Wh
CHARLES MONROE COFFIN
HIS BOOK
?&
THE LIBRARY
OF
THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES
Trinity Church
Edited by
Mary E. Mixer
^fiBSJojonSw^
The Peter Paul Book Company
Buffalo, New York
MDCCCXCVII
Copyrighted in the year 1897
by
Mary E. Mixer
qj^S&itoJHteF-
Printed and bound in the year 1897
by The Peter Paul Book Company,
in Buffalo, New York.
TO THE
(Ehittott rrf Tritritg Parish
THE FUTURE WARDENS AND
VESTRYMEN OF THE
CHURCH,
HEIRS TO A NOBLE INHERITANCE,
THIS BOOK IS DEDI-
CATED
31
Editor's Note
The designs of the cover and title-page were drawn
by Miss Elise Devereux, artist.
In the arduous work of compiling and printing the
history, several errors were unfortunately overlooked
until too late to correct them.
On page 36, the name of Mr. Corneille R. Ganson is
wrongly given as " Cornelius R. Ganson."
On page 41, Doctor and Mrs. Thomas F. Rochester
are referred to as coming from Geneva, which was the
early home of Mrs. Rochester. They removed to Buffalo
from Rochester, which city was named for the doctor's
family.
On page 103, "Mr. Horatio H. Seymour" should be
"Mr. Henry H. Seymour"; and on page 107, "Mrs.
Horatio H. Seymour" should be "Mr. Henry H. Sey-
mour."
Preface
IN the experience of all large cities it is found that old
landmarks, prominent citizens, and important events
are apt to be passed over in the progress of time,
their places filled, their monuments razed to the ground
to make way for those of a new generation.
The important part played in the prosperity and
growth of such cities by the early builders thereof is
seldom remembered by those who tread the paths made
easy for them and live in happiness and peace beneath
the spreading branches of trees whose shade measures
the passing of one or two generations.
As a rule, the pioneers of all such settlements are
men of mark, sometimes of wealth and position; and
their opinions, their laws and customs, insensibly influ-
ence their successors for all time. Observe in New York
city, Albany, and other portions of our state, how the
Knickerbocker presence of early days is still felt in the
land; how in Detroit, Michigan, social customs, local
laws, and the very manners of the citizens bespeak their
French origin. So we might go on, from section to sec-
tion of our great country, tracing by their present cus-
toms and laws the influences that laid the foundations
of their cities and of their forms of government; and
Buffalo, though not the most important of our cities,
can boast an honorable heritage, for her first citizens
were men of brains and men of mark.
In 1679 Father Hennepin and his small band of
explorers, under the leadership of La Salle, with much
vi Preface
labor carried the material for a small vessel over the port-
age at Niagara River, and climbed the heights of Lewis-
ton. They toiled slowly on their way over snowy plains
and through gloomy forests, till they came at last to a
small stream which entered the Niagara two leagues
above the cataract — undoubtedly Cayuga Creek. There
they built the vessel for which they had brought the
materials, and launched the " Griffin " in the spring,
under many difficulties, caused by the rapids in the
river. At length the small vessel of sixty tons, armed
with seven guns, all of which had been transported by
land around the cataract, sailed away on our great inland
sea, to the singing of the Te Dcum and the roaring of
cannon. It bore as a part of its crew the intrepid La
Salle, a blue-eyed, ringleted cavalier, fitted to grace the
salons of Paris, yet eagerly pressing forward to dare the
hardships of unknown seas and savage lands.
Tonti, exiled from his native Italy by revolution, the
second in command, was a man of unswerving courage
and devoted loyalty. Father Hennepin, the early histo-
rian of this region, was one of the most zealous of all
that band of Roman priests who bore the cross to the
fiercest pagans of the New World, and laid down their
lives with the martyr's courage in the dense primeval
forests.
Have not these men left their mark on our border-
land ? And are not our hearts still thrilled by the stories
of their faith and courage ?
Then, as years went on, and the dispute of French
and English for supremacy resulted in the Battle of
Niagara, the site of old Fort Porter and its vis-a-vis,
Fort Erie, became the battlefield of the two nations.
Preface vii
Grand and Navy islands were in the midst of the fray.
An arm of the river separating Buckhorn Island from
Grand Island still bears the name of " Burnt Ship Bay."
To come down to modern times : the old ferry at
Black Rock was quite a noted point in 1814. It was
first chosen as the most favorable site for the settlement.
A great salt exchange was established there, at which
traders from even as far as Pittsburg assembled. Fort
Erie, on the opposite side of the river, whose foundations
were laid in 1 791, is described by the Duke of Liancourt
in 1795 as a very rude collection of buildings.
In 1800 Augustus Porter, of Canandaigua, had a
contract for carrying the mail to Niagara. Doctor
Dwight, then president of Yale College, mentions this
ferry in his " Journey through the State of New York."
In the same summer Gouverneur Morris passed that
way. In 18 14 came the famous struggle at Fort Erie,
where generals Brown and Porter covered themselves
with glory. Colonel William A. Bird's house and
grounds then, as now, commanded a full view of the
battlefield. Mr. Thomas C. Love, then a student at law,
was wounded in that engagement, and was transferred to
Quebec, where for six months he was held as a prisoner
of war, suffering very great privations. The kindly min-
istrations of a young married couple resident in Quebec
greatly alleviated his hardships, and won his lifelong
gratitude. Years after, this couple came from Canada to
take up their residence in Buffalo, and succeeding gen-
erations will revere the memory of Jesse Ketchum and
his wife.
This hurried glimpse into the past is only given to
claim the point that the past history of Buffalo is worth
viii Preface
knowing ; that in war, in civil life, in government annals,
in church history, we can cite great names as our herit-
age.
A noble building, occupying the central block of our
city, perpetuates the name of the man* who laid out
the primitive town, and whose brother was one of the
engineers who surveyed the city of Washington.
Not to delve too deep into history, we can point to
the beautiful church opposite as the pioneer church of
the city, of which Mr. Samuel M. Welch, in his most
admirable book, " Recollections of Buffalo," says, " What
old or young citizen, who is imbued with sufficient sen-
timent to have gathered an affection for inanimate things,
does not look on this particular church as an alma mater
in things spiritual for the entire community? "
Dear Doctor Shelton ! the brave pioneer of the church
in western New York, the noble champion of the truth
of her doctrines, and in his life and practice a glorious
example of the fruit of her teachings ! The brusque
honesty of his manner was tempered by the tenderness
of his sympathy; and when our dear Bishop Coxe chose
as the text of his memorial sermon, " Behold now, there
is in this city a man of God, and he is an honorable
man" (I. Samuel 9: 6), he simply repeated what had
been the sentiment of the citizens of Buffalo generally
with reference to the revered rector of Saint Paul's.
How proudly can we recall the eloquence of the
many different clergymen who have filled with honor the
pulpits of our churches ! How honored are we to
enroll as citizens of Buffalo names which have echoed
round the world as rulers of our country, as jurists of
'Joseph Ellicott.
Preface ix
unquestionable repute, as physicians whose very names
give authority to anything they have said or written !
Therefore it is that the children of this generation should
not be ignorant of their honorable past ; that, as the
landmarks pass away, the spots whereon they stood may
still be held sacred, and the memory kept green of those
whose names are indissolubly linked with them.
To keep this heritage in mind, to recall to the next
generation many facts which they may not otherwise
remember, is the object of our present writing. We wish
to impress on the minds of the younger members of
Trinity Church the recollection of the bishops, rectors,
and vestries, whose names have made memorable its
records and whose very presence in its pulpits and pews
has been a precious benison, who have bestowed dignity
and honor on its name, who are linked in all the various
walks and professions of life with the greatness, growth,
and prosperity of our city.
The editor wishes to acknowledge her indebtedness
to Our Church Work for a large portion of the article on
Bishop Coxe. Extracts from many other sources have
been made use of in compiling the work, but it did not
seem possible to make an acknowledgment in each case.
Contents
PAGE
Preface, v
List of Illustrations, ..... xiii
Saint Paul's Cathedral — the Mother
of Trinity Parish, . . Compiled i
The Beginning of Trinity Church,
Anna Maude Hoxsie 3
Bishop De Lancey, Mrs. Charles B. Wheeler 1 5
Reverend Edward Ingersoll, . Compiled 21
Bishop Coxe, .... Compiled 51
Consolidation of Christ Church with
Trinity, . . . Mrs. A. P. Nichols 65
Reverend Libertus Van Bokkelen, Compiled 69
An Easter Day Service, " Buffalo Courier " 83
Reverend Francis Lobdell,
Anniversary Sermon 87
Bishop Walker, . " Our Church Work " 101
Trinity Cooperative Relief Society,
Emily Sibley Ganson 103
Wardens and Vestrymen, 115
Memorial Gifts, 125
Illustrations
New Trinity,
William Shelton, ....
Cicero Stephens Hawks,
William Heathcote De Lancey,
Edward Ingersoll, 1844,
Edward Ingersoll, 1875,.
Arthur Cleveland Coxe, 1866,
Arthur Cleveland Coxe, 1888,
Christ Church, as originally designed,
Libertus Van Bokkelen, .
Old Trinity,
Francis Lobdell, ....
William D. Walker,
frontispiece
facing page 1
3
15
21
45
51
55
65
69
83
S7
101
History of Trinity Church
William Shclton
History of Trinity Church
Saint Paul's Cathedral — the Mother
of Trinity Parish
THE organization of Saint Paul's Parish took place
at the house of Elias Ransom, in the then village
of Buffalo, February ioth, 1817. The Reverend
Samuel Johnston, a missionary of the church for all the
country west of the Genesee River, officiated on this occa-
sion. The certificate of incorporation was signed by him,
and by George Badger and Jacob A. Barker. Messrs.
Erastus Granger and Isaac Q. Leake were the first war-
dens; and Messrs. Samuel Tupper, Sheldon Thompson,
Elias Ransom, John G. Camp, Henry M. Campbell, John
S. Larned, Jonas Harrison, and Doctor Josiah Trow-
bridge were the first vestrymen. The first settled mis-
sionary pastor of the parish was the Reverend William
A. Clark, in 18 19 and 1820. He was succeeded by the
Reverend Deodatus Babcock, from 1820 to 1824, and
the Reverend Addison Searle, from 1824 to 1828. The
Reverend William Shelton preached his first sermon in
the church on September 13th, 1829. He was the first
rector of the parish who received no support from the
missionary fund, and faithfully served Saint Paul's for
more than fifty years.
2 History of Trinity Church
Under his auspices the present stone edifice was
erected on the site of the old one in 185 1. Such is the
beauty of the design that, seen from any point which
shows an entrance, the part presented to view appears to
be the front. The greatest length of the edifice is one
hundred and seventy-five feet, and the greatest width
ninety-four feet. The chancel is twenty-eight feet deep
and twenty-eight feet wide. The stone tower and spire
at the junction of Pearl and Erie streets have a total
height of two hundred and seventy-two feet, the spire
cross being raised very nearly as high as that of Trinity
Church, New York. The structure has been justly
called " Upjohn's masterpiece," and is considered one of
the finest specimens of Gothic architecture in the United
States, the tower being specially remarkable for its grace
and symmetry. The whole work may be justly consid-
ered a fitting monument to the untiring perseverance,
zeal, and industry of the Reverend Doctor Shelton, who
witnessed the laying of the first foundation stone, the
laying of the last stone on the tall spire, and the erection
of the gilded cross thereon.
Note. — This description is taken from an old newspaper published before the
fire which destroyed a large portion of the church. Many improvements in the
interior were made in the repairing ; but the exterior, with the exception of the
chancel, remains the same. — Editor.
Cicero Stephens Hawks
The Beginning of Trinity Church
EARLY in the history of Buffalo we find mention
of Saint Paul's, the first Episcopal church in the
city; and shortly afterwards we hear of its off-
shoots. The seating capacity of the parent church grad-
ually became inadequate to its increasing congregation,
and consequently a number of families withdrew to form
a new parish. The first movement in regard to its es-
tablishment was made in Saint Paul's, on Wednesday,
October 12th, 1836, when a meeting of prominent men
was held, with Mr. George B. Webster in the chair. The
new organization was named Trinity Church, and had
for its first wardens Captain Samuel L. Russell, U. S. A.,
killed in the Seminole War, and Henry Daw, who re-
mained warden until his death in 1864. The vestry was
composed of E. H. Cressey, Doctor Charles Winne,
David L. Hempsted, Robert Hollister, Joseph Stringham,
Ambrose S. Sterling, Jesse Peterson, and F. H. Harris.
The seal of Trinity Church, bearing the date of its or-
ganization, had for its motto the word " Onward."
In January, 1837, the Reverend Cicero Stephens
Hawks, of Ulster, New York, was invited to become
rector; and in February he assumed his duties. His
first sermon in Buffalo is still remembered as being a
brilliant intellectual and oratorical effort. It was preached
in Saint Paul's, and the text was, " Render therefore unto
Caesar the things which are Caesar's ; and unto God the
things that are God's."
3
4 History of Trinity Church
From April, 1837, to September, 1839, tne congrega-
tion of Trinity Church worshiped in the auditorium of
the abandoned theater, known as Duffy's, or the " Buf-
falo Theater," on South Division Street, at the southwest
corner of Washington Street. The musical portion of
the service at this time was furnished by a piano and
congregational singing, virtually under the direction of
Mr. Rushmore Poole, who had always been interested in
music. On June 30th, 1837, a new piano was purchased,
and the sum of fifty dollars per year was appropriated to
pay a pianist. The first regular music committee entered
upon its duties in May, 1838, and consisted of Mr. Sam-
uel K. Kip and Mr. Poole. It was about this time that Mr.
Jerry Radcliffe was elected warden, and he continued in
office until his death in 1856. A little later Mr. Poole
was elected vestryman, retaining this office more than
seventeen years. He had charge of the church finances
generally, and especially of the collecting of pew rents.
While still worshiping in the old theater, a handsomely
bound Bible was presented to the church for use in the
services, by Mr. Oliver G. Steele, a most generous and
liberal-minded gentleman, who, though not a member of
the church, took this means of showing his desire to
encourage the progress of the new organization. This
Bible was in use for many years, probably up to the time
of the removal to the new church on Delaware Avenue.
Mr. Hawks had become a beloved as well as valued
rector, while Mrs. Hawks, who was spoken of by her
husband as a " delicate flower," entered as much into the
work of the parish as ill health would permit. Mr.
Hawks was a man of scholarly attainments, social attrac-
tions, and distinguished personality. He was born at
The Beginning of Trinity Church 5
Newbern, North Carolina, May 26th, 18 12, and was
educated at Chapel Hill. Report credited him with
being a direct descendant of the Indian princess Poca-
hontas. He certainly had a strong Indian face, in which
mingled with the aboriginal blood all the kindliness and
refinement that education and good breeding could give.
He was of medium stature, and slender in early life, and
was particularly neat in dress and personal appearance.
He preached at all times without notes, and in the pulpit
was unsurpassed in eloquence. He was a faithful rector
and a Christian gentleman.
In September, 1839, the congregation of Trinity
Church moved into the Universalist Church on Wash-
ington Street, between South Division and Swan streets.
This was a frame building with steeple and spire; and
its own congregation, being small and poor, was glad to
lease it to Trinity. Within this church was one of the
old-fashioned high box pulpits, with a double diverging
stairway curving round and half enclosing the platform
beneath. On the center panel of the pulpit, which was
painted blue and sanded, was inscribed in gold letters,
" God is Love."
The music committee consisted of the same gentle-
men who had served the year before. Miss Louisa
Huber, a young German musician, was engaged as
pianist, and Grandison B. Shelton as leader of the choir.
Mrs. Shelton sang soprano. While services were held in
the Universalist church, a society was formed, known as
" The Musical Association of Trinity Church," under
the same committee, pianist, and director; but musical
affairs received little attention at this time, owing to the
absorbing efforts to raise money for a church building.
6 History of Trinity Church
The idea of building a permanent abiding place for
Trinity Church had been early agitated. An old paper
has been found, dated May ioth, 1838, containing a list
of the subscribers to the building fund, as follows:
The undersigned agree to pay to Trinity Parish, Buffalo, the
sum opposite to their respective names upon the following condi-
tions :
1st. Any individual subscribing any sum shall pay twenty per
cent, in Cash at the time of subscription, and the balance in notes of
Five, Ten, Fifteen, and Twenty months from the first day of July
next, with endorsements satisfactory to the Vestry.
2d. These sums subscribed shall not be expended for any
other purpose, but held sacred for the purpose of buying a suitable
site for a Church Building, and placing such building thereon.
3d. These sums shall not be considered as given save when it
is otherwise ordered by the subscriber, but as money loaned and to
be refunded in Pews, in such manner, and under such restrictions,
and subject to the payment of such rents and charges, as the War-
dens and Vestrymen of said Church may direct, whenever the
Church Building is completed.
Provided always and in every case, that no Individual shall
receive from the Church a Deed for his Pew until the whole amount
of his subscription has been paid.
List of Subscribers
Jerry Radcliffe, $500
Cyrus Athearn 5°°
R. Nelson Haydon 250
Elisha Kimberly, 250
Rushmore Poole, 250
Dyre Tillinghast, 400
Robert Hollister, 600
Russell H. Heywood, 300
James A. Cowing, 3°°
Henry Root and Peter Curtis, 225
Augustus Kimball 225
The Beginning of Trinity Church 7
Hiram P. Thayer, 250
Simeon Fox, 400
Rufus C. Palmer 3°°
Morgan K. Faulkner, 3°°
Luman R. Plimpton 3°°
William L. G. Smith, 300
James DeLong, 3°°
Isaac W. Colie, 200
Henry W. Rogers 200
Lester Brace, 250
Sheldon Thompson, 250
George W. Clinton, 250
Henry M. Kinne, 250
PhiloDurfee, 250
Nehemiah Case, 250
Of these names that of Mr. Dyre Tillinghast has
been brought to our especial notice by the fact that a
daughter of Dyre and Maria Tillinghast is a member of
our present congregation, who was baptized by the
Reverend Mr. Hawks. Mr. and Mrs. Tillinghast were
original members of Saint Paul's parish, and Mr. Tilling-
hast wrote the first letter calling Doctor Shelton to Saint
Paul's. Doctor Shelton, however, came a year later, on
receiving a second call. They joined the new parish as
soon as it was formed, and were valuable and interested
members of Trinity congregation.
Whether there is another person among our present
members who has the same record, we have not heard.
Doubtless there are many descendants of those baptized
by our first rector, but it has not seemed possible to
ascertain the facts regarding them.
Mrs. Katherine Tillinghast Buell was the seventy-
seventh person baptized in old Trinity by the Reverend
Doctor Hawks.
8 History of Trinity Church
As will be noticed, some of these subscribers did not
belong to Trinity Parish, but wished to assist the new
and struggling church.
It was a struggle indeed, and many disappointments
delayed the accomplishment of the cherished project.
Just as the subscription list was completed a financial
depression was felt in all business circles, and many of
the subscribers were obliged to withdraw their names.
The site on the southeast corner of Mohawk and Wash-
ington streets was secured, however, for 54,750; plans
were drawn and the foundation was begun.
The lease of the Universalist church expired in May,
1840, and a communication from the president of the
Board of Trustees informed the vestry of Trinity Church
that the " Trustees of the First Church and Society of
Universal Restorationists in the Town of Buffalo," were
willing to extend the lease to May 1st, 1841, for the sum
of $400.* It was probably, therefore, in the spring of
1841 that the church obtained temporary quarters in the
rooms of the Young Men's Association, on the second
floor of a building on the north side of South Division
Street, between Main and Washington streets; and it
was from this building that the church finally moved into
its own place of worship.
Mr. Hawks was very energetic in urging the comple-
tion of the church building, the work of which was
carried on intermittently. He frequently sacrificed his
limited salary to hasten it, and eked out his living by
writing books for publication, particularly Sunday school
books, which he prepared with great ease. The music
of the church at this time was rendered by Miss Louise
Clark, soprano, Miss Jane Fitch, alto, Mr. Frank Pease,
The Beginning of Trinity Church 9
tenor, and Mr. Rushmore Poole, with Miss Huber's ac-
companiment.
The new church edifice was finally completed, al-
though, on account of restricted means, the original
design was given up, and a simpler one substituted. We
find, in an unpublished article by Mr. Deshler Welch,
that Messrs. James J. Culbertson and James D. Berry
were the contractors, and that it was estimated that the
building with the intended tower would cost $20,000.
The structure as finally erected was classical in design,
without tower or spire. The front entrance was never
properly finished, and should have had a Doric portico,
the foundations for the columns having been prepared
and left unused. The interior had no chancel, the back
wall being painted to represent a draped window outside
of which clambered the semblance of creeping vines.
The pulpit was of the usual high style. When the
organ — the source of so much excitement and pleasant
anticipation — was placed in the gallery, the joy of the
congregation was unbounded. The noble instrument
had been ordered by Mr. Poole according to instructions,
and was shipped from New York via the New York &
Buffalo Lake Boat Line, November 9th, 1842. It was
made by Firth & Hall, of New York, under the personal
supervision of their foreman, Mr. Robjohn, who with an
assistant came from New York to put it in place. It was
the first organ, made by this firm, to be sent west of
Albany. In Mr. Welch's article the organ case is de-
scribed as ten feet wide, six feet nine inches deep, and
fourteen and a half feet high. It contained five hundred
and twenty-five pipes, and was in all respects a most
creditable piece of work.
i o History of Trinity Church
The congregation moved into the new building the
latter part of December, 1842; and in January, 1843,
Mr. Poole reported the organ as ready for use. Mr.
Robert Hollister was added to the music committee; Mr.
William R. Coppock was engaged as organist; and an ap-
propriation of twenty-five dollars was made for vocal music
for the coming Easter, and a like amount was set aside
for the purchase of music books and the services of a
" blower boy." Miss Clark, afterwards Mrs. Ambrose S.
Sterling, still sang soprano, and the tenor was Ebenezer
B. Pewtress, who had an exquisite voice, and had already
been a member of the choir for some months. Thus early
in its history Trinity was noted for its good music.
The church was formally consecrated by Bishop
De Lancey, January 19th, 1843. The original sentence
of consecration reads as follows:
Whereas the Rector, Church Wardens, and Vestrymen of
Trinity Church, in the City of Buffalo, County of Erie, State of
New York, and Diocese of Western New York, have, by an instru-
ment this day presented to me, appropriated and given a house of
worship erected by them in said City of Buffalo to the worship and
service of Almighty God according to the ministry, doctrines, lit-
urgy, rites, and usages of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the
United States of America ; have placed the same under my spiritual
jurisdiction and that of my successors in office ; and have requested
me to consecrate it by the name of Trinity Church :
Now, therefore, be it known that I, William Heathcote De-
Lancey, Bishop of the Diocese of Western New York, having taken
the said house of worship under my spiritual jurisdiction, and that
of my successors in office, did, on this nineteenth day of January, in
the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty-three,
under the protection of Almighty God and in the presence of divers
of the clergy and of a public congregation there assembled, conse-
crate the same to the worship and service of Almighty God, the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, by the name of Trinity Church.
The Beginning of Trinity Church 1 1
And I do by these presents declare the said Trinity Church to
be consecrated accordingly, and thereby separated thenceforth
from all unhallowed, worldly, and common uses, and set apart and
dedicated to the service of Almighty God, for reading and preaching
His Holy Word, for celebrating His Holy Sacraments, for offering
to His glorious Majesty the sacrifices of prayer, thanksgiving, and
praise, for blessing the people in His name, and for the perform-
ance of all other holy offices according to the terms of His Covenant
of grace and mercy in His Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ,
and according to the ministry, doctrines, liturgy, and usages of the
Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America.
In Testimony Whereof, I have hereunto affixed my hand and
seal, in the City of Buffalo, the day and year above written, and the
fourth year of my consecration.
Signed,
WILLIAM HEATHCOTE De LANCEY,
Bishop of the Diocese of Western New York.
