USA > New York > Westchester County > History of the Protestant Episcopal Church, in the county of Westchester, from its foundation, 1693, to 1853 > Part 53
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At this period the
REV. NATHAN FELCH,
was officiating minister. In 1810, he reported to the Conven .. tion :- " That a new Episcopal Church had been incorporated in South Salem. Their prospect is truly pleasing at present."
In 1815,
MR. GEORGE WELLER, A. M.
was licensed as a lay reader for Bedford and South Salem. The same year he makes report to the Convention :- " That in South Salem, the present number of communicants is ten, of which three were added within the past year. Baptisms, within the past year, seven, of which one was an adult. The congrega- tion is small, say fourteen or fifteen families, and cannot be said to have increased much within the year past."
In 1816, the Rev. George Weller, missionary in Westchester and Putnam Counties, writes to the Bishop as follows :-
614
HISTORY OF THE PARISH
" Since my ordination, I have been engaged two-thirds of my time at Bedford, and one-third at North Salem, &c. I have per- formed divine service and preached twice in South Salem, and ntend occasionally to preach lectures in that town. Being cen- trally situated, their communicants unite with us at Bedford and North Salem. Number of communicants, 8."
For a number of years after this date no Episcopal services were performed in the parish until 1852, when the Rev. Messrs. Harris, Partridge and Vermilye entered into an arrange- ment by which they were enabled, besides their regular services every Sunday at White Plains, Bedford, North Castle and New Castle, to conduct services here once a fortnight. By their efforts a good congregation was gathered, and the parish reorganized under the name and title of "St. John's Church, South Salem." At the first meeting of the congregation, held 16th of August, 1852, the following gentlemen were chosen officers : Jonathan Beers and Isaac Hayes, churchwardens. Stephen Lewis Hoyt, Amos N. Raymond, Samuel Field, Timothy Jones, William H. Robin- Son, Ferris Bouton, William Lockwood and John B. Whitlock, Jr. vestrymen.a Exertions were at once made to rebuild the church, a lot, six rods square, in the village of South Salem, having been given for that purpose by Mr. Stephen L. Hoyt. In 1853, a neat stone edifice, thirty feet by forty-eight, was erected, with a tower thirty-six feet high, the probable cost of which, is two thousand dollars. Prior to its erection services had been held in the open air (as no building could be obtained) with a congregation of about two hundred persons.
The Rev. Alfred H. Partridge is the present incumbent.
NOTITIA PAROCHIALIS.
A. D. 1759, Communicants 39, Baptisms - 1815, 10, 7.
In 1782, the population of Salem was 912. In 1840,
1,619.
In 1850, 66
1,609.
" Tuesday in Easter week, was fixed for the day of annual election.
HISTORY
OF THE
PARISH AND CHURCH
OF
BEDFORD.
Bedford, which originally constituted one of the three districts of Rye parish, was at first called " the hop ground," on account of its natural product. It was also emphatically styled by the early planters " Catonah's land," after the Indian chief and pro- prietor of that name ; hence we deduce the origin of the present local term " Cantitoe," which yet survives in the northern part of the parish, the termination " oe" denoting the place of that sachem's residence.
Upon the 23d of December, 1680, Katonah, Sagamore and other Indians, sold to Richard Ambler and his associates, a cer- tain parcel of uplands and meadows commonly called and known by the name of the " hop grounds." The same year the proprie- tors of the "hop grounds" (then residing in Stamford,) appointed a committee, " for the purpose of laying out a town spot, home lots, and a town common field or park." At this period the " hop ground" formed a part of Stamford township, within Fairfield County, and was therefore under the jurisdiction of Connecti-
.
616
HISTORY OF THE PARISH
cut. a In 1681 the General Court of that Colony ordered the laying out of a plantation at the " hop ground."
Upon the 11th of May, 1682, the same authority directed that the name of the plantation be henceforth called Bedford, and " did empower Abraham Ambler to join persons in marriage accord- ing to law, &c."
The proprietors of the " hop ground" appear to have made early provision for the erection of a meeting house and sup- Port of a minister, for in 1680, "it was agreed, that a meeting house should be erected on the commons." In 1681, the Gene- ral Court instructed the committee, who were to lay out a plan- tation at the "hop ground" :- " To take care that there should be a suitable lot laid out for the minister of the place, and a lot for the minister forever." Upon the Sth of December, 1681, the proprietors agreed to give Mr. Prudden a call to be their minis- ter. In 16SS, Mr. Thomas Denham must have been settled here, for on the 28th of January of that year, the town ordered £20 to be raised and collected for his salary.
