Receipt for Subscription to Pay the Salary of Reverend Daniel N. Freeland, the Second Full-Time Pastor of Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church

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The brief and simple little document that is the subject of today's Historic Pelham article does not seem to tell much of a story.  Indeed, at first blush it might not seem particularly interesting, at least on its face.  Deeper inquiry, however, reveals that the document sheds fascinating light on the history of the little settlement of Pelham Manor before it became a village as well as that of the Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church that stood in the very heart of that settlement.

The document, images of which appear immediately below with a transcription to facilitate search, is a receipt reflecting payment of a subscription promised by a member of the congregation of the little wooden church to pay $25 toward the annual salary of the pastor of the church between October 15, 1883 and October 15, 1884, barely six years after the settlement and its little church were founded as part of the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association development.

Receipt Reflecting Payment of Subscription by C. R. Gillett to Provide $25 Toward the

Annual Salary of the Pastor of Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church

Between October 15, 1883 and October 15, 1884 (Obverse).  NOTE:

Click on Image to Enlarge.

Reverse of Same Receipt Reflecting Payment of Subscription.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

Below is a transcription of the obverse and reverse of the receipt.  Text that is italicized in the transcription represents handwriting rather than printed matter that appears on the receipt.  

[Obverse]

"Huguenot Memorial Church

Pelham Manor, N. Y. Jany 15, 1884
Mr  C. R. Gillett

To Huguenot Memorial Church, Dr.

$ 25.00 being one year quarter Oct 15 / 83 to Oct 15 / 84 
of subscription of $ Twenty five Dollars toward
pastor's salary for the current year.

Received payment, 
John H. Johnson Treasurer."

[Reverse]

"P. M. Church
83."

The receipt affirms that in the early years of the church, which opened in July 1876, the pastor's salary was paid by raising funds through subscriptions promised by members of the congregation.  This particular receipt reflects a $25 subscription payment by C. R. Gillett.  

The receipt reflects a payment toward the annual salary of the pastor of the little church at the time:  Reverend Daniel N. Freeland.  Reverend Freeland was the second full-time pastor of the church and the third to serve the congregation since the founding of the little church.

Huguenot Memorial was founded as the nation's only "Centennial Church" and, thus, opened its doors for its first service on the Sunday after the nation celebrated its July 4, 1876 Centennial.  Reverend Charles Eliphalet Lord (who was instrumental in raising funds to help erect and open the church) served as an acting pastor from the time the church opened until the congregation arranged its first full-time pastor.  That pastor was Rev. Dr. Henry Randall Waite.  Reverend Waite began service as the pastor of the Church in 1877 and was formally installed in that post on the afternoon of Tuesday, December 4, 1877.  Rev. Waite served as pastor of the church for a little less than three years.  He resigned the pastorate in November, 1880.

Thereafter the congregation arranged Reverend Daniel N. Freeland as its second full-time pastor.  Reverend Freeland served in that role for eight years.  Thus, this receipt reflects a payment toward Reverend Freeland's annual salary between October 15, 1883 and October 15, 1884.  

Interestingly, the payment was made by C. R. Gillett.  This was Dr. Charles Ripley Gillett who, at the time, was a new resident of the settlement of Pelham Manor.  Gillett moved to Pelham Manor in 1883 and was an early member of the Pelham Manor Protective Club, a forerunner to the village government formed when the Village of Pelham Manor incorporated in 1891.  

Gillett published his "recollections" of Pelham Manor in 1883 and in its early years.  See Thu., Feb. 20, 2014:  Pelham Manor in 1883 and in its Early Years - Recollections of An Early Pelham Manor Resident.  He was born November 29, 1855 in New York City.  He died September 3, 1948 in Norfolk, Connecticut.  He was an important and active member of the Pelham Manor community for decades and played important roles in the Pelham Manor Protective Club, Huguenot Memorial Church, the Manor Club, the Village of Pelham Manor, and other Pelham institutions.  

Charles Ripley Gillett in About 1903.  Source:  Chamberlain, Joshua L.,

Universities and Their Sons -- New York University Its History, Influence,

Equipment and Characteristics with Biographical Sketches and Portraits

of Founders, Benefactors, Officers and Alumni, Vol. II, p. 155 (Boston,

MA:  R. Herndon Company, 1903).  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

Gillett was an incredibly talented man.  At the age of fifteen he entered the College of Arts and Science of New York University.  He graduated in 1874 with a Bachelor of Arts but continued his education in the sciences and engineering.  In 1876 he received a Bachelor of Science, another degree in Civil Engineering, and a third degree of Master of Arts in cursu (following a specialized course of honors studies).  From New York University he entered the Union Theological Seminary.  He graduated at the top of his class in 1880 and, consequently, received a fellowship prize to study abroad for two years.  He studied in the theological and philosophical disciplines at the University of Berlin from 1881-83.  

