USA > New York > Chenango County > Norwich > History of the first one hundred years of the First Congregational Church, Norwich, New York, 1814-1914 > Part 5
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There was a very large crowd at the dedication of the Congregational Church. Rev. John Truair preached the sermon and several clergymen from the surround- ing country took part in various ways; among them was Mr. Edward Andrews, who later became the first installed pastor. The musical part of the service was performed by the " Singers of the Societies of Sher-
Wood Church. Dedicated July 14, 1819
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burne," " led by that excellent teacher of Sacred Music, Mr. Hastings." Their performance, it is said, " equaled the concerts of New York." (From an edi- torial in The Norwich Journal of July 20, 1819, by the editor, Hon. John F. Hubbard, Sr.) In Ser. 1, it is stated that this leader was Dr. Thomas Hastings, com- poser of many hymns and tunes. This was a mistake. The leader was Truman Hastings, a brother of Dr. Thomas Hastings. I received several letters from the latter. He could not remember the dedication, but could not say that he was not there, for he had attended so many services of that kind. After the book was published it came out that it was his brother, Truman. I wrote him at his home in Cleveland. He was 80 years old, but remembered the dedication very clearly. He died many years ago.
The building was finished and paid for before these services were held. Those who saw it and have written about it, say it was a beautiful structure; and praise it as having been the finest building anywhere in the vicinity.
Mr. Enos and Mr. Fenton did a great deal of hard work for the " meeting house," besides giving liberally of money. They secured all but $600.00. As the time for the dedication drew near they realized that it could not be secured, for everyone had given all they could " and we among the rest." Mr. Enos did not want the building dedicated with a debt on it; so he " took the bit in his teeth " and said to Mr. Fenton, " I'll take one half if you will take the other." Mr. Fenton said " All right," and the building was paid for in full.
Now that they had a meeting house, a pastor was a necessity. Missionaries came along occasionally. When one came, he was invited to preach on Sundays. Rev. Asa Messer remained about nine months. Rev. William M. Adams was the first regular hired pastor. He remained about a year. After the dedication, Rev.
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REV. EDWARD ANDREWS. The First Installed Pastor of First Congregational Church of Norwich, N. Y., 1820-1826.
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First Congregational Church History
Luther Clark, probably a student for the ministry, who was at the dedication, remained a while and preached. In April or May, 1820, Mr. Edward Andrews came and took charge of the church. He was ordained June 28, by a joint committee from Otsego Presbytery and a Constitutional Council from Union Association and in- stalled over the church-its first settled pastor. He was born in Ipswich, Mass., July, 1792. His father was a prominent lawyer of Essex Co. The son studied law and practiced some years successfully. By a providential circumstance he decided to enter the ministry and studied with Rev. Dr. Porter, a prominent Presbyter- ian divine at Catskill, N. Y. He was soon after licensed to preach and started out on horseback as a missionary through Eastern New York, preaching wherever he could get an audience, and staying with whoever would, take him in. He was entertained at Colesville, Otsego Co., by Robert Harpur, a well-to-do citizen and large land owner, from whom the village of Harpursville was named. In April, 1820, he married Mr. Harpur's daughter, Elizabeth, and they came directly to Norwich and he assumed the pastorate of this church June 28. He was a thoroughly educated man. In the course of a year or two, he opened a school in the second story of " The Academy," corner of North Broad and Mitchell Streets, which became very popular. Hon. Samuel S. Randall, who was a student of Mr. Andrews, says of him: " As a clergyman he was one of the most popu- lar, enthusiastic and eloquent of his class. His sermons were brief, but pungent and practical; and his prayers rapt and earnest, almost transfiguring his countenance as he raised it in adoration and supplication, as with the radiance of an angel. He was a finished scholar, drinking freely of the pure and transparent fountains of Helicon, and as freely communicating its invigor- ating draughts to his pupils. As a teacher he was un- equaled; and as a man, a husband and father irre-
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proachable. In all the various relations of social life, the virtues and graces of his character shone con- spicuously," and yet, with all his excellent qualities and scholarly sermons, he was not an evangelical preacher. During 1821, nine united with the church- five by confession, four by letter ; in 1822, one by letter; in 1823 ,the same; in 1824, three by letter; in 1825 and 1826, none-his last year. October 25 he resigned and his pastorate closed November 30. From here he went to Oxford and became principal of the Academy. While there he decided to enter the Protestant Episcopal Church, toward which he had been leaning for several months and which may have been the reason for his taking the principalship of the Academy, for that was, practically, an Episcopal school. About the fall of 1828, he became rector of the Episcopal Church at New Berlin. After some years he became a rector in Hud- son, Columbia Co., and in 1836, to Christ's Church, Binghamton. Failing health caused him to give up preaching in 1850, and he died in that city March 5, 1867, aged 73. The church placed a marble tablet in the wall near his pew. Some years before his death, Hobart College conferred the degree of Doctor of Divinity on him.
