USA > New York > Delaware County > Hobart > Souvenir of Old St. Peter's and of Hobart Village > Part 1
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Gc 974.702 H65t 1851842
REYNOLDS HISTORICAL GENEALOGY COLLECTION
GEN
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 02209 4269
1
ST. PETER'S CHURCH 1905.
A SOUVENIR OF@
Old St. Peter's A N D O F
Hobart Village, N. Y.
Compiled by the
Rev. TR. M. Turner
and Published by
The Ladies' Build
Price Twenty=five Cents
1905 Independent Press Hobart, N. Y.
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2015
https://archive.org/details/souvenirofoldstp00turn
ST. PETER'S RECTORY AND OLD OAK TREE.
1851842
The Old Book
OF the many books-old and time worn, musty and yellowed that it has been my fortune to look into none has affected me as has the Book of Records of Old "St. Peter's Church of the United Parishes of Stamford, Harpersfield and Kortright." I thought when I took it up that I should read the first page or two, glance at a few more here and there, gleaning a few ideas of this aged parish from its dry and uninteresting pages and hand it back to be locked up again in its safe hiding place. Instead, reading on from page to page everything else was forgotten as there was unfolded before me a romance of days long forgotten, of bright days and dark, of hardships and toils and victories won-a tale of small beginnings and many disappointments, a tale of the yearnings of devoted men and women and of their labors that "the Gospel of Christ should flourish in this rude and uncultivated forest." A story of their longings ful- filled and their labors rewarded as they saw a beautiful church rise, verily hewed out from that same "rude forest," God's house, standing high upon the hill in the midst of their humble dwellings, to bring the great blessing of His Presence among them. And there I thought I should stop, but the fascination of the old book held me in thrall as night after night I continued to puzzle on over the quaint handwriting and fading ink of those men of old-fashion who all unconscious were
A SOUVENIR OF OLD ST. PETER'S.
making there a history of their souls' interest for us who follow them accepting as our heritage the fruit of their labors. And how many laborers does God raise up in His vineyard ! Such numbers of earnest people have contributed their share here to the cultivation of the gar- den of the Prince of the Apostles ! Not more than two or three of them have been known outside of their own humble sphere of life. No other book written by man, perhaps, contains their names, yet are they all written with their deeds in God's " book of remembrance." And now " they may rest from their labors and their works do follow them."
AN OLD TIME PICTURE OF ST. PETER'S CHURCH.
Old St. Peter's
THE first record in the parish register is of the baptism of two children by the Rev. Ebenezer Dibblee, D. D., a priest of whose travels records are found in many Founding old registers in this part of the country. He seems to have always exercised his min-
of the Church istry wherever his wanderings led him. In 1794 the Rev. Walter Clark Gardner, Rector of the church in Hudson, took a vacation trip through the Catskills, following in Dr. Dibblee's footsteps and while on his way stopped twice in Waterville, now known as Ho- bart. Here on the evening of St. Peter's Day (I quote his own words) "finding a number of earnest church peo- ple, I was persuaded to give a church service and sermon at the house of Stephen Bartow, after supper and before sunset ; this was the first church service ever held in their midst. The people seemed much in earnest, and after the service I baptized two children. Next day I spent advising many who were anxious to found a con- gregation and build a house of God." Thus was begun a glorious work.
On December 8th of the same year, the people were convened, the first trustees elected and all was done ac- cording to law, for the incorporation of the parish of the Episcopal Church of St. Peter's in the townships of Stam- ford, Harpersfield and Kortright. The names of those first trustees were : Augustus Bates, Gershom Hanford,
A SOUVENIR OF OLD ST. PETER'S.
Elijah Baldwin, Ebenezer Sturges, Henry Bradford, Truman Beers, Andrew Beers, Stephen Bartow, Moses Sackrider.
At a meeting of the trustees, held February 28th, 1796, it was
"RESOLVED, That the church be immediately united with the churches of New York, and that the Right Rev. Father in God, Samuel Provost, D. D., of New York, is hereby acknowledged Bishop, and we do from these presents, agree for ourselves, and in behalf of this church, to pay unto the said Samuel, all Episco- pal obedience."
