USA > Rhode Island > Kent County > East Greenwich > History of the town of East Greenwich and adjacent territory, from 1677 to 1877 > Part 13
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New England is not devoid of monuments of superstition. The readers of Colonel Higginson remember that abode which he describes as built on the hill near Worcester, where a solitary devotee had fixed his place of worship. The houses built for the use of the inspired woman of Cum-
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JEMIMA WILKINSON.
berland are of older date; but the tumults of the camp- meeting and the "ascension-day " of the Millerites, call at- tention to the elements of fanatical zeal and credulity still lingering among us. Were Jemima Wilkinson living in our day we should doubtless hear of her as a successful " spirit-medium." Yet how distant seems the time when claims such as hers, or such as advanced by Ann Lee, or still later, by Joanna Southcote, were heard and received. How great a change has been effected in the popular habits of thought by the agencies of the free press and the com- mon school. A great revolution is silently going on, of which we can only foretell that it will, in the end, promote the interests of the race, and remove forever the last rem- nant of religious superstition and fanaticism.
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CHAPTER VII.
RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES .- THE EPISCOPALIANS.
THERE was an Episcopal Church in the vicinity of East Greenwich, where many of our villagers worshiped, as long ago as 1728. It was on a lot at Coweset, near the railroad station. The ground on which it stood is now owned by Mr. Jonathan Pearce. The lot was conveyed by the Rev. George Pigot "to the Society in London for the Propaga- tion of the Gospel in Foreign Parts," for "erecting a church according to the establishment of churches by law in En- gland." When the congregation of Trinity Church, in Newport, built their new church in 1726, "they gave their old church to the people of Warwick who had no church of their own." It was taken down and carried on sloops to Coweset, (the Indian name of that part of Warwick,) where it was rebuilt. It was two stories in height, with a steeple or spire fronting the post-road. After remaining unoccupied a long time in a ruined state, it was taken down a second time, about the year 1764, and removed to Old Warwick. Before the materials could be removed from the shore a violent storm arose, during which they were scattered and lost.
A number of graves, probably of individuals connected with the church, are still to be seen upon the lot. The Rev. George Pigot resided in Warwick a number of years, and owned a large tract of land near East Greenwich. He probably furnished the means of erecting the church. The Rev. Dr. McSparran, Mr. Fayerweather and others offi- ciated once in a month. It appears that the church was never in a very flourishing condition, as Dr. McSparran says in his diary, "Episcopacy never seemed to succeed in
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RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES.
the north part of the State, as the Quakers and other her- etics are the dominant class."
The parish of St. Luke's, East Greenwich, was organized " according to the doctrine and discipline of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the State of Rhode Island," on the tenth day of August, A. D. 1833, at a meeting of sundry of the citizens at the Kent Academy, the Rev. Sylvester Nash, being chairman, and John P. Roberts, secretary. Charles Eldridge and Joseph J. Tillinghast were chosen wardens ; Daniel Greene, Howland Greene, Wicks Hill, Silas Weaver, Kingsly Bullock, John G. Ladd, Emery Fiske, Wanton Casey and William G. Spencer, vestrymen. Augustus Greene was chosen treasurer, and John P. Roberts was chosen secretary.
Services had been held in the upper hall of the academy for some weeks previous, and they were continued there regularly until the consecration of the new church, in April of the following year.
The act of incorporation was passed at the January session of the Assembly in 1834. This charter gives power to assess the pews for necessary repairs, and for in- surance on the building, but for no other purpose. This provision or want of provision, has led to much embarrass- ment in the support of the services, the contributions for this purpose being entirely voluntary.
On the twenty-seventh of August the same year, it was voted, "That Daniel Greene and John P. Roberts be authorized to take proper measures to procure a lot for the purpose of erecting a house of Public Worship, and to take a deed in trust for this Society." It was also voted " that John P. Roberts, Kingsly Bullock and Daniel Greene be a committee to erect an Episcopal Church, on the lot which may be procured for that purpose." Also voted, " That the wardens and vestry be a committee to solicit donations to carry the same resolution into effect."
Early in the year 1833, some time before the first named meeting, the old meeting-house belonging to the Catholic Congregational Society had been taken down with the in- tention of building a more commodious house upon the same lot. But in consequence of some difficulty or dissen- sion the plan was interrupted, and the lot with the materials of the old structure were sold to the new organization. The building committee set about their work with earnest- ness, and the new church was finished and ready for conse-
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HISTORY OF EAST GREENWICH.
cration on the thirteenth of April, 1834. For this satisfac- tory result we are indebted very much to the diligent labor and liberal contributions of our late townsman, John P. Roberts.
