TOWN OF PRATTSBUEGH. 



365 



members of the church appear the names of Kobert and 

 Ebenezer C. Olds, John De Golia, Jacob Koon, Josiah 

 Babcock, and John Smith. 



In the fall of 1822 the congregation built a log meeting- 

 house on West Hill, having obtained permission from the 

 Pulteney estate to use one half-acre of land for church pur- 

 poses. For eleven years this log church, with its huge 

 stone fireplace, sheltered a sincere and devoted congrega- 

 tion of worshipers till it was destroyed by fire. 



After the burning of the log church, in 1833, a frame 

 church was built one mile east of the old site, in the year 1835, 

 at a cost of $1500. In this building the church worshiped 

 until 1842, when the membership divided into four parts. 

 One part remained in the same place of worship, and was 

 known as the " First Baptist Church of Prattsburgh." 

 Another part went to Lyon's Hollow, and was known as 

 the " Second Baptist Church of Prattsburgh." Another 

 part went to West Creek, and were known as " The West 

 Creek Baptists." The fourth part went to the village of 

 Prattsburgh, and was known as " The Prattsburgh Village 

 Baptist Church." Before the division, in 1842, the church 

 was quite prosperous, and reached a membership, in 1838, 

 of 209. This was a result of the revival effort in 1837, 

 under the leadership of Rev. T. S. Sheardown. Over 100 

 were added to the church in one year, and ninety-eight of 

 them by baptism. After the division, in 1842, each part 

 became feeble, and only one survives at the present time. 

 The old first church survived but five or six years, and had 

 only one pastor, — Rev. C. S. Smith, who served them two 

 or three years. They sold their meeting-house, and it was 

 removed to the village and became a Methodist Church. 

 The few members that went to West Creek w^ere never 

 recognized as a church, built no house of worship, sustained 

 no regular pastor, and kept up meetings only a few years. 

 Most of them afterwards helped to build up the church at 

 the village of Avoca. The second church, at Lyon's Hol- 

 low, built a house of worship, at a cost of about $600, 

 which still stands, but is not used, the church being disor- 

 ganized. Its highest membership at any time was about 

 60, only 5 or 6 of whom still remain in that vicinity. Its 

 pastors were N. B. James, C. S. Smith, T. R. Clark, A. B. 

 De Groate, Thomas Dunham. Its deacons were R. Rouse, 

 J. Fenton, S. Foster. Its clerk was E. T. Hubbard. The 

 church at the village was recognized July 5, 1842, having 

 then 43 members. In 1845 it built its present house of 

 worship, at a cost of $2000. Its membership has varied 

 considerably at different times. The highest number was 

 140, in 1853; the lowest was 64, in 1876. The present 

 membership is 77. The pastors in their order of time and 

 length of service from the organization in 1823 at the old 

 log church down to the present time are as follows : Nehe- 

 miah Lamb, from 1823 to 1830 ; Amos Chase, 1831 to 

 1836; James H. Stebbins, 1836 to 1838; T. Hendrix, 

 1838 to 1840 ; Samuel Adsit, 1841 to 1843 ; A. S. Knee- 

 land, 1844 to 1847; W. F. Purington, 1848 to 1855; 

 Merrill Forbes, 1856 to 1862; D. W. Litchfield, 1862 to 

 1863; W. Dunbar, 1863 to 1867; D. Van Kreolin, 1867 

 to 1868 ; V. L. Garrett, 1869 to 1870 ; D. Burroughs, 

 1870 to 1872; A. B. Greene, 1872 to 1873; R. J. Rey- 

 nolds, 1874 to 1876; E. F. Owen, 1877 to 1879, the 



present time. The first trustees in 1823 were Robert 

 Olds, John De Golia, Jacob Koon, John Smith, Ebenezer 

 Olds. The first trustees at the village in 1843 were Aaron 

 Pinney, Joseph S. Babcock, Selah Gillett, Chauncey J. 

 Clark, John Smith. The deacons from first to last have 



been as follows : John De Golia, R. Olds, Richards, 



H. Clark, J. S. Babcock, Selah Gillett, A. B. Miner, C. B. 

 Gillett, Truman Strong, W. H. Babcock, Isaac Van Vleet, 

 J. S. Horton. The society clerks have been Josiah Bab- 

 cock, John Smith, John Hoase, J. Niles, Isaac Vermilya, 

 C. B. Gillett, Peter M. Dingee, J. S. Babcock, Jr., H. G. 

 Koon, John Vermilya, A. C. Smith, J. S. Horton. The 

 church has licensed the following-named persons to preach 

 the gospel : Caleb Lamb, Reuben P. Lamb, David Olney, 

 Andrew Wilkins, Riley Clark, Josiah Brace. It has or- 

 dained the following ministers : James H. Stebbins and A. 

 S. Kneeland. The church from its organization in 1823 

 until 1843 was connected with the Steuben Association. 

 Since 1843 it has belonged to the Yates Association. 



In 1875 the church bought a parsonage, at a cost of 

 $1600. The property of the church, including house of 

 worship and parsonage, is now valued at $5000. The 

 Sunday-school numbers about 100 members. J. S. Horton 

 is the Superintendent ; Edward Gillett, Secretary ; W. F. 

 Williamson. Chorister. The present officers of the church, 

 Feb. 1, 1879, are: Pastor, Rev. E. F. Owen; Deacons, 

 Trum:in Strong, C. B. Gillett, W. H. Babcock, Isaac Van 

 Vleet, and J. S. Horton ; Trustees, E. T. Watkins, W. H. 

 Babcock, C. Pelton ; Clerk, J. S. Horton ; Society Clerk 

 and Treasurer, E. A. Hubbard ; Collector, A. Pinney ; 

 Chorister, E. T. Watkins; Sexton, Beecher Howe. 



The Ladies' iVIissionary Society of the church has the 

 following officers : President, Mrs. E. F. Owen ; Vice- 

 President, Mrs. Ira Horton ; Secretary, Mrs. J. L. McCar- 

 rick ; Treasurer, Mrs. C. H. Randall. 



The churcli sociable has the following officers : Presi- 

 dent, Mrs. J. L. McCarrick ; Vice-President, Mrs. C. H. 

 Randall ; Secretary, Miss Kate Pinney ; Treasurer, Miss 

 Hattie Corey. 



The church is now in a very prosperous condition, and 

 bids fair, with the blessing of God, to increase in efficiency 

 and usefulness in the future. 



MASONIC. 



Mr. Hotchkin, in his " Early Recollections," says : '' I 

 think the lodge was organized about the year 1820. I 

 well remember its installation, and some of the members 

 who came from Bath, among whom were Moses Lyon, J. 

 R. Gansevoort, William Woods, and, I think, Reuben Robie. 

 My father, although not a Mason, was invited to preach 

 the installation sermon for them in the old meeting-house. 

 He took for his text. Matt. vii. 20, — ' Wherefore by their 

 fruits ye shall know them.' His sermon was well received, 

 and he was well entertained at the banquet at the hotel, 

 and received a further token of their appreciation by a 

 purse reasonably well filled. 



" I judge that the order, in its incipient stage, was weak, 

 but it soon began to show a living vitality, and accessions 

 were made to it from time to time. I think that Seth 

 Wheeler, Esq., was the first Master of the lodge, and at 



