The history of Camden county, New Jersey, Part 77

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

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most helpful members. Under the pastorate of Rev. Mr. Perkins, the church has grown from a weak, struggling interest, needing constant assist- ance, to a strong, self-reliant body, helping others. It has two promising young men studying for the ministry,-James S. Braker, at Lewisburgh Univer- sity, and Charles E. Woodruff, son of the late Elmer C. R. Woodruff, who for many years was a stanch pillar of the church. Under the efficient labor of the present pastor, the debt has been de- creased to a nominal amount, the contributions have tripled and the membership more than dou- bled, now numbering two hundred and twenty ; while the Sunday-school, under the superintend- ency of Theodore B. Davis, numbers three hun- dred pupils, with twenty-five officers and teachers. The officers of the church are,-Pastor, Rev. Reece W. Perkins ; Clerk, Charles E. Woodruff; Treas- urer, Theodore B. Davis; Deacons, William Wright, William E. Gilling, T. B. Davis, George T. Clarke ; Trustees, William C. Clarke, Elmer E. Wright, Levi B. Jess, Arthur Crouch, William H. Smith, George J. Stites and John W. Whitecar.

NORTH BAPTIST CHURCH.1 -- In 1855 Rev. E. V. Glover and Mrs. H. P. Hale, members of the First Baptist Church of Camden, began a series of meet- ings in private houses remote from the church, de- signed for the benefit ofinfirm and indifferent men- bers who seldom enjoyed the services of the church. In the search for a suitable place for holding meet- ings in the vicinity of Coopers Point, a large popu- lation was found destitute of both religious and sec- ular instruction. In 1856 an attempt to establish a Sunday-school failed for want of a suitable room. In 1857 a large hall in the silk-factory on the northwest corner of Front Street and Pearl was offered gratuitously by the proprietor, German Foss, in which to hold a Sunday-school. Sep- tember 7, 1859, an organization was effected by choosing Rev. E. V. Glover, superintendent ; Adam Angell, assistant; Henry Samuel, secre- tary and librarian ; Mrs. H. P. Hale, superinten- dent of the infant department. The following were appointed teachers : Joseph Whitman, Mrs. Louisa Hindle, Mrs. Anna Briggs, Miss Louisa Woolston, Mrs. H. Foss and Miss Addie McCul- ly. The school began with eighty-eight scholars. It continued to meet in the silk-factory until January, 1859, when it was transferred to the fac- tory of E. W. Williamson, corner of Second Street and Birch, where it was held until July 31, 1859. The influence of the school made itself manifest and the number of members rapidly increased.

1 By. Rev. W. T. Burns.

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HISTORY OF CAMDEN COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

An equally important factor in the new enter- prise was the meeting for adults begun on Sun- day, October 18, 1857, and continued, on Sunday at the hall and on Tuesday at the residence of Mr. Ellis, on Birch Street, until the removal to the building of Mr. Williamson.

The need of larger and permanent quarters had now become so pressing that on January 26, 1859, the First Baptist Church appointed Rev. E. V. Glover, J. D. Tustin and J. S. Collings to take proper steps to procure a suitable house. E. K. Fortiner was afterwards added to the number, and aided greatly in the erection of the new building, which was situated on Elm Street, below Second, and was dedicated July 31, 1859. On the 10th of November, 1859, at the house of Rev. E. V. Glover, a meeting was held, of which Rev. E. V. Glover was chairman and J. D. Tustin clerk, for

NORTH BAPTIST CHURCH.

the purpose of organizing a church. It was ordered hy the vote of the meeting that steps be taken at once for forming a church; that a council of churches be called for November 22d ; that the name "North Baptist Church of Camden, N. J.," be adopted ; that the articles of faith and church covenant as contained in the Baptist Church Man- ual, hy Rev. J. Newton Brown, he adopted ; that regular services be held on Sunday morning and evening and on Tuesday and Eriday evenings ; and that Bro. E. S. Read be employed to labor as a colporteur for one month from November 8th, at a salary of five dollars per week. The church thus organized was recognized by a council of

churches held November 29th, and the services in recognition of the new church were conducted at the First Baptist Church by Revs. G. G. Ferguson, E. D. Fendall, J. E. Wilson, F. T. Cailhopper and J. Hyatt Smith.

