CHAPTER XXI.
METHODIST CHURCH.
the first seeds of Methodism were sown in Connecticut in 1789;1 and that year the Rev. Jesse Lee preached in Wallingford and other places, passing three months in the State. In 1790, when the circuits of New Haven, Hartford and Litchfield were established, there were but four Methodist ministers in New England. Yet there were more ministers than classes, and scarcely more than two members to each preacher. But under the earnest and devoted labors of the pioneers of Methodism, the doctrine and discipline inculcated by Wesley gradually extended over the State.
Quite early in the history of the church there was a class of five persons in the east part of Meriden. They had no meeting but in private houses, and were visited by a circuit preacher once in two weeks. There was also a small class of four or five which met in the west part of the town. Mr. Charles Baldwin, on his decease, bequeathed them a lot which was sold, and the money was used in building a school-house near the entrance to the cemetery. It was burned clown before completion.
1 This is the date given by Dr. Bangs, though it appears from the "Memorials of Methodism" by Rev. Abel Stevens, that Rev. Messrs. Cook and Black had preached in Connecticut a year or two previously.
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In 1838, Rev. John Parker, who has done more for the Methodist cause in this town than any other person, applied to the conference to supply Meriden with preachers, and Rev. J. E. Searles was sent. He preached in a hall at West Meriden, owned by James S. Brooks. Mr. Parker afterward applied to have him withdrawn, and paid back to the society all they had paid for his support.
In 1840 a young man named Collins, who was filled with a conviction that the world was coming to an end, was sent. He preached earnestly and many were converted. From this nucleus the society was formed and was called the primitive Methodist society. Alexander Miller was the next preacher. He preached two years, and a great many were converted under his preaching. After him came William Somersides.
The conference was to have sent Philo Hawkes as the next preacher, but believing that the world was to come to an end on a certain date, he did not come. Rev. John Parker then called a meeting and formed them into a church, and in 1844 the presiding elder of the district, Nathan Clark, sent Rev. S. Howland, who had then been but three weeks in the university at Middletown. From that time to the following annual conference he received eighteen into the church. They had the regular class-meetings and prayer-meetings. In 1845 Rev. George A. Hubbell was appointed by the New York conference to labor in Meriden; and in 1846 Rev. J. E. Searles was sent. During these two years the appointment was a branch of the Cheshire circuit, but in 1847 it was made a station, and Mr. Searles was appointed preacher in charge.
In 1848-9 Rev. Albert Nash occupied the station; in
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1850 Rev. P. Chamberlain; in 1851-2 Rev. F. Bottome; in 1853-4 Rev. N. Meade; in 1855-6 Rev. George C. Creevy; in 1857 Rev. J. L. Peck; in 1858-9 Rev. Wm. McAlister; in 1860-1 Rev. George A. Hubbell, for the second time; in 1862 Rev. C. Kelsey; in 1863-4 Rev. Charles Fletcher; in 1865-6 Rev. Frederic Brown; in 1867-8 Rev. Francis B. Tower; in 1869 Rev. John Pegg, Jr., a graduate of Wesleyan university, of the class of 1849. During the pastorate of the Rev. Mr. Tower, two hundred and fifty persons presented themselves at the altar, there were two hundred conversions, and the net gain to the church was one hundred and fifty members. In 1847 they completed and occupied their new church. It was built at an expense of six thousand dollars. Its dimensions were sixty feet long and forty feet wide.
The corner-stone of the new Methodist church on Main street, was laid Wednesday, October 31, 1866. The ritual service was read by Rev. E. E. Griswold, the presiding elder, followed by a sermon delivered by Rev. Moses L. Scudder. The following clergy were present: Rev. Messrs. Heman Bangs, of New Haven; F. H. Newhall, D. D., of Middletown; Wm. McAllister, of Brooklyn, N. Y.; T. H. Burch; C. E. Glover; J. E. Searles, of New Haven; A. M. Alien, of Southington; W. W. Bowditch, of Brooklyn, N. Y.; H. B. Elkins, of Simsbury; and J. M. Buckley, of Brooklyn, N. Y.1 The
1 The box in the corner-stone was made of sheet-copper, sealed airtight, and was twelve inches square by six inches deep. The contents were as follows: 1, Bible; 2, Methodist Hymn-Book; 3, Discipline of the M. E. Church; 4, Methodist Catechism; 5, List of officers and members of the Meriden M. E. Church; 6, List of Building Committee; 7, List of Centenary Committee; 8, Architect's card; 9, Photograph of new church; 10, Card of mason builders, Perkins and Lines; 11, Christian Advocate
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society were mainly indebted to the Rev. Francis P. Tower for the idea of erecting the edifice in the year 1869, it having been suggested by him that it be built as a centenary church, in commemoration of the one-hundredth anniversary of American Methodism. The church cost about seventy-five thousand dollars. The
and Journal; 12, The Methodist; 13, Zion's Herald and Wesleyan Advocate; 14, Stevens' Centenary of Methodism; 15, Six Centenary Hymns by Rev. George Lansing Taylor; 16, Corner-stone hymn by Rev. F. P. Tower; 17, Manual of 1st Cong. Church of West Meriden; 18, Manual of Cent. Cong. church; 19, List of members of West Meriden Baptist church; 20, List of officers and members and the Confession of Faith, of the 1st Universalist church of Meriden; 21, List of members of the Lutheran Evangelical St. John's church of Meriden; 22, List of the number and names of the various Churches in Meriden; 23, List of the officers, teachers, and scholars of the Sunday School of the M. E. Church of Meriden; 24, N. Y. Independent; 25, The Nation; 26, Meriden Recorder; 27, N. Y. Daily Tribune; 28, N. Y. Daily Times; 29, N. Y. Daily Herald; 30, N. Y. Daily World; 31, National Temperance Advocate; 32, Conn. State Temperance Journal; 33, U. S. fractional Currency of the denomination of three, five, ten, twenty-five, and fifty cents; 34, U. S. coins of the denomination of one, two, three, and five cents; 35, Three cent U. S. Postage stamp; 36, Price List of articles manufactured by Charles Parker; 37, The same of Edward Miller & Co.; 38, The same of Bradley & Hubbard; 39, The same of Meriden Britannia Co; 40, Programme of Exercises of the corner stone laying and the centenary celebration; 41, 14th annual report of the State Reform School; 42, Proceedings of the 22d annual session of the Conn. Grand Division of the Sons of Temperance; 43, Constitution of grand and subordinate lodges of Good Templars in Conn.; 44, Exposition of independent order of Good Templars; 45, Circular of J. Wilcox& Co.; 46, List of officers and members of the Ladies' centenary association; 47, List of officers and members of the 1st Baptist church of Meriden; 48, List of officers and members, and constitution and by-laws of Meridian Lodge, No. 77, Free and Accepted Masons; 49, Same of Keystone chapter, No. 27, Royal Arch Masons; 50, Same of Hamilton council, No. 22, Royal and Select Masters; 51, Same of Center Lodge, No. 94, F. and A. Masons; 52, List of officers and members of Star of Hope Lodge, No. 26, independent order of Good Templars; 53, Card and samples of work of the U. S. Screw Company.
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Messrs. Charles and John Parker jointly contributed between thirty and forty thousand dollars. Future generations will make their memory fragrant for this generous, noble-hearted and commendable bequest. The dimensions of the church are sixty feet wide within buttresses, and one hundred and twenty-one feet in length, with a recess in the rear nineteen feet deep, making the entire length one hundred and forty feet. The organ cost six thousand dollars.