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| John Osgood | Parmetus Way | William Baker |
| John Quarterman | Joseph Osgood | Benjamin Andrew |
| Edward Samuell | Edward Way | Benjamin Baker |
| Samuel Bacon | Moses Way | Richard Baker |
| John Quarterman | Thomas Peacock | Thomas Way |
| Nathaniel Way | John Shave | Nathaniel Clark |
| Nathan Taylor | Samuel Stevens | Samuel Beverly |
| James Harley | John Elliott | Andley Maxwell |
| John Stevens | John Lupton | Isaac Limes |
| John Winn | Andrew Way | Samuel Way |
| Joseph Baker | Joseph Winn | Richard Spencer |
| William Dunham | John Mitchell | John Stevens |
| Isaac Giradeau | John Graves | John Stuart |
| Samuel Baker | Joseph Massey |
of the aforesaid society to them, their heirs and assigns forever a tract or piece of land containing two acres, situate in the district of Midway aforesaid, butting and bounding south by lands of the Rev. Mr. John Osgood and on all other sides by land of said John Stevens with a public road running through to be appropriated for a meeting house or place of public worship for the use of a Congregational church, or ___ society, Together with all the privileges, casments, immunities and commodities thereunto belonging, with all the buildings, fences, hedges, trees and wood and all things standing, growing or being or thereunto by any means appertaining. To have and to hold the above mentioned premises with all the appertenances to them, the above mentioned persons, their heirs and assigns forever, for the sold and proper use, benefit and behoof of the said above mentioned society, forevermore. And the said John Stevens for himself, his heirs, executors and administrators doth covenant and promise to and with the above mentioned persons their heirs and assigns in manner and form (that is to say) that until the sealing and delivery of these presents and at the time of this bargain and sale, he, the said John Stevens is the true sole and lawful owner of all the above granted premises, and hath in himself good right, full power and lawful authority to grant, sell, convey and assure the same in manner and form as aforesaid. And that the said above mentioned persons, their heirs and assigns, shall and may from henceforth and forevermore hereafter by force and virtue of these presents, lawfully, peaceably and quietly have, hold, use, occupy, possess and enjoy all the above granted remises and their appurtenances without any … molestation, denial, trouble or contradiction from him, the said John Stevens, or his heirs, executors or administrators, or from any other person or persons claiming or having any lawful right, title without or property therein by from or under him, or by any other lawful means or ways whatsoever. And lastly that the said John Stevens or his executors or administrators at any time hereafter at the reasonable requests and at the ___ and charges in law of the above mentioned society or persons, their heirs or assigns make do and execute any and every other and further thing or things, device or devices as shall be by the said society or persons or their heirs or their counsel learned in the law devised or required for the further, better and more perfect conveying confirming and assuring the premises as aforesaid.
In witness whereof the said John Stevens and Mary, his wife, in token of the consent to this act and deed of her husband, have hereunto set their hands and seals the twelth day of April in the twenty-ninth year of the reign of our sovereign Lord George the second, king, andanuo domini 1766
John Stevens, LS
Mary Stevens LS
Signed, sealed and delivered in the presence of
Thomas Christee
Robert Smallwood
William Heals
Memorandum: that on the nineteenth day of April 1766, the within named John Stevens did take quiet and peaceable possession and livery and ___ of the within granted premises and the ___ quiet and peaceable possession did yield and deliver unto William Baker and Benjamin Baker, two of the within named grantees in behalf of the whole number of antes within mentioned.
In the presence of
Thomas Christee
Robert Smallwood
William Heals
From the Hinesville, Ga., Gazette.
The following copy of the deed conveying the land on which the church and cemetery are located will be perused with interest by many of our readers. It is one of the oldest ___ to the colonial period of Georgia's history. We are indebted to Mr. ___, Savannah, for a copy of this ___ paper, as well as the introductory remarks preceding it.
In presenting to the readers of the Gazette the following interesting historical document, the writer deems it ___ and proper to refer to a few of the salient points in the history of the old Midway congregation as conducive to a ___ and clearer understanding of the events which led to the execution of this deed. It is not possible, within the space which can be ___ for the purpose to do more. The Medway colony, which is synonymous with the congregation of the same name, was the offspring of a body of Puritans from New England, who settled on the banks of the Ashley, about eighteen miles above the present city of Charleston (then known as Charles Town) in the year 1697. The town which they formed was named Dorchester, after their former home in Massachusetts. In 1752, having secured a grant to 22,400 acres of land in the province of Georgia, within the limits of the present county of Liberty, they commenced moving into this newly acquired territory. This grant was afterwards enlarged by the further gift of 9,950 acres. The pioneers of the new settlement were Benjamin Barker and Samuel Bacon, who came thither in 1752, and were followed at intervals by other members of the old society until 1771, when Jonathan Bacon, William Norman and Isham Andrews closed the list.
For some inexplicable reason the colonists located their residences in the low malarial section between Mount Hope swamp, the fountain head of Medway river and Bull Town swamp. The disastrous results of this injudicious selection are sadly attested by the records of the old Medway church, which show that while the number of births in the society during the first twenty years of its existence amounted to 193, the deaths during the same period attained the terrible total of 124. To avert, if possible, this wholesale sacrifice of human life, the town of Sunbury was laid out in 1758. This is now numbered among the dead towns of Georgia, all traces of original plan having been obliterated by ___ and farms, although numerous old deeds on record in Atlanta show that it had a bright period in its history, when lots were much in demand and commanded a good price.
In March 1754, the pastor of the old South Carolina society, Rev. John Osgood, followed the major part of his congregation to Georgia and on the 7th of June the first sermon was preached in a log house on Medway Neck. The same year measures were inaugurated for the erection of a permanent place of worship, which occupied the site of the present church. It was destroyed in 1778 by a body of English soldiers under command of Colonel Provost. The present building was erected in 1798. The deed following conveyed the land covered by the cemetery and church:
Submitted by Bob Franks
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