Years ago, Dr. Thomas E. Buckley, SJ, author of the recent excellent Establishing Religious Freedom: Jefferson's Statute in Virginia (Charlottesville, 2013), called my attention to a long 10 October 1759 letter in the Patrick Henry Papers at the Library of Congress from James Maury, rector of Fredericksville Parish, evidently sent to Commissary Thomas Dawson. Maury described at length the objections that some members of his parish vestry made after he attempted to baptize some enslaved children during the regular church service. That indicates, as Craig mentioned, that children of slaves were sometimes baptized. The vestrymen did not object to their being baptized, only to their being baptized during the regular church service along with children of decent white people.
Brent Tarter
The Library of Virginia
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Please visit the Library of Virginia's Web site at http://www.lva.virginia.gov
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From: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of [log in to unmask]
Sent: Wednesday, February 05, 2014 9:47 AM
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Subject: [VA-HIST] Baptism of bastard children in the Colonial Church
Hello all,
I seem to have been suffering under the illusion ever since reading *Tess of the Turbervilles* in sophomore English class that the Anglican church did not allow for the baptism of bastard children.* But in going through the Christ Church, Middlesex County parish register for the late 1600s and early 1700s, I see that there are hundreds of bastard child baptisms. These usually only name the mother. Also of interest are a considerable number of slave children being baptized, which I also found unusual. So, gentle readers, where did I go astray regarding canon law in colonial Virginia?
Craig Kilby
*Those of you who were forced to read this drivel may recall that Tess found herself in a family way without benefit of matrimony, and then the baby died. She then has a nightmare that the devil was tossing the infant boy around in the flames of hell on his pitchfork. Our teacher, dear Mrs.
Timmons, asked the class what this meant. One wag in class quickly answered her with, "Burn, Baby, Burn!" She was not amused, but the rest of the class went into an uproar!
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