426 HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER. 



Church is terrible indeed. " The violators of Church property," as old 

 Spelman observes, " seldom escape punishment." A man has but a life 

 interest in his estate. Over its possession after his death he has no right ; 

 therefore, he has no right to threaten those who shall injure it, because 

 they have done him no wrong. He must let that alone forever. His 

 posterity must defend themselves. The curse of the then possessor may 

 be formidable ; not that of one who is not possessor. 



But, with respect to Church property, the case is different. The 

 Church is a corporation, and a corporation never dies. The durability 

 of her claim to any given property is commensurated with her existance, 

 and that is forever. Her right, therefore, of defending that property 

 exists also forever ; because through her it is offered to Him of Whom, 

 through all ages, " It is witnessed that He liveth." a 



The first notice of this parish subsequent to the Revolution occurs 

 in the minutes of Diocesan Convention, held in New York, Oct. 3d, 

 181 o, when "on motion, it was resolved, that the delegates from the 

 Episcopal Church of South Salem (of the incorporation of which, the 

 convention has no legal evidence) be admitted to Honorary Seats." 

 Mr. Henry Hoyt, delegate from said church was accordingly admitted 

 to an honorary seat. The earliest record of the proceedings of the 

 vestry, is dated Monday, 15 th of October, 1810. The officers then 

 chosen, according to the provisions of the act of 1795, wer e the follow- 

 ing: Augustus McCarroll and William Sherwood, church-wardens; 

 Henry Hoyt, Gould Bouton, Jesse Jarvis, Samuel B. Isaacs, Samuel 

 Ambler, Joseph Nash, Absalom Holmes and James Church, vestrymen. 

 On the 19th of May, 17 11, the church was incorporated under the 

 style of " The Church-wardens and vestrymen of the Protestant Episco- 

 pal Church of Salem." At this period the Rev. Nathan Felch was 

 officiating minister. In 1810, he reported to the Convention: " That 

 a new Episcopal church had been incorporated in South Salem. Their 

 prospect is truly pleasing at present." 3 At this time services were held 

 in the Brown mansion occupied by Samuel B. Isaacs, Esq. 



In 181 5, Mr. George Weller, A.M., was licensed as a lay-reader for 

 Bedford and South Salem. The same year he makes report to the Con- 

 vention, " That in South Salem, the present number of communicants is 

 ten, of which three were added within the past year. Baptisms, within 

 the past year, seven, of which one was an adult. The congregation is 

 small, say fourteen or fifteen families, and cannot be said to have in- 

 creased much within the year past." 



a The Hist, and Fate of Sacrilege, by Sir. Henry Spelman, second edition. London : Joseph 

 Masters, 1853. 

 b Journal of Covention, 1810, p. 16. 



