USA > New York > Westchester County > History of the Protestant Episcopal Church, in the county of Westchester, from its foundation, 1693, to 1853 > Part 12
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b The above inscription was written by Rev. John Bowden, S. T. D., formerly Professor of moral Philosophy in Columbia College, N. Y.
· Updike's History of Narragansett Church.
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AND CHURCH OF WESTCHESTER.
by the stile of the Borough and Town of Westchester, shall henceforth be called and known by the name of the Town of Westchester." Up to this date, the church appears to have been governed by the charter of 1762. On the 6th day of April, in the year 1784, the Legislature of the State of New-York passed an act entitled, " An act to enable all religious denomi- nations in this State, to appoint Trustees, who should be a body corporate, for the purpose of taking care of the temporalities of their respective congregations, and for other purposes therein mentioned."a Under the provisions of this act, St. Peter's Church, Westchester, was incorporated on the 19th of April, 17SS, the following persons being chosen trustees : Lewis Gra- ham, Josiah Browne, Thomas Hunt, Israel Underhill, John Bartow, Phillip I. Livingston, and Samuel Bayard.b
The earliest record of the proceedings of the Trustees, is dated May 12th, 1788, when "it was resolved, that the old church be sold to Mrs. Sarah Ferris for the sum of ten pounds." Their next business was to obtain the necessary funds for the erection of another edifice. Accordingly, at a meet- ing held September, 1788, Israel Underhill and John Bar- tow, Jr., were authorized " to draw up a subscription paper, and carry it round to the people, in order to raise a sum of money to build a church, on or near the same ground where the Church of St. Peter, late removed, stood." At a subsequent meeting, held October 13th, 1788, Philip I. Livingston laid be- fore the corporation the following petition to the Venerable Society :-
" TO THE SOCIETY FOR THE PROPAGATION OF THE GOSPEL IN FOREIGN PARTS. THE PETITION OF JOSIAH BROWN, LEWIS GRAHAM, SAMUEL BAYARD, ISRAEL UNDERHILL, AND JOHN BARTOW, JR.,
Humbly sheweth,
That your Petitioners are by law Trustees of the Episcopal
· Laws of N. Y. from 1778 to 1787. Greenleaf, vol. I. chapter xviii. 71.
৳ County Rec. Religious Soc. Lib. A. p. 19.
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HISTORY OF THE PARISH
1
Church of St. Peter's, in the Township, late Borough of West- chester, and State of New-York, in North America. The Township in which your petitioners reside, from its vicinity to the Capital of this State, was, during the late war subject to the incursions and depredations of both British and American armies, unprotected by either. That thus circumstanced, their Church and Parsonage house very early suffered the ravages of war, and have been so materially wasted as not to claim the expense of a reparation. That the greater part of their congregation have been also by these means greatly injured in their estates, and many reduced to abject poverty, and that under these calami- tous events they have been since the commencement of the late war, and even unto this day, without a gospel Minister established in their Township, and therefore, as might be expected, vice and irreligion too much prevail amongst the people. And your peti- tioners further beg leave to show, that from a sense of duty ow- ing to themselves, as well as from a most unfeigned regard for the welfare of the souls of those with whom they are connected in society ; they are most anxiously solicitous, as soon as may be, to erect another church upon their glebe, and establish a minis- ter. But as the greater part of the members of their Church are unable to contribute any considerable sums toward these desira- ble purposes, your petitioners have the best reason to believe their good intentions will be intirely defeated, unless they are aided with charitable donations from abroad. And your peti- tioners beg leave to show, that they are informed your honorable Society have some property in this state, bequeathed to your Corporation for charitable purposes, by the will of St. George Talbot, formerly of New-York, and that it is your intention to bestow whatever may arise from funds yet left in America, to American Episcopal Churches. Encouraged by this hope, and confiding in the well known pious and liberal disposition of your honorable board, your Petitioners humbly request, that to enable them to rebuild their church, they may be favored with the socie- ty's bounty, and authorized to receive for this purpose, from any monies being the property of the Society, which now are, or may hereafter come into the hands of the executors of the late St. George Talbot, or any of them, or any person or persons acting
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AND CHURCH OF WESTCHESTER.
for them, or action of them, the sum of £200 sterling, or such other suins, as to the piety and charity of your truly christian Corporation shall seem meet ; and your Petitioners as in duty bound, shall ever pray &c."a
Upon the 26th of January 1789, the Trustees made an agree- ment with John Odell, of New-York, carpenter, to build a church for the sum of £336.b
St. Peter's Church, erected in 1790.
