USA > New York > Albany County > Albany > A collection of historical records of the State Street Presbyterian Church of Albany, New York : compiled in connection with the semi-centennial celebration 1861-1911 > Part 3
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In June of the same year, the collection on Sunday morning, the 14th, was devoted to a fund which was being raised under the supervision of the Trustees for the purchase of a parsonage. By means of this and other special collections, with subscriptions from individuals, funds were raised sufficient for the purchase, for $9,000, paying $3,000 down and assuming the mortgage of $6,000 which was paid at a later date, of the premises at No. 91 Lancaster street, at that time occupied by the pastor's family, and which remained until 1907 the parsonage of the Church.
In 1875, the first meeting of the congregation, to be known as " The Church Annual," was held on the second Friday of April. At this meeting, after devotional exercises, reports were read of the work of the various organizations of the Church, _ which were listened to with great interest by a large number of the members. This custom, with few exceptions, has been maintained annually since that time.
At a meeting of the Session held on January 20, 1876, the pastor reported a recent interview with the secretaries of the Mission Boards in New York, and, as a result, the Session voted to recommend the formation of a Ladies' Home Mission- ary Society for the support of a Home Missionary in the West. The history of this society will be found in a separate chapter. At the same time, the pastor also stated that the executors of the estate of the late Prof. Chas. H. Anthony had agreed, pur- suant to the recommendations of an advisory committee of which he was a member, to apply $3,000 of the residue of the estate to establish a scholarship fund for the aid of candidates for the Gospel Ministry. The conditions under which this fund should be administered were drawn up by a committee of Ses- sion, of which the pastor was chairman, and submitted to the
29
Pastorate of Rev. John James, D.D., 1871-77
executors of the estate. Being adopted by them, the bequest was later accepted in trust by the Session and Trustees under the same conditions. A copy of the conditions follows:
CONDITIONS
OF THE CHARLES H. ANTHONY SCHOLARSHIP FUND
" WHEREAS, The late Charles H. Anthony, of the City of Albany in the State of New York, did by his last will and testa- ment provide as follows, to wit :
"'Section 9th-All the rest, residue and remainder of my estate is to be distributed by a committee composed of the fol- lowing persons: my executors, the Pastor of the Church to which I belong, and William Young, my former nurse, with a request that they distribute it for religious and charitable purposes ;'
"AND WHEREAS, The said executors find themselves in pos- session of the sum requisite to carry out the provisions here- inafter set forth;
" Now therefore we, the aforesaid committee, under the au- thority above recited, do hereby set apart and assign a part of the residue and remainder of the said Charles H. Anthony's estate, viz., the sum of Three Thousand Dollars, to be paid to the Trustees of the State Street Presbyterian Church of Albany, and to be held in trust perpetually by said Trustees, on the following conditions, to wit :
"I. The Fund of Three Thousand Dollars derived from the estate of the late Charles H. Anthony, of Albany, shall be for- ever held in trust by the Trustees of the State Street Presbyterian Society of Albany, and shall be known and designated as ' The Charles H. Anthony Scholarship Fund of the State Street Pres- byterian Church of Albany, for the Education of Candidates for the Gospel Ministry.'
" 2. The said Scholarship Fund shall always be invested in United States Securities, or in New York State Securities, or in Bonds of incorporated cities of this State, issued under special authority of the Legislature, or in first Bonds and Mortgages on productive real estate assessed at not less than double their amount.
-
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The State Street Presbyterian Church
" 3. No change of the securities of said Fund shall ever be made without the concurrence of the Session of said Church, recorded on their Minutes; and no receipt for the principal of said Fund shall be valid without a certificate of said Session endorsed thereon, to the effect that they are cognizant of the transaction.
"4. The income of said Fund shall be held by said Trustees for the use and subject to the order of said Session, and shall be applied to the education of such candidates for the gospel ministry in the Presbyterian Church as shall from time to time be designated by said Session, under a system of rules and regulations to be by them adopted for this purpose.
"In witness whereof, we, the undersigned, have hereto affixed our names and seals, this twenty-second day of January, eighteen hundred and seventy-six.
" [L. S. ] AUSTIN H. WELLS - Executors. " [L. S.] DR. WM. HAILES JOHN JAMES, Pastor, " [L. S. ] " [L. S.] WILLIAM YOUNG.
