USA > New Jersey > Mercer County > Trenton > Historical sketch of Trinity church, Trenton, N.J. : from the founding of the parish in the year 1858 to the year 1910 commemoration of the Golden Jubilee of the parish. > Part 1
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An historical Sketch
Trinity Church Trenton, new Jersey
1853-1910
GEN
MR. WILSO
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 02733 6335
231
Gc 974.902 T72sc Schuyler, Hamilton, 1862- 1933. Historical sketch of Trinity church, Trenton, N.J.
H.J.Toudy & Co.Lith Phila.
JOHN G. BOSS BESSIE 40- FRANK COOK ARNOLD 31 PROSPECT ST.
TRINITY CHURCH . Trenton N. J.
RT. REV. GEORGE WASHINGTON DOANE Second Bishop of New Jersey
HISTORICAL SKETCH
OF
TRINITY CHURCH
TRENTON, NEW JERSEY
FROM THE FOUNDING OF THE PARISH IN THE YEAR 1858 TO THE YEAR 1910
PREPARED BY
THE RECTOR, REV. HAMILTON SCHUYLER
IN ACCORDANCE WITH A RESOLUTION OF THE VESTRY AND IN COMMEMORATION OF THE GOLDEN JUBILEE OF THE PARISH, OBSERVED ALL SAINTS' DAY 1910
TRENTON, N. J. TRENTON TRUE AMERICAN PRINTING CO., PRINTERS
1910
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TRINITY CHURCH, 1860
FOREWORD.
This historical sketch of Trinity Church owes the fact of its publication to the desire expressed by members of the Congregation to possess in some permanent form the records of the past which the Rector had pre- pared for delivery on two recent occasions, namely the Tenth Anniversary of his pastorate, February 6, 1910, when he dealt with the events be- longing to his own time, and the Golden Jubilee of the Parish, observed October 30 of the same year, when he sketched the period of the previous forty years.
A resolution of the Vestry, passed November 10, 1910, requesting the Rector to prepare such a record from material in his possession, and to cause the same to be printed, formally laid the obligation upon him, with the result which follows.
For the earlier history the writer has had to depend almost exclusively upon gleanings from formal documents, viz .: the Minute Book of the Vestry and the Parish Register, though he is also indebted for certain facts to the recollections of old parishioners. For the period covered by his own pastorate, the facts at his disposal were obviously many and familiar. He was indeed embarrassed by the wealth of his material. The dispro- portion between the space given to the first forty years and the last ten is thus to be accounted for, as also the more intimate and personal treat- ment which the latter period discloses.
The compiler of these records ventures to insert in this place the words with which he brought to a close the historical sermon preached in con- nection with the Golden Jubilee of the Parish :
"The history of Trinity Church, as I read it in the official records, is one of constant struggle against financial troubles, of a series of crises and of deliverances, of alternate hope and despair. At times it would seem that the Parish must go under, that it could not possibly continue to
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persist under the weight of its misfortunes; then, when the outlook was darkest relief came and the sun of prosperity shone once more. This, I say, is the impression gained from a cursory study of the written docu- ments, but what the written documents do not and cannot disclose is the spirit of faith and courage, of firm determination and unbounded hope- fulness which seemed never to have been absent even in the darkest hours from the breasts of those who loved the Parish and labored for its welfare. If there is any lesson to be found worth our heeding other than the ob- vious one 'to pay as you go,' I take it to be this, namely, that faith and loyalty can overcome all obstacles, that where there is a will a way will always be found.
"Another thing we shall do well to remember is, that notwithstanding the continual financial pressure which bore so hardly upon the Parish for many years, the spiritual life went on meanwhile with undiminished activity, many souls continued to be gathered into the fold through the sacrament of baptism, the young were instructed in the truths of our holy religion and prepared to receive confirmation, the comfortable Gospel of Christ was preached in its fullness and attractiveness, the sweet and solemn services of the Church were maintained in their integrity and beauty, the Holy Eucharist was celebrated and received as the divine food for the strengthening and refreshing of weak and sinful souls and holy characters were formed through the ministrations of the Church for time and for eternity. During the past fifty years of the life of this Parish, how many thousand Christian souls have found spiritual grace and nourishment within these consecrated walls, learning worthily both how to live and how to die. It is in these unseen things and not in the outward fabric or in the temporal prosperity of a Parish that its true significance lies. We may estimate these outward and temporal things in terms of human speech, we may praise or censure by our earthly stand- ards those who, in the past, ministered or worshipped here, but what we cannot estimate or measure are the faith and the love, the steadfastness and the hope, the beautiful lives and Christian characters which succes- sively found here their manifestation and home through the half cen- tury of years since this House of God which we know as Trinity Church first came into being." H. S.
