An historic record and pictorial description of the town of Meriden, Connecticut and men who have made it, Part 50

Author: Gillespie, Charles Bancroft, 1865-1915; Curtis, George Munson
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: Meriden, Conn. Journal publishing co.
Number of Pages: 1252

USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > Meriden > An historic record and pictorial description of the town of Meriden, Connecticut and men who have made it > Part 50

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CHURCHES.

back to the coming of Congregation- alism to Meriden. To the extent, therefore, that the age of a church is determined by the duration of its organic life more than by its nomen- clature, the present Center Church rejoices in a spiritual ancestry as old as Congregationalism is old in Meri- den.

1892-1896; Rev. J. H. Grant, 1896 to the present time.

Two of the former pastors of the church are living, Rev. J. J. Woolley, pastor of the Park Place Congrega- tional church, Pawtucket, R. I., and Rev. Edward Hungerford, residing in Burlington, Vermont, and still in ac- tive pastoral service. During the

CENTER CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.

The pastors of the church since the year 1848 have been, with the terms of service of each: Rev. Asa- hel A. Stevens, 1848-1854; Rev. Lewis E. Lockwood, 1857-1858; Rev. O. H. White, 1858-1862; Rev. J. J. Woolley, 1862-1871 ; Rev. Edw. Hungerford, 1872-1879; Rev. A. H. Hall, 1880-1891 ; Rev. J. C. Wilson,

pastorate of Mr. Hungerford, the house of worship was extended twenty feet to the west, excavation made for a new lecture room and parlors, the present organ was pur- chased and the church interior recon- structed. Again during the pastor- ate of Rev. J. C. Wilson, 1892-6, the premises were greatly improved

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A CENTURY OF MERIDEN.

by the removal of an unsightly brick building occupying the corner, and the church interior was remodeled and beautified.

The membership of the church at this writing is something over four hundred. Few features of the in- stitutional church have been taken on, both location and constituency favoring rather the type of the

REV. J. J. WOOLLEY.

·conservative family church. "Home- like" expresses its chief appeal to its members, who are known as a united and loyal people. Through a variety of organizations which embody the modern aim and method of spiritual service the church seeks to make itself the servant of the community in the things of the Kingdom of God.

The organizations at present, in addition to the Sunday school, are as follows: The Woman's Foreign Missionary Society, auxiliary to the New Haven Branch of the Woman's Board of Foreign Missions; The Ladies' Aid Society, for philan- thropic and social purposes; The Ladies' Auxiliary, having the same object as the preceding : The Men's Club, for "the better acquaintance of the men of the parish, and the promotion of the welfare of the church ;" The Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor; The Liberty Club (young ladies), for missionary and charitable work; The Sunbeam Society (young children), for mission- ary study and work; The Junior Church Workers (boys), for Christian culture and usefulness in the church ; The Cradle Roll (the youngest chil- dren), for missionary and social good.

The present officers of the church in addition to the pastor are: dea- cons, L. B. Yale, O. C. Hupfer, W. B. Rice, P. C. Crombie ; clerk, O. W. Gaines; treasurer, W. F. Smith ; superintendent of the Sunday School, J. H. Yale; superintendent of primary department, Mrs. Fannie A. Augur .. It deserves a place in this record that Mrs. Augur has served the church in this capacity more than forty years. The church made recognition not long ago of this remarkable service with a recep- tion and presentation.

The property of the church is un- der the control and care of a corpor- ation, the "Center Ecclesiastical

I43

CHURCHES.

Society." The present society's committee, whose functions are those of trustees, consists of F. P. Griswold, chairman; J. H. Yale and D. L. Bishop. Besides the church edifice valued at $30,000, the society

owns a parsonage, and invested funds of the value of six thousand dollars. The parsonage, a roomy, comfortable home, situated at a sightly point on Broad street, was built in the sixties largely through the efforts of Deacon Walter Booth, who gave the land and superin- tended the building.

Rev. John H. Grant, the present pastor, completes this year the tenth of his term of service.

