USA > New York > Oneida County > History of Oneida County, New York : from 1700 to the present time, Volume I > Part 36
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Mr. Bailey was twice elected school commissioner of Utica; and in 1887 President Cleveland, long his warm personal friend, appointed him postmaster of Utica. He served is this capacity four years, about half of the term being under President Harrison and Postmaster General Wanamaker. When Gov- ernor Roswell P. Flower reorganized the State Civil Service Commission he appointed Mr. Bailey a member. He was president of the board until his res- ignation, December 31, 1895. In March of 1896 he was again appointed post- master by President Cleveland.
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He was early identified with that great news-gathering organization, the Associated Press, and was the president of the New York Associated Press from 1887 to 1891; and for many years was a member of its executive committee. About the year 1860 he became a member of the Utica Mechanics' Association, and was for seven years its president. He has been a member of the Masonic fraternity for about 45 years, is a charter member of Faxton Lodge F. & A. M., and is also a member of Yah-nun-dah-sis Lodge, A. & A. S. Rite. He was one of the incorporators and original managers of the Utica Homeopathic Hos- pital.
Mr. Bailey has been twice married. On September 28, 1857, he married Miss Julia S. Wetherby of DeWitt, Onondaga county, who died July 9, 1860, leaving one daughter, now Mrs. Edward Hyde Wells of Albany. He married, second, Miss Hannah Chapman of Utica, June 24, 1868, who died July 17, 1907. Of this marriage there were born four children-Lansing Chapman, August 12, 1869; Clinton Grove, July 24, 1871, (died July 21, 1872) ; Prentiss, October 19, 1873, and Bessie Carlton, December 20, 1875.
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHI. NEW HARTFORD
CHAPTER XXIV.
RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS.
CONGREGATIONAL-The first religious society to establish a church was the Congregationalists. In 1791 steps were taken to form a society in the town of Whitestown, in the locality which is now the village of New Hartford. The first proceedings in regard to the organization of this society are not of record, but the record of the Presbyterian church of New Hartford has the following :
"At a Societies' meeting, warned according to Law, held at the Barn of Jedediah Sanger Esqr in Whitestown the sixth day of June 1791 Joseph Higbey Moderator; Voted 1st That the subscribers to the Covenants which circulated in the New Hartford and middle Settlements so called in sd Whitestown for the purpose of promoting a Religious Society and to Build a Meeting house and Settle the Gospel-Will abide the Judgment of Ephraim Blackmer Esqr James Dean and Capt Isaac Jones Respecting the place where the said meeting house shall be Built on Lot No 2 in the 7th Division in Cockes Patent so called-2d That Jedediah Sanger Esqr Mr. Jesse Kellogg Capt Oliver Collins Mr. Thomas Gaylord and Capt Nathl Seward be a Committee to wait on the above Com- mittee-3d that the meeting be adjourned to Monday the 20th Instant.
"A true coppey from the minutes.
"Attest pr ASHBELL BEACH, "Societies Clerk."
And later another entry in the same record is as follows:
"Monday 20th June 1791 met according to Adjournment and Unanimously agreed that a Stake standing in a Stump a few Rods South of Mr. Ezekiel Will- iam's present Dwelling house shall be the spot for erecting a Meeting house for said Society."
The church proper was organized by Reverend Dr. Jonathan Edwards. He was usually styled the "younger" Edwards, to distinguish him from his very distinguished grandfather, the president of Princeton College. The most com- modious building at that time in the locality was the famous barn of Jedediah Sanger. The building is still standing, of which an excellent illustration is given in connection with this history. It was in this barn that on Saturday, August 27, 1791, the church was organized. Subsequent to this time the meetings were held at different houses until the church building was completed. On Septem- ber 5, 1791, a meeting was held, at which Judge Sanger presided, and it was voted that the people should prepare the necessary materials for the building of a meeting house "this present fall and the ensuing winter." A committee was appointed to carry the resolution into effect. A singular entry is contained in the minutes of the church in regard to the raising of the building, as follows:
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"The Society to be at the Expense of Raising sd House in every respect Except the liquor and Master workman." There is no further entry upon the minutes until the year 1793, when it appears that the building was completed and the Society convened in the meeting house. This building is still standing and is in an excellent state of preservation. Although the church was organized under the auspices of the Congregationalists, November 23, 1801, the minutes read as follows :
"Moved to try the minds whether the Society will put themselves under the care and direction of the Presbytery or not, and after reading the Articles of their Constitution and remarking on the same, the minds were taken and passed in the affirmative with only one dissenting voice."
