USA > Pennsylvania > Lycoming County > Williamsport > Chronicles of Christ Church Parish, Williamsport, Pa., 1840-1896 > Part 10
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HENRY C. PARSONS
CREON B.FARR
JOHN F. LAEDLEIN SENIOR VESTRYMAN
EDGAR MUNSON
WILLIAM H.CROCKETT
VESTRYMEN of CHRIST CHURCH EASTER 1910
II7
LAY OFFICERS AND PROMINENT LAY-WORKERS
SEXTONS .- In view of the useful services rendered by the church sexton it seems a pity that we have no complete list of the men who have served in this capacity. The names of Jerry Blue, Joseph R. Anderson, T. Roy Meginnis, Frank E. Hunt, and Edward Powell have been met in the records that have come under our eye.
CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF VESTRYMEN.1
As the dates given are dates of election, and as the elec- tions are held on Easter-Mondays (the term being one year), the vestrymen, unless they resigned or died, held office till Easter of the year following that given. In a few cases elec- tions to fill vacancies were held immediately upon such vacan- cies occurring.
Campbell, Francis C.
1841-1853, 1855-1866
Lewis, Hon. Ellis 1841 -?
Griswold, Lester
1841-1867
Watson, Oliver 1841-1882
Maynard, Hon. John W 1841-1862
Vastine, Dr. Thomas 1841 -?
Hutchens, John
1841 -?
Shoemaker, Henry 1841 -?
Cox, Hopewell 184I -?
Damant, James 1852(?)-1854, 1860-1866
Cowan, John F
1852(?)-1854
Dodge, John C ..
.1852( ?)-1857
Perkins, Maj. James H. 1852(?)-1893
McCoy, John J. 1852(?)-1857
Desanges, Henry S 1853-1855
Montgomery, Mr. 1853
White, John
1855-1890
Fouquet, J. D.
1856-1858
Noland, P. 1858-1861
1 Minutes of the Vestry 1841-1851 are lacking. Vestrymen of 1841 who are recorded as being vestrymen in 1852 are credited with holding office during the intervening years. [Ed.]
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CHRONICLES OF CHRIST CHURCH PARISH
Snyder, Henry F.
1858-1859, 1862-1866
Johnson, Edward C. .
1859-1860
Smith, P. G.
Brown, James V.
I862
1863-1904
Logan, Dr. William F
1863-1891
Parsons, Henry C.
1866-1898
Bunnell, F. H.
1866-1871
Doebler, Valentine S.
Embick, Col. Fred. E
1867-1900
Smith, D. W.
1869-1873
Howard, Charles B.
1870-1888
Webb, George
1870-1873
Powell, Martin
1870-1876
Smeeton, James
1870-1880
Page, F. N.
1871-1876
Munson, Edgar
Merriman, D. H.
1877
Biggs, Elisha H
1877-1878
Fry, H. Howard
1877-1881
Watson, William S.
1878-1882
Crocker, John J.
.1879-1902
Merritt, A. Howard.
1880-1888
Munson, Cyrus LaRue
1881-1910
Perley, Allen P
1883-1910
Sanderson, George L
1883-1891
Gleim, Frederick E
1883-1896
Laedlein, John F
1888-1910
Burrell, Dr. James A. L
1891
Starr, James S.
1892-1899
Page, A. Thomas
.
1892, 1900-1910
Robinson, William C.
1892-1910
Dayton, John B.
1892-1908
Jones, John E.
1892-1904
Tallman, Lewis
.1893-1899
I866
Piatt, John
1867-1868
1874-190I Cummin, Hon. Hugh H. 1876-1889
Merritt, Thomas P
1877-1879
II9
LAY OFFICERS AND PROMINENT LAY-WORKERS
Bowman, Frank C 1896-1910
Sweeley, William 1897-1905
White, John A 1899-1904
Irvin, John B. 1900-1910
Otto, Horace Y 1901-1910
Shay, Edward E.
. 1902-1910
Crocker, George P.
