USA > New Jersey > A history of Baptists in New Jersey > Part 23
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Another student, S. W. Lynd followed, gathered twenty Baptists who on April 14th, 1821, constituted themselves the Baptist church of Bordentown. Mr. Lynd was called to be pastor and was ordained. He was pastor for three years, resigning in February 1824. In that year, Rev. Thomas Larcombe was settled as pastor continuing till
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1827. His worth as a man and his able ministry won a large place for him in the hearts of his brethren.
M. J. Rhees was jointly pastor of first Trenton and of Borden- town, for three or four years. The dates are indefinite. Bordentown made a strong effort to secure his undivided services. A like con- dition prevailed at Trenton. With the end of 1833, he decided to limit himself to Trenton. He was a staunch temperance advocate. At Bordentown in 1838, the church made total abstinence a test of membership and included members added before the adoption of the rule.
Immediately, Rev. J. C. Harrison settled at Bordentown on April 1st, 1834 and was pastor ten years. In person and manner, Mr. Harri- son was a fac-similie of President Washington's portraits. The ten years of Mr. Harrison's charge were years of growth on all lines. He held that a pure church was an absolute condition to its welfare. He believed that discipline was the line of righteousness with a small mixture of mercy. A wealthy member was guilty of gross sin. An allusion to the effect of his exclusion on the pastor's salary startled Mr. Harrison, whereupon, he thundered, "Exclude him. I'll pay his part of the salary myself." Another case was the exclusion of a woman for getting into a passion with her husband and sending for laudunum and threatening to kill herself; many protestations of penitence were necessary before she was restored.
Pastor Harrison was a close reader of carefully written sermons. He and Rev. C. W. Mulford were invited to conduct their "yearly meeting." Both were in the pulpit and Mr. Harrison was to preach on Lord's Day morning taking his manuscript and laying it on the seat in the pulpit. The hymn before the sermon was being sung and Mr. Harrison turned to get his manuscript, but it was gone and not to be found. Mr. Harrison demanded it of Mr. Mulford and he protested his ignorance of it. Their altercation reached "fever heat." The song was done and the congregation waiting. There was no alternative and Mr. Harrison had to go on. Word has come to us that it was one of the best sermons Mr. Harrison ever preached. Search was made for the document and it was found in a crack, made by the seat that had shrunk from the wall. Mr. Mulford's honor was vindicated and Mr. Harrison learned something he had not known of his strength. A moral is: "Let preachers not depend on 'paper wings.' "
In 1834, the old meeting house which had been in use for eighty- two years was torn down and a new building erected. The basement of the new house was ready for use in December 1834. The upper
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room was dedicated in July 1836. Special revivals were enjoyed in 1839, 1840, and 1842.
In this pastorate, one was licensed. Another member was or- dained. A new sanctuary was built and the membership was doubled. Mr. Harrison's resignation was declined, but as he insisted on it, it was accepted. Since Mr. Harrison's charge, the Bordentown church has constantly climbed to a higher plain. Has his maintenance of a rigid discipline any relation to its future growth on all right lines.
The succession of pastors has been: B. N. Leach, 1844-46; W. D. Hires, 1846-49; S. Sproul, 1849-52; B. H. Lincoln, 1852-54; W. S. Goodno, 1855-57; A. P. Buel, 1857-67. While pastor, a beautiful and spacious sanctuary was built and dedicated in March 1861. Many were added to the church by baptism. J. W. Custis, 1867-70; L. Burrows, 1871-76. Debts were cancelled and an annual average of twenty-eight baptisms. H. W. Jones, 1877-80; W. L. Kolb, 1880-84; C. E. Cordo, 1885-91. In this pastorate, a parsonage was bought. A chapel was built at "White Hill," and a mission begun. The Park street mission was also maintained; a chapel at Fieldsboro mission was dedicated and an annual average of twenty persons baptized. Rev. J. Lisk, 1892-1900. The varied interests of the church have had effective development. In May, 1892, their beautiful church edifice was destroyed by fire. It was shortly replaced by a larger, more stately and substantial meeting house, comparing favorably with others in the state; which was dedicated in 1895. The benevolence of the church has been maintained despite the large outlay for their church edifice.
