History of Monmouth county, New Jersey, Part 72

Author: Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885; Swan, Norma Lippincott. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Philadelphia, R. T. Peck & co.
Number of Pages: 1148

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1 In a work written by him, entitled " A Journey of

412

HISTORY OF MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

number of oll acquaintances (made during his residence in Monmouth County, from thirteen to fifteen years before), and some of them had been Quakers1 but were come over to the church, particularly Miles Forster and John Barelay (brother of the proprietary Governor, Robert Barclay). After stopping a few days with Miles Forster, he left Amboy for Monmouth County, where he preached his first sermon on the 10th of October. Concerning his visit to Mon- mouth at that time, the following extracts are taken from his "Journal of Travel," viz. :

"October 10, 1702 .- We went to the Meeting of the | Quakers at Toponemes1 in Freehold [township], in East ,Jersey, who used to keep a separate meeting from the other Quakers for their gross errors, and joined with me and my friends in the separation about 1692; and it happened to be their Yearly Meeting, where divers came from West Jersey and Pennsylvania. One of their preachers prayed and preached before I began. After he had done I used some Church Colleets I had by heart in Prayer, and after that I preached on Hebrews y. 9. There was a considerable auditory of divers sorts,-some of the Church and some Presbyterians, besides Quakers. They heard me without interruption and the meeting ended peaceably. Their two speakers lodged in the same house with me that evening, at the house of Thomas Boels, formerly a Quaker, but now of the Church. I had some free discourse with them about several weighty things. I told them that so far as they used their gifts to instrnet the ignorant and re- claim the vile errours of Quakerism, they were to be commended; but that they had taken upon them to administer baptism and the Lord's Supper to any, they were greatly to be blamed, having no call or ordination to do so.

"We met again next day, and after that I prayed, using the same Collects as the day before, and preached on 1st Thes. v. 9, withont any interruption, and the meeting peaceably ended. I could blame nothing in the matter of the second speaker nor in the former, except where he said in his discourse 'That they who were in Christ need not fear Hell. I endeav- oured to clear the matter in my discourse by distin- guishing between an absolute fear of hell, such as

Travel from New Hampshire to Caratuck, on the Continent of America, by George Keith, A.M., late Missionary from the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. and now Rector of Edburton, in Sussex. London : Printed by Joseph Downing for Brab. Aylmer, at the Three Pigeons, against the Royal Exchange, Cornhill, 1706."

The " Caratuck" here mentioned is in North Carolina, where is found the inlet, county and county-seat village of Currituck.

wicked men ought to have, and a conditional tear, which good men, even sneh who are in Christ, ought to have; and about this he and I had some private discourse, also betwixt us ; but he was dissatisfied and would not own that any who were in Christ ought to have any fear of hell, so much as conditional.

"October 26th .- I preached again at Shrewsbury on Matt, 7 : 13. In these meetings in Shrewsbury, Mid- dletown and Topenemes, or where else in the Nethe- sinks, Mr. Louis Morris and divers others of the best note in that County frequented the congregations and places where we preached, and did kindly entertain us at their Houses, where we lodged as we travelled too and again, particularly at Mr. Morris, Mr. Inness, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Boels and Mr. Read. Mr. Inness, being in Priest's orders, often preached among them, and by preaching and conference frequently with the Quakers and other sorts of People, as also by his pious conversation, has done much good among them and been very instrumental to draw them off from their errours, and bring them over to the Church."

In the latter part of November, Mr. Keith left Monmouth County and proceeded to Penn- sylvania by way of Burlington. In December of the same year he returned on another preaching tour in this region, and his journal proceeds,-

" December 20th, 1702 .- I preached at Dr. John- ston's, at Nethersinks, on Rev. 22 : 14.

" Dec. 25th .- Friday, being Christmas, I preached at the house of Mr. Morris on Luke 21 : 10-11, and after sermon divers of the Auditory received with us the Holy Sacrament; both Mr. Morris and his wife and divers others ; Mr. Talbot did administer it.

"January Ist, 1703, Friday .- I preached at the house of Thomas Boels, in Freehold, in East Jersey. My text was Isaiah 59: 20-21. Before sermon, after the church prayers, 1 baptized all his children,-two sons and three daughters. He was formerly a Quaker, but is now come over to the Church; also a son of Samuel Dennis, a late convert from Quakerism.

