A history of St. George's church in the city of Schenectady, Volume I, Part 6

Author: Hanson, Willis T. (Willis Tracy)
Publication date: 1919
Publisher: Schenectady, Priv. print.
Number of Pages: 310


USA > New York > Schenectady County > Schenectady > A history of St. George's church in the city of Schenectady, Volume I > Part 6


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"I have nothing more to add to this very long Letter excepting this Expostulation from the Society concerneth yourselves only; as to Sr. Wm. J. the Society are so fully persuaded that he would not Encourage any unreasonable request; that when once convinced of his really having wished and desired the Continuation of the 40 { Salary they will no longer regret the Appointment."


"The Wardens and Vestry of St. George's Church here were fa- voured with your Letter of March last," read1º the reply to the crit- icisms of the Society dispatched a few days later, "and altho' they consider it in general as a fresh Mark of the Societys Charitable attention to them, and a strong proof of your candour, yet, the cir- cumstances which accompanied these marks of regard have Afflic- ted them with the deepest concern, the rather, as they are ignorant of those who have so cruelly misrepresented them, and at too great a distance from their Patrons to be informed of every particular that would enable them more Amply to Justify themselves; But relying on the consciousness of their Integrity they chearfully enter upon their Justification not doubting that their brief but honest relation of facts will meet with attention and convince the Venerable Soci- ety that altho' they are poor they are neither destitute of Honor, Veracity or Gratitude for the Indulgence they have hitherto re- ceived, the continuance of which it will be their constant endeav- our to merit.


"The first Article that regards our calling the Revd. Mr. Doty will appear we trust to have been the effect of necessity and a true Love for our Religion our Congregation being thro' the abrupt de- parture of Mr. Andrews exposed to the artifices of the Dissenters in this Town, who were indefatigable in their endeavours to seduce us, and ready to avail themselves of the Want of an Incumbent, in


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which they might have succeeded at least with many honest plain Members of our Church had we not used our best endeavours to supply the Vacancy; we were thus circumstanced when we heard of Mr. Dotys situation and difficulties, and gave him encourage- ment in the Hope that we should stand justified with the Venerable Society thro' our urgent necessities, Sir William Johnson of whose Influence and attention to promote the Church of England the So- ciety are Sensible, had in the interim wrote to you in the manner you mention, but a few days after we had an opportunity of waiting on him with Mr. Doty of whom he was pleased to Judge favor- ably, and the Multiplicity of Affairs highly Interesting to the Pub- lick that succeeded, alone prevented him from Signifying it by a Subsequent Letter-As to the Circumstances of Mr. Doty's leav- ing his Former Flock, we beg leave to refer to his Letter" to the Lord Bishop of London of December last, and to what he shall say in addition by this opportunity,12 as we were Ignorant of any charges against him, and informed that he had a License for the whole Province, we held ourselves acquitted of any indirect Dealings and humbly submitted the propriety of his Appointment to the Society, on whom we were sensible it depended. But as to the Revd. Mr. Andrews we are in Justice to ourselves bound to say, that he had no Just cause of Complaint against us, as we contributed to his Support full Forty pounds per ann., which even exceeded our abil- ities; and he was paid beyond his expectation at parting, but he appeared to us to be unsettled, and Charity-that Charity which our Religion teaches us, forbids our saying more.


"The next Head respecting our Abilities we must Candidly de- clare has filled us with Astonishment, and could we do it with pro- priety we would earnestly wish to be indulged with knowing from


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whence that representation has been derived-The Insinuation gives us much Pain, neither can we feel it however illfounded, with Indifferency as it has occasioned prepossessions so unfavorable to us with a Society so respectable who are entitled to our utmost Candour and warmest Sentiments of Gratitude. Had the Charge any foundation which it is our Temporal interest to wish, we should have been governed by more Liberality of Sentiment than to continue so burthensome to our friends and benefactors, we have indeed been upbraided here for our poverty, which is but too true- The Contrary is either an Ironical Representation of us, or worse- we believe we have formerly sett forth that our Congregation was composed of Persons settled here during and since the late War: they consist of 3 or 4 Persons in small Trade, some Mechanicks and many Inferior to them who find it extreamly difficult to main- tain (even with the most rigid Oeconomy ) their own Families, as the Old Inhabitants and the Dissenters are longer Established in every branch of business and by no means disposed to Serve them. We are Ashamed to enter into a more particular detail of our Circumstances, Common fame will do it here, and we trust that the Venerable Society will take our words against a Misrepre- sentation that came either from our Enemies, or from persons Ig- norant of our Situation not doubting Sir William Johnsons good nature to do us Justice in this particular when he writes to London."


