RHEA-L Archives

From: <>
Subject: Fwd: Tinkling Spring Church
Date: Sat, 31 May 1997 14:22:54 -0400 (EDT)

As you can see I originally sent this to the CRAIG-L . but since the RHEA's
were in the same area, and the names listed are related, I thought it a good
idea to send this along to you all too.

Pat
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Date: 97-05-31 14:17:10 EDT

Note: From The Tinkling Spring: Headwater of Freedom by
Howard McKnight Wilson, Th.D.

The first authentic list of landowners in present Augusta County area is
found in
Orange County records where "William Beverley, Gentleman," deeded land out of
his Beverley manor patent to settlers prior to the establishment of the
augusta County Court in 1745. Of genuine interest is a list (Orange County
Deed Books III-IX, 1738-1744) of these persons, presumably heads of families
with the pertinent facts about each "Release" and the "meeting house" in
which each later held membership. In the absence of a membership record the
listing is made in meeting houses according to location plus some important
religious contract that implied membership, such as baptism of children or
contributions made to the meeting house.

The landowners who were settled in groups along the streams in Beverly Manor
on the head branches of the South River, along with their neighbors in
Borden's Grant, later became the constituents of the South Mountain Meeting
House. The settlers on the head branches of Middle River and the north
branch of Christian's Creek were the founders of North Mountain Meeting
House. (All dissenting churches were called 'meeting houses' while the word
'church' applied only to the Church of England).

The settlers in the northeast corner of Beverley Manor on Middle River joined
a much larger number beyond the Manor in founding a house of worship in their
midst which became in time Stone Meeting House - a coordinate unit with
Tinkling Spring in 'the congregation,' the first settled pastorate in the
Valley of Virginia under REv. John Craig.

This record of Orange County "releases" indicates that the Tinkling Spring
constituency took the lead in legalizing their tomhawk rights into permanent
home sites. Of the thirty-five men given legal recognition of ownership by
William
Beverley, in 1738 and 1739, twenty-four became active in Tinkling Spring
Meeting House, with the remaining eleven widely scattered over Beverley Manor
in several meeting house groups. O f the ninety-two land owners listed
forAugusta people in Orange County, forty-seven, or about half, were later
listed as Tinkling Spring members or contributors.

At the Highway 608 offramp of Interstate 64, near Fisherville, Virginia, the
historic highway marker, #W155, reads:

Tinkling Spring Church

This was the first southern
branch of the "Triple Forks of
Shenandoah" Congregation, which
called John Craig as pastor in
1741. A church was completed
here about 1748. Two other
buildings have succeeded it.
Beginning with 1777 James Waddel,
the noted blind preacher, was
supply for some years. R. L. Dabney,
of Stonewall Jackson's staff, was
the minister here 1847-1842

About a quarter of a mile north is the Tinkling Spring Presbyterian Church
which has a very large stone plaque which reads:

Sacred to the Memory
of the Immigrants to this Valley
Who Turned the Wilderness into Habitations

On November ye 12th 1744
These were Assessed 12 Shillings per Family
For Building the First Tinkling Spring Meeting House

John Christian's Quarter
(40 names listed)

William Wright's Quarter
(18 names listed
including William Skillern's)
John Finley's Quarter
(20 names listed)

Sons of These and Later Settlers
Along with Members of Their Families
Rest in the Old Cemetery in Unmarked Graves

The First Recorded Organization
Pator: John Craig, Ordained and Installed 3 September 1740
by Dhonegal Presbytery for "inhabitants at Shenadore and South River"

Sorry but I didn't know how to give you all these names and the data about
Rev. John Craig, with out typing all this out.

I also thought it interesting: These landowners were not the only settlers
in Beverley Manor. It is clear from the Tinkling Spring membership list of
1744 that there were
seventy-seven heads of families in that church alone, before the Augusta
County Court was set up and began recording deeds in 1746, but only
forty-seven held titles to lands they occupied.

Pat

The congregational list for the three districts of Tinkling Spring, as it is
compared with the map of Beverley Manor lands, provides a mental picture of
the grouping of these settlers on the streams.

John Filey's district of nineteen families was in the general area of
Waynesboro, extending up and down South River. The families included in the
district were the Turks, Gays, Gillespies, McClures, Pattersons, Teas,
Edmistons and others.
John Finley was assisted in collections by Archibald Stuart, who also resided
in this district.

William Wrights's district of eighteen families was on Long Meadow Run and
included the Hutchisons, Johnstons, Frazers, Thompsons, Hendersons, Kerrs,
McCunes, Skillerns, Palmers, Moodys and others. George Hutchison assisted
with collections in this district.

John Christian was assisted in his district of forty families by William
Robinson and James Alexander. The territory of this district covered both
Christian's Creek and Lewis Creek and extended the full twenty-mile length of
Beverley Manor.
The names of this district are too numerous to list in full but include the
Bells, Alexanders, Caldwells, Davisons, Prestons, Lewises, Scotts,
McClanahans, Breckenridges, Blacks, Cunninghams, Ramseys, Wilsons,
McCollocks, and
many others. page 24 and 25.

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