History of Union and Middlesex Counties, New Jersey with Biographical Sketches of many of their Pioneers and Prominent Men, Part 176

Author: W. Woodford Clayton, Ed.
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Philadelphia: Everts
Number of Pages: 1224

USA > New Jersey > Middlesex County > History of Union and Middlesex Counties, New Jersey with Biographical Sketches of many of their Pioneers and Prominent Men > Part 176
USA > New Jersey > Union County > History of Union and Middlesex Counties, New Jersey with Biographical Sketches of many of their Pioneers and Prominent Men > Part 176

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).

An occurrence remains to be mentioned in connec- tion with this parish which had a most important bearing on the establishment of the American Church. " The first step," says Bishop White in his memoirs, "towards the forming of a collective body of the Episcopal Church in the United States was taken (through the medium of the Rev. Abraham Beach) at a meeting of a few clergymen of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania at Brunswick, in New Jer- sey, on the 13th and 14th of May, 1784. The first day was chiefly taken up with discussing principles of ecclesiastical union. The next morning (in con- sequence of new information received) it was agreed that nothing should be urged further on the subject at present. But before the clergy parted it was de- termined to procure a larger meeting on the 5th of the ensuing October in New York, to confer and agree on some general principles of a union of the Episcopal Church throughout the States."

Here did the Lord cause that " noble vine" which He before had planted " to take deep root, and it has filled the land. She has sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river. The hills are covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof are like the goodly cedars." God forbid that it should ever wither and droop in the place where it first was planted !

It is a pleasing reflection that the parish has been blessed with the services of the most eminent men that have adorned the American Church. Mr. Wood, the first missionary, having established the church here, became afterwards distinguished for his labors among the Indian tribes of Nova Scotia. Dr. Chand- ler says of "the worthy, the eminently useful, and amiable Mr. MacKean, probably a better man was never in the Society's service." Chandler himself, " whose praise is in all the Church," with Antill as catechists, sustained the services when the clergy were driven or fled from their posts of duty. Mr. Cutting is described as a " person of piety and vir- tue, and of much learning and eloquence." To the prudence and fidelity of Mr. Beach the records of the society bear ample testimony; almost twenty years of his useful life were passed in active duty here. Here it was the Apostolic Bishop Seabury commenced his missionary labors ; here it was that the zealous, lion- hearted Bishop Hobart ministered in the dawn of his

725

CITY OF NEW BRUNSWICK.

illustrious career ; here one who had sat at his feet and imbibed his spirit, the man of his mould and model, that "great-hearted shepherd," was chosen to receive his pastoral crook and sceptre, and began here his pastoral episcopate; and here it was that the faithful Bishop Croes " finished the work which was given him to do."

God grant that His church may be always " ordered and guided by pastors" so " faithful and true." Upon pastors and people, under God's blessing, rests the future condition of the parish. It cannot be foreseen or foretold; but one thing is certain, that so long as peace, based on truth, continues to reign within its borders prosperity will crown its sanctuary. The The members of the present corporation are : Rec- tor, the Rev. Alfred Stubbs ; Wardens, Samuel V. Hoffman, Franklin Smith; Vestrymen, William H. Leupp, Robert J. Livingston, Edward Flash, William Parsons, J. S. Carpender, William H. Armstrong, present rector (with his co-workers), after many years of "patient waiting," has been cheered to see the church enlarged and filled with devout worshipers, and three other churches built within the original boundaries of the parish. They all rest upon one McRee Swift, Treas .; John G. Hall, Sec .; Robert Howell, Beadle.

foundation, " the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone," and they are all animated by one spirit of life and love. " Esto perpetua," and to the triune God be the praise !

MISSIONARIES, RECTORS, AND WARDENS OF THE CHURCHI FROM 1750 TO 1865.

MINISTERS.

1750. Rev. Mr. Wood.

1791. Rev. Henry Van Dyke.

1754. Rev. Samuel Seabury.

1799. Rev. John Henry Hohart.

1760. Rev. Mr. MacKean.

1800. Rev. Mr. Cotton.

1764. Rev. Leonard Cutting.

1801. Rev. John Croes.

1767. Rev. Abraham Beach.

1832. Rev. John Croes, Jr.

1784. Rev. Mr. Rowland.

1839. Rev. Alfred Stubbs.

1787. Rev. George Ogilvie.

WARDENS.

