History of Delaware County and Ohio, Part 67

Author: O. L. Baskin & Co; Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago, O.L. Baskin & Co.
Number of Pages: 818

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1819-The Bishop's visits to Delaware were limited to four or five a year ; but the little hand of churchmen remained loyal and faithful amidst all the discouragements of the situation, held together hy their love for the church and the Bishop's occasional visits.

The Rev. Mr. Morse reports to the convention in June, 1819, that during the winter preceding he had, in the absence of the Bishop, visited the parishes immediately under his charge, including Delaware. With this exception, there is no record of any other minister visiting Delaware until 1821, when the Rev. P. Chase, Jr., (the Bishop's son ) reports one visit to Delaware.

The first confirmation service was held on the 8th of August, when the following persons received that holy rite at the hands of the Bishop: James Wolcott, Robert Jameson, William Little, Almon Olmsted, Thomas F. Case, John Minter, Jr., Noah Spaulding, Solomon Smith, Sally Smith, Parthenia Spaulding, Elizabeth Minter, Martha Dildine, Peggy Minter, Malissa Case, Electa Case, Elizabeth Minter-the younger, Nancy Minter. Probably not one of this first confirmation class is now living. 1820-Rev. Mr. Morse reports one visit to Del- aware. There is no record that the Bishop visited Delaware this year ; but he most likely did do so.

1821-The Rev. P. Chase, Jr., reports two visits to Delaware, in the absence of the Bishop. At the Diocesan Convention that met this year the following was adopted :

Resolved, That the Right Rev. the Bishop be requested to prepare and transmit to the Bishops of the respect- ive dioceses of the United States, an address setting forth the great necessities of the church within the diocese of Ohio and soliciting their aid and assistance in procuring missionaries to reside therein.

To the Rev. P. Chase, Jr., was assigned the duty of presenting the address to the General

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Convention which met that year in the city of New York, and at the same time to visit the prin- cipal cities and towns of the East for the purpose of raising money for the support of the church in Ohio, which duty he performed very faithfully, and succeeded in raising about $3,000.

At the Annual Convention we find the follow- ing names recorded as members of the society auxiliary to the P. E. Missionary Society within and for the Diocese of Ohio, in Delaware-J. L. Webb, William Little, Solomon Smith, Robert Jameson, Noah Spaulding, Caleb Howard, M. D. Pettibone, E. Griswold, Jr., Benjamin Powers, Hezekiah Kilbourn, David E. Jones, R. Dildine, John Minter, Rutherford Hayes, Asahel Welch, Chester Griswold, Moses Byxbe, Jr., Walter Wat- kins-with their respective subscriptions, amounting to $72, "to be paid whenever a missionary shall be employed in this and the neighboring parishes." of these men, Mr. Powers is probably the only one living.

1825-The corner-stone of the first church edifice in Delaware was laid on the 1st of May in this year, an account of which is given by the Bishop, in his annual report to the Diocesan Con- vention, as follows:

" It is one among the most pleasing incidents which I have to relate, that on the 1st of May I conducted the solemnities of laying the corner-stone of St. Peter's Church in Delaware. It will be a neat edifice, entirely of stone, forty feet in length, with a steeple of sixteen feet (breadth of both in proportion), built after a Gothic model kindly presented to me by Mr. Wilson, of Iberry House, near London. Of the £100 sterling given to me by the Right Hon. Countess Dowager of Rosse, for the express purpose of assisting in the erection of a few country chapels, I have promised. this parish $100, provided the church be finished this year; and, on these terms, I have no doubt of their gratefully receiving the money."

It would be natural to suppose the parish rec- ords would give a full account of so important an event as this, but they make no mention of it whatever, nor of the church building, or of anything connected with it. The men of those times did not realize the interest that succeeding generations would have in the history they were making if it had been written out at the time. This neglect on the part of the vestry, however, is partially atoned for by Bishop Chase, who, in his address to the annual convention, says: "The parish of St. Peter's, Delaware, deserves the com-

mendation of all who lament the great want of churches in our new country. By the exertions of a few worthy and spirited gentlemen, this village, a few years ago a howling wildwood, is now adorned with a neat Gothic church, 50x40 feet, exclusive of the steeple. It will soon be finished for consecration.

"From Radnor, a Welsh settlement west of Delaware, seven persons attend St. Peter's Church. I mention it here, because of the interest of late excited by the hopes of educating a young Welsh minister, who can preach the Gospel to them in their own language. Such a youth is now in our school fitting for the theological seminary."