Also in 1881, Gillett married Kate Van Kirk on April 26.  Upon completion of Gillett's studies at the University of Berlin, the couple returned to the United States and settled in the new community of Pelham Manor.  At about the same time Gillett began his lifelong professional association with the Union Theological Seminary when he was named to the position of Librarian.  During the remainder of Gillett's career he served in a host of positions including Dean of Students, Secretary of the Faculty, Instructor, and Librarian Emeritus at UTS between 1908 and 1948.  His papers are maintained in The Burke Library of the Union Theological Seminary, 3041 Broadway, New York, New York, 10027.  

The $25 dollars paid by Gillett to help fund Reverend Daniel N. Freeland's salary was certainly not insubstantial.  Indeed, in today's dollars it was the equivalent of about $858.

Reverend Daniel N. Freeland likewise was an impressive man.  Born in Philadelphia, Freeland graduated first from the University of Pennsylvania in 1844 and from Princeton Seminary in 1847.  He married Mary Burwell.  His first call to serve as pastor was from Monroe Church in Orange County, New York where he served for thirty-four years.  From there he was called to Huguenot Memorial Church where he served as pastor for eight years until he resigned from the position.  After resigning, he was commissioned by the Presbyterian Church to take charge of two small churches in Florida:  Hawthorne and Waldo.  He served as pastor of those churches for six years until he retired.  He died in July, 1913 at the age of 88.  

In short, the tiny little receipt depicted in the images above may not seem like much.  Yet, inquiry and investigation reveals that it is related to significant aspects of the histories of the little settlement of Pelham Manor and the Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church.

A Glass Lantern Slide Created by Pelham Town Historian

William Montgomery Between December 10, 1916 and June

10, 1917. It Depicts the "Little Red Church," the Predecessor

Building to Today's Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church

Sanctuary.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

*          *          *          *          *

"GILLETT, Charles Ripley, 1855 - 
Class of 1874 Arts, 1876 Sci.

Born in New York, 1855; graduated from New York University with A. B., 1874, B. S., 1876, C. E., 1876, and A. M., in cursu, 1876; graduated Union Theological Seminary, 1880; at University of Berlin, 1881-83; Librarian of Union Theological Seminary since 1883; also from 1893 to 1901 Instructor in Theological Propaedeutics, and since 1898 Secretary of Faculty; D. D., New York University, 1898; L. H. D., Beloit College, 1899.

CHARLES RIPLEY GILLETT, A. M., D. D., L. H. D., is a son of the eminent and honorable theologian, preacher and teacher, the Rev. Professor Ezra Hall Gillett, D. D., whose history is recounted elsewhere in the annals of New York University.  His mother's maiden name was Mary Jane Kendall.  On the paternal side the family is of Huguenot origin, and was transplanted to New York in 1631.  On the maternal side it is English and Welsh.  Dr. Gillett was born in New York City on November 29, 1855, and was privately educated by his father.  In his fifteenth year he entered the College of Arts and Science of New York University, and was graduated from the Arts or Classical Course in 1874 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts.  In 1876 he was graduated from the Scientific and Engineering courses, with the degrees of Bachelor of Science and Civil Engineer, and also received the degree of Master of Arts in cursu.  From the University he went to Union Theological Seminary, with which he has since been conspicuously identified.  He pursued the regular course with exceptional success, and was graduated in 1880 with the first honors of his class, receiving the prize fellowship which entitled him to two years of study abroad.  He spent the years 1881-83 at the University of Berlin, in the Theological and Philosophical faculties.  Upon his return to New York in 1883 he was elected Librarian of Union Theological Seminary, as the successor of Henry B. Smith, Edward Robinson and Charles A. Briggs, and still holds the place.  From 1893 to 1901 he was Instructor in Theological Propaedeutics in the Seminary, serving as the successor of the late Dr. Philip Schaff, and since 1898 he has also been Secretary of the Faculty and Registrar.  In 1898 he received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from New York University, and in 1899 that of I. H. D. from Beloit College.  Since 1901 he has been engaged in special work for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, preparing, first, 'The Catalogue of Egyptian Antiquities,' a volume of one hundred and fifty pages, which is about to appear in its third edition; and second, the third volume of 'The Descriptive Atlas of the Cypriote Antiquities in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City,' generally known as 'The Cesnola Collection.'  The work covers descriptions of the objects in gold, silver, bronze, engraved gems and seals, rock crystal, glass, alabaster, basalt, Egyptian pottery, lead, ivory and the inscribed stones containing inscriptions in Phoenician, Cypriote and Greek.  During this time he has been rated as Temporary Curator in the Department of Sculpture.  Ever since his connection with the Library of Union Theological Seminary he has written at times in connection with the Critical and Literary departments of various periodicals.  From 1891 to 1897 he was Literary Editor of the 'Magazine of Christian Literatures.'  He has been a contributor to the columns of such papers as 'The Nation,' 'The New York Independent' and 'The New York Evangelist,' and to such reviews and magazines as 'The Presbyterian Review,' 'The New World,' 'The Andover Review,' 'The Presbyterian and Reformed Review,' 'The Biblical World' and 'The American Journal of Theology.'  He has published several books as a compiler and translator.  Among these are two editions of 'The General Catalogue of the Alumni of the Union Theological Seminary,' one in 1886 and the other 1898.  In 1895 he published a translation of Adolf Harnack's 'Monasticism, its Ideal and its History, and in 1897 he published a translation of Kruger's 'History of Early Christian Literature.'  Since the latter date his time has been mainly devoted to the duties of his librarianship, his secretaryship and to his extra work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  He was married on April 26, 1881, to Kate Van Kirk, who has borne him five children:  Carrie Richardson (deceased), Ezra Kendall, Mary Marshall, Robert and William Gillett.  His office is at No. 700 Park Avenue, New York, and his home at Pelham Manor, Westchester County, New York."