The church has had sixteen pastors. The work of Howard Malcom recovering Baptist interests in Bordentown must not be overlooked. The foundations he laid in 1821 are still built on. Two pastors, Messrs. Harrison and Buel each stayed ten years. Both were eras in its history. Four houses of worship have been in use. One built in 1752, when or soon after, the Bordentown church ought to have been formed. Another in 1836, a third in 1861 and the fourth in 1892-5, to take the place of the third burned. These buildings by their larger size and appoint- ments marked the growth of the church. Mr. Allison was a man of brilliant parts, but he was deficient in executive ability and foresight. An average man of practical common sense would not have allowed Bordentown Baptist interests to have come to the utter ruin which Mr. Malcom found them in, especially after the promise of Mr. Allison's young manhood.
CHAPTER XXII.
FREEHOLD, HOWELL, MARLBORO AND HORNERSTOWN.
Mr. David Jones, a licentiate of the original Middletown church, occasionally preached at Freehold to relieve Abel Morgan in charge of that part of his field and tradition asserts that he established a mission at Freehold in 1762 and after the organization of Upper Free- hold church with Mr. Jones, as its first pastor, he maintained the station at Freehold. It is believed that under his administration a house of worship was built in an isolated place about a mile from Freehold. It is also affirmed by tradition that Abel Morgan often preached at Free- hold, a number of members of Middletown church living in its vicinity. Clusters of members of that church and stations for preaching were all over "East Jersey" and pastors were often absent from home for months responding to calls of the kind and usually had some licentiate to supply their pulpit while absent. Rev. J. M. Challis afterwards pastor at Upper Freehold, alluding to Freehold said: "This neighborhood was left awfully destitute of Baptist preaching."
Rev. John Cooper in 1813, settled at Upper Freehold and in the eight years of his charge, preached once a month on a week day in the Baptist house near Freehold. Some converts were made and baptized. Rev. Mr. Challis followed in 1822 and continued the regular monthly week appointment. He writes of this period: "I found in the neigh- borhood of Freehold, a very feeble and disorganized state." There was but "one male member and a few feeble, but pious sisters. The meeting house was almost in ruins and the congregation scattered and. pealed." This statement is not a surprise, considering the location of the place of worship, a mile from the town, up a long lane away from anywhere in which a monthly week day meeting was held and the house repulsive within and without. Very soon Mr. Challis had the house repaired, converts increased, the monthly meetings were multiplied and Baptists grew to number one hundred. Mr. Challis continued these labors for twelve years.
In 1834, ninety-two members of Upper Freehold were dismissed to constitute the Freehold Baptist church. Two others made the number ninety-four, who in November 1834, constituted themselves the Baptist church of Freehold. These disciples adopted a pledge of "entire abstinence from making, vending or using ardent spirits as an article of luxury or living." In March, 1835, Mr. Challis resigned,
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disappointing the Freehold Baptists, who anticipated retaining his services jointly with Upper Freehold.
A succession of pastors was C. J. Hopkins, 1835-37; P. Simonson, 1837-8; William Maul, 1838-43; J. Beldon, 1844-54. His pastorate wrought a great change in the present and the future outlook of the church. From seclusion and limitation it came to be a power and to have influence in the community. This change was effected by a new, large and suitable sanctuary in the town of Frechold. The writer invited an exchange with Pastor Beldon purposely to preach in the old house and thus to know it and the vast change from the old to the new. The highest evidence of the noble manhood and piety of Pastor Challis was his courage to endure and his faith in God to prosper his word in the long service in a field where he had so great discourage- ments. The new house was a fitting temple for worship, modern, con- venient and quite equal to any other in the town. Mr. Beldon was a happy pastor to accomplish this change to gather a large congregation and to develop the church along the lines of Christian work and service. Going to Freehold, under the existing conditions, meant failure for himself and an almost useless strife of the church for life. Leaving Freehold, the church and its large congregation was the equal of any other in its social and spiritual influences. Mr. Beldon was brought up in the first Baptist church of Philadelphia under such pastors as Henry Holcombe, and W. T. Brantley, Sr., and it was not strange that he proved his training. An unpretentious man, not a great preacher, but a good and true man in whom confidence was safely reposed, his personal worth gave him hold on the community and crowned his ministry with success.
