. On May 21, 1866, the building was damaged by fire, and was repaired at a cost of eleven hundred and fifty dollars. Mr. Edwards resigned Jan. 18, 1867, and on February 23rd, Rev. Claudius B. Haines was elected On Nov. 17, 1869, a portion of the church property, at the corner of Jonathan and Antietam Streets, was sold to Thomas H. Grove for two thousand five hundred dollars. A protest against the legality of the election of A. S. Mason, Frederick Dorsey, Henry Bell, and Prank Kennedy as vestrymen in April, 1870, having been made, they resigned, and a new election took place in June. Mr. Haines tendered his resignation Dec. 26, 1871. The church was burned to the ground on the night of December 6th, and Benjamin Reigle, George W. Harris, George A. Gambrill, Buchanan Schley, and Dr. William Ragan were appointed a building committee for the erection of a new edifice, and they recommended that it should occupy the site of the destroyed church. Rev. Walter A. Mitchell entered upon the rectorship in February, 1872, and the congregation worshiped in the chapel of the Reformed Church. In May it was decided to sell the old church property for not less than seven thousand five hundred dollars and buy a new site on Prospect Street for two thousand three hundred dollars.

      Since the formation of Frederick Parish in 1777 the rectors have been:

      Since the formation of Frederick Parish in 1777 the rectors have been :

      1777-85, Rev. Bartholomew Booth; Dee. 1, 1786, to 1812, Rev. George Bower; Sept. 22, 1813, to 1815, Rev. Thomas P. Irving; Aug. 27, 1816, to Aug. 1, 1817, Rev. Joseph Jackson; Oct. 25, 1817, to December, 1821, Rev. Jehu Curtis Clay, D.D. ; Feb. 27, 1822, to July, 1822, Rev. Samuel B. Shaw, D.D.; Oct. 12, 1822, to April, 1828, Rev. George Lemmon; June 28, 1828, to June, 1836, Rev. Robert Brent Drane, D.D. ; April 2, 1837, to 1840, Rev. John Wiley; 1840-49, Rev. Theodore Benedict Lyman, D.D. ; September, 1850, to 1852, Rev. William Gooden Jackson, D.D. ; June, 1853, to 1856, Rev. Walter Ayrault, D.D.; January, 1857, to Jan. 18, 1867, Rev. Henry Edwards ; April 27, 1867, to 1871, Rev. Claudius B. Haines; Jan. 1, 1872, Rev. Walter A. Mitchell.

      The vestries of St. John's Church have been:

      1787. — John Stull, Daniel Hughes, Alexander Claggett, Thomas Sprigg, Richard Pindell, Nathaniel Rochester, and Eli Williams.

      1789. — Alexander Claggett, Thomas Sprigg, Daniel Hughes, Eli Williams, Richard Pindell, and Hezekiah Claggett.

      1790. — Alexander Claggett, Thomas Sprigg. Daniel Hughes, Richard Pindell, Hezekiah Claggett, Eli Williams, and John Ingram.

      1791. — Daniel Hughes, Alexander Claggett, Eli Williams, Richard Pindell, Hezekiah Claggett, William Gordon, and William Reynolds.

      1793.— Eli Williams, Richard Pindell, Hezekiah Claggett, William Gordon, William Reynolds, Samuel Finley, and Rezin Davis.

      1795. — Eli Williams, Richard Pindell, Rezin Davis, John Claggett, Cephas Beall, Charles Ogle, and William Gordon.

      1798. — Alexander Claggett, Eli Williams, John Claggett, Rezin Davis, William Fitzhugh, Ignatius Taylor, and Thomas Belt.

      1799. — Alexander Claggett, Thomas Belt, Rezin Davis, Eli Williams, William Fitzhugh, Griffith Henderson, James Kendall, and Benjamin Claggett.

      1802. — Nathaniel Rochester, Alexander Claggett, Ignatius Taylor, Robert Hughes, Samuel Ringgold, Frisby Tilghman, Benjamin Claggett, and Otho H. Williams.

      1805. — Rezin Davis, Otho H. Williams, Robert Hughes, Frisby Tilghman, Benjamin Galloway, John Ragan, Sr., and Nathaniel Rochester.

      1807 — Daniel Hughes, Thomas Belt, Rezin Davis, William Fitzhugh, Nathaniel Rochester, Eli Williams, Otho H. Williams, and Thomas Grieves.

      1809. — William Fitzhugh, Thomas Belt, Thomas B. Hall, Nathaniel Rochester, William Fitzhugh, Jr., Otho H. W. Stull, Otho H. Williams, and Daniel Hughes, Jr.

