USA > New Jersey > Hunterdon County > Amwell > The history of the First English Presbyterian Church in Amwell > Part 12
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November 9th, 1826, Session again met at the home of Mrs. Sarah Wilson and spent the time in prayer and free conversation about the state of the church.
November 3d, 1827, the Session met at the house of Mrs. Wilson near the church (this is Mrs. Mary Wil- son). Elders all present. Mrs. Lanning, wife of John
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G. Lanning, produced a certificate from the Presbyterian Church at Chenango Point, New York, which being found in order, she was admitted to the membership of the church.
April 15th, 1828, Mrs. Margaret Blue was received on examination.
At a meeting of Session in 1828 it was resolved that pastoral visitation by the Session should have attention in efforts to promote the spiritual welfare of the church. Similar duties and observances were recommended on two or three other occasions while Mr. Clark was with the church. These endeavors show very deep concern and great faithfulness on the part of the pastor, and it is note- worthy that he secured the co-operation of the Elders. On the other hand the misdemeanors recorded and the several cases of discipline exercised at time for the most flagrant conduct, make it evident that there was reason for these measures. It is gratifying to know that such faithfulness had its reward.
May Ist, 1829, the Session received Mrs. Catharine Quick, wife of Samuel Quick, into church membership by letter from the Reformed Dutch Church of Millstone.
October 10th, 1829, we have a minute which shows how rigid the Session was in the administration of dis- darin cipline. We copy it as a part of the history and an ex-sseph ample of the course pursued by the Session. A female wer member evidently of good social standing was charged by public rumor of having violated the seventh command- Ga ment. At this meeting she voluntarily sent a letter to the Sam Session acknowledging the guilt of which she was thus ship charged. Whereupon it was unanimously resolved that tend
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she be cut off from all the privileges of the church and her name be erased from the list of its members. Ordered further that the pastor address her a letter suitable to her case and informing her of the punishment inflicted on her. Usually it was added in cases of discipline, as our book requires, until the person gives satisfactory evidence of re- Dentance. And it may be remarked that the many cases of discipline recorded, many of them for most flagrant conduct, make it evident that there was need of discipline. It is gratifying to know that the faithfulness on the part of pastor and elders had its reward.
In 1829 and 1830 the church was favored with precious seasons of revival.
October 17th, 1829, the Session received on examina- :ion George F. Wilson and Lucretia, his wife, Gideon Quick and Sarah Fisher (first teacher in Sunday School) his wife, Jacob Schenck and Jane, his wife, Sarah, the wife of Lewis Labaw, and Ann, the wife of Jonathan Hoagland.
November 28th, 1829, Session received on examination Lewis Labaw and Eliza Skillman to the sacrament of baptism and the Lord's Supper.
December 12th, 1829, Alpheus Chamberlin and Cath- trine, his wife, Peter Young and Elizabeth, his wife, Jo- eph Sutphin and Mary, his wife, and Polhemus Higgins vere received on examination.
January 9th, 1830, John Holcomb, Alexander Mc- Gaw, Mrs. Margaret Stryker, Miss Julia Ann Case and Samuel, a man of color, were received to church member- hip after due examination. This is the last meeting at- ended by Elder Titus Quick. He acted as Clerk of Ses-
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sion from the beginning of Mr. Clark's pastorate to the present time, the period of eight years and a few months. There is no record of his death in the minutes, but we find in the Trustee book that November 19th, 1832, Ger- shom Quick, his executor, had settled with the Treasurer of the church and paid over from his estate the balance due the church on his subscription.
January 23d, 1830, William G. Schenck, Henry Schenck and Eliza, his wife, Peter Quick and Ann, his wife, and Abraham Prall, after careful examination, were received into church membership. The minute is signed by Elder John Hageman, who appears as the Clerk of Session.
November 26th, 1831, at the meeting of Session we find Peter Young and John R. Quick and George F. Wilson enrolled among the Elders, but we have no record of their election and ordination to this office. At this meeting the Session received on examination Joseph Van Marter, Jacob Polhemus, Eliza Prall, Charity Meldrum, Peggy Schenck, Debora Van Ness, Gabriel and Caleb Farley, men of color, and Caty, a woman of color.
May 9th, 1832, Miss Margaret Bowman was received on examination.
