USA > Rhode Island > Newport County > Newport > Annals of Trinity church, Newport, Rhode Island, 1698-1821 > Part 17
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Easter Monday, March 25, 1799. The officers and Vestry were re-elected.
Mr. Gibbs was requested to write to Philadelphia to make in- quiry whether a suitable person conld be had from thence for an organist.
Voted : that Messrs. Brinley, Gibbs, Champlin, Auchmuty and Handy be delegates to the next annual convention.
June 28, 1799. The building an addition to the parsonage, for the better accommodation of the Rector, was ordered; and in order to defray the expense thereof, the Wardens are authorized to hire the money bequeathed by Robert Wheatley, in his last will and tes- tament, to the poor of the Church, and that they give a bond for the same to the trustees appointed by the said Wheatley to dispose of
224a The building, corner of Mary and School Streets, is now owned and occupied by the Shiloh Baptist Society.
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NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND.
the same; the congregation to hold themselves accountable for whatever sum is paid on account of said legacy, with lawful interest thereon.
August 24, 1799. Grenville Temple,225 son of Sir Grenville Temple and Lady Temple, was baptized. Sponsors : Sir Grenville, his Lady and Mr. John Rutledge.
October 20, 1799. Caleb Gardner226 was married to Mary Col- lins, daughter of Gov. John Collins.
December 1, 1799. Benjamin Gardiner,227 of Middleton, was mar- ried to Almy Ann Coggeshall, of Newport.
225 Grenville Temple, the father of Sir John Temple, then the British Minister at New York, had married in Boston, March. 1797, Mrs. Russell, widow of the late Thomas Russell.
226
Caleb Gardner who was born at Newport, January 24, 1759, attained to a prominent position. June 3, 1770, he married Sarah Ann Robinson, daughter of Dr. James Robinson, by whom he had five children. She died in 1777, and April 17, 1788. he married Sarah, daughter of Samuel Fowler, who bore him other five children, and died in 1795. Mary Collins, to whom he was married as above, died October 2, 1806, and Mr. Gardner died December 24th of the same year.
During the Revolution Captain Gardner enjoyed the confidence of both the American and French forces, and when peace was established he was appointed French Consul for this district. At his house, now owned by the heirs of the late Dr. Daniel Watson, he entertained the distinguished officers of the allied armies.
227 Benjamin Gardiner was the son of William Gardiner, and grandson of Joseph Gardiner, of Narragansett. He resided on a farm near Para- dise rock, and was a useful member of the Church. His first wife was Elizabeth Wickes, daughter of Thomas Wickes, of Warwick. His second wife was the above-named Almy Ann Coggeshall, who died the following month, and was buried January 8, 1800. March 5, 1801, he married Mary Howland, of Jamestown.
Mr. Gardiner was a vestryman in 1786.
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ANNALS OF TRINITY CHURCH,
[The news of the death of General Washington reached Newport on Sunday morning, December 22, 1799. The bells of the churches and the State House were tolled throughout the day, save during the hours of divine service, and on the following day there was a total suspension of business. The following Sunday the Fraternity of Masons assembled at the State House, and marched with muffled drums and in suitable mourning, to Trinity Church, where the Rector, Rev. Mr. Dehon, preached a funeral sermon, which was published, with the following title :
" A Discourse delivered in Newport, Rhode Island, before the Congregation of Trinity Church, The Masonic Society, and the Newport Guards, the Sunday following the Intelligence of the Death of General George Washington. By Theodore Dehon, A.M., Rector of Trinity Church in Newport. Printed by Henry Barber. MDCCC."
The pulpits in Trinity Church and the Congregational Church were draped with mourning.
A funeral service was held on the 6th of January, 1800, under direction of Major Daniel Jackson, commandant of this district.
At daybreak there was a discharge of artillery at Forts Adam and Wolcott, and a gun was fired every half hour till sunset. At noon the bier was received on the Parade, in front of the State House, the troops gathered there presenting arms. The procession was then formed, and moved to Trinity Church in the following order, the batteries at the forts firing minute guns till the cortege reached the Church :
Newport Guards. Newport Artillery. Music. (A dead march with muffled drums.)
Artillerists and Engineers, from Fort Adams.
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NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND.
Officers of the Army. Officers of the Navy. Militia Officers. Custom-House Officers.
The Orator of the Day. Society of Cincinnati. The Clergy. The Bier, borne by four Sergeants.
Pall Bearers :
Col. Rogers, Wm. Channing, Esq.,
Col. Sheldon, Col. Tew, Col. Crary, Col. Sherburne,
each wearing a white scarf tied with a bow on the left shoulder ; in the centre of the bow a rose of black, and the eagle of the Society of Cincinnati.
