464 HISTORY OP 



five years since. In the year 1935, the Rev. Leonard Fletcher, 

 then stationed in Chester county, preached occasionally at 

 Churchtown, and baptized a number of persons. Sometime 

 about 1639, a member of that denomination, Gilbert Hills, late 

 from Connecticut located in the city of Lancaster, at whose 

 instance baptist ministers were invited to visit the place. The 

 same year the Rev. Kingsford preached occasionally, and he 

 was soon followed by others, among those were the the Rev'ds. 

 Gillette,. Kennard, Babcock, Dodge, Keys, Woolsy, Fletcher, 

 Dickinson, Dean, Brettell, Higgins, who organized a church in 

 February, 1841 ; after which missionaries and visiting minis- 

 ters preached — these were Rev. Shadrac, Miller, Burbank, 

 Keys, Smith and Hendrickson. 



In the spring of 1843, the Baptists purchased a house for 

 public worship in Lancaster, on Chestnut, near Duke street. — 

 Their present pastor, October, 1843, is the Rev. Leonard 

 Fletcher, of the American Baptist IMissionary Society. He 

 and the Rev. Enos M. Philips of Colerain, are the only Baptist 

 ministers in Lancaster county. They have three places of 

 public worship. 



The Mokmons. — A few arc found in the county v/ho hold 

 the views of this sect; and also some theoTeiicai Miller it es^ 

 who are ready to ride into notice on every "cloud of novelty.'* 

 These are hahcs in knowledge and piety, and fuU-groirn in the 

 love of the world — ceaseless in schemes " to raise the wind.'* 

 Besides these, there are also several African churches in the 

 county. 