November 16th, 1832, the Session, after examination, received Miss Harriet Schenck, Miss Jane Schenck, Hart Wilson and Amelia, his wife, Mrs. Nathaniel Wilson, and Nean, a man of color.
May 17th, 1833, in this minute we find that applicants for church membership were examined as to their views of doctrine, and their experimental piety. At this meet-
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ing the Session received Mrs. Mary, wife of John Young, and Keziah, a woman of color.
November 13th, 1833, received to sealing ordinance of the church, after examination, Jonathan Conover, John Young and Betty, a woman of color.
Under this date of May 17th, 1833, there is an addi- tional minute stating that Elder Tunis Quick, charged with frequent litigation and detention of property after he had sold it, was by unanimous vote of Session sus- . pended from the communion of the church.
May 7th, 1834, the Session received on examination Frank, a man of color, belonging to Gideon Quick, and Miss Margaret Bowman.
November 9th, 1834, Mrs. Sarah Ann Wilson, wife of Nathaniel Wilson, was received on examination into the membership of the church.
May, 1836, Miss Gertrude Edwards was received on examination to church membership. This meeting was the last at which Mr. Clark was present.
The whole number received by Mr. Clark on examina- tion was seventy-two and on certificate nine. The total membership of the church at the time of his leaving was eighty-eight. The church had reached the point of being able to support a pastor alone, and the steps had been taken for its accomplishment.
A few facts must here be recorded not found in the Sessional records. For these we are indebted to Dr. Mott. "For almost sixteen years the union between Flemington Church and the Amwell First Church had existed harmoniously. Then on March 4th, 1836, a com- munication was received from the mother church express-
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ing the kindest feelings and grateful remembrances of the pleasant associations of the past, but stating in their judg- ment the time had come when the interests of each con- gregation would be best served by a discontinuance of this relation ; it added that they desired the entire services of a pastor. They requested that the union might be dis- solved at the approaching meeting of Presbytery in April. This feeling had been forming for four years previous. Hence it was not a sudden impulse, nor did it grow out of any friction between these churches. On the 9th of April the Flemington congregation formerly concurred in the request. On the 21st of April the Flemington con- gregation met and made out a call to Mr. Clark asking for his whole time and offering as salary $500. A similar call wa sextended to Mr. Clark by the mother church.
The Presbytery of Newton met at Harmony, Warren County, on the 26th of April. These calls each for Mr. Clark's whole time were placed in his hands on the 27th. Thereupon he signified his acceptance of the call from Amwell First, and requested that the pastoral relation between himself and the Flemington Church might be dis- solved. The request was granted. For these acts of Presbytery I am indebted to Rev. E. Clark Cline, Stated Clerk.
The hopes inspired by Mr. Clark's acceptance of the call from Amwell were soon disappointed, since Mr. Clark remained as sole pastor of our church for only a few months. The relation terminated December 27th, 1836. The only reference to this in the minutes is the following, viz., that "the Session met January 15th, 1837, at the house of John P. Quick, and was opened with
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prayer; and then the minutes add that our former pastor, Rev. Mr. Clark, having left us to labor in Paterson, N. J., Elder George Fisher Wilson was unanimously chosen Chairman of the Session." To return to Mr. Clark he accepted a call to the First Presbyterian Church of Pater- son. He remained at Paterson for six years. He then accepted a call to the Presbyterian Church of Oyster Bay, L. I., recently become famous as the summer home of President Roosevelt. The pastorate at Oyster Bay con- tinued for only one year. His next settlement was as pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Fishkill village, Duchess County, N. Y., where he labored for eight years. He died in this charge in 1853 at the age of sixty-nine years.
The Rev. John Flavel Clark came to this church at a time of great difficulty in the church and great depression in the country. The life of the church was at a low ebb. Having previously had the services and support of a pas- tor for only one-fourth of his time for many years the financial ability of the church was almost wholly unde- veloped. The large funds in the hands of the church doubtless led to this indifference, creating a tendency to depend on the funds in hand, rather than to give them- selves to work in hand. By God's blessing on the pas- tor's labors the church was eventually much revived and felt the thrill of a new spiritual life. As a conse- quence, the church began to realize her ability and be- come willing to perform her duty. By degrees the desire was begotten for a pastor's whole time and the church was ready to assume his support. In addition to this the congregation was getting ready to undertake the building
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of a new church. Further, to Mr. Clark belongs the honor of having organized our Sabbath School. The date of the organization has not been preserved, but we have been able, with the help of the late Mr. Jacob Quick, to assign its origin to the year 1828, with the assurance that this date is substantially, if not absolutely correct. The statement of Mr. Quick was this: That he attended the Sabbath School when first organized and that his mother, Mrs. Sarah Fisher Quick (wife of Gideon), and Paul Kuhl were teachers. It was his recollection that he was ten years of age at the time. This gave us the date as above. George Fisher Wilson and John Hageman were also teachers at this early period. This opinion of Jacob was concurred in by his brother, Elder Caleb Farley Quick.