"Signed and sealed in the presence of " DANIEL J. PRATT." -
After the acceptance of this trust, a committee of Session was appointed to formulate rules for the administration of the Fund. These were not adopted until the following year (Sep- tember 27, 1877). They are as follows :
SYSTEM OF RULES AND REGULATIONS adopted by
THE SESSION OF THE STATE STREET PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF
ALBANY, to be observed in the selection of
BENEFICIARIES OF THE CHARLES H. ANTHONY SCHOLARSILIP FUND
" WHEREAS, the Conditions of the Charles H. Anthony Schol- arship Fund (recorded on the Minutes of Session, pp. 238-240) direct that the income of said Fund "shall be applied to the education of such candidates for the gospel ministry in the Presbyterian Church as shall from time to time be designated
31
Pastorate of Rev. John James, D.D., 1871-77
by said Session, under a system of rules and regulations to be by them adopted for this purpose ;'
" The said Session do therefore establish the following system of rules and regulations :
" I. Beneficiaries of the said Fund shall be selected, if prac- ticable, from the male membership of the State Street Presby- terian Church of Albany ; or otherwise from the male member- ship of some other Church belonging to the Presbytery of Albany.
" 2. As a further condition, such beneficiaries, before receiving any portion of the income of said Fund, shall have placed them- selves under the care of Presbytery as candidates for the Gospel Ministry, and shall have been received as such, by Presbytery.
" 3. Every such beneficiary shall have entered upon a regular classical course of study, and shall have certified to said Session his intention in good faith to complete a full Collegiate Course, and also a full Theological Course in one of the Seminaries under the direction of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of the United States.
" 4. Every beneficiary shall give a receipt for every payment from the income of said Fund.
"5. These Rules and Regulations may be altered or amended by the Session at any regular meeting, all proposed alterations and amendments having been submitted at a previous regular meeting."
At a meeting of the Session held on December 5, 1906, due notice having been given, these rules were amended as follows:
Rule I. Beneficiaries of the said fund shall be selected if practicable from the male membership of the State Street Pres- byterian Church of Albany, or from the membership of a Pres- byterian Church in the Presbytery of Albany. If, however, no candidates apply for aid from the membership of a church within the Presbytery of Albany and the accumulated income from such fund amounts to more than the sum of Five Hundred Dollars ($500) then the Session may use the said income in excess of $500 to assist any candidate who has duly entered upon a Classical or Theological course in a seminary under the direc- tion and supervision of the General Assembly of the Presby- terian Church in the Synod of New York.
Rule 2. Is annulled and made ineffective after this date.
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The State Street Presbyterian Church
This being the nation's centennial year, in compliance with the request, of the Presbyterian Historical Society, for Presbyterian Centennial Historical discourses, the "Church Annual " was observed on a larger scale. It was held on Monday evening April 11th, in the audience room of the church, Rev. Dr. Halley and Rev. James G. K. McClure, assisting. All the reports were made more full and extensive. These were afterward printed in pamphlet form, and constituted the Church's contribution to the centennial history.
In November of this year the pastor notified the Session that he had received a call to become the pastor of the Knox Presbyterian Church of Hamilton, Ont., Canada, and at his request a meeting of the congregation was called for December 4. The congregation met on the evening appointed, and after hearing Dr. James's reasons for desiring to accept the call, voted reluctantly to join with him in a request to Presbytery for the dissolution of the pastoral relationship. A committee was ap- pointed, to draft a resolution to be presented to Presbytery, con- sisting of Elders A. McClure, Jr. and W. G. Snow, Deacons E. Cotrell and E. M. Carpenter, Trustees S. Munson and S. Palma- teer, and from the congregation at large Supt. F. W. Munson and Dr. Wm. F. Winne.
The resolution which was prepared and adopted by the con- gregation, follows :.
" The State St. Presbyterian Church and Congregation having at the urgent solicitation of their Pastor, The Rev. John James, D. D., appointed commissioners to unite with him in a request to the Presbytery of Albany to dissolve the pastoral relation existing between them, in so doing, desire to place on record the following minute, as expressive of their views and feelings on this occasion :
" We desire first to say. while we cannot, as yet, see that it is for the best good of all concerned that the separation should take place, yet such is our confidence in him, and our faith in his ability to interpret the Divine Voice in thus calling him to another field of labor, that we are constrained most reluctantly and sorrowfully to admit that we see no alternative but to accede to his request.
