USA > New Jersey > Essex County > Newark > A History of the city of Newark, New Jersey : embracing practically two and a half centuries, 1666-1913, Volume II > Part 39
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62
The steeple of St. Paul's, Broadway, New York, though more ornate, is on the same style as that of Newark's Trinity. It was built in 1764. During the ministry of Mr. Willard it was decided, in 1811, that the con- gregation at Belleville, now Christ Church, should independently supply its services. Independent organization was not affected until April 29, 1835.
The next rector of Trinity was Rev. Lewis P. Bayard, elected in May, 1813. He was said to have been "without the power of commanding elo- quence," but was esteemed for "his modesty and kindness of heart." The membership increased from sixty-five to one hundred and nine. His sup-
------
₼ 10
977
HISTORY OF NEWARK
port being insufficient, he removed to another charge in 1820. He died September 2, 1840, at Malta, returning from a trip to the Holy Land.
Rev. Henry P. Powers became rector on June 3, 1821, and resigned in 1830. He was mentally strong, and was considered an eloquent preacher. On July 21, 1826, he delivered the anniversary address before the Newark Institute for Young Ladies. This address, entitled "Female Education," was published in a pamphlet the same year by M. Lyon & Company, with an appendix and copper-plate view of the institute. Subsequently, Mr. Powers ministered with pronounced success to a parish in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
Rev. John Croes Jr., a son of Bishop Croes, of New Jersey, supplied the services for a period during 1830. His father, in 1801, while rector of Christ Church, New Brunswick, had taken charge of the academy there. This institution was all that remained of old Queens College, now Rutgers, exercises having been suspended several years previously. The clergyman educator served the academy seven years, and prepared the way for the resuscitation of the college in 1808. The younger John Cross was born September 22, 1787, graduated at Princeton, 1806, ordained as priest on October 1, 1811, and died August 18, 1849. He served a number of parishes in New Jersey, spending the last nine years of his life at Keyport.
Rev. Matthew H. Henderson was elected rector of Trinity on October 11, 1830. He remained more than a quarter of a century, resigning February 25, 1856. He was a successful minister, building up the congrega- tion and bringing about much-needed improvements. Rector street was opened in 1834, and the price of lots in the burying ground were raised the next year from fifteen dollars, fixed in 1808, to twice that amount. The rector, in 1835, planted the elms that once nobly waved about the church. In 1852, to accommodate the increasing congregation, the south gallery, hitherto unoccupied, was furnished. Mr. Henderson failing in health, was given a vacation of one year from July, 1853. Soon after his return in 1854 he was again ill, and on February 25, 1856, he resigned. In 1846 the congregation celebrated the centennial of the erection of Trinity, and on February 22 the rector preached the historical discourse. This was printed that year in pamphlet form under the title, "The Days of Old," by Leavitt Trow & Company, New York. It is invaluable for any attempt to write the history of the church.
The Rev. A. G. Mercer, who had supplied the pufpit during 1853 while Mr. Henderson was in Europe, was called, in 1856, to become rector, but declined. Twenty years later, during the interim following the resignation of Rev. Dr. William R. Nicholson, he frequently supplied the pulpit. He died in 1884. His executrix, Mrs. Anna Pell, of Newport, Rhode Island, in 1890, placed in the church in his memory an "Angel Window."
The Rev. Dr. Edmond Neville, then of Taunton, Massachusetts, was elected rector on July 13, 1857, and remained over five years, resigning November 26, 1862. His going was greatly regretted, but the state of his throat seemed to require a change of climate. He returned to England, his native place. During his incumbency the chapel on Rector street was built, and an addition to the rectory completed. Another improvement of this period was the enlargement eastward of the church some twenty feet to provide for added chancel room. This project met with outside opposition, and before it was carried through there was aroused some excitement. In April, 1859, the Common Council having received a long petition from the church asking permission to extend, and passed the following resolution: "That without entering upon the question of legal rights, the Common
---
-
-
4
.
