USA > New Jersey > Morris County > Morristown > History of the First Presbyterian Church, Morristown, N.J., 1742-1882 pt 1 > Part 33
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[PARISH, 12 April, 1809.] 12th April, 1809. At a parish meeting held this day, at the meetinghouse ; Edward Condit, Moderator, Nathl Bull, Clerk.
On motion, Shall Mr. Richards Sallary be raised to a Sum Sufficient to Support him- self & family ? was carried unanimously.
On motion that there should be an ad-
[Supplement to THE RECORD for December, 1883 .- To be bound with Vols. I and II.
238
PASTORATE OF JAMES RICHARDS, D. D.
dition to Mr. Richards's Sallary Annually the Sum of three hundred & thirty five dollars, from the 12th of September last : which was carried unanimously, Except 2 votes ; and a Committee apointed to wate on Mr. Richards immediately and inform him of the above proceedings, viz. Jonas Philips, Jon'n Ford, Henry Vail & Jno. Mills.
Voted that the Trustees, instead of raising the Sallery on the Seats & pews in the meet- inghouse, do Circulate a Supscription through the parish. for raising the addition made to Mr. Richardss Sallary, provided he continue with us.
[PARISH, 24 April 1809.] 24th April 1809, at a parish meeting, held at the request of Mr. Richards & in pursuance of publick no- tice, the Revd. Matthew L. Perine was
chosen Moderator, & Timothy Lewis, Clerk ; when the following resolutions were passed unanimously.
Resolved that a Committee of three per- sons be appointed as Commissioners to re- present this Congregation at the Ensuing meeting of presbytery, at Elizabethtown ; & that they be instructed not to oppose Mr. Richards's Removal; & that they lay be- fore Presbytery the proceeding of the last parish meeting, at which time Mr. Richards intention to leave us was not known ; & that the Committee be instructed to make and lay before Presbytery, Such extracts from the proceedings of this parish as they may deem necessary.
Voted that John Mills, Henry Vail and Lewis Condict be the Committee for that purpose.
PROSPECTUS OF SUPPLEMENT FOR 1884.
Beginning with the next number, for Jan. 1884, the Supplement will be enlarged from four to eight pages each month. It is pro- posed thus to print all the salient facts of record from the books of the Church, in a form suitable for binding in a separate vol- ume. The January number will begin the publication of extracts from Dr. Johnes' Ses- sion Book, which dates back to 1742. Lists of baptisms, communicants, marriages and burials will appear in the order of the pas- torates under which they occurred, as dur- ing the past year ; but Supplements contain- ing these lists will be paged to be bound with Vols. I and II of THE RECORD. Ex- tracts from the Session and Trustees' books will be paged continuously for the separate volume ; and, should the proposal meet with sufficient encouragement, an alphabet- ical list of all the names which appear on the Registers of baptisms. communicants, marriages and burials, will be prepared, and arranged in family groups, to close the vol- ume. For this new volume, a reprint will be made of the more interesting portions of the Trustees' Book, which have already ap- peared in THE RECORD. This reprint will not be issued as a regular part of the publi- cation, but as an extra ; and it will be sup- plied gratuitously to subscribers.
CORRECTIONS.
A few errors have been discovered in pre- vious numbers of THE RECORD, for the cor- rection of which the present offers a favor- able opportunity.
LIST OF RULING ELDERS.
Pages 34 and 35.
John Lindsley met with Session 29 June, 1752 Is there not an error in the date of his death as there given ?
Abner Beach, the sixth name on this list and also on that of Mr. Barnes, should probably be erased. The only reason now apparent for calling him an Elder is the fact that in the minute recording his suspension, (the only place where he is mentioned,) he is styled "a member of our Body." But, as Dr. Johnes elsewhere uses the word Body to designate the Church membership, it seems insufficient evidence for the conclusion that he here includes Abner Beach in the Ses- sion by this term.
Joseph Prudden, Jr. is first mentioned as an Elder in 1783, not 1785. Isaac Prudden, Samuel Freeman, Jesse Cutler, and Mat- thias Crane do not appear till 1795; Mr. Barnes' Manual says they were " first in of- fice between 1792 and 1795."
