The Episcopal church in the American colonies. The history of St. John's church, Elizabeth town, New Jersey, from the year 1703 to the present time. Compiled from original documents, the manuscript records and letters of the missionaries of the Society for propagating the gospel in foreign parts, and from other sources

Front matter

EUc

ST. JOHN'S CHURCH, ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY,

^rntrican Colaniis.

Chapter I

Formation of Society for the Propagation of the Gospel — Col. Morris’ memorial — Tour of Rev. Messrs. Talbot and Keith — Mr. Brooke’s arrival in Jersey, 1705 — Proposed to build churches at Elizabeth Town and Amboy — Foundation laid of St. John’s Church — Necessity therefor — Services held in Presbyterian Church — General condition of the Church — Expenses of living — Imprisonment of Rev. Mr. Moore — Mr. Brooke’s and Mr. Moore’s departure for England — Letter from Mr. Talbot — Death of Messrs. Brooke and Moore — Mr. B.’s character — Letter from Monsieur Neau, justifying the missionaries — Singular facts in reference to Lord Cornbury — His improper conduct — How Mr. Moore escaped from Fort Anne — Orders to arrest Mr. Brooke, &c 13

Chapter II

1707 — Rectorship of St. John’s vacant — Appointment of the Rev. Edward Vaughan — Letter from Mr. Vaughan from Amboy — Desires to change his position — No provision for support of clergy — ^Establishment of packets between York and Bristol — Mr. Halliday shares Mr. Vaughan’s labors — Converts from Quakerism baptized — Congregations at Amboy and Piscataway — Services in Rahway

Till

CONTENTS.

— Difficulties in reference to title of land in Elizabeth Town — Services at Woodbridge — Need of Bibles and tracts — Settlement of controversy in reference to land — Marriage of Mr. Vaughan — Residence at Amboy — Character of settlers of Newark, Woodbrid-ge, Elizabeth Town, &c.- ^Proposal to the society to procure a donation of land, and send negroes from Barbadoes to clear it, cultivate it, build houses and churches — Large auditory in Elizabeth Town — Character and services of Mr. Vaughan — Services in Newark, Whippany, and the mountains — People of Amwell and Hopewell desire a missionary — Memorial to the bishop of London from Newark and the province of New Jersey — Visit of Rev. Mr. Beach — Promises to accept a call — The widow Arskin’s legacy of nine acres to St. John’s Church — Whitfield’s visit — Mr. Vaughan’s death ........... 33

Chapter III

1747 — Letter from Church Wardens — Mr. Chandler invited to become Catechist — Agree to raise £50 for his support, and to build or buy a house — Purchase, of present parsonage and glebe — Enlargement of the house — Church built at New Brunswick — That mission united with Elizabeth Town — Letter from Mr. Chan^ dler — Services at Rahway, at Westfield, &c. — Mr. Wood officiates at Elizabeth Town and New Brunswick — Bell procured for St. John’s — ^Efforts to obtain ordination for Mr. Chandler — Need of a resident minister — Leave given to Mr. Chandler to visit England for orders — Church register and some of the records in it — Mr. Chandler’s ordination — nine weeks’ passage home — Preaches at Woodbridge — Expects to be invited to Whippany — Journey of 200 miles into New England — Preaches at Woodstock — Needs better provision for his support — Interesting facts in relation to Elizabeth Town — Erection of a church in Woodbridge contemplated— Chime of bells — Library — Communion plate sent by George II. for St. John’s taken by the Erench ... 57

CONTENTS.

IX

CHAPTER lY.

1760 — Wallingford Controversy — Prevalence of smallpox — Good feeling between Dissenters and Churchmen — Mr. Hardy appointed Governor — Money raised by lottery for repairing church and parsonage at Amboy — Proposal to annex Woodb ridge to that Mission — ^Need of tracts — Mr. Chandler’s views adverse to preaching much about the Church — Charter granted to St. John’s Church — Charter — Letter from Perth Amboy in reference to the progress of the church in Piscataway, Mount Holly and Trenton — Prospect of a Bishop for America — St. John’s vestry vote to enlarge the church — Determined to rebuild — Foundation laid — Progress of the work arrested by the Revolution . . . .81