Masonic Society. Marine Society. Town Council. Mechanics' Association. Citizens.
At the Church, after a prayer was offered by Rev. Mr. Dehon, a funeral anthem was sung, and an oration was delivered by Major Daniel Lyman, a revolutionary officer. The procession was then reformed, and the bier was borne to the place of interment, where it was deposited with solemn music and volleys of musketry. A vast concourse of people from the neighboring towns attended the ceremony, and all business was suspended during the day.]
March 18, 1800. Voted and resolved : that so far as this Church is interested in behalf of the poor belonging thereto, in the one-half part of a house and lot in Newport, given and bequeathed to them
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ANNALS OF TRINITY CHURCH,
by Robert Wheatley,228 of said Newport, in his last will and testa- ment, we will join with the heirs of the other half part of said house and lot in disposing of the same, and do hereby signify our appro- bation that Mr. Bours, Administrator to the estate of Mary Wheat- ley, widow of said Robert, execute a deed to Thomas Hudson, in conjunction with the said heirs to the other half part of said house and lot, for the consideration of eight hundred dollars, the whole sum.
Voted : that Messrs. Bours and Auchmuty be appointed trustees, together with the Rev. Mr. Dehon, in conformity to Robert Wheat- ley's will, to appropriate the interest money arising annually on four hundred dollars, being the one-half part the house and lot of land said Wheatley bequeathed to the poor of the Church, was sold for ; and the said $400, loaned by the said trustees to the Church for the purpose of repairing and enlarging the parsonage-house, agreeably to a vote passed by the congregation on the 30th day of June, 1799, and that the Wardens give a bond to said trustees for the same ; and that they, the said trustees, make report of their doings annually to
228
Robert Wheatley His will was proved February 1, 1762. His first wife was Mary Young, to whom he was married May 4, 1746. She died, and December 17, 1747, he then married Mary Read. She outlived him. In his will he gave his estate to his wife during her natural life, or until she married, should she take another husband. Then the property was to go to his son William ; but if his son died before his wife and without issue, then one-half of the estate was to go to the heirs of John Jepson, and the other half to the poor of Trinity Church, "to be distributed to such persons as the Minister of said Church, and any pious communicants thereto, shall judge the most proper objects." Jepson died during the lifetime of Mrs. Wheatley, leaving a daughter, whose heirs united with the Church in transferring the estate to Thomas Hudson, March 19, 1800, he paying for the same "eight hundred Spanish milled dollars."
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NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND.
the Vestry, the first distribution to commence on Christmas day next.
Voted and resolved : that the Rev. Mr. Dehon and Mr. Auch- muty be a committee to make inquiry for a suitable person to take charge of the Church school, qualified agreeably to Mr. Kay's will, and that they be authorized to assure him the tuition of forty scholars at fifteen shillings per quarter, from his entering upon the charge until the 25th day of September next, from which time he will be entitled to receive $300 per annum, the amount of rent paid by Richard Harrison, Esq., of New York, for the house and land left in trust by the said Mr. Kay, for the support of a school-master Episcopally ordained, to the Rector, Wardens and Vestry, for the instruction of ten poor boys, in grammar and the mathematics, and assist the Rector in some part of the service of the Church, as occa- sion may require.
April 14, 1800. Mrs. Mary Brett,229 widow of Dr. John Brett, was buried.
229 mary Brett was an exceedingly conscientious and good woman. Her maiden name was Howland, a daughter of Rowland Howland, and she was married to Dr. Brett February 10, 1739. But little is known of Dr. Brett, other than that he was a native of Germany, and a graduate of the University of Leyden. He was a scholarly man, and contributed to the collection of books forming the Redwood Library.
The name of Mrs. Brett is associated with a free school for negroes before the Revolution. A society in London, composed of a number of benevolent clergymen of the Church of England, had taken up the sub- ject, and had offered to furnish means to sustain schools of this kind. Each school was to number thirty pupils, negro children, who were to be taught reading, writing, sewing, etc. Such a school was opened by Mrs. Brett at her residence on High Street, Newport, in March, 1773. At the time of her death she was in her 86th year.
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ANNALS OF TRINITY CHURCH
CHAPTER XV.
1800-1803.
EASTER MONDAY, April 15, 1800. William Crooke and William R. Robinson were elected Wardens.
Voted : that the number of vestrymen for the future be thirteen.