The names of thirty-seven members thus recog- nized as the North Baptist Church of Camden are these,-

Elisha V. Glover. Matilda B. Glover.

Amelia M. Glover.

E. V. Glover, Jr. George Glover. Joseph H. Kain.

Catherine Kaip.

Emeline Lewis.

Joseph T. Rowand.

Lydia Rowand.

Mary E. Rowand.

Harriet P. Hale,

Anna M. Briggs. Margaret Vaughan.

Eliza Vaughan.

John D. Tustin.

Susanna A. Tustin.

Mary E. Tustin.

Eliza. E. Tustin.

Matilda Chism.

Edward A, Miles.

Stacy Gannt.

F. P. Middleton. Ashly B. Lucas.

Susan Cowan.

Deborah Cowan.

J. Stokes Nash.

Peninah Naslı.

Barbara Naslı.

Sophia B. Nash.

Wm. H. Tash.

Agnes Nash.

Edward C. Hale.

Adaline McCully. Anna Campbell.

Mary Anna Ranger.

Georgianna Tice.

Of these original thirty-seven, six are still mem- bers. The church hegan its history with a small body, but with a live root; and this living root, planted in a favorable place, soon showed a vigor- ous growth. On December 2, 1859, Rev. R. S. James, D.D., was called to the pastorate, began January 1, 1860, and continued till the last Sunday in 1863, when the church, having decided on the erection of a larger meeting-house, and Dr. James feeling his strength unequal to the extra labor involved, resigned, and on January 12, 1864, Rev. S. C. Dare, previously pastor of the church at Cureton, N. J., was chosen. During this pastor- ate the present church edifice, corner of Second Street and Pearl, was built at a cost of about thirty-five thousand dollars and the church was largely prospered in spiritual as well as in tempo- ral matters. Mr. Dare resigned February 16, 1868, and on March 23, 1868, Rev. A. G. Thomas, pas- tor of the church at Mount Holly, was unani- mously elected to the pastorate. His administration continued until December 25, 1870, when, in con- sequence of a serious affection of the throat, he re- signed. Rev. J. E. Chambles, of Baltimore, was called to become pastor March 8, 1871. He began his work the 1st of April ensuing and continued until May 1, 1873. On July 9, 1873, a call was ex- tended to Rev. R. G. Moses, lately of Plymouth, England. During this pastorate, which continued for eight years, one hundred and sixty-eight were added to the church, a new mission building was built at a cost of four thousand dollars and large improvements were made in the meeting-house. This pastorate ended with the year 1881.

April 4, 1882, a call was extended to Rev. A. E. Rose, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Brad-

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THE CITY OF CAMDEN.

ford, Pa. Mr. Rose began his pastorate April 9, 1882. The membership of the church was increased by an addition of one hundred and sixty-one hundred and twenty-four by baptism, thirty-five by letter and one by experience. A new organ, costing two thousand dollars, was placed in the gallery. Mr. Rose resigned his pastorate, to take effect August 5, 1883.

On December 10, 1883, a call was extended to Rev. W. T. Burns, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Lynn, Mass., which was accepted, and Mr. Burns began his pastorate February 1, 1884. During this pastorate one hundred and sixty-eight have been added to the church. Of these, one hundred and ten have joined by baptism, forty-five by letter, twelve by experience and one by restoration. An addition has been made to the property of a building for the primary department, costing three thousand dollars; a church library of two thousand volumes, costing about two thousand dollars, and involving alterations costing one thousand dollars more, has been added. A library-sustaining fund of five hundred dollars a year, for five years to come, has (1886) been subscribed.

