Ovid Presbyterian Church, Ovid, Seneca Co., NY - NYGenWeb - part of the USGenWeb Project

OVID PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.

"Manual of the Churches of Seneca County with sketches of their pastors, 1895-96", compiled and published by the Courier Printing Co., Seneca Falls, NY 1896. This transcription provided by Curtis Camp.

      It was in the year 1800, that the First Presbyterian church of Ovid was organized by Rev. John Lindsley. This church, situated in the southeast part of the town, was transferred in June, 1808, to the Reformed Dutch Classis, and is now extinct. The Presbyterian church now existing in Ovid was organized under the name of the Seneca church, July 10, 1803, by Rev. Jedediah Chapman. It then consisted of twenty members. When Rev. William Clark, the first pastor of whom any record remains, was installed, April 17, 1811, the membership had increased to seventy-three. Mr. Clark was succeeded September 10, 1816, by Rev. Stephen Porter. During his pastorate the church was reorganized and incorporated in 1817, as the First Presbyterian church in Ovid. "A wooden meet-ing house" was built, on the west-ern outskirts of the village, a Sun-day school, among the earliest in America, was formed; and the membership increased to one hun-dred and forty-one. The third pastor, Rev. Thomas Lounsbury, was installed September 4, 1823. Under his faithful ministry, the membership was doubled, and a new building, of brick, was erected upon the present site. He was released from the pastorate in 1849, but con-tinued to serve the church as stated supply, from time to time. His entire ministry extended over more than thirty years, and left a lasting impression on the community. After Dr. Lounsbury's release, Rev. Matson Meier Smith, installed October 23, 1849, was pastor for a year. Rev. A. B. Dunlap supplied the pulpit from 1850 to 1853, Rev. Laurentine Hamilton was pastor from January 3, 1854, until May, 1855, and Rev. O. P. Conklin from 1856 to 1861. During this last pastorate the membership, which, notwithstanding a revival in 1853, had declined to 165, again increased to 274; and, the old church having been destroyed by fire, the present building was erected, at a cost of about $12,000. After an interval, during which the pulpit was supplied principally by Dr. Lounsbury, Rev. Willis J. Beecher succeeded to the pastorate in 1864. He was followed in December, 1865, by Rev. C. E. Stebbins, who continued until 1870. In February, 1871, began the long and faithful ministry of Rev. Hugh W. Torrence. It closed, after repeated revival seasons, in February, 1887. A call was then extended, June 19, 1887, to Rev. James Cruickshanks, to become pastor of the church. He was removed by death, June 3, 1889. During his ministry a Christian Endeavor society was organized, October 28, 1887, which now numbers one hundred and thirty members. The present pastor, Rev. Henry Axtell Porter, began his labors in October, 1889, and was installed December 3rd. Extensive improvements have since been made in the church property. A parsonage was purchased in 1890, at a cost of $2,500. The present membership is two hundred and twenty-two.
      The Ovid Presbyterian church has, from its beginning, been distinguished for the intelligence and high Christian culture of its members. From it have gone forth such educators as Sandford Doolittle of Rutgers, Charles Joy of Columbia, William H. Brever and Henry A. Lounsbury of Yale; and such foreign missionaries as Mary Wilson of India, Mrs. Gertrude Best of Africa, Dr. and Mrs. John L. Nevins of China. May its future record be as illustrious as its past.
LIST OF MEMBERS.
Allen, Francis C. Mrs.
Auten, Dewitt B.
Auten, Mattie L. Mrs.
Auten, Abram Mrs.
Ayres, Louisa M. Mrs.
Ayres, Harvey L.
Ayres, Henry V. L.
Arden, William Mrs.
Brokaw, Isaac N.
Bloomer, Sarah Mrs.
Bloomer, Edward H.
Brokaw, Leroy
Brokaw, Dorothy L. Mrs.
Brown, Mary Miss
Bristol, Graham B., M. D.
Bristol, Martha C. Mrs.
Briggs, Charlotte Mrs.
Blaine, Warren F.
Blaine, Catherine H. Mrs.
Brown, Edna T. Miss
Banker, George
Banker, Emma Mrs.
Brewer, Cornelius Mrs.
Covert, Theodore Mrs.