Source:  Chamberlain, Joshua L., Universities and Their Sons -- New York University Its History, Influence, Equipment and Characteristics with Biographical Sketches and Portraits of Founders, Benefactors, Officers and Alumni, Vol. II, pp. 155-56 (Boston, MA:  R. Herndon Company, 1903).

"Ministerial Obituary
Rev. Daniel N. Freeland

Daniel N. Freeland died last month at his home in Elizabeth, N. J., after a brief illness at the age of 88.  Mr. Freeland at the time of his death was believed to be the oldest living graduate of Princeton Seminary and the second oldest of the University of Pennsylvania.  He was born in Philadelphia and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1844 and from Princeton three years later.  His first call was from Monroe church in Orange county, New York, a rich agricultural section, to which he gave thirty-four years of service.  From thence he was called to Huguenot Memorial church at Pelham Manor, N. Y., where he remained for eight years.  After resigning from this church he was commissioned by the Home Board to take charge of two small churches in Florida -- Hawthorne and Waldo -- where he spent six years.  His wife was Miss Mary Burwell."

Source:  "Ministerial Obituary Rev. Daniel N. Freeland" in The Continent, Vol. 44, No. 32, p. 1113, (NY, NY:  Aug. 7 ,1913).   

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Installation of Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church's First Permanent Pastor in 1877

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Rev. Dr. Henry Randall Waite was the first permanent pastor of Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church.  (Rev. Charles Eliphalet Lord served as an acting pastor from the time the church opened until Rev. Waite became the first full-time pastor.) 

Huguenot Memorial was founded as the nation's only "Centennial Church" and, thus, opened its doors for its first service on the Sunday after the nation celebrated its July 4, 1876 Centennial.  Reverend Waite began service as the pastor of the Church in 1877 and was formally installed in that post on the afternoon of Tuesday, December 4, 1877.

Rev. Waite served as pastor of Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church for a little less than three years.  He resigned the pastorate in November, 1880.   A few years later he founded the tiny little Church of the Covenant at Pelhamville, and was its minister without salary from 1887 to 1889. 

Reverend Waite was a fascinating man. While serving as minister of the Church of the Covenant at Pelhamville, he also served as Secretary and Treasurer of the Julien Electric Company, which operated the first street cars propelled by storage battery in the United States. He also was a man of letters. He edited a host of important publications of his day.

I have written about Rev. Dr. Henry Randall Waite before.  See, e.g.: 

Thu., Sep. 29, 2005:  A Brief Biography of Henry Randall Waite, 19th Century Clergyman in Pelham.  

Wed., Oct. 25, 2006:  A Biography of the Rev. Henry Randall Waite, Ph. D., a 19th Century Pastor of Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church.

Tue., Sep. 18, 2007:  Installation of the First Full-Time Pastor of Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church in Pelham Manor in 1877.

The installation of Rev. Waite as pastor of Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church on December 4, 1877 was, of course, a seminal event in the history of the little church.  The installation services were conducted in the afternoon of that day.  Members of the clergy from throughout the Westchester Presbytery and elsewhere attended the services in the tiny little wooden sanctuary that stood where today's magnificent stone sanctuary stands.  The little church was painted red and became a famous landmark because it stood on Boston Post Road, then the principal thoroughfare between New York City and New England.  The red church gave the name "Red Church Corner" to the intersection of Boston Post Road and Pelhamdale Avenue where it stood.

Among the clergy present for the installation services that day were:  Rev. Washington Roosevelt and Rev. Charles Higbee, both of Pelham Manor; Rev. Dr. Baird of Rye; Rev. Dr. William J. Tucker and Rev. Dr. Lewellyn Bevan, both of New York City; Rev. Robert A. Davison, Moderator of Westchester Presbytery; Rev. Dr. Wilson Phraner of Sing Sing, Rev. Dr. Rollin A. Sawyer of Irvington, Rev. Hiram H. Waite (father of Henry Randall Waite); and Rev. L. Francis of Greenpoint, Long Island.

