USA > New York > Monroe County > Rochester > Annals of St. Luke's Church, Rochester, N.Y. 1817-1883 > Part 3
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The necessity of a fourth Episcopal Church, which had been increasingly felt, resulted in the organization of a new parish in the south- east quarter of the city. The first official act of the new Rector was to officiate, at an early hour on the 29th of April, in Palmer's Hall, at the primary service of the new congregation, mainly composed of parishioners of St. Luke's. From this beginning sprung the important and prosperous parish of Christ Church.
The Institution of the Rev. Mr. Watson, by Bishop DeLancey, took place on Thursday. Feb. 14, 1856.
During the first year of his ministry, the church edifice was thoroughly repaired within and without, at an expense of over $5,000. The subscription to defray this improvement being some $1,500 short of that amount, the V'estry saw fit to mortgage the church. It was at this time that the present stained glass was
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inserted in the windows, the interior frescoed and the tower remodeled. Largely increased expense was also incurred for music. An ineffectual effort was made in April, 1859, to procure a rectory, but the realization of its importance bore fruit a few years later.
The Rev. Mr. Watson, finding the climate uncongenial, and having been called to the Church of the Atonement, Philadelphia, pre- sented his resignation, which was regretfully accepted, July 23, 1859, to take effect the 7th of the following month, when he delivered his farewell discourse; it being recorded that " during his term of four years and three month's service as our Rector, he has, by his ability, fidelity and exemplary Christian deport- ment in the discharge of his arduous duties, won the respect, confidence and affection of his whole congregation." His assistants were the Revs. Robt. W. Lewis and Chas. E. Cheney. The services during the interim were supplied by the Rev. W. B. Otis, from Aug. 7 to Oct. 2, 1859.
The Rev. R. Bethell Claxton, D. D., of St. Paul's Church, Cleveland, O., was called to the Rectorship, Oct. 1, 1859, and entered upon his duties on the Ist of the following Decem- ber. On the 20th of February ensuing, he was
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instituted by Bishop DeLancey, Bishop H. W. Lee preaching the sermon.
Steps were efficiently taken by the Vestry to secure a rectory, and a negotiation to obtain property on Fitzhugh street was terminated by an authorization to purchase, Aug, 25, 1860, at the price of $7,000, of which $4,000 was paid in cash.
The patriotic spirit of the congregation man- ifested itself, April 29. 1861, in a resolution of the Vestry to procure the National colors and erect a flag-staff on the church, and also to pre- sent a Prayer-Book to every volunteer from the City of Rochester, who would accept it. The flag was raised on the tower of the church on the 4th of May; on which occasions addresses were made to a large concourse of people by the Rector, Hon. Alfred Ely and Roswell Hart, Esq.
The plan of building a Mission Chapel was at several meetings urged by the Rector upon the Vestry without eliciting from that body any satisfactory encouragement ; but convinced of the necessity of such provision for those at a distance from the church, he persevered in his design and succeeded in founding the Chapel of the Good Shepherd, in the eleventh ward,-a part of the city at that time destitute of all religious privileges. The means to ac-
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complish this result were provided by the Sun- day-school, the Ladies' Missionary Society and a few willing helpers. The corner-stone of a neat edifice of brick, 28 x 52, with a porch S feet square, upon a lot 54 x 150, was laid, by the Rector, Sept. 23, 1863 ; and on the 31st of July in the next year, he had the happiness of opening the Chapel for Divine Service, The total cost of the building was upwards of $3,000.
As early as June, 1861, the Rev. Dr. Claxton addressed a communication to the Vestry, pro- posing the establishment of "an Asylum for orphans and destitute children, to be under the especial care of our Church in Rochester." The Vestry declined to take action in the matter : but the nucleus of a fund to establish such an institution was formed by the collections at the joint-service of the several parishes on successive Maundy Thursdays, beginning in 1861.
Plans and elevations for a new church edifice were presented to the Vestry by Mr. William Churchill, Feb. 24, 1864, and a committee was appointed to "ascertain if money can be raised for the erection of a new church," and "to pre- sent to pew-owners a request to surrender their pews in the church." This committee subsequently reported that they "had not suc- ceeded in inducing pew-holders to surrender their pews or to submit to new annuities."
