USA > Wisconsin > Rock County > Beloit > Past made present : the first fifty years of the First Presbyterian Church and congregation of Beloit, Wisconsin together with a history of Presbyterianism in our state up to the year 1900 > Part 7
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While in Beloit Mr. Beach was for some years interested in the Frederick Hardware Co., then Frederick & Beach. He also bought a fine farm, a mile east of Beloit, where he still spends his vacations.
Of Elder John E. Houston himself, a member of our Session since January, 1881, it seems fitting to record here a characteristic service which shows also our church character. (He is not dead yet, but that is no fault of his for, as our leading un- dertaker during the past twenty-five years, he has ex- posed himself to all kinds of weather and people. )
At the close of Mr. Mc- Lean's pastorate in 1884, the church had a floating debt of twelve hundred dollars, nine PRINCIPAL WM. H. BEACH. hundred of which was the pastor's claim for arrearages of salary. Troubled by this unfavorable situa- tion Mr. Houston wrote a subscription paper and started to raise the $900 himself putting down one hundred. Within a week he had the names of E. N. Clark, J. W. Abbott, Benjamin Brown and David Miller pledged for a hundred dollars each. David Merrill and Prof. W. H. Beach for fifty each and enough other gifts to nearly make up the sum required. Elated by his success he was telling Mrs. O. P. Smith about it when she remarked, "Why not keep on and raise all the church debt. Do it and put me down for a hundred dollars." So he started out again and, within about ten days from the beginning of his effort, had the whole twelve hundred dollars in hand or secured.
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List of Elders of the First Presbyterian Church of Beloit, Wis., With their Years of Service.
*Horatio C. Burchard
1849-50 David Merrill
1864-65
*John M. Daniels
1849-52
1872-79
*Asahel Clark, M. D. 66 66
1867-68
*Ebenezer S. Padgett
1865-67
*Charles Peck
1850-53
*A. M. Adams
1865-78
*John Fisher
1850-52
*David Harvey
1865-68
*Henry T. Woodward
1851-52
*Otis Manchester
1865-77
*Joseph Wadsworth
1851-72
Anson P. Waterman
1865-99
*Aaron Watson
1851-61
*Benjamin Young
1865-72
+Prof. S. Pearl Lathrop, M. D. 1851-54
*Harvey Graves
.
1865-78
*Stephen O. Humphrey .
1852-60
Charles Wheeler
1872-73
*Augustine J. Battin
1852-61
įJohn A. Holmes
1878-98
*Henry Mears
1853-56
Wm. H. Beach
1877-84
*Benjamin Brown
1855-61
H. B. Johnson, M. D.
1877-82
*Harvey Graves
1856-59
-
1885-99
*Archimides Baldwin
1856 59
John E. Houston
1881-99
*Aaron Davenport .
1859 62
¿Fred Messer
1882-89
*Rufus Clark .
1859-60
||Albert Thompson, M. D.
1890-96
*William Cochran
1860-69
David Throne 1892-95
*Gilbert E. Collins
1863-65
Ernest C. Helm, M. D. . 1892-99
Elijah N. Clark, M. D. 66
1873-99
Prof. Guy A. Tawney
1898-
*J. C. Hobart .
1862-65
L. Waldo Thompson
1899-
.
*Died. +Died Dec. 25.
ĮDied Nov. 9. ¿Died Oct. 4. |Died June 30.
(NOTE .- Of the first Elder, Horatio C. Burchard, or of his wife, there is no portrait in existence. He was born November 14th, 1792, and died at Beloit, Wis., Nov. 17th, 1850. His grandson, Edward L. Burchard, son of Hon. Horatio C. Burchard, of Freeport, Ills., graduated at Beloit College in 1891. Elder A. J. Battin died April 29th, 1883, aged 85. Aaron Watson, 1861. Gilbert E. Collins was my Bible class teacher, and, like Dr. Thomp- son, a good Bible scholar. He removed from Beloit to Milwaukee. Elder E. W. Robinson, who was also Clerk of the Society, a valued member and officer of this church, removed with his family, in February 1899, to Citron- elle, south-west Alabama. Elder Charles Wheeler is now living at McPher- son, Kansas. Elder David Throne, for many years as now the efficient County Superintendent of Schools for Rock County, Wisconsin, has recently returned to our city from Afton. As he married a grand-daughter of David Merrill, his two children, baptized in this church, make a fourth generation within its bounds. )
96
1864-65
1849-63
*R. P. Crane ·
.
