(fawn of Mt HISTORY OF CHRIST CHURCH NEW BERN, N. C. 1715-1940 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2013 http://archive.org/details/crownoflifehistoOOgert E. K. Bishop St«f Library Nofth Csrolin. Crown Mtof HISTORY OF CHRIST CHURCH NEW BERN, N.C. 1715-1940 BY Gertrude S. Carraway Authorized by the vestry of Christ Church protestant episcopal church the rev. charles e. williams, rector E. K. bishop, Senior warden NEW BERN OWEN G. DUNN, PUBLISHER 1940 NORTH LINA LIBRARY C0ft 3K N. C. I i - - ANNIVERSARY TRIBUTES 1940 In commemoration of the 225th anniversary of the establishment of Christ Church Parish in 1715 and the 200th anniversary of the Act of the General Assembly on August 21, 1740, authorizing erection of the first parish church here; and in honor of the Hon. Edward K. Bishop, for more than half a cen- tury a vestryman, first elected April 24, 1889, serv- ing as Secretary and Junior Warden at different times, and for the past eighteen years Senior Warden, first named to this high position of leader- ship and responsibility April 3, 1922—able, loyal, and true, a worthy successor of worthy predecessors. K.v DEDICATION For all Thy saints, Lord, Who strove in Thee to live, Who followed Thee, obeyed, adored, Our grateful hymn receive. For Thy dear saints, Lord, Who strove in Thee to die, Who counted Thee their great reward, Accept our thankful cry. Thine earthly members fit To join Thy saints above, In one communion ever knit, One fellowship of love. Jesus, Thy Name we bless And humbly pray that we May follow them in holiness, Who lived and died for Thee. —Bishop Richaed Mant, 1837. Hymn 293. TWO CENTURIES OF SERVICE For two centuries of service, progress and inspiration, Christ Episcopal Church has held an important place, literally and figuratively, in the heart of New Bern, second oldest town of North Carolina. Its spire, pointing skyward, higher than anything else in the city, is rimmed with a large crown, symbolic of everlasting life, not only for the Church triumphant but also for those stalwart Christians who try to further the Kingdom of God on earth. The twenty-six rectors, the assistant ministers and many members have exercised a vital influence on the history of the region. To a great extent the history of the local Church is a history of the community. These patriots of the Cross have bequeathed a priceless heritage for the Church and Church members of today and tomorrow—a tower of strength during the past, a beacon of light in the present, and a guiding star for the future. "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the Crown of Life."—Revelation 2:10. RECTORS OF CHRIST CHURCH James Reed 1753-1777 Leonidas Cutting 1785-1792 Solomon Halling 1792-1795 Thomas P. Irving 1796-1813 George Strebeck 1813-1815 Jehu Curtis Clay 1817-1818 Richard S. Mason 1818-1828 John R. Goodman 1828-1834 John Burke 1835-1837 Cameron F. McRae 1838-1842 Fordyce M. Hubbard 1842-1847 William N. Hawks 1847-1853 Henry F. Greene 1854-1857 Thomas G. Haughton 1857-1858 Alfred A. Watson 1858-1862 Edward M. Forbes 1866-1877 Charles S. Hale 1877-1881 Van Winder Shields 1881-1889 T. M. N. George 1890-1905 L. G. H. Williams 1905-1907 John H. Brown 1908-1910 B. F. Huske 1910-1917 Daniel G. MacKinnon 1917-1925 Guy H. Madara 1926-1930 I. DEL. Brayshaw 1931-1934 Charles E. Williams 1934- CONTENTS Page Anniversary Tributes 3 Dedication 4 Two Centuries of Service... 5 Rectors of Christ Church.. 6 Table of Contents 7 Chapter I. Early Colonial Religion 9 II. First Ministers in East Carolina 12 III. Establishment of Church 14 IV. Craven County Settled 19 V. Religious legislation..... 23 VI. Local Parish Designated 25 VII. Freedom of Worship Again Decreed. 29 VIII. Union of Church and State 32 IX. New Church Acts 34 X. First Local Church 36 XI. East Carolina Missionaries 40 XII. Gifts from King George 44 XIII. The Rev. James Reed, First Rector 47 XIV. Royal Governor Arthur Dobbs 50 XV. Large Parish Territory 54 XVI. Numerous Church Bills 58 XVII. First Public School 61 XVIII. Other Services of "Parson" Reed._ 64 XIX. Church and School 68 XX. Royal Governor William Tryon 72 XXI. The Rev. James McCartney 76 XXII. Tryon Asks More Aid 79 XXIII. Royal Governor Josiah Martin 82 XXIV. Tomlinson Assists Rector..._ 85 XXV. The Revolutionary Period and Disestablishment of the Church 89 XXVI. Death of Mr. Reed... 95 XXVII. The Rev. Leonidas Cutting 98 XXVIII. Steps Toward Organization 102 XXIX. The Rev. Solomon Halling 105 XXX. First Bishop Elected for North Carolina 109 XXXI. The Rev. Thomas P. Irving _ 112 XXXII. The Rev. George Strebeck and The Rev. John Phillips, Assistant Rector 119 XXXIII. The Rev. Jehu Curtis Clay and Organization of the Diocese.. 