USA > New Jersey > Hunterdon County > Frenchtown > Semi-centennial history of the Frenchtown M.E. Church with a chapter of reminiscences, and brief sketches of the pastors, also, a chapter on the part this church bore in suppressing the rebellion > Part 1
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1816-1805
Semi Centennial
Trenchtown M. E.
Matthews
Gc 974.902 F88M
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 02248 3447
Gc 974.902 F88M
7084780
REYNOLD GENEALOGY COLLECTION
HISTORICAL
Will & nichola
FRENCHTOWN M. E. CHURCH.
SEMI-CENTENNIAL HISTORY
OF THE
Frenchtown M. E. Church
WITH
A Chapter of Reminiscences, AND
BRIEF SKETCHES OF THE PASTORS,
ALSO
A Chapter on the part this Church Bore in Suppressing the Rebellion,
BY
D. M. MATTHEWS.
TRENTON, N. J. : FRANK SMITH, BOOK AND JOB PRINTER, 25 EAST STATE STREET.
1896.
.
Allen County Public Library Ft. Wayne, Indiana
7084780
RéGH
D. M. MATTHEWS.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
EARLY HISTORY OF ASBURY CIRCUIT-1817-1832.
CHAPTER II. PRELIMINARY HISTORY CONTINUED ; OLD DOCUMENTS; ORIGINAL, SUBSCRIPTIONS ; FIRST REPORT OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES.
CHAPTER III.
ORGANIZATION OF THE FRENCHTOWN M. E. CHURCH.
CHAPTER IV.
REMINISCENCES BY JOHN W. LEQUEAR, ESQ., REVS. A. M. PALMER, WALTER CHAMBERLIN, CORNELIUS CLARK AND JOSEPH GAS- KILL.
CHAPTER V.
BRIEF PERSONAL SKETCHES OF THE PASTORS WHO HAVE SERVED THE FRENCHTOWN M. E. CHURCH.
CHAPTER VI.
BRIEF PERSONAL SKETCHES OF THE PASTORS WHO HAVE SERVED THE FRENCHTOWN M. E. CHURCH-CONTINUED.
CHAPTER. VII.
THE PART THE FRENCHTOWN M. E. CHURCH BORE IN SUPPRESSING THE REBELLION.
CHAPTER VIII.
EPWORTH LEAGUE.
CHAPTER IX.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE SUNDAY SCHOOL, WITH A LIST OF SUPER- INTENDENTS; A LIST OF THE TRUSTEES OF THE CHURCH FROM 1845 to 1895 ; LADIES' AID SOCIETY WITH A LIST OF MEMBERS.
CHAPTER X.
SEMI-CENTENNIAL EXERCISES ; BRIEF OUTLINES OF SERMONS; SUBSCRIPTION LIST FOR THE SEMI-CENTENNIAL BOOK.
PREFACE.
N the preparation of this semi-centennial history, we have aimed at two things, viz: brevity and correctness. We have found it abso- lutely necessary to reduce the compass of our contributed articles.
We have laid under tribute the journal of Bishop Asbury, volume one, two and three, and the Minutes of the Annual Conference from 1817 to the present time.
In addition to the acknowledgements made in the volume where the articles are found, we are indebted to the manuscript of Rev. E. M. Griffith, deceased ; Rev. John F. Dodd, D. D., Secretary of the Newark Conference ; Will D. Nichols, for a drawing of the church, and N. J. Tomer and Rev. E. H. Conklin, for valuable assistance.
Acknowledging these aid$ we send it forth conscious of its many imperfections, but with the hope that, possibly, future writers in this line of work will here find a record of valuable facts that would other- wise have been lost. We trust our humble efforts may be of some interest to the church and to the community. D. M. M.
FRENCHTOWN, N. J., December, 17th, 1895.
Published by and for the benefit of the trustees of Frenchtown M. E. Church.
REV. E. H. CONKLIN, JOHN L. SLACK, G. W. HUMMER, J. C. BUTLER,
Committee.
I. L. NIECE,
D. M. MATTHEWS.
The committee may in the near future prepare a supplementary volume, containing a roll of members of this church, with brief memoirs of the deceased.
CHAPTER I.
EARLY HISTORY OF ASBURY CIRCUIT-1817-1832.
Cast thy bread upon the waters, for thou shalt find it after many days-Eccl. XI-1.
