The history of Camden county, New Jersey, Part 76

Author: Prowell, George Reeser, 1849-1928
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Philadelphia : Richards
Number of Pages: 1220


USA > New Jersey > Camden County > The history of Camden county, New Jersey > Part 76


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).


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On October 7, 1882, the church was dedicated by Bishop Hurst. The society had then two hundred and forty communicant members and about five hundred members in the Sunday-school. The Rev. B. C. Lippincott was the next minister, and


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HISTORY OF CAMDEN COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.


was followed by the Rev. Charles F. Downs. In


1885 the Rev. James E. Lake assumed the charge of the congregation, and the name of Kaighn Ave- nue Methodist Episcopal Church was adopted. At this time there was a large debt and they were unable to meet the payments. The church was threatened with dissolution, but Rev. James E. Lake determined to avert the calamity, and through his perseverance, by the large collections which he raised from contributions in other churches and by contributing largely from his own personal effects, he succeeded in liquidating the largest portion of the indebtedness, leaving only a small amount to be paid by the congregation. His earnest efforts in the behalf of his congregation have proved very successful.


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BETHANY METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH .- January 9, 1881, in response to a call, about twenty persons assembled in the basement of a one-story building situated on the south side of Federal Street, near the railroad, and organized as the " Third Street Mission." The first board of officers was composed of Lewis R. Wheaton, Asa R. Cox and Charles Wentzell. The teachers appointed were Robert Miller and A. Busby. The accommo- dations at this place were very meagre,-a few wooden benches without backs, a small number of Bibles and reading-books, but the untiring efforts of the members of this mission were rewarded by the attendance of a large nu nber of scholars and ca- pable teachers. In 1882 the mission removed to a room on Ninth Street. It soon became necessary to remove to a larger room or hall. The committee secured the old store-house on Federal Street, near the railroad, at a rental of eight dollars per month, and fitted it up for services and Sunday-school purposes. This change was beneficial and success- ful to the mission and also to the school, and gave assured indications of establishing a church. On June 11, 1884, the members who had attended these services separated from the Third Street Church and were organized into a church by Rev. J. B. Graw, D.D., and took the name of Bethany, which was suggested by Mrs. S. Moslander, who had taken an active interest in the welfare of the mission, and is at present a prominent member of the church. The Rev. J. D. Sleeper had been as- signed to the Camden mission, and it was believed that other missions would unite with them and make a fair charge, but this could not be done, and in consequence he devoted all his time to this new church. In 1885 Rev. E. C. Hults was sent to look after the interests of Bethany, and before the close of the year a season of religious revival added a large number to the membership of the


church. In 1886 Rev. R. Harris was assigned to this charge. A lot, at the corner of Tenth Street and Cooper was secured and a neat one-story building erected in 1886. The church membership is one hundred and fifty and the Sunday-school has one hundred and twenty-five scholars, under the care of E. Butler as superintendent.


SCOTT METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH is lo- cated on Philip Street, above Ferry Avenue. The nucleus of this church was eight members of the old Wesley Church, who, in 1856, worshipped in the cellar of the house of Aaron Connor, on Kos- suth Street, for which they paid a rental of fifty cents a month. The services were conducted by Rev. Peter Wise, of the John Wesley Church, of Philadelphia. In 1857 they worshipped in the house of Mrs. Lyons, on Hooly Street (now Eighth). In 1858 a one-story frame church build- ing was erected on Eiglith Street and paid for by the original eight members, who instituted a num- ber of camp-meetings, known as two days' meetings, and also held entertainments. The church was built by James Peacock and finished in 1858; the Rev. Henry A. Brown officiated at the dedicatory services. The pastors of this congregation, in order of succession, have been Revs. Peter Wise, Isaac Henson, Robert Robinson, Wilmer Elsey, Isaiah Broughton, Stephen Johns, John Marshall, Peter Burrough and John S. Holly. During the first year of the ministry of Rev. J. S. Holly the initiatory steps were taken to build a larger church, the old one being too small to accommodate the con- gregation and Sunday-school. In 1882 the present brick church was erected on Philip Street, above Ferry Avenue. This church is two stories in height, with basement rooms, large auditorium in the second story and large gallery across the front, and cost six thousand five hundred dollars. The congregation has one hundred and thirty communicants, the Sunday-school one hundred members, of which Lawrence Rhoads is the super- intendent. Rev. John Hubbard succeeded Rev. J. S. Holly and the present minister of the congre- gation is Rev. John J. Campbell.


