USA > New York > Erie County > Buffalo > History of St. Paul's Church, Buffalo, N.Y. : 1817 to 1888 > Part 9
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History of St. Paul's Church.
July 19, 1859, the wardens were appointed a committee to wait upon those members of the congregation who were understood to be opposed to the removal of the organ, and to say to them that the large majority of the vestry considered that step to be demanded by the best interest of the parish, and to endeavor to induce them to withdraw their oppo- sition to the removal. The committee reported to the vestry, on July 27th, that a number of persons had been called on, and were strongly opposed to its being removed, some of them intimating that in the event of its removal they would leave the parish. According to the minutes of the vestry it was stated that Mr. Evans wished to make a proposition in regard to the music, whereupon the subject was post- poned for the purpose of giving him an opportunity to make his propo- sition in form. The vestry met July 29, 1859, and the proposition was presented to the vestry in writing, signed by John L. Kimberly, Charles W. Evans, Carlos Cobb, Jabez B. Bull, John Pease and A. P. Thomp- son, stating that a general participation by the congregation in the singing of the psalms and hymns would be a result most desirable, and in the then state of feeling in the parish that it would be better to try such an experiment rather than resort to any extreme measure, and that, as a conciliatory measure, the organ, for the time being, should remain in its then location, and some suitable person should be engaged as leader, who, together with the organist, should conduct and lead the music. It was proposed that if the vestry agreed to the proposition, that the signers would agree to defray the expenses attending thereon, not exceeding $200, up to Easter, 1860. The vestry accepted the proposition. On April 9, 1860, the vestry returned thanks to Horace F. Kenyon and John G. Woehnert for their voluntary aid and assistance in singing in the choir for the past six months.
1860.
At the annual election, April 9, 1860, R. H. Heywood and Lester Brace were elected wardens, and William H. Walker, John T. Lacy,
F
THE REVEREND DOCTOR SHELTON. From a photograph taken about the early '60's.
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Walter Joy, A. Porter Thompson, Charles W. Evans, Edward M. Atwater, Erastus B. Seymour and Dr. Cornelius C. Wyckoff, vestrymen. John T. Lacy was reappointed clerk, and DeWitt C. Weed treasurer. The rate of tax on the pews was fixed at eleven per cent. on their valuation.
1861.
In March, 1861, the vestry sold to Thomas McGuire the stone quarry owned by the parish, near Hulberton, Orleans County, on the Erie Canal, on condition that he deliver in Buffalo thirty-six and a half cords of stone by September, 1861.
At the annual election, April 1, 1861, R. H. Heywood and Lester Brace were elected wardens, and Walter Joy, John S. Ganson, Erastus B. Seymour, Carlos Cobb, William H. Walker, Edward M. Atwater, Asher P. Nichols and Charles W. Evans, vestrymen ; John B. Eaton was appointed clerk, and DeWitt C. Weed treasurer. The Rev. Mr. Lynn assisted the Rev. Dr. Shelton in 1861.
1862.
At the annual election, April 21, 1862, R. H. Heywood and Lester Brace were elected wardens, and Erastus B. Seymour, Charles W. Evans, Asher P. Nichols, William H. Walker, Walter Joy, John S. Ganson, Edward M. Atwater and Seth H. Grosvenor, vestrymen. John B. Eaton was appointed clerk, and DeWitt C. Weed treasurer.
September 26, 1862, John B. Eaton having resigned as clerk, John B. Seymour was appointed in his place. At the same time $1,000 was appropriated by the vestry to enable the Rev. Dr. Shelton to appoint the Rev. Dr. Eigenbrodt of New York as his assistant.
December 1, 1862, Dr. Shelton stated to the vestry that the Rev. Dr. Eigenbrodt having declined, he nominated the Rev. Dr. Thomas C. Pitkin as his assistant, and said that his health was such that he must for the present entirely relinquish all parochial labor, and that it was
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necessary he should have an assistant, and that he had every confidence in the ability and excellence of character of Dr. Pitkin. The vestry cordially accepted the nomination and voted $2,000 per annum as the compensation of Dr. Pitkin, and appointed a committee to obtain sub- scriptions from the congregation to aid in paying the same.
1 863. *
At the annual election on Easter Monday, April 6, 1863, Lester Brace and Charles W. Evans were elected wardens, and Erastus B. Seymour, Asher P. Nichols, DeWitt C. Weed, Samuel G. Cornell, William H. Walker, Walter Joy, Seth H. Grosvenor and Lauren C. Woodruff, ves- trymen ; Mr. Evans was elected Warden in place of R. H. Heywood, in consequence of Mr. Heywood's necessarily frequent absence from the city ; John B. Seymour was appointed clerk, and DeWitt C. Weed treasurer.
