Atchison County Churches
"THE STORY OF A KANSAS PARISH, Trinity Church, Atchison, Kansas, 1857-1911"
by
Rev. Francis S. White
Page 2, 1872-1885
In November, 1871, a call was extended to a
grandson of Bishop Meade, of Virginia,
THE REV. P. NELSON MEADE
then working in St. Louis County, Missouri. He
accepted the call in January, 1872, came to Atchison
with his bride and began life in the Ninth Street
Rectory. Mr. Meade was young and enthusiastic,
and soon had the brave little congregation hard at
work. In September, 1872, the church was piped
for gas by order of the Vestry.
On March 5, 1874, Mr. Aleade sent in his
resignation to take effect April 1st, 1874, when he with
his family, went to Baltimore to become the Rector
of Christ Church.
On Whitsunday, May 24, 1874,
THE REV. THOMAS G. CARVER, D. D.
of Indiana, became Rector. Dr. Carver was a tall
Welshman, a widower in middle life, with much
manner and a pulpit orator of considerable ability.
He was much sought after as a speaker on all sorts
of public occasions. During his administration of
the parish the organist, Mrs. Smith, was given $50
by the Vestry as an appreciation of her services.
From that time on the parish records show that the
organist was regularly appreciated in a financial
way.
In June, 1875, we read that the Rector was
compelled on account of ill health to ask for a leave
of absence, and was away from the parish most of
the summer. In a little record of this time in the
parish life, written by the late Bishop Leonard, we
read : "Those were distressing days for Kansas.
Business was almost paralyzed, and a large number
of people had left the state, on account of the
ravages of the grasshoppers. It was, of course,
difficult to raise money for any purpose, and so in view
of 'the financial embarrassment of the Parish,' as
Dr. Carver said in his letter to the Vestry, he
tendered his resignation in the Autumn of 1875."
The members of the Vestry at this time were
Dr. J. H. Stringfellow, E. C. Sherer, D. P. Blish,
Dr. J. Bryning, A. D. McConoughy, General B.
F. Stringfellow, Charles E. Styles, E. A. Mize, J.
S. Cain. These gentlemen, through committees,
made several unavailing efforts to secure a rector
for the parish, but finally about the beginning of
Lent, 1876,
THE REV. FRANK O. OSBORNE
a young man in the Diocese of Chicago, was asked
by them to take charge of the parish until Easter.
He accepted the invitation, and made such a
favorable impression that one month after his arrival he
was called to the Rectorship, and accepting this call
he began a remarkably efficient ministry.
The personnel of the Vestry began to
assume names more familiar to the present
generation. In 1876 Dr. W. H. Shulze, Mr. R. B. Morris,
and Mr. W. S. Greenlee were made members of the
vestry ; in 1877, Mr. W. S. Cain appears for the
first time as Vestryman and Mr. E. A. Mize as
treasurer.
For some years the parsonage property had not
been used to house the Rectors of the parish.
Dr. Carver spent had spent his time at the home of
Mr. Bryning. Mr. Osborne lived on South
Sixth street so as to be nearer the church.
Negotiations with the Baptist Society for the use of the
parsonage, had been going on for quite a while, and
in September, 1878, the old Rectory was finally sold
to Mr. R. S. Andrews for $1000 cash, and the money
invested as a Rectory Fund.
The question of where to place the new Rectory
began to occupy the minds of the congregation.
Some wanted it on the lots in the rear of the church,
others wanted it farther away and where to build
the Rectory became a very fruitful subject of con-
versation between the members of the congregation.
In January, 1880, Mr. R. B. Morris was appointed
a committee of one to get plans and estimates for
a building of brick, wood or stone, on the lots in
the rear of the church. At the same meeting Dr.
Shulze reported that two furnaces for the church
had been contracted for to cost $350. We find some
new names on the Vestry at this time: W. W.
Scoullar, R. H. Ballantine, R. F. Smith and J. S.
Kellogg.
It was decided to
buy a lot about one block south of the church on
Fifth street, and a movement was started to secure
subscriptions for the building of a Rectory on this
lot. This step was followed in August by the
resignation of Mr. Osborne, a step which seemed
disastrous to contemplate, but which under God led the
Parish in September, 1881, at the suggestion of
Messrs. C E. Styles, W. S. Cain, and H. A. Coates,
to select as their rector
THE REV. ABIEL LEONARD
of Hannibal, Mo., who entered upon his duties
November 6th of that year. And now the parish
entered what has been called its golden era. Mr.
Leonard came to town with his wife and two children and
quarters were prepared for them in the Pardee
Block. Genial, large-hearted, zealous, of keen
sympathy with all sorts and conditions of men, Mr.
Leonard soon led the parish life to catch a part of
his own visions and the people went on from
strength to strength. The Vestry realizing the
importance of rounding out Mr. Osborne's work,
began its campaign for a Rectory. The lot on South
Fifth street was sold in the spring of 1882 to Mr.
John M. Cain, and after much campaigning by the
champions of various sites, the present Rectory, No.
416 T street, was finally purchased for $4100 and
Mr. Leonard and his family moved into it May
17th, 1882. On the Vestry elected that year we find
the names of Messrs. Blish, Scoullar, Horton, Mize,
Styles, Cain, Coates, Markham and Osborn. In that
same year Mr. William Collett and Dr. E. L.
Kellogg were chosen ushers.
Shortly after Christmas in 1883, a terrible
calamity struck at the heart of the congregation
in the death by the burning of his home, of the wife
and daughter of Mr. Charles E. Styles. Later on a
beautiful memorial window was placed in the church
in memory of these dear people.
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This website created Jan. 24, 2012 by Sheryl McClure.
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