Vestrymen : Francis Brinley, Christopher Champlin, George Gibbs, John Bours, Francis Malbone, Benjamin Brenton, Henry Sherburne, John Handy, William Littlefield, Robert N. Auchmuty, William R. Robinson, Saunders Malbone and William Crooke. John Bours, Clerk of the Vestry ; Joseph Dyer, Clerk of the Church ; Daniel Vernon, Sexton.
Voted: that the Wardens continue the present organist, Mr. John Berkenhead, in his office during good behavior, and that they allow him one dollar and twenty-five cents for every Sunday, and other holy days, that he officiates.
August 3, 1800. Voted and resolved : that Mr. Benjamin Bren- ton be requested to communicate to the daughters of Capt. Jahleel Brenton, at Leith, in Scotland, the thanks of the Rector, Wardens and Vestry of this Church for the elegant damask table-cloth, spun and presented by them for the altar thereof, and to express to them their admiration of this specimen of female industry, piety and benevolence.
August 18, 1800. Whereas, the Rev. Mr. Abraham Brunson, of Cheshire, in the State of Connecticut, has undertaken the charge of the Church school, on the Kay foundation, voted: that the com- mittee who were chosen in March last to make inquiry for a person
.7
SILVER BELONGING TO TRINITY CHURCH.
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NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND.
qualified for said office, agreeably to said donation, make the ne- cessary arrangements with Mr. Brunson relative to his settlement, and make report to the next meeting of the Vestry.
Voted : that the Vestry meet in future on the evening of the first Monday of every month, at each other's houses, alternately, begin- ning with Mr. Brinley, as Senior Vestryman, and proceed through the whole number, according to their standing.
September 1, 1800. Voted : that the Clerk of the Vestry furnish the Rev. Mr. Dehon, our Rector, with the documents necessary for him to present to Bishop Bass, upon his application to him for Priest's Orders, agreeably to the canons of the Church.
February 2, 1801. Voted : that the Rev. Mr. Dehon, Mr. Bours and Mr. Auchmuty be a committee to make inquiry for a suitable person to take charge of the Church school, in the room of the Rev. Mr. Brunson, who has signified by a message to the Vestry this evening, that he proposes to give up his charge on the first day of July next, provided a successor can be had by that time ; otherwise to remain until the fall.
Whereas, a deed of a gift of a pew in the Church, being the south half part of pew numbered 86, late belonging to Frances Piper, wife of John Piper, of Colyston, County of Devonshire, Great Britain, to her three children, viz : Stephen Ayrault Wanton, Sarah, wife of Joseph Huntington, and Francis, wife of William C. Robinson, has been presented to the Vestry.
Voted : that the same be accepted.
February 16, 1801. Buried : the Honorable Lucia C. Grattan. 230
March 16, 1801. Voted : that Mr. Bours and Mr. Malbone be a committee to draw a plan for establishing a fund for the support of
230 Lady Grattan was the widow of Col. Grattan, cousin-german to the Rt. Hon. Henry Grattan, the Irish orator, and eldest sister of Lord Vis- count Falkland.
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ANNALS OF TRINITY CHURCH,
the Rector of the Church, at a future period, and lay the same before the congregation on Easter Monday next.
Voted : that the report of the Trustees who were chosen on the: 13th of March last, to receive from the Wardens a bond executed by them, in behalf of the congregation, for the sum of $400, given by Robert Wheatley, in his will, to the poor of the church, and loaned by the congregation, the interest arising thereon to be paid said poor on every Christmas day, be received and placed on the files of the Church.
At an adjourned meeting Easter Tuesday, April 7, 1801, William C. Robinson and Samuel Whitehorne were chosen Wardens. The Vestrymen and other officers of the Church remained unchanged.
The salary of Mr. Berkenhead, the organist, was raised to $2 for every day that he officiated.
Voted : that the tax on the pews be continued the same; one- third part for the support of the Rector, and two-thirds for the sup- port of the other officers and the repairs of the Church.
Voted : that the committee appointed at Easter last, to consider the expediency of disposing of the lot in the Church lane, be con- tinued, with the addition of Messrs. Benjamin Gardiner and William R. Robinson, and that they sell the same for the most it will fetch, and purchase another lot with the money, covenanting, however, with the purchaser of the lot in the Church lane, that no school- house shall ever be set thereon.
The subscribers, having been chosen a committee by the Rector, Wardens and Vestry, the 16th of March last, to draw a plan for establishing a fund for the support of the Rector, at a future period, to be laid before the congregation on Easter Monday, do report, that we have not, as yet, fully digested a plan, but would beg leave to observe, that, in our opinion, nothing would have a greater ten- dency to promote and secure the future welfare and prosperity of the Church, than such a measure, and would recommend the pre-
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NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND.
viously taking the sense of the congregation upon the practicability thereof; and that a subscription be set on foot to try what sum can be collected to lay a foundation for said fund. All which is re- spectfully submitted.
