USA > New York > Historic homes and institutions and genealogical and family history of New York, Volume III > Part 23
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Rev. G. F. Krotel, D. D., LL. D., who resides at No. 65 Con- vent avenue, this city, was born in the kingdom of Wurtemberg, Germany, in 1826. He came to this country when but four years old, with his parents, and they located in Philadelphia, Pennsyl- vania, where he acquired his education and studied for the minis- try. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1846, and entered the ministry at Easton, Pennsylvania, in 1848.
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His first pastorate was in Philadelphia, and afterwards he was located at Lebanon and Lancaster, returning to take charge of a congregation at Philadelphia. In 1864 he became one of the founders of the Theological Seminary at Philadelphia and a member of its first faculty. He is at present (1906) president of the board of the seminary. He has been president of the Evangel- ical Lutheran Ministerium of Pennsylvania, the oldest Lutheran Synod in America, and of the New York Ministerium, and has also served three terms as president of the General Council. In 1868 he came to New York to organize Holy Trinity Church, of which he had charge until 1895, when he organized the Evangel- ical Lutheran Church of the Advent, of which he is pastor at the present time. During his pastorate of Holy Trinity church, that congregation established the Church of the Epiphany, now lo- cated in East One Hundred and Twenty-eighth street. In 1889 he was elected to the St. John's professorship in the Philadel- phia Seminary, but, at the request of his people, declined. For the past ten years he has been editor-in-chief of The Lutheran, the official organ of the General Council of the Lutheran church.
THE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH OF THE HOLY TRINITY.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Holy Trinity, Cen- tral Park West and Sixty-fifth street, was organized in 1868 by G. F. Krotel, D. D. Soon after its formation a church build- ing was purchased on Twenty-first street, between Fifth and Sixth avenues, known as Dr. Bethune's Dutch Reformed Church, and in this building services were held until 1902. Dr. Krotel was for a quarter of a century the faithful pastor of this flock, and Sebastian Sommer, now deceased, was the organist, and Charles M. Adler, also deceased, the sexton for the same period of time. In 1896, Dr. Krotel was succeeded by Rev. C. Armand
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Miller, D. D., the present pastor. In February, 1902, the old church was sold, land for a new church purchased and a build- ing at once commenced. November 9, 1902, the corner stone was laid, and May 15, 1904, the new building was dedicated with appropriate ceremonies. During the construction of the church, services were held in the West Side Branch of the Young Men's Christian Association.
The present building is an imposing structure, built of In- diana limestone, the foundation being of granite. Its archi- tecture is of the early Gothic type and the interior presents a very attractive appearance. The seating capacity is seven hundred. The membership of the church is seven hundred, with an average of two hundred and seventy-five in the Sunday school. The church societies are the Ladies' Aid, Woman's Missionary Society, Luther League, Young Ladies' School, Young Women's Missionary Society, and Trinity Brotherhood. In 1902 a comfortable parsonage was provided adjoining the church. In connection with the church is a Mission Sunday school, held at Christ Lutheran church on West Fiftieth street by members from Holy Trinity. Sister Rose Barbour, the Deaconess of Holy Trinity, is of great service as a helpmate to the pastor, giving her entire time to teaching week day classes for religious education and caring for the sick and poor of the parish. Visitors are much impressed with the attractive in- terior of this church, and it is said to be one of the finest of the many fine ones in New York city. It has a beautiful marble altar, given by the Young Ladies' Social Society of the con- gregation at a cost of $1,400. It also has a marble baptismal font, a very powerful and handsome organ, costing $10,000, and is beautifully illuminated by a fine system of electric lights. Prominent among the founders of Holy Trinity was Peter Mol-
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ler, who founded the Wartburg Orphans' Farm School at Mt. Vernon.
Rev. C. Armand Miller, the present pastor of this church, was born in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, 1864, receiving his primary schooling at Staunton, Virginia, graduating from Roanoke College, Salem, Virginia, 1887, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and in 1892 received the degree of Master of Arts from the same college. In 1889 he graduated from the Lutheran Theological Seminary of Philadelphia. In 1903 he received the degree of Bachelor of Divinity from the Luth- eran Theological Seminary of Chicago, and that of Doctor of Divinity from Roanoke College in 1904. He was ordained to the ministry in 1889 by the Southwest Virginia Synod. His first pastorate was at College church, Salem, Virginia, where he labored faithfully for eight years, and in April, 1896, took charge of Holy Trinity as its pastor, since which time he has greatly endeared himself to his people. Dr. Miller is a member of the Southern Society, Virginians, and Quill Club. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the New York Federation of Churches. He is the author of popular works entitled: "The Way of the Cross" and "The Perfect Prayer."