.
1892-94
1859-63
-
1861-64 Edward W. Robinson
1895.99
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Presbyterian Church Choir, Beloit, Wis., 1865.
Miss Jennie Watson. Mrs. and Mr L. Mason.
James Watson.
Mr. George Stocking.
George Bascom.
Miss Ellen Thayer. Miss Sarah Watson. Miss Jennie Kendall.
Sidney Shepard.
Che Presbyterian Church Choir.
For forty years, said Dr. Helm, the pulpit was at the south end of the building, with the seats facing south, and the choir loft for most of that time at the north end. One of my earliest recol- lections is of the singing in which my two cousins, Hattie Clark, alto (Mrs. O. P. Smith), and Matie Clark, soprano (Mrs. Fred Messer), used to take a prominent part. What interested me most how- ever was the fact that, while during the singing all the rest faced the minister, Dr. E. N. Clark and Mr. Benjamin Brown always turned around and faced the choir, "to show them proper respect." Grand old men were they both. Mr. Brown is now facing the heavenly music and Dr. Clark is still with us and facing the music as faithfully as he did fifty years ago. We will now have a history MISS MATIE CLARK. of our choir presented by one who was for thirty (MRS. FRED MESSER. ) years a member and also a chorister of it, Augustus R. Peck.
Writing up the musical history of this church from its beginning to the time I withdrew from the choir, about forty years, has been rather a diffi- cult task. It was an institution of the church that never kept any record of its doings, and but little can be found concerning it in the church or so- ciety books. Therefore I will have to depend on the memory of those that have been connected with the choir for my information of its beginnings. The first choir numbered twelve or fifteen members, when the church worshiped in the lit- tle school house on Race street around the corner. I have been unable to get an account of the first organi- zation and can only mention the names of those that re- main with us: Mr. David Merrill, Dr. E. N. Clark, and Deacon Hanaford and wife and O. A. Smith. When this building was completed the singers' gallery as it was called at that time, but in after years more appropri- AUGUSTUS R. PECK. ately named choir loft, when compared with the location of the singers of the present day, was built out beyond that front partition and over some of the pews. Back of that was a small upper room called Session Room, used for prayer meetings. In a few years the congregation had increased so
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there were not seats enough; this partition was then taken out and the room behind it was given up to the choir, thereby making the first pews more desirable sittings. Up to this time it had been customary for the congrega- tion to rise at the singing of each hymn, and turn around and face the music, but now an order was given out that the congregation should remain seated while the first hymn was sung, and rise during the singing of the other two, but not turn around and look at the singers any more. All ac- cepted the new arrangement except Mr. Benjamin Brown and Dr. E. N. Clark; although foremost in every good move and work of the church, they seemed to be so attracted by our good looks as well as music that they ever afterwards kept up the custom of turning around and looking at us during the singing. Another term of years passed and a new arrangement in the churches was inaugurated, and this church to keep up with the times A. W. HANAFORD. followed the example of others. The pulpit platform was extended further into the room, and back of the pulpit a place was partitioned off for the choir, and we were brought down from our loftiness and stowed away in there. Quite a high front was built up between the choir and minister, but some thought it not high enough so a sliding narrow curtain was put up on top of that. During sermon time this was closed, and by sitting up straight we could see the minister's head if he was not as short as our present pastor; we were completely hid from the gaze of the audience, and those that felt inclined to do so could have a nice social time dur- ing sermon. I would give much for one of those old hymnals with Lon Aldrich's pencil sketches on the fly leaf. He played the flute and was a natural artist also. He once sketched the back of Dr Bushnell's head-all we could see of the good man.
