USA > New York > Erie County > Buffalo > History of St. Paul's Church, Buffalo, N.Y. : 1817 to 1888 > Part 18
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At a meeting of the vestry, July 1, 1892, the resignation of Philip Joyce as treasurer of the parish was read, and a vote of thanks was extended to him for his faithful and diligent discharge of his duties as treasurer. It was then moved and carried that William A. Joyce be elected treasurer of the parish.
Having accepted the call to the rectorate of St. Paul's, the Rev. Jacob A. Regester arrived in Buffalo on Tuesday, July 5, 1892, and began his work in the parish. He preached his first sermon as rector of St. Paul's on the following Sunday, July 10th. Mr. Regester, with his family, came to Buffalo from Washington, D. C., where he had been the rector of St. John's Church, Georgetown parish. For several years of his earlier ministry he had been assistant at Grace Church, Baltimore.
194
History of St. Paul's Church.
At the vestry meeting of September 16, 1892, the Hon. James M. Smith, W. H. Walker and Dr. H. R. Hopkins were chosen delegates to the Diocesan Council to be held at Trinity Chapel, Buffalo, September 20th.
At a special meeting of the vestry, held on Monday, October 17, 1892, the following minute was presented by Mr. Walker, and, on motion, unanimously adopted :
" The vestry of St. Paul's Church have received the intelligence of the death of Robert P. Wilson, who for nearly ten years has been a member of this body, with profound sorrow. Our friend and associate was a man of most attractive personal qualities, he possessed a certain nobility of character which endeared him to all, and especially to those who, like ourselves, came in close contact with him.
"He was one of the most faithful and valuable members of this vestry, nearly always present at its meetings, and ready at all times to give his counsel and labor to the interest of St. Paul's Parish.
" This was especially the case during the important work of rebuilding the church. He accepted the responsible office of treasurer of the Building Fund, and discharged the duties of that position with remarkable fidelity and the most perfect accuracy. For his services in that capacity the parish owes him a debt of gratitude and affection."
Robert Preston Wilson, one of Buffalo's best-known lawyers, died in Buffalo, October 15, 1892. He was born in Sackett's Harbor, N. Y., and was the son of the Rev. George S. Wilson and Julia Preston Wilson, and grandson of Robert Wilson, an officer in the War of the Revolution, by inheritance from whom he was a member of the Order of the Cincinnati, being the only member of that historic order in Buffalo.
He was graduated from Williams College in 1860. In 1861 he en- listed as a private in the 16th New York Volunteers, of which he was afterwards made adjutant, and took part in the battle of Bull Run. In 1862 he was appointed Assistant Adjutant-General of General Joseph J. Bartlett's brigade, the 6th Army Corps, of which his regiment formed a part, and in that capacity served in General McClellan's Peninsular campaign in 1862. In 1863 Mr. Wilson was commissioned major of the 12Ist New York Regiment, but declined the appointment, and retained his position on General Bartlett's staff. With the Army of the Potomac
THE REVEREND J. A. REGESTER, S. T. D. Rector of St. Paul's from July 5, 1892.
Photograph by Jansen, October, 1902.
History of St. Paul's Church. 195
he took part in several famous battles. He was severely wounded in 1863, and was honorably discharged from the service for permanent disability in February, 1864.
Mr. Wilson came to Buffalo in the spring of the same year and entered the law office of Ganson & Smith, as a student. He was ad- mitted to the bar in 1866. In 1873, Mr. Wilson, Charles D. Marshall and Spencer Clinton established the law firm of Marshall, Clinton & Wilson, which built up a very large and important legal business. Mr. Wilson was married in 1868 to Miss Margaret L., only daughter of the Hon. James M. Smith. Mrs. Wilson survives him, as does also his nephew and adopted son, Charles Robert Wilson.