ST. PAUL'S EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH.
This parish was organized in 1881 by Rev. Hngo Richter, the first services being held in a private dwelling in One Hun- dred and Fiftieth street. About one year later a small frame church building was erected, with a Sunday school room in the rear, and services were held on these premises nntil 1898, at which time the church was sold to a Polish Roman Catholic congregation, and from May, 1898, nntil October of the same year, services were held in the homes of Messrs. Schloman and Behrens on Prospect avenne. The ground for the new church
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was purchased in 1897, and in March, 1898, excavation for the foundation of the church was commenced. In July of the same year the cornerstone of the building was laid with ap- propriate ceremonies by the present pastor, and the church was dedicated October 23, 1898. At the same time the parson- age in the rear of the church was erected. The church frontage is of stone, and the side walls of brick. At present (1906) but one story has been completed, and it has a seating capacity of five hundred people. The communicants number five hundred. The Sunday school is in the rear of the church building, and there is an average attendance of five hundred in the German Sunday school, and of one hundred in the English. The services are conducted mainly in the German language. The pastors who have at various times had charge of the affairs of the church are as follows: Rev. Hugo Victor, from 1882 to 1892; Rev. Herman Rippe, 1892 to 1893; Rev. H. Reumann, 1893 to 1895; and then the present pastor. The church societies are : Ladies' Aid Society and Young Men and Young Ladies' Society.
Rev. Gustave H. Tappert was born in Hameln, in the prov- ince of Hanover, Germany, February 10, 1872. His early edu- cation was acquired in the schools of his native town. He studied theology in Kropp Seminary, Schleswig-Holstein, Ger- many. He came to America in 1892, and was ordained in Cana- joharie, New York, June 11, 1893. From 1892 until 1895 he served as assistant pastor of St. Paul's church, One Hundred and Twenty-third street, and since August of that year has ministered to his present parish, the name of which heads this sketch. During the eleven years of his pastorate, the congrega- tion has been steadily increasing in numbers and prosperity, and Rev. Tappert enjoys the respect and love of the entire community.
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EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH OF THE EPIPHANY.
This parish was founded in 1880 by Rev. Dr. Krotel, the services being held for six years in what was then known as Parepa Hall, a building at the northeast corner of Third avenue and Eighty-sixth street, and which is now used for commercial purposes. The attendance steadily increased, and finally, through the efforts of the Christian Band, this congregation removed to Harlem and held services in the upper part of the old court house on One Hundred and Twenty-fifth street. About two years later they were able to purchase the present church and parsonage at 70-72 East One Hundred and Twenty-eighth street, together with a dwelling on the eastern side of the church from a Unitarian congregation. The church edifice is of brick of pleasing exterior, and has a seating capacity of three hun- dred. The number of members is two hundred and seventy, and the average Sunday school attendance is one hundred and sev- enty. The societies connected with the church are: Ladies' Aid Society, Luther League, and the Epiphany Brotherhood, composed of the young men of the parish. A kindergarten is also conducted. The services are conducted entirely in .Eng- lish. The church is in excellent standing, and has a slowly but surely increasing membership and attendance. The first pastor was Rev. D. H. Geissinger, D. D., who ministered from 1880 until 1882. He was succeeded by F. F. Buermeyer, D. D., who conducted services until 1891. Then came Rev. J. W. Knapp, Ph. D., who filled the pastorate until 1902, when he was suc- ceeded by the present incumbent.
Rev. F. B. Clausen was born in New York city, February 25, 1880. He was left an orphan when a very young child, and was reared at the Wartburg Orphan Farm School in Mount Vernon, New York. His preliminary education was acquired
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there, and he then attended Wagner College, in Rochester, New York, graduating as valedictorian of his class in the class of 1900; the Mount Airy Lutheran Theological Seminary, in Phil- adelphia, Pennslyvania, graduating with honors in 1903. He was ordained in St. Mark's Lutheran church the same year. During 1902 he occupied the pulpit of the Epiphany church, and immediately after his ordination was appointed pastor of the same, a position in which his services are highly appreciated. He is greatly beloved by his congregation, and is earnest in his endeavors to raise the spiritual tone of those in his charge.
EMANUEL EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH.
