Bi-centennial history of Albany. History of the county of Albany, N. Y., from 1609 to 1886. With portraits, biographies and illustrations, Part 208

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 208

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In April, 1859, the edifice used for worship was taken down, preparatory to erecting on the same site a larger house of worship. The corner stone of the new edifice was laid by the Rev. Dr. Greg- ory, of West Troy, with appropriate services, June 22, 1859, and the house was completed and dedicated to the worship of God on Wednesday, April 11, 1860. The sermon was preached by Rev. Dr. Rogers, of Albany, and the prayer of dedication was offered by the Rev. Dr. Wyckoff, of Albany. The building, which is 98 by 74 feet, and capable of seating 900 persons, was erected at a cost of $30,000. The architect was L. A. Gooch, of Yonkers. The building committee were Egbert Egberts, S. A. Becker and Jacob I. Lansing. A fine organ, costing $6,000, was placed in the church in 1866, a gift from three members, Egbert Egberts, John V. S. Lansing and D. J. Johnston.

The Rev. Charles N. Waldron, D. D., after a pas- torate of thirty years, resigned in 1879. In Septem- ber, 1879, the Rev. J. Paschal Strong was called to the pastorate of the church, and is still the pastor of the congregation. The church has a parsonage next to the church building, and a sexton's resi- dence in the rear of the church edifice. The pres- ent membership is 397, and there are 270 families in the congregation. A large Sabbath School, Young People's Association and Ladies' Missionary Society are connected with the church. The Re- formed Church of Cohoes is indebted in a great measure to the taste and liberality of Mr. Egbert Egberts for their beautiful house of worship.

First M. E. Church .- The First M. E. Church Society was organized in the month of May, 1839. Rev. Elias Crawford was the pastor, and Rev. Charles Sherman, Presiding Elder of the district. The boundaries of the circuit are not wholly de- fined, but as accurate, perhaps, as most circuits were when Methodism was in its infancy. There are twenty names upon the oldest list of members now to be found, and among them the following : James Hempstreet and wife, Joseph Mudge and wife, Mrs. Timothy Bailey, James Shannon, Jonas Simmons, Sr., and wife, Silas Owens, Sr., Battheus Simmons, Mrs. Catharine Fuller, Joseph Gould, Sr., and wife, Gideon Longley and Wheeler Rhodes.

Having no church edifice, the society held meet- ings in private dwellings and in a- school-house located on Oneida street, near where the old depot is now situated. The pastor, Rev. E. Crawford, was a man of great fortitude, good preaching abil- ity, and devoted to his work.

In the year 1840 the Methodist people com- menced the work of building their first house of worship, locating it on the west side of Remsen street, where the Clifton Mill now stands. It was built of wood, at a cost of $550, and had a seating capacity of about two hundred. The church was completed in 1841, the dedication ser- mon being preached by Rev. Jesse T. Peck, D. D.

At the session of the Troy Conference, held in 1841, Rev. Oliver Emerson was appointed to the charge. He was eminently successful as a preacher,

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HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF ALBANY.

and of good executive ability. The preachers who succeeded him on the circuit while Cohoes contin- ued within its bounds were: In 1842-3, Benjamin Pomeroy; in 1844, Thomas Armitage, with Gardi- ner S. Tubbs as his colleague; in 1845, George C. Wells. In 1845 the circuit was divided and Co- hoes was made a station by itself, with 149 names upon its roll of membership, and one local preacher.

The following is a complete list of the preachers who have been identified with the church as pas- tors since its independent existence, and their term of office : In 1846-7, Cicero Barber; in 1848-9, Jacob Leonard ; in 1850-51, Lewis Potter ; in 1852-3, Timothy Benedict ; in 1854-5, Myron White ; in 1856-7, Robert Fox; in 1858-9, Wm. R. Brown ; in 1860-1, Ensign Stover; in 1862-3, Henry L. Starks ; in 1864, John W. Carhart; in 1865-6, R. R. Meredith; in 1867-8, H. C. Sex- ton; in 1869-70, L. Marshall; in 1871-2-3, Hor- ace L. Grant; in 1874, C. R. Hawley; in 1875- 6-7, Wm. H. Meeker; in 1878-9. S. M. Williams; in 1880-1-2, Wm. J. Heath; in 1883, D. W. Dayton was appointed, and is the present pastor.

