USA > Connecticut > Middlesex County > Middletown > A brief history of the Church of the Holy Trinity, Middletown, Connecticut : with biographical sketches > Part 4
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"Oh hear us when we cry to thee For those in peril on the sea."
This hymn also closes the annual baccalaureate exercises at the Academy ; consequently, it is the last thing the men sing together in their formation as a class.
Once a year the choir is invited to sing the service at the Cathedral in Washington. The midshipmen, nearly a hundred strong, march into the Cathedral carrying the American flag and the Naval Academy flag. The members of the choir are not vest- ed, as Navy regulations do not allow anything to be worn over the uniform. This service is always largely attended. Mr. Crosley introduced mass singing at the Academy, including the singing of the Christmas carols held formerly in front of Bancroft Hall.
He has written the music for several hymns which, although it has never been copyrighted, is used in his choir at Annapolis as well as in all the churches with which he has been connected. Besides his sacred compositions he has written much secular music. When he was only fourteen years old, he wrote the "Middletown Two-Step" which was very popular in High School and other gatherings. Probably the best known of his com- positions is the Academy's alma mater song-"Navy Blue and Gold" which has been used as the musical background of several navy films.
Some appreciation of the importance of Mr. Crosley's work at Annapolis is expressed by Miss Ethel Bane, writing in Musical America, "Few people know the place music occupies in
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the life of the men at Annapolis and the influence it has on their character. In the choir, in the glee club, and in mass singing when secular songs, sea chanties and navy songs are sung, the men im- bibe the spirit of the academy as they do in no other way. In music, future admirals of our navy, who are undergoing intensive training of mind and body which will fit them for their exacting duties later, find in music relaxation, and forget the strenuous duties of their daily routine. Through music, too, the spirit of courage, respect for traditions, love of the service, and devotion to duty are strongly fostered."
In 1903 Mr. Crosley married Charlotte K. Force of Augusta, Georgia. They have three children: Lamar, the wife of Lt. John D. Winn of the U. S. Coast Guard; Henrietta, wife of Lt. Com- mander Griswold Terry Atkins, U.S.N .; and Ensign Joseph W. Crosley, Jr., of the Coast Guard. Professor Crosley is a member of the Authors' and Composers' League and of other professional organizations.
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BERKELEY DIVINITY SCHOOL and HOLY TRINITY
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THROUGH the generous help of members of our parish, Berke-
ley Divinity School, which had been organized as the theologi- cal department of Trinity College, Hartford, was encouraged to move to Middletown. Valuable property on Main Street was given it by Mr. E. S. Hall, a member of the parish. This included the house on the corner of Main and Washington Streets, the resi- dence of the Rev. Samuel F. Jarvis, and which later became the home of Bishop Williams, and known as Jarvis House. The School was established in Middletown in 1854. In 1861 Mrs. Mary W. Alsop Mütter, a member and a generous benefactor of Holy Trinity, gave to Berkeley, in memory of her husband, Dr. Thomas D. Mütter a beautiful chapel built of Portland brownstone. This building was consecrated as the Chapel of St. Luke, the Beloved Physician, and daily services were held in it until Berkeley's re- moval to New Haven in 1928.
Bishop John Williams, the founder of the School and its active head until his death in 1899, made Middletown his home even after he became a Presiding Bishop of the Church. He was a familiar and a commanding figure on our streets and in our pulpit, and all through the years there was an interchange of helpful services between Holy Trinity Church and the Divinity School. The rector of Holy Trinity was, ex officio, a member of the Board of Trustees of the School; and, regularly, the vestry of the Church was called upon, to certify to the character of the men to be graduated and to their fitness to enter the ministry. These and many other services were rendered the School by our parish.
It would be difficult to overestimate the influence Berkeley has had upon the life of our parish. When important projects were being considered, Bishop Williams was frequently asked to attend meetings, to make suggestions, and to give advice. He not
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only recommended members of the Berkeley faculty to supply our pulpit during the absence of rectors, but frequently took charge of services himself. During Dr. McConnell's long illness he with Dr. Coit, Dr. Binney and Dr. Gardiner, professors in Berkeley, supplied the pulpit gratuitously ; and, later, following Dr. McCon- nell's resignation Bishop Williams took charge of the services him- self for a month. Time and again the church records show state- ments of appreciation and of a deep sense of obligation to their beloved bishop for his generous sacrifice and his loving interest in the affairs of the parish. Several of our rectors were Berkeley men, as is Mr. Wilson, our present rector.
