USA > New York > New York City > A history of the parish of Trinity Church in the city of New York, pt 3 > Part 17
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47
27
179
St. Paul's Church, Buffalo
1820]
dozen Prayer Books, of larger size, & superior binding than those in the most common use. We shall also be obliged by any advice you may think proper to impart to us as well as for any countenance & en- couragement you may give us now or at any future opportunity. So far as our Church is interested in this great undertaking we think we may calculate on your zealous cooperation. Should this request be complied with, any communication relative to it may find me at 6 Garden Street near the Post Office, or at No. 325 Bowery. I would gladly call & make a personal request, but felt doubtful whether your multiplied engagements would enable you to see me.
" I have the honour to be, " Your obt humble serv.
"S. BACON."
" N. YORK 27 Jan. 1820.
" RIGHT REV. SIR,
" I acknowledge the receipt of a package of small Prayer Books (not marked as to quantity) and one dozen of extra Prayer Books for the African expedition. This last donation I have been informed is from yourself. To those gentlemen who have thus contributed for our supply, I beg leave, thro' you to tender our united thanks. In the name of those chiefs for whom the extra books are intended, I beg you to accept my acknowledgments. As these donations will probably ex- cite replies on their parts & a request from them to be instructed in their contents, I shall take care to make a proper report of the same, if of sufficient importance; & shall take the liberty of saying that the Church whose Bishop has thus presented them with books will doubt- less feel interested in sending them Gospel Preachers too.
" With respect I am, " Your obt servt, " SAMUEL BACON."
The pious hopes expressed by Mr. Clark, in his letter of June 1, 1819, that before long a church would be erected in Buffalo were fully realized, for Mr. Babcock, on July 25, wrote that the Church was nearly ready for consecration, and his letter was followed by this one from the Wardens :
" BUFFALO, Dec. 2d 1819.
" RIGHT REV. SIR,
" We have the satisfaction to have it in our power to inform you : that we have erected a Church in our village and that it is now in every
180
History of Trinity Church
[1820-
respect completed ; and that it would be pleasing to us that it should be consecrated at as early a day as can be made convenient. On this account as well as on others we should be highly gratified by a visit from the Bishop as soon as is consistent with his other duties. You will confer a favour upon us by informing us when we may expect to be gratified by your attendance to consecrate the Church.
" We remain, Right Rev. & Dear Sir, "Your obedient Servants, " CYRENIUS CHAPIN,
" HENRY M. CAMPBELL.
Wardens."
The request to consecrate written by Bishop Hobart himself and duly signed by the Wardens and Vestrymen of St. Paul's is still preserved among the Bishop's manu- scripts.
It was presented and read by the Senior Warden, Mr. Chapin :
"We, the Wardens and Vestrymen of St. Paul's Church, in the village of Buffalo, County of Niagara & State of New York, do hereby appropriate the building erected by the congregation of the said Church to the worship of Almighty God, according to the Liturgy & offices of the Protes: Epis' Church in the United States of America ; & do hereby request the Rt. Rev. John Henry Hobart, Bishop of the Protes: Epis1 Church in the State of New York to set apart and con- secrate it accordingly.
" CYRENIUS CHAPIN, - Wardens " HENRY M. CAMPBELL
" Buffalo, Feb. 24, 1820.
" ELIAS RANSOM,
" GEORGE WEED, " SMITH H. SALISBURY, " HENRY KIP, " JNO. J. CAMP, "SHELDON THOMPSON."
The Bishop thus records the consecration in his Con- vention address :
181
The "King's Evil"
1820]
" In the month of February I visited the Western part of the State; induced to this journey at this unfavourable season principally with a view to consecrate the Churches at Rochester and Buffalo, and to make arrangements with respect to the Branch Theological School which had been fixed at Geneva. On the 18th of the month I offi- ciated at that place, and on the 20th consecrated the new church at Rochester, by the name of St. Luke's Church, and confirmed 10 per- sons. . And on the 25th consecrated a neat and commodious edifice on the banks of Lake Erie at Buffalo, by the name of St. Paul's Church. This is also comparatively a new village, having been settled but little more than twenty years ; and I experienced high gratification in witnessing the spirited exertions of the congregation in the erection of their edifice. Confirmation was administered to about 20 persons." 1
The form of service which accompanies Mr. Hamers- ley's letter is that to be used whenever the Sovereign " touched" those afflicted with scrofula, which was in Eng- land known as the " King's Evil."