The pastor of the Center Congrega- tional church, Rev. John H. Grant, was born in Goldsboro, N. C., Febru- ary 10, 1870. His father, Major H. L. Grant, served with distinction through the Civil war as a member of the Sixth Connecticut Volunteer Reg- iment and at the conclusion of the war settled in the south. Mr. Grant's mother is a native of Thompson, Conn. Goldsboro has been the family home since 1868.

The subject of this sketch is the eld- est of five children. He attended the public schools of his native town ; the Putnam (Conn.) High School, and for a single year Wake Forest College, N. C., completing his preparation for col- lege. Four years, 1888-1892, were spent at Amherst College, Mass., where Mr. Grant availed himself es- pecially of the departments of litera-

ture and public speaking, and was identified with various college organ- izations, musical, dramatic and social. He is the possessor of the Phi Beta Kappa Key, and is a member of the Psi Upsilon fraternity. He was grad- uated with the degree of A. B., class of 1892.

The following four years were given to preparation for the ministry,

REV. JOHN H. GRANT.

the first two years at the Divinity school of the University of Chicago, the last two at Yale Divinity school. New Haven, from which he was grad- uated in 1896, with the degree of B. D. The following summer was passed in travel in Europe.

With the exception of two summers in Rutland, Vermont, as pastor's as- sistant, the Meriden pastorate of Mr.

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A CENTURY OF MERIDEN.

Grant is the only one which he has. held. He was ordained to the minis- try at the same time that he was in- stalled as pastor, October 6, 1896.

He held the office of president of the local Ministers' Association, and secretary of the Meriden Guild of the Religious Education Association.

Mr. Grant married in 1901 Marga- ret K., eldest daughter of the late Rev. Alfred H. Hall, a predecessor in the pulpit of Center church. One son has been born to this union, Alfred Hall Grant. The family make their home in the parsonage, 630 Broad street.

THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH

This society was organized Oct. 7, 1786, when Baptists were few in numbers and looked then upon by the "Standing Order," the Congrega- tionalists, as somewhat beneath the social plane. On November 3, the same year, Ephraim Hough was chosen deacon, Isaac Hall as leading brother, and Joel Ives as church clerk. They were later treated more kindly by the Methodists, who assisted them materially in the building of their second meeting house.

Among the men of the town who became in a measure supporters of the Baptist Church, but not mem- bers of either the church or the so- ciety should be mentioned the following : Noah Pomeroy, L. Wil- cox, W. Martin, Chas. Parker, I. C. Lewis, John Parker, J. W. Russell. Edmund Parker, Worcester Ives,

W. Beckett, John Blake, S. Glad- win and L. Ives. For many years before any meeting house was built within the confines of the pres- ent township of Meriden, Baptists attended divine worship, as far back as 1739, at the meeting house in Wallingford. The present society was formed after it had been decid- ed to divide that church. The Mer- iden constituency then formed a new covenant which was signed by the following twelve members of this society: brethren Isaac Hall, Chas. Ives, Ephraim Hough, Zena Brockett, Asaph Mitchell, Charles Ives, Jr., Samuel Mix, and sisters Leah Peck, Sarah Ives, Mary Hull, Jerusha Matoon, and Esther Ma- toon, Isaac Hall being the first clerk. For several years thereafter meetings were held in private dwell- ings, schoolhouses and other places, usually in the southeastern part of the present Meriden.

In 1801 a dwelling house was pur- chased near the present dividing line of Meriden and Wallingford to accommodate Baptists living in both towns, but in 1815 the Meriden Bap- tists erected a second meeting house, which stood just south of the present parsonage, and on the site which now comprises the south corner of Charles street. This building was named by the members of the "Standing Order" the Salt Box, from its unpretentious appearance and scanty furnishings. The pews of the church first consisted of logs hewn on one side only, and

CHURCHES.