[Probably the Rev. B. W. Chidlaw is here re- ferred to. He attended the school in Worth- ington.]

1826 .- This church was consecrated in the latter part of the summer of 1826, an account of which we find in the Bishop's annual report. He says : " On my return from the Eastern States, I consecrated to the service of Almighty God, St. Peter's Church, in Delaware County, a neat and very substantial stone building, truly honorable to its founders and benefactors. In this church, im- mediately after its consecration, besides the ordina -. tion of the Rev. Mr. West to priest's orders, I admitted Mr. Marcus T. C. Wing, a tutor in Kenyon College, to the order of deacons."

The ordination of the Rev. William Sparrow, Professor of Languages in Kenyon College, to the order of priests is mentioned in the same paragraph, but this probably did not occur in Delaware.

After this, these two gentlemen, Messrs. Wing and Sparrow, report giving about one-third of their time each, on Sundays, to the parishes in Dela- ware and Berkshire.

At this time, there were twenty communicants in Delaware, twelve in Berkshire, twelve in Colum- bus, and seventy in Worthington.

This church building stood where the present one now does, with the side facing the street, with entrance through the tower at the west end, the pulpit, a very high one, at the east end, and a gallery opposite, for the choir. There was a wide door on the north side, about the middle of the building, used only in the summer-time. There was no basement or cellar under it.

1827 .- On the 21st of April, 1827, the first Sunday school in Delaware County was organized. in St. Peter's parish by Mr. Isaac N. Whiting, now of Columbus, then of Worthington, who furnished the constitution and by-laws, rules and

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regulations for the government of the school, with Mr. C. Howard and Mrs. Webb, Superintendents. It was made auxiliary to the General Protestant Episcopal Sunday School Union, which had but a short time before been established by the General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church, and it was the third regularly organized Sunday school in this part of the State. Among its active friends and workers, are mentioned Mr. and Mrs. William Little, Mrs. Harriet Lamb, Mrs. Mary Campbell and others.

As an item of interest to the friends of Sunday schools now, the following paragraph is quoted from a letter written by Mr. Whiting in 1861, giving an account of his first Sunday school mis- sion work in Ohio. He writes, "To show how little. confidence was then placed in the success of Sunday schools in this section of the country, I will mention merely one circumstance connected with the incipient measures for the establishment of one in Worthington. Bishop Chase and his family were then residing on his farm in that vicinity, and when I mentioned the subject to them, they thought it was quite a utopian under- taking, and would prove a complete failure. The members of St. John's Church thought it might be a good thing, but did not believe it possible to induce the children to attend. In about six weeks, however, from the commencement, we had over one hundred scholars in regular attendance, and, in the following season, the names of 200 on our roll-book, some of the scholars coming a distance of fourteen miles to attend our Sunday school."

St. Peter's parish was highly favored by having the occasional ministerial services of such an able and pious man as Rev. Mr. Sparrow, after his ordi- nation. He would sometimes remain in the vil- lage a few days, visiting and giving godly council and instruction in private, and holding services in the church. In an old family journal kept by the writer's mother, occurs this passage: "January 1, 1828, Mr. and Mrs. Sparrow returned home after spending a week with us. May it be a week long to be remembered by the writer."

To his exertions, under God, was this church indebted for much of its subsequent prosperity. In Bishop McIlvaine's first report to the convention, is a passage bearing testimony to this point. He writes : "On the following Tuesday, left Gambier, accompanied by the Rev. Mr. Sparrow and the Rev. Mr. McElroy, and rode to Berkshire. Next day arrived at Delaware, and preached at night in St. Peter's Church. I was particularly pleased

with the appearance of the congregations last named. I have seldom seen a more animated and unani- mous participation in public worship, or a more earnest attention to the preaching of the Word."

1828 .- January 21. The old journal says : "The ladies of Delaware met this day to organize a tract society. It was, indeed, a pleasant begin- ning." Frequent mention is afterward made of this tract society.