MACEDONIA METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH of Camden is situated on Spruce Street, below Third. In 1832 Mrs. Anna George, a resident of South Camden, began a series of prayer-meetings in different houses on Spruce Street, below Third, and at the meeting in the house of Benjamin Wilson resolutions were adopted for the building of a small church. In 1833 the corner-stone was laid, and the church, a one-story frame building, twenty by thirty feet, was completed and dedicated with appropriate ceremonies by the Rev. Joseph


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THE CITY OF CAMDEN.


Caul. This church was the first one built by any congregation of colored people in Camden County. Historic as it was, for the reason first mentioned, it was destroyed by fire in 1837. A brick church, thirty by forty feet, was then built on the site of the one destroyed, and finished in 1838. At this time there were thirty-four members of the church and twenty-six children in the Sunday-school. In 1850 the church was rebuilt with larger di- mensions to meet the wants of the increasing membership. Between 1850 and 1883 the congre- gation enjoyed a prosperous and steady gain in membership. In 1882 the land adjoining the church, thirty by one hundred feet, was purchased, and in 1883 a two-story brick building, forty by seventy-five feet, was built by James Aspen, con- tractor, with basement, auditorium and front gallery. It has a seating capacity of eight hun- dred persons. This church was dedicated by Bishop Campbell. There were then two hundred and forty communicant members in the congrega- tion and one hundred and fifty-five pupils in the Sunday-school, with William S. Darr as the superintendent. The ministers of this church, in succession have been as follows : Revs. Richard Williams, John Cornish, Joshua Woodlin, John Boggs, Israel Scott, George Grinley, Henry Davis, Abraham Crippin, William D. Schureman, James Fuller, George W. Johnson, George E. Boyer, Theophilus Stewart, Leonard Patterson, Frisby J. Cooper, Jeremiah Turpin, Michael F. Sluby, Robert J. Long, John W. Cooper, P. L. Stanford, William H. Yocum and A. H. Newton, the present pastor.


At this date (1886) the church has two hundred and seventy-six members on its roll and there are one hundred and seventy-four members in the Sunday-school, under Samuel Hunt as superin- tendent.


ZION WESLEY CHURCH is situated on the corner of Ann Street and Sycamore. It was first known as the Wesley Church. The congre- gation is the outgrowth of a number of prayer- meetings which were held in different houses in the vicinity of the church in 1851 and 1852. The first meeting was held in the house of William Christo- pher, on Kaighn Avenue. The ministers who officiated at the original meetings were Revs. George Johnson and Mrs. Mary Adams. The latter had been a missionary to Africa for five years, took a great interest in the endeavor to organize a church society and collected funds to purchase a lot as a site for a church building. In 1853 funds had been raised to build a one-story frame church, which was completed the same year


and dedicated by Bishop Clinton, of Philadelphia. Thirty-five persons joined the church, and a Sun- day-school was started with forty members in attendance. The church was soon after rebuilt with greater dimensions, but as the church records are incomplete, the exact date of rebuilding is unknown. In 1880 the old church building was taken down and a large two-story brick one, forty by seventy feet, with vestry rooms and gallery, was built, and dedicated with the present name of Zion Wesley Church. The congregation was then under the pastoral care of Rev. Joseph P. Thomp- son. The ministers who have been assigned by Conference to this charge are Revs. Thomas Castor, George Johnson, Arthur J. Scott, William H. Blackston, George Hilton, George Bausley, J. B. Truster, Joseph P. Thompson, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Anderson and John H. White. The congregation in 1886 has one hundred and thirty members. The Sunday-school has eighty pupils.