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In the failure of the project to build a new church, it was decided, April LI, 1864, to erect a very much needed Sunday School building, and Messrs. Bronson, Brewster and Hawley were appointed to act in the matter. The con- tract for the work, however, was not formally authorized until April 24, 1865, when $2.700 had been collected for the purpose, nor finally completed till April, 1865, at a total cost for building and furniture of $6,000.
The inadequacy of the income of the Church to meet its current expenses without continual resort to special subscriptions, pressed so heavily upon the Vestry that in the Spring of 1864, they called a meeting of the congregation and presented as the root of the difficulty their ina- bility legally to fix such annuities upon the pews as would be sufficient to defray the expenses of the Church, and earnestly requesting the pew-owners to relinquish their leases, which limited the amount which each could be re- quired to pay : but strenuous effort on the part of the Vestry failed to secure the surrender of the vested rights.
A plan however was subsequently devised, to which all the pew-holders except two assented, by which the Vestry were to extinguish the rights of such lessees as would not surrender their pews for a term of years by the payment
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of a consideration ; and the Church was ordered to be mortgaged for $6.000 to procure the nec. essary funds, after paying the existing mortgage debt of $1,200 and advances by the Treasurer, amounting to $1,700. Application was also ordered to be made to the Legislature for the passage of an act authorizing the Vestry to assess upon pews and sittings the current expenses of the corporation.
The laborious duty of securing the surrender of 27 leases and the extinguishment by purchase of 14 others devolved upon Mr. T. C. Mont- gomery, to whom the church is under lasting obligations in this matter, as well as for another most important service in perfecting an abso- lute title to the church property through releases secured by him from the heirs of Roch- ester, Fitzhugh and Carroll.
It having been proposed to invite the newly- elected Assistant Bishop of the Diocese to make Rochester his residence, the Vestry appointed a committee to confer with committees from the other parishes in the city on the subject. As the result of such conference, steps were taken to provide by general subscription a home for Bishop Coxe in this city, but he ulti- mately decided it to be for the best interests of the Diocese that he should reside in Buffalo.
The Rev. Dr. Claxton having been appointed
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" Professor of Pulpit Eloquence and Pastoral Care" in the Philadelphia Divinity School, pre- sented his resignation to take effect Oct. I, 1865; in accepting which, the Vestry "bear willing testimony to the fidelity with which he ministered in holy things, the purity of his doc- trines, the earnestness and ability of his pulpit appeals, the untiring industry and self-denying zeal which has marked the discharge of his parochial duties and the uniform interest and affection with which he has watched over the flock." During Dr. Claxton's ministry of five years and ten months, he was assisted by the Revs. Joseph Kidder, Fred. N. Luson, DeWitt C. Loop, Fred. M. Gray and Horatio Gray.
Upon the nomination of the retiring Rector, the Rev. Wm. J. Clark was placed in charge of the parish from Oct. 1, 1865, which engage- ment terminated April 18, 1866.
The Rev. Henry C. Potter, D. D., of St. John's Church, Troy, was invited, Nov. 8, 1865, to accept the rectorship, but though earnestly urged on the occasion of a personal visitation to the parish to accept the charge, he after care- ful deliberation declined the call.
A joint committee of three from the Vestry and three from the congregation on the subject of securing a Rector, recommended, April 9, 1866, that an engagement be made with the
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Rev. Henry Anstice, officiating at St. Barna- bas' Church, Irvington, to take pastoral charge of the parish for one year ; and a special com- mittee consisting of N. T. Rochester, T. C. Montgomery and Aaron Erickson was appointed to extend the invitation. At a subsequent meeting the committee reported "that they could not make any arrangement with the Rev. Henry Anstice to take temporary charge of this parish." A call to the Rectorship at a sal- ary of $2,000, with the use of the Rectory and $800 for an assistant was thereupon extended April 23, 1866, and accepted to take effect on the 13th of the following month.
At the first meeting of the Vestry with the new Rector, he was requested to take the keys of the Chapel of the Good Shepherd and to make such disposition thereof as he with the concurrence of the Vestry may from time to time think advisable," and in accordance with a subsequent resolution he received and accepted the title to the property from the Rev. Dr. Claxton, the Vestry having been unwilling to assume the legal responsibility incident thereto.
