USA > New York > Chautauqua County > History of Chautauqua County, New York, and its people, Volume I > Part 80
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The Baptist church of Fredonia was the result of a covenant meeting held for two or three years under the leadership of Judge Zattu Cushing. It was organized by a council held in Mr. Cushing's barn. He himself was made a deacon and afterwards a preacher. The first pastor of this church was Rev. Joy Handy.
The Presbyterian church of Fredonia was organized in 1810 by the Rev. John Spencer. This church had for its first pastor the Rev. Samuel Sweezy, and has been favored with many revivals, some of the most important of which occurred during the pastorate of Rev. William Bradley in the thirties.
A Congregational church was organized in Sheridan, 1809, by Rev. John Spencer. The Methodist Episcopal church of Sheridan is set down as formed in 1809, the Rev. "Billy Brown" being their first pastor. The Bap- tist church of Nashville is supposed to have been or- ganized in 1811 and is still maintaining services. The Methodist Episcopal church of Fredonia was formed in or before 1812. In 1812 a Methodist Episcopal church
was formed at Villenova, and one in Charlotte. Of the latter there were eight original members, one of whom was Judge Burnell, whose home was the preach- ers' home, who was himself a local preacher and about as well versed in theology as in the law. In 1814 a Baptist church was formed in Ellery. In 1815 the Con- gregational church at Kiantone was formed by Father Spencer with ten members and in 1816 the Congrega- tional church at Jamestown was organized by John Spencer. Abner and Daniel Hazeltine were among the nine original members. In 1817 a Baptist church was organized at Forestville; a Baptist church at Panama and Baptist and Congregational churches at Stockton. In 1818 a Congregational church at Portland was or- ganized; a Methodist Episcopal church in Harmony ; Presbyterian and Methodist Episcopal churches in Rip- ley, the last named organizing with five members. In 1819 four churches were formed, a Baptist and a Free Methodist at Portland; a Baptist and a Methodist Episcopal at Busti.
The year 1820 added five other churches-a Baptist and a Methodist in the town of Chautauqua; and a Congregational church in Ashville, which had fifty-eight members in 1830; a Baptist and a Methodist each in Gerry, both extinct. In 1821 a Universalist church was formed in Portland, and a Methodist church in West- field, consisting of six members and having the Rev. M. Hatton as minister in charge. 1822 witnessed the organization of the Methodist Episcopal church in Portland. In 1822 Trinity Episcopal Church was or- ganized in Fredonia, and in 1823 St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Mayville.
In 1823 the Methodist Episcopal church in Jamestown was legally organized. Soon after, a venerable lay- man, Lyman Crane, of great magnetic power and gift in prayer, became the means of adding largely to the growth and stability of the church. These, with a Christian church at Delanti, complete the list of churches formed prior to 1825.
For the "Centennial History of Chautauqua County" published in 1902, Rev. Chalon Burgess, D. D., prepared a chapter on the Churches and Clergy of the Pioneer Period in Chautauqua, from which this chapter has been largely drawn.
In his summary he says :
Thus we have thirty-five churches formed in seven- teen years by the pioneers. These church organiza- tions include a great variety of denominations: Con- gregational and Presbyterian, Baptist regular and Free Will, Methodist Episcopal, Methodist Protestant. Free Methodist and Wesleyan, Protestant Episcopal, Lutheran in its various branches, United Brethren, Christian, Unitarian, Universalist, Catholic and Chris- tian Science. So that from the Calvinistic core to the outermost fringe of Christianity the people of our county have been appealed to, to join in some form of worship of their common Creator.
The growth and the power of the churches since the pioneer period has been very marked and gratifying. The Swedish churches of various denominations are very flourishing in numbers and pecuniary strength. More than one-half of the Swedish population are church-members. The Episcopal churches in different parts of the county are, with scarce an exception, strong and prosperous. The Catholic churches in some towns show great numbers and wealth.