The Rev. Nathan Stem was chosen the first Rector of St. Peter's, Delaware, and of Grace Church, Berkshire, jointly ; giving to each its pro- portion of his services, and each paying its pro- portion of his salary. Mr. Stem is remembered as a very gentlemanly, pleasant man, a good preacher, and quite popular. The church records make no mention of this event, nor of the time when he came here. But the journal above re- ferred to first mentions his preaching on Sunday, the 13th of April, 1828. Mr. Stem also made frequent ministerial visits to Radnor, usually ac- companied by some of the lay members of the church, and occasionally to Norton and Marion. During his absence on these visits, his place would be supplied by clergymen from Gambier or Worth- ington. Revs. Sparrow, Wing, Bausman, San- ford and Preston are mentioned as frequently being here, sometimes two coming together, and remaining two or three days, holding services and meetings for prayer and preaching. And thus the spiritual interests of these two parishes, Delaware and Berkshire, were well cared for.

The old journal often speaks of the large con gregations that attended church, and of people coming from Berkshire and Radnor to attend, and of frequent visits of the people of Delaware to these places, and of the hospitality that prevailed, showing a pleasant interchange of Christian fel- lowship. .

1829 .- Sunday, May 17. The journal says : " Mr. Stem held church this day in Berkshire in an orchard. Services were very pleasant; a large concourse of people attended. The next day, Monday, 18th, the corner-stone of Grace Church was laid by Mr. Stem, who preached a sermon to a very large congregation. Truly, it was a very interesting scene.'

Through this year the church was favored with frequent ministerial visits from Revs. Sparrow, Preston, Wing and Sanford.

1830 .- Early in the summer of this year the first church bell was brought to town and hung in the tower of St. Peter's Church, an event that the

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people generally took a lively interest in, as the largest bells ever before heard were the "tavern 17

bells that surmounted the tops of the " taverns " to call the boarders to meals. This church bell was tolled for the first time August 10, 1830, for the funeral of a Mr. Bishop (as we learn from the old journal) who belonged to the Methodist denom- ination and was highly esteemed in the community ; " a large funeral " says the journal ; and thereafter the church bell was tolled for all funerals. It also served the purpose of a town clock for several years, by being rung at 9 o'clock A. M., 12 M. and 9 P. M. The latter was the signal for all persons who might be visiting or attending social evening gatherings, and for all boys playing in the streets, to disperse and go home. This became an inflexible rule, at least in " all well-regulated families." Very often when the social visit, or . the boys' games were in the height of enjoyment, the sound of the 9 o'clock bell would be an unwelcome one; but that made no difference-" there's the bell, we must go ;" and the tardy boys who were not at home very soon after, might expect their fathers after them, probably with a switch in hand to com- pel prompt obedience to the rule ; and so St. Peter's bell regulated the town, and her keys opened the gates of heaven to many penitent sinners through her prayers and sermons.

1831 .- On the 1st of October, the Rev. Mr. Stem resigned his charge as Rector, on account of poor health, and returned to Pennsylvania, preach- ing his farewell sermon in St. Peter's Church September 16.

In April of this year the ladies of the congre- gation organized meetings for devotional exercises, which were held at private houses and continued through some years.

After Mr. Stem's resignation the reverend geu- tlemen before named, Sparrow aud Preston, con- tinued their services, sometimes coming together. On August 6 (Saturday), of this year they came, holding a meeting for prayer at a private house Saturday evening, services and sermons on Sunday and a large Sunday-school meeting on Monday, at which both made addresses. The Sunday school is frequently spoken of as large and flour- ishing.

not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again." "A good sermon to a full church."

On the 5th of December of this year, the Rt. Rev. C. P. McIlvaine, D. D., made his first official visit to the parish, and remained two days, preach- ing and visiting among the people. He was con- secrated Bishop on the 31st of October, 1832.

1844 .- In the spring of this year, the old church was taken down, and, on the 10th of July, the corner-stone of the present building, which occupies the same site, was laid with appropriate ceremonies, conducted by the Rev. Mr. Dobb, then Rector of Trinity Church, Columbus, there being at that time a vacancy in the rectorship of this church.

The old church bell was sold to the County Commissioners, and placed in the steeple of the court house, where it was made to do judicial duty.

The Rev. E. H. Canfield, having accepted the call of the Vestry to the rectorship of the church, arrived in town November 1, and, on Sunday, the 3d, read service and preached his first sermon to the congregation in the old stone schoolhouse that stood on the lot now occupied by Mr. Andrew's residence, adjoining the church lot on the east, where services were then held while the new church was being built.

1845 .- Sunday, January 5. Services were held this day, in the basement room of the new church, for the first time, when Mr. Canfield preached " to a large congregation."

