My first seven years in America

Preface

As the question may possibly be asked, ** What good reason can be assigned for a man’s being his own biographer?” I will endeavor to answer ik In favor of the practice I have the example of Bunyan, Newton, Franklin,, Adam Clarke, and others, and the good judgment of Mr. Wesley, who required several of his early preachers to draw up a brief account of their Christian experience, which he published in successive numbers of the Arminian Magazine.

There seems to be some propriety in a person’s writing memoirs of himself, when it is considered that posthumous writers

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are always, more or less, ignorant of facts, and generally biased one way or other, by personal, family, political, or religious considerations.

Some objections may possibly lie against this mode of proceeding, even when it has been adopted from the purest motives. A man may be tempted to say more of himself than the nature of the case will justify. He may be in danger of speaking too highly of himself ; for it is a well-known fact, that those persons who do speak often of themselves are apt to do it in terms of self-commendation, either directly, or indirectly; and this, in the estimation of many, savors too much of personal vanity.

Dr. Delany, in his life of the patriarch David, accuses him of trumpeting forth his own fame,’^ in those passages of the Psalms, where he gives glory to God for enabling him to accomplish great things; and yet the same author, as if smitten with an extraordinary degree of love for the

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character of David, represents him as “ a true patriot, a divine musician, a sublime poet, an inspired prophet ; by birth a peasant, by merit a prince ; in youth a hero, in manhood a monarch, in age a’ saint.^^ This is more than ‘‘ the son of Jesse ever said of himself, and more than any modest man would say of himself, even if he knew it were true.

It is urged against writings of this kind, that they are wanting in interest, and that none but great characters ought to appear on the page of history, or be made the subject of permanent record. This thought seems to have been uppermost in the mind of Mr. Addison, when he wrote the 317th number of the Spectator, and, therefore, he very justly ridicules the idea of a sober citizen putting it on record, that at eight o’clock on Monday morning he put on his clothes, and walked into the parlor, and at nine tied his knee-strings, and washed his hands.” But with all due deference to the #

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amiable author of this plausible fiction, are not the Extracts from the Diary of a Physician,’^ albeit they are nothing but fictions^ read by some of our fellow-citizens with more zest than the history of their own country ?

As to history ^ so called, I think it may. be said with safety of that part which is called aneienty except what is found in the Bible, there is great reason to believe that no small part of it is fabulous ; and as to modern history, there is equal reason to fear, that much of it is disingenuous, distorted, and discolored. As to Church history, it is much to be feared that party spirit and violent sectarianism disfigure every page. I have now been a member of the Methodist Society and Episcopal Church more than forty years, but I never met with one historian, annalist, biographer, or reviewer in speaking of the Methodists, except those of our own Church, altogether impartial. And as to works of fiction, though they may

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sometimes “ point a moral, and adorn a tale,'^ I have no time to read them ; and if I had, and admired them ever so much, the constantly recurring thought they are not true ’’ would spoil the whole. When I read Moses, I believe him ; but when I read Milton, though I admire, I cannot believe : and therefore I prefer truth, even when unadorned, to fiction with all its emhellishinents.

I would inquire also. Are not the lives of such men as Alexander, Caesar, and Napoleon, mere histories of wars, murders, desolation, and misery? and is not the glory that surrounds such names false glory? And is it not a fact, that the domestic portraitures of Abraham and Sarah, of Jacob and Eachel, of Joseph, and of Euth, are equally interesting, and far more profitable for youth to read, than the lives of the most renowned characters of ancient or modern times ? For my own part, I am decidedly of opinion, that ‘‘ the short and simple an-

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nals of the poor/’ as recorded in Gray’s Elegy, Goldsmith’s Deserted Village, Richmond’s Dairyman’s Daughter, and Bloomfield’s Farmer’s Boy, are of more intrinsic value to the world, in a literary, as well as moral respect, than the more fascinating and less authentic productions of the far-famed author of WaverhyP