. 1902-1906, 1908-1910
Almy, Edward P
. 1907-1910
Parsons, Henry C. (Jr.) .
. 1904-1910
Piper, Edmund B.
1904-1907
Farr, Creon B.
1905-1910
Hand, Charles H.
1905-1907
Munson, Edgar (Jr.)
1908-1910
Crockett, William H.
1909-1910
SUMMARY NOTES
CHOIR AND MUSIC.
A brief summary of choir history will not be out of place.
We have already noted the purchase of "an uncommonly fine-toned organ" for $400 in 1850. The first organist of whom we have any record is Miss Jones, who resigned her position May 3d, 1864. Her resignation was referred by the Vestry to "the ladies of the congregation." On the Ist of August "a letter from Miss Jones was read desiring an ad- vance of salary." This also was referred to "the ladies of the congregation." We wonder if she got it. "The ladies of the congregation" were at any rate a very convenient refuge for the Vestry in handling the delicate case of Miss Jones.
Mr. James Damant, as a volunteer organist, together with such singers as he could get, supplied the church music for years, but it is difficult to ascertain dates with any degree of accuracy, except that Mr. Damant resigned his position at the organ in 1873.
On October 26, 1869, the new church being then nearly ready for use, the Vestry resolved that "as soon as $1,300 was subscribed towards the purchase of a new organ, the Secretary should authorize Mr. J. G. Marklove, of Utica, N. Y., to com- mence building the same according to specifications, and that the ladies be respectfully requested to devote the balance of money in their hands, after paying for the chancel furniture, towards the purchase of the organ."
In the spring of 1872 efforts were made to obtain sub- scriptions towards securing the services of an instructor of music, because the Rector thought that "systematic training of the choir" was necessary. Nothing seems to have come of this till the following April, when Mr. Damant resigned and Mr. Horace Hills, Jr., became "organist and choir-leader." The improvement in the music of the church thereafter and the
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CHRONICLES OF CHRIST CHURCH PARISH
names of some of the "chief singers in the sanctuary" have been already noted. Mr. Hills remained in charge of the music until September 30, 1892.
Early in 1877, with the consent of the Vestry, Dr. Hop- kins rearranged the choir-seats.
Prior to 1879 the salary of the organist was paid by pri- vate subscription, but on September 22 of this year the Vestry formally assumed the obligation. On November 2, 1885, the organist's salary was advanced from $400 to $600, and he was requested to train "the younger people of the church for the choir." A year later the salary was made $700.
The resolution to organize a vested male choir was passed February 23, 1888, and the new choir sang for the first time on the following Easter. Three years later the choir-room was enlarged.
Mr. Hills resigned his position in September, 1892, after nearly twenty years' faithful and fruitful service, to take the work at Mount Calvary, Baltimore, where he remained until his death, the latter part of January, 1908. He and his family had many friends in Williamsport whom they occasionally visited. His body was brought here from Baltimore and buried from Christ Church, the pallbearers being all former members of the choir under his direction.
Mr. Hills was succeeded by Mr. H. DeKoven Rider, who entered upon his duties November 1, 1892, and remained for two years. The full choral service was introduced on Sunday evenings, and a "monthly musical service" was instituted, at which, under his inspiring direction, such splendid composi- tions as the following were sung: Stainer's "The Cruci- fixion ;" Gaul's "The Holy City ;" Mendelssohn's "Hear My Prayer ;" Garrett's "The Two Advents ;" Gaul's "The Ten Virgins ;" Gounod's "Gallia ;" Stainer's "The Daughter of Jairus ;" Parry's "Job;" Mendelssohn's "The Forty-Second Psalm," and Stainer's "St. Mary Magdalena." That record has been kept up ever since.
The custom of an annual choir-dinner began during this period, a gracious undertaking associated chiefly with the name
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CHOIR AND MUSIC
of Mrs. E. P. Almy and the young ladies whose assistance she enlists from year to year. Some of these affairs have been on an elaborate scale and all of them have been delightful. The dinner and the "summer outing" are the two focal points of the year to the choir on its social side, which invariably awaken the greatest enthusiasm.