Dr. Charles A. Howard.

Robert Boggs.

Jonathan Degre.

Isaac Lawrence.

John Dennis.

Daniel Kemper.

Jobn Parker.

William Leupp.

Robert Morris.

Dr. Edward Carroll.

Matthew Egerton.

Charles Dunham.

Willet Warne.

Franklin Smith.

George Farmer. Stephen Kemble.

Samuel V. Hoffman.

Of the ministers of the parish the present incum- bent is the only one living, and of the wardens all have been removed from the service of the church militant with the exception of the last three on the list. Three, not the least worthy of the faithful band, have been taken from us since the present rector entered upon his pastoral care. Never can he forget the generous hospitality, the meek and gentle manners of good Dr. Carroll, nor the sterling integ- rity and unfeigned humility of worthy Mr. Leupp, the fervent devotion of the venerable Col. Kemper. "These all died in faith, and their works do follow them." Sweet is their remembrance upon earth, and may "God remember them for the good deeds they have done for His house and for the offices thereof."

" The time would fail me to tell" of the " holy and humble men of heart," " of whom the world was not worthy," of the godly women adorned with that

meek and quiet spirit which God esteems and man overlooks, of the little "children in malice" and guile who were enwielded round with heavenly grace, which shone in their daily life of unostenta- tious piety, whom it has been my happiness to know in my pastoral course of duty here. "In the sight of the unwise they seem to die, and their departure is taken for misery, and their going from us to be utter destruction, but they are in peace ;" side by side they lie, unknown to fame, in that peaceful churchyard ; and they will thence arise clothed in the beauty of holiness, with radiant forms of glory, "at the resurrection of the just."

MEMORIALS .- Of the clergymen mentioned in the preceding narrative who performed ministerial duty in this parish no one has left a dearer memory or a more honored name than the Rev. Dr. Ogilby.

In the year 1832, when only in his twenty-third year, he was, in consequence of his reputation for mature scholarship, elected Professor of Languages in Rutgers College. He was not then in orders, and continued a lay member of the congregation of Christ Church until 1838, when he was admitted to the dea- conate and priesthood by the Bishop of New York. Not long after this parish became vacant, and by request of the vestry he readily and freely undertook the temporary charge, in addition to his other labors in the college. While thus engaged he wrote to the present rector, who had just been ordained deacon by the Bishop of New York, and by permission of his diocesan was officiating in the Church of St. Albans, Vermont. We had never met nor seen each other ; he was induced by the over-indulgent friendship of Professors Whittingham and Turner, of the General Theological Seminary, to recommend me for the rec- torship of the church, which was accordingly offered, and by the advice of ecclesiastical superiors and friends promptly accepted. From this period to the end of his short, useful, and brilliant course I was in the habit of constant and familiar intercourse with him, and I may safely say that a more perfect char- acter than his I have never met, and do not expect to meet again.

He probably enjoyed better health at this time than at any other period of his life. His accurate scholar- ship and high classical attainments enabled him to discharge the duties of his professorship without laborious study; he had, therefore, many leisure hours to devote to active exercise and to the society of his friends. His mind was then free also from those corroding cares with which it was afterwards weighed down in the more active service of the

726

HISTORY OF UNION AND MIDDLESEX COUNTIES, NEW JERSEY.

church. As a natural consequence of such favorable circumstances he was remarkable for cheerfulness and hilarity. His spirits seemed never to flag at home or abroad. Whether in his study, or at the festive board, or in the social circle, his was always the merriest laugh and the happiest repartee. It would be strange if such an agreeable and instructive companion did not find a cordial welcome by every hearth and at every table. He could adapt himself with unaffected ease to any age or condition, and it is difficult to say whether young or old greeted him most heartily.

Professor Ogilby made it a point to treat every one he met with the utmost politeness. He would take off his hat with as much deference to a poor laborer as to any gentleman of his acquaintance. This uni- versal courtesy and kindness secured for him uni- versal respect and affection, and hence the very general sorrow that prevailed when the sad news of his decease reached ns.

Disinterestedness was one of his most attractive characteristics. He would undergo any labor, under- take any journey, rnn any risk in order to serve a friend. However feeble his own health might be, he could not resist the appeal of a brother clergyman to aid him in the performance of his duties.

