(«y/T^Ij^ r« ^-^v y / f '/// '/m^ BX 9211 .A7 A4 1880 History of the Presbytery of Argyle of the United HISTORY Presbytery of Irqyle IIIEB PI Li fill mn \ Ji ii North America, Associate and Associate Reformed Predecessors. PUBLISHED BY THE PRESBYTERY. HARRISBURG, PA. : PATRIOT PUBMSHING COMPANY. 1880. Preface. |]IE philosopliy and attractive eleganoo of popular history will not 1)0 found in the followino- work. Its design is simply to gather up and record, in the briefest form, the lacts of the past, before the knowledge of some of these things shall have perished ; for the sources of such knowledge are becom- ing fewer every j'ear. It will serve its purpose if it will help to keep fresh the memory' of the worthy dead, and to save the coming historian of our Church from some of the labor and worry of orig- inal investigation. It has been compiled mainly from the manuscript minutes of the several Presbyteries as contained in ten volumes. Some of these old records were kept in a ver}- peculiar way, for they frequently merely refer to events and transactions without giving the facts themselves, so that they only notify the investigator of their exis- tence and put him upon their track. There are also great gaps in some of these minutes. These partially revealed facts have been clearly made out and the gaps filled np from Synodic records, bio- graphical collections, as Sprague's Annals and the Manual of the Reformed Church, old magazines, personal recollections, and b}' picking up an item here and another there as the result of an ex- tensive correspondence. For valuable assistance rendered, thanks are due to man}-, but especially to the brethren of the Presbytery, to Dr. Forsyth, of West Point, Pr. Cooper, of Allegheny, Rev. J. T. Brownlee, of "West Middleton, Pa., Rev. James Price, of New York, and Judge Girson, of Salem. JAMES B SCOULLER. Nkwvii.i.k. I'A., Jmio id, 1880. Contents C'HAPTEK I. Page. Associate, 1 763-1 78"2 — Settlement of Argyle — Cambridyo — Salem — Hebron — Putnam — Irish Immigration — Organization of the Asso- ciate Church — Dr. Clark's Colony — Covenanters in Cambridge — Burgliers in Cambridge — Kinlock's Mission — Organization of a Church in Cambridge — 3Iixture of Burghers and Antiburghers — Presbyterian Xeighbors — Oiganization of Xew York Presbytery, 1-11 CHAPTER II. Associate Refokmed, 1782-1803 — Organization of the Associate Reformed Church — Dr. Clark's Resignation — James Proudlit call- ed — Covenanters and Seceders unite in Cambridge — John Dun- lap called — KortrJght — Stamford — Hebron — Argyle — George Mairs — Gahvay — Charlton — Princeton — Florida — .James JMairs — .John 31. Mason licensed — Fast-day controversy — Organization of Washington Presbytery — William McAuIey — Alexander Proud- tit — Hebron and Argyle disjoined — Discipline — Visitations — James Gray — Missionary work — Albany — Lansingburg — White Hall — Delhi — Caledonia — Lisbon — Upper Canada — Broadalbin — Jlout- real- — Robert Proudtit — .lohn Gosman — Thomas McAuley — Wil- liam Mc^Iurray — Ebenezer K. jNIaxwell; — James M. Matthews- Thomas White — Andrew Wilson — Robert Easton — Robert Sher- itt"— John Burns— Alexander Denhani — Deacons — Saratoga Pres- bytery set off — Mcilurrayat Lansingburg — White at White Hall — Canada and Vermont- — Doctor of Divinity — Centralization — Lis- bon's history — Chester Long — Dunlap's resignation — Lansing- burg's extension — Cambrige calls D. C. McLaren — George flairs. J. B, Steel, J. A. Savage, students — Opposed to the Union of 1822 — John W. Proudtit — ^lalcolm X. ^IcLaren — James H. Teller — J. A. Savage and Fort Covington — Denliam leaves Hebron — >IcLaren leaves Cambridge — William Taylor — James 3IcAuIey and Heb- ron — Fort Covington translerred — Madrid — Upper Canada — AV. Howden and Cambridge — Peter (xordon and West and Old Cam- l)ridge — Robert Thompson — AVilliam Moore — Alexander Proud- fit — James II. Barnes — James Lillie and Salem — Jasper ^Middle- VI CONTEXTS. ]'(iyp. mass— Oxbow— Alexamler Proudlit— John I). Gibson— Ebeiiezer Halley and Salem— Middlemass and Hebron— Alexander Sliand and Hebron— Thomas C. McLaury and Cambridge— John Donald- 'j'r"'7r^\i''''f' "'^'" J^"ke— Thomas T. Farrinoton and Salem— George JVl. JMcLachron— John Crawford— James B. Scouller and Argyle— Joseph Kimball and Hebron— John Anderson— William White— AVilliam V,. Shortt and Cambridge— William John Robinson— John Harper— Jonathan Gillespie— James C. Forsyth and Salem— G. Hamilton Robertson and Hebron— Final Adjournnient— Why Con- gregations died, and Ministers left the Chnrch— List of ^linistcrs produced, -------... 1-^-4i> CHAPTER in. AssociATK, 1 782-1 S.")')— After the Union— Thomas Beveridge and Cambridge and South Argyle— Barnet and Ryegate— David Good- willie— John Cree— Thomas Hamilton— John Banks— Associate Synod— Cambridge Presbytery— Banks leaves Cambridge for Florida— Sketches of Goodwillie, A. Whyte and Dr. Banks— Put- nam— Westfield— Andrew Oliver— Alexander Bullions and Cam- bridge—Robert Laing and Argyle— John Mushat— David French— Eaing's Troubles— Delhi— Alexander ]\roCleIlan and Argyle— Dr. Banks goes to Philadelphia— Thomas Beveridge— Peter Bullions and Argyle— Joseph Shaw— Albany— James Irvine— .James Mar- tin— .Tames 3Iillar and Putnam— Thomas and David Goodwillie— Sub-Synods — Salem — Andrew Stark and New York— Canada West— Mutual aid— Thomas Ferrier and Ryegate— A Whyte, jr. Findley McNaughton— William Easton— Bullions and Albany- Peter Campbell and Florida— Hebron and Iivine- The Goodwil- lies— Albany and Martin — Tract Society — Johnstown — James White and Salem— James McGeoch—Russel— Millar deposed— Barnet and T. Goodwillie— York— Whyte, McNaughton and Eas- ton licensed— Beveridge and Argyle— Russel and Canada— How- ard— Canada East— Bullions, Professor -pro ile)^.— Whyte and Bal- timore—Congregational bounds- William Pringle and Ryegate— A. Gordon and Putnam— A. Mitcliel— Horatio Thompson— James P. Miller and South Argyle— Xorth Argyle and Duncan Stalker- John G. Smart— Albany Presbytery erected- David Gordon and Salem— Abraham Anderson and Hebron— Canada East— Congre- gational Bible Societies— Thomas Gilkerson— Archibald Reid Isaac Law— J. W. Harsha— D. G. Bullions— The Bullions Trou- ble—The Vermont Presbytery— The New Presbytery of Cam- bridge—The New Associate Synod— D. j\L Quackenbush and Hebron— A. Shiland and Hebron— D. G. Bullions and Coila— W. E. Henning and North Argyle— W. W. Harsha— Robert Bur- gess—Union of the two Synods— Archibald Reid and Cambridge— COXTKN'I'S. Vll J'lKje. Isaac Law and t'aiiada— David CJoidun and Trinidad — The Mis- sionary Institute — Canada Churches — David W. French and Sa- lem — Isaac Law and Putnam — James McArthur in Vermont — Moses Arnot — James Shankland — Hugli K. Luskand Cambridge — James Ballantine and ]Iebron — Joseph McKee — J. G. Austin and Canada — W. Hawthorne — East (4reenwicli — Josepli ]McKirahau — John ]J. ])unn — (^ueensbury and C. Webster— South Aryyle and James T]iomi)son, and Joseph Tliompson, and Alexander Thomj)- son, and James A. Durt'— Dr. Smart — Sherrington and A. C. Stewart — Gilbert Small — G. Hamilton liobertson — Consolidation of the two Presbyteries — Henry Gordon and Coila — Hugh Brown and Salem — Gore — Final Adjournment — ]\rinisters trained. - - 50-87 CHAPTER lY. Umted Pkesuytehiax. 1859-1880 — Argyle Presbytery Organized — Hawthorne and Hemmingsford — Webster and Hinchenbrook — St. Lawrence Presbytery — W. R. McKee and West Hebron — White and Hebron — Dunn — Hanna — Lawrence and Putnam — Reid — Randies — W^iley — ]\IcClelian — Telford — G. 31. Robinson — Ashton — J. H. Robinson — Fisher — Ure and Argyle — Double Ordination — State of the Country — Chaiilains — Orr and East Greenwich — An- drew and South Argyle — Fisher and Hebron — Gladstone and East Greenwich— Clapperton and East Salem — Cunningham and East Salem — Wiley and West Hebron — Bigger and Putnam — Vermont Presbytery — ^Mackenzie and Salem — Kane and Argyle — Wylie and Hebron — Morris and South Argyle— Galbraith and East Green- wich — Hood and Hebron — G, M. Robinson — Hume — Willard 3Ic- Eachron — Peter Campbell — M. B. Williams — ^Ministers trained by Argyle Presbytery, 88-9G CHAPTEJi V. Sketches ok Puesext Congkegations — Salem — Cambridge — Coila — South Argyle — I lebron — Argyle — West Hebron — Put- nam — East Salem — North Argyle — East Greenwich, - - - 'JT-LliS History of the Presbytery of Argyle. CHAPTER I. Associate, 1705-1782. |U fat-ilitate iiiilitarv movements ui^aiust Canada tlie Britisli (iovernment, in 1700, built three forts inwliat is now Wasliiiigton county, ^STew York. One was located about a mile south of (xalesville, another was at Fort Edward, and the third was near Fort Ann. Settlers soon clus- tered around and within the protection of these works, but when the AYar of the S})anisli Succession was terminated, and peace re-estaldished between England and France, these gar- risons were abandoned, and the white inhabitants, being thus left un[irotected, were gradually and almost entirel}' driven away by marauding Indians; so that, with the exception ol' some Dutch families in Easton, the permanent settlement of the €0unty did not in reality begin before the year 1760. During the years 1738-40, Captain Laughlin Campbell brought from Argyleshire in Scotland, two ship loads of emi- grants who had the promise of a grant of land from the Govern- ment, as a kindly acknowledgement to the Duke of Argyle for his military services. In this they were disappointed, and they scattered and for a time lived as l)est they could. In 1768, the six surviving children of Captain Campbell, together with four other persons, succeeded in securing a patent for ten thousand acres of land, wliich covered the northern part of the ]:)rescnt town of CIreenwich ; and on the 21st of May, 1764, another [)ati'nt for forty-si^'ven thousand four hundred and tiftv acres, ly'iuy: immcdiatrly to the north and covering the present town 2 ]1IST0UY (IF THE of Argylo, was granted to J^uiicati Keid, Neal Shaw, Alexander McNaugliton and Ncal Gillespie as trustees, for the benefit cf the emigrants which had previously come from Arg3deshire and others who proposed to come. After securing a large farm for c-hurch [»ur[ioses, this grant was laid out in one hundred and forty-one lots and conveyed to eighty-three families which generally took possession during the following year. On the 21st of July, 17<:)1, a patent was granted to a eonr()any in Connecticut for thirty-one tliousand live hundred acres, sit- uated in the present towns of Cambridge and Jackson, upon the condition that thirty farms should be \\\\t under tillage within three 3'ears. To secure this grant thirty families from Colraine, in Connecticut, were induced to settle here by tlie gift of a hundred acres to each, from the proprietors. It is almost certain that these settlers, and some others who about the same time located on smaller patents in White Creek, were natives of Ireland who had been only for a short time in Xew England In 1761, James Turner and Joshua Conkey. from Peltham^ Massachusetts, settled iuk^'alemand were joined the next year by Hamilton McCoUister. This led to the formation of a company which, in 1764, received a patent for twenty-tive thousand acres of land. One half of this was owned by a company of ^lassa- chusetts settlers, and the other half by two government otfl cials. This latter half was purchased in 1765, by the Kev. Thomas Clark, M. I)., for the benetit of his Irish congregation Avhich had immigrated with him the previous year. This grant was divided into three hundred and eight lots, three of which were set apart for the minister and the schoolmaster. l)i\ Clark's parishioners were to receive their land free for live years, and after that to ]jay a perpetual yearly rent of one shilling per acre. The New Englanders and the Irish Seceders did not occupy different sections of tlie patent, but were inter- mixed, often on alternate farms. Hebron was partly settled l)y Scotch Highlanders of the Heventy-Seventli Regiment of Foot, to whom farms were granted for their services in the French war. Putnam was feebly settled before the Revolution by privates- PRESBYTERY OF AR(iVI.E. 8 from the New York [H'ovineiiil vegiinonts. All tlu'se (littbreiit settlements received some {iccossions before the war of Inde- pendence, and immediately after tliat they grew with great rapidity, and mainly with those of kindred nationality and religious faith. The remainder of tlie county was first settled principally by Dutch, and by immigrants from Connecticut and Rhode Island, who contributed very little to the membershi]* of the Associate or Associate Jieformed Churches. The Sacramental Test act of 1704, prevented all Tresbyte- rians from holding office in Ireland. The repudiation of Tres- byterial ordination in 1G61, by the Ecclesiastical Courts, vitiateil all official acts by I'l'esbyterian ministers, and brought great distress and confusion into non-Episcopal families in the mat- ter of legitimacy and inheritance. The immemorial custom of administering an oath in Ireland was l)y "kissing the book,"' tliis all Seceders refused to do, and because the}^ would not swear except with the uplifted hand, the}^ were never allowed to serve upon juries or to appear in court as witnesses. Fre- quently, and especially in the years between 1750 and 17G0, there were bad harvests which brought actual famine into some parts of Ireland. All these things put together made it very desirable for Presbyterians and especially for Seceders to leave this over-crowded island, and to seek a home where there would be fewer annoyances and greater liberty and agricultural resources. Just at this time the American C-olonies Avere opening up with great promise, and land and immigrant agents were quite numerous who did not allow the new country to suffer for want of advertisement and praise. The result was a great emigration of Irish Presbyterians and Irish Seceders dur- ing the latter half of the last centur}-, with a little mingling of Scottish families, and with this wave came the Associate and the Reformed Churches, the antecedents of the present United I ^ resby ter ian Ch u rch . Scotch and Irish immigrants of Secession SA'mpatliies as early as 1736, jietitioned the Associate I*resbytery of Scotland for a missionar}', and as they became more numerous they became more importunate in their requests. Finally in the summer of 1753, the Antiburgher Synod of Scotland sent out Alexander 4 HISTORY OF THE Gcllatly and Andrew Arnot, who upon huKling went immedi- ately to the eastern slope of the Susquehanna in Tennsj-lvania, and in Xoveniher of the same year organized the Associate l*resl)ytery of Pennsylvania. After organizing a number of congregations, Mr. Gellatly settled at Octoraro and Oxford; Mr. Arnot returned home in the summer of 1754 after his place had been supplied by James Proudfit, Avho traveled for four years among the young churches, and then settled at Pequea. Iti 1758, Matthew Henderson came and settled at Oxford, Pennsyl- vania and l*encader, Delaware. In 1761, Mr. Gellatly died, and John Mason and two probationers, Robert Annan and John Smart, arrived, Mr. Mason settled in JSI^ew^'ork city over a con- gregation which had sent for him, ]Mr. Annan settled at Marsh Creek, I*ennsylvania, and Mr. Smart, (grandfather of the late Dr. John G. Smart,) returned to Scotland. In 1763 William Marshall, probationer, came and during the following year ac- cepted a call to J)eep Run and I^eshaminy, in Bucks count}'. In the summer of 1761, the Rev. Thomas Clark, M. D., ac- companied by a large part of his congregation lit Ballibay in Ireland, landed, and settled temporarily at Stillwater, twenty- four miles north of Albany, ISTew York, and subsequently moved up to Salem. Dr. CUark and his people were connected with the Burgher Synod of Scotland, but not wishing to continue a division which could have no grounds or signiticancy in this country, he applied at once to the Associate Presbytery of Pennsylvania Avhich was subordinate to the General Associate or Antiburgher Synod of Scotland. After considerable delay and negotiations as to terms, he was admitted on the second of September, 1765. These terms spread over nine specifications, but virtually amounted to the simple agreement, that as botli Synods held to the same Testimony, they would forget past disagreements and work together in peace and harmony; that "Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judali shall not vex Ephraim." During the years '65 and '6Q^ Dr. Clark got all the families of his charge comfortably located in Salem, then known as New Perth, and he continued as their pastor, for there was no new organization or selection of pastor. The church — pastor, ruling elders and members — was simply taken up as a unit in PRESBYTERY OF ARCJYl.E. 5 the tUtliei'laiul and placed here in its new liomo, wliere it quickly took root, and ever since has borne I'ruitto the delight and honor of the ascended Jesus. Dr. Clark was a man of great zeal and activity, and did not confine his labors exclusively to his own congregation, but sought out and soon found scattered settlers, in the surround- ing neighborhood, of kindred faith. To these he brought the same gospel which they had known beyond the sea, and they re- ceived him gladly, and he continued to visit them from time to time as long as he remained in Salem. These missionary laliors covered much of the territory now embraced in the towns of Cam- bridge, White Creek, Jackson, GreenAvich, Argyle, Hebron ami Hartford, and were largely instrumental in laying tlie founda- tion of the nine United Presbyterian congregations which now cluster around the mother church of Salem. The lirst settlers of the original town of Cambridge were largely Irish, and evidently of divers ecclesiastical associations. These that came in first from Connecticut in 1761-3 had most probably been reared in connection with the Synod of Ulster, having left Ireland before the Secession had taken root there ; but it is pretty certain that those who settled immediately after these were principally Burghers, with a little admixtureof Cov- enanters, and the subsequent additions from both Ireland and Scotland contained a good proportion of Antiburghers. The lirst minister that visited these immigrants, according to pres- ent historical discoveries, was the Rev. John Cuthbertson, the great Covenanter missionary, who for many years traveled from AVestern Pennsylvania to New Hampshire, seeking out and ministering to those of kindred faith. In his Diary he men- tions a visit to Orange county, Xew York, in 1759, where he spent the month of September in missionary labor along the Walkill. In 1764 he repeated his visit to this neighborhood, and then continued on to Albany, and finally to Cambridge, Avhere he lodged with Ephraim Cowan, and on Sabbath, the 19th of August, preached and baptized Edward, son of William Selfridge, and Martha, daughter of Oliver Selfridge. Phineas AVhiteside, a Covenanter Ruling Elder of IVijuea, Pen!isylva- nia, accompanied him in this tour. In 1760, these two again 6 HISTORY OF THE visited C'aiiil)i"i(lge, and Mr. Whiteside purchased a hirge tract of land and remained there permanently, and many of liis de- scendants are still residing there. In 1769, Mr. Cutlibertson made another and most })robably his last visit to Cambridge, where on the 22d of October, lie ordained William Selfridu'e and John McClung as ruling elders. Because there were now three ruling elders of the Covenanter Church in Candn'idge, we must not conclude that there was a regularlj^ organized Covenanter congregation there, for these people had brought with them tlie "Society system," which prevailed among the Sons of the Covenant in Scotland, at the beginning of the last century. Nearly every cluster of Covenanters contained oneoi- more ruling elders, and all these clusters were confederated into one general community. Conventions of delegates from all these little societies were held from time to time, in some central location to attend to the general interests of the whole conmiunity. The jurisdiction of the elders was partly local and partly general. A communion was hel'd once or twice ever}' year in some convenient and accessible place for the ben- etit of all those who could attend from the difterent societies. The first commuiuon observed in this country and indeed out- side of the British Isles, by Covenanters, was on the 23d of August, 1752, at Stony Ilidge, in Cumberland count}', Penn- sylvania, and although thei'e was but a handful of people in that "Society," yet more than two hundred and fifty persons conmiuned. The probabilities, therefore, are that there was not at this time a regular and formal congregational organiza- tion among the Co\'enanters of Cambridge, and perhaps at no subsequent time. But the larger portion of the early settlers were Burgher Se- ceders, as the following extract from McKerrow's History of the Secession Church plainl}- shows : "In the month of Sep- tember, 17G5, an application was received from some of the in- habitants of New Cambridge, in the county of Albany, ami Province of New York, representing in strong terms their des- titute condition with regard to the gospel, and craving that the Synod (Burgher) would send them without delay, a minister to l)reak among them the l^read of life, at the same time }irom- I'UKSBVTKRY oF AIliVI.K. / isiiiii; t(> givi' tlio jicrson who sliould bo scut a suitable main- tenaiice. •'The Synod havinii- taken this petition into consideration, as well as the ai^plieation fonuerlv made from Phihrlelphia, resolved to send both an ordained minister and a preaelier, but delayed making the appointment till the month of November, when they were again to meet for tlie dispatch of business. "On the 12th of November the Synod ai)pointed Mr. Telfair to go on a mission to America early in the spring, and agreed to send with him Mr. Samuel Kinloch, probationer. They were to remain in America till April, 1767, unless the Synod should •see tit to recall or extend their ap[)oiiitments. They were to preach not only in rhiladelphia and New Cainljridge, but in any other places wliere they might find an opening. •'In ^Fay, 1767, the Synod received letters from the congre- gations in Philadelphia and New Cambridge, expressing their Avarmest thanks for the benefit they had received from the ministrations of Messrs. Telfair and Kinloch, and beseeching that the Synod would either permit these brethren to continue among them, or, should they be removed, that others might be s]ieedil\' sent to supply their place.'' In the early summer of 1766, Messrs. Telfair and Kinloch arrived and the former took charge of the Burgher congrega- tion in Shippen street, Philadel})hia,while the latter made New Cambridge, (now Cand)ridge) his headquarters. Thus they re- mained supplying these two congregations, and attending to considerable outside missionary work, until the year of their ai»pointment had expired ; tlien they concluded to remain per- manently in this country, and made application to the Associate (Antiburgher) I*resln'terv of rennsylvania for admission to membership, and on the 9th of June, 1767, the}' were received at a meeting in J*equea, rennsylvania, U})on substantially the same terms as those u[>on which Dr. Clark had been a;lmitted previ- ously. Two years after this, Mr. Kinloch changed his mind and returned to Scotland, and became and remained i'or many years the pastor of the Burghercongregation of Paisley. Mr. Telfair remained till 17(58 and returned to Scotland and remmed his charge at the Bridge of Tieth, but in 1771 he came back and » HISTORY OF THE remained as an independent Eurgher, supplying the Ship[.ei) street congregation in Philadelphia till August 12, 1780, when he united with the Reformed (Covenanter) Presbytery, and Avith that Presbytery came into the union of 1782, which formed the Associate Eeformed Church, and continued in Ship- pen street till 1788, and died in Philadelphia in 1789. 1^0 records have yet been discovered to show that a congre- gation had been regularly and canonically organized during this Burgher administration. The probabilities are that such was not the case, for Mr. Ivinloch was only a licentiate, and soon after he left the country, Dr. Clark, of Salem, on the 19th of April, 1769, ordained and installed a number of ruliiiii' elders in the Cambridge church. It w-ould be safe to regard this as the date of the formal organization of this eono-rega- tion. Many, perhaps a majority, of the Associate congregations formed in this country previous to 1782, contained a mixture of Burghers and Antiburghers with a predominance of the latter generally. The religious sympathies and the necessities of their present surroundings led them to bury their Old Country feud which could have no place or reason for existence in their new home. The terms upon which Messrs. Clark, Telfair and Kin-' loch wei-e received by the Presbytery of Pennsylvania sh(nv how anxious the ministers and the l^resbytery were to prevent any revival of the Burgher controversy in this country, and t<> secure a single and united American Church. Only three dis- tinctively Eurgher congregations were ever gathered in tliis country: those of Salem, Shippen street, Philadelphia, and Cam- bridge : the others were organized under Antiburgher auspices, although the most of them contained a Burgher element in their membership. It is a fact worthy of notice in passing that of these two wings of the Secession, the Burghers were uni- formly the more tolerant in si)irit,and less denominational and partisan in administration. Account for it as we may, yet history shows that in all the unions consummated by these parties in both Scotland and Ireland, the Burghers were always ready iirst, and that every delay was the result of Antiburgher hesitancy. PIIESUYTERV OF AlKJVI.i:. 9 All the ministers of the Ameriean Associate Church, (h)\vii to tlio union of 1782, were born and educuted in ScotUmtl, while three-tburths or even more of the membership of the Ohnrch were natives of Ireland. It is true that their ancestors were nearly all from Scotland, and belonged generally to that later migration which l)egan about 1680, because of the perse- cutions of that period, and continued for thirty or forty years. They sympathized with the strictest part of the Scotch Kirk, and were never disposed to hold much communion with those of less rigid views, and naturally fell in Avith the Secession movement. There was an older migration from Scotland and Kuffland to Ireland, which connnenced under the first of the Stuarts, when the Scottish Church was greatly depressed and partially demoralized liy royal tyranny. These were organized into the Synod of Ulster, and easily affiliated with the Inde- pendents of England, and formed a tyi)e of ]*resbyterianism less rigid in dogma and more liberal in goverimient than that of Scotland. They were sorely tried by persecution; iirst by the Irish Romanists until Cromwell interposed in their behalf : and after the Restoration by the Kew Irish l*relacy, led l)v Jeremy Taylor, who advocated toleration in his writings but failed to exhibit it in his practice. The great Presbyterian Church of this countr}' sprang largely from this Irish Ulster element, and never lost the peculiar features of its progenitor. Dr. Joel Parker says of it: "The Presbyterianism was that of the Church of Ireland, and was more flexible in its character than that of the Scottish Kirk. It more easily coalesced with the Congregationalism of the English Puritans." The Synod of Philadelphia, as early as 1724:, contained quite a number of Scottish ministers, and they, to use the language of Dr. Miller, ''were desirous to carry into effect the sj-stem of v/hich they had been accustomed in all its extent and strictness." The Ado]»ting Act of 1720 (quieted down for a season the collisions thus produced, but it was only for a season, for in 1741 the Great Schism took place, and the Synod of Xew ^'ork was organized in antagonism to the Synod of Philadelphia. This schism was healed externally in 1758 by the union of the two Synods, but in IHOl "A Plan of Union" was entered into 10 HISTORY OF THE witl) tlio Cougi-eirutioiial Association of Conueeticut whicli soon bore its appropriate fruits, and "oldside" and ^ newside,"' '•Scotch party" and "Puritan party" became familiar terms and tlie "Old School" and the "Xew School" General Assemblies were organized in 1838. These two bodies recently united and constitute the present great American Presbyterian Church. The early settlers that came into the south-eastern part of Washington county from is'ew England, generally formed con- gregations in connection with the American Presbyterian Church. These two classes of Presbyterians— Scottish and Auierican — have thus lived side by side for a liundred years. They possess enough in common to indicate that they were of the same parentage, and yet there are differences sufficient to show that they have long been subject to a different training and culture. Habits of relio-ious thouo-ht and feelino- ai'c to a, large degree liereditar}', and show themselves in the posterity of colonists, when all else that is peculiar has disappeared. A good man will cherish his religious faith and worship as his dearest [)Ossession, they lie nearest to his heart, and he will necessarily and instinctively instill them with conscientious and loving diligence into the minds and hearts of his children, that they may be made the possessors of joys and riches beyond anything that temporal possessions can impart. Posterity, un- less sul)jected to peculiarly strong counteracting influences, Avill exhibit the religious as well as the physical features of a long- buried ancestry. Saving grace is never hereditar}', but the means of grace, and the forms of worship, and a mental and moral bias in their favor are handed down from parent to child, and remain for ages as family heirlooms. The congregations of Salem and C-ambridge remained for several years under the care of the Associate l*re3bytery of Pennsylvania, and liobert Annan of Orange county was Dr. Clark's nearest fellow i)resbyter. This Presbytery soon found it expedient to divide, and the Pi-csbytery of New York was organized May i^O, 1776, in the city of New York, as an inde- pendent co-ordinate court, subject, like the mother Presbytery, to the Antiburgher Synod of Edinburgh. Its territory embraced Xew York and New England. Its ministerial meml)ers were IRESBYTEKY CF AKOYI.K. 11 John Mason, Robert Annan and Tlionias (Mark, [.astors, and William Logan and Andrew L'atton, unsettled, and jirobahly as yet lieentiates. Fts fully organizeil eongregations eonsisted <)t" one in Xew York city, two in Oi'ange county, two in Wasli- ino'ton county and jirobably one or two in Xew England. This l*resl)ytery was from its very inci})iency strongly in favor of a union with the Reformed Presbytery so as to make but one distinctively Scottish Presbyterian body in this country, and it to be entirely inde[)endent of all foreign connections, as the country had just declared itself politically independent. Terms for such a iniion were unanimously adopted l)y Presbytery at its meeting in Salem in the spring of 1780. The Reformed l*res- In'tery unanimously ado[)ted similar terms about the 1st of December, 1781, at a meeting at Donegal, Pennsylvania; and June 13, 1782, a majority of tlie Presbytery of Pennsylvania did the same at l*cquea, i'ennsylvania. All these Presbyteries met in convention in the house of William Richards, in Phila- ■delphia, on theoOth of October, 1782, to make arrangements for the immediate consummation of the union ; and on the fc»llow- ing day the Synod of the Associate Reformed Church was regularly organized, with John Mason as its moderator. 