At a meeting, Nov. 16. 1789, Messrs Bayard, Livingston and Bartow, were appointed a committee to write a letter to the Rev. Dr. Chandler, returning the thanks of this Corporation, for his favorable recommendation of this Congregation to the Reverend, the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts ; and for his assistance in procuring the benefaction which the Trustees are informed, the said Society have been pleased to grant to this Congregation.c
The Trustees now proceeded to restore the services in the parish, which had been suspended for nearly thirteen years .- Accordingly, at a meeting held July 5th, 1790, it was resolved : " That an application be made to the Rev. Theodosius Bartow,
* Westchester Vestry Book, p. 39.
৳ Westchester Vestry Book, p. 40.
· Ditto. p. 41. In 1791. The Society were pleased to grant the sum of £200.
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HISTORY OF THE PARISH
for the purpose of engaging him as a minister to serve this Church, for the term of two years, every other Sunday in the year, and that the members of this congregation be called upon, by the Trustees, to subscribe such sums as they think proper on this occasion."a
Upon the 2d of January 1792 the Trustees accepted the
REV. THEODOSIUS BARTOW,
as minister of the Church, for a term of two years, from the 1st of January, 1791. His ministrations were highly acceptable du- ring this short period.
The
REV. JOHN IRELAND, A. M.,
was elected his successor, on the 20th of August, 1794. He was the son of John Ireland, an officer in the British army during the revolution, who died in this country. He was born in England, A. D. 1756; but at what institution he graduated is unknown. He came to this country some time prior to the adoption of the federal constitution ; studied for holy orders ; was ordained deacon and priest by the Rt. Rev. Sam'l Provoost, D. D. in 1792, and was called to this parish, as we have seen, in 1794.
The following release for the site of the church, and adjoining cemetery, was given by the Trustees of the Town, to those of the Church in 1795. But as the Rector of this Parish had been inducted over all the rights and appurtenances of the Church for a period of nearly seventy-five years, and more especially as the Charter of 1762 had confirmed the rector, wardens and vestrymen in possession, " of the church and the ground whereon the same was built, and the cemetery belonging to the same ; " we cannot see by what right the former party could release proper- ty that did not belong to them. Such a conveyance amounts to nothing at all.
* Westchester Vestry Book. In 1791 it was ordered, " that a collection be made for the use of the Church and the minister, on every day on which Divine service shall be performed."
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AND CHURCH OF WESTCHESTER.
RELEASE FOR BURYING GROUND FROM THE TRUSTEES OF WESTCHESTER TO ST. PETER'S CHURCH.
"This Indenture made the 20th day of January, in the year of our Lord 1795, be ' tween the Trustees of the Town of Westchester, of the one part, and the Trus- tees of the Episcopal Church of St. Peter's, in the Town of Westchester of the other part : Witnesseth, that the parties of the first part, for and in consideration of the sum of twenty shillings to them in hand paid, at or before the ensealing and delivery of these presents, the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged ; have gran- ted, bargained, sold, aliened, released and confirmed, and by these presents do grant, bargain, sell, alien, release and confirm unto the parties of the second part, the Trustees of the Episcopal Church of St. Peter's, in the Town of Westchester, and their successors for ever, all that certain piece, parcel and lot of ground on which the Episcopal Church of St. Peter's, in said Town of Westchester is erected, and also the Burying Ground adjoining the said Church, as it is now enclosed and fenced, and which heretofore has been used for a Burial Place, by the inhabitants of said Township, containing about one acre, be the same more or less, and the reversion and reversions, remainder and remainders, rents, issues and profits of the said premises, and of every part and parcel thereof, particularly all benefits and profits arising from a lease of the said Burial Ground, heretofore granted to George Embree, and which will shortly be determined, and all Estate, Right, Title, Interest, Claim and Demand whatsoever, of the Trustees of the Town of Westchester, of, in and to all and singular the said Premises, and of and to every part and parcel thereof, with their appurtenances. To have and to hold the said Lots and parcel of land on which the aforesaid Church is erected, and the afore- said adjoining Burial Ground and Premises above mentioned, with the appurte- nances unto the said Trustees of the Episcopal Church, in the Town of Westches- ter and their successors, to the only proper use and behoof of the said Trustees of the Episcopal Church of St. Peter's, in the Town of Westchester, and their successors forever ; Provided always, and upon condition that the said Trustees of the Episco- pal Church of St. Peter's, in the Town of Westchester, and their successors do and shall at all times hereafter permit and suffer the inhabitants of the Town of West- chester, to Bury their Dead in the said Burial Ground, without any fee or com- pensation being exacted therefor, in such vacant parts of the said Burial Ground as shall be directed and ordered from time to time by the said Trustees, of the Epis- copal Church of St. Peter's, in the Town of Westchester, or their successors, or by any person legally authorized under them, to direct the same; and provided always, that anything herein notwithstanding, the inhabitants of the said Town shall always be permitted to bury their dead near to and adjoining their families who have heretofore been buried in the said Burial Ground.
