USA > New York > Schenectady County > Schenectady > A history of St. George's church in the city of Schenectady, Volume I > Part 3
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II. Ibid.
12. Abstract of the S. P. G., 1740.
13. Reverend Joseph Hooper, " A History of Saint Peter's Church in the City of Al- bany," p. 78.
14. So called to distinguish it from the later hostilities. Known in European history as the War of the Austrian Succession.
15. Following the destruction of the Dutch settlement at Saratoga, by a force of French and allied Indians, on November 16, 1745, the frontier settlements were kept in a constant state of alarm by skulking parties of the enemy who under cover of dark- ness plied their murderous trade. So bold in their success did these marauders become that the outskirts of the city of Albany were not safe from their incursions. While Schenectady, in its exposed position, shared in no small degree the misery and distress that soon reduced to a veritable wilderness the late populous county of Albany, it was
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St. George's Church.
reserved until near the close of the war (July 18, 1748) for her to sustain in the Beukendaal engagement the severest blow that she had suffered since the massacre of 1690.
16. Reverend Joseph Hooper, "A History of Saint Peter's Church in the City of Albany," p. 80. During the first year of the war, however, the services in Saint Peter's were regularly held.
17. He served as rector until his death, August 20, 1764.
18. Born in New York City of Scotch extraction in the year 1722.
19. Mr. Barclay to the Bishop of London, January 2, 1748-9. Reverend Joseph Hooper, "A History of Saint Peter's Church in the City of Albany," p. 86.
20. Ibid.
21. Ibid.
22. Ibid., p. 88.
23. Although hostilities started as early as 1754, war was not formally declared by England until May 18, 1756. This was the Seven Years' War which so far as Ameri- ca was concerned virtually ended with the fall of Quebec.
24. Abstract of the S. P. G., 1758.
25. Abstract of the S. P. G., 1759.
26. Abstract of the S. P. G., 1762.
27. His pioneer labors with the army at Montreal, which prepared the way for the permanent establishment of the Church of England in Canada, have an historic val- ue which has never been recognized. Reverend Joseph Hooper.
28. He held this position until his death, November 26, 1774.
29. Born in 1735; died May 2, 1784. He was deputy-chaplain to His Majesty's 60th Regiment of Foot or Royal Americans.
30. Mr. Brown's services were by no means continuous as he too was often obliged to be absent on His Majesty's service.
31. He resigned his position in the year 1767 and was succeeded in the spring of 1768 by the Reverend Harry Munro.
Chapter IV.
The Founding of St. George's Parish and the Erection of the Church.
T HERE is every reason to believe that, as in the case of his predecessors, the Reverend Mr. Ogilvie frequently visited Schenectady and that on these visits he took occasion to preach in both Dutch and English, toadminister the Holy Commun- ion and to perform the rite of baptism.
Two years before Mr. Ogilvie had assumed the rectorship of St. Peter's Mr. John W. Brown, a young man of twenty-one years of age,I came to this country from England and settled2 in Schenectady. It is the name of this young man that will always be associated with the history of our church as the founder3 of the parish. In May, 175 1, Mr. Brown married Miss Margaret,4 daughter of Mr. Caleb Beck. Their first child, a daughter Dorothy, was baptized January 28, 1753, by Dominie Frelinghuysen,5 the Dutch minister at Albany, and the entry of her baptism, made in all probability some years after, is the earliest recorded date on the records6 of our parish.
The strong devotion of both Mr. Ogilvie and Mr. Brown to the Church of England, coupled with a not too great disparity in their ages must have given them much in common and assured the rector of St. Peter's active and sympathetic support on his visits to Schen- ectady; in fact it is not unlikely that the zeal for the promotion of the interests of the English Church later evinced by Mr. Brown was stimulated to a considerable degree by the enthusiasm of Mr. Ogil-
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St. George's Church.
vie, nor is it unreasonable to credit to the friendship that existed be- tween these two men the idea of founding a mission of the Church of England in Schenectady.
By the year 1758, or in the interval of nearly half a century since Mr. Barclay first held services here, the population of Schenectady had increased nearly four-fold. Correspondingly, too, it had, as a transfer point, gained in commercial importance as the require- ments of the ever increasing tide of emigration to the westward cre- ated a greater demand for supplies from the older settlements or as the products and peltry of the West were unloaded here to be later carried by wagon to Albany.
