(Note - for regular readers of my blog page, this is part of a class assignment in my doctoral program, but it is available to all regular readers to enjoy as well)
Introduction
When one thinks of the state of West Virginia, often an association with Catholic faith is furthest from their mind. Religious expression in West Virginia - indeed in the greater Appalachian region - is often confined to stereotypes of eccentric revivalists handling rattlesnakes while being exhorted by emotional preachers shouting hellfire-and-brimstone sermons at them. In reality though, there has been a Catholic presence in the state since colonial times, and it is a subject that has not been explored as much but perhaps should be.
Although for the most part the Catholic presence in West Virginia is primarily focused on the northern half of the state and has greatly increased since the late 19th century due to an influx of immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe. However, the earliest Catholic parishes in the state date back to at least the late 1700s. Many of them were established under the oversight of the Archbishop of Baltimore, and to this day the current Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston in West Virginia is still under the provincial jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
The Catholic history of West Virginia does have occasional vignettes of certain events and legends that also are endemic to the folklore of the state, and one of those happened in the 1790's at a farm just southwest of Shepherdstown in a location known simultaneously over the years as Smithfield or Middleway. The incident is known popularly as the "Wizard Clip Legend," and this is what I want to focus on in this article.
Relationship to the Archdiocese of Baltimore
Before getting into the specifics of the "Wizard Clip" story, there are two important Catholic hierarchs of the time who had at least indirect involvement in the whole matter. The first was Archbishop John Carroll (1735-1815), who was the first diocesan bishop in the United States. Carroll was part of a very prestigious Catholic family that included among others the only Catholic signatory of the Declaration of Independence, Charles Carroll, who was his cousin. As part of his jurisdiction, many Catholic parishes on the "frontier" (including what is now eastern West Virginia) were under his leadership. Archbishop Carroll was also the founder of Georgetown University in Washington, DC.
The second individual of note was a hierarch in the Church who was closer to the frontier and had a more direct involvement in parish affairs in the region, Bishop Demetri Gallitzin (1770-1840). Known as "the Apostle to the Alleghenies," Gallitzin was of noble birth, being related to both the Romanovs of Russia and to Prussian von Schmettau family. While still relatively young at the time of the "Wizard Clip" occurrences, Gallitzin would have some involvement with the situation later.
These two hierarchs are important due to the importance of the episcopacy to Roman Catholic parish life, and it is integral to the story as they are the ones who facilitated a Catholic presence in the area.
Wizard Clip
The "Wizard Clip" legend centers around the personage of a farmer by the name of Adam Livingston, who was initially a Lutheran from York County, PA. A series of misfortunes led to his leaving Pennsylvania and settling in the Virginia Colony in the "frontier" (present-day Jefferson County, WV) region, where land was abundant and available. Despite the move, he still continued to have unexplained incidents that were inexplicable, and it led to many of his livestock suddenly dying off and other odd phenomena. It led to a lot of casual talk among locals about the "Wizard Clip," and local clergy - Anglican and others - had made visits there to exorcised what they believed to be a demonic manifestation but to no avail. In having a dream that he took as a vision entailing a vivid picture of a Catholic priest, Livingston then sought out the counsel of a priest at the local Catholic parish in nearby Shepherdstown, and that particular priest was the one he had seen in the dream. This led to Livingston and his family converting to the Catholic faith, and soon after he was instructed to partake of the sacrament of Confession and to fast for 40 days. The priest, as was later revealed, was Fr. Dennis Cahill who was the vicar of St. Mary Church in Hagerstown, MD. With the help of a local family named McSherry, the Livingstons were able to get Fr. Cahill (who was initially skeptical of the experience) to perform an exorcism on the farm house, and after a second visit where a Mass was celebrated, the phenomena that had plagued the farm and its family immediately ceased. At this point is where Bishop Gallitzin enters the picture.
Gallitzin at this point was still a relatively young priest, and he was sent in 1797 to investigate the "Wizard Clip" phenomenon by his superiors. Bishop Carroll had ordained Gallitzin to the priesthood two years earlier, and when he arrived he interviewed the McSherry family, with whom he remained close for many years. Gallitzin was somewhat more receptive to what had happened than had Fr. Cahill initially been, and he would be one of the major commentators on the whole event for years to come.
The exploration of the name "Wizard Clip" has been a bit elusive in research, and no explanation has been offered as to where this designation came from. However, in local symbolism, it is often designated with the symbols of a half-moon and a pair of scissors.
Conclusion
It is important to remember that although at times folklore and legend may not bear much on a "serious" study of history, the local legends of a given area are integral in reality to their history, and thus are valuable for historical documentation. This is particularly true in regard to a little-researched subject such as the antebellum history of the Catholic Church in what is now West Virginia. Also, the "Wizard Clip" mystery, from a religious perspective, is testimonial in nature and thus of significant importance to a richer understanding of Catholic life and how it relates to spirituality as well as history.
References:
Brown, Raphael. The Mystery of Wizard Clip. Fitzwilliam, NH: Loreto Publications, 2010.
Campbell, Emma Mellon. "The Apostle to the Alleghenies." Pennsylvania History 12, no. 4 (October 1945): 323-325.
Devitt, E.I. "Miscellaneous Letters to Bishop John Carroll 1784-1815 (Originals in Baltimore Archdiocesan Archives)." Records of the American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia 19, no. 4 (December 1908): 385-415.
Finotti, Joseph M. The Mystery of the Wizard Clip: A Monograph. Baltimore: Kelly, Piet, and Co., 1879.