The parish was admitted to union with the Diocese of New York, October 12th, 1796, the Rev. W. C. Gard- ner being rector. The first wardens were Ebenezer Sturges and Andrew Beers.
The first vestrymen were Joshua Nash, James Wet- more, Joseph Hurd, Stephen Bartow, Truman Beers, Abijah Seeley, Perry Sturges and Augustus Bates.
At a meeting of the trustees on July 13th, 1795, plans were first made for a church building on a plot of ground A House of Worship on the knoll at the junction of the Town- ship Road and the Clove Road, and cre- dentials were given to Andrew Hurd for raising money by subscription for the building. The ground chosen was to be given by Francis Clark. There was much controversy over the location of the building, however, and notwithstanding it was several times voted to proceed with the building on the Township Road, this location was not satisfactory to the people and in June 1801, six years after the first plans, it was voted
ST. PETER'S CHURCH-INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR. THE RECTORY 1885.
A SOUVENIR OF OLD ST. PETER'S.
" to make an everlasting peace and final decision and to unite in one " by a vote of all the people.
The final decision was by a vote of 46 to 13 in favor of Beers's Pine Hill which we now know as Church Hill. The building committee consisted of Andrew and Tru- man Beers, John B. Hall, Comfort Butler and Peter Knapp. The work was begun on July 4th, 1801. On that day there were two picnic dinners, held by the two par- ties, one at the old site on the Township Road and one on Church Hill, after which all ill feeling was cast aside.
The building was sufficiently completed on Decem- ber 17th, 1801 so that a meeting was held there for the election of a rector, which was adjourned to another place " on account of the intense cold." In June 1802, the church was ordered painted. There is no record showing when the interior was finished and pews put in, but there was much difficulty experienced in raising the money necessary to do it. In 1822 the pews are men- tioned as being there. An early picture shows the old "three decker," consisting of Communion Table, read- ing desk and pulpit, the latter reached by a long wind- ing stairway. Imagine the quaint old scene today-the preacher attired in black gown and bands, climbing up the high stairs and shutting himself into his elevated station, so as to be seen by the people, comfortably set- tled in their high, square pews.
During the rectorate of the Rev. Arthur Whitaker, the present more churchly Altar was placed at the east end of the church and the old pulpit removed. This began an era of changes and improvements in the old edifice which reached its consummation when in the rectorate of
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A SOUVENIR OF OLD ST. PETER'S.
the Rev. R. H. Barnes the new chancel was added to the church and the beautiful memorial windows put in.
It is recorded that many improvements were made in the days of the Rev. W. A. Curtis and more recently during the rectorate of the Rev. B. T. Trego, after the fire which threatened the church.
In the early days of St. Peter's most people of the vil- lage were reckoned as Churchmen and in the " old book" we find recorded the names of the
Honor to whom Honor great majority of the historic families of the town. Three names however stand out from all the rest as those of men to whom we must give great honor for their work in those early days. Andrew Beers seems to have been the great leader in the work of organizing and building. It was upon his land that the church was built and tradition has it that he and his family presented the Church Circle to the parish. Stephen Bartow also deserves our gratitude for the fact that through his hospitality to the Missionary Priest Gardner, the first service was held and the seed sown which has borne such fruit. And there is Andrew Hurd, to whom they give testimony in words of thanks, that he was a faithful man and of much use in obtaining the money for the church building.
Old Trinity Church of New York city helped St. Peter's too, in its earliest days, furnishing $500 for which was purchased the Glebe land of forty-six acres and also ten and one-half acres of land where is now the cemetery, on which was built the Glebe house or rectory.
Among the quaint customs noted in the " old book " and worth remembering, I find an agreement between the vestry and rector in 1798, whereby the rector is to
HOBART VILLAGE LOOKING EAST.