12 HISTORY OF THE CHAPTER II. Associate Reformed, 17S2-18(»2. |T the iirst meeting of the Associate Reformed Syncxl, October 31, 1782, the following members were present : Of the Associate Presbytery of Pennsylvania^ James Proudfit, John Rodgers, John Smith, and "William Logan, min- isters; Joseph Miller and Thomas Douglass, ruling elders. Of the Associate Presbytery of New York, John Mason, D. D., and Robert Annan, miiusters; William McKinley, ruling elder. <)f the Reformed Presbytery, John Cuthbertson, Matthew Lind, and Alexander Dobbin, ministers; James Bell, John Cochran, and Dr. Robert Patterson, ruling elders. The most important item of business transacted at this meeting was the consideration and unanimous approval of the eight articles agreed upon by the Con- vention of October 30, 1782. These articles were published under the unsuitable title of " The Constitution of the Associate Re- formed Church," and were long popularly known as the "Little Constitution." They were fiercely attacked in both this country and in Scotland, but since the heat and smoke of battle liave passed away it is something of an astonishment to see, with what correctness and kind christian spirit, our fathers were able, amid tlie strifes and controversies of a hundred years ago, to formulate their belief in matters of faith and practice. One of the earliest acts of this meeting of Synod was to make a new arrangement of its Presbyteries. The Church was divided into three Presbyteries, and styled The First, The l^econd and The Third. The Third Presbytery was made to con- sist of John Mason, Robert Annan, David Annan and Thomas Clark, and the congregations in New York and the Eastern States. The Synod at its meeting in May, 1786, made a change in the names and territories of the Presbyteries, so that all west of the Susquehanna River constituted the Presbytery of Pennsylvania; all eastern Penns^dvania and the State of [N'ew PRESBYTERY oF AIUJYLK. 1-3 York, the rrcsbytcry of Netr York : and ^\'\v Kno-laud the Prcsbyterjj of Londonderr)/. Dr. Clark remained in Salem until the spring of 1782, when he resigned and made a visit to that portion of his congrega- tion which came in with him from Ireland, but separated from him and tlie major portion at New York, and went South and settled near Abbeville, South Carolina. Here he remained for about a year, and then returned to the North, and was made moderator of tlieS3-ni)d which met in i'hiladelphia in October, 1783, and then made Albany, Xew York, his head(|uarters and spent most of his time in missionary work. During the sum- mer of 1786, he again visited the South and settled down per- manently in a pastorate, and was largely instrumental in bring- ing much of the Scottish and Irish Dissenting population of that section of the eountry into the Associate Reformed Church, which resulted in the organization, Feliruary 24, 1790, of the Associate Reformed Presbytery of the Carolinas and Georgia, at Cedar Springs, South Carolina. The church in Salem took immediate measures for the procur- ing of another pastor which issued in calling and securing the services, in October, 1783, of the Rev. James Troudfit, who had been for twenty-live years pastor in re(|uea, Rennsylvania. His installation was long delayed. About this time, just after Great Britain had recognized the independence of ourcountr}', population began to pour into AVashington county Avith great ra}iidity^ and mostly from Scotland and Ireland, and all the Associate Reformed congregations and missionary stations greatly profited thereby. The little "Society" of Covenanters in Caml)ridge, composed of the Whitesides, the Selfridges, the McClungs, the Cowans, the Clarks, (Sec, were always friendly towards the union move- ment, and when the union was consummated in 17S2, they coalesced with the Associate congregation of the same town. This with other accessions from the Old Country made the congregation quite strong, perhaps as numerous as it has ever been, for the call wliich they gave in 1780 to ^fr. Snodgrass was signed by a hundred and seventy-four male members. After three successful eftbrts to procure a pastoi-, dohn Dunlap, 14 HISTORY OF THE lately lit'eiised by the I'rcsbytery of Xew York, was ordained and installed .June 22, 1791, as tlie tirst pastor of Cambridge. The missionary Held within the bounds of Presbytery was very inviting and a large number of eongregations could have been organized if there had been an adequate su))i)ly of minis- ters. The few settlers who had gone into J)elaware eounty previous to the Revolution very generally abandoned their homes during the war, because of the depredations committed by the Indians. But when peace returned the most of these fugitives (tame back, and were soon followed by others from Xew Eng- land and from Scotland. The Scotch pretty generally a[»plied to the Associate Reformed Church in 1790 for word and (U'di- nance, and a large congregation was formally organized in December, 1792, which was scattered among the hills of the towns of Ilarperstield, Kortright, and Stamford. There was but one organization, and there was but one Session for the whole, although there Avere at hrst three and afterwards two ])laces for preachi-ng This unity continued until the 25th of Sejitember, 1805, when at their re(piest, the Rresb3'tery separ- ated Kortright and Stamford, and divided the members of Session between the two places, assigning to the former Elders James Rose, Hugh Sloan, Armstrong McMorris, Thomas Mc- Chiughrey and Alexander Lisle, jr., and to the latter Alexan- der Lisle, sr., Robert Wool, Hugh Rose, James McFarland^ Adam Ividsie, John Grant and Alexander McKee. The missionary work which Dr. Clark commenced and dames Proudiit and John Dunlap laboriously continued in Argyle and Hebron in Washington county, resulted in the organization,, in the autumn of 1792, of a strong congregation in each of these places. They were associated as a united charge and the Rev. (leorge Mairs, late pastor of the Burgher congregation at Cootehill in Ireland, was, on the 13th of November, 1798, in- stalled over them as pastor. Quite a number of Scotch and Irish families settled both be- fore and after the Revolutionary War, among the Dutch and Germans in that region of country which lies to the north- Avest of the city of Schenectady, and in which the four coun- ties of Fulton, Saratoga, Montgomery and Schenectady now PRESBYTERY OF AROYLE. 15 corner. Tlioy early ap[>lie(l to the Associate Jleioriiied Church for a supply of jin^aching, and were formed in 17'.'2 into four con ii;regat ions, viz: Gal way, Charlton, Corry's 13iish (Prince- town) and Ramson's IJush (Florida.) All four were united into one charge and gave a call to the Rev. dames ^[airs, im- mediately after the arri\-al of the two brothers from Ireland. He acce|)ted and was installed as pastor on the ]!Hh of Fehru- ai-y, 1794. This arrangement did not last long, for ti;e work was altogether too laborious for the minister and not satisfac- tory in its results to the people. In answer to a mutual peti- tion. Rresbytery, May 6tli, 1795, divided the charge, and released Mr. Mairs from all pastoral relation to Princetown and Florida, and appointed his whole time to Galway and Charlton. It may be mentiotied here for sake of the connection, that Prince- town in a few 3'ears disappeared from the roll of Presbytery, liaving atliliated eUewhere; and that Florida continued for a number of years as a vacancy, receiving occasional supplies, but like all congregations so situated grew less through starva- tion and was finally absorbed 1)}' stronger and healthier sur- I'oundings. At a meeting of Presbytery held in Cambridge, November lotli, 1792, "The Moderator (James l*roudlit) reported that he had been informed that T. C. vSmith of Little Britain, with Messrs. R. Annan and John Smith of the Presbytery of I'enn- sylvania had taken Mr. John M. Mason, student of divinity, on trial, and had licensed him, and put him under the care of this Presbytery." This licensure was not an act of Presby- tery, but simpl}' of a Council of Ministers. Mr. Mason was ordained and installed by the I^resbytery in Xew York, April 17, 1798, on a salary of a thousand dollars. In theautunni of 1793, the Session of J. M. Mason's church in Xew York city resolved to lay aside the observar^ce of fast days and thanksgiving days in connection with the Sacrament of the Supper. Against this action a remonstrance from some members of the congregation was laid before Presbytery at its meeting in Galway, F'ebruary 19, 1794. After considerable discussion, the matter was postponed until the next meeting which took place in Xew York, May 14, 1794. The Rev. G. |r IIISTORV OF THE Mail's, who could not attend this nioetincr, sent a letter disaj)- proving of the action of the New York Session. A jiaper from Galway and C-harlton congregation, and another from memhers of Air. Mason's congregation were received in opposi- tion to the omitting of "the days." After considerable contro- versy and various motions, it was finally resolved, "that after mature deliberation and consideration of the various views which are entertained by numbers of their seriou.s people re- lative to the observances which have generally accompanied the celebration of the Lord's Supper, earnestly recommend mu- tual forbearance and aftection, and leave to the different Ses- sions to act in this matter as they conceive the will of the Lord to be revealed in his Word, and explained by the Directory and the act of Synod." Mr. J. Mairs protested against this and appealed to Synod. Messrs. Mairs and Mason were appointed a committee to }»re- })are a recommendation of mutual forbearance to the different congregations, and reported the following, which ^^■as unani- mously adopted : "The Presbytery anxious to promote the peace and prosperity of the church committed to their care, Avarmly recommend to the several Sessions and congregations the exercise of mutual eandoi- and forbearance in things doubtful, and particularly recommend this christian spirit with regard to any difference of opinion that may now divide them, that all things may be done to edifying, and that brotherly love may continue. ' PKESBYTEKY OF WASHINGTON. The Associate Reformed Synod at its meeting at Marsh C-reek, Pennsylvania, June 1, 1794, passed an act to divide the I'resby- tery of New ^'ork, in which it was provided that James Proud - lit, George Mairs, John Dunlap and James Mairs should con- stitute a new l.'resbytery to be called the Presbytery of Wash- ington, and that the dividing line should be fixed by mutual agreement between the two Presbyteries. It was subsequently settled that a line running due east and west through Esoi)Us on the Hudson river should constitute the dividing line I'HESin'TKllV ol" AlHiVI.!;. li aiul that all the territory ycmth of this liiu' should \)i- uu.ler the su})c'rvision ot" Xcw ^'o^k, and all north under the eare of the rresbytery of AVashington. In accordance with this act the L'l'eshytery of Washiuiiton was formerly organized in Hebron on the 14th of duly, 17!>4. I'resent, James Proudfit, (4eorge Mairs, John Diinla[» and James Mairs, ministers; dohn Rowan, of Salem, Samuel C-ros- sett, of Hebron, and George Barljer, of C^ambridge, ruling elder-;. Afr. Proudtit,as senior minister constituted the Presbytery with l)rayer, after wdiich dohn 1 )unlap was chosen as Stated (Merk, iiuddamcs Mairs as Moderator. ( )n the 2d of Septend)er the i'resbytery had a called meeting tn consider the a}>plication for membership of the Re\'. AVilliam AlcAuley, late pastor of the Burglier congregation of TuUiallan in Ireland and nephew of the Kev. Messrs. Mairs. lie was not only gladly received, but Presbytery spent some time in special thanksgiving to God for the aC([uisition. Mr. McAnley soon re- ceived a call from the united congregation of llarpersfield, Korti'ight and Is'ew Stamford in Delaware county. This eall he accepted and was installed in the pastorate on the 25th of June, 1795, and so remained for tifteen years, and then continued with the Kortright branch until his death, March 24, 1851. On the 7th of October, 1704, Alexander Proudtit, son of the l\ev. James Proudfit, was licensed as a prol)ationer for the min- istry, and, on tlie 13th of the following May, was ordained and installed as the colleague and successor of his father in Salem. This was the first collegiate [>astorate in tlie Associate lieforraed Ohureh, and with it "vvas introduced a new and very question- able custom, that of the congregation being represented in Presbytery, and in Synod, by two ruling elders, l)ecause there were two pastors. Such a custom could be based upon no other ground than that the elder was not the representative of the congregation, but merely a lieutenant or assistant or part ot the retinue of the }>astor. And 3et this and the Argyle and the Kortright collegiate pastorates down to tlu- year 1S51. \vere thus represented in both Presbytery and Synod. Presbytery in these early ril, and Mr. George Mairs during September. On the 23d of June 1803, they procured a legal incorporation as a religious society, although they were not ecclesiastically organized till April 18, 1805, when six elders were ordained who had been elected the previous I^ovem- ber. This was the tirst church of any kind organized in the county. Several places in Upper Canada as early as 1800 asked for supply of preaching, and in 1803 cliurches were organized in Stamford, Bertie, and two or three other places in the same section of country. Broadalbin and Galwa}- were largely settled by Scotch who came there, some before and others soon after the Revolutionary War. They were organized into two socie- ties, one in Broadalbin, the other in West Gal way, between 1785 and 1790, and were under the care of the Presbytery of Albany of the Presbyterian Church. They were united in one charge and at the close of the last century were ministered to by an Irish licentiate. At this time the Society of West Gal- way, under the inilucuce of a non-Scottish element, introduced Watt's Psalms and Hymns as the matter of their praise, to which they added a choir. The result was a rupture with tlie other branch of the charge, and Broadalbin in conjunction with some families in Amsterdam similarly situated, applied, July 2, 1800, to be taken under the care of the Associate Re- formed J'resbyter}' of Washington, which was promptly done. June 22, 1803, the Scotch Presbyterian congregation of St. Pliilip's Street in Montreal, Canada, was received under the care of the Presljytery. The reasons for this )novement are nowhere stated. While the demands ui)on the Presbytery were thus inulti- ItlyiuiT, its resources were also increasing. Robert Proudtit of HISTORY OF THE York county, Pennsylvania, was received November 12, 1800, as a student of theology, to pursue his studies under the supervi- sion of his cousin, Alexander Proudfit He was licensed April 20, 1802. John Gosnian of Is^ew York was similarly received on the 9th of April, 1802, and was licensed September 25 1804. Thomas McAnley, brother of Rev. William, was received April 9, 1802, as a literary student, and sent to Union College at the ex[)tt^ise of Presbytery, and on the 17th of May, 1804° was re- ceived as a student of theology; having become a tutor in Union College, he gave up the study of theology in 1806. AYilliam McMurray of Salem was received as a student of the- ology May 17, 1804, and after studying under Dr. Mason was licensed June 20, 1809. Ebenezer IL Maxwell of Galway was received as a student of theology May 7, 1805, went to the Seminary in New York, and was licensed by the Presbytery uf Saratoga. James M. Matthews of Salem was rec3ived as a student of theology in 1803 or '4, but w^as transferred to tiie I'resbytery of Xew York for licensure. Thomas White was also received as a student of theology March 2, 1808, and was licensed on the same day Avith Mr. McMurray. Albany, in May, 1800, gave a call to the Rev. Alexander I'roudiit, which, for prudential reasons, the Presbytery refused to sustain and present. On the 23d of February, 1802, the Rev. Andrew Wilson, late of Crieve, Ireland, was received. The following week he received a call from the united congregations of Albany and Lansingburg, which he accepted, and on the 20th of April was installed therein. April 19, 1804, Lansingburg was disjoined frDm Albany, and Mr. Wilson gave all his time to the latter, wliere he remained till the 8th of September 1807,Avhen he re- resigned and returned to Ireland. Stamford and its connections in Canada gave a call in the iiutumn of 1803 to Robert I'roudfit, which he declined. Soon after this he received a call from Broadall)in, which was ac- cepted, and he was ordained and installed April 18, 1804. On the 1st of July 1803, the Rev. Robert Easton was re- ceived from the Presbytery of Ncav York, and in the following spring he received a call from the St. Philip's Street congreo-a- iniESBYTEUV OF ARCVl.E. "2'^ turn ill Montreal, Caiiadii. This call lie accepted, and ininie- n afterwards passed to the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church. After a year's effort, Mr. James Mairs succeeded, March 4. 1806, to get the Presbytery to enjoin all the congregations to ordain deacons. Put as the churches could not see the neces- sity for such officers, situated as they were, not more than one ■or two congregations comi>lied Avith the order. 24 HISTORY OF THE Division of the Presbytery. The territory of the Presbytery had become so extended tiuit it was thought best to have it divided, so application was made to the Synod of New York, and on the 20th of May, 1808, tlie following act was passed : ^'■JicsolocJ, That the Presbytery of Washing-ton be and hereby is divided into two Presbyteries. The one to be called the l.^rcs- bytery of AVashington, and to consist of Rev. Messrs. John Dunlap, George jNIuirs, Alexander Proudfit, Robert Easton, Robert Sherifi'and Alexander Denham, witii their elders, Avhic-h Presbytery is to have charge of the vacancies of Lansing- burg and Lisbon. The other to be called the Presbytery of Saratoga, and to consist of the Rev. Messrs. James flairs, William McAuley, John Burns and Robert Proudfit, with their elders, which is to have the charge of the vacancies of Albany, Florida, Seneca, Scipio and Delhi." In accordance with this Synodic action, the reduced Presby- tery met in Salem, November 10, 180S, and was constituted anew by Mr. ])unlap, senior minister, when Mr. Denhani was chosen moderator, and Mr. Dunlap continued as stated clerk,. having served in that capacity since the organization of the Presbytery in 1794. On the first Thursday of J)ecember, 1809, Lansingburg gave a call to Mr. McMurray which was acce[tted, and he was or- dained and installed on the 16th of the following January. Tliis l)astorate he held only to the 2.5th of September, 1811, when he resigned and soon after settled at Rhinebeck in the Reformed Dutch Church. Although Whitehall had been regularly supplied with preach- ing for more than ten years, yet it was not until November 8,, 1809, that it was recognized as a vacancy, and soon afterwards organized by the ordination of ruling; elders. This societ}' was always feeble, and in 1800, -Gen. Williams, of Salem, who owned much property in this neighborhood, male arrangements to build them a meeting house, but died before his purpose was carried out. His Avidow and son (Col. John) built the house and gave it to the congregation. Thus strengthened and en- couraired Whitehall irave a call to Thomas White on tlie third I'RRSIJYTERY Of AK(!VLi:. 25 AV'eclne.sday of December, 1809. ]\Ir. AV'hite luul on tlic [nv- vious mouth received a call from Lisbon, but accepted the one from Whitehall and was there onhxiued and installed on tin- 24th of the following January. This pastoral relation con- tinued till the nth of February, 1812, Avhen Mr. White re- signed. *In 1810 Hampton, in Washington, and Constable, in Franklin county, were recognized as vacancies. In December of the same year, ('aldwell Manor, in Lov/er Canada, and Alburg in (Irand Isle, Franklin county, Vermont, were received as vacancies. In the following February three ruling elders were ordained and installed in the latter, and on the fourth of July four in the former. They associated as a charge and gave, in July, a call to Mr. White, which he declined. Since colleo-e honors have become plenty and indiscriminate, they have cheapened very much in value, but in the days of our fathers were very sparingly bestowed and were consequently lield in high esteem for their rarit}^ and positive signilicancy. September 25, 1811, the Presbytery resolved, on motion of Messrs. Denham and Dunlap, "that as the degree of Doctor of Divinity had been conferred upon the Rev. Alexan- der Proudfit by the College of Middleburg, that this title be hereafter prefixed to his name in the minutes of Presbytery." The power of the Associate Reformed Church soon became centralized because of its extensive territory, and the impossi- l)ility of those on the frontier attending the meetings of the General Synod, which were now always held in Philadelphia. Those who wielded this power became jealous of the subordi- nate Synods which were disposed to be very conservative, so in 1810 they induced the General Synod to pass an act "intermit- ting the functions of the subordinate Synods.'" Against this act the Presbytery immediately protested and memorialized the Presbytery of Saratoga to do the same. Tb.e result was that the Synod of Xew York disregarded the decree of the General Synod, and met as usual, although, with the exception of ])r. McJimsey in 1811, no member of the Presbytery of Xew York ever took a seat in Synod until it becun- indepen- dent in the autumn of 1822. 26 HISTORY OF THE On the 4tli Monday of February, 1812, Dr. rroudfit moder- ated a eall in Lisbon, whieh was for the Rev. Thoiiias White. (Ml tlie 2d of Marcl), Mr. White accepted this call, and i)assed immediately to the congregatif)U and was installed, after various delays, in January of the follo\\ing year. The war witli Eng- land had just broken out, and in the spring of 1813, the Bi-it- ish made a descent upon Ogdensburg. The militia of Lisl)on was called and Mr. AVhite volunteered both as cluq)lain and common soldier. On the first Sabbath in March, 1813, he re- turned to Lisbon and preached from II. John, 8th verse, "Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward." This proved to be liis farewell sermon, for during the following week Ogdens- l)urg was taken l)y the British and the inhabitants of Lisbon lied in dismay to their former homes, and did not return till after peace was proclaimed. Mr. White had certainly been greatly roused b}' the stirring events around him, and largely aided by the Divine Spirit, for he preached with such power that forty years afterwards the writer found the raemorj- of that sermon still fresh in the minds and hearts of those aent three months in re-organizing them, after which as much su})- ply as possible was sent to them. But the General Synod be- came more and more feeble as it approached its dissolution, sf» that the supply for the out-posts became less and less, and Lis- bon found it imperative to look elsewhere. So they petitioned I'resbj'tery to be transferred to the General Assembly I'resby- tery of St. Lawrence, this was granted, and they were received by the latter on the 3d of October, 1822, and James Douglass was ordained and installed as pastor in June, 1823. In Jaiuiary, PRESBYTERY OF AHUVLE. 27 1826, the congregation and its pastor were orderly dismissed by the Presbytery of St. Lawreiu-e and received back to tlie I'resbytery of Wasliington. In 1829 Mr. DongUiss made ii visit to Canada, and remained away so long that the congrega- tion became dissatisfied and applied to I'resbytery for a disso- lution of the pastoral relation, which was granted August 8, 1S30. For three years tiieir supply was very miscellaneous, and mainly by wandering ministers from Canadit. From Se[iteni- her, 1833, to July, 1885, Rev. James Bex-eridge su})}»lied with great profit. In Se}ttember, 1835, the I\ev. Alexander Lewis, late of Nova iScotia, became their stated sup]»ly till the 2Gth of August, 1837. For five years their su[)ply was occasional and irregular. James Cam[)bell spent tlie winter of 1842 and part of 1843 with them. Feter C. Ivobertson and Alexander Luke minis- tered to them during 1844. Ste[)hen Gager came to them in 1845, received a call on the 27th of July which he accepted and brought on his family, but after spending the succeeding winter, concluded that the climate was too cold, and returned the call. On the 4th of July, 1847, the Rev. James McAuley, having returned to the Presbytery from Southern Illinois, was installed as pastor, and labored ^^■ith marked success till the 4th of July, 1852, when he resigned because of his age, and ni()ved into Ogdensburg, the place of his first i)astorate, where he continued to reside till his death. The Rev. Thomas C. ■McLaury, late of Cambridge, received and accepted a call on the 27th of Se[)teml)er, 1852, and the 4th of the following Jan- uary was appointed for his installation, l)ut when the commis- sioners of Presbytery arrived, tliey found their labors antici- pated, as he had evidently finished his course, for on the Gth of January he died, and the whole congregation most sincerely mourned his sudden fall. James Beveridgc, AVilliatn B. Shortt, John Rippey, John Crawford and William White next supplied them. On the 20th of November, 1854, a call was given to the Rey, William AVhite, of Burlington Green, which was de- clined. On the 20th of March, 1856, the Rev. John M. Heron, late of York, having received and accepted a call, was installed as pastor. On the 23d of September of the same year this pastoral relation was dissolved and Mr. Heron passed to the 28 HISTORY OF THE Tresby tory of Saratoo^a. ( )n the 29th of June, 1858, John Harper, licentiate under the care of the Presb^-tory, received a call, which he accepted, and was ordained December 8, in Argyle, and in- stalled December 22d in Lisbon. On the 4th of ()ctol)er, 1814, Chester Long and Peter C Dun- lap were received as students of tlieology and so certified to the Seminary in ISTew York. On the 3d of September, 1816, Mr. Dunlap was released from the pastoral care of the congregation of Cambridge, and for the next five years served as missionary in Oneida and Oswego counties, under the direction of the Young Men's Missionary Society of ITew York. For twenty-two years he had served as Stated Clerk of ]*resbytery. March 28, 1818, the congregation of Caledonia, in Livingston county, gave a call to the Rev. George Mairs, but the Presbytery refused to present it. On the 7th of May Chester Long was licensed to preach the gospel. Mr. Denham was ap})ointed to preach and administer the Lord's Supper in Lansingburg, on the third Sabbath of July, 1818. This was the last supply ever granted to that congrega- tion, and the last Presbyterial notice of its existence, and may Ite regarded as the date of its departure. On the 25th of October, 1819 a call w^as sustained from Cam- bridge to Mr. Donald C. McLaren, whicli was accepted on the 29th of November, and he was ordained and installed on the the 2Gth of January^ 1820. In 1821 George Mairs, jr., and John B. Steel were received as students of theology and studied the first year in the Sem- inary in j^ew^ York, which was its last under the care of I)r. Mason. In April, 1822, John A. Savage was received as a stu- dent of theology and pursued his studies midcr the care of Dr. Proudfitand the Rev. Robert Forrest. At the meeting ot" the General Synod at Priiladel[)hia, in May, 1821, an overture was received from the General Assem- bly of the Presbyterian Church, there and then in session, pro- posing an organic union of the two Churches. Committees were appointed by both bodies to conduct the negotiations, and the following })lan was agreed upon as a basis of union, viz • I'RESUYTEllY OF AIJiiVMv -1^ "That the different Presbyteries of the Associate Reformed Church sliould eitlier retain their se[ianite organizations or l)e amalgamated with those of tlie General Assendjly, at their own choice." That "•the Theological Seminar}- at Princeton under the care of the General Assembly, and the Theological Semi- nary of the Associate Reformed (Uiurch should be consolidated," And "that the Theological Library and Funds belonging to the Associate Reformed Church shall be transferred, and Ijclong to the Seminary at Princeton." There was nothing doctrinal in the basis; it was taken for granted that in all matters of faith the two Churches were substantially one. This plan was ovcr- tured to its Presbyteries by the General Synod, while the Gen- eral Assembly, l)elieving that it possessed ample power in the matter, did not overture the plan, but referred it to the next Assembly. Tliis overture came l)cfore Presbytery at its meeting in Heb- ron, April 17, 1822, and was unanimously condemned, and Rev. Alex. Denliam and Dr. A. I'roudfit were a[)pointed a "committee to draw up a report and remonstrance against an union with the General Assembly, to be forwarded to the General Synod." The Rev. Alexander Denham and Elder Hugh Johnston were appointed as delegates to the approaching General Synod- There is no explanation wdiy only two