Berkeley professors and many graduates have served as assist- ants to our rectors. Undergraduates have served as lay readers · and in charge of the missions, as teachers in the church schools, as members of our chair, as leaders of boys' clubs, and in other parish activities, getting here their first experience in parish work.
Because of the nearness of Berkeley and the cordial relations existing between the two institutions, the congregation of Holy Trinity, was privileged to attend many Berkeley gatherings and ser- vices. Among these was the annual inspiring and impressive ordination service which was held regularly in our church. This service drew clergymen from all over the diocese and even beyond its bounds. The preacher was always a man of wide reputation, and other noted clergy took part in the service. Bishops from other dioceses, returned missionaries, and foreign clergy visiting Berke- ley, (as well as Berkeley professors), often filled our pulpit. Thus through its contacts with Berkeley our congregation heard and became familiar with the appearance, at least, of many outstanding personages of our church. Few congregations have had such opportunities.
It is a momentous fact that of the Berkeley men who have served our church in various capacities, nine, at least, were later consecrated bishops: Abraham Jarvis, the second bishop of Con- necticut ; also John Williams, the fourth; also William F. Nichols, William Morris Parker, Alfred Harding, Richard H. Nelson, William Walter Webb, Robert L. Paddock, and William Blair Roberts. "Dull would he be of soul" who did not realize that the work and influence of these men have left a special and a lasting impress on this old parish.
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CLERGYMEN NATIVES OF MIDDLETOWN - MEMBERS OF THE PARISH WHO SERVED IN OTHER FIELDS
A BRIEF survey of church records shows that Middletown and the Church of the Holy Trinity has had no small part in con- tributing to the number of clergy and missionaries of our Church. Some of these were natives of the town; others residents only. Although not connected officially with the Church of the Holy Trinity, by their devotion and conspicuous service in various parts of the country these men brought great honor to the Church.
Among them is the Rt. Rev. John P. K. Henshaw, who was born in Middletown June 13, 1792 in a house still standing on the north-east corner of College and Broad Streets. Upon his ordination he became rector of St. Peter's Church, Baltimore, where he remained seventeen years. He was a deputy to the General Conference of the church for 24 years, 1819-1843. He was consecrated Bishop of Rhode Island August 11, 1843 and that same year he received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from Middle- bury College, Vermont. Bishop Henshaw died near Frederick City, Maryland, July 20, 1852.
The Rev. James Wetmore was born in Middletown Dec. 31, 1695. He was graduated from Yale in 1714, and in 1717 he re- ceived his M.A. from Yale. He was ordained into the ministry of the Congregational Church in North Haven, Connecticut. In 1721 in connection with Dr. Cutler, president of Yale, and Dr. Johnson, president of King's College (now Columbia) he declared publicly his belief in the "divine origin of the episcopacy." Mr. Wetmore was ordained priest of our Church in London by the Lord Bishop of London in 1723. While there he received from the S.P.G. the appointment as assistant at Trinity Church, New York and in 1.726 he was appointed by the same society to the rectorship at Rye, New York. It was while he was in Rye that Mr. Wetmore held services in Middletown. He died May 15, 1760. Rev. Samuel Farmer Jarvis, son of the Rt. Rev. Abraham
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Jarvis, second Bishop of Connecticut, was born in Middletown January 20, 1786 while his father was rector of our church, Christ Church then. He was ordered deacon by his father March 18, 1810 and advanced to the priesthood the next year. After holding rectorship in New York State, in 1826 with his family he went to Europe where he remained for nine years collecting mater- ial for a history of the early Church which he afterwards pub- lished. Returning to this country in 1835, he became professor of Oriental Literature at Trinity College. In 1836 he left this posi- tion to become rector of our church, a position held by his father twenty-eight years before. He resigned his rectorship here March 28, 1842. In 1819 the degree of S.T.D. was conferred on him by the University of Pennsylvania and in 1837 Trinity College con- ferred on him the degree of LLD. He died March 26, 1851 and was buried in Trinity Churchyard, New York City.
The Rev. Samuel Johnson was born in Middletown, August 18, 1789. He was ordained by Bishop Hobart in 1816. He became rector of St. Paul's, Cincinnati, Ohio, June 2, 1819 and his name is associated with the most trying times of the Church in the West, where his kindness and charity commended him to all his associates. He died May 22, 1833.
The Rev. Alfred Louis Barry was born in Middletown, Sep- tember 14, 1.794. He was admitted to deacon's orders in 1820 and to the priesthood in 1822. He was rector of St. Mary's in Newton, Massachusetts, until April 21, 1851. From 1855 to 1858 he was rector of St. Mark's, Boston. He received the degree of A.M. from Yale in 1848 and of D.D. from the same college in 1865. He died in Boston, December 26, 1865.
