USA > New York > Ulster County > Marlborough > History of the town of Marlborough, Ulster County, New York, from its earliest discovery > Part 29
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On this circuit I used to meet the natives, the red men of the forest. One time. as brother D. and I were riding near the woods, we saw, a little ahead of us, a company of Indians, fifteen in number. They had been drinking too much, and were painted as if they were going to war, a red streak of an inch wide, and a black streak of the same width, all over their faces and hair, most frightful to behold. When we came up with them, we saluted them with, "Sago, brother," at which they returned the same salutation. But they got before our horses, and made motions for us to dismount, which we were not in- clined to do, and shook our heads to intimate the same. They then took hold of the horses' bridles. We again shook our heads. They then took hold of our legs, but we pushed them away.
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They then let us pass, after giving such a yell as made the woods ring again. But we were right glad when we had got rid of such troublesome company. Some of the natives are good singers. There was one named Red Jacket, with whom I used to sing. He had the Psalms translated into Indian, and would sing in Indian while I sung in English. The New Testament and Psalms were said to be translated by Capt. Brandt. He lived near Grassy Point. I have often passed by the place, and seen his house many times. He was rich. and had much of this world's goods. I also saw the wife of Sir John Johnson. She was one of the natives, and wore her satin blanket. I also saw her youngest daughter. She was very fair to look upon, in consequence of which one gentleman killed himself because he could not get her to wife. Thus he died " as a fool dieth."
Having finished my tour on this circuit, and my mission in Canada, I repaired again to the conference, which was held in New York.
On the Flanders. New Jersey circuit. 1801. So I began, by saying what I seldom allowed myself to say, namely, I had no more doubt that God would bless the people that day than I had of his existence, or the reality of religion. And truly it was a great and glorious time that day. I did not leave the house until eleven o'clock at night. and many stayed all night. When I went in the morning to regulate things a little. I found the superfluities of dress strewed all around in the house, and the people actually refused to carry them away with them. On the Sabbath it was thought there were six thousand persons present. There was preaching from the pulpit, ex- horting from the windows. and sinners crying for merey in the house and ont of it. From this meeting this work spread all around the circuit, and many were added unto the Lord that year. * * *"
Soon after this I set off for the conference, which was held this year (1802) in Philadelphia. We had an agreeable time all through the season. My lot was to return again to Flanders circuit, and I had for my colleague Gamaliel Bailey. The. revival continued, and there was a considerable addition to the societies in the course of the year, a number of whom were set off to another circuit. At one place. " the Log Jail," we had a good time, and the work of the Lord went on prosperously. We preached at the house of one Amos Mann. a spiritual son of Benjamin Abbott, and a very good one he was. * Our congregation soon became so large that the house would not contain them. I then said to brother Mann. "You must
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enlarge your house." He said. " I will have another house enclosed by the time you come here again." And so it was. We had now two honses, and they were both filled. At the next meeting, however, we had to take the open air for our temple, though the weather was very cold. To accommodate the preacher as well as they could, they fixed up a blanket to keep off the cold north-west wind, and under these circumstances I preached to the people. while they sat on the ground. * * In 1803 our conference was held at a place called Duck Creek, in the state of Delaware. At this place the Quakers gave us the use of their meeting-house to hold our conference in, and we had preaching in ours every day : and as it was judged that at the conference held in that place the time before, there were a hundred souls converted, this brought together a great con- course of people. They brought their tents, and pitched them near the town, and carried on their meetings all night. At this conference I was appointed a third time to Flanders circuit, and travelled there three months on my third year, at the ex- piration of which I was appointed to take charge of the Albany district. This was no small trial to me; but I tried to hear the cross as well as I could. * I now wished to have my next appointment on Newburgh circuit, and I sent my re- quest to Bishop Asbury at the conference accordingly. He did not see fit. however. to grant it, but chose that for me which was better than if my own request had been granted. He
appointed me to Brooklyn. * In the year 1815 I was elected a delegate to the General Conference, which took place in 1816. at Baltimore. Bishop Asbury died a little before the sitting of this conference. Our friends in Baltimore had heard that the bishop, in a former will, had bequeathed his body to his Baltimore friends, he having formed the first Methodist society in that place. They therefore petitioned the General Conference for permission to have his body taken up, and brought to their city. The bishop had been buried in a private burying ground, about seventy miles from Baltimore - the friends in Baltimore wished him to be buried under the pulpit in the Eutaw church. Their request was granted. and they brought him to the city while the conference was in session ; and although it was not published in any of the churches, yet I think there was the greatest concourse of people I ever wit- nessed. It was said by brother Bond, who was with him when he died, and also conveyed his body to the city, that the corpse when taken up was but very little changed, although it had been twenty days in the grave. Ile was put into a lead coffin ;
METHODISM IN THE TOWN OF MARLBOROUGH. 397
so we did not see the corpse. Bishop M'Kendree officiated at the place. Brother Black, one of the delegates front Nova Scotia to our conference, walked with Bishop M'Kendree, and all the preachers of the General Conference walked two and two to the church.
