202 HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY. [1700. 



bare hack, and being without shoes or stockings, her bare legs 

 & feet hung dangling by the side of the Governor's horse. "^ 



From the first settlement of the country up to this time, dis- 

 ownments from the Society of Friends were very rare. The 

 first minuted loss of membership in Chester Monthly Meeting, 

 occurs this year. By repeated visits, and patient careful and 

 judicious management, nearly every offender was reclaimed and 

 restored to his former standing in the Society. Some thus re- 

 stored by careful dealing, afterwards became the pillars of the 

 Church. The growth of the Society now appears to be rapid, 

 both in numbers and means; new meetings are being established 

 and new meeting-houses erected. In 1699 a new meeting-house 

 was proposed to be erected " by the Friends belonging to Thomas 

 Minchall's meeting, at the burying ground by Thomas Powell's." 

 This burying ground is now known as Sandy Bank. The com- 

 mittee appointed to fix the site of the meeting-house, decided 

 that, "the farther end of Thomas Minshall's land by the high 

 road side," was the best location. Thomas Minshall donated an 

 acre of land for the purpose and the meeting-house was erected 

 and ready for use this year. It occupied the present site of 

 Providence Meeting-house.^ 



Early this year a committee fixed a site " for a meeting house, 

 for friends of John Bowater's Meeting ***** upon 

 the land or lot belonging to the meeting's burying place." This 

 is the site of the old meeting-house in 5liddletown. The house 

 proposed to be built may not have been completed before the 

 next year. 



A meeting-house was also erected at Springfield this year for 

 the accommodation of the meeting that had been held at the 

 house of Bartholomew Coppock. It is not known that it was 

 occupied earlier than the 26th of the 3d month (May), 1701, 

 when Chester Monthly Meeting was held there.^ 



Evidence of the existence of Episcopalian organizations within 

 the limits of our county, now begins to dawn upon us. In the 

 History of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in 

 Foreign parts, we are told that " the Swedes and Dutch settled 

 in this Province [Pennsylvania] had some ministers among them, 

 but the English had none, till the year 1700 ; when the Rever- 

 end Mr. Evans was sent over to Philadelphia by Bishop Comp- 

 ton." After describing the labors and success of Mr. Evans, 

 the author goes on to say, that " a hearty love and zeal for Re- 



1 Clarkson, ii. 178, as taken from Sutcliff. 



2 Thomas Powell had discontinued his membership with Friends, and had become 

 an active Episcopalian. 



' A draft found among the papers of Isaac Taylor, the surveyor, made in 1702-3, 

 shows that this meeting-house, which was doubtless built of logs, stood in what is now 

 the grave-yard, and fronted on the road leading to Darby. 



