USA > New York > Westchester County > History of the Protestant Episcopal Church, in the county of Westchester, from its foundation, 1693, to 1853 > Part 8
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* Hawks' M. S. S. from archives at Fulham, vol. ii. 26 to 35.
Ibid vol. ii. 80, 81.
e Ibid vol. ii. 76, 77.
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AND CHURCH OF WESTCHESTER.
and the Society still continued Mr. Standard's services at West- chester.
In 1743, Mr. Standard acquaints the Society, "that notwith- standing the country swarmed with vagrant preachers, called New Lights, he had a more numerous congregation than usual, the Lord's day preceding."a
" Upon the earnest petition of the churchwardens and vestry- men of St. Peter's Church, Westchester, the Propagation So- ciety appointed Mr. Basil Bartow, school-master of the parish in 1744." The King's Commissary transmitted the following ac- count of this individual :- " that he is son to the Rev. John Bar- tow, late the Society's worthy missionary there. He is a person of good temper, sober, and pious, and well affected to the present government ; conformable to the doctrine and discipline of the church, and exceedingly well qualified for the instruction of children."b
The Society's abstracts for 1745, say :- " Letters from New- York bring an account that the Churches of East and West- chester, under the care of Mr. Standard, are in a peaceable and growing state."c
The following notice of Mr. Standard's death, and the ap- pointment of his successor, appears in the abstracts for 1760 :- " The Society being informed by a letter from the churchwar- dens of Westchester, dated August the first, 1760, that the Rev. Mr. Standard, their Missionary, was dead ; and that for some time before his death he had been incapable, through his great age, of performing his office in the church of which he had been the incumbent, more than thirty-four years ; and they earnestly praying for a worthy successor to him, that might collect the congregation, then scattered as sheep having no shepherd ; the society have granted their petition, by the appointment of the Rev. Mr. Milner, a native of that Province, and son of a gentle- man of the City of New-York, to the mission of Westchester : he coming over from thence recommended to the Society by the
·Printed Abstracts of Ven. Prop. Soc. from 1743 to 1744.
Ibid from 1744 to 1745.
· Ibid.
5
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HISTORY OF THE PARISH
Rev. Dr. Johnson, President of the College, and by the Rev. Dr. Barclay, Rector of the Church of New-York ; and being found worthy of, admitted into Deacon's and Priest's orders in our church ; and he now is on his voyage to Westchester, where the Society have good hopes he will answer the good character trans- mitted to them of him, and both by doctrine and example pro- mote the knowledge and practice of the true christian religion."a
From the date of probate of Mr. Standard's will, which gen- erally points out the period of the deceased's death, it is probable that he died at Eastchester, b in the early part of January, 1760. His body lies under the communion table in St. Paul's Church ; but no monument marks the spot where the ashes of this ven- erable missionary repose.
THE WILL OF THOMAS STANDARD, RECTOR OF THE PARISH OF WESTCHESTER.
" IN THE NAME OF GOD, AMEN,-I, Thomas Standard, Rector of the Parish of Westchester, in the Province of New-York, being far advanced in years, but of sound disposing mind and memory, (thanks be to God,) do make my last will and testament in manner and form following : first and principally, I commit my pre- cious and immortal soul into the merciful hands of God that gave it, and my body to the earth, to be decently buried at the discretion of my executors, hereinafter named, nothing doubting but I shall be raised again by the mighty power of God to a Glorious Resurrection thro' Jesus Christ my Blessed Saviour and Redeem- er; and as touching my worldly estate, I do dispose thereof, as follows: my Will is, that all my just debts and funeral charges be duly paid and satisfied in some convenient time after my decease. I give and grant unto my executors hereinaf- ter named, full power and authority to sell and dispose of all my real estate what- soever and wheresoever, at vendue or otherwise, as they shall think fitt, and to make and execute good and sufficient deeds and conveyances in the law to the purchasor or purchasors thereof ; I likewise give them power, and order them, my executors, to sell and dispose of all my moveable and personal estate whatsoever and wheresoever, and the monys arrising from the sale of my said real and per- sonal estate, together with all the monys I shall leave at my decease, either in my house, or that shall be due to me on bond or otherwise, I order to be disposed of as follows: and I do give and bequeath the same unto and amongst my nephews and neices, namely, Thomas Standard, of London, barber, son of my brother and to George Standard and Mary Standard, children of my brother, James Stand- ard, late of Taunton, in Somersetshire, in Old England, dec'd, and to William
* Printed Abstracts of the Ven. Prop., Soc. from 15 Feb., 1760, to 20 Feb. 1761.
