Bi-centennial history of Albany. History of the county of Albany, N. Y., from 1609 to 1886. With portraits, biographies and illustrations, Part 170

Author: Howell, George Rogers, 1833-1899; Tenney, Jonathan, 1817-1888
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: New York, W. W. Munsell & Co.
Number of Pages: 1452

USA > New York > Albany County > Albany > Bi-centennial history of Albany. History of the county of Albany, N. Y., from 1609 to 1886. With portraits, biographies and illustrations > Part 170

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BETH EL, South Ferry street, corner of Frank- lin. Rev. Adolph Friedmann, Pastor. Partially organized in 1832, but did not take the name till 1838, when a building was procurred on Herkimer street. The society is, therefore, the oldest of the sect in this city. It was without a rabbi till 1854, when Sampson Falk officiated as such. In 1864 the South Ferry street Methodist Church was bought, dedicated January 20, 1865, and has since served them as a synagogue. They were consider- ed as orthodox, till, under the ministration of Rev. Louis A. Son, they adopted the Minhag ritual of Rev. Dr. Wise.

BETH EL JACOB .- The synagogue of the ortho- dox Jews, in Fulton street, above Madison avenue, Rev. - Destillator, Pastor. This society is very small, but the traditions of the race are observed here more carefully than elsewhere. The women sit apart from the men, and each member, during the service, wears around his neck a woollen scarf called the Talitth.

LIBERAL.

THE ALBANY LIBERAL ASSOCIATION was organized August 5, 1877. It now occupies the Hall, No. 69 North Pearl street. Sunday-school, under the di- rection of Mrs. Iliohan, at two o'clock, followed by any business matters relating to the association, and also the discussion of any appropriate subject that may be offered. The regular lectures and their criticism, if any, are held at half-past 7 o'clock, every Sunday evening, under the direction of the President.

The first meeting was held at the house of Thomas Dugan, attended by ten other men of lib- eral views. Shortly after a public meeting was held at Laventall Hall, and a Freethought Liberal Association organized with 11 members. John Lomax was elected President.

In the year 1829, a paper called the Free Enquirer was published by Miss Fanny Wright and Robert Dale Owen in New York City.

764

HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF ALBANY.

About this time it is understood that Abner Kneeland, of Boston, and Miss Fanny Wright gave lectures in Albany, and that their publications were read here. Among the leaders in the liberal move- ment at that time was Julius Rubens Ames, the painter. But little success followed the effort, as Mr. Owen went to the Western States and Miss Wright to Europe.

In 1840, Judge Thomas Hertill, of New York, an avowed Liberal, while here as a member of the Legislature, with Mr. John Prest, Mr. J. Austin, Mr. M. Brown, and several others, attempted an organization which failed to meet their expectations. Since this, no successful attempt at organization of an association was made before the one now exist- ing. Among the prominent Liberals are many in- telligent, well-known citizens. They hold stated meetings for discussion and for instruction on Sun- days in some rented hall. Most of them belong to the class of Freethinkers called Agnostics

Its presidents, since Mr. Lomax, have been Judge E. P. Hulbert, Mr. Hennessy, Joseph Mc- Donough, Adam Strever, William H. Williams, John McCabe.

LUTHERAN.

FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH .- Lutherans are spoken of in Albany in 1644, although the precise date of their establishment is unknown. They received much opposition from the early Reformed Church. They were the second church organization in point of time in the city, and the oldest Lutheran con- gregation in America. With the exception of the First Lutheran Church, the Lutheran Churches in this city are German. The first edifice was built in 1668 or 1670, on the site of the present City Building, South Pearl street, and was paid for, the old record says, the first penny and the last. The first minister was Rev. Johannes Fabritius. The Episcopalians worshiped in this church part of the day in 1714, and in 1784-86 the two congregations had a minister in common. The society was incor- porated in 1784, and in 1787, another church was built on the Pearl street lot in the center of the pres- ent street. In 1816, a third church, 40 x 60, was erected on the site of the present edifice, and cost $25,000; Philip Hooker, architect. The church owned real estate, bounded by Eagle, Lancaster, Hawk and State streets, upon which they erected houses. In 1843, Rev. Henry N. Pohlman, D. D., became Pastor, and in 1868 was followed by Rev. Samuel Sprecher. During his pastorate, in 1871, the present church edifice was erected. It is 69 x 126 feet, and cost $85,oco, exclusive of the ground. In 1872 the Rev. Irving Magee, D. D., took charge and remained with success until September, 1882. The church was then without a Pastor until Febru- ary 17, 1884, when the Rev. George W. Miller, from Plymouth, Ohio, took charge. In 1873 the parsonage was built, at a cost of about $10,000. During the earlier years no record of the members was kept. There have been, however, enrolled up to the present time 1, 224 members; present num- ber entitled to communion, 338.