[seal]
Although Trinity Parish was now finally settled in a
home of its own, its financial hardships were not all
over, and the Ladies' Aid Society determined to raise
the money for the first payment on the organ by holding
a fair. This society was accustomed to meet periodically
at the houses of the different members to do plain and
fancy sewing. Early on the day of meeting, a clothes-
basket would arrive, filled with aprons and other articles
already cut out and ready for sewing. Among the
ladies prominent in the society were Mrs. Thomas Per-
kins, Mrs. Cyrenius C. Bristol, Mrs. Gibson T. Williams,
Mrs. Rushmore Poole, Mrs. Robert Hollister, Mrs. Cyrus
Athearn, Mrs. Charles Winne, Mrs. Hawks, Mrs. Am-
brose S. Sterling, Miss Mary Radcliffe (afterwards Mrs.
William Laverack), Miss Howard (afterwards Mrs. John
M. Hutchinson), and Miss Irish (afterwards Mrs. James
1 2 History of Trinity Church
McCredie, junior). Mrs. Hollister and Mrs. Winne were
experts in practical and fine needlework, and Mrs. Ath-
earn did all the fancy work and embroidery for the fair.
While the society worked, and the delicate and beautiful
white satin handkerchief cases were fashioned (several of
which are still in existence), Mrs. Hawks read to the
ladies, and helped to while the hours away.
The fair was held in the autumn of 1843 in the old
United States Bank building, at the northeast corner of
Main and South Division streets, and netted the sum of
nine hundred dollars, which was used for the first pay-
ment on the organ. At the fair was exhibited a model of
the church building as originally designed, the work of
Mr. Frank Pease.
At Easter, 1843, Mr. Coppock was reengaged as
organist, and an appropriation of one hundred dollars
was made for vocal music for the year. Mr. Hawks
kept up his reputation as a scholar of distinguished
ability, and his first sermon was remembered with so
much pleasure that he was requested to repeat it. An-
other sermon spoken of as being particularly able was
on the subject of the last days and death of Moses. Mr.
and Mrs. Hawks lived on Mohawk Street, and also
boarded for a time on Eagle Street, and frequently dis-
pensed informal and charming hospitality.
As an illustration of the early date of this history, it
may perhaps be permitted to give an anecdote of the
time. Mrs. Hawks said to a friend and neighbor, one of
the early aristocrats of Buffalo, " Do you think I might
venture to -wear a white rose on my bonnet?" "Of
course, my dear, put it on ; you are young and pretty,
and it is the time for roses." After the rose appeared in
The Beginning of Trinity Church 1 3
church Mrs. Hawks received several anonymous notes,
of which history does not give the purport. But we can
imagine it might have been in the words of a modern
novelist: "We stick by the ways of the Discipline and
the ways of our fathers in Israel. No newfangled notions
down here. Your wife 'd better take them flowers out of
her bunnit afore next Sunday."
As is generally known, Mr. Hawks subsequently
became bishop of Missouri, and his congregation sus-
tained a great loss when he left Trinity Church. He
thus expressed his own sorrow at leaving, in a letter to
the wardens and vestrymen, dated October 28th, 1843:
Gentlemen :
Herewith I present to you my resignation of the rectorship ot
Trinity Church, — said resignation to take effect on the first day of
December.
God knows with what sorrow, after mature deliberation, I do
this — nor could it be done but from constraining thoughts of duty.
I have been too intimately associated with your parish from its com-
mencement, not to feel more than ordinary pain and anxiety as I
take this step. But another field of labor presents itself before me,
and the call to that field is for many reasons almost imperious with
me. 1 consider that I have no right to turn aside from it.
At such a moment the recollection of past struggles and past
kindnesses swell upon my heart, and I can say nothing. I ask
your prayers wherever I may be (for no man knows what trials may
be before me), and in return I shall never cease to pray that God's
blessing may be upon your parish and upon each of you individ-
ually. May God's grace rest upon you all, through Jesus Christ, our
Lord.
Yours in all Truth,
C. S. HAWKS.
With the resignation of Mr. Hawks, we reach the
close of the first epoch in the history of Trinity Church.
It is interesting to follow it step by step through its or-
1 4 History of Trinity Church
ganization, early struggles, and final success in establish-
ing a permanent home for itself. The personality of its
congregation furnishes no less interesting reminiscences;
but as that period has passed away almost into oblivion,
leaving shadows of bygone regret in the minds of those
who still remember, so, too, it saddens us to realize that
of the well-known names and prominent supporters of
old Trinity only a few are remaining today. It is with
heartfelt and sympathetic pleasure that the above recol-
lections and account of early Trinity Parish have been
put into form by the granddaughter of two of the most
earnest workers in the old church.
William Heathcote De Lancey
Bishop De Lancey
FIFTY-NINE years ago Western New York gave to
the Episcopal Church in the United States the
first example of a new see erected from an older
one. The first bishop of the new diocese was William
Heathcote De Lancey, D.D., LL.D., D. C. L. (Oxon.), the
descendant of an ancient Huguenot family, who was born
at Mamaroneck, Westchester County, October 8th, 1797.
He was graduated at Yale College in 1817, and, after
studying theology with Bishop Hobart, became in 1822
the personal assistant of the venerable Bishop White, of
Philadelphia, in the three churches — Saint Peter's, Saint
James's, and Christ Church — of which that prelate was
the rector. In the succeeding year he was elected one of
the regular assistant ministers of those churches.
Upon the reorganization of the University of Penn-
sylvania in 1828, he was chosen provost of that institution,
and thereupon resigned his pastoral charge. He re-
mained provost for five years, and then resumed the
office of assistant minister of Saint Peter's Church, Phil-
adelphia. He traveled in Europe in 1835, and on his
return, after the death of Bishop White, succeeded to the
rectorship of Saint Peter's.
In 1838 the diocese of New York, comprising the
whole state, was divided, the eastern portion retaining
the old name; and at the primary convention of the new
diocese, held in Geneva, Doctor De Lancey was chosen
its first bishop.
15
1 6 History of Trinity Church
He was consecrated May 9th, 1839, at Saint Peter's
Church, Auburn, and then removed to Geneva, the seat
of the diocesan college, now called Hobart College. To
his efficient efforts it was chiefly indebted for its support.
He very soon instituted a system of diocesan missions
by which a corps of laborers, unusually large in propor-
tion to the wealth and population of the diocese, were
sustained without incurring debt.
In 1840, by his recommendation, a fund for the relief
of infirm and aged clergy of the diocese was established,
which, besides accomplishing its object, became a perma-
nent fund of about ten thousand dollars.
In 1852 Bishop De Lancey, with the bishop of
Michigan, visited England as a delegation from the bish-
ops of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United
States to the venerable " Society for the Propagation of
the Gospel in Foreign Parts." The delegation was
received everywhere with the highest consideration and
respect. During this visit, on the twenty-third of June,
he received, together with his coadjutor, Bishop McCos-
kry, and the late Bishop Wainwright, then a presbyter,
the honorary degree of Doctor of Civil Law from the
University of Oxford.
Bishop De Lancey continued in the active adminis-
tration of his diocese until the spring of 1864, when he
was obliged to yield to the encroachments of a mortal
disease. At the annual convention of his diocese, August
17th, the last one over which he was ever to preside, he
asked for the election of an assistant bishop who should
also be his successor. The request was complied with,
and the Reverend Arthur Cleveland Coxe, D. D., was
duly chosen for the office. The consecration of Bishop
Bishop De Lancey 1 7
Coxe in Trinity Church, Geneva, on the fourth of Jan-
uary, 1865, was the last public official act of Bishop
De Lancey. He died in the peace of God on the fifth
day of the ensuing April.
During the twenty-five years of his episcopate he
ordained one hundred and forty-five deacons and one
hundred and sixty priests, consecrated one hundred
church edifices, and admitted to the communion of the
church by the rite of confirmation twenty thousand and
forty-eight persons.
We append to this bare outline of the life of our first
bishop a few paragraphs from tributes of respect written
at the time of his death, which speak of the character
and tell of the esteem felt by all who knew " the great
De Lancey," as Bishop Doane calls him in the recent
commemorative sermon of our late beloved Bishop Coxe.
From the tribute paid by the clergy of his diocese we
quote the following:
In Bishop De Lancey we have beheld a most symmetrical and
harmonious character, gifts of a high order, good learning, sound-
ness of faith, purity of life, earnestness of purpose, ardent affections,
an unbending will always set to do the right whether men applauded
or censured, a conscience active to every call of duty, whether per-
sonal or official ; extraordinary devotion to the interests of his dio-
cese ; a tender regard for his clergy, and an earnest desire in every
way to promote both their usefulness and their happiness.
Nor can we fail to remember, with devout gratitude to the
Giver of every good and perfect gift, his thorough knowledge and
sound judgment in matters of business; his extraordinary adminis-
trative capacity, evinced in the creation and management of the
various trusts and charities of his diocese, especially in the mission-
ary system of the same, originated in the beginning of his episcopate
and carried on to the present time, with singular energy and suc-
cess, and with a punctuality and thoroughness in its operations
b
1 8 History of Trinity Church
which have elicited approval and admiration far beyond our limits
— a system which has always been quickened by the glow of Bishop
De Lancey's own life and love.
We desire also to bear in grateful remembrance his strenuous
efforts to advance the interests of Learning as the handmaid of
Religion. Having presided with distinguished ability over one of
the oldest universities while still a young man, he early acquired a
strong sympathy with the cause of liberal education. Hobart Col-
lege has been largely indebted to his generous benefactions, wise
counsel, watchful care, and active efforts to secure its stability and
prosperity, while the Diocesan Training School, which owes its
existence to him, must stand forever as a monument of his en-
lightened devotion to the noble work of qualifying men by faithful
instruction in sound doctrine, for the office of the holy ministry.
But Bishop De Lancey's labors and solicitudes have not been
confined to his own diocese. On the contrary, he has ever taken a
deep and active interest in the general institutions and affairs of our
branch of the Catholic Church, and in the highest council thereof
his absence will be painfully felt. His long experience, practical
wisdom, thorough knowledge both of the principles and forms of
ecclesiastical legislation, his fearless advocacy of the measures
which his judgment approved, and the force of reason as well as
weight of character and personal influence which he could bring to
their support, gave a high value to his conclusions, and rendered
him one of the leading members of the House of Bishops.
Nor would our tribute be even tolerably complete should we
fail to make grateful mention of those deeds and qualities which
have endeared him to so many of his countrymen ; that readiness
to sacrifice himself and his convenience and comfort to the needs
of others ; that dignity and courtesy which were the charm of his
social intercourse ; and that thoughtful consideration of all sorts and
conditions of men which made him universally respected and be-
loved, and enabled him to present a beautiful example of what is
most desirable in an American bishop.
At the semicentennial commemoration of the found-
ing of the diocese of Western New York, the Reverend
Charles W. Hayes, D. D., spoke of Bishop De Lancey as
the pupil of both Bishop White and Bishop Hobart, with
Bishop De Lancey 19
the prudence and gentle firmness of the one, and the
energy and fearlessness of the other. He said that Bishop
De Lancey's first great work was to build up the system
of diocesan missions inaugurated in 1796, the only means
of supporting missionary work within its own borders
that Western New York has ever known. Doctor Hayes
also says:
How deeply the Bishop felt the importance of this work, how
carefully all its details were studied by him, how the conditions,
wants, prospects, and trials of each mission and missionary were
always borne upon his mind and heart, none of you who knew him
personally can forget. How he would labor to build up the church
in this or that feeble or almost desert place, not only by visits and
correspondence, but by large contributions from his own small
means !
Owing to Bishop De Lancey's wise and loving guid-
ance, and to the unity prevailing in the diocese, Western
New York, with its system and order, was known through-
out the church as " the model diocese."
There are few left in Trinity Church today who knew
and loved Bishop De Lancey, but we find among the
records the following resolutions, offered by the rector
and vestry of Trinity Church of thirty-two years ago :
Trinity Church, Buffalo. At a special meeting of the vestry
of Trinity Church in the city of Buffalo, convened on the sixth day
of April, A. D. 1865, by reason of the death of our beloved and
venerated Father in God, the Right Reverend William Heathcote
De Lancey, D.D., LL.D., D. C.L., the following resolutions, offered
by Mr. Henry VV. Rogers, were unanimously adopted.
" Resolved : That in the death of our deeply lamented dioc-
esan we mourn the loss of a pure and devoted Christian bishop,
who has exemplified the highest qualities of the Christian character,
in doctrine showing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, sound speech,
20 History of Trinity Church
that could not be condemned ; a pattern of good works, looking
for that blessed hope, the glorious appearing of the great God and
our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
"Resolved : That we shall ever hold in the most grateful and
respectful remembrance his truly Christian and apostolic character,
and eminent services. Wise and judicious in his administration,
firm and consistent in his advocacy of the principles of the church,
and unwearied in his exertions to promote its best interests, his
labors have been blessed in a united and harmonious diocese, and
in the steady advancement of the great interests of our holy
religion.
" Resolved : That in further testimony of our high respect for
the memory of our late Bishop, this vestry do appoint delegates
from this parish to attend his funeral."
Whereupon the following named gentlemen were duly ap-
pointed ; viz.: the Reverend Doctor Ingersoll (the rector), Henry
W. Rogers, Robert Hollister, James M. Smith, James McCredie,
William Laverack, Benjamin F. Smith, Thomas G. Perkins, Frank
W. Fiske, William B. Peck, and Calvin N. Otis.
It was also further
"Resolved : That Trinity Church be draped in mourning, and
that the respectful and affectionate condolence of the vestry be
tendered to the afflicted family of the deceased, and a certified
copy of these resolutions be sent to them, and that the same be
published in The Gospel Messenger.
EDWARD INGERSOLL, Rector.
James McCredie, Clerk pro tern.
Edward Ingersoll
1844
Reverend Edward Ingersoll
1844-1874
OUR first rector, the Reverend Doctor Hawks, was
worthily succeeded by the Reverend Edward
Ingersoll, D. D. Descended from a family
which had been famous in the social and political history
of Connecticut for two hundred years, and which has
proved its eminence up to the present day, his gifts of
diction and his eloquence in the pulpit were a natural
inheritance. He was born in New Haven, Connecticut,
November 26th, 18 10; was graduated from Yale in 1831 ;
was married in New Haven in 1836 to Catherine Frances
Seymour, daughter of an old Southern family.
Perhaps here it may be proper to notice the coinci-
dence that of the four rectors of Trinity up to the present
date, the wife of each has been a Southern woman. Doc-
tor Hawks himself was a North Carolinian by birth and
descent. The other three were men of Northern birth,
and all were heart and soul on the side of the Union at
the time of the Civil War. In Bishop Hawks's case this
was quite a perilous position. Doctor Van Bokkelen
was obliged to break up his school in Maryland at that
time and leave the state on account of his Northern
sympathies.
Most of Doctor Ingersoll's immediate family, and
several nephews, were distinguished men. One nephew
was governor of Connecticut, and afterward at the head
2 2 History of Trinity Church
of its bar. His sister, who was called the most beautiful
woman in America, married the ambassador from France
in the days of Napoleon Bonaparte. His eldest brother,
Ralph, was senator from Connecticut, and subsequently
minister to Russia. One of his ancestors was royal
judge of the High Court of Admiralty before the Revo-
lution. His brother Charles was judge of the United
States district court. (This genealogical record is given
for the pleasure of his old friends, as well as his many
descendants who are still residents of Buffalo.)
Doctor Ingersoll's first parish was at Meriden, Con-
necticut. Thence he went to Westport, Connecticut ;
then to Troy, New York; later taking charge of Saint
Michael's Parish, Geneseo, New York. It was during
his rectorate at this latter parish, that, the Reverend
Doctor Hawks having been elected to the bishopric of
Missouri, the vestry of Trinity unanimously elected
Doctor Ingersoll as his successor. Bishop De Lancey
addressed James M. Smith, then clerk of the vestry, on
this subject as follows:
The painful intelligence of the vacancy in your parish, occa-
sioned by the removal of Mr. Hawks, I receive with deep regret.
The choice of a successor could not have fallen on an individ-
ual more acceptable to myself than Mr. Ingersoll, whose qualifica-
tions for the position are of the highest order.
Doctor Ingersoll accepted this call, subject to an
interval of three months, when the Reverend David M.
Fackler, of Philadelphia, officiated ; and, as the dates of
our heading show, our city and our parish were blessed
by his presence and ministrations for more than thirty
years.
Reverend Edward Ingersoll 2 3
Doctor Ingersoll's reading of the ritual was unsur-
passed in fervor and beauty of expression, and many are
the tributes we have read which bear witness to his
power thus to move the hearts of men.
To quote from " Recollections of Buffalo " :
Doctor Ingersoll was a man of high intellectual attainments,
purity and guilelessness of character, whose heart was filled with
charity and benevolence. He was dearly beloved and venerated by
those who sat under his teachings. I have heard him read the bap-
tismal service and the ritual for the dead when he seemed like one
inspired, his beautiful dark eyes glistening with angelic beauty, and
his utterances thrilling the hearts of those who listened to him.
From another source we quote the following para-
graphs :
He was a man whose long service and self-sacrifice in behalf of
the church have won for him a name such as it has been the fortune
of but few clergymen to achieve.
Wherever Doctor Ingersoll went, blessings went with him.
His work was enthusiastic ; his heart and soul were in it, and no
labor was too severe if only the desired results could be attained.
Socially, his deep learning and courteous manners made him a
universal favorite. His loss, in all the circles in which he moved,
will be irreparable.
He was an advanced churchman for his day, not only
in the reverence of his voice and manner in reading the
service, but in the observance of certain forms with which
he marked passages in the creed and litany. His reading
was an inspiration to all who heard it. The holy days
were observed with exactness and solemnity. On As-
cension Day he was wont to place slips in the pews,
reminding his people of the duty of a proper observance
of the day and the benefit to be derived therefrom. It
24 History of Trinity Church
seems quite appropriate to quote here a few suggestions
on this subject from Bishop Coxe's " Thoughts on the
Service."
This day concludes the glorious circuit through which the Sun
of Righteousness has run His course. He who was God from the
beginning was with Him in His divine nature even while He
walked on earth and descended into Hades ; but now His human
nature is exalted to the right hand of the Father, and we see our
own nature in Him, advanced to the glory which is the common
destiny of the redeemed ; for He " is not ashamed to call us breth-
ren," and we are " made to sit with Him in heavenly places." Al-
ready, the church, like the lark, seems to take the wings of the
morning, and to sing at the very gate of heaven her exulting hope
"that where He is, thither we shall also ascend, and reign with
Him in glory." There is nothing which can enter the mind of man
so entirely beyond all that man imagines by his own powers, and so
ennobling to his nature, as the truth which this day celebrates.
Poor sinners that we are,— poor dying worms, can it be that we are
heirs of immortal glory, and that the way into the heaven of heavens
stands wide open, so that, in body and soul, we may follow the Son
of God, and be welcomed by Him as brethren and partakers of His
throne ?
To the Sunday school children Doctor Ingersoll's
visits were a joy and delight, each class with their teacher
rising to greet him as he made his rounds among them.
The favored one on whom his hand chanced to rest,
while he was speaking to them, felt its slight pressure as
a benediction for the rest of the day. On Easter Day
he would enter the Sunday school saying, " Christ has
risen," with such enthusiasm and rejoicing, that it had
the effect of the native Russian greeting, so joyous and
universal in that country.
His sermons were strong on all doctrinal points, and
finished and classical in diction. Add to this a com-
manding and singularly handsome presence, and it will
Reverend Edward Ingersoll 2 5
not seem strange that for years he was one of the most
striking figures in our Buffalo pulpits.
Mr. James M. Smith, who, as we have seen, was clerk
of the vestry at the time of Doctor Ingersoll's call to the
rectorship, remained his lifelong and devoted friend, sus-
taining and comforting the beloved rector under his many
trials, and on all occasions upholding his example with zeal
and devotion. He perpetuated this love and veneration
by contributing generously to the fund for the erection
of the memorial window in the chancel of the new Trinity,
and to the building of the Church of the Good Shepherd,
both of which are memorials to Doctor Ingersoll. The
monument in Forest Lawn is also a tribute from personal
friends, many of whom were not members of Trinity
Church. Mrs. James M. Smith was a most lovely and
attractive woman, with a heart which always responded
to the calls of friendship and charity. The beautiful
window and statuary which have been placed in the
memorial chapel in her memory but give expression to
the record of her whole life.
Mr. S. V. R. Watson was conspicuous in the history
of Buffalo for his public spirit and energy in planning
various valuable institutions for the future benefit of the
city. In fact, his ideas seemed, in some respects, ahead
of his time, and perhaps even he builded better than he
knew when he pushed the interests of the public library
and laid the numerous street railroads which connected
the almost unimproved property with that closely settled.
The existence of Trinity Church from 1837 to 1897
keeps pace with the Victorian era, which we are now
celebrating. In church architecture, as well as in our
social life, the progress of taste is made strikingly mani-
26 History of Trinity Church
fest; and the fundamental principles of decorative art
which sixty years ago were forgotten, or at least rarely
practiced, are now universally observed. People are in a
wider sense than ever before " the heirs of all the ages,"
and the glories of the past and the stately elegance of
Queen Anne's and Queen Elizabeth's times are now ap-
propriately used in modern buildings and decorations.
In 1837 these principles were regarded with indifference
by our grandfathers; and we will therefore forgive the
architects and builders of our first edifice for its singular
design. In its attempt to follow a classical model, the
oblong hall was spoken of as very " chaste and beautiful."
It had one valuable peculiarity in which modern churches
often fail — its acoustic properties were perfect. We who
recall the slippery haircloth seats and narrow pews, the
simple chancel with its great guardian pillars, the mot-
toes on the wall, the faded upholstery, with the plain
organ gallery at the end of the nave, may well wonder at
the popularity of the building, and the love its people
bore it. But there were times when even the plain
interior was a bower of beauty. At Christmas the
wreaths were twined by the women of the church,
and young men and maidens met in the basement for
work, as well as social enjoyment. It was often hung
with heavy wreaths looped from corner to corner, and
the windows were festooned as with evergreen hangings,
the natural pine trees filling in spaces which made the
church for the time a veritable cathedral of Nature's own
designing. At Easter, the altar was a bank of flowers ;
large balls of brilliant colors hung from the chandeliers,
and each window was a miniature conservatory of grow-
ing plants.
Reverend Edward Ingersoll
27
In the dense crowd which filled the church on the
great festivals were beautiful women and brave men,
whose faces, alas ! are seen no more, but whose memory
still lingers with us. There were more men as regular
attendants in those days than now, and the responses
came full and deep from pews which now are silent. To
repeat the list of names would be almost to rewrite the
early directory of Buffalo, but we venture to attempt a
list of the early pew holders.
Pew Holders — April, 1847
Charles R. Gold,
Curtiss L. Brace,
Henry W. Rogers and James M.
Smith,
Aaron D. Patchin,
Sheldon Thompson,
James B. Dubois,
Hiram P. Thayer,
Orrin B. Titus and Judson Har-
mon,
Elisha A. Maynard,
William Williams,
John Shepard,
Gibson T. Williams and George
L. Newman,
John Dodge,
Woolsey W. Radcliff,
William A. Sutton,
Charles H. S. Williams,
Captain William Dickson,
Cyrus P. Lee,
William R. Vickory,
Thomas Kilderhouse,
John L. Talcott,
David S. Battey,
James Radcliff,
William L. G. Smith,
Robert Hollister,
Rufus C. Palmer,
F. W. Newbould,
Henry M. Kinne,
Elam R. Jewett,
Jacob S. Miller,
Ambrose S. Sterling,
Nehemiah Case,
Cyrenius C. Bristol,
James C. Evans,
William Woodruff,
John Cook,
Eli Cook,
Frederick Shadrake,
Doctor Walter Cary,
George W. Langdon,
Harry Thompson,
Mrs. Benjamin Hersee,
George W. Houghton,
Pardon C. Sherman,
John Drake,
Mrs. Mark Sibley,
Benjamin S. Bidwell,
28 History of Trinity Church
John Bull, Edward H. Dutton,
James McCredie, John Fleeharty,
Lucas Messtler, Henry Daw,
Henry Daw and James DeLong, William B. and Charles
Peter L. Parsons, E. Peck,
Samuel Stearns, Henry Kip,
Fayette Rumsey, William Laverack,
Manley Colton, William H. Eckley,
J. Carew, John Griffith,
B. A. Mumford, Alonzo W. Johnson,
Samuel F. Gelston, Robert McPherson,
Dyre Tillinghast, Misses Kimberly,
John M. Hutchinson, Cyrus Athearn,
David Burt, William O. Brown,
James DeLong, Absalom Bull,
Asa T. Wood, Samuel K. Worthington,
Samuel Purdy, S. V. R. Watson.
