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From Wikipedia, the free
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The Rev. Francis Makemie
(1658 – 1708) was an Irish clergyman,
considered to be the founder of Presbyterianism in United States
of America.
Makemie was born into the Ulster-Scots community
in County Donegal, part
of the Province of Ulster in the north of Ireland. He went on to
become a clergyman and was ordained by the
Presbytery of the Laggan, in West Ulster, in 1682. At the call
of Colonel William Stevens, an Episcopalian from Rehobeth, Maryland,
he was sent as a missionary to America, arriving
in Maryland in 1683. In 1683,
Makemie founded the first Presbyterian community
in the Town of Snow Hill.
The Makemie
Memorial Presbyterian Church is in its
fourth building on its third location in the town
of Snow Hill. The first building, which was near
the river, which was the chief means of travel in
the 17th and early 18th centuries, was a log
building. A frame building was erected next, a
little further away from the water, and during the
time the congregation worshiped in this building
the current location was purchased and became the
site of the cemetery. The third building was of
brick and was located on the high ground to the
rear of the location of the present building. The
remains of the foundation to that building were
rediscovered in the late 1980's. The fourth and
present building was constructed in 1889 and
dedicated to the glory of God and in memory of
Francis Makemie. It is the only church in the
country allowed to be so named. Makemie also built
Rehobeth
Presbyterian Church in Rehobeth, Maryland in Somerset
County which still stands today as the
oldest Presbyterian Church in America. In addition
he had a hand in founding churches in Salisbury, Princess Anne,
Berlin and Pocomoke City
as well as in two places in Virginia. The Makemie
Memorial Presbyterian Church is the first church
in the colonies to present a call for a pastor to
the Presbytery. Snow Hill was also to be the
center of the Presbytery of Snow Hill, which was
chartered by the General Assembly, but never
activated.
He married Naomi Anderson, the
daughter of a successful businessman and
landowner. Francis and Naomi had two daughters,
Anne and Elizabeth. In 1706, he was instrumental
in the founding of the first Presbytery in
America.
Makemie eventually went to the Eastern Shore
of Virginia and founded a community there.
In 1707, Makemie was arrested by Lord Cornbury, the Governor of New York for preaching
without a license. He was acquitted of the
charges, and this is considered to be a landmark
case in favor of religious freedom in America.
Makemie died on the Eastern Shore of Virginia in
1708.
Makemie Woods campground,
owned and operated by the Presbytery of Eastern
Virginia of the Presbyterian Church (USA) is named
for Francis Makemie. The camp is located between
between Williamsburg and Richmond, VA
End of information
from Wiki
Information from:
http://www.francismakemie.com/Francis_Makemie.htm
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Francis Makemie was born in
Ramelton, County Donegal, Ireland in 1658.
In 1676, he was enrolled in the University
of Glasgow. This young brown-haired
blue-eyed Irishman witnessed the extensive
persecution of Presbyterians in Ulster and
Scotland which followed the restoration of
the monarchy in 1660. He was ordained in
Northern Ireland in 1682 by the Presbytery
of Laggan at the call of Col. William
Stevens from Rehobeth Maryland. Col.
Stevens had issued the call to the
Presbyterian church to send a missionary.
Makemie then traveled to the
Americas as a missionary. He went to North
Carolina, Maryland, Virigina, and New
England. In 1684, Makemie established the
first Presbyterian congregation in
America, located in Snow Hill, Maryland.
In 1687, Francis purchased land in
Accomack County, Virginia. He engaged in
shipping and trade to make a living,
because small town churches could not
afford to fully support a pastor. William
Anderson, a successfull businessman and
landowner, helped Makemie become
established. Francis married Anderson's
daughter, Naomi. The Naomi Makemie
Presbyterian Church in Onancock is
named after her. They had two daughters,
Anne and Elizabeth. Elizabeth died before
her father, while Anne outlived him and
was married three times. In 1706, Makemie
helped bring together Presbyterians from
different backgrounds to establish the
Presbytery of Philadelphia. This was the
birth of American Presbyterianism. Makemie
was elected the first moderator of the
Presbytery. Makemie also established a Presbyterian
congregation in Rehobeth Maryland,
which is still in existence.
In January 1707, he was
arrested by Lord Cornbury (aka Edward
Hyde), the governor of New York, for
preaching without a license. Though
Anglicanism was the official religion,
there were many dissenters who preached
different doctrine, including Puritans,
Quakers, and Presbyterians. Makemie had a
license to preach as a dissenter in
Virgnian and Maryland. After spending 6
weeks in jail, Makemie was aquitted in
June 1707. His defense was based on the
English Toleration Act of 1689. Though he
was found innocent, he was ordered to pay
the cost of his prosecution, thus
prompting the New York legislature to
forbid this from happening again in the
future. This is considered a landmark case
in favor of religious freedom in America.
Francis died in the Summer
of 1708. He was buried on his farm on the
Eastern shore.
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