METHODIST.

Some time in the years 1765-66, Captain Thomas Webb, of the British Army, was stationed in Al- bany in charge of the military post as Barrack- master. He had been converted in Bath, in Eng- land, joined the Methodists and labored as a lay preacher. He is said to have maintained family prayer, at which his neighbors were sometimes present, and also preached in the public streets. In February, 1767, he was in New York, and im- mediately entered upon evangelistic labors there and on Long Island and in New Jersey. That he never returned to Albany, we infer he felt the time was not yet favorable for Methodism here. Late in the autumn of 1788, Methodism came to Al- bany to stay; but for years was a very feeble plant.

The pioneer preacher in this work was Rev. Freeborn Garretson, a native of Maryland, a man of gentle birth, of some financial means, and until he emancipated them, a holder of slaves. He was one of the earliest Methodist preachers of Amer- ican birth. It was now twenty-two years since the first Methodist sermon had been preached in Amer- ica. This was in New York, and for reasons that we do not now consider, the work had spread mostly to the south from that city. Francis As- bury had joined those who were laboring in this work in 1771; and when the scattered societies of Methodists were organized into a church, in De- cember 1784, he was elected Bishop. In the spring of 1788, Mr. Garretson came to New York, and with the other preachers entered into a work of revival that was spreading north through West- chester County.

Mr. Garretson was assigned to this district with a band of young men, whom he sent out to find fields of labor, himself passing over the whole territory once in every three months, and putting in his own labor where it seemed most needed.

To both the Bishop and Mr. Garretson, to make Albany a strong point, seemed eminently desirable He readily obtained the privilege of preaching in the City Hall. It is not strange that the resident clergy should look with disfavor upon this effort to introduce what they accounted another gospel, nor that the people generally sympathized with them. The dogmas of Calvinism had come with the first settlers from their Holland home, and the current theological literature and conversation were all cast in that mold. It was not until July of the next year (1789), that he succeeded in gathering any con- verts. On the 1st of July he writes: "Albany still appears to be a poor place for Methodism." He had preached in the City Hall. The next day, at an hour by sun, he met a few friends in a private house and joined them into a society under the Methodist discipline. In the evening he preached again in the City Hall.

The building of a House of Worship was ac- complished in the next two years. It was built and is still standing on the southeast corner of North Pearl and Orange streets. As late as 1870 there was an old man in the city whose pa- rents were interested in building the house, and

765

RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS.

remembered the people cutting and hewing the timbers for the frame.

By a record in the office of the County Clerk, we learn the church was incorporated under a general Act of the Legislature in 1784, as the Method st Episcopal Church of the City of Albany. The following names appear as the first Board of Trustees, elected in June, 1792:

John Bloodgood, Abraham Ellison, Isaac Law- son, Elisha Johnson, William Fradenburgh, Na- thaniel Ames, Calvin Chessman.

Still another record is worth preserving. After a new house was built on Division street, in 1812, the old house was for a time occupied by the Baptists, and finally, in 1822, sold to the Scotch Presbyterians.

The first preacher stationed in Albany, when it was taken from the circuit, was Joel Ketcham, a man of more than ordinary popular address. David Buck followed for one year. Then Cyrus Stebbins four years successively; William Phœbus, a man of culture, 1806-7; Truman Bishop, 1808; Daniel Notrander, 1809-10; Lewis Pease, 1811; Samuel Merwin 1812-13.

In 1813 a portion of the members wished to es- tablish a Sabbath-school. But the older members thought it would be breaking the Sabbath. They compromised by getting tracts printed and circu- lating then among the people. A leading spirit in this was a Scotchman of the name of Balan- tine, a school teacher. E. & E. Hosford, a leading printing-house in the city, printed tracts for these zealous Methodists before the American Tract So- ciety had an existence. They were mostly Wesley's Tracts.

But what these men failed to do, a woman ac- complished. In 1816 a Methodist lady had a select school in the city for young misses, and added to her labors by establishing a Sabbath- school, the first in the city.

The following table shows the growth of the membership from 1797, when first reported separ- arately from the circuits:

White. Black.

1799

.40

1806

1800

. .