During the last forty years [says one of the newspapers of long
ago], the pew list of this venerable church has borne the names
of many of Buffalo's oldest, most honored, and socially distin-
guished citizens. Within its walls, too, have worshiped those
whom the nation delighted to honor. One bright Sunday morning
in 1846, that "old man eloquent," ex-president John Quincy Adams,
sat among the worshipers, the guest of Mr. Henry W. Rogers.
Charitable work, though very differently managed
from that of the present time, was faithfully performed
by the women of the parish. They went basket in hand
from room to room in the old tenement houses on Seneca
Street, and over the canal bridge, trying to help and
comfort those less favored than they. Duty was a word
as well understood in those days as the present, and was
perhaps fulfilled with more personal sacrifice.
One small incident occurs to the writer which although
of no importance in itself, seems worthy of record because
it has lived through all these many years — a pleasant
Reverend Edward Ingersoll 29
memory of a beautiful and gracious woman, Mrs. Emily
Evstaphieve. Asking her one day if she would con-
tribute to some charity, she immediately replied, " Why,
certainly; I have been wondering what I should do with
this bill I have tucked away in my purse"; and the
generous, kindly manner of the giving made an impres-
sion quite beyond the value of the gift.
"And when the stream
Which overflowed the soul was passed away,
A consciousness remained that it had left,
Deposited upon the silent shore
Of memory, images and precious thoughts
That shall not die and cannot be destroyed."
The example of such a mother, as has been the case
with many others in this old church of ours, has left its
mark upon their descendants, causing them to love the
church and to willingly share in its work.
Mrs. William Laverack also was one of the old-time
givers and workers. She collected most of the fund for
the Ingersoll memorial window. Notably in this con-
nection, though of later date, we would add the names
of Mrs. Thomas F. Rochester, Mrs. Peter A. Porter,
Miss Sabina Morris, and Mrs. James McCredie. These,
and many, many more, have found that
"Amid all life's quests
There seems but worthy one — to do men good."
During the war times the women of Trinity, as well
as those of all the churches in Buffalo, were enthusias-
tically working for the armies of the North. Mrs. Horatio
Seymour, of Saint Paul's Church, a most conscientious
and capable woman, fearless and determined in a right
30 History of Trinity Church
cause, was president of the Soldiers' Aid Society. Miss
Maria M. Love was also an active member in this society,
and thus began in her youthful days the philanthropic
work in which she is still so eminent and capable.
Among some unpublished reminiscences of that time
is that of an amateur performance of " The Mistletoe
Bough," given at the opera house for this cause. Many
of the actors are still prominent in our social life. Mrs.
Samuel M. Welch appeared as one of the young maids
dusting in the attic, where, to her horror, she discovers
the skeleton in the " old oak chest." (It had been fur-
nished from the study of Doctor Walter Cary.) Mrs.
Fanny L. Dole (mother of Mrs. Charles De Laney), a
sweet singer of that day, gave the music and story be-
tween the acts, and Miss Elizabeth Love (the bride)
appeared in the last scene, ascending to heaven, borne up
by a group of admiring angels. It has ever since been a
relief to the children who witnessed the play to know
that it wasn't her skeleton that was found in the " old
oak chest."
To go a little further back chronologically, the insti-
tution of Doctor Ingersoll was an important era in the
history of Trinity. The church had become very popu-
lar, and the seating capacity was already too small. So,
at the annual sale and renting of pews, certain square
pews accomodating eight or ten people in separate sit-
tings were sold for the occupancy of families. One of
these had been rented to a party of bachelors, who were
thus sold out, and had to accept the hospitality of friends,
which was not an agreeable arrangement. The party of
young gentlemen was composed of Thomas C. Welch,
Doctor John S. Trowbridge, Doctor Sylvester F. Mixer,
Reverend Edward Ingersoll 3 1
Ai Rollins, Edmund P. Pickering, James L. Butler,
Charles Pickering, Otis P. Sheldon, and Samuel M. Welch.
Soon after Easter they met at a convivial supper in a
popular restaurant called the Pantheon. One topic of
discussion was, " What shall we do for sittings in Trin-
ity ? " Finally, the suggestion was offered that then and
there they should organize a new parish. The idea was
certainly a novel one to proceed from a set of gay young
men, not one of whom had then been confirmed. But it
showed a more serious interest in church matters than
most young men exhibit nowadays. This was the be-
ginning of Saint John's, the grandchild of Saint Paul's.
The music has always been a prominent feature in
Trinity Church. Mrs. Barton Hill, soprano, was a very
accomplished musician. Her singing was most inspir-
ing and sympathetic. She moved the feelings of a con-
gregation or of a secular audience as few singers can.
At a patriotic meeting, during the Civil War, she led in
the national hymn, the whole audience joining in the
chorus of" The Star Spangled Banner." It was an occasion
never to be forgotten by those who were present. Some
of the musicians whose names were long associated with
the choir are Mrs. Anderson, Miss Eliza Maltby, Mr.
Frank Pease, and Mr. Booker. Mrs. Rushmore Poole,
Mrs. Ambrose S. Sterling, Mrs. Ida Lee Mayhew, Mrs.
Sears, Mrs. Hoffman, Miss Charlotte Hedge, Mr. William
Eckley, Mr. Barton, Mr. Everett Baker, and Mr. Laurence
were succeeding organists, and, later, John R. Blodgett,
Robert Denton, and William Kaffenberger. Other soloists
were Miss Sweet, James M. Kimberly, the Misses Evsta-
phieve, Mr. Jesse Ketchum, Miss Christine Dossert, and
Mr. Charles Hager. The latter thus early commenced his
32 History of Trinity Church
work with the choir, and at this date (March, 1897) we
are pleased to state that he is still in charge of the choris-
ters. Five years ago he reached the twenty-fifth anniver-
sary of his connection with the choir, and received cordial
testimonials from the congregation.
The year 1852 was a sad one for the dear rector.
His lovely eldest daughter was failing in health, and
eventually died of consumption. He was obliged to re-
quest leave of absence for several months, in order to
give his child "those temporal comforts, and above all
those spiritual consolations which a person in her sad
condition so greatly needs." Proper arrangements were
made by the vestry for conducting the services in Doctor
Ingersoll's absence, and he went on his fruitless journey.
His wife's health gradually failed, and although she sur-
vived this trial for several years, she was always an in-
valid and a source of loving care and anxiety to her hus-
band. In 1 86 1 it became necessary that Doctor Ingersoll
should take his wife to Minnesota, hoping by change of
climate to arrest the disease from which she was suffering.
Thus again, he was obliged to leave his young family in
charge of others, his pulpit to an assistant, and his beau-
tiful young daughter Susette without the mother's care.
This young lady afterwards married Mr. Robert Hayes,
and died early in life.
It was during this absence of Doctor Ingersoll that the
Reverend Doctor Starkey had charge of the parish. He
was a clergyman of rare gifts and much beloved.
Mrs. Ingersoll was not benefited by the change, and
her death occurred in 1866. The vestry passed tender
resolutions of regret and sympathy, and requested Doc-
tor Ingersoll to give up his parochial duties for a time,
Reverend Edward Ingersoll 3$
hoping it might restore his health and peace of mind.
The women of the church erected a tablet to Mrs. Inger-
soll's memory, which was placed in the chancel.
The Doctor bore all these afflictions uncomplainingly,
and returned to his accustomed duties and occupations,
knowing that " the heart knoweth his own bitterness, and
a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy." The
expression " the patient Ingersoll," as used by one of the
standing committee of the diocese in speaking of him,
reveals the world of sad experiences through which he
had passed.
At various times in the history of the church, begin-
ning as early as 1852, schemes for selling the old build-
ing and moving further uptown had been proposed, once
resulting in quite a large subscription for the purpose,
and again in really purchasing a lot on Delaware Ave-
nue, at the corner of Park Place. But the locality not
meeting favor with a large number of the subscribers, it
was eventually abandoned. The question of consolida-
tion with Christ Church had also been taken up; and
although both vestries seemed favorable to the project,
objections seemed constantly to arise, until our vestry
became discouraged and gave up the hope of ever getting
the congregation out of the old locality. These few
words cover the experiences of several years, but the
details would not be interesting reading. Doctor Inger-
soll, also, grieved and disappointed by the failure of the
project which seemed to promise prosperity and unity
for the church, with much sorrow resigned his rector-
ship. He had refused the position of one of the assistant
ministers of Trinity Church, New York : he had been
elected to all the offices in the diocese which he was
34 History of Trinity Church
willing to accept, and had uniformly filled them with
honor to himself and his people, but his singularly un-
ambitious nature seemed to resist the idea of change,
even in promotion.
His letter of resignation was as follows:
I hereby resign the rectorship of Trinity Church, Buffalo, this
resignation to take place on the first day of March, 1874, the thir-
tieth anniversary of my incumbency of this parish.
It is exceedingly painful to sunder the bonds which have united
us for so many years in such a sacred relationship, but I deem it
best that a separation should take place. For many years my
relations to Trinity Church were everything I could have wished
them to be, marked as they were by kind attentions, Christian
sympathy, and evidences of attachment too strong and numerous
ever to be forgotten. And, indeed, I have reason to believe that
towards me personally there still remain very strong feelings of
attachment. But all this can never compensate for the loss of what
I deem to be the vital interests of this parish.
The indifference evinced by a large and influential portion of
the congregation on the matter of the erection of a new church edi-
fice (a project which was entered upon with so much enthusiasm in
the spring of 1871), the greatly diminished number of those who
attend the public worship of the church, the neglect — and in some
cases the absolute refusal — to pay the taxes and rents, — these,
and other things which might be mentioned, are indications of
apathy, which, if not arrested, must result in increasing languish-
ment and decay, and, ultimately, in the extinction of the parish.
May the good Lord avert from it such a dreadful catastrophe !
May He direct you to the choice of a worthy successor to the rec-
torship— a man who can meet the difficulties and dangers which
encompass our beloved parish with more wisdom and zeal and
energy and endurance than your present rector can command.
Affectionately your pastor,
EDWARD INGERSOLL.
Trinity Church Rectory,
October nth, A. D. 1873.
Reverend Edward Ingersoll 35
Doctor Ingersoll was ultimately induced to extend
his services to Easter Monday. The vestry, in accepting
their rector's resignation, passed the following resolutions :
Resolved : that in accepting the resignation of the Reverend
Edward Ingersoll, D. D., as rector of this parish, we do so with
feelings of pain and sorrow which no words of ours can adequately
express, and which we are confident are shared by every member
of this parish. For a period of thirty years he has been our pastor,
teacher, and friend ; he has broken to us the bread of life ; he has
preached to us with impressive earnestness and power the Gospel
of the Everlasting Kingdom ; he has rejoiced with us in all our joys,
and sympathized with and consoled us in every sorrow and afflic-
tion ; and in all the sacred and endearing relations of pastor and
people he has been united to us by ties of ever increasing tender-
ness and strength. We shall never cease to feel the debt of grati-
tude and affection we have for him, and we invoke upon his future
years the bountiful blessings of Heaven.
JAMES M. SMITH,
ROBERT HOLLISTER,
SAMUEL K. WORTHINGTON.
February 10th, 1874.
Having for the sake of continuity continued the his-
tory of Doctor Ingersoll's pastorate up to the time of
his resignation, it is necessary to retrace our steps and
record some of the important events, as well as the names
of individuals prominent in the affairs of the parish for
many years.
In 1855, the committee from the vestry for procuring
subscriptions for a new church was, Henry W. Rogers,
Stephen V. R. Watson, John M. Hutchinson, Alexander
A. Evstaphieve, and George L. Newman.
In 1857, Mr. Rushmore Poole, having had the super-
vision of the choir for nineteen consecutive years, signified
2,6 History of Trinity Church
his intention to withdraw. His duty had been for some
years combined with those of treasurer and of clerk of the
vestry. The vestry passed a resolution of thanks to
him for his faithful administration during the whole
period of the existence of the parish.
Other names connected with the parish, suggested
from memory, are Doctor and Mrs. Charles Winne, Mr.
and Mrs. Cyrus P. Lee, Mr. and Mrs. Samuel M. Welch,
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas C. Welch, Doctor Austin Flint,
Oscar F. Crary, Curtis L. Brace, Mrs. Jason Sexton, Mrs.
Thomas Perkins, Mrs. E. V. Smith, General Bennet Riley
and family, Charles Pickering, Mr. and Mrs. William
Williams, Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Maynard, Aaron D.
Patchin, Mr. and Mrs. John Hollister, Mr. and Mrs. Wil-
liam Lovering, Hugh and John Allen, Judson Hanan,
Robert A. Brown, Harry Thompson, John H. Vought,
James C. Harrison, David P. Dobbins, Doctor John
Hauenstein, Miss E. Clark, Edward B. Smith, General
and Mrs. Berry, S. F. Sherman, Edward H. Dutton, S.
Brush, L. D. Caldwell, Theodore and Julia McKnight,
Henry C. Winslow, George Gorham, John Ganson,
Moses Smith, T. P. Clarkson, James W. Brown, Jesse C.
Dann, Charles Ensign, William B. Peck, Andrew G. C.
Cochrane, Ammi W. Cutter, Robert H. Stevens, Joseph
L. Fairchild, Charles G. Irish, Cornelius R. Ganson,
Moses M. Richmond, Gibson T. Williams, William L.
Dorsheimer, Henry L. Lansing, Bronson C. Rumsey,
Sylvester F. Mixer, Charles R. Gold, Cyrus Clarke,
George L. Clinton, Doctor Thomas F. Rochester, Isaac
W. Brownell, Augustus C. Taylor, Albert Barnard, Shel-
don Pease, Orson Phelps, Thomas Kasson, Chandler J.
Wells, F. A. Newbould, Doctor Frederick S. Dellenbaugh,
Reverend Edward Inger soil ■%>!
Cyrenius C. Bristol, William A. Bird, junior, Townsend
Davis, Frank W. Fiske, Edward B. Smith, Henry R.
Watson, William E. Foster, Mrs. Elizabeth Porter, Miss
Sabina Morris. The early records having been lost,
probably in their removal from the old church, it is im-
possible to verify the list.
In i860 the name of Rufus L. Howard appears in the
list of the vestry. From that time till the year of his
death, 1896, he has been a valued and constant friend
and adviser of the rector and vestry, and was warden for
many years. It is still a pleasant memory with the
congregation to recall the handsome, erect figures of
David P. Dobbins and Rufus L. Howard walking up the
aisle to leave their offerings at the altar.
In 1863 the name of James McCredie, the lifelong
friend and the generous benefactor of the new church,
appears on the vestry. This date also marks the death
of Henry Daw, warden since the time of the organization
of the parish. Mr. Robert Hollister became his successor.
His name and that of Mrs. Hollister are conspicuous in
the church annals, as well as in society.
In 1864 occurred the death of the loved and honored
Bishop De Lancey, the first bishop of Western New
York. The resolutions of the vestry are included in the
sketch of his life which has been given.
In 1867, Frederick Shadrake, the faithful servant and
sexton of the parish, died, and a resolution of regret was
passed by the vestry.
The year 1868 is marked in the church annals by the
death of its former rector, Bishop Hawks. The action
of the vestry was as follows, James M. Smith presenting
the memorial:
38 History of Trinity Church
Inasmuch as it has pleased Almighty God in His wise provi-
dence to remove from his earthly labors the Right Reverend Cicero
Stephens Hawks, D. D., Bishop of Missouri, we, the rector, war-
dens, and vestrymen of Trinity Church, Buffalo, (of which he was
the first rector,) assembled to take action suitable to this mournful
occasion, and place upon record this memorial of our affection for
our first rector, and of our grief at the death of a distinguished and
faithful soldier and servant of the cross.
He came to this parish in the year 1837, but a few months after
its organization, and for nearly seven years he labored with singu-
lar zeal and wisdom to establish it upon firm foundations, to enlarge
its borders, and to build it up in strength and beauty.
As we look back to those years of his faithful, devout, and ear-
nest labors among us, we feel how deeply this parish was indebted
to him, under God, for its rapid growth, its uniform prosperity, for
its present stability, and for the efficiency, harmony, and charity
which have marked its history.
Called and divinely consecrated to the work of a bishop in the
church, he illustrated in that new and wider field of labor the same
noble gifts and graces which had made him the successful rector.
Zealously devoting himself to the work of carrying to every part of
his widely extended diocese the glad tidings of the gospel of Christ,
he was indeed "an example of the believer, in word, in conversa-
tion, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity."
Amid many trials and discouragements he ever labored faith-
fully to do the work of an evangelist and make full proof of his
ministry. He has left upon his diocese the impress of his life and
character, and the good seed which he has sown will, we hope and
pray, bear abundant fruit to the glory of God.
But it was not only in the duties of his holy office that we recall
his worth and mourn his loss, but as a scholar of polished learning
and varied attainments, as a Christian gentleman unsurpassed in
the true graces and courtesies of life, as a bright example in all the
sweet, delightful relations of social existence, as a citizen and
a patriot whose loyalty to his country's cause and honor in the hour
of her trial shone unsullied by the prejudices of birth and associa-
tion. Of him can it be justly said, "All that a man and a Christian
should be, that he was." His Master called him in the midst of his
years, and he has gone to that rest and reward to which he looked
forward with the eye of faith.
Reverend Edward Ingersoll 39
He will long be mourned by those to whom he ministered in
spiritual things ; his memory and character will be the precious
heritage of his diocese ; and his name and fame will live in the an-
nals of the American Church.
J. McCREDIE,
Clerk of the Vestry.
May 1 2th, 186S.
This memorial was forwarded to the Reverend Mont-
gomery Schuyler, then in charge of a parish in Saint
Louis, and formerly rector of Saint John's Church,
Buffalo. In his letter of acknowledgment he says:
I thank you, in behalf of the Standing Committee, for being
thus remembered by the parish of Trinity Church in the day of our
bereavement. I will transmit one of the memorials to Mrs. Hawks,
and I have no doubt that it will be peculiarly grateful to her,
coming from a flock of whom the Bishop so often spoke with loving
tenderness.
Truly your friend,
M. SCHUYLER.
In 1 87 1 Mr. Henry W. Rogers removed to Michigan,
and severed his connection with the parish; and Mr.
James M. Smith, a long-time vestryman, was made war-
den in his place. Mr. Rogers was a prominent lawyer
and successful business man, and active in all the affairs
of the church. He was much missed, both in society
and in the parish. Mrs. Rogers's loss to the church and
community was deeply felt. A lady of the old school,
she was unpretentious and unassuming in character, and
won all hearts by her sweetness and sympathy.
Many representatives from central New York emi-
grated here in the early days, forming an intelligent and
high-toned circle, whose influence on Buffalo society is
still apparent. Among these were Mrs. Mark Sibley, a
40 History of Trinity Church
devout churchwoman and a most generous giver, and her
daughter, Mrs. John Ganson, whose lifelong sorrow in
the sudden death of her distinguished husband still has
sympathizers in those who knew and admired him in the
days so long ago; Doctor and Mrs. James P. White,
whose elegant home was the center of a gracefully dis-
pensed hospitality, and who were pronounced church
people, Doctor White being also one of the leading
practitioners in western New York; Mr. and Mrs. Lewis
Jenkins, with their lovely family of daughters, of whom
Mrs. Jason Sexton was one.
The golden wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins was
celebrated in i860, with a service of prayer and praise,
conducted by the Reverend Doctor Ingersoll. The Right
Reverend Bishop Coxeand the Reverend Doctor Shelton
were also present. One verse of the poem written in
their honor seemed to be verified in the closing days of
their life together:
"Now resting on life's steep ascent,
Its toilsome journey over,
They almost see the promised land
Across the flowing river ;
And standing by its swelling tide,
Thus, side by side, together,
How sweet to say, how sweet to know
It will be thus forever ! "
Mrs. Jenkins died in April, 1873, and her husband fol-
lowed her the next month. It was said of them : " Thus
have passed away two pure and beautiful lives, which,
though long withdrawn from the bustle and cares of
worldly excitement and business, will be cherished in the
Reverend Edward Ingersoll 4 1
memory of a living circle of friends as among the few
consistent examples of Christian character which reaped
to the full the promised reward, 'With long life will I
satisfy them, and show them my salvation.' The faith
which as members of our holy church they professed
in early life was their guide and solace during their long
earthly pilgrimage, and their household was ever con-
ducted in the simplicity and earnestness of the true fol-
lowers of Jesus."
Mr. and Mrs. Charles D. Norton were also from
Canandaigua ; and, though not members of Trinity, were
intimately associated with the names mentioned. John
Ganson, Charles D. Norton, and George Gorham are
names which have lent brilliance to the legal reputation
of Buffalo. Mr. and Mrs. H. L. Lansing also belonged
to this colony from central New York. Mr. Trumbull
Cary, though not a resident of Buffalo, was so near a
neighbor in Batavia, that, looking back to those early
times when important people all knew each other, he
seems almost like one of us. His son, Doctor Walter
Cary, was always a conspicuous figure, and his family for
many years filled two pews in old Trinity, and were
active workers in church and Sunday school. Doctor and
Mrs. Thomas F. Rochester, though of later date, came
from Geneva and represented the conservative element
so strong in these early residents. Mrs. Rochester, the
daughter of Bishop De Lancey, brought to her new home
the strong churchly principles in which she had been edu-
cated, remarkable literary culture, and the daily example
of duty first, which never dies or is forgotten. Doctor
Rochester was an extremely popular and beloved physi-
cian, and his death was deeply felt in the community.
42 History of Trinity Church
The custom of presenting memorials was not so gen-
eral in the early part of Doctor Ingersoll's rectorate as it
became under the new regime ; but we find a record that
the first font, which is now with the altar furnishings at
the Ingersoll Memorial Church, was purchased with the
money earned by little girls who made and sold holders
and other practical articles.
The ecclesiastical candlesticks which were first placed
on the altar of old Trinity were brought as a gift from
Europe by Miss Maria M. Love. Mrs. Cary and Miss
Elizabeth Love at the same time presented an embroi-
dered altar cloth and kneeling stool.
The importance of Mr. S. V. R. Watson's position in
the community has been elsewhere alluded to. His
interest in the progress of the city was also carried into
the affairs of the church, in which he was for several
years a vestryman. Since his death, Mrs. Watson has
been most liberal in her contributions towards beautify-
ing the new church. Two famous La Farge windows have
been donated by her as memorials to members of her
family. One belongs to the series of chancel windows,
and one is placed in the memorial chapel. When the
latter was exhibited at the French Exposition by the
artist, he was offered a large price for it by the French
government. But the first patron would not resign her
claim, and it is now a lasting monument to his fame, in
the church which some one has said will eventually be the
Mecca to which all lovers of artistic work of that kind
will journey for study and instruction. Other very beauti-
ful windows in the same style are from Tiffany & Co.,
New York. Most of the windows were presented during
the rectorate of Doctor Van Bokkelen.
Reverend Edward Ingersoll 43
The Ladies' Aid Society insured Doctor Ingersoll's
life. The memory of the first two wardens, Henry Daw
and Captain Samuel L. Russell, was perpetuated by the
erection of tablets within the church, which have since
been removed to the memorial chapel of new Trinity.
That of Captain Russell was the gift of Bishop Hawks.
Later, a tablet was erected to the memory of Jerry Rad-
cliffe, which also has been removed to the new church.
He was an unassuming and accomplished gentleman,
who figured quite prominently in the early annals of the
city, and who had several beautiful daughters, afterwards
known as Mrs. Robert Hollister, Mrs. William Laverack,
Mrs. James A. Cowing, Mrs. Walter Joy, and Mrs. Thomas
Kip.