" January 34, 1703 .- 1 preached again at his house ou the same text, and before sermon Mr. Talbot bap- tized two persons belonging to the family of John Reid, formerly a Quaker, but was lately come over to the Church with all his children,-one son and two daughters. His two daughters were baptized by Mr. Talbot, October 20th, 1702; as also the same day was baptized William Leads [Leeds] and his sister, Mary Leads, late converts from Quakerism to the Church. And some days before, at the house of John Reid, Mr. Talbot baptized the wife of Alexander Neaper and his three children. Both he and his wife had been Quakers, but were come over to the Church.

"January 4th, 1703,-I came to the honse of Robert Rey [Rhea], in Freehold, in East Jersey, accompanied

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THE TOWN OF FREEHOLD.

with Thomas Boels, and lodged at his house that night. At his and his wife's desire, I baptized all his children, some boys and some girls, in number, five. His wife is come over to the Church, but he was not then come thoroughly out of Quakerism."

After this, Mr. Keith proceeded to Burling- ton, and thence, by way of Philadelphia, to Maryland, Virginia and to the northeastern corner of North Carolina. Nine months later he returned to Monmouth County and again held services, concerning which the following entries appear in his Journal :

"October 10th, 1873, Sunday. - I preached at To- penemes, in Freehold, in East Jersey, on Acts 24: 12, and had considerable auditory, diverse of them late converts from Quakerism to the Church. Mr. Innes, above mentioned, did read the Prayers. Mr. Talbot stayed to preach in several places in Pensilvania and West Jersey for some time.

On the 31st of October, Mr. Keith preached at Amboy, after which he went to New York, and thence proceeded on a tour through the New England colonies, which occupied about two months. He then returned to Monmouth County and held meetings as follows :

"January 9th, 1704. - I preached at the house of Dr. Johnston, in Neverthesinks, on Psalm II9: 5, 113, and had a considerable auditory.

".January 16th .- I preached at Mr. Morris' honse, at the Falls of Shrewsbury, in East Jersey, on 2ª Cor. 5: 17.

"January 234 .- I preached again at Mr. Morris' house, on 2 Peter 1: 5.

"January 30th .- I preached at the house of Mr. Thomas Boels, in Freehold, in East Jersey, on 1 Cor. 15: 58.

"February 6th. - I preached at the house of Mr. John Reid, in Freehold, East Jersey, on Psalms 119: 96."

This appears to have been the last preaching by Mr. Keith in Monmonth County. He went from Freehold township to Burlington, and thence, by way of Eastern Pennsylvania, to Maryland and Virginia, and soon afterwards sailed for England, where he remained (settled at Edburton, in Sussex) during the remainder of his life.

After the departure of Mr. Keith the Rev. Alexander Innes preached to the congregations from time to time until 1713. A request had been made to the Society for the Propagation of ; MDCCLVIII."

the Gospel for a missionary for this region, but. none could then be obtained. It is not shown what ministers, if any, were in Monmouth County for twenty years after 1713, but it is stated that " for a long period the supply of missionary services was very irregular."1 In 1733 the Rev. John Forbes came over as a missionary, and John Milue succeeded him in 1738.

The Rev. Thomas Thompson was appointed by the society, missionary to the churches in Monmouth County in 1745, and served here six years, after which he went as a missionary to the coast of Africa. He published a narra- tive 2 of his missionary labors, from which the following facts are gathered : He sailed from Gravesend, England, May 8, 1745, and arrived at New York on the 29th of August following. On the second Sunday after his arrival he passed to Elizabethtown " on my Journey to Mon- month County, in the Eastern Division, where I was appointed to reside and have the Care of the Churches in that County, being also Licensed thereto by the Right Reverend the late Lord Bishop of London." He proceeded to Kings- bury, near Trenton, where he waited on Gover- nor Lewis Morris and " took the oath of allegiance and supremacy and also the abjuration Oath, and subscribed to the Declaration in presence of his Excellency," and soon after proceeded to the place of his labor in Mon- mouth County, concerning which his " Account" proceeds as follows :

" I had three churches immediately in my charge, each of them situated in a different township, which had regular duty in such proportions as were agreed upon and subscribed to at a general vestry meeting soon after my coming there. The names of the town- ships are Freehold, Shrewsbury and Middletown. I also officiated at Allentown, in Upper Freehold, while that church was destitute of a minister, which was

I Bishop Doane, in an address before the convention in 1837.

