History of Monmouth county, New Jersey, Part 75

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

USA > New Jersey > Monmouth County > History of Monmouth county, New Jersey > Part 75

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1845 .- Samuel Jaquett and Robert Given.

1846 -Samuel Jaquett, Jonathan W. Put- nam and Charles P. Whitecar.

1847 .- Joseph J. Sleeper (died February 27, 1873), W. W. Christine.

1848 .- John S. Beegle (died March 20, 1882).

1 Atwood is still living, and resides at Bridgeton.

2 Both still living-Andrews at Navesink, in this county, and Corbit in Brooklyn, N. Y. Corbit says that there were then thirty-seveu appointments on the circuit. Each man preached at one of these places once a month, which would give preaching every two weeks-week-days and Sundays, Judge Murphy at this time, he says, was the leading man of the town-store-keeper, farmer and judge of the County Court.

3 Mr. Dobbins is now a member of the Philadelphia Con- ference, and is stationed at Reading.

4 Mr. Fort is now a member of the Newark Confer- ence.

5 Mr. Beegle was instrumental in building two churches

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THE TOWN OF FREEHOLD.

At the last Quarterly Conference of 1848 Point Pleasant and Hulse's School-House were added to the list of appointments.

1849 .- J. J. Hanley (died October 28, 1860).

1850 .- John K. Shaw appears as preskling elder, and John W. Barret and William Clark as eireuit preachers. One hundred dollars each was allowed the preachers for table expenses and fuel. Thomas Hanlon appears as an ex- horter at the Fourth Quarterly Meeting for this year, and William H. Clark was recommended for the traveling connection.

1851 .- John W. Barret, preacher in charge ; William C. Stockton and Samuel T. Moore, local preachers under the elder.

In 1851 a building known as the "cocoon- ery," then standing on the site now occupied by the Presbyterian Church, was fitted up for a dwelling. The church leased this building, and Mr. Barret moved from Squankum and occupied it. The church here is represented as having been for a long while in a spiritually cold condition. During this year there was a In 1850, William Clark was junior preacher on Freehold Circuit. The practice was for him powerful revival, known as "the Barret re- vival." It commenced during the winter of to preach once in two weeks at Freehold in the 1851, and continued into the spring of 1852. morning, and at Englishtown in the afternoon. There were many conversions ; among them This was one day's work. Blue Ball, Hulse's were Mrs. Jane Cottrell (recently deceased), School-House and Harmony, one day's work, Mrs. Kate White, Mary and Phebe Murphy, once in two weeks. Shark River in the morn- Caroline Stillwell (afterwards Mrs. Ephraim ing, Farmingdale in the afternoon and a school- Robbins) and Derrick Longstreet. At the house in the evening. Saturday night at Her- Fourth Quarterly Meeting, John II. Stockton appears as an exhorter, and William C. Stockton

and Samuel T. Moore were recommended to be noon, and Newman's in the evening, once in received into the traveling connection. At the same meeting Jolin H. Stockton and Thomas Hanlon were licensed as local preachers. At this meeting complaint was made against a local preacher,-

" That he had been in the practice of treating to in- toxicating liquors ;

That he had been seen to drink intoxicating drinks himself;

That he had been seen in a bowling-alley, prepar- ing to roll balls;

That it was presumed that he had thrown dice."

-one at Blue Ball (Bethesda) and one at Farmingdale. He also received (1849-50) into the church Thomas llan- lon, now the distinguished principal of Pennington Semi- nary. Mr. Beegle died at Millville, March 20, 1882.

The trial of this case was postponed from time to time, and at length the offending brother was, by vote, allowed to resign his position as local preacher.

In 1852, Benjamin D. Palmer and William C. Stockton were appointed to the circuit. At the Second Quarterly Meeting of this year, October 23d, Ruliff V. Lawrence appears as an exhorter and William Franklin as a local preacher. At the Third Quarterly Meeting, January 22, 1853, Franklin appears as a cir- cuit preacher,1 and at the Fourth Quarterly Meeting, April 2, 1853, he was recommended for admission into the traveling connection. At this last meeting it was " Resolved, That the bishop be requested to divide Freehold Circuit at the ensuing Conference." The receipts on account of preachers' salaries amounted to about $905, of which there was paid to the elder, $48; to Mr. Palmer, 8377; to Mr. Stockton, $380; to Mr. Franklin, $75; and to Mr. McGowen, $25.

bert's house once in four weeks. Point Pleasant, Sunday morning, Squan Village in the after- four weeks. There were week-night appoint- ments on the cirenit. Occasionally the preachers would, on the two weeks' tours, come back to Freehold and preach on Sunday night, staying generally at Judge Murphy's and occasionally at Ralph Hulse's.