In 1850 it numbered 175 members; in 1860 it had 250 members and 107 probationers; in 1870, 300 members, and in 1880, the pastor reported to the Annual Conference 520 members and 25 pro- bationers.

The statistics of the Sunday schools recorded in the Conference minutes are : In 1841, Sabbath schools, 2; superintendents, 2; officers and teach- ers, 24; scholars, 120; volumes in library, 300. In 1845, when Cohoes was made a station, we find the following report : Sunday schools, 1; officers and teachers, 21; scholars, 80; volumes in library, 240 ; amount raised for Sunday school, $24.36. In :850: Sunday schools, 1; officers and teachers, 34; scholars, 207; volumes in library, 450. In 1860: schools, 1; officers and teachers, 43; scholars, 350; volumes in library, 650. In 1870: schools, 1, officers and teachers, 35; scholars, 400; volumes in library, 750; S. S. Advocates taken, 40; conver- sions, 15. In 1880 : schools, 1; officers and teachers, 43; scholars, 375.

The Conference reports show that the following amounts have been contributed for benevolent pur- poses : In 1845, $27. 24; in 1850, $51.33; in 1860, $205.35; in 1870, $466.55; in 1880, $233 ; and in 1881, $161.35.

In the year 1848 a new house of worship, built of brick, was completed and dedicated, on the east side of Remsen street, at a cost of $12,000. The deed of the land was given by the Cohoes Company (to quote its language) "to the trustees of the Metho- dist Episcopal Church, for the consideration of one dollar, November 20, 1847 ; and is known and distinguished on the map of the village of Cohoes by numbers 20, 22 and 24."

The gift was a very generous one, the lot being located in the very heart of the city.

During the years that followed, there was a steady growth in the membership of the church, with occasional revivals of religion, and in time the congregation demanded a more commodious house of worship.

At a meeting of the trustees of said society, held May 28, 1859, it was voted to take down the old church, preparatory to the erection of the building of a new one on the same lot, and a committee was appointed to proceed and execute the work. The building enterprise assumed a definite form under the pastoral care of Rev. Wm. R. Brown. He labored untiringly ; he threw his whole soul into the work, and eventually the present edifice was completed ; and, on February 22, 1860, the church was dedicated. Rev. Gilbert Haven, D. D., editor of Zion's Herald, preached the opening ser- mon in the morning, and in the evening a sermon was preached by the Rev. Wm. P. Corbitt, of New York City. The subscriptions taken during the day amounted to $2,500. Like other church en- terprises of like character, it has involved years of toil and sacrifice on the part of the people. The church is a substantial brick structure, of plain exterior, and yet quite imposing in its appearance. Its extreme length upon its outside is 80 feet, with a corresponding width of 60 feet, and will accom- modate about 800 people.

The annual statistics of the society, as reported to the Conference by the pastor, April 18, 1883, are as follows: Members, 360; probationers, 4; local preachers, 2; number of scholars in Sunday school, 300; officers and teachers, 36; probable value of church edifice, $17,000; probable value of parsonage property, $3, 500; paid for church im- provements, $2,000; pastor's support, $1,550; presiding elder, $98; conference claimants, $68; bishops, $10; incidental expenses, $700; for va- rious benevolent contributions, $145.60; total financial disbursements, $4, 561.60.