T HERE is much in the history of every church, said Edwin War- riner, "and in the life-story of each individual Christian to illustrate, and magnify the grace of God." But in writing this semi-centennial sketch it is not so much our purpose to magnify the present, or eulogize any individual, but to delve into the misty records of the past and leave the present for the future historian.
The first M. E. Church erected in this region was at Kingwood, in the year 1816 or '17, during the ministration of Rev. Manning Force. The circuit was called Asbury and the colleague of Rev. M. Force was George Banghart. The preacher in charge was much interested in the enterprise. Thomas West gave the lot, and was one of the original trustees. The preaching had been at his house previously. At that time Asbury circuit extended as far down as Trenton.
The preachers on the circuit afterwards were :
1817-George Banghart, R. W. Petherbridge.
1818-Sylvester G. Hill, James Aikins.
1819-Sylvester G. Hill, Waters Burrows.
1820 -- Waters Burrows, J. Creamer.
1821-John Creamer, Daniel Parish.
1822-William Leonard, James Moore.
1823-D. Bartine, Samuel Doughty.
1824-B. Collins, Samuel Doughty.
1825-B. Collins, Isaac Winner.
During the ministration of Rev. B. Collins, the Everittstown Church was erected.
1826-I. Winner, A. Atwood.
1827-'28-John Findley, J. K. Shaw. Each traveling the circuit two years.
1829- William A. Wiggins, G. Brown.
1830-William A. Wiggins, A. Gearhart.
1831-Pharaoh Ogden, Francis A. Morrell.
1832-James Long, Francis A. Morrell.
8
HISTORY OF THE M. E. CHURCH.
The Rev. F. A. Morrell favors E. M. Griffith with a list of preach- ing places on the circuit as they were when he traveled it.
" The circuit was about two hundred and fifty miles in a zigzag course around it. The Sabbath appointments were as follows : Asbury, ten A. M .; Bethlehem, over the mountains, three P. M. The former. an old church, an iron rod running through the building and fastened at both ends to keep the walls from parting. The latter, an unfin- ished edifice newly erected ; Kingwood, ten A. M., in a good church. Preacher's home at Wilson Bray's; Everittstown, three P. M., in a new church unfinished. Put up at old Brother Everitt's; Lebanon, ten A. M. The church only enclosed, very cold in Winter, wind whistling through the knot holes. Stopping place, Jeremiah Huff's ; Cokesbury, three P. M. The church had been erected some years previously but was not seated. The pulpit was the old carpenter's work bench, rather perilous to stand upon. Conrad Apgar's was the preacher's home; Washington, ten A. M. Stopping place Gershom Rusling's. The church was a small brick building ; Thatcher's church, three P. M. This was a stone building and the wasps constituted the larger portion of the audience, often crawling on my neck and head. Put up at Thatcher's ; Flander's, ten A. M. In a small church but large congregation. Put up at Judge Monroe's. This was a fine family, always giving the preachers a hearty welcome; Lawrence's barn, Millbrook, on the hill at three P. M. Stopped at Lawrence's ; Dover, in the academy in the evening. Put up at a Brother Doty's."
As there is work for five Sabbaths marked down here, Rev. E. M. Griffith directed an inquiry to Brother Morrell concerning the fifth Sabbath. He explains as follows: "The circuit was divided at the close of my first year, I have given you two Sunday appointments not on the first year's plan, making as you suppose the fifth. The Sabbath appointments for the first year were: Asbury and Washington, in Warren; Kingwood and Everittstown, Lebanon and Cokesburg, in Hunterdon ; Flanders, Millbrook and Dover, in Morris County. The week day appointments were numerous." As far as remembered by Brother Morrell they are here given.
" Joseph Smith's dwelling, Jugtown, near Asbury ; Baptisttown in the evening, preached and put up at Brother Fox's; Bloomsbury occasionally : on the summit of a high mountain between Asbury and Bloomsbury, name forgotten ; Stier's, in his own house in Hunterdon near Lebanon; Brother George Fisher's, in the woods; Tewksbury township, on Monday evenings; Tuesdays, rode ten miles to Thomas Walton's and John Fisher's alternately ; about the roughest country I ever traveled through ; preached at eleven A. M .; Thence, the next day
9
FRENCHTOWN, NEW JERSEY.
(Wednesday) to Squire Hagen's where I stopped, and preached in the school-house in the evening; thence, on the day following, Thursday, rode to Stanhope, preached in the school-house in the evening, put up with Brother McCormick. Sometimes on this evening preached at General Smith's at old Andover. On the morning of this day at eleven o'clock preached at old Mrs. Smith's on Schooley's Mountain, about four miles from Flanders ; on Saturday preached in German Valley, in a school-house, I think. And on the following Monday evening at Peter Kemple's, Hackettstown. I think there were some other preach- ing places."
