USA > New York > Livingston County > Nunda > Centennial history of the town of Nunda : with a preliminary recital of the winning of western New York, from the fort builders age to the last conquest by our Revolutionary forefathers > Part 50
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A society was organized November 3rd, 1858. Rev. Woodruff Post, who became their first pastor presided: M. H. Wakeman was chosen for secretary : and the following trustees were elected: Rev. A. Maker. Joseph Kelley, A. J. White, Miles H. Wakeman and Lyman Ayrault. A subscription was started that would be binding as soon as $800 was subscribed.
Maxom C. Smith. who owned most of the land where the new village was to be, generously donated the building lot. The Ensworth Brothers, George,
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Nelson, Charles and Edwin, began the erection of the building in 1859, and completed the structure so that it was ready for dedication in June, and it was then dedicated with the usual impressive ceremonies. For 36 years it served as first erected. In that time great changes had taken place and the small hamlet had grown to village proportions. Some of the early workers had passed away before the re-dedication of the church in 1895.
Among them may be mentioned: D. K. Lowell and his wife; James L. Edmonds ; George Beardsley : Chauncey Morse and his son Fred: Rev. F. W. Connible; Rev. A. Maker ; Reuben Weed; Mrs. Weed; Mrs. Peter Passage; Mrs. Mariam Baldwin, and many other, whose places have been taken by others equally zealous and earnest, and the work has gone on. On January 6, 1895. the church, enlarged and beautified was re-dedicated. Rev. J. E. Bills, D. D .. of Rochester, and the presiding elder, A. F. Colburn, were present. Inclement weather prevailed, but the auditorium was filled and the chapel connected with it also. The dedicatory sermon was preached by Dr. Bills. After the sermon Charles Lynde of the building committee reported a deficiency of funds to the amount of $2,000, and $2.300 was soon pledged. The entire cost of rebuilding and refurnishing having been $4,593.70. The people of Dalton had every reason to be proud of their church. The building is 46x50 feet with a tower 14 feet square and 85 feet high. The interior of the church is furnished in cherry, has finely frescoed walls, walnut pulpit furniture, oak circular seats, modern style. chapel, church parlors and kitchen complete-in fact it is a modern church with all the improvements and up-to-date appointnients : and this is one of the young- est of the sisterhood of churches, with a membership at present greater than that of the mother church from which she sprang, the present number being 200 members.
The clergy who have helped bring about the present prosperous conditions have been : 1859, Woodruff Post: 1860. M. DePuy; 1861-'2. Jolin Spinks : 1863, J. J. Turton : 1864, Rev. Bradford : 1865. D. Lowell ; 1866, E. P. Hunting- ton ; 1867, Rev. Wood ; 1868-'9. A. Maker : 1870, C. G. Lowell : 1871- 2, T. W. Chandler ; 1873-4, J. L. King : 1875-6. S. R. Richardson; 1877. C. Dillenbeck ; 1878-1880, E. J. Cook: 1881-'3. A. W. Staples; 1884-'5, S. S. Ballou; 1886-'7, G. H. Van Vradenburg : 1888-92. Daniel Clark ; 1893- 4, J. K. Under- hill; 1895-6, J. B. Arnold : 1807-8. J. R. Wells ; 1899-1994. W. F. Wells ; 1905-6, F. H. Rowley ; 1907. A. C. Willey : 1908, Owen C. Baker.
The building lot was the gift of Maxom Smith, the father of Mrs. W. Y. Robinson of Nunda. The parsonage was begun by J. L. King and finished by G. R. Richardson.
This church has a membership of 200, a Sunday school of 100, a young People's Society of 35, a Junior League of 30. It pays a salary of $800. Its officers are: Superintendent Sunday School, E. L. Cudebec ; President Epworth League, Walter R. Wakeman ; chorister, E. Merry; President Ladies AAid, Mrs. Charles Gelser ; President A. F. M. Society, Mrs. Whitnack. The church is now in Corning District, Genesee Conference ; Presiding Elder John E. Williams, D. D.
It is doubtful if any church in the town has made as great progress in the half century just completed. It had the whole field until recently, and it has supplied a great want, and has done a great work. The churches, schools and business energy, with its superior railroad advantages makes Dalton a desirable place to live.
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THE ADVENT CHAPEL, CENTER STREET By Elder L. C. Roberts.
The Seventh Day Adventists were first organized in 1846, their belief is based upon the word of God as found in the sure word of Prophecy as con- tained in the Books of Daniel and the Revelations.