A SOUVENIR OF OLD ST. PETER'S.
receive in consideration of part of his stipend "certain produce of the country, viz : good wheat at one dollar per bushel, weighing 60 pounds to the bushel ; good but- ter at one shilling per pound ; good pork at forty shil- lings per hundred." Then, too, in those times when spiritual gifts were not so easily to be obtained as now, we find a great appreciation of the priestly office, some- times lacking nowadays-as when in the letter to the Bishop concerning the Rev. Philander Chase they say : "And further, we pray that when his age and qualifica- tion shall admit he may be ordained a priest, that we may as soon as possible enjoy the estimable privileges belonging to that office."
Historical Facts
The church has had two organs. The first was built here in the village and was placed in the gallery of the church. In 1855 it was replaced by the present one. The first organist was Miss Julia Perry.
The first bell was placed in the tower in 1830 and in 1855 was substituted the one which now sweetly calls us to join in heavenly worship.
In 1832 the present rectory was purchased. Many additions and improvements have been made to it since
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3 1833 02209 4269
A SOUVENIR OF OLD ST. PETER'S.
then, chiefly through the work of the ladies of the par- ish. They seem to have been always doing something for the rector.
Many gifts and memorials have been, at different times, placed in the church-too many to enumerate here -but they are all to be found somewhere in the church today, the work of loving hands and loyal hearts.
Two mission churches owe their existence to Old St. Peter's-Grace Chapel, Stamford, where services were first held in 1880, and the church in Bloomville, where a new and handsome building is now being finished.
The Sunday School was organized in 1828, by the Rev. Beardsley Northrupp and has had an almost con- tinuous existence to the present day. In 1880 and 1881 the school placed in the church a memorial window to departed teachers and pupils and presented brass vases for the altar. The two most recent good works of the school have been the placing of the large stone step in front of the church door, and a contribution to the fund for placing a furnace in the church.
The organization of the women, known variously at different times as the Ladies' Aid Society, the Women's Auxiliary and the Ladies' Guild has been mentioned in the records many times for efficient work and useful gifts to the church.
Among the notable services held in St. Peter's church, we find the Benediction of the new sanctuary of the church, on the First Sunday after Trinity, June 19th,
notable 1881, by the Right Reverend Bishop Doane,
at which time 19 persons were confirmed.
Services On September 26th, 1881 there was a Me- morial Service for President James A. Garfield after his
I
HOBART VILLAGE FROM MT. BOBB.
HOBART FALLS.
A SOUVENIR OF OLD ST. PETER'S.
tragic death. On St. Peter's Day, June 29th, 1894, was held the Centennial Anniversary of the first church service in this village. The Rev. Thomas Burrows, rector, invited the eight living former rectors of the Parish to attend and take part in the festivities, as well as many others of the Clergy. It was a most happy occasion and of great interest to all the town.
On June 26th, 1889 this parish made an offering for the Johnstown Flood Sufferers through its rector, the Rev. J. A. Farrar.
During sixteen years no record was kept of the par- ish statistics, but using what have been preserved and
Parisb basing the estimate for the rest on calcula-
Statistics tions made in 1894, we may say that in Old St. Peter's 868 persons have been baptized and 574 confirmed. Also that there have been 270 marriages and 452 burials. To complete our record of parish beginnings I have found a note entered since the last history was written showing that the church was consecrated by Bishop Hobart on Thursday, September 2nd, 1819, at which time 40 persons were confirmed. It is also here noted that the first service was held in the new church on Christmas Day, 1801. The first stove was placed in the church in 1829. It seems a far cry to the modern heater now about to be installed in 1905.
One item of great interest remains to be recorded- the fire of Tuesday, February 12th, 1901. It was Town The Meeting day and the polling place was packed with voters when the cry of " fire " rang through Fire the streets, and a mad rush began up the hill, for the historic old church still has a warm spot in the affections of all the town's people. The fire, which was
A SOUVENIR OF OLD ST. PETER'S.
caused by an over heated stove-pipe, was soon controlled and by the noble efforts of the hose company the church was saved from any damage which could not be repaired. During the spring of 1901 the interior of the edifice was redecorated, new carpets laid and the seats recushioned. The exterior was also repainted.