At the vestry meeting, April 9th, the Rev. Dr. Pitkin signified his acceptance of his appointment as assistant minister.
May 22, 1863, the vestry was called together to adopt resolutions on the death of Edward S. Warren. Dr. Shelton remarked that the parish had lost one of its most liberal supporters, and he himself one
* During the trying years of the Civil War St. Paul's parish did its share of the work for the relief of our soldiers.
Societies were formed in many of the Episcopal churches for sending supplies through the Sanitary Commission. The Presbyterian and other churches usually sent through the " Christian Commission."
Mrs. Elizabeth Staats Seymour, of St. Paul's, was for a long time local president of the Sanitary Commission, and was the life of the work in Buffalo.
Mrs. John Pease, Mrs. Frank Demarest, Miss Harriet Hayes (now Mrs. Charles HI. Smith, wife of the rector of St. James's) and other women of St. Paul's parish worked at the Aid Rooms of the Sanitary Commission in cutting out garments to be given to various parish societies to make up for the soldiers. The work also consisted in receiving donations, giving out work, packing boxes and barrels, and sending them to the army, and in assisting disabled soldiers. A Soldiers' Home was also established temporarily in Buffalo during the latter part of the War.
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of his warmest personal friends. The vestry commemorated his mem- ory in that " he loved everything associated with the parish and its pros- perity, always its staunch supporter and for many years an active and useful member of the vestry. In the erection of the church edifice he was a zealous and constant participant, and he looked forward with a swelling heart to the joyous day when, all her towers completed and every pinnacle set, the whole pile would command the tribute of love from every parishioner and the admiration of every churchman; but that pleasure was denied him - his sun of life went down before that happy consummation."
Edward Stevens Warren was born at Middlebury, Vermont, May 16, 1814, and graduated at Middlebury College in 1833 ; he came to Buf- falo early in 1834, and was admitted to the bar in 1837. In 1839 he married Agnes L., second daughter of Sheldon Thompson. He died after a very brief illness, May 20, 1863. He was one of the vestry of St. Paul's in 1842, and again from 1850 to 1853.
At a meeting of the vestry, September 7, 1863, the Rev. Dr. Shelton again adverted to his ill-health, and said that on the 1 1th of September he would be sixty-five, and had been the rector for thirty-four years. He said he was distressed to be compelled to say that he felt the hand on him which was ere long to take him from the responsibilities and duties as from the distresses and pains of life. He was unable to go on ; his work was essentially finished. Henceforth, he must look for some one to fill his place, and named the Rev. Dr. Pitkin as being acceptable to himself and probably to the parish, and he had no doubt he would be willing to assume the duties of assistant rector. The vestry accord- ingly invited the Rev. Thomas Clapp Pitkin to accept the assistant rectorship of the parish, at an annual salary of $2,000, and the further sum of $500 for rent of a parsonage, to commence September 1, 1863. Fourteen hundred and fifty dollars were subscribed by members of the congregation towards paying Rev. Dr. Pitkin's salary.
It was reported to the vestry that the city had placed a gas light on Pearl Street, in front of the main entrance of the church.
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History of St. Paul's Church.
At a meeting of the vestry, September 14, 1863, the Rev. Dr. Pitkin accepted the assistant rectorship of the parish.
November 23, 1863, a committee, consisting of L. C. Woodruff, S. G. Cornell and C. W. Evans, was appointed to investigate the propriety of removing the organ. December 21, 1863, Messrs. Woodruff and Cornell, from the committee relative to the organ, made their report to the vestry stating that they had conversed with many of the congregation in order to ascertain the general sentiments of the parish, had taken the opinion of musical circles, and had procured an estimate of the expense with a proposition from competent parties to do the work ; that they believed the tones of the organ would be greatly improved and brought out in full volume were it placed in the gallery. They regarded its then position as injurious to the instrument and inconvenient of access for repairs. They believed that a great majority of the congregation desired the re- moval of the organ to the gallery, and their wishes should be respected ; and they therefore recommended its early removal to that position.