Succeeding pastors were W. D. Hires, 1855-59; T. R. Taylor, 1859- 62. The nation was undergoing the throes anticipating the Civil War. The slavery question was a dynamite bomb when mooted. Monmouth County of which Freehold was the county scat was a warming place for politicians of a certain type. Mr. Taylor had opinions and none knew that he had ever been afraid to do or to speak as his conscience enjoined, and on the Sunday morning, before John Brown was hung, Mr. Taylor prayed for him. A proper thing to do for one about to die. But, "it was the last feather" and an unpardonable sin to the kind of politicians that then influenced public opinion in Monmouth county. Soon after his prayer, Mr. Taylor resigned, having accepted a call elsewhere and was able to announce at his resignation: "that having accepted a call he resigned his charge at Freehold." Nevertheless, there were many loyal men who heartily sympathizecd with Mr. Taylor in Monmouth County, but they were in the minority. While pastor
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for three years, Mr. Taylor enjoyed unusual prosperity in winning converts.
On the same day in which Mr. Taylor retired from Freehold, Pastor D. S. Parmelee began his charge. Pastor Parmelee was true to his convictions of truth and duty. But he chose times for speech, having respect for conditions. While pastor, the house of worship was en- larged and conveniences for worship were added. He had the longest pastorate in the history of the church only excepting that of Mr. Jones, that of Mr. Jones being before the constitution of the Freehold church. Mr. Parmelee closed his pastorate in the fall of 1875. Rev. H. G. Mason, 1875-80; L. B. Chase, 1881-1883; H. F. Stillwell, ordained in 1884, continued till 1894; a new house of worship supplanted the old one; the member-ship increased rapidly; Theodore Heisig, 1894-1902.
The church has had eleven pastors. Of them, Mr. Beldon served ten years; Mr. Parmelee, thirteen years; Mr. Stillwell, ten years. Mr. Challis of his twelve years was pastor after the church organized only five months and Mr. Jones preached at Freehold 1762-1813, about fifty years, once each month. Virtually, four meeting houses have been erected. When the first was built is unknown, only that it was erected while Mr. Jones was pastor at Upper Freehold, probably before 1766, and was in use for nearly eighty years. The second building was put up under Mr. Beldon in about 1845. The third house was built under Mr. Parmelee and was an extension and a great improve- ment on the former structure. The fourth, under Mr. Stillwell was dedicated in 1890.
No history of Freehold church is complete without allusion to Deacon H. Ely. When he resigned his Treasurership, he had held the office for forty years and at his death been a deacon of the church forty-five years. His mother was a remarkable woman. (See under Holmdel incidents of this wonderful woman). Her sons were men of lofty spiritual statu. Having had six sons and one daughter, three brothers married three sisters, each sister was identified with another denomination, and each became Baptists. Their pre-eminence in good things is known to the pastors and churches with which they were associated. The daughter was like to her mother and her husband was an officer of the church when he died. As was almost universal in early times there was a distillery on the farm near Freehold. Its machinery was taken to the Holmdel farm, but it rotted where first laid, the mother's plea prevailing against its use. Of one of these sons, (said to the pastor) by a profane godless neighbor: "If I had a million dollars, I would not hesitate to put it in his hands for keeping, without a scrap of paper or security, sure that when I wanted it, I would get it."
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This son had been a deacon for thirty years and in that time had not missed a communion till his last illness. When one of these brothers died insolvent, and widows and orphans would have lost their all, another brother mortgaged his estate and paid the indebtedness of that brother. Surely, these were giants of honor, godliness and truth. Deacon H. Ely of Freehold was as noble, godly and true as others of his brothers as the writer well knows by personal knowledge and had experience of his rare worth and devotion to the best interests of humanity, justifying the highest appreciation of man.
The Howell church (now Ardena) was named after the township. Pastors of the Upper Frechold church had a station at Howell many years since. Rev. D. Jones, the first pastor of Upper Freehold preached at Howell, several years before 1766. Results of his labors must have justified the including of Howell in their field. There may have been Baptists among the early settlers, members of Middletown church and the early converts joined there; when Upper Frechold was organized and Freehold was identified with it, converts united there. Howell is about six miles east of Freehold.
As population increased, a Sunday school and social meetings were begun in 1860. Twenty-five members of Freehold Baptist church were dismissed in 1860 to constitute the Howell church. Rev. H. Wescott was the first pastor remaining five years. A work of grace was enjoyed and a house of worship begun which was completed in 1861. When he resigned, the membership of the church was one hundred and five and all debts were paid. Brought up to business habits and having a private income, he gave the benefit of these to churches, of which he was pastor and ordinarily preferred young and needy churches. For such, he usually secured a house of worship and the payment of all debts against them. Judging by his course in a long, ministerial carcer of sixty and more years, it is doubtful if he would have accepted a call to be pastor of a church able to care for itself.