1846 .- The new building was finished during the summer of this year, costing $8,541, and was consecrated by Bishop McIlvaine, on the 7th of August. He then read the following declaration :

WHEREAS, The Churchwardens and Vestrymen of St. Peter's Church, in the town of Delaware, in the diocese of Ohio, have, by a testament this day presented to me, appropriated and devoted a house of public worship erected by them in the said town, to the worship and service of Almighty God, according to the provisions of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America ; and,

WHEREAS, The said Churchwardens and Vestrymen have, by the same instrument, requested me to take their good house of worship under my spiritual juris- diction, as Bishop of the diocese of Ohio, and conse- crate it by the name of St. Peter's Church, and thereby separate it from all unhallowed, worldly and common uses, and solemnly dedicate it to the holy purposes above mentioned ; now, therefore,

1832 .- In the month of May of this year the Rev. James McElroy was chosen Rector of the parish, and preached his first sermon in the church on Sunday the 27th, from the text, " Except ye be Know all men by these presents : That I, Charles Petit McIlvaine, by divine permission Bishop of the diocese of Ohio, acting under the protection of Al- converted and become as little children, ye cannot enter into the kingdom of Heaven." "Marvel | mighty God, have, on this 7th day of August, in the

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year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty-six, taken the above-mentioned house of worship under my spiritual jurisdiction, as Bishop aforesaid, and that of my successors in office; and, in pres- ence of divers of the clergy and a public congregation therein assembled, and according to the form presented by the Episcopal Church in the United States of Amer- ica, have consecrated the same by the name of St. Peter's Church ; and I do hereby pronounce and declare, that the said St Peter's Church, in the town aforesaid, is consecrated accordingly, and thereby separated henceforth from all unhallowed and common purposes, and is dedicated to the worship and service of Almighty God, the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, for reading and preaching His most Holy Word, for cele- .brating His Holy Sacraments, for offering to His Glorious Majesty the sacrifice of prayer and praise, and for the performance of all other holy offices agreeable to the terms of the covenant of grace and salvation in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and according to the provisions of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, in its doctrine, discipline and worship.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto affixed my seal and signature, at Delaware, in the year above mentioned, and in the fourteenth year of my consecra- tion.

C. P. MCILVAINE. [L. s.]

Atthis time also, the Diocesan Convention met here and remained from Wednesday, the 5th, uutil Mon- day, the 10th, services closing Sunday evening with the very interesting ordination service, when eleven men were ordained to the order of priesthood, and were addressed at the close by the Bishop in a very impressive manner. Some fifty clergymen were present, and upward of two hundred persons par- ticipated in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, at the morning service. The occasion was one of unusual solemnity and interest in the church, and left its impress for good.

The rectory was built in 1854.

Bishop Bedell's first visit was made to the parish not long after his consecration, in October, 1859, and Bishop Jaggar's, October 5, 1875.

-- -

The succession of ministers in this church is as follows : Rev. Nathan Stem, from April, 1828, to October 1, 1831 ; Rev. James McElroy, from May, 1832, to July, 1835 ; Rev. John P. Bausman, from November 1, 1835, to April 20, 1836 ; Rev. James McElroy, from August 23, 1836, to May, 1840; Rev. S. G. Gassaway, from January 1, 1841, to February 21, 1843; Rev. E. H. Canfield, from October 28, 1844, to November 1, 1849 ; Rev. William C. French, from January, 20, 1850, to October 13, 1851 ; Rev. James McElroy, from April 12, 1852, to September, 1863; Rev. John Ufford, from December 6, 1863, to March 29,

1880. Rev. Dr. Ufford resigned, to take effect on Easter Monday, 1880.

From its organization, this church has been highly favored in having the ministerial services, both regular and occasional, not only of men of intellectual ability, but of devout Christian char- acter, free from errors in doctrine, able and earnest preachers of the Gospel, who lived as they preached.

To write the statistics of the church from its formation, would require more time than the writer has to give, and would not, perhaps, add materi- ally to the interest of this history. We are, how- ever, enabled to give them partially for the past sixteen years as gathered from Rev. Dr. Ufford's farewell sermon, delivered on Sunday, March 21. Baptisms-adults, 35, infants, 82 ; communicants added-by confirmation, 153, by transfer, 24; burials, 50 ; families removed, 28; families added, 6 ; present number of communicants, 120.