The first meetings that were held in the town from 1786 up to 1812 were held at the houses of the class leaders and at the houses of the other members; and the services were mostly conducted by the circuit preachers appointed for that purpose and by the class leaders and the exhorters. The classes about this town organized themselves into a church and on No- vember 16, 1812, the Milton M. E. Society was incor- porated by a certificate executed upon that day. The election was presided over by Richard Burdge and Ananias Ketcham, inspectors; Thomas Woolsey, Uriah Coffin, Richard I. Woolsey, Henry Woolsey, and Jacob Dayton were elected trustees. The instrument was witnessed by William Bolton and Nathaniel Chittenden; sworn to before justice David Staples and the record attested by Christopher Tappen, clerk.
The same year the trustees commenced the erection of the present Methodist church at Milton. Money was very scarce in those times and people were poor, but they completed the church at a cost of $1907.92. The amount of the subscription up to the time of the dedication of the church had been but $1200, leaving a balance due the trustees of $707.92. This debt was carried along for several years, and was principally paid by the trustees themselves. The church re- mained substantially the same until about the year 1855, when some improvements were made.
In 1904 and 1905 the church was enlarged and re- modeled, refurnished, etc., at an expense of $7,000, and at the present time no finer, or more convenient church of its size is to be found in the county. This church has the distinction of being the first Methodist church
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built in the county. This society obtained a second certificate of incorporation, which was executed March 18, 1845, the trustees chosen at that time being James A. Disbrow, Isaac L. Craft, James Blockledge, Jacob H. Gillis, and Remos Woolsey.
The earliest preachers in connection with the New- burgh circuit, which included what is now this town, who resided here and who preached in the circuit, I find are as follows. The list is not complete up to 1817 but I give such names as I find up to that time :
1797, Thomas Woolsey; 1800-1806 inclusive, Elijah Woolsey; 1819 to 1822 inclusive, Eben Smith; 1827 to 1830 inclusive, 1835 to 1838 inclusive, Phineas Rice, who, I think was the Presiding Elder; 1817, Stephen Jacobs, Heman Bangs and Earl Bancroft; 1818, Her- man Bangs and Elijah Woolsey; 1819, Peter P. San- ford and Josiah Brower; 1820, Arnold Schofield and Josiah Brower; 1821, Arnold Schofield and Smith Arnold; 1822, Jesse Hunt and John C. Green; 1823, Jesse Hunt and Nicholas White; 1824, Nicholas White; 1825, Bradley Silleck; 1826, Bradley Silleck; 1827, 1828, Humphrey Humphreys; 1829, Eben Smith ; J. D. Marshall; 1830. Valentine Buck; 1831, B. Grif- fin, L. Fisher; 1832, H. Wing, William Miller; 1833, H. Wing, D. Webster, E. Washburn; 1834, E. Wash- burn, -- McFarland, D. Webster; 1835, J. W. Lefever, Jacob Shaw, W. M. Ferguson; 1836, C. Stillwell, Jacob Shaw; 1837, Valentine Buck, E. Crawford; 1838, John C. Green. Elijah Crawford; 1839, John C. Green, Eben Smith. Up to this time these preach- ers had quite large circuits. They not only held ser- vices at Milton and Marlborough, but in many of the surrounding churches. In fact each one had charge of several churches or meetings. After 1840 and up to 1858 the preachers then had charge of the Milton, Marlborough, and Lattintown churches. 1840 and 1841, Edward Oldrin; 1842. F. W. Smith; 1843 and
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1844,. Theron Osbon; 1845, David Webster; 1846 and 1847, Matthew Vendeusan; 1848 ad 1849, Edward Oldrin; 1850 and 1851, Nathan Rice; 1852 and 1853, Lorin Clark; 1854 and 1855, James H. Hauxhurst; 1856 and 1857, T. B. Smith. From this time the Mil- ton and Marlborough churches have had separate resident pastors; 1858 and 1859, D. W. C. Van Gaas- beck; 1860, J. A. Edmonds; 1861 and 1862, J. W. Smith; 1863, Aaron Hunt; 1864 and 1865, E. S. Osbon ; 1866 and 1867, J. Croft; 1868 and 1869, D. Phillips ; 1870-1872, Peter C. Oakley; 1873 and 1874, Horace Wood; 1875, F. D. Abrams; 1876 and 1877, Charles Palmer; 1878, E. H. Roys; 1879, J. L. G. McKown, (died here May 2, 1879; H. Jackson supplied) ; 1880- 1882, C. C. Miller; 1883-1885, C. F. Wixon; 1886 and 1887, Charles H. Snedeker; 1888-1892, E. S. Bishop; 1893 and 1894, M. B. Snyder; 1895, J. C. Hoyt; 1896- 1899, I. H. Lent; 1900-1902, F. H. Deming: 1903-1905, G. A. Shahan; 1906 and 1907, R. N. Birdsall; 1908, Abram Woodward.