Rev. Davison, Moderator of the Westchester Presbytery, propounded the constitutional question to Rev. Waite.  Rev. Phraner gave the charge to the new pastor.  Rev. Sawyer gave the charge to the people of the congregation.  Rev. Dr. William J. Tucker of New York City delivered the sermon.  According to one newspaper account:

"Dr. Tucker, of this city, preached an admirable sermon on what he called the inspiration of faith, which, he argued, always preceded the inspiration of writing.  So that before Moses or David, Isaiah or Paul could write, they must have believed.  And had they not been obedient as well as believing, God could not have developed His truth in them with sufficient clearness and power for them to have written it."  

Three vocalists ("Miss Phillips and Messrs. O'Brien and Grover") from New Rochelle celebrated the installation with music.  Rev. Waite's father, Rev. Hiram H. Waite, delivered the closing prayer.  Following the services, the clergy dispersed to the homes of various residents of Pelham Manor and were "entertained by the hospitable Pelhamites at their homes."

A Glass Lantern Slide Created by Pelham Town Historian

William Montgomery Between December 10, 1916 and June

10, 1917. It Depicts the "Little Red Church," the Predecessor

Building to Today's Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church

Sanctuary. The Little Red Church was a "Centenary Church"

Opened in July 1876 in Part to Commemorate the Centennial

of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

*           *          *          *          *

"WESTCHESTER COUNTY. . . .

A special meeting of the Westchester Presbytery will be held in the Huguenot Memorial Church, at Pelham Manor, on Tuesday afternoon next, for the purpose of installing the new Pastor of the church, Rev. Henry Randall Waite, Ph. D.  Among the prominent clergymen who will take part in the exercises are Rev. Washington Roosevelt, Rev. Llewellyn Bevan, Rev. T. Ralston Smith, Rev. William J. Tucker, Rev. Wilson Phraner, Rev. Rollin A. Sawyer, and Rev. Hiram H. Waite."

Source:  WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. Times, Dec. 2, 1877, p. 2, col. 5.  

"A HUGUENOT INSTALLATION.
-----
THE NEW CHURCH THAT HAS BEEN ERECTED AT PELHAM MANOR.

The Huguenots were an important factor in the morals and politics of Westchester county, N. Y., a century ago, though their history is still unwritten save in sketches.  The old Pelham Manor having been laid out in village plots by an association composed largely of New England descendants of the Huguenots a few years ago, they resolved to plant a church there which should be a memorial to their persecuted ancestors.  They have built one of the plainest and prettiest country churches anywhere within an hours' [sic] ride of New York, and yesterday the edifice was filled with persons from the city and the villages adjacent between this and Sing Sing to witness the installation of the Rev. Henry Randall Waite, Ph. D., as pastor.  Mr. Waite was formerly pastor of the American Chapel in Rome, but has been back about a year.  The little Huguenot church was opened for worship on the first Sabbath of the second centenary of American independence, and is therefore properly named the Huguenot Centenary Memorial Church of Pelham Manor.  It is the only Huguenot church in the land.  Being within the bounds of the Westchester Presbytery a large representation of that body was present at the installation services yesterday afternoon.  The exercises were participated in by the Rev. Washington Roosevelt and the Rev. Charles Higbee, of Pelham Manor, the later rector of the Episcopal Church there; by the Rev. Dr. Baird of Rye; Rev. Drs. W. J. Tucker and L. Bevan, of this city; Rev. Robert A. Davison, moderator of Presbytery, who propounded the constitutional question to the new pastor; by Dr. Phraner, of Sing Sing, who gave the charge to the pastor, and Dr. Sawyer, of Irvington, N. Y., who charged the people.  The Rev. H. H. Waite, father of the Huguenot pastor, is engaged in the same relation with the Second Congregational Church in Jersey City.  He was present yesterday at the installation of his son and made the closing prayer, and the Rev. L. Francis of the First Reformed Church, Greenpoint, L. I., also took part.  Dr. Tucker, of this city, preached an admirable sermon on what he called the inspiration of faith, which, he argued, always preceded the inspiration of writing.  So that before Moses or David, Isaiah or Paul could write, they must have believed.  And had they not been obedient as well as believing, God could not have developed His truth in them with sufficient clearness and power for them to have written it.  Dr. Sawyer's charge to the people was a model of its kind.  It was delivered extempore and related to their reception of the new pastor as a man and as a minister.  As a man, he was theirs; as a minister, they were to be him.  The first meant that they should provide adequate support for him; the second that they should hear the Word of God from his mouth, not in a perfunctory manner, but as if Christ, whose ambassador he is, stood before them.  A trio from New Rochelle -- Miss Phillips and Messrs. O'Brien and Grover -- furnished the vocal music, and the visitors were entertained by the hospitable Pelhamites at their homes."

Source:  A HUGUENOT INSTALLATION -- THE NEW CHURCH THAT HAS BEEN ERECTED AT PELHAM MANOR, N. Y. Herald, Dec. 5, 1877, No. 15,080, p. 4, col. 4.  

"Dedication of a Huguenot Church.