The Rev. Seth Birdsey Paddock, father of the two bishops, John Adams Paddock and Benjamin Henry Paddock, was born in Middletown, August 14, 1795 and ordained to the priesthood here October 27, 1822. The next year he became rector of Christ Church, Norwich. After a pastorate there of more than twenty-two years, Mr. Paddock resigned in 1844 and took charge of the Academy at Cheshire where he remained until his death in June, 1851.
The Rev. Enoch Huntington was born in Middletown, March 15, 1801. He was ordered deacon in Middletown November 4, 1823 by Bishop Brownell and ordained priest in 1825 in St.
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Andrew's Church, Philadelphia. He officiated in St. John's parish in New Milford twenty years. He then went to Bridgeport where he engaged in teaching, at the same time organizing a new parish and building a church at Nichols' Farms. He served as rector later, successively, at East Windsor, New Haven, and South Man- chester at which last place he died in office September 4, 1876.
Dr. Frederick Sill was born of Congregational parents in Middletown June 17, 1813. He studied for the ministry of our Church with Rev. Samuel Farmer Jarvis and was ordained by Bishop Brownell. After his ordination he served as missionary at Durham and Killingworth for a year. Then followed rectorships at North Guilford and North Haven, and in New Haven, where he built up St. Paul's Mission so successfully that it was organized into St. John's parish. From New Haven he went to Red Hook, New York, to take charge of Christ Church under the Rev. Henry de Koven who was about to go to Europe. In 1859 Mr. Sill was called to take charge of St. Thomas' Mission Chapel, New York City. When St. Thomas' Church was moved uptown, the mission was given up and Mr. Sill founded on the same site the parish church of St. Ambrose, becoming its first rector. He remained there till his death December 13, 1874.
The Rev. Henry de Koven was born in Middletown, January 24, 1819. He studied at Wesleyan University for more than three years, leaving in his Senior year. He received an honorary degree of M.A. from Wesleyan in. 1842. He studied divinity with Dr. Samuel F. Jarvis and' was ordered deacon in Christ Church here in 1843, and the next year was ordained priest in Ascension Church in New York City. For the following four years, he was assistant at Christ Church, New York. He then become rector of St. Paul's Church, Red Hook, New York. Because of poor health he re- signed this position and with his family went abroad. Returning to Middletown in 1862, he taught here for eight years in Berkeley Divinity School giving his service "as an offering to God" as he said. He lived on High Street on property now owned by Wesleyan University. The house in which he lived, known as Webb Hall, has since burned down. It was here that his son, Reginald de Koven of "Robin Hood" fame was born. Dr. de Koven re- ceived the degree of Doctor of Divinity from Trinity College in 1863, and in 1870 the University of Lenoxville, Canada, con-
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ferred the same degree on him. He went to Europe again with his family in 1870 and died July 10, 1884 at Engleberg, Switzer- land where both he and his wife are buried.
Dr. James de Koven, brother of the Rev. Henry de Koven, was born in Middletown, September 19, 1831. He was graduated at the General Theological Seminary in 1854, and ordered deacon by Bishop John Williams in 1854; he went at once to teach at Nashotah, and became rector at Delafield, Wisconsin. He estab- lished a preparatory school at Delafield called St. John's Hall. He was advanced to the priesthood September 23, 1855. Racine Col- lege at Racine, Wisconsin, was established largely through his efforts. In 1859 the Rev. Mr. de Koven was called to the warden- ship, and St. John's Hall was merged into the preparatory depart- ment of Racine College, which continued to prepare students for Nashotah. It was said of Mr. de Koven that, "His influence over young men is unequaled." He was twice nominated to the bishopric and withdrew his name both times. He died March 19, 1878.
Rev. Thomas Henry Sill, son of the Rev. Frederick Sill, was born in Middletown November 7, 1838. He was graduated from Columbia University in 1861 and from theological school in 1864. He was ordered a deacon and ordained a priest in 1864 by Bishop Horatio Potter. Mr. Sill took charge of Trinity Chapel Mission, New York City, which soon became St. Chrysostom's Chapel ; here he remained as vicar until his death April 6, 1910. Of the Rev. Mr. Sill's three sons, one, Harry A. Sill, who died August 10, 1917 was for many years a professor of history at Cornell University, Ithaca. Another son, James B. Sill, is engaged at the present time in mission work in North Carolina ; the third son, Frederick H. Sill, OHC, was headmaster at Kent School, Connecticut, from 1906 to June 1941. He then became headmaster emeritus.