1
978
HISTORY OF NEWARK
Council will interpose no objection to the extension of the rear of Trinity Church, as proposed in their memorial, and the enclosure of said church by an iron fence-provided that said extension shall not exceed 20 feet, nor be higher than the roof of the body of said church; and said fence shall not enclose a space of more than ten feet on each side, nor more than seven feet beyond said extension in the rear." John R. Pierson, whose residence was at 1 Park place, strenuously objected to having his view across the old common impaired by the extension. He protested before the Common Coun- cil against the granting of the foregoing permission, and later, June 13, 1859, protested on legal grounds in a letter to the church officials. The evening of that day he went forth with his hired man and demolished with an axe that part of the contractor's temporary board fence which obstructed his view, his object being doubtless a test case. This incident by the next morning was in print in the New York papers swollen to a riot. The fol- lowing evening, to make good Newark's suddenly acquired reputation for violence, a gang of boys and young men smashed the rest of the fence and broke some windows in the church, much to the surprise of the two officers of the law present. In time, by the help of legal advice and wise handling, the matter was adjusted.
Dr. Neville was the author of a number of printed sermons and addresses printed at Newark. His book, "Gleanings Among the Wheat Sheaves," was published in 1861 by S. C. Atkinson. It contains nineteen previously printed sermons brought together, with title page, dedication, preface and contents. His other listed Newark publications are the fol- lowing pamphlets: "Substance of an Address Delivered Before the Newark Tract Society, November 14, 1858," printed by Atkinson; "Speech at the Annual Meeting of the Newark Orphan Asylum, October 26, 1859," by Atkinson; "Presentation Day, January 15, 1860," printed by Daily Adver- tiser; "Presentation Day, May 12, 1861," by Daily Mercury, 1862; and "Rebellion and Witchcraft, a Thanksgiving Sermon," by Daily Advertiser, 1861.
The Rev. John C. Eccleston, D. D., succeeded Dr. Neville, becoming rector on Christmas Day, 1862. He was popular and much loved by his congregation. His success was attributed to his "fervent piety and manly earnestness." The enlarging of the church, begun and interrupted during the previous rectorship, was completed during his incumbency. In 1865 a mission was established at the corner of Clinton and Elizabeth avenues. It is now St. Stephen's Church. Dr. Eccleston resigned because of ill health on March 5, 1866. He was subject to rose and to hay fever. He sought permanent relief in a small parish in the mountains of Massachusetts. He declined at this time to go to St. James' Church, Chicago. Though not regaining his health, he was requested to return to his former parish of St. John's at Clifton, Staten Island, where he ministered for years with marked success.
The 'next rector, Rev. Matson Meier-Smith, D. D., was called on April 11, 1866, and remained in Newark five years, resigning March 8, 1871. He previously had been a Congregationalist, and came to Trinity shortly after Episcopal ordination. He was distinguished for scholarship and great pulpit ability. During his incumbency the church debt of $15,000 was reduced to $8,000. llo resigned because of the ill health of his wife. They took a trip to Europe, and later he accepted a call to Hartford, Connecticut. Still later he became a professor in the Philadelphia Divinity School, in which office he died, greatly lamented.
-
1
-------
一
979
HISTORY OF NEWARK
One of the students under the instruction of Professor Meier-Smith was the late Louis Shreve Osborne, later to become the rector of Trinity. Mr. Osborne, in his historical discourse of 1896, relates the following anecdote about the professor: "One day we went into the class, expecting to be drilled in the reading of the service. 'Put up your Prayer Books, gentlemen,' said Dr. Meier-Smith; 'we will read something else to-day.' Whereat he passed around the class a copy of one of Mark Twain's most absurd stories, and bade each of us read a page. After the class was dismissed, I ventured to ask the doctor why on earth he had spent an hour over Mark Twain. 'To break up that holy-tone, my boy! To break up that horrible holy-tone!' "
During 1871 the financial condition of St. Barnabas' Church at Rose- ville became precarious, and that organization became temporarily a mission of Trinity. The Rev. G. F. Flichtner, later rector at Englewood, was placed in charge. Five years later St. Barnabas' again became self-supporting.