b The property opposite the present Church, upon which Mr. Standard resided at the time of his death, was sold by Andrew Clements, one of his executors, and now belongs to John Alstyne, Esq .- Editor.
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AND CHURCH OF WESTCHESTER.
Burridge and Sarah Burridge, children of my sister, Sarah Burridge the wife of William Burridge, of Taunton aforesaid, equally to be devided amongst them, share and share alike, each an equal part of all and singular my said estate, and in case either of my said nephews or neices should happen to die before the dis- tribution of my said estate, leaving no lawfull issue, then I order the share of him or her so dying, to be equally divided amongst the surviving legatees before named. but if those so dying shall leave lawfull issue, then I will that the issue of such legatee so dying, shall have the share of their dec'd father or mother. LAST- LY, I NOMINATE, constitute, and appoint my trusty friends, James Bernard and An- drew Clements, both of Eastchester, in the Province of New-York, gent's, execu- tors of this my last will and testament, hereby making void all former wills by me made, declaring this only to be my last will and testament.
IN TESTIMONY whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal in Eastchester, the first day of February, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and fifty-eight.
THOMAS STANDARD, [L. s.]
Signed sealed, published and declared by the said Thomas Standard, as and for his last Will and Testament, in the presence of us, who subscribe our names as witnesses thereto, in the testator's presence.
THOMAS BUTLER, CHARLES VINCENT, LEWIS GUION, JNO. BARTOW."
" I, Thomas Standard, before named, do hereby further declare, that notwithstand- ing I have given all my estate unto my nephews and neices, to witt :- Thomas Standard, of London, barber, George Standard and Mary Standard, Williaın Bur- ridge and Sarah Burridge, by the foregoing will, yet it is my will, and I do order and direct my executors before named, to pay to the heirs of William Jesse, of Westhatch, near Taunton, the sum of forty pounds, sterling money of Great Bri- tain, before they make a distribution of my said estate amongst my nephews and neices before named : and I do order this codicil to be a part of my will, and to be of the same force and effect as if the same had been inserted in the body of the foregoing.
IN TESTIMONY whereof, I have hereto set my hand and seal, this fifth day of May, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and fifty-eight.
THOMAS STANDARD, [L. S.]
Signed, sealed, published and declared by the said Thomas Standard, as and for a codicil, in the presence of us who subscribe our names as evidences thereof, in the testator's presence.
JNO. BARTOW, CHARLES VINCENT, LEWIS GUION, THOMAS BUTLER.""
* Transcribed from a true copy, examined with the original, by P. Banyar, D. Sec. Date of Probate, 26th Jan., 1760, Surrogates office, N. Y. Vol. xxi. 496.
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HISTORY OF THE PARISH
The state of the parish, about eleven months after Mr. Stand- ard's death, is thus described by the Rev. Dr. Barclay, in a let- ter to the Secretary, from which we take the following :-
MR. BARCLAY TO THE SECRETARY.
[EXTRACT.]
New- York, Dec. 10th, 1760.