The enlarged accommodations furnished the Sunday-school by the building of the annex for the primary department, have been taken up by the growth of the school, the average attendance for May, 1886, showing an advance of twenty-one per cent. over that of May, 1885. The growth of the school is largely due to the energy and faithful personal attention to its work of the superintend- ent, F. W. Ayer, seconded by a faithful and well- disciplined corps of teachers. In December, 1885, letters were granted to fifty-three members of this church for the purpose of uniting to organize the Linden Baptist Church, to be sitnated at the cor- ner of Ninth Street and Linden. Notwithstand- ing this large subtraction from the roll of the church, the vacant places have been very rapidly filled.

THE BROADWAY BAPTIST CHURCH was located at Broadway and Cherry Street and was consti- tuted in April, 1867, by Rev. Mark R. Watkinson, the pastor, and forty-seven members of the Second Baptist Church, who, withdrawing therefrom, formed the new church, with John B. Stygale, John Osler and Augustus M. Crissy, deacons. The ground on Broadway, below Spruce, was obtained, and on the St. John Street front was erected a brick building, in which the society worshipped until 1870, when a stone meeting-house was built on the Broadway end of the lot, at a cost of nearly eighteen thousand dollars. The pastors who served this church were Revs. Mark R. Watkin-

son, E. Evered Jones, Charles Johnson, Andrew J. Hay, E. Dallas Stagers.

In October, 1877, the church disbanded, and the pastor, Rev. E. D. Stagers, with thirty-six of the members, united and constituted the Tabernacle Baptist Church.

THE TABERNACLE BAPTIST CHURCH was con- stituted in October, 1877, when the pastor and thirty-six of the members of the Tabernacle Church met in a building on Stevens Street, below Fifth, now the property of Hatch Post, No. 37, G. A. R., and formed the new organization. The original members were Rev. E. Dallas Stagers, William S. Kain, Rebecca A. Kain, William W. Kain, Isaac N. Hugg, M.D., Sallie D. Hugg, Re- becca S. Brooks, Harriet S. Brooks, Letitia R. Brooks, Abigail Brooks, Sallie M. S. Brooks, El- len R. Brooks, Lavinia Brooks, Israel Pierson, Er- mina Pierson, Martha Turner, Deborah Webster, Hannah Webster, Mary J. Cordrey, Mary V. S. Drury, Nettie Drury, Stacy Doran, Caroline Do- ran, Mary Jones, Rachel Griffin, Elizaheth Loug- head, Amanda Letourneu, John Miller, Nettie Miller, Jane E. McCay, Abigail Platt, Emma Quick, Anna Quick, E. E. Wheeler, Emma Selalı, Mary E. Fish.

Rev. E. D. Stagers was chosen pastor, William S. Kain and John Miller were elected deacons and William W. Kain church clerk.

The church was recognized by a council of Baptist Churches September 2, 1878, and remained in their first location until 1880, when they rented the church erected by the Broadway Church in 1870. The church at this time numbered sixty- eight members. Mr. Stagers continued as pastor until April 4, 1881, when he resigned and accepted a call to the Baptist Church at Woodstown, Salem County, where, on Sunday, November 27, 1881, as he finished his morning sermon, he was stricken with apoplexy and in a few moments died.

After Mr. Stagers left, the pulpit was supplied by several persons until 1882, when Isaac W. Bagley, a student at Lewisburgh University and a licentiate of the Fourth Baptist Church, Philadel- phia, accepted a call as stated supply and began his labors at that time. The church was in a lan- guishing condition and the membership so scat- tered that less than twenty were found under Mr. Bagley's ministry. However, the church revived and the membership increased.

April 4, 1886, the church elected trustees and became incorporated, having purchased the build- ing (before that time rented) and with subscription lists sufficient to pay for it. Its seating capacity is between five and six hundred and its value is fifteen

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HISTORY OF CAMDEN COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

thousand five hundred dollars. Mr. Bagley was ordained April 10, 1883; and became the pastor, which office he has since filled.