delegates were appointed, while tlie Presbytery had a right to four, and had hitherto al- ways apiiointed their full ([uota. The delegates failed to at- tend, and because of their absence the union was consummated. The Presbyteries of AVashington, Saratoga and Big Spring re- ported against the plan of unitm, while the Presbyteries of New York and Philadel})hia rejiorted in favor. This Presbyterial condemnation of the overture should have terminated the whole matter, for it was an overture of linal action, and not merely for advice, and according to all genuine I'resbyterian law and precedent, the answer to the overture was final. Put the (piestion of an immediate union was proposed, and after four days of de- bate,it was resolved on the 21st of May "that this Synod approve and hereby do ratify the plan of union between the General As- sembly of the Presbyterian Church and the Associate Reformed Church, proposed by commissioners from said Churches." The ;>() mSTOIlY OF THE vote H.tO()(l, aye.s, 7; nays, .5; silent, 4; iiiid G not present. Tiie Presbytery at its next meeting recorded its protest against this action of the General Synod, and called upon the Synod of Xew York to memorialize the (general Assembly for the restoration of the Theological Library and Funds. .January 25, 1823, Chester Long was ordained Kuie iitnlo. And on the 5th of March, George Mairs, jr, was licensed, and on the second Monday of June he was called as the fissistant and suc- cessor of his father in Argyle, and was so ordained and installed ()n the 3d of the following September. John W. Prondtit was received September 8, 1823, as student of theology, and licensed April 13, 1825, and ordained sine iifulo, November 4 of the same year, and received a certificate of dis- mission, September 1, 1827. Malcolm X. McLaren and James II. Teller were reeeixed, February 1, 1825, as students of theolog}-; the former was li- censed June 6, 1826, and was soon afterwards transferred to the Presbytery of Saratoga ; the latter was licensed August 31, 1825, and soon passed to the Dutch Church. John A. Savage and Sidney Weller were licensed on the 4th of May, 1825, Mr. Savage was soon afterwards located as stated supply at Fort Covington, in Franklin eounty, and that he might be more useful in his isolated position, lie and the con- gregation })etitioned Presbytery for his ordination. This was granted, and Dr. Proudfit, George Mairs and William Taylor were appointed a committee to ordain him. And a record in the minutes of April, 1827, runs thus: "The Committee to Fort Covington also reported they had visited that place, and on February 12, 1827, ordained John A. Savage to the work of the (Tospel Ministry."' This was clearly an ordination l,)y commis- sion, and not by Presbytery in its constituted capacity. Whether a Presbytery has the ability to transfer its right and power of ordination to a committee is a question well worth the study of those interested in the constitution and laws of Presbyterian- isra. In the autumn of 1823, Mr. Denham resigned the charge of Hebron, and moved to ^Isew York. In the spring; of 1825, the congregation recalled him, and on the 23d of May he was re- PRESBYTKRY y- tery of Saratoga. James McAuley, brother of the Rev. William, and late pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Ogdensburg, and William Tay- lor, stated supply to the Presbyterian Churcli in Madrid, St. Lawrence county, were received, September 2, 182(J, to member- ship in Presbytery. On the 4th of Se[>tember, 1826, a commissioner from the l*resbyterian Church at Fort Covington, in Franklin county, ajtpcared and represented to Presbytery ''that said church was desirous of adopting the standards of our Church and conform- ing to our modes of worshi[) and Church discipline, and re- quested to be taken under the care of Presbytery." This peti- tion was granted and John A. Savage was appointed to supph' the congregation. This he did for about three years. In June, 1829, they applied to be transferred to the Champlain I'resby- tery of the Presbyterian Church, which was subsequently done,. and Mr. Savage soon afterwards bei-ame pastor of the l*resby- terian Church in Ogdensburg. . In October, 1826, calls were given to Rev. .Ianu;s McAuley from Cambridge and from Hebron. The latter he accepted and was there installed on the 18th of the following April. Here he labored with good success till the 25th of August, 188-'),. when the pastoral relation was at his request dissolved. On the 28th of February, 1828, the Rev. John ])unlai) re- ceived a certificate of dismission, but he never used it, as his- 32 IILSTORY OF THE health sodu afterwards iailed and he died in the early part of the following year. Tlie Rev. AVilliam Taylor Avhen received into the Presbytery was and for a number of years had baen stated suppl}' to tlic Presbyterian congregation of Madrid, St. Lawrence county. The congregation put itself under the care of the Presbytery when he united, and about a year afterwards he was installed as its pastor. This relation continued till September 2, 18o7, when at his request it was dissolved. He sought no other charge, but made himself useful as his advancing years would allow. The congregation of Madrid received supply for two or three years and then returned to the Presbyterian Church. On the 5th of September, 1828, "The United Societies in the townships of Cavan, Monahan, Atonebee, Hope, and Hamil- ton, District of ISTewcastle, Upper Canada, put themselves un- der the care of Presbytery and refjuested preaching." They were received, and Peter Gordon, Mr. Douglass and others s[ient much time w'itli them. In September, 1829, they gave a call to Mr. Gordon, which he declined. They afterwards gave a call to Mr. Douglass which he accepted and Presbytery or- dered his installation to take place in October, 1831. In No- vember, 1833, Mr. Douglass and these societies ref|uested and received a certificate of dismission, with the intention of con- necting themselves with the Synod of Upper Canada. On the 28th of November, 1828, Rev. "William Howden, of Scotland, but for the last seven or eight years of jSTew Bruns- wick, was received into Presbytery. On the same day he re- ceived a call from the congregation of Cambridge, which he accepted, and after some unavoidable delay was installed Sep- tember the 29th, 1829. On the 11th of June, 1834, Mr. IIow- ■] Mucli of this time' was given to West (-ainlMidge ami to I'jiper As already narrated, the AVhiteside family settled at an early da}' in the western i)art of the tf)wn of Canibridgo, some six miles from the village, and became the nueleus of a Society of Covenanters, wdiich, at the nnion of 17S2, joined the Asso- ciate congregation which. centered at the village. This wing of the congregation built for their own convenience a house of worship about the year 1800. Here all the pastors of the con- gregation preached about one-third of their time. But in Feb- ruary, 1831, this branch petitioned Presbytery for indei)endent supply, which was granted. On the 14tli of August, 18-32, i*resbytery se[»arated AVest Cambridge, or the Whiteside So- ciety, from Old Cambridge, and made it an independent organ- ization, and Mr. Cordon took charge of it as stated supply. The t\\'o branches were not able to support separate pastorates, so they returned to their old condition, and on the 4th of Sep- tember, 1835, Mr. Gordon accepted a call to the united con- gregation, and was installed on the 8th of tlie following Oc- tober. On the 29th of October, 1829, Robert Thompson, a licentiate from Ireland, was received and labored under the supervision of rresl)ytery till the 19th of May, 1831, Avhen he took a cer- tificate of dismission. \\ illiam Moore, a [irobationer su[>plying the Presbj-terian Church at Oxbow, detterson county, was received, ISTovember 4, 1834, and on the 10th of the following February was ordained and continued as stated supply at Oxbow. In July, 1835, he went to Lisbon to assist the Rev. James Beveridge to liold a communion, and was there taken ill, and lingei-ed on till the 5th of December, when he died and was buried among a stranuce jieople. May 20, 1835, Alexander I'roudtit was received as a stu(k'nt of theology. On the same (hay James II. Barnes was also rec- ognized as a student of theology, lie had been admitted as such in 1829, but had intermitted his studies, and given his time to teaching. He subsequently left for the Butch Church. December 7, 1835, fcralem gave a eall to the Rev. James Lillie, 34 IILSTOJIY OF THE late of Scotland, and now pastor of the A.soociate Ilefornied congregation in Franklin street, New York city. lie acce})ted and was installed February 12, 1836, as pastor. This relation continued only till June 26, 1837, when Mr. Lillie resigned, and became i)astor of the J)utcli Church at Rhinebeck. April 4, 1836, JTebron gave a call to the Kev. Jasper ]Middk- niass, a Scotchman, who had been for three years pastor of the Associate Reformed Church at White Lake, lie accepted, and was installed on the 23d of June. After Mr. Moore's death, the Presbyter\-, from time to time, sent Dr. Proudtit, George Mairs, David L. Froudlit and others t*:) su})ply in Oxbow. The village of (3xbow is situated on a sharp bend of the Oswegatchie river, in the town of Antwerji, Jetterson county, and separated only by the river from the town of Rossie in St. Lawrence connty. The land is very much broken u[), but the hills are full of the richest kind of ores, of iron, lead, and other minerals; and the arable land is very pro- ductive, giving thrift and wealth to the inhabitants. The lirst settlers were mainly Scotch, who located there between 1810 and 1825. They had been largely conneeted with the Established Church, and soon organized themselves into a society, and sought supply from the Presbytci'ian Churcli. With many of these ministers they were very much dissatisiied, because of their Xew School ism. Mr. Moore sympathized with the people in their theol(\gical views, and with their dislike of the new doct'.'ines and measures which were very conm:ion among the l^resbyterians of this region; so he sought ordination, as seen above, from the hands of the Presbj'tery of AVashington. This brought the congregation into contact Avith the Associate Re- tbrmed Church, and in dependence upon it for a supply of preaching. In May, 1837, the Rev. John White, of the Presbj'- tery of Caledonia, organized at Oxbow, the " Associate Reformed Church of Antwerp and Rossie,'' and it was received by the Presbytery of Washington as a vacancy. This was virtually the previously existing Presbyterian organization, but it was partly reorganized, because there was a small native village element, that did not S3'mpathize with the movement, and this part retained their old organization, and for a time were su}i- PRESBYTERY OF ARfiYI.E. 35 jilied by ;i Presbyterian minister wbo resided on ins Ihrni iu tlio vicinity. On the 10th of June, 1838, the Presbytery sustained a call IVoni Oxbow to tlie Rev. .1 oljn White, which he accepted, and W r. Taylor was appointed to install him as soon as i)OSsible. This installation never took jdace, and on the 21st of October, 1839, Mr. "White returned the call to l*resbytery, and asked and re- ceived a certitrcate of dismission. In the spring of 1840, the Rev. James Williamson, late of the Presbyterian Church, joined the Presbytery and was sent to Oxbow. Here he re- mained for ten years as stated supply, and then lal)ored else- where in the Presbytery till tlie 17th of June, 1852, when he passed by certificate to the Church in Canada. On the 16th of December, 1851, James S. Cowper, licentiate, was called toOx- bow,and on the 22d of the following January was there ordained and installed ; but on the 4tli of April, 1854, he resigned, re- turned to Scotland, and on the 8th of November received a certifi- cate that he might unite with the Free Church. For three years the congregation was dependent upon J^-esbytery for supply, when it gave a call to the Rev. Thomas T. Farrington of Salem, who accepted on the 13th of October, 1857, and was installed in the following December. Mr. Farringtc^n and the church at Oxbow declined coming into the union with the Associate Church, and adhered to the residuary party. After a few years Mr. Farrington removed to Xewburgh, and was succeeded by the Rev. Alexander Adair of Delaware county, and when the residuary organ i/.ation became extinct, he and his church united with the Presbyterian Church, where they now are. May 20, 1835, Alexander Proudfit of Salem was license*!. October 9, 1837, John Skellie was received as a student of theology. A|)ril 2, 1838, John D. Gibson of Cambridge was licensed. February 5, 1838, Salem gave a call to the Rev. Malcolm X. McLaren of IIam]»tonburg, which he declined; and on the 20th of the next August gave another call to Rev. Ebenezer llalley, just arrived from the Associate Synod of Scotland. 36 HISTORY OF THE This call lie accepted, and was installed on the 3d of the follow- ing September. In 1837, trouble sprung up in Hebron between a large part of the congregation and their pastor. The matter came into Presbytery at its meeting February 5, 1838, and was postponed to ii special meeting, when additional papers were presented from the Session and the Trustees asking for the dissolution t)f the pastoral relation. It was referred back to the congrega- tion, and at a public meeting presided over by Elder John Mc- Murray of Salem, and Elder George W. Harsha of Argyle, a vote by ballot was taken which resulted in twenty-four votes in favor of their pastor remaining, and fort}- in favor of his resigning. Presbytery then, February 21st, "atfectionatcly re- <|uested'' Mr. Middlemass to resign the charge. This he re- fused to do. ''Whereupon it was Resolved that the pastoral relation between Mr. Middlemass and the congregation of Hebron be and is hereby dissolved." Mr. Middlemass protested and appealed to Synod, and the Elders and Trustees then and afterwards ajiplied to Presbyterj' for "supply of sermon," which was granted, and Mr. Taylor preached there during a good portion of the summer. When Presbytery met June the 10th, charges were presented against Mr. Middlemass which involved moral delinquency, and it was resolved to investigate these. On the 28th of August a libel was tabled which con- tained six specifications, all of wdiich charged him with saj'ing or doing certain things and then afterwards positivel}' denying them. After hearing the testimony, a recess was taken till the 20th instant, when Mr. Middlemass was asked for his defence, and "said that he would make no defence, but leave the case with the Presbytery." On the 6th of September Presbyteiy again met and resumed the case, and voted guilty on the first two charges, and "Resolved that Jasper Middlemass be and hereby is deposed from the exercises of the holy ministry," and " the first Monday of October was appointed as a day for the confession of his sin in the church at Hebron." Mr. Mid- dlemass protested and appealed to Sx'nod, which met in Salem a few days afterwards. Synod "enjoined Presbyter}-" to re- view the whole case. This was done at a meetino; on the first PRESBYTERY OF AR(1Y!,E. 37 Monday of October, when, "after tiic most patient investic^a- tion and all parties beinii; heard at length," it was "Re- solved unanimously that it was expedient to dissolve the rela- tion existing between Mr. Middlemass and tiie consi'i-eo-ation of Hebron." "Mr. Middlemass was now affectionately asked whether in view of the circumstances of the case he would not voluntarily resign his charge, and not force the Presbyter}' to the ]>ainful alternative of dissolving the connection." After a short recess, "Mr. Middlemass ultroneously resigned his charge. Whereupon it was declared that the connection was now dissolved. Mr. Ilalley was appointed to preach in Heb- ron the following Sabbath, and declared the church vacant." Presbytery then took under review the deposition of Mr. Mid- dlemass on the 6th of iSeptember, and " after considering the case, and Mr. Middlemass having given satisfactory acknowl- edgments, agreed tliat the act of deposition should be removed, his status as a minister remain unforfeited, and that he will bo furnished by this court with an unequivocal attestation of his character as a christian pastor. Which was acjordingly granted." August 30, 1838, John 1), Gribson was transferred to the Presbytery of Caledonia, where he was subse(j[uently located. During February, 1839, Alexander Shand, a licentiate from Scotland came into Presbytery by Synodic a})pointment and on the last Monday of May received a call from the congregation of Hebron, which he accepted, and was there ordained and in- stalled on the 2od of the following July. On the 10th of February, 1840, Peter Gordon resigned the charge of Cambridge, and was transferred during the following December to the J*resbytery of Xew York. Mr. Alexander Proudlit was dismissed, June, 27, 1841, to the Presbyterian Church. The Cambridge congregation, January 18th, 1842, gave a call to the liev. Thomas C. McLaury, of White Lake, Sullivan county. He accepted and was installed on the 30th of the following May. Mr. John Donaldson, of Argyle, who liad studied at Newburgh under the care of l*resl)ytery, was li- censed on the 5th of June, 1843, and three years afterwards re- ceived a c-i'rtificate of dismission. The Kev. Alexander Luke oS HISTORY OF THK received a certitirate of dismission, February 10, 184-3, to unite Avitli the Church in Canada. ^lay 30, 1848, Mr. Ilalley resigned the pastorate of Salem, and was dismissed to the Presl)yterian Church. On the lV)th of tlie following December, Salem gave a call to the Rev.Thomas (jr. Carver, under the care of the I'resbytery of New York, which was declined. On the 5th of July, 1849, another call was given to the lie v. J. B. Robinson, which was also declined. On the 25th of February, 1850, the Rev. Thomas T. Farrington, of Geneva, was called, and having accepted was installed on the 11th of the following June. ()n the 24th of September, 1849, George M. McEachron, of Argjde, was received as a student of theology, and was licensed on the 30th of June, 1851, and subsequently transferred to the Presbytery of New York. John Crawford, of Salem, was re- ceived as a student of theology, September 24, 1 849, was licensed on the 31st of May, 1852, and was ordained, A[)ril 13, 1857, in view of becoming a foreign missionary. The Rev. Alexander Shand resigned the charge of Hebron, November 1, 1850, and received a certiticate of dismission. On the lOtli of June, 1851, Mr. Mairsresigned the pastoral charge of Argjde. Mr. G. M. McEichron in the S[)ring of 1851, asked for licen- sure at the end of his second year in theology, upon the grounds that having been previously licensed as a lawyer, his legal course should be taken in lieu of the third ^-ear. Presbytery did not see its way clear to do so, and referred the matter to Synod, which authorized tiie licensure. On the tirst Monday of December, 1851, Argyle gave u call to the Rev. James ]>. Scouller, of Cuylerville, which was ac- cepted, and he was installed on the 31st of the following May. On the 8th of June, 1852, G. M. McEachron received a call from Hebron, which he declined. On the 15th of November, 1852, Hebron gave a call to the Rev. Joseph Kimball, of IIam[»ton- burg, which Nvas accepted, and he was installed on the Gth of the following June. On the 11th of October, 1852, John An- derson, of Argyle, was received as a student of theology, and on the 30th of May, 1853, William White was received as a li- PRESBYTERY OF ARCVLE. 39 cL'Htiate from tlic Noi'tlieni l*r3sl)ytery of the Reformed I'lxs- byterian ('liurch. On the 2Ut of .ruly, IS-rJ, Mr. Mi-Laiiry resi-ivMl h'.s clianre ill Cambridge, and on the 1st of Xoveniher, 1S,>:}, William B. Shortt, probationer under the care of the Presbytery of I'hihi- hiji. aeeepted a call from Cambridge, and was ordained and installed on the 13th of the following December. Mr. William White having received a call from lUirlington Green, was transferred March 27, 1854, to the l*resbytcry of Saratoga. On the 15th of January, 1855, the Rev. W. llow- ly they became impatient with their re- ligious destitution, and went occasionally, and then more fre- (piently, to the services of other denomii-iations in tlieir neigh- borhood, until they became reconciled and assimilated and ab- sorbed, Tiie Presbyterian and Dutch Churches were older and stronger bodies, and tlieir congregations were better established than those of the Associate Reformed, and the smaller gradu- ally yielded to the attraction of the larger. If we had had a suthciency of men and means to have occupied these places with efhciency, many of them would have grown into strong congre- gations which might have been upon our roll till the present day ; but tlieir allegiance to our Church and to their own pref- PRESBYTERY OF AR(JYLE. - 41 erenocs \vas not ju'oot" against the annoyance and loss ai'ising from their eontinuwl religions j)rivations. And Avho conld say that they acted unwisely, tor the records show that they did not act hastily".'' It will also be observed that of all tlie yonng men reared within this l*resbytery, and by it put into the ministry, very few remained in the Churcih, but sooner or later united with the Tresbyterian or the Dutch Church. There must have been a cause for this, for the natural bias of ])irth and education is to make men adhere to the customs and jirinciples and associa- tions of their youth. There was a cause, and one all sufficient. There was a lack of healthy denominationalism. Sectarianism which arrogates to itself peculiar sanctity and exclusive rights, and puts itself in hostile attitude towards other bodies, and builds upon the ruins and at the expense of all around them, is neither attractive nor commendable ; but genuine, earnest, ac- tive, healthy denominationalism is a very different thing. If there be sufficient reason for the existence of a denomination, there is just as much reason why its interests should be tl;e special love and labor of its adherents. Even the employees in a business house are expected to devote all their business energies to the interests of that house. In such devotion there is neither necessity nor warrant to arrogate to self or to antagonize others. AVe can pursue our own business and seek our own interest without molestino; or harming our neighbors. We can even help others while helping ourselves. Christian union depends jiiainly upon being one in (^Jirist. One in organization is only incidental and secondary. And even organic clunx-h union does not require that all should be united in one conglomerate body. It admits of divisions and sub-divisions, where each body, great or small, shall hold its own position, shall do its special and appropriate work, and thus by doing its chosen or assigned jiart ministers to the general success. Indeed, efficient organization requires this. A trained and efficient army does not go into battle as a multitudinous mass, but is divided into regiments and brigades, each one of wdiicli is required to do the service belonging to its position, without regard to its neiglibor, which is supposed to do the same, aiui tlius tlie sue- 42 HISTORY OF THE cess of the wljole is secured b}' the success of tlie }»arts, inr the ■coiDmander had studied and arranged the mutual reUition of the different sections, lie is a bad soldier who insists upon breaking ranks at his pleasure, when, perchance, tlie work has become dangerous or fati2:uing, and fighting under whatever regimental colors his personal interests or convenience' may suggest. And so it is with the Church. Its unity docs not require one great single body. Its division and sub-division into denominations, as long as their spirit and animus are kept j)T7.re and healthy, is an advantage, for their proper rivalry will produce activity and efRciency, and preserve the whole from stagnation. Men are differently constituted, and will see and feel and operate differently, and it is a wise and merciful dis- pensation to allow those who see alike to associate together where they can live and labor pleasantly, harmoniously and I?VTKRY OF AlMiYI.E. 43 Walkill, ill Orange count}', and Princetown and Gahvay ; was transferred, October, 18, 1791, to tlie Associate Reformed Tres- bytery of New Eno;land ; declined a call to Antrim, New Hampshire: was ordained and settled as pastor in July, 1798, at New Market, New Hampshire ; removed in November, 1797, to Newbury, Massachusetts, and was installed in the l^resby- terian Church in Salem, New York, February 19, 1806 ; and liere died, March 28, 1832. lie was a man of nnich more than average ability, and w;is a superior classical scholar. He was tall and slender, with a strong clear voice ; and as a Y»reachcr was always earnest, often fervid, and sometimes strikingly bril- liant. As a pastor he was very successful. John Dunla}) was born in Lanarkshire in Scotland, on the loth of Se})tember, 1757; came to America in 1774; served in the armv of the Revolution ; made a profession of religion in Salem ; was classically educated in New Jersey ; studied theology with the elder Dr. Mason ; was licensed October 13, 1789 ; and ordained and installed July 22d, 1791, as pastor of the congregation in Cambridge. On the 3d of September, 1816, he resigned his charge and accepted the position of Domestic Missionary in Central New York, under the direction of the Young Glen's Missionary Society of New York. In 1822, he retired from this service with his tamil}' to Cand)ridge, and supplied vacant pulpits as he found it convenient ; and died on the 7th of March, 1829. Alexander Proudfit, 1). D , was l)orn at Pe(iuea, Pennsylva- nia, in November, 1769; was graduated at Columbia College in 1792; studied theology with his father and in the Reformed Dutch Seminar}' under Dr. Livingston; was licensed by the Washington Presbytery October the 7th, 1794; ordained and installed as the colleague and successor of his father in Salem, on the 13th of May, 1795 ; resigned his pastorate October the 8th, 1835; was Professor of Pastoral Theology at Newburgh, 1835-7, and died April 17, 1843. Robert I'roudfit, 1). D., was born in York county, Pennsyl- vania; was graduated at Dickinson College; studied theology with his cousin, Alexander Proudfit : was licensed by the Pres- bvtery of Washington. Ai'ril the 20th, 1802; onlained an.l in- 44 HISTORY OF THE stalled at Broadalbin on the 18th of April, 1804; became Pro- fessor of Languages in Union College, Schenectady, Xew York, in October, 1818, aiid so remained nntil his death in 1860. John Gosman, D. D., was born in Xew York city in 1784; ■was graduated at Columbia College ; studied theology with Dr. Proudtit ; was licensed by the Presbytery of Washington, Sep- tember 25th, 1804 ; supplied the Associate Reformed congrega- tion in Lansingburg till 1808 ; then joined the Dutch Clinrch, held several of its pastorates, and died in 1865. Thomas McAuley, D. D., LL. D., younger brother of the Hev. William, was born in Ireland in 1778 ; was received as a literary student in 1802, and graduated at Union College in 1804; became a theological student in 1804; gave np the study in 1805; was licensed February 18, 1817, and ordained July 18, 1818, by the Presbytery of Albany, Presbyterian; was tutor in Union College, 1805-6, and professor, 1811-22 ; was captain in the war of 1812; held several pastoral charges in the Presbyterian Church, and died in New York city on the 11th of May, 1862. James M. Matthews, D. D., was born in Salem, March 18, 1785 ; was graduated at Union College ; studied theology partly with Dr. Proudtit, and finished in the first class graduated from the Seminary under Dr. J. M. Mason; was licensed by the Associate Reformed Presbytery of New York in 1807 ; served for several years as Professor of Biblical Literature in the Seminary in New York ; joined the Dutch Church in 1811 ; was pastor of the South Dutch Church for thirty years ; was tirst Chancellor of the University of New York; died in 1870. Stephen Rowan, D. D., was born in Salem in 1787 ; was grad- uated at Union College ; was licensed by the Dutch Classis of New York in 1806 ; exercised his ministry in New York city, and died in 1835. John Beattie was born in Salem in 1784; was graduated at rnion College; studied theoloiry with Dr. Proudtit; Avas licensed by the Dutch Classis of New York; was pastor at New Utrecht and at Buffalo, and died January 22, 1864. William McMurray, D. D., was born in Salem in 1784; was P11ESI5VTKRY OF AKJVLH. 4") graduated at Union C-oUugc ; studied theology iu tlie Seminary under Dr. Mason ; was licensed in June 20, 180'.> ; was ordained and installed as pastor of the Associate lieformed congrega- tion in Lansingburg. Januarj^ IG, 1810 ; resigned Septenihei- 25th, 1811; settled in the Dutch Church iu Rhinebeck in 1812, and in New York city in 1820, and died September 24, 1835. Thomas White was born in Argyle ; graduated at Tnion College, and received as a student of theology, March 2, 1808; after a full course of study in the Seminary under Dr. Mason he was licensed on the 20th of June, 1809 ; received a call from Whitehall, and was there ordained and installed on the 24th of January, 1810; resigned, February 11, 1812, and imme- diately took charge of Lisbon congregation; on the 29th of June, 1813, Presbytery dissolved the pastoral relation, and he soon afterwards settled in Seneca, Ontario county, where lie died in 1824. Ebenezer Iv. Maxwell was born in Galwa}', Saratoga county ; was graduated at Union College; was received as a student of theology in May, 1805 ; studied theology in the Seminary in New York ; was licensed by the Presbytery of Saratogti in 1809 ; was soon afterwards ordained and installed as }tastor of Delhi congregation in Delaware county, and went with his congregation into the Presbyterian Church with the union of 1822. He died in 1840. Chester Long was graduated at Middleburg College, Ver- mont ; studied theolog}' in the Seminary in Xew Y^'ork ; was licensed, May the 7th, 1818, and was ordained sine titulo Janu- ary the 25th, 1823. Peter C. Dunlap, son of the Rev. John, Avas born in Cam- bridge ; was graduated at Union College ; was received as ?( indent of theology in October, 1814; studied in the Seminary in Kew York, but was tinally obliged by ill-health to turn from the ministry to agriculture. John Peatty Steele was l)orn in Salem in 1791! ; was educated at Middleburg College, Vermont ; studied theology in the Sem- inary in Xew Y'ork ; was licensed by the Associate Reformed Presbytery of New Y^ork in 1822; was ordained by the Dutch Chassis of Albany in 1824; and labored in the Dutch Church. 