Also it is to be remembered that Mr. Clark (at the time pastor of the Flemington Church alone) was present at and delivered an address at the organization of the Hunterdon County Bible Society in 1816.
Mr. Clark was also the first pastor of this church to secure regular contributions to the cause of missions. Be- fore this time there had, in fact, been collections for mis- sions, and the first pastors of the church, at times, left the church for months at a time and did missionary work in destitute places under the appointment of Presbytery. The work then was largely among the Indians of our own and neighboring states. Contributions were also secured for the education of young men for the ministry. But the work was more or less irregular. Mr. Clark gave to this effort a degree of system and regularity. The collections at first were indeed small, being as low as two dollars a
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year, then up to ten. But in 1832, soon after the revival Amwell and Flemington each gave $25 to missions. Col- lections were also taken for the Bible Society, for the education of young men to the ministry, and for the Theological Seminary at Princeton. The great achieve- ment, however, was to get the movement fairly started. Having said so much of the pastor, a few statements con- cerning Mr. Clark's personal history will certainly be appropriate.
John Flavel Clark was the eldest of the three sons of Dr. Joseph Clark, who was pastor of the First Presby- terian Church of New Brunswick from 1796 to 1813. John graduated from Princeton College in 1807, holding rank among the first scholars in his class. After gradua- tion, he was engaged in teaching for some time in Georgia. He began the study of divinity at Andover in 1810, and there became acquainted with Newell, Mills and Judson, the pioneers in the cause of foreign missions. Before his course of study was completed, he was chosen tutor at Princeton College and held the position for three years. He pursued his theological studies in the meantime under Dr. Ashbel Green, President of the College. From this position he was called to Flemington as a Stated Supply for three months, beginning in November, 1814, at the rate of $600 a year. This resulted in his being called to become pastor, and he was ordained and installed over that church June 14th, 1815. He became Supply for Amwell First in 1820. His connection with this church for the next sixteen years has been described. Of the sev- enty-three persons received into the membership of the church on examination and six on certificate, not one is
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now with us. But many of our older people who sat under his ministry in their youth well remember him and his wife.
It was my privilege to attend the semi-centennial anni- versary of the Presbytery of Newton in 1867. Rev. D. X. Junkin, D. D., delivered the historical discourse on that occasion. Of his friend, John Flavel Clark, he said : "Many here will remember his large, portly frame, his pleasant beaming countenance, his genial companionship, his exhaustless fund of anecdote, his kindly, generous heart, his clear, loud and commanding voice, his impres- sive appearance and solemn manner in the pulpit. He was a good preacher and a good man. Some were of opinion that his wonderful powers of wit and anecdotal conversation impaired his usefulness, but as far as my ob- servation extended this power was kept under the restraint of good taste and piety, and whilst it made him the life of the social circle, I never saw it interfere with the graver duties of his ministry."
I deem it appropriate to add a word concerning Mrs. Clark, since the wife of the pastor has often a difficult position to fill and upon her faithfulness in the home duties, as well as those which pertain to her as a member of the church very much of her husband's standing and usefulness depends. Mrs. Clark was a sister to the late Mrs. Jane Maxwell Green, of Easton, to whose daughter I was married in 1860. She was also a sister of the late John Maxwell Sherrerd, for years a leader of the bar in Belvidere, and also a most useful and highly honored Elder in the Presbyterian Church there. While I did not have the privilege of an acquaintance with this uncle and
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aunt, I have naturally come to know something of them personally. Mary Sherrerd, wife of Rev. John F. Clark, was the daughter of Samuel Sherrerd and Ann Maxwell, his wife, of Pleasant Valley, Warren County, N. J. She was the granddaughter of Captain John Maxwell, of the Revolutionary Army. Captain Maxwell, though of in- ferior rank, was not inferior in his patriotism to his more distinguished brother, General William Maxwell, a mem- ber of Washington's staff. In the darkest hour of the conflict, when Washington was retreating through the Jerseys, Captain Maxwell raised a company of one hun- dred men in and around Greenwich, and with these, ten- dered his services to the great chieftain. He was present at and had a part in the battles of Trenton, Princeton Brandywine, Germantown, Monmouth and Springfield.