The following constitute the present Board of Officers of the church: Trustees, W. T. Dodge, L. Vandenbergh, R. Wilcox, A. M. Harmon, W. Miller, N. Shaver, J. Orelup, J. W. Ablett and John Dunlap. Stewards, N. Frost, H. G. Steen- bergh, G. A. Austin, C. Spanwick, G. E. Brock- way, W. Carroll, S. Owen, J. Kline and A. Mur- rav. Leaders, A. Van Arnam, J. Mincher, W. Miller and the pastor. Sunday School Superin- tendent, Jos.ph Wood. Local Preachers, Jacob Travis and Robert Watt. Pastor, D. W. Dayton. Presiding Elder, Thomas A. Griffin.

First Baptist Church .- As early, certainly, as the year 1838, Baptist meetings were held in this place, with occasional preaching by Rev. F. S. Parks, then pastor of the Baptist Church in Troy. Regu- lar prayer meetings were begun in the summer of that year. January 20, 1839, John Duncan, a licen- titate of the Stillwater church, was secured as a regular preacher, and his efforts were so successful that a call for organization as a church was issued for April 29. At this meeting officers were chosen, and a council of churches in the Saratoga Associa- tion was invited to consider the propriety of recog- nizing the newly constituted body as a regular Baptist Church, and also of ordaining John Dun- can, their pastor-elect, as a minister of the gospel. The council met May 25, 1839, Rev. Isaac West- cott, Moderator, and approved the action of the church. The recognition services were held the

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THE CITY OF COHOES.

next morning in what is now a part of Harmony Mill No. 1, Rev. B. J. Fletcher, of Saratoga Springs, preaching the sermon. The ordination services followed in the afternoon, with a sermon by Rev. Isaac Westcott. At this time the church had twenty-four members. Ebenezer Bartlett and Alanson Cook were its first deacons.

During most of this year public worship was held in the dining-room of the Harmony boarding- house; then a new place of worship was secured in a building on Mohawk street, below Oneida. By January, 1840, it was settled that the church must have a meeting-house of its own. The use of land belonging to the Cohoes Company was obtained, and a wooden structure erected, at a cost of $521. Here the church worshiped for ten years, until the land was required for the erection of a knitting mill, what is now the southern portion of Parson's Mill, on the northwest corner of Factory and Rem- sen streets. Compelled thus to seek new quarters, the erection of a second meeting-house was begun in 1850. This was of brick, and situated on land belonging to the Cohoes Company, on Mohawk street, facing White street. The lease this time was made perpetual, so long as used for a Baptist church. Until the basement of the new house was ready the church worshiped first in the old Pres- byterian meeting-house, then in the old Methodist Episcopal house. Rev. D. Round was especially active and energetic in helping forward the new

. building. Rev. Ira E. Kenny succeeded, to find the church staggering under a debt of $1, 200, al- ready incurred. How could this be paid, and the edifice be completed ? The whole property con- trolled by members of the church was estimated at less than $10,000. In this emergency one of the women of the church was invited to undertake the work of raising the necessary means. Altogether she secured subscriptions to the amount of $2, 285. 17, of which some failed to be collected, but nearly, if not quite, $2,000 were received. The name of this willing and working Christian woman de- serves to be perpetuated. It was Mrs. S. H. Allen, afterward Mrs. Corwin. She is still (1883) living at Clifton Park, ready to do good in any and every way possible. With this aid the meeting-house was finished, and it was dedicated April 28, 1852, J. G. Warren, D. D., of Troy, preaching on the occasion. The total cost of this house was about $6,000, all of which was provided for except $500. The property of the church underwent no change from this time until 1866, when the erection of a brick parsonage was begun, and the present com- fortable building was finished in the spring of 1870, at a cost of toward $5,000. A debt of some $800 remained on it. Meanwhile, beginning with the pastorate of Rev. W. H. Maynard, the growth of the church became more rapid, and especially so with the coming of Rev. L. S. Johnson to the oversight of the church. It was also the period of most rapid growth in the population of the village, now become a city. Hence, in 1872, the meeting- house was found to be inadequate to the wants of the church. It was thought that, by an expendi- ture of $10,000, it might virtually be made into a

new house. This was done. An organ was pur- chased and put in the church, in 1884, at a cost of $2, 100.

