USA > New York > Queens County > Flushing > History of St. George's Parish, Flushing, Long Island > Part 5
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By the terms of the donation, each parish was sepa- rately to call a rector and separately vest money in a glebe within a specified time. Hence they did not unite in a call, but each parish gave a separate call to the Rev. Dr. Elijah D. Rattoone, Professor of Ancient Languages in Columbia College and Rector of St. Ann's Church, Brooklyn. The call from Flushing read : "We, the church wardens and vestrymen of St. George's Church, Flushing, do hereby call the Rev. Elijah D. Rattoone as Rector of said Church, and on condition that Divine ser- vice be performed on every other Sunday during the three winter months, and once on each Sunday afternoon dur- ing the remainder of the year. We also covenant and agree to grant to the said clergyman the interest and use of £900 (providing that Trinity Church shall thereunto consent, as far as their approbation may be necessary), and on condition that satisfactory landed security shall be given for the same." The call from Jamaica was sub- stantially the same, and granted him the use and inter- est of £900, "upon the principal being properly secured." Thus, by the terms of the calls, Dr. Rattoone would have £1, 800 for his use, without interest. This he invested in a large farm and a spacious dwelling, on the road between Flushing and Jamaica. The conditions of the donation of Trinity were thus complied with, and that corporation, without doubt, approved of the action of the parishes.
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HISTORY OF ST. GEORGE'S PARISH.
The glebe thus provided-afterward known as "the Ezra Miller farm"-was really the personal property of Mr. Rattoone, subject to the lien of the bonds given to the parishes. At his resignation he offered it for sale, with this description : "For Sale : A country seat in Flushing, on the road from Jamaica, consisting of one hundred and ten acres. On it is a new house, forty-four by thirty feet, with a kitchen and servants' bed-rooms.
REV. ELIJAH D. RATTOONE'S RECTORY. A. D. 1797-1802.
It is on a lofty eminence with a view of Newtown, Flush- ing and its bay, the sound and Westchester, and the shore of New Jersey. The ground slopes from the house which overlooks the farm, and is approached by avenues of but- ternut and poplar trees. It has pear and cherry trees, and 1,200 peach trees planted from Prince's nursery. Inquire of Mr. Rattoone on the premises."
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THE REV. ELIJAH D. RATTOONE.
Mr. Rattoone was an accomplished scholar and eloquent preacher, of commanding presence and attractive man- ners. He ranked at the time among the most prominent of the clergy. He was long the secretary of the Conven- tion of the Diocese of New York, and a member of its Standing Committee. Under his administration, the par- ish gathered strength and self-reliance. New life was in- fused and a more vigorous policy adopted. A new folio Prayer Book was ordered in the place of the old English Prayer Book, with its amended prayers and stained pages, which had been in use up to that time. The old book, and the (then) new one, are yet in the possession of the parish. The latter book is now a venerable and well- thumbed volume, bearing evidence of long and faithful use. It is of the first edition of the folio Prayer Book "published by direction of the General Convention." It was "printed by Hugh Gaine, at the Bible, Hanover Square, N. Y., 1795."
It may be of interest to know that Mr. Rattoone was appointed by the General Convention, with Dr. Moore of Newtown (afterward Bishop of New York), and the Rev. Mr. Beach, to revise and correct the sheets of the first Standard Book when going through the press.
At a meeting of the vestry, held August 15, 1797, the following resolutions were passed : "Resolved, that Oliver Bowne be allowed the sum of £6 per annum, and be supplied with sand and brooms, and be allowed the privilege of cutting the grass in the church-yard, on condition that he permits no cattle to run in the said yard, and keeps it clean, rings the bell at all Church times, or when called on, and keeps the church clean, windows, etc." "Resolved, that the clerk be allowed the sum of £6 per annum, and that Mr. Rattoone be requested to admonish him respecting his past irregular conduct, so
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HISTORY OF ST. GEORGE'S PARISH.
as to prevent his transgressing after the same manner in future." This reference to the clerk reminds us of the arrangement of the chancel in those days. A long and high reading desk held the great Bible and Prayer Book. Behind and above the reading desk was the pulpit ; below it was the clerk's stall. All this cumbersome fur- niture stood at the end of the chancel in the place now usually occupied by the altar. The altar, which was in the form of a table, stood before and below the clerk's stall. It was the clerk's duty to announce the psalm in metre, which was to be sung. This he did with the for- mula : "Let us sing to the praise and glory of God," such a psalm. He also led in the responses and frequently was the only person who responded at all. The congregation remained seated and it required the action of the House of Bishops, in 1814, to free those, who desired to stand during the act of praise, from the imputation of introducing "a dangerous ritual innova- tion." The usual vestments worn by the clergy were the cassock and black gown, with bands. There is evidence, however, that the surplice was worn in Flushing, from the time of Mr. Muhlenberg's rectorship.