In October, 1892, it was decided by the vestry to press the claim of St. Paul's Church against the Buffalo Natural Gas Fuel Company for damages sustained in the destruction of the church, May 10, 1888. The following letter was sent :
" BUFFALO, Oct. 26, 1892. " DANIEL O'DAY, ESQ., PRESIDENT, ETC.
"Dear Sir,-The vestry of St. Paul's Church having been informed that the Natural Gas Fuel Company has settled the claims of the insurance companies growing out of the destruction of the church in May, 1888, deem it their duty to present to the com- pany the claim of the church for the loss sustained beyond the amount of the insurance. The amount of this loss is about $14,000. This sum does not include any allowance for the damage sustained by the church in being deprived of the use of it for nearly two years. The members of St. Paul's and others, yourself among the number, sub- scribed very liberally towards the restoration of the church. More than $130,000 was expended for that purpose, and, notwithstanding the sacrifices and generosity of the subscribers, the vestry find themselves incumbered with a debt of nearly $15,000. I present this matter to you in the full confidence that your company will certainly be willing to regard as favorably the claim of St. Paul's Church as that of the insurance companies.
" I remain very respectfully yours, etc., " (Signed.) WILLIAM H. WALKER,
" Warden, St. Paul's Church."
In November, 1892 the Rev. N. S. Stephens became assistant to the rector.
196
History of St. Paul's Church.
1893.
February 24, 1893, it was decided by the vestry, in view of a deficit in the funds of the parish, that a circular letter should be sent to the individual members of St. Paul's, asking them for subscriptions to put the parish in a better financial position. The deficit, as stated in the circular, was about $3,000, and the causes of this excess of expenditure were exceptional. The rector, the Rev. Mr. Regester, having circu- lated the subscription paper, on Easter Sunday, April 2, 1893, the sub- scription, together with a large offering, amounted to more than the sum asked by the vestry.
On Easter Monday, April 3, 1893, the following persons were elected by the parish : William H. Walker and A. Porter Thompson, wardens ; and John Pease, Albert J. Barnard, George Alfred Stringer, James R. Smith, Edmund Hayes, James Sweeney, Sheldon T. Viele and Hobart Weed, vestrymen. On April 14th, at a meeting of the ves- try, Charles R. Wilson was re-elected clerk of the vestry and William A. Joyce was re-elected treasurer of the parish.
At the vestry meeting, held April 25, 1893, it was reported by Messrs. Walker, Thompson and Viele, the committee having the mat- ter in charge, that the Buffalo Natural Gas Fuel Company would settle with the parish for the damages to the church by the explosion of natural gas on May 10, 1888, for the sum of $7,500 in cash. It was decided by the vestry to accept this amount rather than undertake the large expense and uncertainty of a legal contest. The rector and clerk of the vestry were therefore authorized to execute under their hands a general release of all claims for damages, which was done, and the sum of $7,500 was paid into the treasury of the church.
At the same meeting, Charles R. Wilson was elected treasurer of St. Paul's Church Building Fund to fill the vacancy caused by the death of the former treasurer, Robert P. Wilson.
Under the auspices of the Laymen's Missionary League, a series of six Wednesday evening sermons, suggested and arranged by
197
History of St. Paul's Church.
Bishop Coxe, and known as the "Sermons for the Columbian Year," was preached at St. Paul's, Buffalo, during the spring and early summer of 1893. These sermons were delivered by some of the most eminent bishops and clergymen of the Church, and were, without exception, brilliant and able. The speakers and their subjects were as follows :
General subject and title, "The Holy Catholic Church " and Her American Daughter.
Ist. America the Study of Nations ; Her Religious Destiny. Bishop Perry of Iowa, April 5th.
2d. Denominationalism, Past, Present and Future. Bishop Thompson of Mis- sissippi, April 26th.
3d. The Church Catholic from the Beginning of the World. Bishop Coxe of Western New York, May 10th.
