USA > New York > Westchester County > History of the Protestant Episcopal Church, in the county of Westchester, from its foundation, 1693, to 1853 > Part 22
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Q. Have you in your Parish any public school for the instruction of youth, if you have, is it endowed, and who is the master ?
A. We have a schoolmaster here from the Hononrable Society, Mr. Joseph Cleator, allowed £15 sterling per annum, but God has visited him with blind- ness, so that he can teach nothing but the catechism, and the people will not put it in his power to do that, notwithstanding that I have frequently at his request, given public notice thereof in the Church, and persuaded them to it in my sermons.
Q. Have you a parochial Library, if you have, are the books preserved and kept in good condition ; have you any particular rules and orders for the pre- serving of them; are these rules and orders duly observed ?
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HISTORY OF THE PARISH
A. I found here a library of £10 sterling value, given by the Honourable Society to my predecessor for the use of the Parish, without rules for their preservation. The fifteen volumes of Polisynopsis Criticorum, are very much damaged.
I am, may it please your Lordship, &c.ª
Ooth Jenny
In his report to the Secretary for 1724, Mr. Jenney says : "that he has baptized two adult persons and nine children, and has had two added to the number of his communicants."b
The whole number of appropriated precincts, belonging to the Parish of Rye, in 1725, were as follows :- Bedford, Scarsdale, Mamaroneck, and North Castle, to which were subsequently added, White Plains and Harrison.
The following are specimens of the original taxation rolls of this benefice, in 1725 :- Rye, £34 4; Bedford, £16 2; Mamaro- neck £18; Scarsdale, £53; and North Castle, £2 9-Total £75 18.
From the following, it seems, that Mr. Jenney removed this year to Hempstead, upon Long Island : " At a meeting of the ves- try, held May 19th, 1726-the Rev. Mr. Jenney produced a letter from the Society, in which they gave him leave to move to Hempstead ; upon which the vestry agreed to write to the Soci- ety with the first opportunity, io pray them to appoint a mis- sionary for this parish, and then chose Justice Purdy and Mr. Brown, the churchwardens, Justice Knight, Mr. Joseph Sher- wood, Mr. Daniel Purdy, Capt. Fowler, and Mr. Willett, as a committee to write to the Society on that head-adjourned till ye 25th of this month, to meet at Thomas Fowler's." c
Mr. Jenney continued at Hempstead until 1742, when he re- signed his charge, removed to Philadelphia, and was elected rector of Christ Church, in that city, where he died at the age
* New-York MSS. from Archives at Fulham, vol. i. p. 610-11. (Hawks'.)
b Rye Vestry Book.
e Church Records, p. 32.
-
231
AND CHURCH OF RYE.
of 75, January 5th, 1762, having lost his wife in the former place, December 25th, 1738, aged 61.a " The Rev. Robert Jen- ney, LL. D., (says Dr. Dorr,) died in January of 1762, at the advanced age of seventy-five years. He had been fifty-two years in the ministry, and more than nineteen years rector of Christ Church ; having been elected to that office in October, 1742." The Rev. Dr. William Smith, Provost of the College of Philadelphia, preached a sermon from Luke xvi. 21, at his fu- neral, in Christ Church, January 10th, 1762.b In that discourse, it is said of him, that he was " a man venerable in years, and a striking pattern of Christian resignation under a long and se- vere ilness. Those who knew him best in that situation, knew that his chief concern was not for himself, but for the distress- ed and perplexed state of his congregation. He was a man of strict honesty, one that hated dissimulation and a lie ; exem- plary in his life and morals, and a most zealous member of our Episcopal Church."c His remains repose in the aisle of Christ Church, immediately in front of the chancel, On his tomb- stone is the following, as near as can be deciphered :
ROBERTUS JENNEY, LL. D., * Col. S. S. Trinitat, Dublin studiul alummis obiit die V Mensis Januar, Anno Salut, MDCCLXII. Æt. LXXV. Age Lector.