A plan for general city mission work having been projected by Mr. George R. Clark and the Rev. Dr .. Van Ingen under the name of " The St. Matthew's Church Mission," and it having been intimated to the Vestry that the said Mis-
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sion was desirous of purchasing the Good Shep- herd Chapel in order to unify the work of Church extension in the city under one man- agement, it was resolved "with a view to pro- mote harmony of feeling and action between the several clergy and parishes of Rochester and as an expression of interest in the newly inaugurated joint mission work," to enter into a contract to convey the property to trustees for the use of the said mission. The " St. Mat- thew's Mission " accordingly conducted services in the chapel as well as at other points in the city by its missionaries, the Rev. R. M. Duff, Dean. and the Rev. E. S. Wilson, assisted by Mr. S. D. Boorom and D. H. Lovejoy, M. D., candi- dates for Orders. Upon the dissolution of that organization, however, in June, 1867, the chapel reverted to St. Luke's and the services were continued therein by the Rector and his assist- ants. The other points at which services had been sustained by this joint missionary effort were the school house near Deep Hollow, which was committed to the care of Trinity Church ; the Oregon St. Mission, which was assigned to Grace Church, and Hope Chapel, which was committed to Christ Church, and developed by the care of its Rector and some zealous lay- men into St. Clement's in July, 1871.
The Vestry having had under consideration
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the advisability of thoroughly remodeling and refitting the interior of the church, and placing the whole edifice in the best possible condition, requested the Rector to call a meeting of the congregation to express their views upon the subject. At this meeting, held July 16, 1866, plans and estimates were presented and dis- cussed, and on motion of Mr. Aaron Erickson, it was resolved, "That the congregation do advise the Vestry to make the improvements proposed, and at the same time to make pro- vision for paying off the entire church debt upon the basis of property in the pews." Steps were, accordingly, at once taken to carry out the recommendations of the congregation, and Messrs Bronson, Brewster and Perkins, with the Rector as chairman, were appointed the build- ing committee, and the same members of the Vestry, together with Mr. Erickson, and Hon. E. D. Smith were designated a committee to solicit subscriptions,-the labors of which latter work, devolved almost entirely upon Judge E. D. Smith and Mr. G. H. Perkins.
The last service in the old church, prior to its occupation by the workmen, was held Oct. 7, 1866; from which time the congregation wor- shiped statedly on Sunday afternoons in the First Presbyterian Church, opposite, which had been kindly tendered for that purpose by the
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Christian courtesy of its Trustees. A Wed- nesday evening service with lectures on the Prayer Book was also held in our Sunday School building, and the sessions of the Sunday School were not interrupted.
The Rev. M. R. St. J. Dillon-Lee entered upon his duties as the first assistant to the Rector, Sept. 2, '66. With his co-operation week- ly cottage services were maintained throughout the Winter in the 8th Ward, and a Sunday afternoon service established in the following Spring in a building rented for that purpose. The whole southwestern section of the city was divided into districts, and lady visitors assigned to each with a view to organized per- sonal ministries of divers sorts to the people there resident.
The committee of the Vestry which had been appointed in April to act with similar commit- tees from the other three parishes for the purpose of purchasing a lot in Mt. Hope Ceme- tery for the interment of "persons attached to the Episcopal Church for whose burial no other appropriate place should be provided," reported Jan. 31, '67, that they had purchased jointly such a lot for $324, of which $106 was to be paid by St. Luke's.
The work of repair was meanwhile slowly
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progressing in the church building. It had been found necessary to make excavations, build foundations for the pillars, put in new timbers and flooring and make unplanned alter- ations and improvements to such an extent that the work was protracted into the short days of Winter and the expense very materially in- creased. Before the re-modeling of the edifice there was no middle aisle and no entrance through the tower; the pews had doors as high as the backs of the seats ; there were square pews in the gallery, and the building was heated with stoves. Steam-heating apparatus was now intro- duced throughout the church and Sunday School building, and the organ was renovated and its power increased by the addition of several stops. On the 10th of March, 1867, the church was re- opened for Divine Service by the Bishop of the Diocese, and on the 14th inst. in the presence of all the city clergy the formal Institution of the Rector took place; Dr. T. C. Pitkin of Buffalo and Dr. Abner Jackson of Geneva, acting as attending presbyters, Bishop Coxe preaching the sermon and performing the ceremony, and Wil- liam Pitkin, Esq., presenting the keys of the church,-an office he had discharged at the Institution of each preceding Rector; all of them except the first having been formally instituted into the Rectorship.
