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Gc 

974.902 

P93h 

V.2 

1969287 

REYNOLDS   HISTORICAL 
GENEALOGY   COLLECTION 


""  ALLEN  COUNTY  PUBLIC  UBRARY 

3  1833  02236  7459 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2010  with  funding  from 

Allen  County  Public  Library  Genealogy  Center 


http://www.archive.org/details/historyofprincet02inhage 


HISTORY 


OF 


PRINCETON 


JUL 

AND    ITS    INSTITUTIONS; 


THE     TOWN     FROM     ITS     FIRST     SETTLEMFNT,    THKOUOH     THE     REVOLU- 
TIONARY   WAR.    TO   THE    PRESENT    TIME— ITS    CHURCHES-   SCHOOLS 
— COLLEGE— THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY — LITERATURE,  VOLUMES 
AND     AUTHORS  —  NOTICES    OF    PROMINENT     FAMILIES. 
AND     CHIEF     CITIZENS— THE    CEMETERY,     ETC. 


ILLUSTRATED    WITH  STEEL   AND    WOOD    EXGKAVINGS. 


BY 

JOHN    FRELINGHUYSEN    HAG  EM  AN. 

COUNSELLOR  AT  LAW,  l-KINCUTON,  K.  J. 


IN    T  \V  O    V  O  L  U  M  1-:  s .  V,  Z 

VOL.    II. 


PHILADELrHlA: 

J.    B.    LIPPINCOTT    &    CO 

1S79. 


lS692a? 


COFVRIGHT,    1878,    liV   J.    B.    LlIllNCOTT   &    Co.,    PllIl.ADELrHIA, 


WStw^-^ 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

PRINCETON    AS   A    MUNICIPALITY. 

PAGE 

The  Original  Charter  of  1813 — Tlie  Poll  List  of  1817 — The  Revised  Charter 
of  1S73 — Taxation — List  of  Mayors — Borough  Jail — The  Streets — The 
Fire  Department — The  Market — Post  Office  and  Mails — The  Telegraph 
Office — Gas-Light  Company — The  Bank — Savings  Bank — Mutual  Fire 
Insurance  Company — Divers  other  Incorporations  and  Associations— The 
Order  of  Masons i 


CHAPTER    XV. 

INNS    AND    TAVERNS. 

Their  History  would  make  an  interesting  Volume:  Tavern  Signs:  '•  Hudi- 
bras  " — "  Confederation  " — "  Washington  " — "  College  " — "  Red  Lion  " — 
"  City  Hotel" — "  Nassau  Hotel" — "  ALinsion  House" — Prominent  Land- 
lords :  Jacob  Hyer,  John  Gifford,  George  Follet,  John  Joline — A  List  of 
others.  The  several  Hotels  kept  in  Princeton  for  the  last  Century — "  The 
Lay  of  the  Scottish  Fiddle"  conceived  and  partly  written  at  Joline's  Hotel 
in  Princeton — Extracts  from  it  relating  to  Princeton 36 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

THE     UNIVERSITY    HOTEL, 

Long  felt  Want  of  such  a  House — Eligible  Situation — Built  by  Joint  Stock 
Company — Capital  Stock,  $100,000 — Extends  on  two  Streets  2S8  feet — 
Built  of  pressed  Brick — Brown  Stone  Facings — Four  Stories  high — 
Victorian  Gothic  Style — One  hundred  Rooms  above  the  lust  Floor — 
Eastlake  P'inish — Beautiful  Furniture — No  l?ar  for  Retail  of  Liquor 
• — HoubC  unlicensed — Elegant,  luxurious,  and  first-class  in  all  its 
Appointments — An    Attractive    Resort    for    Families    in    all    Seasons    of 


the  Year. 


49 


IV  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    XVII. 
NEWSPAPERS   AND    MAGAZINES   OF    PRINCETON. 

PAGB 

Princeton  Packet,  17S6 — Religious  and  Literary  Gazette — New  Jersey  Patriot 
— Series  of  Tracts  — American  Journal — American  Magazine — Princeton 
Courier — American  System — Journal  of  Education — Princeton  Whig — 
Princeton  Press — Merc<^r  Co.  Mirror — Princeton  Stcandard — Princetonian 
— Biblical  Repertory  and  Princeton  Review — Princeton  Magazine — The 
Missionary  Review ' 54 

CHAPTER    XVIII. 

THE    FRIENDS'   SOCIETY   AND    MEETING   HOUSE    AT 
STONY    BROOK. 

The  House  has  outlived  the  Society — The  Creed  of  the  Quakers — First  House 
built  of  Wood  in  1 709 — Present  House  of  Stone  built  in  1760 — Quaker 
School — Its  Rules  and  Regulations  for  Teachers  and  Scholars — Pri<jr  to 
1757  it  was  the  only  House  of  Worship  in  the  Neighborhood — The  Centre 
of  a  thrifty  and  intelligent  Quaker  Community  for  several  Generations — 
Recent  Decadence  of  the  Society — Extinction  of  the  School— No  Quaker 
Children — House  seldom  opened  for  Worship— Queries  as  to  the  Nature 
of  the  System 


66 


CHAPTER    XIX. 
THE    PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH    OF    PRINCETON. 

Sec.  I.    Early  History  of  the  Church,   1750-176S — Presidents  Burr,  Edwards, 

Davies  and   Finley,  the  Preachers 73 

II.   Its  History  continued,  1768-1795,  under  Presidents  Witherspoon  and 

Smith 85 

III.  Pastorate  of  the   Rev.  Samuel   Finley  Snowden,  1 795-1804 94 

IV.  Pastorate  of  Rev.  Henry  Kollock,  I S04-10 97 

V.   Pastorate  of  Rev.  William  C.  Schenck,  1810-20 105 

VI.   Pastorate  of  Rev.  George  S.  WoodhuU.  1820-32 117 

VII.  Pastorate  of  Rev.  Benjamin  II.  Rice,  1832-47 133 

VIII.  Pastorate  of  Rev.  William  E.  Schenck,  1847-52 143 

IX.  Pastorate  of  Rev.  James  M.  Macdonald,  1852-76 153 

X.  Real  Estate  and  Miscellaneous  Matters  of  the  Congregation 171 

CHAPTER    XX. 

THE  PROTESTANT  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.  {Tutiity.) igi 

CHAPTER     XXI. 

THE  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH 195 


CONTENTS.  V 

CHAPTER    XXII. 

PAGE 

THE  BAPTIST  CHURCH 197 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
THE  SECOND  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH 202 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
THE  WITHERSPOON  STREET  CHURCH 209 

CHAPTER  XXV. 
THE  AFRICAN  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH 212 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 
THE  ROMAN  CATHOLIC  CHURCH 2i3 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 
ACADEMIES  AND  SCHOOLS •. 217 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
PRINCETON    COLLEGE. 

The  College  of  New  Jersey— Nassau  Hall  — Frincelon  College  — First  Charter 
in  1746 — Second  Charter  in  i74S~Unity  of  the  College  under  both 
Charters — Object,  to  promote  Piety  and  sound  Learning  ;  Procured  by 
Presbyterians  but  open  to  all 228 

Sec.  I.  Administration  of  President  Dickinson 233 

II.  Of  President  Burr 237 

III.  Of  President  Edwards 249 

IV.  Of  President  Davici 253 

V.  Of  President  Finley 256 

VI.  Of  President  Witherspoon 260 

Vn.  Of  President  Smith 264 

VHI.  Of  President   Green 271 

IX.  Of  President  Carnahan..  .  .S 274 

X.  Of  President  Maclean 285 

XL  Of  President  McCosh 291 

XII.  Ofiicers  and  Alumni 298 

XIII.  Buildings 202 

XIV.  Library  and  Appliances -jn 

XV.  Endowments  and  Funds 314 

XVI.  Miscellaneous  College  Items 316 


vi  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 
PRINCETON  THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

PAl.B 

Sec.  I.  Its  History 3^4 

II.  Its  Buildings  and  Grounds 335 

ni.   Its  Investments,  Funds,  and  Library 34° 

IV.  Its  decea.sed  Professors,  Dr.  Archibald  Alexander,  Dr.  Samuel  Miller, 
Dr.  Charles  Hodge,  Dr.  Addison  Alexander,  Dr.  John  Breckin- 
ridge, Dr.  James  W.  Alexander — a  saintly  group 341 

V.   Present  Faculty  and  Officers 37i 

VI.   Liberal  Benefactors 374 

CHAPTER  XXX. 
PRINCETON  AUTHORS  AND  THEIR  VOLUMES 377 

CHAPTER  XXXr. 
WOMAN'S  CHAPTER  IN    PRINCETON    HISTORY 406 

CHAPTER  XXXH. 
THE  CEMETERY 4^4 

CHAPTER  XXXHI. 

THE  CENTENNIAL  YEAR,  1876. 

Religious  Revival — Visit  of  Moody  and  Sankey — Opening  of  University  Hotel 
—  Centennial  Celebration  —  Centennial  Anniversary  af  the  Battle  of 
Princeton  celebrated — Full  tide  of  Prosperity 433 

CHAPTER   XXXIV. 

PROFESSIONAL   AND   OFFICIAL. 

Physicians,  Lawyers,  Clergymen,  Official  Representatives 438 


HISTORY    OF    PRINCETON. 


CHAPTER     XIV. 

PRINCETON    AS    A    MUNICIPALITY. 

The  Original  Charter  of  1813 — The  Poll  List  of  1817 — The  Revised  Charter  of 
1873 — Taxation — List  of  Mayors — Borough  Jail — The  Streets — The  Fire  De- 
partment— The  Market — Post-Office  and  Mails — The  Telegraph  Office — Gas- 
Light  Company — The  Bank — Savings  Bank — Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company 
— Divers  other  Incorporations  and  Associations — The  Order  of  Masons. 

Princeton  became  incorporated  as  a  borough  while  it  wa.s 
yet  a  small  village.  It  is  hardly  probable,  as  we  have  already 
stated,  that  an  application  would  have  been  made  or  granted  at 
so  early  a  day,  had  not  the  town  been  divided  by  a  county  line, 
and  had  not  its  good  order,  which  was  affected  by  the  presence 
of  the  students,  rendered  some  special  legislation  and  police 
force  necessary  at  the  Commencements  and  in  the  multi- 
plied exigencies  which  are  liable  to  arise  in  such  a  com- 
munity. 

An  act  entitled  "  An  Act  for  the  incorporation  of  the  town 
of  Princeton,"  was  passed  by  the  Legislature,  February  11,1813. 
It  was  preceded  by  the  following  preamble,  viz. : 

"  Whereas  sundry  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Princeton 
have,  by  their  petition  to  the  Legislature,  prayed  that  they  may 
by  law,  be  incorporated  and  formed  into  a  body  politic,  with 
such  powers,  privileges  and  immunities  as  will  most  conduce  to 
the  good  order  and  regulation  of  the  citizens  thereof,  and  for 
the  interest  of  those  institutions  of  learning  and  piety  estab- 
lished within  the  same:  and  as  the  Legislature  think  it  reason- 
able that  the  prayer  of  the  said  petitioners  be  granted,  there- 
fore," etc. 


2  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

The  boundaries  were  nearly  the  same  as  tliey  are  at  the 
present  time,  except  tiiat  they  did  not  extend  quite  so  far  to 
the  south-west ;  the  line  was  just  west  of  Richard  Stockton's 
house,  and  did  not  include  the  Edgehill  property — then  owned 
by  Dr.  Van  Cleve  ;  but  it  went  as  far  eastwardly  as  the  present 
charter  extends.  The  charter  provided  for  a  Mayor,  Recorder, 
three  Aldermen,  all  having  the  powers  of  a  Justice  of  the  Peace, 
ex-officio  ;  and  six  Assistants,  to  be  elected  by  the  people  year- 
ly. The  former  were  to  be  appointed  as  Justices  were  then 
appointed,  and  to  hold  their  office  as  long  as  Justices  held 
their  office.  The  charter  allowed  an  appeal  to  council  in  case 
of  conviction  for  violating  ordinances,  and  it  extended  for  ten 
years. 

In  the  year  1814,  a  supplement  was  passed,  authorizing 
offenders  against  the  laws  of  the  State,  the  United  States,  and 
the  ordinances  of  the  council,  to  be  committed  to  the  respec- 
tive county  jails,  as  the  borough  then  had  no  immediate  pros- 
pect of  procuring  a  place  of  security  for  such  convicted  persons, 
provided,  that  the  necessary  expenses  of  supporting  the  pris- 
oners be  paid  by  the  corporation — but  this  act  was  to  continue 
only  two  years,  though  in  1816  it  was  again  extended  two  years. 

In  the  year  1822  the  town  was  re-incorporated  by  a  charter 
with  the  same  preamble,  and  conferring  substantially  the  same 
powers  as  the  original  charter  and  its  supplement  had  conferred. 
Its  territorial  jurisdiction  was  somewhat  enlarged,  and  com- 
prised portions  of  the  township  of  Montgomery,  in  Somerset 
County,  and  of  West  Windsor,  in  Middlesex  County,  embrac- 
ing the  same  area  which  the  present  charter  describes  and 
bounds,  that  is  to  say  : 

"  Beginning  easterly  on  the  turnpike  road  at  the  westerly 
line  of  Zebulon  Morford's  farm,  and  crossing  the  same  south- 
erly five  hundred  yards  to  the  north-west  corner  of  Joseph 
Schenck's  orchard;  thence  westerly  in  a  straight  line,  passing- 
south  of  the  town  to  the  southeasterly  corner  of  a  let  «.f  1  !i>.-,iias 
(Jlden,  adjacent  to  lands  of  the  late  Giles  W.  Olden  ;  ihence 
along  said  lot,  upon  an  ancient  road,  and  northerly  across  the 
old  stage  road  upon  the  lands  of  the  late  Captain  Job  Stock- 
ton, two  thousand  yards  ;  thence  easterly  in  a  straight  line 
passing  north  of  the  town,  to  a  former  line  of  Elijah  Black- 


PRINCETON  ASA    MUNICIPALITY.  3 

well's  land  ;  thence  along  the  same  six  hundred  yards  to  the 
place  of  beginning." 

It  provided  for  the  appointment  by  the  joint  meeting  of  the 
Legislature,  of  a  mayor,  a  recorder,  and  three  aldermen,  all  cx- 
officio  Justices  of  the  Peace  ;  and  for  the  election  by  the  people, 
of  six  assistant  aldermen,  a  collector  and  an  assessor — all  to  hold 
their  office  for  one  year.  "  The  Mayor,  Recorder,  Aldermen, 
and  Assistants  of  the  Borough  of  Princeton  "  constituted  the 
Common  Council  as  a  body  politic,  with  the  usual  powers  to 
make  by-laws,  ordinances  and  regulations  in  writing,  not  re- 
pugnant to  the  laws  and  Constitution  of  this  State,  nor  of  the 
United  States,  and  to  enforce,  alter  and  amend,  etc.  Fines 
were  limited  to  twenty  dollars,  and  an  appeal  was  granted  to 
the  Common  Council;  in  civil  suits  an  appeal  to  the  Common 
Pleas  was  allowed.  Exclusive  jurisdiction  was  conferred  on 
council,  in  matters  of  licensing  taverns  and  sale  of  liquors  ; 
and  authority  was  given  to  the  inhabitants  to  raise  by  tax  suck 
sum  of  money  yearly  as  they  viight  think  necessary  for  the  ex- 
igencies of  the  borough. 

The  charter  was  extended  from  time  to  time,  and  amend- 
ments were  added  ;  and  provision  was  made  for  raising  money 
for  specific  objects  and  for  widening  and  opening  streets.  But 
except  in  a  few  specified  cases,  money  could  only  be  raised 
by  tax  for  the  exigencies  of  the  borough.  All  offices  finally 
became  elective  by  the  people,  and  none  of  the  members 
of  council  received  a  salary  or  compensation,  under  the 
charter. 

The  council  chamber  and  jail  were  erected  at  the  end  of  the 
old  Market  House,  in  the  middle  of  the  main  street,  opposite 
Mercer  Hall.  That  old  building  was  torn  down  forty  years 
ago,  and  a  new  market  house  was  erected  in  its  place,  in  1850. 
This  was  not  cordially  patronized  b}'  the  people,  and  it  stood 
for  several  years  deserted,  until  Dickinson  Hall  was  erected, 
and  then  it  was  sold  and  removed  from  the  street. 

In  the  earlier  years  of  the  borough  we  find  that  a  better 
class  of  citizens  were  induced  to  serve  in  council  than  many 
of  those  who  in  recent  years  have  aspired  to  the  place.  Then, 
men  who  were  distinguished  in   professional  life — lawyers  and 


4  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETOM. 

physicians,  merchants  and  educated  business  men,  and  repre- 
sentatives of  the  first  families  in  the  community,  bore  their 
part  in  administering  the  municipal  government.  Even  among 
the  clerks  of  council  we  find  the  names  of  such  young  men  as 
Richard  Stockton,  Jr.,  R.  S.  Field,  W.  C.  Alexander,  Abram 
O.  Zabriskie,  C.  Houston  Van  Cleve,  William  B.  Maclean, 
David  N.  Bogart. 

There  are  no  full  minutes  of  the  proceedings  of  the  Com- 
mon Council  preserved  until  the  year  1817.  There  is  an  entry, 
however,  in  a  leaf  of  the  first  volume,  of  the  first  organization 
of  the  council,  in  1813.  The  town  meeting  to  elect  Assistant 
Aldermen,  Assessor,  Collector,  and  Clerk,  was  held  at  Follet's 
tavern,  April  18,  18 13,  Dr.  Ebenezer  Stockton  being  the  Mod- 
erator.    Those  who  were  elected  Assistants  were  : 

Thomas  P.  JoiiNsoN.  Isaac  Hoknor. 

Thomas  White.  Joseph  II.  Skici.ton, 

Samuel  Nicholson.  Robert  Davison. 

Assessor,  Perez  Rowley. 

Collector,  Wn.LlAM   Hight. 

CUrk,  Richard  Stockton',  Jr. 

There  was  a  protest  presented  by  Assistant  Alderman 
Thomas  P.  Johnson  and  the  other  five,  against  the  powers 
claimed  to  be  exerci.sed  by  the  mayor,  recorder  and  aldermen, 
for  not  having  been  duly  qualified  and  inducted  into  office  ;  but 
there  is  no  minute  to  show  how  the  matter  was  disposed  of. 
The  first  name  on  the  list  of  mayors  is  Samuel  Bayard.  He 
was  acting  as  Mayor  in  1817,  with  John  S.  Wilson,  Recorder, 
and  Dr.  Ebenezer  Stockton,  Alderman. 

As  proof  that  the  best  citizens  of  the  town  took  a  lively 
interest  in  the  borough  government,  and  went  to  the  polls  to 
vote,  although  then  only  a  portion  of  the  council  was  elective, 
we  give  a  copy  of  the  poll  list  for  the  year  1817,  showing  that 
the  professors  of  the  college  and  seminary,  the  lawyers  and 
physicians  and  all  the  prominent  men  of  the  town,  went  to  the 
hotel  and  voted  : 

"At  a  meeting  of  the  inhabitants  of  Princeton,  held  at  the  house  of  Perez  Row- 
ley on  the  third  Monday  in  April,  in  pursuance  of  notice  for  the  election  of  six 
Assistants,  one  Assessor,  one  Collector  and  Clerk  for  the  year  1817,  the  lollowing 
peisons  voted ; 


PRINCETON  ASA    MUNICIPALITY. 


1  Francis  D.  Janvier, 

2  Stej)lien  Morford, 

3  Josias  Ferguson, 

4  Tiioinas  P.  Johnson, 

5  James  S.  Green, 

6  Matthew  Griggs, 

7  John  Davison, 

8  Samuel  Bayard, 

9  John  A.  Hudnut, 

10  John  Napton, 

11  Lewis  Runyan, 

12  Benjamin  Maple, 

13  Isaac   Ilornor, 

14  John  Wykofif, 

15  Wni.  Cool, 

16  Isaiah  Moger, 

17  William  Compton, 

18  James  Higgins, 

19  Samuel  Scott, 

20  Jesse  Scott, 

21  Isaac  J.  Manning, 

22  John  Van  Cleve, 

23  Richard  Voorhees, 

24  Charles  Campbell, 

25  Daniel  Cool, 

26  Peter  Ilollingshead, 

27  Richard  Warren, 
23  James  Moore, 

29  James  G.  Ferguson, 

30  Andrew  Burke, 

31  John  Hamilton, 

32  John  S.  Wilson, 

33  Jacob  Gray, 

34  Doct.  Alexander, 

35  Peter  Bogart, 

36  Robert  Davison, 

37  David  Johnson, 

38  Lewis  Olden, 

39  Peter  McCoy, 


4c  James  Long, 

41  Isaac  Cool, 

42  Arthur  Wykoff, 

43  Henry  Clow, 

44  Samuel  Hamilton, 

45  Henry  Higgins, 

46  George  Hamilton, 

47  William  Hamilton, 

48  John  Skilhnan, 

49  Henry  Voorhees, 

50  John  McGregor,  Sr., 

51  John  Booth, 

52  Herman  Dildine, 

53  Michael  Riley, 

54  Thomas  White, 

55  John  S.  Robertson, 

56  John  S.  Nevius, 

57  William  Van  Doren, 

58  Stacy  Morford, 

59  Perez  Rowley, 

60  James  Hamilton, 

61  Mahlon  F.  Skelton, 

62  Isaiah  R.  Scott, 

O3   Richard  Stockton,  Esq., 

64  John  11.  Couover, 

65  Flijah  Slack, 

66  Isaiah  Downey, 

67  Philip  Lindsley, 

68  Doctor  S.  .Miller, 

69  Doct.  E.  Stockton, 

70  James  Leonard, 

71  Doctor  A.  Green, 

72  Joseph  H.  Skelton, 

73  John  Thompson, 

74  Robert  Voorhees, 

75  Cornelius  Terhune, 

76  Joseph  Sutton, 

77  John  Norris. 


For  several  years  after  the  Common  Council  was  organized 
that  body  held  their  meetings  at  the  public  inns,  and  paid  for 
the  use  of  them. 

In  1818,  council  met  to  inquire  into  certain  riotous  pro- 
ceedings within  the  borough,  wherein  Mahlon  Skelton  came 
to  his  death. 

In    1 8 19,    some   one   atrociously    set    fire    to    the   tavern 


6  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

of    D.  Smith,  and  a   public    meeting    was    called    to    provide 
against  fire. 

In  1823,  a  Town-House  consisting  of  council  chamber  and 
prison  underneath,  with  a  cupohi  on  the  top,  was  erected  after 
a  plan  reported  by  Assistant  Aldermen  Hart  Olden  and  Charles 
Steadman,  a  committee  of  council,  at  a  cost  of  $431.90.  This 
building  stood  in  the  street  nearly  opposite  the  old  City  Hotel, 
and  near  which  the  market  houses  were  built  at  that  time 
and  since.  This  council  chamber  was  used  for  many  public 
purposes;  at  one  time  for  a  Sunday  school  ;  also  in  1823,  for  a 
night  school  upon  the  application  of  John  Maclean.  In  1826 
the  use  of  it  was  extended  to  the  Colonization  Society  and  to 
the  Princeton  Bible  Society;  and  in  1827,  the  Princeton  P"ire 
Company  obtained  the  leave  of  council  to  use  it  for  their 
meetings. 

Col.  Erkuries  Beatty,  while  holding  the  office  of  mayor  of 
Princeton,  died  in  1823,  and  resolutions  of  condolence  and  in 
memory  of  his  valuable  public  services  and  estimable  character, 
were  adopted  by  council.  William  Cole  and  William  llight 
were  among  the  early  marshals  of  the  borough. 

In  1827,  a  memorial  signed  by  Rev.  Dr.  Carnahan,  Dr. 
Archibald  Alexander,  Dr.  Samuel  Miller,  Prof.  Robert  B.  Pat- 
ton,  Prof.  Luther  Halsey,  and  Prof.  John  Maclean,  asking  for 
an  ordinance  forbidding  stages,  wagons,  etc.,  from  passing 
through  the  town  on  the  Sabbath,  was  presented  to  the  coun- 
cil, and  referred  to  a  committee  consisting  of  Samuel  J.  Bayard, 
John  Lowrey,  Henry  Clow  and  Jas.  S.  Green.  The  committee 
reported  adversely,  whereupon  the  council  instructed  the  com- 
mittee to  report  an  ordinance  according  to  the  memorial,  which 
was  done. 

There  was  an  effort  made  to  enforce  this  ordinance.  Vio- 
lators of  it  were  arrested,  trials  had,  judgments  rendered,  and 
appeals  to  council  decided  against  the  violators.  At  this  time 
the  staging  was  at  its  highest  pressure.  The  travelling  through 
Princeton,  across  the  State,  was  immense,  and  though  greatly 
checked  on  the  Sabbath,  it  was  not  wholly  suspended  on  that 
day.  The  United  States  Sunda}'  mails  of  course  could  not  be 
stopped  by  local  police  laws.  The  efforts  made  by  the  friends 
of  the  Sabbath  to  vindicate  its   sanctity  were  not  without  in- 


PRINCETON   AS  A    MUNICIPALITY.  7 

fluence.  But  the  day  of  staging  was  nearly  over.  Railroads 
were  preparing  to  supersede  the  old  coach,  and  the  next  war 
for  the  Sabbath,  in  Princeton,  was  a  dozen  years  later  when 
efforts  were  directed  to  prevent  the  driving  of  great  droves  of 
beef  cattle  to  market  on  the  Sabbath.  That  business  was 
driven  off  of  this  route,  and  now  the  droves  go  by  rail.  As 
early  as  1822  the  Mayor  of  Trenton  had  applied  to  the  Common 
Council  of  Princeton  to  unite  in  efforts  to  prevent  stages  and 
wagons  from  being  driven  through  on  the  Sabbath,  but  the 
council  then  decided  that  they  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  mat- 
ter, but  it  belonged  to  the  duty  of  the  officers  of  the  borough. 

William  B.  Maclean,  clerk  of  the  council,  died  in  1829,  and 
a  suitable  paper  drawn  by  W.  C.  Alexander  and  John  R.  Thom- 
son, was  adopted  by  council  and  presented  to  his  brother,  Prof. 
John  Maclean,  who  wrote  a  reply. 

It  may  not  be  uninteresting  to  note  the  names  of  many  of 
the  prominent  men  who  were  members  of  the  Common  Coun- 
cil, once  or  oftener  during  the  first  fifteen  years  after  the  crea- 
tion of  the  borough,  or  prior  to  1830.     They  were: 

Samuel  Bayard,  Col.  Beatty,  Dr.  Ferguson,  James  S.  Green, 
Thomas  P.  Johnson,  Robert  Bayles,  Henry  Clow,  Robert  Voor- 
hees,  Dr.  Ebenezer  Stockton,  Ralph  Sansbury,  John  Joline, 
John  Passage,  Joseph  H.  Skelton,  William  Van  Doren,  Samuel 
R.  Hamilton,  John  Thompson,  Dr.  Van  Cleve,  Henry  Higgins, 
Hart  Olden,  Charles  Steadman,  Emley  Olden,  John  Davison, 
Isaac  Hornor,  Robert  E.  Hornor,  Col.  John  Lowrey,  Samuel 
J.  Bayard,  James  Vandeventer,  John  S.  Wilson,  Major  Stephen 
Morford,  John  R.  Thomson,  Wm.  C.  Alexander,  John  A.  Per- 
rine,  Ager  F.  Thorne,  Samuel  D.  Honey  man,  C.  D.  Terhune, 
William  B.  Maclean,  Wm.  B.  Stockton,  John  C.  Schenck,  Isaac 
Baker,  Dr.  J.  I.  Dunn,  Gerardus  Skillman,  John  Hamilton, 
Philip  Simmons,  Lewis  Runyan,  Charles  M.  Campbell. 

The  Revised  Charter  of  1S73. 

The  old  charter,  which  was  simple  and  general  in  its  grant 
of  powers,  but  which  answered  the  purpose  it  had  in  view  for 
a  long  period,  failed  at  length  to  satisfy  modern  ambition  and 
restlessness.  The  public  did  not  comprehend  how  broad  and 
elastic  its  provisions  were,  nor  how  unlimited  was  the  power  it 


8  niSTOA'Y  OF  PRINCETOM. 

conferred  on  council  to  meet  the  exigencies  of  the  borough. 
The  limitation  of  the  right  of  council  to  raise  money  by  taxa- 
tion was  so  stringent  as  to  check  expensive  improvements 
without  first  obtaining  special  leave  of  the  Legislature  ;  and 
perhaps  the  short  and  unpaid  services  of  the  mayor  and  other 
officers,  subject  to  change  every  year,  detracted  from  the  dig- 
nity and  influence  of  the  municipal  government.  The  lack  of 
earnest  and  judicious  action  on  the  part  of  the  council  and  its 
supporters  was  mistaken  for  a  lack  of  working  power  in  the 
charter;  and  after  some  agitation  on  the  subject,  a  revised 
charter  with  a  full  enumeration  of  express  powers,  after  the 
form  of  our  complicated  city  charters,  was  obtained.  It  con- 
tains forty-nine  sections,  and  specifies  twenty-nine  objects  of 
legislation. 

The  revised  charter  was  obtained  in  1873.  The  boundaries 
of  the  corporation  are  now  the  same  as  they  were  in  the  previ- 
ous charter.  The  corporate  name  of  the  borough  is  changed  to 
"  The  Mayor  and  Council  of  the  Borough  of  Princeton."  The 
officers  now  consist  of  a  mayor,  eight  members  of  council,  one 
assessor,  one  collector,  who  is  borough  treasurer,  a  borough 
surveyor,  a  borough  solicitor,  one  judge  of  elections,  three 
commissioners  of  appeal  in  cases  of  taxation,  one  marshal,  and 
one  pound-keeper.  All  these,  except  the  marshal,  surveyor  and 
solicitor,  are  elected  by  the  people.  These  latter,  with  the  po- 
licemen, are  appointed  by  council.  The  mayor  is  elected  for 
two  years,  and  members  of  council  are  elected  for  two  years  in 
classes  of  four  each  year.     Other  officers  are  chosen  annually. 

The  salary  of  the  mayor  is  to  be  fixed  by  council,  but  must 
not  exceed  $300  a  year.  Members  of  council  can  receive  no 
compensation  for  official  duties,  but  they  fix  the  salaries  of  the 
other  officers.  The  president  of  council  is  to  act  as  mayor 
when  that  oi'ficer  is  absent  or  unable  to  act. 

The  council  have  the  right  to  raise  money  by  tax  xvithout  a 
vote  of  the  people,  but  not  for  a  larger  sum  than  $5,000  at  one 
time;  and  no  debt  can  be  contracted  by  counril  binding  the 
borough  beyond  $5,000.  If  a  sum  requiring  more  than  five 
mills  on  the  dollar  on  the  valuation  of  property  to  be  taxed,  is 
desired,  the  object  must  be  advertised  and  receive  a  majority 
of  the  legal  popular  vote  in  its  favor. 


PRINCETON  ASA    MUNICIPALITY.  9 

This  charter  is  too  complex  for  so  small  a  town,  whose 
municipal  interests  are  too  unimportant  to  command  a  careful 
study  and  a  strict  enforcement  of  its  provisions  by  the  people. 
And  it  necessarily  involves  litigation  and  expense  to  maintain 
and  enforce  the  ordinances  that  are  attempted  to  be  framed  in 
accordance  with  it.  It  is  gradually  becoming  more  and  more 
onerous  by  increasing  the  burdens  of  taxation.  There  are, 
however,  some  advantages  secured  by  it.  It  is  like  a  garment 
cut  much  too  large  for  the  person  who  is  to  wear  it,  but  the 
town  ma)^  grow  up  to  the  dimensions  of  this  charter  in  time. 

The  growth  and  multiplication  of  the  educational  institu- 
tions on  whose  account  the  original  charter  was  granted,  with 
their  increased  endowments  and  enlarged  real  estate,  and  their 
important  bearing  upon  the  question  of  taxation,  ought  to  im- 
press the  "City  Fathers"  with  a  sense  of  the  increased  dignity 
of  their  official  position. 

The  recent  attempt  made  under  this  revised  charter  to  sub- 
ject the  whole  of  the  real  estate  and  the  endowments  of  the 
college  and  .seminary,'  to  an  equal  assessment  with  all  other 
property,  for  general  taxes,  resulted  as  might  have  been  ex- 
pected, in  an  appeal  to  the  Legislature,  which  passed  a  supi)le- 
ment  to  the  charter,  exempting  these  institutions  from  all  taxa- 
tion, except  such  as  is  assessed  against  other  similar  institutions 
by  the  State  law. 

It  is  not  unjust  nor  unreasonable  that  these  institutions 
which  own  such  large  and  valuable  real  estate  in  the  town,  and 
which  not  only  share  the  benefit  of  street  improvements,  with 
pavements  and  gas-lights,  protection  from  fire,  and  the  advan- 
tages of  general  police  regulations,  but  which  to  a  large  extent 
instigate  and  invoke  such  improvements  and  benefits,  should 
also  share  the  cost  of  them.  But  experience  has  proved  that 
it  is  not  safe  to  lodge  the  discretion  of  assessing  all  the  property 
and  all  the  endowment  funds  of  the  institution,  in  a  popular 
vote  or  in  the  council  of  the  borough  without  legal  restriction, 
against  endo\veci  institutions  with  large  possessions.  It  is  due 
to  the  college  to  state  that,  though  by  law  exempt  from 
liability  to  taxation,  it  pays,  voluntarily,  a  certain  percentage 
(10  per  cent)  of  the  borough  tax. 

It  cannot  be  disguised  that  the  question  how  far  these  great 


lO 


HISTORY  OF  PRINCETOM. 


charities  and  educational  trusts  .should  be  taxed,  if  at  all,  has 
not  been  quite  fully  and  finally  settled  yet.  In  the  recent 
amendments  made  to  the  Constitution  of  New  Jersey,  the  Legis- 
lature struck  out  the  reported  clause  that  required  such  prop- 
erty, including  that  of  churches,  to  be  taxed,  but  it  did  not  in- 
sert a  clause  prohibiting  the  imposition  of  taxes  upon  such 
property,  thus  leaving  it  open  for  the  Legislature  to  tax  or  not 
to  tax  this  class  of  property.  There  does  not  seem  to  be  any 
honor  or  justice  in  subjecting  the  property  or  funds  bestowed 
by  the  charitable  friends  of  the  institution,  principally  non-resi- 
dents in  the  State,  for  promoting  education  and  religion,  to 
taxation  for  the  maintenance  of  the  State.  Property  given  and 
used  for  charitable  purposes,  which  does  not  yield  any  rental,  but 
which  is  used  for  the  benefit  of  the  citizens  of  this  State,  should 
not  be  subjected  to  diminution  by  being  taxed  for  the  support 
of  the  State  or  county.  Yet  it  would  be  inost  unjust  to  com- 
pel the  owners  of  property  in  a  small  college  town,  whose  prop- 
erty may  not  constitute  a  majority  of  the  wealth  of  the  place, 
to  pay  the  whole  of  the  local  tax  which  may  be  demanded 
chiefly  by  or  on  account  of  the  institutions  which  are  themselves 
exempt  from  tax.  The  subject  is  one  of  grave  importance  and 
demands  a  calm  and  impartial  consideration  and  adjustment  in 
relation  to  local  or  borough  taxes. 


THE    LIST    OF    MAYORS. 

The  oflice  of  Mayor  of  the  borough  has  been  filled  by  ilie  following  persons,  viz. 

Samukl  Bayard, 
Erkuries  Beatty, 

KoiiKRT   VOURHEKS, 

John  Lowrey, 
Hen'ry  Clow, 
Alexander  M.  Gumming, 


Jared  I.  Dunn, 
Abram  J.  Berry, 
John  T.  Robinson, 
Richard  Stockton, 
^John  Conover, 
George  T.  Olmsted, 


Alexamjer  M.  Hudnut, 
James  T.  L.  Anderson, 
Oliver  II.  Bart  in  e, 
Augustus  L.  Martin, 
Hezekiah  Mount, 
Eli  R.  Sionaker, 
Richard  Runyan, 
Martin  Voorhees, 
Leroy  II.  Anderson, 
Frank  S.  Conover, 
Charles  S.  Rouinson. 


Several  of  the  above  named   served   more  than  one   term. 
The  last  three  were  elected  under  the  revised  charter. 


princeton  asa  municipality.  ii 

The  Borough  Jail. 

A  new  Borough  Jail  was  erected  in  the  year  1840.  It  is  a 
small  stone  building  two  stories  high,  on  Hullfish  Street.  It 
contains  two  cells  below  and  one  large  room  above.  The 
upper  room  was  designed  for  a  lodging  room  for  the  transient 
I)oor,  The  township,  having  joined  in  defra}'ing  the  expense 
of  the  building,  entered  into  an  agreement  with  the  borough 
council  for  the  use  of  this  room  for  such  purpose.  The  jail  is 
not  well  adapted  to  the  use  that  should  be  niade  of  it.  It  is 
not  a  fit  place  to  detain  prisoners,  or  violators  of  the  borough 
ordinances,  as  a  temporary  lock-up,  much  less  for  any  pro- 
tracted period  of  time.  It  needs  improvement  and  some  en- 
largement. 

Commitments  after  conviction,  under  the  ordinances  of  the 
borough  ma)',- under  the  charter,  be,  and  almost  universally  are, 
made  to  the  Mercer  County  jail,  at  Trenton.  This  ought  not 
to  be  so,  because,  first,  it  is  proper  that  the  violation  of  borough 
ordinances  should  not  be  charged  to  the  county  but  be  borne 
by  the  borough  which  made  the  ordinances  ;  and,  secondly,  be- 
cause offences  against  the  borough  ought  to  be  atoned  for  in 
the  borough.  Citizens  of  the  borough  ought  not  to  be  trans- 
ported beyond  the  borough  for  borough  offences,  but  only  for 
offences  against  the  State  laws.  If  the  borough  jail  were  im- 
proved and  adapted  to  its  legitimate  use  and  design,  it  could 
serve  not  only  as  a  wholesome  penal  institution  of  the  borough 
but  as  a  reformatory  workshop  to  be  used  in  executing  the 
vagrant  and  disorderly  acts. 

The  first  borough  prison,  under  the  first  charter,  was  built 
under  the  town  house  in  the  street,  and  when  that  was  taken 
down  there  was  none  until  the  present  one  was  erected.  It  is 
important  to  a  good  police  department  to  have  a  suitable  and 
secure  place  of  confinement  at  hand. 

The  Streets. 

There  are  about  thirty  streets  in  the  borough,  bearing  the 
following  names:  Nassau,  Mercer,  Stockton,  Steadman  or 
Library  Place,  Edgehill,  Bayard  Avenue,  Canal,  Dickinson, 
Railroad  Avenue,  Witherspoon,  Chambers,  John,  Washington, 


12  HISTORY   OF  PRINCETON. 

William,  Charlton,  Harrison,  Murphy,  Mocre,  Wiggins,  Hull- 
fish,  Jackson,  Green,  Quarry,  Maclean,  Lytle,  Baker,  Chestnut, 
Park,  Van  Deventer  Place. 

Nassau  Street  is  the  principal  or  main  street  through  the 
town,  and  upon  which  Nassau  Hall  fronts  and  from  which  in- 
stitution it  derives  its  name.  It  was  often  designated  as  Main 
Street,  and  is  so  yet  in  many  of  the  deeds  for  lots  on  said  street. 
In  one  of  the  unexecuted  deeds  for  the  first  church  lot  it  was 
described  as  High  Street.  It  was  the  old  original  road  through 
Princeton,  which  was  the  boundary  or  division  line  between  the 
Counties  of  Somerset  and  Middlesex,  prior  to  the  erection  of 
Mercer  County.  The  liotels,  bank,  stores  and  business  places 
were  all  on  this  street,  and  with  few  exceptions  are  still  so.  Its 
direction  is  nearly  east  and  west.  It  is  the  broadest  street  in 
the  town. 

Merecr  Street  is  named  after  Gen.  Mercer,  who  was  killed  at 
the  battle  of  Princeton.  It  forms  a  junction  with  Stockton 
Street,  at  the  west  end  of  Nassau,  and  is  the  same  with  the 
Princeton  and  Kingston  Branch  Turnpike  road,  which  passes 
through  the  Princeton  battle-field  just  be}-ond  the  limits  of  the 
borough.  It  is  a  very  cheerful  and  beautiful  street,  having  the 
Theological  Seminary  and  many  beautiful  residences  on  it,  and 
is  adorned  with  large  elms  overspreading  it. 

Stockto7i  Street  is  a  continuation  of  Nassau,  southwest  of 
Bayard  on  the  Lawrenceville  road.  It  was  the  old  line  of  the  two 
counties,  and  received  its  name  from  the  Stockton  mansion  and 
grounds  which  are  on  the  west  side  of  it.  This  is  a  beautiful 
and  quiet  street,  having  some  of  the  most  interesting  and  beau- 
tiful pri\'ate  grounds  and  residences  which  are  found  in  the  town. 

Steadman  Street  connects  Mercer  with  .Stockton,  and  is  the 
base  of  a  triangle  of  streets.  This  street  is  built  up  with  resi- 
dences on  one  side,  the  other  side  being  the  Seminary  propert}', 
and  until  the  present  }'ear  had  no  building  on  it  except  the 
beautiful  Gothic  library  of  the  Seminary  known  as  Lenox  Hall  ; 
and  this  suggested  to  this  street  the  appropriate  name  of 
Library  Place.  It  was  called  Steadman  after  Charles  Stead- 
man,  who  owned  the  land  and  opened  the  street.  This  triangle, 
formed  by  Mercer,  Stockton  and  Steadman  Streets,  contains  so 
many  handsome  residences,  grounds,  buildings,  trees  and  other 


PRINCETON  AS  A    MUNICIPALITY.  1 3 

objects  of  interest  that  it  is  often  called  "  the  beautiful  trian- 
gle," and  strangers,  who  would  get  an  adequate  idea  of  Prince- 
ton as  a  place  of  residence,  if  not  able  to  look  farther,  should 
take  the  short  walk  around  the  triangle. 

Edgchill  Street  runs  parallel  with  Steadman  frona  Stockton 
to  Mercer.  It  was  called  Edgehill  from  the  Edgchill  High 
School,  through  whose  land  the  street  was  opened.  The  old 
brick  "  Barracks,"  supposed  to  have  been  the  residence  of 
Richard  Stockton,  the  first  settler  here,  is  the  most  notable 
structure  on  this  street. 

Bayard  Avoiue,  formerly  called  Bayard  Lane,  ran  in  a 
northerly  direction  from  where  Nassau  and  Stockton  Streets 
meet.  It  was  named  after  Judge  Bayard,  whose  residence  was, 
for  many  years,  the  only  important  one  on  it.  It  has  recently 
been  widened  by  the  owner  of  Morven  and  several  handsome 
houses  have  been  erected  on  it,  and  it  is  likely  to  become  more 
attractive. 

Canal  Street  was  opened  by  Commodore  Stockton  on  the 
Springdale  farm,  when  the  basin  at  the  canal  was  built.  It 
opened  a  direct  communication  from  Princeton  to  the  canal 
and  was  called  Canal  Street.  It  was  a  livel)-  and  dusty  street 
when  the  railroad  was  on  the  canal  bank,  and  passengers  were 
conveyed  in  hacks  to  and  from  the  depot.  Most  of  the  houses 
on  this  street  are  not  large.     Stuart  Hall  fronts  on  this  street. 

Dickinson  Street,  laid  out  on  the  Dr.  Miller  tract  of  land, 
extends  from  Railroad  Avenue  to  Canal  Street.  It  is  a  new 
but  handsome  street  and  is  rapidly  being  built  up  with  hand- 
some and  valuable  dwellings.  Though  opened  only  four  years 
ago,  there  are  but  two  or  three  vacant  lots  in  the  market.  It 
was  named  after  Jonathan  Dickinson,  the  first  President  of  the 
College  of  New  Jersey. 

7v'^//r^;^rt'y^'Z'r//;/^  was  opened  from  Nassau  Street  over  the 
lot  which  was,  for  many  years,  the  home  o{  Peter  Scudder, 
a  colored  man,  who  was  called  Peter  Polite,  and  who  blacked 
boots  at  the  college  and  sold  ice  cream  and  apples  to  the 
students  and  to  the  citizens  for  many  years.  Mr.  Richard 
Stockton  purchased  this  lot,  and  when  the  railroad  was  brought 
from  the  junction  to  this  place  he  opened  this  street  to  the 
depot  in  the  Miller  tract,  and  it  was  extended  by  the  heirs  of 


14  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

Dr.  Miller  through  their  land  at  the  time  they  laid  out  Dickin- 
son Street.  It  has  been  rapidly  built  up  with  first  class  houses 
and  it  is  becoming  a  very  attractive  and  beautiful  portion  of 
Princeton.  The  property  is  so  high  and  costly  that  none  but 
substantial  families  are  likely  to  occupy  the  houses  that  are 
erected  there. 

Withcrspoon  Street  runs  north  from  Nassau,  opposite  the 
College.  It  was  named  after  Dr.  Witherspoon,  who  was  ac- 
customed to  pass  over  it  to  go  to  Tusculum,  his  country  seat. 
It  was  an  ancient  road,  opened  long  before  the  Revolutionary 
War.  Dr.  Thomas  Wiggins  lived  on  this  street  and  his  home 
became  the  Presbyterian  parsonage,  and  the  burying  ground  is 
on  it.  Many  years  ago  it  was  called  Guinea  Lane  because  there 
were  so  large  a  number  of  negroes  living  on  it. 

Chambers  Street  is  a  cul-de-sac,  extending  from  Nassau 
northwardly  along  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church.  It  was 
called  after  Robert  Chambers,  of  Trenton,  who  was  agent  for 
the  heirs  of  James  Hamilton,  who  owned  the  land  through 
which  it  was  laid.  Mr.  Chambers  himself  became  owner  of  a 
portion  of  the  land  when  the  street  was  opened. 

John  Street,  originally  John's  Alky,  so  called  after  John 
Scudder,  who  lived  on  the  corner  of  it,  where  Dr.  Wilson,  the 
dentist,  now  resides.     It  has  been  extended  and  is  now  called  a 

Street. 

WasJiington  5/rr^/,'which  was  the  Penns  Neck  road,  by  the 
old  corner  of  Wilson's  store,  has  long  been  a  public  road.  It 
was  named  after  Gen.  Washington. 

Williavi  Street  was  a  short  street  which  ran  from  the  col- 
lege, or  the  old  college  lane,  eastward  to  Washington  Street. 
It  was  called  William  after  William  Clow,  who  kept  the  cheap 
refectory  of  the  college  in  the  frame  building  on  this  street. 
It  is  now  extended  farther  east. 

Charlton  Street  extends  from  Nassau  southwardly  to  Wil- 
liam.    Its  name  was  fanciful. 

Moore  Street  is  nearly  opposite  Charlton  and  extends  from 
Nassau  northwardly  to  Wiggins  Street.  Its  name  was  derived 
from  Capt.  Moore,  through  whose  land  it  passed. 

Murphy  Street  is  the  name  of  a  short  street  or  cul-de-sac, 
running  northwardly  from  Nassau,  opened  by  John  Murphy, 


PRINCETON   AS  A    M UNTCIFALITY.  I  5 

and  Mr.  Murphy  has  projected  and  opened  one  or  two  others 
near  it,  one  of  which  he  calls  Chestnut  Street.  These  streets 
are  on  the  north  side  of  Nassau  towards  Oucenston. 

Harrison  Street  is  the  street  at  Queenston,  the  old  road 
from  Scudder's  Mills  to  Jugtown.  This  name  was  given  to  it 
in  honor  of  John  Harrison,  deceased.  The  Queenston  chapel 
is  on  this  street. 

Wiggins  Street  extends  eastwardly  from  W itherspoon  Street 
along  the  cemetery  to  Moore  Street.  It  was  so  called  in  re- 
spect to  Dr.  Thomas  Wiggins,  by  the  Trustees  of  the  First 
Church,  who  opened  the  street  over  the  land  given  by  Dr. 
Wiggins  to  the  church. 

HullfisJi  Street  extends  from  Witherspoon,  opposite  the 
gas  works,  westwardly  to  John  Street.  The  borough  jail  is  on 
this  street. 

Jackson  Street  is  named  after  President  Jackson.  It  ex- 
tends from  Witherspoon  to  John  Street  and  is  wholly  built  up. 

Green  Street  is  next  to  Jackson,  on  the  north,  with  the 
same  extension.  It  was  named  after  James  S.  Green,  who  was 
one  of  a  company  which  opened  Jackson,  Circen  and  Quarry 
Streets,  over  the  Ferguson  tract  of  land. 

Quarry  Street,  whicli  lies  next  north  of  CJrecn,  received  its 
name  from  a  stone  quarry  along  its  side. 

Several  streets  have  been  opened  from  Witherspoon  Street 
westward,  through  the  Bayard  land,  more  recently  the  Dr. 
Torrey  land.  One  of  those  streets  is  called  Maclean  Street 
after  Dr.  John  Maclean;  another  is  called  L)-tle,  after  the  old 
surveyor,  William  Lytle. 

Baker  Street  is  a  narrow  street  extending  from  Nassau  to 
Hullfish,  opened  or  projected  by  Isaac  Baker,  who  owned  the 
land  which  was  given  for  the  street. 

Van  Deventer  Place  is  the  name  given  to  a  street  opened  by 
the  college  on  land  purchased  of  Mr.  Van  Deventer,  to  which 
some  of  the  college  houses  were  removed.  It  extends  from 
Nassau  northward  along  the  east  end  of  Dr.  Kbenezer  Stock- 
ton's brick  house,  to  a  new  street  projected  by  Mr.  Van  Deven- 
ter to  run  parallel  with  Nassau  to  Moore,  and  which,  from  the 
lake  and  grounds  near  it,  he  calls  Park  Street. 

There  is  a  new  and  beautiful  street  opened  or  about  to  be 


1 6  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON: 

opened  on  the  hill  east  of  Prospect,  through  the  farm  of  Joseph 
Olden.  Professor  Young's  residence  and  observatory  have 
been  erected  on  it  by  the  College.  The  situation  commands 
a  fine  prospect.  The  land  originally  belonged  to  John  flornor 
and  afterwards  to  Jonathan  vSergeant.  It  could  very  appropri- 
ately be  named  either  Sergeant  or  Prospect  Avenue. 

The  principal  streets  of  the  town  are  Nassau,  Mercer, 
Stockton,  Canal  and  Witherspoon.  More  money  has  been  ex- 
pended on  these  than  all  the  others  combined.  They  have 
been  hardened  with  stone  and  gravel,  but  their  improvements 
have  not  kept  pace  with  other  improvements  of  the  town. 
If  they  could  be  properly  graded  and  covered  with  the  best 
quality  of  the  asphaltum  preparation  it  would  be  a  grand  im- 
provement, such  as  the  character  and  beautified  grounds  and 
buildings  of  the  town  demand. 

Pavements  of  the  sidewalks  have  received  much  but  not 
enough  attention.  There  is  a  continued  stretch  of  brick  and 
flag  pavement  from  the  Preparatory  School,  on  the  eastern  line 
of  the  borough,  through  the  main  street,  to  the  western  bound- 
ary line,  a  distance  of  about  two  miles.  This  aftbrds  a  long 
walk  for  exercise  in  mid-winter. 

When  it  is  remembered  that  Princeton  is  an  educational 
town  and  that  its  streets  are  more  filled  with  pedestrians  than 
with  carts  and  carriages,  it  will  occur  readily  to  an  observer, 
that  the  sidewalks  of  the  principal  streets  are  not  ample 
enough.  More  width  should  be  given  to  them  wherever  it  is 
possible,  even  if  it  should  be  necessary  to  encroach  upon  the 
bed  of  the  road.  This  defect  would  be  in  some  measure  re- 
lieved if  both  sides  of  the  walking  thoroughfares  were  provided 
with  equally  good  pavements.  Street  commissioners  should 
bear  in  mind,  that  it  is  more  important  to  accommodate  the 
many  who  walk  than  the  few  who  drive   through   our  streets. 

The  principal  streets  are  lighted  at  night  with  gas,  and  those 
which  are  not  within  reach  of  gas  are  lighted  w'>h  oil. 

The  Princeton  and  Kingston  Branch  Turnpik  incorporated 
Dec.  3,  1807,  coming  in  from  Trenton,  over  what  ^  now  known 
as  Mercer  Street,  enters  Nassau  Street  at  the  o.d  Princeton 
Bank  Mouse,  and  then  occupies  Nassau  Street  till  it  passes  be- 
yond the  borough  limits  towards  Kingston.     The  most,  if  not 


PRINCETON  ASA    MUNICIPALfTY.  1 7 

all,  of  this  road,  lying  .within  the  limits  of  the  borough,  has 
been  surrendered  to  the  common  council,  and  is  worked  by  the 
borough  as  other  streets  are.  The  franchises  of  the  company 
are  held  by  the  Camden  and  Amboy  Railroad  Company,  or  by 
the  Joint  Companies,  having  been  sold  to  them  by  a  judicial 
sale.  It  is  not  any  longer  a  toll  road.  We  have  referred  to 
its  history  in  a  former  chapter. 

The  Fire  Department. 

We  find  no  record  of  a  fire  company  established  by  the 
citizens  of  Princeton  prior  to  the  one  that  was  formed  Febru- 
ary II,  1788.  There  had  been  in  College,  among  the  students, 
an  engine  and  apparatus  and  an  organization  to  help  extinguish 
fires,  before  that  day.  But  this  organization  by  the  citizens 
was  a  prominent  one,  and  was  kept  up  for  more  than  thirty 
years  with  great  vigor.  The  best  men  in  the  town  joined  the 
company  and  attended  the  meetings.  A  book  of  minutes  of 
the  proceedings  extending  from  the  organization  in  1788  to 
18 17  is  extant,  and  does  much  credit  to  the  officers  of  the 
company.  The  meetings  were  held  quarterly  and  the  names 
of  all  the  members  present  were  recorded.  The  clerks  of  the 
company  were  among  the  best  business  men  of  the  place  and 
their  names  would  guarantee  all  that  the  book  proves  as  to  the 
orderly  character  of  the  record.  Those  who  served  as  clerks 
were  Dr.  John  Beatty,  Isaac  Snowdcn,  Jun.,  John  Harrison, 
John  N.  Simpson,  Isaac  liornor,  N.  C.  Everett,  Francis  D. 
Janvier. 

Among  the  fundamental  rules  adopted  by  the  Association 
at  its  organization  were  the  following : 

"8tli.  Each  member  shall  furnish  himself  with  and  keep  in  the  most  conspicu- 
ous part  of  his  house  two  buckets  and  one  basket  or  bag  marked  with  his  name  and 
Co.,  and  the  company  shall  appoint  a  committee  of  two  members  to  act  quarterly, 
whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  examine  that  each  member  is  supjjjied  with  and  has  in 
good  order  his  number  of  buckets,  etc.,  and  report,  etc." 

"gth.  The  members  composing  the  company  shall  be  distributee  -thrown  into 
the  following  order  or  classes,  viz.: 

"  Class  the  First  shall  contain  si.x  men  whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  en>  the  dwell- 
ing houses  and  other  buildings  that  may  be  on  fire  and  attend  to  the  ren.  jval  of  the 
goods  and  other  property  therein  contained. 

"  Class  Second  shall  contain  thirteen  men  who  are  to  have  the  sole  direction  and 
management  of  the  fire  engine. 
z 


i8 


HISTORY  OF  PRINCETOy 


"  Class  Third  shall  contain  five  men  who  are  to  be  provided  with  ladders,  fire 
hooks  and  axes,  and  shall  attend  to  the  unroofiny;,  tearinj^r  down  and  removini;  such 
part  or  parts  of  buildings  on  fire,  as  may,  in  the  opinion  of  the  Director,  be  proper 
to  obstruct  the  progress  of  the  fire. 

''  Class  Fourth  shall  contain  the  remainder  of  the  company,  who  are  to  attend  to 
the  supplying  with  water  the  engine,  and  such  ])ersons  as  may  be  otherwise  em- 
ployed in  extinguishing  the  fire  by  hand." 

A  fine  of  one  shilling  was  imposed  upon  every  failure  to  at- 
tend the  quarterly  or  other  meetings  of  the  company,  and  a 
like  fine  for  neglecting  to  keep  in  good  repair  his  bucket,  bag, 
or  basket.  A  fine  of  seven  shillings  and  sixpence  was  imposed 
upon  any  member  who  should  neglect  to  repair  to  the  fire  when 
an  alarm  was  made,  or  to  discharge  his  duty  when  present  at 
the  fire.     Members  were  elected  by  ballot. 

Captain  John  Little  was  elected  Director  of  the  company, 
Dr.  John  Beatty,  Clerk,  and  Enos  KcLsey,  Treasurer. 

The  original  members  who  subscribed  to  the  articles  of  as- 
sociation when  adopted  were  the  foUowinf^: 

Aaron  Mattison, 
Joseph  Leigh, 
Noah  Morford, 
Samuel  Stout,  Jun., 
Zebulon  Morford, 
Enos  Kelsey, 
James  Hamilton, 
Christopher  Stryker, 
Stephen  Morford, 
JamesMoore, 
Andrew  McMackin, 
Jacob  G.  Bergen, 
John  Lane, 
John  Little, 
John  Hamilton, 
James  Campbell, 


Conant  Cone, 
Isaac  Anderson, 
Jared  .Sexton, 
David  Olden,  Jr., 
John  Jones, 
Isaac  Snowden,  Jr., 
David  Hamilton, 
Samuel  S.  Smith, 
Robert  Stockton, 
John  Jjcatty, 
George  Henry, 
John  Barlow, 
John  Dildine, 
'Ihonias  Wiggins, 
John  Schureman. 


The  membership  was  soon  increased.  Dr.  Walto  Minto  ap- 
plied to  be  admitted  and  was  elected.  Also  Dr.  Ebenezer 
Stockton,  Daniel  Agnew,  John  McClellan,  John  Morgan,  Felix 
Herbert,  John  Thompson,  II.  Pierey  and  others  were  immedi- 
ately elected  members. 

Capt.  Little,  Robert  Stockton  and  Enos  Kelsey  were  ap- 
pointed a  committee  to  request  of  the  trustees  of  the  college 
the  use  and  sole  direction   of  the  fire  engine,  the  property  of 


PRINCETON  ASA    MUNICIPALITY.  1 9 

that  corporation,  and  to  assure  the  trustees  that  the  said  en- 
gine shall  be  put  and  kept  in  proper  repair  at  the  sole  expense 
of  the  company  and  directed  as  well  to  the  use  of  the  college 
as  the  other  buildings  of  the  town,  the  property  to  the  said  en- 
gine still  remaining  in  the  corporation.  This  request  was 
granted.  The  engine  was  repaired  at  an  expense  of  ^6  i6s.  3d., 
paid  by  the  company,  each  member  volunteering  to  pay  his 
proportion  of  that  sum. 

A  committee,  of  which  Dr.  Wiggins  was  chairman,  was  ap- 
pointed to  obtain  a  place  to  which  the  engine  house  should  be 
removed. 

The  committee  of  inspection  reported  and  the  company  '*  re- 
solved that  the  place  where  Mr.  Kelsey  hangs  his  buckets  was 
not  the  most  conspicuous  part  of  his  house." 

Dr.  Beatty  was  fined  ten  shillings  for  using  one  of  the  lad- 
ders belonging  to  the  company  and  keeping  it  from  its  proper 
place  all  night,  contrary  to  the  rule.  Dr.  Minto  was  elected 
treasurer  in  1793. 

The  rule  requiring  the  members  to  repair  to  the  building 
on  fire,  when  the  alarm  was  given,  was  amended  by  limiting 
the  houses  on  fire  to  those  which  belong  to  some  member  of 
this  company,  l^ut  this  was  soon  restored  to  its  original  form 
which  required  the  members  to  act  on  every  alarm  of  fire.  In 
1796  the  8th  article  was  amended  so  as  to  require  every  mem- 
ber to  deposit  his  bucket,  bag,  etc.,  in  the  engine  room,  and 
not  to  keep  them  in  their  own  houses. 

Among  the  new  members  added  afterwards,  from  time  to 
time,  were  Thomas  P.  Johnson,  Richard  Stockton,  John  Leon- 
ard, Samuel  Snowden,  Josiah  Skelton,  Col.  Erkuries  Beatty, 
David  Godwin,  Josias  Ferguson,  John  N.  Simpson,  Joseph 
Olden,  John  Gifford,  Dr.  John  Vancleve,  John  I.  Craig,  Robert 
Voorhees,  Job  Stockton,  Andrew  Hunter,  William  Napton, 
John  Robeson,  John  S.  Wilson,  John  Passage,  Cornelius  Ter- 
hune,  Samuel  Bayard,  John  Joline,  Perez  Rowley,  Jacob  Keen, 
Peter  Bogart,  Ralph  Sansbury,  John  Maclean.  George  Follct, 
John  Norris,  Benjamin  Olden,  Thomas  White,  Joseph  H.  Skel- 
ton, John  S.  Nevius,  James  S.  Green,  Richard  Stockton,  Jr., 
Dr.  James  G.  Ferguson,  David  Clarke,  Henry  Clow,  Peter 
Stryker,  Samuel  R.  Hamilton,  Charles  Steadman  and  others. 


20  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

This  array  of  names  connected  with  this  Princeton  fire  com- 
pany exhibits  quite  fully  the  substantial  citizens  of  Princeton, 
some  of  whom  were  active  in  public  life  before  and  during  the 
Revolution,  and  others,  surviving  until  within  the  last  live 
years  past.  It  is  interesting  to  know  that  the  prominent  men, 
the  professors  and  the  professional  men,  were  not  merely  hon- 
orary members  but  attending  members,  who  shared  in  the  duties 
and  oftlces  of  the  company. 

There  seems  to  have  been  a  strict  enforcement  of  the  fines 
and  penalties  for  non-attendance  and  for  not  keeping  their 
buckets,  bags  and  other  things  in  the  condition  and  place 
directed.  There  was  much  difficulty  in  keeping  the  ladders 
from  being  taken  and  used  without  leave.  They  were  finally 
secured  by  lock  and  chain,  on  motion  of  Thomas  P.  Johnson. 

On  motion  of  Thomas  P.  Johnson  a  committee  was  ap- 
pointed to  procure  a  machine  for  the  purpose  of  letting  people 
down  from  the  upper  stories  of  buildings  when  on  fire.  Col. 
E.  Beattv,  Thomas  P.  Johnson,  Josias  P'erguson  and  Stephen 
Morford,  were  appointed  on  said  committee.  John  N.  Simp- 
son and  Stacy  Mornor  were  afterwards  added  to  it.  We  can- 
not learn  that  such  a  machine  was  ever  procured.  The  com- 
pany discouraged  the  practice  of  making  bonfires  in  the 
streets.  On  motion  of  Dr.  John  Vancleve  a  committee  was 
raised  to  procure  a  light  ladder,  a  hammer  and  basket  of  nails 
for  the  purpose  of  nailing  blankets,  etc.,  on  the  sides  and  roofs 
of  houses,  adjoining  those  on  fire,  in  order  to  prevent  the  further 
progress  of  the  fire.  The  company  appeared  to  be  well  supplied 
with  ladders,  fire-hooks,  fire-buckets,  bags,  speaking  trumpets, 
hammer  and  nails,  etc.,  and  most  intelligent  directors.  Theii 
engine  was  one  which  belonged  to  the  college  until  1819,  when 
they  bought  a  new  one  for  $500.  The  engine  house  was  in  College 
Lane.  But  the  supply  of  water  was  deficient,  only  one  or  two 
cisterns  or  reservoirs  could  be  depended  upon  besides  the  wells. 

An  effort  to  purchase  a  new  fire  engine  was  attempted 
through  the  years  from  1812  to  1815,  by  subscription,  and  an 
application  for  aid  was  made  to  the  college,  but  it  did  not  meet 
with  success.  Mow  much  later  than  181 7  this  company  main- 
tained its  organization  we  cannot  learn.  The  only  book  of 
minutes  we  have  seen  closes  with  that  year. 


oc 


PRINCETON  ASA    MUNICIPALITY.  21 

In  the  year  1825  a  charter  of  the  "Princeton  Fire  Com- 
pany," with  a  capital  of  $1,000,  was  granted  to  Peter  Bogart, 
Thomas  White,  James  G.  P^rguson,  Robert  Voorhees,  Einley 
Olden,  and  James  S.  Green,  corporators.  This  company  was 
organized. 

In  the  year  1833  "The  Resolution  Fire  Company,  of 
Princeton,"  was  incorporated  with  a  capital  of  $1,000,  tiie  cor- 
porators being  C.  M.  Campbell,  James  Powell,  John  l'.  Thomp- 
son, David  N.  Bogart,  Wm.  R.  Murphy.  Abram  Stryker,  John 
Scudder,  Charles  G.  Hollingshead  and  William  Joline." 

It  is  quite  recently  that  the  common  council  have  taken  the 
control  and  regulation  of  the  fire  department,  providing  en- 
gines, hose,  hooks  and  ladders,  engine  houses,  etc.,  by  taxation. 
The  revised  charter  authorizes  the  council  to  pass  an  ordinance 
"to  establish,  regulate  and  control  a  fire  department,  with 
power  to  exempt  its  members  from  serving  as  jurors  in  the 
courts  for  the  trial  of  small  causes  and  from  militia  duty  in  time 
of  peace;  to  provide  fire  engines,  hose  and  hook  and  ladder 
carriages  and  all  apparatus  and  houses  needful  therefor. 

There  are  at  present  two  fire  engine  companies  and  one 
hook  and  ladder  company  well  organized  and  equipped,  in 
Princeton,  and  with  good  houses.  The  hook  and  ladder  house 
is  in  Mercer  Street  and  has  a  fire  bell.  The  engine  company 
No.  3  have  a  house  and  engine  room  in  Chambers  Street  and 
have  a  bell,  and  the  other  company  and  house  arc  at  Queens- 
ton.  ^ 

The  companies  are  all  in  good  working  condition,  and  the 
multiplication  of  cisterns  through  the  streets  affords  a  much 
better  supply  of  water  than  in  former  years.  An  annual  appro- 
priation is  made  by  council  to  maintain  the  department.  The 
steam  engine  has  not  yet  been  introduced.  The  chief  engineer 
is  appointed  by  the  council.  The  companies  are  mostly  com- 
posed of  young  men  of  the  town.  The  members  are  exempt, 
by  law,  from  military  and  jury  duty. 

The  Market. 
As  early  as  1782  there  was  a  market  house  in  Princeton,  for 
we  have  learned  that  a  public  meeting  was  called  to  be  held  at 
the  market  house  in  that  year.     It  was  probably  at  the  same 


22  HISTORY  OF  PKINCETOX. 

place  in  the  street  where  subsequent  market  houses  were  built. 
Since  the  last  market  house  was  abandoned  and  taken  down 
the  ordinances  relating  to  the  market  have  not  attracted  much 
attention  or  respect,  but  have  generally  been  inoperative. 
Meats,  vegetables  and  provisions  are  now  sold  in  shops  and 
stores^and  in  wagons,  from  door  to  door,  without  license. 

There  is  so  much  fluctuation  in  the  demand  and  supply 
that  a  uniformity  of  prices  is  not  strictly  maintained  in  the 
stores,  except  for  flour  and  imported  provisions.  Consumers 
are  frequently  compelled  to  resort  to  the  large  cities  for  sup- 
plies. Meats,  butter,  eggs,  fruits  and  vegetables  usually  com- 
mand high  prices  in  Princeton,  and  so  do  wood  and  coal.  A 
little  more  system  in  adjusting  the  supply  to  the  demand,  and 
a  little  more  capital  invested  in  the  business  would  improve  the 
market,  and  the  subject  is  one  which  should  receive  the  favora- 
ble consideration  of  the  council,  without  prohibiting  free 
trade. 

Princeton  Post  Office  and  Mails. 

Princeton  being  situated  on  the  post  road  between  New 
York  and  Philadelphia,  has  always  been  favored  w^ith  the  ad- 
vantage of  regular  mails.  The  Colonies  were  indebted  to  Col. 
John  Hamilton,  son  of  Gov,  Andrew  Hamilton,  of  New  Jersey, 
for  the  scheme  by  which  the  post-office  was  established.  This 
was  about  the  year  1694.  A  bill  for  the  settling  of  a  post-office 
in  the  province  was  passed  by  the  Provincial  Legislature  at 
Perth  Amboy,  which  was  approved  by  his  excellency,  John 
Lovelace.  From  1720  to  1754  the  post  was  carried  from  New 
York  to  Philadelphia,  through  Princeton,  once  every  week  in 
summer  and  once  in  two  weeks  in  winter.  Then  Dr.  Franklin 
became  superintendent  and  improved  the  post-office  system, 
and  the  post  left  each  city  three  times  a  week,  and  in  1764  it 
began  to  run  every  other  day,  making  the  trip  in  twenty-four 
hours,  till  the  Revolution  interfered  with  its  regularity.  Notice 
was  given,  Sept.  19,  1734,  of  the  establi.shment  of  a  post-office 
in  Trenton,  where  all  persons  could  receive  their  letters  if 
directed  to  that  county. 

The  precise  time  when  a  post-office  was  first  established  in 
Princeton  we  cannot  state.     It  would  seem,  from  the  fact  that 


PRINCETON  AS  A    MUNICIPALITY.  23 

in  the  list  of  letters  in  the  Trenton  post-office  advertised  in 
March,  1755,  there  were  letters  there  directed  to  persons  at 
Kingston,  Rocky  Hill,  Princctown,  Hopewell  and  Maidenhead, 
there  may  not  have  been  at  that  time  a  post-office  in  any  of 
those  places.  In  1791,  it  is  stated,  there  were  only  six  post- 
offices  in  New  Jersey,  viz.:  at  Newark,  Elizabethtown,  Brid<,re- 
town  (now  Railway),  Brunswick,  Princeton  and  Trenton. 

There  are  now,  and  have  been  for  nearly  fifty  years,  two 
mails  a  day,  except  Sundays,  a  morning  and  evening  mail, 
both  from  the  North  and  the  South,  besides  local  cross 
mails. 

Major  Stephen  Morford  kept  the  post-office  in  Princeton 
for  many  years  on  the  corner  of  Nassau  and  Withcrspoon 
Streets,  in  the  building  now  H.  B.  Duryea's  store,  and  after  his 
death  his  daughter.  Miss  Fanny  Morford,  kept  the  ofiice  in  the 
same  place  for  a  long  time,  and  when  she  removed  from  Prince- 
ton Major  John  A.  Perrine  was  appointed  post-master  and  kept 
the  office  in  the  same  place  until  Robert  E.  Hornor  was  ap- 
pointed in  his  place  by  Gen.  Harrison,  in  1S41.  The  office  was 
then  removed  by  Mr.  Hornor  to  his  old  frame  building  stand- 
ing on  the  Skelton  property  where  the  residence  of  Miss  Julia 
Smith  now  stands. 

Dr.  Berry,  the  successor  of  Mr.  Hornor,  removed  the  office 
to  the  Mercer  Hall  building  of  James  VanDeventer.  Mr.  Abram 
Stryker  succeeded  Dr.  Jkrry,  and  removed  the  office  to  the 
property  of  Isaac  Baker,  where  Cox  and  Grover's  saloon  is  now 
kept.  Captain  Wm.  R.  Murphy  succeeded  Mr.  Stryker  and 
removed  the  office  to  the  Mercer  Hall  building.  Robert  Clow,  . 
his  successor,  removed  the  office  to  the  room  now  Edward 
Sweeney's  stove  store.  John  T.  Robinson,  the  successor  of 
Mr.  Clow,  opened  the  office  where  Mr.  Bergen's  grocery  is  now 
kept.  Isaac  Baker  succeeding  him,  took  the  office  to  the  little 
shop  on  the  corner  of  Baker's  Alley  and  Nassau  Street.  Mr. 
Baker's  successor  was  William  C.  Vandewater,  the  present  in- 
cumbent, who  provided  a  larger  and  better  room  than  ever  before 
had  been  occupied  as  a  post-office,  in  the  present  building  next 
to  the  Press  building  in  Nassau  Street. 

The  presence  of  the  institutions  of  learning  necessarily  gives 
peculiar  importance  and  responsibility  to  such  an  office.     The 


24  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

correspondence  through  it,  of  course,  is  very  large,  and  the  sal- 
ary of  the  post-master  amounts  to  about  $2,000. 

For  the  last  twenty-five  years  and  upwards  certain  families 
and  institutions  in  the  west  end  of  the  town  have  employed  a 
private  carrier,  who  calls  at  their  houses  for  letters  to  be  mailed, 
in  the  morning  and  evening,  and  who  delivers  the  distributed 
mail  to  them  also  every  morning  and  evening.  This  secures, 
at  little  expense,  the  full  advantage  of  a  city  delivery  post- 
office. 

The  Telegraph  Office 

was  first  opened,  in  Princeton,  February  27,  1863,. in  the  store 
kept  by  J.  T.  L.  Anderson,  then  Ma)'or  of  Princeton,  in  the 
brick  property  of  the  Hart  Olden  family,  now  occupied  by  Mr. 
■Dohn.  It  was  a  connection  of  the  Portland,  Maine  and  Wash- 
ington line.  It  was  afterwards  removed  to  George  Thomp- 
son's bookstore  ;  thence  to  the  Press  building  of  C.  S.  Rob- 
inson, and  it  is  now  in  the  University  Hotel. 

The  Princeton  Gas  Light  Company 

was  incorporated  in  1849.  The  corporators  were  John  F. 
Hageman,  Peter  V.  DeGraw,  Alpheus  C.  Dunn,  Isaac  Baker, 
and  John  T.  Robinson,  with  a  capital  of  $25,000. 

The  company  organized  with  Richard  S.  P'ield,  president. 
A  lot  of  land,  a  portion  of  the  old  Wiggins  parsonage  prop- 
erty, in  Witherspoon  Street,  was  purchased  of  James  Van  De- 
venter,  and  the  works  were  constructed  by  Messrs.  Hoy,  Potts 
and  Perdicaris,  of  Trenton,  who  took  largely  of  the  stock. 
The  works  were  at  first  adapted  to  the  manufacture  of  resin 
gas.  The  war  raised  the  price  of  resin  so  high  that  it  became 
necessary  to  alter  the  works  so  as  to  manufacture  coal  gas. 
This  was  done  and  the  price  of  light  was  reduced.  The  works 
have  been  enlarged  and  improved  from  time  to  time,  at  much 
cost,  and  are  now  capable  of  supplying  the  increased  demand 
of  the  institutions  which,  until  quite  recently,  did  not  use  gas 
in  their  public  buildings.  Owing  to  the  frequent  large  outlays 
of  capital,  to  give  adequate  efficiency  to  the  works,  the  stock 
has  not  been  remunerative  to  the  stockholders.  The  dividends 
have  been  very  meagre.     The  company  has  recently  bought 


PRINCETON-  ASA    MUNfCIPALITY.  2$ 

more  land,  including  the  old  Wigt,n'ns  parsonage  house,  and 
have  otherwise  added  to  the  capacity  of  their  works,  by  which, 
it  is  believed,  they  will  be  able  to  answer  all  demands  upon 
them,  and  soon  raise  the  value  of  the  stock.  The  enter- 
prise has  been  of  great  value  to  the  town  if  not  to  the  stock- 
holders. Mr.  Perdicaris,  of  Trenton,  is  now  the  president, 
Lyman  S.  Atwater,  treasurer,  and  Ignatius  Hoff,  superintend- 
ent. There  are  five  directors.  The  price  of  gas  has  been 
reduced  to  about  $4  per  1,000  feet. 

The  Princeton  Rank. 
In  1834  a  charter  to  incorporate  "The  President,  Directors 
and  Company  of  the  Princeton  Bank"  was  obtained,  with  a 
capital  of  $90,000  paid  in.     The  charter  was  to  expire  Janu- 
ary I,  1855.     It  had  been  petitioned  for  in  1827.     The  names  of 
the  corporators  were   Robert  Voorhees,  William  Cruser,  Wil- 
liam Gulick,  Robert  Bayles,  John  Gulick,  Abraham  Cruser  and 
John  S.  Van  Dike.     The  company  was  organized  with  Robert 
Voorhees,  a  well  known  and  responsible  merchant  of  Prince- 
ton, for  its  president,  and   Louis   P.   Smith,  cashier.     A  large 
and  handsome  building  was  erected  for  the  use  of  the  bank  and 
the  residence  of  the  cashier  on  the  Norris  lot  next  to  the  resi- 
dence of  Mr.  Voorhees,  the  president,  at  the  head  of  Nassau 
Street,  in  which  the  bank  has  been  kept  until  its  recent  removal 
into  the  University  Hotel  building.     Robert  Voorhees  died  in 
1838  and  Richard  S.  iMeld  was  elected  president  in  his  place, 
and  was  continued   the  attorney   of  the  bank  and   one  of  its 
directors  and  the  president  till  the  expiration  of  the  charter, 
except  the  years  1848-49-50,  during  which  George  T.  Olmsted 
was  the  president.     The  health  of  Louis  P.  Smith  failed,  and, 
in  1851,  he  resigned  and  Mr.  Olmsted  was  elected  cashier  and 
Mr.  Field  was  re-instated  president. 

As  we  have  hereinbefore  stated,  this  institution  gave  an 
impulse  to  the  growth  and  improvement  of  Princeton.  The 
board  of  directors  included  the  most  enterprising  and  solid  men 
of  the  community,  and  inspired  confidence  in  its  management 
and  in  its  stock  as  a  safe  investment.  The  officers  were  men 
of  character,  obliging  and  full  of  public  spirit  and  enterprise, 
and  their  accommodating  treatment  of  those  who  had  applied 


26  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

for  assistance,  at  their  counter,  had  won  a  large  degree  of  sym- 
pathy and  favor  from  the  pubhc. 

]3ut  at  the  expiration  of  its  charter  in  1855,  when  its  history 
began  to  unfold  itself  to  those  who  had  furnished  the  capital  for 
banking  purposes,  a  dark  cloud  fell  upon  it,  as  upon  many  other 
monetary  institutions  before  and  since  that  time.  It  had  paid 
its  regular  dividends  to  the  stockholders  semi-annually  through 
all  the  years  of  its  existence.  It  had  made  its  regular  reports 
to  the  legislature,  under  the  prescribed  stringent  oath  of  its 
officers,  in  which  it  had  disclosed  no  loss  of  capital  until  a  few 
years  before  its  charter  expired,  when  it  suggested  a  probable  loss 
of  about  $30,000.  Still  its  stock  was  bought  and  sold  at  par,  or 
nearly  so.  And  now,  when  the  charter  expired  and  the  stock- 
holders called  for  a  statement  from  the  directors,  with  a  return  of 
their  paid-in  capital  and  its  earnings,  a  long  and  minute  report 
was  prepared  and  read  by  a  committee  of  the  directors  to  the 
stockholders  and  to  the  public,  declaring  that  the  whole  cap- 
ital of  the  bank  had  disappeared,  had  been  lost ;  that  there 
were  no  assets  or  property  in  hand  from  which  anything  could 
be  realized  unless,  possibly,  something  might  be  made  out  of 
$10,000  worth  of  Arkansas  lands  which  the  bank  owned;  that 
it  would  be  able  to  redeem  its  outstanding  circulation,  but  to 
do  so  it  would  be  compelled  to  sell  the  banking  house. 

The  stockholders  were  indignant  and  the  community  was 
amazed  at  the  exhibit  contained  in  this  report.  Several  meet- 
ings of  the  stockholders  were  called,  which  resulted  in  the 
employment  of  a  committee  to  takethe  report  and  test  its  cor- 
rectness. This  committee,  after  a  protracted  investigation, 
reported  that  the  directors'  report  was  wholly  unreliable  in  its 
particular  statements  and  its  general  results.  They  an- 
nounced that  not  more  than  $30,000,  or  one-third  of  the  cap- 
ital stock,  had  been  lost,  that  another  third  had  not  been  lost, 
and  the  remaining  third  was  involved  in  uncertainty,  but  they 
believed  that  a  more  thorough  investigation  would  secure  it  to 
the  stockholders.  They  exonerated  tiie  officers  from  any  fraud- 
ulent intent  to  abstract  or  waste  the  funds  of  the  bank,  but 
characterized  their  negligence  in  conducting  its  business  as 
gross  and  criminal. 

Only  about  one-third  of  the  stock  was  held  by  persons  who 


PRINCETON  AS  A   MUNICIPALITY.  2y 

were  not  directors,  or  closely  related  to  them  and  to  others  upon 
whom  responsibility  for  the  loss  would  legally  fall.  The  most 
of  those  who  were  not  implicated,  and  whose  friends  were  not, 
agreed  to  waive  suit  and  accc-pt  of  one-third  the  par  value  of 
their  stock,  and  this  was  paid  to  them  by  the  president,  who 
took  a  transfer  of  their  stock.  The  great  bulk  of  the  stock- 
holders submitted  silently  to  the  loss. 

In  1854,  just  before  the  charter  of  the  first  bank  expired,  a 
new  bank  was  organized  under  the  general  banking  law  of  the 
State,  with  the  same  officers  and  directors,  and  a  large  number 
of  the  old  stockholders,  who  had  lost  all,  were  indirced  to  try 
to  regain  their  loss  by  taking  new  stock  in  the  new  bank. 

In  1S55  a  special  charter  was  given  to  this  association  by 
the  legislature,  and  after  eight  or  ten  years  it  became  a  national 
bank,  assuming  the  name  of  the  Princeton  National  Bank,  Mr. 
Olmsted  continuing  to  be  the  cashier  through  all  its  changes' 
Mr.  Fi'eld  resigned  the  presidency  and  was  succeeded  by  Jolia- 
than  Fish,  of  Trenton,  who  was  soon  succeeded  by  David  H. 
Mount,  of  Rocky  Hill,  who  was  succeeded  by  Edward  Howe.' 
The  Princeton  National  Bank  has  recently  removed  into  the 
handsome  rooms  in  the  east  end  of  the  University  Hotel,  with 
Edward  Howe,  president,  Thomas  Scger,  cashier,  (Mr.  Olmsted 
having  resigned  on  account  of  bad  health,)  and  Abram  Stryker, 
teller  and  notary.  It  pays  good  dividends  and  seems  to  be  a 
sound  institution,  which  it  is  reputed  to  be.  The  capital  is 
$100,000. 

The  Princeton  Savings  Bank 
was  organized  under  a  charter  granted  in  1873,  with  Joseph  H. 
Bruere,  president,  and  Crowell  Marsh,  treasurer,  with  a  board  of 
directors,  and  is  now  in  operation.  It  has  no  banking  house, 
but  its  business  is  transacted  at  the  Treasurer's  place ^of  busi- 
ness in  the  Press  building  in  Nassau  Street.  Its  success  thus 
far  has  exceeded  the  expectations  of  its  founders. 

The  Princeton  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company 
was  incorporated  in  1856,  and  has  gone  on  safely  in  a  moderate 
business.     It  has  the  confidence  of  the  community  after  a  trial 
of  twenty  years.     Henry  D.  Johnson  has  been,  from  its  be-in- 


28  HISTORY  OF  PRLVCETON: 

ning,  till  his  death,  April  30,  1878,  the  president  of  the  com- 
pany, and  Abram  Stryker  has  served  most  of  that  time  as 
secretary.     George  O.  Vanderbilt  is  now  Secretary. 

The  Princeton  Lumber  and  Improvement  Company 

was  incorporated  in  1868,  as  a  joint  stock  company.  It  has 
confined  its  business  chiefly  to  traffic  in  coal,  lumber,  fertilizers 
and  building  material.  Its  office  and  centre  of  business  is  at 
the  Princeton  Basin.     J.  W.  Fielder  is  the  President. 

The  Princeton  Silver  Mining  Company,  of  Colorado, 

was  incorporated  in  1870,  but  has  not  supplied  us  with  any 
history  of  its  success. 

The  Princeton  Copper  Company, 

organized  at  Trenton  in  1847,  '^"K^^^r  the  general  law,  has  no 
historical  importance  to  Princeton,  except  its  name,  so  far  as 
we  are  able  to  learn. 

The  Robbins  Wood  Preserving  Company,  New  Jersey, 

was  incorporated  in  1868.  as  a  joint  stock  company,  with  a  cap- 
ital of  $120,000.  Its  object  was  to  season  and  preserve  wood 
and  textile  fabrics  from  mould  and  deca)%  under  the  "  Robbins 
patent."  It  originated  in  Princeton.  Its  works  were  con- 
structed at  the  Princeton  Basin.  Several  disasters  by  fire  and 
explosions  have  checked  the  progress  and  prosperity  of  the 
company,  but  it  is  still  in  operation.  Martin  Voorhees,  of 
Princeton,  was  the  leading  man  and  officer  in  the  company, 
and  his  life  was  sacrificed  by  an  explosion  of  gas  in  the  prose- 
cution of  the  enterprise,  at  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

The  Princeton  Water  Company. 

A  charter  was  granted  in  1872  authorizing  the  organization 
of  a  company  for  supplying  Princeton  with  pure  water.  This 
subject  is  beginning  to  agitate  the  public  mind,  and  a  supply 
of  water  for  the  use  of  the  town  and  the  institutions  cannot 
much  longer  be  obtained  from  wells  and  cisterns.  Sewerage 
and  a  supply  of  water  are  now  among  the  most  important  sub- 
jects that  claim  public  attention  in  the  borough.     The  increased 


PRINCETON   AS  A    MUNICFPAUTY.  29 

number  of  public  buildings  connected  with  the  institutions  of 
learning  and  the  increasing  number  of  students  who  live  to- 
gether and  require  a  large  supply  of  water  at  one  time  and 
place,  for  common  use,  cannot  much  longer  be  denied  a  full 
and  unfailing  supply  of  good  pure  water.  The  water  from 
most  of  the  wells  in  Princeton  is  excellent,  but  it  is  not  easily 
forced  to  the  tops  of  our  high  buildings,  nor  can  it  be  drawn  in 
quantities  to  answer  the  demands  of  the  public. 

In  looking  for  a  source  of  supply  some  have  directed  atten- 
tion to  the  springs  on  the  Tusculum  farm  on  Rocky  Hill : 
others  have  suggested  the  springs  which  supply  Lake  Van  De- 
venter,  in  the  centre  of  the  town.  The  college  authorities  have 
set  their  engineering  corps  at  work  on  the  subject  and  they 
seem  to  think  that  it  will  be  necessary  to  rcsurt  to  the  Mill- 
stone River  for  a  sufficient  supply  of  good  water,  such  as  Stony 
Brook  is  not  able  to  afford. 

How  refreshing  it  will  be  to  see  our  houses  and  public  build- 
ings fully  supplied  and  our  streets  and  lawns  filled  with  foun- 
tains pouring  out  streams  of  pure  water  upon  plants  and  flowers. 
The  council  and  citizens  generally  will  be  blind  to  the  pub- 
lic and  to  private  interests,  if  they  are  not  prompt  to  aid  any 
generous  movement  that  shall  be  made  by  the  institutions,  or 
by  some  of  Princeton's  princely  benefactors,  to  secure  this  in- 
valuable blessing.  Princeton,  as  a  community  by  itself,  cannot 
aspire  to  accomplish  such  a  great  work,  but  the  sympathy  and 
capital  of  the  friends  and  patrons  of  our  institutions,  at  home 
and  abroad,  which  have  wrought  such  wonders  in  our  town, 
will  not  be  exhausted  while  any  great  need  remains  unsupplied. 

The  Princeton  Building  and  Loan  Association. 

There  is  now,  and  there  has  been  for  many  years,  such  an 
association  in  successful  operation,  in  Princeton,  incorporated 
under  the  general  law  of  the  State.  The  loans  of  money,  how- 
ever, have  not  been  advanced  exclusively,  nor  perhaps  chiefly, 
with  a  view  of  having  new  buildings  erected. 

"The  New  Jersey  Iron  Clad  Roofing,  Paint  and  Mas- 
tic Company." 
This  was  a  company  incorporated  by  special  charter,  April 
16,   18G8,  for  the  purpose  of  manufacturing  iron-clad  roofin"- 


30  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

and  paints,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $25,000.  The  corporators 
were  Alexander  Gray,  Jun.,  John  W.  Fielder,  James  VanDc- 
venter,  Alfred  W,  Martin,  Henry  B.  Duryee,  Henry  W.  Leard, 
Edward  Howe,  Aaron  L.  Green,  Charles  O.  Hudnut,  and  John 
Cox, 

A  company  was  organized  in  Princeton,  and  the  business 
was  carried  on  at  the  Princeton  Basin,  and  is  still  carried  on 
there. 

A  Military  Company, 

of  some  kind,  has  almost  always  been  maintained  in  Princeton. 
As  early  as  September  13,  1743,  Governor  Lewis  Morris  com- 
missioned William  Fish,  Esq.,  captain  of  a  company  for 
"  Princetown  in  a  Somerset  County  regiment"  of  foot  militia. 

There  was  an  infantry  company  organized  in  1796  which 
continued  until  about  1820.  This  company  having  dwindled, 
a  new  one  was  organized  in  1824  to  serve  in  the  reception  of 
Gen.  Lafayette,  by  Captain  John  Lowrey,  and  was  known  as 
"  lyte  Frinccion  Blues."  Whether  this  name  was  borne  by  a 
company  prior  to  1824  we  are  not  informed,  but  the  Princeton 
Blues  were  a  handsome  company  and  had  a  good  reputation  in 
the  State  for  more  than  twenty-five  years  after  that  date. 
Captain  Lowrey  was  a  good  officer;  he  had  a  fine  military  step 
and  bearing,  and  was  much  respected  by  his  company  and  by 
the  community.  From  1825  to  1835  the  company  was  in  its 
highest  prosperity  and  contained  the  best  young  men  in  the 
town  among  its  members. 

After  Capt.  Lowrey  was  made  colonel  in  the  militia  his  place 
was  filled  by  Capts.  John  A.  Perrine,  Van  Dyke  Bergen,  A.  F. 
Allen,  and  A.  L.  Green,  successively.  Capt.  Murphy  com- 
manded the  Mercer  Guards. 

When  the  late  civil  war  broke  out  the  "  Princeton  Blues" 
had  become  disbanded  as  a  company,  and  a  new  company,  under 
the  revised  militia  law  of  the  State,  was  formed  and  known  as 
"  The  Governor  s  Guard,"  with  William  V.  Scudder  as  its 
captain,  until  he  enlisted  in  the  1st  New  Jersey  Cavalry  of  vol- 
unteers, when  Aaron  L.  Green,  who  had  been  an  officer  in  the 
"  Princeton  Blues,"  became  its  captain.  The  only  military  com- 
pany which  has  a  visible  existence  in  Princeton  at  this  time 


PRINCETON  AS  A    MUNICIPALITY.  3  I 

is  that  of  the  "  Continentals^'  organized  for  centennial  cele- 
bration, and  which  appeared  first  at  the  Princeton  Centennial 
celebration  on  the  27th  of  June,  1876. 

There  was  a  light-horse  company  formed  in  1861,  but  it 
was  disbanded  when  the  war  closed. 

There  were  other  military  companies,  under  the  militia  laws 
of  the  State,  which  required  military  duty  and  drill  from  all 
the  citizens  of  the  State  not  exempted,  of  which  many  of  the 
citizens  of  Princeton  were  members,  but  the  companies  first- 
mentioned  were  select  and,  in  a  sense,  private  volunteers. 

Many  bands  of  martial  music  have  been  established  in 
Princeton  from  time  to  time,  but  they  have  all  been  short- 
lived. 

"The  Trustees  of  the  Princeton  Charitable  Institu- 
tion." 

This  is  a  corporation  granted  by  the  Legislature,  March  13, 
1866.  It  is  declared  to  be  a  "  charitable  institution  to  aid  and 
assist  indigent  youth  in  obtaining  a  liberal  and  Christian  educa- 
tion zvithout  regard  or  reference  to  their  future  profession,  occu- 
pation or  cniployuicnt,  and  for  other  like  benevolent  purposes." 

The  names  of  the  incorporated  trustees  were  Charles  S. 
Olden,  Charles  Hodge,  John  Maclean,  Stephen  Alexander,  John 
S.  Schanck,  Lyman  H.  Atvvater,  and  John  T.  Duffield. 

The  entire  management  of  its  funds  and  affairs  is  vested 
in  a  board  of  trustees,  not  less  than  seven  nor  more  than  fifteen 
in  number,  a  majority  of  whom  shall  always  be  citizens  and 
residents  of  this  State.  It  has  a  small  yearly  income,  which 
ought  to  be  greatly  augmented.  Dr.  Maclean  has  generous- 
ly devoted  the  profits  of  his  "  History  of  the  College"  to  this 
object. 

Mercer  Mall, 

a  large  frame  building,  was  erected  on  the  property  occupied 
and  owned  by  Col.  John  Lowrcy  at  the  time  of  his  decease, 
on  the  north  side  of  Nassau  Street,  opposite  the  old  market- 
house,  by  James  VanDevcntcr,  in  or  about  the  year  1846.  It 
has  stores  and  rooms  under  and  in  the  front  part  of  the  build- 
ing, but  above  and  in  the  rear  there  was  a  large  audience  room 


32  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETOM. 

capable  of  seating  four  or  five  hundred  people.  It  was  the 
first  public  hall  ever  provided  for  the  town,  and  it  was  used  for 
public  meetings,  lectures,  concerts,  etc.,  for  twenty-five  years. 
The  enterprise  and  public  spirit  which  prompted  Mr.  VanDe- 
venter  to  erect  such  a  building  entitle  him  to  be  remembered 
as  a  public  benefactor.  Within  a  few  years  past  the  property 
has  passed  into  other  hands,  and  the  large  audience  room  has 
been  changed  into  a  billiard  room. 

Cook's  Hall 

is  the  building  which  was  formerly  the  Second  Presbyterian 
Church  edifice.  When  that  congregation  removed  into  their 
new  and  beautiful  church  they  sold  the  old  building  to  Alfred 
S.  Cook,  who  kept  it  for  public  meetings,  concerts,  balls,  etc. 
It  is  just  now  converted  into  cottage  residences. 

There  is  hope  that  a  large  and  handsome  public  hall  will 
soon  be  erected  in  the  centre  of  the  town,  adapted  to  the  wants 
of  such  a  community  as  Princeton,  for  public  meetings,  lectures, 
concerts,  with  rooms  for  courts,  elections,  library  and  other 
kindred  uses. 

The  Poor  who  are  residents  in  the  town  are  provided  for 
by  the  township,  under  the  poor  laws  of  the  State.  The  poor 
house  farm  is  at  Mt.  Lucas,  but  the  transient  poor  are  handed 
over  to  the  borough  authorities,  and  a  lodging  place  and  a  meal 
are  provided  for  them,  in  winter  especially.  When  work  has 
been  provided  for  them,  and  the  vagrant  laws  have  been  en- 
forced, the  community  has  been  agreeably  relieved  from  the 
annoyance  of  excessive  street  beggary. 

Much  is  done  constantly  by  the  religious  and  charitable  as- 
sociations of  the  town,  and  by  private  alms,  to  save  indigent 
persons  from  adjudicated  pauperism. 

Skating  Parks. 

The  young  people  of  Princeton  have,  for  the  last  twelve  or 
fifteen  years,  been  supplied  with  accommodation  for  skating  in 
the  town,  without  resorting  to  the  Stony  Brook  or  the  canal  for 
the  purpose.  ]\Ir.  James  VanDeventer  was  the  first  man  to 
construct  a  lake  or  pond  for  this  purpose,  on  his  garden  and 


PRINCETON  ASA    MUNICIPALITY.  33 

nursery  land  lying  on  the  little  ravine  below  the  gas  works,  on 
Witherspoon  Street,  land  which  was  formerly  a  part  of  the 
Wiggins  Parsonage  tract  and  of  the  Dr.  Ebenezer  Stockton 
land.  The  situation  was  central  and  the  pond  was  large  enough 
to  answer  the  demands  of  the  skaters.  Subsequently  the  skat- 
ing club  rented  the  privilege  of  constructing  a  still  larger  pond 
on  the  land  of  John  Conover,  a  little  below  Mr.  VanDeventer's, 
and  have  kept  up  a  skating  park  there  every  winter,  making 
the  sale  of  tickets  pay  for  the  expense  of  filling  the  pond  and 
keeping  the  ice  in  good  condition  and  under  proper  regulation. 
The  art  of  skating  has  been  brought  to  a  high  degree  of  success 
in  Princeton,  the  young  ladies  as  well  as  the  young  gentlemen 
exhibiting  as  much  taste  and  skill  in  this  fine  art,  as  it  may  be 
designated,  as  the  champion  skaters  of  Central  Park,  in  New 
York,  There  has  been  rather  less  interest  manifested  in  this 
amusement,  for  the  last  year  or  two,  than  there  was  for  several 
years  before  that  time.  The  subject  has  not  yet  received  any 
attention  or  legislation  from  the  council  but  it  has  been  wholly 
governed  by  private  voluntary  arrangement. 

The  Princeton  Driving  Park. 

For  little  more  than  a  year  past  a  portion  of  the  Castle- 
Howard  farm,  now  belonging  to  the  estate  of  the  Rev.  H.  M. 
Blodgett,  deceased,  has  been  rented  and  appropriated  to  the 
use  of  a  driving  park,  as  such  institutions  are  in  these  days 
designated.  A  good  half  mile  track  has  been  prepared  with 
proper  enclosures  by  an  association  of  gentlemen  who  keep 
fast  horses,  and  who  take  an  interest  in  promoting  their  speed, 
principally  in  trotting.  It  has  required  no  little  decision  and 
persistency  in  the  majority  of  its  directors  to  restrain  the 
abuses  which  the  turf  almost  of  necessity  involves,  especially 
those  evils  which  arise  from  extending  its  use  to  professional 
sportsmen  from  abroad.  It  will  probably  be  found  impossible 
to  maintain  it  within  those  local  neighborhood  limits  which 
alone  can  secure  it  from  becoming  a  public  nuisance  by  its 
demoralizing  influence.  While  the  old  fashioned  race  course 
has  been  abolished  by  law,  it  is  doubtful  whether  this  modern 
institution  to  increase  the  speed  of  horses  can  be  divorced  from 
the  attendant  evils  of  pool  selling,  gambling  and  disorder, 
3 


34  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON/. 

which  would  hardly  be  tolerated  in  such  a  community  as  this, 
notwithstanding  the  spirit  of  championship  in  exciting  games 
is  nurtured  and  stimulated  among  our  youth  at  the  present 
time  with  extreme  zest.  Time  will  test  its  strength  and  its 
usefulness.  The  association  has  not  yet  been  incorporated  by 
law. 

The  Order  of  Masons. 

The  Masonic  order  has  not  been  without  representatives  in 
Princeton,  from  a  very  early  period  in  its  history. 

A  lodge  bearing  the  name  of  St.  John  was  constituted  here 
as  early  as  1763.  It  became  extinct,  and  a  warrant  for  a  new 
one  was  issued  upon  the  petition  of  Thomas  P.  Johnson  and 
others,  which  was  organized  in  the  early  part  of  the  present 
century,  as  "Princeton  Lodge  No.  30." 

This  lodge  failing,  after  a  few  years,  to  be  represented  in 
the  communications  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  New  Jersey,  was, 
for  such  neglect,  stricken  from  the  list  of  lodges,  and  also  be- 
came extinct. 

A  third  lodge  was  chartered  in  1856,  known  as  "Princeton 
Lodge,  No.  38." 

In  the  printed  by-laws  of  this  lodge,  we  find  a  brief  histori- 
cal sketch  of  Masonry  in  New  Jersey,  which  we  are  permitted 
here  to  insert. 

On  the  27th  day  of  December,  1763,  at  the  celebration  of  the  festival  of  St. 
John  the  Evangelist,  a  petition  was  granted  by  the  St.  John's  Grand  Zl  of  Mas- 
sachusetts, under  the  Grand  Mastership  of  R.  W.  Jeremy  Gridley,  "  for  constituting 
a  [Zl  by  the  name  of  St.  John's  [Z]  at  Princetown  (Princeton)  in  New  Jersey. 

No  record  of  the  transactions  of  this  ZH  has  been  discovered.  By  personal  in- 
quiry at  the  office  of  the  Grand  Secretary  of  Massachusetts,  it  has  been  ascertained 
that  it  was  duly  organized  and  did  Masonic  work.  The  archives  of  the  Grand  [Z!  of 
Massachusetts  contained  some  documents  in  connection  with  it,  but  these  were  un- 
fortunately destroyed  l)y  the  fire  which  consumed  the  Masonic  Temple  in  Boston 
a  few  years  since.  * 

At  the  yearly  communication  of  the  Grand  Z^  of  New  Jersey,  at  the  city  of 
Trenton  on  the  9th  day  of  November.  A.  L.  5813,  a  petition,  presented  by  Thomas 
P.  Johnson  and  four  others,  all  Master  Masons,  praying  that  a  warrant  may  be 
granted  unto  them  to  form  a  new  CZ  at  Princeton,  to  be  called  Lodge  No.  30.  was 
read,  whereupon,  after  due  consideration  it  was 

Ordered,  That  a  warrant  do"  issue  to  Thomas  P.Johnson,  Master,  Perez  Rowlev. 
Senior  Warden,  John  Lindsay,  Junior  Warden  of  said  Z:. 

The  C^  was  represented  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Grand  ZH  for  the  next      ' 
three  years,  when  it  ceased. 


'  ;■  ■-,  I 


PRINCETON  ASA    MUNICIPALITY.  35 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  November  13,  A.  L.  5S21,  it  was 
Ordered,  That  Princeton  [Z;  No.  30,  for  neglect  in  being  represented  at  the  com- 
munications of  the  Grand  IZj  etc.,  be  stricken  from  the  list  of  HU  HH. 

Princeton  LoJge  No.  38. 

A  dispensation  was  granted  by  the  M.  W.  Grand  Master  Edward  Stewart, 
dated  August  2rst,  A.  L.  5855.  to  Robert  S.  Green,  John  Van  Tilhurg,  Henry 
Clow,  John  H.  Margerum,  John  A.  Perrine,  W.  T.  .Stout  and  John  I.  Craig,  upon 
which  the  work  was  commenced,  and  progressed  until  the  meeting  of  the  Grand  IZZl 
at  Trenton  on  the  ninth  day  of  January,  in  the  year  of  Masoiiry  5856,  when  a  war- 
rant w.as  issued  to  Robert  .S.  Green,  W.  M.,  John  II.  Margerum,  S.  W.,  Wessel  T. 
Stout,  J.  W. 

The  membership  of  this  lodge  has  grown  until  now,  twenty- 
years  after  its  organization,  it  numbers  seventy  members.  Its 
lodge  room  is  in  the  building  known  as  Mercer  Hail,  in  Nassau 
Street. 


1SS9287 


\  L^w,\L.^ 


CHAPTER     XV. 

INNS  AND  TAVERNS. 

Their  History  would  make  an  interesting  Volume:  Tavern  Signs:  ''Hudibras" — 
"  Confederation  " — "  Washington  " — "  College  " — "  Red  Lion  " — "  City  Hotel " 
— "Nassau  Hotel" — "  Mansion  House" — Prominent  Landlords  :  Jacob  Hyer, 
John  Giflord,  George  Follet,  John  Joline — A  List  of  others  :  The  several  Hotels 
kept  in  Princeton  for  the  last  Century — "  The  Lay  of  the  Scottish  Fiddle"  con- 
ceived and  partly  written  at  Joline's  Hotel  in  Princeton — Extracts  from  it  re- 
lating to  Princeton. 

The  public  inn  often  becomes,  from  age  and  association,  an 
interesting  landmark  in  local  history.  Established  by  law 
under  the  pressure  of  public  necessity,  as  a  temporary  home 
for  the  stranger  and  traveller,  and  ever  open  to  the  public  for 
business  and  entertainment,  its  history  is  frequently  associated 
with  remarkable  personages  and  events,  and  sometimes  embel- 
lished with  rare  anecdote.  What  an  interesting  little  volume 
the  history  of  Princeton  hotels,  from  the  first  rude  structure 
raised  by  the  first  settlers,  down  to  the  present  magnificent 
University  Hotel,  would  furnish  !  It  would  exhibit  to  us  the 
ancient  mode  of  entertainment,  the  table  with  its  plain  but 
substantial  bill  of  fare,  and  the  lodging  room  with  little  or  no 
privacy,  and  the  little  corner  bar,  the  most  important  feature 
of  the  legalized  institution.  It  would  carry  us  back  into  colo- 
nial times,  before  the  war,  and  bring  us  down  through  the 
thrilling  scenes  of  the  Revolutionary  period,  while  the  Provin- 
cial and  State  legislatures  and  the  American  Congress  were  sit- 
ting here.  It  would  describe  the  days  of  stage-coaches,  when  the 
constant  arrival  and  departure  of  passengers  by  day  and  night 
kept  the  whole  village  astir;  and  it  would  introduce  us  to  the 
variety  of  guests  dining,  hungry,  and  hurried,  and  to  the  parlor 
scenes  where  distinguished  soldiers,  statesmen,  divines,  lawyers, 
scholars  and  poets  would  casually  meet  and  mingle  for  a  few 
hours.      It  would  reveal  to  us  the  bar-room,  where  wit   and 


lATNS  AND    TAVERNS.  37 

humor,  story  and  song,  drunkenness  and  broils,  made  up  the 
daily  routine ;  and  also  the  old  ball-room  and  jury-room,  neither 
of  which  would  be  devoid  of  interest  in  the  hand  of  a  humorist. 
And  then  there  would  be  the  character  and  history  of  some  of 
the  landlords,  so  widely  known  in  their  day,  for  their  wit  and 
humor,  and  always  ready  to  tell  a  good  story  and  sing  a  good 
song.  But  scanty  are  the  records  which  perpetuate  the  history 
of  the  stranger's  home.  We  meet  with  the  names  of  "  Tavern 
Signs,"  such  as  '*  Hudibras^'  "  Confederation^'  "  Gen.  Wcxsh- 
ington^'  "  TJie  College^'  ''Red  Lion,''  "  City  Hotel,"  ''Nassau 
Hotel,"  "  Mansion  House,"  none  of  which  now  exist  except  the 
Nassau  Hotel.  And  among  the  scores  of  Princeton  inn-kccpers 
some  of  whom  have  understood  well  their  vocation  and  some 
have  been  equal  only  to  the  keeping  of  a  low  tippling  shop, 
the  names  of  Jacob  Hycr,  John  Gijford,  George  Follet  and  JoJin 
jfoline  stand  out  as  prominent  and  historic  landlords,  with  gifts 
and  characteristics  admirably  adapted  to  the  business;  and 
these  have  passed  into  the  history  of  Princeton. 

It  would  be  very  difficult,  if  at  all  possible,  to  trace  with 
certainty  the  several  taverns  and  the  signs  they  severally  hung 
out,  as  one  house  would  sometimes  change  its  sign,  with  a 
change  of  landlord  ;  and  so,  too,  different  houses  would  be 
kept  by  the  same  landlord  at  different  times. 

We  are  not  able  to  give  the  date  of  the  first  licensed  tavern 
in  Princeton.  It  was  about  1750  when  John  Stockton  saw  the 
notorious  Tom  Bell  "at  a  tavern  in  Prineetoti,"  and  addressed 
him  as  Mr.  Rowland.  We  have  no  means  of  ascertaining  what 
tavern  this  was,  but  it  was  probably  the  house  now  occupied  by 
Waite  and  Streeper  for  stores. 

In  1774  John  Adams,  on  his  way  to  Congress  at  Philadel- 
phia, spent  a  Sabbath  in  Princeton.  In  his  diary  he  says, 
"August  27,  1774.  About  12  o'clock  we  arrived  at  the  tavern 
in  Princeton,  which  holds  out  the  sign  of  '  Hudibras,'  near 
Nassau  Hall  College.  The  tavern  keeper's  name  is  Hire," 
(Hyer).  This  house  was  afterwards  known  as  the  Red  Lion, 
and  lastly  as  the  City  Hotel,  by  the  Market. 

After  the  Revolutionary  War,  among  a  large  number  of  inn- 
keepers in  Princeton,  we  find  the  following  names  of  persons 
who  were  licensed,  and  the  years  when  we   first  find  them  in 


38  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

the  business,  viz:  Christopher  Beekman,  prior  to  1781  ;  Jacob 
G.  Bergen,  1788;  John  Lane,  1788;  Adam  Shaw,  1789;  David 
Hamihon,  1793;  Joseph  Crane,  1796;  Captain  WilHam  Jones, 
1797;  Josias  Ferguson,  1798;  David  Godwin,  1798;  John  Gif- 
ford,  1800;  Christopher  H.  Stryker,  1803;  Jacob  C.  Ten  Eyck, 
1804;  Mrs.  Ruth  Stryker,  1 806;  John  Joline,  1810;  Perez 
Rowley,  18 10;  George  Follet,  1S12. 

After  this  the  names  of  Gilbert  Taylor,  Aaron  Bergen, 
Samuel  Pettit,  Levi  Howell,  John  Napton,  Zebulon  Morford 
and  Joseph  J.  Thompson  appear  as  inn-keepers  in  Princeton, 
the  latter  in  1826. 

The  minutes  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  First  Presbyte- 
rian church  state  that  the  congregational  meeting  was  held  at 
Mr.  Reading's  large  room  in  1786,  and  at  the  house  of  Christo- 
pher Beekman  in  1787,  and  meetings  of  the  trustees  and  the 
congregation  were  held  at  the  house  of  David  Hamilton  in 
1792  and  1793,  and  at  Captain  Jones'  tavern  in  1801.  Mrs. 
Theobald  Wolfe  Tone,  in  a  letter  to  Dr.  Maclean,  about  1796, 
mentions  "  Mr,  Gifford,  the  hotel  keeper  in  Princeton,  at  whose 
house  the  stages  were  wont  to  stop." 

It  is  certain  that  Hyer  kept  the  south  side  house,  opposite 
the  market,  during  the  war,  known  as  the  Hudibras  Plouse 
when  he  first  took  it,  and  that  Follet  afterwards  kept  it  while 
its  sign  was  the  "  Red  Lion."  It  is  also  certain  that  Gifford 
kept  the  College  Hotel,  now  Nassau,  followed  by  John  Joline, 
the  two  covering  nearly  fifty  consecutive  }-ears. 

COL,  Jacob  Hyer  was  the  most  prominent  inn-keeper  in 
Princeton  before  and  during  the  Revolutionary  War.  He  kept 
the  "Hudibras"  House  in  1774,  when  Mr.  Adams  stopped 
over  Sabbath  with  him.  And  it  was  at  his  house  that  Brigadier 
General  Heard  held  a  court  martial  in  1781,  to  try  Lieut.  Col. 
Fisher,  of  Col.  Scudder's  regiment,  for  disobeying  orders  in  ref- 
erence to  marching  to  Morristown.  We  find  his  name  among 
the  subscribers  for  repairing  the  Presb)'tcrian  church,  in  1784. 
His  name  frequently  appears  in  the  minutes  of  the  Council  of 
Safety  while  sitting  in  Princeton,  as  helping  in  the  cause  of  in- 
dependence. He  was  a  man  of  responsibility  and  yet  of  gener- 
osity.    No  man  seems  to  have  been   more  ready  than  he  to 


INNS  AND    TAVERNS.  39 

become  bail  for  his  neighbors  when  they  were  arrested  for  re- 
fusing to  take  the  oath  of  abjuration  and  allegiance,  and  were 
held  to  appear  at  the  Sessions.  He  was  evidently  a  popular 
man  and  held  in  respect  by  his  respectable  fellow  citizens,  in- 
cluding the  Quakers.  What  was  his  history  before  and  after 
the  ten  years  to  which  we  have  referred  we  have  no  knowledge. 

How  long  the  sign  of"  Hudibras"  was  kept  up  we  cannot 
ascertain,  but  it  probably  was  changed  while  Col.  Hyer  kept 
the  house,  for  we  read  of  hotels  having  the  signs  of  "  The  Con- 
federation "  and  the  "Washington  House,"  with  the  sign  of 
Gen.  Washington  painted  on  it,  both  of  which  probably  origi- 
nated during  the  war. 

The  old  tavern  on, the  north  side  of  the  street,  probably  the 
first  and  oldest  one  in  Princeton  worthy  of  notice  (the  property 
now  of  Messrs.  Waite  and  Streeper),  was  kept  by  Christopher 
Beekman  in  1787,  how  much  earlier  we  do  not  know.  It  was 
known  as  the  "Washington  House"  during  and  after  the  war. 
This  property  at  one  time  belonged  to  Josias  Ferguson,  who 
kept  it  until  he  exchanged  it  for  the  Stryker  property  next 
west  of  the  Nassau  Hotel.  Christopher  Stryker^  kept  the 
hotel  for  some  years  and  died,  and  his  widow  then  kept  it.  She 
married  Perez  Rowleyf  and  he  kept  it  for  several  years.  It  re- 
mained in  the  hands  of  the  Strykers  until  they  discontinued  the 
hotel  and  sold  the  property  to  John  L.  Thompson,  who  sold  it 
to  Isaac  Baker.  This  house,  built  of  stone,  must  be  more  than 
a  hundred  years  old.  It  has  been  enlarged  and  stuccoed  within 
the  last  twenty-five  years,  and  is  used  for  stores  and  residences. 

George  Follet  was  an  Englishman  widely  known  as  an 
excellent  landlord.  He  came  to  Princeton  about  the  year  1812 
and  took  the  tavern  on  the  corner  of  Nassau  Street  and  Col- 
lege Lane,  which  had  formerly  been  kept  by  Col.  Hyer,  but 
which,  for  the  two  years  next  preceding,  was  kept  by  John 
Joline.     He   put   out  the   sign   of  the   ''Red  Lion,"  which  he 

*  Christopher  Stryker  was  the  father  of  Thomas  J.  Stryker,  late  cashier  of  the 
Trenton  bank,  and  of  Samuel  S.  Stryker,  tk-txased,  of  Trenton,  and  James  D. 
Stryker,  of  Lambertville. 

f  Miss  Catharine  Rowley,  daughter  of  Perez,  was  married  to  the  late  Rev. 
Symmes  C.  Henry,  D.D.,  of  Cranberry  ;  her  mother  was  the  widow  of  Col.  Wm. 
Scudder. 


40  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON: 

always  adopted.  He  was  a  good  caterer  and  knew  how  to 
please  his  guests.  The  first  town  meeting  held  to  elect  officers 
under  the  borough  charter,  in  1813,  was  held  at  his  house.  He 
afterwards  kept  tavern  at  Somerville,  where  Jacob  Fritts  now 
keeps,  and  later  at  the  brick  hotel  in  Albany  Street,  New 
Brunswick. 

The  next  prominent  keeper  of  this  house  was  JOSEPH  J. 
Thompson,  who  succeeded  Zebulon  Morford  in  1826.  Mr. 
Thompson  had  before  that  time  kept  the  City  Tavern  in 
Trenton.  He  fitted  up  this  house  in  what  was  then  elegant 
i^tyle,  and  put  up  the  new  sign  of  the  "  City  Hotel,"  and  ad- 
vertised it  in  the  Trenton  Gazette  as  especially  attractive  for 
boarders  and  those  who  had  sons  in  college.  After  he  left  it,  it 
was  occupied  by  numerous  landlords,  some  being  only  tenants 
for  a  year,  until  about  ten  years  ago,  when  the  whole  building 
and  its  surroundings  were  bought  and  taken  down  by  John  C. 
Green  for  the  School  of  Science,  and  the  ground  was  thrown 
into  the  college  campus.  There  was  no  other  tavern  on  the 
south  side  of  the  main  street  that  we  can  locate  or  name,  thoueh 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Cooley,  in  his  reminiscences  in  1802,  mentions 
that  a  tavern  once  existed  on  or  near  Miss  Passage's  lot. 

The  Nassau  Hotel,  now  kept  by  Atwood  and  Co.,  in 
Nassau  Street,  is  the  only  ancient  hotel  in  the  town,  all  others 
of  prior  date  having  disappeared.  This  has  been  kept  as  a 
public  house  for  more  than  a  hundred  years.  It  was  originally 
the  private  residence  of  Judge  Thomas  Leonard,  who  built  it 
in  1757,  of  Holland  brick.  It  was  regarded  as  the  finest  house 
in  the  village  at  that  time.  It  has  since  been  enlarged  greatly 
beyond  its  original  dimensions.  After  the  death  of  Judge 
Leonard,  and  prior  to  1769,  it  was  sold  by  the  sheriff  of  Somer- 
set in  a  suit  against  Mr.  Leonard's  estate,  for  a  claim  in  which 
the  college  was  interested.  The  property  was  bought  by 
Robert  Stockton,  it  is  believed,  for  the  college.  In  1769  the 
assignees  and  creditors  of  Thomas  Leonard,  the  nephew  and 
devisee  of  Judge  Leonard,  applied  to  get  the  House  of  Assem- 
bly to  vacate  the  sale  of  this  property  made  to  Robert  Stockton 
by  the   sheriff,  on   the   ground    of  alleged  fraud  in   concealing 


IXNS  AND    TAVERNS.  4 1 

facts  affecting  the  title,  in  obtaining  the  sheriff's  deed.  The 
appHcation  to  the  Assembly  was  heard  by  the  House,  in  a  com- 
mittee of  the  whole,  and  it  was  decided  that  no  fraud  had  ap- 
peared in  said  Robert  Stockton,  and  the  petition  was  dismissed 
nent.  con.  The  house  then  became  a  hotel,  and  was  known  as 
the  College  Inn,  having  the  sign  of  the  College  on  it. 

It  was  a  hotel  during  the  Revolution  and  was  kept  by  Chris- 
topher Beekman  during  and  after  that  period,  and  has  con- 
tinued a  hotel  to  the  present  time. 

The  title  afterwards  passed  from  Richard  Stockton,  it  is  al- 
leged, on  behalf  of  the  College,  to  Gen.  John  N.  Cumming  and 
Major  John  Gulick,  who  became  largely  interested  in  the  sta- 
ging business,  and  to  facilitate  that  business  they  ihut!;.;.  ,|  tin-. 
hotel.  The  title  of  Cumming  and  Gulick  was  afterwards  pur- 
chased by  a  company  consisting  of  James  S.  Green,  John  S. 
Van  Dike,  William  Gulick  and  others,  and  from  them  by  A.  C. 
Schanck,  Dr.  J.  V.  D.  Joline  and  others — to  the  present  owners, 
Leigh  and  Cook,  who  have  renovated  it,  and  the  present  pro- 
prietors, Atwood  and  Co.,  have  greatly  elevated  its  character, 
so  that  it  is  superior  to  any  ordinary  hotel  in  country  towns, 
and  is  almost  entitled  to  be  ranked  in  the  first  class  generally. 

John  Gifford,  son  of  Archer  Gifford,  a  noted  hotel  keeper 
in  Newark,  N.  J.,  came  to  Princeton  prior  to  the  year  1800  and 
kept  the  Nassau  Hotel  from  twelve  to  fifteen  years.  He  was 
an  intelligent  and  respectable  citizen,  and  raised  a  respectable 
family.  One  of  his  daughters  married  a  son  of  Thomas  P. 
John.son,  Esq.,  the  distinguished  lawyer  of  Princeton.  Another 
married  the  brilliant  lawyer,  William  W.  Miller,  brother  of  the 
late  J.  W.  Miller,  U.  S.  Senator  of  New  Jersey.  All  married 
well.  Archer  Gifford,  a  prominent  lawyer,  late  of  Newark,  and 
the  father  of  Judge  C.  L.  C.  Gifford,  of  that  city,  was  his  son. 

Mr.  Gifford's  name  is  found  among  the  most  liberal  sub- 
scribers to  the  salary  pledged  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Kollock  when 
called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Princeton 
in  1804.  He  bought  the  Sergeant  lot  in  1809  and  sold  it  to 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  Miller  in  18 14,  when  he  built  his  residence. 
He  kept  the  Nassau  House  till  about  18 12,  when  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  John  Joline.      He  subsequently  removed  to  Newark. 


42  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

His  father,  Archer  Gifford,  never  Hved  or  kept  tavern  in  Prince- 
ton, His  oldest  daughter,  Mary  Gifford,  died  recently  in  New- 
ark at  an  advanced  age,  remembering  the  College  at  Princeton 
in  her  will. 

John  Joline,  who  had  kept  the  Hudibras  House  from  i8iO 
to  i8i2,  took  charge  of  the  Nassau  Hotel  and  kept  it  from  1812 
to  1835-6.  He  had  the  College  painted  on  the  sign  by  V.  D. 
Janvier,  when  he  took  the  house.  He  was  one  of  the  most 
notable  of  all  the  landlords  of  Princeton  ;  he  was  widely  cele- 
brated as  a  jovial  host,  who  could  tell  a  good  story  and  sing  a 
good  song.  He  kept  good  horses,  set  a  good  table,  and  was  a 
favorite  with  the  students,  giving  them  good  suppers  and  clan- 
destine sleigh  rides.  He  was  a  native  of  the  neighborhood  of 
Princeton.  His  father,  John  Joline,  lived  in  an  old  house  re- 
cently standing  on  the  farm,  and  not  far  north  of  the  William 
Gulick  residence,  now  Alexander  Gulick's,  between  Princeton 
and  Kingston. 

A  letter  from  Princeton,  in  1783,  to  Col.  Beatty,  from  An- 
thony Joline,  an  uncle  perhaps  of  John  Joline,  has  been  sent  to 
us  by  Miss  Beatty,  of  Trenton,  through  Dr.  J.  V.  D.  Joline,  of 
Camden.  It  was  written  while  Congress  was  sitting  in  Princeton. 
It  being  of  some  public  interest  we  insert  a  copy  hereunder. 

ANTHONY  JOLINE'S  LETTER. 

Priiuelon,  17  July,  1783. 

Dear  Sir:  We  are  yet  ignorant  of  the  intention  of  Congress,  whether  they 
will  remain  here  or  where  they  will  remove  to.  Trenton  seems  to  be  the  jjlace  they 
have  in  view,  tho'  Philadelphia  has,  on  second  thoughts,  and  second  thoughts  they 
say  are  best,  given  Congress  the  most  friendly  and  generous  invitation  to  return, 
which  I  think  honor  must  forbid  them  accepting.  I  do  not,  however,  expect  they 
will  leave  this  (place)  before  October. 

Mr.  Cape,  who,  I  informed  you,  was  about  taking  Mr.  Woodruff's  house,  has 
given  up  the  plan,  as  Congress  did  not  give  him  suflicient  encouragement.  Since 
his  departure  Mr.  Prentice,  the  stage  driver,  has  been  in  treaty  for  it,  and  an  agree- 
ment is  partly  concluded  between  us.  The  conditions — He  takes  it  for  three  years 
at  ^100  per  annum, -possession  given  1st  September.  Should  this  t.ike  pl.ice  I  in- 
tend going  with  Mrs.  Joline  to  Chatham  until  I  can  get  into  a  house  in  Elizabeth 
tow  n,  which  I  hope  will  be  in  season  to  open  a  store  of  fall  goods. 

My  celery  is  now  forward  enough  to  set  out.  If  you  will  prepare  your  ground 
I  will  send  by  the  stage,  whenever  you  please,  one  hundred  or  more  fine  plants. 

Mrs.  [oline  joins  in  compliments  to  Mrs.  Beatty  and  yourself,  with  your  friend 
and  servant,  Anthony  Jolink. 

Col.  BiiATTY. 


INNS  AND    TA  VERNS.  43 

The  public  travel  through  Princeton  grew  into  an  immense 
business  while  John  Joline  kept  the  Nassau  House,  and  the 
competition  in  the  business  increased  yearly.  The  old  low 
coaches  with  door  in  the  rear  used  at  first,  gave  place  to  the 
handsome  three  seated  coach,  holding  nine  passengers  within 
it  and  three  on  the  top,  and  had  doors  on  the  side.  As  many 
as  fifteen  stages  together  would  often  start  off  each  way  at  the 
same  time.  A  hundred  horses  \yould  stand  waiting  at  Prince- 
ton'to  take  the  place  of  the  wearied  ones  upon  their  arrival. 
Meals  and  often  lodgings  were  furnished  at  Joline's,  then  still 
known  as  the  College  hotel.  There  were  several  competing 
lines, — Stockton,  Howell,  Gumming,  lUillock,  Gibbons,  Stevens, 
Bayles,  Gulick,  Vanderbilt  and  others  were  interested  in  the 
various  rival  lines,  and  Joline  was  the  right  man  for  his  place 
in  this  hotel.  The  business  was  brisk  and  remunerative.  Mr. 
Joline,  like  his  predecessor,  Gifford,  was  much  respected  as  a 
citizen,  and  he  reared  a  respectable  family.  He  had  three  sons 
and  three  daughters,  who  survived  him,  all  well  educated,  viz., 
William  Joline,  in  Princeton,  Dr.  J.  Van  Dyke  Joline,  in  Camden, 
both  graduated  at  Princeton,  the  former  with  the  first  honors, 
and  Charles  Joline,  in  New  York,  and  Mary,  who  was  married 
to  Ashbel  Green,  son  of  Dr.  Ashbel  Green,  the  president  of  the 
College,  a  lawyer;  Catharine,  who  was  married  to  Mr.  Morris, 
of  Peekskill,  N.  Y.,  and  Cornelia,  who  was  married  to  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Billings,  of  Virginia.  Dr.  J.  V.  D.  Joline  has  obtained 
much  of  the  reputation  of  his  father  as  a  good  landlord.  He 
kept  the  "  Nassau  Hotel,"  in  Princeton,  for  many  years,  and 
the  "  American,"  in  Trenton,  where  he  made  hosts  of  friends. 

John  Joline  retired  from  the  Nassau  Hotel,  better  known 
perhaps  as  Joline's,  in  1835  or  '36,  and  died  in  a  year  or  two 
after  that  in  Princeton. 

It  was  at  the  Nassau  Hotel,  kept  by  John  Joline,  where 
"  The  Lay  of  the  Scottish  Fiddle "  was  conceived  and  partly 
written.  This  is  a  poem  in  five  cantos.  The  copy  before  us 
purports  on  its  title  page  to  be  the  "  first  American  from  the 
fourth  Edinburgh  edition;  London:  printed  for  James  Caw- 
thorn,  Cockspur  Street,  1814,  and  supposed  to  be  written  by 
W S ,  Esq."     In  the  preface  it  is  stated  that  it  was  in- 


44  ni STORY  OF  PRINCETOA'-. 

tended  to  be  In  general  a  parody  of  Scott's  style,  but  made  sub- 
servient to  a  burlesque  romance,  in  which  he  meant  to  raise  a 
laugh  at  the  war  then  existing  between  England  and  the 
United  States.  The  writer  did  not  only  parody  the  style  of 
the  poet  of  Melrose,  but  soared  beyond  the  sphere  of  imitation 
and  proved  himself  to  be  a  poet. 

In  the  preface  to  the  American  edition  it  is  stated  that, 

The  reader  will  doubtless  smile  when  he  comes  to  that  part  of  the  poem  in 
which  our  old  friends.  Archy  Gifford  and  John  Joline,  are  mentioned  with  such  dis- 
tinction, and  honored  with  the  title  of  lords,  to  which,  however,  they  may,  for  aught 
we  know,  be  as  fully  entitled  as  some  of  the  distinguished  heroes  of  modern  chivalry. 
Everybody  in  the  world  knows  that  Archy  Gifford  was  and  John  Joline  is  as  arrant 
a  tavern  keeper  as  any  in  Christendom  ;  yet  has  Mr.  S.,  with  a  singular  sort  of  per- 
verseness,  dubbed  them  both  lords  and  traced  their  lineage  into  the  very  bowels  of 
the  Crusades. 

In  the  introduction  we  have  the  blind  Scotch  fiddler,  led  by 
a  dog,  coming  from  Jersey  City  to  Princeton  : 

Winding  their  way  in  silent  toil, 
O'er  bridge,  through  turnpike-gate  and  stile, 
Our  weary  travellers  pass  along, 
Cheered  by  the  wild  wood's  merry  song. 
Till  faint  with  hunger,  tired  and  lame, 
With  blistered  feet  they  faltering  came, 
To  where  old  Princeton's  classic  fane. 
With  cupola  and  copper  vane, 
And  learning's  holy  jionors  crovvn'd. 
Looks  from  her  high  hill  all  around. 
O'er  such  a  wondrous  fairy  scene. 
Of  waving  woods  and  meadows  green, 
That,  sooth  to  say,  a  man  might  swear, 
Was  never  seen  so  wondrous  fair. 
Here  many  a  sign-post  caught  the  view 
Of  our  poor  dog,  whose  instinct  knew 
Those  fanes,  by  wandering  minstrels  sought. 
Where  liquor  may  be  be^'gcd  or  bought. 

****** 
But  here  stern  bigotry  abides, 
Which  lovely  Charity  derides, 
Save  that  which  vulgar  bosom  wins. 
That  which  at  home  with  self  begins. 
Fiddling  and  dancing  they  abhorr'd 
And  drove  the  minstrel  from  their  board. 

****** 
Even  now  he  reached  the  welcome  door 
That  ne'er  was  shut  against  the  poor. 


INNS  AND    TAVERNS.  45 

Where  Lord  Joline  his  merry  cheer 
Deals  out  to  all  from  far  and  near. 

In  the  third  canto  there  is  a  humorous  description  of  a  con- 
vivial party  of  students  from  the  college,  who  were  always  well 
entertained  by  this  noted  landlord  : 

Around  the  tal>le's  verge  was  spread 
Full  many  a  wine-bewildered  head, 
Of  student  learii'd,  from  Nassau  Hall, 
Who,  broken  from  scholastic  thrall, 
Had  set  him  down  to  drink  outright 
Through  all  the  livelong  merry  night. 
And  sing  as  loud  as  he  could  bawl. 
Such  is  the  custom  of  Nassau  Hall. 
No  Latin  now,  or  heathen  Greek 
The  Senior  s  double  tongue  can  speak. 
Jtmiors,  from  fam'd  Pierian  fount, 
Had  drank  so  deep  tliey  scarce  could  count 
The  candles  on  the  reeling  table. 
While  emulous  Freshmen,  hardly  able 
To  drink,  their  stomachs  were  so  full, 
Hiccupp'd  and  took  another  pull, 
Right  glad  to  see  their  merry  host 
Who  never  wine  or  wassail  crost. 
They  will'd  him  join  the  merry  throng 
And  grace  their  revels  with  a  song. 

Then  follows  the  song.     We  give  one  stanza : 

"  LORD  JOLINE'S  SONG." 

"  Professors  are  always  a  preaching  and  bawling 
And  drinking  good  liquor,  sheer  beastliness  calling. 
They  say  that  the  headache  and  tavern  bills  float 
In  each  glass  of  good  stingo  that  flows  down  the  throat. 
Yet  whoop,  boys  !  a  fig  for  your  musty  professors, 
They  are  all  no  better  than  father  confessors." 

Next  a  humorous  notice  is  taken  of  a  party  of  young  peo- 
ple who  came  in  from  the  country  at  a  late  hour  of  the  night. 
Their  arrival,  with  the  travelling  fiddler,  was  announced  by  a 
Freshman. 

"  And  many  lads  and  lasses  too, 
A  buxom,  witching,  merry  crew. 
As  love's  true  granary  ever  knew. 
From  country  round  have  come,  they  say. 
To  dance  the  livelong  night  away. 


46  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON-. 

Flew  ope  the  door,  and  in  there  came 
Full  many  a  dancing,  loving  dame, 
With  chintz  shoit-gown  and  apron  check'd 
And  head  with  long-ear'd  lawn  cap  deck'd, 
.     .  And  high  heel'd  shoe  and  buckles  sheen, 

And  bosom  prank'd  with  box-wood  green. 
With  these,  well  jjair'd,  came  many  a  lad 
With  health  and  youthful  spirits  glad, 
To  caper  nimbly  in  Scotch  reel 
With  toes  turn'd  in,  and  outward  heel." 

The  fourth  canto  is  occupied  with  an  amusing  description 
of  that  dance,  in  which  Lord  JoHne  took  a  part,  but  we  have 
no  space  for  selections  therefrom. 

At  the  close  of  the  fifth  canto  of  this  witty  Lay,  a  farewell 
is  taken  of  the  minstrel : 

"  Ilush'd  is  the  strain,  the  Minstrel  gone. 
But  did  he  wander  forth  alone? 
No — close  by  Princeton  College  gate, 
Even  to  this  day  he  holds  his  state. 
When  well  his  bearing  you  may  know, 
By  sightless  eye,  and  head  of  snow. 
His  little  garden  flourishes, 
With  salad  rare  and  radishes  ; 
Cabbage  and  cucumbers  are  seen 
And  turni])s  with  their  tops  so  green 
And  of  the  common  garden  stuff 
The  Minstrel  has  more  than  enough  ; 
His  faithful  dog  is  often  seen, 
Waddling  across  the  college  gi-een, 
And  not  a  little  Freshman  there, 
But  pats  his  head  with  pious  care. 
At  summer  eve  there  gather  round. 
The  student  lads,  who  stand  astound. 
And  listen  with  attentive  glee 
To  tales  of  modern  chivalry, 
And  gallant  feats  of  younger  times. 
And  various  wild  and  witching  rhymes  ; 
Once  in  the  year  he  deigns  to  play, 
First  fiddle  on  Commencement  day, 
When  in  Joline's  high  stately  hall 
Is  held  the  students'  annual  uall. 

Appended  to  this  parody  are  notes  explaining  many  of  the 
things  referred  to  in  the  poem.  These  notes  occupy  about  one 
hundred  pages,  and  are  full  of  sparkling  wit  and  humor.    Those 


IN'A'-S  AND    TAVERNS.  47 

which  refer  to  the  name  and  family  of  Gifford  and  of  Joh'ne,  and 
to  the  influence  of  the  ancient  classics  upon  college  students, 
would  be  most  interesting  to  our  readers,  perhaps,  after  the  few 
selections  we  have  made  on  those  subjects,  if  we  could  insert 
them. 

There  is  no  doubt  whatever  that  Jas.  K.  Paulding,  assisted 
by  Washington  Irving,  was  the  author  of  this  clever  little  book  ; 
and  the  reason  why  Princeton  was  the  scene  which  occupies 
the  largest  part  of  the  poem  is  found  in  the  well  known  fact, 
that  Irving  and  Paulding,  congenial  souls,  met  and  spent  a 
night  or  two  together  at  Joline's  Hotel  in  Princeton  in  the 
year  1814  or  thereabouts,  and  that  they  witnessed,  on  that  oc- 
casion, the  things  which  were  described  in  this  little  poem,  as 
pertaining  to  Princeton — the  blind  Scotch  fiddler  and  his  dog — 
the  hilarious  conviviality  of  the  students  in  the  hotel  at  night — 
the  dancing  party  of  the  country  lads  and  lasses  with  the  music 
of  the  fiddle  the  livelong  night,  and  the  peculiar  gifts  and  jolli- 
ness  of  the  landlord.  The  impression  of  some  persons  who 
have  heard  of  the  circumstance,  is  that  these  poets  wrote  the 
book  while  at  Princeton,  on  that  occasion,  together.  Whether 
actually  written  out  then  and  there  or  not  it  was  unquestion- 
ably then  and  there  inspired,  and  the  occasion  afforded  a  rare 
entertainment  of  wit  and  humor  for  these  gifted  sons  of  poetic 
genius.* 

The  Mansion  House  adjoining  the  Nassau  Hotel,  and  oppo- 
site the  P^irst  Presbyterian  Church,  is  a  three  story  brick  house, 
erected  in  1836,  by  Elijah  Black  well,  and  it  was  kept  as  a 
public  house  from  that  time  till  1875,  when  it  was  rented  for 
the  use  of  the  students,  etc.  It  was  a  commodious  house  and 
was  sometimes  well  kept  ;  but  it  has  no  interesting  history  as 
an  inn. 

The  Eagle  Hotel  is  a  small  licensed  inn,  in  Witherspoon 
Street,  of  five  years  standing,  owned  and  kept  by  Michael 
O'Brien. 

In  former  j'ears  there  was  a  hotel  kept  at  Queenston.  The 
old  building  there  on  the  north  side  of  the  street,  used  for  that 

*  It  h.is  been  suggested  that  the  marriage  at  Morven  of  Miss  Mary  Stockton  to 
Mr.  Harrison  was  the  occasion  which  brought  the  poets  to  Princeton  at  that  time. 


48  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

purpose  fifty  years  ago,  when  it  was  kept  by  Ager  Thorn,  Tre- 
blecock  and  others,  has  disappeared,  and  the  house  on  the  east 
corner  of  Harrison  Street  was  subsequently  kept  as  a  hotel. 

It  has  been  the  custom  of  late  years  for  the  common  council 
to  grant  licenses  to  oyster  and  ale  shops  also.  The  year  1875 
is  the  only  year  in  the  history  of  Princeton  hotels  when  there 
was  no  license' granted  lor  selling  liquor  at  hotels  or  elsewhere 
in  the  borough. 

Prior  to  this  year  the  then  existing  hotels  in  Princeton  had 
become  disreputable  and  inadequate  to  meet  the  demands  of 
the  public;  had,  indeed,  degenerated  into  mere  tippling  shops, 
the  main  interest  and  source  of  revenue  centering  in  the  bar, 
while  the  table  and  the  rooms  for  lodging  were  greatly  neg- 
lected. They  failed  to  answer  the  purpose  of  their  origin  ; 
and  the  common  council,  in  regard  to  what  they  understood  to 
be  the  will  of  the  people  expressed  through  the  election,  refused 
to  issue  licenses  to  any  of  the  applicants.  It  was  not  by  any 
means,  evident  that  any  less  liquor  was  sold  and  drank  in  the 
town  during  that  year  than  under  the  licensed  houses.  But  it 
resulted  in  a  loss  to  the  owners  of  the  houses,  which  led  to  the 
conversion  of  the  Mansion  House  into  private  use,  and  to  the 
thorough  refitting  of  the  Nassau  House  and  raising  its  charac- 
ter, with  new  furniture  and  a  new  landlord,  which  commanded 
a  license  in  1876.  But  before  the  renovation  of  the  Nassau 
Hotel  was  decided  upon,  a  hotel  company  had  been  incorpo- 
rated, chiefly  under  the  auspices  of  the  friends  and  patrons  of 
the  college,  who  felt  the  strong  necessity  growing  out  of  the 
institutions  of  learning  here,  to  have  a  suitable  place  where 
strangers  and  friends  of  the  students  could  be  entertained  com- 
fortably while  here.  Hence  that  noble  enterprise,  the  Univer- 
sity Hotel,  long  the  desideratum  of  Princeton. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 


THE  UNIVERSITY  HOTEL 


Long  felt  Want  of  such  a  House — Eligible  Situation — Built  by  Joint  Stock  Com- 
pany— Capital  Stock,  $100,000 — Extends  on  two  streets  28S  feet — Built 
of  pressed  Brick — Brown  Stone  Eacings — Four  Stories  high — Victorian  Gothic 
Style — One  hundred  Rooms  above  the  first  Floor — Eastlake  Finish — Beautiful 
Furniture — No  Bar  for  Retail  of  Liquor — House  unlicensed — Elegant,  luxuri- 
ous, and  first-class  in  all  its  Appointments — An  attractive  Resort  for  Families 
in  all  Seasons  of  the  Year. 


UNIVERSITY  norm., 


The  long  felt  want  of  a  public  house  in  which  the  guests 
could  be  comfortably  entertained  and  by  wliich  visitors  might 
be  induced  to  abide  in  the  town  for  a  few  daws,  especially  stich 
as  were  interested  in  the  institutions,  either  as  parents  of  the 
students  or  as  patrons  of  learning,  became  so  oppressive  that 
it  took  form  of  action  in  1874,  and  led  to  the  incorporation  of 
the  "  Princeton  Hotel  Company." 
4 


50  HISTORY  OF  PRINCE  TOY. 

The  charter,  which  bears  date  March  ii,  1874,  names  as 
corporators  Ashbel  Green,  Henry  M.Alexander,  Edward  Howe, 
James  VanDeventer,  Lyman  H.  Atwater  and  William  Harris. 
Its  object  is  to  hold  real  estate  and  to  erect  and  maintain  a 
hotel  and  other  improvements  thereon  for  the  accommodation 
of  the  public,  with  a  capital  stock  of  fifty  thousand  dollars,  with 
liberty  to  increase  it  to  a  hundred  thousand,  in  shares  of  $500 
each.  The  number  of  directors  is  five,  who  shall  be  stock- 
holders and  hold  their  office  till  others  are  elected  and  qualified 
in  their  stead,  and  all  vacancies  shall  be  filled  by  the  remaining 
members  of  the  board  of  directors.  No  debt  shall  be  contracted 
beyond  the  amount  of  capital  stock  subscribed  and  paid  in. 

Under  this  charter  a  company  was  organized  and  directors 
were  elected  in  1875.  The  friends  and  patrons  of  the  institu- 
tions residing  in  New  York  became  the  largest  stockholders. 
Rev.  William  Harris,  treasurer  of  the  college,  was  chosen 
president  of  the  board  of  directors.  It  was  very  difficult  and 
very  expensive  to  procure  a  suitable  situation.  But  one  of  the 
very  best  places  was  finally  secured  on  the  corner  of  Nassau 
Street  and  Railroad  Avenue,  by  buying  the  land  and  removing 
the  houses  of  Dr.  A.  Alexander  and  Edward  Stockton.  This 
lot  was  not  as  large  as  was  desirable,  but  it  was  in  other  re- 
spects a  most  eligible  situation,  as  to  the  depot,  the  college, 
the  seminary,  the  centre  and  west  end  of  the  town.  The 
architect  who  drew  the  plan  of  the  building  was  William  E. 
Potter,  of  New  York. 

The  house  is  built  of  red  pressed  brick  with  brown  stone 
facings  in  the  order  of  architecture  called  the  Victorian  Gothic. 
It  extends  one  hundred  and  forty-two  feet,  fronting  on  Nassau 
Street,  and  about  the  same  distance  on  Railroad  Avenue,  with 
a  broad  piazza  along  the  whole  front  except  so  much  of  the 
building  on  the  east  end  as  is  occupied  by  the  Princeton  Na- 
tional Bank  and  the  College  treasury.  There  is  also  a  piazza 
along  the  whole  building  on  the  Avenue.  The  main  entrance 
is  on  Nassau  Street.  There  is  also  a  c  in  tiiic nl  uiie  on  the 
Avenue.  The  style  of  interior  finish  of  the  whole  building  is 
Eastlake,  and  the  furniture  is  of  the  best  quality  and  style  in 
harmony  with  it.  The  parlors,  the  dining-rooms,  smoking-room 
and  office  on  the  first  floor,  are  finished  and   furnished  in  ex- 


THE    UNIVERSITY  IIOTEf..  51 

quisite  taste  and  are  ample  in  size,  impressing-  every  one  who 
enters  the  house  with  the  luxurious  comfort  and  elegance  of 
the  establishment.  There  is  an  air  of  refinement,  neatness  and 
quiet  immediately  perceptible  upon  entering  the  house,  unlike 
any  other  large  public  house  in  the  countr)'.  The  rooms  on 
the  upper  stories  are  equally  attractive  in  their  finish  and  furni- 
ture. There  are  about  one  hundred  of  them,  and  fifteen  are 
parlors  connecting  with  sleeping  apartments.  The  building  is 
four  stories  high  with  a  basement,  and  is  heated  by  steam 
and  lighted  with  gas.  The  rear  end,  on  Railroad  Avenue, 
was  originally  adapted  to  the  use  of  students,  having  a  very 
large  dining-room  on  the  first  floor  capable  of  seating  five 
hundred  persons,  with  beautiful  rooms  in  the  upper  stories  for 
lodging  such  students  as  were  able  to  take  them.  This  part 
of  the  house  was  kept  somewhat  separate  from  the  other, 
though  there  was  really  no  separation  in  the  structure  of  the 
building.  The  table  was  less  expensive  than  the  one  for  the 
guests  of  the  hotel,  in  the  other  part  of  the  house,  though 
served  by  the  same  force  of  cooks  and  waiters  and  from  the 
same  kitchen.  The  cooking  is  done  by  steam,  and  the  laun- 
dry also  is  worked  by  steam. 

This  branch  of  the  house  for  the  first  year  was  supported 
with  some  promise  of  success,  but  the  old  difficulty  of  satisfy- 
ing two  or  three  hundred  students  at  the  same  table  with  one 
moderate  rate  of  charge  for  board,  manifested  itself  so  palpably 
that  the  directors  of  the  hotel  company  have  determined  to 
abandon  the  student's  separate  table  and  convert  the  whole 
house,  with  all  its  rooms,  into  the  hotel  proper,  maintaining 
but  one  table,  and  treating  all  guests  alike. 

Too  much  cannot  be  said  in  praise  of  this  beautiful  and 
magnifice'nt  public  house.  No  outlay  of  money  has  ever  done 
so  much  for  Princeton,  as  a  locality,  as  that  which  has  given  to 
it  this  University  Hotel.  While  it  is  ornamental  and  imposing 
in  its  appearance,  comparing  favorably  with  the  numerous 
grand  public  buildings  of  the  college  and  seminary,  it  is  of 
special  benefit  and  attraction,  to  the  stranger  and  visitor — to  the 
friends  of  the  institutions,  who  desire  to  come  with  their  fami- 
lies and  spend  a  day  or  a  season  with  them.  It  is  the  pride  of 
Princeton.     Such  an  institution  would  have  been  unobtainable 


52  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON'. 

by  the  citizens  of  Princeton  without  the  material  aid  of  non- 
residents. It  was  fortunate  that  the  enterprise  was  felt  by  the 
friends  of  the  college  and  seminary,  residing  in  New  York,  to 
be  a  supreme  desideratum  in  Princeton.  The  aid  of  Messrs. 
William  Libbey,John  A.  Stuart,  and  Henry  M.  Alexander,  of 
New  York,  trustees  and  friends  of  the  college,  secured  the  erec- 
tion and  completion  of  the  establishment.  Though  built  by  a 
joint  stock  company  at  the  cost  of  about  $100,000,  it  is  under- 
stood that  Mr.  Libbey  took  the  great  bulk  of  the  stock,  and 
thereby  became  not  only  the  real  founder  of  this  institution, 
but  also,  the  princely  benefactor  of  Princeton,  whose  memory 
will  always  be  cherished  with  honor  and  gratitude. 

The  government  of  this  house  has  thus  far  been  energetic 
and  liberal.  It  is  not  left  wholly  to  the  manager,  but  the  com- 
pany look  after  it  with  commendable  vigilance.  The  first 
manager,  Mr.  Goldie,  master  teacher  of  gymnastics  in  college, 
gave  the  house  at  the  start  a  good  reputation  for  its  cuisine  as 
well  as  for  its  cleanliness  and  good  order;  but  under  his  suc- 
cessor, Mr.  Niebuhr,  its  present  manager,  whose  instructions 
require  a  more  economical  administration  of  its  affairs,  a  more 
assured  promise  has  been  raised  that  a  permanent  business  can 
be  established  here  which,  in  time,  will  not  only  save  the  in- 
vestment from  loss  but  make  it  remunerative;  and  this  with 
undiminished  reputation. 

There  is  one  peculiarity  about  this  house  which  is  singular. 
It  is  not  strictly  a  public  inn.  It  is  not  a  licensed  house.  Nor 
does  it  stand  upon  the  grade  of  temperance  hotels,  under  the 
license  laws  of  the  State.  It  has  no  bar  Avhere  liquors  are  re- 
tailed. Guests  of  the  house  may  obtain  wines  and  liquors  at 
their  meals  if  they  wish  them,  to  drink  as  they  would  do  in 
their  own  homes,  but  there  is  no  tippling,  no  treating  and  wait- 
ing to  be  treated  with  intoxicating  drinks,  no  line  of  degraded, 
tipplers  and  drunkards  lounging  in  or  about  the  house.  The 
atmosphere  is  free  from  the  flavor  of  a  bar-room.  The  halls 
and  parlors  are  exempt  from  the  intemperate  and  baser  sort  of 
men.  Married  women  and  maidens  of  the  greatest  delicacy 
and  reserve  may  have  the  range  of  the  house,  its  halls  and 
piazzas,  without  encountering  anything  offensive  or  anybody 
disorderly,  which  would  compel  them  to  retreat  to  their  own 


THE    UNIVERSirV  HOTEL.  53 

private  rooms.     The  fact  that  this  is  not  a  licensed  house  gives 
the  proprietors  or  the  manager  the  right  to  admit  and  refuse 
guests  at  win.     No  person,  though  able  to  pay  his  bill,  can  in- 
sist  upon   becoming  a  guest  and  inflicting  his  presence  in  the 
public  parlor,  or  at  dinner,  or  even  on  the  piazza  without  the 
consent  of  the  manager.      This  feature  of  the    establishment 
protects   it   from    the   unpleasant   agitation   which    sometimes 
arises  in  regularly  licensed  inns  from  the  application  of  obnox- 
ious  persons,  who  seek   to   test    their  legal   rights   to   go  and 
stay  where  they  please.    While  this  house  has  these  advantages 
in  not  securing  license,  it  has  the  disadvantage  to  guests,  per- 
haps, of  not  being  held  liable   for  loss  of  baggage,  etc.,  under 
the  law  applicable  to  inn-holders.     But  when  a  house  is   con- 
ducted by  such  a  company  and   manager  as  this  one  is,  guests 
would  sooner  confide  in  them  for  protection  and  security  than 
they  would  in  most  landlords  under  the  law^  regulating  licensed 
houses.     This  mode  of  conducting  a  large  and  first  class  public 
house  without  legal   license   is   novel,  and   it   is   possible   that 
its  future   may  require  some  legislation,  either  for  the  benefit 
of  the  house  or  its  guests.      Experience  will  determine  what,  if 
anything,  shall  be  demanded.     It  is,  as  it  now  stands,  the  per- 
fection of  a  first-class  public  house.     The  bank  is  in  one  end 
of  it ;  the   telegraph  office  is  in  the  centre  of  the  hall,  and  it 
has  every  convenience  for  public  or  private  receptions. 

This  house  stands  about  fifty  feet  back  from  Nassau  Street, 
with  the  ground  in  beautiful  sward,  enclosed  with  a  neat  iron 
fence,  and  quite  near  the  railroad  depot.  It  is  admirably 
adapted  to  boarders,  either  in  winter,  when  the  institutions  are 
in  session,  or  in  summer,  when  the  town  is  quiet  and  shady. 
After  what  has  been  written,  no  one  will  ask  why  it  was  called 
the  University  Hotel. 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

NEWSPAPERS  AND  MAGAZINES  OF  PRINCETON. 

Princeton  Tacket,  1786 — Religious    and  Literary   Gazette — New   Jersey  Patriot 

Series  of  Tracts— American  Journal — American  Magazine — Princeton  Courier 
— American  System — Journal  of  Education— Princeton  Whig — Princeton  Press 
— Mercer  Co.  Mirror — Princeton  Standard — Princetonian — Biblical  Reperto- 
ry and  Princeton   Review — Princeton   Magazine — The  Missionaiy  Review. 

Princeton  had  almost  won  the  honor  of  issuing  the  first 
weekly  newspaper  that  was  published  in  the  State  of  New  Jer- 
sey. The  intelligence  which  characterized  the  early  settlers 
and  their  descendants  in  the  eighteenth  century,  and  the  pub- 
lic influence  which  emanated  from  this  place  would  naturally 
justify  the  expectation  that  the  printing  press  would  have  been 
employed  to  disseminate  through  newspapers,  pamphlets  and 
books,  the  opinions  and  views  of  the  prominent  public  men  of 
Princeton,  even  as  early  as  the  revolutionary  period.  But  the 
situation  of  Princeton  was  too  conspicuous,  lying  as  it  did  in 
the  track  of  the  marching  and  counter-marching  of  the  con- 
tending armies  in  the  Revolution,  to  hold  with  safety  a  news- 
paper printing  press.  There  was  a  monthly  magazine  pub- 
lished at  Woodbridge,  in  this  State,  the  first  periodical  pub- 
lished in  the  Province  and  the  second  on  the  Continent.  It 
was  called  the  American  Magazine.  Its  first  number  appeared 
in  1758,  but  it  was  discontinued  in  1770  for  want  of  patrona"-e. 

The  first  weekly  neivspaper  published  in  this  State  was  the 
Nciv  Jersey  Gazette,  commencing  Dec.  5,  1777,  by  Isaac  Col- 
lins, at  Burlington.  It  was  printed  on  a  folio  sheet  12  by  8 
inches.     It  was  discontinued  in  1786. 

It  is  stated  in  the  History  of  Elizabeth  that  a  paper  called 
the  New  Jersey  Jojirnal,  was  established  in  Elizabethtown  in 
1785,  and  has  been  continued  until  the  present  time.  It  was 
first   issued  at   Chatham,  N.  J.,  for  greater   safety,  the   enemy 


NEWSPAPERS  AND   MAGAZINES   OF  PRINCETON.  5S 

never  liaving  penetrated  that  section.  The  first  number  was 
dated  Feb.  lo,  1779-  Its  editor  was  the  patriotic  Shepherd 
Kollock.  He  estabhshed  it  to  aid  his  countrymen  in  their 
patriotic  work,  by  the  advice  of  General  Knox. 

That  paper  was  of  great  service  to  the  patriot  cause,  and 
continued  till  the  close  of  the  war.  It  was  then  removed  to 
the  city  of  New  York,  and  took  the  name  of  the  New  York 
Gazetteer  and  Country  Joiirnal.  It  was  discontinued  in  1786. 
Mr.  Kollock  also  published  a  weekly  paper  in  New  Brunswick, 
N.  J.,  as  early  as  1784,  which  he  transferred  to  Elizabethtown 
in  1785.  It  took  the  name  of  the  ''  Netv  Jersey  Journal  and 
Political  Intelligencer,"  dropping  the  latter  part  of  the  name 
in  1792. 

The  "  Princeton  Packet  and  General  Advertiser  " 
was  the  first  newspaper  published  in  Princeton.  It  was  estab- 
lished in  May,  1786,  and  published  weekly  by  James  Tod.  It 
was  neatly  printed  on  a  sheet  lO  by  18  inches  in  size  with  three 
broad  columns  on  a  side.  It  had  a  neat  head  letter,  with  a  vign- 
ette of  Nassau  Hall  between  the  words  Princeton  Packet.  We 
have  seen  but  two  numbers  of  this  paper,  one  was  number  36, 
vol.  I,  dated  A.  D,  1787.  It  contained  a  notice  that  F.  C. 
Focke  (late  from  Cleves  in  Prussian  Netherlands)  had,  on  the  9th 
inst.,  been  examined  in  Physic  and  Surgery  by  Dr.  John  Beatty 
and  Dr.  Nicholas  Belville,  agreeable  to  law,  and  had  given  sat- 
isfactory proofs  of  his  knowledge  and  skill  therein,  and  was 
licensed  to  practice  in  said  Faculties  throughout  the  State  of 
New  Jersey,  by  the  Honorable  the  Justices  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  New  Jersey. 

There  were  a  few  local  advertisements,  showing  that  among 
other  citizens  then  here,  were  Richard  Stockton,  Joseph  Stock- 
ton, John  A.  Schenck,  John  Cox,  Thomas  Wiggins,  Dr,  Wither- 
spoon,  Ezekiel  Smith,  Aaron  Longstreet  and  Rev,  A.  H.  Green. 
The  other  was  number  52,  vol.  ii.,  dated  June  28,  1787,  and 
is  in  our  possession.  It  is  occupied  with  correspondence  from 
other  States,  and  a  list  of  the  delegates  to  the  Federal  Conven- 
tion for  framing  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States.  It  has 
also  a  Poet's  Corner,  filled  with  the  effusion  of  a  Princeton  po- 
etess, bearing  marks  which  seem  to  connect  her  with  Morven, 


$6  '■  HI  STONY   OF  PRINCETON. 

and  it  has  various  local  advertisements.  The  subscription  price 
was  ten  shillings  per  annum.  The  paper,  in  its  execution,  com- 
pares favorably  with  the  local  papers  of  the  present  day,  and  is 
free  from  the  trashy  advertisements  which  too  generally  char- 
acterize the  latter. 

How  long  the  Princeton  Packet  was  continued  we  have  no 
means  of  ascertaining.  We  have  not  seen  any  later  numbers 
than  those  above  mentioned.  We  hear  nothing  more  of  it.  It 
was  established  after  the  war  and  must  have  been  designed  as 
a  medium  through  which  the  influential  opinions  of  the  prom- 
inent men  of  this  community  could  still  further  serve  their 
country  in  promoting  and  establishing  a  constitutional  gov- 
ernment. It  can  hardly  be  doubted  that  such  men  as  Dr. 
Witherspoon,  Dr.  S.  Stanhope  Smith,  Dr.  Minto,  Ashbel 
Green,  Enos  Kelsey,  Dr.  Wiggins,  Robert  Stockton  and 
others  must  have  been  instrumental  in  originating  this  paper, 
and  must  have  contributed  to  its  columns  ;  and  yet  we  can 
glean  nothing  to  show  their  connection  with  or  interest  in  it. 
It  was  at  least  third  in  priority  of  the  New  Jersey  weekly 
papers,  the  iV.  J.  Gazette,  the  second  one,  having  been  dis- 
continued as  the  Packet  commenced. 

We  learn  nothing  more  of  the  work  of  the  printing  press  in 
Princeton  until  May,  1824.  We  are  inclined  to  believe  that 
James  Tod's  printing  office  must  have  been  removed  from 
Princeton,  for,  at  this  time,  it  would  seem  that  a  new  print- 
ing press  had  made  its  advent  to  this  place.  Dr.  James  W, 
Alexander,  in  a  letter  to  Dr.  Hall  under  date  of  May  14,  1824, 
written  from  Princeton,  says,  "  Our  printing  press,  though  a 
little  thing,  is  yet  a  mighty  wonder  here.  The  children,  great 
and  small,  are  turning  up  their  eyes  and  expanding  their  palms 
at  the  novel  sight  of  "  PRINCETON  "  at  the  foot  of  a  title-page 
of  a  Report  just  printed."'^' 

Again  on  the  2lst^of  May,  1824,  in  another  letter.  Dr.  Alex- 
ander refers  to  proposals  by  Borrenstein  for  publishing  a  week- 
ly paper  under  the  title  of  the  "  Princeton  Religious  and 
Literary  Gazette."     He  sent  a  copy  of  the  proposals  to 

*  Forty  Years  Correspondence,  p.  45,  vol.  i;  Dr.  Hall. 


NEWSPAPERS  AND  MAGAZINES   OF  PRINCETON.  57 

Dr.  Hall  and  said,  "  You  will  no  doubt  be  pleased   with  the 
specimen  of  Princeton  typography  on  the  other  side." 

This  paper  was  not  long  continued.  It  was  conducted  by 
the  Rev.  Robert  Gibson,  of  Princeton. 

In  1825  a  newspaper  was  published  in  Princeton  called  the 
"New  Jersey  Patriot,"  printed  and  published  by  D.  A. 
Borrenstein.  Its  motto  was  "  The  safety  of  the  people  is  the 
supreme  law."  It  was  a  quarto  sheet,  moderate  size,  well 
shaped,  closely  printed.  Dr.  Addison  Alexander  wrote  much 
for  it.  It  was  a  political  paper  at  first,  but  in  1827  it  ceased 
to  be  political,  was  enlarged  and  the  editorial  charge  was  given 
to  Addison  Alexander  and  one  of  his  brothers.  In  addition 
to  public  matter  and  current  news  he  almost  crowded  the  broad 
sheet  with  essays,  poems,  tales  and  communications.  The 
Patriot  soon  ceased  for  want  of  patronage.  A  protracted  dis- 
cussion on  dancing  was  carried  on  in  it  between  a  clergyman 
and  a  distinguished  layman,  and  the  editor  brought  it  to  a 
close  by  curtly  suggesting  that  the  spirit  of  St.  Vitus  himself 
must  be  satisfied  by  this  time  with  what  had  been  written  on 
both  sides  of  the  question. ■'^' 

A  "  Series  of  Tracts,"  issued  monthly,  Princeton  :  printed 
for  the  publisher  by  D.  A.  Borrenstein,  1 824.  Terms  62^  cents  a 
year.  It  contained  selections  from  the  writings  of  Baxter,  Bol- 
ton, Frank,  Flavel,  Howe,  Leigiiton,  Newton,  Owen,  Scongal, 
etc.,  and  biographical  sketches,  etc.,  making  a  small  yearly 
volume  of  300  pages. 

"American  Journal"  of  Letters,  Christianity  and  Civil 
Affairs.  Motto  :  "  In  necessariis,  Veritas  ;  in  non  necessariis 
libertas  ;  in  omnibus,  charitas." — Augustine. 

This  paper  was  edited  by  Rev.  Robert  Gibson,  and  was  pub- 
lished by  T.  Callaghan  Gibson,  in  Princeton,  every  Saturday. 
The  prospectus  of  the  paper  shows  that  its  object  was 
the  promotion  of  education,  cliristianity  and  civil  affairs.  It 
was  recommended  by  the  professors  of  the  college  and  semi- 
nary and  patrons  and  teachers  of  the  town.  Its  first  number 
was  issued  April  2,  1825.     It  was  a  sheet  of  four  pages,  with 

*  We  have  gathered  the  above  facts  from  the  life  of  Dr.  Addison  Alexander. 


58  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON-. 

four  columns  on  each  page.  Each  page  was  14  by  19  inches. 
It  was  a  well  printed  journal,  with  few  advertisements.  It  was 
filled  with  solid  reading  matter,  but  was  too  heavy  for  a  popu- 
lar newspaper.  The  second  number  contained  a  favorable  re- 
view and  notice  of  ''  Moigwc,  A  tale  of  the  frontier,  a  poem, 
printed  by  D.  A.  Borrenstein,  of  the  Princeton  press,  1825," 
written  by  a  Princetonian. 

The  "  American  Magazine  of  Letters  and  Christianity." 
Published  by  T.  C.  Gibson,  printed  by  Borrenstein,  of  Prince- 
ton.    Monthly,  at  $3.00  a  year. 

This  magazine  seems  to  have  taken  the  place  of  the  Ameri- 
can Journal.  The  prospectus  of  the  Journal  was  appended  to 
this  periodical.  It  contains  68  pages.  The  first  number 
was  issued  Jan.  i,  1826,  and  contains,  among  other  matter,  an 
outline  of  the  introductory  lecture  by  Professor  Samuel  Miller, 
of  the  Theological  Seminary  of  Princeton,  at  the  opening  of 
the  session  at  that  time.  Also  a  notice  of  a  stated  meeting  of 
the  "  Literary  atid  Philosophical  Society  of  Nczv  Jersey,"  in  the 
chapel  of  Nassau  Hall,  Ch.  Justice  Ewing  presiding,  and  a 
lecture  by  Professor  Patton  on  Education,  showing  the  defects 
of  the  system  of  public  education  in  this  country. 

Chief  Justice  Ewing  delivered  the  lecture  in  January,  on 
Trial  by  Jury,  and  Professor  Alexander  in  I'^ebruary,  on  the 
"  Relation  of  Cause  and  Effect" 

The  Princeton  Courier  and  Literary  Register,  a  weekly 
newspaper,  was  published  about  four  years  from  1831,  first  by 
Dr.  West  and  Connolly,  then  by  Baker  and  Connolly,  and  lastly 
by  Bernard  Connolly  alone.  It  had  a  vignette  of  Nassau  Hall 
and  adjoining  buildings;  price  $2.00.  It  was  about  of  the  size 
of  the  N".  J.  Patriot,  and  had  five  columns  on  a  page.  It  es- 
poused the  cause  of  Jackson  and  Van  Buren  in  the  presidential 
campaign  of  1832. 

The  editor,  Mr.  Connolly,  removed  to  Freehold  and  the 
Courier  was  discontinued  ;  the  only  paper  in  Princeton  then 
being  the  American  System,  which  soon  became  the  Prince- 
ton Whify, 


NEWSPAPERS  AND  MAGAZINES   OF  PRINCETON.  59 

The  American  System  and  Fanners  and  Mechanics  Ad- 
vocate was  a  weekly  newspaper,  was  edited  by  Dr.  L.  V.  New- 
ton, now  living  in  New  York,  and  was  published  by  Robert  E. 
Hornor.  First  number  Sept.  7,  1832.  In  about  three  months 
Dr.  Newton  withdrew  and  the  paper  assumed  the  name  of  the 
Princeton  Whig,  with  Mr.  Hornor  editor,  and  J.  T.  Robinson 
and  Co.,  publishers.  The  paper  was  conducted,  while  Dr. 
Newton  was  editor,  as  a  campaign  journal,  in  the  interest  of 
the  Whig  party,  with  Henry  Clay  and  John  Sergeant  on  the 
presidential  ticket. 

Monthly  Journal  of  Education,  edited  by  E.  C. 
Wines.  Printed  by  Moore  Baker,  Princeton.  Vol.  i.  No.  i, 
January,  1835.     $2.00  a  year. 

Mr.  Wines  was  an  educator  of  high  reputation,  and  suc- 
ceeded Professor  Patton  as  head  of  the  Edgchill  high  school. 
He  is  now  the  secretary  of  the  American  Prison  Reform 
Society.  His  paper  was  not  long  continued  because  he  did 
not  long  remain  in  Princeton. 