All who knew Dr. Ogilby were astonished at the readiness with which he could master another man's thoughts or give expression to his own. As an in- stance of this I may mention that in the General Convention of 1847 he immediately answered, with- out previous preparation, one of the most elaborate speeches ever made in that body, and produced on his side an array of authorities which a bystander would have supposed he had been many months in collect- ing and arranging. A still more striking instance of the rapid movement of his mind came under my per- sonal observation some years before. His work on lay baptism, which exhibits much careful research, was composed during a few days of his summer vaca- tion, the books he used as authorities being chiefly taken from my own library. His learning; however, , of his unwavering affection.

was not so extensive as profound; but he thought more and thoroughly digested all that his capacions mind received. Whatever he learned was retained and stored np ready for use at the proper season. His mind resembled a well-furnished armory,-at a moment's warning he could lay his hand upon any implement of war he found it necessary to use; or, like a perfect musical instrument, it was always in tune, "always ready to yield the harmonious concert of sweet sounds."

As a preacher, Dr. Ogilby was remarkable for the thonghtfulness of his discourse and the earnestness of his delivery. He spake "as one having authority," but "with the meekness of wisdom." No one that heard him could fail to be impressed by his manly appearance and the peculiar raciness of his style. Every word was distinctly uttered, and every word

was adapted to tell upon the heart and conscience. The eyes of all were fixed steadfastly upon him as soon as he arose, and were seldom withdrawn until his discourse was finished. Yet his sermons were not written to produce popular effect ; he studied to be an instructive preacher, and eminently succeeded in conveying instruction in the most engaging form.

To the interests of the church of which he was a member and minister he was most intensely devoted, ready to sacrifice at her altar every private feeling and pleasure that interfered in any degree with these higher obligations. He was for this reason regarded by many as both bigoted and intolerant; but such persons neither understood his principles nor could they appreciate his magnanimous spirit. Decided and uncompromising in his own views, he was yet charitable to those who differed from him, and neither respected nor loved a man less for being, as he him- self was, true to his own convictions and decided in maintaining them.

A person who saw Dr. Ogilby only in the dis- charge of his official duties would hardly believe that so much determination and even sternness as he sometimes manifested on particular occasions could consist with so much gentleness and affection as constantly appeared in his social and domestic inter- course. He was the soul of whatever company he was in, "the cynosure of every eye ;" and even the coldest and hardest could not help being enlivened and softened by his genial warmth and affable de- portment. I must not omit to say that he was re- markable for his attention to little children. As an illustration of this I may mention that during bis last illness, after an absence of nearly two years from us, so tender was his recollection of some young friends whom he left behind that he made it his business to purchase for each of them an appropriate toy, suited to the age and sex, on which he carefully inscribed the name of the child for whom it was de- signed. He little imagined the priceless value his own death was so soon to affix to the last mementos

The attempt to convey a just impression of Dr. Ogilby's character is strangely embarrassed, as bis friend Bishop Doane said, " by its singular complete- ness, consistency, and harmony ; it strikes yon as a whole rather than in any of its parts, like some exquisite mosaic, where an infinite variety of tints and shades combine to make a perfect picture. He was a man of wonderful reality. No one could ever doubt him ; he gave you all his heart; he gave it to whatever he undertook ; he went half-way in nothing ; he had the highest standard, and held himself up to it. For the learning of the scholar, for the prudence of the counselor, for the helping hand of the execu- tive how many looked to him and leaned on him ! How many, alas, have missed him since he has de- parted !"

How tenderly he was beloved was manifest on the

727

CITY OF NEW BRUNSWICK.

sad occasion of his funeral. The eloquent and im- pressive discourse preached by Bishop Doane in the morning at Trinity Church, New York, was repeated in the afternoon of the same day in Christ Church, New Brunswick. The students of the General The- ological Seminary, who loved him as a brother, fol- lowed his remains to their last resting-place. The church was filled with sympathizing friends, and none who were present will ever forget the irrepressi- ble emotion which burst forth from every heart, and the copious tears that were shed over his grave.

On the south side of Christ Church, near the chan- cel, a window of richest color and finest manufacture, the gift of numerous friends, commemorates the name of Dr. Ogilby. It represents by appropriate emblems his prophetic and priestly office in connection with the trials and the triumph of the Christian " faithful unto death."