Upon Doctor Ingersoll's retirement from Trinity he
accepted the temporary charge of Saint Peter's Church,
Niagara Falls, where he remained two years. On his
return to Buffalo, he consented to accept the chaplaincy
of the Church Home, and by a resolution of the rector
and vestry of Trinity Church, he was elected rector
emeritus, which honor was conveyed to him with the
accompanying testimony:
The wardens and vestry of Trinity Church, in common with
the parishioners, bear in grateful remembrance the long and faith-
ful services of Doctor Ingersoll as their rector; and whereas the
present rector has suggested and requested that he be elected rec-
tor emeritus of Trinity Church, be it resolved that the position be
tendered to Doctor Ingersoll as a token of the esteem of his former
parishioners, and that he be requested to unite with them at public
worship, taking such part as may be convenient to himself, and
with the express understanding that he assumes no labor or respon-
sibility by acceptance of the position, except such as he may volun-
tarily choose to undertake.
44 History of Trinity Church
His reply was cordial and characteristic, in which he
said:
I accept the position, assuring you, gentlemen, that I appreci-
ate very highly the honor thus conferred upon me. It will be a
blessed privilege to unite with you at public worship, in the same
church where for so many years I served in the sacred ministry,
and it will afford me much pleasure to assist your esteemed rector
from time to time, in such services as may be agreeable to him.
Bishop Coxe, in a letter to the vestry on this subject,
writes as follows:
Assure the vestry of the great respect with which I review their
action, honorable as it is to all parties concerned ; a fitting tribute
to the honored and beloved divine who so long served them under
God, and most creditable to the present incumbent, without whose
liberal proposal the vestry could not have tendered such a distinc-
tion to his reverend predecessor.
It is pleasant to discover that long, faithful, and stainless min-
istrations at the altar are not always forgotten.
I pray that Doctor Ingersoll may long be spared to adorn this
position, and that every good result may attend this action of the
rector and vestry.
A. CLEVELAND COXE,
Bishop of Western New York.
The ending of this long and beautiful life came sud-
denly at the Church Home, on the evening of February
6th, 1883, the evening of Ash Wednesday. Peacefully,
sweetly, without one pang of suffering or dread, " he was
not, for God took him." The news of Doctor Ingersoll's
death sent a thrill of regret through the community,
deep and heartfelt at the loss of so noble a man. None
stood higher in the estimation of the public. Of impos-
ing presence and deep learning, he filled a pulpit as few
Edward Ingersoll
1875
Reverend Edward Ingersoll 45
other men can. Notwithstanding his age, his form was
erect and vigorous, and his voice had a sonorous, mu-
sical ring which will never be forgotten by those who
heard it. As a man and a Christian he was known of
all men, and honored of all.
Mr. James N. Matthews, as editor of the Express, was
long a unique figure in American journalism. His tren-
chant pen was a terror to his enemies, or those whose
course he condemned; but to his friends never knight
bore himself more gallantly than he. Generous, sympa-
thetic, and tender, his facile pen ever expressed the most
touching sympathy for his friends in affliction. A prom-
inent member of the Episcopal church, and vestryman of
Saint John's, all the church charities received liberally
from his hands; and in the diocesan conventions, as well
as in the administration of church affairs at home, his
voice rang out clear and true. When Saint John's church
was divided, the most influential part coming up town
with Christ Church, he chose to continue his allegiance
to his old parish; and as his church life began there,
there it should end. No one has spoken of our deceased
rector with higher appreciation or more tender sympathy
than he, and we are glad to put on record in this history
his beautiful tribute to the memory of Doctor Ingersoll,
which appeared in the columns of the Buffalo Express
and which carries with it a touching proof of Mr.
Matthews's love and respect for the Doctor.
There never was within our knowledge a more truly lovable
character than that which endeared Edward Ingersoll to the hearts
of all who had the honor and pleasure of his acquaintance.
And this is but the simplest form of eulogy that will spring un-
bidden to the lips of all who speak of him as they knew him,
46 History of Trinity Church
whether as the brilliant and singularly handsome young minister
who came to Buffalo when elected rector of Trinity Church nearly
forty years ago, or as the faithful spiritual guide and domestic friend
who went in and out among his flock during a pastorate of over
thirty years, or as the venerable and distinguished clergyman who
in his later life cheerfully took upon himself the ill-requited and
humble chaplaincy of the Home for Destitute and Aged Women,
and Orphans. Never was there a man less selfish, never a man
more charitable, never a clergyman more devoted. There was
this remarkable thing about Doctor Ingersoll — the universal affec-
tion which came to him as the natural tribute to his own affectionate
disposition. He was admired for those noble gifts which shone
alike in the study, at the desk, and in the pulpit. To hear him read
the church service was at once a lesson and a comfort, for he
always read as he felt, and that was, as he once said to a friend, as
if he must read for more than a man's life, — for his soul !
To hear him preach was to enjoy an intellectual feast with edi-
fication. He was respected for his utterly unselfish devotion to
duty. But he was all-loved because it seemed that he was almost
Godlike in his love for his fellow-men. He was loved for himself
because he was himself. He was loved as one loves a little child,
because of all men he was most childlike, in that supreme unworld-
liness and that sweet trustfulness which are so rarely found in chil-
dren of a larger growth.
Yet this true Christian's life was one long exemplification of
that mystery of affliction which causes men to wonder at the
workings of Providence. Sometimes it seemed that unmerited
misfortunes fell upon him faster and heavier than poor human-
ity could bear. He had a large family : some of the children fell
sick and died ; their beloved mother was a hopeless invalid for
many years, and he was her constant nurse ; she was taken from
him at last when the younger ones that were left most needed a
mother's care.
In his prime, he subdued the promptings of honorable ambition
and refused such high preferment in the church as would have
brought him wealth and distinction, to remain here, where duty
called him early. Yet, when past his prime, he left that cherished
charge for a point of principle, in respect to the temporalities of the
parish, although it might almost be said he knew not where to
lay his head.
Reverend Edward Ingersoll 47
He was never more truly great than when he made that severe
sacrifice. Doctor Ingersoll was "a man of sorrows and acquainted
with grief," yet in his old age he could look back with resignation
upon his long record of suffering and say,
" Time has laid his hand
Upon my heart, gently, not smiting it,
But as a harper lays his open palm
Upon his harp, to deaden its vibrations."
And the end was peace !
The funeral services were held in Trinity Church. The
ladies decorated and draped the church in accordance
with the well-known simple tastes of the late rector
emeritus. Bishop Coxe, the Reverend Doctor John W.
Brown of Saint Paul's, and the Reverend Doctor Van
Bokkelen, assisted by the Episcopal clergy of the city,
conducted the service. The remains rested in a red
cedar casket, cloth-covered, with trimmings of silver. It
bore this inscription :
Edward Ingersoll,
Born November 26th, 1810,
Died February 6th, 1883.
The honorary pallbearers were William Laverack,
William H. Walker, Samuel K. Worthington, A. Porter
Thompson, Cyrus P. Lee, James M. Smith ; the carriers
were John Kimberly, George Gorham, Thomas Cary,
George E. Laverack, Hobart Weed, Albert B. Sprague.
On All Saints' Day following his death, a large alms
basin of hammered silver, a set of altar books, and a
handsome marble tablet were presented as memorials of
Doctor Ingersoll.
Bishop Coxe preached a sermon in his memory, of
which the text was " Mark the perfect man, and behold
48 History of Trinity Church
the upright: for the end of that man is peace." — Psalm
37 : 37. After general remarks on the feast of All Saints,
its place in the Christian year, and its practical consola-
tions, the Bishop said it was highly appropriate on this
occasion to recall the memory of the beloved servant of
Christ whose name must be forever associated with this
church.
For thirty years its pastor, he has bequeathed to it as a lasting
legacy his pure example and his lofty character. Last year, on
this very day, it was my privilege to stand with him at the altar of
the little chapel in the Church Home, and to mark the deep feeling
with which he ministered. More than once I saw tears in his eyes
as he read the touching words of the service, and I knew he was
recalling his own beloved dead, and drinking in at the same time
all the joy and comfort which are imparted by the words of Him
who is the resurrection and the life. At that time two presbyters of
this diocese survived, and still went in and out among us, who
stood in the first rank of our clergy, whose long and faithful services
had endeared them to the whole community, and who were honored
by the diocese as its foremost men. They were indeed like those
twin columns which adorned the portals of the ancient temple, the
one a token of humility and the other of strength, the one indicating
reliance on the Most High, while the other gave an example of
human effort. The one reminded me of the Ionic pillar in its
beauty and classic grace ; the other always stood like a Doric col-
umn, a solid and enduring support to whatever rested upon his
shoulders.
There was in their very forms and features respectively a cor-
responding character ; both were men of marked personal dignity,
and of distinguished presence; but the one was conspicuously
graceful, and even beautiful, while the other was noble in expres-
sion—rather austerely so than otherwise, for it was only in social
intercourse that it beamed with kindness and became benign.
Each had his appropriate work and sphere, and each attracted
appreciating and admiring friends. Together they contributed
largely to make the church known and loved in this city, where
they lived so long as fellow-workers, and with which they were so
Reverend Edward Ingersoll 49
identified that as I returned hither last evening it seemed as if the
very streets were changed now that Ingersoll and Shelton are no
more.
In choosing a text I might have taken Nathaniel's eulogy, and
applied it to Ingersoll, for he was "without guile" ; but I thought
rather of that one example of Holy Scripture, of one who could be
faithful and yet give no offense to any. ' ' Demetrius hath good
report of all men, and of the truth itself." There was but one
Demetrius, and our Ingersoll was like him.
The text I have cited, however, suits the occasion better, for
God gave him many trials, but an end so marked in its beauty that
it seemed to be the index of his complete and upright career —
" The end of that man is peace." And after his many sorrows, his
discipline of years, his loss of one to whose virtues the tablet on
these walls bears witness, and the griefs of infirmity and age, what
a gift of God was such an end as his ! Amid the poor and needy,
to whom he ministered so lovingly ; in that home of little children,
whom he resembled so closely in purity of heart; — it came to pass
that "the angel touched him about the time of the evening obla-
tion," and so "he was not, for God took him."
Very appropriate and beautiful memorials were passed
by the vestry of Saint Paul's, the Board of Managers of
the Church Home, and a sad tribute of regret from the
vestry of Trinity.
On the first Sunday in Lent, while old Trinity still
wore its heavy drapery of black in memory of the late
rector emeritus, the rector, the Reverend Doctor Van
Bokkelen, in the course of his sermon spoke thus feel-
ingly of him:
The dear and Christian man whom we buried ran well his race,
and now the prize is his. His works do follow him. Thoughts of
these works are today in many minds. There are sweet memories
of his words, fragrant recollections of his deeds. Could we hold
converse with him this the first Lord's Day in the palace of the
King, he would tell us of the rapture his completed work brings to
his sanctified spirit, and how it yearns to have the work finished
d
5<d History of Trinity Church
which was left incomplete. He reviews his thirty years of labor in
this church. He sees those whom he received into covenant with
Christ by holy baptism, the goodly company which he marshaled
for the laying on of apostolic hands, the great army which he ad-
mitted to holy communion, and for whom he broke the bread of
life. He counts them as a shepherd numbers his flock that he
may know whether they are still safe in the fold. He thinks of
those to whom he called, "Turn ye ; why will ye die? " but they
gave no heed — men and women with whom he pleaded with ear-
nestness, eloquence, and pathos, "Be ye reconciled to God!"
What think you his earnest desire now is ? It is that you join hands
with Jesus.
REQUIESCAT IN PACE.
Arthur Cleveland Coxe
1866
Bishop Coxe
A RTHUR CLEVELAND COXE, D. D., LL. D.,
/\ D. C. L. (Oxon.), bishop of the diocese of West-
■* *• ern New York, was born in Mendham, New
Jersey, May ioth, 1 8 1 8. He was the son of the Reverend
Samuel Hanson Cox, a celebrated Presbyterian divine.
In 1820 the family moved to New York, where the
future bishop received his early education. He was
graduated from the University of New York in 1838,
and passed thence to the General Theological Seminary,
where he commenced his studies for holy orders in 1841.
He was ordained deacon by Bishop Onderdonk, in
Saint Paul's Chapel, New York, June 27th, 1841, and
took charge of Saint Ann's Church, Morrisania. On
September 25th, 1842, he was ordained to the priesthood
by Bishop Brownell, of Connecticut; and in the same
year took charge of Saint John's Church, Hartford, where
he remained until 1854, when he accepted the rectorship
of Grace Church, Baltimore, Maryland. In 1856 he
was elected bishop of Texas, but declined. In 1863 he
became rector of Calvary Church, New York, where he
remained until he was elected coadjutor bishop of West-
ern New York, in 1865. He was consecrated in Trinity
Church, Geneva, January 4th, 1865. The bishops present
were the right reverend doctors De Lancey, Hopkins,
McCoskry, Horatio Potter, Odenheimer, and Talbot. On
April 5th of the same year Bishop De Lancey died, and
his coadjutor became the second bishop of Western New
5 2 History of Trinity Church
York. He received the degree of Doctor of Divinity
from the University of Durham, England, and Saint
James's College, Hagerstown, Maryland, in 1856; that
of Sacrae Theologiae Doctor from Trinity College, Hart-
ford, in 1868; and that of Doctor of Laws from Kenyon
College, Gambier, Ohio, in 1868. In 1868 his diocese
was divided, and Central New York was committed to
other hands. In 1872, the church in Hayti was placed
in his charge. He made a visitation to the island, con-
secrated the Church of the Holy Trinity, a memorial of
Bishop Burgess, ordained six priests and five deacons,
and administered the rite of confirmation to a large
number of candidates. Bishop Coxe retained the charge
of the Haytian church until the consecration of its own
bishop, Doctor J. T. Holley, in 1874. Bishop Coxe
always took an active interest in oup missions in Greece,
and the extension of the church in Mexico. He was a
faithful friend to Pere Hyacinthe, and took an active
interest in the cause of the Old Catholics in Germany.
His " Apology for the English Bible " led to the sup-
pression of the new and crude revision of the King
James version made at great cost by the American Bible
Society.
The Union Chretienne, a periodical printed in Paris in
the interests of Gallicanism by the Abbe Guettee, pub-
lished a series of articles from his pen on the subject of
Anglican orders.
In 1869 he published an " Open Letter to Pius IX."
in answer to the brief convoking the Vatican Council.
This was widely translated and circulated all over Eu-
rope. In 1872 he published in Paris his work "L'episco-
pat de l'occident," a new presentation of the history of the
Bishop Coxe 53
Church of England, and in refutation of Roman Catholic
attacks. In 1873, in conjunction with Bishop Wilber-
force and others, he engaged in a serial publication issued
in Oxford in defense of Anglo-Catholic principles against
either extreme. He sympathized with the Oxford move-
ment so far as it moved within the bounds of Anglo-
Catholicity, but he left it as a party after the defection of
Doctor Newman; and in 1866 he further clearly defined
his position by the publication of " The Criterion," which
was republished in England. He was editor in chief of
an American edition of the Edinburgh translation of the
antenicene fathers.
Among Bishop Coxe's other writings are " Sermons
on Doctrine and Duty " (1855), " Impressions of Eng-
land" (1856), "Thoughts on the Services" (1859),
"Moral Reforms" (1869), "Apollos; or, The Way of
God " (1873), " Christian Institutes " (1887), " Letters to
Satolli " (1894). Besides these he has published a large
number of tracts, editions, and translations of foreign
works, sermons, letters, lectures, and pamphlets, and has
been a constant contributor to our leading church reviews
and magazines.
Great as a theologian, he was perhaps still more
widely known in the field of general literature. He was
a poet of great ability, and his many beautiful hymns
have given him an immortal fame. "Advent: a Mys-
tery," " Athwold," " Athanasion, and Other Poems,"
" Hallowe'en," " The Ladye Chace," besides many occa-
sional poems at divers times, have come from his gifted
pen. But particularly his " Christian Ballads," have made
his name a household word in every Christian land.
Many there are who say the reading of these poems has
54 History of Trinity Churcli
shaped their lives and made them the churchmen they are;
for the poetic temperament not only wins by its enthusi-
asm but convinces by its truth.
On Friday, January 3d, 1890, at Saint Paul's Cathe-
dral, Buffalo, was commemorated the twenty-fifth anni-
versary of the Bishop's consecration. The choirs of the
several churches of the city, numbering two hundred
white-robed choristers, rendered the music. Over eighty
of the clergy were present, and the Right Reverend
Henry C. Potter, D. D., bishop of New York, preached
the sermon. On this memorable occasion the Reverend
Doctor Rankine delivered a congratulatory address to
the Bishop, and presented, in behalf of the clergy of the
diocese, a pastoral staff of exquisite workmanship ; and,
in behalf of the trustees of the De Lancey Divinity
School and Hobart College, a rare copy of a polyglot
Book of Common Prayer. The chancellor of the diocese,
Judge James M. Smith, presented the Bishop a purse of
two thousand five hundred dollars, the gift of the laymen
of the diocese.
As already stated, in 1868 the diocese was divided,
and the portion ceded became the diocese of Central
New York. That which remains is today greater, in
number of clergy, families, and communicants, than the
original diocese; and the value of the church property
has vastly increased. We cannot call to mind these
manifold blessings but with the deepest gratitude to
Almighty God. Said Bishop Potter in his anniversary
sermon: "The years come and go, men arise, move in
their little sphere, and disappear. But in this diocese
Hobart and De Lancey will never be forgotten — nay,
nor, thank God, another ! "
Arthur Cleveland Coxe
[888
Bishop Coxe 55
Verily, Hobart, De Lancey, and Coxe will never be
forgotten. And with deepest fervency of heart we say,
" Blessed Lord, we render unto Thee high laud and
worthy thanks ; as for all Thy mercies, so especially for
all Thou hast wrought for us through choice vessels of
Thy grace, who have shone as lights of the world in
their several generations, and who do now rest from
their labors."
We must leave the details of the clerical, as well as
the literary, history of Bishop Coxe to receive full justice
at the hands of his biographer. We trust ere long such
memoirs will be published, and become the treasured
possession, not only of his diocese, but of the church at
large and the world of letters.
On July 20th, 1896, the diocese of Western New
York received the startling and afflicting news of the
death of their beloved bishop. He had been quite ill at
Clifton Springs, but only a day or two previous had
written that he was much better and would soon be able
to resume his duties. Then came the appalling message
that we should see his face no more. The end came, as
he himself had desired, in the midst of labors and with
plans ready formed for renewed efforts in the cause that
was so near his heart.
In accordance with the notice of the standing com-
mittee, the obsequies of our revered diocesan were ob-
served at Trinity Church, Geneva, New York. A solemn
procession conveyed the remains from Clifton Springs to
Geneva. At the outskirts of the little city they were
met by the local clergy in carriages. The procession then
moved on to the church, while the bell solemnly tolled
in honor of the leader who had passed away. It had
56 History of Trinity Church
been the desire of the Bishop that everything connected
with the funeral services be extremely simple. He had
specified that nothing besides the ordinary service of
the church should be said. His wishes were carried out
as accurately as possible. The coffin was of solid oak
with a plain cross on the top, extending the full length
of it. The inscription upon the plate was as follows:
Arthur Cleveland Coxe,
Born May ioth, 1S18.
Died July 2oth, 1S96.
While the body lay in state at the foot of the chancel
steps, the casket was covered by a purple pall, and upon
it at the foot lay two branches of palm, crossed, and at
the head the Bishop's miter of purple velvet. The body
was clad in the robes in which the Bishop had been con-
secrated before that altar thirty-one years before. Be-
side him was the plain black walnut staff which he had
used from the beginning of his episcopate. The vestry of
the church constituted themselves a guard of honor over
the body. Two clergymen stood, one at the head, the
other at the foot, of the bier, as watchers through the
night. During the day the church doors were open,
. and a great throng of people of all classes, young and
old, rich and poor, came to look for the last time upon
the noble face of him they had so loved.
He was laid to rest in the shadow of the church so
dear to him. Over ninety clergymen were present, and
letters of sympathy had been received from nearly every
bishop of the American church. Nine bishops were
present. The hymns were, "My faith looks up to thee,"
"The strife is o'er," "For all the saints who from their
Bishop Coxe 57
labors rest," " Hark! the sound of holy voices," "On the
resurrection morning," and "Peace, perfect peace."
It was decided to use in the diocese for thirty days
the prayer composed by Bishop Coxe on the death of
Bishop De Lancey. The clergy, vestries, and numerous
church societies of the diocese passed beautiful and fit-
ting resolutions as tributes to the memory of Bishop
Coxe, and both the secular and religious press of the
country laid their laurels at the feet of him who was not
only one of the most conspicuous, but one of the most
picturesque figures in the Anglican communion. Sensi-
tive to every touch of nature, his heart responded to
every human appeal, entering into and sharing whatever
interested those with whom he dealt.
The memorial sermon by Bishop Doane was preached
in Saint Paul's Church, Buffalo, Sunday evening, October
4th, 1896, the text being from I. Corinthians 1:4-5: "I
thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of
God which is given you by Jesus Christ; that in every
thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in
all knowledge." Besides the hundred clergy of the dio-
cese, clad in their vestments and headed by the bishop
of Albany, there were present many clergymen from
other cities, among them the rector of Grace Church,
Baltimore, in which Bishop Coxe is so affectionately
remembered as former rector. Seats were reserved in
front for all the clergy of different denominations in the
city, and there were many to pay their respects to his
memory. As it is impossible to give the full account
of this service, we will merely quote the portion of
Bishop Doane's sermon relating to Bishop Coxe's poetic
gifts and utterances.
58 History of Tri7tity Church
The current that set most strongly through the natural temper-
ament of the Bishop was the poetic current, in the best sense of
that word, and it had its spring and rise neither in Arethusa nor
Castaly, but in "Siloa's brook, which flows fast by the oracle of
God."
Now, the poetic nature is not only creative, and not chiefly
imaginative ; it is intensely the gift of the seer. Standing as Elisha
did, before the marvelous sight of the taking away of his master,
the question whether the double portion of that master's spirit
should come on him turned on the single point — if he could see
him when he was taken away. And he did see him, and therefore
the mantle of the prophet fell on him. And it is always so. The
seer, the man who sees what is invisible to coarser eyes, is prophet
too. For sight not only discovers the things which are near and
unseen to others, but widens all horizons, lifts them, enlarges them,
carries them out and on. And when the seer speaks, he not only
reveals, but prophesies. Eminently Bishop Coxe had this gift, for
he was a true poet. And when he wrote " Dreamland " fifty years
ago, he was seeing and prophesying. Whatever dreams he dreamed
were like Jacob's, in a sleep that was pillowed upon stone, in much
hardness and loneliness, in the sense of divine presence, and with
the full realization of the old Homeric thought, "The dream is
from God." We forget, who have fallen into the easy heritage
of religious truths accepted, of ecclesiastical privileges assured, of
the glory of Catholic theology acknowledged, and of Catholic
worship adopted, we forget the far-sight and the foresight, the clear-
ness of wisdom and the courage of utterance, which belonged to
the leaders of fifty years ago. A thousand familiar and undisputed
things today were not only disputed but denied then ; and in that
line of men of whom Seabury and Hobart were the first, and my
father and Bishop Whittingham their successors in the older gen-
eration, Bishop Williams and Bishop Coxe were easily leaders in
the next.
Suspected, discredited, counted disloyal to the church, de-
nounced as Romans in disguise, these men were in the advance
guard ; they were of the hope that seemed at times forlorn. They
were pioneers who found and cleared the way ; and we who come
after them along a smooth and open path forget the risk and pain
and labor with which they won our liberties. Constantly it has
happened that the leaders of one generation became the holdbacks
Bishop Coxe 59
and drags of the next ; and the Bishop in his later days was play-
ing, to a degree, the role of the men who distrusted him. But the
priest who wrote "Dreamland," the priest who was filled with the
beauty of holiness, of the worship and reverence due to God's
house (into whose sanctuary I believe he never entered, when he
could avoid it, without taking the shoes of outdoor use from off his
feet), the priest who helped to restore the disused matins and even-
song, who was among the first to recognize the Holy Eucharist as
the chief act of worship, to be used at least on every Lord's Day,
who as bishop said in his last charge to his clergy, "The New
Testament tells us clearly to hallow the Lord's Day by the Lord's
Supper. This is our law and our rubric, and to this reformation
I call you all, in God's name"; the priest who was by nature
strict in the observance of all the niceties and proprieties and
dignities of divine service, and all this not recently, but fifty years
ago, is a man whom we ought to honor for his prophetic power
of insight and utterance, for the courage of his maintained posi-
tion in the far advance of the front rank to which the host has since
come up.