145

1830 Two

RUSSELL JENNING OYEARS

W.G FENNELL -1892 EigHT YEARS

GEORGE ATWEL /835 ONE YEAR

J.V.GARTON **** 1880 TWELVE YEARS

ROBERT A. ASHWORTH_ 1900

LELAND HOWARD ONE YEAR

1837

1873 8.0. TRUE

31 YEARS

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH -MERIDEN CONN __

BARRELLE THREE YEARS

HARVEY MILLER 1838.18. YEARS

ALMOND BA 1868 THREE

A.FRANK MASON 1863 ONE

YEAR

RY MILLER. FIVE YEARS

D HENRY +1857

1864 THREE YEARS

HENRY CORDO -

GROUP OF PASTORS OF THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH.

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A CENTURY OF MERIDEN.

each family brought its own foot

stove which was shared during the lengthy services by each mem- ber of the family. During the noon hour the fires in these foot Warmers were replenished at neigh- boring houses. Such were the deprivations of these worshippers that at the end of the first winter, ten men pledged themselves to make the church more comfortable, and all of them did a portion of the work with their own hands, there being little if any money used in the first improvements. Among these ten were: James Baldwin, who sawed all the lumber to build the pews; Joseph Twiss, who furnished oxen to draw the same to Mr. Bald- win's mill; and Squire William Yale, who was a mountain of strength to the church and who was said to have possessed at the time. the only "sale" carpeted house in Meriden. Squire Yale was looked upon with a great deal of respect by his neighbors for he entertained the ministers at his house. In 1820 a committee comprising Joseph Twiss, Othniel Ives, Daniel Hall, and Seth D. Plumb, the last named of whom was appointed sexton without pay "to keep the key of the meeting house, and see that it was swept and kept in good order" and who is said to have borne that honor most gracefully, were appointed a committee to procure preaching for one year and also to keep a book of the society in which should be recorded "all the doings

of building the meeting house," and which book was to contain also the subscriptions of their own members and those of the Methodists in be- half of the same. Ebenezer Hall, Wm. Yale, Daniel Baldwin and Othniel Ives were appointed chor- isters. The second church when not in use by the Baptists was free for the use of the Methodists, who were also made welcome at all times. On September 4, 1820, it was agreed to instruct the society's committee to receive the share of the money previously voted by the state for the "encouragement of religion and literature." In 1823 it being decided that "the meeting house must be kept in good repair, looking neat and clean, and be well insured," Samuel Baldwin, Samuel Yale and Samuel Ives Hart were appointed a committee, "to oversee and manage the business," but it was not until November the next year that this work was accom- plished when Eli C. Birdsey, S. Baldwin, Titus Ives and William and Jonathan Yale secured the money to carry out the instructions of the society.

In 1830 the society removed the church building to a lot directly across the street adjoining the grave- yard, at which time the underpin- ning was raised and a basement story put in. This became a later place of worship of the self sacrificing and struggling Baptists, and was accom- plished through free will offerings of friends within and without the

ec P se E

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CHURCHES.

society boundaries. This building in later years came to be used for educa- tional purposes, and was known as "The Academy on the Hill," and for many years was the only high school building in the town. In 1846, it being evident that a still larger church

their meeting house, which was soon to be vacated, the Congrega- tionalists having decided to build a larger church.

The Congregationalists, however, would not sell, and as a result the Baptists resolved "that in the opinion

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH.

edifice was needed, a committee com- prising Joel Miller, Alanson Bird- sey, N. F. Goodrich, Ira Twiss, and Ezra Rutty were appointed to con- fer with the First Congregational Society with a view of purchasing

of this meeting it is expedient to take immediate measures to secure a more ample house of worship." Sam- uel Yale, taking in the situation, quiet- ly purchased the then vacant lot adjoining the Congregational edifice

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CENTURY OF MERIDEN.

of Mr. Saltonstall, after which, it having been so voted, this land was purchased by the society. Without further delay, O. Crocker, N. F. Goodrich and Charles Blanchard were appointed a committee "to secure a design and specifications for a new house of worship." The work of building the new church met with a remonstrance from the neighboring church who caused an injunction to be placed on the progress of the

house of worship erected. The first pastor of the church was the Rev. Samuel Miller, who filled the pulpit for many years, being both ordained and installed in 1806, filling the pulpit for twenty-three years thereafter. After his death in 1829 an extensive revival resulted in adding many scores to the church. From the beginning of the society the name of Miller has been a predominating one, and as a loyal member of the present society

Photo by R. S. Godfrey.

