USA > New York > The Diocese of Central New York; the founding fathers > Part 13
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16
119
THE FOUNDING FATHERS
-the Gothic Revival-references appear as to "Gothic windows" or the pointed style.
Bishop De Lancey demonstrated considerable interest and some concern about the construction and financing of these buildings. No doubt this stemmed from the apparent weakness of parishes without edifices as well as from the current practice of sending the local pastor to New York or Philadelphia in search of funds. The latter led to the pastor being absent from his charge, when over extended, brought unfortunate consequences upon parish life. Nor was that the only defect in this procedure. At times the solic- iting clergyman returned crestfallen because of the abuse, rebuffs, and even insults that he had met while on his begging mission. If the latter was necessary the Bishop strongly urged the use of lay- men. Meanwhile Convention went on record as recommending the gathering of plans and estimates for the erection of churches "suit- able to the wants of the smaller parishes." To what extent these forces influenced church building during the next twenty years is not known though it is established that many edifices were erected. In this respect it should be noted that Richard Upjohn publishing in 1852 a small book entitled Rural Architecture, which selling for the price of five dollars provided plans which a local contractor could easily follow. A church, for example, seating around a hun- dred and fifty persons, with a lateral tower, nave, chancel, and robing room might be erected for three thousand dollars. The style was early English with plain lancets in the nave and triple in the chancel. The tower had a belfry crowned by a broach spire and was shingled. A simple pitched roof over both nave and chancel was supported by arched trusses. The inside walls were plastered and the exterior was covered with boards and batten. In contrast, a chapel, costing in the neighborhood of nine hundred dollars, could be erected on a smaller and less pretentious basis. Its total size would be about the same as the size of the nave of a church ; there being no chancel, robing room, porch, or tower. Although not re- sembling a meeting house, Upjohn believed that the altar had lost its sanctity when placed in the same room as the congregation.
Because of the attention given by students of architecture to Upjohn as the great exponent of the Gothic Revival it may not be amiss to indicate by name the churches in Central New York that may be traced to him. They are as follows: Christ, Binghamton (1855), Zion, Windsor (1863), St. Andrew's, New Berlin (1848), St. James', Theresa (1850), Trinity, Watertown (1851), St.
120
PAROCHIAL ESTATES
Thomas, Hamilton (1847), St. John's, Oneida (1858), Zion, Rome (1850), Grace, Utica (1860), St. George's, Utica (1863), Christ, Oswego (1857), St. James', Pulaski (1849), and St. Peter's, Cazenovia (1848).
Other churches, built along Gothic lines between 1840 and 1868, may have been inspired by Upjohn's models or by other architects such as Henry Dudley. The latter, a prominent architect of New York City, designed St. Peter's, Auburn (1868), Trinity, Elmira (1858), St. James', Clinton (1863), Calvary, Utica (plans drawn in 1856), and St. Paul's, Waterloo (1864). Among other churches St. John's, Ithaca (1860) was built by Peter Apgar ; Grace, Bald- winsville (1860) by plans drawn by Captain I. T. Minard, a local vestryman; Christ, Jordan (1863) by H. N. White, architect ; St. James', Syracuse (1851) by Frank Wells, a student of Upjohn ; St. Paul's, Syracuse (1842) by Daniel Ellis; St. Mark's, Clark Mills (1864) by plans submitted by the Rev. R. Whittingham once rector at New Berlin ; Grace, Waterville (1854) was designed by Thomas S. Jackson of New York City ; Emmanuel, Adams (1849), by Frank Wills; Grace, Elmira (1865), by E. T. Potter of New York ; and St. Ann's, Afton (1860), which was designed by Henry M. Congdon, also of New York.
Meanwhile many parishes had provided their pastors with rec- tories. At first, especially during the 1820's and 1830's, mission- aries and rectors probably, except for a few cases, either shifted for themselves or lodged in the home of a parishioner or friend. When De Lancey came to Western New York in 1838 he was touched to the quick by the lack of residences for the clergy and their fam- ilies. How, he asked Convention, could the parishes expect to retain their ministers for any length of time without a rectory? Every church should have one; those in the rural areas should also provide a few acres of land. The response was not encouraging and in 1847 he told Convention that while some rectories had been erected there were only about thirty in the entire diocese. How many of these were in Central New York is not certain. Paris Hill, in 1824, had a parsonage and a "glebe" of five acres. Two years later, Trinity, Utica, reported that a rectory had been com- pleted. St. Peter's, Auburn, erected a home for its minister in 1828 which is still in use. The Journal, 1829, implies rectories at New Berlin and Sherburne and in the following decade homes appear at Pierrepont Manor, New Hartford, Holland Patent, and Skan- eateles. No doubt a careful search of parish records and local news-
121
THE FOUNDING FATHERS
papers would reveal additional information.