Advent, 1910.
HISTORICAL SKETCH OF TRINITY CHURCH -1858 -
F IFTY years ago, when Trinity Church came into existence, Trenton was a city of only 17,000 inhabitants. It had not yet passed out of the stage of a small provincial town, and gave little indication of becoming the large and important city into which it has since developed. There were at that time fifteen places of worship in the city, 2 Roman Catholic, 3 Methodist, 3 Presbyterian, 2 Baptist, 1 German Lutheran, 2 Society of Friends and 2 Episcopal, namely St. Paul's and St. Michael's. The Diocese comprised the whole State of New Jersey, and the Bishop was the Rt. Rev. George W. Doane, the second since its organization as a separate ecclesiastical jurisdiction. It was a day of small things both civically and ecclesiastically. The times, however, were stirring ones, as they immediately preceded the outbreak of our great Civil War. When the cornerstone of Trinity Church was laid James Buchanan was Presi- dent of the United States, Charles S. Olden Governor of the State of New Jersey, and Franklin S. Mills Mayor of Trenton. It was certainly an inauspicious moment for starting a new enterprise, and probably the hard financial straits which overtook the Parish in the first years of its existence were largely due to the unsettled conditions of the times.
During the first seven years of its corporate life Trinity had a pre- carious existence, as plainly appears from the records, and as is empha- sized by the fact that it had during that period five different rectors. Including the present incumbent, Trinity has had ten rectors in all, three of whom, the Rev. Albert U. Stanley, who served nine years, the Rev. Henry M. Barbour, who served nearly twenty years, and the present Rec- tor, who has just completed his tenth year, have covered in all a total of forty years, thus leaving only ten years for the other seven.
On October 14, 1860, Trinity Church was first occupied for divine worship. The cornerstone of the new edifice was laid in the previous June and the building was consecrated in the following December. The Parish itself, however, was founded two years earlier.
The immediate occasion of the separation from St. Michael's Church,
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and the founding of a new Parish, was a dissatisfaction with a certain action of the Vestry of that Church on the part of some of the parishioners, but doubtless there were other reasons behind the ostensible one, which seems in itself trivial. Without seeking to probe the matter too closely or attempting to enter into the ecclesiastical controversies of that distant time, it may be said that the current of feeling against the shabby treat- ment accorded to Bishop Doane by some of the low Churchmen of that period ran high, and probably led to a desire on the part of his sympa- thizers in the old Parish to disassociate themselves from the actions of the party opposed to the Bishop. However that may have been (and such is the recollection of those who remember those days), a new Parish was founded out of the old and launched into existence, known as Trinity Church. The first entry in the Minute Book gives the ostensible occasion of the break, and says nothing of any other motive.
The founding of Trinity Church had its initiative in a protest of cer- tain parishioners of St. Michael's Church against the action of the Vestry in accepting the resignation of the Rector, the Rev. Samuel Clements and the extension of a call immediately at the same meeting to the Rev. Richard B. Duane, of Honesdale, Pa., without consultation with the parishioners. The letter of protest to the Vestry bears the date June 23, 1859, and was signed by the following male members of the con- gregation : Philemon Dickinson, I. Wood, W. M. Babbitt, M. Beasley, A. L. Livingston, W. Pearson, Isaac L. Pearson, C. H. Higginson, James B. Coleman, W. A. Benjamin, Thomas Green, G. A. Perdicaris, John L. Taylor, Randall Rickey, Charles P. Smith, W. F. Pitcher, Willett Dunn, J. Rousseau, W. W. Norcross, Edward W. Weld, Thomas P. Johnson, T. Cadwalader, J. R. Freese, W. E. Hunt, Samuel Simons, Thomas Booth, Thomas I. Carson, John Rickey, J. M. Clark, Allison E. Perrine. The letter was sent to the Senior Warden, Dr. J. N. Davis, with the request "that it be laid before the Vestry at the earliest possible moment."
