USA > New York > Chenango County > Norwich > History of the first one hundred years of the First Congregational Church, Norwich, New York, 1814-1914 > Part 9
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Mr. Close, the owner of the hall occupied by the church, was also an undertaker; which fact a joker readily seized upon when it became known that the church had engaged it for its services. He called it " Coffin Hall;" and by that name it was known as long as the church used it.
Mr. Doane remained pastor until October, 1860. Early in 1859, at the earnest solicitation of members of the church, Mr. and Mrs. Enos brought letters from the church in Sherburne, and February 3, they again resumed their places in the fellowship of the First Con- gregational Church of Norwich, after an absence of almost twenty years. I have no records, but it is alto- gether probable that they had not been inside the old church building in all that time, though Mr. Enos must have passed it at least once each day in going to and from their home on West Main street. The old meeting house he had worked so hard to build, and for which he had sacrificed so much, was his no longer, but we can imagine how much of satisfaction it awakened in him, when he again stood up among the membership and again assumed his rightful place. He was now nearly 80 years old and could not take any active part in the conduct of its affairs, but the fact that he was back home afforded him great happiness. Though so old,
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his back was not bent, and he still walked with the same firm and dignified bearing of the years agone; and still attracted attention as he quietly passed along the street. Mr. Scoville took very great pleasure in associating with him, and he soon won the old soldier's heart. He saw that one of the arm chairs was set just in under where he stood preaching (in the new church of 1862) and he invited Mr. Enos to sit there during the services, so that he could hear the reading and the sermon. These little attentions were really the cause of these histories, for while they were visiting, Mr. Scoville drew him out and led him on in the story of the long ago; and the pastor was ready with pencil and paper to put the incidents on record, and no one re- membered them as well as Mr. Enos.
There was no question that the majority was with Mr. Doane, but at a meeting of the society, June 30, 1860, he tendered his resignation of the pastorate. It was not accepted. However, at a similar meeting Au- gust 2, he again resigned. This was accepted and he left in October.
For the next nine months the pulpit was not reg- ulraly filled, but services were conducted in the ware- room hall and pastors from the neighboring churches preached occasionally, so that the church was not left to drift. After the fire the troubles in the church en- tirely estoped any efforts to rebuild for nearly a year and a half; but the members who believed in a Congre- gational Church were loyal to their convictions and did not " grow weary nor faint by the way." On July 2, 1859, it was voted to erect a new church building; but legal questions appeared which delayed the matter two years more. (Ser. 1, p. 29.) February 19, 1861, a series of resolutions was passed, entirely severing all connection with Presbytery, and making the church entirely independent. This action was taken four months after Mr. Doane had left the place, so it could
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not be charged to his personality and influence. It was simply the settled purpose of the members to be able to manage their own affairs by themselves; and this they fully decided to do.
Whatever may be said of Mr. Doane, the fact remains that he was a most original and forceful preacher. He had a stiff leg; he had a decided nasal twang in his voice; he was very homely of face and quite awkward in manner and gait, but-a very import- ant word just there-fifteen minutes after he began to speak, a stranger would have forgotten all these idiosyncracies; their presence being entirely over- shadowed by the words of wisdom which came from his lips. His sermons were epigramatic in a great degree and fixed ones attention closely. An instance I well remember. Services were being held in the old Acad- emy Chapel. One day in his sermon, he said :- " Relig- ion is a skeleton hanging on the wall. Orthodoxy comes along and crawling inside, it peers through the holes where the eyes ought to be; breathes through the place where the nose ought to be; speaks through the place where the mouth ought to be and cries O-R-T-H-O- D-O-X-Y ! O-R-T-H-O-D-O-X-Y!"
Two or three times in the lecture courses, some noted lecturer, finding it impossible for him to reach Norwich for the evening set for his lecture, would wire the committee. They at once engaged Mr. Doane to fill the number. He did not fail to gave a satisfactory address even on short notice. (Ser. 1, p. 64.)
The man who followed by Mr. Doane was Rev. Samuel Scoville-a wonderful personality. He inaug- urated a new era in this church-an era of love, which completely transformed it; overcoming all bitterness, acrimony and estrangement, made brethren of those who a few years before were utterly irreconilable, and made them see how far from the great law of Christ they had gotten away.