As an illustration of the difference between his earlier and
later experiences, the Bishop was fond of telling a story of his
walking, in his boyhood, to old Saint Luke's Church, New York,
by a path which led across open fields, on a Christmas morning ;
being especially drawn there in order that he might hear sung for
the first time Doctor Muhlenberg's Christmas carol, "Shout the
glad tidings, exultantly sing; Jerusalem triumphs, Messiah is
King ! " and counting it, as it undoubtedly was then, a rich addition
to the very scant and poor collection of Christmas hymns.
And while he was somewhat caustic and severe in his condem-
nation of our present hymnal, chiefly because the General Con-
vention decided to put it between the same covers with the Book
of Common Prayer, he not only rejoiced, but took no little part in
the first enlargement of our hymnology, from which, with most
positive determination, he absolutely excluded every hymn of his
own. I am quite clear that the last committee has been wiser than
he in this behalf, in that we have given to the church for use in its
treasures of sacred song many hymns of his composing. One of
them, at least,— "Saviour, Sprinkle Many Nations,"— is among the
first of our Christian lyrics, and among the most stirring of our
missionary hymns.
60 History of Trinity Church
One turns over page after page of his collection of "Christian
Ballads," struck by the true prophetic insight of his inspiration as
well as by the sonorous meter and rhythm of his verse. He cer-
tainly was enriched in all utterance, both of the eloquence which
means outspeaking, and the brilliant powers of the orator, and
enriched in the utterance of true poetic gifts.
I have spoken of the felicity of his utterance. And it will not,
I think, seem unnatural if I seek to set some of his own jeweled
words in the crown of honor, some fadeless bay from his laureate
brow in the fading leaves of this wreath of brotherly affection
which I am here to lay upon his tomb.
As a specimen of poetical interpretation of poetry, of appreci-
ative knowledge of nature, and its consecration, in his view of it, to
the service of God, and of keen sympathy, almost to realism, with
the idea and feeling of the seasons of the Christian year, nothing
can be finer than his "Carol," whose text is the passage in the
Song of Songs, "My beloved has gone down into his garden,"
that garden being
" The alleys broad
Of the Church of God,
Where Nature is green for aye."
He describes the complete banishment of winter from the church's
seasons, when the flowing font
" Still will gush
In free, full flush
At the cry of a little child."
And it is a bold thought that comes to him when the hues through
the colored windows tint it with " ruby stain "
" Of Moses' rod
And the Rocks of God,
That flushed in ruddy wine."
Really, the church's year seems more actual to him than the
seasons of the outdoor world.
" The gales through the woodland aisles "
to his ear
" Like the Lord's own organ blow ";
Bishop Coxe 61
and
is
The bush in the winter-time in his greenwood walk "
" Surpliced with snows, like the bending priest
That kneels in the church to pray."
He describes a Christian child in the church's care in these
words :
" Planted by the altar's pale,
The church, with catechising art,
Trains to the chancel's trellised rail
The wandering tendrils of the heart."
His visit to Iona, which he called "a Patmos of the frozen
north," stirs in him the memory of Seabury,
" Whose hand the rod of David's stem
The farthest westward bore,"
"Who crossed the seas
And brought from distant Aberdeen
Gifts of the old Culdees ";
and "The Blessed Island " inspires the play on names, with a word
of truth in it, —
" Columbia from Columba claims
More than great Colon brought."
There are phrases of his verse which are really epigrammatic
in their power. His description of an old-time New England
meeting-house as
" A pine-wood Parthenon or Pnyx,
A hippogriff of art,
By crude Genevan rites begot,
Half temple, and half mart;
A type of changing shifts,
A hall, low roofed and tinned,
On which a wooden Babel lifts
Its weather-cock to wind."
Or, in a more serious vein, in his description of Oxford as contain-
ing
" The cells where sages have been born
And human lore baptized."
62 History of Trinity Church
What he himself described in his dedication to Doctor Hobart
of the "Christian Ballads" as "the glistening dews of boyhood"
never dried upon his brow. The freshness of his spirit was peren-
nial. Within an hour of his death he was so absorbed in what his
companion called "an illuminating conversation " on the resurrec-
tion of the dead, that he lost all sense of time and trains, and of
the needed nourishment of food. And to the very end what he
called the "glow of his early vow" rested upon him like a halo, in
all its warmth and brightness.
I have not spoken of some rich utterances of the Bishop in the
volumes which he published from time to time. I have been con-
cerned more with the poetry of his younger days, which he called
himself " Hymns of my Boyhood," than with the ripe beauty of the
poems in his last volume called "The Paschal," because the earlier
verses had in them the poetic element of prophecy. And I have
omitted all mention of his "Thoughts on the Services," and of
" Apollos," not from lack of appreciation, but from lack of space
and time ; gladly acknowledging the debt that very few people owe
to them, as introductions, the one to a knowledge of the Book of
Common Prayer, and the other to a recognition of the place in
Christendom which is filled by this church as being the hope and
opportunity of Christian unity in the Catholicity of its Protestant-
ism and the Protestantism of its Catholicity. But the very lovely
memory of that gray summer day in Geneva last July almost
forces me to recall what I am sure was in all our hearts and seemed
to sound in our ears at the simple and beautiful service of his burial,
when we laid him
" To sleep where the church bells aye ring out."
" Our mother the church hath never a child
To honor before the rest,
But she singeth the same for mighty kings
And the veriest babe on her breast ;
And the bishop goes down to his narrow bed
As the plowman's child is laid,
And alike she blesseth the dark-browed sert
And the chief in his robe arrayed.
She sprinkles the drops of the bright new-birth
The same on the low and the high,
And christens their bodies with dust to dust,
When earth with its earth must lie.
Bishop Coxe 6
o
And wise is he in the glow of health
Who weaveth his shroud of rest,
And graveth it plain on his coffin-plate
That the dead in Christ are blessed."
By this partial quotation from the complete whole of
the memorial sermon, we can realize the appropriateness
of the text as applied to the character of Bishop Coxe —
richness, utterance, knowledge.
In the memory of his blessed " falling asleep," how
beautiful are the words of Bishop Coxe in regard to
the death of our beloved rector Doctor Ingersoll! Of
both it may be said, " The angel of the Lord waited for
them and bore them up on a shining cloud to heaven;
and their end was peace."
And then, said I, one thing there is
That I of the Lord desire,
That ever, while I on earth shall live,
I will of the Lord require,
That I may dwell in His temple blest
As long as my life shall be,
And the beauty fair of the Lord of Hosts
In the home of His glory see.
BISHOP COXE.
Christ Church
As originally designed
Consolidation of Christ Church
with Trinity
IN reaching the period in the history of Trinity Parish
when a change from their unfavorable location on
Washington and Mohawk streets to some point up-
town seemed imperative, a consolidation of the two
parishes of Trinity and Christ Church was strongly
urged; and early in 1883 the Reverend Doctor Van
Bokkelen, rector of Trinity Church, and the Reverend
A. Sidney Dealey, rector of Christ Church, had repeated
conferences upon the subject. When they had formu-
lated the plan, it was submitted to the vestries of the
churches, and a committee from each was appointed to
discuss the feasibility of such consolidation, and, if prac-
ticable, the method by which it should be accomplished.
A long and somewhat animated discussion ensued, in
which the various newspapers of the city took such an
active part that what at first was a matter of parish con-
cern rapidly enlarged into what seemed to be of vital
interest to the municipality.
Many difficulties presented themselves to the rectors
and vestries, some of them of an intricate legal nature.
There was a very strong undercurrent of feeling among
the parishioners of Christ Church against the movement,
because a small church rarely consolidates successfully
with a large one. The congregation was comparatively
a small one, but its members were united and much in
earnest in promoting the prosperity of the parish; and
e 65
66 History of Trinity Church
by the hearty cooperation and liberal offerings of all the
parishioners the mortgage of ten thousand dollars was
paid in February, 1882, and Christ Church stood free
from debt; and on the sixteenth of February, 1882, the
church was consecrated by the Right Reverend Arthur
Cleveland Coxe, D. D., bishop of the diocese. The ser-
mon on that occasion was preached by the Reverend O.
Witherspoon, rector of Saint James's Church, Birming-
ham, Connecticut, who had been the rector of Christ
Church on its first organization, and who came to rejoice
with his former parishioners in the prosperity of the
organization of which he had witnessed the beginning.
The Bishop also expressed to the congregation the great
joy of his heart at this time, for it had been filled with
anxiety, hope, and fear.
In view of all these circumstances, it was quite nat-
ural that the parishioners of Christ Church were opposed
to the consolidation. They were attached to their parish,
and felt that they had made very great sacrifices to free
it from debt; but the position of the church was not a
favorable one for a small parish ; it was surrounded by a
population belonging to other churches, and was shut oft
from participation in the growth which was taking place
in outlying parts of the city. The influence of the Bishop
was thrown in favor of the consolidation, and he urged
the parish, as a duty, to sink all personal and minor
differences and look at the matter in a broad, Christian
spirit, and in the light of the general interest of the
church.
Finally, all obstacles were removed; and on June
14th, 1884, Judge Lewis granted a decree of consolida-
tion between Trinity and Christ Church parishes, and a
Consolidation with CJirist Church 67
new corporation was organized, to be known as Trinity
Church, Buffalo. To this Christ Church gave its prop-
erty on Delaware Avenue, consisting of a lot eighty by
one hundred and seventy-eight feet, and the church
edifice, with all its other properties to a value of about
sixty thousand dollars. It was agreed that Trinity Parish
should purchase the adjacent lot on the north, eighty-five
by one hundred and seventy-eight feet, and erect thereon
a building to cost not less than seventy-five thousand
dollars, and to accommodate not less than seven hun-
dred and fifty persons. It was also agreed that in the
erection of the new Trinity Church " no encumbrance of
any kind shall be placed upon the present property ot
Christ Church." There was also a verbal agreement that
its church edifice should always be known as " Christ
Chapel," as an act of courtesy and remembrance of the
gift of the property to the new corporation.
The wardens and vestrymen till the first election, in
1885, were to be selected equally from Christ Church and
Trinity. The rector was to be the Reverend Libertus
Van Bokkelen, D. D., and the associate rector the Rev-
erend A. Sidney Dealey of Christ Church. A building
committee was selected from the two congregations, con-
sisting of the two rectors, and Messrs. Rufus L. Howard,
Leonidas Doty, Frank W. Fiske, Henry M. Watson,
Asaph S. Bemis, Peter C. Doyle, and Samuel D. Colie.
It was decided to build the new church upon the
same foundation which was laid in 1869 for Christ
Church, with the exception of the southern transept.
Divine worship was continued by the rectors — the
morning service at old Trinity on Washington Street, the
evening and week-day services at Christ Church.
68 History of Trinity Church
On Easter Day, 1885, the Reverend A. Sidney
Dealey resigned his position as associate rector, and
accepted the charge of Saint Luke's Church, Jamestown,
New York. Thus the whole duty of the consolidated
parishes devolved upon the rector of Trinity.
The new corporation owes its present structure and
position to the earnest and self-sacrificing work of Doctor
Van Bokkelen.
With the issuing of the decree of consolidation, the
existence of Christ Church ceased, and it has no further
history.
Note. — It is perhaps permissible to recall to a younger generation that
Christ Church parish was an offshoot from Saint John's Church, then situated on
the corner of Washington and Swan streets, and was started under the rectorship
of the Reverend Orlando Witherspoon in the year 1869. He was succeeded by
the Reverend M. C Hyde; and the third and last rector was the Reverend A.
Sidney Dealey, who began his work in the church on Advent Sunday, 1879. The
wardens at that time were Thomas Dennis and Asher P. Nichols. The vestrymen
were William G. Fargo, Albert P. Laning, Asaph S. Bemis, James G. Forsyth,
Samuel D.Colie, Hobart B. Loomis, C Valette Kasson, and Bronson C Rumsey.
— Editor.
Libertus Van Bokkelen
Reverend Libertus Van Bokkelen
1874-1886
ON the resignation of Doctor Ingersoll, the Rev-
erend Libertus Van Bokkelen, D. D., LL. D.,
was called to the rectorship of Trinity Church.
He brought to his new work a shrewd business capacity,
a fund of enthusiasm and energy, great tact in dealing
with men, and an unusual ability in the pulpit. Add to
this a sincere and heartfelt desire to promote the inter-
ests of the church and the great truths of the Christian
religion, and we can see he was well fitted for the crisis
in which he found himself placed.
He was born in the city of New York, July 22, 18 15,
the second in a family of thirteen children — eleven sons
and two daughters — all of whom reached adult years.
His paternal grandfather, a physician, came from Hol-
land in 1796, being exiled by the French government
because of his adherence to the House of Orange. He
brought with him two sons, the youngest of whom, the
father of the subject of this sketch, was educated in New
York as a merchant. Dr. Van Bokkelen's maternal grand-
father was a native of Wales, and thus the blood of two
sturdy nations was blended in his veins.
From the age of nine he was educated at boarding
schools. The last was the Flushing Institute, under Rev-
erend Doctor Muhlenberg, whose influence seemed to
shape his whole course in life, and to whose memory he
69
70 History of Trinity Church
was devoted. He was well qualified to be a teacher, as up
to the year 1 864, when he was forty-nine years of age,
he had never lived outside of a school or college, hav-
ing been either pupil, tutor, professor, or principal during
these years. In 1842 he took priest's orders, and for some
years combined the ministry with educational work. In
1845, by invitation of Bishop Whittingham, he went to
Catonsville, Maryland, where he founded the institution
known as Saint Timothy's Hall, which achieved great suc-
cess. It accommodated one hundred and fifty students,
who were organized under military discipline. To this
institution the legislature of Maryland granted a liberal
charter with all the usual collegiate power in conferring
degrees. This success gave Doctor Van Bokkelen a wide
reputation, and he was not only honored in his own state,
but received invitations to various other parts of the
Union to establish schools and collegiate institutions.
The Civil War broke up his associations in Maryland,
as has been before alluded to. During the war Doctor
Van Bokkelen was an ardent, active, and aggressive Union
man, and did all he could to sustain the loyal sentiment
of the community in which he resided. He was an origi-
nal Abolitionist, and looked back with sincerest satisfac-
tion to his early interest in that cause ; and in speaking
of it once said, " Thank God, I have lived to see slavery
abolished, and America the home of the free ! "
He received the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws
from La Fayette and Marshall College, Pennsylvania.
At length, with great regret on his own part, and that
of the community of Catonsville, he decided to remove
to Mount Morris, in western New York, where he re-
mained until called to the rectorship of Trinity Church.
Reverend Liber tus Van Bokkelen 7 1
He was married in 1850 to Amelia, youngest daughter
of John Netterville D'Arcy, formerly a leading mer-
chant of Baltimore, and had a family of five children.
At the time of his removal to Buffalo, his wife was in
delicate health, and died a few years later. The marked
characteristic of the family was their loyal and affection-
ate devotion to each other. The elder daughter married
and went to Baltimore; the younger died quite suddenly
before her invalid mother; and since the Doctor's death
his son Libertus, who had been ordained a priest in the
church, has also passed to his reward. Death and sorrow
have broken up the once happy family circle, and the echo
of its sadness still lingers with those who remain.
Doctor Van Bokkelen was rector of Trinity Church
for twelve years, and during that time added materially
to its prosperity by his untiring energy. From the time
of his assuming the rectorate his mind was fixed on
bringing about the consolidation of the two parishes of
Trinity and Christ, which had already been attempted
without success. In an eloquent sermon which he
preached on this subject, he closed with these words:
" In the name of the Lord, go forward ! Halt no longer
between two opinions. What thy hand findeth to do,
do it with all thy might. Count it a privilege to be-
gin this work, so often thought of, so earnestly desired,
so long delayed. It will give you great joy; it will im-
part fresh life and vigor to the whole church in Buffalo;
it will arouse enthusiasm which will command success."
Happily this wise project was at length fulfilled, and
Doctor Van Bokkelen, while attending to his daily parish
duties, added to them his consultations with the vestry
on the building of the new church. The ladies of the
72 History of Trinity Church
parish formed a furnishing society, worked long and
faithfully, and earned by their sales sufficient money to
carpet and cushion the church, to pay for the large rose
window which was put in by La Farge, and to do much
towards the completing of the guild rooms. All the
societies of the church were in active working condition.
The mothers' meetings, held Wednesday evenings in the
Sunday school room, usually comprised from forty to
sixty women and a few grown boys and girls. After a
prayer and the singing of hymns, the reading of some
interesting book closed the service. There was also a
kitchen garden class. A cooperative society for the help
of the poor in connection with the Charity Organization
Society was started.
The Sunday school was prosperous, and the congrega-
tion seemed at last roused to interest and enthusiasm in
church work. The sale of the old church property was
made to the Liedertafel Musical Association, and the pur-
chase of the new lot adjoining Christ Chapel on Delaware
Avenue having been satisfactorily accomplished, rector,
congregation, and workmen were all busily preparing for
the removal.
On July 22d, 1884, the corner stone of new Trinity
Church was laid. The lot on Delaware Avenue adjoin-
ing Christ Church had been secured at the price of six-
teen thousand dollars, and the same foundation was used
that years before had been begun for Christ Church.
The plans for this church, made in 1869 by Arthur Gilman,
of New York, were adapted to the new requirements by
Mr. Cyrus K. Porter; and Messrs. Charles Berrick and
John Briggs, contractors, were engaged to construct the
building. The ceremony of laying the corner stone was
Reverend Liberties Van Bokkelen j^
participated in by Bishop Coxe, twenty clergymen, the
surpliced choirs of Trinity and Saint Luke's, the vestries
of Trinity and Christ churches, and the members of the
building committee; and witnessed by a congregation of
several hundred people. At five o'clock the imposing
ecclesiastical procession issued from the chapel and
proceeded to the platform erected for the ceremonial.
After an appropriate service the Reverend A. Sidney
Dealey read a list of the articles deposited in the box
beneath the corner stone. There was a Hebrew Bible,
procured by Doctor Van Bokkelen, a book of common
prayer and a hymnal owned by Doctor Ingersoll, and
also the last sermon preached by him as rector of old
Trinity, April, 1874. When the stone had been lowered
into its place, the bishop, clergy, and choristers returned
to the chapel, where the ritual was concluded with
prayer and benediction.
A new organ had been placed in the old church,
which was ultimately removed to the new one. A
plan for choral singing was made by the Doctor, and
boys were put in training for it. Through his influence,
also, many memorial gifts were promised. All of the
chancel windows were to be memorials, and many of those
in the nave were engaged for the same purpose. It is
greatly to be regretted that the original plan of the
building, as made by the vestry of Christ Church, could
not have been carried out; but the earnest desire of the
rector to take his leave from the new church, and the
funds not being sufficient to perfect the original plans, it
was decided to omit the clerestory and to leave the tower
for future consideration. The new church, though artis-
tically lacking much in these respects, has a most lux-
74 History of Trinity Church
urious and pleasing interior, its large chancel and wide
aisles being particularly adapted to all the needs of a
large congregation.
We find in one of the newspapers of this date a para-
graph from Bishop Coxe, which seems to embody all the
facts then under consideration, and will take the history
of the church on towards completion :
The new church of Trinity Parish in this city is rapidly com-
ing to a state of completion ; but owing to the necessary delay of
the decorative work it will not be ready for divine service (nor per-
haps is it desirable that it should be so) until Easter. That will be
the appropriate day for such a joyful event, and will associate it
with the rare occasion of an Easter falling on its lowest possible
limit, the twenty-fifth of April.
The Reverend Doctor Van Bokkelen, to whose indefatigable
labors this consummation is primarily due, has from the beginning
of this enterprise kept before his congregation the fact that he con-
siders it not only the crowning of his work in Buffalo, but the nat-
ural conclusion of his work in the parish. ' ' I wish its future, ' ' he has
often said, " to be intrusted to a younger clergyman, and one whose
full strength and prime can be devoted to its development under its
new conditions and enlarged opportunity for usefulness."
According to his already avowed intention, therefore,
the Doctor submitted his formal resignation to the ves-
try, to take effect after Easter, 1886.
Doctor Van Bokkelen was a very manly sort of man,
full of the courage of a great many honest convictions
with regard to his duty to the state as well as the church,
and consequently did not escape criticism ; but he achieved
a great work for Trinity Church, and should be honored
for it.
Many joyous as well as sad recollections cluster about
old Trinity's venerable edifice. Some notable weddings,
Reverend Liberties Van Bokkclen 7 5
beautiful in the grouping of fair young faces, stand forth
in memory's picture. That of Miss Jennie Cary to Law-
rence Rumsey formed a galaxy of beauty ; and one of its
touching features was the assembling in the vestibule of
the bride's infant scholars of the Sunday school, who
strewed flowers in her pathway as she passed to the car-
riage.
The wedding of Miss Anna Dobbins to Mr. James
P. White was a notably brilliant event. The celebrated
singer Clara Louise Kellogg was a bridesmaid. Many
more such pictures hang on memory's wall which we
would gladly photograph for the reader.
Among the shadows rests the memory of a most at-
tractive young couple but a few years married, who were
happy in their lives and in their death were not divided
— Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Pease, who met their fate to-
gether, February 5th, 1871, in a terrible railroad accident
on the Hudson River. The two coffins rested side by
side in front of the altar where as children they had
knelt. The service was sad beyond expression, and the
sympathetic audience was deeply affected by it.
Another victim of the same disaster — also a member
of Trinity Church — was Mr. Rollin Germain, son-in-law
of Judge Philander Bennett. The funeral services were
conducted by the Reverend Doctor Ingersoll from the
family residence. The pallbearers were Messrs. Henry W.
Rogers, James O. Putnam, Benjamin H. Austin, junior,
James D. Sawyer, Jesse C. Dann, Samuel G. Cornell,
Robert Dunbar, and William Lovering. Mr. Germain was
a well-known and much respected citizen, a lawyer by pro-
fession, and with a mechanical genius which had obtained a
high reputation. Two of the fastest gunboats belonging
j6 History of Trinity Church
to the American navy at that time, the Avenger and the
Vindicator, were built by him on a plan of his own. Mr.
Germain had a very remarkable dream a short time
before his death, which seemed to impress him as a
premonition, and which he spoke of to several friends.
After his death some lines were found in his trunk de-
scribing this experience in rhyme, in which the horrors
of water and fire both appear. It was published as a
remarkable fact in some of the journals of the day.
Several other well-known persons from Buffalo were
among the sufferers, but those mentioned were the only
ones members of Trinity. The clergymen of the different
churches of the city all dwelt upon the terrible disaster
in their sermons of the Sunday following.
Perhaps in one sense sadder still was the memorial
service for Mary Knowlton Mixer, who met a similar
fate at Ashtabula. The choir of Saint Paul's Church
united with that of Trinity to mourn one of whom Doctor
Shelton spoke as "the sweet singer of our Israel," and
together the two choirs sang the service. Miss Underhill,
the soprano, gave Mendelssohn's " Song of Parting," the
words of which were the last ever sung by Miss Mixer.
"Calmly the waves of ocean roll
Over my fainting, fleeting soul,
Parting earth's friendships and rending in twain
Hearts that will soon be united again
On heaven's celestial plain.
Swiftly before a purer day,
Fade now yon golden stars away ;
Lo ! realms of brightness now burst on my sight,
Fast I am speeding from regions of night
To heaven's eternal light."
Reverend Libei'tus Van Bokkelen 7 7
The Reverend Doctor Van Bokkelen's sermon was
most feeling and appropriate, and kind hearts and loving
hands brought to the altar lilies and roses for remem-
brance.
But how can we even name either in joy or in sorrow
the many notable events which have occurred within
these walls ! To pass down the aisles and count the
missing faces of those whose counsels and support have
led the church through the sixty years of its existence
would be to record many of the most influential names of
Buffalo, and, alas ! to recall the tragedies of many homes.
The church which we have builded stands today
Memorial of those far, far away,
Whose haunting presence still so sweet, so strong,
Through its broad aisles and graceful arches throng,
And solemn melodies repeat the thought
Our love and faith together have inwrought,
Moving each soul with reverence to pray
As the uplifted cross goes on its way.