Mr. Evans, from the same committee, made a minority report stat- ing that he was unable to agree with the majority of the committee ; that the organ was placed in the then position by universal consent in 1851, and no objections were made to its being there for five years afterwards ; that the question of its removal had been more or less agitated for six years, causing considerable feeling, that the vestry should not exercise any right it might have to remove it unless it could be shown that the removal was beneficial to the parish, not only from a pecuniary point of view but more especially in the proper administra- tion of the church services. Many recent writers on the subject assume that the position of a church organ should be where our organ then was. If the music is under the control of the rector, it should be in such a position that he can readily control it ; he could not so readily control it in the gallery. In its present position it faces the congrega- tion, and it being very natural to turn to the point from whence sound proceeds, there is no occasion for the people to turn from the chancel as we often see them do in those congregations where the organ is
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History of St. Paul's Church.
in the gallery - a practice, though natural, yet very un-churchlike and which no doubt would become common if our music were generally located in the gallery. Many recently erected church edifices have their organs in the vicinity of the chancel. Both reports were accepted by the vestry, and ordered to be recorded in the minutes. The resolution was offered that it was expedient to remove the organ from its then location, and it was passed by a majority of two. A resolution was then offered that the organ be removed to the gallery or organ loft, provided that the recess where it then was should be properly closed, and the new pews be placed in their proper position, the whole to be done without expense to the parish. The resolution was passed, Mr. Evans alone voting in the negative.
The vestry then appointed a committee to superintend the removal.
The vestry met December 25, 1863, and passed resolutions on the occasion of the very sudden death of Walter Joy, who was one of the vestry in 1839, 1840, 1841 and 1842, and again from 1858 to 1863. He was born in 1810, and came to Buffalo with his father, Thaddeus Joy, in 1824.
The committee reported to the vestry that fifty-one members of the congregation had paid $911 toward the expense of removing and fitting up the organ in the gallery. Forty dollars additional was sub- sequently received from other members.
1864.
The treasurer made his annual report at Easter, 1864, showing the receipt of $4,620.35 for pew rent, and $1,167.50 subscribed and paid towards the salary of the Rev. Dr. Pitkin. He estimated the expenses for the year ending Easter, 1865, to be $7,010.
At the annual election on Easter Monday, March 28, 1864, Lester Brace and Charles W. Evans were elected wardens, and Lauren C. Woodruff, Asher P. Nichols, William H. Walker, Samuel G. Cornell, Dr. Thomas F. Rochester, James W. Brown, Edwin Hurlbert and
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George E. Hayes, vestrymen ; John B. Seymour was appointed clerk and Dewitt C. Weed treasurer. The rate of tax was fixed at thirteen per cent. on the valuation of the pews. One thousand dollars was appropriated to pay for the church music.
The Rev. Dr. Shelton presided at all of the meetings of the vestry, prior to and including the meeting of March 30, 1864.
The vestry met May 14, 1864, and passed resolutions on the occa- sion of the sudden death of Seth H. Grosvenor.
In the resolutions it was stated that "in the faithfulness with which our departed friend discharged his duties as a member of the parish, as a vestryman and a communicant of the church, in his substantial worth and integrity of Christian character, in his readiness to promote all good works, and in his genial kindliness of disposition and the Christian courtesy of all his intercourse in society, we recognize an example worthy of imitation."
Mr. Grosvenor was one of the vestry in 1862 and 1863, and was always a prominent member of the parish. He died very suddenly at his residence in Buffalo, May 13, 1864, aged 52 years.
His wife, who, before her marriage, was Miss Jane Wey, was a niece of Mrs. Shelton, the wife of the rector ; she survives him, together with one son and three daughters, the eldest of whom is Mrs. William H. Glenny, Jr. The family have always been prominent members of St. Paul's, and most active and efficient in parish work.
July 29, 1864, the vestry returned thanks to the Rev. William A. Matson for the voluntary and efficient aid given by him in the con- struction of the sounding board over the pulpit.
The vestry met August 24, 1864. Dr. Shelton stated that his health had been greatly improved by his journey during the summer ; that he had been invited to visit Europe, and that he would be happy to accept, provided it was agreeable to the vestry. Whereupon, the vestry resolved that they should accord the leave of absence, and con- gratulated the rector upon the happy auspices under which the pro- posed journey was to be taken ; that they wished him a happy voyage,
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and would pray for his safe return, with restored health, to the parish which held him in most affectionate regard .*
The vestry met December 20, 1864, and adopted resolutions on the occasion of the death of Stephen Walker, one of the oldest members of the parish, a vestryman for twenty years, and for more than a quarter of a century superintendent of the Sunday School. The vestry resolved to place on record its high estimate of his moral and religious charac- ter, his honesty and faithfulness, his modest, cheerful piety, his practi- cal and Christian zeal, his unswerving devotion to the church, and his energy and practical perseverance in all good works. They recognized in the life and labors of the deceased an instance of the practical and efficient aid that can be afforded by the laymen of the church in furthering the cause of religion and sound Christian morals, and they recommended his example to imitation in the parish. They extended to the family of the deceased their heart-felt sympathy in the great loss they had sustained, and, while directing them to Him who can alone give consolation in their sorrow, they affectionately reminded them of the good name which he left behind as their most precious legacy.