2 " An Account of the Missionary Voyages by the Ap- pointment of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts,-The one to New Jersey, in North Amer- ica, and then from America to Coast of Guiney. By the Rev. Thomas Thompson, Vicar, of Reculver, in Kent. London : Printed for Benjamin Dod at the Bible and Key, in Ave Mary Lane, near St. Paul's,

414

HISTORY OF MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

afterward supplied by Mr. Michael Houdin, a convert from the Church of Rome, and a worthy clergyman, now the society's missionary. These four townships comprised the whole county, although forty or fifty miles in length, and in some parts of it considerably wide. I also did occasional duty at other places, as will be further mentioned.

"That I might lay a good foundation for the chil- dren, and build them up in sound Christian principles. I began to catechize, at first only asking questions in the church catechism ; but after a while I changed the method with them so as still to keep the words of the catechism, but raised other questions to the several clauses and matters contained therein, to try what they understood of it, and by this means led them further into the sense and meaning of every part of it. The number of my catechumens began now to increase, and several of riper years presented themselves with a seeming earnestness to receive the benefit of this instruction. So I carried it further, and put Lewis' Exposition into their hands, and ap- pointed them a day, about once a month, to come to the court-house and say the parts which I set them to get by heart, and this course I continued till some of them could recite it from end to end."

After giving an account of the laying of a floor and the making of other improvements in the old church edifice at Middletown, so as to make it fit for the holding of worship in it, he proceeds,-

"After necessity had been answered its demand in fitting up of one church, expediency came next to be consulted for the finishing of another, viz .: St. Peter's, in the township of Freehold, which had been built many years, but was never quite completed. The ground on which the church stands was the gift of one MIr. Thomas Boel, who had been a Quaker, but was brought over, with many others of that per- suasion, by Mr. George Keith, one of the society's missionaries, who himself had been one of that peo- ple. but became a very zealous member and diligent servant of the church, and was a person well learned. After his return from abroad he had the living of Edburton, in Sussex, and published his journal of missionary travel.

"The situation of St. Peter's Church at Topane- mes, which is distant from any town, is, however, convenient enough to the congregation, and was re- sorted to by many families in Middlesex County living within the several districts of Cranberry, Macheponeck and South River; their missionary. my friend and brother, Mr. Skinner, gladly remitting to me the care of them, which he could not well attend to by reason of a wide and offen dangerous ferry over the Raritan, which divides Middlesex County. I was, therefore, willing to give them all

possible attendance, and did often meet them and baptize their children, and appointed certain days to preach at those places and there also cate- chize.

"The inhabitants of Freehold township were at least half of them Presbyterians. The church- people, and these interspersed among each other, had lived less in charity and brotherly love than as be- comes churches. But they began on both sides to think less of the things in which they differed in opinion than of those in which they agreed. And when bickering and disputing were laid down, which was done at last, with the consent of both parties, another strife arose from a better spirit in the way of peace, to provoke love and to do good works, in which neither side was less forward than the other.

" After this the churches continued to flourish, and in the latter end of the year 1750, having then been about five years in America upon this mission, I wrote to the Venerable and Honourable Society a letter requesting them to grant me a mission to the coast of Guiney, that I might go to make a trial with the Natives, and see what hopes there would be of introducing among them the Christian Religion. The summer following, I received an answer to that letter from the Rev. Dr. Bearcroft, acquainting me that the Society had concluded to support me in the design of that Voyage, and would appoint another Missionary in my stead for Monmouth Connty. And the next September, the Rev. Samuel Cooke, of Caius College, arrived with his proper credentials, and I delivered up my charge to him. Having took my leave of the congregation, I set out on the 13th of November, 1751, for New York, from thence to go on my voyage to Africa; and at Elizabethtown waited on Governor Jonathan Belcher, Esq., who succeeded Colonel Morris, to pay my respects to him before I left the Province."

The Rev. Samuel Cooke, mentioned by Mr. Thompson as his successor, was the last of the missionaries sent to Monmouth County from England. He remained over the churches until the Revolution, and soon after the open- ing of the war joined the British in Now York, and was made deputy chaplain of one of their brigades.

The first church edifice of St. Peter's was located at Topanemus, on land donated for the purpose by Thomas Boels, a convert from Quakerism. These facts are clearly stated in the foregoing account by the Rev. Mr. Thomp- son. The date of its erection is a matter of doubt, but it seems evident that it must have been built some years prior to the time (A.D.

415

THE TOWN OF FREEHOLD.

17361) which has often been given as the cor- reet one, because Mr. Thompson says it " had been built many years, but was never quite completed ;" but he took measures then to have it finished and put in proper condition for use.

