White trustees of a Black church refuse to allow them to employ a Black pastor
Dublin Core
Title
White trustees of a Black church refuse to allow them to employ a Black pastor
Description
Several documents beginning with deposition of David Lucket, complaining that white trustees of church at Oxon Hill, MD prevent Black parishioners from employing a Black minister. Require a white one. The underlying reason for this requirement by white trustees, subsequent investigation shows, is the "Nat Tyler" insurrection of 1852.
Date
2/21/1866
Coverage
Oxen Hill, Prince George's County, MD
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
Summary of a Letter from a Black Parishioner to the Headquarters of the Washington, D.C. Freedmen’s Bureau Assistant Commissioner; Headquarters to a White Trustee of a Black Church; and the Assistant Superintendent of the Washington D.C. Freedmen’s Bureau to the Superintendent
3 / 12 [1867] 703, Lucket David —
“Deposition” — States that they are prohibited from
Holding services in their church at
E.B. Vol. 1. No. 687.
L.R. Vol. 1 No. 909. Oxen Hill, Md. Unless they have a white minister, —
War Dept.
Bureau R. F and A.L.
Washington [D.C.] Feb. 24th 1866
Mr. Noyes Smith, Esq.
Prince Geo. Md.
Sir— Complaint has reached these Head Quarters that the colored people are prevented from worshiping in the church erected by them on their own land at Oxen Hill P. G. Co. by the society of which you are a trustee. You are therefore directed to appear at these Hd Quarters and state the reason for your action, in order that this Bureau may not be compelled to proceed further on an ex-parte statement— Respectfully &c By Order of Bvt. Brig Genl. C. H. Howard
S. N. Clark
Lt & A.A.A.G.
Bureau R.F and A.L.
Office Local Supt D.C.
Washington. Mch 5” 1867,
Beeb Jr. Lt col N M.
Local Supt D.C.
Colonel, I have the honor to State that the case referred to in communication dated Hd Qrs Ass’t Comr Bureau RF and A.L. Feby 28” 1867, (of which the enclosed are the original papers) was referred to me by Capt Wm Spurgin, Local Supt. D.C., on the 25” of Apr. 1866 for investigation and report
My report was made to Capt Spurgin on the 8” of March 1866, and I supposed had been forwarded to the Ass’t Comr I have found the original papers. and I have the honor to submit. with them. my report.
I visited Oxen Hill, Prince Geo. Co. Maryland. and from various Sources Elicited the following information, About the commencement of the year 1820, Revd Walter. D Addison set apart an acre of ground at Oxen Hill and by the aid of subscriptions from the
neighboring Planters succeeded in erecting thereon a Church for the use of the Colored People in that neighborhood. That the said Church was occupied by them exclusively without molestation until the time of the “Nat Tyler,” Negro insurgency” in Maryland in the year 1852, when the legislature of Md made a Law, that the colored People should not be allowed to congregate on any occasion unless some white person should be present.
From the Date of that Law. Noris Smith and others, (White) met with the colored People at the Church.
Subsequently a white Clergyman was employed to preach when quite a number of White People came there to worship. Eventually the colored people were dispossed in a measure, The White portion of the congregation having made some improvements on the Church, and some additions to the Grounds, and in as much as colored Persons (under the existing laws of Maryland) could not hold real-Estate, and as no record of a deed for the original Acre of Ground, Can be found at the Clerks office of the County of Prince George, State of Maryland'.
The White Trustees of the Church claim the property. They informed me that they were willing that the Colored People should attend the Church, but that a Colored Clergyman, should not ocupy the Pulpit. Very Respy Your obt Sevt
J.W Vandenburgh
Ass't Sup D.C.
Summary of deposition of David Lucket, 21 Feb. 1866, vol. 1, p. 115, Registers of Letters Received, ser. 455, DC Asst. Comr., RG 105 [A-9940]; Lt. S.N. Clark to Noyes Smith Esq., 24 Feb. 1866, vol. 6, p. 244, Letters Sent, ser. 449, DC Asst. Comr., RG 105 [A-9940]; J. W. Vandenburgh to Lt. Col. N M. Beebe, 5 Mar. 1867, vol. 77, pp. 264-65, Letters Sent, ser. 542, DC and Georgetown Supt., RG 105 [A-9940].