The parish seems to have reached the zenith of its prosperity, both material and spiritual, during the rec- torate of the Rev. W. A. Curtis. Another period of great advance occurred during the rectorate of the Rev. R. H. Barnes.
One rector of this parish afterwards became a Bishop, the Rev. Philander Chase, who was Bishop of Ohio, from 1819 to 1852. He was the 18th Bishop of the American Succession and the fifth Presiding Bishop of the Church, which office he held from 1843 to 1852.
Five members of this parish have become Priests of the Church :
George D. Silliman, Rector of St. John's, Stockport, N. Y.
Frederick S. Griffin, Rector of St. Saviour's, Maspeth, N. Y. George K. MacNaught, Rector of All Saint's, Harrison, N. Y. George W. Farrar, Rector of Christ Church, Ottawa, Ill. Alexander H. Grant, Rector of Zion Church, Fulton, N. Y.
A SOUVENIR OF OLD ST. PETER'S.
List of Clergy of St. Peter's Church 1794=1905.
Ebenezer Dibblee, D. D. Missionary, 1794. Walter C. Gardner, 1796-97. Robert G. Wetmore, 1798. Philander Chase, 1799. Joseph Perry, 1802-09. Joseph Prentice, Missionary, 1809-II
Andrew Thompson, 1815-17. David Huntington, 1818-20. Charles W. Hamilton, 1820-21. J. Peter Fisher Clark, 1821-22. Beardsley Northrupp, 1826-28. Hewlet R. Peters, Missionary, 1829.
J. M. Tappan, 1830-32. William Allison, 1832-33. David Huntington, 1834-38. Sturges Gilbert, 1839-41. A. H. Cornish, 1841-43. Sheldon Davis, 1843-48.
William A. Curtis, 1849-62. Stephen P. Simpson, 1863-65. A. Sidney Dealey, 1866-67. John Boyle, 1867-68. D. Ellis Willes, 1869-72. Arthur Wittaker, 1872-74.
F. D. Jaudon, 1876-77. Benjamin T. Hall, 1878-79. Reginald H. Barnes, 1879-86. John A. Farrar, 1887-90. Eugene Griggs, 1890-92. Thomas Burrows, 1893-96.
S. H. Meade, M. D., 1896-97. Benjamin T. Trego, 1897-1902. John W. Foster, 1903-04. H. Landon Rice, 1904. Robert N. Turner, 1905.
A SOUVENIR OF OLD ST. PETER'S.
Officers of St. Peter's Parisb 1905.
Wardens. Robert McNaught, Senior Warden. Orlando B. Foote, Junior Warden.
Westrpmen.
Hector Stewart.
De Witt C. Hager.
William J. Calhoun.
Jehiel B. Borst. Roswell L. Barlow. William J. Grant.
William W. Kerr. Albert Kellerman.
DeWitt C. Hager, Treasurer.
William J. Grant, Clerk.
Mrs. H. J. Kniskern, Organist. Ralph B. Kerr, Sexton.
Communicants 83.
Sunday School Superintendents. William J. Grant. Edward A. Ackley.
Sunday School Teachers.
The Rector. Edward A. Ackley. William J. Grant.
Mrs. W. J. Kniskern. Mrs. H. J. Kniskern. Mrs. W. W. Kerr. Membership 36.
The Ladies' Build.
President, Mrs. Robert McNaught.
Secretary, Mrs. W. J. Kniskern. Treasurer, Miss Carrie Hanford. Membership 20.
A SOUVENIR OF OLD ST. PETER'S.
tragic death. On St. Peter's Day, June 29th, 1894, was held the Centennial Anniversary of the first church service in this village. The Rev. Thomas Burrows, rector, invited the eight living former rectors of the Parish to attend and take part in the festivities, as well as many others of the Clergy. It was a most happy occasion and of great interest to all the town.
On June 26th, 1889 this parish made an offering for the Johnstown Flood Sufferers through its rector, the Rev. J. A. Farrar.