Sealed with the seal of the Trustees, and signed by their order.
(Signed,) ISAAC UNDERHILL, President.""
Westchester Vestry Book, p. 22.
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HISTORY OF THE PARISH
St. Peter's Church continued under the act of 1784, providing for the incorporation of religious Societies generally, until the 2nd of August, 1795 ; when, in accordance with the act passed for the relief of the Protestant Episcopal Church, on the 7th of March preceeding, it was again incorporated. Israel Underhill and Philip I. Livingston, Church wardens, John Bartow Jr., Thos. Bartow,' Oliver de Lancey, Warren de Lancey, Joseph Brown, Jonathan Fowler, Robert Heaton and Nicholas Bayard, vestry- men.a
By this act the vestry or a major part of them were vested with full power to call and inductb a minister. Accordingly, at a meeting, in August, 1795, Mr. Ireland, was confirmed in his call to the rectorship of the church.
Mr. Ireland continued his ministrations till 1797 ;c during this period the present Church edifice was consecrated, and the congregation considerably increased. In 1798 he was called to St. Ann's Church, Brooklyn, where he remained until 1806, when he removed to Grace Church, Jamaica, Long Island. In 1809, he ceased to be a minister of the Protestant Episcopal Church, and entered the navy as a chaplain, in which capacity he served up to the time of his death. He died at the Navy-Yard, Brooklyn, on the 25th of March, 1822. " He was (says one who knew him intimately) a very accomplished man, possessed of highly pol- ished manners, and an excellent scholar, being gifted with a re- markably harmonious and pleasing voice ; he excelled in the de-
* County Rec. Religious Soc. Lib. A. 58.
b " Induction is the vesting of the minister with the temporalities of the Con- gregation, and in the Church of England, is performed by the patron of the living, who also appoints the minister ; and in the Church in this country the vestry or congregation choose the minister ; and fix his salary and other temporalities .- The Bishop or some other minister appointed by him, institutes the minister thus chosen to the spiritual charge of the Congregation. The general Convention recognized the principal, and prescribed the office of Institution agreeably to the above. Induction is that act by which a minister is vested with the temporalities of a living ; Institution is that by which he is vested with the cure of souls."
· Agreeably to the 4th Canon of 1796, Mr. Ireland gave in to the Bishop, the amount of his parochial register, on the 4th of Oct. 1797. See journal of Diocesan Con. The parochial reports were not printed with the journals until 1804.
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AND CHURCH OF WESTCHESTER.
livery of his sermons, whilst his style of composition would compare with the best models in our language." "The following is the inscription from his tombstone :
REV. JOHN IRELAND, died the 25th day of March, 1822, aged 66 years.
" At a meeting of the Wardens and Vestrymen, with the Con- gregations of Westchester, and Eastchester, on the 7th day of June, 1798, it was resolved, that the said Congregations do unite and associate, in order to procure a clergyman to officiate for them."a Accordingly on the 9th of March, 1789, the
REV. ISAAC WILKINS, A. M.,
was elected minister of the two churches. He was the son of Martin Wilkins, a rich planter of Jamaica, W. I. where he was born in 1741.b His father dying when he was quite young, he was sent to New-York, to be educated. In 1756 he entered Kings College, (now Columbia,) where he graduated in 1760.c __ He prepared himself (says Sabine) for the ministry, but did not take orders. Having settled in the county of Westchester, he was returned as a member of the House of Assembly, in which body he became a leader on the ministerial side. His influence with his associates, and with his party was very great."
· Westchester Vestry Book.
b The family of Wilkins, was originally seated in the County of Glamorgan, South Wales, and derives from " Robert de Wintona, or Wincestria, who came into that country with Robert Fitzhamon, who was Lord of the manor of Languian near Cowbridge, and built a castle there, the ruins of which are still extant ; the valley, underneath, is called Pant Wilkyn (Wilkyn's vale) to this day. Mem- bers of the family, yet reside at Brecon, Glamorganshire, and Maeslough, Rad- norshire. The more immediate ancestor of the American branch emigrated to Jamaica, West Indies, in 1720, and settled as a planter at St. Dorothy's in that colony. His grandson, was the Rev. Isaac Wilkins. The coat armor of this family is -: Or, a wyvern ppr. Crest, a wyvern or Whelk ppr. motto. Syn ar, dy Hun Anglice, Beware of thyself.
e Mr. Wilkins received the degree of A. M. from King's College, in the year 1763.