'A choir baseball club has been another off-set to the more serious work of this for many years splendid musical organ- ization.
At first the choir boys used to be rewarded with a "Christ- mas dollar," in addition to the "treats" of which mention has been made, but about the first of the year 1894 the system of small weekly payments was adopted, and later still the monthly "pay-day," with its regular pay-roll, came to be a feature of choir experience. Occasionally the choir was, as it still is, treated to some form of entertainment, as when, for example, several gentlemen many years ago gave the choir boys tickets to see Kellar, the magician.
Some of the choir notes from the parish paper of fifteen years ago, edited by choir members themselves, are funny enough to merit quotation and may possibly contain useful warnings to the present-day choir boys:
"Willie R ---- makes a face as though he had a pain when he sings."
"Willie S- has a good voice, but sings too hard sometimes, and, therefore, harshly."
"Harry F-, after a long and hard contest, has been chosen soprano soloist. He feels proud and carries his head high."
"The music for Easter Day is very hard, but in the few rehearsals we have had on it we begin to get the best of it."
"Some of our boys ought to be more particular about combing their hair before services. At present the effect of some heads is not very pleasing."
would sing more effectively if he would hold his head up."
M- -
"C -- S- - likes to look down on the congregation
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CHRONICLES OF CHRIST CHURCH PARISH
during services. He had better take care that Mr. Rider does not notice it, for Mr. R. is pretty severe on us in this kind of thing."
And more of the same sort. Pretty good criticism.
One of these "choir notes," written in the same style, we shall quote, with the name in full, because the admiration ex- pressed we know to have been well deserved:
"Our crucifer, Fred Zahn, we think is the model crucifer around this part of the country. For reverence and dignity he takes the lead."
Miss Louise Larzelere became organist and choirmistress October 1, 1894. From "Christ Church Chorister," published in the interest of the "Choir Boys" in August, 1898, a large eight-page leaflet that appeared once and then expired, we gather several items of special interest :
The choir numbered 21 boys and 8 men. Romaine Moorehead, who entered the choir at eight years of age, at- tended 630 services and rehearsals out of a possible 642 in thirty months, had been fined but four times, and had been paid $26.20. Charlie Page, Walter Zahn, and Alvin Longs- dorf had records not far below Moorehead's. The average attendance during the winter of 1897-8 was 28, although the seating capacity of the choir was only 25. The probationers were paid two cents for each attendance, which was raised to three cents when they entered the choir, and then to five and six cents according to progress. Between October, 1894, and August, 1898, there had been 98 boys enrolled in the choir, of whom 18 were dismissed on account of age, II were expelled for bad behavior, and several had dropped out for various rea- sons. This is incidental to boy-choir work and inevitable. There were only two boys in the choir at that time whose parents attended Christ Church. The music library could not be replaced for $300 and was then twice as large as three years before. It contained 19 Te Deums, 105 Anthems, 12 Mag- nificats, etc. Excepting during July and August, when re- hearsals were held from 8 to 9 in the morning, there were five regular rehearsals and two services a week-Tuesdays, 4-5 P.
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CHOIR AND MUSIC
M., altos ; Tuesdays, 5-6 P. M., sopranos; Tuesdays, 7:15-8:15 P. M., tenors and basses ; Thursdays, 5-6 P. M., sopranos and altos ; Fridays, 7:30-8:30 P. M., full choir and organ.
The record of such details is not without value, perhaps, as giving the congregation a clearer impression of the patient and persistent routine work of the organist and choir.
Mr. George P. Crocker, who described himself as a mem- ber of the old chorus choir, and a charter member of the new vested choir, said in the "Christ Church Chorister:" "During the last days of Dr. Hopkins's rectorship the congregation was compelled to listen to a very indifferent aggregation of singers known as a 'Chorus Choir.' It was located on both sides of the church, occupying space where the font and the pulpit now stand." While the decision to "try the experiment of a boy- choir" was made by the Vestry, Mr. Crocker credits Mr. Hills with being its "prime mover and organizer."