While the belief, or superstition, that the Sovereign could by his touch remove the taint of scrofula, dates from the time of Edward the Confessor, there appears to have been no special religious service for the ceremony until the reign of King Henry VII. Many thousand persons were in each reign " touched." From 1660 to 1682 it is said that ninety-two thousand persons were "touched."
The form here given is that in use in the the reign of Queen Anne. It must have been used in March, 1714, when among the two hundred unfortunate children and others who sought removal of the evil from their systems was the young Samuel Johnson, afterward the lexicog- rapher and essayist.
" One of his earliest recollections was that of a stately lady in a diamond stomacher and a long black hood."
The practice ceased early in the Georgian period, al- 1 P. 14, Fournal, Diocese New York, 1821.
1
182
History of Trinity Church
[1820-
though Prince Charles Edward in 1745 claimed and exer- cised the right as lawful Sovereign.
At the "Healing " each person received a small gold " noble," which was hung by a ribbon around the neck.
"NEW YORK, June 14th, 1820. " RESPECTED SIR,
"Agreeably to your request, I herewith send you a copy of the Ceremony of the Healing, transcribed (verbatim) from the family Bi- ble in my father's possession. Should it in any degree serve to convey to you information with which you had been previously unacquainted, & in respect to any of the usages and forms of the Mother Church, I shall deem myself amply recompensed for the trifling trouble I may have incurred in this copy.
" Yours respectfully,
" ANDREW HAMERSLEY. "RIGHT REVND BISHOP HOBART."
1 AT THE HEALING.
"Prayer :
" Prevent us, O Lord, in all our doings with thy most gracious favour, and further us with thy continual help, that in all our works, begun, continued, and ended in thee, we may glorify thy holy name, and finally by thy mercy obtain everlasting life through Jesus Christ our Lord .- Amen.
"The Holy Gospel is written in the 16th Chapter of St. Mark, be- ginning at 14th verse :
"'Jesus appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and up- braided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. And he said unto them, " Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptised shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe ; In my name they shall cast out devils, they shall speak with new tongues, they shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not harm them ; they shall lay their hands on the sick and they shall recover."
"'So after the Lord had spoken these things, he was received up into heaven and sat on the right of God, and they went forth and
183
The "King's Evil"
1820]
preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word with signs following.'
"Let us pray.
"Lord, have mercy upon us.
"Christ, have mercy upon us.
"Lord, have mercy upon us.
"Our Father which art in heaven, &c.
"Then shall the infirm persons, one by one, be presented to the Queen, upon their knees, and as every one is presented, and while the Queen is lay- ing her hands upon them, and putting the gold about their necks, the chap- lain that officiates, turning himself to Her Majesty, shall say these words following :
"God give a blessing to this work ; and grant that these sick per- sons on whom the Queen lays her hands may recover through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
"After all have been presented, the chaplain shall say:
" Vers. O Lord, save thy servants.
" Response. . Who put their trust in thee.
" Vers. Send help from thy holy place.
" Resp. And evermore mightily defend them.
" Vers. Help us, O God of our salvation.
" Resp. And for the glory of thy name, deliver us, and be merci- ful unto us sinners for thy name's sake.
" Vers. O Lord, hear our prayer.
" Resp. And let our cry come unto thee.
"These answers are to be made by those who come to be healed. "Let us pray.
"O Almighty God, who art the giver of all health and the aid of them that seek to thee for succour, we call upon thee for thy help and goodness mercifully to be showed upon these thy servants, that they being healed of their infirmities may give thanks unto thee in thy holy Church ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
"Then shall the chaplain, standing with his face toward them that come to be healed, say:
" The Almighty Lord who is a most strong tower to them that put their trust in him, to whom all things in heaven, in earth, and un- der the earth do bow and obey, be now and evermore your defence, and make you to know and feel, that there is no other name under
184
History of Trinity Church
[1820-
heaven given to man, in whom and through whom you may receive health and salvation, but only the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
" The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with us all evermore. Amen.
" FINIS."
The Fairfield Academy under the Rev. Daniel McDon- ald and with the aid granted by this Corporation was proving itself a necessity for the Church in Northern New York. This letter shows its progress :
"FAIRFIELD, 16th June, 1820. " RT. REV. SIR,
" I was highly pleased to hear by Mr. Butler, of our village, that you still kept in mind the intention of visiting us at our Annual Exhi- bition of the Academy. That time will be on the first Wednesday of September next, happening on the 6th day of the month. On the two days preceding there will be a public examination of the students to attend which I should be much gratified to have you present.