They believe in the second personal coming of Christ to this earth made new, to set up an Everlasting Kingdom: that the dead will sleep until the time of the setting up of this Kingdom, when the righteous will be saved and the wicked destroyed. They believe God's word to be the Law that should govern God's people, they keep holy the Sabbath day, of the Commandments.
Elder J. B. Stow of Jamestown and Elder F. Peabody of West Valley first called the attention of the people of Nunda to Prophesies relating to the soon coming of Christ, and the result of their effort was the building up of an organ- ized church in the Village of Nunda during the year 1895. Leonard C. Roberts was ordained Elder by the New York State Conference and placed at the head of the Nunda church.' A church building was dedicated by Elder H. W. Carr, of Salamanca, president of the Western New York Conference, the 8th of June, 1907. The society is known as the Seventh Day Adventists of Nunda, N. Y.
THE EAST HILL FREE WILL BAPTIST CHURCH
About the year 1850, Jacob Seager married the Widow Pettis who was a daughter of Sylvester Satterlec, and came to Barkertown where her father re- sided, and began to preach in school houses and private houses wherever oppor- tunity offered. His preaching was not extraordinary in any way, but he was earnest, sincere and persistent. and he soon had quite a following ; he also estab- lished a preaching station at a place then called Little Michigan in the town of Grove.
This place received its name from the fact that its citizens moved to Michi- gan, and having been violently shaken with the ague, and scorched by the fever. that accompanies the breaking up of level lands, returned to Grove as to a "Re- fuge of Safety," and so gave a new name to their former homes.
The school house congregation became so great that it stirred up opposi- tion, and a rival appeared upon the hillside in the form of a Protestant Metho- dist preacher who commenced services at Barkertown. These societies should have been allies, for both were protests against some of the methods of the reg- ular churches of these respective names. The Free Will Baptists protested against a close communion, and the Protestant Methodist protested against fol- lowing of the forms of the Episcopacy, and wanted an American church, with a President and not a Bishop, or even a presiding elder, as overseers. The laity even including the much neglected, but mighty important women members on an equality in church policy. But no, there were not people enough for two con- gregations, and the "survival of the fittest"-the most persistent-prevailed. There was something more than skirmishing between these sects of the church militant-it amounted to a full sized-contest. They could not change their struggle into a theological contest, for they were not far apart ; even their church polity did not materially differ-both were congregational as to government- so they tried getting borrowed talent to supplement their exertions.
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On one occasion the Rev. Jacob, called to his assistance a Rev. Pratt from Castile, or at any rate, across the river ; and a Rev. Van Vectin, a grocer at
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Nunda village, who sometimes preached. They were to divide the time be- tween them for a service; the house (a school house) was crowded. Brother Pratt preached two full hours, and than said: "We will now have the privi- lege of listening to our good Brother Van Vectin from Nunda Valley." Brother Van Vectin arose and quietly said: "Receive the benediction," and the con- gregation received it-cheerfully with suppressed smiles.
Finally the school house was closed against the services of good old Father Seager, but he did not take to the woods-he opened his barn. Winter camc, and then the services were held in private houses, but only the saints assembled ; and soon a church of forty or fifty members melted away, or rather, became cold and indifferent, and Deacon Hunt and others joined the Baptist Church at Nunda. But prosperity did not attend the church that had possession of the field for a long time ; they had only occasional services until they secured a church edifice, and since then, have maintained services with a fair degree of success and prosperity. Evidently the one thing needed was a church edifice, and for want of that we have had no Free Will Baptist Church in Nunda since 1860. But the faithful old pastor went everywhere preaching funeral services, without recompense, as long as he lived. No doubt he was of service to the community, and as Elder Seager, he lives in the memory of many, who knew him as a man of reverent spirit. who followed the promptings of his desire to serve his fellow men; and, though unaided by the culture that modern times demand, did good. and won, no doubt, the approval-"well done good and faithful servent, enter into the joy of thy Lord."
THE BARKERTOWN PROTESTANT METHODIST CHURCH By Belle Abbott Smith.
This charge was known as the Nunda mission, in 1860; and the work on this field was in charge of Rev. J. A. Wilson, its first pastor, sont here by the Genesee conference of the Methodist church, the place of meeting being the school house.
In 1861, Rev. R. Pennell, took charge of the work and was assisted by . Arba Town. The class at that time numbered 50.
