USA > Pennsylvania > Northampton County > Allen > History of the Allen Township Presbyterian church and the community which has sustained it, in what was formerly known as the "Irish settlement," Northampton county, Pa > Part 4
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" It appeared to Presbytery that applica- tion had been made by the congregation of Allen Township, in the State of Penn- sylvania, to a committee of this Presbytery sitting at Deep Run, in the month of August last, for directions as to the method
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in which they might prosecute a call to Mr. Robert Russel, then a licentiate under the care of the Presbytery of New Castle, and that the aforesaid committee considering that the prevalence of a contagious fever in the city of Philadelphia then did, and for a considerable time probably would prevent a regular meeting of the Presbytery, cer- tifies these circumstances to the Presbytery of New Castle, that if a regular call should be offered through them to Mr. Russel, no exception would, in the judgment of the committee, be taken to this procedure by the Presbytery of Philadelphia ; which certificate was offered to the Presbytery of New Castle and they judged it sufficient to authorize them in presenting said call to Mr. Russel, which they accordingly did, and on his acceptance of the same, dis- missed him to join this Presbytery as. already stated. Whereupon Presbytery heard Mr. Russel deliver a popular sermon. and examined him on experimental religion and systematic divinity, as parts of trial for ordination, and agreed to sustain the same."
The Presbytery, or a committee thereof, repaired to the Settlement, April 17th, 1798,. and there further examined Mr. Russel in Systematic Theology, Ecclesiastical' History, Church Government and Arts: and Sciences. All these parts of trial were.
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sustained. The next day Mr. Russel preached a popular sermon, and was ordained an:l installed. In these services, Dr. Ashbel Green, of Philadelphia, preached the ordination sermon, Dr. William Ten- nent, of Abington, and Rev. Nathaniel Irwin, of Neshaminy, delivered the charges.
Thus, April 18th, 1798, the church again came under the care of a regular pastor. The first meeting of the Trustees after the incorporation that we have any account of was June 11th, 1798. At this meeting all the original Trustees, viz : Hugh Horner, John McNair, Thomas Horner, Wm. Lattimore, James Ralston and Joseph Horner, were present. In addition, Adam Clendinen, Wm. Kerr, James Clyde, John Walker, James Kerr, James Hays and Henry Epple. As the charter required two of the Trustees to vacate on the first of January of each year, there probably was an election previous to this time to fill the two vacancies occurring January Ist,
I798. If this was not the case, the election must have taken place at this meeting, June 11th, 1798, as we find Mr. Epple among the number of Trustees at this time, and elected President of the Board for the year. Mr. Wm. Lattimore was at
the same time elected Secretary. Mr. Hugh Horner had been Treasurer pre- vious to the incorporation and was con-
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tinued in that office. The President and Secretary were to hold their office for one year. Thus was the Board of Trustees. under the charter fairly organized, and went forward from year to year to transact the business of the corporation.
At this meeting, June 11th, 1798, the Trustees appointed a committee to settle with Messrs. Wm. Kerr, John Walker, Thomas Horner, and James Kerr, respect- ing the affairs of the parsonage farm. These gentlemen probably had the direct. oversight of the parsonage farm at the time, and the settlement referred to was. doubtless with regard to the sale of the property. Although we have not the means at hand to determine the exact time at which it was sold, collateral evi- dence goes to show that it was on or about: April 10th, 1797, as Jacob Bear's bonds for the purchase of the same bore that date .. In accordance with this, Oct. 13th, Jacob Bear applied to the Trustees to know if they would receive part of the interest due April roth previous, on the sale of the parsonage farm. The money for this. property was paid to the Trustees from time to time, and was invested largely in United States stock, in the Northampton and Easton banks. The Northampton bank failed and the greater portion of the money. was lost.
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Although the congregation had been weakened by removals, it still remained pretty strong at the time of its incorpora- tion. A ledger account was opened in the latter part of 1798. The names of over fifty persons were entered as finan- cially, at least, connected with the congre- gation or society. How many of these were regular members of the church does not appear, but probably the greater part.