During sixteen years no record was kept of the par- ish statistics, but using what have been preserved and
Parisb basing the estimate for the rest on calcula-
tions made in 1894, we may say that in Old
Statistics St. Peter's 868 persons have been baptized and 574 confirmed. Also that there have been 270 marriages and 452 burials. To complete our record of parish beginnings I have found a note entered since the last history was written showing that the church was consecrated by Bishop Hobart on Thursday, September 2nd, 1819, at which time 40 persons were confirmed. It is also here noted that the first service was held in the new church on Christmas Day, 1801. The first stove was placed in the church in 1829. It seems a far cry to the modern heater now about to be installed in 1905.
One item of great interest remains to be recorded- the fire of Tuesday, February 12th, 1901. It was Town Tbe Meeting day and the polling place was packed
with voters when the cry of " fire " rang through Fire the streets, and a mad rush began up the hill, for the historic old church still has a warm spot in the affections of all the town's people. The fire, which was
A SOUVENIR OF OLD ST. PETER'S.
caused by an over heated stove-pipe, was soon controlled and by the noble efforts of the hose company the church was saved from any damage which could not be repaired. During the spring of 1901 the interior of the edifice was redecorated, new carpets laid and the seats recushioned. The exterior was also repainted.
The parish seems to have reached the zenith of its prosperity, both material and spiritual, during the rec- torate of the Rev. W. A. Curtis. Another period of great advance occurred during the rectorate of the Rev. R. H. Barnes.
One rector of this parish afterwards became a Bishop, the Rev. Philander Chase, who was Bishop of Ohio, from 1819 to 1852. He was the 18th Bishop of the American Succession and the fifth Presiding Bishop of the Church, which office he held from 1843 to 1852.
Five members of this parish have become Priests of the Church :
George D. Silliman, Rector of St. John's, Stockport, N. Y.
Frederick S. Griffin, Rector of St. Saviour's, Maspeth, N. Y. George K. MacNaught, Rector of All Saint's, Harrison, N. Y. George W. Farrar, Rector of Christ Church, Ottawa, Ill. Alexander H. Grant, Rector of Zion Church, Fulton, N. Y.
A SOUVENIR OF OLD ST. PETER'S.
List of Clergy of St. Peter's Church 1794=1905.
Ebenezer Dibblee, D. D. Missionary, 1794. Walter C. Gardner, 1796-97. Robert G. Wetmore, 1798. Philander Chase, 1799. Joseph Perry, 1802-09. Joseph Prentice, Missionary, 1809-II
Andrew Thompson, 1815-17. David Huntington, 1818-20. Charles W. Hamilton, 1820-21. J. Peter Fisher Clark, 1821-22. Beardsley Northrupp, 1826-28. Hewlet R. Peters, Missionary, 1829.
J. M. Tappan, 1830-32. William Allison, 1832-33. David Huntington, 1834-38. Sturges Gilbert, 1839-41. A. H. Cornish, 1841-43. Sheldon Davis, 1843-48.
William A. Curtis, 1849-62. Stephen P. Simpson, 1863-65. A. Sidney Dealey, 1866-67. John Boyle, 1867-68. D. Ellis Willes, 1869-72. Arthur Wittaker, 1872-74.
F. D. Jaudon, 1876-77. Benjamin T. Hall, 1878-79. Reginald H. Barnes, 1879-86. John A. Farrar, 1887-90. Eugene Griggs, 1890-92. Thomas Burrows, 1893-96.
S. H. Meade, M. D., 1896-97. Benjamin T. Trego, 1897-1902. John W. Foster, 1903-04. H. Landon Rice, 1904. Robert N. Turner, 1905.
A SOUVENIR OF OLD ST. PETER'S.
Officers of St. Peter's Parish 1905.
Wardens. Robert McNaught, Senior Warden. Orlando B. Foote, Junior Warden.
Westrpmen.
Hector Stewart.
De Witt C. Hager.
William J. Calhoun.
Jehiel B. Borst. Roswell L. Barlow. William J. Grant.
William W. Kerr.
Albert Kellerman.
DeWitt C. Hager, Treasurer.