40 HISTORY OF THE Georofe Mail's, jr., was born in Argyle in Maivli, 1798 ; was graduated at LTnion College; studied theology in the Semin- ary in Xevv York, and with his father; was licensed Marc-h the 5th, 1823 ; was ordained and installed as the assistant and successor of his father in Argyle, Se})tember the 3d, 1823, and resigned his charge June the 10th, 1851 ; and still lives. AVilliam Cruikshank was born in Salem in 1708 ; was gra- sequently "he received a dismission in order to connect himself with the Presbytery of Winchester, Virginia, belonging to the Ceneral Assembly ;" not succeeding here, he settled down as a farmer in North Carolina, and joined the Episcopal (Uiurcli, al- though it is believed he nev3i' sought its ministry. 1>RES1;YTEKY (iF ARCYLE. 4T .lames II. Teller studied private!}' under the Presbytery, and was licensed, Au2:ust 31, 1825 ; the next year he became pas- tor of the Orchard Street Dutch (Miurch in New York, and died in 1830. Malcolm N. .McLaren, 1). JX, was g-raduated at Union Col- lege in 1824; studied theology with his brother, Donald; was licensed, June (!, 1826; w^as ordained and installed in Novem- ber, 1827, in Broadalbin ; was transferred in the spring of 1833^ to llamptonburg, Orange county ; ten years later he left the Associate Reformed Church, and has held several })astorates in the Presbyterian and Dutch Churches, and now lives retired at Auburn, New York. James B. Stevenson was born in Salem in 1708 ; was grad- uitted at Rutger's College; studied theology with Dr. Proudfit and at the N^ew Brunswick Theological Seminary, was licensed by the Dutch Classis of Washington in 1827; was pastor of the Dutch congregations of Florida, and of Wynantskill, and died in the latter place, March 2, 1864. Peter Gordon was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1801, was graduated at the University of that city; took part of a course of theology in Scotland, and finished with Dr. Alexand(!r Bullions in Cambridge; was licensed by the Associate Reformed i'resbytery of Washington, July the 9th, 1829, and was ordained .^'nic. titido on the 29th of the following October; was installed as pastor of the Cambridge* Churcli on tlie 8th of October,. 1835; on the 10th of February, 1840, he resigned; was con- nected with three or four congregations ; and died on his farm in Cambridge cm the 15th of September, 1865. James 11. Barnes, believed to be a native of Washington county, was received as a student of theology in 1829, but in- termitted as it interferred with his teachings. May 20, 1835,. he was again recognized as a student and pursued his studies under private instruction, but befora licensure, w^as dismis-^ed to connect with the Dutch Church. Alexander Proudlit, (grandson of Rev. James), was born in Salem; was graduated at Union College ; studied the(Jogy at the- Seminary in Newburgh ; was licensed, May 20, 1835; wa- dis- 48 HISTORY OF TUE mir-sed June 27, 1841, to the Presbytoriiiu Church, and now lives witliout charge in Saratoga S[trings. John D.Gibson, D. TX, was born in Cambridge; was graduated at Union College; studied theology in the Newburgh Seminary; was licensed, April the 2d, 1838 ; in 1889 was ordained and in- stalled as pastor of the church at Seaooa ; on the 5th of Febru- ary, 1845, wvs installed as pastor in Stamford, wliere he still remains. John C. Cruikshank was born in Salem; was educated at Union College ; studied theology at iSTew Brunswick Seminary and was licensed in 1837 ; has been pastor of the Dutch churches in Hyde Park, Ilurlej^ and Little Falls, and since 1868 has been without a charge. John Skellie was born in Argyle ; was educated at Union College and the Seminary at Newburgh ; w^as received April 9, 1837, as student of theology; was licensed (it is believed) ])y the Caledonia Presbj'tery in 1839 ; was ordained b}' that Pres- bytery in 1842, and preached in Steuben county and in tlu- State of Michigan, and is now dead. .lohu Donaldson was born in Argyle; was educated at Union College and the Theological Seminary at Newburgh ; was li- censed on the 5th of dune, 1843, and three years afterwards asked and received a certificate of dismission, which he never used elsewhere. Peter C. Robertson was born in Argyle, March 17, 1811; was educated at Union College and the Theological Seminary at Newburgh ; was licensed Jui^ 1st, 1842 ; was ordained and installed at White Lake by the Presbytery of New York on the 23d of Jul}', 1847, and is now pastor of the Howard congrega- tion. George M. McEachron was born in Argyle ; was educated at Union College and the Theological Seminary at Newburgh : was licensed June 30,1851 ; was ordained and installed at Mou- gaup, on the 11th of January, 1853 ; passed to the Dutch Church in 1858, and to the Presbyterian Church in 1868. William C. Somers was born in Barnet, A^ermont ; was edu- cated at Union College, and studied theology in the Seminary at Newburgh ; was licensed by the Presbytery of New York, PRES15VTKRY OF AlUIVl.K. 4*,> May till' '22d, 1S')1 ; was onlaiiu'd and iiistalknl at ('ii}k'rvilU', May 21st, 185:), and is now at Sunny Dale, Kansas. John Crawford was born in Salem, was educated at Union College and the Seminary at ISTewburii-h ; was licensed May 31, 1852, and was ordained April lo, 1857, as a missionary to Da- mascus, in Syria, where he still lal)ors, dohu Anderson was born in Canada and reared in Argyle; Avas educated at Tnion College and the Newburgh Seminary; was licensed October 0th, 1855 ; was ordained in June, 1857, and installed as pastor of Oswego and jS^ew I?aris congregations in Elkhart county, Indiana, and has recently passed to the Pres- byterian (Uiurch. dohnllarjter was born in count}' Antrim, Ireland ; was grad- uated at Union College, and studied in the Associate Seminary at Xenia, and under the care of the I*resbytery of Cambridge; liaving transferred liis relation to the Presbytery of Washing- ton, was by it licensed on the 28th of July, 1856, and ordained on the 8th of December, 1858, and installed on the 22d of the same month in Lisbon, and is now pastor at Smithville, Illinois. William John Robinson, D. D., was born in Argyle ; was orn in Salem, March 19, 1840 ; was educated at Union College and Princeton Theological Seminary ; was licensed by the Presby- tery of Troy (Presbyterian) June 18th, 186-4; was ordained and installed in October, 1864, as pastor of the Second Presby- terian congregation in Jerse}' (^'dy, Xew Jersey, dii'd on the 14th of October, 1871. 4 50 IILSTOKY OF THE CHAPTER III. Associate, 1782-1851). IIE union, which resulted, October 31st, 1782, in the or- ganization of the Associate Reformed Church, ab- sorbed all the ministers and organized congregations in the Associate Presbytery of JSTew York. Messrs. Marshall and C'larkson and their congregations refused to go into the union, and continued the existence of their Presbytery of Pennsylvania, subordinate as hitherto to the Associate Synod of Edinburgh, in Scotland. In the State of Kew York, there were fragments here and there which did not sympathize with the union, and they looked to the residuary Presbytery of Pennsylvania for ecclesiastical care and culture. That Presbytery, immediately after the consunnnation of the union, petitioned the General Associate Synod of Scotland for ministerial help, and in 178o, Mr. Thomas Beveridge, the assistant of the venerable Adam Gib, of Edinburgh, was appointed to go to America, and was soon afterwards specially ordained to this field. He arrived herein the spring of 178-4, and immediately joined the Presby- tery of Pennsylvania. During the following autumn he visited Cambridge in answer to the urgent solicitation of a number of its resident families, and spent the greater jmrt of the succeeeace of 1782, and whoso sympathies still remained with their mother Church. In 1788, the Church in Caml)ridge gave a call to Mr. Beve- ridge, which he accepted and immediately entered upon the duties of the charge, although for some reason not now known he Avas not installed until September 10, 1789. lie gave one- fourth of his time to South Argyle. The towns of Barnet and Ryegate, lying on the Connecticut rivet", in Caledonia county, Vermont, were settled by companies from Scotland before the Revolutionary War, who, during this }ieriod, associated together with a view to obtain a minister according to their faith. In 1787, "the Town and Church of Bur- net" petitioned the General Associate Synod of Scotland for a preacher. The S^niod referred them to the Presbytery of Penn- sylvania ; and in June, 1789 "the Town" petitioned this Pres- bytery for supply of preaching and suggested the services of Mr. David Goodwillie who had arrived from Scotland the previous year. This request was granted, and Mr. Goodwillie was or- dained, October 3d, and sent to them in November, and re- mained for throe months. On the 5th of July, 1790, they gave him a call to become their pastor. He accepted this call, and on the 8th of the next February was installed by Dr. Ander- son and Mr, Bevoridgo, The congregation in Ryegate petitioned the "Town and Church of Barnet," for one-sixth of his labors, which was granted, and this relation continued for over thirty years. In 1791, John Crce, probationer, arrived from Scotland and began to supply the Associate Church in New York city, to Avhich he was soon called, and during the following year was ordained there and most likely installed at the same time. The 52 HISTORY OF THE •congregation proved to ])e too weak to support a pastor, and in a short time he was compelled to leave. He went to Western Pennsylvania and on the 14tli of Decemher, 1803, accepted a call to Ligonier in Westmoreland county, where he lahored till his death. Thomas Hamilton, of Cliartiers Preshytery, was next called to New York city, and was there ordained and in- stalled, June 10, 1802, and remained till his death, August 2:;), 1818. ' In July, 1708, Mr. Beveridge died, and in Se[)tember of the following year, John Banks was installed as his successor in Cambridge. The pastoral relation continued only till June, 1802, when he was "loosed," and transferred to Florida, in Montgomery county, where he was installed Septend)er 30, 1803. Prt'.sbytery of Cambridge. On the 1st of May, 1800, the Associate Presbytery of Penn- sylvania received and adopted "An overture for the erection of the Presbytery into a Synod." This Synod, the "Associate Synod of North America," held its first meeting in Phila- delphia, May 20, 1801, and was constituted by Rev. \V. Mar- shall, senior minister, and afterwards presided over by him as moderator. On the following day it was decreed that the "S3aiod shall consist of four Presbyteries designated as the As- sociate Presbyteries of Philadelphia, Ohartiers, Kentucky and Cambridge." The part which fell to the J^resbytery of Cam- bridge, was all that ]tortion of the Church north of the city of New^ York, leaving the congregation in that city to the Pres- bytery of Philadelphia. It was composed of David Goodwil- lie, Archibald Whyte and John Banks, ministers, together with the congregations of Cambridge, South Argyle, Hebron, Barnet, Kyegate and Florida. By the authority and direction of the Pres- bytery of Pennsylvania at its last meeting in May, 1800, the Presbytery of Cambridge was constituted at Cambridge on the 8th of September, 1800. Of this meeting and of all the meetings for the next three years there are no records, but it is known from other sources that during this period there was no busi- ness of any importance transacted, except in reference to a dith- PRKSliYTERY OF ARGYl.E. 53 eulty ill Cambridge. A trouble sprung up in tbat ^congregation which was insignificant in its beginning, but it widened until it involved Mr. ])ank:s and many of the loading members. It went to I'resbytery and thence to the Synod of 1802 and 1803. Mr. Banks was greatly dissatisfied with the result and read publicly in Cambridge, before a large audience, a pajier severely criticizing the action of Synod and some of its members. For this he was libeled in Presbytery, and rebuked and suspended from the ministry for two weeks, just after his installation in Florida. The three original members of the Tresljytery of Cambridge were long connected with it, and had much to do in moulding its policy, and as biography is not onl}' history, but the re- vealer of tlie philosophy of history, a brief sketch of their lives will not be out of place just here. The Rev. David Goodwillie was born, December 26, 1749, in Tanshall, some fifteen miles north of Edinburgh, was gradu- ated at the University of Edinburgh, and studied theology with ]^rofessor Moneriefi", at Alloa. He was licensed by the I'resby- tery of Kirkcaldy, in October, 1778, and sent immediately to Ireland, where he remained a year. In 1785, he was sent to the north-west of England where he spent another year. In 1787, he was appointed to go to America, and arrived at Xew York on the 5th of May, 1788, and was received by the Pres- bytery of Pennsylvania on the 28th of the same month, and was ordained in Philadelphia on the 31st of the following October. He first visited Barnet, Vermont, in the autumn of 1789, received a call, July 5, 1790,and was installed as pastor of Barnet, February 8th, 1791. One-sixth of his labors were given to the church in Ryegate, and this arrangement contin- ued till 1822, when this people provided a pastor for themselves. In 1826, his son, Thomas, was settled as his colleague. Of his six adult children two sons entered the ministry, one daughter married Dr. Alex. Bullions, and another the Rev. John Don- aldson. He died, August 2d, 1830, in the eighty-first year of his age, and the fifty-second of his ministry. He participated very considerably in civil aftairs, although he never allowed himself to degenerate into a politieian. In 54 HISTORY OF THE 1805, the town of liariiot elected him to the Legislature of the State, which met at Danville, only seven miles from his resi- dence, so that lie always spent the Sabbath with his people. In 1807, he was chosen Town Clerk, and soon afterwards Town Treasurer, and to these offices he was re-elected every year till 1827, when in consequence of his age he declined further re- election. In 1808, he was appointed the first postmaster in Barnet, and held this office for ten years. He verily served liis parishioners in man}- capacities, for having studied medi- cine, he was for some years their only physician. During his ministry over four hundred united with the cliurch in Barnet, and some two hundred in Ryegate. He was an eminently devoted and successful minister, and in his old age continued to make his annual pastoral visit to everj' family in his double charge, besides his public meetings for catechis- ing in different parts of the two towns. He brought a good library from Scotland, was all his life a diligent student, and was both a pleasant and instructive preacher. He had a fine personal appearance, being large but not corpulent, had a very pleasant voice, and spoke with considerable animation, al- though not much gesture. He always devoted the forenoon of the Sabbath to an ex[)Ository lecture, and in this way went over nearly the entire Bible, ver^^ much to the edification and instruction of his peo})le. Archibald Whyte was born, December 25, 1755, in Deeble- shire, Scotland, and was graduated at the University of Edin- burgh, in 1781, and studied theology with Professor Moncrieff at Alloa. He was licensed in August, 1786, by the Presbytery of Edhiburgh. In 1787, the General A^ociate Synod of Scot- land appointed him, together with David Goodwillie, to go to America. On the 5th of May, 1788, they arrived at New York, and were soon received by the Presbytery of Pennsylva- nia. On the week after his arrival in the country he came to Cambridge and South Argyle, where he spent much of the summer. He was ordained on the 26th of May, 1789, at M uddy Creek, York county, Pennsylvania, and on the 27th of May, 1790, was married to Margaret Kerr, of Marsh Creek, Adams county, I'ennsylvania. In 1792 he received a considerable PRESBYTERY OF ARGYl.E. OO s;um of money from his father's estate, witli whieh lie ynv- i'hased tliree hundred and twenty acres of Innd in Arj;yle, upon wliich he huilt the house which Avas ever afterwnnls liis liomc and in wliich lie died. He received a call ahout 1700, from a congregation in South Carolina, which he declined on ac- <-(nnit of slavery. This was the only call he ever received. For ten years or more he itinerated constantly over the whole territory- of the Cliurch, from Vermont to South Carolina, and from the Hudson to the Ohio river. All this was done on horseback, with bad roads and few bridges. For some years his wife was his constant comitanion in all his travels, and as slie had been trained to the saddle, which was not so with him, she was always the better horseman. It is said that she used to ride on before him through the deep waters to be forded, and the difHcult and dangerous places to be passed, and then gave liim directions liow to follow. As he advanced in life and his family increased, he restricted the bounds of his itineranc}', and ultimately conlined it to Cambridge Presbyter3^ He preached for the last time on the 5th of October, 1845, both forenoon iind afternoon, in Xorth Argyle. He died January 6th, 18-10. twelve days after he had completed his ninety-third ,year. ^Ir. Whyte was very methodical in all his habits, and kept an accurate diary of all his doings and wanderings. From this it appears that he preached in lifty-four difterent places in Scotland, and in seventy-four in America. In stature he was below the medium, had a long face with a high and capacious forehead, and a good expression of countenance. Dr. Peter Bullions, who was for some time Mr. AVhyte's pas- tor, and for many years liis fellow presl)yter, in describing him as a preacher, says: "Here T am obliged to acknowledge that he had not a single attribute of a popular speaker. His ser- mons were excellent, they were fully written out, and in respect to spirit, sentiment, and I may add style, Avere all that could l>e desired ; indeed he ])Ossessed rare skill in solving the mean- ing of a passage, while everything was so simple as to he- adapted to the liumblest intellect, there Avould often be an air of originality about it that the most cultivated mind Avould irreativ admire. Put these excellent sermons were, shall I say. 56 IITSTOIIY OF THE ]iiui-dcre(l in the delivery. It was a great Inirden to him to commit to memory, and when he had done his best, he could not he sure that his memory would not fail liim ; and hence his delivery was labored, embarrassed, and often exceedingly jiainful to his hearers. Though liis sermons were always re- plete with excellent matter, and were well worthy the atten- tion of any audience, it was only that portion of his hearers who could overlook a crude and most unattractive manner, who could suitably estimate the privilege of sitting under his preach- ing." This unattractiveness could liave been largely if uot en- tirely removed, if he had read his discourses. But that would, most likely have been regarded by him as sinful, for he believed that " reading was no preaching." Mr. Whyte was a man of deep devotion and active ])iety, was modest and humble, upright and honorable, careful and consci- entious in the discharge of his duties to God and man. lie was always regarded as a valuable member of Churcli Courts, because of his good sense, enlightened views and sound judg- ment. Rev. John Banks, J). I)., was born in Sterling, Scotland, af'out the year 1763. lie had a thorous-li classical and theoloo-ical education, and was settled for some time in a pastorate in his native land. He came to this country in 1796, and for nearly a year supplied the church in Isew York city, from which he re- ceived and declined a call in 1798. In September, 1799, he was installed as pastor in Cambridge. In consequence of a trouble alluded to elsewhere, he resigned in June, 1802, and passing to Florida, Montgomeiy county, was there installed on the 30th of September, 1803. He received the degree of I). D., in 1808. lie resigned the charge of Florida, in February, 1816. and moved to Philadelphia and supplied the church there for two years, and was then called and installed as pastor in June, 1818, Here he opened a classical school, and then took charge of the Preparatory Department of the University of Pennsylvania, and taught a private class in Hebrew, composed mainly of city ministers. When Dr. Anderson died the Synod established two theological seminaries, and located the eastern one in Phil- adelphia, and in ^lay, 1820, elected Dr. Banks as its professor. PRESBYTERY OF AlKiVLE. 0/ lie thus remained pastor and professor until lie was stricken with apoplexy and immediately died on tiieDth of Ai)ril, 1826, in tlie sixty -third year of his age. Dr. Banks was a portly, well-made man, with an uncom- monly ruddy complexion, arising from a strong tendency of Idood to the head, lie dealt much in anecdote, and enjoyed a iiearty laugh, was guileless and simple-minded, and profoundly ignorant of the artifices and ways of the Avorld. lie had naturally a very excitable tem})erament which made him un- der all circumstances a poor disciplinarian, and interfered some- what with his pastoral success. His voice was good and me- lodious, but lie had trained it to such perfect uniformity that his delivery was in a high degree monotonous, lie generally wrote his sermons in full and committed them to memory ; they contained a large amount of good, solid divinity, and learned exegesis, but were neither graceful nor correct in stylo, and Avere destitute of anything like imagination. He had an exceedingly retentive memory, and was a very diligent student, and in everything pertaining to his profes- sion was a decidedly learned man. He was a peculiarly tine classical scholar, and especially excelled in Hebrew. He had no superior, perhaps no equal, as a Hebraist in this countr\\ Dr. ]Vlatthew^s, one of his first pupils, says that '•he lived and moved and seemed to find a great part of his enjoyment among the Hebrew roots." He wrote the Hebrew language witli great ease, and was so familiar wdtli the llel)rew Bible, that if any one ^vould read to him a verse from any part of the English Bible, he could immediately give the corresponding Hebrew. Of him Dr. Alex. Bullions said, "I have heard many men preach, whom I should rank much above Dr. Banks, but as a Lecturer, I do not remember to have heard more than two indi- viduals whom I regarded his superior." In 1803, a church was organized in the town of Putnam, where supplies had been sent for several years. During the same year an application was received from a number of fami- lies in Westfield (most likely in Orleans county, Vermont), for sup}ily of preaching. Missionaries were sent, the Held seemetl promising, a church was organized, and elders ordained; and 58 HISTORY OF THE yet at the enufialo in the Presbytery of Chartiers. On the 21st of November, 1810, the I'resbytery met in Ar- gyle at the recpicst of Mr. Laing, and "took into consideration the confession which Mr. Laing made at the preceding meet ing of Presbytery respecting his being intoxicated, on Monday, August 26, 1810, betwixt Cambridge and Argyle." After the ■examination of a number of witnesses he was adjudged guilty iind rebuked by Presbytery. This did not satisfy his parish- ioners, for at a meeting on the 30tli of the next January the Presl)yt€ry received "a petition from Argyle^ subscribed hy a considerable number of that congregation, requesting a dissolu- tion of the comiection betwixt them and their pastor, alleging that his usefulness was at an end." At a subsequent meeting, Mr. Laing tendered the resignation of his charge, and on the 2d of September, 1811, the relation was dissolveil. In Janu- iiry, 1814, ]Slr. Laing received a call to Delhi and connections which he accepted in May, 1814, and wassubsequently installed. This relation continued for iiine years, and then ottence and trouble must needs come, as in Argyle, and on the 8tli of May, 1823, he was rebuked and suspended from the ministry l)y tlie Presb3'tery. The congregation asked for the dissolution of the ]tastoral relation, which was granted on tlie 2-3 th of June. Mr. Laing was restored on the 19th of May, 1824. ^biy 9, 1814, a unanimous call was given by Argyle to Alex- ander McClelland, a native of the Presbyter}-, but a licentiate of the Presbytery of Chartiers. This call was accepted on the 29th of August, on condition that his ordination should not take jilace before the following May. Mr. McClelland delivered his trials, and on the 12th of June, 1815, was examined "on theological subjects, and liis views of our principles as stated in the Testimony." The examination on one or two jioints was not entirely satisfjictory. so tlie case was postponed till the next <'»0 HISTORY OF THE meeting wliicb took place on the 26tii of July, when "after much reasoning on the propriety of his ordination, it was agreed to proceed to the ordination and installment," and the 9th cf August was appointed the day. When Presbytery met in Argyle, Mr. McClelland did not appear, so the clerk was di- rected to cite him to appear at next meeting and answer for his tViilure. On the 25th of September a letter was received from the Presbytery of New York of the Presbyterian Church, stat- ing "that Mr. McClelland had made application to them for admission to their communion, laid before them an extract of a minute of the Associate Presbytery of Cambridge appointing his ordination and admission to the congregation of Argj-le, and also a summons from said Presbytery to appear before them and answer for not obtemperating said appointment. They, willing not to act rashly, agreed to write to the Presbytery of Cambridge, to know if they had anything against him, 1)ut what respects his views concerning Christian communion." Mr. McClelland was also present and "stated as reasons for not sub- mitting to the appointment of Presbytery at their last meeting, the opposition made by some members to his ordination; and that he considered his request for a dismission an intimation of his intention to leave this Church; and upon the matter of a "declinature," that if there was any want of formality in the manner in which it was made, it was from ignorance of order and not from contempt ; that he still declines the fellowship of this Church, and wishes to retire in peace." "Farther proced- ure in the case was sisted and the matter referred simpliciter to Synod," and directed "a friendly letter to be written to the aforesaid Presbytery of ISTew York." August 29, 1814, Thomas Beveridge was received as a stu- dent of theology. On the 28th of February, 1816, Dr. Banks resigned the charge of Florida, and removed to Philadelphia. On the oOth of September, Mr. John Donaldson, "missioned from the General Associate Synod in Scotland," presented his credentials to Presbytery and was received, lie soon received a call from Florida,and was there ordained and installed on the 26th of March, 1817. Peter Bullions, licentiate of the Asso- ciate Presbytery of Edinburgh, Scotland, was received, October PRESnVTEKV OF AK'.iVLK. 61 -27, 1817, and was ordained and installed in Soutli Ai'i>:yle, on tlie 4tli of March, 1.S18. The Rev. Joseph Shaw was abont tliis time transferred l)y Synod to tliis Presbytery. Februar}' 9, 1818, "some })C()plcin Albany" petitioned for sup- ply of sermon. This was <»;ranted, and occasionally repeated till ]\Iay 3,1820, when a congregation there, hitherto connected in Canada, Avas received. On !N"ovembor 8, 1820, they petitioned for an election of additional elders, and I'eter Bullions was appointed to preside and ordain the elders, lie preached in Albany on the third and fourth Sal)baths of No- vember but did not ordain elders, and his reasons were sustained by Presbytery at its next meeting. The Rev. Mr. McDonald had organized this congregation in 1800, and resigned its ])asto- ratc in 1818. August 30, 1819, James Irvine and James Martin were re- ceived as students of theology ; and the Rev. James Millar was transferred to Presbytery by the Synod. On the 4th of No- vember, Mr. Millar was installed as pastor of the church in Putnam. February 22, 1820, Mr. Donaldson resigned his charge of the Florida congregation. In 1820, the church in New York city was transferred to this Presbyter}', and by order of Synod, Mr. Irvine was transferred to the Presbytery of Kentucky, and this Presbytery heard Mr. Beveridge's trials for ordination. Messrs. Thomas and David Goodwillie of Barnet, A'ermont, were also recognized as students of theolog}'. May 3, 1820, Presbytery " took up a reference from Synod fit their last meetijig, of a proposal to divide themselves into sub-Synods, to meet in General Synod once in three years, &c. It is the opinion of this Presbytery that this would be imprac- ticable in the present situation, answering no valuable purpose, but attended with manifold inconveniences."' June 6, 1820, the families of the congregation of C'ambridge which resided in the town of Salem, were at their own request erected into an independent congregation. At the same meet- ing the Rev. Andrew Stark, of the Associate Presbytery of Edinburgh, was received ; he soon afterwards accepted a call to the congregation of New York city, where he was installed. May 17, 1822? (j'2 HISTORY OF THE Tho section of country irnniediately west of Niascara Falls ill Canada, was first settled by refugees from the tState of Xew York, during the Revolutionary War. Those Avho retired here because of their lo^'alty to the British Government were sup- plied with free farms. At different subsequent periods coni- panies of Highlanders made their homes north and w^estof the upper end of Lake Ontario. These early settlers suffered many ])rivation8 and made but slow progress, because of the isolation of their position, the severity of the climate, and the difficulty of reducing their heavily timbered land to a state of profitable culture. They were nearly all Scotch by birth, and retained a strong affection for the Presbyterianism of their native land, but their poverty and their secluded location prevented them from making much provision for religious ])rivileges. There were a few" church organizations scattered through the country, but they were generally without pastors, and the occasional supply which they received was from traveling, and too often