180 



HISTORY OF STEUBEN COUNTY, NEW YORK. 



to be enlarged to make room for the growing congrega- 

 tion. 



During the winter of 1858-59, a revival of religion began 

 in the Baptist Church of Bath, and proved to be the begin- 

 ning of an extended work of divine grace, in which the 

 entire community participated. The work in this congre- 

 gation went on under the united labors of the pastor and 

 the Rev. Wm. E. Jones, of Caledonia, until, as the result 

 of it, more than fifty persons, at diiferent communion 

 seasons, were added to this church. Mr. Stewart resigned 

 his pastoral charge June 1, 1859, and since then has been 

 doing eminent service to the cause of Christ in Iowa and 

 Nebraska. He gave place here to Rev. William Evan 

 Jones, who had been of such assistance during the recent 

 revival. He resigned his charge in 1863 to accept the 

 chaplaincy of one of the volunteer regiments of this State, 

 and so served during the latter part of the war of the Re- 

 bellion. 



After his departure the congregation did not seem pre- 

 pared to call another pastor, and the services of Rev. James 

 M. Harlow were engaged as a stated supply. He continued 

 in this relation until October, 1868, when he gave up the 

 pulpit. A long vacancy followed, until the close of Septem- 

 ber, 1869, when, in response to a call dated in July of that 

 year, the Rev. James M. Piatt began his stated labors here. 

 On coming back to his boyhood's home to take the place 

 once occupied by his father, the way was already prepared 

 for receiving back to the communion of this church the 

 remnant of those who, more than thirty years before, had 

 organized a separate church. They had now disposed of 

 their church property, giving $1000 of the proceeds to the 

 trustees of this church towards procuring a parsonage, and 

 since then theje has been but one Presbyterian Church in 

 Bath. 



Early in 1870, the trustees called the congregation to- 

 gether to consider the expediency of building a new^ church 

 edifice, and in 1871 a Ladies' Church Aid Society was or- 

 ganized for the express purpose of raising funds for the 

 furnishing of a new church and the purchase of an organ. 

 It was not until 1873, however, that the project of re- 

 building assumed any definite shape. In August of that 

 year Messrs. John and Ira Davenport offered to make up 

 in their family a subscription of $10,000, on condition that 

 the congregation apart from them should raise $20,000 

 more, with the view of building a church that should cost 

 $30,000. The subscription for this amount having been 

 secured by the following March, the trustees were ap- 

 pointed the building committee to have charge of the work ; 

 Mr. John Beekman being at the same time elected a trus- 

 tee on account of his thorough qualifications for the over- 

 sight of such a task, and Mr. John Davenport being ap- 

 pointed president of that board. Steps were immediately 

 taken, which resulted in the erection of the present sub- 

 stantial and beautiful stone edifice on the site of the old 

 church, on the south side of Pulteney Square, according to 

 plans prepared by Jacob Wrey Mould, architect, of New 

 York City. The building thus far has cost $50,000, to- 

 wards which the ladies furnished $2000 through their 

 society. It remains to complete the building by carrying 

 out the design for the two towers, which have thus far been 



erected to a height of only thirty feet. The interior has 

 been chastely finished, and was first occupied for religious 

 services on the 22d of Febuary, 1877. Since that time the 

 congregation has increased, so that of the 146 pews not 

 more than 20 can be considered vacant. The membership 

 of the church is about 250. Besides the Sabbath-school 

 connected with the church, a Young People's Association 

 has been in active service since January, 1875, and holds 

 a devotional meeting every Sunday evening, while engag- 

 ing also in other Christian work. 



The officers of the church are as follows : Pastor^ Rev. 

 James M. Piatt ; Ruling Elders^ Peter Halsey, Z. L. Par- 

 ker, A. H. Otis, E. H. Hastings, Dr. K. Kasson ; Deacons^ 

 Jno. L. Scofield, Wm. H. Shepard, S. G. Lewis, C. Ganse- 

 voort ; Trustees, Jno. Davenport, J. F. Parkhurst, Chester 

 Knight, C. A. Ellis, Henry Faucett, E. H. Hastings ; 

 Treasurer^ Wm. McFie. 



ST. THOMAS' CHURCH, BATH. 



The first seeds of this church were dropped in 1815. 

 Early in the year the esteemed member of Assembly for 

 this district returned from Albany to his home at Cold 

 Springs, — midway between Bath and Hammondsport, — 

 bringing, as his newly-married wife, a lady of rare culture, 

 who had been raised in a staunch church family of the Con- 

 necticut pattern, and more recently had been engaged in 

 successful educational enterprises in Troy and its vicinity. 

 This lady, Mrs. Elizabeth Hull Townsend, soon and deeply 

 felt the loss of those services and ministrations which* had 

 long been endeared to her, and was greatly cheered, one 

 summer day, upon seeing a gentleman ride up to her door, 

 in half-clerical, half-military costume, who announced him- 

 self as the Rev. Mr. Hopkins, missionary at Mauch Chunk, 

 Pa., but now on his way farther West, upon business con- 

 nected with his services as an officer in the war of Inde- 

 pendence. It was with some difficulty that Mrs. Townsend 

 could persuade him to remain and hold a service in Bath. 

 " They call our Church," he said, " the Tory Church, and 

 no one knows how much prejudice and ill-will might be ex- 

 cited." But she prevailed, and a service was held in the 

 old court-house ; and there are some still living in this village 

 who remember it well. 



From that time Mrs. Townsend could not rest. She rode 

 to Geneva, forty miles, on horseback, taking with her a 

 young child for baptism, and there urged the claims of the 

 Southern Tier to a church missionary ; but was sorrowfully 

 told there was none to be had. Bishop Hobart, to a similar 

 appeal, returned the same answer. 



At length, however, she succeeded so well in enlisting the 

 sympathies of her friends in the East, and of several gen- 

 tlemen connected with the land-office in Bath, — Messrs. 

 Troup, Cameron, and others, — that the services of Mr. 

 Hopkins, who had revisited the place several times, Were 

 secured, as missionary to Bath and Angelica and interme- 

 diate places. At that time, however,— 1823,— this region 

 was still covered with dense forests, with here and there a 

 clearing for some young and thriving settlement. But the 

 labor and care proved too much for our pioneer missionary, 

 and he soon sank under them at the ripe age of sixty- nine; 

 and the little flpck was again without a shepherd till the 