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The call and coming of Mr. Scoville are related in detail in Ser 1, pp. 30-33.
He came to Norwich first, February 3, 1861, and preached two sermons; then he returned to Brooklyn, and waited patiently (I speak advisedly) for the call. It came early in June and he began a " three months on trial " engagement on Sunday, June 23. In Septem- ber he was formally called to the pastorate; accepted; went to Peekskill and was married to Miss Harriet Eliza Beecher, only daughter of Rev. Henry Ward Beecher, by the father at the Beecher country home. Returning with his bride to Norwich in October, he began the remarkable pastorate of 18 years. His com- ing at this time was, in its far reaching results, one of the most important events which ever occurred in Nor- wich.
It was his first pastorate and he was therefore with- out experience. The two sermons he preached February 3, were the first he had written and preached. He was so sure the call would come that he just waited for it, refusing other openings into which he might have en- tered. He was sure God had a work for him to do in Norwich, and yet he had never seen Norwich before that winter morning. He was recommended by Prof. Charles Hopkins, late principal of Norwich Academy ; but at this time proprietor of Chenango County Book- store, which had been carried on by James G. Thomp- son. Mr. Hopkins was a classmate with Mr. Scoville in Yale. He knew him so well that he pressed the matter very strongly, so the trustees invited him to conduct the services for February 3. The trustees and other members on whom the care of the church rested, were at their wits ends with the difficulties and obstacles which beset the church. With neither a pastor nor a meeting house, and many conflicting opinions to be har- monized before anything like a settled policy could be assured to a pastor, or a building erected. Added to
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this several legal questions must be satisfactorily set- tled; and the hostility of the Guernsey family showed signs of indefinitely postponing the erection of the much-needed church building. The trustees were Col. Hewitt, Judge Lewis Kingsley, John Hammond, Sam- uel R. PerLee, Samuel H. Barnes and Charles P. Browning. Hewitt, Kingsley, Hammond and Browning were members of the church; Barnes and PerLee were not; but there seemed to be a harmonious feeling on the part of these men, and a strong desire to find a way out of the difficulties which confronted them. Added to these obstructions was the determination to break away from every Presbyterian form of procedure. One can well pity this body of men on which lay these perplex- ing problems which they were set to solve; and it was no wonder that they took four months to see their way clear to a definite proposal to Mr. Scoville. However much they might doubt and hesitate to assume the risk, Mr. Scoville's heart bounded with joy and he was eager to get into the harness. He had been on the ground but a short time before his energy and sublime opti- mism changed the whole trend of affairs. He began the three months' engagement June 23. Work on the foundation of the church was pushed rapidly and Au- gust 3, at 2 P. M. the corner-stone was laid with quite elaborate exercises, not the least interesting of which was the singing by the audience of the hymn written for the occasion by Judge Kingsley, set to " Old Hundred." Mr. Scoville made the opening address, and after the stone was laid he spoke in these prophetic words :- " Beneath this stone we bury all bitterness, all hatred against brother members forever. Upon it we testify to the goodness of God and consecrate our time ,our strength and our money to Him who is our Lord for ever," and in those ringing words he gave the key note of all the 18 years of strenuous endeavor which he was to put into the church.
BRICK CHURCH. Dedicated June 16, 1862.
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The building was inelosed before winter set in and the inside work was pushed during the winter. The forepart of June saw it completed, and it was dedicated Monday, June 16, 1862.
Since November, 1858, all the services of the church were held in the Close Wareroom facetiously called " Coffin Hall" by the " Bohemian Sons of Belial." The lease expiring November 1, 1861, Concert Hall was leased and used until the dedication. This hall was used first, Sunday, November 3, 1861. Mr. Scoville had just returned from the wedding trip and he preached his first sermon as pastor at this time. With the church an accomplished fact, he at once began, but very quietly, the work of reconcilliation, which he firmly be- lieved God had sent him here to do.