David Lindsley appears for last time at meeting of Session, 23 May, 1733, not 11 Dec., 1832; and was dismissed May, 1833, to New Vernon, where he died 15 Nov., 1858.
239ยท
CORRECTIONS.
James Stevenson should be recorded as appearing last at Session meeting 28 Oct., 1807 ; he is not mentioned even among the absentees after 3 May, 1809.
Stephen Young was dismissed to the 2d Church 26 Jan., 1841, and Lewis Mills at the same time, but the latter returned 24 Feb., 1848.
The name of Francis Johnes should be in- serted after that of Peter A. Johnson, as he was elected an Elder at the same time with the four whose names precede, 14 May, 1812 ; although not ordained with them, "being on a journey at the time," according to the record, but ordained 4 Mar., 1814, and pres- ent at one meeting of Session, that of 22 April, 1814. The fact that he met once with the Session gives his name a right to a place in the list along with the name of George K. Drake, since the latter never attended even one Session meeting.
Jonathan Oliver met last with Session II Dec., 1832, not 23 May, 1833.
Jonathan Thompson and John B. Johnes, M. D., resigned 7 April, not 30 March, 1836.
John W. Cortelyou met last with Session 22 May, instead of 20 Feb., 1834.
MEMBERS.
Rebecca, Matt. (not Zach.) Fairchild's wife, page 20.
Hannah Lindley, page 68, wife of Junia, received 19 Aug., 1759, is recorded as having died 8 Dec., 1779, but this death was that of Hannah, wife of Joseph Lindsley.
Zophar Freeman, received I Nov., 1764, was an Elder and dismissed to Chatham, 26 Aug., 1825.
Benoni Hathaway and Damaris, his wife; should be added to the roll under date of 9 Nov., 1766 ; Damaris died 24 Feb., 1829.
Martha Emmell, wife of George, should be added to roll under date of 1 Sept., 1786, she died 23 Feb., 1845.
Nathanael Beers should be added, 6 May 1787 ; died 1825.
The following 8 names, which appear on rolls prepared by Mr. Fisher and Mr. Barnes, have not been identified with any hitherto published.
Prucia (Meeker), widow of Wm. Woodruff, wrongly given as Jerusha in Mr. Barnes' Manual, received on certificate, 1798,
Jane Meeker, wife of Matthias, received ; d. I Mar., 1815.
Sarah Post, wife of Wm., received on conf. 3 June, 1792.
Phebe Burnet, wife of John, received on cert. 5 March, 1795 ; died 1861.
Rachel Enslee, wife of Wm., conf. I Jan., 1797 ; d. 4 Aug., 1843, aet. 46.
Mary Williams, wife of Matthias, conf. 24. Sept., 1797.
Elizabeth Fairchild, wife of Joseph, conf. 3 July, 1808 ; dismissed Jan., 1848.
Mary Day, wife of David, conf. 4 Sept., 1 808.
Page 149. Phebe Kinney, died Feb., 1820. Anna Phoenix, died 12 March, 1854.
Martha Lindsly, dismissed.
Rhoda Lindsly, died April, 1857, aet. 92.
Abigail Charlot, married Robert Gillespie, 11 May, 1801.
Polly Ayres, appears on Mr. Fisher's roll as Polly King, wife of John Day.
Patty Shipman, dismissed into Sussex, 1809.
Ruth Pierson, on Mr. McDow- ell's roll is marked " died 16. Sept., 1814."
Anna Byram, died 1818.
Sally Ball, married George Tem- pleton, 18 Dec., 1802, died 1839. Abigail Condit Whitehead, dis- missed May, 1816.
.. Nancy Bowen, married Wm. Hyer, 22 July, 1805, and dis- missed to Meth. Church. .
Nancy Douglass, married Joseph Wheeler, 17 Feb., 1808.
Page 157. Huldah Byram, married Loammi Moore, dismissed to East Bloomfield, I Mar., 1842.
Abner Pierson, dismissed to Baskingridge.
Abraham Ball, dismissed to 2d Ch., 26 Jan., 1841.
Eunice Casterline, dismissed to Chatham.
16 Sarah Peck, dismissed to 2d Ch., 26 Jan., 1841.
Phebe Freeman, married John Burnet, d. 1861.