For some time prior to the autumn of 1894 the church organ, which had suffered in the flood of 1889, and again to a lesser degree earlier in the year 1894, was in bad condition and had to be replaced for a time by the Sunday School organ. A "choir note" of this period facetiously observes that "the organist never begins a service without placing a candle, screw- driver, and some wire conveniently near by ; because very often our organ needs attention during services and he has to climb around and doctor matters." Bids were received for a new instrument, and after Mr. Hills had been requested by the Vestry to come from Baltimore to aid in examining the bids, and none had been found satisfactory, he was authorized to draw specifications, and new bids were called for. The con- tract was awarded (November 9, 1894) to Johnson & Son, of Westfield, Mass., for an instrument to cost $2,400 and the old organ exclusive of case. Two months later the organ com- mittee reported that sufficient had been subscribed to pay for the organ and all incidental expenses. In order to obviate any such damage in the future as had injured the old organ, the new instrument was built over the vestry-room. The work of installation was not completed until April, 1895.
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CHRONICLES OF CHRIST CHURCH PARISH
For several years an appropriation of $1,500 a year was made by the Vestry, out of which the organist was to pay the boys, buy new music, and have the organ tuned and kept in repair. The balance was to be the organist's salary. This plan was given up later and a flat salary of $720 paid the or- ganist, which has since been increased to a sum more com- mensurate with the importance of the position.
In order to complete this outline of choir history it will be sufficient to add that Mrs. Chatham (nee Larzelere) was succeeded by Mr. William B. Reeve in 1899, who served three years and was followed by the present incumbent, Mr. Frank Gatward,1 a licentiate of the London College of Music, under whose tuition and direction much progress has been made. Three of the special musical programmes rendered, in addition to the Union Evensong on January 25, 1904, already men- tioned, were Maunder's popular "Thanksgiving Cantata," No- vember 30, 1905, repeated the following year, and the same composer's "Penitence, Pardon and Peace," March 6, 1910.
At the request of the Knights Templar the choir has on several occasions rendered service on Ascension Day in the Masonic Temple; while the boys, trained by Mr. Gatward in quaint drills and songs, have for a number of years been a feature of "local talent" performances for charitable objects.
On the death of Mr. Horace Hills, a former organist of the church, as also on the death of Mr. William H. Kilbourn, Mr. Gatward, at the succeeding Sunday evening service, gave a short recital, "In Memoriam." Not only was the tribute
1 Mr. Gatward was born in the Diocese of St. Alban's, England, and after graduating at the London College of Music in 1881, was appointed in succession organist and choirmaster of the following churches: Great Gaddeston (1 year); Berkhampstead (11 years) ; came to America in. 1893; St. Luke's Cathedral, Halifax, N. S. (5 years); Gethsemane, Minneapolis; Cathedral Church, South Beth- lehem; and 1902, Christ Church, Williamsport.
Mr. Gatward is examiner in this country for the London Col- lege of Music, vice-president of the London Guild of Organists, honorary representative of the Royal Academy of Music and joint founder of the American Guild of Organists, New York. [Ed.]
1
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CHOIR AND MUSIC
thoughtful and kind, but the time selected enabled nearly every member of the parish to attend, and by their presence express their sense of loss.
In October, 1905, the Sunday Choral Evensong, which had lapsed, was revived and has since been maintained.
For several years Mrs. H. Y. Otto and Mrs. Fred Zahn have, in the absence of Mr. Gatward, presided at the organ, while Mrs. Frank Gatward has taken charge of the Wednes- day evening service and Mr. Dan Thomas given assistance.
The choir of girls' voices for some of the Lenten, Ad- vent and week-day services should not be overlooked, nor the work and time that Mr. Gatward, Mrs. Gatward, the Misses Lumley and others have freely given to their training.