The last Easter day (1885) which the congregation
passed in the old church was a memorable one. A no-
tice had been printed in the daily papers as follows :
It is desired that every member of the parish will take part in
the farewell services, and will aid the committee of decoration by
contributing money, flowers, or personal assistance, to make this
shrine of many memories beautiful for the last time.
The newspaper account of the decorations says :
The display of flowers at Trinity Episcopal Church is immense.
Every window of this old-fashioned sanctuary is a miniature flower
garden. The chancel is literally packed with flowers. The font
7 8 History of Trinity Church
seems to stand in the midst of a bouquet of calla lilies. The altar
is festooned with smilax and decorated with choice roses and car-
nations. When the clusters of candles, which are on and around
the altar, are lighted at this morning's service, the sight cannot be
other than exceedingly beautiful. As one looked upon the scene
yesterday afternoon, he fancied that the ladies must have felt much
affection for the church in which they have kept so many pious
Easters, and were determined that it should put on its most beauti-
ful garments now that they do not expect to keep another Easter
within its walls. The decorations were under the direction of Mrs.
S. F. Mixer, who was assisted by a dozen or two of the ladies.
It was decided to remove from the old place of wor-
ship July 5th, 1885, and to hold service in Christ Chapel
until the following Easter Day, when the new church
would be formally opened. The last services were solemn
and impressive. Loving hands decorated the old church
with the tenderness, and with much of the same sorrow,
as they would have laid flowers upon a grave. The
windows were banked with wild and cultivated flowers;
the altar was a mass of pond lilies, roses, and greenery.
The lectern was draped with green, and the chancel steps
were bordered with potted plants and large vases of flow-
ers placed en masse. The baptismal font was filled with
fragrant blossoms, and over the chancel hung a floral tri-
angle (the emblem of Trinity) bearing the dates 1836-
1885, and the inscription "Our Sacred Dead." Most of
the clergymen of the city were present.
We have space for only a portion of the eloquent ser-
mon of Bishop Coxe, from the text in Ecclesiastes, "To
every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose
under the heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is
planted."
Reverend Liber tits Van Bokkelen 79
I envy not the feelings of any man capable of reflection on the
histories summed up in a moment like this who does not deeply
feel that it is a solemn thing to hear and to join in these offices with-
in these walls for the last time. To me, for obvious reasons, noth-
ing presents itself with more solemnity than the scene which imag-
ination conjures up upon that nineteenth day of January, 1843, when
the work began within these walls. I seem to see the noble figure, the
splendid presence, of my saintly predecessor, and to hear the voice
with which at yonder door he began the solemn office of the church,
the ministration of consecration of these walls. Nay, I seem to see
him as when I first beheld him in the robes of his episcopate, goodly,
and among many brethren chief, reciting those splendid words of
the psalmist, "Lift up your heads, O ye gates ; and be ye lift up, ye
everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in."
What he thus came to plant, after grafting the vigorous shoot
and bearing much fruit to these many years, it is my humble and in
some sense painful duty to pluck up. Painful it would be beyond
everything, were it not for the thought that in plucking this up I
merely carry on the work which he then began, and which it would
have warmed his noble heart to foresee, these walls giving place to
nobler walls, enlarging the place of the habitation of this congrega-
tion, and effecting a transference well worthy to correspond with the
closing collect of consecration, that there "the worship of God may
be continued throughout all generations."
This momentary retrospect makes exceedingly pointed the lan-
guage which introduces the text, "For everything there is a season."
We are invited to reflect for a moment on the generation that has
been born, and the generation that has passed away since this work
began. The elders from time to time die ; another generation has
found "time to be born," and children of the third generation are
here today joining in this solemnity as those who will tell a genera-
tion yet to come, and in the next century, the history of this day and
what they remember of the old Trinity Church. "A time to be
born, and a time to die !" Yes, I suppose that all those who ac-
companied the Bishop in consecrating this place — I mean as rever-
end brethren, who then in goodly array entered with him into the
solemnity of that occasion— have passed away. Surely none remain
of those who were then resident in the city, and perhaps none who
were then part of the clergy of his diocese. We look back, then, on
our predecessors to the silent tomb. We are assembled here today
in recognition of the fact given in the text.
80 History of Trinity Church
These walls were reared in the appointed time. It was a time
when the congregation was feeble and the people were not wealthy ;
it was a time when they were young and energetic and active, and
ready to make a beginning. Then they planted, and the building
has grown and has borne its increase. Oh, how solemn is the in-
quiry, In what proportion have we helped in that increase?
In conclusion the Bishop implored his brethren enter-
ing the place of the Lord to discharge well their tremen-
dous responsibilities in this regard for the glory of God.
In the different stages of his own personal history he had
always found something intensely solemn in the closing
up of any relation, — leaving the home of his boyhood and
the watchful care of father and mother to enter college
life; or, again, leaving college for manhood's duties, or the
city of his birth, or the winding up of a ministry.
"And now," said he, "the lengthening shadows of
life's evening are sailing over me and I must reflect how
soon the great close must come."
The clergy, headed by the Bishop, then left the chan-
cel and proceeded to the vestibule, returning as the Bishop
read the ninetieth psalm, while the congregation joined
responsively. Prayers having been offered, the Bishop
read the formal document, signed with his own seal, de-
claring the secularization of the building and its release
from canonical jurisdiction. The excellent musical part
of the service included the Cantata Domine in E, by
Buck, Benedicite, chant, hymn in, and a fine offertory
anthem, the "Pilgrim's March," from "Tannhauser."
Hymn 297, sung to the tune of Old Hundred, was gener-
ally participated in by the large congregation. The
Nunc Dimittis was solemnly sung by the quartet, and
then the congregation passed out for the last time,
Reverend Liberties Van Bokkelen 8 1
while the organ played a march from Gounod's "Ro-
maine." It was an impressive service, long to be remem-
bered in the annals of the Episcopal churches of Buffalo.
The farewell words of Doctor Van Bokkelen to his
congregation were preached in Trinity Chapel, Easter
even, 1886, from the comforting words of the Savior
according to Saint John, " And I, if I be lifted up from
the earth, will draw all men unto me." The opening sen-
tences of the sermon were an exposition of the text as
suitable to the solemn incidents of the Savior's bitter
passion and precious death. The concluding part di-
rected the attention of the congregation to the three
crosses which were erected on Calvary more than eight-
een centuries ago, and concluded with an earnest appeal
to his parishioners to choose the right way and accept
salvation, that life might be happy, death glorious, and
eternity a season of everlasting joyfulness. Before the
closing benediction the retiring rector advanced towards
the congregation and said:
I have preached to you, my friends, my last sermon, and I have
a few words to say.
First : I wish to thank all those of this congregation who have
by word or deed shown me any kindness. I wish to thank all of
those who by their thoughtfulness have made any member of my
now diminished household happy. Those acts I will always bear
in kindly remembrance, while those who have extended them to
me and mine will always be remembered as my friends. May God
reward you for those good deeds a hundredfold.
Second: I wish to say that my experience as rector of the
church in connection with the choir, which has so important a part
in these services, has been not only most agreeable but somewhat
peculiar. You are accustomed to hear that discord often comes
into a church through the choir. It has never been so during my
twelve years' rectorship. Those who have been selected to sing
f
82 History of Trinity Church
praises of Almighty God seem to have realized that they were
engaged in a solemn and pious duty. Harmony and peace always
prevailed, and I have found not only comfort, but joy in knowing
that out of clean hearts and right minds this beautiful portion of our
service was being rendered. I wish to thank the members of the
choir, and especially him who has been connected with the choir
as leader during my entire rectorship [Charles F. Hager], to whose
amiability and earnestness I am largely indebted.
Third : 1 wish to thank most heartily those ladies of the con-
gregation who have been members of the Parish Aid Society, and
have helped me in my work among the poor. Most faithfully have
they labored, and through their diligence and kindness I have
been able to make many a poor home comfortable, to clothe many
children, and to increase the joys of many a poor mother. You,
ladies, have always been ready to follow my guidance in the distri-
bution of your alms, and through you Trinity Church has a loving
name and a sweet fragrance in the homes of the poor. Thus you
have strengthened and encouraged your pastor. Through your
missionary organization you have sent supplies to distant homes
of those who are laboring in the poor parishes of our church, and
have made glad many households of faithful servants of the Lord,
otherwise but scantily provided for. The hours passed with you
while at work will always be fresh in my memory ; and may God
make the recollection of them to you as to me.
Asking the divine blessing on you all, I have spoken my last
word.
In his many notable sermons, in his public addresses
connected with various questions of the day, in his inter-
course with his brethren of the clergy, Doctor Van Bok-
kelen always won golden opinions. Liberal in his views,
generous in his impulses, in sympathy with all efforts to
improve and benefit humanity, he laid down his work
with honor to himself and the respect of the whole
community.
Old Trinity
An Easter Day Service
March 28, 1880
WE give below a small portion of a very elabo-
rate description of the church decorations on
this occasion, taken from the Buffalo Courier
of March 29, 1880. The principal event of the day was
the dedication of the ewer and font cover, on which are
inscribed the names of sixty children who had been bap-
tized by Doctor Van Bokkelen. The grown-up children
may be pleased to see their names so early associated
with works of devotion and charity. The rosebuds
which were presented to the congregation were from the
greenhouse of the late John A. Mixer of Forestville,
Chautauqua County, whose heart and hand were ever
open to cheer and bless.
The floral decorations at old Trinity were of the most elaborate
character, and during its long and eventful existence this ancient
edifice never looked lovelier. In fact, the display of rare flowers,
and the exquisite blending of buds and blossoms, together with
smilax, ivy, and evergreens, quite surpassed all previous efforts.
Immediately on entering the church the worshiper was sur-
prised to find that the decorations began in the vestibule. At the
base of the stairs leading to the gallery, on either side, two huge
banks of potted plants were arranged in a graceful manner. These
banks of plants formed an appropriate background for the eight
little girls, four on either side, who stood at white cloth-covered
tables, and presented to every person who entered the church a
little boutonniere composed of a rosebud, a carnation, and a piece
of evergreen. The rosebud is symbolical of the resurrection, and
83
84 History of Trinity Church
the evergreen is a symbol of immortality. This is a custom of the
Greek Church on Easter Day festivals, and is the first occasion on
which the custom has been introduced in the city. It was prettily
done, and when the church was filled by the congregation, each
one wearing a symbol on his breast, the sight was an interesting
one.
The congregation was very large, every seat being occupied,
while many, being unable to obtain accommodation, were obliged
to seek other houses of worship. The entire service was conducted
by the rector, Reverend L. Van Bokkelen, D. D., who preached a
sermon and subsequently administered the holy communion to a
great number of communicants.
As has been the custom for several years, the ten windows
were transformed into objects of great beauty by being filled with
flowering plants and curtained with smilax and ivy. The chande-
liers, pillars of the chancel, front of the organ gallery, and, in fact,
every available point in the church, were bright with color, and the
altar was a bank of flowers. Numerous memorial pieces lent their
beauty and sacredness to the scene.
The solid oaken cover to the font, together with the polished
brass baptismal ewer and baptismal bowl of silver, were presented
to the church yesterday morning by sixty children of the parish who
have been baptized by the present rector. The silver baptismal
bowl within the font was a memorial of Louise White, and was ap-
propriately engraved. During the morning service these articles of
ecclesiastical furniture were formally presented to the congregation
by the rector as the gift of the lambs of the flock, with an expres-
sion of the hope that they would not only equal, but surpass the
zeal of their parents in their efforts to make Trinity Parish not only
useful to its own members, but to every one who finds a home in
the city of Buffalo. An appropriate prayer of dedication of the
gift was offered, and a prayer for the children of the church was also
given. On the brass mountings of the oaken cover the names of
the sixty little people were handsomely engraved and are as fol-
lows : Emily Seymour Coit, Julia Townsend Coit, Charles Town-
send Coit, Edward Movius Sicard, Josephine Hunt Sicard, James
Cleveland Fowler, Henry Silas Fowler, Amelia Blanchard Huff,
James Whitford Huff, Arnold Beach Watson, Charlotte Miriam
Kip, Frances Anne Kip, Elizabeth Wilkes Wilkeson, Kate Wilke-
son, Evelyn Rumsey, Julia Cary, Sarah Cary, Florence Louise De
An Easter Day Service 85
Laney, Frances Duren De Laney, Sherman Jewett Williams, Marie
Louisa Howard, Marion Spaulding, Louise Holbrook Foster,
Charlotte Blossom, Robert Pliny Hayes, Francis John Tyler, Mil-
dred Martha Gratwick, Edna Granger, Clark Potter Read, John
Henry Vought, Gibson Tenny Williams, Margaret Turner Williams,
Lombard Williams, Martha Tenny Williams, Lilian Fairchild,
Frank Currier Perew, Alice Sophia Perew, Robert Jackman Perew,
Grace Albertine Perew, Manson Loring Fiske, Harold Spaulding
Sidway, Clarence Spaulding Sidway, Frank St. John Sidway, Edith
Sidway, Clarence Alexis Evstaphieve, Harrison Williams, Mary
Stedman Williams, Gordon Williams, Lauren Woodruff Winslow,
Caroline Grandy Winslow, Seymour Penfield White, Louise White,
James Piatt White, Mary Louise Winslow, Henry Clark Winslow,
Gertrude Laverack, Howard Cowing Laverack, William Harold
Laverack, Stephen Dutton Clarke, Charles Dutton Clarke, Rodney
Dennis Hall, Hattie Gertrude Mason, Ernest Miner Fowler.
The music was the best ever given at an Easter festival at
Trinity Church, each member of the quartet and choir sustaining
their parts in admirable style. It was solid church music, enthusi-
astically rendered without any attempt to exhibit the talent of any-
solo performer.
The choral service took place at half past three o'clock, and
was largely attended. The Sunday school entered the church in
procession, each class carrying its own banner and singing, "On-
ward, Christian Soldiers." The regular service then proceeded,
and consisted of Easter carols by the Sunday school and choir.
The children of the Sunday school are all counted members of the
choir, and are regularly trained to sing the musical parts of the ser-
vice by members of the congregation who wish to bring about the
custom of congregational singing.
During the service an offering was made for the fund to endow
a cot for a sick child in the General Hospital. Doctor Van Bokke-
len explained the purpose of the endowment and said that the
children had already raised seven hundred dollars, which is now
drawing interest. It is hoped that the fund can be increased to
two thousand dollars, which upon interest will be sufficient to pro-
vide for the requirements of the cot. The cot is intended to be
used for any child not afflicted with chronic and incurable disease,
and is for the treatment of indigent sick children. The prospects
are indeed favorable that the plan will succeed.
'Tis raised in beauty from the dust,
And 'tis a goodly pile !
So takes our infant church, I trust,
Her own true stamp and style.
As birds put forth their own attire,
As shells o'er sea-nymphs grow,
'Tis ours — nave, chancel, aisle, and spire,
And not a borrowed show.
EISHOP COXE.
Francis Lobdcll
Reverend Francis Lobdell
1887
WITH the settlement of Trinity congregation in
its new edifice, and the acceptance of its rec-
torship by Doctor Francis Lobdell, a new era
of prosperity dawned upon the parish. The women of
the parish had worked nobly to provide means for fur-
nishing the church; the location made it central for the
majority of its members; and the relations between the
two consolidated parishes made the union advantageous
to both.
Four years later, on the death of Mrs. James McCredie,
it was found that she had bequeathed her beautiful resi-
dence on Delaware Avenue, within a few doors of Trinity
Church, to her beloved parish. Thus through her de-
voted love and generosity Trinity Parish owns a hand-
some rectory; and our dear rector and his interesting
family have a permanent home among us, in one of the
most convenient and desirable quarters of the city.
The tenth anniversary of Doctor Lobdell's rectorate
occurred recently, and we have obtained his permission
to add to our records the sermon he preached on that
occasion, realizing that it would be the best and most
complete history that could be given of the church's pro-
gress in the last ten years, for the prosperity of which we
have great cause for thankfulness.
87
88 History of Trinity Church
Tenth Anniversary Sermon *
They dwelled there about ten years. — Ruth i: 4.
Ten years: the tenth of a century: one sixth of the
years of the history of this parish! Ten circuits of the
Church's order from Advent to Advent! Each of us ten
years older, and ten years nearer our eternal home! In-
fants whom I baptized are almost ready for confirmation.
Children have grown up to manhood and womanhood,
and the effects of age are seen in those who ten years
ago were in the prime of life. Change has come over us
all. What has it wrought in us?
Early in January, 1887, Bishop Coxe wrote to me ask-
ing if I would accept the rectorship of this parish. He
said he was to be in New York within a week, and re-
quested me to meet him at his hotel to confer on the
subject. I met him according to appointment and he
told me all about the parish, its needs, its embarrass-
ments, and its prospects — and urged me to give the sub-
ject earnest and prayerful consideration. He expressed
a strong personal desire to have me near him, kindly
telling me that over and above any influence I might
have in the parish, he wanted me to help him bear the
burdens which, on account of advancing age, were be-
coming oppressive.
I may be permitted here to say that this was the atti-
tude of the Bishop towards me to the day of his death.
Our relations were most cordial and affectionate. He
*The rector has yielded to the request of members of the vestry and congre-
gation that this historical sketch be printed as it was delivered, without the elimi-
nation of personal allusions which will not interest those who are not connected
with the parish. — F. L.
Reverend Francis Lobdell 89
made me his confidential friend. It was only to please
him, and to be of some help to him, that I accepted the
office of archdeacon which he conferred upon me. This
was his parish church; and when the active duties of his
busy life did not call him elsewhere, he was with us in
the congregation or in the chancel. For many years it
was his custom to give us a series of lectures during
Lent, and we cannot realize that we have listened to his
words of wisdom and instruction for the last time. Bishop
Coxe was one of the most illustrious men in the Ameri-
can Church. As a scholar he had few superiors. His
poetic gift, his polished courtesy and perfect rhetoric, his
zealous and intelligent defense of Catholic principles, his
personal grace and commanding presence, made up a
grand personality, which will leave its impression on all
who knew him.
In my interview with the Bishop in New York, I told
him I could give no definite reply to his proposition, nor
could I have any communication with the vestry, until I
had visited Buffalo and had made myself familiar with
the condition of the parish. He kindly invited me to
come here as his guest as soon as possible. I left New
York for this city on the sixteenth of January, 1887, and
was with the Bishop three days, when he gave up his en-
tire time to the object which had brought me to the See
House.
I shall never forget my first visit to the church with
the Bishop. It was not its beauty and attractiveness that
impressed me. It was the Bishop himself. We entered
yonder door and walked down the aisle directly to the
altar, where the good Bishop said, " Before we look at
the church, or say anything more about your coming
90 History of Trinity Church
here, let us kneel down before the altar and ask God's
direction and blessing." We knelt down; and the Bishop,
taking my hand in his, offered one of the most tender,
simple, and trustful prayers I ever heard. We both felt
that, whatever the decision might be, we should be di-
vinely guided; and I believe we were.
I had met several members of the congregation, but
I desired to get some information concerning the parish,
its standing in the community, its field of usefulness, and
its general outlook from persons who were not connected
with it. The only man in Buffalo, except the Bishop,
with whom I was acquainted was an elder in a Presby-
terian church. To him, therefore, I went, and requested
him to tell me the very worst things he knew about
Trinity Church. This, very much condensed, was his
reply: "There are many excellent, devoted, Christian
people connected with the parish, but it has a debt of
about $50,000, and they will never pay it. They prefer
to pay the interest, and keep the principal in their
pockets."
On the evening of the eighteenth of January I con-
sented to meet the vestry, who told me, as explicitly as
they could tell a stranger, the exact condition of the
parish. They did not mean to keep anything back, and
yet the brighter side was so bright that it made the darker
side somewhat obscure. They told me that the parish
had a debt of nearly $50,000, but that they were able to
pay it, and would pay it as soon as possible. That prom-
ise, from such men, was all I needed. I trusted them, and
they trusted me.
The two wardens of that vestry were R. L. Howard
and Thomas Dennis. The vestrymen were Nathaniel
Reverend Francis Lobdell 91
Rochester, Charles H. Utley, William Laverack, Doctor
M. B. Folwell, Peter C. Doyle, William H. Gratwick,
Hobart B. Loomis, and Ensign Bennett. Of these ten
only four are now living. On the death of Mr. Dennis,
David P. Dobbins was elected to succeed him, and he
too, has been called to his reward. I have buried seven
members of the vestry in the last ten years.*
The result of the conference with the vestry was my
acceptance of the rectorship of the parish ; but as Lent
was approaching, I felt that I could not leave my con-
gregation in New York before Easter: but I never made
a more unfortunate mistake; the intervening ten weeks
were weeks of purgatory to rector and people, the pain
of the separation being so prolonged. In the meantime
I visited this parish and officiated on two Sundays, and
was welcomed on a Saturday evening at a most delight-
ful reception given by one of our neighboring parish-
ioners.
On Thursday, the fourteenth of April, I removed to
Buffalo. On the seventeenth, the Sunday after Easter,
I regularly entered upon my duties as rector; and the
vested choir sang for the first time on that day.
I wish I could speak of these things without any
reference to myself, but as my life for the last ten years
has been a part of the history of the parish, it is impos-
sible to refer to it without alluding to my connection
with it ; and I am sure you will pardon what is meant to
be as far as possible from egotism.
The confidence which the vestry and the congrega-
tion have manifested towards the rector during these ten
* Since the above was written, another member of the vestry, Mr. Edmond W.
Granger, has been removed by death.
92 History of Trinity Church
years was exhibited by the senior warden the first time I
officiated here. When he came to the vestry room
before the service to greet me, I said to him, " I am
entirely unfamiliar with the way the service has been
conducted here, and would like to know what you are
accustomed to." His reply was, " Conduct the service
in your own way, and it will meet with our hearty ap-
probation." From that day to this the same spirit has
been exhibited, and it has made me all the more careful
about the introduction of changes in the service. I
decided that no change whatever should be made for an
entire year.
Before I came here one of the vestrymen wrote me
that he had ordered a processional cross to be made in
New York. If I did not approve of it he desired me to
countermand the order, which I did, not because I dis-
approved of a processional cross, which I very much
wanted, but because you were not accustomed to it, and
I was unwilling that it should be introduced until you
had become well enough acquainted with me to trust my
judgment. So careful was I about any innovation that,
learning that a new litany desk had been presented as a
memorial gift, I requested the Bishop, who officiated on
Easter Day, contrary to the usual custom on that day,
to say the Litany at the new desk, in order that I might
find it in actual use on my arrival. Those of you who
were present will remember that the Bishop asked you
to remain after the celebration of the holy communion
and join him in saying the litany; but probably none
of you have ever known why he did it.
On the nineteenth of May, 1888, one of the most
interesting and attractive and efficient young choristers
Revere7id Francis Lobdell 93
was removed by death, and his parents requested the
privilege of presenting a processional cross as a memorial
of him. I felt that the time had come when such a gift
could be accepted; and ever since, whenever the choir
has entered the church it has been " with the cross of
Jesus going on before."
This, so far as I can remember, is the only innovation
I have made. Everything else is as I found it ten years
ago. If there have been slight modifications in the
order of worship, they have come so naturally that it
seems as if there had been no change. I have aimed to
take what we have and use it in a reverent and devout
way. Anything that savors of irreverence in the house
of God or the order of worship I abhor. There is no
danger of being too reverent. The danger is all in the
other direction, making the house of God merely a
" meeting house."
The condition in which I found the parish was not
very encouraging. Besides the debt, which was large
and burdensome, there were various difficulties to be
overcome. The parishes of Trinity and Christ Church
had been consolidated, but there were evidences of
friction between the members of the two former organi-
zations. One of the members of Christ Church (in
language which you will pardon, for it expressed exactly
what he meant) said that they " had been swallowed by
Trinity and had not been digested." You had been a
whole year without a rector, my predecessor having
retired after the opening service in the new church on
Easter Day, 1886. In consequence of the vacant rector-
ship, the not too cordial relationship of the consolidated
parishes, and the burdensome debt, the congregation
94 History of Trinity Church
had scattered, and altogether the tide was at a very low
ebb.