September 23d, 1689, the town by vote agreed that :- " In case Mr. Abraham Ambler, Sen. will come up and live at Bedford, and carry on the Sabbath as God shall enable him, we will give unto him the sum of £20 a year, so long as he shall perform the work among us." The following month, (October 15th,) it was agreed to build Mr. Abraham Ambler a frame house, forty feet by twenty-two. Upon the 16th of December, 1692, " David Mead was chosen by the town, to keep the town drum, to keep it in repair and to beat it when necessary, and to be allowed ten shillings yearly." Prior to the use of Bells in New Eng- land, the meetings were summoned by beat of drum, or the blow- ing of the conch shell : to this practice the poet alludes :-
Although Connecticut gave up Bedford by an arrangement in 1683, it was not until 1700 that the settlement was attached to New York by order of King William.
-
617
AND CHURCH OF BEDFORD.
"New England's Sabbath day,
Is heaven-like, still and pure,
Then Israel walks the way, Up to the Temple's door ; The time we tell, When there to come,
By beat of drum Or sounding shell."
By an act of the New York Provincial Assembly, passd 24th of March, 1693, (confirmed A. D. 1697,) Bedford was annexed to the parish of Rye. It appears, however, that both Rye and Bedford endeavoured for a time to avoid its provisions, by de- claring themselves seperate from New York, notwithstanding the agreement of 1683, by which they had been surrendered to that Province. Accordingly, in January, 1697, they applied to be admitted to Connecticut : upon which that Colony con- cluded to receive them. But three years later, King William the Third gave his approbation and confirmation to'the settle- ment of 1683, whereby they were once more included in New York.
Under the act of 1693, the ministry of the Church of Eng- land was established throughout the Province and became there- fore entitled to the public encouragement, leaving the Dissenters at liberty to maintain a minister of their own persuasion, but obliging them to support the established clergyman. In conse- quence all lands set aside at public town meetings, for the pro- vision of a minister, all glebes voted for their habitation and maintainance, and all meeting houses raised by public tax or distress on the people, became vested in the ministry established by law.
Pursuant to the act of Assembly, a town meeting was held at Rye, February 28th, 1695, when Deliverance Brown and Isaac Denham were chosen vestrymen for Bedford. In 1711, this precinct paid towards the rector's support and poor of the parish £5 5s.
On the 19th of October, 1694, the town agreed to buy a house and lot of John Ambler for a parsonage, provided his price did
-
618
HISTORY OF THE PARISH
not exceed £35. In 1698, the town voted that every man should pay three pence per acre for all the land he had, for the support of a minister. Upon the 9th of January, 1699, the in- habitants requested the ministers in the County to inform them where they could procure a minister; at the same time offering forty acres of land and £30 in current provision as his pay. On the 26th of December, 1699, (nearly a year after the forego- ing request) the town agreed with Mr. Joseph Morgan, minister, as follows, viz : first, to give him the use of the parsonage, on condition he stays three years ; secondly, to build him a two story house, twenty-seven feet by twenty, to belong to his heirs if he die in the town; if he removes, he shall pay the town the expense of building the house; third, to give him the first year £40, and plant and manure forty acres for him, and after the first year to give him £20, and to raise ten acres of winter grain for him yearly, to cut and cart his fire wood, and transport himself and family to Bedford free of expense. In a summary account of the state of the Church in the Province of New York, as it was laid before the clergy, convened at New York, October 5th, 1704, it is therein stated that :- "There is an Independent church at Bedford, where the minister designs to have them; they are well affected to the Church, and it is hoped when he is gone theywill be in communion with her."
It appears however, that some of the inhabitants were still de- termined to free themselves from New York in the ministry, for upon the resignation of Mr. Morgan, they called a Mr. John Jones, and in direct violation of the law, voted him a parcel of land, bought by the town of Bedford, to be laid apart for a minis- ter for the said town.
From the first report issued by the Society for the Propaga- tion of the Gospel in 1701, we learn :- " That since their incor- poration, June the 10th, 1701, they had appointed the
REV. ALEXANDER STUART,
missionary at Bedford, with a salary of £50 per annum, besides two sums of £20 and £15 for books."
619
AND CHURCH OF BEDFORD.
