The History of Otsego County, New York

1740-1878

D. Hamilton Hurd

Published by Everts & Fariss, Philadelphia

Church Histories


 

EDMESTON

The FIRST BAPTIST church of Edmeston, located on what is known as Taylor Hill, was organized March 8, 1794, by Rev.  Stephen TAYLOR, who came from Rhode Island and settled  in the town in 1790. He donated the land on which to erect  the church, and assisted in the construction of the edifice. He died in 1841, aged seventy-one years.
Among those who joined at date of organization were Jonathan PETTIT, Timothy TAYLOR, Jacob TALBOT,  Thomas TERRY, Thos. TAYLOR, Daniel GREEN, Nehemiah  BILLINGS, Robert FULLER, Stephen COLEGROVE, William SCRANTON, Hugh SMITH, Jos. CASE, Lydia TAYLOR, Dorcas SCRANTON, Seviah BILLINGS, Agnes PETTIT, Hannah GREEN, Sarah TERRY, Freelove TAYLOR, Rosannah TAYLOR, and Marcy PHINNEY. The church building was  erected in 1822.
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The UNIVERSALIST church of Edmeston was organized at Edmeston Centre, Nov. 25, 1843, with thirty-nine members. Rev. A. COOK was the first officiating pastor. The church  building was erected in the year following the organization, at a cost of about $2500, Only occasional services are now held.
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The FREE METHODIST church of Edmeston was organized April 17, 1871, by William SOUTHWORTH. The following  were the first trustees: Artemus WELCH, Wilber F. WALLING,  Ezra WHEELER, Daniel COLEGROVE, Stephen WINSOR,  Warren COLEGROVE, and Darling STEPHENS. The name  of the first minister was William SOUTHWORTH. The names  of the first members were Daniel COLEGROVE, D. COLEGROVE, Wilber WALLING, Lorenda WALLING, Esther PRESTON, Mary YORK, Phoebe HOPKINS, Paulina MITCHELL, Ezra WHEELER, Darling STEPHENS, Rhoda STEPHENS, David WALLING, Esther BABCOCK, Stephen WINSOR, Henrietta WINSOR, Warren COLEGROVE, Mary COLEGROVE, S. S. WEBER. The first church building was erected in 1871, at a cost of $1000. The present trustees are Daniel COLEGROVE, Albert DENISON, Warren COLEGROVE.
The present minister is S. W. CRONK. The name and  time employed of each minister was - David DEMPSEY,  one year; Daniel COLEGROVE, one year; S. B .McVAY,  one year; Daniel COLEGROVE, one year; S. W. PERKINS, one year; J. B. STACY, one year; S. W. CRONK, one year. Number of present members, sixteen.
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The SECOND BAPTIST church. This church was organized in Edmeston Centre, May 30, and recognized by council,  June 11, 1846. It first officers were L. B. GREGORY,  deacon, and Stanton TEFFT, clerk. Rev. Justus H. Wells  was the first pastor. Its constituent members were Silas COATS, Stanton TEFFT, Perry POPE, L. B. GREGORY, D. O. CHURCH, Nelson GREENE, Stephen CARD,  Harvey PASCO, with sisters COATS, TEFFT, POPE,  GREGORY, CARD, Caleb PERKINS and Sarah his wife, Sally BROWN, Emeline POTTER, Hannah SPAFFORD, Freelove KENNEDY. and two or three others, making twenty-one or twenty-two in all.
The first and only meeting-house was erected of wood in 1853. It cost about $2500, and is 34 by 48 feet in size, and has a tower and a fine-toned bell. Previous to this time religious services were held in school-houses and in the Universalist house. The house was begun in May,  1853, and was dedicated to the worship of Almighty God in November, 1853. Its present deacons are S. A. COATS, J. T. RICHARDS, and C. W. HOPKINS; Eli CHAMBERLAIN is church clerk. The Rev. Lawson MUZZY was chosen pastor in April, 1874, and still continues to fill that office. Rev. J. H. WELLS served the church as pastor nearly five years; Rev. Hewett FITCH, nine years; Rev. J. C. FOSTER, two years; Rev. S. N. WESTCOTT, four years; Rev. G. H. HOGEBOOM, two years; Rev. G. E. FLINT, three years; Rev. J. H CHAMBERLAIN, one year. The present  membership is one hundred and thirty.
This church has been blessed with an unusual degree of peace and harmony, and has for the most of the time  enjoyed a good degree of prosperity Three of its number have been called of God, as we believe, to preach the gospel to the perishing. The Rev. J. D. POPE is worthily serving the Master in St. John's, Nova Scotia; his brother, Rev. D. B. POPE, is a faithful pastor in this State, and the third brother, John GREENE, is pursuing his preparatory studies in the theological seminary at Hamilton.
The meeting-house was built during the pastorate of Rev. H. FITCH, who served the church acceptably and faithfully. The most remarkable and extended revival known in the congregation, or in this town, was enjoyed in the winter and spring of 1875, under the labors of their present pastor, Rev. L. MUZZY. Meetings were continued daily for three months, and were characterized by unusual solemnity, and striking exhibitions of divine power and grace. Over one hundred were hopefully converted. Some fifty were added to the church during that year. Their  Sunday-school is at present as well organized and as  prosperous as any school in the county.