G. Coles.

Peekskill, N. Y.,

Chapter I. Traveling On Long-island

Farewell to New-York — Jamaica— Hempstead — Kev. P. Rice- Cold Spring — Huntingdon— Pleasant traveling in winter — Cow Harbor — A hard day’s work — A cheering incident — The first sleigh-ride — An itinerant shoemaker — Musquito Cove — Luxurious living — A shout and its effects — House-warming — Church trial — A kind family — Father Losee— A masterly discourse — Nature’s temple — First watch-night — Rev. David Buck — A narrow escape — Farewell to Long Island— Return to New- York Page 13

Chapter II. Traveling In Connecticut

A comfortable outfit — No passports needed in America — Rye — The Halsted family — Long-Island Sound — A beautiful sight — Reflections — Norwalk — Absalom Day — A visit to the pottery—Redding — Rev. Aaron Hunt— First quarterly meeting at Weston — Too much noise — The oldest Methodist in Connecticut—John Hill — Rev. Mr. Bartlett— Ridgefield — An officious lady 41

Chapter III. ^ Cortlandt Circuit

North Salem — A Baptist exhorter — Hezekiah Sandford — Cold weather — Rev. Seth Crowell — The Ferris family — Lake Mahopac — Shrub Oaks — An expedient to remove sadness — Peekskill — Church records — Father Start — Thomas Hammond — Broad-brimmed hats — Number of churches in Peekskill — Reflections 56

CONTENTS,

Chapter IV. Cortlandt Circuit — Continued

Natural scenery about Peekskill — Suggestions — Rev. Isaac Lent — Gallows’ Hill — The old parsonage— Judge Patterson— Mrs. Thayer — Rev. Eben Smith— Quarterly meeting at Somers — James Horton — Quarterly meeting at Redding — Rev. Isaac Candee — An incident, with reflections thereon — The Van Cortlandt Place — The old Episcopal church and burying-ground — Major Paulding’s monument Page 72

Chapter V. Cortlandt Circuit — Concluded

The return of spring brings with it pleasing sensations mingled with painful reflections — Beneficence of Providence — Going to conference— A remarkable incident on board the Sing-Sing sloop — Rev. E. Woolsey — Andrew Hanford — Edward O’Neil— Rensselaerville— Rev. Henry Stead and his famiiy 97

Chapter VI. Schenectady Circuit— First Year

Description of the circuit— Patroon’s land— Gideon Taber, Esq.— A lovely family — Fine view from the Heidelberg Mountain — Resolution never to preach from the same text the flrst year — Advantages and disadvantages of such a plan— A narrow escape from trouble 108

Chapter VII. Schenectady Circuit— First Year

Return of summer — Rural study — First Sabbath — A forest scene — Fire-flies — Dreadful storm — Lost in the woods— Huntersland —Rensselaerville — Miner Raymond — Scotland— Dr. Day — The Glass-works— Shaker settlement — Isaac Lawson’s— Watervleit — Niskayuna— Conversation with the Shakers 116

Chapter VIII. Schenectady Circuit— First Year

First camp-meeting— The place— The preachers’ present— Remarks on father Garrettson’s sermon— The ground revisited — Reflections 134

CONTENTS.

Chapter IX. Schenectady Circuit — First Year

Revival at Huntersland — Rev. Anson Green — Watch-night at the Glass-works — Severe snow-storm — Cold weather — Terrible snow-drifts — Sad predicament — Dreadful traveling — A beautiful sight— A hermit’s abode— Visit to Cahoes Falls.. Page 149

Chapter X. Schenectady Circuit — First Year

A terrible storm — Lost in the woods at night, at West Camp — Red-Hook, Phillipstown, Peekskill, New-York — Conference of 1820— Proceedings of an annual conference described 171

Chapter XI. Schenectady Circuit— Second Year

Return to the circuit— Hot weather — Instructive incidents — Visit to Schenectady — Union College — Dr. Macauley — Revival of religion— Friends’ quarterly meeting at Duanesburgh — Two of my hearers furnish me with texts— Results 179

Chapter XII. Schenectady Circuit — Second Year

Public baptisms — Twenty-nine persons baptized at one time — A ludicrous affair— A delightful quarterly meeting 189

CHAPTER Xm.

SCHENECTADY CIRCUIT — SECOND YEAR.