121 XXXIV. The Rev. Richard Sharpe Mason 124 8 CONTENTS Chapter Page XXXV. Other Local Denominations 129 XXXVI. Second Episcopal Church Building 136 XXXVII. The Rev. John R. Goodman 141 XXXVIII. The Rev. John Burke._„ 144 XXXIX. The Rev. Cameron F. McRae._ 147 XL. The Rev. Fordyce M. Hubbard 149 XLI. The Rev. William N. Hawks 151 XLII. The Rev. Henry F. Greene 158 XLIII. The Rev. Thomas G. Haughton.„ 162 XLIV. The Rev. A. A. Watson 166 XLV. The Rev. Edward M. Forbes 172 XLVI. Church Fire 177 XLVII. The Rev. Charles S. Hale 183 XLVIII. The Rev. Van Winder Shields. 185 XLIX. The Rev. T. M. N. George 188 L. The Rev. L. G. H. Williams 192 LI. The Rev. John H. Brown 195 LII. The Rev. B. F. Huske._ 197 LIII. The Rev. Daniel G. MacKinnon 200 LIV. The Rev. Guy H. Madara 204 LV. The Rev. I. deL. Brayshaw 207 LVI. The Rev. Charles E. Williams 210 LVII. The Rt. Rev. Thomas C. Darst 216 Christ Church Vestrymen 219 Bibliography 223 Index 231 ILLUSTRATIONS FACING PAGE E. K. Bishop Frontispiece First Local Church—1750 32 Communion Silver, Presented by King George II 48 Second Local Episcopal Church—1824 128 Present Episcopal Church—1875 __ 176 Christ Church Altar..._ 192 Showing Communion Silver and Memorial Cloth. The Rev. Charles E. Williams 208 The Rt. Rev. Thomas C. Darst..._ 209 EARLY COLONIAL RELIGION That the early colonists in Eastern North Carolina had faith and religion is evidenced by many historical facts, and, although for a history of Christ Church, New Bern, it is manifestly impossible to go fully into an account of Christianity through the entire section, nevertheless it is important to mention a few outstanding events that transpired before the settling of this city. During Colonial days the church was usually the chief center of a settlement. Upon it our American fore- fathers depended often for educational and social privi- leges as well as religious inspiration. Christ Church played as vital a role along all these lines as any other factor in this community, and as material a part as prac- tically any other church in any other region. On August 13, 1587, Manteo, Indian friendly to the white colonists in Governor John White's English settle- ment on Roanoke Island, was baptised, 1 this being believed to be the first Christian baptism by the English on terri- tory now comprising the United States. Some days later Virginia Dare, first white child of English parentage born in the New World, was also christened at old Fort Raleigh. 2 In 1607, as English colonists started up the James River to found the first permanent English settlement at James- town, Va., they disembarked first at Cape Henry on April 26. With religious ritual they planted there a crude wooden cross, symbolic of faith in God and confidence in the future. 3 Episcopal services are continued there an- nually in tribute to their piety and pioneer spirit. Religion was also made an integral part of the daily life of other later settlements in Virginia and Carolina. In- deed, many persons came to this continent mainly for freedom of worship. Others were stimulated to religious zeal in their new homes. In almost all colonies buildings were set apart for public worship, sometimes private : 10 CROWN OF LIFE homes were thus used. For wide stretches where houses were scattered, however, religion had to be an individual or family devotion. The first charter granted March 24, 1663, by King Charles II of England to the original eight Lords Proprie- tors of Carolina stated that these leaders were "excited with a laudable and pious zeal for the propagation of the Christian faith, and the enlargement of our empire and dominion" by settling "in the parts of America not yet cultivated or planted, and only inhabited by some bar- barous people who have no knowledge of Almighty God." 4 As today, one of His Majesty's titles was "Defender of the Faith." 5 Liberty of conscience and freedom of worship were al- lowed under both the first and second Carolina charters, although it was distinctly understood that the Church of England was to be the established church in the colony just as it was in the Mother Country. 6 Under John Locke's "Fundamental Constitutions or the 7 Grand Model of Government," accepted March 1, 1669, which had great ideals of liberty 8 though failing to func- tion suitably for scattered inhabitants in Carolina, 9 it was declared "It shall belong to the Parliament to take care for the building of churches and the public maintenance of di- vines, to be employed in the exercise of religion, according to the Church of England ; which being the only true and orthodox, and the national religion of all the King's do- minions, is so also of Carolina, and therefore it alone shall be allowed to receive public maintenance by grant of Parliament." 10 No missionary societies were in the world during the 17th century, and there were no missionaries on this con- tinent except a few traveling Quaker preachers.