On July 12, 1774, St. George's parish suffered " a very grievous misfortune " in the sudden death of its "most benevolent Friend and Patron," Sir William Johnson. Although they had every reas- on to believe that before his death he had written to the Society in their behalf, nevertheless fearing that in the "Multiplicity of Business with which he was continually Surrounded" he might have overlooked doing so, the vestry hastened to forward, with


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a copy of their letter of June, a copy of Sir William's letter of the previous April in which he had affirmed his friendship for the par- ish and expressed his desire to render it such service as should be required, in the belief and hopes that the contents of this letter would be "esteemed by the Venerable Society Sufficient to Settle all the Seeming difficulties in (their) conduct, and convince every Candid person of (their) Integrity."13


Sir William had lived to see the gathering of the clouds that pre- saged the storm of the Revolution and although the esteem in which he was held, with his tact and good judgment, had done much to hold theradical revolutionary element in check, with his restraining influence removed opposition to the British Crown sprang up with great rapidity throughout the Valley.


The lack of bishops in the Colonies, which necessitated all or- dinations taking place in London, had resulted in few native Amer- icans entering the ministry, and the clergy, therefore, coming in the main from England and being supported by an English society, held for the most part English sympathies. This, coupled with the fact that so many of the laity affiliated with the Church of Eng- land were royalists, caused the Church in general to be looked up- on as a tory company in spite of the many of that communion who zealously upheld the cause of the Revolution and later helped to shape our institutions.


With the actual existence of a state of war between the Colonies and the Mother Country and the necessity of taking a definite stand, the rector of St. George's, although born and educated in the Col- onies, determined to cast his lot with the king, basing his decision to adhere to the English Government solely, it would appear, 14 upon his feeling that his oath of allegiance held him in duty bound so to act.


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St. George's Church.


In common with the clergy of English sympathies in general, Mr. Doty, amid the scenes of tumult and confusion, went steadily about his appointed tasks, exhorting15 his parishioners "to good gov- ernment" both in the church and out and holding the accustomed services in the church until after16 the Declaration of Independence when rather than officiate publicly and not pray for the king and royal family according to the liturgy and yet fearing "the inevita- ble destruction" that would be drawn on him were he to do so, he suspended the public exercise of his function and closed the church.


While his conduct appears to have been above reproach, Mr. Doty was quite naturally looked upon with suspicion by his whig neighbors who very early laid it down as a maxim, "that those who were not for them were against them," and he was subsequently ar- rested and brought before the Committee of Safety on the charge of plotting against the State. To this charge Mr. Doty refused to plead guilty although he was lead to declare that he was loyal to England and on the strength of this admission was taken to Albany, to jail. Here he was confined for but a short time. Soon after his release Mr. Doty was again arrested by two armed men who took him from his bed and hurried him with several others to Albany where an oath of neutrality (so Mr. Doty believed) was proposed. This oath Mr. Doty refused to take and notwithstanding his refusal he was al- lowed to return to Schenectady where he remained unmolested un- til after the surrender of General Burgoyne, when, having refused "a living of two hundred pounds per annum" which General Gates offered him if he would remain, he procured the necessary permis- sion, disposed of his furniture to discharge his debts and cover the expenses of the journey and retired with his family to Canada, leav-


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ing behind him in Schenectady a chamber organ, which he placed in the church for security, a "tolerable" library, and " 353 acres of land, valued at 239 pounds," all of which were later confiscated.17


Mr. Doty had entered upon his duties as rector of St. George's with every hope of success. In addition to his holding the regular services in the church "it had been his constant practise to catechise the children every Lord's day, in the afternoon, in the open con- gregation, which was attended with good results. Nor had he been less attentive to the poor negroes, for whose benefit he began a cat- echetical lecture soon after his coming and in a short time had 20 pupils, who by their diligence and improvement fully recompensed his pains and became sober serious communicants and happily con- tinued in a blameless conduct. . . In the course of his ministry he had baptized above 100 infants, most of them brought in from the circumjacent country in which (were) many poor families, to whom he (had) occasionly preached."18 The condition of the times had, however, been reflected in the state of his mission and almost from his coming the parish had shown a steady decline until at his with- drawal there remained19 attached to the church but two-thirds 20 of those who had welcomed him. Two years later "the poor little flock" was reported21 to be almost entirely dispersed and the few who remained to be in the most deplorable circumstances while an- other year was to see22 a further reduction in the number to "27 white adults and 20 children, besides the Blacks."