This parish was organized at Easter, 1901, by the present pastor, the earlier services being held in a storage room at the corner of One Hundred and Thirty-fifth street and Brook avenue for about six months. They were then held in a hall at No. 628 East One Hundred and Thirty-sixth street until Easter of 1903. Ground for a new church was purchased in June, 1902, at One Hundred and Thirty-seventh street and Brown place. The lots cost fifteen thousand dollars, and the buildings will cost upwards of seventy thousand dollars. Building operations were com- menced in October, 1902, and the corner-stone was laid in No- vember of the same year. The church was dedicated May 22, 1904, with appropriate ceremonies, the dedicatory sermon being preached by Rev. Dr. Hartman, secretary of the Board of Home Missions, of Baltimore, Maryland; the presentation address was by Rev. J. B. Riemensnyder, president of the New York and New Jersey Synod; and addresses were made by various other Lutheran ministers. The church building is of marble, and at present (1906) is finished as far as the basement and first story are concerned. Work on the other portions of the building is being pushed as rapidly as possible. It has a seating capacity
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of three hundred, but can accommodate three hundred and sev- enty-five. The communicant members number two hundred and ninety-six, and there are four hundred and fifty names on the Sunday school roll. The services are conducted in the English language, and the organist is Fred Goering. The organizations connected with the church are as follows: Ladies' Aid Society, numbering about sixty-five members; Young People's Social Union, upward of one hundred members; Luther League, forty ; Dramatic Club, forty-five.
Rev. A. Arthur King, the present pastor of Emanuel Evan- gelical Lutheran church, was born in Easton, Pennsylvania, Feb- ruary 18, 1868. His early education was received in the Mora- vian school, Nazareth Hall, Nazareth, Pennsylvania, and this was supplemented by a course in Pennsylvania College, Gettys- burg, Pennsylvania, from which he was graduated in 1891. He studied theology in the same college, and completed his course in 1894. Was ordained minister at the East Pennsylvania Synod, in session at Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the same year. His first appointment was as pastor of the First Lutheran church, in Glen Garden, New Jersey, where he labored actively and faithfully for seven years, and then received his call to the present parish, where he has become justly beloved and popular with all in the congregation. He is a forceful and convincing preacher, and his kind heart and sympathetic manner open all hearts to him. Under his guidance the parish is in a very flour- ishing condition.
BEREAN BAPTIST CHURCH.
Berean Baptist Church, whose present pastor is Rev. Leon- ard J. Brown, is located in Bergen street, Brooklyn, New York. This congregation was organized in 1851, Rev. Daniel Riece being the first pastor, and the services being held in a church
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building in Prospect place, near Utica avenue. The church became the property of the congregation about 1870, and they continued to worship in this building until it was destroyed by fire in 1892. For about one year following this disaster the services were held in Hawer's Hall in Bergen street. Five lots were purchased in 1893 and the present church edifice erected upon them. The corner stone was laid with appropriate cere- monies the following year by Rev. W. T. Dixon, D. D., and addresses were made, suitable to the occasion, by Rev. Dixon, Rev. D. C. Eddy and others, all eminent divines of the Long Island Baptist Association. The structure is of brick with brown stone trimmings, has a seating capacity of five hundred persons, a membership roll of over two hundred, and an aver- age Sunday school attendance of two hundred and fifty. The organizations connected with the church are: Women's Chris- tian Temperance Union, Willing Workers, Missionary Society, Young People's Union, and Progressive Relief Society. When Rev. Brown took charge of this congregation the membership had dwindled to such a low figure that it was practically out of existence. It is due solely to his indefatigable efforts, his per- sonal labor in every field of the work, that it has been brought to its present flourishing condition. It was he who purchased land for the site of the present church, after the destruction of the former one by fire, and the new building was erected at a cost of twenty-five thousand dollars. From a membership of five souls at the beginning of his pastorate, the roll has been increased by over two hundred.
Rev. Brown was born in Amelia county, Virginia, 1851. During 1868 and 1869 he was an attendant at a country school, and in the following year came to Brooklyn, New York. His energy and enterprise were most remarkable, and it is due to his own strenuous efforts that he acquired a classical and the-
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ological education, attending schools and enjoying the ad- vantages of private tuition. He was ordained in March, 1892, at the Concord Baptist church by delegates from all the churches of the Long Island Baptist Association, but had been regularly licensed to preach for two years previously. For fourteen years prior to this time he had been the superintendent of Con- cord church Sabbath school, and now for fifteen years has been the honored pastor of the Berean Baptist church. His simple, unaffected manner and sympathetic helpfulness in time of trouble have endeared him to the hearts of his congregation, and his most excellent sermons and exemplary life have been productive of the greatest amount of good. The edifice in which they worship is almost free from debt.
SEVENTH PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST.
