USA > Pennsylvania > Wayne County > Honesdale > History of the First Presbyterian society of Honesdale > Part 22
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has always been connected with Arminian doctrines, asserts that all church power is vested in the clergy; while the repub- lican form, which has always accompanied Calvinistic doctrines, asserts that all church power is vested in the church, that is in the people. If all power be in the clergy, then the people are practically bound to passive obedience in all matters of faith and practice; but if all power be in the church, then the people have a right to participate in all matters pertaining to questions of faith and practice. The one system leads to monarchy, the other to democracy. On this point Dr. Charles Hodge says: "The theory that all church power vests in a divinely-consti- tuted hierarchy begets the theory that all civil power vests of divine rights, in kings and nobles. And the theory that church power vests in the church itself, and all church officers are ser- vants of the church of necessity begets the theory that civil power vests in the people. These theories God has joined to- gether, and no man can put them asunder. It was therefore by an infallible instinct that the unfortunate Charles of Eng- land said, 'No bishop, no king'; by which he meant if there is no despotic power in the church, there will be liberty in the state." The idea that the Americans revolted alone on the ground of taxation without representation is erroneous. The Colonists fled from oppression at home and came to America to establish civil and religious liberty. It was an old contest that was resumed at Lexington which finally triumphed at Yorktown. If the Revolutionary war was waged to escape a fow paltry dollars taxation then it were an ignoble strife, but if it was waged for human liberty, civil and religious, it becomes one of the most sublime contests in all history. To the close student of American history there can be no doubt as to what the great underlying principles of that contest were, and these principles should be taught to our children in order that they may understand at what a cost the liberties which we enjoy were purchased.
Prof. Briggs in his American Presbyterianism says: "The struggle for independence involved a religious struggle to which
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Presbyterianism was committed from the start, and for which it was resolved to make every sacrifice. The sacrifices were great but the reward was vastly greater, for the spirit of the conflict animated American Presbyterianism with new vigor, so that it became preeminently the church of constitutional government and orderly liberty. The ecclesiastical polity of the Presby- terian churches influenced the government of the state, and the government of the American Presbyterian churches was in no slight degree assimilated to the civil government of the country."
The independence of the Colonies carried with it the sepa- ration of church and state, but some of the weaker sects feared that the Presbyterians would take advantage of their preemi- nence and make the Presbyterian church the established church of the Middle Colonies. These apprehensions were allayed by the Synod of New York and Philadelphia in 1783 when they solemnly and publicly declared that they ever have and still do renounce and abhor the principles of intolerance, and further declaring that every member of society ought to be protected in the full and free exercise of his religion.
It is not within the limitations of this work to further pur- sue this interesting work of Presbyterianism. The churches that were established by the pioneer ministers in this region were very liberal and democratic in their government. Every- thing of importance was decided in congregational meeting. In fact the government of the Presbyterian churches in Northeast- ern Pennsylvania has followed the Congregational form more or less. It will be remembered that when the Congregational churches became Presbyterian they asked to manage their own concerns in their usual or Congregational manner. These churches were reorganized as Presbyterian churches after a time, still there lingered in their charters and customs many Congregational methods. The Honesdale Presbyterian church was never a Congregational church, but its charter gives the congregation great power, even a pewholder, who is not a com- municant, has many privileges. He may, if of legal age and a contributor, vote for trustees, and for a pastor, on the subject
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of appointing committees and authorizing expenditures on the church property, also on many other matters. The rule laid down by the General Assembly is that "no person shall be en- titled to vote who refuses to submit to the censures of the church regularly administered; or who does not contribute his just proportion, according to his own engagements, or the rules of that congregation, to all its necessary expenses." It will be observed that the charter is more liberal than the rule of the General Assembly, but it is probable that our charter and the customs of the church will be followed unless some evil should result therefrom. It has been the custom in the Honesdale church to appeal to the congregation in every important matter, and if the congregation does not proceed with a great degree of unanimity, it is customary not to proceed further along that line. This constant appealing to the congregation, by the elders and trustees, gives each individual in the church an op- portunity to be heard in all important matters.