This pastor was followed by Rev. D. Corwin, in 1862, and it was changed from a mission to a circuit : and Rev. J. R. Spencer was appointed to assist and remained in the field until the close of the year, 1863. The charge was then known as Sparta and Nunda ; and, in 1864, was supplied by Rev. A. M. Town and J. L. Thompson, the number of the class having increased to 48.
Rev. R. Pennell supplied the field in 1865 and '66.
The field again changed names and was known as Nunda and Portage, and was supplied by Rev. C. C. Carr. The class numbered now 20 and A. M. Town and D. Corwin assistied in the labor on the field.
In 1868, the circuit was changed to Oakland and Nunda, with 35 members : and Rev. E. J. Batchelder was appointed to the work, remaining during 1868. '60, '70 and '71, at which time it was left to be supplied: and no mention is made of it again in the conference history until 1878, when J. M. Leach came upon the field and remained until 1880.
The conference then appointed Rev. M. M Campbell, the "boy preacher" to the field, then as now, called the Nunda charge. He served the charge three years, during which time a revival wave brought the membership up to 35, and
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the Barkertown church was built and dedicated in 1883, at a cost of about $2,000.
Rev. D. L. Vaughn served the charge during 1884, after which it was sup- plied by Rev. A. Sornborge, who never lived upon the field.
Following him came Rev. F. A. Swain who remained three years. During his pastorate he organized a class at Swain's and built and dedicated a church.
During a part of the year. 1889, Rev. L. D. Ferguson of Lancaster sup- plied. His pastorate was not a successful one. This was followed by a brief ministry by Rev. A. Manship.
In 1891, Rev. A. H. Kinney served the charge, followed in '92 by Rev. C. D. Rowley, who remained until 1893, when Rev. Wm. Marshall came to the work remaining six years. During this successful pastorage the parsonage and barn were built at a cost of $752.15, and the second year 43 names were added to the membership.
Rev. E. J. Fulton came to the work in 1899 remaining until 1905. During his pastorate the members made marked progress in spiritual life, and the inte- rior of the church was decorated and otherwise improved.
Again in 1905 Rev. W. H. Marshall came, being the first pastor to return after having left the field. At the middle of the second year's work, a nervous break down closed his labors here and he moved to Arkport, and died one year later.
In September, 1906, Rev. S. A. Rhyndress, a young man filled with the spirit came upon the field, and opened an out appointment at West View. During two weeks of revival effort, there were thirty-five conversions, at this place.
In the summer of 1907. assisted by Mrs. Belle Abbot Smith, a thriving Bible school was organized. The same year many souls were saved at Barkertown. and West View continued a regular appointment, with preaching and Bible school every Sunday afternoon.
The present membership of the church, including non-residents, is forty.
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH AT DALTON
Unfortunately the writer is without statistics concerning this second church in Dalton. Some Baptist families who lived at Dalton and who belonged to Hunts Baptist Church, three miles from there. conceived the possibility of hav- ing services in their growing village. These families were not numerous, but there were other families that had no particular church home and so they re- solved to have a society of their own. For about ten years, efforts have been made, not without a fair degree of success.
The pulpit has been supplied principally by theological students from Roch- ester or by pastors of neighboring churches. A fair degree of success has at- tended the efforts of these zealous few, to build a church and establish regular services.
Mr. Muer axxl Deacon Alfred Taber. are prominent in the work, and in proc- ess of time, they will no doubt have an increase in numbers and influence. Most of the speakers have been young men of ability and consecrated to the work of making the world better.
This gives the town, with its three chief centers of population, ten church organizations ; and, if those banded together in these ten organizations do their best-the town cannot fail to be one of the very best in the State.
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OUR FOREIGN MISSIONARIES
N UNDA has had a fair quota of Missionaries and has surely fulfilled the command "to go into all the world." China, Persia, and darkest Africa have heard their divine message, and even the "Isles of the Sea," have been a part of the mission field for Nunda missionaries. Among those who consecrated their gifts to this purpose, were Principal Cochran of our first Acad- emy, and his son who succeeded him ; Miss H. E. T. Wright of Portage Street. afterwards Mrs. Lyman Stilson; Rev. Lyman Stilson who afterward became a citizen of Nunda ; the sister of Dr. Kneeland, Mrs. Stella Kneeland Bennett, who was associated with the work at Rangoon.