3 / 12 [1867] 703, Lucket David —
“Deposition” — States that they are prohibited from
Holding services in their church at
E.B. Vol. 1. No. 687.
L.R. Vol. 1 No. 909. Oxen Hill, Md. Unless they have a white minister, —
War Dept.
Bureau R. F and A.L.
Washington [D.C.] Feb. 24th 1866
Mr. Noyes Smith, Esq.
Prince Geo. Md.
Sir— Complaint has reached these Head Quarters that the colored people are prevented from worshiping in the church erected by them on their own land at Oxen Hill P. G. Co. by the society of which you are a trustee. You are therefore directed to appear at these Hd Quarters and state the reason for your action, in order that this Bureau may not be compelled to proceed further on an ex-parte statement— Respectfully &c By Order of Bvt. Brig Genl. C. H. Howard
S. N. Clark
Lt & A.A.A.G.
Bureau R.F and A.L.
Office Local Supt D.C.
Washington. Mch 5” 1867,
Beeb Jr. Lt col N M.
Local Supt D.C.
Colonel, I have the honor to State that the case referred to in communication dated Hd Qrs Ass’t Comr Bureau RF and A.L. Feby 28” 1867, (of which the enclosed are the original papers) was referred to me by Capt Wm Spurgin, Local Supt. D.C., on the 25” of Apr. 1866 for investigation and report
My report was made to Capt Spurgin on the 8” of March 1866, and I supposed had been forwarded to the Ass’t Comr I have found the original papers. and I have the honor to submit. with them. my report.
I visited Oxen Hill, Prince Geo. Co. Maryland. and from various Sources Elicited the following information, About the commencement of the year 1820, Revd Walter. D Addison set apart an acre of ground at Oxen Hill and by the aid of subscriptions from the
neighboring Planters succeeded in erecting thereon a Church for the use of the Colored People in that neighborhood. That the said Church was occupied by them exclusively without molestation until the time of the “Nat Tyler,” Negro insurgency” in Maryland in the year 1852, when the legislature of Md made a Law, that the colored People should not be allowed to congregate on any occasion unless some white person should be present.
From the Date of that Law. Noris Smith and others, (White) met with the colored People at the Church.
Subsequently a white Clergyman was employed to preach when quite a number of White People came there to worship. Eventually the colored people were dispossed in a measure, The White portion of the congregation having made some improvements on the Church, and some additions to the Grounds, and in as much as colored Persons (under the existing laws of Maryland) could not hold real-Estate, and as no record of a deed for the original Acre of Ground, Can be found at the Clerks office of the County of Prince George, State of Maryland'.
The White Trustees of the Church claim the property. They informed me that they were willing that the Colored People should attend the Church, but that a Colored Clergyman, should not ocupy the Pulpit. Very Respy Your obt Sevt
J.W Vandenburgh
Ass't Sup D.C.
Summary of deposition of David Lucket, 21 Feb. 1866, vol. 1, p. 115, Registers of Letters Received, ser. 455, DC Asst. Comr., RG 105 [A-9940]; Lt. S.N. Clark to Noyes Smith Esq., 24 Feb. 1866, vol. 6, p. 244, Letters Sent, ser. 449, DC Asst. Comr., RG 105 [A-9940]; J. W. Vandenburgh to Lt. Col. N M. Beebe, 5 Mar. 1867, vol. 77, pp. 264-65, Letters Sent, ser. 542, DC and Georgetown Supt., RG 105 [A-9940].
Collection
Citation
“White trustees of a Black church refuse to allow them to employ a Black pastor,” Black Maryland in the Civil War—A Microedition of the Freedmen and Southern Society Project, accessed June 8, 2026, https://fssp.artinterp2.org/items/show/39.