The  Princeton  Whig,  into  which  the  American  System 
was  merged,  was  owned  and  edited  by  Robert  E.  Hornor.  It 
was  Whig  in  its  politics,  and  its  character  was  strongly  partisan 
and  spicy.  Mr.  Hornor  was  a  son  of  Isaac  Hornor,  of  Queens- 
ton,  and  a  descendant  of  the  original  Quaker  family  of  Hornors 
numbered  among  the  first  settlers  of  Princeton.  He  was  a 
kind  and  obliging  citizen,  possessing  a  good  share  of  public 
spirit  and  being  a  most  indefatigable  and  self-denying  servant 
of  his  party.  He  was  appointed  postmaster  of  Princeton  by 
President  Harrison,  and  was  removed  by  President  Tyler  under 
circumstances  which  caused  a  good  deal  of  indignation  among 
his  numerous  friends,  as  has  been  stated  in  the  preceding  vol- 
ume, (p.  266)  for  he  was  a  good  and  obliging  officer.  He  pub- 
lished in  the  Princeton  Whig  ^  severe  exposure  of  the  men  and 
measures  which  had  supplanted  him.  No  man  in  Princeton, 
since  Mr.  Hornor's  death,  has  been  so  efficient  and  unflinching 
a  party  worker  and  organizer  as  he  was,  till  his  death  in  May, 
185 1.  He  was  widely  known  over  the  whole  country.  He 
sold  his  paper  to  John  T.  Robinson  shortly  before  his  death. 


6o  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

His  printing  office  was  where  Miss  Julia  Smith's  house  now 
stands,  and  afterwards  was  on  the  lot  where  the  Second  Pres- 
byterian church  is  erected. 

The  Princeton  Press  was  only  another  name  of  the 
"Princeton  Whig."  It  was  bought  by  John  T.  Robinson  of 
Mr.  Mornor,  and  was  edited  by  him  until  1861.  It  retained 
the  same  political  complexion  as  the  Whig,  but  lent  its  influ- 
ence to  the  Know  Nothing  or  American  party  when  that  or- 
ganization loomed  into  prominence.  Spencer's  N.  J.  Law  Re- 
ports were  printed  at  this  office,  and  also  the  Princeton  Review 
was  for  a  short  time  printed  here. 

Mr.  Robinson  was  a  native  of  Princeton,  a  printer  by  trade. 
He  was  a  very  industrious  and  good  citizen,  a  quiet  and  unas- 
suming man.  He  made  himself  what  he  was,  and  rose  to  re- 
spectability in  a  community  which  secured  to  him,  besides 
township  offices,  the  office  of  Judge  of  the  Mercer  County 
Common  Pleas  and  Mayor  of  the  borough  of  Princeton,  both  of 
which  offices  he  filled  creditably.  He  was,  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  postmaster  of  Princeton,  having  been  appointed  by 
President  Lincoln ;  and  he  was  also  a  ruling  elder  in  the  Second 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Princeton.  He  was  a  man  of  some  in- 
ventive genius,  and  exhibited  it,  with  wonderful  perseverance, 
in  his  invention  of  a  power  press,  which  he  manufactured  at 
his  own  foundry  and  machine  shop,  which  he  himself  erected 
for  that  purpose,  in  connection  with  the  present  Press  hiilding 
on  Nassau  Street,  now  owned  by  his  son,  Charles  S.  Robinson. 
He  had  a  long  and  hard  struggle  in  perfecting  his  new  inven- 
tion and  in  manufacturing  his  presses.  He  sold  several  of  them 
in  different  States  and  printed  his  own  paper  on  one  of  them, 
and  when  he  was  about  to  make  his  triumph  sure,  and  to  reap 
his  reward,  his  buildings,  including  his  printing  office,  machine 
shop,  pattern  room,  foundry  and  their  contents,  were  burned 
up  in  a  midnight  conflagration  of  a  few  hours.  He  rebuilt 
them  in  part  and  resumed  the  work,  but  imder  great  embar- 
rassment and  want  of  money.  His  health  failed  and  he  died 
in  1862  much  lamented.  He  was  a  son  of  Robert  Robinson, 
and  left  four  sons  surviving  him. 


NEWSPAPERS  AND   MAGAZINES   OF   PRINCETON.  6l 

The  Mercer  County  Mirror  was  a  weekly  newspaper, 
established  in  1855,  by  Howard  V.  Hullfish,a  practical  printer. 
The  paper  was  neutral  in  politics  and  the  office  was  chiefly  de- 
voted to  job  work.  The  office  was  first  kept  in  a  room  in  the 
Mansion  House  and  afterwards  in  the  Hullfish  House  in  With- 
erspoon  Street.  Mr.  Hullfish  died  in  1856,  and  the  paper  was 
soon  after  discontinued.  Mr.  Hullfish  was  a  son  of  David 
Hullfish,  long  known  and  respected  as  the  chief  police  officer 
of  the  borough  and  overseer  of  the  poor.  Howard  learned  his 
trade  with  Mr.  Robinson. 

The  Princeton  Standard  was  a  new  weekly  newspaper, 
established  in  1859.  After  the  death  of  Howard  Hullfish,  and 
the  suspension  of  the  Mercer  Co.  Mirror,  the  materials  and 
presses  of  that  office  were  purchased  by  John  F.  Hageman, 
who  sought  to  raise  the  character  of  Princeton  journalism,  and 
established  a  new  weekly  paper  which  he  called  the  Princeton 
Standard.  It  was  not  designed  to  be  in  opposition  to  the 
Princeton  Press,  nor  in  any  degree  to  interfere  with  the  interest 
of  that  paper.  It  was  an  independent  but  not  a  neutral  paper; 
It  was  political,  religious  and  literary,  perfectly  untrammelled 
by  party  obligations  and  platforms  or  sectarian  creeds,  yet  was 
in  sympathy  with  the  Republican  party  and  was  justly  re- 
garded by  the  public  as  a  Republican  paper. 

It  was  a  large  sheet,  printed  on  excellent  paper,  with  an 
impersonal  editorship.  It  was  in  much  favor  and  received  val- 
uable contributions  from  many  good  writers  in  the  community. 
It  was  commenced  in  the  upper  room  of  the  building  now  oc- 
cupied by  Margerum's  stove  store,  in  Mercer  Street,  and  was 
published  at  first  by  John  Briest,  the  recent  Mayor  of  Trenton, 
and  then  by  John  R.  Hedden.  who  afterwards  edited  and  pub- 
lished the  "  Millstone  Mirror.'^ 

In  1861  the  proprietor  of  the  Standard  purchased  of  Mr. 
Robinson  the  Princeton  Press  and  united  the  two  papers,  re- 
taining the  name  of  the  ''Standard"  and  dropping  the  name 
of  the  ''Press,'"  and  Mr.  Robinson  became  the  publisher  of  it, 
in  his  building,  with  the  same  editors.  The  "  Standard  "  was 
zealously  loyal  throughout  the  war,  giving  all  its  influence 
to  the  support  of  the  National  Government  in  the  great  strug- 


62 


HISTOR  V   OF  PRINCE  TOM. 


gle,  and  fearlessly  denouncing  disloyal  sentiments  when  ex- 
pressed by  influential  persons  in  this  community,  and  ever 
watchful  of  the  success  of  the  national  cause.  It  did  much  to 
form  and  strengthen  a  loyal  public  opinion  in  Princeton  during 
the  war. 

In  1863  the  publisher,  John  T.  Robinson,  died,  and  his  son, 
John  A.  Robinson,  took  his  place.  Many  country  papers,  dur- 
ing the  war,  were  discontinued  on  account  of  the  high  price  of 
paper  and  labor,  but  the  "  Standard  "  bore  itself  through  the 
conflict  without  even  a  change  in  its  rates  of  charges. 

In  1867  the  proprietor  sold  his  interest  in  the  paper  and 
office  to  Charles  S.  Robinson,  a  younger  brother  of  John  A. 
Robinson,  who  had  recently  died,  leaving  a  good  name  and  ex- 
ample; and  he  withdrew  from  all  responsibility  and  connection 
with  the  paper,  as  proprietor  and  as  one  of  its  editors.  Young 
Mr.  Charles  Robinson  continued  the  Standard  until  he  sold  the 
good  will  of  the  paper  to  Stelle  and  Smith,  in  1870. 

The  Princetonian  was  the  new  name  given  to  the  old 
"  Standard,"  published  by  Stelle  and  Smith,  printed  by  Charles 
S.  Robinson  and  edited  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Moffat,  Professor  in 
the  theological  seminary  in  Princeton,  It  was  handsomely 
printed  on  a  double  sheet,  and  the  names  of  the  contributors 
of  articles  to  its  columns  were  disclosed.  It  was  predominant- 
ly literary  in  its  character.  Its  adaptation  to  the  popular  taste 
was  not  quite  proportionate  to  the  expense  of  conducting  and 
publishing  it,  and  the  publishers,  impatient  of  receiving  remun- 
erative returns,  proposed  to  reduce  it  to  the  Standard  size  and 
modify  its  character,  whereupon,  before  a  year  had  expired. 
Professor  Moffat  withdrew  from  the  editorial  chair,  and  the 
paper  was  continued  and  conducted  by  the  same  publishers 
until  1873,  when  it  was  transferred  to  Charles  S.  Robinson, 
who  thus  became  its  proprietor,  publisher,  printer  and  editor. 
Mr.  Robinson,  faithful  to  the  memory  of  his  father,  purchased 
the  Press  building,  which  his  father  once  owned,  and  restored 
to  the  paper  the  former  name  which  his  father  had  chosen  for 
it  and  by  which  his  father's  invention  has  been  designated,  viz., 
The  Princeton  Press,  the  only  newspaper  published  in  Prince- 
ton at  this  time,  a  paper  which  has  been  maintained  for  forty 


NEWSPAPERS  AND   MAGAZINES  OF  PRINCETON.  63 

years  in  Princeton,  under  various  names,  and  during  this  time 
the  printing  has  been  done,  except  in  some  collateral  issues, 
by  the  Robinson  family,  and  for  the  most  part  of  the  time  the 
editing  as  well  as  the  publishing  of  it  was  done  by  the  father 
and  the  sons  successively.  The  Robinson  family  may  justly 
be  called  the  printing  family  of  Princeton. 

The  Princeton  Journal  was  a  weekly  newspaper,  estab- 
lished by  a  Mr.  Blanchard  in  1S65,  but  it  lived  for  only  a  few 
months  and  then  died  for  want  of  support. 

The  Biblical  Repertory  and  Princeton  Review  was 
commenced  in  1825,  and  was  edited  by  Charles  Hodge,  Pro- 
fessor in  the  Princeton  Seminary.  Its  object,  as  disclosed  in  the 
original  proposals,  was  "for  the  periodical  publication  of  a  col- 
lection of  dissertations,  principally  in  Biblical  literature."  It 
had  hardly  commenced  before  it  was  deemed  wise  to  enlarge 
its  scope  and  add  to  its  title  that  oi  Princetoji  Review.  It  was 
a  Quarterly,  and  it  has  been  maintained,  without  intermission, 
in  uniform  numbers,  from  the  date  of'its  first  number  until  the 
present  time.  The  Rev.  Charles  Hodge,  D.D.,  was  its  sole 
editor  until  1870,  when  the  Rev.  Lyman  H.  Atwater,  D.D., 
Professor  in  the  college,  was  associated  with  him.  It  has  gen- 
erally been  published  in  Philadelphia,  though  for  a  short  time 
it  was  published  in  Princeton.  This  venerable  and  excellent 
magazine  has  reflected  an  imperishable  honor  upon  Princeton. 
It  has  been  one  of  the  richest  and  purest  streams  of  moral  and 
religious  influence  that  has  flowed  from  the  Princeton  fount- 
ains. Its  every  number,  from  its  budding  life  to  its  ripest  age, 
has  been  freighted  with  the  choicest  and  rarest  fruits  of  wis- 
dom and  grace.  A  bulwark  of  defence  to  sound  doctrine,  a 
learned  and  modest  expositor  of  the  sacred  oracles,  a  judicious 
critic  and  reviewer  of  books  and  publications ;  always  replete 
with  the  evidence  of  scholarship  ;  always  respectful  to  the 
rights  and  opinions  of  others ;  free,  with  very  rare  exceptions, 
from  bitterness  and  bigotry  in  the  articles  of  its  contributors  ; 
catholic  and  liberal  in  the  great  doctrines  of  Christianity,  while 
vigilant  and  courageous  in  holding  up  the  banner  of  old-school 
Presbyterianism,  it   has  been  not  only  the  organ  of  Princeton 


64  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

theology  and  criticism,  but  it  has  spread  its  fame  and  its  in- 
fluence and  the  fame  of  Princeton  among  all  the  nations. 
Princeton  College  and  Princeton  Seminary  never  would  have 
attained  their  present  strength  and  position  in  the  affections 
and  confidence  of  Christian  men  if  the  Princeton  Rii'iiW  had 
never  been  what  it  has  been. 

After  the  re-union  of  the  disrupted  Presbyterian  Church, 
this  Quarterly  was  transferred  to  New  York  for  publication. 
Dr.  Hodge  had  withdrawn  from  the  editorship.  Its  name 
was  changed  to  the  ''Presbyterian  Onarter/y  aitd  Princeton 
Rcvieiv!'  Like  a  conquered  territory  ii  h.ul  been  made  the 
subject  of  partition,  securing  to  each  of  the  old  parties  an 
equal  share  in  the  printed  matter  and  in  the  editorial  room; 
like  the  unfortunate  old  Province  Line  separating  East  from 
West  Jersey,  which  is  ever  and  anon  suggesting  divisions 
which  do  not  exist  and  creating  jealousies  out  of  a  mere  fiction. 
Our  Princeton  pride  would  have  retained  this  old  well  tried 
organ.  It  was  treason  to  Princeton,  to  Princeton  Theology 
and  to  Princeton  Seminary  to  surrender  it  as  it  was  surrendered, 
and  that  without  Dr.  Hodge's  cordial  approval.  It  was  not  an 
Ecclesiastical  Journal,  that  needed  to  be  disturbed  or  changed 
by  the  re-union  of  the  two  branches  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
A  recent  change  has  restored  to  it  the  sole  title  o'i  Princeton 
Reviezv,  and  we  now  may  claim  it  again  as  the  Princeton 
Review. 

The  Princeton  Magazine,  a  Monthly,  pp.  48,  established 
in  1850,  printed  by  John  T.  Robinson,  was  edited  by  William 
C.  Alexander.  He  was  assisted  by  his  brothers,  Drs.  James  and 
Addison  Alexander,  and  his  father.  Dr.  Archibald  Alexander, 
contributed  the  first  article,  "  Princeton  in  1801."  As  might 
be  expected  from  the  pens  of  such  ready  and  racy  writers,  the 
articles  were  read  with  a  relish.  One  by  Professor  Addison 
Alexander,  a  satirical  poem  on  the"  Reconstruction  of  Society," 
attracted  a  good  deal  of  public  attention  and  was  copied  into 
many  of  the  newspapers.  It  did  "  not  exclude  scientific,  classi- 
cal, erudite,  sportive,  or  Jersey  articles."  Twelve  numbers 
were  published  and  it  was  discontinued.     Price,  $2.00  a  year. 

The  Missionary  Review,  published  in  Princeton  semi-month- 


NEWSPAPERS  AND  MAGAZINES  OF  PRINCETON.  65 

\y  by  the  Rev.  R.  G.  Wilder,  formerly  and  for  many  years  a 
missionary  in  India,  was  established  in  April,  1878.  It  is  inde- 
pendent of  all  church  boards  and  ecclesiastical  dictation.  It  is 
quite  new  and  original  in  its  scope  and  design.  It  is  broad  and 
catholic  in  its  views,  and  aims  to  sustain  all  denominations  in 
their  missionary  efforts,  but  is  bold  to  point  out  all  abuses  and 
mistakes  of  Christian  churches  of  all  denominations  in  the  mis- 
sionary work.  It  is  well  edited  and  handsomely  printed  and  is 
growing  in  favor.  It  may  be  regarded  as  a  new  organ  of  re- 
form in  conducting  missionary  operations,  and  at  the  same 
time  as  an  instructive  review  of  whatever  pertains  to  the  mis- 
sionary field.     Its  price  is  only  $1.50  a  year  in  advance. 

We  have  thus  enumerated  nineteen  different  periodicals 
which  have  been  published  in  Princeton,  without  including 
those  which  arc  strictly  college  papers,  such  as  the  Nassau 
Literary  Magazine,  Nassau  Herald,  etc.  Some  have  been 
short-lived  while  others  have  survived  many  years,  though  it 
may  have  been  under  some  change  of  name.  It  will  not  prob- 
ably be  long  before  a  University  Press  will  be  established  in 
Princeton,  where  all  the  books  written  by  Princeton  authors 
as  well  as  others,  may  be  published  with  the  imprimatur  of 
Princeton  upon  them.  In  the  line  of  newspapers  no  effort 
made  as  yet  has  proved  to  be  permanently  successful  as  to  high 
character  and  financial  prosperity.  It  has  seemed  that  when 
talent  and  learning  have  been  enlisted  in  their  behalf  capital 
lias  been  lacking,  and  when  capital  has  not  been  wanting,  the 
right  kind  of  editors  and  writers  have  not  been  obtainable. 

Princeton  is  not  a  bad  locality  for  a  good  newspaper  which 
would  combine  politics,  religion  and  literature.  Such  a  paper 
should  receive  the  sympathy  and  support  of  such  a  community. 
It  should  be  made,  in  every  respect,  worthy  of  the  place. 

5 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


THE   FRIENDS   SOCIETY   AND    MEETING    HOUSE    AT    STONY 

BROOK. 

The  House  has  outlived  the  Society — The  Creed  of  the  Quakers — First  House  built 
of  Wood  in  1709 — Present  House  of  Stone  built  in  1760 — Quaker  School — Its 
Rules  and  Regulations  for  Teachers  and  Scholars — Prior  to  1757  it  was  the 
only  House  of  Worship  in  the  Neighborhood — The  Centre  of  a  thrifty  and  intel- 
ligent Quaker  Community  for  several  Generations — Recent  Decadence  of  the 
Society — Extinction  of  the  School— No  Quaker  Children — House  seldom 
opened  for  W^orship— Queries  as  to  the  Nature  of  the  System. 


QUAKER   MEETING-HOUSE. 

The  little  Quaker  Meeting  House  at  Stony  Brook,  hoary 
with  age,  seems  to  be  outliving  the  society  which  established  it. 
It  stands  Hke  a  mute  sentinel,  guarding  the  ashes  of  the  dead. 
The  fathers  who  built  it  and  planted  their  families  around  it, 
connecting  with  it  a  school-house  for  their  children  and  a  burial 
place  for  themselves  and  their  descendants,  after  half  a  dozen 
generations,  have  scarcely  a  representative  among  the  living  in 
the  neighborhood.  The  old  school  is  closed.  The  meeting 
house  is  seldom  opened  and  there  are  but  few  new  graves  made 
in  the  old  burying  ground  which  belongs  to  it. 

The  act  of  1693,  restricting  the  toleration  act  in  the  colony 
of  New  Jersey,  required  from  an  incumbent  of  office  a  declara- 
tion of  fidelity  to  the  king,  renunciation  of  popery  and  the  fol- 
lowing profession  of  the  Christian  faith:  /,  A.  B.,  profess  faith 


FRIENDS'  MEETING  HOUSE   AT  STONY  BROOK.  6y 

in  God  the  Father  and  JESUS  CHRIST,  his  eternal  Son  the 
true  God,  and  in  the  Holy  Spirit,  one  God  blessed  forever  more, 
and  do  acknoivledge  the  Holy  Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New 
Testament  to  be  given  by  Divine  Inspiration.'' 

This  would  seem  to  have  been  the  Quakers'  creed,  as  the 
Quakers  in  the  West  Jersey  Assembly  would  not  have  assented 
to  such  an  enactment  if  it  had  not  represented  their  views.  It 
is  not  in  conflict  with  William  Pcnn's  confession.  Superadded 
to  these  cardinal  or  fundamental  doctrines,  the  Quakers  held 
that  water  Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper  were  only  com- 
mp"  'co  for  a  time. 
^'        They  held  also  to  these  moral  precepts,  viz., 

1.  "That  it  is  not  lawful  to  give  to  men  such  flattering  titles  as  Your  Honor, 
Esquire,  Your  Lordship,  etc.,  nor  use  those  flattering  words  called  compliments. 

2.  "  That  it  is  not  law  ful  for  Christians  to  kneel  or  prostrate  themselves  to  any 
man  or  to  bow  the  body  or  to  uncover  tiie  head  to  them. 

3.  "  That  it  is  nc;t  lawful  for  a  Christian  to  use  such  superfluities  in  apparel  as 
are  of  no  use  save  for  ornament  and  vanity. 

4.  "  That  it  is  not  lawful  to  use  games,  sports  or  plays  among  Christians,  under 
the  notion  of  recreations,  which  do  not  agree  with  Christian  gravity  and  sobriety, 
for  laughing,  sporting,  gaming,  mocking,  jesting,  vain  talking,  etc.,  are  not  Chris- 
tian liberty  or  harmless  mirth. 

5.  "  That  it  is  not  lawful  for  Christians  to  swear  at  all,  under  the  Gospel,  not 
only  vainly  and  in  their  common  discourse,  which  was  also  forijidden  under  the  law 
but  not  even  in  judgment  before  the  magistrate. 

6.  "  That  it  is  not  lawful  for  Christians  to  resist  evil  or  to  war  or  to  fight  in  any 
case." 

The  Friends  who  first  settled  at  Stony  Brook  held  sub- 
stantially to  the  principles  above  stated,  and  they  desired  to 
perpetuate  them  among  their  children. 

On  June  i,  1709,  Benjamin  Clarke  conveyed  by  deed  nine 
acres  and  sixty-hundredths  of  an  acre  of  land  to  Richard  Stock- 
ton and  others,  in  trust,  to  build  a  meeting-house  on  it  and  for 
a  burying  ground  for  the  Society  of  Friends.  This  was  about 
twelve  years  after  the  settlement  at  Stony  Brook  by  the  fami- 
lies of  Clark,  Olden,  Worth,  Stockton  and  Hornor,  all  of  whom 
were  reputed  to  belong  to  the  Society  of  Friends,  This  lot  of 
land,  so  set  apart,  still  remains  occupied  for  the  purposes  for 
which  it  was  dedicated  by  the  grantor.  In  the  latter  part  of 
the  summer  of  1709  a  small  frame  building  was  erected  on  said 
lot  for  a  meeting-house   in  which   meetings  for  worship  and 


68  HISTORY   OF  rA'/.VC£VO:V. 

business  were  regularly  held  till  the  year  1760,  when,  being 
small  and  somewhat  out  of  repair,  it  was  removed  or  torn  down 
and  the  present  stone  building  was  built  on  its  site,  for  a  meet- 
ing-house, in  the  summer  of  that  year.  Members  of  Burling- 
ton, Chesterfield  and  Little  Egg-harbor  Monthly  meetings  cour 
tributed  funds  towards  paying  the  expense  ;  the  latter  meeting 
(held  at  Tuckerton)  contributing  £1^  for  that  purpose. 

Before  a  meeting-house  was  built  at  Stony  Brook  the  fami- 
lies and  members  of  the  Society,  in  the  neighborhood,  held 
their  religious  meetings  on  the  Sabbath  for  worship  at  their 
private  dwelling  houses  alternately.  This  place  of  religious 
worship  has  remained  for  ofw  huiuircd  and  sixty-nine  years  ! 
The  present  stone  building  has  stood  for  one  hundred  and 
eighteen  years.  It  is  probably  older  than  the  church  at  Maid- 
enhead, though  the  grant  of  land  to  that  congregation  bears 
date  about  ten  years  prior  to  the  deed  for  the  Quaker  meeting- 
house at  Stony  Brook.  The  burying  ground  is  annexed  to  the 
meeting-house.  Though  used  as  a  place  of  sepulture  for  five 
generations  there  is  not  a  grave  named  by  a  monument  within 
its  enclosure.  The  house  of  worship  is  small,  and  its  interior 
resembles  an  ancient  country  school-room  more  than  a  house 
of  worship.  The  society  was  careful  to  provide  education  for 
their  children,  and  generally  maintained,  until  recent  years,  a 
school  under  their  exclusive  control.  They  have  a  fund  for 
this  purpose. 

It  is  quite  probable  that  prior  to  1757,  when  the  college 
was  removed  hither,  the  Friend's  school  at  Stony  Brook  was 
the  principal  if  not  the  only  school  in  the  neighborhood.  We 
have  no  particular  account  of  such  a  school  prior  to  the  year 
1781.  At  that  time  a  committee  appointed  by  the  preparative 
meeting  to  have  the  care  and  oversight  of  the  Friends'  school, 
adopted  the  following  rules  and  regulations  for  the  good 
government  thereof,  to  wit : 

1.  "  The  master  shall  keep  a  fiai  ticular  account  of  employers'  names,  number  of 
scholars  and  time  of  entrance  and  a  particular  account  of  all  transient  scholars  and 
the  time  they  come. 

2.  '■  No  scholar  shall  be  admitted  into  the  school  who  will  not  comply  with  the 
rules  and  orders. 

3.  "  No  distinction  shall  be  shown  to  the  children  of  rich  or  poor,  but  the  strictest 
impartiality  shall  be  observed  by  the  trustees  and  teacher  to  all. 


FRIENDS'  MEETING  HOUSE  AT  STONY  BROOK'.  69 

4.  "  The  hours  of  teaching  shall  be  from  8  o'clock  to  12  and  from  2  to  6  from 
the  rst  day  of  the  4th  mo.  to  the  ist  day  of  the  10th  mo.,  and  from  half  after  8  to 
half  after  4  from  the  1st  of  the  lOth  mo.  to  the  ibt  of  the  4th  nio.,  allowing  two  hours 
at  noon. 

5.  "The  master  shall  be  careful  to  speak  the  grammaticnl  plain  Scripture  lan- 
guage and  require  it  on  all  occasions,  and  shall  give  the  strictest  attention  to  pre- 
vent evil  words  and  actions  and  vice  of  every  kind.  Every  scholar  is  to  behave 
him  or  herself  orderly  and  becoming,  on  pain  of  being  expelled  the  school,  but  the 
master  shall  not  dismiss  any  without  a  sufficient  cause,  approved  by  a  majority  of 
the  trustees  ;  and  where  any  employer  is  dissatisfied  with  the  master's  conduct  in 
school,  he  or  she  shall  lay  it  before  the  trustees,  that  it  maybe  settled  in  a  friendly 
manner,  as  becomes  people  professing  Christianity. 

6.  "  The  master  shall  suffer  no  scholar  in  the  school  who  hath  the  itch  or  any 
other  infectious  distemper. 

7.  "  It  is  expected  that  the  master  will  attend  our  own  religious  fourth  day  meet- 
ings, accompanied  by  his  scholars. 

8.  "  In  future  no  scholars  to  be  admitted  without  the  approbation  of  a  majority 
of  the  trustees. 

g.  "  The  master  is  not  to  withhold  correction  from  any  when  needful,  l)ut  is  to 
be  careful  not  to  strike  in  any  improper  or  tender  place,  especially  the  face." 

The  following  rules  were  approved  and  directed  to  be  kept 
up  in  a  convenient  public  place  in  the  school,  to  be  observed 
by  the  scholars. 

"  RULES  TO  BE  OBSERVED  BY  SCHOLARS." 

1.  Fail  not  to  be  at  school  precisely  at  the  time  appointed  unless  good  reason 
can  be  assigned  to  the  master. 

2.  Be  always  silent  at  your  studies  so  that  your  voices  be  not  heard  unless  when 
saying  your  lessons  or  speaking  to  your  master.  Hold  no  discourse  with  your 
school  fellows  during  the  time  of  study  unless  to  ask  something  relating  to  your 
learning  and  then  in  a  low  voice.  Be  careful  on  all  occasions  to  use  the  plain 
grammatical  Scripture  language  ;  at  no  time  use  the  word  ^'<7«  to  a  single  ])erson. 

3.  Behave  yourselves  always  in  a  gently  obliging  manner  to  your  school  fellows, 
tenderly  affectionate,  never  provoking  one  another,  contending  nor  complaining 
about  frivolous  matters,  but  courteously  use  kind  expressions  one  towards  the  other. 

4.  Be  not  forward  to  divulge  any  thing  passed  in  school. 

It  would  be  interesting  to  know  the  names  and  the  numbers 
of  those  persons  who  belonged  to  this  society  and  who  were  in 
the  habit  of  worshipping  at  this  ancient  place  of  worship  for  at 
least  the  first  century  of  its  existence.  It  was  the  only  place  of 
public  worship  in  Princeton  prior  to  the  building  of  the  college 
in  1757  ;  and  before  that  event  the  most  prevalent  type  of 
Christian  faith  and  worship,  in  this  community,  was  that  of  the 
Society  of  Friends.     The  Clarkes,  the  Hornors,  the  Worths, 


/O  HISTORY   OF  PRINCETOy. 

the  Oldens,  and  the  Stocktons,  in  succeeding  generations, 
greatly  multiplying  in  number,  were  all,  with  i^w  exceptions, 
attendants  upon  the  worship  of  tliis  little  Stony  Brook  meet- 
ing-house. It  has  been  the  centre  of  a  large  geographical  cir- 
cuit of  a  Quaker  population  ;  no  other  such  place  of  worship 
ever  being  nearer  to  it  than  Trenton.  It  has  attracted  Quaker 
families  for  three  or  four  miles  distant  from  it  on  every  side  ; 
and  its  situation  along  the  Stony  Brook  and  in  the  Clarke 
tract  of  land,  near  to  Worth's  mills  and  the  Battle-field,  in  the 
very  midst  of  thrifty  and  religious  farmers  of  the  Friends' 
Society,  made  it  prominent  as  a  good  field  to  develop  and 
prove  the  excellence  of  this  Christian  system. 

There  has  been  but  one  uniform  testimony  borne  by  all 
classes  of  society  in  this  community,  from  its  first  settlement 
till  the  present  time,  as  to  the  intelligence,  high  moral  charac- 
ter and  pure  citizen  life  which  have  characterized  the  members 
of  this  religious  Society  of  Friends.  Yet  this  little  meeting- 
house, built  one  hundred  and  eighteen  years  ago,  has  continued 
to  be  large  enough  to  accommodate  all  who  have  resorted  to  it 
on  the  Sabbath  for  worship,  requiring  no  enlargement  or  re- 
building to  adapt  its  capacity  to  the  natural  increase  of  their 
descendants  through  successive  generations  ;  nor  yet  has  there 
been  formed  out  of  this  venerable  association  any  new  organi- 
zation of  the  same  society  within  its  own  geographical  circuit. 

On  the  contrary,  this  Society  of  Friends  at  Stony  Brook, 
so  flourishing  and  influential  in  years  long  passed  away,  has 
been  declining,  especially  within  the  last  generation,  until  now 
it  can  hardly  be  said  to  have  an  existence.  There  are  not 
probably  more  than  half  a  dozen  members  of  this  society  who 
attend  an  ordinary  meeting  at  Stony  Brook  on  the  Sabbath, 
when  the  house  is  open.  So  far  as  meetings  for  worship  are 
concerned  there  are  none  except  what  may  be  described  as  a 
family  meeting  occasionally  at  a  private  house.  Among  the 
descendants  of  the  ancient  Quaker  families  of  Stony  Brook  and 
Princeton,  who  do  not  attend  Presbyterian  or  some  other 
church,  but  who  adhere  strictly  to  the  worship  of  the  Friends, 
we  know  of  but  one  such  in  this  neighborhood.  It  is  true  that 
the  old  Quaker  men  and  women  who  were  accustomed  to  con- 
form to  the  rules  of  worship  and  the  habits  of  life  prescribed 


FRIEN'DS'  MEETING  HOUSE   AT  STO.VY  BROOK.  7 1 

by  their  society,  have  disappeared  from  among  us.  Their 
children  and  descendants,  though  few  in  number,  have  grad- 
ually withdrawn  or  been  cut  off  from  the  society  and  joined  the 
Presbyterian  or  Episcopal  churches,  some  by  open  profession 
of  faith  and  others  only  by  attendance  upon  public  preaching 
in  the  churches.  The  distinctive  Quaker  dress  is  rarely  seen 
any  more  in  our  streets  or  public  assemblies.  Among  our 
young  people  there  are  none  who  claim  to  be  strict  Friends. 

We  do  not  propose  to  attempt  to  explain  the  decadence  of 
this  religious  society,  which  was  once  so  strongly  implanted  in 
this  community.  It  cannot  be  ascribed  to  persecution  for  they 
have  been  treated  with  respect  amounting  almost  to  reverence. 
It  was  not  due  to  the  want  of  material  prosperity,  for  while 
their  system  demands  but  little  they  have  been  the  most  thrif- 
ty and  well  to  do  of  all  classes  of  our  citizens.  Nor  has  it 
been  because  other  religious  fraternities  growing  apace  of  them 
in  numbers,  education  and  public  activities,  have  refused  to  fel- 
lowship with  them  ;  for  while  all  other  Christian  associations 
would  always  have  welcomed  most  cordially  this  class  into 
their  common  and  social  life,  it  has  been  a  rigid  rule  character- 
istic of  the  vital  principles  of  Quakerism  to  segregate  its  mem- 
bers from  all  outsiders  wholly  as  to  intermarriages  and  almost 
so  as  to  social  intercourse. 

The  history  of  this  case  may  find  its  counterpart  in  the 
history  of  other  similar  Societies  of  Friends  in  other  communi- 
ties where  a  similar  decadence  may  be  witnessed,  and  while 
there  may  be  many  arguments  urged  touching  the  self  perpet- 
uating power  in  the  system  in  question,  the  intelligent,  practi- 
cal Christian  worker  will  not  fail  to  inquire  whether  sacraments, 
though  not  vital  to  salvation,  are  not  essential  ligaments  in  a 
permanent  Christian  association  ;  and  whether  regular  preach- 
ing by  a  learned  and  paid  ministry  is  not  indispensable  to  per- 
petuate and  quicken  Christianity  without  the  aid  of  supersti- 
tion. Can  any  system,  however  divine,  perpetuate  itself  with- 
out having  men  set  apart  and  paid  to  defend  and  propagate 
its  principles?  It  is  due  to  the  association  at  Stony  Brook  to 
say  that  they  never  joined  the  Hicksite  division  but  adhered 
rigidly  to  the  old  Orthodox  society.  Among  the  latest  families 
which  were  prominent  and  devoted  in  their  adherence  to  this 


72  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

society  were  those  of  Thomas  Lavender,  who  lived  on  the 
Castle-Howard  farm,  Daniel  Fletcher,  who  lived  in  Mercer 
Street  in  the  house  of  his  wife  (Phebe  Clarke),  and  Chalkley 
Wills,  of  Penn's  Neck.  None  have  come  to  take  their  vacant 
places. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  OF  PRINCETON. 

Section  I. — Early  history  of  the  Church,  1750-1768 — Presidents  Burr,  Edwards, 
Davies  and  Finley,  the  Preachers. — II. — Its  History  continued,  1768-1795,  un- 
der Presidents  Witherspoon  and  Smith. — III. — Pastorate  of  the  Rev.  Samuel 
Finley  Snowden,  1795-1804 — IV. — Pastorate  of  Rev.  Henry  Kollock,  1S04-10 
— V. — Pastorate  of  Rev.  William  C.  Schenck,  1810-20 — VI. — Pastorate  of 
Rev.  George  S.  Woodhull,  1820-32 — VII. — Pastorate  of  Rev.  Benjamin  H. 
Rice,  1832-47 — VIII.— Pastorate  of  Rev.  William  E.  Schenck,  1S47-52 — IX. 
— Pastorate  of  Rev.  James  M.  Macdonald,  1852-76. — X. — Real  Estate  and 
Miscellaneous  Matters  of  the  Congregation. 

SECTION  I. 

EARLY    HISTORY     OF    THE    CHURCH,     1750-I768— BURR,   ED- 
WARDS,  DAVIES,   FINLEY. 

The  earliest  agitation  in  the  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick, 
foreshadowing  a  movement  for  a  Presbyterian  church  in  Prince- 
ton, arose  on  the  third  day  of  September,  1751.  An  applica- 
tion was  made  at  that  time  in  behalf  of  the  congregation  at 
Kingston  for  supplies,  and  thereupon  some  member,  it  is  not 
stated  who,  moved  "  tJiat  the  supplies  granted  sJiould  be  equally 
divided  betzvecn  Kingstozvn  and  PrincetownJ' 

The  subject  was  laid  over  till  the  next  day  when,  after  due 
deliberation,  the  following  minute  was  adopted,  viz: 

"  The  Presbytery,  taking  into  consideration  the  case  of  Kingstown  and  Prince- 
town,  do  judge  it  not  expedient  that  tliere  be  two  places  of  meeting  upon  the  Sab- 
bath, but  do  recommend  it  to  those  that  supply  them,  that  they  preach  a  lecture  at 
Princetovvn  if  they  can." 

The  Presbyterian  church,  at  Kingston,  had  just  lost  its 
minister,  the  Rev.  Eleazer  Wales  who,  after  a  long  pastorate 
at  that  place,  probably  twenty  years,  died  in  1749.*     The  Pres- 

*  The  church  at  Kingston  was  organized  about,  perhaps  before,  the  year  1730. 
The  first  log  cabin  church  was  built  in  1732,  the  second  building  in  1792,  and  the 


74  HISrORY   OF  PRINCETON. 

byterian  inhabitants  of  Princeton  and  its  vicinity  liad  been  ac- 
customed to  attend  public  worship  either  at  Kingston  or  at 
Maidenhead  (Lawrenceville),  more  at  the  former  than  at  the 
latter  place.  The  early  records  of  the  Kingston  church,  if  they 
had  not  been  lost  or  negligently  kept,  would  show  a  large 
church  membership  of  persons  residing  in  Triuccton,  prior  to 
the  building  of  a  Presbyterian  church  in  Princeton. 

No  meeting  of  the  Presbytery  had  ever  been  held  in  Prince- 
ton until  December,  175 1,  when  'a  pro  re  nata  meeting  was 
held  for  the  purpose  of  addressing  their  letter  to  the  British 
Government  in  favor  of  Governor  Belcher,  which  has  been  in- 
serted in  a  previous  chapter.  The  people  waited  patiently,  the 
village  grew,  and  the  fact  of  the  removal  of  the  college  to  this 
place  had  become  fixed,  not  only  by  a  resolution  of  the  trustees 
closing  with  the  overtures  from  Princeton,  but  by  the  actual 
execution  of  the  deed  for  the  college  ground.  Just  two  months 
before  the  work  of  digging  the  cellar  for  the  college  edifice  com- 
menced, and  a  little  more  than  a  year  after  the  deed  for  the 
college  ground  was  executed,  the  Presbytery  met  at  Maiden- 
head.    It  was  on  the  27th  of  May,  1755. 

At  this  meeting  an  application  was  made  in  behalf  of 
Princeton  "  for  supplies  and  for  liberty  to  bni/d  a  meeting-house 
there''  On  the  29th  the  subject  was  acted  upon  and  the  result 
was  declared  by  the  following  minute  : 

"  The  afiair  of  Princeton  being  considered  tlie  Presbytery  DO  GRANT  LIBERTY 
TO  TiiK  PKOrLE  OK  SAID  TOWN  TO  BUH.D  A  MEE'i'iNG-iiousE,  and  also  Conclude  to 
allow  them  supplies." 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Davenport  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Kennedy  were 
directed  to  supply  Princeton  with  preaching  for  three  Sabbaths. 
From  this  time  Princeton  became  an  ecclesiastical  place.  The 
next  year  a  commission  of  synod,  to  whom  the  call  to  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Bostwick  of  Jamaica,  from  the  church  of  New  York,  had 
been  referred,  selected  Princeton  as  the  place  of  their  meeting 
and  held  their  convention  here  accordingly. 

The  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick  has  continued  to  meet 
here  yearly  almost  from  that  time  to  the  present,  except  dur- 
ing   the  Revolutionary  War.     The  record,   prior  to  the  war, 

present  one  in  1852.  Mr.  Wales  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  Van  Arsdalcn,  Mr.  Voor- 
hees  and  Mr.  Comfort. 


THE  PRESBYTERIAN   CI/URCII—iTio~i-]G?,.  75 

indicates  their  meeting  here  twenty-one  different  times  between 
1757  and  1776,  two  and  three  times  a  year  for  several  years, 
and  then  some  years  not  meeting  here  at  aU,  Frequently  those 
meetings  were  held  in  Nassau  Hall. 

Although,  in  1755,  leave  had  been  given  to  the  people  of 
Princeton  to  build  a  church,  no  definite  step  had  been  taken 
for  executing  the  work  before  1762.  The  college,  which  was 
erected  and  fit  for  use  in  1757,  contained  a  chapel  nearly  forty 
feet  square,  with  a  gallery  in  it,  and  an  organ.  In  this  hall  or 
chapel  there  was  public  worship  on  the  Sabbath  ;  and  with  the 
students  who  came  here  with  President  Burr,  seventy  in  num- 
ber, several  of  the  families  residing  in  and  near  Princeton  united 
in  worship.  They  rented  pews  in  the  chapel,  as  it  appears 
from  the  minutes  of  the  college,  which  disclosed  a  provision 
for  forfeiting  them  for  non-payment  of  rent.  These  Sabbath 
assemblies  congregated  in  the  college  chapel  for  worship,  at- 
tending to  the  preaching  of  the  word  of  God,  from  the  lips  of 
the  early  presidents,  constituted  the  germ  of  the  Princeton 
church.  No  wonder  that  the  people  of  Princeton  did  prefer 
to  worship  here  instead  of  driving  several  miles  to  Kingston 
or  Lawrenceville.  Could  any  supplies  which  Presbytery  might 
send  be  so  worthy  of  a  hearing  as  those  eloquent,  learned  and 
godly  men.  Presidents  Burr,  Edwards,  Davies  and  Finley? 
It  was  indeed  a  rare  privilege  to  sit  under  the  ministrations  of 
these  extraordinary  men. 

As  President  Burr  was  the  first  preacher  who  was  re- 
quired to  preach  every  Sabbath  in  Princeton,  in  the  college 
chapel  to  the  students,  and  to  the  families  of  the  town  who 
rented  pews  in  that  place  of  worship,  we  ought  to  record  some- 
thing of  the  fruits  of  his  labors  during  his  short  ministry  here. 
He  came  to  Princeton  with  his  students  in  November,  1756,  and 
he  died  September  24th,  1757.  He  had  been  preaching  but  a 
few  months  here  in  the  new  college  chapel  when  a  remarkable 
revival  of  religion  occurred.  Its  first  subject  was  the  case  of  a 
very  sick  student,  who  was  aroused  under  a  conviction  of  sin 
and  his  conversation  impressed  others  until  the  awakened  feel- 
ing became  contagious  among  the  students  before  the  president 
knew  anything  of  it.     The  young  men  strove  to  counteract  the 


7^  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

influence  of  the  spirit,  but  with  little  success.  The  Rev,  Wil- 
liam Tcnnent  was  present  assisting  President  Burr  during  the 
progress  of  the  gracious  work,  and  no  man  was  more  compe- 
tent to  describe  it  than  he.  In  a  letter  written  by  him  to 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Finley,  under  date  of  Feb.  27,  1757,  and  pub- 
lished in  the  "  Log  College,"  he  says : 

"  I  went  to  the  college  last  Monday,  having  heard  that  God  had  begun  a  work 
of  the  Spirit  there,  and  saw  as  astonishing  a  display  of  God's  power  and  grace  as  I 
ever  beheld  or  heard  of  in  the  conviction  of  sinners.  Not  one  member  in  the  house 
missed  it,  in  a  greater  or  less  degree.  The  whole  house  was  a  Bochini.  A  sense  of 
God's  holiness  was  so  impressed  on  the  hearts  of  its  inhabitants  that  there  were  only 
two  who  were  esteemed  to  be  religious,  that  I  know  of,  whose  hoj)es  were  not  great- 
ly shaken.  Tiie  glorious  ray  reached  the  Latin  School  and  much  affected  the  mas- 
ter and  a  number  of  the  scholars.  Nor  was  it  confined  to  the  students  only  ;  some 
others  were  awakened.  I  spoke  with  all  the  members,  personally,  except  one  that 
I  providentially  found,  the  most  of  whom  inquired  with  anxious  solicitude  what  they 
should  do  to  be  saved,  according  to  the  example  of  the  tremljling  jailor.  I  never 
saw  any  in  that  case  who  had  more  clear  views  of  God,  themselves,  their  duty,  de- 
fects, their  impotence  and  misery,  than  they  had  in  general.  Every  room  had  mourn- 
ing inhabitants  ;  their  studies  witnessed  their  prayers.  You  will  want  to  know  how 
they  behaved.  I  answer  as  solemn  mourners  at  the  funeral  of  a  dear  friend.  It 
pleased  the  Lord  so  to  order  it,  that  there  were  no  public  outcries.  I  believe  there 
never  was  in  any  house  more  genuine  sorrow  for  sin  and  longing  for  Jesus.  The 
work  so  far  exceeded  my  most  enlarged  expectations  that  I  was  lost  in  surprise,  and 
constrained  often  to  say,  Is  it  so?  Can  it  be  true?  Nor  is  my  being  eye  and  ear 
witness  from  Monday  to  Friday,  at  two  o'clock,  able  to  recover  me  from  my  aston- 
ishment. I  felt  as  the  Apostles  when  it  was  told  them  the  Lord  had  risen.  They 
could  not  believe  through  fear  and  great  joy.  Surely  the  good,  the  great  Jehovah 
is  wise  in  counsel  and  wonderful  in  working.  I  can  truly  say  that  my  reverend 
brethren  and  myself  felt  no  small  degree  of  that  pleasing  surprise  that  possessed 
the  Israelites  in  their  return  from  the  Babylonish  captivity,  mentioned  in  Psalm 
cxxvi,  when  the  Lord  turned  again  the  captivity  of  Zion.  We  were  like  them 
that  dreamed.     The  Lord  hath  done  great  things  for  us  whereof  we  are  glad  ! 

"This  glorious  work  was  gradual,  like  the  increasing  light  of  the  morning.  It 
was  not  begun  by  the  ordinary  means  of  preaching,  nor  have  any  alarming  methods 
been  used  to  promote  this  religious  concern  ;  yet  so  great  was  the  distress  that  I  did 
not  think  proper  to  use  any  arguments  of  terror  in  public  lest  some  should  sink 
under  the  weight  of  their  distress.  Notwithstanding,  I  found  by  conversing  with 
them  that  a  wise  and  gracious  Providence  had  brought  about  a  concurrence  of  dif- 
ferent incidents  which  tended  to  engage  them  to  a  serious  thoughtfulness  about  their 
souls.  These  things  considered  in  connection,  I  humbly  conceive,  manifest  singu- 
larly the  finger  of  God  ;  the  freeness  of  which  grace  will  equally  appear  by  consid- 
ering that,  a  little  before  this  gracious  never  to  be  forgotten  visitation,  some  of  the 
youth  had  given  a  greater  looseness  to  their  corruptions  than  was  common  among 
them — a  spirit  of  pride  and  contention,  to  the  great  grief  and  almost  discourage- 
ment of  the  worthy  president.     There  was  little  or  no  motion  of  the  passions  in  the 


THE   PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH— \T^o-\-](i%.  7/ 

preachers  during  their  public  performances,  nor  any  public  discourses  in  the  hours 
allotted  for  study,  but  at  the  morning  and  evening  prayers  ;  and  these  brief,  con- 
sisting of  plain  scriptural  directions,  proper  to  persons  under  spiritual  trouble. 
The  president  never  shone  in  my  eye  as  he  does  now.  His  good  judgment  and 
humility,  his  zeal  and  integrity  greatly  endeared  him  to  me.  IJefore  I  came  away 
several  received  something  like  the  spirit  of  adoption,  being  tenderly  affected  with 
a  sense  of  redeeming  love  and  thereby  disposed  and  determined  to  endeavor  after 
holiness  in  all  things. 

"  I  cannot  fully  represent  the  glorious  work.  It  will  bear  your  most  enlarged 
apprehensions  of  a  work  of  grace.  Let  God  have  all  the  glory.  My  poor  children 
through  free  grace  partook  of  the  shower  of  blessing.  Eternally  praised  be  my  tiod 
and  Father  who  has  herein  pitied  the  low  estate  of  his  most  mean  and  worihless 
servant  in  graciously  granting  me  my  desire.  This  to  me  is  a  tree  of  life  ;  yea  it  is 
to  my  soul  as  if  I  had  seen  the  face  of  God.  I  left  them  in  distress  ;  iliey  are  in 
the  hands  of  a  gracious  God  to  whom  I  have  long  since  devoted  them  wiili  all  my 
heart  and  soul.  Seeing  you  desire  to  know  their  names  they  are  John  and  William. 
Perhaps  a  few  lines  from  you,  dear  brother,  might  be  blessed  to  them.  Praying  our 
.«incerest  affection  to  Mrs.  Finley,  I  greatly  need  your  prayers  that  I  may  be 
thankful  and  faithful  unto  death. 

"  I  am  yoiii's, 

"Wm.  Tennent,  Jr." 

■The  death  of  so  excellent  and  distinguished  a  schohir  and 
preacher  as  President  Burr  was  a  severe  loss  to  the  church  as 
well  as  to  the  college.  His  remains  were  entombed  in  the 
Princeton  cemetery,  his  monument  standing  at  the  head  of 
the  monumental  row  of  the  college  presidents. 

The  Rev.  Jonathan  Edwards,  the  greatest  thinker  and 
theologian  of  ages,  was  elected  to  fill  the  place  made  vacant  by 
President  Burr.  He  came  to  Princeton  in  February,  1758. 
He  preached  a  few  times,  but  with  great  power  and  acceptance. 
He  died  in  March  of  that  year,  greatly  lamented  by  the  church 
and  by  all  the  schools  of  learning.  He  was  buried  by  the  side 
of  President  Burr's  grave  in  the  Princeton  cemetery. 

The  Rev.  John  Carmichael,  a  student  in  college  in  1758, 
writes  in  a  letter  under  date  of  Feb.  23d  of  that  year,  published 
in  Sprague's  Annals,  vol  i.  p.  239,  as  follows : 

"  Doubtless  you  have  heard  that  Mr.  Edwards  has  taken  the  presidentship  of 
our  college.  A  dear  gentleman,  greatly  beloved  of  all  the  students,  one  whose  piety 
and  learning  are  too  well  known  to  need  my  commendation.  I  will  oidy  say  this 
much,  that  my  highest  expectations  have  been  moie  than  answered  in  everything. 
He  delivers  the  clear  and  awful  truths  of  our  holy  religion  with  a  solemnity  becom- 
ing their  importance,  and  as  one  who  is  really  intrusted  with  the  souls  of  his  fellow 


78  HISTORY   OF  PRINCETON. 

mortals.  I  hope  he  will  be  to  this  society  as  the  cherishing  rays  of  the  sun  which 
will  expel  the  heavy  gloom  and  nocturnal  darkness  which  seemed  impending  over 
Nassau  Hall,  on  the  hiding  from  view  that  bright  luminary,  by  the  death  of  Presi- 
dent Burr." 

In  November  of  the  same  year  he  writes  again  : 

"  I  have  seen  another  very  dear  president  (Edwards  himself)  breathing  out  his 
last  expiring  breath  in  the  agonies  of  death.  Oh,  my  soul,  forget  not  the  holy  forti- 
tude, the  Christian  magnanimity  with  which  he  grappled  with  the  tyrant,  and  his 
unshaken  faith  in  the  great  Mediator." 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Chalmers  wrote  of  President  Edwards  thus  : 

"  On  the  arena  of  metaphysics  he  stood  the  highest  of  all  his  cotemporaries,  and 
that  too  at  a  time  when  Hume  was  aiming  his  deadliest  thrusts  at  the  foundations 
of  morality  and  had  thrown  over  the  infidel  cause  the  whole  eclat  of  his  reputation 
*  *  *  and  we  know  not  what  most  to  admire  in  him,  whether  the  deep  philosophy 
that  issued  from  his  pen,  or  the  humble  and  child-like  piety  that  issued  from  his  pul- 
pit:  whether  when  as  an  author  he  deals  forth  upon  his  readers  the  subtilties  of 
profoundest  argument,  or  when  as  a  Christian  minister  he  deals  forth  upon  his 
hearers  the  simplicities  of  the  Gospel." 

The  reputation  of  Edwards  is  imperishable,  and  he  will 
come  under  observation  again,  in  connection  with  his  presi- 
dency of  the  college. 

The  death  of  the  great  Edwards  was  followed  by  the  choice 
of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Davies,  of  Virginia,  to  the  presidency  of 
the  college.  He  was  celebrated  as  a  popular  and  eloquent 
preacher.  He  came  to  Princeton  in  July,  1759,  ^"cl  took  the 
oath  of  office  in  September  of  that  year.  He  was  a  popular 
president,  bringing  the  number  of  the  students  up  to  about 
one  hundred.  He  was  in  the  first  rank  of  pulpit  orators,  per- 
haps excelling  Whitefield,  Saurin  and  Massilon. 

In  1759,  Nov.  20th,  at  a  meeting  of  the  Presbytery  held  at 
Princeton,  an  application  was  made  in  behalf  of  Princeton  that 
the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper  might  be  administered 
among  them,  and  the  Presbytery  looked  upon  it  "  as  reasona- 
ble and  did  appoint  Mr.  Tennent  to  adminish  r  it,  and  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Davies  to  assist."  It  was  at  the  meeting  of  March  1 1, 
1760,  at  Nassau  Hall,  when  the  Rev.  Mr.  Cowell  resigned  his 
charge  at  Trenton  on  account  of  health,  and  James  Caldwcil 
offered    himself   for  trial  for  the  ministry.       The  Rev.   Elihu 


THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH— i-]SO'ilb?>.  79 

Spencer  sat  as  a  corresponding  member.  At  a  meeting,  May 
6,  1760,  at  Nassau  Hall,  when  the  Rev.  Samuel  Davies  was 
present,  the  following  paper,  on  a  subject  which,  at  the  present 
day,  frequently  calls  forth  discussion,  was  adopted,  viz.: 

"Whereas,  the  College  of  New  Jersey  lies  in  the  bounds  of  this  Presbytery  and  it 
is  probable  tiiat  several  youths  will,  from  year  to  year,  prosecute  the  study  of  Divin- 
ity in  said  college,  who  may  incline  to  offer  themselves  upon  trials  in  this  Presljy- 
tery,  and  whereas  it  is  not  expedient  that  the  several  Presbyteries  should  examine 
and  license  those  candidates  that  intend  to  join  wiiii  them  and  settle  in  their  bounds, 
and  this  Presbytery  would  by  no  means  encroach  upon  the  rights  nor  undertake, 
without  necessity,  a  work  of  so  much  difficulty  and  importance,  they  therefore  agree 
and  resolve  that  in  ordinary  cases  they  will  receive  upon  trial  none  but  such  as  have 
statedly  resided  in  the  bounds  of  the  Presbytery  before  their  entrance  into  said  col- 
lege, or  who  declare  they  have  no  special  connections  in  other  places,  but  for  what 
they  know  they  are  likely  to  continue  in  this  Presbytery." 

The  Rev.  David  Bostwick,  of  New  York,  in  rapturous 
eulogy  of  Davies,  in  the  preface  to  one  of  the  editions  of  Da- 
vies'  Sermons,  writes  thus  : 

"  Whenever  he  ascended  the  sacred  desk  he  seemed  to  have  not  only  the  atten- 
tion but  all  the  various  passions  of  his  auditory  entirely  at  his  command.  And  as 
his  personal  appearance  was  august  and  venerable  yet  benevolent  and  mild,  so  he 
could  speak  with  the  most  commanding  authority  or  melting  tenderness,  according 
to  the  variations  of  his  subject.  With  what  majesty  and  grandeur,  with  what  ener- 
gy and  striking  solemnity,  with  what  powerful  and  almost  irresistilile  eloquence 
would  he  illustrate  the  truths  and  inculcate  the  duties  of  Christianity.  Mount 
Sinai  seemed  to  thunder  from  his  lips  when  he  denounced  the  tremendous  curses  of 
the  law  and  sounded  the  dreadful  alarm  to  the  guilty,  secure,  impenitent  sinners. 
The  solemn  scenes  of  the  last  judgment  seemed  to  rise  in  view  when  he  arraigned, 
tried,  and  convicted  self-deceivers  and  formal  hypocrites.  And  how  did  the  balm 
of  Gilead  distil  from  his  lips  when  he  exhibited  a  bleeding,  dying  Saviour  to  sinful 
mortals,  as  a  sovereign  remedy  for  the  wounded  heart  and  anguished  conscience. 
In  a  word,  whatever  subject  he  undertook,  persuasive  eloquence  dwelt  upon  his 
tongue  and  his  audience  was  all  attention.  He  spoke  as  upon  the  borders  (jf  eter- 
nity and  as  viewing  the  glories  and  terrors  of  an  unseen  world,  and  conveyed  the 
most  grand  and  affecting  ideas  of  these  important  realities." 

Davies  expresses  his  own  experience  and  sense  of  preach- 
ing in  a  private  letter  to  a  friend,  which  was  made  public  by 
Dr.  Gibbons,  of  London,  in  a  sermon  relative  to  the  death  of 
the  former.     He  wrote: 

"To  imbibe  the  spirit  of  Christianity,  to  maintain  a  secret  walk  with  God,  to  be 
holy  as  he  is  holy — this  is  the  labor,  this  is  the  work.  Perhaps  in  three  or  four  montlis 
I  preach  in  some  measure  as  I  could  wish,  that  is,  I  preach  as  in  the  sight  of  God, 


8o  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

and  as  if  I  were  to  step  from  the  pulpit  to  the  supreme  tribunal.  I  feel  my  subject. 
I  melt  into  tears  or  I  shudder  with  horror  when  I  denounce  the  terrors  of  the  Lord. 
I  glow,  I  soar  in  sacred  ecstacies  when  the  love  of  Jesus  is  my  theme,  and  as  Baxter 
was  wont  to  express  it,  in  lines  more  striking  to  me  than  all  the  fine  poetry  in  the 
world, 

'  I  preach  as  if  I  ne'er  should  preach  again. 
And  as  a  dying  man  to  dying  men.' 

But  alas  !  I  soon  flag,  my  devotions  languish  and  my  zeal  cools.  It  is  really  an  af- 
flictive thought  that  I  serve  so  good  a  Master  with  so  much  inconstancy;  but  so  it 
is,  and  my  soul  mourns  on  that  account." 

President  Davies  labored  in  Princeton  for  about  a  year  and 
a  half.  He  died  in  peace  Feb.  4,  1761.  He  Avas  the  first  oc- 
cupant of  the  new  house  for  the  president  of  the  college,  now 
occupied  by  President  McCosh,  Plis  pious  mother  gave  utter- 
ance to  words  of  sweet  submission  as  she  stood  gazing  upon 
his  coffined  remains  in  that  house.  "  There  is  the  son  of  my 
prayers  and  of  my  hopes,  my  only  son,  my  only  earthly  sup- 
porter, but  there  is  the  will  of  God  and  I  am  satisfied." 

To  have  sat  under  the  preaching  of  President  Davies  for  a 
year  and  a  half  was  a  privilege  enjoyed  by  the  people  of 
Princeton  as  well  as  by  the  students,  a  privilege  which  could 
not  have  been  barren  of  precious  fruit,  manifested  in  genera- 
tions afterwards. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  Finley,  the  successor  of  Davies, 
was  installed  president  of  the  college  in  September,  1761,  and 
he  preached  to  a  mixed  congregation  of  students  and  citizens 
in  the  chapel  as  his  predecessors  had  done.  But  the  prosperity 
of  the  college  and  the  growth  of  the  village  revived  the  pros- 
pect of  building  a  church  both  for  preaching  and  for  college 
uses  on  Commencement  occasions.  To  accomplish  this  object 
the  citizens  cooperated  with  the  college,  and  a  subscription 
paper,  bearing  date  January  20,  1762,  was  circulated  to  raise 
funds.  That  paper,  with  the  names  of  the  subscribers  and  the 
amount  subscribed,  is  still  preserved  ;  and  in  order  to  learn  who 
were  the  friends  and  supporters  of  this  church  enterprise  we  in- 
sert here  a  copy  of  the  original  paper,  which  we  believe  was  in 
the  hand-writing  of  Richard  Stockton. 

"  We,  the  subscribers,  do  each  for  himself,  his  executors  and  administrators,  cov- 
enant and  promise  to  and  with  the  Rev.  Mr.  Samuel  Finley,  president  of  the  Col- 
lege of  New  Jersey,  that  we  and  each  of  us  will  pay  unto  the  said  Samuel  Finley, 


THE   PRESBYTERIAN  (T/Zt^A'C//— 1750-1768. 


81 


his  executors  and  administrators,  the  sum  affixed  to  eacli  of  our  names,  to  be  applied 
towards  building  a  Presbyterian  church  in  Princeton,  one-half  of  said  sum  to  be  paid 
when  the  foundation  of  the  church  is  laid,  and  the  other  half  when  it  is  covered. 
In  witness  whereof  we  have  hereunto  set  our  hand  this  20th  day  of  January,  Anno 
Domini  1762. 


Richard  Stockton,  (one  acre  of  land  to 
set  the  church  on) 

Ezekiel  Forman ;^50 

Derrick  Longstreet 50 

Job  Stockton 25 

Newell  Furman 20 

Jacob  Scudder 20 

Nathan  Furman 10 

Thomas  Van  Dike 3 

Jonathan  Baldwin 20 

Samuel  Hornor 10 

Jonathan  Sergeant. 10 

Richard  Patterson lo 


Thomas  Wiggins £\o 

Patrick  Barber 5 

Samuel  Brunson 5 

Stephen  Truesdell 6 

Gilbert  Gaw. .  , 3 

Thomas  Randolph 10 

William  Hammell 6 

William  Whitehead 20 

Isaac  Van  Dike 15 

John  Schenck 15 

Paul   Randolph 3 

Wilson  Hunt 3 


It  was  very  reasonable  that  the  college  should  feel  an  inter- 
est in  the  proposed  church  and  have  something  to  say  as  to  its 
location  and  structure.  Hence  we  find  that  there  were  nego- 
tiations between  the  trustees  of  the  college  and  those  of  the 
church,  resulting  in  a  contract  between  them,  which  has  kept  a 
union  between  them  until  the  present  time,  a  union  which  is 
not  generally  understood  by  the  congregation  at  this  day. 

By  this  agreement  the  college  consented  that  the  church 
edifice  should  be  built  on  land  belonging  to  the  college;  that 
the  college  should  loan  the  trustees  of  the  church,  towards 
erecting  the  building,  ;^700,  but  which  was  to  be  repaid  and 
which  was  subsequently  done;  that  one  side  of  the  church  gal- 
lery should  be  reserved  for  the  students,  and  that  the  college 
should  have  a  right  to  the  use  of  the  church  for  three  days  at 
Commencement  and  at  other  times,  for  public  speaking,  when 
the  president  should  desire  it.  This  agreement  was  made  in 
1762.  There  was  no  conveyance  of  the  land  made  to  the 
church  at  that  time.  Afterward,  in  1783,  when  the  church 
needed  repairing  from  the  damage  done  to  it  by  the  soldiers  of 
the  Revolution,  the  relation  of  the  college  to  the  church,  under 
the  original  agreement,  was  revived,  and  a  large  committee  of 
the  congregation  was  appointed  to  treat  with  the  trustees  of 
the  college  on  the  subject ;  and  it  was  agreed  that  the  trustees 
6 


■i 


82  HISTORY   OF  PRINCETON. 

of  the  college  should  convey  a  legal  title  to  the  church  for  the 
lot  which  they  had  purchased  of  Nath.  l-'itz  Randolph,  and 
also  for  the  lot  on  which  the  church  then  stood  adjoining  it. 
The  same  reservations  in  favor  of  the  college  as  before,  were 
made,  with  the  addition  that  no  persons  should  be  buried  with- 
in the  bounds  of  said  lot,  on  the  outside  of  the  church  walls. 
]^ut  this  agreement  was  not  really  put  into  execution  nor  was 
the  title  conveyed  to  the  church  until  1816,  when  Dr.  Green,  as 
president  of  the  college,  executed  the  deed,  with  its  reserva- 
tions and  conditions,  which  Mill  be  particularly  stated  as  we 
progress,  chronologicallv-,  in  the  history  of  the  church. 

The  church  edifice  was  probably  commenced  in  1762.  Dr. 
John  Woodhull,  late  of  Freehold,  states  that  in  September  of 
that  year,  when  he  came  to  college,  "  the  walls  of  the  church 
were  up  or  partly  up."  The  work  of  erection  was  slow.  The 
congregation  was  small  and  weak  ;  and  notwithstanding  the 
aid  they  received  from  the  college,  it  is  alleged  that  there  was 
some  talk  in  1763  of  the  church  surrendering  the  work  to  the 
college.  But  the  struggle  resulted  in  success,  and  the  building 
became  fit  for  use  in  the  year  1766,  a  few  months  before  the 
death  of  President  Finley,  who,  it  is  believed,  had  preached  in 
the  new  church  for  a  {aw  months  before  his  death. 

The  original  church  was  built  on  the  same  lot  of  land  on 
which  the  present  church  stands,  but  it  was  built  with  its  side 
to  the  street  and  not  its  end  as  this  one  is.  The  pulpit  was  on 
the  side  of  the  audience  room.  There  were  57  pews,  23  of 
them  were  squares  around  next  to  the  wall.  There  were  three 
aisles  running  in  one  direction  and  two  in  another.  It  was 
built  of  brick  and  with  galleries  on  three  sides.  In  1792  Dr. 
Witherspoon  erected  a  large  canopy  over  the  pulpit,  with  am- 
ple drapery  of  dark  colored  stuff  hanging  about  it  in  festoons, 
fastened  by  a  large  gilded,  radiating,  star-shaped  ornament. 

Princeton  was  again  visited,  during  Dr.  Finley's  administra- 
tion in  the  college  and  church,  with  a  gracious  revival  of  re- 
ligion. The  Rev.  William  E.  Schenck,  in  his  historical  thanks- 
giving discourse,  delivered  in  Princeton  in  1850,  thus  describes  it : 

"  In  the  fall  of  the  year  1762,  just  after  the  erection  of  the  cluirch  had  been  com- 
menced, it  pleased  God  again  to  pour  out  his  Holy  Spirit  wiih  an  uncommon  i)owcr. 
Of  this  revival  Dr.  Woodhull,  when  he  had  become  one  of  the  aged  fathers  in  the 


^.  1 

♦          ' 

1          V    J 

THE   PRESBYTERlAh'   CnURCH-i-i^(^i^L%.  83 

Presbyterian  church  and  had  witnessed  many  and  blessed  revival  scenes,  writes 
that  it  was  the  greatest  he  ever  saiv.  Its  power,  he  informs  us,  was  felt  not  only  in 
college  but  throughout  the  whole  town,  and  extended  .some  distance  into  the  adja- 
cent country.  It  especially  extended  throughout  Mapleton,  from  Scudder's  Mills 
to  Kingston,  a  considerable  number  of  families  in  that  quarter  Ijeing  then  connected 
with  the  Princeton  congregation.  He  remarks  that  probably  not  a  member  of  the 
college  remained  unaffected,  while  many  in  the  town  were  brought  under  deep  im- 
pressions. The  revival  lasted  for  about  a  year.  It  began  in  the  Freshman  class, 
of  which  Dr.  WoodhuU  was  then  a  member.  Almost  as  soon  as  the  session  com- 
menced this  clase  met  once  in  the  week  for  prayer.  One  of  the  members  became 
deeply  impressed  and  this  affected  the  whole  class.  The  other  classes  and  the 
whole  college  soon  became  much  impressed.  Every  class  became  a  praying  society 
and  the  whole  college  met  once  a  week  for  prayer.  Societies  were  also  held  by  the 
students  in  the  town  and  in  the  country  around,  especially  at  Mapleton.  There 
were  two  members  of  the  Senior  class  who  were  considered  as  opposers  of  the  good 
work  at  first,  yet  both  of  these  were  afterwards  preachers  of  the  Gospel.  It  was 
afterwards  found  that  about  fifty  of  the  students,  or  one-half  of  those  then  in  the 
institution,  had  been  hopefully  converted  and  brought  to  make  a  profession  of  re- 
ligion. Of  this  number  a  large  proportion  afterwards  devoted  themselves  to  the 
Gospel  ministry.  What  number  was  brought  in  from  among  the  other  portion  of 
the  congregation  does  not  appear,  but  there  is  every  probability  that  it  was  quite 
considerable.      It  was  a  very  precious  and  very  solemn  season." 

Those  were  the  days  of  the  celebrated  Whitefield,  whose 
preaching:  was  attended  with  such  wonderful  power  through- 
out the  church  both  in  this  country  and  in  Great  Britain.  Mr. 
Whitefield  made  a  visit  to  Princeton  just  after  this  revival,  in 
1763.  and  spent  several  days  here  with  President  Finley,  and 
preached  several  times  "  Avith  much  approbation  and  success," 
as  he  describes  it. 

Dr.  Woodhull  says  that  "  Dr.  Finley,  in  the  pulpit,  was  al- 
ways solemn  and  sensible  and  sometimes  glowing  with  fervor. 
His  learning  was  very  extensive."  Ebenezer  Hazard,  Esq., 
another  of  his  pupils,  says  that  "  he  was  remarkable  for  sweet- 
ness of  temper  and  politeness  of  behavior."  Flis  death  was  so 
remarkably  triumphant  that  Dr.  Mason  wrote  an  eloquent  ser- 
mon, contrasting  it  with  that  of  Hume. 

Dr.  Finley  undoubtedly  rendered  valuable  assistance  in 
procuring  the  erection  of  the  church  in  Princeton.  He  acted 
as  the  pastor  of  the  congregation,  received  the  contributions 
for  the  church,  and  by  his  labors  of  love  in  the  ministry  greatly 
endeared  himself  to  the  people.  He  was  distinguished  for  the 
unction  of  his  piety  even  more  than  for  his  learning.  He  died 
in  July,  1766,  in  Philadelphia,  and  was  buried  there.     His  re- 


84  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

mains  have  recently  been  removed  to  the  burying  ground  of 
the  Abington  church,  Pa.  The  trustees  of  the  college  have 
erected  a  cenotaph  to  his  memory  in  the  president's  row,  in 
the  Princeton  cemetery.  A  fuller  notice  of  him  is  given  in  the 
chapter  on  the  college. 

It  was  in  1766,  just  after  the  death  of  President  Finley,  that 
Rev.  Mr.  Tennent,  at  a  meeting  of  Presbytery  at  Amwell,  moved 
"  that  some  supplies  might  be  appointed  for  Princctown,  in  its 
present  destitute  state."  Messrs.  Green,  Guild,  Kennedy,  Kirk- 
patrick,  McKnight  and  Smith  were  appointed. 

After  President  Finley's  death  the  Rev.  William  Tennent 
had  charge  of  the  college  for  six  months  and  undoubtedly 
preached  in  the  church  to  the  congregation  of  citizens  and 
students,  as  Dr.  Finley  had  done.  And  he  was  succeeded  by 
the  Rev.  John  Blair,  who  had  come  as  professor  of  theology  in 
the  college,  and  who  was  its  vice  president  and  performed  all 
the  duties  pertaining  to  the  office  of  president  and  preacher 
until  the  installation  of  Dr.  Witherspoon  in  1768. 

We  have  thus  traced  the  church  from  its  origin,  through 
its  slow  and  struggling  history.  We  have  directed  attention 
to  a  handful  of  people  supplicating  the  Presbytery  for  supplies, 
for  the  privilege  of  having  the  Word  of  life  preached  unto  them 
and  for  the  privilege  of  building  a  church  edifice,  both  of  which 
were  at  first  refused,  but  afterwards  granted.  We  have  seen  a 
nucleus  congregation  of  citizens  gathering  with  the  students  in 
the  college  chapel,  on  Sabbaths,  to  hear  the  eloquent  Burr, 
Edwards,  Davies  and  Finley  preach.  We  have  seen  the  new 
church  edifice  slowly  rise  under  the  benediction  of  Finley,  and 
in  return  for  the  use  of  the  chapel  for  several  years,  the 
students  and  faculty  uniting  with  the  families  of  the  town  and 
adjacent  country,  within  its  walls.  We  have  referred  to  at 
least  two  powerful  revivals  which  attended  the  preaching  of 
Burr  and  Finley,  and  which  enriched  the  town  as  well  as  the 
college  in  gifts  of  grace.  And  yet,  during  those  years  of  church 
development,  there  was  really  no  church  in  Princeton,  no  eccle- 
siastical organization.  The  Presbytery  had  allowed  them  to 
build  a  church  in  1755,  and  occasionally  gave  them  supplies, 
but  nothing  more. 

The  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper  was,  by  special  dispen- 


THE   PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH— i-]t?>-i-]()S.  85 

sation  of  Presbytery,  administered  in  1759  in  the  college  chapel 
by  the  Rev.  Wm.  Tennent  and  President  Davies.  Dr.  John 
WoodhuU  states  that  while  at  college  he  was  admitted  to  the 
communion  of  the  church  at  Princeton  by  President  Finley,  in 
1763.  There  was  no  session  in  the  church  at  that  time  nor 
were  there  any  elders  chosen  before  1786.  For  over  twenty 
years  this  church  had  a  peculiar  existence,  somewhat  like  an 
Independent  .or  Congregational  church,  and  yet  unlike  that,  in- 
asmuch as  its  acting  ordained  ministers,  never  formally  installed 
over  the  congregation,  represented  the  congregation  in  Pres- 
bytery. The  Honorable  Richard  Stockton,  the  signer  of  the 
Declaration,  is  stated,  by  President  Smith,  in  his  funeral  dis- 
course, to  have  been  a  member  of  this  church.  This  was  in 
1 78 1  and  before  ruling  elders  had  been  chosen,  and  before  the 
date  of  any  record  of  the  church  which  is  extant. 


SECTION    II. 


I768-I795 — UNDER   PRESIDENT   WITHERSPOON   AS  PREACHER 

AND    PASTOR. 

The  Rev.  John  Witherspoon,  D.D.,  was  elected  President 
of  the  College  of  New  Jersey,  and  came  from  Scotland  to 
Princeton  in  1768.  After  his  inauguration  as  president  he  as- 
sumed, as  matter  of  course,  the  pastorate  of  the  church,  that 
is,  he  preacheci  for  the  students  and  the  congregation  in  the 
church  which  had  recently  been  built  with  tin-  ;L^sistance  of 
the  college.  Professor  Blair,  who  had  been  i)reac;hing  since 
President  Finley's  death,  now  withdrew  and  preached  at  Maid- 
enhead and  Kingston  for  a  season  and  relinquished  a  portion 
of  his  salary,  which  he  had  formerly  received  from  the  col- 
lege for  preaching.  Dr.  Witherspoon  had  the  reputation  of 
being  a  learned  theologian,  a  distinguished  scholar,  a  profound 
preacher  and  a  man  of  eminence  among  eminent  men.  He 
readily  fell  into  the  work  of  preaching  as  well  as  teaching,  and 
for  many  years  he  seemed  to  have  things  in  the  church  as  well 
as  in  the  college  in  his  own  way.     The  college  prospered  and 


86  HISTORY  OF  PRIXCETON. 

the  church  and  town  took  a  stride  onward  and  upward  under 
his  energetic  and  judicious  administration  of  affairs.  He  was  a 
live  man  and  attracted  the  attention  of  all  the  American  colo- 
nies. But  the  shock  of  war  soon  checked  the  progress  of  let- 
ters and  religion.  Dr.  VVitherspoon  was  not  indifferent  towards 
the  country  of  his  adoption,  but  with  extraordinary  prompt- 
ness he  made  this  country  his  own,  and  gave  his  sympathies  to 
those  patriots  who  struck  for  liberty  and   independence. 

In  connection  with  the  duties  of  President,  Dr.  Witherspoon 
discharged  with  fidelity  those  of  a  Christian  minister.  A  revi- 
val of  religion  of  some  power  took  place  in  Princeton,  after  he 
had  been  preaching  here  three  or  four  years,  and  men  who 
afterwards  became  prominent  in  the  country  had  had  a  share 
in  the  work  while  at  college.  He  sustained  the  relation  of 
pastor  to  the  church  and  congregation  at  Princeton,  while  he 
was  president,  for  almost  twenty-five  years ;  and  he  preached 
twice  on  the  Sabbath,  regularly,  and  performed  other  duties  of 
a  pastoral  character.  On  one  occasion,  while  in  the  midst  of  a 
discourse  in  the  church,  he  was  seized  with  an  affection  of  the 
brain,  which  brought  him  to  a  sudden  jjausc,  and  supposing 
himself  able  to  leave  the  church  he  opened  the  pulpit  door,  and 
almost  immediately  fell  helpless  into  the  pew  at  the  foot  of  the 
pulpit  stairs  in  which  his  family  were  sitting;  the  violence  of 
the  fit  soon  subsided,  followed  however  by  a  dizziness  which  for 
some  time  produced  embarrassment  in  public  speaking. 

On  the  17th  of  May,  1776,  a  day  appointed  by  Congress  as 
a  day  of  fasting,  in  reference  to  the  state  of  the  country,  Dr. 
Witherspoon  preached  a  sermon  in  the  church  at  Princeton  on 
"The  Dominion  of  Providence  over  the  Passions  of  Men."  .  It 
was  published  and  addressed  to  John  Hancock,  President  of 
Congress,  and  widely  circulated  in  this  country  and  in  Great 
Britain.  It  gave  much  offence  to  the  royalists,  but  it  placed 
the  author  prominently  before  the  liberty  men,  as  a  bold  and 
able  advocate  of  independence. 

The  Revolutionary  War  now  broke  upon  the  country.  The 
distinguished  president  preacher  of  the  Princeton  church 
yielded  to  the  public  call  to  serve  his  country  in  the  councils 
of  the  State.  The  Declaration  of  Independence  was  now 
made  and  made  with  the  votes  of  the  minister  and  a  member 


THE   PRESBYTERIAN    CH URCH—i-]h?>-iic)<i.  8/ 

of  the  Princeton  church,  Dr.  VVithcrspoon  and  Richard  Stock- 
ton. Tlic  soldiers  of  Lord  Cornwahis  had  now  reached  Prince- 
ton and  quartered  in  the  college  and  in  the  church,  convertin^j 
thcni  into  barracks.  College  was  suspended.  Preaching  in 
the  church  was  suspended.  The  pews  in  the  church  and  the 
gallery  were  torn  out  and  burned — a  fire-place  was  tiuilt  in  it, 
and  a  chimney  carried  up  through  the  roof  Shortly  after  the 
enemy  had  been  dislodged  from  the  church,  in  1777,  it  was  oc- 
cupied by  the  American  army  until  1781.  But  it  was  not  until 
peace  and  the  independence  of  the  country  had  been  secured, 
that  an  effort  was  made  to  repair  and  restore  the  church  edifice 
for  the  resumption  of  public  worship.  P^-om  1776  to  1779 
there  does  not  seem  to  have  been  any  clergyman  in  Princeton. 
The  Rev.  Dr.  S.  Stanhope  Smith  returned  from  Virginia  to 
the  college  in  1779.  In  1784  an  effort  was  made  to  repair  the 
church.  At  this  period  a  book  of  minutes  of  the  trustees  of 
the  church  was  opened  and  kept,  and  we  have  less  difficulty 
hereafter  to  learn  the  history  of  the  church.  The  citizens  who, 
for  seven  years,  had  been  dispersed  and  subjected  to  the  dread 
evils  of  war,  are  again  at  home,  quietly  arranging  for  the  re- 
storation of  their  church  privileges.  Let  us  see  what  was  done 
and  who  did  it. 

A  meeting   of  the   congregation   was   held,   March  8,  1784, 
when  it  was  agreed 

"  That  it  was  necessary  immediately  to  open  a  subsciiiition  for  repairing  the 
ehurch  in  this  town,  and  for  discharging  in  part  the  jirincipal  debt  upon  it,  for 
which  a  committee  of  this  congregation  stand  bound  to  the  trustees  of  the  college 
in  the  sum  of  about  £100.  That  all  the  subscriptions  sliould  be  taken  on  one  paper, 
payable  in  two  payments,  into  the  hands  of  Enos  Kelsey,  who  was  chosen  treasurer 
for  this  purpose,  and  was  directed  to  pay  all  orders  for  this  service  drawn  on  him 
by  Messrs.  Robert  Stockton,  James  Hamilton  and  Jolin  Little,  managers  chosen  to 
purchase  materials,  employ  workmen  and  superintend  the  whole  of  the  repairs 
and  report  through  an  examining  committee  to  the  congregation.  That  the  whole 
church  shall  be  put  into  decent  repair — the  lower  part  pewed  in  the  same  manner 
as  it  was  before  the  war — the  breastwork  of  the  gallery  decently  finished  ;  the  front 
of  the  gallery  pewed  as  formerly  for  the  use  ol  the  college  ;  the  [)evvs  t>)  be  rented 
at  the  discretion  of  the  committee,  in  such  manner  as  to  discharge  tlu  annual  in- 
terest due  to  the  trustees,  with  a  surplus  if  possible  to  go  to  the  disciiarging  the 
principal  debt,  the  highest  subscriber  to  have  tlie  first  election  in  the  pews,  and  so 
in  succession  according  to  the  several  subscriptions." 

A  subscription  paper  prepared  in  conformity  with  the  fore- 


88 


HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 


going  directions,  dated   the    nth  of  March,  1784,  was  drawn 
and  signed  by  the  following  persons: 


>: 


Robert  Stockton 15 

Isaac  Anderson 20 

Aaron  Longstreet 20 

Wm.  Scudder 15 

James  Moore 15 

James  Hamilton 15 

Elias  Woodruff 10 

Thomas  Stockton 10 

Enos  Kelsey.. 15 

Jon.  Deare 12 

Aaron  Mattison 7 

Samuel  Smith 15 

George  Morgan 15 

John  Little 25 

Isaac  Van  Dyke 20 

Abram  Cruser 20 

Matthew  Van  Dyke 3 

John  V;in  Dyke 3 

John  Schenck,  Jr, 2 

Garret  Schenck 3 

Thos.  Blackwell 3 

David  Hamilton 10 

Christopher  Beekman 11 

Samuel   Knox 6 

Lewis  F.  Wilson 7 

William  Millette 10 

Richard  Stockton 7 


Samuel  Stout,  Jr 3 

Wm.  Hight 3 

John  Daniels i 

Zilpah  Montero 3 

John  Harrison 4   10  11 

Stephen  Morford 2   15 

William  Bayley 176 

Thomas  Prentice 3 

James  Saxton — 

Joseph  Leigh 3 

Peter  Lott 3 

Jas.  Finlay 7   10 

Noah  Morford 3 

Jacob  Hyer 3 

Richard  Seaburn I    10 

Zebulon  Morford 3 

John  Scureman 2     5 

Ilezekiah  Lott I    10 

John  Dildine I 

Mary  Rosegrants i 

Alex.  McLeod i 

Sarah  Martin i     2     6 

Richard  Scott 2     3 

Josiah  Harned i    15 

Felix   Herbert 2     5 


^375     5 


Here  were  fifty-two  persons  who  put  their  hands  to  the 
work  of  refitting  their  house  of  worship.  The  list  affords  us 
some  knowledge  of  the  principal  families  residing  in  and  near 
Princeton  at  that  time.  Only  one  or  two  of  these  names  were 
attached  to  the  first  subscription  for  building  the  church  in 
1762.  Many  of  them,  however,  are  children  of  the  original 
donors. 

The  repairs  of  the  church  were  completed  within  the  year, 
the  subscriptions  gradually  paid  in  and  the  pews  were  taken. 
The  impoverishing  effects  of  the  war  made  it  necessary  for  the 
congregation  to  study  economy  in  supporting  the  gospel,  and 
led  to  a  proposal  of  uniting  this  church  with  the  Kingston 
church  in  the  joint  maintenance  of  public  worship,  by  employ- 


THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH— i-]t%-\-]()^.  89 

ing  one  minister  for  both  churches.  A  committee  from  this 
church,  consisting  of  Richard  Longstreet,  Mr.  Mattison,  Mr. 
Lane,  Dr.  Wiggins,  Col.  Scudder  and  Dr.  Beatty  was  ap- 
pointed to  meet  a  committee  from  the  Kingston  church  to 
confer  on  the  proposed  union.  The  joint  committee  met  and 
discussed  the  question,  and  the  result  was  reported  by  Dr. 
Beatty.  The  parties  failed  to  agree  because  Princeton  insisted 
upon  two-thirds  of  the  ministerial  services  upon  paying  two- 
thirds  of  the  salary,  while  Kingston  claimed  that  each  church 
should  receive  the  services  of  the  minister  in  proportion  to  the 
amount  of  salary  paid.  Both  parties  professed  to  be  very  de- 
sirous to  effect  a  union  and  have  an  act  of  incorporation  so 
framed  as  to  allow  each  church  an  independent  separate  gov- 
ernmentof  its  own  affairs,  yet  have  a  general  joint  government 
over  the  united  bodies.  Through  the  good  sense  of  the  people 
or  the  good  providence  of  God  the  proposition  for  union  mis- 
carried and  the  committee  was  discharged. 

In  February,  1786,  Dr.  Beatty  was  instructed  by  the  con- 
gregation to  draw  a  bill  for  the  incorporation  of  the  Princeton 
congregation,  providing  for  the  election,  tri-annually,  of  seven 
trustees  ;  that  the  trustees  should  be  re-eligible  ;  that  the  board 
shall  fill  vacancies,  with  the  assistance  of  the  church  session  ; 
that  the  name  adopted  should  be  the  "  Congregation  of  Prince- 
ton, in  the  counties  of  Somerset  and   Middlesex." 

And  now  for  the  first  time  we  hear  something  about  ruling 
elders  in  this  church.  The  congregation  at  the  same  meeting 
resolved  that  at  the  next  meeting  ''four  elders  should  be 
chosen  by  ballot,  zvho  should  continue  in  office  during  the  pleas- 
ure of  the  congregation,"  and  notice  should  be  given  on  the 
next  Sabbath  of  the  election  of  both  the  trustees  and  elders. 
James  Hamilton  and  Isaac  Anderson  were  requested  to  con- 
duct and  take  charge  of  the  music  in  the  church. 

On  the  2 1  St  of  February,  1786,  the  draft  of  the  incorporating 
act  reported,  was  approved  by  the  congregation,  and  the  fol- 
lowing trustees  were  elected,  viz.:  Richard  Longstreet,  Robert 
Stockton,  Enos  Kelsey,  James  Moore,  Isaac  Anderson,  Wil- 
liam Scudder  ;  and  the  following  persons  were  elected  by  the 
congregation  ruling  elders:  Richard  Longstreet,  James  Hamil- 
ton, Thomas  Blackwell,  John  Johnson. 


QO  ■       HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

The  election  of  ruling  elders,  though  not  conducted  accord- 
ing to  strict  Presbyterial  rules,  gave  the  church  a  more  regular- 
ly ecclesiastical  character.  It  is  presumed  that  Dr.  Wither- 
spoon  was  instrumental  in  thus  completing  the  organization 
of  the  church  by  securing  a  bench  of  ruling  elders,  as  he  was 
still  acting  as  pastor,  though  the  minutes  do  not  show  his 
agency  in  the  matter. 

The  congregation,  at  the  same  meeting,  also  voted  unani- 
mously, 

•'  Tlmt  the  thanks  of  tliis  congregation  be  presented  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Witherspoon 
for  his  lung  and  important  services  towards  tliem,  and  ihat  lie  be  requested  to  con- 
tinue his  public  labors  and  exercise  a  pastoral  care  over  the  same  ;  and  that  as  a 
compensation  for  his  services  we  will  personally  subscribe  to  the  trustees  for  his 
use,  a  sum  to  be  paid  in  quarterly  or  half-yearly  payments." 

Dr.  Beatty,  Mr.  Deare  and  Richard  Stockton  were  ap- 
pointed a  committee  to  tender  the  thanks  and  report  his  an- 
swer. 

On  the  i6th  day  of  March,  1786,  a  general  law  of  the  State 
was  passed,  entitled,  "An  act  to  incorporate  certain  jiersons  as 
trustees  in  every  religious  society  or  congregation  in  this 
State."  A  similar  act  had  become  a  law  in  the  State  of  New 
York,  in  1784,  and  this  congregation  now  went  into  an  election 
of  trustees  in  conformity  with  the  State  law,  and  chose  the 
same  persons  whom  they  had  before  elected  trustees,  with  the 
addition  of  John  Little. 

This  board  of  trustees  adopted  a  corporate  seal,  which  is 
still  retained  in  use.  Its  motto  is  appropriately  classical  and 
at  the  same  time  expressive  of  a  hopeful  feeling  for  better 
times  now  that  the  war  cloud  had  passed  over.  The  device — 
on  afield  the  church  of  Princeton  proper;  above  it,  sundry 
rays  of  light  emanating  from  an  eye  above  and  dispelling  the 
clouds  hanging  over  the  church,  with  the  motto  "  Spercmus 
Meliora."     "We  hope  for  better  things." 

In  1787  Enos  Kelsey  resigned  as  treasurer  of  the  congrega- 
tion, and  John  Harrison  was  elected  in  his  place.  In  March, 
1792,  the  session  of  the  church  began  to  keep  a  separate  record 
from  that  of  the  trustees,  according  to  the  direction  of  the 
Presbytery.  On  the  nth  of  that  month  Dr.  Thomas  Wiggins 
and  James  Fihley  were  ordained   ruling  elders.     We   find   no 


THE  PRESBYTERIAN   C//i//v'C7/— 1768-1795.  9I 

record  of  election  of  elders  in  the  minutes  of  the  trustees  of 
congregational  meetings.  The  elders'  book  alone  contains  min- 
utes of  their  election. 

The  congregation  met  at  the  house  of  David  Hamilton,  July 
2,  1792,  when  a  letter  from  Dr.  Witherspoon  was  laid  before 
them,  stating  that  he,  "  Dr.  Witherspoon  had,  at  his  own  1 
expense,  erected  a  pulpit  and  canopy  in  the  I^rinceton  meeting  : 
house  in  the  years  1783  and  1792,  and  requesting  the  trustees 
to  reimburse  him  the  exj^ense  of  the  same."  Whereupon  it 
was  resolved, 

"That  wliereas  the  said  pulpit  was  put  up  previous  to  tlie  trustees  of  tlie  college 
having  disposed  of  said  meeting-house  to  the  congregation  of  Princeton,  they  do 
not  conceive  any  legal  demand  can  now  be  made  on  them  for  the  same  ;  but  as 
the  canopy  has  been  made  since  the  purchase  of  said  house,  and  as  they  consider 
it  as  a  necessary  appendage  to  the  jiulpit,  ordered  that  Mr.  James  Moore,  present 
collector  of  pew  rents,  pay  to  Dr.  John  Witherspoon  the  sum  of;^X5,  price  of  said 
canopy." 

This  action  of  the  congregation  at  this  remote  day  does 
not  seem  very  generous  either  towards  the  venerable  president 
who  had  served  the  congregation  so  long  without  their  paying 
any  salary,  unless  perhaps  a  mite  in  the  way  of  pew  rents  ;  or 
towards  the  college  that  had  done  so  much  towards  providing 
a  house  of  worship  for  them.  Whether  he  was  reimbursed  by 
the  trustees  of  the  college  for  the  expense  of  the  pulpit  we  can- 
not state.  This  is  the  only  unpleasant  incident  that  meets  us 
on  the  records,  touching  the  relation  of  Dr.  Witherspoon  to 
the  Princeton  congregation.  Perhaps  it  may  not  be  so  viewed 
by  others  looking  at  it  in  a  strictly  business  point  of  view. 

Dr.  Witherspoon  continued  to  minister  in  the  church  until 
about  a  year  before  his  death.  Pie  became  blind,  and  for  a 
year,  while  blind,  he  continued  to  preach.  Pie  was  led  into  the 
pulpit,  and  having  a  good  memory  and  accustomed  to  preach 
memoriter,  he  could  get  through  with  a  sermon  without  much 
difficulty.  His  son-in-law.  Dr.  Smith,  the  vice  president,  often 
relieved  him  by  preaching  for  him  and  moderating  the  session, 
and  doing  other  pastoral  labor. 

It  is  difficult  to  ascertain  the  degree  of  success  which  at- 
tended his  ministrations  in  this  church  during  the  long  period 
of  his  pastoral  care  over  it.     The  session  only  began   to  keep 


92 


HISTORY  OF  PRTNCETOr^. 


a  record  in  1792,  and  there  are  no  admissions  to  the  church  en- 
tered from  that  time  to  the  termination  of  Dr.  Witherspoon's 
labors.  There  was  a  Hst  of  communicants  in  the  church  taken 
and  registered  by  the  session  on  the  3d  day  of  November,  1792, 
It  zoViX2\x\'S,  fifty-three  members;  and  as  Mrs,  Witherspoon's 
name  stands  14th  on  the  list  it  is  reasonable  to  infer  ihat  all 
below  that  number  were  received  into  the  membership  of  the 
church  during  Dr.  Witherspoon's  pastoral  connection  with  it. 
This  was  a  revised  list,  containing  the  names  only  of  such  as 
were  then  members,  and  not  those  who  had  been  members  and 
removed. 

The  roll  of  chur.ch  conimunicants,  Nov.  3,   1792,  contained 
the  following  names,  viz  : 


Peter  Morrison, 

Widow  Charity  Millette, 

John  Johnson,  Sen., 

Ruth  Smith, 

Eleanor  Stockton, 

Widow  Annis  Stockton, 

Polly  Stockton, 

Suckey  Stockton. 

AVife  of  1'homas  Stockton, 

The  Widow  Sproule, 

The  wife  of  Cornelius  Blue, 

John  Stockton,  mason, 

Elizabeth  Anderson, 

Mrs.  Witherspoon, 

Doctor  Thomas  Wiggins, 

Aaron  Mattison, 

Mrs.  Huggins, 

James  Hamilton, 

Sarah  Hamilton, 

Martha  Hamilton, 

Doctor  Minto, 

Mrs.  Minto, 

Mrs.  Knox, 

Sarah  Martin, 

Dr.  Samuel  Smith, 

Mrs.  Smith. 


Mrs.  Mountier, 
Mrs.  Morgan, 
Mrs.  Little, 
Hetty  Gar, 
John  Lyal, 
John  McGriggor, 
Zebulon  Morford, 
Richard  Longstreet, 
Ann  Longstreet, 
James  Finley,  Sen., 
James  Finley,  Jun., 
Mrs.  Finley, 
Mrs.  Sebring, 
Israel  Everit, 
Mrs.  Everit, 
Mrs.  Rock, 
Mrs.  Wood, 
Mrs.  Abeel, 
Mrs.  Stout, 
Phebe  King, 
Dinah  Johnson, 
Selah  Johnson, 
Mark  Davis, 
Joe  Lake, 
Toney  Little. 


—53 


The  bodily  infirmities  of  Dr.  Witherspoon  were  now  dis- 
qualifying him  for  further  duties  to  the  church.  On  the  23d 
of  April,  1793,  a  petition  from  the  congregation  of  Princeton 
•was  presented  and  read  in  Presbytery  at  Oxford,  reciting: 


THE   PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH— iiG^^-i-jc^S-  93  ! 

"  That  for  a  long  time  past  they  had  the  Gospel  preached  and  the  sacra- 
ments administered  to  them  constantly  by  the  president  of  the  college,  although 
not  connected  with  him  in  a  pastoral  relation  ;  that  tlie  jjresident  has  now  declined 
performing  these  ministerial  duties  on  account  of  his  advanced  age  and  bodily  in- 
firmities, and  seeing  that  they  were  destitute  of  the  stated  means  of  grace,  they  ex- 
pected the  supplies  usually  given  to  vacant  churches  ;  a  doubt  arising  whether  Dr.  j 
Witherspoon  was  not  actually  their  pastor,  and  therefore  it  would  be  irregular  to  j 
pronounce  them  a  vacant  church  without  some  communication  fropa  him.  The 
business  was  postponed  for  consideration  to  the  next  stated  meeting,  and  supplies 
in  the  meantime  ordered."  I 

The  next  meeting  was  held  in  Princeton  on  the  ist  of  Sep-  i 

tember  of  that  year,  when  the  Presbytery  decided  the  question 
thus :  I 

"  It  appearing  that  Dr.  Witherspoon  had  never  been  the  regular  pastor  of  the 
church  of  Trinceton,  and  that  through  his  bodily  infirmities  he  has  recently  been 
obliged  to  decline  the  constant  performance  of  ministerial  duties,  that  church  is  de- 
clared vacant." 

Dr.  Witherspoon  died  at  Tusculum,  his  country  scat,  a  ht- 
tle  way  out  of  town,  on  the  15th  of  November,  1794,  in  pos- 
session of  his  mental  faculties,  in  full  hope  of  eternal  blessed- 
ness through  Christ,  in  his  seventy-third  year  ;  Dr.  Rodgers, 
of  New  York,  preached  his  funeral  sermon.  He  was  buried  in 
the  cemetery  by  the  side  of  his  predecessor's  cenotaph,  in  the 
Presidents'  row.  His  name  is  indelibly  stamped  upon  the  his- 
tory of  the  Princeton  church,  the  college  and  the  country. 

The  church,  during  the  last  year  or  two  of  Dr.  Wither- 
spoon's  life,  and  even  before  that,  received  the  offices  of  Presi- 
dent Smith,  who  often  preached  and  moderated  the  session  and 
performed  pastoral  duties.  He  was  a  popular  and  eloquent 
preacher,  always  welcome  among  the  people  of  Princeton. 

A  call  from  the  Princeton  church  was  made  upon  Mr.  John 
Abeel,  a  probationer  in  the  Dutch  Synod,  to  become  its  pastor, 
in  1793,  but  he  declined  it.  The  congregation  was  supplied, 
however,  in  the  interval,  by  Presbytery,  the  chief  ministerial 
and  pastoral  labors  being  rendered  by  the  Rev.  Samuel  Stan- 
hope Smith,  D.D.,  until  the  Rev.  Samuel  Finley  Snowden  was 
elected  pastor  in  1795. 


94  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 


SECTION  III. 

1 795-1 804 — THE    TASTORATE    OF   THE    REV.    SAMUEL    FINLEY 

SNOWDEN. 

The  election  of  ruling  elders  gave  to  the  church  a  session — 
a  body  in  which  the  people  were  represented — which  had  real- 
ly not  existed  during  the  first  quarter  century  of  this  church's 
history.  The  meetings  of  the  session,  before  which  the  duties 
of  visitation  and  discipline  pressed  themselves  upon  the 
notice  and  conscience  of  the  elders,  created  a  desire  if  not  a 
necessity  to  secure  a  pastor  exclusively  devoted  to  the  interest 
of  the  congregation;  and  on  the  14th  day  of  September,  1795, 
the  congregation  voted  a  call  to  the  Rev.  Samuel  Finlcy  Snow- 
den,  and  the  session,  consisting  of  Dr.  Thomas  Wiggins,  James 
Finley  and  James  Hamilton,  elders,  moderated  by  the  Rev.  S. 
S.  Smith,  put  the  call  in  due  form  and  prosecuted  it. 

Samuel  Finley  Snowden  was  a  son  of  Mr.  Isaac  Snowden, 
of  Philadelphia,  who  was  treasurer  of  that  city  before  the  Rev- 
olution, and  was  at  one  time  a  ruling  elder  in  Dr.  Sproat's 
church  at  that  place,  and  was  a  warm  friend  and  helper  of 
David  Brainerd.  He  was  a  trustee  of  the  college  at  Princeton 
from  1782  till  1808;  he  was  obHged  to  flee  from  the  city  dur- 
ing the  war,  for  safety  from  the  British  army,  and  came  to 
Princeton  and  spent  several  years  here.  While  here  he  was 
elected  an  elder  in  the  church  in  which  his  son  was  the  pastor. 
He  returned  to  Philadelphia,  but  closed  his  life  at  Cranberry, 
where  another  of  his  sons,  the  Rev.  Gilbert  Tennent  Snowden, 
was  then  pastor.*  Isaac  Snowden's  father  was  John  Snowden, 
of  Philadelphia,  and  his  mother  was  Ruth  P'^itz  Randolph, 
daughter  of  Benjamin  Fitz  Randolph,  of  Princeton,  and  a 
widow  of  Pldward  Harrison,  of  Griggstown,  when  she  was  mar- 
ried to  Mr.  Snowden. 

The  Rev,  Samuel  P'inley  Snowden  was  born  Nov.  6,  1767. 
He  graduated  at  Princeton  college  in  1786,  and  studied  law  with 

*  Rev.  Gilbert  Tennent  Snowden  married  Ruth  Lott,  of  Princeton. 


PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH— REV,  S.  F.  SNOWDEN.  95 

Thomas  Bradford,  an  eminent  lawyer  in  Philadelphia,  at  that 
day  ;  he  afterwards  abandoned  the  law  for  the  ministry  and 
studied  theology  in  Princeton  with  Drs.  Witherspoon  and 
Smith,  and  was  licensed  to  preach  on  the  24tli  of  April,  1794, 
by  the  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick. 

He  accepted  the  call  from  the  Princeton  church  and  was 
ordained  and  installed  pastor  thereof,  on  the  25th  of  Novem- 
ber, 1795.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Joseph  Clark  preached  the  sA-mon 
on  the  occasion  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Stanhope  Smith  presided 
and  gave  the  charges. 

The  church  now,  with  a  pastor  called,  ordained  and  in- 
stalled, and  with  a  bench  of  ruling  elders  for  the  first  time  in 
its  history,  enters  upon  a  somewhat  new  career  of  ecclesiastical 
discipline  and  supervision.  Weak  and  erring  members,  es- 
pecially those  who  were  grossly  immoral  and  disorderly,  re- 
ceived the  attention  of  the  elders  as  soon  as  they  had  been  set 
apart  in  their  office.  And  this  young  pastor,  in  conference 
with  his  elders,  proposed  special  action  in  reference  to  two 
subjects,  viz:  faiiiily  visiiation  and /;-/rv?/r  baptism. 

The  pastor,  with  some  degree  of  timidit}'  and  caution,  sub- 
mitted to  the  session  for  their  opinion  and  counsel,  whether  it 
would  be  advisable  immediately  to  commence  the  visitation  of 
families  in  due  form  by  minister  and  elder  for  the  purpose  of 
learning  the  state  of  religion  in  them,  agreeably  to  the  practice 
in  the  Presbyterian  church  ;  whereupon  the  session  gave  it  as 
their  unanimous  opinion  that  as  the  congregation  had  never 
been  formed  to  the  habits  of  an  organized  church  and  were  not 
yet  ripe  for  adopting  them  in  their  full  strictness,  it  would  be 
better  to  introduce  a  system  of  private  instruction  and  visitation 
in  families,  with  catechising  in  private  houses  in  the  different 
quarters  of  the  congregation,  with  a  lecture  in  each  place  suita- 
ble to  the  occasion.  We  have  no  knowledge  of  the  extent  to 
which  this  plan  was  carried  out,  but  we  have  reason  to  believe 
that  family  visitation  was  soon  introduced,  according  to  the  old 
Presbyterian  usage — the  minister  taking  with  him  an  elder  and 
going  from  house  to  house  through^iut  the  congregation. 

So,  too,  we  soon  find  the  new  pastor  looking  after  the  lambs 
of  his  flock,  and  calling  the  attention  of  his  session  to  the  prev- 
alent practice   of  administering  baptism   to  children  privately 


9^  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

instead  of  publicly  in  the  church — a  habit  not.  uncommon  in 
places  where  many  clergymen,  who  are  not  pastors,  reside. 
He  asked  the  advice  of  his  session  whether  it  would  be  consist- 
ent with  order  and  the  rules  of  the  church  to  baptize,  in  private 
houses,  the  children  of  parents  who  allege  no  other  reason  but 
their  poverty  in  excuse  for  not  bringing  them  to  attend  the 
public  ordinances  of  the  church.  The  session  declared  "  it 
would  be  irregular  and  improper,  and  that  it  would  not  be  at- 
tended with  benefit  to  the  children  or  with  credit  to  th^ 
church."  This  was  followed  by  a  resolution  that  "  all  the  bap- 
tisms performed  in  the  congregation,  and  by  the  pastor  of  it, 
in  any  other  place,  should  be  entered  in  the  session  book." 

There  is  but  little  to  be  gleaned  from  the  records  of  the 
church  to  illustrate  its  progress  during  the  short  pastorate  of 
Mr.  Snowden.  Only  three  persons  seem  to  have  been  ad- 
mitted to  the  church  on  examination  during  his  ministry  here, 
and  one  of  those  was  connected  with  the  college.  He  held  the 
pastoral  relation  to  this  church  till  April  29,  1801,  when, 
in  failing  health,  he  was  released;  and  on  April  28,  1802,  he 
was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Albany,  to  take  charge  of  a 
church  at  New  Hartford,  N.  Y.,  having  by  rest  and  travel  for 
a  year,  regained  his  health.  He  was  well  settled  at  ,New 
Hartford,  near  Utica,  where  he  built  up  a  large  and  flourishing 
church.  After  preaching  there  almost  fourteen  years  he  re- 
moved to  Sackett's  Harbor  and  organized  a  church  there  in 
which  his  labors  were  eminently  blessed.  He  remained  there 
until  May,  1845,  when,  one  morning,  having  risen  in  his  usual 
health  and  sitting  in  his  chair,  attempting  to  stoop  he  fell  to 
the  floor  and  died  without  a  struggle  or  a  groan,  at  the  good 
old  age  of  seventy-eight  years.  He  had  expressed  a  desire  to 
die  suddenly  when  his  appointed  time  should  come.* 

He  is  represented  to  have  been  a  good  writer,  a  faithful  and 

1    industrious  pastor,  and  an  agreeable  man  in  social  life,  excel- 
ling rather  in  the  social  than  in  pulpit  duties. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Snowden  lived  a  part  of  the  time,  if  not  the 

whole  time,  while  he  was  pastor  in   Princeton,  on  the  beautiful 

(        farm  now  owned  by  Leavitt  Howe,  Esq.,  and  which,  for  many 

*'''^'-  years,  was  occupied   by  Elijah   Blackwell.     It   is  said    by   the 

*  Rev.  W.  E.  Schenck's  Historical  Discourse,  p.  43. 


■r.; 


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im 


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'.^^^i^X^,        Jtr-isA. 


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b.:et??  :iiifiiTTB:y  :KOiL!LDG:K,  B.i^: 


.  /;/.•  .V ///--/<  y<'    ^//V  //,'//',/.:  .jyur,/,,,v 


-exnVM    ^KellDc 


,.•>!    l.v.l    r,.  I,. .,,!;■„.■,■<•    VruM,    .,     r.-iH.lMil;     l.'    I  )  .  M..1.-, 


PRRSByrsKUff  att^Kar-REr.  //.  kollock.         r^7 

descendants  of  Mr.  Snowdcn  that  he  built  the  old  stone  house 
which  the  Blackwc!!  family  occupied  so  long,  and  which  a  few 
years  ago  Mr.  II owe  took  down  lo  build  his  present  elegant 
stone  mansion  in  place  thereof. 

A  dauglUer  of  Mr.  Snowden  married  the  late  Rev.  Mr. 
Gallagher,  of  Bloomfield,  New  Jersey,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Pro- 
fessor Packard,  now  of  Princeton. 

After  the  vacancy  in  the  pulpit,  caused  by  the  Rev.  Mn. 
Snowden's  resignation,  the  Rev.  S.  Stanhope  Smith,  D.C,. 
president  of  the  college,  was  employed  as  a  stated  supply  by 
the  congregation,  and  served  as  such  from  January  i,  i8or,  to 
January  i,  1804;  and  he  was  paid  for  such  service  by  a  general 
subscription  among  the  members  of  the  congregation.  For 
three  years  this  church  listened  to  this  eloquent  and  distin- 
guished preacher.  We  find  no  record  of  his  success  in  his  min- 
isterial labors. 


SECTION  IV. 

1804-1  8 10 — PASTORATE  OF  THE  REV.  HENRY  KOI-LOCK. 

On  the  eleventh  day  of  January,  1804,  a  call  from  the 
Princeton  church  was  prepared  and  signed  by  the  elders  and 
trustees  to  the  Rev.  Henry  Kollock  of  Elizabethtown,  to  be- 
come their  pastor,  with  a  salary  of  five  hundred  dollars  a  year, 
payable  quarterly,  to  be  raised  by  subscription.  The  elders 
who  signed  the  call  were  Dr.  Thomas  Wiggins,  James  Piamil- 
ton,  Daniel  Agnew  and  Professor  William  Thompson.  The 
trustees  were  Robert  Stockton,  Thomas  Wiggins,  James  Moore, 
Isaac  Anderson,  James  Hamilton  and  John  Harrison. 

The  Rev.  Henry  Kollock  was  born  December  4,  1778, 
in  Essex  County,  N.  J.  His  father.  Shepherd  Kollock,  was  a 
widely  known  editor  and  publisher  of  a  newspaper  in  New  Jer- 
sey, and  also  active  in  the  scenes  o{  the  Revolution.  He  was 
a  pioneer  journalist  of  that  period.  The  "  New  Jersey  Journal  " 
commenced  in  1779,  published  at  Chatham,  was  owned  and 
edited  by  him.  He  was  a  zealous  patriot  and  continued  in  the 
printing  business  till  1818.  Henry  Kollock  was  an  uncommon- 
7 


98 


HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 


\y  bright  youth  and  graduated  at  Nassau  Hall  in  1794,  in  the 
sixteenth  year  of  his  age.  He  became  a  tutor  in  Princeton 
college,  and  was  an  intimate  friend  of  liishop  Hobart,  who  was 
his  contemporary  in  college.  He  was  licensed  to  preach,  May 
7,  1800,  and  his  first  pulpit  efforts  attracted  unusual  attention. 
He  continued  for  a  time  to  preach  at  Princeton  every  Sabbath 
afternoon,  greatly  admired  and  drawing  the  largest  audiences, 
a  popularity  that  followed  him  through  life.  He  had  been 
honored  by  an  appointment  to  preach  a  missionary  sermon  be- 
fore the  General  Assembly  in  Philadelpl^a  in  1803,  which  he 
did  from  the  text,  "  He  must  increase."  His  sermon  was  ap- 
plauded and  published,  and  his  reputation  as  a  preacher  was 
thereby  spread  through  the  country.  The  trustees  of  the  col- 
lege at  Princeton  desired  to  secure  his  presence  and  services 
at  Princeton,  and,  young  as  he  was,  they  appointed  him  profes- 
sor of  theology ;  and  this  church  at  Princeton  called  him  to  be 
their  pastor  at  the  same  time.  At  that  time  he  was  pastor  of 
the  church  at  Elizabethtown  where  he  was  very  popular. 

He  accepted  the  Princeton  calls  to  the  church  and  to  the 
college.  He  had  received  several  other  prominent  calls.  He 
was  installed  as  pastor  of  the  Princeton  church  on  the  12th 
day  of  June,  1804,  when  Dr.  Armstrong  preached  the  sermon 
and  Rev.  Mr.  Clark  gave  the  charges  to  the  pastor  and  people. 
He  was  soon  after  this  honored  with  a  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Divinity  both  from  Union  College  and  Harvard  University, 
although  he  was  only  twenty-six  years  of  age. 

The  subscription  paper  for  the  salary  of  the  new  pastor  was 
signed  by  loi  persons,  subscribing  in  sums  from  thirty  dollars 
to  one  dollar,  amounting  in  the  aggregate  to  $666. 

The  following  is  the  subscription  paper  referred  to : 


Isaac  Anderson $20 

Daniel  Agnew 20 

M.  and  Wm.  Agnew 5 

Daniel  Agnew,  Jr 5 

Erkuries  Lieatty 15 

Elijah  Biackwell 5 

James  Banyan 15 

Nancy  and  Polly  Booth 2 

Abrani  Cruser 3 

John  Cruser 3 


Barton  Morford $  3 

Noah  Morford 3 

Andrew  McMakin.. 4 

Stephen  Morford 4 

Wni.  Napton 5 

Mary  Norris 2 

Sam.  Nicholson 4 

David  Olden 2 

George  Philips 5 

John  Passage 4 


PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH— REV.  H.  KOLLOCK. 


99 


Hannah  Campbell $  2 

Margaret  Cozine S 

Charles  Crawford 2 

Isaac  Coole 3 

Robert  Davison 2 

Josias  Ferguson lo 

Wm.  Gaw 4 

John  GifTord lo 

Divid  Gilliland 2 

Jacob  Gray 2 

James  Hamilton 14 

John  Harrison 20 

John  Hamilton 10 

Richard  Hunt 3 

Oliver  Hunt 8 

Wm.  HoUinshead,  Jr *  2 

Jacob  Hynicha 2 

Francis  Huff. 5 

Francis  D.  Janvier g 

Caleb  Johnson 4 

Ralph  Johnson 3 

David  Johnson 4 

John  Johnston 2 

Thos.  Jennings 3 

David  Cooper  Johnston 2 

George  Jobs. i 

Enos  Kelsey 20 

John  Kerr 2 

Grace  Little 10 

Ralph  Lane 2 

Joseph  I,eigh 5 

John  Louf berry . 5 

Aaron   Longstreet 5 

Jas.  Moore 10 

Elisabeth  Mattison 4 

John  Maclean 12 

Zebulon  Morford. 8 

Charles  Morford 6 

Edward  Moi  ford 4 

Mary  Minto 8 

Sarah  Martin 3 

Princeton,  March,  1804. 


John  Robeson %  8 

Wm.  Ross 6 

Ephraim  Ryno 2 

Perez  Rowley 8 

James  Runyan 3 

Richard  Stockton 30 

Robert  Stockton 10 

John  N.  Simpson 15 

Jacob  Stryker 5 

Christoplier  H.  Stryker 12 

Job  Stockton 10 

Josiah  S^elton 5 

Lydia  Stelle 8 

F.lisha  Salter 2 

Ebenezer  Stockton 10 

Garret  Sclienck 4 

Joseph  Schenck 7 

Wm.  Thompson 12 

John  Thompson 8 

Mr.  Teisseire   4 

Jacob  TenEyck 5 

Peter  Updike    3 

Wm.  Updike 4 

Robt.  Voorhees 12 

John  VanCleve 6 

Julius  Voorhees 4 

Thos.  Wiggins 20 

John  Wilson 6^ 

Hugh  Wilson 5 

Adna  Wood 2 

Jacob  Keene 6 

Mrs.  McCuUough i 

Cornelius  Terhune 2 

Mrs.  Chapman '. i   33 

Mary  Voorhees 2 

John  Craig 8 

John  Dildine 2 

Peter  HoUinshead 2 

Stephen  Anderson 2 


Total $666  33 


During  the  year  1804  a  new  cedar  roof  was  put  on  the 
church,  and  the  money  to  pay  for  it  was,  by  order  of  the  con- 
gregation, assessed  on  the  pews. 

Some  alteration  was  also  proposed  to  the  trustees  of  the 
college  in  regard  to  their  use  of  the  gallery.     The  front  gallery 


lOO  HISTORY  OF  PRINCE TOAT. 

had  been  found  insufficient  to  accommodate  the  students,  and 
the  trustees  of  the  church  offered  to  give  them  the  whole  west 
side  gallery,  provided  Dr.  Smith  would  release  to  the  congre- 
gation a  portion  of  the  front  gallery.  This  was  done.  Seats 
were  then  made  on  the  gallery.  One  pew  was  given  to  Mr. 
Kollock  for  his  family  to  use,  and  Thomas  P.  Johnson,  Esq., 
bought  one  for  his  family. 

The  session  kept  a  vigilant  eye  upon  disorderly  members, 
and  cases  of  church  discipline  were  numerous  in  those  days, 
the  majority  of  the  subjects  being  slaved.  Miss  Annis  Ogden 
Stockton  applied  to  the  session  for  admission  to  the  ordi- 
nances of  Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper,  and  to  be  examined 
at  home  if  not  inconsistent  with  the  views  of  the  session.  The 
session  granted  her  request  and  the  moderator  and  Dr.  Van- 
Cleve,' elder,  were  appointed  to  wait  on  her  and  examine  her 
and  if  satisfied  to  admit  her.  The  same  course  was  adopted 
soon  after  in  the  case  of  Peregrine  Janvier,  who  was  admitted 
by  the  moderator  alone.  This  practice  has  been  continued,  in 
exceptional  cases,  down  to  the  present  time  in  this  church; 
the  general  rule  requires  the  applicant,  if  not  physically  unable, 
to  appear  before  session  to  be  examined,  for  admission  to  the 
ordinances. 

It  was  during  the  same  year  that  the  trustees  of  the  church 
prescribed  rules  to  govern  the  sexton  of  the  church.* 

It  was  in  the  year  1804  that  Dr.  Thomas  Wiggins,  one  of 
the  ruling  elders  and  trustees,  died,  leaving  a  will  in  which  he 
devised  his  house  and  little  farm  of  above  twenty  acres,  on 
Witherspoon  Street,  for  the  use  of  the  minister  of  this  church. 
The  tract  of  land  includes  the  land  now  inclosed  in  the  new 
cemetery  and  land  east  of  it,  and  the  land  occupied  by  the  gas 

*  lie  was  required  "to  open  the  church  on  Sunday  morning  for  worsliip,  when 
the  bell  rings  ;  always  ready  to  conduct  strangers  to  vacant  pews  ;  supply  water  in 
the  proper  place  for  baptism  ;  sweep  the  church  and  the  congregational  part  of  the 
gallery  ;  dust  the  pulpit  and  seats  at  least  once  a  month  ;  scrub  the  aisles  twice  a 
year  ;  keep  fire  in  the  stoves  in  v  inter  ;  keep  doors  shut  in  ^\  inter  ;  keep  gate  shut 
and  yard  in  order;  attend  church  in  divine  service  and  keep  order;  take  care  that 
the  black  people  sit  in  their  proper  places,  and  if  any  misbehave  to  report — if  free 
to  the  trustees,  and  if  slave,  to  their  master  or  mistress — their  names  and  conduct, 
and  attend  in  week  as  well  as  Sabbath  when  a  sermon  is  preached.  That  he  have 
charge  of  the  burying  ground,  keep  the  key  and  dig  graves." 


PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH— REV.  DR.  KOLLOCK.  lOI 

company's  works  and  a  portion  of  James  Van  Deventer's 
meadow  and  lake  garden.  The  mansion  is  now  held  by  the 
gas  company. 

Legal  difficulties  were  suggested  as  to  the  validity  of  the 
title  passed  by  this  devise,  on  the  ground  that  there  was  no  de- 
visee named  capable  of  holding  the  legal  estate,  and  also  be- 
cause the  Rev  Mr.  Kollock,  then  being  the  minister  to  whose 
use  the  devise  was  first  to  be  applied,  was  a  subscribing  witness 
to  the  will. 

The  subject  was  brought  before  th^  congregation  and  dis- 
cussed, and  steps  were  taken  to  negotiate  with  the  legal  heirs 
of  the  testator,  for  the  extinguishment  of  their  title  by  paying 
them  something  for  their  release.  John  N.  Simpson,  an  intel- 
ligent and  respectable  merchant  in  this  place,  had  married  a 
niece  of  Dr.  Wiggins,  and  he  was  employed  to  effect  a  settle- 
ment with  the  heirs.  A  full  and  satisfactory  settlement  was 
made.  The  heirs  released  to  the  trustees  of  the  church  and  the 
church  paid  to  each  of  them  about  $600.  It  was  several  years 
before  the  claim  of  Sarah  Wiggins,  the  infant  grand  niece  of 
the  testator,  which  had  been  at  interest,  was  paid.  The  Rev, 
Mr.  Kollock  also  executed  proper  papers  whereby  the  use  and 
possession  of  the  property,  inured  to  his  benefit,  while  the  title 
was  held  in  the  trustees. 

The  property  was  occupied  as  the  parsonage  from  that  day 
to  the  close  of  Dr.  Rice's  pastorate  in  1847.  Though  this  gift 
was  a  valuable  one  and  ought  to  be  ever  gratefully  remembered 
by  the  church,  it  was,  while  held  as  a  manse,  a  constant  source  of 
agitation  and  complaint.  The  call  for  repairs  was  unceasing  ; 
sometimes  the  congregation  would  respond  promptly  to  it,  and 
at  other  times  they  would  demur  and  insist  that  the  minister 
was  bound  to  keep  the  property  in  repair  at  his  own  expense 
and  that  the  trustees  had  nothing  to  do  with  it.  There  were 
frequent  attempts  made  to  have  it  sold,  which  was  finally  ac- 
complished, the  particulars  of  which  sale,  etc.,  will  be  found  in  a 
subsequent  section. 

The  trustees  of  the  church  honored  this  generous  benefactoi 
and  pious  elder  and  physician  by  erecting  a  marble  monument 
to  his  memory  over  his  tomb,  in  the  cemetery.  Dr.  Wiggins 
had  been  an  elder  of  this  church  since  1792. 


102  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

Dr.  Kollock's  ministry  in  Princeton  was  prosperous  and  at- 
tractive, but  short.  He  resigned  his  call  in  October,  1806,  after 
holding  it  for  less  than  three  years.  The  number  of  communi- 
cants enrolled  in  1792,  we  have  hereinbefore  shown  to  be  fifty- 
three.  The  report  to  the  Presbytery  in  April,  1805,  from  this 
church,  gave  it  seventy-five  members  ;  the  Kingston  church 
106;  Freehold,  259,  and  Cranberry  196.  During  Dr.  Kollock's 
pastorate  at  Princeton  there  were  thirteen  persons  admitted 
to  the  church  on  examination.  Among  them  were  Annis 
Ogden  Stockton,  Peregrine  Janvier,  Mrs.  Phebe  Hamilton,  Wil- 
liam Hamilton,  Zebulon  Morford,  Phebe  Davis,  Mr.  McClure, 
of  Pa.,  (divinity  student)  and  William  C.  Schenck,  who  became 
the  next  pastor  of  the  church. 

The  trustees  of  the  church  learning,  in  September,  1806,  of 
Dr.  Kollock's  intention  to  resign  and  remove  to  Georgia,  pre- 
sented an  address  to  him,  on  behalf  of  the  congregation  and 
session,  expressing  their  deep  regret  in  parting  with  him  as 
their  minister,  and  the  great  satisfaction  tl^ey  had  experienced 
under  his  preaching  and  their  warmest  wishes  for  his  health 
and  prosperity. 

The  treasurer  paid  him  his  salary  in  full  to  1st  October  and 
also  for  the  repairs  he  had  done  to  the  parsonage  house. 
•  Dr.  Kollock  accepted  a  call  from  the  Independent  Presby- 
terian church  in  Savannah  and  removed  thither  in  the  fall  of 
1806.  He  was  much  admired  there.  He  was  invited  to  take 
the  presidency  of  the  University  of  Georgia,  but  he  declined. 
He  took  a  tour  to  Europe.  After  his  return  he  continued  to 
preach  in  Savannah,  but  his  affection  was  a  disease  of  the  heart 
which  terminated  his  life  by  paralysis.  His  death-bed  was  a 
scene  of  thrilling  interest.  Admiring  friends  manifested  their 
interest  in  him  and  their  grief  at  his  death.  His  reputation  for 
eloquence  had  never  waned.  He  died  December  29,  18 19, 
thoroughly  established  in  the  habits  and  life  of  a  godly  minis- 
ter ;  and  the  confidence  of  his  people  and  friends  seems  to  have 
been  bestowed  upon  him  with  the  most  passionate  love  and 
admiration.  The  shipping  in  the  harbor  placed  their  colors  at 
half  mast,  by  direction  of  the  mayor. 

His  wife  was  Mehetable  Campbell,  a  widow  of  Alexander 
Campbell,  of  Richmond,  Va.     She  survived  him  and  they  had 


PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH-REV.  DR.  KOLLOCK.  I03 

no  children.  A  cenotaph  has  been  erected  to  his  memory  in 
the  pastors'  burial  lot  in  the  Princeton  cemetery  by  the  trus- 
tees of  the  church.  Dr.  Kollock  published  four  volumes  of 
excellent  sermons. 

There  was  now  a  vacancy  in  the  pulpit  of  the  Princeton 
church,  which  continued  until  1810.  Application  was  made  to 
the  Presbytery  for  supplies,  but  President  Smith  took  the  prin- 
cipal charge  of  the  congregation  and  performed  ministerial 
duties  in  the  church.  The  members  of  session  were  active. 
They  increased  their  number  to  eight.  Their  names  were 
Prof.  Wm.  Thompson,  Samuel  Bayard,  James  Moore,  Zebulon 
Morford,  John  Davison,  P^rancis  D.  Janvier,  Peter  Updike,  and 
Dr.  John  VanCleve.  Capt.  Moore,  Zeb.  Morford  and  F.  D.  Jan- 
vier had  the  duties  and  business  of  deacons  assigned  to  them. 
Messrs.  Bayard,  Morford  and  VanCleve  were  appointed  a  com- 
mittee on  public  instruction  to  attend  to  the  public  religious 
instruction  of  the  children.  Mr.  Osgood,  a  licentiate  of  Mas- 
sachusetts, supplied  the  pulpit  for  a  time  in  1807. 

The  trustees  were  Erkuries  Beatty,  James  Moore,  Richard 
Stockton,  James  Hamilton,  Ebenezer  Stockton  and  Samuel 
Bayard. 

In  September,  1807,  the  trustees  took  action  to  prevent 
the  ground  of  the  church  being  occupied  on  days  of  Com- 
mencement by  persons  erecting  booths  or  fixing  wagons  there-/ 
on  for  the  selling  of  liquor  and  refreshments,  whereby  the  free! 
passage  to  and  from  the  church  was  interrupted  and  the  exer- 
cises of  the  day  were  much  impeded.  The  trustees  of  the  college 
had  invoked  this  action  ;  and  with  the  aid  of  the  civil  officers 
the  beer  and  gingerbread  wagons  and  booths  were  forced  to 
take  their  position  down  between  the  middle  gate  of  the  cam- 
pus and  the  old  market  house,  then  standing  in  the  street. 

During  the  year  1808  the  trustees,  who  seemed  to  be  more 
anxious  than  the  session  to  obtain  a  pastor,  recommended,  in 
order  to  provide  for  the  salary  of  a  minister  to  be  called  and 
settled  permanently,  that  two  papers  be  circulated,  one  agree- 
ing to  a  small  yearly  assessment  on  the  pews  and  another  for 
the  usual  subscription  of  money. 

At  the  same  time  the  session  had  appointed  Mr.  Bayard  to 
memorialize  the  trustees  of  the  college  on  the  subject,  express- 


104 


HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 


ing  the  inability  of  the  congregation  to  support  a  minister  of 
such  talents  as  would  give  satisfaction  to  both  the  college  and 
the  congregation,  and  also  to  request  their  aid  in  the  promo- 
tion of  that  desirable  object,  if  compatible  with  the  state  of 
their  funds.  A  call  was  made  to  the  Rev.  Geo.  S.  Woodhull 
to  become  the  pastor,  but  the  Presbytery  having  advised  him 
not  to  accept  it,  he  declined  it. 

Mr.  Billings,  a  student'  from  Georgia,  came  to  Princeton  to 
study  divinity  and  applied  to  the  session  to  be  admitted  to  the 
Lord's  Supper,  but  was  advised  '^  to  wait  till  by  study  and  self- 
examination  he  should  acquire  more  precise  and  correct  ideas 
on  leading  points  of  divinity."  The  next  year  he  was  admitted. 
In  August,  1809,  the  trustees  of  the  church  leased  to  the 
trustees  of  the  academy  a  strip  of  ground  six  feet  wide  for  the 
purpose  of  enlarging  the  lot  upon  which  they  had  allowed  the 
academy  to  be  built  at  the  east  end  of  the  church. 

There  were  several  cases  of  church  discipline  by  the  session, 
of  members,  for  profanity,  intemperance  and  other  immoralities! 
The  number  of  persons  received  into  the  church  since  Dr.  Kol- 
lock  resigned,  up  to  the  call  of  his  successor,  was  only  six. 
The  list  of  communicants  made  Jan.,  1807,  was  as  follows: 


Mrs.  Millet, 

Polly  McComb, 

Mrs.  Morris, 

Mrs.  Little, 

Hetty  Garr, 
James  Hamilton, 
Sarah  Hamilton, 

Martha  Hamilton, 
Mrs.  Ferguson, 
Phebe  Davis. 
Sarah  Martin, 
Eliza  Anderson, 
Mrs.  Crawford, 
Mrs.  Voorhees, 
Mrs.  Rock, 
Hannah  Campbell, 
Mary  Skillman, 
Capt.  James  Moore, 
Mrs.  Moore, 
Mr.  Francis  Janvier, 
Mrs.  Janvier, 


Mrs.  VanCleve, 
Mrs.  Knox, 
Mrs.  Hunt, 
Mrs.  Loufifberry, 
Mrs.  Johnson, 
Peter  Updike, 
Mrs.  Updike, 
Richard  Hunt, 
Ralph  Lane, 
Nancy  Stockton, 
Mrs.  McGregor, 
Mrs.  Hollinshead, 
Joseph  Campbell, 
Mrs.  Campbell, 
Al)ram  Cruser, 
Mrs.  Rowley, 
Henry  Cruser, 
Samuel  Bayard, 
Mrs.  Bayard, 
John  Davidson, 
Mrs.  Davidson, 


PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH— REV.   W.  C.  SCHENCK'. 


105 


Mrs.  Beatty, 
Mrs.  Totten, 
Zebulon  Morford, 
Mrs.  Morford, 
Mrs.  John  Smith, 
William  Thompson, 
Rev.  Dr.  S.  S.  Smith. 
Mrs.  Smith, 
Mrs.  Minto, 
Mrs.  Andrew  Hunter, 
Dr.  John  VanCleve, 


Mr.  Hageman, 
Mrs.  Hageman, 
William  Schenck, 
Mrs.  Mary  Walter, 
Rev.  Mr.  Cooley, 
Mrs.  Cooley, 
Mr.  Gailand,  (student) 
Mr.  Whittlesey, 
Henry  Dwight, 
Helen  Morford. 


SECTION  V. 

1810-1820— PASTORATE  OF  THE  REV.  WILLIAM  C.  SCHENCK. 

In  the  spring  of  18 10  the  Rev.  WiLLIAM  C.  ScHENCK,  a  son 
of  Joseph  Schenck,  (a  pious  farmer  in  the  vicinity  of  Prince- 
ton,) and  who  had  been  admitted  to  the  church,  in  1806,  by  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Kollock,  and  had  studied  divinity  with  President 
Smith,  was  elected  pastor  of  this  church.  He  had  been  li- 
censed by  the  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick  about  two  years 
before  this,  and  had  preached  for  a  time  at  Cooperstown,  N.  Y., 
as  a  supply,  and  had  supplied  the  Princeton  pulpit  for  a  part 
of  a  year,  preceding  this  call.  He  was  ordained  and  installed 
at  Princeton  on  the  6th  of  June,  18 10,  being  only  twenty-two 
years  of  age.  His  ministry  continued  here  for  nine  years  and 
was  greatly  blessed.  The  church  grew  in  numbers  and  influ- 
ence (see  Dr.  W.  E.  Schenck's  Hist.  Discourse,  pp.  53,  54). 
The  parsonage  property,  devised  by  Dr.  Wiggins,  was  assigned 
by  the  trustees  to  Mr.  Schenck,  and  he  entered  upon  it. 

The  desecration  of  tombstones  in  the  burying-ground  began 
as  early  as  the  year  181 2.  The  trustees  took  action  to  prevent 
it  in  that  year.     Their  minutes  read  thus  : 

"  vVhereas,  there  have  been  some  malicious  and  evil  disposed  persons  entering 
the  burying  ground  belonging  to  this  congregation  and  broke  and  abused  some  of 
the  tombstones  therein  much  to  the  injury  of  individuals  and  society  in  general. 

Resolved,  that  Mr.  Eayard  and  Mr.  Hamilton  be  a  committee  to  inquire  for  the 
particulars  of  this  atrocious  injury  and  mischief,  and  if  possible  ascertain  who  the 
persons  are  that  have  been  guilty,  and  if  so  to  immediately  call  a  meeting  of  tlie 
board  that  they  may  be  brought  to  condign  punishmcmt." 


I06  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

The  theological  seminary,  in  1812,  was  established  here  and 
Dr.  Alexander,  with  his  family,  removed  here  in  that  year, 
and  Dr.  Miller  in  the  year  after.  The  religious  interest  of 
Princeton  began  now  to  assume  a  new  and  important  aspect 
in  the  church,  under  the  zealous  ministry  of  Mr.  Schenck. 
Twenty-two  new  members  had  been  received  when  a  sad 
calamity  befell  the  congregation  in  the  destruction  of  the  chiircJi 
edifice,  in  1813,  by  fire.  On  the  ist  of  March  of  that  year  the 
trustees  appointed  a  committee  to  make  inquiry  into  the  cause 
of  the  fire,  and  they  reported  that  after  examining  sundry  wit- 
nesses and  into  the  circumstances  attending  the  fire,  they  were 
of  opinion  that  it  arose  from  the  indiscretion  of  Michael  Riley, 
doing  the  duty  of  sexton,  in  putting  hot  embers  into  a  cask  on 
Saturday  afternoon  and  leaving  it  in  a  closet  under  the  stairs, 
whence  the  fire  was  communicated  to  the  body  of  the  church. 
This  unfortunate  circumstance  ha])pening  early  in  the  evening 
and  the  fire  continuing,  was  not  discovered  until  near  daylight 
on  Sunday  morning,  too  late  to  avoid  the  melancholy  result. 
This  report  was  read  to  the  congregation  and  published  in  the 
Trenton  and  New  Brunswick  papers. 

A  meeting  of  the  congregation  was  held  on  the  same  day; 
Col,  Erkuries  Beatty  was  president  and  Samuel  R.  Hamilton, 
secretary.     A  plan  for  rebuilding  was  adopted. 

1.  A  general  subscription  for  rebuilding  on  the  s.ime  ground,  with  improvements. 

2.  Former  pew  holders  to  have  pews  on  same  sites  with  the  old  ones  as  near  as 
possible,  and  to  be  allowed  the  value  of  their  old  ones  in  equalizing  the  cost. 

3.  Money  subscribed  to  be  allowed  on  the  new  pews. 

4.  Pews  not  thus  taken  to  be  sold  at  auction  subject  to  assessments. 

5.  Purchasers  at  auction,  if  subscribers   to   rebuilding,  to  be  allowed  for  theii 
subscriptions  to  be  taken'out. 

6.  If  a  debt  remains  it  shall  be  assessed  equitably  on  all  the  pews  according  to 
their  relative  value  ;  pews  liable  to  forfeiture  for  it. 

7.  Pews  to  be  classified  and  the  residue  of  the  debt  and  the  income  to  be  raised 
accordingly. 

Col,  Beatty,  Dr.  Stockton  and  Mr.  F.  Janvier  were  appointed 
committee  to  solicit  money  at  home,  and  Dr.  Green,  Dr.  Alex- 
ander, Rev.  Mr.  Schenck,  Richard  Stockton  and  Samuel  Bay- 
ard to  solicit  abroad.  The  building  committee  were  John 
Hamilton,  James  Hamilton,  Peter  Bogart,  Dr.  Stockton  and 


PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH— REV.    W.  C.  SCHENCK.         lO/ 

Mr.  Beatty.     Robert  Voorhees  was  treasurer  of  the  building 
committee, 

James  Hamilton  and  Peter  Bogart  were  a  sub-committee  and 
allowed  $2  a  day,  with  request  to  be  as  economical  as  possible. 

The  congregation  were  invited  by  the  college  to  use  one  of 
their  recitation  rooms  for  worship,  which  they  did,  while  the 
church  was  rebuilding;  and  the  students  who  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  worship  in  the  church  now  returned  to  the  colico-e 
chapel,  and  have,  from  that  time  to  the  present,  continued  to 
hold  a  separate  morning  service  on  the  Sabbath  by  themselves. 

The  congregation  again  looked  to  the  college  for  assistance, 
and  on  the  29th  September,  18 13,  through  the  trustees,  treated 
with  the  college  for  land  and  money. 

The  trustees  of  the  church,  on  that  day,  appointed  Dr, 
Ebenezer  Stockton  to  confer  with  a  committee  of  the  trustees 
of  the  college  on  the  subject  of  the  claims  they  may  have  to 
the  church,  and  solicit  a  sum  of  money  from  the  trustees  of 
the  college  to  assist  in  rebuilding  the  same  and  enter  into  any 
contract  or  agreement  they  should  think  proper  respecting  the 
future  rights  the  college  shall  possess  in  the  church,  also  solicit 
the  trustees  of  the  college  for  a  new  deed  for  the  land  on  which 
the  church  stands,  as  the  present  title  is  not  sufficient  in  law. 

This  committee  reported  Nov.  17,  that  they  met  Andrew 
Kirkpatrick,  Esq.,  a  committee  from  the  trustees  of  the  college, 
to  confer  with  them,  and  entered  into  the  following  agreement : 

r.  The  trustees  of  the  college  will  advance  $500  on  demand  for  the  rebuilding 
of  the  church. 

2.  That  the  trustees  of  the  college  will  give  a  good  and  sufficient  title  for  the 
land  upon  which  the  church  stands  according  to  the  original  agreement. 

3.  The  trustees  of  the  church  will  forever  hereafter  appropriate  one  half  of  the 
gallery  of  the  church  fur  the  use  of  the  officers  and  students  of  the  college  on  Sab- 
bath days  during  divine  service,  to  be  furnished  in  a  plain  decent  manner  and  to  be 
kept  clean  and  in  repair  at  the  expense  of  the  college. 

4.  The  trustees  of  the  college  to  have  the  whole  use  and  direction  of  the  church 
on  Commencement  days  and  two  days  previous,  to  prepare  ;  and  are  to  have  llie 
church  properly  cleaned  out  and  put  in  order  before  the  next  Sabbath  and  repair 
all  damage  that  may  be  done  to  the  church  during  said  lime. 

5.  The  officers  of  the  college  may  have  public  spealving  in  the  church  when  the 
president  thereof  may  desire  it,  by  giving  information  to  the  trustees  of  the  church 
that  they  may  order  their  sexton  to  attend  to  keep  order  ;  afterwards  the  churcii  to 
be  cleaned  at  the  college's  expense,  which  is  to  be  accountable  for  all  damage  done. 


108  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

This  report  was  accepted.  The  trustees  of  the  church  at 
this  time  were  CoL  Erkuries  Beatty,  James  Hamilton,  James 
Moore,  Dr.  Ebenezer  Stockton,  Richard  Stockton  and  Samuel 
Bayard. 

The  building  committee  struggled  on  without  sufficient 
funds  to  finish  the  work.  The  trustees  recommended  the  pub- 
lication of  a  volume  of  original  discourses,  prepared  by  Drs. 
Smith,  Green,  Alexander  and  Miller,  and  the  sale  of  the  same 
as  a  source  of  revenue  ;  and  also  recommended  John  Harrison, 
then  in  Philadelphia  for  his  health,  to  solicit  money  there  for 
the  object.     But  neither  of  these  methods  was  carried  out. 

In  April  of  1814,  the  trustees  directed  the  president  of 
the  board  to  draw  a  memorial  to  be  presented  to  the  trustees 
of  the  college  to  meet  next  week,  for  a  further  supply  of 
money  to  enable  the  building  committee  to  finish  the  church, — 
the  same  to  be  presented  by  Mr.  Bayard  to  the  trustees. 

Mr.  Bayard  reported  that  after  looking  upon  the  complex- 
ion of  the  trustees  and  taking  advice  from  several  members 
of  the  board,  he  considered  it  inexpedient  to  present  the 
memorial  as  desired. 

On  the  29th  of  June,  18 14,  the  new  edifice  was  ready  for 
use,  except  that  it  was  not  fully  pewed.  The  Washington 
Society  applied  to  the  trustees  for  the  use  of  the  building  in 
the  celebration  of  the  ensuing  fourth  of  July,  promising  to  be- 
have in  a  proper  and  becoming  manner. 

The  request  was  granted  on  condition, 

1.  That  all  damage  should  be  repaired. 

2.  That  neither  ftfcs  nor  drums  should  be  played  in  the  church,  nor  any  dis- 
play of  Jla^s  of  any  kind  made  in  it. 

Perhaps  the  fear  of  another  conflagration  caused  the  trus- 
tees to  keep  a  close  watch  over  the  new  building,  for  they 

" Resolved,  \\\oX  x^o  person  not  being  a  member  of  this  congregation  be  per- 
mitted to  enter  the  walls  of  the  church  in  Princeton,  or  on  the  grounds  contig- 
uous to  the  same,  belonging  to  the  trustees,  (excej^t  on  Sundays  or  other  times  of 
public  Avorship)  without  a  written  permission  from  one  of  the  members  of  this 
board  ;  and  if  there  be  such  trespass,  the  president  is  requested  to  prosecute,  etc." 

The  building  committee  made  their  report  and  resigned. 
A  new  contract  was  made  for  finishing  the  interior  of  the 
church.     The  trustees  agreed  to  allow  each  carpenter  working 


PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH— REV.    W.  C.  SCHENCK.         IO9 

at  tlie  job,  tlirce  half  gills  of  lozv  priced  spirits  a  day  at  the 
expense  of  the  church,  cxckisivc  of  their  stated  wages  of  $1.00 
and  board.  The  wages  of  the  carpenters  were  afterward 
raised  to  $1.50  a  day.  N.  M.  Scott,  of  Six  Mile-Run,  agreed 
to  do  the  plastering — and  all  to  be  done  by  Commencement. 

The  church  stood  as  before,  parallel  with  the  street,  but 
it  was  differently  seated.  The  pulpit  was  in  a  semi-circular 
projection  at  the  east  end  of  the  building.  The  doors,  as  be- 
fore, at  the  east  and  west  corners,  next  to  the  street,  and  two 
large  aisles,  and  pews  next  to  the  wall.  The  debt  due  for 
building  the  church,  when  finished,  was  $5400.  The  salary  of 
the  pastor  was  $650,  to  be  raised  by  assessment  of  12  per 
cent,  on  the  valuation  of  the  pews. 

The  rules  and  regulations  for  the  sale  of  the  pews  were  pre- 
pared by  Dr.  Green,  who  received  the  thanks  of  the  board  for 
his  services.  He  had  made  the  subject  of  pew  rents  and  as- 
sessments a  special  subject  of  study  in  Philadelphia,  and  he 
first  introduced  here  the  raising  of  salary  by  assessments. 
There  was  one  remarkable  provision  adopted  here  in  the  rules, 
which  was,  "  Tliat  no  person  shall  hold  a  pew  or  part  of  a  pew 
either  in  /us  own  right  or  by  descent  or  assignment,  xvho,  or  some 
one  of  his  or  her  family,  to  ivhom  the  same  might  legally  descend 
or  be  assigned,  shall  not  be  an  inhabitant  of  Princeton  aforesaid." 
There  is  also  a  minute  showing  that  the  thanks  of  the  trustees 
were  tendered  to  Dr.  Elias  Boudinot,  of  Burlington,  for  his 
present  of  an  elegant  chandelier  for  the  use  of  the  church,  and 
to  Mrs.  Kelsey  and  Mrs.  Cuthbert  for  their  services  in  obtaining 
the  same. 

The  trustees  appropriated  "  the  half  of  the  gallery  in  the 
church,  on  the  south  side,  to  the  students  of  the  college  agree- 
ably to  contract,"  and  "  the  whole  of  the  west  end  of  the  north 
front  of  the  gallery  to  the  black  people  of  the  congregation." 

Capt.  James  Moore  was  allowed  $108  for  superintending 
the  building  of  the  church  from  Sept.  8,  1814,  to  Jan.  16,  1815. 

The  trustees  repealed  the  fees  of  the  Sexton  allowed  for  dig- 
ging graves,  passed  in  1804,  and  adopted  new  rates,  viz.:  for  a 
grown  person,  $1.63,  for  middle  sized  person,  $1.30,  for  a 
child,  $1.00.  Rules  were  also  prescribed  to  the  sexton,  and  his 
salary  was  fixed  at  $30 ;  and  Stephen  Leard  was  appointed. 


no  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

A  public  meeting  was  held  in  the  academy  on  the  21st  of 
October,  18 14,  to  take  action  for  the  removal  of  the  school 
building,  which  seems  not  to  have  burned  down  with  the  church, 
though  on  the  church  lot. 

Sunday  Schools  had  an  early  origin  in  the  church,  and 
what  is  remarkable  is  the  fact  that  thev  had  money  to  loan. 
On  the  23d  of  September,  181 5,  application  was  made  to  the 
board  of  trustees  by  E.  W.  Gilbert,  Chas.  P.  Mcllvaine  and 
Nicholas  Patterson,  a  committee  from  the  board  of  teachers  of 
Sunday  schools  in  the  town,  to  loan  to  them  $250  upon  inter- 
est to  be  paid  semi-annually.  The  trustees  resolved  to  receive 
it  in  trust  for  the  use  of  the  Sunday  schools  and  gave  their  cor- 
porate obligation  to  Dr.  Ashbel  Green,  in  trust,  accordingly. 
The  bond  was  dated  Oct.  5,  181 5. 

Robert  Voorhecs  was  elected  treasurer  in  place  of  J.  Harri- 
son, resigned.  Cornelius  Terhune,  of  Rocky  Hill,  applied  for 
compensation  as  clerk  (singing).     They  remitted  his  pew  rent. 

When  the  year  181 5  opened,  with  the  new  church  finished 
and  its  membership  revived  and  enlarged  during  the  preceding 
year,  a  great  revival  of  religion  marked  the  winter  months  of 
this  memorable  year  in  Princeton.  The  most  amazing  exhibi- 
tion of  divine  grace  was  connected  with  the  college.  The  num- 
ber of  students  in  the  college  at  that  time  was  one  hundred 
and  five,  of  whom  twelve  only  were  professors  of  religion. 

Dr.  Ashbel  Green,  the  president  of  the  college,  in  his  ac- 
count of  the  gracious  work  and  of  the  personal  influence  of  a 
few  pious  youth  who  were  students  before  the  revival  and  who 
were  instrumental  in  promoting  it,  says  : 

"  They  had  for  more  than  a  year  been  earnestly  engaged  in  praying  for  this 
event.  When  they  perceived  the  general  and  increasing  seriousness,  several  of 
them  made  an  agreement  to  speak  privately  and  tenderly  to  their  particular  friends 
and  acquaintances  on  the  subject  of  religion.  And  what  they  said  was,  in  almost 
every  instance,  not  only  well  received,  but  those  with  whom  they  conversed  became 
immediately  and  earnestly  engaged  in  those  exercises,  which  it  is  hoped  have  issued 
in  genuine  piety.  A  public  profession  of  religion,  made  by  two  students  who  had 
been  a  good  while  thouglitful,  had  also  at  this  time  much  influence  apparently,  both 
in  producing  and  iu  deepening  impressions  in  many  others."  *  *  "  The  revival 
commenced  or  ratiier  became  apparent  in  the  second  week  in  January,  without  any 
unusual  occurrence  in  providence,  without  any  alarming  event,  without  any  extra- 
ordinary preaching,  without  any  special  instruction  or  other  means  which  might  be 


PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH— REV.    W.  C.  SCHENCK.         Ill 

supposed  peculiarly  adapted  to  interest  the  mind.  The  divine  influence  seemed  to 
descend  like  the  silent  dew  of  heaven  ;  and  in  about  four  weeks  there  were  very  few 
individuals  in  the  college  edifice  who  were  not  deeply  impressed  with  a  sense  of  the 
importance  of  spiritual  and  eternal  things.  There  was  scarcely  a  room — perhaps 
not  one,  which  was  not  a  place  of  earnest  secret  devotion.  For  a  time  it  seemed  as 
if  the  whole  of  our  charge  was  pressing  into  the  kingdom  of  God  ;  so  that  at  length 
the  inquiry  in  regard  to  them  was,  not  who  was  engaged  about  religion,  but  who 
was  not.  After  this  state  of  things  had  continued  without  much  variation  for  about 
two  months,  it  became  manifest  that  a  change  was  taking  place."  *  *  "The  result 
is  that  there  are  somewhat  more  than  forty  students  in  regard  to  whom,  so  far  as 
the  time  elapsed  will  permit  us  to  judge,  favorable  hopes  may  be  entertained  that 
they  have  been  made  the  suljjects  of  renewing  grace.  Perhaps  there  are  twelve  or 
fifteen  more  who  still  retain  such  promising  impressions  of  religion  as  to  authorize 
a  hope  that  the  issue  may  be  favorable." 

Another  writer,  who  was  an  eye-witness  of  the  scene,  wrote 
just  after  its  beginning,  to  a  distant  friend  as  follows: 

"Our  blessed  Lord  is  manifesting  his  power  to  save  by  making  bare  his  arm  for 
the  salvation  of  a  number  of  the  most  gay,  thoughtless  and  dissipated  students  of  the 
college,  where  he  is  carrying  on  a  glorious  revival  of  his  work.  I  believe  it  is  a  very 
extraordinary  work,  free  from  the  objections  that  are  usually  made  on  such  occa- 
sions, viz:  that  it  is  all  enthusiasm,  effected  by  working  up  the  passions  to  an  ex- 
traordinary pitch.  Drs.  Green,  Alexander  and  Miller  have,  in  rotation,  preached 
in  the  hall  every  Sabbath  forenoon  since  the  commencement  of  the  present  session, 
without  any  visible  effect  other  than  a  solemn  attention.  There  were  six  or  eight 
pious  students  who  agreed  on  the  late  public  fast  day  to  visit  the  different  rooms  and 
converse  with  their  brethren  on  religious  subjects,  and  to  their  astonishment  they 
found  a  number  laboring  under  conviction,  but  supposing  their  cases  to  be  singular 
they  had  not  made  them  known.  They  immediately  established  a  praying  society, 
and  the  work  became  notorious.  I  believe  there  are  at  this  time  as  many  as  twelve 
or  fourteen  who  are  rejoicing  in  the  love  of  Jesus  and  the  hopes  of  immortal  glory  ; 
and  as  many  as  forty  appear  to  be  earnestly  seeking  the  salvation  of  their  souls." 

The  fruits  of  this  revival  were  very  precious.  The  church  in 
Princeton  received  an  accession  of  forty  new  members,  among 
which  were  not  a  {q.\\  who  became  distinguished  as  ministers  in 
subsequent  years.  But  there  were  many  others  connected  with 
the  college  who  subsequently  united  with  other  churches  and 
shone  with  peculiar  lustre  in  various  fields  of  Christian  labor. 
Those  who  united  with  this  church  arc  mentioned  in  the  list 
hereinafter  inserted  and  to  which  we  call  special  attention. 

The  trustees  of  the  church  had  not,  at  this  time,  re- 
ceived a  proper  deed  for  their  lot.  A  small  gore  of  land  then 
in  possession  of  Mrs.  Dr.  Minto,  was  supposed  to  belong  to  the 
church    lot.     Samuel    Bayard  "was    appointed    by   the   board 


112  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON, 

\  with  the  president,  to  procure  an  execution  of  the  deed  from 
\  the  college,  ^nd  then  to  call  upon  Mrs.  Minto  to  show  her 
'title,  and  in  case  of  her  refusal,  to  bring  a  suit  of  ejectment 
'  against  her.  The  deed  from  the  college  was  obtained,  and  in 
its  description  of  the  boundaries,  it  included  the  gore  in  ques- 
tion, or  a  part  of  it.  The  committee  then  waited  upon  Mrs. 
Minto,  but  she  refused  to  slioiv  her  title  to  them,  but  averred 
that  she  had  a  deed  for  it  from  the  trustees,  which  she  would 
exhibit  to  Richard  Stockton  in  the  course  of  a  few  days,  and 
he  being  a  trustee,  could  inform  them  of  her  title.  Mr.  Stock- 
ton subsequently  reported,  that  Mrs.  Minto  had  shown  a  deed 
from  Enos  Kelsey,  John  Little  and  others,  trustees  of  the 
church,  to  Dr.  Witherspoon,  for  the  land  in  dispute,  and 
that  her  title  acquired  through  her  husband  from  Dr.  Wither- 
spoon, was  valid.  Thus  a  lawsuit  was  avoided.  A  recent 
survey  of  the  church  lot,  according  to  the  boundaries  described 
in  the  deed  held  by  the  trustees,  raised  a  similar  question  as 
to  that  gore  of  land,  now  included  in  the  college  property,  oc- 
cupied by  Prof.  Stephen  Alexander,  and  the  error  in  the  de- 
scription has  been  rectified  by  a  readjustment  of  boundaries, 
mutually  effected  by  the  college  and  the  church  trustees,  by  a 
compromise  deed. 

The  pastor,  Mr  Schenck,  in  April,  1816,  applied  to  the  trus- 
tees to  have  the  ministerial  property,  the  Wiggins  parson- 
age, whereon  he  lived,  repaired  ;  or  he  was  willing  that  it 
should  be  sold  and  the  interest  of  the  proceeds  applied  to  his 
use  as  pastor.  The  trustees  after  mature  consideration  were 
of  opinion  that  they  could  not  in  their  corporate  capacity 
either  repair  or  sell  the  parsonage  property.  They  considered 
themselves  trustees  only  for  the  minister  for  the  time  being, 
and  as  such  had  no  right  to  change  the  nature  of  the  estate  by 
converting  it  into  money  ;  and  as  for  repairs,  the  property 
really  belonged  to  the  incumbent  minister,  "and  might  be 
repaired  by  him  with  such  assistance  as  the  people  of  the 
congregation  may  afford — this  board  having  nothing  to  do  with 
such  repair  in  their  corporate  authority." 

On  the  6th  of  Jmie  1817,  two  students  of  the  senior  class 
of  college  applied  for  the  use  of  the  church  for  public  speak- 
ing on  the  ensuing  4th  of  July.      The  trustees  replied  that  ac- 


PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH— REV.    W.  C.  SCHENCK.         II3 

cording  to  the  agreement  the  church  could  be  had  for  pubhc 
speaking  whenever  the  president  desired  it.  If  he  would  ask 
for  it  in  writing  he  could  have  it  ;  and  this  was  done. 

In  August  of  that  year  the  trustees  offered  to  light  the 
church  at  night  for  service  if  wanted,  and  ordered  a  subscrip- 
tion in  cash  for  that  object ;  and  instructed  the  treasurer  to 
buy  candles  by  the  box  for  the  winter. 

April  nth,  1818.  The  president  laid  before  the  board  of 
trustees  of  the  church,  a  letter  from  the  pastor,  with  a  reso- 
lution of  the  session,  asking  the  trustees  to  erect  a  session 
house  as  soon  as  practicable.  Mr.  Bayard  and  Dr.  Van  Cleve 
were  a  committee  to  apply  to  the  college  for  a  lot  of  land 
adjoining  the  church  on  which  to  erect  the  building.  Dr. 
Van  Cleve  reported  that  the  college  had  granted  the  use  of 
a  lot,  back  of  the  church,  next  to  Mrs.  Minto's,  for  such  a 
house,  until  called  for.  But  the  building  was  not  erected.  A 
committee  was  appointed  to  raise  money  to  repair  the  par- 
sonage. 

It  was  on  the  17th  of  October,  1818,  when  this  "burning 
and  shining  light"  was  extinguished  by  death,  after  a  short 
illness  from  typhus  fever,  in  the  31st  year  of  his  age.  In  the 
midst  of  his  years  and  usefulness,  while  growing  in  the  love 
and  confidence  of  his  people;  and  adding  yearly  larger  and 
larger  numbers  to  the  church,  and  while  rejoicing  in  the  rich 
fruits  of  that  remarkable  revival,  which  a  few  years  before  had 
refreshed  Princeton,  this  earnest,  devoted,  beloved  young  min- 
ister of  the  church  was  called  to  give  up  his  stewardship  here, 
and  enter  upon  a  higher  ministry  in  the  spirit-world.  In  the 
place  of  his  nativity,  surrounded  by  his  kindred,  and  by  those 
who  had  been  his  educators  and  spiritual  guides,  he  resigned 
his  holy  commission,  and  his  lips  were  sealed  in  death.  His 
venerated  teacher  of  divinity,  Dr.  S.  Stanhope  Smith,  survived 
him  about  a  year.  The  consecration  which  Mr.  Schenck  made 
of  himself  when  he  joined  the  church  under  his  predecessor, 
Mr.  Kollock,  and  when  he  entered  the  ministry,  was  unusually 
full  and  solemn.  "  His  style  of  preaching  was  at  first  quite  im- ,' 
aginative  and  ornate,  but  amidst  the  pressure  of  ministerial 
duties,  he  soon  acquired  one  that  was  more  compact,  direct, 
energetic.  He  was  as  occasion  demanded,  the  friend,  the  ad- 
8 


114  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

viser,  the  reprover,  the  comforter  of  his  flock,  and  it  is  be- 
lieved that  rarely  has  a  pastor  been  more  beloved  than  he  was. 
Yet  with  all  his  labors  of  an  out-door  kind,  he  managed  to  be 
a  faithful  and  constant  student."  * 

Judge  Bayard,  who  was  a  prominent  elder  in  the  church 
during  the  whole  of  Mr.  Schenck's  pastorate  here  and  for 
twenty  years  afterwards,  speaks  of  him  thus: 

•"  He  has  left  a  name  untarnished  by  a  solitary  spot  that  could  raise  a  blush  on 
the  face  of  friendship  or  extort  a  sigh  from  the  bosom  of  affection.  Before  lie  at- 
tained the  prime  of  life  he  has  been  called  from  a  scene  of  trial  to  receive  the  rewards 
of  sincere  faith  and  active  zeal.  He  has  descended  to  the  grave  after  a  short  service 
in  the  vineyard  of  his  Lord,  but  the  service,  though  short,  was  diligent  and  exem- 
plary. The  modesty  and  prudence  of  his  general  deportment,  his  ardent  devotion 
to  the  duties  of  his  office,  his  peculiar  and  affectionate  attention  to  the  youth  of  his 
congregation,  and  his  efforts  to  train  them  up  in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the 
Lord,  render  his  loss  a  subject  of  deep  and  general  sorrow.  Intelligent,  amiable 
and  assiduous,  his  highest  ambition  was  to  serve  the  best  of  Masters  with  zeal  and 
fidelity.  He  has-left  many  sincere  and  affectionate  friends  to  mourn  his  loss,  with- 
out leaving  one  solitary  enemy  to  cast  a  shade  over  his  unsullied  name." 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  death  of  Mr.  Schenck  was 
deeply  mourned  by  his  church  and  congregation.  The  trustees 
directed  his  funeral  and  the  draping  of  the  church  edifice,  and 
paid  the  expenses  thereof  and  continued  his  salary  and  the  use 
of  the  parsonage  to  his  widow  until  the  next  spring.  Dr. 
Samuel  Miller  preached  the  funeral  sermon,  which  the  session, 
in  voting  him  thanks  for  it.  described  as  "very  impressive  and 
consolatory." 

The  congregation,  at  a  public  meeting,  by  their  secretary, 
Samuel  R.  Hamilton,  conveyed  an  address  to  the  widow  ex- 
pressing their  love  and  veneration  for  the  memory  of  the  de- 
ceased and  their  high  regard  for  her ;  in  reply  to  which  she 
recognized  their  tribute  of  respect  to  deserved  excellence,  and 
her  sense  of  obligation  for  their  liberality  to  his  bereaved  fami- 
ly, closing  her  communication  by  this  allusion  to  her  deceased 
husband  : 

"  Should  his  beatific  spirit  be  permitted  to  have  a  view  of  terrestrial  scenes,  surely 
it  must  be  gratified  by  these  acts  of  kindness.     Accept,  sir,  my  assurance  of  esteem. 

"  Respectfully  yours. 
Samuel  R.  Hamilton,  Esq.,  Eliza  T.  Schenck." 

Secretary,  etc. 


*Rev.  W.  E.  Schenck's  Hist.  Discourse. 


PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH— REV.  fV.   C.  SCHENCK.  II5 

The  session  of  the  church  also  caused  a  marble  monument 
to  be  erected  over  his  remains  in  the  old  burying  ground  on 
Witherspoon  Street.  This  monument  and  the  remains  have 
since,  at  the  request  of  the  family,  been  removed  to  the  pas- 
tors' lot  set  off  in  the  new  adjoining  cemetery. 

His  widow,  a  most  devout  Christian,  was  a  daughter  of 
Joseph  Scudder,  Esq.,  a  lawyer  of  Freehold,  and  Maria  John- 
ston his  wife,  ancestors  of  the  Missionary  Scudder  family,  and 
she  survived  him  about  thirty  years.  She  was  buried  beside 
her  husband  in  Princeton.  They  had  two  children,  one  the 
wife  of  the  Rev.  Asa  S.  Colton,  now  living  in  Princeton,  and 
the  other  a  son,  William  C.  Schenck,  who  graduated  at  Rut- 
gers College  ;  was  for  a  while  in  the  theological  seminary  in 
Princeton,  then  read  law  in  Mr.  ilageman's  office,  and  died  in 
Princeton. 

During  Mr.  Schenck's  pastorate  the  membership  of  the 
church  was  greatly  increased.  The  number  of  those  added  was 
one  hundred  and  forty-five,  about  a  dozen  of  whom  were  ad- 
mitted upon  certificate,  the  others  upon  examination.  Above 
twenty  of  them  were  students  and  thirty-one  were  colored  per- 
sons, some  free  and  some  slaves. 

We  may  notice  among  the  number  received  the  following 
familiar  names:  in  1810,  Lewis  Bayard,  son  of  Samuel  Bay- 
ard ;  in  181 1,  Thomas  Skinner,  theo.  student,  Nicholas  G.  Pat- 
terson, college  student,  Eliza  Ann  Schenck,  wife  of  the  pastor, 
Mrs.  Schenck,  wife  of  John  C.  Schenck;  in  18 12,  Mrs.  Janette 
Alexander,  wife  of  Dr.  Archibald  Alexander,  Thos.  J.  Biggs, 
coll.  student ;  in  1814,  Mrs.  Napton,  wife  of  John  Napton,  Mrs. 
Stockton,  wife  of  Richard  Stockton,  Mrs.  Hamilton,  wife 
of  J.  Ross  Hamilton,  Phebe,  Elizabeth  and  Catharine  Hunt, 
daughters  of  Richard  Hunt,  Miss  Ellen  Joline,  Miss  Maria 
Ross,  Miss  Elizabeth  Hamilton,  daughter  of  James  Hamilton, 
John  Harrison,  James  Hamilton,  Jr.,  Mrs.  Phebe  Maclean, 
Mrs.  Stephen  Morford,  Jeremiah  Chamberlain,  theo.  student ; 
in  1815,  Mrs,  Sophia  Slack,  wife  of  Professor  Slack,  Charles 
Hodge,  Kinsey  VanDyke,  Wm.  James,  Charles  Stewart,  John 
Johns,  Ravaud  K.  Rodgers,  Benjamin  Richards,  James  Mur- 
ray, John  Ludlow  and  Ezra  Young,  college  students;  in  1816, 
Mary  W.   Ferguson,   John   Wilson,   Elias   Updike,  Jacob  W. 


■f 


Il6  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

Lane  and  wife,  Mrs.  Benjamin  Clarke,  Sarah  and  Rebecca  Ham- 
ilton, daughters  of  James  H.,  Mrs.  Margaret  Lindsley,  wife  of 
Prof.  L.,  William  Snodgrass,  theo.  student,  Betsey  Stockton, 
col'd,  in  Dr.  Green's  family,  afterwards  missionary  to  the  Sand- 
wich Islands,  Mrs.  Ann  Callender,  Mrs.  Susan  Salomans,  Mr. 
Boardman,  coll.  student;  in  1817,  Aaron  Updike,  Mrs.  Abby 
Field,  Mrs.  Nancy  Teisseire,  Mrs.  Alice  Moon,  Jacob  Green, 
Miss  Mary  Ann  Witherspoon,  John  Maclean,  Jacob  Stryker, 
Evelina  B.  Linn,  Alice  Ten  Eyck,  Ann  Hamilton,  John  Breck- 
inridge, Charles  C.  Beatty,  Thomas  Kennedy,  Mary  Ann  Teis- 
seire, Sarah  Gray  by  certificate  ;  in  1818,  Miss  Maria  Gulick, 
Amy,  Charity  and  Lottisa  Ann  Millette,  by  certificate  from 
Kingston,  Alice  Leard,  Frederick  Cruser,  Julia  Stockton  and 
Annis  Dunbar,  and  many  others. 

These  names,  enrolled  during  this  short  pastorate  of  nine 
years,  represent  the  best  families  in  Princeton.  Those  who 
know  the  character  of  the  men  and  the  women  above  named, 
and  the  high  and  influential  position  they  afterwards  occupied, 
in  the  church  and  the  community,  will  adore  the  grace  of  God 
that  turned  their  feet  into  the  paths  of  religion. 

After  the  death  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Schenck,  the  session  re- 
solved thenceforth  to  take  charge  of  the  religious  insiruction 
of  the  youth  and  children  of  the  congregation  as  long  as  they 
should  be  destitute  of  a  pastor.  John  S.  Wilson  and  Joseph 
Schenck  were  added  to  the  session.  The  theological  students 
were  asked  to  aid  in  teaching  Bible  classes.  The  session  also 
recommended  the  Rev.  Archibald  Alexander  as  a  suitable  per- 
son for  pastor  of  the  church,  and  they  called  a  joint  meeting 
of  the  trustees  and  session,  to  unite  in  a  call  to  him,  if  they 
approve  it.  They  afterwards  recommended  the  Rev.  William 
Allen,  of  Hanover,  late  president  of  University  of  Dartmouth, 
N.  H.,  for  pastor.     He  declined  the  call. 

The  trustees  granted  the  application  of  the  college  for  the 
use  of  the  church  tlie  Sunday  previous  to  Connncnconeiit. 