In April, 1802, Mr. Rattoone laid before the vestry a call to St. Paul's Church, Baltimore, declared his inten- tion to accept it, and asked them to provide a suc- cessor. By this act Jamaica and Flushing became va- cant.
On June 22, 1802, the rite of Confirmation was for the first time administered in Flushing. The bishop was the Rt. Rev. Samuel Provoost, D. D. Ninety-seven persons were confirmed. The church was more than crowded. Representatives of three generations were among the candidates. Master and servant knelt for the same blessing. " Amelia, a slave, and Phebe,
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THE REV. ABRAM L. CLARKE.
a freed woman," we find among the persons at this time confirmed.
After the resignation of Mr. Rattoone, the vestry of St. George's Church, resolved not to unite with the vestry of Jamaica in a call, "unless the vestry of that church dis- continue the practice of obtaining subscriptions from the inhabitants of Flushing." Although the vestry of Jamaica promised to discontinue the objectionable practice, Flush- ing, for some unknown reason, preferred to unite with Newtown in the call of the Rev. Abram L. Clarke, of Rhode Island. This was done in April of 1803. In 1808
PITCH-PIPE, USED IN THE FIRST CHURCH.
we read that, according to an agreement between the two parishes, Mr. Clarke was to officiate at Newtown every Sunday morning and at Flushing every Sunday afternoon -from Easter to November. During the winter-from November to Easter-he was to give the third Sunday morning of each month to Flushing. Flushing was to contribute $300 toward his salary, and Newtown $450. But the arrangement was a brief one. In his address to the Convention of New York in 1809, Bishop Moore re- ported that, "the Rev. Abram L. Clarke, formerly rector of St. James's, Newtown, and St. George's, Flushing, is
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HISTORY OF ST. GEORGE'S PARISH.
now confined to Newtown. Flushing has, of course, be- come vacant." Thus all official union between the par- ishes ceased. It had existed for a century. And thus ended a constant source of irritation and strife. Mr. Clarke died on the last day of December, 1810, after a lingering illness, aged forty-two years.
CHAPTER X.
THE ACADEMY.
O UR history would be incomplete without a notice of the old Academy, whose beginning was in these days (1803). Many may not know that St. George's Church had an academy of its own for many years. Early in the history of the parish, Mr. John Aspinwall estab- lished a "Latin School" in connection with the church, and engaged a competent teacher, who was also a lay- reader. We have already spoken of him in chapter sixth.
The Academy stood on the church grounds, on the cor- ner of what is now Main and Locust streets. The old church stood much nearer Lincoln street than the pres- ent edifice. The Academy was a plain and unpretentious building of two stories, in architecture more suggestive of a factory than a school. In 1803, the sum of $520 had been subscribed toward its erection. As this was about the time of Dr. Rattoone's resignation, he evidently be- gan the work. Interest had been enlisted and a plan formulated during his incumbency. The building was erected, and so far all things were ready. His successor, Mr. Clarke, resided in Newtown, had many duties and feeble health, and could give only a limited and inter- rupted oversight. He lacked the energy and experience of his more scholarly predecessor. The parish itself had exhausted its resources in building, and could do little toward the support of proper teachers. In 1805 the build-
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HISTORY OF ST. GEORGE'S PARISH.
ing, with the land on which it stood, and the uncollected pledges, was conveyed by the vestry, for the term of nine hundred and ninety-nine years, to John H. Smith, Daniel Bloodgood, Thomas Philips, William Prince, David Gard- ener and Samuel H. Van Wyck, "at the annual rent of six cents when legally demanded." In effect these gen- tlemen became a board of trustees, and the parish was
THE ACADEMY, BUILT 1803.
released from all care and responsibility. They called the Academy, "Hamilton Hall." The record of a sur- render to the vestry of some stock for the right of a small family plot in the church-yard, leads us to infer that shares had been sold to aid the school. The school was in operation for many years, and the young persons of the parish and village received the elements of what was
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THE ACADEMY.
then called a good education. In those days the Acad- emy was, no doubt, comparatively a pretentious build- ing, and its course of study superior to the ordinary pub- lic school. The teachers in " Hamilton Hall" seem to have been men of intelligence and worth, and were gen- erally successful as instructors. The teachers, the books and the birch were well remembered by many who were living when the writer came to Flushing.