As the act of incorporation required a settlement each year with the Treasurer, the Trustees, Jan. 7th, 1799, made it a standing rule that the two trustees who went out of office each year were to be a committee to make such settlement.
A singular custom prevailed in the con- gregation at this time. It was that the Elders and Trustees were each to pay twenty-five cents every Sabbath as col- lection money. This custom becoming burdensome or inconvenient, was done away in 1799.
Early in the present century the con- gregation became much weakened on account of many families removing to other parts of the country. The McNairs removed to western New York ; the Hays to West Branch of Susquehanna, and Pittsburgh ; the Ralstons and Walkers to Chester county ; the Wilsons to Union county ; the Craigs to Lehigh county; the
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Greggs, Hemphills, Sharps and Boyds to western Pennsylvania and Ohio. From this period we may perhaps properly date the decline of the Settlement. The church, however, kept on its course, sustaining the ordinances, and carrying forward its secu- lar affairs under the guidance of its Board of Trustees.
Up to the year 1800, although the Trustees had elected their officers and transacted their business as a body, they had not formally organized themselves into a Board. This formation of what was called the "Board of Trustees," was effected January 25th, 1800.
After the formation, the Board assumed the direct responsibility in the affairs of the society. The papers belonging to the congregation were put into their hands. Among these were the bonds for the payment of the price of the parsonage farm, and securities for other moneys belonging to the congregation held by dif- ferent persons, the charter of incorpora- tion, the deed of the parsonage farm from Thomas Armstrong to the congregation, and the deed for the same from Samuel Wilson to Thomas Armstrong. Thomas McKeen and Henry Epple were appointed a committee to draft rules for the govern- ment of the Board in their proceedings. They drafted a set of rules, the first of
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which defined the times of meeting, which were to be on Saturday after the annual election of Trustees, for organizing the Board ; and on the last Saturday of March, June, and September. It also prescribed
a fine for non-attendance. The second defined the duties of the President. The third, those of the Treasurer. The fourth,
those of the Secretary. The fifth, the
duties of the members. The sixth fixed the time and manner of making out dupli- cates for the collection of pew rent. It may now be said the Board was fully organized. They had a constitution in the charter of the congregation, and had now adopted a set of by-laws. As they were fully organized, and had entered upon the executive duties of their office, they were prepared to take decisive action with regard to the disposal of property belonging to the congregation, subject to the provisions of the charter. One of the first and most difficult things they had to do was to straighten out the affairs pertaining to the parsonage farm. It had been formally sold, but no deed had been made to the purchaser. How to make a good title to the property under the circumstances was the question. In order to clear the way, January 31st, 1800, those who had contributed to the original purchase price, or the heirs of such as had done so, handed into the Trustees their
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written consent to the sale of the same, as required by a previous arrangement between the purchasers, already referred to. This paper was submitted to Thomas Long, Attorney at Law, in Easton, for his opinion as to its legality. What opinion was expressed does not appear. How- ever, it is evident from the nature of the paper that time and trouble had been taken in order to have matters so arranged as to give the Trustees complete control of the church property. The drawing up of the paper was in 1797, the year the church was incorporated, but did not come before the Trustees regularly until in Jan- uary, 1800. It was not ratified by law until February 15th, 1802, at which time it was recorded in the office for the record- ing of deeds, in Northampton county, at Easton.