The remonstrants acknowledged "the legal right of the Vestry to ex- tend the call," but urged "that in so important a matter some general con- sultation with the Congregation should be had." They disclaimed "any intention of disrespect to the clergyman who had been called," but sub- mitted "that the action of the Vestry was hasty and calculated to ditsurb the harmony of the Church, at variance with the usage in this Diocese,
RT. REV. WILLIAM HENRY ODENHEIMER Third Bishop of New Jersey
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and lacking in the Christian courtesy which the parishoners had a right to expect at the hands of the Vestry."
The Vestry sent a reply disclaiming "any intention of showing discour- tesy," and justified their action in extending the call to Mr. Duane, having satisfied themselves of his fitness for the position.
A copy of the protest, which had been forwarded by the remonstrants to the Rev. Mr. Duane, drew a reply from him requesting answers to a number of specific questions as to the official and ecclesiastical status of those who had signed the document. The committee replied through Mr. A. L. Livingston, that "only four of those who signed the paper were communicants, but that most represented communicants through their wives and daughters, that they attended regularly upon the services of the Church, contributed nearly one-half of the yearly income, and in a social point of view represented some of the best families in the congre- gation." The further statement was made that "the Vestry of St. Michael's consisted of seven gentlemen of whom only four were commu- nicants, one of whom dissented from the action of the majority." The belief was expressed that the majority of the 105 pewholders disapproved of the action of the Vestry, but that the protest for lack of time had been presented only to 32, of whom 29 signed it. The statement was made that "the remonstrants had no objection to Mr. Duane, but that their action was simply a protest against the methods adopted by the Vestry."
Mr. Duane replied, thanking the writer for the information furnished and stating his intention, nevertheless, of accepting the call and taking charge of the Parish in the following September.
Mr. Duane's decision evidently brought matters to a climax, for on October 8, 1858, a meeting was held attended by a number of the protesta- tors. Mr. Philemon Dickinson was appointed chairman and Mr. Charles H. Higginson, clerk of the meeting. A letter signed by seventeen pew- holders of St. Michael's Church, signifying their withdrawal from that Parish and sent to the Wardens and Vestry on September 23, was read. The canonical consent of the Rector of St. Michael's Church to the forma- tion of a new Parish, and also that of the Bishop, the Rt. Rev. George W. Doane, having been received, it was resolved on motion "that this meeting do now proceed to organize (by the choice of two Wardens and ten Vestry- men) a Protestant Episcopal Church to be attached to the Diocese of New Jersey, and to be designated as Trinity Church, Trenton, New Jersey."
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In accordance with this action the following were chosen: Wardens, Wesley P. Hunt and Alfred L. Livingston. Vestrymen, Thomas Cad- walader, Philemon Dickinson, Mercer Beasley, Charles H. Higginson, Edward D. Weld, William M. Babbitt, William W. Norcross, William E. Hunt, Samuel Simons and William Howell. Charles H. Higginson was elected secretary.
At a meeting of the Vestry, held November 3, a call was extended to the Rev. Hannibal Goodwin, of St. Paul's Church, Newark, to become Rector of the new Parish. His salary was fixed at $1,000 per annum, and he was also to have in addition, "all the revenues of the Church which should exceed the expenses." This generous provision to give the Rector besides his salary, all the money remaining over and above the current expenses seems, in the light of subsequent events, to have been a dubious quantity. Though a like inducement was also made in calling other rectors, it does not appear that any material advantage ever accrued to the object of this munificent offer. Doubtless the offer was made in good faith and in the fond hope which successive vestries seem to have cherished, that prosperity was bound to visit the Parish, a hope, alas, so often to prove delusive.
The Rev. Mr. Goodwin assumed charge of the Parish in December, 1858. Services were held in a hall where Dolton's Block now stands on North Warren Street, which had been fitted up for the purpose. An organist and a choir of four voices, under Mr. William Eccles, was engaged at an annual expense of $210, a melodeon was rented, a Bible was pre- sented by Mr. A. Scott, and Mrs. Adaline Howell gave a communion service.
There appear to have been thirty-nine parishioners connected with the Parish when it was organized, three of whom, namely, Samuel Simons, Randall Rickey and Philemon Dickinson, have descendants at the present time whose names appear upon the Parish Register.
The first Parish meeting was held April 26, 1859, at which it was re- solved "That the title by which this Church shall be known be 'The Rec- tor, Wardens and Vestrymen of Trinity Church, Trenton.'" The same Wardens and Vestrymen were re-elected, excepting that G. A. Perdicaris and Dr. J. L. Taylor were substituted for William E. Hunt and William Howell. Deputies to the Diocesan Convention were chosen, T. Cadwala-
REV. HANNIBAL GOODWIN First Rector
REV. HENRY P. HAY Third Rector
REV. E. H. CRESSEY Fifth Rector
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der, G. A. Perdicaris, A. L. Livingston, Mercer Beasley, Randall Rickey and W. M. Babbitt.