Deacons : William S. Kain, John Miller,* Datus Drury, Benjamin M. Denny, Thomas R. Arrison,* Theophilus Fox, William Stout, Thomas T. Ellis,* Mark Bareford,* William T. Spiegle .*

Clerks: William W. Kain, Leaman Eldridge, Jesse C. Dresser, Thomas I. Dunlap .*

Treasurers : Isaac N. Hugg, M.D., John Hob- son, Theophilus Fox, Thomas R. Arrison, James W. Eldridge, John Dalley .*

The present officers, in addition to those above- marked with an asterisk, (*) are, ---

Trustees ; George Leathwhite, J. Harry Knerr, William A. Taylor, John Dalbey, Robert H. Comey, George Lovewell, Thomas I. Dunlap; Chorister, Walter F. Wolfkeil ; Organist, Anna E. Quint; Superintendent Sunday-school, John Dal- bey ; Asst. Supt., P. W. D. Harvey ; Secretary, Dal- lis Cann ; Treasurer, T. I. Dunlap ; Librarian, Orme W. Horner ; Infant School Superintendent, Virginia Osler ; Organist, Anna Wolfkeil.

TRINITY BAPTIST CHURCH of Camden was organized on the 7th day of December, 1871, by the adoption of a church covenant and articles of faith as recorded in Rev. T. Hiscox's " Baptist Church Directory," pages 154to 177, inclusive, and the fol- lowing-named gentlemen were duly elected the officers thereof: For office of deacons, Thomas Peak, J. D. Rogers and R. H. Morgan ; for church clerk, Thomas W. Wilkinson ; and at a subsequent meeting held December 21, 1871, the following- named gentlemen were elected trustees: Isaiah Woolston, E. E. Read, George E. Taylor, William Groves, Alfred McCully, John Burr, William Scudder. .

The membership of the church numbered about ninety-five. Amongst them, we may mention Deacons Thomas Peak and wife, J. D. Rogers and wife, R. H. Morgan and wife, Deacon Jacob S. Collings, Rev. Charles Sexton and wife, Mrs. E. Westcott, Mrs. Anna Davis and Mrs. Amy Ander- son. In a few days after the election of the trns- tees, as above stated, they purchased the building known as the Presbyterian Meeting-house, on Fifth Street, above Market Street, in Camden, which purchase was ratified by the church December 28, 1871, and on the 7th day of January, 1872, the church held its first public service, Dr. Weston, of Crozer University, preaching the sermon.

On the 20th day of February the church received recognition in a public manner by pastors and lay members of a number of churches of the same faith and order, the Trinity Church being re-

presented by J. D. Rogers, R. H. Morgan and Thomas W. Wilkinson. The recognition services were held in the meeting-house purchased by the church. Dr. Sanford, of Salem, preached the ser- mon and Deacon Thomas Peak received the hand of fellowship from the council by the hand of Rev. Mr. Chambles, pastor of the North Baptist Church of Camden.

On the 22d day of April, 1872, the church, by a unanimous vote, invited Rev. A. H. Lung, of Ger- mantown, Pa., to become its pastor.

June 2, 1872, Rev. A. H. Lung entered upon his duty as pastor of the church, and after nine and one-half years of faithful and successful labor he resigned on March 27, 1882, to accept a position as general secretary of the Home Missionary So- ciety of the State of New York, since which time the church has been very successful in her work under the leadership of Rev. C. A. Adams, who resigned the pastorate in June of the present year (1886).

SEVENTH BAPTIST CHURCHI is situated on Kaighn Avenue. The society that owns and wor- ships in this church is composed of colored people. It was during the year 1856 that a num- ber of colored citizens of Camden met at the house of Mrs. Mary Colding, at No. 736 Chestnut Street, under the auspices of the Shiloh Baptist Church of Philadelphia, and made preparatory arrange- ments toward forming a Baptist Church in Cam- den. Rev. Sampson White conducted a series of prayer-meetings, in the houses of different mem- bers, for several months continuously, and organ- ized a Sunday-school. In 1857 the first public services were held in a blacksmith's shop, which was used until it was destroyed by fire, in 1858.