vagabond ministers, who had left Scotland and Ireland because- of their worthlessness. A Mr. Orr, who had been connected with Mr. Hamilton's church in ISTew York city, settled in Stamford,, about 1815, or soon afterwards, and in 1821, wrote a friendly letter to Dr. Alexander Bullions, in which he stated and la- mented their religious destitution, and simply asked that some of the ministers of his Presbytery when going to Pittsburgh might come around by his neighborhood. Dr. Bullions laid this letter before the Presbytery at its meeting on the 27th of August, 1821, and on the 1st of October, they resolved to send the Pev. Peter Campbell, v/ho had just been transferred to them, on a mission to Canada, and ordered collections to be taken n[) in all their congregations to meet the expense. For some rea- son satisfactory to Presbytery^ Mr. Campbell did not go, and the whole matter was referred to Synod. The Synod at its meeting in May, 1822, appointed Thomas Beveridge, Thomas Ilanna and Alexander Bullions "to itinerate in Canada three months each, or thereabout, the expenses incurred by said mis- sion to be defrayed by the Synod." Dr. Bullions did not go at this time, but Beveridge and Ilanna left Philadelphia forthwith on horseback, and rode the first week to Cambridge, Kew York, PRESr,YTERY OF ARCJYl.E. 6S- and tlic second week to Caledonia, and crossed the Niagara River at QiU'cnstown, They wore not expected hy any one, but found plenty of willing hearers. They spent about a month in ex- jtloring and organized tlie congregation of Gait, and laid the foundation of several others which were subse<[uently organized. They passed on to Detroit and to their homes in Xenia and Cadiz. The Synod continued to foster this Canada Mission, and Dr. Alex. l)ullions and Dr. Peter Bullions and other mem- bers of the Presbytery visited it within the next three or four years, and in 1825, the Presbytery sent them a box of Testimonies and Catechisms and Tracts for sale and gratuitous distribution. July 17, 1822, the Presbytery "Resolved, that it is incum- bent on these congregations that are numerous and able to con- tribute according to their respective abilities, to aid and en- courage those that are weak and unable to support a stated dispensation of ordinances. That a fund be created and placed at the disposal of Presbytery for aiding weak congregations under our inspection." While this scheme produced very little immediate fruit, yet by recognizing the [)rinci[)lc of mutual help, and by keeping it before the attention of the people, it did assist in cherishing and developing a spirit of liberality. -Before this Female Benevolent Societies had been formed in Cambridge and Argyle, and perhaps elsewhere, to raise money for the assistance of theological students, and the support of the Theological Hall, which had been lately established under Dr. Banks in Philadelphia. May 24, 1822, a call was given to Thomas Terrier from Rye- gate m Vermont, which was subsequently accepted, and he was ordained and installed on the 27th of the following September. This charge he resigned, July (5, 1825. On the 28th of August, 1822, Archibald Whyte, jr., Findley McNaughton and William Easton were received as students of theology. On the 2d of September James Martin was licensed. Peter Bullions, from the time of his settlement in Argyle, and with the consent of that people, gave a regular portion of his time and labor to the congregation in Hebron. On the 27th of January, 1823, he terminated, with the permission of l*res- bytery, this oversight of Hebron, and on tlie 2d of February, 04 HISTORY OF THE lS2o, lie sent \i\^ resignation of the cliarge of Argyle, having removed from that i)]ace to All)any the previous autumn. This resignation was accepted and the pastoral relation dissolved, with the addition, "That J*reshytery express their highest dis- approbation of Mr. Bullions' conduct in leaving Argyle con- gregation, as being disorderly, irvegular, and unpresbyterial, inasmuch as he did not consult Presbytery on the subject.'' On the 20tli of February, 1823, the Rev. Peter Campbell was; installed as pastor in Florida. As an illustration of the re- muneration given by congregations to their pastors iifty or sixty years ago, the salary pledged to Mr. Campbell upon this occasion may be taken as a fair sample. He was to receive an- nually four hundred dollars in mone}', the use of a house, a garden and lot, and out-houses, together with tliirty cords of tirewood drawn to the house. In some cases pasture for one liorse and two cows was added. When we consider the great difference in the style of living then and now in the commu- nity generally, necessitating the same on the part of the minis- ter ; and the equally great difference in the purchasing power of the dollar, it will be seen that congregations made as ample provision for their ministers then as they do now. September 22, 1823, the church in Hebron called James Irvine, and on the 7th cf the following July, he was there or- dained and installed. On the 23d of September, 1823, Thomas and David Goodwillie were licensed to preach the gospel. James Martin was, on May the 10th, 1824, ordained and in- stalled in Albany. At a meeting, February 2d, 1825, Mr. Martin represented the wish of the American Tract Society to be recognized and recommended by the Presbytery. " After being informed or the nature of said society," they "approved ther6f)f, and re- solved that members recommend it to their congregations " At this same meeting Horatio Thompson was received as a student of theology. On the 4th of May, 1825, a number of persons in Johnstown, Fulton county, applied for a supply of sermon. This was granted, and repeated frequently, till the fifth Sabbath of I'UHSUVTEKV (U' AKiiVLK. ()■') March, 1828. when a I'liurcli was reo-ularly ()^^■ani7.(.•ll tlicro l>y Mr. Glordon. ( )n the first Wcdiu'sday of March, 1825, the cong-rcii-ation («f Aro-yle u-ave u call to Mr, James White, recently arrived from Scotland, and on the same day the Salem chnrch also gave him ii call, lie aceepted the latter, and was ordained and installed in Sulem, July the Gth. This pastorate was short but very snccessfnl. Mr. White died December 1-), 1827, in the thirty- fourth year of his age. Sejitember 15, 1825, -lames McGeoch was received as a stu- dent of theology; and on the 2Gtli of the same month, Mr. Uu>sel was received as a licentiate from Scotland. A charge of gross immorality was preferred against the liev. dames Millar of l'ntnam,on the 14th of Se[)tember, 1825. Its final consideration was postponed till the 1st of the following February, when the whole case was refered '' .s7'//(y>//V-//rr " to the Synod. But at the cH)ngregation's request, his pastoral relation with the church at Putnam was dissolved, upon the ground tliat his usefulness there was at an end. lie was also denied a scat in I'resbytery till the Synod had issued his case. The Synod at its annual meeting in October, 182(j, fonnd Mr. Millar guilty, and deposed him from the ministry ; his sentence Avas never afterwards rescinded or modified. On the 2iHh of May, 1826, Thomas Goodwillie acce})tcd a call from Barnet, Vermont, and on the 28tli of the following Septenrner, was there onlained and installed as the assistant and successor of his father. On the 3d of May, 182G, "several persons in York, Living- ston country," petitioned "to be taken under the care of Pres- bytery and receive as much supply- as may be deemed projicr."' This iietition was granted, and in Se[)tember, 1827, a ehureh was regularly organized by the Rev. Thomas (Toodwillie. June 19,1826, Archibald Whyte,jr., and Findley McNaugh- ton were licensed, and William Kaston during the following Septemi)er. On the 21Jth of -lune, 1826, Argyle gave a call to the liev. Thomas Be\'eridge, which he declined on the 14th of July ; but the Presbytery, for some reason, ordered the call to lie ujioii 5 GO HISTORY OF THE tlio table till the next meeting, to be presented a second time. It was a second time declined. Still on the Ttli of Febrnaiy, 1828, the congregation of Argylc made ont a second- call to Mr. I)everidge,but it met with no better success than its i)redecessor. The united congregations of Stamford, Tliorald and Beaver Dam, in Canada, gave a call to John Kussel in September, 182tj. He asked the privilege of holding this under consideration until he might more fnlly ascertain the state of these congre- gations. This was granted, and that he might be better iitted for his work in that isolated region, he was ordained on the 31st of October, in Cambridge. It will be remembered that in 1804 the Rev. J. Burns, of the Associate Reformed Churciu accepted a call to the congregations of Stamford and Bertie, in Upper Canada, and was installed therein on the 18th of Sep- tember, 1806, \)y the Presl)ytery of Washington. These churches in a few years disappeared from the statistics of the Associate Reformed Church, and whether the Associate churches now calling Mr. Russel, had been gathered to any extent from the wrecks of previous Associate Reformed ones cannot now l)e ascertained. In September, 1826, j'etitions for sup})ly were received from " some persons " in Howard, Steuben county, and from Esquess- ing, in Upper Canada, and from the Seignory of Xion, and Cal- well's Manor, in Lower Canada. The petitioners from Cal well's AFniior had most likely been connected with the Associate Re- formed Church which the Presbytery of Washington had organized there in 1810, and associated with another at Alburg, in Vermont, but which was utterly wrecked b}' the war wliich broke out in 1812 between the two countries. In 1826, because of the death of J)r. Banks, Professor in the Eastern Theological Hall, the Presbytery appointed Dr. Ak'x. Bullions, professor pro tan , and directed its students to wait upon his instructions. In September, 1827, Peter Gordon, of tlie United Secession Church in Scotland, and for two years a student of theology in its Hall, was received as a student of theology. After finishing his theological course under Di-. Bullions, he united with the Associate Reformed Presbytery of Washington, and was b}' it licensed in rlune 1829. PRESr.YTERY OF AR(iYI.R. (17 111 the early i»art of 1827, n eall from IJovina and eonneetion^ was presented to Mr. McXaiigliton, and declined. He snbse- (luentlj- accepted one to Mercersburg, Pennsj'lvania. On the 27th of September, of the same year, a call from Baltimore, in Maryland, was presented to Archibald Whyte, jr., and was 1(3- him accepted. Tt was the enstom of the Presbytery in early days to appoint territorial bounds to the several congregations in Washington comity, l)ut in the process of time' this became very distasteful to some of the i'amilies which resided on the borders; because from personal preferences or the condition of the roads, they sometimes wished to change their congregational connection. This could only be done Iw Presbytery, and application for change invariably gave rise to controversy more or less unplea- sant, so on the 12th of September, 1827, it was "resolved that this Presbytery judge it inexpedient to preserve an}' longer geographical dividing lines between neighboring congrega- tions." On the 7tli of February, 1828, William Pringle, probationer of the United Secession Church of Scotland, applied for admis- sion, and after a long controversy, followed by a protest and aii}ieal to Synod, he was received. The difiiculty was his re- fusing to approve of the Synod's condemnation of the union of the Burghers and Antiburghers in 1820. When this union took place, I*rofessor Paxton headed a small party of Antibur- ghers who protested and refused to enter tiie newly formed United Secession Church, The Synod in this country sympa- thized with "Professor Paxton 's Part3',"and in May, 182G con- demned "said union as a defection from a Covenanted Refor- mation." In 1827, Professor Paxtoivs party united with the "Constitutional Presbytery," formed by Dr. McCrie and his few followers in the schism of 1806, and constituted the Synod of Original Seceders. The American Synod held communion with these Original Seceders,as the true Secession Church. This Synod of Original Seceders united with the Free Church in 1852. Mr. I*ringle was called to Ryegate, in Vermont, where he was ordained and installed, June 29, 1830, and remained till June 21, 1852, when in consequence of ill health he resigned, lie died (58 HISTORY OF THE ill Ueceiiiber 14, 1858. "He -was an excellent scliolar, an al)le preacher and was liiglily respected in all liis relations." Ill tiie s})ring of 1828, tlie cliurcli in Tntuam gave a. call to tlie llev. Alexander Gordon, and lie was installed on tlie 2d of July, and resigned the charge, August o, 1842. May 7, 1828, Mr. A. Mitchell Avas received as a probationer from the United Secession Synod of Scotland, and on the 11th of July, Horatio Thompson was licensed. Mr. Mitchell was subse([uently rejected as an imposter. During the early summer of 1829, the church in Argyle called the Rev. James 1*. Miller, Avhich resulted in his installa- tion in the following October. During the succeeding winter the families in the northern part of the town who resided eight and ten miles from the meeting house, })etitioned for a new or- ganisation to be l(wated in the village of !N^orth Argyle. This was granted, and in the spring of 1830 such an organization was effected, and in Xovember, 1831, the Rev. Duncan Stalker was installed as pastor, and so remained till a year before his death, in December, 1853. John G. Smart, licensed by the riiiladelphia l*resbytery, Au- gust 17, 1826, was ordained sine tifalo by the I'resbytery of (Cambridge on the 5th of November, 1829 ; accepted a call from Johnstown, Fulton county, 5th of the next May, and was there installed by the Presbytery of Albany, at its tirst meeting, July 21, 1830. The Synod at its meeting in the si)ring of 1830, concluded to divide the Rresbytery of Cambridge, and enacted that all its ministers and congregations lying west of the Hudson river and south of a line east from Waterford, should be erected into a new Presl^yterj, to be styled the Presbytery of AlljtuiN'. This new 1^'esbytery included the following ministers: Peter Bullions, Andrew Stark, James Martin, Peter Campbell, John G. Smart, Robert Laing and John Russell. Mr. David Gordon was ordained and installed as i)astor in Salem, on the 2d of May, 1832, and resigned on the 20th of Jime, 1843, to go as a missionary to the Island of Trinidad. The Rev. James Irvine resigned liis pastorate in Ilebrim. September, 1831, to take the charge of the Second Church in J'KKSBYTERY OF ARCYhK. 69 Now ^'o^k city, which had been recently oro;;niiize h The Kev. Abmhaiu Andci'son, pastor of Steele Creek, North Carolina? being on a visit north, supplied the chureh in Hebron during the summer of 1832, and having received a call the following spring, was installed as its jiastor during the summer of 1833. The months of June and duly of 1835 were si)cnt l)y tht- Rev. David Gordon in a missionar}' tour in the northern part of Essex county, and the neighboring border of Lower Canada, and resulted in the estal)lishment of Kssex and Beach Kidge and I rinehinbrook as missionary stations. Mr. Gordon returned and spent the uionth of October in this section of countr}-. Mr. David Strang, David Thompson, James P. Miller and others visited these stations. The Tresbytery directed its sev- eral congregations to take up collections to aid these new enter- prises, and in the autumn of 1836 and the succeeding summer churches were regularlj^ organized in Essex, Essex county, New York and at Beach Ilidge, Ilemmingsford and Ilinchinbrook in Lower Canada. In the early days of the American Bible Society leading members of the Associate Synod petitioned that society to l»ind up with some of their copies of the Bible, tlie Psalms in metre io that they might be circulated within the l)0unds of their con- gregations. The directors of the society declined to do this, upon the grounds that the constitution of the society forl)id their circulating anything except the Canonical Books of Scri[)ture in the received translation. The Sjnod at its meeting in 1835, adopted a Bible scheme of their own to promote the circula- tion of the liible with the Psalms in metre. In aid of this scheme, the Presbyter}-, on the 4r,h of November, recommended every congregation under its care to organize a Bible Society, and reported a model for their constitution. This movement resulted in the circulation of (piite a number of copies of the Bible. In November, 1835, Thomas Gilkerson was received as a stu- dent of theology, and in 1836, Archibald Peid, Isaac Law and John AV. llarsha,and in April, 1837, David G. Ibillions, were also received as students. At this point of time a schism took place in the Presbytery. 70 HISTORY OF THE Ijut it i« deemed iiiex[)edieiit to go into anything like a minute liistory of its euuses and successive steps. The story, if all were tcld, would be a long one, and perhaps not much for edi- lieation. Besides, as told by both parties, it has been long in }K)int, and is therefore accessible to those who are specially anxious to know it. The controversy did involve some impor- tant principles of church government, and of submission to lawful authority, even if not lovingly administered ; yet no d(.)ctrine of grace or distinctive principle of the Church was ever brouo'ht in question. The true source and an ever-present element of all the trouble were personal likes and dislikes, and it is human nature to treat Avitli more tenderness and forbear- ance the words and actions of those we love than of those who have given us cause of offence ; and in any controversy among fallible men, Avrong on one side is pretty sure to produce more or less wrong on the other side. In this case, if there had been less personal estrangement and more brotherly love and long suf- fering forbearance, there would liavebeen lessolfence andtrouble. The writer was personal 1}' acrpiainted with nearly all the prom- inent actors in this long drama, and is glad to be able to testify that they were good men, and that the Holy Ghost set the seal of His approval most unequivocally upon the general woi'k of their lives. The treasure, however, was in earthen vessels, and like Moses and David and Peter these men had their infirnii- ties and weakness, but "he that is witiiout sin among you, let him first cast a stone." It is not known when the trouble began, for it had evidently been festering some time before it came to the surface. For sundry sayings and doings, covering four years, the Tresbytery, on the 2d of September, 1834, suspended Dr. Alexander Bul- li(3ns from the exercise of his ministry and from the communion of the Church. From this decision no less than ten jjrotests and appeals went up to the Synod which met on the 1st of the following October. After Synod had spent much time and W()rried through three of these, it lost patience and referred the "whole business" to a committee. This committee re- l)orted, and the Synod adopted, that "Dr. Bullions should be >uspended from the exercise of the ministerial ofhcc for the term PRESBYTEllV OF AlKiYLE, 71 of two months, at the exiiiratioii of whicli, the rreshytery of Cambridge was to rebuke and restore liim to office." This hist part was to bo done on the foHowing conditions, that "the Presbytery of Cambridge require Dr. Bullions to make une- • luivoual confession of his sin in the following }>arts of his conduct and express sorrow for the same." Here follow six s}ieeitications, and (^n his submission to these requirements " without limitation or reserve," l'resl)ytery \\'as '-to rebuke and lestore him to the exercise of his ofHce and to the com- munion of the Church." On the 4th of I)ecend>er these i-e([uirements were complied with, and the Doctor was rebuked and restored. This was followed b}' the passage of "an act of oblivion in regard to all past expressjons marked or complained of, against meml)ers oi Tresbytery till this time," For a season there was no further active trouble, but it was very evident that brotherlj'dove had not been re-established. The Dresbytery of Albany became distracted at this time by an oft'-shoot of the same trouble, and this in its retlex action waked the old dithcult}' in a more serious shape. Dr. Bullions was led thereby to say some severe things of four of his co- ])resbyters, which he could not prove to the satisfaction of the Presbytery, and on the 5th of Octol)er, 1837, he was " suspended from the exercise of his ministry and the communion of the Church, till he give evidence of repentance." After a few weeks the Doctor disregarded this sentence, and on the 7th of the following February, he and a majority of his congregation declined the authority of the Presbytery, and appealed in a pub- lished letter to tlie public, and met no more with the Presby- terv. During; the iiroo^ress of these thino-s the Rev. Duncan Stalker became involved, and was tem[»orarily suspended, so on the 11th of April, 1838, he declined the jurisdiction of the ]*resbytcry and withdrew from its meeting. On the following day Mr. Stalker and Dr. Bullions were both formally deposed from the ministry and exconnnunicated with the lesser sentence of exconnnunication. By the authority and direc-tion of the Synod, the Presbytery of A'ermont wa-; organized at IJarnet, duly 2d, 183S, and con- i~ IIISTOKV OF THE sisted miiiisteridly of Thomas Goodwillie and AN^illiaiu rringle. As J)r. Goodwillie Avas a brotlier-indaw, and Mr. l*riiiglc a son-in-law of Dr. Bullions, it was very natural that they should sympathize w'ith him, so one of the first acts of this new^ Presbytery was to review ])r. Bullion's ease and for- mally restore him to the ministry. This added fuel to the Hame, and the Synod on the 5th of June, 1840, declared the I'rcshy- tery of A'^ermont dissolved, its ministers suspended, and its con- gregations transferred to the l*resl)ytery of Caml»ridge, all of wJiich the i'resbytery disregarded. Br. Bullions, Mr. Stalker and Archibald AV^hyte, who sym- luithized with them, organized themselves into a Presbytery which they called the Associate Presbytery of Cambridge. In the meantime the Presbytery of Albany had been rent in a a similiar manner, and the Synod recognized the minority as the true I'resbytery. So in Cambridge, on the 15th of June, 1841, the majority Presbytery of Albany, the minority Presbytery of Cambridge, and the suspended l*resbytery of Vermont, met together and organized a Synod to be known as the Associate Synod of ]S^orth America. This organized schism, or accomplished secession, or whatever it may he called, practi- cally ended the whole difficulty so tar as the Presbytery was concerned, although it was only the beginning of trouble in the congregations of the new connection, for there was a resi- duary party in each one. Presbytery of Cambridge (Now Connection.) As the history of this body is short, and to prevent confu- sion, it is given here in full. The precise date of its organiza- tion cannot be given, and its minutes cannot l)e found, but it was most probably in 1838 or '9, and was intended to be a con- tinuation of /Ac Cambridgt; Presbytery. It consisted of Br, Alexander Bullions, Duncan Stalker, and Archibald Whyte, ministers. Its congregations were in Cambridge, North Argyle,. and a newly formed one about a mile north of AVest Hebron. Daniel McB. Quackenbush, wdio had been educated at Colum- bia College, and the Dutch Beformed Theological Semifiary, at Xcw Brunswick, Xew Jersey, was licensed l)y the Presbytery PRESBYTERY (»F ARGYLE. t-j of New York in 1S39, and ordained and installed in the new Hebron cluireli in December, 1841. Here be remained till the summer of 1847, when he was released, and on the loth of Novend^er, 1848, received a certificate of dismission, and united with tlie Dutch Reformed Church, in which lie still (1880V labors as pastor of Prospect Hill, on Eighty -fifth street, ]Nov,- York city, An(h"ew Shiland, who had received his theological trainiuu^ at Princeton Seminary, was licensed by the l*resbytery in the autumn of 184i>,and was ordained and installed, November 2-3 1847, by the New York l.'resbyter\-, o^•er a small ephemeral church in Southwark, Philadelphia. This he resigneut retained their sejiarate 74 IlISTOIJY OF THE o);o-anizations as the First and Second I'resbyteries of Cam- bridge till tlie 17tli of June, 1856, when thej' united, and the schism of eighteen j-ears was terminated. The Presbytery of Cambridge (Original). Kesuming tlie history of the old Presbytery, the first i)iciril. lie resigned May 24, 1854, and was succeeded by JohnB. Dunn, who was called in April, 1857, and was ordained and installed on the 12th of the following ISTovember. At the request of certain persons in Warren county, I'resl)}-- tery sent Mr. Ballantine, in the autumn of 1849, to explore the region around the head of Lake (ireorge. Others followed him, and in September, 1850, Mr. French organized a congregation in the town of (^ueensbury, of twenty-one mend)ers. Mr. John Altson, Alexander Orr and William Hiddleston were or- dained ruling elders. Tliey received sup[)ly from time to time till the 1st of July, 1857, when the liev. Chauncy Webster was installed as pastor for half of his time, giving the other half to a missionary station in Glenn's Falls. They built a snug little rhurch at the French M(nintain, and in three years nund>ered about fifty members. In 1800 Mr. \Vcl)ster resigned, and the Queensbury congregation finally merged into a Fresbytei-ian church. The Associate S^'uod at its meeting in New York in May, 1850, elected the liev. James 1'. Miller as its missionary to Oregon. In consequence of this liis ].)astoral relation with the church in South Argyle was terminated in Marcii, 1851. This church, Afarch 14th, 1852, called Mr. James Thompson, who was ordained and installed as pastor .Jul\' 13th, following. Having received a call to the Mission Church in ^ew York city, he was transferred to it on the 29th of March, 1853. On the second Wednesday of May, 1853, South Argyle gave a call to the llev. Josepli Thompson, but upon hearing that he had ac- oepted a call in the Fresbyter}^ of Chartiers, it was Avithdrawn. 78 HISTORY OF THE Oil tlio 25tli of Muy, 1854, they called Alexander Thompson^ wlio accepted upon the condition that he would be allowed tc> iill out his Synodic appointments, but ere that was done he died. In October, 1856, Mr. James A. Dutt' received a call^ and was ordained and installed on the od of the following Feb- ruary. In 1850, the liev. John G. Smart, D. 1)., having retired from the pastorate, made his home at Coila, and remained an acti\'e and usehd mend:>cr of Presbytery during the remainder of his life. John Gardner Smart was born in Huntingdon, Penn- s\dvania, August the 3d, 1804; »was graduated at Jetterson Col- lege, and studied theology under Dr. Banks in Philadelphia^ during which time he brought out the first American edition of Cicero's Orations, with notes in English, long known as Smart's Cicero. He was licensed to preach on the 17th of August, 1826, by the Presbytery of Philadelphia, and was or- dained by the Presbytery of CanJjridge on the 5th of Novem- ber, 1829. He was installed as pastor in Johnstown, Fulton county, by tlie Presbytery of Albany, on the 21st of July, 1830. He resigned Johnstown in September, 1837, and was installed as pastor in Baltimore, Maryland, May 2d, 1838. This charge he resigned in June, 1850, and retired to Coila in Xew York. He died July 18th, 1862. Dr. Smart was very methodical in the arrangement of his sermons, and always neat and clear in style. His enunciation was distinct, his manner pleasant but not very energetic. His discourses were uniformly instructive and edifvintr. He was a very useful member of ecclesiastical courts, because of his wis- dom, knowledge, and ]>robity. He was kind, courteous and hos}iitable, although a little stiff in his manner to strangers S(> that he was often misjudged. Sherrington, in Lower Canada, was organized on the 26th of Februar}', 1852, with a membership of forty, and at the same ti)ne gave a call to A. C. Stewart. Mr. Stewart accepted the call on the 2d of March, and had subjects of trial for ordination assigned to him. These trial exercises he delivered on the 22d of September, but Presbytery declined to sustain them, and directed him to re-Avrite them for the next meetinu;. In Octo- PRESBYTEllY ()? AIIGYLE, 19 \kt lie deliveredthe.se, but rresbytery still rctused uiuminiously to inH-ept, jind ;xssio;ned a ii(?\v subject for critical exercise. On the 4tli of May, 1858, ]\ri*. Stewart appeared a<^aiu before J'res- In'tery, and when the vote for sustaining his trials in cuiaido was taken, it was decided unanimously not to sustain, and "it was agreed that he be notified that he cannot be employed in Canada East longer tlian till tlie next meeting of ISynod, and that he l)e advised in a friendly manner of the views of Pres- bytery in relation to his license being continued." On the loth of November, 1853, Gilbert Small was licensed,, and on the 22d of October, 1855, Gilbert Hamilton Robertson was also licensed to preach the gospel. On the 2d of January, 1856, the cliurch of jSTorth Argyle with its pastor, Mr, W. E. Ilenning, hitherto under the care of the Second Presbytery, applied for admission. This' was granted, and the Synod at its next meeting, May the 25th, or- dered the consolidation of these two Presbyteries ; and on the 17th of June, 1856, the First and Second Presbyteries of C^am- l)ridge met in South Argyle, and were constituted as one l*res- l)ytery. J)r. Bullions preached the opening sermon from l*salm 122:6, and led in the prayer of institution. In Januar\', 1857, the church in East Salem gave a call to Mr. J. B. Dunn which he declined. On the 7th of April, 1858. the church at West Hebron gave a call to Mr. W. M. Coleman, which he also declined. On the 14th of July, 1857, the church in Coila gave a call to the Rev. TTenry Gordon of the Reformed Presbyterian Church, to be the assistant and successor of Dr. Bullions. This he accepted and was installed on the 1st of September. In July, 1857, the Rev. Hugh Brown, stated su[tply to a con- gregation in Spencerville, a few miles north of l*rescott in Upi)er Canada, aitplied for admission to the l^resbytery, and was admitted on the 1st of September to membership. On the 12th of Xovcmber the church in Spencerville was also received under the care of Presbytery, and on the 18th of the same month Mr. Brown was installed as their pastor. Two months after this, the congregation reconsidered their movement and placed themselves under the care of the Church of Scotland in 80 HTSTOUY OF THE <'an;ula. Mr. Brown was ojijioscd to this, and on tlie \Hh of February, 1858, the I'resbytery dechired liira released from his liast()ral relation. On the 7th of April, Mr. Brown received a -eall from the congregation in East Salem, and was installed there on the 4th of May, 1858. In the spring of 1859, a congregation was organized at (irori', ji few miles north of Ilinchinhrook, in C^anada East. The Presbytery held its linal meeting in Soutli Arg3de on the 25th of October, 1859, the same day that the United I'res- b3'terian l*resl)yter3' of Argyle was organized b\' tlie union of the I'resbyteries of Washington and Caml)ridge. lAst of vVssociatc Ministers. The following is a list of the ministers reare. 