From that time forward the church has been under the control of the Presbyterian church. It is rather a singular circumstance that this oldest church in Oneida county has had, during its entire existence, of permanent and tem- porary pastors but eleven. At the centennial celebration of the church held August 27, 1891, all the then living pastors except one were present, and their pictures appear in an illustration connected with this work. The names of these pastors and the dates of their election are as follows:
Rev. Dan Bradley .1791
Rev. Joshua Johnson Aug. 8, 1795
Rev. Samuel Snowden March 10, 1802
Rev. Noah Coe June, 1814
Rev. Moses C. Searle .1835
Rev. Eliot H. Payson Oct. 14, 1845
Rev. Samuel R. Sherrill and Rev. Charles C. Kimball temporarily supplied the pulpit between 1861 and 1864.
Rev. Edward B. Furbish 1864
Rev. G. R. Alden 1873
Rev. Israel N. Terry October, 1876
Rev. Oliver A. Kingsbury
June, 1891
Immediately after the organization of the church at New Hartford the Rev- erend Jonathan Edwards organized a church also at Paris Hill and one at Clinton. Although these churches were organized as Congregational churches, they soon ceased to be Congregational and became Presbyterian, and have re- mained so to the present day.
PARIS CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH-An interesting incident in the history of the county is that of the organization of the Congregational church in the town of Paris. This was accomplished through the instrumentality of Dr. Jonathan Edwards, who had come to this part of the country and organized first, the church at New Hartford, second, the church at Paris Hill, and third, the church at Clinton. At the centennial celebration of the Paris Hill church a paper was read by Mrs. Russell H. Wicks of Utica, which is so interesting that we quote at length from it:
"August 29, 1791, Dr. Edwards came up the narrow trail through the for- est, from another little settlement-now the village of Clinton-and made him-
E
GROUP OF MINISTERS OF THE FIRST CHURCH ORGANIZED IN ONEIDA COUNTY WITH OTHERS AT CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION, 1891 Rev. E. H. Snowdon, Rev. Elliot H. Payson, Rev. Charles C. Kimball, Rev. Edward B. Furbish, Rev. Gustavus R. Alden, Rev. Oliver A. Kingsbury
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self known to Timothy Tuttle and his good wife, Mahetabel, who with Reuben Fowler, -Solomon Wright and Sibil his wife, were awaiting him in Mr. Tuttle's log cabin, situated on the lot now occupied by the house of D. C. Addington. The record tells us that after examining the letters brought with them from their home churches, Dr. Edwards 'drew up a Confession of Faith, Church Covenant and Rules of Admission to said church, which with unanimous consent was styled The Second Church of Christ in Whitestown.' This paper was then signed by the five persons present, and the little church was established whose 100th birthday we to-day celebrate.
"Solomon Wright and his wife remained in the church till their death, 17 years later; the other three removed to other places. The colony grew rapidly. When they met June 14, 1792, for the purpose of uniting all the colony in the support of the gospel, none of the log cabins were large enough to accommodate the people, and the meeting was therefore held in the new frame barn belonging to Col. Tuttle. The necessary papers were made out and signed by 119 per- sons. Each agreed to help support ministers of the gospel and obey the rules agreed upon by the majority. The name decided upon was the 'Paris Religious Society,' and the church afterward informally adopted the same name. In 1874 it adopted its present name, 'Paris Congregational church.' The name Paris was given to the society and afterward to the town, in honor of a Mr. Paris, who, in time of great scarcity, sent a large donation of breadstuffs to the new set- tlement. A few years since his body was removed from the place of its original burial, and with appropriate ceremonies was placed in the Episcopal cemetery here.