At the request of the Quarterly Conference, the Annual Conference of 1853 divided the circuit, creating a new circuit, which was named Squankum, and leaving of the old Freehold Circuit but a small portion. The only statistics found of Freehold Circuit, as it was now con- stituted, and the Conference minutes of 1854,

I At the same meeting Ruliff V. Lawrence was licensed as a local preacher.

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HISTORY OF MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

show that in 1853-54 it had threechurches (prob- ably Freehold, Blue Ball and Harmony), four Sunday-schools, with sixty-five officers and teachers, four hundred and fifty scholars, eight hundred volumes in their libraries (an average of two hundred volumes to each school). The Conference collections for that year were : For missions, $43.24 ; Bible cause, $17.50 ; Sunday- School Union, $13.00; Tract Society, $40.12; Conference claimants, $17.60. The preachers this year were Benj. D. Pahner and John Atkinson.

About this time the church here was undergoing a change, by additions to the membership of young and enterprising men zealous for the cause. Among these were John G. Cooper, who had recently joined by certificate, Abraham S. Lokerson, James M. Hopper, Steven M. Cooper, Francis M. de Lombrado and John V. Snedeker. The railroad had been built to the town this year, and strangers began to come here to settle, bring- ing with them new ideas and new methods-at least new to this section. Some of them were members of the Methodist Church, and others, who were not members, sympathized with it and attended upon its ministrations. At this time preaching was had on Sabbath mornings only every other week, and preaching on Sabbath evenings was irregular. The intervals were filled by prayer and class-meetings conducted by local preachers occasionally, and by the exhort- ers. This irregularity in the services did not suit some of these younger brethren. They had been accustomed to Sabbath services regularly throughout the year, morning and evening, and they began to cast about in their minds the question of how to mend the matter.

The leaders at this time were "Father" Rogers and Judge Murphy, both advanced in years, but both zealous and strong men in the service of the church, and the mainstay of its spiritual interests. John Hanlon and Jona- than Vannote, apprentices to the printing busi- ness, had been recently converted at a woods meeting in the neighborhood, and were exer- cising their gifts in exhortation. Both soon afterwards entered the ministry, and both held important positions in the work of the church. 1

In 1854 the preachers were John S. Beegle and John Atkinson. With a view to regular preaching here every Sunday, an arrangement was entered into by which the Freehold Church assumed the responsibility of paying the board of the junior preacher, and had his services every Sunday evening. They also fitted up his lodgings with such conveniences as were needed. James S. Yard appears this year as Sunday-school superintendent. As a result of the work this year, a revival broke out during the winter, which is known as "the Atkinson revival." It commenced in this way : On a Sunday evening, after the prayer-meeting which followed the regular service, Mr. Atkinson invited all the members of the church who earn- estly desired a revival to meet him in the church the next evening. Accordingly, at the time appointed, there was a large attendance of the membership, and their prayers were especially offered in the direction indicated. The work went on from that evening until the meeting of the Annual Conference, and a large number of converts were gathered in. Among them was the aged mother of Thomas and John Hanlon. Preachers from other parts of the State attended and took part in these meet- ings, and members of other denominations in the town manifested their sympathy with it by their attendance. Rev. H. D. Ganse, of the Reformed Dutch Church, delivered an earnest sermon one evening from the text "Come, for all things are now ready."

The church was so much encouraged and strengthened at this time that it was resolved to ask the Conference to set it off as a station. It was with misgivings as to the result of such a measure, on the part of some of the elderly

was licensed to preach in 1856; in 1857 he joined the Newark Conference, and after a career seldom equaled for its usefulness and brillancy, died at Morristown, aged thirty-nine years, on the 4th of January, 1875, having served nineteen years in the ministry.

Vannote entered the New Jersey Conference. and after filling some prominent positions located at Trenton, and became editor and publisher of the State Gazette. Ile relinquished this position after some years, and became an editor of a daily newspaper in Pittsburg. lle is now, or was last summer, employed on the editorial staff of the Philadelphia Evening Call.

1 Hanlon took a course of study at Pennington Seminary ;

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THE TOWN OF FREEHOLD.

brethren, whose zeal was tempered by an expe- rience that the younger men were yet to acquire ; they consented, however, after a canvass of the congregation had resulted in securing pledges of a sufficient amount to sustain the expenses of the station. In the spiritual condition in which the church then was, this was no difficult matter. The struggle to sustain the charge was yet to come.