The annual outing of the choir boys-two weeks-at Nip- pono Park continues to be popular. The boys have a spacious cabin in which they "camp," avoiding most of the ordinary drudgery by obtaining their meals at the Park restaurant.
The choir's present repertoire consists of Anthems; ser- vices of standard church musicians, such as Stainer, Goss, Stanford, Hollins, Coleridge-Taylor, Tertius Noble, Gounod, Roberts, Garrett, Martin, Smart, Monk, Steggal, Burnett, Ouseley, Barnby, West, Woodward, etc .; while excerpts from the masterpieces of Handel, Beethoven, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Sullivan, and Haydn are sometimes given.
The personnel of the choir, Easter, 1910, was :
Basses-G. P. Crocker, F. Zahn, J. MacCollum, D. Thomas, E. Ball, F. Newel, C. Levering.
Tenors-W. Zahn, W. H. Deibert, L. Heller, W. Bennett, R. Allen, M. Dutton.
Altos-H. Vandine, W. Erieg, F. Otto, C. Frank.
Sopranos-C. Rose, E. Zahn, G. Eyster, A. Page, R. Frank, A. Schradie, D. Harman, R. Erieg, C. Leaber, P. Meth- erel, R. Segart, C. Teupel, L. Bullard, R. Metherel, J. Erieg, J. W. Fulmer, J. Steel, L. Neal, H. Ardell.
SUMMARY NOTES
THE MONEY PROBLEM.
The question of ways and means is always conspicuous upon the administrative side of parish life. A few words on this subject will be proper.
We have already seen that the early struggles of Christ Church were those of the feeblest mission. If, as is generally supposed, and not unreasonably, the salary paid the minister is any gauge of the financial strength of the parish, then we have every stage of parish strength exhibited in the history of this parish.
Who, and how many, gave the $3,000 for the building of the first church on East Third Street-a structure of brick, be it remembered-and how the money was gathered, when as yet there were but 14 communicants, none of the records disclose. But the building was paid for and consecrated as soon as completed. No salary was paid the minister, the Rev. Mr. Lightner.
No light is thrown upon the amount of the rector's stipend until we come to the beginning of Mr. Clark's incumbency in 1846, when we find the Missionary Society of Grace Church, Philadelphia, stipulating to pay $400 a year for three years, provided the parish pay annually $200 for the same period and extinguish a $650 debt. A fair the next year netted $275 towards cancelling this debt, and at the end of the stipulated time it was entirely wiped out. The parish was received into union with the convention that year (1847), an indication, we think, that it must have been meeting its engagements. One can only conjecture that the pitiably small salary of the earlier rectors had been supplemented by the "Advancement Society" of the Diocese (corresponding, perhaps, to the later Diocesan Missionary Board), because we find an offering of $2.35
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CHRONICLES OF CHRIST CHURCH PARISH
collected for this society in 1841. Mr. Clark's salary of $300 was paid regularly.1
Mr. Cooper was promised a salary of $500 besides $100 for removal expenses, and the free use of a house until the rectory, then building, should be completed; but ten months later the Vestry found it had undertaken too much.
The parish pledged Mr. Moore $400 and the rectory, and at the same time requested the "Diocesan Missionary Society" to continue the aid they had been giving. How much that was we do not know, but it and the stipend did not make a sufficient salary, for it was hoped Lock Haven would add its quota for one-fourth of the minister's time. By 1861 the parish was entirely out of debt and had just become self-sus- taining-no longer a mission. The rector's salary. was now $650 plus the rectory. In 1864 it was raised to $800, but when he resigned, in the spring of 1865, the salary was $400 in arrears.
When Mr. Wadleigh was called he was promised $1,000 and the rectory.
Dr. Paret was called at a salary of "not less than $2,000 a year" and the rectory. He received $2,266 the second year, the total amount of the offerings at the morning services, and was voted $2,400 for the third year. Meantime the parish was paying for its new church. In 1872 the "expenditures and appropriations" amounted to more than $10,200; and this is a sample of the large sums annually disbursed, with some fluctuations, of course, throughout the rectorships of Dr. Paret and Dr. Hopkins.