However, March 29th, 1800, the Trus- tees unanimously agreed to apply to the proper civil authorities to grant them power to make a title to the property which had been sold on or about April Ioth, I797. They appointed Thomas McKeen to draw up a petition for that purpose. May 3d, Mr. McKeen reported that he had not drawn the petition and suggested that the whole matter be put into the hands of an attorney. It was accordingly referred to John Ross, Esq.,
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of Easton, to be by him arranged and brought before the proper civil authorities. From some cause or other the matter was not adjusted by Mr. Ross, for Jan. 9th, 1802, Hugh Wilson and James Clyde were appointed to confer with Samuel Sit- greaves, Esq., presenting to him all the papers relative to the parsonage farm, and get his written opinion as to making a title for the same. If the papers were of suffi- cient authority, they were instructed to employ him to draw up the title. Even this arrangement did not bring the matter to an issue, for Feb. 24th, of this year, the congregation assembled for the purpose of consulting as to the best means to adopt in order to make a deed for the property. It was agreed that Samuel Sitgreaves should draw up a conveyance transferring to the Trustees all the rights held by the contributors to the same. Thomas McKeen and Hugh Horner were appointed to bring the matter before him. This seems to have been the closing up of this intricate business. The transfer of the contributors' rights to the property was recorded, as we have intimated, Feb. 15th, 1802.
In the minutes of a trustee meeting, held March 28th, 1801, we find a rather novel and interesting record. We insert it here as it embraces casual information from
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which to determine the situation of the old original church building. It is as fol- lows :
WHEREAS, Great inconvenience is found to result to Mr. Epple from members of the congregation tying their horses to the fences near the meeting house, and it being the wish of the Trustees to remedy the same ; therefore,
Resolved, That James Hays and Samuel Morison be a committee to contract with some persons to put up posts and rails, (for the purpose of tying horses to,) on the south side of the road, between the meeting house and creek, on the public grounds northeast of the meeting house, and on the vacant ground near the school house ; and to superintend the doing of the same.
Those familiar with the locality will per- ceive that the incidental description of the church property here given, cannot be made to apply to the site of the present church building near Weaversville. It must be referred to the north side of the public road near the creek.
At this time it was not definitely known where the deeds of the church and graveyard lots were. James Kerr was appointed to make inquiry through the congregation for them. After some delay he procured them and presented them to the Board of Trustees. In 1803, there seems to have accumulated in the treasury considerable money. This perhaps was owing to the sale of the parsonage farm. March 5th, of this year,
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the Trustees lent out for three years to various persons about $2550. The money was to draw six per cent. interest, and be secured by judgment bond and approved security. When money was thus lent out by the Board they took every precaution to secure the same, and were very positive in their requirement of its payment when it came due. They appear to have exer- cised freely their power as a body cor- porate. Frequent records are made in which the civil law was called in to enforce the collection of moneys due the congre- gation. Notwithstanding the congregation seems to have had considerable money at their disposal, the arrears reported by the collector, on the duplicates of 1804, go to show that the support of the congregation was to some degree falling away. During the next three or four years various expe- dients were devised or proposed for the relief of the waning fortunes of the con- gregation. In 1808, extra duplicates were issued to bring up arrears. Notwithstand- ing the fortunes of the congregation were waning, we find them still ready to do their share in helping along others who seemed to be more needy than themselves. This is shown from the following record, which explains itself :
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Received of Allentown congregation, by the hands of John Walker, thirteen dollars and ten cents, as a donation to Harmony congregation, toward paying for building their meeting house. I say received by me in behalf of said congregation, Dec. 27th, 1809. (Signed,) GARNET A. HUNT,
Greenwich, New Jersey.
N. B .- Harmony congregation will pay the above money to Allentown congregation when they build a meeting house.
About this time the graveyard was en- closed with a stone wall. The following record is made incidentally with reference to it :
"It is further agreed that the Trustees of congregation are to collect and settle the accounts between the Treasurer and Managers of the burial ground."
In connection with this we find the following :
"June 15th. At a meeting held the day aforesaid, per order of the Presi- dent, to make settlement with the acting manager of the building of a stone wall of the English Presbyterian burial ground in Allen Township, present,-Dr. Edward Humphrey, President, James Kerr, Trustee, Wm. Lattimore, James Horner, Sr., Nicho- las Neligh, Secretary, and, after examining the accounts, find Thomas Horner has a credit coming to him of * *
This was in 1811. On the same day as
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the foregoing, action was taken with regard to the sale of the old church building, which stood on the north side of the public road. This appears from the follow- ing record :
" Where and by them it was agreed that the old meeting house should be sold, and on taking consideration it was unanimously agreed that the said Nicholas Neligh should have the meeting house, and to take the same away and clear the premises between this time and 27th May, 1812, by paying on that day sixty dollars, Pennsyl- vania currency."