William Street Methodist Episcopal Church* was the first of this denomination organized in the city. Methodism in Delaware is the growth of a little more than six decades. It was planted, in the providence of God, some time in the year 1819, by the Rev. Jacob Hooper, of Hockhocking Circuit, Scioto District, Ohio Conference. The way had been opened for him by the good words and earnest prayers of a few godly persons who had emigrated to Delaware County at an early date in the history of Ohio.

From data as reliable as can be found, a class of seventeen members was organized in this year, composed of the following persons, namely : Abraham Williams and wife, James Osborne and wife, John G. Dewitt and wife, Thomas Galleher and wife, William Sweetser and wife, Ebenezer Durfee, Pardon Sprague, Franklin Spaulding and wife, Stephen Gorman, William Patton, Moses Byxbe, and, possibly, others. Of the original members, Mrs. Spaulding is the only survivor.

From the inception of the society, until the year 1822, the residence of Moses Byxbe and the county court house were the Methodist headquar- ters. At this time, under a second pastorate of Jacob Hooper, the society decided to build a house of worship, and appointed Stephen Gorman, William Patton, Moses Byxbe, Thomas Galleher, Moses Byxbe, Jr., Elijah Adams, Robert Perry, William Sweetser and Henry Perry as Trustees. An eligible lot on the northwest corner of Will- iam and Franklin streets, was given to the society

* By Rev. E. D. Whitlock.

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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.

by Moses Byxbe, one of the proprietors of the town of Delaware; and on this, in process of time, the church was erected. The edifice was a plain square structure provided with galleries on the east, south and west sides, and having two rows of windows, which, from an external view, gave it the appearance of a two-story building. The auditorium was entered from the south. At the north end was an elevated, box-like pulpit, which was reached from either side by about eight steps, and, when ascended, gave the preacher full view of his entire congregation, above and below.

The actual cost of this first Methodist "meet- ing-house" in Delaware, is not now known, as very many of the subscriptions were made in materials and labor ; * but from the oldest records now ac- cessible, the approximate money cost was a little more than $870. Although commenced in 1822, the building was not completed until some time in the year 1824, when, with Thomas McCleary as preacher in charge, it was dedicated under the name of the "William Street Church," by Jacob Young, the Presiding Elder of Scioto District, Ohio Conference.

Here the Methodists of Delaware continued to worship until the year 1845, when, by reason of a rapidly increasing membership and the establish- ment of the Ohio Wesleyan University at this place, the demands were such as to necessitate a larger and more becoming church edifice. Ac- cordingly, under the active and faithful leader- ship of Henry E. Pilcher, the Pastor, measures were adopted, early in the conference years of 1845-46, to erect a " new house of worship."

Relating to this project, the following records are at hand :

The Board of Trustees of the M. E. Church met at the parsonage in Delaware, Ohio, October 16, 1845, Henry E. Pilcher in the chair. Members present, Ben- jamin F. Allen, Augustus A. Welch, Abraham Williams snd Franklin Spaulding.

The following resolutions were passed :

" First. That it is the sense of the Trustees of the M. E. Church in Delaware, Ohio, that it is expedient to erect a new house of worship.

"Second. That a subscription be opened, and that we use our best efforts to raise the necessary amount to build the church.

" Third. That Henry E. Pilcher, Benjamin F. Allen and John H. Power be a committee to circulate said sub- scription.

HENRY E. PILCHER, Chairman."

* Among other subscriptions, the memory of which is a local tradition, was one of fifteen gallone of whisky, hy Rutherford Hayes, the father of the President.

Within a month or two, subscriptions to the amount of about three thousand dollars were secured, and made payable to Abraham Williams, Wilder Joy, John Ross, Franklin Spaulding, Matthias Kinsell, Augustus A. Welch and Benja- min F. Allen, Trustees of the church.

On December 13, 1845, at a meeting of the Board of Trustees, a committee, consisting of Augustus A. Welch, John Wolfley and Henry E. Pilcher, were appointed, with authority to dispose of the old church property which was still occu- pied by the congregation ; and at a meeting of the Board on December 29, 1845, when Franklin ·Spaulding, Wilder Joy, John Ross, Nathan Ches- ter, John Wolfley and Augustus A. Welch were present, the following report from said committee was adopted, namely :

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History of Delaware County and Ohio, Part 67

Author: O. L. Baskin & Co; Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892? Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Chicago, O.L. Baskin & Co. Number of Pages: 818

Author: O. L. Baskin & Co; Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago, O.L. Baskin & Co.
Number of Pages: 818