Many of the smaller denominations doing work, if not as extensive, perhaps in every way as acceptable to the Master as any. The Chautauqua ministry is a pious and scholarly ministry. The work they do con- stantly giving evidence of their piety, and the colleges testify to their scholarship by the honors they have bestowed upon so many of their number. They well deserve the praise given by Addison, in his recent book, to the American clergy, when he says, "They rank high among the men of letters in our land."
BAPTIST CHURCH-The Baptist churches of Chantau- qua county are gathered for mutual benefit into a
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voluntary union called The Chautauqua Baptist Associa- tion. This Association claims no authority over its member churches, but is a self-governing body and may by a two-thirds vote at any annual meeting exclude any church from membership for violation of the Asso- ciation's Constitution or for so changing in faith and practice as to be out of harmony and fellowship with the other churches in the Association. The Association was organized in 1823 but did not become an incorporated body until 1895. The statistics herein given are taken from the published Minutes of the Ninety-seventh Anni- versary of the Association held in the Baptist church of Kennedy, September 23-24-25, 1919.
The following table shows the number of churches composing the Association from 1895 until 1919, in- clusive, the number of baptisms each year, the total membership :
Year
Churches
Baptisms Members
1895
31
123
3144
1896
31
102
3073
1897
31
79
3037
1898
31
73
3032
1899
30
115
2987
1900
30
93
2964
1901
30
141
3045
1902
27
121
3112
1903
28
89
3109
1904
28
138
3139
1905
28
146
3181
1906
29
240
3341
1907
29
111
3306
1908
30
140
3492
1909
30
224
3593
1910
30
97
3552
1911
30
141
3469
1912
33
198
3677
1913
33
333
3989
1914
33
207
4037
1915
33
284
4132
1916
33
271
4259
1917
33
245
4358
1918
33
105
4297
1913
34
111
3992
There are thirty-three churches in the Association, nearly all in Chautauqua county. The churches that are temporarily without a pastor or unable to support one, are supported by the Association Missionary.
The following statistics show the churches in the Association, with the date of organization, present mem- bership, settled pastor, and the date of his settlement over the church, and the value of the church property :
Brocton, organized 1819; membership, 125; church property, $15,000. Pastor, Rev. B. L. Lewis, in 1918. Busti, founded 1819. Celebrated its 100th anniver- sary in August, 1919. Membership, 8S, property, $3,500. Pastor, Rev. D M. Ratcliff, settled 1916.
Cassadaga, founded 1834; membership, 95; property, $7,000. The pastor, Rev. D. M. Sutton, settled 1917.
Cherry Creek, organized 1831; membership, 115; prop- erty, $8,000. No pastor at time minutes were printed. Dunkirk, established 1830; membership, 138; prop- erty, $15,000. Pastor, Rev. Willard Howells, settled 1919.
East Greenfield, organized Sept. 14, 1919, as a result of a revival under the preaching of Rev. E. W. Chap- in. the first pastor; membership, 34; property, $4,000. Ellery, founded 1817; membership, 46; at present without a pastor: property, $6,000.
Falconer, organized 1907; 83 members; property, $3.000. Pastor, Rev. R. W. Neathery, settled 1916. Findley Lake, organized 1864; membership, 68; prop- erty $11,000. Pastor, Rev. F. C. Peck, settled 1916. Forestville, organized 1817; membership, 100; prop- erty, $40,000. Pastor, Rev. W. A. Weart, settled 1919. Fredonia, organized 1808; shares with Mount Olivet the distinction of being the oldest Baptist congrega- tion in the Association, both organized the same year. Fredonia church has a membership of 494, and is the second largest Baptist congregation in the county. The church property, $7,000. Pastor, Rev. C. L. Rhodes, settled 1919.
Frewsburg, organized 1838; membership, 104; prop- erty, $7,000. Pastor, Rev. A. J. Stanton, settled 1917.
Greenfield, organized 1843; membership, 106; proper- ty. $1,700. Pastor, Rev. E. W. Chapin, settled 1910.