In October, 1859, the Rev. Mr. Goodwin resigned the Parish on the ground of ill health and the Vestry found itself charged with the duty of providing his successor. On December 18, the Rev. Dr. N. W. Camp was called and accepted the charge. The salary was set at $1,000, with nothing said as to any prospective addition.
Meanwhile, steps were being taken to find a suitable lot whereon to erect a church building. The choice first fell upon a plot of ground owned by Alexander Wurtz, but the title was found upon examination to be defective, Mercer Beasley, one of the Vestrymen, rendering the opinion. Subsequently a committee, composed of the Rector and Messrs. Dickinson and Livingston was appointed, "with full powers without further consultation with the Vestry, to purchase a lot of ground whereon to build a church."
The committee reported, that "After several consultations and a great deal of anxiety personally as to the result of their action, both on the pres- ent and future welfare of Trinity Church, they came unanimously to the conclusion that for all the purposes contemplated by the location and erection of a church, for the present and prospectively, especially for cen- trality of location and for convenience of access, the lot on Academy Street, just opposite the Trenton Academy, then owned by Thomas J. Stryker, possessed far greater advantages than any other which was within the ability of the Vestry to purchase."
The price was $3,500. The lot was 70 feet on Academy Street by 150 feet deep. The purchase was consummated January 25, 1860.
The committee in presenting the report, expressed "the hope that the progress of Trinity Church may be as heretofore harmonious and on- wards."
The Rector, A. S. Livingston, C. H. Higginson and W. C. McCall were appointed a Building Committee and authorized "to solicit subscriptions at their convenience."
On February 27, 1860, the plans for the new church were accepted, the architect and contractor being J. C. Sidney, of Philadelphia. A bond was given by the Vestry to pay purchase price of lot, $3,500, in one year, with interest. Thus at the outset, the practice of banking upon the future, which so largely characterized the Parish through its subsequent history,
10
was adopted. The church was to cost, when completed, not to exceed $6,000.
The cornerstone of the new edifice was laid on June 15, 1860, with a high degree of ecclesiastical pomp and ceremony. Bishop Doane had passed away the previous April, and Bishop Odenheimer, who succeeded him, officiated at the service.
A correspondent of the "New Jersey Journal," writing under the head- ing of that date, has preserved for us a detailed account of the proceed- ings. The first part of the service was held in the hall occupied by the congregation as a temporary place of worship. This service consisted of the singing of the 102d Psalm and the recitation of the Litany. A pro- cession was then formed, led off by the sexton, Thomas Willson, followed in order by the Vestry and Wardens, the lay guests, the visiting clergy, and brought up by the Rector and the Bishop. When the grounds were reached, the Bishop proceeded to lay the cornerstone in due form. Prayer was offered, the Gloria in Excelsis sung and an address made by the Bishop, which the correspondent characterized as "brief and moderate in tone." The writer estimated that more than five hundred people were present on the grounds, and adds "that the surrounding fences and the windows of warehouses and private dwellings near by were brought into requisition, and thus hundreds enjoyed the spectacle who were not really on the grounds." He continues, "A fine-toned organ had been brought to the ground and the choir of Trinity Church, under the skilful training of William Eccles, Esq., the leader, aided by Miss Dunn, the accomplished organist, whilst rendering the Psalms and the old Gloria in Excelsis, drew many tears from hundreds of eyes, and as those chords swelled and died away upon the breeze, they waked up impressions that will never be forgotten." The writer tells us, moreover, that "In addition to the church people present were many prominent citizens of other bodies," and he mentions particularly "that every Methodist minister in Trenton, with perhaps a single exception was in attendance." Certainly the occa- sion seems to have been deemed worthy of the writer's finest literary ef- forts. After the services on the grounds we are informed that "there was a dinner served in the State Street House to invited guests," which he tells us "was not only substantial in every respect but recherche in all its appointments." Thus early in its history did the Parish set a high standard for the culinary reputation which it has subsequently enjoyed.