The  subject  of  the  sale  of  the  parsonage  again  came  up  in 
the  board  of  trustees  ;  the  suggestion  of  repairs  or  sale  had 
been  made  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Schenck  about  two  years  before 


PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH— REV.  G.  S.  WOODHULL.         WJ 

this  time,  as  we  have  seen.  Now  the  trustees  decide  that  it 
is  expedient  to  sell  the  real  property  left  by  Dr.  Wiggins  to  I 
the  church,  and  invest  the  proceeds  in  some  permanent  fund 
for  the  use  of  the  pastor  of  the  church  for  the  time  being,  and 
that  application  should  be  made  to  the  Legislature  to  carry 
the  same  into  effect,  and  that  the  congregation  be  called  to  con- 
sider this  question.  A  public  meeting  of  the  congregation 
was  held  on  Thanksgiving  day.  Dr.  Alexander  presided. 
S.  R.  Hamilton  was  secretary. 

The  resolution  to  sell  was  supported  by  Mr.  Bayard,  and 
opposed  by  Dr.  Green  and  others.  The  meeting  adjourned 
to  hear  a  report  of  the  circumstances  and  condition  of  the  prop- 
erty. At  that  adjourned  meeting  the  will  of  Dr.  Wiggins — • 
the  action  of  the  congregation — the  releases  of  the  heirs,  etc., 
were  read. 

The  question  of  sale  was  taken  by  yeas  and  nays,  and  lost 
by  seven  to  seventeen. 

The  sum  of  $1340  was  directed  to  be  assessed  upon  the 
pews,  to  pay  Sally  Wiggins  and  to  repair  the  parsonage. 
But  this  was  not  fully  carried  out. 

The  parsonage  was  rented  for  $250  ;  application  was  made 
to  the  Presbytery  for  supplies  ;  and  they  offered  to  pay  $6  a 
Sabbath. 


SECTION     VI. 


182O-1832 — THE   PASTORATE  OF  THE  REV.  GEORGE   SPAFFORU 

WOODHULL. 

On  the  28th  of  February,  1820,  the  congregation  met  and, 
upon  a  unanimous  recommendation  of  the  session  and  trustees, 
proceeded  to  vote  for  the  Rev.  George  S.  WoodJuill,  of  Cran- 
berry, N.  J.,  for  pastor.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Miller  presided  and  James 
S.  Green  was  clerk.  Col.  Beatty  nominated  Mr.  Woodhulland 
S.  R.  Hamilton  nominated  the  Rev.  Mr.  McFarlane.  Mr. 
WoodhuU  received  a  large  majority  of  votes.  The  written 
votes  of  Richard  Stockton  and  Mrs.  Hamilton  were  sent  and 
offered,  but  were  objected  to  as  not  within  the  rule.     The  ob- 


Il8  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

jections  were,  however,  overruled  by  the  congregation.  Dr. 
Miller  addressed  the  minority  and  all  but  three  yielded  their 
assent  to  the  election.  The  sum  of  $600  and  the  use  of  the 
parsonage  were  voted  as  the  salary  of  Mr.  Woodhull. 

Mr.  Woodhull  accepted  the  call  and  met  with  the  session 
on  the  31st  of  March,  1820,  but  he  was  not  installed  till  July 
the  5th.  Col.  Erkuries  Beatty  was  admitted  into  church  mem- 
bership at  that  time. 

The  session  of  the  church  in  May,  1820,  adopted  the  follow- 
ing minute  in  reference  to  the  lectures  which  had  been  given 
by  the  professors  of  the  seminary  to  the  congregation,  viz : 

"The  session,  deeply  impressed  with  a  grateful  sense  of  the  peculiar  privileges 
the  people  of  this  place  have,  for  several  years  past,  enjoyed  from  the  edifying  in- 
structions of  the  professors  of  the  seminary  in  the  evening  lectures  in  the  church, 
in  the  name  and  behalf  of  said  congregation,  beg  leave  to  reiterate  their  acknowl- 
edgment of  their  obligation  and  at  the  same  time,  from  a  deep  persuasion  of  the 
many  and  weighty  reasons  for  continuing  said  lectures,  do  earnestly  request  that 
they  may  be  continued  as  heretofore  in  the  church." 

The  installation  of  Mr.  Woodhull  took  place  July  5,  1820. 
The  Rev.  John  Woodhull,  of  Freehold,  presided.  The  Rev. 
Isaac  V.  Brown,  of  Lawrenceville,  preached  the  installation 
sermon.  The  charge  to  the  minister  was  given  by  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Archibald  Alexander,  and  the  charge  to  the  people  by  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  Miller.  Messrs.  Collins  &  Co.,  of  New  York, 
presented  to  the  church,  through  Mr.  Bayard,  an  elegant  quarto 
Bible  for  which  thanks  were  tendered. 

The  wants  of  the  theological  seminary  were  presented  to 
the  session,  with  a  request  that  a  contribution  for  that  object 
should  be  solicited  agreeably  to  a  recommendation  of  the 
synod.  The  session  did  not  seem  willing  to  appeal  to  the  peo- 
ple again  so  soon  after  they  had  responded  to  a  similar  appeal, 
and  assigned  as  reasons  in  their  apology  that  they  had  given 
much  to  the  seminary  at  its  formation  and  lately  had  given 
$430  for  the  professor's  house,  and  had  been  giving  $100  an- 
nually for  the  support  of  a  student  in  the  seminary,  and  also 
have  a  public  collection  in  the  church  once  a  year  for  the  sem- 
inary. Besides  they  contributed  towards  the  Bible  Society, 
Missionary  Society,  Education  Society,  Sunday  schools  and 
Benevolent  Society,  therefore  they  did  not  think  it  advisable 


PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH— REV,  G.S.WOODHULL.         I  I9  | 

to  call  upon  the  people  for  a  contribution  at  this  time  for  the         I 
seminary.  j 

The  new  pastor  soon  after  having  entered  upon  his  minis- 
try in  Princeton,  received  a  little  rough  treatment  from  some 
of  the  boys  of  the  town,  on  the  evening  of  the  12th  Novem- 
ber, 1 820.  While  he  was  at  prayer  in  the  clerk's  desk,  two  snow- 
balls were  thrown  into  the  church  windows,  and  went  very 
near  to  the  pastor.  It  was  regarded  as  a  great  offence,  and 
the  trustees  took  the  matter  up  with  great  zeal,  Mr.  Bayard 
informed  them  that  he  had  reason  to  suspect  two  boys  of  the 
town,  and  they  resolved  that  their  whole  number  would  at- 
tend to  the  prosecution  of  the  case  before  the  justice  on  the 
next  Friday.  The  president  of  the  board,  with  Dr.  Stockton 
and  Mr.  Bayard,  were  appointed  to  conduct  the  prosecution, 
which  they  did,  having  arrested  and  bound  over  two  appren- 
tice boys  to  appear  at  the  next  Middlesex  Sessions  to  answer 
for  disturbing  divine  worship.  And  nothing  more  was  done.  j 
The  next  year  was  characterized  by  other  disorders  by  the 
boys,  which  also  received  the  attention  of  the  trustees. 

The  church  was  now  the  recipient  of  a  legacy  of  $500,  be-  ';  - 
queathed  to  it  by  one  of  its  useful  members,  who  had  held  the 
office  of  church  treasurer  and  trustee,  viz  :  John  Harrison,  who 
was  a  merchant,  and  who  was  owner  of  the  farm  on  the  east 
side  of  the  road  leading  from  Queenston  to  Scudder's  Mills — 
now  owned  by  Mr.  Segur,  and  for  many  years  by  the  Rev. 
Daniel  Deurelle,  deceased. 

The  subject  of  the  session  house  was  now  again  agitated. 
The  trustees  through  a  committee,  reported  a  plan  to  raise  a 
fund  to  build  a  suitable  house,  but  the  congregation  refused  to 
adopt  the  plan,  and  voted  by  a  large  majority,  against  erect-        j 
ing  one,  either  for  Sunday  school,  or  general  purposes. 

The  spirit  of  improvement  caused  the  church  fence  to  be     , 
removed  out  to  the  gravel  walk,  and  the  engine  house  also  to 
be  removed  to  another  place,  and  posts  to  fasten  horses  to,  to  be     /   { 
put  up  at  the  east  end  of  the  church.     Mr.  Pratt,  a  theological    ■'    j 
student,  was  allowed  the  use  of  the  church  for  a  singing  school, 
but  was  to  find  his  own  fire  and  candles.    '  It  may  be  interest-        i 
ing  to  those  who  now  enjoy  the  church  brilliantly  lighted  with  ^   i 
gas,  to  note  at  that  time  when  special  effort  was  made  to  give 


120  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

attraction  to  the  ministry  of  this  new  pastor,  that  the  number 
of  candles  which  had  been  allowed  to  the  sexton  to  light 
the  church  with  for  two  nights,  was  now  increased  to 
tJiirty-tzvo  ! 

In  182 1  there  was  a  Female  Missionary  society  in  Princeton 
in  prosperous  condition,  and  liberal  contributions  were  made 
by  it  to  the  Western  and  Foreign  missionary  societies.  A 
missionary  for  six  weeks  at  Groveville,  Bordentown  and 
Whitehorse,  in  the  county  of  Burlington,  with  a  special  mis- 
sion of  establishing  Sunday  schools,  in  addition  to  the  ordi- 
nary duties  of  a  missionary,  in  1822,  was  sustained  by  the  ses- 
sion of  the  church.  Mr.  Campbell  was  employed  at  Groveville 
and  was  paid  $30  for  his  services  for  six  weeks.  The  object  of 
the  Princeton  P'emale  Missionary  Society  was  to  support  a 
female  school  in  India;  and  this  was  tlone  for  many  years. 
Their  constitution  was  published  in  the  Christian  Advocate  in 
1823.  A  collection  was  ordered  to  be  taken  in  the  church  for 
the  Greeks  in  their  struggle  with  the  Turks. 

It  was  in  the  year  1822  that  the  Rev.  Charles  Hodge  bought 
a  pew,  No.  48,  in  the  old  church,  and  it  was  in  this  year  that 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Ashbel  Green  resigned  the  presidency  of  the  col- 
lege, and  removed  from  Princeton.  Dr.  Green  having  rendered 
much  valuable  and  acceptable  service  in  the  church,  the  trus- 
tees addressed  a  letter  of  thanks  to  him,  of  which  the  follow- 
ing is  a  copy  : 

"  Rev.  and  Dear  Sir  : — The  trustees  of  the  Princeton  congregation,  in  the 
borough  of  Princeton,  liaving  heard  with  regret  that  you  are  about  to  leave  our  vil- 
lage, beg  leave  to  express  their  feelings  to  you  on  this  occasion. 

"  Upon  your  first  removal  to  Princeton  you  united  yourself  to  this  congregation 
and  after  the  destruction  of  their  church  edifice  by  fire  you  contributed  liberally  to 
its  rebuilding  and  enabled  its  members,  by  your  experience  and  counsels,  so  to  ar- 
range its  concerns  as  to  ensure  its  subsequent  welfare  and  respectability  ;  for  these 
services,  dear  sir,  we  beg  you  to  accept  our  unfeigned  gratitude.  Never,  while  life 
is  spared,  can  the  present  members  of  this  congregation  forget  those  solemn  exhor- 
tations which  you  have  addressed  to  them  on  many  occasions,  but  especially  at  the 
Sacramental  table  ;  nor  those  impressive  weekly  lectures  whicli,  although  intended 
chiefly  for  your  pupils,  you  have  jjermitted  the  inhabitants  of  this  Ijorough  to 
attend. 

"  Whatever  maybe  the  Station  or  condition  which  Providence  may  hereafter  allot 
you,  be  assured  you  will  be  followed  by  our  affectionate  gratitude  and  benedictions. 
We  shall  endeavor  to  recollect  and  profit  by  the  many  excellent  instructions  you 


PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH— REV,  G.  S.   WOODHULL.         12  1 

have  given  us,  and  shall  often  pray  for  your  welfare  in  life,  and  that  when  your 
trials  below  are  finished  you  may  depart  in  all  the  triumphs  of  Christian  hope  and 
be  received  to  the  enjoyment  of  a  happiness  without  measure  and  without  end. 

"  We  are,  etc." 

[Signed  by  all  the  trustees.] 

DR.  green's  reply. 

"  To  the  Trustees,  etc.  : 

"Christian  Brethren  :  Your  address  to  me  under  date  of  the  28th  ult.,  which  was 
put  into  my  hands  to-day,  I  received  with  great  sensibility.  I  desire  to  be  humbly 
thankful  to  God  that  he  has  enabled  me,  in  addition  to  my  arduous  official  duties, 
to  perform  those  imperfect  ministerial  services  for  the  people  you  represent,  which 
you  acknowledge,  and  acknowledge  in  a  manner  so  kind  and  obliging  as  to  be  in 
itself  more  than  a  compensation  for  all  I  have  done.  That  the  sacred  truths  that 
I  have  labored  to  inculcate  in  this  place  may  be  productive  under  the  divine  bless- 
ing of  some  fmit  to  the  glory  of  God  and  the  salvation  of  those  to  whom  they  have 
been  delivered  ;  that  the  precious  Ordinances  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ  which  you  so 
richly  enjoy,  may  be  long  continued  to  you  and  be  abundantly  blessed  to  the  eternal 
benefit  of  yourselves  and  your  dear  offspring  ;  and  that,  although  my  ministrations 
among  you  should  now  entirely  cease,  we  may  mutually  endeavor  so  to  live  that  we 
may  hereafter  meet  and  rejoice  together  in  the  heavenly  kingdom  and  in  the  imme- 
diate presence  of  our  common  and  adored  Saviour  ;  this,  Christian  brethren,  is 
the  earnest  prayer  of  your  friend  in  the  Gospel  of  Christ, 

"AsHBEL  Green." 
Princeton,  Oct.  10,  1822. 

Betsey  Stockton,  a  colored  member  of  this  church,  went  as 
a  missionary  to  the  Sandwich  Islands  with  the  family  of  the 
Rev.  Charles  Stewart.  She  returned  to  Princeton  after  a  few 
years,  and  for  many  years  after  that  time  taught  a  school  of 
colored  children,  in  Witherspoon  Street,  till  her  death.  She 
was  much  respected  and  was  a  good  educator  for  the  colored 
boys  and  girls  of  Princeton.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Ashbel  Green  was, 
in  his  lifetime,  one  of  her  warmest  friends.  He  published  in 
the  Christian  Advocate  a  long  letter  of  hers,  written  on  the 
ship  Thames,  on  her  voyage  to  the  Sandwich  Islands  in  1823. 

In  1824  the  question  of  building  a  session  house  again  arose   -■ 
in  the  session  and  board  of  trustees.     Those   bodies   resolved 
that  it  was  expedient  to  raise  funds   to   erect   one   on   the   lot 
designated  for  that  object  in  181 8. 

In  1S25  the  pastor  laid  before  the  session  the  resolution  of 
the  faculty  of  the  seminary  in  which  the  professors  declined 
continuing  the  Sabbath  evening  lectures  in  the  church.     Dr. 


122  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

John  VanCleve,  one  of  the  ruling  elders,  died  and  the  session 
was  enlarged  by  the  addition  of  several  new  members,  among 
whom  was  Professor  Robert  B.  Patton. 

In  1826,  Mr.  Patton,  ruling  elder,  was  appointed  by  session 
to  inquire  whether  it  is  proper  for  students  who  are  members 
of  a  church,  to  become  connected  with  this  church.  The  Fac- 
ulty of  the  college  opposed  it  ;  and  no  further  action  seems  to 
have  been  taken  on  the  subject. 

In  the  next  year  a  committee  of  the  congregation  was  ap- 
pointed to  inquire  what  had  caused  a  depression  in  the  value 
of  the  pews,  and  to  suggest  and  report  a  plan  to  increase  the 
funds  of  the  church.  This  committee  consisted  of  Samuel 
Bayard,  Rev.  Dr.  Carnahan,  Robert  F.  Stockton,  Robert  Voor- 
hees  and  Robert  Baird.  A  committee  had  been  appointed 
to  make  an  arrangement  with  the  professors  to  preach  every 
Sabbath  morning  in  rotation  with  the  pastor.  The  former 
committee  by  Samuel  Bayard,  chairman,  reported  at  length, 
the  substance  of  which  report  was,  that  the  congregation  had 
become  warmly  attached  to  the  plan  of  having  the  professors 
preach  in  the  church  in  the  evening,  and  that  its  discontinu- 
ance had  diminished  the  interest  of  the  congregation  in  the 
church.  They  recommended  that  the  professors  should  be 
.invited  to  preach  in  rotation,  with  the  pastor,  every  Sabbath 
morning,  and  that  the  students  of  the  seminary  should  worship 
in  the  church  with  the  congregation.  It  was  alleged  that  the 
pastor  had  given  his  consent  to  this  arrangement.  The  report 
was  not  wholly  adopted  by  the  congregation.  There  was  a 
good  deal  of  feeling  manifested.  A  letter  addressed  to  the 
pastor  by  a  committee  raised  for  that  purpose,  reciting  an  un- 
willingness on  the  part  of  the  people  to  pay  pew  rent,  and 
asking  him  for  a  frank  cooperation  with,  or  approval  of,  the 
plan  of  having  the  professors  to  share  in  preaching,  with  the 
pastor,  indicates  no  very  cordial  relation  between  the  pastor 
and  a  portion  of  the  congregation.  The  proposed  measure 
failed  to  be  adopted  at  that  time  ;  and  the  matter  was  left 
without  any  further  action. 

In  1829,  a  letter  from  Mrs.  Dr.  Samuel  Miller  and  Mrs. 
Salomans,  a  committee  of  the  Female  Bencvoletit  Society  of 
Princeton,  was  received  by  the  trustees  of  the  church,  request- 


PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH— REV.  G.  S.  WOODHULL.         1 23 

ing  permission  to  erect  a  building  for  the  use  of  a  free  school 
on  part  of  the  premises  devised  by  the  late  Thomas  Wiggins 
for  the  use  of  the  pastor.  The  trustees  in  their  individual  ca- 
pacity gave  a  certificate  as  follows  : 

"  Know  all  men  by  these  presents,  that  the  trustees  of  this  congregation  in  the 
counties  of  Middlesex  and  Somerset,  do  as  far  as  we  legally  can,  give  our  full  as- 
sent to  the  use  and  occupation  of  a  lot  next  adjoining  Mr.  Henry  Voorhees,  not  ex- 
ceeding 50  feet  in  front  and  lOO  feet  in  depth,  on  which  to  erect  a  suitable  building 
for  the  free  school  of  the  Ijorough  of  Princeton,  to  the  managers  of  the  Female  Be- 
nevolent Society,  provided  the  said  Ijoard  shall  first  obtain  the  approbation  in  writ- 
ing of  the  Rev.  Geo.  S.  Woodhull  hereunto  added  :  and  this  to  continue  so  long  as 
it  may  meet  the  approbation  of  the  person  who  may  hereafter  be  elected  the  minis- 
ter of  this  congregation.     Witness  our  hands  the  4th  day  of  May,  a.  i>.  1829." 

[Signed  by  the  several   trustees.] 

In  October  of  that  year  the  session  of  the  church  adopted 
the  following  minute  respecting  the  session  house: 

"That  the  Female  Benevolent  Society  continue  to  hold  the  right  in  the  lot 
given  them  by  the  session,  and  taking  the  money  already  subscribed,  and  as 
much  more  as  can  be  raised  by  subscription — that  they  build  a  house  40  feet  long 
by  20  in  width  ;  the  lower  story  shall  be  appropriated  to  the  free  school,  and  a 
large  room  above  to  the  use  of  the  session,  reserving  only  to  themselves  in  this,  the 
privilege  of  holding  public  meetings  whenever  they  do  not  interfere  with  the  busi- 
ness or  views  of  the  church." 

The  session  and  the  Female  Benevolent  Society  each  paid 
$250  towards  the  building."^^ 

The  plan  of  securing  the  cooperation  of  the  professors  with 
the  pastor,  in  preaching,  was  again  revived.  The  congregation, 
at  a  public  meeting  in  1821,  resolved  that  the  temporal  and 
spiritual  interests  of  the  congregation  would  be  greatly  pro- 
moted by  such  an  arrangement;  and  also  that  the  addition  of 
the  students  of  the  seminary  to  the  congregation  would  greatly 
improve  the  devotional  music  of  the  church  and  preserve  order 

*  The  missionary  spirit  of  the  church  was  still  alive  at  this  time.  A  letter  from 
Robert  Baird,  then  in  the  theological  seminary  in  Princeton,  dated  March  18,  1829, 
shows  that  he  was  engaged  in  missionary  work  in  the  Pines  of  New  Jersey,  and  was 
aiding  in  building  a  church  at  Turkey,  near  Squankum,  and  at  Butcher's  Woiks, 
about  twenty  miles  from  Englishtown,  and  in  other  places  in  that  region  of 
country. 

The  session  of  the  church  also  responded  to  an  appeal  from  Mary  B.  Maclean, 
secretary  of  the  Princeton  Female  Missionary  Society,  in  1830,  to  aid  in  sustaining 
two  schools  in  India. 


124  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

and  decorum  in  the  gallery,  and  also  that  it  was  expedient  to 
lower  the  galleries  and  make  seats  in  them  for  the  students  ; 
that  the  expense  be  defrayed  by  voluntary  subscription.  The 
pastor  was  requested  to  favor  the  plan.  The  measure  was  in- 
dorsed by  a  vote  of  three  to  one.  This  action  of  the  congre- 
gation was  disapproved  by  the  Presbytery  in  1832,  when  the 
minutes  came  before  that  body,  as  contrary  to  order  and  dis- 
cipline. 

A  FUGITIVE  SLAVE  CASE,  in  the  church  !  A  communication 
was  received,  by  this  church,  from  the  Rev.  Dr.  McDowell,  of 
the  First  Presbyterian  church  of  Elizabcthtown,  requesting  in- 
formation respecting  Matty,  a  colored  woman,  who  had  joined 
the  church  in  1815,  but  had  been  suspended  from  the  privileges 
of  this  church  and  who  had  been  absent  from  this  place  for 
several  years  and  had  recently  made  application  to  be  received 
by  the  church  at  Elizabeth.  This  session  considered  the  sub- 
ject and  declined  to  give  Matty  a  dismission  at  present  to 
another  church  "  because,  ist,  she  is  still  a  slave  of  Dr.  Ebenczcr 
Stockton,  from  whose  service  she  absconded  several  years  ago; 
and  2d,  no  pains  have  been  taken,  that  the  session  knows  of,  on 
Matty's  part  to  be  liberated  from  her  master  in  a  fair  and  legal 
manner."  Dr.  McDowell  wrote,  July  16,  1830,  that  upon  ex- 
amination of  Matty,  they  were  satisfied  and  were  willing  to 
receive  her.  This  session  finally  agreed  to  it,  in  consideration 
that  Matty  had  made  two  visits  here  and  had  procured  her 
emancipation  as  recommended  by  session,  and  acknowledged 
her  guilt  and  penitence. 

Venetian  blinds  were  first  procured  for  the  church  in  this 
year.  The  legacy  of  $500,  from  John  Harrison  to  the  church, 
was  paid. 

In  the  year  1831  there  was  a  revival  of  religion  in  the 
churches  in  the  neighborhood  of  Princeton,  and  in  Princeton 
itself.  The  session  of  the  church  invited  the  Rev.  Dr.  Nettle- 
ton,  the  great  revivalist,  to  visit  Princeton. 

The  congregation  adopted  a  rule,  in  September,  1831,  that 
the  trustees  should  hold  office  for  three  years  and  then  to  be  re- 
eligible,  but  should  hold  until  others  are  elected.     This  rule 


PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH— REV.  G.  S.  WOOD  HULL.         1 25 

was  observed  for  some  years,  but  as  it  was  ascertained  to 
be  a  matter  regulated  by  the  statute,  and  that  the  congrega- 
tion cannot  enforce  such  a  rule,  the  trustees  held  accord- 
ing to  law.  There  was  some  desire  to  have  a  cupola  and  bell 
on  the  plain  old  church,  and  they  were  ordered  as  soon  as  the 
money  could  be  raised  for  that  purpose,  which  was  not  done. 

Captain  Robert  F.  Stockton  was  elected  trustee.  The  ses- 
sion having  applied  to  the  trustees  for  $50  to  pay  to  the  chor- 
ister, the  trustees  replied  that  it  should  come  out  of  the  session 
fund,  but  that  they  would  help  pay  the  balance  if  not  enough 
in  that  fund.  This  arrangement  is  still  recognized  by  the  trus- 
tees and  session  sharing  the  payment  of  the  chorister's  salary  at 
the  present  day,  although  the  session  have  the  jurisdiction  and 
control  of  the  music  of  the  church. 

The  church,  during  this  year,  organized  an  association  aux- 
iliary to  the  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick,  in  aid  of  the  Board 
of  Education  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  The  elders  and  trustees  with  the  pastor  were  its  board 
of  managers.  They  pledged  themselves  to  support  at  least  one 
beneficiary  for  the  year,  at  $100.  Mr.  Billings,  of  the  seminary, 
was  appointed  chorister,  and  was  to  teach  music  in  the  church 
at  a  salary  of  $50  a  year.  He  was  distinguished  for  his  musi- 
cal taste  and  talent,  and  did  much  to  improve  the  music  of  the 
church. 

The  year  1832,  which  was  the  last  year  of  the  pastorate  of 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Woodhull,  exhibited  a  growing  discontent  among 
his  people.  A  communication  signed  by  fourteen  of  the  male 
members  of  his  church  on  the  state  of  religion  in  the  congrega- 
tion was  received  and  read  by  the  session.  Elders  Patton  and 
Lowrey  were  authorized  to  select  a  suitable  person  to  be  em- 
ployed for  a  limited  time  to  aid  the  session  in  promoting  the 
spiritual  interests  of  the  congregation.  Mr.  Flavel  S.  Mines, 
of  the  theological  seminary,  was  selected  and  declined  the  ap- 
pointment, but  consented  to  labor  for  a  short  time  under  the 
direction  of  the  session.  He  was  an  awakening  young  preacher 
and  resorting  to  some  means  which  the  old  school  divines  of 
Princeton  denominated  "  new  measures,"  such  as  the  "  anxious 
seat,"  etc.,  he  produced  a  good  deal  of  commotion  in  this  con- 
gregation and  others  in  the  surrounding  country  where  he  oc- 


126  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETOM. 

casionally  labored.     He  had   the  sympathy  of  a  part  of  the 
session  but  not  of  the  pastor. 

In  March  of  this  year  a  petition  signed  by  thirty-six 
college  students  requesting  that  a  protracted  meeting  might 
be  held  in  this  place,  was  received  by  the  session.  The  pa- 
per was  discussed,  and  on  the  next  day  the  subject  was,  by 
vote,  postponed.  But  on  the  14th  day  of  April  the  ses- 
sion resolved  to  hold  such  a  meeting,  of  which  we  have  no 
account. 

During  the  summer  of  this  year  a  communication,  signed 
by  tiventy-ihree  persons,  requesting  the  countenance  and  aid  of 
the  session  in  forming  and  organizing  a  SECOND  PRESBYTE- 
RIAN Church  in  Princeton,  was  presented  to  the  session.  Its 
consideration  was  postponed  till  the  next  meeting.  Mr.  Bay- 
ard was  deputed  to  prepare  a  reply  to  it,  which  he  did  on  the 
4th  of  August  in  a  long  and  well  written  paper.  He  treated 
the  petitioners  with  due  respect,  controverting  the  allegations 
that  there  was  not  room  enough  in  the  present  edifice  for  all 
who  wished  to  attend  worship,  suggesting  that  the  professors 
were  about  to  withdraw  from  attending  the  stated  services  of 
the  church,  which  will  afford  ample  room  in  the  galleries  ;  that 
the  session  could  not  be  expected  to  favor  a  division  in  their 
own  church,  but  referred  their  petitioners  to  Presbytery  for  ad- 
vice and  relief.  While  conceding  the  right  of  the  petitioners  to 
build  another  church  when  they  cannot  be  edified  and  spirit- 
ually built  up  in  the  present  one,  with  the  approbation  of  Pres- 
bytery, it  is  the  hope  of  the  session  that  they  may  continue  to 
be  a  united  and  happy  congregation,  etc. 

On  the  nth  of  August,  1832,  the  pastor  requested  the  ses- 
sion to  call  a  meeting  of  the  congregation  to  unite  in  asking  a 
dissolution  of  his  pastoral  relations.  His  request  was  acceded 
to  and  the  dissolution  was  in  due  form  effected. 

In  his  letter  of  resignation  Mr.  Woodhull  expressly  dis- 
claims any  complaint  against  the  congregation  or  fault  in  them. 
The  reasons  he  assigns  are,  ist,  that  he  had  been  advised  by 
members  of  Presbytery  to  seek  a  dissolution,  and,  2d,  that  a 
movement  to  organize  a  second  church,  if  carried  into  effect, 
would  divide  and  injure  this  church,  and  he  believes  such  move- 
ment will  be  abandoned  if  he  should  withdraw. 


PRESS  Y  TERIA  JV  CH  UR  CH-  REV.  G.  S.   WO  ODH  (ILL.         1 2  7 

The  ministry  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Woodhull,  in  Princeton,  was 
marked  by  a  larger  increase  of  the  church  than  that  of  any  of 
his  predecessors.  It  was  twelve  years  in  duration.  There  were 
two  hundred  and  eighty-nine  members  added  to  the  church 
while  he  was  the  pastor,  all  by  examination,  except  fifty-two, 
who  were  received  upon  certificate.  There  were  twenty-five 
students  of  the  institution  received  upon  confession  of  their 
faith.  The  spirit  of  missions  at  home  and  abroad  took  strong 
hold  of  the  membership  of  the  church,  both  male  and  female. 
The  benevolent  contributions  were  increased  and  multiplied. 
The  general  population  of  the  town  was  brought  more  and 
more  under  the  power  of  the  preached  gospel,  and  the  triumphs 
of  divine  grace  in  bringing  large  numbers  of  young  people,  as 
well  as  others,  from  the  various  families  in  the  congregation, 
into  the  church,  and  marshalling  them  into  the  ranks  of  Chris- 
tian workers,  may  be  clearly  traced  at  the  present  day,  in  their 
descendants,  who  now  stand  out  as  representative  Christian 
families,  not  only  in  Princeton,  but  in  many  places  throughout 
our  country.  While  the  church  was  prosperous  under  the  pas- 
torate of  Mr.  Woodhull,  receiving  an  annual  average  increase 
of  twenty-four  in  its  membership,  and  while  personal  religion  in 
the  community  was  raising  its  standard  higher  and  higher,  and 
striking  its  roots  deeper  and  deeper  in  the  Christian  life,  there 
was,  nevertheless,  manifested  among  a  considerable  portion 
of  the  congregation,  an  awakened  zeal,  especially  among  the 
recent  converts,  which,  in  its  restlessness,  and  perhaps  im- 
prudence, impaired  the  usefulness  of  the  pastor  in  some  degree, 
or  certainly  disturbed  his  happiness  and  pleasure  in  his  minis- 
try. Enthusiasm  in  religion  is  so  rare  in  the  Presbyterian 
church,  til  at  it  is  pleasant  to  witness  a  band  of  earnest  Chris- 
tian men,  discontented  with  present  attainments,  and  pressing 
on  to  a  higher  life  in  the  service  of  their  Master  ;  and  when 
they  feel  that  their  wings  are  clogged  and  they  cannot  get  out 
of  the  old  way,  cannot  soar  into  more  spiritual  regions,  cannot 
get  hold  of,  and  save  all  the  souls  that  they  see  around  them 
in  jeopardy,  they  are  apt  to  distrust,  if  not  to  denounce,  the 
imperfect  machinery  of  organized  ecclesiasticism.  They  re- 
gard the  ordinary  means  of  grace  insufficient,  and  propose  to 
multiply  them,  and  add  new  ones  ;  and  when  thwarted  in  their 


128  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

purpose,  they  resort  to  the  formation  of  a  new  church,  in  which 
they  trust  that  a  new  and  better  service  can  be  rendered,  and 
where  more  liberty  of  action  will  be  accorded  to  individual 
Christian  workers.  It  is  quite  evident  from  the  statistics  of 
the  church,  that  during  the  close  of  Mr.  WoodhuU's  pastorate 
here,  and  while  the  session  were  receiving  from  the  congrega- 
tion complaints  and  lamentations  of  the  coldness  and  dead- 
ness  of  the  church,  and  were  called  upon  to  allow  and  organize 
further  means  of  grace,  there  was  really  an  awakened  spirit  in. 
the  church.  It  was  this  awakened  spirit  which  complained, 
which  was  discontented  with  the  old  state  of  things.  It  was  due 
to  this  awakened  spirit  that  the  interesting  religious  exercises 
were  sustained  at  Oueenston,  and  that  a  new  chapel  or  meeting- 
house was  erected  there  as  this  pastorate  was  drawing  to  a  close. 
It  was  also  due  to  this  awakened  spirit  that  the  theological  stu- 
dents were  so  active  at  that  time,  and  became  such  efficient 
helpers  to  the  pastors  in  this  neighborhood. 

The  application  for  a  second  Presbyterian  church  by  a  por- 
tion of  this  church,  to  which  we  have  already  referred,  and 
which  was  so  well  answered  by  the  session  through  Mr.  Bayard, 
at  that  time,  did  not  originate  through  schismatic  motives  or 
malignant  feelings,  but  rather  through  a  zealous  desire  to  be- 
come more  useful,  and  to  promote  the  interests  of  the  Christian 
religion  in  this  community. 

The  membership  of  the  church  was  large.  At  the  end  of 
Mr.  WoodhuU's  pastorate  there  were  455  members  enrolled. 
After  making  allowance  for  those  who  had  died  or  removed 
from  the  town,  there  was  probably  an  actual  membership  of  at 
least  350  in  this  church  ;  a  church  then  about  half  a  century 
old,  with  the  college  and  seminary  established  and  in  prosper- 
ous condition  here.  It  is  by  no  means  clear  when  we  see  that 
shortly  after  this  application  was  rejected  an  Episcopal  church 
was  established  here,  and  that  a  few  years  later  a  Methodist 
church  was  also  here  established,  both  drawing  and  appropri- 
ating Presbyterian  families  to  aid  them, — it  is  not  clear,  we 
venture  to  affirm,  that  a  second  Presbyterian  church  ought  not 
to  have  been  organized  in  Princeton  at  that  time,  or  soon  after. 
Presbyterian  ground  was  lost  through  the  want  of  another 
church.     Such  want  does  not  always  depend  upon  the  fact  of 


PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH— REV.  G.  S.  IVOODIIULL.         I  29 

there  being  room  enough  or  not  enough  in  the  present  church 
to  seat  more  persons  if  they  will  apply. 

By  reference  to  the  minutes  of  the  session  we  find  that  in 
the  year  1S20,  from  July  5th  of  that  year,  there  were  tivcnty- 
five  new  members  received  into  the  church.  In  this  number 
there  were  the  following  students  of  the  college  upon  examina- 
tion, viz.:  Alfred  A,  Sowers,  of  Staunton,  Va.;  James  H.  Stuart, 
Phila.;  William  Ramsay,  Mifflin,  Pa.;  James  Holmes,  Carlisle, 
Pa.;  Wm.  H.  Woodhull,  James  B.  Hyndshaw,  Jacob  TenBrook 
Beekman,  Sidney  Paige  Clay,  Henry  VanDyke  Johns,  Del.; 
Albert  B.  Dod.  In  1821  there  were  35,  among  whom  were  John 
B.  Clemson,  John  W.  S.  Wager,  Alex  Aikman,  John  W.  Ward, 
James  W.  Alexander,  Edward  D.  Smith,  Caleb  I.  Good,  stu- 
dents. In  1822  there  were  ii,  including  Martyn  Tupper  and 
Edward  Norris  Kirk,  students.  In  1823  there  were  13,  including 
George  Washington  Boiling,  of  Petersburg,  Va.,  and  Samuel  A. 
Bumstead,  students.  In  1S24  there  were  18  ;  in  1825  there 
were  18;  in  1826  there  were  18;  in  1827  there  were  42;  in 
1828  there  were  16;  in  1829  there  were  5  ;  in  1830  there  were 
14,  among  them  J.  Addison  Alexander;  in  1831  there  were  41  ; 
in  1832  there  were  32. 

The  Rev.  George  Spafford  Woodhull  was  a  native 
of  Pennsylvani  1.  He  was  born  on  the  31st  day  of  March, 
1773.  His  father,  the  Rev.  Dr.  JoJui  Woodhull,  who  was  for 
more  than  half  a  century  a  distinguished  and  venerated  min- 
ister of  the  Presbyterian  church,  was  at  that  time  established 
in  a  pastorate  in  the  town  of  Leacock  in  Lancaster  County, 
Pa.,  the  place  of  his  son's  birth.  His  mother  was  Miss 
Spafford,  of  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  a  step-daughter  of  the 
Rev.  Gilbert  Tcniicnt,  one  of  the  most  eminent,  devoted  and 
successful  ministers  that  ever  adorned  the  American  church. 
She  was  an  excellent  woman,  of  a  sound  practical  mind  and  of 
ardent,  active  piety. 

In  1779  his  father  removed  to  Freehold,  N.  J.,  to  take 
charge  of  the  church,  made  vacant  by  the  death  of  the  Rev. 
William  Tcnncnt,  "  whose  praise  is  in  all  the  churches."  There 
he  established  an  academy  at  which  his  son  George  was  edu- 
cated, until  in  the  i6th  year  of  his  age,  he  entered  Princeton 
9 


130  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

college,  in  the  junior  class,  and  graduated  in  1790.  His  char- 
acter was  blameless,  his  father  incidentally  remarking  of  him 
shortly  before  his  death,  "  that  he  had  no  recollection  of  hav- 
ing ever  had  occasion  to  reprove  him  in  his  life." 

After  graduating,  Mr.  George  S.  Woodhuil  commenced  the 
study  of  the  law  and  continued  it  for  about  two  years,  and  then 
relinquishing  the  law,  he  studied  medicine  for  a  year  with  Dr. 
Moses  Scott,  in  New  Brunswick.  Through  the  influence  of  a 
sermon  preached  by  his  father  he  was  led  to  study  theology 
with  his  father  in  1794. 

He  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick  to 
preach  the  gospel,  on  the  14th  day  of  November,  1797.  He 
was  called,  ordained  and  installed  pastor  of  the  church  at  Cran- 
berry, June  6th,  1798,  and  in  the  next  year  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Gertrude  Ncilson,  the  eldest  daughter  of  Col.  John  Neil- 
son  of  New  Brunswick, — a  gentle,  refined  and. handsome  young 
woman,  who  had  been  educated  at  Bethlehem,  Pa. 

Mr.  Woodhuil  continued  to  be  the  pastor  of  the  church  at 
Cranberry  for  twenty-two  years,  during  which  time  his  minis- 
try was  faithful,  noiseless,  and  dignified.  lie  was  distin- 
guished for  his  public  spirit.  He  was  a  trustee  of  the  College 
of  New  Jersey,  and  zealously  labored  for  the  interest  of  that 
institution. 

In  the  month  of  April,  181 1,  he  was  one  of  a  little  band  of 
patriotic  and  pious  gentlemen  who  assembled  in  Princeton, 
and  formed  the  Neiv  Jersey  Bible  Society.  In  this  he  was  an 
active  member  during  his  life.  In  181 5  he  first  suggested  the 
system  of  Bible-class  instruction,  which,  after  having  tried 
it  among  the  youth  of  his  own  church,  he  brought  before  the 
Presbytery  and  received  for  it  the  sanction  of  that  body;  and 
thence  by  his  zealous  labors,  it  was  carried  to  the  Synod  of 
New  York  and  New  Jersey,  and  by  that  body  made  the  sub- 
ject of  an  overture  to  the  General  Assembly,  which  recom- 
mended it  to  all  the  churches  under  its  care.  The  Rev.  Dr. 
Green  had  introduced  it  into  the  college  several  years  before 
this,  but  its  introduction  into  the  churches  on  its  present  plan 
is  due  to  Mr.  Woodhuil. 

In  the  year  1818,  Mr.  Woodhuil  began  to  labor  against  the 
use    of  ardent  spirits  ;  though  it  was  eight  years  before   the 


PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH— REV.  G.  S.   WOODHULL.         I31 

American  Temperance  Society  was  formed  or  proposed,  he 
brought  the  subject  before  the  Presbytery  and  caused  an  over- 
ture to  the  General  Assembly,  which  the  same  year  passed  an 
act,  solemnly  "  recommending  to  all  ministers,  elders  and 
deacons  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  to  refrain  from  offering 
ardent  spirits  to  those  who  might  visit  them  at  their  re- 
spective houses,  except  in  extraordinary  cases."  Was  not 
this  the  first  organized  and  official  movement  in  the  Temper- 
ance Reform  ?  Mr.  WoodhuU  practiced  "  entire  abstinence" 
long  before  the  Temperance  Reform  commenced.  At  his 
death  a  temperance  pledge  bearing  date  as  far  back  as  1815, 
signed  by  several  of  his  congregation,  was  found  among  his 
papers. 

A  few  years  before  he  left  Cranberry  he  was  very  ill  with 
fever,  so  that  his  life  was  despaired  of  for  several  days.  In 
this  extremity  he  desired  his  friends  in  Princeton  to  assemble 
and  pray  for  his  recovery.  This  was  done.  Five  or  six  clergy- 
men with  the  elders  and  a  number  of  the  members  of  the 
church  assembled  in  one  of  the  apartments  of  the  college  build- 
ing, and  spent  an  hour  in  intercessory  prayer  for  his  recovery  ; 
and  it  is  alleged  as  an  undoubted  fact,  that  at  or  near  the  time 
when  his  friends  were  thus  interceding  for  him,  his  disease 
took  a  favorable  turn  and  his  recovery  commenced.  He  was 
ever  deeply  impressed  with  this  event  as  an  instance  of  re- 
markable answer  to  prayer. 

He  left  Cranberry  in  1820,  to  accept  a  call  to  Princeton. 
He  had  received  a  call  about  ten  years  before,  to  Princeton, 
but  upon  advice,  declined  it  as  before  stated. 

In  1832,  after  leaving  Princeton,  he  received  a  call  from  the 
church  at  Middletown  Point,  N.  J,,  where  he  spent  the  last  two 
years  of  his  life.  He  died  of  scarlet  fever,  on  the  25th  of  De- 
cember, 1834,  in  the  sixty-second  year  of  his  age,  and  thirty- 
seventh  of  his»mi.nistry — calm  and  holy  to  the  last. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  Miller  preached  a  funeral  discourse  in 
the  church  at  Princeton,  in  1835,  in  memory  of  the  Rev.  George 
S.  Woodhull,  at  the  request  of  the  congregation  of  Princeton. 

He  took  for  his  text,  Acts  xi.  24,  "  He  was  a  good  man." 
When  he  came  to  speak  of  his  ministry  of  twelve  years  in 
Princeton,  he   said,  "  his  ministry  through  the  whole  of  that 


132  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

time  was  marked  with  the  same  steadiness,  prudence,  dilif^ence, 
dignity,  and  punctuality  which  have  always  characterized  his 
labors.  One  fact  is  unquestionably  certain,  that  during  the 
twelve  years  of  his  pastoral  service,  this  church  received  a 
greater  number  of  members  to  her  communion,  than  in  any 
preceding  period  of  twelve  years  since  the  commencement 
of  her  existence." 

He  continued,  in  speaking  of  him  personally: 

"  His  history  is  his  portrait.  I  will  only  say  that  it  has  been  my  lot,  within  the 
last  forty  years  of  my  life,  to  be  acquainted  with  many  hundred  ministers  of  the 
Gospel  of  various  denominations,  and  with  not  a  few  of  them  to  be  on  what  might 
be  called  intimate  terms  ;  and  although  I  have  known  a  number  of  more  s[)lendid, 
of  more  profound  attainments,  and  of  more  impressive  eloquence  than  your  late  pas- 
tor, yet  in  the  great  moral  qualities  which  go  to  form  the  good  man,  the  exemplary 
Christian,  the  diligent  and  untiring  pastor,  the  benevolent  neighbor  and  citizen, 
and  the  dignified,  polished,  perfect  gentleman,  I  have  seldom  known  his  equal, 
and  I  think  never  on  the  whole  his  superior.  No  one,  I  can  confidently  assert,  ever 
heard  from  his  lips  a  censorious  remark  or  a  harsh  sentence  concerning  any  human 
being.  No  one  ever  witnessed,  even  in  his  most  unguarded  moments,  any  other 
deportment  than  that  which  was  characterized  by  Christian  urbanily.  No  one  ever 
heard  from  liim  one  of  those  rough  epithets  or  coarse  jests  which  sometimes  escape 
even  from  those  deemed  pious  and  exemplary.  In  short,  the  whole  texture  of  his 
mind  and  all  the  habits  of  his  life  were  marked  \\ith  a  degree  of  inoffensiveness, 
purity,  respectfulness,  dignity,  gentleness  and  unceasing  benevolence  which  I  never 
expect  to  see  exceeded  by  any  other  man  in  this  world.  So  remarkably  indeed  were 
his  feelings  held  in  subjection  to  principle,  and  so  habitually  guarded  against  the 
expression  of  any  irascible  emotion  that,  even  under  unfriendly  and  ungenerous 
treatment,  in  most  cases  like  his  Master,  he  opened  not  his  mouth;  and  when  he 
did  give  a  momentary  utterance  to  painful  feeling  it  was  with  that  tender  and  sub- 
dued tone  which  showed  that  he  was  more  anxious  to  govern  himself  than  to  cast 
odium  on  others.  Indeed  I  have  often  thought  ihat  he  carried  his  caution,  reserve 
and  forbearance  to  an  extreme  ;  to  a  length  which  interfered  with  firmness  and  en- 
ergy, and  that  his  dread  of  controversy  and  reluctance  to  contend  sometimes  led 
him  to  yield  to  judgments  inferior  to  his  own.  He  never  made  ambitious  claims; 
never  put  himself  forward  ;  seldom  asserted  what  was  his  due  ;  and  in  a  word,  in 
meekness,  in  modesty,  in  retiring,  unassuming  gentleness,  and  in  a  prudence  which 
seemed  never  to  sleep,  he  set  before  his  professional  brethren  and  his  fellow  Chris- 
tians a  noble  example." 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Woodhull  had  four  children  who  grew  up  to 
adult  age— the  Rev.  William  H.  Woodhull,  who  graduated 
at  Princeton  college  in  1822,  and  who  after  leaving  the  seminary 
was  settled  in  Upper  Freehold  and  died  in  1834;  Cornelia, 
who  died  unmarried  ;  Alfred  A.  Woodhull,  M.  D.,  and  John  N. 


PRE  SB  V  TERIA  N   CHURCH— RE  V.  DR.  RICE.  I  3  3 

Woodhull,  M.  D.,  both  physicians,  who  died  in  Princeton  and 
have  been  noticed  in  the  previous  volume.  None  of  them  are 
now  living.  Mrs.  Woodhull  lived  till  1863,  ever  exhibiting  a 
beautiful  Christian  life  and  greatly  beloved  wherever  known. 
For  many  years  before  her  death,  having  returned  to  Prince- 
ton with  her  maiden  sister  Miss  Neilson,  she  lived  with  her  son 
Dr.  John  N.  Woodhull,  till  her  death. 


SECTION  VII. 

1832-1847 — PASTORATE  OF  REV.  BENJAMIN    HOLT   RICE,  D.   D. 


Rev.  B.  H.  Rice,  D.  D. 

Upon  the  resignation  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Woodhull  an  effort 
was  immediately  made  to  elect  another  pastor.  Several  meet- 
ings were  held  by  the  congregation,  and  among  several  candi- 
dates Dr.  John  McDowell,  of  Elizabethtown,  was  elected,  but 
declined.  It  was  then  proposed  to  elect  an  evangelist,  and 
Mr.  John  Adger,  of  the  seminary,  was  chosen  for  six  months. 
He  was  able  only  to  serve  for  three  months,  and  was  not  able 
to  render  pastoral  duties  ;  and  therefore  he  was  not  employed. 
Another  balloting  for  pastor  took  place  on  the  28th  of  May, 
1833,  when  the  Rev.  Dr.  Benjamin  H.  Rice,  formerly  of  Vir- 
ginia, was  elected.  He  had  been  voted  for  at  the  previous  bal- 
lotingrs. 


134  HISTORY   OF  PRINCETON. 

Dr.  Rice  was  born  near  New  London,  in  Bedford  County, 
Virginia,  November  29th,  1782.  His  father,  Benjamin  Rice, 
was  a  lawyer  by  profession,  but  for  several  years  filled  the 
office  of  deputy  clerk  of  the  county.  He  was  a  ruling  elder 
in  the  Presbyterian  church  of  which  his  brother,  Rev.  David 
Rice,  was  pastor.  Benjamin  H.  Rice  received  his  education 
chiefly  under  the  direction  and  by  the  aid  of  his  brother,  the 
Rev.  John  Holt  Rice,  D.  D.  He  married  Martha  Alexander, 
a  sister  of  Rev.  Dr.  Archibald  Alexander.  He  taught  school 
for  some  time  in  North  Carolina.  He  received  license  to 
preach  the  Gospel  from  the  Presbytery  of  Orange,  North  Caro- 
lina, September  28,  18 10,  and  for  some  time  was  employed  as 
a  missionary  along  the  seaboard  counties  of  that  State  by  the 
General  Assembly.  In  181 2  he  was  ordained  sine  titulo,  and 
the  next  day  sent  as  a  commissioner  to  the  General  Assembly 
in  Philadelphia.  During  the  next  year  he  was  elected  pastor 
of  a  new  church  which  he  gathered  in  Petersburg,  Va.,  over 
which  he  was  installed  in  18 14.  He  labored  there  for  seven- 
teen years,  and  it  became  a  large  and  flourishing  church,  blessed 
with  several  revivals,  in  which  large  numbers  were  added  to  its 
membership.  His  ministry  there  was  eminently  successful. 
In  1829  Dr.  Rice  was  elected  moderator  of  the  General  Assem- 
bly, and  in  that  year  he  received  a  call  from  the  Pearl  Street 
church  in  the  city  of  New  York,  and  reluctantly  accepted  it. 
His  health  had  become  impaired  at  Petersburg,  and  after  a  lit- 
tle less  than  three  years,  he  gave  up  his  charge  in  New  York 
and  became  associate  secretary  of  the  Home  Missionary  Socie- 
ty. He  held  this  position  for  nearly  a  year.  He  received  the 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  from  the  College  of  New  Jersey, 
in  1832. 

In  1833,  he  accepted  a  call  to  the  church  at  Princeton, 
and  was  duly  installed,  August  15th,  1833.  On  that  occasion 
the  sermon  was  preached  by  Rev.  Symmcs  C.  Henry  of  Cran- 
berry ;  the  charge  to  the  pastor  was  given  by  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel 
Miller,  and  the  charge  to  the  people  was  given  by  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Carnahan.  His  salary  was  fixed  at  $1000  besides  the  parson- 
age. 

Dr.  Rice  multiplied  the  times  of  communion  to  six  times 
in  a  year  ;  and  he    enlarged  the  session.     An   elders'   prayer 


PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH— REV.  DR.  RICE.  I  35 

meeting  was  held  every  Sabbath  morning,  in  the  Sophomore 
recitation  room  of  the  college,  which  was  then  used  by  the 
church  for  weekly  religious  meetings.  A  paper  was  read  by 
the  pastor  to  the  session,  assigning  the  causes  for  the  declen- 
sion of  religion  in  the  church,  which  was  directed  to  be  read 
from  the  pulpit.  We  cannot  find  this  paper,  nor  give  its  con- 
tents. 

But  just  as  the  new  pastor  was  getting  his  people  aroused 
and  his  session  at  work,  a  new  calamity  fell  upon  them  ;  a 
second  conflagration  laid  the  church  edifice,  which  had  been 
rebuilt  about  twenty  years  before,  again  in  ashes  !  It  was 
burnt  on  the  6th  day  of  July,  1835.  This  blow  upon  the 
church  was  the  more  severe,  because  there  was  an  old  debt 
pressing  upon  it  at  the  time. 

An  Episcopal  church  had  been  built  in  the  village,  and  its 
Vestry  promptly  sent  a  letter  of  condolence  to  Dr.  Rice  and 
the  church,  and  kindly  tendered  the  use  of  Trinity  church 
to  the  Presbyterian  congregation,  during  their  privation  of  a 
building,  when  not  using  it  themselves.  But  the  seminary 
chapel  was  also  offered,  and  was  accepted  as  a  place  of  worship 
by  the  congregation  while  rebuilding  the  church. 

A  committee  was  appointed  by  the  trustees  to  inquire  into 
the  cause  of  the  conflagration,  and  they  reported  on  the  13th 
of  July,  after  diligent  inquiry,  "that  the  fire  commenced  about 
five  o'clock  P.  M.  of  the  6th  day  of  July,  1835,  on  the  north 
side  of  the  roof,  near  a  small  chimney— that  the  fire  originated 
from  a  sky-rocket,  which  had  been  exploded  on  that  after- 
noon." The  rocket  had  been  procured  for  celebrating  the 
natal  day  of  the  nation.  Measures  were  also  taken  to  rebuild. 
The  congregation  resolved  to  pay  the  same  rent  towards  the 
salary,  as  before  the  fire  ;  and  that  all  claims  arising  from  rights 
in  the  old  pews,  were  extinguished  by  the  fire.  They  decided 
to  erect  a  neat,  plain,  and  commodious  edifice,  adapted  to  the 
circumstances  of  the  congregation.  Application  was  made  to 
college  for  assistance.  The  trustees  decided  to  build  the  new 
church  of  brick,  rough  cast,  without  basement,  and  sixty  by  ; 
eighty  feet.  The  old  debt  of  the  church,  incurred  principally 
for  repairs  of  parsonage,  was  $1145. 

By  November  27,  1836,  the  new   church  was  ready  to  be 


-1 


136  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON: 

used,  with  temporary  seats.  About  $4,000  had  been  disbursed 
for  this  purpose,  all  of  which  had  been  received  on  subscrip- 
tion and  by  donation.  Mr.  Steadman,  through  Prof.  Dod,  of- 
fered to  finish  the  building,  outside  and  inside,  excluding  paint- 
ing, stone-steps  and  pavement  in  front,  for  $4,500 ;  this  offer 
was  accepted.  Prof.  Dod  drew  the  plan  of  the  gallery  and  the 
pulpit.  In  April,  1837,  the  congregation  returned  to  the  sem- 
inary chapel  while  the  interior  of  the  church  was  finished..  A 
zinc  roof  had  been  put  on  the  building,  which  proved  worthless 
and  was  replaced  by  a  tin  one.  The  upholstery  was  done  by 
Abram  Voorhees,  51   Maiden  Lane,  N.  Y.,  through  John  Van 

j  Dorcn.  The  linings  and  cushions  were  blue.  The  cost 
was  $1187.95.  The  ladies  procured  the  carpets  and  lamps. 
Dr.  E.  C.  Wines  gave  a  plan  of  the  valuation  of  the  pews, 
which  amounted  to  $11,450,  and  an  assessment  of  12  per  cent 
was  imposed.  The  old  pew  liolders  relinquished  their  rights, 
and  the  subscribers  waived  their  right  to  take  pews  out  of  their 
subscriptions. 

The  new  church  was  not  built  parallel  with  the  street  as 
the  previous  one  was,  but  with  the  end  to  the  street.  It  was 
the  same  building  that  is  now  used,  but  which  has  been  en- 
larged by  an  extension  in  the  rear,  and  modified  and  orna- 
mented within  the  last  two  years.  It  was  in  Grecian  style  of 
architecture,  without  spire  or  cupola,  with  galleries  on  the  end 
and  two  sides,  with  four  aisles,  about  eighty  by  sixty  feet,  with 
a  handsome  pulpit  ;  the  building  was  of  brick,  rough  cast,  and 
'-^  had  two  Corinthian  pillars  in  the  front  vestibule ;  and  the 
audience  room  being  handsomely  upholstered  with  blue,  the 
wood  and  ceiling  white,  and  the  blinds  the  natural  color  of  the 
wood  varnished.  It  was  a  very  handsome  and  much  admired 
church,  a  model  of  simplicity  and  good  taste;  and  for  a  period 
of  forty  years  it  had  been  the  theatre  of  many  crowded  and 
brilliant  assemblages,   gathered   for  religious   and  educational 

4.  purposes.  Since  1847  there  was  a  lecture  room  in  the  rear, 
but  now  it  is  on  the  west  side  far  back. 

In   December,  1835,  the  following  minute  was  adopted  on 
the  subject  of  temperance,  by  the  session  : 

"That  the  session  of  this  church  do  most  earnestly  recommend  to  all  the  mem- 
bers of  this  congregation  to  abstain  from  the  use  of  ardent  spirits  except  as  a  med- 


PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH— REV.  DR.  RICE.  I37 

icine,  and  that  they  discourage  the  use  of  it  as  a  drink,  even  in  a  moderate  deoree, 
in  their  several  families,  and  in  all  cases  do  use  their  utmost  influence  to  check  this 
most  destructive  evil." 

A  committee  was  appointed  to  confer  with  the  colored 
members  of  the  church  in  reference  to  their  returning  to  this 
church  or  worshipping  in  a  new  one  by  themselves.  This  pro- 
posal did  not  seem,  at  first,  to  be  acceptable,  but  in  October, 
1837,  the  trustees  resolved  to  make  one  more  effort  to  induce 
them  to  organize  for  themselves,  which  ultimately  prevailed. 
The  Sunday  school  occupied  the  gallery  of  the  church  for  its 
exercises. 

The  old  willow  tree  in  the  church  yard,  remembered  by 
many  persons  still  living,  was  ordered  to  be  cut  down  and  re- 
moved in  April,  1843. 

In  1840,  January  3,  an  application  was  made  to  the  session 
of  the  church  to  relieve  the  Queenston  chapel  from  a  debt  which 
was  in  execution  against  that  building,  incurred  in  its  erection. 
It  was  an  outpost  or  preaching  station  and  Sunday-school  room, 
etc.,  of  this  church,  built  by  the  contributions  of  the  members 
of  this  church  chiefly,  and  used  by  the  seminary  students  and 
members  of  this  congregation  for  religious  worship,  and  was 
generally  regarded  as  an  appurtenance  of  this  church.  The  ses- 
sion resolved  to  pay  off  the  execution  in  the  hands  of  the  sheriff, 
and  applied,  as  far  as  was  necessary  for  that  purpose,  a  portion 
of  their  semi-centennial  contribution,  amounting  to  $264,  direct- 
ing the  balance,  after  paying  the  execution,  to  be  placed  at  the 
disposal  of  the  trustees  of  the  church. 

John  Lowrey,  elder,  applied  to  session  in  behalf  of  the  col- 
ored members  of  this  church,  to  allow  them  a  separate  com- 
munion in  their  own  ghurch,  on  Witherspoon  Street, — which 
was  granted  on  the  second  Sabbath  of  September,  1840.  The 
membership  of  this  church  as  represented  to  Presbytery  in  1841, 
was  five  hundred  and  twenty- seven  whites,  one  hundred  and 
thirty-one  colored,  but  as  revised  and  corrected,  only  three 
hundred  and  fifty — whites  two  hundred  and  seventy,  colored 
eighty. 

In  1844,  the  trustees  gave  Dr.  Rice  leave  of  absence  for 
six  months,  on  account  of  his  health.  His  pulpit  was  supplied 
by  the  clerical  professors. 


138  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETOM. 

March  10,  1846,  the  colored  members  of  this  church,  who 
were  worshipping  in  their  own  church  in  Withcrspoon  Street, 
then  numbering  ninety-two,  were  dismissed,  to  form  a  church 
under  the  name  of  the  "  First  Presbyterian  elinreh  of  color  of 
Princeton,''  and  the  church  was  organized  by  Dr.  Rice,  Dr. 
John  Maclean,  and  Joseph  H.  Davis,  elder,  a  committee  of  the 
Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick.  This  church  is  noticed  in  a 
subsequent  chapter. 

From  1843  to  1847,  '^^^  finances  of  the  church  gave  a  good 
deal  of  trouble  to  the  trustees.  The  expenses  were  above  the 
income,  S325  a  year.  The  old  parsonage  property  was  a  con- 
tinual charge  on  the  trustees.  They  desired  to  have  it  sold, 
and  a  new  parsonage  bought.  Frecjuent  meetings  of  the  con- 
gregation were  held  on  the  subject.  Professor  A.  15.  Dod, 
president  of  the  board  of  trustees,  was  very  active  and  urgent 
in  his  efforts  to  effect  a  sale.  The  will  of  Dr.  Wiggins  was 
again  and  again  examined.  Pews  of  the  church  ^v'cre  for- 
feited for  non-payment  of  rent.  Money  was  borrowed  to  pay 
the  salary  and  current  expenses.  Trustees  discouraged, 
resigned  ;  others  were  elected.  Statements  of  the  church  af- 
fairs were  repeatedly  laid  before  the  congregation,  which  was 
perplexed  to  know  what  ought  to  be  done  with  the  parsonage, 
and  the  debt  accruing  for  its  repairs. 

In  the  months  of  July  and  August  in  1846,  things  seemed  to 
be  coming  to  a  crisis.  The  finances  of  the  church  \\ere  com- 
manding the  attention  of  its  most  influential  members.  Among 
those  who  attended  the  congregational  meetings,  were  Pro- 
fessor Henry,  Professor  Torrey,  Commodore  Crabbe,  Dr.  John 
Maclean,  Dr.  Miller,  Dr.  Alexander,  William  Gulick,  James  S. 
Green,  J.  I".  Hageman,  Dr.  J.  S.  Schanck,  Philip  Hendrickson, 
Joseph  H.  Davis,  George  T.  Olmsted,  John  Davison,  Alexan- 
der M.  Gumming,  John  T.  Robinson,  J.  W.  Lane,  Isaac  Baker, 
P.  V.  DeGraw,  Daniel  Bowne,  Wm.  R.  Murphy,  James  Van 
Deventer,  Emley  Olden,  Professor  Hope  and  others,  Pro- 
fessor Dod  having  died  in  1845,  niuch  lamented  by  the  con- 
gregation and  church. 

At  the  congregational  meeting  on  July  12,  1846,  the 
subject  of  the  parsonage,  and  the  will  of  Dr.  Wiggins,  etc., 
were  again  referred  to  a  committee  consisting  of  Messrs.  J.  F. 


PRESBYTERIAN   CIIURCH-REV.  DR.  RICE.  1 39 

Hageman,  J.  S.  Green,  and  Wnn.  R.  Murphy,  with  instructions 
to  report  at  the  next  meeting.     This  committee  reported  to  a 
meeting  on  the  3d  of  August  following  ;  they  reported  having 
exammed  the    will  of   Dr.    Wiggins,    the  call    of  the    pastor, 
and  the  legal    aspect  of  the  case,  they  found  that  the    same 
question  had  arisen  before;  and  reported  that  in  their  judg- 
ment, treating  the  estate  in   the   property  as  one  derived  by 
will  and  not   by  deed  from   the  heirs,  the   trustees   are  under 
no  legal  obligation  to  repair  the  parsonage  property  ;    this  is  a 
duty  which  the  law  devolves  upon  the  tenant  of  the   estate 
who  has  the  use  of  it.     The  report  was  accepted  ;  and  on  mo- 
tion of  Dr.  Miller,  the  committee  was  enlarged  and  continued, 
with  a  view  of  determining  what  should  be  done  with  the  par- 
sonage.    The  old  board  of  trustees,  in  the  mean  time  resigned 
and  a  new  board  was   elected.       Professor   Henry  became  the 
president,  and   Dr.   Schanck   the  secretary.     James   S.  Green 
consented    to    act    as    treasurer  for  a  year   without   a    salary. 
Various  devices  were  employed  to  raise  money.      A  Liquidat- 
ing Society  was    formed  in  the  congregation  ;    lectures   were 
delivered  ;  and   the   ladies   got   up  festivals,  by  which  several 
hundred  dollars  were  realized  for  the  church.     The  last  source 
was  the  most  remunerative  of  all. 

On  the  26th  of  April,  1847,  Dr.  Rice  sent  the  following  let- 
ter to  the  session,  tendering  his  resignation  as  pastor: 

"  To  the  Session,  Trustees  and  Members  of  the  Presbyterian  Congreoation  of  Prineeton- 
"Dear  Brethren,  it  is  with  emotions  which  I  sh.ill  not  attempt  to  express  that 
I  request  your  concurrence  in  the  application  which  I  propose  to  make  to 
the  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick  at  their  meeting  on  Tuesday  next,  for  a  dissolu- 
tion of  the  relation  which  I  have  now  for  nearly  fourteen  years  sustained  to  you  as 
your  pastor.  While  I  had  suflicient  health  and  strength  to  serve  you  in  the  Gospel 
of  Lhrist  It  was  cheerfully  done,  but  now  I  am  growing  old  and  becoming  so  infirm 
that  I  cannot  do  the  work  of  this  place  with  satisfaction  with  myself  or  profit  to  you 
The  burden  has  become  so  heavy  that  I  feel  it  to  be  due  to  you  and  to  myself  to 
seek  relief  from  it. 

•'  My  prayer  is  that  the  gracious  Head  of  the  church  may  very  soon  supply  you 
with  one  far  more  efficient,  whom  He  will  employ  for  his  glory  and  your  present 
and  eternal  good.  ..  Very  affectionately  yours 

^P'-^^-^'^^M-  "B.H.RicE." 

The  congregation  met  on  the  26th  of  April,  1847,  and  hav- 
ing heard  the  letter  of  Dr.  Rice  read,  adopted  the  following 
resolution  offered  by  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  Miller,  viz.:  ^ 


I40  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

1.  "  That  we  cordially  and  respectfully  sympathize  with  our  reverend  pastor  on 
the  feebleness  of  his  health  and  his  inability  to  undergo  the  labor  which  his  oftice 
is  demanding. 

2.  "  That  while  we  cherish  towards  Dr,  Rice  the  highest  respect,  confidence 
and  affection,  and  while  we  deeply  regret  the  circumstances  which  induce  him  to 
seek  to  be  released  from  his  pastoral  charge,  we  feel  constrained  however  reluc- 
tantly to  acquiesce  in  his  wishes  and  to  concur  with  him  in  an  application  to  the 
Presbytery  to  dissolve  his  pastoral  relation  to  this  church  ;  and  we  do  hereby  in- 
struct the  elder  appointed  to  represent  this  church  at  the  approacliing  meeting 
of  the  Presbytery  to  offer  no  opposition  in  that  body  to  a  compliance  with  his 
request. 

3.  ''  That  the  parsonage  now  in  the  occupancy  of  Dr.  Rice  and  his  family  be 
still  at  their  disposal  until  the  use  of  it  shall  be  required  by  another  occupant,- and 
that  his  salary  be  continued  until  the  rst  of  July  next,  and  that  any  further  arrange- 
ment in  regard  to  the  crops  be  left  to  the  board  of  trustees." 

His  pastoral  relation  was  dissolved  by  Presbytery,  April  26, 
1847,  and  he  returned  to  Virginia. 

Dr.  Rice's  ministry  in  Princeton,  nearly  fourteen  years,  was 
not  a  barren  but  a  fruitful  one.  The  number  of  new  members 
received  by  him  diiring  that  time  into  the  church,  upon  exam- 
ination, was  271.  The  roll  was  unusually  swelled  during  the 
winter  of  1840-41  and  in  1843-44,  when  revivals-  blessed  his 
ministry.  Dr.  Rice  possessed  fine  natural  talents.  His  preach- 
ing was  direct  and  spiritual.  There  was  no  admixture  of  spec- 
ulation or  false  philosophy  in  his  sermons.  He  was  earnest 
and  solemn,  yet  kind  and  persuasive.  He  did  not  read  his  ser- 
mons, though  he  generally  used  brief  notes  in  preaching. 
The  infirmities  of  body  generally  depressed  his  spirit,  but 
in  seasons  of  a  revival  when  he  descried  the  working  of  the 
spirit,  he  was  at  once  aroused  and  forgot  his  ailments,  and 
preached  with  great  power  and  success.  His  happiest  min- 
istrations were  in  his  week-day  social  prayer-meetings.  He 
loved  to  see  Zion  increase  and  was  vigilant  in  his  vineyard 
for  souls.  While  Dr.  Rice  had  a  full  share  of  native  talent 
and  eloquence,  his  health  did  not  permit  him  to  study  as 
closely  and  systematically  as  was  required  in  order  to  furnish 
him  adequately  for  such  a  pulpit  as  he  here  occupied.  In  the 
common  salutations  of  the  day,  when  he  was  asked  how  he  was 
he  invariably  answered,  "  not  at  all  well."  And  some  persons 
who  were  inclined  sometimes  to  believe  that  he  was  not  as 
unwell  as  he  imagined  himself  to  be,  his  appearance   being 


PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH— REV.  DR.  RICE.  I4I 

SO  robust,  must  have  regretted  their  uncharitable  doubts  as  they 
read  the  history  of  his  sudden  death. 

Dr.  Rice  was  a  Virginian,  and  he  was  not  happy  in  any 
other  atmosphere.  He  never  found  in  New  York  or  in  Prince- 
ton that  freedom  and  hospitaHty  in  social  life,  to  which  he 
had  been  accustomed  in  his  native  State.  The  style  of  address 
and  the  structure  of  sermons  which  delighted  and  satisfied  a 
Virginia  congregation,  would  not  always  please  a  Princeton  or 
a  New  York  audience.  The  leisure  hour  in  Virginia  society, 
even  among  men  of  studious  pursuits,  so  congenial  to  the 
taste  of  literary  and  refined  men  there,  can  seldom  be  found 
here,  where  the  library,  and  not  the  drawing-room,  claims 
and  exhausts  all  the  time  of  literarv  men.  Dr.  Rice's  own 
family  was  distinguished  for  its  hospitality,  and  for  its  refined 
welcome  to  visitors  in  true  Virginia  style.  Mrs.  Rice,  his  wife, 
was  a  model  woman  ;  her  manners  were  as  simple  as  those 
of  a  child  ;  her  piety  was  as  pure  as  grace  could  make  it;  her 
prudence  and  condescension  and  generosity  and  good  sense 
were  such  as  to  make  her  helpful  to  her  husband  in  his  ministe- 
rial as  well  as  in  his  private  life.  Her  death,  March  6th,  1844,  of 
congestive  fever,  triumphant  as  might  be  expected,  was  a  sore 
affliction  to  her  family  and  to  the  church.  The  congregation 
erected  a  marble  monument  over  her  grave  in  the  cemetery,  as 
a  token  of  their  respect  for  her  memory.  Their  daughters 
were  the  charm  of  Princeton  society.  The  sudden  death  of  their 
lovely  daughter,  Anna,  wife  of  the  Rev.  Ezckiel  P'orman,  of 
Kentucky,  which  occurred  a  few  months  before  the  death  of 
her  mother,  cast  a  gloom  over  a  large  circle  of  admiring  friends 
here  and  elsewhere.  Dr.  Rice  was  the  last  of  the  pastors  who 
occupied  the  old  Wiggins  parsonage  ;  and  many  pleasant  asso-"'] 
ciations  are  connected  with  it  and  his  interesting  family, 
where  such  generous  hospitality  had  been  dispensed.  After 
the  dissolution  of  his  pastoral  relation  to  the  Princeton  church, 
Dr.  Rice  removed  to  Virginia,  and  accepted  a  call  to  the  college 
church  at  Plampden  Sydney.  Here,  it  is  said,  he  felt  once 
more  at  home.  He  purchased  a  little  farm  near  his  church  ; 
and  his  agricultural  pursuits,  in  connection  with  free  and  easy 
pulpit  duties,  seemed  to  benefit  hini  in  both  body  and  mind, 
and  to  restore  him  to   his  former   and    early   vigor  of  speech. 


..\.. 


142  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETOiW 

and  buoyancy  of  spirit.  In  his  last  days,  his  early  popularity 
and  influence,  it  is  said,  returned  to  him.  He  was  always 
heard  in  the  judicatories  of  the  churcli  with  respectful 
attention. 

For  some  months  before  his  death,  his  failing  health  gave 
alarm  to  his  friends.  On  the  17th  of  January,  1856,  he  was 
preaching  from  the  text,  "  Speak  to  the  children  of  Israel, 
that  they  go  forward,"  and  was  making  an  animated  ap- 
peal, when  his  voice  became  too  subdued  to  be  heard  over  the 
house.  Pausing,  he  made  a  sign  for  a  glass  of  water,  and  as 
he  took  it,  he  remarked  that  his  tongue  was  becoming  para- 
lyzed, and  his  son,  Dr.  A.  A.  Rice,  immediately  went  to  him. 
Apprehending  this  to  be  his  last  opportunity,  he  leaned  for- 
ward on  the  pulpit,  and  said,  "  I  wish  to  say  a  word  to  my 
Christian  brethren.  Are  you  all  going  forward  in  the  divine 
life?     Are  you  growing  in  grace  and  in  fitness  for  heaven?  " 

This  was  uttered  with  great  difficulty,  and  was  scarcely  in- 
telligible beyond  the  vicinity  of  the  pulpit.  He  was  sup- 
ported back  to  the  seat,  and  it  was  found  necessary  to  lift  him 
from  the  pulpit,  whence  he  was  borne  out  amidst  the  sighs  and 
tears  of  his  afflicted  and  bereaved  people,  never  more  to  return 
alive.  He  lingered  until  Sabbath,  February  24th,  1856,  when 
he  entered  into  his  rest.  His  faith  remained  strong  to  the 
very  last.  He  died  peacefully  in  the  work  of  the  ministry, 
with  the  harness  on.  He  was  buried  at  Willington,  about 
three  miles  from  the  church,  beside  the  remains  of  his  brother, 
Dr.  John  H.  Rice,  who  had  preceded  him  to  the  grave  over 
twenty-five  years. 

The  session  of  this  church,  upon  hearing  of  the  death  of 
Dr.  Rice,  their  former  pastor,  passed  resolutions  of  respect  and 
condolence,  and  requested  the  Rev.  William  E.  Schenck,  D.D., 
his  successor  in  the  pastoral  office  here,  to  preach  a  funeral 
discourse  in  this  church,  which  was  done,  and  published,  and 
from  which  the  most  of  the  biographical  statements  in  this  sec- 
tion have  been  taken. 

While  Dr.  Rice  was  the  pastor  of  the  church  in  Princeton, 
five  ruling  elders  of  the  church  died  in  office,  viz.:  John  S. 
Wilson,  Robert  Voorhees,  Samuel  Bayard,  Zcbulon  IMorford, 
John  Lowrey  and  John  C.  Schenck,  a  former  elder;  and  four 


PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH— REV.    DR.    SCHENCK.  1 43 

trustees,  viz.:  Dr.  Alfred  A.  Woodhull,  David  N.  Bogart,  Esq., 
Prof.  Albert  B.  Dod,  N.  L.  Berrien. 

Dr.  Rice  had  six  children  ;  Anna,  Mrs.  Forman,  did  not 
survive  him  ;  but  those  who  survived  him  were,  Mary,  who 
was  married  to  the  Rev.  Drury  Lacy,  D.  D. ;  John  H.,  who  first 
studied  law  and  afterwards  theology,  and  is  now  a  distinguished 
clergyman  ;  Archibald  Alexander,  a  physician  and  a  preacher ; 
and  Catharine,  and  Martha,  both  married — and  all  living  at 
the  South. 


SECTION  VIII. 

1 847-1 852— PASTORATE   OF   REV.  WILLIAM    E.    SCIIENCK,  D.D. 

After  the  Rev.  Dr.  Rice  had  been  released  from  his  pas- 
toral relation  to  this  church,  several  attempts  were  made  to 
elect  his  successor;  but  there  was  so  much  diversity  of  senti- 
ment in  the  congregation  that  after  frequent  adjournments  it 
became  necessary  to  abandon  the  effort.  A  temporary  pro- 
vision was  made  by  the  employment  of  Wm.  Henry  Green  and 
Abram  Gosman,  both  licentiates  in  the  seminary,  as  a  supply 
for  six  months.  These  young  brethren  preached  alternately 
every  Sabbath  very  acceptably.  The  former  has  become  pro- 
fessor in  the  theological  seminary  in  this  place,  and  the  other  is 
pastor  of  the  church  in  Lawrenceville,  in  this  county. 

It  was  during  the  year  1847,  ^"^  while  there  was  no  pastor, 
that  the  subject  of  the  sale  of  the  parsonage  house  and  land— 
a  subject  which  had  been  discussed  and  voted  upon  several 
times,  through  a  period  of  thirty-five  years, — again  came  up 
before  the  congregation.  The  motion  "  that  the  parsonage 
should  be  sold,  in  whole  or  in  part,"  was  made  by  James  S. 
Green,  who  had,  before  that  time,  been  opposed  to  its  sale. 
This  motion  was  adopted  at  a  meeting  of  the  congregation,  on 
the  loth  of  August,  1847,  ''^"^  ^  committee  consisting  of  J.  S. 
Green,  J.  F.  Hageman,  and  J.  VanDeventcr,  was  appointed  to 
report  how  much,  when,  and  in  what  manner  the  property 
should  be  disposed  of.  This  committee,  on  the  6th  of  Sep- 
tember, reported  in  favor  of  laying  out  a  street  to  be  called 
Wiggins  Street,  reserving  ground    for  burial  purposes  in   the 


144  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

rear  of  the  present  burying"  ground  and  in  favor  of  selling  the 
remainder  of  the  land.  The  report  was  accepted,  and  the 
committee  continued.  The  particulars  of  the  sale,  and  the 
reservation  for  a  cemetery,  and  the  provisions  to  secure  the 
proceeds  of  the  sale  to  the  object  for  which  the  property  was 
devised  originally,  are  all  given  in  a  subsequent  section.  It  is 
only  necessary  here  to  state  that  the  whole  property  left  to 
the  church  by  Dr.  Wiggins,  after  reserving  tJirce  acres  for  the 
cemetery,  and  the  old  session  school  building  lot,  belonging 
to  the  church,  was  sold.  Before  selling  the  parsonage,  the 
congregation  resolved  to  make  the  salary  of  the  next  minister 
to  be  chosen,  $ioco  a  year,  with  the  annual  proceeds  of  the 
parsonage.  A  committee  was  appointed  by  the  trustees  to  ap- 
ply to  the  Legislature  to  aid  and  confirm  the  sale  of  the  land, 
if  necessary.  As  the  legal  title  was  derived  by  purchase  from 
Dr.  Wiggins'  heirs,  and  not  wholly  under  the  will,  such  aid  was 
probably  not  deemed  necessary. 

Dr.  Rice  was  the  last  ministerial  tenant  of  the  Wiggins 
parsonage.  It  had  been  occupied  by  his  predecessors,  Mr. 
Henry  Kollock,  Mr.  William  C.  Schenck,  and  Mr.  Woodhull, 
covering  in  all  a  period  of  a  little  over  fifty  years.  Sacred  old 
house!  notwithstanding  its  disfavor  in  the  financial  depart- 
ment of  the  church.  It  was  the  home  of  a  succession  of  godly 
ministers.  Its  walls  still  stand,  inclosing  an  ancient,  but  ren- 
ovated habitation.  Its  majestic  trees  are  still  full  of  vigor,  and 
promise  yet  to  outlive  many  generations  of  men.  While  the 
acreage  of  the  cemetery  has  increased,  and  generation  after 
generation  of  men  have  succumbed  to  the  King  of  Terrors, 
the  old  buttonwoods.  ash  and  elms  bravely  buffet  the  storms, 
and  still  extend  their  protection  about  this  old  parsonage 
on  Witherspoon  Street. 

After  Dr.  Rice  had  resigned  his  call  at  Princeton,  the  pro- 
ject of  organizing  a  second  Presbyterian  church  in  the  place 
was  revived,  and  on  the  23d  of  December,  1847,  nine  of  the 
members  of  this  church  were  dismissed,  to  unite  in  that  enter- 
prise. It  was  not  any  disaffection  to^vards  the  minis-' 
ter  of  the  first  church,  that  prompted  this  new  organization  ; 
for  it  was  during  a  ministerial  vacancy  in  the  pulpit  of  this 
church,  that  the  second  church  was  formed. 


y:^^i^>^^-^'7^L^ 


^i- 


PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH— REV.    DR.    SCHENCK.  I45 

On  the  31st  day  of  January,  1848,  the  congregation,  under 
a  rule  which  had  been  adopted  and  adhered  to  since  Dr.  Rice 
retired,  requiring  a  two-third  vote  to  elect  a  pastor,  elected  on 
a  second  ballot,  the  Rev.  William  Edward  Schenck,  of  the 
Hammond  Street  church,  New  York,  as  pastor,  to  succeed  Dr. 
Rice,  in  Princeton. 

Mr.  Schenck  was  a  native  of  Princeton,  born  in  the  year 
1 819.  His  father  was  John  C.  Schenck,  a  farmer  residing  at 
Queenston,  who  had  formerly  been  a  merchant  in  the  place, 
and  a  ruling  elder  in  the  same  church  by  which  this  call  was 
made.  His  mother  was  Ann  Brooks  Hutchinson.  William 
E.  Schenck  was  a  nephew  of  the  Rev.  William  C.  Schenck,  a 
former  pastor  of  this  church.  He  was  thoroughly  prepared 
for  college  at  the  academy,  under  the  direction  of  Robert 
Baird,  D.  D.,  and  also  under  Professor  Patton,  at  the  Edgehill 
high  sphool  in  Princeton.  He  was  graduated  at  Nassau  Hall, 
in  the  class  of  1838  ;  read  law  in  the  office  of  James  S.  Green, 
for  one  year  or  more;  united  with  this  church  upon  profession 
of  his  faith  in  1839,  "^t  the  age  of  twenty  years  ;  then  adopting 
the  ministry  as  his  choice,  he  entered  and  graduated  at  the  the- 
ological seminary  at  Princeton,  and  was  licensed  by  the  Pres- 
bytery of  New  Brunswick,  April  27th,  1842.  He  was  pastor 
of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Manchester,  N.  J.,  before  he  was 
called  to  the  Hammond  Street  church  in  New  York  City. 

He  accepted  the  call  to  Princeton,  and  was  installed  pastor 
here.  May  8th,  1848.  The  Rev.  Archibald  Alexander  presided 
and  proposed  the  constitutional  questions ;  Rev.  Symmes  C. 
Henry  preached  the  sermon  ;  Rev.  Dr.  Miller  gave  the  charge 
to  the  pastor,  and  Rev.  Dr.  Carnahan  to  the  people. 

The  newly  installed  pastor  standing  now  on  his  native  soil, 
in  a  pulpit  which  had  been  occupied  by  a  succession  of  distin- 
guished ministers,  in  a  church  where  he  had  professed  his  faith 
and  been  baptized,  over  a  congregation  made  up  of  critical 
hearers,  embracing  with  the  resident  families,  students  and 
professors  of  the  college  and  seminary;  surrounded  with  such 
circumstances,  and  such  a  cloud  of  witnesses,  buckled  on 
his  armor  afresh  for  the  contest,  fully  sensible  of  the  arduous 
field  of  labor  he  had  entered.  He  commenced  his  ministry 
here  with  zeal  and  system.  Pie  enlarged  his  session,  and  ap- 
10 


146  HI  STONY  OF  PRINCETON. 

portioned  to  the  elders,  districts  of  the  congregation  for  their 
special  supervision.  He  arranged  a  series  of  monthly  collec- 
tions for  the  boards  of  the  church,  as  recommended  by  the 
General  Assembly.  Parochial  schools  were  then  looked  upon 
with  favor  by  the  church  courts,  and  were  recommended  to  the 
congregations,  Mr.  Schenck  and  his  session  established  one, 
which  was  at  first  taught  in  the  Witherspoon  Street  session 
house,  and  afterv/ards  in  the  old  academy,  in  Washington 
Street.  The  school  of  Miss  Lockart,  under  the  Female  Be- 
nevolent Society,  \\'2i^  pro  forma  adopted  by  the  session  also, 
as  a  parochial  school.-  These  schools  were  sustained  by  their 
quota  of  the  public  school  fund,  and  by  the  fund  of  the  Board 
of  Education  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  The  school  of  Miss 
Lockart,  which  is  still  continued,  depends  now  wholly,  and  then 
it  depended  chiefly,  on  the  resources  of  the  society  which  es- 
tablished "it,  aided  by  the  church  ;  the  other  one  was  not  con- 
tinued after  Mr.  Schenck  resigned  his  call.  The  public  school 
funds  were  afterwards  withheld  from  this  class  of  schools, 
under  legal  advisement  that  such  appropriations  were  a  diver- 
sion of  the  public  money  from  the  true  object  for  which  it  was 
raised  by  law.  When  the  session  established  the  parochial 
school,  there  was  no  good  public  school  in  the  town,  but  when, 
afterwards,  the  present  excellent  public  school  was  established 
under  the  influential  cooperation  of  Professor  Phelps  of  the 
normal  school  at  Trenton,  the  interest  in  the  church  schools 
was  diminished,  and  has  not  revived  since. 

The  pastor  was  faithful  in  his  pastoral  duties,  and  his 
work  was  prosperous.  His  church  showed  signs  of  increase,  and 
its  outward  condition  was  improving  wonderfully. 

The  trustees  adopted  the  following  rule  respecting  the  secu- 
lar use  of  the  church  edifice,  in  1848,  viz  :■ 

"  Whereas  a  commodious  building  has  recently  been  erected  in  this  town, 
called  Mercer  Hall, 

Resolved,  that  it  is  expedient  that  we  restrict  the  use  of  our  church  for  secular 
purposes  as  much  as  possible,  in  future." 

It  was  also  during  the  year  1848,  that  the  session  of  the 
church  sent  a  communication  to  the  trustees,  representing 
'*  that  in  the  opinion  of  the  session,  our  church  stands  in 
urgent  need   of  a  building  for  use  as  a  lecture  and  Sunday- 


PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH— REV.  DR.   SCHENCA'.  1 47 

school  room,  and  other  purposes  connected  with  our  efforts  as 
a  church  ;  and  it  is  the  very  earnest  wish  of  the  session  that 
such  a  house  may  be  built  at  the  earliest  possible  day,"  etc. 
The  trustees  referred  it  to  the  congregational  meeting  to  be 
held  on  the  25th  of  June,  and  appointed  Mr.  Hageman  to  pre- 
sent the  subject  to  the  meeting.  Such  a  meeting  was  held  on 
that  day,  and  the  committee  on  the  sale  of  the  parsonage  re- 
ported that  they  had  surveyed  and  sold  all  the  land  of  the 
parsonage,  except  the  parsonage  house  lot,  and  had  also  sold 
the  mountain  wood  lot ;  and  that  the  net  proceeds  were 
$2079.58  ;  and  that  they  had  reserved  the  lot  on  which  the  old  , 
frame  session  house  stood,  and  also,  a  parcel  for  the  cemetery. 
The  report  was  accepted.  Plans  for  laying  out  the  cemetery  ' 
and  selling  lots  were  referred  to  the  trustees  with  powers.  ' 

IMr..  Green,  the  treasurer,  also  submitted  a  report  of  the 
financial  condition  of  the  church,  stating  that  when  he  entered 
into  that  office  in  June,  1845,  ^^^^  o^^  ^'^^t  of  the  church  was 
$2500,  but  that  it  had  been  reduced  to  about  $300,  and  this 
had  been  accomplished  principally  through  the  association 
called  the  "  Liquidating  Society."  * 

The  presentation  of  the  subject  of  the  new  lecture-room 
was  followed  by  a  resolution  of  the  meeting,  that  it  was  expe- 
dient that  the  congregation  should  erect  such  a  building,  and 
referred  it  to  the  trustees  to  proceed  in  the  matter,  and  report 
plans,  etc.  Dr.  Schanck  was  elected  by  the  trustees,  president 
of  that  board,  in  the  place  of  Professor  Henry,  who  had  re- 
moved to  Washington. 

Six  different  plans  for  a  lecture-room  were  presented  by 
the  trustees  to  the  congregation  at  their  meeting  on  July  31st, 
1848.  The  plan  finally  adopted  was  to  build  one  of  brick,  in 
the  rear  of  and  adjoining  the  church,  there  not  being  land 
enough  elsewhere  on  the  lot,  upon  which  they  could  build 
a  suitable  one.  The  room  was  to  be  32  feet  by  60  feet, 
with  two  small  rooms  partitioned  off  at  the  east  end.  The 
contract  was  given  to  Holcombe  &  Dunn  for  $1595,  the  pews 

*The  amount  realized  from  the  weekly  dues $260  13 

"  from  ladies'  fairs  and  refreshments 803  41 

"  from  lectures 275  00 

"  by  collection 57250 

"  from  surplus — pew  rents 200  00 


148  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

to  be  with  shifting  backs,  adapted  to  Sunday  School  classes. 
The  room  was  built  and  paid  for  before  the  25th  of  May,  1849.* 
It  was  a  very  comfortable  room,  and  necessary  addition  to 
the  church.  The  weekly  lecture  which  had  been  held  in  the 
sophomore  recitation  room  of  the  college,  and  the  prayer 
meetings  which  were  formerly  held  from  house  to  house  in 
the  town,  among  the  families  of  the  congregation,  were  now 
transferred  to  this  new  lecture  room  ;  and  the  Sunday  school 
which  was  held  in  the  gallery  of  the  church,  was  also  removed 
to  this  room.  Thus  was  obtained  a  long  desired  lecture-room 
without  entailing  a  lingering  debt. 

The  committee  on  the  sale  of  the  parsonage  reported  the 
sale  of  the  old  parsonage  house  and  lot  for  $1363,  which  sale 
was  approved  by  the  trustees,  and  a  deed  ordered  to  be  execu- 
ted for  the  same. 

The,  years  1850  and  1852  were  marked  for  the  spiritual  as 
well  as  the  temporal  prosperity  of  the  church.  The  little  re- 
maining debt  of  the  church  was  being  fast  liquidated,  the 
parsonage  matters  were  being  closed  up,  the  cemetery  was, 
opened,  and  its  rules  and  regulations  were  adopted.  Gas-light 
was  introduced  into  the  church  and  lecture-room  ;  the  church 
edifice  and  grounds  were  repaired  and  put  in  order ;  a  new  iron 
fence  was  put  up  in  front  of  the  church  ;  a  cistern  for  supply 
of  water  in  case  of  fire  was  built  in  the  church  yard,  by  the 
Common  Council  with  leave  of  the  trustees  ;  2.  gracious  re- 
vival of  religion  visited  the  congregation  and  the  town,  and  a 
large  accession  was  made  to  the  membership  of  the  church. 
At  the  communion  season  in  January,  1850,  not  a  single  mem- 
ber was  added  to  the  church.  The  pastor  and  ruling  elders  of 
the  church  called  the  congregation  to  observe  the  7th  day  of 
February,  1850,  as  a  day  of  fasting  and  special  prayer  for  the 
outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  A  narrative  of  this  revival 
soon  after  appeared  in  \\\&  Presbyterian,  which  was  understood 
to  be  from  the  pen  of  the  pastor,  and  which  we  here  insert : 

*  The  money  was  raised  as  follows  :  Proceeds  of  lectures,  $50.  Refreshment 
tables  by  the  ladies,  $300.  Borrowed  of  the  bank,  $600.  The  balance  was 
raised  by  subscription,  of  which  $300  were  given  by  the  Rev.  Edward  N.  Kirk,  D.  D. 
of  Boston.  The  bank  loan  was  soon  paid  off,  principally  by  a  festival  given  by  the 
ladies. 


PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH— REV.  DR.  SCHENCK.  149 

"  Agreeable  to  your  request,  I  send  you  some  account  of  what  the  Lord  has  re- 
cently wrought  in  the  church  and  congregation  with  which  the  writer  is  connected. 
He  hath  indeed  done  great  things  for  us,  whereof  we  are  glad.  His  is  the  work  ; 
and  I  trust  that  all  who  have  been  so  honored  as  to  be  used  in  any  degree  as  hum- 
ble and  unworthy  instruments  in  promoting  it,  may  ever  be  ready  to  give  unto  him 
all  the  glory  and  the  praise.  "  He  hath  not  dealt  with  us  after  our  sins,  nor  re- 
warded us  according  to  our  iniquities." 

Early  in  the  winter  past  an  unusual  religious  interest  appeared  among  the  col- 
ored people  of  the  place,  and  more  than  a  dozen  hopeful  conversions  occurred 
among  them.  About  the  same  time,  as  it  since  appears,  although  the  fact  was  then 
not  known  beyond  themselves,  several  of  the  most  intelligent  and  pious  among  the 
female  members  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church,  became  in  an  unusual  degree 
concerned  about  the  interests  of  religion  and  the  salvation  of  souls,  and  were 
drawn  to  the  mercy-seat  in  wrestling  prayer.  At  the  communion  season  in  Janu- 
ary, not  a  single  new  communicant  was  received  by  the  session,  which  fact  was  ad- 
verted to,  and  made  the  foundation  of  a  solemn  appeal  to  the  church  members 
assembled  at  the  communion  table,  by  a  venerated  father,  who  assisted  on  that  oc- 
casion. It  was  felt  to  be  a  time  of  man's  extremity.  God  was  soon  about  to  show 
that  it  was  his  opportunity.  It  is  remarkable  that  although  all  were  then  fdled 
with  gloom  and  sadness  at  the  apparent  absence  of  the  Spirit's  converting  power, 
there  has'since  been  brought  to  light  abundant  evidence  that  a  large  number  of 
unconverted  persons  were  at  that  very  time  under  His  blessed  influences.  The 
seed  of  truth  was  already  germinating  underground,  but  the  blade  had  not  yet  ap- 
peared above  the  surface.  A  few  weeks  afterwards  the  pastor  and  ruling  elders, 
moved  (as  they  now  trust)  by  a  divine  impulse,  agreed  to  call  the  congregation  to 
the  observance  of  a  day  of  fasting  and  special  prayer,  for  the  outpouring  of  the 
Holy  Spirit. 

That  day,  which  was  Thursday,  the  7th  of  February,  will  long  be  remembered, 
by  some  at  least,  as  a  day  of  the  power  of  God's  right  hand.  Religious  services 
were  held  in  the  forenoon,  afternoon,  and  evening,  in  the  lecture-room.  The  au- 
diences were  large  and  solemn,  and  a  spirit  of  deep  and  earnest  prayerfulness 
seemed  to  have  descended  upon  the  assembly.  As  in  the  case  of  Eliezerof  Damas- 
cus, "before  they  had  done  speaking  in  their  hearts,"  the  answer  came.  On  that 
very  day  unmistakable  evidences  of  seriousness  appeared  in  several  unconverted 
persons,  and  on  the  following  days  the  pastor  was  enabled  to  visit  family  after  fam- 
ily, where  members  of  it  were  ready  to  inquire  earnestly  what  they  must  do  to  be 
saved. 

From  that  time  onward  the  work  rapidly  extended.  The  people  all  at  once 
seemed  in  a  remarkable  degree  gifted  with  a  hearing  ear  and  an  appetite  that  hun- 
gered for  the  tnith.  Preaching  was  for  seven  or  eight  weeks  maintained  every 
evening  except  Saturday  evening.  A  part  of  the  time,  prayer  meetings  were  held 
in  the  forenoons  at  ten  o'clock,  and  frequent  inquiry  meetings  were  appointed  at 
the  pastor's  study,  to  which  large  numbers  resorted  for  instruction.  I'he  general 
character  of  the  preaching  was  instructive,  very  direct,  and  practical,  with  very 
little  that  was  adapted  to  terrify,  or  even  to  excite  greatly.  Efficient  and  abundant 
aid  was  rendered  in  the  preaching  labors  by  several  of  the  Professors  and  of  the 
neighboring  jiastors,  for  which  aid  the  pastor  and  congregation  will  ever  have 
cause  to  be  giateful. 


150  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

For  some  weeks  after  this  gracious  work  had  been  in  progress  in  ihe  town, 
there  were  no  decided  evidences  of  revival  in  the  College.  On  the  contrary  the 
raass  of  the  students  seemed  to  be  in  a  more  disorderly  and  irreligious  state  than 
usual.  Although  constant  prayer  \\as  offered  for  the  College,  it  was  not  until  the 
last  Thursday  in  February,  the  day  widely  observed  as  a  day  of  prayer  for  colleges, 
that  the  Spirit  of  God  manifestly  began  an  extraordinary  work  there.  On  that 
day  a  religious  service  was  held  in  the  morning  in  the  lecture-room  of  the  church, 
and  in  the  evening  in  one  of  the  college  recitation  rooms.  From  subsequent  reci- 
tals of  personal  expeiicnce,  the  writer  is  satisfied  that  the  Lord  condescended  on 
that  day  to  hear  and  answer  prayer  in  behalf  of  the  students.  Almost  immediately 
afterwards  the  influences  of  God's  Spirit  were  in  their  results  manifest  in  the  col- 
lege also. 

As  the  fruits  of  this  blessed  season  of  revival,  it  is  hoped  that  in  the  neighbor- 
hood oi  one  /;?<«fl';ri/ persons  have  been  made  subjects  of  converting  and  sanctify- 
ing grace,  in  the  congregation  of  the  First  Presbyterian  chiirch.  Of  these,  sezynty- 
/ourha\e  been  recently  welcomed  to  the  communion  table,  while  between  twenty 
and  thirty  more  are  expected  to  apply  for  tlie  privilege  of  coming  to  it  at  the  next 
opportunity.  In  the  college  it  is  hoped  that  between  thirty  and  forty  of  the  stu- 
dents have  experienced  conversion.  The  larger  part  of  these  will  delay  uniting 
with  any  ch.urch  until  they  return  home  at  the  approaching  vacation. 

This  precious  season  of  revival  has  extended  to  every  portion  of  the  town,  and 
to  every  class  and  variety  of  persons  in  the  community.  That  it  was  widely  felt 
among  those  families  which  were  in  past  years  not  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  regular 
church  connection,  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  of  the  seventy-four  above 
mentioned  us  having  been  received  into  communion,  t-u>eiiiy-six  received  adult 
baptism. 

The  Second  Presbyterian  church,  the  colored  Presbyterian  church,  the  Protest- 
ant Episcopal,  and  the  Methodist  Episcopal  churches  have  also  received  some  ac- 
cessions, in  what  numbers  the  writer  is  not  fully  infomied  except  that  at  its  recent 
communion  season  the  Second  church  received  an  addition  of  fifteen  by  exami- 
nation. 

The  experience  of  those  who  have  been  hopefully  converted  is  widely  various. 
Some  have  imdergone  a  deep  and  pungent  lav.'-work  ;  others  have  been  "entlv  led 
to  look  to  and  hope  in  a  crucified  Redeemer.  Some  h.ave  been  brought  to  bitter 
lamentations  over  their  actual  sins;  others  have  been  mainly  convicted  of  hard- 
ness and  insensibility  of  heart.  Some  have  had  their  hearts  filled  with  overflowino- 
peace  and  j<^y  in  the  hope  of  salvation  through  Christ  ;  others  have  only  dared, 
with  a  trembling  faith,  to  touch  the  hem  of  Jesus'  garment.  In  several  cases  pro- 
fessors of  relig'on  of  some  years'  standing  have  been  convicted  deeply  of  sin,  and 
hopefully  re-converted.  Those  who  were  weak  in  faith  have  had  iheir  faith 
strengthened.  Those  who  had  been  lying  almost  inert,  have  been  excited  to  an 
active  zeal  in  tlic  cause  of  Christ.  And  beyond  what  I  have  before  seen,  Chris- 
tians have  abounded  in  love  toward  one  another. 

We  earnestly  hope  and  pray  that  the  blessed  impulse  whicii  has  been  given  to 
the  caube  of  Christ  in  this  town,  and  in  these  institutions,  may  prove  to  be  no 
tr.msient  impulse.  \Vc  pray  that  the  reviving  now  enjoyed  may  be  continuous  and 
prrm-\ncnt.  And  as  Princeton  is  a  point  of  more  than  ordinary  interest  by  reason 
of  the  litcraiy  and  religious   influences,  which  for  good  or  (or  evil  go  out  hence 


PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH— REV.  DR.  SCHENCK.  I5I 

year  by  year,  may  we  not  hope  that  many  among  your  readers  who  love  Christ  and 
Zion  will  be  found  ready  to  join  with  us  in  this  prayer?  Who  can  estimate  the 
power  upon  the  church,  the  country  and  the  world,  of  a  warm,  active,  humble, 
vital  piety,  prevailing  at  a  centre  of  such  imjiortant  influences?  I.et  those  then 
who  love  Zion,  not  only  join  with  us  in  ascribing  praise  and  glory  to  our  gracious 
God  for  what  he  has  aheady  done,  but  let  them  join  with  us  also  in  supplicating 
that  these  heavenly  influences  may  long  be  perpetuated  and  enjoyed  ui  this  place." 

W.  E.  S. 

On  the  1 2th  of  December,  1850,  the  day  of  national  thanks- 
giving, the  pastor  preached  in  the  church  a  historical  discourse 
which  was  published  by  the  trustees.  It  was  a  very  interesting 
and  valuable  discourse,  and  we  have  derived  no  inconsiderable 
assistance  from  it  in  the  preparation  of  portions  of  this  volume. 
On  the  same  day,  after  the  religious  services  were  over  in  the 
church,  the  congregation  heard  a  report  of  the  finances  of  the 
church,  read  by  Dr.  Schanck,  president  of  the  board  of  trustees. 
It  recited  the  debt  of  the  church  in  1835  to  have  been  $1,145, 
and  then  the  burning  of  the  church  edifice  required  an  outlay 
of  about  $16,000  to  rebuild  it  ;  that  in  1845  the  church  was  in 
debt  about  $2,77$,  and  the  expenses  were  exceeding  the  receipts 
by  $325  a  year  ;  that  the  parsonage  had  been  sold  and  the  pro- 
ceeds, amounting  to  $3,306.58,  had  been  invested  to  apply  to 
the  benefit  of  the  minister  and  no  other  object ;  that  after  pay- 
ing for  all  the  improvements  of  the  church,  the  lecture-roomi, 
etc.,  the  indebtedness  was  reduced  to  $90.  And  on  the  .15th 
day  of  December,  1851,  trustees  reported  that  the  cJiurch  was 
then,  for  the  first  time  in  EIGHTY  Yl^AR^,  free  from  debt  J 

It  was  on  the  29lh  of  March,  1852,  just  as  this  tidal  wave 
of  prosperity  had  flown  in  upon  the  church;  when  its  member- 
ship was  enlarged  and  quickened  into  activity ;  when  its  tem- 
poralities were  unembarrassed  ;  with  a  treasury  for  the  first 
time  in  the  history  of  the  church,  out  of  debt;  when,  without 
a  note  of  warning,  the  pastor  sent  a  letter  to  the  elders,  deacons, 
trustees  and  other  members  of  the  congregation,  asking  them 
to  unite  with  him  in  a  request  to  the  Presbytery  to  dissolve 
the  pastoral  relation  which,  for  four  years  past,  liad  existed 
between  them,  in  order  that  he  might  enter  upon  the  duties  of 
Superintendent  of  Church  Extension  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia, 
to  which  lie  had  been  appointed.      He  deeply   regretted    to 


152  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON: 

sever  his  pleasant  relations  to  this  church,  which  was  so  dear 
to  him,  but  he  felt  that  his  duty  indicated  to  him  that  he 
ought  to  accept  this  new  field  of  labor ;  yet  he  was  willing  to 
be  guided  by  the  advice  of  this  church  and  Presbytery,  which 
latter  body  was  to  meet  on  the  next  day. 

The  congregation  met  and  adopted  resolutions  urging 
Presbytery  to  pause  and  duly  consider  the  subject  before  de- 
priving this  church  of  so  faithful  and  beloved  a  pastor,  whose 
ministry,  for  four  years,  had  been  abundantly  fruitful  and  who 
had  shown  himself  approved  of  God,  "  a  workman  that  needcth 
not  to  be  ashamed,"  and  holding  the  affections  of  his  flock  to 
a  greater  degree  than  most  pastors  are  permitted  to  enjoy; 
that  during  his  pastorate  199  members  had  been  added  to  the 
church:  by  examination  in,  by  certificate  88;  and  that  the 
temporalities  of  the  congregation  had  been  unusually  pros- 
perous— the  amount  of  money  contributed,  exclusive  of  sal- 
aries, was,  during  the  four  years,  $7,509,  viz.:  $4,273  for  con- 
gregational purposes  and  $3,236  for  benevolent  objects. 

A  committee  consisting  of  elders  Hageman  and  Baker,  and 
Dr.  Schanck  of  the  trustees,  was  appointed  to  represent  the 
sentiments  of  the  congregation  to  the  Presbytery.  The  Pres- 
bytery heard  the  parties  and  advised  the  dissolution  of  the  pas- 
toral relation,  as  requested  by  the  pastor.  The  trustees 
directed  the  proceeds  of  the  parsonage  fund  to  be  paid  to  him 
until  another  pastor  should  be  installed,  provided  the  time 
should  not  exceed  one  year.     He  was  dismissed  March  30,  1852. 

The  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Schenck  was  the  shortest 
one  in  the  history  of  this  church,  except  that  of  the  Rev.  Dr. 
KoUock,  and  yet  it  was  the  most  successful  one.  It  was  dur- 
ing his  four  j'ears' ministry  here  that  the  finances  of  the  church 
were  put  into  a  proper  condition  and  the  incubus  of  a  church 
debt  was  removed  from  the  congregation,  True,  the  incipient 
measures  had  been  organized  for  liquidating  the  debt  before 
Mr.  Schenck  was  called  here,  but  much  of  the  credit  of  success 
was  due  to  his  earnest  and  systematic  effort.  Everything  was 
done  for  the  outward  prosperity  of  the  church  that  was  desira- 
ble, except  the  acquisition  of  a  new  parsonage,  and  that  project 
could  hardly  have  been  cordially  espoused  until  the  prejudice 
against  the  expensive  and  troublesome  old  one  should  have  had 


REV.    JAMES    M.    MACDONALD,    D.D. 


PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH— REV.  J.  M.  MACDONALD.       153 

time  to  wear  away.  The  announcement  that  the  church  was 
out  of  debt  was  music  to  a  people  who  had  been  accustomed 
to  hear  every  year  and  whenever  any  good  measure  was  pro- 
posed, the  same  lamentation  of  the  old  debt  as  "  a  lion  in  the 

way." 

As  Dr.  Schenck  is  still  living  and  laboring  with  much  use- 
fulness for  the  Presbyterian  church  at  large  as  Secretary  of  the 
Board  of  Publication,  in  Philadelphia,  we  forbear  to  say  more 
of  him  than  as  a  tree  is  known  by  its  fruits  so  the  fruits  of  his 
ministry  in  Princeton  are  his  best  memorial.  The  industry 
with  which  he  prepared  his  sermons  and  the  earnestness  with 
which  he  delivered  them  while  pastor  in  Princeton,  as  well  as 
his  systematic  and  administrative  skill  in  business  are  still  ex- 
hibited in  his  present  labors.  The  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity 
has  been  conferred  upon  him  by  Jefferson  College  since  he  left 
Princeton.  He  holds  the  pen  of  a  ready  writer  and  has  pub- 
lished, besides  the  historical  discourse  already  noticed,  sev- 
eral commemorative  discourses,  among  which  are  "  God  our 
Guide,"  "  The  Fountain  for  Sin  and  Uncleanness,"  "  Aunt  Fan- 
nie's  Home,"  "  Children  in  Heaven,"  "  Nearing  Home." 


SECTION  IX. 


1852-I876— THE    PASTORATE    OF    THE    REV.    JAMES    M. 
MACDONALD,  D.  D. 

At  an  early  day  after  the  resignation  of  Mr.  Schenck  nom- 
inations were  made  for  his  successor  in  the  pastorate  of  the 
Princeton  church.  But  the  election  was  postponed,  as  the  old 
proposition  to  have  the  theological  faculty  and  students  aban- 
don their  chapel  service  and  unite  with  the  church  in  public 
worship  was  revived.  The  resolution  adopted  on  the  31st  of 
May,  1852,  was  as  follows  : 

"Resolved,  that  a  committee  be  appointed  to  propose  to  the  professors  and 
directors  of  the  theological  seminary  that  the  pulpit  of  that  institution  be  supplied 
with  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  and  the  administration  of  the  sacraments  in  this 
church,  and  that  the  professors  be  solicited  to  aid  in  furnishing  such  supply,  and 
that  said  committee  report  as  soon  as  they  shall  be  able  the  terms  upon  which  such 
arrangement  can  be  effected,  if  at  all." 


154  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

At  a  congregational  meeting,  July  26,  1852,  among  other 
nominations  for  pastor  was  that  of  the  Rev.  IVilliajn  B.  Weed, 
of  Stratford,  Ct.,  a  Congregational  minister.  Upon  the  first 
ballot  he  was  elected,  and  Prof.  Stephen  Alexander  and  Mr. 
Hageman  were  appointed  to  prosecute  the  call.  Mr.  Weed  was 
an  eccentric  man  but  a  powerful  preacher,  preeminently  so.  A 
volume  of  his  pubHshed  sermons  confirms  tliis  high  estimate  of 
him.  He  had  intimated  his  desire  to  change  his  pastoral  rela- 
tions at  Stratford,  and  looked  with  some  favor  towards  Prince- 
ton, where  he  preached,  by  invitation,  four  very  able  sermons. 

An  interesting  correspondence  took  place  between  him  and 
the  commissioners  relative  to  the  call  ;  and  finally  he  referred 
the  question  to  an  ecclesiastical  council,  called  by  letter  missive 
from  the  congregation  of  Stratford.  That  council  consisted  of 
the  Rev.  David  L.  Ogden,  of  New  Haven;  Rev.  Noah  Porter, 
of  Yale  College;  Rev.  Stephen  Hubbell,  of  Avon;  Rev.  David 
B.Austin,  of  Norwalk  ;  Rev.  Charles  S.  Sherman,  of  Naugatuck. 
They  met  at  Stratford,  December  7,  1852. 

The  commissioners  from  Princeton  presented  their  commis- 
sion and  their  case  in  favor  of  the  call,  and  the  Stratford  con- 
gregation presented  their  objections  in  a  written  communica- 
tion, and  a  general  discussion  of  the  matter  took  place,  in  which 
much  interest  was  manifested. 

The  council  decided,  after  due  deliberation,  that  while  deep- 
ly sensible  of  the  great  importance  of  the  field  of  usefulness  at 
Princeton,  and  of  the  desirableness  that  a  preacher  so  eminent 
as  Mr.  Weed  for  power  in  the  pulpit  should  be  secured  to  oc- 
cupy it,  they  did  not  feel  justified  in  advising  Mr.  Weed  to  ac- 
cept the  call ;  and  assigned  the  following  reasons  : 

1.  Their  doubts  whether  the  doctrinal  views  of  Mr.  Weed  were  fully  understood 
by  the  church  and  congrc}i;ation  of  Princeton. 

2.  Deliciency  of  evidence  whether  they  are  suftkiently  acquainted  with  his  pe- 
culiarities of  temperament  and  character. 

3.  The  very  strong  repugnance  expressed  by  Mr.  Weed  himself  at  leaving  the 
field  of  labor  in  which  he  was  so  well  understood  and  had  been  so  successful  and 
happy. 

After  this  there  was  an  attempt  made  to  induce  a  reconsid- 
eration, but  it  did  not  succeed,  and  all  hope  of  obtaining  him 
■  was  abandoned. 


PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH-REV.  J.  M.  MACDONALD.       I  55 

On  the  25th  day  of  April,  1853,  the  congregation  met  and 
elected  the  Rev.  James  M.  Macdonald,  of  the  15th  Street 
Presbyterian  church  of  New  York,  pastor  of  this  church,  offer- 
ing a  salary  of  $1,000  a  year  and  proceeds  of  the  parsonage 
fund,  which  was  afterwards  amended  to  make  it  $1,200. 

The  seminary  union  plan  was  again  called  up  and  the  com- 
mittee having  it  in  charge  was  urged  to  press  the  matter  to  an 
issue  before  the  directors  and  report  at  an  early  day. 

In  the  meantime  a  letter  was  received  from  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Macdonald,  expressing  his  doubts  whether  the  salary  offered 
would  prove  sufficient  to  support  his  family,  but  he  would  hold 
the  call  for  a  few  days. 

The  congregation  made  an  effort  to  increase  the  salary,  but 
it  was,  at  that  time,  unsuccessful.  The  committee  on  the  sem- 
inary arrangement  reported  that  it  had  been  presented  to  the 
directors  and  that  they  referred  the  whole  subject  to  the  pro- 
fessors, with  full  power  to  make  the  proposed  arrangement  if 
they  wished  to  do  so  ;  that  the  professors  were  absent  and  that 
only  the  cooperation  of  the  pastor  was  wanted  to  complete 
the  arrangement.  Professor  Hope,  of  the  college,  had  been 
chosen  as  a  stated  supply,  April  4,  1853.  On  the  20th  of  June 
a  letter  from  Mr.  Macdonald  was  received  declining  the  call. 
The  Rev.  Dr.  Moftat,  of  the  college,  was  now  supplying  the 
pulpit. 

On  the  28th  of  September  of  the  same  year,  at  a  meeting 
of  the  congregation  for  the  election  of  a  pastor,  it  was  intimated 
that  the  Rev.  Mr,  Macdonald  was  willing  to  withdraw  his  let- 
ter declining  the  call,  and  thereupon  the  commissioners  to  pro- 
secute the  call  were  requested  to  renew  their  efforts  and  to  offer 
to  advance  him  $150  to  defray  his  expenses  in  removing  to 
Princeton  if  he  should  accept  it.  The  pastor  elect  withdrew 
his  declinature  and  accepted  the  call. 

He  was  installed,  November  i,  1853.  The  Rev.  Dr.  David- 
son, of  New  Brunswick,  preached  the  sermon  ;  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Hodge  presided  ;  the  Rev.  Dr.  Watson,  of  Kingston,  gave  a 
charge  to  the  pastor,  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  S.  C.  Henry,  of  Cran- 
berry, a  charge  to  the  people. 

In  the  next  spring  an  effort  was  made  to  increase  the  min- 
ister's salary  $200,  by  subscription,  but  it  was  not  successful. 


^156  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETOr^. 

It  was  then,  on  motion  of  Mr.  Hageman,  resolved  by  the  con- 
gregation "  that  the  trustees  be  directed  to  lay  an  additional 
assessment  on  the  pews,  so  as  to  insure  the  payment  of  $1,500 
per  annum  hereafter,  as  salary  to  the  minister,  instead  of  $1,200, 
and  to  be  paid  quarterly."  The  sum  of  $100  addition  was 
also  raised  and  paid  to  the  pastor  to  supplement  the  payments 
already  made.  The  salary  now  became  $1,500  a  year.  In 
1856  it  was  supplemented  again  in  the  amount  of  $300  by  an 
annual  subscription,  to  be  continued  until  a  parson.age  could 
be  provided. 

On  the  I2th  of  September,  1857,  the  session  of  the  church, 
at  the  suggestion  of  Mrs.  Dr.  Samuel  Miller,  recommended  the 
ensuing  Friday  to  be  observed  by  the  church  and  congregation 
as  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer,  with  reference  to  the  condition 
of  missions  in  India  during  the  Sepoy  Rebellion.  An  invitation 
was  extended  to  the  college  and  the  seminary  to  unite  with 
the  church  in  the  observance  of  the  day.  The  occasion  was 
profound'y  solemn  and  impressive.  Some  of  the  missionaries 
who  were  inhumanly  murdered  in  that  rebellion  had  recently 
gone  forth  from  Princeton,  followed  with  the  tenderest  affec- 
tion and  sympathy  of  friends  who  were  now  present  at  this 
meeting.  It  was  scarcely  possible  to  give  expression  to  the 
anguish  which  prostrated  this  large  Christian  assemblage,  in 
humiliation  and  prayer  before  the  great  Head  of  the  church. 
Those  who  attended  that  meeting  will  probably  never  forget 
it,  nor  fail  to  feel  its  effect  in  lifting  a  load  of  sorrow  from  their 
hearts. 

The  Rev.  Alfred  Young,  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church  in 
Princeton,  renewed  an  application  which  had  several  years  be- 
fore been  made  to  the  trustees  of  this  church,  to  sell  and  set 
off  a  portion  of  the  cemetery  to  him  for  the  special  uses  of  a 
Roman  Catholic  burying  ground.  The  trustees  considered  the 
matter  and  denied  the  application,  i.  Because  they  have  no 
power  to  part  with  the  general  jurisdiction  and  superintend- 
ence of  any  portion  of  said  cemetery.  2.  The  cemetery  is  al- 
ready too  small.  3.  It  is  no  part  of  the  plan  to  sell  large  por- 
tions of  the  ground  to  any  particular  persons  or  religious 
denominations. 


PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH— REV.  J.  M.  MACDONALD.       I  5/ 

As  it  was  not  more  than  ten  years  after  the  church  had 
come  into  possession  of  the  Wiggins  parsonage  before  an  ef- 
fort was  made  to  effect  its  sale,  and  there  was  a  long  struggle 
through  many  years  before  such  sale  was  accomplished  ;  so 
now,  ten  years  had  hardly  passed  since  the  sale  before  it  began 
to  be  insisted  that  every  church  should  have  a  manse,  every 
pastor  a  comfortable  parsonage. 

The  subject  was  brought  before  the  congregation  in  iS6o. 
The  property  of  Jacob  W.  Lane,  in  Steadman  Street,  was  offered 
for  $4,000.  Mr.  Paul  Tulane  offered  to  pay  $1,000  towards  it  if 
the  trustees  would  buy  it  and  enlarge  it  and  allow  the  pastor 
to  occupy  it  at  a  rental  of  $250  a  year.  The  offer  was  accepted. 
The  property,  with  its  improvements,  cost  $5,871.45.  The 
trustees  applied  the  Wiggins  parsonage  fund,  $3,306.62,  and 
the  gift  of  Mr.  Tulane,  together  with  $1,600  raised  by  mort- 
gage, in  payment  for  the  property.  In  1866  this  mortgage, 
through  the  efforts  of  the  pastor,  was  paid  (A[  h\  a  huhsciiptiun 
in  the  congregation,  and  the  property  became  free  from  incum- 
brance. It  has  been  occupied  as  a  parsonage  from  that  time 
to  the  present  day,  and  it  is  a  large  and  commodious  one. 

The  following  rule  was  adopted  by  the  session  for  the  elec- 
tion of  ruling  elders,  viz.: 

"  Resolved,  That  it  be  adopted,  as  the  approved  mode  of  electing  ruling  el- 
ders and  deacons  in  tliis  church,  that  such  election  shall  be  held  on  a  week  d.iy,  and 
that  in  such  election  communicant  members  of  the  church  and  no  others  shall  be 
allowed  to  vote,  and  that  such  vote  shall  be  taken  by  ballot." 

Since  March,  i860,  this  rule  has  been  observed.  In  1861 
the  session  made  an  appropriation  to  enable  the  pastor  to  pre- 
sent a  suitable  volume  to  every  one  of  the  children  of  the  con- 
gregation who  could  recite  the  whole  of  the  shorter  catechism 
perfectly  to  him  in  the  church.  This  was  done  and  the  pastor 
reported  the  names  of  fifteen,  which  were  ordered  to  be  en- 
tered on  the  minutes  of  the  session.  This  practice  was  con- 
tinued. 

The  introduction  of  an  ORGAN  into  the  church  had  fre- 
quently been  suggested,  but  several  families  of  rigid  Presbyte- 
rian principles  and  who  were  slow  to  yield  to  any  form  of  in- 
novation upon  the  simple  severities  of  the  old  school,  had 
always  expressed  so  much   opposition  to   it   that  no  decided 


158  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

action  had  ever  been  taken  to  secure  one.  But  the  number  of 
such  gradually  grew  less  and  less,  principally  by  death.  The 
subject  encountered  a  discussion  at  a  congregational  meeting 
in  1863,  which  was  followed  by  a  resolution  offered  by  Pro- 
fessor Cameron,  "  that  it  is  expedient  that  instrumental  viusic 
be  employed  in  this  church."  This  was  adopted  by  a  vote  of 
13  to  6,  A  committee  was  appointed  to  raise  the  funds.  On 
the  4th  of  January,  1864,  the  congregation  again  met  and 
directed  the  purchase  of  an  organ,  made  by  Jardine  &  Sons,  of 
New  York.  It  had  been  built  for  a  Roman  Catholic  church  in 
Mexico,  but  was  too  large  to  be  moved  across  the  country,  and 
it  was  purchased  for  the  sum  of  about  $1,800 — a  sum  less  than 
its  original  price.  The  money  was  raised  by  subscription, 
lectures,  fair,  concert,  etc.,  and  no  debt  was  incurred  by  the 
church  on  account  of  it.  It  is  a  very  good  instrument  and  its 
introduction  has  been  acquiesced  in  by  those  who  did  not  at 
first  jiesire  it.  The  session  adopted  stringent  rules  to  restrict 
the  use  of  the  instrument  to  what  they  deemed  grave  and 
appropriate  music  for  congregational  worship. 

In  1873  Dr.  Macdonald  preached  a  discourse  in  the  church, 
giving  reminiscences  of  his  ministry  here  for  tivcnty  years  past, 
which  was  printed  in  a  pamphlet  of  forty-four  pages.  Much 
of  it  contains  the  general  history  of  church  matters  and  changes 
by  death  during  that  time.     On  the  subject  of  sermons,  he  says  : 

"  I  am  not  able  to  state  the  number  of  times  I  have  preached,  .is  I  have  often 
preached  on  other  days  than  the  Sabbath  and  in  other  places  than  here.  But  I 
have  preached  1,368  times  in  this  pulpit,  the  number  of  my  last  written  sermon 
being  1,265,  the  most  of  which  have  been  preached  here.  A  course  of  written 
lectures  on  the  Pentateuch  and  of  unwritten  expositions  of  the  Psalms  of  David,  in 
the  lijjht  of  thos^  incidents  and  epochs  in  his  life  with  which  their  origin  has  been 
supposed  to  stand  connected,  have  been  delivered  in  the  lecture  room.  In  this 
pulpit  I  have  preached  series  of  written  discourses  on  the  Book  of  Ecclesiastes,  on 
the  Gospel  according  to  St.  John,  on  the  Epistle  to  the  Philippians,  on  the  three 
Epistles  of  St.  John,  and  on  the  Apocalypse.  The  life  of  Christ  has  been  made 
the  subject  of  critical  study,  with  a  class,  for  the  purpose  of  making  out  a  Harmony 
of  the  Gospels." 

He  says  further: 

"  The  rite  of  baptism  has  been  administered  to  198  persons,  61  of  them  adults 
on  their  admission  to  the  Lord's  table,  137  infants.  *  *  *  Marriage  has  been  sol- 
emnized 106  times.  *  *  *  About  thirty  ladies  connected  with  this  congregation 
have  married  clergymen  during  the  twenty  years  I  havrebeen  its  pastor.   *  *  There 


PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH— REV.  J.  M.  MACDONALD.       I  59 

have  been   added  to  the  church  during  this  time  of  my  ministry  66i  persons — 288 
on  profession  of  faith  and  373  by  certificate." 

On  the  subject  of  benevolent  contributions,  he  added: 

"The  amount  raised  in  the  congregation  for  benevolent  purposes  has  exceeded 
on  an  average,  $1,500  annually  ;  if  we  add  the  money  raised  for  congregaiional 
purposes  the  amount,  on  an  average,  considerably  exceeds  $4,000  annually.  *  * 
And  here  I  will  take  occasion  to  repeat  what  I  have  sometimes  fell  constrained  to 
say  in  private,  that  I  know  no  place  where  the  doctrine  of  salvation  by  grace  alone 
without  works  is  more  thoroughly  inwrought  into  the  religious  convictions  of  the 
people,  and  I  know  no  place  where  works,  at  least  those  of  mercy  and  care  for  the 
poor,  more  abound." 

On  the  mortuary  statistics  of  the  church,  Dr.  Macdonald 
also  bears  the  following  testimony : 

"With  the  remarkable  health  of  the  place  I  have  been  greatly  struck.  In  one 
whole  yeai-  (it  was  the  ecclesiastical  year  beginning  .\pril,  1S6S  and  ending  in  1S69) 
no  de:;th  is  recorded  but  of  one  who  died  from  home  and  was  brought  here  for  in- 
terment. No  epidemic  has  visited  the  place.  Scarlet-fever,  diphtheria  and  dysen- 
tery have  at  times  had  some  prevalence  but  never  epidemically  ;  and  Princeton  has 
no  endemic  disease  of  any  kind.  Even  that  destroyer,  consumption,  in  the  fami- 
lies in  which  I  am  called  to  minister,  of  late  years,  has  scarcely  been  known.  *  * 
And  the  infrequency  with  which  I  have  been  called  to  minister  consolation  to  those 
bereaved  of  little-children  is  perhaps  still  more  remarkable.  Several  entire  years, 
in  the  course  of  my  ministry,  have  passed  in  which  I  have  not  been  called  to  stand 
at  the  grave  of  a  single  infant  child.  From  the  beginning  of  1875,  for  seven 
years,  the  whole  number  of  funerals  at  which  I  was  called  to  officiate  was  but  fifty- 
seven.  Of  these  thirteen  only  were  children.  Of  these  thirteen  but  seven  belonged 
to  parents  permanently  residing  here,  several  having  been  brought  here  for  inter- 
ment, and  of  the  seven  one  at  least  died  away  from  home." 

The  membership  of  this  church  is  very  fluctuating.  This 
arises  chiefly  from  students,  especially  theological  students, 
who  bring  their  certificates  and  remain  here  only  a  year  or 
two  and  then  remove  elsewhere  or  enter  the  ministry.  Dr. 
Macdonald,  in  1866,  published  a  tabular  statement  exhibiting 
the  membership  yearly,  for  twelve  years  next  prior  to  and  in- 
cluding that  year,  of  the  several  churches  of  Pennington, 
Bound  Brook,  Trenton,  Cranberry,  New  Brunswick  and  Prince- 
ton, from  which,  he  said,  it  appears  that  the  church  at  Penning- 
ton had  received  in  these  twelve  years  146  members — 43  of 
them  by  certificate;  Bound  Brook  157—78  of  them  by  certifi- 
cate; Trenton,  ist,  239 — 1 14  by  certificate  ;  Cranberry,  ist,  333 


l6o  HISTORY   OF  PRINCETON: 

— 73  by  certificate  ;  New  Brunswick,  1st,  316 — 131  by  certifi- 
cate;  Princeton,  1st,  429 — 223  by  certificate. 

It  thus  appears  that  tlie  Princeton  church,  unHke  all  the 
others  in  the  table,  received  for  that  period  more  mcinbcrs  by 
certificate  tJian  upon  examination.  Another  peculiarity  is  seen 
in  the  fact  that  while  in  1866  the  total  number  of  communi- 
cants in  the  Princeton  church  was  536,  as  given  by  Dr.  Mac- 
donald  in  1866  ;  the  total  number  reported  in  1876,  at  the  close 
of  Dr.  Macdonald's  ministry,  was  474,  and  there  had  been 
added,  just  before  that  report  was  made  to  Presbytery,  58  new 
members.  The  average  annual  accession  to  the  membership 
of  the  church  during  Dr.  Macdonald's  pastorate  was  about  four- 
teen and  a  half,  and  by  certificate  about  eighteen.  In  the  year 
1866  there  was  an  addition  by  confession  of  forty-four  new 
members.  This  was  the  largest  number  received  in  any  year 
of  his  ministry  here. 

In  the  spring  of  1875,  the  subject  of  decorating  and  improv- 
ing the  church  was  discussed  among  the  members  of  the  con- 
gregation, and  with  much  favor,  as  its  appearance  had  become 
very  unattractive.  Plans  and  specimens  of  decoration  were 
exhibited,  and  there  was  a  general  concurrence  of  opinion  that 
something  should  be  done.  The  main  thing  proposed  had 
reference  to  frescoing  the  walls  and  ceiling.  The  pastor 
and  Professor  Cameron  seemed  to  be  leaders  in  the  movement. 
Decoration  soon  developed  into  enlargement,  and  Professor 
Cameron  became  very  enthusiastic  for  enlarging  as  well  as 
beautifying  the  church.  The  congregation  were  called  to- 
gether and  the  whole  subject  was  discussed.  The  reason  given 
for  enlarging  was  not  that  there  was  any  call  at  the  present 
time  for  more  pews,  for  the  trustees  reported  a  large  number 
for  rent,  though  applications  had  been  made  for  very  eligible 
ones  ;  but  it  was  earnestly  argued  that  the  necessity  was  in 
the  future,  when  another  pastor  should  be  called  to  this 
church ;  and  that  such  enlargement  could  be  done  now 
better  than  in  the  future,  and  therefore  it  should  now  be 
undertaken. 

It  was  insisted  that  if  the  present  pastor  should  die,  a  suc- 
cessor could  not  be  secured  with  such  an  income  as  could  be  de- 
rived from  the  present  resources  of  the  church.     There  should 


PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH— REV.  J.  M.  MACDONALD.       l6l 

be  more  pews  to  rent,  when,  hereafter  there  would  be  more 
demand  for  them.  A  successor  would  require  a  larger  salary 
than  is  now  paid,  and  it  can  be  provided  for  only  by  increas- 
ing the  number  of  eligible  pews.  The  feeling  became  general 
that  the  church  was  not  large  enough  for  special  occasions, 
though  quite  large  enough  for  the  ordinary  congregation,  and 
that  if  the  means  to  effect  both  the  enlargement  and  the  deco- 
ration, without  entailing  a  debt  upon  the  church,  could  be  ob- 
tained, there  could  be  no  objection  made  to  doing  both.  The 
extension  of  the  audience-room  beyond  the  pulpit  involved 
the  removal  of  the  lecture-room  in  the  rear,  and  building  a 
new  one. 

The  congregation  instructed  the  trustees,  provided  $5,000 
be  secured  by  the  4th  of  July  next,  to  enlarge  the  church 
building  according  to  the  plan  submitted,  and  to  borrow 
$3,500  to  complete  the  work,  if  needed.  The  requisite  sum 
was  subscribed,  and  a  building  committee  was  appointed,  con- 
sisting of  Edward  Howe,  Dr.  J.  H.  VVikoff  and  James  Van- 
Deventer,  with  a  consulting  committee  consisting  of  Professor 
Cameron,  James  H.  Bruereand  Leavitt  Howe.  The  pastor  was 
authorized  to  present  the  plan  and  the  cost  of  the  work  l^  (lie 
trustees  of  the  college,  and  to  ask  their  aid,  and  also  the  use 
of  the  chapel  during  the  vacation.  They  granted  the  use  of 
the  chapel,  but  could  give  no  pecuniary  aid.  The  contract 
for  doing  the  proposed  work,  was  taken  by  J.  S.  D'Orsay  &  Co., 
of  New  York,  for  about  $1 1,000.  The  contract  was  abandoned 
before  the  work  was  completed,  and  the  building  committee 
went  on  and  finished  it  themselves,  within  the  terms  of  the 
contract.      The  total  cost  of  the  whole  work  was  $12,185. 

The  improvements  consisted  of  extending  the  audience- 
room  back  through  the  old  lecture-room  to  the  rear  line  of  the 
lot,  securing  a  large  number  of  new  pews  ;  with  a  recess  behind 
the  pulpit  for  the  organ  and  choir,  and  a  pastor's  study  and 
infant-school  room  on  either  side,  also  small  rooms  above 
them.  The  walls  and  ceilings  of  the  audience-room  were  beau- 
tifully decorated,  the  windows  replaced  with  stained  glass,  the 
aisles  handsomely  carpeted,  the  pews  newly  upholstered.  A 
new  and  tasteful  pulpit  was  the  gift  of  Mr.  Tulane.  Gas 
jets  were  arranged  in  three  circles  in  the  ceiling,  so  as  to 
II 


l62  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

light  the  church  from  above,  with  ornamental  painting  of  the 
wood-work,  and  provision  for  Avarming  the  church  both  by  a 
furnace  and  stoves.  A  new  and  pleasant  lecture-room  was 
built  on  the  south-west  corner  of  the  lot,  adjoining  the  church 
and  connecting  with  it  ;  and  the  exterior  of  the  church  and 
j  lecture-room,  rough-cast  and  painted,  and  the  entrance  to  the 
church  and  all  the  grounds  and  walks  about  it  were  put  in  the 
most  complete  condition,  as  much  so  as  a  good  buildin^  com- 
mittee with  plenty  of  money  could  make  it.  The  house  was 
ready  to  use,  and  was  first  occupied,  Feb,  13th.  This  new/'  ■•.' 
condition  of  the  building  and  all  its  surroundings  gave  o-eneral  ^ 
satisfaction  to  the  congregation.  The  capacity  of  the  audience 
room  being  so  increased  as  to  be  able  to  seat  a  thousand  per- 
sons, was  duly  appreciated  when  special  exercises  attracted  an 
extraordinary  attendance. 

But  how  bewildering  sometimes  are  the  ways  of  Providence ! 
The  enlargement  and  decoration  of  the  church  and  new  lecture 
room  had  hardly  been  accomplished  when  the  pastor  is  sudden- 
ly taken  away  by  death,  and  the  contingency  for  which  the  en- 
largement had  been  planned  and  urged  was  now  realized. 
There  was  not  time  enough  before  his  death  to  work  off  the 
balance  of  the  debt  incurred  by  the  improvements.  The  at- 
tendance upon  the  public  meetings  was  large.  The  spirit  of 
religion  was  revived.  The  glow  of  the  recent  revival  and  the 
influence  of  the  late  visit  of  Moody  and  Sankey  had  not  worn 
away.  A  company  of  nearly  forty  persons,  old  and  young,  new 
converts,  had  presented  themselves  before  the  session  for  ad- 
mission into  the  membership  of  the  church  by  profession  of 
their  faith.  They  were  received,  some  of  them  at  the  last 
meeting  of  the  session  which  the  pastor  attended  before  his 
death.  The  pastor's  work  was  finished.  The  house  was  en- 
larged and  beautified  for  his  successor. 

When  Dr.  Macdonald  entered  upon  his  ministry  here  the 
church  was  in  a  good  condition.  It  had  been  freed  from  debt 
under  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  William  E.  Schcnck,  D.D., 
immediately  preceding  this  one.  The  sale  of  the  parsonage, 
the  enlargement  of  the  cemetery,  the  erection  of  a  large  lecture 
room,  and  the  finances  of  the  congregation,  in  the  hands  of  an 
efficient  and  prudent  board  of  trustees,   with  a  harmonious 


PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH— REV.  J.  M.  MACDONALD.       163 

bench  of  ruling  elders,  combined  to  assure  the  incoming  pastor 
of  a  favorable  field  of  ministerial  labor. 

The  Rev.  James  Madison  Macdonald,  D,  D.,  was  born 
in  Limerick,  Maine,  May  22,  1812,  being  the  ninth  of  eleven 
children  and  the  third  of  five  sons  of  Major  General  John  and 
Lydia  (Wiley)  Macdonald.  General  Macdonald,  the  father, 
was  descended  in  the  third  generation  from  John  Macdonald, 
who  emigrated  from  the  North  of  Ireland,  having  originally 
come  from  Scotland,  probably  his  native  land.  General  Mac- 
donald was  a  merchant  and  during  the  war  of  1812  held  a  com- 
mission of  Major  General  of  the  militia  of  Maine,  and  was  in 
active  service  in  defence  of  the  coast  of  that  State.  He  was 
deacon  in  the  Congregational  church  and  somewhat  prominent 
in  politics,  holding  at  one  time  a  seat  in  the  Legislature  and  at 
the  time  of  his  death  being  candidate  for  Governor  of  the 
State.  Three  of  the  five  sons  were  educated  at  college  ;  two 
of  those  were  trained  for  the  bar. 

Dr.  James  M.  Macdonald  was  left  an  orphan  by  the  death 
of  his  father  and  mother  in  the  year  1826 — his  father  express- 
ing on  his  death-bed  his  desire  that  James  should  be  a  minis- 
ter of  the  Gospel.  He  pursued  his  education  after  he  left 
home  at  the  Phillips  Academy  at  Andover,  and  while  there 
made  a  profession  of  his  faith  by  joining  the  Congregational 
church  in  that  place.  He  was  two  years  at  Bowdoin  College 
and  two  at  Union  College,  where  he  graduated  with  honor  in 
1832.  After  being  one  year  at  the  Theological  Seminary  at 
Bangor  he  went  to  the  Yale  Theological  Seminary,  where  he 
graduated  in  1835.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  and  was  or- 
dained and  installed  pastor  of  the  Third  Congregational  church 
of  Berlin,  Conn.,  not  then  twenty-three  years  old.  He  was 
there  about  two  and  a  half  years  and  was  then  called  to  the 
Second  Congregational  church  in  New  London  ;  he  remained 
there  three  years  and  then  was  called  to  the  Presbyterian  church 
of  Jamaica,  Long  Island,  where  he  remained  about  nine  years, 
and  then  accepted  a  call  to  the  15th  Street  Presbyterian  church 
in  New  York  City,  where  he  remained  a  little  more  than  three 
years  and  was  then  called  to  Princeton,  where  he  was  installed 
November  i,   1853,  as  we  have  before  stated,  pastor  of  this 


'^4  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

church.*  Soon  after  he  came  here  he  dehvered  the  annual 
address  before  the  hterary  societies  of  his  alma  mater  and  re- 
ceived from  her  the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity. 

Dr.  Macdonald  was  rather  above  medium  height,  well  de- 
veloped, stout,  erect,  and  of  fine  presence.  His  dress  was 
clerical  and  becoming.  His  manners  were  dignified  and  cour- 
teous. His  appearance  indicated  perfect  health,  and  great 
physical  strength.  He  was  remarkably  industrious  and  eco- 
nomical of  time  ;  prompt  in  attendance  upon  his  engagements, 
and  was  scarcely  ever  tardy  at  any  public  meeting  in  which 
he  was  expected  to  be  present.  He  seemed  to  be  fond  of 
preaching,  and  never  tired  of  filling  his  own  pulpit.  He  was 
seldom  absent,  and  always  prepared  to  preach.  His  pastoral 
visits  among  his  people  were,  as  a  rule,  confined  to  cases  of 
sickness,  death,  or  trouble  from  mental  anxiety.  His  literary 
habits  did  not  allow  him  to  give  much  time  to  social  life,  ex- 
cept where  necessary  pastoral  services  were  involved.  He  was 
eminently  self-reliant,  and  generally  preferred  to  work  alone 
than  to  have  help. 

Dr.  Macdonald  possessed  a  high  degree  of  literary  taste  and 
culture.     He  was  scholarly  in  all  his  ways.     He  was  well  read  in 
theology,  and  was  a  good  biblical  student.    He  was  fond  of  poe- 
try, and  often  introduced  it  into  his  sermons  with  excellent  taste. 
A  ready*  and   correct  writer,  he  was  easily  drawn  into  author- 
ship.    His  first  published  sermon  was  one  on  the  duel  between 
Cilley  and  Graves  in  1838.       He  next  published  in  1843,  a  vol- 
ume on  "  CreduHty  as  illustrated  by  Impostures  in   Science." 
In  1846  he  published  a  "Key  to  the   Book  of  Revelation." 
In  1855,  after  he  came  to  Princeton,  he  published  "My  Father's 
House."      In  1856,   he  published  "  The  Book  of   Ecclesiastes 
Explained."     His  last,  and  largest  volume  which  he  published, 
or  which  was   published  after  his  death,  was  *'  The   Life   and 
Character  of  John  the  Apostle."    He  frequently  wrote  for  papers 
and  magazines ;  several  articles  in  the  Princeton  Reviezv,  and 
in  t\\Q  Bibiiotheca   Sacra;  one   article  in  the  latter,  "  Irony  in 
History,  or  was  Gibbon   an  Infidel?"  excited  a  good  deal  of 
public  attention.     In  Princeton  he  published  several  sermons, 
one    entitled,    "  Prelacy     Unscriptural,"    another,    "  President 

*  Rev.  Dr.  Atwater's  Memorial  Sermon  of  Dr.  Macdonald. 


PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH— REV.   J.  M.  MACDONALD.       165 

Lincoln,  his  Figure  in  History,"  and  two  historical  discourses,      -\ 
and  several  funeral  sermons. 

As  a  preacher,  Dr.  Macdonald  was  not  eminent.  It  was 
his  habit  to  preach  written  sermons.  He  seldom  extempo- 
rized ;  he  had  no  gift  in  that  direction.  But  he  was  well  pro- 
vided with  carefully  written  sermons,  and  he  read  them  with 
fluency.  Few  pastors  have  so  many  prepared  sermons  on 
hand  as  he  had.  He  always  avoided  preaching  doctrinal  ser- 
mons, that  is,  sermons  distinctively  doctrinal.  He  aimed  to  \ 
introduce  such  matter  in  a  practical  way,  rather  incidentally 
than  prominently.  This  method  is  more  generally  adopted  by 
ministers,  now,  than  it  was  in  former  years.  Whether  it  is  to 
be  commended,  is  a  question  upon  which  there  is  a  difference 
of  opinion.  Vital  doctrines  of  every  church  should  be  presented 
by  ministers  to  their  people,  but  unless  it  is  done  wisely  and 
convincingly,  it  will  only  tend  to  disquiet  the  faith  of  the  peo- 
ple, and  weaken  their  denominational  predilections. 

Dr.->  Macdonald  conducted  the  services  of  the  sanctuary 
with  commendable  brevity.  He  had  good  common  sense,  and 
seldom,  if  ever,  wearied  the  patience  of  his  people  by  long 
sermons,  or  protracted  exercises.  There  was  ordinarily  in  his 
prayers  a  happy  adaptation  to  outward  circumstances,  to  the 
seasons,  to  health  and  husbandry,  to  rain  and  drought,  to 
trouble  in  body,  mind  or  estate. 

In  preaching,  his  voice  was  not  good  or  pleasant.  He  had 
clear  articulation,  but  so  frequently  raised  his  voice  to  a  high 
key,  and  spoke  so  loud,  that  it  was  painful  to  strangers  unac-  i 
customed  to  it,  and  even  many  of  his  habitual  hearers,  who 
had  sat  under  his  preaching  for  twenty  years,  could  not  become 
reconciled  to  it.  It  was  one  of  his  greatest  faults  as  a  public 
speaker.  When  he  preached  funeral  discourses  or  sermons  to 
the  afflicted,  in  which  he  sympathized  with  the  sorrowing,  he 
spoke  in  a  subdued  tone  ;  then  lie  was  eloquent  and  impres- 
sive. When  his  sermons  were  descriptive  or  narrative  his 
rhetoric  became  fine  and  effective.  With  all  his  enthusiasm  in 
preaching,  and  with  the  utmost  pains  in  preparation,  Dr.  Mac- 
donald was  not  an  awakening  preacher  ;  his  sermons,  though 
beautifully  written,  and  earnestly  delivered,  were  not  pungent.      I  - 

When  he  first  entered  upon  his  ministry  in  Princeton,  he 


,l66  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

preached  a  series  of  sermons  on  John  the  Baptist,  and  on  the 
Book  of  Revelation,  which  were  of  high  order  and  attracted 
a  full  house. 

In  his  pastoral  ministrations,  Dr.  Macdonald  was  never  so 
useful  and  consolatory  as  when  in  the  house  of  affliction  and 
bereavement.  His  tenderness  and  good  taste  in  all  his  offices 
on  such  occasions  endeared  him  to  his  people  more  than  any- 
other  of  his  services.  He  knew  how  to  touch  and  comfort  the 
sorrowing  ;  and  those  families  who  never  had  occasion  to  avail 
themselves  of  his  visits  in  such  circumstances,  knew  but  little  as 
to  where  his  strength  with  his  people  lay.  In  administering 
the  ordinance  of  baptism,  and  the  rites  of  marriage,  he  was  pe- 
culiarly happy  and  sympathetic  in  his  language  and  manner. 

No  man  was  more  faithful  than  Dr.  Macdonald,  in  trying 
to  keep  up  the  interest  of  his  people  in  attendance  upon 
the  church  services.  He  resorted  to  various  expedients, 
sometimes  to  bible-classes,  sometimes  to  courses  of  lectures, 
sometimes  to  meetings  for  song,  or  for  prayer,  or  for  reading 
the  Bible.  When  one  failed,  he  would  devise  another  and 
another.  A  few  years  ago  he  became  alive  to  the  subject  of 
temperance,  and  (ngaiiizcd  a  congregational  Temperance 
Society,  and  circulated  a  written  constitution,  enjoining 
^' total  abstinence  for  the  good  of  others."  He  kept  it  under 
his  own  control,  being  himself  the  president,  but  it  was  very- 
short  lived. 

There  was  one  very  rare  and  admirable  trait  in  Dr.  Mac- 
donald's  character  as  a  pastor;  he  did  not  lend  an  ear  to  idle 
and  malicious  gossip  and  tale-bearing  among  his  people.  He 
studied  peace,  and  repressed  scandal.  He  never  got  into  trouble 
by  meddling  with  strife,  or  countenancing  petty  quarrels 
among  his  people  ;  and  by  this  judicious  course  he  prevented 
much  evil,  and  kept  his  church  united. 

During  the  years  of  the  late  civil  war,  Dr.  Macdonald 
labored  under  no  little  embarrassment  and  disadvantage  in 
his  congregation  and  in  the  community.  He  was  a  man 
of  strong  will  and  prejudices.  He  was  deeply  imbued 
with  a  sympathy  for  the  Democratic  party,  and  was  especially 
intolerant  towards  everything  savoring  of  Abolition  politics. 

Without  entering  into  particulars,  it  is  enough  to  say  that 


PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH— REV.  J.  M.  MACDONALD.       167 

Dr.  Macdonald  did  not  sympathize  with  the  government  in 
using  coercive  measures  to  preserve  the  integrity  of  the 
Union  and  the  constitution.  This  was  painfully  evident 
both  from  what  he  said  and  did,  and  from  what  he  did 
not  say  nor  do.  His  congregation  was  loyal,  though  care- 
ful to  avoid  an  issue  which  would  be  divisive  in  the  church. 
It  was  at  the  altars  of  God's  house  where  the  fathers  and 
mothers  of  those  gallant  sons  who  had  volunteered  to  fight 
for  their  country  and  were  exposed  to  the  battles  which, 
at  that  moment,  were  agonizing  the  nation,  that  the  pastor's 
want  of  sympathy  with  these  burdened  parents  became  un- 
bearable when  those  burdens  were  not  carried  to  the  mercy 
seat  in  the  prayers  of  the  great  congregation.  This  state  of 
things  led  to  an  interview  between  Dr.  Charles  Hodge  and  Dr. 
Macdonald  on  the  subject,  which  was  followed  by  a  published 
correspondence,  in  which  Dr.  Macdonald  expressed  some  sur- 
prise at  what  Dr.  Hodge  had  conveyed  to  him,  and  he  declared 
himself  willing  to  pray  for  our  soldiers  and  give  thanks  for 
national  victories.  This  printed  sheet  was  distributed  among 
the  families  of  his  congregation,  and  on  the  next  Sabbath  the 
congregation  heard  with  some  surprise  the  pastor,  with  what 
seemed  unnatural  emphasis,  pray  for  the  abolition  of  slavery 
throughout  the  world  and  for  the  success  of  our  soldiers,  with 
thanks  for  victories  achieved.  Every  minister  experienced 
some  difficulty  in  satisfying  all  the  people  during  those  fearful 
years;  and  Dr.  Macdonald,  entertaining  views  at  variance  with 
those  of  the  great  body  of  the  clergy,  professors  and  people  of 
Princeton,  held  a  very  trying  position  in  his  church.  But  the 
church  retained  its  unity  and  the  pastor  his  place.  When  the 
assassination  of  President  Lincoln  took  place  Dr.  Macdonald 
used  the  occasion  to  preach  a  discourse  to  his  people,  in  which 
he  spoke  of  the  deceased  in  such  terms  of  high  eulogy  as  led 
the  most  of  his  people  to  forgive  and  forget  that  wherein  he 
had  before  aggrieved  them. 

With  the  exception  of  the  years  of  the  war,  the  long  period 
of  Dr.  Macdonald's  pastorate  was  more  favorable  for  the  growth 
and  prosperity  of  the  church  than  any  which  had  preceded  it. 
Everything  in  Princeton  was  marked  with  progress  during  that 
time. 


1 68  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

During  the  enlargement  of  the  church  the  congregation 
united  with  the  Second  Presbyterian  church  in  worship,  the 
two  pastors,  Dr.  McCorkle  and  Dr.  Macdonald,  alternating  in 
preaching.  This  arrangement  was  greatly  blessed  to  both 
churches.  A  revival,  unlike  any  that  had  ever  before  been  ex- 
perienced in  this  place,  began  in  the  winter  of  1876,  extending 
to  all  the  churches  and  the  college,  when  the  presence  of 
Moody  and  Sankey,  at  the  invitation  of  Drs.  Hodge,  McCosh 
and  the  clergy  generally,  of  Princeton,  gave  it  a  character 
of  unprecedented  interest.  Their  visit  was  an  event  in  Prince- 
ton never  to  be  forgotten.  It  will  be  noticed  in  our  chapter 
on  the  Centennial  year.  The  united  services  of  these  churches 
had  the  effect  of  uniting  more  cordially  the  two  churches 
and  their  pastors.  The  effect  on  Dr.  Macdonald  was  most 
marked  and  happy.  He  seemed  like  another  man.  He 
caught  a  new  spirit.  He  began  to  grow  popular  in  the  Second 
church,  and  fell  in  with  all  the  revival  measures  and  seemed 
aglow  with  love  for  all  the  people  of  every  denomination.  His 
presence  and  part  taken  in  the  great  united  communion  service 
in  the  Second  church,  on  the  Sabbath  when  Mr.  Moody  was  in 
the  village,  will  not  be  forgotten.  It  seemed  to  be  one  of  the 
happiest  days  in  his  ministry. 

Dr.  Macdonald  died  at  home  in  Princeton  on  the  19th  day 
of  March,  1876,  in  the  65th  year  of  his  age,  after  a  sickness  of 
about  three  weeks.  Having  been  reaching  for  a  book  in  his 
library  and  stepping  down  from  a  chair  upon  which  he  had 
been  standing,  he  felt  a  pain  within  him  and  a  weakness  which 
compelled  him  to  lie  down.  His  symptoms  were  peculiar  and 
perplexing  to  his  physicians.  A  post-mortem  examination 
showed  an  internal  disease  and  derangement  of  vital  functions, 
which  had  never  been  indicated  before  this  time.  He  had  been 
looked  upon  as  in  perfect  health  and  he  felt  his  hold  on  life  for 
many  years  yet  secure.  He  never  after  this  attack  appeared- 
again  in  the  streets  or  in  his  church.  For  the  first  time  in  his 
long  ministry  here  he  was  absent  from  a  communion  in  his 
church,  on  the  2d  day  of  April,  1876,  when  a  large  accession 
of  most  interesting  converts  was  received  into  the  membership 
of  the  church.  His  death  was  a  universal  surprise,  deeply 
lamented  by  his  people  and   by  the  whole  community.     He, 


PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH— REV.  J.  M.  MACDONALD.       1 69 

did  not  seem  conscious  that  he  was  dying,  yet  never  was  he  so 
well  prepared  to  die  ;  never  was  there  a  day  in  his  Princeton 
life  when  he  was  more  highly  esteemed  and  more  cordially  re- 
spected than  he  was  at  the  time  of  his  death.  It  seemed  as  if 
the  scenes  of  the  few  preceding  months  had  been  his  prepara- 
tion for  death.  He  left  his  church  swept  and  garnished  for  his 
successor,  with  clusters  of  new  fruit  hanging  upon  the  very 
portals  of  the  sanctuary  waiting  to  be  gathered  into  the  garner 
of  the  Lord's  house. 

Dr.  Macdonald  was  buried  on  the  24th  of  April.  His 
funeral  was  the  most  impressive  one  that  had  ever  taken  place 
in  Princeton.  The  newly  finished  church  was  heavily  and 
beautifully  draped  in  mourning,  the  bier  and  pulpit  were  dressed 
in  beautiful  floral  devices,  sent  in  by  the  different  churches  and 
friends ;  the  congregation  composed  of  all  denominations,  in- 
cluding the  Roman  Catholic,  with  a  deputation  from  his  old 
Jamaica  church,  L.  I.,  and  members  of  the  Presbytery  and  of 
the  institutions  present,  filled  the  church  to  its  utmost  capacity. 
The  platform  was  occupied  by  Drs.  Charles  Hodge,  At-water, 
Duffield,  and  Dr.  Jos.  T.  Duryea  of  Brooklyn. 

Dr.  Hodge  and  Dr.  Duryea  made  addresses  on  the  occasion, 
and  after  the  several  exercises  were  over,  the  remains  were 
borne  by  the  session  and  officers  of  the  church,  followed  by  a 
long  procession  of  citizens, — the  stores  and  public  places  being 
closed  out  of  respect  to  the  memory  of  the  deceased, — to  the 
cemetery,  where  he  was  buried,  not  in  the  pastors'  plot,  but  in 
one  selected  by  his  family.  The  trustees  erected  a  costly 
granite  monument  over  his  tomb.  The  session,  the  congrega- 
tion, and  the  Presbytery  adopted  memorial  papers  and  resolu- 
tions in  memory  of  the  life  and  services  of  the  deceased,  with 
condolence  to  the  family.  The  use  of  the  parsonage,  and  the 
continuance  of  the  salary,  were  voted  by  the  congregation  and 
trustees,  to  the  family. 

Thus  ends  the  pastorate  of  Dr.  Macdonald.  It  was  the 
second  one  of  this  church,  which  was  terminated  by  death — 
the  first  having  been  that  of  the  Rev.  William  C.  Schenck, 
in  1818. 

Dr.  Macdonald  left  surviving  him,  his  wife,  five  sons  and 
one  daughter. 


I/O  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETOM. 

The  members  of  the  session  of  this  church,  while  Dr. 
Macdonald  was  pastor,  were  Ralph  Lane,  Jacob  W,  Lane, 
Daniel  Bowne,  Prof.  Stephen  Alexander,  Isaac  Baker,  John 
F.  Hageman,  Ralph  Gulick.  These  were  in  office  when  he 
came  to  Princeton.  Those  who  were  added  during  his  pastor- 
ate were  Dr.  George  M.  Maclean,  David  Comfort,  John  B. 
VanDoren,  Henry  E.  Hale  and  John  V.  Terhune.  Mr.  Ralph 
Lane,  Ralph  Gulick  and  Isaac  Baker  died,  and  Messrs.  Comfort 
and  Bowne  removed  out  of  the  congregation. 

The  deacons  were  Isaac  Stryker,  John  Clarke,  Bogart  Stryker, 
David  A.  Hudnut,  George  T.  Olmsted  and  Philip  Hendrickson. 

In  reference  to  the  death  of  Dr.  Macdonald,  the  session  of 
the  church  adopted  the  following  minute  : 

"  Resolved,  that  this  session  desire  to  record  with  gratitude  to  God,  their  sense 
of  the  long  continued,  ever  faithful  and  eminently  successful  and  useful  services  to 
this  church  and  congregation  of  their  late  pastor.  Rev.  James  M.  Macdonald,  D.D., 
and  also  to  express  their  profound  sorrow  and  sense  of  bereavement  at  his  loss." 

A  copy  was  sent  to  the  family,  and  was  also  entered  on  the 
minutes  by  order.  And  the  Rev.  Dr.  Atwater  was  requested 
to  preach  a  memorial  discourse,  which  was  done,  and  is  pub- 
lished. Appropriate  resolutions  were  also  adopted  by  the  con- 
gregation, commemorative  of  Dr.  Macdonald.  The  Presbytery 
of  New  Brunswick,  of  which  Dr.  Macdonald  was  a  prominent 
and  faithful  member,  also  adopted  a  minute  in  respect  to  his 
memory. 

Soon  after  Dr.  Macdonald's  death,  Mr.  Tulane  presented 
to  the  trustees  of  the  church  the  sum  of  $4,000,  in  extinguish- 
ment of  the  mortgage  debt,  which  had  accrued  in  the  en- 
largement of  the  church.  So  that  the  church  with  all  its  im- 
provements was  clear  of  debt. 

In  the  winter  of  1877,  a  call  was  made  by  the  congrega- 
tion upon  the  Rev.  Timothy  G.  Darling,  of  Schenectady,  to  the 
pastorate  of  this  church,  with  a  salary  of  $3,000,  and  a  parson- 
age. Professors  Green,  Alexander,  and  Schanck  were  ap- 
pointed to  prosecute  the  call.     The  call  was  declined. 

The  congregation  now  appointed  a  committee  of  five  to 
visit  and  hear  suitable  candidates.  That  committee  consisted 
of  Rev.  Dr.  W.  H.  Green,  Rev.  Dr.  L.  H.  Atwater,  James  H. 


PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH— REAL  ESTATE.  I/I 

Bruere,  Prof.  S.  Alexander  and  Edward  Howe.  They  visited 
Bridgeport,  Ct.,  and  heard  the  Rev.  Horace  G.  Hinsdale, 
pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  that  place,  and  a  graduate 
of  Princeton  Theological  Seminary.  They  recommended 
him  as  a  suitable  candidate  for  this  church,  and  he  was,  upon 
such  recommendation,  elected  pastor,  with  a  salary  of  $2,500 
and  the  parsonage,  July   17th,  1877. 

Mr.  Hinsdale  accepted  the  call  and  was  installed  pastor  of 
this  church,  Nov.  2d,  1877.  I^^-  Sheldon  presided  ;  Dr.  A.  A. 
Hodge  preached  ;  Dr.  Atwater  charged  the  pastor,  and  Dr. 
Gosman  the  people.     He  is  now  the  pastor. 


SECTION     X. 


REAL      ESTATE      AND     MISCELLANEOUS      MATTERS     OF      THE 
CONGREGATION. 

I.  Tlie  Church  Lot  and  Edifice. — When  the  church  edifice 
was  first  erected,  in  1762,  there  was  an  agreement  between  the 
congregation  and  the  college,  under  which  the  building  was 
placed  on  the  land  of  the  college.  The  title  in  the  land  was 
not,  however,  conveyed  by  the  college  to  the  church  at  that 
time.  After  the  war,  when  the  church  was  to  be  repaired,  the 
college  was  asked  to  convey  the  title  of  the  church  lot  to  the 
trustees  of  the  congregation  ;  and  a  deed  was  executed  by  Dr. 
John  Witherspoon,  as  president  of  the  college,  in  behalf  of  the 
trustees,  to  John  Little,  Christopher  Beekman,  John  Harrison, 
David  Hamilton,  Aaron  Mattison,  Enos  Kelsey,  Isaac  Ander- 
son, Robert  Stockton,  James  Moore,  Thomas  Stockton,  Elias 
Woodruff,  James  Hamilton,  William  Scudder  and  Aaron  Long- 
street,  in  consideration  of  £>'J20^  proclamation  money,  for  the  lot 
of  land  on  which  the  church  then  stood,  in  trust  for  the  use  of 
the  congregation.  The  deed  bears  &^X.Q:y  February'  2^^,  1785, 
signed  by  John  Witherspoon  in  the  presence  of  two  witnesses, 
viz.:  Samuel  Stout,  Jr.,  and  Jona.  Dcare,  but  was  never  ac- 
knowledged, proved  or  recorded.  The  description  of  the  land 
was  the  same  as  was  contained  in  a  subsequent  agreement,  and 
a  subsequent  deed,  which  will  be  inserted  when  we  refer  to 
that  deed  soon  hereafter.     It  is  somewhat  singular  to  find  that 


1/2  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

a  written  agreement  was  entered  into  afterwards,  on  the  22d 
day  of  October  of  the  same  year  last  aforesaid,  by  and  between 
Dr.  Witherspoon,  as  President  of  the  College,  of  the  one  part, 
and  Robert  Stockton,  James  Moore,  James  Hamilton,  Elias 
Woodruff  and  Thomas  Stockton,  a  committee  of  the  congrega- 
tion, of  the  other  part,  in  which  the  college  agrees  to  convey  a 
title  to  this  land  on  which  the  church  stands,  to  the  said  com- 
mittee and  others,  in  trust  for  the  said  congregation,  describing 
the  boundaries  as  in  the  deed  before  referred  to,  but  reserving 
to  the  college  the  use  of  the  church  for  commencements,  etc., 
and  a  portion  of  the  gallery  for  the  students  to  occupy,  and 
forbidding  the  use  of  the  ground  for  burial  purposes  outside  of 
the  church  walls.  The  deed  referred  to  did  not  contain  any 
reservations  whatever  in  favor  of  the  college.  So  the  matter 
rested  until  March  8,  1793,  when  those  several  gentlemen,  John 
Little  and  others,  who  had  received  the  deed  for  this  church 
lot  from  Dr.  Witherspoon  in  1785,  conveyed  the  same  to  the 
congregation  by  its  corporate  name  ;  the  law  authorizing  the 
incorporation  of  religious  societies  not  having  been  passed 
when  the  first  deed  aforesaid  was  executed.  This  deed  was 
never  proved  or  recorded. 

So  again  the  matter  rested  until  the  church  was  burned 
down  in  18 13,  when  the  trustees  of  the  church  appointed  a 
committee  to  confer  with  the  trustees  of  the  college  on  the 
subject  of  the  claim  of  the  college  in  the  church  property,  ask- 
ing for  their  assistance  in  rebuilding  the  church,  and  proposing 
to  enter  into  an  agreement  or  contract  respecting  the  future 
rights  of  the  college  in  the  use  of  the  church,  and  also  solicit- 
ing a  new  deed  for  the  lands  on  which  the  church  stood,  al- 
leging that  the  present  title  was  not  sufficient  in  law.  This 
committee  met  Andrew  Kirkpatrick,  who  was  appointed  by 
the  college  for  conference  with  them ;  and  the  college  agreed 
to  advance  $500  towards  rebuilding  the  church,  and  give  a 
good  title  for  the  land  to  the  church,  according  to  the  original 
agreement;  and  the  college  was  to  have  the  use  of  the  church 
for  Commencement  days,  etc.,  as  will  be  found  set  forth  in  the 
deed  hereinafter  described. 

The  drawing  of  the  deed  was  still  neglected  until,  in  1816, 
some  dispute  arose  with  Mrs.  Dr.  Minto  about  a  gore  of  land, 


PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH— REAL  ESTATE.  1/3 

when  the  trustees  directed  Mr.  Bayard  to  draw  up  a  deed 
for  the  church  lot  agreeably  to  the  contract  made  between  the 
two  bodies  as  before  stated,  and  have  it  executed.  This  was 
done,  and  as  it  contains  the  description  of  the  boundaries  of 
the  church  lot,  and  reservations  therein  in  favor  of  the  college, 
and  is  the  only  title  deed  on  record  which  the  congregation 
can  rely  upon  in  claiming  the  said  church  lot,  we  here  insert  it. 
It  makes  no  reference  to  the  former  deeds  or  agreements  which 
had  been  made  by  the  college. 