The Presbyterians were still using the Academy Chapel for services and had hired Rev. Hiram Dyer as pastor. Mr. Scoville managed to get acquainted with a few of them and kept at it until he had met them all. They could not help liking him; and the love of his big heart was too much to overcome. It took about two years to love them all back; then a resolution recinding all the unwise and objectionable action of the church cleared the record and the good people were brothers again, and he had the satisfaction of calling for the vote which wiped out the stain, and the third tragedy, which so long had hung over the church, was ended. Some years after, Mr. Thorpe and his daughter, Mary, returned from the west and were living in Norwich. They came under the spell of the pastor's great heart and they readily came back into the church; and " the hurt of my people was healed." Both were greatly esteemed in Norwich. God grant that this church may never have another such tragedy. If Mr. Scoville had done nothing during his 18 years life in Norwich but this-the wiping out of this most lamentable and un- necessary affair-it would have been years well spent.
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The prominent facts and features of Mr. Scoville's pastorate are related in Series 1; and his personal his- tory in the Memorial at the end of this volume so they need not be repeated here. Suffice it to say that it was with many tears on the part of himself and the mem- bers of this church that he and his family took their departure in October, 1879, for Stamford, Conn.
He had the names of fifty men, citizens of Norwich, which he carried in his pocket and prayed for every day. They were personal friends. As time went on a few were converted; but the rest were not. He felt that his influence had waned and that a new pastor might set them thinking. This became an obsession and for the first time in his pastorate he was discouraged; and in this, in his going away, is apparent one of the few mistakes chargeable to him and shows conclusively that he need not have left at all. He probably did not realize it, but his mind, dwelling on that list, covered up all other outlets for his energy and also several much more promising fields for his best endeavor. He had put the Sunday school on a basis which showed marked results and promised much greater results for the future. The Young Men's Club had the same future and so had the Young Peoples' Association; and either one of the three was worth the whole attention of the pastor; while the 50 men gave apparently no promise, further than an occasional one which would break through the ice. He entirely overlooked all these very hopleful prospects and allowed his mind to dwell on this hopeful prospects and allowed his mind to dewll on the grip, and, like Elijah, ran away. He thought another would take up the list and bring them in. Let us see how it worked out in practice. Dr. Taylor came. He knew nothing of the list; or if he did he never made it known in any way. He flatly said, " I cannot work in Mr. Scoville's harness," so he put no effort on the list at all; re-organized the Sunday school; let the Young
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Men's Club die and gave scant encouragement to the Young Peoples' Association. I don't know that he can be blameworthy, for he tried hard to bring good to the church according to his own ideas and manner of working; but they were radically different from Mr. Scoville's and he could not fit them to Mr. Scoville's plans; therefore those plans had to give way and all the promising future of them was lost. This would all have been saved had Mr. Scoville remained and put the same energy into them which he had before and could have done again; and as he did in Stamford-with the same fourage which was so characteristic of him-if he had first burned the list of fifty men. The Sunday school was the largest it had ever been; the Young Men's Club was doing fine work; the choir, the Women's Working Association and the Young People's Association, all these were flourshing and doing good work and were all loyal to him; and there was no reason why they were at all liable to fade away. And the debt-yes, the debt ! The church had by strenuous work such as it could do again, lifted just as large and even larger ones; so that need not have caused any anxiety. Therefore we see that he might have stayed in Norwich his whole life. But it was not so to be.
The doubling his salary was a great temptation to him, for he saw in that the fulfillment of his great desire to educate his children; and we see now the splendid result, for all four of them have attained dis- tinction, which only has been possible through a thor- ough education; so that the hand of God may have been in it after all. Nevertheless, we cannot but regret the evident loss which came to this church by the de- parture of Mr. Scoville. He stayed in Stamford two years longer than he did here. He really had no other pastorate, for he did not live in Vineland; he only went there and preached. His home was all the while in Stam- ford. Plymouth Church was only an experiment. He
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found he was not physically strong enough to endure it-but found it out too late.