The Rev. Karl Reiland, D.D. was born in Brooklyn, New York, October 23, 1871. While he was still an infant, his family moved to Middletown and he was brought up in the Church of the Holy Trinity. He was graduated from St. Stephen's, Annandale, now Bard College. He studied at Trinity College and received the degree of M.A. from there in 1897. He was graduated from Berkeley Divinity School in 1901. He was elected rector of Trinity Church, Wethersfield, Connecticut, in 1901 where he remained until 1904, when he resigned to become assistant and evening preacher
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at Grace Church, New York City. He served there from 1904 to 1910 when he was called to St. Andrew's Church in Yonkers, New York, where he remained two years. In 1912 he became rector of St. George's Church, New York City, where he served with dis- tinction for twenty-four years. He retired from St. George's and active parish work in 1936. He resides in Winsted, Connecticut, writing and serving, as occasion calls, as a special preacher. Dr. Reiland is the recipient of several honorary degrees. In 1914 Hobart College conferred the degree of Doctor of Laws on him, and the next year Trinity, the degree of Doctor of Divinity. In 1927 Wesleyan also conferred this latter degree on him. Rollins College gave him the degree of L.H.D. in 1934.
The Rev. Edward Schofield Travers, D.D. was born in Meri- den, Connecticut, October 10, 1874. While he was still a small child, his family moved to Middletown and he was brought up in our church, singing in the choir and, later, helping in the missions. Dr. Travers served as a private in the Connecticut Volunteers in the Spanish-American War. He was graduated from Trinity Col- lege in 1898 and the next year Trinity awarded him the degree of M.A. He was graduated from Berkeley in 1901 and was admitted to the diaconate that year. In 1902 he was ordained priest. He began his ministerial career at Grace Church, New York City, where he was connected with the settlement work of that church. In 1902 he became curate at Christ Church, Poughkeepsie, New York. January 1, 1904 he accepted a call to become curate at Trinity Church, Boston. December 1, 1905 President Theodore Roosevelt appointed him chaplain at the United States Military Academy at West Point, with the rank of captain. After eight years of service there, in 1913 he went to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to become rector of Trinity Episcopal Church, now the Cathedral of the Diocese of Pittsburgh. In 1918 the University of Pittsburgh conferred on him the doctor's degree, as did Trinity also that year. October 1, 1922 he accepted a call to 'St. Peter's Episcopal Church in St. Louis. From there, in 1931, he went to Rhinebeck, New York, to the Church of the Messiah, where he remained rector until his death April 15, 1942.
The Rev. Louis W. Pitt, D.D., S.T.D. was born in Middletown, Connecticut, March 7, 1893 and lived here until he took up his first ministerial charge in Newark, New Jersey. Dr. Pitt was gradu-
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ated from Wesleyan University in 1915 and from Berkeley Divinity School in 1916. He began his ministry in 1917 as rector of Christ Church, Newark, New Jersey, where he was also in charge of St. Mary Magdalene's Church. Later, he served as assistant rector of St. Luke's Church, Montclair, New Jersey, 1920 to 1922 and as rector of St. Mark's Church, Newark, 1922 to 1929. He accepted a call to St. Mary's Church in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, in 1929 and served there for ten years. Dr. Pitt was called to be rector of Grace Church, New York City, in 1940 where he is at the present time, the ninth rector of the parish which was founded in 1809. He received the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity from Wes- leyan in 1940 and that of Doctor of Sacred Theology from Berkeley Divinity School in 1942. Dr. Pitt is a member of the Board of Directors of the Greater New York Federation of Churches and also is on the executive committee of the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America, a trustee of Berkeley Divinity School, and member of several important church organizations.
The Rev. Henry de Wolf de Mauriac was born in Chicago, Illinois, September 27, 1882. His family moved to Middletown when he was nine years old and here he lived until his first minis- terial charge. He is the grandson of the Rev. Samuel Fuller, D.D., professor at Berkeley Divinity School for thirty six years, 1859 to 1895. The Rev. Mr. de Mauriac studied for a short time at Wes- leyan, then engaged in business for four years, after which he entered Trinity Collège where he was graduated in 1906 with the degree of B.A. He was graduated from Berkeley Divinity School in 1909 and was ordered deacon at the end of his second year in Berkeley, 1908, and ordained priest in 1909. His first parish was Trinity Church, Litchfield, Minnesota, 1909 to 1912. From 1912 to 1917 he was priest in charge of St. Paul's, Lancaster, New Hamp- shire and from 1917 to 1936 rector of St. Matthias' Church, East Aurora, New York. In 1936 Mr. de Mauriac became priest in charge of Trinity Church, Tariffville, Connecticut, where he is at the present time.