For a few weeks we had a fine orches- tra of the best musicians in the place, They, with the singing, made very at- tractive music; but that choir soon went all to pieces and left the chorister alone, MRS. A. W. HANAFORD. who sang as a precentor until he could get together a choir again. Not having a musical committee as now, the responsibility all devolved upon the chorister to procure singers and organ- ist. When the next move was made I was absent so cannot describe it. Every Saturday night the janitor would ring the bell and light up for
100
MR. SAM FASSETT AND CHILDREN.
help us at different times. Fin- ally the melodeon, having gone, gave place to a small Mason & Hamlin cabinet organ. Then we thought we had reached the height of perfection for an instrument; we began to call the person who played it an organist, and some of them played such lovely interludes that we used to have one for every verse of the hymn. In about three years our little organ was exchanged for a larger, and that for a still larger one. Finally I and the cabinet disappeared from the choir en- tirely.
Mr. David Merrill was the first chorister and continued in that service until after the dedi- cation of this building; after that, for two years or more, the choir was led by many different ones. I can call to mind the names of O. A. Smith and his
choir meeting. At first the hymn and tune books were separate, re- quiring the chorister to select tunes for the hymns, which made it very essential to make preparations the evening before the Sabbath. As there were no organs here at that early time the first instrument was a small melodeon which occupied about as much room and looked as much like a sewing machine as anything. Soon after occupying the church that was set aside for a piano cased melodeon. On the Saturday evening after its encoun- ter with the bell rope, which Mr. Brown described, I remember sing- ing beside it and noticed that one of the pedal sticks was in splints, like a fractured bone. There was also a double bass viol brought in, next a violin. Then the bass viola would be set aside for a trombone, and we had flutes and cornets to
الرعرابى
MRS. S. M. FASSETT.
101
brother Herman, Mr. Henry Gaston, Mr. Sam. Fassett, Mr. Streeter, Mr. Geo. Stiles, who played the bass viol, Mr. Leavitt Olds. Then Mr. Thurs- ton came and was leader three years. He was followed by Mr. Bennet who led a short time and gave place to Mr. Thayer who led two years. When he left the charge fell to Mr. George Stocking. He was leader about fifteen years, until his death in 1875. He was highly esteemed as a chorister, and his death was greatly lamented by the whole community. Rev. Dr. Eddy, who had promised to attend his silver wedding that year, came to Beloit and instead preached his funeral sermon. At this time some of our most prominent singers had gone. Mr. J. B. Dow and wife who had given us their very valuable services for over a year had accepted a call from the Second Congregational church to take charge of their choir. Others had left the place until we numbered but few. The first rehearsal night after Mr. Stocking's death when I came in there were a sad few assembled there. With Dr. Clark they had been considering the choice of a leader, and the Dr. informed me that they had decided that Mr. Stocking's mantle should rest on my shoulders. I did not feel competent for the task but would try and fill the place until they could do better. I held the place twelve years, re-
J. B. DOW, ESQ
MRS. J. B. DOW.
signing twice, and was released a few weeks each time, although not leaving the choir until my final resignation occurred, giving up the charge to Dr. Thompson after having been connected with the choir from 1855 to 1887.