In 1842 at Catherine a "neat" parsonage was purchased for $500 while one at Greene cost half that amount, the lot being a gift. New Berlin reported a new rectory the next year, valued at $1200; Oxford bought one in 1845 while in 1846 money was raised to erect a new parsonage at Paris Hill. In the same year the women at Owego raised $500 for a home; at Ithaca a house and lot was acquired, thanks largely to Alanson Douglass of Troy, for $2,000. Richard Upjohn drafted plans in 1850 for a parsonage at Elmira and in the following year nearly eight hundred dollars was raised for a home at Harpursville. Syracuse received a home on the southwest corner of Warren and Jefferson in May, 1853, from Horace White. Waterville probably built its rectory (still in use in 1883) in 1854; three years later rectories were reported at Low- ville and Norwich. During the 1860's a large number of clerical homes were erected and some of the older ones were remodeled and brought up to date.
The following table taken from the Journal of 1866 provides a good picture of the over-all financial structure of Central New York. Comparable data for the next two years is not given and such as is carries a different arrangement and headings. It should be remembered, however, that the totals for 1866 do not include the new buildings and improvements mentioned in the various
OFFERINGS
PARISH
DIOCESAN
Salaries and Expenses
Total
Missions
Episco- pate
Total
Oneida
$ 17,700.00 $ 26,864.13 $
450.19
$
208.66 $
2,676.30
Jefferson
5,888.38
9,596.71
296.22
121.71
856.75
Lewis
1,412.02
2,064.62
25.26
2.00
67.77
Madison
2,654.32
7,312.00
94.30
25.13
158.92
Chenango
7,776.65
12,761.96
416.24
236.60
1,586.68
Onondaga
12,417.74
16,151.72
493.97
157.44
2,114.98
Oswego
4,460.02
6,805.54
101.39
94.24
309.43
Cortland
990.14
1,121.36
21.16
10.50
55.48
Broome
3,223.82
4,027.52
95.62
79.21
510.20
Cayuga
5,027.34
6,886.16
111.60
67.07
530.33
Tompkins
2,026.32
5,644.94
72.24
15.22
396.41
Tioga
2,916.10
3,871.57
81.31
25.49
240.77
Seneca
3,792.69
4,602.27
146.83
98.10
386.25
Chemung
5,562.00
15,661.23
50.82
39.48
1,113.59
Total
$ 75,947.54 $123,371.69 $
2,457.85 $
1,180.85 $ 11.004.23
122
ST. PAUL'S CHURCH, PARIS HILL As erected in 1818
. . ...
CHRIST CHURCH, SHERBURNE Erected in 1831
GRACE CHURCH, UTICA Consecrated August 16, 1864
-
VOC!
THE SECOND S. PETER'S CHURCH, AUBURN Consecrated 1833
*
CALVARY CHURCH, HOMER Erected 1832
TRINITY CHURCH, UTICA Consecrated 1806
CHRIST CHURCH, OSWEGO Cornerstone laid Oct. 12, 1854. Opened for Services, Jan. 4, 1857
-- --
----
nnn
TRINITY CHURCH, PARISH HOUSE AND RECTORY Lowville, N. Y. Diocese of Central New York
Owego Jag 12 1850
Maan Wolleam Dolisway, Src At. Kein, James Brown, Willian S. Mal. Column, Patrito -Hand, and. B. Colwere having awhile to paseo incontroration q another Protestant Elvis couch congregation the any of Gowego on the East side of the Man with the Con commence y the Ruta q Gruit Cherche à to. do hund - conforming to the Can in centify that I athrower
---
-
ST. PAUL'S CHURCH, SYRACUSE About 1860
PAROCHIAL ESTATES
OFFERINGS
General Total
Grand Total
Oneida
$ 923.49
$ 30,463.92
Jefferson
206.50
10,659.96
Lewis
25.51
2,157.90
Madison
42.31
7,513.23
Chenango
1,571.28
15,919.92
Onondaga
655.46
18,922.16
Oswego
168.84
7,283.81
Cortland
30.50
1,207.70
Broome
192.92
4,730.64
Cayuga
264.36
7,680.85
Tompkins
243.28
6,284.63
Tioga
212.25
4,324.07
Seneca
216.05
5,204.07
Chemung
409.80
17,184.61
Total
$ 5,162.55
$139,538.07
VALUE OF CHURCH PROPERTY
Churches
Rectories
Schools and Endowments
Total
Oneida
$207,300.00
$ 24,450.00
$ 96,250.00
$328,000.00
Jefferson
43,200.00
9,500.00
1,100.00
53,800.00
Lewis
18,000.00
3,500.00
21,500.00
Madison
20,694.00
2,000.00
1,809.00
24,494.00
Chenango
52,500.00
10,300.00
2,850.00
65,650.00
Onondaga
74,180.00
16,450.00
1,460.00
91,090.00
Oswego
77,050.00
8,400.00
2,000.00
87,450.00
Cortland
8,000.00
350.00
8,350.00
Broome
31,500.00
1,200.00
1,500.00
34,200.00
Cayuga
30,775.00
10,000.00
40,775.00
Tompkins
23,840.00
3,800.00
360.00
28,000.00
Tioga
19,700.00
1,200.00
20,900.00
Seneca
35,000.00
5,000.00
40,000.00
Chemung
32,347.00
2,500.00
34,747.00
Total
$673,986.00
$ 98,300.00
$107,670.00
$879,956.00
parochial reports for 1867 and 1868. Were the latter more even in quality and complete they might be tabulated and used.