Stephen Walker died December 16, 1864, in the 71st year of his age. In an obituary notice published in one of the Buffalo papers it
* Dr. Shelton sailed for the old world September 3, 1864, and September 21st, at the United States Legation in Paris, he united in marriage his kinsman Henry Shelton Sanford, United States Minister to Belgium, and Gertrude Ellen, daughter of John DuPuy, Esq., of Philadelphia. Mr. and Mrs. Sanford afterwards - in 1870 - presented the first brass eagle lectern to St. Paul's Church.
Leaving Paris, Dr. Shelton traveled through Italy, and in January, 1865, he visited the Nile ; in March and April, he traveled through the Holy Land, making the entire route from Bairout to Joppa (Jaffa) on horseback.
On his return to Buffalo, nearly every family in the parish found itself the recipient of some memento of the rector's travels- a circle of olive wood from the Mount, with the word "Jerusalem" in Hebrew characters, or a piece of polished marble marked " Pesten " - something to remind them of the scenes through which he had passed.
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was stated that " Mr. Walker was brought up in the Society of Friends, and it was not until after his marriage that he became attached to the church. His intellect was of a very superior order, and he became thoroughly conversant with her history and polity, and was able at all times to vindicate her claims. Removing to Utica, he was made a ves- tryman of Trinity Church, and Superintendent of the Sunday School. In 1832, Mr. Walker removed to Buffalo, and immediately becoming a member of St. Paul's parish, he remained in it until his death." Mr. Walker was superintendent of St. Paul's Sunday School from 1833, and was a member of the Vestry from 1837 to 1851, a period of fifteen years. Mrs. Walker, the wife of Stephen Walker, died February 8, 1868. They were the parents of the late Charles R. Walker, and of William H. Walker, now, and for many years past, one of the Wardens of St. Paul's and foremost in furthering the prosperity of the parish.
1865.
The vestry met April 6, 1865, and adopted resolutions on the occa- sion of the death of the Rt. Rev. William Heathcote De Lancey, Bishop of the Diocese of Western New York, as follows :
" WHEREAS, it has pleased Almighty God in His wise providence, to take out of this world the soul of our beloved Diocesan, the Rt. Rev. William Heathcote De Lancey, D. D., LL. D., D. C. L., therefore :
Resolved, That while we bow humbly to the Divine Will in this re- moval, we desire to place on record our appreciation of the character and example of the deceased as a Christian man and Bishop ; in his zeal, his singleness of purpose, his devotion to his work, his eminent discretion, his courtesy in all his intercourse with the clergy and the laity ; and our sense of the great loss sustained by the church, not only in this diocese, but throughout our land.
Resolved, That to his wisdom in policy, prudence as well as energy in action, and single devotion to the church over which he presided,
THE RIGHT REVEREND WILLIAM HEATHCOTE DELANCEY, D. D., LL. D., D. C. L. (Oxon.). First Bishop of Western New York, 1839-1865. Born, 1797 ; died, 1865.
From the engraving by A. H. Ritchie, published in 1854.
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we are mainly indebted, with the Divine blessing, for the unity, the harmony, the compact strength, and the intelligent churchmanship, which pre-eminently distinguish the Diocese of Western New York.
Resolved, That in token of respect, and as a mark of sorrow, St. Paul's Church shall be draped in mourning, and that Messrs. Evans, Cornell and Weed be appointed a committee to attend the funeral."
William Heathcote De Lancey, D. D., LL. D., D. C. L. (Oxon.), the first bishop of the Diocese of Western New York, was born at Mamaroneck, Westchester County, New York, October 8, 1797. He was graduated at Yale College in 1817, studied theology under the direction of Bishop Hobart, and received deacon's orders in 1819. Ordained to the priesthood in Trinity Church, New York, in 1822, he soon after became personal assistant to the venerable Bishop White of Philadelphia, in the three churches of which that prelate was rector. Upon the reorganization of the University of Pennsylvania in 1828, he was chosen provost of that institution, in which office he remained for five years, and then resumed the office of assistant minister of St. Peter's Church. In 1838 the Diocese of New York, comprising the whole State, was divided ; the eastern portion retaining the old name, and at the primary convention of the new Diocese, that of Western New York, held at Geneva, N. Y., November 1, 1838, Dr. De Lancey was chosen its first bishop, and he was consecrated May 9, 1839, at Auburn, N. Y. He removed to Geneva, the seat of the Diocesan College, now called Hobart College, which was chiefly indebted to his efficient efforts for its support. He also instituted a system of diocesan missions, by which a corps of laborers, unusually large in proportion to the population and wealth of the diocese, have been sustained without incurring debt.