"I hope you will find it convenient to hold a confirmation, there being some here that need that rite.
"The following students are on the Trinity Church foundation:
" Messrs. Powers, Salmon,
" Kellogg, " Hollister, "O. Smith, J. A. Clark, of Manlius.
Bostwick,
Gregory (from Auburn), and
"Henry Graves of Russia, designed for the Church, having a rich father, and being an only son, will finish his literary education at Schenectady. Powers, Kellogg, Hollister & Bostwick, together with Mr. Whipple the Assistant are reading Theology.
"It has not been customary hitherto to call upon the students who have finished their literary course, to appear as speakers on our days of exhibition, but it is now a question in my mind whether, seeing the Bishop is to be present I ought not to direct the Theological students to prepare themselves to speak: leaving it optional with you, Sir, when arrived here to excuse them or not. If I hear nothing from you on this subject I shall take it for granted that you require them to be pre-
1
185
The Fairfield Academy
1820]
pared. I shall give notice to the clergy within this vicinity that they may expect to meet their Bishop here on the first Wednesday of Sep- tember next.
"I am, Rt. Revd Sir, "With great Respect, "Your Humble Servant, " DANIEL MCDONALD.
" Rt. Revd Bp. HOBART.
" I have put the following books into the Theological Library:
"Family Bible, 7 numbers,
"Butterworth's Concordance,
"Campbell On Miracles,
" Daubeny's Guide,
" Bowden's 2 letters, 66 On Episcopacy,
66 Letters on Romish Conf.,
"Bishop Hobart's Excellency of the Ch.,
"One vol. of Journals,
" Essays on Episcopacy,
1 " Seabury's Sermons, 3 vols.
" Prideaux, 4,
" Barrow's Sermons, 2,
" Horne On Ps., 2,
" Apostolic Fathers,
"Howe's Defence,
" Simeon On Liturgy,
"Festivals and Fasts,
" On Confirmation,
"Comp. to the Altar.
" As you have a duplicate of Wall, we hope you will present the Library with the old copy. Every clergyman in the Diocese ought to give us a volume or two; for if the School does not stay here, I trust we shall have a diocesan one in the State.
"D. McD."
The contemplated visit of the Bishop was made to the great satisfaction of every one. His commendation of the work done there is hearty and sincere :
" My visit to Fairfield afforded me an opportunity of becoming acquainted with the valuable services of the Rev. Mr. McDonald, the
.
MF
美人
186
History of Trinity Church
[1820-
Principal of the Academy in that village; particularly in his attention to the young men designed for holy orders who are there receiving their education. I should do injustice to him, if I did not bear testi- mony to his important qualifications for the station which he fills of Classical and Theological Instructor." 1
Under date of August 7, 1820, a Mr. D. Fraser, Senr., sends the Bishop a sketch of his own Biography, which is certainly a model of brevity, since all it says is as follows :
"The Right Reverend Dr John Henry Hobart,
"Bishop of the State of N. York.
" A Native of ..
" A Gentleman of handsome talents, who reflects Credit on his Dignifyed Station; as an able and orthodox Divine; and a good and fluent Speaker.
" He is a Benevolent Character.
"May the Episcopal Church always have such able Corinthian Pillars, to support its Rights and Doctrines."
The Bishop of Aberdeen, with whom. Dr. Hobart afterwards had such pleasant personal relations during his stay in Scotland, wrote to his brother bishop the fol- lowing cordial letter :
" ABERDEEN, 12th August 1820.
" RIGHT REVD & DEAR SIR,
" I gladly embrace the opportunity of a vessel going direct from hence to New York to return you personally those thanks of which I re- quested my brother at Forfar to make offer in my name, for the inter- esting communications which you had lately the goodness to send thro' his hands to the Scottish Bishops. They have all been perused by me, I assure you with singular satisfaction, & with a heart full of pious affection towards our worthy & zealous Brethren in the American Church: nor can any one, who has sincerely at heart the interests of pure & undefiled Religion, possibly view with indifference the rapid progress, which the Gospel of X' in its purest & most primitive form is
1 P. 14, Journal, Diocese of New York, 1820.
6
الحارة
.