"THIS  INDENTURE,  made  this  eighth  day  of  January,  in  the  year  of  our 
Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  sixteen,  between  the  Trustees  of  the  College 
of  New  Jersey,  of  the  first  part,  and  the  Trustees  of  the  Presbyterian  congregation, 
in  the  Counties  of  Middlesex  and  Somerset,  in  tlie  State  of  New  Jersey,  of  the 
second  part,  IVitnesseth,  that  for  and  in  consideration  of  the  sum  of  seven  hundred 
and  twenty  pounds,  proclamation  money,  to  them  in  hand  paid  by  the  second  part, 
the  receipt  whereof  they  the  said  party  of  the  first  part,  hereby  acknowledge,  and 
for  divers  other  good  causes  and  considerations  them  thereunto  moving,  the  party 
of  the  first  part  have  given,  granted,  bargained,  sold,  aliened,  released,  enfeoffed, 
conveyed  and  confirmed,  and  by  these  presents  do  give,  grant,  bargain  and  sell, 
alien,  release,  enfeoff,  convey  and  confirm  unto  the  said  party  of  the  second  part 
and  their  successors,  All  that  certain  lot  of  land  situate,  lying  and  being  on  the 
Southerly  side  of  the  main  street  of  Princeton  : 

Beginning  at  a  stone  standing  on  the  south  side  of  the  main  street  through 
Princeton,  thence  from  said  stone  on  a  parallel  line  with  the  west  end  of  the  Presi- 
dent's house  south  eighteen  degrees  east,  one  hundred  and  fifty-eight  and  a  half 
feet  more  or  less  to  a  stone  standing  in  a  line  drawn  twenty  feet  southward  of  the 
south  side  and  parallel  to  the  south  side  of  the  present  church  ;  thence  from  the  last 
mentioned  stone  along  the  said  parallel  line  about  south,  seventy-two  degrees  west, 
one  hundred  and  forty-five  feet,  more  or  less,  to  a  stone  standing  in  the  line  of  a 
lot  formerly  belonging  to  the  late  Dr.  John  Witherspoon,  that  lies  to  the  eastward 
of  and  adjoining  to  a  lot  formerly  belonging  to  William  Mounlier,  which  two  said 
lots  are  now  in  the  occupation  of  Mary  Minto,  widow  of  the  late  Doctor  Walter 
Minto  ;  thence  along  the  easterly  side  of  the  above  mentioned  lot  formerly  belong- 
ing to  the  said  Dr.  John  Witherspoon,  deceased,  one  hundred  and  sixty-three  feet 
and  six-tenths  of  a  foot,  more  or  less,  to  a  stone  standing  on  the  south  side  of  the 
street  aforesaid,  which  stone  is  marked  on  the  easterly  side  with  the  letters  B,  R, 
and  on  the  westerly  side  N,  R  ;  thence  along  the  south  side  of  said  street  about 
north  seventy-four  degrees  east  one  hundred  and  sixty-three  feet  and  eighteen-hun- 
dredths  of  a  foot,  more  or  less,  to  the  first  mentioned  stone,  always  to  be  bounded 
northerly  by  Princeton  Street,  southerly  by  a  line  drawn  parallel  twenty  feet  distant 
from  (to  be  measured  on  a  liorizontal  plane  and  at  right  angles  with)  the  south 
side  of  the  present  church,  easterly  by  a  line  drawn  parallel  to  and  fifty  feet  distant 
from  the  west  end  of  the  President's  house  (to  be  measured  as  before);  westerly  by 

the  eastern  line  of  the  above  mentioned  lot  of  the  late  Doctor  John  Witherspoon 
adjoining   the  lot   aforesaid,   formerly   belonging  to  William   Mountier,  deceased, 

Together  with  the  Presbyterian  church  thereon  erected,  standing  and  being  with 


1/4  ■  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETO.V. 

all  the  commodities,  ways,  privileges,  hereditaments  and  appurtenances,  to  the 
same  lot  of  land  and  premises  belonging  or  in  anywise  appertaining,  and  also  all 
the  estate,  right,  title,  interest,  property,  claim  and  demand  whatsoever,  as  well  in 
equity  as  in  law,  of  them  the  said  trustees  of  New  Jersey  College  aforesaid,  and 
their  successors  of,  in  and  to  the  above  granted  lot  of  land  and  premises,  and  of,  in 
and  to  every  part  and  parcel  thereof,  with  the  appurtenances  ;  To  have  and  to  hold 
all  and  singular  the  above  granted  and  bargained  premises  with  the  appurtenances 
unto  the  party  aforesaid  of  the  second  part  and  iheir  successors,  in  trust,  and  for 
the  proper  use,  benefit  and  behoof  of  the  Presbyterian  congregation  of  Princeton 
aforesaid  and  their  successors  forever  in  as  full  and  ample  a  manner  as  the  party  of 
the  first  part  held  or  ought  to  have  held  the  same : 

Subject  nevertheless  to  the  reservations,  rights  and  privileges  hereinafter  stated, 
that  is  to  say,  First,  that  the  party  of  the  first  part  and  their  successors  shall  have 
the  full  use  of  the  church  aforesaid,  on  the  days  of  Commencement  and  the  two 
preceding  days  for  the  public  exercises  of  the  college,  the  said  party  of  the  first  part 
repairing  all  damages  aad  restoring  the  house  in  as  neat  and  good  a  condition  as 
when  they  took  possession  of  it :  Second,  that  the  said  party  of  the  first  part  and 
their  successors  shall  have  the  use  of  the  said  church  also  at  all  such  other  times  as 
shall  be  appointed  by  the  faculty  of  the  college,  for  public  speaking,  on  making  ap- 
plication to  the  party  of  the  second  part,  the  sexton  at  all  these  times  having  the 
care  and  oversight  of  the  said  church  and  to  be  paid  by  the  college  for  his  trouble 
and  for  the  expense  of  repairing  and  cleaning  the  same  ;  Third,  that  the  party  of 
the  first  part  shall  have  one-half  of  the  gallery,  to  wit :  the  north  half  of  the  front 
gallery  and  the  whole  of  the  north  gallery  for  the  use  and  accommodation  of  the 
officers  and  students  of  the  college  on  days  of  public  worship. 

In  testimony  whereof  the  party  of  the  first  part  have  caused  their  corporate  seal 
to  be  affixed  to  these  presents,  and  the  signature  of  the  President  of  the  college  to 
be  put  to  the  same  at  Princeton  on  the  day  and  year  above  mentioned. 

(Signed)  "  AsuiiEL  GiiEEN, 

[L,S.]  "  President  of  the  college" 

Proof  of  the  foregoing  deed  was  made  by  James  Carnahan, 
president  of  the  college,  etc.,  before  James  S.  Green,  Master 
in  Chancery  of  New  Jersey,  on  the  5th  day  of  April,  1847,  and 
was  recorded  in  the  Mercer  County  Clerk's  office,  April  6th, 
1847,  ''^  Book  L.  of  deeds,  page  148,  etc. 

The  church  erected  on  the  above  described  lot,  in  18 14, 
was  constructed  on  the  same  plan  and  was  of  the  same  size  as 
the  original  one,  except  that  the  pulpit,  instead  of  being  on  the 
south  side  of  the  building,  was  built  in  a  semi-circular  exten- 
sion on  the  east  end,  the  doors  being  placed  on  the  south-east 
and  north-west  corners.  There  was  but  one  central  block,  in- 
stead of  two,  and  the  pews  were  adapted  to  the  change  of 
the  pulpit  from  the  side  to  the  end  of  the  edifice.      The  build- 


: ':  T 


PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH— REAL  ESTATE.  1/5 

ing  Stood  with  its  length  parallel  to  the  street,  with  a  gallery 
on  three  sides. 

By  the  terms  of  the  aforesaid  deed,  there  was  a  reserva- 
tion to  the  college,  in  the  use  of  the  church  edifice,  then 
standing  on  said  lot  of  land,  and  not  in  the  land  itself. 

In  1835,  the  church  edifice  in  which  the  college  had  these 
reserved  rights,  burned  down ;  and  when  the  congregation 
proposed  to  rebuild,  a  committee  was  appointed,  consisting 
of  Dr.  Alexander,  James  S.  Green  and  John  VanDoren,  to 
wait  on  the  trustees  of  the  college  and  request  them  to  release 
their  right  to  the  church  lot,  and  the  building  to  be  erected 
thereon,  except  so  far  as  the  college  had  a  right  on  Commence- 
ment seasons  ;  and  also  to  request  the  trustees  of  the  college 
to  assist  the  congregation  in  rebuilding  their  church. 

Neither  the  committee  nor  the  congregation  seem  to  have 
understood  at  that  time,  the  existence  of  the  above  mentioned 
deed,  or  its  nature.  The  college  had  only  reserved  an  inter- 
est in  the  church  which  was  now  laid  in  ashes.  What  interest 
had  the  college  in  the  church  lot  to  be  released  ? 

Mr.  VanDoren  reported  to  the  congregation  on  the  8th  of 
October,  1835,  ^  paper  signed  and  sealed  by  the  trustees  of  the 
college  concerning  the  request  to  release,  etc.  -  So  the  minutes 
of  the  trustees  of  the  church  state;  but  no  paper  or  deed  on 
the  subject  is  described  in  the  minutes  or  found  on  file  among 
the  church  papers. 

The  new  church  was  built  on  the  same  lot,  and  was  60  by 
80  feet^ — gable  to  the  street,  as  it  now  stands,  but  by  the  recent 
enlargement,  as  before  stated,  it  has  been  made  to  extend  over 
100  feet  in  length,  and  the  lecture-room  has  been  removed  to  the 
side  of  the  church  in  the  rear.  Application  has  been  made  by 
the  church  to  the  college  to  purchase  or  rent  a  strip  of  land 
in  the  rear  of  the  church,  for  a  place  for  the  horses  and  car- 
riages of  country  members.  There  are  many  considerations 
why  this  should  be  done,  and  they  affect  the  college  as  well  as 
the  church. 

The  present  church  edifice  and  the  lecture-room  are  both  in 
good  repair  and  are  attractive.  There  is  no  bell  attached,  nor 
spire.  The  college  bell  is  depended  upon,  but  a  church  bell 
would  be  a  useful  and  much  desired  appendage.    This  property 


176  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

may  be  estimated  in  value  at  about  $50,000.  There  is  no  in- 
cumbrance upon  it.  Its  situation  is  central  on  Nassau  Street, 
and  is  bounded  by  college  property  on  three  sides. 

II.  The  Manse. — In  1861,  the  congregation  purchased  of 
Jacob  W.  Lane,  the  house  and  lot  in  Steadman  Street,  ad- 
joining the  property  of  the  theological  seminary,  occupied  by 
Dr.  McGill,  and  second  door  from  Stockton  Street,  for  a  parson- 
age. The  house  was  built  by  Charles  Steadman,  and  was  oc- 
cupied for  several  years  by  the  Rev.  George  Hare,  D.D.,  when 
he  was  rector  of  Trinity  church  in  this  place.  It  has  been  en- 
larged since  the  congregation  bought  it.  It  is  a  commodious 
dwelling  with  modern  improvements,  pleasantly  situated,  with 
the  grounds  of  the  Lenox  Hall  Library  open  in  front ;  and 
making  what  might  be  called  a  first-class  manse.  The  original 
cost  of  the  property  was  $4,000,  the  improvements  and  addition 
to  it,  made  the  entire  cost  about  $6,000.  The  property  is 
worth  at  present  about  $10,000.  There  is  no  incumbrance  on 
it.  It  was  occupied  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Macdonald  from  1862 
till  his  death,  and  is  now  occupied  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hinsdale, 
the  present  pastor. 

III.  TJie  old  Session  House  on  WitJierspoon  Street. — This 
building  was  erected  on  the  old  Wiggins  parsonage  land  on 
Witherspoon  Street,  with  leave  of  the  trustees  of  the  church, 
by  the  session  and  the  Princeton  Female  Benevolent  Society. 
It  was  built  in  the  year  1829,  with  two  stories.  The  session  once 
used  the  upper  part  of  it  as  a  lecture-room,  for  church  pur- 
poses, but  it  was  not  a  pleasant  situation,  and  it  has  for  many 
years  been  used  for  school  purposes  ;  and  at  the  present  time  it 
is  exclusively  devoted  to  the  use  of  the  school  of  the  Princeton 
Female  Benevolent  Society,  and  the  teacher,  Miss  Lockart. 
It  is  still  under  the  control  of  the  church.  Its  value  is  about 
$1,000. 

IV.  Tlie  Queenston  Chapel. — For  many  years  prior  to  1832, 
Queenston,  a  name  recently  given  to  the  easterly  end  of  Prince- 
ton, formerly  called  Jugtown,  was  an  outpost  of  the  Presbyte- 
rian church,  where  there  had  been  maintained  a  Sunday  school, 
a  prayer  meeting  and  religious  lectures.  A  Sunday  school 
was  held  at  a  very  early  day  in  the  old  pottery  building  and 
was  conducted  by  Messrs.  Mcllvaine,  Newbold  and  other  stu- 


PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH— REAL  ESTATE.  1 77 

dents  of  the  seminary.  Prayer  nneetings  were  held  in  the  private 
houses  in  the  neighborhood,  weekly,  and  the  students  would 
hold  religious  meetings,  called  sometimes  "  society,''  in  the  pot- 
tery building  and  in  the  private  houses. 

The  general  religious  interest  which  was  awakened  in  1831 
-32,  at  the  closing  period  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  WoodhuU's  pastorate, 
gave  an  increase  of  life  and  interest  to  those  religious  exercises. 
Large  numbers  of  persons  were  attracted  to  the  meetings.  The 
students  of  the  seminary  took  an  active  part  in  the  labor,  and, 
often  assisted  by  the  professors  in  stirring  addresses  and  lectures, 
on  Sabbath  afternoons,  they  made  the  preaching  at  Oueenston 
a  popular  resort  for  members  of  the  Princeton  congregation 
who  resided  in  the  central  and  eastern  part  of  the  village. 
The  small  room  which  had  before  been  occupied  for  these 
meetings  and  for  Sunday  school,  became  inadequate  for  the  in- 
creased attendance,  and  a  new  building  or  church,  as  it  was 
called,  was  projected  and  built  by  money  raised  by  subscription, 
almost  the  whole  of  which  was  contributed  by  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  congregation  of  Mr.  Woodhull,  as  the  subscrip- 
tion paper  shows.  There  was  no  denominational  church  or 
society  in  Princeton  at  that  time  but  the  old  first  Presbyterian 
church.  The  deed  for  the  lot  on  which  this  chapel  or  little 
church  was  built  was  dated  April  23,  1832.  It  was  given  by 
John  C.  Schenck,  who  was  a  merchant  keeping  a  store  in 
Queenston,  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  who  be- 
came a  ruling  elder  therein.  He  had  loaned  the  use  of  a  room  in 
his  store  building  for  a  while  to  the  Sunday  school  and  prayer 
meeting.  He  conveyed,  in  that  deed,  the  lot  of  land  on  which 
the  present  chapel  was  erected.     It  is  described  in  the  deed  as 

"The  lot  of  land  situate  in  the  borough  of  Princeton  in  that  part  which  was 
then  in  Middlesex  County,  "Beginning  at  a  stone  in  the  southwest  side  of  the 
road  leading  from  Queenston  to  Scudder's  Mills  and  a  corner  of  land  of  Samuel  R. 
Hamilton,  Esq.,  thence  S.  W.  129  feet  6  inches  to  a  stone  for  a  corner ;  thence 
northwest  40  feet  to  a  stone  corner  to  other  land  of  the  said  John  C.  Schenck  ;  thence 
N.  E.  124  ft.  6  inches  to  a  stone  in  the  line  of  the  road  aforesaid  ;  thence  along  the 
line  of  said  road  S.  E.  58  feet  to  the  place  of  beginning." 

The  land  was  conveyed   by  said   deed   to   Robert    Voorhees, 
Charles  Stcadmaji,  John  Lozvrey,  Joint  C.   ScJicuck  and  JoJm 
VanDoren,  the  survivors  and  survivor  of  them  and  to  the  heirs 
12 


178  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

of  such  survivors,  "  In  trust,  nevertheless,  to  erect  thereout  a 
suitable  building  for  the  ptirpose  of  religious  zvorship  and  for  the 
use  of  the  Queenston  society  and  Sabbath  school." 

The  deed  was  acknowledged  before  James  S.  Green,  Master 
in  Chancery,  and  recorded  in  Middlesex  Clerk's  office,  Dec.  ii, 
1832,  in  Book  xxv.  of  Deeds,  fol.  319. 

The  five  trustees  named  in  the  said  deed  were  all  members 
of  the    Presbyterian    congregation,    and    four    of  them    were 
members  of  the  session  or  board  of  trustees  of  that  church. 
They  have  all  died  but  one,  viz  :  John  VanDoren,  who  resides 
at  Manalapan,   Monmouth  County,  N.  J.       The  original  sub- 
scription  is   dated  March  7th,  1831,  setting  forth  that   a  reli- 
gious meeting  had  been  kept  at  Queenston,  on  Sabbath  after- 
noons for  a  number  of  years,  with  benefit  to   many  persons   in 
the  neighborhood  and  from  Princeton,  persons  who  did  not  at- 
tend other  churches,  but  that  the  room  was  too  small,  and  was 
then  wanted  by  the  owner,  and  proposed  to  build  a  new  room, 
etc.     The  paper  was  headed  by  Robert  Voorhees,  for  $50,  and 
John  C.    Schenck   subscribed  the  estimated  value  of  the   land, 
$75.     More  than  $500  were  subscribed  in  the  first  effort.     An- 
other subscription  in  the  next  year,  raised  $125.       The  great 
bulk  of  the  money  was  given   l:>y  the  professors  in  the  institu- 
tions, and   the  officers  in  the  Presbyterian  church.       The  cost 
of  the  building  was  $964.34.      It  does  not  appear  whether  this 
included  the  ceiling  and  seating  which  cost  $150.       The  house 
was  built   in   1831,  but  not  finistied   till   1832.      It  is  a  frame 
building  and  will  seat  two  hundred  persons.     There  was  a  bal- 
ance due  on  the  cost  of  the  building,  after  applying  the  money 
raised  by  subscription,  and  a  mortgage  was  given  by  the  trus- 
tees for  the  amount  of  it.     In    1840,  there  was  an  execution 
issued   upon  this  debt  which  amounted  to  about  $500,  agafnst 
the  building  ;  and  the  matter  came  before  the  session  of  the 
Presbyterian   church.       A  new  subscription  was   opened,  and 
the  session  appropriated  a  part  of  the  semi-centennial  collection 
of  that  year  to  the  payment  of  said  execution.     The  session  of 
the  church   have  kept  it  chiefly  under  their  control,  and  have 
expended  money  to  keep  it  in  order  and  repair,  and  are   now 
yearly  doing  so,  having  a  standing  committee  of  their  body  to 
look  after  and  keep  the  supervision  of  the  property. 


PRE  SB  V  TERIA  N  CH  UR  CH—REA  L  ESTA  TE.  1 79 

After  this  chapel  was  built,  and  until  the  erection  of  the 
Second  Presbyterian  church,  which  held  afternoon  service,  it 
was  usually  well  filled  on  Sabbath  afternoons,  after  the  Sab- 
bath school,  with  a  congregation  to  hear  preaching  by  Drs. 
James,  Addison,  and  Archibald  Alexander,  and  others,  includ- 
ing the  students  of  the  seminary.  There  was  a  good  deal  of 
interest  manifested  in  those  meetings.  There  was  more  free- 
dom, and  less  ecclesiastical  restraint  in  the  exercises  in  them 
than  in  the  regular  church  meetings. 

We  have  taken  notice  of  this  chapel  as  the  property  of  the 
First  Presbyterian  church  ;  not  absolutely  but  more  so  than 
any  other  religious  organization  can  claim  to  have  in  it.  Its 
legal  title  still  rests  in  Mr.  VanDoren,  the  surviving  trustee; 
but  it  is  not  to  be  disguised  that  the  old  way  of  building 
churches  and  chapels  for  free  neighborhood  use,  without  a  cor- 
porate trusteeship,  which  can  perpetuate  the  title  and  posses- 
sion, was  a  short-sighted  mode  of  doing  good  and  one  which 
almost  always  leads  to  the  courts.  The  legal  title  could  have 
been  transferred  to  the  trustees  of  the  First  church  by  the  ju- 
dicial sale  of  the  building  in  1849  when  the  church  session  paid 
the  execution,  but  they  paid  it  without  a  sale  and  without 
acquiring  any  other  than  a  mere  equitable  lien  against  the 
building.  If  the  court  of  chancery  shall  hereafter  be  called  to 
appoint  trustees  to  hold  this  property,  would  it  not  be  well  to 
appoint  the  trustees  of  this  Presbyterian  church  in  their  incor- 
porated character  to  hold  it  i'^.  trust  for  the  object  for  which 
the  deed  was  given  and  the  building  erected  ?  The  property 
is  worth  about  $1,200. 

V.  Tlie  old  Wiggins  Parsonage  Property. — Dr.  Thomas  Wig- 
gins was  a  very  respectable  physician  and  citizen  of  Princeton, 
a  trustee  and  ruling  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church.  He 
owned  a  property  on  Witherspoon  Street,  with  about  twenty- 
five  acres  of  land,  which  he  devised  to  the  Presbyterian  con- 
gregation for  the  support  of  the  minister.  He  died  in  1804. 
There  was  some  technical  informality  in  the  terms  of  the  devise 
as  well  as  in  the  execution  of  it,  as  may  be  learned  from  a 
minute  of  a  meeting  of  the  congregation,  held  on  December 
29,  1804,  which  is  as  follows: 


l8o  HISTORY   OF  PRINCETON. 

"  Whereas,  doubts  and  difficulties  have  arisen  on  the  will  of  l^octor  Thomas 
Wiggins,  both  in  respect  of  his  devising  his  real  estate  for  the  support  of  our  min- 
ister, but  omitting  to  name  a  devisee  capable  of  taking  the  legal  estate,  and  also  in 
respect  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Kollock  being  one  of  the  three  subscribing  witnesses  to  the 
said  will,  so  that  the  title  to  the  said  real  estate  might  be  subject  to  objection,  and 
in  case  of  any  dispute  the  church  might  be  obliged  to  keep  up  and  discharge  their 
present  minister  to  enable  him  to  prove  the  said  will.  For  avoiding  which  said 
difficulty  and  for  procuring  an  extinguishment  of  all  the  right,  title  or  pretentions 
of  the  said  heirs  at  law,  and  a  conveyance  of  the  legal  estate  in  the  premises  to  the 
corporation  of  the  church  in  trust  for  the  use  of  the  minister  for  the  time  being, 
therefore, 

"  Resolved,  that  the  trustees  of  the  church  be  authorized  to  negotiate  and  con- 
tract, on  behalf  of  this  church,  with  the  heirs  at  law  of  the  said  testator,  and  to  ob- 
tain from  the  said  heirs,  on  the  best  terms  they  can  make,  a  sufficient  assurance  and 
conveyance  of  all  the  right  and  title  of  the  said  heirs  to  the  trustees  of  this  church 
for  the  use  of  the  minister  for  the  time  being,  so  that  the  same  may  be  in  the  pos- 
session of  the  said  trustees  and  be  managed  by  them  for  the  purposes  intended  by 
the  said  will.  "  ROBERT  Stockton,  Moderator." 

The  result  of  this  negotiation  was  the  release  by  the  heirs  at 
law  of  the  testator,  of  the  property  to  the  trustees  of  the  church, 
for  the  benefit  of  the  minister  of  the  church.  The  trustees 
paid  to  John  N.  Simpson  in  right  of  his  wife,  as  one  of  the 
heirs,  $600 ;  to  Phcebe  Wiggins,  another  heir,  $600,  and  to 
Sarah  Wiggins,  an  infant,  grand-niece,  another  heir,  $540.* 
Mr.  Simpson  was  employed  to  negotiate  the  settlement  with 
the  heirs,  and  was  paid  for  so  doing.  A  survey  of  the  land 
was  made,  and  money  to  pay  the  heirs  was  raised  from  the 
Trenton  bank,  and  from  the  sale  of  eight  lots  north  of  the  bury- 
ing ground,  and  one  next  to  Henry  Voorhees.  The  amount  of 
those  sales  was  $888.50. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Kollock  also  executed  a  release  to  the  trus- 
tees, of  the  Ministerial  property,  in  trust  for  the  use  of  the 
congregation,  in  order,  upon  advice,  to  make  the  title  good. 
The  title  to  the  property  devised  to  the  church  thus  became 
complete  by  purchase  from  the  heirs  of  the  testator. 

It  has  been  stated  in  previous  sections  how  many  attempts 
had  been  made  to  sell  this  property,  during  the  pastorates  of 
the  Rev.  William  C.  Schenck,  and  of  Dr.  Rice,  and  that  after 
the  resignation  of  Dr.  Rice  in  1847,  it  was  ordered  to  be  sold, 
together  with   the   mountain   wood-lot.       I'heie  were  in   this 

*  Sarah  Wiggins  married Young.      She  was  paid  in  full  and  executed  her 

release  in   1831. 


PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH— TRUST  FUNDS.  l8l 

tract,  at  this  time,  after  deducting  what  had  been  set  apart  for 
the  colored  people's  burying  ground,  and  what  had  been  added 
to  the  old  burying  ground,  and  what  had  been  given  for  the 
old  session  and  school  house,  in  Witherspoon  Street  "^of-^Q  acres. 
Of  this  remaining  tract,  three  acres  were  retained  for  the  new 
cemetery  adjoining  the  old  grave  yard  ;  Wiggins  Street  was 
opened  over  a  portion  of  it,  and  the  remainder  was  sold  in  lots 
at  public  sale.  Jacob  P.  Davis  bought  the  old  parsonage 
house,  and  the  lots  were  bought  by  Mr.  VanDeventer,  Joseph 
Carrington,  John  T.  Robinson,  Dr.  John  Maclean,  and  Jas.  S. 
Green;  and  John  Anderson  bough';  the  wood-lot  of  seventeen 
acres.  I'he  net  proceeds  amounted  to  about  $3,500.  This 
money  was  invested  by  the  trustees,  for  the  use  of  the  minis- 
ter according  to  the  devise  of  Dr.  Wiggins.  It  has  been  since 
applied  entirely  and  permanently  to  that  object,  by  vesting 
it  in  the  purchase  of  another  parsonage,  now  occupied  by  the 
minister  of  the  church. 

The  trustees  have  within  the  present  year,  received  from 
Mr.  Paul  Tulane,  a  deed  for  four  acres,  or  thereabout,  to  sup- 
plement the  cemetery.  It  was  bought  of  Martin  Murray  and 
lies  adjoining  the  north-east  corner  of  the  cemetery,  and  has  a 
dwelling  house  on  it.  It  was  a  gift  by  Mr.  Tulane  to  the 
church. 

The  Cemetery  is  made  the  subject  of  a  subsequent  chapter. 

VI.  Special  Trusts  of  the  Church.  Besides  the  several  par- 
cels of  real  estate  above  mentioned  as  belonging  to  this  church 
and  held  by  its  trustees,  there  are  a  few  other  special  trusts 
held  by  them,  of  a  more  private  nature,  but  which  ought  to  be 
guarded  and  administered  with  strict  fidelity. 

r.  The  Cedar  Grove  ChurcJi  Trust.  The  title  in  the  Cedar 
Grove  church  was,  on  the  27th  day  of  May,  1876,  by  deed  of 
Paul  Tulane,  transferred  to  the  trustees  of  the  first  church  of 
Princeton,  to  hold  the  same  in  trust  for  Gospel  preaching  by 
all  denominations,  in  accordance  with  an  arrangement  in  said 
deed  specified  as  now  in  force,  with  power  to  sell  upon  certain 
contingencies  and  hold  the  proceeds  in  trust  for  the  First  Pres- 
byterian church  of  Princeton. 


1 82  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON: 

2.  The  Cedar  Grove  C/nirch  Fund.  The  sum  oi five  tJiousand 
dollars  is  held  by  the  trustees  of  this  churcli  as  a  gift  of  Paul 
Tulane,  May  27,  1876,  the  income  to  be  appHed  to  maintaining 
the  Cedar  Grove  church  and  meetings,  keeping  the  building  in 
repair,  paying  sexton  and  preachers  ;  which  fund  upon  certain 
contingencies  shall  go  to  the  use  of  the  said  First  Presbyterian 
church  of  Princeton. 

3.  TJie  Fund  of  five  thonsand  dollars,  given  by  Paul  Tulane 
on  the  27th  of  May,  1876,  to  the  trustees,  the  income  thereof 
to  be  applied  as  follows,  viz.:  one-third  to  be  distributed  to  the 
indigent  members  of  this  church,  one-third  to  the  payment  of 
the  pew-rents  of  poor  members  of  this  church,  and  one-third  to 
the  payment  of  the  current  expenses  of  the  church. 

4.  The  Old  Burying  Ground  Ftind  of  five  thojisand  dollars, 
given  on  the  27th  of  May,  1876,  by  Paul  Tulane  to  tlie  trustees 
of  this  church,  the  income  thereof  to  be  applied  in  keeping  in 
repair  the  walks,  grounds  and  enclosures  of  the  old  burying 
ground  adjoining  but  not  including  the  cemetery  proper,  and 
to  preserve  the  monuments  of  the  dead  who  have  no  friends 
living  here. 

The  trustees  have  executed  a  Declaration  of  Trust  for  the 
above  named  funds,  defining  the  trusts,  and  have  caused  it  to 
be  recorded  in  the  County  Clerk's  office. 

5.  The  John  C.  Schenck  Fund.  This  is  a  legacy  of  $800, 
left  by  Mary  Ann  Schenck  in  honor  of  her  son  John  C. 
Schenck,  Jr.,  teacher  of  a  classical  school  in  Princeton,  to  the 
trustees  of  this  church,  the  income  to  be  applied  to  the  repairs 
of  church  and  parsonage,  and  family  burial  lot,  according  to 
the  terms  of  her  will. 

6.  The  Cemetery  Fund  arises  from  the  sale  of  lots  in  the 
cemetery,  and  is  kept  separate  from  the  general  church  fund. 
It  is  held  for  meeting  the  expense  of  improving  and  maintain- 
ing the  cemetery  grounds  and  enclosures.  The  trustees  of  the 
church  have  the  control  of  the  cemetery. 


PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH— RULING  ELDERS. 


183 


THE  RULING  ELDERS  OF  THE  CHURCH  FROM  1786. 

Names.  Elected.  Ceased  from  office. 

Richard  Longstreet Feb.  21,  1786,  Died  about  1797. 

James  Hamilton Feb.  21,  1786,  Died  1815. 

Tliomas  Blackwell Feb.  21,  1786,  Died  Oct.  20,  1825. 

John  Johnson Feb.  21,  1786,  Died  Oct.  16,  1800. 

Isaac  Snowden Jan.  13,   1796,  Removed  from  Princeton. 

Daniel  Agnew Jan.  13,  1796,  Died  1S16. 

Thomas  Wiggins,  M.  D March  3,  1792,  Died  Nov.  14,  1804. 

James  Finley,  (Sen.) March  3,  1792,  Removed  to  IJasking  Ridge. 

Prof.  William  Thompson 1805,  Died  1813. 

John  Van  Cleve,  M.  D   1805,  Died  Dec.  24,  1826. 

Peter  Updike 1805,  Died  June  18,  1818. 

Capt.  James  Moore i8oy,     *    Died  Nov.  29,  1832. 

Zebulon  Morford 1807,  Died  April  2,  184I. 

Francis  D.  Janvier 1807,  Died  March  i,  1824. 

Samuel  Bayard 1807,  Died  May  12.  1840. 

John  Davison 1 807,  Removed  from  Princeton. 

John  S.  Wilson March  31,  1821,  Died  Oct.  11,  1836. 

Ralph  Lane March  31,  1821,  Died  1855. 

Prof.  Robert  B.  Patton Dec.  29,  1826,  Removed  1835. 

John  C.  Schenck Dec.  29,  1826,  Died  June  25,  1846. 

John  Lowrey July  14.  1826,  Died  Jan.  19,  1845, 

Jacob  W.  Lane July  14,  1826,  Died  May  5,  1878. 

Robert  Voorhees April  27,  1933,  Died  June  iS,  iSj3. 

Daniel  Bovvne.... April  27,  1835,  Removed  1859. 

Prof.  Stephen  Alexander ...   August,  1840, 

John  V.  Talmage August,  1840,  Removed  to  N.  York  1844. 

Isaac  Baker Juite  25,  1845,  Died  Sept.  22,  1870. 

Joseph  H.  Davis June  25,  1845,  Removed  to  N.York,  1848. 

John  F.  Hageman March  3,  1851. 

Ralph  Gulick March  3,  1851,  Died  April  25,  1854. 

Peter  V.  DeGraw March  3,  1851,  Removed. 

David  Comfort April  8,  i860,  Removed  1865. 

Joseph  B.  Wright , Dec  12,  1863,  Removed. 

Dr.  George  M.  Maclean Feb.  5,  1867, 

John  B.  VanDoren Dec.  5,  1869, 

John  V.  Terhune Dec.  5,  1869, 

Henry  E.  Hale Dec.  5,  1S69. 

In  our  first  volume,  many  of  the  above  named  elders  re- 
ceived some  notice,  as  prominent  public  men  of  Princeton  in 
former  years. 

Thomas  Blackwell,  whose  name  stands  third  on  the 
list,  lived  at  Mapleton,  as  we  are  informed.     He  was  the  father 


1 84  HISTORY  OF  PKINCETOiV. 

of  John  Blackwell,  who  lived  on  the  homestead  until  his  death, 
a  few  years  ago.  He  was  also  the  father  of  Elijah  Blackwell, 
who  owned  a  considerable  estate,  and  whose  long-  residence 
preceding  his  death,  was  on  the  farm  where  Leavitt  Howe  now 
resides.  He  settled  upon  it  riot  many  years  after  the  Rev.  I\Ir. 
Snowden  left  it.  He  has  descendants  living  in  this  State,  in 
Texas,  and  in  Canada.  His  son  Austin  D.  Blackwell,  was  a 
respectable  farmer,  who  also  occupied  a  part  of  the  homestead 
near  Scudder's  Mills.  He  was  an  elder  in  the  Kingston  church, 
until  in  his  old  age,  he  removed  to  Virginia,  where  he  died. 
He  had  a  family  of  several  children.  Thomas  Blackwell  was 
among  the  earliest  and.  most  substantial  citizens  of  the  vicinity 
of  Princeton,  and  supporters  of  the  church  at  this  place. 

Daniel  Agnew,  whose  name  is  sixth  on  the  list,  was  the  an- 
cestor of  a  prominent  family,  and  his  name  would  have  been  in- 
troduced among  his  contemporaries  in  the  revolutionary  period, 
and  the  names  of  his  children  a  little  later,  but  for  the  fact 
that  we  have  only  recently  obtained  reliable  information  about 
the  family.  This  has  been  furnished  by  an  honorable  member 
of  the  family.'^ 

"  Daniel  Agnew  emigrated  from  county  Antrim,  north  of  Ireland,  to  the  prov- 
ince of  New  Jersey,  in  1764.  lie  settled  at  Princeton,  and  for  a  time  was  in  the 
army  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  lie  married  Catherine  Armstrong,  probably  in 
1776,  his  oldest  son,  James,  being  horn  in  1777.  lie  was  connected  with  the  col- 
lege of  New  Jersey  at  Princeton,  in  some  capacity  unknown  to  the  writer.f  and 
availed  himself  of  this  opportunity  of  giving  several  of  iiis  sons  a  lil^eral  education. 
At  one  time  he  was  a  ruling  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church  of  that  place,  to  whose 
faith  he  was  firmly  attached.  Many  years  before  his  death,  he  bought  and  lived 
upon  a  very  large  and  fine  farm,  three  miles  from  Princeton  on  the  road  to  Trenton. 
His  death  took  place  about  the  year  1816 — possibly  1817. 

His  children  were  in  the  order  of  age,  James,  Martin  and  William,  twins, 
Daniel,  John,  George,  Elizabeth  and  Mary.  James,  the  oldest,  graduated  with  the 
highest  honor,  in  the  class  of  1795,  taking  his  diploma  as  Bachelor  of  Arts,  and  as  a 
member  of  the  Whig  Society,  Oct.  i,  1795.  In  October,  179S,  he  received  the  degree 
of  Master  of  Arts.  After  passing  through  college  he  studied  medicine  witii  Dr. 
Maclean,  an  eminent  Scotch  physician,  father  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Maclean,  the  late 
President  of  Princeton  College.  After  attending  two  courses  of  lectures  at  the 
Medical  University, in  Philadelphia,  he  graduated  a  I^octor  of  Medicine  May  31st, 
1800,   remaining  there    in  hospital  practice,  under  Dr.    Dcnj.   Rush,  for     nearly   a 

*  The  Hon.  Daniel  Agnew,  Chief  Justice  of  Pennsylvania — a  grandson  of  Dan- 
iel Agnew,  the  elder. 
f  Steward. 


PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH-OFFICERS.  1 85 

year.  He  commenced  practice  in  Trenton,  N.  J.,  and  in  January,  1806,  married 
Sarah  B.  oldest  daughter  of  Major  Richard  Howell,  of  the  Revolutionary  army  of 
N.  J.,  and  afterwards  Governor  of  New  Jersey,  and  Chancellor  of  the  State  for 
nine  years.  In  1810  Dr.  James  Agnew  went  to  the  State  of  Mississippi  to  practice, 
and  returned  in  1813,  to  Princeton,  to  take  his  family  there.  He  stopped,  how- 
ever, in  Western  Penn.,  his  wife  being  deterred  by  the  dangers  of  the  voyage  in  an  ark 
or  flat  boat,  the  only  mode  of  descending  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi,  and  finally  set- 
tled down  to  practice  in  Pittsburgh,  Penn.,  where  he  died  in  1S40.  His  son  Daniel, 
(named  after  his  father,)  is  the  present  Chief  Justice  of  Pennsylvania. 

The  writer  is  unable  to  follow  in  detail,  the  lives  of  the  other  children  of 
Daniel  Agnew.  Martin  Agnew  graduated  at  Princeton  college  in  1797,  married 
late  in  life,  and  died  in  New  Jersey.  William  graduated  in  the  same  class,  became 
insane,  and  died  when  a  young  man.  Daniel  died  rather  young,  unmarried. 
John,  after  living  on  the  farm  for  some  years,  left  home,  and  finally  settled  at  the 
Sault  de  St.  Mane,  at  the  outlet  of  Lake  Superior,  between  1815  and  1S17.  He  held 
some  post  in  the  government  of  the  U.  S.  He  never  married,  and  about  1S45,  left 
the  Sault,  and  went  to  reside  at  Batesville,  Arkansas,  where  his  sisters  Elizabeth 
and  Mary  were  living,  and  died  there  in  1853. 

George  Agnew  died  at  an  early  age,  but  leaving  a  large  family,  w  hich  became 
dispersed,  some  living  in  Ohio,  others  in  Indiana,  and  some  in  Illinois. 

Elizabeth  and  Majy  Agnew,  the  daughters,  lived  for  a  few  years  after  the 
death  of  their  father,  at  Princeton,  and  afterwards  at  Pittbburgh  in  the  Himily  of  Dr. 
Agnew,  their  brother.  Elizabeth  having  married  A.  W.  Lyon,  about  1830  or  31, 
moved  with  him  to  Batesville,  Arkansas,  taking  with  her  her  sister  Mary.  Both 
are  dead,  INIary  never  having  married." 

The  Agnews  kept  a  .store  in  Princeton,  for  several  yeans,  in 
a  small  brick  house,  which  stood  where  Rowland's  store  now 
stands.  Martin  Agnew  sold  that  property  to  Rowland  and 
M'Ginnis,  in  1857,  and  they  took  it  down  when  they  built  their 
present  house  upon  the  lot. 

THE  TRUSTEES  OF  THE  CHURCH  FROM  1786. 

Names.  Elected.  Ceased  from  office. 

Richard  Longstreet May  25,  1786,  Died  about  1797. 

Robert  Stockton May  25,  1786,  Died  April  23,  1S05. 

Capt.  John  Little May  25,  1786,  Died  Sept.  6,  1794. 

Enos  Kelsey May  25,  1786,  Resigned  1804. 

Capt.  James  Moore May  25,  1786,  Resigned  .Sept.  5,  1 83 1. 

Isaac  Anderson May  25,  1786,  Died  1807. 

Col.  William  Scudder May  25,  17S6,  Died  1793. 

James   Hamilton May  20,  1793,  Died  1815. 

Thomas  Wiggins,  M.  D Nov.  15,  1794,  Died  Nov.  14,  1S04. 

John  Harrison. Jan.  13,  1796,  Died  Oct.  26,  1816. 

Col.  Erkuries  Beatty Feb.  20,  1804,  Died  Feb.  3,  1S23. 

Richard  Stockton,  LL.D Jan.  2,  1805,  Died  March  7,  1828. 

Ebenezer  Stockton,  M.  D Sept.  10,  1805,  Resigned  Oct.  29.  1835. 

Samuel  Bayard Dec.  15.  1807,  Resigned  May  7,  1838. 


i86 


HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 


Names.  Elected. 


Cemed /rotn  ojjice. 


Robert  Voorhees Nov.  25,  1815,  Resis^Tned  Feb.  11,1837 

John  Van  Cleve.  M.  D Dec.  7,  1816.  Resigned  Oct.  29,  1823. 

John  C.  Schenck July  26,  1823,  Resigned  Sept.  5,  1831 

John  S.  WiUon Jan.  g,  1826,  Resigned  .Sept.  5,  1831. 

James  S.Green Jan.  9,  1S26,  Resigned  Sept.  5,  1831 

JohnGulick Jan.  9.  1826.  Resigned  Sept.   5,1831. 

Charles  M.  Campbell Sept.  5,  1831,  Resigned  1S35. 

Peter  Bogart Sept.  5.  183X,  Resigned  Sept,  3,  1832 

Thomas  White Sept.  5,  1831.  Resigned  July  27.  1837 

Henry  Clow Sept.  5.  1831,  Resigned  1833. 

John  Van  Doren Jan.  14,  1S34,  Resigned  June  24.  1839 

JohnLowrey Oct.  8,  1835,  Resigned  1836. 

Alfred  A.  WoodhuU,  M.  D Oct.  8,  1835,  Died  Oct.  5    1836 

William  R.  .Murphy Oct.  8,  1835.  Resigned  oit.  8,  ^836. 

George  M.  Maclean,  M.  D Oct.  8.  1836,  Resigned  Dec.  3    1838 

James  Van  Deventer Oct.  8,  1836.  Resigned  Aug.  3,  1846 

Prof.  Albert  B.  Dod.  D.  D Oct.  8,  1368.  Died  Nov.  19,  1845 

^•^•"^'"^^ V Feb.  22,  1837,  Resigned  May  7,  1838. 

Samuel  A.  Lawrence Aug.  5.  1837.  Resigned  Dec.  3,  1838 

David  N.  Bogart May  7,  1838,  Died  May  5,  1844 

Alexander  M.  Gumming May  7,  1S38,  Resigned  Aug  3,  1846. 

^^-  ^^-  ^°'^ J'-i"-  17.  1839.  Resigned   Feb.  \i,  1844 

John  Bogart Ja„.  17,  1839,  Resigned  March  29,  1842. 

George  T.  Olmsted June  24,  1S39,  Resigned  July  10,  1846 

A.  J.  Dumont March  29,  1842,  Resigned  Feb.  12    1843 

John  Davison Feb.  12.  1843,  Resigned  Aug.  3.  1846 

Phihp    Hendnckson Feb.  12.  1843,  Resigned  July  9    1846 

Peter  I.  Voorhees July  i,  1843,  Resigned  Aug.  3,  1 846 

Capt.  Thomas  Crabbe,  Q.  S.  N. .   Dec.  22,  1845,  Resigned  Dec.  2    i8.r 

Prof.  Joseph  Henry.  LL.  D July  30,  1846,  Resigned  July  25.  i8'48. 

J.  S.  Schanck,  M.  D July  30,  1846, 

Joseph  H.  Davis Aug.  3,  1846,  Resigned  Feb.  12,  1849 

Wilbam  Gulick Aug.  3.  1846,  Resigned  1847. 

John  T.  Robinson Aug.  3.  1846.  Resigned  July  25,  1848 

N.  L.Bernen Aug.  3.  1846.  Died  Aug.  10,1846 

Peter  V.  Degraw Aug.  3.  1846,  Resigned. 

John   F.    Hageman Aug.  3,  1847,  Resigned  Aug.,  1877 

A.  VanDuyn Aug.  3.  1847,  Resigned. 

Isaac  Baker Feb.  12,  1849,  Died  Sept.  22,  1870. 

Geo.  T.  Olmsted Dec.  15,  185 1.  Resigned  1S76. 

James  Van  Deventer Nov.  i,  1852, 

James  S.  Green.... Nov.  r,  1852,  Died  1862. 

Emley  Olden Oct..  1855.  Died  June  16,  1S68. 

Dr.  J.  H.  Wikoff June  22,  1863, 

John  B.  Van  Doren 1868 

Edward  Howe 1870 

Leavitt  Howe 1875 

John  F.  Hageman,  Jr 1877, 


PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH— OFFICERS.  1 87 

Captain  John  Little,  whose  name  is  third  on  this  h'st  of 
trustees,  was  one  of  the  first  trustees  who  received  the  title  of 
the  church  lot,  before  the  incorporation,  in  1786.  He  bought  a 
lot  of  land  in  1786,  of  Robert  McGee,  administrator  of  Alexan- 
der Gaa,  dec'd.  In  1790,  he  bought  a  lot  of  Mary  Norris, 
administratrix  of  Thomas  Norris,  deceased.  He  owned,  at 
the  time  of  his  death,  September  6th,  1794,  the  property  now 
in  possession  of  Philip  Hendrickson,  on  Nassau  Street.  He 
devised  in  his  will,  dated  February  9th,  1794,  the  last  men- 
tioned property,  to  Grace  Little,  his  wife,  who  survived  till 
June.  2d,  1813,  when  it  was  sold  by  his  executor,  to  Robert 
Voorhees,  who  occupied  it  till  his  death.  It  was  148  feet  in 
front,  and  next  to  James  Hamilton's  lot.  His  executors  were 
John  Beatty,  John  Woods,  George  Woods,  Jr.,  and  Robert 
McGee.  Grace  Little,  his  wife,  was  much  respected  in  Prince- 
ton,    They  were  both  buried  in  the  Princeton  burying  ground. 

The  oldest  member  of  the  present  board  of  trustees,  official- 
ly, is  Dr.  J.  Stillwell  Schanck,  who  was  elected  in  1846.  He  is 
president  and  secretary  of  the  board,  and  has  rendered  long 
and  valuable  services  to  the  congregation  and  the  church.  The 
duties  of  his  office  have  become,  by  reason  of  the  increased  rev- 
enues and  trusts  of  the  church,  and  the  care  of  the  cemetery, 
quite  onerous.  But  since  he  has  been  in  office,  the  finances 
of  the  church  have  been  placed  and  maintained  in  a  sound 
condition.  For  about  twenty-five  years,  the  board  remained 
almost  unchanged  in  its  members. 

The  Diaconate. 

We  find  no  bench  of  Deacons  in  the  church  until  the  year 
1845,  when  Dr.  Rice  was  pastor.  William  R.  Murphy  and  Dan- 
iel B.  Wagner  were  ordained  on  the  15th  of  June  of  that  year. 
These  removed,  and  in  185 1,  during  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev. 
William  E.  Schenck,  the  following  were  ordained:  David  D. 
Cawley,  Isaac  Stryker,  Peter  I.  Voorhees,  John  H.  Clarke  and 
Michael  Hendrickson.  Mr.  Voorhees  died  in  office  and  the 
others,  after  serving  several  years,  removed  from  the  congrega- 
tion. In  1864  George  T.  Olmsted  was  added  to  the  number, 
and  in  1869  Philip  Hendrickson,  David  A.  Hudnut  and  J.  Bo- 
gart  Stryker  were  elected. 


HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 


PRESENT  OFFICERS  OF  THE  CHURCH. 

Minister — Rev.  Horace  G.  Hinsdale. 

Ruling  Elders — Prof.  Stephen  Alexander,  John  F.  Ilageman,  Dr.  George  M. 
Maclean,  John  V.  Terhune,  J.  Boyd  VanDoren,  Henry  E.  Hale. 

Deacons  —  Philip  Hendrickson,  J.  Eogart  Stryker,  David  A.  Hudnut. 

Trustees — Dr.  J.  Stillwell  Schanck,  President,  James  VanDeventer,  Dr.  J.  H. 
Wikofif,  Edward  Howe,  J.  Boyd  VanDoren,  Leavitt  Howe,  John  F.  Hagenian,  Jr. 

Treasicrer — William  B.  VanDeventer. 

Sexton — Aaron  F.  Allen. 

It  i.s  now  one  hundred  and  twenty-tlirce  year.s  since  the 
Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick  granted  "  liberty  to  the  people 
of  said  town  to  build  a  meeting  house."  It  is  about  one  hun- 
dred and  sixteen  years  since  the  building  of  the  meetinghouse 
was  first  commenced,  and  one  hundred  and  twelve  years  since 
it  was  finished.  It  has  twice  been  burned  down  and  rebuilt. 
Except  when  occupied  by  troops  or  being  rebuilt  it  has  been 
used  to  hold  the  annual  Commencements  of  the  college  during 
this  long  period.  It  has  been  the  chief  audience  room  in  Prince- 
ton for  more  than  a  century,  open  always  to  the  great  preachers 
of  the  day  when  they  have  visited  the  place.  It  has  been  the 
great  lecture-room  in  which  literary  orations  and  theological 
discourses  of  the  highest  order  have  been  delivered  to  Prince- 
ton audiences,  composed  of  citizens,  students  and  strangers. 
Though  a  house  of  worship,  it  is  the  most  public  of  all  public 
buildings. 

Since  Dr.  Witherspoon's  death  there  have  been  installed 
over  the  congregation,  eight  successive  pastors,  two  of  whom 
have  died  here  in  the  pastoral  office.  The  membership  of  the 
church  has  been  reported  to  be  above  five  hundred  in  number. 
The  last  official  report  gave  423,  but  a  strict  revision  of  the 
list  will,  it  is  thought,  reduce  the  actual  number  of  members 
below  400, 

This  church  is  venerable  in  age,  and  renowned  for  its  prom- 
inent men  and  families  of  noted  piety  and  learning,  who  were 
accustomed  to  worship  statedly  here,  and  are  now  numbered 
with  the  dead.  The  chart  of  pews  exhibits  among  former 
occupants  and  owners  the  names  of  Dr.  Withcrspoon,  Dr. 
Smith,  Dr.  Maclean,  Dr.  Ashbel  Green,  Dr.  Minto,  Dr.  Alex- 


PRESB  YTERIAN  CH URCII—RE TKOSPECT.  1 89 

ander,  Dr.  Miller,  Dr.  Hodge,  Dr.  John  Breckinridge,  Dr.  Car- 
nahan,  Professor  Dod,  Professor  Henry  and  others. 

The  presence  of  such  men  with  their  families,  and  many- 
other  clergymen  and  professors,  besides  the  prominent  citi- 
zens of  the  town,  whose  names  as  trustees  and  ciders  have 
been  before  mentioned,  gives  peculiar  interest  to  the  history  of 
this  church.  It  is  reasonable  to  infer  that  a  church  so  favored 
with  the  presence  of  such  a  large  number  of  godly  ministers, 
with  their  families,  and  with  the  presence  of  over  a  hundred 
seminary  students,  zealous  and  active,  would  exhibit  a  special 
beauty  and  power  in  its  devotional  meetings,  and  general 
Christian  activities.  There  are  times  and  seasons  when  these 
Christian  forces  do  exert  their  influence  in  such  way,  but  they 
are  extraordinary  and  exceptional  occasions.  The  presence 
of  so  many  clergymen  in  the  community,  and  in  the  church, 
occasionally  taking  a  part,  often  the  chief  part  in  congrega- 
tional meetings,  unless  carefully  guarded,  tends  to  impair 
the  growth  and  development  of  the  laity,  by  relieving  them 
of  duty  which  would  otherwise  devolve  upon  them,  and  by 
causing  them  to  feel  that  they  are  not  depended  upon  to 
carry  the  Ark.  Under  such  circumstances  the  office  of  Ru- 
ling Elder  is  undervalued,  and  the  session  becomes  a  nominal 
body. 

There  is  another  difficulty  in  such  a  state  of  things,  and 
this  has  regard  to  the  preacher.  This  church  has  in  a  sense 
a  college  relation,  not  only  as  to  the  church  edifice,  but  as  to 
its  auditors.  There  are  about  five  hundred  college  students, 
and  one  hundred  and  thirty  theological  students,  with  about 
thirty  professors  with  their  families,  now  present.  Beyond  all 
question,  nothing  would  be  more  educational  and  impressive 
upon  these  young  men,  than  powerful,  pungent  and  refined 
preaching — preaching  of  the  very  best  order.  Every  distin- 
guished preacher  who  visits  Princeton  meets  here  an  audience 
that  he  seldom  meets  elsewhere.  He  reaches  hundreds  of  ed- 
ucated young  men — some  young  ministers  soon  to  go  away 
and  give  place  to  others— a  new  class  coming  every  year.  It 
is  this  feature  of  the  church  that  makes  it  peculiar,  thai  makes 
it  a  supremely  important,  but  hard  pulpit  to  fill.  No  more 
critical  hearers  than  seminary  students  can  be  found.     Preach- 


^90  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

ing  is  their  study,  and   they  ought   to   find,   in  the  popular 
preacher  of  the  town,  a  model. 

But  the  prestige  of  this  church  is  very  strong  ;  it  has  al- 
most a  self-perpetuating  power  in  its  history.  It? shrines  will 
ever  be  sacred  to  those  who  recall  to  mind  the  thousands  of 
its  honored  members  who  have  entered  and  passed  through  it 
to  heaven— as  Bunyan's  Pilgrim,  when  on  his  march  to  Mount 
Zion,  entered  the  Palace  called  Beautiful,  to  find  temporary 
security  and  refreshment,  when  in  danger  on  the  dark  moun- 
tains. Its  members,  even  in  the  hour  of  death,  will  cling  to 
the  sentiment  of  its  corporate  signet,  "  Speremiis  Meliorar 


CHAPTER   XX. 

THE  PROTESTANT  EITSCOPAL  CHURCH.     { Trinity.) 


\ 


^l_lllJJ.-i-ryx!z 


THE    PROTESTANT    EPISCOPAL    CHURCH. 


The  Neiv  Jersey  Patriot,  published  in  Princeton,  in  August, 
1827,  contained  an  account  of  an  adjourned  meeting  of  persons 
friendly  to  the  erection  of  an  Episcop.U  church,  held  at  Joline's 
Hotel.  Robert  F.  Stockton  was  chairman,  and  John  R.  Thom- 
son was  secretary  of  the  meeting.  A  committee  consisting  of 
John  Potter,  Capt.  James  Renshaw,  John  R.  Thomson,  Sam- 


192  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

uel  J,  Bayard  and  Robert  F,  Stockton,  was  appointed  to  raise 
funds  for  the  purchase   of  a  lot. 

An  organization  was  not  formed,  however,  until  A.D.  1833. 
Several  meetings  were  held  in  that  year  with  a  view  of  organ- 
izing and  incorporating  a  parish.  A  meeting  was  held  on  the 
23d  day  of  March,  of  that  year,  when  the  following  wardens 
and  vestrymen  were  elected  : 

Wardens. — Charles  Steadman,  Dr.  J.  I.  Dunn. 

Vestrymen. — John  Potter,  R.  F.  Stockton,  C.  W.  Taylor, 
John  Thomson,  C.  H.  VanCleve. 

On  May  nth,  1833,  a  meeting  was  held  at  five  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon,  in  the  town  house  of  the  borough  of  Princeton, 
for  the  purpose  of  forming  a  corporate  organization,  and  of 
designating  the  name  and  title  by  which  the  church  should  be 
known.  It  was  decided,  by  a  majority  of  the  votes  of  those 
present,  that  the  corporate  name  and  title  should  be,  "  The 
Rector,  Wardens  and  Vestrymen  of  Trinity  Church,  Prince- 
ton." This  name  was  chosen  on  account  of  the  favor  with 
which  at  that  time;  the  views  of  Unitarians  were  received  by  ed- 
ucated people,  in  the  Eastern  and  Middle  States.  It  was  also 
determined  at  this  meeting  to  erect  a  church  building,  and  the 
following  persons  were  elected  as  a  building  committee  :  Mr. 
John  Potter,  Mr.  Charles  Steadman,  and  Dr.  J.  I.  Dunn, 

The  corner  stone  of  the  building  was  laid  July  4th,  1833,  by 
Bishop  Doane,  who  also  consecrated  the  completed  structure, 
Sept.  23d,  1834. 

The  Rt.  Rev.  William  White,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Pennsylvania, 
preached  on  the  occasion,  and  the  Rt.  Rev.  L.  S.  Ives,  D.D., 
Bishop  of  North  Carolina,  assisted  in  the  services. 

Soon  afterwards,  the  Rev.  George  E.  Hare,  D.D.,  was  re- 
quested to  assume  the  rectorship  of  the  parish.  He  at  once 
entered  upon  the  position,  and  continued  to  discharge  its  du- 
ties until  June  19th,  1843,  when  he  offered  his  resignation. 
The  following  is  a  complete  list  of  the  rectors  up  to  the  pres- 
ent time. 

The  Rev.  George  E.  Hare,  D.D.,  called  in  1833.  Re- 
signed June  19th,  1843. 

The  Rev.  Andrew  Bell  Paterson,  D.D.,  instituted 
Dec.  2d,   1845.      Resigned    October  6th,  185 1. 


THE   PROTESTANT  EPISCOPAL    CHURCH.  I93 

The  Rev.  Joshua  Peterkin,  D.D.,  called  May  3d,  1852. 
Resigned  Jan.  3d,  1855. 

The  Rev.  Wm.  D.  Hanson,  D.D.,  called  February  29th, 
1855.     Resig-ned  Sept.  7th,  1859. 

The  Rev.  Wm.  A.  Doi),  D.D.,  called  Nov.  29th,  1859. 
Resigned  in  the  spring  of  1866. 

The  Rev.  Alfred  B.  Baker  entered  on  the  duties  of  the 
rectorship  on  Easter  day,  April  1st,  1866,  and  is  still  discharg- 
ing the  duties  of  the  position.  The  church  has  had  liberal 
friends  and  supporters,  who,  from  time  to  time,  have  improved 
its  property,  and  enlarged  its  sphere  of  usefulness. 

In  the  year  1843,  a  rectory  was  built,  and  presented  to  the 
church,  by  Mr.  John  Potter.  This  being  afterwards  destroyed 
by  fire,  was  rebuilt  Vjy  Mrs.  Sarah  J.  Potter  in  1865-6.  Liberal 
endowments  have  been  made  to  the  church  by  Mr.  John  Pot- 
ter, Messrs.  James  Potter  and  Thomas  F.  Potter,  his  sons  ; 
and  by  Com.  R.  F.  Stockton. 

A  Parish  school  lot  was  given  to  the  church  by  Mr.  Rich- 
ard Stockton.  Augusl;  31st,  1849,  and  a  school  building  was  im- 
mediately erected  by  thQ  liberality  of  a  few  individuals,  the 
chief  contributor  being  Mr.  James  Potter.  The  church  bell  is 
in  the  tower  of  this  building. 

The  parish  is  also  indebted  to  Mr.  Richard  S.  Field  for  the 
gift  of  a  strip  of  land  which  enlarged  the  area,  and  straightened 
the  line  of  the  church  lot.  The  first  church  was  a  handsome 
white  Grecian  building,  rough-cast  and  standing  with  gables 
to  the  street. 

On  July  4th,  1868,  the  corner  stone  of  a  second  church  edi- 
fice was  laid  by  Bishop  Odenheimer,  and  the  edifice  was  imme- 
diately erected  upon  the  site  of  the  first  one  which  had  been 
removed  to  make  way  for  the  more  beautiful  and  capacious 
structure.  The  rector,  the  Rev.  A.  B.  Baker,  on  the  occasion  of 
the  laying  of  the  second  corner  stone,  read  a  paper  containing 
historical  notes  of  the  parish,  extracts  of  which  have  furnished 
the  statistics  given  in  this  article.  It  was  noted  ii\  the  paper, 
that  just  thirty-five  years  before,  on  the  same  national  holiday, 
the  corner  stone  of  the  first  church  was  laid.  It  was  also  noted 
that  the  subscription  for  the  new  church  was  started  by  Miss 
Alice  Potter  with  the  sum  often  thousand  dollars,  and  that  an- 
13 


794  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON, 

Other  subscription  of  five  thousand  dollars  was  immediately 
made  by  Mrs.  Richard  S.  Conover.  Liberal  additions  were  also 
made  to  the  building  fund  by  other  members  of  the  parish,  and 
a  building  committee,  consisting  of  Messrs.  Richard  S.  Conover, 
Joseph  H.  Bruere  and  Henry  W.  Leard  was  at  once  ap- 
pointed. Under  the  superintendence  of  this  committee,  the 
work  was  vigorously  prosecuted,  and  the  church  was  so  far 
completed  by  June  7th,  1870.  as  to  admit  of  its  consecration 
by  Bishop  Odenheimer.  It  is  built  of  Princeton  stone,  with 
brown  stone  trimmings.  Since  this  date,  the  tower  has  been 
added  to  the  church,  by  the  liberality  of  Mrs.  J.  Dundas 
Lippincott,  and  interior  decorations  have  been  undertaken  by 
the  executors  of  Mrs.  Sarah  J.  Potter,  in  accordance  with  the 
wish  expressed,  and  with  funds  bequeathed  in  her  last  will  and 
testament.  The  church,  which  consists  of  nave,  transept, 
central  tower  and  apsidal  chancel,  is  in  the  pointed  Gothic 
style,  and  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  in  the  State.  Its  chancel 
windows,  which  were  the  gift  of  Mrs.  Sarah  J.  Potter,  Mrs.  R.  S. 
Conover,  and  Miss  Maria  Stockton,  were  made  at  Newcastle- 
on-Tyne,  in  England.  ^Its  massive  memorial  font  was  the 
gift  of  Mrs.  Telfair  Hodgson;  and  for  its  organ,  the  parish  is 
mainly  indebted  to  the  liberal  offerings  of  Mr.  R.  S.  Conover 
and  Mrs.  John  R.  Thomson. 

The  wardens  and  vestrymen,  at  the  present  date,  are  as 
follows : 

Senior  Warden. — Joseph  H.  Olden. 

Jtinior  Warden  —].  Dundas  Lippincott. 

Vestrymen. — Richard  S .  Conover,  Joseph  H.  Bruere,  Ad- 
miral Geo.  F.  Emmons,  Charles  W.  Lynde,  Joseph  Priest, 
Henry  W.  Leard,  Prof.  Charles  McMillan" 

Treasurer  of  the  Parish. — Mr.  F.  S.  Conover.* 

*  This  narrative  was  furnished  bv  ihe  Rector. 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

THE  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH. 

"  Each  Society  "  of  the  M.  E.  Church  "is  divided  into 
smaller  companies  called  classes,  according  to  their  respective 
places  of  abode.  There  are  about  twelve  persons  in  a  class, 
one  of  whom  is  styled  the  leader."  These  classes  meet  weekly 
in  order  that  the  leader  may  "  inquire  how  their  souls  prosper, 
to  advise,  reprove,  comfort,  or  exhort,  as  occasion  may  require." 

The  first  "class"  was  organized  in  Princeton  by  Rev.  C.  IT. 
Whitecar,  in  the  year  1841  or  1842,  in  the  house  of  Samuel 
Stephens  in  Canal  Street,  who  was  also  appointed  "leader." 

The  first  sermon  by  a  Methodist  minister,  in  or  near  Prince- 
ton, was  preached  by  Rev.  Ezekiel  Cooper,  at  the  house  of 
Joshua  Anderson  about  the  year  1802.  David  Bartine  also 
preached  in  the  house  of  Captain  Blue  about  i8ioand  more  or 
less  frequently  after  that  period.  Methotlist  meetings  \\'ere 
also  held  in  an  old  pottery  at  Queenston  ;  but  all  attempts  to 
organize  a  "  society"  proved  failures  until  the  "  class  "  formed 
by  Rev.  C.  H.  Whitecar  ;  this  continued  in  existence  until  the 
present  church  edifice  was  built. 

In  the  year  1845  I'^cv.  T.  Campfield  held  a  series  of  meet- 
ings at  Cedar  Grove  which  resulted  in  an  extensive  revival. 
The  meetings  were  held  in  the  old  stone  school-house,  still 
standing,  and  about  one  hundred  persons  were  converted. 
The  present  Cedar  Grove  church  was  erected  soon  after  this, 
and  was  largely  aided  by  Mr.  Paul  Tulane,  who  afterwards 
bought  the  building  and  keeps  it  in  repair  for  the  benefit  of 
that  community  to  this  day. 

This  revival  at  Cedar  Grove  had  much  to  do  with  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Princeton. 

In  1847,  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Joseph  Ashbrook,  the 
present  church  edifice  was  erected.  The  lot  was  purchased  by 
Dr.  O.  H.  Bartine  of  Alexander  R.  Boteler  and  wife,  of  Shep- 
herdstown,  Virginia,  and  he  conveyed  it  to  the  trustees  of  the 


196  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

church.  As  there  were  but  few  Methodists  here  at  that  time, 
and  these  representing  but  little  wealth,  the  success  of  the 
undertaking  is  due  mainly  to  the  tact  and  energy  and  good 
management  of  Mr.  Ashbrook. 

Mr.  Ashbrook  remained  two  years  and  was  succeeded  by 
Rev.  Israel  Saunders  Corbit.  He  remained  two  years  and  during 
his  administration  there  was  a  large  increase  of  membership; 
the  membership  recorded  by  him  in  1S50,  including  probation- 
ers, numbered  145. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  pastors  and  the  time  they  were 
stationed  in  Princeton  : 

J.  Ashbrook,  1847  ^'^'^  1848  ;  I.  S.  Corbit,  1849  ^"^  1S50; 
S.  Y.  Monroe,  '851;  Aaron  E.  Ballard,  1852;  J.  S.  Heisler, 
1853  and  1854;  J.  Stephenson,  1855;  George  W.  Batchelder, 
i8S7  and  1858;  H.  T.  Staats,  1859;  I-  W.  Wiley,  i860;  T. 
Hanlon,  1861  and  1862;  I.  D.  King,  1863  ;  E.  Hance,  1864  and 
1865;  H.  C.  Westwood,  1866  and  1867;  H.  Baker,  Jr.,  1868 
and  1869;  A.  Lawrence,  1870  and  1S71  ;  H.  Belting,  1872 
and  1873;  Mr.  Sooy,  1874  and  1875;  Mr.  Lawrence,  1876 
and    1877;    Mr.   White,    187S. 

In  1866,  under  the 'pastorate  of  Rev,  IL  C.  Westwood,  the 
present  parsonage  was  built  and  handsomely  furnished  at  a 
cost  of  about  six  thousand  dollars. 

The  present  membership  numbers  175.  The  church  has 
suffered  greatly  by  removals.  What  has  been  gained  one  year 
is  lost  the  next,  in  that  so  many  are  dismissed  by  letter.  The 
Sunday  school  numbers  23  officers  and  teachers,  164  scholars, 
with  an  average  attendance  of  115.  There  are  400  volumes  in 
the  library  including  text-books. 

The  size  of  the  church  building  is  66  feet  by  48  feet,  with 
a  gallery,  and  will  seat  about  600  persons.  The  lecture  room 
in  the  basement  will  seat  225.  There  are  also  two  large  class 
rooms  and  library  adjoining  the  lecture  room.  The  value  of 
the  whole  property,  including  the  parsonage,  is  estimated  at 
twenty-one  thousand  dollars.  The  church  is  situate  on  the 
north  side  of  Nassau  Street  nearly  opposite  Washington  Street, 
and  is  built  of  brick,  and  the  parsonage  is  a  {(tw  doors  east  on 
the  same  side.* 

*  Sketch  furnished  by  Rev.  Mr.  Belting, 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

THE  BAPTIST  CHURCH. 

The  Baptist  Church  in  Princeton  is  an  exotic.  It  was  orig- 
inally planted  and  grew  up  at  Penn's  Neck,  which  in  early- 
times  was  called  Williamsburg,  about  one  and  a  half  miles  from 
the  centre  of  Princeton.  For  a  quarter  of  a  century  previous 
to  the  formation  of  the  church  at  that  place,  commencing 
three  or  four  years  after  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  War, 
there  had  been  preaching  by  Baptist  ministers  in  this  region, 
at  Princeton,  Penn's  Neck,  Lawrenceville  and  other  places 
around,  in  private  houses  and  wherever  opportunity  was  of- 
fered. During  those  years  several  clergymen  ministered  to 
the  scattered  Baptists,  none  frequently,  but  perhaps,  on  an 
average,  once  a  month. 

A  church  was  finally  organized  in  1812,  in  the  midst  of  the 
second  war  with  Great  Britain.  It  consisted,  at  the  start,  of 
thirty-eight  members,  and  received  for  two  or  three  years  the 
labors  of  the  Rev.  J.  Cooper  one-fourth  of  his  time.  A  meet- 
ing house  was  at  that  time  built  which  still  stands,  and  for 
which  the  people  of  Princeton,  of  that  day,  very  generally 
helped  to  pay.  Succeeding  Mr.  Cooper  in  1815  was  the  Rev. 
Henry  A.  Hastings,  who  gave  the  church  all  of  his  time  so  far 
as  ministering  on  the  Sabbath  was  concerned.  The  people 
could  pledge  him  for  those  services  only  $100  per  annum.  But 
they  supplemented  that  amount  by  a  school  of  twenty  children 
which  they  raised  for  him  and  which  yielded  him  $200  more 
for  his  support. 

Until  the  church's  removal  to  Princeton,  in  1852,  several 
other  ministers  served  it  at  Penn's  Neck. 

Between  1821  and  1852   there  succeeded   each    other  John 

Seger,  Peter ,  George  Allen,  D.  Perdun,  P.  Strumphers, 

George  Allen  again,  Jackson  Smith,  D.  D.  Gray  and  William 


^98  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

C.  Ulyat.     In  1818,  six  years  after  being  constituted,  they  had 
made  Httle  progress  and  were  very  feeble.     Through  the  labors 
about  this  time,  of  Howard  Malcolm,  a  Baptist  student  in  the 
Princeton  seminary,  they  were  considerably  strengthened.     Yet 
in  1829,  seventeen  years  after  organization,  their  membership 
was  only  thirty,  eight  less   than   the  number  which   originally 
composed  the  church.     A  {^^y  years  later  they  were  much  re- 
freshed by  the  labors  of  Thomas  L.  Malcolm,  a  son  of  Howard, 
who  also  was  a  Baptist  student   in   the   seminary.     From   this 
time  the  church  began  to  look  up.      Under  Mr.  Gray  they  at- 
tained a  height  which  they  have  scarcely  since  surpassed.     For 
though  they  have  grown  in  wealth,  in  liberality  and  in  respect- 
ability, they  have  not  grown  with  equal  steps  in  spirituality 
and  enterprise;  and  though  they  have  received  additions,  these 
have  not  been  sufficient  to  meet  the  losses  occasioned  by  death, 
removal  and  other  causes,  except  for  a  limited  period. 

In  185  I,  during  the  pastorate  of  the   Rev.  VVm.  C.  Ulyat. 
they  built  their   house  in   Canal   Street   in    Princeton,  on  land 
given  to  them  by  Richard  Stockton,  Esq.     The  original  inten- 
tion was  to  abandon  Penn's  Neck  and  move  over  to  Princeton 
in  a  body.     The  reason  for   this  step  was  that  their  place  of 
worship  might  be  not  Only  in  the  centre  of  all  the  people  but 
of  their  own  already  gathered  congregation.     As,  however,  the 
new  edifice   in   Princeton   neared   completion,  it  was  manifest 
that  a   considerable   number  still  clung   to  the  original  spot. 
They  were  therefore  set  off  in  a  separate  church,  vvhich  con- 
tinued six  years  and  then  disbanded.     As  the  Rev.  Mr.  Ulyat 
was  involved  in  blame,  whether  justly  or  unjustly,  he  deemed 
it  prudent   to  withdraw,  in   hope  that  the  whole  body  would 
unite  in  the  new  departure,  which,  however,  was  not  the  result 
of  his  resignation. 

Since  commencing  worship  in  the  new  house  in  Canal 
Street,  which  was  in  December,  1852,  the  church,  besides 
supplies  at  intervals,  has  had  six  regular  pastors,  viz  :  the  Rev. 
Samuel  Sproule,  VVm.  E.  Cornwell,  George  Young,  John  B. 
Hutchinson,  H.  V.  Jones,  and  Wm.  C.  Ulyat;  the  latter  being 
recalled  to  the  church,  yielded  his  acceptance  only  upon  re- 
peated and  pressing  overtures.  For  several  years  the  church 
seemed  to  bear  itself  well,  and  enjoy  a  good  success.     But  the 


THE   BAPTIST  CHURCH.  1 99 

Strong  and  energetic  labors  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hutchinson,  both 
in  the  pulpit,  and  out  of  it,  could  not  hold  it.  It  began  to  de- 
cline towards  the  close  of  his  pastorate,  and  has  continued  to 
do  so  since,  with  accelerated  steps. 

From  the  organization  of  the  church  to  the  present  time, 
there  have  joined  it,  on  profession  of  faith  or  by  letter,  over 
five  hundred  persons.  In  the  height  of  its  prosperity  it  has 
had  as  many  as  two  hundred  communicants,  at  one  time.  Its 
location,  however,  in  Canal  Street  has  been  against  it  ;  and 
its  congregation  has  always  come  chiefly  from  the  country. 
These,  among  other  causes,  have  brought  on  its  decline. 
It  has  a  comfortable  meeting  house  and  ample  grounds.  It 
has  also  had  able  pastors.  Jkit  these  have  not  been  sufficient 
to  build  up  a  church  out  of  a  scattered  people,  in  the  midst 
of  a  community  committed  in  childhood  and  by  presti'To,  to 
another  great  overshadowing  denomination,  and  in  a  town  of 
very  slow  growth.  The  great  hindrance  to  the  success  of  this 
church  in  Princeton,  is  found  in  the  fact  that  the  great  body 
of  the  congregation  come  from  Penn's  Neck  where  they  still 
hold  a  meeting  house  and  burial  ground.  And  it  is  probable, 
that  if  they  could  sell  to  advantage,  this  house  in  Canal  Street, 
they  would  all  return  to- their  original  shrines  at  Penn's  Neck. 
They  are  in  debt  and  are  not  able  to  support  a  pastor  in 
Princeton  in  a  proper  manner,  under  present  circumstances. 
It  is  hoped  that  some  relief  will  be  afforded  to  them.* 

There  was  a  Second  Baptist  church  of  Princeton  organized 
by  a  few  members  who  took  a  "  New  Departure  "  from  the 
original  one,  when  the  recent  dissension  took  place,  and  the 
majority  returned  to  the  house  at  Penn's  Neck.  Their  worship 
is  held  in  the  private  house  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Ulyat,  who 
preaches  occasionally  there,  to  a  small  company.  The  Penn's 
Neck  congregation  have  sold  their  Princeton  building,  to  Mr. 
Norris  for  $3000;  and  have  enlarged  and  improved  their  build- 
ing at  Penn's  Neck;  and  finished  it  with  a  steeple.  The  Rev. 
Mr.  Grennelle  is  the  pastor  of  it. 

*  This  article  has  been  furnished  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Ulyat.  ' 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 

THE  SECOND  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH. 


THE    SECOND     PRESBYTERIAN     CHURCH. 


The  history  of  the  organization  of  the  Second  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Princeton,  and  of  its  progress  to  the  year  1876,  may 
be  found  in  a  discourse  deHvered  by  the  Rev.  John  T.  Duffield, 
D.D.,  in  the  church,  July  9,  1876,  and  which  was  pubh'shed. 
We  are  permitted  to  insert  so  much  of  this  historical  narrative 
as  may  be  necessary  to  do  justice  to  this  church.  No  person 
is  more  interested  in,  nor  familiar  with,  its  history  than  Dr.  Duf- 


THE   SECOND  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH.  201 

field,  whose  name  stands  first  on  the  roll  of  its  living  members. 
He  says : 

The  question  of  organizing  a  Second  Presbyterian  Church  in  Princeton  was 
under  consideration  for  some  time  before  the  organization  was  effected. 

The  need  of  increased  church  accommodations,  to  meet  the  tlien  existing  and 
especially  the  prospective  demand,  was  acknowledged;  but  on  tlic  i-ilicr  han.!,  ii 
was  apprehended  by  some  that  two  Presbyterian  churches  could  not  be  .sustained 
in  this  community,  and  consequently,  that  the  power  and  efficiency  of  Presbyterian- 
ism  in  Princeton  would  be  weakened  rather  than  strengthened  by  the  organization 
of  a  second  church.  Doubt  as  to  the  proper  locality  for  a  new  church  edifice  in 
case  a  second  church  was  organized,  also  contributed  to  delay  the  organization. 
For  a  number  of  years  there  had  been  a  Sabbath  school  and  an  afternoon  service, 
under  the  supervision  of  the  session  of  the  Presbyterian  cluirch,  in  tlie  building  in 
Queenston,  erected  on  a  lot  given  by  John  C.  Schenck,  Esq.,  to  certain  trustees — 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  church — for  the  purposes  mei^tioned  ;  and  it  was  urged 
by  some  that  when  the  time  came  for  tlie  organization  of  a  second  church  it  should 
occupy  the  building  referred  to.     Others  regarded  this  location  as  unsuitable. 

In  the  fall  of  1847,  at  a  meeting  of  "  The  Ministers'  Association  "  in  Dr.  Miller's 
-Study — an  association  of  the  Presbyterian  ministers  of  Princeton,  which  met  once  a 
fortnight — the  propriety  of  organizing  a  second  Presbyterian  church  was  considered, 
and  it  was  concluded  that  the  organization  ought  not  to  be  longer  delayed.  Ac- 
cordingly a  public  meeting  of  all  interested  was  convened  in  Mercer  Hall  to  con- 
sider the  question  and  to  take  such  action  as  might  be  deemed  expedient. 

The  propriety  of  taking  immediate  steps  to  effect  the  organization  was  advo- 
cated by  Dr.  Archibald  Alexander,  Dr.  John  Maclean,  Dr.  Benjamin  II.  Rice, 
(pastor  of  the  First  church,)  and  John  F.  Ilageman,  Esq.  The  result  was  an  aj^pli- 
cation  to  the  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick  at  its  meeting  at  Middletown  Point, 
October  5th,  1847,  to  appoint  a  committee  to  visit  Princeton,  and  if  "  the  way  should 
he  clear,"  to  proceed  to  the  organization  of  a  chur^-h,  to  be  known  as  the  Second 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Princeton.  The  request  was  granted,  and  Drs.  Hall,  Hale 
and  Henry  were  appointed  the  committee.  In  the  discharge  of  the  duty  assigned 
them,  they  met  in  Princeton,  in  Mercer  Hall,  December  23,  1847,  and  organized 
into  a  church  the  following  twelve  persons — John  T.  Robinson,  Mrs.  James  H. 
Green.  Wm.  R.  Murphy,  Moore  Baker,  Mrs.  Mary  Ann  Baker,  Jacob  IIul)bard, 
Mrs.  Jacob  Hubbard,  Mrs.  Mary  Murphy,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  C.  Allen,  Mrs.  Catherine 
Allen,  from  the  fust  Presbyterian  Church  of  Princeton,  and  John  T.  Duffield,  from 
the  Presljyterian  Church  of  McConnellsburg,  Pa. 

There  is  one  whose  name  does  not  appear  in  the  original  organization  to  whom 
the  Second  Presbyterian  Church  of  Princeton  is  more  largely  indebted  fur  its  ex- 
istence and  the  measure  of  prosperity  it  enjoys,  than  to  any  individual  on  its  roll 
of  members  — I  need  scarcely  say  here  that  I  refer  to  Dr.  Maclean.  By  the  rec- 
ommendation of  his  bretliren  he  associated  himself  with  the  new  enterprise  — 
"taking  the  oversight  thereof."  Devoting  himself  tu  its  interests  with  his  charac- 
teristic energy  and  liberality,  he  was  regarded  by  all  as  its  main  stay  and  support, 
so  that  for  many  years  this  church  was  known  in  the  community  as  "  Dr.  Mac- 
lean's Church." 

At  the  organization  of  the  church.  Colonel  (then  Captain)  Wm.  R.  Murphy  was 


202  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

elected  ruling  elder,  and  was  ordained  to  the  office  on  Sunday,  January  2,  1848, 
by  the  Rev.  Syniines  C.  Henry,  D.D.  The  Rev.  Cieorge  Bush  was  engaged  as  a 
temporary  supply,  and  Mr.  James  VanDeventer  having  generously  (ifl'ered  the  | 
church  the  use  of  Mercer  Hall  for  one  year  gratuitously,  religious  services  on  the 
Sabbath  were  commenced  in  that  place  and  continued  to  be  held  there  for  more 
than  two  years. 

A  congregational  meeting  for  the  election  of  a  pastor  was  held  in  Mercer  Hall, 
Fell.  9,  1S4S.  Dr.  Arciiiliald  Alexander — who  always  manifested  a  deep  interest 
in  the  welfare  of  the  Second  church — presided  at  this  lueeting.  Dr.  Archibald 
Alexander,  Jr.,  was  Secretary.  Prof.  Wm.  H.  Green,  at  that  time  Assistant 
Teacher  of  Hebrew  in  the  Seminary,  was  unanimously  tlecle<l  pastor  ;  and  as  an 
indication  of  the  pecuniary  feebleness  of  the  church  in  its  infancy,  it  may  be 
proper  to  mention  that  the  salary  of  the  pastor  was  $300.  Prof,  drcen  was  never 
installed  as  pastor,  Init  for  about  a  year  and  a  half  discliarged  the  duties  of  the 
pastoral  office  as  slated  supply. 

At  the  first  communion  of  the  church,  on  May  28,  1848,  twenty  persons  were 
received  on  profession  of  their  faith — the  subjects  of  this  gracious  work — the  first 
fruits  of  the  blessing  which  the  church  has  already  been,  and  we  trust  is  destined 
yet  to  be  in  larger  measure,  to  this  community. 

Prof.  Green  was  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  Central  Presbyterian  church  in 
Philadelphia  in  the  fall  of  1849.  He  accepted  the  call  and  for  a  time  the  Rev. 
George  Bush  again  officiated  as  sujiply  of  the  Secoml  church.  Up  to  this  time 
the  church  had  had  but  one  elder.  In  Sept.,  1S49,  Peter  .Sullivan,  who  had  l)een 
received  into  the  church  about  a  year  previous,  by  certificate  from  the  Reformed 
Dutch  Church,  was  elected  to  the  eldership,  and  h.iviiig  accepted,  was  ordained 
by  Mr.  Iiu>h. 

About  the  time.  Prof.  Green  left,  a  lot  was  purchased  for  the  church  by  Dr. 
Maclean,  John  T.  Robinson  and  John  Murphy — thev  becoming  personally  re- 
.sponsible  for  the  payment — ami  a  contract  entered  into  with  Noah  Green  f(jr  the 
erection  of  a  church  edifice.    The  builaing  was  com])leted  at  a  cost  of  about  $4,000. 

In  the  spring  of  1850,  shortly  after  I  had  received  licensure,  I  was  elected 
.stated  supply  of  the  Second  church  for  one  year.  I  was  at  that  time  a  tutor  in 
the  college.  I  accepted_the  invitation  and  entered  upon  the  duties  when  the  con- 
gregation took  possession  of  their  new  Church  edifice— the  building  now  known  as 
"Cook's  Hall" — on  the  first  Sabbath  of  April,  1850.  The  whole  number  on  the 
roll  of  the  church  at  that  time  was  49 — of  whom  23  had  been  received  by  profes- 
sion of  faith,  and  26  by  certificate. 

My  engagement  with  the  church  was  to  attend  to  pastoral  duties,  preach 
once  on  the  Sabbath,  and  provide  a  supply  for  the  pulpit  for  the  second  service. 
The  pulpit  in  the  afternoon  was  usually  supplied  by  one  of  the  professors  of  the 
college  or  seminary — by  none  more  frequently  than  by  Drs.  James  \V.  and  Addi- 
son Alexander. 

In  the  spring  of  1851,  I  was  re-elected  stated  supply  for  another  year.  At  the 
termination  of  this  engagement  the  number  on  the  church /oil  was  S3. 

REV.  WILLIAM  A.  DOD,  PASTOR. 

The  church  had  now  been  in  existence  more  than  four  years  and  yet  had  never 
had  an  installed  pastor.       Those  who  had  had  the   ministerial  charge,  were  occu- 


l^HE   SECOiVD  PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH.  203 

pied  the  greater  part  of  their  time  with  their  duties  in  the  college  and  seminary. 
It  was  felt  that  the  interests  of  the  church  demanded  that  it  should  he  placed  in 
charge  of  some  one  who  could  devote  his  whole  time  and  attention  to  the  work  of 
the  ministry.  Accordingly  on  the  ist  of  April,  1852,  the  Rev.  VVm.  A.  Dod  was 
elected  stated  supply  for  six  months,  with  a  view  to  his  election  as  pastor  at  the 
expiration  of  that  time  if  he  should  give  his  consent  to  the  arrangement.  Dr.  Dod 
accepted  the  appointment  and  immediately  entered  on  its  duties.  Ou  the  2Slh  of 
Septemher  following  he  was  elected  jiastor  and  installed.  He  continued  to  have 
the  pastoral  charge  until  Jan.  i6th,  1859.  In  the  early  part  of  his  ministry  the 
entire  debt  of  the  church,  amounting  to  about  $1,500,  was  paid  off. 

In  the  spring  of  1857,  Capt.  Murphy  having  removed  to  Bordentown,  and  Mr. 
Sullivan  being  the  only  elder  remaining,  John  T.  Robinson,  A.  Cruser  Rowl.ind, 
and  Nathaniel  Titus,  were  elected  to  the  eldership,  and  Elijah  Allen  and  A.  D. 
Rittenhouse  were  elected  to  the  Diaconate.  At  the  close  of  Dr.  Dod's  niini.s- 
try,  the  number  of  names  on  the  cluirch  roll  — including  those  who  had  deceased  or 
had  been  dismissed,  was  189. 

On  the  loth  of  April,  1859,  Charles  R.  Clarke  was  elected  stated  supply  for 
one  year,  and  accepted  the  appointment.  At  the  expiration  of  this  engagement 
the  churcli  was  for  near  t  year  without  any  regular  suiiply.  The  l-iev.  John  For- 
syth, D.D.,  who  had  frequently  supplied  the  pulpit  of  the  Second  cluuch  when 
Professor  in  the  college— and  always  with  great  acceptance — was  elected  i)astor 
on  the  8lh  of  June,  l86o,  but  did  not  accept.  At  the  same  meeting  James  Wylie 
was  elected  to  the  eldership.  On  the  30ih  of  October  the  Rev.  Thomas  G.  Wall 
was  elected  pastor,     lie  also  declined  the  appointment. 

REV.  JOSEPH   R.  MANN.   PASTOR. 

On  the  2Sth  of  January,  i86r,  Joseph  R.  Mann,  D.D.,  was  elected  pastor,  and 
much  to  the  joy  of  the  congreg.\tion  the  call  was  accepteti.  He  entered  on  hi's  du- 
ties, the  1st  of  April  following,  and  was  installed  Pastor  on  the  evening  of  Friday, 
May  3d. 

The  ministry  of  Dr.  Mann  marks  a  new  era  in  the  history  of  the  church.  From 
its  commencement  his  labors  were  crowned  with  the  divine  blessing,  resulting  in  a 
large  accession  to  the  communion  of  the  church  and  a  marked  increase  in  the  zeal, 
activity  and  liberality  of  the  members.  The  regular  congregation  was  soon  doubled 
in  number,  nearly  every  pew  was  rented  and  measures  were  taken  to  provide  in- 
creased church  accommodations  by  an  enlargement  of  the  building.  The  drawin"-s 
were  prepared,  but  just  as  the  work  was  about  to  be  commenced  the  deplorable  re- 
bellion against  the  authority  of  the  Federal  Government  began  to  assume  such 
formidable  proportions  that  it  was  thought  best  that  the  enlargement  should  be,  for 
the  time,  delayed.  During  the  war  the  same  reasons  which  prevented  the  enlarge- 
ment of  the  church  in  1861  continued,  In  Dec,  1864,  Dr.  Mann  was  constrained, 
by  the  state  of  his  health,  to  resign  the  pastoral  charge.  During  his  ministry  95 
were  added  to  the  communion  of  the  church,  making  the  whole  number  of  names 
on  the  roll  284. 

In  the  spring  of  1864,  by  the  will  of  Mrs.  Agnes  B.  Hope— widow  of  Prof.  M. 
B.  Hope,  D.D., — the  church  received  a  legacy  of  $1,000,  "to  be  safely  invested 
and  the  annual  income  appropriated  to  the  support  of  tiie  minister  or  ministers  of 
the  said  church  and  congregation."     Both  Professor  and  Mrs.  Hope  had,  for  many 


204  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

years,  taken  a  deep  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  Second  church,  and  by  their  liberal 
gifts  and  active  co-operation  in  all  church  work,  had  contributed  largely  to  its  pros- 
perity. 

Elders  John  T.  Robinson  and  A.  Cruser  Rowland  having  died,  and  James  Wylie 
having  removed  from  Princeton  during  Dr.  Mann's  ministry,  the  only  elder  re- 
maining was  Nathaniel  Titus.  On  the  9th  of  April,  1865,  C.  S.  Cook  and  Geo.  II. 
Burroughs  were  elected  to  the  eldership,  and  having  accepted,  they  were  subsequent- 
ly installed. 

At  a  meeting  held  on  April  17,  1865,  the  Rev.  Charles  E.Hart  was  elected 
pastor,  but  declined  the  appointment. 

About  the  1st  of  January,  1S66,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Mcllvaine,  of  the  college,  accepted 
an  invitation  to  supply  the  pulpit  of  the  Second  church,  and  discharge  pastoral 
duties  until  a  pastor  should  be  obtained. 

REV.  SPENCER  L.  FINNEY,  PASTOR. 

In  the  spring  of  1865  the  Rev.  Spencer  L.  Finney,  pastor  of  a  Reformed  (Pres- 
byterian) church  in  the  city  of  New  York,  removed  with  his  family  to  Princeton,  re- 
taining his  pastoral  charge  in  New  York.     During  the  year  he  preached  occasion- 
ally in  one  or  other  of  the  Princeton  churches,  and  took  part  in  the  weekly  meetings 
for  prayer.      His  services  were  always  highly  appreciated.     The  observance  of  the 
day  of  prayer  for  schools   and    colleges,  in    February,  1865,  was   followed   with   a 
precious  outpouring  of  the  spirit  on  our  college.     The  gracious  work  extended  into 
the  town,  and  so  deep  was  the  interest  that  tiie  pastors  of  the  Presbyterian,  Metho- 
dist and  Baptist  churches  united  in  recommending  to  the  community  the  observance 
of  Thursday,  the  l6th  of  March,  as  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer  for  the  continuance 
and  increase  of  the  blessing.     Union  services  were  held   in   the  First  Presbyterian 
church  in  the  forenoon,  in  the  Second  church  in  the  afternoon,  and    in    the   Metho- 
dist church  in  the  evening.     Seldom,  if,  ever,  has  a  fast  d^y  been  observed  in  Prince- 
ton with  more  marked  solemnity.     I\Iost  of  the  places  of  business  were  closed,  and 
crowded  audiences  attended  the  appointed  services.     By  invitation  of  the  pastors, 
Mr.  Finney  preached  at  the  morning  service  in  the  First  church.     Throughout  the 
exercises  the  presence  of  the  spirit  of  God  was  specially  manifested.     Both  preacher 
and  hearers  were  evidently  moved  with  unwonted  power  by  His  gracious  influence. 
This  service  did  much  to  confirm  the  impression  which  had  previously  been  made, 
that  the  interests  of  religion  in  this  community  would  be  greatly  promoted  by  se- 
curing, if  possible,  Mr.  Finney  as  the  pastor  of  our  church.     Our  inal)ility  to  offer 
him  an  adequate  salary  seemed  for  the  lime  an  insuperable  obstacle.     In  this  emer- 
gency the  same  generous  benefactress  of  our  churcli,  who  had  contributed  one-third 
of  the  salary  of  the  previous  pastor,  proposed   that  if  the   church   should   call    Mr. 
Finney  on  a  salary  of  $1,000  she  would  for  three  years  supplement  it  by  the  addi- 
tion of  $800.     The  offer  was  accepted  and   Mr.  Finney  was  unanimously  called  to 
the  pastorate  at  a  congregational  meeting,  held  June  I2th,  1866.     Although  the  ac- 
ceptance of  this  call  required  of  Mr.  Finney  a  considerable  pecuniary  sacrifice,  the 
providence  of  God  seemed  to  indicate  that  it  was  his  duty  to  enter  on   the  respon- 
sible field  of  labor  to  which  he   had   been    invited.     He   accordingly   accepted    the 
call  and  was  installed  pastor,  August  31,  1866. 

When  Mr.  Finney  entered  on  his  duties  it  was  with  the  deep  conviction  on  his 
own  mind,  and  on  the  minds  of  others  interested  in  the  welfare  of  the  church,  that 


THE    SECOND  PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH.  205 

the  time  had  come  for  the  erection  of  a  new  cluirch   edifice.     Almost  every  pew  in 
each  church  was  rented.     Increased  church  accommodations  were  indispensable  if 
Presbyterianism  was  to  make  any  advance  in   Princeton.     As  no  one  at  tliat  time 
suggested  the  enlargement  of  the  First  church,  liie  work  seemed  to  devolve  upon  us. 
In  determining  the  character  and  site  of  the  new  building  there  Was,  for  a  time, 
a  difference  of  opinion  among  those  interested.     Some  favored  the  enlargement  of 
the  old  church  or  the  erection  ofa  new  one  on  the  same  site,  as  more  convenient 
for  that  portion  of  the  population  residing  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  town.     On  the 
other  hand,  it  was  urged,  that  after  twenty  years'  exjierience  there  was  no  tendency 
in  the  Presbyterian  portion  of  the  community  to  divide  geographically.     The  grepter 
part  of  the  Presbyterians  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  town  continued  in  communion 
with  the  First  church,  while   a  large   proportion   of  the    members  of  the   Second 
church  resided  in  the  western  part  of  the  town.     A  building  near  the  central  part  of 
the  town  would  be  more  convenient  to  at   least    two-thiids   of  the   Second    church 
congregation.      It  was  urged  further  that  if  our  church  was  ever  to  become  self-sus- 
taining, a  large  edifice  in  the  central  part  of  the  town   was   indispensable.     Tliese 
considerations  prevailed,  yet  a  serious  obstacle  seemed  to  be  the  expense  of  such  a 
site  as  was  needed.      By  the  generosity  of  the  same  friend  of  the  church,  to  whose 
benefactions  we  have  p.eviously  had  occasion  to  refer,  this  obstacle  was  removed. 
She  proposed  to  purchase  the  valuable  lot  on  which  liie  building  now  stands  (then 
covered  in  part  with  the  unsightly  relics  ofa  dilapidated  foundry)  and  present  it  to 
the  church  provided  the  congiegation  should  conclude  that  it  was  the  most  desira- 
ble location,  and  would  proceed  to  erect  upon   it   such   an   edifice   as   was   needed. 
At  a  meeting  of  the   congregation,   held  July  31,  1866— subsequent  to  the  call  of 
Mr.  Finney,  but  before  his  acceptance  and  installation— after  due  deliberation   and 
prayer  for  Divine  direction,  it  was  resolved  "  that  the  generous  offer  of  Mrs.  Susan 
D.  Brown,  ofa  lot  at  the  corner  of  Chambers  and  Nassau  Streets,  be  accepted,  and 
that  immediate  measures  be  taken  for  the  erection  thereon  of  a  new  church  edifice." 
A  building  committee  was  appointed  consisting  of  the  Tlev.  Mr.  Finney,  Elder  C. 
S.  Cook,  A.  L.  Rowland  and  myself.  Mrs.  Brown  was  also  laade  an  honorary  mem- 
ber of  the  committee.     As  soon  as  practicable  a  plan  for  the  building  was  adopted, 
the  necessary  drawings  and  specifications  prepared,  the  work  commenced  under  the 
superintendence  of  Mr.  John   Murphy,  and   before  the  close  of  the  year  1866  the 
foundation  walls  were  completed,  at  an  expense  of  about  $5,000. 

On  May  15,  1867,  a  contract  was  entered  into  with  Mr.  Henry  W.  Leard  to 
finish  the  building,  with  the  exception  of  the  spire,  for  $45,300.  To  diminish  the 
immediate  expense,  it  was  subsequently  thought  best  to  leave  the  front  of  the  build- 
ing, including  the  tower,  in  its  present  unfinished  state,  and  for  these  omissions  a 
deduction  was  made  from  the  amount  above  mentioned  of  $5,700.  The  entire 
cost  of  the  lot  and  building,  as  it  now  stands,  was  about  §55,000.  While  we  would 
devoutly  exjiress  our  gratitude  to  God  for  Mis  favor  toward  us  throughout  our  un- 
dertaking, it  is  proper  that  we  should  record  our  obligation  to  His  instrument, 
through  whose  munificent  liberality  we  were  cnaljled  to  prosecute  our  work  to  its 
present  state  of  completion.  Thirty  thousand  dollars — more  than  one-half  the 
entire  cost  of  this  lot  and  building— were  contributed  l)y  Mrs.  Susan  D.  Brown, 
and  so  long  as  this  edifice  stands,  it  will  stand  a  monument  of  her  generosity  and 
of  her  love  for  the  Church  of  her  Redeemer. 

The  labors  of  the  Rev.  J.  H.  Mcllvaine,  D.D.,  in  obtaining  pecuniary  aid  de- 


206  HISTORY   OF  PRINCETOISf. 

serve  grateful  mention  in  this  record.  He  presented  the  claims  of  our  church  in 
several  of  the  pulpits  of  New  York  city,  and  subsequently  by  personal  ajiplication 
obtained  contributions  amounting  to  over  $5,000.  Several  tiiousand  dollars  addi- 
tional were  obtained  in  New  York,  through  otiier  friends  of  the  church.  Among 
the  contributors  we  find  the  names  of  some  well  known  in  this  community  for  their 
generous  interest  in  Princeton  :  R.  L.  and  A.  Stuart  (who  subscribed  §1,000  on 
condition  that  the  church  would  seat  1,000  persons),  John  C.  Cliccn,  laim--,  l.ciiox, 
Wm.  Paton,  James  Brown,  John  T.  Johnson,  Harvey  P'isk,  Tohu  A.  -:,  uuit,  Henry 
M.  Alexander,  Wm.  C.  Alexander,  Ashbel  Green,  Robert  Carter,  Mrs.  Kdwin  Ste- 
vens. The  subscriptions  in  Princeton,  outside  of  our  own  congregation,  amounted 
to  about  $1,500,  contributed  Ijy  Joseph  H.  Bruere,  John  F.  Hageman,  Charles 
Hodge,  Alex.  T.  McGill,  Wm.  H.  Green,  C.  W.  1  lodge,  George  Sheldon,  Arnold 
Guyot,  George  T.  Olmsted,  James  VanDeventer,  S.  W.  Olden,  John   R.  Slayback. 

At  the  request  nf  Mrs.  Sarah  A.  P)rown,  a  portion  of  her  contribution  to  the 
church  was  ajipropriated  to  defraying  the  expense  of  the  large  window  in  the  front 
of  the  chuich,  that  it  might  be  a  memorial  of  a  beloved  daughter.  Miss  Caroline 
Elmer  Ihown,  who  died  in  July,  1S67. 

The  corner-stone  of  the  building  was  laid  with  appnioriale  ceremonies  on  the 
14th  day  of  August,  1S67.  Drs.  Hodge,  Maclean,  Mcllvaine,  Atwater,  Mann,  Mr. 
Finney  and  myself  took  part  in  the  services. 

The  church  was  dedicated  on  Thursday,  December  4,  1S6S.  The  sermon  on  the 
occasion  was  jjreached  by  Dr.  Hodge.  In  the  afternoon  Dr.  McCosh,  who  had  re- 
cently been  inaugurated  president  of  the  college,  preached  to  a  crowded  audience 
— with  the  exception  of  a  sermon  delivered  in  the  college  chapel,  the  first  sermon 
preached  by  him  in  tiiis  country  afier  his  arrival. 

Mr.  Finney  continued  pastor  of  the  church  about  six  years.  During  his  minis- 
try 156  were  added  to  the  church,  75  of  these  by  profession  of  faith — about  the  same 
number  that  was  received  by  profession  to  the  communion  of  the  First  church  lUir- 
ing  the  same  period.  While  his  labors  were  thus  blessed  in  the  admi.ision  of  mem- 
bers the  church  lost  a  number  of  its  more  prominent  members  by  death  and  by 
removal  from  Princeton,  so  that  the  financial  strength  of  the  congregation  was  con- 
siderably diminished.  The  debt  of  the  church — at  the  time  of  the  iledication  about 
$8, coo,  and  which  was  subsequently  increased — ])roved  a  serious  obstacle  to  its 
prosperity.  It  was  found  impossible  to  pay  the  interest  on  this  large  sum  and  also 
the  pastor's  salary  and  other  current  expenses.  Under  these  circumstances 
Mr.  Finney  felt  it  his  duty  to  tender  his  resignation,  to  take  effect  November  i, 
1871. 

During  the  pastorate  of  Mr.  Finney,  Alexander  Gray  was  elected  to  the  elder- 
ship, January  23,  1S67,  and  J.  T.  L.  Anderson  and  Cornelius  l>al:er,  September  30, 
1S70.     For  more  than  a  year  the  church  was  without  a  pastor. 

While  the  church  was  without  a  pastor,  a  vigorous  effort  was  made  to  liquidate 
the  debt  of  the  church.  A  subscription  paper  was  circulated,  a  system  of  weekly 
contributions  through  envelopes  was  introduced,  and  a  collection  taken  at  every 
service.  By  this  effort  the  debt  was  reduced  to  about  $6,000.  It  may  be  proper  to 
mention  here  that  at  the  commencement  of  the  present  year  the  debt  was  about 
$5,000,  and  that  in  consequence  of  a  proposition  of  Mrs.  Susan  D.  Brown  to  pay  for 
one  year  as  much  as  the  rest  of  the  congregation  may  pay  weekly  through  envel- 
opes for  the  licjuidation  of  the  debt,    an   effort   is  now  being  made   which,  there  is 


THE   SECOND  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH.  20/ 

good  reason  lo  believe,  will  result  in  freeing  the  church  from  the  encumbrance  with 
which  it  has,  since  tlie  erection  of  tliis  edifice,  been  embarrassed.* 

In  the  fall  of  1873  the  Rev.  Wm.  A.  McCorkle,  D.D.,  who  had  resigned  his 
charge  in  Boston  on  account  of  the  severity  of  the  climate,  removed  to  Princeton  to 
place  his  sons  in  college.  Having  preached  on  several  occasions  in  both  churches, 
his  services  were  received  with  .such  general  and  decided  favor  that  he  was  invited 
to  take  charge  of  our  pulpit  for  three  months,  to  preach  for  us  whenever  his  en- 
gagements did  not  call  iiim  elsewhere.  Before  the  expiration  of  this  engagement 
the  congregation  was  so  impi'cssed  with  his  eminent  (}ualifications  for  the  p.^slorate 
of  our  church  that  a  meeting  was  called  and  a  committee  appointed  to  canvass  the 
congregation,  and  learn  what  amount,  in  addition  to  tlie  ordinary  receipts  from 
pew-rents,  could  be  obtained  by  private  subscription  for  his  support.  To  the  sur- 
prise and  gratification  of  all,  about  §;r, 800  were  pledged,  and  he  was  invited  lo 
take  charge  of  our  pulpit  as  stated  sup]-)ly  for  cjue  year,  on  a  salary  of  $3,000. 
It  was  scarcely  to  be  e-xpectcd  that  so  great  a  strain  on  the  financial  resources  of 
the  church  could  be  continued,  yet  so  highly  esteemed  were  his  ministrations 
that  at  the  end  of  the  year,  when  an  effort  lo  raise  a  sum  by  private  sul:)scription 
was  again  made,  the  amount  pledged  was  so  nearly  equal  to  that  of  the  preceding 
year,  that  the  congregatixjn  felt  justified  in  inviting  him  to  continue  as  stated  sup- 
ply for  another  year  on  a  salary  of  $3,000,  or  to  be  installed  as  pastor  on  a  salary  of 
$2,000.  The  former  proposition  was  accepted.  At  the  close  of  the  second,  vear  a 
subscription  paper  was  again  circulated.  0\\i\ig  U>  changes  in  the  financial  cir- 
cumstances of  tlie  congregation,  the  amount  subscribed  was  somewhat  diminished, 
yet  the  result  was  such  as  to  enalde  the  congregation  to  invite  him  to  continue  to 
supply  the  pulpit  for  another  year  on  a  salary  of  $2,500.  Shortly  afler  this  invita- 
tion, Dr.  McCorkle  received  a  call  to  the  pastorate  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at 
Lake  Forest,  111.,  on  a  salary  of  $3,500.  Being  desirous  to  obtain  a  permanent 
settlement,  and  in  view  of  the  fact  that  our  congregation  were  unable  to  have  him 
installed  pastor  on  a  salary  adequate  to  his  support,  he  felt  it  his  duty  to  accept 
the  call  to  Lake  Forest,  to  the  general  regret  not  only  of  our  own  church,  but  of  the 
entire  community.  No  other  evidence  of  our  high  ajipreciation  of  Dr.  McCorkle's 
services  is  needed  than  the  facts  abbve  mentioned,  that  during  his  ministry,  our 
church  was  able  to  raise  for  his  support  a  sum  three-fold  that  which  had  been  given 
to  the  previous  pastor,  and  much  larger  than  had  ever  before  been  given  to  any 
minister  in  Princeton.  His  labors  here  throughout,  and  especially  at  the  close  of 
his  ministry,  were  attended -by  the  Divine  blessing.  Not  only  was  tlie  congregation 
largely  increased,  but  during  his  ministry  of  about  two  and  a  half  years,  the  admis- 
sions to  the  church,  including  the  first  fruits  of  a  revival  that  was  in  progress  at 
the  time  of  his  withdrawal,  were  106.  Of  these  49  were  received  on  profession  of 
faith.  He  left  the  church  larger  in  numbers  and  more  flourishing,  both  as  to  its  tem- 
poral and  spiritual  interests,  than  it  had  been  at  any  previous  period  of  its  liistory. 

The  number  of  present  members,  according  to  the  last  report  made  to  Presby- 
tery, is  213." 

REV.  L.  W.  MUDGF,  PASTOR. 

A  call  was  made  March  13th,  1877,  and  sent  to  the  Rev. 
Lewis  Ward  Mudge,  of  Yonkers,  New  York,  to  the  pastorate 

*  The  debt  has  since  been  paid. 


208  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

of  this  church,  and  it  was  accepted.  His  installation  took 
place  May  nth,  1877.  Mr.  Mudge  was  a  graduate  of  Prince- 
ton, and  served  as  tutor  in  the  college  from  1864  to  1867.  He 
receives  a  yearly  salary  of  $2,200.  There  has  not  been  hitherto 
a  parsonage  connected  with  this  church.  During  the  past  year 
the  entire  balance  of  the  church  debt  has  been  paid,  and  at  the 
present  time  a  very  eligible  parsonage  is  being  built  by  Miss 
Sophia  C.  V.  C.  Stevens,  on  a  lot  in  Stockton  Street,  between 
Mrs.  Olmsted's  and  the  Episcopal  parsonage,  a  generous  gift 
from  Miss  Stevens  to  the  church. 

The  church  edifice  is  built  of  Princeton  stone,  brown  stone 
trimmings,  with  a  lecture-room  or  chapel  two  stories  high  across 
the  rear  connecting  with  the  church.  The  audience  room  is 
very  large,  with  three  galleries,  and  will  seat  over  a  thousand 
persons.  More  than  twice  that  number  were  within  its  walls 
when  Moody  and  Sankey  were  there.  The  chapel  is  a  very 
attractive  one,  holding  about  300  persons,  and  seated  with 
movable  chairs.  It  is  altogether  a  very  imposing  and  attract- 
ive church  in  both  its  exterior  and  interior.  It  only  lacks  its 
spire  to  make  it  rank  with  the  grandest  public  buildings  in  the 
town.  Its  location  on  the  corner  of  Nassau  and  Chambers 
Streets — a  lot  which  belonged  to  James  Hamilton  and  which 
was  long  in  the  Stockton  family — is  central  and  eligible.  The 
entrance  to  the  chapel  ,is  on  Chambers  Street.  The  church 
needs  a  bell,  and  it  is  the  right  place  for  a  town  clock. 

The  organization  of  this  church  was  a  commendable  enter- 
prise, but  it  was  commenced  too  late  and  was  kept  too  long  in 
its  swaddling  clothes.  The  munificent  liberality  of  Mrs.  David 
Brown  and  the  energy  which  her  will  and  purse  inspired  se- 
cured for  it  its  present  advantageous  position.  It  is  now  a 
power,  not  to  hurt  the  mother  church,  but  to  help  her  and  to 
provoke  her  unto  good  works. 

THE  PRESENT  OFFICERS  OF  THE  CHURCH. 

Pastor — Rev.  Lewis  W.  Mudge. 

Ruling  EliL-ts — Cornelius  Baker,  Nathaniel  W.  Titus,  George  H.  Burroughs. 
James  T.  L.  Anderson. 

Deacons— Y.\\]:i\\  Allen,  P.  J.  Wilson. 

Trustees— V\o{.  J.  T.  Duffield,  Leroy  H.  Anderson,  Chas.  S.  Robinson,  Andrew 
1-.  Rowland   J.  T.  L.  Anderson,  G.  H.  Burroughs  and  P.  J.  Wilson. 

Treasurer — A.  L.  Rowland. 

Sexton — Abram  S.  Leigh. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE  WITHERSPOON  STREET  CHURCH. 

This  is  the  colored  Presbyterian  church  of  Princeton,  which 
was  set  off  from  the  First  church.  As  early  as  1837,  soon  after 
the  rebuilding  of  the  First  church  after  the  fire  of  1835,  a  com- 
mittee of  the  trustees  of  that  church  was  appointed  to  confer 
with  its  colored  members  in  reference  to  their  returning  to  the 
new  church.  Professor  A.  B.  Dod  and  Mr.  Lawrence  were 
that  committee.  A  month  later  the  trustees  resolved  that 
one  more  attempt  should  be  made  to  induce  the  colored  people 
to  organize  by  themselves,  and  Messrs.  Dod  and  Lawrence 
were  appointed  to  carry  it  into  effect.  This  committee  soon 
after  reported  "  that  they  had  done  their  duty  but  had  not  ob- 
tained their  object." 

On  the  4th  of  September,  1840,  Col.  John  Lowrey,  elder 
of  the  First  church,  on  behalf  of  the  colored  people,  requested 
permission  from  the  session  to  have  a  separate  communion  in 
their  own  church.  A  church  had,  before  that  time,  been  built 
for  them  in  VVitherspoon  Street — the  same  that  is  now  their 
place  of  worship—principally  through  the  efforts  of  Dr.  John 
Breckinridge,  who  received  from  James  Lenox,  of  New  York, 
$500  towards  paying  the  debt  for  building.  The  Rev.  Dr. 
James  VV.  Alexander  preached  for  them  for  several  years. 

On  March  10,  1846,  the  colored  members  of  the  First  church 
to  the  number  of  ni)iety-tivo  were,  at  their  request,  dismissed 
to  form  a  new  church  under  the  name  of"  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church,  of  Color  of  Princeton,"  and  the  church  was  organized 
by  Dr.  B.  H.  Rice,  Dr.  John  Maclean  and  Joseph  H.  Davis, 
elder,  a  committee  of  the  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick.  In 
1848  the  name  of  the  church  was  changed  to  "  the  Withcrspoon 
Street  e/iurchy 

•  There  were  on  the  roll  of  the  First  church  at  that  time  131 
14 


210  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETO.V. 

names  of  colored  members  ;  but  the  real  number  of  living  mem- 
bers was  ninety-two. 

At  the  head  of  the  roll  stood  the  name  of  Betsey  Stockton, 
who  had  joined  the  church,  Sept.  20,  1816.  She  had  been  a 
servant  in  the  family  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Ashbel  Green,  and  he  was 
her  steadfast  friend  till  he  died.  She  was  also  in  the  family  of 
the  Rev.  Charles  Stewart  and  accompanied  him  as  a  missiona- 
j  ry  to  the  Sandwich  Islands  in  1823,  We  took  some  notice  of 
her  in  a  previous  chapter  when  considering  the  pastorate  of 
the  Rev.  Mr.  WoodhuU  (p.  121).  She  was  a  woman  of  sterling 
character  and  was  an  excellent  teacher.  Very  many  of  the 
colored  people  of  Princeton  are  indebted  to  her  for  their  educa- 
tion.    She  died  A.  D.  i860. 

Flora  Stryker,  whose  name  was  sixth  on  the  roll,  is  now 
first  of  the  living  members.     She  joined  Sept.  13,  1822. 

Peter  Scuddcr  was  noted  in  Princeton,  but  there  are  not  many 
of  the  students  now  living  who  knew  him  or  remember  him. 
He  was  commonly  called  "  Peter  Polite."  He  was  a  boot-black 
in  college,  and  sold  apples  and  ice  cream  to  the  students  of  the 
college  and  seminary.  He  accumulated  some  property  and 
owned  and  kept  an  ice  cream  shop  and  confectionery  in  Nassau 
Street,  where  Railroad  Avenue  has  been  opened.  He  was  a 
faithful,  honest,  obliging  man,  and  most  distinguished  for  his 
genuine  politeness  and  civility.  He  died  at  a  good  old  age  in 
or  about  the  year  1848. 

Anthony  Simmons  was  well  known  and  highly  esteemed  as 
a  civil,  intelligent  and  honest  man.  He  kept  an  ice  cream 
saloon,  oyster  cellar  and  confectionery  on  Nassau  Street,  next 
to  the  property  of  James  VanDeventer.  He  was  a  caterer  for 
families  and  associations,  and  as  such  was  employed  for  many 
years  to  get  up  public  dinners  and  entertainment  for  evening 
parties.  He  was  a  native  of  Alexandria,  D.  C.  He  died  in  1868. 
He  left  a  will  and  disposed  of  about  half  a  dozen  houses  in 
Princeton,  and  devised  to  this  church  in  which  he  was  a  dea- 
con and  a  trustee,  one  for  a  parsonage.  His  old  stand  in  Nassau 
Street  has  been  occupied  by  his  widow  till  her  death  within  the 
last  year  or  two. 

Among  its  ruling  elders  have  been  David  Van  Tyne, 
Anthony  Voorhees,  Horace   Scudder,  David  Little,  Thomas 


THE    WITHERSPOON  STREET  CHURCH.  211 

Beekman,  Joseph  Ten  Eyck,  Isaac  Stockton,  John  Voorhees, 
Matthias  Van  Horn. 

The  pulpit  has  been,  for  the  most  part,  well  supplied  by 
competent  and  sometimes  superior  preachers.  After  Dr.  James 
W.  Alexander  removed  from  Princeton  the  following-  persons 
were  employed  as  stated  supplies,  viz.:  E.  P.  Rogers,  C.  W. 
Gardner,  A.  P.  Cobb.  Professor  Giger  was  a  stated  supply  for 
six  years,  from  1858  to  1864.  John  Wiley  then  supplied  it  for 
a  year,  and  was  succeeded  by  John  Johns,  Mr.  Lockerby  and 
Wm.  H.  Thomas.  Then  the  Rev.  James  Stebbins  was  a  stated 
supply  for  four  years  till  1875.  Since  that  time  Mr.  Booher 
supplied  it  for  a  year,  and  Mr.  Hugh  M.  Brown,  who  has  been 
elected  its  pastor,  has  been  a  supply  for  the  last  two  years. 
The  church  has  been  enlarged  and  improved  within  the  last 
two  years.  It  has  been  visited  frequently  with  revivals.  Its 
membership  has  been  as  high  as  122,  but  in  1876  it  was  re- 
ported to  be  75.  It  has  been  increased  since  and  is  now  up- 
wards of  100. 


CHAPTER   XXV. 

THE  AFRICAN  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH. 

Tins  church  was  organized  in  Princeton  in  1836.  They  at 
first  worshipped  in  a  little  frame  school  house  in  Witherspoon 
Street,  quite  near  the  present  church.  The  present  edifice  is 
built  of  brick,  rough  cast,  with  a  basement  under  it  for  Sunday 
school  and  other  meetings.  It  was  built  in  i860.  A  parson- 
age has  been  purchased  within  the  past  year.  The  church 
bears  the  name  of  "  Mt.  Pisgah."  It  has  a  large  membership 
and  Sunday  school.  The  records  of  the  congregation  have 
been  so  negligently  kept  that  we  can  glean  nothing  of  special 
interest  in  the  history  of  the  church. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

THE  ROMAN  CATHOLIC  CHURCH. 

The  Roman  Catholic  portion  of  this  community  dates  its 
commencement  from  the  years  of  Ireland's  famine,  1846  and 
1847.  Being  principally  engaged  on  the  canal  and  railroad 
work,  a  clergyman  from  New  Brunswick  monthly  attended,  on 
Sunday,  to  their  spiritual  necessities  till  the  year  1850  when 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Scollard  took  up  a  permanent  residence  in 
the  place  and  became  the  first  local  pastor.  It  must  be  men- 
tioned that  the  late  ex-Gov.  Olden  permitted  Catholic  service 
to  be  held  in  one  of  his  houses,  situated  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  canal,*  till  the  first  Catholic  pastor,  Rev.  Mr.  Scollard, 
raised  a  small  stone  church  to  suit  or  accommodate  the  increas- 
ing number  of  its  members.  This  small  edifice  having  been 
constructed  without  proper  superintendence  in  the  beginning, 
in  a  few  years  it  gave  way  or  tumbled  down  on  the  occasion  of 
a  mission  or  Catholic  revival  being  given  by  a  band  of  mission- 
ary priests,  fathers  Hewit  and  Baker,  the  latter  a  quondam 
alumnus  of  the  college  of  New  Jersey. 

The  Rev.  Alfred  Young,  a  graduate  of  this  college,  suc- 
ceeded Father  Scollard  in  1857  as  rector  of  the  Catholic  ])eo- 
ple  ;  his  stay  among  them  was  three  years,  having  retired  into 
a  religious  order  of  clergymen  called  the  Paulist  Fathers,  on 
59th  St.,  New  York.  During  his  ministrations  he  purchased 
the  present  Catholic  property,  erected  a  small  frame  building 
of  a  church,  60  by  35,  as  substitute  for  the  first  stone  one. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  O'Donnell  supplied  Mr.  Young's  place  in 
i860  and  remained  attending  this  and  other  missions  up  to 
May,  1867.  The  work  done  by  him  was  to  pay  off  the  balance 
of  church  debt  encumbering  the  property  secured  by  his  pre- 
decessor. 

*  It  was  James  Boyle,  tenant  of  Gov.  Olden,  who  opened  his  house  to  the  service. 


214  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

The  Rev.  T.  R.  Moran  was  appointed  to  fill  Mr.  O'Don- 
nell's  place.  During  his  time  a  brick  church  with  stone  trim- 
mings, at  a  cost  of  $25,000,  has  been  erected.  A  fine  pastoral 
residence,  valued  at  seven  thousand  dollars,  has  also  been  put 
up.  A  sisterhood  (calling  themselves  the  Sisters  of  Mercy,) 
has  been  established  to  superintend  the  parochial  school,  num- 
bering two  hundred  children  of  both  sexes,  and  to  provide  and 
look  after  the  wants  of  the  sick  and  indigent. 

Societies  have  been  established  among  his  people  to  keep 
their  minds  united  with  thoughts  of  religion  ;  for  the  men,  such 
as  the  Temperance  Society  and  the  Young  Men's  Literary  So- 
ciety;  for  the  women,  Rosary  Society  and  the  Sodality  of  the 
Children  of  Mary. 

The  cemetery  adjoins  the  church  and  is  much  spoken  of  for 
its  situation  and  excellent  preservation.  The  Catholic  con- 
gregation, appertaining  to  Mr.  Moran's  charge,  musters  about 
one  thousand.  The  church  property  is  valued  at  from  seventy 
to  eighty  thousand  dollars,  acknowledged  to  be  the  most  beau- 
tiful in  the  country.  The  church,  next  year,  1879,  will  be  free 
of  all  church  debt.* 

It  is  with  pleasure  that  we  add  to  Father  Moran's  fore- 
going narrative  that  a  more  liberal  and  Christian  feeling  now 
exists  between  the  Roman  Catholic  and  the  Protestant  popu- 
lation of  Princeton,  than  has  ever  before  existed.  This  better 
state  of  feeling  has  been  slowly  growing  for  several  years 
past,  but  most  noticeably  since  the  present  pastor,  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Moran,  has  been  placed  over  the  Roman  Catholic  congre- 
gation. There  is  a  commendable  mutual  respect  shown  in  the 
intercourse  between  him  and  the  Protestant  ministers  for  one 
another.  This  is  not  confined  to  personal  salutations  in  the 
streets,  but  extends  to  the  exchange  of  calls  and  to  conferences 
and  cooperation  in  public  and  social  reforms.  It  is  no  longer 
a  rare  thing  to  see  Protestant  ministers  and  laymen  inside  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  church,  or  to  see  the  Roman  Catholic  pastor 
and  his  people  inside  of  the  Protestant  churches.  This  is  chief- 
ly due  to  the  high  Christian  character  of  P^ather  Moran,  whose 
daily  life  abounds   in    good  works,   among  his    people;    who 

*  Father  Moran  has  furnished  the  foregoing  statement. 


THE  ROMAN  CATHOLIC  CHURCH.  21  5 

is  ever  watching  to  rescue  the  perishing  and  ever  ready  to 
speak  a  good  word  for  temperance  and  education.  He  appre- 
ciates the  institutions  of  learning  in  the  community,  treats  the 
professors  with  respect,  advocates  the  enh"ghtenment  of  the 
masses,  and  in  return  receives  a  most  respectful  consideration 
from  the  whole  community. 

The  presence  of  such  a  man  is  not  only  a  blessino-  to  his 
own  people,  by  inspiring  them  with  confidence  in,  and  respect 
for,  men  and  women  who  are  outside  of  their  church  and  thus 
breaking  down  long  cherished  and  hateful  prejudices,  but  it 
tends  to  remove  from  Protestant  ministers  and  people  the 
same  unchristian  and  illiberal  prejudices  which  have  been  in 
like  manner  growing  wi^.h  their  growth  from  childhood.  With- 
out demanding  of  either  side  the  surrender  or  compromise  of 
any  vital  principle  of  their  faith,  the  chasm  between  these  two 
great  divisions  of  Christendom  can  be  diminished,  if  not  at  once 
bridged,  by  the  infusion  of  more  charity  and  less  bigotry  in  es- 
timating the  differences  in  their  respective  ways  of  salvation. 
It  is  execrable  to  foist  into  the  platforms  of  political  parties  an 
unnecessary  issue  of  religious  faith,  to  inflame  the  passions  of 
men  and  carry  an  election  thereby.  If  any  religious  denomina- 
tion seeks  to  ride  upon  the  wave  of  party  politics,  let  all  others 
combine  to  defeat  such  an  attempt.  But  where  Christians  have 
one  and  the  same  cross,  one  and  the  same  salvation,  and  sub- 
stantially one  and  the- same  Bible,  the  question  of  Bible  in 
schools  could  more  wisely  be  adjusted  by  mutual  confidence 
and  Christian  charity  than  by  an  angry  appeal  to  a  political 
campaign.  To  get  the  great  Roman  Catholic  church  and  the 
great  Protestant  church  to  recognize  each  other  as  Christian 
believers  and  to  see  eye  to  eye,  would  seem  to  be  a  mission 
worthy  of  an  arch-angel  to  undertake;  and  yet  the  spirit  of 
mutual  confidence  and  respect,  which  is  taking  growth  in 
Princeton  between  the  representatives  of  these  two  divisions 
and  among  the  more  liberal  and  enlightened  people  themselves 
is  the  jeaven,  which  if  diffused,  will  leaven  the  wholejump. 

This  closes  our  history  of  the  churches  of  Princeton.  There 
is  public  worship  every  Sabbath  morning,  in  the  Seminary 
chapel,  attended  by  the  students  and  professors  and  their  fami- 


2l6  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

lies  and  others  who  wish  to  attend.  The  professors  preach  al- 
ternately. In  like  manner  there  is  preaching  in  the  college 
chapel  on  Sabbath  morning  to  the  students  who  do  not  wish 
to  attend  service  at  some  church.  The  clerical  professors 
preach  alternately  here,  but  there  is  no  organized  church  in 
either  of  these  institutions. 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 

ACADEMIES     AND     SCHOOLS. 

We  have  no  account  of  any  school  in  Princeton  previous 
to  the  removal  of  the  college  hither.  There  can  be  no  doubt 
that  there  were  elementary  schools  in  the  neighborhood,  per- 
haps none  nearer  than  Stony  Brook,  The  Friends,  who  built 
a  church  there  in  1709,  undoubtedly  had  a  school,  but  how 
early  it  was  when  a  school  house  was  built  we  cannot  learn. 
We  have  shown  that  a  thorough  school  organization  was  in  full 
operation,  in  connection  with  the  Quaker  church  at  Stony 
Brook,  as  early  as  1781.*  And  it  is  reasonable  to  believe  that 
this  school  was  the  principal  one,  if  not  the  only  one,  before 
the  college  was  established  here  in  1757. 

President  Burr  maintained  a  Latin  school,  in  connection  with 
the  college,  upon  his  removal  here.  The  Rev.  William  Ten- 
nent,  in  a  letter  to  Dr.  Finley,  dated  Feb.  27,  1757,  describing 
the  great  revival  in  Princeton  at  that  date,  says,  "  The  glorious 
ray  reached  the  Latin  ScJioql  and  much  affected  the  master  and 
a  number  of  the  scholars."  After  the  death  of  President  Burr, 
and  before  President  Edwards  entered  upon  his  official  duties 
in  college,  the  Rev.  David  Cowell,  acting  as  president  in  the 
interim,  was  authorized  by  the  trustees  to  "  engage  an  usher 
for  the  '  grammar  school ; '  "  and  after  President  Edwards  was 
duly  qualified  and  had  entered  upon  his  office,  it  was  voted  by 
the  trustees  that  "  the  president  should  have  the  care  and  gov- 
ernment of  the  grammar  school  and  introduce  geography,  his- 
tory and  chronology,  if  he  deemed  it  proper."  This  was  in 
the  latter  part  of  the  year  1757  or  in  the  beginning  of  the  year 
following. 

After  President  Finley's  death  William  Tennent  was  presi- 
dent pro  tern.  The  grammar  school  becoming  chargeable  to 
*  See  ant.,  chap.  18,  p.  63. 


21 8  HISTORY   OF  PRINCETON. 

the  college,  it  was  "  resolved  to  continue  it  no  longer,  and  that 
Mr.  Avery,  the  teacher,  be  discharged  from  service  ;  still  if  he 
was  disposed  to  continue  it  at  his  own  risk  he  might  be  at 
liberty  to  do  so."  This  was  in  1766-67.  It  is  ascertained  that 
in  1766  Joseph  Periam,  a  tutor  in  college,  had  charge  of  the 
school  in  Princeton. 

Dr.  WoodhuU  says,  "  The  number  of  students  when  I  en- 
tered was  100,  about  50  boys  in  the  school,  150  in  all  in  the 
edifice.  The  school  was  under  care  of  trustees.  Most  of  the 
boys  boarded  in  college,  ate  in  the  dining  room  by  themselves. 
Excellent  teachers,  Joseph  Periam  and  Tapping  Reeve."  See 
notes  of  Dr.  Green. 

This  school  was  undoubtedly  suspended  during  the  Revo- 
lutionary War,  for  in  1779  President  Witherspoon  and  W. 
Churchill  Houston  published  a  circular  in  the  Nciv  Jersey 
Gazette,  giving  public  notice  that  the  grammar  school  which 
had  been  commenced  in  1778  was  continued. 

In  the  year  1780  Robert  Finley  attended  the  grammar 
school  in  Princeton,  which  was  then  under  the  charge  of  Presi- 
dent Witherspoon.  Ashbel  Green,  while  in  college,  gave  one 
half  of  his  time  in  assisting  to  teach  in  this  school.  And  after 
Robert  P^'inley  graduated,  which  was  in  1787,  his  biographer 
says  he  taught  as  an  assistant  in  Dr.  Witherspoon's  grammar 
school.* 

Samuel  S.  Smith  advertised  in  the  N.  J.  Gazette,  in  Febru- 
ary, 1786,  for  a  teacher  of  the  English  school  in  Princeton;  also 
for  a  teacher  for  the  girls'  school  adjoining. 

The  earliest  effort  made  by  the  citizens  of  Princeton  to  es- 
tablish an  Academy,  of  which  we  have  an  authentic  record  in  the 
original  subscription  paper,  still  extant,  having  been  preserved 
among  the  papers  of  the  late  Dr.  Ebenezer  Stockton,  was  in 
January,  1790.     The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  paper: 

"We,  wliose  names  are  hereunto  subscribed,  do  promise  and  engage  to  pay  on 
demand  to  Robert  Stockton  and  James  Moore,  or  to  their  order,  the  sums  severally 
annexed  to  our  names  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  an  insiiiulion  in  this  place  for 
the  instruction  of  youth  in  the  various  branches  of  literature  ;  and  for  the  encourage- 
ment and  security  of  the  generous  and  liberal  minded,  it  is  hereby  agreed,  that  each 


*  Brown's  Life  of  Dr.  Robert  Finley,  14-15. 


ACADEMIES  AND   SCHOOLS. 


219 


and  every  person  who  sliall  subscribe  and  actually  pay  as  aforesaid  any  sum  not  less 
than  ten  pounds  money  of  New  Jersey,  shall,  in  consequence  thereof,  become  one 
of  the  proprietors  and  directors  of  said  institution,  anil  that  every  other  sum  sub- 
scribed, of  less  denomination  than  ten  dollars,  shall  be  considered  as  i^enerously 
given  for  carrying  into  effect  tlie  above  mentioned  lauilable  undertaking. 
'^Princeton,  ycTnuary  2,  1790." 

Thomas  Wiggins, 
Enos  Kelsey, 
Robert  Stockton, 
J.  Harrison, 
James  Moore 
Isaac  Anderson, 
Joseph  Leigh, 
Aaron  Mattison,  (work) 
David  Hamilton, 

do         do  (gioss) 

John  Thompson, 
Samuel  Stout, 
John  Hamilton, 
Zebulon  Morford, 
Noah  Morford, 
Conant  Cone, 
Christopher  Stryker, 
Derrick  Longstreet, 

We  notice  in  the  foregoing  list  of  names,  only  two  which  ap- 
peared among  the  subscribers  for  building  the  church  in  Prince- 
ton in  1762,  viz:  Thomas  Wiggins  and  Derrick  Longstreet. 
The  name  of  Richard  Stockton  appears  in  both  papers,  but 
one  was  the  father  and  tlie  other  the  son.  A  generation  had 
just  passed  since  that  time.  These  subscription  papers  are  in- 
teresting records,  to  show  who  were  the  active  and  enterpris- 
ing men  of  the  times. 

The  proposed  school  was  established,  and  it  seems  quite' 
certain  that  the  association  erected  their  school  building  on' 
the  Presbyterian  church  lot,  on  the  east  end  of  the  church,  and 
near  the  line  of  the  president's  grounds.  There  are  those  stillj 
living  who  remember  this  building,  and  who  may  have  gone! 
there  to  school. 

The  associated  proprietors  of  this  school  availed  them- 
selves of  the  law,  passed  Nov.  27,  1794,  entitled,  "  An  act  to 
incorporate  societies  for  the  promotion  of  learning,"  and  in 
April,  1795,  complied  with  the  requirements  of  that  act ;  they 


£ 

s.    d. 

& 

s. 

10 

10     6 

Joseph  Olden, 

3 

10 

Josiah  Skelton,  (timber) 

4 

16 

10 

Wm.  Scudder, 

7 

10 

10 

Isaac  VaiiDike, 

6 

10 

Thomas  IJlackwell, 

I 

10 

10 

Aliraham  Cruser, 

I 

10 

3 

10 

Richard  Stockton, 

10 

5 

James  Hamilton, 

10 

3 

Richard  Stockton,  for  Mr.  — 

-     10 

I 

10 

Isaac  Snowden,  Jr., 

10 

3 

10 

Samuel  Stille,  (work) 

3 

I 

15 

Stephen  Morford, 

3 

10 

3 

10 

Henry  Purey, 

3 

10 

3 

10 

rhilip  Stockton, 

5 

3 

10 

John  Jones, 

I 

10 

3 

Jared  Sortor, 

3 

10 

2 

15 

Samuel  Knox, 

2 

2 

James  Campbell, 

1 

10 

220  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

held  a  public  meeting  upon  notice,  which  was  largely  attended 
by  the  influential  citizens  of  the  place,  among  them  Dr.  Smith 
and  Dr.  Minto  of  the  college,  and  elected  five  trustees,  viz  : 
George  Morgan,  Dr.  Thovias  l'Viggi)is,  James  Hamilton,  John 
Harrison  afid  StcpJien  Morford.  These  trustees  met  at  their 
school-house  on  the  27th  of  April,  1795,  and  elected  George 
Morgan,  for  their  president,  and  under  their  hands  and  seals, 
agreeably  to  the  law,  adopted  the  corporate  name  of  "  The 
Trustees  of  the  Princeton  Academy,"  which  was  made  a  mat- 
ter of  record  in  the  Middlesex  Clerk's  office. 

We  are  not  able  to  detail  the  history  of  this  academy. 
There  were  probably  two  rooms  or  departments  in  it ;  one 
classical  and  the  other  English.  It  seems  to  have  been  the 
village  school.  Mr.  Henry  Clow,  in  his  reminiscences  of 
Princeton  in  1804,  mentions  the  village  school-house  adjoining 
the  president's  house,  and  that  Mr.  Adrain,  who  afterwards 
became  professor  of  mathematics  in  Columbia  College,  was 
then  the  teacher  of  it. 

We  find  in  the  minutes  of  the  trustees  of  the  church,  under 
date  of  October  21,  1814,  an  entry,  that  notice  was  given  by 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Schenck,  the  pastor,  in  the  pulpit,  of  a  meeting 
of  the  congregation  and  citizens,  in  the  academy  on  the  next 
Monday,  about  removing  the  school-house.  This  was  just 
after  the  church  was  rebuilt.  It  seems  that  the  school-house 
or  academy  was  not  consumed  in  the  conflagration  of  the 
church.  We  have  no  data  to  fix  the  time  when  this  building 
was  removed,  but  it  was  probably  done  at,  or  soon  after,  the 
time  of  that  meeting.  It  was  removed  to  the  corner  of 
the  lot  on  Stockton  and  Bayard  Streets,  and  converted  into  a 
dwelling  house. 

Dr.  James  W.  Alexander  says  that  he  attended  the 
classical  school,  taught  by  the  Rev.  Jared  W.  Fyler,  in  18 13. 
The  Rev.  James  Carnahan  was  the  successor  of  Mr.  Fyler, 
and  David  Comfort  was  the  successor  of  Mr.  Carnahan,  and 
James  Hamilton  was  the  successor  of  Mr.  Comfort.  Samuel 
J.  Bayard  says  that  he  went  to  school  to  Mr.  Carnahan  at 
this  academy,  on  the  church  lot. 

Mr.  Hamilton,  in  1814,  became  assistant  to  his  brother-in- 
law,  Rev.  Jared  W.  Fyler,  in  the  Princeton  Academy.      After 


ACADEMIES  AND   SCHOOLS.  221 

Fyler   removed,    Hamilton    established   a   school ;  there,  the 
three  Alexanders  and  Dr.  Kirk  were  his  pupils. 

In  1817-18,  Dr.  Lindsley  opened  a  select  classical  school  in 
Princeton,  and  Salmon  Story  was  at  the  head  of  it.* 

In  the  year  1822  a  new  academy  was  established  in  Prince- 
ton. It  was  a  stone  building,  two  stories  high,  with  a  cupola 
and  bell,  and  was  situate  on  the  west  side  of  Washington  Street 
on  the  hill  adjoining  Prospect.  We  believe  it  was  built  by  a 
joint  stock  company.  The  late  highly  distinguished  Rev, 
Robert  Baird,  D.D.,  then  a  theological  student  in  Princeton, 
a  private  teacher  and  a  tutor  in  college,  became  the  principal 
of  this  new  academy.  He  was  a  successful  teacher,  and  had 
among  his  pupils  at  this  school,  Addison  Alexander,  William 
B.  Napton,  late  chief  justice  of  Missouri,  David  Comfort,  and 
William  King,  of  Savannah.  He  retained  this  school  till  the 
year  1828.  An  English  school  was  taught  in  one  room  and  a 
classical  one  in  the  other.  After  Mr.  Baird  withdrew  from  it, 
it  was  taught  by  several  others  successively,  among  them  were 
Mr.  Maynard,  Mr.  Sears  and  George  W.  Schenck. 

This  academy  was  quite  an  important  public  building  and 
it  became  the  public  school  building  of  the  village  in  1840,  after 
having  stood  unused  for  several  years.  It  is  about  twenty-five 
years  since  Mr.  Thomas  Potter  bought  the  property  and  tore 
the  building  down.  The  lot  remains  in  the  Potter  family  and 
has  not  been  built  upon  since. 

It  is  now  difficult  to  ascertain  where  the  common  schools 
were  taught  during  the  period  between  the  removal  of  the  first 
academy  and  the  erection  of  the  second.  There  was  one  taught 
by  Nathaniel  Olden,  in  a  school  building  which  stood  on  Gov. 
Olden's  land,  by  the  gate  which  opens  into  his  grounds  and 
which  is  now  used  for  his  carriage  house.  Another  school  was 
taught  at  Queenston  by  William  Downie. 

The  Edgehill  High  School  was  established  in  1829. 
The  Rev.  Robert  Gibson  bought  a  beautiful  tract  of  land 
in  the  west  end  of  the  town,  and  built  on  the  edge  of  the  hill 
a  handsome  brick  house  fronting  on  Stockton  Street.     This 

*  Life  of  Addison  Alexander,  vol.  I,  p.  38. 


222  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

house,  in  1830,  was  taken  by  Prof.  Patton  for  his  school,  and 
it  was  named  EdgcJiill,  and  enlarj^ed  from  time  to  time  by  ad- 
ditions, one  of  which  was  a  frame  building  forty-eight  by  twenty- 
four  feet,  with  dormitories  above.  The  whole  building  is  large 
and  imposing  in  appearance,  admirably  adapted  for  a  classical 
school,  sufficiently  out  of  the  town  to  be  quiet  and  retired  and 
sufficiently  near  to  be  convenient.  Thirteen  acres  of  land  were 
attached  to  it,  affording  beautiful  lawns  and  slopes  for  ornament, 
for  shade,  for  play-ground  and  for  garden.  Its  situation  com- 
mands a  beautiful  and  extensive  view  of  the  surrounding  coun- 
try, making  it  a  very  attractive  and  choice  location  for  a  board- 
ing school. 

Professor  ROBERT  B.  Patton  maybe  regarded  as  the  found- 
er of  this  school.  He  kept  it  the  first  year  in  the  Bayard  House. 
He  took  none  but  boarding  scholars,  and  those  must  be  under 
twelve  years  old  ;  and  it  was,  from  the  first,  one  of  the  best 
and  most  thorough  schools  in  the  country,  but  was  very  severe- 
ly rigid  in  its  government  and  rules.  Professor  Patton,  in  1825, 
had  been  elected  professor  in  Princeton  college.  He  was  a 
highly  accomplished  scholar  in  the  classics  and  modern  lan- 
guages. He  had  spent  much  time  in  Europe  in  study.  He 
had  a  rare  library,  and  he  resigned  his  chair  in  College  to  take 
charge  of  this  school.  While  at  Edgehill  he,  in  connection 
with  J.  Addison  Alexander,  his  assistant  teacher,  edited  an 
edition  of  Donncgmi  s  Greek  Lexicon. 

Professor   Patton   had   studied   law   with  Alex.  J.  Dallas  in 
Philadelphia.     His  father  was  postmaster  in  that  city. 

Professor  Patton  was  succeeded,  in  1833,  by  the  Rev.  E.  C. 
Wines,  D.  D.,  the  present  distinguished  philanthropist  who  is 
secretary  of  the  National  Prison  Reform  Association  of  the 
United  States.  Mr.  Wines  was  also  a  fine  scholar  and  an  able 
teacher,  and  he  had  the  sole  charge  of  the  school  until  1836, 
when  he  associated  with  him  John  S.  Hart,  who  had  been 
assistant  professor  of  ancient  languages  in  Nassau  Hall  for  sev- 
eral years.  In  1837  Professor  Hart  took  the  entire  charge  of 
the  school,  and  he  held  it  as  a  flourishing  school  until  1841, 
when  he  withdrew  and  removed  to  Philadelphia.  Professor 
Hart  has  recently  occupied  the  chair  of  English  Literature  in 
Nassau  Hall. 


ACADEMIES  AND    SCHOOLS.  223 

For  two  years  after  this  there  was  no  school  at  Edgehill, 
The  property  was  sold. 

In  1843  David  Pratt,  of  New  York,  bought  the  Edgehill 
property  and  opened  a  classical  boarding  school  there.  After 
a  few  years  he  abandoned  it  and  Mr.  Helm  took  it  and  he 
transferred  it  to  Wm.  Hughes,  who  held  it  for  a  short  time. 

It  soon  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Rev\  Thomas  W.  Cat- 
tell,  who  afterwards  became  associated  with  his  brother,  the 
Rev.  William  C.  Cattell,  now  president  of  Lafayette  College. 
They  purchased  the  property  and  improved  it  and  established 
a  new  and  good  reputation  for  the  school.  They  introduced 
military  instruction  and  drill  into  the  institution,  and  had  a 
large  number  of  pupils. 

In  the  year  1861,  the  Rev.  A.  D.  White,  of  Trenton,  united 
with  the  Rev.  Thomas  W.  Cattell  as  joint-principals  -of  the 
school,  the  Rev.  William  C.  Cattell  having  become  president 
of  Lafayette  College.  Mr.  White  did  not  remain  long  con- 
nected with  it,  and  Rev,  Mr.  Chapin,  of  Trenton,  took  his 
place  for  a  short  time  ;  and  in  1869,  Mr.  Cattell  removed  the 
school  to  Mercharitville,  near  Camden,  N.  J.,  and  sold  the 
Edgehill  property  at  public  sale,  to  Commodore  Emmons,  for 
$19,100.  The  Commodore  has  fitted  it  up  handsomely  for  a 
private  residence,  and  occupies  it  with  his  family  at  present. 

There  have  been  other  private  and  more  select  classical 
schools  for  day  scholars,  and  perhaps  a  few  boarding  schools, 
taught  in  private  houses,  or  small  school  buildings.  Among 
such,  were  the  schools  taught  by  Rev.  Frederick  Knighton, 
the  Rev.  George  IV.  Sclienck,  John  C.  Sche)iek,  George  H.  Bur- 
roughs, Robert  Criiiksliank,  J.  Hoivard  O'Brioi,  William  Nev- 
ius,  and  others. 

The  Marquand  Preparatory  School,  under  the  aus- 
pices of  the  college,  established  in  1873,  through  the  gift  of 
Henry  G.  Marquand,  of  New  York,  is  a  valuable  accession  to 
the  college.  It  is  a  much  needed  institution,  and  the  reluctance 
manifested  by  the  trustees  and  faculty  of  the  college,  for  many 
years,  to  aid  in  maintaining  a  classical  school  in  Princeton,  in 
connection  with  the  college,  was,  we  think,  a  mistaken  policy. 
Every  college    ought    to  have   an  advanced  school,  in  which 


224  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

students  who  are  withheld  from  entering  college,  on  account 
of  their  youth,  or  for  other  reasons,  can  be  properly  advanced, 
even  for  the  Junior  class.  Mr.  Marquand,  happily,  knew  the 
want  of  such  a  school  in  Princeton,  and  his  liberality  in  provid- 
ing $30,000  towards  it,  overcame  the  objections  of  the  trustees, 
and  secured  a  property  a  little  out  of  town,  on  the  road  to 
Kingston,  the  new  and  handsome  residence  of  Edward  Howe, 
which  has  been  adapted  to  the  purpose  of  a  boarding  and  day 
school  of  such  character.  The  buildings  and  ground, — and 
several  acres  of  land, — cost  originally,  $20,000,  without  the  ad- 
ditional improvements  for  the  school.  The  school  is  about  a 
mile  and  a  half  from  the  college,  with  a  pavement  laid  all  the 
way  to  it,  and  an  omnibus  running  to  and  from  it. 

It  was  first  under  the  direct  management  of  Mr.  Dabney, 
of  Va.,  the  principal,  a  teacher  and  classical  scholar  of  honora- 
ble distinction.  The  school  is,  and  has  been  prosperous,  and 
is  aiming  to  fulfill  the  design  of  its  founders.  The  Rev. 
Charles  J.  Collins,  of  Wilkesbarre,  Pa.,  succeeded  Mr.  Dabney 
as  principal  of  the  school,  in  1875,  and  is  now  at  the  head  of 
the  institution.  It  receives  both  boarding  and  day  scholars. 
There  are  about  thirty  boarders,  and  three  teachers. 

Princeton  has  never  been  famous  for  its  P^EMALE  BOARD- 
ING Schools  and  Seminaries.  That  of  Miss  Hanna  was  per- 
haps the  prominent  one.  It  was  kept  in  the  Col.  Beatty  house. 
The  Misses  Simpson  advertised  a  seminary  for  young  ladies  in 
the  house  of  Josias  P"erguson,  in  1832,  at  from  three  to  six 
dollars  a  quarter — both  high  and  low  studies.  In  1834,  Miss 
Hoyes  advertised  her  Female  Seminary.  Board,  and  tuition  in 
the  English  branches,  $75  per  session,  extra  for  drawing, 
painting,  music,  Latin  and  French,  ornamental  work,  chemi- 
cal, and  other  lectures.  Then  follow  those  of  Miss  Alden,  the 
Misses  Craig,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hood,  Mr.  David  Comfort,  and 
lastly  that  of  Mrs.  Hosmer  and  Miss  Rockwell — all  boarding 
schools.  There  have  been  various  private  schools,  both  ele- 
mentary and  high,  kept  by  very  competent  teachers. 

The  notion  has  been  very  prevalent  in  former  years,  and 
still  is  so,  that  an  educational  town  where  there  are  institutions 
like  these  of  Princeton,  is  an  unsuitable  place  for  female  board- 


ACADEMIES  AND    SCHOOLS.  22$ 

ing  schools,  and   that  it  is  unfavorable  for  bringing  up  daugh- 
ters even  in   the  most   prudent  families.       Such  a  notion   may- 
well  be  controverted.     There  are  strong  reasons  why  male  and 
female  seminaries    should   co-exist   in    the    same    community. 
We  need  not  plead  for  the  co-education  of  the  sexes,  in   our 
colleges,  or  high  schools,  but  we  may  claim  that  both  boys  and 
girls,  young  men  and  maidens,  catch   the  inspiration   of  books 
and    study,    of  emulation  and    competition,   in    the  midst  of 
schools  and  colleges,  where  the  libraries  are  full  of  books,  and 
the  groves    are  surcharged    with   an  intellectual  atmosphere  ; 
where  both   sexes  may  share  alike  in  the  benefit  of  rare  public 
lectures,  on   the  most   important  subjects  of  investigation,  in 
science,  religion  or   literature,  so  often  prepared  and  delivered 
by    distinguished    scholars,   in    these    modern    times.      If  we 
would  have  the  sexes  to  keep  apace  in  the  advance  of  knowl- 
edge, they  must   be  kept  in  sight  of  each  other  and  be  alike 
stimulated    by   the    enthusiasm    and    rewards   of  competitive 
studies.       Why   should  our  sons  and  daughters  be   excluded 
from  mingling  together  even  in  our  social  life,  while  they  are  in 
the  course  of  education,  when,  if  they  were  not  at  school,  there 
would  be  no  such  line  of  demarcation   drawn  ?     The  idea  we 
wish  to  impress  is,  that  study   inspires  study — the  advance  of 
one  sex  in  culture    and  learning  has    a   stimulating  influence 
upon  the  other,  when  made  cognizant  of  it,  and  if  there  be  ob- 
jection to  the  co-education  of  the  sexes  in  colleges,  there  should 
be  none  to  the  co-existence  of  male  and  female  colleges  in  the 
same  community.       A  contrary  view  would   be  derogatory  to 
the  refining  and  elevating  effects  of  education  upon  morals  and 
manners. 

It  would  be  a  surprise  to  the  most  aged  class  of  our  Prince- 
ton readers  if  we  should  fail  to  note  an  elementary  school  for 
boys  and  girls,  taught  by  Miss  Sally  Martin  for  many  years, 
during  the  first  quarter  of  the  present  century,  a  school  in 
which  the  children  of  the  best  families  of  the  town  were  in- 
structed in  the  elements  of  education  and  in  the  Westminster 
Catechism.  There  the  children  of  President  Smith,  Richard 
Stockton,  Samuel  Bayard  and  others  of  that  class  were  taught 
promiscuously  with  the  plainer  little  urchins  of  the  town,  all 
running  barefoot  in  summer;  and  some  of  those  pupils,  now 
i5 


226  HISTORY  OF  PRIA^CETON. 

in  advanced  age  and  occupying  the  highest  social  position, 
often  recur  to  that  early  period  of  their  life,  and  relate  amusing 
anecdotes  of  their  experience  in  that  school.  She  died  March 
21,  1834.  The  name  of  Miss  Phebe  Davis  was  associated  with 
that  of  Miss  Sally  Martin. 

Within  the  last  fifty  years  there  have  been  scores  of  com- 
mon English  schools  which  we  need  not  notice.  One  of  the 
best  of  these  was  that  of  Oliver  H.  Willis,  who  kept  it  in  the 
academy  in  Washington  Street  for  about. two  years.  He  came 
here  in  1841.  His  was  a  public  school  and  was  in  advance  of 
any  that  had  preceded  it.  But  the  school  fund  was  too  small 
and  the  school  system  too  imperfect  to  insure  it  permanent 
success  as  a  free  school.  Mr.  Willis  removed  to  Hightstown 
and  thence  to  Freehold  and  thence  to  White  Plains.  N.  Y., 
where  he  established  a  military  school,  called  the  Alexander 
Institute, — a  school  of  high  order  and  in  prosperous  condition 
at  the  present  time.     He  was  a  good  educator. 

We  have,  in  former  chapters,  incidentally  mentioned  the 
schools  of  the  Princeton  Female  ]3enevolent  Society,  taught  by 
Miss  Lockart,  and  of  the  late  Betsey  Stockton,  both  of  which 
have  fulfilled  an  important  mission  in  this  community. 

In  1857  t^''s  Princeton  districts  of  the  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS  hav- 
ing become  incorporated,  with  a  board  of  education  consisting 
of  R.  S.  Field,  J.  M.  Macdonald,  J.  T.  Duffield  and  O.  H.  Bar- 
tine,  opened  a  school  under  Mr.  H.  Farrand  as  principal.  This 
board  erected  the  present  large  and  commodious  public  school 
building  in  Nassau  Street,  and  in  January,  1858,  Mr.  Farrand 
opened  his  school  in  this  new  building,  with  five  assistant 
female  teachers.  This  was  a  new  era  in  the  public  schools  of 
Princeton.  Professor  Phelps,  the  principal  of  the  State  Normal 
School  at  Trenton,  gave  his  presence  and  assistance  to  the  or- 
ganization and  start  of  this  school.  Mr,  Farrand  had  been  at 
the  Normal  school  and  was  recommended  by  Prof.  Phelps. 
Mr.  Field  and  all  the  members  of  the  board  were  earnest  in 
making  the  enterprise  a  success  ;  and  they  did  not  fail.  Mr. 
Farrand  removed  to  New  York  in  i860,  and  William  J.Gibby, 
who  had  been  a  pupil  at  the  Normal  school,  was  called  to  take 
the  place  of  Mr.  Farrand,  and  has  been   the  principal   of  this 


ACADEMIES  AND   SCHOOLS.  22/ 

school  until  about  two  years  ago  he  was  succeeded  by  Mr. 
Hartwell,  who  is  the  present  principal.  The  school  has  been 
well  sustained  by  adequate  taxation;  the  building  is  thorough- 
ly finished  and  furnished  ;  it  has  a  good  corps  of  teachers,  and 
attracts  from  three  to  four  hundred  pupils  in  attendance  at  a 
time,  and  it  has  the  sympathy  of  the  community. 

There  is  a  separate  department  of  this  public  school  for  col- 
ored pupils,  maintained  in  a  new  school-house  in  Witherspoon 
Street,  built  for  that  purpose. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

PRINCETON  COLLEGE. 

The  College  of  New  Jersey — Nassau  Hall— Princeton  College  — First  Charter  in 
1746 — Second  Charter  in  1748 — Unity  of  the  College  under  both  Charters — 
Object,  to  promote  Piety  and  sound  Learning  ;  Procured  by  Presbyterians  but 
open  to  all. — Section  I. — Administration  of  President  Dickinson. — Section  II. 
—Of  President  Burr. — Section  III. — Of  President  Edwards. — Section  IV. — Of 
President  Davies. — Section  V. — Of  President  Finley. — Section  VI, — Of  Presi- 
dent Witherspoon. — Section  K//.— Of  President  Smith.— i't'c/iOT/  VIII. — Of 
President  Green. — Section  IX. — Of  President  Carnalian. — Section  X. — Of 
President  Maclean. — Section  XI. — Of  President  McCosh. — Section  XII. — 
Oflicers  and  Alumni. — Settion  XIII. — Buildings. — Section  XIV. — Ldjraiy 
and  Appliances.  —  Section  XV. — Endowments  and  Funds. — Section  XVI. — 
Miscellaneous  College  Items. 

This  institution  is  known  in  its  charter  and  general  history, 
as  "  The  College  of  New  Jersey."  It  is  oftener  desig- 
nated in  common  parlance,  as  "  Nassau  Hall,"  because  the 
old  and  original  college  building,  now  known  as  North  College, 
was  named  by  Gov.  Belcher,  Nassau  Hall,  to  the  immortal 
memory  of  the  glorious  King  William  the  Third,  who  was  a 
branch  of  the  illustrious  house  of  Nassau,  the  great  deliverer 
of  the  British  nation  from  those  two  monstrous  furies,  as  he 
called  them.  Popery  and  Slavery.  This  hall,  which  was  for  so 
many  years  the  only  building  of  the  college,  came  to  represent 
the  college,  and  hence  it  was  common  to  speak  of  those  who 
were  graduated  at  this  college,  as  graduates  of  Nassau  Hall. 

Since  this  old  and  original  Hall  has  become  only  a  central 
figure  in  a  group  of  large  and  costly  buildings  surrounding  it 
and  distinctively  used  for  dormitories,  lecture-rooms,  library, 
chapel,  and  various  other  college  purposes,  which  quite  cast  the 
original  into  the  shade  as  the  representative  of  the  college,  and 
since  there  are  other  colleges  in  New  Jersey,  a  new  name  has 
been  suggested,  and  is  now  generally  applied  when  speaking  of 
this  institution,  namely,  PRINCETON  COLLEGE. 

The  history  of  this  college  has  recently  been  written    by 


J,;,«lli\iill'jl|lflili    l''lli. 


P--™?^ 


",i|ki|ij|li|«r;i 


PRINCETON  COLLEGE.  229 

the  Rev.  John  Maclean,  D.D.,  ex-president,  and  published  in 
two  volumes.  He  has  presented  a  documentary  and  detailed 
history  of  the  institution,  from  its  origin,  down  to  the  year 
1854,  when  his  own  administration  commenced.  He  has  been 
careful  and  laborious  in  the  preparation  of  his  work,  which  is 
of  great  value,  and  has  seemed  to  be  more  desirous  to  gather 
up  and  record  those  things  which  show  the  solid  foundation 
and  the  historic  superstructure  of  the  college,  than  to  enkindle 
an  enthusiasm  for  the  institution,  by  drawing  vividly  from  the 
biography  of  its  brilliant  and  renowned  alumni.  This  work  of 
Dr.  Maclean  has  superseded  the  use  of  much  material  which 
we  had  prepared  to  present  in  this  chapter.  We  shall  now 
endeavor  to  give  only  a  succinct  and  popular  history  of  the 
college,  incorporating  such  matters  as  the  general  reader  will 
desire  to  see. 

There  are  but  three  colleges  in  the  United  States,  which 
were  founded  before  Princeton  College,  namely,  }Iarvard, 
whose  charter  was  granted  by  the  general  court  of  Massachu- 
setts, with  the  consent  of  the  governor,  in  1636  ;  William  and 
A/ary,  \whose  charter  was  granted  by  those  joint  Sovereigns  in 
1693,  and  Vale,  whose  charter  was  granted  by  the  General  As- 
sembly of  Connecticut,  in  1701. 

The  College  of  New  Jersey  received  its  first  charter  from 
John  Hamilton,  acting  Governor  of  New  Jersey,  in  1746.  He 
being  president  of  the  council,  and  commander-in-chief,  at  the 
death  of  Governor  Morris  in  that  year,  the  government  de- 
volved upon  him.  And  the  petition  for  this  college  charter, 
having  been  previously  presented  and  denied,  was  now  again 
presented,  with  a  charter  draughted  and  accompanying  it,  to 
Governor  Hamilton,  who  granted  it  without  first  obtaining  the 
consent  of  the  Provincial  Legislature,  and  without  having 
leave  from  his  Majesty's  Government  to  do  so.  The  legality 
of  this  exercise  of  power,  was  questioned,  as  being  unprece- 
dented at  least,  but  it  seems  to  have  been  acquiesced  in,  and 
was  followed  by  Governor  Belcher,  Governor  Franklin  and 
Governor  Bernard. 

The  names  of  the  persons  who  signed  the  petition  for  this 
charter,  and  of  those  who  were  the  corporators  named  in  the 
charter,  are  not  all  certainly  known,  but  it  is  probable  that  the 


230  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

corporators  were  petitioners,  and  it  is  quite  certain  that  they 
were  Presbyterians.  The  charter  seems  never  to  have  been 
recorded. 

In  the  Weekly  Post-Boy  of  New  York,  pubHshed  February 
lO,  1746-7,  we  find  the  following  advertisement: 

"Whereas  a  charter  with  full  .nnd  ample  privileges  has  been  granted  by  his 
Majesty,  under  the  seal  of  the  Province  of  New  Jersey,  bearing  date,  the  22d  Octo- 
ber, 1746,  for  erecting  a  college  within  the  said  province,  to  Jonathan  Dickinson, 
John  Pierson,  Ebenezer  Pemberton,  and  Aaron  Burr,  ministers  of  the  Gospel,  and 
some  other  gentlemen,  as  trustees  of  the  said  college  ;  by  which  charter,  equal  liber- 
ties and  privileges  are  secured  to  every  denomination  of  Christians  any  different  re- 
ligious sentiments,  notwithstanding, 

"The  said  trustees  have  therefore  thought  proper  to  inform  the  public,  that  they 
design  to  open  the  said  college  the  next  spring,  and  to  notify  to  any  person  or  persons 
who  are  qualified  by  preparatory  learning,  for  admission,  that  some  time  in  May 
next,  at  latest,  they  may  be  thus  admitted  to  an  Academic  education." 

Here  are  the  names  of  four  ministers  as  trustees,  among 
them  those  who  became  its  first  two  presidents,  Dickinson  and 
Burr. 

Mr.  Hamilton,  the  acting  governor,  was  not  himself  a 
Presbyterian,  but  was  a  liberal  Episcopalian,  and  was  more 
respectful  to  the  rights  of  other  denominations,  than  was  his 
predecessor,  Gov.  Morris.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  col- 
lege charter  was  procured  by  the  earnest  efforts  of  Presbyte- 
rians, to  secure  at  home  a  thorough  education  for  their  sons, 
especially  those  who  were  seeking  the  ministry.  The  educa- 
tion of  the  ministry  had  been,  and  was,  at  the  time  this  charter 
was  obtained,  a  subject  which  had  agitated  that  branch  of  the 
church.  The  great  schism  in  that  denomination  had  occurred 
in  I74i,andit  sprang  out  of  the  controversy  about  the  excesses 
in  revivals  of  religion — and  the -degree  of  ministerial  education 
and  qualification  requisite  for  those  who  sought  to  be  ordained 
as  preachers  of  the  gospel.  One  party  demanded  a  higher  edu- 
cation and  a  purer  life  than  the  other,  and  was  also  more  con- 
servative in  revival  measures. 

The  Log  College,  on  the  Neshaminy,  did  not  seem  to  sat- 
isfy those  who  first  wanted  this  college,  but  the  friends  of  that 
school,  soon  after  this  chartered  college  was  organized,  gave 
their  adhesion  to  it,  and  joined  in  making  it  a  success. 


PRINCETON    COLLEGE.  23 1 

It  has  been  declared  repeatedly  that  the  severe  treatment 
received  by  David  Brainerd  at  Yale  College,  who  was  expelled 
and  refused  his  degree,  had  much  to  do  with  the  origin  of  this 
college,  by  exciting  and  enlisting  the  sympathy  of  such  men  as 
Jonathan  Dickinson,  Aaron  Burr,  and  Jonathan  Edwards,  and 
others,  in  his  favor,  and  against  Yale  College.  But  there 
seems  to  be  no  reason  to  ascribe  so  much  effect  to  the  bad 
treatment  of  that  excellent  young  man.  To  admit  that  it  was 
an  element  in  the  interest  which  excited  these  men  to  advo- 
cate this  charter,  and  organize  the  college,  is  probably  con- 
ceding all  that  is  due  to  that  influence;  and  such  is  the  view 
expressed  by  ex-president  Maclean. -'■ 

There  is  hardly  any  doubt  that  the  charter  granted  by  act- 
ing Governor  Hamilton,  was  substantially  the  same  as  the  one 
granted  by  Governor  Belcher,  and  which  is  the  present  one  in 
force.  There  was  a  cry  raised  against  the  validity  of  the  first 
one,  because  Mr.  Hamilton  was  incompetent  to  act  in  the  pre- 
mises, and  because  his  acts  were  questionable.  Governor 
Belcher  referred  to  these  objections,  when  he  promised  to  take 
an  interest  in  the  college,  and  to  favor  another  and  better 
charter. 

It  is  apparent  from  the  character  of  both  the  petitioners 
and  trustees,  as  well  as  from  their  views  and  the  views  of  the 
friends  of  the  college,  expressed  in  writing,  that  the  design  of 
the  institution  was  to  promote  piety  and  sound  learning,— not 
one  to  the  exclusion  of  the  other,  but  both.  This  was 
more  clearly  expressed  in  connection  with  the  second  than 
with  the  first  charter,  although  the  present  charter  itself,  in 
its  preamble,  only  recognizes  as  the  wish  of  the  petitioners,  to 
have  a  college  wherein  youth  may  be  instructed  in  the  learned 
languages,  and  in  the  liberal  arts  and  sciences.  It  was  also 
declared  in  the  preamble,  that  the  petitioners  wished  that 
those  of  every  religious  denomination  might  have  free  and  equal 
liberty  and  advantage  of  education  in  the  said  college,  any 
different  sentiments  of  religion  notwithstanding,  and  the  en- 
actment was  made  accordingly.  And  the  fact  that  a  chair  of 
theology  was  maintained  in  the  college,  until  the  Theological 
Seminary  was  established  here,  proves  that  it  was  a  part  of  the 

*Hist.  of  College  of  New  Jersey, — vol.  I,  pp.  55-6. 


232  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

original  design  of  its  founders,  to  provide  an  education  even  for 
such  as  sougiit  to  enter  the  ministry. 

It  is  quite  probable  that  Thomas  Leonard,  of  Princeton,  a 
strong  Presbyterian,  and  a  member  of  the  Provincial  Council, 
was  a  trustee  named  in  the  Hamilton  charter.  He  was  a 
trustee  in  the  charter  granted  by  Gov.  lielcher.  There  was 
much  interest  in  the  proposed  college  aroused  in  Princeton, 
even  before  its  location  in  this  place  had  been  suggested. 

Nathaniel  FitzRandolph,  a  son  of  Benjamin  FitzRandolph, 
born  in  Princeton  in  1703,  a  name  connected  with  the  early 
settlement  of  this  place,  with  some  degree  of  prominence, 
made,"  in  his  private  journal,  in  the  year  1758,  the  following 
entry,  viz : 

"When  it  was  first  reported  that  Hamilton,  our  Deputy  Governor,  had  granted 
a  charter  for  a  college  to  be  erected  somewhere  in  New  Jersey,  and  twelve  trustees 
appointed,  I  was  the  first  man  who  proposed  to  set  subscriptions  on  foot  for  this 
town;  also,  I  was  the  first  man  that  drew  a  subscription  for  that  purpose;  and 
also  the  first  man  that  rode  to  obtain  subscriptions  ;  also  wrote  twenty  papers  for 
that  purpose,  and  helped  to  spread  them  ;  and  did  obtain  about  five  hundred 
pounds  subscription  under  the  first  charter." 

Besides  Mr.  Leonard  and  Mr.  FitzRandolph,  it  is  probable 
that  John  Stockton,  who  had  sons  to  educate,  and  who  was  an 
intimate  friend  of  David  Brainerd,  and  was  accustomed  to  en- 
tertain Presbyterian  ministers  at  his  house,  was  among  the 
first  petitioners,  as  he  was  among  the  first  patrons  of  the  col- 
lege. John  Hornor  became  interested  in  the  locating  of  the 
college  at  Princeton,  as  will  soon  appear. 

The  present  charter  of  the  college,  having  been  granted  as 
a  substitute  for  the  first  charter,  and  having  been  obtained  by 
and  through  the  efforts  of  the  same  persons  who  had  procured 
the  first  one,  and  effected  the  first  organization,  it  is  proper  to 
trace  the  origin  of  Princeton  College  to  the  year  1746,  giving  it 
the  fourth  rank  as  to  age  among  the  chartered  colleges  of  the 
United  States.  In  bringing  down  its  history  to  the  present 
time,  we  propose  to  treat  it  in  sections  under  the  administra- 
tion of  its  several  presidents,  but  very  briefly. 


THE  COLLEGE— PRESIDENT  DICKINSON.  233 

SECTION  I. 

1746-47. — ADMINISTATION   OF   PRESIDENT   DICKIXSON. 

The  first  charter  of  the  college  having  been  obtained  Oc- 
tober 22d,  1746,  the  trustees  proceeded  iimnediatcly  to  effect 
an  organization  ;  and  having  done  so,  they  elected  the  Rev. 
Jonathan  Dickinson  of  Elisabethtown,  New  Jersey,  president  of 
the  college.  The  date  of  his  election  is  not  known,  but  it  was 
probably  not  until  in  the  early  part  of  the  year  1747,  though 
the  opinion  is  quite  general  that  he  was  president  of  the  insti- 
tution for  a  year,  and  was  elected  in  October,  1746,  when  the 
charter  was  obtained.  But,  whenever  elected,  he  did  not  open 
the  college  until  May,  1747. 

The  Nc%v  York  Weekly  Post-Boy  of  April  20th,  1747,  con- 
tained the  following  notice  by  the  trustees: 

"  This  is  to  iiifi)im  tlie  public  that  tlie  trustees  of  the  college  of  New  Jersey 
have  appointed  the  Rev.  Mr.  Jonathan  Dickinson,  president  of  the  said  college, 
which  will  be  opened  the  fourth  week  in  May  next,  at  Elisabethtown  ;  at  which 
time  and  place  all  persons  suitably  qualified,  may  be  admitted  to  an  academic 
education." 