1807

1801

.46

1808

1802

.57

1809

108

1803

. 66

1810

.101

1804-5

18IT

I16

It was matter of great encouragement, after this long period of weakness, that in 1811 they ap- pear to have turned the corner of one hundred, never again to fall below that number. This led to a new enterprise-seeking a more eligible situation for their house of worship. In February, 1812, they purchased two lots upon the south side of Division street, a few doors below South Pearl. When they built upon North Pearl street, one lot, with a front of a few inches over thirty feet, an- swered their purpose; now they buy two lots.

Mr. Upfold, who was not a Methodist-prob- ably an Episcopalian-opened his house as the headquarters of their evangelistic labors. It was in his house-a school-room in which he and his wife taught school-that Mrs. Bocking, with their

aid, instituted the first Sabbath-school in Albany. Here too, and by Mrs. Bocking, was inaugurated the first effort for the moral and intellectual eleva- tion of the children and youth of African descent. These left Albany in the course of ten or fifteen years.

The church on Division street was opened for public worship in 1813.

Bishop.Asbury held a session of the New York Conference in June, 1812. He preached, as re- corded in his journal, in the old church, and made an address on the spot designated for the new church. In 1815 he held another conference here, and at the request of the Conference, he preached a funeral sermon on the death of Dr. Coke, who, on his way to establish a mission on the Island of Ceylon, died, and was buried in the Indian Ocean. An aged lady in this city, born in 1801, remembers this sermon, and adds that the church was appro- priately draped for the occasion.

The membership in 1813 numbered 153 whites and 16 blacks. For the next twelve years it fluc- tuated between this and 215 whites, 25 blacks; but fell off over 50 the next year. It should be observed that in those years, and until 1847, proba- tioners were numbered with those in full member- ship. Consequently, under the labors of an inju- dicious and sensational Pastor, the numbers were swelled, only to be reduced again when the excite- ment passed. After 1823 it never fell below 200.

The prejudice continued, Methodist preachers be- ing regarded as intruders. Aside from viewing their doctrines as erroneous, they were mostly unedu- cated in the classics and what pertained to a liberal education. But there were those among them, men without a college training, whose solid ac- quirements made them the peers of any in the ministry of other churches. Dr. William Phoebus, Daniel Ostrander, and Samuel Merwin were men who would command the respect of any who formed their acquaintance. In 1822-25, Phineas Rice, a man of marked ability, and withal eccentric, was the Pastor.

An occurrence in 1821 is remembered with in- terest. The gifted Summerfield, of overwhelming popularity, came to the aid of the church in their financial troubles. He preached in the Methodist Episcopal Church, and raised a collection of $95. 12; in the evening in St. Peter's Episcopal Church, and raised $88.

For the next twenty-five years, the country at large and the churches generally were passing through commotions, arising from various sources; and staid as has been the type of Albany Meth- odism, it could not escape partaking of the com- mon excitement.

In 1828 the membership had reached the num- ber of 372 whites and 25 blacks. Hitherto, as in almost all other churches, they had free sittings. In July, 1829, a notice appeared in the public pa- pers that the Trustees of the Methodist Church would at such a time rent the seats in their House of Worship. This gave great dissatisfaction, and a very considerable minority at once withdrew, and rented a public hall on the corner of Pearl and

766

HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF ALBANY.

Columbia streets. They invited preaching from the adjacent Watervliet Circuit, and took their membership there for the time being. The col- ored members appear mostly to have gone to the African Methodists. The new congregation took about 150 whites.

In February they purchased a large building on the east side of Pearl street, not far from the place they were occupying. It had been used for a cir- cus, and was readily fitted for its new use. At the ensuing session of the New York Conference, two churches in Albany-the First, and Garretson Sta- tion-were supplied with able Pastors.

In the month of August, in the ordinary morn- ing service in the new church, a powerful work of revival began. It spread, not only to the other Methodist Church, but throughout the city, especi- ally in the northern part. At the end of two years, the numbers were: for the First Church, 434 mem- bers; for the second, 445.

The absence of colored members is accounted for by this-that a few years previous, in 1822, a church for this class, the African M. E. Church, had been organized.

At the session of the conference in 1834 a third church was recognized - the Wesleyan Chapel. This, in its leading membership, was mainly a col- ony from Garretson Station. But it was located in the south part of the city, and would naturally draw from the First Church also. It embraced mostly the anti-slavery element in the churches.

In 1835, the members numbered respectively, for the First Church, 440; Garretson Station, 435; Wesleyan Church, 214. Another church enter- prise now received the sanction of the conference as the West Station. This gave four churches, well arranged, to supply the city with this form of Christianity.