Parce Religionis, honestæ veritatis, benevolentissime Exemplum rulis Hunc Christianæ Fidei vindicem, Pribitatis Cultorem Benevolentia studia,
Respice, sequere, initare, Juxta Hoc etiam mæmor, sepulta jacet Joanna Elizabetha precedicti Roberti Jenney, conjuæ Qnx six santim modo dies post mariti sepulturam obiit, anno atatis suæe LXIV.ª
The following notices appeared in the Pennsylvania Gazette, for January 14th, 1762: " On Tuesday, the 5th inst., died, in
Thompson's Hist. of L. I., Vol. ii. p. 31.
b Smith's Works, Vol. i. p. 22.
e Dorr's Hist. of Christ Church, Phil., pp. 129, 130. Ibid.
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HISTORY OF THE PARISH
the seventy-fifth year of his age, the Rev. Dr. Robert Jenney, Rector of Christ Church in this city, 'a man of strict hones- ty ; one that hated dissimulation ; exemplary in his life and morals, and a most zealous member of the church.' On Sun- day afternoon, he was interred in said Church, when a snita- ble sermon was preached by the Rev. Dr. Smith, to a very crowded audience."
"Monday last, died, Mrs. Jenney, having survived her hus- band only six days."
The vacancy created by the removal of Mr. Jenney, the ves- try proceeded immediately to fill, as appears from the following letter to the Venerable Society.
TO THE REV. MR. DAVID HUMPHREYS, SECRETARY TO THE HON. SOCIETY FOR PROPAGATING YE GOSPELL, &c., AT THE ARCHBISHOP'S LIBRARY, AT ST. MARTIN'S IN THE FIELDS, LONDON.
REV. SIR,
" We, the churchwardens and vestry of the parish of Rye, humbly present our thanks to the Hon. Society for their pious and charitable assistance thus long continued to our parish ; and whereas the Hon. Society have thought fitt to remove from us to Hempstead, our minister, the Rev. Mr. Jenney, whose re- moval lays us under the necessity to obtain another as soon as possible, to be actually resident among us : so we, in pursuance of ye Act of Assembly, impowering us thereto, have already proceeded to elect and call the Rev. Mr. James Wetmore, who has declared his acceptance of our call, upon condition the Hon. Society will give leave for his removal. Until their pleasure be known, he has promised to supply this parish once in three weeks, according to their directions to Mr. Jenney.
We therefore humbly request the Hon. Society would consent to his removal, and that he may as speedily as may be, appoint- ed to reside constantly among us.
We conclude with our hearty prayers that the blessing of God
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AND CHURCH OF RYE.
Almighty may attend the pious and charitable designs and en- deavours of that Venerable Body. We are, Rev. Sir, Yours, and the Hon. Society's
most dutyfull and humble servants, [Signed by order.] JNO. CARHARTT, Clerk."c.
The call to the Rev. James Wetmore was as follows :--
" WHEREAS, by the removal of our late incumbent, the Rev. Mr. Robert Jenney, (to the parish of Hempstead,) this parish is become vacant :
We therefore, the Churchwardens and Vestrymen of the par- ish of Rye, whose names and seals are hereunto affixed, pursu- ant to the tenor and interest of an Act of General Assembly of this Province, entitled an Act for 'settling a ministry and raising a maintenance for them, in the City of New-York, County of Richmond, Westchester, and Queens County,' do call the Rev. Mr. James Wetmore, to officiate and have the care of souls within this parish of Rye, aforesaid. And the said Mr. James Wetmore, having told them he was ready to execute the function he was called unto, when he should be inducted into the same :
Whereupon, it is ordered, that this Board do forth with present the said Mr. James Wetmore, and pray his Excellency for his induction into the Church of the said parish, with all and sin- gular, the rights, privileges and appurtenances to the same be- longing, or in any ways appertamning.
Given under our hands and seals, this seventh day of June, Anno Dom. 1726.
SAMUEL PURDY,
[S] } Churchwardens.
BENJAMIN BROWN. [s]
JOHN BRUNDIGE, [S] )
JOSEPH SHERWOOD, [S] ]
DANIEL PURDY:
[S]} Vestrymen.b
JONATHAN HAIGHT, [S]
WILLIAM WILLETT."