The Rev. William R. Nicholson, D. D., of St. Paul's Church, Boston, was called in January, 1872. He remained but three years. He resigned in December, 1874, and at the same time abandoned the ministry of the Protestant Episcopal Church. His rectorship had fallen on troubled times. He became alarmed at the growth of ritualism, and, thinking that the House of Bishops at the General Convention of 1871 had "compromised rather than rebuked it," he, with others elsewhere, withdrew from the fold. Under the leadership of Dr. George D. Cummins, previously assistant bishop of Kentucky, he was one of the pioneers in the founding of the "Reformed Episcopal Church." Dr. Nicholson is said to have been a Calvanist through and through, and unable to accommodate himself to the viewpoint which can behold with equanimity a church broad enough to embrace "many men of many minds." The vestry of Trinity received his resignation with sur- prise and genuine regret. In their acceptance they disavowed any reproach, and professed the "deepest respect for the sincerity of his convictions."
The Rev. William Wilberforce Newton, of Brookline, Massachusetts, was called February 5, 1872. He preached his inaugural sermon in May. His rectorship was brief. He resigned October 30, 1876, upon receiving a call to St. Paul's, Boston. In his own words, his incumbency at Trinity was "a short but lively rectorship." Apparently it was a period of adjust- ments following the discussions over ritualism. During this rectorship the late Hon. Cortlandt Parker was chosen junior warden of Trinity.
The Rev. J. Houston Eccleston, D. D., of the Church of the Saviour, Philadelphia, was called to Trinity on November 16, 1876. He remained until December 6, 1883. He was a brother of Rev. John C. Eccleston, a former rector. His rectorship was successful, particularly in unifying all the elements in the congregation. "Wounds which gaped had closed and were beginning to heal," says Mr. Osborne in his sketch of Dr. Eccleston, whom he calls "the noblest Roman of them all." During this period the church was altered and repaired. The organ was removed from the gallery to its present position to the right of the chancel. The chancel window by John Lefarge was placed in position during January, 1882. A chapel at Harrison, now Christ Church, was erected at a cost of $7,000. St. James' Church was begun as a mission at the corner of Belleville and Bloom- field avenues. Dr. Eccleston, while at Trinity, was elected bishop of West Virginia, and was called to be rector of St. George's, New York, but declined both invitations. In 1883 he was elected rector of Emmanuel
101
H
الد
£
.
980
HISTORY OF NEWARK
Church of Baltimore, and accepted to the great regret of his people. For almost a year after his departure Rev. E. B. Boggs, D. D., conducted the services.
The Rev. H. N. Powers, D. D., of Bridgeport, Connecticut, was chosen rector in October, 1884. He accepted, but, through some misunderstanding, almost immediately recinded his acceptance.
The Rev. J. Sanders Reed, of St. Paul's Cathedral Church, Indianapolis, was called November 29, 1884, and resigned November 9, 1889. He carried on his work with "vigor and decision." During his rectorship parochial enterprises increased and prospered. The "Girls' Friendly Society" was one of the important efforts then inaugurated. One hundred and seventy-nine persons were confirmed. He was also an eloquent preacher. His resigna- tion was greatly regretted. Previous to his rectorship in Indianapolis, Dr. Reed had been rector of Gloria Dei Church, Philadelphia, to which charge he had been elected at the age of twenty-three. After leaving Newark he became rector of an important church in San Francisco. He afterward accepted a call to Watertown, New York.