" Westchester and Rye continue still vacant. Religion is at the lowest ebb in yt country, and unless some zealous and dis- crete clergyman be appointed to those missions, the very term of it will soon disappear-as Westchester is a wide extended county, three missionaries can find more than sufficient employ- ment, and I know of no place where they can be more service- able, provided they have the interest of religion at heart."a
From the following passage, in the life of Samuel Johnson, D. D., by Dr. Chandler, it appears that as early as 1755, the So- ciety had provided an assistant and successor to Mr. Standard, in the person of Mr. William Johnson, a younger son of the Doc- tor's; but unfortunately their plans were frustrated by his early death. "Mr. William Johnson embarked for England, Novem- ber the 8th, 1755, with a view of returning in Holy orders, to assist and succeed Mr. Standard, the superannuated missionary at Westchester. He was received by the Society, by the Bishops Sherlock and Secker, and all the Doctor's friends, with great af- fection. They recommended him to the University of Oxford, for the degree of Master of Arts, which was readily conferred upon him, in the month of May, and soon after to the Univer- sity of Cambridge, where he was admitted ad eundem. , He had received holy orders in March, and had preached several times in and about London, with great reputation. But soon after his return from Cambridge, he was seized with the small-pox, which proved fatal to hiim on the 20th of June, 1756. He was buried in Mr. Morley's vault, in St. Mildred's in the Poultry, where there is a handsome marble monument erected to his memory.
· New-York M. S. S. from archives at Fulham, vol. ii. 282. (Hawks'.)
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AND CHURCH OF WESTCHESTER.
Thus to the inexpressible grief and disappointment of his friends, and to the great loss of the church in America, was this amiable and promising youth cut off, in the bloom of life, making the seventh of those, who in their voyage to England, for Holy orders, from the northern colonies, had perished by sundry kinds of death." a
Upon the 25th of February, 1761, the
REV. JOHN MILNER, A. M.,
was licensed as a Missionary, to the Province of New-York, by the Bishop of London. He was the son of Nathaniel Milner, of New-York, a descendant of the Mylners, or Milners, of Pugesey, in Yorkshire.b One of the early pioneers of the family in this country, was Michael Milner, of Lynn, Mass., who removed to Long Island, in 1640.c Mr. Milner was born in this county circ. 1738,d and graduated at Princeton College, New Jersey, in 1755° In 1760 he went to England for Holy orders, and the same year was ordained Deacon and Priest, by Bishop Sherlock. He embarked for his mission sometime in March, 1761, and ar- rived home, after a long and tedious passage, on the 13th of May, following. Upon the 12th of June, of that year, he was institu- ted and inducted Rector of the Parish, by Lieutenant Governour Colden, in the following manner :-
LETTERS OF INSTITUTION BY LIEUT. GOVERNOUR COLDEN, TO JOHN MILNER, CLERK.
I, Cadwallader Colden, Esq., President of his Majesty's Council, and Com- mander-in-Chief of the Province of New-York, and the Territories depending
· Life of Samuel Johnson, D. D., by Thomas Bradbury Chandler, D. D., for- merly Rector of St. John's Church, Elizabethtown, N. J. p. 96.
b The arms of John Mylner, Lord of the Manor of Pugesey, were :- sable, three bridle bits or. Crest. a bridle bit or. see Berry's Genealogies of Kent.
€ Farmer's Register.
d "Mr. Milner was a native of Westchester Colony, his father residing in N. Y." Fowler's M. S. S., B. iii. 573. B. v. p. 965.
· List of Princeton Graduates.
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HISTORY OF THE PARISH
thereon in America'; do, in pursuance of the power devolved on me, collate, in- stitute and establish you, John Milner, Clerk, Rector of the Parish Church at Westchester, commonly called St. Peter's Church, including the several districts of Westchester, Eastchester, Yonkers, and the Manor of Pelham, in the County of Westchester, within this government, to have the care of the souls of the par- ishioners of the said church and district aforesaid, and to take your cure and mine.
Given under my hand and the prerogative seal of the Province of New-York, at Fort George, in the City of New-York, the thirteenth day of June, one thou- sand seven hundred and sixty-onc.
CADWALLADER COLDEN ..
MANDATE FROM LIEUT. GOVERNOUR COLDEN TO INDUCT JOHN MILNER, CLERK, INTO THE RECTORSHIP OF THE PARISH CHURCH OF WESTCHESTER.