The town now numbered approximately three hundred houses, was surrounded by a palisade of upright pickets and was further pro- tected by a fortress, capable of holding from two to three hundred men.7 Three years before an Act of Assembly had granted an appro- priation of £3000 ($7500) to be expended in fortifying the village8 and it is not to be doubted but that the fort and palisades were in an excellent state of repair or that, delightfully situated as it was, the town presented a "remarkably pleasing"9 view to the traveller ap- proaching from over the barren sand waste that separated it from Albany.
While the greater part of the inhabitants still1º were Dutch, a half century had considerably augmented the proportionate num- ber of English, for there had been immigrants from New England, and from time to time merchants had come direct from England to take up their residence here because of the mercantile advantages offered.
With the growth of the English element a church where the services would be conducted in the English language became a ne-
John W. Brown at the age of eighty three.
٠
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St. George's Church.
cessity, for while many English worshipped in the Dutch Church, quite as many remained away because they did not understand the language in which the services were held.
The idea, therefore, of establishing a mission of the Church of England in Schenectady, fostered by Mr. John W. Brown and stim- ulated by the Reverend John Ogilvie, found many sympathizers and in the year 1758, "a Subscription was set on foot for Erecting a publick Building, in the Town- -, for the performance of Di- vine Worship therein agreeable to the Rules and Order of the Church by Law established in England."
How ready was the response to this first appeal for funds it is not now possible to ascertain, for although there is found in one of the record books a list of those who, at various times, contributed to- ward carrying on work on the building, the greater part of the en- tries bear no date and the first date to be recorded, after several pages, is that of August 29, 1763.
Heading the list of subscribers as it appears in the record book is the name of Sir William Johnson, Bart.11 who contributed £31 IOS. Sir William had come to the Valley of the Mohawk in 1738, as the agent of his uncle Sir Peter Warren. In 1741, he had acquired a tract of land near Amsterdam and had erected the stone house, still standing, known as Fort Johnson. In this house he lived from 1743 until 1763, when he removed to Johnson Hall,12 Johnstown.
In Sir William the English Church had a warm friend and in his capacity of colonial agent and superintendent13 of Indian Affairs he naturally took a keen interest in any movement to extend its activi- ties. It is not surprising, therefore, that those desirous of founding a mission in Schenectady should have sought for and received both his moral and financial support.
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St. George's Church.
In the campaign for funds to build the church the Reverend John Ogilvie was particularly interested, acting with Mr. Brown, Mr. Thomas Nickson14 and Mr. Reuben Horsford, 15 as a trustee "to re- ceive the charitable Benefactions of the public" and after his de- parture to Canada, keeping in touch with the progress of the un- dertaking and adding his name to testimonials that weight might be given to the petitions for money "to promote so laudable a de- sign."16
The list of subscriptions obtained is interesting as showing the general support given the project, particularly by the Dutch. From Albany was received approximately one hundred and twenty- five pounds and in New York the Reverend Henry Barclay and Mr. Thomas Hayes were able to secure a like sum, ten pounds of which was contributed by William Alexander, Earl of Sterling. In addition to the money raised in New York a church Bible was donated by Mr. Hugh Gaine17 and a Book of Common Prayer by Mr. James Rivington.18
The first recorded (without date) expenditure of money is for three tickets in the "Elizabeth Town Lottery," involving a sum of £4 16s. The vestry19 were not altogether disappointed in whatever hope of return they may have had in making this " investment," for an early entry on the credit side records the receipt of £200 prize money. That other "investments" of a similar nature were made from time to time is shown by subsequent entries, but no- where is there evidence to indicate a result as favorable as in this first venture. Lotteries were, in those days, a favorite means of rais- ing money and it is not surprising, therefore, that St. George's should have later followed the prevailing custom, and in 1 772 held alottery for the benefit of the church.
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St. George's Church.
The year 1759 witnessed the breaking of ground2° for the erec- tion of the church. Three lots on Ferry Street adjoining the fort, which comprised the site, had previously been purchased21 from the executors of the estate of the late Edward Holland of New York and before the end of the year the foundation had been laid.22
Work on the church progressed slowly, and most of the ac- tivities, previous to the year 1762, seem to have been confined to getting the material on the ground. During the year 1762, however, considerable progress was made and a few23 scattered entries for cash received for pews during the latter part of the year 1763 would in- dicate that at that time work on the building was far enough ad- vanced to permit of irregular services being held in it. Up to this time the expenditures of the parish had amounted to approximately eleven hundred pounds or about two hundred and fifty pounds more than had been collected. During the next year the ground around the church was levelled off and the yard cleaned up. Later two stoves24 were purchased for use in the church and in the hope, per- haps, that fortune would again smile upon them and replenish the now depleted treasury the vestry were induced to invest the sum of £34 8s. in the purchase of eighty-six lottery tickets.