How maple-sugar is made — Camp-meeting at Harpersfield — How to light a camp-ground without lamps or candles — Preachers present — Texts— Sermons— Prayer-meetings — Conversions, close of the meeting — Reflections 196

Chapter XIV. Schenectady Circuit — Second Year

Weather in the United States very variable — Splendid appearance of the heavens in different seasons— Severe fit of sickness — remarkably cold weather — Death of a backslider— An honest sectarian— Elder Brown — Conference of 1821— John Summerfield — Close of conference — Number of preachers belonging to the New-York Conference that have died since 1819.. 209

CONTENTS.

CH.VPTER XV.

NE'VV -WINDSOR CIRCUIT.

A slight mistake respecting me and my colleague — Boundaries of the circuit— Orange county — Bounties of Providence — Number of appointments — Picturesque scenes — Butter Hill — Luke Wood — Dr. Pelham — Dutch farmer — Sad catastrophe — William Seymour — Sugar Loaf — Bev. Zalmon Lyon — Bel vale — a wealthy neighborhood — Donation visit Page 229

Chapter XVI. Hudson Circuit

Extent of the circuit — Description of Hudson — Deacon Whiting — Sermon on “the unpardonable sin” — A pleasant circuit on many accounts — City burying-ground — New appointment — Augustus Reed — Camp-meetings — David Wager — John V. Staats — Quarterly meeting — Close of the first year on Hudson circuit 243

Chapter XVII. Hudson Circuit— Second Year

Conference at Balston East Line — Delegates to General Conference— Camp-meetings at Hillsdale — Petersburg — Rev. Billy Hibbard — His idea of two heaps a good one — Turkey Hills — Stillwater — Croton — Green River — Case of John Sweet — Genius of Methodism — Family of the Rosmans — Close of the second year — Farewell to Hudson 262

Chapter XVIII. Rhinebeck Circuit — First Year

General Conference of 1824 — Messrs. Reece and Hannah — First Sabbath at Rhinebeck — Isaac Lyon’s family — The Slate Quarry — Father Keeler’s family— A puzzler— Camp-meeting at North Newburg — Another at Canaan, Conn. — Doctor Bartlett— Robert Sands, Esq. — Mrs. Elizabeth James. W 278

Chapter XIX. Rhinebeck Circuit— Second Year

Extracts from my journal — Camp-meeting at Havcrstraw — Watch-night at Mount Ross— Remarks on choosing texts— Stanzas in memory of the Rev. Freeborn Garrettsou 305

MY

FIRST SEVEN YEARS IN AMERICA.

Chapter I. Traveling On Long Island

December 10, 1818. — About two o’clock, P. M., I left the city of New-York, for the purpose of spending a few weeks on Long Island, in the capacity of a traveling preacher. When I parted with my friends, James and Lydia Davidson, I felt the pang of separation to be almost as painful as that of parting with my relatives in the lafid of my birth. I had been intimately acquainted with them for five years past, and for the last three months had shared with them all the vicissitudes incident to leaving home, embarking in an uncertain enterprise, and landing in a new country. We had experienced mutual sorrows, joys, hopes, fears, dangers, and deliverances, on the ocean, and while there had often occasion to comfort one another with the thought of seeing better days, in the land flowing with milk and honey.’’ But little did we then think what awaited us. My lot, from that time to the present, in many respects, has been very different from that of my friend Davidson. He was emploj^ed in the gardens of the great ; I in the vineyard of the Lord. My employment has been the more honorable, his the more lucrative. Flowers of sweetest odor and fruits of choicest flavor bloomed and ripened under his care ; but in trying to break up the fallow ground, and in planting and improving those corners of the vineyard on which it has been my lot to toil, I have, in many instances, labored in vain, and spent my strength for naught. His health was scarcely ever interrupted, until the fatal malady which terminated in death seized upon him ; mine was always feeble, and yet I live. He is gone, and has left a widow and daughter to struggle with the ills of life ; and I am still striving

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• “ To land me safe on Zion^s peaceful shore,

Where tempests howl and billows rise no more/^

After crossing the East Eiver, in the steam ferry-hoat, I took m j place in the stage at Brooklyn, for Jamaica, and arrived at the house of a friend, on whom I had been directed to call, just as the family were going to prayer-meeting. I went with them to the church, joined in the exercises of the evening, and then returned to my lodging. In the room where I slept, I met with a copy of “ Eollin’s Method of Studying the Belles Lettres,^’ which pleased me so well, that I persuaded my host to part with it, and purchased it of him for my future reading. It is an excellent work, and was of great use to me in my subsequent studies. My host was a manufacturer of hoots and shoes, and could make those very necessary and useful articles as well without the aid of polite literature as with it. But it was not so with me. I had to study words and figures of speech, how to instruct mankind in the duties of religion, and to convince and persuade sinners to he good ; and such a work as that of Eollin, if carefully studied, and the rules faithfully applied, could not fail of being very useful.