      1810.—William Fitzhugh, Thomas Belt, Thomas B. Hall, Upton Lawrence, Thomas Grieves, William Fitzhugh, Jr., Otho H. W. Stull, Otho H. Williams, and Daniel Hughes, Jr.

      1813. —Daniel Hughes, Sr., William O. Sprigg, Otho H. Williams, Frisby Tilghman, John Ragan, Jr., Thomas B. Hall, Henry Lewis, George C. Smoot, and William Fitzhugh.

      1814. —Otho H. Williams, Frisby Tilghman, Thomas B. Hall, William Fitzhugh, Daniel Hughes, Henry Lewis, Eli Beatty, and George C. Smoot.

      1815. —Benjamin Galloway, Thomas Belt, Otho H. Williams, William Fitzhugh, George C. Smoot, Eli Beatty, Thomas B. Hall, and Frisby Tilghman.

      1816. —Benjamin Galloway, Eli Beatty, Thomas Grieves, Daniel Sprigg, Anthony B. Martin, Levin Mills, Thomas Compton, and Franklin Anderson.

      1817. —Same vestry, except that Rev. Thomas P. Irving and Otho H. W. Stull took the places of Levin Mills and Franklin Anderson. Mr. Irving resigned, and his place in the vestry was filled by Frisby Tilghman.

      1818. —Eli Beatty, Daniel Sprigg, Thomas Grieves, Richard Ragan, Franklin Anderson, Otho H. W. Stull, Frisby Tilghman, and A. B. Martin.

      1819. —Frisby Tilghman, Eli Beatty, Thomas Grieves, Otho H. W. Stull, Daniel Sprigg, Otho Lawrence, George Bear, and Franklin Anderson.

      1820. —Frisby Tilghman, George Bear, Richard Ragan, Levin Mills, Thomas Belt, Daniel Sprigg, Edward Gaither, and Franklin Anderson.

      1821. —Daniel Sprigg, Thomas Grieves, Otho H. W. Stull, Eli Beatty, Frisby Tilghman, George Bear, Richard Ragan, and Franklin Anderson.

      1822. —Same vestry, except that Levin Mills took the place of Mr. Stull.

      1823. —Eli Beatty, Daniel Sprigg, Thomas Grieves, John B. Claggett, Frisby Tilghman, George Bear, Richard Ragan, and Franklin Anderson.

      1824. —Same vestry, except Otho Lawrence in place of Frisby Tilghman.

      1825. —Same vestry, except Henry Barnett in place of Otho Lawrence.

      1826. —Otho Lawrence, Eli Beatty, Daniel Sprigg, John B.. Claggett, George Bear, Thomas Grieves, Joseph Martin, and Franklin Anderson.

      1827. —Same vestry, except Richard Ragan in place of Thomas Grieves.

      1828. —Vestry of 1827 re-elected.

      1829. —Re-elected as above.

      1830. —Re-elected as above.

      1831. —Same vestry, except that Frisby Tilghman took the place of George Bear.

      1833. —Richard Ragan, Otho Lawrence, J. B. Claggett, Marmaduke Boyd, Joseph Martin, Frisby Tilghman, J. P. Dali, and Eli Beatty.

      1834. -—Eli Beatty, Frisby Tilghman, Joseph Martin, Jr., Richard Martin, Horatio McPherson, Richard Ragan, and Otho Lawrence.

      1835. —Frisby Tilghman, J. R. Dali, H. McPherson, Otho Lawrence, Richard Ragan, Eli Beatty, F. Tilghman, Jr., and Barton Bean.

      1836. —F. Tilghman, Sr., F. Tilghman, Jr., Otho Lawrence, O. H. W. Stull, Horatio McPherson, John R. Dali, Richard Ragan, and John B. Claggett.

      1837. —Richard Ragan, William H. Fitzhugh, O. H. W. Stull,

      Otho Lawrence, Thomas Schnebly, John B. Claggett, Frederick Dorsey, and William R. Abbott.

      1838. —Otho H. Williams, Eli Beatty, Fred. Dorsey, Jacob Hollingsworth, John B. Claggett, Thomas Schnebly, John R. Dali, and William R. Abbott.

      1839. —Eli Beatty, John B. Claggett, William Fitzhugh, Thomas Schnebly, William R. Abbott, Fred. Dorsey, Otho H. Williams, and Jacob Hollingsworth.

      1840. —Frisby Tilghman, Joseph I. Merrick, John S. Hamilton, Peregrine Fitzhugh, Fred. Dorsey, William H. Fitzhugh, Thomas Schnebly, and Jacob Hollingsworth.