BETHEL METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH is situated on Maple Street, below Ferry Avenue. This congregation originated from a small Sunday- school and series of prayer-meetings which were held in the house of John Morris, on South Street, in 1863, and in a tent which was put up on the site where the present church has been built. In 1864 sufficient money was collected to enable the young congregation to purchase this small lot and build a one-story frame church. The builder, Adam Sparrow, completed it in 1864. It was dedicated the same year, Bishop Campbell of- ficiating at the dedicatory services. The Rev. John Boyer was the first pastor, and the congre- gation increased under his ministry, as also the Sunday-school under the superintendence of James Dicks. The ministers who have served here in succession since the time of organization have been Rev. John Boyer, Elders Watson, Cooper, Sluby, Garrison, Turner, William, Sturgis and Mills, Rev. John Whitecar and Rev. Josiah Smith, the present pastor. The church now has eighty communicants; the Sunday-school has forty-two members: Daniel Emmons is the super- intendent.


UNION AMERICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, Chestnut Street, above Seventh, was founded by Rev. Peter Spencer, of Wilmington, Del., and it is known as a branch of the African Union Church, of that city. In 1853 a series of prayer-meetings were conducted in the house of D. Butler, on Newton Street, also in the houses of Sarah Stewart and Sarah Wheeler, under the di- rection of Rev. John Reed. In 1855 funds were collected, and a small frame house on Newton


476


HISTORY OF CAMDEN COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.


Street, above Seventh, was purchased, and moved to a site near the corner of Ann Street and Newton Street. It was then converted into a small church by building an addition to the rear of it, and other improvements were added. A large number of communicants were admitted to membership in the newly-formed society, and the Sunday-school grew and prospered under the direction of Christopher Berry. The original building in which these peo- ple worshipped was too small ; hence, in 1879, it was decided to build a larger and more convenient church. Under the auspices of a building commit- tee, the present large two-story brick church, forty by seventy feet, was built in 1880 and dedicated by Bishop Ramsey, of Woodstown, N. J. The relig- ious services of this church are yet conducted in the large basement-room of the church building ; the auditorium on the second floor, though, will soon be completed. The first pastor who minis- tered to the wants of this congregation was the Rev. Henry Mood, who was followed by Rev. Isaac Williams, and he by the present pastor, Rev. Asbury Smith. The church membership is about one hundred. In the Sunday-school, of which William Saunders is superintendent, there are eighty children. At the time of the dedication of the new church the name of the " African Union Church " was changed to " Union American Meth- odist Episcopal Church."


MEMORIAL METHODIST PROTESTANT CHURCH is situated on Liberty Street, above Third. Relig- ious services of this denomination were first held weekly in Camden, in 1865, at the the house of Mrs. Robinson and Mrs. Salinda Smith, on Kaighn Avenue, which resulted in effecting an organiza- tion, and during the fall of 1865 the newly- formed society obtained the use of the second story of a frame building at Second Street and Pine, owned by the City Fire Department. Rev. Frank Fletcher, the first pastor, by the end of. the first year, had secured a church membership of ninety communicants and established a Sunday-school in connection with the congregation. In 1866 a church building, thirty-two by forty-eight feet, was erected on Broadway, below Kaighn Avenue, and the Rev. Boston Corbett 1 was chosen the second pastor.


In 1867 Rev. William Staulcup became pastor, continued until 1874 and was succeeded by Rev. J. K. Freed, during whose ministry a new brick church, forty by sixty feet, was built upon the site of the old one. In 1877 Rev. C. Applegate suc-


ceeded, and in 1879 the Rev. William Staulcup was returned to this congregation. At this period an exchange of the original church building was made for a desirable church and grounds on Liberty Street, above Third. The building thus obtained had previously been used by a mission under the auspices of the Fifth Street Church. The exchange enabled the congregation to cancel all indebtedness. In 1883 Rev. John Clark became pastor, but on account of his sickness the charge of the congregation was transferred to his grandson, Rev. Robert Sinkinson, who served until his grandfather's death, in 1885. Under his ministrations over one hundred. members were added to the church, and the Sunday-school, under the care of Frank Fennimore as superintendent, had increased in number to three hundred mem- bers. In January, 1886, Rev. Charles D. Sinkin- son, brother of the previous pastor, was assigned to this pastoral charge. During the past year (1886) the church building was extended forty feet to the rear, with a deep recess and an additional story added; when thus completed, it will have a seat- ing capacity for six hundred persons. The present membership is two hundred and forty, and the Sunday-school has three hundred and fifty mem- bers, with Theodore Darnell as superintendent.


THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF CAMDEN.2- Early in the present century a few Baptists from Cohansey settled in Camden. They promptly united with the First Baptist Church of Philadelphia, and, notwithstanding the difficulties and dangers of crossing the Delaware (with the rude facilities of the time), regularly attended its services. But provision for their own spiritual needs did not ex- haust their sense of obligation. Loyalty to God and His truth, and an ardent desire for the salva- tion of men, demanded of them the preaching of the gospel to their own townsmen.


The Village Academy, located at Sixth and Market Streets, was their first public meeting-place. There, under the occasional ministry of Rev. Henry Halcomb, D.D., of Philadelphia, and others, be- gan the work of the Baptist denomination in what is now the city of Camden. Soon a strong oppo- sition revealed itself, that closed the doors of the Academy against the little band, whose only of- fense was faithful adherence to Scriptural teaching and practice.


Though subjected to great inconvenience by this privation, they pushed forward the work to which they believed God had called them with un- daunted purpose and unahated ardor. Private


1 Sergeant Boston Corbett, above mentioned, is the person who, as a soldier, sbot John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of President Abraham Lincoln.


2 By Rev. I. C. Wynn, D.D.


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THE CITY OF CAMDEN.


houses were opened, and in them the villagers were invited to meet for prayer and conference, and to listen to the preaching of the gospel.


The first church organization was effected Feb- ruary 5, 1818. Its constituents were Silvanus Sheppard, Phoebe Sheppard, Richard Johnson, Ann Johnson, Isaac Smith, Hannah Ludlam and Eleanor Sheppard. These all came hy letters of dismission from the First Church of Philadelphia. At the same time Silvanns Sheppard and Richard Johnson were elected to the diaconate and or- dained. Before the close of 1818, through the self-sacrificing efforts of this heroic little band, the first modest meeting-house rose on the site now occupied by the FIRST CHURCH.


FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH.


At this time the cause received valuable aid from the frequent visits and earnest labors of Rev. John Sisty, of Haddonfield. In the early years of its history the growth of the church was greatly hin- dered by the frequent change of pastors, and by long pastorless periods. From the year of its con- stitution (1818) to 1832 it was identified with the "New Jersey Baptist Association," and at the end of that period reported a membership of thirty- seven. The church then withdrew from the New Jersey Baptist Association and became a constitu- ent of the Central Union Association of Pennsyl- vania, organized July 31, 1832. In 1839 it returned to the association in New Jersey, with a member- ship of one hundred and fifty-eight.


The year 1842 witnessed the completion of a two- story brick building on the site of the modest struc- ture that for more than twenty years had been the home of the church; and the little company of seven had grown to two hundred and ten. The pastorate of Rev. Thomas R. Taylor began in 1843 and continued to 1854. It was a period of pros- perity and growth to the church. Other pastor- ates had been efficient, considering their brevity. Mr. Taylor's incumbency was the first that was sufficiently protracted to establish wise methods of work in the church, or to measure the pastor's personal influence upon the community.


In 1848 forty-four members were dismissed to constitute the "Second Baptist Church of Cam- den."


In the twelve years from 1854 to 1866 five pas- torates were crowded. Notwithstanding the fre- quent change of leaders, the church continued to prosper. In 1859 it gave thirty-seven members to constitute the "North Baptist Church." In 1861 one hundred and fifty-five communicants withdrew to constitute the "Tabernacle Baptist Church." In 1860 the second house was razed, and the pres- ent substantial and commodious building was completed and dedicated in 1864.


In 1871 a number of communicants withdrew and constituted the "Trinity Baptist Church," perfecting their organization in 1872.


In April, 1871, negotiations began looking to the union of the First and Tabernacle Churches. The latter, under the pastorates of Rev. A. Earl, Rev. P. L. Davis and Rev. I. C. Wynn, had en- joyed ten years of harmonious and successful ac- tivity, and reported a membership of two hundred and seventy-nine.