The framing and woodwork of the church up to this time had been in charge of Mr. Samuel Fuller, to whom may be credited also the style of architecture and the plans followed in its erection.25 Mr. Fuller had first come to Schenectady from near Needham, Mass- achusetts, in March, 1758. Here and at other posts to the north he had been employed until July of that year as a master workman in building boats, storehouses, etc., for the use of General Abercrom- bie's army. He later served in the royal service in the navy yards at Halifax and following the fall of Quebec went to Needham, return-
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St. George's Church.
ing to Schenectady in July, 1761. To secure carpenters capable of assisting him in his work on the church, Mr. Fuller returned to Needham in 1762 and there engaged several men on condition that, in addition to the wages to be paid while here, they were to be allowed a specified sum for the seven days it would take them to reach Schenectady and a like sum for the return trip.26
By the year 1766 twenty-three pews27 were fitted up within the church. The building was as yet without a steeple and in its absence a temporary bell was hung within the church.28 Towards the latter part of the year a contribution of thirty pounds was received from Sir Henry Moore,29 governor of the Province, with a promise that he would later "send up some furniture to Compleat the Church."3º It was at this time also that the parish received the name it now bears, not from Mr. Brown as has generally been supposed (St. George being the patron saint of the land from whence he came), but from Governor Moore who designated the building as "St. George's Chapel."31
At the commencement of the year 1767, an effort was made to raise funds "for the final finishing off of the church," and a commit- tee comprising Mr. Matthew Lyne, 32 Mr. John Shee and Mr. Rich- ard Cullin was appointed for this purpose. Their plan of campaign took them to German Flats33 "from whence and along the river" they finally succeeded in collecting34 thirty pounds. With this sum and with what other money they hoped to receive it was confident- ly expected that the arch could now be finished and the walls plas- tered. Upon investigation, however, it was found that to form the arch alone would entail an expenditure of nearly forty pounds, and with the money on hand so "vastly deficient" for the needs, the work was, for the time being, again held in abeyance.
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St. George's Church.
It was now suggested that some income could be derived from leasing the plot of ground that had been set aside for a parsonage, but to this, Sir William Johnson, to whom the matter was referred for advice, would not assent.35
During the fall of 176836 a congress was held at Fort Stanwix for the purpose of adjusting with the Six Nations the matter of the boundary that had been under discussion at the treaty of German Flats in 1765. The proceedings were considerably delayed by the non-arrival of some of the Indians and it is not unlikely that it was during this interval that Sir William took occasion to mention the need of funds to complete the English church at Schenectady and to solicit from the commissioners in attendance contributions for this purpose.
"I received your Interesting Letter," wrote37 Mr. Brown to Sir William on October 19, in acknowledging receipt of the approx- imately sixty pounds that he had succeeded in collecting, 38 "(and) I immediately Communicated the contents which regards the Church to the vestry which made us all very happy, but as we want words to Express our grateful Sentiments to you as we ought we must be silent."
Plans were now started to complete the church, 39 but when, add- ed to the lateness of the season, it was found that there was no one in town whose services could be obtained to plaster the walls it was concluded to wait until spring to undertake the work.40
The year 1 769, after a period of ten years since the foundation was laid, finally witnessed the completion41 of St. George's Church, - quite a different building, however, from the one we now know.
From a rough sketch found in one of the record books it would appear that the original building was thirty-six feet in width42 and
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St. George's Church.
fifty-six feet in depth.43 The walls44 were of undressed blue stone, thirty inches in thickness, except for a space of fifteen feet in the center at the front where the thickness was forty-three inches. The high-pitched gable roof, covered with shingles, was without a steeple.45 There were two doors, one at the front or west end and the other46 on the south side. On the front were two windows, one on either side of the door. The south side had, in all probability, but two windows also; that is the two now seen between the front of the church and the transept. The north side had, in all probability, in addition to the one window now seen near the front of the church a second window further back.47 Within,48 the church was divided into nave and aisles by two rows of wooden columns of the Tuscan order. The ceiling over the nave was arched or wagon-head vaulted and over the aisles, flat. In the middle, against the east wall stood a communion table, and directly in front of it two desks for reading and preaching. Only a part of the church was finished with pews, extra benches being brought in in case of need, and against the south wall two pews distance from the door towards the chancel stood the pew49 erected for Sir William Johnson "adorned with a handsome Canopy supported by Pilasters."5º
Fir William Johnson, Bart. From a copy of a painting on glass in the possession of the .Montgomery County Historical Society
Notes.
