History of Bristol County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 22

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1818

USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > History of Bristol County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men > Part 22

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The following are the officers of the Sunday-school: L. B. Ellis, superintendent ; Savory C. Hathaway, Mary E. Austin, assistants ; Benjamin Pitman, secre- tary ; William M. Butler, assistant ; Emma C. Austin, treasurer ; Charles L. Paine, librarian ; Mark T. Vin- cent, Annie L. Almy, Lillie S. Perry, Mary A. Willis, assistants.

African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church .- This church was organized March 5, 1850, and con- sisted of the following members : Edward Thomas, Alexander Devol, Isaac Henson, William H. Harris, Sarah Harrison, Jane Thomas, Mary Ann Devol, Harriet Wright, Mary Harris, Celia Williams, Cath- arine Henson, Phebe Henson, and Charles Eaton.

They first held services in a school-house on the corner of Eighth Street and Mechanics' Lane, after- wards at the residence of Mr. Alexander Devol, on Middle Street, until 1851, when they removed to their present house of worship. The pastors have been as follows : Rev. Leonard Collins, H. Thompson, James Simmons, Dempsey, Peter Ross, Joseph Hicks, Clin- ton Leonard, Samuel M. Giles, W. B. Smith, Na- thaniel Stubb, Lucas Sayler, Thomas Davis, William B. Smith, George H. Washington, J. B. Small, W. D. F. Pyle, John F. Lloyd, Silas A. Mitchell, William B. Heath, Daniel Davis, N. H. Turpin, George H. Washington, and William B. Bowens.

African Methodist Episcopal Bethel Church .- Those churches styling themselves African Methodist separated from their white brethren of the Methodist Episcopal Church at a convention assembled in Phila- delphia in April, 1816.

This church was organized in 1842, by Rev. Eli N.

1 By Rev E. F. Clark.

2 By Leonard B. Ellis.

HISTORY OF BRISTOL COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

Hall, of Providence, with the following persons : Jacob Thomas and wife, John Bailey and wife, John Elsemore and wife, Walter Hawkins and wife, James Cook and wife, John Williams and wife, James Allen, George F. Fletcher, Grafton Johnson, John F. Chew, Jackson Hawkins, Henry J. Johnson, Hatty Peter- son, Porter Hendrickson and wife, James Dyre and wife, and Jesse Richardson.

During the same year a house of worship was built, at a cost of eighteen hundred dollars. This was de- stroyed by fire in 1854. The present building was commenced in 1855. The corner-stone was laid by Joseph R. Turner, but no work on the church was done for seven years. Rev. H. J. Johnson at length formed the "One Object Society" to carry out and complete the work ; and finally, after upwards of ten years' persistent effort, aided by liberal contributions from the public, the church was finished and paid for, at a cost of about four thousand five hundred dollars. Pastors, Revs. John Butler, Henry J. Johnson, Rich- ard Robinson, Leven Tillman, Peter Gardner, H. J. Johnson, Dayton Doyle, Thomas M. D. Ward, J. D. S. Hall, Joseph R. Turner, Lewis S. Lewis, Jacob Mitch- ell, Henry J. Young, William Grimes, William De- mond, H. J. Johnson, J. P. Shreeves, J. H. W. Hur- ley, John R. V. Morgan, Joseph G. Smith, William H. Johnson, John T. Hayslett, Stephen V. Douglass, P. L. Stanford, E. T. Williams, Joseph P. Shreeves, William J. Laws, and Rev. William H. Hunter, the present incumbent.

Grace Church.1-The initial step in the formation of a Protestant Episcopal Church in New Bedford was taken Oct. 2, 1833, when a meeting of gentlemen in- terested in the church resolved upon its establish- ment, elected wardens, vestry, and a clerk, and took measures for securing an act of incorporation. The project was largely aided by the advice and services of Rev. Mark A. De W. Howe (now Bishop of Cen- tral Pennsylvania), who was present at the meeting as a representative of the Massachusetts Convocation. The parish, at first called Christ Church, was incor- porated March 19, 1834, under the name of "The Wardens, Vestry, and Proprietors of Grace Church of New Bedford."

For some two years the new parish rented as a place of worship a building on Middle Street which was owned and had been occupied by the Second Christian Society. In 1834 the subject of building a church was agitated, and a lot was bought on Union Street, upon which, July 30, 1835, the corner-stone of a wooden church of Gothic style, with two towers in front, was laid, and the building was completed and consecrated in the following year.