Pastors following were: D. B. Jutton, 1865-69; A. J. Wilcox, 1870; C. G. Gurr, 1871-74; E. S. Browe, 1874-79; William Archer, 1880-82; H. Wescott, 1882-1904. A second pastorate of eighteen years at Howell was had. Mr. Wescott was ordained in 1842. The writer then a licen- tiate, recalls that himself is the only survivor of the ministers present. Mr. Wescott is still (1904) in the active discharge of the duties of pastor at Howell, at an age of ninety or more years.
Rev. W. D. Hires settled at Holmdel in 1836, (the "Upper Con- gregation", as the church minute book styles it), while the "Lower Congregation" (as it is styled in the minute book of the church) kept "Father Roberts" for pastor. Mr. Hires made stations at Keyport, 15
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Matawan and Marlboro until churches were organized at Keyport and at Matawan. His successors continued preaching at Marlboro jointly with the pastors at Freehold. Miss Ella G. Herbert, a member of the Frechold Baptist church gave a legacy of five hundred dollars for the building of a house of worship at Marlboro. The bequest was not used till 1865, when her brother, O. C. Herbert, bought a shop in Marl- boro and moving it to a suitable place, fitted it for a select school.
In June, 1865, Rev. Mr. Parmelee, pastor of the Baptist church in Freehold formed a Sunday school in this building. At its opening, it had fourteen scholars and six teachers. Mr. Parmelee provided all needful appliances for the school and made a monthly appointment for preaching. Mr. C. D. Warner, a licentiate of Holmdel chur h also made a monthly appointment to preach. In the fall of 1865, plans were adopted to build a house of worship. Mr. O. C. Herbert of Marlboro, one from Freehold, two from Holmdel, were appointed a building com- mittee and limited to an expenditure of two thousand dollars for the edifice. Pastors Wilson of. Holmdel, and Slater of Matawan preached on the vacant afternoons, making a daily service. On February, 1867, the meetings were removed to the basement of the new house of worship and on the 16th of May, 1869, thirty-one Baptists constituted the Marlboro Baptist church. The dedication of the house of worship and of the recognition of the church occurred on May 25th, 1869. In October 26th, 1869, Mr. E. C. Romine was ordained as an evangelist. The occasion of the ordination being a series of meetings conducted by Mr. Romine, and some of the converts wished him to baptize them. The one house of worship is now in use.
The order of pastors have been: George Johnson, 1870-71; Laid aside by illness. S. L. Cox, 1872-73; J. Thorn, 1873-74; B. C. Morse, 1874-76; died in April, 1876; S. L. Cox, second pastorate, 1876-78; J. J. Baker, 1879-87; L. G. Appleby, 1888-9; L. G. Appleby, second pastorate, 1891-92; W. N. Smith, 1894-98; C. H. Sherman, 1899-1900. Two of these have had a second charge and one has died while pastor. One retired on account of illness. Another died on account of age and this was his longest pastorate. The outlook is not more inspiring than other country churches. Foreigners are supplanting Americans in rural districts and superstition and ignorance ensnares and blinds them.
Hornerstown Baptist church was an outgrowth of Jacobstown church. Pastor Hires of Upper Freehold had begun a mission there in 1872. Mrs. Deacon Goldy, living in the village had previously begun a Sunday school, which may have led to the mission. Rev. Mr. Thomas of Jacobstown in 1873, took hold of the mission, being nearer
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to Jacobstown than to Upper Freehold and held a series of meetings in the school house and seventeen were baptized and joined Jacobstown Church. The school house was locked and the meetings ended. It was not objected to, that the people were converted, but to their being Baptists. When thus shut out of the school house, Deacon J. Goldy opened his house for the meetings.
Later, the resident Baptists bought a store house, the community uniting and paying for the property. Meetings were held there until the church edifice was completed. In 1890, a local "mite society" was formed to build a house of worship. The society began the house in May, 1891, and completed the unique and beautiful sanctuary in September, 1894. It was a rare instance of enterprise and of piety in so few Baptists undertaking so noble a work. But little financial aid from abroad was received. Credit for the success of the movement is wholly due to the "mite society," the officers of which were: B. H. Harker, president; Miss Belle Harker, secretary; Miss Ida Quicksill, treasurer; William Harker, Jr., William L. Hopkins and A. E. Harker were the building committee.