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HISTORY OF THE PARISH.
Mr. Wilkins's zeal and extreme loyalty, rendered him very obnoxious to the Whigs. Besides his prominent position in the Assembly, he gave utterance to his thoughts, in essays. It is a singular circumstance, that the youthful Hamilton, who was also born in the West Indies, undertook the task of replying to two of his poetical effusions. One of them, the " Congress Can- vassed," &c, which was signed, A. W. Farmer, was extensively circulated ; and as well as that called, " A View of the Controver- sy between Great Britain and her Colonies," was summarily disposed of whenever they fell into the hands of those whose measures they criticised and condemned.
In 1775 he left the country, and went to England. At the moment of his departure, he issued the following address :-
New- York, May 3d, 1775.
MY COUNTRYMEN :-
" Before I leave America, the land Il ove, and in which is con- tained every thing that is valuable and dear to me-my wife, my children, my friends and property-permit me to make a short and faithful declaration ; which I am induced to do, neither through fear nor a consciousness of having acted wrong. An honest man and a christian hath nothing to apprehend from this world. God is my judge, and God is my witness, that all I have done, written or said, in relation to the present unnatural dis- pute between Great Britain and her Colonies, proceeded from an honest intention of serving my country. Her welfare and pros- perity were the objects towards which all my endeavors have been directed. They are still the sacred objects which I shall ever steadily and invariably keep in view. And, when in Eng- land, all the influence that so inconsiderable a man as I am can have, shall be exerted in her behalf. It has been my constant maxim through life, to do my duty conscientiously, and to trust the issue of my actions to the Almighty. May that God, in whose hands are all events, speedily restore peace and liberty to my unhappy country. May Great Britain and America be soon united in the bonds of everlasting unity, and when united, may they continue a free, a virtuous and happy nation to the end
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AND CHURCH OF WESTCHESTER.
of time. I leave America, and every endearing connection, be- cause I will not raise my hand against my Sovereign, nor draw my sword against my country ; when I can conscientiously draw it in her favor, my life shall be cheerfully devoted to her ser- vice.
ISAAC WILKINS."
In 1776, he returned to Long Island, where he remained un- til the peace, when he returned to Shelburne, Nova Scotia. He remained in Nova Scotia several years, and lived a part of the time at Lunenburgh."a He was ordained deacon in 179S, and afterwards priest by the Right Rev. Samuel Provoost, D. D. of this diocese. In 1799 he was settled, as we have shown, over this parish.
At a vestry meeting on the 22nd of July, 1801, it was resolved : " That the Rev. Isaac Wilkins, being now in priest's orders, and having officiated for us for two years past, to our satisfac- tion, be now called to the Rectory of this Parish, agreeably to the resolution and intention of the Churchwardens and Vestry- men on the 9th of March, 1799."b
In 1806 Mr. Wilkins makes a report to the Diocesan Conven- tion of forty communicants, and eighteen baptisms, &c. ; the fol- lowing year his communicants numbered nearly fifty.
The Rev. William Powell was elected his assistant on the 12th day of July, 1S29, The Rev. Isaac Wilkins died February the 5th, 1830. His remains were interred on the south side of the chancel of St. Peter's Church, under the following inscrip- tion
Sacred to the memory of the REVEREND ISAAC WILKINS, D. D., who, for thirty-one years, was the diligent and faithful minister of this parish
· Sabine's American Loyalists.
› Westchester Vestry Book.
S
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HISTORY OF THE PARISH
placed here, as he believed, by his Redeemer, He remained satisfied with the pittance allowed him, rejoieing that even in that he was no burden to his parishioners , nor ever wished, nor ever went forth to seek a better livng. Died 5th February, 1830, Aged 89 years.
The following obituary notice appeared in the Christian Jour- nal for March, 1830 :-
" Died at Westchester, New-York, on Friday, February 5th, in the eighty-ninth year of his age, the Rev. Isaac Wilkins, D. D., rector of St. Peter's Church, in that place.