Hanover First Church, organized 1811, and Hanover Centre, 1856; small congregations with combined mem- berships of 24; church property, $1,000. No settled pastor; Rev. W. A. Weart, pastor of Fredonia church, preaches every second Sunday.
Jamestown First Church, organized 1832, is the banner church of the Association in size and wealth. Membership, 875; property, $150,000. Pastor, Rev. Guy Brown.
Jamestown, Chandler Street (Swedish), organized 1884; membership, 255; Rev. G. A. Goranson, pastor.
Jamestown, Calvary Church, organized 1903; mem- bership, 170; property, $10,000. Rev. E. P. Stoddard, pastor, settled 1915.
Kennedy, organized 1836; membership, 84; property, $4,500. Rev. O. J. Gage, pastor, settled 1915.
Leon, organized 1826; church of 13 members; with- out a pastor; property valued at $1,000.
Mayville, organized 1820; membership, 61; property, $6,000; no pastor.
Mt. Olivet, organized 1808; but 12 members; property, $550; no pastor.
Niove, organized 1855; membership, 61; property, $6,000. Pastor, Rev. G. R. Holt, settled 1913.
Panama, organized 1817; membership, 157; property, $7.000. Pastor, Rev. W. D. King, settled 1913.
Randolph, organized 1825; membership. 56; property, $8,000. Pastor, Rev. J. M. Markwick, settled 1918. Ripley, organized 1826; membership, 101; property, $12.000. Pastor, Rev. W. H. Randall, settled 1917. Sherman, organized 1826; membership, 118; property,
$5,000. Pastor, Rev. F. H. Baker, settled 1918, who also preaches Sunday afternoons at Waits Corners.
Sinclairville, organized 1826; membership, 28; prop- erty, $3,000. Work carried on under federated plan, and a pastor will be called to serve the three feder- ated churches.
Stockton, organized 1817; membership, 106; proper- ty, $10,000. Pastor, Rev. M. M. Rector, settled 1917. Town Line, which includes Clymer, Harmony; or- ganized, 1830; membership, 31; property, $1,000. Preach- ing every Sunday afternoon by pastor of Panama Church, Rev. W. D. King.
Waits Corners, organized 1836; membership, 44; property, $2,500; Sunday afternoon services, the preach- er being pastor of Sherman Church, Rev. F. H. Baker. Westfield, organized 1825; membership, 181; property, $10,000. Pastor, Rev. F. B. Vreeland, settled 1919. West Portland, organized 1842; membership, 19; property, $6,000. No settled pastor.
Twenty-four of the churches enumerated have par- sonages. The total value of all church property is $370,700.
The Sunday schools of the churches of the Associa- tion have a combined membership of 4.264 scholars, of- ficers and teachers. This record shows that from the founding of the Fredonia church in 1802 the Baptist church has been one of the great forces for good in the upbuilding of the community which resides within the borders of the county, and that its usefulness will in- crease with the coming years is a fair inference.
CHURCH OF CHRIST ( SCIENTIST)-There are four or- ganizations of the Church of Christ (Scientist) in Chau- tauqua county-the churches at Jamestown and Dun- kirk, and societies at Westfield and Silver Creek. The last named attained the status of a church, but under a law of the Mother Church, the First Church of Christ at Boston, Mass., of which it was a branch, was obliged to return to a society organization, there being no Christian Science practitioner residing within its juris- diction.
The First Church of Christ (Scientist) of Jamestown was organized in 1891, and later a church edifice was erected at the corner of East Fourth street and Pren- dergast avenue. The church maintains a free reading room in the Wellman building, corner of Third and Cherry streets.
The Silver Creek Society has its rooms on the second floor of the White Bank building, and there maintains a reading room. The Westfield Society has its quarters on the first floor of the Welch building, its reading room being open at stated hours.