In 1806 the parish loaned the proprietors $1,000, taking, for security, their joint bond and a mortgage on the land. But, notwithstanding this loan, and the lease of 999 years at a ground rent of six cents a year, the school was not a financial success. In 1810 the vestry purchased the lease and good will of the concern for $1, 125, on condition that the proprietors would subscribe $125 toward repairing and refurnishing the building. Thus the Academy came back to the parish for the sum that had been loaned the proprietors. The vestry determined to establish an effi- cient and self-sustaining school, and hoped to derive some benefit to the parish treasury. Every effort was made to procure good teachers. But in spite of every effort the net proceeds dwindled. Other schools of pri- vate enterprise sprang up and, after a few years' struggle, it was discovered that a parish vestry could not always successfully carry on an unendowed school. The Acad- emy was eventually closed, and the important purpose for which it had been erected was abandoned.
At that time a room for the Sunday School was much needed, and the Academy was altered to fit it for this pur- pose. The partitions in the upper story were removed, and a large Sunday School filled it, while an infant class occupied the lower story. The lower room was also used for evening lectures and services, during the week. This part of the building was called the chapel. Unpretentious
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HISTORY OF ST. GEORGE'S PARISH.
as it was, it was generally well filled. The writer holds in pleasant and grateful memory the devout and attentive congregations that assembled there, and the interest man- ifested in the adult Bible class.
When the present church was built and the former re- stored as a chapel, the Academy building was sold and removed. The old landmark, so familiar to three gener- ations, became a thing of the past. Old associations, not its architectural beauty, made some feel its loss. It found its way to what was then known as "Crow Hill," where it is still doing good service as a comfortable tenement house, on the southwest corner of Washington and Gar- den streets.
CHAPTER XI.
THE BEGINNING OF FLUSHING'S INDEPENDENCE-THE REV. BARZILLAI BUCKLEY'S RECTORSHIP. A. D. 1809-1820.
T HE withdrawal of Mr. Clarke, in 1809, left Flushing dependent upon its own resources. Although inde- pendent in its corporate capacity, it had always united with one or both of the two neighboring parishes for min- isterial service. A crisis had come. The interruption in the services, during the past few years, occasioned by the physical disability of the rector, had dispirited the congregation and greatly decreased the attendance. The outlook was depressing. But the few resolved to strike out manfully, stem the current and call a rector. They met in November, 1809, and their first act was a right- eous one. Mr. Daniel Bloodgood was "appointed to settle all accounts with the late rector." They then pro- ceeded to elect his successor. It was voted : "That the Rev. Barzillai Buckley should be called as rector of St. George's Church for the term of one year, and $550 be allowed as his salary for that term."
The call was accepted and the rector soon began his duties in the parish. The choice proved to be a very happy one. The people received their new rector with cordiality and confidence. He was their own, in undi- vided pastoral care, and he soon won their respect and love. His ministry began a new era in the history of the
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HISTORY OF ST. GEORGE'S PARISH.
parish ; and his worth as a parish priest was soon dis- covered and appreciated. Long before his term of one year had expired, the vestry renewed his call as rector for an unlimited term. Another subject in his behalf came up, i. e., the need of a parsonage. We have already noted that Trinity Church had given £500 ($1,250), on condi- tion that, within a certain number of years, it should be
IMPAI
CHAS PONDERO
FOREIGN FRUITS, NUTS.
ICE
REV. BARZILLAI BUCKLEY'S RECTORY. 1809-1820.
invested in a glebe. The vestry judiciously thought that a comfortable parsonage within the village would comply with the spirit of the condition. They accordingly bought a house and lot from Mr. Daniel Bloodgood, for $1, 500. The house was on Main street, near the church. This not only proved a comfortable home for the rector, but
8 1
THE REV. BARZILLAI BUCKLEY.
materially aided his salary. This rectory was sold to Miss Margaret Hyer in 1826, for $1,350. The building is still standing, and has been converted into two shops -Nos. 37 and 39 Main street.