Immediately upon the organization of the parish Rev. Nathaniel T. Bent became minister in charge as a missionary of the Massachusetts Convocation, but after the lapse of two months was elected rector, and

faithfully and efficiently served as such till his resig- nation in November, 1838.

Early in 1839, Rev. Theodore W. Snow was chosen rector, but was obliged to resign in 1841 in conse- quence of impaired health, affecting mind as well as body.

In March following, Rev. Thomas R. Lambert, then a chaplain in the United States navy, was called to the rectorship. He accepted the position for a year, having obtained a furlough for that time, and, that being extended, re-engaged for another year. He was then elected permanent rector, but in 1845 being ordered on sea duty by the department, he re- signed. Rev. Dr. Lambert is now rector of St. John's, Charlestown.

From September, 1846, to February, 1848, Rev. George D. Wilder (now rector of Christ Church, Riverdale, N. Y., and the accomplished secretary of the Church Congress) acted as rector.

At Easter, 1848, Rev. Sanford J. Horton succeeded, and held the position till November, 1851, when he resigned. Dr. Horton, now the head of a flourishing church school at Cheshire, Conn., was greatly beloved by the parish, but the meagreness of his stipend com- pelled him to sever his connection with the parish.

In February, 1852, the parish called again its first rector, Rev. Mr. Bent, but failing health forbade his acceptance, and Rev. Charles W. Homer was chosen and accepted the position. At this time the parish, never before in a very prosperous financial condition, was at low tide in its monetary affairs. The rector's stipend was but seven hundred dollars, and he was fitfully paid ; the church building was in a wretched state, and the outlook was dreary enough. The sec- ond year of Mr. Homer's incumbency a spasmodic effort was made to secure a new church, one of stone. It utterly failed, and the failure left the parish de- pressed and well-nigh disheartened. The rector, then in the flush of youth, was unequal to the needed struggle for success, and in October, 1854, resigned. He is now rector of St. James', one of the largest churches in Brooklyn, L. I.

Rev. Spencer M. Rice followed as rector, entering upon his work in February, 1855. Coming into the church from the Methodist denomination, Mr. Rice brought with him not a little of the zeal and fervor of that sect, and a shrewd, practical knowledge of affairs. He was remarkably faithful and successful in the performance of parochial duty, and a wise counselor and indefatigable helper in managing the temporal interests of the parish. It goes without saying that he was successful. The parish income showed it, the new interest in church work manifested it, and the complete renovation of the church edifice and the extinction of the church debt proved it. Mr. Rice was induced by the state of his health to resign in 1860. He is now residing in Jersey City, N. J., having lately, after a long rectorate, resigned the charge of Grace Church in that city.

1 Contributed by Col. C. B. II. Fessenden.

NEW BEDFORD.

In September following Rev. Josiah P. Tustin, D.D., became rector, and resigned in April, 1862.

Rev. James Mulchahey succeeded him in Septem- ber, 1862, and held the rectorship for some seven years. During that time the lot in the rear of the church was bought, and the old house thereon con- verted into a commodious chapel. He had the satis- faction of leaving the parish in good condition, the result of his intelligent, faithful, and devoted service. Rev. Dr. Mulchahey, after some years' residence as rector of a church in Toledo, Ohio, was elected an assistant minister of Old Trinity Parish, New York, and is now in charge of St. Paul's in that city.

The next rector was Rev. Edmund Rowland, who assumed charge in November, 1869. In May, 1871, he resigned, upon the invitation of Bishop Coxe to act as assistant rector of St. John's, Buffalo, N. Y. After an unsuccessful attempt to fill his place he was unanimously and urgently recalled, and resumed the rectorship, remaining till December, 1878, when he resigned and took charge of Calvary Church, Clifton, Cincinnati, Ohio, where he now resides. His term of service in Grace Church was longer than that of any of his predecessors, covering a period of nine years. His rectorship, though marked by no extraordinary achievement, was grandly successful. The church grew steadily and healthily in every direction ; needed changes and improvements in church and chapel were quietly made ; a rectory was provided by a few men- bers of the parish ; efforts were made to establish a mission in the north part of the city, which resulted in the erection of a new church there, and the germ of the new Grace Church was in the church building fund which the rector started and so hopefully and patiently nurtured.

