Saturday, December 15, 2012

The Covenanters of Lower Chanceford

Been a long time since I posted here but I stumbled on the Rev. Alexander Craighead (aka Creaghead), who was an early Presbyterian minister in PA and then points south.  One of the Covenanters and apparently a man very firm in his beliefs, who had problems making common cause with other Presbyterians. 

From the introduction to one of his works:
"At the time of the renewal of the Covenants, in 1743, there were at least seven regularly organized Covenanter societies in Eastern Pennsylvania, in each of which were ruling elders, as follows: Middle Octorara, Lancaster County, with elders Samuel Irwin, Josiah Kerr, and Robert Laughead. Pequea, Lancaster County, with elders Neal McNaughton, William Ramsey, and Joseph Walker. Muddy Run, Lancaster County, with elders Joseph Bell and John Brownlee. Lower Chanceford, York County, with elders Samuel Hawthorne and Samuel Jackson. Paxtang, Dauphin County, with elders James Brown, James Mitchel, and Andrew Smith. Rocky Spring, Franklin County, with elders Christopher Houston and James Willson. Rock Creek, Adams County, with elders Robert McCullock and Thomas Wilson. No doubt many of these elders, and a large number of the people, were present at Middle Octorara, and entered into the proceedings of the solemn covenanting occasion."