4th. Public Worship, Traditional, Hebrew, Christian, in America, Past, Present and Future. Bishop Seymour of Springfield, Ill., May 24th.
5th. The Church Catholic and Learning, Letters, Art, Science, Constitutional Government. Prof. William Clark, M. A. Oxon., LL. D., June 7th.
6th. The Church and Society, the Family, the Nation, the World, Incarnation the Common Bond of Humanity. Bishop Garrett of Northern Texas, June 2Ist.
At the vestry meeting of August 4, 1893, W. H. Walker, James Sweeney and O. H. P. Champlin were appointed delegates to the Dio- cesan Council to be held in Rochester in September.
In 1893, Sister Frances, who had for some time been connected with the Church Home in Buffalo, was appointed as Deaconess in St. Paul's Church.
In September, 1893, Lorenzo Harris succeeded William Graveson as sexton.
On December 6, 1893, the parish was saddened to hear of the death of Mrs. Edith Kimberly Walker, the wife of the Senior Warden of the parish, William H. Walker. Mrs. Walker was the youngest daughter of the late John L. Kimberly, and from childhood until the time of her death was one of the most faithful members of St. Paul's.
"It was in a life rich in charitable and benevolent work that Mrs. Walker became best known to the people of the city. Not only was
198
History of St. Paul's Church.
she the constant associate of her husband, who has always been among the foremost in every good work, but in the many charities of the church which she loved so well her presence was always a power. For two years she was president of the Missionary and Relief Society, which flourished and increased its power for good during her administration of its affairs. She was also one of the managers of the Diet Kitchen, and one of the board of associate managers of the Church Charity Foundation. There were in the city few women whose lovable char- acter and sincere christian devotion were understood and appreciated by a larger circle of friends."
Besides her husband, Mrs. Walker leaves three children, two sons and a daughter.
On December 8th the vestry of the church unanimously adopted the following memorial and resolution relative to the death of Mrs. Walker :
"The vestry of St. Paul's Church has learned with sorrow of the death of Edith Kimberly Walker, wife of our senior warden.
" Mrs. Walker has been a life-long member of St. Paul's. Baptised in the church, her life has been devoted to a constant and consistent support of its principles and practice.
" Her unostentatious kindness and her cheerful and faithful performance of duty have endeared her to all in the parish. Her loss will be deeply felt and sincerely mourned by all who knew her. We trust that the beauty of her example will inspire others to take up the work which she has laid down.
" Resolved, That we tender to her husband and family our deep sympathy in their affliction, and assure them that the parish mourns with them in our common loss."
December 8, 1893, the rector was authorized by the vestry to incur the necessary expense in printing a " Year Book" of the parish. This was accordingly done, and the first "Year Book" of St. Paul's was issued, dated Advent, 1893. It was written and admirably compiled by the rector, the Rev. Mr. Regester, and gives full information of the con- dition of the parish, its organization, its numerical and financial strength, the names and purposes of its various societies, guilds, etc., and was very valuable and instructive to every parishioner.
199
History of St. Paul's Church.
1894.
On Easter Monday, March 26, 1894, the following persons were elected by the parish : William H. Walker and A. Porter Thompson, wardens; and John Pease, Albert J. Barnard, James R. Smith, Edmund Hayes, James Sweeney, Sheldon T. Viele, Hobart Weed and Charles R Wilson, vestrymen.
April 6, 1894, at a meeting of the vestry, Charles R. Wilson was re- elected clerk of the vestry, and William A. Joyce treasurer of the parish.
June 28, 1894, Hobart College conferred the degree of S. T. D. (Doctor of Sacred Theology) on the Rev. J. A. Regester, the rector of St. Paul's Church, -a well merited honor, and one which gave much pleasure to the many friends of the able and beloved rector of the parish.