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CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
The First Church of Christ (Scientist) of Dunkirk was organized as a Society in 1910 and as a church in 1919. The present quarters for church and reading room are on Washington street, between Fifth and Sixth streets. This was formerly a private residence but was bought by the church and converted to their purposes. The reading room is open every day from 3 till 5.
The church is planning a church edifice which will cost about $40,000. The present membership is fifty.
CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH-The Chautauqua District of the Western New York Association is a member of the New York Congregational Conference, which in turn is one of the conferences forming the National Council of Congregational Churches. Churches of this oldest of organized churches in New England are es- tablished in the Chautauqua District in Jamestown, Kiantone, Busti, Ellington, Portland and Sinclairville. There are three churches of this denomination in James- town. The First Church on East Third street, Pil- grim Memorial Church, Mckinley and Forest avenues, and the Danish church on Institute street.
FREE METHODIST-The churches of this denomination in Chautauqua county, with those in Cattaraugus county, form the Chautauqua district of the Genesee Confer- ence. Churches of this faith are located in Jamestown, Forestville, Ellington, Gerry and Fredonia.
LUTHERAN-The Jamestown District of the New York Conference of the Augustana Synod of the Lutheran Church includes the First Lutheran, Lutheran Im- manuel, and Holy Trinity Lutheran of Jamestown ; Bethlehem Lutheran of Falconer; and churches at Ellery Center, Mayville, Ashville, and Busti. All of these are Swedish congregations save Holy Trinity English Lutheran.
METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH-The churches of this denomination in Chautauqua county are under the au- thority of the Erie Annual Conference and are partly located in the Erie district of that conference and partly in the Jamestown district of that same body. There are fourteen charges in the Erie district : Brocton. Chautauqua, Dunkirk, Findley Lake, Forestville, Fre- donia, Mayville, Portland, Ripley, Sheridan, Silver Creek, Stockton, Volusia, Westfield.
In addition to these there are churches at Mina and South Ripley, served by the pastor assigned to Findley Lake; at North Harmony, served by the Mayville pas- tor; at State Line, connected with the Ripley church; at Centralia, served by the Stockton pastor; at Sum- merdale and Adams, served by the pastor assigned to Volusia. The full membership roll of the churches totals 3,465, including 157 non-resident members. They own 23 church buildings, valued at $241,800, and 13 parsonages valued at $50,400. This property is practical- ly clear of debt, the total amount of indebtedness on churches and parsonages being but $18,260.
The charges of the Jamestown district number 18. Ashville, Bemus Point, Busti and Lakewood, Cherry Creek, Ellington and Kennedy, Falconer, Frewsburg, Jamestown, Brooklyn Heights; Jamestown, Buffalo street ; Jamestown, Camp street and Celoron; James- town, First Church; Jamestown, Italian Mission ; Kel- lettville, Panama, Perrysburg, Sherman, Sinclairville, Watts Flats.
There are other churches in the district: Blockville, coupled with Ashville; Newtown and Mayburg, served by the pastor at Kellettville: Ebenezer, served by the Panama pastor ; West Perrysburg and Versailles, served by the Perrysburg pastor ; Charlotte Center and Pickard Street, served by the Sinclairville pastor ; Lottsville and Pear Lake, served by the Watts Flats pastor. These churches have a combined membership of 3,937, includ-
ing 164 non-resident members. The 34 church edifices of the Jamestown district are valued at $220,700; the 15 parsonages at $48,300. The banner church of the Jamestown district is Jamestown First Church, with a membership of 1,309, a Sunday school numbering 787, and church property valued at $81,000. Fredonia is the largest of the churches lying in the Erie district, hav- ing a church membership of 535, a Sunday school of 519, church property valued at $40,000. The Dunkirk Church has a membership of 370, Sunday school 437, church property $60,000. Westfield has a membership of 456, Sunday school 390, church property $59,000.