In the year 1833, Kingwood first appeared in the minutes as a separate charge, and Jacob Heavener was sent to travel it. The follow- ing year (1834) he was returned, and the minutes add " one to be sup- plied." In 1835, Abraham Gearhart and B. N. Reed were on the cir- cuit. In 1836, Kingwood drops out of the appointments in the minutes. It was probably returned to Asbury circuit. A. Gearheart and R. Lanning were the preachers. It then took three weeks to travel the circuit reaching from Asbury and as far south as Sergeantsville. Abraham Slack's house was one of the first preaching places, dating back to about 1806. Elwood Servis now resides on the place, and it is known as Slacktown.
This year (1836), Flemington became the head of a somewhat extended circuit. It had previously been in the list of charges but was probably a station. The same year New Jersey was set off from the Philadel- phia Conference and in the New Jersey Conference minutes Fleming- ton stands with Jacob Heavener and J. M. Tuttle as the ministers to cultivate it. These brethren were returned to this field the next Spring, filling out two years on the circuit. In 1839, Wm. Hanley and J. White were the preachers. In 1840, A. K. Street and George Hitchens, traveled this circuit, and it was included in the Newark District with M. Force as Presiding Elder. In 1841, A. K. Street and Washington Thomas did the work. This year Flemington circuit was put into Newton District with Daniel Parish, Presiding Elder.
Asbury circuit, which as has been seen in the previous pages, covered the ground now included in Frenchtown charge was, (as has also been seen) very extensive. As late as 1832, as stated in F. A. Morrell's letter, its preaching places, commencing with Kingwood in the south reached to and included Dover in the north, and from Delaware to Washington. The Delaware proved an obstacle to labor further west for the bridges at Frenchtown and Milford did not exist. The French- town bridge was erected in 1844; the Milford in 1841.
On the other side the Delaware, appointments were made by the
IO
HISTORY OF THE M. E. CHURCH,
Northampton circuit preachers. Evidence of their presence as early as 1813 is afforded by a Bible at S. S. Shuster's, the property of his mother, a legacy from her father. The inscription on the fly leaf sets forth that the volume had been purchased by Henry Snyder-S. S. Shuster's grandfather-of Daniel Ashton, August 23d, 1813, price ten dollars. Henry Snyder then occupied the place, now owned by Wilson Lear, a half mile west of Erwinna. Here Ashton preached in the barn, but we have not been able to find out whether this was a regular or an occasional appointment. Tradition asserts that Rev. H. Boehm (a centenarian, who died December 28th, 1875), preached over in Penn- sylvania in the Pursell neighborhood, below Bridgeton. The minutes of the Annual Conference inform us that H. Boehm was stationed on Chester circuit in 1824-'25. This date we thus fix upon as the possible date of his service there. After that time it seems to have fallen to the lot of the Asbury circuit preachers to give them such service as they could render.
At Milford an appointment we are inclined to think was early made. Rev. F. A. Morrell relates an interesting incident of his ministry when traveling Asbury circuit in 1832. He was expected to preach in the Pursell neighborhood. On reaching Milford the river was in a flood and he had difficulty in persuading the brother with whom he put up to venture, but finally he found a batteau and rowed him across. It was after all "love's labor lost." No one came to the place to hear him because nobody thought he could get across. Brother Pursell lectured him for the risk of his life, but Brother Morrell established a reputation for reliability thereby.
The church at Milford was erected at a much later period. It was dedicated in 1855 by Rev. Ryon, of Philadelphia.
Roll of pastors that have served the Frenchtown M. E. Church from the organization of the first class to the present time, are as follows :
Joseph Gaskill 1842
Z. Gaskill. 1843
A. M. Palmer 1845-'46
T. T. Campfield . 1847-'48
S. W. Decker 1849-'50
Rodney Winans and J. Horner 1851-'52
Curtis Talley 1853
James Harris 1854
T. T. Campfield 1855-'56
William M. Burrows 1857-'58
II
FRENCHTOWN, NEW JERSEY.