Chapter V

1764 — ^Whitfield revisits Elizabeth Town — Mr. Chandler refuses him the use of his pulpit — Reasons therefor — Desires to avoid controversy in the pulpit — Diligence and popularity of the Dissenting Clergyman at Elizabeth Town — Zeal of his people — Some account of the condition of St. John’s Church — Addition to the parsonage house — Allusions to Mr. Whitfield and to the Clergy of Philadelphia— ^Efforts to obtain a Bishop for the American Colonies — House purchased for an Episcopal Residence — Discontent in consequence of acts of the British Parliament — Sensible remarks upon their probable effect — Dr. Chandler receives degree of D. D. from Oxford— Letter to the Lord Bishop of London — Refers to need of a Bishop— Anxiety on the subject 101

Chapter VI

1766 — Letter from the clergy — Object of their.conventions — Mode of conducting them — Names of Clergy present at Shrewsbury —

X

CONTENTS.

Desires for an American Episcopate — Apology for a former address— Allusion to disturbances in the Colonies — Disadvantages under which Episcopalians laboured — Objections to appointment of commissioners — Important measures projected — Convention meets at Elizabeth Town Nov. 1776 — “Plan of Union” formed — Articles adopted — Dr. Chandler’s publication of appeal to the public — Extracts from Dr. Hawks on American Episcopate — Opposition to the appeal — Violent attacks — American Whig, Sentinel, &c. — Appeal Defended — Appeal Further Defended — Eemarkable circumstances connected with Church at Hebron, Conn.

— Dr. Chandler’s letter upon the Controversy . . . 117 j

Chapter VII

1768 — Convention at New Brunswick — Plan for relief of widows and orphans of clergymen — Condition of St. John’s Church in 1769 — Dr. Chandler’s missionary labours — Visits Sussex County — Account of Mr. Frazer’s mission — Character of the settlers — Need of the Gospel — Parish formed — Dr. Chandler’s letter in reference to his Appeal &c. — Mr. Whitfield revisits Elizabeth Town — Petition to Council of Proprietors of East Jersey — Grant of land — Anxiety for conversion of the Indians — Plan proposed to the Venerable Society in relation thereto — Missions in the Colonies — Importance of sustaining them — Progress of the memorial in behalf of the Indians — Eepublicanism — Trenton mission— Eesolution to build a new church at Elizabeth Town — Condition of the missions at Burlington, Shrewsbury, New Brunswick and Newark 139

Chapter VIII

1775 — Dr. Chandler leaves for England — ^Revolutionary war — Deplorable state of the Parish of St. John’s — Church a Stable — Cemetery desecrated — Organ pipes converted into bullets — Im-

3 1 833 02248 3330

CONTENTS.

XI position on the congregation — Letters from Rev. Abraham Beach — From New Brunswick — Services at E. Town — Mr. Ogden supplies St. John’s — Br. Chandler’s return — Estimation in which he was held — Dr. Murray’s account — Dr. Chandler’s death, in 1790 — Church repaired, gallery re-huilt — Mr. Spraggs called to the Rectorship — Collection of scattered property of the church — Correspondence with Mr. Ogden — Salary of Rector increased — Mr. Rayner’s ministry — Sale of Kyte lot — Mr. Beasley’s election — New vestry room — Rev. Samuel Lilly’s ministry — Dr. Rudd’s rectorship — Mrs. Spraggs’ legacy — Rev. Smith Pyne — Rev. B. G. Noble — Rev. R. C. Moore — Enlargement of church — Zeal of the ladies of the congregation — Grace Church, Elizabeth Port, its formation, &c. — Christ Church organised, buildings erected, &c. —Mr. Moore’s resignation — ^Church as at present . . 154

Appendix

A. — ^COPY OF THE DEED OF THE PARSONAGE AND LoT BE- LONGING TO St. John’s Church, Elizabeth Town . . 185

B. — ^Note in reference to Dr. Chandler, from Bishop

Hobart’s Memoir, by the Rev. Dr. Berrian . . 190

C. — Letter from Dr. Chandler to the Rev. AbramBeach 198

D. — ^Epitaphs

. 201

THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH

IN THE

AMERICAN COLONIES.

HISTORY OF ST. JOHN’S CHURCH.