The salary paid Dr. Hopkins was $2,000, and Mr. Graff received $2,200.
One cannot but admire the courage and energy with which, throughout the entire period of this "History" new en-
1 Mr. Black, who succeeded Mr. Clark, seems to have suffered from lack of funds, while Mr. Wright, who succeeded him, was guaranteed $400 plus any sum arising from rent of house on the parsonage lot from the time of his election till the 1st of April next ensuing. [Ed.]
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THE MONEY PROBLEM
terprises were undertaken and the funds raised to pay for them. Eight years after the first church was built a "parsonage lot" was purchased for $500 (and a $400 organ the same day!), and four years later the Rector (Mr. Clark) moved into a $2,250 brick rectory, covered, however, with a $1,000 mort- gage. In less than three years that debt was wiped out, $350 worth of repairs were put on the church, and the rectory was piped and fitted with gas. Next year it was gas into the church and water into the rectory at an expense of about $250.
Then in 1864 the Vestry bought the brick house at the rear of the church for $800 for a school building-Sunday and day school.
Next came the project of a new church, beginning with an expenditure of $4,000 for the lot and an expenditure of $40,000 for the church, without the carrying up of the tower. The burden of that expense was felt for many a long year, but Church extension was not allowed to suffer on account of the big debt. The parish had a good many "irons in the fire" at the same time. Wadleigh Chapel was built and an assistant minister got. The new church had to be furnished, and a $2,000 organ installed. When the church was opened the debt amounted to nearly $17,000. The sale of the old church reduced this to about $12,000. But then came the division of the Diocese, and the parish put $2,160 into the Episcopate Endowment Fund in less than two years after mov- ing into the new church. There seems to have been no dispo- sition to whine or shirk outside responsibilities because the parish had a big debt.
Meantime schools and clubs and chapels and charities were under way or freshly started up, all calling for and re- ceiving maintenance, while at the same time diocesan missions and foreign missions and home missions were not passed by without fair and reasonable attention. Nor did the extraordi- nary calls like those of the fire sufferers in the West in 1871 fall on unheeding ears, for nearly $360 was sent them in the very same year that over $2,000 was paid the Diocesan Endow-
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CHRONICLES OF CHRIST CHURCH PARISH
ment Fund and the church debt was being reduced. One is amazed at the courage and generosity of those days.
Ten years after its completion, save the tower, the church was paid for and consecrated. But then began large expenditures for adornment, memorial gifts, chapel building, assistants' salaries, and various forms of aggressive work under Dr. Hopkins. The parish building of stone cost $8,500 in 1881, the tiling of the church cost $1,200, the steam- heating apparatus for the church cost over $2,000, St. John's Chapel cost nearly $2,000, the debt on Wadleigh Chapel was paid off and the building consecrated, a Mansard story was added to the rectory at the Rector's own expense, and so it went.
Under Mr. Graff the tower of the church was finished, at a cost of $5,300-meantime chapel support, charities, new piano, sidewalks, repairs and refurnishing necessitated by flood ; the last a big expense.
The thirty years from 1865 to 1895 exhibit great achieve- ments. But peeping within the covers of the vestry minute- books, or reading the parish papers of this period, we discover that it was not without many anxious meetings of the Vestry nor without much gasping and prodding on the part of the rectors. What a sigh of relief went up in 1879 on learning that the last notes of debt on the new church had been taken up. How tired and sore the Vestry was after that ten or fifteen years' struggle can be read between the lines of a reso- lution passed two months before the consecration of the church, which now makes one smile who reads it: "Resolved: That, after the present indebtedness of the church is cancelled, no debt shall hereafter be created until the money is in the hands of the Treasurer to pay the same" ! ! !
One can read formidable lists of "liabilities," and count up big sums paid as interest or borrowed money. Yet no sooner out of debt and smiling than in again. Thus has much been accomplished. Thus have others labored while their successors enter into their labors. It is what a progressive world is doing all the while, and a church to be progressive
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