REV. DR. JOHN JAMES PASTOR 1871 1876
33
Pastorate of Rev. John James, D.D., 1871-77
" We desire further to express our appreciation of the purity of life, the high character and attainments, and the zeal for the service of Christ, which characterize our beloved Pastor. Leav- ing a profitable mercantile business and going forth at the call of the Master to preach " Christ and Him crucified " in a strange land; content to "count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus;" during the twenty years of his ministry his " delight " has ever been "in the law of the Lord," and he is a living testimony of the faithfulness of God. Coming into our midst an entire stranger, nearly six years ago, at a time when we were greatly depressed and wandering as sheep without a shepherd, our hearts were at once led captive by his eloquence and earnestness in preaching the gospel, and he was unanimously called and consented to become our Pastor. An earnest and thorough student and expounder of the Divine Word, gifted by nature with talents of a commanding order, and possessing a cultivated and polished eloquence, he has not only fed us with the true bread of life, but has made our Church a chief centre of attraction to the lovers of a pure gospel.
" Words would fail us should we attempt to recite the many ways in which he has endeared himself to us, but we cannot forbear to speak of his peculiar fitness for, and his many visits of comfort and consolation to our homes, at the bedside of our sick and dying, and ministering the last sad offices to our beloved dead. He has, indeed, like his Master, "borne our griefs and carried our sorrows," and we have reason to rejoice if we have been permitted in any measure to minister like comfort to him and his family in the sad affliction so recently sent to them by our Heavenly Father.
"We feel that we would be untrue to our instincts as to our duty as a Church and congregation, did we not put on record some distinct expression of our thankfulness to our Heavenly Father for the blessings which have crowned the labors of Dr. James during the brief period he has been with us,-blessings, we believe and trust which will long continue to flow to us and to our children even though he is separate from us; and we feel that we cannot be sufficiently thankful to our Divine Master for so graciously ordering our affairs in this matter and permitting us to enjoy the ministry of this great and good man.
.
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The State Street Presbyterian Church
" We dare not trust ourselves to say what more is in our hearts on this occasion. Our hearts and homes will be ever open to him. Our love, our sympathy and our prayers go with him to his new field of labor, and we earnestly commend him to the care of our Covenant God, and to the hearts of the people with whom he has chosen to cast his lot."
In accordance with Dr. James's request, thus reluctantly ac- ceded to by the congregation, Presbytery granted a dissolution of the pastoral relation, and on January 14, 1877, the Rev. T. G. Darling, D. D., of Schenectady, declared the pulpit vacant. Thus ended a most fruitful pastorate. In six years, the Church had increased in membership from 388 to 533, and the largest enroll- ment in the history of the Sunday School, 1,084, had been at- tained. But, more important than these statistical results. there remained a deep and permanent influence of spiritual uplift which the years have not yet effaced.
At a meeting of the congregation held on December 22, 1876, a committee of thirty on Pulpit Supply and Church Work, was appointed. This committee consisted of the elders and deacons, the trustees, with the following persons chosen from the con- gregation at large :
Daniel Leonard,
John P. Radley,
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Fletcher Barber,
Dr. William F. Winne,
George C. Benedict,
Jeremiah Whitehead,
Horatio N. Snow, Charles A. Holbrook,
George C. Riggs,
Patrick H. Mann,
Edward E. Mack,
Fred W. Munson.
This committee conducted the affairs of the Church with vigor during the brief interval between the pastorate of Dr. James and that of his successor, so that when a call was extended to the Rev. John McClellan Holmes, D. D., of the Reformed Church of Hudson. N. Y., the Church was still in a prosperous and healthy condition.
A series of prayer meetings, held at this time, under direction of Rev. Charles Reynolds, were fraught with gratifying results.
On April 24, 1877, the congregation met pursuant to the call of the Session, and, at the nomination of the committee on Pulpit Supply and Church Work, unanimously voted to call Dr.
35
Pastorate of Rev. John McC. Holmes, D.D., 1877-97
Holmes to be the pastor of the Church. Dr. Holmes accepted he call, and on June 3rd he was installed by the Presbytery, Rev. Edward Stratton, the Moderator of Presbytery, Dr. Anson [. Upson. Dr. T. G. Darling and Rev. J. McC. Blayney taking art in the service.