Peter C. Oakley, born August 20, 1800, died June 15, 1889, and buried in the Methodist churchyard, resided here many years before his death; he was a supernumerary, and rendered good and efficient ser- vice to the church. Eben Smith died May 18, 1841; for forty years a minister of Christ; he is also buried in the graveyard.
The present number of church members is 120. Present trustees: Thomas F. Sears, Griggs Rhodes, Isaac Conklin, Frank C. Wood, James R. Clark; Stewards: William H. Lyons, Ensign Lyons, Charles W. Fisher, William Purdy, Frank C. Wood, John Wood, James R. Clark, Susan M. Rutter, Jane Oakley, Mrs. Ruth Coutant, Mrs. Melissa Purdy.
My old friend, Nicholas Hallock, tells me that he remembers in 1834, when Lorenzo Dow, the great ora- tor, spoke in the Methodist church. Mr. Hallock was
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a mere child at the time, and remembers going with a relative to the church. The relative corrected him at the time, which fastened it in his memory. As he remembers it, there was a gallery on the north and south sides of the church, and they were in the gal- lery overlooking Dow, who was then an old man with a long flowing white beard reaching almost to his waist. He spoke earnestly and made many gestures. A great crowd of people were present. At night he held a meeting at or near what was then called Dog street. He gave out at this meeting that there would be services at the Baptist church, Lattintown, that night at midnight; and it was said great crowds were there to meet him. It is also told of him that he preached from a stump, and when he closed the meet- ing, he gave notice that preaching would be there at the same place one year from that night, at which time he was on hand and preached. The circuit preacher whose narrative is previously given, was afterward in the Middletown, Connecticut, circuit ; he says;
At North Guilford there was one thing transpired which was very extraordinary. It was at a time when Lorenzo Dow was preaching. He observed that there was a young lady in the congregation who was very inattentive to the word, and was also laughing. He said to her, " Young woman, I will tell your fortune when I get through this head of my dis- course :" and when he had got through, he said, "Now, young lady. I will tell you your fortune." She then braced herself up, and, with all the boldness imaginable, laughed the preacher in the face. He then said. " Young lady, you have no time to laugh : you had better be preparing your grave-clothes, for you will need them in less than two weeks." * * so it turned out, that in ten days from that time the young lady was brought a corpse into that house, which was matter of great astonishment to all the congregation. This same woman was said to be a very healthy person, and this made it appear the more astonishing to the people. I recollect having been with Lorenzo once when he had been telling some of the people their fortunes. As we lodged together that night, I asked him how it was that he could tell the people what was to come to pass,
MARLBOROUGH M. E. CHURCH.
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and tell it with such confidence. He said, that things came to his mind with such light and power, that if he did not speak of them he felt guilty.
There is nothing supernatural about the death of this poor girl. It is very doubtful, indeed, if Dow could tell future events, or had any presentiment of the death of this girl. He was noted for being a bold, reckless speaker, and said many things in his dis- courses that might better have been unsaid. It is very probable that this girl was scared to death. The words of the preacher were so direct and earnest and said in the presence of all her neighbors and friends, that evidently they produced a shock, and was sneh a great terror to her mind, that in fear and trembling, and sleepless nights and horrid dreams, which she could not suppress, she was hurried to her grave. It was a wicked, dangerous thing to say to anyone, especially to so young a person; and such a thing would not be allowed at this day.
MARLBOROUGH METHODIST CHURCH.