During the year 1811, we find the pecuniary support of the congregation continuing to decline. Nov. 26th of that year the Trustees took the following action :
" It was unanimously agreed that dupli- cates be made out to the amount of * , a sum necessary to be raised in order to assist in the payment of Mr. Russel's salary."
This explains itself.
Pecuniary difficulties seemed to thicken around the congregation. As the con- tributors to the support of the church seemed to be falling away, the Trustees apparently felt the necessity of making the most of the invested property belonging to the church. They sought additional security from those who held the money in
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order to further secure the interests of the church. In this they were met by opposi- tion as the following record shows :
" The Trustees then took into considera- tion the propriety of demanding bond and security from the present money holders, and having called on Mr. * for his bond and security, he refused in a peremp- tory manner, and said he would not have anything more to do with the congregation. Whereupon it was unanimously agreed that his name be erased from the list of supporters."
Notwithstanding the prospects of the cor- gregation were not of the brightest charac- ter, they felt they must go forward in the work of the Lord. The old church build- ing had been sold and was to be removed in the early part of 1812. This year, there- fore, they must take definite action with regard to a new church. To this work they accordingly addressed themselves.
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CHAPTER IV. 1813-1825.
N 1813, the present church building near Weaversville, was built, or at least commenced. As we have stated, the old church had been sold. Whether the new one should be built on the same ground or not, became a matter of consultation. Out of this consultation grew the record of how and why the church was removed from the old lot, and placed where it now stands. The follow- ing is the record-it bears date of Jan. 1 1 th, 1813:
"The Trustees met on the ground formerly occupied as a meeting house lot, the corners of which not being easily dis- covered, Mr. Neligh agreed to give the same quantity of ground anywhere the Trustees should point out. Whereupon a lot of the same dimensions was surveyed, which not joining the great road imme- diately, Mr. Neligh promised to enter into an agreement never to put any fence whatever between said lot and great road."
We find, therefore, that it is over sixty years since the congregation commenced
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to worship in the present church building near Weaversville.
Although the question of changing the site of the church was considered in the meeting held Jan. 11th, 1813, we find it was not settled at that time. The matter came up again in a meeting held in March. We insert the record of that meeting's proceedings, as it makes the whole matter clear and satisfactory.
" ACADEMY, March 15th, 1813.
" At a meeting of the English Presbyterian Church, of Allen Township, at the Academy, on Monday, the 15th day of March, 1813, convened agreeably to public notice for the purpose of ascertaining the will of said congregation, whether a meeting house was necessary to be built for the use of said congregation, and where said meeting house should be erected, Rev. Robert Russel was unanimously appointed Chairman, and John Boyd, Secretary.
" A motion was made and seconded, that with a view to unite the two sections of the congregation, a house should be erected on a lot of James Dunn's, joining the lands of Adam Clendinen, and lost, only two or three rising in its favor. A ·motion was made and seconded, that the Academy should be fitted up for a house of worship, and a new house built at or near where the old meeting house formerly stood, jointly, by the congregation, which was negatived. Another motion was made and seconded, that the Academy should be fitted up for a house of worship, and a new house built on or near the old spot, the former by that part of the congregation on or near the Mono- quacy. (Creek,) and the latter by that part of the con- gregation adjacent to the old meeting house, so that each side respectively completes its own meeting
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house ; but when finished that both houses shall belong to the congregation in common ; that is to say, the people on the east side of the congregation to have an equal right in the house which shall be built on the west side with the said western people them- selves ; and the people on the west side to have an equal right in the house built on the east side with the people on the east side themselves ; so that it is fairly understood that both houses shall be owned by the congregation in common in as full and ample a manner as if there was only one house built at the joint expense of the whole congregation. Carried by a large majority in the affirmative.