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CORRECTIONS.
Page 157. Eunice Fairchild, dismissed Oct., 1815. Phebe Condnor, was Phebe Chitester before marriage.
Hannah Sutton, married Wm. Bedell, and died 12 Sept., 1812. John Smith, dis. to 2d Ch., 26 Jan., 1841.
Page 165.
Polly Phillips, died 2 July, 1811. Abraham Hedges, dis. to Bottle Hill, 1 Sept., 1825.
Phebe Hedges, dis. to Bottle Hill, 1 Sept., 1825.
Sally Johnson, died 17 April, 1837. Eunice Johnson, mar. Silas Mills, joined Bap. Ch.
Add name of Mehitable Tunis, wf. of Stephen, rec'd 20 June, 1803.
Phebe Turner, dis. to 2d Ch., 26 Jan., 1841.
Sally Ferris, wid, of Archibald; d. 13 April, 1841.
Ch., N. Y. City, 17 Aug. 1839. Lydia Guerin, dis. to 2d Ch., 30 Oct., 1841.
Jared D. Filer, "from ye Cong. of Pleasant Valley," " ordain- ed ;' later Prof. in Princeton Col.
66 Rebecca Willis, dis. to 2d Ch., Newark, 2 June, 1830.
John Campfield, dis. to Hanover, 4 Mar., 1839.
Mary Munson, died 1820.
Mary Campfield, died Feb., 1833 HALFWAY MEMBERS.
1747, Nov. 8, Capt. Benj. Hathaway's son and son's wife.
1752, July 7, Junia Lindsley.
1764, July 1, Dan'l Carmichael and Bath- sheba his wf.
1771, July 21, Rachael, wf. of Jabish Rodg- ers ; see Baptisms of July 5.
1775, Jan. 10. Ezek. Crane, Bap. and Eu- nice his wf. renewed cov.
1786, Sept. I, not July 31, Martha, George Emmel's wf.
1791, Oct. 6, Gabriel Ford and Frances Gwaldo, his wf.
BAPTISMS.
1745, Dec. 8, Bathiah, wf. of Nat. Wheler. 1748, July 31, Stephen Mahurin, ch. Sam- uel, not Sarah.
1749, Aug. 6, Joseph Moore, not Mears. 1754, April 1, Shadrack Howard, not Hal- ward.
1754, Dec. 30, Joseph Pierson, not Josiah. 1757, April 17, John Robard (or Roberts) not Robond.
1758, Mar. 12, Stephen Hedges, not Hod- ges.
1763, Mar. 5, Joseph Stiles, not Stites, Jun. and wf., ch. John, not Benjamin.
1763, Mar. 5, add. Christopher Wood and wf., ch. Benjamin, born 9 Jan., I763.
1763, July 29, Caleb Munson, not Manson. 1766, Mar. 10, Nathaniel Condict and wf., ch. Sarah, not David.
1767, Aug. 16, Moses Pierson, not Prudden. 1767, Aug. 23, Ebenezar Stiles, not Stites. 1770, May 27, Daniel, not David, Carmi- chael.
1771, Jan. 4, ch. Jacob born 19 March, not Nov. 11, 1770.
1771, May 5. Samuel Pierson.
1773, June 27, John Gwinnup not Winnup.
1776, July 28, Lydia, not Mary, wid. of.
1778, Aug. 2, Mary, wf. of, &c. born Feb. 17, 1757, not 1775.
1781, Nov. 19, to children of Nicholas Carter add Phebe, born 17 Feb., 1775.
1782, Jan. 4, add 3 adults, Jacob Simson, Elizabeth Brown and Ruth Tompkins.
1782, April 21, add Lindsly Burnet and wf., ch. Benajah, born 2 Jan., 1782.
1783, Aug. I, add Caleb Munson and wf's grandch. Phebe Goodwin, born 26 Nov., 1782.
1784, May 9, Dea. Joseph, not John, Prud- den' ch. Stephen Ayrs, born 5 April, 1784. 1784, add, May 13, David Hoppen and wf., ch. Gideon, born 24 Feb., 1784.
1786, June 18, add Silas Gildersleeve and wf., ch. Sarah, born 5 May, 1786.