The Rev. Sylvester Nash was the first rector. His term of service began with the organization of the parish and continued until the spring of 1840. Before leaving he raised by solicitation from abroad, a sufficient sum to pay off the indebtedness of the corporation, and thus cleared the property from incumbrance. Mr. Nash was an earnest worker in the church, had many firm friends here, and re- tained a warm interest in the affairs of the parish as long as he lived. His death took place in Wisconsin, in 1863.
The Rev. William H. Moore was called to the rectorship in May, 1840. He first officiated on the second Sunday in July. After a residence here of a little more than a year he resigned the charge. He now holds a prominent posi- tion in the Diocese of Long Island.
In December, 1840, the Rev. Silas A. Crane made an en- gagement to supply the church for the winter, not contem- plating a permanent settlement, but remained from that time until his death, on the 12th of July, 1872. Thus for more than thirty years he dwelt among us as a much loved and faithful minister.
"The death of Dr. Crane leaves a broken link in our community that causes universal sympathy and regret. A good man has fallen. Dr. Crane was emphatically a man of good words and good works. For more than thirty years he was the highly esteemed rector of St. Luke's Par- ish, and very few rectors have left a better record. As a public Christian man he discharged his duties faithfully, always doing his work strictly in accordance with a tender conscience and with the Word. As a neighbor and friend, we esteemed him as one of our choicest, and this was the general feeling of our community toward him. He died as he lived, strong in the faith, and ready to depart and be with Christ. He adopted and received strong consolation from St. Paul's words, 'To live is Christ and to die is gain.' He has gained the victory over death, gained a bright, immortal crown of glory, to be his forever.
" The funeral service was read in St. Luke's Church, Thurs- day evening, at 5 o'clock. The Church was draped in mourning, and over the chancel there appeared in bright letters, 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord.'
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RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES.
Bishop Clarke accompanied the services with some brief and exceedingly appropriate remarks. The house was filled with attentive listeners, and a large delegation of clergy from abroad.
"The Doctor rests peacefully in the church-yard near the place where he so faithfully and for so many years pro- claimed the peace of God which passeth all understanding." -East Greenwich Pendulum.
" IN MEMORIAM OF REV. DR. CRANE.
" At a special meeting of the East Greenwich Free Library Association, on the 17th of July, the following preamble and resolutions were adopted :
" Whereas, in the lamented death of the Rev. Silas A. Crane, D. D., this Association is called upon to mourn the loss of one of its original founders and one of its most faithful and useful members; and in common with this whole community, where he has resided for more than a quarter of a century-always a shining example of Chris- tian excellence in the performance of the duties, as well of the citizen as of the pastor-would do honor to his mem- ory by appropriate expressions of affection and respect.
" Be it therefore Resolved, by this Association, that this event of Providence is an occasion of profound grief to its surviving members, who would leave in its permanent archives, this record of their exalted respect for his person, and of their high estimation of his services and character.
" Resolved, That the members of this Association will attend the funeral of their departed friend in a body ; and that a copy of this imperfect tribute of their attachment and respect be communicated by the Secretary to the be- reaved family of the deceased, with assurance of the Asso- ciation's unfeigned condolence and sympathy."
At a meeting of the wardens and vestry of St. Luke's Church, East Greenwich, on Wednesday evening, July 17th, 1872, the following preamble and resolutions were unani- mously adopted :
" Whereas, Almighty God in His infinite wisdom, has taken from us our beloved pastor and friend, the Rev. Silas Axtell Crane, D. D., rector of this parish for more than thirty years, and while with deep humiliation and un- worthiness, acknowledging this decree of Divine Provi- dence, we give expression to our sorrow in this great
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HISTORY OF EAST GREENWICH.
ยท bereavement which has fallen on this church, this community and this diocese, by the death of this most exemplary Christian minister who has had charge over us, and cared for our spiritual wants for so many years; and offer our heartfelt sympathy to his afflicted family. It is therefore,
"Resolved, By the wardens and vestry of St. Luke's Church, that we will cherish in memory the many excellen- cies of this good man ; that we will endeavour to profit by the precept and example which he has set before us in his public teachings and in his daily life; and more especially by the calm and peaceful manner of his death in the full hope of immortal life through the merits of the Blessed Redeemer ; that we offer to his bereaved family our tender- est sympathy in their great affliction.