[S] ]
Rye vestry book. Ibid.
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HISTORY OF THE PARISH
In the mean time, the Society had appointed the Rev. Thom- as Colgan, a as missionary to Rye. Upon which the Vestry ad- dressed the following letter to the Secretary :-
REV. SIR,
" We, the Churchwardens and Vestry of ye parish of Rye, return our humble thanks to ye Honourable Society for their pi- ons and charitable care of this parish, in providing so speedily to fill this vacancy by appointing ye Rev. Mr. Colgan for us; we conclude they have before this time, been acquainted by our letters, how far we had proceeded to obtain a minister, fearing ye ill consequences of being left destitute, and we hope ye Hon- ourable Society will put a favourable construction upon our pro- ceedings. Tho' we have given our call to ye Rev. Mr. Wet- more, and he received induction immediately upon it, yet he al- ways declared that he should submit to ye resolutions of ye Honourable Society, and not in any degree interfere with their determinations, and tho' we find ye inclinations of ye people very much to have Mr. Wetmore appointed for us, on which ac- count we can't but desire that ye Honourable Society would be pleased to favour it, yet we shall always pay ye greatest deference to their pleasure, and if they finally determine that Mr. Colgan shall be for us, against whom we have no exceptions, as being a stranger to us, we shall give him ye best welcome we are ca- pable of ; but inasmuch as ye Rev. Mr. Colgan is willing, by ex- change with Mr. Wetmore, to continue at New-York, and that Vestry has signified their approbation, we humbly joyn with them in requesting of ye Hononrable Society that they would confirm that agreement, and give liberty for Mr. Wetmore to come to this parish, who, by being born in ye country, and ac- quainted with ye dispositions and customs of ye people here,
" " The Vestry of Trinity Church, N. Y., desired the favour of the Rev. Mr. Vesey, that when the Rev. Mr. Colgan comes to town, from his parish at Rye, he may have the liberty of reading prayers, and preaching in the afternoon ; which request Mr. Vesey readily granted and consented to."-Berrian's Hist. of Trinity Church, N. Y., p. 47.
235
AND CHURCH OF RYE.
will be acceptable to us, and we hope do much service for reli- gion. but all this with submission to that Venerable Body, whose pleasure we shall most cheerfully submitt to, and pray ye con- tinuance of their favours and charity to us, and that God would prosper their pious designs.
We are, Rev. Sir, the Honourable Society's
and your most humble and obedient servants, [Signed per order.] JNO. CARHARTT, Clerk."a
In accordance with this request, the Society were pleased to withdraw their appointment of Mr. Colgan, and confirm the call of the
REV. JAMES WETMORE, A. M.
He was the third son of Ezrahiah Wetmore and Rachel Stow,b and grandson of Thomas Wetmore, (a native of Wales) one of the first settlers of Middletown, Connecticut,c where he was born on the 25th of December, 1595.ª He was educated at the collegiate school in Seabrook, which was afterwards removed to New Haven, and obtained the title of Yale College. The degree of Bachelor of Arts was conferred on him in September, 1714, and of Master of Arts, in September, 1717. About the month of May, in 1718, he was invited by the people of North Haven, to settle with them as their minister; and in November following, he was ordained the first Congregational pastor in that place. Here, Mr. Wetmore was generally esteemed and beloved by his people, as might reasonably be expected from the suavity of his temper, and the regularity of his conduct. But after he had laboured with them nearly four years, he altered
a Rye vestry book.
b Ezrahial Wetmore, was born March 8th, 1656-7 .- Rec. of Marriages and Deaths in Clerk's office, Middletown.
c Statistical account of the County of Middlesex, by David D. Field.
d Rec of Marriages and Deaths in Clerk's office. The Wetmore's were origi- nally seated at Apley, in Shropshire, near the borders of Wales. John Whit- more was Lord of Whytemore, in Shropshire, A. D., 1250. In 1635, a Lawrence Whitmore, husbandman, aged 63, and his wife Elizabeth, aged 57, were passen- gers in the ship Hopewell, to Boston .- Mass. Hist. Coll.