Mr. A. O. Winchester was the first one to play the first small melodian; Miss Harriet Clark came next. She was followed by Mrs. Fassett, Lucy Ann Brown, Miss Spaulding, Miss Fairbanks, Miss Ann Olds, Miss Lucy Linell, Jennie Kendall, George Bascom, Henry Hobart, Minnie Helm, Lucy Helm, Lucy Conde, Mattie Brainerd, Miss Kate Wheaton, Mr. Nordall, Miss Belden (Mrs. Charles Rau), Mr. Simmons, Miss Heiney (Mrs. Per- kins) and the two Richardson brothers. The violinists were Edgar Gaston, Z. T. Hulett, Mr, Humphrey. Double bass viol, Geo. Stiles, O. A. Smith, Leavitt Olds, two Fairbanks brothers. Trombone, A. B. Winn. Flutists, Charles Gault, Alonzo Aldrich. French horn, Dr. H. P. Carey. Under Mr. Fassett's charge the choir gave a concert, before 1855, which I think was the first choir concert given in the place. Also another under Mr. Stock- ing's leadership, assisted by Mrs. F. W. Oakley of Madison who had form-
102
erly been one of our choir as Cynthia Gordon, Mr. S. C. Enos, then a promi- nent tenor from the Baptist choir, and Mr. Frank Fenton as flutist, were soloists. This latter concert was given in March 1875, the year in which Mr. Stocking died. The proceeds were used in purchasing wooden arm chairs for the choir and a seat for the organist. Those are the chairs that have been used by the choir ever since. It seems like meeting old friends as I look at them here. Long may they re- main here as a me- morial to Mr.
MRS. F. W. OAKLEY.
Stocking.
At the dedication of the church Mr.
MRS. I. W. THAYER.
Gilbert with his choir, (Mrs. I. W. Thayer, alto) from the Congregational church, and the Methodist and Baptist choirs were asked in to assist ours, and with a number of instruments made a choir of about seventy-five. Of those who sang on that occasion, there are now living in and near the city Mr. David Merrill, Dr. Clark, Dea. and Mrs. Hanaford, of the old Presbyterian choir, and Mrs. Calista L. Bennett of the Baptist choir, who, by invitation, sang the principal soprano solo. Dea. Hanaford and wife remained with us un- out on the soprano. til the Westminster Presbyterian church separated from this, and went with that church as they lived on the west side, and with their daughter, Salina, helped form a choir for that society.
Mr. Stocking was with the choir from its organization (except- ing two years in Cali- fornia) until his death which occurred in Au- gust, 1875. From the time that Mr. Stock- ing took charge of the choir and while I re- mained in it both the leaders and choir sang gratuitously except on two or three occasions when we went outside of our church and con- gregation for help a
Salina Hanaford commenced singing in our choir when but six years of age -she would stand on the seat beside her mother and look over the book MRS. CALISTA L. BENNETT 1850. with her, and help her few weeks. The society showed their kind appreciation of Mr. Stocking's and my own services by giving to us and to Misses Hattie and Matie Clark each nice presents, and also by a vote of thanks recorded on the church books. Another of our early singers was Nelson Rood.
I would make special mention of Mr. David Merrill, the first chorister, as a musical pioneer in the place, having taught the first singing school in
103
the town. The winter of 1841 and '42, when I was a boy, he drove around on a singing school circuit, Whitewater being his home at that time. He taught two nights a week in Beloit. I never learned whether he gave other places on his circuit so many lessons a week or not. His visits here were doubtless not altogether of a mercenary nature, for he found a young lady in his class, Agnes Fonda by name, for whom he seemed to have a fond- ness, as she afterwards became Mrs. David Merrill. Then he became a cit- izen of Beloit and our former pastor, C. D. Merrill, was their youngest son. Mr. Fassett who led the choir soon after they occupied the church, was a remarkably fine tenor singer, and Mrs. Fassett, formerly Miss Strong, as soprano, had but few equals at that time. They went from here to Chicago. Of the families that have furnished the most sing- ers for the choir, the Watsons take the lead, having furnished eight, Sarah, Jennie, Nellie, three girs and five boys (James sang tenor, the four parts in one family. Jennie is now the wife of Rev. S. P. Wilder, Delavan, Wis. ) Although at first they lived three miles east of SALINA HANAFORD. town they were always in their places promptly every Sabbath unless sick- ness or Turtle Creek's floods kept them at home. Most of the time from its first organization until I ceased to be a member of the choir the Clarks were represented in it. Dr. E. N. Clark at first, and three of his daughters afterwards. They lived across the State line south. Although coming from another State and having to pass through dangerous places, they were always on hand at Saturday night rehearsals, and Sunday morning and evening services. There have been three Harriet Clarks in the choir, Dr. Asahel Clark's Harriet, Harriet Clark Moore and Hattie Clark, daughter of Dr. E. N. The Brainards were another singing family, and six of them have done service in the choir. The Hagadorns furnished four members. Aunt Jane Moore was a sister of Dr. White's wife and owned the build- ing on Race street and rented the build- ing to us for use on Sunday as our church.