1)., was born in Barnet, Vermont September 27, 1800 ; was graduated at Dartmouth College in 1820; studied theology with Dr. Banks; w^as licensed Septem- ber 23d, 1823; was ordained on the 28th of September, 1826, as assistant and successor of his father; retained charge till his death on the 11th of February, 18G7. 82 HISTORY OF THE David Goodwillio, D. J3., was born in Barnet, A^ermoiit, Ancrust 28, 1802 ; was graduated at Dartmouth College in 1820 : studied theology with Dr. Banks ; was licensed Se[)teniber 23d, 1823; was. ordained and installed, April 26th, 1826, by the Ohio Presbytery, as jiastor of Deer Creek, Poland and Lil)ert\': resigned August 30th, 1875, and still lives. Archibald Whyte, jr., was born in Argyle, August 3d, 1800:. was graduated at Union College in 1822 ; studied theology witli Dr. Baidvs; was licensed June 19th, 1820 ; Avas ordained and installed in Baltimore, Maryland, December 5th, 1827 ; in 1833 became pastor of Steele Creek and Bethany in South Carolina; in 1839 declined the authority of the Associate Synod because of its action on the subject of slavery, and died in September. 1865. James Martin, D. D., was born in All)any, May 12th, 179.), but was reared in Argyle; was graduated in 1819, at Union (yollege; studied theology with Dr. Banks; was licensed Sep- tember 2d, 1822; was ordained and installed in Albany, May 10th, 1824 ; in 1842 he was elected Professor of Theology ; died at Canonsburg, June loth, 1846. Findley W. McJ^aughton was born in Argyle ; was graduated at Union College, and studied theology with Dr. Banks ; was licensed the 19th of June, 1826 ; was ordained and installed as pastor of Mercersburg and the Cove in l*ennsylvania, on the 20th of May, 1828, by tlie Presbytery of Philadelphia ; re- signed in 1857, and is now in connection with the Presbyterian Church. William Easton, D. D., was born in Ancrum, Scotland, Octo- ber 2d, 1804; was reared in Argyle, and was fitted for college by Dr. A. Bullions ; was graduated at Union College ; studied theology with Dr. Banks; was licensed in September, 1826; was ordained and installed at Oetoraro, Pennsylvania, June 7th, 1827; resigned October, 1878; died June 12th, 1879. Horatio Thompson, D. D., was born in Jackson; was grad- uated at Union (/oUege; was recognized by Presbytery as a student of theolog}', February 2d, 1825; studied theolog}' with Dr. Banks; was licensed July 10th, 1828, by the Cambridge Presbytery; was orda'ned by the Presbytery of the Carolinas, PRESBYTERY OF AROYLE. F3 ]Sfarcli, 1834, and iiistiillcd pastor of Ebonczer, Timber Ridge and Broad Creek, Virginia; in 1.S39 lie declined the authority of the Associate Synod because of its action ui)on the subject of slavery; joined the Associate Eefornied S\-no(l of the South, and has ever since been pastor of the Associate Refornied con- gregations of Timber Ridge and Old Providence in Virginia. James AIcGeoch was born in North Hebron, July 23, 1805: was graduated at Union College; was received as a student of theology September 15, 1825, spent some time with Dr. A. Bullions; then, 1828 and '9, in Edinburgh, Scotland; finished at Princeton ; ordained and installed in the I'resbyterian Church in Bloomington, Illinois, where he died, September 13, 1833. David Gordon was born in Scotland; studied theology with Dr. Alex. Bullions; was licensed in June, 1830; was ordained and installed at East Salem, May 2d, 1832; went to Trinidad as a missionary in 1843, and died there December 30th, 1844. John S. Easton, D. T)., was born in Ancrum, near Jedburgh, in Scotland, August 7, 1806; was reared in Argyle; was edu- cated at Union College and Canonsburg Theological Seminary; was licensed June 24, 1834, by the J'hiladelphia Presbytery ; was ordained, May 5th, 1830, and installed pastor of Stone Valley, Jjewistown and Kishacoquillas congregations, Pennsyl- vania; after holding two or three otlier pastorates he died on the 25th of July, 1879. Edward Small was born in Cambridge; was educated at Union Collcij^e and Canonsburg Theological Seminary; was licensed June 13th, 1837, by the Chartiers Presbytery; was or- dained October 8th, 1839, by the Shenango Presbytery, and is now without a charge at ]\[ercer, PennsN'lvania. George M. llall was born in Hebron, December 20th, 1807; was educated at Union College and Canonsburg Theological Seminary; was licensed July 8th, 1835, by the Chartiers Pres- bytery; was ordained September 16th, 1836, by the Miami l*resbytery, and installed pastor of Madison and Big Creek, Indiana; after holding several other pastoral charges, died with- out charge at Cambridge, December 27th, 1874. Samuel Mc Arthur was born in Cambridge; was educated at Union College and Canonsburg Theological Seminary; was 84 HISTORY OF THE licensed June loth, 1837, by the Cliartiers I'resbytery; was or dained, November 1st, 1838, by the Muskingum Presbytery ; and is now at New Concord, Ohio, without charge. John W. llarsha was born in Argyle; was educated at Union College and Canonsburg Theological Seminary; was licensed in 1838; accepted a call to West Beaver, &c., July 1st, 1839; was ordained and installed by the Ohio Presbytery, April 28tli, 1840; and is now without charge at South Argyle. James Law was born in Salem in 1810; was educated at Union College and Canonsburg Theological Seminar}-; was licensed July 17th, 1838; was ordained by the Richland l*res- bytery, May 13th, 1840; accepted a call, June 15, 1846, to Big Spring and Pistol Creek, Tennessee, and died without charge in Philadelphia, July 26th, 1872. Thomas Gilkerson was born in Vermont ; was educated at Jetterson College and Canonsburg Theological Seminar}- ; was licensed by the Chartiers Presbytery, July 1st, 1839 ; was or- dained and installed by the Allegheny Presbytery in October, 1840, as pastor of tlie congregations of Conemaugh and War- ren; died Felu'uary 10th, 1859. Archibald Reid was born in Argyle, November 12, 1809 ; was educated at Union College and Canonsburg Theological Seminary ; was licensed July 17th, 1840 ; was ordained and installed in Cambridge, January 20th, 1842, and died February 27, 1847. Isaac Law was born in Salem, September 3d, 1815 ; was educated at Union C-ollege and Canonsburg Theological Semi- nary ; was licensed June 26th, 1840 ; was ordained January 27th, 1842, sine titulo; served several years as stated supply in Canada East; was installed, October 7th, 1847, as pastor, in Pmtnam, where he died January 28th, 1861. Daniel McL. (^uackenbush was born in Washington county ; was educated at Cokimbia College and New Brunswick Theo- logical Seminary ; was licensed by the Second Presbytery of Cambridge, in 1839, and ordained and installed in December, 1841, as pastor of the Second Hebron congregation; resigned November 15th, 1848 ; joined the Dutch Church, and is now pastor of a church in New York city. PRESBYTERY OF ARGVI.E, 85 David G. Bullions was born in Cambridge ; vva'^ educated at Union College and Canonsburg Theological Seminary ; was licensed in 1841 ; was ordained and installed in September, 1842, as the assistant of his father; resigned in 1857, and be- came pastor of the Presbyterian Church of West Milton, where he died, October 1st, 1864. James R. Doig, D. i)., was born in Salem ; was graduated at Union College; studied theology at Cixnonsburg ; was licensed in 1841 ; was ordained by Richland Rresbj^tery, Septendjer 10, 1842, and is now located at Vinton, Iowa. IVfoses Arnott was born in C^ambridge, June 18th, 1820 ; was educated at Jefierson College and Canonsburg Theological Seminary ; was licensed in June 1845 ; was ordained June loth, 184G, by Ciimbridge Presbytery, in view of his settlement in Indiana, which soon took place; died in South Hanover, Indi- ana, July 11th, 1874. James McArthur was born in Cambridge ; was educated at Franklin College and Canonsburg Theological Seminary ; was licensed in 1845 ; was ordained and installed at Barnet, Ver- mont, September 11th, 1846; held several other charges, and is now at Monmouth, Illinois, infirm. A\^illiam W. Harsha, was born in Plebron ; was graduated at Union College ; studied theology with Dr. Alex. Bullions ; was licensed in the autumn of 1845, by the Second Presbytery of Cambridge ; was ordained in 1846, and installed as pastor of a church in Galena, Illinois, subsequently went into the Presbyterian Church, wliere he has had several charges, and is now in Jacksonville, Illinois. Andrew Shiland, D. D., was l)orn in Cambridge; Avas gradu- ated at Union College ; studied theology at Princeton Semi- nary ; was licensed by the Second Presbytery of Cambridge in the autumn of 1846 ; was ordained and installed November 25th, 1847, by the Presbytery of 'New York, over a small church in Philadelphia ; in 1849 became pastor of the Second Hebron Church; in 1852 he passed to the Presbyterian Church, and is now pastor of a church in Long Island. Robert Burgess was born in AVashington county ; studied thcoloocy under the care of tlie Second Presbytery of Cam- 86 HISTORY OF THE bridge, aiul was by it licensed in the si)ring of 1848, and in the sunnner of 1850, passed, without asking for a certificate, to another denomination. James N. Shankland was born in Argyle ; w^as educated at Union College and Canonsburg Theological Seminary; was licensed July 17th, 1840 ; was ordained by the Chicago Pres- bytery, April 11th, 1860 ; is now^ in Iowa. John C. Telford was born in Jackson ; was educated at Jef- ferson College and Canonsburg Theological Seminary ; was licensed by the Chartiers Presbytery, June 20th, 1848; was ordained January 1st, 1850, by the Clarion Presbytery, and in- stalled pastor of the congregation of Mahoning ; and is now at West Lebanon, Pennsylvania. J. C. Murch was born in Vermont, March 20th, 1820 ; was graduated at Granville College, Ohio; studied theology at Canonsburg ; Avas licensed by the Chartiers Presbytery, Octo- ber 29th, 1850 ; was ordained by the Southern Indiana Pres- bytery, November 7th, 1851, sine titalo ; w^as pastor of AVest Alexandria and Wheeling, 1853-9; of New Concord, Ohio, 1860-76; was installed at Scotch Ridge, Ohio, Januarv loth, 1879 ; died May 27th, 1879. Andrew M. Beveridge was born in Argyle ; was educated and ordained under Presbyterian care, and is now pastor of the I'resbyterian Church in Lansingburg, N. Y. Gilbert Small was born in Argyle ; was educated at Union College and Canonsburg Theological Seminary ; was licensed November 15th, 1853 ; was ordained by the Miami Presbytery, November 1st, 1856, and is now in the Presbyterian Church. Gilbert Hamilton Robertson, 1). D., w\ns born in Argyle; was educated at Union College and Canonsburg Seminary ; was licensed October 22d, 1855, by Cambridge Presliytery ; was ordained and installed July 13th, 1858, by the Washington Presbytery, in Hebron ; joined the Presbyterian Church in 1860; had charges in Illinois and Kentucky ; is i^ow supplying the Protestant Methodist Church, in Sandwich, Illinois. AVilliam S. Smart, D. D.,(son of Dr. J. G.,) was licensed and or- dained in the (congregational Church, and is now pastor of the First Congregational Society in Albany. TRE.^nYTERY OF ARGYLE. 87 Juiues r. McArtlRii- was l)oni in Jackson, Wusliiiig'on voimty, New York, October 22a, 1827 ; was crraduated at Union College, and studied theology at Canonsburg and Xenia; was licensed by Miami Presbytery in 1857, and died Aprill5,1850, )t' typhoid fever. John Gardner Smart (son of Dr. d. G.,) was born in Ikilti- more, Maryland, in 1840; was graduated at Amherst C-ollege; studied theology at Princeton; was licensed by the Presbytery of Xew Brunswick, in 1871; and Avas ordained and installed by the Dutch Classis of Saratoga, April, 1872, as pastor of the Dutch Ghurch of (Jreenwich, K Y. 88 HISTORY OF THE on AFTER IV. United Presbyteruiii, 1851)-1880. jlIE Ihiitod rresbyteriau Synod of J^^ew York at its first meeting in York, Livingston county, on tlie 15th of October, 1858, ordered tlie erection of the rresl)ytery of Argyle, to be composed of the United Tresbyterian ministers and congregations within "tliose i)ortions of the State of l^ew York and of the Province of Canada East, lying within the present boundaries of the Presbyteries of Cambridge and Washington." In accordance with this act a meeting was held in the South Argyle Church, on the 25th of October, 1859, when the Rev. George Mairs preached from 11. Samuel, 23 : 5, and constituted the United Presbyterian Presbytery of Argyle with prayer. The following roll of ministers was made out: Peter Campbell, George Mairs, John G. Smart, Chauncy Webster, James Law, John W. Ilarsha, Isaac Law, Hugh Brown, James B. Scouller, Henry Gordon, James Forsythe, William Haw- thorne, AYilliam E. Ilenning, William B. Shortt, James A. Dutf, G. Hamilton Robertson, John B. Dunn, John Crawford and John Harper. All of whom were i.rcsent except Camp- bell, Ilarsha, Hawthorne, Forsythe and Crawford. Also ruling elders, George McGeoch, Alexander P. Robinson, Daniel Mv- Farland, Robert McGeoch, William McjS'eill, William Barkley and Samuel Dobbin. The congregations under the care of the Predjytery were Salem, Cambridg^e, Coila, South Argyle, Heb- ron, Argyle, AYest Hebron, Putnam, East Salem, North Argvle, East Greenwich, Queensbury, Ilenmiingsford, Ilinchenbrciok^ Gore, Covey Hill and Lisbon. The Rev. W. E. Ilennincr was elected moderator, and the Rev. G. IL Rol)ertson, stated clerk. On the 1st of May, 1860, Mr. Hawthorne resigned the pasto- rate of Hemmingsford and Hinchenbrook in (^anada East, be- cause of their inability to supjiort him. He remained, however. Avith them, and in the summer of 1862 Hemmincrsford and Covev PRESBYTERY OV AllGYLE. S9 Hill gave him a cull, whicli he aeco[)te(l eonditioiially, but was never installed. On the 3(1 of Sei»teniber, 18G1, llinchenbrook (afterwards called Rockbnrn) and Gore, gave a call to the Rev. C. \V^c'l)ster, which he accepted and was installed soon afterwards. In the autunni of 1862 the Synod of New York erected a new Presbytery lobe called the Presbytery of St. Jjawrence, to em- brace John Harper and his charge in Lisbon, and the Canada congregations with their pastors, Hawthorne and Webster. These congregations have never since been connected with Ar- gyle Presbytery. It may not be out of place to state, that in 1870, Mr. Hawthorne gdve up his charge and retired to his farm across the border in the State of New ^"ork. In the same year, Mr. AV'ebster resigned and retired from the active duties of the ministry, and resided at Webster's Mills, in Fulton ,/ county, Pennsylvania, till his death in April, 1880. This broke up the Presbytery of St, Lawrence, and Mr. Harper and his (?harge were transferred to the Presbytery of Albany. The con- gregations in Canada East united with the Associate Presby- teries of Canada, because of their distance and isolation from our Church, and the Canada Churches around them had grown strong enough to help them. Ou the 26tli of June, 1860, William R. McKee accepted a call to West Hebron, and was ordained and installed on the 4th of the following September, and remained till the 3d of September, 1867. On the 1st of January, 1861, Isaac N. White, acce}ited a call to Hebron, and was ordained and installed on the 17th of the following May, and remained till the lOtli of November, 1863. Mr. Dunn resigned the pastorate of East Greenwich on the 24th of September, 1861, and died during the succeeding winter. On the 24th of September, 1861, Thomas H. Hanna declined a call from South Argyle. On the 25th of February, 1862, a call was sustained from Putnam to j\lr. Thomas Lawrence, which he accepted and was there ordained and installed on the 8th of the next September, and resigned on the 18th of June, 1867. On May the 6th, 1862, a call was sustained from South Argyle to the Rev. W. Bruce, of Palti- moi'e, which was declined. Mr. Seouller resigned the charge of so HISTORY OF THE the Argyle congregation, the dissolution to take phice, April 1, 1862. On May 1st, 1860, Joseph Thyne, student of theology, was transferred to the Presbytery of Miami. William James Reid was licensed to preach the gospel, April 2d, 1861. On the 17th of May, William N. Randies, George M. Wiley, David M. Mc- Clellan, Morrison S. Telford and George M. Robinson were re- ceived as students of theology ; as were also Andrew F. Ashton on May Gth, and John R. Fisher on July 9th, 1862. Mr. Tel- ford was transferred, September 7, 1862, to the Presbytery of Oonemaugh, and Mr. Ashton on the 5th of May, 1863, to the Presbytery of Xenia. William :N". Randies, James H. Robin- son and George M. Wiley, were licensed on the 6th of May, 1862. D. M. McClellan was licensed, April 12th, 1864, and J. R. Fisher, on the 2d of May, 1865. On the 9th of July, 1862, two calls were sustained for David M. lire, one w\as from Argyle and the other was from East Greenwich. He accepted the former,and was ordained and in- stalled on the 8th of the subsequent October. An incident took place at this ordination which deserves notice because of a principle which lay back of it. The member that presided laid his hand upon the head of Mr. lire at the beginning of his prayer, and the other ministers stood around waiting to lay their hands on, when it would be mentioned in the prayer, that they now ordained the kneeling brother by the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery. But such a passage did not occur and the i)rayer ended w^ithout any hand except that of the leader upon the head of Mr. lire. On the next morning the followino: paper was received, signed by all the elders of the congregation. " To the Presbytery of Argyle, to meet in Argyle on the 8th day of October, 1862. The session of Argyle would respect- fully sul)mit the following inquiry : "That whereas the Word of God explicitly requires that the ordination of ministers shall bo by the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery. " And whereas in the ordination of Mr. Ure that important part was omitted. Does that omission in any way invalidate his ordination ?" I'llKSBVTEKY OF AUOYLE, 91 After considerable discussion the Tresbytery concludoil that it would be safest to act regularly, and "to proceed to the ordi- nation of Mr. Ure by the laying on of the hands of the Presby- tery." After the delivery of the missionary sermon that even- ino!;, the Synod being in session, Mr, Ure was ordained by the laying on of the hands of the l*resbytery, and installed pastor of the Argyle congregation. In the midst of the Rebellion, and when the prospects of our (•i)untry were most gloomy and discouraging, the I'resbytery at its meeting on the 5tli of May, 1863, made the state of the country a matter of special consideration, and after careful and prayerful deliberation, passed the following resolutions : 1st. That we do hereby assert our devote! , unfaltering and loyal attachment to the government in its present struggles for maintaining the "ordinance of God" in its supremac}'. 2d. That as a Presbytery we do hereby otter our services, if required, as ministers of the gospel to aid in administering spiritual consolation and encouragement to our soldiers, and especially to the sick, the wounded and the dying. 3d. That we shall ever pray for the complete and final suc- ■cess of the government, and shall endeavor to aid and support it by all legitimate means within our power. At another meeting on the loth of October, it was resohcil t() send four of its ministers to labor six weeks each in the iirmy under the direction of the Christian Commission. Messrs. McKee, Lawrence, Ure, and Forsythe were selected for this service. A call was sustained. May 5th, 1803, from East Greenwich to Mr. T. J. AVilson, which he declined. Another call from East Greenwich to James M. Orr was sustained on the lOth <)f Xovember. This was accepted and Mr. Orr was ordained and installed on the 10th of March, 1864. This pastorate was terminated on the 18th of April, 1805, b}- the death of Mr. (Jrr. On tlie 19th of July, 18G3, a cidl was sustained from South Argyle to the Rev. Jajiies 11. Andrew, which was accepted, although he was nof installed until the 7th of the next dune. Mr. Andrew resigned on the 13th of .lanuary, 1874. 92 HISTORY OF TIIK Oil tlic lOtli of March, 1864, a call Avas sustained IVom Hebron to Mr. A, H. Anderson, which was declined. They ccave another call on the 14th of November, 1865, to Mr. W. M. Richie, which was also declined. On the 1st of May, 1866, Mr. John H. Fisher accepted a call to Hebron, and was ordained and installed on the 14th of the following June. On the 17th of June, 1874, Mr. Fisher resigned and passed to the Presb}-- terian Church. On the 2d of Januarj-, 1866, East Greenwich gave a call to Mr. W. M. Richie, which he declined. On the 8th of October, 1867, they called Mr, A. G. King, who also declined. On the r)th of May, 1868, they called Mr. "W. R. Gladstone, who ac- cepted, and was ordained and installed on 8th of Se})teinber. Because of declining health he resigned on the 2d of January, 1877, and died on the 13th of February. On the 7th of May, 1867, ]SIr. Brown resigned the charge of East Salem, and on the 22d of June, 1869, Mr. J. B. Clapper- ton was ordained and installed as his successor. lie resigned on the 8tli of February, 1876, and was succeeded by R. J. Cun- ningham, Avho was ordained and installed on the 23d of August, 1876, and is still pastor. The Rev. G. M. Wiley was installed as pastor of the West Hebron congregation on the 7th of April, 1868, and Samuel Bigger was ordained and in- stalled as pastor in l*utnani, on the 29th of September, and both so remain. The death of Dr. T. Goodwillie in 1867, reduced the Vermont Presbytery so that it could not meet for business, so in obedience to the direction of the Synod of New York, the Presbytery of Argyle, on the 28th of May, 1868, assumed the care of the congregations of that Presbytery for three years. This super- vision was again assumed in 1877, and continued till the 28d of October, 1878, when the Vermont Presbytery was re-organized. During this period the Rev. John Service was installed in Bar- net in the autumn of 1868, and disjoined on tlie 8th of March, 1877. The Rev. W. Bruce a(?cepted a call to Ryegate, and was installed, October 1st, 1868, and resigned August 10th, 1870. The Rev. J. B. Claiiperton was installed in Ryegate on the 9tli I'UKSUYTEKV OF AKCVLE. i^3 of Juno, 18TG, as pastor, and Mr. A. S. Stewart was ordaincnl and installed in Greensboro', on the 2od of October, 1878. Mr. Forsythe resigned the cliarge of the Salem eongre<2;ation on the 14tli of Ma}-, 1870, and ])assed to the Dutch Church. The congregation gave an unsuccessful call to Joseph R. Wal- lace, on the 7tli of February, 1871, and a successful one to the Jlev. W. A. Mackenzie, who was installed on tlie 14th of Xo- veniber, 1871. Mr. Ure resigned the charge of the Argyle congregation, February 1st, 1872, and was succededby Mr. W. P. Kane, who was ordained and installed, J^oveniber 20th, 1873. Mr. Thomas Wylie was ordained and installed in the pastorate of Hebron on the 26th of January, 1875, but his health failing him, he re- signed on the 18th of September of the following year, and died on the 3d of April, 1877. On the 26th of January, 1875, a call was sustained from South Argyle t(^ ]\[r. A. W. Morris, which he acce})ted, and was ordained and installed on the 7th of the following September. The Rev. G. T. Galbraith was installed as pastor in East Greenwich, on the 27th of Juno, 1877. The nel)ron congregation gave an unsuccessful call to the Rev. M. S. McCord on the 1st of Ma}', 1877, and a successful one on the 4th of April, 1878, to the Rev. John Hood, who was in- stalled on the 7th of the following May. May 1st, 1866, George M. Robinson, student of theology, was dismissed to the Pres- byterian Church. R. H. Hume was received as a student of theology, September 1st, 1874, and was licensed to preach on the 4th of May, 1875. Mr. Willard McEachron was received as a student of theology, September 2d, 1879. The Rev. Peter Campbell, for some time the senior minister in I'resbytery, was born in Cromie, Perthshire, Scotland, in Xo- veraber, 1784; was graduated at the University of Glasgow in 1814; studied theology in Edinburgh, and was licensed August 3d, 1819, by the Associate Presbytery of Glasgow. In 1820, he cmigi'ated to the United States, and was ordained at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 28tli of Se[»tember of same year l)y the Presbytery of Philadelphia ; labored as a missionary for nearly three years in Virginia and North and South Carolina; and was installed a-^ pastor, February 20, 1823, in Florida, Mont- '.34 HISTORY OF TIJK goiucry county, Xew York. In 1844, ho resigned, and spent twelve years in missionary work and supplying the vacant clnu-ches in Vermont and Canada East, after whicli he retired from the active duties of the ministry, and settled in Cambrido-e, wljere he died on the 19tli of October, 1866. He was married to Margaret Law, daughter of John Law of Salem. He was more instructive than attractive as a preacher, and in private life his christian character, rounded by experience and mellowed by Divine Grace, made him a l)lessing to his friends. On the 7th of February, 1S71, the Rev. M. B. Williams joined the Presbytery from the Second Presbytery of^ew York, and is now its senior member. lie was the son of the Rev. Ger- shom Williams, first pastor of the Presbyterian congregation of Cambridge, and was born in Cambridge, July 16, 1797 ; was graduated at Princeton College in 1814; studied theology with Drs. Alexander McLeod and Samuel B. Wylie; was licensed by the Northern Presbytery of the Reformed Presbyterian Chnrcli in May, 1818, and was ordained and installed as pastor, by the same Presbytery, in Kortright, Delaware county, Xew York, in April, 1820, where he long ministered, and has returned to spend the evening of his days in the place of his birth. Each congregation in the Presbytery is in possession of a good church edifice, and of a comfortable parsonage. They all have efficient pastors, and maintain prayer meetings and Sabbath schools, and contribute their quota in sustaining the. ojierations of the Church. The three congregations inArfiryle. in addition to their contributions to the Boards, support a. female missionary in the foreign field. "Unto Ilim that loved ns, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us Kings and Priests unto God and Ilis Father; to Ilim be glory and doniinion forever and ever. Amen." United Presbyterian Ministers. The following is a list of minsters reared witliin the Pres. bytery, or educated under its supervision : William James Reid, D. D., was born in South Argyle ; was educated at Union College and Allegheny Theological PRESBYTKRY (iF AR lYLE. [)o .SeminaiT ; w;is licensed by the Ari>-vle Presbytery, April 2, b^(:)l, and was ordained and installed pastor of First United Presbyterian eongreiijation, in IMttsbiirgli, l*ennsylvania, Aprili 7tli, 1862, by tlie Monongabela J*resbytery, and is still ini (•barge. AVilliam IST. Handles was born at West Hebron, March 14tli,. 1837 ; was educated at Union College and Xenia Theological Seminary ; was licensed by the Argyle Presbytery, Mny Gth^ 1862 ; was ordained and installed as pastor of West Charlton,. May 4, 1864, by the United i'resbyterian Presbytery- of Albany ; resigned in 1872, passed into the Dutch Church, and in 1873, became pastor of Glenville, Schenectady county, Xew York. James IT, Robinson was born in Argyle ; was educated at l^nion College and Allegheny Theological Seminary ; was licensed by the Argyle Presbytery, May 6, 1862; }»assed to the- l^resbyterian Church, and was ordained and installed pastor of the Presl'»yterian congregation at Delhi, Delaware county- ,. New York. (ieorge M. AViley was born in Putnam; was educated at Union Collese and Princeton Theological Seminary ; was- licensed May 6, 1862, by the Argyle Presbytery ; was ordained and installed at Ryegate, Yermont, October 10, 1863; and was- installed at West Hebron, April 7, 1868. Morrison S. Telford was born in Jackson ; was educated at Westminster College and Xenia Theological Seminar}' ; was^ licensed by the Conemaugh Presbytery, in April, 1863 ; was ordained and installed by the same Presbytery, June 16, 1864,. as pastor of Jacksonville and Crete; and is now at Stanton,. Peimsylvania. ])avid M. McClehan was born in Hebron; was educated at Jefferson College an.d Xenia Theological Seminary ;. was- licensed April 12, 1864, b^' the Argyle Presbytery; and wa^^ ordained and installed by the Conemaugh I*resbytery„Sei)tem- ber 10, 1867, at Centre ; and is now pastor in Kansas City. (nleorge M. Rol)inson was born in Argyle ; was graduated at Union College ; studied tbeology one year in the Allegheny Seminary; then entered the army, and after the Rebellion,, transferred bis connection to the Presbyterian Church, and m HISTORY OF THE Hiiislied his studies at J'rinccton ; received licensure and ordi- nation in the Presbyterian Church ; was pastor in Lancaster and Duncannon, rennsjlvania, and is now chaplain in the United States army. Andrew F. Ashton was born in White Creek ; was educated at Westminster College and Xenia Seminary ; was licensed March 29th, 18G4, by the Xenia L'resbytery ; was ordained October 18, 1866, by the Presbytery of Michigan ; was first .settled at Cabin Hill, X. Y., and is now pastor of Mount I'lea- riant, Ohio. John P. Fisher was born in Cand)ridge ; was educated at Williams College and Princeton Seminary ; was licensed May 2, 1865, by the Argyle Pj-esbytery ; was ordained and installed in Hebron, June 14, 1866 ; resigned June 17, 1874; joined the Presbyterian Church, and is pastor in Jersey Cit}'. 