Pending the final decision of an involved legal issue and necessary legislation, the two congrega- tions worshipped together in the house of the First Church from June 4, 1871, to April 1, 1872, when the union was consummated, under the title of the " Fourth Street Baptist Church, of Camden," with an aggregate membership of three hundred and fifty-one. On the 16th of April, 1883, the corporate title was changed to "The First Baptist Church of Camden, N. J."


The beneficent influence of this union has been felt beyond the limits of the resultant church. It has lessened necessary home expenses, and lib- erated funds to be applied to the mission work of the denomination. Since the union the life of the church has been healthful and vigorous. Its finan- cial interests have been efficiently managed ; $66,202.73 have been expended in the improve- ment of the property of the church and in the


57


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HISTORY OF CAMDEN COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.


maintenance of its ministries at home, and $9696.81 have been devoted to the various forms of benevolent activity abroad.


During the period from April 1, 1872, to July 31, 1886, the accessions to the membership have been : By baptism, two hundred and sixty-seven ; by letter, two hundred and seventy-one; by experi- ence, twenty-two; by restoration, sixteen,-total, five hundred and seventy-six. The reductions have been : By death, ninety-eight; by letter, one hundred and sixty-nine ; by erasure, thirty-four ; by exclusion, sixty-six,-total, three hundred and sixty-seven. The net increase has been two hun- dred and nine, giving a present membership of five hundred and sixty.


The church has given special emphasis to Bible school work, and in addition to its home school has, for the last five years, sustained a flourishing mission in the southern part of the city. They have an enrollment of seventy officers and teach- ers, and six hundred and thirty scholars.


REGISTER OF PASTORS.


Daniel James, May, 1818, to November, 1818. John P. Cooper, December, 1818, to March, 1819. Thomas J. Kitts, December, 1819, to March, 1822. Charles J. Hopkins, March, 1823, to July, 1824. Robert Compton, September, 1829, to September, 1832. Amasa Smith, January, 1833, to September, 1833. William S. Hall, November, 1833, to May, 1834. Thomas (. Teasdale, January, 1835, to October, 1835. Joseph Sheppard, August, 1836, to May, 1838. N. B. Tindall, August, 1838, to September, 1841. William W. Smith, December, 1841, to September, 1842. Thomas R. Taylor, November, 1842, to January, 1854. John Duncan, May, 1854, to 1857. S. H. Mirick, December, 1857, to 1858. George R. Darrow, from 1859 to 1860.


G. G. Ferguson, from 1860 to 1862.


B. F'. Hedden, from 1862 to 1865. F. B. Rose, from 1866 to 1870.


I. C. Wynn, from 1870.


Present Officers : Pastor, Isaac C. Wynn, D.D .; Deacons, Adam Angel, David Lack, Ellwood K. Fortiner, Stacy Gaunt, Charles E. Young, E. M. Howard, M.D., Morris W. Hall; Trus- tees, Volney G. Bennett, E. A. Armstrong, A. S. Morton, Edward H. Bryan, S. F. Rudderow, C. K. Middleton, William C. Scudder ; Clerk, Charles A. Morton ; Treasurer, Samuel G. Rudderow.


REV. ISAAC CALDWELL WYNN, D.D., the second son of Benjamin I. Wynn and Susan N. Ray Wynn, was born near Millville, Cumberland County, N. J., on a farm, February 22, 1835. His early education was principally obtained under the tutorship of his father, who, in the intervals of business, devoted his attention to the education of his children. He afterwards entered the univer- sity at Lewisburgh, Pa., and was graduated in


1858. For ten years after his graduation he was engaged in teaching, a profession to which he had intended devoting his life and in which he was very successful. He occupied in this time the chair of natural sciences in the Upland Normal School and was the principal of the classical academies at Lewisburgh and Danville, all in Pennsylvania. In 1868 he was regularly ordained a Baptist minister, and took charge as pastor of the Baptist Church at Hatboro', Montgomery County, Pa. He remained as pastor there until July 1, 1870, when he entered the pastorate of the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Camden, going with it in its union with the First Baptist Church. He received, in the year 1879, the degree of Doctor of Divinity from the university at Lewisburgh. In 1885 the Legislature of New Jersey elected him one of the trustees of the State Normal School, which made him ex-officio a member of the State Board of Education. His services here have been greatly appreciated by his colleagues and by State officers. For his piety, his learning, his eloquence as a preacher and the fraternal affection with which he discharges the duties of his office as pastor, he has won the love of his entire church and the respect and esteem of the whole com- munity. His pastorate is the longest continuous one in the West New Jersey Baptist Association. Dr. Wynn's wife is a daughter of the Rev. Wil- liam P. Maul. They have no children.