The foregoing statistics are compiled from the "Jour- nal and Year Book of the Eighty-fourth Annual Session of the Erie Conference held in Franklin, Pa., September 17-22, 1919." The appointments to the several charges in the county as given in the same authority were:
Erie District, John E. Black, Superintendent-Broc- ton, S. M. Gordon; Chautauqua, C. O. Mead; Dunkirk, C. T. Greer; Findley Lake, C. E. Arters; Forestville, K. E. Shindle Decker ; Fredonia, H. M. Conaway ; May- ville, Henry Smallenberger ; Portland, F. A. Mills ; Rip- ley, R. G. Hildred ; Sheridan, C. J. Baker ; Silver Creek, H. H. Bair; Stockton, W. L. Updegraff ; Volusia, H. E. Frazier ; Westfield, H. B. Potter.
Jamestown District, Herbert A. Ellis, Superintendent -Ashville, W. E. Bassett; Bemus Point, Charles S. Robertson; Busti and Lakewood, C. E. Mckinley; Cherry Creek, Albert Marriat ; Ellington and Kennedy, P. F. Haines; Falconer, H. L. Dunlavy ; Frewsburg, C. L. Brainard; Jamestown, Brooklyn Heights, W. A. Thornton ; Jamestown, Buffalo street, L. S. Cass ; James- town, Camp street and Celoron, W. J. Baker; James- town, First Church, T. R. Courtice; Jamestown, Italian Mission, Pietro Campo; Kellettville, E. W. Chitester ; Panama, B. H. Morey ; Perrysburg, David Taylor ; Sher- man, W. A. Thornton ; Sinclairville, R. H. Ellinghouse ; Watts Flats, A. L. Pardee.
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHES-From the Minutes of the 13Ist General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States held in St. Louis, Missouri, in Au- gust, 1919, the following facts are gleaned.
The Presbyterian churches of Chautauqua county are a part of the Presbytery of Buffalo, Synod of New York, and are eight in number.
The church at Dunkirk was formally constituted May 22, 1830, a minister, Rev. Timothy Stillman, settled the same year, and a church built in 1835. The present congregation numbers 229. Rev. Jay T. Badgley was pastor of this church for twenty-five years.
Silver Creek Presbyterian Church has a membership of 363; Ripley, 73. The latter is one of the very old churches of the county, tracing its history to the year 1818, Rev. Giles Doolittle the first pastor. In 1871 a union of the First and Second churches of East Ripley and Ripley was effected under the name of the First Presbyterian Church of Ripley.
The Presbyterian Church at Westfield was formed in 1808, no records existing until 1817, when on June 25 "The First Presbyterian Society" was organized. The first church was built about 1821, a second in 1832, which burned in 1872. The third church edifice, dedicat- ed in 1874, also was destroyed by fire, but one equally expensive was reared without delay. The congregation numbers 427 members.
The First Presbyterian Church of Pomfret was or- ganized in Fredonia, September 29, 1810, as a Congrega- tional church, but adopted a Presbyterian form of gov- ernment January 30, 1817, and incorporated as The Pres- byterian Church in 1819. The present church was built in 1875. The church has 237 members.
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The First Presbyterian Church of Jamestown was organized in 1834, and a wooden church built in 1837 at the corner of Third and Cherry streets. That build- ing burned in 1877, and a brick church replaced it on the same site. The interior of that building burned in 1890, the church then being immediately rebuilt. The present membership is 465.
Olivet Presbyterian Church, Jamestown, is the new- est member of the Buffalo Presbytery in Chautauqua, and has a membership of 100. The church building is located on Lakin avenue. Rev. A. A. J. Hogg, pastor.
The first church organized in Sherman was a Con- gregational Society formed June 23, 1827. This church, known as The First Congregational Church of Mina, later became the First Presbyterian Church, and in 1854 was moved to its present location in the village of Sher- man. The first church was erected on Presbyterian Hill, and was dedicated March 7, 1833. The first pas- tor, Rev. D. D. Gregory, came from Connecticut, and was installed in October, 1828. The membership is 104.