To this appointment Mr. Pritchard (who was inducted into the rectory of Rye in 1704) thus alludes in a letter to the Secre- tary :- " I perceive by the account of the Society, that one Mr. Stuart is recommended to Bedford, and £50 per annum allowed him ; whereas Bedford is a part of my parish, as settled by an act of Assembly, so that he can't be inducted there. Hoping therefore, that the Society will be so condescendingly pleased to allow it me, as also to send per next conveniency, the £15 worth of books, of which mention is made in the account. The Society would do very well, if in their great wisdom they think it fit, to recommend Mr. Stuart to Hempstead, upon Long Island, where they stand very much in need of a minister."
The following extracts from affidavits, (in the Secretary of State's office) show very plainly however, that every effort, strat- agem and threat was made by the Dissenters, to prevent Mr. Pritchard's taking possession of this portion of his benefice :-
" BENJAMIN WRIGHT of Bedford in the County of Westchester, yeoman, aged 22 years or thereabouts, being sworn before Thomas Wenham, Esq., one of the gents of her Majesties Council for ye Province of New York, and one of ye Judges of the Supreme Court of Judicature for the said Province, saith, that since Mr. Pritchard has been appointed minister of ye towns of Rye and Bedford, in the County of Westchester, this deponent has endeavoured to prevaile with the inhabitants of Bed- ford to encourage the said Mr. Pritchard to preach and perform the duties of divine worship as used in the Church of England among them, whereupon the inhabitants of ye said town of Bedford, became so incensed that by their ill-treatment and threats, they have forced this deponent to remove with his family from thence, and deterred the members of ye said Church from speaking anything in its favor. And this deponent further saith, that one Zachariah Roberts of Bedford, a Justice of Peace iu ye said County of Westchester, went to the inhabitants of ye said town to pre- vail with them to sign an instrument or writing whereby to oblige them not to pay ye said minister anything, and likewise that the said Zachariah Roberts at a town meeting, called by him for that purpose, got such an act of the town passed accord- ingly, which act this deponent saw, being presented to the view of the persons there presentb y ye said Zachariah Roberts, which town act the said Zachariah Roberts afterwards burnt, and this deponent believes that he cut it out of the records or books of ye said town. And the deponent further saith that the said Zachariah Roberts hath refused (tho' a Justice of Peace) to tako any affidavits in behalf of ye Church of England, the Queen and this Government, and when persons have offered to make such affidavitts he has said he would tako none against his neighbours and himself, and that they might tell my Lord so, &c. The rancour and malice of said
620
HISTORY OF THE PARISH
Justice Roberts being so violent that this deponent has been told by the said Roberts' wife, that she dares not so much as mention the name of Mr. Pritchard or any other Church of England-man for fear of her husband's passion. And this deponent further saith, that he hath been told by the said Justice Roberts' wife, that her husband has razed or altered the records of ye said town, by striking out the name of one Thomas Howard in an assignment of a bill of sale, and putting his own name on in the room of it. And this deponend further saith, that he hath been informed that there was formerly a parcel of land bought by the said town of Bed- ford, to be laid apart for a minister for the said town, whichi said parcel of land was within a year last past given at a town meeting to one John Jones, a Dissenting minister in the said town for an encouragement to him, to settle and preach among them."
" JOHN THOMSON of Bedford, in ye County of Westchester, gentleman, aged 40 years and upwards, being sworn before Thomas Wenham, &c., saith, that there hav- ing been no divine service according to ye ceremonies and usages of the Church of England, in the said town of Bedford, the said deponent hath often gone to the Dis- senting meeting in that town, where he hath heard one John Jones, the minister of ye Dissenting Congregation, preach, and hath heard him frequently in a very bitter and inveterate manner reflect upon the present Constitution and Government of the Church of England, and particularly this deponent heard him say, that he cared not for the said Church of England, and that in his sermon he used, to the best of this deponent's memory, these words, viz : come out of her (meaning ye Church of Eng- land) my people lest ye partake of her plagues, comparing likewise the said Church to ye Church of Rome, and saying at other times, likewise in his sermon to his congre- gation, ye are in a dangerous government, where they do not pray nor serve God. and that he would preach reprobation in defiance of principalities and powers, and that ye, speaking to his congregation, may tell 'em so at York, for yt he did not care for my Lord-and this deponent further saith, that being one day with the said Mr. Jones at the house of one Zachariah Roberts, at Bedford aforesaid, this deponent heard the said John Jones say, he would burn the Church of England books, &c.