The Rev. Samuel Allison Budde was born in Middletown January 20, 1901. He attended Berkeley Divinity School for one year, transferring then to the Virginia Theological School at Alexandria from which he was graduated in 1925. After his graduation, he became an assistant at Trinity Church, Hartford,
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from 1925 to 1928. From May 1928 to November 1929 he was rector of St. Paul's, Waterville, Connecticut. In December 1929 he became connected with St. John's Parish, Waterbury, where he had charge of Christ Chapel. This position he hold's at the present time. In 1940 after the death of Dr. John N. Lewis, rector of St. John's, Mr. Budde was acting priest in charge of St. John's and also priest in charge of St. Paul's Church, Waterville, as well as carrying on the work at Christ Chapel until Dr. Lewis' successor was appointed.
Any account of clergymen, natives or residents of Middletown, naturally includes the names of the Rev. George B. Gilbert and of his son, the Rev. George B. Gilbert, Jr. Although neither of them can be claimed as members of the parish nor as ever officially con- nected with it, yet for more than forty years Mr. Gilbert has resid- ed in Middletown and is widely known for his ministry in rural sections of Middlesex County. He is a graduate of the Berkeley Divinity School, and was formerly Archdeacon of Middlesex Arch- deaconry. He served as rector in Christ Church, South Farms for ten years; Epiphany Church, Durham for seventeen years; and Emmanuel Church, Killingworth thirty years. In a nation-wide contest to select a typical country minister, Mr. Gilbert was chosen as having the most interesting story to tell. It was published in his book, "Forty Years A Country Preacher" which met with instant success and also brought him into prominence as a public speaker. Mr. Gilbert still has charge of the church in Killingworth and, besides preaching occasionally elsewhere, he fills many speaking engagements.
The Rev. George B. Gilbert, Jr. was born in Middletown April 23, 1906. He was educated in the public schools in Middletown and in Seabury Divinity School in Minnesota. After his graduation from Seabury, he was ordered deacon in his father's little church in Killingworth. He began his ministry at once in the diocese of Minnesota where he has served ever since. All his rectorships have been in country churches for, like his father, he is interested mostly in the church in rural districts and, although opportunities to go to city churches have come to him, he prefers to remain in rural work. At present he is located at St. Peter's, Minnesota, where he has charge of the church in that town and also of three other smaller churches.
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MISSIONARIES
The first ordained missionary to Africa from the United States was Thomas Stoughton Savage, born in Middletown, Upper Houses (now Cromwell), in 1804. He sailed from Baltimore Nov. 15, 1836. His health obliged his return in 1847 and for the twenty years following he worked as a missionary to the colored people in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Virginia. At the time of his death, Dec. 20, 1880, he was in charge of the Church of the Ascen- sion, Rhinecliff, N. Y.
Next on the list of missionaries born in Middletown is Julia Ann Henshaw. She was the sister of Bishop John P. K. Henshaw previously mentioned. She married the Rev. Dr. John Jacob Robertson in 1821 and with him went to Greece Oct. 27, 1830 as missionaries to the Apostolic Church there. Dr. Robertson was later transferred to the "Oriental Mission in Constantinople," which they left in 1842. After their return to this country, he served different churches in New York state.
A third missionary born in Middletown was Laura Morgan Wyse. She married the Rev. George White Horne who was or- dained in Middletown May 26, 1852 and two years later they sailed as missionaries to Africa. Mr. Horne died there in 1854 and Mrs. Horne returned to live in this city. She died May 24, 1860.
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THREE ADDITIONAL CHURCH ORGANIZATIONS
IN a sermon preached by Dr. F. J. Goodwin at the close of his twenty-fifth year as rector of the parish, he called attention to the three additional church, organizations which, he said, are very properly to be regarded as "off-shoots" of the parish of Holy Trinity : The Church of the Epiphany in Durham; St. Paul's, Middlefield; and Christ Church, South Farms.
While the Church of the Holy Trinity was actively interested in the organization of all three of these churches, and members contributed liberally to funds for the erection of their church buildings and for other projects, all in time became independent of the "Mother Church". Christ Church has always been an independ- ent parish ; Epiphany, an "aided parish," that is, aided by diocesan funds ; and St. Paul's also aided by the diocese.
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