The Rev. Louis Shreve Osborne was called to be rector of Trinity on December 3, 1889. He served acceptably and successfully for twenty- three years, and died January 27, 1912. Trinity was never more popular and successful than during his incumbency. Mr. Osborne was born at Salem, Massachusetts, and graduated at Harvard University in 1873. After studying three years at the Philadelphia Divinity School, he was ordained deacon in 1876 by Bishop Stevens, of Pennsylvania. He was, in 1877, ordained priest by Bishop Thomas A. Jaggar, of Southern Ohio. He was a missionary successively at Xenia, Waynesville, and Yellow Springs, until 1878, in which year he was called to be rector of Christ Church, Sandusky, Ohio, where he remained six years. From 1884 to 1889 he was rector of Trinity Church, Chicago. He resigned in July, 1889, and went to Scotland, intending a year's rest. He was called to Trinity in December. Mr. Osborne was popular and much esteemed in Newark. His influence was exercised not only within his parish, but throughout the community. He was unusually fraternal and companionable among the ministers of other denominations. At meetings of the Ministerial Association, or other gatherings which brought together the city pastors, his hearty presence and cheery optimism were thoroughly appreciated. He was never dull when speaking, and usually sparkled with genial humor and modern instances. In manner and speech he witnessed against the weakness of a smug professionalism.
During the celebration of the 150th anniversary of Trinity in 1896, Mr. Osborne feelingly referred to his call to the church six years previously, received when in Scotland. He said: "After two hours of prayer and solid thought, and discussion with my much better-half, I cabled back my decision, and in a very few weeks was on the ocean steering toward this blessed old church and dear old parish, wherein, if a man cannot be happy, he is undeserving of happiness, either in this world or in that which is to come." Apparently no cloud was ever during his rectorship big enough to darken the happiness he expressed.
In 1907 died Hon. Cortlandt Parker, senior warden of Trinity. He bequeathed to the church a legacy of $5,000 toward remodeling the front of the edifice by the substitution of new pillars of solid freestone, and a new facing of the same material for the front. The work was done in 1910.
After an interim of a year a successor to Mr. Osborne was elected. Rev. Mercer Green Johnston, who had spent some time in the Philippines in
------
981
HISTORY OF NEWARK
church work, began his duties as rector of Trinity on December 1, 1912. During the following spring he was chosen chairman of a committee to reconcile differences between the striking garment workers of Newark and their employers.
Trinity, like most churches which have been the first of their denomina- tion in the community, is a "mother of churches." The daughters that went out as missions or were aided were Christ Church, Belleville, 1835; Grace Church, Newark, 1837; Christ Church, Harrison, about 1848; St. Matthew's Church (German), Newark, 1848; St. Philip's Church (Colored), Newark, 1848; St. Stephen's Church, Newark, 1867, and St. James' Church, Newark, 1888. St. Mark's of Orange was begun through preaching services con- ducted by a rector of Trinity in 1808, and St. Barnabas', Newark, organized in 1852, was from 1871 to 1876 a chapel of Trinity.
Grace Church, located at the corner of Broad and Elm streets, was founded in 1837. The new enterprise was generously aided by "Old Trinity." The first rector of the new parish, Rev. George T. Chapman, D. D., was allowed the use of the pulpit of Trinity for months while laying the founda- tions of the new organization. A brief manuscript sketch by Miss Emma Victoria Gordon, in the library of the New Jersey Historical Society, gives the following facts about the beginnings of this parish:
"The parish of Grace Church was organized in the month of May, 1837; was incorporated on the 24th day of the same month, under the general act, by names of the Rector, Wardens and Vestrymen of Grace Church in New- ark, and admitted to the 'Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the State of New Jersey' on the 31st day of that month. The first officers were Messrs. Luke Reed and Charles M. King as wardens; Messrs. Joel W. Condit, Thomas D. James, J. C. Garthwaite, E. E. Boudinot, Horatio Holden, John H. Stephens, William Johnson, Henry Evans, Daniel Condit and William Stevens as vestrymen.