The Primitive Methodists had a small House of Worship on State street, above the Capitol. Get- ting into difficulty among themselves, they became demoralized and offered their house for sale. Some members of the Division street and Garretson Sta- tion Churches, believing a congregation could be sustained there with profit, secured the property. Rev. Lewis Pease was employed as a temporary supply. At the conference a Pastor was appointed who organized the church.

Among those who moved in this matter, named with special interest by survivors, are Thomas Coul- son and wife, a lady of remarkable piety; Dr. L. B. Gregory; Edmund Lord ; John Sager.

For a time the growth of this was gradual, but healthy. Under a Pastor of remarkable pulpit ability, in 1841 they found themselves straitened for room. It was now proposed to seek a more eli- gible site and build anew. They selected a corner of Washington and Swan streets, and proceeded at once to purchase and plan for building. With some parade the corner-stone was laid by Dr. Sprague, the leading Presbyterian Pastor of the city. But the Pastor was more efficient as a preacher, than wise in planning and executing as a financier. The consequence was they found them- selves with a House of Worship incumbered with

a debt for which there was absolutely no available provision. The upshot of this was that while the city was growing around them, an inviting field of labor, their embarrassments rendered them spiritu- ally weak, and at the same time tended to deter others from joining them.

In 1839, just before the session of the conference, the Wesleyan Chapel was burned. The opposition to the anti-slavery element in that church, and the burden of a heavy debt, operated against their rebuilding, and the property was sold for the debt. But a preacher was appointed and they obtained the use of a house that had been used by the Uni- versalists. This was sold in May, 1842, and the society disbanded on Sabbath, May 22d. But the very next Sabbath, May 27th, the Sabbath-school teachers gathered their school in a little room on John street, determined to hold the ground. Con- ference met June Ist, but no preacher was ap- pointed. At that conference one of the ministers, Charles Devoe, a physician as well, retired from the ministry and removed to Albany and became their Pastor. They were incorporated as the Ferry Street M. E. Church, and proceeded at once to erect a church, which was dedicated in December following.

In the midst of the difficulties Thomas Schuyler connected himself with the church, and relieved it of financial embarrassments.

In 1843, the Division street Church found their House of Worship insufficient, and sought a more eligible situation upon Hudson street, between Philip and Grand. In 1843 they removed to this new edifice. It had an entrance from Plain street as well as from Hudson, and a commodious par- sonage was erected by the side facing on that street. In the winter of 1865 extensive improvements were made, rearranging both the basement and the audi- torium.

Financial embarrassments grew out of building and repairing that oppressed them for several years.

At the conference of 1846 it was provided to supply a second preacher for Garretson Station. The object was to make a considerable class on Arbor Hill the nucleus of another congregation. The next year it was connected with the West Sta- tion, and in 1848 it was made a separate charge. This gave five Methodist churches, very well dis- tributed, to supply the city.

The fluctuations of the numbers of the members from year to year serve to some extent to indicate the spiritual condition of the church. The follow- ing table gives the numbers from 1829 to 1848.

1829.

612

1839

928

1830.

685

1840.

1,069

1831

879

1841

1,074

1832

682

1842

1,072

1833 ..

653

1843

.2,136

1834

748

1844

1,632

1835

1,049

1845

1,482

1836.

1,015

1846

. 1,274

1837

1,01I

1847

1,261

1838.

970

1848

1,14I

The table begins with the two churches. The first Pastors left in 1831. The falling off of 200 in 1832 was mostly in the First Church.

767

RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS.

In 1834-35 we see the effect of a stimulus given to the work by the two new churches. The deca- dence of numbers in 1839 may have been due to the efforts to drive out the Abolitionists. The increase that follows was due to the Millerite excitement, reach- ing its hight in 1843. The falling off of five hun- dred in the next year shows how utterly wanting in life was that work. This was mostly in the Garret- son Station Church, and it is possible had much to do in shaping the subsequent history of that church.

Another period of twenty-five years brings us to 1873. Until 1849, in reporting the numbers of the membership, we made no distinction between the probationers and the members in full. From that date we report them separately, but for con- venience they are added together in this paper. It is noteworthy that for twenty-five years, from 1823 to 1848, the increase was 926; for the like period from 1849 to 1873, only 810.

Perhaps the most notable movement of general interest in this period is this: The Garretson Station, which originated in a protest against renting seats, rebuilt their church edifice in a more fashionable style and adopted that mode of sittings.

