THE TOWN OF NORTH SALEM. 757 



St. James' church was first incorporated on the 3d of June, 1786, 

 under the name and title of the "Episcopal Reformed Protestant 

 Church at Upper Salem;" Ebenezer Lobdell, Daniel Smith, and 

 Joseph Purdy, trustees. 08 A third incorporation of St. James' church, 

 at North Salem, occurs on the 30th of June, 1797 ; James Bailey and 

 Benjamin Close, church-wardens; Epenetus Wallace, John LobdelL 

 Gershom Hanford, Joshua Purdy, Gilbert Bailey, Daniel Sherwood, 

 Jacob Lobdell, and Joseph Knox, vestrymen. 5 The first delegate from 

 this parish to the Diocesan Convention was Joseph Purdy, Esq. 



In the year 1797, the first church edifice was erected — in 1763 upon 

 a glebe farm given by Stephen De Lancey, was found to be in a ruin- 

 ous condition ; whereupon it was dismantled and sold at public auction 

 "May 23d, 1797. About 1810 the late venerable Epenetus Wallace, M. 

 D., induced the vestry to exchange the old location for the site of the 

 present church ; which old location, a few years ago, was sold to the 

 Presbyterian Society upon which they have erected their present parson- 

 age. 



Epenetus Wallace thus describes the dismantling of the old church 

 and the erection of the second edifice in a MSS. attached to the vestry 

 minutes, with which we have been favored by Mr. Henry Lobdell, the 

 present clerk of the vestry : 



" The Society being scattered and many of them died during the 

 war, continued broken ; and divine service not being performed, until 

 peace took place, and the old church went to decay during the war, and 

 the ravages of time, and the society diminished, it was resolved to take 

 down the church and sell it by parcels for what it would fetch ; accord- 

 ingly it was taken down, and the timber, boards, nails and what glass 

 remained were sold in lots. The silver cup was sold for about $100. 

 The proceeds, together with the rent of the parsonage, were put on in- 

 terest which in after years amounted to some hundreds of dollars. 



The old wardens being dead, (John Wallace and Ebenezer Lobdell) 

 their successors, Benj. Close and Gershom Hanford, together with the 

 vestry, resolved on building a new church — although the funds of the 

 church was not adequate to finish it. It was commenced in the year 

 1 8 10, the lot given by Epenetus Wallace on which the new church stands 

 containing about three roods of land. The funds, with the subscription 

 money, amounted to about $1000. The timber and lumber were pro- 

 cured, the frame was raised, covered and closed and completed in the 

 year 1841 ; having received a donation from Trinity church, New York, 

 of $1000. The whole cost about $2000. 



The Society of St. James' church met on Thursday, 30th of August, 

 1 810, at the church ground and the first corner stone being laid (which 



a Religious Soc. Co. Rec. Lib. A. S. 

 b Ibid . Lib. A. 33, T3. 