The date of the building of St. Peter's Church at Monmouth Court-House village cannot be given, but it was certainly after the departure of Mr. Thompson, in 1751. It has been said that it was built from the timber of the old Topanemus Church, which had been torn down for the pur- pose ; but this is not known to have been the case, though it is known that the pews and some

Thomas Leonard .

James Abraham, Jr. - 15

James Bradshaw 1 =

Sam1. Cooke

James Hankinson 3

Joseph Morford

Kenneth Hankinson Amount toru out.

Thomas Tomson

Joseph Rue

David Stout

Thomas Frances

16"

Several of the name of these subscribers will be readily recognized as those of inhabit- other parts of the interior of the old church ants of the vicinity, of Monmouth Court- were used for the present one. That it was House village. It does not appear, however,

built some considerable time prior to 1763 is made reasonably evident by the tenor of an ancient subscription agreement now in posses- known that it remained unfinished for three- sion of Mr. William Lloyd, of Freehold, and of fourths of a century after that time. During which the following is a copy :

"We, the subscribers, being willing to pay off the arrears due from the church of St. Peter's, of Free- hold. as well those due to the former managers as those lately contracted for repairs done to the said church; and being desirons thoro'ly to repair & clean the building, and to add what things are farther necessary for the more decent performance of Divine Worship therein : Do each man for himself promise to pay to Keneth Hankinson, or to the church War- den> for the time being of the aforesaid church, the several sums to our names severally annexed; one- half to be paid on or before the first day of July next, and the remainder on or before the first day of November following. In witness whereof, we here. unto set our hands, May 17th, 1763.

" Job Throckmorton 5

John Forman 5

Daniel Grandin 5

0 James Abraham 5

John Perreine . 3

Lawrence Dey . 1 15

Henry Perreine 1 15

William Dey 1 15

I The charter of St. Peter's Church, Freehold. was granted by King George the Second, of England. in the ninth year of his reign, on the 4th day of June, A.D. 1736, certain petitioners " having set forth that with great expense they have built a decent Church for God's wor- ship in the said town of Freehold, & upon their humble petition to the Honorable and Venerable Society for Prop- agation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, have been supplied with a minister. a Presbyter of the Church of England, duly qualified for the cure of said Church."

that they entirely suceceded in putting the old building in good repair and condition, for it is

the Revolution it remained uncared for and somewhat dilapidated, and was used at different times as a hospital for soldiers and as an army store-house. Finally, in 1838, it was com- pleted, and consecrated by Bishop Doane, as hereafter noticed.

From the time when the Rev. Samuel Cooke left to join the British, until the year 1788, the parish was left vacant. In that year the Rev. Henry Waddell became rector at Shrewsbury, and minister of St. Peter's, Freehold. He was succeeded, in 1799, by the Rev. Andrew Fowler.

In 1809 the Rev. John Croes, Jr. (eldest son . of the Rev. John Croes, of New Brunswick), who had lately been ordained to the diaconate by Bishop Hobart, of New York (there being no bishop in New Jersey), took charge of the three churches at Shrewsbury, Middletown and Free- hold (all of which had been much depressed since the Revolution), and officiated in Moun- mouth County for fifteen years. How much of his time was devoted to Freehold it is impossi- ble to say. His residence was principally at Shrewsbury, and in the Journal of 1816 his name is recorded as rector of Christ Church, Shrewsbury, and minister of St. Peter's, at Frechold, the latter of which had then only eighteen families and fifteen communicants.

In 1819 St. Peter's was a missionary station

Robert Campbell

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HISTORY OF MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

without regular services, and it continued so for several years. Subsequently it was supplied by the Rev. John M. Ward, the rector of the church at Spottswood, of whom Bishop Doane said, in 1834: " Mr. Ward has thus far been obliged to occupy himself partially in the in- struction of a school. His spirit, however, is not thus repressed. He had scarcely ceased to go as missionary to Frechold when he com- menced the performance of services at South Amboy."

On the 1st of July, 1833, the bishop visited Freehold, and in 1834 he wrote of it as follows : " Since my former visit, .the opinion which I expressed in my last address, that the services of a clergyman ought to be, and might be, se- cured here, has been acted on. The Rev. Samuel Edwin Arnold, late of the Diocese of New York, having been elected Principal of the Academy, has taken the pastoral charge of St. Peter's Church. His serviees as an instructor, I am informed, give great satisfaction. His! desires for the spiritual improvement of the people I know are ardent, and he has exerted

himself with much success. Long-established think they are unable to do much for them- habits of negligence of the support of Christian ordinances are hard to be overcome."