The minister under the democratic government of the Colonists occupied an important position. While New England was not under a Theocracy like the ancient Hebrews, it was the intention of the people to conform to the teachings of the Bible as they understood it, in framing laws for their government. These enactments have been termed blue laws, by men who take more delight in breaking the ten commandments than in keeping them. The ministers, in those days, were looked upon with a certain awe and reverence that does not exist among the people now. They were usually the most highly educated men in the community, and they were leaders in educational as well as religions matters. Before the county superintendency was instituted ministers were generally on committees, in their sev- eral localities, to examine teachers as to their qualifications to teach; and they visited the schools more or less, and generally speaking they were given prominence in every laudable under- taking. The first ministers in Northeastern Pennsylvania were missionaries that were sent out by the Congregationalists and Presbyterians. The Baptists and Methodists also had ministers
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itinerating through this wilderness, known as the Beech Woods.
The Presbyterian ministers, as they began to locate, were often furnished with a parsonage house and barn, together with ten or fifteen acres of land, here with his horse, cow and chick- ens he was indeed passing rich, at three hundred dollars a year. There was no need for his congregation to petition him to pray for rain, for he knew when showers were needed from his own experience. In fact his glebe of land with its attendant labors placed him and his good wife in sympathy with a majority of his congregation, as far as having similar experiences in the same occupation was concerned. He was in position to apply the parables taken from the husbandman's occupation with added force, and he understood all the trials and disappoint- ments in connection with the occupation of his hearers. He knew how to live economically and it is wonderful how many of these ministers reared large families and educated them well, on some three or four hundred dollars salary. A brief notice of some of these pioneer ministers is not out of place in this volume.
Rev. Ebenezer Kingsbury itinerated all over this region, and he had a son who was an elder in this church. It is fitting that he should be noticed. He was born at Coventry, Conn., August 30, 1762, and graduated at Yale in 1786. He studied theology and in 1809 was sent into Northeastern Pennsylvania by the Connecticut Home Missionary Society. He was in- stalled the first pastor of the Harford Congregational church August 3, 1810, and continued in that relation until 1827. Dur- ing all this time he spent one half of his time doing missionary work in the surrounding country. In this work he traveled over a large part of Bradford, Susquehanna, Luzerne and Wayne on horseback, by marked trees and bridle paths, preaching in log cabins, barns and school houses. As a preacher he was grave and deliberate in manner and instructive in matter. In social intercourse he was affable, unassuming and regardful of the feelings of others. These characteristics made him a wel- come visitor among the settlers in the wilderness. The Lu-
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zerne Association of Congregationalists was organized in his home at Harford in 1810. He loved to look up the families scattered among the hills where he was ever welcome. Hence it is not surprising to find that he organized more of the churches of the old Montrose Presbytery than any other man. He died March 24, 1842, aged 82, and is buried in Harford cemetery. His wife died in 1859, aged 88. Her house was ever open to the sons and daughters of want. He had four sons, Williston, Payson, Samuel E., that remained in Harford, and Ebenezer who came to Honesdale and took charge of the Wayne County Herald.
Rev. Adam Miller, who succeeded Kingsbury, was the Nestor of Montrose Presbytery. He was present when Hones- dale church was organized and was generally well known throughout the Presbytery. He was born at Canajoharie, N. Y., January 13, 1807, graduated at Union College in 1824 and at Auburn Theological Seminary in 1827. He preached one year at Owego Falls and was married to Annie B. Curtis in 1828. That same year he went to Harford while in his 21st year, and on the 28th of April, 1830, he was installed pastor of Harford church. His ministry continued at a salary of about five hundred dollars for fifty-three years. During that time he preached not less than eight thousand sermons, attended six hundred funerals, married six hundred and thirty-five couples and received into the church about five hundred and eighty members. He preached until November and died in Decem- ber, 1881. Three of his daughters reside in Honesdale, Julia being the wife of Edwin F. Torrey Cashier of Honesdale Na- tional Bank.