187
The Theological Education Society
1820]
making throughout the United States .- Your exertions in the good cause have long been known to, & duly appreciated by the Church in Scotland; & nothing could afford greater pleasure to me, as an humble individual of that Church, & I may safely venture to add, nothing could more gratify the Episcopal Church at large, than having the honour of occasionally corresponding with our venerable Brethren in America, & mutually communicating what may at any time seem inter- esting in ecclesiastical affairs.
" The bearer of this letter Cap! Milne of the Brig Aurora seems now established as a regular trader & sails once or twice every year, between Aberdeen & N. York; and when your numerous & weighty avocations will admit of it, I should esteem it most highly, if you would favour me with a letter.
"That your valuable life may be long preserved to the Xtian Church at large, & to that portion of it in particular, over which you so worthily preside is the earnest & devout prayer of
" Right Revd. & dear Sir, your most faithful " & affect" Brother in X!
"W. SKINNER
"RT. REVD. BP. HOBART &c., &c., &c."
In a subsequent chapter we shall give the history of the New York Theological Education Society. It was of this Society that Mr. Rufus King was elected one of the Vice-Presidents, which office he felt compelled to decline for reasons given in this letter:
" JAMAICA, L. I., 24 Oct: 1820.
" DEAR SIR,
"I received last Evening, and carefully read over, the letter you so kindly did me the Honor to write to me: I wish that I had been earlier apprized of the proposed Plan of establishing a theological Seminary in this Diocese; and regret that it was not in my power to express unwillingness to be chosen one of the V. Presidents of the Society, before my name was placed in the Catalogue.
" I have not examined the Subject, and for this Reason, joined to a Disinclination to be engaged in a business not absolutely free from Difficulty I must beg leave to decline the Honor of the appointment, I entreat of you to find for me an Excuse for this Decision, which
188
History of Trinity Church
[1820-
shall leave wholly unimpaired the Esteem, Respect, and friendly con- sideration with which I am
" D' Sir
"Your most ob! & faithful Serv:
" RUFUS KING.
" THE RIGHT REVEREND BP HOBART "
The Kings have been so prominently identified with the Church and State in America that we feel it but due to them to say something in detail of Rufus King, and we have seen no better short notice of his public career than that which appeared in the New York Evening Post of March 30, 1901, which we here transcribe :
"The family was founded in this country by John King of Kent, England, who came to the New World about 1702, and settled in Boston, Mass. He married Mary Stowell, by whom he had several children. Of these, Richard, the eldest, was born in Boston in 1718, and from his early youth displayed singular vitality, ability, and ver- satility. He was a merchant, trader, speculator, soldier, farmer, and writer, in all of which callings he made his mark. After serving in the expedition against Louisburg, during the war with France, he moved to Scarborough, Me., which became the permanent home of himself and some of his descendants. He was twice married. His first wife, Isabella Bragdon, bore him three children, of whom Rufus, the eldest (1755), became the head of the New York house. Mary Black, his second wife, bore him five children, of whom William became the first Governor of the State of Maine, and Cyrus a noted Congress- man from Massachusetts.
"Rufus was graduated at Harvard in 1777, and studied law with Theophilus Parsons, one of the leading jurists of that time. In the Revolution he was aide-de-camp to Gen. Glover, under Gen. Sullivan's command, and proved himself a brave and faithful soldier. Of his war experiences a thrilling story is extant. Young King, the General, and the officers were at breakfast, about a mile distant from Quaker Hill, where a lively cannonading was in progress. The meat had not been served when the General ordered King to ride over and ascertain how the engagement was going. The young officer shook his head sorrowfully at losing his morning meal, but nevertheless sprang from
189
Rufus King
1820]
his chair on hearing his commander's words, and ran to where his horse was standing. As he did so H. Sherbourne, another officer, slipped into his chair at the table, smiling at the departing aide-de-camp. King had scarcely mounted his horse when a stray cannon-ball entered the dining-tent and mangled Sherbourne's foot and ankle so badly that the leg had to be removed. Sherbourne recovered and was on warm terms of friendship with King for the rest of his life, but ever afterwards he claimed that King owed him leg and foot service, while King, on the other hand, invariably removed his hat and thanked Sherbourne for his courtesy in substituting his own leg for King's in the trying ordeal.