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A statement of the financial condition of the parish was laid before the congregation on Easter Monday, April 22, 1867, from which it appeared that there had been expended in re- pairing the church edifice about $19,000, and that the sums collected from subscriptions and sales of pews amounted to $18,770, with about $7,000 more due and unpaid. The debts of the Church, contracted before the repairs were com- menced, were stated at $6,000 on the church building, $3,000 of purchase money on the Rec- tory, $2,400 in contracts for purchase of Ex- change St. property in rear of Rectory, and $1,000 balance due and and unpaid on the Sun- day School building; thus showing the total debt of the corporation, before the improve- ments were begun, to have been $12,400. The hope which had been entertained, that the entire debt would be paid off at this time was there- fore disappointed. A material reduction of it, however, was effected through the gradual col- lection of unpaid subscriptions, proceeds of sales of pews, and the operation of a sinking fund created by the excess of current income over expenses ; so that before the meeting of the Convention in August, 1867, not only had the entire cost of the improvements been defrayed, but $3,200 had been paid upon the outstanding obligations, and the mortgage on the church
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was still further reduced by $1,000, within three years thereafter.
The parochial activity in City Mission work was at this time approaching its highest devel- opment. An additional Assistant Minister was needed to devote himself particularly to the work at the Good Shepherd ; and provision having been made therefor, the Rev. Jacob Miller entered upon his duties in that field in July, 1867. In the 8th Ward, the services were attended with deep interest, and the people of the district showed themselves in earnest for the erection of a chapel by subscribing $1,000 for that purpose. Service on Sunday afternoons and a Sunday School were maintained in the school house on Lake Ave., near Deep Hollow, from July, 1867, when this enterprise which had been a legacy to him from St. Matthew's Church Mission, was committed by the Rector of Trin- ity to the Rector of St. Luke's. In the Ontario St. neighborhood, cottage services were well attended by the people in that locality, and the duty of chaplain to the City Hospital was also discharged by one of our staff of clergy, Divine service being held for one year on every Lord's Day afternoon.
Meanwhile, the Rev. Mr. Dillon-Lee having accepted a position as assistant minister in Christ Church, New Orleans, resigned after thir-
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teen months of service and was followed by the Rev. David H. Lovejoy, M. D., Sept. 29, 1867, who remained one year in the parish.
The 12th of March, 1868, marks the progress of the work at the Good Shepherd Chapel in the creation, by the Rector, of a quasi-Vestry, to relieve him of details and represent the needs and wishes of the people. The result of this arrangement was to rapidly develop the inter- est and self-sustaining power of the congrega- tion, and pave the way for that ecclesiastical independence which was perfected a year later.
The corner-stone of the new chapel on Frances street was laid by the Rector in the absence of the Bishop, on the 23rd of July, 1868, addresses being delivered by the Revs. F. S. Rising, of New York, and J. H. Waterbury, of Le Roy. The completed building was formally opened for divine service Feb. 28, 1869. The total cost of the chapel was $10,000. which had been raised by subscriptions and five-cent collections, by the Sunday School, by a public lecture given by Bishop Lee, and from the proceeds of some lots on Penn street given to the Rector for this purpose by the heirs of Asa Sprague. The chapel was thus described in the "Gospel Messenger": "It is neatly and substantially built of brick, in Early English style, sixty feet by forty-two inside, slate-roofed
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with four double lancet windows on each side and a window in front on either side of a central tower, which is eighty-two feet high. The in- side walls are rough-finished, blocked and stained. The seats are neatly upholstered in crimson damask, having reversible backs for Sunday School purposes, arranged in double rows on each side of a central aisle, with side aisles at the walls, and will accommodate three hundred persons." Jonathan Dent was the mason, Thomas Williamson the carpenter, and Isaac Loomis the architect, by whom the chapel was built.
On the 18th of Sept, 1868, the Bishop advanced to the priesthood the two assistants of the parish, the Revs. Jacob Miller and David H. Lovejoy, M. D., presented by the Rector ; twenty clerical members of the Rochester Con- vocation being present.
The independent organization of the Church of the Good Shepherd was effected on the 29th of March, in this year, and the Rev: J. Miller was elected Rector. Forty-one families and fifty-one communicants were transferred from St. Luke's to form the nucleus of the new par- ish. And thus the Good Shepherd took its place as the fourth daughter of St. Luke's among the city Churches.
