Delivered Before the Loudoun County Historical Society, November 16,
1962
By Asa Moore Janney
The members of the Religious Society of Friends were the last of the
three elements which make up our county to arrive. With the coming of
the Friends, the Germans were pretty well settled in that part of the
county north and northwest of Waterford, and the slave holders were to
the southeast of the Catoctin Hills and in the southwestern part of the
county.
Loudoun's Friends were introduced to the county, no doubt, by the
settlement of Friends along the Opekon Creek in what was then Orange
County, now Frederick, before the year 1732. In 1734, when George
Washington was two years old, these Friends from Pennsylvania and Elk
River in Maryland, applied for and were granted from East Nottingham
Meeting in Cecil County, Maryland, a meeting for worship which they
called Hopewell. The next year this was enlarged to a monthly meeting
for business and discipline under what came to be called Concord
Quarterly Meeting, composed of East Nottingham and Chester Quarterly
Meeting held at Concord, Chester County, Pennsylvania, and attached to
Philadelphia Meeting. At nearly the same time a Meeting at Monocacy,
Maryland, just across the Blue Ridge due east of Hagerstown, Maryland,
in Prince George County, was included in Hopewell Meeting. Without a
doubt it was this proximity of Hopewell Meeting to Loudoun County which
prompted Friends from the same meetings in Pennsylvania and Maryland who
established Hopewell to set up their meetings in Loudoun.
The good word that there were fine lands in Prince William County got
around, for in February of 1730 Samuel Marksberry ran a survey for his
grant "on Kittockton Mountain near the Thoroughfare or Hunting Path thru
said Mountain." This place we now call Clarks Gap. Lower down the
Catoctin Creek the Irishman, Asa Moore, had in 1732, according to
tradition, built a home on the South Branch of Catoctin and called it
after his native Waterford. While Moore probably had neighbors, unknown
to us to-day, it was not long before Amos Janney in 1733 left his home
at the Falls of the Delaware in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and settled
in the Waterford community along with several Janneys, Thomas John,
Edward Morton, Samuel Harris, Thomas Bourne and others.
Since John Mercer, land speculator, and Catesby Cocke, clerk of Prince
William County and later of Fairfax, had already been granted the land
around Waterford, these early Friends must have leased or bought from
them, for we find in the Fairfax County, records that David Potts in
1746 leased 866 acres of land on "Kittockton Run from Catesby Cocke for
(5) five Shillings, paid in Hand, with the right to Purchase and an
annual Rental of one Ear of Indian Corn."
According to the _Register of Pennsylvania_, edited by Samuel Hazard, in
Vol. VII, printed in 1831--About the year 1733, Amos Janney from Bucks
County, and soon after divers other Friends, settled about 40 miles
lower in Virginia than the Opeckon, who obtained leave to hold a meeting
for worship on first days, which was held at the said Amos Janney's and
other Friends houses till the year 1741 when a piece of land was
purchased, and a meeting-house built thereon called Fairfax, whose
meetings have since been held twice a week.
Janney's _History of Friends_ notes in a memorial concerning his wife
Mary Janney, "he (Amos) is mentioned as a valuable Friend and true
helper Zion ward; and she is described as a devoted Christian, whose
meekness, gentleness, and kindness rendered her company truly agreeable
and instructive.
"When they came to Virginia, the neighborhood where they settled was
almost uninhabited, but other Friends soon coming after and settling
near them, a meeting for worship was held in their house."
At first, in 1733, Amos Janney was authorized to hold an "Indulged
Meeting" by East Nottingham Monthly Meeting; then the Waterford Meeting
was organized in 1735 as a Preparative Meeting, under the auspices of
Hopewell Meeting. Soon its membership increased and when the first
meeting house was built, probably of logs in 1741, the meeting applied
to Hopewell to be allowed to proceed as a monthly meeting. The
application was allowed, and in 1744 Fairfax Monthly Meeting was set up
along with Monocacy Preparative Meeting, just two years after Fairfax
County came into being. At the first Monthly Meeting six couples
requested permission to marry. Jane Hogue was clerk of Women's Meeting
with Elizabeth Norton and Mary Janney as overseers; Samuel Harris and
Jacob Janney were overseers and Amos Janney clerk of the Men's Meeting.