The present rector, Rev. George A. Strong, assumed his duties on Easter-day, 1879. He did not suffer the project of building a new church to slumber, and the gift of an eligible site for it by two devoted women of the parish settled the success of his appeals. The Easter offerings of 1880, appropriated to the fund, amounted to sixteen thousand dollars, which, with the four thousand dollars gathered in Mr. Rowland's time, and the expected avails of the sale of the old church and lot, warranted immediate steps for begin- ning work. The corner-stone of the new Grace Church, on the corner of County and School Streets, was laid by Rev. Dr. Rowland, Sept. 11, 1880. The building, mostly completed, was opened for service Nov. 11, 1881, Rev. Phillips Brooks, D.D., preaching the sermon ; and Oct. 19, 1882, the building, finished and paid for, was consecrated by Right Rev. Benjamin H. Paddock, bishop of the diocese. The cost of the church, exclusive of the lot (the market value of which was abont ten thousand dollars), was forty- seven thousand dollars. Its seating capacity, about six hundred, with sittings for nearly two hundred more in the adjoining chapel, is none too great for present needs. In the tower is a chime of bells, ten

in number, weighing over eleven thousand pounds, the gift of the late Stephen G. Driscol. They were rung for the first time on Christmas-eve, 1882.

The parish to-day, with a rector in whom its mem- bers are thoroughly and heartily in unison, with its church sittings nearly all taken, with an income in excess of its ordinary expenses, and with the interest in church services and church work steadily increas- ing, occupies an assured position, and should exert a widening conservative influence.

St. James' Episcopal Church, situated on County Street, at its junction with Linden Street, has been from the date of its erection one of the attractive features of the city, partly because of the unique style of its architecture, and in part because of the extraordinary circumstances connected with the or- ganization and growth of the parish.

Early in the spring of 1878 there was a movement among the English operatives in the Wamsutta Mills tending to the establishment of a congregation which should be distinct from the old parish church, situ- ated on Union Street. Their relations with the older parish were most amicable, but the remote distance of the church from the mill district, the rapid increase of the population, and the promise in a near future of a still greater addition to the numbers of English church people in the city favored the movement for a new parish. At the instance of the then rector of Grace Church, the Rev. Edmund Rowland, and under a suggestion from the Bishop of Connecticut, who is also dean of the world-famed Berkeley Divinity School, the Rev. C. H. Proctor, a recent graduate of the school, and at the time doing active missionary work in the mining districts of Pennsylvania, was in- vited to take charge of the whole movement. It was proposed to make the organization a mission chapel, to be supported in part by the parish of Grace Church, in part by the missionary society of the diocese, and in part by voluntary contributions from the people who would join the movement. With this agreement, Mr. Proctor accepted the position offered to him, and held the first service with the congregation in a hired shed on Purchase Street, near the mills, on the 10th of March, 1878. This first service and surroundings have been graphically described : The cobwebbed beams were hidden with sheets of Wamsutta cloth ; two packing-boxes turned on end and covered with calico served as altar and pulpit; the alms were col- lected in two new and bright tin pie-plates ; a bor- rowed parlor-organ and an extemporized choir of young girls furnished the music ; a paper screen in- closed a corner for a vestry-room.

The names of about forty individuals were entered as a nucleus about which to gather the new parish. Almost at the outset, and before the new minister had fairly taken position, it was discovered that the Dioc- esan Missionary Board discouraged and repudiated the whole scheme and had promised it no support, and at the same time as an adjunct chapel to Grace

HISTORY OF BRISTOL COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

Church the work would receive no possible encourage- ment, and Mr. Proctor found himself forced to face a most discouraging outlook,-a church of forty souls, a salary of three hundred dollars, and the assurance that his work must be independent of all local sup- port beyond his own congregation. This was the be- ginning of a work whose after-history is said to have no parallel in the church. Mr. Proctor, suffering with distressing ill health, but nerved with determina- tion, called his people together on the 28th of March, just two weeks after the first service, laid the case clearly before them, and expressed his desire to ac- complish what they had wished and planned, and then and there took the first steps in organizing the parish. Articles of association were drawn up and signed by those who were canonically entitled to do so. The parish was christened "St. James," com- memorating both the teaching of that apostle and also the memory of a dear friend of the rector, whose Christian name was thus incorporated with the work, and the first vestry was elected as follows : Wardens, Andrew Bannister and James Boardman ; Treasurer, William Smith; Clerk, A. McCreary ; Vestrymen, Sidney Smith, James Slater, William Robinson, Wil- liam Philips, George Ramsbotham. Through the kindness of the heirs of the Rodman estate a disused school-house was loaned free of rent to the new parish, and from this date services have been held continu- ously. Plans for the erection of a church building were taken in hand immediately. Subscriptions were solicited, and an almost uninterrupted flow of gifts and donations poured down upon the rector. A choir was organized under Mr. Proctor's direction, whose previous study of church music in the English cathe- drals proved of great service, and a feature was estab- lished in the rendering of the services of the church which has scarcely since abated and which has always been a strong attraction.