Another event of general interest occurred in 1854; this was the organization of the Albany Methodist Sunday-school Union. The object was to secure more efficient work in this department of labor, and also to sustain Mission Sunday-schools in destitute portions of the city and vicinity.

In the course of a few years, mission schools were planted and worked with a good deal of suc- cess at these points: 1, The Bowery, on Central avenue; 2, West Albany, since school-house, near the railroad shops; 3, South Mission, Groesbeck- ville, on Benjamin street; 4, Bath; and 5, East Al- bany, both over the river. Beside these, another at the corner of Madison avenue and Lark street was merged into the Sunday-school of Trinity Church when that was established in 1867.

No. I was for years worked largely by members of the West Station, or Washington street Church, and was a feeder to that church. No. 2 became a Union School, and then passed into the hands of the Presbyterians, and finally developed a Presby- terian Church; No. 3 has continued to the present a Methodist Mission School; No. 4 gave rise to the Bath Methodist Episcopal Church; and No. 5 to a Congregational Church.

The Union, in building and keeping insured chapels for their work, and in repairs, became em- barrassed with debts. Added to this, in 1868 it was deemed wise to employ a missionary.

In the winter of 1870, under the labors of a band of zealous laymen, a remarkable work of revival was carried on at the Central avenue Chapel. The missionary, under direction of the presiding Elder, proceeded to receive them on probation. With a number of members of the different churches who had become interested in the work, he formed them into classes. In this state of things, at the ensuing conference another missionary was appointed with a special charge over this congregation. Of some 123 of these converts, about forty graduated into

full membership in the church. At the close of the first pastorate in 1873, there were ninety members with five probationers, and a showing of financial contributions that compares favorably with any church in the city. But before speaking further of this, we must bring up the history of the West Sta- tion, or Washington street Church.

We find this church in 1853 a mission. The debt growing out of the manner of their building was resting on them. The next year the Pastor raised for missions over thirty dollars, and still more the en- suing year. The next Pastor doubled the collection for missions his first year. The second, the church was self-supporting and the missionary collection $123; the church was lifted out of financial diffi- culty, and it has since continued to prosper. In 1866 they secured a property upon the corner of Lark and Lancaster streets, and in 1867 had erected the transept of a large and commodious church facing Lark street. The transept faces Lan- caster street. This they occupied until able to erect the main building. That was dedicated in December, 1875. The transept furnishes a large room for prayer meetings and Sabbath-school, and smaller rooms for various purposes. A fine parson- age adjoins the transept.

In 1881, a union was effected between the two churches, Garretson street and Central avenue; their property placed under one Board of Trustees; and while worshiping for a time separately, arrange- ments were being made for erecting an edifice to bear the name of St. Luke's. The Sabbath-school rooms were occupied in 1883.

For ten years from 1855 a kind of epidemic pre- vailed-a sickly fancy for forming small and weak churches. Abortive efforts had a temporary exist- ence which need no particular notice. At one con- ference eight pastors, to the care of as many nomi- nally independent churches, were appointed; several times, six or seven. In 1858, the Broadway Mis- sion appears in the annual minutes of the Confer- ence appointments. A property was purchased upon the corner of Broadway and Lawrence street. The plan was to build facing Broadway with a transept facing Lawrence street. This part of the plan was carried out-the erection of the main building failed. The Arbor Hill Church had ele- ments that did not adapt themselves to the work needed, and did not prosper. The city did not grow to the north, and in 1869 the Broadway Mis- sion and the Arbor Hill Church were united under the name of Grace Church. A lot was obtained upon Ten Broeck street, between Lumber and Colonie streets, and a temporary structure of wood was erected. Here good work was done in the pul- pit, in social meetings, and in the Sabbath-school for ten years. They had not intended to occupy it so long, but a debt was upon the property which prevented their carrying out their plans. Instead of a house in the center of a spacious plot, they found themselves obliged to be thankful for a house less showy upon the west corner of the plot, while most of the land was sold in lots for residences to meet their indebtedness. They have a fine parson- age next the church edifice.

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Bi-centennial history of Albany. History of the county of Albany, N. Y., from 1609 to 1886. With portraits, biographies and illustrations, Part 170

Author: Howell, George Rogers, 1833-1899; Tenney, Jonathan, 1817-1888 Publication date: 1886 Publisher: New York, W. W. Munsell & Co. Number of Pages: 1452

Author: Howell, George Rogers, 1833-1899; Tenney, Jonathan, 1817-1888
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: New York, W. W. Munsell & Co.
Number of Pages: 1452