The next day I rode on horseback to Hempstead, and on my arrival called on the Kev. Phineas Eice, preacher in charge. He received me very cordially, entertained me kindly, and scrutinized me closely, but with that magnanimity which seems almost as natural to him as it is to breathe. The next day he mounted his horse, and accompanied me across the plains toward Jericho ; not that there was any danger of my falling among thieves, but there was some probability, if I had gone alone, I might have missed my way. Then, after giving me proper directions, he left me, and I proceeded on my journey toward Cold Spring. When I had passed Jericho, I was overtaken by a friendly Quaker. We traveled together some miles, and conversed freely about the good things of religion. I had seen and heard Henry Hull, an American Friend, in England, and was glad to meet with one of his faith and order in his native land. Of course I inquired after him, but

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the Friend on Long Island did not seem to know him. I have, since then, been at his house in Dutchess county, but was too late to see him. He had gone to the better land.’^ My new friend and I at length took different routes, and after exchanging the usual salutation, we parted in the same friendly spirit in which we met. About two o’clock I arrived at Cold Spring, and took dinner with a family named Titus. The same afternoon I proceeded to Huntingdon, and tarried all night with brother Platt, who, with his family, has since then removed to another part of the country.

The weather to-day was cold, but very pleasant. There was a little snow on the ground, the air w^as remarkably clear, and the sun shone intensely bright. It was so different, in this respect, from the smoky atmosphere, and the dark days of London, that I really felt as if Providence was more lavish of his bounties on this side of the Atlantic than on the other. And I have often noticed since, that, at certain timesin the winter season, the air is extremely bracing, and the light intensely vivid, on this western continent. Again and again have I heen reminded of the words of Cowper, in Jiis Winter Walk at Noon/^ more applicable, I think, to this country than to some parts of England : —

“ The vault is blue

Without a cloud ; and white without a speck The dazzling splendor of the scene below.^'

My ride from Hempstead to Cold Spring, and thence to Huntingdon, was very agreeable— first over an extensive plain, then a short distance on a good turnpike road, then through pleasant groves of forest trees, where meditation

“ Might think down hours to moments — where the heart

Might give a useful lesson to the head,

And Learning wiser grow without his books.*^

As I traveled slowly along, I thought much of the joys of departed days, of the follies and felicities of childhood, of the vanity and vicissitudes of life, and of the probable pains and pleasures of the itinerant career. The public burying-ground at Huntingdon is a beautiful spot, and as the

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traveler approaches it on the road from Cold Spring, the view is quite enchanting. It was so much so to brother Jesse Carley, an Englishman by birth, the first time he saw it, — having been appointed by the New- York Conference to travel on that circuit, — that he desired, if in the order of Divine Providence he should die in that part of the country, he might he buried there. He died that same year, and there, according to his desire, he was buried.

My friend, with whom I tarried all night at Huntingdon, the next morning accompanied me to Cow Harbor, where, at half-past ten o’clock, I preached from 2 Cor. V, 20 : Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us : we pray you in Christ’s stead, he ye reconciled to God.” I judged it proper to commence my labors in the itinerant field with this text ; first, because it contained such views of the character of the gospel ministry, as were agreeable to my mind ; a.nd, secondly, because, from the appearance of some of my hearers, I judged that they were unreconciled to God. The meeting-

20 riRST SEVEN YEARS IN AMERICA.

liouse, at Cow Harbor, looked like anything but a church It had no pulpit, no pews, no backs to the seats, no galleries, nor altar, no communion-table, nor lamp, nor candlestick to hold a light. It was a wooden building without ceiling, plaster, or paint of any kind. The “ sacred desk’^ — how can I so miscall it? — was the homeliest thing of the kind I ever saw, being nothing more than a carpenter’s bench, with a back and front to it, and left open at both ends ; — and all this witliin fifty miles of New- York !