Monocacy Meeting was laid down in 1762; there is more of its history
following this date, but since it is out of our scope, we will leave it
where it lies.
Meanwhile the yeast of settlement was working, and about ten years from
the coming of the first settlers to Waterford we find them bringing in
their friends from up North and East. People were coming from Bucks and
Chester Counties in Pennsylvania, from New Jersey, Calvert County,
Maryland, and direct from England and Wales. Pressing out at the
southwest they found unclaimed land, some which, even that indefatigable
amasser of Loudoun County land, George Slater, had missed; rich and
valuable, between the North and Beaverdam Forks of Goose Creek. Here
they established themselves in settlements called Harmony, now Hamilton,
and Goose Creek, now Lincoln.
It is interesting to see how the land was granted to these later
settlers; for instance, the three earliest grants in the Harmony, Goose
Creek, Philomont, so called "Quaker Settlement" area were as follows:
William Diggs, of Diggs Valley (of which Clarence Case's farm was a
part) acquired 1,074 acres on August 27, 1731, William Bowell, 602 acres
on August 27, 1731, and George Atwood, 1,092 acres on September 24,
1737. Diggs and Bowell obtained their grants the last year Robert (King)
Carter acted as agent for Fairfax, as Carter died in 1732, and Fairfax
was having no more of the high handed manner in which Carter had handled
the business; so, the office was closed until Lord Fairfax came over
himself and issued a few grants in 1737, when the above George Atwood
must have gotten his. The office was not again opened until William
Fairfax, acting as agent for Fairfax, was ready for business in 1739,
when the Quakers stepped in and got theirs.
Around 1745, or sooner, Jacob Janney, his wife Hannah and others came
down from Bucks County and settled in the Goose Creek neighborhood. In
going over the certificates of removals granted persons leaving the
northern meetings and repairing to Virginia and comparing these
certificates with the dates of their grants, we see that several, but
not all, had been down to Virginia, taken a grant, and gone home for
wife and family, for instance: On third month 2nd, 1741, Joseph
Hollingsworth and wife obtained a certificate from Newark or Kennet
Meeting; his grant is dated April 20th, 1742.
In the minutes of the Falls Meeting: "Abel Janney was reported at the
Pertomock" on 10th Mo. 1st, 1742; his grant was dated March 17th, 1741.
George Gregg had a certificate on 5th Mo. 4th, 1740 from Newark and a
grant of June 3rd, 1744. (Wonder where he was the four years).
Isaac Nichols, a certificate on 9th Mo., 1743, for wife and Herman Cox
from Kennet and a grant for 560 acres on March 25th, 1743.
Jacob Janney received a certificate from the Falls Meeting of 8th Mo.,
the 5th, 1743, and a grant of 690 acres on June 20th, 1743. Jacob
married in 1742, if he came to Virginia in 1745 as historians claim,
where was he from the date of his grant in 1744 and the date of his
certificate, 1743?
Some of the grants were quite large: Ames Janney--2,345 acres, John Mead
1,289 acres, Gidney Clark 3,000 acres. Four Janney families got 4,843
acres, and more too, which was possible as Amos was a surveyor for
Fairfax and knew where all the "waste and ungranted lands" were.
Hannah Janney, the wife of Jacob, must have been a very strong character
as shown by a memorial in the minutes of Goose Creek Meeting of 1818,
the year of her death at the age of 93. It is stated that soon after
their establishment in their new home she went regularly twice a week to
a log in the forest where she set up an altar to her God by spending
some time in silent devotion.
As early as 1746 Fairfax Quarter granted to Friends settled on the banks
or tributaries of Goose Creek, which also included South Fork, at Union
(now Unison), the priviledge of holding a meeting for worship on the
third day of each month at the residence of the members. About 1750, or
51, a regular meeting was established at Goose Creek. The first meeting
house was built of logs and was said to have been built on the site
where Hannah held her devotions.