The churches of Sherman are conducting an experi- ment that is rather startling in its unusualness, but one that has thus far proven most encouraging in its results.
PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH-The diocese of West- ern New York, which includes the Protestant Episcopal churches of Chautauqua county, was organized in 1838; the first Bishop, Rev. William Heathcote Delancey, born October 8, 1797, died April 5, 1865.
There are now (in 1920), according to the church calendar for 1918, nine churches in the county: Trinity, Fredonia, 177 communicants; St. John's, Dunkirk, 253; St. Luke's. Jamestown, 367; St. Paul's, Mayville, 85; St. Peter's, Westfield, 115; St. Peter's, Forestville, 31 ; Trinity, Ripley, 22; St. Alban's, Silver Creek, 26; All Saints, Sinclairville, 1.4.
Trinity at Fredonia was organized August 1, 1822, and a church edifice dedicated in 1835. Rev. David Brown was the first rector. St. Paul's of Mayville was organized in April, 1823, Rev. David Brown, of Fre- donia, caring for the twenty communicants until a pas- tor was settled. The first church edifice was consecrated by Bishop Hobart. September 4, 1828. St. Peter's at Westfield was organized January 20, 1830, its first rec- tor, Rufus Murray. The first church edifice was con- secrated by Bishop Onderdonk, August 22, 1833. St. Luke's, Jamestown, was organized in 1834, but was without a settled rector until 1853, when Rev. Levi W. Norton organized the parish and took charge. The first church edifice, of wood, at the corner of Fourth and Main streets, was consecrated in 1856. An Episcopal Society was organized in Dunkirk in 1850 by Rev. Charles Avery, and in 1852 a church edifice was erected. This was the beginning of the present parish of St. John's. At Forestville, Ripley, Silver Creek and Sin- clairville, the congregations are small, and worship in chapels supplied by clergy from neighboring towns or by the diocese.
ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH-The Standard of the Cross was raised in Western New York two and one- half centuries ago, and many events of historical in- terest have transpired since the missionaries to the In- dians first traversed the region. The section now com- prised within the Diocese of Buffalo was organized as a bishopric in 1847. the Very Rev. John Timon, the vis- itor-general of the Lazarists, being selected as the first bishop. He was consecrated bishop of Buffalo in the cathedral at New York, October 17. 1847. His first two years were spent in visiting all the little Catholic settle- ments and parishes in his diocese, and in becoming thor- oughly familiar with his charge. He found the crying need was for priests and teachers as well as for money
to support them, and in 1849 he sailed for Europe to attempt to provide for the most pressing wants of his new diocese. He sought aid from the Society for the Propogation of the Faith, importuned wealthy nobles of France, visited the Holy Father at Rome, and on July 6, 1850, sailed for the United States, having collected about $8,000, obtained many vestments and sacred ves- sels for his poor churches, and received students for his diocese. He returned to Buffalo and labored earnest- ly and efficiently for every interest of his diocese, and after a most successful term of service preached his last sermon in the cathedral which he had built in Buffalo, on Palm Sunday, April 14, 1867, died the next week, and was buried the following Monday.
Bishop Timon was looked upon as one of the holiest and wisest bishops in the hierarchy. He was a ceaseless and tireless worker, and felt the deep responsibility rest- ing upon him to build up parishes wherever they were needed, to instruct the people in every settlement, and to provide all the necessary institutions. There was not a parish in his diocese in which he did not give a mis- sion, a retreat, or a lecture. He did not wait to be asked, but sent word in advance to the priest that he would be with him on a certain day, and what he pro- posed doing. His lectures were of general interest and attracted both Catholics and Protestants.
It was while on such visits that Bishop Timon first came to Chautauqua county, and upon his visit to Dun- kirk in 1848, he remarked that he never knew a place where the devil made such headway. It was to his energy and persevering character that churches were started in Chautauqua county, a work that has been ably carried on by his successors, the county being still within the limits of the Diocese of Buffalo.
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