11. II. Hume w\as born in Otsego county, X. Y. ; was educated at Union College and Xewburgh Seminary; was licensed Ma>' 4, 1875, by Argyle Presbytery, and was ordained and installed September 13, 1876, as pastor in Sterling Valley, l)y the Cale- S!)on as the Secession C'hurch became a iixed fact in Scotland, the evangel- ical i)ortion of some of these churches seceded, and sent to Scotland for ministers. A Mr. Jackson was pastor of the I'resbyterian congregation, in Ballibay, in the county of ^fon- aghan, and as his views were decidedly unevangelioal, a large part of his people left him and sent to the Burgher l*resbytery of Glasgow. Thomas Clark was licensed in April, 1748, and innnediately sent to preach in Ballibay, and wherever else he could do good, lie met with great opposition and with great >»uccess, and on the 23d of duly, 1751, the Presbytery of Glas- gow organized a Burgher Church, and ordained and installed Mr. Clark as its pastor. Here he labored amid many trials and persecutions till 17(!4, when he resolved to A-jsit America, to which several of his families had already gone. I'resijytery granted him leave of absence for a j'ear, without disturbing his pastoral relation. A large i>ortit)n, possibly a majority of his congregation, concluded to go with him, so on the 10th of 98 HISTORY OF THE Ma^-, 1764, they sailed from Ne\viy,and lauded in Xew York, oil the 28th of July. Here they divided, aud a small portiou of theui went to Abbeville county, South Carolina, where some friends had previously gone. The principal part of the con- gregation went up the Hudson river to examine a tract of forty thousand acres of land around the head of Lake George, which had been offered them. The land did not meet their ex- pectations, so they declined it and wintered at Stillwater. During the next year, Dr. Clark, who was emphatically the Moses of this exodus, purcliased a tract of land in New Perth or Salem, as already related, and in 1766 and '7, succeeded in getting all the colony comfortably located. During all this transition period their ecclesiastical organization was not dis- turbed in the slightest degree. Preaching on the Sabbath, and the administration of Baptism and the Lord's Supper were regu- larly observed, wliethor on the land or on the sea. The iirst death in this country was that of James llarshaw, one of their ruling elders, and it occurred while they sojourned at Still- water. The congregation as thus planted in Salem, consisted of Rev. Thomas Clark, M. D., pastor; George Oswald, David Tomb, "William Thompson, "William Moncrieff, William Wilson, Richard lloy, John Foster and David Hanna, ruling elders and about one hundred and fifty communicants. In 1766 they buil.'- of logs a storehouse to be used afterward as a jjarsonage, a schoid house, and a church Ibrty feet lo)ig. This was the first meet ing house built north of Albany in Isew York, by an}- denomi- nation of Christians. It was rude and comfortless with a bark roof and no floor, so in 1770, they replaced it by a more com- modious frame one, which stillcxists, although turned to a diff- erent use. This house soon became too small, and in 1797, one still larger and more convenient was erected at an expense of $4,000. This building has been enlarged and refitted two or three times and still serves the congregation. After nearly a score of years a difficulty sprung up between Dr. Clark and some of his families. As previously stated there Avas after the first five years an annual rent of one shilling per acre to be paid to the original proprietors. For this they held PRESBYTERY OF .AR(iiYLK. 99 Dr. Clark [lersonally res{)Oiisil)le, and rcMjuired pr()iii|)t payineuts. This made it necessary for liim to exact punctual payments from the possessors of the land, and as some of them were slow and careless they hecame wearied of his importunity, and turned against him. To be tax gatherer under such circumstances became distasteful and disagreeable to the Doctor, and in the spring of 17S2 he resigned his pastoral cliarge. The congrega- tion with hut two dissenting votes refused to accept his resig- nation, lie insisted and went south on a visit of a year to the jiortion of his Irish charge which Located there. lie returned and missionated, with Albanj- for his headquarters, till 17S6, wlien he returned to South Carolina and became piastor of Ce- dar Spring and Long Cane, and died suddenly on the 25th of December, 1792, and was buried in the Cedar Spring grave yard. Thomas Clark, M. D., was born in Scotland about 1722 or '3,aDd was educated at tlie University of Glasgow, where he also took the degree of doctor of medicine ; studied theology in the Asso- ciate Hall ; finishing after the schism of 1747, with Ebenezer Erskine. lie was a man of blunt manners and of great cccen. tricities of character, of whom many anecdotes have been pre- served. But he was wholly devoted to the cause of Christ, and in active labors he was exceedingly abundant. Wherever lie went and in whatever he^was engaged, he preached Christ, and the Lord greatly blessed his labors. In the sunmier of 1783, this church gave a call to the Rev. James Proudfit, of Pequea, Pennsylvania, who accepted and took charge of the congregation in October, although his instal- lation did not take place for years, jtossiblv he was never in- stalled. The following extracts froin the minutes of the I'res- bytery of Xew York tell all that is now known upon this point. May 22, 1788, "Salem ]>etitions for a meeting of Presbj^tery there to install Mr. Proudfit." September 29, 1788, a letter Avas received from Salem "craving the installment of Mr. Proud- fit.'' Octolier 13, 1789, a jietition from Salem "praying for the admission of the Rev. James Proudfit to the pastoral relation of said congregation, and the appropriation of his stated ministry to it." May 3, 1791, "Mr. W. Thompson insisted on the re- 100 HISTORY OF THE iiewul of the uii[)Oiiitineiit of the Rev. James Proudfit's install- lueiit ot the "First rresb^'terian C'hiirch ot" Salem." May 7, 1791, "the instalhnent of Mr. Proudlit at Salem was postponed till next meeting, with notilieation to Salem people that if the arrears of his salary are not then paid there shall be no install- ment." The meeting house of the New England congregation was Ijurnt by the Tories in 1777, and not rebuilt for some ten years- During all this time the congregation worshipped statedly with Dr. Clark and Mr. Proudiit. In 1795, Alexander Proudfit was settled as the colleague and successor of his fatlier. In 1797, the elder Proudfit was stricken witli [)aralysis while preaching, and was never afterward able to conduct a wliole service in the clnirch. James Proudlit was born near Perth, in Scotland, in the year 1732; was licensed by the Associate Presbytery of Perth in 1753, and was ordained in July, 175-4, to take Mr. Arnot's place in the American mission, where he arrived in the following Sep- tember. In 1758 he was installed in l*equea, Lancaster county, TVnnsylvania, and transferred to Salem, N'ew York, in 1783, and there died on the 22d of October, 1802. lie was over six feet in height and well ]>roportioned and very grave and solemn in manner. "Ilis preaching w^as not what would commonly be called popular, but it was sensible, well considered and highly- instructive." His voice was distinct, but rather feel)le and his gestures were neither many nor forcible, lie was called by his ministerial l)rethren "their walking concordance," because his iamiliarity with the Scriptures was so great that he could quote almost any passage and give the chapter and verse. "As a i)as- tor he was a model of prudence, fidelity and affection." In labors he was very abundant. Dr. Alexander Proudfit was pastor for forty years, from the 13th of May, 1795, to the 8th of October, 1835."^ During this period the congregation fluctuated greatly in numbers, for it was several times considerably reduced by emigration west- ward, and then suddenly increased by revivals. In 179(), and in 1802, and in 1813 it experienced very umisual out-pourings of the Holy Spirit, but its most wonderful visitation was in PRESBYTERY OF ARGYI.E. 101 1824, when one liuudred and twenty-live were added to its membership. During Dr. Proudfit's entire pastonito the reli- gions life and activity of the congregation were nniformly good. It is ])ut just to say that the activit}', the wisdom and the fi- delity of an extraordinary session had mnch to do with all this. The congregation parted with the Doctor with great reluc- tance, but as he grew okler he became more and more absorbed in the religions activities of the day, and felt that in his de- clining 3'ears he could be more nseful there than in the pastor- ate. In 1800, he formed in his own chnrch '' The female so- ciety in Salem for promoting religious knowledge."' He wrote many of the tracts, had them published in the village, and dis- tributed wherever they promised to do good. This was most jirobably the first tract society in tlie United States. The American Bible Society, the American Tract Society, the American Board of Foreign Missions, the Education Societj-, the Colonization Society, and every other organized beneficence found in him an earnest and constant friend. He gave special attention to tlie young, and songht to benefit them in every way. When he left Salem he became Secretary of the Coloni- zation Society, and served it with great industry till 1842, when the infirmities of age compelled him to retire, lie died on the 17th of April, 1843^ Dr. Proudfit was of medium height, and rather slender in person, of grave and thoughtful countertance. His voice was clear but not very loud, his delivery was tender and earnest, but not s}>ecially animated. Dr. Gosman, a jtupil and life-long friend, says that " his discourses combined the doctrinal and jiractical in very happy proportions; and although they were elevated in tlieir tone and spirit, they were so plain and simple that j)ersons of liumble capacities and little culture could easily understand them." lie was unquestionably a man of fine mind and of large attainments, but he never made a special show of them ; his marked characteristics were consistent piety and benevolent activity. The liev. James Lillie, D. I)., late of Scotland, then pastor of the Associate Reformed congregation of Franklin street, Xew York, was installed as Dr. Poudfit's successor on the 12th 102 HISTORY OF THE of February, 1886. He reiuaiifed howe\-er only till the 26tli ot" June, 18o7, when he re.siu;ne(l and took charge of tlie Dutch church in Rhinebeck. Dr. Lillie was •' a man of noble presence, a. grand, though an unef[ual preacher, and a scholar of ripe and varied culture, theological, literary, and scientific." He was too restless tf) be successful. He was l>orn in Kelso, Scot- land ; was educated at Edinburgh University; studied theoloiry with Drs. Law^son and Dick; was ordained in 1829, over a churcli in Montrose ; was pastor of Franklin street for six months. He remained in Rhinebeck only two or three years ; then less than two years in Clove, Ulster countj' ; was about the same length of time pastor of the Second I'resb^'terian Church in Carlisle, Pennsylvania; a little while pastor of a Presbyterian church in Xew Jersey. He next became a Ba})- tist, and was a professor in a college in Wisconsin, and then in a theological seminary in Toronto, lie went to London, studied medicine and commenced to practice: made a visit to the United States, and died in 1875, in Kansas. On the 5th of February, 1838, a call was given to the Rev. ]Malcolm [^T. McLaren of Hamptonburg, which he declined Another call was given to the Rev. Ebenezer Halley, just ar- rived from Scotland. This he accepted and w^as installed on the 3d of Septemljer, 1838. He remained till :\lay 30th, 1848, when he resigned and took charge of the Second Street Presbyterian Church in Troy, where he remained seven years, and then be- came pastor of the Third Presbyterian Church in Albany, wdiich he served for twenty years, and w^as then retired on a i)ension. He was born in Scotland in 1801; was graduated at the Edin- burgh University; studied theology with Dr. Dick; was licensed April 5th, 1825; was three years pastor in tlie city of St. An- drews, and ten years in the city of Leith. Dr. Halley is a uian of rather short but heavy build, is an earnest, fluent, enthusi- astic and attractive preacher. The congregation Avas reason- ably prosperous during his pastorate. On the 19th of December, 1848, the congregation gave a call to the Rev. Thomas G. Carver, just from England, which he declined. On the 5th of July, 1849, a call was given to the Rev. J. D, Robinson, who came from England with Mr. Carver, PKTvSBYTEllY OF AIUJYLE. 103 ami it was also declined. On tlic 25tli of Fcljruary, 1850, a call was given to the Rev. Thomas T. Farrinii:ton of GcMieva, which he accepted, and was installed on tln' 1 Itli of the following Jnne. He remained till the 4th of Augnst, 1S57, when he resigned to hecome jjastor of the church in Oxbow. Mi\ Farrington was horn in 1821, in Newburgh, Xew York; was graduated at Union College ; spent two years before the mist in a whaling voyage in the i'acitic ocaan, on account of liis health ; studie I theology in the Seminar}' in Xewburgh; was licensed by the Xew York Tresbytery on the ->d Tuesday of May, 1845 ; was ordained pastor in Geneva, August 12tli, 184(3. lie declined going into the union of 1858, remained in Oxbow till after the , he changed his miiul, and returned to Scotland, and settled at 106 HISTORY OF THE Taisley, where lie minifitered for man}' years. After his depar- ture the congregation looked to the Presbytery of reiinsylva- uia for supervision and supply. So by the direction of that Ti-esbytery, Dr. Clark, on the 19th of April, 1769, formally organized a congregation, and ordained and installed ruling- elders. The names of these elders are nowhere recorded, and oven tradition does not undertake to give them. The congregation was now organized, and sufficiently strong to support a pastor, and was anxious to do so, and had pressed Mr. Kinlock to remain ; bnt where were they to look for a supply of preaching? Dr. Mason in New York, Dr. Annan in Orange county, and Dr. Clark in Salem, were the only Asso- ciate ministers in the Province. The Presbytery had neither probationer nor unsettled minister under its care. Proudtit, Henderson, and Marshall, the only other ministers of the Ijody were located in Pennsylvania. An occasional sermon from Clark and Annan was all Cambridge could expect, and this was far from satisfying them. Under these circumstances tlie congregation felt free to look elsewhere for supply, and for the next twenty years a large part of the preaching was by Presby- terian ministers. There was nothing strange in this, for Pres- l)yterian ministers were numerous enough to give tliem occa- sional supplies ; and their doctrines and forms of worship were precisely the same ; and the composition of the congregation was such as to render it to a large degree undenominational. AV'hile the congregation thus provided for itself as best it could, still its ecclesiastical relation i-emained with the Asso- ciate Church. The Associate Presbytery of Xew York held a pro rc-iuda meeting in "Mr. Ilutchin's house" in Philadelphia on the 29th of October, 1782, the very day before the organization of the Associate Reformed Church, and "Resolved, that this Presby- tery meet in convention with the Associate Presbyterj-of l*enn- sylvania at Mr. William Richard's to-morrow morning at 9 A. M., for the purpose of considering the dut}- incumbent upon us in present circumstances." At this meeting "a petition was received from sundry inhabitants of C^amltridge to be i-ommn- nicated l)y the Presbytery to the convention as the case may PRESBYTERY OF AR(JYLE. 107 re(iuire; earnestly soliciting to send a minister to labor in the work of the ministry among them, with a view to their giving him a regnlar call, shonld his qnalitications be found adapted to their circumstances." Presbytery after some consideration ''Resolved to present this i)etition to the convention, and to do whatever is in our power for fnc relief of our brethren in that i'i' were aitpointed to read the Edict at the tent where the ('ontrregation was met, and to return and re})ort, wdrudi tliey did. No ohjeetions were made. I'resbytery went constituted to tho- tent, where the Rev. Thomas G. Smith, as Mr. Proudfit who had been appointed was sick, preached from Aets X. 2i*.'' Mr. J)nnlap was then ordained and installed, and Mr. Smith preached again in the afternoon from John Til. 16. The population of Cambridge had so increased, and in tem- poral matters they had so prospered, that those of like sympa- thies in religious faith and practice, were now strong enough t() separate themselv^es from others and maintain their own church ordinances. The Associate congregation had thus or- ganized in 1785, and now those of New England origin who had hitherto been members of the old Cambridge church, with- drew and organized themselves into a Presbyterian Church, subordinate to the Presbytery of Troy. This congregation was organized on the 17th of August, 1793. Gershom Wil- liams, was ordainod and installed as their tirst pastor, June 25, 1794: ; and on 9th of November, 1794, they held their tirst communion, when their membership* numbered forty-three. These repeated depletions left tlie orignnal church with a mem- bership less than a hundred. Mr. Dunlap was regarded as a good preacher and a warm- hearted man, yet his congregation grew but little in numbers during the twenty-tive years of his pastorate. He was born in Lanarkshire, in Scotland, on the 15th of Se[)tember, 1757 ; came to America in 1774; was classically educated in New Jerse\' ; studied theology with the elder Mason ; was licensed October 13th, 1789 ; was ordained and installed at Cand^ridge, July 22, 1791 ; resigned September 3, 1816, and became a mis- sionary in central New York, under the direction of the Young- Men's Missionary Society of New York ; retired from this posi- tion in 1822, and returned with his l\imily to Cambridge ; sup- plied vacant pulpits in "Washington county, and the edge of Vermont, and died from a cancer, on the 7th of March, 1829, after having submitted to a painful surgical operation. On the 25th of October, 1819, Presbytery sustained a call 112 HISTORY OF TIIK from this congregatiou to Mr. Donald C. McLaren, whicli lie accepted on the 29tli of N^ovember, und was or.lained and in- stalled on the 2Gth of January, 1820. Donald Campbell Mc- Laren, J). D., was ])orii in the citv of T^ow York, in October, 1795, and spent his boyhood mainly in Onondaga county; was gradnated at Uni(^n College in 181o ; taught for two years ; entered the Theological Seminary in New York, in 1815 ; took a full fV)ur years course, and was licensed by the Saratoga l*res- bytery in the spring of 1819 ; was ordained aud installed in January, 1820 ; voted in the Oeneral Synod of 1821, against overturing the plan of union with the I'resbyterian Church ; in August, 1826, he accepted a call to the congregation iu Cal- edonia, and resigned liis charge in ('ambridgc; resigned the pastorate of Caledonia in July, 1852, and still lives in Geneva. After a vacancy of two years, a call was presented, Xoveni- ber 28, 1828, to the Rev. William Ilowden, who accepted it, iind entered immediately upon the duties of the charge, al- though from some unavoidable delays, his installation did not take place until the 29th of September, 1829. On the 11th of June, 1834, he resigned, and was transferred to the I'resbytery of Caledonia. Mr. Ilowden w^as born in England, 1783; was educated in Scotland, and ordained by the llaldaneites ; spent seven years as a missionary in the Province of New Brunswick, iiud then came to the United States. After leaving Cambridge, he spent twenty years very usefully in the Tresbytery of Cal- edonia, and princi})ally in Cattaraugus county. lie died in the spring of 1865. lie had some eccentricities which made him appear odd to strangers, but his sermons were always full of excellent matter, expressed in good language, and delivered witli warmth and earne^stness. In disposition he was genial and simple hearted. As narrated elsewhere, the Whiteside family settled at an early da}' in the western part of the town, some six miles from the village, and formed a nucleus of a little family of Cove- nanters, who at the union 1782, joined the Associate congrega- tion which centered in the village. This western wing built a meeting house for their own accommodation, about the year 1800, and liere all the yttistors preached about one-third of the I'llESBYTEUV OK ARiiVLE. 11-5 time. In February, I80I, this hrancli pi'titioiiLMl I'l-cshjterv for iiulepondeut supply, wliich was o-ranted, and on tlic 14t]i of August, 1832, West Cyambridge was separated from Old Cam- bridge and made a separate organization, and l*eter Gordou took charge of it as stated supply. J3ut experience soon showed that the two branches were not ai)le to support two pastors, so Mr. llowden resigned in 1S;34, and West Cambridge gave up its independent organization and returned to the old condi- tion. The consolidated congregation, on the 4th of September, lailey, Hiram Parrish and John Parrish, Xovember 14, 1847. William Connell, March 31, 1850. James Thompson, August 25, 1859. David Doig, December 4, 1859. John R. McArthur, AV. W. McClelland, George McGeoch and Lemuel S. Skinner, December 13th, 18G8. Coila. The original church in Cambridge was composed of three distinct elements. Part were Irish, part were New Englanders, and })art were Scots, (^uite a number of this Scottish part declined going into the union of 1782, from which the Asso- ciate Reformed C'hurch sprung, and being joined by some fam- ilies fresh from Scotland, they resolved^ to make an effort to supply themselves with o;ospel ordinances according to tlieir choice. In the spring of 1784, a number of jtersons met to- gether and drew up a. petition for this purpose, addressed to the Associate Presbytery of Pennsylvania which then consisted of Messrs. Marshall and Clarkson. As these ministers were in- stalled pastors, and located nearly four hundreeveridge gave one-fourth of his time to and received one-fourth of his salary from South Argyle during his entire pastorate. Hebron was entirely left out of this pastoral supervision. On the illih of March, 1789, after the calling of jVtr. Beveridge to Cam- bridge and before his installation, Messrs. John Foster, William Moncrieff and William Moncrieft",jr.,sent a p.'tition to the As_ .sociate I'resb^-tery of Pennsylvania to meet at Philadelphia in April, 1789, or. behalf of the congregation of "Hebron ami Salem," in which the}^ say: "We also acknowledge this Pres- byter3''s care under God in hitherto helping us and caring for us. And now as our neighbors in Cambridge have been very unanimous in a call for the Rev. Mr. Beveridge, and although our distance will not allow our incorporating with them, yet Avo are mucli interested in it, as we are neither able to support a minister ourselves nor to do much for paying supplies, yet a .settled minister there might be much our way as to the Sacra- ments, and as the Rev. Mr. Beveridge has had more than an ordinary care for us and labored more than ordinary amongst us, vv^e would ex[)ect his sympathy still. We, therefore, humbly plead that the Presbytery may appoint the installment of Mr. Beveridge as soon as possible, and likewise allow us what su]»- ply they can, and your petitioners shall pray that th,e Lord'*; work may prosper." For the next ten 3^ears the congregation depended u[ioii sup- ply from I'resb^'tery, and as there were but few ministers in tbe body and they thoroughly occupied, the preaching was mainly done by the Rev. Arch. Whyte. The first effort to procure a. pastor was at a congregational meeting held I*^ovember the 1st, 1799, when the following action was taken, viz: "That we join with the people of Argyle in getting a minister, and that we I'RESIJVTERV OF ARiiVLi;. 121) have a fourth [)art oF his hiburs, an I that wo have a vt)ico in his call. That Aiuhxnv Bovei-idire and John Foster be a com- mittee to meet with the commissioners of Argyk' to confer about this matter." Such an arrangemont was made, and in October, 1800, the two congregations made out a* call for Mr. Thomas Allison, which lie declined. When Argyle in "I8O0 began to mo\e in the giving of a call to Mr. Laing, they asked Hebron to join with them for the fourth. part of his time, but for some reasons not known, Hebron decline(L Afterwards in May, 1807, they clianged their minds and asked for the fourtli ]iart of Mr. Laing's time, but lie declineth They next in 1810, united with the congregation of I'utnam and gave a call to Mr. ])avid French, which he declined, and the union with Put- nam was terminated. In 1817, Mr. Peter Bullions came into the bounds of Presbytery, and preached ^itli great acceptance in the vacancies. The con- gregation of West Hebron was very anxious to unite wdth the cliurch in Soutli Argyle, and give him a call. That congrega- tion was not willing to do this, because they felt able and were very desirous to secure all the time of Mr. Bullions. So on the 7th of .January, 1818, South Argyle gave a call to Mr- Bullions for all his time, })rdmising the use of the gl'ebe and $500 as the annual salary. Presbytery was in session the same day in the South Argyle meetinghouse, and the call was imme- diately sustained and }irescnted, and as the record of Presb}'- tcry states, by Mr. Bullions refused, on tlie ground that the Hebron congregation was excluded from any share of his labors. The generality of Argyle congregation being present, I'resbytery adjourned lor a little to give them an opportunity to remove the dilliculty. Being again met, it was stated that the Argyle congregation had agreed to unite wdth Hebron in allowing them a share of his labors. Upon which Mr. Bui lions then accepted the call. He was ordained and installed in Argyle on the -4th of the ensuing March. The mimites ol I'resbyter}' i)reseiit no evideut-e to show that AVest Hebron ever gave a regular call to i)r. Ihdlions, or that he was ever installed as their [lastor. The presumptions are entirely against it ; yet, as the record just quoted shows, South Arg\de agreed to a 130 HISTORY OF THE union and Presbytery acquiesced in the arrantreraent, and Dr. Bullions regarded West Hebron as a part of his charge, and gave to it one-fourth of his time, and received from it one- fourth of his salary. He did not resign his pastorate of South Argyle till the 2d of February, 1825, yet on the 27th (jf Janu- ary, 1823, he resigned his care of the Hebron congregation, and Presbytery sanctioned it. Dr. Bullions' five years ministry in AVest Hebron was very successful. He gave but a small portion of his time, and yet the congregation so grew and strengthened that they felt able to support a pastor for all his time ; and the desire to do so had something to do with the Doctor's withdrawal. On the 22d of Septem])er, 1823, a call was given to Mr. James Irvine; but the Presbj'tery, which was in session, declined sustaining it because of the amount of salary promised. "■ The Presbytery took a recess for a few minutes to give the congregation an opportunity of requesting their friends and neighbors to con- tribute to increase the salary. On returning a paper was pre- sented subscribed by some individuals, promising certain sums. The call was then sustained and presented to Mr. Irvine, who declined accepting it at present, requesting leave to consider of it till next meeting." Passing out of the bounds of the l^res- b3^tery, he did not accept till at the meeting of Synod in Phil- adelphia, the next May. He was ordained and installed on the 7th of July, 1824, Mr. Irvine was born in Jackson about the close of the last century; was graduated at Union College, and studied theology under Dr. Banks, and under the care of the Cambridge Presby- tery, although lie was licensed by the Presl)ytery of Kentucky, to which he had been certified August 29, 1820. In September, 1831, he left Hebron to take charge of the Second Associate congregation in New York city, which had been recently or- ganized, wliere he was installed on the 17th of the following November, and where he died on the 25th of j^ovember, 1835. He was a man of excellent abilities, and in an obituarj' notice published in the ''Keligious Monitor"' he was pronounced "an eloquent and faithful and unusually successful preacher of ('hrist's gospel." PRESBYTERY OF ARiiYLE. 181 The Rev. Abraliiim Anderson \vas the next }»astoi' of West Hebron, and held the position longer than any other one before or since. Dr. Anderson was born near Newville, Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, on the 7th of December, 1789, of Irish parents who had settled there but a few months previously. The family soon moved to "Western Pennsylvania, wliere he labored upon the farm until after liis majority. During the war with England he served for a year under General TTarri- son, after which he comnienced his studies, and was graduated at Jefferson College in 1817. He spent one year with Dr. John Anderson, and finished his theological training under the direc- tion of Presbytery. From 1818 to 1821, he was Professor of Languages in his Alma Mater. These three years must have been busy ones, for during them he taught Latin and Greek in Jefferson College ; studied theology to the satisfaction of his I*resbytery, and also prosecuted a course of medical stud}' un- der the direction of Dr. Letherman which made him a respec- table physican. He was licensed by the Presbytery of Chartiers on the 29th of August, 1821. lie was sent by the lS3aiod to the South, and in September, 1822, he was ordained and in- stalled by the Associate Presbytery of the Carolinas as pastor of the congregations of Steele Creek and Bethany, in Meeklen- berg county, North Carolina. After remaining here for ten years he visitepl\-. Petitions were received by Presbytery, May 3d, 1791, from "the United oongregation of Hebron and Argyle, praying that Presbytery would ratifj^ their union, into wdiich they had entered, and that they might be known hence- forth as the 'United Congregation of Hebron and Argyle.'" This was granted. It is not certain when the church Avas for- mally organized by the installation of ruling elders. It may have been in the summer of 1791, and it may not have been until a year later. In the spring of 1792, apjilication was made to the Associate Reformed Presbytery of Xew England, for assistance to su[)[>]y the vacancies of the I*resbytcry, and Andrew Oliver, proba- tioner, was sent during the summer, and was assigned to Ileb- rUESBVTERY (>F AlKiYLE. 