In  pursuance  of  this  notice,  the  first  term  of  the  college 
was  opened,  by  the  president,  at  his  own  house,  in  Elisabeth- 
town, on  the  south  side  of  the  old  Rahway  road,  directly  west 
of  Race  Street.  At  this  time  he  was  pastor  of  the  Presbyte- 
rian church  at  Elisabethtown,  and  had  been  such  from  1709. 
It  was  originally  a  Congregational  church.  His  field  of  labor 
embraced  with  Elisabethtown,  Rahway,  Westfield,  Connecticut 
Farms,  Springfield  and  a  part  of  Chatham.*  Mis  ministry  had 
been  continued  nearly  forty  years,  and  he  was  the  most  influ- 
ential minister  among  tiie  Presbyterian  clergy  of  New  Jersey. 
He  had  been  accustomed,  it  is  said,  to  teach  young  men  in 
those  branches  of  study  which  prepared  them  for  the  liberal 
professions.  At  the  same  time  he  was  a  practicing  physician, 
of  considerable  reputation  in  the  medical  profession  ;  and  was 
also  an  author  of  enviable  distinction. 

It  was  natural  that  a  man  of  such  varied  learning  and  wide 

*  Dr.  Sprague's  .Annals. 


234  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

reputation,  and  one  who  had  been  foremost  in  advocating  and 
securing  the  charter  of  the  college,  should  have  been  chosen  its 
first  president.  After  he  entered  upon  his  office  as  president 
of  the  college,  he  did  not  intermit  his  pastoral  duties.  He 
received  assistance  in  giving  instruction  to  the  first  class  in  the 
college,  from  Mr.  Caleb  Smith,  who  acted  as  tutor,  whether  by 
the  appointment  of  the  trustees,  or  by  the  president  himself, 
does  not  clearly  appear. 

The  members  of  that  first  class  were  Enos  Ayres,  Benjamin 
Chestnut,  Hugh  Henry,  Israel  Reed,  Richard  Stockton,  and 
Daniel  Thane.  All  but  Richard  Stockton  became  clergymen, 
and  he  became  the  civilian  of  Princeton,  who  signed  the  Decla- 
ration of  Independence.  These  were  the  first  fruits  of  the 
college.  With  such  a  distinguished  and  competent  president, 
and  with  such  a  class  of  prominent  young  men  to  head  the 
roli'of  the  Alumni,  it  was  not  difficult  to  anticipate  a  success- 
ful future  for  the  infant  college. 

But  alas!  in  the  midst  of  these  bright  anticipations,  and 
faithful  services,  President  Dickinson's  career  was  suddenly 
terminated.  He  died  of  pleurisy,  October  7th,  1747,  in  the 
sixtieth  year  of  his  age,  bearing  testimony  in  his  death  to  the 
Gospel  which  he  had  so  faithfully  preached,  and  which  he  be- 
lieved, in  these  words  :  "  Many  days  have  passed  between  God 
and  my  soul,  in  which  I  have  solemnly  dedicated  myself  to 
Him,  and  I  trust  what  I  have  committed  unto  Him,  He  is  able 
to  keep  until  that  day." 

He  was  buried  with  great  lamentation,  in  Elisabcthtown  ; 
and  throughout  the  country  his  name  was  honored  as  "  a 
star  of  superior  brightness  and  influence  in  the  orb  of  the 
church."  He  had  been  an  acknowledged  "  Defender  of  the 
truth — a  good  scholar,  an  eminent  divine  and  a  serious,  devout 
Christian."  President  Edwards  called  him  ''the  late  learned 
and  very  excellent  Mr.  Jonathan  Dickinson."  The  Rev.  Dr. 
Bellamy  called  him  "  the  great  Mr.  Dickinson."  The  Rev.  Dr. 
John  Erskine  of  Edinburgh,  said,  "  the  British  Isles  have  pro- 
duced no  such  writers  on  divinity  in  the  eighteenth  century,  as 
Dickinson  and  Edwards."  Gov.  Belcher  spoke  of  him  as 
"that  eminent  servant  of  God,  the  learned  and  pious  Dickin- 
son."     The    Rev.    Dr.    Sprague    said,   "  it    may   be    doubted 


THE  COLLEGE-PRESIDENT  DICKINSON.  235 

whether,  with  the  single  exception  of  the  elder  Edwards,  Cal- 
vinism has  ever  found  an  abler  or  more  efficient  champion 
than  Dickinson."  And  the  Rev.  Dr.  John  Maclean  says, 
"  Vox  profound  thinking,  he,  (Dr.  Maclean,)  would  assign  the 
palm  to  Edwards  ;  but  for  sound  judgment  and  practical  wis- 
dom, to  Dickinson.  Both  of  them  were  eminently  good,  and 
both  eminently  great." 

President  Dickinson  was  born  in  Hatfield,  Massachusetts, 
on  the  22d  of  April,  1688.  His  father  was  Hezekiah  Dickin- 
son, and  his  grandfather  was  Nathaniel  Dickinson,  one  of  the 
first  settlers  of  Wethersfield,  Connecticut.  His  mother  was 
Abigail,  daughter  of  Samuel  Blackman  or  Blakeman,  and 
grand-daughter  of  the  Rev.  Adam  Blakeman,  the  first  minister 
of  Stratford,  Ct. 

Mr.  Dickinson  was  graduated  at  Yale  College,  in  1706. 
Under  whom  he  studied  theology,  it  is  not  known.  He  was 
married  to  Joanna  Melyne,  the  sister  of  the  Rev.  Samuel 
Melyne,  and  daughter  of  Jacob  Melyne.  She  was  the  mother 
of  a  large  family,  but  only  three  daughters  survived  her.  The 
third  child,  named  after  the  father,  was  born  Sept.  19th,  1713, 
and  was  graduated  at  Yale,  in  1731.  His  youngest  daughter, 
Martha,  was  married  to  Rev.  Caleb  Smith,  who  had  been 
tutor  under  him  in  the  college.  His  daughter  Abigail  was  the 
second  wife  of  Jonathan  Sergeant,  who  removed  to  Princeton 
as  treasurer  of  the  college. 

President  Dickinson  was  the  author  of  a  large  number  of 
published  sermons,  tracts,  treatises,  pamphlets  and  papers,  on 
the  doctrines  of  the  church. 

He  is  represented  to  have  been,  as  to  his  person,  "manly, 
of  full  size  ;  solemn  and  grave  in  his  aspect,  so  that  the  wicked 
would  seem  to  tremble  in  his  presence  ;"  but  his  portrait  does 
not  clothe  him  with  such  an  aspect.  His  successor  as  presi- 
dent of  the  college,  was  the  Rev.  Aaron  Burr.* 

*  Dr.  .Spnigue's    Annals  ;  Dr.  Hatfield's   Hist,   of  Elisabeth  ;  Dr.    Maclean's 
Hist,  of  CoUe^'e. 


236 


HISTORY  OF  PRINCE  rOiSr. 


SECTION    II. 

1747-1757 — ADMINISTRATION    OF    PRESIDKNT    BURR. 


I'KESIDKNT    AAKON     BUUR. 


Upon  the  death  of  President  Dickinson  the  students  of  the 
college  were  placed  under  the  care  and  instruction  of  the  Rev. 
Aaron  Burr,  at  Newark,  in  this  State,  who  had  been  teaching 
at  that  place  a  classical  school,  and  who  was  also  the  pastor 
of  the  Presbyterian  church  there,  having  been  installed  over  it 
in  the  year  1737-8.  He  was  prominent  and  distinguished  as  a 
learned  and  eloquent  preacher  and  highly  competent  teacher. 
Whitfield,  when  in  this  country,  on  a  visit  to  Gov.  IJelcher  at 
Elisabethtown,  in  1754,  attended  the  Commencement  of  the 
college  at  Newark  and  formed  a  warm  personal  friendship  for 
President  Burr,  and  received  from  him  the  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Arts.  By  what  special  action  the  students  were  transferred 
to  Mr.  Burr  at  Newark  it  docs  not  appear,  but  the  step  was  a 
judicious  one,  for  he  was  a  leading  patron  and  trustee  of  the 
college,  and  warm  personal  friend  of  the  deceased  president. 

Mr.  Burr,  Gov.  Belcher  and  the  trustees  generally  desired 
a  new  charter  for  the  college,  one  which   should   be  free  from 


THE  COLLEGE— PRESIDENT  BURR  237 

any  doubt  as  to  its  validity  and  at  the  same  time  more  liberal 
perhaps  in  its  provisions.  Gov.  Belcher,  now  the  governor  of 
the  Province,  and  who  alone  could  give  a  charter,  desired 
to  have  the  governor  and  four  members  of  council,  ex-officio 
members  of  the  board  of  trustees,  while  the  Presbyterian  min- 
isters interested  in  the  college  and  who  had  originated  it,  were 
jealous  of  such  an  element  in  the  board  and  feared  that  it 
might  be,  especially  after  Governor  Belcher  should  die,  antag- 
onistic to  Presbyterian  control.  There  was  no  dissatisfaction 
expressed  by  any  one  to  the  clause  in  the  first  charter  which 
admitted  all  classes  of  Christians  into  the  institution.  These 
differences  however  were  adjusted  by  inserting  the  provision 
that  the  Governor  of  the  Province  should  be  ex-officio  president 
of  the  board  of  trustees. 

The  new  charter  was  approved  and  signed  with  the  great 
seal  of  the  Province  by  Gov.  Belcher,  September  14th,  1748. 
This  charter  is  too  long  to  be  inserted  in  this  place.  It  is  still 
in  force,  having  been  slightly  amended,  at  different  times,  by 
the  legislature,  extending  the  limitation  of  its  real  estate,  the 
number  of  trustees  and  the  scope  of  its  branches  of  education. 
"  The  College  of  New  Jersey  "  was  retained  as  the  name  of  the 
institution. 

It  is  interesting  to  know  something  of  the  character  and 
stamp  of  the  first  trustees  of  the  college  in  the  days  of  its  in- 
fancy. They  will  be  found  sketched  briefly  by  Dr.  Maclean  in 
his  History  of  the  College.* 

Gov.  Jonathan  Belcher  is  acknowledged  to  have  been 
deeply  interested  in  the  college,  from  its  origin,  and  was  not 
only  outspoken  in  its  favor,  but  cheerfully  used  his  official 
power  to  give  it  a  liberal  charter.  He  was  the  son  of  the 
Hon.  Andrew  Belcher,  of  Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  and  was 
born  on  the  8th  of  January,  1682.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Har- 
vard, and  during  a  visit  to  Europe  he  formed  such  acquaint- 
ances as  secured  to  him  favor  with  the  British  Crown.  He 
married  and  settled  in  Boston  and  became  a  merchant,  honor- 
able and  wealthy.  He  was  appointed  Governor  of  Massachu- 
setts ;  and  afterwards,  in  1747,  of  New  Jersey.  He  was  Gov- 
ernor of  this  Province  for  ten  years.     He  spoke  of  the  college 

*  Vol.  I.— 103- 1 13, 


238  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

as  his  "  adopted  daughter,"  and  was  an  earnest  friend  and  pa- 
tron of  sound  learning  and  religion.  He  not  only  manifested  an 
interest  in  the  character  of  the  college  but  also  in  the  building 
and  the  site  thereof. 

A  glance  at  these  trustees  will  show  that  they  were  the  most 
solid  and  influential  men  in  the  country;  that  the  ministers 
were  all  leading  Presbyterians  and  worthy  to  be  the  guardians 
of  an  institution  of  learninsf  and  religion. 

Passing  the  names  of  Rev.  Jonathan  Dickinson  and  Aaron 
Burr,  we  come  to  the  Rev.  John  Pierson,  who  was  a  graduate 
of  Yale  and  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  in  Woodbridge, 
Middlesex  County  ;  he  was  a  trustee  under  both  charters.  And 
the  Rev.  John  Pemberton,  D.D.,  was  a  graduate  of  Harvard 
and  was  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  in  the  city  of  New 
York.  He  also  was  a  trustee  under  the  first  charter.  The 
Rev.  Joseph  Lamb  was  a  graduate  of  Yale  and  pastor  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  at  Basking-Ridge,  Somerset  County.  The 
Rev.  Gilbert  and  Rev.  William  Tennent,  Jr.,  were  educated  at 
the  Log  College,  under  their  father.  The  former  was  pastor  of 
the  Second  Presbyterian  church  in  Philadelphia  at  the  time, 
but  had  formerly  been  settled  at  New  Brunswick.  He  was  a 
very  prominent  preacher  in  the  Presbyterian  church.  The 
Rev.  William  Tennent,  Jr.,  was  pastor  of  the  Freehold  Pres- 
byterian church,  known  as  the  Tennent  church,  in  Monmouth 
County.  The  Tennents  have  a  history  which  is  well  known 
to  the  most  of  our  readers,  and  does  honor  to  the  college  and 
to  the  Presbyterian  church  generally. 

The  Rev.  Richard  Treat  was  born  in  Connecticut,  in  1705, 
and  was  a  relative  of  Governor  Robert  Treat,  and  was  a  grad- 
uate of  Yale.  He  was  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  of 
Abington,  Pa. 

The  Rev.  Samuel  Blair,  as  did  the  Tennents,  came  from 
Ireland.  He  studied  at  the  Log  College,  and  was,  at  first,  set- 
tled at  Shrewsbury,  N.  J.,  but  in  1740  he  was  pastor  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  at  Fagg's  Manor,  Pa.,  where  he  estab- 
lished a  classical  school,  which  was  continued  by  his  brother, 
the  distinguished  Rev.  John  Blair,  and  obtained  a  great  repu- 
tation. He  was  the  only  trustee  who  belonged  to  the  Synod 
of  Philadelphia. 


THE  COLLEGE— PRESIDENT  BURR.  239 

The  Rev.  David  Cowell  was  born  in  Massachusetts  in  1704, 
and  was  graduated  at  Harvard  and  was  pastor  of  the  Presby- 
terian church  at  Trenton. 

The  Rev.  Timothy  Johnes  was  a  graduate  of  Yale  and  was 
pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Morristown,  N.  J. 

The  Rev.  Thomas  Arthur  was  a  graduate  of  Yale  and  was 
settled  as  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  New  Brunswick, 
and  was  an  officer  in  the  board. 

The  Rev.  Jacob  Green  was  born  at  Maiden,  Massachusetts, 
in  1743,  and  graduated  at  Harvard.  He  was  settled  as  pastor 
of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Hanover,  N.  J.  He  was  the 
father  of  the  Rev.  Ashbel  Green,  who  was  president  of  the  col- 
lege next  after  President  Smith.  He  was  a  warm  patriot  in 
the  Revolution,  and  as  a  member  of  the  Provincial  Congress 
of  New  Jersey  he  served  with  Jonathan  Dickinson  Sergeant 
and  others  on  the  Committee  to  prepare  the  first  constitution 
of  the  State. 

Such  were  the  clerical  members  of  the  board  of  trustees  of 
the  college  under  the  new  charter.  They  were  all  highly  edu- 
cated and  were  noted  for  their  piety  and  prominence  in  the 
Presbyterian  church. 

Nor  were  the  lay  members  of  the  board  less  distinguished 
for  their  intelligence  and  position.  The  Hon.  John  Reading 
was  a  resident  of  Hunterdon  County  and  senior  member  of 
council,  and  as  such  he  became  acting  governor  of  the  Province 
upon  the  death  of  Gov.  Belcher. 

Hon.  James  Hude  was  from  Scotland  but  resided  in  New 
Brunswick,  of  which  he  was  mayor,  and  he  was  ruling  elder  in 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Arthur's  church  and  was  a  member  of  the  Gov- 
ernor's council.     He  was  a  trustee  also  under  the  first  charter. 

Hon  Andrew  Johnston  was  an  Episcopalian,  a  member  of 
the  council  and  was  elected  the  first  treasurer  of  the  college. 
His  place  of  residence  was  Perth  Amboy.  He  was  named  as 
trustee  under  the  first  charter  also. 

Hon.  Thomas  Leonard  was  also  a  member  of  council,  a 
gentleman  of  public  influence  and  a  resident  of  Princeton.  We 
have  given  a  long  notice  of  him  in  the  first  volume  as  among 
the  early  settlers  of  Princeton. 

The  Hon.  John  Kinsey  was  an  able  lawyer  in  New  Jersey, 


240  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

and  became  the  Chief  Justice  of  Pennsylvania.  He  was  a 
Quaker,  a  warm  personal  friend  of  Gov.  Belcher,  and  was  dis- 
tingjuished  as  a  jurist. 

Hon.  Edward  Shippen  was  a  merchant  in  Philadelphia,  of 
distinction,  a  warm  friend  of  the  college.  His  family  was  in- 
fluential, and  his  son  became  Chief  Justice  of  the  State  of 
Pennsylvania. 

Hon.  William  Smith  was  an  eminent  lawyer  of  New  York 
city.  He  came  to  this  country  from  England  in  1715.  He 
was  graduated  at  Yale  and  became  Recorder  of  the  city  of 
New  York,  member  of  council  and  Judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court.  He  was  the  most  eloquent  speaker  at  the  bar,  a  gen- 
tleman of  much  learning,  a  zealous  friend  to  the  cause  of  reli- 
gion and  liberty.     He  lived  a  pure  and  amiable  life. 

Peter  VanBrugh  Livingston,  Esq.,  was  an  eminent  merchant 
of  New  York  and  a  son  of  Philip  Livingston  and  a  brother  of 
Governor  Livingston.  He  lived  at  Elisabethtown  the  latter 
part  of  his  life. 

William  Peartree  Smith,  Esq.,  was  born  in  New  York  in 
1723,  and  was  graduated  at  Yale  and  studied  law,  but  his  own 
estate  required  his  attention.  He  belonged  to  a  refined  family. 
His  daughter  became  the  wife  of  Elisha  Boudinot.  He  was, 
in  the  opinion  of  Gov.  Belcher,  in  1748,  "  a  very  worthy  and 
religious  young  man."  He  was  an  ardent  patriot  and  lived  at 
Elisabethtown  after  the  marriage  of  his  daughter. 

Samuel  Hazard,  Esq.,  was  from  New  York  City,  but  re- 
moved to  Philadelphia  and  there  resided.  His  son  Ebenezer 
was  a  graduate  of  this  college  and  was  Postmaster  General  of 
the  United  States. 

These  were  the  men  who  gave  this  college  its  first  start, 
who  guided  it  in  its  infancy  and  stamped  upon  its  history  the 
character  it  now  bears. 

The  trustees  met  on  the  13th  of  October,  1748,  and  ac- 
cepted the  new  charter  ;  and  on  the  9th  of  November  follow- 
ing, at  a  meeting  at  Newark,  Mr.  Burr  was  chosen  president  of 
the  college  under  the  new  organization.  He  had  acted  as  pres- 
ident before.  The  class  was  ready  to  graduate  several  months 
before  the  second  charter  became  operative,  but  the  graduation 


THE  COLLEGE— PRESIDENT  BURR.  24I 

was  postponed  at  the  particular  request  of  Gov.  Belcher, 
until  it  could  be  done  under  the  new  charter;  and  it  was  done 
on  the  very  day  that  President  Burr  was  elected.  This  was 
the  first  Commencement  of  the  college,  and  it  was  held  at 
Newark.  The  unity  of  the  college  under  the  two  charters  is 
proved  by  the  bestowal  of  the  degrees,  without  examination, 
under  the  second  charter,  upon  the  class  which  had  been 
taught,  prepared  and  examined  under  the  first  charter.  The 
degree  of  Master  of  Arts  was  conferred  upon  Gov.  Belcher 
himself  by  the  trustees.  The  Commencement  exercises  were 
quite  formal  and  imposing.  The  time  selected  for  Commence- 
ments in  the  future  was  on  the  last  Wednesday  of  September 
— Harvard  being  held  on  the  second  and  Yale  on  the  third 
Wednesday,  and  the  next  one  was  fixed  to  be  held  at  New 
Brunswick. 

Laws  of  the  college  and  rules  for  the  admission  of  students 
were  adopted.  Andrew  Johnston  was  appointed  treasurer 
of  the  college,  but  it  is  not  known  whether  he  accepted  or  not. 
Jonathan  Sergeant  was  appointed  to  that  office  September  26, 
1750,  and  he  accepted  and  held  the  office  till  his  death  in  1776. 

A  committee  was  appointed  to  apply  for  assistance  for  the 
support  of  the  college,  to  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Province, 
and  another  one  to  take  subscriptions  for  the  college.  On 
this  last  committee  Thomas  Leonard  and  John  Stockton,  of 
Princeton,  were  appointed.  The  trustees  also  applied  to  the 
General  Assembly  to  grant  them  the  privilege  of  a  lottery  for 
the  college.  The  Assembly  did  not  grant  the  lottery  nor  the 
assistance  desired  by  the  trustees.  A  lottery  was  drawn,  how- 
ever, in  Philadelphia,  for  the  benefit  of  the  college,  in  1750,  by 
a  private  committee  of  the  trustees.  One  was  drawn  in  Con- 
necticut for  this  object  in  1753  ;  and  in  176 1-2  the  General  As- 
sembly of  New  Jersey  gave  the  trustees  authority  to  draw  one. 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  one  of  the  Princeton  College  lot- 
tery tickets  issued  in  Connecticut  in  1753. 
16 


242 


HISTORY   OF  PRINCETON. 


CONNECTICUT  LOTTERY, 

KOR    TUli    BICNKKIT    OF    THE    COLLIiCE    OK    NKW     JKRSF.Y. 

^753-  Numb.   5471. 

This  ticket  entitles  the  possessor  to  sucli  prize  as 
may  be  drawn  against  its  number,  (if  dcmaiulcd  within 
six  months  after  liie  drawing  is  finished),  subject  to  a 
deduction  of  15  per  cent. 

NathaniilL  Hubbard. 
(endorsed)  Makg.vuet  Chiciwood. 
£1  ii.s  pd. 


Before  the  impolicy  of  authorized  lotteries  was  recognized 
it  was  a  common  practice  to  resort  to  that  mode  of  raising 
money  for  churches  and  charities  in  general.  The  system  grad- 
ually fell  under  the  condemnation  of  the  moral  sense  of 
society,  and  the  statutes  of  Provinces  and  States  one  by  one 
interdicted  them,  until  now  there  is  hardly  a  State  in  the 
Union  that  tolerates  them. 

In  1753  Rev.  Gilbert  Tennent  and  the  Rev.  Samuel  Davies, 
at  the  request  of  the  trustees,  went  to  England  for  contribu- 
tions for  the  college.  They  excited  a  considerable  interest' 
there,  and  were  successful  in  their  mission.  They  returned  in 
1757.  At  this  time  the  students  found  lodgings  in  private 
families  in  Newark,  and  the  public  exercises  of  the  college  were 
held  in  the  court-house. 

The  trustees  being  encouraged  by  the  success  in  obtaining 
contributions,  and  impressed  with  a  sense  of  the  necessity  of 
erecting  a  suitable  building  for  the  institution,  were  now  re- 
quired to  fix  upon 

The  Location  of  the  College. 

It  seemed  to  be  conceded  from  the  first  that  the  college 
should  be  located  in  the  central  part  of  New  Jersey,  and  New 
Brunswick  and  Princeton  were  the  places  which  attracted  the 
attention  of  the  trustees  and  friends  of  the  institution.  Gov- 
ernor Belcher  kept  his  eye  on  Princeton  as  the  proper  place, 
even  before  he  had  granted  the  new  charter.  Upon  his  return 
to  this  country  from   England,  in    1747,  he  wrote  to  the  com- 


THE  COLLEGE— PRESIDEMT  BURR.  243 

mittee  of  the  West  Jersey  Society  of  London  and  referred 
to  this  subject  in  the  following  language  : 

"The  people  of  New  Jersey  are  in  a  poor  situation  for  ed- 
ucating their  children,  and  the  project  for  a  college  had  been 
started  before  my  arrival,  and  where  it  should  be  placed  was  a 
matter  of  dispute  between  the  gentlemen  of  East  and  West 
Jersey,  but  I  have  got  them  to  agree  upon  Princeton,  nearest  to 
the  centre  of  the  Province." 

And  a  month  later,  October  2,  in  the  same  year,  in  a  letter 
to  his  friend  Mr.  VValley,  he  stated  in  substance: 

"  Princeton  is  fixed  upon  for  the  site  of  the  college,  and  such 
a  nursery  for  religion  and  learning  is  much  wanted." 

He  did  not  mean,  of  course,  that  it  had  been  fixed  upon  by 
a  vote  of  the  trustees  but  that  the  sentiment  among  the  indi- 
vidual members  of  the  board,  and  among  the  leading  patrons 
of  the  college,  was  in  favor  of  Princeton. 

The  trustees,  at  Newark,  September  26,  1750,  voted, 

"  That  a  proposal  be  made  to  the  towns  of  Brunswick  and 
Princeton  to  try  what  sum  of  money  they  can  raise  for  build- 
ing of  the  college,  by  the  next  meeting,  that  the  trustees  may 
be  better  able  to  judge  in  which  of  these  places  to  fix  the  place 
of  the  college." 

It  now  seemed  as  though  either  place  would  be  acceptable, 
but  the  amount  of  money  to  be  paid  for  the  favorable  decision 
would  determine  the  vote.  The  next  meeting  was  held  in 
Trenton,  May  15,  175 1,  when  the  trustees  resolved, 

"  That  New  Brunswick  be  the  place  for  the  building  of  the 
college  provided  the  inhabitants  of  the  place  agree  with  the  trus- 
tees upon  the  following  terms,  viz  :  that  they  secure  to  the  col- 
lege a  thousand  pounds,  proc.  money,  ten  acres  of  land,  contigu- 
ous to  the  college,  and  two  hundred  acres  of  woodland,  the  far- 
thest part  of  it  to  be  not  more  than  three  miles  from  the  town." 

This  would  seem  to  have  secured  the  college  at  New 
Brunswick  if  the  inhabitants  would  comply  with  the  terms  of 
the  offer.  It  is  quite  probable  tliat  the  trustees  did  not  sup- 
pose that  the  little  village  of  Princeton  could  hope  to  accept 
such  an  offer,  but  at  the  same  meeting,  after  this  vote  was 
adopted,  an  offer  was  made,  on  behalf  of  Princeton,  which  in- 
duced the  trustees  to  order  : 


244  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

"  That  Mr.  Sergeant,  the  treasurer,  and  some  other  person 
whonn  he  shall  see  fit,  (to  invite)  view  the  above  promised  land 
at  Princeton,  and  also  that  to  be  given  by  the  inhabitants  of 
New  Brunswick,  and  make  a  report  of  the  same  to  the  trustees 
at  their  meeting  in  September  next." 

The  next  meeting  was  held  on  the  25th  of  September, 
when  the  trustees,  for  want  of  further  knowledge  on  the  sub- 
ject, decided  that  they  could  not  come  to  a  conclusion  in  the 
affair  on  that  day,  and  postponed  the  question  till  their  next 
meeting,  but  directed  Mr.  Sergeant,  with  any  person  whom  he 
would  choose, 

"To  view  the  land  at  New  Brunswick  and  at  Princeton  and 
make  a  report  what  they  shall  deem  an  equivalent  at  the  next 
meeting." 

The  question  remained  undecided  by  the  trustees  till 
September  27,  1752,  the  time  of  the  Commencement  of  that 
year,  when  we  find  the  following  entry  in  their  minutes,  viz.: 

"The  trustees  taking  into  consideration  that  the  people  of 
New  Brunswick  have  not  complied  with  the  terms  proposed  to 
them,  for  fixing  the  college  in  that  place,  by  the  time  referred 
to,  in  the  offer  of  this  board  now  voted  :  That  they  are  free 
from  any  obligation  to  fix  the  college  at  New  Brunswick,  and 
are  at  liberty  to  place  it  where  they  please." 

The  board  then  resolved  to  take  a  vote  in  what  place  the 
college  should  be  fixed,  upon  such  conditions  as  they  might 
propose,  whereupon  it  was 

"Voted,  that  the  college  be  fixed  at  Princeton  upon  condi- 
tion that  the  inhabitants  of  said  place  secure  to  the  trustees 
those  two  hundred  acres  of  wood-land  and  that  ten  acres  of 
cleared  land  which  Mr.  Sergeant  viewed,  and  also  one  thousand 
pounds  proc.  money,  the  one  half  of  which  sum  to  be  paid 
within  two  months  after  the  foundation  o'i  the  college  is  laid 
and  the  other  half  within  six  months  afterwards,  and  that  the 
people  of  said  place  comply  with  the  terms  of  this  vote  within 
three  months  of  this  time  by  giving  bonds  for  said  money  and 
making  a  sufficient  title  for  said  land,  to  be  received  by  such  per- 
sons as  the  board  shall  appoint  or  else  forfeit  all  privilege  from 
this  vote,  and  that  the  treasurer  be  empowered  to  give  them  a 
bond  for  the  fulfilment  of  this  vote,  on  the  part  of  the  trustees. 


THE  COLLEGE— PRESIDENT  BURR.  245 

"The  trustees  appoint  Messrs.  President  Burr,  Samuel 
Woodruff,  Jonathan  Sergeant,  Elihu  Spencer,  Caleb  Smith  to 
be  a  committee  to  transact  the  above  affair  with  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Princeton,  and  that  Elisabethtown  be  the  place  for 
accomplishing  the  same." 

Princeton  promptly  hastened  to  comply  with  the  terms 
proposed,  and  at  the  meeting  of  the  trustees,  January  24,  1753, 
they  voted, 

"That  said  people,  (when  Mr.  Randolph  shall  have  given 
a  deed  for  a  certain  tract  of  land  four  hundred  feet  front  and 
thirty  poles  depth,  in  lines  at  right  angles  with  the  broad 
street  where  it  is  proposed  that  the  college  shall  be  built)  have 
compli&d  with  the  terms  proposed  to  them  for  fixing  the  col- 
lege at  said  place." 

The  men  of  Princeton  who  stepped  forward  to  comply  with 
the  offer  of  the  trustees  to  fix  the  college  here  were,  as  we  have 
in  the  preceding  volume  stated,  Thomas  Leonard,  John  Stock- 
ton and  John  Hornor,  who  entered  into  the  requisite  bonds 
and  secured  the  conveyance  of  the  land  demanded.  Nathaniel 
Fitz  Randolph  also  conveyed  the  lot  upon  which  the  college 
building  was  placed  and  which  was  regarded  by  the  trustees  as 
a  sine  qua  non  in  the  affair.  Mr.  Randolph  recorded  his  ser- 
vices in  relation  to  this  transaction  in  his  private  journal,  from 
which  we  have  already  cited  extracts,  when  the  first  charter 
was  under  consideration.     His  entry  is  as  follows: 

*'  I  also  gave  four  acres  and  a  half  of  land  to  set  the  college 
on  and  twenty  pounds  besides  time  and  expenses  for  several 
years  together,  but  whereas  I  did  sign  but  three  acres  of  land 
in  the  subscription,  so  I  took  a  receipt  of  some  of  the  trustees 
only  for  the  three  acres  of  land  to  answer  the  subscription. 
And  although  the  consideration  mentioned  in  the  deed  I  gave 
for  the  college  land  is  150  pounds,  I  never  did  receive  one 
penny  of  it.  That  was  only  to  confirm  the  title."  The  date 
of  this  deed  is  given  in  his  journal,  January  25,  1753,  and  this 
was  the  fulfilment  of  the  contract  with  the  trustees. 

Thomas  Leonard,  of  Princeton,  was  chairman  of  the  college 
building  committee.  The  college  and  the  president's  house 
were  directed  to  be  built,  the  former  of  brick  and  the  latter  of 
wood,  but  this  was  changed  and  the  college  was  built  of  Prince- 


246  HISTORY   OF  FR/yCETO.V. 

ton  stone  and  the  latter  of  brick.     Mr.  Fitz   Randolph,  in  his 
journal  just  above  referred  to,  says, 

"  July  29,  1754.  Jos.  Morrow  set  a  man  first  to  begin  to  dig 
the  college  cellar." 

"  September,  1754,  the  first  corner  stone  of  the  New  Jersey 
College  was  laid  in  the  northwesterly  corner  of  cellar  by 
Thomas  Leonard,  Esq.,  John  Stockton,  Esq.,  John  Hornor, 
Esq.,  Mr.  William  Worth,  the  mason  that  built  the  stone  and 
brick  work  of  the  college,  myself  and  many  others." 

"  November,  1755,  the  roof  of  the  college  was  raised  by 
Robert  Smith,  the  carpenter  that  built  the  timber  work  of  the 
college."  * 

The  college  building  was  originally  176  feet  in  length,  54 
feet  in  width,  with  a  projection  of  about  12  feet  in  the  middle 
rear  and  a  few  feet  in  the  middle  front.  A  cupola  surmounted 
the  centre  of  the  roof.  There  were  three  stories  with  a  base- 
ment. There  were  49  rooms  designed  for  147  students.  Other 
rooms  were  for  the  library,  recitations,  refectory,  dining-rooms, 
etc.,  and  the  whole  number  of  rooms,  exclusive  of  the  chapel, 
was  60.  The  chapel  was  nearly  40  feet  square  with  a  gallery. 
Here  was  an  organ  ;  opposite  this  a  rostrum  for  speakers  at 
public  exhibitions,  and  for  the  preacher  on  Sabbaths.  On  the 
walls  hung  a  full  length  portrait  of  the  king,  and  opposite  to 
it  one  of  Gov.  Belcher  surmounted  by  a  coat  of  arms,  carved 
and  gilded,  both  having  been  presented  by  Gov.  Belcher. 

The  trustees  proposed  to  call  this  building  Belcher  Hall, 
but  Gov.  Belcher  objected,  and  taking  refuge  behind  that  beau- 
tiful and  modest  sentiment  which  Clio  Hall  has  adopted  as  its 
motto,  "  Prodesse  quau:  conspici,"  he  proposed  the  name  of 
Nassau  Hall,  as  we  have  before  stated,  Nassau  Hall,  when 
first  built,  was  regarded  as  the  largest  and  most  imposing 
building  of  the  kind  in  this  country. 

In  the  autumn  of  1756,  the  college  edifice  being  nearly 
completed  and  ready  for  use,  the  trustees,  at  their  meeting  in 
September,  ordered  the  president  to  move  the  college  to 
Princeton  that  fall,  and  that  the  expense    thereof  should  be 

*  This  journal  we  were  permitted  to  insjiect  by  Mrs.  Chas.  Steadmaii,  a  descend- 
ant of  Fitz  Randolph,  in  whose  possession  it  was. 


THE  COLLEGE— PRESIDENT  BURR.  247 

paid  by  the  treasurer.  There  are  statements  published  that 
the  removal  did  not  take  place  till  the  year  1757,  but  Mr.  Na- 
thaniel Fitz  Randolph,  then  a  resident  of  Princeton,  in  his 
journal  already  quoted,  entered  that  it  was  in  "  1756,  Aaron 
Burr,  president,  preached  his  first  sermon  and  began  the  first 
school  in  Princeton  college."  There  is  no  sufficient  ground 
to  doubt  that  the  removal  of  the  college,  that  is  the  president, 
officers  and  the  students,  about  seventy  in  number,  and  the 
library,  to  Princeton  was  in  the  fall  of  1756.  The  examination 
of  new  students  took  place  in  Princeton,  November  23,  1756.* 

The  college  could  now  look  out  upon  bright  skies,  Nassau 
Hall,  large  and  well  adapted  to  the  purposes  of  the  college, 
stood  forth  in  the  centre  of  New  Jersey  and  midway  between 
New  York  and  Philadelphia,  the  grandest  building  of  the  kind 
in  the  country.  The  president's  house  was  also  erected  near 
it  and  was  ready  to  be  occupied.  These  two  structures,  the 
first  that  were  erected,  are  still  standing  and  in  use  by  the  col- 
lege. The  two  synods  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  which 
had  been  separated,  causing  a  schism  in  the  great  Presbyterian 
church  of  the  country,  were  now  about  to  be  re-united  in  har- 
monious cooperation,  and  in  support  of  the  college.  An  un- 
common revival  of  religion  had  manifested  itself,  and  no  lack  of 
funds  impeded  the  progress  of  the  institution. 

In  the  midst  of  these  high  hopes  entertained  by  the  friends 
of  the  college,  and  by  none  with  more  enthusiasm  than  by 
Gov,  Belcher  and  President  Burr,  these  two  eminent  men  and 
pillars  of  the  college  died  just  before  the  class  graduated  at 
Princeton,  Gov.  Belcher  died  August  31,  1757,  and  President 
Burr  died  September  24,  the  ensuing  month,  four  days  before 
the  annual  Commencement.  President  Burr  died  of  intermit- 
tent fever,  caused  by  exposure  and  fatigue  in  his  multiplied 
and  onerous  duties,  the  last  of  which  was  to  preach  the  funeral 
sermon  at  the  burial  of  Gov,  Belcher  while  laboring  under  a 
high  fever.  On  the  next  day  he  was  confined  to  his  bed,  and 
lingered  until  the  24th,  when  he  died.  Gov,  Livingston  pro- 
nounced a  eulogy  upon  him,  and  the  Rev.  Caleb  Smith  was 
appointed  to  preach   his  funeral  sermon. 

President  Burr,  just  before  his  death,  gave  special  directions 
*  Dr,  Maclean's  History  of  the  College, 


248  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

that  his  funeral  should  not  be  attended  with  unnecessary  parade 
and  expense,  and  that  the  sum  which  would  be  expended  at  a 
fashionable  funeral,  beyond  what  decent  propriety  required, 
should  be  given  to  the  poor  out  of  liis  estate. 

A  marble  monument  was  placed  by  the  trustees  over  his 
grave  in  the  Princeton  burying  ground,  to  which  we  will  refer 
in  our  chapter  on  the  cemetery.  In  an  obituary  which  ap- 
peared in  the  Pennsylvania  Gazette,  supposed  to  have  been 
written  by  Benjamin  Franklin,  the  editor,  the  deceased  was 
spoken  of  as  "  a  gentleman  and  Christian,  as  universally  beloved 
as  known  ;  an  agreeable  companion,  a  faithful  friend,  a  tender 
and  affectionate  husband  and  a  good  father  ;  remarkable  for  his 
industry,  integrity,  strict  honesty  and  pure  undissembled  piety  ; 
his  benevolence  as  disinterested  and  unconfined,  an  excellent 
preacher,  a  great  scholar  and  a  very  great  man." 

During  the  time  that  President  Burr  was  at  the  head  of  the 
college,  from  1747  to  1757,  the  number  of  students  who  had 
sat  under  his  instruction  and  were  graduated  at  college  was 
114.  Of  this  number.  Dr.  Maclean  says,  more  than  one-half 
became  preachers  of  the  gospel,  and  about  forty  were  men  of 
note,  and  some  were  eminent.  The  president  was  the  only 
professor;  he  was  assisted  by  tutors.  He  resigned  his  pastoral 
charge  two  years  before  he  came  to  Princeton.  The  publica- 
tions of  President  Burr  will  be  noticed  in  a  subsequent  chapter. 

President  Burr  is  claimed  to  have  been  a  descendant  of  the 
Rev.  Jonathan  Burr,  who  migrated  to  New  England  and  was 
settled  as  the  pastor  of  the  church  in  Dorchester,  Mass.  He 
was  the  youngest  son  of  Daniel  Burr,  of  Fairfield,  Conn.,  where 
he  was  born  on  the  4th  of  January,  171 5-16.  He  was  gradu- 
ated at  Yale  College  in  1735,  and  distinguished  for  his  profi- 
ciency in  the  languages  and  sciences.  His  religious  convic- 
tions led  him  into  the  ministry,  and  he  was  licensed  to  preach 
in  1736.  In  1752  he  married  Esther,  daughter  of  the  Rev, 
Jonathan  Edwards,  she  being  nineteen  years  of  age  and  he 
thirty-seven.     She  was  beautiful,  cultivated  and  pious. 

She  survived  her  husband  less  than  a  year,  dying  on  the  7th 
of  April,  1758,  a  few  weeks  after  the  decease  of  her  father, 
President  Edwards.  They  left  two  children,  Sarah,  who  was 
married  to  the  Hon.  Tapping  Reeve,  an  eminent  lawyer  who 


THE  COLLEGE— PRESIDENT  EDWARDS. 


249 


was  Chief  Justice  of  Connecticut,  founder  of  the  law-school  of 
Litchfield,  in  that  State,  and  author  of  a  valuable  legal  treatise 
on  the  Domestic  Relations,  and  Aaron  Burr,  a  son  bearing  his 
father's  name. 

Col.  Aaron  Burr,  the  son  of  the  president,  was  Vice-Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States  for  four  years  from  iSoi,  under  Pres- 
ident Jefferson,  and  he  was  one  of  the  most  notable  of  public 
men  in  this  country. 

We  shall  give  him  a  special  notice  in  our  chapter  on  the 
cemetery,  when  we  come  to  his  tombstone  standing  at  the 
foot  of  the  grave  of  his  sainted  parents. 


SECTION  III. 
1757-1 758— ADMINISTRATION    OF   PRESIDENT    EDWARDS. 


PRESIDENT    JONAniAN     EDWARDS. 


Four  days  after  the  death  of  President  Burr  the  Com- 
mencement of  that  year  took  place  at  Princeton.  The  Hon. 
William  Smith,  of  New  York,  a  trustee,  presided  at  the  exer- 
cises and  conferred  the  degrees.     The  degree  of  Bachelor  of 


250  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

Arts  was  conferred  on  twenty-two  candidates,  and  the  degree 
of  Master  on  four.  On  the  29th  of  September,  1757,  the 
board  of  trustees  elected  the  Rev.  JONATHAN  EDWARDS,  of 
Stockbridgc,  Massachusetts,  president,  as  successor  of  President 
Burr,  and  the  Rev.  William  Tenncnt  president  pro  tein.  Mr. 
Edwards  hesitatingly  accepted  the  appointment,  and  when  re- 
leased from  his  pastoral  charge,  which  was  not  till  January  4, 
1758,  he  came  to  Princeton  immediately;  but  he  was  not  in- 
ducted into  office  by  the  trustees,  according  to  the  charter, 
until  the  1 6th  of  February,  1758,  and  was  at  the  same  time 
qualified  as  trustee.  The  care  of  the  grammar  school  was  also 
assigned  to  him.  Provision  was  made  for  a  lottery  for  the  col- 
lege, to  raise  £600,  the  price  of  a  ticket  to  be  two  dollars. 

President  Edwards  preached  here  before  he  was  inaugurated. 
His  preaching  in  the  chapel  to  the  students  and  citizens,  for  a 
few  Sabbaths,  was  powerful,  but  he  had  just  entered  upon  his 
work  of  teaching  in  the  college,  by  assigning  and  explaining 
some  questions  in  divinity  to  the  senior  class,  which  indicated 
how  interesting  and  thorough  a  teacher  he  promised  to  become, 
when  he  was  suddenly  removed  by  death.  When  he  arrived 
at  Princeton  the  small-pox  was  prevalent  in  the  community, 
and  a  week  after  he  had  been  inducted  into  office  he  was,  with 
the  consent  of  the  trustees,  it  is  alleged,  and  with  the  advice 
of  his  friends  and  physician,  inoculated.  Neither  he  nor  his 
daughters  had  ever  before  been  subjected  to  that  process.  A 
skilful  physician  from  Philadelphia  was  procured  to  inoculate 
him  and  his  daughters,  which  was  done  on  the  23d  of  P^ebruary. 
The  treatment  of  the  disease  seemed  successful  and  the  period 
of  danger  had  almost  passed,  when  a  secondary  fever  super- 
vened, and  by  reason  of  the  great  number  of  pustules  in  his 
throat,  the  obstruction  was  so  great  as  not  to  admit  the  neces- 
sary medicines  and  dietetic  preparations.  When  he  became 
sensible  that  he  would  not  recover,  he  called  his  daughter  Lucy, 
who  devotedly  attended  him  in  his  sickness,  and  said  to  her, 

"  Dear  Lucy,  it  seems  tome  to  be  the  will  of  God  ih.-it  I  must  shortly  leave  you  ; 
therefore  give  my  kindest  love  to  my  dear  wife,  ;ind  icU  her  lluit  the  uncommon 
union  which  has  so  long  subsisted  between  us  has  been  of  such  a  nature  as  I  trust 
is  spiritual  and  therefore  will  continue  forever ;  and  I  hope  i>he  will  be  supported 
under  so  great  a  trial,  and  submit  cheerfully  to  the  will  of  God.  As  to  my  children, 
you  are  now  like  to  be  left  fatherless,  which  I  hope  will  be  an  inducement  to  you 


THE  COLLEGE— PRESIDENT  EDWARDS.  -2  51       ; 

all  to  seek  a  Father  who  will  never  fail  you.  And  as  to  my  funeral,  I  would  have  it 
to  be  like  Mr.  Burr's  ;  and  any  additional  sum  of  money  that  might  be  expected  to 
be  laid  out  in  that  way,  I  would  have  disposed  of  to  charitable  uses." 

President  Edwards  retained  his  reason  and  composure  until 
he  died.  Just  before  expiring  he  heard  some  friends  lamenting 
the  loss  his  death  would  entail  on  the  church  at  large  as  well 
as  on  the  college,  and  though  they  did  not  imagine  that  he 
could  hear  them,  he  said,  "  Trust  in  God  and  ye  need  not  fear." 
These  were  his  last  words  and  he  calmly  fell  asleep. 

Dr.  William  Shippen,  of  Philadelphia,  was  the  physician 
who  had  inoculated  and  attended  Mr.  Edwards  till  his  death, 
and  he  wrote  to  Mrs.  Edwards  at  Stockbridge,  informing  her 
of  his  death.  Mrs.  Edwards  died  on  the  second  day  of  Octo- 
ber following,  in  Philadelphia,  where  she  had  gone  for  her  two 
grandchildren,  the  young  Burrs.  She  died  of  dysentery,  after 
five  days'  sickness.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Rev.  John  Pierre-  _ 
pont,  of  New  Haven,  and  was  a  most  excellent  wife. 

They  left  ten  children,  three  sons  and  seven  daughters  ; 
one  daughter  had  died  before  them.  Their  son  Jonathan  be- 
came a  distinguished  minister,  who  was  settled  at  New  Haven 
nearly  thirty  years,  then  was  dismissed  by  the  desire  of  his 
people,  then  was  pastor  of  a  small  church  near  Stockbridge, 
then  was  chosen  President  of  Union  College,  where  he  died  in 
a  {(^\v  months  after  he  had  entered  upon  his  duties  as  president  ; 
his  course  of  life  being  a  striking  parallel  to  that  of  his  distin- 
guished father,  both  dying  at  about  the  same  age,  having  passed 
through  a  similar  experience  of  success  and  adversity  in  life. 

President  Edwards  was  born  at  East  Windsor,  Ct.,  October 
5,  1703.  His  parents  were  Rev.  Timothy  Edwards  and  E-.thcr 
Stoddard,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Solomon  Stoddard,  of  North- 
ampton. Both  families  were  of  Enghsh  descent,  distingui.lied 
for  intellectual  vigor  and  commanding  influence.     He  was  tall 

over  six  feet   high.     He  was   graduated    at   Yale    College,  in 

1720,  with  the  highest  honors  of  the  class.  He  was  liceased 
to  preach  before  he  was  twenty  years  of  age,  and  when  twenty- 
four,  he  was  settled  at  Northampton  as  pastor,  and  was  there  1 
for  twenty-four  years.  He  was  greatly  distinguished  from  his 
youth  for  his  vigorous  mind  and  his  philosophical  investiga- 
tion of  profound  subjects.    His  religious  character  was  severely 


252  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON: 

self-denying  and  rigid.  The  eleventh  of  his  seventy  Resolutions 
of  Holy  Living  was  as  follows  :  "  Resolved,  When  I  think  of 
any  theorem  in  divinity  to  be  solved,  immediately  to  do  what 
I  can  towards  solving  it,  if  circumstances  do  not  hinder." 

It  is  remarkable  that  a  man  of  such  preeminent  talents, 
learning  and  conscientious  fidelity  to  duty,  one  who  had  a  rep- 
utation as  a  thinker  and  writer  in  theology  and  metaphysics, 
unequalled  among  the  profoundest  scholars,  should  have  been 
compelled,  after  more  than  twenty  years  of  faithful  pastoral 
service  at  Northampton,  by  reason  of  the  disaffection  of  his 
congregation  towards  him,  to  resign  his  pastoral  relation, 
abandon  his  pleasant  home,  give  up  an  ample  salary  and  ac- 
cept the  humble  part  of  missionary  to  the  Stockbridge  Indians 
on  the  verge  of  civilization  in  Western  Massachusetts  ;  a  change 
which  so  reduced  his  income  that  Mrs.  Edwards  and  her 
numerous  daughters  turned  their  accomplishments  to  account, 
and  painted  fans  in  the  fashion  of  that  time,  for  sale  in  Boston, 
to  support  themselves.  The  family  was  so  poor  that  Mr.  Ed- 
wards was  obliged  to  write  his  notes  and  essays  upon  the  cov- 
ers of  letters,  the  margins  of  pamphlets  and  upon  the  remnant 
of  paper  left  from  the  cutting  of  the  fans.  The  house  is  still 
standing  or  recently  was,  where  this  gifted  family  lived  ;  and 
visitors  are  shown  the  alcove  in  which  the  pastor  wrote  his 
celebrated  Treatise  on  the  Will.  From  this  house  it  was  that 
Esther,  one  of  the  daughters,  went  to  New  Jersey,  where  she 
was  married  to  the  Rev.  Aaron  Burr,  President  of  Princeton 
College. 

The  trouble  in  the  Northampton  congregation,  which  neces- 
sitated the  resignation  of  Mr.  Edwards,  originated  in  this  wise. 
Some  bad  books  having  got  into  the  town,  Mr.  Edwards  read 
aloud,  in  the  church,  a  long  list  of  young  people,  young  women 
as  well  as  young  men,  whom  he  wished  to  come  to  his  house 
at  a  certain  time  to  attend  an  investigation  of  the  affair.  Some 
of  these  persons  were  summoned  as  guilty  and  the  others  only 
as  witnesses,  but  with  unaccountable  want  of  tact,  he  omitted 
to  make  the  distinction,  and  left  the  impression  upon  the  minds 
of  the  congregation  that  all  the  young  people  whom  he  named 
had  been  reading  and  lending  the  abominable  books.  As  the 
persons  named  belonged  to  the  most  respectable  families  in  the 


i' 


'j1  crv//'T    fi/uvYvJ^ite.-    JOiT'yj^ 


ii 


J'y<V,y^^<^'^  (/</ 


THE  COLLEGE— PRESIDENT  DAVIES.  253 

town,  the  blunder  gave  the  highest  offence.  This  led  to  a  the- 
ological controversy  concerning  the  qualifications  of  full  com- 
munion in  the  visible  church,  enforced  by  the  pastor  in  the 
practical  administration  of  the  spiritual  affairs  of  his  church, 
which  gave  still  greater  offence  and  resulted  in  a  dissolution  of 
his  pastoral  relation.* 

The  election,  acceptance  and  inauguration  of  the  great 
Jonathan  Edwards  as  President  of  Princeton  College,  thou^rh 
he  held  the  keys  only  a  few  months,  did  great  honor  to  the  in- 
stitution. It  is  doubtful  whether  the  name  of  any  other  of  its 
presidents,  before  or  since  that  time,  irrespective  of  services 
actually  rendered,  has  done  and  will  do  more  to  honor  and 
commend  the  college  than  his  great  name.  An  examination 
of  his  Life  and  of  his  Works,  which  have  been  published  together 
in  ten  volumes  and  also  separately,  will  fully  sustain  his  world- 
wide reputation.  His  tombstone,  in  the  Princeton  cemetery, 
is  more  than  any  of  the  others,  the  object  of  the  relic-seekers 
who,  by  stealth,  break  and  carry  away  little  nuggets  of  the 
sacred  marble. 

His  publications  will  be  enumerated  in  a  subsequent  chapter 
devoted  to  authors.  They  are  all  religious  and  theological  and 
of  great  profundity.  Preeminent  among  them  are  those  on  the 
"  Freedom  of  the  Will,"  "  Redemption,"  "  True  Virtue,"  "  Re- 
ligious Affections,"  "  God's  Last  End  in  Creation.'' 

In  a  previous  chapter  (xix)  relating  to  the  Princeton  church, 
we  cited  the  opinion  of  Chalmers  and  others  concerning  Presi- 
dent Edwards  as  a  preacher  and  author. 


SECTION    IV. 

I759-I761— ADMINISTRATION   OF   PRESIDENT   DAVIES. 

The  death  of  President  Edwards  was  followed  by  an  in- 
terim, in  which  the  Rev.  Caleb  Smith  and  Rev.  Samuel  Finley 
successively  presided  over  the  college  pro  icm.  On  the  19th 
of  April,  1758,  the  Rev.  James  Lockwood,  of  Wethersfield, 
Conn.,  was  elected  to  fill  the  place  of  President  Edwards.     He 

*  Dr.  Miller's  Life  of  Edwards  ;  James  Parton  in  Wood's  Household  Magazine. 


254  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

declined,  and  on  the  i6th  of  August  ensuing,  the  Rev.  Samuel 
DaVIES,  of  Virginia,  was  duly  chosen  president.  He  at  first 
declined,  but,  upon  a  second  election,  he  accepted  and  took 
the  oath  of  office  and  entered  upon  his  duties  September  26, 
1759.  It  was  the  day  of  the  Commencement  exercises  and 
President  Davies  presided  over  them.  Eighteen  students  of 
the  college  were  admitted  to  the  first  degree  and  seven  to  the 
second  degree.  The  steward  of  the  college  was  allowed  twenty 
shillings  per  annum  for  every  boarder  instead  of  a  fixed  salary. 
The  expenses  of  supplying  the  students  with  board  devolved 
upon  the  college  and  not  upon  the  steward. 

President  Davies  immediately  set  about  to  establish  rules 
for  the  regulation  of  the  college  in  admitting  students  and 
granting  degrees.  One  of  those  rules  required  that  candidates 
for  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  should  reside  a  week  at  the 
college,  just  before  taking  the  degree,  submit  to  an  examina- 
tion, and  adduce  testimonials  of  moral  character.  This  rule 
showed  that  an  alumnus  of  the  college  could  not,  as  matter  of 
course,  obtain  the  second  degree  merely  because  he  was  an 
alumnus.  Proof  was  required  that  he  had  kept  up  his  habits 
of  study  and  had  advanced  in  knowledge. 

The  early  demise  of  the  president  prevented  him  from  in- 
grafting this  system  upon  the  institution,  and  it  became  soon 
an  unenforced  regulation.  But  this  idea  has  been,  within  a  few 
past  years,  revived  ;  and  to  some  extent,  the  degree  of  Master 
of  Arts  is  now  withheld  from  such  alumni  as  have  not  pursued 
a  professional  or  literary  occupation,  or  to  some  extent,  culti- 
vated letters  or  science  with  habits  of  reading  and  study. 

The  president  devoted  all  his  time  and  energies  to  the  col- 
lege, and  introduced  the  practice  of  English  Composition  and 
Eloquence  with  much  success.  He  also  undertook  to  train  a 
class  of  students  for  the  ministry.  He  had  efficient  tutors  to 
assist  him  in  college,  viz.:  Halsey,  Treat  and  Ker.  He  pre- 
pared a  methodical  catalogue  of  the  books  of  the  library, 
which  was  published  in  1760,  and  printed  at  Woodbridge  by 
James  Parker. 

President  Davies  was  a  pulpit  orator  with  no  superior  in 
the  country.  Three  volumes  of  his  sermons  have  been  pub- 
lished, and  they  rank  among  the  most  finished  and  admirable 


THE  COLLEGE— PRESIDENT  DAVIES.  255 

discourses  that  have  been  printed.  His  reputation  which  pre- 
ceded his  coming  to  Princeton  was  fully  sustained  while  he  was 
at  the  head  of  the  college.  Under  his  administration  the  num- 
ber of  students  became  larger  than  ever  before,  reaching,  it  is 
estimated,  about  one  hundred.  He  was  a  close  student  and  a 
hard  worker,  and  his  health,  which  in  preceding  years  had  been 
bad,  now  began  to  break  down  again.  He  died  of  fever,  I"eb- 
ruary  4,  1761,  in  the  thirty-eighth  year  of  his  age.  The  Rev. 
Dr.  Samuel  Finley  preached  a  commemorative  discourse  in  the 
following  May,  which  was  published,  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Thomas 
Gibbons  also  preached  one  in  London.  He  was  buried  in  the 
cemetery,  by  the  side  of  President  Edwards.  Thus,  after  a 
short  but  energetic  and  prosperous  administration  of  the  col- 
lege, not  quite  eighteen  months  in  duration,  the  fourth  presi- 
dent was  suddenly  removed  and  the  college  sustained  another 
great  loss. 

President  Davies  was  born  near  Summit  Ridge,  New  Castle 
County,  Delaware,  November  3,  O.  S.,  1723,  that  State  then 
being  a  part  of  Pennsylvania.*  He  was  of  Welsh  descent. 
His  mother  was  a  very  pious  woman  and  early  devoted  iier  son 
to  God,  giving  herself  wholly  to  his  interest  in  education  and 
pious  training.  He  made  a  public  profession  of  religion  when 
fifteen  years  of  age,  and  entered  upon  studies  preparatory  to 
the  ministry.  He  attended  the  celebrated  school  of  Rev. 
Samuel  Blair  at  Fagg's  Manor.  His  first  wife  was  Miss  Sarah 
Kirkpatrick,  who  died  within  a  year  after  their  marriage.  He 
preached  in  Virginia  as  an  evangelist  and  afterwards  as  an  or- 
dained minister,  with  license  from  the  General  Court,  with  em- 
inent success  and  reputation.  He,  with  Rev.  Gilbert  Tennent, 
went  to  Great  Britain  to  obtain  funds  for  the  college,  and  they 
preached  there  with  great  acceptance,  and  were  invited  by 
Whitfield  to  be  his  guests,  which  they  declined. 

President  Davies'  second  wife  was  Jean,  second  daughter 
of  John  Holt,  of  Virginia,  who,  with  their  six  children,  sur- 
vived him.  For  fuller  account  of  President  Davies  as  an  elo- 
quent preacher,  see  preceding  chap,  xix,  and  for  his  publications 
see  subsequent  chapter  on  authors. 

*  Dr.  Maclean's  Hist,  of  College. 


256  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

SECTION  V. 

1 761-1766 — ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  FINLEY. 

Upon  the  death  of  President  Davies,  and  until  his  succes- 
sor was  inaugurated,  the  college  was  under  the  care  of  the 
tutors.  At  a  meeting  of  the  trustees  June  i,  1761,  at  which 
were  present,  William  Smith,  Samuel  Woodruff,  John  Pierson, 
Gilbert  Tennent,  William  Tennent,  Caleb  Smith,  Jacob  Green, 
John  Brainerd,  Samuel  Finley,  Elihu  Spencer,  Charles 
McKnight,  John  Light  and  Richard  Stockton,  an  election  for 
a  president  in  the  room  of  Mr.  Davies,  deceased,  was  entered 
into,  and  the  Rev.  Samuel  Finley,  of  Nottingham,  Mary- 
land, was  unanimously  chosen. 

Mr.  Finley  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees,  a  warm 
friend  of  the  college,  a  pious  and  well  educated  man,  a  prom- 
inent preacher,  and  whose  name  had  been  seriously  mentioned 
for  president  at  the  time  when  President  Davies  was  elected. 
He  accepted  the  appointment  and  was  formally  inducted  into 
the  oflice  on  Wednesday,  the  30th  of  September,  1761,  the  day 
of  the  annual  Commencement.  Gov.  Boone  was  present. 
Fourteen  students  were  admitted  to  the  first  degree.  The 
salary  of  the  president  was  increased.  The  embarrassment 
arising  from  the  arrears  of  tuition  and  college  dues  led  to  the 
adoption  of  a  rule  requiring  payment  in  advance  or  security 
for  future  payment.  Measures  for  the  entire  completion  of  the 
president's  house  and  the  erection  of  a  building  for  a  kitchen, 
were  also  adopted  by  the  trustees. 

The  annual  Commencement  of  1762  was  conducted  with 
more  than  ordinary  preparation  and  enthusiasm.  A  poetic 
dialogue,  on  the  Military  Glory  of  Great  Britain,  said  to  have 
been  written  by  President  Davies,  was  recited  on  this  occasion, 
and  several  peculiarly  attractive  orations  were  delivered  by  the 
members  of  the  graduating  class.  The  programme  was  more 
imposing  and  pretentious  than  those  of  the  present  day.  An 
address  to  Gov.  Hardy  was  presented,  on  behalf  of  the  trustees, 
by  Richard  Stockton,  clerk  of  the  board.  In  that  address  we 
note  the  followins^  laufruasfe  : 


2:Ni;ii/iV,  /v/jj'\-ai^..-i./V. 


THE  C OLLEGE—PRESIDEN  T  FINL EY.  257 

"As  the  College  of  this  Province  has  been  favored  with  the  patronage  of  each 
of  our  Governors  since  its  institution,  your  excellency  will  be  pleased  to  take  it 
under  your  protection.  ^  We  can  assure  you  that  the  general  principle  of  preparing 
youth  for  public  service  in  church  and  state  and  making  them  useful  members 
of  society,  without  concerning  our:,elves  about  their  particular  religious  denomina- 
ation,  is  our  grand  idea." 

The  Governor  responded,  pledging  every  assistance  in  his 
power  in  promoting  the  prosperity  of  this  useful  seminary  of 
learning. 

The  drawing  of  a  lottery,  the  only  one  ever  granted  to  the 
college  by  the  legislature  of  this  Province,  now  attracted  the 
attention  of  the  trustees,  and  the  college  realized  the  sum  of 
^^■3,000  proc,  from  this  source.  The  trustees  also  confirmed 
the  gift  of  a  lot  of  land  to  the  inhabitants  of  Princeton,  for  the 
erection  of  a  church  building,  the  previous  deed  havin"-  been 
executed  by  only  ten  trustees,  not  a  quorum  to  make  a  valid 
deed. 

The  trustees  found  it  necessary  to  restrict  the  steward  in 
selling  things  to  the  students;  and  in  the  year  1765  it  was 
ordered,  "  that  hereafter  no  other  articles  whatsoever  be  kept 
in  the  buttery  and  sold  to  the  students  save  only  bread,  butter, 
candles  and  small  beer."  They  also  ordered,  at  the  same  time, 
sixty-two  good  leather  fire-buckets,  to  be  procured  and  used 
by  the  students  in  case  of  fire.  Dr.  Maclean*  says  that  there 
were  also  a  fire-engine,  and  ladders  and  a  well  of  water  pro- 
vided at  the  same  time  for  the  protection  of  the  college  from 
fire.  This  was  the  first  movement  in  the  direction  of  an  asso- 
ciated effort,  in  Princeton,  for  extinguishing  fires. 

It  was  at  this  meeting  of  the  board  also  that  the  planting 
of  shade  trees  on  the  college  grounds  was  ordered.  Those 
large  sycamores  standing  in  front  of  the  president's  house  were 
planted  in  that  year,  viz.,  1765. 

Under  the  administration  of  President  Finley  the  college  was 
rising  in  its  importance  and  in  the  nuinberof  students.  The 
number  of  graduates  in  1762  was  twenty-one,  and  among  them 
were  Dr.  Absalom  Bainbridge  and  Jonathan  Dickinson  Ser- 
geant, of  Princeton,  and  Ebenezer  Hazard,  Postmaster-General, 
and  Jacob  Manning.     In  the  year  1763   the  names  of  William 

*  Vol.  I.,  p.  263. 

17  ^ 


258  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

Paterson  and  Tapping  Reeve  appear  among  the  graduates. 
In  the  year  1765  the  graduating  class  numbered  tliirty-one 
members,  and  the  succeeding  class  had  the  same  number, 
among  them  were  Oliver  Ellsworth,  Nathaniel  Niles,  Luther 
Martin,  David  Howell  and  Jonathan  Edwards. 

The  instruction  to  the  classes  during  the  yeai's  of  this  pres- 
idency was  given  by  Dr.  Finley  and  the  tutors,  Jeremiah  Hal- 
sey,  Samuel  Blair,  James  Thompson  and  Joseph  Periam.  The 
president  continued  to  preach  to  the  students  and  the  people 
of  the  town  in  the  college  chapel.  He  took  a  leading  part  in 
the  building  of  the  church,  and  is  believed  to  have  prcaciictl 
in  it  before  his  death.  He  was  greatly  beloved  by  the  congre- 
gation and  the  citizens  of  the  town,  and  was,  more  than  any 
other  minister,  the  founder  and  father  of  this  venerable  church 
which  has  so  long  survived  him. 

In  the  year  1766  a  donation  of  ;^ioo  was  made  by  John 
Williamson,  of  Hanover,  Virginia,  to  the  college,  for  the  sup- 
port of  a  professor  of  divinity.  The  Cliosophic  Society  was 
established  in  1765.  The  great  revival  of  religion,  which  began 
in  college  in  1762,  under  President  Finley,  has  been  described 
in  a  previous  chapter  relating  to  the  history  of  the  church. 

The  course  of  instruction  in  college  under  Dr.  Finley,  is 
alleged  to  have  been  similar  to  that  in  European  colleges. 
There  were  four  classes,  as  now.  The  number  of  students  rose 
as  high  as  one  hundred  and  twenty,  in  1764. 

An  account  of  the  Commencement  exercises  as  well  as  of 
the  course  of  instruction  and  government  in  college,  given  by 
President  l""inley,  is  preserved,  and  large  extracts  are  given  by 
Dr.  Maclean  in  his  History  of  the  College  ;  and  the  employment 
of  the  Latin  language  in  conducting  the  Commencement  exer- 
cises, and  the  disputations  of  the  graduating  orators,  give  a  vivid 
impression  of  the  scholarly  training  of  the  students  of  that  day, 
especially  in  the  classics. 

Of  the  130  students  who  were  pupils  under  Dr.  Finley,  59 
became  ministers  of  the  Gospel. 

The  pressing  cares  of  his  responsible  office  began  to  break 
down  his  health,  and  he  went  to  Philadelphia  for  medical 
assistance,  but  died  there,  July  17,  1766,  aged  fifty-one  years. 
He  was  also  buried  there,  but  his  remains  have  recently  been 


THE  COLLEGE— PRESIDENT  FINLEY.  259 

removed  to  Abington,  Pa.  The  trustees  of  the  college  erected 
a  cenotaph  to  his  memory,  next  to  the  grave  of  President  Da- 
vies,  in  the  Princeton  cemetery,  as  we  have  before  stated.  His 
death  was  notable  for  the  exulting  triumph  of  his  faith  with 
which  he  met  it.  To  a  person  from  Princeton  he  said.  "  Give 
my  love  to  the  people  of  Princeton  and  tell  them  that  I  am 
going  to  die  and  that  I  am  not  afraid  to  die."  On  the  day 
before  his  death  he  cried  out,  "  Oh,  I  shall  triumph  over  every 
foe !  The  Lord  hath  given  me  the  victory !  I  exult  !  I 
triumph  ! " 

President  Finley  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  born  in  171 5, 
came  to  this  country  in  1734  with  his  parents  and  settled  in 
West  Jersey.  He  early  began  the  study  of  theology,  and  was 
a  student  at  the  Log  College.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  by 
the  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick,  August  5,  1740.  He 
preached  in  different  places  till  1744,  and  then  was  called  to 
Nottingham,  where  he  was  pastor  of  a  church  and  also  the 
head  of  a  classical  school  of  great  reputation.  He  was  an  ac- 
complished teacher,  and  was  called  from  there  to  Princeton. 

Dr.  John  Woodhull,  of  Monmouth,  says  "Dr.  Finley  was 
of  small  stature,  of  a  round  and  ruddy  countenance;  in  the 
pulpit  sensible  and  solemn  with  considerable  fervor;  of  exten- 
sive learning,  being  familiar  with  everything  taught  in  college. 
He  taught  Latin,  Greek  and  Hebrew  in  the  senior  year.'' 

He  received  the  rare  honor  of  a  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divin- 
ity from  the  University  of  Glasgow.  He  was  twice  married, 
first  to  Miss  Sarah  Hall,  whose  mother  was  the  second  wife  of 
Rev.  Gilbert  Tennent,  They  had  eight  children.  His  second 
wife,  whom  he  married  the  year  after  the  death  of  his  first  one, 
was  Ann,  the  daughter  of  Matthew  Clarkson,  an  eminent  mer- 
chant of  New  York.  His  son,  Ebenezer  Finley,  was  graduated 
at  Nassau  Hall  in  1772.  Dr.  Finley's  publications  were  chiefly 
sermons.* 

*  Sprague's  Annals  :  Maclean's  Hist,  of  Coll. :  Edgar's  Pamphlet. 


^^  HISTORY  OF  PRINCE  TO.V. 

SECTION  VI. 

I768-1 794— ADMINISTRATION    OF   PRESIDENT   WITIIERSPOON. 

Provision  had  been  made  by  the  trustees,  in  anticipation 
of  the  death  of  President  Finley.  to  have  the  Rev.  Elihu  Spen- 
cer to  preside  at  the  next  ensuing  Commencement  and   confer 
the  degrees;  an  appointment  which  Mr.  Spencer  accepted  and 
performed.     The  Rev.  William  Tennent  was,  at  the  same  time, 
apponited  to  fill   President  Finley's  place,  pro  tan.,  with  the 
power  and  authority  of  the  president;  and  he  performed  that 
duty  with  great  acceptance  till  a  president  was  secured.     On 
the   19th  of  November,  of  that  year,  the  trustees  elected  for 
president    the    Rev.    Dr.    John    Witmerspoon,    of   Paisley, 
Scotland,  without  a   dissenting   voice.     He   declined    the   ap- 
pointment  and    Mr.  Tennent    continued    to   act   as   president. 
An  effort  was  made,  by  some  friend  of  the  college  residing  in 
Philadelphia,  to  establish  a  faculty  of  several  professors.     The 
Rev.  Samuel  Blair,  of  Boston,  was  elected  president,  but  as  he 
had  learned  that  Dr.  Witherspoon  would  probably  accept  the 
appointment  if  re-elected,  he  declined  it. 

A  re-election   of  Dr.  Witherspoon  took  place,  and  his  views 
together  with  those  of  his  wife  having  been  changed  through 
the  representations  of  Richard  Stockton,  one  of  the  trustees. 
who   was   authorized   to   seek   a   personal   interview   with   the 
Doctor  while  in  Great  Britain  and  press  his  acceptance,   the 
appointment  was  accepted.     Dr.  Witherspoon  began  to  make 
his  arrangements  in  the  spring  of  1768  to  come  to  Princeton. 
'Y\\&  Boston  Chronicle  of  9th    May,  1768,  states   the  following 
item  of  news:  "  A  passenger  in  the  Captain  Smith  informs  us 
that  the  Rev.  Dr.  Witherspoon,  chosen  president  of  New  Jer- 
sey College,  had  preached  his  farewell  sermon  to  his  congrega- 
tion at  Paisley,  had  sold  off  all  his  household  furniture  anil  vv^as 
soon  to  proceed  for  New  York  ®r  Philadelphia."     He  embarked 
about  the  20th  of  May,  and  arrived  at  Philadelphia  after  a  long 
passage.     After  a  short  rest  he  came  on  to  Princeton,  where  he 
was  welcomed  by  the  students  and  all  the  citizens  of  the  village 
and  surrounding  country  with  great  demonstrations  of  joy,  the 
college  edifice  being  brilliantly  illuminated. 


■\:':-i.  ,ri^n;;!W   '^ni'ii'IHlKll^^lFOOL^I^   !©„!;;• 


THE  COLLEGE— PRESIDENT  IVITff Eli  SPOON.  26 1 

Dr.  Witherspoon  was  inaugurated  as  president  of  the  col- 
lege at  a  special  meeting  of  the  trustees,  August    17.  1768,  and 
in   connection   therewith  he  is  said  to  have  delivered  an  inau- 
gural address  in  Latin^  on  the  "  Union  of  Piety  and  Science." 
He  was  a  man  of  high  repute  for  talents  and   learning,  and 
he  was  not  long  in  exciting  the  highest  expectations  of  the 
success  of  the  college  under  his  administration.     He  began  to 
improve  the  system  of  education,  gave  the  institution  a  higher 
tone  of  intellect  and  scholarship,  adopted  the  policy  which  was 
new  in  this  country,  of  teaching  by  lectures,  and  he  delivered 
lectures  on   four  subjects,  viz. :   Belles-Lettres,  Moral   Philoso- 
phy, Chronology  and  History,  and  Divinity.      His  lectures  were 
very  popular  and  soon  added  to  the  reputation  of  the  college. 
He  introduced  the  study  of  the  Hebrew  and  French  languages  ; 
increased  the  library  and  philosophical  apparatus.     He  brought 
with  him  and  presented  to   the   library   300   volumes;   and\e 
was    chiefly  instrumental    in    obtaining   the  first    Orrery   con- 
structed by  Rittenhouse,  which  was  greatly  injured  by  the  sol- 
diers   m    the    Revolution.     Dr.    Witherspoon    was    a    general 
scholar  and  could  teach    Hebrew   and    French  as   well   as   the 
Latin    and    Greek.      William    Churchill     Houston,    who    was 
graduated  in  1768,  was   tutor   in    college    until    1771,  when    he 
was  appointed  Professor  of  Mathematics  and  Natural  Philoso- 
phy.    He  has  been  noticed  in  our  first  volume. 

President  Witherspoon  rendered  very  important  service  to 
the  college  by  efforts  to  increase  its  income.  The  funds  of  the 
institution  had  run  down,  but  they  were  now  greatly  improved, 
so  that  its  debts  were  all  paid  and  there  was  a  surplus.  He 
also  became  Professor  of  Divinity  in  the  college,  the  Rev.  John 
Blair  having  resigned  that  chair.  He  did  not  forget  that  he 
was  a  minister,  but  preached  for  the  students  and  the  people 
of  the  town  in  the  church,  acting  as  pastor  of  the  congregation. 
His  labors  were  blessed  with  revivals  of  religion,  and  his  varied 
efforts  were  attended  with  marked  success,  when  the  troubles 
of  the  Revolution  arrested  the  progress  of  things. 

When  the  Revolutionary  war  commenced  Dr.  Witherspoon 
had  been  the  president  of  the  college  for  eight  years,  and  among 
the  students  who  had  taken  degrees,  there  were  many  sons  of 
influential  families  who  promised  to  ri^e  to  eminence.     In  the 


262  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

class  of  1769  were  Charles  Bcatty,  John  Henry,  William  Chan- 
ning,  Samuel  Stanhope  Smith.  In  the  class  of  1770,  Frederick 
Frelinghuysen,  James  Witherspoon,  John  TayloV.  In  the 
class  of  1771,  Hugh  H.  Brackenridge,  Philip  F'renau,  James 
Madison.  In  the  class  of  1772,  Aaron  Burr,  William  Bradford, 
Andrew  Hunter.  In  the  class  of  1773,  Hugh  I  lodge,  Henry 
Lee,  Morgan  Lewis,  Aaron  Ogden,  John  Witlierspoon.  In  the 
class  of  1774,  Samuel  Leake,  Henry  Brockholst  Livingston, 
Jonathan  Mason,  William  Stevens  Smith,  David  Witherspoon. 
In  1775,  Andrew  Kirkpatrick,  Charles  Lee,  James  Reed,  John 
A.  Scudder.  In  1776,  Jonathan  Dayton,  Nathaniel  Alexander, 
William  Richardson  Davie,  John  Rutherford. 

These  were  among  the  prominent  graduates  of  the  college 
under  Dr.  Witherspoon,  prior  to  the  war.  The  patriotic  and 
eminent  services  of  President  Witherspoon,  in  behalf  of  his 
adopted  country,  during  the  war,  have  been  extensively  set 
forth  in  the  first  volume  of  this  work,  and  it  is  needless  to  refer 
to  them  again.  In  like  manner  his  services  to  the  Princeton 
church  have  hereinbefore  been  stated. 

The  exercises  of  the  college  were,  for  a  time,  suspended, 
and  the  college  edifice  was  occupied  by  the  troops.  They  were 
removed  as  soon  as  the  state  of  the  country  would  allow,  and 
the  reputation  of  the  President  greatly  augmented  by  his  bril- 
liant statesmanship  and  heroic  patriotism,  gave  fresh  celebrity 
to  the  College  of  New  Jersey.  He  continued  to  fill  his  place 
as  president  till  his  death  in  1794. 

In  addition  to  W.  Churchill  Houston,  three  other  .professors 
were  added  to  the  faculty  during  his  administration,  namely, 
the  Rev.  Samuel  Stanhope  Smith,  Ashbel  Green  and  Walter 
Minto.  The  first  two  became  presidents  of  the  college  and 
will  be  noticed  hereafter  as  such. 

Walter  Minto,  LL.  D.,  was  a  native  of  Scotland,  distin- 
guished as  a  mathematician  and  astronomer.  He  came  to  this 
country  in  1786,  and  for  a  year  was  the  principal  of  Erasmus 
Hall  at  Flatbush,  Long  Island.*  He  was  elected  Professor  of 
Mathematics  and  Natural  Philosophy  in  Princeton  College  in 
1787,  and  held  that  chair  till  his  death  in  1796.      His  inaugural 

*  See  Vol.  I.,  pp.  195,  6. 


THE  COLLEGE— PRESIDENT  WITHERSPOON.  263 

oration  was  delivered  at  Princeton  on  the  evening  preceding 
the  annual  Commencement  in  1788.  His  subject  was  "  The 
Progress  and  Importance  of  the  Mathematical  Sciences."  It 
was  printed,  and  it  closed  with  an  address  to  the  Supreme 
Being,  thus : 

"  Father  of  truth  and  reason  and  of  everything  that  lives  !  Be  pleased  to  pros- 
per the  interests  of  science  and  literature  in  the  United  States  of  America  ;  to  make 
those  interests  ever  subservient  to  the  promotion  of  liberty,  happiness  and  virtue  ; 
to  preserve  this  rising  and  extensive  empire  from  the  ill-boding  spirit  of  conquest  ; 
tfi  protect  this  country  as  a  secure  and  happy  asylum  to  the  oppressed  in  all  quar- 
ters of  the  globe  ;  to  enlighten  tlie  inhabitants  of  the  eastern  hemisphere  in  the 
knowledge  of  the  rights  of  mankind  and  in  the  arts  of  government  and  peace;  to 
cause  truth  and  reason  at  length  to  obtain  a  glorious  and  everlasting  victory  over 
error  and  violence  ;  and  to  instruct  all  the  nations  of  the  world  in  llie  way  of  up- 
rightness and  felicity,  Amen."  * 

There  were  as  many  as  twenty-five  different  tutors  em- 
ployed while  Dr.  Witherspoon  was  president.  His  administra- 
tion extended  through  twenty-six  years,  and  during  that  period 
there  were  469  graduates,  of  whom  1 14  became  ministers  of  the 
Gospel.  Many  of  these  ministers  were  trained  under  Dr. 
Witherspoon.  Six  of  these  graduates  were  members  of  the 
Continental  Congress.  Twenty  were  members  of  the  United 
States  Senate  and  twenty-three  of  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives. One  became  President  of  the  United  States  and  one 
Vice  President. 

President  Witherspoon  was  a  voluminous  author  and  his 
publications  will  be  enumerated  in  the  appropriate  subsequent 
chapter.  He  was  social  in  his  nature,  and  his  company  was 
sought  by  the  young  as  well  as  the  aged.      He  accomplished  a 

*  Dr.  Minto  married  Mary  Skelton,  of  Princeton.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
Joseph  Skelton.  Walter  Minto  Skelton,  who  was  graduated  at  college  in  the 
class  of  1824,  and  studied  law,  was  her  nephew.  Joseph  Skelton,  the  ancestor, 
lived  at  the  mills  known  as  Stockton's,  on  Cranberry  Neck,  about  five  miles 
from  Cranberry.  He  also  owned  a  farm  at  Penn's  Neck,  two  miles  from  Princeton, 
of  150  acres.  He  owned  100  acres  with  the  grist  mill  above  mentioned.  His  name 
is  among  those  who  cl.aimed  damages  for  devastation  hy  the  soldiers  in  the  Revolu- 
tion, sworn  to  before  Josiah  Skehon.  He  was  summoned  before  the  Council  of 
Safety  in  1777,  and  refusing  to  take  the  allegiance,  was  held  to  bail  in  C'i'^'^  to  ap- 
pear.  etc.  He  died  in  the  fall  of  1778,  and  his  son,  Josiuh  S.,  was  his  executor. 
Joseph  H.  Skelton  was  a  surveyor.  None  of  their  descendants  are  living  in  this 
neighborhood.     Dr.  Minto  left  no  children. 


264  HISTORY  OF  PRIjVCETO.V. 

great  deal  in  his  life.  He  was  eminent  when  he  came  here, 
but  much  more  so  when  he  died.  He  fills  a  large  space  in  the 
Presbyterian  church  and  in  this  country.  Born  in  the  Parish 
of  Yester,  Scotland,  on  the  5th  of  February,  1723,  the  son  of 
the  Rev.  James  VVitherspoon,  an  able  minister,  his  mother  a 
pious  descendant  of  John  Knox,  the  reformer,  educated  at  the 
University  of .  Edinburgh,  with  great  intellectual  vigor  and 
thorough  training,  he  was  a  full  man,  forty-six  years  old  when 
he  came  to  Princeton,  and  was  seventy-two  when  he  died.  As 
to  his  family  and  death  we  have  already  referred  to  them  in 
our  first  volume.  He  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Princeton 
by  the  side  of  President  Davies. 


SECTION  vn. 

1 795-1 8 1 2. — ADMINISTRATION   OF   PRESIDENT   SMITH. 

On  the  6th  of  May,  1795,  the  Rev.  SAMUEL  STANHOPE 
Smith  was  elected  president  of  the  college,  to  succeed  Dr. 
VVitherspoon,  deceased.  He  had  been  a  professor  in  the  col- 
lege since  1779,  and  was  a  son-in-law  of  Dr.  Witherspoon. 
During  the  later  years  of  the  life  of  Dr.  Witherspoon,  when 
his  infirmities  rendered  him  unable  to  discharge  vigorously  all 
the  duties  of  president  and  pastor.  Dr.  Smith  assisted  him  and 
bore  a  share  of  his  responsibility  in  the  church  as  well  as  in 
the  college. 

President  Smith  was  born  at  Pequea,  in  the  county  of  Lan- 
caster. Pennsylvania,  on  the  i6th  of  March,  1750.  His  father 
was  Rev.  Dr.  Robert  Smith,  who  came  to  this  country  from 
Ireland,  and  was  for  many  years  the  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  of  Pequea,  and  the  principal  of  an  academy  established 
there  by  himself.  President  Smith's  mother  was  Elisabeth 
Blair,  a  sister  of  the  eminent  brothers,  the  Rev.  John  and 
Samuel  Blair.  His  brother,  William  R.  Smith,  was  pastor  of 
the  R.  D.  Churches  of  Harlingen  and  Neshanic.  He  early 
commenced  the  study  of  the  classics  at  his  father's  academy 
and  became  familiar  with  them.  He  had  a  bright  mind  and 
most  thorough  training.     He  entered  the  college  at  Princeton 


'^^jm 


SAMuriiillL  '^TA>MM€^"E    'f^Jm'TM    BM'JlL, 


THE  COLLEGE— PRESIDENT  SMITLI.  265 

in  1767,  junior  class,  and  was  graduated  in  1769,  after  which  he 
returned  home  and  taught  in  his  father's  academy  and  studied 
polite  Htcrature,  metaphysics  and  divinity.  He  soon  returned 
to  Princeton,  and  was  tutor  in  college,  while  studying  theoloo-y 
with  President  VVitherspoon,  for  three  years.  He  was  licensed 
by  the  Presbytery  of  Newcastle,  and  soon  was  distinguished  as 
a  popular  and  eloquent  preacher,  and  was  chosen  president  of 
Hampden  Sidney  College,  then  about  to  be  organized.  Before 
he  entered  upon  that  enterprise  he  was  married  to  Miss  Ann 
Witherspoon,  the  eldest  daughter  of  Dr.  Witherspoon.  He 
filled  the  post  assigned  him  with  honor,  and  after  a  few  years 
was  elected  Professor  of  Moral  Philosophy  in  his  Alma  Mater 
at  Princeton,  making  the  second  professor  besides  the  presi- 
dent, in  the  college  at  that  time. 

In  1786  he  was  chosen  vice-president  of  the  college  and 
resided  in  the  President's  house,  (the  president  residing  at 
Tusculum,)  and  he  was  generally  regarded  as  the  representa- 
tive of  the  college.  He  was  an  elegant  scholar  and  a  polished 
gentleman,  and  he  was  frequently  invited  to  deliver  public 
addresses  and  lectures.  He  found  genuine  philosophy  to  be 
the  friend  of  true  religion  ;  and  he  encouraged  the  study  of  the 
natural  sciences  in  the  most  liberal  manner,  especially  after  he 
became  president.  He  delivered  his  inaugural  address  at  the 
Commencement  of  29th  September,  1795.  The  exercises  of 
that  anniversary  were  very  interesting  and  the  programme  may 
be  found  in  Dr.  Maclean's  History  of  the  College. 

The  administration  of  President  Smith  was  early  distin- 
guished by  the  appointment  of  a  professor  of  chemistry, — a  step 
quite  in  advance  of  other  American  colleges.  Strenuous 
efforts  were  made  to  augment  the  funds  of  the  college,  to  re- 
pair the  orrery,  and  to  obtain  a  philosophical  apparatus.  An 
appeal  to  the  State  for  aid,  drawn  by  the  president  and  other 
trustees,  set  forth  the  claims  and  services  of  the  college  ;  and 
the  State  did  grant  ii"  1,800  or  $4,800,  to  be  paid  to  the  college 
within  three  years  ;  and  this,  Dr.  Maclean  says,  is  the  only 
pecuniary  aid  ever  received  from  the  State  treasury. 

In  1799  provision  was  made  for  printing  the  college  diplo- 
mas on  copper-plate,  in  lieu  of  the  small  written  parchments. 
A  house  was  ordered  to  be  built  for  Dr.  Maclean,  the  only  pro- 


266  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON: 

fessor  at  that  time  connected  with  the  college.  It  was  erected 
on  the  college  grounds  and  was  known  always  as  the  Maclean 
Plouse,  It  was  a  stone  house  and  stood  on  Nassau  Street,  on 
the  corner  of  College  Lane,  which  separated  it  from  the  old 
City  Hotel,  near  the  market  house.  It  was  occupied  by  Presi- 
dent Maclean  for  twenty  years,  and  after  him  by  Dr.  Atwater 
for  sixteen  years.  It  was  taken  down  when  the  Chancellor 
Green  Library  was  erected  on  ground  in  the  rear  of  it. 

President  Smith  was  administering  the  affairs  of  the  college 
prosperously  when,  on  the  6th  of  March,  i802,  Nassau  Hall,  it 
is  alleged,  was  set  on  fire  and,  except  the  walls,  was  entirely 
consumed,  with  the  most  of  the  library  and  a  part  of  the  philo- 
sophical apparatus.  A  committee  reported  that  it  had  been 
set  on  fire,  but  no  prosecutions  were  commenced  against  the 
suspected  students. 

The  trustees  issued  an  address  to  the  inhabitants  of  the 
United  States,  appealing  for  sympathy  and  aid,  and  resolved 
to  rebuild.  They  also  appealed  to  the  General  Assembly  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church.  President  Smith  was  sent  through 
the  Middle  and  Southern  States  to  solicit  contributions  for  re- 
building the  college,  and  he  returned  with  $100,000  ;  and  liberal 
gifts  from  other  sections  made  the  supply  equal  to  the  demand. 
The  structure  of  Nassau  Hall  was  rebuilt  upon  the  old  walls, 
and  made  more  fire-proof  than  the  first  one. 

In  addition  to  rebuilding  the  college  the  trustees  added  a 
new  house  for  the  Professor  of  Languages  at  the  west  end  of 
the  college,  corresponding  to  one  at  the  east  end  which  had 
been  built.  Also  a  new  stone  building  60  feet  by  40  feet, 
three  stories  high,  on  the  northeast  side  of  the  front  yard  of 
the  college,  securing  a  steward's  room,  a  large  dining-room  for 
the  students,  a  room  for  the  philosophical  apparatus,  and  a 
room  for  lectures  on  mathematics  and  philosophy;  and  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  campus,  the  west  side,  a  large  stone  build- 
ing corresponding  to  the  former  one,  for  Sophomore  and  Fresh- 
man classes  to  recite  in,  and  one  for  the  president  in  which  to 
hear  the  recitations  of  the  classes  which  recited  to  him.  This 
latter  one  is  still  standing  and  the  college  offices  are  kept  there. 
The  other  one  was  torn  down  to  give  place  to  *he  new  College 
Library. 


THE  COLLEGE— PRESIDENT  SMITH.  26/ 

A  cabinet  of  Natural  History,  tlie  first  ever  acquired  by  an 
American  college,  Dr.  Maclean  says,  was  procured  by  the  trus- 
tees at  a  cost  of  $3,000,  chiefly  through  the  instrumentality  of 
Elias  Boudinot,  in  the  year  1805. 

At  the  Commencement  in  i(So6  the  number  of  the  gradu- 
ating class  was  greater  than  in  any  other  jorcvious  year.  Fifty 
four  students  were  admitted  to  the  first  (Jcgrce.  The  state  of 
the  college  had  never  been  more  prosperous.  The  faculty  con- 
sisted of  a  president  and  four  professors,  with  two  or  three 
tutors  and  a  teacher  of  French.  Ikit  there  were  disorders  and 
irregularities  among  the  students,  which  the  faculty  and  trus- 
tees were  obliged  to  suppress  and  which  they  did  suppress,  but 
not  until  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  students  had  been  dis- 
missed. Several  of  the  professors  resigned  and  their  places 
were  not  filled  for  some  time  after;  and  this  increased  the 
duties  of  the  president  and  the  remaining  professors.  So  great 
was  the  insubordination  in  college  that  the  citizens  were  re- 
quested by  the  trustees  to  guard  the  college  buildings  from 
violence.  The  president  was  greatly  troubled  and  his  health 
began  again  to  fail. 

In  1 8 10  the  trustees  appointed  a  committee  to  confer  with 
a  committee  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  on  the  subject  of  establishing  a  theological  seminary 
in  Princeton;  this  finally  resulted  in  having  such  a  seminary 
here  established,  when  the  teaching  of  theology  in  the  college 
was  discontinued  and  transferred  to  the  seminary. 

On  the  14th  of  August,  1812,  President  Smith  resigned  the 
presidency  of  the  college  on  account  of  his  health,  having  been 
in  the  service  of  the  college  as  professor  and  president  thirty- 
three  years.  During  his  administration  as  president  there  were 
531  graduates,  twenty-two  of  whom  became  presidents  or  pro- 
fessors of  colleges  ;  one  a  vice-president  of  the  United  States, 
and  a  large  number  of  such  as  became  distinguishetl  as  mem- 
bers of  Congress  and  of  the  Cabinet  and  other  high  places  in 
church  and  state. 

President  Smith  was  not  only  an  elegant  scholar  and  an 
eloquent  preacher,  but  a  fine  model  for  young  men  to  admire. 
He  was  well  versed  in  public  affairs  and  was  worldly  wise  in 
ecclesiastical  courts  and  public  conventic.is.     General  Wash- 


268  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

ington,  in  a  letter  to  his  adopted  son,  George  Washington 
Parke  Custis,  written  from  Mount  Vernon,  July  23,  1797,  said, 
"  No  college  has  turned  out  better  scholars  or  more  estimable 
characters  than  Nassau.  Nor  is  there  any  one  whose  president 
is  thought  more  capable  to  direct  a  proper  system  of  educa- 
tion than  Dr.  Smith."     Dr.  Lindsley  said  of  him: 

"  Mis  person,  presence  and  carri.ige  were  so  rem.nrkable  that  he  never  entered 
the  village  church  or  college  chapel,  or  walUed  the  streets,  or  appeared  in  any  com- 
pany without  arresting  attention  or  creating  a  sensation,  not  of  surprise  or  wonder, 
but  of  pleasing,  grateful  admiration,  a  kind  of  involuntary  emotion  and  homao-e  of 
the  heart,  a  tribute  as  cordially  yielded  as  it  was  richly  deserved." 

The  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  was  conferred  upon  him, 
in  1783,  by  Yale  College,  and  of  Doctor  of  Laws  by  Harvard, 
in  1 8 10.  He  was  a  member  of  the  American  Philosophical 
Society  in  Philadelphia,  before  which  he  delivered  an  address, 
which  gave  rise  to  his  volume  on  the  "  Variety  of  Complexion 
and  P'^igure  of  the  Human  Species."  His  various  publications 
will  be  found  enumerated  in  a  subsequent  chapter. 

Dr.  Smith  was  the  first  president  of  the  college  who  did  not 
die  in  the  office.  He  resided  in  Princeton,  after  his  resignation, 
with  his  wife  and  children,  until  the  21st  of  August,  1819,  when 
he  died  in  the  seventieth  year  of  his  age,  and  was  buried  by 
the  side  of  President  Witherspoon,  in  the  cemetery. 

His  children  who  survived  him  were  John  Witherspoon 
Smith,  who  was  graduated  in  1795,  studied  law  and  settled  in 
St.  Louis  and  became  Judge  of  the  U.  S.  District  Court; 
Elisabeth,  (Mrs.  Pintard  )  P>ances,  (Mrs.  Prevost.)  Susan,  (Mrs. 
Salomans,)  Ann,  (Mrs.  Callender,)  Mary,  (Mrs.  Jos.  Caball 
Breckinridge,)  and  Caroline,  who  died  unmarried.  They  are 
all  dead.  Mrs.  Pintard  and  Mrs.  Salomans  died  in  Princeton. 
These  young  ladies,  in  the  family  of  their  parents,  occupied  a 
prominent  place  in  Princeton  Society. 

During  President  Smith's  administration  four  professors 
were  added  to  the  faculty  of  the  college,  viz.:  Dr.  John  Mac- 
lean, William  Thompson,  Henry  Kollock  and  Andrew  Hunter. 

Dr.  John  Maclean,  father  of  Ex-President  Maclean,  was 
born  in  the  city  of  Glasgow,  Scotland,  March  i,  1771.  His 
father,  Dr.  John  Maclean,  was  a  surgeon  in  Loth  the  civil  and 


THE  COLLEGE— PRESIDENT  SMITH.  269 

military  service.  His  grandfather  was  the  Rev.  Archibald 
Maclean,  minister  of  the  parish  of  Kilfinichen.  His  niotiier 
was  Agnes  Lang,  of  Glasgow.  He  was  thoroughly  educated, 
and  he  gave  special  attention  to  Mathematics  and  Natural 
Philosophy,  devoting  himself  with  enthusiasm  to  the  subject  of 
Chemistry  and  Surgery.  He  came  to  this  country  in  the  year 
1795,  and  Dr.  Benjamin  Rush,  learning  of  his  su[jerior  attain- 
ments in  Chemistry,  advised  him  to  settle  in  Princeton.  He 
came  to  Princeton  in  the  early  part  of  the  summer  of  that  year, 
and  commenced  the  practice  of  physic  and  surgery  in  connec- 
tion with  Dr.  Ebenezer  Stockton,  between  whom,  and  whose 
families,  an  intimate  and  long  continued  friendship  was  main- 
tained. He  was  chosen  Professor  of  Chemistry  and  Natural 
History  in  the  college,  October  i,  1795,  and  had  the  branches 
of  Mathematics  and  Natural  Philosophy  assigned  to  him.  He 
could  fill  any  place  in  the  faculty.  He  was  preeminent  as  a 
chemist.  When  he  left  Scotland  he  left  no  superior  in  that 
branch  behind  him  ;  and  he  continued  in  this  country  to  be  in 
advance  of  all  others,  though  over-burdened  with  the  general 
care  and  labors  of  the  college.  Professor  Benjamin  Silliman 
accorded  to  him  the  highest  compliment.  He  said:  "Dr. 
Maclean  was  a  man  of  brilliant  mind  with  all  the  acuteness  of 
his  native  Scotland  ;  and  a  sparkling  wit  gave  variety  to  his 
conversation.  I  regard  him  as  my  earliest  master  in  chemistry, 
and  Princeton  as  my  starting  point  in  that  pursuit." 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  Miller,  in  the  American  edition  of 
Lempriere's  Biographical  Dictionary,  says  of  him  : 

"As  a  physician,  a  surgeon,  a  natural  philosopher,  a  mathe- 
matician, and  above  all,  as  a  chemist.  Dr.  Maclean  was  very 
eminent.  As  a  college  officer  he  was  uncommonly  popular 
and  useful." 

Rev.  Dr.  Archibald  Alexander,  in  the  Princeton  jMaga::ine 
of  1850,  in  describing  a  visit  to  Princeton  in  1801,  says  of  him, 

"Dr.  Maclean  emigrated  to  America  in  1795  and  became 
one  of  the  most  popular  professors  who  ever  graced  the  college. 
He  was  at  home  almost  equally  in  all  branches  of  science. 
Chemistry,  natural  history,  mathematics  and  natural  philoso- 
phy successively  claimed  his  attention." 

Dr.  Maclean  was  a  scholar   of  wide   repute.     In    Paris   he 


270  •  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

learned  to  admire  the  antiphlogistic  theory,  as  the  new  chemis- 
try of  Lavoisier  was  then  called,  and  which  he  taught  at 
Princeton,  and  in  connection  therewith  combatted  the  Consid- 
erations of  Dr.  Priestly  on  the  Doctrine  of  Phlogiston  and  the 
Decomposition  of  Water. 

In  1812,  upon  the  reorganization  of  the  faculty.  Dr.  Mac- 
lean resigned  his  professorship  and  accepted  one  in  William 
and  Mary's  College,  Virginia,  but  his  health  failed  and  he  had 
to  withdraw  his  acceptance.  He  remained  with  his  family  in 
Princeton  and  died  here  on  the  17th  day  of  February,  18 14, 
forty-three  years  of  age,  and  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  near 
the  graves  of  the  college  presidents. 

Dr.  Maclean  was  married  in  1798  to  Phebe  Bainbridge,  eldest 
daughter  of  Dr.  Absalom  Bainbridge,  hereinbefore  noticed,  and 
a  sister  of  Commodore  William  Bainbridge,  U.S.N.  She  was 
a  most  estimable  woman  and  survived  her  husband  in  Prince- 
ton fourteen  years. 

They  left  six  children — John,  who  became  president  of  the 
college  and  is  still  surviving;  George  Mcintosh,  a  physician 
and  lecturer  on  chemistry,  still  residing  in  Princeton;  William 
Bainbridge,  who  was  a  member  of  the  New  Jersey  bar,  but 
died  young,  much  beloved  ;  Agnes  and  Mary,  both  highly 
esteemed  for  their  noble  virtues  and  useful  lives,  and  who 
died  unmarried,  much  lamented  ;  and  Archibald,  who  studied 
law  and  resides  with  his  brother,  the  ex-president,  in  Prince 
ton.* 

Professor  William  Thompson  was  elected  Professor  of 
Languages  in  this  college  in  1802.  He  held  the  same  chair  in 
Dickinson  College,  Carlisle,  Pa.,  when  called  to  Princeton. 
Ex-president  Maclean  says  of  him,  that  he  had  the  reputation 
of  being  an  accurate  scholar,  a  good  teacher  and  an  excellent 
man.  He  was  advanced  in  life  when  he  became  professor  in 
this  institution,  and  after  a  few  years,  his  mind  giving  way 
under  the  pressure  of  his  arduous  duties,  he  was  constrained 
to  give  up  his  position  in  the  college  (in  1808)  and  died  not 
long  after. 

*  We  have  drawn  largely  from  an  excellent  memoir  of  Dr.  Maclean,  wrUten  by 
his  son,  PrcbideiU  Maclean,  in  1876,  printed  only  for  private  distribution. 


f^(l  J 


THE  COLLEGE— PRESIDENT  GREEN.  2/1 

He  was  a  ruling  elder  in  the  Princeton  church  from  1805 
till  his  death  in  18 13. 

Rev.  Professor  Andrew  Hunter  was  elected  Professor 
of  Mathematics  and  Astronomy  and  entered  upon  his  duties 
May  10,  1804.  He  resigned  the  office  in  April,  1808,  and  re- 
moved to  Bordentown,  where  he  conducted  a  classical  school, 
and  afterwards  removed  to  Washington,  D.  C,  where  he  was 
chaplain  in  the  Navy  Yard. 

He  was  the  son  of  the  Rev.  Andrew  Hunter,  of  Deerfield, 
West  Jersey,  who  died  in  1775.  He  was  graduated  at  Prince- 
ton in  1772,  was  ordained  in  1778,  and  was  a  warm  patriot  in 
the  Revolution,  holding  a  chaplaincy  in  the  army.  He  was 
married  to  Mary  Stockton,  daughter  of  Richard  Stockton, 
the  signer  of  the  Declaration.  He  owned  several  pieces 
of  real  estate  in  Princeton, — the  homestead  being  where  Mrs. 
Hunter  died,  now  the  residence  of  Prof.  Guyot.  Mr.  Hunter 
died  in  Washington,  at  an  advanced  age,  February  24.  1823. 
He  was  a  man  of  prominence,  and  we  have  before  stated  that 
Gen.  David  Hunter,  and  Dr.  Louis  B.  Hunter,  Surgeon,  of  the 
U.  S.  Army,  and  Mary  Hunter,  widow  of  the  late  Rev.  Charles 
Hodge,  D.  D.,  are  their  surviving  children. 


SECTION  VHI. 

1812-1822 — administration  of  president  green. 

The  Rev.  Ashbel  Green,  D.  D.,  was  elected  president  of 
Princeton  College,  August  14,  18 12,  and  accepted,  but  he  was 
not  formally  inducted  into  office  until  May  4,  18 13.  The  Rev. 
Dr.  Alexander  McLeod,  of  New  York,  was  elected  vice-presi- 
dent and  Professor  of  Mathematics  and  Natural  Philosophy, 
but  he  declined,  and  thereupon  Elijah  Slack  was  elected  to 
that  place,  and  he  accepted,  with  a  salary  of  $1,000  and  a 
house.  Rev.  Philip  Lindsley  was  also  chosen  Professor  of  Lan- 
guages. He  had  been  tutor  before.  The  number  of  students 
was  not  now  large,  but  it  was  increasing  under  the  re-construc- 
tion of  the  faculty.     The  peace  of  the  college  was  disturbed 


2/2  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETOM. 

by  a  few  disorderly  students.  The  explosion  of  gunpowder 
in  a  college  entry  on  a  Sunday  night,  which  endangered  the 
lives  of  students,  was  a  flagrant  act,  and  it  led  to  an  indictment 
of  one  student,  who  plead  guilty  and  was  fined  $ioo.  Several 
others  were  disciplined  by  the  faculty.  The  year  1814  was  a 
memorable  one  in  the  college  as  being  one  in  which  a  wonder- 
ful revival  of  religion  commenced  therein,  continuing  into  the 
next  year.  President  Green  made  a  minute  written  report  of 
it.     (See  ante,  pp.  iio-ii.) 

It  was  not  long,  however,  before  the  sessions  became  tur- 
bulent again.  The  principal  outbreak  occurred  just  before  the 
1st  of  February,  18 17.  The  college  exercises  were  entirely  in- 
terrupted for  two  or  three  days.  The  doors  of  the  tutors  were 
barred  ;  out-buildings  were  set  on  fire  ;  the  college  bell  was 
rung  with  shouts  of  fire  and  rebellion.  A  large  number  of  the 
students  were  sent  home,  the  good  name  of  the  college  suffered 
reproach,  and  the  civil  authorities  were  called  upon  to  enforce 
order  and  protect  the  property.  No  year  of  the  administration 
of  President  Green  was  so  turbulent  and  disorderly  as  this  one. 
The  trustees  sustained  the  faculty,  but  Vice-president  Slack- 
resigned.  Only  twenty-one  students  took  the  first  degree  in 
that  year. 

Professor  Slack  was  graduated  at  this  college  in  1808,  and 
for  a  time  taught  a  classical  school  in  Trenton.  He  was  a 
clergyman  and  also  had  received  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Med- 
ix:ine.  Upon  leaving  Princeton  he  went  to  Cincinnati,  O.,  and 
became  president  of  the  college  there.  He  went  to  Tennessee 
and  after  a  few  years  returned  to  Cincinnati,  where  he  died 
in  1866.^^ 

Professor  Lindsley  was  elected  vice-president  after  Mr. 
Slack  resigned,  and  Henry  Vethake,  late  professor  in  Queen's 
College,  was  chosen  to  take  the  professorship  which  Mr.  Slack 
had  resigned,  and  he  accepted. 

In  1S18  a  new  professorship  was  established — that  of"  Ex- 
perimental Philosophy,  Chemistry  and  Natural  History,"  and 
Jacob  Green,  a  son  of  the  president,  was  elected  to  fill  it,  with 
a  salary  of  $1,000.  Mr.  John  Maclean,  then  a  student  in  the 
theological  seminary,  aged  nineteen  years,  was  elected  third 
*  Dr.  Maclean's  Hist.,  Vol.  II.  p.  173. 


THE  COLLEGE— PRESIDENT  GREEN.  2/3 

tutor  in  college.  This  was  in  1819,  and  he  afterwards  became 
professor,  vice-president  and  president  and  held  his  connection 
with  the  college  for  fifty  years.  In  1 82 1  Professor  Vethake,an 
accomplished  scholar,  resigned  his  chair  to  accept  a  professor- 
ship in  Dickinson  College,  and  Robert  Baird  was  appointed 
tutor  in  the  college  here.  Another  cracker  was  prepared  to  be 
fired  in  the  college,  but  was  discovered  in  time  to  prevent  it ; 
and  there  being  some  difference  of  opinion  between  the  presi- 
dent and  trustees  as  to  dispensing  with  a  professorship  by  com- 
bining two  into  one,  and  for  other  reasons,  including  that  of 
his  health,  President  Green  tendered  his  resignation  September 
22,  1822,  which  was  accepted. 

The  administration  of  President  Green  was  not  a  smooth 
one.  There  seemed  to  be  some  friction  between  the  trustees 
and  the  faculty,  and  a  good  deal  of  turbulence  among  the  stu- 
dents. Perhaps  the  rules  prescribed  for  the  government  of  the 
young  men  were  too  rigid  ;  perhaps  there  was  too  much  govern- 
ment. It  will  appear  that  in  the  subsequent  administrations 
of  Presidents  Carnahan  and  Maclean,  the  enforcement  of  the 
laws  was  not  attended  with  such  inexorable  severity,  but  showed 
more  respect  and  indulgence  for  the  nature  of  youth.  There 
were  356  graduates  during  Dr.  Green's  administration,  of  whom 
twenty  became  presidents  or  professors  of  colleges  and  a  large 
number  became  distinguished  in  high  places  in  the  church  and 
state.     The  graduating  class  of  1821  numbered  forty. 

President  Green  was  the  first  president  of  the  college  who 
was  a  native  Jerseyman.  He  was  born  at  Hanover,  Morris 
County,  N.  J.,  on  the  6th  of  July,  1762.  He  was  the  son  of  the 
Rev.  Jacob  Green,  pastor  of  the  Hanover  Presbyterian  church. 
His  parents  were  eminent  for  their  piety,  and  were  careful 
in  training  their  children.  His  father  and  maternal  grandfather 
were  trustees  and  friends  of  the  college,  and  had  rendered  hon- 
orable services  to  it.  He  was  graduated  at  Nassau  Hall  in  1 783. 
He  stood  high  in  his  class,  spoke  the  valedictory  in  the  pres- 
ence of  Gen.  Washington  and  the  Congress,  had  experience  in 
teaching,  was  ordained  in  the  Presbyterian  ministry  when 
young,  became  an  attractive  preacher,  was  settled  in  Philadel- 
phia, was  a  warm  patriot,  was  a  member  of  the  Synod  of  17S8, 
which  adopted  the  constitution  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and 
18 


274  HISTORY   OF  PKIiVCKTOy. 

its  standards.  He  became  a  leading  ecclesiastic,  the  first  man 
in  the  ecclesiastical  courts.  He  wrote  and  published  much, 
which  will  be  enumerated  hereinafter.  He  was  eloquent,  sol- 
emn and  profound  as  a  preacher.  He  was  a  devout,  learned 
and  great  man  ;  he  was  generous,  )'et  perhaps  a  little  dogmat- 
ical. He  once  dined  with  Daniel  Webster,  at  the  house  of 
Samuel  Bayard,  in  Princeton,  with  other  guests,  and  he  so  im- 
pressed Mr.  Webster  with  his  intelligence  and  strong  intellect, 
that  Mr.  Webster,  when  afterwards  referring  to  that  occasion, 
said  that  Dr.  Ashbel  Green,  and  Chief  Justice  Kirkpatrick  who 
was  alst)  among  the  guests,  were  two  of  the  most  remarkable 
men  he  had  ever  met.  Dr.  Maclean,  in  his  History  of  the 
College,  says  of  him,  "No  president  of  the  college  ever  kept 
more  constantly  in  mind  its  original  design  as  an  institution 
devoted  to  the  interests  of  religion  antl  learning;  and  for  this, 
as  well  as  for  the  ability  and  faithfulness  with  which  he  dis- 
charged his  presidential  duties.  Dr.  Green  deserves  to  be  held 
in  lasting  honor  by  every  friend  of  the  college."  He  made 
\)v.  Witherspoon  his  model  character. 

After  he  resigned  his  presidency  he  removed  to  Philadel- 
phia, and  edited  The  Christian  Advocate.  He  was  three  times 
married.  His  first  wife  was  the  daughter  of  Robert  Stockton, 
who  lived  on  Constitution  Hill,  Princeton  ;  his  second  a  daugh- 
ter of  Col.  Alexander  Anderson,  of  Philadelphia,  and  his  third  a 
daughter  of  Major  John  McCuUough,  of  the  same  city.  He 
had  four  sons,  viz.:  Robert  Stockton  Green,  Prof.  Jacob  Green, 
and  James  S.  Green  by  his  first  wife,  and  Ashbel  Green  by  his 
second  wife.  He  died  on  the  19th  of  May,  1848,  having  nearly 
closed  his  eighty-si.xth  year,  and  was  buried  with  the  presidents 
in  the  Princeton  cemetery.  His  biography,  written  chiefly  by 
himself,  has  been  published  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Joseph  H.  Jones. 


SECTION   IX. 

1823-1854— ADMINISTR.VTION   OK   TRKSIDENT    C.\RNAIIAN. 

The  successor  of  President  Green  was  the  Rev.  James 
CarNAHAN,  D.D.,  who  was  chosen  president  of  the  college  on 
the  I2th  of  May,  1S23.     The  Rev.  P)r.  John  Holt  Rice,  of  Vir- 


rRKSTDKNT  JA.MKb    CARNAHAN. 


THE  COLLEGE— PRE SIDEA'T  CARNAHAN.  275 

ginia,  had  been  elected,  but  had  decHned,  before  President  Car- 
nahan  was  chosen. 

Dr.  Carnahan  was  born  November  15th,  1775,  in  Cumber- 
land County,  Pa.,  and  was  graduated  at  Princeton  in  1800.  He 
studied  tlieolog)'  under  the  Rev.  Dr.  MacMillan,  and  was 
licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick.  He  was  a 
tutor  at  Princeton  in  1801-3.  He  taught  a  chissical  school  at 
Georgetown,  D.  C,  for  nine  }'ears.  He  was  pastor  of  a  church 
at  Utica,  N.  Y.,  for  several  years  from  1805. 

When  President  Carnahan  entered  ujion  his  official  duties 
as  president,  the  faculty  consisted  of  a  president,  vice-president, 
a  professor  of  mathematics  and  two  tutors.  He  was  then  about 
forty-eight  }'ears  of  age.  He  brought  with  1dm  no  extraordi- 
nary reputation  as  a. scholar  or  a  divine,  but  he  possessed  an 
amiable  and  gentle  spirit,  \\\\.\\  a  good  mind  well  discijjlined, 
and  a  large  share  of  common  sense.  He  was  a  man  of  exact 
honesty,  with  sincerity  and  modest}',  and  had  experience  in 
teaching. 

The  college  prospered  under  his  administration,  which  was 
thirty-one  years  in  extent.  His  want  of  personal  magnetism 
was  made  up  by  his  moderation  and  practical  administr.i- 
tive  capacit)'.  During  his  term  of  thirt)'-one  years  the  east 
and  west  colleges,  a  professor's  htnise,  a  refector)',  a  chapel, 
and  the  Whig  and  Clio  Halls  were  built.  The  appliances  of 
the  college  were  increased,  and  the  campus  was  improved  by 
shade  trees  and  a  handsome  iron  fence  along  the  street.  Tiie 
standard  of  studies  in  the  college  was  graLlually  raised,  and  also 
the  number  of  professors.  Instead  of  two  professors  and  two 
tutors,  which  was  the  number  when  he  assumed  the  office  of 
president,  the  number,  when  he  resigned,  was  six  professors, 
two  assistant  professors,  three  tutors,  and  a  teacher  of  modern 
languages.  He  conferred  the  first  degree  on  1,634  students, 
about  as  many  as  the  whole  of  his  j^redecessors  had  conferred 
from  the  origin  of  the  college.  The  number  who  became  min- 
isters of  the  gospel  was  291.  He  brought  the  number  of  stu- 
dents in  attendance  from  one  hundred  to  two  hundred  and 
thirty.  A  more  harmonious  feeling  between  the  trustees  and 
the  faculty  was  secured,  and  touching  the  conduct  of  the  stu- 
dents, he  gave,  in  his  letter  of  resignation,  this  statement: 


2/6  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

"Many  cases  of  irregular  and  bad  conduct,  on  the  part  of  individual  students, 
have  occurred,  yet  it  may  not  be  improper  to  remark  that,  except  on  one  occasion, 
which  happened  a  few  weeks  after  I  came  into  office,  no  general  combination  to 
resist  the  authority  of  the  faculty  has  taJcen  place  in  thirty  years,  nor  have  the 
studies  and  recitations  of  the  classes  been  suspended  or  interrupted  a  single  day 
from  the  same  cause." 

President  Carnahan  tendcixd  his  resignation  on  the  29th  of 
June,  1853,  but,  while  it  was  accepted,  he  was  requested  by 
the  trustees  to  continue  to  act  as  president  till  the  next  annual 
meeting,  or  until  his  successor  should  be  appointed,  and  he  did 
so.  His  long  term  of  service  had  brought  him  into  contact 
with  a  large  number  of  distinguished  men,  as  trustees,  pro- 
fessors and  literary  men  generally. 

After  his  resignation  Dr.  Carnahan  retired  from  the  presi- 
dential mansion  to  his  farm,  just  on  the  northern  boundary  of 
the  borough,  where  he  lived  for  several  years  a  very  retired  life. 
In  October,  1858.  he  removed  to  Newark  to  live  with  his  son- 
in-law,  William  K.  McDonald,  Esq.,  where  he  died  on  the 
third  day  of  March,  1859,  attended  by  his  affectionate  daughter, 
Mrs.  McDonald,  in  the  84th  year  of  his  age.  His  funeral  took 
place  in  Princeton,  and  he  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  by  the 
side  of  the  grave  of  his  predecessor.  President  Green. 

His  wife,  who  was  Mary,  daughter  of  Matthew  Van  Dyke, 
of  Mapleton,  near  Princeton,  died  in  the  presidential  mansion, 
August  15,  1854,  after  his  resignation  and  just  as  he  was  about 
removing  to  the  farm.  They  left  surviving  them  two  children 
— Lydia,  who  was  married  to  the  Rev.  L.  Ilalsey  Van  Doren, 
and  Hannah,  who  was  married  to  William  K.  McDonald. 
Hannah  was  notable  for  her  personal  beauty,  and  died  during 
the  past  summer,  leaving  a  son  surviving  her,  in  Newark,  bear- 
ing the  name  of  James  Carnahan  McDonald. 

Dr.  Carnahan  never  devoted  much  time  to  authorship.  His 
publications  were  few  and  will  be  noticed  hereafter.  He  was 
a  good  sermonizer  and  had  a  musical  voice;  lie  was  tall  and 
fine  looking;  dignified  and  plain  in  manners,  and  remarkably 
unselfish  and  unambitious  of  fame. 

The  professors  who  constituted  the  faculty  under  President 
Carnahan  were  numerous,  and  they  are  entitled  to  be  men- 
tioned in  this  connection.     Professor  Jacob  Green,  who  was  a 


THE  COLLEGE— PRESIDENT  CARNAHAN.  2^] 

member  of  the  faculty  under  Dr.  Aslibel  Green,  his  father,  re- 
signed and  went  out  of  the  college  with  his  father. 

Rev.  John  Maclean,  the  son  of  Dr.  John  Maclean  before 
mentioned  and  who  had  been  tutor  several  years,  was  elected 
IVofessor  of  Mathematics  and  Natural  Philosophy  in  1822,  and 
he  afterwards  had  other  branches  assigned  to  him — at  one  time 
the  ancient  languages  and  afterwards  the  Greek  alone,  lie 
was  devoted  to  the  interests  of  the  college  from  his  youth  to 
his  old  age,  and  was  rewarded  with  the  honor  of  the  presidency 
in  1854,  which  office  he  held  till  1868,  and  he  was  vice  presi- 
dent from  1829  to  1854.  Dr.  Carnahan,  in  his  letter  of  resig- 
nation of  the  presidency,  referring  to  Professor  Maclean  said, 
"  To  his  activity,  energy,  zeal  and  devotion  to  the  interests  of 
the  institution  I  must  be  permitted  to  gi\'e  my  unqualified  tes- 
timony. We  have  passed  through  many  trying  times  together. 
In  time  of  need  he  was  always  at  his  post.  Without  shrinking 
from  responsibility  he  was  always  ready  to  meet  opposition  in 
the  discharge  of  what  he  thought  to  be  his  duty." 

As  he  will  come  under  notice  as  the  successor  of  President 
Carnahan,  it  is  needless  to  do  more  now  than  to  name  him  as 
one  of  the  most  important  members  of  the  faculty  under  Dr. 
Carnahan. 

Rev.  Luther  Halsey  was  elected  Professor  of  Natural 
Philosophy,  Chemistry  and  Natural  History,  in  1824  and  re- 
signed in  1829. 

Robert  B.  PattoN  was  elected  Professor  of  Languages  in 
1825  and  resigned  in  1829.  He  was  an  excellent  linguist  and 
a  good  citizen.  He  left  the  college  to  take  charge  of  the  Edge- 
hill  High  School,  and  we  have  referred  to  him  in  a  previous 
chapter  on  "  Schools  and  Academies.'' 

Rev.  Albert  B.  Dod  was  elected  Professor  of  Mathematics 
in  1830,  and  retained  that  chair  till  his  death,  in  1845.  I^e  was 
an  admirable  teacher,  a  man  of  genius  and  personal  magnetism, 
and  of  general  popularity.  He  was  a  fine  preacher,  and  had 
the  capacity  to  make  himself,  as  well  as  the  subject  he  was 


278  HISTORY   OF  PKIjVCETO.V. 

handling,  understood.  In  conversation  he  was  bri^ia^lt  and 
captivating.  He  was  greatly  adniirei!  among  literary  men, 
and  greatly  beloved  by  the  students  and  professors  of  both  in- 
stitutions in  Princeton.  He  was  a  Jerseyman  by  birth.  He 
was  the  son  of  iJaniel  and  Nanc)'  (Squier)  Dod,  and  was  born 
in  Mendham,  New  Jersey.  His  father  was  distinguished  for 
mathematical  taste  and  acquirements,  with  a  genius  to  take 
hold  and  master  any  sidjject.  Wy  [)rofession  he  was  an  engine- 
builder,  and  he  lost  his  life  by  the  explosion  of  a  boiler  on 
board  the  steamboat  Patent,  whose  machinery  he  had  been  re- 
l)airing,  and  which,  at  the  time  of  the  explosion,  was  making 
an  experimental  trip  on  the  East  River.  His  grandfather  re- 
sicied  in  Virginia,  but  removed  to  New  Jersey. 

Professor  Uod  entered  Sophomore  class,  in  Princeton  Col- 
lege, in  1821,  when  fifteen  years  of  age.  He  became  hopefully 
pious  and  joined  the  1^'inceton  church,  and  was  graduated  in 
1822.  He  joinetl  the  theological  seminary,  in  Princeton,  in 
1826,  was  tutor  in  college,  and  was  licensetl,  by  the  f-'resbytery 
of  New  York,  to  preach,  in  1828.  He  remained  here  as  tutor 
till  he  was  appointed  professor.  'Phe  University  of  North  Car- 
olina conferred  on  him  the  degree  of  Doctor  oi  Divinity  in  1844, 
and  the  University  of  New  York  in  1845. 

He  was  married,  in  1 830,  to  Caroline,  daughter  of  the  late 
Samuel  Ba)'ard,  Esq.,  of  Princeton.  They  had  nine  children, 
seven  of  whom  survived  him,  namely,  Albert  \l.  Dod,  the  Rev. 
Samuel  B.  Dod,  and  Martha,  widow  of  Edwin  Stevens,  all  re- 
sieling  at  Hoboken,  in  this  State  ;  Charles  H.  Dod,  who  lost 
his  life  in  the  late  civil  war;  Caroline  B.,  the  first  wife  of  the 
kite  Richard  Stockton,  deceased  ;  Susan  B.,  the  second  wife 
and  willow  of  Richard  Stockton  aforesaid,  residing  in  Prince- 
ton ;  and  Mary,  wife  of  Duncan  Walker,  of  Washington,  D.  C, 
son  of  the  late  Robert  J.  Walker.  ]\Irs.  Dod,  the  widow  of  Pro- 
fessor Dod;  is  still  living. 

Professor  Dod  introduced  into  the  college  the  use  of 
printed  examinations  for  the  classes.  He  died,  November  20, 
1845,  of  pleurisy,  after  an  illness  of  a  week,  in  the  fortieth  year 
of  his  age.  He  lived,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  in  the  house 
now  joccupied  by  Prof.  Stepheti  Alexander,  next  to  the  church. 
He  prepared  eight  articles  of  high  merit,  which  were  published 


THE  COLLEGE-PRESIDENT  CARXAIIAN.  279 

in  the  Princeton  Reviciv.  lie  was  a  trustee  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  from  1836  to  1S45.  llis  death  was  peaceful  and  tri- 
umphant, but  it  was  sincerely  lamenteLi.  llis  intimate  friend, 
Dr.  liodi^e,  ii^ave  a  brief  account  of  his  last  hours,  in  the  cliurch 
filled  with  stricken  hearts,  lie  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  at 
Princeton. 

Hf.NRY  Vetiiake  was  chosen  Professor  of  Natural  Philos- 
ophy at  the  same  time  when  Prof.  Dod  was  elected,  and  he  re- 
signed in  1S32. 

John  Torrev,  M.  D.,  LL.  D.,  was  elected  Professor  of 
Chemistry  in  1830,  and  served  till  1S54,  when  he  resi^^ned. 
He  did  not  give  his  entire  service  to  this  college,  but  divided 
it  between  this  and  the  College  of  Physicians,  in  New  York. 
A  few  )'ears  after  Judge  Bayard's  death  he  bought  the  Ba)'ard 
property,  and  resided  there  for  several  years  with  his  family. 

Professor  Torrey  was  a  distinguished  botanist,  an  excellent 
teacher  of  chemistr}',  an  amiable  and  lovely  Christian  gentle- 
man. His  reputation  was  of  value  to  this  college,  and  as  a 
citizen  he  was  greatly  respected.  He  \\as  not  an  alumnus  of 
this  college.  Mis  family,  while  resident  here,  consisted  of  him- 
self, his  wife,  and  three  daughters.  In  1854  Dr.  Torrey  returned 
to  New  York  with  his  family.  Both  he  and  his  wife  have  died. 
He  published  a  work  on  Botany;  and  another  is  to  be  pub- 
lished. 

Dr.  Samuel  L.  Howell  was  a[)p(Mnted  Professor  of 
Anatomy  and  Physiology  in  1830;  he  died  in  1835. 

Lewis  HargOUS  was  chosen  Professor  of  Modern  Lan- 
guages in  1830  and  resigned  in  1836. 

Joseph  Al)l)LSf)N  Alexander  was  chosen  Assistant  Pro- 
fessor of  Ancient  Languages  and  Literature  in  1830,  and  re- 
signed in  1833. 

Joseph  Henry,  M.  D.,  LL.  D.,  was  elected  Professor  of 
Natural  Philosophy  in  1832,  in  the  place  of  Prof.  Vethake,  re- 
signed.     He  retained  this  chair  until    184S,  when,  having  been 


280  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON-. 

appointed  Secretary  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  at  Wash- 
ington, he  was  continued  Emeritus  until  his  death,  in  1878. 
We  have  not  space  here  to  record  all  that  should  be  written 
concerning  this  great  man  in  his  relation  to  this  college,  much 
less  in  his  relation  to  the  world  of  science. 

Professor  Henry  was  of  Scotch  Presbyterian  descent ;  his 
grand-parents,  on  both  sides,  landed  in  New  York  the  day 
before  the  battle  of  13unker  Hill.  PI  is  maternal  grandfather 
was  Hugh  Alexander,  who  settled  in  Delaware  County,  N.  Y. 
His  paternal  grandfather  was  William  Henry  or  Hendrie,  as 
spelled  in  Scotland,  who  settled  in  Albany  County.  The 
liistory  of  Prof.  Henry,  even  in  his  youth,  is  interesting.  He 
was  born  in  Albany  and  lost  his  father,  and  at  the  age  of  seven 
went  to  live  with  his  grandmother  and  went  to  school  until 
the  age  of  fourteen.  Pie  showed  no  aptitude  for  learning  but 
became  fascinated  with  reading  works  of  fiction.  He  was  ap- 
prenticed to  his  cousin  to  learn  the  trade  of  a  jeweller,  and 
after  two  years  he  gave  up  the  pursuit  and  took  to  light  read- 
ing and  to  the  theatre.  A  book  was  thrown  in  his  way  by  one 
of  the  boarders  at  his  mother's  house,  and  a  single  page  of  it 
arrested  his  mind  and  gave  a  new  direction  to  his  thoughts. 
He  resolved  to  devote  his  life  to  the  acquisition  of  knowledge, 
and  he  began  to  study  and  to  teach  until  he  became  a  private 
tutor  in  the  family  of  Gen.  VanRensselaer,  the  Patroon.  He 
assisted  Dr.  Beck  in  chemical  investigations,  and  also  studied 
anatomy  and  physiology  with  a  view  to  graduate  in  medicine, 
but  he  engaged  in  a  survey  for  a  State  road  from  the  Hudson 
to  Lake  Erie  ;  and  then  he  accepted  the  chair  of  Mathematics 
in  the  Albany  Academy.  This  was  in  1826;  and  after  some 
further  study  he  began  original  investigations  on  electricity 
and  magnetism,  the  first  regular  series  on  Natural  Philosophy 
prosecuted  since  the  days  of  P'ranklin,  in  this  country.  This 
gave  him  reputation  here  and  abroad,  and  led  to  his  call,  in 
1832,  to  the  chair  of  Natural  Philosophy  in  Princeton  College. 
Here  he  pursued  his  investigation  till  he  was  called  to  Wash- 
ington. 

Prof.  Plenry  was  attached  to  Princeton,  but  consented  to 
accept  the  direction  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  in  order 
to  secure  a  fulfilment  of  that  great  trust.     Politicians  at  Wash- 


THE  COLLEGE-PRESIDENT  CARNAIIAN.  28  I 

ington  had  proposed  to  employ  that  fund  chiefly  in  erecting 
buildings,  libraries,  etc.,  and  to  gather  paintings  and  statuary 
and  things  that  were  material  and  attractive  to  the  senses,  with 
comparatively  little  provision  for  the  increase  and  diffusion  of 
knowledge,  by  original  investigation  ;  while  Professor  Henry 
contended  that  the  design  of  Smithson  was  to  increase  knowl- 
edge, to  add  to  the  sum  of  human  knowledge;  and  that  they 
should  erect  buildings  only  so  fast  as  would  be  necessary  to 
carry  out  the  great  design  of  the  trust.  Prof.  Henry,  after  a 
long  struggle,  accomplished  his  purpose,  and  did  thereby  ren- 
der a  great  benefit  to  the  cause  of  science.  If  he  had  done 
nothing  more  than  to  rescue  from  the  hands  of  politicians  the 
diversion  of  this  great  trust,  and  to  devise  the  wise  and  benefi- 
cent plan  of  executing  it,  as  has  been  done,  he  would  be  justly 
called  the  world's  great  benefactor. 

It  is  impossible  here  to  enumerate  the  important  discov- 
eries in  science  which  Prof.  Henry  has  made.  Eight  years  ago 
the  number  was  twenty-two.  Among  these  are  such  as  show 
the  application  of  electro-magnetism  as  a  power  to  produce  con- 
tinued motion  in  a  machine,  and  how  electro-magnetism  may 
be  employed  in  transmitting  power  to  a  distance,  and  the  prac- 
ticability of  an  electro-magnetic  telegraph.  He  furnished  to 
Prof.  Morse  the  principle  by  which  the  latter  made  his  inven- 
tion of  the  telegraph  successful.  This  is  no  longer  an  open 
question.  Henry  told  what  could  be  done  and  how  ;  and 
Morse,  with  wonderful  skill  and  perseverance,  applied  the 
discovered  principle.  Henry's  electro-magnet,  3,000  lbs.,  made 
in  1829,  is  still  in  Princeton. 

PI  is  more  recent  discoveries  in  the  matter  of  sound,  and  in 
the  power  or  forces  of  nature,  as  in  wind,  water,  tide  and  heat, 
are  of  great  practical  worth. 

Our  nation  does  not  yet  know  how  much  Prof.  Henry  has 
done,  and  how  much  he  has  made  others  do,  in  and  through  the 
Smithsonian  Institution  at  Washington,  for  the  increase  of 
knowledge. 

Professor  Henry  was  married  to  Miss  Alexander,  of  Sche- 
nectady, a  sister  of  Professor  Stephen  Alexander,  of  Prince- 
ton. They  had  four  children,  three  daughters  and  one  son, 
William,  who  died  soon  after  his  graduation  in  Princeton  Col- 


282  .  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

le<Te.  The  daughters,  Mary,  Helen  and  CaroHne,  with  their 
mother,  are  living  in  Washington.  Profcssc^r  Henry  died  at 
Washington,  May  13,  1878.  His  funeral  was  attended  by  the 
President  and  members  of  the  Cabinet,  and  of  Congress,  and 
Justiees  of  Supreme  Court  and  Representatives  from  foreign 
nations. 

He  was  a  large,  well-proportioned  man,  with  a  handsome 
face  and  most  benignant  countenance,  with  manners  and  ways 
as  simi)le  as  those  of  a  child.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Pres- 
b)'terian  church,  and  was  a  genius,  a  great  man,  a  good  man. 
He  was  in  the  eighty-first  )-ear  of  his  age  when  he  dieLl. 

The  last  letter  he  wrote  was  one  aeldressed  to  Joseph  Pat- 
terson, of  Philadelphia,  and  h.id  not  yet  been  mailed  to  him 
when  he  died.  It  shows  how  science  and  religion  go  together, 
and  what  humble.  Christian  faith  the  greatest  scientist  of  the 
age  exhibited  just  before  he  died. 

SmITHSOMAN,  April  12,  1S7S. 

My  Dkau  Mr.  Pattekson  : 

We  have  lieen  expecting  to  see  you  from  day  to  day  fur  two  weeks  ]iast,  think- 
in"-  that  you  would  he  calle<l  to  Washington  to  tjive  some  information  as  to  the 
fiiiure  of  our  finances  and  the  possibility  of  resuniing  specie  payment.  I  com- 
menced on  two  occasions  to  write  tt)  you,  Init  found  so  nuich  difhculiy  in  the  use 
of  my  hand  in  the  way  of  holding  a  pen,  that  I  gave  up  the  attempt.  'I'he  doctors 
say  that  I  am  gradually  getting  better.  Dr.  Mitcliell  gave  me  a  visit  on  hi>  going 
South,  and  on  his  return  his  report  was  favorable  ;  Init  I  still  suffer  a  good  deal 
from  oppression  in  breathing. 

I  have  learned,  with  pleasure,  that  E.  and  yourself  intend  to  go  to  Europe  this 
summer.  Travel  is  the  most  agreeable  way  of  obtaining  cosmopolitan  knowledge, 
and  it  is  jjrobable  that  events  of  great  importance  will  transpire  in  the  Ea^t  widiin 
a  few  months.  You  will  have  sul^jects  of  interest  to  occupy  your  attention.  1  have 
also  learned  that  T.  is  to  be  married  next  month,  and  we  shall  be  happy  to  receive 
a  visit  from  him  and  his  bride  when  they  go  upon  their  wedding  tour. 

We  live  in  a  universe  of  change  ;  nothing  remains  the  .-^ame  from  one  moment 
till  another,  and  each  moment  of  recorded  time  has  its  separate  history.  We  are 
carried  on  by  the  ever-changing  events  in  the  line  of  our  de>tiiiy,  and  at  the  end 
of  the  year  we  are  always  at  a  considerable  distance  from  the  \w\\\\.  of  its  beginning. 
How  short  the  space  between  the  two  cardinal  points  of  an  earthly  career,  the  jioint 
of  birth  and  that  of  death  ;  and  yet  what  a  universe  of  wonders  are  jiresented  to  us 
in  our  rapid  llight  through  this  space.  How  small  the  wisdom  obtained  by  a  single 
life  in  its  passage  ;  and  how  small  the  known,  when  compared  with  the  unknown, 
by  the  accumulation  of  the  millions  of  lives  through  the  art  of  printing  in  hundreds 
of  years. 

How  many  questions  press  themselves  ujion  us  in  these  contemplations.  Whence 
come  we?     Whither  are  we  going?     Wiiai  is  our  final  destiny?     The  object  of  our 


THE  COLLEGE— PRESIDENT  CAKA'AILA.V.  2S3 

creation?  What  inystcrics  of  unfatliumablc  ik-plli  environ  us  on  every  side;  but 
af;er  all  our  s]K-culatioiis  and  an  attempt  to  graiiple  wiih  the  problem  of  the  universe, 
the  simplest  concejjtion  whicli  explains  and  connects  the  phenomena  is  that  of  the 
existence  of  one  spiritual  beinjj,  infinile  in  wisdom,  in  power,  and  all  divine  per- 
fections ;  which  exists  always  and  everywhere  ;  which  h.i-,  created  us  wiih  intellect- 
ual faculties  sufficient  in  some  degree  to  coni[)rehend  his  operations  as  iliey  are 
developed  in  nature  by  what  is  called  "  science."  This  being  is  unchangeable,  and 
therefore  his  operations  are  always  in  accordance  with  the  same  laws,  the  conditicjus 
being  the  same.  Events  that  happened  a  thousand  years  ago  will  happen  again  a 
thousand  years  to  couu:,  providing  the  condition  of  existence  is  ilie  same.  Indeed, 
a  univer.-,e  not  governetl  iiy  law  would  be  a  unisersc  wiilnuU  the  evii-lcnce  of  an  in- 
tellectual director.  In  the  scientific  explanation  of  ph)'sical  phenomena  we  assume 
the  existence  of  a  principle  lia\ing  proiK-rties  ^uliicient  to  jiroduce  the  elfects  which 
we  observe  ;  anil  when  the  |)riui.iple  so  ;i>,-iinied  explains  by  logical  deductions 
from  it  all  the  phenomena,  we  call  it  a  tlui.ry  ;  thus  we  have  the  theory  of  li"ht, 
the  theor)-  oi  electricity,  etc.  There  is  no  pro. if,  however,  of  the  truth  of  these 
tlieories  except  the  explanation  of  the  |)heiiomena  which  thev  are  invented  to  ac- 
count for.  This  proof,  liowever,  is  sufficient  in  any  ca^e  in  w  hich  every  fact  is 
fully  explained,  and  can  be  predicted  w  hen  the  cundiiii)iis  are  known. 

In  accordance  with  tliis  scientific  view,  on  what  evidence  tloes  the  existence  of 
a  Creator  rest?  Fir.-,t,  it  is  one  i;f  the  truth-,  be.^t  e.-,talilidied  by  experience  in  my 
own  mind  that  I  have  a  thinking,  willing  princi])le  within  me,  capable  of  intel- 
lectual activity  and  of  moral  feeling.  Second,  it  is  equally  clear  ti>  rue  that  vou 
have  a  similar  spiritual  principle  within  yourself,  since  when  I  ask  you  an  intelli- 
gent question  you  give  nie  an  intellectual  answer.  Tiiird,  when  I  examine  oper.i- 
tions  of  nature  I  find  everywhere  through  them  evidences  of  intellectual  arrange- 
ments, of  contrivances  to  reach  definite  ends  precisely  as  I  find  in  the  operations 
of  man  ;  and  herce  1  infer  that  these  two  classes  of  operations  are  results  of  similar 
intelligence.  Again,  in  my  own  mind  I  find  ideas  of  right  and  wrong,  of  good  and 
evil.  These  ideas  then  exist  in  the  universe,  and  therefore  form  a  basis  of  our  ideas 
of  a  moral  universe.  Furthermore,  the  conceptions  of  good  which  are  found  among 
our  ideas  associated  with  evil,  can  be  attributed  only  to  a  being  of  iiihuite  perfec- 
tions like  that  which  we  ilenominate  "(n^xl."  0\\  the  other  hand,  we  are  con- 
scious of  having  such  e\  il  thoughts  and  tendencies  that  we  cannot  associate  our- 
selves with  a  divine  being,  wlio  is  the  director  and  the  governor  of  all,  or  even  call 
upon  him  for  mercy  without  the  interco^ion  of  one  who  may  affiliate  himself 
with  us. 

I  find,  my  dear  Mr.  Patterson,  that  I  have  drifted  in  a  line  of  theological  specu- 
lation, and  without  stopping  to  inquire  whetlier  what  I  have  written  may  be  logical 
or  orthodox,  I  have  inllictcd  it  upon  you.  Please  excuse  the  intrusion,  and  believp 
nie  as  ever,  truly  yours, 

JoSEl'll    IIlCN'KY. 

Benedict  J.EGER  was  elected   Pi-ofessor  of  Modern   Lan- 
guages in  1832  and  resigned  in  J  84 1. 

Rev.  J.vmks    W.    Alexander   was   elected    Professor    of 
Rhetoric  and  l^elles-Lettres  in  1833  and  resigned  in  184^]-.      lie 


284  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

filled  that  chair  with  great  success.     We  notice  him  more  fully 
hereafter  as  Professor  in  the  Theological  Seminary. 

John  S.  Hart  was  elected  Assistant  Professor  of  the  Lan- 
guages in  1834  and  resigned  in  1836.  He  was  again  elected 
in  1864.     Notice  will  be  taken  of  him  in  our  chapter  on  authors. 

Stephen  Alexander,  LL.  D.,  was  elected  Assistant  Pro- 
fessor of  Mathematics  in  1834,  and  in  1840  Professor  of  Astron- 
omy, and  other  branches,  until  the  year  1878.  He  has  gained 
a  distinguished  name  as  an  astronomer,  and  many  students 
were  formerly  drawn  to  the  college  on  his  account.  He  has 
rendered  faithful  service  to  the  college  for  about  forty  years. 
The  Halsted  Observatory  was  built  through  his  influence  and 
efforts.  He  has  received  honors  from  the  public  and  from 
scientific  associations  on  many  occasions.  He  was  sent  once 
to  Greenland  to  observe  the  eclipse  of  the  sun,  and  he  ranks 
high  as  a  man  of  science.  His  publications  will  be  referred  to 
hereafter.  He  is  a  ruling  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church;  a 
very  modest  and  pure  man,  and  still  living,  retired  on  a  salary  as 
Emeritus  Professor  of  Astronomy. 

Evert  M.  TorPiNG  was  elected  Professor  of  Languages  in 
1839  and  resigned  in  1846. 

Alexander  Cardon  de  Sandrans  was  elected  Professor 
of  Modern  Languages  in  1841  and  resigned  in  1849. 

Rev.  George  Musgrave  Giger  was  elected  Assistant 
Professor  of  Mathematics  in  1846,  and  Professor  of  Languages 
in  1847,  and  died  in  1865. 

Rev.  Matthew  B.  Hope,  M.  D.,  was  elected  Professor  of 
Rhetoric  in  1846,  and  Pohtical  Economy  in  1S54,  and  he  died 
in  1859,  much  lamented. 

In  1847  tli^  establishment  of  a  Law  Department  was  at- 
tempted, and  Joseph  C.  Hornblower  was  appointed  Pro- 
fessor of  Civil  Law. 

Richard  S.  Field  was  appointed  Professor  of  Constitu- 
tional Law. 

James  S.  Green  was  appointed  Professor  of  Legal  Practice. 


I'KESIUENT  JOHN    MACLKAN. 


THE  COLLEGE— PRESIDENT  MACLEAN.  285 

They  continued  in  office  and  gave  lectures  till  1855,  '^"cl 
then  the  institution  ceased. 

Rev.  John  T.  Duffield  was  elected  Assistant  Professor  of 
Mathematics  in  1847,  '^''^^1  full  professor  in  1854,  and  still  holds 
that  chair. 

Rev.  John  Forsyth,  D.  D.,  was  chosen  Professor  of  Latin 
and  Lecturer  on  History,  in  1847,  ^^""^  resigned  in  1849.  ^"^^ 
is  now  Chaplain  at  West  Point. 

Rev.  Lyman  Coleman,  D.  D.,  was  Professor  of  German 
from  1847  to  1849. 

John  Stillwell  Schanck,  M.  D.,  was  chosen  Lecturer 
on  Zoology  in  1847,  ^'"^^  i"  1857  Professor  of  Chemistry,  which 
chair  he  now  holds. 

Elias  Loomis  was  elected  Professor  of  Natural  Philosophy 
in  1848  and  resigned  in  1849. 

Richard  S.  McCullough  was  chosen  Professor  of  Natural 
Philosophy  in  1849  and  resigned  in  1854. 

Rev.  James  C.  Moffat,  D.  D.,  was  elected  Professor  of 
Latin  in  1852  and  held  that  chair  till  he  was  elected  Professor 
in  the  Theological  Seminary  in  1861. 

In  no  previous  administration  had  there  been  so  large  a 
faculty  at  one  time  as  in  this  one.  The  names  of  Dod,  Henry, 
James  W.  Alexander,  Stephen  Alexander,  John  Maclean  and 
President  Carnahan,  all  members  of  the  faculty  at  one  time, 
made  the  college  famous  and  prosperous. 


SECTION  X. 

1 854-1  868 — administration    of   president   MACLEAN. 

The  election  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  John  Maclean,  as  the  suc- 
cessor of  President  Carnahan,  occurred  at  the  semi-annual 
meeting  of  the  trustees,  in  December,  1853.  His  inauguration 
took  place  in  the  church  at    Princeton   on   the   28th   of  June, 


286  .  HISTORY   OF  PRINCETON. 

1854.  The  exercises  were  interesting  and  in  the  presence  of  a 
large  assembhii,^e  of  students  and  friends  of  the  college.  The 
Rev.  Dr.  John  McDowell,  senior  trustee,  presided.  The  triple 
oath  of  support  to  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  alle- 
giance to  the  State  government,  and  fidelity  to  the  duties  of 
the  office,  was  administered  by  Chief  Justfce  Henry  W.  Green, 
who  then  and  there  delivered  the  keys  of  the  college  to  the 
president  elect,  declaring  him  "  thcreb)-  invested  with  all  the 
powers,  privileges  and  prerogatives,  and  charged  with  all  the 
duties  of  the  office  of  president  of  that  institution."  Dr.  Car- 
nahan,  then  leaving  the  chair  of  the  president,  delivered  a  neat 
and  appropriate  address  to  President  Maclean,  wlio.  after  ac- 
knowledging it,  delivered  his  inaugural  address,  in  which  he 
adverted  to  the  original  design  of  the  collr-e,  the  manner  in 
which  that  had  been  hitherto  carried  uut,  wiih  an  exposition 
of  his  views  as  to  the  government  and  discipline  of  students, 
and  tlie  raising  of  the  standard  of  study.  This  address  is  pub- 
lished in  full  at  the  close  of  the  second  \'olume  of  his  Mistory 
of  the  College. 

President  Maclean,  as  we  have  alread)'  sliown,  was  the 
eldest  son  of  Dr.  John  Maclean,  the  first  Professor  of  Chemis- 
try in  this  college,  and  was  born  in  Princeton,  March  3,  iSoo. 
He  was  graduated  in  iSj6,  and  in  two  years  after  that  he 
became  connected  with  the  college  as  tutor,  and  was  soon 
after  professor,  and  then  vice-president,  until  he  became  presi- 
dent. While  tutor  he  studied  theology  at  the  Theological 
Seminary,  and  was  ordained  sine  titnlo  by  the  Presbytery  of 
New  Brunswick.  He  was  several  times  a  member  of  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  was  no  mere 
looker-on  in  the  great  struggle  which  divided  the  great  Presby- 
terian body  into  parties  known  as  the  "  Old  School  "  and 
"New  School.''  Me  took  part  in  the  ecclesiastical  debates  on 
the  Ruling  Elder  or  Quorum  Question,  and  the  right  of  ruling 
elders  to  impose  hands  in  the  ordination  of  ministers.  Me 
published  articles  on  the  Temperance  Reform  and  on  Com- 
mon School  Education,  and  other  subjects,  in  the  Princeton 
Reviciv  and  in  religious  papers.  As,  when  a  school  boy,  he 
was  courageous  and  always  ready  to  step  in  and  see  a  quarrel 
properly  ended,  so  in  all    his   adult,  life   he  was   ever   ready  to 


THE  COLLEGE— r RESIDENT  MACLEAN.  2%J 

take  a  liand  in  any  conflict  in  wliich  he  thought  truth  and 
justice  were  involved.  He  possessed  a  strong  natural  mind 
and  was  capable  of  adai)ting  himself  to  almost  any  chair  or 
branch  of  study  in  college.  He  was  so  taxed  with  onerous 
cares  in  the  government  of  the  college,  during  his  connection 
with  it,  that  he  could  never  become  an  intensely  close  stu- 
dent. Then,  too,  he  engaged  in  public  enterprises,  in  schemes 
of  benevolence,  education  and  common  humanity,  alwa\s  help- 
ing on  every  good  cause,  and  extending  his  hand  of  sxinpatliy 
to  all  the  sorrowing  and  the  sad,  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest, 
so  that  much  of  his  time  was  spent  in  \\orks  of  charity  and 
piety.  He  was  reall)'  mure  of  a  pastor  to  the  people  of  I'rince- 
ton,  in  general,  than  an\-  of  the  installed  ministers  of  the 
churches.  He  was  noted  for  his  very  large  head,  but  liis 
heart  was  larger  than  his  head.  The  poor  people,  the  colored 
people,  the  outcasts  of  society  knew  and  l..\.vi  I'r. -iiirnt  Mac- 
lean because  he  visited  them  with  sympathy  and  charity.  As 
he  is  still  living,  this  is  not  the  time  to  say  all  of  him  that 
ought  to  be  said. 

President  Maclean's  relation  to  his  predecessor,  Dr.  Carna- 
lian,  and  his  position  in  office  and  in  the  faculty  during  the 
administration  of  Dr.  Carnahan,  devolved  upon  him  chiellythe 
government  of  the  college,  so  that  when  he  became  president 
there  was  hardly  any  change  perceptible  in  its  discipline 
and  government,  under  the  two  administrations.  If  there 
was  any  change  it  was  only  in  there  being  less  of  police 
vigilance  and  pursuit  of  college  offenders,  after  the  vice- 
president  became  president ;  and  this  change  was  for  the 
better. 

Dr.  Maclean's  long  connection  with  the  college  and  his 
familiarity  with  college  affairs,  together  with  his  being  the 
vice-president,  which  was  supposed  by  some  to  give  him  the 
right  of  succession,  undoubtedly  secured  for  him  the  presidency. 
The  office  of  vice-president  has  since  been  aboljshetl. 

The  administration  of  ('resident  Maclean  \\as  much  like 
that  of  his  predecessor.  Two  important  events  affected  the 
welfare  of  the  college  during  Dr.  Maclean's  term,  nameh-,  the 
burning  of  old  Nassau  Hall  and  the  withdrawal  of  the  Southern 
students  in  the  civil  war. 


288  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

On  the  loth  of  March,  1855,  a  fire  broke  out  in  the  second 
story  of  North  College,  Nassau  Hall,  at  8|-  o'clock.  The  flames 
were  furious,  the  wind  was  high,  all  efforts  to  save  the  building 
were  vain  ;  and  by  midnight  the  whole  building  was  a  mass  of 
ruins,  except  its  old  naked  stone  walls.  Many  of  the  students 
lost  their  property.  The  valuable  library  of  the  Philadelphian 
Society  was  nearly  destroyed. 

President  Maclean  and  the  trustees  proceeded  forthwith  to 
rebuild  the  edifice,  and  it  was  made  fire-proof  and  slightly  im- 
proved in  appearance,  but  the  old  walls  were  retained  ;  the 
long  entries  were  discarded  and  compartments  were  substituted 
for  the  same.  The  building  was  heated  by  eight  furnaces;  and 
the  number  of  students  soon  ran  up  to  about  three  hundred. 

During  the  fourteen  years  of  his  presidency,  Dr.  Maclean 
conferred  the  first  degree  on  895  graduates.  In  the  first  year 
the  number  of  graduates  was  80;  and  notwithstanding  the 
withdrawal  of  the  Southern  students  during  the  civil  war, 
which  reduced  the  aggregate  number  in  attendance  nearly  one- 
half,  the  number  of  the  graduating  class,  in  the  last  year  of  his 
presidency,  1S68,  was  63. 

In  our  previous  volume  we  have  presented  Princeton  in  the 
late  civil  war,  and  we  need  only  add  here  that  Dr.  Maclean  and 
all  the  members  of  the  faculty  were  loyal  to  the  government, 
and  with,  perhaps,  one  exception,  openly  avowed  their  s)'mpa- 
thy  and  cooperation  with  the  measures  taken  to  preserve  the 
Union,  though  they  were  a  little  slow  about  it. 

The  financial  interests  of  the  college  received  most  impor- 
tant aid  during  Dr.  Maclean's  presidency.  In  the  preface  to 
his  History  of  the  College  he  says,  that  within  this  period,  in- 
cluding the  last  year  of  Dr.  Carnahan's  term,  the  actual  increase 
of  the  funds  vested  in  bonds,  mortgages  and  public  securities, 
after  paj'ing  for  rebuilding  the  college,  Mas  not  less  than 
$240,000;  of  this  sum  $115,000  were  for  professorships,  over 
$50,000  for  scholarships,  $6,000  for  prizes,  and  about  $64,000 
for  general  purposes.  In  addition  to  this  was  the  gift  of  Dr. 
John  N.  Woodhull  of  divers  houses  and  land  adjacent  to  the 
college,  estimated  at  the  time  at  $20,000.  Also  other  gifts 
were  made  by  General  N.  N.  Halsted,  for  the  observatory,  of 
about  $60,000,  and  by  John  C.  Green,  in  the  purchase  of  land 


THE  COLLEGE— PRESIDENT  MACLEAN.  289 

for  various  improvements  contemplated  and  commenced,  and 
since  carried  out  mai^nificently,  besides  other  gifts,  all  of  which, 
at  that  time,  amounted,  in  the  aggregate,  to  more  than 
$400,000.  It  thus  appears  that  President  Maclean  retired 
from  the  college  in  a  day  when  liberal  things  were  being  de- 
vised for  the  institution,  and  when  confidence  was  reposed  in 
its  management  by  its  friends  and  alumni. 

The  infirmities  of  age  and  the  anxious  cares  of  a  long  life 
in  the  service  of  the  college,  he  thought,  had  impaired  his 
strength  so  much  as  to  make  it  best  for  him  to  give  his  place 
to  another,  and  he  tendered  his  resignation  to  the  trustees  in 
1868,  which  was  accepted.  To  say  that  President  Maclean  was 
a  true,  generous,  honorable,  well  bred,  humble,  Christian  gentle- 
man, and  the  most  beloved  of  all  the  distinguished  men  ever 
connected  with  the  College  of  New  Jersey,  is  not  to  say  half  of 
what  might  justly  be  said  of  him,  and  what  will  be  said  of  him 
when  his  life  shall  have  been  written.  His  name  is  engraved 
upon  every  stone  of  the  college  in  letters  of  love,  and  that  name 
needs  only  to  be  mentioned  in  the  presence  of  alumni  or  under- 
graduates to  call  forth  a  cheering  demonstration  of  that  love.  In 
college  discipline,  while  he  was  the  most  fearless  of  accusers  he 
was  the  most  clement  of  judges.  He  stood  in  loco  paroiiis  to 
every  student,  and  towards  their  absent  parents  he  felt  as  much 
tenderness,  when  their  sons  were  wayward  and  in  trouble,  as  the 
noble-hearted  Lincoln  did  when  the  appeal  of  distressed  mothers 
of  doomed  soldier  boys  touched' his  generous  heart  and  secured 
a  pardon.  Dr.  Maclean's  first  hasty  judgment  in  a  case  was  not 
always  right ;  but  his  "  sober  second  thought  "  almost  always 
put  him  right.  He  required  only  to  understand  the  whole 
case  to  ensure  from  him  a  wise  decision.  While  very  tenacious 
of  his  opinion  at  first,  he  was  always  humble  and  generous 
enough  to  change  it  when  he  saw  his  error. 

When  President  Maclean  retired  from  the  college  his  friends 
purchased  a  house  for  him  in  Canal  Street,  where  he  now  resides 
with  an  income  provided  for  him  by  the  trustees  of  the  college. 
His  time  has  been  employed  in  writing  the  History  of  the  Col- 
lege, which  has  been  published  and  herein  iVequently  referred  to. 

He  welcomes,  with  that  hospitality  which,  when   he  was 
president,  kept  his  mansion  filled  with  guests  as  if  it  were  a 
1-J 


290  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

public  house,  all  his  old  friends  who  visit  Princeton.  How 
many  presidents,  professors,  trustees,  alumni,  strangers,  and  in- 
timate friends  at  home,  he  has  survived  ! 

The  professors  who  were  chosen  during  President  Maclean's 
term,  were  the  REV.  Lyman  H.  Atwater,  D,  D.,  in  1854, 
elected  Professor  of  Metaphysics  and  Moral  PhilosojDhy,  and 
later  of  Political  Economy.  He  is  still  filling  his  chair  with 
ability,  and  is  a  writer  of  prominence. 

Arnold  Guyot,  LL.  D.,  was  elected  Professor  of  Geology 
and  Physical  Geography  in  1854,  and  holds  that  chair  still  with 
unrivalled  reputation. 

Rev.  William  A.  Dod  was  appointed  Lecturer  on  the 
Fine  Arts  in  1855,  but  resigned  in  1859.  -He  was  a  brother  of 
the  late  Professor  Albert  B.  Dod. 

George  A.  Matile,  LL.  D.,  was  chosen  Professor  of 
History  in  1855,  but  resigned  in  1858. 

Rev.  Henry  C.  Cameron  was  elected  Assistant  Professor 
of  Greek  in  1855,  and  Professor  in  i860.  He  is  still  in  that 
chair. 

Rev.  Joshua  H.  McIlvaine,  D.  D.,M'as  chosen  Professoi 
of  Belles-Lettres  and  English  Literature  in  i860  and  resigned 
in  1872.     He  is  now  pastor  of  a  church  in  Newark. 

John  S.  Hart  was  again  elected  Professor  in  1S64  and  re- 
signed in  1874. 

Rev.  Charles  W.  Shields,  D.  D.,  was  elected  Professor 
in  1866,  to  the  chair  on  the  Harmony  between  Science  and 
Religion.     Pie  is  still  in  that  chair. 

Rev.  Charles  A.  Aiken,  D.  D.,  was  elected  Professor  of 
Latin  in  1866  and  resigned  in  1869.  He  is  now  Professor  in 
the  Theological  Seminary. 

Stephen  G.  Peabody  was  employed  as  Teacher  of  Elocu- 
tion in  1866, 


REV.  JAMES   MCCOSH,    D.D. 


THE  COLLEGE— PRESIDENT  McCOSH.  29 1 

SECTION  XI. 

ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  McCOSH,  FROM  1 868. 

Upon  the  resignation  of  President  Maclean  the  names  of 
several  different  persons  were  mentioned  for  his  successor. 
Among  them  were  those  of  Rev.  Dr.  McCosh,  of  Scotland, 
Rev.  Dr.  Edward  N.^  Kirk,  of  Boston,  Rev.  Dr.  Jos.  T.  Duryea, 
of  Brooklyn,  Rev.  Dr.  William  H.  Green,  of  Princeton.  The 
trustees  met  on  the  13th  of  April,  1868,  and,  perplexed  with 
doubts  and  difficulties  as  to  the  proper  man,  they  unanimously 
agreed  upon  the  Rev.  WiLLIAM  H.  Green,  D.  D.,  Professor  of 
Hebrew  in  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Princeton.  His  elec- 
tion was  a  surprise  to  the  public.  He  was  a  nephew  of  John 
C.  Green,  of  New  York,  who,  on  that  same  day,  presented  the 
first  $100,000  to  the  college,  on  the  Elisabeth  Foundation, 
which  was  soon  after  followed  by  other  gifts  of  large  dimen- 
sions towards  the  same  object. 

Dr.  Green  declined  the  office  tendered  to  him,  and  in  the 
latter  part  of  April,  1868,  the  Rev.  James  McCosh,  D.  D., 
Professor  of  Moral  Philosophy  in  Queen's  College,  Belfast, 
Ireland,  was  elected.  He  accepted  the  appointment,  and  was 
inaugurated  president  of  the  college,  October  27th  of  the  same 
year.  His  arrival  with  his  family  at  Princeton  was  welcomed 
by  a  procession  of  students  and  citizens,  escorting  them  from 
the  depot  to  the  Presidential  mansion,  and  there  giving  him 
words  of  cheer  and  welcome  and  receiving  from  him  a  proper 
response.  Serenades  and  illuminations  followed  later  in  the 
evening. 

President  McCosh's  inauguration  was  a  great  public  demon- 
stration, in  behalf  of  the  college,  and  of  the  distinguished  presi- 
dent elect.  The  railroad  train  brought  to  the  town  fifteen 
hundred  strangers  to  witness  the  ceremonies  and  to  see  the  new 
president.  The  dignitaries  of  the  church  and  of  the  State  were 
present,  almost  all  of  whom  were  alumni  of  the  college.  The 
church  was  crowded  to  its  utmost  capacity.  Four  hundred 
tickets  of  admission  to   the   galleries  were   distributed  to  the 


292  HISTORY  OF  PRIXCETON. 

ladies,  and  a  more  learned  and  cultivated  audience  had  never 
filled  that  house  before.  Gov.  Ward,  on  behalf  of  the  trustees 
of  the  college,  introduced  the  exercises  by  stating  their  object, 
and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Stearns,  of  Newark,  offered  prayer.  An  ad- 
dress of  welcome  to  the  president  elect  was  next  delivered  by 
the  Rev.  Charles  Hodge,  D.  D.,  and  that  was  followed  by  one 
to  the  alumni,  by  the  Hon.  William  C.  Alexander,  to  which 
Ex-Governor  Pollock,  of  Pennsylvania,  responded.  On  behalf 
of  the  under  graduates,  J.  Thomas  Finley  of  the  senior  class, 
delivered  a  Latin  address.  These  addresses  were  all  of  high 
order,  well  delivered  ai:d  enthusiastically  received.  Chancellor 
Zabriskie  then  administered  the  official  triple  oath  as  usual  and 
ExTVcsident  Maclean  delivered  the  keys,  charter  and  by-laws 
of  the  college  to  President  McCosh,  who,  while  signing  his 
name  to  the  official  oath  and  roll  of  presidents,  was  greeted  by 
a  round  of  enthusiastic  cheers,  with  a  Nassau  rocket,  which 
fairly  made  the  roof  ring. 

President  McCosh  then  stepped  forward,  wearing  a  black 
silk  gown.  He  was  handsome,  tall,  but  stooping  a  little,  with 
gray  hair  and  whiskers.  His  presence  and  bearing  were  im- 
pressive and  attractive ;  his  Scotch  brogue  was  very  strong 
when  he  spoke  ;  and  taking  for  the  theme  of  his  address 
"  Academic  Teaching  in  Europe,"  he  read  a  very  interesting 
and  scholarly  address,  which  was  listened  to  with  rapt  atten- 
tion and  received  frequent  applause.  It  was  worthy  of  the 
distinguished  president  and  of  the  occasion  which  had  called  it 
forth.  The  inauguration,  in  all  its  parts,  Avas  a  grand  success, 
and  it  marked  a  new  era  in  the  history  of  the  college.  It  was 
just  one  hundred  years  since  Dr.  John  Witherspoon  came  from 
Scotland  and  accepted  the  presidency  of  this  college  ;  and  he 
had  rendered  a  long  term  of  eminent  service  here. 

Dr.  McCosh,  who  is  a  native  of  Scotland,  brought  with  him 
to  this  country  a  high  reputation  for  character  and  scholarship. 
He  had  been  pastor  at  Krechen,  in  Scotland,  for  sixteen  years, 
and  then  was  Professor  of  Logic  and  Metaphysics  in  Queen's 
College,  Belfast,  for  about  the  same  length  of  time.  He  was 
the  author  of  several  metaphysical  works,  which  placed  him 
high  among  the  thinking  and  educated  men  of  the  world. 
Among  these  works  were  his  "  Method  cf  Divine  Government," 


THE  COLLEGE— PRESIDENT  McCOSIL.  293 

"Intuitions  of  the  Human  Mind,"  "Typical  Forms  and  Spe- 
cial F2nds  in  Creation,"  "  The  Supernatural  in  Relation  to  the 
Natural."  He  had  belonged  to  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland, 
and  had  visited  Princeton,  when  in  this  country,  as  a  delegate  to 
the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  held  at  St. 
Louis,  a  few  years  before  he  was  elected  president  of  Princeton 
College  ;  and  on  that  visit  he  made  a  favorable  impression  upon 
the  Princeton  professors  and  the  Presbyterian  clergy  generally. 
President  McCosh,  being  seated  in  the  presidential  chair  of 
the  college  and  clothed  with  the  power  of  the  keys,  gave  him- 
self to  the  work  of  advancing  the  interests  and  reputation  of 
this  venerable  institution.  As  an  educator  he  was,  and  has 
been  to  the  present  time,  an  enthusiast.  He  came  here,  as  we 
have  shown,  just  as  the  influx  of  munificent  gifts  to  the  college 
had  commenced  ;  and  he  was  just  the  man  to  enlist  the  coop- 
eration of  wealthy  merchants  and  capitalists,  especially  those 
\\\\.o  were  Presbyterians  and  of  Scotch  descent. 

Dr.  McCosh  has  been  president  of  Princeton  College  for  the 
last  ten  years,  and  he  has  accomplished  great  things.  His 
administration  has  been  dazzling  with  its  brilliancy.  It  seems 
as  though  a  creative  power  more  than  human  has  been 
exerted  to  change  the  ancient  order  of  things.  He  has 
had  accorded  to  him,  by  the  faculty  and  trustees,  almost 
absolute  power.  He  has  hardly  been  thwarted  in  any  of  his 
cherished  plans.  He  has  needed  only  to  intimate  in  a  private 
way,  or  at  a  public  Commencement,  that  money  was  wanted 
for  some  improvement,  and  it  has  been  bestowed.  Old  build- 
ings have  been  transformed  or  swept  away.  New  ones  of  great 
cost  and  beauty  have  been  multiplied  yearly,  until  the  group 
of  them  astonishes  the  beholder  as  he  walks  among  them. 
There  are  only  three  or  four  buildings  in  twenty  which  can  be 
recognized  as  having  escaped  the  wand  of  the  magician.  The 
Observatory  had  been  projected  before  Dr.  McCosh  arrived, 
though  its  erection  was  not  accomplished  until  several  years 
after  his  advent.  But  the  Gymnasium,  Dickinson  Hall,  Re-un- 
ion Hall,  the  Chancellor  Green  Library,  the  John  C.  Green 
School  of  Science,  and  Witherspoon  Hall  have  all  been  planned 
and  built  since  he  was  invested  with  the  presidency.  In  addi- 
tion to  all  this  professors'  houses  have  been  erected,  the  college 


294  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

grounds  have  been  enlarged  and  beautified  with  walks  and 
lawns  and  roads  and  gas  lights  ;  old  houses  have  been  pur- 
chased and  removed,  and  money  has  been  expended  for  college 
appliances  in  the- library,  museum  and  philosophical  apparatus. 
The  curriculum  of  the  college  has  been  extended,  the  standard 
of  education  greatly  raised,  branches  of  new  studies,  and  new 
professors  and  teachers  to  fill  the  new  chairs,  have  been  added 
almost  yearly,  until  the  course  of  study  is  now  equal  to  that  of 
Harvard  and  Yale,  or  even  the  European  Universities,  and 
the  faculty  consists  of  at  least  twenty-five  members. 

The  course  of  study  reported  by  the  president  and  adopted 
by  the  trustees,  within  the  last  year,  indicates  what  the  standard 
of  study  in  the  college  proper,  irrespective  of  the  School  of 
Science,  is  ;  and  as  it  gives  an  idea  of  the  scope  of  studies  here 
pursued,  we  subjoin  it  as  it  stands  in  the  Catalogue. 

COURSE  OF  STUDY. 

FRESHMAN  CLASS. 