"In 1783 Rufus King was elected a member of the Massachusetts General Court, and in 1784 was made a delegate to the Continental Congress at Trenton, being returned in 1785 and 1786. He took a very busy part in the deliberations of that body, and was a member of several important committees. In 1787 he was a delegate from Mas- sachusetts to the Philadelphia Convention which made the present Constitution of the republic. In this struggle, upon which depended the future of the young commonwealth, King was easily one of the great leaders. After the final draft had been made and the bill referred to the thirteen States for their several adoption, he was sent to Mas- sachusetts by Congress to secure its passage by that State, which oc- curred in 1788. On March 31, 1786, he married Mary Alsop, daughter of John Alsop, a member of the First Continental Congress from New York, to which State he transferred his domicile, in 1789, shortly after Massachusetts had adopted the Constitution. He had been so busy with his political duties that he had had no time to make himself ac- quainted with the people of his new home. Great, therefore, was his surprise in the same year when they elected him to the New York As- sembly, and greater still a few days after joining that body, when made their choice with Philip Schuyler for colleague as Senator from the Em- pire State to the First Congress of the nation.
" His elevation to the Senate disclosed to him the fact that he was as much respected in New York as in Massachusetts. His career at Washington was marked by ability and fidelity, as well as by infinite patience. He was always in his seat, and attended every session of the committees to which he belonged. He took a strong part in the impor- tant debates of the period, and was instrumental in shaping the course of legislation as well as the policy of the Government. Now that more than a century has elapsed, it is easy to see that he was one of the great men of that body, and that to him was due much of the welfare which the nation subsequently enjoyed. In 1796 he was chosen by
190
History of Trinity Church
[1820]
George Washington to be Minister to the Court of St. James, where he remained during the Administration of Adams and for two years of Jefferson's. Much work devolved upon the Minister at that time, more, in fact, than is the case to-day, but King, with characteristic in- dustry, attended to every matter, great and small, working sometimes eighteen and twenty hours out of the twenty-four. He stood the strain for seven years, and then, finding that his health was giving way, he was relieved at his own request. Upon his return to New York he settled in Jamaica, L. I., where his mansion house was soon the centre of a large literary and political circle. Here for several years he led a studious but busy life, expressing himself with force upon the public questions which arose from year to year. In all of these utterances he was actuated by the sense of right, and frequently took issue with his own party. In 1813 he was again chosen by the Legislature of New York as Senator of the United States, and he was re-elected for the third time in 1820 nearly unanimously, only three votes dissenting. As early as 1785 he took strong grounds against slavery and its exten- sion. He later stanchly advocated the plan of converting the proceeds of the sale of Government lands into a fund for the purpose of eman- cipating slaves or for their removal, as might be desired by the indi- vidual States. In 1825 he was again appointed Minister to England, where he was heartily welcomed, but after a few months he found that his declining strength was insufficient to meet the labors of the office, and, with the deep conscientiousness which marked his life, he resigned and returned home. He died in 1827, leaving five sons."
in
CHAPTER IX.
HOBART CORRESPONDENCE.
PART . IV .- FROM THE YEAR 1821 TO THE BISHOP'S DE- PARTURE FOR EUROPE.
Acrostic on the Bishop's Name-Hobart's Interest in the Indians-Abraham La Fort- Letter from the Stockbridge Indians-The Berrian MSS .- Letter of the Bishop to Dr. Berrian when on a Missionary Tour-Founding of Geneva College-Letter from Dr. McDonald and Dr. Orin Clark-Letter from Bishop Brownell-The " Family Prayer Book"-Application of Geneva College for a Charter-Letters from Bishop Hobart -Letter from the Rev. John Reed-Charter Granted to Geneva College-Attempt of Mr. Christian Bergh and Others to Found a Free Church-The Natchez District of the Diocese of Mississippi-Letter from Donald Malcolm-Consecration of St. Luke's Church, New York-Appeal from Milledgeville, Ga .- Appeal from Louisville, Ky .- Letter from Rev. Philander Chase-Application from William Hylton for Aid in Recovering Family Title and Estates-Letter from Dr. Jacob Mountain, Bishop of Quebec-Rev. Cave Jones Secures Position in Brooklyn Navy Yard, through Influence of Mr. Rufus King-Letter from Eleazer Williams on his Work among the Indians- Dr. Berrian's Account of his Trip through Canada with Bishop Hobart-Curious Letter from Bishop Mountain-Bishop Hobart's Poor Health-Letter from Dr. Berrian Announcing the Bishop's Return to New York-Drafts in the Bishop's Handwriting Giving : A Declaration of Faith against the Errors of the Church of Rome; An Account of the Consecration of St. Paul's Church, Buffalo, and of St. George's Church, Newburg.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.