The Huguenots were an important factor in the morals and politics of this county a century ago, though their history is still unwritten save in sketches.  The old Pelham Manor having been laid out in village plots by an association composed largely of New England descendants of the Huguenots a few years ago, they resolved to plant a church there which should be a memorial to their persecuted ancestors.  They have built a plain but handsome edifice, which was filled with people on the 4th inst. to witness the installation of Rev. Henry Randall Waite, Ph. D., as pastor.  This is the only Huguenot Church in the land.  Being with the bounds of the Westchester Presbytery a large representation of that body was present at the installation services.  The exercises were participated in by the Rev. Washington Roosevelt and the Rev. Charles Higbee, of Pelham Manor, the latter rector of the Episcopal Church there; by the Rev. Dr. Baird, of Rye; Rev. Drs. W. J. Tucker and L. Bevan, of New York city; Rev. Robert A. Davison, Moderator of the Presbytery, who propounded the constitutional question to the new pastor; by Dr. Phraner, of Sing Sing, who gave the charge to the pastor, and Dr. Sawyer, of Irvington, who charged the people.  A trio from New Rochelle -- Miss Phillips and Messrs. O'Brien and Grover -- furnished the vocal music, and the visitors were entertained by the hospital [sic] Pelhamites at their homes."

Source:  Dedication of a Huguenot Church, Eastern State Journal, Dec. 14, 1877, Vol. XXXIII, No. 35, p. 3, col. 3.

"COUNTY JOTTINGS. -- Interesting Items of Happenings in all Parts of this County. . . . 

Rev. Henry Randall Waite has resigned the pastorate of the Presbyterian Church at Pelham Manor. . . ."

Source:  COUNTY JOTTINGS. -- Interesting Items of Happenings in all Parts of this County, Eastern State Journal [White Plains, NY], Nov. 12, 1880, p. 3, col. 3.  

"Westchester County. . . . 

Rev. Henry Randall Waite has resigned the pastorate of the Presbyterian Church at Pelham Manor. . . ."

Source:  Westchester County, The Port Chester Journal [Port Chester, NY], Nov. 25, 1880, Vol. XIII, No. 627, p. 4, col. 2.

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Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church Had a Special Celebration of its 46th Anniversary in 1922

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On Sunday, October 22, 1922, Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church celebrated its 46th anniversary.  While it might seem to some unusual to celebrate a 46th anniversary rather than a 45th or 50th, there was method in the madness.  The 46th anniversary of the church happened to coincide with the fifteenth anniversary of the pastorate of Dr. Lewis Gaston Leary, one of the most influential pastors in the long and storied history of the church.

The Church also celebrated the final completion of the Sunday School portion of the massive church structure built to replace the Little Red Church that once stood at Red Church Corner (known today as "Four Corners," the intersection of Pelhamdale Avenue and Boston Post Road).  

The celebration included organ selections by George H. Shackley as well as music by famous baritone Knight MacGregor and tenor Judson House, including a duet by the pair.  Reverend Leary delivered an address on the history of the church.  

Dr. Lewis Gaston Leary oversaw unprecedented growth in the size of the congregation and the Sunday School of the church.  He addressed the fact that the church, first known as "The Huguenot Memorial Forest First Presbyterian Church of Pelham Manor, New York," was formally incorporated on October 22, 1876.  It held its first service in the newly-completed Little Red Church, however, on July 9, 1876 -- the Sunday closest to the nation's centennial on July 4, 1876.  The Church was dedicated as the nation's only centenary church opened on July 9, 1876 to honor the nation's centennial.  The Little Red Church could seat 200 in its sanctuary.  It had plenty of room for the growth of its initial congregation of a couple dozen members.  The first Sunday School was held the following Sunday, July 16, 1876, with 13 teachers and scholars on the roll.  

Reverend Lewis Gaston Leary, Ph.D., came to the church in 1907 from the Presbyterian Church at Blauvelt, New York.  By 1922, Reverend Leary had grown to 340 by late October, 1922.

On October 20, 1922, The Pelham Sun published a wonderful news story about the history of the church.  It included a biography of Reverend Leary and is recommended reading for students of Pelham history.  The article is transcribed below, followed by a citation and link to its source.

A Glass Lantern Slide Created by Pelham Town Historian

William Montgomery Between December 10, 1916 and June 10, 1917.

It Depicts the "Little Red Church," the Predecessor Building to

Today's Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church Sanctuary.

The Little Red Church was a "Centenary Church" Opened in

July 1876 in Part to Commemorate the Centennial of the

Signing of the Declaration of Independence.

"Dr. Lewis G. Leary" in a Photograph Published in 1922

With the Article Transcribed and Cited Below with a Link.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.  

*          *          *          *          *

"Huguenot Memorial Church Celebrates Forty-sixth Anniversary With Special Service on Sunday
-----
Celebration Will Also Commemorate the Close of the Fifteenth Year of Service By Dr. Lewis G. Leary As Pastor of the Church.
-----
Special Music at All Sunday Services
-----
Under Dr. Leary's Pastorate Church Has Grown In Membership From 46 to 333.