" Resolved, That these resolutions be placed upon the permanent records of the church, and that a copy of them be sent to his family. And it is also further
" Voted, That the expenses of his burial be defrayed from the treasury of the vestry.
"JAMES H. ELDRIDGE, Clerk of the Vestry."
At a meeting of the bishop and clergy of the diocese of Rhode Island, convened in the lecture-room of St. Luke's Church, immediately after the interment of the remains of the late Dr. Crane, a committee was appointed to draft the following resolutions :
" Whereas, It has. pleased Almighty God in His wise Providence to remove from this world the late Rev. Silas Axtell Crane, D. D., who during thirty years was a presby- ter of this diocese, and rector of St. Luke's Church in this village, therefore it is
"Resolved, That we, his fellow-laborers in the ministry of our beloved church, would record our high estimation of the moral worth of our departed friend; of his eminent position as a scholar of varied learning, and of his unwea- ried diligence, and long continued faithfulness as a pastor of the Church of Christ, and would pray for divine grace to enable us so to live, that when we come to die, we may be sustained by those consolations which rendered so calm and peaceful the closing scenes of his earthly existence.
"Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be presented to the family and parish of our departed friend, with the assurance of our heartfelt sympathy in this sad bereavement.
"S. BRENTON SHAW, D. D., For the Committee."
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RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES.
" From the Providence Journal.
" The Rev. Silas A. Crane, D. D., Rector of St. Luke's Church at East Greenwich, died yesterday morning. Dr. Crane was a gentleman of large culture, of eminent piety, and enjoyed, in an unusual degree, the respect and con- fidence of the church of which he was a presbyter. He was educated at Brown University, where he graduated in 1823, in the class of the late Chief-Justice Samuel Ames, William R. Watson, Dr. George D. Prentice, and Joseph W. Fearing, M. D. He was appointed Tutor in the Col- lege, and was afterward President of Kemper College."
"From the Christian Witness and Church Advocate, April, 1853.
"At a meeting of the wardens and vestry and other mem- bers of St. Luke's Parish, East Greenwich, Rhode Island, the following resolutions, reported by a committee on the 12th'of April, 1853, were unanimously adopted :
" Whereas, the Rev. Silas A. Crane has for the last twelve years continued to be the Rector of this Church,
" Resolved, That this is a fitting occasion to express to him our heartfelt thanks for the ability and devotion to the best interests of the Church which have marked his minis- terial labors among us, and that the present position and prospects of the parish are tokens of the Divine blessing upon the fidelity of his pastoral career; that during his connection with us, the kindest feelings and most perfect confidence in his Christian zeal and piety, have been enter- tained toward him by his people; that the effect of his labors has been shown in the increased attendance upon the public services of the Church-in the number of the communicants at her altar, and the general interest and good will manifested toward her by all classes; that by his firm, dignified course and kind, gentle manner, both in precept and example, he has exercised the happiest influence over the affairs of the parish, and established and main- tained for the church that high standing and consideration in which she should ever be held in all Christian communi- ties.
" Resolved, That we are not unmindful of that devotion to the interests of the whole church in this diocese, which prompted him, six years ago, voluntarily to relinquish all claim upon the missionary fund of the Convocation, and rely wholly for support upon his own efforts and the efforts
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HISTORY OF EAST GREENWICH.
of this parish, then comparatively feeble; and that his salary be now increased to five hundred dollars.
" DAVID PINNIGER, Chairman.
" JAMES H. ELDRIDGE, Secretary."
" To David Pinniger, Chairman of the meeting of the Wardens, Vestry, and other members of St. Luke's Parish, East Greenwich, held April 12th, 1853 :
" Dear Sir : - Permit me, through you, to make known to that meeting the very great pleasure which their letter afforded me. The terms in which they were pleased to ex- press their approbation of my services as rector of the parish, are exceedingly gratifying, being all and more than all which I could conceive myself entitled to expect, and will ever be cherished by me as a rich reward for the efforts which I have felt it my duty to make.
