1889-90.] TWO FRONTIER CHURCHES. 117 



stroyed by the fire of 1813, very little is known of the early history of 

 St. Andrew's. The graveyard too is comparatively modern, as all de- 

 nominations used that of St. Mark's for many years. There are no old 

 grey stones mutilated by the hand of war.^no tablets in the wall, no 

 stained glass to give that dim religious light some so much admire. The 

 present church is a square solid uncompromising looking structure of 

 brick and stone with a belt of solemn pines on the north and west. 

 While St. Mark's was built of solid stone, these church pioneers built 

 of less enduring material, and thus nothing is left of the building of 

 1795, built on the same spot as the present church, erected sixty years 

 ago. The history of the church is preserved in an old leather-covered 

 book, with thick yellow paper, dated 1794, and curious glimpses are 

 given of our country's progress. The oldest Presbyterian Church in 

 Ontario is believed to be Williamstown, 1786, which with several 

 others in the vicinity was presided over by Rev. John Eethune. This 

 ranks next. It may easily be seen that St. Mark's had an immense 

 advantage, with a settled clergyman, with a salary from the Society for 

 the Propagation of the Gospel of X200, while St. Andrew's struggling 

 under a load of debt for many years, with many breaks from the confusion 

 and distress caused by the war, could only have been kept alive by the 

 strenuous exertions of its members. We find many of the same names 

 on the records of both churches. Some baptised in St. Mark's in the 

 breaks in the history of St Andrew's. Many of the residents had pews 

 in both churches. It is interesting to note that while St. Mark's register 

 uses the name Niagara, and Newark never occurs, St. Andrew's record 

 uses the word Newark from 1794, and in 1802 the name Niagara occurs. 

 As a matter of history the name Niagara was formally resumed 1798. 



The record dates from 30th September, 1 794, and reads thus : A num- 

 ber of people met this day at Hind's Hotel, and resolved that "as reli- 

 gion is the foundation of all societies, and which cannot be so strictly ad- 

 hered to without having a place dedicated solely to divine purposes, that 

 a Presbyterian church should be erected in the town of Newark and that 

 subscriptions for that purpose be immediately set on foot as well as for 

 the support of a clergyman of the same persuasion." The committee 

 consisted of John Young, Four Mile Creek, Chairman ; Ralfe Clench, 

 Andrew Heron, Robt. Kerr, Alexander Gardiner, William McLelland, 

 Alexander Hemphill, any three to form a quorum in trivial matters, but in 

 matters of importance the whole to be assembled. Here follows a bill of 

 lumber, the size of the timbers required would move the wonder of our 

 modern framers, 8x12 and 6x9. We see the size of the building to have 

 been 46x32. No grass was allowed to grow under the feet of these pio- 

 neers, for the next day, 1st October, follows an agreement binding them to 