Chapter IV.
1. Born in 1727; died June 30, 1814.
2. Professor Pearson states ("Genealogies of the First Settlers of Schenectady," p. 30) that in 1751 he was a resident of Albany and that he did not settle in Schenectady un- til after his marriage. On the authority of Mr. L. H. Willard, it is stated by Dr. O'Cal- laghan ("The Documentary History of the State of New York," IV, 387) that he settled here in 1748, and this is also the date given on the tablet erected to his memory on the walls of the church.
3. He also enjoys the distinction of being the first recorded communicant.
4. Dr. O'Callaghan states also on the authority of Mr. Willard that he married a Miss Wemple. Professor Pearson states ("Genealogies of the First Settlers of Schenec- tady," p. 30) that he married Miss Margaret, daughter of Mr. Caleb Beck, but he does not appear sure of this as he inserts a question mark after " Beck." An examination of the names of the witnesses of the baptisms of Mr. Brown's children would indicate that Professor Pearson was correct in his assumption.
5. Dominie Theodorus Frelinghuysen was pastor of the Dutch Church from 1746 to 1759, when he sailed for England and never returned.
6. The subsequent entries record the baptism of Mr. Brown's four other chil- dren ;- Ann, July 6, 1754, by Reverend John Oglivie; Elizabeth, September 27, 1757, by Reverend Barent Vrooman, pastor of the Dutch Church; Abraham, Octo- ber 24, 1759, by Reverend John Ogilvie and Dorothy, October 28, 1762, also by Dominie Vrooman.
7. " Documents Relative to the Colonial History of the State of New York," X, 677.
8. Jonathan Pearson, "A History of the Schenectady Patent," p. 332.
9. So, at least, it impressed Lord Adam Gordon, who passed through here a few years later on his way to visit Sir William Johnson.
10. " Documents Relative to the Colonial History of the State of New York," X, 677.
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St. George's Church.
11. He was knighted in the year 1756.
12. This building is also standing and is now the home of the Johnstown Historical Society.
1 3. Both of these appointments were given him at the time he was knighted.
14. Thomas Nickson (Nixon) was a resident of Schenectady as early as December 6, 1741, on which date his first child Sibby was baptized.
15. Reuben Horsford (Hosford) was a hatter from Farmington, New England, and a resident of Schenectady as early as December 8, 1748, when he married Ariaantje, daughter of Daniel Van Antwerp.
16. Letter of the Reverend John Ogilvie, Montreal, August 29, 1761. Miscella- neous Papers of St. George's Church.
17. The editor of the New York Mercury. He later printed under the patronage of Sir William Johnson, the second edition of the "Indian Prayer Book." Vide note 39, Chapter II.
18. Bookseller and later editor of the New York Gazetteer.
19. The first recorded election of a vestry was in 1771. The committee in charge of the parish affairs seems, however, to have been designated as "the vestry," almost from the first.
20. An entry during this year records the payment of £4 3s. 9d. to " Richard Old- rich and Horseford for digging the Foundation of the Church."
21. The deed was not made out until the following year and payment (£191) was not made, or at least, not entered in the records until the year 1762. The property was almost immediately conveyed to the S. P. G. to be held in trust. Letter of the Rev- erend John Ogilvie, Montreal, August 19, 1761. Miscellaneous Papers of St. Geor- ge's Church.
22. An entry records the payment of £7 Is. 9d. for this work.
23. John Duncan, £5, Jonathan Ogden £5, John Brown £5, Messrs. Cullins and Casety, £4 IOs., Ann Forrest (for a seat) {1, Solomon Taylor (for half a pew) £2.
24. To Mr. Robert Clench has been accorded the distinction of being the first to introduce stoves in the church, "an innovation which disturbed the minds of many who did not approve of such novelties." Letter of the Reverend William Payne, quoted in the "Documentary History of the State of New York," IV, 503.
25. Under his direction there were erected also not a few of the more pretentious houses both in Schenectady and up the Valley, notably: the residence of Mr. John Duncan, known as "the Hermitage," later burned, which stood on the present estate of Mr. Welton Stanford; the John Glen mansion, now No. 58 Washington Avenue;
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St. George's Church.
the Ten Eyck mansion, now standing on the northeast corner of Governor's Lane and Front Street, lately remodeled and at one time the residence of Governor Joseph C. Yates; the Daniel Campbell mansion, now standing on the northeast corner of State and Church Streets; the Johnstown Court House; the residence of General Nicho- las Herkimer in the town of Danube, Herkimer County and the house at Guy Park, later the residence of Colonel Guy Johnson.