OLIVE BRANCH CHAPEL.

work, the reason given for. the same when the question was decided in court was as follows: "No objec- tion to the Baptists as Christian peo- ple, as good neighbors and worthy citizens," but Rev. Mr. Miller had a peculiarly sharp, ringing voice, that the Congregationalists claimed would disturb their society in worship. As may be readily supposed the injunc- tion was removed and the present

has happily put it, "the Millers of the constructive rather than the destruc- tive sort, have ever hovered about the church," and the members of the Mil- ler family through several generations up to the present time have been most loyal supporters of the society and its commendable work.

After the death of Samuel Miller the following served for brief terms as pastors : Rev. Russell Jennings, Rev.

149

CHURCHES.

Nathaniel Harvey, Rev. George B. At- well and Rev. Leland Howard. In 1838, Rev. Harvey Miller, son of Rev. Samuel Miller, became their pastor and during his pastoral term the church prospered greatly and in 1846-47 the present edifice was erected.

In fulfilment of his dying request, Rev. D. Henry Miller, D. D., was se- cured as pastor and he served five years, until he enlisted in the War of the Rebellion. Since that time the following have been pastors: Rev. A. F. Mason, Rev. H. A. Cordo, D. D., Rev. Almonde Barrelle, Rev. B. O. True, D. D., Rev. J. V. Garton, Rev. W. G. Fennell, and Rev. Robert A. Ashworth, the present pastor, who came in response to the call from the church, in 1899. The growth of the so- ciety has been steady although at var- ious times members have been dis- missed to help organize the follow- ing churches: Main Street Baptist, Swedish and German Baptist. Much has also been done by the so-called up-town Baptist church, to aid the Olive Branch Mission and the Park Avenue mission which have been es- tablished by it. Not only, therefore, has the First Baptist church contrib- uted generously to the membership of the societies of its offsprings, but its remaining members have given unsel- fishly of their means to enable the younger churches of their denomina- tion to place themselves on substan- tial footings.

The value of the church property, including the parsonage, now occupied

by the present pastor, is $20,000. This valuation also includes the Olive Branch chapel structure in the extreme easterly portion of Meriden, and which was established something over thirty years ago, in which Deacon Russell Perkins was for many years a lead- ing spirit. According to the statistics of the New Haven Baptist Associa- tion, of which this and all other Bap- tist churches in Meriden are mem- bers, the First Baptist church has a total enrolled membership of 597. Of this there is a resident member- ship of 164 men and 349 women. The total enrolled membership of the three Bible schools, including the Olive Branch mission school, and that which has been maintained during the past eight years at Park Avenue, is 554. The average attend- ance at the several Sunday schools is 335. During the year of 1905 the church was entirely freed from debt and the church property was also repaired.

Rev. Robert Archibald Ashworth, pastor of the First Baptist Church, was born at Glasgow, Scotland, July 26, 1871. His father, Rev. J. W. Ash- worth, also a minister of the Baptist denomination, after having held pas- torates in Scotland and later in Eng- land, emigrated to this country and was installed as pastor of the Baptist Church of Malone, N. Y. He after- wards held pastorates in New York City, Putnam, Conn., and Ticonder- oga, N. Y., where he died.

His son graduated at the High school of Malone, N. Y. He later

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CENTURY OF MERIDEN

took the regular academic course at Columbia University of New York City, which was followed by an addi- tional year under appointment as Uni- versity Fellow in English Language and Literature, at the conclusion of which he received the degree of A. M. He fitted for the pulpit at Union The- ological Seminary, New York City, from which he graduated in 1896.

