The "Dissenters' Glebe" of the Rev. Samuel Davies

The "Dissenters' Glebe" of the Rev. Samuel Davies is a Virginia historical marker in Hanover County, dedicated 2023.

Hanover County · dedicated 2023 · 10058 Chamberlayne Road

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Just west was Polegreen Church’s 18th-century glebe, a farm and residence provided for the benefit of its pastor. Polegreen was a congregation of Presbyterians dissenting from Virginia’s established Church of England. The Rev. Samuel Davies (1723-1761), a leader of the Great Awakening in the South, was Polegreen's first pastor (1748-1759). A powerful orator, he gained converts, founded churches, defended the rights of dissenters, and influenced the oratorical style of Patrick Henry. Although holding at least two people in slavery, he worked to spread literacy among enslaved people, converting many to Christianity. Davies died at the age of 37 while president of what is now Princeton University.

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The "Dissenters' Glebe" of the Rev. Samuel Davies

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