Rev. David Evans, Abraham Fisher and Eliza- beth Moses then took an active part in keeping the church together, and meetings were held in the houses of Rev. David Evans and Mrs. Moses. In 1867 Rev. J. M. Francis was called and dur- ing his pastorate a meeting-house was built. In 1873 Rev. Moses Wilcox was called to this charge, and at once adopted measures to complete a two- story hrick church building, forty by sixty feet. The pool and auditorium were placed in the second story. It was then dedicated as the Seventh Bap- tist Church of Camden. The membership increased in numbers under its pastor, as well as the Sunday- school, with Abraham Fisher as superintendent. In 1884, through the instrumentality of Rev. Moses Wilcox, the meeting-house was enlarged and an extension of twenty feet built to the rear of it. At present the church has two hundred and sixty members, and the Sunday-school has one hundred

483

THE CITY OF CAMDEN.

and seventy-five pupils and teachers, with John W. Saddler as superintendent. This church has also organized a Mission Sunday-school at Broad- way and Branch Street. Thirty children attend this mission, which is under the care of Mrs. Isa- bella Shipley.

LINDEN BAPTIST CHURCH had its beginning November 22, 1863, when Rev. R. S. James, pastor, David S. Stackhouse, Joseph Truman and M. S. James were appointed a committee of the North Baptist Church to look after the religious needs of the northeastern portion of the city, and re- ported a dearth of and desire for religious privi- leges, on the part of the people of that section. Religious services were held December 10th of the year named. Mr. James conducted the services in the Paper-Mill School-house, and the owner, John B. Thompson, granting its use for the pur- pose, a Sunday-school was organized December 19th. The officers then chosen were,-Superintend- ent, David T. Stackhouse ; Assistant Superintend- ent, Robert Charles; Secretary, Addie McCully ; Treasurer, Mrs. S. A. Tustin ; Librarian, Edwin B. Robbins. The work began December 27th, with nine teachers and thirty-six pupils. In April, 1864, the school was removed to the office of Fur- bush & Gage's machinery factory, and from thence to the house of Hiram McCormick, where it re- mained until December 4th, when the new mission building at Tenth Street and Penn was first occu- pied. In 1866 J. H. Kain became superintendent, and, October 19, 1869, was succeeded by John T. Bottomley, who still fills the office. In 1872 J. Willard Morgan was made secretary, and has since performed the duties of that position. Under this management the school prospered, and through it the North Baptist Church received quite an ac- cession to its membership. In 1880 ground was purchased at Ninth and Linden, and a neat brick chapel erected, with a seating capacity of two hun- dred and fifty in the audience-room. This chapel was dedicated free ofdebt, October 2, 1881. The mis- sion had now become strong enough to walk alone and, December 17, 1885, the twenty-second anni- versary of the mission, a meeting was held, at which it was decided to constitute a church, to be called the Linden Baptist Church. John T. Bottomley and B. M. Denney were elected deacons ; Elmer E. Morton, clerk ; William Hall, treasurer; and J. W. Mor- gan, F. W. Cramer, William S. Moslander, William Hall, Mary B. Howard and Agnes Nash, trustees. William H. Geistweit accepted a call to the pas- torate, and was ordained January 25, 1886, by a council of Baptist Churches, which, at the same time, recognized the church, preliminariy to its

admission into the West New Jersey Baptist As- sociation.

ST. PAUL'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH.1-March 12, 1830, a small company of gentlemen met to consult on the advisability of organizing an Epis- copal Church in the town of Camden. There had been occasional services of the church held in Camden, in the second story of the building known as the City Hall, at the present site of Federal Street Market, for some time previous, by several clergy- men of Philadelphia who had agreed among them- selves "to preach " here in turn on Sunday after- noon, "so that it should have, if possible, one ser- vice of the church on every Sunday." In the first report made from the parish after its organization, to the Diocesan Convention, the congregation gave acknowledgments for services to Rt. Rev. Bishop Onderdonk, Rev. Dr. De Lancey, Rev. Messrs. Bedell, Douglass, Mead, Rutlidge, Depuy, Hawks, Boyd, Van Pelt, Allen, Jaqnette, Smith and Tyng. After due consultation among those assembled at this preliminary conference, it was " Resolved that the meeting do now institute a Protestant Episcopal Church in the city of Cam- den, under the name of Zion Church, the name subject to be changed if deemed advisable at the time of incorporation."