Combs, Hannah K. Mrs.
Combs, Marian Miss
Combs, Delmar
Combs, Azel B.
Combs, Lana B. Mrs.
Chapman, Josiah B. Mrs.
Chapman, Sarah Miss
Chapman, Peter C. Mrs.
Craus, Catharine Mrs.
Craus, Nellie E. Miss
Clark, Lewis H. Jr., Prof.
Clark, Ellen K. Miss
Chatham, Elsie F. Miss
Covert, Byron V.
Covert, Kittie D. Mrs.
Caywood, Clara E. Miss
Covert, John F. Mrs.
Cooley, Andrew J.
Cooley, Mary E. Mrs.
Cooley, Frances O. Miss
Dunlap, Orpha E. Miss
Dunham, Anna M. Miss
Denniston, John, M. D.
Dunlap, Arthur Mrs.
Dunlap, Lizzie F. Miss
Dunlap, Augusta J. Miss
Dunlap, Lillie Miss
Dunlap, Wirt C.
Dunlap, Charles
Dunlap, Eva L. Mrs.
DeLong, Jacob Mrs.
Dickerson, George Mrs.
DeMond, Theodore Mrs.
DeMond, Mary Lucinda Miss
Demond, Sidney Burton
Dakin, Benjamin T.
Dakin, Sophia Mrs.
Eastman, Mary D. Mrs.
Eastman, Fannie M. Mrs.
Eastman, Sarah H. Miss
Eastman, William L.
Eastman, Augusta Mrs.
Eastman, John N.
Everett, Wilmot Mrs.
Everett, Lesba J. Miss
Everett, Millard F. B.
Foster, Augusta Miss
Foster, William L. Mrs.
Frantz, D. F. Mrs.
Freligh, Garrett W. Mrs.
Franklin, Anna Miss
Franklin, Charles J.
Franklin, John Mrs.
Finton, Maynard J.
Finton, Harriet E. Mrs.
Foster, Joseph M. Mrs.
Gorton, Clement Mrs.
Harris, Morgan
Harris, Christina D. Miss
Howell, Mary Mrs.
Howell, Caroline M. Miss
Howell, William C. Mrs.
Henry, Eliza Ann Miss
Hayt, Sally Ann Mrs.
Hayt, J. Louise Miss
Havens, Alfred S.
Hause, Alfred B. Mrs.
Hause, William J.
Horton, Seymour
Horton, Anna Augusta Mrs.
Howard, Jarvis C.
Howard, Lucy A. Mrs.
Howard, Marshall P.
Howard, Charles Burt
Howard, T. Belle Mrs.
Houghton, May Miss
Horton, Emma L. Miss
Horton, Daniel J.
Horton, Elsie B. Mrs.
Hanlon, George O., M.D.
Howe, Matthew O.
Howe, Belle J. Mrs.
Johnson, Sarah B. Mrs.
Johnston, Mary Mrs.
Johnston, Charles A.
Johnston, Anna S. Miss
Johnston, Harry F.
Johnson, Edward T.
Johnson, Mary Ann Mrs.
Johnson, Abram Mrs.
Johnson, Nellie Miss
Johnson, Morris E. Mrs.
Johnson, Laura M. Miss
Johnson, Helen L. Miss
Jacacks, Fred Mrs.
Jones, Hannah Mrs.
Jones, Jane Mrs.
Jones, Winifred Miss
Jones, Elizabeth L. Miss
Jones, Grace E. Miss
Jones, Lewis B.
Jones, Carrie S. Mrs.
Jones, Margaret Mrs.
Jones, Horace T.
Jewell, Lewis B. Mrs.
Kendall, Carrie Mrs.
Kinne, Darwin C.
Kinne, Gertrude E. Mrs.
Kinne, Susan M. Miss
Kinne, William H. Mrs.
Kinne, Cyrus E. Mrs.
Kinne, Cyrus 2nd
Kerr, William
Kerr, Albert
Leonard, Hermon
Leonard, Susan Mrs.
Leonard, George Mrs.
Manning, Sarah M. Miss
Miller, Charles Mrs.
Meddick, Lucretia D. Mrs.
Meddick, Sandford C.
McKee, William J.
McKee, Ellen G. Mrs.
McClune, Gilbert L , D. D. S
McClune, Eleanor E. Mrs.
McKee, Ida T. Mrs.
Mead, Maola Miss
Miles, Seward Mrs.
Nellis, Mary M. Mrs.
Osgood, Ada C. Mrs.
Parish, Hannah Mrs.
Pomeroy, William
Pomeroy, Jennie E. Miss
Purdy, Mary D. Miss
Purdy, James D.
Purdy, Mary J. Mrs.
Purdy, Clara R. Miss
Post, Lilburn Mrs.
Post, Jennie L. Miss
Poet, Peter L.
Pitcher, Leroy C.
Pitcher, Hortense S. Mrs.
Purcell, J. E. Mrs.
Porter, Emily R. Mrs.
Potter, William J. Mrs.
Perry, Lizzie Miss
Rising, Margaret Mrs.
Rappelye, Francis T.
Pappelye, Mary T. Mrs.
Rappelye, Lou Jennie Miss
Robinson, Martin L.
Robinson, Jemima B. Mrs.
Seeley, Cornelia D. F. Mrs.
Seeley, Mary De F. Miss.
Sutton, John Mrs.
Seeley, Martha C. Mrs.
Seeley, Mary Miss
Seeley, Newton Mrs.
Swarthout, George
Steele, Inez Mrs.
Swarthout Myron H.
Swarthout, Louise J. Mrs.
Seeley, Charles P.
Seeley, Inez Mrs.
Smith, Susan B. Mrs.
Swarthout, Charles Mrs.
Sutton, John M.
Stone, Willard B.
Stone, Minnie B. Mrs.
Thomas, James B.
Thomas, Mary S. Mrs.
Thomas, Jonathan D. Mrs.
Thomas, Frederick
Thomas, Margaret E. Mrs.
Tuttle, H. S. Mrs.
VanVleet, Peter J. Mrs.
VanVleet, Edward Mrs.
VanVleet, Ezekiel B.
VanVleet, Emma S. Mrs.
VanVleet, S. G. Mrs.
Waring, Jane D. Mrs.
Waring, Mary Isabella Miss
Waring, John
Wilson, Ann Miss
Wilson, Caroline C. Mrs
Wilson, William
Wilson, Augusta D. Mrs.
Wilson, Helen Miss
Wilson, Ira
Wilson, Anna E. Mrs.
Wilson, Susan B. Miss
Wilson, Abram Mrs.
Wilson, Bebecca N. Mrs.
Wiggins, Frank W. Mrs.
Williams, Elizabeth C. Miss
Zimmer, Fayette
Zimmer, Allie M. Mrs.


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