William J. Grant, Clerk.
Mrs. H. J. Kniskern, Organist. Ralph B. Kerr, Sexton.
Communicants 83.
Sunday School Superintendents. William J. Grant. Edward A. Ackley.
Sunday School Teachers.
The Rector. Edward A. Ackley. William J. Grant.
Mrs. W. J. Kniskern. Mrs. H. J. Kniskern. Mrs. W. W. Kerr. Membership 36.
The Ladies' Build.
President, Mrs. Robert McNaught.
Secretary, Mrs. W. J. Kniskern. Treasurer, Miss Carrie Hanford. Membership 20.
MAIN STREET-The Beginning of the Reconstruction Period After The Big Fire.
Hobart Village
THE village of Hobart, nestling in the lap of the Delaware, among the beautiful western foothills of the Catskills, is one of the old historic settlements of the Empire State. To visit it now in the age of wonderful modern growth and improvement a stranger could hard- ly realize that a hundred years ago it was, as things were reckoned then, a busy commercial and manufactur- ing centre for a large region of country about. Today the village of 600 inhabitants, quiet and homelike, re- tains much of the quaint, oldfashioned character of by- gone days which has been eternally lost among its younger and more modern neighbors-and what is their loss we believe is our gain.
The village is now possessed of beautiful streets, a fine school, three prospering churches, an efficient fire department, consisting of engine and hose companies, many handsome residences, a National bank, a weekly newspaper-THE HOBART INDEPENDENT, a prosperous creamery, owned by the Sheffield Farms-Slawson-Decker Company, a foundry, two blacksmith shops, a marble shop, a grist mill and saw mill, two hotels, and a num- ber of good shops and is a regular station of the Ulster and Delaware Railroad. But better than all these, as a commentary upon the integrity and uprightness of its inhabitants, it takes pride in never having had a jail or lock-up within its limits. The churches include historic
A SOUVENIR OF OLD ST. PETER'S.
Old St. Peter's, and the Presbyterian and Methodist houses of worship. The Rev. C. W. Kinney is pastor of the former and the Rev. F. D. Abrams of the latter.
The first settlers came here before the Revolution, but returned to their former homes during the war. Founding of
Soon after peace was declared, the falls at this place, as a means of water power, attracted hobart settlers and soon the hum of machinery was heard. The earliest name of record is Waterville, by which it was called earlier than 1790. In 1828 this was ordered changed by the Post Office au- thorities, there being another and larger Waterville in the State. "Roslyn " was suggested, but some village wag one night made that name seem ridiculous by print- ing "Goslin " in large letters upon a conspicuous fence. The leading citizens of the village at the suggestion of Rev. Philander Chase, rector of St Peter's, then decided to confer upon it the name of the good Bishop Hobart whom they all loved-and so it remains to this day, and will remain.
A nickname which was widely used at one time early in the last century was Tinkertown, derived from the large number of mechanics, blacksmiths, watchmak- ers, tinmenders, etc., who made this their headquarters, and who were all classed as "tinkers" in the common parlance.
The first tavern in the village was kept by George Foote where the Commercial House now stands. Others were opened before 1795. The first store in Pioneers the place was kept by Cyrus Beers. Andrew Beers built the first grist mill, and it now remains after many changes. The carding mill and the woolen mill
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MAIN STREET-BUSINESS SECTION, FIRE DEPARTMENT BUILDING AND MASONIC HALL.
1905.
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were built by George Foote where the Robinson foundry now stands. Foote, who seems to have been somewhat of a monopolist in the matter of manufactures, also built a distillery, a saw mill and a foundry. John Foote was the first blacksmith. The pioneer tailor was one Gregory. The first lawyers of the village were J. B. Spencer and Andrew Beers, the almanac maker. The first physician was Dr. Joshua H. Brett, who was also the first judge of Delaware County. William Trotter was the first postmaster.
Hobart in the old days was the business centre for Kortright, Harpersfield, Roxbury, Bovina and Stam- ford. The manufacturing interest of the place was so large that five dams were required upon the river to sup- ply the power.
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