July 20, 1894, Mrs. Louisa M. Weed died, in her ninety-second year. She had, at the time of her death, lived longer in Buffalo than any other person in the city, and she was also the oldest member of St. Paul's Parish. Her life covers almost the entire history of the city, and she lived here when the place was called New Amsterdam. Mrs. Weed was about eleven years old when Buffalo was burned by the British in 1813, and she remembered the event vividly. She was a daughter of Dr. Cyrenius Chapin, and wife of Thaddeus Weed, whom she survived many years. They had three children, the late DeWitt C. Weed, the late Mrs, Louisa Weed Hale, and Hobart Weed, who survives his mother. (See pages 13, 120, 12I.)
December 2, 1894, being the first Sunday in Advent, the pledge, or envelope, system of offerings was introduced into the parish.
1895.
March 9, 1895, the vestry decided to purchase the property, No. 6 1 Johnson's Park, known as the David S. Bennett house, for the pur- poses of a rectory for the parish.
200
History of St. Paul's Church.
April 15, 1895, being Easter Monday, at a meeting of the congre- gation, held in the church, the following church wardens and vestry- men were elected :
William H. Walker, senior warden, A. Porter Thompson, junior warden ; John Pease, Albert J. Barnard, Edmund Hayes, James Sweeney, Sheldon T. Viele, James R. Smith, Hobart Weed and Charles R. Wilson, vestrymen.
April 23, 1895, at a meeting of the vestry, Charles R. Wilson was elected clerk of the vestry and William A. Joyce treasurer of the parish, for the ensuing year.
In the report of the finance committee, presented to the vestry at this meeting, is the following : " We wish to put on record the important purchase made . . . of a rectory in Johnson's Park. A house, every way adapted to the purpose, was bought for $20,000. $5,000 was paid down, and the balance is on bond and mortgage at five per cent. The $5,000 was raised by subscription."
. The vestry felt justified in making the purchase at this time and assuming this debt, as the rector offered to pay personally the interest on the mortgage and one-half the taxes ; this was not intended to be a per- manent arrangement, but was to last only until the parish should be in a position to relieve the rector from this responsibility. (See page 242.)
Rectory Fund Subscription.
A Friend,
$ 25.00
Edward Bennett,
$200.00
Mrs. Robert P. Wilson, .
100.00
S. Douglas Cornell,
100.00
Mrs. Laetitia P. Viele,
150.00
William Y. Warren, 50.00
Mrs. Mary Evans,
200.00
Mrs. George H. Bryant, 100.00
Mrs. Agnes L. Warren, .
100.00
James R. Smith, 500.00
Mrs. Clara B. Warren,
50.00
A. P. Thompson, . 300.00
Mrs. Van Bokkelen,
100.00
M. D. Mann, 100.00
George C. Greene,
100.00
W. H. Walker,
500.00
Robert Palen,
50.00
A. J. Barnard, .
200 00
E. H. Hutchinson,
500.00
James M. Smith,
500.00
James Sweeney,
250.00
Hobart Weed, . 250.00
Edmund Hayes,
500.00
H. R. Hopkins,
100 00
$5,025.00
THE PRESENT RECTORY OF ST. PAUL'S. 61 Johnson's Park, purchased 1895. The home of the Rev. Dr. Regester. (See pages 199, 200.)
Photograph by G. H. B., November 8, 1902.
201
History of St. Paul's Church.
In the report of the finance committee, mentioned above, is also the following : "To speak again of the working of the pledge system : We have received on the twenty-one Sundays it has been in operation, $2,173.40 ; the amount of pledges unpaid is very small indeed, and it seems to have the elements of certainty and regularity to a remarkable extent."
May 6, 1895, at a meeting of the vestry of St. Paul's Church, held at the Parish House, Mr. Walker stated that the sad intelligence had been received of the death of Mrs. Matilda C. Thompson, wife of the junior warden of the parish, and moved the following resolutions, which were unanimously adopted :
" Resolved, That the vestry of St. Paul's Church have heard with profound sorrow the announcement of the death of Mrs. Matilda C. Thompson, the wife of the junior warden of this parish. Mrs. Thompson has been for many years a member of St. Paul's, and will be deeply regretted. In all the relations of life she illustrated the best qualities of a pure and exalted character. Her faithful devotion to her family and friends was known of all, and she leaves a memory that will be cherished by all who knew her.