Accordingly, at the Conference of 1855 Free- hold was set off as a station, and Daniel L. Ad- ams was appointed to the charge. He was a man zealous for the work of the Lord, winning in his manners, a good preacher, and an indus- trious and methodical worker. During his two

The following is a list of the officers of the church appointed at the First Quarterly Confer- ence for the station, which was held in the church on the 17th of May, 1855:

Leaders .- Daniel L. Adams (preacher), John G. Cooper, William Rogers, James S. Yard, Abraham S. Lokerson.

Stewards .- William Rogers, James S. Yard, Joseph Murphy, James M. Hopper, John V. Snedeker, Sam- uel Conover. Recording Steward and Distriet Steward, James S. Yard; Tract Steward, John G. Cooper.

Exhorters .- John Hanlon, William Rogers.

Sunday-School .- Superintendent James S. Yard; Librarian, James M. Hopper; Secretary, James P. Connolly.

Missionary Committee .- J. M. Hopper, John Han- lon, J. G. Cooper.

At this first official meeting for the station, the Sunday-school superintendent reported an aver- age attendance for the previous quarter of fifty- four scholars, being an increase of nineteen since last report. The highest number in attendance at any one time was seventy.

At the Conference of 1856, Adams was re- turned to Freehold charge. At the official meeting on November 6th, a resolution was adopted that the question of seating the con- gregation promiscuously be brought before the congregation. Hitherto the men and women had occupied separate seats, as was then still the practice in many Methodist Churches. About the 1st of December in this year a re- vival was held, which continued for several

weeks, and resulted in the conversion of a num- ber of young men. At the Fourth Quarterly Conference for this year, held January 23, 1857, the trustees reported that there was no debt on the church property. At this Quarterly Confer- enve Francis M. de Lombrado and James S. Bogart were appointed stewards in place of Messrs. Walters and Snedeker, who had re- moved.

In 1857, Rev. J. B. Graw was appointed to this charge. He was young, earnest and aggres- sive. He at once became a leader, especially among the younger portion of the church. At the official meeting held May 7th the leaders reported a general lack of attendance at the years of service he strengthened and built up the | class-meetings. At the First Quarterly Confer- church and endeared himself to all.

ence for this year, held May 25th, the preacher reported the Sunday-school in a prosperous con- dition, with a considerable aecession to the ranks of both scholars and teachers, and an addition of twenty-five dollars' worth of books to the library. Au allowance of three hundred and fifty dollars for salary, board, washing, fuel and lights for the pastor was voted at this meeting. A committee was appointed "to examine the church [ building ] and report what repairs are necessary, or, if not worth repairing, to make such report as the nature of the case, in their judgment, requires."

In a village newspaper of June 4th of this year is found the following paragraph, which is the only record of the event to which it refers: "The Methodists of Freehold unanimously resolved, at a meeting held on Monday evening last, to build a new church in place of the one they now occupy, which is in a dilapidated con- dition and too small to accommodate the con- gregation. They intend, if possible, to build one that will not only be comfortable, but be an ornament to the village."

On June 4th two new classes were organized, one at Mount's Corner, of which B. Cook Reynolds was appointed leader, and one to be held on Friday evenings at the church, of which the pastor was to be the leader.

On the 20th of July, pursuant to notice, a meeting was held at the church for the election of a board of trustees. There is no record of any meeting of the board after that of the 20th of

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HISTORY OF MONMOUTII COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

April, 1833, to take the official oath, nor is there any official record of any new election after that date until now. In the book of minutes of the board of stewards there is a memorandum made by the secretary of that board, of the offi- cial members of the church for 1855, in which appears a list of the members of the board of trustees, as follows :

TRUSTEES. Original Trustees 3 Joseph Murphy, Samuel Conover, Ralph Hulse, John G. Cooper, Elected August 6, 1855 James M. Hopper.

At the meeting now held all these trustees tendered their resignations, which were accepted, when the following-named persons were then duly elected in their stead : Joseph Murphy, Ralph Hulse, Samuel Conover, James S. Yard, John G. Cooper, James M. Hopper, Steven M. Cooper,-to serve for one year, or until their successors shall be elected.

Immediately after the election the board or- ganized by the election of Joseph Murphy as president and treasurer and James S. Yard as secretary. Plans and specifications were sub- mitted, by a committee appointed by the old board, for a new church buikling, which were adopted, and a committee was appointed to sell the old building.