Seventeen persons have successively been pastors of this church up to December 1, 1883, a period of about forty-five years. Their names are as fol- lows : John Duncan, H. Rounce, J. Eastwood, E. Dwyer, M. Cameron, B. F. Garfield, S. Wilder, D. Round, Ira E. Kenney, Robert Thompson, David Corwin, W. H. Maynard, A. J. Binghamn, C. D. Gurr, C. A. Johnson, L. S. Johnson, W. R. Wright. The following persons have served as dea- cons : Ebenezer Bartlett, Alanson Cook, Stephen Slocum, Thomas Lansing, Benjamin F. Clarke, William Nuttall, Selba Archibald, J. H. Masten, Walter Hume, P. S. Holsapple. In 1881 two dea- conesses were chosen, and since then one has been elected each year, but only two persons have filled the office, Mrs. Mary Shaw and Mrs. Susan Hol- sapple. The church was incorporated, under the law of May 15, 1876, in the year 1877.

The present officers of the church are: Pastor, J. P. Mccullough ; Deacons-B. F. Clarke, Wm. Nuttall, Selba Archibald, J. H. Masten, P. S. Holsapple, Mrs. Mary Shaw and Susan Holsapple.

Trustees-President, Jona. Hiller; Secretary, J. H. Masten; Treasurer, P. S. Holsapple; Wm. Nuttall, B. F. Clarke, P. G. Tymerson.

Clerk of the church-John A. Nuttall.

Superintendent of the Sunday School-P. S. Holsapple.

A Young People's Union was organized in February, 1883, which has attained a membership of about 120. It has been a very successful organ- ization. Thos. Peverly is its President; Miss Hattie Patrick, Secretary.

A Woman's Missionary Society was also organized in March, 1883, with Mrs. P. S. Holsapple as President and Miss Cornelia Teachout as Secretary.

History of the Presbyterian Church .- The First Presbyterian Church of Cohoes was organized on the 10th day of August, 1839, by a committee from the Presbytery of Troy (Old School). Rev. Wm. Snodgrass, D. D., preached, and fourteen persons assented to the Westminster Confession of Faith, and solemnly covenanted with God and with one another to sustain a Presbyterian Church in this place. Of the original members, only one. is now living in Cohoes, Mrs. Clarissa Silliman. The other original members were Mr. Levi Silliman, Timothy Bailey, Joshua Bayley, Sr., Joshua Bailey, Jr., Almira Bailey, Asahel Goff, Lucy Goff, Augustus J. Goff, Melinda Goodell, Maltby Howell, Mary Howell, Eliza Ann Tremain, Fanny A. Hamilton.

At the organization two Elders were chosen, Levi Silliman, and Timothy Bailey; and one deacon, Maltby Howell. The church was organized in the house of Mr. Silliman, on Saratoga street, and services were held there for some time. The society next worshiped in a building which stood where Gregory & Hiller's factory now stands. The society then removed to their first church building, northeast corner of Remsen and Factory streets. The building which the church now oc-

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HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF ALBANY.

cupies was erected in 1849, and enlarged in 1869. The lecture room was built in 1865, and enlarged by the two-story addition in front in 1877. This addition was the gift of H. B. Silliman. The organ was built in 1876 by Hook & Hastings, of Boston. The first stated supply for the pulpit was Rev. Mr. Chamberlain, of Hebron, New York. At the end of six months his health failed, and he died soon after. The names of subsequent pastors and stated supplies, also the names of elders and deacons, will be given below. The parsonage, adjoining the church on Mohawk street, was purchased in 1865. The church has been greatly prospered and blessed from the first by the presence of God's Spirit, and by the accession of devoted members. There have been many precious revivals of religion, and the membership has grown from fourteen to over four hundred. An important feature of this church has been, from the first, the Ladies' Benevolent Society. This society was organized November 13, 1839, the first officers being as follows:

President, Mrs. Clarissa Silliman; Vice-President, Mrs. Eliza Ann Tremain; Secretary, Miss S. M. Beals.