A traveling minister wrote in his autobiography: "On seventh day we went
to their monthly meeting at Fairfax, 8 miles from Leesburg, which was
large and solemn--On second day was at Goose Creek, 8 miles ye Meeting
house small yet did not hold half ye pepal which was a great
disc-advantage yet came away pretty Ese."
That the French and Indian War did not overly affect Loudoun County is
well known. However, the people well knew the hardship endured by the
Friends in the Valley, as this bit from the "Autobiography of William
Reckitt," who was a visitor in our county in 1757 shows. "Crossing
Potomac we came into Virginia to Fairfax; where we had a meeting on the
second day of the week and 12th of the 12th month. It was a good
meeting, truth having the dominion--We lodged at Mary Janney's, a
discrete orderly woman, who had several sober, well inclined children.
From hence we went to Goose Creek and had a meeting on third day; it was
well. On 4th day we had a meeting at David Pole's several Friends
accompanying us. I had a travail in spirit--We left David Pole's house
on 5th day and rode over the Blue Ridge or Blue Mountains, where the
Indians had done much mishief, by burning houses, killing, destroying,
and carrying many people away as captives; but Friends had not hitherto
been hurt: yet several had left their plantations and fled back again
over the Blue Mountains, where the lands had been rightly purchased of
the Indians."
Daniel Staunton in "Life, Travels and Gospel" reports that in December
of 1760, "We went forward crossing the Patowmac into Virginia: the next
Meetings were Fairfax, Goose Creek, Potts', or the Gap, some of which
were largely favored with solid comfort and satisfaction, there
appearing many dear Friends with whom I had unity in Spirit: from the
last place we traveled till we got over Shanandore river, and lodged at
John Vestal's."
The Potts' or Gap Meeting to which Staunton alludes, was held at
Hillsboro and was a meeting held under Fairfax. It was a constant source
of disputation and trouble to its Monthly Meeting, delegations often
being sent to try to straighten things out with the Potts and Janneys of
that section, but to no avail; for instance, Fairfax minutes report in
1761--"As Friends of Goose Creek and Friends of the Gap have not
attended business meetings--this meeting appoints Mary Janney, Rachel
Hollingsworth and Sara Janney to visit (them) to excite them to more
diligence." In 1765 "--if any disorder appear this meeting appoints
David Potts to supervise." Still in 1765 "--this meeting takes no note
of the great deficiencies of the Gap Friends in several particulars--"
Meetings were held in the home of David Williams until finally the Gap
Meeting came through with a meeting house, as this minute from Goose
Creek testifies: "Friends of the Gap reporting that they have built a
house for the conveniency of holding their meetings in, and got it now
nearly ready, this meeting concurs with their proposal in 1770 of
holding it therein accordingly." The land was two acres conveyed by
Mahlon Hough to Stephen Gray, Isaac Nichols, Jr., Thomas Smith and
William Hough, "to permit Such People Called Quakers to erect a Meeting
House, Schools, Yard and Place of Burial." In 1804 it is noted that the
Gap Meeting is small and in 1805 it is laid down. Sic transit mundi.
South Fork Meeting was another meeting which did not long survive,
despite the observation of the traveling minister John Comly in 1829
that it was strong and healthy. Yardley Taylor states that the meeting
was active in 1853. A later minister reported that all they thought
about was cock fighting and horse raceing. South Fork's "worldiness"
caused "concern" for its members "drank to excess," "fought, gambled",
"took to horse raceing," and "were lax morally." This meeting was laid
down shortly after the Civil War, and the administration of its
graveyard on a small budget has been a head ache to Goose Creek Meeting
ever since.
In 1757, while the Goose Creek Meeting was bursting out of its log
meeting house, the county of Loudoun was formed from Fairfax. The
trustees acted quickly. "On the 31st day of August, in the year of our
Lord one thousand seven hundred and fifty-seven, between William Hatcher
of the County of Loudoun and Colony of Virginia, planter of one part,
and Issac Nichols, Jacob Janney and Thomas Clows, of the said county,
planters of the other part, for five shillings sterling, together with
all trees, woods, underwoods, ways, paths, waters, watercourse,
easments, profits, commodities, advantages, emoluments, hereditaments,
rights, members and appurtentences whatsoever to the same
belonging"--were handed over to the said Nichols, Janney and Close for
one year in consideration of "one pepper corn in and upon the feast of
St. Michael the Archangel if demanded."