The Seventh Presbyterian Church of Jesus Christ was or- ganized March 27, 1818, by Rev. Elihn W. Baldwin, D. D., in the home of William Badoe, and the first house of worship was located on Sheriff street, near Broome. In 1826 the corner- stone of the present church was laid and the church was dedi- cated May 6, 1827. It is the oldest Presbyterian building in New York city. It is built of brick, and has a seating capacity of one thousand. Dr. Baldwin was followed by Dr. E. W. Hal- field, in 1835. During his ministry one thousand five hundred and fifty-six persons were added on confession. Rev. T. Ralston Smith ministered to the congregation from 1856 until 1866, and was followed by Rev. Henry T. Hunter, D. D., who supplied the church two years. From 1868 to 1885 the Rev. Mr. Belland and Rev. Mr. Day officiated as pastors. In 1885 Rev. John T. Wilds was ordained and installed as pastor, and has continued longer in the pastorate of the church than any other. In 1895 Rev.
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T. C. Hock became his associate. The present membership is be- tween three and four hundred. Two Sunday schools (one in German) are held each Lord's Day in the lecture room. The average Sunday school attendance is about three hundred and twenty-five. The pastor spends two hours each week with the young people preparatory to confirmation. The church is en- dowed and free from debt.
ELTON AVENUE METHODIST EPISCOPAL (GERMAN) CHURCH.
Rev. John Mueller, the present pastor of the Elton Avenue Methodist Episcopal (German) Church, was born in Germany, February 11, 1859. His preliminary and classical education was acquired in the institutions of learning in Saxony, Ger- many, and he began his theological studies under private tui- tion. He came to the United States in 1887 and completed his theological studies in the German Wallace Seminary in Berea, Ohio. After that he obtained an appointment in Brookville and Batesville, Indiana, where he was a zealous worker for a period of two years. He was ordained to the ministry in Alle- gheny, Pennsylvania. in 1892, and then was appointed to a pastorate in Indianapolis, Indiana, remaining there four years, and in 1896 was called to take charge in Ironton, Ohio, where he remained until 1900. He was then transferred to the East German Conference and by them appointed to the Second Ger- man Methodist Episcopal Church, No. 348 West Fortieth street, New York city, where he labored until April, 1906, when he was transferred to Elton Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church, Elton avenue and Que Hundred and Fifty-eighth street. He is imbned with the true spirit of his work, and this together with his convincing, eloquent and forceful sermons, has endeared him to the hearts of his congregation.
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CHARLES WAKEFIELD TARBOX.
Charles Wakefield Tarbox, who has been prominent in real estate circles during the past thirty years, and an important factor in the councils of the Democratic party in whose interests he has been an active worker, is a descendant of Miles Standish through the intermarriage of the Tarbox and Standish families, and on the maternal side, is a direct descendant of the Daven- ports, who were among the earliest settlers in Connecticut. One of his direct ancestors on the paternal side was John Tarbox, who settled in Lynn, Massachusetts, about 1605; another was John Green, a resident of Quidnessett, Rhode Island; and still another, General Nathaniel Greene, whose fame was ac- quired during the War of the Revolution. One of the earliest direct ancestors of Mr. Tarbox on the maternal side was Paul Davenport, who settled in Connecticut, and whose brother, John Davenport, founded the Colony of New Haven. Among the other ancestors of Mr. Tarbox were Samuel Adams, who acquired fame during the troublous period of the Revolution, John and John Quincy Adams, second and sixth president of the United States, respectively.
Hiram Tarbox, son of Fones Whitford and Sarah (Spencer) Tarbox, was born in West Greenwich, Rhode Island, June 15, 1817. His boyhood days were spent in Connecticut and at the age of seventeen years he went to Lisbon, in that state, taking up his residence there with his uncle Hiram, for whom he had been named, and there learned the trade of watch-making. He removed from Connecticut to New York in 1844 and was for many years engaged in the manufacture of watches in Maiden Lane in that city, in connection with his uncle, who also had a watch factory in Geneva, Switzerland, and was subsequently connected with Tiffany, of New York. Mr. Tarbox had a natural Vol. III-21
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genius for mechanics, and invented some of the most intricate and delicate tools in use in the watch-making trade. He in- trodneed many improvements along this line, his first invention being perfected when he was but sixteen years of age. He perfected his last invention when he was almost eighty-seven years old, but his untimely death rendered it impossible to patent this. At the first World's Fair, held in the Crystal Palace in Forty-second street, he exhibited many of these in -- ventions, which were totally destroyed by the fire which laid low this building in 1856. He was engaged in the watch-making business alone until 1850, when he associated himself with John H. Giffen, with factory and office at the northeast corner of Broadway and John street, the present site of the Chatam Na- tional Bank. This business was merged into that of the Waltham Watch Company, whose great operations were made possible by Mr. Tarbox, who originated the machine process of watch movement construction. He then engaged in the manufacture of watch cases and chronometers and continued to conduct this until his retirement from active business life about 1890.