" Resolved, That we wish to offer to her husband and family the assurances of our heartfelt sympathy."
At the same meeting W. H. Walker, Dr. H. R. Hopkins and James Sweeney were appointed delegates to the Diocesan Council, to be held at Lockport, May 20, 1895.
In July, 1895, died James W. Sanford. For many years Mr. and Mrs. Sanford were prominent members of St. Paul's, and valued friends and neighbors of the late Dr. Shelton. Mr. Sanford was treasurer of the parish from 1871 until 1891. He was nearly eighty years of age at the time of his death, and had lived in Buffalo since 1836.
The third " Year Book " of the parish, dated Advent, 1895, states that the present number of communicants is 802.
In November, 1895, the Rev. John S. Littell came to St. Paul's as assistant to the rector, succeeding the Rev. N. S. Stephens, who had resigned the position in August.
202
History of St. Paul's Church.
1896.
March 21, 1896, the following resolutions, relative to a change in the day of election of the vestry, were adopted :
" Resolved, That this vestry recommend that the date of the annual election of this corporation be changed from Monday in Easter week to Monday in the week begin- ning with the First Sunday in Advent ; that the number of vestrymen be changed from eight to nine ; and that the terms of the churchwardens be changed so that one warden shall be elected annually.
" Resolved, That this vestry recommend that the qualifications of voters, and the qualifications of wardens and vestrymen of this corporation, be changed to conform in both cases to the requirements of Section 30 of Chapter 723 of the Laws of this State, passed in the year 1895."
At a meeting of the congregation of St. Paul's, held in the church on Easter Monday, April 6, 1896, the rector, the Rev. Dr. J. A. Reg- ester, presiding, the following persons were elected wardens and ves- trymen for the ensuing year :
William H. Walker, Senior Warden, A. Porter Thompson, Junior Warden ; Vestrymen, John Pease, Albert J. Barnard, Edmund Hayes, James Sweeney, Sheldon T. Viele, James R. Smith, Hobart Weed, Charles R. Wilson.
At the meeting of the congregation, held as stated, on Easter Monday, April 6, 1896, the resolutions adopted at the vestry meeting of March 21, 1896, were publicly read and submitted to the meeting, and the meeting thereupon ratified the same by a vote of nineteen in favor thereof and no votes against the same. The Monday next after the First Sunday in Advent was the date determined on by said meet- ing for the annual election of the parish ; nine was the number of vestrymen decided on by said meeting, and it was also determined to thereafter elect churchwardens so that the term of one warden will expire annually.
This altering of the old custom of the parish seemed best in view of the fact that, following the passage of the State law in 1895, making
203
History of St. Paul's Church.
it legal for the Protestant Episcopal churches of the State to make this change, most of the prominent parishes of the State had availed themselves of the right to do so. Advent Sunday being the beginning of the Church Year, the change seemed a fitting one.
Easter Monday had been the day of election at St. Paul's since the foundation of the parish, the meeting of Monday, February 10, 1817, for the organization of the parish and the election of the first vestry, having resolved unanimously: "That Easter Monday hereafter be the day for the annual election of their successors, and that the said church be known and distinguished by the name of St. Paul's Church in Buffalo."
(See page 9, this volume.)
For some time a movement had been on foot among the women of St. Paul's for the building of a new Parish House. This movement having received the approval of the authorities of the parish, a com- mittee of women was formed representing the different parish organiza- tions most interested in having a building better suited to the various branches of parish work ; and the securing of subscriptions for the necessary funds was enthusiastically begun.