After sermon it was my duty, if I followed the custom of my predecessors, to meet the class. There Avere about seventy members present, and it took me nearly an hour to speak to them all, Avhicli made the service rather tedious ; and in addition to all this, the weather Avas very cold, and the singing so poor that I Avas Avell-nigh discouraged in the outset. In justice to myself, I ought to have spoken only to a fifth part of the class, and given a word of general exhortation to the rest. But I Avas then ignorant of much that I afterAvard learned, and

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hence fell into occasional mistakes. In the afternoon I preached at Huntingdon, in a warm room, and apparently to a warm-hearted people. There also I met the class, which was quite small compared with that at Cow Harbor. The members appeared to be lively, and that encouraged me much. In the evening I preached at Cold Spring, in a school-house, to an attentive congregation, and then went home with my good old friend Titus, and enjoyed a comfortable night’s rest, after the toils of the day, which, to a new beginner, we're pretty severe. In justice to the friends on the circuit, I ought to say, that they treated me kindly ; and to their praise he it spoken, that since steamboats have visited their harbors, and a railroad has been made from one end of the Island to the other, three or four new churches have been erected in that part of the old Jamaica circuit where I spent my first Sabbath in the winter of 1818.

In the forenoon of the following day I visited several families in the neighborhood. One Presbyterian lady spoke very encouragingly of my labors the preceding evening ; and in tlie course of her remarks said, -with a pleasant grace, —

“ Teaching we learn, and giving we retainT

I had often heard the words before, hut never with the like effect ; and coming from the source they did, and with such an amiable spirit, they operated as a charm upon my mind and heart for several days, — yes, for many ears ; for whenever I thought of my first Sabbath on Long Island, and of the old meeting-house at Cow Harbor, and of the labors of the day, “ the memory of that morn,’^ when I first attempted to make pastoral visits, would steal over me, “ like fragrance from a hank of violets.^^ When I thought of the lady, I instantly thought of the words of the poet ; and when I remembered the words of the poet, I could never forget the lady who uttered them.

In the course of the afternoon of that day I rode to another appointment, and in the evening preached to a very attentive congregation, from the words of Joshua, chap, xxiv, ver. 15. My host was a local preacher, a very clever, a very kind, and as people sometimes say, a very smart man.’^

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With the use of the word I had

not then become as familiar as I have since, and of course it sounded to my ears very strange. But what interested me most was something that I had never seen before — a carriage without wheels, gliding smoothly, swiftly, and almost silently, along the road. It was the first specimen of sleigh-riding I ever saw, and to me seemed wonderfully pleasant ; and I wondered again and again that some of my countrymen in England had never adopted it, — if for nothing else, at least for their own gratification.

Then again, there was another matter which I understood not. An itinerant shoemaker was manufacturing his wares at the house where I stayed. The farmer found the material, and the mechanic did the work at the house. In this procedure there seemed to be both comfort and economy. The shoemaker sat in a warm room by a window near the fire. No time was lost in going home to breakfast, dinner, and supper ; for he took his meals where he did his work, and, of course, he was sure of that part of his pay. On the part of the farmer there was also an advantage ; for by buying a large quantity of materials, he could get them cheaper, and moreover he could see that there was no waste in the use of them, and by boarding the workman he had less money to pay out than if he went to the store and bought the shoes. In addition to these considerations, there was one more which ought not to be forgotten — namely, shoes made in this way generally last longer than those that are bought at the store.