"The money for the expenses of the Society was to be raised by 'taxation upon a man's real and personal estate.' A poll-tax of 10 shillings was ordered, and three of the trustees of the church were appointed assessors to levy the en- tire tax. Distance was to be reckoned also, for we find the following clause re- corded: 'Members living remote from the center of this Society shall be con- sidered in taxation according to the distance'! Afterward an attempt was made to establish this 'center' in some other spot than our present village, but the final vote decided that 'the center shall forever remain where it was formerly pitched, a small distance south of Col. Tuttle's now dwelling place.' Of the struggles of the little church to obtain a foothold we have little record for the four years following its organization, but we easily imagine the services held each Sabbath from house to house, led by the faithful Col. Tuttle as moderator; the prayer meetings, where the few earnest hearts pleaded the promise, 'Where two or three are gathered together in My name;' and the attempts to keep all interested so that a pastor could be called.
"Record of calls given to four ministers we find, but none were accepted. The first call was to one Rev. Asahel Norton to preach six Sabbaths on proba- tion. If then he should remain, his salary was to be £100 per year. This muni- ficent sum of $250 was to be paid 'one-half in cash, the rest in beef, wheat and pork at cash price, and 25 cords of firewood.' The next call, to a Mr. Porter, was a trifle more generous, as he was to have £133 6s. 8d., besides 25 cords of wood. With no church building, a log cabin to live in, and about $75 per year ready money with which to support his family, it does not seem strange to us
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that these cultured men, graduates of Harvard College, hesitated to accept the position of pastor. In November, 1793, they voted to erect a house of worship. It was to be of logs, and 45 x 50 feet in size. The committee appointed from the trustees to assess the property of the members was, at the same time, to 'carry round the subscription paper.' But it was hard work to raise money. There was no market nearer than Albany, 90 miles away, and each man needed every dollar he could obtain; so in the spring of 1794, we find them rescinding the former vote and substituting a building 26x30 feet. The site was also decided upon. 'The aforesaid house shall be set at the north side of the road leading from Brothertown, where it intercepts the road running by Col. Tuttle's.' This intersection would be nearly in the center of the green, and not on the lot now occupied by the Episcopal church, as some authorities have stated. But this plan seemed as unsuccessful as the others. The log house was given up, and a frame building erected, which was finished in 1796. It stood in the center of the green. Each man was to build his pew and own it in consideration of the money subscribed toward the building. It had 'square pews with banisters,' and no means of warming it in the severest weather. I have heard my grand- father tell how difficult it was in winter to hear the preacher, on account of the incessant stamping of feet necessary to keep them from freezing! Think of a people possessed of a piety so strong that they endured rides of six to ten miles through pitiless snowstorms, often shoveling their way through deep drifts, and then sitting through two services two hours long without a fire! But to them it was a 'Meeting House.' Why have we given up the good old name ? You remember it in the old Jewish days, literally 'a house of meeting.' Not merely the meeting of the people, but a divinely appointed place where God and his people met according to His promise, 'At the door of the House of Meeting will I meet you, and there will I speak unto you.' Let us not drop the name so utterly out of our vocabulary. Before the meeting house was finished the people called the Rev. Eliphalet Steele, who had just resigned his charge in Massachusetts, and the call was accepted. His salary was the same as that previously offered to Mr. Norton. He plainly told them in his letter of ac- ceptance that he did not approve of the proposal that half the salary should be paid in produce, 'as,' he writes, 'some men are tight and hard to deal with, and always think their minister so.' We can imagine the rejoicing of the little church, now grown to nineteen members, when, July 15, 1795, Mr. Steele was in- stalled. He was a man eminently fitted for the place. A little over fifty years of age, a graduate of Yale College, with twenty-five years' experience as pastor in Massachusetts. His good sense and warm heart specially qualified him for the work of training the infant church, while his strong will was all called into action in the management of the different elements then existing in the congre- gation. Everything prospered under his care, and the church was ten years old before its strength was impaired by a removal, an ex-communication, or even a death. That he was a systematic man is shown on page after page of these old records, where for almost twenty-two years every entry is made in his own handwriting. He kept a complete list of all baptisms, marriages, deaths, and all items of interest occuring during his long pastorate. Among the baptisms we find the names of infants, whom a few here to-day remember as white-haired