Mr. Tarbox was a man of great energy and executive ability, two qualities which are not often found united in one person to such an extent as in his case. He was one of the prime factors in making Upper New York what it has become. He, with about fifty men of similar mind, purchased a large farm in Upper Morrisania in 1848, and later had the name changed to Tremont. Through the instrumentality of Mr. Tarbox the Na- tional Government established a postoffice at this place and he was appointed to the position of postmaster in September, 1861, by Hon. Salmon P. Chase, then secretary of the treasury under Abraham Lincoln. Thirteen years later this section was annexed to the city and county of New York, and the postoffice became a branch office with Mr. Tarbox as its superintendent.
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Altogether he was at the head of this department for a period of twenty-two years. He was one of the founders of the Re- publican party in that section of the city, and furnished the lot on which their meetings were held when the party first assumed its commanding position during the stirring times of the Civil war. He helped organize a fire department, a free library, a stage line, and was one of the organizers of the Morrisania and Harlem Steamboat Company and one of the officers of that corporation. He selected a site near the New York and Harlem Railroad depot for his home, and on this he lived for more than fifty years, in all that time constantly spending large sums in the improvement of his property and the vicinity. This property was that purchased from Gouverneur Morris in 1848. Mr. Tarbox was one of the charter members of the West Farms. Baptist Church and for years, and up to the time of his death, was one of its deacons. Personally he was a man of genial and courteous manner and was as much beloved in his own home as he was admired and esteemed by all his friends and acquaintances. Man of influence as he was, many of the troubles and trials of his fellow citizens were brought to his personal attention, and his charity, kindness of heart, and readiness to lend a helping hand wherever it was in his power to do so will not soon be forgotten by the recipients of his bounty. His acts of charity were many and always performed in an unostentatious manner. With his death, which occurred in July, 1904, the last of the pioneers of the fifties in Tremont has passed away.
He married, 1839, while living at Parkersville, Connecticut, Mary Davenport Clark, born at South Canterbury, Connecti- cut, July 30, 1818, died September 15, 1897, daughter of Setli and Abigail (Davenport) Clark, of Connecticut. The Daven- port-Clark homestead in Connecticut, which is now almost three
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hundred years old, is at present in the possession of a son of Mr. Tarbox. Mr. and Mrs. Tarbox had children: 1. Mary C., well known in educational circles. 2. Hiram Thomas, who has a fine Civil war record, and has been a noted structional engi- neer for the past thirty years, is a resident of Boston, Massa- chusetts. He was engaged in the construction of the Eads bridge, at St. Louis, Missouri, the most noted bridge of its class and day. 3. Sarah E., widow of Joseph H. Lee, was before her marriage also identified with educational interests. 4. Charles Wakefield Tarbox.
Charles Wakefield Tarbox, second son and fourth and youngest child of Hiram and Mary Davenport (Clark) Tarbox, was born in New York city, June 8, 1850. His education was acquired in the public schools of the city of his birth and he was graduated from them. Upon its completion he entered up- on a business career with the firm determination to owe every- thing to his own abilities and unaided efforts, and this spirit is the keynote to his entire character. He took up the study of engineering alone, mastered all its difficulties, and made it a stepping stone to success. He was a born inventor, having evi- dently inherited the genins of his father in this direction, and since the age of sixteen years has perfected and patented many devices. Up to the present time upward of one hundred and fifty electrical, mechanical and other appliances have been de- vised and patented by him. He commenced the manufacture of stationery in 1874, locating his business in Bleecker street, New York city, and continued this for about six years. He then turned his attention to real estate matters, thinking there was a great future in that direction for a practical business man, and since that time has been very profitably engaged in that line of business. He has figured largely as city appraiser in condemnation proceedings. He has one office at No. 261 Broad-
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way, and another at No. 4160 Park avenue, borough of the Bronx. He is a director on the Provident Savings & Loan Investment Company of this city and has been connected with several other financial institutions. He is a member of the New York City Democratic Club, and although he has been prominent in sup- porting the political views of his party, has never held public office, though frequently tendered nomination. He is a member of the Schnorer Club of Morrisania and of the Fordham Club of New York.
Mr. Tarbox married, June 12, 1889, Margaret Behrens, danghter of Henry J. and Margaret (Lattimer) Behrens, and they have one child: Elsa Davenport Tarbox.
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