Chapter I

Formation of Society for the Propagation of the Grospel — Col. Morris’ memorial — Tour of Rev. Messrs. Talbot and Keith — Mr. Brooke’s arrival in Jersey, 1705 — Proposed to build churches at Elizabeth Town and Amboy — Foundation laid of St. John’s Church — Necessity therefor — Services held in Presbyterian Church — General condition of the Church — ^Expenses of living — Imprisonment of Rev. Mr. Moore — Mr. Brooke’s and Mr. Moore’s departure for England — Letter from Mr. Talbot — Death of Messrs. Brooke and Moore — Mr. B.’s character — Letter from Monsieur Neau, justifying the missionaries — Singular facts in reference to Lord Cornbury — His improper conduct — How Mr. Moore escaped from Fort Anne — Orders to arrest Mr. Brooke, &c.

In the year 1661, King Charles the Second incorporated a company for the propagation of the Gospel amongst the heathen natives of New England^ and the parts adjacent in America,

Eor many years, the work of colonial missions was carried on by means of the zeal and liberality of a few 2 public and private persons in England, and upon the continent of Europe. Archbishop Tenison was exceedingly interested in the religious wants of the plantations, and exerted himself in their behalf. He so | represented their condition to King William the Third, | that, on the 16th of June, 1101, the Society for the ^ Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts’^ was incorporated by royal charter. To this venerable Society the Episcopal Church in America owes a debt, which she can never repay but by activity and liberality in the work of missions. Under the fostering care of this ^ Institution, the early Colonial Church took deep root in this land, and laid the foundation for many blessings which we are now enjoying. ^

In the year IT 00, Col. Morris wrote a memorial con- ? cerning the state of religion in the Jerseys. The t

Province of East Jersey has in it Ten Towns, vizt : I

Middletown, Freehold, Amboy, Piscataway, and Wood- i bridge, Elizabeth Town, Newark, Aquechenonch, and I Bergen, and I judge, in the whole Province, there may be about Eight thousand souls. These Towns are not | like the towns in England — the houses built close together on a small spot of ground — but they include I large portions of the Country, of four, five, eight, ten, twelve, fifteen miles in length, and as much in breadth.

These towns and the whole Province, * were peopled mostly from the adjacent colonies of New York and New England, and generally by persons of | very narrow fortunes, and such as could not well sub-

I inSTORY OF ST. JOHN’S CHURCH.

sist in the places they left. And if such people could bring any religion with them, it was that of the Country they came from, and the State of them is as follows : — * *

Elizabeth Town and Newark were peopled from New England; are generally Independants; they have a meeting-house in each town for their public worship. There are some few Churcliraen, Presbiterians, Anabaptists, and Quakers, settled among them.” * ^

The memorial closes with this suggestion : ‘*Let the King, the Archbishop, ye Bishops and great men, admit no man for so many years to any great Benefice, but such as shall oblige themselves to preach three years gratis in America, with part of the living let him maintain a Curate, and the other part let him apply to his own use. By this means, we shall have the greatest and best men, and, in human probability, such men must in a short time make a wonderful progress in the Conversion of those Countries, especially when it is perceived the good of Souls is the only Motive to this undertaking.”

In 1702-3, the Rev. George Keith and the Rev. John Talbot made a missionary tour here, and the former published, in 1706, A Journal of Travels from New Hampshire to Caratuclc on the Continent of North America. Under date of November 3, 1703, he says : ‘‘ I preached at Andrew Craig’s, in the township of Elizabeth Town, on 2 Pet. i. 5, and baptized his four children.” His journal also contains this entry ; —

December 19, Sunday, — I preached at the house of Col. Townley, in Elizabeth Town, both forenoon and afternoon, on 1 Pet. ii. 9. Many of that town having been formerly a sort of Independents, are become well affected to the Church of England, and desire to have a minister of the Church of England sent to them. There I baptized a child of Mr. Shakmaple.’^

It is presumed that these were the first Episcopal services that were held here. At this time, Elizabeth Town was the largest place in the Province of East Jersey, containing about three hundred families.