Huguenot Memorial Church will celebrate at its service next Sunday morning the forty-sixth anniversary of its organization and the completion of the fifteenth year of the pastorate of Rev. Dr. Lewis Gaston Leary.  A further interesting feature will be on the public recognition of the complete fulfillment of the plans of the new church building.  While the beautiful structure has been in use for some time and was formally dedicated with appropriate ceremonies over a year ago, it is only recently that the opening of the enlarged Sunday School room marked the end of the work of the Building Committee.  The completion of this fine addition to the architectural beauties of the Pelhams forms a fitting climax to the forty-six years of the church's existence and to the fifteen years of faithful service of Dr. Leary.

The services in the church at 11:15 a.m. Sunday will be worthy of the oc-

(Continued on Page Four)

Celebrating Forty-sixth Anniversary of Church
-----
(Continued from Page One)

casion.  In addition to solos by Knight MacGregor, the well-known baritone of the church, and the special organ selections by George H. Shackley, the musical program will include solos by Judson House, formerly of St. Bartholomew's Church and one of New York's leading tenors.  Mr. House will sing at the versper service also.  There will also be a duet by Mr. MacGregor and Mr. House.  Dr. Leary's address will deal with the interesting development of the church during its forty-six years' existence, and particularly during his pastorate.  The history of the Huguenot Memorial Church is closely associated with the history of the Town of Pelham in the period of its greatest growth.

The organization that we know as the Huguenot Memorial Church in the Town of Pelham was originally incorporated as 'The Huguenot Memorial Forest First Presbyterian Church of Pelham Manor, New York.'  This unwieldy title was quickly dropped by common consent and the latter name adopted as being more descriptive of its activities.  The first building, the old Red Church, which gave its popular name to Red Church Corner, was erected in 1876, largely through the generosity of Mr. Silas Witherbee, the father of Mrs. Robert C. Black.  At that time there were but nineteen houses in Pelham Manor and one in the section now known as Pelham Heights.  The little building, with its seating capacity of two hundred, would hold more than the entire population of its parish and have lots of empty pews.  In those days a traveler by rail from New York could reach Pelham Manor only by going to New Rochelle and coming back from there.  The station on the main line was called Pelhamville.

The formal organization of the church occurred on October 22, 1876, but services were held as early as July 9th of that year.  The first Sunday School was held on July 16, 1876, with 13 teachers and scholars on the roll.  The enrollment of the Huguenot Memorial Sunday School last Sunday, October 15, 1922, was 340.

Among those who signed the petition to the Presbytery for the organization of the church and thus became charter members was John M. Shinn, a well-known resident of Pelham Manor today and an active member of the church.  Mrs. Shinn was later voted a charter member and Mr. and Mrs. Shinn are the only charter members now on the church roll.  Among other early members of the church are the Robert C. Blacks, the Alfred L. Hammetts and the Secors.

The first annual report to Presbytery showed 20 members an in the Sunday School and the financial statistics included congregational expenses, $200, and benevolences of $35.  The report of the church filed in the spring of the present year shows a membership of 333, Sunday School 326, congregational expenses of over $25,000 and benevolences of over $10,000.  Three churches have grown from the Huguenot Memorial Church, the Swedish Church of New Rochelle, the old Congregational Church of North Pelham, now defunct, and the Presbyterian  Church of Gold Beach, Oregon.

Rev. Lewis Gaston Leary, Ph.D., came to the church in 1907 from the Presbyterian Church at Blauvelt, N. Y.  He is a graduate of Rutgers College with a degree of B.Sc. and Phi Beta Kappa, having won first scientific honor, first rhetorical honor and prizes in history, debate, orations and metaphysics.  He entered Union Theological Seminary where he remained for two years, winning the degree of M. A. at the Post Graduate School of New York University during the second year at the Seminary in addition to studying the necessary Greek and Latin in the summer.  He attended his final seminary year at McCormick Seminary, Chicago, and was ordained by the Presbytery of Elizabeth, N. J., in 1900.

From 1900 to 1903 Dr. Leary was instructor, chiefly in mathematics and senior English, at the Syrian Protestant College in Beirut, now the American University of Beirut, during which time he studied Italian and Arabic and put on the stage at the college the first play in the English language ever presented in the Turkish Empire -- Julius Caesar.  His wide experience as a traveler includes extensive journeys by land and water in Europe, Palestine, Syria, Egypt, the Balkans, Egean Islands and Asia Minor.  In 1902 he traveled 7,000 miles during 100 days at a total cost of $200, and he has traveled in over 30 Mediterranean steamers and for thirty days in Mediterranean steerages studying human nature.  Returning to America in 1903 he spent a year in post-graduate work in Semitics at McCormick Seminary and in 1904 married Beatrice Knight, of Newark, N. J.

Dr. Leary's degree of Doctor of Philosophy was received from New York University after graduate work in 1904-5, the major subjects being Hebrew and Arabic.  He has won wide recognition as a lecturer on Oriental travel and the Old Testament, delivering lectures at many Chautauquas, besides about 500 lectures under the auspices of the New York Board of Education.  His articles on Near East, Travel and Old Testament subjects have been published in many magazines including Scribner's and the Christian Herald.  About 80 articles in the Standard Bible History are from his pen.  He is also the author of four books, The Real Palestine of Today; Syria, the Land of Lebanon; The Christmas City; and Andorra, the Hidden Republic.