THE BARN OF COLONEL SANGER AT NEW HARTFORD Used as church and courthouse, 1791
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men and women; we trace long family histories through the list of marriages, while among the deaths are many curious entries, the death of one Jane Baxter being recorded wrong side up, because she committed suicide with a knife. He also kept a record of churches which this church assisted in forming-nine in all. Given in the order of their organization they are as follows: Litchfield, Hamilton, Sangerfield, Steuben, Paris, Hanover Society, Bridgewater, Norwich, Second Church of Litchfield, and a church organized out of our own church, and 'consisting of eight members about to remove to Fish Creek, in the town- ship of Mexico.' This is now the flourishing Union Congregational church of Camden, in this county, with a membership of 260. From nineteen members the church grew steadily, and in some of the revivals as many as fifty-eight persons united with it at one time. He baptized 390; married 120 couples, and attended 427 funerals among his own people. The last recorded deaths were twin chil- dren of Daniel Handy and his wife Loisa, July, 1817. Two months later a strange hand takes the pen, and we read: 'Oct. 7. Departed this life in strong faith and with the greatest composure, Rev. Eliphalet Steele.' And those of us who from earliest childhood have wandered with careful footsteps through the old cemetery yonder, remember well the awe with which we used to stop beside the long, flat tablet, in the center of the yard, and read this tribute to his mem- ory: 'This monument is erected to the memory of Rev. Eliphalet Steele, M. A., by his affectionate church, in testimony of their respect for his talents, and gratitude for his faithful labors. In the pastor's office he was watchful and diligent, an impartial inquirer after truth, an able defender of the Christian faith, and an example to the flock. He was born at Hartford, Ct., June 26, 1842. Graduated at Yale College 1764; was ordained to the work of the gospel min- istry at Egremont, Mass, 1770. Dismissed from his pastoral charge in that place, 1794. Installed at Paris, July, 1795. Dies October 7, 1817, æ. 75. The church in Paris, of which he was the first pastor, was founded Aug. 29, 1791. When Mr. Steele was installed it consisted of nineteen members; 273 were added during his ministry, and at the time of his decease there were 193 members.' Not often does any minister leave a nobler record than that.
"When Mr. Steele's health began to fail Rev. Dwight was employed to assist him, but five months before his death the pastoral connection was severed by his own request, and Rev. John Waters was installed, though Mr. Steele's half salary was continued until his death. We have no description of Mr. Waters, but we know that his children were so numerous that one was not easily missed, by the following incident: The parsonage was conveniently located near the church, being the farm south of the one where Lysander Head now resides. His family moved here in the winter, and all went well till the first meal time came. Then one of the children was missing. After long search, he was found fast asleep in the straw in the bottom of the sleigh, where he had fallen during the journey. Mr. Waters was a Presbyterian and an earnest preacher. For some time many members had been in favor of changing from the Congregational to the Presbyterian form of government. In less than a year after Mr. Steele's death, the church withdrew from the Oneida Associa- tion and united with the Presbytery. From this time the long peace of the church was broken by dissensions of all sorts. Sectarianism ran rife, and
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from discussions over the different doctrines the natural results followed. Brotherly love changed to fault-finding, and for many years these old pages are filled with the story of complaints brought before the Session and carried up to Presbytery. Though Presbyterian, there seemed always a strong spirit of Congregationalism in their doings, and we cannot but admire the pluck of the little church, when, after a lengthy case, in which even Presbytery decided against them, they record in the minutes that, 'While we have not altered our views, and do not mean to abandon the rights which we have heretofore asserted, yet as we have consented to be amenable to Presbytery, in this case we think it our duty to yield.' Remembering how, one hundred years later, our descend- ants will smile over the things which to-day seem most sacred to us, it is with very reverent hands that I turn these old pages and give you glimpses of some of their curious ways. Those who are inclined to pessimism, and look back from our glorious to-day with sighs for the 'good old times' which lie always in the golden haze of beautiful memories, may see that after all 'the world moves,' and every day we are learning more the meaning of the command, 'Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.' For years there was hardly a re- corded meeting of the church, that there was not a case of discipline brought before it. They were disciplined for speaking disrespectfully of the minister; for not attending church every Sabbath; for hinting darkly of some other brother's character. One brother was disciplined for declaring that Christmas was an institution of the devil, and though he publicly retracts this, and says perhaps he ought not to have said it, he still asks that it be distinctly