"The first services of the church were held in a room in the building which used to stand a number of feet from Mechanic street in Broad street, and nearly on the same ground where now stands the Globe building. From that room, on the first Sunday in April, 1838, they removed to a small white building with pillars in front, and containing sixty-two pews and an organ gallery. The building stood on Clinton street, opposite Beaver street, until 1896; and was owned and erected by another denomination. The first (church) building (of Grace parish) was erected of wood, on Market street, opposite Beaver, December 23, 1838, and took eighty-two days to build. The cornerstone of the present building (Broad and Elm streets) was laid on the 17th day of May, 1847; was finished and con- secrated the 5th of October, 1848, by the Right Rev. Bishop Doane. The church is built of brown freestone in the early English style of the thir- teenth century, after the plans and designs furnished by Richard Upjohn, and will seat 700 worshippers. The total cost of the church, with every- thing about it (except the ground) was $34,758.99. The first organ was built by Hall & Labaugh, at a cost of $2,557.27.
"The first rector of Grace Church was the Rev. George T. Chapman; he served from 1837-1841. The Rev. Anthony Ten Broeck was called June 30, 1841, resigned July 10, 1845. The Rev. Dr. Ogilby was called and accepted, but never canie on account of severe illness; then a call was extended to Rev. John Lee Watson. He accepted and served from May 22, 1846, to November 22, 1853. The Rev. William H. Stewart was rector from January 20, 1854, to September 23, 1856, then came Rev. P. K. Cady, from March 30, 1857, to November 15, 1860; Rev. J. S. B. Hodges, from November 12, 1860, to the year of 1870; Rev. Robert E. Dennison, from 1871-1873; Rev. W. H. Harrison, from 1874-1879; Rev. George M. Christian, January 1,
BRI
HAWTH
بـ
отдение ат
W
1
982
HISTORY OF NEWARK
1880, to March 1, 1899; then the Rev. C. C. Edmunds, who came in the fall of 1899" (and Rev. Elliot White, the present rector, who came on September 16, 1906, and resigned September, 1913).
"On April 2, 1858, while the Rev. B. K. Cady was rector, the vestry made Grace Church a free one. The first vested choir was during the rector- ship of Rev. Dr. Hodges, in the year 1866-Easter Day. > Between 1871- 1872, while Rev. Robert E. Dennison was rector, the high altar was erected, the chancel enlarged, and the parish buildings added. It was during the rectorship of Rev. George M. Christian that the daily eucharist was adopted, also the low altar and the reserved sacrament. The memorial window in the southern transept was placed there in December, 1869, to the Right Rev. Bishop Doane; the first on the north side to Mary B. Kinney, mother of the late Thomas B. Kinney; the second to Joel W. Condit and wife; the third to Alice Condit Kirkpatrick. The first one on the south side was placed there in 1862 to the two children of Rev. Dr. Hodges. The second one is a thank offering from A. C. Neumann."
In Grace Church, Bishop Starkey was consecrated in 1880, and Bishop Lines in 1903.
About 1870 the old Market street property was sold. The proceeds were set aside as a trust fund for St. Matthew's Church. In 1907 St. Andrew's Mission at Clinton avenue and South Seventeenth street was taken over by Grace Church as a chapel of ease. The stone porch and vestibule at the front of this church was added during 1907 as a memorial to Henry Hayes, formerly warden.