J. W. Barrett 1859
G. H. Jones 1860
W. Chamberlin 1861-'62
W. E. Blakeslee 1863-'64
H. J. Hayter 1865-'66 '67
J. B. Taylor 1868-'69-'70
Cornelius Clark, Jr .. 1871-'72-'73
H. C. McBride 1874
E. M. Griffith 1875
E. M. Griffith and P. G. Ruckman 1876
J. H. Runyon. 1877-'78-'79
T. E. Gordon 1880-'81
I. N. Vansant. 1882-'83.'84
S. D. Decker 1885-'86-'87
J. O. Winner, Sen 1888-'89
M. T. Gibbs 1890-'91
William McCain 1892-'93-'94
E. H. Conklin 1895.'96
2
I2
HISTORY OF THE M. E. CHURCH,
CHAPTER II.
PRELIMINARY HISTORY CONTINUED; OLD DOCUMENTS; ORIGINAL SUBSCRIPTIONS ; FIRST REPORT OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES.
He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him .- Psalms CXXVI-6.
W HEN Methodism was first introduced within the bounds of the present Borough of Frenchtown, it is impossible for the writer to state. It is a matter of history that Bishop Asbury traveled through Hunterdon County early in the present century.
In the year 1811, May 8th, quoting from his journal, page 308, volume three, " Crossed the Delaware River and sat down in Godley's school-room and taught the people; my subject was, Acts, third chapter, 26th verse." Again according to his journal we find him in the same year breaking the Bread of Life at the house of Thomas Pursell, who was an uncle of Mrs. Haunah Slack, of Frenchtown. The location of Pursell's was between Frenchtown and Milford, on the opposite side of the river a little south of the latter place. This was a preaching place for a quarter of a century. Bishop Asbury's death occurred March 21st, 1816. It is more than probable, however, that the introduction of Methodism in Frenchtown was by a local preacher, Rev. Amos Merselius, who was a member of the Kingwood M. E. Church, and a zealous worker for the Master's kingdom. He was at one time a politician of some note, and was appointed by the Legisla- ture a Commissioner of Deeds for Kingwood township. The writer remembers hearing him preach in 1854. He died April 17th, 1870. Edward Hinkle remembers hearing Mr. Merselius preach a sermon in a house on Bridge street in 1832, and the first class of eleven members was formed in 1842, in John Walbert's wheelwright shop by Rev. Joseph Gaskill. The writer remembers attending service there fifty years ago. Mr. Walbert died February 20th, 1885, and at the time of his death was a member of the Frenchtown Presbyterian Church.
The only surviving members of this class of eleven, as far as can be ascertained, are Mrs. Hannah Slack and Martha Conner, of Frenchtown. Cyrenius A. Slack (the deceased husband of Mrs. Hannah Slack) was a shoemaker by trade and resided in a house on
13
FRENCHTOWN, NEW JERSEY.
Bridge street now owned by Mrs. Jane Able. Religious services were frequently held here and their house was the stopping place of the early itinerant.
In 1843 the little society resolved to build a church and a Board of Trustees was elected.
The following is a copy of the original document :
FRENCHTOWN, Hunterdon Co., N. J.
Agreeable to the public notice of at least ten days, the male members of the congregation attending upon the Methodist Episcopal ministry in this village assembled, this 15th day of July, 1844, at the house of Cyrenius A. Slack for the purpose of electing seven Trustees for the Methodist Episcopal Church of this place. Thereupon the following persons were duly elected, viz :- Cyrenius A. Slack, Lewis M. Prevost, Ambrose Silverthorn, John V. Hull, John Rodenbaugh, Charles Shuster and Sylvester R. Chamberlin.
Z. GASKILL, Chairman.
CYRENIUS A. SLACK, Secretary.
We, the undersigned Trustees, having taken the oath of office, do hereby certify that we have assumed and taken the name and title of " The Methodist Episcopal Church, of Frenchtown, N. J."
Witness our hands this fifteenth day of July, A. D., one thousand eight hundred and forty-four.
C. A. SLACK, AMBROSE SILVERTHORN, JOHN V. HULL, SYLVESTER R. CHAMBERLIN, JOHN RODENBAUGH, LEWIS M. PREVOST, CHARLES SHUSTER.
The following is a copy of the form of oath taken by the trustees :
" We do solemnly swear that we will perform the duties of trustees to the Methodist Episcopal Church in Frenchtown, Hunterdon County, State of New Jersey, to the best of our knowledge and abilities.
Witness our hand and seal, this fourth day of December, 1846."
Witness present, SAMUEL F. HUFF. [SEAL.]