HON. JAMES T. WATSON, ST. LOUIS, MO.
AUGUSTUS R. PECK.
George Stocking was a harness maker, very much respected by the whole com- munity and highly esteemed by all in our church (see p. 52). He was for several years one of our deacons. He was born at Middleton, Conn., in 1824, and died at his home, 925 School street, Beloit, Wis., August 10th,
NOTE. Mr. David Merrill writes that his service as chorister began with the organi- zation of the church and ended soon after the dedication of the new building in 1850. Having moved onto a farmi five miles out, he resigned and Mr. O. A. Smith, he thinks, then took charge of the choir. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are still living in South Chicago. (Their portraits are on page 48.)
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1875. On the last Saturday evening of his life while the family stood around his bed expecting him to soon pass away, the church bell rang for choir meeting. That familiar sound, almost too far and faint for the rest to hear, Mr. Stocking at once noticed and with an effort he feebly said : “For twenty years I have answered the call of that bell." He could always be depended on.
Mrs. Stocking, born in Maine, Dec. 26th, 1827. Was married to George H. Stocking at Beloit, Wis., Oct. 22d, 1850 (not Oct. 20, as given on page 52), and died here May 28th, 1896. Their son Charles still lives here.
Young Mr. Sam. Fassett was a tinner in the employ of A. P. Waterman and married soon after he began leading our choir in 1850. Their children appear with them in the two illustrations given.
At Chicago Mr. and Mrs. Fassett became MISS SARAH WATSON. (MRS. SEWARD.) prominent as photographers and the latter also as an artist. They took portraits of all the national celebrities and had, it is said, the largest collection of such photographs then in the United States.
Removing subsequently to Washington, D. C. At that national center also they were recognized as proficient in their art. I am told, by her friend, O. A. Smith, that Mrs. Fassett spent three years in painting a large historical group of the Electoral Commission, every figure in which was a portrait from life; that the painting was finally sold to the U. S. Government and hangs somewhere in the Capitol building. I have not myself seen it.
January 4th, 1898, Mrs. Fassett suddenly fell while walking on a street in Washington and died at once of heart disease. She had a pleas- ing face and was as she seemed, a very amiable lady, much loved by many friends.
Of those persons besides the chorister who make up the choir group of 1865, the three Watsons, James, Sarah and Jennie are living; the latter is the wife of Sedgwick P. Wilder, D. D., a Congregational pastor at Delavan, Wis .; Sarah, Mrs. Samuel H. Seward, married a law- yer, an army veteran, who is also county clerk, and her residence is Putnam, Windham County, Connecticut, and James is at St. Louis, Mo., with his son, George E. Watson, who is secre- tary of the St. Louis Hardwood and Lumber MISS NELLIE WATSON. (MRS. F. W. ROBINSON.) Manufacturer's Exchange. Jennie Kendall became Mrs. Judge Loomis of Rockville, Conn., and has since died. She was an excellent organist and a clear-voiced singer. George Bascom, my college classmate, is a Congregational clergyman and undoubtedly plays the organ still, at Hankinson, N. Dakota. The rest are living so far as known by the writer, locality unknown.