Several months before he left Norwich, the first of the three tragedies which have come to this church, began when he showed signs of leaning toward Epis- copalianism. Very soon there came to be two factions; the one against this tendency of the pastor; and the other sympathizing very strongly with him. Mr. James Birdsall (for whom our Birdsall Street was named), a prominent member of the Society-not of the church- was accounted as the head of the Andrews faction, and was very pronounced in his adherence to that side of the controversy. During his absence from town, the church engaged Rev. Peter Lockwood as pastor, " on trial for three months," as was the custom. He had
REV. PETER LOCKWOOD.
The Third Pastor of the First Congregational Church, Norwich, N. Y., Jan. 1 to May 15, 1827.
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First Congregational Cburch History
preached a few times, was well liked, was called and accepted, and went to Stamford, Conn., for his family and goods. He had reached Utica on his return, when a letter from the trustees intercepted him. Leaving his goods there, he came at once to Norwich. He found that Mr. Birdsall had returned and started a violent opposition to his engagement. The trustees had hoped that meeting Mr. Lockwood, Mr. Birdsall would change his mind and accept him as pastor. But when he would not, Mr. Lockwood flatly refused to stay and went to Pharsalia, to the home of his father-in-law, where he remained a few months. He then went to Oxford, and finally became pastor of the First Presby- terian Church of Binghamton. In 1845 he was Mod- erator of the Synod of Geneva. He died in Bingham- ton November 16, 1882, aged nearly 85.
These two factions continued for nearly four years and prevented settling a pastor. There were no admis- sions to the church in 1825, '26, '27, '28 and '29; and yet Mr. Andrews is mentioned by several writers, and always with the kindest expressions as to his kindly nature, his Christian character, and his ability as a preacher and teacher and his worth as a friend.
During these years the pulpit was supplied mostly by Rev. Lyman S. Rexford of Sherburne, but not as a pastor. The factions finally united on Rev. Horace Publius Bogue and he was installed February 24, 1830. Mr. Enos was commissioner from this church to Che- nango Presbytery, to present a formal call to Mr. Bogue through that body. This was accepted. Rev. Peter Lockwood preached the sermon. Mr. Bogue came from the Presbyterian Church of Butternuts, now Gil- bertsville.
JAMES BIRDSALL AND DAVID BUTTOLPH.
James Birdsall was the first lawyer to settle in Norwich. He came from (probably) Northeast, Dutch-
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ess Co., N. Y., soon after 1800. He had studied law and was admitted to practice October 15, 1806. David Buttolph was born October 28, 1779, in Northeast, Dutchess Co., N. Y. He graduated from Williams Col- lege in 1803, studied law in a law office in Pough- keepsie and was admitted to practice. He came to Nor- wich in 1808.
Nathan Chamberlain was near that time a partner with Mr. Birdsall, but only for a short time. Some time after Mr. Chamberlain left, Mr. Buttolph became a partner with Mr. Birdsall and they remained together for several years. They were partners in 1821, and probably some longer. Their office was on the east side of South Broad Street about where the south end of the Stone Block was some years later.
Mr. Birdsall was one of the most highly polished and highly cultured citizens of the town. Gentlemanly in appearance, courteous and intellectual, his influence was very great over all who come into contact with him. He represented the district in Congress, and the County in the Legislature with great ability; was one of the incorporators of The Bank of Chenango, and one of the first directors. Later he was elected the first vice-president, and in March, 1825, became cashier. He was a very skillful lawyer and a very engaging personality.
He married Rizpah Steere, daughter of Judge Stephen Steere. She was born in 1792 and joined this church July 23, 1821; but Mr. Birdsall did not join, except "by proxy "-became a member of the society, and was elected a trustee four times. He became a very firm friend and adherent of Mr. Andrews, and his influence in the church became so great that he pre- vented the church from getting a pastor for some four years. This was the first of the three tragedies. He finally joined in calling Mr. Bogue and we hear no more of Mr. Birdsall's influence. His health became im-
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paired and he had a series of pecuniary troubles come to him which caused him to move to Flint, Mich., about 1839, where he, some years later, died. His wife also died there May 10, 1869, aged 77.