Among the parishes whose churches ranged in value from twenty to thirty thousand dollars, which may be considered a sub- stantial sum for that age, were Christ, Binghamton, St. Peter's, Auburn, Grace, Elmira, St. Paul's, Oxford, Trinity, Watertown, St. Paul's, Waterloo, Trinity, Lowville, and St. John's, Ithaca. Those in excess were Trinity, Elmira ($30,000), St. James', Syr- acuse ($31,000), Christ, Oswego ($35,000), St. Paul's, Syracuse ($45,000), Evangelists, Oswego ($45,500), and Grace, Utica
123
THE FOUNDING FATHERS
($100,000). Probably the evaluation in all instances included the church lot and furnishings, organ, bell, communion plate and in a few cases a cemetery. Precisely what was covered by "salaries and expenses" is not clear though the former must have been the larger and embraced not only the pastor's stipend but payments to a sex- ton and, if the parish could afford it, an organist and choir director.
Early in the annals of Central New York, with but one or two exceptions, the minister was a missioner and received an annual salary of but one hundred and twenty-five dollars a year. As noted in a previous chapter this amount remained largely unaltered throughout the years preceding the founding of the diocese. This sum might or might not be increased by a parsonage, pasturage for a cow, a garden, fire wood, and occasional donations. At best there was ample room for improvement particularly if the pastor were married and had a family. A notable illustration of the latter was the Rev. Davenport Phelps who in the spring of 1806 reminded Bishop Hobart that it was exceedingly difficult to support himself and family, to say nothing about the costs involved in visiting all the stations within his authority, upon two hundred and fifty to three hundred dollars. Especially hard was it when his payments from the Missionary Fund did not arrive on time. If only the total income were doubled conditions would be tolerable, but might it not be arranged for him to receive his stipend in advance? That his request was reasonable should not be questioned. William B. Lacey, who once served Binghamton, estimated in 1817 that the parish might provide as much as six or seven hundred dollars in cash and kind for a missionary.
Although the stipend of one hundred and twenty-five dollars remained unchanged, a study of records preserved at the diocesan house, Buffalo, shows that adjustments were made. Often a mis- sionary had more than one station and thus, in some instances, received additional support. Again, as the fortunes of a mission permitted greater local assistance the missionary stipend was re- duced. In a few cases stations were maintained by some self sup- porting parish. In the fall of 1858, for example, Trinity Church, Watertown, assumed the expense of a missionary to Sterlingville, Champion, and Carthage. The fruit of this effort is revealed in a report made in 1865 :
At Cathage $600 has been subscribed, and at Champion $200, for the support of a Missionary, which, with the stipend would make a salary of $925. .. Missionary services
124
PAROCHIAL ESTATES
were commenced in 1858 ... During this time less than $300 per year was raised by the parishes, the balance to sup- port a Missionary, was given by the members of Trinity Church, Watertown, the Rector and the Missionary each giving liberally for this purpose.