This society has been very active in maintaining the interests of the church. The fortieth anni- versary was celebrated, November, 1879, with much enthusiasm.

The Sunday school of this church was organized in 1840. The first Superintendent was Levi Silli- man. Wm. Burton, Dr. A. Giles, E. D. Gill, Edward Doty, Demas Goff and Mr. Holmes also acted as Superintendents in the order given above. H. B. Silliman became Superintendent in 1856, and still holds the office. The other officers are: Mr. H. Babbitt, Assistant Superintendent; Secretary, D. M Sutherland; D. C. Hakes; Treasurer and Librarian; Robert Campbell, Assistant Librarian; Organist, Henry Aird.

The church has a Home and Foreign Missionary Society which makes annual contributions to both these causes. The pastors of this church who have been installed are as follows:

Rev. John Gray, installed October 22, 1841; dis- missed July 19, 1842.

Rev. R. P. Stanton, second pastor, installed February 9, 1848. Served 5 years.

Rev. Stephen Bush, D. D., installed February I, 1855. Served 7 years.

Rev. F. W. Flint. Labors commenced April 19, 1864. Served two years.

Rev. Wm. Melancthon Johnson, D. D. Labors commenced October 1, 1867. Installed Septem- ber 22, 1868. Is still pastor, November 25, 1883.

The following clergymen have also served the church as stated supplies: Rev. Mr. Chamberlain, 1839; Rev. L. H. Pease, 1843-1845; Rev. D. Frost, 1846-1847; Rev. V. D. Reed, D. D., 1860- 1861; Rev. H. G. Blinn, 1862-1863; Rev. H. Pattengill, D. D., 1866.

The full list of elders in this church from the first is: Levi Silliman, Timothy Bailey, Albert Giles, Wm. Burton, Jacob W. Miller, Ira Terry, John R. Bullock, Isaac Quackenbush, Thomas Duncan, H. B. Silliman, Francis E. Pennock,

Abram Peck, Horace A. Babbitt, George Dixon, John Hay, George Bortell.

The full list of deacons from the begining is : Maltby Howell, Reuben White, John Hay, Jehiel W. Himes, Sr., Alexander K. Dixon.

Under the present pastor 596 persons have been received to membership in this church.

St. James M. E. Church .- A church was organ- ized, at a point west of the old Cohoes Cemetery, in the year 1876. This church was known as the Park Avenue M. E. Church.

It had twenty-nine members at the time of the organization. Rev. H. Blanchard and Rev. T. D. Walker and Rev. A. C. Rose were the pastors.

During the term of service of Rev. A. C. Rose, the church was disbanded, March 29, 1881, and a new church was organized, April 6, 1881, called St. James M. E. Church, and a new ed fice was erected, corner of McElwain avenue and Walnut street, June, 1881. The present membership is 118. Rev. J. K. Wager was appointed to this charge, April, 1883.

History of St. Bernard's Roman Catholic Church. -- St. Bernard's Roman Catholic Church has its or- igin among the very oldest of the public institu- tions in this city.

Its first pastor was the Rev. Bernard Van Rcath, a native of Belgium, who came to Cohoes as early as 1847. Under his pastorate the Catholics of Cohoes first worshiped in a dilapidated house, subsequently in a carpenter shop, which still ' stands, and which is now used as a dwelling. Fa- ther Van Reath, on his arrival, commenced the ex- cavation for the foundation of the first Catholic church ever built here. The dimensions of the lots on which the church was to be built were one hundred by fifty feet. This ground was generously given to the Catholics of Cohoes by the Harmony Company.

On November 18, 1847, the corner stone of this edifice was laid, with solemn ceremonies, by the Right Rev. John McCloskey, D. D., Bishop of the diocese of Albany, now the Cardinal-Archbishop of New York. A year later the church was fin- ished and dedicated to the worship of God.

