Hi, everyone... Here's a tidbit of info. about the IP immigrants to the Camden Valley of Washington Co., NY, and the Methodist Society they established there... Hope this is of value to somebody... Enjoy! Susan ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Source: *History of Washington County, New York*, by Crisfield Johnson. Everts and Ensign, Publishers, Philadelphia, 1878. pp. 271, 274 "In the summer of 1769 Thomas ASHTON and his wife, emigrants from Ireland, and members of the Mr. John WESLEY's society there, landed at New York, and soon, with some other Methodist emigrants, made their way to what was then known as Cambridge patent. They settled among the hills, on the southeastern corner of 'Anaquasscoke patent', afterwards embraced in the town of Cambridge when that was organized in 1773, now within the limits of the town of White Creek. Here, in company with other emigrants, some from "the Nine Partners", and some from the eastern States, was commenced that hamlet which took the name of Ashgrove; apparently and probably given by incorporating a part of the name of ASHTON wit the wild region where he had fixed his home. "In the early part of the succeeding year (1770) Philip EMBURY, another emigrant from Ireland, and for ten years preceding a resident of the city of New York, accompanied by his family, came into the same region. He was joint proprietor with his brothers, David and Peter, and with James, George, Samuel and John WILSON, Moses COWAN, and Thomas PROCTOR, of a patent of eight thousand acres of hills and valleys of that region. He did not locate on his patent lands, but fixed his residence in the region then known as West Camden, county of Charlotte, now the southeastern corner of the town of Salem. He was a Wesleyan Methodist local preacher in Ireland; as such preacher he had organized the first Methodist society in New York, and erected there the first Methodist church edifice in America, and now he formed a class at Ashgrove of the Methodist emigrants there, and others desiring such religious fellowship, and began at once his local ministrations, as he had previously done in the city of New York. "The record of the names composing the first class is lost, but the following persons were known to have lived in that vicinity at that time, and their names appear on the oldest records now extant: Thomas ASHTON, Elizabeth ASHTON, John ARMITAGE, Ely ARMITAGE, James BARBER, Sarah BARBER, Philip EMBURY, Margaret EMBURY, Peter SWITZER, Anna M. SWITZER, Christopher SWITZER. "To these, and all who would attend EMBURY preached for three years, and then suddenly died. The services were held at the residence of Thomas ASHTON, John ARMITAGE, and others, as no church edifice was erected until 1788. From the death of EMBURY in 1773, until October, 1788, the society was destitute of preaching, having only one class and prayer meetings. In the meantime a large emigration reached this locality. Many of the Irish and German (or Palatine Irish) Methodists form Mr. WESLEY's societies settled in Ashgrove and the surrounding valleys. "In September 1788 Lemuel SMITH was appointed by the Methodist conference as the first itinerant minister to this society. He arrived early in October. The appointment was called "Cambridge". He immediately revived the society as organized by EMBURY, adding many members thereto. He enlarged the circuit until it covered the present county, with adjoining sections of Bennington and Rensselaer. "This year a church edifice was projected and commenced. It was completed early in 1789. It was built upon land donated by Thomas ASHTON for a church and burial ground, and from the uncertainty of accurate boundaries, the deed was given by William FISHER, James ASHTON, and Thomas ASHTON, their lands all converging near the church lot. It was small, unpretentious, unpainted structure, some 34 x 46 feet on a beautiful rise of ground fronting the west, and pronounced by Rev. Freeborn GARRETTSON (the first presiding elder), at its completion, "the most elegant church, according to the size of it, that I know in the connection." It is not known to the writer that any record is extant showing who composed the building committed, what its cost was, or when or by whom it was dedicated. It was occupied in July, 1787. "The trustees were Ephraim BESSEY, James BARBER, Nathan SHERMAN, John BAKER, John ARMITAGE, Jr., William ELLICE, George FISHER, Edward DILLON, and Zachariah FISHER. The following composed the male membership a few years later, the whole number in church fellowship, male and female, being one hundred and seventy-nine: "Thomas ASHTON, James BARBER, John BAKER, Jeremiah AUSTIN, Loughlin McLEAN, Alexander McLEAN, George FISHER, Ephraim BESSEY, Cornelius THORP, William FISHER, John ARMITAGE, Richard SUTLIFF, Othiniel PRESTON, Robert LANGWORTHY, Daniel SUMNER, Noah DODGE, John HANNA, John GRIMES, Uriah PALMERTON, John DART, Zachariah FISHER, Edward SMALLMAN, John BARBER, Jacob GOODSELL, Thomas EMPY, John SUTLIFF, William ELLICE, John DOUNE, David HAMMON, Peter SHARP, William COWAN, Amos AUSTIN, Thomas COWAN, John GILES, Thomas TAYLOR, Nathan LARRABEE, Nathan TAYOR, John EMPY, Edward DILLON, John McNAMARA, John RHODES, Thomas MOORE, Constant REYNOLDS, Daniel AUSTIN, Elijah AUSTIN, Gaius BLOWERS, James MOON, Robert MOON, Solomon BLOWERS, Henry LITTLE, Thomas AUSTIN, John LILLY, Benjamin HARRIS, Henry STILLSON, Abram HODGE, Charles BLOWERS, Robert HULL, Wm. DOUGHERTY, Wm. WILLIAMS, Garrett SHARP, Cornelius SHARP, Wm. TIDD, Job BLOWERS, Ebenezer HALL, Dennis HALL, Merchant HALL, Peter SWITZER, Christopher SWITZER, John SWITZER, John TOMPKINS, Peter SHARP, Thomas MADDIN, Wm. GALUSHA, Job HERRINGTON, Wm. WORDEN, Clark LITTLE, John TOMPKINS, George EMPY, Richard EMPY, John EMPY, Ally COOPER, David LUCAS, Clark JINKS, Cornelius SHAW, Gideon RATHBONE, John BLOWERS, Andrew SHARP, Thaddeus TIDD, John NOWLAN.