He was followed in the Norwich pulpit by Rev. Edward Taylor, D. D., of Binghamton, former pastor of the Congregational Church in that city. He began his labors in Norwich as temporary supply October 12, 1879, preaching morning and evening. He was recovering from a year's illness and was just getting his strength back. He kept gaining all the time, but did not do much beside preaching morning and evening on Sundays.
" The Gospel is like the little letter y, it makes ours yours." This epigram from one of his sermons in this church, tersely put in his quaint phraseology, illus- trates both his style of writing and the ideal of his daily practice-always anxious to be of service to any one in need of help either in mind or body; and this gives one of the reasons, and a very important one too for his uniform success as a pastor.
He was the son of Abner and Mary Taylor, and was born October 6, 1821, in Lee, Berkshire County, Mass. This county borders on New York State, Lee being less than ten miles from the border. The last census (1910) gives it but 1,106 inhabitants. Probably it was very small in 1821, but the father supported his family by his trade, which was cabinet making. He and his wife were Christian people; and the son was baptized in 1822; and as he grew in years attended the village school, also the usual preparatory schools. He was a Congregationalist first, last and always; as was his father before him and probably most of his relatives. In 1839 he entered Williams' College, from which he graduated and was converted in 1842, and from Auburn Theological Seminary in 1846. In February, 1847, he was ordained by a council in Hinsdale, Mass., and in- stalled pastor of the church to which he had been preaching since leaving the Seminary The same year,
REV. EDWARD TAYLOR, D. D. The Thirteenth Pastor of First Congregational Church, Norwich, N. Y., 1879-1883.
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October 6, he married Miss Jane Gorton Wood at Aurora, Cayuga County, New York, He was 26 at this time. She was of Quaker descent and later was nick- named " Quaker" by the family.
He left Hinsdale in 1850 and was installed pastor in Lansingburg, N. Y. He remained there until 1855, when he became pastor in Kalamazoo, Mich., and re- mained eight years. In 1863 he was called to the pastor- ate of South Congregational Church, Brooklyn, N. Y., and in 1867 to the Congregational Church, Binghamton. The next year he joined Susquehanna Association, In 1877 he was compelled by insomnia to give up pastoral work, but did occasional preaching in neigh- boring churches, keeping his home in Binghamton at 100 Main street, which address became very well known by many people.
Mr. Scoville had resigned his Norwich pastorate to take effect October 1, 1879. On the D., L. & W. R. R. one day he found Dr. Taylor and they settled down for a visit. His resignation was mentioned. Dr. Taylor asked if any one had been engaged to supply the pulpit and when Mr. Scoville said no, Dr. Taylor asked if he himself would do as a supply? Mr. Scoville replied that he had no doubt he would; so they arranged it that Mr. Scoville should speak to the trustees about it. He did so at the next prayer meeting and it was voted that the trustees engage him; and Mr. Scoville was made a committee to do it. He saw him soon and the arrangment was made. Mr. Scoville and his family left town October 10 and Dr. Taylor began his engage- ment Sunday, October 12, preaching morning and even- ing, but he did not take up his residence in Norwich. He came up every Friday and remained until Monday, going back to Binghamton for study and writing his sermons; and coming up any time when needed. His services were so satisfactory that in January he was engaged for one year from April 1, by a rising vote
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of the church. He accepted and was recognized as the pastor of the church.
He soon took up the church debt, which then amounted to $9,000.00. The parsonage was sold to Mr. Cyrus B. Martin for $4,500.00; and on June 13, the whole amount was secured-largely by the application of good business tactics by Dr. Taylor. He readily saw that the debt was a bugbear and was the cause of much censoriousness, which was depressing the activities of the church. He also saw that the parsonage was a "white elephant "-too large for any pastor the church was able to support; and too valuable a property to use for a parsonage in Norwich. He very strongly advised its sale; and the more as Mr. Martin stood ready to take it any time for cash. Mr. Scoville owned the vacant lot back of the parsonage, on Miller street; and that Mr. Martin also agreed to take. In that way Dr. Taylor got a cash customer for both, which might otherwise not have been sold in several years; real estate at that time was very dull in Norwich.