The old building was sold at public sale on the 1st of August, and was purchased by Messrs. William H. Conover and John R. Haley for $298. They removed it to a lot adjoining the residence of Judge MeLean, on the site now oc- cupied by the residence of the late Mrs. Judge Vredenburgh, and converted it into a public hall, which was called "Citizens Hall." It was so used until 1869, when it was purchased by Judge McLean, who eut it in two and moved part of it around the corner into MeLean street, and converted it into a dwelling, which now stands there. The last public services in the old church were held on Sunday, the 16th of August. The next Sunday, August 23d, being Quarterly Meeting, services were held at three o'clock p. M. in the Baptist Church, which was kindly tendered for that purpose.

The corner-stone of the new church was laid

on the 25th of August. The exercises were con- ducted by Rev. J. B. Graw. Rev. E. W. Col- lier, of the Reformed Church, assisted in the ex- ercises. Rev. Charles H. Whitecar, presiding elder, delivered the sermon-his topic was " Progress." While the new church was build- ing, meetings were held in the Baptist Church on Sunday afternoons and in the session-room of the Presbyterian Church on Sunday evenings. The Sabbath-school was suspended, no suitable place in which to holl it being obtainable. Ste- ven M. Cooper was elected a steward in place of James Bogart, removed from the town.

At this time the churchyard was used for burial purposes, and frequently by persons who were not members of the church or congrega- tion. No charge was made for burial-plots, and in consequence the graveyard was rapidly filling up. All the easterly side of the yard was already filled, and the graves began to en- croach upon the westerly side. As the westerly side was needed for the accommodation of car- riages, it was thought that some restriction should be laid upon burials, Action was there- fore taken by the trustees, at a meeting on the 7th of September, forbidding any burials west of a line " parallel with the easterly line of the church lot and ranging with the easterly side of the church building," restricting burials to those who already had friends buried there, and re- quiring permission first to be had of the com- mittee to be appointed to superintend the mat- ter. It was more than nine years afterwards (viz., on the 24th of November, 1866) that a resolution was adopted forbidding burials in the church-yard under any circumstances whatever, and at the same time another resolution was adopted requesting all persons having friends buried there to remove their remains as soon as possible. The first one to accede to this request was Judge Murphy, who had a plat, handsomely ornamented and fenced, on the easterly side of the church, in which several members of his family had been buried. Others followed his example. Notices were sent out to all persons that could be reached, of the action taken by the trustees. At length, it having been deter- mined to build a parsonage on the easterly side of the lot, public notice was given, February

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THE TOWN OF FREEHOLD.

4th, in the newspapers to all persons interested, John L. Snyder, J. B. Graw and William H. to remove the remains of their friends on or be- Clayton were appointed a committee to make the fore the Ist day of March ensuing (1869), if purchase. This enterprise seems to have failed, they desired to do so; otherwise the trustees 'as no further mention is made of it. would proceed to remove them. So generally was this request complied with that the whole expense to the church of removing those that were left amounted to only $31.20.

The new church building was finished and ready to be occupied during the latter part of April, 1858. The dedication took place on Sunday, the 25th April, when the following Women never, perhaps, worked harder than exercises were had :

Singing-16th hymn, "Before Jehovah's awful throne."

Prayer-Rev. F. A. Morrell.

Reading of the 84th Psalm-" How amiable are thy | tabernacles, O Lord of hosts !"

Singing-966th hymn, "Lord of hosts, to thee we raise."

Sermon-Rev. D. W. Bartine, from 1st John iv. 8: " He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love."

In the afternoon there was a sermon by Rev. F. A. Morrell, of Long Branch, and in the even- ing another sermon by Dr. Bartine. During the day subscriptions and money amounting to seven hundred and twenty dollars were taken

The new church was designed by Charles | ferred to a new field of labor, and Rev. G. R. Graham, architect, of Trenton. Originally the | Snyder was appointed to the charge.

style was Romanesque, and finished on the out- side in imitation of brown stone. Gas-fixtures were put in while it was building, and it was lighted with gas on the evening of the dedica- tion. It was the first building in Frechold lighted with gas ; it being the last buikling then on the line of the mains, the first gas turned on was burned out at the church to clear the mains of air. The first cost of the church was about four thousand four hundred dollars, of which two thousand three hundred and sixty-one dol- lars was paid by subscriptions, and sale of the old church building.

