B al t imo r e d , M . s t P re sb yt er i an Chu rch 3 hundr edth. Anniv e r sary o f th e Organ i s at i on o f t h e P r e s b yt er i an Chur ch in th e lt ed S t a t e s o f Ame r i c a 1 0 to took in Presbyterianism . In the summer of 7 4 he went abroad ' obtain aid from the Presbyterians of England and Scotland . The tw o Presbyterian ministers of London raised funds to aid him , and m two years later he sailed for A erica with young men , John M cNish . Hampton , an Irishman , and George , a Scotchman These he sent to labor in his old field in Somerset County . In the spring f 1 06 now o 7 occurred the event which we are celebrating , the of organization of the first Presbytery in America , the Presbytery f f Philadelphia . It is o interest to us to note that o the seven men who formed the first Presbytery , five were then , or had been , —M akemie M cNish n laboring in Maryland , Hampton , , Natha iel wh r o o Taylor , was the pastor at Patuxent Upper Marlboro , and h Makem ie wo . Davis , had been the pastor at Snow Hill If is called the father of American Presbyterianism , surely Maryland was its cradle . This will appear more evident if we give the list o f the Presby ’ m - terian ministers who were M ake ie s fellow laborers . This sur vey must be hasty and we can only give a few dates and facts . First comes William Traill , a Scotchman , who was thrown in 1 82 prison for preaching in Ireland . Upon his release in 6 he came 1 C0 . at once to Maryland , invited by William Stevens He settled o f near Rehoboth , and was probably the first pastor that church . of 1 688 1 6 0 After the revolutions he returned in 9 to Scotland , and was minister at Borthwick , near Edinboro . He was the moderator o f the Presbytery which sent M akemie to America . Next comes Thomas Wilson , who came hither from County . 1 68 1 . Donegal , Ireland We find him here as early as , when Col William Stevens gave him a grant of land . He was the founder and first pastor of the Manokin Church , Princess Anne . He lived here about twenty years , but we know little of that life outside of certain legal documents of the time and an address to King Wil on . liam III , congratulating him his escape from assassination ff o f His brother , Ephraim K . Wilson , sheri Somerset County , left many descendants , among whom is Ephraim K . Wilson , late U . S . Senator . The next name is that of Samuel Davis , one of the first mem o f . bers Presbytery His record is , in some respects , more amusing than edifying , but the historian must give facts as he finds them . 1 68 Davis was an Irishman He came to Maryland as early as 4, ’ or 1 6 8 . on . possibly 7 He lived St Martin s Creek , southeast side o f . o f Pocomoke River He was the pastor , probably also founder, the church at Snow Hill . He and a Church of England minister, Brechan got themselves into a sad pickle on one occasion . Squire a field 1 6 re L y gave a grand Christmas entertainment in 97 . He had centl o ne of y become a widower, and the guests proposed that he should be remarried by a mock ceremony . The ceremony was accordingly then performed with more j esting than delicacy . o f Unfortunately , the lady chosen for the mock bride was a niece the deceased wife , and both the clergymen were haled before the court for breaking the marriage laws of England . Then both got ! o ff on the substantial but not very creditable plea that several of ! the company were overtaken with drink . This will sound better in a temperance lecture than in a history o f the early Presbyterian heroes . But we have sworn testimony to the facts and it is only too true a picture o f times when drunkenness was considered a very venial fault even in a minister . Davis afterwards was pastor . to at Lewes , Del He was one of the ministers set apart form the o f . Presbytery Snow Hill , which , however , never materialized The last of these early Maryland pastors whom we shall men tion is Rev . Nathaniel Taylor , pastor at Upper Marlboro , Prince ’ ’ George s County . This was Ninian Beall s church , and a very i flourishing church in its day . We know little o f Taylor besides h s being pastor there and the occurrence of his name in several o f the o f . documents the time The most interesting thing , perhaps , about a o f him , is the cat logue his library , found by the writer in an old o f inventory . There are five hundred volumes these , a splendid library even for a minister of the present day . It is full of the Westminister divines and full also o f the philosophical and seien tific works of the period , showing Taylor to have been a very ’ of scholarly man . It contains also a number Tate and Brady s ’ our hymn books , showing that ancestors there did not sing Rouse s one . 1 0 . version , but the common in England Taylor came about 7 3 1 10 . His ministry was not a long one , for he died suddenly in 7 One interesting relic o f his ministry is a splendid silver communion of old service , now used at Hyattsville , the successor the church at Upper Marlboro . From this imperfect sketch we find that at the time of the first Presbytery at Philadelphia there we—re at least four flourishing Presbyterian churches in Maryland Upper Marlboro , on the om Western Shore , and Snow Hill , Manokin and Rehoboth , in S erset . and Worcester Counties , on the Eastern Shore There were ’ ’ numerous Presbyterians in Baltimore , Prince George s and Cecil - r counties , and these were sho tly afterwards organized into ’ churches at West Nottingham , Bladensburg and at Soldier s Delight . 8 9 4 7 1 9 06 hu ndr e dt h ann i ve r s ar y o r gan i z at i o n o f t he m aiming,! ! r P RI N C E TON N . J . Prese nted w5 8 D ivis ion Gm f 5 wm 3 s i 7 TWO H ! NDREDTH ANNIVERSARY O! TH E ' eBtgamzation of the flaresh tman award) p IN TI-I R ! NITE D S T AT E S O! A M ERIC A wt tesb terian ! an ! t i fla/ p h ) in ifialtimon , mu. WED ESD Y M SI! E H N A , AY T ENT , NINETEEN H ! NDRED A ND SI! P ! B LISH ED B Y TH E COMMI TTEE ON H ISTORICA L RECORDS O! T H E P RESB YTERY O! B A LTIMORE fi rsshytcriantsm iBRESB YTERI A NI SM is a church government by representa . ! e tive assemblies or courts , viz Sessions , Presbyt ries , f Synods and General Assembly , composed o Presbyters o r b of Elders , Ruling and Teaching, called y the Spirit God and the elected by people . Lilm nrmnt Emails in rwh tp rian iz tn p ifi g {fi ry —M s ! . 1 53 3 . s a to h e B C o e comm nded convene t elders of I s rael in Egypt . —M s . 1 4 90. s a t a B . C o e comm nded o g ther s eventy elde rs to a s s i s t him in th e gove rnment . — . 1 1 4 0. rs s ra s B C The elde of I el a k f o r a ! ing . — 53 . s an A . D . The Apo tles d elders of Jeru s a lem decide th at ci rcumci s ion is n o t r th e s a r in fo ce in Chri ti n chu ch . — ’ . 65. s a a A D Timothy ordin tion by Pre s bytery . — 96 . r an A . D Fou d twenty elde rs s itting a round the throne in heaven . — . 1 560. s G ra ss m e t r A D Fir t ene l A embly in Edinbu gh . 1 2 — 6 8 . s R r A . D . Fir t efo med Dutch ! P re s byte ri an ) Chu rch founded in New s r a rk Am te d m , now New Yo . - . 1 643 . G a s s m e t s s r to re A D ener l A embly in We tmin te Abbey , London , p a s s o f a t a s s s an d D ire c p re Confe ion F i h , C techi m , Di cipline , r rs to y of Wo hip . 1 44 — . 6 . r s a r a t A D P e byteri n cong egation in ch arge of M r. Denton Hemp s a . te d , L I N . Y . — R ev a s M ak e m i r a z n R A . D . Fr nci e o g ni ed Snow Hill a d ehoboth s M a a churche in ryl nd .