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Speeches were made by Bishop Odenheimer, the Rector, the Rev. Dr. Camp, the Rev. Mr. Brown, of Lambertville, who responded on behalf of the visiting clergy, Mr. A. S. Livingston, one of the Wardens, who told of the formation of the Parish, Mr. E. Mercer Shreve, a prominent lawyer and member of St. Michael's Church, who presented his congratulations, Judges Ogden and VanDike, who spoke on behalf of the laymen, and His Honor, Mayor Franklin S. Mills. From all of which, we gather that the occasion was a notable one and aroused much general interest in the community.
The Vestry was so much pleased with the success of the proceedings, that the secretary was instructed to make "such an insertion in the Minute Book as would secure to the Parish of Trinity Church at present and forever a history of the Ceremony of Laying the Cornerstone of Trinity."
Among other interesting information which is given us respecting the church we are told "that the peal of bells which will hang in the two arches above the roof constituted a gift which the citizens of Trenton, irrespective of names and creeds, and with their accustomed liberality, have determined to purchase, and which when done, will be the first and only peal of bells in New Jersey." "It is fitting," the writer goes on to say, "that Trinity Church, in the Capital of the State, should be the humble instrument in thus honoring the whole State."
Those bells, alas, have now been mute for many a long year, but they yet remain as eloquent if silent witnesses to the public interest and good will thus practically shown towards the new ecclesiastical enterprise, so auspiciously started upon its career.
The minutes of the Vestry preserve to us a copy of a parchment de- posited in the cornerstone, along with other documents, from which we learn, among other facts, that the baptisms up to date were 61, the con- firmations 33, the adult parishioners 158, communicants 80, Sunday- School children 91, and teachers 14. The statistics certainly indicate a healthy growth in the two short years of the Parish's life.
It is further recorded that "the first Episcopal act performed in the Diocese by Bishop Odenheimer was in the Parish of Trinity Church, when, on October 30, 1859, under the rectorship of the Rev. Hannibal Goodwin, twenty persons were confirmed."
A note relating to Bishop Doane's interest in the new Parish appears in the minutes. It reads thus: "The late Bishop Doane exhibited an
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unusual degree of interest in the organization and welfare of Trinity Church, during the short time he lived after its organization. He looked forward with peculiar interest to his contemplated visitation of the Parish. He had made an appointment to visit and hold confirmation in the Parish just one week before his lamented decease. But God in His wise Provi- dence arrested him by sickness and death, and in just one week after the day appointed for his visitation of this Parish he was mercifully released from his labors in the Church militant."
The building of the church must have progressed with unusual rapidity, for upon October 14 of the same year, 1860, being the XIX Sunday after Trinity, the building was occupied the first time for Divine worship. On December 13 following the church was consecrated to the service of Almighty God by the Rt. Rev. J. H. Hopkins, D.D., Bishop of Vermont, officiating by request of the Bishop of the Diocese, who was disabled by a serious accident from being present. The Rev. John H. Hopkins, Jr., preached the sermon. Among the clergy present were Rev. W. C. Doane, now Bishop of Albany, and Rev. F. B. Duane, Rector of St. Michael's Church. It is pleasant to learn, that notwithstanding the early differences with the mother Parish, that its Rector consented to be present upon this occasion and to participate in the services.
Trinity Church was made a pewed church. Pewholders were required to pay for the cushions in their pews and directed to use the matting ap- proved by the Vestry. An organ was purchased at a cost of $850, upon which only $150 cash was paid. In lieu evidently of any additional pay- ments at that time, the Vestry passed a resolution expressing their perfect satisfaction with the instrument, and warmly recommending the organ builder, to whom they sent a copy of the same under the corporate seal of the Parish, and arranged for its publication in the "Church Journal," the leading ecclesiastical newspaper of that day. Doubtless the organ builder was properly grateful, and thus rendered contented to wait pa- tiently for the balance due him.
The first baptism in the new church was that of Ann Margaret Lynch, the first marriage that of Frederick G. Weise and Susan M. Hamilton, the first burial that of William Paulding. In the list of communicants belonging to the Parish at the date of the occupancy of the church, as recorded in the pages of the Parish Register, are found the names of only six persons who are still identified with the Parish: Miss Mary
A GROUP OF FOUNDERS AND EARLY VESTRYMEN
ALFRED S. LIVINGSTON
PHILEMON DICKINSON
THOMAS CADWALADER
SAMUEL SIMONS
MERCER BEASLEY
CHARLES H. HIGGINSON
A GROUP OF FOUNDERS AND EARLY VESTRYMEN
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