TOWN OF THURSTON. 



389 



I860. 



John S. De Piie. 



1868. 



1861. 



John Richtmyer. 



1869. 



1862. 



Leonard Aldrich. 



1870. 



1863. 



Orson T> . Davis. 



1871. 



1864. 



John S. De Pue. 



1872. 





Orson D. Davis. 



1873. 



1865. 



Andrew Shauger. 



1874. 



1866. 



Lyman Phillips. 



1875. 





Leonard Aldrich. 



1876. 



1867. 



Orson D. Davis. 



1877. 





Hervey Halliday. 



1878. 





CHURCHES. 



Charles E. Riehtrayer. 

 Lyman Phillips. 

 Leonard Aldrich. 

 Z. S. Helm. 

 Charles E. Richtmyer. 

 Lyman H. Phillips. 

 Leonard Aldrich. 

 Zachariah S. Helm. 

 Charles E. Richtmyer. 

 Lyman H. Phillips. 

 Henry Morrison. 



METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 



Kev. Buel Parker is said to have preached in Thurston 

 in 1814. Meetings were held on Bonny Hill in the old 

 log school-house, and in the school-house which stands near 

 the church, soon after its erection in 1826. Harlow Smith, 

 Amos Dickinson, and their families, were among the early 

 members. Joseph Marrow was the first class-leader. Mrs. 

 Gay, daughter of David Smith, one of the first settlers on the 

 hill, is the only original member living. The organization 

 was a partof that of Bath for many years. Bev. Charles Brun- 

 dage came from Allegany County in 18-12, and through his 

 exertions the church was erected, and made a free church 

 for all Christian denominations. This church was built by 

 Moses Dudley and Harlow Smith, trustees, on land donated 

 by Rev. Mr. Brundage, and dedicated by Bev. Bab- 

 cock, presiding elder, in February, 181:3. Bev. Mr. Brun- 

 dage delivered an anti-slavery lecture in the church soon 

 after its erection, making himself somewhat unpopular 

 thereby, and causing much local confusion and discussion, 

 which extended to the meeting of the next annual con- 

 ference. 



The present ofiicers of the church are Pitt M. Smith, 

 Recording Steward ; Joseph Marr, Fred. Keyser, Benja- 

 min Van Gelder, Stewards; F. Keyser, P. M. Smith, 

 Henry Sprague, John Adams, D. H. Dickinson, Trustees. 

 Revs. Buel Parker, Wm. Henry, Asa Story, Cyrus Story, 

 McElheny, Hoag, Parker, and Ev- 

 erett were early preachers in this part of the town. 

 Present pastor, Rev. M. Davison. 



METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF RISINGVILLE. 



Meetings were held on the hill near Risingville in the 

 old red schoohhouse, previous to 1841, the pastor supply- 

 ing the congregation alternately with that at some other 

 school-house. There are no reords of a class having been 

 regularly organized previous to 1850. A three days' quar- 

 terly-meeting was held in the Turbell mill, in the summer 

 of 1855, and was largely attended. Services were held in 

 the old Sears store, and in the Aldrich school-house, a 

 mile south, until the mill settlement was partially aban- 

 doned. Afterwards, as the country around became more 

 improved, a permanent organization was effected by the 

 farming community, and in 1864 a fine church building 

 was erected by Alex. Sutton, Thomas Spencer, McCarty 

 Wright, James A. Booth, A. Shauger, C. W. Martin, and 

 Wm. R. Richtmyer, trustees. Rev. D. W. T. Huntington 

 preached the dedicatory sermon. 



The following pastors have preached to this class : Wm. 

 Arnold, Cyrus Story ; 1852, Wm. E. Pindar; 1853, 



Day; 1854, A. F. Morey ; 1855, C. Gould; 1856, Sey- 

 mour G. Ryenvault; 1865, W. Woalgemath ; 1866, L. S. 

 Grandon; 1868, D. W. Gates; 1878, J. Knapp; 1879, 

 John Stevens. 



Class-Leaders: 1850, John Richtmyer; 1858, Thomas 

 Spencer, and McCarty Wright, present leader. Stewards : 

 1853, E. P. Mulford, John Richtmyer; 1878, Charles H. 

 Martin, who is also clerk. The present Trustees are Au- 

 gustus Tompkins, David Wright, Robert Heckman, Isaac 

 Warrick, Wm. White, McCarty Wright, and Oscar W. 

 Sutton. 



METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF MERCHANTVILLE. 



A Methodist Episcopal class was organized at Merchant- 

 ville, previous to 1850, by Rev. Wm. Arnold, and consisted 

 of 11 members, among whom were Anthony Collson and 

 wife, John W. Collson, Emma Collson,. Clark Babcock and 

 wife, William Merchant and wife, and Annette Terry. A 

 church was built in 1861, during the pastorate of Rev. J. 

 W. Brown, and dedicated by Rev. Mr. Congdon, Presiding 

 Elder. The first Trustees were John Brock, Anthony 

 Collson, H. G. Willard, Eber Fisk, and John W. Collson. 

 Anthony Collson was first class-leader and steward. 



The pastors have been Revs. Wm. Arnold, Charles Bush, 



Merritt, Countryman, John Knapp, W. W. 



Mandeville, L. L. Grandon, Bronson Covey, Cook, 



John Knapp, John Stevens. 



The present ofiicers of the church are Albert W. Keith, 

 Recording Steward; Lewis Curtis, Class-Leader; J. W. 

 Collson, N. Sterling, L. H. Curtis, A. W. Keith, Trustees. 

 There are 20 members in good standing on the church 

 roll. 



THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH OF THURSTON. 



This church was first organized at Smith's school-house, 

 in the town of Bath, March 26, 1836, by Rev. G. A. Hen- 

 drick. Afterwards the increase of membership from the 

 south caused a change from Bath to West Hill, in the cen- 

 tral part of Thurston, which occurred March 20, 1842, 

 during the pastorate of Elder E. Fleming. Among the 

 first members were Robert Colyer and wife, Jared Goodsell 

 and wife, Fanny Folsom, Mahetibal Havens, Adaline Gris- 

 wold, Lydia J. Goodsell, and Harley Sears and wife. 

 While Elder Hendrick labored with this church, 44 were 

 baptized and 50 admitted to membership. During this re- 

 vival, Chester D. Kinney and William D. Rutherford were 

 converted. Afterwards they were ordained and became 

 eminent ministers of the Christian Church. Attempts 

 were made to have the place of worship at Bath, on the 

 division of the school district in 1844, which deprived 

 them of a place of worship. In that year Rev. Oliver P. 

 Alderman, who had become a resident of Merchantville, 

 awakened a new interest in the church, making many addi- 

 tions to its membership. The fellowship meetings were 

 then changed to the Aldrich Settlement, then known as 

 ''New Michigan." In the winter of 1846-47, Elders* 

 Kinney and Rutherford held meetings at Merchantville, 

 then called Otter Creek, converting large numbers, and 

 making that the centre of the church in Thurston. 



The Merchantville church was commenced in April, and 