1787, June 10, John Pool not Paul.
MARRIAGES.
1747, Sept. 17, Preserve Primrose.
1748, May 25, Catharine Muir, instead of Catheront Mace.
1760, Jan. 31, Phebe Armstrong, not Ann Strong.
1769, Aug. 29, Usual, not Ursula, Coe.
,
Matsy Condit, died 22 Oct., 1820. Susan Byram, dis. to Carmine St.
Page 193.
THE RECORD
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, MORRISTOWN. N. J. ' " THIS SHALL BE WRITTEN FOR THE GENERATION TO COME."-Psalms 102 : 18.
VOLUME III.
FEBRUARY, 1883. NUMBER 2.
[Printed with the Approval of the Session.]
THE RECORD
Will be published monthly at Morristown. N. J. Terms $1.00 per annum, in advance:
Subscriptions may be made at the book- stores of Messrs. Runyon and Emmell, or to Messrs. James R. Voorhees and William D. Johnson, or by letter addressed to the
EDITOR OF THE RECORD, Morristown. N. J.
Entered at the Post Office at Morristown. N. J., as second class matter.
In the RECORD for January an error oc- curs in the statement of the death of Mrs. Catharine Smith, afterwards Mrs. David Mills. Mrs. Mills died in 1865 and not in 1855.
A great favor will be conferred upon the editor if any person discovering mistakes will report them. Proper corrections will always be made.
A very strange omission occurred in the mention of the names of the pastors of the church, made in the last number of THE RECORD. It was an inadvertence very much regretted. No notice was made of the Rev'd Orlando L. Kirtland. It was simply an oversight, entirely accidental. Mr. Kirtland was installed March 23, 1837, and dismissed August 26, 1841, becoming then the first pastor of the South Street Presby- terian church of this city. The request made for facts and information relative to our former pastors is renewed, especially with reference to Mr. Kirtland. This saintly minister of God cannot be forgotten.
The first and second volumes of the RECORD may be had upon application to either Mr. James R. Voorhees, Mr. Win. D. Johnson, or to Francis L. Whitehead, the sexton of the church.
Price 75 cents, each volume.
REV. JOHN ABBOTT FRENCH.
Of the seventeen pastors, who have min- istered to the First Presbyterian Church, five only survive. One of these bears the name at the head of this article. He is still in the full flush of manhood. He came to us in his youth, when he had the hope of a life of usefulness before him, and left us be- fore the bloom of that youth had left him. We had the freshness of his young life and the energy of his opening manhood. The few years, which he gave us, were filled with the evidences of his desire to serve his Master and to benefit his kind. None of the present generation who have listened to his efforts, will forget him and none speak of him but to praise.
John Abbott French was born at Bosca- wen, N. H., in 1840. He was prepared early for college in the high school at Nashua, N. H., and in 1858, he entered Williams col- lege, where he graduated, in 1862. After graduation he entered the Union Theologi- cal Seminary of N. Y., where he remained a short time and finished his theological course with the Rev. Charles Robinson, D. D., now of the Memorial Church in N. Y. He was ordained in 1867, and, shortly after ordination, took charge of the Congrega- tional Church, at Flushing, L. I. While preaching at Flushing he received a call from the First Presbyterian Church of Morris- town, N. J., which was accepted and on December 21, 1868 he was installed pastor. He remained in charge of our church until January 31, 1877, when he was transferred
to the Fourth Presbyterian Church at Chicago, succeeding Professor Swing, at the close of the Swing and Patton contro- versy. His health failing, he resigned in January, 1880. Improving his health by rest and travel, he became so far restored that in October, 1881, he resumed the charge
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of the Congregational Church at Flushing, where he now is.
The relations between Mr. French and his people here in Morristown were pecu- liarly pleasant and his memory will long be cherished.
Mr. French possesses great cordiality and sprightliness of manner. He has a keen sense of the ludicrous and much native wit. His ability to clothe his utterances, while addressing an audience, when the severe rules, which checked him in presenting re- ligious truth, could be cast aside, was almost marvellous. The irrepressible smile, often he merry laugh, were sure to follow his addresses when he gave full expression to his humor and wit. His wit was never ex- ercised at the expense of others. It was keen but it never wounded, and never de- scended. The smile, the laugh which it ex- cited, were never the boisterous merriment induced by broad humor, and his wit was such, that if he chose, he could make it appreciable by all. It was simply a delight to see him and hear him in the Sunday school, or at some meeting, where children formed the larger part of his audience.