REV. R. A. ASHWORTH.

Rev. Mr. Ashworth had two pastor- ates previous to coming to Meriden, viz. the Baptist church at Minerva, N. Y., where he remained for two years, and the First Baptist Church at Bridgeton, N. J., where he remained for two years before accepting the call of the First Baptist Church of this city where he was installed in 1900.

Mr. Ashworth is one of the trustees of the Connecticut Baptist Conven- tion and of the Connecticut Literary Institution at Suffield. He is also president of the Meriden Guild of the Religious Education Association of America.

He is married to Mabelle, daugh- ter of F. C. Edgerton of Meriden and they have one daughter, Katha- rine.

MAIN STREET BAPTIST CHURCH.

Owing to the growth of the pop- ulation of the vicinity on June 4, 1861, there was formed an organization, un- der the name of the West Meriden Baptist church, consisting of thirty- seven members who had received their dismissal from the First Baptist church.

On the site now ocupied by the Mer- iden National Bank, they erected a chapel at the cost of $1,400, which was dedicated on May 15, of the same .year. The first business meeting was held previous to the organization at the rooms of Charles Page.

The present edifice, which was dedi- cated July 12, 1868, was built during 1867-68. The parsonage was added to the property shortly after the com- pletion of the church. In 1881, by vote of the members, the name was changed to the Main Street Baptist Church, and in May, 1886, was incor- porated under the laws of the state.

Although it was a small number that organized the church, since that time

of wh

CHURCHES.

15I

there have probably been more than 1,000 names added to the membership roll. In 1890 this church gave letters

tist Society, organized the Swedish Baptist Church.

The Main Street Baptist edifice is

EM. JEROME - 1861-5 YEARS

H.G.MASON - -1666-3 YEARS

O. T. WALKER ~1870-3 YEARS

A.M.WORCESTER 1875-2 YEARS.

A.E HARRIS -1903-

-PARSONAGE ...

C.J.GREENWOOD -1899-4 YEARS-

C.E. CORDO- 1877-3 YEARS

J.G. NOBLE 1882-2.YEARS-

I.R.WHEELOCK 1885-

YEARS.

EWHUSTED 1891- 8 YEARS.

GROUP OF PASTORS OF THE MAIN STREET BAPTIST CHURCH.

of dismissal to fifty-four members, who with others from the First Bap-

of brick and is located in the center of the city. Since its erection many

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A CENTURY OF MERIDEN.

improvements have been made exter- nally as well as internally. During the present pastorate the basement was remodeled into beautiful social rooms at a very large cost.

The church has had ten pastors, and they have presided over an ever grow- ing and harmonious congregation in

named the church has especially pros- pered spiritually and a large portion of a long standing debt has been paid.

Under the charge of the present pastor, they have one of the largest and best attended Junior C. E. socie- ties of any church in the city. This society has doubled its membership

MAIN STREET BAPTIST CHURCH.

the following order: Rev. E. M. Jer- ome, Rev. H. G. Mason, Rev. O. T. Walker, Rev. A. M. Worcester, Rev. C. E. Cordo, Rev. J. G. Noble, Rev. I. R. Wheelock, Rev. E. W. Husted, Rev. C. J. Greenwood and Rev. Ar- thur Emerson Harris, the present pas- tor. During the pastorate of the last

within a year. There is a large Bible school and also several other so- cieties in connection with this church, all of which are growing steadily in numbers, and great interest is shown in the work.

The value of the church property, including the parsonage, is $44,800,

I53

CHURCHES.

but this will be enhanced in a degree by marked improvements to the inter- ior of the church that are to be made during the summer months of 1906. The interior will then be handsomely redecorated, electric lighting will take the place of gas; there will also be made important changes in the pulpit platform and baptistry and a new or- gan will probably supplant the old. The main body of the church will also be carpeted anew.