The object of this, one of the first deeds in the Clerk's office of
Loudoun County, was to conform to the Statute of Uses and Possession,
for on the very next day, September 21st, 1757, William Hatcher sold to
Isaac Nichols, Jacob Janney and Thomas Clows for thirty shillings the
very property he had rented them the day before, "to said grantees. In
TRUST to suffer and permit such of the people called Quakers--inhabiting
said County, to erect and build so many Meeting Houses, School-Houses,
Yards or Places of Burial--as they see fit--for the worship of God, the
instruction of youth and burial of the dead." One day had evidently been
enough to show that the property was in use by the Religious Society of
Friends.
As new settlers and babies arrived in the neighborhood the log meeting
house was found too small to accommodate the members, and the stone
meeting house across the road, according to the best information, was
erected between 1765 and 70. A minute of Fairfax Monthly held on ye 24th
of ye 9th month, 1774 reads: "This meeting received a copy of a minute
of our Quarterly Meeting dated the 15th of last month, granting the
request of Goose Creek Friends, a preparative meeting. This meeting is
willing to assist them as far as capable, and appoints Mahlon Janney,
Jonathan Myers, John Schooley, Moses Cadwalader, and William Williams to
go and sit with them at their first preparative meeting."
Friends in the Quarterly Meeting of which Fairfax was one part were most
cautious in extending monthly meeting status to Goose Creek, possibly
from unfortunate experiences elsewhere. We find from the minutes of
Warrington and Fairfax Quarterly Meeting the following report of a
committee appointed to judge of the expedience of settling a Monthly
Meeting at Goose Creek. "Most of our members have visited the
preparative meetings consituting Fairfax Monthly Meeting likewise
attended the service of that meeting and have since met together and
agree to report that we feel most easy to encourage the division
proposed--and a Monthly Meeting being settled at Goose Creek. Submitted
to the Quarterly Meeting by Isaac Everett, William Ballenger, James
Steer, William Kersey, Harman Updegraft, Alan Farquhar, Elisha Kirk,
Nathaniel, Jonah Hollingsworth, Ruth Holland, Rachel Hollingsworth, Mary
Updegraft.--It is agreed that a Monthly Meeting be settled there
accordingly."
The first monthly meeting was held 12th month 26th, 1785 and William
Kenworthy was selected clerk. In the first minutes we read the
following: "Joel Lewis and Sara Daniel handed their intentions of
marriage before the Meeting." "Moses Cadwalader and Isaac Nichols are
appointed to inquire into Joel's clearness of other engagements, also to
make inquiry into his conversation and what else may be needful."
About the beginning of the 19th century the membership became too large
to be comfortably accommodated in what came to be called "the old Stone
Meeting House." It was not until 1812, with a war going on, that the
question of the most practical way of obtaining more room was brought
before the meeting. The committee appointed to undertake the building of
what came to be "the large new Meeting House," was Jonas Janney, Isaiah
Brown, Israel Janney, Isaac Nichols, Samuel Nichols, Stephen Wilson,
Thomas Treham, Jesse Janney, George Walter, Joseph Bradfield and Mahlon
Taylor. These gentlemen saw the meeting turn down a proposal to add a
log addition to the stone building and finally on 2nd month, 27th, 1817,
it was decided to build an entirely new house with Mahlon Taylor,
Stephen Wilson and William Kenworthy as the building committee.
Kenworthy was most likely treasurer of the committee as his name is
signed to all the documents connected with the building operations.
William Kenworthy took in the subscriptions, which ranged all the way
from ten dollars to three hundred dollars, with the final total
collected being $3,606.00. Daniel Cockrell was to do the job, furnishing
all the foundings, for the sum of $3,550.00. In the final report of the
committee we find:--"the house being about completed, and in a good
measure answerable to the contract, we have paid him the whole of the
amount. We also examined his account of expenditures, by which it
appears he will suffer considerable loss, by the contract, unless he be
allowed some further renumeration." They stated that it would be
difficult to ascertain the exact loss but thought the meeting should pay
Cockrell an additional $500.00. A committee was formed which raised the
additional amount and paid the same to Cockrell.