Mr. Doty's distresses in removing from Schenectady were some- what lessened by his being appointed "Chaplain to His Majesty's Royal Regiment of New York," and as a great part of the New York Mohawks had joined the King's troops by his being able to serve them also.23


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Subsequently Mr. Doty devoted considerable time to a study of the religious needs of Canada and between the years 178 1 and 1783 made two voyages to England to present in person to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel the benefits of his researches, with the result that, when it was later determined to gather the scattered Protestant English families into congregations, he was appointed to open a mission at Sorel.24


Mr. Doty returned to Canada on June 12, 1784, and repaired at once to his new post. Here he remained as missionary until 1793, when he removed to Brooklyn to take charge of St. Anne's Church. 25 His connection with this parish must have been brief for his name appears again on the Society's list in 1796, as missionary at Sorel. This mission he resigned in 1803, severing, at the same time, his connection with the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. Mr. Doty died26 at Three Rivers, November 23, 1841, in his ninety-sev- enth year.


As long as the Mohawks remained at Fort Hunter the Reverend John Stuart continued to officiate as usual, performing the public service entire, even after the Declaration of Independence, not- withstanding that by so doing he was incurring the penalty of high treason under the new laws. Subsequent, however, to the Indians joining General Burgoyne Mr. Stuart was made a prisoner, and or- dered to depart from the province with his family, within the space of four days or be put in close confinement. These orders were later superceded by his being admitted to parole and ordered confined to the "limits of the town of Schenectady." Here Mr. Stuart remained for about three years during which time his house was "frequently broken open by mobs, (his) property plundered, and every kind of indignity offered to (his) person by the lowest of the populace."


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Finally when his farm and the produce of it had been confiscated and he had been denied the right to open a Latin school in Schen- ectady which he had proposed as a last resort for the support of his family, Mr. Stuart applied for and with much difficulty and ex- pense succeeded in obtaining permission to remove to Canada,27thus, with his departure, closing the final chapter of the labors of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in behalf of the Indians within the limits of the United States.


Notes.


Chapter VII.


I. C. F. Pascoe, "Two Hundred Years of the S. P. G.," p. 855.


2. Manuscript Records of the S. P. G., Series B, Vol. 3, No. 12.


3. Ibid.


4. Ibid., No. 13.


5. Ibid., No. 12.


6. "The Documentary History of the State of New York," IV, 502.


7. Ibid.


8. Ibid., p. 502.


9. Manuscript Records of St. George's Church.


10. Manuscript Records of the S. P. G., Series B, Vol. 3, No. 14.


11. Mr. Doty's letter is to be found in the Manuscript Records of the S. P. G., Series B, Vol. 3, No. 13.


12. This letter is to be found in the Manuscript Records of the S. P. G., Series B, Vol. 3, No. 15.


13. Manuscript Records of the S. P. G., Series B, Vol. 3, No. 14.


14. Report of the Bureau of Archives of the Province of Ontario.


15. Ibid.


16. Mr. Doty wrote that there had been a fifteen month interruption of divine ser- vice at the time of his departure in October, 1777. Report of the S. P. G., 1779.


17. Report of the Bureau of Archives of the Province of Ontario.


18. Report of the S. P. G., 1779.


19. Ibid.


20. "59, exclusive of slaves, among which were 16 communicants and 12 catechu- mens." Report of the S. P. G., 1779.


21. Report of the S. P. G., 1780.


22. Report of the S. P. G., 1781.


23. C. F. Pascoe, "Two Hundred Years of the S. P. G.," p. 139.


24. Ibid., pp. 139-140.


25. Report of the S. P. G., 1794.


26. C. F. Pascoe, "Two Hundred Years of the S. P. G.," p. 870.


27. William Stevens Perry, "The History of the American Episcopal Church," I, 333.


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Chapter VIII.