The church was organized in March 1897, nearly three years after the dedication of the house of worship. Twenty-nine members, twenty- eight of them from Jacobstown church constituted the church. Rev. C. M. Sherman was the first pastor for one year, from October 1897. Rev. A. E. Harker settled in 1898. Both of these were ordained at Hornerstown at the same time. Rev. A. E. Harker was one of the building committee that erected the church edifice and a brother to the other Harker on that committee and to Miss Harker, secretary of the "Mite Society" and organist in the choir. The old time practice of our churches calling one of their members was thus modernized. Mr. Harker was pastor through 1900, and (1904) is pastor in Camden.
These men, known and proved, were good and useful pastors. Ashton and Burrows of Middletown, Stelle and Runyan of Piscataway, Tomkins and Walton at Moristown, Benjamin Miller of Scotch Plains, Moses Edwards of Northfield, Robert Kelsay, Job Sheppard at Cohansie and Salem, Carman and Wilson at Hightstown, Southworth at Wan- tage, Boswell and Allen at Burlington verify the wisdom of the choice of these men. Necessarily, the Hornerstown church will be a feeder to cities, to manufacturing and commercial centers, sharing with rural churches, the experiences of parting with the active and efficient mem- bers that mean development and excite inspiration. There is the greatest need of such in the country churches for the training of the foreign element, Christianizing and Americanizing it.
CHAPTER XXIII.
PITTSGROVE AND MANAHAWKEN.
The Pittsgrove Church owes its early organization to the cultivation of its field by Cohansie church. Morgan Edwards writes: "Some of the first settlers in this part of the country were Baptists. Particularly the Reeds, the Elwells, the Paulins, the Wallings, the Churchmans; some from New England. These were visited by the ministers of Cohansie and some others, particularly since they became a branch of that church."
In 1742, a house by thirty by twenty-six feet was built on a lot of one acre given by Henry Paulin. The deed is dated February 12th, 1742. It is well finished and the communion is administered the fourth Sunday in every other month. The families belonging to the congregation are about seventy-two, whereof, eighty-one persons are baptized " The church had also a plantation of about sixty acres, with a good house on it. The deed bears date May 12th, 1762.
This colony is said to have been companions of Sir Robert Carr in 1665, settling at Old Man's Creek. These companies joined Cohansie church. The mother church made preaching stations and formed branches in these localities. Nathaniel Jenkins, pastor at Cohansie, especially interested himself in cherishing the Pittsgrove branch, which included Baptists for miles distant. In 1741, Pastor Kelsay devoted himself to Pittsgrove and built a meeting house the next year. He was not ordained until 1750. Immediately after the death of Pastor Jenkins and in compliance with his dying request, the Cohansie church called Mr. Kelsay to be pastor. He had been twelve years at Pittsgrove and was living in his own house. His attachment to the people and to the place where he had labored so long, were very strong and he declined the call. Besides, he was anxious that Rev. Job Sheppard should be pastor at Cohansie. A fire consumed his dwelling and again, Cohansie renewed the call and Mr. Kelsay yielded and was pastor thirty-three years, till he died at seventy-eight years old.
In 1771, seventeen members of Cohansie received letters to con- stitute Pittsgrove church. On the 15th of May, four pastors, Mr. Stelle, Mr. Kelsay, Mr. Griffiths and Mr. Heaton of Dividing Creek, met with the brethren and sisters who constituted Pittsgrove church on the articles of faith and covenant which Mr. Kelsay had prepared for them. The next day, May 16th, 1771, William Worth was ordained
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their pastor. There was prosperity in the first ten years of his charge. Many were added to the church by baptism. Unity and spirituality marked the years. Mr. Worth evidently had a strong hold on the community, judging from his record of the number of funerals and marriages and from the number of his congregations. Mr. Worth went to the extremes of dishonor and by the removal of members to other churches and the discouragement of others, had a majority and kept the house for himself and his co-conspirators, excluding Baptists from their house of worship.
At the end of twenty years from the settlement of Mr. Worth, only thirteen women remained true to Christ. In the black night of apostacy, they continued true to righteousness. These women held meetings in groves and in private houses. Once, when Mr. Smalley, pastor of Cohansie was preaching from an open wagon near the meeting house, every hearer of Mr. Worth left him alone and went to hear Mr. Smalley. In 1803, Mr. Worth and his two deacons were expelled from the house and the "wolf in sheep's clothing" was deposed from the ministry. Mr. Worth held fast to his universalism while in good health, but when dying, repudiated it as false and a lie.
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