I found here only two hundred and thirty communi-
cants. Forty-eight pews were unrented, and the income
from those which were rented was only nine thousand
six hundred dollars. Floating debts had accumulated,
and the history of the parish for fifty years was being
repeated, — borrowing money to pay current expenses.
In March, 1888, a special effort was made to extinguish
a part of the floating debt, and about four thousand dol-
lars was raised for this purpose.
There were three organizations of women which were
doing efficient work — the Trinity Cooperative Relief So-
ciety, the Church Furnishing Society, and the Ladies' Aid
Society. The first of these limited its work to the poor
on the East Side; the second devoted its energies to fur-
nishing the new church, and actually raised six thousand
dollars for this object. They were an enthusiastic band
of energetic women, and the parish is greatly indebted to
them for what they were able to accomplish. The third
was devoted to benevolent work in the city, and also did
some missionary work.
When the object for which the Furnishing Society
was organized was accomplished, the organization was
given up. The Ladies' Aid Society was merged in a
new Missionary Guild in connection with the Woman's
Auxiliary; other guilds for young women and children
were organized for the same object, and all of these
have been doing excellent work. Comparatively few
women of the parish are active members of the Mission-
ary Guild. A few do all the work, for which the parish
is responsible. To help the missionaries whom the
Reverend Francis Lobdcll 95
Church sends into the field in obedience to our Saviour's
last command, does not seem to commend itself to the
sympathy and hearty cooperation of many of our people.
I do not speak of this as if this parish were exceptional
in its conception of its responsibility for the support of
missionaries, for it is not. Our branch of the Woman's
Auxiliary stands the highest in the diocese; but still we
are not doing all we ought to do.
Within the last year the Cooperative Relief Society
has greatly enlarged its operations by taking under its
supervision a district on the East Side, where Trinity
House has been established and a most important work
among the poor is being successfully done. There is a
mother's class which meets every Wednesday, and is
attended by all the women the house will accommodate.
They are credited with ten cents an hour for their sew-
ing, and take their pay in garments made, or in material
for garments. On Tuesdays a committee of women
from the parish meets and cuts out the work for the
following day. Cake and coffee are served to the women
when their work is done. The refining and elevating
influence upon these women is already very apparent.
There is also at Trinity House a boys' club, a club
for young men, and a girls' club which has outgrown the
capacity of the building. There is also a diet kitchen
where delicacies for the sick are prepared, and women
are instructed in cooking.
And last of all — and I would say the best if all the
departments were not the best — is a kindergarten, where
forty children are taught five days every week by most
efficient and thoroughly trained teachers. The people of
the parish are very much interested in this work at
96 History of Trinity Church
Trinity House, and have contributed for its support dur-
ing the last year $2,659.63.
An industrial school of from sixty to eighty children
meets in the parish guild house every Saturday morning,
and the children are systematically taught the art of
sewing. The superintendent and her faithful corps of
teachers are doing a self-sacrificing and praiseworthy
work. The Altar Society, with its various chapters, has
been most useful, and the Vestment Society has provided
all the vestments which are used by the clergy and the
choir.
During the first four years of my rectorship I had no
clerical assistance. The vestry, realizing that the growing
work demanded more labor than one man was able to
give it, offered to provide a salary for an assistant, and
Captain Dobbins secured by subscription all the money
necessary for this object in a very few days. But the sub-
scribers were never called upon for the amount of their
subscriptions, other and better things being provided a
little later.
The condition of the parish was every year improv-
ing. The number of communicants had more than
doubled, and the financial resources were very much
increased. Still we were paying two thousand dollars a
year in interest on our mortgage debt. If we could only
be relieved from that heavy burden, the parish would
rebound from all pecuniary embarrassment, and have two
thousand dollars more to use for its legitimate work.
This was discussed very earnestly at our vestry meetings,
and finally it was determined to make an effort to raise
the entire amount of the debt if possible, but in any
event to raise all we could. I doubt if any member of
Reverend Francis Lobdcll 97
the vestry really believed it would be possible to obtain
subscriptions for the entire debt. We each pledged our-
selves to do everything within our power for the accom-
plishment of this object. Committees of the vestry and
congregation were appointed to solicit subscriptions, and
I was to preach a sermon on the subject to awaken the
interest and enlist the cooperation of the congregation.
Not a movement was to be made until the sermon had
been preached. The sermon was prepared, but the next
Sunday was stormy and the congregation was not large.
So I did not preach the sermon that day. The next Sun-
day was more unfavorable than the last. But the third
Sunday was all we could wish for, and the congregation
filled the church. The sermon, which I had taken into
the pulpit three times, was then delivered, and before
the congregation had all left the church that morning
ten thousand dollars was subscribed. The committee
immediately began their work with enthusiastic earnest-
ness, and within ten days, on my return from New York,
they met me in my study with a thousand dollars more
than the entire amount of the debt subscribed; and so
my friend the Presbyterian elder had proved himself to
be a false prophet.
Oh, what a relief it was to pastor and people to feel
that this heavy burden had been removed! The sub-
scriptions were payable in one, two, three, four, and five
years. But almost the entire amount was paid within
two years, and on the twentieth day of September, 1892,
the mortgage having been removed, this church was
solemnly consecrated by Bishop Coxe to Almighty God,
to be used henceforth only for His worship and service,
according to the liturgy of the Protestant Episcopal
g
98 History of Trinity Church
Church, and according to the usages prescribed in the
Book of Common Prayer.
For the first time in all its history the parish was
entirely free from debt, and we were able to enlarge the
scope of our work.
On the 29th of January, 1891, Mrs. Caroline M. Mc-
Credie, a communicant of this parish for more than fifty
years, was removed by death; and when her will was
read, to our complete surprise it was found that she had
bequeathed nearly half of her estate to this parish. She
had never said anything to me on the subject, though I
had frequently visited her during her illness, as well as in
the regular course of visitations while she was in health.
In due time the parish received from her estate her
former residence, which is now the rectory, and thirty
thousand dollars in valuable investments which the vestry
has regarded as an endowment fund, to be increased
from year to year, for use when the income of the parish
in years to come shall be reduced by changes which, in
such a rapidly growing city as this, are inevitable.
The vestry has contracted with The Tiffany Company,
of New York, for a beautiful window, which will soon be
placed in the church as a memorial of Mr. and Mrs. Mc-
Credie.* The windows which now beautify the church,
with the exception of those in the chancel and one in
the nave, have all been placed here since April, 1887.
There are in the church sixty-one memorials of the dead,
forty of which have been given during the last ten years.
For several years it had been evident that the organ,
which was built for the old church, and which had been
♦This window, representing the archangels Gabriel and Raphael, was placed
in the church on September ist, 1897.
Reverend Francis Lobdell 99
in use for more than twenty years, was not adapted for
the use to which it was put in this building. Its capacity
was insufficient, and its mechanism defective. The vestry
felt that the time had come when it was possible to pro-
vide a better instrument. Accordingly last spring a
movement was made in this direction, and in two or
three weeks the entire amount required was raised, and
the organ was paid for as soon as it was completed.
There are many other items of interest to which I
would be glad to allude, but I have already detained you
too long. I have now only time to present a summary
of the statistics of the parish for the last ten years.
There were in April, 1887, two hundred and thirty
communicants. There have since been added by transfer
and confirmation nine hundred and one. We have lost
by death seventy-eight, and by transfer one hundred and
ninety-nine. The present number is therefore eight hun-
dred and fifty-four. Four hundred and ten persons have
been confirmed. I have baptized two hundred and ninety ;
have officiated at one hundred and twenty marriages and
at two hundred and nine burials, and have made six thou-
sand and ninety-six parochial calls.
The total amount contributed by the parish during
the last ten years is $318,085.22.
And now, beloved, I have given an account of my
stewardship, but I take no credit to myself for what has
been accomplished. Without your hearty cooperation I
could have done nothing. You have sustained me in
every effort I have made. I have felt that back of me
was the entire force and cordial sympathy of the con-
gregation. There has been, thank God, no carping criti-
cism of my methods, and this is one of the secrets of our
i oo History of Trinity Church
success. You chose me as your rector, and your rector
you have been willing that I should be. You have
trusted me because you knew me, and though in this
parish we are bound by no ironclad rule of absolute uni-
formity in matters unimportant, we have worked together
in perfect harmony, and we all see the great advantage
of this method of work.
I have been blessed with one of the best of vestries —
broad-minded, intelligent, enthusiastic men, aiding the
rector in every possible way, and making his heart glad
whenever a shadow of discouragement appeared. The
vestry has never been divided on any action it has taken.
I do not recall a single instance in which a vote was not
unanimous. There have been full and unrestricted dis-
cussions, but when a vote was taken it was unanimous.
God bless you all, and make me more worthy of your
sympathy and confidence. I came here to consecrate the
best years of my life to the service of God in this parish.
Pray for me, for I need your prayers. These ten years
have been years of joy and sorrow; years of affliction,
with their more than two hundred funerals; years of
pleasure, the pastor mingling with one hundred and
twenty bridal groups, going to the happy, going to the
distressed, going to the beds of pain and death, his heart
full of stored-up sympathies, trying to teach to all the
blessed gospel of our loving Saviour. The bond that
unites us is most sacred.
Let us be faithful to God, to each other, and to the
world around us, "with one mind striving together for
the faith of the gospel," until our work is done and we
hear the voice of our loving Father saying, " Come up
higher."
William D. Walker
Bishop Walker
IN October, 1896, a special council of the diocese of
Western New York convened in Trinity Church,
Buffalo, to fill the vacancy caused by the lamented
death of our beloved Bishop Coxe. The unanimous vote
of the council elected to this episcopate the Right Rev-
erend William D. Walker, D. D., LL. D., missionary
bishop of North Dakota, who accepted the call, much to
the joy of the diocese in general, laymen as well as
clergy.
Bishop Walker is a New Yorker by birth. He pre-
pared for college at Trinity School, New York, and grad-
uated from Columbia College in 1859. ^e entered the
General Theological Seminary the same year, was or-
dained deacon by Bishop Potter in 1862, who also, a
year later, ordained him to the priesthood. His first
work in the ministry was in connection with Calvary
Church, New York, of which Bishop Coxe (then the
Reverend Doctor Coxe) was rector. Here he filled the
post of assistant, having special charge of the chapel
services, and this was his field of labor until called by
the House of Bishops to take the missionary episcopate
of North Dakota. He was consecrated December 20,
1883, by bishops Clark, Coxe, Clarkson, Littlejohn,
Benjamin H. Paddock, John A. Paddock, and Henry C.
Potter.
The missionary spirit, so greatly developed in Bishop
Walker, found a wide scope for work among the Indians
102 History of Trinity Church
and the frontier settlements of North Dakota. Though
his jurisdiction was full of difficulties, he overcame the
obstacles in his path and won success. During his wise
administration great good was accomplished, and many
churches were built and consecrated. Bishop Walker's
devotion to the Indians within the limits of his see
resulted in the evangelization of numbers of the red men.
His ingenious expedient of the so-called " cathedral car,"
for carrying the services of the church to the scattered
and isolated people of his charge, was remarkably suc-
cessful, and has been adopted in other countries.
Bishop Walker has won a high position for himself
in the regard of all churchmen, not only in this country
but in Great Britain as well. In accepting the call to
the diocese of Western New York, he did not come
among strangers, but was heartily welcomed by the
many friends who remembered his kind ministrations at
former times when Bishop Coxe was unable to make his
visitations, and who knew how highly he was esteemed
by our former beloved diocesan.
Trinity Cooperative Relief Society
A CRY from the Charity Organization Society in
1879 for the cooperation of the churches in the
city in the work of visiting the poor and assist-
ing in the amelioration of their condition was responded
to by members of Trinity Parish, who organized March
27th, 1880, under the name of Trinity Cooperative
Relief Society. The first meeting of all interested was
called, and held at the residence of Doctor Walter Cary,
at the corner of Delaware Avenue and Huron Street;
and at a later meeting a draft of the constitution drawn
up by Mr. Thomas Cary and Mr. Samuel M. Welch,
junior, was presented and discussed, and, after being
greatly amended, was adopted.
The society was to lend a helping hand to all worthy
people of whatever creed, not giving alms, but rendering
such assistance as might enable those families committed
to its care by the Charity Organization Society to be-
come self-supporting.
The following officers were appointed: president,
Mr. William H. Gratwick; vice-president, Miss Maria
M. Love; secretary, Miss Emily S. Ganson; assistant
secretary, Miss Elizabeth C. Rochester; treasurer, Mr.
Horatio H. Seymour. A Purchasing Committee, Cut-
ting Committee, and Relief Committee were appointed,
and work was begun at once in the parlor of Trinity
Parish building on Mohawk Street, where every Wednes-
day morning from ten to twelve o'clock the ladies of the
104 History of Trinity Church
society were in attendance, giving out work or paying —
in groceries, clothing, or cash, as the case might be — for
work done.
The work was scarcely entered upon when it became
apparent that the constitution must undergo radical
change, or nothing could be accomplished, the gentlemen
averring that every new move suggested was unconstitu-
tional. A committee composed of Mr. Thomas Cary and
Miss Ganson was appointed to revise and report upon the
constitution. They revised it so well, and guarded it so
carefully, that it has never since been heard from; and
from that day forward, Trinity Cooperative Relief Soci-
ety has worked out its mission with neither constitution
nor by-laws — and worked well!
As the society's work increased, three rooms were
taken on the second floor of the parish building; and at
the end of four years the society removed to the Fitch
Institute on Swan Street, where a suite of rooms was
offered for its use by the Charity Organization Society.
At this time the officers were: president, Samuel
M. Welch, junior; vice-president, Mrs. Henry M. Watson;
treasurer, Horatio H. Seymour; secretary, Miss Emily
S. Ganson; chairman of Relief Committee, Mrs. Henry
C. Winslow; secretary of Relief Committee, Miss Eliza-
beth C. Rochester. In the space of a little more than
four years, two hundred families had been cared for, and
only four out of that number had been found unworthy.
One hundred and seventy-five had become self-support-
ing, or had left the city, and in many cases had rendered
relief to others by dividing their work with them, thereby
becoming coworkers with the Relief Society, instead ot
beneficiaries. In the early days of this society it was
Trinity Cooperative Relief Society 105
the custom to hold a general monthly meeting in the
evenings, at which time matters pertaining to the good
of the society in general were presented to the council
for conference; and suggestions were made by both men
and women as to the best methods to be pursued in the
management of cases. For example: one woman could
not use her needle and give sufficient support to her
family; scrubbing and cleaning met with equally fatal re-
sults, and the visitor was at a loss to know what to do.
A member of the society, a bachelor, who was away from
his home, and had homemade bread sent him every week,
suggested her making and selling homemade bread, and
gave an order for a loaf to be sent to him at his club
every day. This suggestion was followed by the visitor
herself teaching the woman to make bread and cake.
Within a year she was making and delivering one thou-
sand loaves a week, and in a very short time had all the
orders she could fill, and fully supported herself and
her family. This monthly general meeting was found of
great benefit, the advice and counsel of the men of the
congregation being invaluable.
A wretched case of squalor and misery, which for
many months baffled a series of inexperienced visitors,
and was about to be returned to the Charity Organiza-
tion Society marked "English paupers," was taken in
hand by one of the elder visitors. She was found to be
a little disheartened widow, whose husband's sudden
death by falling through an open hatchway had left her
with six little children, one a baby in arms. Living in
a basement, and with insufficient food, no wonder that
poverty of the blood was painfully manifested in all their
faces. The eldest boy was nine years old, and must be
106 History of Trinity Church
clothed and sent to school. Work was found for the
mother in cleaning the offices of the street railroad com-
pany, and within a few months the whole aspect of the
family was changed. By fortunate chance the visitor
discovered certain papers relating to a life insurance,
which, followed up through the legal advice and kindly
efforts of Mr. Ansley Wilcox, finally brought a decision
from the court granting the little widow four thousand
dollars. This was safely invested for her in bonds and
mortgages by her attorney, and within five years of the
time she had been branded an English pauper she be-
came a landed proprietor, and had proved herself an in-
dustrious, capable woman, able to support herself and her
six children, with only a helping hand extended to her
and a kindly word of encouragement to make her feel
that she was not standing alone to bear the burden
which had so suddenly fallen upon her shoulders.
One other case only will be quoted, that of a woman
who came to one of the ladies during the summer
months, to say that neither she nor her three children
had had food for nearly twenty-four hours. Sewing was
given her, and later she was put under instruction and
became self-supporting as a manicure and chiropodist,
repaying to the society in full the money which had
been advanced to her for relief and instruction.
So for nearly seventeen years the work has been car-
ried on by this society, which, since its organization, has
given work to five hundred and forty-eight families. Dur-
ing this period, the following list of names appears as
officers and workers :
Presidents: William H. Gratwick, four years; Mrs.
Henry C. Winslow, ten years; Mrs. Henry C.Crane, one
year; Mrs. Wilson S. Bissell, one year.
Trinity Cooperative Relief Society 107
Vice-presidents : Miss Maria M. Love, eleven years;
Mrs. Henry M. Watson, one year; Miss Emily Sibley
Ganson, one year; Miss Ida Haven, one year; Mrs. Seth
C. Clark, one year; Mrs. Peter A. Porter, one year.
Secretaries: Miss Emily Sibley Ganson, four years;
Miss Elizabeth C. Rochester (assistant), three years ; Mrs.
Bainbridge Folwell, two years; Miss Ida Haven, two
years; Mrs. Nathaniel Rochester, three years; Mrs.
Charles O. Howard, two years; Mrs. Parkhurst (corre-
spondence), one year; Mrs. John Parmenter, two years;
Mrs. John L. Williams, one year.
Treasurers: Mrs. Horatio H. Seymour, four years;
Mrs. Henry C. Springer, four years; Mrs. Seth C. Clark,
four years; Mrs. Jesse C. Dann, four years.
Visitors and workers: Mrs. Demarest, Mrs. Elizabeth
Cary, the Misses Rochester, Miss Morris, Miss Jeanie
Dann, Mrs. Henry Y. Grant, Mrs. A. A. Noye, Miss
Wheeler, Mrs. E. A. Bell, Mrs. F. E. Howard, Mrs. Wil-
liam Meadows, Miss Elizabeth Townsend, Mrs. William
H. Gratwick, Mrs. Gibson Howard, Mrs. E. S. Wheeler,
Mrs. George W. Miller, Mrs. H. M. Gerrans, Mrs. Sidney
Sweet, Mrs. Stedman Williams, Mrs. Mary E. Mixer,
Mrs. F. L. A. Cady, Miss Hauenstein, Mrs. John Druar,
Miss Sarah Hazard.
About three years ago, the writer, while in Boston,
was asked if she knew anything about a powerful society
in Buffalo known as the Trinity Cooperative Relief So-
ciety. A family had moved east, and had told how,
through the kindness and help received from this society,
they had been raised from penury to independence.
In 1896 it was found that many who had never before
asked for or received assistance disliked to apply to any
108 History of Trinity Church
" relief" society, and considered it to be allied to the
poor master. Thereupon the word " Relief" was stricken
out from the society's name, and it became Trinity Co-
operative Society.
In November, 1895, the Buffalo districting plan was
suggested by a member of this society, and through the
Charity Organization Society the whole city was divided
into districts, each district to be taken by a church or a
society. The following letter is Miss Love's original
statement of the plan to the clergy of Buffalo.
November 16, 1895.
It has been well said, "If you could district the large cities,
and induce the churches to look after those districts as the poli-
ticians look after the voters in those districts, there would follow
such an uplifting of the masses as has not been known since the
coming of the Master! "
Following this suggestion a committee has been at work during
the summer, districting the city with a view to placing each district
in the care of a church.
When the question is asked, "What responsibility does a
church assume in accepting the care of a district from the hands of
the Districting Committee?" perhaps no better reply could be
voiced than that given in the New Testament to the question,
"Who is my neighbor?" Each district has certain attributes
more or less peculiar to itself, and the temperament of the church
must govern somewhat the treatment of the district.
In general, the highest development of the best that is in the
individual, and through the individual the uplifting of the com-
munity, is what is aimed at in this districting of the city.
A thorough knowledge of the dwellings and dwellers in a dis-
trict would, perforce, require a certain amount of friendly visit-
ing, of personal intercourse. This would lead to a knowledge of
the wants of that community, spiritually, morally, and physically,
and with a knowledge of the wants would be awakened a desire to
relieve them. Just how far this can be done will depend upon the
ability of those working in the church. When it is a matter of
Trinity Cooperative Relief Society 109
material relief, beyond the financial capacity of the church to meet,
the Overseer of the Poor can be appealed to, though it is always
deemed desirable to inspire such a measure of self-respect as may
prevent as far as possible recourse to the Overseer of the Poor. In
certain districts the care of the children would possibly lead, with
the growth of the work, to the establishing of kindergartens, of
kitchen gardens, of sewing schools, of carpenter shops, and of
public playgrounds. Some knowledge of the ways of the men might
lead to the establishing of bright, attractive coffee houses, with
billiard tables, which would ultimately close the neighboring saloon.
Personal intercourse with the women would disclose their
ignorance of household economy, and lead to their availing them-
selves of the privileges offered by the Women's Union, in classes
of cooking, laundry work, and general housework, and lead, too,
to some effort to make the home clean, comfortable, and attractive.
But over all, and above all, is the spirit which animates this
service — " the cheerful and helpful doing of what the hand finds to
do, in surety that, at evening time, whatsoever is right the Master
will give."
As far as possible, it is desired that each church should confine
its relief work to its own district. Where it has interests in other
districts, however, the church of that other district should be noti-
fied that certain of its people are being cared for elsewhere, so that
the two churches should not both be relieving the same family.
Where any material relief is given, it is earnestly requested
that the name and address of the family receiving it be sent in to
the Charity Organization Society, that a full record may be kept at
its office. The officers and agents of the Charity Organization
Society will always be at the service of the churches.
In placing a district in the care of a congregation, perhaps no
better advice could be given than that of John Ruskin : "You know
how often it is difficult to be wisely charitable ; to do good, without
multiplying the sources of evil. You know that to give alms is
nothing unless you give thought also ; and that therefore it is written,
not, 'Blessed is he that feedeth the poor,' but 'Blessed is he that
considereth the poor.' And you know that a little thought and a
little kindness are often worth more than a great deal of money."
MARIA M. LOVE,
Chairman.
1 1 o History of Trinity Church
At a meeting of the Trinity Cooperative Relief So-
ciety in March, 1 896, it was decided to assume the re-
sponsibility of a single district, following the plan sug-
gested by the Charity Organization Society; and district
number one hundred and thirty-five was taken, having
the following boundaries: Exchange Street to Buffalo
Creek; Michigan Street, to Louisiana Street, barring the
district east of Chicago Street and south of Fulton Street.
The following November a house was leased at 258 Elk
Street, in which Mrs. Bradnack was installed as resident.
With the opening of the year 1897, the work is given
out to the women as of old, on Wednesdays, but with a
difference. They meet at the house in the afternoons,
and sew for two hours and a half, receiving ten cents an
hour. This they may trade out in clothing or groceries
at greatly reduced rates. During the afternoon, the
women, in circles of eight and ten, adjourn to the dining
room, where they are served each with a cup of hot
coffee and a bun. This converts their stay into a very
enjoyable "afternoon tea." The ladies of the society
preside over each circle of sewers, and a most desirable
and beneficial relation is established between the women
of the society and the women of the district. The chil-
dren who are too young to be left at home alone are
brought by their mothers to the " Housekeepers' Club,"
as it is now termed, and are taken care of and amused
by certain members of the society in attendance for that
purpose.
A library and reading room have been inaugurated,
and it is proposed to establish men's clubs, boys' clubs,
and girls' clubs, and to broaden the work as rapidly as
workers are found ready to lead.
Trinity Cooperative Relief Society 1 1 1
A kindergarten will be opened January 4th, which
has its full complement of children, forty in number,
already enrolled, under two competent kindergartners,
Miss Kate Belton and Miss Edith Worthington. It is
to maintain this kindergarten that the proceeds from the
sale of this history will be applied. It is believed that
the dissemination of the kindergarten spirit to the moth-
ers through their children, and in the mothers' meetings
conducted by the kindergartners, will do more towards
the uplifting of the district than any other work entered
upon by the society.