First  Term.— Za//>?.— Livy,  (Books  I.,  XXI.)  Horace's  Odes,  (One 
Book.)  Latin  Prose  Composition  (.Arnold's)  Part  I.  Greek. — Lysias.  Hero- 
dotus (Mather's).  Xenophon's  Memorabilia.  Goodwin's  Moods  and 
Tenses.  Greek  Prose  Composition.  The  Phonetic  Relations  of  Greek, 
Latin  and  English.  Mathematics. — Algebra  completed. — English. — Rhet- 
oric (Hart's).     Diction  and  Sentences.     Essays.     Elocution. 

Second  and  Third  Terms.— Za////.—Livy,  (Book  XXH.)  Roman 
History  (Rawlinson's).  Horace's  Odes.  (Two  Books.)  Latin  Prose  (Ar- 
nold's) completed.  Greek. — Lysias.  Herodotus.  Xenophon's  Memorabilia 
(Two  Books.)  Greek  Composition.  Mathematics.— ^tovwalxy  (Todhun- 
ter's  Euclid).  Ratio  and  Proportion.  English.— KXicX.qx'xz  (Hart's),  Figures, 
Special  Properties  of  Style,  Poetry,  Versification.  French. — Otto's  Conver- 
sation Grammar  (thirty  lessons),  with  oral  and  written  Exercises. 

SOPHOMORE  CLASS. 

First  Term.— Za////.— Horace's  Satires  or  Epistles  (One  Book.)  Latin 
Composition.  Crtv/-.— Homer's  Iliad,  (Books  XVl,  XVIIl,  XXII.)  Demos- 
thenes. The  Philippics.  The  Doctrine  of  the  Formation  of  Words  in  Greek- 
Mathematics. — Plane  Trigonometry,  Mensuration  and  Navigation.  En<[- 
//j//.— Lectures.  Essays.  Z'rdv/c/!.— Review  of  Studies  of  Freshman  Year. 
Principles  of  French  Prosody.  Written  Exercises  in  French  Composition. 
Lacombe's  Histoire  du  Peuple  Franc^ais.     Anatomy  and  Physiology. 


THE  COLLEGE— PRESIDENT  McCOSH.  295 

Second  and  Third  Terms. — Z^//«.— Tacitus  :  Histories,  two  books  ; 
Roman  History  (Rawlinson's).  Latin  Composition.  Greek. — Homer's 
Iliad.  Demosthenes.  Greek  Composition,  Mathematics. — Surveying. 
Spherical  Trigonometry.  Analytical  Geometry.  English. — Study  of  Words, 
(Trench's.)  Essays.  Elocution.  French. — Otto's  Grammar,  Reflexive 
and  Irregular  Verbs.  Lacombe's  Ilistoire  du  Pcuple  Frangais.  Natural 
History. 

JUNIOR  CLASS. 

First  Term.  Required  Studies. — Z^^/<:.— Atwater's  Manual.  Psy- 
chology. Mechanics.  Physics.  Science  and  Religion. — Natural  Theology 
and  the  Physical  Sciences.  ///j-/'c);j.— Primitive  European  Civilization. 
Physical  Geography  (or  Geology.)  English  Literature. — Manual  of  English 
Literature  (Craik),  with  Lectures.     Essays. 

Elective  Studies. — Latin. — Juvenal,  Select  Letters  of  Pliny.  Greek. — 
Euripides  :  The  Medea.  Plato:  The  Pha^do.  Mathematics. — Differential 
Calculus.  LVench. — Review  of  Irregular  Verbs.  Corneille's  Cid.  German.— 
Otto's  German  Grammar,     Written  Exercises. 

Second  and  Third  Terms.  Required  ?>t\3V)\y.s.— Psychology.  Logic 
and  Metaphysics.  Mcclianics.  Pliysics.  Physical  Geography  (or  Geolcgy.) 
History. — Mediaeval  European  Civilization,  Science  and  Religion. — Natural 
Religion  and  the  Mental  Sciences,  English  Literature. — Manual  of  English 
Literature  (Craik),  with  Lectures,     Essays,     Elocution. 

Elective  Studies. — Latin.— C\ctro.  De  Natura  Deorum,  and  De 
Divinatione.  Greek. — Euripides.  Thucydides.  Plato.  Mathematics.— 
Integral  Calculus,  French. — Exercises  in  Syntax.  Corneille's  Cid.  Racine's 
Athalie.  Moiiere's  Le  Bourgeois  Gentiliiomme,  German. — Otto's  Gram- 
mar, and  Prose  Composition  continued  to  Syntax.  German  Historical  Prose. 
Whitney's  German  Reader. 

senior  year. 

First  Term,  Required  Studies. — Astronomy.  Physics.  Ethics. — 
Gregory's  Christian  Ethics,  Gillet's  Moral  System.  Geology  for  Physical 
Geography.)  Chemistry. — Fowne's,  Roscoe's.  Barker's.  Miller's.  Eng- 
lish Literature. — Lectures.  Essays,  Speeches.  Science  and  Religio?i. — 
Butler's  Analogy  and  Bacon's  Novum  Organum. 

Elective  Studies. — Science 0/ Language. — Whitney's  Life  and  Growth 
of  Language.  Lectures,  Greek. — Sophocles  :  G£dipus  Tyrannus,  ylLschy- 
lus  :  The  Agamemnon,  Greek  Literature.  Comparative  Grammar.  Math- 
ematics. Astronomy. — Practical.  Physics.  History. — English  and  Ameri- 
can Civilization.  C7/(:7,'«j,V;j.— Applied  and  Organic,  History  of  Philosophy. 
— Ancient.  Ueberweg's  Hist,  of  Philosophy,  Vol.  I.  French. — Grammar. 
Composition.  Corneille,  Racine,  Moliere.  German. — Goethe's  Hermann 
and  Dorolhca.    Schiller's  Picculomini,    Lessing's  Nathan  dcr  Wcise.    Gram- 


296  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETOW 

mar.     Composition,     rob'.tiral  Sctaue.      l\Iuseitni    Work,  in  Botany  and 
Zoology. 

Second  and  Third  Tf.rms.  Required  Studies. — Astronomy. 
Physics.  Political  Ecoiioiny.  Geology  {or  Physical  Geography.)  Chejiiis- 
ify.  English  and  American  Literature. — Lectures.  Essays.  Science  ami 
Religion. — Christian  Evidences  and  Christian  Science. 

Elective  Studies. — Latin  and  the  Science  of  Language. — Lucretius. 
Lectuies  on  Comparative  Inflection,  and  Syntax.  Cree/c. — .Sophocles  : 
Gidipus  Tyrannus.  ^Eschylus  :  The  Agamemnon.  Greek  Literature. 
Comparative  Grammar.  Mathematics.  Astrono/ny.—Vvaci\c:\\.  J^/iysics. 
Chemistry. — Applied  and  Organic.  History  of  Philosophy. — Modern. 
History. —  Ancient  and  Modern  Civilization.  French. — Grammaire  Histo- 
rique  de  la  Langue  Fran^aise  (Brachet.)  Lectures.  Eminent  Poets  and 
Prose  Writers  of  the  Eighteenth  Century.  German. — Das  Nibelungen  Lied. 
Meister  und  Minnesilnger.  Lessing.  Goethe  and  his  Contemporaries. 
Political Scioice. — -Woolsey's  International  Law.  Museum  Work,  in  Zoology 
and  Geology. 

The  School  of  Science  has  developed  into  an  important 
branch  of  the  college.  The  professors  of  the  college,  with  the 
exception  of  three  or  four,  are  instructors  in  this  school.  The 
Scientific  Hall  is  the  largest  and  most  expensive  building  in 
the  group.  It  is  thoroughly  equipped  and  fully  endowed. 
The  general  course  of  study  prescribed  in  this  branch  is  very 
comprehensive,  and  there  are  elective  courses  also,  such  as 
cheinistry  and  mineralogy,  civil  engineering  and  architecture. 
Students  are  admitted  only  after  adequate  preparation,  and 
they  arc  regarded  as  members  of  the  college,  subject  to  all  the 
rules  and  discipline,  and  entitled  to  all  the  privileges  of  students 
in  the  literary  or  academic  department. 

The  last  catalogue  issued,  for  1877-78,  announces  the  num- 
ber of  students  in  the  academic  department  at  451,  and  in  the 
scientific  department  at  49,  making  a  total  of  500.  This  number 
includes  fellows  and  post-graduates  who  reside  in  Princeton  and 
attend  college  lectures.  There  are  about  fifty  of  these.  Thus 
has  the  raising  of  the  standard  raised  the  number  of  students. 

With  this  very  imperfect  and  partial  notice  of  the  present 
condition  of  the  college,  and  without  here  referring  to  the 
prizes,  fellowships  and  endowments  of  the  institution,  it  is  easy 
to  see  what  a  mighty  stride  it  has  taken  upward  and  onward 
since  Piesident  McCosh  has  taken  the  helm. 


THE  COLLEGE— PRESIDENT  McCOSIT.  297 

Dr.  McCosh  is  the  eleventh  president  of  Princeton  Collei^e, 
and  his  administration,  beino  judged  by  what  has  been  accom- 
plislied  in  the  financial  and  material,  as  well  as  in  the  educa- 
tional success  and  reputation  of  the  institution,  ^vill  eclipse  all 
preceding  administrations.  He  has  already  conferred  the  first 
degree  on  upwards  of  800  students. 

Dr.  McCosh  is  an  indefatigable  worker.  He  wastes  no  time. 
He  is  an  intense  student  ;  and  the  work  of  his  pen,  in  writin"- 
books,  sermons,  addresses  and  letters,  would  be  regarded  as 
marvellous  if  he  had  none  of  the  cares  of  the  college  upon  his 
hands.  When  it  is  remembered  how  much  time  lie  gives  to 
students  in  his  study,  to  the  faculty,  to  various  committees  and 
visitors,  to  class  lectures,  to  the  executive  business  of  his  office, 
and  to  the  public  generally,  it  would  seem  that  the  draft  upon 
his  mental  and  physical  powers  would  soon  exhaust  and  crush 
him. 

His  strong  will  often  comes  in  contact  with  opposition,  and 
while  he  receives  a  liberal  indulgence  to  follow  his  own  plans 
for  the  good  of  the  college,  he  is  sometimes  charged  with  being 
pertinacious  and  a  little  arbitrary.  But  he  never  pushes  his 
peculiar  views  so  far  as  to  break  with  his  coadjutors  and  there- 
by fail  to  accomplish  an  important  result.  His  commanding 
influence  with  great  minds,  with  distinguished  men,  in  a  wide 
circle  of  acquaintance,  and  the  universal  respect  in  which  he  is 
held  by  all  classes  of  men,  in  the  Church  and  State,  add  much 
to  his  success  in  promoting  the  interest  of  the  college.  He  is 
a  strong  Presbyterian,  but  he  is  not  a  bigot.  His  confidence 
in  the  power  of  truth  leads  him  to  stand  undismayed  when 
science  seems  to  conflict  with  revealed  religion.  He  does  not 
hastily  denounce  the  scientist  but  meets  him  with  science  and 
tests  the  new  theory  instead  of  running  away  from  it.  And 
in  this  he  shows  the  greatness  of  his  mind  and  character,  and 
his  fitness  for  his  present  position. 

The  new  professors  who  have  been  added  to  the  faculty 
since  he  has  been  president  were,  in   1870, 

Rev.  William  A.  Packard,  Professor  of  Latin. 

James  C.  Welling,  Professor  of  Bclle-Lettres  and  English 
Literature,  who  resigned  in  1871. 


2gS  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

Gen.  Joseph  Kargi'';,  Professor  of  Modern  Languages. 

In  1873,  Cyrus  F.  Brackett,  Professor  of  Physics. 

Professor  Eddy,  Assistant  Professor  of  Mathematics,  re- 
signed in  1874. 

I-Ienry  B.  Cornwall,  Professor  of  Analytical  Chemistry 
and  Mineralogy. 

Rev.  Theodore  W.   Hunt,   Professor  of  Rhetoric  and 
English  Language. 

Rev.   George  McCloskie,    from    Ireland,   Professor   of 
Natural  History  in  1874. 

Rev.  James  O.  Murray,  D.  D.,  Professor  of  Belles-Lettres 
and  English  Literature,  in  1875. 

Charles  McMillan,  Professor  of  Civil  Engineering  and 
Applied  Mathematics. 

Edward  D.  Lindsey,  Professor  of  Architecture  and  Ap- 
plied Art. 

Charles  A.  Young,  LL.  D.,  Professor  of  Astronomy. 

Rev.  S.  Stanhope  Orris,  Ewing  Professor  of  Greek. 

Charles  G.  Rockwood,  Professor  of  Mathematics. 

William  M.  Sloane,  Assistant  Professor  of  Latin  :   with 
several  tutors  and  assistant  teachers. 


SECTION  XII. 

OFFICERS  AND  ALUMNI. 


There  have  been  Thirty  different  Governors  of  New  Jersey 
who  have  been  ex-officio  presidents  of  the  board  of  trustees  of 
the  college  ;  Governor  Belcher  having  been  the  first  one  and 
Governor  McClellan  the  last  one. 

There  have  been  eleven  presidents  of  the  college,  President 


THE  COLLEGE— OFFICERS  AND  ALUMNI.  299 

Dickinson  having  been  the  first  and  President  McCosh  being 
the  last,  and  the  present  incumbent.  Their  names  have  been 
fully  presented  with  their  respective  administrations. 

There  have  been  five  vicc-presidoils,  this  ofiice  having  been 
discontinued  in  1854,  when  Vice-President  Maclean  was  chosen 
president. 

There  have  been  one  liundred  and  seventy-one  members  of 
the  board  oi  trustees,  including  the  most  prominent  names  in 
New  Jersey  and  in  adjoining  States,  men  who  have  ranked 
high  in  the  Church  and  in  the  State.  The  present  board  con- 
sists of  twenty-seven  members,  by  amendment  of  the  charter, 
as  given  in  the  last  catalogue  issued,  1877-78,  and  they  are  as 
follows : 

Trustees  of  the  College. 

His  excellency,  J.  D.  Bedle,  LL.  D.,  Governor  of  the  State  of  New  Jersey,  and 
ex-officio  President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees. 

James  McCosh,  D.D.,  LL.  D.,  President  of  the  College,  and,  in  the  absence  of 
the  Governor,  President  of  the  Board. 

Charles   Hodgk,  D.D.,  LL.D Princeton,  New  Jersey. 

Samuel  H.  Pennington,  ]\LD Newark,  New  Jersey. 

Elijah  R.  Craven,  D.D Newark,  New  Jersey. 

George  W.  Musgrave.  D.D.,  LL.  D Philadelphia. 

Cyrus  Dickson,  D.D New  York  City. 

Charles  K.  Imbrie,  D.D Jersey  City,  New  Jersey. 

Henry  ^L  Alexander,  A.M New  York  City. 

Jonathan  F.  Stearns,  D.D Newark,  New  Jersey. 

Joseph  Henry,  LL.D Washington,  D.  C. 

Hon.  John  T.  Nixon,  A.M.,  LL.D Trenton,  New  Jersey. 

William  C.  Rourrts,  D.D Elizabeth,  New  Jersey. 

James  M.  Crowell,  D.D Philadelphia. 

William  M.  Paxton,  D.  D New  York  City. 

John  I.  Blair Blairstown,  New  Jersey. 

Hon.  John  A.  Stewart New  York  City. 

Gen.  N.  Norkis  Halsted Newark.  New  Jersey. 

John  ILa.ll,  D.D New  York  City. 

WiLLLiM  Henky  Green,  D.D.,    LL.D Princeton,  New  Jersey. 

Hon.  Caleb  S.  Green,  A.M Trenton,  New  Jersey. 

William  Adams,  D.D.,  LL.D New  York  City. 

John  Leyiiurn,  D.D Baltimore. 

Thomas  PL  Robinson,  D.D Harrisburgh. 

Charles  E.  Green,  A.M Trenton,  New  Jersey. 

William  Liubey New  York  City. 

Charles  E.  Elmer Bridgeton,  New  Jersey. 

Elijah  R.   (Graven,  D.D.,  Clerk  of  the   Board  of  Trustees. 
Kev.  WiLLi.VM  Harris,  A.M.,  Treasurer. 


300  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

There  have  been  sixty-six  professors  in  the  college  from  its 
original  organization  to  the  present  time.  They  have  been 
named  under  the  administration  in  which  they  were  elected, 
and  we  append  only  those  who  now  constitute  the  present 
faenlty,  viz.:  twenty-one  professors  and  four  tutors.  Herein 
is  shown  how  well  the  college  is  equipped  with  instructors. 

The  Faculty. 

James  McCosh,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  Pkesident,  and  Robert  Lennox  Profe^or  of 
Biblical  Instiiictii)n. 

.Stei'MEN  Alexander,  LL.D.,  Emeritus  Professor  of  Astronomy. 

Lyman  H.  Atwater,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  Professor  of  Logic  and  Moral  and  Politi- 
cal .Science. 

Arnold  Guyot,  Ph.D.,  LL.D.,  Blair  Professor  of  Geology  and  Physical  Geog- 
raphy. 

John  T.  Dufeield,  D.D.,  Dod  Professor  of  Mathematics. 

J.  SriLLWELL  Schanck,  M.D.,  LL.D.,  Professor  of  Chemistry. 

Henry  C.  Cameron,  Ph.D.,  D.D.,  Professor  of  Greek  Language  and  Literature. 

Charles  W.  Sihelds,  D.D.,  Professor  of  History  and  of  the  Harmony  of  Science 
and  Revealed  Religion. 

\Vu.LL\M  A.  Packard,  Pit.D.,  Kennedy  Professor  of  Latin  and  Literature. 

Joseph  Karge,  PilD..  Woodhull  Professor  of  Continental  Languages  and 
Literature. 

Cyrus  F.  Brackf.tt,  M.D.,  Henry  Professor  of  Physics. 

Henry  B.  Cornwall,  A.M.,  E.  M.,  Professor  of  Analytical  Chemistry  and 
Mineralogy. 

Rev.  George  Macloskie,  LL.D.,  Professor  of  Natural  History. 

James  O.  Murray,  D.D.,  Holmes  Professor  of  Belles-Lelters  and  English  Lan- 
guage and  Literature. 

Charles  McMuxan,  C.E.,  Professor  of  Civil  Engineering  and  Applied  Math- 
ematics. 

Edward  D.  Lindsev,  A.B.,  Professor  of  Architecture  and  Applied  Art. 

Charles  A.  Young,  Ph.D.,  LL.D.,  Professor  of  Astronomy. 

Rev.  S.  Stanhope  Oiuus,  Ph.D.,  Ewing  Professor  of  Greek  Language  and 
Literature. 

Charles  G.  Rockwood,  Jr.,  Ph.D.,  Associate  Professor  of  Pure  and  Applied 
Mathematics. 

Rev.  Theodore  \V.  Hunt,  A.M.,  Adjunct  Professor  of  Rhetoric  and  English 
Language. 

Wn.LL\M  M.  Sloane,  Ph.D.,  Assistant  Professor  of  Latin. 

I.  H.  Condit,  A.  M..  Tutor  in  Mathematics. 

Samuel  R.  Winans,  A.B.,  Tutor  in  Greek. 

John  P.  Coyle,  A.B.,  Tutor  in  Latin. 

Henry  A.  Todd,  A.B.,  Tutor  in  Modern  Languages. 

S.  G.  Peaisody,  Associate  Professor  of  Elocution. 

John  B.  McM.\ster,  A.M.,  C.E.,  Listructor  in  Civil  Engineering. 

Frank  S.  Craven,  C.E.,  E.M.,  Assistant  in  Analytical  Chemistry  &  Mineralogy. 


THE  COLLEGE— OFFICERS  AND  ALUMNL 


301 


There  have  been  about  one  hundred  and  eigJity  Tutors  in 
the  college,  from  its  commencement  to  the  present  time. 

Fifteen  different  persons  have  filled  the  office  of  Secretary 
of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  Thomas  Arthur  having  been  the  first, 
in  1748. 

There  have  been  twenty-one  different  persons  who  have 
held  the  office  of  Treasurer  of  the  college,  in  the  following 
order  of  their  election,  viz.: 


1748  Andrew  Johnston, 

1750  Jonathan  Sergeant, 

1777  James  Caldwell, 

1779  Wm.  Churchill  Houston, 

1783  S.  Stanhope  Smith, 

1786  Tiiomas  Wiggins, 

17S7  John  Beatty  pro  tern., 

17S7  Richard  Stockton,/;-^ /^w. 

1788  Isaac  Snowden,  Jun., 

1 791  John  Harrison, 

1795  Walter  Minto, 


1796  Enos  Kelsey, 

1810  Samuel  Bayard, 

1828  James  S.  Green, 

1528  George  S.  Woudhull, /;w  tt'i?i. 

1529  John  Van  iJoren, 
1839  John  V.  Talniage, 
1S45  Charles  S.  OKlen, 

1845  Job  G.  Olden,  assistant, 

1869  Lyman  S.  Atwater, 

1870  William  Harris. 


Prior  to  18 1 3  one  of  tlie  tutors  had  the  charge  of  the  col- 
lege library,  but  since  that  year  there  have  been  five  different 
librarians,  viz.: 


18x3     Professor  Lindsley, 
1824     Professor  John  Maclean, 
1850     Professor  G.  W.  Giger, 


1865     Professor  H.  C.  Cameron, 
1873     Rev,  Frederick  Vinton. 


The  whole  number  of  the  Alumni  of  Princeton  College,  in- 
cluding the  dead  and  the  living,  may  be  set  down  at  frve  thou- 
sand. Of  this  number  a  large  proportion  entered  the  ministry 
and  the  other  learned  professions.  The  proportion  of  men  who 
became  eminent  as  jurists,  statesmen,  divines,  and  professors 
in  literary  institutions  will  be  found  to  be  larger  than  in  other 
such  institutions.  This  is  especially  so  because,  in  the  days  of 
the  Revolution,  Princeton  students  were  inspired  by  the  patri- 
otic services  of  President  Witherspoon,  whose  influence  began 
before  the  war  broke  out,  and  continued  through  it  and  for 
years  after  its  close.  Another  reason  for  this  may  be  found  in 
the  fact  that  this  college  has  drawn  a  large  projjortion  of  stu- 
dents from  the  Middle  and  Southern  States,  in  which  the  most 


302  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

of  college  graduates  do  not  enter  into  business,  but  readily  re- 
ceive promotion  into  high  public  places,  especially  political 
positions,  and  thus  they  come  up  before  the  public  with  prom- 
inence and  frequently  with  illustrious  distinction,  reflecting 
upon  their  alma  mater  more  honor  than  the  same  proportion 
of  the  graduates  of  other  colleges  reflect  upon  theirs.  Prince- 
ton has  been  noted  for  the  attention  given  to  rhetoric  and 
oratory,  and  those  branches  of  study  which  fit  and  incline 
young  men  to  become  orators  and  statesmen. 

An  Alumni  Association  of  Nassau  Hall  was  organized  in  the 
year  1832,  which  was  composed  of  all  the  graduates,  with  hon- 
orary members.  It  holds  an  annual  meeting  in  the  chapel  on 
the  day  before  Commencement,  when  annual  addresses  are  de- 
livered by  distinguished  graduates.  Local  associations  have 
been  formed  also  in  the  cities  of  New  York,  Philadelphia,  and 
other  cities  in  the  West  and  South,  all  tending  to  enlist  the 
graduates  in  the  continued  prosperity  of  their  alma  mater. 


SECTION    XIII. 

BUILDINGS   AND    GROUNDS. 


An  outline  of  the  college  grounds  and  buildings  is  exhibited 
on  the  annexed  map,  which  was  prepared  in  1877.  The  three 
dwellings  adjoining  the  School  of  Science,  have  since  been  re- 
moved. There  is  now  no  building  on  Nassau  Street  between 
the  Presbyterian  church  and  Washington  Street,  east  of  the 
School  of  Science,  except  the  old  house  of  the  president.  The 
campus  extends  along  the  whole  front.  The  vice-president's 
house  or  the  old  Maclean  house — the  old  City  Hotel,  which  in 
the  time  of  the  Revolution  was  kept  by  Hyer,  with  the  sign 
of  Hudibras — the  compact  row  of  houses  east  of  the  hotel  to 
the  old  Wilson  corner,  including  the  Col.  Beatty  house,  are 
all  removed  ;  not  a  vestige  of  them  to  be  seen  there.  The 
campus  is  enclosed  on  the  whole  front  on  Nassau  Street  by  a 
handsome  iron  fence,  and  that  street  is  paved  with  a  broad, 
heavy,  North  River  flag. 


THE   COLLEGE— BUILDINGS  AND  GROUNDS. 


303 


This  map  covers  an  area  of  twenty-five  acres  of  land,  and 
the  buildings  thereon  are  generally  designated  by  their  names. 


Nassau  Hall. 

Nassau  Hall,  or  North  College,  is  in  the  centre  of  the  group. 
It  is  the  original  college  building,  which  has  been  already  de- 
scribed, and  which  was  twice  burned  ;  it  was  used  as  barracks 
and  quarters  for  the  armies  in  the  Revolution.  Many  of  the 
original  uses  to  which  it  was  applied,  have  been  extinguished 


304  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

by  the  provision  of  new  and  separate  buildings.  It  is  now  used 
only  as  a  dormitory,  except  the  central  rear  projection,  recently 
the  Library,  which  is  used  as  a  Museum  of  Art — one  of  the 
most  interesting  and  attractive  places  on  the  college  ground. 
This  is  the  most  ancient  and  classic  looking  buildin"-  in  the 
group.  It  retains  its  original  appearance,  except  a  small  tower 
which  has  been  built  on  each  end.  The  bell  and  clock  are 
on  this  Hall.  This  building  was  first  used  in  1756.  The 
Continental  Congress  sat  in  its  library  in  1783. 

The  President's  House. 

This  house  was  built  at  the  same  time  with  Nassau  Hall, 
and  has  never  been  burned.  It  has  undergone  some  improve- 
ments, but  not  in  any  thing  material.  The  old  chimneys  and 
windows,  and  the  general  exterior  of  the  building  are  unchanged, 
though  the  piazza  and  the  bay  windows  have  been  added  since 
Dr.  McCosh  was  elected  president.  The  interior  has  been 
altered  and  improved  in  appearance.  It  is  hoped  that  it  will 
be  allowed  to  withstand  the  sweeping  march  of  modern  pro- 
gress.    It  is  a  very  comfortable  residence. 

TnE' Geological  Hall. 

This  is  the  building  in  the  rear  of  the  President's  house  and 
nearly  opposite  the  west  end  of  Nassau  Hall.  It  was  built  in 
1803,  just  after  the  college  was  burnt.  It  has  formerly  been 
used  for  recitation  rooms,  the  college  library,  literary  societies, 
geological  cabinet  and  lecture  room,  and  the  Philadelphian 
Society.  It  has  just  now  been  converted  into  college  offices, 
where  the  college  treasurer,  superintendent  of  grounds  and 
police,  the  engineer,  and  other  college  officers  transact  their 
official  duties,  and  are  to  be  found.  A  building  corresponding 
to  this  one,  known  as  Philosophical  Hall,  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  campus  and  at  the  same  distance  from  Nassau  Hall,  was 
built  at  the  same  time,  Tlie  refectory,  the  Museum  of  Natural 
History,  the  philosophical  apparatus  and  lecture  rooms,  were 
for  many  years,  in  this  building;  but  the  building  was  taken 
down  to  give  place  to  the  new  Library,  after  Dr.  McCosh  came 
to  Princeton. 

All  the  other  buildings  are  of  recent  origin. 


THE  COLLEGE— BUILDINGS  AND  GROUNDS.  305 


.  East  and  West  Colleges. 

These  dormitories  were  erected  in  the  years  1833  and  1836, 
and  are  situated  on  the  opposite  sides  of  the  original  back  cam- 
pus. They  are  four  stories  high,  and  each  affords  rooms  for 
sixty-four  occupants.  They  have  been  improved  recently  by 
the  substitution  of  a  Mansard  roof  for  the  old  one. 

The  Literary  Halls. 

The  CHosophic  and  American  Whig  Societies  erected  these 
halls  for  their  own  use  in  or  about  the  year  1837.  They  are 
Grecian  buildings  corresponding  to  the  temple  of  Dionysius  in 
the  peninsula  of  Teos,  with  columns  after  the  Ionic  temple  on 
the  Illisus.  They  are  built  of  brick  stuccoed  and  white,  and 
cost  about  $6000  each. 

The  Chapel. 

This  is  a  cruciform  structure  in  the  Byzantine  style,  erected 
in  1847.  Since  Dr.  McCosh  has  been  President  it  has  been  the 
second  time  enlarged  and  improved.  It  is  capable  of  seating 
four  or  five  hundred  students,  not  counting  the  pews  in  the 
transepts  for  families.  An  excellent  organ,  the  gift  of  Henry 
Clews,  Esq.,  of  New  York,  is  placed  in  the  gallery  at  the  end 
of  the  audience  room.  The  chapel  is  at  the  east  end  of  North 
College,  and  nearer  to  it  than  any  other  building.  A  new 
chapel  has  been  in  contemplation  by  one  of  Princeton's  bene- 
factors, but  as  yet  it  has  not  been  commenced. 

Halsted  Observatory. 

The  Astronomical  Observatory  was  erected  by  General  N, 
Norris  Halsted,  of  Newark,  New  Jersey.  The  corner  stone 
was  laid  in  1866,  and  the  building  consists  of  a  central  octa- 
gonal tower  supporting  a  revolving  dome,  with  a  smaller  dome 
on  two  sides,  communicating  with  the  main  building.  It  was 
thoroughly  built  at  a  cost  of  $60,000.  It  has,  thus  far,  been 
without  such  a  telescope  as  has  been  designed  for  it.  It  is  a 
unique  and  beautiful  building,  and  Gen.  Halsted  is  entitled  to 
20 


306  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

the  credit  of  being-  the  first  liberal  benefactor  who,  by  this  en- 
terprise, set  an  example  of  helping  the  college  by  the  erection 
of  a  grand  building,  which  example  has  been  rapidly  followed 
by  others  with  marvellous  munificence.  Professor  Stephen 
Alexander  designed  the  building,  and  the  name  of  Dr.  Cortlandt 
Van  Rensselaer  will  also  be  ever  identified  with  it. 

The  Gymnasium. 

This  is  another  beautiful  stone  structure,  east  of  the  obser- 
vatory and  in  line  therewith,  quite  near  the  railroad  depot.  It 
was  built  in  1869  at  the  cost  of  $40,000,  and  was  the  gift  of 
Messrs.  Robert  Bonner  and  Henry  G.  Marquand,  of  New  York. 
It  has,  on  the  first  floor,  six  bowling  alleys  and  five  bath  rooms, 
and  on  the  second  floor,  a  large  hall  for  gymnastic  exercises, 
with  a  gallery  for  visitors  along  one  side.  It  is  provided  with 
a  complete  apparatus,  and  it  is  as  complete  an  institution  of 
the  kind  as  there  is  in  the  country.  It  was  the  first  fruits  of 
Dr.  McCosh's  first  appeal  for  help  in  this  line  on  a  Commence- 
ment occasion. 

Reunion  Mall. 

This  is  a  five  story  dormitory,  built  of  stone,  with  red  brick 
trimmings,  built  in  1870,  by  a  subscription  collected  in  honor 
of  the  reunion  of  the  two  divisions  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
The  building  is  heated  by  steam  and  accommodates  about 
seventy-five  persons.  It  stands  near  the  west  end  of  North 
college.  The  brick  house  of  Professor  Henry  was  taken  down 
when  this  was  built,  and  was  rebuilt  where  Professor  Kargc  re- 
sides, on  the  east  side  of  the  west  campus. 

Dickinson  Hall. 

This  is  a  large  three  story  stone  building  devoted  exclusive- 
ly to  the  instruction  of  classes,  containing  lecture-rooms  and 
recitation-rooms  which,  as  to  size  and  furniture,  are  admirably 
adapted  to  their  object.  The  rooms  are  warmed  by  steam. 
It  was  called  Dickinson  Hall  in  honor  of  the  first  president, 
Jonathan  Dickinson,  by  the  donor,  John  C.  Green,  who  was  a 
lineal  descendant  of  President  Dickinson  through  his  youngest 


THE  COLLEGE— BUILDINGS  AhW  GROUNDS.  307 

daughter,  who  was  married  to  the  Rev.  Caleb  Smith,  and  was 
the  great  grandmother  of  John  C.  Green.  This  building  cost 
nearly  $110,000,  and,  within  the  last  year,  alterations  have 
been  made  in  the  upper  story  and  roof  at  a  large  cost,  but  im- 
proving its  appearance. 

This  hall  was  erected  in  1870.  The  first  gift  towards  it 
was  made  by  Mr.  Green  in  1868,  of  $100,000.  He  afterwards 
furnished  the  site  and  built  the  hall  for  $110,000,  leaving 
$100,000  in  invested  funds.  The  whole  $210,000  constitutes 
what  has  been  named  the  Elisabeth  Foundation,  in  memory  of 
his  mother.  He  also  provided  an  income  from  $25,000  for  the 
care  of  Dickinson  Hall  and  grounds. 

Chancellor  Green  Library. 

This  is  the  most  artistic  and  beautiful  building  in  the  group, 
in  both  its  interior  and  exterior  finish.  It  is  peculiar  in  its 
shape,  which  consists  of  a  central  octagonal  building  under  a 
dome,  with  a  small  tower  wing  on  two  sides,  but  correspond- 
ing in  form  to  the  large  central  one.  The  library,  which  con- 
tains 44,000  volumes,  is  in  the  central  structure,  systematically 
arranged  in  alcoves  and  tiers,  in  200  alphabetical  subjects. 
The  building  is  fire-proof,  and  contains  many  things  of  rare 
value  and  interest  and  is  visited  by  almost  every  stranger  who 
comes  to  the  town.  The  room  on  the  west  end  is  beautifully 
furnished  and  is  the  room  for  the  meeting  of  the  trustees.  The 
room  at  the  east  is  used  by  the  officers  of  the  Library. 

This  beautiful  building  was  the  gift  of  John  C.  Green  and 
was  named  in  honor  of  his  brother,  Henry  W.  Green,  Chan- 
cellor of  New  Jersey.  In  1872  he  gave  $120,000  for  erecting 
and  completing  the  building  and  $6,000  for  its  care.  He  after- 
wards gave  $40,000  to  endow  the  chair  of  the  librarian.  The 
building  is  situated  north  of  the  chapel  but  quite  near  it. 

John  C.  Green  School  of  Science. 

This,  too,  is  the  gift  of  John  C.  Green.  It  is  the  largest 
and  most  imposing  of  all  the  college  buildings.  Its  situation 
is  at  the  east  of  the  other  buildings  and  fills  the  space  between 
Dickinson  Hall  and  the  Penn's  Neck  road,  known  as  Washint>- 
ton  Street.     It  extends  quite  near  Nassau  Street,  at  the  Wil- 


3oS 


HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 


son  corner.  The  last  dwelling  houses  on  Nassau  Street,  in 
that  vicinity,  were  removed  during  the  last  summer.  Since 
the  picture  here  given  was  taken,  and  during  the  past  year,  the 


■'-^  :^ 


~^  .C''  >^> 


,1M  -  JtW'ii'iaH^^'SlS^^ 


JOHN    C.    GREEN    SCHOOL   OF   SCIENCE. 

size  of  the  building  has  been  about  doubled  by  an  addition  built 
to  it.  It  is  now  adequate  in  size  and  equipment  for  all  the  uses 
that  can  be  made  of  it.  It  had  an  original  foundation  of  $200,- 
000, — $100,000  for  the  building  and  apparatus,  $50,000  for  the 
Henry  Professorship  of  Physics,  and  $25,000  for  each  of  the  Pro- 
fessorships of  Analytical  Chemistry  and  Natural  History.  Sub- 
sequently Mr.  Green  gave  $25,000  more  to  complete  the  build- 
ing and  apparatus  and  about  $5,600  specially  to  Professor 
Brackett  for  apparatus  in  the  department  of  Physics,  Just  be- 
fore his  death  he  proposed  to  give  $100,000  more  for  additional 
foundations  in  the  department  of  Civil  Engineering,  but  he  died 
before  he  had  executed  the  deed.  His  executors,  however, 
executed  his  wish. 


THE  COLLEGE— BUILDINGS  AND  GROUNDS. 


309 


WiTHERSPOON  Hall. 

On  the  west  of  Clio  Hall  and  near  the  railroad  depot,  on 
high  ground  overlooking  an  extensive  and  beautiful  landscape, 
a  new   dormitory   named   VVitherspoon    Hall    has   been   built 


WlTHERSf'OON    HALL. 

witliin  the  last  two  years,  of  light  gray  stone.  Its  cost  was 
about  $100,000.  It  is  designed  for  about  eighty  students, 
half  of  them  to  occupy  rooms  by  themselves.  Each  bed-room 
has  a  special  entrance  through  which  servants  can  go  to  their 
work  without  passing  through  the  connecting  sitting-room. 
Each  of  the  latter  is  heated  by  a  coal  fire  in  an  open  grate,  and 
there  is  an  elevator  for  the  transfer  of  coal  and  ashes.  The 
building  is  five  stories  high  and  is  Eastlake  in  its  finish.  It 
is  the  most  beautiful  and  luxurious  college  dormitory  in  the 
country. 

Murray  Hall. 

A  new  hall  for  the  use  of  the  Philadelphian  Society  is  now 
being  erected  on  the  college  land  east  of  the  Whig  Hall.  It 
will  bear  the  name  of  Murray  Hall,  after  Hamilton  Murray,  a 
graduate  in  the  class  of  1872,  who,  the  next  year  after  gradu- 
ating, sailed  for  Europe  in  the  ill-fated  Ville  de  Havre,  which 


310  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON.    . 

sunk  suddenly  on  the  voyage,  and  young  Murray  with  a  large 
number  of  others  was  lost.  Before  he  sailed  he  visited  Prince- 
ton, and  while  here  executed  his  will  and  left  $15,000  for  the 
erection  of  a  building  for  the  use  of  the  Philadelphian  Society, 
a  society  for  religious  culture  in  college.  It  is  to  be  built  in 
the  modern  English  Gothic  and  of  Trenton  brown  stone,  and 
will  scat  four  hundred  persons. 

We  have  thus  enumerated  all  the  public  college  buildings 
belonging  to  the  group  which  cluster  around  old  Nassau  Hall, 
They  are  claimed  to  be  superior  in  situation,  style  and  con- 
venience. They  are  all  built  of  stone  except  the  Literary 
Halls,  which  are  brick  rough-cast. 

The  college  owns  six  professors*  houses  on  this  tract  of 
land,  besides  that  of  the  president ;  also  the  old  brick  house  on 
the  north  side  of  Nassau  Street,  the  residence  of  Dr.  Stockton  ; 
also  two  on  Vandeventer  Place  ;  and  on  Prospect  Avenue  a 
new  house  with  an  observatory  has  been  built  for  Professor 
Young,  and  another  house  for  Professor  Brackett  is  being  built. 
They  own  other  land,  including  the  ball  ground,  and  also  the 
Preparatory  School  Property. 

Prospect. 

The  beautiful  property  of  the  Potter  estate  known  as  Pros- 
pect, consisting  of  thirty  acres  of  choice  land,  with  an  elegant 
stone  mansion  thereon,  adjoining  the  college  property  on  the 
south,  has  recently  been  bought  by  Robert  L.  and  Alexander 
Stuart,  of  New  York,  and  presented  to  the  College.  They  will 
furnish  the  house  for  the  use  of  President  McCosh,  and  also 
give  $1,000  yearly,  additional  to  his  salary.  The  property  is 
worth  $60,000.  and  will  be  of  great  value  to  the  college  in  its 
future  expansion  and  necessities. 


THE  COLLEGE— LIBRA  R  V,  M  USE  UMS,  A  PPA  RAT  US.       3  I  I 

SFXTION  XIV. 

LIBRARY,  MUSEUMS,  APPARATUS. 

We  have  noticed,  in  the  preceding  section,  the  beautiful 
new  Hbrary  building  which  contains  the  college  library,  con- 
sisting of  44,000  volumes,  admirably  arranged  so  that  any  book 
therein  contained  can  readily  be  found. 

A  small  library  was  brought  to  Nassau  Hall  when  the  col- 
lege was  removed  hither  from  Newark.  A  large  room  was  pro- 
vided on  the  second  floor  of  the  Hall  for  it.  Gov.  Belcher  left 
his  library,  consisting  of  474  volumes,  to  the  college,  by  will, 
when  he  died  ;  and  in  1764  the  whole  number  of  volumes  was 
about  2,200.  In  the  Revolutionary  War  the  Hessian  soldiers, 
being  quartered  in  the  college,  rifled  the  Library  and  carried 
away  -with  them  many  volumes  which  they  had  not  destroyed, 
some  of  them  being  afterwards  found  in  North  Carolina,  where 
they  had  been  taken  by  the  soldiers.  They  took  with  them 
all  the  philosophical  apparatus  except  the  orrery,  a  small  tele- 
scope and  an  electrical  machine.  These  they  intended  to  take 
and  for  that  reason  they  were  not  destroyed. 

In  1802  the  library  had  been  so  far  restored  as  to  reach 
3,000  volumes,  all  of  which  were  consumed  in  the  conflagration 
of  the  college  in  that  year.  After  this,  in  1803,  the  library 
was  transferred  to  the  new  hall,  known  formerly  as  Geological 
Hall,  now  used  for  college  offices.  Volumes  were  presented  to 
it  from  Massachusetts,  New  York,  New  Jersey  and  Pennsyl- 
vania ;  and  the  trustees  appropriated  $3,000  for  new  books  and 
$100  for  philosophical  apparatus.  Another  appropriation  of 
$200  was  made  for  books  in  1S19. 

After  the  rebuilding  of  the  North  College  in  1856,  the  library 
was  re-transferred  to  that  building,  in  the  room  where  the  geo- 
logical museum  is  now  kept.  In  1849  Professor  Giger,  the 
librarian,  reported  the  number  of  volumes  to  be  9,313.  Since 
then  there  have  been  additions  by  purchase  and  by  gifts  of 
private  libraries,  and  of  volumes,  especially  within  the  last 
three  or  four  years  after  the  library  was  transferred  into  the 
Chancellor  Green  Library  Building,  whereby  the  whole  number 


312  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON: 

of  volumes  in  the  library  is  set  down  at  44,000,  with  an  assur- 
ance that  it  will  be  considerably  augmented  yearly  hereafter. 
The  Rev.  Frederick  Vinton,  who  was  assistant  librarian  at  the 
Congressional  Library  at  Washington,  is  the  present  librarian 
of  the  college,  with  a  salary  enabling  him  to  give  all  his  time 
to  the  oflice  ;  and  his  labors  are  most  valuable. 

There  is,  in  this  library,  an  alcove  devoted  to  volumes  writ- 
ten by  the  Alumni  of  the  college.  And  it  is  specially  requested 
that  every  alumnus  who  is  an  author  shall  send  to  this  alcove 
in  the  library,  a  copy  of  every  volume  he  has,  or  shall  have 
written.     It  contains  1,270  volumes. 

The  E.  M.  Museum  of  Geology  and  Arcileoloi/.v,  ia 
North  College,  was  founded  in  1874  by  a  generous  benefactDr 
of  the  college  who  wishes  to  remain  unknown.  It  embraces 
specimens  of  casts  of  large  fossil  animals,  American,  European 
and  Asiatic,  by  Professor  Henry  A.  Ward  ;  several  thousand 
specimens  of  smaller  fossils  of  the  various  geological  ages  ; 
5,000  specimens  of  Alpine  erratic  boulders,  of  Professor  Guyot, 
illustrating  the  glacial  period  ;  a  series  of  seventeen  paintings, 
by  Professor  Hawkins  and  Prof.  Guyot,  representing  the  flora, 
fauna  and  scenery  of  the  several  geological  periods  furnished 
and  set  up  on  the  panels  of  the  gallery.  Valuable  additions 
are  made  yearly  to  this  museum. 

There  is  a  small  but  very  attractive  Art  department  in  the 
same  room,  in  the  south  extension  of  Nassau  Hall,  or  North 
College.  It  consists  of  paintings  and  portraits  of  Washington, 
all  the  presidents  of  the  college,  prominent  trustees  and  pro- 
fessors of  the  college,  and  governors  of  the  State.  Also  plaster 
models  of  antique  statuary  have  been  set  up.  Mrs.  Governor 
Haines  contributed  a  statue  of  the  Flying  Mercury,  placed  in 
the  centre  of  over  7,000  coins  and  medals;  Mrs.  Jacob  Van 
Arsdalen  gave  Apollo  Belvedere,  Diana,  Huntress  and  an  al- 
legorical statue  of  Art;  Mrs.  Prof.  Guyot,  Atlas;  Mrs.  Prof. 
Cameron,  Niobe;  Mrs.  Prof.  Packard,  a  bust  of  Homer;  Pro- 
fessor Packard,  Antinous ;  the  Misses  Withington,  Hebe  and 
Flora;  Miss  C.King,  Venus  of  Milo;  Mrs.  John  S.  Gulick, 
a  portrait  of  Dickens,  painted  by  herself;  Miss  Pryor,  the  por- 
trait   of  her  deceased  brother,  painted  by  herself;  Mr.    Paul 


THE  COLLEGE— LIBRAR  V,  MUSE  UMS,  APPARA  PUS.       3  I  3 

Tulane,  a  statuette  of  Industry;  besides  many  other  specimens 
of  art,  given  by  different  persons. 

This  room  is  overcrowded,  and  a  large  portion  of  the  build- 
ing—the North  College, — is  now  being  converted  into  large  and 
suitable  rooms  for  this  Geological  department  of  the  college,  in- 
cluding the  Art  department. 

The  Museum  of  Natural  History  and  Mineralogy, 
in  the  third  story  of  the  School  of  Science,  is  also  admirably 
arranged,  and  exhibits  skeletons  of  vertebrate  animals,  birds, 
mounted  and  in  skins,  collection  of  articulate  forms,  alcoholic 
and  dried  ;  land  mollusca  of  Maderia,  collections  of  marine  and 
fresh  water  shells. 

This  Museum  of  Natural  History  was  founded  by  Dr.  Elias 
Boudinot,  of  New  Jersey,  and  was  extended  by  the  labors  and 
gifts  of  Professor  Torrey  and  Professor  Jaeger.  The  Cabinet 
of  Mineralogy  was  established  by  Dr.  David  Hosack  of  New 
York.  Valuable  additions  have  been  made  to  this  museum 
also,  within  the  past  year. 

The  Philosophical  Apparatus  includes  in  its  historical 
department  the  Orrery,  invented  and  constructed  by  Dr.  David 
Ritterihouse,  of  Philadelphia,  more  than  a  hundred  years  ago; 
two  electrical  machines,  obtained  from  Dr.  Priestly,  and  the 
electro-magnet  by  which  Professor  Henry  demonstrated  the 
practicability  of  the  magnetic  telegraph  ;  and  among  other 
valuable  instruments  in  use  a  Phantasmathyx,  intended  to  illus- 
trate the  continuance  of  touch,  devised  by  Professor  S.  Alex- 
ander. 

All  this  apparatus  is  kept  in  the  School  of  Science,  and  in 
connection  with  the  lecture-room  of  Professor  Brackett. 

The  Department  of  General  and  Applied  Chemistry  is  well 
supplied  with  all  needed  appliances,  which  are  kept  in  connec- 
tion with  the  lecture-room  of  Professor  Schanck  at  the  School 
of  Science. 

A  second  Observatory  for  use  in  teaching  practical  astrono- 
my has  been  built  in  connection  with  I'rof.  Young's  residence, 
which  is  well  furnished  with  an  equipment  believed  to  be  un- 
rivalled  by   that  of  any  similar  establishment.      The  Equa- 


314  insiVRY  OF  Princeton: 

torial  has  an  aperture  of  9^  inches  and  is  provided  with 
all  necessary  spectroscopic  and  other  accessories.  There 
are  also  reflectors,  comet  seekers — small  telescopes — meridian 
instruments.  The  Chronograph  has  three  independent  cylin- 
ders, and  the  time  is  distributed  to  all  the  rooms  by  subsidi- 
ary clocks,  electrically  connected  with  the  standard.  There  is 
a  sufficient  supply  of  sextants,  chronometers  and  other  minor 
instruments  for  field  observations,  and  a  working  library  valua- 
ble and  reasonably  complete. 


SECTION    XV. 
ENDOWMENTS  AND  SALARIES. 


It  has  not  been  usual  to  give  to  the  public  the  yearly 
financial  statements  of  the  college,  but  in  1876  Mr.  Harris,  the 
treasurer,  published  in  the  N'cw  York  World  di  letter  on  Prince- 
ton, in  which  the  following  statement  was  made  on  the  endow- 
ments and  salaries  of  this  institution,  viz.: 

"The  Treasurer's  annual  reports  of  the  Princeton  finances 
have  not  hitherto  been  made  public,  as  at  Harvard  and  Yale, 
and  the  following  summary  is  now  put  in  type  for  the  first 
time.  The  total  endowments,  exclusive  of  the  buildings  named, 
amount  to  $868,000,  and  yield  an  income  of  about  $53,300. 
Students'  room  rents  yield  $8,000  a  year,  and  their  tuition  fees 
$30,000.  Of  the  endowments,  professorships  have  $310,000, 
with  an  income  of  $16,800;  scholarships,  $66,000,  and  the 
general  fund,  $70,000,  including  about  $30,000  in  unproductive 
real  estate.  The  income  from  scholarships  and  the  general  fund 
is  about  $9,000.  The  charitable  funds  are  $32,000;  the  prize 
and  fellowship  funds,  $44,000;  the  "Elizabeth"  and  library 
funds,  $146,000,  and  the  annual  income  from  these  three  sources 
is  $13,500. 

"  The  School  of  Science  fund  is  $200,000,  from  which  the 
income  is  $14,000.  This  amount  just  about  pays  the  official 
salaries  of  the  school,  while  the  $6,000  received  for  tuition  and 
use  of  apparatus  serves  as  an  offset  to  its  running  expenses. 
The  annual  expenditure  on  the  library  is  $7,200,  which  is  met 


THE  COLLEGE— ENDOWMENTS  AND  SALARIES.         315 

by  the  special  endowment  and  by  fees.  Other  expenses  of  the 
college  are  $48,000  for  salaries,  $8,500  for  care  of  grounds  and 
buildings,  $6,500  for  fellowships,  prizes  and  gratuities,  and 
$12,500  for  servants,  fuel  and  incidentals.  By  this  show- 
ing the  entire  annual  expenditures  are  upwards  of  $102,000,  or 
more  than  $10,000  in  excess  of  the  receipts.  This  is  only  ap- 
proximately accurate,  however,  inasmuch  as  round  numbers  are 
o-jven,  and  a  few  of  the  payments  are  necessarily  repeated  under 
different  forms,  but  it  is  a  fact  that  last  year's  expenses  were 
in  excess  of  the  income.  Princeton,  like  Harvard  and  Yale,  is 
in  pressing  need  of  a  larger  general  fund,  whose  income  can  be 
used  for  any  purpose,  and  the  especially  restricted  gifts  that 
have  been  received  during  recent  years,  to  the  aggregate  value 
of  more  than  $1,000,000,  serve  only  to  make  this  need  more 
prominent. 

"  In  1S63,  when  the  war  had  caused  the  loss  of  a  third  of  the 
students,  as  well  as  some  of  the  invested  funds,  a  great  effort 
resulted  in  the  raising  of  an  endowment  of  $140,000.  This  en- 
abled an  advance  to  be  made  in  the  professors'  salaries — which 
had  been  $1,500  in  1854,  and  $1,800  in  1S57— to  $2,000.  About 
1868  a  further  advance  was  made  to  $2,400,  and  afterwards,  by 
degrees,  the  present  standard  of  $3,000  was  reached.  In  addi- 
tion to  his  money  salary  each  professor  has  always  been  given 
the  use  of  a  house,  and  if  he  prefers  to  dwell  in  one  of  his  own 
a  cash  allowance  is  given  him  in  place  of  the  rent.  This  was 
first  $200,  then  $300,  and  is  now  $400  a  year,  though  it  should 
in  equity  be  $500.  It  is  not  likely  that  the  professors'  salaries 
will  soon  be  advanced  beyond  this  $3,500  standard.  The  treas- 
urer's salary  is  of  equal  amount,  and  the  president's  is  somewhat 
larger.  The  ex-president  also  has  a  respectable  annuity.  The 
tutors  are  paid  $800,  $900  and  $1,000  for  their  first,  second  and 
third  year's  service  respectively,  in  addition  to  the  rent  of  their 
college  rooms.  In  former  times  they  were,  for  the  most  part, 
theological  students,  employed  at  a  yearly  stipend  of  $200." 

There  has  probably  been  but  little  change  in  the  funds  of 
the  college  since  that  time,  though  it  is  to  be  hoped  and  pre- 
sumed that  they  are  steadily  growing  larger  and  more  availa- 
ble, year  by  year. 

Mr.  John  C.  Green  left  a  residuary  estate  in  the  hands  of 


3^6  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

trustees,  to  be  appropriated,  as  in  their  judgment  would  accord 
with  his  wishes,  and  it  is  understood  that  aid  for  building  With- 
erspoon  Hall  was  derived  from  this  source;  and  also  for  the 
addition  just  made  to  the  School  of  Science. 


SECTION   XVI. 

MISCELLANEOUS   COLLK(;i.:    ITEMS. 

Ball-Playing  ProJiibitcd  in  1 787. 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  a  minute  of  the  faculty  adopted 
nearly  a  hundred  years  ago: 

Faculty  met  Nov.  26,  17S7.— It  appearing  that  a  play  at  present  much  prac- 
ticed by  the  small  boys  amon<^  the  sluilents  and  by  the  grammar  scholars  with  balls 
and  sticks,  in  the  back  campus  of  the  college,  is  in  itself  low  and  unbecoming  gen- 
tlemen and  students  ;  and  inasmuch  as  it  is  attended  with  great  danger  to  the 
health  by  sudden  and  alternate  heats  and  colds  ;  as  it  tends  by  accidents  almost 
unavoidable  in  that  play  to  disfiguring  and  maiming  those  who  are  engaged  in  it, 
for  whose  health  and  safety  as  well  as  improvement  in  study  as  far  as  depends  on 
our  exertion,  we  are  accountable  to  their  parents  and  liable  to  be  severely  blamed 
by  them  ;  and  inasmuch  as  there  are  many  amusements  both  more  honorable  and 
more  useful  in  which  they  are  indulged,— Therefore  the  Faculty  think  it  incumbent 
on  them  to  prohibit  the  students  and  grammar  scholars  from  using  the  play  aforesaid. 
By  order  of  Faculty,  John  WiTHEiiSPOox. 

Jno.  W.  VanCi.eve,  Clerk. 

Proposed  Union  of  Queen  s  College  ivith  Princeton. 

A  letter  from  Archibald  Mercer,  of  New  Brunswick,  of 
which  the  following  is  a  copy,  was  laid  before  the  trustees  of 
Nassau  Hall,  Aug.  20,  1793,  viz.: 

"  In  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Queen's  College  in  New  Jersey  it  was  resolved 
that  a  committee  be  appointed  to  confer  with  the  trustees  on  the  subject  of  a  general 
union  between  the  colleges,  and  that  said  committee  consist  of  Gen.  Frelinghuysen, 
Dr.  Linn,  A.  Mercer,  A.  Kirkpatrick,  and  James  Schureman." 

The  trustees  of  Nassau  Hall  appointed  a  committee  of  con- 
ference with  that  committee,  viz..  Dr.  Witherspoon,  Dr. 
Rodgers,  Dr.  Boudinot,  Dr.  Beatty,  Col.  Bayard  and  Mr. 
Woodhull. 

The  joint  committee  met  at  New  Brunswick,  Sept.  loth  and 
resolved  unanimously: 


THE  COLLEGE— MISCELLANEOUS  COLLEGE  ITEMS.      317 

"That  a  ]icif(jct  incorporating  and  consolidating  union  between  the  two  col- 
leges will  be  the  most  proper  and  benelicial  union,  and  will  tend  to  the  jiromotion 
of  learning. 

"  That  in  order  to  effect  this  union  application  be  made  by  both  colleges  to  the 
Legislature  for  a  new  charter  ;  that  the  trustees  to  be  named  in  the  new  charter  con- 
sist of  28  in  number,  i.  e.,  the  Governor  of  the  Stale  for  the  time  being,  the  president 
of  the  college,  and  13  of  the  trustees  of  said  colleges,  inliabitants  of  New  Jersey,  to 
be  chosen  and  named  by  their  respective  boards. 

"  That  no  person  not  an  inhabitant  of  New  Jersey,  shall  at  any  time  be  a  trustee 
of  the  college  so  constituted. 

"That  an  institution  at  New  Brunswick  be  established  and  supported  by  the 
by-laws  of  the  trustees  of  said  college  in  which  shall  be  taught  the  learning  prepaia- 
tory  to  entering  the  first  class  in  the  college,  and  that  no  other  institution  at  Prince- 
ton shall  be  supported  at  the  expense  of  the  said  trustees,  iu  which  the  same  things 
shall  be  taught. 

"  That  the  present  officers  of  the  college  of  New  Jersey  be  the  officers  of  the 
college  to  be  established  on  the  foregoing  principles. 

"That  the  foregoing  resolutions  be  submitted  to  the  respective  boards  of 
trustees  for  their  consideration." 

It  does  not  appear  what  action  the  Trustees  of  Princeton 
College  took  on  the  project,  whether  favorable  or  not,  as  Dr. 
Witherspoon  reported  on  Dec.  18,  1793,  to  the  trustees,  that 
he  had  received  the  following  letter  from  Archibald  Mercer, 
which  settled  the  question  : 

"Millstone.  N'ov.  30,  1793. 
"  Sir  : — The  Trustees  of  Queen's  College  met  yesterday  and  I  am  sorry  to  inform 
you,  wholly  rejected  the  report  of  the  committee  respecting  the  proposed  union  of  the 
colleges. 

Arciiii!.\ld  Mercer,  P.  P.  T." 
To  Rev.  Dr.  Witherspoon. 

It  is  thought  that  the  provision  to  exclude  non-residents 
of  this  State  from  the  board  of  trustees,  caused  the  rejection 
of  the  report. 

The  Cannon   War. 

In  a  note  on  page  139,  Vol.  I,  mention  was  made  of  the  big 
cannon  which  was  left  here  at  the  battle  of  Trinceton,  and  held 
by  the  citizens  of  Princeton  as  a  relic  of  that  great  event.  It 
had  been  sent  to  New  Brunswick  to  defend  that  city  in  the  war 
of  181 2,  but  was  not  used  there  on  account  of  its  supposed  in- 
security. It  was  not  returned  to  Princeton  as  it  should  have 
been,  but  lay  on  the  commons  there  until  about  1836,  when 


3^8  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETOM. 

some  of  the  citizens  of  Princeton  went  and  brought  it  back, 
with  a  view  of  using  it  at  the  celebration  of  the  Fourth  of 
July.  It  was  depos'ited  at  the  eastern  end  of  the  town;  and 
in  1838  some  of  the  students  of  the  college,  by  night,  brought 
it  up  to  the  campus,  where,  in  1840,  it  was  plugged  and  planted 
in  the  ground  ;  and  it  has  since  remained  there  by  general  con- 
sent, under  the  guardianship  of  the  students. 

There  was  also  a  small  iron  cannon,  supposed  to  have  been 
captured  or  left  here  at  the  battle  of  Princeton,  which  was 
planted  by  Major  Perrine  in  the  corner  of  the  pavement  at  his 
house,  on  the  corner  of  Nassau  and  Withcrspoon  Streets,  and 
which  remained  there  for  many  years,  till  the  students  trans- 
planted it  to  the  back  campus,  not  very  distant  from  the  big 
siege  gun. 

A  small  brass  cannon,  it  was  claimed  by  the  students  of 
Rutgers  College,  had  been  taken  from  the  Rutgers  grounds  in 
1856;  and  without  any  reason,  except  a  vague  misunderstand- 
ing growing  out  of  the  tradition  of  the  retaking  of  the  big 
cannon,  and  perhaps  the  boastful  taunts  of  some  Princeton 
wags,  it  was  alleged  and  probably  believed  by  the  Rutgers  stu- 
dents that  the  Princeton  students  had  taken,  by  stealth,  their 
little  brass  cannon,  and  that  it  was  planted  in  the  Princeton 
campus. 

Under  this  mistaken  view  of  the  facts,  a  party  of  Rutgers 
students  on  the  26th  of  April,  1875,  came  by  night,  while  Prince- 
ton College  was  in  vacation,  and  exhumed  the  little  cannon  and 
conveyed  it  to  New  Brunswick,  a  feat  which  was  applauded  by 
many  of  the  New  Brunswickers,  and  by  the  college  boys 
especially.  The  Princetonians  who  knew  so  well  the  history  of 
the  cannon,  were  indignant  at  the  unjustifiable  raid  of  the  Rut- 
gers boys,  and  when  the  students  returned  they  were,  of  course, 
highly  excited  and  threatened  to  go  in  force  and  recapture  it, 
or  make  other  reprisals,  if  it  should  not  be  returned.  The 
president  assured  them  that  the  cannon  should  be  returned  ; 
and  a  correspondence  took  place  between  President  McCosh 
and  President  Campbell  on  the  subject,  which  was  somewhat 
tart  and  belligerent.  Pending  these  diplomatic  negotiations, 
some  of  the  Princeton  boys,  in  the  folly  of  their  impatience, 
made  a  midnight  raid  upon  Rutgers,  broke  open   the   college 


THE  COLLEGE— MISCELLANEOUS  COLLEGE  ITEMS.      319 

museum,  and  not  finding  tlie  cannon,  seized  some  old  muskets 
there  on  deposit,  and  narrowly  escaping  the  police,  returned  to 
Princeton  with  their  stolen  reprisals.  They  were  the  objects 
of  general  ridicule  and  censure. 

The  subject  came  before  the  faculties  of  the  two  colleges, 
and  resulted  in  the  appointment  of  a  joint  committee,  consist- 
ing of  Professors  Reiley  and  Atherton,  of  Rutgers,  and  Profes- 
sors Duftield  and  Cameron,  of  Princeton. 

This  joint  committee,  after  conference  and  inquiry  on  the 
subject,  adopted  a  paper  which  recited  the  historical  facts  as 
we  have  stated  them,  and  concluded, 

1.  That  no  cannon  taken  from  Rutgers  had  ever  been  set  up  on  the  Princeton 
grounds,  nor  had  the  Princeton  students  ever  removed  a  cannon  from  Rutgers  Col- 
lege or  from  New  Brunswick. 

2.  That  any  boasts,  taunts  or  statements  based  upon  any  belief  or  tradition  to 
the  contrary  were  wholly  unfounded. 

3.  That  the  Rutgers  students,  having  been  incited  to  the  act,  by  their  belief  that 
this  or  a  similar  cannon  had  been  removed  from  Rutgers  by  the  Princeton  students, 
are  to  be  exonerated  from  any  imputation  of  wilful  and  malicious  mischief. 

4.  That  the  cannon  in  question  should  be  returned  to  the  College  oi  New  Jer- 
sey, and  that  this  report  be  entered  on  the  minutes  of  each  taculty,  and  be  officially 
announced  to  the  students. 

The  report  was  signed  by  all  the  members  of  thejoint  com- 
mittee and  was  dated  May  19,  1875. 

On  the  22d  of  May  the  relic  cannon  was  returned  to  Prince- 
ton in  a  wagon,  preceded  by  the  chief  of  police  of  New  Bruns- 
wick. As  soon  as  it  arrived  at  the  campus  the  students  and 
others  gathered  around  it,  and  Dr.  McCosh  was  cheered  as  he 
came  up,  and  in  a  little  speech  said  smilingly,  *'  I  told  you  so," 
and  added  that  the  whole  thing  reminded  him  of  the  Trojan 
war,  the  conflict  then  and  there  for  Helen,  and  winding  up  with 
a  declaration  that  it  must  be  immortalized  in  a  new  Iliad,  that 
its  history  must  be  written  in  Greek  and  in  hexameter  verse, 
delivered  by  the  college  to  posterity.  The  students  gave  three 
cheers  for  the  cannon  and  three  for  Dr.  McCoshl  The  muskets 
taken  by  the  Princeton  students  from  the  niuseum  of  Rutgers 
were  also  returned. 

Thus  ended  an  excitement  which  was  widely  sympathized 
in  throughout  the  country,  and  afforded  for  some  time  material 
for  amusing  newspaper  paragraphs. 


320  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

Religious  Proinsions. 

"  Biblical  Instruction. — Princeton  claims  to  be  reg^arded  as  a 
religious  college.  It  is  not  officially  connected  with  any  de- 
nomination, but  may  be  considered  as  in  a  general  way  under 
the  patronage  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Nothing  sectarian 
is  taught,  and  there  is  no  interference  with  the  religious  con- 
victions of  the  students.  Prayers  are  offered  morning  and 
evening  in  the  college  chapel,  and  the  attendance  of  all  re- 
quired. On  Sabbath,  divine  service  is  held  in  the  chapel  at 
II  A.  M.,  conducted  by  clerical  members  of  the  faculty  and 
others  called  in  by  the  president.  Permission  to  worship  with 
other  religious  denominations  is  obtained  by  presenting  a  writ- 
ten request  from  the  parent  or  guardian.  A  meeting  for  prayer 
attended  by  all  is  held  at  5  P.  M.,  on  the  Sabbath.  Prayer 
meetings  of  classes  are  held  twice  a  week,  and  of  the  college 
three  times  a  week.  Instruction  in  the  Bible  is  given  to  every 
student." — Dr.  McCosii. 

The  Nassau  Bible  Society,  composed  of  the  faculty  and  stu- 
dents, was  organized  in  181 3  with  a  view  of  distributing  copies 
of  the  Holy  Scriptures  in  the  college  and  the  vicinity,  an  idea 
afterward  carried  out  on  a  wider  field  by  the  American  Bible 
Society,  of  which  it  became  an  auxiliary.  It  has  an  interest- 
ing history,  and  is  still  kept  alive  by  annual  contributions,  and 
anniversary  meetings. 

The  Pkiladelphian  Society  of  Nassau  Hall  grew  out  of  the 
Tract  Society,  which  was  formed  in  181 7  by  the  students  of  the 
college  and  seminary.  This  Philadelphian  Society  was  formed 
Feb.  4,  1825,  by  four  students,  viz.:  Peter  J.  Gulick  (afterwards 
a  missionary  to  Sandwich  Islands),  Martin  Tupper,  Tobias  Ep- 
stein, and  James  Brainerd  Taylor.  Its  object  was  to  promote 
personal  holiness  among  its  members,  and  the  best  interest  of 
their  fellow-creatures.  By  the  present  amended  pledge,  "  Every 
member  is  required  to  identify  himself  with  the  people  of  God, 
professing  a  high  degree  of  Christian  experience  and  a  solemn 
obligation  to  be  zealous  in  the  cause  of  religion.  The  hand  of 
fellowship  and  the  appellation  of  brother  are  the  pledges  of 
sincerity  and  affection."     They  hold  devotional  meetings  sta- 


THE  COLLEGE— MISCELLANEOUS  COLLEGE  ITEMS.      32  I 

tedly,  and   have   a  reading-room   and  library.     Murray  Hall  is 
being  built  exclusively  for  the  use  of  this  society. 

Literary  and  Secret  Societies. 

The  Cliosophic  and  American  Whig  Societies  are  conducted 
by  undergraduates,  but  include  in  their  organization  graduates 
and  officers  of  the  college.  They  are  based  upon  pledges  of 
secrecy  ;  membership  in  one  excludes  membership  in  the  other. 
Both  of  them  possess  valuable  halls  and  libraries,  nearly  10,000 
volumes  in  each.  The  exercises  in  them  are  literary,  and  of 
great  value  to  the  members.  The  Cliosophic  Society  was 
founded  in  1765,  and  the  American  Whig  in  1769. 

A  generous  competition  for  college  honors,  especially  in 
oratory,  has  been  kept  up  for  many  years — ever  since  the  Con- 
tinental Congress  sat  here  in  1783.  The  most  prominent  field 
of  contest  for  society  honors  is  found  in  the  Junior  Exhibition, 
on  the  evening  before  Commencement.  These  societies  also 
elect,  alternately,  orators  from  their  graduate  members  to  ad- 
dress the  joint  societies  on  the  day  preceding  Commencement. 

All  other  secret  societies  are  expressly  forbidden  by  the  laws 
of  the  college.  There  has,  for  years  past,  been  a  sharp  contest 
on  the  part  of  the  trustees  and  faculty  to  suppress  such  socie- 
ties in  college,  so  great  an  evil  they  have  been  adjudged  to  be. 
The  advocates  and  members  of  such  societies  have  been  very 
pertinacious  in  maintaining  them,  though  interdicted  with  pen- 
alties of  expulsion.  By  a  law  of  the  trustees,  adopted  in  June, 
1855,  a  pledge  is  exacted  of  every  student  when  matriculated, 
in  the  following  terms,  viz. : 

"We,  the  undersigned,  do  individually  for  ourselves  promise,  without  any  men- 
tal reservation,  that  we  will  have  no  connection  whatever  with  any  secret  society, 
nor  be  present  at  the  meetings  of  any  secret  society  in  this  or  any  other  college,  so 
long  as  we  are  members  of  the  College  of  New  Jersey  ;  it  being  understood  that 
this  promise  has  no  reference  to  the  American  Whig  and  Cliosophic  Societies.  We 
also  declare  that  we  regard  ourselves  bound  to  keep  this  promise  and  on  no  account 
whatever  to  violate  it." 

Athletic  Games  and  Amusements. 
The  college  has  made  most  ample  arrangements  for  the 
physical  culture  of  its  students,  and  has  given  not  only  liberty, 
but  has  prescribed  it  as  a  duty  on  the  part  of  the  students,  to 


322  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

attend  upon  gymnastic  exercises.  The  base-ball  club,  the  row- 
ing crew,  the  Caledonian  association,  are  all  encouraged  by  the 
faculty  and  trustees,  and  large  investments  have  been  made,  to 
facilitate  the  use  of  such  agencies,  with  enthusiasm,  among  the 
students.  The  encouragement  in  this  direction — the  prizes  and 
medals  awarded  to  successful  champions  in  the  gymnasium, 
in  the  field,  or  on  the  water,  and  the  contests  with  foreign 
clubs  and  crews  at  home  and  abroad,  for  the  championship, 
have  been  carried  so  far  as  to  make  it  very  questionable  at 
least,  whether  the  stimulus  has  not  become  excessive,  and  the 
enthusiasm  demoralizing. 

We  must  close  this  chapter.  In  the  several  sections  of  it 
through  which  we  have  passed,  we  have  given  only  a  sketch, 
and  a  very  inadequate  sketch,  of  the  College  of  New  Jersey — 
sufficient  perhaps  to  induce  our  readers  Avho  are  not  familiar 
with  it,  to  read  its  fuller  history.  We  are  prepared  to  assert 
that  this  venerable  institution  has  answered,  so  far,  the  end  for 
which  it  was  established.  It  has  promoted  religion  and  learn- 
ing. It  has  trained  young  men  for  the  ministry  and  for  the 
other  learned  professions,  and  is  now,  more  than  ever  before, 
diffusing  among  the  masses  of  men,  the  blessings  of  science 
and  the  arts.  From  its  bosom  have  come  forth  men  who  have 
become  statesmen,  orators,  jurists,  philosophers,  divines— the 
foremost  men  in  our  country.  It  exerts  a  moral  influence 
upon  the  youth  who  join  it,  and  affords  a  better  guaranty  of 
a  moral  life  than  any  other  vocation  or  human  pursuit  can 
bestow  upon  them.  The  occasional  wreck  which  is  seen  by 
the  way,  the  unwary  youth  beguiled  from  his  innocence  in 
his  college  experience,  is  rare  compared  with  the  great  mul- 
titude who  graduate  with  fair  moral  character,  and  enter  into 
business  life  as  religious  men.  The  outbreaks  of  folly  and 
of  vicious  behavior  in  college  occur  less  frequently  than  in 
former  years. 

There  is  now  more  studious  application,  and  there  is  more 
manly  ambition  and  more  self-respect  among  the  students  at 
Princeton,  than  there  was  years  ago.  The  raising  of  the  stand- 
ard of  study,  the  increase  of  books  and  appliances  for  study, 
the    improvement    in    the    lecture-rooms,    dormitories,    public 


THE  COLLEGE— MISCELLANEOUS  COLLEGE  ITEMS.      323 

buildings  and  grounds,  command  more  respect  than   the  an- 
cient state  of  things  did  among  the  students. 

The  Rev.  Robert  J.  Breckinridge,  D.  D.,  of  Kentucky,  in 
1863,  when  tracing  the  alumni  of  Princeton  College  in  the 
prominent  posts  of  honor  throughout  the  country — in  the 
learned  professions — in  the  presidency  of  the  United  States — in 
the  presidency  of  colleges— in  the  Continental  Congress  sign- 
ing the  Declaration  of  Independence — in  the  Mecklenburg 
Convention — in  the  Boston  tea  party — in  both  houses  of  Con- 
gress—in gubernatorial  chairs— gave  utterance  to  the  fervid 
language  with  which  we  close  this  subject,  as  follows: 

"  Glorious  old  Nassau  Mall,  well  done  !  This  is  a  noble 
answer  to  all  your  adversaries  ;  even  to  such  as  would  take 
away  your  good  name  because  you  are  not  under  the  care  of 
some  presbytery  or  synod.  You  bear  the  name  of  the  greatest 
patriot  who  ever  sat  on  a  throne  ;  the  purest  man  who  ever 
raised  himself  from  a  private  station  to  supreme  command — 
William  of  Nassau — the  last  of  the  race  of  the  great  and  good 
Colign)'-,  the  incomparable  among  the  legitimate  kings  of  Eng- 
land. And  this  list  of  your  children,  for  more  than  a  century, 
is  as  proud  a  list'  as  the  eyes  of  man  ever  rested  on,  or  ever  will. 
The  hand  that  traces  these  lines  must  be  stiff  in  death  before 
your  high  interests  should  suffer  for  one  to  defend  them.  We 
hail  thee  Magna  Mater  Virum  !  Who  can  estimate  the  ser- 
vice you  have  rendered  to  this  great  country  ?  Who  can  cal- 
culate the  good  you  will  further  do  ?  Make  scholars,  make 
gentlemen,  make  Christians  ;  all  else  is  a  base  ambition  !  That 
is  your  crown  !  See  that  you  let  no  one  take  it.  The  sum  of 
your  work  is  very  glorious.     May  it  increase  in  glory  !  " 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 

PRINCETON  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY. 

Sec.  I.  Its  History. — II.  Its  Buildings  and  CJiounils. — HI.  Its  Investments,  Funds 
and  Library. — IV.  Its  deceased  Professors,  Dr.  Archibald  Alexander,  Dr. 
Samuel  Miller,  Dr.  Charles  Hodge,  Dr.  Addison  Alexander,  Dr.  John  Breck- 
inridge, Dr.  James  W.  Alexander — a  saintly  group. — V.  Present  Faculty  and 
Officers. — VI.  Liberal  Benefactors. 

SECTION  I. 

ITS      HISTORY. 

Within  the  first  decade  of  the  present  century  ministers 
and  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United  States 
began  to  assert  the  necessity  of  estabHshing  a  seminary  ex- 
clusively devoted  to  the  instruction  and  preparation  of  their 
candidates  for  the  ministry.  The  College  of  New  Jersey  at 
Princeton,  had  its  origin  in  a  desire  to  educate  young  men  not 
only  in  the  arts  and  sciences,  but  to  fit  for  the  ministry  those 
who  might  seek  it.  Hence  the  care  of  those  who  founded  it 
to  have  a  competent  teacher  of  Hebrew  and  Theology,  a  clergy- 
man "of  experience  and  piety  to  preside  over  it  ;  and  many  of 
the  prominent  ministers  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  received 
their  education  and  theological  training  at  Princeton  under  the 
early  presidents  of  the  college.  But  when  the  number  of  the 
college  students  began  to  increase,  and  the  branches  of  study 
were  multiplied,  and  the  influence  of  college  manners  and 
studies  began  to  grow  unfavorable  to  the  cultivation  of  a 
devout,  religious  life  ;  and  when  the  increasing  number  of 
educated  young  men  added  largely  to  the  number  of  candi- 
dates for  the  ministry,  the  conviction  became  quite  general 
throughout  the  church,  that  a  separate  seminary  would  be 
more  suitable  for  training  ministers  than  the  college  or  private 
pastors  could  be. 

The  Reformed  Dutch  Church  and  the  Associate  Reformed 


THEOLOGICA  L    SEMINA R  Y—I TS  HIS  TOR  V.  325 

church  and  the  descendants  of  the  Puritans,  in  New  England, 
were  all  moving  in  the  direction  of  establishing  seminaries  for 
the  training  of  their  respective  candidates  ;  and  in  the  year 
1809  an  overture  was  introduced  into  the  General  Assembly  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  in  the  United  States,  proposing  to 
establish  a  theological  seminary  for  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
The  overture  came  from  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia.  It 
was  referred  to  a  select  committee,  who  reported  favorably,  sub- 
mitting three  modes  of  compassing  the  object,  viz.: 

1.  To  have  o)ic great  school  in  some  convenient  place  near 
the  centre  of  the  bounds  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

2.  To  have  tivo  sncli  schools,  to  accommodate  the  northern 
and  southern  divisions  of  the  church. 

3.  To  have  one  within  the  bounds  o{  cacJi  of  the  Synods. 

These  were  all  sent  down  to  the  Presbyteries  for  their  ap- 
proval or  rejection,  and  while  there  was  a  decided  majority  in 
favor  of  the  establishment  of  a  theological  school  or  schools, 
there  was  a  tie  vote  upon  the  first  and  third  plans.  It  being 
ascertained  that  those  who  voted  against  the  first  plan  had  mis- 
conceived its  nature,  it  was  the  one  which  was  finally  adopted. 
The  General  Assembly  resolved,  in  the  name  of  the  great  Head 
of  the  church,  immediately  to  attempt  to  establish  a  seminary 
for  securing  to  candidates  for  the  ministry  more  extensive  and 
efficient  theological  instruction  than  they  had  theretofore  en- 
joyed. The  local  situation  of  the  seminary  to  be  thereafter 
determined ; 

That  the  seminary,  when  fully  organized,  should  have  at 
least  three  professors,  but  a  less  number  might  be  employed 
until  sufficient  funds  could  be  raised  to  support  the  number 
prescribed  ; 

That  exertions  should  be  made  to  raise  funds  sufficient  to 
afford  gratuitous  instructions  and  also  gratuitous  support  to 
all  such  students  as  may  not  themselves  possess  adequate 
pecuniary  means  ; 

That  the  Rev.  Drs.  Green,  Woodhull,  Romeyn  and  Miller, 
the  Rev.  Archibald  Alexander,  James  Richards  and  Amzi  Arm- 
strong be  a  committee  to  digest  and  prepare  a  plan  of  a  theo- 
logical seminary  ; 

That  as  a  ministry  learned  and  able,  without  corresponding 


326  HISTORY   OF  PRINCETON. 

piety,  would  be  a  curse  to  the  world,  the  pledge  was  given  to 
make  the  proposed  seminary  a  nursery  of  vital  piety  as  well  as 
of  sound  theological  learning;  and  to  train  up  persons  for  the 
ministry  who  should  be  lovers  as  well  as  defenders  of  the  truth 
as  it  is  in  Jesus;  friends  of  revivals  of  religion  and  a  blessing 
to  the  church  of  God  ; 

That  the  constitutional  right  of  every  Presbytery  to  judge 
of  its  own  candidates  for  licensure  and  ordination  shall  not  be 
abridged,  and  that  liberty  shall  be  allowed  to  every  Presbytery 
to  countenance  the  proposed  plan  or  not,  and  to  send  their 
students  to  the  seminary  or  to  keep  them  within  their  own 
bounds,  as  they  might  think  most  conducive  to  the  prosperity 
of  the  church  ; 

That  the  professors  shall  not  have  the  right  to  license  can- 
didates, but  such  right  is  to  be  reserved  to  the  Presbyteries. 

The  committee  reported  a  plan  in  accordance  with  the  fore- 
going principles  and  directions,  to  the  General  Assembly  con- 
vened in  the  year  181 1,  which,  after  being  duly  considered, 
was  amended  and  adopted. 

The  PLAN  adopted  contained  an  Introduction  and  eight 
distinct  Articles. 

The  introduction  set  out  the  design  of  the  institution,  de- 
nominating it  "  The  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  i)i  the  United  States  of  America."  Its  first  and  great 
object  was  to  be 

"  To  form  men  for  the  gospel  ministry  wlio  shall  tmly  believe  and  cordially  love 
and  therefore  endeavor  to  propaijate  and  defend,  in  its  genuineness,  simplicity  and 
fulness,  that  system  of  religious  belief  and  practice,  which  is  set  forth  in  the  Con- 
fession of  P'aith,  Catechisms,  and  Plan  of  Government  and  Discipline  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church,  and  thus  to  perpetuate  and  extend  the  influence  of  true  evangeli- 
cal piety  and  Gospel  Ortler ;  and  to  provide  for  the  church  an  adequate  supply  and 
succession  of  able  and  faithful  ministei-s  of  the  New  Testament." 

Article  I,  On  i  hk  GKNKii.vi,  Assicmisi.y,  claims  tliat  body  to  be  the  patron  and 
foundation  of  the  powers  of  the  seminary,  sanctioning  its  laws,  directing  its  instruc- 
tions and  appointing  its  principal  oflficers  ;  and  holds  the  right  of  choosing  a  board 
of  directors  of  twenty-one  ministers  and  nine  ruling  elders,  to  hold  office  three 
years;  and  also  to  appoint  the  professors,  allowing  tlie  directors  to  appoint  in 
emergencies,  until  the  next  meeting  of  the  Assembly. 

Article  II,  Ok  the  Board  ok  Directors,  prescribes  the  duty  of  this  board 
and  confers  upon  them  the  making  of  rules  and  regulations  not  inconsistent  with 
the  plan  and  order  of  the  General  Assembly,  requiring  them  to  meet  twice  a  year 


THEOLOGICAL    SEML^ARY— ITS  HISTORY.  327 

statedly,  nine  members  being  a  quorum,  five  of  whom  must  be  mini-,ters  and  one 
the  president  or  vice-president.  It  is  their  duty  to  inaugurate  the  Professors  and 
prescribe  tiie  course  of  study,  also  to  inspect  the  fidelity  and  the  soundness  of  the 
teachings  of  the  professors,  and  report  to  the  Assembly,  with  power,  in  extreme 
cases,  to  suspend  a  professor  and  appoint  another  in  his  place  till  the  case  can  be 
submitted  to  the  Assembly.  The  directors  subscribe  a  formula,  promisuig  fidelity 
to  the  Plan. 

Article  III,  Ok  Tliii  Prokessors,  prescribes  that  no  person  shall  be  inducted 
into  the  office  of  Professor  of  Divinity  but  an  ordained  minister  of  the  gospel  ;  and 
every  professor,  on  being  inaugurated,  is  required  to  suliscribe  the  following  formula  : 

"  III  the  presence  of  Go>i  ami  the  Directors  of  this  Seminary  I  do  solemnly  and  ex 
animo,  adopt,  receive  and  subscribe  the  Confession  of  lutilh  and  Catechisms  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  in  the  United  States  of  America,  as  the  confession  of  my  faith, 
or  as  a  summary  and  just  exhibition  of  that  system  of  doctrine  and  reTr^ioiis  belief 
which  is  contained  in  holy  scripture,  and  therein  i-cTcalcd  by  God  to  man  for  his  sal- 
vation ;  and  I  do  solemnly  ex  animo  profess  to  receive  the  Form  of  Government  of 
said  church  as  a^'reeable  to  the  inspired  oracles.  A  nd  I  do  solemnly  promise  and 
engajre  uot  to  inculcate,  tench  or  insinuate  anything  lohich  shall  appear  to  me  to  con- 
tradict  or  contravene,  either  directly  or  impliedly,  anythin^^  taught  in  the  said  Co?tfes. 
sion  of  Faith  or  Catechism,  nor  to  oppose  any  of  the  fundamental  principles  of  Tres- 
byterian  Church  Government,  while  I  shall  continue  a  Professor  in  this  Seminary." 

The  professors  shall  be  a  faculty  and  shall  decide  on  all  (piestions  of  discipline 
and  order,  and  shall  prescribe  rules  of  order,  decorum  and  duty  for  the  students, 
with  power  to  dismiss  any  students  for  unsound  sentiments,  immoral  or  disorderly 
conduct  or  other  just  cause. 

Articlk  IV,  Of  Study  .\ni)  Attainments.  The  period  of  continuance  in 
the  Seminary  must  not  be  less  than  three  years  for  a  certificate  of  approbation,  but 
they  may  receive  a  written  declaration  from  the  professors  if  they  have  not  continued 
the  full  term.  They  are  subject  to  examination  and  must  be  well  skilled  in  the 
original  languages  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  and  must  have  studied  and  been  exam- 
ined upon  the  prescribed  course  of  study,  and  approved  before  they  shall  be 
entitled  to  their  certilicate  of  approbation. 

Aiaici.E  V,  oi'-  Devotion  and  Imi'Rovkment  in  Practical.  Piety.  This 
article  prescribes  rules  for  the  cultivation  of  personal  holiness  and  exemplary 
living. 

Article  VI,  Of  the  Students.  Every  student  applying  for  admission  to  the 
seminary  shall  produce  satisfactory  testimonials  of  his  good  natural  talents  and 
prudent  and  discreet  deportment  ;  that  he  is  in  full  communion  with  some  regular 
church  and  has  paSsed  through  a  regular  course  of  academical  study  or  subject  him- 
self to  examination.  The  first  six  months  are  probationary.  Compliance  with  the 
rules  prescribed,  diligence  in  study,  propriety  in  manners,  dress  and  behavior  are 
required  of  every  student,  and  every  student,  before  talcing  his  standing  in  the 
seminary,  is  required  to  take  and  subscribe  the  following  declaration,  viz.: 

"Deeply  impressed  with  a  sense  of  tiie  importance  of  improving  in  knowledge, 
prudence  and  piety,  in  my  preparation  for  the  gospel  ministry,  I  solemnly  promise, 
in  a  reliance  on  divine  grace,  that  I  will  faithfully  and  diligently  attend  on  all  the 
instructions  of  this  seminary  and  that  I  will  conscientiously  and  vigilantly  observe 
all  the  rules  and  regulations  specified  in  the  plan  for  its  instruction  and  govern- 


328  HISTORY  OF  PKIiVCETON. 

ment  so  far  as  the  same  relates  to  the  students,  and  that  I  will  obey  all  the  lawful 
requisitions  and  readily  yield  to  all  the  wholesome  admonitions  of  the  professors 
and  directors  of  the  seminary  while  I  shall  continue  a  member  of  it." 

Article  VII,  Of  the  Library. 

Article  VIII,  Ov  the  Funds.  The  intentions  and  direction  of  testators  and 
donors  in  regard  to  the  seminary  shall  be  sacredly  regarded.  After  supporting  the 
professors  and  defraying  olher  necessary  charges  of  the  seminary,  the  funds  shall  be 
applied  as  far  as  circumstances  will  admit,  to  defray  or  diminish  the  expenses  of 
indigent?  students. 

After  the  Assembly  of  i8il  had  adopted  the  foregoinj^  plan, 
some  of  whose  provisions  have  been  briefly  noticed  above, 
nothing;  more  was  done  than  to  appoint  agents  to  solicit  funds, 
and  a  committee  to  confer  with  the  trustees  of  Princeton  Col- 
lege respecting  the  facilities  and  privileges  which  might  be 
secured  to  the  seminary  if  it  should  be  located  in  Princeton. 

The  minutes  of  the  trustees  of  the  college  show  that  in 
September,  1810,  a  committee  of  the  trustees  had  been  ap- 
pointed to  confer  with  a  committee  of  the  General  Assembly 
on  the  subject  of  establishing  a  theological  seminary.  This  oc- 
curred when  an  effort  was  about  to  be  made  to  raise  a  fund  to 
provide  for  a  Professor  of  Theology  in  the  office  of  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  college.  In  the  spring  of  the  ne.xt  year  Col.  Rut- 
gers reported  a  subscription  of  $6,900  for  this  professorship. 
Kut  the  action  of  the  General  Assembly  in  181 1  had  proceeded 
so  far  in  establishing  a  seminary  that  a  committee  were  then 
negotiating  for  inducements  to  locate  the  seminary  at  Princeton. 

Location  of  Seminary. 

An  agreement  was  made  by  the  joint  committee  of  the  Col- 
lege and  General  Assembly,  and  adopted  by  the  college  and 
the  Assembly,  which  led  to  the  locating  of  the  theological  sem- 
inary at  Princeton  in  1811.  That  agreement  was  signed  by 
Ashbel  Green,  Richard  Stockton  and  John  Woodhull,  on  the 
part  of  the  college,  and  by  Archibald  Alexander,  Divie  liethune, 
Jacob  J.  Janeway,  John  McDowell  and  Robert  Ralston,  on  the 
part  of  the  General  Assembly.     That  agreement  provided, 

1.  That  the  seminary  should  be  located  in  Princeton  and 
in  such  connection  with  the  college  as  hereinafter  stated. 

2.  That  the  trustees  of  the  college  will  allow  the  directors 
of  the  Assembly  to  carry  out  the  plan  of  the  seminary. 


THEOLOGICAL    SEM/XAH  V-ITS  /IISTORY.  329 

3.  That  the  college  trustees  will  allow  the  Assembly  to  erect 
buildings  for  the  seminary  on  the  college  ground,  not  to  inter- 
fere with  the  college  buildings. 

4.  That  the  college  will  grant  every  practicable  accommo- 
dation in  the  existing  college  buildings  to  the  seminary  till 
others  may  be  erected  by  the  seminary,  and  as  long  afterwards 
as  the  same  may  be  desirable. 

5.  That  the  college  will  receive,  on  most  favorable  terms, 
the  youth  whom  the  Assembly  may  send  for  purposes  of  edu- 
cation. 

6.  That  the  college  will  hold  funds  for  the  use  of  the  As- 
sembly, as  the  financial  agent  of  the  latter, 

7.  The  professors  and  pupils  of  the  seminary  are  to  have 
the  free  use  of  the  college  library. 

8.  The  college  is  to  favor  an  elementary  school  if  established 
by  the  Assembly  at  Princeton. 

9.  That  the  seminary  shall  be  allowed  to  remove  to  another 
place,  if  the  Assembly  should  deem  it  proj^er;  and  that  while 
the  seminary  should  remain  at  Princeton,  no  professorship  of 
theology  shall  be  established  in  the  college. 

10.  That  the  trustees  of  the  college  will  disburse  the  in- 
come of  the  fund  in  their  hands  for  poor  and  pious  youths, 
with  a  high  regard  to  the  recommendation  of  the  Assembly  or 
directors. 

President  Maclean  says  in  his  History  of  the  College  : 

"  Tliis  is  a  remarkable  instniment  in  which  every  advantage  is  in  favor  of  the 
seminary, — the  simple  establishment  of  which  at  Princeton  was  deemed  an  ample 
compensation  to  the  college  for  ail  the  conce^^sions  made  to  tlie  seminary.  Dr.  Oreen 
drew  up  the  plan  of  the  seminary,  and  if  the  writer  is  not  mistaken,  Dr.  Green  was 
also  the  author  of  the  above  plan  of  agreement  approved  by  the  two  committees. 
Fortunately  for  both  institutions,  the  directors  of  the  seminary  were  under  no  neces- 
sity of  erecting  their  buildings  on  the  college  grounds  ;  and  they  made  no  attempt 
to  establisli  a  preparatory  school  to  train  poor  and  j/ious  youth  for  entering  the 
seminary.  The  relations  between  the  college  and  the  seminary  have  never  been  as 
intimate  as  the  above  articles  allowed  them  to  be,  and  the  only  two  provisions  in 
the  above  agreement  which  are  now  binding  are  these  two :  one  preventing  the 
trustees  of  the  college  from  appointing  a  Professor  of  Theology  in  the  college,  and 
the  other  granting  the  students  of  the  seminary  the  use  of  the  college  library  with- 
out charge." 

The  next  Assembly  in  May,  181 2,  fixed  the  location  of  the 


330  HISTORY   OF  PRINCETON. 

seminary  at  Princeton,  New  Jersey,  and  appointed  directors. 
They  also  at  that  meeting  elected  Rev.  Archibald  Alexander, 
D.  D.,  then  pastor  of  the  Third  Presbyterian  Church  in  Phil- 
adelphia, formerly  of  Virginia,  Professor  of  Didactic  and  Po- 
lemic Theology. 

The  directors  held  a  meeting  at  Princeton,  on  the  30th  of 
June,  1812.  A  sermon  was  preached  by  Dr.  Ashbel  Green, 
from  the  text  :   "  And  lo,  I  am  with  you." 

The  directors  who  were  appointed  that  year  and  who  took 
their  oath  and  seats,  the  most  of  them  on  that  day,  were  the 
following:  Samuel  Bayard,  Divie  Bethune,  Samuel  Blatchford, 
Joseph  Clark,  Robert  P^inley,  Andrew  Plinn,  Ashbel  Green, 
William  Haslett,  Francis  Herron,  Asa  Hillyer,  Dirck  C.  Lan- 
sing, Zechariah  Lewis,  John  McDowell,  Philip  Milledoler, 
Samuel  Miller,  William  Neill,  John  Neilson,  Robert  Ralston, 
James  Richards,  John  R.  B.  Rodgers,  John  B.  Romeyn,  Henry 
Rutgers,  John  Van  Cleve.  Dr.  Green  was  chosen  President, 
Dr.  Milledoler,  Vice-President,  and  Dr.  John  McDowell,  Sec- 
retary. The  plan  of  the  seminary  was  read;  a  committee  to 
draft  a  public  address  was  appointed.  A  long  letter  from  Dr. 
Alexander,  accepting  the  appointment  of  professor,  was  read  ; 
negotiations  with  Richard  Stockton  for  four  acres  of  land  were 
opened.  The  inauguration  of  Dr.  Alexander,  professor-elect, 
took  place  on  the  12th  of  August  following,  when  he  entered 
on  his  official  duties.  The  number  of  students  on  that  day,  at 
the  opening  of  the  seminary,  was  tJircc. 

In  the  next  year,  May,  1813,  the  number  of  students  had 
increased  to  fourteen.*  The  Rev.  Samuel  Miller,  D.  D.,  a 
native  of  Delaware,  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church 
in  the  city  of  New  York,  was  elected  by  the  Assembly,  Pro- 
fessor of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Church  Government  ;  and 
he  was  inaugurated  by  the  directors  on  the  29th  of  September 
following. 

Whether  these  theological  professors  used  any  of  the  college 
rooms  for  their  lectures  or  recitations  during  the  first  few  years 
of  the  seminary's  existence,  or  not,  we  can  not  learn.  They  did 
for  religious  worship  ;  but  it  is  well-known  that  they  taught  the 
Students  in  their  own  private  houses  for  a  time.  It  is  rcmem- 
*  The  General  Catalogue  gives  Ihis  number. 


THEOL  OGICA  L    SEMINA  R  Y—I TS  HIS  TOR  V.  331 

bered  by  persons  still  living,  that  Dr.  Alexander  resided  for 
some  time  in  the  house  known  as  the  Janvier  house,  in  Mercer 
Street,  now  Miss  Hageman's,  and  that  tlie  little  wing  to  that 
house,  next  to  the  Episcopal  school  building,  was  Dr.  Alex- 
ander's study;  and  before  the  seminary  edifice  was  erected,  he 
was  accustomed  to  receive  his  classes  of  theological  students 
there  to  hear  their  recitations. 

The  want  of  a  proper  building  for  seminary  purposes,  such 
as  lecture-rooms,  library,  and  dormitories,  was  taken  into  con- 
sideration by  the  General  Assembly  in  May,  1815,  and  that 
body  resolved  to  erect  a  suitable  edifice  in  Princeton,  and  the 
work  upon  it  was  commenced  in  the  autumn  of  that  year. 

The  number  of  students  slowly  increased.  In  the  class  of 
1S13-14  there  were  18,  among  them  was  the  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel 
B,  Howe,  late  of  New  Brunswick  ;  in  the  class  of  ]  8 14-15  there 
were  15,  among  them  were  'Wells  Andrews,  Thomas  Bloomer 
Balch,  Jeremiah  Chamberlain,  William  McFarlane,  James  S. 
Woods;  in  the  class  of  1815-16  there  were  23,  among  them 
Thomas  J.  Biggs,  Samuel  L.  Graham,  Symmes  C.  Henry,  Syl- 
vester Larned,  Gilbert  Morgan,  Ravaud  K.  Rodgers,  Wm.  D. 
Snodgrass,  Charles  S.  Stewart,  Salmon  Strong;  in  the  class  of 
1816-17  there  were  27,  among  them  Wm.  Chester,  Charles 
Hodge,  John  Johns,  Wm.  Nevins,  John  S.  Newbold,  William 
B.  Sprague. 

The  new  seminary  building  was  first  occupied  by  the  pro- 
fessors and  students  in  the  autumn  of  1817,  when  almost  half 
the  apartments  were  prepared  for  the  students;  and  the  whole 
was  soon  after  completed.  This  building  was  of  stone,  150 
feet  in  length  and  50  feet  in  breadth,  and  four  stories  high.  It 
has  been  admired  as  a  neat,  solid  and  well  built  edifice.  The 
land  was  obtained  of  Richard  Stockton,  and  the  situation  was 
high  and  beautiful,  and  then  quite  out  of  the  village  on  the 
Trenton  turnpike.  The  building  was  large  enough,  besides 
furnishing  the  library,  the  recitation  rooms,  the  refectory  and 
rooms  for  the  steward's  family,  to  furnish  lodgings  for  about 
eighty  pupils. 

These  new  accommodations  brought  increased  prosperity 
to  the  institution.  The  number  of  students  gradually  increased, 
and  among  the  new  names  were  Henry  V.  James,  John  Mac- 


332  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON: 

lean,  Howard  Malcomb,  P.  O.  Stucldiford,  Robert  Baird, 
Charles  C.  Beatty,  John  Breckinridge.  George  Potts,  Hugh 
Wilson;  and  in  1820  we  meet  the  names  of  Albert  Barnes  and 
George  Ikish  ;  and  in  the  class  of  1821  was  first  the  name  of 
James  VV.  Alexander,  the  whole  number  being  39.  The  class 
of  1822  had  57  members,  including  Joseph  H.  Coit,  H.  N. 
Brinsmade,  Edward  Kirk  Norris,  Charles  VV,  Nassau. 

The  General  Assembly,  in  1820,  finding  the  health  of  Dr. 
Alexander  giving  way  under  his  heavy  labors,  authorized  the 
professor  to  appoint  an  assistant  teacher  of  the  original  lan- 
guages of  Scripture.  And  to  this  office  Charles  Hodge,  then  a 
licentiate  under  the  care  of  the  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick, 
and  afterwards  ordained,  was  appointed.  By  the  Assembly  of 
1822  he  was  elected  Professor  of  "  Oriental  and  Biblical  Liter- 
ature," and  was  inaugurated  in  September  of  that  year.  Soon 
after  this  Professor  Hodge  had  leave  to  visit  Europe  and  pur- 
sued biblical  studies  in  the  universities  of  Berlin  and  Halle. 
He  was  absent  about  two  years. 

In  1823-24  the  graduating  class  numbered  62  students. 
In  183 1,  ']^  students.  In  1832,  64  students.  In  1834,  6^ 
students. 

In  the  year  1835  the  General  Assembly  appointed  two  new 
professors,  viz.:  the  Rev.  John  Breckinridge,  D.  D.,  and  Mr. 
Joseph  Addison  Alexander,  A.  M.,  the  former  to  be  Professor 
of  "  Pastoral  Theology,"  and  the  latter  Associate  Professor  of 
Oriental  and  Biblical  Literature.  Dr.  Breckinridge  accepted, 
and  was  inaugurated  on  the  26th  of  September  of  that  year. 
But  Mr.  Alexander  declined  for  the  present,  preferring  to  be 
instructor  in  that  department  for  a  time. 

The  faculty  now  consisted  of  Professors  Archibald  Alexan- 
der, Samuel  Miller,  Charles  Hodge,  John  Breckinridge  and  J. 
Addison  Alexander,  every  one  of  whom  was  an  extraordinary 
man.  With  such  a  corps  of  teachers  and  model  men  the  sem- 
inary was  in  a  highly  prosperous  condition.  In  some  respects 
that  might  be  called  the  golden  age  of  the  institution.  The 
graduating  classes  were,  on  an  average,  as  large  or  larger  than 
any  of  those  which  have  graduated  within  the  last  twenty-five 
years.  The  students  were  imbued  with  a  high  order  of  piety; 
an  interest  in  the  cause  of  missions  was  awakened  amon"f  them  : 


THEOL  0  GICA  L    SEMIMA  RY—ITS  HIS  TORY.  333 

and  their  zeal  was  manifested    in   their  personal   evangelistic 
work  in  the  neighborhood  of  Princeton. 

The  Presbyterian  body  had  not  yet  been  rent  into  the  Old 
and  New  Schools.  A  new  chapel  had  just  been  erected  for 
religious  worship  at  the  east  end  of  the  seminary,  and  revivals 
of  religion  had  inclined  many  young  men  to  enter  the  ministry. 
Dr.  John  Breckinridge  resigned  in  1838.  The  subsequent 
division  of  the  church  did  not  divide  or  seriously  weaken  the 
seminary,  though  it  threatened  at  first  to  do  so.  The  professors 
were  moderate,  and  not  offensively  aggressive  in  the  conflict, 
though  they  were  in  accord,  in  sentiment  and  in  action,  with  the 
Old  School  party,  in  abrogating  the  Plan  of  Union,  and  exscind- 
ing the  non-Presbyterian  element  which,  under  that  plan  of 
union,  had  been  received  into  Presbyterian  bodies.  There  was 
hardly  any  diminution  in  the  number  of  students  after  the  dis- 
ruption of  the  church.  Things  moved  on  smoothly  under  the 
increased  reputation  of  the  venerable  professors  who  had  laid 
the  foundations  of  the  seminary  so  wisely,  and  had  built  upon 
them  so  well,  until  the  year  1850,  when  Dr.  Miller  died,  and 
his  death  was  followed  the  next  year  by  the  death  of  Dr. 
Alexander.  Previous  to  the  death  of  these  venerable  men,  the 
number  of  scholarships  had  been  greatly  multiplied — a  beauti- 
ful new  Library  had  been  built  by  James  Lenox,  of  New  York, 
for  the  use  of  the  seminary,  which,  with  a  house  for  a  professor, 
was  presented  to  the  institution.  A  refectory  was  also  built 
by  the  trustees  soon  after,  and  the  number  of  volumes  in  the 
library  was  also  much  increased. 

In  1822  an  Act  was  passed  by  the  Legislature  of  New  Jer- 
sey, incorporating  Trustees  of  the  Theological  Seminary  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  at  Princeton,  in  the  State  of  New  Jersey. 
The  names  of  the  corporators,  or  first  trustees,  were  Andrew 
Kirkpatrick,  Gabriel  II.  Ford,  Samuel  L.  Southard,  Robert 
McNeely,  John  Condict,  Ebenezer  Elmer,  John  Beatty,  Alex- 
ander Henry,  Benjamin  Strong,  Charles  Ewing,  Samuel  Bay- 
ard. John  Van  Cleve,  Ashbel  Green,  John  McDowell,  David 
Comfort,  George  S.  Woodhull,  Isaac  V.  Brown,  Alexander 
McClelland,  Jacob  J.  Janeway,  James  Richards,  and  Samuel 
B.  Howe;  with  the  corporate  name  of  "  Trustees  of  the  Theo- 
logical Seminary  of  the  Presbyterian  Church."     The  charter 


334  HISTORY  OF  PRINCE  TO. V. 

limits  tlie  number  of  trustees  to  twcniy-otie,  twelve  of  wliom 
shall  be  laymen  and  citizens  of  this  State  ;  and  seven,  including 
the  president  or  vice-president,  shall  be  a  quorum.  These 
trustees  have  the  usual  corporate  powers,  with  additional  power 
to  manage  and  dispose  of  all  moneys,  goods,  chattels,  lands, 
and  other  estate  committed  to  their  care  and  trust  by  tlie 
General  Assembly;  but  in  cases  of  special  instruction  for  the 
management  and  disposal  of  any  such  property,  given  by  the 
Assembly,  the  trustees  must  act  according  thereto.  There  is 
also  power  in  this  charter  for  the  General  Assembly  to  change 
one-third  of  the  trustees  in  such  manner  as  that  body  may  see 
fit.  This  power  has  never  been  exercised,  and  the  trustees 
hold  their  offices  for  life,  and  fill  vacancies  in  the  board. 

A  supplement  was  passed  in  1823  to  prevent  the  loss  of  the 
property  in  case  of  a  repeal  of  the  charter;  and  others  since,  to 
allow  an  increase  in  the  income  of  the  board. 

The  board  of  trustees  are  legally  clothed  with  a  naked  trust  to 
hold  property  for  the  use  of  the  seminary,  and  to  payout  from 
the  income,  according  to  the  directions  of  the  General  Assem- 
bly. The  board  of  directors  chosen  triennially  have  the  arrange- 
ment of  the  teaching  in  the  seminary  under  the  Assembly, 

In  consequence  of  some  friction  in  the  working  of  the  two 
boards  of  trustees  and  directors,  and  as  the  result  of  a  conference 
of  a  joint  committee,  there  has  been  within  a  few  years  past,  an 
agreement  between  these  boards,  which  is  understood  to  have 
been  ratified  by  the  General  Assembly,  to  the  effect  that  no 
money  must  be  paid  from  the  funds  of  the  institution,  through 
the  treasurer,  without  the  order  and  approbation  of  the  trus- 
tees. 

This  seminary,  under  the  wise  administration  of  its  early 
distinguished  professors,  soon  became  a  great  power  in  the 
Presbyterian  Church  ;  and  through  its  numerous  alumni  and 
multiplied  scholarships,  generous  friends,  benefactors,  and  ade- 
quate endowments,  it  has  been  not  only  the  first  and  oldest  of 
the  Presbyterian  seminaries  in  this  country,  but  the  most  pop- 
ular and  influential  of  all.  Its  alumni  roll  of  graduates  has 
reached  above  3000  ;  there  are  now  seven  professors  and  nearly 
a  hundred  scholarships,  all  of  which  will  be  more  fully  stated 
hereafter. 


THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY— BUILDINGS  AND  GROUNDS.   335 
SECTION     II. 

Buildings  and  Grounds. 

The  Main  Building. — The  original  seminary  edifice  was 
commenced  to  be  built  in  the  year  1815.  The  land  was  ob- 
tained from  Richard  Stockton,  LL.  D.  Dr.  Ashbel  Green  says, 
"  in  addition  to  the  small  lot  of  two  acres  given  by  Richard 
Stockton,  Esq.,  as  a  site  for  the  edifice  of  the  seminary,  I  pur- 
chased of  him  two  acres  more  for  which  I  paid  him  four  hun- 
dred dollars  and  gave  them  to  the  institution."  The  minutes 
of  the  directors  state  that  three  acres  of  land  were  given  and 
four  acres  bought  for  $Soo,  and  a  deed  was  executed  by  Richard 
Stockton  and  wife;  and  that  Dr.  John  Van  Cleve  gave  a  front 
of  seventy-five  feet  in  exchange  for  other  land.  This  deed  from 
Mr.  Stockton  and  wife  was  dated  May  16,  1815,  and  conveyed 
the  title  to  John  McDowell,  Samuel  Bayard  and  Dr.  John  Van 
Cleve,  in  trust  for  the  use  of  the  seminar)\ 

The  contract  for  the  building  provided  that  the  workmen 
should  labor  from  sunrise  to  sunset,  allowing  one  hour  for 
breakfast  and  one  and  a  half  for  dinner,  except  on  Saturdays 
and  Mondays,  when  they  should  close  at  6  o'clock,  \\  M.,  on 
Saturday  and  begin  on  Monday  at  6  o'clock  A.  M.  It  was 
farther  agreed  that  the  workmen  should  be  entitled  to  oiic  and 
a  half  gills  of  ardent  spirits  per  day,  to  be  distributed  at  three 
several  hours  in  the  day,  at  current  prices,  the  seminary  to  pay 
for  it  through  the  superintendent :  carpenters  and  masons  to 
have  $1.62  and  journeymen  $1.50  per  day,  and  find  their  own 
lodging  and  meals. 

The  edifice  was  built  of  light  brown  stone,  and  was  150  feet 
in  length,  and  50  feet  in  width,  four  stories  high.  It  contained 
lecture-rooms,  library,  oratory,  refectory  and  rooms  for  steward 
and  for  100  students.  The  corner  stone  was  laid  on  the  26th 
of  September,  1815,  by  Dr.  Ashbel  Green,  president  of  the 
directors,  and  the  building  was  ready  for  use  in  1817.  Its  cost 
was  $47,000.  Peter  Bogart  was  appointed  the  first  steward  in 
1 8 18.  The  brick  house  for  Dr.  Alexander  was  also  ready  for 
use.  The  brick  house  of  Dr.  Hodge  was  built  by  himself  on 
the  land  of  the  seminary,  which  had  been  given  by  Dr.  Green. 


336  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

An  arrangement  was  made  by  which  the  seminary  sliould  pay 
the  value  of  the  house,  when  Dr.  Hodge  should  cease  to  oc- 
cupy it;  but  the  trustees  paid  Dr.  Hodge  for  it  about  twenty 
years  before  his  death.  This  house  is  at  tiie  west  or  southwest 
end  of  the  seminary,  and  was  occupied  by  Dr.  Hodge  till  his 
death. 

This  original  Seminary  edifice  has  been,  within  a  {>::\m  years 
past,  renovated  and  improved  at  a  cost  of  several  thousand  dol- 
lars, by  John  C.  Green,  late  of  New  York.  It  is  now  exclusively 
a  dormitory.  The  front  campus  has  been  improved,  the  inner 
fences  have  been  removed,  gravel  roads  have  been  laid  out, 
and  the  old  appearance  of  things  has  been  much  changed. 

TJie  Chapel. —  This  is  a  white  brick,  Grecian  building, 
standing  between  the  seminary  building  and  the  old  brick 
house  of  Dr.  Alexander,  but  receding  a  little  to  the  east.  It 
was  built  in  1833  for  preaching  and  other  public  services.  The 
basement  was  formerly  a  dormitory  for  students.  The  chapel 
is  60  by  45  feet.  Within  the  last  three  or  four  years  it  has 
been  transformed  into  a  most  beautiful  place  of  worship.  The 
walls  and  ceilings  have  been  tastefully  ornamented  ;  a  new  pul- 
pit has  been  set  in  a  semicircular  recess  in  the  end  of  the  audi- 
ence-room ;  the  gallery  has  been  enlarged  at  the  other  end  ; 
stained  glass  windows  have  been  substituted  for  the  old  ones  ; 
the  pews  have  been  handsomely  upholstered  and  iloor  has  been 
carpeted;  a  large  furnace  to  warm  the  building  has  been  in- 
troduced, and  the  appearance  of  the  structure  in  its  interior 
and  exterior  has  been  thus  made  very  graceful  and  attractive. 
The  expense  of  this  recent  improvement  and  decoration  was 
defrayed  by  the  late  John  C.  Green,  of  New  York,  one  of  the 
trustees  of  the  seminary. 

The  Refectory. — This  is  a  one  story  long  stone  building  with 
abasement,  erected  in  1847,  ^^^  a  cost  of  little  less  than  $S,ooo, 
containing  a  long  dining-room  and  a  kitchen  and  rooms  for  the 
steward,  besides  a  hospital  room  for  sick  students.  It  stands 
in  the  back  campus,  about  halfway  between  the  seminary  and 
Brown  Hall.  It  was  built  for  the  purpose  of  securing  cheap 
board  for  the  students,  but  it  is  seldom  attractive  enough  to 


ffl!'!iil:!'l!!S''5fl!II!!l!!!reS3fflIP 


THEOLOGICAL    SEMINARY— BUILDIXGS  A XD  GKOUA'DS-HJ 

satisfy  the  majority  of  the  students,  who,  like  the  college  stu- 
dents, seem  to  prefer  clubs  in  private  families  or  regular  family 
boarding. 

Lenox  Hall — The  Library. — This  is  an  exquisitely  beauti- 
ful Gothic  structure  erected  on  a  lot  of  three  acres,  being  the 
base  of  the  pretty  triangle  bounded  on  Library  Place  or  Stead- 
man  Street,  and  extending  between  Mercer  and  Stockton 
Streets,  and  as  far  on  the  other  side  as  the  beautiful  grounds 
of  Mrs.  John  R.  Thomson.  The  building  is  of  stone — the 
buttresses,  doorway,  pinnacles,  and  other  ornamental  portions 
being  cut  or  carved.  The  ceiling  is  groined  and  supported  by 
vaulting  shafts,  and  the  floor  was  originally  of  marble  tiles, 
but  is  now  of  wood.  There  is  a  gallery  on  three  sides  of  the 
hall,  under  which  there  are  alcoves  for  the  books.  The  cases 
for  the  books  in  the  alcoves  and  on  the  gallery  are  of  a  Gothic 
pattern,  and  like  all  the  wood-work  are  richly  painted  in  imi- 
tation of  oak.  It  is  at  present  warmed  b}'  steam.  Tlie  whole 
is  one  of  the  most  correct  and  beautiful  specimens  of  Gothic 
architecture  in  our  country. 

This  building  is  called  Lenox  Hall,  after  James  Lenox,  of 
New  York,  one  of  the  princely  benefactors  of  Princeton  insti- 
tutions. He  caused  it  to  be  erected  in  the  year  1843,  '^'"'^  then 
presented  to  the  trustees  of  the  seminary  a  deed  for  it,  with 
two  other  acres  of  land  and  the  house  on  it,  formerly  the  resi- 
dence of  Prof.  John  J3reckinridge,  and  now  occupied  by  Rev. 
Prof.  McGill,  on  the  south  side  of  Steadman  Street.  The 
whole  cost  of  the  property  conveyed  by  Mr.  Lenox,  in  this 
deed,  was  $31,088. 

During  the  present  season  Mr.  Lenox  has,  at  his  own  ex- 
pense, erected  another  beautiful  and  costly  annex  library  on 
the  same  ground,  in  the  rear  of  Lenox  Hall  and  quite  near  it, 
in  which  it  is  designed  to  place  such  books  as  the  students  and 
professors  require  for  daily  use  and  reference,  leaving  in  the 
present  library  the  volumes  which  arc  rare,  and  only  needed 
for  occasional  reference.  This  new  building  is  built  of  red 
pressed  brick,  with  cut  and  carved  brown  stone  trimmings,  and 
with  a  high  spiral  brick  tower.  It  is  a  work  of  great  solidity, 
and  its  style  of  architecture  is  unlike  that  of  any  other  build- 


338  HISTORY  OF  PRfNCETON. 

in"-  in  Princeton.  He  has  also  built  two  new  handsome  and 
expensive  brick  houses  for  professors'  residences,  on  the  same 
lot,  fronting  on  Stockton  Street.  The  cost  of  these  new  build- 
ings with  the  ornamentation  of  the  grounds,  has  not  yet  been 
made  known,  but  it  will  probably  not  be  less  than  $100,000. 

Brown  Hall. — The  building  which  bears  this  name  is  a  large 
light  brown  stone  dormitory  about  equal  in  size  and  appearance 
to  the  old  seminary  building,  and  is  the  most  remote  building 
from  Mercer  Street,  of  any  that  stand  on  the  easterly  side  of 
that  street.  It  is  next  to  the  Baptist  church,  and  has  access 
also  from  Canal  Street.  The  corner-stone  was  laid  in  May, 
1864.  It  bears  this  name  in  honor  of  Mrs.  George  Brown,  of 
Baltimore,  who  gave  the  sum  of  $30,000  for  the  purpose  of 
building  it.  It  is  a  handsome  and  well-built  structure,  and 
affords  very  pleasant  rooms,  with  a  fine  prospect  on  the  east 
and  south  sides.  This  and  the  original  building  are  the  only 
dormitories  on  the  seminary  grounds  ;  and  they  afford  suffi- 
cient accommodation  for  present  demand.  The  rooms  in 
both  are  fitted  and  partially  furnished,  in  a  liberal  and  suitable 
manner.  This  was  a  timely  gift,  and  is  the  only  one  of  the 
kind,  that  has  been  made  by  a  lady,  to  the  educational  institu- 
tions in  Princeton.  It  is  an  enduring  monument  to  the  liber- 
ality and  piety  of  the  giver  ;  though  Mrs.  David  Brown,  of 
Princeton,  gave  as  large  a  sum  to  build  the  Second  Church  in 
Princeton. 

Stuart  Hall. — This  is  the  best  constructed  building  in 
Princeton,  as  to  material  and  workmanship,  and  perhaps  also 
as  to  style  and  adaptation.  It  was  designed  for  recitation  and 
lecture-rooms,  and  it  is  applied  to  such  use.  It  is  built  of  stone 
a  little  variegated  in  color,  with  massive  carved  trimmings, 
with  a  high  tower  somewhat  like  that  on  the  college  School 
of  Science.  The  structure  is  massive,  beautiful  and  impos- 
ing. It  is  situated  on  purchased  ground,  extending  from 
Canal  Street,  opposite  Dickinson  Street,  to  the  old  seminary 
ground  between  Brown  Hall  and  the  Refectory.  It  fronts 
north  on  Canal  Street  and  south  on  the  seminary  grounds. 
The  name,   "Stuart   Hall,  1876,"  is  carved  in  raised  letters 


THEOLOGICAL    SEMINARY— BUILDIiXGS  AND  GROUNDS.  339 

on  the  south  side  of  the  building.  It  has  two  high  stories,  both 
finished  with  capacious  and  beautifully  furnished  rooms  for 
lectures  and  recitations,  and  the  third  story  under  the  roof  is 
also  finished  with  large  rooms,  one  of  which  is  occupied  as  the 
reading-room.  This  building  appears  well  from  the  railroad 
depot  and  the  western  end  of  the  college  grounds,  but  if  it  and 
Brown  Hall  could  have  been  erected  on  ground  near  the  old 
seminary  building,  and  more  central  in  the  seminary  grounds, 
they  would  more  favorably  impress  strangers  who  visit  them. 
The  buildings  of  the  seminary  are  really  more  tasteful  and  sub- 
stantial than  those  of  the  college,  but  they  are  not  all  so  eligi- 
bly grouped  in  position. 

Stuart  Hall  is  named  in  honor  of  its  munificent  donors, 
Robert  L.  Stuart  and  Alexander  Stuart,  of  New  York.  The 
land  was  purchased  by  them  and  the  building  erected  at  the 
cost  of  $140,000.  They  made  a  deed  of  the  land  to  the  trus- 
tees of  the  theological  seminary,  of  which  R.  L.  Stuart  is  one, 
on  October  27,  1874,  and  then  after  the  building  was  completed 
they  presented  that  also  for  the  use  of  lecture  rooms.  The 
deed  contains  a  limitation  or  condition,  but  it  was  formally  ac- 
cepted by  the  trustees.  The  terms  of  that  condition  incorpo- 
rated in  the  deed  are  as  follows,  viz.: 

"  Provided  always  nevertheless  and  upon  condition  that  if  at  any  time  or  times 
hereafter  the  said  parties  of  the  second  part,  or  their  successors,  shall  pass  from 
under  the  supervision  and  control  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  in  the  United  States  of  America,  and  its  successors  ;  or  if  at  any  time  or 
limes  the  leading  doctrines  declared  by  the  Confession  of  Faith  and  Catechism  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  such  as  the  doctrine  of  Universal  and  total  Depravity, 
the  doctrine  of  Election,  the  doctrine  of  tlie  Atonement,  the  doctrine  of  the  Impu- 
tation of  Adam's  sin  to  all  his  posterity,  and  of  the  Iminitation  of  Christ's  righteous- 
ness to  all  his  people  for  their  justification,  the  doctrine  of  Human  Inability  and  the 
doctrine  of  the  Necessity  of  the  Influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  in  the  regeneration, 
conversion  and  sanclificalion  of  sinners,  as  these  doctrines  are  now  understood 
and  explained  by  the  aforesaid  General  Assembly,  shall  cease  to  be  taught  and  in- 
culcated in  the  said  seminary,  then  and  in  either  of  such  cases  the  grant  and  con- 
veyance hereby  made  shall  cease  and  become  null  and  void,  and  the  said  premises 
shall  thereupon  revert  to  the  said  Robert  L.  Stuart  and  Alexander  Stuart,  their 
heirs  and  assigns,  as  in  their  fust  and  former  estate." 

A  similar  condition  is  contained  in  the  deed  of  Mr.  Lenox, 
for  the  library  property,  dated  in  1843. 


340  HlSTOftY  OF  PRINCETON. 

Professors  Houses.— 1:\\qx&  are  seven  large  and  beautifully 
situated  dvvellin<j  houses  on  the  seminary  grounds,  belonging 
to  the  seminary,  for  the  use  of  professors  ;  all  but  two  of  them 
have  been  presented  by  individual  members  of  the  board  of 
trustees.  Those  two  are  the  brick  houses  of  Dr.  Archibald 
Alexander  and  Dr.  Hodge,  which  were  paid. for  from  the  sem- 
inary funds.  The  Blodgett  house,  where  Prof.  C.  Wistar 
Hodge  resides,  was  the  gift  of  John  C.  Green  ;  the  Dod  house, 
next  to  Dr.  Hodge's,  where  Prof.  Aiken  resides,  was  the  gift  of 
R.  L.  and  Alexander  Stuart ;  the  Breckinridge  house,  where 
Dr.  McGill  resides,  and  the  two  new  ones  on  the  library  lot, 
were  all  the  gift  of  James  Lenox. 


SECTION    HI. 

INVESTMENT.S,    FUNDS,    LIBRARY. 

The  property  of  the  theological  seminary  is  steadily  Increas- 
ing and  is  already  above  a  million  of  dollars  in  amount.  The 
last  report  of  the  trustees  to  the  General  Assembly,  1878,  con- 
tarns  a  statement  from  the  treasurer  showing  the  amount  and 
kind  of  property  and  investments,  viz.: 

Securities  in  the  hands  of  the  Treasurer $697,422.26 

Securities  held  by  trustees  of  General  Assembly 95 J70.84 

Real  estate  at  cost 274!ooo.oo 

Total $1,066,793.10 

This  property  is  distributed  as  follows  : 

Permanent  Fund $146,459.24 

Education  Fund 5.001.38 

John  C.  Green  Fund '^^\  150,000.00 

Contingent  Fund 62  986  -5 

.SpecialFund     20^000.00 

Sustentation  Fund 10,196.85 

Library  Fund 1 1,671.25 

Professorship  Fund 195,461.59 

Scholarship  Fund I79.x09.41 

Miscellaneous  Fund „,  ^(^^  18 

^^^'^'   E^'^'« '.'.'■'.'.".'.'■  2ll^.OO 

T  1      •       u  1  $1,079,248.15 

Less  cash  m  hand,  etc 10  icr  r^r 

•• '  -i435-05 

$1,066,793,10 


THEOLOGICAL    SEMINARY— INVESTM ENTS.  341 

The  number  of  Scholarships  reported  was  eighty-one.  This 
number  is  yearly  increasing. 

The  annual  salary  paid  each  professor  is  $3,000  and  a  house 
whose  rental  is  worth  $500  and  upwards. 

The  salary  of  the  Assistant  Treasurer  is  $3,000. 

The  salary  of  the  Librarian  is  $3,ioo. 

The  Library  of  the  theological  seminary  is  a  very  valuable 
one  and  contains  very  many  rare  books.  Testimony  to  this 
effect  is  frequently  borne  by  persons  who  visit  it,  after  having 
prosecuted  their  researches  in  other  large  libraries  in  our  large 
cities. 

The  present  excellent  librarian,  the  Rev.  William  H.  Rob- 
erts, states  the  number  of  volumes  at  30,600,  with  8,000 
pamphlets.  In  this  library  are  included  the  once  private 
libraries  of  Dr.  Breckinridge,  Dr.  Nesbit,  Alumni,  Society  of 
Inquiry,  Dr.  Addison  Alexander,  Dr.  Krebs,  Mr.  Col  well  ;  also 
very  fine  gifts  from  Messrs.  Lenox,  R.  L.  antl  A.  Stuart,  Levi 
P.  Stone,  R.  L.  Kennedy  and  other  persons  too  numerous  to 
mention.  The  Sprague  collection  of  pamphlets  is  one  of  the 
largest  and  finest  in  the  country. 

It  would  be  interesting  if  we  could  here  enumerate  the 
many  rare,  beautiful  and  valuable  gifts  which  are  deposited  in 
this  library.  We  have  before  described  the  building;  but  only 
a  visit,  and  that  not  a  short  one,  could  convey  to  the  visitor  a 
true  idea  of  the  treasures  that  are  contained  in  it.  The  hall  is 
adorned  also  with  painted  portraits  of  Professors  Miller,  the 
three  Alexanders,  Breckinridge,  Charles  Hodge,  McGill  and 
Green. 

The  librarian  states  that  there  is  a  fund  of  $70,000  for  the 
purchase  of  books  and  maintenance  of  the  library. 


SFXTION    IV. 
THE    DECEASED    PROFESSORS. 


As  we  have  recalled  the  history  of  this  seminary  and  the 
manner  in  which  it  has  intrenched  itself  in  the  affections  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  challenging  in  its  rise    and  progress  the 


342  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

respect  of  Cliristcnclom  ;  as  we  have  presented  its  endowments 
and  its  grand  and  beautiful  buildings,  its  liberal  provision  of 
scholarships,  offering  free  education  and  maintenance  to  over 
eighty  students,  with  ample  salaries  for  its  professors  and  offi- 
cers, a  sense  of  grateful  pleasure  cannot  but  have  filled  our 
hearts,  if  we  have  any  sympathy  for  such  an  institution. 

But  a  livelier  gratitude  will  be  awakened  when  we  call  up 
the  memory  of  those  distinguished  deceased  professors,  whose 
beautiful  lives,  whose  wisdom,  grace,  learning  and  fidelity  made 
this  seminary  what  it  is,  and  brought  down  upon  it  the  bless- 
ings of  the  great  Head  of  the  church,  inspiring  the  wealthy  and 
liberal  sons  and  daughters  of  the  church  to  dedicate  so  much 
of  their  love  and  estate  to  the  usefulness  and  perpetuity  of  this 
venerable  school  of  the  prophets. 

Recalling  their  names  in  the  order  of  their  appointment, 
rather  than  in  that  of  their  death,  we  present  successively  the 
names  of  the  Reverend  Doctors  Archibald  Alexander,  Samuel 
Miller,  Charles  Hodge,  J.  Addison  Alexander,  John  Breckin- 
ridge and  James  W.  Alexander.  What  a  bright  galaxy  !  What 
a  heavenly  group!  Blessed  must  be  the  institution  ^vhich  has 
received  the  benedictions  and  life-long  labors  of  such  men  as 
these  I 

I.  Rev.  Archibald  Alexander,  D.  D. 

The  biography  of  this  eminent  man  has  been  written  by  his 
son,  Dr.  James  W.  Alexander,  and  published  in  a  volume  of 
700  pages,  to  which  our  readers  are  referred  for  a  full  account 
of  him.  Dr.  Archibald  Alexander  was  a  son  of  William  Alex- 
ander and  Ann  Reid,  and  was  born  April  17th,  1772,  in  an  old 
fashioned  log-house,  about  seven  miles  east  from  Lexington, 
in  the  County  of  Rockbridge,  Virginia.  His  father  was  a  re- 
spectable farmer  and  storekeeper  in  good  circumstances. 

Archibald  was  the  third  of  nine  children.  His  father  bought 
at  Baltimore  several  convicts  who  had,  according  to  the  law  in 
those  days,  been  transported  from  England  for  crime  ;  among 
them  was  a  young  man  of  about  twenty  years  of  age,  who  had 
been  at  a  classical  school  in  London  and  could  read  Virgil  and 
a  little  Greek;  his  name  was  John  Reardon.     As  he  had  not 


lKV„^Ai.l8><'IHiyU-A' 


^ 


'^^^4^-1.^2^^^ 


THEOLOGICAL   SEMLNAkV—DR.  ALEXANDER.  343 

been  accustomed  to  manual  labor,  Mr,  Alexander  built  a  log 
school  house  near  his  residence  and  set  him  to  teaching  a 
school  there;  and  little  Archibald,  then  hardly  five  years  old, 
trudged  along  every  day  to  school  with  this  teacher,  who 
boarded  at  Mr.  Alexander's  and  was  called  Jack  in  the  Aimily. 
This  exiled  criminal  had  taught  hardly  a  year,  when  the  Revolu- 
tion commenced,  and  he  became  a  soldier  against  the  country 
which  had  banished  him.  After  this,  Archibald  attended  various 
schools  and  soon  became  experienced  in  the  use  of  the  rifle, 
the  feats  of  horsemanship  and  the  round  of  adventurous  life 
which  was  not  uncommon  in  Virginia  at  that  day. 

His  education  was  further  prosecuted  at  the  academy  of  the 
Rev.  William  Graham,  at  Timber  Ridge  Meeting-house.  Mr. 
Graham  was  a  graduate  of  Princeton  College,  and  Archibald 
was  more  indebted  to  him  than  to  any  other  person  for  his 
education,  both  classical  and  theological,  for  he  never  was  at  a 
college  or  theological  seminary.  He  became  converted  in  the 
great  revival  of  1788-9,  and  was  received  by  the  Presbytery  of 
Lexington  in  1790,  and  pursued  his  studies  under  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Graham,  as  already  stated.  He  was  licensed  to  preach,  and 
soon  became  a  popular  preacher.  On  one  occasion  he  was 
preaching  at  Charleston  and  was  using  a  written  skeleton  of 
the  sermon,  and  a  puff  of  wind  blew  it  away  into  the  midst  of 
the  congregation.  He  then  determined  to  take  no  more  paper 
into  the  pulpit,  and  for  twenty  years,  while  a  pastor,  he  kept  his 
resolution. 

In  1797  he  became  President  of  Hampden  Sidney  College, 
and  in  1801  he  resigned  that  position,  and  took  a  journey 
through  New  England,  which  was  full  of  interest  to  him  and 
increased  his  reputation  as  a  preacher  and  rising  man.  He  re- 
ceived a  call  from  the  Pine  Street  Presbyterian  Church  in  Phil- 
adelphia, and  was  installed  in  it  on  the  20lh  of  May,  1807. 
Here  he  gave  himself  to  intense  study  of  the  Bible  and  every- 
thing biblical,  taking  lessons  in  Hebrew  from  a  learned  Jew.  He 
was  a  popular  preacher,  and  having  access  to  libraries  and 
learned  men,  he  was  unconsciously  preparing  himself  for  his 
great  life-work  at  Princeton.  In  18 10  he  received  the  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Divinity  from  the  college  of  New  Jersey,  and  he 
declined  a  call  to  the  presidency  of  the  University  of  Georgia. 


344  HISTORY  OF  PRINCE  TO  A'. 

Dr.  Alexander,  having  been  moderator  of  the  General  As- 
sembly, preached  a  sermon  before  that  body  in  1808,  in  Phila- 
delphia. In  that  discourse  he  advocated  a  theological  semi- 
nary for  training  ministers,  under  the  direction  of  every  Presby- 
tery or  at  least  every  Synod.  I'his  was  fcjliowed  by  an  over- 
ture introduced  by  Dr.  Green,  as  already  stated,  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  theological  seminary,  the  history  of  which  has 
already  been  given,  and  in  1812  Dr.  Alexander  was  elected,  by 
the  General  Assembly,  a  professor  of  this  new  theological  sem- 
inary, which  had  just  been  located  at  Princeton,  and  to  which 
place  he,  with  his  family,  removed  as  soon  as  he  could  be  re- 
leased from  his  important  pastoral  relation  in  Philadelphia,  to 
undertake  this  new  office  which  he  accepted. 

Dr.  Alexander  now  became  a  teacher,  without  ceasing  to 
be  a  preacher.  He  was  characterized  by  a  fondness  for  com- 
municating instructions  on  every  subject  within  his  reach.  He 
began  with  a  class  of  three  students  in  his  own  house.  The 
next  year  the  Rev.  Dr.  Miller,  who  had  urged  Dr.  Alexander 
not  to  disobey  the  voice  of  the  church  by  declining  the  ap- 
pointment in  his  case,  was  called  by  the  same  authoritative 
voice  to  become  a  co-laborer  with  Dr.  Alexander,  as  Professor 
of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Church  Government,  in  the  Sem- 
inary at  Princeton.  Dr.  Miller  accepted,  and  sundered  his  tie 
with  a  most  eligible  pastorate  in  New  York,  and,  with  his 
family,  removed  to  Princeton  in  1813.  From  1812  to  1851  Dr. 
Alexander  stood  forth  with  prominence  in  the  church  in  the 
threefold  character  of  preacher,  teacher  and  author. 

As  a  preacher  Dr.  Alexander  occupied  the  first  rank.  His 
discourses  were  clear,  simple,  biblical,  and  keenly  pungent. 
After  coming  to  Princeton  he  would  sometimes  write  and  read 
his  sermons,  especially  on  special  public  occasions,  but  his 
written  sermons,  even  his  best  ones,  fail  to  represent  him  to  be 
such  a  preacher  as  he  was.  He  never  could  submit  to  the  bit 
and  bridle.  His  nature  craved  freedom  of  thought,  of  speech, 
of  action.  He  was  a  child  of  nature  and  not  of  conventionali- 
ties. He  never  turned  his  back  on  his  native  state,  Virginia, 
never  abandoned  his  early  habit  of  preaching  extempore  and 
unwritten  sermons.  His  best  preaching  was  in  a  colloquial 
style:  he  never  could  preach  on  stilts.      He  could  pour  out 


THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY— DR.  ALEXANDER.  345 

his  thoughts  with  wonderful  simplicity,  even  when  discussing 
the  most  abstruse  metaphysical  or  theological  subject ;  and  he 
could  rise  to  lofty  heights  of  vehement  and  impassioned  orato- 
ry, as  the  subject  matter  or  circumstances  fired  his  heart.  His 
simplicity  and  versatility  were  so  blended  with  his  profound 
and  original  thinking  that  his  preaching  was  comprehended 
and  listened  to  with  delight  by  both  the  children  and  the  highly 
educated  class  of  his  audience  at  liic  same  time. 

Dr.  Alexander  was  inimitable   in  his  preaching.     His  stu- 
dents often  tried  to  copy  his  voice,  manner  and  style,  but  they 
always  failed.     He  was  not  a  model  to  be  followed,  just  be- 
cause he  could  not  be  followed.     Dr.  Alexander  was  ever  ready 
to  preach  when  an  opportunity  was  offered.      He  was   helpful 
to  the  pastors  in  the  neighborhood  of  PrinceliMi.      He  was  tond 
of  conducting  the  social  prayer  meetings  of  the   chuich,  held 
generally  in  private  families.     These  services  were  peculiarly 
excellent.     He  had  so  much  religious  experience  and  so  much 
power  to  stir  the  consciences  of  his  hearers,  that  in  his  search- 
ing of  hearts  he  seemed  almost  omniscient.     The  experience 
he  had  as  a  pastor  and  preacher  for  many  years  before  he  be- 
came a  professor,  was  of  the  greatest   value   to  his  success  in 
the  seminary  chair.     Taking  Dr.  Alexander  all  in  all,  we  regard 
him  as  the  best  regular  preacher  we  have  ever  heard.      He  had 
a  shrill,  penetrating  voice— clear  in  articulation  ;  he  had  a  sweet 
expression  of  face  ;  he  was  not  large,  yet  not  diminutive  in  per- 
sonal form.      His  self-possession  and  self-reliance  were  but  the 
result  of  that  conscious  reserve  of  power  within  him,  equal  to 
any  emergency.     But  his  masterly  analysis  of  a  scriptural  pas- 
sage and  his  convincing  logic  were  irresistible.     He  was  original 
in  an  unconimon  degree. 

As  a  teacher  Dr.  Alexander  was  alike  successful  and  emi- 
nent. He  had,  as  we  have  stated,  a  fondness  and  a  talent  for 
communicating  what  he  knew  to  others.  He  had  a  retentive 
memory  and  great  facility  of  expression.  He  never  ceased  to 
study.  He  was  diligent  and  faithful— giving  all  his  time  and 
talents  to  the  magnifying  of  his  office  as  a  biblical  teacher  and 
trainer  of  candidates  for  the  ministry.  He  did  not  even  take 
time  for  physical  exercise,  in  the  latter  half  of  his  life.  His 
study  was  only  a  few  yards  distant  from  the  seminary,  and  his 


346  HI  STORY  OF  PRINCETOX. 

door  opened  on  that  side,  makin^^  him  very  accessible  to  the 
students  ;  and  their  calls  upon  him  were  very  numerous  ;  he 
never  felt  that  he  had  a  right  to  give  a  cold  shoulder  to  a  the- 
ological student  who  desired  to  talk  with  him.  He  acted  as  a 
kind  and  gentle  father  to  the  students,  taking  a  warm  interest 
in  tlicir  studies,  their  personal  comforts,  and  spiritual  welfare, 
and  consequently  he  never  lost  their  love  and  respect. 

Dr.  Alexander's  text-book  in  Theology  was  Turretin's 
Theologia  Elenchtica  with  its  Status  QiKCstioiiis,  in  the  discus- 
sion of  every  subject,  and  its  Funics  Soliitionuin  of  answers  to 
objections.  He  used  to  give  his  class,  says  Dr.  Hodge,  from 
twenty  to  forty  quarto  pages  in  Latin  to  read  for  a  recitation. 
But  he  did  not  confine  himself  to  his  text-book;  he  gave  lec- 
tures from  year  to  year,  and  they  became  an  important  part  of 
his  course.  All  the  students  at  the  seminary  from  1812  to 
185  I  received  their  instruction  in  theology  from  Dr.  Alexander. 
He  continued  to  occupy  the  chair  of  Didactic  and  Polemic 
Theology  throughout  the  whole  period;  and  after  Dr.  Miller's 
death  he  took  Church  Government  in  addition. 

Dr.  Alexander  was  peaceful  in  his  professorship.  He  was 
not  fond  of  controversy,  or  strife,  Ijut  studied  the  peace  and 
unity  of  the  church.  He  was  opposed  to  the  division  of  the 
church  in  1838,  yet  agreed  with  the  old  school  party  in  their 
action  in  the  premises,  and  held  rigidly  to  the  entire  old  school 
theology. 

As  an  author  and  writer  Dr.  Alexander  has  earned  a  high 
reputation,  especially  in  Presbyterian  literature.  Besides  nu- 
merous tracts  and  sermons  in  pamphlet  form,  he  published  in 
1S25,  "A  Brief  Outline  of  the  Evidences  of  the  Christian  Re- 
ligion ;"  in  1826,  "The  Canon  of  the  Old  and  New  Testa- 
ment ;"  in  1831,  "A  Selection  of  Hymns  "  for  private  and  so- 
cial devotion,  etc.  ;  in  1835;  "The  Lives  of  the  Patriarchs;" 
in  1845,  "  History  of  Israel,"  "  Log  College  ;"  in  1846,"  His- 
tory of  Colonization  ;"  in  1852,  his  posthumous  publications 
were  a  "  History  of  the  Israelitish  Nation,"  and  "  Outlines  of 
Moral  Science."  One  of  his  most  valuable  and  rare  volumes  is 
that  on  "  Religious  Experience,"  consisting  of  letters  first  pub- 
lished in  a  religious  newspaper. 

Dr.  Alexander  also  contributed  about   seventy-five  articles 


THEOLOGICAL    SEMINAR  Y— DR.  ALEXANDER.  347 

\o  W\t  Princcio7i  Reviciv,  between   the  years  1829  and   1850 

several  every  year. 

The  Presbyterian  Board  of  Publication  also  published  nearly 
a  dozen  volumes  written  by  Dr.  Alexander,  which  will  be 
named  in  the  next  chapter,  and  whicli  were  of  much  value.  As 
a  writer  he  was  transparent,  and  he  met  the  question  he  was 
discussinf^,  with  frankness  and  ability.  Dr.  Alexander's  humil- 
ity and  genuine  piety  shone  in  all  his  ways  and  works.  Admi- 
rably fitted  was  he  to  be  one  of  the  two  great  pillars  of  the  first 
Theological  Seminary  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United 
States;  and  his  sainted  memory  will  never  perish  while  Calvin- 
istic  Presbyterianism  endures  on  the  earth.  Dr.  Alexander  has 
been  classed  with  Jonathan  Edwards  as  a  theologian. 

In  his  domestic  life  Dr.  Alexander  was  greatly  blessed.  Me 
was  married  on  the  5th  of  April,  1802,  to  Miss  Janetta  Wad- 
del,  a  daughter  of  the  celebrated  blind  preacher,  Dr.  James 
Waddel,  of  Virginia—a  young  woman  of  uncommon  beauty 
and  artless  grace  ;  she  was  wise,  affectionate,  pious,  industrious, 
vivacious,  and  sympathetic  ;  a  great  comfort  and  helpmate  to 
her  husband.  Such  is  the  testimony  of  one  of  her  sons  ;  and 
our  personal  recollection  of  her  fully  justifies  such  description. 
The  brick  house  which  was  built  when  the  seminary  was 
erected,  and  is  now  occupied  by  Rev.  Prof.  Moffat,  near  the 
north-east  end  of  the  seminary,  was  the  home  of  Dr.  Alexan- 
der till  he  died.  Here  his  children  grew  up  around  his  table, 
and  made  that  house  one  of  the  happiest  and  most  distin- 
guished homes  in  Princeton.  Dr.  Alexander  died,  October  22, 
185 1,  in  the  eightieth  year  of  his  age,  with  unabated  intellect, 
and  with  a  peace  which  passeth  understanding,  fully  prepared 
to  bid  adieu  to  friends  and  the  world.  Me  soon  followed  his 
venerable  coadjutor,  Dr.  Miller,  whose  funeral  discourse  he  had 
preached  in  the  preceding  year,  and  in  which  he  had  remarked 
that  he  would  soon  follow  him.  Mrs.  Alexander  survived  him 
but  a  short  time.     She  died  in  September,  1852. 

They  had  seven  children  who  survived  them — six  sons  and 
one  daughter.  Three  of  them  were  ministers;  two  were  law- 
yers, and  one  was  a  physician.  Of  the  ministers,  Rev.  James 
W.  Alexander,  D.  D.,  and  J.  Addison  Alexander,  D.  D.,  are 
dead,  and  will  be  noticed  among  the  deceased  professors   of 


J 


348  HISTORY  OF  PRINCE TOA\ 

the  seminary  ;  the  Rev.  Samuel  D.  Alexander,  D.  D.,  is  still 
living  in  New  York.  Of  the  lawyers,  Col.  \Vm.  C.  Alexander,  is 
dead,  and  was  noticed  in  our  first  volunu,-  ;  Henry  M.  Alexan- 
der is  living  in  New  York  ;  while  1  -'i.  Aicliibald  Alexander,  the 
physician,  and  his  sister,  Miss  Janetta,  are  living  in  Princeton, 
as  already  stated. 

The  funeral  of  Dr.  Alexander  took  place  while  the  Synod 
of  New  Jersey  was  in  session  at  Princeton,  and  was  attended 
by  that  body.  He  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Princeton  ; 
and  his  death  was  lamented  by  thousands  of  those  who  knew 
him,  and  thousands  more  of  those  who  knew  of  him. 

II.    Rev.  Samuel  Miller,  D.  D. 

Samuel  Miller,  a  son  of  the  Rev.  John  and  Margaret 
(Millington)  Miller,  was  born  near  Dover,  Delaware,  on  the 
31st  of  October,  1769.  He  was  fitted  for  college  at  home,  un- 
der the  instruction  of  his  father,  and  then  entered  the  Univer- 
sity of  Pennsylvania,  where  he  graduated  with  honors  in  1789. 
He  studied  theology  with  his  father,  and  was  licensed  to  preach 
by  the  Presbytery  of  Lewes,  in  1791.  After  his  licensure,  he 
continued  his  theological  studies  under  Dr.  Nisbet.  president 
of  Dickinson  College,  and  one  of  the  most  learned  theologians 
of  the  day.  He  declined  an  invitation  to  become  his  father's 
successor  at  Dover,  but  accepted  a  unanimous  call  from  the 
united  Presbyterian  churches  of  New  York,  to  become  a  col- 
league of  Dr.  Rodgers  and  Dr.  McKnight.  He  was  ordained 
and  installed  in  June,  1793. 

"His  settlement  in  New  York,"  says  Dr.  Sprague,  * 
«'  brought  him  within  the  immediate  range  of  several  of  the 
ablest  and  most  widely  known  ministers  of  the  day  ;  and  yet 
his  well  balanced  and  highly  cultivated  mind,  his  bland  and 
attractive  manner,  and  the  graceful  facility  with  which  he 
moved  about  in  the  different  circles  of  social  life,  soon  gave 
him  a  position  among  the  most  prominent  of  his  brethren.  He 
was  invited  to  preach  on  various  occasions  of  great  public  m- 
terest,  and  several  of  these  discourses  were  printed,  and  attract- 
ed much  attention.     His  sermon  preached  at  the  beginning  of 

*Sprague's  Annals. 


Ya 


■, '■  >i\'iR)ji/Mrrv.^ .  :.,:i^jc;nAr  , _ W'J 'ivmA^. ii!^*''- "A 


THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY— DR.  MILLER.  349 

the  present  century,  became  a  nucleus  of  a  work  published  in 
1803,  in  two  volumes,  and  entitled  'A  Brief  Retrospect  of  the 
Eighteenth  Century.*  This  work  is  marked  by  great  ability, 
and  has  commanded  much  attention  on  both  sides  of  the  At- 
lantic. 

"In  1804  he  was  honored  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Divinity  from  the  university  at  which  he  graduated.  In  1806, 
he  was  Moderator  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  In  i8ir,  Dr.  Rodgers,  who  had  been  united  with  him 
in  the  pastorate  nearly  twenty  years,  was  removed  by  death  ; 
and  two  years  after,  his  Biography,  written  by  Dr.  Miller,  ap- 
peared in  an  octavo  volume,  full  of  interesting  details  of  the 
American  Presbyterian  Church. 

"In  1 81 3  he  was  elected  to  the  chair  of  Ecclesiastical  His- 
tory and  Church  Government  in  the  Theological  Seminary  at 
Princeton.  This  appointment  he  thought  it  his  duty  to  accept, 
though  in  doing  so  he  had  to  abandon  a  field  of  usefulness, 
which  had  become  endeared  to  him  by  many  sacred  associa- 
tions. Here  Dr.  Miller  continued,  accomplishing  a  work  of  the 
highest  interest  to  the  church  during  the  period  of  thirty-six 
years.  Besides  attending  to  his  stated  duties  in  the  seminary 
with  great  fidelity,  he  performed  a  large  amount  of  literary 
labor,  the  results  of  which  are  now  in  the  possession  of  the 
church,  and  will  form  a  rich  legacy  to  posterity. 

"  Dr.  Miller  was  one  of  the  most  voluminous  writers  which 
our  Presbyterian  Church  has  ever  produced.  Besides  the  works 
already  mentioned,  he  published  more  than  a  dozen  volumes 
on  various  subjects,  and  upwards  of  forty  pamphlets  containing 
sermons  and  addresses.  Several  of  his  works  are  controversial, 
two  of  them  being  devoted  to  a  vindication  of  Presbyterianism 
against  the  claims  of  Episcopacy.  His  controversial  writings 
are  clear,  fair,  earnest,  and  marked  by  uncommon  ability. 

"  It  has  already  been  intimated  that  Dr.  Miller  possessed  a 
large  measure  of  personal  attraction.  He  was  of  about  the 
middle  size,  and  had  a  fair  expression  at  once  of  high  intelli- 
gence, and  of  all  that  was  gentle  and  kindly  and  genial.  There 
was  a  sort  of  graceful  formality  about  his  movements,  but 
nothing  to  create  reserve  or  embarrassment.  His  mind  was 
remarkable  for  the  admirable  proportion  in  which  its  faculties 


350  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETOI^. 

existed;  all  acting  in  perfect  symmetry,  and  therefore  with 
great  power.  Mis  heart  was  full  of  benevolence  and  generosity, 
and  no  one  knew  better  than  he  how  to  render  good  for  evil. 
His  presence  in  the  social  circle  was  always  met  with  a  cordial 
welcome,  and  always  diffused  an  air  of  cheerfulness,  while  yet 
not  a  word  fell  from  his  lips  that  was  not  consistent  with  the 
dignity,  of  a  minister. 

"  As  a  preacher,  he  was  justly  regarded  as  among  the  most 
eminent  of  his  day.  His  sermons  were  written  with  great  care, 
and  so  simple  and  logical  in  their  arrangement  as  easily  to  be 
remembered,  while  yet  they  were  uncommonly  rich  in  evan- 
gelical truth,  and  were  delivered  with  a  simplicity  and  unction 
well  fitted  to  impress  them  on  the  mind  and  heart. 

"As  a  pastor  he  was  always  ready  to  meet  the  needs  of  his 
people,  and  he  moved  about  among  them  so  kindly  and  ten- 
derly that  they  could  almost  forget  that  he  was  not  a  father  or 
a  brother. 

"As  a  Professor  in  the  Theological  Seminary,  he  was  al- 
ways punctual  in  the  observance  of  every  duty,  delivered 
luminous  and  well  digested  lectures,  treated  the  students  with 
marked  attention  and  respect,  and  was  a  model  in  everything 
pertaining  to  social  manners  and  habits. 

"  As  a  member  of  Ecclesiastical  courts  he  was  watchful,  firm, 
and  yet  condescending  ;  he  would  not  tolerate  \\hat  he  believed 
to  be  gross  error,  while  yet  he  would  not  make  a  man  an  of- 
fender for  a  word.  He  was  strongly  attached  to  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  regarding  it  as  more  strictly  conformed  to  the 
scriptural  standard  than  any  other  ;  but  he  was  ready  to  open 
his  arms  and  his  heart  to  all  whom  he  recognized  as  holding 
the  fundamental  truths  of  the  gospel." 

Dr.  Miller  was  one  of  the  earliest  and  strongest  advocates 
for  the  establishment  of  a  Theological  Seminary  ;  and  he  urged 
warmly  the  plan  of  having  one  strong,  central  institution,  and 
not  several  synodical  ones.  His  call  to  the  chair  of  Ecclesias- 
tical History  and  Church  Government  in  the  Seminary  in  1813, 
was  eminently  wise.  No  man  in  the  church  at  that  day  was 
better  qualified  for  such  a  position  than  iJr.  AIi'K.r.  lie  was 
just  the  material  for  the  second  pillar  in  that  instiiution. 

The  sweet  harmony  preserved  between  Dr.  Alexander  and 


THEOLOGICAL   SEAfLA'AR  Y—DA\   MLLLER.  35  I 

Dr.  Miller,  for  nearly  forty  years,  as  coadjutors  in  building  up 
and  adorning  the  seminary,  has  often  been  mentioned  as  evi- 
dence of  the  genuine  piety  of  both  professors;  for  they  were 
very  different  in  their  habits  of  life  and  temperament.  The 
testimony  borne  by  each  towards  the  other,  and  the  state- 
ments of  their  respective  biographers,  that  there  was  never  dis- 
covered the  least  jealousy,  or  envy,  in  either  towards  the  other, 
can  only  be  explained  by  the  high  order  of  piety  in  both. 

An  entry  in  Dr.  Miller's  private  diary,  made  December  3, 
18 1 3,  of  certain  resolutions  formed  by  him  when  he  came  to 
the  seminary,  bears  upon  this  point ;  and  we  insert  the  follow- 
ing from  the  third  and  fourth  of  them,  viz. : 

"  Resolved,  That  I  will  endeavor,  by  the  grace  of  God,  su  to  coiuluct  myself 
towards  my  colleague  in  the  seminary  as  never  to  give  the  least  reasonable  ground 
of  oflence.  It  shall  be  my  aim,  by  divine  help,  ever  to  treat  him  with  the  most 
scrupulous  respect  and  delicacy,  and  never  to  wound  his  feelings,  if  I  know  how  to 
avoid  it. 

"  Resolved,  That  by  the  grace  of  God,  while  I  will  carefully  avoid  giving  offence 
to  my  colleague,  I  will  in  no  case  take  offence  at  his  treatment  of  me.  I  have  come 
hither  resolving  that  whatever  may  be  the  sacrifice  of  my  jjcrsonal  feelings— what- 
ever may  be  the  consequence — I  will  not  take  offence,  unless  I  am  called  upon  to 
relinquish  truth  or  duty.  I  not  only  will  never,  the  Lord  helping  me,  indulge  a 
jealous,  envious  ox  suspicious  temper  toward  him  ;  but  1  will,  in  no  case,  allow  my- 
self to  be  wounded  by  any  slig/it  or  apjiearance  of  disrespect.  I  will  ^i^'ive  up  all  my 
own  claims  rather  than  let  the  cause  of  Christ  suffer  by  animosity  or  contest.  What 
am  I,  that  I  should  prefer  my  own  honor  or  exaltation  to  the  cause  of  my  blessed 
Master." 

That  Dr.  Miller  was  a  model  of  clerical  manners  and  de- 
portment—  the  beau-ideal  of  a  Christian  gentleman,  is  the  tes- 
timony of  all  who  knew  him.  It  was  of  incalculable  value  to 
the  students  to  come  daily  in  contact  with  a  man  like  Dr. 
Miller  ;  for  besides  his  polished  manners,  the  unction  of  his 
piety,  and  his  paternal  counsels  to  the  young  candidates  for 
the  ministry,  were  of  the  utiriost  importance  to  them.  They 
found  in  him  a  living  illustration  of  the  Book  on  "  Clerical 
Manners,"  which  he  wrote  and  published. 

Dr.  Miller's  politeness  had  its  fountain  in  his  heart,  and  he 
exhibited  it  everywhere  and  on  all  occasions,  in  public  and  in 
private;  on  the  street,  and  in  the  lecture  room  ;  at  home  and 
abroad  ;  towards  the  humble  and  towards  the  great. ■'^' 

*  On  one  occasion  Dr.  Miher  and  Prof.  Dod  were  engaged  to  speak  at  one  of 


352  HIS7'0RY  OF  PRINCETON. 

Dr.  Miller  was  a  high  church  Presbyterian— not  exactly 
holding  to  \.\\(ijure  divino  of  Tresbyterianism,  but  holding  that 
the  Presbyterian  form  of  church  government  is  more  scriptural 
than  any  other.  He  was  entrusted  with  the  subject  of  Church 
Government  in  his  chair  ;  and  he  naturally  became  the  great 
defender  of  the  Presbyterian  polity,  and  published  numerous 
volumes  in  its  defence.  Of  this  character  were  his  "  Order  of 
the  Christian  Ministry,"  "  Warrant  for  the  Eldership,"  "  Infant 
Baptism,"  "  Presbyterianism,"  "  Public  Prayer."  He  was  an 
accomplished  ecclesiastic,  with  lance  in  hand. 

Dr.  Miller,  besides  his  various  books,  wrote  twenty-five 
articles  for  the  Princeton  Reviczv.  He  was  an  intense  student 
and  a  rapid  writer,  always  standing  at  his  desk  when  writing. 

Dr.  Miller  was  liberal  and  exact  in  his  money  transactions.* 
Plis  circumstances  were  such  as  enabled  him  to  be  liberal  in 
his  charities;  he  was  eminently  a  large  and  cheerful  ^\vcx\ 
and  yet  like  Dr.  Alexander,  he  set  an  example  of  economy  and 
frugality  in  his  style  of  living.  He  lived  in  his  own  house, 
built  on  a  large  scale,  on  the  lot  where  his  father-in-law,  Jona- 
than Dickinson  Sergeant,  had  built  a  house,  which  the  Hes- 
sians burnt  in  1776.  He  had  a  little  farm  connected  with  it— 
and  always  kept  horses  and  carriages,  and  was  accustomed  to 
take  exercise  daily  on  horseback— or  by  driving— or  on  foot— 
with  exact  regularity,  without  regard  to  weather. 

There  was  one  very  marked  difference  between  Dr.  Miller 
and  Dr.  Alexander.  The  former  governed  himself  by  rule  and 
system,  down  to  the  most  minute  matters  of  life.  He  walked 
by  rule  ;  and  his  life  was  as  regular  and  as  exact  in  all  thino-s 
as  rules  are  exact.     The  system  of  rules  which  he  framed   for 

the  religious  Anniversaries  in  New  York,  and  Robert  Ross,  the  hackman,  was  late 
in  getting  them  to  the  cars  at  the  depot,  then  at  the  canal.  By  racing  the  horses, 
Ihey  reached  the  depot  just  as  the  cars  were  moving  off.  Rrof.  Dod  hurried  into 
the  cars,  while  Dr.  Miller  was  left  on  the  ])Iatform  bowing  and  thanking  Mr.  Ross 
for  bringing  them  safely  in  time,  but  failed  to  fulfil  his  engagement  in  New  York. 
Prof.  Dod  often  told  this  anecdote  to  show  tliat  poiiicness  was,  sometimes  at  least, 
inconvenient. 

♦Working  men  and  mechanics  often  speak  of  Dr.  Miller's  promptness  in  paying 
bills,  and  expressing  regret  if  he  should  not  have  been  at  home  when  they  called 
for  their  money,  and  offering  to  pay  them  for  the  time  they  lost  in  coming  for  it  a 
second  lime.     He  was  always  more  ready  to  pay  loo  much  than  too  little. 


THEOLOGICAL    SEMINARY— DR.  MILLER.  353 

living  by  were  both  scriptural  and  arbitrary  ;  arbitrary,  but 
not  in  contradiction  to  the  Bible.  He  would  seem  to  have  set- 
tled beforehand  what  was  right  to  do,  and  then  did  it  ;  while 
Dr.  Alexander  seemed  to  have  no  rules  or  system  to  govern 
him  ;  he  claimed  liberty  to  act  freely  as  he  judged  proper  at 
the  time  of  action.  He  would  not  submit  to  the  bondage 
of  systematic  rules  in  every-day  life.  Dr.  Miller  was  a  warm 
advocate  of  the  cause  of  tcmj:ierance.  Dr.  Alexander  never 
identified  himself  with  that  cause.  Dr.  Miller  always  voted, 
and  expressed  an  interest  in  public  political  questions.  Dr. 
Alexander  seldom  voted,  and  manifested  but  little  public  in- 
terest in  politics. 

Though  dissimilar  in  so  many  respects,  these  two  men  were 
peculiarly  fitted  to  be  coadjutors  in  building  up  a  theological 
seminary.  Neither  could  so  well  have  succeeded  without  the 
other.  Each  was  a  pillar  sustaining  an  equal  weight  in  the 
beautiful  structure.  Both  were  preeminent  in  wisdom,  piety, 
learning,  and  aptness  to  teach.  Both  were  great  and  good. 
None  excelled  them  in  the  Presbyterian  Church.  They  lived 
to  become  patriarchs  of  four-score  years,  and  departed  from 
this  field  of  service  as  nearly  together  as  they  came  upon  it, 
both  alike  honored  and  beloved. 

Dr.  Miller  died  January  7th,  1850.  His  death-bed  scene 
has  been  depicted  as  glorious  and  befitting  such  a  life.  His 
funeral  was  in  keeping  with  his  character  and  death.  He  was 
buried   in  the  Princeton  cemetery. 

Dr.  Miller  was  very  happy  in  his  domestic  life.  He  was 
married  to  Pvliss  Sarah  Sergeant,  a  daughter  of  Jonathan  Dick- 
inson Sergeant,  formerly  of  Princeton,  a  patriot  and  lawyer  of 
eminence,  who  has  been  fully  noticed  in  our  first  volume. 

They  were  married  on  the  24th  of  October,  1801.  Her 
father  had  been  dead  a  few  years  at  that  time.  She  was  a 
young  woman  of  superior  intellect  and  personal  attractions, 
and  their  married  life  was  protracted  into  old  age,  and  was 
crowned  with  a  large  family  of  beloved  children.  Nothing  but 
the  truest  devotion  to  each  other  existed  between  Doctor  and 
Mrs.  Miller  during  their  entire  residence  in  New  York  and  in 
Princeton.  The  scene  in  the  family  shortly  before  his  death, 
when  he  summoned  his  children  around  him  and  reviewed  his 


354  -^^/-S"  TOR  Y  OF  PRINCE  TON". 

life,  and,  recognizing  the  presence  of  death,  portrayed  to  them 
the  character  and  life-long  devotion  of  their  motlier,  to  him 
and  to  them,  was  truly  sublime.  They  had  ten  children,  but 
only  six  survived  him. 

Of  his  sons,  Samuel  and  John  are  ministers  of  the  gospel  ; 
Dickinson  is  a  surgeon  in  the  Navy  ;  Spencer  is  a  lawyer 
in  Philadelphia;  Sarah  (I\Trs.  Hageman)  died  in  1867,  and 
Miss  Mary  is  living  in  Philadelphia  ;  Edward,  Elisabeth,  and 
Mrs.  Dr.  John  Breckinridge  all  died  in  the  lifetime  of  Dr.  Miller. 
Mrs.  Dr.  Miller  died  P\-bruary  2,  1S61,  in  the  84th  year  of 
her  age. 

An  excellent  Biography  of  Dr.  Miller,  in  two  volumes,  in- 
cluding a  memorial  of  Mrs.  Miller,  has  been  written  and  pub- 
lished by  their  son,  Rev.  Samuel  Miller,  D.  D.,  of  Mount 
Holly,  N.  J. 

III.    Rev.  Charles  Hodge,  D.  D. 

Charles  Hodge,  the  third  distinguished  Professor  in  Prince- 
ton Seminary,  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  in  1797,  where  his 
grandfather,  a  merchant,  of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  had  settled  in 
1730.  His  father  was  Dr.  Hugh  Hodge,  a  physician  of  great 
promise  and  large  practice,  who  died  early,  at  the  age  of  forty- 
three,  leaving  a  widow  and  two  sons,  Hugh  L.  and  Charles. 
The  former  was  Dr.  Hugh  L.  Hodge,  of  Philadelphia,  ol 
eminent  reputation  in  the  medical  profession,  and  the  latter 
was  the  professor  now  under  consideration.  Their  mother  is 
represented  to  have  been  a  woman  of  rare  and  excellent  endow- 
ments, and  their  sons  ascribe  much  of  their  success  and  fame 
to  the  mental  and  moral  training  which  they  received  from  her. 
At  twelve  years  of  age  Charles  attended  the  Classical  School  at 
Somerville,  N.  J.,  in  the  old  brick  academy,  which  was  torn 
down  about  thirty-five  years  ago.  He  came  from  there  to 
Princeton  and  attended  school  here.  His  mother  lived  here 
while  educating  her  sons,  and  occupied  the  house  in  Wither- 
spoon  Street,  where  Jacob  Maple  lately  died — next  to  the 
school-house  of  Miss  Lockart.  Hugh  was  graduated  at  Nassau 
Hall,  in  the  class  of  18 14,  and  Charles  in  the.  class  of  1815 — the 
latter  speaking  the  valedictory.     Charles  was  a  subject  of  the 


C^i-^L,  -(^^.^     (y^o  c^-^~- 


'-y- 


THEOLOGICAL    SEMIiYA RY—DR.  HODGE.  355 

great  revival  which  began  in  1814  ;  and  in  1S15  he  united  with 
the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Princeton,  and  entered  the  Tlieo- 
logical  Seminary  in  this  place,  Bishops  Mcllvaine  and  Johns 
were  both  his  classmates  in  the  college   and  seminary,  and  his 

life-long  friends. 

Dr.  Archibald  Alexander  took  an  interest  in  Charles  Hodge 
while  a  student  in  the  seminary,  and  suggested  to  him  the  idea 
of  studying  with  a  view  of  becoming  a  professor  in  the  semi- 
nary, and  not  long  after  he  had  finished  his  seminary  course 
he  was  employed  as  an  assistant  teacher  of  the  Oriental  lan- 
guages, Dr.  Alexander's  health  needing  relief. 

In  1822,  the  General  Assembly  elected  him  Professor  of 
Oriental  and  Biblical  Literature,  and  by  the  advice  of  the  pro- 
fessors and  directors  he  went  abroad  to  study  at  the  Universi- 
ties of  Halle  and  Berlin,  spending  several  years  there  and  in 
other  parts  of  Europe,  and  resuming  his  duties  in  Princeton  in 
1828.  After  filling  that  chair  for  twenty  years  and  upwards,  he 
was  transferred  to  the  Professorship  of  Exegetical  and  Didactic 
Theology,  Dr.  Alexander,  on  account  of  age  and  impaired 
health,  desiring  relief;  and  on  the  death  of  Dr.  Alexander,  in 
1852,  Polemic  Theology  was  added. 

For  twenty-five  years  Dr.  Charles  Hodge  sat  at  the  feet  of 
Dr.  Alexander  and  Dr.  Miller,  learning  from  them  all  that  they 
could  communicate— catching  from  them  the  spirit  of  their 
humble  piety,  and  growing  up  by  their  side,  in  all  the  comeli- 
ness and  symmetrical  proportions  of  those  two  venerable  fath- 
ers, until  he  was  strong  enough,  upon  their  departure,  to  sus- 
tain the  reputation  of  the  seminary  for  nearly  twenty  years 
longer. 