.


Reconstruction.


T HE American Revolution divides the history of the Epis- copal Church in America into two almost equal parts, bringing the first epoch sharply to a close when the sever- ing of the civil dependence of the American States involved the sep- aration of the Church in America from the parent Church in Eng- land.


Ere the cessation of hostilities both clergy and laity were turning their attention towards meeting the new conditions confronting the Church in an effort for organization and in the hope of continuing its activities uninterrupted.


In contrast with its effect upon other religious bodies, which suf- fered little, the Revolution had dealt severely with the English Church and the close of the war found its parishes for the most part disorganized, its congregations scattered, its wealth and prestige diminished and its churches closed. Truly it was no insignificant task that confronted those upon whom devolved the duty of raising the Church from her "forlorn condition" and of arousing her from the apathy, common to all religious bodies, that swept the States after the Revolution when men preferred the absorbing problems of political reconstruction to those of religion.


The end of the war found St. George's parish in much the same condition as that of the majority of those of the Church of England, for while the indignities suffered by many of her sister churches had been escaped, desolation prevailed, and the building dilapidated,


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with windows broken out, had even become the resort of the swine that roamed at will through the narrow streets of the old Dutch town.1 Of those who had attended service before the war but a few remained and to them, as courage revived, was assigned the task of restoring the church building and of renewing parochial activities.


What steps were taken to solve the problems that confronted the parish during the early days of its reconstruction and who were the men to whom credit should be given for sustaining its burdens can only be surmised, for from the departure of the Reverend Mr. Doty until the year 1798 evidence bearing on the history of St. George's is but fragmentary.


During the early part of July, 1785, the Reverend Mr. Doty paid a visit2 to Albany, and it is possible that at that time he took occasion to visit the scene of his earlier labors and to hold services in St. George's, possibly too, an occasional service may have been held when some army chaplain, of whom a few on the American side were churchmen, chanced to be passing through the town, al- though it is more probable that few if any services were held, or any attempt made to organize the parish or restore the sadly neg- lected building until after the establishment of the Reverend Thomas Ellison as rector of St. Peter's, Albany, in May, 1787.


Mr. Ellison's zeal for the extension of the Church led him, al- most at once, to search out scattered churchmen in the neighbor- hood of Albany. With this in view he visited Schenectady and on July 22, 1787, on request, officiated3 in St. George's Church, thus initiating the movement for the revival of activity and interest in the parish.


In Mr. John W. Brown, the founder, surviving warden, 4 and ever loyal supporter of the church, Mr. Ellison undoubtedly found an


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able leader in the plans for reconstruction and a no less enthusiastic co-worker in the person of Mr. Charles Martin,5 later for many years a warden and treasurer of the church.


By the year 1790 the process of reconstruction gave indication of the necessity for a definite parish organization and in conse- quence, on March 25, those6 interested associated themselves under an adopted constitution to form "a regular congregation" and to in- corporate under the law of the State of New York, passed April 6, 1784, which enabled all religious dominations to appoint trustees who as a body corporate should take care of the "Temporalities of their respective Congregations" and perform other functions in- dicated.


Trustees,7 wardens8 and vestrymen9 were now1º duly elected, as provided for under the Act, and the parish, fully organized, became "The Corporation of the Protestant Episcopal Church of St. George in Schenectady,"" sworn to "inviolably adhere to & maintain all the Rules, Regulations, Laws, Dicipline, & Doctrine of the Protes- tant Episcopal Church, under the General Convention of the said Church in the United States, & the Bishop & Convention of"12 the State of New York.


Too poor, as yet, to procure the undivided services of a rector, the Corporation "contemplated" joining with "the people belong- ing to their Church in Curries & Warransbush & in Ballstown" 13 with a view of calling a minister who would officiate alternately, one Sunday in Schenectady, one Sunday between Warrensbush and Currybush and a third Sunday in Ballstown.


Although, on April 8, 1790, pledges were solicited14 for the carry- ing out of this plan there remains no record to indicate that any fur- ther action was taken.