JOHN BOURS, FRAS. MALBONE.
Newport, April 7, 1801.
In consequence of the above report, which is accepted, it is voted and resolved: that the Clerk of the Vestry and the Wardens be a committee to draft a subscription, and endeavor to obtain as many signers thereto as they can, and make report of their doings within three months, to the Vestry, who will thereupon lay the business, if they judge it expedient, before the congregation.
May 4, 1801. Voted: that thirty feet of the east end of the lot in the Church lane, which was ordered by the congregation to be sold on Easter Monday last, be added to the burial ground, and the remainder only of said lot sold by the committee appointed for that purpose.
Whereas, Bishop Bass has intimated his intention of being at Newport, on a visit to our Church, the second Sunday in June next, voted: that a collection be made on said day, after divine service, in the afternoon, in order to defray the expenses of his journey.
May 7, 1801. Capt. Evan Malbone, of Pomfret, Connecticut, having sold one-half of pew number 79, on the south side of the middle aisle, belonging to him, to Mr. Andrew Freebody, owner of the other half, for $32.50; this record is made by desire of said Freebody.
[July 4, 1801. The use of the Church was granted for the de- livery of an oration before the Society of Cincinnati. The following notice of the event is condensed from the Newport Mercury, of the ensuing week :]
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ANNALS OF TRINITY CHURCH,
" The procession after passing through the principal streets of the Town, was received at Trinity Church with the appropriate tune, 'Washington's March.' Rev. Mr. Patten,231 of the Second Congregational Church, opened the exercises with prayer. The oration, prepared at the request of the Society of the Cincinnati, was delivered by Mr. William Hunter,232 after which an ode,233
231
William Patten .~
Rev. Dr. Patten, born at Halifax, Mass., took his degree at Dartmouth College, in 1783, and, at the suggestion of Rev. Dr. Stiles, was placed in charge of the Second Congregational Church, in Newport, over which he was settled in 1786. In 1833 he retired from the church and removed to Hartford, Ct., where he died in 1839, aged 77 years. He was a Fellow of Brown University, which institution conferred upon him the degree of D.D. For a list of his published works, see Hammett's " Bibliography of New- port."
232
son William Hunter of Dr. William Hunter, was born at Newport, in 1774, and died here December 3, 1849. He graduated at Brown University in 1791, went to England and began the study of medicine under Dr. John Hunter, but not liking the profession, he turned to the law, and became the pupil of Arthur Murphy. On his return to America, at the age of 21 years, he was admitted to the bar. His public career commenced in 1799, when he was elected a Representative to the General Assembly of his native State, which office he filled at various times till 1811, when he was elected United States Senator. In 1834 he was appointed Minister Plenipotentiary to Brazil, from which position he retired in 1844, and re- turned to Newport, where he passed the remainder of his days.
Mr. Hunter married the beautiful Mary Robinson, of New York. Of their numerous family, but one survives, Mr. Thomas R. Hunter, of New- port.
233
ODE.
Written by William Ellery, a signer of the Declaration of Independ-
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NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND.
written by a young gentleman of Newport-a musical address to the Cincinnati-was sung to the tune, 'God Save Great Washing- ton.' The dinner, served in the Representative Room in the State
ence, and dedicated to the Rhode Island State Society of Cincinnati, for the dinner at Newport, 4th July, 1801 :
Hark ! Freedom's silver horn, Pours on the peerless morn, The festive lay ; Ye sons of bold emprise, From peaceful slumber rise, Awake with glad surprise To hail the day.
Ye peers of Washington, Like him and Rome's best son, Be peace your aim ; The plough or falchion wield, Your native country shield, The Senate or the field Gives equal fame.
No tumults here will thrive, While hoary vet'rans live To guard the State ; Their swords, for public law And order, they will draw, Excite submissive awe In Empire great,
Alas ! Columbia weeps, Her Cincinnatus sleeps In Vernon's grave ; Yet still his spirit guides, High o'er our State presides, And on the thunder rides With power to save.
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ANNALS OF TRINITY CHURCH,
House, was presided over by Col. Jeremiah Olney, who had that day been re-elected President of the Society."
September 7, 1801. Voted: that the Wardens, with Captain Littlefield, be a committee to endeavor to ascertain the true bounds of the land whereon the Church stands, to the westward of said land, adjoining a lot of land late belonging to the heirs of Samuel Rhodes, and now belonging to Miss Searing.
September -, 1801. Dr. Benjamin Mason234 234 was buried in the church-yard.