Besides erecting the first Catholic church in this city, this first resident pastor established Catholic schools here, which have been maintained without interruption. The Rev. Bernard Van Reath re- mained in Cohoes six years, then returned to his native land, where, only recently, he passed to his reward.

The Rev. Thomas Daily, afterward pastor of St. John's Church, Utica, N. Y., succeeded Father Van Reath, and remained pastor of St. Bernard's Church, Cohoes, only about eighteen months.

Then came the Rev. Thomas Keveny, in 1855, who continued as pastor of this congregation up to the time of his death, which occurred March 31, 1882. Soon after his arrival here, the lots di- rectly west of the church were purchased for twelve hundred dollars, and a pastoral residence built on them, which cost four thousand dollars. This res- idence was commenced in 1856 and finished in the following year.

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THE CITY OF COHOES.

The congregation shortly afterward added three adjoining lots to their property, which cost them eight hundred dollars a lot.

The attention of the church was next directed toward securing a cemetery. Up to this time the Catholics of Cohoes were obliged to go as far as Troy and West Troy to bury the dead, there being no Catholic cemetery nearer. This purchase was made in 1857, and, with improvements on the cemetery, cost twenty-six hundred dollars.

Owing to the constantly increasing numbers of children in the parish schools, the duties of the Rev. pastor toward this tender portion of his flock became daily more important. He accordingly resolved to secure more Christian instructors for his schools than those who, up to this time, had been there. For this purpose application was made, in 1859, to the Mother House of the Sisters of St. Joseph, in Carondelet, Mo., for members of that community to come and take charge of the schools. The sisters soon came, and a residence was pur- chased for them on Mohawk street.

During this time the congregation also was in- creasing fast, so that it was deemed necessary to provide larger and better church accommodations. In due time lots were purchased directly opposite the old church, and the work of building a new church speedily commenced. The corner stone was laid, August 15, 1863, by the same Right Rev. Prelate who laid the corner stone of the old church. When the new church was ready for divine service, the old one was remodeled into a commodious school building, with a large hall above for the use of the Young Men's Library Association, and other societies attached to the church.

It was next thought advisable to provide the sisters teaching in the schools with a more suitable residence. With this end in view, the house occu- pied by the pastor was improved and the sisters transferred to it. Then, to the rear of the sisters' house, an academy for the education of young ladies of the congregation was built, and, at the rear of the new church, an elegant house for the clergy.

When the foregoing work was successfully com- pleted, an accident occurred to St. Bernard's . church, which required the pastor and people to stop, for a time, the course of new improvements. February 2, 1876, will not soon be forgotten by the people of Cohoes, certainly not by the members of St. Bernard's congregation. Early on the morning of that day, a gale which was felt more or less over the whole State passed over Cohoes with a terrible force. Besides the damage done in other parts of the city, St Bernard's suffered a most seri- ous loss. The wind fell on this edifice so violent- ly that, as quick as thought, the steeple was torn from the roof, and thrown like a reed to the ground. The beautiful chime of nine bells, which hung in the tower, fell with the rest, and only one bell escaped destruction. Through the energy of the pastor, and the co-operation of his flock, St. Bernard's church was crowned, in the following year, with a tower and steeple higher, stronger, and grander than the old. This new spire meas-

ured two hundred and ten feet in height, and is surmounted by an illuminated cross, which is one of the striking features of the city. The cross, itself, is eight feet high, made of cast iron, and set with innumerable glass prisms ; within the cross there is a number of gas jets which may be lighted at night by means of a galvanic battery placed in the church tower ; one large bell, weighing 4,000 lbs., now replaces the chime which was destroyed.

The new church is a model in architectural beauty and design. It is built of brick, cruciform in shape, and without galleries; it is capable of seating over fifteen hundred people ; it is lighted with gas and heated by steam. The interior of the edi- fice is very imposing, and everything arranged according to the strictest ecclesiastical taste. This church cost about one hundred thousand dollars, and was dedicated to the service of God by the Right Rev. Bishop of the diocese on the first Sun- day of November, 1866.

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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 208

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