The two preceeding depositions were read in Council, May 8th, 1705. Messrs Roberts and Jones failing to give satisfactory explanations thereof, were bound over to answer in the Supreme Court. (Council Minutes.ª)
The Rev. George Muirson in one of his earliest reports to the Venerable Society says :- " Rye is a large parish, the towns are far distant, the people were some Quakers, but chiefly Presbyterians and Independents. They were violently set against our Church, but now blessed be God, they comply heartily.
" Doc. Hist. of New York, vol. iii. 933-5.
621
AND CHURCH OF BEDFORD.
I find that catechising on the week days in the remote towns and frequent visiting is of great service."
The quota furnished by this division towards the rector's tax in 1725, was £16 2s. Mr. Wetmore writing to the Society in February, 1728, says :- " That there are three meeting houses in the parish, one at Bedford, built for and used by the Presbyterians, &c. They have had a Presbyterian minister, they gave him a house and farm to work upon, and £40 per annum, but finding it not sufficient to support him with a numerous family, he has left them, and they have now settled another young man to whom they give the same allowance. There are at Bedford about eight or ten families of the Church, and the rest Presbyterians or Independents."
" The Dissenting teachers " officiate without qualifying them- selves according to the Act of Toleration, so that people are sup- posed to do and say what they please about religion, under a notion, that the laws of England relating toreligion don't extend to the Plantations." In 1731, he writes :- " That the people of Bedford, who are most rigid and severe of all, came very gener- ally to Church, when I was last among them, and many that never before were at Church." Again in 1744, he informs the Society :- " That at Bedford and North Castle there were four hundred families belonging to the cure, &c." The same year the parishioners addressed the following letter to the Society :-
PARISH OF RYE TO THE SECRETARY.
(EXTRACT.)
"Province of New York, Bedford, March 6th, 1744. REV. SIR,
The parish of Rye includes the large town of Rye, the town of Mamaroneck, the manor of Scarsdale, and a precinct called White Plains, besides Bedford and North Castle, in which two last places are near four hundred families, and no teacher of any sort in North Castle, but a silly Quaker-woman, and at Bedford one of the most enthusiastic Methodists. Mr. Wetmore comes amongst us but once in two months, and very few of us can go
622
HISTORY OF THE PARISH
to the parish church at Rye, many living twenty miles distant, and most of us twelve or fourteen miles, so that for the most part there is very little face of religion to be seen amongst us, and our children are apt to fall in with the customs of those amongst us that have little or no religion, and spend the Lord's day in diversions and follies, which we cannot prevent tho' we much dislike. Mr. Wetmore, our minister, freely consents we should endeavour to procure another as an assistant to him, and we are willing to contribute as far as we are able.
Reverend Sir,
Your most obed't and humble servants,
LEWIS MCDONALD, DANIEL SMITH, ARTHUR SMITH. "a
In answer to this application, the
REV. JOSEPH LAMSON, A. M.
was appointed assistant to Mr. Wetmore in officiating to the in- habitants of Bedford, North Castle and Ridgefield. In his first report to the Society, he writes :- " That he officiates by turns at these three places to full congregations." But his income proved too small for his support, and he removed by the Society's permission to Fairfield in 1747. In Mr. Wetmore's report for 1753, he acquaints the Society, " that his congregation at Bedford is large and flourishing, and that the disposition of those that opposed the interest of the Church in that place seems changed for the better. The New Light minister is removed from Bed- ford, and there are some hopes of the people uniting with North Castle towards supporting a minister in the Holy Orders of our Church, to officiate alternately among them." And it clearly appears from his subsequent reports to the Society, that this pre- cinct continued, upon the whole, in a state of gradual improve- ment until the time of his death, which took place in May, 1760.
a New York, MSS. from archives at Fulham. (Hawks.)
623
AND CHURCH OF BEDFORD.
In the Spring of 1762, the precincts of Bedford and North Castle were visited by the Rev. George Dibble and Mr. St. George Talbot. Here the former preached and baptized several chil- dren. At this time there appears to have been several families, professors of the Church of England. Mr. Talbot subsequently devised in trust the sum of £600 " for the use and benefit of the Churches of North Castle and Bedford." Out of this bequest the united parishes in 1803 recovered the amount of twenty- five hundred dollars. Mr. Punderson, who succeeded Mr. Wet- more in 1762, died A. D. 1764, and was followed by the Rev. Ephraim Avery in 1765.