On 1st month 27, 1819, Jonathan Taylor, a frequent visitor to Goose
Creek Friends Meeting, "Preached the first sermon in our large new
Meeting House."
Jesse Janney who was on the original building committee, never lived to
see it used. His foresight, however, solved one of the problems that
building a new meeting house created, as is shown by this minute in
April, 1819--"The committee continued in the first month last to propose
to this Meeting what particular purpose the donation of Jesse Janney,
Dec'd, shall be applied to reported that they had agreed to propose that
it be applied to enclosing a yard and erecting some necessary buildings
at the back of the New Meeting House. With which the Meeting concurred."
Jesse Hirst, Samuel Nichols, Daniel Janney, Jonas Janney, Mahlon Taylor,
William Piggott and Joshua Gore were appointed, "to consider what use
the Old Meeting House would be most advantageously applied to, and the
probable expense." The William Piggott named above "Were the rich Billy
Piggott what had glass windows in his barn."
By an old record these reasons are given for establishing a meeting: "Ye
objects of Religious assn. are to strengthen ye bonds of love, to
encourage to good works, to support ye weak, to comfort ye mourners, to
watch over one another for good and to reclaim those who have gone
astray."
A few quotes from the minutes of the meetings and a short review of
Friends accomplishments in Loudoun may let us see how well they attained
"Ye objects of Religious Assn." The meetings were frank and firm with
their members, for when Goose Creek was "informed that Jonathan
Bradfield had joined with light company in dancing," a committee pleaded
with him several times to reform his ways and at last upon his not
giving satisfaction he was reluctantly dropped from the rolls.
A more unfortunate event is recorded in the business meeting of the 28th
of 1st month, 1819: "A testimony was produced against S-- N-- which was
read, approved, and signed being as follows and handed to the Women's
Meeting. S-- N-- who has a right of membership in the Society of Friends
thru in attention to the dictates of Truth in her own Breast hath so far
deviated as to be guilty of fornication for which reproachful conduct we
deny her any longer a right of membership until she be enabled & make
suitable satisfaction for her offence, which is our desire for her."
Fairfax and Goose Creek records are a mine of genealogical data. Henry
B. Taylor in response to the request from a lady out west once sent her
what the minutes had to say about her Quaker ancestors. Several had been
"kicked out of meeting or been delt with" for drunkness, fighting and
adultery. She received his letter and some time later wrote again to
Henry, "that she was glad to state that her family had done better since
they had joined the Methodists."
The Meetings took care of their own, for often entries like the
following are found in the minutes: "Samuel Nichols, Seir. produced his
account of articles furnished for the support of Martha Scott." Social
security was unknown in those days. At Fairfax we find that a committee
was appointed to divide the estate of Richard Brown, deceased; to raise
a fund to settle the estate of a member who died poor and in debt; to
look after the widows and orphans; to see that members paid their debts;
to attend to a member "for encouraging the visits of a man not of our
Society in Courtship of his daughter"; to reprove a man "for taking off
his hat at a courtsmartial to gain favor with the officer in charge."
Friends in Loudoun owned slaves in the early years and for the first
quarter of a century the Fairfax minutes mention only that "Blacks in
the home should be well treated," and "African children" should be given
a useful education. In 1790 a committee was appointed "to care for freed
slaves." Later there was considerable opposition against slavery in the
meetings, several Friends were disowned for owning slaves. In 1836 a
committee "treated" with William Stone for hiring a slave, and in 1856
Mary Jane Hough was disowned for doing the same, though her husband
escaped a like fate by saying he was sorry and wouldn't do it again. It
was not until 1818 that the last ownership of slaves by Friends ceased
in Virginia. The story is told that John Woolman talked long and
earnestly with William Nichols that he free his slaves but when William
died in 1804 there were slaves mentioned in the inventory of his estate.
My grandfather, Francis Hogue Janney, was disowned for hiring a slave
and marrying out of meeting.