The following is the list of officers and committees,
January 1st, 1897, of Trinity Cooperative Society:
President, Mrs. William Meadows; vice-president,
Miss Maria M. Love; secretary, Mrs. John Druar; treas-
urer, Mrs. Edgar B. Jewett.
House Committee: Mrs. Thomas Symons, chairman;
Mr. and Mrs. Henry M. Watson, Mr. and Mrs. Park-
hurst, Mrs. George L.Williams, Major Symons, Mr. and
Mrs. Wilson S. Bissell, Mr. Charles O. Howard.
Finance Committee: Mrs. Nathaniel Rochester,
chairman; Mr. and Mrs. T. Guilford Smith, Mr. and Mrs.
Charles O. Howard, Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Fryer, Mr.
and Mrs. George Bleistein, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Clifton,
Mr. and Mrs. Edmund W. Granger, Mr. and Mrs. George
S. Field, Mr. and Mrs. George W. Miller, Mr. and Mrs.
George L. Williams.
Kindergarten Committee: Miss Maria M. Love,
chairman; Mrs. H. W. Gerrans, Mrs. Martin Clark, Mrs.
E. S. Wheeler, Miss Hauenstein, Mrs. L. O. Allen, Mrs.
Abbott, Mrs. Demarest, Miss Doyle, Mr. and Mrs. Fol-
insbee, Dr. and Mrs. Breuer, Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Sweet.
1 1 2 History of Trinity Church
Cooking Class Committee: Mrs. Redfern, chairman.
Reading Room and Library Committee: Mrs. Dexter
P. Rumsey, chairman; Mr. and Mrs. Charles Clifton,
Mr. and Mrs. L. D. Rumsey, Mr. and Mrs. George L.
Laverack, Mr. and Mrs. C. H. Keep, Mr. and Mrs. George
J. Sicard, Mr. and Mrs. Porter Norton, Mr. and Mrs. Wil-
liam H. Gratwick, Mrs. James P. White, Mrs. Movius,
Mrs. Mary E. Mixer, Dr. and Mrs. Roswell Park, Miss
Marion Spaulding, Miss Helen Winslow, Miss Fanny
Winslow, Miss Sarah Hazard, Miss Jennie Williams,
Mr. Seymour White, Mr. Frederick Mixer, Mr. James
Dyett.
Cutting Committee: Mrs. Edmund W. Granger,
chairman; Mrs. S. A. Wheeler, Mrs. Rachel Weaver,
Mrs. F. L. A. Cady, Mrs. M. Buell, Miss Elizabeth
Townsend, Mrs. Elizabeth Cary, Mrs. Charles Hengerer.
Worn Clothing Committee: Mrs. Benjamin Folsom,
chairman; Mrs. Codman.
New Garments Committee: Miss Elsie Wheeler,
chairman; Mrs. A. A. Noye, Mrs. Henry Y. Grant, Miss
Jennie Williams.
Housekeepers' Club Committee: Mrs. S. S. Spaulding,
chairman; Mrs. Joseph Hunsicker, Mrs. Henry M.
Watson, Mrs. Charles O. Howard, Mrs. F. E. Howard,
Mrs. Folwell, Mrs. Crane, Mrs. R. Weaver, Miss Sarah
Hazard, Miss England.
Men's Club Committee: Mr. James Dyett, chairman.
Girls' Clubs Committee: Miss Marion Spaulding,
chairman ; Miss May Williams.
Boys' Clubs Committee: Miss Margaret F. Roches-
ter, chairman; Miss Anna Maude Hoxsie, Mr. J. F.
Druar, Mr. Laurence Williams.
Trinity Cooperative Relief Society 1 1 3
Executive Committee: Mrs. William Meadows, chair-
man; Miss Maria M. Love, Mrs. John Druar, Mrs. Dex-
ter P. Rumsey, Mrs. Porter Norton, Mrs. Nathaniel
Rochester, Mrs. Edgar B. Jewett, Mrs. Ward, Mrs.
Thomas Symons, Mrs. S. S. Spaulding, Mrs. Demarest.
And the bishop, and the deacon
And the presbyter are there,
In pure and stainless raiment,
At Eucharist and prayer ;
And the bells swing free and merry,
And a nation shouteth round,
For the Lord Himself hath triumphed,
And His voice is in the sound.
BISHOP COXE.
Wardens and Vestrymen
SOME of the earlier records of the church having
been lost during the removal from old Trinity,
a list of the wardens and vestrymen comprising
the vestries from 1855 is all that can be given without
resorting to sources which would not be authentic.
1855
Wardens: John Radcliff, Henry Daw.
Vestrymen: Henry W. Rogers, Corneille R. Ganson,
Robert H. Maynard, Rollin Germain, Gibson T. Wil-
liams, Walter Cary, Jesse C. Dann, Henry L. Lansing.
1856
Wardens : Henry Daw, Henry W. Rogers.
Vestrymen : Jesse C. Dann, Corneille R. Ganson, Gib-
son T. Williams, Walter Cary, Henry L. Lansing, Alex-
ander A. Evstaphieve, Augustus C. Taylor, John Ganson.
1857
Wardens: Henry Daw, Henry W. Rogers.
Vestrymen : Gibson T. Williams, Corneille R. Ganson,
Jesse C. Dann, Henry L. Lansing, Walter Cary, John
Ganson, Alexander A. Evstaphieve, Augustus C. Taylor.
John M. Hutchinson was clerk of the vestry from
1855 to 1858. At this date the pews numbered up to
one hundred and eleven, and the valuation ran from two
hundred and fifty dollars to six hundred and fifty dollars.
115
1 1 6 History of Trinity Church
1858
Wardens: Henry Daw, Henry W. Rogers.
Vestrymen: Gibson T. Williams, Alexander A. Ev-
staphieve, Jesse C. Dann, James M. Smith, Robert Hol-
lister, George W. Clinton, John M. Hutchinson, James
C. Harrison.
1859
Wardens: Henry Daw, Henry W. Rogers.
Vestrymen: Alexander A. Evstaphieve, James M.
Smith, Robert Hollister, James C. Harrison, George W.
Clinton, Henry Martin, Stephen V. R. Watson, Samuel
K. Worthington.
i860
Wardens: Henry Daw, Henry W. Rogers.
Vestrymen: James M. Smith, Robert Hollister, Alex-
ander A. Evstaphieve, Stephen V. R. Watson, Henry
Martin, Samuel K. Worthington, James C. Harrison,
Rufus L. Howard.
1861
Wardens: Henry Daw, Henry W. Rogers.
Vestrymen: James M. Smith, Robert Hollister,
Stephen V. R. Watson, Henry Martin, Samuel K. Wor-
thington, James C. Harrison, Rufus L. Howard.
In 1 86 1, the Reverend O. F. Starkey was appointed
assistant rector during the absence of Doctor Ingersoll.
He was much beloved by the congregation.
1862
Wardens: Henry Daw, Henry W. Rogers.
Vestrymen: James M. Smith, Robert Hollister,
Stephen V. R. Watson, Henry Martin, Samuel K. Wor-
thington, James C. Harrison, Rufus L. Howard.
Wardens and Vestrymen 1 1 7
1863
Wardens : Henry Daw, Henry W. Rogers.
Vestrymen: Rufus L. Howard, Stephen V. R.Watson,
Samuel K. Worthington, Benjamin F. Smith, James Mc-
Credie, David P. Dobbins, Rufus C. Palmer, Augustus C.
Taylor.
1864
Wardens: Henry Daw, Henry W. Rogers.
Vestrymen: Rufus L. Howard, Stephen V. R.Watson,
Samuel K. Worthington, Benjamin F. Smith, James Mc-
Credie, David P. Dobbins, Rufus C. Palmer, Augustus C.
Taylor.
1865
Wardens: Henry W. Rogers, Robert Hollister.
Vestrymen: Rufus L. Howard, Stephen V. R.Watson,
Samuel K. Worthington, Benjamin F. Smith, James Mc-
Credie, David P. Dobbins, Rufus C. Palmer, Augustus C.
Taylor, John Cook.
1866
Wardens: Henry W. Rogers, Robert Hollister.
Vestrymen: Rufus L. Howard, Samuel K. Worthing-
ton, Augustus C. Taylor, Benjamin F. Smith, James Mc-
Credie, John H. Vought, John Allen, junior, James M.
Smith.
1867
Wardens: Henry W. Rogers, Robert Hollister.
Vestrymen: Rufus L. Howard, James M. Smith,
James McCredie, John H. Vought, John Allen, junior,
Gibson T. Williams, Henry Kip, Joseph D. Roberts.
1 1 8 History of Trinity Church
1868
Wardens: Henry W. Rogers, Robert Hollister.
Vestrymen: Rufus L. Howard, James M. Smith,
James McCredie, John H. Vought, John Allen, junior,
Gibson T. Williams, Henry Kip, Joseph D. Roberts.
1869
Wardens: Henry W. Rogers, Robert Hollister.
Vestrymen: James M. Smith, Rufus L. Howard,
James McCredie, John H. Vought, George L. Williams,
John Allen, junior, Samuel M. Welch.
1870
Wardens: Henry W. Rogers, Robert Hollister.
Vestrymen: Rufus L. Howard, James M. Smith,
James McCredie, Henry Kip, Samuel M. Welch, William
Williams, William H. Dudley, George Gorham.
1871
Wardens: Henry W. Rogers, Robert Hollister.
Vestrymen: Rufus L. Howard, James M. Smith,
James McCredie, Henry Kip, Samuel M. Welch, William
Williams, George Gorham, Stephen V. R. Watson.
1872
Wardens: Robert Hollister, James M. Smith.
Vestrymen: Samuel M.Welch, Rufus L. Howard,
James McCredie, Benjamin F. Smith, Thomas F. Roch-
ester, George Gorham, Henry Kip, Stephen V. R. Watson,
Wardens and Vestrymen 1 1 9
1873
Wardens: Robert Hollister, James M. Smith.
Vestrymen: Rufus L. Howard, James McCredie,
Henry Kip, Samuel M. Welch, Stephen V. R. Watson,
Samuel K. Worthington, Thomas F. Rochester, Walter
Cary.
1874
Wardens: James M. Smith, Alexander A. Evsta-
phieve.
Vestrymen: Samuel M. Welch, Delevan F. Clark,
Henry M. Watson, Joseph T. Fairchild, Townsend Davis,
Livingston Lansing, Henry C. Winslow, William E.
Foster.
It was this vestry which had the honor of calling the
Reverend Doctor Van Bokkelen to the rectorship.
1875
Wardens: James M. Smith, Alexander A. Evsta-
phieve.
Vestrymen: Townsend Davis, Delevan F. Clark,
Henry C. Winslow, Samuel M. Welch, Moses Smith,
Henry M. Watson, Joseph T. Fairchild, William E.
Foster.
1876
Wardens: James M. Smith, Alexander A. Evsta-
phieve.
Vestrymen: Samuel M. Welch, William Laverack,
Moses Smith, Delevan F. Clark, Henry C. Winslow,
Henry M. Watson, Charles B. Germain, William E.
Foster.
1 20 History of Trinity Church
1S77
Wardens: James M. Smith, Alexander A. Evsta-
phieve.
Vestrymen: Moses Smith, Samuel M. Welch, Charles
B. Germain, William Laverack, Frank W. Fiske, John
Allen, junior, Sylvester F. Mixer, Samuel M. Welch,
junior.
It was this vestry which elected the Reverend Doctor
Ingersoll rector emeritus.
1878
Wardens: James M. Smith, Alexander A. Evsta-
phieve.
Vestrymen: Samuel M. Welch, William Laverack,
Moses Smith, Sylvester F. Mixer, Frank W. Fiske, Sam-
uel M. Welch, junior, Charles B. Germain, George J.
Sicard.
1879
Wardens: James M. Smith, Alexander A. Evsta-
phieve.
Vestrymen: William Laverack, Samuel K. Worthing-
ton, Samuel M. Welch, Delevan F. Clark, William H.
Gratwick, Samuel M. Welch, junior, Lawrence D. Rum-
sey, Nathaniel Rochester.
1880
Wardens: James M. Smith, Elam R. Jewett.
Vestrymen: Samuel K. Worthington, Samuel M.
Welch, William Laverack, Henry M. Watson, Nathaniel
Rochester, William H. Gratwick, Samuel M. Welch,
junior, Lawrence D. Rumsey.
Wardens and Vestryme7i i 2 1
1881
Wardens: Elam R. Jewett, William Laverack.
Vestrymen: Samuel M.Welch, William H. Gratvvick,
Samuel K. Worthington, Nathaniel Rochester, Samuel
M. Welch, junior, Edmund W. Granger, Charles A. De
Laney, Porter Norton.
1882
Wardens: Elam R. Jewett, William Laverack.
Vestrymen: Samuel K. Worthington, William H.
Gratwick, Edmund W. Granger, Charles A. DeLaney,
Porter Norton, Rufus L. Howard, Delevan F. Clark.
1883
Wardens: Elam R. Jewett, William Laverack.
Vestrymen: Samuel K. Worthington, William H.
Gratwick, Delevan F. Clark, Charles A. DeLaney, Porter
Norton, Rufus L. Howard, Edmund W. Granger, William
Meadows.
1884
Wardens: Elam R. Jewett, William Laverack.
Vestrymen : Rufus L. Howard, Samuel K. Worthing-
ton, William H. Gratwick, Edmund W. Granger, James
P. White, Leonidas Doty, Moses M. Smith, Charles H.
Utley.
In this year the consolidation of the two parishes of
Trinity and Christ Church was effected, and a joint
vestry selected from both, as follows:
Wardens: Thomas Dennis, Elam R. Jewett.
Vestrymen: Asaph S. Bemis, Ensign Bennett, Henry
C. Springer, Andrew J. Packard, Rufus L. Howard, Wil-
liam H. Gratwick, Leonidas Doty, Edmund W. Granger.
122 History of Trinity Church
1885
Wardens: Elam R. Jewett, Thomas Dennis.
Vestrymen: William H. Gratwick, Ensign Bennett,
Rufus L. Howard, Asaph S. Bemis, Leonidas Doty,
Henry C. Springer, Edmund W. Granger, Hobart B.
Loomis.
1886
Wardens: Rufus L. Howard, Thomas Dennis.
Vestrymen: William H. Gratwick, Nathaniel Roch-
ester, William Laverack, Ensign Bennett, M. Bainbridge
Folwell, Hobart B. Loomis, Charles H. Utley, Peter C.
Doyle.
This was the vestry that elected the Reverend Doctor
Lobdell.
1887
Wardens: Rufus L. Howard, Thomas Dennis.
Vestrymen: William Laverack, Ensign Bennett,
Peter C. Doyle, William H. Gratwick, M. Bainbridge
Folwell, Charles H. Utley, Hobart B. Loomis, Nathaniel
Rochester.
1888
Wardens: Rufus L. Howard, Thomas Dennis.
Vestrymen: Peter C. Doyle, Hobart B. Loomis, M.
Bainbridge Folwell, Charles H. Utley, Nathaniel Roch-
ester, Porter Norton, George Gorham, Samuel K. Wor-
thington.
1889
Wardens: Rufus L. Howard, David P. Dobbins.
Vestrymen: Porter Norton, Charles H. Utley, M.
Bainbridge Folwell, Hobart B. Loomis, Samuel K. Wor-
thington, George Gorham, Peter C. Doyle, Nathaniel
Rochester.
Wardens and Vestrymen 1 2 3
1890
Wardens: Rufus L. Howard, David P. Dobbins.
Vestiymen: Porter Norton, Charles H. Utley, M.
Bainbridge Folwell, Hobart B. Loomis, Samuel K. Wor-
thington, George Gorham, Peter C. Doyle, Nathaniel
Rochester.
1891
Wardens: Rufus L. Howard, David P. Dobbins.
Vestrymen: Porter Norton, Charles H. Utley, M.
Bainbridge Folwell, Samuel K. Worthington, George
Gorham, Peter C. Doyle, Nathaniel Rochester, Henry
M. Watson.
1892
Wardens: Rufus L. Howard, David P. Dobbins.
Vestrymen: Nathaniel Rochester, Peter C. Doyle,
M. Bainbridge Folwell, Charles H. Utley, George Gor-
ham, Samuel K. Worthington, Porter Norton, Henry M.
Watson.
1893
Wardens: Rufus L. Howard, George Gorham.
Vestrymen: Nathaniel Rochester, Peter C. Doyle,
M. Bainbridge Folwell, Charles H. Utley, Samuel K.
Worthington, Porter Norton, Henry M. Watson, Robert
L. Fryer.
1894
Wardens: Rufus L. Howard, George Gorham.
Vestrymen: Nathaniel Rochester, Peter C. Doyle,
M. Bainbridge Folwell, Charles H. Utley, Samue^ K.
Worthington, Porter Norton, Henry M. Watson, Robert
L. Fryer.
i 24 History of Trinity Church
1895
Wardens: Rufus L. Howard, George Gorham.
Vestrymen: Nathaniel Rochester, Peter C. Doyle,
M. Bainbridge Folwell, Charles H. Utley, Samuel K.
Worthington, Porter Norton, Henry M. Watson, Robert
L. Fryer.
1896
Wardens: Rufus L. Howard, George Gorham.
Vestrymen: Nathaniel Rochester, Peter C. Doyle,
Edmund W. Granger, Charles H. Utley, Samuel K.
Worthington, Porter Norton, Henry M. Watson, Robert
L. Fryer.
1897
Wardens. — For one year: George Gorham.
For two years : Nathaniel Rochester.
Vestrymen. — For one year: Charles H. Utley, Henry
M. Watson, Henry C. Howard.
For two years: Samuel K. Worthington, Robert L.
Fryer, Wilson S. Bissell.
For three years: Peter C. Doyle, Porter Norton,
Edmund W. Granger.
Memorial Gifts
Christ Chapel
Before the Consolidation
Altar, in memory of Jane Elizabeth Forsyth.
Chancel window, in memory of Jennie Angelina
Laning.
Lectern, in memory of Martha J. Dealey.
Window at end of nave, in memory of Charles Knapp
Loomis.
Window, in memory of Cameron and Agnes Masten.
Window, in memory of Gilbert Holland Warren.
Brass tablet on south wall, in memory of Arthur
Perry Nichols.
Latin cross, in memory of May Kasson.
Christ Chapel
After the Consolidation
Prayer desk, in memory of Emily and Alexander A.
Evstaphieve.
Brass tablet on south wall, in memory of the Rever-
end Thomas Dennis, church warden.
Brass tablet on north wall, in memory of Asaph S.
Bemis, church warden.
Altar service books, in memory of Mrs. Zillah Rob-
erts Fell.
125
126 History of Trinity Church
White altar cloth, in memory of the Reverend Thomas
Dennis.
Six brass vesper candlesticks, in memory of Mrs.
Adelia Dennis.
Trinity Church.
Chancel windows, John La Farge, artist,
i . " Nativity of Our Lord," in memory of James Piatt
White, M. D., and Mary Elizabeth White.
2. " Adoration of the Magi," in memory of Jerry
Radcliffe and Ariadne Webster Radcliffe.
3. "The Transfiguration," in memory of the Rever-
end Edward Ingersoll, D. D.
4. " The Resurrection," in memory of Stephen Van
Rensselaer Watson.
5. " The Ascension," in memory of Harriette Cor-
nelia Howard.
Window over memorial altar, by La Farge; subject,
"The Sealing of the Twelve Tribes"; in memory of
Anna M. Sherman and Gretchen Van Dalsten.
Window by La Farge, illustrating the twenty-third
psalm, in memory of Mrs. George S. Hazard.
Window by Mayer & Co., Munich; subject, "Faith
and Charity"; in memory of Mrs. James M. Smith.
Window by Tiffany; subject, "Saint Cecilia"; in
memory of Orson Phelps and Mary Louise Phelps.
Window by Tiffany; subject, " Christ Restoring Sight
to the Blind"; in memory of Sylvester F. Mixer, M. D.,
Annie Knowlton Mixer, Mary Knowlton Mixer.
Window by La Farge; subject, "The Good Samari-
tan"; in memory of Thomas F. Rochester, M. D.
Memorial Gifts 127
Window by Tiffany; subject, "The Archangels
Gabriel and Raphael "; in memory of James McCredie
and Caroline M. McCredie.
Window by La Farge; subject, "The Calling of Saint
James"; in memory of James C. Harrison.
Window by Gibson's Sons; subject, "Christ Knock-
ing at the Door"; in memory of William G. Fargo.
Window by Tiffany; subject, "The Annunciation";
the gift of Mrs. Edward H. Dutton.
Window by Tiffany; subject, "The Calling of Saint
Matthew"; in memory of James Daniels Sheppard.
Window by Hardman & Co., London; subject, " The
Feeding of Elisha in the Wilderness"; in memory of
Leonidas Doty.
Window in vestibule, by Hardman & Co., London;
subject, "Mary and Martha"; given by Saint Luke's
Church.
Altar and reredos, in memory of Amelia D'Arcy
Van Bokkelen and Henrietta Maria Van Bokkelen.
Altar cross and vases, in memory of Bertha Van
Bokkelen.
Violet altar cloth, in memory of Elam R. Jewett.
White altar cloth, in memory of Cecilia Utley.
Red altar cloth, in memory of Eunice A. Hutchinson.
Green altar cloth, in memory of Ellen Marvine Gor-
ham.
Fair linen cloth, veils, burse, etc., in memory of Louise
White.
White antependium for pulpit, in memory of Chandler
J. Wells.
Silver alms basin, in memory of the Reverend Doctor
Ingersoll.
128 History of Trinity Church
Silver alms basin, in memory of the Reverend Doctor
Van Bokkelen.
Silver chalice and paten, in memory of May Husted
Foster.
Two candelabra, in memory of Marianne Humphreys
Pease and Julia F. Pease.
Processional cross, in memory of Frederic Betts
Foster.
Alms chest and brass tablet in the tower vestibule, in
memory of Frederic Betts Foster.
Alms chest in the main vestibule, in memory of
Asaph S. Bemis.
Pulpit and lantern, in memory of Mary Richards
Dobbins.
Litany desk, in memory of Bradford Chauncey
Howard.
Brass lectern, in memory of George B. Gates.
Chair rail, in memory of James P. White.
Hymn board, in memory of Miss Lydia Stewart.
Hymn board, in memory of Nathaniel Hall.
Memorial Chapel
Reredos, in memory of Julia E. Tryon.
Altar cross, in memory of those buried by Doctor
Van Bokkelen.
Baptismal font and brass rail, in memory of Mary
Heathcote Rochester.
Marble statue of " Hope," in memory of Mrs. James
M. Smith.
Ewer, font, and cover, in memory of those baptized
by Doctor Van Bokkelen.
Memorial Gifts 129
Silver baptismal bowl, in memory of Louise White.
Green altar cloth, in memory of Julia H. Rieffcnstahl.
Good Friday altar cloths, in memory of Mary Knowl-
ton Mixer.
Two altar vases, gift of Mrs. Thomas F. Rochester.
Full set of service books, in memory of Charlotte
Brownell Ives.
Altar book (by Updike), Thanksgiving offering by T.
Guilford Smith.
Silver communion set for the sick, in memory of
Antoinette Haven.
Silver baptismal bowl, in memory of Mrs. Thomas F.
Rochester.
Two brass eucharistic candlesticks, in memory of
Rosalind B. Ross.
Silver flagon, in memory of Mr. and Mrs. William
Laverack.
Tablets
Marble tablet, in memory of the Right Reverend
Cicero Stephens Hawks, D. D., first rector of the parish.
Marble tablet, in memory of the Reverend Edward
Ingersoll, second rector of the parish.
Marble tablet, in memory of Catherine F. Ingersoll.
Brass tablet, in memory of the Reverend Libertus
Van Bokkelen, third rector of the parish.
Brass tablet, in memory of Alexander Alexis Evsta-
phieve.
Brass tablet, in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Robert
Hollister.
Brass tablet, in memory of James Daniels Shepard.
1 30 History of Trinity Church
Marble tablet, in memory of Samuel L. Russell.
Marble tablet, in memory of Jerry Radcliffe.
Marble tablet, in memory of Henry Daw.
Brass tablet, in memory of James P. Dobbins.
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