The Rev. John Brooke, who was sent here by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, in a letter to the Secretary, dated Elizabeth Town, Aug. 20, 1T05, writes thus : —

Worthy Sir —

This comes to acquaint you and the rest of the Rt. Rev. and Honorable Society, erected for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, that I arrived safe in East ISTew Jersey July 15, and thence went to my Lord Cornbury — our Governor — who, after he had perused your letter, advised me to settle at Elizabeth Town and Perth Amboy. Shrewsbury, Freehold, and Middletown, are already supplied by Dr. Innes, a very goode Man, &c.’^ * * There are five Inde-

pendant Ministers in and about the places I preach at, and the greatest part of the people are followers of them. But I question not (thro : God’s blessing).

HISTORY OF ST. JOHN’S CHURCH.

n but if you please to permit me to have only Elizabeth Town, Amboy, and the adjacent Towns under my care and to allow me enough to subsist upon without depending upon the People, that I shall gain a considerable Congregation in a very few years! As for those that are of the Church of England already, their Number is very inconsiderable, and I expect nothing from them for some years, seeing they are like to be at an extraordinary charge in building of a Church at each place.”

The success which attended Mr. Brooke’s labors, is shown by the following letter to the Secretary : —

Elizabeth Town, Nov. 23,1705.

Honored Sir —

Last August, I sent you a letter per Mr. Dimstar, wherein I gave you an account of my safe arrival at New Jersey, and the state of my parishes, and the books that are here wanted, and my very Beverend and worthy brother, Mr. Talbot, will give you a full account how successful I have been in my Ministry hitherto, and what books I have greatest occasion for. We design (God willing), next spring, to begin to build two churches — one at Elizabeth Town, the other at Amboy. I must expect no subscriptions before they be finished. I have gathered a large congregation at Piscataway, about twenty miles from Elizabeth Town ; an Independent minister has left them since I came, and now they are very desirous that the Rt. Rev. and 2*

Honorable Society would be pleased to send one of the Church of England who is not a Scotchman. If a missionary of temper was sent hither, he might do more service than in any other place I know. One of the Council, who was an Anabaptist when I came, will give a minister his board (if qualified as before), and keep him a horse. I need not enlarge, being Mr. Talbot has obliged himself to give you a full Account of all my proceedings. What I have further to desire is, that you and the rest of the Society would be pleased to pray for me, and to direct me how I may best promote the interest of Keligion and the good of Souls, which shall ever be the hearty endeavor of, good sir. Your obliged servant,

JOHN BROOKE.

Mr. Brooke writes, under date of 11th of October, 1706, to the Secretary (the following are only extracts from the letter) : —

“ The people, in general, in all the places where I officiate, were either Dissenters or of no religion at all, when I came ; but now (through the blessing of God) you’ll find, by the letter sent by Mr. Evans, that many are come into the Fold. There are about ten communicants added since I wrote last. I laid the Foundation of a Brick church, at Elizabeth Town, on St. John the Baptist’s day, whose name it bears. It is fifty foot long, thirty wide, and twenty-one high, — it hath nine

HISTORY OF ST. JOHN’S CHURCH.

windows — one in the East End, ten foot wide ai;id fifteen high, two in each side, six foot wide and ten high, and four ovals — one of the East window, one in the West end, and one over each door, which are near the west end. The church is now covering, and I hope to preach in it in six weeks or two months. Col. Townley’s house (wherein I preacht at first), in half a year’s time, grew too little for my congregation, and the best place we could get to meet in was a barn, which, in Harvest, we were obliged to relinquish, whereupon the Dissenters, who, presently after I came, were destitute of their old Teachers (one of them being struck with death, in their meeting-house, as he was railing against the Church, and the other being at Boston), would not suffer me upon my request to officiate in their meeting-house unless I would promise not to read any of the prayers of the Church, which I complied with upon condition I might read the Psalms, Lessons, Epistle, and Gospel, appointed for the day, which I did and said all the rest of the service by heart, the doing of which brought a great many to hear me who otherwise, probably, would never have heard the service of the Church, and (through God’s blessing) hath taken away their prejudice to such a degree as that they have invited me to preach in their meeting-house till our church be built. Their Teacher begins at eight in the morning, and ends at ten, and then our service begins and in the afternoon we begin at two. The greatest part of the Dissenters generally stay to hear all our service. Wee shall only gett the outside of our church up this year, and I’me afraid t’will be a year or two more before we can finish the inside, for I find these hard times a great many are very backward to pay their subscriptions. At Amboy, we’ve got a great many of the materialls ready to build a stone church with, fifty-four foot long and thirty wide, next spring.” * * *

I need not tell you how often I preach, catechize, and expound, or administer the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, at each of my Places, seeing I continue to do as I did when I writ last.