Mr. Buttolph united with this church January 9, 1817, after the revival described by Mr. Wright. He married, first, Urania Lyman, in Durham, Conn. She was born in 1792, and died April 3, 1827. Mrs. Zylpha Buttolph, David Buttolph's mother, died December 12, 1843. Both are buried in Mt. Hope. About 1828, Mr. Buttolph married Mrs. Esther Kelso, widow of Deacon Joseph Kelso, who died in 1826. They were both con- stituent members of the church and their home had been the small farm just north of the Creek Bridge at the end of Plymouth Street. Mrs. Kelso still lived there, and Mr. Buttolph went there to live and in 1831 bought the farm and they made it their home. Mrs. Buttolph died there May 19, 1859, aged 76.
Deacon Buttolph, as he was generally called, had given up business some time before. He was left entirely alone. After a while he sold the farm and went to live with his son, David Lyman Buttolph, who was a clergyman in Marietta, Ga., and died there July 27, 1868, aged 88.
Deacon Buttolph loved this church devotedly. He was a Presbyterian, as also was his son; and he threw his influence with the Thorpe faction ; but he was not so pronounced as they. He was a quiet, gentlemanly, even tempered man, moderate and careful in all his move- ments. He had been a good lawyer, punctilliously hon- est in thought, word and deed; was a thoroughly Chris- tian man; always at prayer meeting, and always had a prayer and a word to give to the meeting. It was seldom that his pew was not occupied at Sunday serv- ices. He was elected clerk of the society July 15, 1816, at the incorporation, and retained the office until 1845. He was a deacon for many years : but there is no record
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of his election, and I am confident that he retained the office until his death, as he was not one of those sus- pended with Mr. Thorpe, although he was one of that faction. Mr. Thorpe and he were law partners for some years. The commanding personality of Mr. Bird- sall had a great influence on Mr. Buttolph, and I pre- sume Mr. Thorpe influenced him somewhat, for Mr. Thorpe was very much like Mr. Birdsall, in that he was very sure to lead in any project which he had any part in. Hon. Samuel S. Randall says this of these three men : " David Buttolph was a learned and astute counsellor in all legal matters-a quiet, modest, retir- ing citzen-a life-long Christian-an affectionate hus- band and father. His first law partner was Mr. Bird- sall; his last, Charles A. Thorpe-one of the best of men, devoted to his profession-and an ornament to the society in which he lived."
Three Lombardy poplar trees stood about where is now the driveway to the rear of the church. They are in the picture of the old church. but are not in the right place. They should be just west of the dwelling house. This picture was drawn by Mr. W. J. English, from a very crude wood cut in "Historical Collections of the State of New York" by Barber and Howe, 1841. To the eastern tree Mr. Buttolph was in the habit of hitching his old family horse whenever he drove to town, which was very nearly every day. The Sunday morning of the fire which wiped out the church, Mr. Buttolph came down in his cutter to church alone. Very deliberately, as was his wont, he hitched the old horse to the tree and walked slowly the few rods towards the church, knowing nothing of the fire, and not having noticed people standing around, nor the wreckage scattered about. When he turned at the walk leading to the wooden platform and steps in front of the door, the whole devastation burst upon him and he stood still for an instant in blank astonishment, but his
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moderation and his dignity were still in evidence, and he slowly exclaimed: " I declare! Our-house-of- worship-is-in-ashes!"
Mr. Hammond tells an incident, which well illus- trates the change which a full accepting of Christi- anity brings about in the lives of " those who are exer- cised thereby." Mr. Buttolph and Mr .Enos had been very unfriendly for some years. It may have been caused by the tragedies in the church-probably was that; but I don't know. They would not recognize each other when they met, and if they both happened to be in prayer meeting and one of them arose to speak, the other would leave the room. As was natural, efforts had been made to reconcile them, but without avail. Without doubt each thought himself in the right and could not see why he should change, but the leaven of the gospel was all the time working in their hearts, and the antagonism had existed about twenty years. Mr. Enos, with his great soul filled with a desire to right every wrong, realized that it was his duty to make an effort to right this one. It undoubtedly was a great struggle, but he did not waver. Christ, he knew, had covered the case when he said: " Take with thee one or two " as witnesses. He knew that Mr. Hammond was his friend and was also a friend of Mr. Buttolph and was a wise counselor; so one day he went to Mr. Hammond's store. They greeted each other as usual. Then Mr. Enos said: "I want you to go with me." " Where are you going, Mr. Enos? " " Up to Mr. Buttolph's." Mr. Hammond was startled. He knew Mr. Enos thoroughly, and therefore knew that he was the most unlikely man to back down from a position he had once taken, believing he was right; so he could only ask, " Why do you go up to Mr. Buttolph's? " The answer came like a gunshot, " To kill the devil."" Mr. Hammond did not quite understand, and being fearful of the outcome, he tried to be excused, but Mr.