L. M. PREVOST.
SAMUEL PITTENGER. [SEAL.]
" Personally appeared before me L. M. Prevost, one of the Judges of the Inferior Courts of Common Pleas of Hunterdon County, State of
14
HISTORY OF THE M. E. CHURCH,
New Jersey, Samuel F. Huff and Samuel Pittenger, who after having been informed by me of the contents of the above documents, did severally subscribe to the same, and each took his oath before me as required by law."
Witness my hand and seal, this fourth day of December, in the year of our Lord 1846.
L. M. PREVOST. [SEAL.]
One of the Judges of the Inferior Court of Common Pleas for County of Hunterdon.
The above may be found on record at the Clerk's office in Fleming- ton, N. J., Volume two, of special deeds for County of Hunterdon, page 426. BESSON, Clerk.
The lot on which the church stands was purchased of Hugh Capner ; price, one hundred dollars in specie, and the church was raised Octo- ber 24th, 1844. We ascertained this fact from the fly leaf of Henry Snyder's old Bible, now in possession of Joseph Ashton, of Trenton, N. J. It will be seen by the following letter from Rev. A. M. Palmer that the church was in an unfinished condition, and not formally dedi- cated until more than a year from the above date :
NEWARK, N. J., June 9th, 1894.
D. M. MATTHEWS.
DEAR BRO. :- Received to-day a copy of the Independent containing your history of the Frenchtown Church. Under the ministry of Brother Z. Gaskill, in the autumn of 1844 the building was enclosed, floors laid, windows put in, etc. Temporary seats were made, much like the seats of a primitive camp meeting, simply rough boards placed on benches, and a stove was secured.
Brother Gaskill preached every other Sabbath in the afternoon, in the unfinished building. There certainly could not have been any dedicatory services at that time. In the Spring of 1845 I was appointed to Quakertown circuit. And the house you name was secured for the parsonage.
I was the first Methodist minister to reside in Frenchtown.
During the summer and autumn strenuous efforts were made to finish the building. It was no easy thing to do, for the want of means. I called on most everybody in the circuit interested in our church, and then sent a man abroad to collect money for us.
During the early fall we had a gracious revival of religion, Finally we felt that we were justified in proceeding to complete the building in a plain way. It was completed and dedicated on Wednesday, Decem- ber 17th, 1846.
15
FRENCHTOWN, NEW JERSEY.
Rev. Isaac Winner, then the Presiding Elder, preached in the morn- ing. Rev. Abraham Owen, then stationed at New Germantown, preached in the evening. In my diary from which I take the above I find this : " services well attended and very interesting."
Yours truly, A. M. PALMER.
Alfred R. Taylor and William Logan were the carpenters.
The following is the call for the erection of the church with the origi- nal subscription :
" WHEREAS, The inhabitants of Frenchtown and vicinity are desti- tute of a suitable place in which to worship Almighty God, and being desirous of a place of religious worship in said village, and whereas, the members and friends of the Methodist Episcopal Church contem - plate erecting a house of worship in said village: We, whose names are hereto subscribed, agree to give the sum annexed to our names to aid in the erection of said house to be under the government of said church, according to the form laid down in the book of discipline of said church. The money to be paid to the trustees who may be duly appointed. To be given in installments as follows: One-third to be paid the first day of November, 1844, following. The residue on the first day of April, 1845."
John H. Prevost. $5 00
Wholston Vanderbelt 1 00
John T. Hull 20 00
William F. Moore
3 00
Isaac Johnston 5 00
S. C. Eckel 5 00
I. W. Housel 1 00
1 00
George Carpenter
Samuel Warne 2 00
Levi Case. 1 00
Andrew Risler 1 00
Wesley Shuster 5 00
Joseph Johnson 2 00
Charles T. Fulper
1 00
Amos Opdycke 5 00
Jesse R. Huff 1 00
Jeremiah Matthews 3 00
Abraham Bennett. 3 00
William Sarch 00
William Vanderbelt
1 00
2*
16
HISTORY OF THE M. E. CHURCH,
Mordeica Thomas. 1 00
T. and L. Vansyckel 1 00
John Matthews 3 00
The original subscription was started at the wedding of John J. Zane and Anna M. Williams. They were married at the old Williams mansion, situated on the west bank of the Delaware, in Tinicum town- ship, between Uhlertown and Lodi. The wedding took place February 22d, 1844, Z. Gaskill officiating.