135- ron, Argyle, etc. In Se[»tomber, the Rev. David Annan resigned his charge in Ke\v England, and also cniiie and ])reached \n Hebron and Argylc till November. On the 0th of Marcli, 1793, a petition was signed by al)Out tit'ty male members and adherents of Hebron, desiring that Mr. Oliver might become the pastor of Hebron and Argyle. This was merely an infor- mal movement, which it is l^elieved never isened in a regnlar call. Mr. Oliver returned home, and during the next year be- came pastor of the church in Pelham, Massachusetts. In 1804, lie returned and missionated for a season under the care of the Cambridge Presbytery, and finally settled at Springtield, in Otsego county. On the 29th of August, 1793, the Rev. George Mairs, late pastor of the Burgher congregation at Coote IRll, county Cavan, Ireland, was received as a member of Presbytery. On the 27th of Septem1)er, tlie united congregation of Hebron and Argyle gave him a call, which he accepted, and was installed on the 13th of November, 1793. The installation for the nnited charge took place in Argyle. Mr. Mairs' pastorate was so successful that both churches soon felt able and willing to support separate pastors, and on the 16th of December, 1794, they petitioned Presbytery to "disjoin them," and allow Mr. Mairs to remain pastor of either. He elected Argyle, and this left Hebron vacant. On the 20th of September, 1797, James Gray, probationer, was received from the Burgher Presbyterj- of Armagh, Ireland, E. 187 1827. His pastorate was very successfiil, and the congregation parted with him very rehictaiitly, wlien, for tlie benefit ot a more southern elimate, lie resigned August the 25th, 1835. Air. McAuIey was horn in Ireland ; was principally educated there, and studitid theology, it is believed, with his brother William, in Ivortright; was licensed by the Presbytery of Saratoga, 1819 or '20 ; was pastor for a few years of the Pres- byterian congregation in Ogdensburg, New York. After leav- ing Hebron he settled in southern Illinois; returned to this Presbytery in 1847, and settled for live years in Lisbon, New York ; retired to Ogdensburg, and resided there until he died. Mr. McAuley was in every sense a good preacher. Ilis voice was deep and rich, and he spoke wntli great earnestness and solemnity. In social life lie w^as aft'able and hospitable, and always serious. April 4, 1836, the Rev. Jasper Middlemass was called, and oil the 23d of June installed. His pastorate was short and lull of trouble. In about eighteen months, the session, trustees, and a large })art of the congregation petitioned Presbytery to dissolve the relation. Presbytery referred it to a ballot of the male members of the congregation, when twenty-four voted for his remaining, and forty for his resigning. Mr. Middlemass refused and a trial ensued in Presbytery and Synod ; the particulars of which will be found in (-hapter IT. of this history. The relation was linally dissolved on the first Mon- day of October, 1838. ]Mr. Middlemass was born, educated and licensed in Scotland. He came to this country in the spring of 1838, and in October of that year w^as by the Presbytery of Kew^ York, ordained and installed as Mr. George's successor in the "White Lake congregation, in Sullivan county. But trouble came, and in June, 1835, he resigned. After leaving Hebron he Joined the Dutcli Church, and was pastor of the church at Blooming Grove, Rensselaer county, from 1840 to "44, and of Berne and of Salem, Albany county, from 1848 to 1855, and soon afterAvards died. He was a good preacher, hut his un- happy and violent temper made himself and all around him unt'omfortable. The second pastorate of Mr. Denham was veiy unfortu- 138 lIISTOIiY OF THE nate. Some fort}- nieiiibcrs withdrew, and the most of them united with the Associate congregation of West Hebron. In the Middlemass trouble some twentj-five more withdrew, who for a season received some supply of preaching from the Pres- bytery, and then identified themselves with the dissenters that left the West Hebron congregation, and together organized the " Brick Church " under the Builions auspices, which soon after- wards called Mr. Quackenl^ush. These troubles and secessions not only weakened the congregation in numbers, but excited considerable ill-feeling which lasted as long as that generation lived, and even descended, in some cases, in a modified form, to their children. In February, 1839', Mr. Alexander Shand began to supi)ly in Hebron by Synodic appointment, and on the last Monday of May a call was made out, which resulted in his ordination and installation on the 23d of the following July. Mr. Shand was born, educated and licensed in Scotland, and after resigning the charge of this congregation uS'ovember 1, 1850, he went to Canada, remained two or three years, and then returned to Scotland. ' lie was a bachelor possessing some oddities, per- haps eccentricities, but a good scholar and an instructive preacher, although somewhat awkward in his manner. During his ministry the congresation enjoyed peace, and was reason- ably prosperous. On the 8th of June, 1852, a call was given to Mr. George M. McEachron, which he declined. On the loth of the follow- ing November, the Rev. Joseph Kimball received a call which he accepted, and was installed on the 6th of Juno, 1853. The ■(.'ongregation prospered under him greatly, and it was with universal regret that they received his resignation on the 1st of September, 1850. He was born in I^^ewburgh, New York, in 1820; was educated at Union College and the Newburgh Seminary; was licensed in 1842; and was ordained and in- stalled as pastor of Hamptonburg May 31st, 1844, by the Pres- bytery of New York. When he left Hebron he became for several years pastor of the Presbyterian congregation of Brock- port, and then for a short time of the Dutch Church at Fish- kill Landing, and in 1805, of the First Dutch congregation in PRESBYTERY OF ARGYLE. loO Brooklyn. While preaching an historical sermon on the 24th of May, 1874, he was taken with a faintinoj fit, from the effects of which he never recovered, and died on the 6th of the fol- linvini;- Decend)cr. He was tall in stature, possessed a deep rich voice which he managed with considerable skill, had a good inuiirination which he often }>ermitted to play, was chaste in style, and decidedly a popular preacher. His social fjualities were also excellent. On the 23d of September, 1856, a call was given to the Rev. John Van Eaton, of York, which was declined. On the 23d of January, 1857, a call was given to the Rev. Jonathan Gillespie of Ilamptonburg, which he accepted, and made arrangements for the removal of his family, when he was taken ill and died upon the 22d of April. Mr. Gillespie was born of Covenanter parentage, on the 9th of February, 1830, on the Wallkill, in Orange county, New York ; but his father moved into the l)ounds of and became an elder in the congregation at Bloom- ingburg, so that he was reared mainly under the ministry of the Rev. Henry Connelly ; he was graduated at Union College; studied theology at Newburgh and at Due West in South Car- olina; was licensed May 19, 1852; ordained and installed at Ilamptonburg, December 29, 1853. He was a young man of most excellent promise, .because of his fitness for the work of the ministry, and his devotion to the canse. On the 29th of March, 1858, a call w\as given to the Rev. James C. Forsythe, which he declined. On the 10th of the followino; May, Gilbert Hamilton Robertson was called, an. The early ecclesiastical history of Areryle is very similar to that of Hebron, with which it was for a number of years as- sociated. It was to a certain extent a preachintr station or missionary field under the care of Salem, receiving an occasional visit and day's preaching from Dr. Clark and the Rev. James J^roudfit. The Presbytery did not and could not make any provision for it, as there was neither probationer nor unsettled minister at their disposal. The licensure of Smith, Tomb and Dunlap in 1789 gave to Presbytery the means of looking after destitute places. At a meeting held in ^STew York, October 13, 1789, Mr. Tomb was appointed to preach in Argyle on the fourth Sabbath of December, and on the first of the following Janu- ary. This was the first recognition of Argyle l)y Presbytery. At every subsequent meeting more or less provision was made for its supply, and when Mr. Smith settled in Orange county and Mr. Dunla[) in Cambridge, application for assistance was made to the Presbyterj' of New England, and Mr. Oliver and Rev. D. Annan came in, both of whom supplied in Argyle. On the 3d of May, 1791, Hebron and Argyle were formally united by the Presbytery into a united charge; and in March, 1793, they petitioned for the services of Mr. Oliver in view of settling him. But Mr. Oliver was so nearly blind at this time from an over use or abuse of his eyes in studying that he was compelled to employ a boy to guide him in his missionary labors, and discouraged any movement towards his settlement. On the 4th of Sej^tember, 1792, the congregation petitioned Presbytery for a moderator that they might choose elders and liave them ordained. This was granted and Mr. Proudfit was directed to preach in Argyle on the 1st Tuesday of October and with a session from Salem and Hebron to examine and ordain the elders chosen. Mr. Proudfit fulfilled his appointment, and Presbytery at its meeting in Cambridge, ISTovember 13, 1792, ordered that the second Wednesday of December be observed in Argjdc as a day of fasting, and that the chosen elders should be on that day ordained and installed. There is a tradition in PRESBVTERY OF AlKn'LE. 14^ AriTvle tliat they were ordained and installed by Mr. Duidapou the IHtli day of December. A little time })revions to this tbey bad built their first meetinoj bouse, on land belonging to Dou- gall McKallor nearly a mile south of the present village and close to the old cemetery. After their ecclesiastical organiza- tion, they applied to the Legislature and obtainc(l a charter under the title of "The First Incorporated C-ongregation of Argyle, under the care of the Associate Reforined Synod."' It has already been stated in the sketch of Hebron, that the Rev. George Mairs was installed on the 13tli of November^ 1793, as pastor of Hebron and Argyle, giving half of his time to each. The rrieeting houses were about eight miles distant from each other. Botli congregations grew rapidly, and on the 16th of December, 1794, they petitioned Presbytery to "disjoin them,'' and to permit Mr. Mairs to elect the congregation witli which he will remain as pastor. He chose Argyle, and hence- forth all his time and labor were given to it. Mr. Mairs w^as born in April, 1761, at Drumbeg, Monaghaii county, Ireland; graduatetl at Glasgow University; studied theology with John Brown, of Haddington ; w^as licensed by a l>urgher J^resbytery in Ireland; was ordained and installed over the Associate Congregation of Coote Hill, in the county of Cavan. After laboring here for several years he resigned, May '2(1, 1793, sailed for I^ew York, where he arrived about the 1st of August, went the next week to AVashington county and settled for life. The congregation in Argyle grew with w^onderful rapidity under his ministry, as many as forty members Avere repeatedly added at a single communion, so that in 1802 it re- ported a mend)ership of four liundred and fifty-two. Their meeting house became over crowded, so that in 1801 the\' built a larger frame house, forty-five by sixty feet, upon the site now occupied. Just at this time they came in possession of tlieir share of the glebe reservation of the Argyle I'atent, (see sketch of South Argyle). This they sold and apjdied the proceeds to the benetit of the Society. The congregation covered a large territory, much of wdiicli was hilly and all of it was destitute of good roads. Mr. Mairs during onedialf of every year visited and catechised every 144 HISTORY OF THE famil}', iind during tlic other half lield diets for catechisiiiii: in the different neighl)orhoodr5. This witli a faithful visitation of the sick and of the troubled, imposed an immense amount of labor upon him; too much for the growing infirmities of his declining 3'ears, and he spoke to liis people upon the neces- sity of an assistant. They saw and appreciated the ditficulties of his situation, and out of the love which they bore him, were willing to be guided by his wishes, I lis son George had just entered the ministry and it was natural that he should turn to him for assistance. George Mairs, jr., was born iri Arg3de in March, 1798 ; was graduated at Union College in 1820 ; (^.tudied theology with Dr. Mason until the seminary closed, and then finished with his father ; was licensed March 5th, 1823, and was ordained and installed, on the 3d of September following, as the assistant and successor of his father. The elder flairs for some years divided the pastoral labor with his son, and took the morning servi(;e upon the Sabb;itli. But as his pliysical infirmities increased, his public labors de- creased until the explanation of a Psalm or the ofteri ng of a prayer was all that he could accom[)lish. lie finally lapsed into his second childhood and was confined to his home for a year or two, and died on the 10th of October, 1841. lie was not wliat the world would call a great preacher, and yet he was in reality a great teacher. His sermons were always instructive, scriptural and plain, so that his hearers could understand and appreciate and remember the truths enunciated. He explained the first Tsalm sung in the morning service, and this was always rich. In this explanation and addressing a communion table, he had no superior, perhaps no erj^ual in his Church. He was social, wise and sympathetic, and became the confident and ad- visor of all his jieople, and his congregation was a model of harmony and peaceableness. The son modeled after the tather and tried to carry out his ways and measures as far as the changing circumstances of the times and people would allow. His pastorate was also success- ful. Peace and brotherly love continued. He was diligent in ins pastoral labors, and was much among his people. Worn and fatigued with the exactions of his office, he resigue 1 his I'RESIJYTKRY i)F AKilVLE. 14') pastoral relation on the 10th of June, 1851, and has ever si nee resided iii Arg3le, whieh has been the one home of his life. The cono-regatioii at this time numbered aboutfour hundred com- municants. During Mr. Mairs' incumbency a congregational prayer meeting during the week was established. In the spring of 1844, they took down the old church building and com- menced the erection of a larger and better one. They had it u}» and inclosed, when the ignition of a lire cracker on the 4tn of fluly set it on lire and burned it up. They immediately com- menced another, which was linished and occupied during tlie •summer of 1845. Uu the 24th of Xovember, 1851, a call was o-iven to tlie Rev. James B. Scouller, of Cuylerville, Xew York. This call he accepted and commenced his ministrations during the following spring, and was installed on the olst of Ma}-, 1852. lie insti- tuted a Sabbath school and Bible class which continued during the greater portion of his pastorate. Ilis custom was to give an expository lecture in the forenoon of the Sabbath and a ser- mon in the afternoon. In this way, commencing Avith the Epistle to the Philippians, he went through with the remaining portion of the New Testament, and with the Gospels, according to Robinson's Harmony, during his ])astorate. The congrega- tion for two or three years grew rapidly, until it numbered four hundred and ninety members, when western emigration de- creased it sonu,'. During his incumbency two hundred and eighty united with the church, and througliout liis ministry and the ministry of the Mairses, a communion season never passed without accessions, except one in 180G. This it is be- lieved is also true of the succeeding pastorates, for the growth of this church has always been steady and not s})asmodic. Mr. Scouller was born near Xewville, Pennsylvania, July 12, 1820 ; was graduated at Dickinson College in 1889; studied theology in the Allegheny Seminary ; was licensed by the Big Spring Presbytery April li), 1842; was ordained and installed by the New York Presbytery, as pastor of the Second Associate Re- formed congregati(ni in Philadelphia, on the 13tli of November, 1844, and was transferred to the i>astorate of Cuylerville church in January, 1847. During the last two years of his residence 10 14G HISTORY OF THE in Aro;ylo liis iiiinistrations were larcrely interrupted by ill- liealtb, so that he resigned ^larch 31, 1862, and is now infirm and resides at ISTewville, Penns3dvania. On the 19th of May, 1862, a call was made uot for Mr. David M. Ure, which he accepted, and was ordained and installed on the 8th of October. The order of exercises on the Sabbath now was a sermon in the morning and Sabbath school in tlle^ afternoon. Mr. Ure was born in Scotland ; was graduated at Miami Fniversity and studied theology in Allegheny, and was licensed April 9th, 1861, by the Monongahela rresbytcry. His ministry here was reasonably successful, and one liundred an- tember. Dr. French was the son of Rev. David French, of I*^orth Buffalo, Pennsylvania, and grandson of David French , one of the founders of tliis congregation. He was l)orn in AVashington county, Pennsylvania, May the 20th 1818; was graduated at Washington College; studied theology at Can- onsburg ; was licensed June the 16th, 184(3, by the Chartiers l^resbj'tery. He resigned his charge of this congregation on the 28th of March, 1855, and was soon afterward settled at Mercer, Pennsylvania, where he died suddenly on the IGth of March, 1875, He was held in high esteem, both as a man and as a minister. PREt^BYTEKY OF ARC Y I.E. 15:> III January, 1857, a call was given to Mr. -John 13. Dunn, whicli was declined. On the 7th of April, 1858, a call wa^^ given to the Rev. Hugh Brown, wdiich w^as accepted, and he was installed on the 4th of the following May. Mr. ]5rown was born in Guiness, county Down, Ireland, May 0th, 1810 ; was graduated at Beltast College ; studied theology in Glas- gow, Scotland, and was licensed by the < Hasgow Presbytery of Original Burgher Seceders ; was transferred to the I'rosbytery of Belfast, and by it ordained over tlie congi-egation of Garry- dufF, and ministered for some time to a congregation in Spencer- ville, Canada West. He resigned the charge of East Salem on the 7tli of May, 1867, and took a pastoral charge in the Pres- l)yterian church from which he lately retired, having become totally blind, and now lives in a feeble condition within the bounds of tliis congregation. On the 22d of June,' 1809, Mr. J. B. Clapperton was ordained and installed. He was born at Cabin Hill, Delaware county ; was graduated at ^Westminster College; studied theology at Allegheny, and w\as licensed in the spring of 1868 by the Dela- ware Presbytery, lie resigned on the 8th of February, 1876, and is now pastor of Ryegate, Vermont. R. J. Cunningham, w^as born in West Deer township, Allegheny county, i'ennsyl- vania, May 28, 1850 ; studied theology in Allegheny ; was li- censed May 11th, 1876, by the Allegheny Presljytery, and was ordained and installed, August the 23d, 1876, as pastor of this congregation and is still in charge. Thit^ congregation was incorporated, December 8d, 1838, as the "First Associate Congregation of Salem." In 1822, they erected their first meeting house, one mile east of the village of Shushan, and in 1827, a convenient parsonage near the church. In 1848, tliey repaired and reseated their meeting house, and in 1879, they built a new and beautiful church edifice in the vil- lage of Shushan, mainly through the liberality of the Law family. At* the (organization of the congregation in June, 1820,, Thomas Law and James I. Robertson were ordained and in- stalled as the first ruling elders. In March, 1820, William Dobbin and Andrew Martin were added. On the 0th of Sep- 154 HISTORY OF THE toinber, 1832, Robert T. Law and John T. Law. lu (Jctober, 1845, John Dobbin. On the 12th of September, 1850, James Thompson. On the 2d of May, 1859, George McGeoeh. On the 5th of June, 1859, "William T. Foster. On the 5th of Jan- uary, 1871, Andrew S. Foster. And in 1877, David Do1)bin ^nd John McCollum. North Argyle. At the time of the settlement of Mr. Miller in South Ar- gyle, the families connected with that congregation, which re- sided in the northern part of the town, concluded that it would be better for themselves and for some of their neighbors who could not go so far, to provide the means of grace nearer home. Some of them had to travel from seven to ten miles every Sab- bath. They jietitioncd Presbytery in the winter of 1829, for a separate organization, to centre at the village of North Ar- gyle. This was granted, and Mr. Miller presided at anorgani- ■zation in the sunmier of 1830, and Mr. White and others sup- plied them pretty steadily for the next year. They were not many in numbers, only thirty-two members, but they were generally farmers in comfortable circumstances ; and Mr. Daniel Stevenson offered to pay one-half the salary and other expenses. This he did during the remainder of his life, a period of some twenty years. In the early autumn of 1831, a call was given to the Rev. Duncan Stalker, which he accepted, and was installed during the following November. Mr. Stalker was born in Comrie, Perthshire, Scotland, in 1783; was licensed August the 6th, 1805, l)y the Associate (Antiburgher) Presbytery of Perth ; was ordained and installed in December 1807, at Peebles. Here he remained for over twenty years, and in 1830, came to the United States, lie supplied the newly formed Second As- sociate Congregation in New York city, for a season before set- tling in North Argyle. His ministry here was successful; the ^congregation grew slowl}-, but steadily and substantially. He was a fellow-student with Dr. Alex. Bullions in Scotland, and renewed his friendship witli him here; became involved in his troubles and was deposed with him on the 12tli of April, 1838, PRESRYTERY OF AlKiYLE. 155 but as he luul previously declined tlie jurisdiction of the Pr" ■- i)ytcry and withdrawn, he paid no attention to tlie act. lie and his congregation, w^ith a few exce^jtions, adhered to tiie new Presbj'tery, known after the re-union of l!-i54, as the Second Associate rresl)ytery of Cambridge. In 1851, Mr. Stalker was thrown aside from the duties (yf the ministry by an attack of paralysis, from which he never re- covered. In June, 1852, he resigned his pastoral charge, and died on the 5th of December, 1853. lie was an instructive, but by no means popular, preacher. He was emphatically a good man, full of faith and devoted to the Master's work, and his latter end was peace. Shortly before his death, he stated to the writer that he felt uothing of that rapture which some pro- fessed to feel, but that his faith and hope were clear, and that his mind was calm and at peace, without either fear or eestacy. In the spring of 1853, a call was given to Mr, AVilliam E. Ilenning, which resulted in his ordination and installation in June, and he is still in charge, Mr. Henning was born in the county of Armagh, in Ireland, in December, 1824, and was graduated in both his literary and theological course in the College at Belfast ; he was licensed by the Presbytery of Newry in 1851, and came to the United States in l!^ovember, 1852. He was ordained by and remained under the care of the Second Presbytery of Caml)ridge, but in 1855, he invited Mr, Shortt of Cambridge, a friend of his earl}' youth, to preach for him on a Thursday before his communion. Soon after this Mr. David G, Bullions asked Mr. Ilenning to assist him, but his father demurred and expressed his displeasure from the pulpit, chara'ino; that Mr, Hennino; had violated his ordination vows I)}' taking a minister of another denomination into his pulpit to preach. This gave offence to IS'orth Argyle, and the con- gregation there with its pastor applied in January, 1856, to the first Presbytery of ('ambridge for admission. This was granted, but it left the Second Presbytery without a working member- ship; so that Synod at its next meeting consolidated the two Presbyteries. The present pastorate has been decidedly successful, and ac- cessions have been had at nearl}', if not every, communion sea- 156 HISTORY OF THE s<>n, and iu 18G7, and again in 1875, there was a special out- pouring of the Spirit, when as high as forty-one united at a time. The present membership is two hundred and forty-four. In 1830 they built their first meeting house upon the site still occupied. This was enlarged and remodeled in 1846. The jiresent edilice was erected in 1866, is forty-live by seventy-two feet upon the ground, cost eleven thousand dollars, and was paid for by the congregation. In 183*3 they built a comfortable par- sonage, convenient to the church, with an acre of land attached. The following persons have served in the eldership : At the organization in 1830, Robert Robertson, George Lendrum and John Stevenson were installed. In April, 1832, Nicholas Rob- ertson and William Walsh were added. In 1835, Walter Edgar, Benjamin Skellie and John Small. On the 1st of October, 1853, William Doig, Robert McGeoch, David McDougall and Peter McEachron. In 1875, John McGeocli, William Skellie, Daniel McGowan and Samuel Guthrie. East Greenwich. On the 9th of May, 1849, there was presented to the Cam- bridge Presbytery "A iietition from a number of members of the Associate Church residing in and near East Greenwich, for the erection of a new congregation in that vicinity." This was followed by "A remonstrance from the congregation of Argyle against erecting a congregation in Greenwich."' "After hear- ing the Commissioners, Messrs. George Snuill and William McNeil, in favor of it, and Mr. John Disho}), from Argyle, in opposition, the Presbytery unanimousl}- granted the petition, and resolve>d that the new congregation l)e called the Associate Congregation of East Greenwich."' On the 30tli of May Mr. French, according to l*resbyterial appointment, preached in East Greenwich, made out a roll of members, and presided at an election of elders. On the 30th of August he preached here again and ordained Robert Telford and installed him and Messrs. S. ])obbin and W. McNeil, who had been ordained elsewhere. There were fifty- four members at the organization. On the 5th of February, 1850, the Session of the Hebron congregation petitioned Presbytery to establish " a boundary PHESUYTERV OF ARGYLE. 157 lino botwoeu tlie congregation^; of Ifebroii and East Urornwieli." I'resbvtery resolved not to grant the petition, and Mr. Reid, of Hebron, entered Lis dissent. (Jn the 21st of February, 1850, a call was given to Mr. Jo- seph McKirahan, and he was ordained and installed on the 23d of the following April. On the 24th of May, 1854, he resigned and moved to the west. Mr. McKirahan was born August 12, 1812, near St. Clairsville, Ohio; was graduated at Franklin College; studied theology at Canonslnirg, and was licensed by the J*resbytcry of Muskingum in 1846. He died without charge at (xlencoe, Ohio, on the 19th of November, 1873. Tie became so crippled with rlieumatism as to be scarcely able to move. In April, 1857, a call was given to Mr. John B. Dunn, and he was ordained and installed on the 12th of the following No- vember. Because of continued ill health he resigned his charge on the 24th of September, 1861, and died on the 3d of the suc- ceeding February. Mr. Dunn was born in Delaware county, March 17, 1832 ; was graduated at Jefferson College and studied theology at Canonsburg and Xenia, and was licensed in the spring of 1856 by the I'resbytery of Albany. lie was a very respectalJe preacher, was kind and gentle in disposition, and was humble and consistent in all his ways. His ministry was short, but it was devoted, earnest and successful. In June, 1862, a call was given to Mr. D. M. Ure, which he declined. Another call was given in April, 1863, to Mr. T. J. Wilson, which was also declined. Mr. James M. Orr, was called in October of the same year, and was ordained and in- stalled on the 10th of March, 1864. This pastorate was very brief, for he died on the 18th of April, 18G5. Mr. Orr was the grandson of the Rev. Alexander Dorter, and was born on the 31st of ^larch, 1838, near Fairhaven, Preble county, Ohio ; was graduated at the Miami University; studied theology at the Allegheny Seminar}'^ and was licensed on the 1st of April, 1862, by tlie First Dresbytery of Ohio. Tlie pastor uiuler wdiom lie was reared testified that "he had a most amiable and gentle disposition, and as a preacher excelled in the beauty and chaste- ncss of style, rather than in vigor." 158 PRESBYTEKY OF ARGYLE. On the 2(1 of January, 1S66, this congregation called Mr. ^^'". M. Richie, but he declined; they then called Mr. A. G. King, on the 8th of October, 1867, and he too declined. William R. Gladstone was called on the oth of May, 1868, and was ordained and installed on the 8th of the following September. After a pleasant pastorate his health failed, and he resigned on the 2d of January, 1877, and died on the 13th of the following montli. He was born in Andes, Xew York, on the 4th of March, 1840 ; was graduated at Monmouth, Illinois ; studied theology at Al- legheny, and was licensed in April, 1866, by the Delaware Pres- bytery. The Rev. George T. Galbraith, was called on the 8th of May, 1877, and was installed on the 27th of June. Mr. Galbraith was born in Barnet, Vermont ; was graduated at Dartmouth College, !N'ew Hampshire; studied theology at IS'ew- burgh; was licensed April 15th, 1874, by the Presbytery of Vermont; was ordained and installed as pastor of the 127th street congregation in New York, September 2lst, 1875, by the First Presbytery of New York. Immediately after the organization of the congregation, they began the erection of a church edifice, and commenced holding public services in it in December of the same year. In due time a comfortable parsonage property was provided. Samuel Dobbin and William McNeill, previrtjusly ordained in South Argyle, were installed at the complete organization of the church on the 30th of August, 1849. Robert Telford was ordained and installed on the same day. On the 6th of March, 1851, Alexander Small and Andrew Randies were added. On the 24th of November, 1859, John Beveridge, John Arnott and James Harper. On the 25th of March, 1869, Nelson Keefer, John Maxwell, Robert Maxwell and Archibald Len