The Rev. Joseph Clark, D. D., father of John Flavel Clark, served on Washington's staff during the Revolu- tion. This gives you a glimpse of the patriotic blood in the veins of this honored pastor and his wife. And if the piety and good judgment of Mrs. Clark were like that of her sisters and her brother, of which I have no doubt, then she was as true to her Saviour as grandparents were to their country. Her son, Dr. Samuel Clark, late of Belvidere, was an honor to these godly parents, and their grandson, Judge Flavel Magee, of Jersey City, and an Elder in the First Church there, is also continuing in the ways of his pious ancestors .* Those who have inherited the labors, the faithfulness and the prayers of such a pas- tor as Rev. John F. Clark, have reason for gratitude to
*Written in 1898. Judge Magee has since died.
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God, and surely have a strong incentive to unswerving fidelity to the Saviour.
THE EIGHTH PASTOR, REV. DAVID HULL,
1837-1844.
The pastoral relation between Amwell First Church and the Rev. John Flavel Clark having been dissolved December 27th, 1836, the Session met January 15th, 1837, when Elder George F. Wilson was elected Chair- man of Session, and John Hageman, Clerk.
March 14th, 1837, at a meeting of the Session, the Chairman was directed to invite the Rev. David Hull to preach for this church as a candidate. Mr. Hull was a young man who had been ordained as an evangelist the previous year by the Presbytery of Northumberland. At a meeting of the Session, held April 12th, 1837, the record of which states that Mr. Hull having preached several times for us it was decided to receive him as a supply for six months, and George F. Wilson, the delegate to Presby- tery, was instructed to ask Presbytery to appoint him to this service. Mr. Hull was received by the Presbytery of Newton April 25th, 1837, from the Presbytery of North- umberland, and the above request was granted.
The Amwell First Church presented a call for the pas- toral services of the Rev. David Hull to the Presbytery of Newton, in session at Flemington, October 4th, 1837, and arrangements were made for his installation Novem- ber 23d following. At this service the Rev. John Mc- Nair, of Milford, was appointed to preside and preach the sermon, Rev. D. X. Junkin, of Greenwich, to charge
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the pastor, and the Rev. James M. Olmstead, of Flem- ington to charge the people.
The installation took place as thus arranged and once more the church was equipped for action.
The congregation met at the church April 26th, 1838, with George F. Wilson as Moderator and John Hage- man as Clerk. The following persons were then elected to the office of Trustees, viz .: Peter P. Quick, Joseph Van Marter, Gideon Quick, Jonathan H. Conover, Lewis Labaw, Jacob W. Schenck and George P. Rex, M. D.
The President of the Board, Peter P. Quick, reported on the funds of the church as follows: Principal, $2,800, and interest due May Ist, 1838, $195.60.
At a meeting of the congregation held at the church November 4th, 1837, with John Hageman as Moderator and Peter Prall Secretary, a motion was made to build a new meeting house at or near Greenville.
After discussion, the meeting adjourned to meet the first Staurday in January, 1838. The congregation as- sembled, accordingly, and chose Jonathan H. Conover Moderator, and Peter Prall Secretary. The subject was again discussed and the meeting adjourned to the 10th day of February. At this meeting John Hageman was chosen Moderator and George B. Smith Secretary. The original motion was called up, when it was unanimously decided to be expedient to build a meeting house at or near Greenville.
The following committee was appointed to secure sub- scriptions, viz: George F. Wilson, Gideon Quick, Jacob F. Prall, Jacob W. Schenck, and George P. Rex., M. D.
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The congregation met June 2nd following, when the committee reported having secured subscriptions amount- ing to $1,629.00. It was also stated by the committee that the uncertainty about the location was assigned by many persons as a reason for not subscribing. At the same time the committee expressed great satisfaction with the liberal subscriptions received, and the promise of further help as the work progressed.
