In a message dated 9/29/03 12:58:23 PM Mountain Daylight Time, Cpzb4@aol.com writes: > Dissenters meaning: A person who leaves a church. A person who disagrees > with a popular action or school of thought. > > And in this case, anyone who wasn't Protestant Episcopal (the inheritor of the Church of England role in local government). Presbyterians, as the successors to the Church of Scotland, were fairly well accepted in the Federalist period, but Baptist and Quakers were definitely outsiders. The true meaning of the First Amendment's freedom of religion clause hadn't quite sunk in yet (still hasn't, in some cases!)---at least in the House of Burgesses. They simply turned the C of E glebe lands over to the Protestant Episcopal church--prompting hundreds of protesting petitions from many "dissenting" Virginians over the clause about government sponsoring a single religion. Those petitions always seemed to me one of the first real "stands" for the Bill of Rights. Many of these petitions, including several from Fauquier, are online at http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/repehtml/rpabout.html Karen Dale

I wonder if this would be why my people (John Wilson and Elizabeth Chinn) got married in Frederick Co. MD I have yet to figure out, but believe the Chinn family was Presbyterian. Elizabeth wrote something curious in a letter to her son that seems like maybe they had converted or dissented. "Polly Chinn and Betty are living in town both strict Method[ist]..... Mrs Channel is well at our camp meeting last week got converted there is a great many converts in this place all for the better I hope....." Does anyone know what "camp meeting" means? Sounds like Baptist to me. However...... Elizabeth's great-granddaughter (my great-grandmother) was a Methodist. Janean ----- Original Message ----- From: <KDale60909@aol.com> To: <VAFAUQUI-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, September 29, 2003 3:14 PM Subject: Re: May 28th Court 1781 Fauquier County > In a message dated 9/29/03 12:58:23 PM Mountain Daylight Time, Cpzb4@aol.com > writes: > > > > Dissenters meaning: A person who leaves a church. A person who disagrees > > with a popular action or school of thought. > > > > > > And in this case, anyone who wasn't Protestant Episcopal (the inheritor of > the Church of England role in local government). Presbyterians, as the > successors to the Church of Scotland, were fairly well accepted in the Federalist > period, but Baptist and Quakers were definitely outsiders. The true meaning of the > First Amendment's freedom of religion clause hadn't quite sunk in yet (still > hasn't, in some cases!)---at least in the House of Burgesses. They simply > turned the C of E glebe lands over to the Protestant Episcopal church--prompting > hundreds of protesting petitions from many "dissenting" Virginians over the > clause about government sponsoring a single religion. Those petitions always > seemed to me one of the first real "stands" for the Bill of Rights. > > Many of these petitions, including several from Fauquier, are online at > > http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/repehtml/rpabout.html > > Karen Dale > > > ==== VAFAUQUI Mailing List ==== > 2,500 Discussion Lists!!! USGenWeb and The USGenWeb Archives! > Special thanks to go to RootsWeb,your generous donations to > RootsWeb makes this all possible. Find out more! > http://www.rootsweb.com/rootsweb/how-to-subscribe.html > RootsWeb Gen. Data Coop. Box 6798 Frazier Park, CA 93222 >

Camp meetings were popular during early times and into the twentieth century. They were usually held near springs and people came and camped out. The meeting were held under the trees and in shelters built of brush, hence, they were also called "brush arbor" meetings. In Washington county Virginia one was held on White Top Mountain and attracted people from all over the area and beyond. There was a lot of music and gospel singing in addition to preaching. My uncle took a truck load of people up to White Top during the 1930s and one of my cousins wasn't at the truck when they got ready to leave and he had to walk the thirty miles back home. He laid down to sleep and lost one of his shoes and had to walk bare footed the rest of the way. Eleanor Roosevelt came from Washington by train to attend the meeting at White Top. There were other camp meetings in this area, one at Laurel Springs north of Abingdon and an all day meeting on Clinch Mountain. They handled snakes at the Clinch Mountain meeting and stood on a large rock and preached. People of all faiths attended these meetings, they were as much social meetings as religious. G. Lee Hearl... >>>Does anyone know what "camp meeting" means? Sounds like Baptist to me. However...... Elizabeth's great-granddaughter (my great-grandmother) was a Methodist. Janean<<<< G. Lee Hearl Authentic Appalachian Storyteller Abingdon, Va.