under- stood that he does not consider it an institution of the Lord. According to Matt. xviii: 15, 16, 17, it was deemed proper that each erring member should have what was termed 'three steps of labor.' He was first visited by the per- son who considered him in error; then by a committee of two or three; and if still unrepentant, the case was then laid before the church. The patience of the few who usually constituted the court of the church, seems simply marvel- ous. Some cases lasted for months; these brethren giving patiently one whole day every week to the hearing of evidence. If found guilty, letters of admoni- tion were sent, and if, after given time, there were no signs of repentance, resolutions of excommunication were read from the desk. The ways of avoid- ing discipline shows much of our present human nature. One we find plead- ing illegality of proceedings, claiming that instead of the two preliminary steps of labor, the conversations with him had been all on the same day, and con- sequently formed only 'one labor,' so he was entitled to another labor before being brought before the church. Another, disciplined for beating his wife with a rod, admitted that it was an unchristian act, but insisted that 'she well deserved it,' and consequently would not receive any letters of admonition, though they were repeatedly left on his doorstep. Later, we find him on trial again, and again pleading excuse. He claims that instead of throwing a butter plate at his wife, he simply intended to throw the butter in her face! The plate was a mistake, and therefore he refused to receive notice of his excommunication, and for years after, rose regularly at every communion service in answer to the question whether any communicant had been omitted. We find them also ex- ceedingly cautious about giving letters of recommendation to other churches.
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One woman's application for a letter was discussed through many sessions, and at last was dropped without action, as 'no person now living has knowledge. where she resides.'
"It was during Mr. Waters's stay that the first Sunday school was opened. It was then an experiment, and to us, with our hundreds of thousands of children gathered in our Sunday schools, it seems strange indeed to read their arguments against it, many asserting it to be a profanation of the Sabbath. After three years Mr. Waters resigned, and Rev. William R. Weeks was called as stated supply. He was employed for seven years, but was never made a settled pastor. It was during his stay that the dissensions of the church as to which form of government should have precedence rose to so furious a storm that only his strong hand and wise head kept the church from being utterly destroyed. In December, 1820, three months after he was called, the two factions attempted a compromise, by which it was agreed to transact church business in a full meeting of the church, at which every member of the church might speak and vote. Like most compromises, designed to please everybody, this pleased no- body, and six months after, twenty-one members requested to be formed into a new church, called the Second Presbyterian church of Paris. Presbytery met here to consider the request, and the members of the church were called upon to decide which form of government they would have. Twenty declared for Presbyterianism, thirteen for Congregationalism. Whereupon Presbytery released the Congregationalists, and at a recess they organized themselves into a Congregational church, still to remain under care of Presbytery. Imagine what a situation for a minister! Here were two churches, one purely Pres- byterian, the other purely Congregational. The same minister was Moderator of each church; they worshipped in the same building; came to the same com- munion table, and were served by a deacon from each church! Wise indeed must have been the head which could maintain such a position and excite no jealousy from either side! After a year the two churches united under the name of the Congregational Presbyterian church of Paris. It was about this time that a member asks for a letter of dismission because 'for fifteen months our minister has dwelt principally upon knotty questions and dark and difficult doctrines, which he has discussed in an unedifying and unprofitable manner ; and that moreover he has been improperly pointed and personal in his preach- ing.' But the majority sustained Mr. Weeks, and the letter was not granted. "In 1825, after eight years of stormy discussions, Rev. Dr. Norton of Clin- ton proposed the revival of the Oneida Association, which had, for some years, been abandoned, and tired of their old relations, with only four dissenting votes they voted to be released from the Presbytery and join the association. The next vote was unanimous, the last vestige of Presbyterianism was destroyed, and the church has never since swerved from its Congregational principles. Dr. Weeks was greatly interested in benevolent objects, and the very year when the church was weakest, because of its division, there was over $700 given for different benevolent purposes. After Mr. Weeks's resignation several ministers filled the pulpit, Rev. Daniel A. Clark, Rev. William B. Tompkins, Rev. Seth Willitson, Rev. E. Allen, Rev. L. P. Blodget, Rev. J. G. Cordell. Through all these changes we are now reminded of the troublesome times in the world
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