As the matter then stood eleven of those who had subscribed resided west of the church, and sixty-one on the east side. If the new church should be located at Greenville, twenty-seven would reside on the west and forty-four on the east side. This indicated Greenville as the more central location.
It was then resolved that, inasmuch as only about one- half the sum needed for a new church had been sub- scribed, and that as there was great inequality in the subscriptions, that we appropriate so much of the prin- cipal of the church funds as may be necessary to erect a new house of worship, at or near Greenville. This mo- tion was unanimously adopted. An adjourned meeting of the congregation was held June 9th, at the schoolhouse in Greenville, at which John P. Quick was chosen Mod- erator and George F. Wilson Secretary. David S. Man- ners, Daniel Johnson and George P. Rex, M. D., were appointed a committee to ascertain whether it would be cheaper to build a brick or a frame building. And John Hageman and Peter P. Young were appointed to wait upon Jacob Williamson, Esq., and Mrs. Mary Manners to see if land could be procured for the church, and at what price. This committee reported that a half acre
AMWELL FIRST CHURCH. Built 1839; enlarged 1883.
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could be procured from the former for $100, and from the latter it could be obtained gratuitously.
The congregation again met, August 18th, 1838, with John Hageman Moderator, and George P. Rex. Sec- retary. It was decided at this meeting to erect a build- ing 42 feet by 56, and that it be put up by contract. John Hageman, George F. Wilson, Gideon Quick, Ja- cob W. Schenck, and George P. Rex., M. D., were ap- pointed a committee to make the contract.
The congregation met April 6th, 1839, in the old meeting house, when Jonathan H. Conover was chosen Moderator, and George P. Rex Secertary. Peter P. Quick, Joseph Van Marter and Jonathan H. Conover tendered their resignation as Trustees for the congrega- tion. Their resignation was accepted, and Anthony L. Case, Jacob F. Prall and Ralph Young were elected to supply the vacancy. Abraham Prall, Sr., John P. Quick and George F. Wilson were appointed a committee to select the location for the church from the lots already reported on. While their choice is not recorded, we know that the church was erected on the land purchased from Jacob Williamson, Esq. We know also from the receipts preserved that the contract for building the church was given to Jacob Voorhees.
A meeting of the Trustees was held April 13th, 1839, when Anthony L. Case, Jacob F. Prall and Ralph Young were sworn in as Trustees according to law, by James S. Manners, Esq. The Trustees then chose Anthony L. Case as president of the Board.
We do not have a minute stating the amount for which the erection of the building was contracted, but 13
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from tradition we learn that it included the free use of all available material from the old church. The con- tractors evidently agreed to pay for the work in three equal payments. For one of these we have the following receipt :
July 15th, 1839. Rec'd from Anthony L. Case, one of the Trustees of the First English Presbyterian Church of Amwell, by order of the Contracting Committee, sev- en hundred and sixty-six dollars and sixty-six cents, be- ing the second payment in full for building the church at Greenville.
JACOB VOORHEES.
This would give $2,300 as the cash payment for build- ing the church. The last receipt is as follows:
Received from Anthony L. Case one hundred and sev- enty-five dollars, in full for painting the meeting house in Greenville; also three dollars and fifty cents for put- ting the numbers on the seats, and painting around the drum, being in full of all claims and demands whatso- ever against said congregation, from the beginning of the world to the present time.
Dec. 25th, 1839. JACOB VOORHEES.
Having a new church and all paid for should have made a merry Christmas for the fathers and mothers of that day. It is worthy of notice that the old church had stood for just one hundred years, having been erected, as we have shown, in 1739.
Changing the location and building a new church was also an event of great importance in the early years of
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Mr. Hull's pastorate. Yet it does not appear that any notice was taken by him and the congregation of this contennial in the church's history.
It was in this same year, 1839, that the Synod of New Jersey, October 16th, set off certain churches from the Presbytery of Newton, and directed these churches to meet, by their representatives, on the first Thursday in November at Flemington, and organize themselves into a separate Presbytery. This meeting took place accord- ingly, when the following pastors were present, viz: Jo- seph Campbell, Jacob Kirkpatrick, Peter O. Studiford, Holloway W. Hunt, Jr., James W. Almstead, James Scott, David Hull, Albert Williams, William Mc Jimp- sey and Joseph Wood.
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