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After the double quartette choir had given us the musical rendition of Kipling's noble "Recessional," there was read a paper on
Che Successive Church Buildings,
by H. B. Johnson, M.D. The first build- ing erected as the "First Presbyterian Church" of this city was completed and occupied in the year 1850. It was 46 feet wide and 70 feet long. In 1859 an exten- sion was added, making it about 95 feet long, which was its size when the Building Committee of 1889 were instructed by a large majority of this Society to remodel H. B. JOHNSON, M.D. it to conform to its present appearance. Several different plans had been proposed and discussed at different meetings of the Society, but none were decided upon until the meeting the 6th of June, 1889, when it was "resolved, that the church should be remodeled and repaired according to the plans pro- posed." We then proceeded to select a Building Committee of the three Trustees, and four additional members, Mr. Abbott, Mr. Pentland and my- self as Trustees, and Fred Messer, J. E Houston, O. P. Smith and J. Hunter Smith as associates. This Committee began work by removing the central portion of the east wall for the purpose of constructing the recess now
occupied by the pulpit and or- gan, early in July, 1889, having then only about $2400 of sub- scriptions in sight. As the Society had ordered the audi- torium and floor changed to its present shape, the recess built on the east side, the projecting partion of the gallery cut off to enable the wall to be carried up straight as at present, and new seats of the pattern now before us, and the doors changed from the middle of the room to the sides, it was very evident that the amount of money we should receive from the subscriptions would require very close figur- ing to enable us to go on with the work. The seats alone cost us about $800, and nothing had been said by the Society about building a tower, or rebuilding the spire which had been broken by the tornado. At this time
FIRST STEEPLE, 1850.
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THE CLOCK STEEPLE, BUILT IN 1858.
the Rev. Thos. E. Barr, to whom we are largely indebted for the improve- ments in this audience room, came to the assistance of the Committee by procuring additional subscriptinos, increasing the total to about $3,100.00, and enabling us to add to the changes already ordered the completion of the tower and the front wall. During the building of the recess we often found ourselves under great obligations to James Hunter Smith for advice in planning and also furnishing gratuitiously materials for its construction. We had already selected Mr. Swanson on the recommendation of Mr. J. H. Smith and Mr. Wm. Wheeler, as our builder, and to a large extent our architect, and he proved a very competent man for the work. The tower is not the choice of the Committee, but after much deliberation and planning it was decided to build as we did, as costing less than to rebuild the spire, which would have needed much more in labor and expense to make it suf- ficiently strong to resist the storms which had already blown off the two preceding spires.
As the work of reconstruction proceeded nearly to its completion, Mr. Barr found that the workmen of the Iron Works would contribute a fair amount toward a window in honor of their former employer, Mr. Fred. Messer, who died during the progress of this work. And the window in the north end is the result of his efforts. The Committee and the Session both realized the great loss they had sustained in Mr. Messer's death, as much as did the workmen under him. At the same time Dr. Clark and his friends and the friends of Mrs. Allen had contributed memorial windows,
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AFTER THE TORNADO, 1883.
the former dedicated to his brother, Dr. Asahel Clark, and the latter to Mrs. Allen, a member of this church at the time of her death, and both were placed in a recess on either side of the organ. It is my recollection that the church was ready for occupation by the congregation about the first of November of that year, 1889.
On the 7th of April, 1890, the Society records show that the building as remodeled was accepted by them and the committee discharged. It re- mains but to say that when the plans for the church were accepted they contemplated in the future the extension of some 45 or 50 feet of the west wall back to the sidewalk, with seats in the recess thus made, and with a gallery in that space, or possibly extending on three sides of the building. As the 450 seats we have are somewhat rapidly filling, and through the Di- vine blessing we are receiving a good many into church relations, it would seem that the changes made have been fairly acceptable to the church, and were made in the line of true progress with one exception, the recess in the east wall ought to have been at least sixteen feet deep, both in the judgment of the Building Committee and also that of Mr. Keyt of Rockford, who very kindly had looked over the building and plans with us, and said that we needed that amount of room on the platform ; but we were wholly unable to obtain any concession from the owners of the adjacent land, and conse- quently had to make it but eleven feet deep. It is very evident that we need more space on this platform, but at present cannot secure it.
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