At the vestry meeting of April 20, 1896, the rector stated that the women of the parish who had in charge the work of raising a fund for the erection of a new Parish House had already secured subscrip- tions amounting in the aggregate to more than $20,000, and he asked that a committee might be appointed to take charge of the construction of the new building. On motion of Mr. Walker, it was resolved : " That a building committee, consisting of Edmund Hayes, chairman, and Horatio C. Harrower and Charles R. Wilson, be appointed with full power to construct a new Parish House on the site of the present one, to cost when completed not more than $20,000." On motion of Mr. Weed, the rector and Mr. Walker were added to the building committee.
At the same meeting, W. H. Walker, A. Porter Thompson and Dr. Henry R. Hopkins were appointed delegates to the Diocesan Conven-
204
History of St. Paul's Church.
tion to be held in Buffalo, May 19, 1896. Charles R. Wilson was elected clerk of the vestry, and William A. Joyce treasurer of the par- ish for the ensuing year.
On Monday, July 20, 1896, the news was received in Buffalo of the sudden death, at the Sanitarium at Clifton Springs, N. Y., of the Rt. Rev. Arthur Cleveland Coxe, Bishop of the Diocese of Western New York.
Bishop Coxe had been somewhat exhausted and prostrated by his pastoral and other manifold duties, and had gone from his home in Buffalo, with Mrs. Coxe, to Clifton Springs for rest, on July 8th. He was apparently much improved in health, and was about to return to Buffalo, when the summons came, and he sank quietly and painlessly into rest. The bishop was born May 10, 1818, and was therefore sev- enty-eight years of age.
A short account of the principal events in his most useful and beau- tiful life will be found at page 98 of this volume.
The body of the bishop was taken in solemn procession from Clif- ton Springs to Geneva on Tuesday afternoon at four o'clock, following a simple service which had been held in the chapel of the Sanitarium. The procession was met on the outskirts of Geneva by the local clergy, and it was nearly seven o'clock in the evening when they reached the ivy-clad Trinity Church, where a brief service was held, the Rev. Dr. Nelson officiating. The lying in state was in Trinity Church. The coffin of oak, the top bevelled in the form of the cross, was placed just before the chancel of the old church, where thirty-one years before the dead bishop had been consecrated to the Episcopate. This was done in compliance with his wish, often expressed, that his body after death and before burial might rest at the altar-step where he took his solemn consecration vows.
The body was clothed in the vestments in which he had been con- secrated bishop, and by his side was his long-used bishop's staff, of wood. While in the church the casket was covered with a purple pall,
BISHOP COXE.
From a photograph by Irving Saunders, Rochester, N. Y., taken about 1892.
-
.
History of St. Paul's Church. 205
two branches of palm crossed at the foot, and at the head his bishop's mitre. The plate on the coffin bore the inscription :
ARTHUR CLEVELAND COXE, Born, May 10, 1818. Died, July 20, 1896.
After the customary weekly communion had been celebrated, the coffin at the foot of the chancel was opened, and the people were admitted. Great numbers came, old and young, rich and poor, to look upon the noble and well-beloved face of their dead bishop.
The vestry of Trinity acted as a guard of honor ; and six of the clergy of the diocese, two for each night, kept constant and loving watch in the church through the hours of darkness.
The funeral services were held in Trinity Church, Geneva, N. Y., on Friday, July 24, 1896. No sermon was preached or eulogy pro- nounced ; following Bishop Coxe's often-expressed wish, the service was as unostentatious as possible, in accordance with the custom of the Church which buries priest and layman, rich and poor, with the same simple, beautiful words. He counted it one of the glories of the Church that all are equal in life and in death :
" Our Mother the Church hath never a child To honour before the rest, But she singeth the same for mighty kings And the veriest babe on her breast ; And the bishop goes down to his narrow bed As the ploughman's child is laid, And alike she blesseth the dark-browed serf And the chief in his robes arrayed."
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