THE TOWN OF SCARSDALE. 243 



Washington." This precious relic of the Society, upon the death of 

 Major Popham, went to Henry A. S. Dearborn, Esq., his successor in 

 office. 



By his wife, Mary, daughter of the Hon. Richard Morris, Chief Jus- 

 tice of New York, Major Popham had issue Richard , William S., 



who now occupies the Popham mansion, John , and Charles Pop- 

 ham, who resides in the old Morris homestead. The daughters were 

 Sarah, who married Leonard Bleecker, Esq. ; Mary and Elizabeth Pop- 

 ham. 



Under the Provincial Government, Scarsdale constituted one of the 

 seven districts of Rye parish. In 1763, Scarsdale contributed to the 

 rector's tax and poor of the parish, the sum of ^25 4s 6d. The paro- 

 chial clergy appear to have officiated here at a very early period ; as the 

 Rev. Robert Jenney writing to the Bishop of London, 1724, says: "I 

 officiate eight times per annum at Mamaroneck, for that place, and 

 Scarsdale and Fox's Meadows." In 1727, there were thirty persons in 

 Scarsdale upon whom the parochial tax was levied. Mr. Wetmore in 

 writing to the Society in 1744 observes : " I have a considerable congre- 

 gation at the White and Scarsdale, above seven miles west of the parish 

 church, which I also attend once in two months." 



Religious services were, for a long time, confined to White Plains. 

 In August, 1849, the Rev. Henry J. Morton, D.D., of Philadelphia, first 

 held services in the farm house (formerly the residence of Chief Justice 

 Morris), after which the late Rev. H. L. Storr, of Yonkers, officiated 

 with other clergy for nearly six months prior to the call of a permanent 

 minister. 



Through the zealous efforts of William S. Popham, Esq., a parish was 

 finally organized, and the corner-stone of a church laid on Saturday, the 

 29th of June, 1850, by the Right Rev. W. R. Whittingham, D.D., Bishop 

 of Maryland, being the first structure devoted to religious worship 

 ever erected in the town of Scarsdale. The church was incorporated on 

 the 3d day of September, 1849, by the name and style " of the Rector, 

 Church- wardens and Vestrymen of the Church of St. James the Less, in 

 the township of Scarsdale." William S. Popham and Mark Spencer, 

 church-wardens ; Charles W. Carmer, William H. Popham, Francis 

 McFarlan, Joshua Underhill, Edmund Ludlow, Samuel E. Lyon, Au- 

 gustus Bleecker, and Orrin Weed, vestrymen. Upon the 31st of Janu- 

 ary. 1S50, the Rev. James F. Le Baron, was called as rector and resign- 

 ed the next year. For his successor, see list of rectors. 



In June, 1850, the grounds adjoining the church were conveyed to 

 the vestry, in the form of a lease, by William H. Popham. 