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HISTORY OF THE PARISH
his religious sentiments, and in September, 1721, declared for Episcopacy.a
In consequence of this change of opinion,b he immediately took a dismission from his then pastoral relation, e and in 1723 went to England, where he was' ordained both deacon and priest, by Dr. Gibson, Bishop of London. Having been appoint- ed by the Venerable Propagation Society, their catechist at New-York, in the place of Mr. Neau, and assistant to the Rev. Mr. V'esey ; he embarked for America in July, and arrived in New-York, September the 24th, 1723.
* See Allen's American Biog. Dic. See Fowler's MSS., Vol. ii., p. 212. The Family arms are :- ar., on a chief az. three martletts or :- Crest, a falcon ppr. Motto-Virtus, Libertas, et Patria. Of this family, is the present Prosper M. Wetmore, of the city of New-York, son of Robert Wm., and grandson of the Rev. Ezrahiah, of Trumbull, Connecticut.
7 b Mr. Wetmore, the Rector, and several of the tutors of Yale College, besides many of the neighboring ministers, having, after careful enquiry and mature deliberation being led to suspect, not only the regularity, but even the lawfulness and validity of congregational ordination, conformed to the Church of England. The Rev. A. B. Chapin, D. D., gives the following account of this extraordinary movement in 1722 :-
" But though neither civil nor ecclesiastical power could plant the Church in a Puritan soil, Gon had determined its existence, free from all the entanglements of State-to be the defender of the faith, and the conservator of the peace of the country. In the town of Guildford, was a pious layman, still clinging to the Church of his affections, and to his Prayer Book. That Book became known to a promising youth among his neighbors, and was thenceforth his inseparable companion through life .- He goes to College-graduates with the honors of the University-enters the Congregational ministry, and is settled over, one of the Congregational Societies in New Haven. That Prayer Book went with him, - and became the pattern of public devotions that attracted the attention and com- manded the admiration of all who witnessed his labors. Slowly and insensibly that book was doing an effectual work, and in 1721, Johnson, the minister of the Congregational Church, on the west side of New Haven-now West Haven-
Mr. Thomas, Missionary at Hempstead, L. I., writing to the Secretary on the 1st of April, 1723, says :- " Mr. Wetmore seems very well qualified for their necessities, having of late by their differencies in New England, been much ex- ercised in the controversies between us and the Dissenters, a most necessary qualification in a gentleman among them, he is best acquainted with their weak sides and their subterfuges, &c .- New-York MSS. from Archives at Fulham, vol. i. p. 601. (Hawks'.)
237
AND CHURCH OF RYE.
In 1726, a communication was received by the Vestry of Trinity Church, New-York, from the Rev. Mr. Wetmore, in which he acquainted the Board that he had lately been called by the Churchwardens and Vestry of the Parish of Rye, to be their Minister, in the room of the Rev. Mr. Jenney, whom the Society had appointed for the Parish of Rye, by virtue of let-
and with him Cutler, President of the College-Brown, a Tutor in the same- and Wetmore, the Congregational minister of North Haven, publicly declared their belief in the divine origin and perpetual obligation of Episcopacy. These were all able, prominent men-the pride of the people, and were not to be given up withont an effort. A disputation was held before the Governor-the students became interested-the flame spread-controversy increased, and thirty graduates of Yale entered the ministry of the Church in that generation-many of them having been previously in the ministry of the Congregationalists-all more or less directly through the influence of Dr. Johnson.