The House of Prayer, at the northwest corner of Broad and State streets, had its beginning in 1847. Rev. E. J. W. Roberts, appointed mis- sionary at Newark by Bishop Doane, labored in the neighborhood for several months. Services were held in a stone schoolhouse. An option on the Plume property, on Orange street, near Plane, on which to-day the church stands, was secured. Then the enterprise lay dormant until revived in 1849 by the coming of the eloquent Rev. Samuel L. Southard. He was allowed the privilege of the pulpit of "Old Trinity" to further the new parish. The Plume property was purchased, and various meetings were held in the old homestead, which is still used as the rectory. There were five or six persons present in this old house at a service held November 7, 1849. This service entitled the parish to organize, and the same day a call was Inmed to Mr. Southard. Organization was effected the 24th of the samo month. The cornerstone of the church was laid November 28, 1849, and consecration followed November 26, 1850. Bishop Doane preached the sermon. The entire cost of the land, church and rectory was $23,000. The rectory was first occupied as such on February 7, 1850. The church took fire November 10, 1851, but fortunately very little damage was done. The spire was rebuilt in 1853. In 1857 the school lot on State street was bought for $2,000, and in 1861 the brick parochial school was built. In 1866 the old cracked bell was sold and the proceeds put to the organ fund. The same year Hall & Lebaugh installed an organ for $2,432.10. In 1870 a new bell was bought, and rung first on Easter Day. This was replaced successively in 1875 and in 1880 by other bells.
The House of Prayer is a free church, supported by voluntary offerings. The seating capacity is four hundred. An authorized statement gives the following information: "From the beginning it has stood for the Catholic Faith, having the place of a pioneer in this movement in the country. It was the first in the Diocese to use lights, incense and vestments, and the second in the country to hold a 'Mission.' The sisters of St. Margaret have
1501
.
5
983
HISTORY OF NEWARK
been working in the parish since 1889, having succeeded those of St. John the Baptist, who had come to the Parish in 1875."
The rectors of this church have been: Rev. Samuel L. Southard, November 30, 1849, to December 18, 1854; Rev. William Rudder, May 13, 1855, to September 9, 1855; Rev. John Wragg Shackleford, November 22, 1855, to June 23, 1865; Rev. William A. W. Maybin, September 28, 1865, to October 1, 1867; Rev. Hannibal Goodwin, December 1, 1867, to December 1, 1887; Rev. Calbraith B. Perry, January 10, 1888, to October 2, 1888, and the present rector, Rev. John S. Miller, who was elected November 2, 1888, and entered upon his duties January 1, 1889.
The semi-centennial of the church was held November 26, 1900. In connection with the celebration the rector prepared, and caused to be printed at the press of Amzi Pierson & Co., Newark, a pamphlet entitled "Semi-Centennial Historical Sketch. The House of Prayer, 1900." Pre- viously, at the quarto-centennial in 1875, a similar sketch had been prepared and printed, the author having been William Vanderpoel.
In this church, on February 16, 1858, by Rev. John W. Shackleford, were married Henry William Herbert (Frank Forrester) and Adela R. Bud- long. Three months later Herbert took his own life, and Mr. Shackleford, though unable to officiate according to the rites of his church, attended the noted writer's burial, and spoke a few sympathetic words. Herbert lived at "The Cedars," back of Mount Pleasant Cemetery. One of the rectors, Rev. Hannibal Goodwin, invented the celluloid roll films for cameras, an account of which appears in the general history of Newark in this volume by Frank J. Urquhart.
Christ Church, Pro-Cathedral, Newark, was started before 1849 as a free mission at the corner of Lafayette and Union streets. The first clergy- man in charge was Rev. Robert T. L. Lowell. In 1849 the present site at Congress and Prospect streets was purchased. The parish was organized and incorporated February 1, 1850. The next day the building was con- secrated. Rev. J. N. Stansbury succeeded Mr. Lowell in 1859. During his rectorship the rectory was enlarged. The remodeling of the church was begun in 1873, and the consecrating took place in 1881. Mr. Stansbury was made rector emeritus in 1891. Successive rectors until 1903 were the Rev. Messrs. W. H. Lylburn, Dean Richmond Babbitt and J. O. Ferris. Bishop Edwin S. Lines was elected rector of this church in January, 1904, by virtue of which it became the Pro-Cathedral. He has since appointed the following vicars: Rev. Messrs. David N. Kirby, February, 1904, to May, 1906; Charles F. Jackson, November, 1906, to June, 1907; Rev. Almon A. Jaynes, July, 1907, to September 1, 1910. Rev. Frank H. Hallock, the present vicar, came in 1910.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.