From this period nothing worthy of especial importance ap- pears in the Society's reports relative to Bedford. Mr. Avery's death took place soon after the exciting scenes of the Revolution had commenced, and during the subsequent years the whole parish of Rye suffered considerably from the confusion that at- tended the Revolutionary war. The parochial church was des- troyed by fire, and the parishioners dispersed in every direction. Upon the 19th of April, 1789, the present parish was incorpo- rated, under the title of " the Trustees of the Protestant Episco- pal Church in the townships of Bedford and North Castle." In consequence however of the act of 1795, it was again organized under the name and title of " the Protestant Episcopal Church in the united towns of Bedford and North Castle, to continue by the regular name of St. George's Church."a
The
REV. THEODOSIUS BARTOW
appears to have been officiating here as minister of the united parishes in 1796. At a vestry meeting held on the 3d of March, 1803, it was resolved :- " To purchase a certain house and forty acres of land in Bedford, at the price of sixteen hundred and twenty-five dollars, for a glebe and parsonage."
See Parish of New Castle.
624
HISTORY OF THE PARISH
The purchase was subsequently made, and a new parsonage erected thereon in 1822. In 1805, the Corporation of Trinity Church, New York, liberally endowed the united Churches of Bedford and North Castle with the sum of one thousand dollars, also in 1808, the further sum of one hundred and fifty dollars.
At this period, " it being in the vestry's opinion expedient to call and settle a minister without further delay, the Episcopa- lians of North Salem and Stephentown joined with Bedford in endeavouring to effect it. It was agreed between them, "that the minister should perform divine service in the different towns of Bedford, New Castle, North Castle and Stephentown, so often as should be in proportion to the amount of their annual subscriptions." In all these places Churchmen manifested the sincerity of their professions by subscribing liberally to the support of a minister.
Upon the 30th of July, 1804, the vestry called the
REV. GEORGE STREBECK
as rector of the united Churches. He officiated in Bedford and its vicinity from August, 1804, to March, 1805, when he resigned, and accepted the rectorship of St. Stephen's Church, New York. At a vestry meeting held on the 8th of December, 1806, it was re- solved, " that the residue of the bequest of St. George Talbot, be appropriated towards defraying the cost of building a church at Bedford."
In 1809, the
REV. NATHAN FELCH
was called as minister of the united parishes. The next year he reported to the Diocesan Convention :- " 'I'hat the Epis- copal Church in Bedford is in a very flourishing state ; the con- gregation is numerous, respectable and devout ; an attachment to all the rites and forms of the Church is continually increas- ing among them ; and as this attachment increases, so venera- tion for, and delight in sober, rational and scriptural piety and virtue inrceases."
625
AND CHURCH OF BEDFORD.
Mr. Felch resigned his charge in 1813, and was succeeded by the
REV. GEORGE WELLER, A. M.a
in 1816. The same year he writes to the Bishop as follows :- " Since my ordination, I have been engaged two-thirds of my time at Bedford, and one-third at North Salem. During this time both congregations have been enlarged. With the increase of members, I think there has also been an increase of seriousness and devout attention to the ordinances of the Gospel. In Bed- ford the Lord's Supper has not been administered since my ordi- nation. Since the last Convention however, three communicants have been added, and one died, making the present number to be twenty-six. At the next administration there will probably be several added to this number.
Since the last Convention there has been one adult and fourteen children baptized, eight of whom were baptized by my- self, and the others by visiting clergymen in the course of the year." Mr. Weller resigned in 1817, for whose successors see list of rectors and ministers.
THE CHURCH.
St. Matthew's church is situated in the northern part of a small scattered hamlet, about half a mile north of the village of Bedford. It is a neat structure of brick, erected in 1807, and consecrated the same year by the Rt. Rev. Benjamin Moore, D. D. In 1839 it was thoroughly repaired and the pews re- modelled.
The communion silver was the united gift of Mrs. Banyar and Anne Jay, (daughters of the late Hon. John Jay, Chief Justice of the United States) on the 29th of October, 1810. The service books were presented by Mrs. Ann Raymond of Bedford.
a Mr. Weller was engaged as a lay reader from the 15th of May, 1815, until June 16th, 1816, when he was ordained Deacon.
40
626
HISTORY OF THE PARISH
MINISTERS AND RECTORS OF BEDFORD.
INST. OR CALL. INCUMBENTS. VACAT. BY. 1704, Rev. Alexander Stuart, A. M., Clericus, resig.
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