The Honorable Cadwallader Colden, Esquire, President of his Majesty's Coun- cil, and Commander-in-Chief of the Province of New-York, and the Territories depending thereon in America : To all and singular, Rectors and Parish Ministers whatsoever, in the Province of New-York, or to Samuel Sneden and John Hunt, the present churchwardens of St. Peter's Church, at Westchester, in the county of Westchester, and to the vestrymen of the said church, and to each and every of you, GREETING : WHEREAS I have collated, instituted and established our beloved in Christ, John Milner, Clerk, to be Rector of the Parish Church at Westchester, commonly called St. Peter's Church, including the several districts of Westches- ter, Eastchester, Yonkers, and the Manor of Pelha n, in the county of Westchester, within this government, vacant as is said by the natural death of Thomas Stand- ard, the last incumbent there, on the -- day of January, 1760, with all its rights and appurtenances, observing the laws and canons of right in that behalf required, and to be observed; To You therefore, jointly and severally, I do commit, and firmly enjoining, do command each and every of you that in due manner, him, the said John Milner, or his lawful proctor, in his name and for him, into the real, actual, and corporal possession of the said Rectory and Parish Church at West- chester, including the districts aforesaid, and of all its rights and appurtenances whatsoever, you induct, or have to be inducted, and him so inducted, you do de- fend, and of what you shall have done in the premises thereof, you do duely cer- tify unto me, or other competent Judge, in that behalf, when thereunto you shall be duely required.
Given under my hand and the prerogative seal of the Province of New-York, at Fort George, in the City of New-York, the thirtieth day of June, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and sixty-one.
CADWALLADER COLDEN. b
· Record of Commissions, Secretary of State's Office, Albany, vol. v. 188-9.
৳ Ibid.
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AND CHURCH OF WESTCHESTER.
The Rev. Mr. Milner, the Society's Missionary at Westches- ter, in his letter of October 3d, 1761, acquaints the Society, " that after a long and dangerous passage, he arrived at his mission May 13th, and has ever since preached to crowd audiences. His mission, he says, is of large extent, and he is obliged to at- tend three churches, and till Mr. Houdin came to New Rochelle, officiated there once a month. One of his churches is a new edifice, raised by the generosity of Col. Frederick Philips, who has given to its service a fine farm as a glebe, consisting of two hundred acres ; upon which he purposes to build a good house for a minister. Mr. Milner has baptized forty-three white in- fants, and four adults, twelve black children and three adults. His communicants are sixteen. His catechumens, he says, have made a laudable proficiency, by which means he hopes his com- municants will increase." a
Mr. Milner, in his letter dated June 29th, 1762, writes :- " yt since his arrival at his mission, which is fourteen months, he had baptized one hundred and fourteen, of whom forty were adults, viz: thirty whites and ten blacks, and had administered the sacrament of the Lord's supper four times, to thirty communi- cants, of which he hopes the number will increase. He con- stantly attends three churches in three different townships, preaching to crowded audiences of devout, well-behaved people. They have no dissenters among them, except a few Quakers. He adds, that the school is still vacant, and deprived of a teach- er, but petitions the Society to continue their bounty to some worthy person who shall be chosen schoolmaster ; as the school is a nursery for the church, and of great service in these parts, which request is accordingly granted."b
In a letter dated June. the 4th, 1763, Mr. Milner " expresses his own and his people's sense of the favour done them in giv- ing them leave to choose a schoolmaster for this place, tho' they have not yet been able to find a person properly qualified for that office. He likewise informs the society that he has pro-
* Printed Abstracts of Ven. Prop. Soc., for 1762-3-4-5-6-7-8, p. 51. The New-York Post Boy of May 7, 1761, says :- " the Rev. Mr. Milner has arrived from London in the Ship Oliver."
Printed Abstracts of Ven. Prop. Society, for 1762.