November 2, 1801. Whereas, no day has been set apart this autumn by the civil rulers of the State, as a day of Thanksgiving and Prayer to Almighty God, and whereas in the confident expec- tation of such an appointment the day has elapsed appropriate for that purpose, by the standing order of our Church, in case of no such appointment by the civil authorities, therefore voted and re- solved unanimously :
That it be recommended to the congregation of Trinity Church, to observe Thursday, the 26th day of this month, as a day of thanks- giving and praise to the Most High, for the spiritual and temporal,
234
Benji Majon
Dr. Benjamin Mason, eldest son of Benjamin Mason and Mary Ayrault (of Daniel 2d), his wife, was born in March, 1762. November 8, 1788, he was married at Narragansett, by Rev. William Smith, to Margaret Champlin, of Christopher. After studying in the office of Dr. Isaac Sen- ter, he completed his medical education in London. At the death of Dr. Senter, who held the appointment at the time, he was made Director and Purveyor-General of the Military Hospital of Rhode Island. He was an honorary member of the Massachusetts Medical Society. His career in Newport was as short as it was brilliant, for he died at the early age of forty years.
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NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND,
public and private blessings of the year past, and of devout suppli- cation for a continuance of His many and unmerited favors.
December 7, 1801. Voted : that the Revd. Mr. Brunson be re- quested to write to Mr. Merriam, at present residing at Brookline, on Long Island, who has been recommended to the Vestry as a suitable person to succeed him as Assistant Minister and school- master, on Mr. Kay's donation, and recommend to him coming on to Newport, as soon as convenient to him, that the Vestry may treat with him with regard to his undertaking the charge.
March 8, 1802. Voted : that Mr. Clement Merriam be invited to take charge of the Episcopal school and perform the duties of the Assistant Minister in Trinity Church, upon the conditions on which the Rev. Mr. Brunson was engaged ; and that the Clerk of the Ves- try, with Mr. Brunson, be requested to transmit to him a copy of this vote, and explain to him what the said conditions are.
April 6, 1802. Whereas, the committee appointed at Easter last, to dispose of the lot on the Church lane, have reported that they have sold said lot to Simeon Martin,235 for the sum of $400. Voted : that William R. Robinson, Senior Warden, be requested to pur- chase a lot of four acres of land on the hill, offered for sale by Sam- uel Gardiner for $600, provided the said Gardiner will consent to receive in payment for the same the $400 paid by said Martin and a note for the remaining $200, to be signed by the Wardens in behalf
235
Simeon Martin
was a merchant. In the Revolution he en-
tered the service of the State, was appointed a captain in Col. Lippett's regiment. and was in the battle at Trenton. After the war he was ap- pointed adjutant-general and major-general of the State militia, and re- peatedly represented the Town in the General Assembly. In 1811 he was elected Lieutenant-Governor, and held the office till Is16, when he declined a re-election. In 1817 he removed to Seekonk, where he died September 30, 1819.
16
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ANNALS OF TRINITY CHURCH,
of the congregation, payable at some distant period, say four or six months, with interest thereon.
At the Annual Meeting, Easter Monday, April 19, 1802, the officers and vestry of the Church were re-elected.
Voted : That Simeon Martin be added to the number of delegates to represent the Church at the next State Convention, and to the committee for ascertaining the bounds of the land between the Church and Miss Searing.
The Rev. Mr. Brunson having been paid his salary to the 25th day of April, and given up his charge, as Assistant Minister and School-master, the Rev. Mr. Clement Merriam is admitted in his room, and his salary of $300, to commence from said 25th day of April, 1802.
[June 21, 1802 : St. John's Day, the annual meeting of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons was held at the State House ; after which the members marched to Trinity Church, where divine service was conducted by Rev. Mr. Merriam, followed by an oration delivered by Hon. William Hunter. ]
July 4, 1802. Richard Kidder Randolph236 was married to Ann Maria Lyman.
August 12, 1802. Whereas, the Rev. Mr. Merriam hath signified to the Vestry, by his note of July 20th, that it is his intention to resign his charge of the school and office of Assistant Minister of our Church, at the expiration of six months from the date thereof. Voted: that the Clerk of the Vestry, with the Wardens, be a com-
236 Mr. Randolph was born in Virginia, October 19, 1781, and was the son of Payton and Lucy Randolph. He graduated at Harvard, and took up his residence in Newport in 1810. He had a seat in the General Assembly, as Representative from Newport, for several years, and died in Newport, in March, 1849. Mrs. Randolph was the daughter of Major Daniel Lyman, and was distinguished for her beauty.
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