It was further stated by the bishop, in the same address, that he had made a proposition to the wardens of the church to devote a certain . even the dead revive. We will trust that for sum from the " offerings " of the diocese to the support of Mr. Arnold, provided they would contribute another specified snm ; and he was encouraged to believe that the arrangement In June, 1837. the Rev. Robert B. Croes began to offieiate in St. Peter's, and in the fol- lowing September he was instituted into the reetorship by Bishop Doane. Until 1840 he would be made, and Mr. Arnold's services re- tained. In this, however, it appears that he was disappointed. The number of families in the parish was then about twenty, and of divided his services between this parish and St. communieants, ten.

In 1835 the bishop announced that " a board- ing and day-school, under the direction of an Episcopal elergyman," had, according to his recommendation, been established at Borden- town, and that Mr. Arnold had, with his con- sent, removed there from Freehold to take charge of the school. This, of course, left the Freehold parish vaeant, but the bishop an- nounced that if the vestry would "duly exert themselves to make the proper arrangements,"

he would appoint the Rev. Thomas Tanser, who was then about to take up his residence, and to act as chaplain and teacher at the Howell Works, "to supply that church one-half of each Lord's Day." The appointment was made, and in 1836 it is recorded that the Rev. Mr. Tanser had "temporary charge" of St. Peter's ; but in 1837 he had removed from Howell and was officiating at Spottswood. He was an Englishman by birth, reared among the disciples of Wesley, and Bishop Doane thought it, "an interesting circumstanee, in connection with the appointment at Howell, that it was a part of the field of labor of the zealous mission- ary, Thompson, who had been sent out by the Venerable Society for Propagating the Gospel." Mr. Tanser was a man of great zeal and earn- estness, and is still remembered by some of the churchmen of Monmouth County.

In his address delivered in May, 1837, the bishop stated that he had visited the church in Freehold in the preceding October, and added : " Of this old ehureh F regret my inability to say anything that is encouraging. The people selves, and 'as a man thinketh, so he is.' It would be unpardonable to despair of any church that God hath planted. With Him the springs of life remain. It is in His power to make St. Peter's Church, Freehold, there is yet to be, and that not far distant, a season of refreshing- from the presence of the Lord."

Peter's of Spottswood. He remained at Free- holl nearly four years from the time of his. commencement, and it was during his rectorate, and largely through his influence and labors, that the church building was at last completed, after so many years of dilapidation and neglect. With regard to this old edifiee, which had stood through the Revolution, and had at different times given shelter to soldiers of both the American and British armies, Bishop Doane- said (in the address to the convention, before

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THE TOWN OF FREEHOLD.

quoted from) : " In 1782 the church, which was never finished, was occupied as a store- house for the army. During the greater part of the period which has elapsed since that time it has scarcely had so much as ' a name to live.' Let us hope that better days have come."

In May, 1838, the bishop visited the parish, and in his annual address made the following record, showing the date of the completion and consecration of the church: "On Tuesday, May 8th, I consecrated St. Peter's Church to the worship of Almighty God. The request of the vestry was read by the Rev. Mr. Croes,

separation from the congregation having been "caused by no diminution of mutual love and respect, but by other important considerations."

On the 1st of August, 1843, the Rev. Fer- nando C. Putnam assumed charge of the parish, and afterwards became its rector. On the 1st of April, 1850, he resigned the rectorship, but continued to officiate until June, 1851.

September 28, 1852, the Rev. George Sayres entered upon his duties as rector, and on Oc- tober 1, 1853, resigned his charge to go as mis- sionary to Illinois and professor in Jubilee Col- lege. He was succeeded as rector of St. Peter's the sentence of consecration and the morning by the Rev. W. T. Johnston, who resigned Feb- prayer by the Rev. Mr. Finch. Here is ; ruary 12, 1855. another striking instance of the vitality of the On January 1, 1856, the Rev. T. J. K. church. To those who bear in mind the notice Lightbourne becamerector. Heresigned in 1858. of this parish in the last address the present

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History of Monmouth county, New Jersey, Part 72

Author: Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885; Swan, Norma Lippincott. [from old catalog] Publication date: 1885 Publisher: Philadelphia, R. T. Peck & co. Number of Pages: 1148

Author: Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885; Swan, Norma Lippincott. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Philadelphia, R. T. Peck & co.
Number of Pages: 1148