This characteristic of Mr. French was born with him ; it was as natural to him as the breath he drew. He never abused it, but always knew when to use it, and when to restrain it. Delightful as it was, to his hearers, he lost it when he was in the pul- pit. There he was the minister of God, de- livering the message of his Master to his people. He did not lose the sprightliness of manner and matter, which marked his ef- forts elsewhere ; that would have been a simple impossibility. But he threw around his pulpit utterances a dignity, which told his hearers, that he, at least, fully felt the importance of his position. His sermons were rarely, if ever, threatening ; his gen- tle nature did not delight in holding up to his hearers the terrors of the law, but he chose rather to dwell upon the love and mercy of the Savior. His efforts were per- suasive, full of similes and comparisons, in which he peculiarly delighted, and which he invested with a directness of purpose, a fitness of adaptation, and a propriety in their application to the subject in hand, which charmed and never failed to arrest attention.
His command of language was great, and
his selection of words, with a view to their nice adjustment for the proper expression of his ideas, seemed intuitive. It is barely probable that his power, in that direction, was the consequence of study ; but he so seized the subtle differences in the meaning of words that it appeared as if his was an in- herent ability.
He was particularly successful in those subjects, in which fancy and imagination could be made subservient to his purpose. His was the fancy which delighted in trac- ing similes between natural scenes and those higher thoughts which lead man from nature to nature's God. His was the im- agination which, with metaphor and figure, charged home upon the conscience of the sinner, taught him his duty to repent and believe, showed the mercy of God, the love of the Savior, and enforced all those in- ducements, which can be brought to bear upon sinful man, to change the evil of his ways and become reconciled with an offend- ed Deity. His eyes were always open to the scenes which surrounded him, and the quick play of his fancy readily seized upon any event, and passing it through the crucible of his brain, made it subservient for the en- forcement of a truth. The play of the moonlight, following the foot of the rambler upon the shore of the ocean; the eddying stream ; the little inlet, into which the creeping waves came with ripple and shim- mer, to gladden and brighten; the same wave, caught in its retreat, as the tide went down, by the obstructing sand, and changed from crystal, sparkling health into noisome decay; the rays of the sunlight on the moun- tain side, now caught and obscured by the passing cloud, and now coming forth in all their glory ; the unshapely mass of unsight- ly ore, drawn from the dark mine, submitted to the force of art and transmuted into the shining metal-how he wove all these and a thousand others, like them, taken from na- ture, with a subtle grace and a niaster hand into his sermons, bringing home to heart and conscience truth and precept, with a power and a charm which logic and argu- ment, could not so well have enforced.
Mr. French was always true to himself, he never brought crudities nor inequalities to the pulpit ; his sermons were the result of study and patient labor, but they were not
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scholastic, simply derived from books. The scholar appeared in them, but they were such as could only proceed from a man who had a loving heart and a gentle nature. He was enthusiastic, but it was enthusiasm tempered with wisdom. He was fearless in his delivery of truth ; but it was a fearless- ness founded upon love, a love which went out for all, and desired by a display of truth, though it might sound harsh, to accom- plish the best for those who heard.
It would, indeed, have been most difficult for such a mind and such characteristics as were possessed by Mr. French, not to have left their impress upon our church and congregation. They did impress us and their influence is with us now and will long linger with us.
He gained the respect of all, he won the love of all. His flock were happy under his ministry, happy in their young pastor and he was happy in his people, in his min- istrations to them and happy in the many manifestations of love he received from them. His presence was a delight to all. The eyes of the scholars in the Sunday school flashed with joy as his slender form appear- ed among them, and his bright. laughing glance beamed upon them. They expected something pleasant from their pastor and he never failed them.
Our church has been peculiarly blessed in its pastors, but none of them all will be remembered with greater affection than John Abbott French.