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Enos would not listen-he must go. It was a very cold day in December and a mile or more to walk, but seeing that Mr. Enos would not give up, they started for the Buttolph home. Mr. Enos did not converse much on the way, except to tell why he wanted to go, but he prayed aloud much of the time. Mr. Buttolph himself opened the door. Mr. Hammond, with the tact for which he was noted, introduced Mr. Enos as " an old acquaintance." Mr. Enos offered his hand, but Mr. Buttolph hesitated. Mr. Hammond said in a cheerful voice, " Shake hands with Mr. Enos, Mr. Buttolph." After a moment of hesitation he did so, and invited them in. The parlor was cold, so they were led into the sitting room. Mrs. Buttolph was there with her daughter and Mr. Buttolph's daughter. Mr. Buttolph built a fire in the parlor and invited the two men into it. When they were alone and before they sat down, Mr. Enos went to Mr. Buttolph and asked him to shake hands. Mr. Buttolph slowly complied, and Mr. Enos said, " I have come to see you, Mr. Buttolph, and make a confession to you. We have been wrong a great while, and I want to put it away from my mind, my heart, and my life, and I offer to you my forgiveness in the same spirit that I ask to be forgiven." It is easy to see the legal training of Mr. Buttolph in his answer to this noble sentiment of Mr. Enos. He was not ready yet to fall in with Mr. Enos' proposal, so he asked, " What do you purpose to confess, Mr. Enos?" We can imagine the dignity and reserve with which he began to examine the witness. Mr. Hammond, who saw at once that to follow that line would completely estop all further efforts to reconciliation, broke in before Mr. Enos could speak and said, " Mr. Buttolph, Mr. Enos is here to make a general confession of having been wrong in his feelings, actions and words, and if you, Mr. Buttolph, can meet Mr. Enos in the same spirit of general confession and forgiveness, you can perhaps
REV. HORACE PUBLIUS BOGUE. The Fourth Pastor of First Congregational Church, Norwich, N. Y., 1830-1833.
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settle all the differences between you and be friends, but if you attempt to itemize and discuss the matter, you will very likely fail as you have done in attempts to settle the matter before." This wise little speech by Mr. Hammond opened a new train of thought in Mr. Buttolph and he saw that the failure, if it came, would put the responsibility on him, so he said, " I will think of it." Mr. Enos added a few words of further con- fession, and the callers, shaking hands with Mr. Butt- olph, very discreetly bid him " Good day." The next morning, before breakfast, Mr. Buttolph knocked at Mr. Enos' door. Mr. Enos cordially invited him in, and by themselves " in the secret of His presence" the long and bitter feud was settled forever; and these two stalwart Christians went on their knees together and " cast all their cares on God." At the next com- munion these two men sat side by side in front of their brethren. Mr. Hammond adds, " and it was a grand sight."
May 1, 1830, Mr. Bogue was made secretary and a director of Chenango Co. Bible Society. July 1, he opened a school for young ladies in Norwich.
Elder Jabez S. Swan was, at that time, pastor of the First Baptist Church. Denominationalism ran very high and strong, and it is said, more than once, Elder Swan, during sermons in his own pulpit would refer to Elder Bogue as saying so and so, and then go into an argument to prove that Elder Bogue was wrong; and that Elder Bogue would refer in the same way to Elder Swan and proceed to argue him wrong. I cannot vouch for these incidents, but for those who knew Elder Swan well it would be no difficult task to believe that they might have occurred. So many say- ings are attributed to him that it is next to impossible to say which are not genuine. I can vouch for one, for I heard him say it, in the church across the Park, many years ago. He was preaching on " Jonah." He
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said: " Jonah was honest and paid his fare when he went down into the ship." Then came a vivid descrip- tion of the storm and of Jonah's being thrown over- board; and then, " God sent the fish which swallowed him. After three days God said to the fish, ' Land that passenger! '-the last I heard of Jonah he was out back of Nineveh howling like the devil." With this in mind it is not difficult to believe the other. Still, no one could be found who would question in the least the noble Christian character of the eccentric divine. No one who has lived in Norwich forty years, but can relate from one to a round dozen of his quaint sayings. He made a great many of them, but never a flat one.