During Mr. Buckley's rectorship the congregation wor- shipped in the old, or first, church. It had been repaired and the interior renovated in a churchly manner, while Mr. Rattoone was rector. But, as every vestry well knows, repairs and renovation are often required. These had been neglected during Mr. Clarke's administration. When his successor came, the building and its appoint- ments for worship were discreditable. As the congrega- tion now assembled twice on Sunday, instead of once in three weeks during the winter, the condition of the church became a matter of shame. The current expenses were then provided for by subscriptions, and the so-called "penny collections" on Sundays. As some of the con- gregation were too modest to have their names on the sub- scription list, the tradition is that, to meet such cases, all the pews were assessed one dollar a year, when regularly occupied by the same family. But this would not add to the improvement fund, and the case was urgent. After long deliberation and discussion, the vestry resolved to adopt an heroic measure, and assessed every pewholder one dollar, to meet the expense of repairs. Not knowing how this would be received, it was resolved : "That Mr. William Prince be appointed to explain the reason which
made this necessary." There is no record of how Mr. Prince approached the people and " explained," and dared to ask for a dollar additional that year, toward making the church comfortable and decent. It is said that two families gave up their pews in consequence. Others hinted at a change at the next election of the vestry. A pew-tax was as obnoxious to them as the tax on tea had
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HISTORY OF ST. GEORGE'S PARISH.
been to their ancestors. Others thought the church good enough. It was pride that prompted the measure. This was told the writer, many years ago, by a venerable church warden who, as a youth, attended the church dur- ing Mr. Buckley's rectorship. Some, however, responded to the appeal, and the repairs were made. As we shall soon take leave of that venerable edifice, and give a brief his- tory of the building of its successor, a parting word will not be out of place. A description of it has been already
FOOT STOVE, USED IN THE FIRST CHURCH.
given from tradition. We can not well imagine the dis- comforts which were patiently endured by our more hardy, and perhaps less fastidious and exacting, forefathers. The facilities for heating the old church must have been very primitive and scanty. Stoves were rude and rare, and the use of anthracite coal began at a far later date. Yet congregations met for Divine worship during the proverb- ially "old-fashioned winters" of that period, and en- dured the cold and discomfort for the Word's sake and for the good of their souls. The women used "foot
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THE REV. BARZILLAI BUCKLEY.
stoves " (which may yet be found as relics in the attics of old houses), or heated bricks and stones, to warm the feet. Kind people living near the church (and notably a church warden) made extra fires on cold Sunday morn- ings to supply the foot stoves with living coals. As late as 1847, the sexton reaped a good revenue by attending to these stoves during the cold season.
During the rectorship of Mr. Buckley, 1809-1820, Bishop Hobart visited the parish, and administered the rite of Confirmation three times. His diocese then included the whole of the State of New York. His first visitation was in 1812, ten years after Bishop Provoost's first and only visit. Mr. Buckley presented forty-three candidates. Bishop Hobart's next official visit was in 1815, when fourteen were confirmed. The third visit was in 1819, at which time thirty were confirmed, making eighty-seven in seven years. After Mr. Buckley's death, nearly ten years passed without Confirmation, although the Bishop visited the parish triennially.
Mr. Buckley continued to labor among his people until his death, a period of more than eleven years. When the writer came to Flushing, some of his parish- ioners were living, and bore ample testimony to his faith- fulness and loving kindness. Although he was a man of very respectable attainments and learning, he was not what would now be called a brilliant preacher. Yet his daily life and godly conversation preached a constant and eloquent sermon. His was a gentle and loving na- ture, marked by great humility and sincerity. He was a loyal churchman and strove to lead his people in the good "old paths." He died at the age of forty-one. Bishop Hobart, in his address to the Convention of New York, in 1820, said : "I have to record the death of the Rev. Barzillai Buckley, Rector of St. George's Church, Flush-
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HISTORY OF ST. GEORGE'S PARISH.
ing, who united in an eminent degree primitive Church principles with primitive humility and piety. ' The Bishop visited him during his last illness, and officiated at his funeral in the church, on Good Friday afternoon, 1820. He was buried beneath the chancel of the church. The Rev. Evan M. Johnson, then the Rector of St. James's Church, Newtown, preached the funeral sermon. A mural tablet on the right side of the chancel, erected by his widow, perpetuates his name. He came to the parish in its depression and weakness. When called to his reward, the parish had taken a permanent position among the prosperous parishes of Queens County.