Johnson, after receiving orders in England in 1722, became a Missionary of the Society for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts, and was stationed at Stratford and the adjacent towns. Cutler was sent to Boston, Wetmore to Rye, in New-York, and Brown died in England. The labors of Johnson were not confined to Stratford, but were extended to West Haven, Fairfield, and Newtown, where he established other Parishes within a few years. The elder Seabury, who was a stu- dent at Yale, left at the time of the Episcopal discussion, and went to Cambridge, where he was graduated in 1721. After having been a Congregational minister at Groton, now Poquetanock, for several years, he declared for Episcopacy in 1728, and becoming a Missionary of the Society already named, was stationed in New London. In the same year, 1732, Johnson had the pleasure of seeing his old friend and companion, John Beach, the Congregational minister of Newtown, who had graduated at the ever-memorable discussion of 1722, declare for the Church. He also became a Missionary of the same Society, and was stationed at Newtown and Reading. Two years later, 1734, Jonathan Arnold, Johnson's successor in the Congregational Parish at West Haven, came into the Church, and having received orders, was stationed by the same Society as a Missionary at West Haven and vicinity. Richard Miner graduated at Yale, 1726-for many years Johnson's neighbor, as Congregational minister at Ripton, declared for Episcopacy in 1742, but died in England, whither he had gone for Orders. Ebenezer Punderson, a native of New Haven, who was graduated at Yale in 1726, and succeeded the elder Seabury as the Congregational minister of Groton, also followed his example in declaring for Episcopacy, which he did about 1732, and became a Missionary of the same Society, at Groton and Hebron, and subse quently at West Haven and vicinity. He was instrumental in founding Trinity Parish, New Haven, more than twenty years after the beginning of the Parish at West Haven, and organized ten other Parishes in this Diocese. Solomon
L
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HISTORY OF THE PARISH
ters of induction from his Excellency, Governor Burnet, and also, that if the Society should be pleased to approve thereof he intended to accept of the said parish, and remove thither, and he thanked the Vestry for their subscriptions and favours to him, and assured them that his intentions for removing did not proceed from any dislike, but purely because he conceived
Palmer, a native of Branford, graduated at Yale in 1729-after having been the Congregational minister of Cornwall for many years, declared for Episcopacy in 1754, was enrolled among the Missionaries of the same Venerable Society, and was also stationed in Connectient. Henry Caner, of New Haven, gradua- ted at Yale in 1724: and his brother Richard, graduated at the same place in 1734, though born of Congregational parents, entered the ministry of the Church, and became Missionaries of the same Society, one in Massachusetts and the other in Connecticut .- Isaac Browne, graduated at Yale, in 1729, the brother of Daniel Browne who died in England in 1723, came into the Church at West Ha- ven with his parents, along with Johnson, in 1722, and was for many years a Missionary of the same Society in New-York and New Jersey. The same may be said of Ebenezer Thompson, graduated in 1733, for many years a Missionary in Massachusetts. Henry Barclay; graduated at Yale in 1734, first a Missiona- ry of the Propagation Society to the Indians, and then Rector of Trinity Church, New York, is also to be reckoned among the number of those whose services in the Church resulted from the influence of Johnson. So also, Ebenezer Dibble, graduated in 1734; Christopher Newton, graduated in 1740 ; Richard Mansfield and Joseph Lamson, graduated in 1741; Ichabod Camp, graduated in 1743; Thomas Bradbury Chandler and Jeremiah Leaming, graduated in 1746-were all the sons of Congregational parents, and Missionaries of the Venerable So- ciety for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts. Within the same period, Daniel Dwight, graduated in 1721, came into the Church, and went to South Carolina-John Pierson, graduated in 1729, went to New Jersey-Ephraim Bost- wick, graduated the same year, and Jonathan Copp, graduated in 1745, went to Georgia-William Sturgeon, graduated in 1745, went to Pennsylvania-Walter Wilmot, graduated in 1735, and Hezekiah Watkins, graduated in 1737, went to New-York. Besides these, Barzillai Dean, graduated in 1:37; Jonathan Cotton, graduated in 1745, and James Usher, graduated in 1753-all died abroad, having successively gone to England for orders for Hebron. It may be proper to men- tion here, as showing the great obstacles which the Church had to encounter at that early period, that of fifty-two candidates that had gone to England for orders, from the Northern Colonies, previous to 1777, ten of them died abroad, or were lost at sea. All the persons mentioned, born and educated Congregationalists, are known to have come into the Church, more or less directly through the influ- ence of Johnson, and all were Missionaries of the Society for Propagating the Gospel. To these must be added William, the son of Samuel Johnson-Sam-
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AND CHURCH OF RYE.
it would be for the better and more certain support of himself and family."