Miss Jane Van Allen of Oak Hill whose labors were in Africa. Rev. James Work a graduate of the Nunda Literary Institute from the Orkney Isles, who returned there to do his work. Rev. T. Dright Hunt who was missionary to the Sindwich Islands, before he came to Nunda as a pastor, and Rev. Newton H. Bell; Rev. Norman Keyes and his wife in Africa. and Mrs. Anneta Thomp- son Mills and her niece, Miss Anneta Carter. A daughter of James Haynes of Hornell formerly of Nunda, is also in the missionary field.
There is no field of duty where greater consecration is required and more self denial called for. The missionaries are the veritable soldiers of the cross, while their co-laborers at home, are but militia or home guards.
I do not say that it is more important to carry light and truth to the ignorant and degraded in foreign lands, than to minister to the higher forms of thought and life ; that only can be done by the highly cultured minds whose mission it is to spiritualize the higher and holier life of the cultured to whom they mini- ster ; the task of the pastor of a metropolitan church is the harder task, but the former requires more self sacrifice and consecration, to a high ideal of duty.
All honor to these fearless imitators of Paul, the missionary ; their disciple- ship is beyond questioning, and their love for humanity goes unquestioned. God bless their high ideals of duty, and reward their persistent toils with abundant success.
Missionaries must have special adaptation to their work, they must be more than "Born of God" -- they must be born Missionaries-with the power and spirit of helpfulness uppermost. The visionary and impractical have no place in this field. The Missionary must be resourceful inspirers, as well as inspired leaders, with a personality worthy of imitation. The man who courl translate "The words of life" into readable words-as did the scholarly Stilson, and not only furnish this text book of the soul, but text books for the mind, such an one would aid all who shall come after him, to give the words of life, their spirit and transforming power.
OUR NUNDA MISSIONARIES
Between 1840 and 1850 some powerful influences fused the spirits of the young and devout, not only to preach the gospel, but to sacrifice all the blessings of the improved conditions of that day that had come to reward the arduous toils of the pioneers. That there were people who were idolatrous worshipers of unknown and imaginary gods, seemed the one ail sufficient cause. for bidding family and friends farewell, and going into the distant parts of a degraded world, to tell the benighted, of a God in many cases as represented by them not
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as loveable as the ones, these heathens own imaginations had conceived of .. The Calvinist Churches led in this work, and though there seemed but crude- logic, in trying to save those predestined to be reprobates, or equally useless to. try to save those elected from the foundation of the world, to be saved,-yet the Spirit of the Master-more potent than their iron clad creeds, moved them to obey the command, "to go into all the world and preach the gospel,"-and passing by the thousands at home, who were even in greater need of salvation, (because they were wilfully doing wrong )-sought to go where no one else had been-and tell the story, that had won their own hearts.
A class of bright young men, fresh from college, admirably adapted to. teach and lead the intellectual to heights of knowledge and righteousness, were urgently solicited to go and preach to barbarians. the rudiments of reverence and. Christian Civilization, and the Spirit of Worship. Not only such men, but pious. women (who were scarcely allowed to speak in meeting or to do evangelistic work at home, such as men were doing). were also sought to do this primary work in darkest Africa and Asia.
One of the first to go from Nunda. was the pious daughter of Oliver Wright of Portage Street. She decided to go, went to Rochester, for instruc- tions as to methods, for labors among those who could not speak the language- she spoke, while she could not understand the language, she should hear. It was deemed a noble thing to do-and surely it took courage and self sacrifice and a great love for the message she was to proclaim, and for the church in whose interest she was to toil.
A friend, Mrs. Mary Coe, wife of Hon. Nathaniel Coe, wrote these follow- ing verses, for she possessed in large measure the rythmical tendency. We- quote them, for in them are revealed. the spirit of this missionary period. Both. Miss Wright and Mrs. Coe were devout Baptists.
"Away, Away, to Burmah, Love, If holy duty bid thee go ; 'Tis sweet at duties call to move If love to God. thy heart o'erflow ; I wonder not that one so pure For that benighted land should weep Or thinking what they must endure That sorrows tears thine eyes should steep,
How trifling do earth's joys appear To one imbued by grace divine. Earth's joyless ones thou fain wouldst cheer And lead them to a holier shrine.
Too long to blocks of wood and stone To idols made of dust and clay. Have they devotedly bowed down And ne'er have known a better way, But thy kind heart and gentle voice May lead them in the narrow way And bid those heathen lips rejoice And bless thee and thy name for aye.