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The pastorate of Dr. Holmes, which extended over a period of twenty years was not only the longest, but in many ways the nost prosperous of the history of the Church thus far. On the occasion of the second anniversary of his installation, a special ervice was held, which was commented upon by the city papers. We quote from one of them: "The church was filled-floral lecorations in excellent taste-and the congregational singing, or which this Church is noted, was exceptionally fine." During he year the weekly meetings for prayer had been larger than :ver before in the history of the Church. The audience num- ering, at times, nearly or quite four hundred.
During the early years of Dr. Holmes's pastorate, there were everal young men who went from this Church to study for the ;ospel ministry, there being in 1883, as many as five candidates inder the care of the Church at one time. Those studying under he regulations of the Anthony Fund were:
Raymond H. Stearns, Henry M. Tyndall,
George M. Makely, Arthur W. Peters,
Charles H. Tyndall, Irving D. Wildey, George S. Duncan, Leonard V. C. Mytton.
In June, 1877, James A. Whitney, for more than ten years . Trustee of the Church, was called to his reward. A resolu- ion was passed by the Board of Trustees, which says: "He vas always found prompt in his engagements, while with rare Christian courtesy he ever manifested in his own quiet persistent nanner, a sincere love for the Master."
That the Church was diligent in good works, is shown by the following letter which was received from the Sixth Presbyterian Church in 1880:
THE SIXTH PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN ALBANY
To the Congregation of the State Street Church, with the Pastor, Elders and Deacons: Grace be unto you, and peace, rom God, our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
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The State Street Presbyterian Church
We thank our God upon every remembrance of you, for your good work, whereby, for the first time, on this Lord's day we are able to worship in a house free from debt, and are relieved of the fear lest this Church should be lost to the cause of the Redeemer through our lack.
We rejoice in the Lord greatly, that your care of us hath so generously flourished. And we thank our God, even with tears of joy and praise, that by your bounty this house may henceforth be truly called the House of the Lord. Our grati- tude remembereth also low greatly our present joy is due to those Saints among you who have been rich in their prayers for us to the Giver of every good and perfect gift.
Our petitions shall ever seek the blessings of God to reward you.
Brethren, pray for us, that we may be found faithful to enter the door of usefulness in the Master's service, which the mercy of the Lord hath now opened.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
The salutation of the Sixth Church, on this Lord's day, the 28th of March, A. D., 1880; by the hands of our servants,
WILLIAM DURANT, Minister.
E. A. Rośs. Clerk of Session.
LAWSON ANNESLEY, For Congregation. '
JAMES VINT,
WV. G. WINNE, For Deacons.
For Trustees. ALBERT H. SLITER, For Sunday School.
During this year the lecture room and the session room, used also for Sabbath School purposes, were thoroughly reno- vated at a cost of about $2,000.
In the same year, and again in 1886, a collection was taken in the Church to aid in liquidating the debt on the West End Presbyterian Church of this city.
While considering an appropriation by the Session to the Synodical Missionary Fund, it was remarked, as an item of interest, that all the Elders of this Church, with a single excep- tion, were originally members of rural churches.
On May 9, 1881, the Hymn Book entitled, " Spiritual Songs "
37
Pastorate of Rev. John McC. Holmes, D.D., 1877-97
by the Rev. Chas. S. Robinson, D. D., was adopted for use in the Church.
On Nov. 11, 1881, the Session passed a resolution on the death of Isaac V. W. Grant, this being the first time since its foundation that the Church had been called upon to mourn the death of one of its spiritual officers. "Of commanding personal appearance, of superior judgment, and discretion, of a pure and quiet spirit, and of a consistent and devoted life, he adorned and illustrated the religion which for so many years he professed."
During the Fall and Winter of 1883, the church was repaired, painted, recarpeted, recushioned and redecorated at an expense of $10,497.14. The work was carried on under the supervision of a committee of the Trustees, of which W. T. Valentine was chairman, after conference with the pastor and a committee of Session, and the congregation worshipped in the newly decorated auditorium for the first time on the first Sunday of January, 1884. In his pastoral letter to the congregation, Dr. Holmes refers to the year past as " one of exceptional prosperity," and says, "the first Sabbath of the New Year finds us worshipping in our renovated sanctuary, with all our debts paid, and our pews with rare exceptions all rented. In things spiritual we have also been highly honored of God. His presence has been with us throughout the entire year, and sixty new members have been added to our communion." In recognition of the faithful labors of Mr. Valentine in bringing these repairs to a successful conclusion, the Trustees presented him, on Christmas Day, 1883, with a chair, accompanied by a letter of thanks, signed by the Board.
