The Reverend William Maffitt, of the Presbytery of Baltimore, appeared in the Assembly and stated that he had neglected to bring his commission. Two commissioners from the same Presbytery certified that Mr. Maffitt had been appointed by the Presbytery as commissioner to this Assembly. On motion: _Resolved_, that Mr. Maffitt be received as a member. And he accordingly took his seat.
[34] Letter to the author from Ruth B. Lee, librarian of the Historical Foundation of the Presbyterian and Reformed Church, Montreat, N.C., dated March 29, 1977:
As you will see the first reference to Mr. Maffitt is as a licentiate in Baltimore Presbytery. His only pastorate seems to have been in Bladensburg (later Hyattsville), and after this he is listed as being without charge. This means that he was not an active pastor in a church. He seems to have remained in Baltimore Presbytery, though of course he may have served outside the Presbytery at some time and still remained a member of that Presbytery. I question whether he was actually ordained by Newcastle Presbytery, since the ordination usually took place when a man was installed as the pastor of a church. The licentiate is the candidate for the ministry who is licensed to preach but is not yet ordained.
Minutes for 1809 (p. 238) and 1814 (p. 184) show Maffitt "without charge." Minutes for 1824 list him in the Presbytery of the District of Columbia as "near Georgetown, D.C." again without charge. The present offices of the Presbytery of the District of Columbia have his death date as his only record in their files.
[35] _Alexandria Gazette_, January 30, 1800.
[39] Alexandria Library Company, Minutes, 1801, 1802, 1803, 1804.
[40] _Alexandria Gazette_, May 7, 1803. Although this marriage was performed by the pastor of the Presbyterian Meeting house, it did not take place in the church and is not listed in the church records.
[43] Ibid., pp. 183, 273. Here is one of the sources of confusion, as Lee states on page 183 that Henrietta was "married secondly to the Rev. William Maffit (sic) of South Carolina."
[45] Fairfax County, Virginia, Will Book H, p. 55.
[47] Old Presbyterian Meeting House, Alexandria, Baptismal Records.
[48] Fairfax County, Virginia, Will Book J, p. 338.