Rev. Phineas Camp was born at Durham, Conn., February 18, 1788. He graduated from Union College in 1811, and studied Theology at Princeton. After completing his studies he taught a classical school in Orange county, N. Y. July 15, 1817, he was ordained as an Evangelist by the Presbytery of North River, and sent into Wayne county in 1818 where he labored for a time in Bethany and Salem. September 22, 1818,
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he organized the Presbyterian church at Bethany, which was the first distinctively Presbyterian church organized in North- eastern Pennsylvania. The old churches at Wilkes-Barre, Wy- alusing, Salem and elsewhere were Congregational churches and were not reorganized as Presbyterian churches until after this date. Rev. Gideon N. Judd assisted Mr. Camp in conducting revival services at Bethany and the people became attached to Mr Camp and they circulated a subscription and pledges were secured to the amount of $400 for two-thirds of his time. This subscription was so worded as to imply an independence from all ecclesiastical control and was declined by Mr. Camp as in- judicious for both people and pastor. He strongly advised the Christians to connect themselves with some recognized church organization, and after free discussion of the form of church government most desired they finally decided to organize a Presbyterian church, which was done as before noted. How much Honesdale Presbyterian church owes to the firm stand taken by Rev. Phineas Camp at this important juncture can never be know, but as Presbyterians, probably we should say it was foreordained to be so and that is enough for us to know. Rev. Mr. Camp afterwards labored within the bounds of the Presbytery of Erie, part of the time as Evangelist and part of the time as settled pastor, then he moved to Dixon, Ill., where he died January 30, 1868, aged 80.
Rev. Worthington Wright, the first settled pastor of the Congregational churches in Wayne county, was born in the town of Windsor, Berkshire county, Mass., June 16, 1785. His grandfather, Asa Wright, was an architect and planned and superintended the erection of Dartmouth College, New Hamp- shire. His father, Asahel Wright, subsequently graduated at that college, and after completing a medical course, was ap- pointed a surgeon in the United States Navy during the War of the Revolution. He settled in Windsor and reared a large family. He had eight sons all of whom were professional men. At one time he and six of his sons were engaged in the practice of medicine. Dr. Urial Wright, of Mount Pleasant, and Dr
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Erastus Wright, of Salem, were two of these sons, and both of them were efficient members of the Presbyterian church, Dr. Urial Wright being an elder in Mount Pleasant church and Dr. Erastus Wright was prominent in the Salem church. His daughter, Mary, was the wife of Rev. A. R. Raymond, who labored in Salem and Sterling for many years. Rev. Worth- ington Wright graduated at Williams College in 1806. He was ordained at Woodbury, Conn., as a Congregationalist in 1811. After about a year he was troubled with inflammation in one of his eyes and was dismissed. When his eyesight improved in May, 1812, he was sent by the Connecticut Congregational So- ciety to preach in the different settlements in Wayne county. After he had labored a few months it was proposed that he be- come the settled pastor of the Congregational societies of Salem, Palmyra, Dyberry and Canaan, for a period of four years, de- voting half of his time between these towns and the other half to labors in destitute portions of the county. Subscriptions were accordingly circulated resulting in obtaining from residents of Dyberry, including Bethany, $162; of Salem, $42.50; of Pal- myra, $25; of Canaan, $27.50-in all $257, a sum considered ample for the purpose. In these subscriptions it was condi- tional that Mr. Wright should reside at Bethany, or in Dyberry township. The Salem subscribers agreed to double their sub- scription if he would make that township his home, but Beth- any was the county seat and its people prevailed. After pro- curing this sum a committee consisting of Jason Torrey, of Bethany, Dr. Lewis Collins, of Cherry Ridge, Joseph Wood- bridge, of Salem, and Col. Asa Stanton, of Canaan, was ap- pointed to negotiate with Mr. Wright in relation to his proposed settlement. On the following day, December 23, 1812, he con- sented to accept the offer conditional upon the consent of the Missionary Society, and this was given. May 26, 1813, Rev. Worthington Wright was installed at the Court House in Bethany, in the presence of a large assemblage of people, the first pastor of the scattered Congregationalists in the Beech Woods of Wayne county. As people did not hesitate to go ten
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or fifteen miles to church in those days, it is altogether probable that representatives of all these scattered societies were present on this auspicious occasion. The liberality of the subscriptions, considering the poverty of the people and the scarcity of money, shows with what eagerness these dwellers in the wilderness welcomed the regular ministrations of a pastor. There were no churches in the county at that time of any denomination. The preaching was held in the Court House, private dwellings and log school houses. The Bethany church was not erected until 1822-4. Mr. Wright traveled long distances over wilder- ness roads, proclaiming the gospel wherever he could get a hearing in the county, and the Congregational church at Mount Pleasant was organized by him and Rev. Ebenezer Kingsbury, of Harford, January 26, 1814, with sixteen members, nine unit- ing by profession and seven by letter. It was on his recom- mendation that his brother, Dr. Urial Wright, came to Mount Pleasant. Mr. Wright's eye troubled him again after laboring here about three years and he gave up the ministry, and studied medicine which profession he followed for about fifteen years. He resumed preaching in 1838 and was pastor at Woodstock, Vt., 1838-50, and at Charlestown, N. H., 1852-5. He next went to reside with his son at Fredonia, N. Y., and died at Buffalo, N. Y., October 28, 1873, aged 88. Such was the varied and honorable career of the first pastor of the Con- gregational and Presbyterian churches in Wayne county.