The following names are not found on the old subscription as copied above, but there is evidently a page or more lost. We add the seven names on the authority of one who was there:
John M. Pursell $25 00
. Mary Williams 25 00
Barzila Williams
10 00
T. Elwood Williams
3 00
Anna Zane
2 00
J. J. Zane
2 00
Margaret Williams. 2 00
The following is a correct copy of the original subscription taken at the dedication bearing date, December, 17th, 1845 :
John V. Hull. $10 00
Ambrose Silverthorn 10 00
Henry Snyder 10 00
Isaac Hartpence
10 00
Samuel Vansyckle
10 00 .
David Rockafellow
10 00
John Sipes
5 00
William Roberson
5 00
Thomas Roberson 5 00
Elizabeth Fox
5 00
Thomas Roberson, Jr
5 00
Horatio Opdyke
5 00
Cyrenius A. Slack
5 00
Jeremiah Matthews 5 00
Catharine Rittenhouse 5 00
Joseph Everitt 5 00
B. M. Pearsell
5 00
Rachel West 5 00
Aaron Huffman 5 00
Lucy Roberson 2 00
William Silverthorn 2 00
Zebulon Bodine 2 00
FRENCHTOWN, NEW JERSEY.
Isabella Vansyckle 2 00
Jesse R. Huff 2 00
John Snyder 2 00
John W. Fox
2 00
Stephen Hull
2 00
Jacob Rounseville. 2 00
Ralph Tenyck 2 00
Adam Kitchen 2 00
Catharine Opdyke 2 00
William Leonard
2 00
William Moore
2 00
Ann Eliza Williams 2 00
Jane Silverthorn. 2 00
1 00
Amos Hyde 1 00
Charles Roberson 1 00
Wesley Shuster 1 00
Mahlon Rittenhouse 1 00
Maria Creathers 1 00
Susan Case 1 00
Margaret Mettler
1 00
Elizabeth Thatcher 1 00
Mrs. Rockafellow 1 00
Rebecca Leonard 1 00
Sophia Hull
1 00
Esther Hull 1 00
Mary Ann Stout 1 00
William Jones 1 00
Solomon Stout. 1 00
Frederick Apgar 1 00
Silvanas Runyon
1 00
M. W. Burger 1 00
Thomas Pittenger
50
William Besson
50
S. B. Hudnit.
50
C. S ..
4 00
William V. Sloan 5 00
The old parsonage was purchased of S. B. Hudnit for $850. The writer finds the following among Brother Obadiah Stout's papers.
" We, the undersigned, promise to pay the sums annexed to our names to the Trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of French- town, N. J., for the purpose of purchasing a parsonage for the use of
N. D. Williams
18
HISTORY OF THE M. E. CHURCH,
said church. Hereunto, we set our hands this 13th day of June, A D., 1853."
Henry Snyder $20 00
Charles Green 15 00
S. B. Hudnit 15 00
Obadiah Stout. 15 00
Richard Stockton
15 00
Joseph Ashton
15 00
Ozias P. Thatcher
15 00
Ralph Ten Eyck
10 00
Abner Salter 10 00
John Williams. 5 00
Soloman Stout .. 10 00
Samuel Dalrymple ..
5 00
Mary Whiting.
3 00
This subscription is mutilated and incomplete.
The original trustees have all left the Church Militant and gone we trust to join the Church Triumphant. Charles Shuster was a German, and came from near the French border between the Moselle and the Rhine, landing at Philadelphia, July 21st, 1818. He died October 20th, 1847, and is buried in the old grave-yard at Everittstown.
Sylvester R. Chamberlin was an undertaker and cabinet-maker, and lived where Benjamin Philkill now resides. He died while compara- tively a young man, November 8th, 1847, aged twenty-eight years.
The next to fall was John Rodenbaugh, who died near Frenchtown, February 26th, 1850. He lived on the John Apgar farm.
Lewis M. Prevost followed, November 15th, 1872. The family was of French origin, and during the French Revolution escaped into Germany and came to America about the commencement of the present century. The family. were large land-holders. Lewis M. Prevost kept store in Frenchtown a number of years, and lived where Mayor Sherman now resides. He was also Justice of the Peace and one of the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas.
Cyrenius A. Slack (late husband of Mrs. Hannah Slack, who resides on the corner of Third and Harrison streets) was the next to leave the shores of time. He died December 31st, 1876.
Ambrose Silverthorn lived in the house now owned by Wilbur Slack, situated on the corner of Second and Harrison streets, where William Hoffman now resides.
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