At the October meeting in 1858 the class at Black's Mills reported that they were desirous of purchasing the old building at that place which formerly belonged to the Methodists. The proposition was indorsed by the Quarterly Con- ference, and Ruliff S. Hulshart, David Clayton, | preacher.

In August of this year a camp-meeting was held in Gordon's woods, near Frechokl, on the line of the Frechold and Jamesburg Agri- cultural Railroad. During this meeting the ladies of the church kept a boarding-tent on the grounds, the proceeds of which were applied to the liquidation of the debt on the church. these women did during the six days of this meeting ; but the expenses ran away with most of the profits. There were about sixty tents on the ground, and it was considered to be a large meeting for this section in those days. Over thirty preachers were in attendance, among them Dr. D. W. Bartine and Harris, " the con- verted Jew." There was a large attendance of people. Good order was maintained through- out. During the progress of this meeting news was received of the successful laying of the first Atlantic cable.

At the conference of 1859, Mr. Graw, to whose indomitable faith and untiring energy the church was so largely indebted for the new and beauti- ful edifice which they now possessed, was trans-

At the official meeting of May 6th the preach- ers' salary was fixed at five hundred dollars and house rent. Lombrado and Hopper resigned as members of the board of stewards, and George H. Bills was appointed to the board. Alfred Walters was appointed recording steward.

At the First Quarterty Conference for 1861, Rev. F. B. Rose appeared as pastor.

The official members were as follows :

Exhorters .- William Rogers, R. S. Hulshart, F. de Lombrado, John Stricker.

Leaders .- J. G. Cooper, A. S. Lokerson, William Rogers, Alfred Walters.

Stewards .- William Rogers, Joseph Murphy, James S. Yard, Steven B. Coburn, Alfred Walters, George H. Bills, Samuel Conover.

At the Quarterly Conference, November 9th, Ruliff S. Hulshart was licensed as a local

434

HISTORY OF MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

On the night of February 24, 1862, during a severe storm, the roof of the church, which was of tin, was blown off by the wind. The next morning it was found hanging in strips from , in three years. This included the probationers the eaves, swinging against the windows and breaking out the glass. It was replaced by a shingle roof at a cost of three hundred and fifty dollars.

Rev. John W. Kramer was appointed to the charge in 1862. He was very much beloved by his congregation, but there was no remarka- ble work during his pastorate. It was in the height of the excitement of the War of the Re- bellion, which seemed to swallow up all other interests.

At the Fourth Quarterly Conference Herbert H. Parker and Stephen Morris were licensed as local preachers.

S. Yard in the list of exhorters. The member- ship of the church was reported at two hundred and sixty-five, a gain of one hundred and five gathered in at the late revival.

Rev. Henry Baker, Jr., was assigned to the charge by the Conference of 1868. He was a young man of fine abilities and winning man- ners. His ministry promised to be an excep- tionally successful one, but a vacaney occurring in the pulpit of the charge at Princeton, he was changed to that place, against the earnest re- monstranee of the church here. His successor was Rev. J. Howard Brooks, who was also a young man of fine abilities, but the congrega- tion were piqued by the removal of Baker, and Brooks was made for a while to feel the resent- ment manifested for the offence of which he was

In 1864, Rev. Robert M. Stratton was ap- in no wise accountable. Before the close of pointed to the charge. He remained but one the year, however, he made himself felt so strongly for good, both as pastor and preacher, that the church would have been glad to have had him returned; but before this fact was known, Mr. Brooks had made arrangements to be transferred to a Western Conference. year. Rev. W. W. Moffett became pastor of the church in 1865. He remained three years. ITis pastorate is remarkable for its financial sue- cess, as well as for a revival which commenced during the latter part of the term, and continued with great power until the meeting of Confer- Rev. Henry Belting was appointed to the charge by the Conference of 1869. The first busi- ness was to build the parsonage. On the 28th of May a contraet was made, and on December 27th following, the work was reported as com- pleted. The total cost of the building, fencing, flagging and furniture ($699) was $5379.17. ence. In June of this year a committee of the board of trustees reported the estimated cost of repairs of damages to the church building, oc- casioned by the defective siding, at seven hun- dred dollars. A committee was appointed to have the work done. After the work was com- menced it was found that the damage to the Rev. John Edward Adams was sent to the charge by the Conference of 1872. He had a successful pastorate. building was much more extensive than was at first anticipated, and the cost ran up to over two thousand dollars.

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History of Monmouth county, New Jersey, Part 75

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