" The addition to my salary, made, too, without solicita- tion, is also truly welcome, both as a timely help and en- couragement in my exertions to meet the wants of my family, and as an evidence of the earnestness and sincerity, of the esteem and approbation expressed in the resolutions of the meeting. It only remains for me to endeavor, by increased efforts, more justly to deserve the kindness and confidence so generously shown me. May God, who has given the Parish the disposition, give them also the ability to do more in his service, by enlarging their prosperity as individuals and their prosperity as a Church. May he build us up together in the unity of the spirit, that our hearts may be filled with the hopes of the Gospel here and its eternal rewards hereafter.
"Your faithful friend and Pastor,
"S. A. CRANE, D. D."
For some time after Dr. Crane's decease there was no settled rector. The Rev. William S. Child, of Newport, officiated in the autumn of 1872, until the communication by way of Wickford was interrupted. The Rev. Joseph M. Turner, of Philadelphia, had the charge for a time, and then left to fill a previous engagement, under Bishop Tuttle, in Utah.
The Rev. George P. Allen has had charge from 1874 to the present time. In 1875 the old church was removed, and an elegant stone structure erected on its site. The Society now holds its services in the Court House, as is usual here with all denominations deprived of a church edifice,
CHAPTER VIII.
RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES -- SIX PRINCIPLE BAP- TISTS.
THE early history of this denomination in this country is involved in obscurity, as the first records of the oldest churches are no longer in existence.
There existed a body of this order in the Town of East Greenwich as early as the year 1700, but the first account which we can glean of them begins with the year 1743, when Daniel Fiske was their pastor, and the number of their members was fifty-three.
Somewhere about the year 1700 this old Society built a meeting-house on the hill in the northeast part of the vil- lage, near the present railroad line. It was a plain struc- ture, two stories in height, the dimensions about thirty by forty feet, fronting to the south, on a short street un- named. It contained a row of square pews on the west side of the house, a double row of plain seats in the centre, occupied by the members, and a row of short seats along the east side, where the people who were not members were usually seated. The square pews on the west side of the meeting-house were owned by those people, with their descendants, who had contributed most towards the erec- tion of the meeting-house. In the double row of seats in the centre of the house, the men occupied one row and the women the other, in the manner of the Quakers, from whom they probably copied the custom. The building was destitute of a steeple, was never painted, inside or out, and it gradually went to decay. It was so much injured by the great gale of 1815 as to be unfit for further use, and in the year 1825, during a high wind, it fell into a heap of ruins, The site is still called " Meeting-House Hill,"
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HISTORY OF EAST GREENWICH.
Daniel Fiske died in 1753, when John Gorton was called to the pastoral office, and was ordained the same year. He continued to sustain this relation to the church until his decease in 1792. After his death, Thomas Manchester met with them, and administered the ordinances of the Gospel among them, as late as the year 1834.
After the society abandoned the old meeting-house, Elder Manchester (as he was called) held services monthly in the Court House, and was remarkable for the length of his sermons, and for his power of endurance, as he would sometimes preach from two o'clock in the afternoon until sunset.
In the year 1827, after having passed through a variety of changes, and received between two and three hundred persons into fellowship, the Society was reduced to the original number of fifty-three.
From 1834 to 1844, Elder Thomas Tillinghast officiated monthly, but for a number of years past there have been no regular services. After the year 1834, they worshiped in the school-house which stood near the junction of Duke and King streets. They had contributed to its erection on con- dition that they should be permitted to occupy it. The church, at the last yearly conference, numbered only fifteen members.
* and that of his congregation
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CHAPTER IX.
RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES .- METHODIST EPISCO- PAL CHURCH.
DURING the year 1831 the Society of Methodists erected their house of worship on the corner of Main and Queen streets. Previous to this time they held their services in the Court House, that asylum for all societies who have no church of their own. For a long time they struggled hard for existence, but are now in a flourishing state. In 1846 they built a handsome and convenient parsonage in the rear of their church. During the year 1850 they found their church was too small to accommodate all who wished to attend the services, and that an enlargement was abso- lutely necessary. The building was therefore sawed into two parts, the east end moved off, and a portion inserted large enough to contain twenty-four additional pews. An excellent organ, (for the time), the gift of the Power Street Church, Providence, was placed in the organ loft.
That organ was afterwards removed to the vestry, and another magnificent instrument was procured, purchased by the financial efforts of Dr. Eben Tourjee, now Director of the New England Conservatory of Music, Boston.