26. Reverend William Payne, "St. George's Church, Schenectady," p. 6. Honor- able John Sanders, " Early History of Schenectady," pp. 195-196.
27. A sketch of the pew arrangement is found in one of the record books. The list of pew holders on March 31, 1766, was as follows :
John Duncan
Nº I
John Glen
2
Sr. William Johnston
3
Rich. Cullin
4
James Cashady
5 6
7
Jonathan Ogden yearly rent 12/
8
Daniel Campbell
9
Jno. Brown one year
Msr. Phyn & Ellise
II
Samuel Fuller 12
. . . Chas. Domeston one seat of pew Thomas Morrall bought Charles Miller 12 pew rented
13
John Ogden Ground 16 Rent also 16/ Pd
14
I5
Stephen Dudley .
16
Matthew Lyne 12 a pew in pd.
Sarah Schermerhorn Pd . . .
I7
Chris Johnson I seat
James Robison I seat Pd
Mrs. Denny I seat
18
Charles Doyal Pd 19
John Wasson 20
. .
.
IO
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St. George's Church.
Frances Smith Pd Jesse Price Robert Adams I seat Pd 2I
Amasa Fressel Mary Stevens Pd 22
23
28. " We have Contrived to hang a bell in the Chapple till we are able to Erect a Stepple." Letter to the Reverend John Ogilvie, October 14, 1766. Miscellaneous Papers of St. George's Church.
29. Governor of New York from 1764 until his death, September 11, 1769.
30. Letter to the Reverend John Ogilvie, October 14, 1766. Miscellaneous Papers of St. George's Church.
31. "The Governor has Subscrib'd £30 and promised to send up the furniture to Compleat the Church, and gave it the Name of St. George's Chapple." Letter to the Reverend John Ogilvie, October 14, 1766. Miscellaneous Papers of St. George's Church.
32. He was a schoolmaster in Schenectady as early as 1760.
33. A testimonial signed by Hendrick Frey, Jacob Clark and Jost Herkimer, Jus- tices, recommended to the people of this district that generous contributions be made " for so pious and Laudable a work."
34. Numbered among the gifts were the following :-
Peter Mabee, 3 Skeeple Wheat
Arent Putman, I Skeeple Oats
Harme Fisher, I Skeeple pease
Mr. Joseph Ye. Indian 8.s.
The most "generous contribution " was sixteen shillings. Two gifts of this amount were received.
35. With his answer he sent a further contribution of £10. 1s. 6d. to "apply to- wards compleating the Church."
36. On March 26, of this year the following schedule of fees was established by the "Vestry of St. George's Chapel."
For Grown Persons, Buried in the Church 3. 0. 0
Taking up and Laying the Floor 8. 0
Making the Grave 4. 0
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St. George's Church.
Liberty of breaking the Ground in the Church Yard 2.0
Bell ringing 1/2 to the Church and 12 to the Clerk 4. 0
The Bier 2. 0
The Pall
4. 0
Inviting the Whole Town .
16. 0
Do any part thereof
6. 0
Clergyman's fee for reading Services in the Church 8. 0
Do Do in the Church Yard 4. 0
Clerk's Do in the Church 4. 0
Do Do in the Church Yard 2. 0
Marriage fee for publishing 3/ ditto for Marrying 13/ 16. 0
For Children under 15 years of Age Buried in the Church I. IO. O
Taking up and Laying the Floor 8. 0
Making the Grave
3. 0
Liberty for breaking the Ground in the Church Yard 2. 0
Bell ringing 12 to the Church and 1/2 to the Clerk 4. 0
The Pall
2. 0
Inviting any part of the Town .
6. 0
Clergyman's and Clerk's fee for reading services as above. .
37. "The Documentary History of the State of New York," IV, 387.
38. This included contributions as follows:
The Honorable Governor Penn, and Commissioners of Pennsylvania £32. 10. 0.
His Excellency Governor Franklin of New Jersey £6. 10. 0.
Doctor Walker, Commissioner from Virginia £2.0. 0. Lieutenant John Galland, Commanding Fort Stanwix £1. 0. 0.
Mr. John Wetherhead ) Representing the £3. 0. 0.
traders who had suf-
Mr. Samuel Wharton fered in Pontiac's War £3. 0. o.
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St. George's Church.
39. "The Documentary History of the State of New York," IV, 387.
40. Ibid., P. 399.
41. Richard Smith, " A Tour of Four Great Rivers," p. 22.
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