In an article contributed to the Utica Observer by the Rev. W. A. Matson, he says that : " Bishop De Lancey, as a scholar, a theologian, a profound thinker, an eloquent preacher, and an executive officer, had no superior on the bench of bishops of the American church. He won the clergy to him, not less by the admiration all felt for his wis- dom and talents, than for his affectionate and fatherly manner. Every
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clergyman in the diocese felt that the bishop was his best friend. Under his care and supervision, the Diocese of Western New York acquired the title of ' The Model Diocese.'"
Bishop De Lancey died at Geneva, N. Y., April 5, 1865, and was succeeded in the diocese by Bishop Coxe, who had been consecrated January 4, 1865, and had been assistant bishop of the diocese until Bishop De Lancey's death.
The Right Rev. Arthur Cleveland Coxe, D. D., S. T. D., LL. D., Second Bishop of Western New York, was born in Morris County, N. J., May 10, 1818. In 1820 his parents removed to New York, where his boyhood and youth were passed. He was graduated with distinction, at the age of 20, from the University of the city of New York. He had already, at that time, become an author and a con- tributor to periodical literature. He was an adherent of the Epis- copal Church from childhood, under the influence of maternal rela- tives, and, after taking his first degree, he turned himself wholly to the service of the church. He was graduated in theology at the General Theological Seminary in St. Paul's Chapel, in 1841 ; was ordered Deacon, June 27, 1841, by Bishop B. T. Onderdonk, and ordained Priest, September 25, 1842, in St. John's Church, Hartford, Conn., by Bishop Brownell. He first took charge of St. Ann's Church, at Mor- risania, N. Y., where he remained until 1842, when he removed to Con- necticut, and was rector of St. John's Church, Hartford, until 1854 In 1851 he made an extensive European tour. He was rector of Grace Church, Baltimore, from 1854 to 1863; and of Calvary Church, New York city, from 1863 to 1865. In 1856 he was elected to the Episco- pate of Texas, but declined. He received the degree of D. D. from St. James' College, Hagerstown, Maryland, in 1856 ; that of S. T. D. from Trinity College, Hartford, in 1868, and that of LL. D from Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio, in 1868. He was consecrated to the Episcopate in Trinity Church, Geneva, N. Y., January 4, 1865, by Bishops De Lancey of Western New York, Hopkins of Vermont, McCoscry of Michigan, Potter of New York, Odenheimer of New Jersey, and Tal-
THE RIGHT REVEREND ARTHUR CLEVELAND COXE, D. D., S. T. D., LL. D. Second Bishop of Western New York, 1865-1896. Born, 1818 ; died, 1896.
From a photograph taken by Le Jeune, Paris, in 1869.
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bot of Indiana. Upon the death of Bishop De Lancey, in April, 1865, he became the second Bishop of the Diocese of Western New York. In 1868-9 the diocese was divided, by setting off the counties east of Seneca Lake, as far as Herkimer County, and that territory was made the Diocese of Central New York.
Bishop Coxe has the gift of eloquence to a remarkable degree, and an intense earnestness which carries conviction, and he usually preaches without notes.
Notwithstanding his devoted labors in his different pastorates, and the engrossing duties of his Episcopal office, his life has been full of literary activity, and many valuable and scholarly books and pamphlets on ecclesiastical and kindred topics have appeared from time to time from his pen, and have been widely read, not only in America but in many European countries.
As the "poet of devotion and the Church" he has won an acknowledged place. Especially appreciated are his "Christian Ballads," first published in 1845, and which since then have passed through many editions both here and abroad.
At the annual election on Easter Monday, April 17, 1865, the Rev. Dr. Pitkin presided as assistant rector, and Lester Brace and Charles W. Evans were elected wardens, and L. C. Woodruff, A. P. Nichols, William H. Walker, S. G. Cornell, G. S. Hazard, Dr. Thomas F. Rochester, Edwin Hurlbert and James W. Brown, vestrymen. At a subsequent meeting of the vestry, on April 20th, John B. Seymour was appointed clerk, and DeWitt C. Weed treasurer. It was resolved that a tax of twenty per cent. be levied on the pews to pay the parish expenses for the coming year. The vestry gave as the reason for the advance, that although the finances had been managed with great skill and rare fidelity, yet still the deficiency in the revenue existed in consequence of the largely increased expenses of the parish. It was at first thought that the effort would be made to raise the amount by subscription, but to that method very grave objections existed. If all would subscribe in
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