Minor societies were put in operation. The St. James' League, organized April 15, 1878, with Mrs. Sidney Smith as president, and the St. James' Sewing- School, with Miss Ella C. Adams as president, organ- ized soon after, have both assisted largely in strength- ening the work. On Easter-day, April 21st, upwards of three thousand dollars had been received or pledged for building purposes. On the 22d of May, under the direction of Judge Alanson Borden as justice of the peace, the parish received its legal organization and title, and Mr. Proctor was instituted rector. On Wednesday, June 6th, money enough having been secured, the parish purchased and secured the title- deeds to the most eligible site upon which the church now stands. On Saturday, the 15th of June, with religious services, ground was broken on the new lot, the Rev. Mr. Rowland, of Grace Church, participating with the rector in the exercises and giving the address of the occasion. Mr. Proctor, breaking the first sod, was followed by Mr. Rowland, and then by the long North Christian Church .- This church was " con- line of people on both sides of the inclosed space. | stituted a Christian Church Jan. 25, 1807." The

Plans for the new edifice were adopted from those presented by W. C. Brocklesby, architect, of Hartford, Conn. On Friday, July 25th, being St. James' Day, the corner-stone was laid with impressive ceremonies, the Rev. Dr. Mulchahey, of St. Paul's, New York City, giving the address, followed by Mr. Rowland, of Grace Church, the stone being laid in place by the rector of the parish, Mr. Proetor. On Tuesday even- ing, December 24th, the church was occupied for the first time, although in as yet an unfinished condition, the workmen not entirely leaving the church until February, when the rector placed the last and upper- most brick on the top of the tower, a scaffolding being especially prepared for the purpose. So, with- out the aid of any other single parish, as such, and without assistance from any missionary board, dioc- esan or otherwise, St. James' Church became an established fact in less than twelve months' time. With the advice of responsible persons, the church was completed, with its tower and necessary furniture and some of the ordinary properties of a church building, adding thereby a comparatively small debt to the original undertaking, but which without these additions would have been almost from the first wholly free. Sixteen thousand dollars have been raised in four years in cash offerings and memorial gifts, and the fairest promises are made for sustaining the work in the future.

The parish has been self-sustaining from its founda- tion, and has extended its influence in a short space of time from forty souls to near four hundred families. The parish list now numbers about one hundred and fifty families immediately connected with the church, but this in nowise includes the large community who depend upon the ministrations of the rector. The christenings alone in St. James' average nearly one for every Sunday in the year.

The rector of the parish, its founder and first rector, Charles Hayden Proctor, is an M.A., graduate of Trinity College, class of 1873, and of the Berkeley Divinity School, class of 1876. His qualifications for the position he holds have been enhanced by the ex- perience of close observation and study in English cathedrals, and during a recent visit in England his work in St. James' Church and among the English Church people received most cordial and substantial recognition from His Grace the Archbishop of York, the Bishop of Manchester, and more recently from the late Dean of Westminster, and also from the late Archbishop of Canterbury. While in the Northern Convocation he was specially honored with a license to officiate from the archbishop's own hand. With a natural firmness of determination, Mr. Proctor has been enabled to accomplish much that many men would have shrunk from undertaking, and the church established under his hand will be a lasting monu- ment, than which one could ask to deserve no greater.

NEW BEDFORD.

founders of the society were formerly members of the Baptist Church in Dartmouth, under the pastoral charge of Elder Daniel Hix. The following are the names of the original members: Obed Kempton, Ruth Kempton, John Hathaway, Edith Hathaway, Jonathan Haskins, Sarah Haskins, Sarah Strange, Lois Hervey, Patience Hatch, Remembrance Wood, Nabby Russell, Nabby Tobey, Betsey Chase.

At a meeting of the church, Sept. 26, 1811, Mr. Mandell was appointed to "keep the records," Obed Kempton treasurer, and Abraham Gifford " to receive the regular contributions." Jabez Hammond was or- dained as the first deacon by Elders Hix and Taylor on May 29, 1812.