" Another motion was then made and seconded, that the Trustees of the congregation be empowered to exchange the old meeting house lot, for some other piece of ground more convenient for the site of a church, if the said Trustees should see proper so to do. Leave unanimously given to exchange."
This record sufficiently explains itself. Those who are acquainted with the situa- tions of the two houses of worship will readily perceive the cause of the disagree- ment with reference to a house of worship in common. To those who may not be acquainted with the situations of the two houses, a word of explanation here may not be inappropriate. The building called the Academy stands near the Monoquacy Creek, perhaps a mile south of the village of Bath. This places it in the eastern portion of the congregation. The old church stood near where the present one stands, making it perhaps three miles west of the Academy, and within half a mile of
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the village of Weaversville. This placed the church building proper in the western half of the congregation.
We venture an explanation (without positive knowledge on the point,) of the disagreement manifested in the record of the church meeting above given, and also the cause of the final agreement in regard to the matter. This final agreement would seem at first sight to throw the burden of building a new church upon the western half of the congregation.
It will be remembered, however, a num- ber of families on the Monoquacy Creek combined and independently erected the then substantial stone building called the Academy. This was large enough, and sufficiently well adapted, to accommodate the congregation as a house of worship. The persons who owned the Academy, were doubtless members of the congrega- tion. Having the interest of the congre- gation at heart, we may suppose they munificently offered to donate the Academy building to the congregation for a house of worship, since the old log church had been sold and had been, or was about to be, torn down. This would save the expense of a new house of worship. This, however, would give the eastern half of the congrega- tion the ascendancy, besides confining the preaching exclusively to that neighborhood. 5
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This would necessitate the western half of the congregation to always go three miles, more or less, to church. It is easy to see then how a difficulty would arise to prevent the acceptance of the Academy building, exclusively, by the congregation, as a house of worship. On the other hand, since the eastern half of the congregation offered to gratuitously provide a house of worship for the whole congregation, they could not be expected to assist in building a house of worship in the western half of the congre- gation, which would necessitate them always to go three miles, more or less, to church. A compromise therefore would naturally be expected. This seems to
have been effected. The eastern side of the congregation seems to have donated the Academy building to the whole con- gregation, and beside, fitted it up for a house of worship.
The western half of the people seem to have taken the old church lot, or its equivalent, and erected a church building, also for the whole congregation. This put both sides upon an equal footing as regarded the furnishing of houses of worship. There now being two churches belonging to the congregation, they made a positive agreement that each half of the congregation should have equal rights in the building furnished by the other half.
Such, we conjecture, were substantially
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the circumstances which originated the two houses of worship in the congregation, and the alternation in the services held in the two houses, which has existed for so many years.
As to exchanging the old church lot for a more desirable one, we have the follow- ing record :
" SESSION ROOM, March 19th, 1813.
" At a meeting of the Trustees of the congregation at their room, for the purpose of exchanging the old meeting house lot for ground which would be more suitable for building a meeting house (on), agreeably to a vote of the congregation, it was unanimously agreed that the old lot should be exchanged for one on the west side of Mr. Neligh's run, and adjoining the old burying ground."
The exchange was made and the new lot deeded over by Mr. Neligh to the con- gregation, March 31st, 1813. It was part of a tract of land sold to Mr. Henry Epple, by William Craig. At Mr. Epple's death he left but one daughter, who became the heiress to the property. . This daughter was the wife of Mr. Neligh, by whom the deed of the lot was made. The transfer was in the name of John Wilson, James Horner, Sr., John Boyd, John Clyde, Jr., James Kerr and Edward Humphrey, Trustees of the congregation. Such were the circumstances attending the selection of the site where the church building, near
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Weaversville, now stands. The old site, as we have intimated, was southeast of the. present one and north of the public road.
About this time there seems to have been considerable irregularity and commotion in the management of the secular affairs of the congregation. For some time previous to 1813, the Trustees do not seem to have been sufficiently strict in the observance of the rules adopted for their guidance in 1800. This matter had been noticed by some members of the Board. A motion was therefore made to remedy the neglect, as appears from the following record :
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