As indicative of the attitude of the people, at this time, towards " popular amusements and customs of social life " the answer to the Presbytery's question : " How have they affected the church ?" may be taken, viz .: " These have but slightly affected the spiritual life of our Church-most of our Church members place Chris- tian duty before social pleasure."
On September 14, 1884, the Session adopted a minute on the death of Elder Daniel J. Pratt, Ph. D., "A man full of the Holy Ghost and of faith, honored and beloved by all who knew him."
In 1886 there occurred the celebration of the Bi-Centennial of the City of Albany. On Sabbath, July 18th, whichi was " De-
38
The State Street Presbyterian Church
votional Day," historical sermons were delivered by ministers of the various denominations. The service for Presbyterians was held in this church, concerning which we quote the follow- ing: "One of the most interesting union services held in the city was that of the Presbyterian faith at the State St. Presby- terian Church. Adornment was not necessary, for the handsome Church edifice was brilliant in its myriads of lights and was crowded with devout and reverential parishioners. People flocked to the church very early, and long before the commence- ment of services, the vast edifice was filled. The ushers had plenty to do, and the chancel platform was occupied by the Presbyterian divines of the city. The organist, Frank Van Derzee, played the various selections with skill and proficiency. The singing, true to the congregational order, was an exceedingly pleasant phase of a most delightful union service. Rev. Horace C. Stanton preached eloquently. The sermon, from the text, Isa. 63:7: ' I will mention the loving kindness of the Lord,' was apropos, filled with thoughtful reflections and was delivered with great force and effect."
Reviewing the histories of the several Presbyterian Churches, and while dwelling upon the history of the State St. Presby- terian Church, he thus spoke of its growth :
" During the five years pastorate of the Rev. A. S. Twombly, installed June, 1862, and the three years' pastorate of the Rev. George C. Heckman, D. D., installed November, 1867, the Church grew strong. Its Sunday School was vigorous. Then from June, 1871, it had six flourishing years under the Rev. John James, D. D., a man of Scottish birth and breeding, positive character, decided influence in many ways. An able preacher, he did good work for Christ.
" In June, 1877, was installed the present Pastor, Rev. John McC. Holmes, D. D., who had received the highest recognition from the Reformed denomination before entering the Presby- terian body. The record of his fruitful pastorate needs no re- hearsal. The history of this Church requires few words; but they are pleasant to utter and to hear. From the beginning its career has been marked by spiritual thrift, energy, increasing numbers, abundance of financial resources, prosperity of every kind and widening waves of influence. It is the strongest
39
Pastorate of Rev. John McC. Holmes, D.D., 1877-97
evangelical church in Albany. Taken as a whole, in eligibility of location, splendor and commodiousness of sanctuary, its pulpit, its membership of over eight hundred, its school of nine hun- dred, the completeness of its organization, its benefactions, Pres- byterianism can point to no more thoroughly representative church in all Northern New York. We are proud of the State St. Church. Its history is brief ; but its future shall be great."
In January, 1888, Dr. Holmes was granted leave of absence of five months, to attend the Pan-Presbyterian Council in London, as delegate from the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States. In the same year, on May 4th, at their own request, the following members were dismissed to the Church to be organized under the name and title of the " Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church of Albany, N. Y.":
George H. Redway and Charles S. Gladding and
Katherine W. Redway, his wife, Ella B. Gladding, his wife.
Addison White and
Philip Templeton and
Helen M. White, his wife,
Mary E. Templeton, his wife, Alice Templeton,
Levantia K. Gladding
Mary E. Gladding,
M. Lilian Templeton,
Lucy M. Gladding,
Louis W. Pratt and
Kate L. Simmons, Geraldine S. Pratt, his wife.
On December 4th the Session and Trustees adopted special resolutions on the death of Elder Archibald McClure, who was also a Trustee of the Church: " One of the originators of this Church, and throughout its history identified with its interests. Ripe in religious experience, mature in spiritual consecration, active in Christian work and abounding in Christian liberality."
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