The Books you acquaint me that you are allowed by your good Society to be added to my library, will be acceptable when they come to hand, — when I receive them, I will send you an account of all that I have had from you (which Mr. Hodges has already), and hereby I oblige myself to leave them all to my successor, but those I’m to give away. * * * *

*‘Upon my arrival here, instead of churches, which I expected, I mett only with private rooms except at Amboy, where there’s an old, little court-house that serves for one. Insted of a body of church people to maintain me, I only met with a small handfull, the most of which could hardly maintain themselves, much less build churches or maintain me. Upon which, being allmost discouraged to find the Church had got so little footing in these parts, I resolved heartily and sincerely to endeavor to promote her, so much as in my power, in order to which I began to preach, catechize, and

HISTORY OF ST. JOHN^S CHURCH.

expound, twelve, fourteen, sometimes fifteen days per month (which I still do), and on other days to visit the people, through which means, by the blessing of God, my congregations increased everywhere so that I found very great necessity for churches. I used all the arguments I could think of to persuade my people to contribute according to their ability to so noble a work and though I could not well afford it myself, for their encouragement, and to promote the Glory of God, 1 drew a bill of £50 upon my sister, who receives my money of Mr. Hodges, which I’ve distributed amongst these poor churches ; £10 I’ve given to Elizabeth Town, £10 to Piscataway, £10 to Amboy, £5 to the church that is to be at Freehold, and £2 to that at Cheesequakes ; £3 towards printing Hr. Ashton’s piece against the Anabaptists, and for catechisms to give away ; and it hath cost me above £10 in riding about the Provinces of New York and Pennsylvania, and this to get subscriptions. I should never have mentioned this, had not my circumstances obliged me to it. I could not have given near so much out of your £100 per annum, had not I been very well stocked with deaths I brought from England, and had had some money of my own. For I ride so much, I’m obliged to keep two horses, which cost me £20, and one horse cannot be kept well under £10 or £11 per annum. ’Twill cost a man near £30 per annum to board here, and sure ’twill cost me much more who, Pilgrim-like, can scarce ever be three days together at a place. All cloathing here is twice as dear, at least, as ’tis in England, and riding so much makes me wear out many more than I ever did before. The Ferries which IVe frequently to cross, and everything else I’ve occasion for here, are very chargeable, and I’ve nothing to defray all my charges but what I receive from your Society ; neither can I expect anything from my people before their churches be finished, so that I hope you’ll allow me what was plainly promised (I think) at St. Martin’s Library ; if not, I shall be much more capable, I believe, of promoting the glory of God in England than here, with a narrow, precarious allowance, where to ask anything yet, would be a means to deter people from joyning with me, and would be looked upon as offensive. I humbly hope you’ll pardon me if I’ve spoke anything amiss. The straits I’m brought into through the disappointment of the Society, oblige me write may be what does not become me.

My Parishioners of Amboy have desired my Lord of London to address Her Majesty in their behalf, and desire her to allow something for the maintenance of a minister there (which is one of her posts), as she’s done for Boston and Philadelphia, which wdll be an ease to the Society, if she be pleased to grant their request, and a great benefit to the poor people. I’ve so many places to take care of, that I’ve scarce any time to study ; neither can I supply any of them so well as they should be. I humbly beg, therefore, you’ll be pleased to send a minister to take the charge of Elizabeth Town and

HISTORY OF ST. JOHN’S CHURCH.

Rawway upon him, and I’ll take all the care I can of the rest.

Pray, sir, be pleased to communicate the contents of this letter to the rest of your most Reverend and Right Honorable Society, and let me hear their resolution as soon as you can, which will oblige Your most humble, Distressed servant,

JOHN BROOKE.”