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The following year a similar plan was considered on the prospect of joining with the churchmen in Ballstown, Duanesburgh and Currybush to engage a certain Reverend Mr. Blakesley for the term of one year to devote half of his time to Ballstown and vicinity and half to Schenectady and vicinity.15


To effect this plan pledges were again solicited, assistance being asked of all churchmen both in town and in the neighboring coun- try who were destitute of the services of a minister and who were desirous of seeing "a rising Generation grow up in the knowledge and fear of God," and as a special incentive toward liberal support it was pointed out that daily experience taught that "where the fear and worship of God (was) neglected, all (that the world (could) bestow add(ed) but little to happiness in this world, and none in the Next." 16


Approximately seventy-one17 pounds were pledged to carry out the proposed plan and although there is no further mention of "Mr. Blakesley" there may be some connection between a possible pro- posal made to him and the earlier arrival in Schenectady of a young man who had been at once installed as a reader, under the direction of the Reverend Thomas Ellison, by the congregation of St. George's and the church at Ballstown.18


Mr. Ammi Rogers, to whom reference is made, had been grad- uated from Yale College in 1790, and soon after had undertaken the study of divinity under the guidance of the Reverend Abraham Jarvis(later Bishop of Connecticut), boarding with his family. Fric- tion soon arose and Mr. Rogers, leaving his instructor, continued his studies under the direction of the Reverend Edward Blakeslee of North Haven and the Reverend Doctor Mansfield of Derby. Mr. Jarvis was both mortified and displeased at the turn in events and


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when later Mr. Rogers attended a convention of the Church with a view of being examined and admitted as a candidate for deacon's orders, Mr. Jarvis, who had gained not a little influence with the Clergy, showed such a hostile disposition toward him that Mr. Rog- ers withdrew without even making his intentions known.19


Finding his way in Connecticut barred, Mr. Rogers determined to try his fortunes in New York and it seems quite logical to assume that the "Mr. Blakesley" to whom the congregation of St. George's contemplated extending a call in July, 1791, was the Reverend Ed- ward Blakeslee, Mr. Rogers' former instructor, and that Mr. Rog- ers' opportune arrival in Schenectady had some bearing on the mat- ter.


Mr. Rogers had filled the office of reader for nearly a year20 when on April 10, 1792, the members of St. George's parish, joining with Mr. Ellison, Mr. Blakeslee, Dr. Mansfield and others, petitioned21 the Standing Committee of the Church in New York State that he be admitted to deacon's orders and definitely engaged him on a salary to hold services in the church every second Sunday for the period of one year.


In spite of the "hostile disposition" of Mr. Jarvis, which again made itself felt in opposition to his admission to orders, Mr. Rog- ers was ordered a deacon in Trinity Church on June 22, 1792. He immediately returned to resume his work at Schenectady and Ballstown, and was later able to report his "ministry . . . . bless- ed beyond what (he) had reason to expect" and that in the period from June 24, 1792, to October, 1793, he had administered one hundred and thirty baptisms, performed twenty marriages and "deposited five dead bodies of (his) fellow christians in the grave." 22


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During this period also the church building which, since the Revolution, "had lain most of the time destitute"23 was repaired and made comfortable,"24 the organ left by Mr. Doty put in order and the wooden tower or steeple, shown in the rough sketch25 of the church made by the Reverend Robert G. Wetmore in 1798, erec- ted.26 Not a small part of the success of these undertakings should be credited to the example and exertions of Mr. William Corlett,27 later a vestryman of St. George's, whose "pious attentions and gen- erous contributions" writes28 Mr. Rogers, "ought never to be for- gotten."


Mr. Ellison had continued29 to interest himself in the affairs of St. George's and, prior to the coming of Mr. Rogers, had preached in the church and performed3º the other functions of his calling whenever occasion permitted. The parish had been visited also, during this period, by the Reverend George Ogilvie31 of New Bruns- wick, New Jersey, the Reverend Thomas F. Olliver32 of Johnstown and, undoubtedly, by others of the clergy, who chanced to be in this vicinity. By far the most memorable day in the history of the parish during this time, however, was Sunday, September 18, 1791, which recorded33 a visit from the Right Reverend Samuel Provoost, Bishop of New York. At the service held in St. George's on that day the sermon was preached by the Reverend Thomas Ellison, and the Reverend Daniel Barber of Manchester, Vermont, was admit- ted to the order of priesthood. On the day following the Bishop concluded his first visitation of the parish with the confirmation of fifty-three34 persons.




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