BAPTISMAL BOWL, USED AT AN EARLY DATE IN ST. GEORGE'S CHURCH.
Mr. Buckley's successor was the Rev. J. V. E. Thorne. He took temporary charge of the parish in June, 1820. At a vestry meeting, held August 7th of that year, two members being absent, it was "resolved unanimously that the Rev. J. V. E. Thorne be presented with a call from this church, and that the secretary be requested to address him a letter to that effect." The record goes on to say : "The secretary pro tem. then wrote the follow- ing letter which, being read, was approved : 'To the Rev. John V. E. Thorne. Dear Sir-At a meeting of the War-
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THE REV. BARZILLAI BUCKLEY.
dens and Vestry of St. George's Church, Flushing, L. I., held on the 27th of July, it was unanimously determined to present you with a call from this church, and at a sub- sequent meeting of the congregation on Sunday, the 30th, the same unanimous determination was expressed by them. I am, in consequence, directed by the wardens and vestry to acquaint you with the same, and to express their sincere wishes that nothing may occur to prevent your acceptance of it. Your salary (agreeably to a reso- lution of the vestry), in consequence of your former ser- vices, commenced on the 18th of June last. By order of the Wardens and Vestry of St. George's Church, Flushing.
I am, your obedient servant, THOMAS MARSTON,
8th August, 1820. Secretary pro tem.'" The meeting then adjourned to 9 o'clock the next morning.
It would appear from this letter that the congregation united with the vestry in calling Mr. Thorne. For such a procedure, neither the charter of the parish, the laws of the state, nor the canons of the Church make any provis- ion. We must look upon the action, therefore, as simply a desire on the part of the vestry to act in accordance with the wish of the congregation. The authority and responsibility could not, by the vestry, be shared with or delegated to other persons.
CHAPTER XII.
BUILDING A NEW CHURCH-MR. THORNE'S RECTOR- SHIP. A. D. 1820-1826.
T HE vestry meeting, referred to in the last chapter, adjourned to the following morning. This ad- journed meeting was held to consider the subject of build- ing a new church. The extract from the minutes of the meeting, given below, is the first recorded intimation of such a purpose. There are no minutes recorded from March 25, 1818, to April 12, 1820. The record says : "At the adjourned meeting on Tuesday morning, August 8, 1820, the members present proceeded to examine the proposals which had been sent in for building a new church. Two only were handed them-one by Benja- min Lowerre and one by James Morrell. The vestry, after due consideration, resolved that the proposal of James Morrell be the one that shall be accepted. Re- solved, that a committee of three persons from the ves- try be chosen to enter into a contract with James Mor- rell to build the church agreeably to the plan advertised. Resolved, that Thomas Philips, James Bloodgood and Isaac Peck be the said committee. Resolved, that the church shall be erected on a site between the present one and the academy, and that the said committee have au- thority to fix upon the same. Resolved, that the com- mittee be authorized to collect the moneys which have been, or may hereafter be, subscribed toward the build- ing of the said church."
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BUILDING A NEW CHURCH.
The records do not tell us when, or by whom, the sub- ject of building a new church was first introduced to the vestry. The subject had probably been long considered, and the official record of the vestry gives us the results of patient and energetic work on the part of men and women of the parish. A vote of thanks to Mr. Thomas Blood- good, and friends in New York, for generous subscriptions and kind interest, tells us that aid was received outside of Flushing. We have no data from which to learn the cost of the new edifice. The site chosen by the commit- tee was where the present stone church stands. Large Locust trees stood between the old church and the acad- emy, some of which were cut down to give place for the new building. The materials for the second church were of the best quality. The corner posts were of white oak, and the main timbers of Georgia pine, sawed by hand on the meadows near the bridge. They were taken from a raft of logs which had been brought up from New York. The old church remained in use until the completion of its successor. It was condemned to be torn down after more than eighty years of service. Mr. David T. Waters related to the writer, that at the time, 1820, he was an apprentice to the builder of the new church, and aided in the work. He climbed up inside of the tall steeple of the old church and fastened the rope by which it was to be pulled down. Three feet of snow covered the ground at the time. When the old land-mark came crashing down, it was dashed into fragments. Mr. Waters recovered the vane and ball, with the iron work, and they were care- fully restored and placed on the new church. They may be seen on the belfry of the chapel to-day. The " roos- ter " is still faithful after a service of nearly one hundred and fifty years.
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