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HISTORY OF THE PARISH
cured a charter for St. Peter's Church, which will greatly promote the interests of virtue and religion, and that his people have purchased a house, with a glebe of thirty acres, not far from the church. From June 29, 1762, to the date of this letter, he has baptized eighty infants, among whom were three blacks, and seven adults ; one of them a man near sixty years old, who is since admitted to full communion. The number of his commu- nicants is increased to fifty-three, above forty have been added since his arrival at his mission, which was about two years at the time of his writing."a
The following petition was presented for the charter alluded to in the above letter :-
TO THE HONOURABLE CADWALLADER COLDEN, ESQ., HIS MA- JESTY'S LIEUTENANT GOVERNOUR AND COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE PROVINCE OF NEW-YORK, AND THE TERRITORIES DEPENDING THEREON IN AMERICA.
The petition of the subscribers, inhabitants of the Borough Town of Westches- ter, in the county of Westchester, in behalf of themselves and the rest of the in- habitants of the said Town, in communion of the Church of England, as by law established ;
HUMBLY SHEWETII :
THAT for many years past there has been a church in the said town of West- chester for the administration of DIVINE SERVICE according to the use of the Church of England, as by law established, but that for want of proper persons to superintend the affairs and interests of the same with legal authority ; the building is now considerably out of repair, and pious and well disposed persons are dis- couraged in their designs of contributing to, and establishing proper funds for the support of the said church and the minister thereof ; for remedying which,
YOUR PETITIONERS humbly pray that your honour will be favourably pleased to grant unto them his Majesty's Letters Patent, constituting your Petitioners, or such of them as shall be thought proper, a Body Politic and Corporate, for the pur- poses of conducting and managing the affairs and interests of the said church in such manner and form, and with such rights, priviledges and immunities, as were heretofore granted to the inhabitants of the town of Flushing, in Queen's County, in communion of the Church of England, or with such other rights, priviledges, and immunities, as shall be thought reasonable and proper ; and your petitioners, shall ever pray.
JOHN MILNER, JOHN BARTOW, J. WILLETT, LEWIS MORRIS, JR.,
PETER DE LANCEY, N. UNDERHILL, JAMES GRAHAM, JAMES V. CORTLANDT.b
· Printed Abstracts of Ven. Prop. Soc. for 1763.
৳ New-York Col. M. S. S. (Colden,) 1761-2, vol. xc. Sec. of State's Office.
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AND CHURCH OF WESTCHESTER.
On the 12th of May, 1762, the petition was read and granted in the following manner :-
ROYAL CHARTER OF ST. PETER'S CHURCH, WESTCHESTER.
" George the third, by the grace of God, of Great Britain, France and Ireland, king, defender of the faith, &c., to whom these presents shall come, greeting: whereas, our loving subject, the Rev. John Milner, rector of St. Peter's church, in the borough town of Westchester, and the county of Westchester, in our province of New- York, and John Bartow, Isaac Willett, Lewis Morris, jr., Peter de Lan- cey, Nathaniel Underhill, James Graham and James van Cortlandt, inhabitants of the said borough town of Westchester, in communion of the Church of England, as by law established ; in behalf of themselves and the rest of the inhabitants of the said town, in communion as aforesaid, by their humble petition, presented on the twelfth day of May last, to our trusty and well beloved Cadwallader Colden, Esq., then our lieutenant Governour and Commander-in-chief of our Province of New-York, and the territories depending thereon in America ; in council did set forth, that for many years past there had been a church in the said town of West- chester, for the regular administration of divine service according to the use of the church of England, as by law established, but that for the want of proper persons to superintend the affairs and interests of the same with legal authority, the build- ing was considerably out of repair, and pious and well disposed persons were dis- couraged in the designs of contributing to and establishing proper funds for the support of the said church and the minister thereof; for remedying whereof, the said petitioners did humbly pray a letter patent, constituting the said petitioners, or such of them as shall be thought proper, a body politick and corporate, for the purpose of conducting and managing the affairs and interests of the said church, in such manner and form, and with such rights, privileges and immunities as were hereto- fore granted to the inhabitants of the town of Flushing, in Queen's county, in com- munion of the Church of England, or with such other rights, privileges and immu- nities as should be thought reasonable and proper; now, we being willing to encourage the pious intentions of our said loving subjects, and to grant this their reasonable request, know ye, that of our especial grace, certain knowledge and mere motion, we