Dr.  Hodge  was,  from  his  youth,  interesting  and  uncommon  ; 
combining  with  a  handsome  person,  fine  talents,  and  a  most 
amiable  Christian  temper.  He  was  meek,  gentle  and  single- 
minded.  His  face  shone  with  a  radiant  beauteousness  almost 
divine,  and  this  never  left  him  even  in  his  old  age.  At  the 
conference  in  the  seminary— at  the  social  prayer-meeting— in 
the  pulpit,  when  he  raised  his  spectacles  from  his  eyes,  and  be- 
came warmed  with  his  subject,  his  face  lighted  up  with  divinity, 
and  he  was  at  such  times  the  most  eloquent  of  men. 

For  many  years  he  was   disabled    from   walking  without 


35^  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

crutches  ;  and  during  that  time  he  received  his  classes  in  his 
study,  and  heard  them  recite  while  he  was  on  liis  couch. 

Dr.  Hodge  was  a  very  close  student  and  a  fine  scholar;  and 
probably  his  lameness  which  kept  him  on  his  couch  so  long, 
saved  him  from  interruptions  in  study,  which  enabled  him  to 
accomplish  more  labor  with  his  pen  than  he  otherwise  could 
have  done. 

As  a  Professor,  Dr.  Hodge  was  without  a  superior,  if  not 
without  an  equal.  For  years  and  years  his  lectures  on  Theol- 
ogy were  the  great  attraction  of  the  seminary  lecture-rooms. 
They  were  so  transparent — so  lucid  that  none  could  fail  to 
understand  and  appreciate  them.  It  is  not  difficult  to  see 
how  this  was  so,  when  it  is  remembered  that  those  lectures 
contained  his  Systematic  Theology,  which  a  few  years  before 
his  death  was  published,  and  has  been  so  highly  extolled  by 
the  Christian  Church,  especially  by  those  denominations  which 
uphold  the  Calvinistic  system.  All  who  admire  Turretin — all 
who  admire  Augustine — cannot  fail  to  approve  and  commend 
the  Systematic  Theology  of  Dr.  Hodge  ;  because  while  he  does 
not  profess  to  teach  any  new  doctrine,  he  does  display  great 
learning  in  treating  modern  sentiments  and  theories  which  are 
antagonistic  to  the  Princeton  school  ;  and  his  keen  analysis  of 
every  new  and  adverse  philosophy  which  sets  itself  against  the 
old  school  teaching,  shows  that  he  was  a  giant  in  theological 
warfare. 

As  an  author.  Dr.  Hodge  stands  in  the  front  rank.  His 
Commentary  on  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  published  in  1835, 
gave  him  his  first  reputation  as  an  author,  at  home  and  abroad. 
So  his  Commentaries  on  the  Epistles  to  the  Corinthians,  and 
to  the  Ephesians,  and  his  "  Way  of  Life,"  one  of  the  most  ex- 
cellent and  widely  read  little  books  ever  published  by  a  Prince- 
ton author,  are  of  that  character  that  will  perpetuate  themselves 
among  Bible  readers  of  all  denominations.  His  "  Constitu- 
tional History  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,"  in  1839,  ^^'^^  "^  '^^^- 
uable  contribution  to  the  church  ;  and  his  last  great  work — his 
"Systematic  Theology,"  in  three  volumes,  has  placed  him 
among  the  great  theologians  of  all  ages. 

Dr.  Hodge's  semi-centennial  anniversary,  in  the  year  1872 — 
being  the  fiftieth  year  of  his  connection  as  a  professor  with  the 


THEOLOGICAL    SEMINARY-DR.  HODGE.  35/ 

seminary,  was  celebrated  in  Princeton  by  the  alumni  and 
friends  of  the  institution,  with  great  interest  and  enthusiasm, 
greater  than  the  semi-centennial  celebration  of  the  seminary 
itself  called  out,  though  that  was  very  great.  Dr.  Hodge's 
Systematic  Theology  was  the  salient  point  in  this  celebration. 
Ministers  and  ecclesiastical  bodies,  whose  voice  was  heard  on 
the  occasion,  all  bore  commendatory  testimonials  of  this  great 
work.  The  stamp  of  immortality  was  impressed  not  only  upon 
Dr.  Hodge,  but  upon  Princeton  Seminary — the  seat  where  that 
theology  is  taught. 

But  Dr.  Hodge  was  distinguished  in  another  field — and  one 
which  did  more  to  make  him  what  he  was,  than  any  other. 
Had  he  confined  himiself  to  teaching  his  classes  in  the  semi- 
nary, and  writing  religious  books  and  commentaries  on  the 
Bible,  he  never  would  have  acquired  the  acumen  and  power  of 
analysis, and  that  vigor  of  the  pen,  which  he  has  displayed.  It 
was  his  connection  with  the  Repertory  and  Princeton  Review  for 
forty  years,  which  aroused  his  energy,  and  impelled  him  to  in- 
cessant labor  and  study.  The  responsibility  of  being  editor  of 
a  Quarterly,  which  assumed  to  discuss  and  review  the  profound 
questions  which  during  the  last  fifty  years  have  arisen  in  the 
church  ;  the  learning  and  investigation  required  of  him  who 
would  appear  as  the  defender  of  the  old-school  divinity,  as 
taught  at  Princeton — and  as  the  defender  of  the  polity  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church — besides  enlightening  the  public  by  dis- 
cussing many  grave  and  perplexing  questions  in  science  and 
sociology — demanded  a  constant  and  soul-absorbing  devotion 
to  such  an  engine  of  influence  and  power. 

Dr.  Hodge  was  an  admirable  reviewer,  and  he  made  this 
Quarterly  one  of  the  most  solid  and  valuable  Reviews  that  was 
published  in  its  day.  Of  the  forty  volumes  of  this  review.  Dr. 
Hodge  is  said  to  have  written  one-third  of  their  contents;  and 
if  his  work  could  be  seen  compiled  in  solid,  it  would  exhibit  his 
learning  and  power  beyond  all  conception  of  it,  in  its  present 
form,  and  would  surpass  all  other  monuments  of  his  industry 
and  greatness. 

As  a  preacher,  Dr.  Hodge  was,  to  the  enlightened  Christian, 
one  of  the  best  and  most  edifying  in  Princeton,  but  his  manner 
was  generally  unemotional.     He  almost  always  read   closely; 


358  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

his  sermons  were  logical  and  instructive,  but  he  was  not  a  pop- 
ular speaker.  Had  he  thrown  away  his  notes,  and  trusted  to 
the  inspiration  of  the  moment,  as  he  did  sometimes  on  less 
public  occasions,  he  would  have  been  a  most  captivating 
preacher. 

For  seventy  years  Dr.  Hodge  lived  in  Princeton.  He  is 
justly  claimed  as  a  Princeton  man.  Princeton  is  proud  of  his 
name  and  fame.  He  stands  prominent  in  the  front  rank  of  her 
great  men.  His  life  was  prolonged,  after  the  death  of  Dr.  Al- 
exander and  Dr.  Miller,  over  twenty-five  years.  He  survived 
his  warm  friends,  the  younger  Alexanders,  Breckinridge,  and 
Dod.  He  came  to  the  end  of  his  useful  life,  witliout  leaving  any 
of  his  work  unfinished.  He  was  fully  ripe.  Heaven  was  rad- 
iant on  his  brow.  He  ascended  greeted  with  an  angelic  shout, 
"  Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant."  He  died  very  gently 
and  gradually  on  the  19th  day  of  June,  1878,  during  the  week 
of  the  college  Commencement,  and  his  death  cast  a  gloom 
over  the  festivities  of  the  day.  He  died  in  the  house  where  he 
had  lived  all  his  married  life.  He  was  buried  in  the  Princeton 
cemetery.  His  funeral  was  very  largely  attended  by  the  clergy 
and  others,  and  all  mourned  that  they  should  see  his  radiant 
face  no  more.  Another  great  light  had  gone  out  in  Princeton. 
Another  pillar  of  the  seminary  had  fallen. 

Dr.  Hodge  was  tender  and  happy  in  his  domestic  relations. 
He  was  married  in  his  youth  to  Miss  Sarah  Bache,  of  Philadel- 
phia, a  descendant  of  Dr.  Benjamin  Franklin — a  woman  of 
much  personal  attraction.  They  had  eiglit  children  —  five 
sons  :  Archibald  Alexander,  the  present  successor  of  his  father  ; 
Caspar  Wistar,  who  has  for  several  years  been  a  professor  in 
the  seminary  ;  Charles,  a  physician  in  Trenton,  who  died  a  few 
years  ago;  John,  who  lives  at  South  Amboy,  in  this  State,  and 
Frank,  a  minister  at  Wilkesbarre.  The  daughters  were,  Mary 
(Mrs.  Dr.  W.  M.  Scott),  Catharine  (Mrs.  Dr.  McGill),  Sarah 
(Mrs.  S.  W.  Stockton). 

Mrs.  Hodge  died  in.  1848,  and  Dr.  Hodge  was  married  again 
to  Mrs.  Lieut.  Samuel  \V.  Stockton,  who  was  Mary  Hunter,  a 
daughter  of  Rev.  Andrew  Jiunter,  D.  D.  Dr.  Hodge  was  very 
happy  in  his  wives  and  children,  and  his  home  was  dear 
to  him. 


(/,    (  C  .  L  (  ^c  I  n  u/frc 


THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY— DR.  ADDISOM  ALEXANDER. Hg 

IV.    Rev.  Joseph  Addison  Alexander,  D.  D. 

In  1835,  the  General  Assembly  elected  J.  Addison  Alexan- 
der, A.  M.,  of  Princeton,  to  be  "  Associate  Professor  of  Orien- 
tal and  Biblical  Literature,"  in  the  Theological  Seminary  at 
Princeton.  Though  he  did  not  accept  the  appointment  at  the 
time — preferring  to  be  an  instructor  in  that  department  for  the 
present,  he  was,  in  1838,  formally  inducted  into  that  chair  as 
professor.  We  notice  him  as  the  fourth  professor  in  the  semi- 
nary, because  he  was  so  long  connected  with  the  three  preced- 
ing professors  in  the  faculty,  and  is  especially  entitled  to  be 
classed  with  them  in  this  connection.  From  1835  ^'^^  ^^^s  la- 
boring in  the  service  of  the  seminary,  with  Dr.  Alexander  and 
Dr.  Miller  till  their  death,  and  with  Dr.  Hodge  till  his  own 
death,  h\  i860. 

Joseph  Addison  Alexander  was  the  third  son  of  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Archibald  Alexander,  whom  we  have  noticed  as  the  first 
professor  in  the  Princeton  Seminary,  and  was  born  in  Phil- 
adelphia on  the  24th  of  April,  1809.  We  need  not  here  refer 
to  his  honorable  parentage,  and  to  the  advantages  he  enjoyed 
in  his  father's  house.  The  history  and  life  of  Addison  Alex- 
ander may  be  found  in  two  volumes  written  and  published  by 
his  nephew,  the  Rev.  Henry  C.  Alexander.  It  is  impossible 
here  to  give  an  adequate  and  just  idea  of  this  very  remarkable 
man.  We  have  casually  remarked  in  the  preceding  volume 
that  he  was  a  rare  prodigy  in  literary  acquirements  and  ]3iblical 
lore — a  genius  of  the  first  magnitude — a  preacher  who  always 
preached  to  crowded  houses — a  man  unlike  any  other  man  who 
ever  lived. 

We  feel  utterly  unable  to  describe  him.  His  precocity  was 
wonderful.  His  facility  in  acquiring  knowledge,  especially  a 
knowledge  of  the  languages,  was  unprecedented  ;  it  would  have 
been  incredible,  had  he  not,  in  his  professorial  chair,  and  in  his 
multiplied  volumes  and  publications,  demonsti-ated  the  extent 
of  his  attainments  in  this  .line.  It  seemed  to  be  but  child's  play 
for  him  to  master  a  foreign  tongue. 

His  biographer,  Vol.  II.,  page  862,  enumerates  the  lan- 
guages which  he  learned  in  his  earlier  years,  viz.: 


360  HISTORY  OF  PRI.VCETON'. 

1.  Araric  :  of  which  he  was  a  consummate  master  from  a  child,  and  wrote  with 
some  ease,  but  which  he  could  scarcely  be  said  to  speak. 

2.  Hebrew  :  ditto. 

3.  Latin  :  which  he  knew  profoundly  from  a  child,  and  wrote  and  spoke. 

4.  Persian:  which  he  knew  intimately  from  a  child  and  wrote  but  did  not 
speak. 

5.  Syriac  :  which  he  knew  intimately  from  a  child,  perhaps  wrote,  but  did  not 
speak. 

6.  Chaldee  :  which  he  knew  as  well,  or  nearly  as  well,  as  he  did  Hebrew,  and 
read  with  rapidity  without  a  lexicon. 

7.  Greek  :    which  he  knew   profoundly  from   a  cliild,  and  wrote  but  did  not 
speak. 

8.  Italian  :  which  he  read  with  the  same  facility  he  did  English,  and  spoke. 
g.  German  :  which  he  knew  jirofoundly  from  his  youth,  and  wrote  and  spoke. 
10.   Si'.'VNiSU  :  which  lie  knew  thoroughly,  and  jjrobably  wrote  and  spoke. 

ir.  French:  which  he  read,  wrote  and  spoke  with  ea^e. 

12.  English  :  which  he  knew  no  less  profoundly  than  familiarly. 

13.  Ethioimc  :   which  he  knew    philoiogically  and  profoundly,  and  could  read 
without  difficulty. 

14.  Chinese:    of  wiiich,  in  its  innumerable  details,  he  had  but   a  smattering, 
but  knew  pretty  well  philologically. 

15.  ROM.'VIC  :  which  he  read  and  wrote  with  ease. 

16.  Portuguese  :    which   he  read  with   case,  but  perhaps  did  not  attempt  to 
speak. 

17.  Danism  :  which  he  says  he  soon  "  read  fluently  with  a  dictionary." 

18.  Turkish  ;  and  19,  Sanscrit  :  which,  soon  after  acquiring  them,  he  said 
were  becoming  quite  familiar,  and  doubtless  became  more  so. 

20.  Polish  :  which  he  read  with  ease,  though  probaldy  with  the  use  of  the  lex- 
icon. 

21.  Malay  :    which  he  began  in  connection  with  Chinese,  and  read  i^robably 
with  a  dictionary. 

22.  Coptic  :  which  he  knew  philologically  and  I  think  profoundly,  and  read, 
though  not  with  ease. 

23.  Swedish  :  which  he  read  with  ease,  at  least  with  the  dictionary. 

24.  Dutch  :  which  he  read  perhaps  with  ease,  and  probably  without  a  diction- 
ary, and  perhaps  learned  to  speak. 

He,  no  doubt,  had  nn  inkling  of  the  nature  and  a  glimpse  of  the  structure  of 
many  others,  which  he  has  not  named,  and  knew  part  of  the  vocabularies  of  others. 

Dr.  Addison  Alexander  was  graduated  at  Nassau  Hall,  in 
[826,  and  spoke  the  valedictory,  having  shared  the  first  honor 
with  McCall  and  Napton.  He  was  then  seventeen  years  old. 
Three  years  after  that  he  became  a  teacher  in  the  high-school 
at  Edgehill,  under  Profe.ssor  Patton,  and  he  resided  with  the 
fiimily  at  the  school.  While  there  he  assisted  Prof.  Patton  in 
editing  Donnegan's  Greek  Lexicon. 

In  1830,  he  was  elected  Adjunct  Professor  of  Ancient  Lan- 


r%^' 


THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY— DR.  ADDISON  ALEXANDER.  36 1 

guages  and  Literature  in  the  college.  He  took  up  his  abode 
within  the  college  walls,  and  continued  there  two  years  and 
upwards.  While  he  was  at  Edgehill  he  experienced  a  change 
in  his  religious  feelings,  and  now  he  had  a  desire  to  enter  the 
ministry.  He  began  to  teach  in  the  seminary  in  1835,  and  was 
licensed  in  1838,  and  was  inaugurated  Professor  September 
24th  of  that  year — and  ordained  sine  titulo,  April  24th,  1839, 
by  the  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick.  The  degree  of  Doctor 
of  Divinity  was  conferred  on  him  by  Rutgers  College. 

Dr.  Alexander  made  several  trips  to  Europe,  When  a 
young  man  he  pursued  his  studies  for  about  two  years  at  the 
Universities  of  Halle  and  at  Berlin.  In  iS5i,he  published  his 
"  Psalms  Translated  and  Explained,"  in  three  volumes.  In 
1857,  "The  Acts  of  the  Apostles  Explained,"  in  one  volume. 
These,  with  his  "  Commentaries  on  Isaiah,"  and  his  "  Essays 
on  Church  Offices,"  were  published  during  his  life;  and  a  vol- 
ume of  Sermons,  and  his  Notes  on  the  Gospel  of  Matthew  were 
published  after  his  death.  He  also  wrote  forty-one  articles  for 
the  Princeton  Review.  He  wrote  incessantly  ;  and  wrote  some 
fine  poetry. 

Dr.  Addison  Alexander  shunned  society.  He  took  an  in- 
terest in  little  children,  but  never  in  young  ladies.  He  seemed 
as  much  as  possible  to  desire  no  intercourse  with  any  class  of 
persons,  unless  absolute  duty  required  it.  He  was  not  a  mis- 
anthropist, but  he  was  a  student  who  desired  to  be  let  alone. 
He  was  full  of  humor  and  kindness  at  home.  He  never  mar- 
ried. He  was  short  and  stout,  but  very  intellectual  in  appear- 
ance— very  striking  in  his  physiognomy.  His  appearance  in- 
dicated that  he  was  no  ordinary  man.  . 

In  the  summer  of  1859,  ^^'^  health  began  to  fail.  His 
brother  James  had  just  died,  and  its  effect  was  depressing  upon 
Addison,  who  had  neglected  the  rules  of  health  all  his  life. 
He  ran  down  rapidly,  and  died  January  28th,  i860,  in  the  old 
Alexander  house,  in  Princeton,  in  the  fifty-second  year  of  his 
age,  in  the  midst  of  his  years.  He  was  buried  in  the  cemetery 
by  the  side  of  his  parents  and  brother,  with  profound  public 
respect  and  amidst  universal  lamentations. 

No  person  better  knew  Dr,  Addison  Alexander  than  his 
colleague,  the  late  Dr,  Charles  Hodge,  and  we  shall  take  leave 


3^2  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETOM. 

of  him  by  inserting  what  Dr.  Hodge  said  of  him  in  a  discourse 
preached  on  reopening  the  Seminary  Chapel,  in  1874.  It  is  as 
follows  : 

I  believe  that  I  was  rash  enout^h  to  say  on  the  floor  of  the  General  Assembly 
of  i860,  that  I  thought  Dr.  Addison  Alexander  tiie  greatest  man  whom  I  had  ever 
seen.  This  was  unwise  ;  both  because  there  are  so  many  different  kinds  of  great- 
ness, and  because  I  was  no  competent  judge.  I  feel  free  to  say  now,  however,  that 
I  never  saw  a  man  who  so  constantly  impressed  me  with  a  sense  of  his  mental 
superiority — with  his  power  to  acquire  knowledge  and  his  power  to  communicate  it. 
He  seemed  able  to  learn  anything  and  to  teach  anything  he  pleased.  And  what- 
ever he  did,  was  done  with  such  ajjparent  ease  as  to  make  the  impression  that  there 
was  in  him  a  reserve  of  strength  which  was  never  called  into  exercise.  'l"he  rapid- 
ity with  which  he  accomplished  his  work  was  marvellous.  The  second  volume  of 
his  Commentary  on  Isaiah,  a  closely  printed  octavo  volume  of  five  hundred  pages, 
with  all  its  erudition,  was  written,  as  I  understand,  during  one  summer  vacation, 
which  he  passed  in  the  city  of  New  York.  Few  literary  achievements  can  be  com- 
pared to  that. 

He  had  two  marked  peculiarities.  One  was  that  although  he  had  apparently 
the  power  to  master  any  subject,  he  could  not  do  what  he  did  not  like.  Jjeing  in 
his  youth  very  precocious,  and  very  much  devoted  to  intellectual  pursuits,  he  needed 
neither  e.xcitement  nor  guidance.  He  was,  therefore,  allowed  to  pass  from  one 
subject  to  another  at  pleasure.  A  habit  of  mind  was  thus  induced  which  rendered 
it  almost  impossible  to  iixhis  attention  on  subjects  which  were  disagreeable  to  him. 
•  There  were  consequently  some  departments  of  knowdedge  of  which  he  was  purposely 
ignorant.  This  was  true  of  psychology,  or  mental  philosophy.  I  never  knew  him 
to  read  a  book  on  that  subject.  He  never  would  converse  about  it.  If,  when 
reading  a  book,  he  came  across  any  philosophical  discussion,  he  Mould  turn  over 
the  leaves  until  he  found  more  congenial  maiter.  When  Dr.  Schaff's  work  on  The 
Apostolic  Age  came  out,  he  was  greatly  delighted  with  it.  The  theory  of  historical 
development  which  it  broached,  he  took  no  notice  of.  He  did  not  even  know  it 
was  there.  When,  therefore,  he  reviewed  the  book,  he  never  adverted  to  one  of  its 
most  marked  characteristics.  The  same  thing  was  true,  in  good  measure,  of  natu- 
ral science,  to  which  he  devoted  veiy  little  attention.  It  was  specially  true  of  physi- 
ology and  hygiene.  It  would  be  hard  to  find  an  educated  man  more  profoundly 
ignorant  of  the  structure  of  the  human  body  or  of  the  functions  of  its  organs.  Hence 
he  was  constantly  violating  the  laws  of  health.  He  was  a  whole  year  seriously  ill 
without  knowing  it ;  and  only  two  or  three  days  before  his  death,  he  said  to  me, 
"  Don't  look  so  sad,  I'm  as  well  as  you  are." 

The  other  peculiarity  referred  to  was  his  impatience  of  routine.  He  could  not 
bear  to  go  over  and  over  the  same  ground,  or  to  attend  long  to  any  one  subject. 
Hence  he  was  constantly  changing  his  subjects  of  study  and  methods  of  instruction. 
He  would  begin  to  write  a  book,  get  it  half  done,  and  then  throw  it  aside.  Or,  he 
would  begin  to  write  on  one  plan,  and  then  change  it  for  another.  He  occupied 
three  different  chairs  in  this  seminary.  He  first  had  the  Old  Testament  depart- 
ment ;  then  Ecclesiastical  History  ;  then  the  Language  and  Literature  of  the  New 
Testament.  The  friends  of  the  seminary  cared  little  what  he  did,  for  whatever  he 
undertook  he  was  sure  to  do  so  grandly  that  every  one  would  be  more  than  satisfied. 


THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY— DR.  ADDISON  ALEXANDER.   363 

As  he  advanced  in  life  these  peculiarilies  became  less  a]:)parent.  lie  was  constant- 
ly getting  his  powers  more  under  liis  own  control.  At  the  time  of  his  death  we  flat- 
tered ourselves  that  he  had  before  him  twenty  or  thirty  years  for  steady  work.  Then 
suddenly  our  great  treasure  ship  went  down — disappearing  under  the  waves — a 
dead  loss — leaving  us,  as  we  then  felt,  utterly  bankrupt. 

The  departments  in  which  he  took  the  most  interest  were  languages,  literature, 
history,  and  above  all,  the  Bible.  His  earliest  reputation  was  as  a  linguist.  It  was 
known  that  he  had  wilhout,  any  instruction  made  himself  so  familiar  wiih  Arabic 
that  he  had  read  the  Koran  through  before  he  was  fourteen.  In  the  same  way  he 
learned  Persic,  and  while  but  a  lad  delighted  in  reading  the  Persian  poets.  He 
then  learned  Hebrew,  Chaldee  and  Syriac.  He  kept  up  his  familiarity  with  the 
Creek  and  Latin  classics  through  life.  He  read  all  the  modern  languages  of  Eu- 
rope, unless  the  Sclavonic  dialects  be  excepted.  His  object  in  these  studies  was 
not  simply  the  vocabulary  and  grammar  of  these  languages,  but  their  mutual  rela- 
tions, and  specially  the  literary  treasures  which  they  contained.  He  was  specially 
master  of  his  own  tongue.  He  had  read  all  the  leading  Knglish  authors  of  every 
age.  His  style  was  a  model  of  precision,  perspicuity,  felicity  of  expression,  purity 
and  force.  His  command  of  language  did  not  seem  to  have  any  limit.  He  could 
speak  in  correct  and  polished  English  as  easily  as  he  could  breathe.  Extempore 
speaking  is  an  every  day  matter.  But  I  have  known  Dr.  Addison  to  come  into  this 
chapel,  without  having  committed  or  written  his  sermon,  and  read  it  off  from  blank 
paper  from  beginning  to  end  without  hesitation  or  correction.  He  was  constantly 
doing  such  things,  which  made  those  around  him  think  he  could  do  whatever  he 
pleased. 

As  to  his  qualifications  as  a  theological  professor,  the  first  in  importance  was 
his  sincere  and  humble  piety.  Religion,  however,  even  when  genuine,  assumes  dif- 
ferent forms  in  different  persons.  Some  men  it  impels  to  live  before  the  public  as 
well  as  for  the  public.  In  others  it  leads  rather  to  self-culture  and  intercourse  with 
God.  Dr.  Addison's  life  was  in  a  great  measure  hidden.  He  never  ajipeared  in 
church  courts  or  in  religious  conventions.  But  although  he  lived  very  much  by 
himself,  he  did  not  live  for  himself.  All  his  powers  were  devoted  to  the  .service  of 
Christ,  as  writer,  teacher  and  minister  of  the  gospel.  His  temper  was  naturally 
irritable  ;  but  if  it  ever  got  the  better  of  him  in  the  class-room,  the  next  prayer  he 
oflered  in  the  oratory  was  sure  to  manifest  how  sincerely  he  repented.  The  stu- 
dents, on  leaving  the  prayer-room,  would  sometimes  ask  each  other,  What  has  Dr. 
Addison  been  doing  for  which  he  is  so  sorry? 

Thd  second  great  qualification  for  his  ofiTice  was  his  firm  faith  in  the  Bible  and 
his  reverence  for  it  as  the  word  of  God.  He  believed  in  it  just  as  he  believed  in 
the  solar  system.  He  could  not  help  believing.  He  saw  so  clearly  its  grandeur  as 
a  whole,  and  the  harmonious  nature  of  its  several  parts,  that  he  could  no  more  be- 
lieve the  Bible  to  be  a  human  production  than  he  could  believe  that  man  made  the 
planets.  He  never  seemed  to  have  any  doubts  or  difficulty  on  the  suliject.  Al- 
though perfectly  familiar  with  the  writings  of  the  German  rationalists  and  sceptics 
from  Ernesti  to  Baur  and  Strauss,  they  affected  him  no  more  than  the  eagle  is  af- 
fected by  the  dew  ou  his  plumage  as  he  soars  near  the  sun.  The  man  who  studies 
the  Bible  as  he  studied  it,  in  the  organic  relation  of  its  several  parts,  comes  to  see 
that  it  can  no  more  be  a  collection  of  the  independent  writings  of  uninspired  men, 
than  the  human  body  is  a  hap-hazard  combination  of  limbs  and  organs.  It  was  in 
this  light  that  he  presented  it  to  his  students,  who  were  accustomed  to  say  that  he 


3^4  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

glorified  the  Bible  to  them,  that  is,  he  enal^led  them  to  see  its  glory,  and  thus  con- 
firmed their  faith  and  increased  their  reverence. 

Another  of  his  distinguishing  gifts  as  a  professor  was  his  ability  as  a  teacher. 
The  clearness,  rapidity  and  force  with  which  he  comnuinicated  his  ideas  aroused 
and  sustained  attention  ;  and  the  precision  and  variety  of  his  questions,  in  the  sub- 
sequent catechetical  exercise  on  the  subject  of  the  lecture,  drew  out  from  tlie  student 
everything  he  knew,  and  made  him  understand  himself  and  the  matter  in  hand. 
Students  from  all  the  classes  often  crowded  his  lecture-room,  which  they  left  draw- 
ing a  long  breath  as  a  relief  from  overstrained  attention,  but  with  their  minds  ex- 
panded and  invigorated. 

As  a  preacher,  his  sermons  were  always  instructive  and  often  magnificent.  He 
would  draw  from  a  passage  of  Scripture  more  than  you  ever  imagined  it  contained  ■ 
show  how  many  rays  concentrated  at  that  point  ;  and  how  the  truth  there  presented 
was  related  to  the  other  great  truths  of  the  Bible.  This  was  not  so  much  an  exhi- 
bition of  the  philosophical  or  logical  relation  of  the  doctrine  in  hand  with  other 
doctrines,  as  showing  the  place  which  the  truth  or  fact  in  hand  held  in  the  great 
scheme  of  Scripture  revelation.  Thus  in  his  sermon  on  the  words  of  Paul  to  the 
Jews  at  Rome,  "  Be  it  known  unto  you,  that  the  Gospel  of  God  is  sent  unto  the 
Gentiles,  and  they  will  hear  it  ;"  he  showed  that  every  thing  Moses  and  the  Proph- 
ets had  taught  culminated  in  the  proclamation  of  the  religion  of  the  Bible  as  the 
•  religion  of  the  world.  At  times  he  gave  his  imagination  full  play;  and  then  he 
would  rise  in  spiral  curves,  higher  and  higher,  till  lost  to  sight,  leaving  his  hearers 
gazing  up  into  heaven,  of  which  they  felt  they  then  saw  more  than  they  had  ever 
seen  before.  These  three  men.  Dr.  Archibald  Alexander,  Dr.  Samuel  Miller,  and 
Dr.  Addison  Alexander  are  our  galaxy.  They  are  like  the  three  stars  in  the  belt  of 
Orion,  still  shining  upon  us  from  on  high.  Their  lustre  can  never  be  dimmed  by 
the  exhalations  of  the  earth. 

V.    Rev.  John  Breckinridge,  D.  D. 

John  Breckinridge  was  a  son  of  the  Hon.  John  Breckinridge, 
Senator  and  Attorney-General  of  the  United  States,  under  the 
administration  of  President  Jefferson.  He  was  born  at  Cabell's 
Dale,  in  Kentucky,  on  the  4th  of  July,  1797.  The  family  had 
been  Presbyterian  from  the  time  of  the  Reformation,  and,  du- 
ring the  Protectorate  of  Oliver  Cromwell,  removed  from  Scot- 
land to  the  north  of  Ireland,  whence  they  emigrated  to  Penn- 
sylvania, and  subsequently  removed  to  Virginia,  and  finally  to 
Kentucky.  He  was  sent  to  Princeton  College  with  a  view  of 
being  trained  for  the  bar  ;  he  was  graduated  in  1S18— having 
entered  in  18 14,  the  year  of  the  revival.  Instead  of  the  law, 
he  studied  theology,  in  the  seminary  at  Princeton,  while  em- 
ployed as  tutor  in  college.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  in  1822, 
by  the  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick,  while  a  member  of  the 
Princeton  church.     He  had  intended  to  go  as  a  missionary  to 


/z.^o     ^^"^  c^'^^  '^^^  ^^  -  ^7 


•  V- 


THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY— DR.  BRECKINRIDGE.         365 

a  foreign  field,  but  pending  the  preparation  for  such  mission, 
he  was  offered  the  chaplaincy  to  Congress,  which  he  accepted. 

On  the  23d  of  January,  1823,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mar- 
garet Miller,  the  eldest  daughter  of  Dr.  Samuel  Miller,  who  had 
pledged  herself  to  go  with  him  wherever  the  providence  of  God 
should  direct.  He  accepted  a  call  to  a  Presbyterian  church  in 
Lexington,  Kentucky;  and  in  1826  he  was  installed  pastor  of 
the  Second  Presbyterian  church  in  Baltimore.  In  1831,  he  was 
elected  Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  Presbyterian  Board  of 
Education  ;  and  he  labored  with  great  success  in  building  up 
that  board.  His  presentation  of  the  subject  drew  crowds  of 
people  to  hear  him  ;  and  it  has  been  written  that  "  no  preacher 
ever  before  or  since  had  such  a  controlling  influence  upon  the 
American  people." 

In  1S32,  he  entered  into  a  controversy  with  the  Rev.  John 
Hughes,  a  Roman  Catholic  clergj-man  of  much  ability.  The 
debate  and  discussion  formed  a  volume,  which  was  published 
shortly  after. 

In  1835,  the  General  Assembly  elected  him  Professor  of 
Pastoral  Theology  in  Princeton  Seminary  ;  and  Union  College 
conferred  on  him  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity.  He  now 
resigned  the  Secretaryship  of  the  lioard,  having  accomplished 
his  work  very  successfully. 

He  was  inaugurated  Professor  on  the  5th  of  next  May,  and 
divided  his  time  between  his  official  duties  and  an  agency  to 
raise  funds  for  the  better  endowment  of  the  seminary.  Dr. 
Hodge  said  that  Dr.  Breckinridge  and  Dr.  James  Ale.xander  did 
not  belong  to  the  seminary,  but  were  lent  to  it.  After  eighteen 
months  in  Princeton  he  labored  for  the  Board  of  Foreign  Mis- 
sions, and  resigned  his  professorship.  His  wife's  health  failed, 
and  she  died  in  Princeton,  June  i6th,  1838.  In  1S39,  he  re- 
ceived a  call  to  the  First  Presbyterian  church  in  New  Orleans. 
He  did  not  accept  it — but  supplied  the  pulpit  for  a  winter.  In 
the  year  1840,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Ann  Babcock, 
daughter  of  Col.  Babcock,  of  Stonington,  Connecticut.  His 
health  failed,  and  he  died  at  his  mother's,  in  Kentucky,  August 
4th,  1 841,  in  the  45th  year  of  his  age. 

Dr.  Breckinridge  was  well  fitted  for  the  chair  of  Pastoral 
Theology,  and  was    able    to    magnetize  the  students  with   a 


3^6  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

heroic  devotion  to  the  Gospel  ministry.  He  Is  remembered  for 
his  warm  and  genial  nature — for  his  personal  courage  and  cler- 
ical dignity— for  his  self-sacrificing  piety,  and  gentle  nobility  of 
heart.  He  was  tall  and  fine-looking,  spirited  yet  courteous. 
He  was  a  leader  of  the  church  in  its  conflicts.  He  was  proud 
of  calling  himself  a  Kentuckian,  and  Dr.  Hodge  said  "that  his 
State  had  as  much  reason  to  be  proud  of  him  as  he  was  of  his 
State.''  He  made  everybody  his  friend  whom  he  met.  As  a 
preacher,  he  was  unequal,  but  as  a  general  thing,  always 
speaking  without  notes,  he  was  eloquent,  and  carried  his  audi- 
ence captive  at  his  will. 

He  was  a  brother  of  the  late  Rev.  Drs.  William  L.  Breckin- 
ridge, and  Robert  J.  Breckinridge,  of  Kentucky,  famous  in  the 
church  and  in  the  country. 

He  left  surviving  him,  three  children  by  his  first  wife,  Mar- 
garet Miller,  viz. ;  the  Hon.  Samuel  M.  Breckinridge,  of  St. 
Louis  ;  Mary  (Polly),  who  was  married  to  the  late  Col.  Peter 
A.  Porter,  of  Niagara  P'alls,  and  is  deceased,  leaving  one  son, 
Peter  Porter  ;  and  Margaret,  who  has  been  prominently  men- 
tioned in  connection  with  the  late  civil  war,  and  who  died  un- 
married, in  1864.  By  his  second  wife,  who  is  now  living  at 
Stonington,  Connecticut,  he  had  one  child,  Agatha  Breckin- 
ridge, still  living  with  her  mother. 

Dr.  Breckinridge's  publications  were  but  few — a  few  articles 
for  the  Princeton  Rcviexv ;  his  Debate  with  Bishop  Hughes, 
and  a  Memoir  of  his  deceased  wife. 


VI.    Rev.  James  W.  Alexander,  D.  D. 

James  Waddel  Alexander,  the  eldest  son  of  Rev.  Dr.  Ar- 
chibald Alexander,  was  born  in  Virginia,  on  the  13th  of  March, 
1804,  his  father  then  being  president  of  Hampden  Sidney  ■Col- 
lege. In  1812,  he  came  with  his  father's  family  from  Philadel- 
phia to  Princeton,  and  received  instruction  in  the  Princeton 
Academy,  successively  under  masters  Fyler.Carnahan,  Comfort, 
Hamilton,  and  private  tutors.  He  entered  freshman  in  college 
in  the  spring  of  1817,  being  thirteen  years  of  age.  He  had 
among  his  classmates  young  men  who  became  distinguished, 


THEOLOGICAL  SEMLNARY—DR.   J  AS.  ALEXAiVDER.       367 

such  as  Governor  Crawford  of  Georgia,  President  Finley,  of  the 
College  of  South  Carolina,  Chancellor  Green  of  New  Jersey,  Dr. 
Edward  N.  Kirk  of  Boston,  and  others.  He  graduated  in  1820  ; 
and  in  1821  he  made  a  public  profession  of  religion  b)- joining 
the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Princeton — having  experienced  a 
change  of  heart,  which  led  to  a  reformation  of  life.  In  1822, 
he  entered  the  Theological  Seminary  as  a  student,  and  also 
was  employed  as  tutor  in  college.  He  was  licensed  on  the  4th 
of  October,  1825,  and  in  1827  he  was  installed  pastor  of  the 
Charlotte  Court  House  church,  in  Virginia,  but  the  climate 
there  compelled  him  to  return  to  Princeton  in  1828.  He  then 
became  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Trenton,  N.  J., 
and  remained  there  till  the  close  of  1832.  This  was  to  him  a 
pleasant  pastorate,  and  he  was  greatly  beloved  by  his  people. 
His  health  was  always  delicate.  In  1833,  he  accepted  the  Pro- 
fessorship of  Rhetoric  and  Belles-Lettres  in  Princeton  College, 
and  this  chair  he  occupied  till  1844.  Here  he  was  surrounded 
by  the  seminary  professors,  and  with  Professors  Maclean,  Dod, 
Henry,  Carnahan,  Topping,  Torrey,  Hart,  S.  Alexander,  and 
others.  Everything  in  his  circumstances  favored  his  intellect- 
ual and  social  enjoyment. 

Dr.  Alexander  preached  and  wrote  without  intermission 
when  he  had  strength  to  do  so.  Fie  preached  in  the  college 
chapel,  in  the  Witherspoon  Street  church  for  the  colored  peo- 
ple, and  frequently  for  Dr.  Rice  and  in  neighboring  churches 
when  called  upon.  He  wrote  for  the  Repertory,  and  for  the 
Sunday  School  Union,  and  for  the  Presbyterian.  He  gave  to 
the  public  volume  after  volume  for  Sunday  schools  ;  and  such 
books  as  "  The  American  Mechanic  ;"  "  Good,  Better,  Best," 
which  was  reprinted  in  London  ;  "  The  Scripture  Guide,"  were 
early  published  by  him.  He  always  delighted  in  pastoral 
duties. 

In  1844,  his  health  having  become  improved,  he  accepted  a 
call  from  the  Duane  Street  Presbyterian  church  in  New  York. 
Here  a  field  was  opened  to  him  which  he  filled  most  acceptably. 
His  soul  groaned  under  the  pressure  of  the  varied  circumstances 
that  surrounded  him  and  appealed  to  him  to  raise  his  voice  for 
the  neglected  classes  and  objects  of  misery  in  that  great  city. 
His  tender  humanity  was  touched  by  the  many  phases  of  city 


368  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

life ;  and  Dr.  Alexander  was  so  laden  with  piety,  learning, 
and  eloquence,  as  to  be  able  to  take  his  stand  in  the  fore- 
most rank  as  a  preacher  and  Christian  leader.  He  remained  in 
this  important  andjaborious  field  till  1849.  During  this  period 
he  published  "  A  Manual  of  Devotion  for  Soldiers  and  Sailors  ;" 
"  Prayers  and  Hymns,  etc.,  for  the  Blind  ;"  "  Frank  Harper,  or 
the  Country  Boy  in  Town  ;"  "  Thoughts  on  Family  Worship." 
His  pen  was  never  unemployed;  his  time  never  wasted.  As 
was  anticipated,  his  health  demanded  a  change  and  relief  for 
him. 

Dr.  Miller  having  been  relieved  from  the  duties  of  the  chair 
of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Church  Government  in  the  Semi- 
nary at  Princeton,  the  General  Assembly  elected  Dr.  James  \V. 
Alexander  to  succeed  him  in  that  chair ;  and  he  accepted  the 
appointment,  though  with  hesitation,  and  was  inaugurated  in 
1849,  ^'''^^  removed  to  Princeton. 

The  change  from  his  city  pastorate  to  the  sedentary  position 
in  a  seminary  professorsliip  was  great,  and  he  wrote  to  a  friend, 
"  I  foresaw  the  evils  I  begin  to  feel :  but  they  distress  me  more 
than  I  reckoned  for.  I  miss  my  old  women  ;  and  especially 
my  weekly  catechumens,  my  sick  rooms,  my  rapid  walks,  my 
nights  of  downright  fatigue."  He  served  the  seminary  to  the 
close  of  April,  1851,  and  then  took  a  voyage  to  Europe.  He 
resigned  his  professorship  in  the  seminary  and  returned  to  his 
former  congregation  in  New  York,  which  had  now  decided  to 
build  a  new  church  edifice  up  town  in  Fifth  Avenue,  on  condi- 
tion that  Dr.  Alexander  would  return  to  the  pastorate.  He 
did  so  ;  and  in  less  than  a  month  after  it  was  opened,  all  the 
pews  were  rented,  and  the  cost  of  the  building  and  grouiid, 
over  $100,000,  was  paid  for.  He  introduced  tlic  old  practice  of 
congregational  singing,  by  the  employment  of  a  precentor, 
standing  near  the  pulpit,  aided  only  by  the  organ.  He  pub- 
lished *•  Plain  Words  to  a  Young  Communicant,"  "  The  Mer- 
chant's Clerk,"  "  The  American  Sunday  School  Union,"  "  Con- 
solations." He  also  published,  in  1854,  the  liiography  of  his 
father,  and  in  1858,  "  Discourses  on  Common  Topics  of  Chris- 
tian Faith  and  Practice." 

Dr.  Alexander  was  a  regular  and  constant  contributor  to 
the  Princeton  Repertory  and  Revieiv,  from  1S30  to  1859.     ^'^" 


8^r 


THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY— DR.  J  AS.  ALEXANDER.       369 

deed  he  began  to  write  for  it  when  it  was  first  issued.  He 
wrote  one  hundred  and  one  articles  for  it — more  than  any  other 
person  except  Dr.  Hodge,  the  editor;  and  they  were  of  the 
highest  character  for  versatility  of  learning  and  genius.  As  a 
finished  and  elegant  writer,  Dr.  James  W.  Alexander  hardly 
had  an  equal.  His  high  scholarly  culture  and  extraordinauy 
intellect  were  stamped  on  everything  which  came  from  his 
pen,  or  was  heaid  from  his  lips.  His  sermons  were  rare  for 
their  high  finish  and  scholarly  preparation,  j^et  they  were  direct, 
pungent,  and  persuasive.  He  was  the  most  popular  and  at- 
tractive as  a  preacher,  of  all  the  Alexanders,  and  tliat  is  saying 
very  much.  His  prayers  were  so  full  of  unction,  and  so  com- 
prehensive, and  were  offered  in  such  a  solemn,  earnest,  plain- 
tive tone,  that  they  excited  in  tlie  hearts  of  his  hearers  the. 
highest  devotion.  He  read  his  sermons,  but  Vsath  no  restraint. 
No  one  ever  objected  to  hear  Dr.  James  W.  Alexander  preach 
because  he  preached  written  sermons.  He  was  handsome  in 
person — of  ordinary  size,  and  eminently  clerical  in  dress  and 
manner. 

His  presence  at  th.e  seminary,  lii:e  that  of  Dr.  Breckinridge, 
was  of  great  value  to  the  studeiUs.  But  the  chair  was  not  the 
place  for  him,  though  he  could  fill  it  admirably.  His  heari 
yearned  for  pastoral  work — for  contact  with  the  world — for  the 
delightful  work  of  bringing  the  Gospel  to  bear  on  the  ills  (^{ 
life.  He  was  a  more  practical  man  than  his  brother;  yet  not 
so  simple,  and  original  as  his  father.  But  comparisons  may  be 
spared  ;  for  each  had  a  throne  of  his  own.  They  were  all  re- 
markable and  rare  men,  in  talent,  in  culture,  in  piety,  and  in 
liistory  ;  and  they  have  contributed  more  to  the  literature  of 
Princeton  than  any  other  fami]}'. 

In  1857,  his  health  again  failed,  and  he  made  a  second  voy- 
age to  Europe  witli  his  family — absent  for  about  thice  months. 
In  the  )'car  1859  he  "'•^'•'^s  so  unwell  as  to  be  scarce!}-  able  to  bear 
the  journey  to  the  Red  Sv/eet  Springs  of  Virginia,  but  he  un- 
dertook it.  and  after  being  there  about  a  month,  lie  died,  on 
Sabbath,  July  31,  1859.  >Ie  was  buried  in  ]^rinceton,  by  the 
side  of  his  parents,  on  the  3d  of  August,  froni  tiic  l^rst  Church. 
Dr.  Hodge  preached  his  mcmori;il  sermon,  and  numerous  mem- 
bers and  officers  of  his  church  in  New  York  attended  liis  inter- 


370  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

ment,  and  mingled   their  tears  with   those   of  his   f:imily  and 

friends. 

Dr.  Alexander  was  married  June  i8th,  1830,  to  Miss  Eliza- 
beth C.  Cabell,  daughter  of  George  Cabell,  M.  D.,  of  Virginia, 
and  she  and  her  three  children,  Henry  C,  James,  and  William 
Alexander,  who  survived  their  father,  are  still  living.  Two  or 
more  of  their  children  died  in  infancy.  The  eldest  son,  the 
Rev.  Henry  C.  Alexander,  D.  D.,  is  Professor  in  the  Union 
Theological  Seminary  in  Virginia,  and  the  other  two  sons  are  in 
business  in  New  York. 

There  has  been  no  biography  of  Dr.  James  W.  Alexander 
written   except  (what  may  be  regarded  such)  two  volumes  of 
his  letters,  addres.  ed  to  his  friend.  Rev.  Dr.  John  Hall,  of  Tren- 
ton, published  since  his  death,  entitled  "  Forty  Years'  Familiar 
Letters."      The   correspondence  between  these    two  life-long 
friends  began  in  May,  18 19,  and  continued  till  Dr.  Alexander's 
death,  in  1859,  just  forty  years.     And  as  a  biography  these  let- 
ters are  worth  more  than  any  memoir  could   be  without  them. 
That  man  must  be  faultless  who  does  not  betray  in  his  private 
and  confidential  correspondence  with  a  tried  friend,  some  un- 
charitable,censorious,  disparaging  reflections  upon  his  neighbors 
and  brethren,  which  he  would  not  breathe  in  public.    The  pub- 
lication of  some  of  these  letters  in  which  injurious  things  were 
said  of    some  persons    living — and    which    showed  a    vein  of 
satire    in    such    a    lovely    character   as     that    which    Dr.   Al- 
exander was  supposed   to  have,  was  at  first  deeply  regretted. 
A  cynical  rather  than  a  Christian  spirit  was  disclosed  now  and 
then  in  the  author  ;  and  personal   friendship  felt  wounded  by 
the  unexpected   arrows  that  were  occasionally  shot  out  from 
sacred  privacy.     But  after  all  that  these  letters  reveal  prejudi- 
cial to  the  writer,  the  great  preponderance  of  splendid  worth— 
of  deep  personal    piety — of  versatile  learning — of  marvellous 
industry — of  quickened  intellect — of  ministerial  zeal — of  Chris- 
tian liberality — of  domestic  affection — of  linguistic  attainments- 
—  of  pure  English — and   of  the   finest   culture — exhibited   on 
every  page  of  these  volumes,  more   than   atones   for   the  sup- 
posed harm  done. 

The  literary  world  may  be  challenged  to  produce  any  cor- 
respondence— any  familiar  letter-writing  equal  to  this.     That 


THEOLOGICAL    SEMINARY— PRESENT  FACULTY.         3/1 

any  gentleman  could  almost  daily  in  every  variety  of  circum- 
stances— in  sickness  and  health — in  joy  and  sorrow — in  city  and 
country — at  home — at  sea,  or  in  foreign  lands — in  pastorates 
and  in  professorships — snatch  his  facile  pen  and  dash  off  such 
classic  gems  as  this  correspondence  discloses,  is  wonderful  in 
the  extreme.  Time  will  add  to  the  fame  and  worth  of  these 
letters.  The  wit  and  humor — the  brilliant  sallies  of  genius — 
the  sound  and  sensible  sentiments — the  tender  commendation, 
and  the  caustic  reproof — which  characterize  nearly  every  page, 
will  not  allow  this  correspondence  or  its  author  to  be  laid  aside 
and  forgotten.  It  is  a  Memoir  of  Dr.  James  W.  Alexander, 
and  written  by  himself — without  being  conscious  of  it. 

This  closes  our  notice  of  the  six  deceased  Professors  of  the 
Princeton  Theological  Seminary.  Mural  tablets  to  their 
memory  are  being  placed  in  the  chapel  by  the  Alumni. 


SECTION  V. 
Present  Faculty  and  Officers. 

To  be  the  successors  of  those  eminent  professors,  who  were 
connected  with  this  seminary  in  its  formative  state,  is  no  light 
responsibility.  The  eyes  of  the  church  are  now  withdrawn 
from  the  dead  and  nxed  upon  the  living  who  occupy  their  va- 
cant chairs. 

There  is  now  in  the  seminary  a  greater  division  of  labor  and 
a  more  extended  field  of  study.  The  present  professors  and 
students  are  surrounded  with  everything  profuse  and  luxurious 
in  what  is  material  and  helpful.  The  present  Faculty  is  as 
follows  : 

Alexander  T.  McGill,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  Professor  of  Ecclesiastical,  Homiletic, 
and  Pastoral  Theology. 

William  Henry  Green,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  Professor  of  Oriental  and  Old  Testa- 
ment Literature. 

James  C.  Moffat,  D.D.,  Helena  Professor  of  Church  History. 

Caspar  Wistar  Hodge,  D.D.,  Professor  of  New  Testament  Literature  and 
Biblical  Greek. 

Chaui.es  a.  Aiken,  D.D.,  Archibald  Alexander  Professor  of  Christian  Ethics 
and  Apologetics. 

AuciUHAi.i)  Alexander  Hoiv^e,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  Charles  Hodge  Professor  of 
Exegetical,  Didactic  and  Polemic  Theology. 


372  HISTORY   OF  PRINCETON: 

Tames  F.  McCurdy  A.M.,  J.  C.  Green    Instructor  in  Hebrew  and  other  Orien- 
tal Languages. 

HiiNKY  W.  Smith,  Professor  of  Elocution. 
Rev.  William  H.  Roberts,  Librarian. 

The  chair  of  Theology,  which  has  been  filled  from  the  first 
year  of  the  seminary  with  such  eminent  teachers,  is  now  occu- 
pied by  Dr.  Archibald  A.  Hodge,  son  of  Dr.  Charles  Hodge, 
deceased,  and  he  has  experience  and  reputation  in  that  depart- 
ment of  the  seminary  course  of  study. 

Church  Government  is  taught  by  Dr.  McGill,  who  is  a  High 
Church  Presbyterian,  teaching  what  Dr.  Miller  taught  in  that 
chair,  and  has  had  long  experience  as  a  theological  professor  ; 
and  he  is  admitted",  to  be  familiar  with  church  order  and  the 
procedure  of  ecclesiastical  courts. 

Professor    Green    is    widely    known    as  a  superior    Hebrew 
scholar  and  Orientalist. 

Professor  C.  Wistar  Hodge,  a  younger  son  of  Dr.  Charles 
Hodge,  is  conceded  to  be  a  proficient  in  New  Testament  Lit- 
erature. 

Dr.  Moffat  has  been,  for  many  years,  a  close  student  of  His- 
tory, and  has  long  been  known  throughout  the  church  as  a 
professor  in  several  different  institutions,  and  is  well  furnished 
by  study  for  his  present  chair. 

Dr.  Aiken,  well  known  as  a  good  linguist,  has  not  yet  had 
time  to  develop  the  new  chair  of  Christian  Ethics  and  Apol- 
ogetics. 

Professor  McCurdy  is  young,  but  has  the  reputation  of  be- 
ing an  excellent  teacher  of  Hebrew  and  other  ancient  lan- 
guages. 

These  living  professors  now  hold,  in  great  measure,  the  high 
reputation  of  the  theological  seminary  in  their  keeping. 

Board  of  Trustees. 

Samuel  H.  Pennington,  M.D.,  President Newark,  N.  J. 

Lyman  H.  Atwater,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  Vice-President Princeton,  N.  J. 

George  Hale,  D.D.,  Secretary Pennington,  N.  J. 

Jacob  D.  Vermilye.  Esq.,  Treasurer    New  York. 

James  Lenox,  LL.D New  York. 

Robert  L.  Stuart,  Esq New  York. 

John  F.  Hageman,  Esq Princeton,  N.  J. 


THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY— BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES.       373 

Samuel  II.  Pennington,  M.  D Newark,  N.  J. 

Daniel  Price,  Esq Newark,  N.  J. 

John  Hall,  D.D Tienton,  N.  J. 

Lyman  II.  Ai water,  D.D.,  LL.D Princeton,  N.  J. 

Hon.  EiJWARD  W.  ScuDDER Tienton,  N.  J. 

George  Hale,  D.D Pennington,  N.  J. 

Samuel  M.  Hamill,  D.D Lawrenceviile,  N.J. 

Robert  L.  Kennedy,  Esq New  York. 

Samuel  D.  Alexander,  D.D New  York. 

Abraham  Gosman,  D.D. Lawrenceviile,  N.  J. 

Jacob  D.  Vermilye,  Esq New  York. 

Rev.  Matthew  Newkirk Philadelphia. 

John  D.  Wells,  D.D , Brooklyn,  E.D.  N.Y. 

Levi  P.  Stone,  Esq Orange,  N.  J. 

Caleb  S.  Green,  Esq Trenton,  N.  J. 

D.  M.  Halliday,  D.D.  r, . .    Princeton,  N.  J. 

"William  Lichey,  Esq New  York. 

Charles  E.  Green,  Esq Trenton,  N.  J. 

Chas.  C.  Niebl'hr,  Assistant  Treasurer  and  Superin- 
tendent of  Grounds  and  Buildings Princeton,  N.  J. 

The  Board  of  Directors,  the  real  managers  of  the  semi- 
nary, and  the  immediate  representatives  of  the  General  Assem_ 
bly,  is  yearly  undergoing  a  change  by  election.  Usually  the 
most  prominent  ministers  and  elders  are  appointed  to  this 
Board.  The  officers  of  the  present  Board  are  the  Rev.  Dr. 
William  D.  Snodgrass,  President  ;  Rev.  Dr.  Musgrave,  first 
Vice-president  ;  Rev.  Dr.  John  C.  Backus,  second  Vice-presi- 
dent ;   Rev.  Dr.  W.  E.  Schenck,  Secretary. 

The  Stewards  were  Peter  Bogart,  Jacob  W.  Lane,  Col. 
Wm.  R.  Murphy  and  Daniel  Bowne.  Of  late  years  the  refec- 
tory has  been  hired  out  by  the  year,  to  make  the  best  arrange- 
ment possible  for  cheap  board. 

There  is  an  Alumni  ASSOCIATION  of  the  seminary  organ- 
ized, which  holds  annual  meetings  at  Princeton,  when  the  mem- 
bers renew  their  devotion  to  the  seminary.  The  Rev.  S.  Ire- 
HiEus  Prime,  D.  D.,  is  President,  Rev.  Dr.  W.  E.  Schenck  is  Sec- 
retary, and  Rev.  Wm.  Harris  is  Treasurer.  A  necrological  re- 
port is  annually  submitted.  It  has  already  been  stated  that 
the  number  of  graduates  at  the  seminary  exceeds  three  thou- 
sand. 


374  HISTORY  OF  PKINCETOA'. 

SECTION  VI. 

Liberal  Benefactors. 

The  Presbyterian  Church  contains  wealth  and  liberality. 
The  donations  made  by  particular  congregations,  and  by  par- 
ticular members  of  churches,  both  male  and  female,  for  the 
establishment  of  scholarships  and  for  the  permanent  endow- 
ment of  professorships,  indicate  the  interest  felt  not  only  by 
the  donors  but  by  the  whole  church,  in  the  prosperity  and  use- 
fulness of  the  seminary.  The  list  of  scholarships  discloses  the 
names  of  many  of  che  liberal  friends  of  the  institution  who 
have  given  money  to  it. 

Yet  there  are  a  few  princely  benefactors  whose  gifts  have 
placed  the  seminary  almost  beyond  want.  The  valuable  and 
costly  new  buildings,  the  increased  number  of  professors,  and 
the  assured  stability  of  the  endowments,  could  not  have  been 
so  soon  realized  by  the  numerous  small  contributions  made  by 
legacies  or  subscriptions  gathered  up  among  the  mass  of  Pres- 
byterians. 

Modesty  is  the  characteristic  of  genuine  liberality,  and  it  is 
especially  so  with  the  munificent  benefactors  of  Princeton.  We 
hardly  dare  to  name  James  Lenox,  John  C.  Green,  Robert  L. 
and  Alexander  Stuart,  ISIrs.  George  Brown,  and  Levi  P.  Stone, 
because  they  will  scarcely  allow  their  names  to  be  published 
when  they  give  from  thirty  to  a  hundred  thousand  dollars  at  a 
time  to  the  seminary.  It  is  as  much  as  pressure  can  do  to  get 
them  to  allow  their  names  to  designate  the  costly  structures 
they  erect,  or  the  immense  Funds  they  establish.    . 

Without  pretending  to  be  accurate,  we  estimate  the  gifts 
of  James  Lenox,  R.  L.  and  A.  Stuart,  and  John  C.  Green,  to 
the  seminary,  in  real  estate  and  money,  at  upwards  of  half  a 
million  dollars,  and  the  amounts  of  the  three  parts  have  been 
about  equal.  Mr.  Lenox  was  one  of  the  earliest  and  has  been 
the  most  steadfast  of  the  liberal  benefactors  of  this  seminary. 
He  is  still  pouring  out  his  treasures  upon  it.  The  Messrs.  Stu- 
art have  come  more  recently  with  their  great  gifts,  but  their 
love  waxes  warmer  and  warmer  as  they  give. 


THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY— LIBERAL  BENEFACTORS.    375 

We  have  no  more  space  to  give  to  this  chapter.  This  short 
history  of  the  Princeton  Theological  Seminary  must  suffice. 
Though  this  institution  is  the  oldest  of  the  kind  in  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  it  has  several  rivals  competing  with  it  for  the 
privilege  of  educating  candidates  for  the  ministry.  Princeton 
strong,  venerable,  endowed,  will  gladly  take  all  who  come  to 
her;  but  she  will  not  envy  the  prosperity  of  other  seminaries, 
for  they  are,  in  a  sense,  her  own  offspring.  No  seminary  can 
be  more  pleasantly  and  favorably  situated  for  the  pursuit  of 
theological  studies  than  Princeton.  Its  rural  quiet  for  study — 
its  access  to  a  hundred  thousand  volumes  of  books  in  the  sev- 
eral libraries  in  the  place — its  availability  of  college  lectures, 
and  the  advantages  cf  a  large  society  of  eminent  men — its  am- 
ple provisions  for  the  comfort  and  culture  of  students — and  the 
prestige  of  Princeton  theology,  make  it  the  most  attractive  of 
all  theological  schools  in  this  country. 

This  Princeton  school  is  eminently  conservative — conserva- 
tive of  Calvinistic  theology — rigidly  conservative  of  the  Con- 
fession of  Faith  and  the  Westminster  Catechism  and  the  doc- 
trines formulated  on  such  a  basis,  and  as  now  held  by  the 
General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  the  United 
States  of  America.  It  has  committed  itself  to  "  stand,  and  hav- 
ing done  all  to  stand.''  "  It  has  no  new  theories.  It  is  content 
with  the  faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints.  Its  theological 
method  is  very  simple.  The  Bible  is  the  Word  of  God.  That 
is  to  be  assumed  or  proved.  If  granted  ;  then  it  follows  that 
what  the  Bible  says,  God  says.  That  ends  the  matter."  Such 
was  the  language  of  Dr.  Hodge  at  his  semi-centennial  anniver- 
sary, in  1872,  when  illustrating  the  teachings  of  Dr.  Alexander 
and  Dr.  Miller,  and  he  added  these  words:  "  I  am  not  afraid 
to  say  that  a  new  idea  never  originated  in  this  seminary."  * 

Princeton  then  is  eminently  the  place  for  those  young  men 
who  are  satisfied  with  what  the  church  has  formulated  and 
settled  as  the  true  doctrine  of  the  Bible,  with  an  assurance  of 
infallibility  in  the  human  language  and  thought  employed  in 
expressing  such  doctrinal  faith.  The  great  majority  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  approve  of  this  position  ;  and  the  gifts 
of  Lenox  Hall  and  Stuart  Hall  to  the  seminary  contained 
*  Semi-Centennial  Commemoration,  p.  52. 


37^  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

limitations  based  upon,  and  in  accordance  with,  this  principle 
of  the  Princeton  school. 

There  is  perhaps  no  seminary  or  church  which,  believing 
the  Bible  to  be  the  Word  of  God,  will  not  agree  with  Dr. 
Hodge,  that  "  what  the  Bible  says,  God  says."  But  what  the 
Bible  docs  say  is  just  what  biblical  students  have  been  trying 
to  ascertain,  and  have  failed  to  agree  upon,  for  the  last  eighteen 
centuries. 

The  class  of  independent  and  advanced  thinkers  who  believe 
in  human  progress,  in  the  better  understanding  of  the  Bible, 
and  in  the  better  use  of  language,  is  small  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  will  not,  for  many  years  at  least,  cause  a  reaction 
against  the  conservative  school  of  Princeton.  The  seminary  is 
well  anchored  therefore  in  the  Calvinistic  doctrines — otherwise 
known  as  the  Princeton  Theology.  Scientific  investigations 
of  the  material  universe;  archaeological  explorations;  ethno- 
logical discoveries;  new  acquisitions  in  linguistics;  and  a 
general  advance  into  the  domain  of  physics  and  metaphys- 
ics, may  in  the  future  reveal  new  truths  which  will  com- 
mand the  respect  of  mankind,  and  which  may  necessitate  a 
modification  of  long  cherished  dogmas  in  philosophy  and 
religion— truths  not  contradicting  but  confirming  the  truths 
of  divine  revelation,  only  offering  a  truer  interpretation  of  the 
inspired  oracles — the  general  result  of  all  which  may  be  re- 
formed creeds  and  new  forms  of  religious  fiaith.  Yet  the  Prince- 
ton School  of  Theology  must  stand  a  bulwark  of  the  old  faith 
until  every  such  new  theory  and  speculation  shall  have  been 
tested,  and  either  confirmtid  or  exploded.  It  has  claimed  no 
place  in  the  advance  guard  of  biblicists.  Such  seems  to  be  the 
attitude  of  Princeton  Theology. 


CHAPTER   XXX. 

PRINCETON   AUTHORS   AND   THEIR   VOLUMES. 

Princeton  has  an  alcove  in  the  great  hbrary  of  the  world, 
filled  with  her  own  literature.  Her  volumes  have  not  been  as 
numerous  as  they  have  been  solid  and  useful.  Her  authors 
have  a  celebrity  on  both  hemispheres.  Their  books  have  been 
translated  into  foreign  tongues,  and  are  cited  with  respect  in 
the  most  learned  universities,  and  by  the  most  erudite  scholars 
in  all  countries. 

In  Theology,  Edwards,  Witherspoon,  Alexander,  and  Hodge 
are  honored  throughout  the  Christian  world,  for  their  profound 
contributions. 

In  Church  Government,  Dr.  Miller  for  a  long  time  stood 
almost  alone.  He  had  the  rare  mission  in  the  Providence  of 
God,  of  furnishing  almost  the  only  literature  on  the  polity  of 
the  Church  during  the  forming  period  of  our  great  American 
branch.  No  man  in  Princeton  drew  the  attention  of  Europe  as 
early  to  this  seminary— his  books  being  republished  in  foreign 
presses,  and  not  being  superseded  in  use  even  to  the  present 
day. 

In  Physics  the  names  of  Joseph  Henry,  Stephen  Alexander, 
Arnold  Guyot,  and  Charles  A.  Young,  are  honored  among  the 
savans  of  Europe  for  what  they  have  written  and  done  in  sci- 
ence. The  geographical  maps  made  in  Princeton  by  Prof. 
Guyot  are  received  by  Europe  and  America,  as  the  best  in  the 
world,  and  with  them  the  name  of  Princeton  is  suspended  upon 
the  walls  of  school-rooms  in  France,  Germany,  Italy,  Turkey, 
Persia,  England  and  America. 

In  Metaphysics  the  volumes  of  President  Edwards,  Dr. 
Archibald  Alexander,  President  McCosh,  and  Rev.  John  Miller, 
are  read  with  great  interest  for  the  profound  and  original 
thought  of  their  authors— on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic. 


378  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

In  Commentaries  on  the  Bible,  those  of  Hodge  on  Romans^ 
Addison  Alexander  on  the  Gospels,  on  Isaiah  and  on  the 
Psalms;  John  Miller  on  the  Proverbs;  rank  as  high  as  any 
others  that  have  been  written  in  this  country. 

In  Religious  Literature,  in  the  form  of  volumes,  tracts, 
magazines,  reviews,  there  is  a  full  and  pure  stream  constantly 
flowing  from  Princeton  writers,  exerting  a  widespread  influence 

for  good. 

In  Sermons  the  volumes  of  Presidents  Davies,  Witherspoon, 
Smith,  of  Addison  Alexander,  Dr.  Kollock,  and  the  "  Princeton 
Pulpit,"  are  as  edifying  and  as  attractive  as  any  similar  publi- 
cations in  our  libraries. 

In  Philosophy  the  volumes  of  President  McCosh,  and  Prof. 
Charles  W.  Shields,  of  recent  publication,  do  especial  honor  to 
Princeton. 

Then  there  is  that  greatest  of  all  the  contributions  of  Prince- 
ton to  literature,  which  embraces  a  variety  of  subjects  and  has 
been  flowing  out  steadily  for  over  forty  years,  the  Biblical  Re- 
pertory and  Princeton  Reviezv,  comprising  forty  volumes  in 
solid.  In  this  Quarterly  the  brilliant  and  learned  professors  of 
the  college  and  seminary,  the  editor  Dr.  Hodge,  Dr.  Miller,  the 
three  Alexanders  of  the  seminary,  Professors  Dod,  Atwater, 
Hope,  Forsyth,  Green,  Moffat  and  others,  wrote  frequently, 
and  some  of  the  ablest  of  them  constantly.  Without  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  contents  of  this  journal  it  is  not  possible  to  appre- 
ciate fully  the  literary  labors  and  contributions  of  Princeton 
writers  and  authors.  It  is  natural  and  reasonable  that  educa- 
tional towns  should  yield  the  finest  fruits  of  literature,  for  it 
is  here  that  literary  men  gather  together  and  labor  in  study 
and  with  the  pen. 

We  propose  in  this  chapter  to  specify  more  particularly 
what  Princeton  has  done  in  literary  authorship,  by  presenting 
in  alphabetical  order  the  names  of  her  authors,  with  a  list  of 
the  books  and  publications  which  they  have  written  and  caused 
to  be  published.  In  those  cases  where  some  of  the  books  were 
written  either  before  or  after  the  authors  were  settled  at  Prince- 
ton, we  shall  feel  at  liberty  to  give  the  whole  list  unbroken, 
especially  when  the  author  is  clearly  identified  with  Princeton 
in  birth,  occupation,  or  reputation.     We  do  not,  however,  in- 


AUTHORS  A A'D   THEIR   VOLUMES.  379 

elude  the  names  of  the  ahimni  of  the  institutions  as  such,  with- 
out reference  to  a  more  permanent  residence  here  than  a  col- 
legiate one,  unless  their  books  shall  have  been  published  here. 
The  name  of  Princeton  is  more  firmly  linked  to  immortality 
in  the  record  exhibited  in  this  chapter,  than  in  any  other  in 
these  volumes.  Great  men  die  and  may  be  forgotten,  l^attle- 
fields  may  be  lost  sight  of  in  the  accumulations  of  ages.  The 
cemetery  with  its  marble  monuments  and  tablets  may  be  buried 
beneath  the  ploughshare  ;  these  grand  buildings  may  not  sur- 
vive centuries,  but  these  literary  memorials  —  these  volumes 
scattered  over  all  nations — deposited  in  all  libraries — kept  in 
use  in  all  ages  of  the  world,  will  live  while  the  world  lasts. 

The  List  of  Authors  and  their  Volumes. 

ItTSV.   CHAliLJSS  A.  AIKJJ.y,  I).  D. 

Editor  and  Translator  of  "  Lange's  Commentary  on  the  Book  of  Proverbs." 
In  the  Princeton  Review:    1867,  Epicureanism — Dr.  SchafTs  Church  History. 
186S,  Whitney  on  Language. 

HEY.  AUCniBAZD  ALEXANDER,  D.  D. 

The  following  is  a  complete  list  of  those  books  and  pamphlets  of  which  Dr. 
Alexander  can  justly  be  considered  as  the  author : 

A  Sermon  at  the  opening  of  the  General  Assembly.     Philadelphia,  i8o3, 

A  Discourse  occasioned  by  tlie  burning  of  the  Theatre  in  the  City  of  Richmond, 
Va.,  on  the  26th  of  December,  iSii.     Philadelphia,  1812,  pp.  28. 

An  Inaugural  Discourse  delivered  at  Princeton.     New  York,  1814. 

A  Missionary  Sermon  before  the  General  Assembly.     Philadelphia,  1813. 

A  Brief  Outline  of  the  Evidences  of  the  Christian  Religion.  Princeton,  1825. 
1 2  mo. 

The  Canon  of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  ascertained  ;  or  the  Bible  com- 
plete without  the  Apocrypha  and  Unwritten  Traditions.     l2mo. 

A  Sermon  to  Young  Men,  preached  in  the  Chapel  of  the  College  of  New  Jersey. 
1826. 

Suggestions  in  Vindication  of  Sunday  Schools.     Philadelphia,  1829. 

Growth  in  Grace.     Two  Sermons  in  the  National  Preacher.     New  York,  1829. 

A  Sermon  before  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions. 
1829. 

A  Selection  of  Hymns,  adapted  to  the  Devotions  of  the  Closet,  the  Family  and 
the  Social  Circle,  and  containing  subjects  appropriate  to  the  Monthly  Concerts  of 
Prayer  for  the  success  of  Missions  and  Sunday  Schools.  New  York,  1831.  (Seven 
hundred  and  forty-two  hymns.) 

The  Pastoral  Office.  A  Sermon  preached  in  Philadelphia,  before  the  Association 
of  the  Alumni  of  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Princeton,  May  21,  1S34.  Phil- 
adelphia, 1S34,  pp.  30. 


380  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

The  Lives  of  the  Patriarclis.  American  Sunday  School  Union.  1835.  iSnio. 
pp.  168.     History  of  Israel.   l2mo. 

The  House  of  God  Desirable.     A  Sermon  in  tlie  Presbyterian  Preacher.     1835. 

The  People  of  God  led  in  Unknown  Ways.  A  Sermon  preached  May  29,  1842, 
in  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  Richmond.     1842. 

An  Address  delivered  before  the  Ahimni  Association  of  Washington  College, 
Va.,  on  Commencement  Day,  June  29,  1S43.     Lexington,  1843. 

Biographical  Sketches  of  the  Founder  and  Principal  Alumni  of  tlie  Log  College  ; 
together  with  an  Account  of  the  Revivals  of  Religion  under  their  Ministry.  I'rince- 
ton,  1S45.     i2mo.  pp.  369. 

A  History  of  Colonization  on  the  Western  Coast  of  Africa.  Philadelphia,  1846. 
8vo.  pp.  603. 

A  History  of  the  Israelitish  Nation,  from  their  origin  to  their  dispersion  at 
the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  by  the  Romans.     Phiiadclpliia,  1852.     8vo.  pp.  620, 

Outlines  of  Moral  Science.     New  York,  1852.     i2nio.  pp.  272. 

Introduction  to  Matthew  Henry's  Commentary. 

Introduction  to  Works  of  the  Rev.  William  Jay. 

Introduction  to  Dr.  Waterbury's  Advice  to  a  Young  Christian. 

The  following  books  and  tracts,  as  well  as  some  of  those  mentioned  above,  are 
issued  by  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Publication. 

Practical  Sermons  ;  to  be  read  in  Families  and  Social  Meetings.     8vo. 

Letters  to  the  Aged.  iSmo.  Counsels  of  the  Aged  to  the  Young.  iSmo.  Uni- 
versalism  false  and  unscriptural.   iSmo.     A  Brief  Conipend  of  Bible  Truth.   i2mo. 

Divine  Guidance  ;  or  the  People  of  God  led  in  Unlcnown  Ways.  32mo. 

Tlioughts  on  Religious  Experience.  i2mo.  The  Life  of  the  Rev.  Richard  Bax- 
ter. (An  abridgment.)  i8mo.  The  Life  of  Andrew  Melville.  (An  abridgment.) 
l8mo.     The  Life  of  John  Kncjx,  the  Scottish  Reformer.     (An  abridgment.)   iSinu. 

The  Way  of  Salvation,  familiarly  explained  in  a  Conversation  between  a  P'ather 
and  his  Children.  32mo. 

To  which  must  be  added  the  following  Tracts:  The  Duty  of  Catechetical  In- 
struction. A  Treatise  on  Justification  by  Faith.  Christ's  Gracious  Invitation  to 
the  Weary  and  Heavy-laden.  Ruth  the  Moabitess.  Love  to  an  Unseen  Saviour. 
Letters  to  the  Aged. 

A  Dialogue  between  a  Presbyterian  and  a  Friend  (Quaker).  The  Amiable 
Youth  falling  short  of  Heaven.  The  Importance  of  Salvation.  Future  Punish- 
ment Endless.     Justification  by  Faith.     Sinners  \Velcome  to  Jesus  Christ. 

The  following  Tracts  have  been  published  by  the  American  Tract  Society: 
The  Day  of  Judgment.     The  Misery  of  the  Lost. 

From  1829  to  1850  Dr.  Alexander  contributed  seventy-eight  articles  for  the 
Princeton  Review. 

JtEV.  JIENKY  C.iRRiyGTOy  ALEX.IKOER. 

Life  of  J.  Addison  Alexander,  D.  D      2  vols.     8vo.      1870, 

REV.   JAMES  WADDEL  ALEXANJ)EJt,  It.  Z>. 

1.  Gift  to  the  Afilicted — i  vol.  2.  Geography  of  the  Bible,  1830.  i2mo.  Com- 
piled by  J.  W.  and  J.  A.  Alexander.  3.  The  American  Mechanic  and  W^orkingman's 
Companion — 2  vols.  4.  Good,  Better,  Best  ;  or  Three  Ways  of  Making  a  Happy 
World.    5.  Thoughts  on  Family  Worship.  i2mo.  1847.    6.  Consolation — i  vol.    7. 


AUTHORS  AND   THEIR   VOLUMES.  38  I 

Plain  Words  to  a  Young  Communicant.  i2mo. ;  also  in  Welsh.  8.  Memoir  of  Rev. 
Archibald  Alexander,  D.  D.  8vo. — i  vol.,  1854.  9.  The  American  Sunday  School 
and  its  Adjuncts.  1856.  10.  Discourses  on  Common  Topics  of  Christian  Faith  and 
I'ractice — i  vol.  1858.  ir.  A  Manual  of  Devotion  for  Soldiers  and  Sailors,  etc. 
12.  Prayers  and  Hymns  for  the  Blind.  13.  P'orty  Years'  Familiar  Letters  with  a 
Friend — 2  vols.     Edited  by  Rev.  John  Hall,  D.  D.,  Trenton,  N.  J. 

To  the  Biblical  Repertory  and  Princeton  Review  he  contributed  between  1830 
and  i860,  one  hundred  and  one  articles. 

lie  wrote  for  the  American  Tract  Society  and  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Pub- 
lications, and  for  the  Sunday  .School  Union  ;  over  thirty  volumes  of  juvenile  works 
for  the  latter,  some  of  the  best  known  of  which  are:  Infant  Library,  Scripture 
Guide,  Frank    Harper,  or  the  Country  Boy  in  Town  ;  Carl,  the  Young  Fmigrant. 

He  wrote  frequently  for  the  religious  and  secular  papers,  and  was  for  a  time, 
correspondent  of  the  Dundee  Warder,  of  Scotland. 

TtlUV.  JOSEVJI  ADXHSON  AIjLXANDICIt,  D.  D. 

I.  The  Earlier  Prophecies  of  Isaiah.  1846.  8vo.  2.  The  Later  Prophecies  of 
Isaiah.  1847.  8vo.  3.  The  Psalms  Translated  and  Explained — 3  vols.  l2mo.  1850. 
4.  Isaiah  Translated  and  Flxplained  (abridgment).  2  vols.  l2mo.  1851.  5.  Essays 
on  the  Primitive  Church  Offices — i  vol.  1851,  6.  Commentary  on  the  Acts — 2  vols. 
l2mo.  1857.  7.  Commentary  on  Gospel  of  Mark — l  vol.  l2mo.  1S58.  8.  Com- 
mentary on  Gospel  of  Matthew — i  vol.  (posthumous).  9.  New  Testament  Litera- 
ture and  Ecclesiastical  History.     10.   Sermons  (posthumous)  2  vols. 

Contributions  to  the  Princeton  Review  from  1829  to  i860,  ninety-one  articles. 

JJJSF.  SAMUEL  D.  ALEXANDER,  I).  D. 

Princeton  College  during  the  Eighteenth  Century — i  octavo  vol.  326  pp.     1872. 

In  1859  he  contributed  an  article  for  the  Princeton  Review,  on  the  "  Editions 
of  the  Pilgrim's  Progress."  He  also  compiled  and  edited  two  volumes  of  his  brother, 
Dr.  J.  Addison  Alexander's  Sermons.  In  1877  he  wrote  a  sketch  of  Princeton  Col- 
lege, for  Scribner's  Monthly  Illustrated  Magazine,  which  was  published  in  the 
March  number. 

COL.   VILLI  AM  C.  ALEXANDEIt. 

He  edited  the  Princeton  Magazine  in  1850.  In  1852  he  contributed  to  the 
Princeton  Review  the  articles:  "Austria  in  1848-9,"  "Survey  of  the  Great  Salt 
Lake  of  Utah." 

ritOFESSOIt  STEPnEK  ALEXANDER,  XL.  D. 

1.  Observations  of  Solar  Eclipse  of  July.  1832,  and  Longitude  of  Albany.- 

2.  Observations  of  Annular  Eclipse  of  1831  and  other  Astronomical  Observa- 
tions, at  Berlin,  Md.  (both  of  the  foregoing  were  published  in  the  Transactions  of 
the  Albany  Institute).     Aurora  Borealis  of  September  3,  1839. 

3.  On  the  Physical  Phenomena  which  accompany  Solar  Eclipses,  Occultations, 
and  the  Transit  of  the  Inferior  Planets.  (A  Memoir  which  attracted  the  speci.il 
notice  of  Bessel.)  Miscellaneous  contributions  to  Astronomical  .Science  (American 
Philosophical  Society  Proceedings). 

4.  On  some  Physical  Phenomena  dependent  on  the  progressive  motion  of  Ligh 
(American  Association  for  Advancement  of  Science). 

5.  On  the  Fundamental  Principles  of  Mathematics  (Silliman's  Journal). 


382  HIS  rOK  Y  OF  PRINCE  TOM. 

6.  Observations  on  the  Transit  of  Mercury,  Nov.  6,  iS4S(  Ast.  Nachricliten).  On 
the  Atmospheric  Envelopes  of  Venus  and  other  Planets  (American  Association).  On 
the  Origin  of  the  forms  and  present  state  of  some  of  the  clusters  of  Stars  and  re- 
solvable Nebulx.  (Occupying  32  pp.  in  vol.  ii.  of  Gould's  Astronomical  Journal.) 

7.  On  some  Special  Analogies  in  the  Phenomena  presented  by  the  senses  of 
Sight  and  Touch  (American  Association). 

8.  On  the  Classification  and  Special  Points  of  Resemblance  of  certain  of  the 
Periodic  Comets  and  the  probability  of  a  common  origin  in  the  case  of  them 
(Gould's  Astronomical  Journal,  I.,  1851). 

9.  On  the  Similarity  of  Arrangement  of  the  Asteroids  and  the  Comets  of  that 
period,  and  the  possibility  of  their  common  origin  (Gould's  Astronomical  Journal 
(I..  1858). 

lu.  Approximate  Elements  of  the  Orbit  of  Comet  IV.  of  1S53 — Van  Arsdale's 
comet.  (Gould's  Astronomical  Journal.) 

The  elements  of  the  orbit  of  the  great  comet  of  1843  were  also  computed  by 
Prof.  Alexander  from  his  own  observations,  and  submitted  to  the  American  Philo- 
sophical Society  at  their  centenary  meeting. 

11.  Suggestions  relative  to  the  Observation  of  Solar  Eclipse  of  May  26,  1854. 
(Gould's  Astronomical  Journal.) 

12.  Resemblance  between  the  Elements  of  the  second  Comet  of  1855  and  those 
of  the  Comet  of  1362  (Gould's  Ast.  Jour.)  [The  probability  of  a  rupture  of  a  large 
comet  by  Mars,  at  the  latter  of  those  dates  is  considered.] 

13.  Observation  of  Annular  Eclipse  of  May  26,  1854— Ogdensburgh,  N.Y.    Ibid.) 

14.  With  Prof  Henry;  Experiments  on  the  relative  Heat  of  the  Spots  of  the 
Sun  and  other  portions  of  its  surface  (Amer.  Phil.  Society  Proceedings). 

15.  Observations  of  the  Total  Eclipse  of  the  Sun,  July  18,  i860,  in  Labrador 
(see  Appendix  XXI.  Observations  of  the  Amer.  Coast  Survey  of  that  year).  Prof. 
Alexander  was  at  the  head  of  the  expedition  sent  out  by  the  Superintendent  of  the 
Coast  Survey. 

16.  Oiiservations  of  various  other  Eclipses  than  those  already  mentioned,  viz. : 
Total  Eclipse  of  the  Sun  at  Suter's  Ferry,  Ga.,  Nov.  30,  1834  ;  at  Lebanon,  111., 
Oct.  19,  1865  ;  at  Ottumwa,  Iowa,  Aug.  7,  1869  ;  at  Manchester,  N.  II.,  July,  1875 
(prevented  by  clouds). 

17.  A  Statement  and  Exposition  of  some  Special  Harmonies  of  the  Solar  Sys- 
tem (No.  280  of  the  Smithsonian  Contributions  to  Knowledge  [lOO  pages]). 

18.  On  some  Special  Phenomena  of  Jupiter's  Satellites  (Ast.  Nachrichten). 

19.  Law  of  Extreme  Distances  of  the  Planets  from  the  Sun,  and  the  Analogous 
Laws  in  the  Satellite  Systems  (Ast.  Nachrichten). 

20.  Other  communications  have  from  time  to  time  been  made  to  the  National 
Academy  of  Sciences  by  Prof.  Alexander  ;  Contributions  to  the  Princeton  Review, 
1S59  ;  Ilickok's  Rational  Cosmology,  1867.  A  Philosophical  Confession  of  Faith  ; 
also  an  Address  on  laying  corner-stone  of  the  Astronomical  Observatory  of  Prince- 
ton College,  1866.     An  Oration  at  Celebration  of  the  Fourth  of  July,  1863. 

nEV.  J.XMAN  II.  A.TWATEII,   D.  D. 

The  publications  of  Rev.  Lyman  H.  Atwater,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  have  been  mainly 
in  quarterly  reviews,  and  commenced  in  1834,  when  he  was  twenty-one  years  old, 
with  an  article  in  the  "American  Quarterly  Observer,"  entitled  "Slavery  in  the 
United  States."     This  was  followed  by  others  in  the  "  Quarterly  Christian  Spec- 


AUTHORS  AND  THEIR   VOLUMES.  383 

talor"  and  in  the  "  Literary  and  Theological  Review,"  prior  to  the  year  1S40.  From 
that  year  until  his  removal  to  Princeton  in  1854.  in  addition  to  his  conlriluitions  to 
the  "  Princeton  Review,"  he  wrote  occasionally  for  the  "  New  Englandcr,"  and  the 
"  Biblical  Repository." 

His  fust  article  for  the  Princeton  Review  was  entitled  "The  Power  of  Contrary 
Choice,"  and  appeared  in  the  volume  for  1840.  It  was  afterwards  republished  in 
the  "Princeton  Essays,"  Vol.  I.  He  was  then  twenty-seven  years  of  age.  From 
that  time  on  until  his  removal  to  Princeton  in  1854,  he  wrote  occasionally  for  this 
periodical,  contributing  during  this  period  thirteen  articles,  which  amount  to  369 
pages.  After  taking  up  his  residence  in  Princeton,  as  Professor  of  Mental  and 
Moral  Philosophy  in  1S54,  at  the  earnest  desire  of  its  editor,  Dr.  Hodge,  he  became 
a  constant  contributor  to  this  Review,  and  has  published  therein  since  that  time, 
niticty-six  articles,  amounting  to  225S  pages.  He  has  thus  written  for  this  journal 
one  hundrt-d  ami  nine  articles,  making  2630  pages,  exclusive  of  book  notices,  the 
majority  of  which  he  has  prepared  during  an  editorship  embracing  nearly  ten  years. 
Selections  from  his  contributions  to  this  and  other  periodicals  form  four  lai-ge  vol- 
umes in  the  library  of  Princeton  College,  entitled  "  Essays  and  Reviews,"  on  topics 
Theological,  Ecclesiastical,  Philosophical,  and  Sociological. 

By  special  request  of  the  editor  of  the  "  Bibliotheca  Sacra,"  Prof.  Park,  he  wrote 
an  article  entitled  "The  Doctrinal  Attitude  of  Old  School  Presbyterians,"  which 
appeared  in  the  January  number  of  that  journal  for  1867.  He  has  written  consid- 
erable for  monthly,  weekly,  and  daily  journals,  on  Finance  and  current  topics. 
Many  of  his  Review  articles  have  been  reprinted  in  this  country  and  in  Europe. 
He  published  a  volume  entitled  "A  Manual  of  Elementary  Logic,"  in  1S67,  which 
is  used  as  a  text-book  in  college. 

A  large  number  of  the  public  discourses  delivered  by  him  on  different  occasions, 
have  been  published  :  one  a  Memorial  of  Rev.  Dr.  Macdonald,  and  one  also  of 
Rev.  Dr.  Charles  Hodge. 

SAMVJiJ^  HAY  Aim. 

Peake's  Evidence,  with  Notes.  8vo.  i8ro.  Abstract  of  the  Laws  of  the  United 
States.  1834.  Letters  on  tlie  Sacraments.  2d  Edition.  Address  in  Pjesbyterian 
Church  in  Princeton,  in  behalf  of  the  Close  Observance  of  the  Lord's  Day.  1828. 

SAMUEL  J.  JiAYAJCI). 

Life  of  Commodore  Robert  F.  Stockton,  with  an  Appendix.    I  vol.  octavo.  1856. 

Memoir  of  General  George  Dashiel  Bayard.     l2mo.    1S73. 

He  edited  and  wrote  for  secular  papers  in  various  parts  of  the  country,  begin- 
ning in  Princeton,  N.  J, 
jtjsr.  itoiiERT  jiAinn,  d.  i). 

A  resident  of  Princeton  from  1819  to  1830,  as  student  in  the  seminary,  tutor  in 
college,  teaclier  of  an  academy — agent  of  the  Bible  Society,  and  of  the  New  Jersey 
Missionary  Society  ;  and  laboring  in  behalf  of  the  common  school  system.  He 
wrote  many  essays  and  articles  in  behalf  of  those  objects,  especially  the  latter  one, 
which  were  published.  He  then  became  a  cosmopolitan — representing  the  cause 
of  Sunday  Schools — of  Temperance — of  Christian  Union,  throughout  Europe  and 
America.     He  always  cherished  a  love  for  Princeton. 

His  principal  works  were:  Religion  in  America,  1843-57  ;  r  vol.  Visit  to 
Northern   Europe.    2  vols.    1841.     Protestantism  in  Italy.     1S45-47.      History  of 


384  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

Temperance  Societies.  1S36.  The  Union  of  Church  and  State  in  New  England. 
1837.  Several  of  these  were  translated  into  French,  German,  Swedish,  Danish, 
Finn,  etc.     The  last  two  were  never  in  English. 

In  the  Princeton  Review  he  puVilished  several  articles,  among  which  were  :  1830, 
American  Sunday  School  Union.  1S32,  Valley  of  the  Mississippi.  1836,  The 
Reformation  of  Genoa. 

DAVID  A,  DOItRlCXSTEIK. 

He  was  a  practical  printer,  and  he  printed  and  published  a  copy  of  the  New 
Testament  Scriptures  in  German,  in  Princeton.  Also,  Saurin's  Sermons,  2  vols.,  in 
1827. 

R1<:V.  jrOiry  DRECKTy^JtTDOE,  D.  D. 

Address  before  the  Literary  Societies  in  the  New  York  University.  1836.  Ser- 
mon before  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia  in  1S27.  Controversy  with  Bishop  Hughes. 
1836.  Memorial  of  Mrs.  Breckinridge.  1S39.  In  the  Princeton  Repertory:  1830, 
Claims  of  Foreign  Missions.     1S32,  Sprague  on  Revivals  of  Religion. 

niSr.  AAItON  BVIilt,  D.  D. 

A  Latin  Grammar.  A  Treatise  entitled  "  The  Supreme  Deity  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  maintained  in  a  Letter  to  the  Dedicator  of  Mr.  Emlyn's  Inquiry  into  the 
Scripture  Account  of  Jesus  Christ,"  reprinted  in  Boston  in  1791. 

A  Fast  Sermon  on  account  of  the  Encroachments  of  the  French.  1755.  A  Ser- 
mon preached  before  the  Synod  of  New  York.  1756.  A  Sermon  on  the  Death  of 
Governor  Belcher.  1757. 

jcEr.  JiEyitT  c.  CAniEitoy,  d.  d. 

I.  History  of  American  Whig  Society.  1872.  2.  Articles  for  Johnson  and  Ap- 
pleton's  Cyclopedia,  on  College  Sketches.  1875.  3.  Articles  for  "  Hours  at  Home." 
4.  A  series  of  Classical  Maps  of  Greece,  Italy  and  the  Roman  Empire,  with  Prof. 
Guyot.  5.  Editions  of  the  Catalogue  of  Princeton  College.  6.  Articles  in  the 
Princeton  Review:  "Forsyth's  Life  of  Cicero."  "The  Dean's  English  vs.  the 
Queen's  English." 

Also  a  short  sketch  of  the  Battle  of  Princeton.     1S76. 

JEJBr.  JAMES  CAHNAHAN,    D.  D. 

Two  articles  in  the  Princeton  Review:  1829,  General  Board  of  Education  and 
the  American  Educational  Society.     1834,  Review  of  John  Sergeant's  Address. 

Some  of  his  Baccalaureate  Sermons  were  published,  and  also  an  Account  of  the 
Whisky  Insurrection  (unfinished). 

ItEV.  ASA  S.   COLTON. 

Mr.  Colton  is  an  Episcopal  clergyman,  but  vi'ithout  charge.  He  has  resided  in 
Princeton  for  about  thirty  years,  and  h.is  spent  the  most  of  his  life  in  teaching  the 
higher  mathematics,  languages,  metaphysics  and  philosophy.  He  is  the  author  of 
"Successful  Missions:"  a  book  for  Sunday  Schools;  "The  Common  Cause  of 
Inefficiency  in  the  Ministry,"  Pamphlet  ;  "  Decree  of  God  Concerning  Murder," 
a  sermon. 

He  has  published  over  2000  articles  in  magazines  and  newspapers  under  the 
sign.^ture  of  A.  S.  C.  and  C.  S.  A.  He  also  contributed  to  the  Princeton  Standard 
during  the  Civil  War,  through  the  editorial  columns. 


AUTHORS  AND   THEIR   VOLUMES.  385 

His  articles  in   the  Princeton   Review  were:   1831.    Ministerial   Qualifications; 
Douglas  on  the  Advancement  of  Society.     1832,  German  and  French  Philosophy! 
1S33,  Progress  of  Ethical    Philosophy.      1863,   Mercer  County  Teachers'  Institute. 
1864,  Thoughts  of  Marcus  Aurelius  Antoninus, 
JtJSV.  SAMUEL  I) Arms,  I).  I). 

A  Sermon  on  Man's  Primitive  State.    1748. 

A  Letter  to  Rev.  Joseph  Bellamy,  On  the  Slate  of  Religion  among  the  Pro- 
testant Dissenters  in  Virginia.  1751. 

A  Sermon  before  the  Presbytery  of  Newcastle.   1752. 

A  Sermon  preached  at  the  Installation  of  Rev.  John  Todd.   1752. 

Religion  and  Patriotism  the  Constituents  of  a  Good  Soldier;  a  .Sermon  before 
Volunteers.    1755. 

Virginia's  Danger  and  Remedy— the  Drought  and  the  Defeat  of  Braddock. 
1756.   Two  Discourses. 

Letters  on  the  State  of  Religion  in  Virginia,  particularly  among  the  Negroes 
1757. 

A  Sermon  on  Vessels  of  Mercy  and  Vessels  of  Wrath.    1757. 

A  Sermon  on  Little  Children  Invited  to  Christ.   1757. 

The  Curse  of  Cowardice— Sermon  before  the  Militia  of  Virginia.   1758. 

Valedictory  Discourse  to  the  Senior  Class  in  the  College  of  New  Jersey.    1760. 

Sermon  on  the  Death  of  George  II.   1761. 

lie  was  also  the  author  of  important  documents  of  public  nature,  and  various 
hymns  and  other  pieces  of  poetry  of  merit. 

A  collection  of  his  sermons  was  published  by  Drs.  Finley  and  Gibbons,  of  Lon- 
don, in  five  vols,  octavo  ;  later  edition  in  four  vols,  and  in  three  vols.  A  New 
York  edition  contained  a  notice  of  his  Life  and  Times  by  Rev.  Ali)ert  Barnes. 
They  are  regarded  as  the  most  able  and  eloquent  sermons  in  the  English  language. 
Dr.  John  11.  Livingston  of  the  Dutch  Church,  heard  him  preach  at  Princeton,  and 
he  regarded  him  without  exception,  the  finest  pulpit  orator  he  had  ever  listened  to. 

Riay  JOXATjiAN  nivKiNsox,  n.  />. 

Though  President  Dickinson  was  not  a  resident  of  Princeton,  yet  as  President 
of  the  college  before  its  removal  here,  we  may  note  that  he  published  many  sermons 
and  treatises,  chiefly  of  a  theological  character,  defending  vital  Calvinistic  doctrines 
and  the  Presbyterian  order  of  government,  from  1732  to  1746.  His  Familiar  Let- 
ters to  a  Gentleman  upon  Important  Subjects  in  Religion,  were  published  in  Edin- 
burgh in  1757.  third  edition  ;  and  a  collection  of  his  other  writings  was  published 
in  an  octavo  volume  in  1793. 

liEr.  ALItlVItT  Ji.  J)OI),  J).  J). 

Contributions  to  the  Princeton  Review:  1835,  Finney's  Sermons- Finney's 
Lectures.  1837,  Beecher's  Views  in  Theology.  1838,  Missionary  Enterprise  in 
the  .South  Sea  Islands— Phrenology.  1839,  Transcendentalism  (Review  of  Cousin). 
1841,  Analytical  (;eometry.  1842,  Capital  Punishment.  1S44,  O.xford  Architec- 
ture—The Elder  Question.  1845,  Vestiges  of  Creation.  Al.so  a  Sermon  in  the 
"  Princeton  Puljjit." 

KEV.    WILLIAM  A.  DOT),  D.  1). 

Contributions  to  the  Princeton  Review:  1855.  Church  Architecture.  1856. 
Ruskin's  Lectures  on  Architecture  and  Painting. 


386  HISTORY   OF  PRINCETON. 

itvir.  aony  T.  duffijild,   d.  z>. 

"  The  Princeton  Pulpit,"  a  volume  of  Sermons  by  Princeton  clergy.   1852. 

"Discourse  on  the  Second  Advent."   1S66. 

Contributions  to  the  Princeton  Review:  1866,  "The  Philosophy  of  Mathe- 
matics."    1S78,  "  Evolution  as  it  respects  Man  and  ihe  Bible." 

In  the  Evangelical  Quarterly  Review:  1867,  "The  Discovery  of  the  Law  of 
Gravitation." 

"Historical  Discourse  Commemorative  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church  in 
Princeton."   1876. 

itisr.  JoyA-TiiAN  icnwAJins,  a.  d. 

The  following  were  published  by  himself:  God  Glorified  in  Man's  Dependence, 
a  Sermon.  1731. 

A  Divine  .Supernatural  Light  imparted  to  the  Soul  by  the  Spirit  of  God  ;  Ser- 
mon.  1734. 

Curse  ye  Meroz  :  Sermon.   1735. 

Narrative  of  God's  surprising  Work  in  the  Conversion  of  many  hundred  Souls 
in  Nonhampton.    173S.      Five  Discourses  prefixed  to  the  preceding  work. 

Sinners  in  the  Hand  of  an  angry  God  :  a  Sermon.   1741. 

Sorrows  of  the  Bereaved  spread  before  Jesus.  A  Sermon  at  the  funeral  of 
Rev.  William  Williams.    1 741. 

Distinguishing  Marks  of  a  Work  of  the  True  Spirit  in  a  Sermon.  1741. 

Thoughts  on  the  Revival  of  Religion  in  New  England.   1740. 

The  Watchman's  I^uty  and  Account:  a  .Sermon,  1743;  Ordination  of  Rev. 
James  Judd. 

The  True  Excellency  of  a  Gospel  Minister;  Sermon  at  the  Onlination  of  Rev. 
Robert  Abercrombie.   1744. 

A  Treatise  concerning  Religious  Affections.   1746. 

An  Humble  Attempt  to  promote  Explicit  Agreement  and  Visible  Union  among 
God's  People  in  Extraordinary  Prayer.   1746. 

True  Saints  when  absent  from  the  Body  present  with  the  Lord  ;  Sermon 
preached  at  the  Funeral  of  Rev.  David  Brainerd.   1747. 

God's  Awful  Judgments  in  breaking  the  Strong  Rods  of  the  Community  ;  a 
Sermon  on  the  Death  of  Colonel  Stoddard.  174S. 

Life  and  Diary  of  David  Brainerd.   1749. 

Christ  the  Example  of  Gospel  Ministers.    1749. 

Qualifications  for  Full  Communion  in  the  Visible  Church.    1749. 

Farewell  Sermon  to  the  People  of  Northampton.   1750. 

Misrepresentation  Corrected  and  Truth  Vindicated  ;  a  Reply  to  Book  on  Quali- 
fications for  Communion — and  Letter  to  iiis  late  I'Tock  at  Northampton.   1752. 

True  Faith  distinguished  from  the  Experience  of  Devils  ;  a  Sermon.   1752. 

Inquiry  into  the  Freedom  of  the  Will.   1754. 

The  Great  Christian  Doctrine  of  Original  Sin  Defended.  1758. 

Posthumous. — Eighteen  Sermons  annexed  to  the  Life  of  Edwards,  by  Dr.  Hop- 
kins. 1765.  The  History  of  Redemption.  Edinburgh,  1777.  The  Nature  of  True 
Virtue.  1788.  God's  Last  End  in  Creation.  Practical  Sermons.  Edinburgh,  1788. 
Twenty  Sermons.  Edinburgh,  1789.  Miscellaneous  Observations  on  Important  The- 
ological Subjects.  Edinburgh,  1793.  Remarks  on  Important  Theological  Controver- 
sies.     Edinburgh,  1796.      Types  of  the  Messiah,  1829.     Notes  on  the  Bible.  1829, 


AUTHORS  AND   THEIR   VOLUMES.  387 

ItlCnARD  STOCKTON  FIELD. 

In  1849  ^^  published  through  the  New  Jersey  Historical  Society  (its  third  vol- 
ume), "  The  Provincial  Courts  of  New  Jersey,  with  Sketches  of  the  Bench  and  Bar  ;" 
being  an  amplification  of  his  Address  before  that  Society. 

Among  his  published  Addresses  were  the  following,  viz. :  "  Address  before  the 
Surviving  Members  of  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  the  State  of  New  Jersey." 

"  The  Power  of  Habit," — Address  before  Edgehill  School,  1855. 

"  The  Constitution  not  a  Compact  betw  een  Sovereign  States,"  delivered  at 
Princeton,  July  4,  lS6r. 

"  Address  on  the  Life  and  Character  of  Hon.  Joseph  C.  Hornblower,  Chief- 
Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  New  Jersey." 

"Address  on  the  Life  and  Character  of  Abraham  Lincoln,"  delivered  before  the 
Legislature. 

"  Address  on  the  Life  and  Character  of  James  Parker,  late  President  of  the 
New  Jersey  Historical  Society." 

"Centennial  Address  before  the  American  Whig  Society  "  of  Princeton  College, 
1869  ;  and  in  the  Princeton  Review,  one  article,  1852,  "  The  New  Jersey  Historical 
Society." 

MEV.  SAMVISZ  FINLJST,  D.  D. 

Christ  Triumphing  and  Satan  Raging;  Sermon  preached  at  Nottingham,   1741. 

A  Refutation  of  Mr.  Thomson's  Sermon  on  the  Doctrine  of  Convictions.      1743. 

Satan  Stripped  of  his  Angelic  Robe  ;  subbtance  of  several  sermons  on  Delusion, 
with  an  Application  to  the  Moravians.   1743. 

A  Charitable  Plea  for  the  Speechless,  in  Answer  to  Abel  Morgan's  "  Anti-pcedo 
Baptism.  1747.     A  Vindication  of  the  preceding.   1748. 

A  Sermon  at  the  Ordination  of  John  Rodgers  at  St.  George's.    1749. 

A  Sermon  entitled  Tiie  Curse  of  Meroz  ;  or  the  Danger  of  Neutrality  in  the 
Cause  of  God  and  our  Country.    1757. 

A  Sermon  on  the  Death  of  President  Davies.   1761. 

JiEV.  ItOJiERT  JPiyLET,  li.  D, 

Sermon  on  the  Baptism  of  John,  showing  it  to  be  a  peculiar  Dispensation, 
and  no  Example  for  Christians.    1807. 

Sermon  at  the  Funeral  of  Rev.  William  Boyd,  of  Lamington.     1807. 

Sermon  on  Baptism.  1808.  Two  Sermons  in  the  New  Jersey  Preacher.  1813. 
Thoughts  on  Colonization.  1S16. 

JtEV.  JOJTN  EOJtSYin,  J),  D. 

Twenty  articles  in  the  Princeton  Review. 
An  Address  before  the  Alumni  of  Rutgers  College.   1836. 

The  Power  and  Perpetuity  of  Law  ;  Sermon  in  the  Princeton  Pulpit.  Several 
other  Addresses  and  Sermons. 

JtEV.  GEORGE  Jir.  GIGER. 

History  of  the  Cliosophic  Society  in  the  College  of  New  Jersey.  1865.  Also  a 
Sermon  in  the  "  Princeton  Pulpit." 

REV.  ASIIBEr,  GREEN,  J),  D. 

In  i3o3  Dr.  Green  superintended  an  edition  of  Dr.  Witherspoon's  Works,  and 


388  iiisroRY  OF  Princeton. 

left  in  manuscript  an  extended  biography  of  that  eminent  man  to  be  prefixed  to  a 
new  and  more  complete  eililiun. 

For  several  years  from  1804.  he  edited  the  General  Assembly's  Magazine — a 
prominent  periodical.  In  1S22  he  published  an  elaborate  History  of  the  College 
of  New  Jersey,  in  connection  with  a  series  of  his  liaccalaureate  Discourses,  i  vol. 
Also  a  "  History  of  I'rehbyterian  Missions,"  I  vol.  "Lectures  on  .Shorter  Cate- 
chism," 2  vols. 

He  edited  and  contributed  largely  to  The  Christian  Advocate,  in  12  vols. 

His  Autobiography  published  in  1849,  a  year  after  his  death,  by  Jcjseph  H. 
Jones,  D.  D.,  was  written  by  himself  in  the  82d-84th  year  of  his  age,  and  contains 
over  600  pages. 

Dr.  Green  published  ten  occasional  Sermons,  and  six  or  more  Public  Addresses 
and  Reports. 

Among  the  Sermons  were  those  at  the  funerals  of  Rev.  Dr.  Dufficld,  1790  ;  Rev. 
Dr.  Sproat,  1793,  and  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Wm.  M.  Tennent,  1810  ;  the  Christian  Duty 
of  Christian  Women,  delivered  at  Princeton  before  the  Female  Benevolent  Society 
for  the  support  of  a  female  school  in  India  ;  and  others  before  Synods  and  General 
Assemblies. 

Among  his  Addresses  were,  one  to  the  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania  relative  to 
Theatrical  E;xhil)iti(}ns,  1793  ;  one  to  the  Trustees  of  the  College  of  New  Jersey, 
1802;  one  to  the  Bible  Society  of  Philadeljihia,  1809;  one  at  the  interment  of 
Robert  lialston,  1S36  ;  one  to  the  Students  of  the  Theological  Seminary  of  Prince- 
ton, 1831,  and  another  in  1835.  He  drew  a  I^eport  of  the  Plan  of  the  The<;logicaI 
Seminary,  1810  ;  a  Report  to  tiie  Trustees  of  the  College  relative  to  the  Revival  of 
Religion  in  1815,  and  several  others. 

J  AM  lis  SI- no  AT  OJiEJCX. 

As  Law  Reporter  for  the  State,  he  published  "Green's  New  Jersey  Law 
Reports," — 3  vols.    1833-38. 

JtEV.    Ulf.LIylM  JIENIIY  OKEEN,   It.  I). 

1.  Grammar  of  the  Hebrew  Language.   1861, 

2.  A  Hebrew  Crestomalhy.   1S63. 

3.  An  Elementary  Hebrew  Grammar.  i866. 

4.  The  Pentateuch  Vindicated  from  the  Aspersions  of  Bishop  Colenso.   1863. 

5.  Translation  of  Zockler's  Commentary  of  the  Song  of  Solomon,  for  the  Anieri 
can  Edition  of  Lange's  Commentary.   1870. 

6.  "Job."     I  vol.   1875.     7.  Over  yl^;/;' articles  in  the  Princeton  Review. 
AJlNOLf)  OVYOT,  LL.  D. 

1835 — Inaugural  Dissertation  on  the  Natural  Classification  of  Lakes  (Latin). 

1835 — Various  Contributions  to  the  Encyclopedie  du  Dixieme  Siecle,  Paris, — 
the  most  extensive  of  which  were  Physical  Geography  of  Germany,  and  on  the 
System  of  the  Alps. 

1838 — On  the  Structure  of  Glaciers  and  the  Law  of  Glacier  Motion,  Bulletin 
de  la  Societe  Geologi(jue  de  France. 

1844 — On  the  Law  of  the  Formation  and  Distribution  of  Cdacier  Crevices.  Bul- 
letin de  la  Societe  des  Sciences  Naturelle  de  Ncuchatel,  Switzerland. 

1843-47 — A  series  of  papers  on  the  Laws  of  Distribution  of  Erratic  Rocks  around 
the  Central  Alps  in  Switzerland,  Savoy  and  Lombardy.     Bulletin  de  la  Soc.  des 


AUTHORS  AND   THEIR   VOLUMES.  389 

Science  Nat.  de  Neuchatel,  and  also  in  d'Arcliiac  Ilistoire  de  la  Geologic,  pul;lislied 
under  the  aus])ices  of  ti>e  Socictc  Geoloj;ique  dc  France  ;  demonstrating  the  mode 
of  their  transportation  by  huge  glaciers. 

1849 — Earth  and  Man,  or  Lectures  on  Comparative  Piiysical  Geography  in  its 
Relation  to  the  History  of  Man.      Boston,  Mass. 

1849 — ^'^  ''^"^  Uplieaval  of  the  Jura  System  of  Mountains  by  lateral  pressure. 
Proceedings  of  the  An^erican  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science.  Cam- 
bridge meeting. 

1S50 — Directions  for  taking  Meteorological  Observations,  destined  for  the  Ol)- 
servers  of  the  Smithsonian  System  of  Meteor-observ.  Smithsonian  miscellaneous 
publications. 

iS5t-59 — A  large  volume  of  Meteorological  and  Physical  Tables  published  by 
the  Smithsonian  Institution,  4th  edition. 

1859 — Eulogy  of  Humboldt.     American  Geographical  Society,  vol.  I. 

i860 — Eulogy  of  Karl  Kilter.     American  Geographical  Society,  vol.  II. 

i8f)i — On  the  I'liysical  Structure  and  Ilyptometry  of  the  Ajvpatachian  System  of 
Mountains  ;  with  a  Physical  Map  of  the  same.     Silliman's  Journal  of  Science. 

1SO6-75 — A  Series  of  School  Geographies,  6  vols,  including  a  Physical  Geog- 
raphy and  30  Wall-maps,  in  three  series.  New  York  :  Chas.  Scribner's  Sons.  For 
these  works  the  author  has  been  awarded  the  Medal  of  Progress  at  the  Vienna 
World's  Exposition,  the  only  personal  distinction  of  that  kind  given  in  that  depart- 
ment ;  and  a  gold  medal  at  the  Exposition  of  Paris,  187S.  The  Report  of  the 
French  Commissioner  at  the  Exposition  of  Philadelphia  to  the  Minister  of  Public 
Instruction  of  France,  gives  these  works  the  credit  of  having  originated  the  com- 
plete reform  in  geographical  teaching  which  has  marked  the  last  decade  in  the 
United  States. 

1873 — A  Treatise  of  Physical  Geography  in  Johnson's  Family  Atlas  of  the 
World. 

1S74 — Cosmogony  of  the  Pible,  or  the  Biblical  Account  of  Creation  in  the  Light 
of  Modern  Science,  in  the  volume  of  the  Sixth  General  Conference  of  the  Evangeli- 
cal Alliance  in  New  York,  1873. 

1874-77 — Was  one  of  the  Editors-in-chief  of  Johnson's  Encyclopedia,  in  which 
are  found  numerous  articles  from  his  pen. 

1874 — Eulogy  of  Prof.  James  II.  Coffin,  and 

1S78 — Eulogy  of  Louis  Agasstz,  published  by  the  National  Academy  of  Sciences. 

1876-77 — On  the  Physical  Structure  and  Ilyptometry  of  the  Catskill  Mountains, 
with  a  Physical  Map,  in  several  communications  to  the  National  Academy  of  Sci- 
ences (soon  to  be  published). 

Several  courses  of  public  lectures,  among  which  one  on  Primeval  Man,  before 
the  Theological  Seminary  of  New  York,  on  the  Morse  Foundation,  and  another  on 
The  Unity  of  tlu  Life  System,  delivered  at  Brooklyn,  on  the  Graham  Foundation, 
and  at  the  Smithsonian  Institution  in  Washington,  are  being  prepared  for  the  press. 

Numerous  minor  communications  to  scientific  societies  are  not  here  mentioned. 

1.  He  edited  the  Ptiiueton  Standard  from  1659  to  1867 — though  impersonal  in 
its  publication. 

2.  An  article  in  the  Princeton  Review  in  1868:  "  Prisons  and  Reformatories." 

3.  A  brief  '•  Memoir  of  Dr.  A,  P.  Ilageman,"  in  1872. 


390  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

4.  A  Paper  on  •'  The  Penal  and  Reformatory  Institutions  of  New  Jersey,"  read 
before  the  National  Prison  Reform  Congress  at  Baltimore,  in  1872,  and  published 
in  the  volume  of  the  National  and  International  Proceedings  of  the  Year  1872. 

5.  Plistory  of  Princeton  and  its  Institutions,  Two  8vo.  vols.   1B79. 

JtHY.  SAMVKIj  MILf.EJi  JIAGISMAX. 

1.  "Vesper  Voices:"   Poems,  i  vol.  108  pp.  (anonymous).     Princeton,  i36S. 

2.  "Silence:"  a  Poem,  107  pp.  1876.  Third  edition  illustrated;  highly  com- 
mended by  poets  at  home  and  abroad. 

3.  "Greenwood  and  Otlier  Poems."     Small    quarto  vol.    150  pp.      Illustrated. 

1877. 

4.  "  The  Princeton  Poets  :"  A  volume  of  poems,  selections  from  Princeton 
authors,  I  vol.,  in  press. 

I'liOFicsson  JOSEPH  irjcxjiT,  r.z.  i>. 

We  cannot  furnish  a  full  account  of  the  publications  of  Prof.  Henry,  especially 
his  more  recent  ones.  lie  has  published  many  valuable  papers  on  Electricity  and 
Magnetism,  in  Amer.  Philos.  Transactions,  Silliman's  Journal  of  Amer.  Science, 
Journal  of  the  Franklin  Institute  ;  Contributions  to  Electricity  and  Magnetism, 
Philadelphia,  1839. 

In  the  Index  to  the  Princeton  Review  we  the  find  the  following  brief  enumera- 
tion of  his  scientific  investigations  and  discoveries. 

1.  A  sketch  of  the  topography  of  the  Stale  of  New  York,  embodying  the  results 
of  the  survey  before  mentioned. 

2.  In  connection  with  Dr.  Beck  and  the  Hon.  Simeon  De  Witt,  the  organization 
of  the  meteorological  system  of  the  State  of  New  York. 

3.  The  development,  for  tiie  first  time,  of  magnetic  power,  sufficient  to  sustain 
tons  in  weight,  in  soft  iron,  by  a  comparatively  feeble  galvanic  current. 

4.  The  first  application  of  electro-magnetism  as  a  power,  to  produce  continued 
motion  in  a  machine. 

5.  An  exposition  of  the  method  by  which  electro-magnetism  might  be  employed 
in  transmitting  power  to  a  distance,  and  the  demonstration  of  the  practicability  of 
an  electro-magnetic  telegraph,  which  without  these  discoveries  was  impossible. 

6.  The  discovery  of  the  induction  of  an  electrical  current  in  a  long  wire  upon 
itself,  or  the  means  of  increasing  the  intensity  of  a  current  by  the  use  of  a  spiral 
conductor. 

7.  The  method  of  inducing  a  current  of  quantity  from  one  of  intensity,  and 
vice  versa. 

8.  The  discovery  of  currents  of  induction  of  different  orders,  and  of  the  neutral- 
ization of  the  induction  by  the  interposition  of  plates  of  metal. 

9.  The  discoveiy  that  the  discharge  of  a  Eeyden  jar  consists  of  a  series  of  oscil- 
lations liackwards  and  forwards  until  equilibrium  is  restored. 

10.  The  induction  of  a  current  of  electricity  from  lightning  at  a  great  distance, 
and  proof  that  the  discharge  from  a  thunder  cloud  also  consists  of  a  series  of  oscil- 
lations. 

11.  The  oscillating  condition  of  a  lightning  rod  while  transmitting  a  discharge 
of  electricity  from  the  clouds  causing  it,  though  in  perfect  connection  with  the  earlrh, 
to  emit  sparks  of  sufficient  intensity  to  ignite  combustible  substances. 

12.  Investigations  on  molecular  attraction,  as  exhibited  in  liquids,  and  in  yield- 


AUTHORS  AND   THEIR   VOLUMES.  391 

ing  and  rigid  solids,  and  an  exposition  of  the  theory  of  soap  bubbles.  [These  ori<ji- 
nated  fioiu  his  being  called  upon  to  investigate  the  causes  of  the  bursting  of  the 
groat  gun  on  the  U.  S.  steamer  Princeton.] 

13.  Original  experiments  on,  and  exposition  of  the  principles  of  acoustics  as 
applied  to  churches  and  other  public  buildings. 

14.  Experiments  on  various  instruments  to  be  used  as  fog  signals. 

15.  A  series  of  experiments  on  various  illuminating  materials  for  light-house 
use.  and  the  introduction  of  lard  oil  for  lighting  the  coasts  of  the  United  St.ites. 
This  and  the  preceding,  in  his  office  of  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  l^xperiments 
of  the  Light  House  Hoard. 

16.  Experiments  on  heat,  in  which  the  radiation  from  clouds  and  animals  in 
distant  fields  was  indicated  by  the  thermo  electrical  apparatus  applied  to  a  reflect- 
ing telescope. 

17.  Observations  on  the  comparative  temperature  of  th'.»  sun-spots,  and  also  of 
different  portions  of  the  hun's  dibk.  In  these  experiments  he  was  assisted  by  Prof. 
Alexander. 

18.  Proof  that  the  radiant  heat  from  a  feebly  luminous  flame  is  also  feel)le,  and 
that  the  increase  of  radiant  light  by  the  introduction  of  a  solid  substance  into  the 
flame  of  the  compound  blow-pipe,  is  accompanied  with  an  c(|uivalent  radiation  of 
heat,  and  also  that  the  increase  of  light  and  radiaut  heat  in  a  flame  of  hydrogen  by 
the  introduction  of  a  solid  substance,  is  attended  with  a  diminution  in  the  heating 
power  of  the  flame  itself. 

19.  The  reflection  of  heat  from  concave  mirrors  of  ice,  and  its  application  to 
the  source  of  the  heat  derived  from  the  moon. 

20.  Observations,  in  connection  with  Prof.  Alexander,  on  the  red  flames  on  the 
border  of  the  sun,  as  observed  in  the  annular  eclipse  of  1838. 

21.  Exjieriments  on  the  phosphorogenic  ray  of  the  sun,  from  which  it  is  shown 
that  this  emanation  is  polarizable  and  refrangible,  according  to  the  same  laws 
which  govern  light. 

22.  On  the  penetration  of  the  more  fusible  metals  into  those  less  readily  melted, 
while  in  a  solid  state. 

Besides  these  experimental  additions  to  physical  science.  Prof.  Henry  is  the 
author  of  twenty-two  reports  giving  an  exposition  of  the  annual  operations  of  the 
Smithsonian  Institution.  He  has  also  published  a  series  of  essays  on  meteorology 
in  the  Patent  Office  Reports,  which,  besides  an  exposition  of  established  principles, 
contain  many  new  suggestions,  and  among  others,  the  development  of  electricity, 
as  exhibited  in  the  thunder  storm  :  and  an  essay  on  the  j^rincipal  source  of  the 
power  which  does  the  work  of  developing  the  plant  in  the  bud,  and  the  animal  in 
the  egg. 

lie  has  also  published  a  theory  of  elementary  education,  in  his  address  as  Presi- 
dent of  the  American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Education,  the  principle 
of  which  i.s,  that  in  instruction  the  order  of  nature  should  be  followed,  that  we 
should  begin  with  the  concrete  and  end  with  the  abstract,  the  one  gradually  shad- 
ing into  the  other  ;  also  the  importai\ce  of  early  impressions,  and  the  tendency  in 
old  age  to  relapse  into  the  vices  of  early  youth.  Youth  is  the  father  of  old  age 
rather  than  of  manhood. 

riis  papers  in  the  Princeton  Review  are:  1841.  The  British  Scientific  Associa- 
tion.    1845.  The  Coait  Survey — Observations  on  Color  Blindness. 


392  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETO!^. 

JiEr.  AJtCnZJDALD  ALi:XANJ>EIt  IIODOJU,  1).  D. 

i860— Outlines  of  Theology — Rewritten  in  1878.     1867 — The  Atonement. 
1869 — Commentary  on  the  Confession  of  Faith.     1877 — Manual  of  Forms. 
•    1877 — Inaugural  Address  at  Princeton. 
Contributions  to  the  Princeton  Review  :   1851,  The  Vedantists  of  Young  Ben- 
gal.    1877,  The  Ordo  Salutis. 

JtJSV.  ClfAltZ-ES  JIODGIC,  I).  J). 

Dissertation  on  the  Importance  of  Biblical  Literature,  delivered  at  Princeton  in 
1822  ;  pamphlet  50  pp. 

Commentary  on  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  8vo.  1835  ;  abridged  in  1S36. 
Reprinted  by  the  London  Religious  Tract  Society,  1837,  1S53. 

Questions  on  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  to  accompany  the  Commentary.  1842. 
Tenth  edition  in  1855 — iSmo. 

Constitutional  History  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United  States,  2  vols. 
Svo.  1840. 

.  The  Way  of  Life.  i8mo.  Published  by  American  Sunday  School  Union — Re- 
published by  the  London  Rel.  Tract  Society,  1842.  i8mo.  30th  American  edition. 
Philadelphia.   1856. 

What  is  Presbyterianism?  An  Address  delivered  before  the  Presbyterian  His- 
torical Society,  1855.   i8mo. 

A  Commentary  on  the  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians.     New  York,  1856.  Svo. 

Commentary  on  the  First  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians.      New  York,  1857.   l2nio. 

Reviews  and  Essays  selected  from  the  Princeton  Review. 

Systematic  Theology,  3  laige  (juarto  vols.   1871. 

As  editor  of  the  Biblical  Repertory  and  Princeton  Review  from  1825  to  1869, 
Dr.  Hodi^e  lias  written  volumes  of  most  important  treatises  on  various  subjects, 
such  as  "  The  Knowledge  of  God,"  "  The  Ground  of  Faith  in  the  Scriptures," 
"What  is  Christianity?"  "  Lispiration,"  "Original  Sin,"  "Imputation,"  "Free 
Agency,"  "  Human  Ability,"  "The  Atonement,"  "Regeneration,"  "Sacraments," 
"Finney's  Theology,"  "New  Divinity,"  "Park's  Theology  of  the  Intellect  and 
Feelings,"  "Stuart  and  Barnes  on  Romans,"  "  Beman  on  the  Atonement,' 
Beecher's  "Great  Conflict,"  Bushnell's  "God  in  Christ,"  "Vicarious  Sacrifices," 
"Oxford  Tracts,"  "Sunday  Mails,"  "Slavery,"  " Aboliiionism,"  "Conscience  and 
the  Constitution,"  "  Temperance,"  "  Diversity  of  Species,"  "  The  State  of  the  Coun- 
try," "  Annual  Review  of  the  General  Assembly."  Besides  a  few  special  sermons 
wliich  have  been  published. 

JOHN  SJCELT  lIAltT,  JjIj.  J>. 

Was  born  at  Stockbridge,  Mass.,  Jan.  28,  1810,  and  graduated  at  Princeton  in 
the  class  of  1830.  He  has  been  connected  with  the  college  sixteen  years,  namely, 
three  years  as  student  (1S27-1830),  four  years  as  Tutor  and  Adjunct  Professor  of 
Greek  (1832-1S36),  six  years  as  Lecturer  on  English  Literature  (1864-1870),  and 
three  years  as  Professor  of  English  Language  and  Literature  (1872-1875). 

His  occupation  elsewhere  lias  been  as  follows  :  one  year  (1830-31)  as  principal 
of  a  classical  ac.-idemy.  at  Natchez,  Miss.;  five  years  (1836-1841)  as  princii)al  and 
proprietor  of  the  Edgehill  School,  at  Princeton;  seventeen  years  (1842-1859)  as 
principal  of  the  Philadelphia  High  School  ;  nine  years  (1862-1 871)  as  principal  of 
the  New  Jersey  State  Normal  School,  at  Trenton.     He  has  been  actively  engaged 


AUTHORS  AND   THEIR   VOLUMES.-  393 

in  the  work  of  education  forty-five  years,  and  has  had  under  his  personal  instruction 
and  control  over  seven  thousand  pupils,  not  counting  college  siudents. 

He  was  the  editor  of  Sartain's  Magazine  during  the  first  five  volumes  of  its  ex- 
istence, writing  for  it  largely  every  month.  He  originated  the  Sunday  School 
Times  in  i860,  and  continued  to  edit  it  till  1872,  writing  for  it  weekly  a  leading 
editorial.  He  has  edited  also  a  large  number  of  literary  works  by  other  authors. 
His  contributions  to  the  Princeton  Review,  Scribner's  Monthly,  and  otiier  periodi- 
cals would  make  several  volumes.  His  annual  reports  of  the  Philadelphia  Ili.di 
School  and  of  the  N.  J.  State  Normal  School,  running  through  a  period  of  twenty- 
live  years,  and  discussing  the  educational  questions  of  the  day,  make  over  three 
thousand  closely  printed  8vo.  pages. 

Besides  these  contributions  to  periodical  literature.  Dr.  Hart  is  the  author  of 
more  than  twenty  scparatd  voluims,  mostly  educational,  which  have  had  an  a<TgreTate 
sale  of  more  than  four  hundred  thousand  copies.  Tiie  following  is  a  list  of  his  prin- 
cipal works:  Spenser  and  the  Faery  Queen,  500  jip.  8vo.  ;  Female  Prose  Writers 
of  America,  536  pp.  8vo.  ;  American  Literature,  640  pp.  8vo.  ;  English  Literature, 
640  pp.  8vo.  ;  Short  Course  in  Literature,  English  and  American,  324  pp.  i2ino.  ; 
Composition  and  Rhetoric,  380  pp.  i2nio.  ;  First  Lessons  in  Composition,  144  pp. 
l2mo.  ;  English  Grammar,  192  pp.  i2mo.  ;  Introduction  to  English  Crammar,  144 
pp.  l2mo.  ;  Grammar  and  Analysis,  232  pp.  i2ino.  ;  Language  Lessons  for  Begin- 
ners, 80  pp.  ;  Class-Book  of  Poetry  and  Class-Book  of  Prose,  each  400  pp.  i2ino.  ; 
Constitution  of  the  United  States,  an  exposition  for  the  use  of  schools,  100  pp. 
l2ino.  ;  In  the  School-Room,  or  Chapters  in  the  Philosophy  of  Education,  276  pp. 
l2mo.  ;  Mistakes  of  Educated  Men,  91  pp.  ;  Counsels  on  Leaving  School,  30  pp.  ; 
The  Bible  as  an  Educating  Power,  64  pp.  ;  Thoughts  on  Sabbath  Scliools,  215  pp.  ; 
The  Sunday  School  Llea,  416  pp.  ;  The  Golden  Censer,  or  Thoughts  on  the  Lord's 
Prayer,  144  pp.  ;  Removing  Mountains,  or  Life  Les^,ons  from  the  Gospels,  306  pp. 
In  all,  over  six  thou.sand  two  hundred  pages. 

Dr.  Hart  has  in  manuscript,  unpublished,  a  considerable  number  of  lectures 
prepared  for  educational  associations  ;  a  History  of  the  Public  Schools  of  Philadel- 
phia, prepared  from  the  original  records  of  the  city,  and  containing  materials  for  a 
large  octavo  ;  also  an  extended  course  of  Lectures  on  English  Literature,  which 
have  been  twice  re-written  since  their  first  preparation  for  the  students  of  the  Phil- 
adelphia High  School  in  1846-1849. 

Prof.  Hart  died  at  Philadelphia  in  March,  1877.  leaving  his  wife  (Amelia  Mor- 
ford)  and  a  son,  Prof  J.  M.  Hart,  surviving  him. 

JiEV.  MATTIlJCn'  ItOYJi  JIOI'JJ,  1>.  It. 

Prof.  Hope  was  born  in  Mifflin  County,  Pa.,  in  1812  ;  graduated  at  Jefferson  Col- 
lege  ;  studied  tlieology  at  Princeton  ;  was  a  missionary  of  the  American  Board  to 
Singapore  for  two  years,  when  he  became  sun-struck,  and  returned  home.  He  was 
elected  Professor  of  Belles- Lettres  and  Political  Economy  in  Princeton  College,  in 
1847,  and  died  December  17,  1859— while  occupying  that  chair. 

The  following  articles  were  written  by  him  for  the  Princeton  Review  :  1833, 
Foreign  Missions.  1S34,  Mr.  Irving  and  the  Modern  Prophetic  Scliool.  1839! 
Malcolm's  Travels  in  South-eastern  Asia.  1840,  Historical  Composition.  1841! 
Relation  between  the  Scriptures  and  Geology.— General  Assembly  of  1841.  1843, 
Education  in  Bengal.  1844,  Religious  Melancholy.  1849,  Robert  Burns  as  a 
Poet  and  a:>  a  Man.— Prison  Discipline.     1850,  Prof.  Bachman  on  the  Unity  of  the 


394  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

Human  Race.— Harrison  on  the  English   Language.— Prof.  Agassiz's  New  Hypo- 
thesis.    1S52,  Apologetics. 

MISS  MARY  A.  IIOTT. 

Published  a  volume  called  Blind  Tom,  in  1865 — i2mo. 

JtEr.  JIUNJtT  KOLLOCK,  I).  D. 

Pastor  of  the  church  in  Princeton,  and  Professor  of  Theology  in  the  College, 
in  1803. 

A  collection  of  his  Sermons  was  published  at  Savannah,  in  4  vols.  8vo.  in  1822. 
They  are  now  very  rare,  and  have  always  been  highly  valued. 

Jii:V.  JAMISS  M.  MACDONAI.!),  1).  X>. 

1.  "Credulity  as  Illustrated  by  Impostures  in  Science,"   I  vol.   1843. 

2.  "  Key  to  the  Book  of  Revelation,"  I  vol.    184S. 

3.  "  My  Father's  House," — l  vol.   1855.     Republished  in  London  and  Glasgow. 

4.  "The  Book  of  Ecclesiastes  Explained."   1S56. 

5.  "  Life  and  Character  of  John  the  Aposile,"  large  octavo,  with  illustrations. 
Published  after  his  death,  1876. 

6.  "Two  Centuries  in  the  Histoiy  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Jamaica,  Long 
Island,"  I  vol.  duodecimo. 

His  published  Sermons  were,  "The  Duel  between  Graves  and  Cilley,"  in  1838. 
"The  Diffusion  of  Pan  Christianity,"  1S58.  "Prelacy  Unscriptural."  "  President 
Lincoln — His  Figure  in  History,"  1865.  "Reminiscences  of  Twenty  Years'  Min- 
istry," 1873. 

Aii  article  in   the  Bibliotheca  Sacra:   "Irony   in   History,  or  Was  Gibbon  an 

Infidel?" 

In  the  Princeton  Review  :  1855,  Faber  on  the  Locality  of  Heaven — Dr.  J.  S. 
Spencer's  Sketches  and  Sermons.  1858,  Historical  Value  of  the  Pentateuch.  1S63, 
Faith  a  Source  of  Knowledge,     1865,  Census  of  i860. 

MA  J.COL M  MA C DONALD, 

"  Guatemozin:"  a  Drama,  i2mo.  Published  by  J.  B.  Lippincolt  &  Co.  Phil- 
adelphia, 1878. 

This  poem  is  a  dramatization  of  the  most  eventful  scenes  of  the  Mexican  War. 
Mr.  Macdonald  is  a  son  of  the  late  Rev.  Dr.  James  M.  Macdonald,  of  Princeton, 
and  now  resides  at  Camden,  N.  J. 

JOHN  MACLEAK,  M.  D. 

This  eminent  scholar  came  to  Princeton  from  Scotland,  and  was  professor  in 
the  college.     He  was  distinguished  as  a  surgeon  and  chemist. 

As  an  author  he  is  known  by  his  two  Lectures  on  Combustion,  8vo.  Philadel- 
phia, 1797,  in  which  he  advocates  the  Lavoisierian  system  of  chemistry  in  opposi- 
tion to  Dr.  Priestley  ;  and  also  by  a  number  of  papers  in  controversy  with  Dr. 
Priestley,  published  in  the  New  York  Medical  Repository.  A  Memoir  of  him  has 
been  written  by  his  son,  Ex-President  Maclean. 

JtlCr.  JOHN  MACLISAN,  D.  D. 

A  pamphlet  containing  a  Review  of  the  Proceedings  of  the  General  Assembly 
of  1837. 


AUTHORS  AND   THEIR   VOLUMES.  395 

A  pamphlet  containing  ten  letters  on  the  Quorum  or  Elder  Question,  and  three 
letters  on  the  Imposition  of  Hands.  1844. 

A  Lecture  on  Common  Schools,  published  in  1829. 

Two  Letters  on  The  True  Relations  of  the  Church  and  State  to  Schools  and 
Colleges.  1853.  Several  articles  on  the  Temperance  Question.  His  Inaugural 
Address  in  1S54  when  elected  president  of  the  college. 

History  of  the  College  of  New  Jersey,  2  vols.  8vo.  J.  13.  Lippincott  &  Co., 
Philadelphia.    1877. 

Memoir  of  John  ^L'lclean,  ^L  D. ,  fust  Professor  of  Chemistry  in  the  College  of 
New  Jersey.     Princeton  Press.    1877. 

In  the  Princeton  Review  two  articles:  1833,  Common  Schools.  1841,  Bacchus 
and  Anii-Iiacchus  (originally  puhlibhed  in  England). 

GJEOltOJS  MelNTOSa  MACLIiAN,  M.  D. 

A  Treatise  on  Somatology. 

He  also  published  in  the  New  York  Journal  of  Medicine,  several  papers  of  in- 
terest ;  among  them  was  one  on  the  Diseases  which  prevailed  in  Princeton,  N.  J., 
in  the  years  1S36-37  ;  another  on  a  case  of  Amaurosis  caused  by  Lightning  during 
Sleep,  successfully  treated  in  1856  ;  and  several  other  important  cases. 

The  Indiana  .State  iSIedical  Society  also  jjublished  two  Reports  on  the  "  Progress 
of  Meilical  Chemistry,"  by  Dr.  Maclean,  made  to  that  Society  in  the  year  1853-4  ; 
also  published  papers  on  "  Teaching  Chemistry,"  in  1859  !  "  Flame,"  in  i86o  ;  and 
the  "  Elements  of  Chemistry,"  in  1S61. 

JtJBr.  J^AMES  McCOSir,  li.  D. 

1.  "  The  Method  of  the  Divine  Government." 

2.  "  The  Intuitions  of  the  Mind." 

3.  "  Typical  Forms  and  Special  Seeds  in  Creation." 

4.  "Logic:  Laws  of  Discursive  Thought." 

5.  "  History  of  Scottish  Philosophy." 

6    "A  Defence  of  Fundamental  Truths." 

7.  "  Christianity  and  Positivism." 

8.  "  Ideas  in  Nature  Overlooked  by  Dr.  Tyndall." 

9.  "The  Developnient  Hyiiothesis." 

Also  elaborate  review  articles,  baccalaureate  sermons,  and  addresses  on  Educa- 
tion and  other  special  subjects, 

REV.  ALEXANDER  T.  McGILL.  I).  I). 

Popery  and  Puseyism,  pamphlet,  1844.  Individual  Responsibility— published 
by.  the  University  of  Indiana.  1845. 

Two  small  volumes  on  Popery  and  American  Slavery— published  by  the  Pres- 
byterian Board  of  Publication. 

Sermon  before  the  General  Assembly:  Life  by  Faith.  1863.  Sermon  on  Na- 
tional Fast  Day,  in  Dr.  Hall's  Fifth  Avenue  Church.  Discourse  before  the  Penn- 
sylvania Colonization  Society.  Address  before  the  American  Colonization  Society 
at  Washington.  1876.  A  Lecture  on  Prophecy,  in  the  University  of  Virginia — pub- 
lished in  a  volume  on  Evidences  of  Christianity.   1851  ;  and  others. 

In  the  Princeton  Review  he  completed  an  article  on  Sketches  of  Western  Penn- 
sylvania, commenced  by  Dr.  Carnahan,  and  in  1865,  Mason's  and  Di.xon's  Line. 


396  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

JtEV.  JOSnXT.L  IT.  McILVAINIS,  D.  D. 

While  Professor  of  Belles-Lettres  in  Princeton  College,  he  wrote  and  published 

r.  Klocution :  The  Sources  and  Elements  of  its  Power,  r  vol. 

2.  In  the  Princeton  Review  lie  contributed  the  following  articles  :  1859,  A 
Nation's  Right  to  Worship  God.  i86r,  Covenant  Education — American  Naliuual- 
ity.      18G2,  The  Church  and  the  Poor.     1867,  Malthusianisin. 

■Dr.  Mcllvaine  has  delivered  courses  of  lectures  of  great  merit,  and  various  lit- 
erary addresses  and  sermons,  but  which  of  them  have  been  published  we  are  not 
informed.  lie  has  published  a  pamphlet  on  "Inspiration,"  and  several  poems 
of  merit. 

JfiiiK.  JOHN  MILL J: It. 

The  Design  of  the  Church,  as  an  Index  to  her  Real  Nature  and  the  True  Law 
of  her  Communion.  1846. 

One  of  the  Virginia  University  Lectures  on  the  Evidences  of  Christianity.  1852. 

A  Commentary  on  the  Proverbs;  with  a  New  Translraion  and  with  some  of 
the  Original  Expositions  Re-examined  in  a  Classified  List.   1873. 

Fetich  in  'I'heology  ;  or  Doctrinalism  Twin  to  Ritualism.   1874. 

Metaphysics  ;  or  the  Science  of  Perception.   1875. 

Questions  Awakened  by  the  Bible.  I.  Are  Souls  Immortal?  II.  Was  Christ 
in  Adam?     III.  Is  God  a  Trinity ?     1S77. 

In  the  Princeton  Review:   1845,  Palmer  on  the  Church. 

:E.  Sl'JiNClilt  ^IILIlilt. 

A  son  of  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  Miller,  of  Princeton  ;  a  practising  lawyer  in  Phil- 
adelphia, and  Professor  of  Law  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  published 

A  Treatise  on  the  Law  of  Partition  by  Writ,  in  Penns}lvania  ;  with  Digest  of 
Statutes  and  Appendix  of  Forms.      Philadelphia,  1847.     Svo. 

Caprices:  A  Collection  of  Poems.      New  York,  1849.      i2mo. 

Specimens  of  his  poetry  are  given  in  Griswold's  Poets  and  Poetry  of  America. 
i6th  Ed.  1855,  537-539- 

Second  Edition  of  H.  J.  Sergeant's  Treatise  on  the  Lien  of  Mechanics  and 
Material  Men,  in  Pennsylvania,  8vo.  pp.  395.     1S56. 

MISS  MARY  MILLER. 

^Memorial  of  Margaret  E.  Breckinridge--l2mo.  103  pp.   1865. 

ItEV.  SAMUEL  MILLER.  I).  I*. 

A  Brief  Retrospect  of  the  Eighteenth  Century  :  containing  a  Sketch  of  the 
Revolutions  and  Improvements  in  Science,  Arts  and  Literature  during  that  Period. 
New  York,  1803.  2  vols.  8vo. ;  2d  Ed.  3  vols.  Reprinted  in  I-ondon,  1805, 
3  vols.  8vo. 

"  It  obtained  for  its  author  the  applause  of  both  hemisjiheres." — /Jr.  Francis's 
Old  Nexv  York.     He  was  assisted  by  his  brother.  Dr.  Edward  Miller. 

Letters  on  the  Christian  Ministry.  New  York,  1S07.  i2mo.  This  led  to  a 
controversy  with  Dr.  Jolin  Bowden,  which  oCLU|iied  in  all  five  vols. 

Presbyienanism  the  Truly  Primiiive  and  Apostolic  Constitution  of  the  Church 
of  Christ,  i2nio.     1835. 

Letters  on  Church  Government.  Memoirs  of  Rev.  John  Rodgers,  D.  D.  1813. 
8vo.     Letters  on  Unitarianism.     1S21.  8vo.     On  the   Eternal  Sonship  of  Christ. 


AUTHORS  AND  THEIR   VOLUMES.  397 

1823.     Lectures  at  the  Seminary.  1827.     Letters  on  Clerical  Manners  and  Habits 
1827.   l2mo.     Lectures  at  the  Seminary.   1830. 

Utility  and  Importance  of  Creeds  and  Confessions,  i8mo.  Office  of  Ruling 
Elder  in  the  Presbyterian  Church.  1831.  On  Baptism,  i  vol.  Letters  on  the 
Observance  of  the  Monthly  Concert  iu  Prayer,  i8mo.  Thoughts  on  Public 
Prayer — i2mo. 

Memoir  of  Rev.  Charles  Nesbit,  D.  D.,  i2mo.  1840.  Letters  from  a  Father  to 
his  Sons  in  College.  1843. 

Life  of  Jonathan  Edwards,  D.  D.  (in  Sparks'  American  Biography,  1837).  The 
Primitive  and  Apostolical  Order  of  Christ  Vindicated,  i2mo.  1840.  Letters  to 
Presbyterians  on  the  present  Crisis  in  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United 
States,  i2mo.   1833. 

In  addition  to  the  above  volumes,  his  publications  in  pamphlets  are  numerous: 
A  Sermon  preached  in  New  York,  on  the  Anniversary  of  American  Independence, 
1793.  Discourse  before  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  State  of  New  York,  1795  ;  one  on 
the  Discovery  of  New  York  by  Hudson,  1795  ;  one  before  the  New  York  Society 
for  the  Manumission  of  Slaves,  1797  ;  a  Sermon  on  Fast  Day  in  1788,  and  one  on 
Than'ksgivjng  Day,  after  the  removal  of  the  yellow  fever,  1799  ;  one  on  the  Death 
of  Washington,  1799  ;  one  before  the  N.  Y.  Missionary  Society,  1802  ;  two  discourses 
on  Suicide,  1805  ;  one  for  the  Benefit  Society  in  N.  Y.,  for  Relief  of  Poor  Widows 
and  Small  Children,  i8o3  ;  one  on  the  Office  of  Ruling  Elders,  1809  ;  one  on  the 
Burning  of  Richmond  Theatre,  1812;  Sermon  at  the  Inauguration  of  Dr.  Archi- 
bald Alexander  as  professor,  etc.,  in  Princeton,  1812  ;  one  at  Baltimore  at  the  Or- 
dination of  Dr.  Nevins,  1820  ;  one  at  New  Haven,  at  Ordination  of  Missionaries  to 
the  Heathen,  1822  ;  one,  "  The  Literary  Fountains  Healed,"  in  the  college  chapel, 
1823  ;  one  at  the  opening  of  the  new  Presbyterian  church  in  Arch  St.,  Phila.,  1823  ; 
one  before  Synod  at  Newark,  1823  ;  a  Discourse  before  the  Literary  and  Philoso- 
phical Society  of  New  Jersey,  at  Princeton,  1825  ;  Letter  to  a  Gentleman  in  Balti- 
more, on  the  Duncan  Case,  1826 ;  a  Sermon  at  the  Installation  of  Dr.  John  Breck- 
inridge, at  Baltimore,  1826;  two  sermons  in  the  National  Preacher;  Sermon 
preached  at  Installation  of  Dr.  Sprague.  at  Albany,  1829;  two  sermons  in  National 
Preacher,  on  Religious  Fasting,  1S31  ;  Sermon  on  Ecclesiastical  Polity,  1832  (Spruce 
St.  Lectures);  one  for  an  Enlarged  Ministry;  one  before  the  Alumni  of  (he  Prince- 
ton Seminary,  at  Pittsburgh,  1835  ;  one  before  the  A.  B.  C.  Foreign  Missions,  at 
Baltimore,  1835  ;  Sermon  at  the  Installation  of  Rev.  John  C.  Backus,  at  Baltimore, 
1836  ;  two  sermons  in  the  National  Preacher,  on  Christ  our  Righteousness,  1836  ; 
Sermon  on  the  Danger  of  Education  in  Roman  Catholic  Seminaries— preached  in 
Baltimore  and  New  York,  1837  ;  Sermon  in  Philadelphia  before  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions  Presbyterian  Church,  1838  ;  Address  at  Elisabethtown,  at  Dedication  of 
the  Caldwell  Monument,  1845. 

Dr.  Miller  also  published  a  Biographical  Sketch  of  his  brother,  Edward  Miller, 
M.  D.,  prefixed  to  his  Works  ;  an  essay  Introductory  to  Dr.  Sprague's  Lectures  to 
Young  People  ;  and  a  Letter  appended  to  Dr.  Sprague's  Lectures  on  Revivals  ;  an 
essay  Introductory  to  Villers  on  Reformation  ;  Thoughts  on  Lay-preaching  ;  Sketch 
of  the  Theological  Seminary  ;  Letters  of  a  Grandfather,  in  Mrs.  Breckinridge's 
Biogr.aphy,  Letter  on  Temperance,  and  several  Letters  of  Personal  Reminiscences. 
In  the  Repertory  and  Princeton  Review,  Dr.  Miller  published  ticenty-ftve 
articles. 


398  HI  STORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

niiV.  SAMUEIi  MILLEll,  Jr.,  li.  D. 

Report  of  the  Presbyieiian  Cluirch  Case,  I  vol.  8vo.  1839.  Report  of  the 
d'Hauteville  Case,  r  vol.  8vo.  1840.  Three  sermons  on  Prayer  for  the  Country.  1863. 

Life  of  Rev.  Samuel  Miller,  D.  D.,  2  vols.  l2vo.   1S69. 

Historical  Review  of  the  Church  (Old  School  Branch)  since  1837,  49  pp.,  for  the 
Presbyterian  Reunion  Memorial  Volume.  1870.  "The  Jews."  North  Amer.  Review. 

WAJLThJC  MXNTO,  XX.  D. 

A  Demonstration  of  the  Path  of  the  New  Comet.  Researches  into  Some  Parts 
of  the  Theory  of  Planets.  London,  1783.  8vo.  Account  of  John  Napier,  etc. 
Inaugural  Oration  on  the  Lnportance  of  the  Mathematical  Sciences — Delivered  at 
I'rinceton,  178S. 

JiXr.  JAMES  C.  MOFFAT,  D.  J>. 

1.  Life  of  Thomas  Chalmers,  D.  D.,  l2mo.   1853. 

2.  Introduction  to  the  Study  of /Esthetics,  i2mo.  1856. 

3.  Comparative  History  of  Religions. 

5.  Song  and  Scenery,  I  vol. 

6.  Alwyn  ;  or  a  Romance  of  Study — a  poem  in  the  Spenserian  stanza. 

7.  A  volume  of  poems,  published  in  1830  ;  now  out  of  print. 

8.  A  series  of  articles  on  Alexanilria  of  the  Ptolemies,  in  Our  Monthly,  1870-71. 

9.  Twenty-six  articles  on  the  Culdee  Church  in  Scotland  ;  also  twenty-one 
articles  on  the  Reformation  in  Scotland,  published  in  the  Scotsi/ian,  of  New  York, 
in  1877-78. 

He  wrote  txventy  articles  which  were  published  in  the  Princeton  Review.  He 
edited  Clarke's  History  of  England,  with  additions,  in  Cincinnati,  1851.  i2mo.  He 
was  editor  of  the  Princetonian,  a  weekly  newspaper,  double  sheet  in  1872. 

B.EV.  JAMES  O.  MUItRAY,  D.  JO. 

"The  Missionary  and  the  Martyr;"  a  Sermon  commemorative  of  the  Rev. 
William  Merriam.  1856.  Two  Sermons  on  National  Topics,  during  the  war.  1862. 
A  Sermon  on  Hymnology,  1870.     The  Sacrifice  of  Praise,  i  vol.  1S72. 

STEPHEN  VAN  JiEXSSELAER   PATEJRSON, 

Hierosoiyma,  Milton's  Dream  and  Other  Poems.  A  small  volume  of  114  pp, 
— printed  at  Princeton  by  J.  T.  Robinson,  printer,  1850;  published  anonymously, 
but  attributed  to  Mr.  Paterson,  v/ho  graduated  in  1835. 

JtEV.   WILEIAM  II.  JtOBEJtTS. 

William  Henry  Roberts,  son  of  Rev.  William  Roberts,  D.  D..  of  Utica,  N.  Y., 
formerly  of  New  York  city;  graduated  in  1863  from  Princeton  College,  and  from 
Seminary  in  1S73.  From  1863-67  w.ts  Statistical  Clerk  of  the  U.  S.  Treas.  Dept., 
Washington,  D,  C.  From  1867-72,  was  Assistant  Librarian,  I,ibrary  of  Congress, 
Washington,  D.  C.  From  May  to  Oct.,  1873,  engaged  in  re-organizing  the  Library 
of  Theological  Seminary.    From  Nov.,  1873  to  Dec,  1877,  pastor  at  Cranford,  N.  J. 

1.  Comparative  Statement  of  the  Duties  upon  Imports  levied  by  U.  S.  Tarifis 
from  18 16  to  1865,  the  Specific  Rates  of  Duty  in  each  Case  being  reducetl  to  an  «</ 
valorem  llasis,  8vo.     Washington,  1S65. 

2.  John  Huss,  a  Commemorative  Discourse  preached  in  the  Second  Moravian 
Church,  Philadelphia,  July  6,  1873,  the  500th  anniversary  of  his  birth. 


AUTHOh'S  AXD    TUKIR    VOr.V lUKF!.  399 

3.  llie  rerfeclion  uf  Knowlt-dnc  in  tlir  l.ifi-  lo  ( 'oiiie — A  Sermon  prcm-lu'd  in 
tlie  WcUii  I'resljylerian  Cliuich,  Scianion,  I'a.,  July,  1S74. 

4.  llisuiiy  of  die  'I'tjwu  cif  (Jianluid  :  an  Addivss  ik-livcied  July  4,  iSyf),  in  the 
l'"irsi  I'rcsjjylerinn  L'liuicli  of  ( 'i-aiifdnl,  N.  j, 

5.  IJranible  Rule,  ;i  Scriiioji  ))i-ea(.heil  in  ll>e  I'iist  I'lX'sliyleri.iii  ( 'luiicli,  of  Cran- 
fonl,  'rii;\nl>sijiviny;  Day,  November  27,  1877. 

Mr.  Roberts  also  compiled  and  edited  (lie  (."lassified  (_'alalot;ue  of  the  T,aw  Li 
braiy  of  Conirress,  in  addition  to  oilier  cataloi^iie  work  in  that  Library,  lie  is  en- 
ijaj^ed  upon  a  classified  Calalo<riie  of  the  Seminary  Library,  which  it  is  expected 
will  lie  soon  i)ublishcd.  lie  ha-,  written  to  son\e  extent  lor  the  secular  press  upon 
economic  i|Ucstions,  and  lor  the  religious  ))ress  u])on  \arious  topics. 

,r.  stiijLwi'.IjL  scii.t xcii,  m.  />.,  l/^.o. 

In  the  Princeton  Review:    1865,  "What  is  the  Use  of  Urcathing?" 

j{i:r.  WILLIAM  i:i>ty.iJtnsciiiJ\rj<,  it.  />. 

I.  1  lisiorical  Account  of  the  h'irst  Presbyteiian  C^hurch,  Princeton,  N.  J.  1850. 
2.  The  Parting  Commendation.  3.  Discourse  on  Churcli  I'"\tension  in  Cities.  4. 
Discourse  Commemorative  of  Rev.  ISenjaniin  11.  Rice,  D.  IJ.  5.  Cod  our  (iuide. 
6.  Discourse  Commemorative  of  Rev.  P.  D.  Cuirley,  D.  D.  7.  The  Fountain  for 
Sin  and  Uncleanness.  8.  Aunt  Fanny's  Home.  g.  (By  Hoard  of  Publication) — 
Childien  in  Heaven.      10.   Nearing  Home;  and  other  [lamphlels  and  discijurses. 

iilOOKCilC   ir.   SJIJCLliOX. 

American  Painters  :   with  83  illustrations.     (Quarto,  1S71J. 

jt/cr.  cuAitLEs  w.  sinici^ns,  n.  n. 

Directory  for  Public  Worship,  i  vol.  8vo.  Liturgia  Kx|iurgata :  the  Prayer- 
Hook  Amended,  i6nio.  Philosophia  lUtima,  Svo.  Religion  and  Science  in 
their  Relation  to  Philosophy,  I2m().  The  Rook  of  Remembrance,  I  \'ol.  I2ni(j. 
The  Final  Philosophy,  1  vol.  large  8vo.  Resides  Addresses,  Sermons,  Poems, 
and  Translations. 

jticV,  slmui:l  siASiioi'i:  smith,  j>.  Jt. 

l^ssay  on  the  Causes  of  the  N'ariety  of  Complexion  and  h'igure  of  the  Human 
Species.      Philadelphia,  1787.   Svo.      Republished  in  London,  2d  lul.    iSio. 

Sern\ons,  Newark,  N.  J.,  1799.   8vo.      Republished  in  London. 

Lectures  on  the  l^vitlence  of  the  Christian  Religion.      Pliila.,  180).    I2nu). 

Lectures  on  Moral  and  Political  Philosophy.     Trenton,  N.  J.,  1812 — 2  vols.  8vo. 

Comprehensive  \'iew  of  Principles  of  Natural  anil  Revealed  Religion.  New 
Rrunswick,  N.  ].,  1815,   Svo. 

He  also  publislied  a  number  tjf  single  Sermons,  Orations  and  Discourses,  1781- 
iSiu.  After  his  death  there  were  published  six  of  his  Sermons,  with  a  Rrief 
Memoir  of  his  Life  antl  Writings — 2  vols.  Svo.    I  821. 

COM Mo/Ktui'J  noiiicitr  /•'.  st<h:i<t<>s. 

The  most  iniportant  of  Com.  Stockton's  Speeches,  together  with  Ids  Reiiorls  and 
State  Papeis,  have  been  publishctl  in  the  .Appendices  to  lus  P>iogra|)liy,  by  S.  |. 
liayard. 

Ji)ll\  }'.  srOCUTON. 

The  son  of  Com.  Stocklim  published  Stockton's  New  Jersey  Chancery  Reports, 
from  1S56  to  1S60 — 3  vols.;  he  being  the  Chancery  Rejiorler  for  the  .Slate. 


'«( 


400  HISTORY  OF  PRlNCErOS^. 

MliS.  LOUISA   C.  TVTIIIT.L. 

"  Mrs.  Tulhill  is  descended  on  l)oth  sides  from  the  early  colonists  of  New  TIaven, 
Conn.  ;  one  of  her  ancestors  on  tiie  father's  side  heini^  the  brother  of  Tlieophilus 
Eaton,  the  first  Governor  of  the  Colony.  Iter  maiden  name  was  T>ouisa  Caroline 
Iluggins.  She  was  born  just  at  the  close  of  the  last  century,  at  New  Haven,  and 
educated  partly  at  New  Haven  and  partly  at  Litchfickl.  The  schools  for  young 
ladies  in  both  these  towns,  at  that  time,  were  celebrated  for  their  excellence,  and 
that  in  New  Haven  particularly,  comprehended  a  course  of  study  equal  in  range, 
with  the  exception  of  Greek  and  the  higher  mathematics,  to  the  course  pursued  at 
the  same  time  in  Yale  College. 

"  Being  the  youngest  child  of  a  wealthy  and  retired  merchant,  she  enjoyed  to  the 
fullest  extent  the  opportunities  of  education  which  the.se  seminaries  afforded,  as  well 
as  that  more  general  but  not  less  important  element  of  education,  the  constant  in- 
tercourse with  jieople  of  rehned  tastes  and  cultivated  minds.  In  1817  she  was  mar- 
ried to  Cornelius  Tulhill,  E.sq.,  of  Newburgli,  N.  Y.,  who  studied  law  at  Eitchfield, 
Conn.,  and  after  his  marriage  l)ecame  a  resident  of  New  Haven.  Mr.  Tulhill  him- 
self, as  well  as  his  wife,  being  of  a  literary  turn,  their  hospitable  mansion  liecame 
the  resort  of  quite  an  extensive  literary  circle,  some  of  whom  have  since  become 
known  to  fame.  Mr.  Tulhill,  with  two  of  his  friends,  the  lamented  Henry  V.. 
Dwight,  youngest  son  of  President  Dwight  of  Yale  College,  and  Nathaniel  Chaun- 
cey,  Esq.,  late  of  Philadelphia,  projected  a  literary  paper  for  local  distribution, 
called  "  The  Microscope."  It  was  published  at  New  Haven,  and  edited  by  Mr. 
Tulhill  with  the  aid  of  the  two  friends  just  named.  Through  pages  of  the  "  Micro- 
.scope,"  the  poet  Percival  first  iiecame  known  to  the  public.  Among  the  contribu- 
tors were  T.  C.  Brainerd,*  Profs.  Fisher  and  Fowler,  Mrs.  Sigourney,  and  others. 

"  Mrs.  Tuthill  wrote  rhymes  from  childhood,  and  as  far  back  as  she  can  remember 
was  devoted  to  books.  One  of  her  amusements  during  girlhootl  was  to  write 
stealthily  essays,  plays,  tales  and  verses,  all  of  wliich,  however,  with  the  exceiition 
of  two  or  three  school  compositions,  were  committed  to  the  flames  ]irevious  to  her 
marriage.  She  had  imbibed  a  strong  prejudice  against  literary  women,  and  firmly 
resolved  never  to  be  one.  Mr.  Tuthill  took  a  different  view  of  the  matter,  and 
urged  her  to  a  further  pursuit  of  liberal  studies  and  the  continued  exerci.se  of  her 
pen.  At  his  solicitation,  she  wrote  frequently  for  "The  Microscope"  during  its 
continuance,  which,  however,  was  only  for  a  conide  of  years. | 

"  Mr.  Tuthill  died  in  1820,  at  the  age  of  twenty-nine,  leaving  a  widow  and  four 
children,  one  son  and  three  daughters.  As  a  solace  under  affliction,  Mrs.  Tuthill 
employed  her  pen  in  contributing  frequently  to  literary  periodicals,  but  always 
anonymously,  and  with  so  little  regard  to  fame  of  authorship  as  to  keep  neither 
record  nor  copy  of  her  pieces,  though  some  of  them  occasionally  Ihvat  by  as  waifs 
on  the  tide  of  current  literature.  Several  litlle  books,  too,  were  written  by  her  be- 
tween 1827  and  1839,  for  the  pleasure  of  mental  occupation,  and  pul)li=hed  anony- 
mously.    Some  of  them  stdl  hokl  their  place  in  Sunday  school  libraries. 

"  Mrs.  Tulhill's  name  first  came  before  the  public  in  1839.  It  was  on  the  title- 
page  of  a  reading  book  for  young  ladies,  on  a  new    plan.      The  plan   was   to  make 

*  See  M'hiltier's  Life  of  Hrainenl. 

t  Mr.  Tulhill  sul)se(iueiUly  edited  for  a  time  "  The  Christian  Spectator,"  a  religious  monthly 
journal,  wlucli  hud  an  extensive  cin.uUuiun.  As  much  of  his  time  was  occig)icil  in  court,  and 
his  health  was  delicate,  lie  was  },flad  to  have  the  assistance  <)(  Mrs.  Tuthill  in  sclecliii};  and  con- 
iribulinu  to  that  journal. 


AUTHORS  A. VD   THEIR    VOLUMES.  A^l 

the  selections  a  scries  of  illustrations  of  the  rules  of  rhetoric,  the  examples  selected 
beino- taken  from  the  best  English  and  American  authors.  'The  Young  Ladies' 
Reader'  has  been  popular,  and  has  gone  through  many  editions. 

"  The  ice  being  once  broken,  she  began  to  publish  more  freely,  and  during  the 
same  year  gave  to  the  world  the  work  entitled  The  Young  Ladies'  Home.  It  is  an 
octavo  volume  of  tales  and  essays,  having  in  view  the  completion  of  a  young  lady's 
education  after  her  leaving  school.  It  shows  at  once  a  fertile  imagination  and 
varied  reading,  sound  judgment,  and  a  familiar  acquaintance  with  social  life.  It 
has  been  frecpiently  reprinted.  Her  next  publication  was  an  admirable  series  of 
small  volumes  for  boys  and  girls,  which  have  been,  of  all  her  writings,  the  most  fa- 
vorably known.  They  are  i6mos.  of  about  150  pages  each,  I  Will  be  a  Gentleman, 
184.1,  twenty-nine  editions;  I  Will  be  a  Lady.  1844,  twenty-nine  editions  ;  Onward, 
Right  Onward,  1845,  fourteen  editions  ;  Boarding  School  Girl,  1845,  eight  editions  ; 
Anything  for  Sport,  1846,  eight  editions  ;  A  Strike  for  Freedom,  or  Law  and  Order, 
1850,  three  editions  in  the  first  year.  In  1S52  Mrs.  Tuthill  commenced  a  new 
series,  intended  for  boys  and  girls  in  their  teens  :  Ibaggadocio,  1S52  ;  ()ucer  lion- 
nets,  1853  ;  Tip-Top,  1854.  These  have  passed  through  several  editions,  and  have 
been  as  popular  as  the  former  series. 

"  Had  Mrs.  Tuthill  written  nothing  but  these  attractive  and  useful  volumes,  she 
would  have  entitled  herself  to  an  honorable  place  in  any  work  which  professed  to 
treat  of  the  prose  literature  of  the  country.  They  have  the  graces  of  style  and 
thought  which  would  commend  them  to  the  favorable  consideration  of  the  general 
reader,  with  superadded  charms  that  make  them  the  delight  of  children.  During 
the  composition  of  these  juvenile  works,  she  continued  her  occupation  of  catering 
for  "  children  of  a  larger  growth,"  and  gave  to  the  world,  in  1846,  a  work  of  fiction 
entitled  "My  Wife,"  a  tale  of  fashionable  life  of  the  present  day,  conveying  under 
the  garb  of  an  agreeable  story,  wholesome  counsels  for  the  young  of  both  sexes,  on 
the  all-engrossing  subject  of  marriage. 

"  A'love  for  the  Fine  Arts  has  been  with  Mrs.  Tuthill  one  of  the  ruling  passions 
of  her  life.  At  different  times,  ample  means  have  been  within  her  reach  for  the 
cultivation  of  this  class  of  studies.  Partly  for  her  own  amusement,  and  partly  for 
the  instruction  of  her  children,  she  paid  special  attention  to  the  study  of  architec- 
ture in  its  resthetical  character,  enjoying,  while  thus  engaged,  the  free  use. of  the 
princely  library  of  Ithiel  Towne,  the  architect.  The  result  of  these  studies  was  the 
publication,  in  1848.  of  a  splendid  octavo  volume  on  the  History  of  Architecture. 

"  She  edited  during  the  same  year,  a  very  elegant  illustrated  octavo  volume.  The 
Mirror  of  Life,  in  which  several  of  the  contributions  were  written  by  herself.  The 
illustrations  for  The  Mirror  of  Life  were  from  original  designs  by  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Morton,  of  Philadelphia  and  the  late  Thomas  P.  Rossiter,  artist.  The  Nursery 
Book,  or  Joy  and  Care,  appeared  in  1849.  It  is  not  a  collection  of  nursery  rhymes 
for  children,  as  the  title  has  led  many  to  suppose,  but  counsels  for  young  mothers 
respecting  the  duties  of  the  nursery.  These  counsels  are  conveyed  under  the  fic- 
tion of  an  imaginary  correspondence  between  a  young  mother,  just  beginning  to 
dress  her  first  baby,  and  an  experienced  aunt.  There  are  few  topics  in  the  whole 
history  of  the  management  and  the  mismanagement  of  a  child,  during  the  first  and 
most  important  stages  of  its  existence,  that  are  not  discussed  with  alternate  reason 
and  ridicule,  in  this  clever  volume.  Mrs.  Tuthill  has  since  prepared  a  series  of 
works  under  the  general  title  of  Success  in  Life,  in  four  volumes,  each  illustrating 
the  method  of  success  in  some  particular  walk  in   life  by   numerous  biographical 


402  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

examples  from  the  lives  of  distinguished  citizens,  The   Merchant,  iS^q;  T'.ie  Law 
ycr,  1850;  The  Mechanic,  1850;  The  Artist,  ]854. 

"  In  1838  Mrs.  Tuthill  left  her  much-loveil  native  city,  where  until  this  time  she 
had  resided,  and  passed  four  years  in  Hartford,  Conn.  ;  from  thence  she  removed 
to  Boston.  The  health  of  her  family  requiring  a  change  of  climate,  she  went  in 
1S46,  to  rhiladelphia.  Since  1848  Mrs.  Tuthill  has  resided  in  Princeton,  N.  J." — 
John  S.  Haut,  LL.  D.,  Female  Prose  Writers  0/  Ame>ica. 

Books  not  mentioned  in  Dr.  Hart's  biographical  notice  of  Mrs.  Tuthill  are  as 
follows  :  Architecture  ;  Egyptian,  Indian,  Persian,  Chinese — a  small  quarto  of  74 
pages,  beautifully  illustrated;  published  at  New  Haven,  1S31.  This  little  volume 
was  the  nucleus  of  the  large  octavo— The  History  of  Architecture,  Ancient  and 
Modern,  published  in  Philadelphia,  1848.  Calisthenics  ;  Caroline  Perthes,  the 
Christian  Wife,  selected  and  arranged  from  the  Life  of  Perthes;  Second  Love,  I'll 
be  a  Sailor,  I'll  be  a  Soldier,  True  Manliness,  Romantic  Belinda,  Edith  the  Back- 
woods Girl,  Gentle  Gracie,  True  and  Beautiful,  Precious  Thoughts,  Selections  from 
Ruskin,  and  a  Memoir  introductory.  Many  of  Mrs.  Tuthill's  books  have  been  re- 
printed in  England,  and  have  had  a  wide  circulation  in  the  United  States,  where 
many  of  them  continue  to  be  published  at  the  present  lime,  187S. 

COIINELIA  X.  TVTHJLTj. 

Cornelia  L.  Tuthill(Mrs.  John  S.  Pierson)  was  the  eldest  daughter  of  Mrs. 
Louisa  C.  Tuthill. 