Among the old-time ministers in Wayne county Rev. Joseph Barlow deserves more mention than we have data to give. Rev. Mr. Barlow came to the Presbyterian church from the Protest- ant Methodists. He was an aggressive Englishman and em- phasized the letter "h" where Americans do not. John Mitchell, of Salem, told a good anecdote of him which occurred while he was preaching in Salem and Palmyra. Among the early mem- bers of the church at Palmyra were the Binghams, of Wallen- paupack settlement. Hezekiah Bingham, Sr. and Hezekiah, Jr. were among the first members in 1808. Along about 1838-40, when Mr. Barlow was preaching at that place, there was one,
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Dolph Bingham, who had said that no one should ask the bless- ing at his table. He had become a skeptic, in fact, but the Paupack people were hospitable and Mr. Barlow was there at his table. He knew what Bingham had said but that did not deter him. As he sat down to the table he said very deliber- ately sounding the "h" in Bingham, "Brother Bing-ham it is my custom to return thanks before I eat," and he immediately did so before the astonished Bingham could raise any objections. This was the manner in which some of the old-time preachers bade defiance to sinners. Mr. Barlow afterward preached at Liberty and Franklin, in Susquehanna county. The parsonage took fire and as he opened a door he was caught by the blaze and perished.
Rev. Lyman Richardson is one of the most remarkable men that ever labored in Northeastern Pennsylvania, both as teacher at Harford and elsewhere, and as revivalist, he did a vast amount of good. He was one of the most sincere men in the state and his influence for good through his school and preaching extends to this day. Jason Torrey's family all at- tended his school, besides they had a school in Honesdale at one time. There were three of the Richardsons, Lyman, Pres- ton and Willard. All of them were great teachers, and excel- lent men. Some of the most prominent men in Northeastern Pennsylvania were instructed by these earnest Christian teach- ers. Rev. Lyman Richardson assisted in revival work in Wayne county. The good influence of the righteous man never ends.