have ordained, given, granted and declared, and by these pres- ents for us, our heirs and successors, do ordain, give, grant and declare, that they the said petitioners, and the rest of the inhabitants of the said borough town of Westchester, in communion of the Church of England, as by law established, and their successors, the rector and inhabitants of the said borough town of Westches- ter, in communion of the Church of England as by law established, hereafter shall be a body corporate and politic, in deed, fact and name, by the name, stile and title of the rector and inhabitants of the borough town of Westchester, in communion of the Church of England, as by law established, and them and their successors by the same name. We do by these presents, for us, our heirs and successors, really and fully make, erect and constitute one body politic and corporate, in deed, fact and name forever, and we give, grant and ordain, that they and their successors, the rector and inhabitants of the borough town of Westchester, in communion of the Church of England, as by law established, by the same name shall and may have perpetual successions, and shall and may be capable in law to sue and be
1
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HISTORY OF THE PARISH
sucd, implead and be impleaded, answer and be answered unto, defend and be de- fended in all courts and elsewhere, in all manner of actions, writs, complaints, pleas, causes, matters and demands whatsoever, as fully and amply as any other our liege subjects of our said province of New-York may or can sue or be sued, implead or be impleaded, defend or be defended, by any lawful way or means whatsoever, and that they and their successors by the same name shall be for ever hereafter capable and able in the law to purchase, take, hold, receive and enjoy any messuages, tenements, personal and real estate whatsoever in fee simple for the term of life or lives, or in any other manner howsoever for the use of the said church ; and also any goods, chattels or personal estate whatsoever, provided al- ways that the clear yearly value of the said real estate (exclusive of the said church and the ground whereon the same is built, and the cemetery belonging to the same,) doth not at any time exceed the sum of five hundred pounds current money of our said province, and that they and their successors by the same name shall have full power and authority to give, grant, sell, leave and dispose of the same real estate for life or lives, or year or for ever, under certain yearly rents, and all goods and chattels and personal estate whatsoever, at their will and pleas- ure, and that it shall and may be lawful for them and their successors to have and use a common seal ; and our will and pleasure further is, and we do hereby for us, our heirs and successors, ordain and appoint, that there shall be for ever hereafter belonging to the said church, one rector of the Church of England as by law es- tablished, duly qualified for the care of souls, two churchwardens and eight ves- trymen, who shall conduct and manage the affairs and business of the said church, and confer in manner as hereafter is established and appointed, and for the more immediate carrying into execution our royal will and pleasure herein, we do here- by assign, constitute and appoint Isaac Willett and Nathaniel Underhill, the elder, to be the present churchwardens, and Peter de Laucey, James Graham, James van Cortlandt, Lewis Morris, John Smith, Theophilus Bartow, Cornelius Willett and Thomas Hunt, to be the present vestrymen of the said church, who shall hold, possess and enjoy their respective offices until Tuesday in Easter week, now next ensuing, and for the keeping of the succession in the said offices our royal will and pleasure is, and we do hereby establish, direct and require, that on the said Tues- day in Easter week now next ensuing, and yearly and every year thereafter, for ever on Tuesday in Easter week in every year, the rector and inhabitants of the borough town of Westchester in communion of the Church of England, as by law established, shall meet at the said church, and there by the majority of voices of such of them as shall so meet, elect and choose two of their members to be churchwardens, and eight others of their members to be vestrymen of the said church for the ensuing year, which said churchwardens and vestrymen so elected and chosen, shall immediately enter upon their respective offices, and hold, exer- cise and enjoy the same respectively, from the time of such elections for and during the space of one year, and until other fit persons shall be elected and chosen in their respective places, and in case the churchwardens or vestrymen, or either of them, by these presents named and appointed, or which shall hereafter be elected and chosen, shall die or remove from the said borough town of Westchester, be- fore the time of their respective appointed services shall be expired, or refuse or neglect to act in the office for which he or they is or are herein nominated and appointed, or whereunto he or they shall or may be elected and chosen, then our
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