On March 26, 1830, the parish was organized and incorporated under the name and title of " The Rector, Wardens and Vestrymen of St. Paul's Church, Camden." The first wardens of the new parish were Josiah Harrison and Isaac Welsh. The vestrymen were Dr. Bowman Hendry, Jere- miah H. Sloan, Richard W. Howell, Gideon V. Stivers, Abraham Browning, Sr., Ebenezer Toole, John Browning, Auley McCalla, Dr. Samuel Harris and Morris Croxall. The deputies to ask admission to the convention were Josiah Harri- son, Jeremiah H. Sloan and Richard W. Howell.

The first convention after the accession of Bish- op Doane to the episcopate, in 1832, was held in Camden, and in the same unpretending "upper room of the City Hall," which had been used for the services of the young congregation, and in which the meetings for its organization and incor- poration had been held. In September, 1833, the Rev. Samuel Starr, of Connecticut, was appointed by Bishop Doane as a missionary to the church in Camden in connection with the old St. Mary's (Colestown) Parish. The records of the Camden Parish, speaking of this missionary, say : " He was a man of singular energy, and by his exertions in the effort to erect a house of worship in this place,

1 Compiled from an historical sermon by the Rev. Dr. Garrison, in 1880, the fiftieth anniversary of this parish.

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HISTORY OF CAMDEN COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

was an enterprise in which the boldness was only equaled by the success." On February 3, 1834, the vestry, under his energetic influence, took steps toward the building of a church. The parish records state that " The lot marked No. 121 in the Map of Camden, and situated on the south side of Market Street, between Fourth and Fifth, was purchased for three hundred dollars, and the lot adjoining was obtained on a perpetual lease on payment of twenty-five dollars per an- num ground-rent, February, 1834." The cor- ner-stone of the church building was laid by Bishop Doane on Tuesday, April 22, 1834. The venerable Bishop White assisted Bishop Doane in the ceremonies. The basemeot-room was ready for use and services held in it early in 1835. The entire church was completed the same year.

On June 1, 1835, the Rev. Mr. Starr, who, to this time, had been only a missionary to the par- ish, was elected to the rectorslip, and on the same day the building was consecrated hy Bishop Doane and the benediction pronounced by Bishop White. The congregation at the end of the first year had twenty-one communicants, and a Sun- day-school had been opened with one hundred children in attendance. In May, 1836, the Rev. Mr. Starr resigned, and on July 25th, Rev. Francis P. Lee became the second rector. The two churches of Camden and Colestown were, from the beginning of the former, a single charge. During the two years' pastorate of Rev. Mr. Lee the num- ber of communicants at St. Paul's increased to forty-one and the Sunday-school was in a prosper- ons condition. On his resignation, in 1868, Rev. Henry Burroughs was elected, and he entered on the joint charge of the two parishes of Camden and Moorestown on November 20, 1838. He retained this until March 7, 1840, when the church in Moorestown severed its connection with Cam- den, and Mr. Burroughs was left with the rector- ship of St. Paul's only. On July 9, 1843, he wrote to the vestry, "My constitution is not suited to this part of the country, and I find myself most reluctantly compelled to resign the charge of this parish."

On August 23, 1843, the Rev. Joseph M. Ly- brand was elected to the pastoral charge. Under his earnest labors the congregation grew steadily. The church was constructed of unhewn stone, and in 1846 a resolution was passed " that the unhewn stone of the church be covered with rough casting, after the manner of the State House, in Trenton, and squared, in imitation of stone."

Among the earliest of the institutions for parish aid in this congregation, and one which did much

good in pecuniary assistance to the church, was the "Ladies' Sewing Society," which was formed in 1835. The object of this organization was to assist in decreasing the debt of the church and render general aid. In 1836, according to a record, the vestry "thanked the society for a splendid service of communion plate and set of lamps for the pulpit." The society ceased to exist in 1860. According to its last report, it had raised for the church over seven thousand dollars.

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The history of Camden county, New Jersey, Part 77

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

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