The  difficulty  of  giving  any  adequate  impression  of  the  subject  of  this  brief 
notice,  only  those  who  had  the  privilege  of  knowing  her,  can  appreciate  ;  her  gifts 
were  so  varied,  the  combination  so  beautiful  and  rare.  Her  literary  productions 
form  so  small  a  part  of  the  history  of  her  life,  that  they  may  be  almost  said  to  be  a 
mere  incident  in  it.  Yet,  little  valued  as  they  were  by  herself,  and  imperfect  as  an 
exhibition  of  her  intellectual  power,  they  attained  their  main  object,— usefulness ; 
and  many  a  young  mind  has  been  strengthened  and  stimulated  in  duty  by  her 
earnest  words.  They  were  mostly  the  efforts  of  early  youth,  before  her  mind  had 
reached  its  full  maturity.  It  was  in  personal  intercourse  that  she  became  a  power  , 
then  the  richly  stored  mind,  tlie  knowledge  of  human  nature,  the  sparkling  wit,  the 
ready  humor,  the  loving  sympathy,  shone  fully  forth.  She  was  a  precocious  child, 
reading  her  Bible  at  four,  and  "  lisping  in  numbers  "  at  six  years  of  age.  From  that 
onward,  her  development  was  rapid  and  brilliant,  and  at  an  age  when  most  girls 
are  still  at  school,  she  was  already  the  delight  and  ornament  of  society. 

She  united  quickness  of  perception  and  invention  approaching  to  genius,  with 
remarkable  soundness  of  judgment  and  sterling  practical  common-sense,  all  vital- 
ized by  a  wonderful  subtleness  of  sympathy,  which  gave  her  an  almost  magnetic 
influence  over  others.  The  young,  especially,  were  attracted  by  her,  and  made  her 
the  sharer  of  their  confidences.  Not  a  few  such,  in  after  years,  admitted  their  in- 
debtedness at  critical  points  of  life,  to  the  shaping  touch  of  that  wise  and  loving 
hand.  She  early  acknowledged  her  religious  obligations,  and  by  a  course  of  self- 
sacriticing  love,  through  no  ordinary  trials  and  vicissitudes,  showed  the  sincerity 
of  her  consecration.  Under  the  discipline  of  life  her  religious  character  became 
one  of  a  high  order  ;  with  convictions  of  duty  strong  and  controllmg,— a  grasp  of 
truth  firm  and  sure,  and  a  love  to  God  and  man  which  waS  the  very  spirit  of  her 
life.  A  most  happy  and  congenial  marriage  brought  to  its  highest  development, 
the  loveliness  of  her  truly  womanly  nature  ;  but  after  a  few  years,  a  serious  illness 


AUTHORS  AND   THEIR   VOLUMES.  403 

acting  upon  a  constitution  naturally  delicate,  brought  to  a  close  her  outward  activi- 
ties, and  laid  her  upon  a  bed  of  pain,  from  whicli  only  the  blessed  Angel  of  Death 
was  to  release  her.  That  chamber  of  sickness  and  at  times  of  almost  mortal  agony, 
who  can  or  would  picture  !  Suffice  it  to  say,  that  its  secluded  walls  witnessed  such 
noble  endurance,  such  self  forgetful  interest  in  others,  such  warm,  loving,  energetic 
charities  as  made  it  seem  to  be  in  truth  a  '"  house  of  God,  a  very  gate  of  heaven." 
Both  the  faithful  and  the  erring  child  of  God,  the  happy  and  the  sorrowful,  the 
scholar  and  the  untaught,  the  child  and  the  man,  alike  felt  the  better,  wiser,  happier, 
for  the  loving  welcome  of  those  beautiful  eyes,  and  the  glowing  eloquence  of  those 
truthful  lips,  which  made  such  "sunshine  in  that  shacly  place."  Mrs.  Pierson  died 
in  1870,  at  the  residence  of  her  husband  in  New  York  city. 

Wreaths  and  Branches  for  the  Church,  Christian  Ornaments,  History  of  the 
Church  (abridged  from  Southey),  A  Western  ITome  Made  Happy,  The  Boy  of 
Spirit,  Hurrah  for  New  England  !  When  are  we  Happiest?  The  Belle,  the  Blue, 
and  the  Bigot,  Herlierl  Atherton,  Our  Little  Comfort,  Consecrated  Talents,  Tlie 
New  Miscellany,  Buds  and  Blossoms,  Anything  for  Sport. 

Miss  Tulhill's  books  were  all  written  long  before  her  marriage. 

SAHA  n  S.  TUTHTLL. 

Sarah  S.  Tuthill  (Mrs.  Woods  Baker)  is  the  youngest  daughter  of  Mrs.  L.  C. 
Tuthill.  At  the  death  of  her  father  she  was  left  an  infant.  While  very  young  she 
wrote  in  verse,  until  discouraged  by  her  mother,  who  carefully  turned  her  attention 
to  studies  required  at  school,  in  which  she  became  very  proficient.  She  afterwards 
in  life  occasionally  indulged  her  taste  for  poetry,  especially  in  her  earliest  published 
works.  The  Children's  Christian  Year,  and  Poems  for  Little  Folks,  were  in  verse, 
and  her  My  Little  Geography,  was  in  prose  and  verse. 

Miss  Tuthill  was  married  in  1851  to  Mr.  Woods  Baker,  a  man  devoted  to  sci- 
ence, who,  though  young,  had  already  become  distinguished  in  his  chosen  career, 
and  gave  promise  of  great  usefulness.  But  he  was  suddenly  cut  down  by  a  sad 
accident  on  the  Hudson  River,  in  1852,  leaving  his  crushed  and  broken-hearted 
widow  with  an  infant  daughter  scarcely  two  weeks  old. 

From  this  time  Mrs.  Baker  resided  in  Princeton,  and  under  the"nom  deplume" 
of  "Aunt  Friendly"  soon  became  widely  known  through  her  charming  books  for 
young  people,  which  were  always  welcomed  with  pleasure  by  old  and  young.  Story 
after  story  (lowed  from  her  graceful  pen,  and  few  writers  have  done  more  than  Mrs. 
Baker  for  the  spread  of  a  high-toned  religious  literature,  among  the  youth  of  our 
own  and  other  lands.  Her  books  always  present  some  important  religious  truth  in 
a  graphic  and  most  attractive  form,  and  their  unsectarian  character  has  made  them 
especially  useful  in  Sunday  schools  of  every  denomination.  Poor  Little  Joe,  Timid 
Lucy,  The  Babes  in  the  Basket,  and  many  others  have  become  as  familiar  as  house- 
hold words.  The  works  of  Mrs.  Baker  have  been  much  appreciated  in  England 
and  Scotland,  where  they  have  had  a  large  circulation  ;  and  some  of  them  have 
been  translated  into  the  French,  Italian  and  Swedish  languages. 

Mrs.  Woods  Baker's  books  noi  vieutiomd  in  the  biogr.nphical  notice:  Belle,  or 
the  Promised  Blessing,  The  Jewish  Twins,  Timid  Lucy,  The  Babes  in  the  Basket, 
Kale  Darley,  The  Fisherman's  Boy,  P)Ound  Out,  Little  Musicians,  Poor  Little  Joe, 
Barton  Todd.  Hatty  and  Marcus,  Fidgety  Skeerl,  or  Coming  to  the  Light,  Heart 
and  Hand,  Mary  Burns.  ^Llggie  of  the  Pines,  Under  the  Pear  Tree,  Old  Enoch's 
Verbena,  The  Picket  Guard,  The  Blue  Flag,  Buster  and  Baby  Jim,  The  Boy  Pa- 


404  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

triot,  The  Children  on  the  Plains,  Visit  to  Derby,  Miss  Kitty's  Little  Maid,  The 
Miner's  Daughter,  The  Boy  Friend,  Simple  Facts,  The  Orange  Seed,  Hannah's 
Path,  Cheerily,  Cheerily,  Kelly  Nash,  Emily  and  Uncle  llause,  Strangers  in  Creoii- 
land,  The  Woodman's  Nannette,  Love's  Lesson,  Amy  and  her  Brothers,  Charlie  the 
Drummer  Boy,  The  Little  Housekeeper,  Kit  the  Street  Boy,  Little  Pete,  The  New 
Parasol,  Lucy's  Pet,  Joe's  Partner,  Gentle  CJracie,  The  Edinburgh  I'ook. 

JiliV.    WILLIAM  C.   ULYAT. 

A  Memorial  Volume  :  Condensed  History  of  Philadclpliia  fiom  1682  to  1876. 
With  Maps  and  Illustrations  ;  Designed  to  aid  Visitors  to  the  Centennial  Exhibition  ; 
with  an  Appendix.   1876.         *■ 

Our  New  Departure:  a  Sermon  preached  in  Mercer  Hall,  August  4,  1872,  on 
occasion  of  first  meeting  for  worship,  of  the  Second  Bapli.it  Church  of  Princeton, 
New  Jersey. 

In  course  of  publication  :  The  Pastor's  Manual — a  small  volume  containing  Di- 
rections and  Forms  to  aid  a  Pastor  in  his  Duties — such  as  Visits  to  the  Sick  and 
Afllicted,  Administration  of  Ordinances,  Service  at  Funerals,  Marriages,  Hymns, 
Prayers,  etc. :  A  Book  of  Reference  for  Theological  Students  and  Pastors  in  pre- 
paring for  their  various  special  ministrations. 

iticr.  JOHN  wiTJiicnsvooN,  d.  d. 

Ecclesiastical  Characteristics  ;  or  the  Arcana  of  Church  Policy.  Glasgow,  1753. 
Bvo.     At  least  five  editions  ;  anon. 

A  Serious  vVpology  for  the  Characteristics,  in  which  he  acknowledged  his 
authorship  of  No.  i. 

Essay  on  the  Connection  between  Justification  by  the  Imputed  Righteousness 
of  Christ  and  Holiness  of  Life — i2mo.   1756.     Several  editions. 

Serious  Inquiry  into  the  Nature  and  Effects  of  the  Stage.  Glasgow,  1757  ;  with 
a  sermon  by  Samuel  Miller,  D.  D.     New  \'ork.  1812.   i2mo. 

Essays  on  Important  Subjects  ;  with  Ecclesiastical  Characteristics.  Loudon, 
1764.     3  vols.  l2mo. 

Sermons  on  Practical  Subjects.  1768. 

Practical  Discourses  on  Leading  Truths  of  the  Gospel.   1768. 

The  Nature  and  Extent  of  the  Legislative  Authority  of  British  Parliament — 8vo. 
1774- 

He  also  published  a  number  of  single  sermons,  Lectures  on  Moral  Philosophy, 
on  Eloquence,  on  Divinity,  and  on  Education,  Letters  on  Marriage,  an  excellent 
Essay  on  Money  ;  philosophical  papers,  and  some  American  State  Documents, 
Some  of  his  Speeches  in  Congress  were  included  in  his  Works. 

After  his  death  a  collective  edition  of  all  his  works,  with  an  account  of  the 
author's  Life  ;  with  a  Sermon  by  John  Rodgers,  D.  D.,  was  published  in  1795,  in 
4  vols.  ;  another  edition  in  iSor,  in  4  vols.,  with  a  Memoir  by  S.  Stanhope  Smith, 
D.  D.  His  works  have  been  published  in  Europe  and  America,  in  several  editions 
and  forms,  and  are  in  high  repute. 

I'JtOF.   CHAltLlLS  A.   YOVJfO,   ZL.  D. 

Scientific  Articles  :  Amencan  Jounial  of  Science  and  Art,  1865,  On  a  pro- 
posed Printing  Chronograph,  6  pp.  1869,  On  Eclipse  Observations  ^t  Builington, 
Iowa,  8  pp.     *  1870,  Notes  on   Photography  of  Solar  Prominences,  4  pp  ;  New 


AUTHORS  AND   THEIR    VOLUMES.  405 

Method  of  Dtteimining  Level  Error  of  Transit  InbtriiineiU,  4  pp.  *  1871,  On  ihe 
Polar  Corona,  10  pp.  1871,  Note  on  the  Corona,  2  [ip.  *  1871,  Preliminary  Cata- 
logue of  103  bright  lines  in  Solar  Chromosphere,  2  pp.  *  1872,  Note  on  Reeurrent 
Vision,  2  pp.  *i872,  Observations  on  Encke's  Comet,  4  pp.  *  1872,  Spectroscopic 
Observations  at  Sherman,  7  pp.  1873,  Notes  on  Italian  Report  of  Solar  Eclipse 
of  1870,  4  pp.  *  1873,  Note  on  Diffraction  Grating  as  a  substitute  for  the  tran.  of 
Prisms  in  Solar  Observations,  2  pp.  *  1876,  Note  on  Duplicity  of  the  1474th  Line, 
4  pp.  *  1S76,  Observations  on  Displacement  of  Lines  in  Solar  Spectrum,  8  pp. 
*  1878,  (Two  papers)  Reports  on  Solar  Eclipse  of  1878,  17  jip. 

Journal  of  Enxnkliii  InstiluU  :  1869-1871,  Spectroscopic  Notes— 8  papers,  40 
pp.  *  1870,  Construction  of  Spectroscope,  15  pp.  1871,  Report  on  Eclip.sc  of 
1870,  6  pp.     1S72,  Description  of  an  Automatic  Mercurial  Pump,  3  pp. 

Of  the  above  those  marked  with  a  *  were  republished  abroad,  .some  in  the 
Philosophical  Magazine,  some  in  Nature,  some  in  I^s  MoucLs,  and  nearly  all  in 
Natur  (German), 

In  Nature  (London) :  1870,  Notes  on  Construction  of  Spectroscope,  5  jip.  1871, 
Account  of  the  Eclipse  of  1870,  4  pp.  1872,  Observations  at  Sherman,  8  pp.  1878, 
In  Monthly  Notices  of  Royal  Astronom.  Soc,  2  papers  on  Transit  of  Mercury,  15  pj). 

Popular  Siieiu-e  Monthly  (New  York):  Feb.,  1S74,  The  Chromosphere  and 
Solar  Prominences,  17  pp.  1875,  Methods  of  Determining  the  Distance  and 
Dimensions  of  the  Sun,  17  pp. 

International  Review  :   1874,  Constitution  of  the  Sun,  19  pp. 

Princeton  Review  :  1878,  The  Recent  Solar  Eclipse.  23  pp. 

Johnson's  Encyclopedia  :   1873,  Articles  on  Spectroscope  and  Sun,  20  pp. 

1870,  Report  of  Board  of  Visitors  of  the  U.  S.  Military  Academy  at  West  Point, 
20  pp.    1870,  U.  S.  Coast  Survey  Report — Report  on  the  Solar  Eclipse  of  1870,  15  pp. 

1S72,  Report  on  Observations  at  Sherman,  20  pp.  1872,  The  Sun— Chatfield's 
University  Series,  50  pp. 

1876,  Vice-Presidential  Address  before  American  Association  for  Advancement 
of  Science,  12  pp. 

Besides  the  above  he  has  regularly  contributed  numerous  articles  to  periodicals 
and  newspapers. 

We  have  taken  no  account  of  the  college  periodicals,  nor 
of  the  newspapers  and  magazines,  which  have  been  issued  from 
Princeton  through  many  years,  and  which  would  form  several 
volumes. 

The  number  of  authors  on  the  foregoing  list  is  seventy  ;  and 
the  number  of  original  volumes  issued  by  them  may  be  esti- 
mated at  four  hundred  and  twent)'-five ;  and  the  published 
matter  not  yet  consolidated  and  issued  as  distinct  volumes,  but 
which  will  in  time  be  so  issued,  will  probably  add  one  hundred 
and  fifty  volumes  more,  making  altogether  a  library  of  five  hun- 
dred and  seventy-five  volumes.  This  is  an  approximate  esti- 
mate only,  as  not  a  i^zw  volumes  have  been  issued  anonymously 
for  the  boards  of  the  church  and  religious  associations. 


CHAPTER   XXXI. 

WOMAN'S  CHAPTER  IN   PRINCETON    HISTORY. 

There  is  not  a  I'nlace  of  Knowledge  on  earth, 
That  vies  with  the  genius  of  blood-ioyal  birlh  ; 
After  all  we  have  done  when  our  life-dust  is  laid, 
We  are  but  the  men  that  our  mothers  have  made. 

Author  of  "'  The  Priiicfton  Poets!' 

In  the  numerous  biographical  sketches  herein  before  pre- 
sented, of  the  men  of  Princeton,  we  have  made  little  or  no 
mention  of  the  excellent  and  noble  women — the  mothers  and 
wives — the  sisters  and  daughters  of  those  distinguished  men. 
It  would  be  unjust  as  well  as  ungallant,  in  the  history  of  a 
community  where  woman,  both  at  home  and  in  society,  is 
enthroned  as  queen  over  the  will,  the  affections  and  the  man- 
ners of  man, — to  ignore  that  gentle,  moulding,  refining,  enno- 
bling influence  by  which  she  maintains  her  regal  sovereignty 
over  him.  Doubtless  while  we  have  been  exhibiting  the  char- 
acter and  the  noble  deeds  of  the  sons  of  Princeton  through 
several  generations,  the  question  has  often  arisen.  Where  is 
the  Mother  of  the  Gracchi? 

Outside  of  the  retired  and  domestic  sphere  in  which  the  true 
woman  exhibits  her  highest  virtues,  unrecorded  though  not 
unfelt,  there  is  but  little  material  to  be  gathered  for  biography. 
And  yet  there  is  hardly  a  great  name  which  belongs  to  Prince- 
ton, which  is  not  associated  with,  and  affected  by,  the  peculiar 
influence  of  an  excellent  mother,  or  a  gifted  wife. 

We  know  but  little  of  the  wives  of  the  first  settlers"  of  Prince- 
ton. Benjamin  Clarke,  Joseph  Olden,  and  the  two  Worths, 
married  four  sisters,  daughters  of  James  Giles,  a  highly  respect- 
able Quaker  family,  of  some  prominence  and  estate,  in  the 
County  of  Middlesex,  near  Bound  Brook,  N.J.  Reference  to 
the  names  of  the  persons  who  intermarried  with  ihose  early 
settlers  and  their  families,  as  given  in  the  second  chapter  gf  our 


p/'^^^^T^^xyA.    cy^  ^--^^^^^^y^. 


JVOMAA^'S   CHAPTER.  407 

first  volume,  will  at  least  raise  a  presumption  that  the  wives 
were  as  pious  and  intelligent  as  their  husbands,  for  many  gen- 
erations thereafter, 

Susanna  Stockton,  the  wife  of  the  first  Richard  Stockton 
who  bought  of  Penn  and  settled  here,  appears  to  have  been  a 
highly  respectable  and  intelligent  woman.  Her  husband  ap- 
pointed her  the  sole  executrix  of  his  will,  and  he  had  a  large 
estate  and  six  sons.  There  is  nothing  special  known  of  the 
wives  of  the  Fitz  Randolphs  or  the  Leonards,  except  that  they 
were  influential  in  society  in  their  day. 

In  the  next  generation  John  Stockton,  the  father  of  the 
signer,  was  a  pious  Presbyterian,  whether  so  through  his  wife's 
influence  or  not,  we  can  only  surmise.  We  do  not  know  who 
she  was,  but  she  kept  a  prophet's  chamber  in  her  house  and 
entertained  the  Brainerds  and  other  travelling  ministers. 

But  we  have  something  tangible  when  we  come  to  the  home 
of  Richard  Stockton,  the  Signer  of  the  Declaration.  Mrs. 
Stockton  was  Annis  BoUDINOT,  from  Elisabethtown,  the 
sister  of  Elias  Boudinot,  a  true  Huguenot  Presbyterian  —  a 
woman  of  strong  intellect,  with  more  than  ordinary  culture 
and  piety  ;  and  she  impressed  her  character  upon  her  husband 
and  children  so  that  it  was  not  lost  for  several  generations  in 
the  family.  Our  readers  will  recur  to  the  84th  page  in  our 
first  volume,  where  she  is  mentioned  with  her  husband.  She 
was  the  most  distinguished  and  prominent  woman  in  Princeton 
in  her  day.  She  was  domestic  and  patriotic:  she  was  literary 
and  religious. 

When  the  approach  of  the  British  army  disbanded  the  col- 
lege in  1776,  Mrs.  Stockton  was  entrusted  with  the  custody  of 
some  articles  of  furniture  of  the  American  Whig  Society.  So 
great  was  the  idea  of  secrecy  involved,  that  she  was  aftervvards, 
ex  necessitate  made  a  member  of  that  society — the  only  in- 
stance in  which  a  lady  has  been  initiated  into  the  secret  mys- 
teries of  that  literary  brotherhood. 

Mrs.  Stockton  wrote  a  drama  on  "The  Triumph  of  Mild- 
ness," in  five  acts,  which  she  never  puljlished  ;  and  she  wrote 
numerous  poems  and  odes,  some  of  which  appeared  in  the 
papers,  but  she  sought  to  prevent  publication  of  them. 
She  wrote  an  elegiac  ode  to  her  husband  in  his  sickness,  in 


408  HISTORY  OF  PR/IVCETOA': 

1780,  which  is  published  in  Mrs.  Ellet's  "Women  of  the  Revo- 
lution," vol.  3,  p.  33,  in  eight  verses,  beginning- : 

"Sleep,  balmy  .sleep  has  closed  the  eyes  of  all  ; 
But  me — ah  me  !  no  respite  can  I  gain," 

and  one  yearly,  on  his  death,  from  178 1  to  1786— the  one  of 
1782  was  published  in  the  N.  J.  Gazette,  signed  "  Emilia." 
One  of  her  fugitive  poems  appeared  in  the  Princeton  Paeket, 
in  1787;  one  to  Washington,  on  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis[ 
in  the  AL  J.  Gazette,  signed  "  Emilia."  To  this  one,  General 
Washington  replied  in  a  short,  modest  letter,  dated  Philadel- 
phia, July  22,  1782. 

Upon  the  announcement  of  peace  in  1783,  Mrs.  Stockton 
addressed  another  ode,  of  forty  lines,  to  General  Washington, 
commencing 

"  With  all  thy  country's  blessings  on  thy  head." 

(We  are  not  at  liberty  to  publish  it.)  To  which  General  Wash- 
ington  replied  in  a  letter  dated  Rocky  Hill,  Sept.  2,  1783. 
This  letter  is  more  sprightly  and  playful  than  anything  we 
have  read  of  General  Washington,  and  we  are  not  aware  that' 
it  has  ever  been  published,  except  recently  by  Mrs.  Ellet  in 
the  volume  above  referred  to. 

Mrs..  Stockton  served  on  a  committee  with  Lady  Sterling, 
Mrs.  Wm.  Paterson,  Mrs.  Deare,  Mrs.  Morgan,  and  Mrs.  Neilson,' 
to  aid  the  Continental  army.  She  gave  the  name  of  Morven 
to  the  Stockton  residence.  She  entertained  members  of  Con- 
gress at  Morven,  while  sitting  at  Princeton.  She  was  a  woman 
of  great  force  of  character,  and  died  uttering  as  her  last  words 
the  lines  of  Watts  : 

"Lord,  I  am  thine,  but  thou  wilt  prove." 

There  can  be  no  doubt  of  the  Christian  influence  e.xerted  by 
her  upon  her  husband  in  his  public  life,  and  upon  their  children, 
Richard  and  Horatio  Stockton— and  Julia  (Mrs.  Dr.  Rush), 
Susan  (Mrs.  Alexander  Cuthbert),  Mary  (Mrs.  Rev.  Andrew 
Hunter),  and  Abby  (Mrs.  Robert  Field)— all  of  whom  have 
exerted  a  like  influence  upon  their  children  and  descendants,  ~ 
down  to  the  present  day. 


IFOA/AN'S  CHAPTER.  409 

The  wives  of  other  patriots  of  the  Revolution  were  of  the 
same  religious  stamp.  Mrs.  Jonathan  Sergeant  was  a  daughter 
of  President  Dickinson;  Mrs.  Jonathan  Dickinson  Sergeant 
was  a  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Elihu  Spencer,  D.  D. ;  Mrs.  Jona- 
than Baldwin  was  a  daughter  of  Jonathan  Sergeant,  Mrs.  Enos 
Kelsey  was  a  sister  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Davenport,  pastor  of  the 
Pennington  church,    all  strong  Calvinistic  Presbyterians. 

Mrs.  Jonathan  Deare  was  the  beautiful  daughter  of  William 
Phillips,  of  Lawrence  township,  and  her  daughters,  Mrs.  Snow- 
den  and  Miss  Mary  Deare,  have  in  later  years,  in  Princeton,  at- 
tested the  careful  training  their  parents  had  bestowed  upon 
them. 

Mrs.  President  Burr,  the  accomplished  daughter  of  Presi- 
dent Edwards,  who  is  described  by  Dr.  Miller,  as  "  distinguished 
for  an  attractive  exterior,  for  a  richly  endowed  and  highly  cul- 
tivated mind,  and  for  earnest,  consistent  piety,"  was,  like  her 
mother,  not  only  qualified  to  be  the  wife  of  a  distinguished 
minister  and  college  president,  but  was  an  example  lo  her  sex. 

Mrs.  President  Edwards  (.Sarah  Pierrepont) 

"was  a  person  of  much  personal  attraction  added  to  an  unusual  amount  of  those 
intellectual  and  moral  qualities  whicli  fit  the  possessor  to  adorn  the  most  important 
stations.  She  had  an  education  the  best  that  tiie  country  afforded,  fervent  and  en- 
lightened piety,  and  an  uncommon  share  of  that  prudence,  dignity  and  polish  svliich 
are  so  peculiarly  valuable  in  the  wife  of  a  pastor.  .She  seems  to  have  lakcn  ujion 
herself  the  whole  management  of  his  family,  and  thus  to  have  relieved  liei  hush.uid 
from  all  the  anxieties  and  interruptions  of  domestic  care,  and  left  him  at  liheriy  to 
pursue  his  studies  without  remission."* 

We  referred  t-o  her  in  a  former  chapter,  in  connection  with 
her  husband  as  president  of  the  college. 

The  training  of  President  Davies  by  his  mother,  who  con- 
secrated him  to  the  Lord  and  to  the  ministry  from  his  birth, 
is  generally  known.  Her  faith  was  beautifully  illustrated  when 
she  stood  gazing  upon  the  coffined  remains  of  her  son,  and  ex- 
claimed, "  There  is  the  son  of  my  prayers  and  of  my  hopes,  my 
only  son,  my  only  earthly  support ;  but  there  is  the  will  of 
God,  and  I  am  satisfied." 

Dr.  Witherspoon's  mother  was  the  daughter  of  a  clergy- 
man, in  a  line  of  descent  for  two  hundred   years,  from  John  ~ 

*  Dr.  Miller's  Life  of  Edwards. 


4IO  HISTORY   OF  PRINCETON. 

Knox,  the  Reformer  ;  and  his  wife  is  represented  to  have  been 
"a  Scotch  woman  of  marked  piety,  amiable  and  of  fine  social 
manners,  which  won  the  love  of  all  who  knew  her,"  and  their 
dau<,diters  partook  of  her  character.  Their  daughter  Frances, 
Mrs.  Dr.  Ramsay,  is  said  in  the  Memoir  of  her  by  her  husband, 
to  have  been  "a  cultivated  woman — a  tender  wife — and  an 
excellent  mother,"  and  some  productions  of  her  pen  are  pub- 
lished in  that  Memoir. 

President  Stanhope  Smith's  mother,  the  daughter  of  Rev. 
Samuel  Blair,  is  described  as  one  who  "  had  high  intellectual 
endowments  and  excellent  moral  qualities,  and  was  fitted  to 
grace  the  most  exalted  station  in  society."  His  wife.  Miss 
Witherspoon,  by  culture,  piety,  and  intellect  was  a  congenial 
companion  to  him. 

Dr.  Ashbel  Green's  mother  was  the  daughter  of  a  clergy- 
man. Rev.  John  Pierson,  and  she  united  with  her  husband  in  a 
rigid  religious  training  of  their  children. 

Mrs.  Dr.  John  Maclean  (Miss  Phebe  Bainbridge)  was  a 
woman  of  superior  intelligence  and  devoted  piety,  and  her  in- 
fluence upon  her  husband  and  children  was  very  great.  Her 
daughters,  Agnes  and  Mary  B.  Maclean,  deceased,  like  her  were 
eminently  pious,  and  her  sons,  the  ex-president  and  his  brothers, 
love  to  speak  of  their  mother's  great  excellence  and  influence. 

Mrs.  Dr.  Archibald  Alexander  (Miss  Waddel)  who  has  been 
so  highly  honored  by  her  children  and  who  contributed  so  much 
to  the  comfort  and  success  of  her  husband,  is  thus  spoken  of 
by  her  son,  Dr.  James  Alexander,  in  the  biography  of  his  father: 

"  If  the  uncommon  lieauty  and  artless  grace  of  this  lady  were  strong  attractions 
in  the  days  of  youth,  there  were  higher  qualities  which  made  the  union  inexpressibly 
felicitous  during  almost  half  a  century.  For  domestic  wisdom,  self-sacrificing  affec- 
tion, humble  piety,  industry,  exhaustless  stores  of  vivacious  conversation,  hospi- 
tality to  friends,  sympathy  with  his  cares  and  love  to  their  cliildren,  she  was  such  a 
gift  as  God  bestows  oidy  on  the  most  favored.  When  his  spirits  flagged  she  was 
always  prompt  and  skilful  to  cheer  and  comfort,  and  as  his  days  \\ere  filled  with 
spiritual  and  literary  toils,  she  relieved  him  from  the  whole  charge  of  domestic 
afTairs." 

Mrs.  Dr.  Samuel  Miller  (Sarah  Sergeant)  sustained  the  same 
happy  and  helpful  relation  to  her  husband  and  their  children, 
that  Mrs.  President  Edwards  and  Mrs.  Dr.  Alexander  did  to 


WOMAN'S  CHAPTER.  4II 

theirs.  She  reHeved  him  from  the  whole  charge  of  his  domes- 
tic affairs  while  he  was  pastor  in  New  York,  and  while  profes- 
sor in  Princeton.  She  was  a  woman  well  educated,  of  fine 
intellect  and  strong  will,  and  was  always  accustomed  to  mingle 
in  the  society  of  strong-minded  and  learned  men,  who  partook 
of  the  hospitalities  of  her  home.  She  devoted  her  married  life 
to  religion  in  its  most  practical  and  self-denying  application. 
She  was,  even  to  the  very  end  of  life,  a  close  student  of  the 
Bible,  and  was  accustomed  to  spend  a  portion  of  the  day,  gen- 
erally after  breakfast,  at  her  table  with  her  Bible  and  Commen- 
tary, in  reading  and  studying  the  word  of  God,  as  though  she 
were  a  teacher  in  the  seminary  ;  and  she  was  always  prepared 
to  take  part  in  the  discussion  of  religious  questions  that  might 
arise  among  the  clerical  guests  at  her  house  or  among  her  own 
children.  She  was  a  leading  character  in  the  religious  circle  of 
Princeton  women.  In  associations  benevolent  and  educational 
as  well  as  devotional,  she  was  the  acknowledged  leader.  She 
opened  her  hand  to  the  poor,  and  was  never  happy  unless  she 
had  some  schemes  for  doing  good  in  hand.  The  journal  of  her 
religious  experience  which  is  published  in  the  first  volume  of 
Dr.  Miller's  biography,  exhibits  the  wonderful  power  with 
which  personal  religion  took  hold  of  her.  Dr.  Miller  was  ever 
ready  to  acknowledge  how  dependent  he  was  upon  her  for  all 
he  was  able  to  accomplish.  She  is  entitled  to  be  noticed  among 
the  excellent  women  of  Princeton  who  exerted  a  controlling 
influence  upon  Princeton  society  for  half  a  century. 

The  influence  of  woman  is  exhibited  also  by  Dr.  Miller, 
who  in  speaking  of  his  own  mother  says  : 

"  She  was  one  of  the  most  pious  women  I  ever  knew.  Courteous  and  benevo- 
lent in  a  very  uncommon  degree,  she  endeared  herself  to  all  who  knew  her.  ...  I 
never  think  of  her  ch.aracler,  taken  altogether,  without  a  mixture  of  veneration, 
wonder  and  gratitude.  The  fidelity  with  which  she  instructed  me  ;  the  fervor  and 
tenderness  with  wliich  she  prajed  with  me,  and  the  increasing  care  with  which  she 
watched  over  all  my  interests,  especially  those  of  a  moral  and  religious  nature,  have 
been  as  I  should  think  seldom  equalled." 

And  we  have  just  now  since  Dr.  Modgc's  death,  testimony 
of  the  moulding  influence  which  his  intelligent  and  i)ious 
mother  exerted  over  him  in  his  youthful  days.  Mis  filial  ascri|>- 
tion  of  the  honor  and  praise  for  his  useful  and  successful  life. 


4 1 2  niS  TOR  V  OF  PRINCE  TON. 

to  her  nurture  and  training-  of  him,  almost  makes  one  hesitate 
whether  to  praise  more  the  mother  or  the  son. 

Mrs.  Rev.  William  C.  Schenck  (Miss  Scudder),  Mrs.  Rev. 
George  S.  Woodhull  (Miss  Neilson),  and  Mrs.  Rev.  Benjamin 
H.  Rice  (Miss  Alexander),  were  each  models  of  pastoi^s'  wives  : 
as  pious,  as  zealous,  as  influential,  as  useful,  and  as  beloved  in 
the  community  as  their  respective  husbands  were. 

We  might  extend  this  enumeration  through  other  profes- 
sions and  walks  of  life,  and  find  names  of  women  notable  for 
the  moral  excellence  and  domestic  influence  which  adorned 
Princeton  society,  until  it  would  require  pages  to  record  them. 
The  old  Presbyterian  church  records  contain  the  names  of  the 
wives  and  daughters  of  every  prominent  family  which  has  found 
a  place  in  the  history  of  Princeton,  unless  an  exception  be 
found  in  the  present  generation. 

In  the  line  of  female  authorship  but  little  has  been  done, 
except  by  Mrs.  Tuthill  and  her  daughters,  who  have  written 
over  a  hundred  volumes;  and  they  are  entitled  to  be  classed 
among  the  most  literary  families  of  Princeton.  Doubtless  the 
names  of  many  Princeton  ladies  will  appear  in  "  The  Princeton 
Poets," — a  volume  soon  to  be  issued. 

The  ladies  of  Princeton  maintain  a  library  of  their  own, 
known  as  the  Ivy  Hall  Library,  which  contains  about  fifteen 
hundred  well  selected  volumes;  and  they  frequently  enjoy 
courses  of  lectures  on  English  Literature,  History,  and  the 
Fine  Arts,  by  some  of  the  professors  of  the  institutions. 

We  shall  adduce  but  one  more  historic  fact  in  the  line  of 
female  character  and  accomplishments,  and  this  is  quite  com- 
plimentary to  the  young  ladies  of  Princeton.  It  has  been  cus- 
tomary since  the  college  and  seminary  have  been  established 
here  for  some  of  the  graduates  of  these  institutions,  not  only 
to  carry  away  with  them  their  parchment  diplomas,  but  to 
take  as  a  much  more  valuable  prize,  some  of  Princeton's  fair 
daughters  for  wives.  This  process  has  been  going  on  so 
steadily,  year  by  year,  for  more  than  a  century,  that  it  seems 
to  have  become  a  conceded  prerogative  of  the  institutions.  In 
fact  the  first  example  was  set  by  Richard  Stockton,  who  was  a 
member  of  the  first  class  in  the  college  when  it  was  opened  at 
Elisabethtown.     It  was  there,  while  he  was  in  college  in   1748, 


WOAfAA^'S  CHAPTER.  4I3 

that  he  met  Miss  Annis  Boudinot,  ami  afterwards  brought  her 
to  Princeton  as  his  wife.  Simihir  reprisals  have  been  made 
here  since  the  college  was  removed  to  this  place,  beginning  in 
the  family  of  President  Burr,  by  Tapping  Reeve,  who  captured 
the  president's  daughter.  The  homes  of  President 'Wither- 
spoon,  President  Smith,  and  President  Carnahan  were  all  in 
like  manner  invaded  ;  and  there  has  scarcely  been  a  family  with 
fair  daughters  in  Princeton  within  the  last  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  years,  which  has  not  been  called  upon  to  surrend  r  one 
or  more  of  them  in  marriage  to  young  graduates  of  the  insti- 
tutions. 

The  old  families  of  the  Stocktons,  the  Bayards,  the  Fields, 
the  Morfords,  the  Hamiltons,  the  Passages,  the  Whites,  the 
Sansburys,  the  Jolines,  the  Wilsons,  the  Gulicks,  the  Flowells, 
and  we  can  enumerate  over  a  hundred,  all  made  the  consecra- 
tion of  at  least  one  of  their  intelligent  and  lovely  daughters 
to  some  of  these  educated  and  sometimes  greatly  distinguished 
young  men,  whose  residences  were  often  far  from  Princeton. 

In  this  way  Princeton  is  depopulated  of  her  young  women. 
And  in  this  way  the  influence  of  Princeton  is  diffused  through- 
out the  country  and  the  world.  .She  has  sent  out  more  of  her 
daughters  than  her  sons  ;  unlike  old  Berkshire  in  Massachusetts, 
which  has  sent  out  her  sons,  rather  than  daughters,  to  bless 
other  communities. 


CHAPTER    XXXII. 

THE   CEMETERY. 

The  Quaker  Burying  Ground  at  Stony  Brook  and  several  otliers  in  and  near  Prince- 
ton—  History  of  the  Princeton  Cemetery,  inchuling  the  original  Grave-vard — 
More  celebrated  for  its  Ashes  than  its  Statuary— A  Ramble  among  its  Tombs — 
Special  Notice  of  the  Graves  of  t!ie  Presidents,  and  of  Col.  Aaron  Burr— The 
Improvements  in  the  New  Cemetery — General  Suggestions. 

"  Garden  of  the  quiet  Dead  ! 

Seed-ground  of  Eternity  ! 
Many  a  weary  heart  and  head 

Longs  for  silence  and  for  tliee  : 
Here  shall  sorrow's  hand  no  more 

Sweep  the  soul's  discordant  strings, 
And  the  lyre  which  oft  before 

Thrilled  to  Love's  young  caroUings, 
Voiceless  lies  from  morn  till  even, 
But  it  shall  be  woke  in  Heaven. 

"  Island  art  thou  of  the  Blest, 

In  Life's  ever  heaving  Sea  ; 
Here  Earth's  weary  ones  may  rest, 

From  the  billows'  mockery  ; 
Rage  ye  winds,  that  vex  the  sky. 

Chilling  summer  into  death, 
But  where  tliese  sweet  sleepers  lie. 

Hush  your  voices  to  a  breath  ; 
Kiss  the  roses  till  they  yield 
Perfume  to  the  stilly  field. 

"  Heaven's  entrnnce  way  thou  art, 

From  beggar's  hut  and  chair  of  state  : 
The  throbbings  of  the  dying  heart 

Are  only  knockings  at  thy  gate  ; 
Other  homes  may  scorn  to  yield 

Shelter  from  the  bitter  rain  ; 
At  thy  door,  oh,  Burial  Field  ! 

Pilgrim  never  knocked  in  vain  : 
On  thy  breast  we  still  may  fall, 
Earth,  thou  Mother  of  us  all. 


THE   CEMETERY.  415 

"  Lulletl  to  sleep  in  thine  emlirace 

Many  a  weary  balje  shall  lie, 
And  the  chief  whose  visored  face, 

Blanched  not  at  tlie  battle  cry. 
Here  no  more  the  bride  shall  dream. 

Of  the  rose  less  fair  than  she, 
And  olive-shaded  Academe 

Shall  fade  from  Pluto's  memory ; 
Oh  mysterious  jjlace  of  rest, 
Take  thy  children  to  thy  breast !"  * 

Before  we  introduce  what  is  known  as  the  Princeton 
Cemetery,  we  wish  to  notice  several  other  burial  places  in  its 
vicinity. 

The  earliest  and  most  prominent  place  of  burial  prior  to 
the  Revolutionary  War  was  the  one  at  the  Quaker  Meeting 
House  at  Stony  Brook.  The  first  settlers  and  their  descend- 
ants for  many  generations,  were  buried  there.  The  Clarke, 
Olden,  liornor  and  Worth  families  have  used  no  other  place 
than  that  ;  the  Stockton  family  continued  to  use  it  for  upwards 
of  a  hundred  years.  Richard  Stockton,  the  Signer  of  the  De- 
claration, was  buried  there,  and  there  is  no  monument  to 
mark  his  grave.  It  is  a  peculiarity  of  the  Quakers  which 
forbids  the  use  of  tombstones  or  monuments  of  any  kind  to 
designate  one  grave  from  another,  or  perpetuate  the  naincs  of 
the  dead.  This  custom  is  attended  with  a  great  disadvantage 
to  the  historian  who  is  searching  for  family  genealogies  and 
the  dates  of  important  deaths. 

Richard  Stockton,  the  son  of  the  signer,  and  his  descend- 
ants who  have  died  in  Princeton,  have  been  buried  in  the  Pres- 
byterian burying  ground,  now  a  part  of  the  cemetery.  He 
seems  to  have  been  the  first  in  that  branch  of  the  family  that 
was  not  buried  by  the  side  of  his  fathers.  Job  Stockton,  how- 
ever, was  buried  in  the  old  Presbyterian  ground,  as  early  as 
1 77 1.  There  are  but  few  interments  made  at  Stony  Brook  in 
these  days,  and  it  will  soon  be  difl'icult  to  find  in  that  ground 
any  evidence  upon  the  surface  that  it  was  ever  a  place  of  sep- 
ulture. The  old  stone  meeting-house  and  school-house,  both 
closed,  stand  at  one  corner  of  the  burying  ground,  which   is 

*  These  lines  were  written   by  Fitz   Hugh   Ludlow  for  the  Nassau  Literary 
Magazine,  in  1854,  and  appear  in  "  The  Princeton  Poets." 

"i\ 

■  i  -' 

■jii 


4l6  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

enclosed   by   a   stone  wall,   all    cominenaorative  of  past    gen- 
erations. 

"  Beneath  those  rugged  elms,  that  yew  tree's  shade, 

Where  heaves  the  turf  in  many  a  mouldering  heap, 
Each  in  his  narrow  cell  for  ever  laid. 

The  rude  forefathers  of  the  hamlet  sleep." 

There  is  another  ancient  one  on  Penn's  Neck,  where  the 
Schenck  family  and  some  of  their  neighbors  have  been  accus- 
tomed to  bury,  for  more  than  a  century  past.  It  was  custom- 
ary among"  the  early  settlers  for  two  or  three  adjoining  land- 
holders to  set  apart  a  little  corner  of  their  farms  for  burial  pur- 
poses, principally  for  the  use  of  their  own  families  and  those 
that  should  succeed  them.  This  explains  the  recent  mysteri- 
ous finding  of  human  remains,  when  excavating  in  the  public 
highway,  between  Miss  Susan  Olden's  and  the  Potter  property 
in  Washington  Street.  That  public  road  was  laid  out  on  the 
line  dividing  the  two  farms  of  Jonathan  Sergeant,  afterwards 
the  Joseph  Olden  farm,  and  of  Jonathan  Baldwin,  afterwards 
called  Prospect.  At  the  upper  corner  of  those  farms,  a  family 
burying  ground  was  set  off  just  before  the  Revolutionary  War. 
Jonathan  Sergeant,  who  died  of  small-pox  taken  from  the 
soldiers,  was  buried  hastily,  and  unquestionably  in  that  ground, 
and  his  wife,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Jonathan  Dickinson,  was 
probably  buried  there  also.  The  surviving  family  removed 
from  Princeton  before  monuments  could  be  erected,  and  the 
highway  was  soon  after  opened  on  the  line  and  over  the  graves 
there  at  that  time.     Such  is  the  tradition  in  the  family.* 

There  was  a  small  grave-yard  also  on  the  property  of  Miss 
Julia  Smith,  about  one  hundred  and  eighty-five  feet  from  Nas- 
sau Street,  along  the  line  of  Miss  Passage,  of  thirty-five  by 
seventy  feet,  unenclosed  and  without  monuments.  It  is  prob- 
able that  the  Fitz  Randolphs  were  buried  here,  as  they  owned 
the  land  and  we  cannot  learn  of  their  burial  elsewhere. 

*  This  may  acciiunt  for  the  little  cluster  of  gr.ives  near  that  spot  in  Mrs.  Pot- 
ter's field,  where  a  tombstone  maiks  the  grave  of  "  Miss  Catherine  Bullock,  daugh- 
ter of  Josej)!!  and  Esther  Bullock,  of  l'hil.ulel])hia,  who  after  a  tedious  illness  which 
she  hore  with  exemplary  resignation,  died  June  7,  1794,  aged  22  years."  She  died 
while  on  a  visit  to  the  family  of  Col.  Morgan,  then  the  owner  of  Prospect.  This 
was  not  a  lone  and  secluded  grave,  but  was  near  the  spot  where  the  family  supposed 
the  grave-yard  had  been.  There  is  no  foundation  for  the  tradition  of  the  scandal 
so  long  kept  alive  to  the  injury  of  her  good  name. 


THE  CEMETERY.  417 

The  Potter  family  have  a  private  burial  place  in  a  nook  of 
land  adjoining  the  Episcopal  church  and  rectory.  It  is  secluded, 
and  embellished  with  beautiful  and  costly  monuments. 

The  Roman  Catholics  have  a  cemetery  in  connection  with 
their  church.  It  is  of  recent  origin,  but  is  large,  and  orna- 
mented with  walks,  evergreens  and  monuments. 

The  Princeton  Cemetery,  or  Presbyterian  Burying 
Ground,  is  situated  on  the  north  corner  of  Witherspoon  and 
Wiggins  Streets,  opposite  the  old  parsonage.  It  contains 
about  ten  acres  of  land,  and  has  been  acquired  in  several  dif- 
ferent parcels,  and  is  irregular  in  its  boundaries.  The  original 
burying  ground  was  on  Witherspoon  Street  adjoining  the  Wio-_ 
gins  parsonage,  before  Wiggins  Street  was  opened.  It  was 
conveyed  by  Thomas  Leonard  to  the  trustees  of  the  college 
for  a  burying  ground,  at  or  about  the  time  the  college  was 
built.  It  was  described  as  a  burying  ground  in  1763,  in  a  deed 
of  adjoining  land  from  Thomas  Leonard  to  Thomas  Wiggins  ; 
and  there  is  a  tomb-stone  over  the  grave  of  Dickinson  Shep- 
herd, a  student  of  Nassau  Hall,  who  was  buried  there  in  the 
yeai   1761. 

The  minutes  of  the  trustees  of  the  college  in  1772  show 
that  six  several  deeds  to  the  college  were  reported  in  hand, 
and  that  three  were  missing.  Among  the  six  was  one  "  from 
Thomas  Leonard  for  a  burying  ground."  In  1796  the  same 
minutes,  page  358,  state  that  "  the  deed  from  Thomas  Leonard 
to  the  Trustees  for  the  Burial  Ground  was  lost,  and  measures 
were  taken  to  apply  to  Court  for  confirmation." 

It  is  understood  that  the  trustees  of  college  conveyed  this 
burying  ground  lot  to  the  trustees  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 
James  S.  Green  having  been  requested  to  examine  into  the 
history  and  title  of  the  grave-yard,  reported  in  1847,  that  this 
portion  of  it  had  been  conveyed  by  the  college  to  the  church. 
But  this  deed  is  not  found  at  present  among  the  church  papers. 
In  1783  an  agreement  was  made  by  the  trustees  of  the  church 
with  the  college  not  to  bury  any  person  on  the  church  lot,  out- 
side of  the  walls  of  the  church.  From  that  day  to  the  present 
time  this  burying  ground  has  been  regarded  as  belonging  to 
the  Presbyterian  church — has  been  subjected  to  rules  prescribed 


4lS  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

by  its  trustees,  and  has  been  kept  in  repair  by  them  and  held 
in  their  undisputed  possession.  Dr.  Wiggins  never  owned  it. 
It  was  a  grave-yard  before  he  removed  to  Princeton. 

In  1847  tl^^  trustees  of  the  church  sold  the  parsonage  prop- 
erty, opened  Wiggins  Street,  and  reserved  three  acres  of  land 
on  the  east  side  of  the  burying  ground  for  the  purposes  of  a 
cemetery,  to  be  incorporated  with  the  old  grave-yard.  They 
adopted  Rules  to  regulate  the  cemetery:  i.  Setting  the  land 
apart  for  white  persons,  except  such  part  as  shall  be  added  to 
the  colored  burying  ground  on  the  north  side — the  trustees 
having  in  1807,  set  apart  a  portion  of  the  Wiggins  land  for 
such  use,  with  a  right  of  way  from  Witherspoon  Street  over 
the  land  of  Helena — by  their  resolution  defining  its  boundaries. 
2.  The  Cemetery  is  to  be  under  the  management  of  the  Trus- 
tees of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church.  3.  The  treasurer  of 
the  church  is  to  be  the  treasurer  of  the  cemetery,  but  is  to 
keep  a  distinct  account  of  the  funds  separate  from  the  church 
account.  4.  Proceeds  from  sales  of  lots  to  be  applied  to  fen- 
cing, grading,  beautifying  and  improving  the  cemetery,  includ- 
ing the  old  grave-yard.  5.  Trustees  to  have  the  disposal  of 
burial  lots  to  such  persons  and  in  such  manner  as  they  deem 
advisable.  6.  Purchasers  shall  receive  a  deed,  subject  to  re- 
strictions therein  prescribed. 

Dr.  J.  S.  Schanck,  President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  has 
the  immediate  superintendence  of  the  Cemetery,  and  has  ren- 
dered a  long  term  of  gratuitous  but  useful  service  in  this  trust. 

Within  the  past  year  about  four  acres  of  land,  with  a  house 
upon  it,  have  been  presented  by  Paul  Tulane,  to  the  trustees 
of  the  church,  to  be  annexed  to  the  cemetery  for  its  enlarge- 
ment. This  tract  adjoins  it  at  the  northeast  corner.  Mr.  Tu- 
lane has  also  purchased,  with  a  view  of  adding  it  to  the  cem- 
etery, a  lot  on  Witherspoon  Street,  on  the  north  side  of  the 
old  burying  ground. 

With  the  exception  of  a  brick  wall  on  Witherspoon  Street, 
which  the  trustees  built  in  1836,  the  enclosure  is  only  an  old 
dilapidated  board  fence.  There  is  nb  imposing  entrance  gate  ; 
no  chapel  at  the  threshold  for  religious  rites  ;  no  house  for  the 
keeper  of  the  grounds.  There  are  a  few  gravelled  carriage 
ways  and  walks;    and    perhaps    a    hundred    thousand    dollars 


THE  CEMETERY.  4^9 

have  been  expended  for  memorial  monuments  which  almost 
cover  the  small  parcels  of  ground  apportioned  to  the  respective 
lot-owners.  The  grass  is  not  kept  always  nicely  mowed  ;  nor 
are  the  evergreens  kept  trimmed  with  artistic  skill. 

What  a  contrast  there  is  between  this  little  country  village 
burying  ground  and  Mount  Auburn  with  its  hundred  and  thirty 
acres  of  improved  and  beautified  land,  with  its  charming-variety 
of  lake  and  hill-side,  of  wood  and  dale,  of  long  circuitous  car- 
riage drives  ;  its  chapel  with  its  solemn,  silent  statu:iry,  and  its 
sentinels  and  guides  daily  showing  mournful  processions  and 
weeping  friends  to  the  sacred  spot  they  are  seeking; — Mount 
Auburn  with  its  costly  monuments  of  iron,  granite  and  marble 
surrounded  with  flower  beds  and  green  grass  like  velvet,  and 
where  almost  every  family  seems  to  have  a  natural  seclusion 
from  every  other : — the  whole  overlooked  from  an  observatory 
on  the  ground,  and  from  which  Boston  and  its  environs  for 
many  miles  can  be  seen  in  an  enchanting  panorama ! 

What  a  contrast  with  Greenwood,  that  other  beautiful  city 
of  the  dead,  so  profuse  in  the  display  of  art  and  the  embellish- 
ments of  nature  unsurpassed  !  Or  with  Laurel  Hill,  which  is 
hardly  inferior  to  the  others  in  any  respect ! 

Why  is  it  that  Princeton  Cemetery  is  visited  with  so  much 
interest  by  strangers,  and  so  often  made  the  theme  of  news- 
paper correspondence?  Why  is  it  calied  the  "  Westminstei 
Abbey  of  America?"  Why  is  it  that  its  tombstones  show 
cragged  corners,  and  that  great  vigilance  is  required  to  prevent 
chips  of  marble  from  being  broken  and  carried  off  as  valuable 
relics?  The  answer  can  only  be  found  in  the  precious  dust 
that  lies  beneath  the  surface;  the  dust  of  those  distinguished 
persons  whose  character  and  lives  we  have  been  describing  in 
these  volumes.  It  is  this,  and  only  this,  that  makes  this  cem- 
eterv  a  place  of  such  sacred  and  widely-felt  interest. 

Let  us  enter  by  the  gate  on  Witherspoon  Street,  and  ram- 
ble for  a  few  moments  among  the  tombs,  noting  only  some  of 
the  old  family  names,  and  not  staying  to  read  the  inscriptions 
except  in  special  cases. 

On  our  right  we  note  the  tombs  of  Zebulon  Morford,  the 
Dentons,  the  Bogarts,  the  Warrens.  We  come  to  an  old,  dark 
horizontal  marble  tablet  to  the  memory  of  "  Dr.  Thomas  Wig- 


420  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

gins,  many  years  a  diligent  and  fnithful  physician  in  the  town 
of  Princeton,  and  an  elder  in  the  church,"  who  died,  Nov.  ii, 
1804.  The  trustees  of  the  congregation  in  testimony  of  their 
esteem  for  his  worth  and  of  their  gratitude  for  his  pious  liber- 
ality in  devising  to  them  a  parsonage,  erected  this  monu- 
ment. His  relatives,  the  Simpsons,  were  buried  by  him. 
Near  it  stands  a  monument  to  the  memory  of  Adelaide  Elisa- 
beth Charlotte,  daughter  of  Gerardine  A.  and  Roger  Gerard 
Van  Polanen,  late  Minister  Resident  of  the  liatavian  Republic, 
near  the  United  States  of  America.  Born  at  sea,  on  the  great 
Indian  Ocean,  on  the  29th  of  March,  1805,  she  died  in  Prince- 
ton, April  30,  1808,  where  that  family  resided  for  some  years. 
Not  far  off  is  the  tomb  of  Sarah  Martin,  who  died  in  1 834.  She 
is  remembered  as  Miss  Sally  Martin,  the  teacher.  Just  before 
us  are  the  graves  of  some  I'rench  refugees,  the  Tulanes,  Rev. 
Anthony  Schmit  and  Larue.  Farther  to  the  right  we  see  the 
monuments  of  the  Janviers,  of  Dr.  Samuel  L.  Howell  and  his 
son,  William  Meade  Howell,  a  student  in  college;  also  those 
of  Col.  John  Lowrey  and  Dr.  John  Van  Cleve.  There  is  also 
a  monument  to  Elisabeth  Skelton,  who  died  in  1826,  in  the 
seventy-third  year  of  her  age. 

On  our  left  from  the  gate  where  we  started,  we  pass  by  the 
Strykers,  Andersons,  Sansburys,  Burkes,  Higgins,  Naptons,  and 
Aaron  Mattison,  who  was  buried  in  1762,  aged  eighty-one 
years  ;  and  the  vault  of  Jacob  W.  Lane,  near  which  is  the  grave 
of  Abram  Terhune  ;  and  an  old  red  stone  sunk  deep  into  the 
ground,  on  which  we  can  decipher  the  name  of  the  wife  of 
Whitehead  Leonard. 

Near  the  side  of  the  walk  is  an  old  marble  tablet— so  dingy 
and  weather-beaten  that  it  is  difficult  to  read  the  inscription 
upon  it : 

"  Sacred  to  the  Memory  of  the 

HoNORAUi.t:  John  Bfurif.n.  one  of  the 

Justices  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Judicature  of 

The  Province  of  New  Jersey,  who  died  much  lamented 

on  the  22d  day  of  April,  A.  D.  1772.  in 

the  6ist  year  of  his  age." 

Near  it  are  the  names  of  Job  Stockton  and  family,  of  Wil- 
liam Millett  and  William  Scudder,  and  Brook  Farmer,  son  of 


THE  CEMETERY.  42 1 

Col.  Farmer,  of  New  Brunswick,  who  died,  Nov.  7,  1779,  in  the 
sixty-second  year  of  his  age. 

It  is  a  little  east  of  this  position  that  we  see  a  perpendicular 
slab  with  this  inscription  upon  it :  • 

"  In  memory  of  Gviy  Chew,  a  Moh.-vwk  Indian,  who  departed  this  life  April  19th, 
1S26,  aged  21  years  and  8  months.  This  youth  continued  in  pagan  darkness  until 
his  i8th  year,  when  under  the  patronage  of  U.  V.  HI.  .Society  he  was  sent  to  the 
Mission  School  at  Cornwall,  Conn.  Here  he  remained  three  years,  experienced  the 
renewing  grace  of  God,  and  became  eminent  for  his  benevolence,  piety  and  desire 
to  proclaim  the  Gospel  to  his  countrymen.  While  preparing  for  this  blessed  work, 
he  was  by  a  Mysterious  Providence  called  away  in  the  morning  of  his  days.  Reader, 
pray  for  the  Indians." 

In  passing  through  the  remaining  half  of  the  original  ground 
we  meet  with  more  costly  monuments  and  more  illustrious 
names.  On  the  right  or  southern  side  of  the  walk  there  is  a 
beautiful  enclosure  around  the  Bayard,  Dod  and  Beatty  lots. 
Here  we  see  the  monuments  of  Judge  Bayard  and  his  family; 
and  a  beautiful  marble  column,  highly  ornamented  with  mili- 
tary devices,  erected  to  the  memory  of  Gen.  George  Dashiel 
Bayard,  a  graduate  of  West  Point,  a  captain  in  the  U.  S.  Cav- 
alry, a  brigadier-general  of  the  U.  S.  Volunteers,  who  fell  mor- 
tally wounded  in  the  battle  of  Fredericksburgh,  Va.,  and  died 
Dec.  14,  1862. 

"  Sans  peur  et  sans  reproche." 

His  father,  Samuel  J.  Bayard,  has  recently  been  buried  by 
his  side. 

Adjoining  it  on  the  south,  stands  another  exquisitely  beau- 
tiful marble  monument,  with  ivy  creeping  to  the  top  of  it  and 
leaving  only  uncovered  the  inscription  :  "Charles  Hodge  Dod, 
born  in  Princeton,  June  13,  1841.  Died  in  the  faith  and  hope 
of  the  Gospel  at  City  Point,  Virginia,  Aug.  27,  1864,  while  in 
the  service  of  his  country  as  Captain  on  the  Staff  of  Major-Gen- 
eral  Hancock.     So  he  givcth  his  beloved  sleep." 

There  too,  is  the  tomb  of  his  father,  Ivev.  Albert  B.  Dod, 
and  the  tomb  of  Sarah  Washington,  the  widow  of  Col.  William 
Washington,  of  Virginia,  who  died  at  Princeton  in  1834,  ''^  the 
seventieth  year  of  her  age,  into  whose  family  Miss  Julia  Bayard 
married. 

Next  on  the  south  are  the  names  of  Beatty  and  of  Guild, 
whose  families  are  related.     Cok  Erkuries  Beatty  died,  P>b.  3, 


422  HISTORY  OF  PKINCETOX. 

1823,  in  the  sixty-fourth  year  of  his  age,  after  having  faithfully 
served  his  country  in  various  important  stations,  civil  and  mili- 
tary. His  monument  is  filled  with  an  inscription  of  nieritorious 
services  and  character.  A  very  handsome  monument  of  marble 
about  twelve  feet  high,  capped  with  an  urn  draped,  is  erected 
to  the  Guild  family.  Within  a  few  steps  are  the  tombs  of  Enos 
Kelsey,  of  Revolutionary  fame,  of  Major  Stephen  Morford,  who 
in  his  youth  took  an  active  part  in  the  struggle  for  American 
Independence  and  was  through  life  a  friend  of  his  country  ;  and 
of  Edmund  Morford,  John  Hamilton,  and  Capt.  James  Moore, 
who  was  an  active  officer  in  the  militia  of  New  Jersey,  in  the 
Revolution,  all  of  whom  have  been  noticed  in  previous  chapters. 
Here  also  is  a  monument  to  Richard  Cantwcll,  Esq.,  of  Dela- 
ware, who  died  here  in  1787;  one  to  Rev.  John  Cruikshanks, 
of  South  Carolina;  one  to  John  S.  Wilson  ;  one  to  John  Van 
Horn;  one  to  Augustus  Van  Horn;  one  to  Dr.  James  ]^ox 
Young,  of  Georgia.  In  a  little  square  enclosed  by  an  evergreen 
hedge  is  the  tomb  of  Dr.  William  Forman  and  other  members 
of  his  family.  The  Woodhull  monuments  are  enclosed  near 
by;  and  there  is  a  tablet  to  the  memory  of  Rev.  Robert  Gib- 
son, a  native  of  Charleston,  who  died  a  resident  of  Princeton, 
in  1829.  Monuments  to  the  family  of  Robert  Voorhees  stand 
in  this  vicinity. 

The  Stockton  lot  is  on  the  south  side,  next  to  Wiggins 
Street,  and  adjoins  the  graves  of  the  presidents  on  the  east. 
It  is  enclosed  by  an  iron  fence  and  a  hemlock  hedge,  and  within 
it  we  find  a  large  number  of  tasteful  and  costly  monuments  of 
white  marble,  covering  the  graves  of  Richard  Stockton,  LL.  D., 
his  children,  his  grand  and  great-grandchildren,  and  other  kin- 
dred, the  Hunters  and  others. 

Adjoining  the  Stockton  lot  is  a  piece  of  ground  about  fifty 
feet  in  length  and  twenty-five  in  width,  enclosed  with  an  iron 
fence  about  three  feet  high.  It  is  the  old  college  burial  lot,  and 
contains 

The  Graves  of  the  Presidents. 

This  is  a  chief  object  of  public  interest,  and  we  pause  for  a 
moment  to  notice  it.  We  must  bear  in  mind  that  President 
Jonathan  Dickinson  died  and  was  buried  in  Pllisabethtown, 
before  the  college  had  been  removed  to  Princeton.     A  menu- 


THE  CEMETERY. 


423 


meat  to  his  memory  can  be  seen  in  the  Presbyterian  buryinir 
ground  at  the  former  place,  recognizing  him  as  a  pastor  of  the 


CRAVES   OP   THE    rHESIUENTS. 


church,  but  not  referring  to  the  infant  college.     It  bears  the 
following  inscription  : 

Here  lies  ye  body  of  ye  Revd. 
Mr.  Jonathan  Dickinson,  Pastor 
of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church, 
In  Elisabeth  Town,  who  died  Ocf. 
ye  7th,  1747.     ^Etiitis  Suk  60. 
Deep  was  the  wound,  O  Death  !  and  vastly  wide, 
When  he  resigned  his  Useful  breath  and  dy'ed  ; 
Ye  Sacred  Tribe  with  pious  Sorrows  mourn. 
And  drop  a  tear  at  your  great  Patron's  Uru  ! 
Conceal'd  a  moment,  from  our  longing  Eyes, 
Beneath  this  Stone  his  Mortal  Body  lie^ : 
Happy  the  Spirit  lives,  and  will,  we  trust. 
In  Bliss  associate  with  his  precious  Dust, 


THE  CEMETERY.  42$ 

is  an  inscription  in  Latin  to  the  president,  and  on  the  lower 
one  is  the  name  of  his  wife  Ann,  daughter  of  Dr.  Witherspoon, 
who  died  in  1817,  in  the  sixty-ninth  year  of  her  age.  At  the 
foot  of  this  tomb,  embowered  under  evergreens,  are  the  graves 
of  Dr.  Smith's  daughters,  Mrs.  Salomans  and  Mrs.  Pintard. 

Next  to  President  Smith's  monument  is  one  to  Walter 
Minto  and  his  wife  Mary. 

Then  comes  the  tomb  of  President  Green,  who  died.  May 
19,  1848.  The  names  of  his  last  two  wives  are  inscribed  one  on 
each  side  of  this  monument.  His  first  wife  has  a  monument  in 
the  new  cemetery,  with  her  sons,  James  S.  and  Jacob  Green. 

And  next  are  the  tombs  of  President  Carnaiian  and 
Mary  his  wife.  He  died,  March  3,  1S59,  ^"^  she  in  1854. 
Beyond  these  at  the  lower  end  of  the  lot,  are  the  tombs  of  the 
Macleans,  and  of  Miss  Bainbridge,  daughter  of  Dr.  Absalom 
Bainbridge. 

While  thus  passing  along  these  honored  graves,  crowded  to- 
gether as  though  there  was  not  land  enough  for  burial  purposes, 
and  these  monuments,  some  of  which  have  been  here  for  more 
than  a  hundred  years,  showing  the  decay  which  time  and 
weather  can  effect  even  upon  marble,  besides  being  broken  by 
human  hands,  the  words  of  Longfellow  come  to  mind  : 

"  And  these  sepulchral  stones  so  old  and  brown, 
That  pave  with  level  flags  their  burial  place 
Seem  like  the  tablets  of  the  Law  thrown  down 
And  broken  by  Moses  at  the  mountain's  base." 

.  Retracing  our  steps  to  the  "entrance  of  this  sacred  enclosure, 
we  notice  at  the  foot  of  President  Burr's  tomb  and  within  the 
enclosure,  an  erect  white  marble  monument  of  no  extraordinary 
pretensions,  which  has  attracted  much  public  interest  and  given 
rise  to  many  unfounded  statements,  repeated  as  often  as  they 
have  been  contradicted.  It  has  this  simple  inscription  upon  it : 
"Aaron  Burr.  Born  Feb.  6,  1756.  Died  Sept.  14,  1836.  A 
colonel  in  the  army  of  the  Revolution.  Vice-President  of  the 
United  States  from  1801-5." 

Col.  Burr  was  the  son  of  President  Burr  and  the  grandson 
of  President  Edwards,  at  whose  feet  he  was  buried  at  his  re- 
quest. Left  an  orphan  at  the  age  of  three  years,  he  exhibited, 
while  under  the  care  of  his  relatives,  a  restless  and  self-reliant 


426  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

spirit,  several  times  running  away  from  home  and  attempting 
to  go  to  sea.  At  the  age  of  about  thirteen  he  entered  as  sopho- 
more at  Princeton  College,  though  fully  prepared  to  enter  as 
junior.  He  was  placed  in  that  class  because  of  his  diminutive 
stature  at  that  time.  He  was  very  studious  in  college  the  first 
two  years,  but  being  so  much  in  advance  of  his  class,  he  became 
idle,  and  neglected  his  studies  and  habits  during  his  senior  year. 
Pleasure  was  his  chief  pursuit  and  he  became  dissipated.  He 
graduated  in  1772,  when  only  sixteen  years  old,  receiving  the 
highest  honors  the  faculty  could  bestow  upon  him. 

Just  before  his  graduation  he  became  aroused  on  the  sub- 
ject of  religion  in  the  midst  of  his  pleasure-seeking.  He  had 
received  moral  instruction  from  his  infancy.  He  now  went  and 
related  his  experience  to  Dr.  Witherspoon,  who  tranquilized 
his  mind  by  assuring  him  that  it  was  fanaticism  and  not  true 
religion  that  was  operating  upon  him.  His  religious  anxieties 
still  clung  to  him,  and  he  sought  further  light  from  the  Rev. 
Joseph  Ik'llamy,  determined  not  to  settle  upon  the  business  of 
life  until  he  had  settled  this  question.  The  Calvinistic  side  of 
religion  was  not  so  presented  to  him  as  to  commend  itself  to 
his  mind,  and  he  unfortunately  "  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
the  road  to  Heaven  was  open  to  all  alike."  He  afterwards 
avoided  religious  disputations,  and  his  biographer  says,  though 
it  is  not  known  what  form  of  unbelief  had  seized  his  mind,  he 
never  sought  salvation  by  a  virtuous  life.  He  seemed  never 
after  this  to  recognize  a  moral  obligation. 

Col.  Burr  studied  law  and  settled  in  New  York  City.  He 
served  with  distinction  as  a  colonel  in  the  Revolution,  and  after 
the  war  entered  the  field  of  politics.  In  1800,  as  a  step  in  the 
election  to  the  United  States  presidency,  he  carried  the  city  of 
New  York  for  the  Democratic,  then  known  as  the  Republican, 
party.  Jefferson  and  Burr  received  tie  votes  in  Congress  for 
president,  until  on  the  thirty-sixth  balloting,  Jefferson  was 
elected  President  and  Burr  Vice-President  of  the  United  States 
for  four  years. 

He  was  a  man  of  brilliant  talents,  strong  will  and  passion, 
and  most  captivating  manners  and  conversation. 

There  were  two  public  acts  in  his  life  which  brought  upon 
him  a  terrible  public  condemnation.     One  involved  the  charge 


THE   CEMETERY.  42/ 

of  treason  for  seeking  the  dismemberment  of  the  Federal  Union, 
for  which  he  was  tried  and  acquitted.  There  are  but  few  if  any 
statesmen  at  the  present  day  who  beheve  that  Col.  Burr,  though 
ambitious  in  his  designs,  intended  any  crime  against  his  own 
country;  but  that  he  only  sought  to  embroil  Mexico  in  some 
way,  so  as  to  form  a  hew  government  in  which  he  might  be  a 
prominent  ruler.  The  other  deed  was  his  killing  Hamilton  in  a 
duel.  Our  great  admiration  for  Col.  Hamilton  and  our  regard 
for  his  talents  and  eminent  services  for  his  country,  should  not 
blind  us  to  his  equal  guilt  with  Col.  Burr,  in  entering  the  mur- 
derous arena  of  the  duellist.  Two  such  notable  men  cannot  be 
supposed  to  have  intended  to  act  a  farce.  Unfortunately  for 
the  country  the  better  man  fell,  and  the  survivor  only  reaped 
the  whirlwind  of  public  execration. 

Though  acquitted  of  the  charge  of  treason,  and  though  the 
death  of  Hamilton  was  the  logical  result  of  that  code  of  honor 
which  has  some  foothold  even  at  the  present  day,  among  hon- 
orable and  honored  men  in  this  and  other  Christian  countries, 
there  is  no  doubt  that  both  those  events  have  intensified  public 
feeling  against  his  profligate  private  character.  If  he  had  never 
been  tried  for  treason  ;  if  he  had  never  killed  his  brilliant  an- 
ta<ronist  in  a  duel  ;  if  he  had  never  been  vice-president  of  the 
United  States;  if  he  had  never  been  the  son  of  President  Burr 
and  the  grandson  of  President  Edwards,  two  most  eminent 
ministers  of  the  Gospel,  his  private  character  would  not  have 
been  subjected  to  such  long  continued  and  unmitigated  public 
odium  as  it  has  been. 

Col.  Burr  died  in  April,  1836,  and  his  remains  were  brought 
by  his  friends  from  New  York  to  Princeton  for  interment,  on 
the  i6th  of  that  month.  The  religious  services  on  the  occasion 
were  conducted  by  President  Carnahan  in  the  college  chapel, 
where  he  delivered  a  funeral  discourse,  after  which  a  procession 
of  professors,  students  and  citizens  attended  the  interment. 
There  was  no  secret  burial  as  newspaper  correspondents  have 
alleged.  Nor  was  this  monument  to  his  memory,  marking  his 
grave,  stealthily  and  by  night  brought  to  Princeton  by  unknown 
persons,  and  set  up  where  it  is,  as  hcls  been  again  and  again 
published  in  the  papers.  There  is  no  truth  in  such  statements 
and  there  is  no  reason  for  such  alleged  action.     We  are  not  dis- 


428  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

posed  to  apologize  for  Col.  Burr's  immoralities,  though  we  be- 
lieve public  opinion  has  dealt  severely  with  him.  But  we  repel 
in  toto,  the  idea  that  it  was  necessary  that  the  remains  of  Col. 
Aaron  Burr  or  his  tombstone  should  be  brought  here  secretly, 
and  by  night,  in  order  to  have  a  place  at  the  feet  of  the  father 
and  the  grandparents  of  the  deceased.  The  lineage  of  such  a 
man  alone,  without  reference  to  his  talents  and  acquirements, 
and  the  high  office  he  had  filled,  would  in  the  judgment  of 
Princeton  society  entitle  him  to  the  place  assigned  him  in  this 
cemetery. 

Theodosia  Burr,  the  beautiful  and  only  daughter  of  Col. 
Aaron  Burr,  married  Joseph  Allston,  of  South  Carolina.  In 
December,  1812,  she  started  on  the  schooner  Patriot,  from 
Charleston  to  New  York.  No  tidings  were  ever  received  from 
her  or  of  the  vessel ;  and  for  years  it  was  feared  that  she  might 
be  in  the  hands  of  pirates  who  then  infested  the  southern  coast. 
Her  fate  has  remained  a  mystery  until  recently.  Eight  or  ten 
years  ago,  Dr.  Pool,  as  a  physician,  visited  a  family  near  Cape 
Hatteras.  On  the  wall  he  noticed  hanging  an  exquisite  oil 
painting  of  a  beautiful  woman.  The  head  of  the  house,  an  old 
man,  told  the  doctor  that  when  a  youth  he  found  it  on  a  vessel 
which  had  been  wrecked  near  the  cape,  in  a  furious  storm  which 
occurred  in  the  winter  of  181 2  or  181 3.  All  on  board  were  lost. 
Impressed  with  the  beauty  of  the  picture  he  took  it  for  his  pay. 
A  short  time  ago,  he  was  shown  by  chance  a  picture  of  Theo- 
dosia Burr  Allston,  and  recognized  the  likeness.  Thus  after 
nearly  three-quarters  of  a  century  the  mystery  is  solved.* 

Returning  to  the  central  walk  we  meet  the  well-enclosed  lot 
of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Miller,  D.  D.,  which  contains  monuments 
over  the  graves  of  himself  and  Mrs.  Miller,  and  their  children, 
including  those  of  Mrs.  Dr.  John  Breckinridge  and  some  of 
her  children.  Within  this  enclosure  is  the  tomb  of  Mrs.  Dr. 
B.  H.  Rice.  On  the  northern  side  of  the  walk  we  are  attracted 
by  a  tall  granite  shaft  in  the  lot  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  McGill,  erected 
to  the  memory  of  his  son,  the  lamented  Dr.  George  M.  McGill, 
a  surgeon  in  the  United  States  army,  who  was  brevetted  for 
meritorious   services   in   the  late  war;  and  died  in  1867,  while 

*  This  account  of  the  picture  was  given  in  the  Trenton  State  Gazette  of  July, 
1878. 


THE  CEMETERY,  429 

on  duty  in  the  far  West,  ordered  there  on  account  of  Indian 
hostilities.  The  name  of  his  young  wife,  Miss  Morris,  who 
died  a  few  days  before  him  of  cholera,  in  that  country,  is  in- 
scribed on  the  same  beautiful  monument,  both  worthy  of  so 
graceful  and  enduring  a  memorial.  Near  it  is  a  beautiful  white 
marble  tomb  of  his  mother,  the  wife  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  McGill. 
Adjoining  this  lot  on  the  west,  is  a  handsome  granite  monu- 
ment to  Hannah  Butler,  wife  of  Edward  Howe. 

At  the  northeast  corner  of  the  old  burying  ground  and  in 
line  of  the  cemetery,  is  a  small  lot  enclosed  by  an  iron  fence 
and  filled  with  costly  monuments.  It  bears  the  name  of  John 
Lawrence  Thompson.  One  of  these  monuments  is  inscribed 
with  the  names  of  Elisabeth  S.,  Mary  and  Eugene  Thompson, 
wife  and  children  of  John  L.  Thompson,  of  Lancaster,  Penn. 
"These  loved  ones  perished  in  the  waters  of  the  Hudson,  in 
attempting  to  escape  from  the  burning  of  the  steamboat  Henry 
Clay,  on  the  28th  day  of  July,  1852.  Wife,  daughter,  son." 
There  are  also  the  tombs  of  John  L.  Thompson,  of  his  son, 
and  of  his  parents. 

Passing  southward  along  the  line  of  the  old  ground,  we 
notice  the  graves  of  the  Craigs,  the  family  lot  of  Judge  Richard 
S.  Field  and  George  T.  Olmsted,  the  tombs  of  Dr.  Ebenezer 
Stockton's  family,  and  of  Capt.  John  Little  and  Grace  his  wife. 

And  now  we  have  come  to  the  new  cemetery,  more  than 
two  acres  of  which  have  been  already  occupied.  The  entrance 
to  this,  for  carriages,  is  on  Wiggins  Street,  through  two  iron 
gates  near  each  other;  one  is  at  the  corner  of  the  old  ground. 
Between  these  two  carriage  ways  and  next  to  the  fence,  is  the 
Alexander  lot,  enclosed  by  a  low  iron  rail  and  eighteen  rough 
brownstone  posts,  about  eighteen  inches  high,  with  pyramidal 
tops.  Within  this  enclosure  are  large  horizontal  marble  monu- 
ments over  the  graves  of  Rev.  Dr.  Archibald  Alexander  and 
his  wife,  and  his  sons,  Drs.  James,  and  Addison,  and  Col.  Wil- 
liam C.  Alexander.  Next  to  this  is  the  lot  of  Dr.  Charles 
Hodge,  to  whose  memory  a  large  white  marble  monument,  in 
the  form  of  those  of  the  Alexanders  and  the  college  presidents, 
has  just  been  erected  ;  and  there  too,  aje  other  family  tombs. 
A  little  farther  and  we  come  to  a  beautiful  family  monument 
— perhaps  the  most  tasteful  in  the  whole  ground — belonging  to 


430  ///STOA'V  OF  PRINCETON. 

the  family  of  Peter  T,  Smith  ;  and  quite  near  it  is  tlic  lot  of 
Admiral  Crabbe,  in  which  is  a  broken  shaft  to  the  memory  of 
his  son  Thomas,  erected  by  his  college  class-mates ;  and  also 
a  handsomely  designed  monument  to  his  daughter  Virginia, 
besides  those  of  himself  and  wife. 

On  the  east  is  a  lot  set  apart  for  College  Students,  with  tall 
marble  shafts  erected  by  classmates  to  the  memory  of  the  fol- 
lowing, viz. :  David  G.  Aikin,  Thomas  J.  Tripp,  Herman  L. 
Piatt,  John  R.  Harrison,  Sylvester  Larned  Hennen,  John  Hun 
Meads,  Robert  Ross  Herrick,  Chester  Pierce  Butler,  Horace 
Coe,  Henry  Kirkwhite  Muse;  and  a  very  tall  and  imposing 
granite  shaft  erected  to  Theoderick  Bland  Pryor,  by  his  class- 
mates, October  15,  1871,  gives  a  sad  interest  to  these  tombs. 

Another  lot  east  of  the  eastern  gate,  is  set  apart  for  Theo- 
logical Students,  and  here  are  the  tombs  of  Rudolph  Renz, 
Alfred  Phillips  and  Charles  H.  Young,  erected  by  their  fellow- 
students.  Passing  northward  we  note  the  family  tombs  of  John 
Passage,  Ralph  Gulick.  John  T.  Robinson,  Emley  Olden,  Alex- 
ander M.  Hudnut  and  others,  till  we  come  to  the  handsome 
enclosed  monument  of  John  R.  Thomson,  U.  S.  senator,  and 
to  those  of  James  S.  Green,  Richard  Stockton  of  Mercer  Street, 
Charles  Steadman,  Dr.  Jared  I.  Dunn,  Prof.  Hope,  and  the  pas- 
tor's lot,  which  contains  the  cenotaph  of  Henry  Kollock,  D.  D., 
the  tombs  of  Rev.  W.  C.  Schenck,  his  wife  and  son,  and  others. 
The  Rev.  Dr.  Macdonald  has  a  family  plot  on  the  east  side  of 
the  cemetery,  where  his  beautiful  granite  monument  with  an 
inscription  on  a  polished  panel,  erected  by  the  congregation 
through  the  trustees,  attracts  attention.  Not  far  to  the  north 
of  it  is  a  marble  shaft  to  Edward  Stockton  and  his  family.  He 
was  the  owner  of  the  Constitution  Hill  farm  for  many  years, 
and  died  in  1871. 

Moving  to  the  west,  passing  the  tombs  of  the  Armstrongs 
and  the  Blodgetts,  we  come  to  the  enclosed  lot  of  Dr.  J.  S. 
Schanck,  which  has  a  high  granite  shaft  with  the  names  of  J. 
Robbins  Schanck  and  others  of  his  children  upon  it.  This  was 
the  first  granite  monument  introduced  into  the  cemetery. 
Going  north  from  this  point,  we  note  the  lot  of  Josejih  Olden, 
and  then  meet  a  most  imposing  monument  of  the  Murphy  family 
— a  tall  polished  red  granite  shaft.     Near  it  is  a  beautiful  white 


«-'fJ' 


THE  CEMETERY.  43 1 

cruciform  marble  to  Mrs.  Joseph  H,  Bruere ;  and  a  few  steps 
from  it  is  the  lot  of  the  Rev.  George  Sheldon,  D.  D.,  with  a 
handsome  marble  column  inscribed  to  the  memory  of  his  wife, 
Martha  Lyman  Sheldon,  of  Northampton,  Mass.  The  Leigh 
family  monument  of  granite,  and  the  Priest  monument  of  mar- 
ble with  granite  base,  are  both  attractive. 

Among  the  most  prominent  tombs  on  the  north  side  are 
those  of  Mrs.  Stevens,  Mrs.  Annin,  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  James 
Wood.  Returning  by  the  path  on  the  west  side  we  come  to 
the  embellished  plot  of  Profs.  Guyot  and  Cameron,  but  hold  ! 

Who  is  she  that  floats  in  white, 
Like  a  spirit  on  the  niglu  ; 
With  a  face  whose  life-like  smile 
Mocks  her  sleeping  dust  the  while  ? 

See  a  beautiful  white  marble  pedestal  tastefully  inscribed 
to  Constance  Cameron,  a  lovely  little  daughter  of  Prof,  and 
Mrs.  Cameron,  about  fourteen  years  old,  who  died.  May  i6, 
1873  ;  it  is  surmounted  by  an  exquisitely  beautiful  marble  statue 
of  a  little  girl  in  angelic  form,  as  if  just  ascending  to  the  skies. 

Near  on  our  left,  is  a  handsome  monument  erected  by  Mrs. 
Brown,  inscribed  with  the  names  of  Caroline  Elmer  Brown  and 
Amos  Littell  Brown  ;  and  on  our  right  we  notice  a  lot  of  the 
Rev.  Dr.  A.  A.  Hodge  and  his  brother  Charles  Hodge,  M.  D., 
where  there  are  several  tombs.  A  little  farther  on  the  left  is 
the  tomb  of  William  A.  Henry,  son  of  Prof.  Henry  ;  and  as  we 
come  near  the  corner  of  the  old  ground  we  note  the  grave  of 
James  Rowand.  We  have  before  noticed  his  tragic  death  at 
the  hands  of  the  murderer  Charles  Lewis.  This  significant 
scriptural  text  is  on  his  tomb:  "What  we  know  not  now  we 
shall  know  hereafter." 

There  are  multitudes  besides  those  we  have  mentioned — 
some  perhaps  m.ore  worthy  of  notice  than  many  we  have 
named  ;  including  the  graves  of  volunteers  in  the  late  war  and 
the  tombs  of  strangers. 

There  is  more  taste,  order  and  interest  shown  in  the  new 
than  in  the  old  ground.  For  several  years  past  an  effort 
has  been  made  to  raise  a  large  fund  to  enlarge,  enclose  and 
adorn  these  grounds  ;  but  it  has  not  fully  succeeded.     While 


432  HISTORY  OF  PRINCE  TOA^. 

SO  much  is  done  for  the  Hving  in  Princeton,  more  should  be 
done  for  this  repository  of  the  dead.  It  is  desirable  that  there 
should  be  more  land  secured  ;  that  there  should  be  a  suitable 
enclosure  around  the  whole  tract ;  that  there  should  be  a  chapel 
for  religious  services  on  the  ground,  and  that  there  should  be  a 
keeper  of  the  grounds,  constantly  in  attendance  and  at  work 
upon  them. 

In  view  of  the  large  number  of  distinguished  ministers  and 
public  men  whose  dust  lies  beneath  these  monuments  which  we 
have  noticed,  it  is  not  difficult  to  explain  why  this  place  is 
called  "  The  Westminster  Abbey  of  America." 

"We  cannot  win  them  hack, 

And  yet  wiih  frequent  tears 
We  hriny  to  mind  their  cherished  forms, 

With  thoughts  of  other  years, 
Witli  love  tliat  neither  death  nor  change 
Hath  power  to  sever  or  estrange. 

"  We  cannot  Vjlot  them  out 

From  memoiy's  written  page  ; 
We  cannot  count  them  strangers,  but 

As  birds  in  prison  cage, 
We  beat  against  the  iron  bar, 
That  keeps  us  from  those  friends  afar. 

'  Oblivion  may  not  hang 

Its  curtain  o'er  their  grave  ; 
There  is  no  water  we  can  sip 

Like  Lethe's  lulling  wave  ; 
But  fond  affection's  moaning  wail 
Breaks  from  us  like  the  autumn  gale. 

"  Ye  are  not  dead  to  us. 

But  as  bright  stars  unseen. 
Though  death  invades  between  ; 
Like  a  thin  cloud  that  veils  from  sight 
The  countless  spangles  of  the  night." 


CHAPTER   XXXIII. 

THE   CENTENNIAL  YEAR.    1876. 

Religious  Revival — Visit  of  Moody  and  Sankey — Opening  of  University  Hotel — 
Centennial  Celebration — Centennial  Anniversary  of  the  Battle  of  Princeton 
celebrated — Full  tide  of  Prosperity. 

The  year  1876  was  a  memorable  one  in  Princeton.  Its  early- 
months  were  marked  by  an  extraordinary  religious  awakening 
which  began  in  the  preceding  fall,  showing  itself  in  the  institu- 
tions and  in  the  town.  Moody  and  Sankey,  the  revivalists  of 
wide  repute,  at  the  invitation  extended  to  them  by  Drs.  Hodge 
and  McCosh,  after  a  conference  of  the  Princeton  clergy,  made 
a  short  visit  here  on  their  passage  from  Philadelphia  to  New 
York,  in  the  month  of  P^ebruary,  remaining  from  the  5th  to  the 
7th,  preaching  on  Three  days.  Their  reception  was  a  warm  one, 
and  the  public  mind  was  just  ripe  for  their  peculiar  services. 

Everybody  encouraged  them  and  tendered  co-operation. 
The  Second  Presbyterian  Church  was  packed  long  before  the 
hour  of  service.  The  galleries  were  occupied  by  students,  who 
sang  heartily  the  Gospel  Hymns  impromptu,  before  the  hour 
of  preaching.  Mr.  Moody  never  preached  more  powerfully 
than  he  did  on  this  occasion.  He  appreciated  his  peculiar 
position  in  this  educational  town,  and  he  achieved  as  a  lay- 
preacher,  a  wonderful  triumph.  The  doctors  of  divinity  and 
professors  sat  delighted  under  his  irresistible  preaching.  His 
revival  measures  and  inquiry  meetings  were  acquiesced  in,  and 
even  participated  in.  by  the  Presbyterian  ministers.  His  preach- 
ing was  Calvinistic  in  doctrine,  and  pungent  in  the  extreme. 
He  drew  to  him  people  of  all  denominations,  even  Roman 
Catholics  ;  irreligious  and  indifferent  persons  flocked  to  hear 
him.  Such  a  general  awakening  had  never  before  been  wit- 
nessed in  this  community.  His  presentation  of  the  Gospel 
was  favorably  received  by  all  persons. 

The  students  of  the  college  as  well  as  of  the  seminary,  en- 


434  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

gaged  actively  in  evangelistic  work  in  other  neighborhoods  with 
great  success.  The  two  Presbyterian  churches  were  increased 
by  about  a  hundred  new  members,  and  nearly  the  whole  of  the 
college  students  who  were  not  so,  became  professors  of  religion. 
The  evangelist,  Mr.  Morehouse,  had  preceded  Mr.  Moody  here 
a  year  or  two,  and  his  preaching  and  Bible  readings  in  public 
and  at  the  private  house  of  Mr.  Mahlon  Frost,  where  he  was 
met  by  theological  students,  had  removed  the  prejudice  against 
iay-preaching  and  teaching,  as  his  labors  were  successful. 

Another  event  of  public  interest  to  the  community  was  the 
opening  of  the  University  Hotel,  in  the  month  of  June  of  this 
year. 

The  prominent  feature  of  the  centennial  year  was  the  CeX- 
TENMAL  Celebratiox  held  at  Princeton,  on  the  27th  day  of 
June,  1S76.  A  full  account  of  the  proceedings  has  been  pub- 
lished in  pamphlet,  by  the  Rev.  ^Ir.  Ulyat,  but  we  shall  only 
briefly  refer  to  it.  It  was  the  principal  one  held  in  the  State, 
and  though  not  strictly  a  State  celebration,  the  authorities  of 
the  State  and  the  Legislature  had  been  invited  to  participate  in 
making  it  worthy  of  the  occasion  ;  and  they  did  so  very  com- 
mendably.  Gov.  Bedle,  armed  with  special  authority  for  the 
])urj:)Ose,  detailed  two  regiments  of  the  National  Guard  of  the 
State,  one  from  Newark  and  one  from  Trenton,  about  fourteen 
hundred  men,  to  assist  in  the  ceremonies.  The  chief  military 
officers  present  were  the  Governor  and  staff,  Adj.-Gen.  Stryker, 
Gen.  Fay,  Cols.  Vought,  Garrctson,  Hendrickson,  Spencer, 
Hoy  and  Johnson;  also  Major-Gens.  Mott  and  Sewell,  Ex- 
Govs.  Haines,  Parker  and  Ward,  and  representatives  from  both 
Houses  of  the  Legislature,  the  State  Judiciary,  the  Faculties 
of  Princeton  College  and  Seminary,  and  of  Rutgers  College 
and  Seminary.  The  Society  of  the  Cincinnati,  the  Historical 
Society  and  other  associations  were  present.  It  was  estimated 
that  there  were  from  eight  to  twelve  thousand  people  present. 
The  day  was  very  warm. 

The  exercises  of  the  morning  were  held  in  the  college  cam- 
pus, in  an  amphitheatre  erected  around  the  old  historic  cannon 
which  was  captured  from  the  British  in  the  battle  of  Princeton. 
Gov.  Bedle  was  President  of  the  day.  Prayer  was  offered  by 
the  Rev.  Dr.  McCosh,  President  of  the  college.    An  address  of 


THE  CENTENNIAL    YEAR,  1876.  435 

welcome  was  delivered  by  the  Rev.  George  Sheldon,  D.  D., 
who  stated  as  some  of  the  reasons  for  such  a  celebration,  that 
Princeton  was  the  scene  of  an  important  battle;  that  in  1776 
the  British  troops  held  the  town,  and  converted  the  college 
building  and  Presbyterian  church  into  barracks  and  stables: 
and  two  of  the  Signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence — 
Dr.  John  Witherspoon  and  Richard  Stockton,  lived  there.  The 
vocal  music  was  under  the  direction  of  John  F.  Hageman,  Jr., 
who  led  a  choir  of  more  than  a  hundred  students.  Whittier's 
Centennial  Hymn  and  an  Ode  written  for  the  occasion  by 
the  Rev.  Prof.  Charles  W.  Shields,  were  happily  rendered. 
The  orator  of  the  day  was  the  Rev.  Joseph  T.  Duryea,  D.  D., 
of  Brooklyn,  and  his  subject :  "  Purity  in  our  National  Affairs." 

After  the  exercises  on  the  campus,  the  procession  was 
formed  and  marched  to  Bayard  Avenue,  where  in  an  open  field 
and  under  a  very  large  tent,  a  dinner  was  spread  for  more  than 
a  thousand  guests.  Mere  also  the  Governor  presided,  assisted 
by  Dr.  Cameron  and  Ex-Speaker  Vanderbilt. 

The  following  were  the  toasts  and  the  names  of  the  persons 
who  responded  to  them  : 

1.  "The  United  States":  Responded  to  by  Prof.  Cameron,  who  read  a  letter 
from  President  Grant,  regretting  his  unavoidable  absence. 

2.  "The  State  of  New  Jersey":  Gov.  Bedle. 

3.  "  The  Legislature  of  New  Jersey  "  :  Gen.  Sewell,  Hon.  William  J.  Magie  and 
Hon.  John  Hill. 

4.  "The  Officers  and   Soldiers  of  the    Revolutionary  War":    Hon.   L.  Q.  C. 
Elmer,  who  represented  the  Cincinnati. 

5.  "The  Constitution  of  1776":   Ex-Gov.  Daniel  Haines. 

6.  "  The  Battle  of  Monmouth  "  :   Ex-Gov.  Joel  Parker. 

7.  "Princeton  and  the  Battle  F'ield''  :  John  F.  Hageman. 

8.  "The  New  Jersey  Historical  Society"  :   Rev.  Samuel  M.  Hamill,  D.  D. 

9.  "  The  National  Guard  of  New  Jersey  "  :   Gen.  P.  Augustus  Fay. 

10.  "  The  College  of  New  Jersey  "  :  President  McCosh. 

The  day  was  ushered  in  by  the  ringing  of  the  bells  and  the 
firing  of  cannon  ;  and  in  the  evening  this  was  repeated,  with 
a  general  illumination  of  the  town  ;  and  there  was  a  full  dis- 
play of  bunting.  The  whole  celebration  was  carried  out 
through  nineteen  different  committees,  at  an  expense  of  $1500, 
raised  by  a  borough  tax  authorized  by  law,  and  was  a  grand 
success. 


43^  HISTORY  OF  PRINCETON. 

The  centennial  spirit  was  kept  alive  through  the  year.  The 
college  sent  its  contribution  to  the  International  Centennial 
Exhibition  in  Philadelphia;  and  the  last  demonstration  inspired 
by  the  associations  of  the  year,  was  a  celebration  of 

The  Battle  of  Princeton, 

on  the  3d  day  of  January,  1877. 

This  celebration  was  initiated  by  the  original  committee  of 
thirteen,  which  had  directed  the  celebration  in  June.  It  was 
chiefly  one  of  military  display,  in  a  sham-fight  as  near  as  possi- 
ble on  the  site  and  after  the  plan  of  the  original  battle.  Prince- 
ton furnished  three  companies  of  forty-five  men  each.  One  of 
these  was  the  uniformed  Washington  Continental  Guards,  Capt. 
A.  L.  Green  ;  the  other  two  were  ununiformed,  with  J.  Leggett 
and  J.  H.  Margerum  as  captains.  Eight  companies  were  from 
abroad,  which  with  the  Princeton  men  made  about  four  hundred 
troops.  Col.  William  Allen,  of  Newark,  represented  the  British 
commander.  Col.  Mavvhood  ;  Gen.  J.  M.  Drake,  of  Elisabeth, 
represented  Gen.  Washington,  and  Col.  W.  C.  Vandewater, 
Gen.  Mercer.  The  staff  of  officers  of  Gen.  Washington,  were 
J.  F.  Hageman,  Jr.,  W.  C.  Vandewater,  A,  Y.  Allen,  J.  Lyons 
and  A.  M.  Gumming. 

The  day  was  fine  but  intensely  cold,  and  snow  had  just 
fallen  to  the  depth  of  fifteen  inches  on  the  level.  The  fight 
ranged  from  the  old  battle-field  to  the  college.  It  was  admira- 
bly executed  in  all  its  parts.  At  the  close  a  heavy  fire  was 
maintained  for  some  minutes,  when  suddenly  the  British  broke 
in  disorder,  and  Col.  William  Allen  who  personated  Col.  Maw- 
hood,  surrendered  his  sword  to  Col.  John  F.  Hageman,  Jr., 
chief  of  the  staff  of  Gen.  Washington.  The  American  bands 
played  Yankee  Doodle,  and  the  British  reversed  arms. 

Afterwards  the  soldiers  on  both  sides  joined  in  a  parade,  and 
marched  to  the  University  Hotel,  where  for  those  from  abroad, 
and  their  officers,  an  elegant  entertainment  was  provided.  The 
whole  affair  gave  great  satisfactioi\  to  the  large  crowd  of  spec- 
tators who  thronged  the  streets.  The  great  papers  in  the 
cities,  represented  by  reporters,  gave  flattering  accounts  of  it. 

Since  the  centennial  year  the  march  of  improvement  has 


THE    CENTENNIAL    YEAR,  1876.  437 

kept  steadily  on  in  Princeton.  Private  residences  and  public 
buildings,  greatly  ornamental  to  the  town,  have  been  rapidly 
multiplied.  The  stagnation  and  distress  which  have  been  so 
painfully  visible  in  other  places  throughout  the  country  during 
the  general  financial  depression,  have  not  affected  the  busy 
workmen  who  have  kept  the  music  of  the  hammer  and  the 
stone  chisel  unceasingly  sounding  in  these  streets.  College, 
seminary  and  town  are,  at  the  close  of  the  year  1878,  in  the 
full  tide  of  prosperity. 


CHAPTER   XXXIV. 


PROFESSIONAL    AND    OFFICIAL. 
Physicians — Lawyers — Clergymen — Official  Representatives. 

PllYSICL-VNS.     The  following  are  the  names  of  physicians 
who  have  been  settled  in  Princeton,  viz. : 


John  Beatty, 
Absalom  Bainbridge, 
Thomas  Wiggins, 
Ebenezer  Stockton, 
John  Maclean, 
John  Van  Cleve, 
James  Ferguson, 
William  Wilson, 
Horatio  Sansbury, 
Samuel  L.  Howell, 
Jared  L  Dunn, 
Alfred  A.  Woodhull, 
John  N.  Woodhull, 
George  M.  Maclean,* 


William  Forman, 
Arciiibald  Alexander,  Jr.,* 
J.  Slillwell  Schanck,* 

Ruding, 

Oliver  H.  Bartine,* 
John  II.  Janeway, 
William  J.  Lylle,* 
Wessel  T.  Stout, 
John  H.  Wikoff,* 
John  II.  Warren, 
Klias  C.  Baker, 
E.  H.  Bergen,* 
Arthur  K.  Macdonald,* 


We  meet  with  the  names  of  Dr.  Greenland,  Dr.  Gordon  and 
Dr.  Brenton  Davison  as  owners  of  land  in  and  near  Princeton, 
in  the  early  settlement  of  the  place,  but  whether  they  were 
settled  here  as  physicians  we  are  not  able  to  state.  There  was 
a  "  Dr.  Stapleton,  of  Princeton,"  during  the  Revolutionary 
War,  whose  conduct  was  complained  of  to  the  Council  of 
Safety,  but  we  have  no  evidence  that  he  was  a  resident  of 
Princeton. 

Dr.  Jacob  Scudder,  a  native  of  Princeton,  a  student  of  Dr. 
Beatty,  practiced  medicine  in  Virginia  some  years;  returned 
to  Princeton  in  about  1814  in  bad  health  and  died  in  1859. 
He  was  a  son  of  Jacob  Scudder,  and  lived  on  the  farm  now  J. 
Boyd  Van  Doren's. 

*  Residing  in  Princeton  at  the  present  time. 


\^ 


PROFESSIONAL  AND  OFFICIAL. 


439 


Richard  Stockton  (the  Signer), 

John  Berrien, 

Jonathan  Dickinson  Sergeant, 

Richard  Stockton  (the  Duke), 

Thomas  P.Johnson, 

Samuel  Bayard, 

Samuel  R.  Hamilton, 

James  S.  Green, 

C.  Houston  Van  Cleve, 

Walter  Minto  Skelton, 

Richard  S.  Field, 

William  C.  Alexander, 

David  N.  Bogart, 

John  F.  Hageman, 

John  S.  Culick, 


LAWYERS. 


Robert  Voorhees. 
Richard  Stockton, 
John  P.  Stockton, 
Robert  F.  Stockton,  jr., 
Thomas  G.  Lytle, 
Robert  S.  Green, 
Daniel  P.  Voorhees, 
Leroy  H.  Anderson, 
Malcolm  Macdonald, 
S.  I).  Olipliant, 
John  F.  Hageman,  jr., 
Alexander  Gray, 
George  O.  Vanderbiit, 
William  J.  Gibby, 
Richard  Runyan. 


Joseph  Annin, 

There  were  other  young  men  who  were  admitted  to  the 
Bar  of  New  Jersey,  while  residing  in  Princeton,  but  who  imme- 
diately thereafter  settled  in  other  places. 

Clergymen:  We  shall  not  enumerate  all  those  who  have 
resided  in  Princeton  in  past  years,  but  only  those  who  are  at 
present  residing  here,  viz. : 


John  Maclean,  D.  D.,       Presbyterian. 

James  McCosh,  D.  D., 

Lyman  H.  Atwater,  D.  D.,        " 

Alexander  T.  McGill,  D.  D.,    " 

James  C.  Moffat   D.  D., 

John  T.  DufHeld,  D.  D.. 

A.  A.  Hodge,  D.  D., 

William  H.  Green.  D.  D., 

James  O.  Murray,  D.  D.,  " 

Charles  A.  Aiken,  D.  D., 

Charles  W.  Shields,  D.  D., 

William  A.  Packard,  D.  D.,      " 

Henry  C.  Camerou,  D.  D.,        " 

C.  W.  Ho<lge,  D.  D., 

George  Macloskie,  D.  D.,  " 

James  F.  McCurdy,  " 

Theodore  W.  Hunt,  " 

William  Harris,  Coll.  Treasurer,     Pres. 

Frederick  Vinton,  Coll.  Librarian,     " 

Wm.  H.  Roberts,  Sem.  "  " 

(.'Ml  the  foregoing  are  connected  witli 
the  College  or  Seminary). 
Uavid  M.  Halliday,  D.  D. 


George   Sheldon,    D.   D.,    Presbyterian  ; 

Agent  American  Bible  Society. 
David  Smith,  Presbyterian. 

John  Miller, 

Charles  J.  Collins,  Teacher, 
Joseph  R.  Mann, 
Horace  G.  Hinsdale,  Pastor, 
Lewis  W.  Mudge,  Pastor, 
Edward  P.  Wood, 
James  A.  Worden,  S.  Schools, 
J.  T.  Ostler, 
Donald  McLlaren,  Navy  Chaplain,  Pres. 
Augustus  Brodhead,  Ret.  Miss'y, 
George  W.  Wilder,  do. 

John  S.  Beekman, 
P.  B.  Van  Syckel, 
Hugh  1\L  Brown,  Pastor. 
Alfred  U.  Baker,  FLpiscopal  Rector. 
Asa  S.  Colton,  " 

William  White,  Methodist  Pastor. 
T.  M.  Stewart,  Past.  A.  M.  ch. 
T.  R.  Moran,  Roman  Catholic  Pastoi. 
William  C.  Ulyat,  Baptist. 
John  F.  McLaren,    Presbyterian. 


440  history  of  princeton. 

Official  Representatives  and  Dignitaries. 

Colonial  Justices  of  the  Supreme  Court :  John  Berrien, 
Richard  Stockton. 

Members  of  the  Colonial  Legislature  and  Kings  Council : 
Benjamin  Clarke,  Thomas  Leonard. 

Colonial  Sheriffs:  Barefoot  Brinson,  John  Riddle,  Job 
Stockton. 

Members  of  Provincial  Congress  of  New  Jersey,  ^77^-76: 
Jonathan  Sergeant,  Jonathan  Dickinson  Sergeant,  John  Wither- 
spoon,  D.  D.,  Jonathan  Deare,  Jonathan  Baldwin,  W.  Churchill 
Mouston,  Enos  Kelsey. 

Members  of  the  Continental  Congress  :  Jonathan  Dickinson 
Sergeant,  Richard  Stockton,  John  Witherspoon,  D.  D.,  W. 
Churchill  Houston,  John  Beatty. 

Members  of  the  United  States  Senate:  Richard  Stockton, 
LL.  D.,  Com.  Robert  F.  Stockton,  John  R.  Thomson,  Richard 
S.  Field,  John  P.  Stockton. 

Member  of  United  States  House  of  Representatives :  Richard 
Stockton,  LL.  D. 

Foreign  Mission  :  John  P.  Stockton,  Minister  to  Rome. 

Governor  of  Nezv  Jersey  :  Charles  S.  Olden. 

Members  of  New  Jersey  State  Legislature— Oi  Council  and 
Senate:  Samuel  Bayard,  James  S.  Green,  Charles  S.  Olden, 
William  C.  Alexander  (President),  Crowell  Marsh. 

Of  the  Assembly:  W.  Churchill  Houston,  Samuel  Bayard, 
James  S.  Green,  William  C.  Alexander,  Richard  S.  Field, 
Josiah  S.  Worth,  John  Lowrey  and  John  F.  Hageman  on  gen- 
eral ticket;  and  under  the  District  system,  Abner  B.  Tomlin- 
son,  James  Van  Deventer,  James  H.  Bruere,  Augustus  L. 
Martin,  Joseph  H.  Bruere,  and  George  O.  Vanderbilt  (Speaker). 

Attorney-General  of  Nezv  Jersey:  Richard  S.  Field,  John 
P.  Stockton  (now  in  office). 

United  States  District-Attorney  :  James  S.  Green. 

Prosecutor  of  the  Pleas  of  Mercer  County :  John  F.  Hage- 
man. 

Sheriff  of  Mercer  County  :  George  .T.  Olmsted. 

Postmasters  and  mayors  have  been  named  in  a  former  chap- 
ter, and  here  we  bring  our  history  to  a  close. 


INDEX. 


A. 

Academies  and  Schools,  i.  185  ;  ii.  217. 
Adams,  John,  i.  67,  68,  112;  ii.  37. 
Adams,  Mrs.  John,  i.  84. 
Adrain,  Professor  Robert,  i.  197,  212. 
African  Metliodist  ]'!piscopal  Church,  ii.  212. 
Agnew,  Daniel,  i.  211  ;  ii.  18,  184. 
Agricultural  Society,  N.  J.,  i.  259-60.    • 
Aiken,   Rev.  Charles  A.,  ii.   290,  371,  372, 

379- 
Allien,  Miss,  ii.  224. 
Alexander,  Archibald,  Jr.,   M.D.,  ii.  202, 

348,  436. 
Alexander,  Col.  W.  C,  i.  253  ;  sketch,  351 ; 

ii.  64,292,  381,  439.440. 
Alexander,   Henry   M.,   i.  354;  ii.  50,  52, 

306. 
Alexander,  Mrs.  Dr.  A.,  ii.  347,  410. 
Alexander,  Prof.  Stephen,  i.  299 ;  ii.  188, 

284,  306,  377,  381. 
Alexander,    Rev.   Archibald,   i.    232,    256, 

278  ;  ii.  330;  sketch,  342,  377,  339,  429. 
Alexander,  Rev.  Henry  C.,  i.  370,  380. 
Alexander,  Rev.  J.  Addison,  i.  312  ;  ii.  222, 

279  ;  sketch,  359,  381. 

Alexander,  Rev.  [amesW.,  i.  271,  276,  312, 

258  ;  ii.  211 ;  sketch,  366,  380, 
Alexander,  Rev.  Samuel  D.,  i.  7;  ii.  348, 

381. 
Allen,  Capt.  A.  F.,  ii.  30,  188,  436. 
Allen,  Col.  Willian),  ii.  436. 
Allen,  Elijah,  ii.  208. 
Alumni  of  College,  ii.  301. 
Alumni  of  Seminary,  ii.  373. 
American  Journal,  ii.  57. 
American  Magazme,  ii.  58. 
American  System,  ii.  59. 
Anderson,  Isaac,  i.  193. 
Anderson,  |as.  'I'.  L.,  i.  321;  ii.  10,  208. 
Anderson,  Leroy  H.,  ii.  10,  208,  439. 
Arnott,  Rev.  Dr.,  i.  357. 
Articles  of  Confederation,  i.  160. 
Atwafer,  Lyman  S.,  ii.  25. 
Atwater,  Rev.  Lyman  H.,  ii.  63,  290,  300, 

382. 
At  wood  &  Co.,  ii.  40. 
Authors  and  their  volumes,  ii.  377  ;  list  of, 

379- 


B. 

Bainbridge,  Com.  Wm.,  i.  253. 

Bainbridge,  Dr.  Absalom,  i.  70,  125. 

Bainbridge,  Dr.  Edward,  i.  71. 

Baird,  Benjamin,  i.  165. 

Baird,  Rev.  Robert,  i.  239,  259  ;  ii.  123,  221, 

283. 
Baker,  Cornelius,  ii.  208. 
Baker,  Isaac,  ii.  23,  183. 
FJaker,  Moore,  ii.  59. 
Baker,  Rev.  A.  B.,  ii.  143,  439. 
Baldwin,  Jonathan,  i.  74,  104,  165,  439. 
Ball-playing  forbidden,  ii.  316. 
Bancroft,  Mr.,  i.  128,  133. 
Bank,  Princeton,  i.  225  ;  ii.  25. 
I^ank,  Savings,  ii;  27. 
Baptist  Church,  ii.  197. 
Baiber,  Col.  Francis,  i.  90. 
Barracks,  i.  35,  63. 
Bartine,  Dr.  O.  H.,  ii.  195,  438. 
Battle  of  Assanpinck,  i.  132. 
Battle  of  Princeton,  i.  135. 
Battle  of  Princeton,  Centennial  celebration 

of,  ii.  436. 
Bayard,  Gen.  Geo.  Dashiel,  ii.  421. 
Bayard,  Samuel,  i.  2:Jb ;  family,  227;  ii.  10, 

114.  383.  438,  440. 
Beatty,  Charles  C,  i.  102. 
Beatty,  Col.  Erkuries,  i.  221;  ii.  10,  118, 

185. 
Beatty,  Dr.  John,  i.  75;  ii.  18,  19,  89. 
Bcdle,  Gov.,  and  staff,  ii.  434-35. 
Beecher,  Rev.  H.  Ward,  i.  282,  358. 
Beekman,  Chri.stophor,  i.  179;  ii.  38. 
Belcher,  Gov.,  i.  59;  ii.  236-37,  246,  311. 
Bergen,  Dr.  E.  H.,  ii.  43S. 
Bernard,  Gov.  Francis,  i.  65. 
Berrien,  Judge  John,  i.  42,  48,  55,  69,  171  ; 

ii.  420,  439,  440. 
Berry,  Dr.  A.  J.,  i.  266;  ii.  10,  23. 
Bible  Class  instruction,  ii.  150. 
Bible  Society,  Nassau  Hall,  i.  231,  241. 
Bible  Society,  New  Jersey,  i.  230. 
Biblical  Repertory,  ii.  63. 
Biddle,  Mrs.  Lydia-,  i.  126. 
Blackwell,  T!n:mas,  ii.  183. 
Blair,  Rev.  John,  ii.  84. 
Blawenburgh,  i.  6. 


442 


INDEX. 


Bloomfield,  Dr.  Moses,  i.  166. 

liogait,  David  N.,  i.  273  ;  ii.  439. 

Bogait,  John,  i.  273. 

Bogart,  Peter,  i.  272;  ii.  19,  333. 

Boone,  Gov.  Thos.,  i.  65. 

Borough  jail,  ii.  ii. 

Borough  ot"  Princeton,  i.  i,  9. 

Borrenstein,  D.  A.,  ii.  57,  384. 

Boleler,  Alexander  R.,  i.  224. 

BouJinot,  Elias,  i.  83,  168. 

Boudinot,  Miss  Annis.  ii.  413. 

Brackett,  Prof.  Cyrus  F.,  ii.  298. 

Brackinridge,  iiugh,  i.  102. 

Brainerd,  Rev.  David,  i.  49;  ii.  231. 

Brainerd,  Rev.  John,  i.  49,  50. 

Breckinridge,  Judge  S.  M.,  ii.  366. 

Breckinridge,  Miss  Agatha,  ii.  366. 

Breckinridge,  Miss  Margaret  E.,  i.  298;  ii. 

366. 
Breckinridge,  Mrs.  Rev.  John,  ii.  365-66. 
Breckinridge  (Polly),  Mrs.  Porter,  i.  299; 

ii.  366. 
Breckinridge,    Rev.    John,    ii.    209,    337 ; 

sketch,  364,  384. 
Breckinridge,  Rev.  Robert  J.,  ii.  323. 
lirinson,  I'.arefoot,  i.  23,  33. 
Brinson,  Daniel,  i.  23,  54. 
Brown,  Judge  Geo.  H.,  i.  323. 
Brown,  Mrs.  David  (Susan  Dod),  i.  351; 

ii.  205-6,  208. 
Brown,  Mrs.  George,  ii.  338,  374. 
Brown,  Mrs.  Sarah  A.,  i.  68;   ii.  206,  431. 
Bruere,  James  H.,  ii.  440. 
Bruere,  Joseph  H.,  i.  31 ;  ii.  27,  194,  420, 

440. 
Buildings  of  College,  ii.  302. 
Buildings  of  Seminary,  ii.  355. 
Bunyan,  Capt.  James,  i.  210. 
Burns,  Rev.  Dr.,  i.  270. 
Burr,  Col.  Aaron,  i.  187;  ii.  425. 
Burr,  Mrs.  President,  ii.  409. 
Burr,  Rev.  Aaron,  ii.  236-49,  384. 
Burr,  Theodosia  (Mrs.  Alston),  ii.  428. 
Burroughs,  Geo.  H.,  ii.  208,  223. 

C. 

Calderwood,  Rev.  Dr.,  i.  356. 
Cameron,  Miss  Constance,  ii.  431. 
Cameron,  Mrs.  Prof.,  ii.  312. 
Cameron,  Prof.  H.  C,  i.  302;  ii.  290,  300, 

384,  431,  435,  439. 
Campbell,  James,  i.  18. 
Canal,  Delaware  and  Raritan,  i.  8,  252. 
Cannon,  big,  i.  139. 
Cannon,  war,  ii.  317. 
Cantwell,  Richard.  Esq.,  ii.  422. 
Carmichacl,  Rev.  John,  ii.  77. 
Carnahan,  Rev.  James,  ii.  274,  384. 
Cattell,  Rev.  '1  hos.  and  W.  C,  ii.  223. 
Cawley,  David  D.,  ii.  187. 
Cedar  Grove,  i.  5. 
Cedar  Grove  Church,  ii.  181,  182. 
Ckmetkky,  ii.  414. 
Centennial  celebration,  j.  358  ;  ii.  434. 


Chalmers,  Dr.,  on  Edwards,  ii.  15. 

Chancellor  Green  Library,  ii.  307. 

Chapel,  College,  ii.  305. 

Chapin,  Rev.  Mr.,  ii.  223. 

Charter  of  borough,  i.  233  ;   ii.  I. 

Charter  revised,  ii.  8,  9. 

Cherry  Valley,  i.  6. 

Cholera,  Asiatic,  i.  253. 

Churches,  history  of,  ii.  66-216. 

Circumstantial  evidence,  case  of,  i.  324. 

Civil  War,  late,  ii.  284-309. 

Clarke,  Benjamin,  first  settler,  sketch  of,  i. 

25,  27;  ii.  67,  439. 
Clarke,  Dr.  Israel,  i.  27. 
Clarke,  John  H.,  ii.  187. 
Clarke,  Jos.  O.,  i.  27. 
Clarke,  the  Misses  Hannah  and  Sarah,  i. 

143- 

Clergymen,  list  of,  ii.  439. 

Climate  of  Princeton,  i.  12. 

Clow,  Henry,  reminiscences,  i.  209,  340;  ii. 

10. 
■  Cobb,  Rev.  A.  P.,  ii.  211. 

Coleman,  Rev.  Prof.  Lyman,  ii.  235. 

College  Centennial,  i.  271. 

College  horn  spree,  i.  281. 

CoLLKGi-;  oi-'  Nkw  Jersey,  history  of,  ii. 
228-323  ;  under  President  Dickinson,  233  ; 
Burr,  236;  Edwards,  249;  Davies,  253; 
Finley,  256;  Wilherspoon,  260;  Smith, 
264;  Green,  271;  Carnahan,  274;  Mac- 
lean, 285  ;  McCosh,  291 ;  course  of  study, 
294  ;  officers  and  Alumni,  298  ;  buildings, 
302  ;  library,  etc.,  311 ;  endowments,  314. 

College,  removal  of,  i.  61  ;  disbanded,  124. 

Collins,  Rev.  Chas.  J.,  ii.  224,  439. 

Colonization  Society,  American,  i.  237. 

Colonization  Society,  N.  J.,  i.  236. 

Colored  volunteers,  i.  308. 

Colton,  Rev.  A.  S.,  i.  290;  ii.  384,  439. 

Combs,  Capt.  John,  i.  iSo. 

Comfort,  Rev.  David,  ii.  333. 

Comfort,  David,  Jr.,  ii.  224. 

Commencement  changed,  i.  269. 

Committee  of  Safety,  i.  105. 

Congress,  American,  in  Princeton,  i.  167. 

Congress,  Continental,  i.  1 10-15. 

Congress,  Provincial,  i.  103. 

Connolly,  Bernard,  ii.  58. 

Conover,  John,  i.  33  ;  ii.  10. 

Conover,  Lieut.  Frank  S.,  i.  194,307;  ii.  10. 

Conover,  Mrs.  Richard,  i.  194. 

Conover,  Richd.  S.,  i.  194. 

Cook's  Hall,  ii.  32. 

Cooley,  Rev.  E.  F.,  i.  209. 

Copper  Co.,  ii.  28. 

Coinwall,  Prof.  H.  B.,  ii.  298. 

Curnwallis,  Lord,  i.  123,  131. 

Cornwell,  Rev.  W.  E..  ii.  198. 

Council  of  Safety,  i.  162;  arrests,  164. 

Course  of  study  in  College,  ii.  294. 

Covanhoven,  Capt.  Wm.,  i.  180. 

Cox,  John,  ii.  30. 

Crabbe,  Rear-Admiral  Thos.,  i.  7,  354;  ii. 
430- 


INDEX. 


443 


Craig,  John  I.,  i.  i86. 
Craig,  the  Misses,  ii.  224. 
Criiil<shanks,  Rev.  John,  ii.  422. 
Cumining,  Col.  Alex.   M.,  i.  293,  306;  ii. 

10,  186. 
Cumniing,  Gen.  John  N.,  i.  41. 
Cunningham,  Rev.  Dr.,  i.  270. 
Cuthbert,  Mrs.,  i.  109,  408. 
Cutler,  Rev.  Manasseh,  i.  187. 


Dabney,  Mr.,  ii.  224. 

Darling,  Rev.  Timothy,  ii.  170. 

Davenport,  Rev.  Mr.,  ii.  74. 

Davies,   Rev.  Samuel,  ii.  78,  253-55,  378, 

385.  424- 
Dean  of  Canterbury,  i.  357. 
Deare,  Jonathan,  i.  96,  104,  179,  180,  182. 
Deare,  Mrs.  Jonathan,  i.  96;  ii.  410. 
Declaration  of  Independenee,  i.  no. 
Denton,  John,  i.  206. 
De  Sandrans,  Prof.,  ii.  284. 
Desecration  of  tombstones,  ii.  105. 
Devastation  of  property  by  Hessians,  i.  152. 
Dickinson  Hall,  ii.  356. 
Dickinson,  Rev.  Jonathan,  ii.  233-35,  385, 

4-23  • 
Dod,  Capt.  Chas.  H.,  i.  306  ;  ii.  421. 
Dod,  Rev.  .Albert  B.,  i.  258,  274;  ii.  136, 

277-78,  38s,  421. 
Dod,  Rev.  Wm.  A.,i.356;  ii.  193,202,  290. 
Donop,  Count,  i.  129,  133,  138. 
Dorner,  Rev.  Dr.,  i.  357. 
D'Orsay  &  Co.,  ii.  loi. 
Doughty,  Abigail,  i  45. 
Draft,  militia,  i.  299. 
Drake,  Gen.  J.  M.,  ii.  436. 
Driving  Park,  ii.  33. 

Duftield,  Rev.  John  T.,  ii.  200,  285,  386,439. 
Dunn,  Dr.  J.  I.,  i.  258,  279  ;  ii.  10, 430,  438. 
Dun|3hy,  Thos.,  i.  323. 
Duryea,   Rev.  Jos.  T.,  i,  300;  ii.  435. 
Duryee,  H.  B.,  ii.  30. 

E. 

Eadie,  Rev.  Dr.,  i.  556. 

liast  and  West  Colleges,  ii.  305. 

Eddy,  Prof.,  ii.  298. 

Edgehill  High-.Sehool,  ii.  221. 

I'^dmundson,  Wm.,  the  traveller,  i.  20. 

Edwards,  Mrs.  Rev.  Jon.,  ii.  252,  409. 

Edwards,    Rev.   Jonathan,    ii.  77,   249-53, 

377.  424- 
Egbert,  Maj.  Thos.,  i.  180. 
Elmer,  L.  t^.  C,  ii.  435. 
Emley,  Wm.'s,  map,  i.  37. 
Emmons,  Rear-Admiral  Geo.  F.,ii.  194. 


Farmer,  Thomas,  i.  43. 

Female  Benevolent  Society,  i.  234-35. 

Female  boarding-schools,  ii.  224. 


Female  Society  of  Housekeepers,  i.  256. 
Female  Society  to  support  Schools  in  India, 

i.  235. 
Fenniiig,  John,  i.  321. 
J''erguson,  Dr.  Jas.,  i.  247;  ii.  438. 
Ferguson,  Josias,  ii.  19. 
Field,  Lieut.  Edward,  i.  306,  350. 
Field,  Mrs.  Robert,  ii.  408. 
Field,  Richard  S.,  i   259,  289,  292;  sketch, 

344;  family,  350;  ii.  193,  387,  429,  440. 
I''ield,  Robert,  i.  345. 
Fielder,  John  W.,  i.  290,  308  ;  ii.  30. 
Finley,  James,  i.  93. 
Finley,  Rev.  Robert,  i.  225,  237, 
Finley,  Rev.  Samuel,  ii.  79-84,  256,  387. 
Finney,  Rev.  Sjieneer,  ii.  204. 
]'"ire  De])ariment  and  Conii)anies,  ii.  11. 
Fisher,  Hendrick,  i.  loi,  104. 
l''itch,  r<ev.  Mr.,  i.  193. 
Fitzgerald,  Col.,  i.  140,  145. 
Filz  Randolph,  Benj.,  i.  24;  family,  40. 
Fitz  Randolph,  Isaac,  i.  56. 
Fitz  Randolph,  Nath.,  i.  12,  61,  62;  ii.  232, 

245,  246. 
Flag  on  Nassau  Hall,  i.  292. 
Mag  to  troop,  by  Miss  Rutherford,  i.  293. 
Fleming,  CajU.,  i.  135-36,  141. 
Follet,  George,  ii.  19,  37,  39. 
I'oreman,  Dr.  Wm.,  i.  275;  ii.  422,  438. 
I'oisyth,  Rev.  Jolm,  ii.  285,  387. 
Fraidvlin,  Gov.  Wm.,  i.  106-8. 
Frelinghnysen,    Attorney-Gen.    Frederick 

T.,  i.  287,  323. 
Frelinghuysen,  Gen.  Frederick,  i.  67,   99, 

loi,  104,  109. 
French  refugees,  i.  197. 
Friends'  .Society,  ii.  66. 
Fugitive  slave  cas(^  i.  262. 
Fugitive  slave  case,  in  Church,  ii.  124. 
Fyler,  Rev.  Jared  D.,  i.  193  ;  ii.  220. 


Gallows-tree,  i.  4. 

Gaslight  Co.,  ii.  24. 

Gaw,  Wm.,  i.  212. 

Geological  Hall,  ii.  304. 

Gibby,  Wm.  [.,  ii.  226,  239. 

Gibson,  Rev.  Robt,  ii.  57,  221,  422. 

(iifford,  John,  ii.  19,  41. 

Giger,  Rev.  Geo.  M.,  ii.  284,  387. 

Ciod  in  the  Confeileration,  i.  161. 

Godwin,  David,  ii.  19,  38. 

Gordon,  Dr.  Johu,  i.  24,  35. 

Gray,  Alexander,  Jr.,  ii.  30,  439. 

Green,  Ashbcl,  ]'-sq.,  ii.  50,  206. 

Green,  Capt.  .\.  L.,  ii.  30,  436. 

Green,  Cliancellor,  Library,  ii.  307. 

Circen,  Henry  W.,  Ch.  Jus.,  i.  271. 

Green,  J. is.  S.,  i.,  sketch,  292;  ii.  388,  430, 

439-40.- 
Greeu,  John  C.,  ii.  206,  314-15,  340,  374. 
Green,   Jolin   C,    School   of    Science,    ii. 

307- 
Green,  Prof.  Jacob,  ii.  272,  274. 


444 


INDEX. 


GiLcn,  Ri'v.  Ashbel,  i.  168-69;  ii.  no,  121; 

President,  271-74,  387,  425. 
Green,  Rev.  Win.   H.,  ii.  291,  371-72,  388. 
Grei.'n,  Koliert  S.,  ii.  439. 
Greenland,  Dr.  Henry,  i.  23,  54,  438. 
Grenello,  Rev.  Mr.,  ii.  199. 
Gril;^■^town,  i.  6. 
Gniiei<,  [olin  S.,  i.  136;  ii.  439. 
Gulick,  Maj.   )olin,  ii.  41. 
Giiliek,  Mrs.  John  S.,  ii.  312. 
Gulick,  Ralph,  i.  7,  267;  li.  183,  430. 
Gulick,  Win.,  ii.  41. 
Gurney,  jus.  John,  i.  27. 
Guy  (Jliew,  Aioliawk  Indian,  ii.  421. 
Guyot,  Mrs.  I'rof.,  ii.  312. 
Guyot,  Prof.  Arnold,  ii.  290,  377,  388,  431. 
Gynin  isiuni,  ii.  306. 

H, 

Hagenian,  Dr.  A.  P.,  i.  236. 

Hagenian,    y.   I'.,  i.  7,  267,  290;  ii.  24,  61, 

139.  II7.  "152,  156.  183-88,  372,  389,  435, 

■439.  ^lo- 
Hageinan,  J.  F.,  Jr.,ii.  186.  435-36,  439. 
Hageinan,  Rev.  S.  M.,  ii.  390. 
Haines,  Ex. -Gov.  Dan.,  ii.  435. 
Haines,  Mrs.  Gov.,  ii.  312. 
Hale,  Henry,  ii.  170. 
Halsey,  Rev.  L.  II.,  ii.  275. 
Ilalsted,  Gen.  N.  N.,  ii.  311. 
Halsted  Observatory,  ii.  305. 
Hamilton,  Gov.  John,  ii.  229,  230. 
Hamilton,     James,    i.    180;    sketch,     192; 

f.iniily,  193. 
Haniiilon,  John,  i.  224. 
Hamilton,  Robert,  i.  20. 
Hamilton,  Sam.  R.,  ii.  19,  114,  439. 
Hamilton,  S.  Alexander,  i.  290. 
Hann;i,  Miss,  i.  222;  ii.  224. 
Hanson,  Rev.  \V.  D.,  ii.  193. 
Hare,  Rev.  Geo.  E.,  ii.  192. 
Harjiims.  Prot.  Lewis,  ii.  279. 
I  larlingen,  i.  6. 
Harris,  Major,  i.  141. 
Harris,  Rev.  Wm.,  ii.  50,  299,  314,  439. 
Harrison,  John,  i.  246;  ii.  119,  186. 
Hart,  |ohn,  i.  55,  loi. 
Hart.  Prof.  |ohn  S.,  ii.  222,  290,  392. 
Haslet,  Col.",  i.  136. 
1  ledden,  |olin  R.,  ii.  61. 
I  lendriekson,  Philip,  ii.  187. 
HiMiry,  George,  ii.  l8. 
Henry,  Prof.  Joseph,  i.  7,  276;  ii.  139,  279, 

39'^. 
Henry,  Wm.  A.,  ii.  431. 
Herbert,  Felix,  ii.  18,  88. 
Hin->dale,  Rev.  Horace  G.,  ii.  171,  188. 
Hodge,  Rev.  A.  \.,  ii.  371-72,  392,  439. 
Hodge,  Rev.  Chas.,  i.  288,  302,  357 ;  ii.  120. 

292,  33-;  sketch,  354,  362,  377-78,  390, 

411,  429. 
Hodge,  Rev.  C.  Wistar,  ii.  371-72,  439. 
Hodgson,  Mrs.  Telfair,  ii.  194. 
Honeynian,  John,  i.  176. 


Hood,  Rev.  Mr.,  ii.  224. 

Mope,  Rev.  Prof.  M.  1}.,  i.  312;  ii.  284,  393. 

Hcjrnor,  Isaac,  ii.  59. 

Hornor,  John,  i.  31,  61-2;  ii.  232,  245-46. 

Hornor,  Robt.  E.,  i.  265,  279;  ii.  23,  59. 

Hornor,  Samuel  and  Joseph,  i.  32-3. 

Hosack,  Dr.  David,  ii.  313. 

Hosmer  and  Rockwell,  ii.  224. 

Hospitals,  i.  159,  165. 

Houston,  W.  CliiireliiU,  i.  93,  124;  ii.  439- 

40. 
Howard,  Ca[)t.  W^illiam,  i.  95. 
Howe,  I'klward,  ii.  27,  30,50,  161,  186,  429. 
Howe,  Gen.,  i.  176  77. 
Howe,  Leavitt,  ii.  95,  161,  186. 
Howell,  Dr.  S.  L.,  i.  261,  263  ;  ii.  279. 
Hiidniit,  Alex.  M.,  i.  341  ;  ii.  10,  430. 
lludnut,  Chas.  O  ,  ii.  30. 
Hudniit,  David  A.,  ii.  170,  187. 
HulHisli,  David,  i.  281,  341. 
Ilullluh,  How.ird  V.,  ii.  61. 
Hunt,  Rev.  Prof.  'P.  W.,  ii.  298. 
Hunter,  Gen.  David  and  Dr.  I^oiiis,  i.  88. 
Himlc'r,  Mrs.  I'iev.  Andrew,  li.  105,  408. 
Hunter,  Rev.  Andrew,  i.  83;  ii.  19,  271. 
Huntington,   Rev.  Mr.,  i.  193. 
Hutchinson,  Rev.  J.  P.,  i.  290,  302;  ii.  198. 
Hyer,  Col.  Jacob,  i.  182;  ii.  38,  88. 

I. 

Indian  path,  i.  21-2. 

Innkeepers,  ii.  37. 

Inns  and  taverns,  ii.  36. 

1  run-Clad  Roofmg  Paint  Co.,  ii.  29. 

living  and  Paidding,  ii.  47. 

Ivy-Hall  Library,  ii.  412. 

J. 

Jaeger,  Prof.  P.,  ii.  283. 
J.imes,  Fdwin,  i.  323. 
Janvier,  Francis  1).,  i.  2.^4;  family,  246. 
jertjloman,  Capt.   John,  Jr.,  i.  305. 
Jerome,  Lieut.  A.  Hrainerd,  i.  290,  307. 
Jewell,  Edward,  i.  3,  323. 
Johnson,  Capt.  John,  i.  94,  174-75. 
Johnson,  Henry  D.,  i.  2gQ,  308;  ii.  27. 

Johnson,  Rutt,  i.  94. 

|(jhnson,  Thomas  P.,  i.  219  ;  ii.4-19,  20,  439. 

Johnston,  Andrew,  ii.  241. 

Johnston,  Gov.  of  West  Florida,  i.  195. 

joiine,  AntlK^ny,  ii.  42. 

Joline,  Dr.  J.  \ .  D.,  ii.  41,  43. 

Joiine,  John,  ii.  19,  37,  41  ;  family,  43-7. 
Joline,  William,  ii.  43. 

Jones,  Rev.  II.  V.,  ii.  198. 
jugtown.  i.  253. 

K. 

Kalm,  Professor's,  Journal,  i.  52. 
Kirge,  Pr(jf.  Gen.  Joseph,  ii.  2iy8,  300. 
Kelly,  M.ijor,  i.  141. 

Kelsey,  Major  Fju)s,  i.  71,  104-5,  180,182; 
ii.  18,  19.  430. 


INDEX. 


445 


Kclsey,  Mrs.  Enos,  ii.  109,  409,  422. 

Kennedy,  Rev.  Mr.,  ii.  74. 

King,  Nli^s  C,  ii.  312. 

Kingston  C'hurch,  ii.  73,  89. 

Kirk,  Rev.  lulward  N.,  i.  250,  294;  ii.  148, 

321,  291. 
Kirkpatrick,  Andrew,  ii.  107,  274. 
Knigliton,  Kev.  Fretlerick,  i.  2^8;  ii.  223. 
Knox,  Mrs.,  i.  213. 
Kollock,   Rev.  Henry,  i.  209;  ii.  378,  394, 

430- 


Ladies'  aid  for  volunteers,  i.  295. 

Lafayette,  Gen.,  visit,  i.  237. 

Langlotz,  Prof,  i.  296. 

Lavender,  TIids.,  i.  341;  ii.  71. 

Law-scliool  instituted,  i.  271. 

Lawyers,  f.ist  of,  ii.  438.  ^; 

Lay  of  the  Scotch  Fiddle,  i.  43. 

I^eard,  H.  W.,  ii.  30,  194. 

Legal  profession,  i.  216-17. 

Leggett,  Capt.  Jas.,  ii.  436. 

Legislature  in  Princeton,  i.  116,  158. 

Leigh,  Abrani  S.,  ii.  208. 

Lenox,  Jaines,  ii.  206,  209,  337,  372,  374. 

Leonard,  James,  i.  12. 

Leonard,  John,  ii.  19. 

Leonard,  Thos.,  i.  43,  46,  61;  ii.  40,  232, 

291,  245,  246,  439. 
Leonard,  Whitehead,  i.  12. 
Leslie,  Capt.,  i.  141,  145. 
l>ewis,  Charles,  trial  for  murder,  i.  321. 
Libby,  Wni.,  ii.  52. 
Liberia,  i.  331. 

Librarians  of  College,  ii.  301. 
Lindsey,  Prof.  Edward 'D.,  ii.  298. 
Lindsley,  Rev.  Prof,  ii.  272. 
Li))pineott,  Dundas,  ii.  194. 
Liquidating  Society,  ii.  139. 
Literary  and  secret  societies,  ii.  321. 
Literary  halls,  ii.  305. 
Literature  of  Princeton,  ii.  377. 
Little,  Capt.  John,  ii.  18,  187. 
Livingston,  Gov.  Wm.,  i.  iii,  116-19,  160 

-61. 
Livingston,  Mrs.  Gov.,  i.  182. 
Location  of  College,  i.  61-2;   ii.  242. 
Location  of  Seminary,  ii.  242. 
Loekart,  Miss,  ii.  226. 
Log-College,  i.  7  ;  ii.  230. 
Longstreei,  Capt.  Aaron,  i.  194;  ii.  55. 
Longstreet,  Richard,  i.  194. 
Looniis,  Prof  Elias,  ii.  285. 
Lord  Stirling,  i.  123. 
Lottery  ticket,  ii.  242. 
Lowery,S.,  i.  174. 
Lowrey,  Col.  John,  i.  258,  267,  273;  ii.  10, 

30,  183,  440. 
Loyal  processions,  i.  289,  291. 
Lumber  and  Im])rovement  Co.,  ii.  28. 
Lycetim,  New   jersey,  i.  268. 
I^ynile,  Chas.  W.,  ii.  194. 
Lyons,  James,  i.  436. 


Lytle,  r:)r.  Wm.  J.,  li.  438. 
L)tle,  'I'homas  G.,  ii.  439. 

M. 

Macdonald,  Dr.  A.  K.,  ii.  438. 
Macdonald,  Malcomb,  ii.  394,  439. 
Macdonald,  Rev.  Jas.  M.,  ii.  155,  163,  394, 

430. 
Machine  shop  burned,  i.  281. 
Maclean,  Agnes,  ii.  270. 
Maclean,  Arehibald,  ii.  270. 
Maclean,  Geo.  M.,   M.D,,   i.   256;   ii.  186, 

270.  395.  438- 
Maclean,  (olm,  M  I).,  i.  196;  ii.  2O8,  394, 

425- 
Maclean,  Mary  !'>.,  ii.  270. 
Maclean,  Mrs.  Dr.  (Pliebe   I5iiinbridge),  ii. 

270,  .fio. 
Maclean,    Rev.    John,  D.D.,    i.    259,  272, 

293,  341 ;  ii.  275,  285,  394,  424. 
Maclean,  Wm.  Pi.,  ii.  270. 
Madison,  James,  i.  loi,  102. 
Magie,  Wm.  J.,  ii.  435. 
Malou,  Peter  A.,  200. 
Mann,  Rev.  Jos.  R.,  ii.  203,  439. 
Mimsion  house,  i.  255  ;  ii.  47. 
Ma|)  of  College  grounds,  ii.  303. 
Mapleton,  i.  9. 

Margerum,  Capt.  J.  II.,  i.  292,  307;  ii.  436. 
Market,  ii.  21. 
Market-house,  i.  278. 
Marqnand  Preparatory  School,  ii.  223. 
Marquis  de  Cliastelieu.x,  i.  iSo. 
Marsh,  Crowi4l,  i.  290;  ii.  27. 
Martin,  Alfred  W.,  ii   30. 
Martin,  Augustus  L.,  i.  171 ;  ii.  10,  440. 
Martin,  Col,  I'.phraim,  i.  182. 
M.ison,  Dr.  John,  i.  159.  loi. 
Masonic  Order,  ii.  34. 
Matile,  Prof.  G.  A.,  ii.  290. 
Mattison,  Aaron,  ii.  18. 
Mawhood,  Col.,  i.  135-39. 
M.iyors,  List  of,  ii.  10. 
McCloskie,  Rev.  Vuo.,  ii.  298,  439. 
MeCorkle,  Rev.  Lewis  W.  A.,  ii.  207. 
McCosh,   Rev.  Jas.,  D.D.,  i.  342  ;   ii.  291, 

377-78,  434,  439. 
McCull<;ugh,  Prof  R.  M.,  ii.  285. 
McCurdy.Rev.  Jas.,  ii.  372. 
McGiU,  Dr.  Geo".  M.,  i.  307;  ii.  428. 
McGiU,   Rev.    Dr.   Alex.  T.,    i.  296,    302; 

ii-  372,  395- 
McKnight,  Rev.  Chas.,  i.  144. 
McMakin,  Capt.  .Andrew,  i.  165,  211,  195. 
McPlierson,  Maj.-Clen.,  i.  170. 
McWliorter,  Rev.  Ale.x.,  i.  129. 
Mercer  Coimty,  i.  255. 
Mercer  County  .M  nror,  ii.  61. 
Mercer  Hall,  ii.  31. 
Mercer,  Gen.,  i.  135-36,  141-44,  255. 
Methodist  l^piscop.d  Church,  ii.  195. 
Middlesex  County,  i.  38. 
Military  companies,  ii.  30. 
Miller,  Dr.  Hugh,  357. 


446 


INDEX. 


Miller,  E.  Spencer,  ii.  396. 

Miller,  J.  Dickinson,  ii.  354. 

Miller,  Miss  Mary,  ii.  35.1,  396. 

Miller,  Mrs.  Dr.  Samuel,  i.  235,  278;  ii. 
156,  353.  410- 

Miller,  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel,  i.  63,  232  ;  ii.  131  ; 
sketch,  348,  377,  396,  428. 

Miller,  Rev.   |ohn,  ii.  377-78,  396,  439. 

Miller,  Samuel,  Jr.,  D.D.,  ii.  354,  398. 

Millelte,  \Vm.,  i.  205. 

Mines,  Rev.  Flavcl  S.,  ii.  125. 

Minto,  Mrs.  Walter,  ii.  iii. 

Minto,  Prof.  Walter,  i.  195;  ii.  18,  262. 

Misccllanedus  College  items,  ii.  316. 

Missionary  Review,  ii.  64. 

Mofl'at,  Lieut.  Edward,  i.  307. 

Moffat,  Rev.  J.  C,  i.  296;  ii.  62,  285,  371- 
-72. 

Montijomery  Township,  ii.  i. 

Month  l)efore  the  b.ittlc,  i.  121. 

Monthly  Jvnirnal  of  Education,  ii.  29. 

Montier,  Wm.,  i.  44. 

Monument  proposed,  i.  151. 

Monume-nts  to  College  stuilents,  ii.  430. 

Monuments  to  Seminary  students,  ii.  430. 

Moody  and  Saiikey,  ii.  433. 

Moore.  Ca[n.  Jas.,  i.  180,  186;  sketch,  138, 
164-65,  189  ;  ii.  422. 

Moorehouse,  Mr.,  ii.  43,^. 

Moran,  Rev.  T.  R.,  ii.  214,  439. 

Morford,  Isdniund,  i.  191  ;  family,  192. 

Morford,  Maj.  Stephen,  i.  191;  ii.  23,  422. 

Mortord,  Miss  Fanny,  i.  191  ;  ii.  23. 

Morford,  Zitnilon,  i.  igi. 

Morgan,  Col.  Geo.,  i.  186. 

Mcjrgan,  V.o\.  John,  ii.  18. 

Morgan,  Mrs.  Col.  Geo.,  i.  182. 

Morris,  Robert,  i.  13b. 

Mortuary  statistics,  ii.  159. 

Morvcn,  i.  155,  2ti,  219,  338. 

Moulder,  Capl.  Win.,  i.  137. 

Mount,  David  H.,  ii.  27. 

Mount,  Hezekiah,  ii.  10. 

Mt.  Lucas,  i.  6. 

Mt.  Lucas  Orphan  and  Guardian  Insti- 
tute, i.  7. 

Mudge,  Rev.  I^ewis  W.,  ii.  207. 

Municipality  of  Princeton,  ii.  i. 

Murjjhy,  lohn,  ii.  430. 

Murphy,  Col.  Wm.  R.,  ii.  23. 

Miu'ray  I  lall,  ii.  309. 

Murray,  Hamilton,  ii.  309. 

Murray,  Rev.  Prof.  Jas.  O.,  i.  17;  ii.  29S, 
39,3. 

Mutinous  soldiers  at  Princeton,  i.  177. 

Mutual  Fire  Ins.  Co.,  ii.  27. 

N. 

Napton,  William,  ii.  19. 

Nassau   Ilall,  i.    157;   burnt,  208,  280;  ii. 

name,  228;  described,  246,  303. 
Nassau  11. ill  liible  Society,  i.  231;  ii.  320. 
Nassau  Ilall  Education  Society,  i,  235. 
Nassau  Hall  Literary  Magazine,  ii.  65. 


Nassau  Hall  Tract  Society,  i.  235. 
Nassau  Hotel,  ii.  40-3. 
Neal,  Capt.,  i.  135-36. 
Neilson,  Mrs.  Col.,  i.  1B2. 
Nevius,  James  S.,  ii.  ig. 
Nevius,  Wm.,  ii.  223. 
Newbold,  John  S.,  i.  234. 
New  Brunswick,  i.  2;  li.  243-44. 
New  Jersey  Patriot,  ii.  57. 
Newsjiapers  and  Magazines,  ii.  54. 
Newton,  Dr.  L.  V.,  ii.  59. 
Nicholson,  Harriet,  i.  240. 
Xiebuhr,  Clias.  C,  ii.  52,  373. 
Nuiin.il  .Scliool,  proposed,  i.  259. 
Norris,  John,  i.  213;  ii.  19. 
Nott,  Rev.  Dr.,  i.  282. 

O. 

O'Donnell,  Rev.  Father,  i.  301  ;   ii.  213. 

Ofticers  and  Alumni  of  College,  ii.  298. 

Ofllcirds,  civil,  ii.  439-40. 

Olden,  Benjamin,  i.  29  ;  ii.  19. 

Oklen,  Charles  li.,  i.  29,250. 

Ohlcn,  David,  i.  120,  180. 

Olden,  Emley,  i.  28-9,  341. 

Olden,  Gov.  Chas.  S.,  i.  2^0,  282,  286,  289; 

ii.  440. 
Olden,  Hart,  i.  250. 
Oklen,  Job  G.,  i.  250. 
Olden,  Joseph,  i.  29;  ii.  19. 
Olden,  Joseph,  i.  31  ;  ii.  194,  430. 
Olden,  Mary  W.,  i.  29,  31. 
Olden,  Mrs.  Gov.,  i.  296. 
Olden,  Nathaniel,  i.  29. 
Olden,  Susan  W.,  i.  31 ;  ii.  416. 
Olden,  William,  first  settler,  and  fliinily,  i.  28. 
Olmsted,  Geo.   T.,  i.  290  ;  ii.  10,  25,  27,  186, 

187,  429,  4.JO. 
Olmsted,  Mis.  G.  T.,  i.  155. 
Orris,  Prof  S.  Stanhope,  ii.  298. 


'ackard,  Mrs.  Prof,  ii.  96,  312. 
'ackard,  Prof.  Wm.  A  ,  ii.  297. 
'.irker.  Gov.  Joel,  i.  294;  ii.  435. 
'.issage,  John,  i.  248. 
'astorates  of  Presbyterian  Church  : 

Rev.  Mr.  .Snowden,  ii.  94. 

Rev.  Dr.  Kollock,  ii.  96. 

Rev.  W.  C.  Schenck,  ii.  105. 

Rev.  (\.  S.  WoodhuU,  ii.  117. 

Rev.  1).  Rice,  ii.  133. 

Rev.  Dr.  .Schenck,  ii.  145. 

Rev.  Dr.  Macdonald,  ii.  153. 
'atcison,  (iov.  Wm.,  i.  67,99, 101-9. 
'atcrson,  Mrs.  fiov.,  i.  182. 
'.iteison,  .N'iciiolas,  i.  234. 
'.iterson.  Rev.  .\.  B.,  ii.  192. 
'atriotic  demonstrations,  i.  102,  178. 
'atterson.  Col.,  i.  138. 
'atton.  Prof.  R.  B.,  ii.  122,  222,  275. 
'axson,  Samuel,  i.  27. 
'cabody,  .S.  G..  ii.  290. 


INDEX. 


447 


Peace  announced  in  Chapel,  i.  172, 183,  303. 

Peacemaker  (gun),  i.  333-34- 

Penn,  William,  i.  19,  24,  35. 

Pennsneck,  i.  9. 

Perdicaiis,  Mr.,  ii.  25 

Perrine.  Maj.  John  A.,  i.  340;  ii.  23. 

PetL'rkin,  Rev.  Joshua,  ii.  193. 

Phelps,  Prof.,  ii.  226. 

Philadelphian  Society,  ii.  320. 

Physicians,  List  of,  ii.  438. 

Poor,  Capl.,  i.  138. 

Population  of  borough,  ii.  9. 

Post-ofiice  and  Mails,  ii.  22. 

Potter,  Col.,  i.  139. 

Potter,  lames,  i.  314-15;  ii.  193. 

I'otter,  John,  i.  313;  ii.  193. 

Potter,  Mrs.  Thomas  F.,  i.  315;  ii.  193. 

Potter,  'I'homas  F.,  i.  315  ;  ii.  193. 

Pratt,  David,  ii.  223. 

Presbyterian  Church,  i.  57;  ii.  73. 

l'resl))tery,  i.  58. 

Pretty  Brook,  i.  8. 

Prevost,  Miss,  i.  268. 

Price,  tiov.,  i.  281. 

Prime,  Rev.  ]'2.  D.  G.,  i.  248. 

Prime,  Rev.  S.  Irenaeus,  ii.  373. 

Prince,  Henry,  i.  10,  42. 

Princeton  College,  ii.  228. 

i'rinceton  Courier,  ii.  58. 

Princeton  in  the  Revolution,  i.  98. 

Princeton  Magazine,  ii.  64. 

Princeton  Packet,  i.  185  ;  ii.  55. 

Princeton  Press,  ii.  60. 

Princeton  prior  to  1750,  i.  19. 

Princeton  Review,  ii.  63. 

Princeton  Standard,  i.  288  ;  ii.  61. 

Princeton,    township,    i.    i;    borough,    9; 

name,  10;  climate,  12. 
Princeton  Whig,  ii   59. 
Princetonian,  ii.  62. 
Prochett,  Rev.  Dr.,  i   357. 
Professional  and  official  roll,  ii.  438. 
Prospect,  ii.  310. 

Protestant  I'".piscopal  Church,  ii.  191 
Province  Line,  i.  20,  25. 
Provincial  Congress,  i.  103. 
Pryor,  Miss,  ii.  312. 
Pui)lic  sclio(.ils,  ii.  226. 
Putnam,  Gen.,  i.  151,  158,  160,  176. 

Q- 

Quaker  Burying-Ground,  ii.  415. 

Quaker  Creed,  ii.  66. 

Quaker  Meeting-House,  i.  57;  ii  66,71. 

Quaker  Road,  i.  135. 

Quaker  School,  ii.  68. 

Quakers  before  Congress  in  Princeton,  i.  170. 

Quakers,  first  settlers,  i.  19. 

Queenston.  i.  12. 

Queenston  Chapel,  ii.  137-76. 

R. 

Railroad,  i.  252. 
Railroad  branch,  i.  16. 


Railroad  disaster,  i.  271. 

Ramsay,  Mrs.  Dr.,  ii.  410. 

Reed  and  Matheson,  Drs.,i.  256. 

Reed,  Col.,  i.  138. 

Reed,  Gen.  Joseph,  i.  79. 

lieed,  Wni.  B.,  i.  12S,  133,  142. 

Reeder,  Gov.'s,  sons,  i.  293. 

Reeve,  Tapping,  ii.  413. 

Renshaw,  (_;om.,  ii.  191. 

Re-union  Hall,  ii.  306. 

Revivals,  ii.  76,  82,  iio-ii,  124,  148,  433. 

Revolutionary  War,  i.  98-183. 

Rice,  Mrs.  Rev.  Dr.,  ii.  263,  412,  428. 

Rice,  Rev.  R.  PL,  i   263;  ii.  133. 

Richmond,  cajJture  of,  celebrated,  i.  301. 

Riddle,  John,  i.  24,  43. 

Riggs,  Rev.  Dr.,  i.  357. 

Robbins  Wood-Preserving  Co.,  ii.  28. 

Roberts,  Rev.  W.  IL,  ii.  372,  398,  439. 

Robeson,  John,  ii.  19. 

Robinson,  Clias.  S.,  ii.  10,  60,  62. 

Robinson,  John  A.,  ii.  62. 

Robinson,  John  T.,  i.  341 ;  ii.  10,  59,  60, 

64,  201-3. 
Rockwood,  Prof  Chas.  G.,  ii.  298. 
Rogers,  Capt.  W.  L.,  i.  340. 
Roll  of  Honor,  i.  304-8. 
Roman  Catholic  Church,  ii.  213. 
Rowand,  James,  i.  320;  ii.  431. 
Rowand  nuirder  tri.al,  i.  320. 
Rowland,  A.  L.,  ii.  208. 
Rowley,  Perez,  ii.  19,  39. 
Runyan,  Richard,  ii.  10,  439. 
Rutgers  College,  li.  316,  318-19,  434. 


Salibath  ordinances  against  staging,  ii.  6. 
Sabbath-schools,  i.  234;  ii.  no. 
Sale  of  pews  introduced,  i.  109. 
Salomans,  Miss  Caroline,  i.  189. 
Salomans,  Mrs.  Susan,  i.  234;  ii.  268,  425. 
Sansbury,  Dr.  Horatio,  i.  261. 
Sansbury,  Ralph,  i.  261;  ii.  19. 
Sclianck,  Abram  C,  i.  41. 
Schanck,  Dr.  J.  Stillwell,  i.   186,  285,  300, 

418,438. 
Schanck,  J.  Robbins,  ii.  430. 
Sclienck,  John  C.,i.  253;  ii.  177,  183,  186. 
Schenck,  John  C,  Jr.,  ii.  182,  223. 
Schenck,  Mrs.  Rev.  Win.  C,  i.  115  ;  ii.  412. 
Schenck,  Rev.  Geo.  W.,  ii.  223. 
Schenck,  Rev.  Wm.  (_".,  ii.  105,  430. 
Schenck,  Rev.  Wm.  E.,  ii.  145-53,  373,  399. 
Scliool  of  Science,  ii.  296. 
Sciiools  and  academies,  ii.  217. 
.Scollard,  Rev.  Father,  ii.  213. 
Scott,  Gen.  Winfit  Id's,  visits,  i.  233. 
Scudder,  Capt.  Wm.  V.,  i.  56,  219,  307. 
Seudder,   Col.  William,  i.  55-6,   156,   180, 

182. 
Scudder,  Dr.  Jacob,  i.  194;  ii.  438. 
Scudder,  Elias,  i.  194. 
Scudder,  Jacob,  i.  55. 
Scudder,  William,  i.  194. 


448 


INDEX. 


Sciidder's  Mills,  i.  55 ;  burnt  by  Hessians, 15. 

Se.il,  Great,  i.  120. 

Second  Presbyterian  Church,  ii.  200. 

Seger,  'I'hos.,  ii.  27. 

Seminary,  Tlieological,  i.  232;  history  of, 

ii.  324. 
Serg-cant,  Jonathan,  i.  65,  104. 
Sergeant,  jonatlian  Dickinson,  i.,sketcli,  67, 

loi,  104,  105,  107,  109,  no,  III,  125,  155, 

184. 
Serjeant,  Mrs.  Jon.,  ii.  409. 
Sergeant,  Mrs  jon.  Dickinson,  ii.  409. 
Series  of  tracts,  ii.  57. 
Sewell,  General,  ii.  435. 
Sheldon,  George  W.,  ii.  399. 
Sheldon,  Mrs.  Rev.  George,  i.  297;   ii.  431. 
Sheldon,  Rev.  George,  i.  342;  ii.  431,  434, 

439- 
Sheshadri,  Brahmin  convert,  i.  357. 
Shields,  Rev.  Charles  W.,  ii.  290,  300,  378, 

399.  435.  439- 
Ship])en,  Capl.,  i.  141. 
Silver  Mining  Co.,  ii.  28. 
Simmons,  Anthony,  ii.  210. 
Simpson.  John  N.,  ii.  ly,  loi. 
Skating  I'ark,  ii.  32. 
Skelton,  Joseph,  ii.  32,  263. 
Skelton,  Joseph  H.,  ii.  32,  263. 
Skelton,  Josiah,  ii.  32,  263. 
Skelton,  Mahlon,  ii.  5. 
SkiUman,  'I'hos.,  ii.  180. 
Slack,  Daniel,  180. 
Slack,  I'rof.,  ii.  272. 
Slidell,  Mrs.,  i.  189. 
Sloane,  Prof.  W.  M.,  ii.  298. 
Smith,  Julia  and  Elizabeth,  i.  297. 
Smith,  Louis  P.,  ii.  25. 
Smith,  Mrs.  Rev.  S.  S.,  ii.  253. 
Smith,  Peter  T.,  i.  196. 
Smith,  Rev.  S.  Stanhope,  ii.  93,  264,  378, 

399.  42.S.  426. 
Snowden,  David,  i.  180. 
Snowden,  Rev.  S.  F.,  i.  188  ;  ii.  94. 
Soil,  i.  3. 

Somerset  County,  i.  38. 
Staging,  i.  229,  230. 
Stark,  Gen.,  i.  130,  137. 
Statue  of  Wasliington,  i.  169. 
Steatlman,  Charles,  i.  254;  ii.  19,  192. 
Stearns,  Rev.  Dr.,  ii.  292. 
Stebbins,  Rev.  James,  ii.  211. 
Stevens,  the  Misses,  i.  291. 
Stirling,  Cien.,  i.  123. 
Stirling,  Lady,  i.  182. 
Stockton,  Commodore  R.   F.,  i.  219,  234, 

291;  sketch,  326-38;  ii.  125,192-93,399. 
Stockton,    Dr.    Eljcnezer,    i.,  sketch,   223; 

ii.  185,  438. 
Stockton,  Edward,  i.  78  ;  ii.  430. 
Stockton,  Gen.  R.  F.,  i.  289;  ii.  439. 
Stockton,  Jol),  i.  77. 
Stockton,  John,  i.,  sketch,  49,  61  ;  ii.  232, 

241,  246. 
Stockton,  John  N.  C,  i.  89. 
Stockton,  John  P.,i.  282,337;  ii. 399, 439-40. 


Stockton,  Jose])l],  i.  175. 

Stockton,  Lieut.  Sam.  \V.,  U.  S.  N.,i.  218- 
19. 

Stockton,  Lucius  Horatio,  i.  88. 

Stockton,  Lucius  Witham,  i.  89. 

St<;ckton,  Maj.  Robert,  i.  77,  174,  186. 

Stockton,  ^hljor  Sam.  W.,  i.  306-7. 

Stockton,  Mrs.  Richard  (Annis  lioudinot), 
i.  81,  83,  84,  1S2;  ii.  407. 

Stockton,  Mrs.  Susanna,  i.  37;  ii.  407. 

Stockton,  Philip,  i.  89. 

Stockton,  I'hilip  Augustus,  i.  89. 

Stockton,  Richard,  first  settler,  i.  33-9; 
deed  from  Peiui,  35;  will,  37;  Stockton 
family,  38-9;  his  father,  Richard  S.,  of 
Burlington.  33-4. 

Stockton,  Richard,  and  signer  of  the  Decla- 
ration, i.,  sketch,  78-86;  family,  87-S,  99, 
109,  114-19,  155-56,  439-40- 

Stockton,  Rich;ird  (son  of  Com.),  ii.  193. 

Stockton,  Richard  C.:.,  i.  89. 

Stockton,  Richard,  LL.D.  (Duke),  i.,  sketch, 
214,  children,  218-19;  "•  185. 

Stockton,  Samuel  W^ilham,  i.  88. 

Stockton,  'I'homas,  i.  180. 

Stockton,  Wm.  T.,  i.  89. 

Stonaker,  ICIi  !■'.,  ii.  10. 

Stone,  Capt.,  1.  135-36. 

Stone.  Levi  P.,  li.  3.^1,  374. 

Stony  Brook,  i.  8,  34. 

Streets,  niunber  and  names,  ii.  11. 

Stryker,  Aijram,  ii.  23,  27-8. 

Slryker,  Christopher,  i.  18,  39. 

Stryker,  Isaac,  ii.  187.. 

Stryker,  J.  Bogart,  ii.  187. 

Sykes,  Geo.,  i.  35. 


Taxation,  exemiition,  ii.  10. 

Teisseire,  John  P.aplist,  i.  199. 

Telegraph  office,  ii.  24. 

Temperance,  ii.  130-31,  136,  166. 

Tennent,  Rev.  Wm.,  ii.  84. 

Terhunc,  Cornelius,  ii.  19. 

Terry,  A.  W.  C,  i.  224. 

TiiEOLOGiCAi,  Seminary,  ii.  324-76; 
history  of,  324  ;  plan,  326  ;  location,  328  ; 
agreement  with  College,  329  ;  first  direc- 
tors, 330  ;  incorporation,  333  ;  buildings, 
355;  main  building,  331-35;  chapel, 
336;  refectory,  336;  Leno.x  Hall  Library, 
337  ;  Brown  1  fall,  33S  ;  Stuart  1  lall,  338  ; 
Professors'  houses,  340;  investments,  340; 
deceased  jjrofessors,  341  ;  Faculty  and 
ofticers,  371  ;  benefactors,  374  ;  Princeton 
School  of  Theology,  375. 

Thompson,  John  L.,  ii.  429. 

Thompson,  Prof.  Wm.,  i.  209;  ii.  270. 

Thomson,  Juiui  R.,  i.  266,  289,  316;  ii. 
430,  440. 

Thomson,  Mrs.  J.  R.,  i.  295;  ii.  194.* 

Tomlinson,  Abner  B.,  i.  341  ;  ii.  440. 

Tone,  Theobakl  Wolfe,  i.  197,  211. 

Topping,  Prof.  E.  M.,  ii.  279,  284. 


INDEX. 


449 


Toney,  Prof.  John,  ii.  279. 
'I'own-house,  ii.  6. 
Tulane,  Luiiis,  i.  203;  family,  203, 
'riil.inc,  I'aiil,  i.  5,  203-4  ;  ii.  157,  170,  181- 

82,  418. 
Tiinipiiie,  K.  &  P.  Branch,  ii.  16. 
'rusculiiiii,  i.  3,  123,  155. 
Tiuhill,  Cornelia  L.  (Mrs.  Pierson),  ii.  402. 
Tutliiil,  Mrs.  Louisa  C,  i.  295  ;  ii.  400,  412. 
']"\iihill,  Sarah  S.  (Mrs.  Baker),  ii.  403. 
Tyler,  President  John,  i.  266. 


U. 

Ulyat,  Rev.  Wm.  C,  ii.  190,  404,  434. 

Union  League,  i.  294. 

Union  of  Queen's  College  with  Princeton, 

ii.  316. 
Union  prayer-meeting,  i.  294. 
Union  with  Kingston  Church  proposed,  ii. 

89. 
University  Hotel,  ii.  49. 


Van  Arsdalen,  Mrs.  Jacob,  ii.  312. 
Van  Berekle,  Holland  Minister,  i.  172. 
Van  Cleve,  Dr.  John,  i.  243;  ii.  20,  438. 
Vanderbilt,  Geo.  O.,  ii.  28,  43.S.  439- 
Van  der  Veer,  Cornelius,  i.  106. 
Vandeventer,   James,  i.  258  ;    ii.  30-2,  50, 

161,  181,  186,  188,  202,  440. 
Vandeventer  Place,  ii.  15. 
Vaiulewater,  Col.  \V.  C,  307  ;  ii.  23,  436. 
Van  Dike,  John,  i.  176. 
Van  Doren,  John,  i.  250;  ii.  136,  175,  177- 

79,  186. 
Van  Dyke,  John,  i.  166. 
Van  Dyke,  Jacob,  i.  166. 
Van  Dyke,  Ruloff,  i.  106. 
Van  Polanen,  Bavarian  Minister,  ii.  420. 
\'ctliake,  Prof.  Henry,  ii.  279. 
Vicars,  Robt.,  i.  23. 
Volunteers,  number  of,  299;    list  of,  304, 

308. 
Voorhees,  Martin,  i.  290,  341 ;  ii.  10,  28. 
Voorhees,  Peter  I.,  i.  280;  ii.  186,  187. 
Voorhees,   Robert,!.  249;  ii.   10,   25,   183, 

186. 
Voorhees,  Robert,  Rocky    Hill  Orator,  i. 

296;  ii.  439. 
Vroom,  G.  D.  W.,  i.  63. 
Vrooni,  Gov.  P.  D.,  i.  218,  237. 
Vroom,  Mnj.  P.  D.,  i.  165. 


W. 

Wales,  Rev.  Eleazer,  ii.  73. 

Wallis,  S.  I'ealde,  i.  267. 

\V'ard,  E.x.-Gov.,  ii.  292. 

War-meetings,  i.  179,  290,  294. 

Warne,  Thos.,  i.  26-7. 

Washington,  Gen.,  i.  121-73;  ■'•  2C7-68. 

Water  Company,  ii.  28. 

Weljster,  D.miel,  ii.  274. 

Weed,  Rev.  W.  B.,  ii.  154. 

Welling,  Prof.  J.  C,  ii.  297. 

West  \Vindsor,  i.  i. 

^Vhite,  Rev.  A.  D.,  ii.  223. 

Wliite,  'I'liomas,  i.  246;  family,  247;  ii.  19, 

180. 
Whitefield,  Rev.  Geo.,  ii.  83. 
Wiggins,   Dr.   Thomas,  i.  73,   180;  ii.  19, 

182,  185,  419,  438. 
Wiggins  Parsonage,  ii.  179. 
Wi'kol'f,  Dr.  J.  H  ,  li.  161,  186,  438. 
Wilder,  Rev]  R.  G.,  ii.  64,  439. 
Willis,  O.  IT.,  ii.  226. 

Wilson,    John  .S.,  i.  247;  family,  248;    ii. 

183,  186. 

Wines,  Rev.  E.  C,  i.  258;  ii.  59,  136,  222. 
Witherspoon,  David,  i.  91-2. 
Witherspoon,  Dr.  John,  Jr.,  i.  91,  180,  205. 
Witherspoon  Hall,  ii.  309. 
Witherspoon,  James,  i.  91-2. 
Witherspoon,  Mrs.  Dr.  John,  ii.  410. 
Witherspoon,   Rev.    [ohn,  i.  91,  loi,   107, 

109,   III,   114-15,' 181,   184-85,   188;   ii. 

8'J,  93,  377.  378.  404.  424- 
Wiilieispoon  .St.  Church,  ii.  209. 
Wuliingion,  the  Mioses,  ii.  312. 
Wood,  George,  i.  216. 
Woodhull,  Dr.  .\.  A.,  i.  263;  ii.  186,  438. 
Woodhull,  Dr.  Alfred  A.,  U.  S.  A.,  i.  263. 
Woodhull,  Dr.  luhn  N.,  i.  125;  ii.  82,  438. 
Woodhull,  Mrs!  Rev.  G.  S.,  ii.  130,  412. 
Woodhull,  Rev.  Geo.  S.,ii.  104;  pastorate, 

117. 
Woodruft,  Elias,  i.  205. 
Worth,  Josei)h,  and  family,  i.  30. 
Worth,  Josiah  S.,  i.  31,  280;  ii.  440. 
Worth's  Mills,  i.  7,  30. 
Wright,  Ebenezer,  i.  306. 
Wright,  Josiah  W.,  i.  308. 

Y. 

Young,  Prof.  Charles  h.,  ii.  298,  300,  404. 
Young,  Rev.  .\lfred,  ii.  156,  213. 
Young,  Rev.  George,  ii.  198. 


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