Upon coming to the Huguenot Memorial Church October 24, 1907, Dr. Leary entered into the activities of the church and community with characteristic energy.  During his residence in Pelham he has served as a member of the Board of Education and was on the Building Committee which obtained the ground and secured the vote of the district for the Memorial High School Building.  During the war he was an active member of all the committees in connection with war loans, he prepared the illustrated lectures which were used by the Junior Department, American Red Cross, he was later a speaker for the Near East Relief Committee, a member of original committee and then of the Executive Committee for the drive for funds to rebuild the Pelham Home for Children.  He was a Moderator of Westchester Presbytery for two terms and is a chaplain of Winyah Lodge, F. & A. M.

During Dr. Leary's pastorate the Huguenot Memorial Church has grown from a membership of 46 to 333, while the Sunday School has increased from 83 to 340.  The money raised for congregational expenses has increased from $961, to more than $25,000, and for benevolences from $737, to more than $10,000."

Source:  Huguenot Memorial Church Celebrates Forty-sixth Anniversary With Special Service on Sunday -- Celebration Will Also Commemorate the Close of the Fifteenth Year of Service By Dr. Lewis G. Leary As Pastor of the Church -- Special Music at All Sunday Services -- Under Dr. Leary's Pastorate Church Has Grown In Membership From 46 to 333, The Pelham Sun, Oct. 20, 1922, Vol. 13, No. 34, p. 1, cols. 3-5 & p. 4, cols.  1-3.  

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Sketches of Pelham in 1935 By Artist Vernon Howe Bailey

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Introduction

On May 17, 1935, a tiny little notice appeared in The Pelham Sun, buried on the second page of the local newspaper.  It stated:

"Sketching Pelham.

Vernon Howe Bailey, internationally famous artist, is doing a series of sketches illustrating the attractiveness of Pelham.  The series will appear in the New York Sun.  His idea of a suburban home epitomizing everything artistically delightful from an artist's viewpoint is the William L. Curtin residence at 35 Beech Tree Lane, Pelham Manor.  The Country Club, Bolton Priory, the High School facade, and our own chief joy, the Westchester & Boston R.R. arch over Fifth avenue, will be among the sketches appearing in the N. Y. Sun."

Source:  Sketching Pelham, The Pelham Sun, May 17, 1935, Vol. 26, No. 6, p. 2, cols. 3-4. 

Did Bailey's sketches of Pelham appear in The New York Sun?  Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog answers that question and provides information about Vernon Howe Bailey and his sketches.

Vernon Howe Bailey

Vernon Howe Bailey was, indeed, a renowned artist during the early to mid-20th century.  He was born in Camden, New Jersey in April 1874 a son of Amasa Pearson Bailey and Abbie S. Wise Bailey.  At fifteen, he moved his studies to the Pennsylvania Museum School of Art in Philadelphia.  

In preparation for his career as an American painter, draftsman, illustrator, and artist, Bailey also studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, the Académie Biloul in Paris, the Royal College of Art in London, and the Academie de l’ecluse in Paris.  In 1892 he joined the art staff of The Philadelphia Times and, two years later, moved to The Boston Herald.

On November 4, 1896, Vernon Howe Bailey married Lillian M. Cate in Lynn, Massachusetts.  He later married Lillian M. Cate and the couple had a son born October 23, 1907 whom they named Vernon Howe.  The boy died a few years later in 1918.  

As Bailey's career blossomed, he became a contributor to such famous publications as The Harper's Weekly, Leslies Weekly, and Colliers.  He prepared art for many of the covers of such publications.  He traveled extensively to execute illustrations on behalf of The Boston Herald and publications for which he served as a contributing artist.  According to one biography:

"Bailey's special subject[s] were city streets, landscapes, buildings and maritime scenes in Europe and America.  The best known of his drawings are his sketches in pencil of London, his watercolor and drawings of Spain and his drawings of skyscrapers in New York City.  Bailey was the first artist privileged by the United States government on the declaration of war [World War I] to make drawings of navy yards, munition factories, and other centres of war work, as mentioned. These drawings appeared in exhibitions and were published in the leading magazines throughout the country.  The collections he created in Spain were later bought by The Hispanic Society, and were shown in the Musée de la Guerre of France [which] contains a collection of lithographs of American war subjects. Besides his work as a newspaper artist in London and America, Bailey illustrated many books."

Source:  "Vernon Howe Bailey" in Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia (visited Oct. 15, 2016).   

After World War I, Bailey traveled extensively in Spain and made landscape drawings and watercolors of scenes throughout the country, many of which were later reproduced in his book "Little Known Towns of Spain."  Upon his return to the United States, he created a notable series of lithograph studies of New York skyscrapers in 1927.  