In the afternoon I rode tcrMusquito Cove, This place is on the north side of the island ; and after traveling awhile through pleasant groves I came in sight of the Sound, then of the Cove, and at last of the house vdiere I was to preach in the evening. Some boys w^ere at the wood-pile chopping wood. I was a stranger to them and they to me, and of course they did not know what to make of me nor I of them. However, as I did not alight from my horse, the old gentleman came out of the house and invited me in. The boys followed, the girls stared, and the good housewife wished to know if I was their preacher. The fashion of my

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dress, the color of my overcoat, my narrowbrimmed hat, all made against me, and it was some time before I could satisfy them that I was the right sort of man. After a while supper was ready, and I was invited to sit by.^^ And here again, they knew not what to make of me. I ate no smoked beef, pickle, honey, head-cheese, dough-nut, cracker, cake, nor cheese, nor pie of any kind. The last two years that I spent in England I lived on very plain fare. I was one of the clerks in a dry-goods store. Trade was very dull, profits small, and rent and taxes very high ; consequently the strictest economy was necessary with those who kept boarders, or the outlay would exceed the income, and bankruptcy must inevitably follow. We generally had four meals a-day, but they were very scanty ; and it was on account of my having lived thus for two years, that I abstained from so many good things as are generally placed on the table at supper-time in the houses of our wealthy farmers in the United States. I actually thought it a sin to indulge in so much luxury. But those days are past, and I can now accommodate

2G FIRST SEVEN YEARS IN AMERICA.

myself to tlie customs of the country without any very seriotks misgivings. But the good lady of the house, at Musquito Cove, thought I was too particular, and with some warmth exclaimed, “ I guess 3^011 are a fullblooded Englishman This I did not deny, and therefore let it pass. In the evening I preached from “ One thing is needful.’^ All present, as far as I could judge, heard with attention, and particularly the old lady, whose looks seemed to say, ‘‘ I guess he T1 make out pretty well after all.^^ The poet was right in saying, All ’s well that ends well.’^

On the 17 th of December, in the afternoon, I preached at a private house, on the south side of the island, in the presence of Rev. Messrs. P. Rice and B. Griffen. The room was well filled, and the preachers sat behind me, which relieved me much. My text was Isa. lii, 7. There were no mountains in that part of the island, to wdiich I could direct the attention of my audience, or to serve my purpose by way of illustration, but I had the messengers of peace near me, and the people could Judge for

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themselves of the truth or appositeness of my text, from their own feelings, in reference to the men of God who were in their presence. After sermon one of the preachers met the class, wliich consisted of about thirty whites, and five or six persons of color. The manner of meeting class was lively and profitable, and the members, one and all, seemed to feel well in their minds.

In the evening I preached at another house, about four miles distant, in a small room. My text was Matt, vi, 33. While I was discussing the first part, my hearers were remarkably quiet ; but when I came to expatiate upon the fullness of the promise, one good old woman shouted so suddenly, and so loud, that it broke the thread of my discourse. However, as I was near the end I gathered up the fragments that remained, so that the loss was not great.

While I was engaged at this place brother Griffen was preaching a kind of dedication sermon at another. It had long been a custom among opulent farmers in these parts, when a new house was finished, and ready for occupation, for the owners to invite their friends and neighbors to rejoice with them. The irreligious generally had music and dancing. The pious part of the community, sensible of the goodness of God in giving them houses to dwell in, frequently would have religious exercises on such occasions. So in conformity with established custom, brother Griffen preached them a sermon from the gospel salutation, “ Peace be to this house.^^

December 18. — The preachers accompanied me to my evening’s appointment. It was their design, as I afterward learned, to hear me, with a view of being able to judge of my abilities as a preacher, and to report their opinion in the case to the presiding elder. Now the presiding elder was a very excellent preacher, and he wished to have none under his jurisdiction but such as promised fair to be something. He was an eloquent speaker, and his personal appearance, especially in the pulpit, was unusually dignified and commanding. He understood ecclesiastical discipline, and Methodist economy thoroughly, and knew as well as most men

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in liis office bow to bring modest young men forward, and to keep forward young men back in tbe work of the ministry. So he sent me, by way of trial, to Long Island, to labor for a short space, and to be examined, inspected, and instructed, by the preachers before-mentioned. And it so happened that they were of the right stamp to do this kind of work ; but they were as magnanimous as they were wise. I did not, at the time, know their design ; so I was under no temptation to make an effort to be something, when indeed I was nothing better than “ a bruised reed,’^ — a shadow rather than a substance.’^ So I passed on with the greatest simplicity, suspected nothing, believed all things, hoped all things, endured all things ; and, through mercy, escaped unhurt.