The first number of the Palladium of Liberty was published at Morristown, Thurs- day, March 30, 1808. Jacob Mann was its first editor and publisher, Mr. Mann's ad- dress to the public, which occupies the first two columns of the first page, closes thus, " I therefore pledge myself to the patrons of this paper, that its columns shall never be poluted with sentiments derogatory to na- tional unanimity-at variance with truth or injurious to private reputation ; but as far as my judgment will direct me, I shall en- deavor to strengthen the just maxim, that a free press is THE PALLADIUM OF LIB- ERTY."
The paper was printed "on the Green." All of the four pages, except one single col- umn, were devoted to news, to original
poetry and communications. One column alone was all that was required for adver- tisements. There was soon, however, a change in this feature, as nearly a whole page in subsequent issues was devoted to that kind of literature. The paper began its publication at a most stirring period in the history of the world. Thomas Jefferson was President of the United States, James Mad- ison, Secretary of State, and James Monroe, Minister at the British Court. Bonaparte, or, Buonaparte, as he was invariably called in the newspapers of the day, both in Europe and in this country ; was in the full tide of victory. The celebrated " Orders of Coun- cil" had been made in the preceding No- vember. There were serious fears of a rup- tute between England and the United States. In the first number news from Europe, happening there from January 28th to February 6th, were published, making an interval of nearly two months, during which no information was received from the old country. The paper is remarkable, cer- tainly, for one feature. It is wanting en- tirely in any news of events happening either in town or county ; not a single item of gossip, no mention of wedding dresses nor wedding gifts. An examination of its columns, when it appeared at the time of the installati on of the Rev. Dr. Fisher, gave no information whatever of that event.
It contains some advertisements, which show the difficulties and delays connected with a trip then to New York, compared with the ease and swiftness with which the journey can be made to-day. May 30, 1808, John Halsey advertises that " having fur- nished himself with a pair of good horses, and a careful driver, he intends to run a stage from Morris-Town to Elizabeth-Town- Point, which will start from his house in Morris-Town on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 6 o'clock in the morning of each day, so as to arrive at the Point for the first boat and return on each succeeding day." Fare one Dollar. "The driver will leave New York with the first boat on the returning days." "The Four Horse Stage will run to Powles-Hook as usual, that is, on Tuesdays and Fridays in each week, so that passengers can be accommodated in either Stage."
Mr. Martin, "lately from New York,"
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May 23, 1808, " informs the Ladies and Gen- tlemen of Morris-Town and its vicinity, that he will open his FRENCH SCHOOLS on Thursday, the 26th inst., from five to eight in the morning for young men, and from nine to twelve for young ladies."
April 14, 1808, the death of John Newton is thus noticed :
" On the evening of the 21st December last, in the 83d year of his age, the Rev. JOHN NEWTON, Rector of St. Mary, Wool- north, Lombard street, London. He was 29 years Rector of that Parish, and had for- merly been a long time Curate of Olney, Bucks.
He was the intimate friend of the celebra- ted Cowper, as may be seen in Mr. Newton's preface to Cowper's poems ; and while liv- ing together at Olney. these two composed the well-known Olney Hymns, which are certainly among the best extant.
Mr. Newton is well known by his numer- ous works, among which are his 'Omicron Letters.' These were the first he published and were universally admired. He had a peculiarly happy talent at letter writing, and his epistolary style has justly been con- sidered a model. His works have under- gone several editions in England and Scot- land and have also been published in Amer- ica."
Immediately following this notice of Mr. Newton s death, is an announcement by the editor, that he had issued proposals for printing the works of Mr. Newton in nine volumes, Duodecimo, at the low price of seven dollars a complete set. Each volume was to contain 340 pages, and was to be is- sued every two months "or thereabouts." This edition was actually published, and no doubt is in the possession of some of the families of the congregation. Will not some one, possessing a copy, place it in the Li- brary ?
The intense patriotism of Mr. Mann is ap- parent in almost every line, certainly upon every page of his paper. It is quite inter- esting to notice the manner in which events, then crowding fast upon each other, and which have since become recognized as decisive upon subsequent history, were received. Mr. Mann was a close observer, and, in his intense love of country, he did not fail to give full expression to his views'ment of vigorous christian nations.
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