A church able to pledge such an amount in cash and kind or both might assume that it could maintain a resident rector. This seems to have been true of Christ Church, Binghamton, where in 1818 the Rev. James Keeler was so installed. Meanwhile Lacey had visited Ithaca where in the spring of 1822 the Rev. Samuel Phinney became rector. The salaries paid him and his successors during the 1820's ranged roughly between three and five hundred dollars. At Christ, Sherburne, in 1836 and 1837 its rector re- ceived a smaller amount, namely $187.50 a year which was supple- mented by a parsonage. St. Paul's, Paris Hill, which did not become an independent parish until late in the 1840's, provided one hundred and fifty dollars plus a glebe and wood lot in 1828. Seven years later the amount stood at three hundred and eighty-five dollars. Thereafter the salary fluctuated in accordance with local prosperity. At Trinity, Fayetteville, the salary rose from $375 in 1839 to $500 by 1868. Even after a rector was installed the amount remained low; the Rev. William Alger being paid but $426.71 in 1861 plus a home and probably other prerequisites. However, this was only slightly better than what Harpursville pro- vided in 1848, namely, three hundred dollars, a parsonage, pasture lot, and twenty cords of wood. Emannuel Church, Norwich, gave its pastor four hundred dollars in 1836. "Even the small sum," so the Rev. L. S. Charters relates in his History of Emannuel Parish,
... appeared as a considerable contract to a small con- gregation, especially since they had just strained their re- sources to build a $4,000 church. So they found it difficult to pay the rector's salary. Subscriptions were not promptly paid. The vestry, therefore, authorized their pastor to take notes from the defaulting members of his flock.
Situations like these produced unhappy results. It is a matter of wonder how a clergyman could meet his own expenses, the cloth- ing and feeding of a family (all but eleven of the clergy in the Diocese of Western New York were listed as married in 1854), the education of children, and the purchases of vestments and books without going into debt. Nor could a pastor be censured when he accepted another charge where the salary was larger. In some
125
THE FOUNDING FATHERS
instances the removal of parishioners materially reduced the ability of a church to sustain a minister. Finally, as mentioned on a pre- vious page, these conditions influenced the number of candidates for holy orders. Aware of these and other factors, Bishop De Lan- cey high-lighted the issue at the Conventions of 1853 and 1854 and issued a pastoral letter to laity on clerical salaries. "There is no excess," he stated, "in the payment of the clergy for their services." The "money-salary" varied from a hundred dollars in the feeble rural churches to nearly two thousand in some three or four city parishes and "there is but one parish that engages to pay its clergy- men in money over two thousand dollars." By way of remedy the Bishop urged an increase of regular stated salaries, "punctually paid" and a donation on each Thanksgiving Day. The donation, he stressed was not to be a substitute for any part of the salary. "The clergy," he reminded all, "are not an indolent, luxurious body of men, but laborious, faithful, hard working in their vocation. They shrink not from duty."
Thanksgiving Day collections and other donations brought some relief to an underpaid clergy as may be seen from a study of the Journal for the years that followed.1 Particularly was this true during the 1860's. Unfortunately, parochial reports for that de- cade were neither complete nor uniform thus making an analysis of salaries impossible. Sixty-seven parishes, however, in Central New York did give data for three or more years. Using these figures it will be seen that twenty-four gave less than five hundred dollars in cash a year; twenty-two between five hundred and a thousand ; nine from a thousand to fifteen hundred ; two between fifteen hundred and two thousand ; six between two thousand and twenty-five hundred; and four in excess of twenty-five hundred. The top three parishes were Trinity, Utica, St. Paul's, Syracuse, and Grace, Utica.
Here, as elsewhere in the United States, parish maintenance was dependent upon money raised from offerings, donations, special contributions, the sale of burial lots, legacies and endowments, in- come earned from fairs and festivals, and from a pew tax. The latter was also used for the building of churches although at an earlier date a scheme of subscription had been employed. But because of its uncertainty and the altogether too common practice of de-
1 Less successful was an attempt made by the Bishop in 1856 to establish endowments in every parish, especially the smaller ones, ear-marked for clerical salaries.
126
PAROCHIAL ESTATES
faulting, it was superseded by an annual pew tax though even this did not solve the problem. Nor could it, so a committee stated in 1840, unless every church edifice was adequately financed from the beginning. To gain that end the Convention of that year, upon recommendation of the committee, voted that all sums subscribed for the erection of church building in the future should be consid- ered as loans, to be returned to the subscribers in pews leased per- petually as private property, subject to an annual tax. The plan in one sense was not new but in its more recent form did obviate difficulties that had arisen where the pews had been sold without any condition or any liability to assessment for parish revenue.
Meanwhile throughout the country considerable opposition had developed against the sale and renting of pews. Private property in the House of Prayer, it was said, was a restriction and limitation of the privileges of the Church-privileges which Christ intended to be equally free to all sorts and conditions of men. But if seats were sold what were the reactions and feelings of those who could not or did not own pews? Did some attend worship believing they were present by the courtesy of the owners or did they view themselves as strangers occupying the "alleys and corners" of the church? The evident result of such a practice, so hostile to the design and spirit of Christianity, was to set a mark upon the poorer members and to bring into the church all the temporal distinctions of wealth and fashion that were seen in the dwellings of any village or city.
