The Churches of Delaware
Frank R. Zebley
Wilmington, Delaware
1947

"White's Methodist Church (M. E.). In the home of Judge Thomas White, in Mispillion Hundred, was held the first Annual Conference of the M. E. Church in America. At that time they had not entirely separated from the Church of England and it was decided at this Conference not to separate. Mr. Asbury was very much opposed to separation. The Second Conference was held here on April 16, 1781.

These Conferences must have been local affairs as the Methodist Episcopal Church in America was not organized until 1784. This took place at the so-called Christmas Conference held in Baltimore on Dec. 25, 1784.

The Methodists had been subjected to many outrages and were held in utter contempt by the members of the other denominations. In April, 1778, Judge White, who was Judge of the Common Pleas Court in Kent County, was arrested and placed in jail on charges arising from the fact that he was a Methodist. He was confined for five weeks and then acquitted. It was in Judge White's home that Mr. Asbury took refuge on Mar. 25, 1778, when the authorities sought to arrest him on similar charges.

To understand the charges against Judge White and Bishop Asbury one must remember that during those troublous Revolutionary days, the Patriots considered anyone who had any favorable English connections to be a Tory and therefore an enemy. The Methodist Church was considered a part of the Church of England from which they had not yet withdrawn. The Patriots presumed that these church leaders favored the British side of the quarrel and for that reason accused them of treason. As accusation that was hardly justified and never proven. Mr. Asbury remained in seclusion at Judge White's for two years. He was able to conduct, clandestinely, some of his many duties.

Incidentally, even today, the Judge White home would make an ideal hideout. Although the house can be seen from the road, one of several long lanes must be traversed to reach it. Built of brick and frame with high ceilings and numerous fireplaces it had been a fine home in its time but is rather dilapidated today. Freeborn Garrettson preached two sermons at Judge White's on Sept. 5, 1778, the first time he preached under a tree and the second time in the house. He preached here again on June 28, 1779. He mentioned in his Journal that the Nicholites were very active in this section.

The Nicholites or New Quakers were a recalcitrant group organized by Joseph Nichols of western Kent Co., Del., about 1760. They built three meeting-houses in Caroline Co., Maryland. By 1803, the meeting-houses and the members were taken over by the Friends.

Meetings were held by the Methodists in Judge White's home for three years. The erection of a chapel was on Judge White's farm was started in 1780. Mr. Asbury preached there on Sept. 17, 1780, and his Journal notes: "White's Chapel, a miserable place it is, unfinished and one part lying open to the sun. A group of mocking young men." Mr. Asbury preached at White's on Oct. 6, 1782, after the chapel was completed and noted that "it is one of the neatest chapels the Methodists have on the whole continent."

At a later date, Union M. E. Church was organized and met in White's schoolhouse which was located where White's chapel now stands. On July 20, 1841, Wm. Wix donated 50 perches of land at White's schoolhouse to White's Chapel.
The chapel was moved to the new site which is four and one-half miles west of Harrington. Union Church merged with them, the old schoolhouse being used as a social-hall. Both church and school were destroyed by fire about 1861. The present church was then built.

Although the congregation is very small, services are held every other Sunday by a regular pastor. After being redecorated and re-carpeted the 164th Anniversary was held on Feb. 6, 1944. There are a few graves in back of the church. The oldest tombstone that the writer could find is that of Sarah Wix, who died on Feb. 20, 1844."