Not far off, in the adjoining churchyard, in a se- cluded spot selected by himself a few years before his death, lie his mortal remains, and over his grave a chaste and solid headstone, erected by his bereaved and loving wife, bears this inscription :

" To the beloved memory of JOHN DAVID OGILEY, D.D., Professor of Eccl. History : Who entered into his rest Feb. II, MDCCCLI. At the age of forty years, after a life of unreserved devotion to Christ and IIis Church."

In closing this imperfect sketch I can scarcely re- frain from saying a word more in addition to what has been already said in the course of the preceding narrative of Dr. Ogilby's great friend, Bishop Doane, who has been the subject of so much animadversion.

For more than twenty years I enjoyed his friendship and intimacy. I.had the opportunity of seeing him on all occasions which exhibit a man's character in its fullest light, in public and in private, at home and abroad, in the church and in the house, at the table and by the fireside, in the meetings of the con- vention, and in those of the standing committee, in trouble and in joy, amid trials and triumphs, and on all occasions he never appeared otherwise than as the Christian bishop and the Christian gentleman. He was a man of colossal dimensions and gigantic power, of great designs and far-seeing vision. He was ahead of the age in which he lived, and was therefore niis- understood and misrepresented. As the representa- tive of great church principles he could not escape the hostility of men of Romish or sectarian proclivi- ties, to which those principles are opposed, some of whom, unhappily, sought to suppress the principles by crushing their unbending advocate ; but he had friends as well as foes,-friends who never doubted the sincer- ity of his purpose and the honesty of his heart, who were ready to make allowance for mistakes which .

proceeded occasionally from an overzealous devotion to the interests of the church and her institutions.

They who gazed at Bishop Doane through a mi- croscopic glass, or with eyes blinded by party preju- dice, could only see spots on the surface of his char- acter which flitted like shadows across the face of the sun ; he was to be taken as a whole, complete in all his parts, in the fullness of his stature, to be thor- oughly understood and appreciated. They who saw him in this light perceived what a splendid " piece of work" the man was. "How noble in reason ! how infinite in faculties ! in form and moving, how ex- press and admirable!" Now that he is dead and party enmities buried in his grave, all who knew him, friend and foe, realize and acknowledge the greatness of his worth and the greatness of their loss. He has left to the church the example of a bishop faithful and fearless, who "dared do all that may become a man," and he has left to his diocese besides two noble institutions of Christian learning, which he bought .with his life's blood, from which many in generations past and future will arise and bless his name and memory.

On the chalice and paten presented to the church of St. John the Evangelist on the day of the conse- cration is this inscription :

" In memoriam Warren Livingston."

At the request of Bishop Doane the rector wrote him a brief account of this remarkable young man. The bishop incorporated it in his eighth baccalaureate address to the students of Burlington College, of which the substance is as follows :

Warren Livingston was born in New York in Oc- tober, 1834. My acquaintance with him began when he was a boy of nine or ten years old. As there was no school in connection with my parish, I offered to give him and some other young parishioners in- struction in my study. During a year or more he was there my sole companion. He was such a lover of books and so earnest to learn that he needed no fellow-students to excite his emulation, no rivals to arouse his ambition. There was scarcely ever occa- sion to find fault with him ; and so sensitive was he to reproof, that a word or sign of disapprobation would fill his eyes with tears.

He was a child of wonderful memory, of quick perception, of vivid imagination, thoughtful beyond his years, with the faculty of expressing his ideas in language not less elegant than accurate. It was a perfect treat to hear him translate the finest passages of Virgil and Cicero. He could discern and appreci- ate their most delicate shades of meaning, and express them in words which fell like music on the ear.

Warren entered Burlington College in 1849. His teachers and his classmates will testify to the perfect accuracy of these expressions. He was a scholar heart and soul.

After he went to Burlington I only saw him during

728

HISTORY OF UNION AND MIDDLESEX COUNTIES, NEW JERSEY.

his vacations, but I have been informed by one of his fellow-students that he was there considered facile princeps in all the studies of the college, and that in a class of young men of uncommon abilities.