The corner-stone of the Church Home was
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laid April 20, 1869, in the unavoidable absence of the Bishop, by the Rector of St. Luke's, who also made the address at the formal opening of the Institution, Oct. 26th, of the same year, all the city Rectors being present and taking part in the services.
The Rev. W. W. Raymond became assistant to the Rector, with special duties in the Sth Ward field, Feb. 7, 1869, and at the Ember Or- dination, March 13, 1870, was advanced to the priesthood in Christ Church by Bishop Coxe, on presentation by the Rector of St. Luke's.
On the 8th of May, 1870, a morning service was instituted at the Epiphany, the name by which the chapel had been christened Nov. 7, 1869. Up to this time no sacrament had been administered in the chapel, but there was a Sun- day School of 160 members and a stated con- gregation of 200 persons. A handsome font was now provided and a communion service. A better organ also was procured. A bell alone was lacking, and at Christmas-tide this want was also satisfactorily supplied.
The Rev. Mr. Raymond, after sixteen months of service in the parish, preached his last ser- mon May 22, 1870. The Rev. Geo. S. Baker came to take his place August, 14 of the same year.
During the summer of 1870, the Sunday
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School building was thoroughly renovated, the walls painted, the woodwork oiled and the floor carpeted ; the carpet being given as an individ- ual contribution by one who delights to be lib- eral. In the following June the Vestry author- ized a committee consisting of Jas. Brackett, C. F. Smith and Roswell Hart to repaint and decorate the interior of the church and build a new organ to replace the old, for which im- provements $4,700 was raised by subscription. The total cost was $5,230.32, the balance being provided from the current revenue of the Church.
In Advent, 1871, the Rector organized the willing workers of the Church into a body known as the " Parochial Helpers." The Dis- trict Visiting and Mothers' Meetings were especially effective in furthering the work in the 8th Ward, and were continued till the Chapel reached that stage in its development where labor of this sort more properly devolved on its own members. A Sewing School was also well sustained in the Epiphany. The sewing inter- est at the Mother-Church was known at this time by the name of the Industrial Circle ; which, among its plentiful good works, provided for refurnishing the Vestry Room.
On the 19th of February, 1872, the Vestry authorized a committee with the Rector as chairman, to remove the old rectory to the
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south side of the lot which it occupied and pro- cure plans for the erection of a new and more suitable residence for the Rector. The old rec- tory was accordingly removed and placed in good order at an expense of $1,949.40; where- upon the committee was authorized to proceed with the erection of a new building not to ex- ceed $12,000 in cost.
During the same summer a parsonage house was erected on the lot adjoining the Epiphany, at an expenditure of $4,000, while the chapel itself was renovated and walls and woodwork tastefully repainted.
The Rev. Wm. Long entered on his duties as assistant to the Rector Dec. 1, 1872, remaining in the parish four years and five months, until April 29, 1877.
The new rectory being completed on the 12th of April, 1873, a final report was made to the Vestry by which it appeared that its cost had been $11,961.69, and that this sum had been provided by the sale of the old rectory and the proceeds of a bank loan upon the new, in antic- ipation of the sale of the lots in the rear. A new bell was this Spring hung in the tower at a cost of $600, to replace its predecessor, which had become useless.
On the 13th of April, 1874, Messrs. Brackett, Perkins, Hart, Eastwood and Whittlesey were
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appointed to solicit subscriptions to clear off the balance of the original debt on church and rec- tory, contracted in 1860 and 1864. An amount sufficient to extinguish this balance, $7,000, was raised within two months.
A service for deaf mutes was at this time in- augurated in one of the rooms of the Sunday School building, which has since been uninter- ruptedly continued on Sunday afternoons by Mr. J. C. Acker as lay-reader.
The need of some new missionary enterprise in the northern portion of the city being apparent, the Rector of St. Luke's, at the instance of the Bishop and with the concurrence of all the west- side clergy, took measures to establish a service and Sunday School under the name of St. John's Chapel on State St. A hall in Coch- rane's block was secured and neatly fitted up at an expense of $600 for the opening service, Jan. 24, 1875, the Rev. J. J. Landers assisting. The Rector himself officiated every evening during the summer, but his personal connection with the enterprise ceased in September, and Mr. Landers conducted its affairs until the fol- lowing February, when at the instance of the local clergy, and in view of the fact that a new Rector had infused fresh life into Trinity par- ish, and upon the distinct pledge of the Vestry of Trinity that they would occupy the field, the
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