In the year 1101, it appears that the Rev. Thomas Moore was involved in difficulty by Lord Cornbury, the Governor, and was imprisoned by him in Fort Anne. Mr. Moore’s letters show that the missionaries received unkind treatment at His Excellency’s hands, and that such was the effect of this, that Mr. Moore and the Rev. Mr. Brooke made up their minds to return to England. The offence of the latter seems to have been that he sustained Mr. Moore, and deeply sympathized with him in his troubles. Lord Cornbury gives, in a letter to the Secretary of the Society, an account of Mr. M.’s escape from confinement by the aid of Mr. Brooke, and complains of their want of submission to his authority, claiming as they did that they were responsible only to the Bishop of London. And this seems to constitute the burden of Lord Cornbury’s charge. A letter from Monsieur Neau, which we shall soon give, will explain this whole matter.

Mr. Moore, in a letter to the Secretary, dated August, HOT, speaking of having intrusted a letter to Mr.

Brooke, says : He is going towards Boston, in order

for England, if he be not confined before he leaves this place, which I am something fearful of, and am well satisfied he would be if His Excellency, my Lord Cornbury, knew of his design of going home. Mr. Brooke’s general concern for the honor and welfare of the Church, with some apprehensions he has of being confined himself (for he has much the same share of his Lordship’s favor with myself, and for much the same reason), puts him upon undertaking a winter’s voyage to England, which, I am well satisfied, no worldly consideration would tempt him to, even at any season of the year ; for he has (as he has abundantly shown) an uncommon concern for the good of his flock, which nothing, I am well assured, but the prospect of doing more good, does now, or will, make him ever hereafter leave.”

Mr. Moore, having escaped from Fort Anne, started for England with Mr. Brooke; and the Rev. John Talbot, in a letter to the Secretary, dated Philadelphia, 20th of August, 1^08, says : —

Honorable Sir —

I have written several letters to you from Boston and New York, by Brothers Brooke and Moore, but I am afraid they are all lost together ; they have been nine months gone, and we saw them not since, nor any news of them. I met them at Boston, and would persuade them to return, but all in vain ; they had been

HISTORY OF ST. JOHN’S CHURCH.

so dragooned, that they had rather be taken into France than into the Port at New York. I have carried on ever since at Burlington, as well as I could, and, I thank God, with success wherever I am ; but I cannot stay long at any place, because there are so many that want. Certainly, the present state of that Province is worse than the first. We have lost our labour, and the Society their cost, there being several churches and no ministers in all East Jersey to supply them, so that they fall away apace to Heathenism, Quakerism, and Atheism, purely for lack of looking after. Mr. Brooke and Mr. Moore are much lamented, being the most pious and industrious Missioners that ever the Honorable Society sent over. Let the adversaries say what they will, they can prove no evil thing against these men. I have heard all sides and parties — what can be saidj^ro or * *

Extract from a letter from Mr. Talbot to the Secretary, dated Burlington, 24th of August, 1^08 : —

It is now nine months ago since I parted with Mr. Brooke and Mr. Moore at Boston. I sent letters by them, but we are much afraid all are miscarried. I was always glad to see them, but much surprised to meet them there. They told me what hardship they met with from the Governors of New York and Jersey, and how they escaped out of their hands. I was for converting them back again, telling them the dangers of 3 the Sea and the Enemy, but poor Thorowgood [Moore] said he had rather be taken into France than into the Fort at New York ; and if they were sunk in the Sea, they did not doubt but God would receive them, since they were persecuted for righteousness — that is, for Christ’s sake and His Gospel and doing their duty to the best of their knowledge.” Farther on in this letter, he says : I preached till the Winter broke up,

when I got to Amboy and Elizabeth Town, where had been nobody since Mr. Brooke left them, who was an able and diligent Missioner as ever came over.”

Jeremiah Bass, Esq., Her Majesty’s Secretary of the Province of Jersey, in a history of the Church at Burlington, thus mentions Mr. Moore and Mr. Brooke : —

Our Church for some time found no considerable alterations by the absence of our worthy Hector [Mr. Moore], but that enemy of our happiness, who had been many times heretofore sowing the seeds of Division and Dissension amongst us (which, through the care and prudence of our Hector, were not suffered to grow and increase), took advantage of his absence, and stirred up such a flame that had almost broken us to pieces, and occasioned the unhappy removal of Mr. Moore and the Hev. Mr. Brooke, Hector of the church in Elizabeth Town (erected chiefly by the care and diligence of Colonel Hichard Townley, who has given the ground it stands on, and a place for a burying-ground), who have