If the most stern and sterling integrity ; a conscience which knew no compromise ; and an habitual purpose, passing by all selfish considerations, and aiming, through good report and evil report, at duty, with all its sacrifices, responsibilities, and conse- quences, form the upright, virtuous and honourable man, Dr. Wil- kins was among the most upright, the most virtuous and the most honourable. If deep and thorough conviction of the great truths of the Gospel ; the entire submission of a more than ordinarily strong and enlightened understanding to the teachings of God's word ; an abiding and humbling sense of a personal need of a Sa- viour and Sanctifier ; a child-like reliance on the Saviour and Sanctifier ; revealed in holy writ; devotion of the most intense character; and piety infusing its holy influences into all the heart, all the soul, and all the mind, are constituents of a true Christian, he has cause to thank God, who has grace to take pattern herein, by the character of the venerable man now noticed. If love for that Church which Christ loved even unto death ; reverence for the appointments which He made for its perpetuity and good order, and for its subserving the great end of its establishment in the sanctification and salvation of His people ; a due appreciation of that primitive evangelical piety, which led Christians to be of one heart and one mind, to con- tinue steadfast in the apostle's doctrine and fellowship, and hold- ing, as faithful members of the Church, the Head, which is Christ, thus to derive from Him grace to increase with the in-
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AND CHURCH OF WESTCHESTER.
crease of God ; if these enter essentially into the character of a good Churchman, never had the Church a truer son than in the subject of thisnotice. If talents and learning of a superior order ; an intimate acquaintance with the whole range of Christian the- ology ; an ardent love for the duties of the ministry ; an abiding and practical application to himself, of the truths and precepts which he delivers to others ; a rule and measure in delivering those truths and precepts, casting off all reference to popular liking, and governed solely by the word of God, and by a sense of responsibility to Him ; a conscientious fulfilment of the vows of ordination ; faithful allegiance to the authorities of that por- tion of the Catholic Church to which he belongs; and an en- lightened and zealous devotion to its interests, mark the able minister of the New Testament; one of the best prayers we can offer for the Church, is, that God would raise up for her many ministers as well qualified for their Master's work, as was this venerable man.
A conscience so true as his ; a sense of duty so far removed as was his, from any sacrifice to personal interest, personal ease, and the satisfaction of wearing the feather of popularity ; and a mind of the more than ordinary clearness and elevation, which characterized his, may sometimes fail, in what may be thought due allowance for supposed errors of judgment, for the weak- ness of human nature, and for the strength with which the world allures, to some abatement of the rigid demands of duty in favour of what is easier and more gratifying to the natural man. However this faithful servant of God (and his religious views were of too evangelical a character, to be blind to the fact, that the very best have their imperfections,) may have some- times exemplified the truth of this remark, it was only where he thought principle was concerned, and in honest compliance with what he deemed duty, and what he deemed real charity, or a sincere desire to be instrumental in leading others into the truth and to avoid even the appearance of sanctioning or conniving at error.
In private and social life, the piety, kindness, benevolence, and cheerfulness of the true Christian, an affectionate interest in the welfare and happiness of all about him, the urbanity of an ac- omplished gentleman, the good sense and extensive information,
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HISTORY OF THE PARISH
of an intelligent and well read man, the fancy of a ready poet, and the sprightliness of true and chastencd wit, rendered him one of the most profitable and pleasing of companions. And for all the sweet charities, the endearing sympathies, and the elevated affections, of domestic life, he has left a monument that will per- ish only with the hearts in which it is erected.
Although from early life of a religious turn of mind, much devoted to theological reading, attached to clerical society, and cherishing an affection and desire, equal to his fitness, for the ministry, it was not until he had attained to nearly three-score years of age, that Dr. Wilkins found himself sufficiently released from civil and secular cares to gratify his early and abiding pref- erence of the ministry, as his profession. He was then ordained deacon, and afterwards, priest, by the Right Rev. Bishop Provoost, of this diocese. He soon settled in the parish, in the charge of which he continued until his death ; having added to it, for a time, that of St. Paul's Church, Eastchester. He continued in the exercise of his public duties until within a few months of his death. He was a graduate of Columbia College, in this city, and was for many years its oldest surviving alumnus, having received the degree of B. A. in 1760, and of A. M. in 1763. In 1811 he was honoured by his Alma Mater with the de- gree of D. D. His performance of the public services of the Church, was characterized by peculiar solemnity and dignity, and by a manner clearly indicative of the deep and engaged interest which his heart felt in the holy offices. In his preaching, he aimed at the faithful exhibition of the whole counsel of God ; and explained and enforced the doctrines of the Gospel, the distinctive principles of our Church, and the whole range of Christian obligation and duty, with a clearness which manifes- ted his own understanding of them, and an earnestness which proved how deeply his heart was engaged in the work. He was conscious of the existence of no error in faith or practice, against which he would hesitate boldly and fearlessly, to breast himself. He saw nothing to be his own duty, or that of his people, to which he would not, in the most uncompromising manner, devote himself, or which he would not most faithfully and earn- estly urge and enforce upon them. It has been said of him, and it is here believed to have been most justly said, that had
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