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Well, she went, spent years there in the same field of labor that Rev. Lyman Stilson labored in, and returned to America at the same time that he brought his motherless children home. He barely escaped with his life, his wife died far away from her home and it is not within the knowledge of the writer, whether the successes attending these laborers in a far away vineyard, were greater or better than might have been achieved at hiome, or among the degenerates of some of our great cities -- but the spirit was heroic, and no doubt much good was done ; for the civilization that good people from this best of good lands take with them, cannot but be helpful to all within the reach of their usefulness and example.
Miss Sarah Stilson, born in that strange land, and experiencing many of its perils, has greater knowledge of the work done, the perils encountered, and the experiences that were theirs, and I have asked her to tell of the life, diffi- culties and dangers to which the family were exposed. Though too young at the time to realize the victories won, she has a vivid knowledge of what wild beasts. and men more savage than beasts, sought to do. She writes of these events :
"During the 60's, or about war time, so many clergymen and retired clergy- men, found Nunda a very pleasant retreat for the afternoon of life, that some one poetically named it "Valley of Saints' Rest." There was Rev. Oakes, a re- tired Presbyterian clergyman ; Rev. J. A. Aspinwall, Universalist; Rev. I. J. Meecham, Methodist ; and a number of Baptists, Rev. Luke Colby, A. L. Potter and L. Stilson.
"The last named, Rev. Lyman Stilson, was a returned missionary from Burmah, where for many years he had been engaged in preaching, teaching and writing books for school use. He experienced varied adventures while on Asiatic soil, one, an encounter with Burmese Dacoils at Moulmeim on the shores of the Salween River, while he held the office of Mission Treasurer. Although pierced with swords and bleeding from any deep wounds, he still fought so bravely for the honor of his charge, that he drove the robbers from his home without their securing a cent. But the shock and injuries nearly caused him his life.
"Another incident was the visit of a tiger to his home. The baby was asleep in its cradle, alone in a room whose doors and windows were left open for the air, when at carly evening an immense Bengal tiger scenting a supper, leaped up the steps and crouched to spring on its prey : but suddenly it spied near the cradle a lighted lamp, was frightened and fled! So the baby was spared to grow up, as a Nunda girl of the Literary Institute students, and later a teacher in New York City."
The editor adds the following which he deems due to this wonderful scholar.
Mr. Stilson was a graduate of Madison University at a time when mathe- matics were taught there by a great teacher. Some of our greatest mathemati- cians were trained there, as Asher B. Evans, of later days: Mr. Stilson was also a genius along these lines of study. he was the author of an original method of computing data and calculations of eclipses. While in Burmah he wrote a num- ber of text books in Burmese for schools there, notably a treatise on trigano- metry and on arithmetic long used both in government, and mission schools.
Mrs. Stilson died in Burmah, and he himself broken in health after his conflict with the Brigands, returned to America. He married as his second
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wife, Almira Paine, twin sister of Almiron Paine and as his third wife, late in life, Miss H. E. T. Wright, the missionary from Portage Street ; later he moved to Iowa, where he died in 1887. We present his likeness to our readers marred as it was, by the stilettos of the robbers.
Again the man who could by medical skill save, the lives of men high and low, could have his influence for saving souls, greatly enhanced by the gratitude and devotion of those he had served. Dr. Cochran could do what no doctor of theology could do, more even than his noble father could accomplish-he could reach the highest in the land, and win an influence, that removed all barriers to his labors.
But we have still another type of humane missionary in Mrs. Annetta Mills, who could even resurrect. I will not say create vocal speech, where it had never existed. Her work is unique, marvelous-under her instruction, by her own knowledge of how vocal sounds are made, and of the Chinese language, and has founded a school, the only one in China, where the deaf and dumb are taught to speak. Surely we have had three types of practical missionaries that have wrought wonders in the Orient, and whatever our opinions may be as to the worth of foreign missions, these three types must appeal to all Nunda people as-utilitarian to a high degree. Their story is worth telling, worth our appre- ciation-our enthusiasm-our unstinted commendation.
Principal Cochran, was probably one of the first missionaries to go from Nunda, where he was teaching successfully in our first academy-the session house. . That he did a great work in Persia, there is little doubt ; that he edu- cated his son at Yale, and fitted him to carry on his work with greater power, because of his son's knowledge of medicine, and skill in its use, and made him also the possessor of his own zeal for mission work, this was his greatest work. We will next introduce you to his greater son.
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