That year (1830) sixteen united with the church- eleven by letter and five on confession; the next year eight by letter and forty on confession. These figures show how sadly the church needed a pastor during the six barren years just passed.
March 19, 1833, Elders Swan and Bogue, I suppose at the request of Sheriff Franklin, both attended the execution of George Denison in Norwich, and had seats on the platform. (Auburn Street now runs very near the location of the structure.) As the fateful moment drew near, the black cap was drawn over the head of the young man and the rope adjusted, when Sheriff Franklin called on Elder Bogue to offer prayer. He arose and began, and continued for nearly three- quarters of an hour. Later, to answer the storm of criticism of the people and the newspapers, it is said, that, in explanation, Mr. Bogue said that he supposed that the drop was to fall soon after he began his prayer; but the sheriff had planned that it should fall at the close of the prayer. Mr. Bogue did not hear the drop fall and supposing that there was something wrong which would soon be made right, kept on pray- ing until he felt sure that there was some misunder- standing and closed. Whether it was Mr. Bogue's
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fault or not, he was very severely criticised by very many people and the papers. This may or may not have been the reason, but he soon resigned and went to Vernon, N. Y., and remained there until 1840. He then went to Seneca Falls, where his health failed him and he took an agency of some philanthropic societies. After some years of preaching he moved to Buffalo, where his daughter was living, and finally died at her home, January 15, 1872, aged 75 years. He was said to have great force as a speaker and fearless in attack- ing what he thought was not wise. He was vivacious and free in conversation. He procured a $20,000.00 endowment fund for a professorship in the College of Liberia, Africa, and the first degree conferred by the College was that of D. D. upon Mr. Bogue in token of regard and appreciation of his labors.
June 9, 1833, Rev. Seth Williston came as a supply and remained as such until September 10, 1834. He was a very Godly man, of whom Father Enos said: " He could live down any man I ever knew." (Ser. 1, pp. 55-7.)
The remainder of the year there were, probably, no services held in the church, for quite extensive repairs were made, which were not finished until somewhat into the next year, 1835. These repairs were, adding to the heighth of the steeple and changing the pulpit to the north end of the audience room, which of course com- pelled turning the pews around. Possibly the lecture room was made in the basement at this time. There are no records of these changes other than verbal ones, which are not always reliable. They are good to guess at sometimes, however, as I have found out.
Three tragedies have come to this church which have brought forth very disastrous results. The first was brought about by the uncertain attitude of Mr. Andrews, the first settled pastor; and, probably, by the unsettled polity of the church in trying to be Congre-
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gational while sailing under a Presbyterian flag; a mixture, which in those days, was liable to explode at any time by spontaneous combustion. The church, as we have seen, was organized squarely as a Congrega- tional Church. It was organized by a man, Rev. Joel T. Benedict, who was a son of a Presbyterian clergy- man, and had had several pastorates; some Presbyter- ian and some Congregational. When he instituted this church he was in the employ of a strongly Congrega- tional Society; and there is no record that he tried to introduce any Presbyterian ideas or practices into the church, and yet it was almost always called " The Presbyterian Church." This designation is often used by Mr. Wright, it will be remembered. I don't know just the date, but not long after this church was instituted, it joined " Union Asso cia- tion," which had been included in "The Oneida Asso- ciation of Congregational Churches and Ministers," formed in 1800. In 1808, at a meeting at Westmore- land, the part included in Chenango Co. was taken off and named " Union Association." In 1822 this asso- ciation was dissolved and its members united with Presbyteries most convenient to them. This church' joined Otsego Presbytery. May 29, 1826, Chenango Presbytery was formed, and June 29 this church joined it at Oxford, on the " Union or Accommodation Plan." Jeduthan Hitchcock was the representative, (Ser. 1, p. 23.) Mr. Andrews was one of those who formed Chenango Presbytery. He, presumably, realized the danger in this combination and it may have been one cause of his turning to Episocopalianism. The pastorate of Mr. Bogue smoothed over the irrita- tion, but it still remained when he left, although there was no outward manifestation. While neither of the conflicting elements made any move to disturb the "in statu quo," there was no hostility manifest between them, and the rank and file cared
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