Rev. Albert R. Raymond is a minister that should not be forgotten in any history of Presbyterianism in Northeastern Pennsylvania. He was born in Chenango county, N. Y., No- vember 5, 1806. His father died when he was young and he was taken by his grandfather Lathrope to Malta, N. Y. His grandmother instructed him in Bible reading, Sabbath keeping and church attending. He graduated from Union College in 1831 and subsequently from Auburn Seminary. Rev. Dr. Eliphalet Nott was President of Union while he was there and he ever spoke of him in the highest terms. He preached at
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REV. A R. RAYMOND JASON TORREY
REV. WORTHINGTON WRIGHT REV. E. O. WARD
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Nelson for a time also at Liberty and Franklin in Susquehanna county, here out of a membership of about seventy, over fifty of them were descendants of seven Smith brothers, and a rare old family they were according to Mr. Raymond's testimony. It was customary to have a sermon in the morning and after a short interval another sermon in the afternoon. During the in- terval most of the congregation repaired to the horse shed where they ate their dinners and discussed the morning sermon. They were genuine dissenters, and as may be inferred, they did not hesitate to criticise anything that had been said contrary to their views. "Uncle Ephraim" had a weakness of the eyes which caused him to wipe them occasionally with his hand and as he threw the water from his hand his fingers would snap together with a loud noise. Whenever he was agitated this snapping was more frequent. One day it was quite noticeable in church. After the sermon was concluded he arose and re- marked to Mr. Raymond: "I don't believe one word you have said." Mr. Raymond asked the session to remain, and among them was a brother and other relatives of "Uncle Ephraim." Finally after sitting there awhile one of them asked what they were called together for. Mr. Raymond told them he thought there was reason enough if he did not preach the truth. "Oh 'Uncle Ephraim' will be all right," said they, and they would pay no further attention to it but went home. No matter how much they differed from the minister they always came to church and there they fought it out. Mr. Raymond had a drunken elder at one of his preaching places and he got old Father Hunt to talk. He gave one of those masterly temperance addresses in which he pictured the drunkards traveling on the road to perdition and at the tail end of the heap there comes a drunken elder, staggering along. This lecture cost Mr. Raymond his place. He came to Salem in 1844 and occupied that pulpit until 1863 when he resigned, but continued at Sterling until 1868. He was a wiry man standing erect, with a large nose and mouth and a decided chin, indicating great will power. He had an exalted idea of the ministry and was somewhat austere
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and reserved in his manner to those who did not know him in- timately. He always entered the pulpit in a swallow-tailed full dress coat, and no one ever presumed to be too familiar with him. His life and conversation were singularly pure, how- ever, and to those who knew him best, he was a very compan- ionable man. He was naturally taciturn and he lacked that savoir faire which wins friends readily, consequently he was liable to be misunderstood. His mind was speculative and better fitted for delving into the mysteries of nature and Provi- dence than it was for simple and plain discourse, consequently he was often lost in the mazes of his own speculations. He was so frequently lost in this manner that his despairing exela- mation, "There are strange things in nature and Providence and why things are so we cannot tell," became a well worn proverb in the community. He married Mary, a daughter of Dr. Wright, of Salem. The family are all dead but one, Helen, the wife of S. W. Cook. Two of his grandsons, Frank and Claude, sons of James D. Stocker, reside in Jermyn, Pa. Mr. Raymond died in 1888, aged 81. He never had only about $300 salary a year and a glebe of land and parsonage, but he educated his children and left an estate of several thousand dollars; part of it however came through his wife, and he bequeathed a portion of this to the missions of the church. In the later years of his life he meditated much upon the Scriptures and became a very spiritually minded man.
Rev. Elias O. Ward, who for so many years was pastor of Bethany Presbyterian church, was an old-time minister of power and efficiency who must not be forgotten. He was born at Chatham, Morris county, N. J., February 5, 1810. He removed with his parents to Bethany in 1825, and worked there for years at the trade of a hatter. He began to study for the ministry with Rev. Preston Richardson, of Harford, under whose tutor- ship he was prepared for college. He graduated from Hamil- ton College in 1838, and from Auburn Seminary in 1841. He became pastor of the church at Dundaff that same year, remain- ing there twelve years. In 1853 he came to Bethany where he
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remained until his death, January 9, 1899. He preached at Bethany about forty years when old age compelled him to re- linquish the pastorate, but he continued to superintend the Sunday school for some time after he stopped preaching. About 1859 Mr. Ward was appointed to fill a vacancy caused by the resignation of S. A. Terrel as county superintendent of the common schools. After that he served two full terms by election. He was an uncompromising temperance man and had decided views in relation to dancing and other amusements. At the time he was superintendent, a teacher, at a spelling school in Salem," allowed dancing at the intermission in the school house, one of the boys furnishing all the music that was fur- nished by whistling. Some one reported it to Mr. Ward and he annulled her certificate and the directors turned her out of the school. His wife, Jemima Farrar, of Harford, was a good woman. He lost one son in the Civil War and his son Edward O. Ward is a resident of Newark, N. J., and Mary E. is the wife of Dr. Reed Burns, the skillful surgeon, who now resides in Scranton, and whose son, Edward, practices medicine in Hones- dale.
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