As has been seen, Luff Smith had a class in 1786 near Marlborough, and from that time up to 1830 services were held at houses, and sometimes at the Presbyterian church, and at the schoolhouse, at irreg- ular times. Whenever a circuit preacher came through this country he would hold services at such places as were prepared for him, but they were irreg- ular gatherings, most of the Methodists about here attending at the Milton church. In 1830 they com- pleted the old frame church on Main street, and used it until 1867, when it was sold to the Catholic people, and the Methodists the same year occupied the new church on Grand street; the new church together with the lot cost $16,000. The church was incorporated
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HISTORY OF MARLBOROUGH.
October 28, 1830, under the statute relating to the incorporation of religious societies. James H. Long- bottom and Barnabus M. Mapes presided at the elec- tion of trustees, and Samuel Beebe, James H. Long- bottom, Josiah Lockwood, Barnabus M. Mapes, and Charles Merritt were duly elected as such trustees. The church was named The Methodist Episcopal Church of Marlborough and the certificate was acknowledged before A. D. Soper, first judge of Ulster county. After the dedication of the church a deep religious interest followed and many were added to the church, among whom was Henry Terbush, and Z. N. Lewis, both of whom became preachers and joined the conference. Up to 1858 the same preachers are named as those who served at Milton and other nearby places. At a quarterly conference held at Milton in 1840 it was resolved to divide into three parts, and Milton, Marlborough and Lattintown were embraced in one circuit. These ministers have al- ready been given up to 1858. Since that time, the following preachers have had charge of the church:
In 1858, Elijah Shurter; 1859, Elbert Osborn; 1860 and 1861, L. W. Wadsworth, during whose adminis- tration the parsonage was built; 1862, A. P. Lyon; 1863 and 1864, D. Gibson; 1865-1867, N. B. Tompsin. During his administration the present church was built. He came faithful to the call of his conference to the work at Marlborough. He found two churches and congregations, one at Marlborough and one at Lattintown. He became ambitious to build a new church and unite the congregations; the two old churches were sold and about $2,000 was realized. It was a great undertaking, but by zeal, perseverance and prayer, he succeeded. The site for the church was selected with much care and was of the best that could be obtained, and the present fine structure will stand as a monument in the hearts and memory of
METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH AT LATTINTOWN. 403
generations yet to come. The present church was dedicated June 6, 1867. The dedication sermon was preached by Bishop Janes, and an evening sermon by Randolph Foster, afterward a bishop. A great revival occurred during Tompsin's pastorate. In 1868 and 1869, G. H. Gregory found an indebtedness of $6,000 and he entered earnestly in the work of extinguishing it. In 1870 and 1871, W. Ostrander; 1872-1874, V. N. Traver; 1875, F. Botone; 1376, J. P. Hermans; 1877-1879, A. M. Osborn; 1880, W. F. Brush; 1881-1883, D. D. Gillespie; 1884-1886, S. P. Galloway; 1887 and 1888, S. F. White; 1889 and 1890, J. W. Dodge; 1891 and 1892, J. Ackerman ; 1893, J. M. Cornish; 1894 and 1895, G. C. H. Adams; 1896, R. S. Crawford; 1897-1901. George E. Barber; 1901. William N. Sarles; 1902 and 1903, Arthur Thompson; 1904, Elmer E. Count; 1905 and 1906, William Moser; 1907 and 1908 Edwin Hunt.
The present membership is three hundred. The present trustees are : Seymour Fowler, C. R. Gordon, Charles Warren, Eugene Lawson, David Mosher, A. H. Palmer, E. B. Dexter, W. S. Wright, and R. A. Weed. The present stewards are: W. R. Greiner, H. C. Cooley, C. E. Westervelt, C. A. Hartshorn, N. L. Wygant, R. A. Clack, G. G. Fowler, S. Haviland, John Lawson, Jr.
METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH AT LATTINTOWN.
There were two classes organized in 1786-"Lattin- town class, Lattintown: Jacob Dayton class, near Lattintown." This shows that there were Method- ists there at an early period, but only occasional meet- ings were held at the houses of the class leaders and others and at the schoolhouses, whenever preachers visited that part of the country; and afterward, some years before the church was built, they held services
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HISTORY OF MARLBOROUGH.
at the house of John Shorter, now the Odell house, and also at the Baptist meeting house. They formed a legal organization by a certificate bearing date March 3, 1848. Isaac R. Fowler and H. S. Shorter presided at the meeting for organization, and William Mackey, Thomas S. Warren, Benjamin Harcourt, David Fowler, John D. Crook, Isaac R. Fowler, and H. S. Shorter were chosen trustees. In May, 1854, John Shorter conveyed to the trustees the land upon which the church was built. About 1870 the church was taken down and removed to Clintondale. It never had any separate preacher, but was one of the three churches in the town which was supplied by the same preacher. Afterward the Marlborough church took charge of it.