The following mandate was issued by his Excellency, Wil- liam Burnet :-
MANDATE FROM GOVERNOUR BURNET TO INDUCT THE REV. MR. JAMES WETMORE TO THE RECTORY OF THE PARISH CHURCH OF RYE.
ULIELMUS BURNET armiger Provincia Novi Eboraci, nec non Nova Cæsariæ in America strategus et Imperator ejusdemque Vice Admiralis, &c. Universis et singulis Clericis et Ministris Ecclesia Anglicanæ quibnscumque in et per to- tam Provinciam Novi Eboraci ubilibet Constitutis ædelibus Ecclesia Parochialis de Rye infra Provinciam Novi Eboraci prædict pro hoc tempore salutem. Cum dilectum in Christo Jacobum Wetmore Clericum ad Rectoriam sive Ecclesiam Pa- rochialem Prædiet Parochie de Rye in diet. Provincia Novi Eboraci in America jam vacantem præsentatum Rectorem ejusdem Rectoria sive Ecclesia parochialis in et de Eadem institutus, Vobis Conjunctim et divisim Committo et firmiter Injun- gengo Mando, Quatenus eundem Jacobum Wetmore, Clericum, sive procuratorem suum legitimum ejus nomine et pro se in Realem actualein et Corporalem pos-
uel, the son of Samuel Seabury, and John Ogilvie, the successor of Barclay, as Missionary to the Indians, all graduated in 1748; Jacob Greaten, graduated in 1751; Lucas Babcock, graduated in 1755, and Abraham Beach, graduated in 1757. all Missionaries in New-York; James Scoville and Samuel A. Peters, graduated the same year; Roger Viets, Bela Hubbard, and Thomas Davies, graduated the year following, 1758, Missionaries in Connecticut ; also, Samuel Andrews, graduated in 1759 ; Abraham Jarvis and Ebenezer Kneeland, graduated in 1761; Gideon Bostwick, and Richard Clarke, graduated in 1762, who were among the Missionaries of the same Society in Connecticut.
These are the principal of the Clergy of Connecticut for half a century after the conversion of Johnson-sustained, every one of them, in whole or in part, 2/ by the funds of an English Missionary Society."-Extract from a sermon by the Rev. A. B. Chapin, DD., preached by request in Christ Church, Hartford, Janu- ary, 1851.
" The students of Yale were compelled to submit to a fine as often as they at- tended the worship of the Church of England."
The Churchwardens and Vestrymen of Newport, R. I., in a letter to the Sec- retary, dated 26th of October, 1722, say :- " This example will be followed by many, if not the most considerable men amongst them ; wherefore we have an instance in one Mr. Wetmore, a man of learning and piety, who is now become zealous for the service and interest of the Church, but whose circumstances won't at present, allow him to apply for Episcopal ordination." "Conn. MSS. from Archives at Fulham, p. 79. (Hawks'.)
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HISTORY OF THE PARISH
sessionem ipsius Rectoriæ sive Ecclesia parochialis de Rye prædict glebarium, juriumque : et pertinentium suorum universorum. Conferatis Inducatis, Indu- cive faciatis : et defendatis Inductum, Et quid in præmissis feceritis me aut ali- um Judicem in hac parte competentem quemcumque debite (cum ad id congrue fueritis requisiti) certificetis seu sic certificet ille vestrum qui præsens hoc man- datum fuerit Executus. Datum sub sigillo prærogativo dictæ Provincia Novi Eboraci-die Junii anno salutis MDCCXXVI.
By his Excellency's command,
JAS. ROBIN, Dep. Secretary."
At an adjourned meeting of the Vestry, held January 24th, 1726-7, present, Rev. James Wetmore, &c., it was agreed to raise this year as follows :--
For the Minister - - £50 00
For the Poor
10
0 0
For the Clerk of the Vestry - -
1 10 0
For the Clerk of the Church
-
1 00
For the Drummer
1 00
For Expenses and incidental charges
3 10 0
For Mrs. Budd, for her Negroe's work,
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