THE SECOND BAPTIST CHURCH was constituted in 1848 with forty-six constituent members, mostly from the First Baptist Church, Camden, Thomas Shields and Joseph Matlack were the first dea- cons. The church built a two-story brick meeting- house on the southeast corner of Fourtb and Divi- sion Streets, which they sold, in 1867, to the Roman Catholic Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, and erected a meeting-house on the southwest corner of Fourth and Mount Vernon, of brick, two stories high and costing, with ground, eighteen thousand dollars. This they still occupy. When the loca- tion was changed, in 1867, a large number of the members, including the pastor, Mark R. Watkin- son, withdrew and formed the Broadway Baptist Church. The membership now numbers one hun- dred and thirty. These have been pastors, -- Matthew M. Semple, M.D., Thomas C. Trotter, Alexander Clark, Thomas Goodwin, Francis Cail- hopper, John C. Hyde, Mark R. Watkinson, Charles W. Deitz, Samuel Hughes, William W. Dalbey, Matthew M. Finch, Frank B. Rose (sup- ply), William Lawrence, John D. Flansburg.


THIRD BAPTIST CHURCH is situated on Broad- way, above Vanhook Street. July 14, 1852, Jou-


479


THE CITY OF CAMDEN.


athan J. Cox, Harry Blanford, John Shill, John Shield, Benjamin Muir, Benjamin Ballard, Agnes Shill, Matilda Shill and Matilda Ballard, princi- pally members of the Second Baptist Church of Camden, and Rev. Thomas C. Trotter, the pastor, met at the house of John Shill, in Stockton, and formed "The Baptist Society," of which Datus Drury, B. Ballard and T. C. Trotter were appointed a building committee. August 15th, a Sunday-school was organized with J. J. Cox superintendent, and Harry Blanford, Matilda Shill, Mr. and Mrs. Basford and Lizzie Price as teachers. The school continued to meet at the house of John Shill and the society at J. J. Cox's, on Ferry road, until 1854, when the meeting-house, on Vanhook Street, near Sixth, was completed. Among those who preached for this society were Revs. Thomas C. Trotter, Edward G. Taylor, David Spencer and John Sisty. The society prospered, and resolving to form a church, met August 1, 1855, and consti- tuted the "Stockton Baptist Church," composed of the following-named members : Jonathan Cox, John C. Taylor, Harry Blanford, John Jones, Rebecca Fults, James Jones, Mary E. Cox, Mary Ann Taylor, Matilda Blanford, Mary Jones, Mar- garet Ewell and Elizabeth Ewell. On August 6th of the same year a council, with Rev. John Dun- can, D.D., of Camden, as moderator, was called, at which the young church was recognized and ad- mitted into the fellowship of the West New Jersey Baptist Association. The church procured sup- plies for many years, among whom were Revs. William James, John E. Barnes, Walter Patton and Adam Hayberry. In 1861 Rev. E. V. Glover, who had been serving the church, assumed the pastorate, and, by his earnestness and helpful ways, did much for his people during his stay of fifteen years. In 1863 the old meeting-house was sold to the Church of Our Saviour, and a new one of brick, with a seating capacity of four hundred, built on the site now occupied. In 1871 Stockton was annexed as the Eighth Ward of Camden, and an act was obtained from the Legislature changing the name of this society to the Third Baptist Church of Camden. Mr. Glover resigning in 1876, Rev. George H. MacC'lelland filled the pulpit until February, 1877, when Reece W. Perkins, then pursuing a post-graduate course in Crozer Theological Seminary, accepted a call, and being ordained, became the pastor. In 1880 a large addition of brick, twenty-five by sixty feet, placed transversely in the rear, for Sunday-school pur- poses, was built and the main structure renovated, chiefly under the direction of James F. Baird, who, one of the first, had also been one of the




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