The first clergymen of whom the records make mention, who preached for the society at different periods during its first existence, were Elders Daniel Hix, Frederick Plummer, John Gray, Douglass Far- num, Benjamin Taylor, and Abner Jones.

Elder Benjamin Taylor was the first settled minis- ter of whom the records make mention. He com- menced his labors with the church in 1812, and con- tinned his charge until 1819.

Aug. 19, 1817, a committee was selected to inform Elder Elias Smith, who had occasionally preached to the church, that he could no longer be received in that capacity. The objection to Mr. Smith was his tendencies to the doctrines promulgated by the Uni- versalists. Mr. Smith was the father of Matthew Hale Smith, and one of the founders of the " Chris- tian sect." Another noteworthy item in connection with Elder Smith is that he was one of the origina- tors of the Herald of Gospel Liberty, the first relig- ious paper ever published in America.

Sept. 4, 1819, Elder Taylor dissolved his connection with the church and took up his residence in Swan- sea. His successor was Elder Moses How, who settled with them during the fall of 1819.

About 1820, Elder Simon Clough visited the church and officiated frequently ; he preached during the greater part of 1823-24.

In December, 1826, Elder Charles Morgridge, of Boston, was settled as minister. The pulpit was sup- plied in the interim by Elder Hervey Sullings.

During the fall of 1831, Mr. Morgridge resigned his pastoral charge, and in January, 1832, Elder Lovell, formerly a Methodist preacher of Portsmouth, N. H., succeeded him. He officiated for about two years.

In 1833 the church was reorganized, and a charter of incorporation was obtained from the General Court, dated March 14th.

On retirement of Mr. Lovell, Rev. Mr. Morgridge again renewed his connection with the church, and remained with it until the spring of 1841.

During August, 1841, an invitation was extended to Rev. Silas Hawley to become pastor, and he con- tinued until January, 1843. At this date Elder P. R. Russell supplied the pulpit for about a year. Soon after his withdrawal Elder A. G. Morton became

pastor, and continued till Dec. 29, 1851, when he withdrew.

Nov. 11, 1852, the society voted to extend an invi- tation to William R. Stowe, which he accepted, and continued with the society until January, 1854. On his retirement Elder David E. Millard, of Broom- field, N. Y., was engaged to preach for the society. He entered upon his duties May, 1854, and in Sep- tember of the same year received and accepted an in- vitation to assume the pastorship. In July, 1855, he tendered his resignation, which was accepted. At a special meeting held during the following December Rev. T. C. Moulton was elected pastor. Mr. Moulton returned no answer to the call until November, 1856, when he declined the invitation.

For upwards of eighteen months the church was without a settled pastor, the pulpit being supplied by a committec. Finally, in May, 1857, Rev. S. W. Whitney, of New York, was engaged, and remained till some time in 1858.

The supply of the pulpit was again in the hands of a committee, which at length, in September, 1858, succeeded in securing the services of the Rev. T. C. Moulton, and he continued to act in this capacity until March, 1859, when he was elected pastor, and remained until September, 1868. He was succeeded in November, 1868, by Rev. Austin Craig, who resigned Aug. 30, 1869. His successors have been Rev. A. J. Kirkland, Rev. O. A. Roberts, and Rev. S. Wright Butler, the present incumbent.

The society first worshiped in the shop of Mr. Obed Kempton, on the corner of Purchase and Middle Streets ; then in a rope-walk in the south part of the city. In 1808 or 1809 the church on Middle Street was erected by Mr. Abraham Gifford and others for the society. It was used by it for a house of worship until 1833, when the large and commodious church which it now occupies, opposite the Parker House, was built.

The church has always been liberal in the support of the gospel and generous in its charities.

The Middle Street Christian Church.1-The Middle Street Christian Church was constituted March 21, 1828, of members who, at their own re- quest, were set off for that purpose by the North Christian Church, which was organized in 1807. The members were Abraham Gifford, William Cranston, William Whitten, Warren Maxfield, Watson Ellis, Ezra S. Kempton, Samuel James, James Barlow, and Elder Harvey Sullings, a preacher. They met at the house of Obed Kempton, northwest corner of Middle and Purchase Streets. The first baptism was of Mary Pease and Rebecca Gifford. The first settled min- ister was William Coe. The first meeting-house erected was on Middle Street, south of Mr. Kempton's house. The pastors were the venerable William Coe, three years ; Luther Baker, a man of " holy life ;" Isaac

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History of Bristol County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 22

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed Publication date: 1883 Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & Co. Number of Pages: 1818

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1818