His love of knowledge was but kindled there. So far from supposing his education completed when he had finished the course of study, he longed for wider opportunities of learning and higher ranges of sci- ence and letters. Instead of giving himself up to a mere life of literary ease or being content to drift with the mad currents of the world, he had no sooner received the degree of Bachelor in Arts than he pro- posed to repair to the ancient University of Oxford, and was entered at Worcester College. Here he re- mained four years. His principal studies were his favorite classics, ancient and modern history, and the Holy Scriptures, with especial reference to chro- nology. How well he used his opportunities the distinctions which he won best prove. He took a second-class honor in history and a fourth-class honor in the classics. The last was beyond all expectation, as it requires a thorough training in what in this country has been little regarded, Greek and Latin versification. Notwithstanding the competition which he had to meet with from scholars trained at Eton and at Harrow, he attained a high position at Oxford. Alas! he there too became the subject of the insid- ious disease which undermined his life. He scarcely lived a year after his return, and on the very day which completed his three-and-twentieth year ceased to be mortal.

Our young friend's character was composed of so many delicate traits, all blending like rays of light to form a perfect arch of beauty, that it is not easy to separate the various tints, or to say which shone with the brightest lustre. I was, however, peculiarly at- tracted by his gentleness of disposition. He was, in the highest and best sense of the word, a perfect gen- tleman,-gentle in his demeanor, gentle in his tastes, gentle in his feelings. There was in the temper of his mind "a radiant sweetness" which spread into his words and actions. This suavity of manner was not with him an external grace. It had its seat in the affections. It sprang from kindness of heart. It was doubtless the product of that blessed Spirit whose first fruits are love and peace. " For" (to use a beau- tiful illustration of Archbishop Leighton) "as the roots of plants lie hid under ground and manifest their excellence in branches and flowers and fruits, so the graces of the Spirit, planted in the soul, though themselves unseen, yet discover their being and life in the words, actions, and demeanor of a Christian. Now, if the root be love, the fruits of gentleness and courtesy will spring from it and discover it." It was in this sense of the word that I styled our young friend a gentleman. He was a thorough Christian gentleman,-affable in his speech, courteous in his address, refined in his feelings, and gentle in his man- ner.

In connection with this characteristic may be men- tioned another feature of Christian loveliness, his unaffected humility and meekness of spirit. A young man, educated in the most celebrated university in the world, and enjoying there the highest advantages, entitled by his fortune and family connections to move in the best society, might naturally have spoken with complacency, not unmingled with youthful pride, of the magnificent scenes through which it was his fa- vored lot to pass, and of the distinguished company which it was his singular privilege to enjoy. But Warren seldom spoke of them. He seemed utterly devoid of vanity and self-conceit. He prided not him- self on his wealth, his learning, or his personal ad- vantages. He exhibited no conscious superiority over his fellows. No one felt humbled in his presence, for no one felt that he exacted undue admiration or respect. All, therefore, who knew him loved him. All were ready to acknowledge his worth, and to pay the regard which was richly due.

But if in his intercourse with men our friend's humility was so apparent, much more was it in the service of his God. He never obtrusively displayed his religious feelings, for true religion is " too genuine to be ostentatious." His disposition was retiring and self-communing, for he had learned of Him "who was meek and lowly of heart," and whose "voice was not heard in the streets." Like Him, he went apart to meditate and pray, and poured forth the sorrows and joys of his heart on the bosom of his God. That a spirit of this modest, childlike nature was favored with special manifestations of the Divine presence who can doubt? For as the highest heav- ens are the habitation of God's glory, so " the humble heart hath the next claim to be the habitation of His grace."

The unselfishness of our dear friend's disposition was another characteristic to which I will briefly ad- vert. Sickness, especially if long protracted, has often the unhappy tendency to make us selfish, queru- lous, and exacting. Invalids will frequently exag- gerate their sufferings to excite the sympathy of friends. But in this instance the effect was evi- dently made to conceal weakness and pain. He strove to dissipate the anxiety and sorrow which he perceived were weighing heavily on the hearts of relatives and friends. Instead of exacting sacrifices of their time and attention, this generous and disinterested son and brother was continually making sacrifices of his own ease and pleasure to procure for those whom he loved comfort and enjoyment.

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.

History of Union and Middlesex Counties, New Jersey with Biographical Sketches of many of their Pioneers and Prominent Men, Part 176

Author: W. Woodford Clayton, Ed. Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Philadelphia: Everts Number of Pages: 1224

Author: W. Woodford Clayton, Ed.
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Philadelphia: Everts
Number of Pages: 1224