Others held that the selling and conveying seats in an edifice consecrated to God was in contradiction to the rite of consecration. Again it was affirmed that the pews sold were often left unoccupied even though there were not enough seats to take care of those who, not so privileged, desired to worship. A more serious objection arose when churches were built by contributions to be returned in pew stock ; such donations were viewed as investments rather than a religious offering to God. Moreover, subscribers were immedi- ately reimbursed not in moral or religious blessing but in property which might be sold or exchanged like the stock of any business company or corporation. It was true, the opponents to the system readily admitted, that it was a ready method of obtaining parish income and that to abolish the same at once might lead to dire consequences. But the true way to correct an evil was not to acqui- esce in it ; rather must the evil be resisted. And it was with comfort and assurance for the future that reference was made to the erection of thirty FREE churches in different parts of the country. Of the
127
THE FOUNDING FATHERS
desireableness of having free churches there could be no question. Nor could any question be raised as to the practicality of such a plan. If it could be done in thirty churches it could in time be done in all!
By 1850 sentiments of this type were freely circulating in Cen- tral New York and at the Convention that year a committee, of which the Rev. Messrs. Henry Gregory of St. James', Syracuse, and George Leeds of Grace, Utica, and Messrs. George F. Com- stock and Tracy S. Knapp of Syracuse and New Berlin respectively were members, was appointed to study the problem. After review- ing the subject the committee reported the following year that the erection of churches "by pious offerings, without any condition of private property" was much to be desired. The seats in such edifices might be rented, if necessary, until such time as the congregational offerings were sufficient to meet parish expenses "and the seats, then be declared absolutely FREE." Accompanying this statement was a recommendation that in the future all new churches be financed without any encumbrance from property rights in seats. After some discussion the subject was recommitted and became the object of debate in 1852. Ultimately, upon motion of Horatio Seymour of Trinity, Utica, it was voted that the practice of selling or leas- ing pews was unwise and inexpedient. Moreover, that thereafter all parishes were invited to erect new churches without individual property in seats.
As a result of this action many parishes extended these prin- ciples to their own scheme of meeting, namely, of discontinuing the pew tax and by declaring their seats FREE. Among the FREE churches in Central New York reference may be made to Calvary, Utica, St. Stephen's, New Hartford, St. Paul's, Chittenango, Christ, Sherburne, Grace, Waterville, and St. James', Syracuse. Coinci- dental with this trend was the introduction of weekly pledges, the envelope system being used in some instances. But as late as 1868 the older plan of selling or leasing pews remained in a few parishes.1
1 During the earlier decades pews were reserved for the poor and the clergyman's family. In 1848, St. Paul's, Syracuse, had a "widow's pew."
128
CHAPTER XII
CENTRAL NEW YORK
In late June, 1861, Bishop De Lancey, then a man of nearly sixty-four, attended the annual alumni reunion of the General Theological Seminary in New York. It was a happy though busy occasion. Old friends were to be met and new ones made; the financial life of the Seminary to be reviewed with great care; and as the eldest bishop present, he presided at commencement exercises. Then came a grievous mishap. While crossing John Street he was knocked down by an omnibus. A medical examination revealed no fractures but a "severe contusion" was reported. The doctors ordered complete rest, advice he had much difficulty in following due to the pressure of diocesan matters. Ultimately he was partial- ly disabled for several months-a siege that sapped vitality and subjected him to illnesses in the years that followed. In March, 1864, for example, he was stricken with quinsy which incidentally kept him from attending the funeral of a very dear friend, the Rev. John J. Brandegee, onetime rector of Grace Church, Utica. It was not until early June that he was about His Master's busi- ness.
This was on June 5th but on the eleventh of the same month while at Utica a sudden illness forced his quick return home. So serious was his condition that it was thought wise to administer to him the Lord's Supper in private. Though he regained strength he felt unequal to make his fall visitation so that arrangements were made with the Bishops of New Jersey and Michigan to handle these matters. Later, he dragged himself to Utica where on August 16th he consecrated the "beautiful" Grace Church in which he addressed Convention the next day. Among other things, and in- dicative of his deep devotion to the Church, he remarked :
After the examination and opinion of my physicians, my own experience and observation, and the uncertain opera- tions of the hazardous disease which is said to affect me, I deem it my duty ... to ask the aid of an Assistant in my office to be appointed at this Convention.
Those close to the Bishop, especially the Rev. Theodore Babcock of Watertown, had been waiting for such an announcement. Under these circumstances it was not surprising that various opinions arose
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.