While in town, Dr. Taylor had room and board with Mrs. Elizabeth (Foote) Turner, widow of Deacon Les- ter Turner ("Aunt Libbie," as she was called) 14 Cortland street. The same arrangement with Dr. Tay- lor was made for the year 1881; and also for 1882. During the summer there was in evidence a growing feeling that the church needed a resident pastor. There was no other objection to Dr. Taylor. His wife- as he put it :- " 'Quaker ' would not leave her home," so he let it be understood that he would not make any further engagement after April 1. His last serv- ice was Sunday, March 25, which was Easter. He preached at morning service an Easter sermon; and in the evening a union farewell service was held in the Congregational church in honor of Dr. Taylor. He left the church in a good condition both financially and
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spiritually and with all had made many friendships which lasted until his death.
From Norwich he went to Utica, where he instituted Plymouth Congregational Church, the first church of that denomination in the city, to which he ministered about a year. He then supplied the Congregationat Church in Greene for a while; then to the Congrega- tional Church in Cortland for five years, still retaining his residence in Binghamton as before. After this he supplied several churches in the vicinity which were without pastors. The last time he was in Norwich he attended the ordination of Rev. Daniel W. Dexter in this church, March 19, 1901.
When Dr. Taylor was attacked with insomnia, he made a contract with the Lord, that if He would give him the needed strength to continue preaching, he would (1) take the most needful work; (2) never in- quire as to the amount of pay; (3) never try to preach a great sermon; (4) always try to win sinners to Christ. " Under this covenant " he once said " the Lord gave me another turn. We have kept faith with each other; and I have had twenty years of varied, happy and fruit- ful public and hand picking service." Dr. Taylor very surely kept his part of the contract, for his services were in great demand all through the central part of the State; so that he seemed rather as a pastor at large for all that great parish. He also kept faith in the second proposition; his sermons were not great. He seldom spoke extemporaneously-his sermons were all written out in full; but he was not confined to the manu- script. His style was of a peculiar, epigramatic char- acter, sometimes giving the impression that he was a foreigner, but so terse and clear that his meaning was never covered over with words-every sentence was clean cut and clearly enunciated which gave great satis- faction to his audience. He evidently thought that if his sermon was worth writing-the task he was hired to
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do-it was worth delivering in such a manner that the hearers could understand what he said. He did not make much effort at oratory, but read his sermons and addresses in an easy, conversational tone and manner with clear utterance, so that he was clearly heard and understood in all parts of the room. I am sure that he must have given much time and study to aquiring this style of speaking. He once told me, in speaking of the thirteenth chapter of I Cor., that he had Prof. Whitney, the noted elocutionist, drill him thoroughly in reading it, so that he might be able to bring out what was best in that remarkable peroration of the great Apostle. There was no brilliant flashes of wit, but very often he indulged in quiet humor, which always pro- voked a smile and fixed in memory the point he had in mind.
In addition to his duties as pastor he had much to do with the cause of education as taught in common schools, and had been on the boards of trustees of two colleges; also of two Theological Seminaries. He had been identified with the State National Guard, having been commissioned Chaplain by Gov. John T. Hoffman, of the 13th Regiment of Brooklyn; and by the first Gov. John A. Dix, to the 44th Regiment of Binghamton. In the Civil War he was for a time agent of the Chris- tian Commission and stationed with Gen. Hancock's Veteran Corps at Camp Stoneman, near Washington, D. C .; also at various other headquarters; and so had some war experience.
He traveled in Europe, Egypt and Palestine for a year. Attendants of this church will remember the lectures he gave in this pulpit when he was pastor here, telling what he say and heard in those faraway coun- tries. He made the narration very interesting and in- structive for young and old.
In stature he was below the medium of men. Was somewhat stout in figure, but very active and alert.
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Even after he was 78 he preached often-probably nearly every Sunday and made addresses in many places. He took good care of his health, and so was enabled to carry on his chosen work with ease.
In 1865 the degree of Doctor of Divinity was con- ferred on him by Olivet College. Later in life almost no one spoke of him or to him by any other name than " Dr. Taylor." He died in Binghamton, Tuesday, November 4, 1902, at the family home, at the good old age of 81 years and 13 days, after somewhat more than a year of ill health.
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