In 1935, Bailey began an extensive series of drawings of suburban scenes from throughout the New York City metropolitan region published in The New York Sun.  Among the first few of the hundreds of images he prepared for publication were a number of Pelham scenes.  

Vernon Howe Bailey eventually became a member of the American Watercolor Society, the Society of Illustrators, the Hispanic Society of America, and the San Fernando Royal Academy of Fine Art in Madrid, Spain.  According to one biography, "[h]is works were collected or exhibited in prestigious venues in the U.S. and Europe, including the Smithsonian Institution, the Hispanic Society, the New York Public Library, the Museum of the City of New York, the National Library in Madrid and the Vatican Library."  Vernon Howe Bailey died on October 27, 1953.

The Pelham Sketches

The Pelham Sun article quoted in full above indicates that during the spring of 1935, Vernon Howe Bailey executed five sketches of Pelham scenes:  (1) the New York, Westchester and Boston Railroad Arch over Fifth Avenue at Third Street; (2) the Pelham Country Club; (3) Pelham Memorial High School; (4) 35 Beech Tree Lane; and (5) Bolton Priory.  Research has revealed four of the five sketches mentioned in the article, with only the arch over Fifth Avenue not yet located by this author.  Given the way in which the series appeared in The New York Sun, it seems as though the sketch of the New York, Westchester and Boston Railroad Arch Over Fifth Avenue likely appeared in the newspaper on or about May 31, 1935 as sketch "No. 7" of Bailey's series of sketches, although this author has not yet located that issue of the newspaper.  Research further has revealed a sixth Pelham sketch by Bailey that appeared as part of the series.  It is a sketch of the Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church in Pelham Manor.  

Below are the five sketches located so far.  The text of the caption beneath each image is quoted immediately below the pertinent image to facilitate search, followed by a citation and link to the source of the image.

"SKETCHES OF NEW YORK'S SUBURBS -- No. 8

By VERNON HOWE BAILEY  Pelham - Pelham

Country Club.  The sketch shows the frame and

stucco clubhouse of the Pelham Country Club on

Wynnewood Road, Pelham Manor.  Organized in

1908, the club maintains 128 acres, which include

an eighteen-hole golf course, opened in July, 1921.

In the foreground of the sketch is part of the lake

near the tenth hole.  But golf is not the only sport

in which the club has interest.  For instance, today

and tomorrow the first eight ranking tennis players

of the country will compete in an invitation tournament

on the Pelham club's courts.  Other sports include

squash and bowling.  The club has a membership

of 375.  Monday -- Pelham -- Memorial High School."

Source:  SKETCHES OF NEW YORK SUBURBS --

No. 8, The New York Sun, Jun. 1, 1935, p. 22,

Cols. 2-4.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

"SKETCHES OF NEW YORK'S SUBURBS -- No. 9

By VERNON HOWE BAILEY  Pelham - Memorial

High School.  The main entrance to the Pelham

Memorial High School, Colonial and Corlies 

avenues, is shown in the accompanying sketch.

The building was erected in 1921 to the memory

of the men who fought in the world war.  Tomorrow -

Pelham - Beech Tree Lane.  Source:

SKETCHES OF NEW YORK SUBURBS --

No. 9, The New York Sun, Jun. 3, 1935, p. 21,

Cols. 2-4.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

"SKETCHES OF NEW YORK'S SUBURBS -- No. 10

By VERNON HOWE BAILEY  Pelham - Beech Tree

Lane, one of the attractive residential streets of

Pelham, showing a gable-roofed building surrounded

by shrubbery and tall trees.  Tomorrow - Bolton Priory.

Source:  SKETCHES OF NEW YORK SUBURBS --

No. 10, The New York Sun, Jun. 4, 1935, p. 19,

Cols. 4-6.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

"SKETCHES OF NEW YORK'S SUBURBS -- No. 11

By VERNON HOWE BAILEY  Pelham - Bolton Priory.

Bolton Priory, historic landmark in Pelham Manor,

was erected in 1838 by Robert Bolton, a minister,

whose friend, Washington Irving, set the building

date above the door in yellow brick brought from

the Old Dutch Church in Sleepy Hollow.  The priory

for years was a girls' school under Nanette Bolton

and later became the property and home of Frederick

H. Allen, whose wife formerly was a pupil in the

school.  The attic and top floor of the building were

destroyed by a fire in July, 1932.

Source:  SKETCHES OF NEW YORK SUBURBS --

No. 11, The New York Sun, Jun. 5, 1935, p. 22,

Cols. 2-4.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

"SKETCHES OF NEW YORK'S SUBURBS -- No. 12

By VERNON HOWE BAILEY  Pelham - Huguenot

Memorial Church.  Here is a sketch of the Huguenot

Memorial Church, which stands at Pelhamdale

avenue and Boston Post Road.  The Rev. William P.

Soper is minister of the church.

Source:  SKETCHES OF NEW YORK SUBURBS --

No. 12, The New York Sun, Jun. 6, 1935, p. 21,

Cols. 2-4.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

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