Dr. Tourjee, was formerly a resident of East Greenwich, and for a long time the efficient Superintendent of the Sunday School in this church.
The first Methodist sermon preached in Rhode Island was in Charlestown, by the Rev. Jesse Lee, then on a mis- sionary tour from New York to Boston, and was delivered on the third of September, 1789.
East Greenwich first appears in the list of appointments in 1792. Up to 1807 it formed a part of the circuit con-
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HISTORY OF EAST GREENWICH.
nected with Warren, Warwick and Providence at different times.
Since 1807 the following persons have been the succes- sive pastors at East Greenwich :
1807. Pliny Brett.
1836-7. Nathan Paine.
1808-9. Theophilus Smith.
1338. B. K. Bannister.
1810. A. Stebbins.
1839. Francis Dane.
1811. Elisha Streeter.
1840. Joseph McReading.
1812. Warren Bannister.
1841. Benjamin F. Teft.
1813. Daniel Wentworth.
1842. George F. Poole.
1814. Joel Steele.
1843-5. Samuel C. Brown.
1815. Edward Hyde.
1846. L. W. Blood.
1816.
Elisha Streeter.
1847-8. H. W. Houghton.
1817. Daniel Dorchester.
1849. J. M. Worcester.
1818. Jason Walker.
1850-1. Richard Livsey.
1819. Isaac Stoddard, Solomon Sias and Benjamin Sabin.
1854-5. N. Bemis.
1820. Hezekiah Thatcher.
1856. W. H. Stetson.
1821. Francis Dane.
1857. William Livsey,
1822. Lewis Bates.
1858-9. R. Donkersley.
1823.
Elisha Frink and Caleb Rogers.
1860. Samuel W. Coggeshall and James A. Dean.
1824.
Elisha Frink and Ephraim K. Avery.
1861. James A. Dean.
1862. C. S. Sandford.
1825. B. Hazleton and M. Wilbor.
1863-4. A. P. Aikin.
1826.
B. Hazleton and O. Robbins.
1865. E. S. Stanley.
1827-8. Francis Dane.
1829. Amasa Taylor and John D. Baldwin.
1866. A. A. Wright and J. T. Benton. 1867. J. T. Benton.
1830. Amasa Taylor.
1868. S. A. Winsor.
1831. Charles Virgin.
1869-72. J. F. Sheffield.
1832.
Robert Gould and Jonathan Cady.
1874. Wheeler.
1833. Robert Gould and Hiram Cummings.
1875. Wright.
1834-5. James Porter.
1873. James Mather.
1876. J. O. Benton, who is the present rector.
The "church music" at the Methodist Church here is now probably the best in the State. Professor Hastings, who stands at the head of his profession as a music teacher, for the past two years has been occupied in training a choir and chorus class, which is now able to execute some of the most difficult music. The singing gallery had become so crowded, that last year the Board of Trustees concluded to enlage the church by building an annex on the east end of the building in the rear of the clergyman's desk, to be occu- pied by the organ and choir.
1852-3. William Cone.
CHAPTER X.
RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES .- THE FREEWILL BAPTIST CHURCH.
THE principles and practices of the Freewill Baptist Church were known to the people of this town, and had been embraced by some of them, many years before the foundation of the Baptist Church in this village. This is evident from the fact that meetings were occasionally held in the Court House and in school-houses, under the direc- tion of Messrs. Curtis, Niles and other Baptist preachers, as the result of which quite a number embraced Baptist principles, and were baptized in our branch of the Narra- gansett Bay, by the Rev. Dr. Gano, of Providence.
The history of the church as an organized body dates from the year 1839. On the 30th of January of that year, an ecclesiastical council met at the house of the Rev. Thomas Tew to take into consideration the propriety of forming a Baptist Church in this village. Delegates were present from two churches in Providence, and from the churches in Westerly, Richmond, Pawtucket, Arkwright Fiskeville, Warwick and East Greenwich.
The council was organized by the choice of the Rev. John Dowling, D. D., as Moderator, and the Rev. E. K. Fuller, as Clerk.
Seventeen members of regular Baptist churches presented their letters to the council, together with the articles of faith and covenant adopted by them, and were duly recog- nized and constituted as an independent church. The pub- lic services of recognition were held in the Methodist meet- ing-house, which was kindly offered for the purpose by the members of that Society. Rev. A. G. Palmer offered the opening prayer. Rev. John Dowling preached the sermon ;
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