There was a circumstance connected with this church that made quite a sensation. During the Civil War the patriotic people about here kept the national flag flying from the belfry of the church, night and day. One night some persons clandes- tinely entered the church, tore down the flag and carried it off. It caused a great disturbance, as the older people will remember, and steps were taken to find out and punish the participants. The guilty parties were found out, and, at the earnest solicita- tion of their friends, the matter was allowed to drop.
The bell of the church was taken with the church to Clintondale and afterward purchased by the late James H. Crook and presented by him to the Milton Methodist church. It was their first bell.
CHAPTER XV.
THE BAPTIST CHURCH SOCIETY.
For several years prior to 1782 the pastor of the Baptist church at the old village of Fishkill, situated some miles back from the river, performed mission- ary labors at different places in Dutehess and Ulster counties. In 1782 he succeeded in organizing a branch of the society in the precinct of New Marlborough, then recently a part of the precinct of Newburgh. At a regular meeting of this branch church, held on the 24th day of May, 1785, at the house of Reuben Drake, (Elder Philips presiding), a petition was pre- sented by Nathan Ellet and William Purdy on behalf of themselves and others that the society be consti- tuted a separate church, and that Jonathan Atherton be ordained pastor. The application was granted and the ordination as well as the services constituting the church were held on the 27th day of May. The mem- orandum further states that "Elder Drake preached the ordination sermon, and gave the charge to the pastor and the church. Elder Philips gave Brother Atherton the hand and said in the presence of the whole congregation that he owned him as an elder, and so Elder Philips went to prayer; when done they sang a psalm, went out and left us to ourselves." The organization thus formed was called "The Baptist Church of Pleasant Valley." It will be seen that this was the Plattekill part of the precinct of New Marl- borough. In 1789 a branch was established at Lattin- town and one at New Paltz.
After 1789 meetings were held at Lattintown at at the schoolhouse and at the houses of Nehemiah L. Smith, Noah Woolsey, Mathew Benedict and others. Up to 1807, when steps were taken to organize a
[405]
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HISTORY OF MARLBOROUGH.
church and build a church edifice. The oldest record I find is as follows:
Record of the Trustees of the Meeting-House Belonging to the Baptist Church of Latintown, in Marlborough
Laten Town, January 25th, 1807.
Church met according to appointment and elected Nehemiah L. Smith, Noah Woolsey, and Mathew Benedoet Trustees of said Church, to manage the affairs of the meeting-house in Latentown.
The society was incorporated by a certificate bear- ing date January 26, 1807. The paper was signed by the officers who presided at the meeting, Matthew Benedict and Richmond Burwell. The trustees chosen were Nehemiah L. Smith, Noah Woolsey, and Mat- thew Benedict. The proceedings were verified before Judge Jonathan Hasbrouck, and the record attested by George Tappen, deputy clerk. Noah Woolsey re- mained a trustee continuously until his death in 1832. The ancient record book of the church remains in a good state of preservation, and contains a record of all the principal matters relating to the church from its organization.
In January, 1808, Thomas Wygant and Elizabeth his wife, for the sum of £20, sold and conveyed to the trustees of the church one-half acre of land on which. the meeting-house stands, also the graveyard.
The form and shape of the church has never been changed. The following is mainly from a sketch, which was compiled mostly from the church book :
At a meeting of the church held in the month of May, 1812, Deacon Purser, who was present, made the church a present of this book, it being the one in use at the present time for keeping the records of the church.
From the records it appears that the Pleasant Valley church, situate nine miles southwest of Lattin- town, embraced members living on both sides of the
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THE BAPTIST CHURCH SOCIETY.
Marlborough mountains. On the 6th of May, 1812, a meeting was appointed in Lattintown for the pur- pose of constituting into a separate church those members of the Pleasant Valley church residing on the easterly side of the Marlborough mountain. Elder Lebbeus Lathrop, being chosen to preside, stated the object of the meeting and the importance attached to it. After the case had been presented, Articles of Faith were read in the hearing of those present desir- ing to be constituted into a separate church. They individually signified their assent and agreement thereto and were formally constituted into a sepa- rate church, adopting the name of the Baptist Church of Christ in Lattintown. The right hand of fellow- ship was given by Elder Lathrop to twenty-four mem- bers present ; five were subsequently added, making a total membership of twenty-nine. A letter was immediately prepared and sent to the Warwick Asso- ciation, asking admission, which request being granted, they became a member of that body.
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