The resident membership comprises 100 men and 153 women, and the total enrolled membership is 378, according to the statistics presented at the eight- ieth meeting of the New Haven Bap- tist Association held in 1905. The to- tal enrolled membership of the Sun- day school is 225 and the average at- tendance about 135.

The following are the officers for 1906:

Deacons, P. A. Spencer, G. A. Glad- win, Garry C. Bloomfield and Horace W. Kingsley ; trustees, first, I. I. Gard- ner, second, E. H. Lane, and third, E. R. Lewis; treasurer, J. T. Kay ; col- lector, H. H. Lester ; auditors, H. W. Kingsley, Frank E. Kay and R. E. Mills ; benevolent band, Deacon Glad- win; ushers, C. M. Glantz, F. L. Theime, Ed. Joel, Le Roy Gardner, A. J. Rowley, Paul Gehring, Howard Lane and Irving Wood.

Rev. Arthur Emerson Harris, pas- tor of the Main street Baptist church, was born May 3, 1870, at Montreal, Can., of English parentage. At the age of five his family removed to Eng-

land, residing at Brighton, where Mr. Harris received his early education in one of the numerous "Church" schools of that country, private schools supported partly by the established Church of England, and partly by the fees paid by parents who were un- willing to send their children to the board schools, which answer some- what to American public free schools,

Photo by Akers & Pigeon.

REV. A. E. HARRIS.

but were very inferior. This accounts for a religious training from the very first such as was not to be had in the common school education. Circum- stances recalled his parents to Canada in 1882 and the family returned to Montreal, where Mr. Harris, then twelve years of age, entered business

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A CENTURY OF MERIDEN.

life in the office of a celebrated patent solicitor. At the age of fifteen, he went alone to Toronto, to seek his life work and fortune unaided, and suc- ceeded in securing a training in busi- ness management and acquiring a knowledge of telegraphy, being placed subsequently in charge of what was then a new venture in Canada, a large district messenger and branch tele- graph office, with the oversight of some fifty boys.

Mr. Harris aspired to business life of a different order, however, and in 1883 accepted an important position with a prominent New York banking institution, where, after a series of promotions he had a successful busi- ness career, and was offered the posi- tion of manager of a branch bank- ing house in Reading, Penn., and af- terwards in Philadelphia. It was while in this latter city that Mr. Har- ris finally responded to the call, that he had felt justified hitherto in stead- ily resisting, to enter the gospel min- istry of his own denomination, the Baptist church. Accordingly in 1895 he entered Crozer Theological Semi- nary at Chester, Penn., and after pur- suing the regular course of three years, received his diploma, June, 1898, and was ordained shortly fol- lowing at the Fifth Baptist church of Philadelphia. He was afterward mar- ried in that church October 29, 1902, to Anna Loomis Meredith, of Phila- delphia, who has made him an excel- lent helpmate in his life work.

The first pastorate Mr. Harris filled was during his senior year at

seminary when he took charge of the Liberty Park Baptist chapel, a mis- sion of the Baptist churches of Cam- den, N. J., and which has since become the Brean Baptist church of Camden. In 1898, he was called, upon his grad- uation from Crozer, to the pastorate of the Tabernacle Baptist church, Newark, N. J., which church he served for a little over five years, resigning that charge in 1903 to accept the pas- torate of the Main street Baptist church of this city, assuming his new duties with the last Sunday in June of the same year. Since his coming there have been noticeable additions both to the property and membership and he holds the love and es- teem of a loyal and harmonious flock. Mr. Harris is a man of great energy and force and since he became its pastor the church has been greatly blessed spiritually.

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An historic record and pictorial description of the town of Meriden, Connecticut and men who have made it, Part 50

Author: Gillespie, Charles Bancroft, 1865-1915; Curtis, George Munson Publication date: 1906 Publisher: Meriden, Conn. Journal publishing co. Number of Pages: 1252

Author: Gillespie, Charles Bancroft, 1865-1915; Curtis, George Munson
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: Meriden, Conn. Journal publishing co.
Number of Pages: 1252