Cook a
strong protest against the legislation was voiced. The other churches
were asked to follow and endorse the stand taken at Israel. They did
so; the President, Andrew Johnson, refused to sign the bill and the
schools remained intact under Negro management until 1900.

[7] Israel was the church above all which made itself an example for
other independent churches in Washington. Mt. Zion in Georgetown had
been acting as an organized church since 1816. Until 1830, however, it
had no records. It had no Negro pastor for forty-eight years and no
trustees until 1866.

[8] Payne, _History of the A. M. E. Church_, p. 38.

[9] Some of the strongest men in that denomination were sent to
Israel. Charles Wesley Fitzhugh, Charles H. Phillips, R. S. Williams,
N. S. Cleaves, and S. B. Wallace were among the number. Phillips,
Williams, and Cleaves became bishops, while Dr. Wallace, who died
while pastor in 1895, was certainly one of the foremost pulpit orators
in any of the Negro churches, without exception, during the nineteenth
century.

[10] From the records of this church.

[11] At this time there were eighteen classes at the Asbury and a
membership of about 640. A financial report for the year ending March
30, 1850, shows receipts of $829.17-1/2. Ten years later the stewards'
financial report gives $798.01. At the dedication of Asbury in 1869 a
review of its history was given by Benjamin McCoy, who was the most
influential personage in the history of this church. He was a
colleague of John F. Cook, Sr. An extract from a report submitted by
him is very interesting, showing for the building the amount of the
debt of the old Asbury, $15,354.97, on which $11,610.97 was paid
Downing and Brothers, $3,744 to Rogers and Cissil, $1,257.48 paid to
Morsell and Dearing, leaving a balance of $2,486.52.

[12] The order then follows: W. H. Waters, 1856; John J. Herbert,
1857; Michael F. Sluy, 1858; Alexander W. Wayman, 1859; Daniel W.
Moore, 1860-1861; James A. Handy, 1864 (6 weeks); James D. S. Hall,
1864, 1865; James A. Handy, 1866, 1867; Richard A. Hall, 1868, 1869;
Daniel P. Seaton, M.D., 1870, 1871; Daniel Draper, 1872, 1873; Richard
A. Hall, 1874; Joseph S. Thompson, 1875, 1876; George W. Brodie, 1877,
1878, 1879; Rev. John W. Stevenson, 1880, 1881.

Union Bethel finally became the Metropolitan Church in 1881. James A.
Handy served in 1882, 1883, 1884; after which came Rev. George T.
Watkins, 1885; Theophilus G. Steward in 18