A manumission society was organized in the Oak Dale schoolhouse in 1824
for the purpose of sending slaves to Haiti and Africa, though we have no
information of any being sent.
It is my understanding that the small colored settlements at Rock Hill
and Guinea Bridge were made on land (rocky and poor, it is true) sold
cheaply to free negroes by Friends that they might build a home of their
own and not be sold back into slavery.
The first county map published in what was once Prince William County
was that of Loudoun by the Quaker Yardley Taylor. This work of enduring
value was published in 1853 and up to its time was the finest in
Virginia. Yardley was a nurseryman and the beautiful spruce trees around
Lincoln are his still living legacy to the beauty of Loudoun.
Yardley Taylor was engaged in the underground railroad trade. He was
castigated for it in at least one newspaper article in the fifties
written in the peculiar vehemence of the time. Samuel M. Janney never
said he helped a slave along physically but he was brought before the
county court for publishing that "the owners had no right of property in
their Slaves." His Statement to the court, "That the more you keep this
subject before the people the more they will be to my way of thinking,"
had the desired effect and the indictment was squashed.
It was in 1803 that Thomas Jefferson writing to a friend said, "The
county of Loudoun had been so exhausted and wasted by bad husbandry,
that it began to depopulate, the inhabitants going southwardly in search
of better lands--it is now become one of the most productive counties of
the State of Virginia and the price given for the lands is multiplied
manifold." This was the result of the LOUDOUN SYSTEM of agriculture we
have heard so much about. When Alexander Binns (no Quaker) published his
little "A Treatise on Practical Farming" in 1803, the County found out
what the Friends knew all along: that ground should lie in grass and
clover in rotation with the corn and wheat then grown, and what's more,
that lime was a must to get the most out of the grass and clover. Israel
Janney on a trip to Chester County, Pennsylvania, had brought down some
crushed limestone in his saddlebags and tried it out on some oats. The
oats flourished and so did the clover which Israel grew and sold to his
neighbors a quart at a time to try to get them started on this grand
forage plant. Binns tried all kinds of lime and plaster, he even bought
a ton of Israel Janey's lime and some of his clover seed, but the real
service he did was to experiment and publish his results.
The peace testimony of Friends was constantly appearing in the minutes.
Members were "spoken to" for attendance at muster; were "delt with" for
purchasing substitutes and paying the muster tax. At first the
Revolutionary War affected the Fairfax Meeting but little, however,
before it was over some fifteen members had been disowned for joining
the army. George Washington summed up the general attitude towards the
Quakers then in his famous, "Leave the Friends alone for you cannot
induce them to swear or fight for or against us. They are harmless,
peaceful and industrious people who will produce bread and meat, and if
they will not sell it to us, we will take it, if we need it; we need
bread and meat as much as we need soldiers."
During the Civil War soldiers of both sides were quartered in the
Waterford Meeting House. When meeting was going on they stepped outside
and some even came to meeting and as one writer said, "When they (the
Southern soldiers) first came to Waterford they seemed to entertain a
strong animosity against Friends--but becoming better acquainted, some
of the soldiers acknowledged (that) Friends delt with them more fairly
than any they had met on their march from the South, and their
prejudices were removed." It did seem strange to Friends to hold
meetings with swords hanging along the walls. A very original account of
captivity during _The War_ is given by William Williams. He and Robert
J. Hollingsworth were imprisoned in Richmond for two Southerners
likewise treated by the Federals. After much travel and hard work on the
part of wife Mary and Friends the two were released, though not before
suffering many real hardships.
Young Quaker men, being sympathetic with the Union, went North in great
numbers during _The War_, many to Ohio; they obtained jobs and found a
living away from Loudoun County and never came back to stay. It was this
exodus which began the decline of the meeting at Waterford. Many Friends
during the hostilities wished to travel to Baltimore in order to go to
Yearly Meeting. To do so they had to run the blockade along the Potomac.
Many ignored the guards at the river crossings, but many a one was
turned back. Samuel M. Janney was questioned by General (Shanks) Evans
after he was arrested for crossing the river during the early part of
the war.
General Evans--"Don't you know that your first duty is to your
country."