----- The SEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST church at West Edmeston, N.Y.* * By Rev. J. Bennett CLARKE
This church is the only one of the kind in Otsego County. There are three in Madison, two in Chenango, and others  in Oneida, Cortland, and several more counties of the State. They differ from the regular Baptists only in respect to keeping the seventh day of the week as the Sabbath. They believe that there has been no change of the day by divine authority, as the Scriptures contain no proof of any, and accepting the Ten Commandments as God's moral and immutable law, they observe the day which he has blessed, sanctified, and commanded as the Sabbath to be kept holy by all mankind. In this view they feel confirmed because those passages in the New Testament which refer to the first day of the week do not seem to them to imply either the substitution of that day for the seventh as the Sabbath, or its appointment at all as a day for religious worship. their practice, therefore, does not arise from any capricious or bigoted spirit, but from the conviction that it is their duty to strictly regard what God has definitely enjoined, until he definitely abrogates his law, or absolves them plainly from its requirements.
The church at West Edmeston was organized Sept. 28, 1823. It first took the name of the THIRD CHURCH OF BROOKFIELD. the meeting-house, which was built some time before, was located about half a mile north of Babcock's mills, in the Beaver Creek valley. The first members  were connected with churches at Leonardsville and Clarkville, in the same town. Believing that their  convenience, as well as the interests of the cause of God  required the formation of the new church, a council was called consisting of Elders William B. MAXSON and Henry CLARKE,  Deacons William UTTER and Ethan CLARKE, of the First Church of Brookfield, and Elder Eli S. BAILEY, Deacons Saunders LANGWORTHY and Silas SPENCER, of the  Second Church. Elder Matthew STILLMAN, from Rhode Island, being present, was invited to a seat in the council.  Eli S. BAILEY was made moderator, and Silas SPENCER clerk. After hearing the reasons, and the Articles of Faith and the Covenant, the council approved the movement, and proceeded with the organization, Elder Henry CLARK giving the hand of fellowship for the council, and Elder Daniel COON receiving the same on behalf of the new church. The first officers were as follows: Daniel COON, pastor; Samuel P. BURDICK and Joshua MAXSON, deacons; Adin BURDICK, clerk.
Eighty names were enrolled at the organization, as shown by the following list of members: Daniel COON, Joshua MAXSON, Samuel P. BURDICK, Elias BURDICK, Lydia BURDICK (widow of Elisha), Adin BURDICK, Benjamin BURDICK, Desire BURDICK (daughter of Elisha),  Thankful MAXSON (wife of Joshua), David MAXSON, Lydia CHAMPLIN (wife of George C.), Martha BURDICK (wife of Rowse B.), Sarah BURDICK (wife of Robert), Prudence  STILLMAN (wife of Benjamin), Nathan STILLMAN,  Isaac W. BROWN, Ethan P. CRANDALL, James CRANDALL, Augustus CRANDALL, Joel MAXSON, Nathan BURCH,  Peleg BABCOCK, Samuel B. CRANDALL, John MAXSON, Ephraim MAXSON, Darius CHAPIN, Henry M. CRANDALL, Franklin COON, Sanders CRANDALL, Rowland COON, Joseph S. CRANDALL, Thankful CRANDALL (wife of  James), Rachel MAXSON (wife of Joel), Polly CRANDALL (wife of Sanders), Betsy CRUMB (wife of Silias), Fanny STILLMAN (wife of Nathan), Sarah BURDICK (wife of Charles), Olive CRANDALL (wife of James S.), Hannah BURDICK (wife of David), Nancy CLARKE (daughter of Luke), Prudence CLARKE (daughter of Luke), Phebe  BABCOCK (daughter of Jonathan), Clarissa MAXSON  (wife of Ephraim), Thankful CRANDALL (wife of  Aldrich), Polly BURDICK (wife of Samuel P.), Lavina MAXSON (daughter of Joel), Damaris BURCH (wife of Nathan), Nancy BABCOCK (daughter of Jonathan),  Fanny COON (wife of Daniel), Lucy GRISWOLD, Sally COON, (wife of Rowland), Benjamin EDWARDS, Mary  EDWARDS (wife of Benjamin), Abram COON, Amy COON (wife of Abram), Anna COON (daughter of Abram), Elizabeth  BROWN (wife of J. W.), Philecta CRANDALL (wife of  Ethan), Almira MAXSON (wife of John), Daniel BROWN,  Charles POTTER, Samuel H. COON, Olive COON (wife of Samuel H.), Joshua MAXSON, Jr., Ezra COON, Mary  BURDICK (daughter of Samuel P.), Eliza POTTER (wife  of Charles), Fanny WILBER, Kinyon CRANDALL, Mary  CRANDALL (wife of Kinyon), Caleb CHURCH, Esther  CHURCH, Ethan STILLMAN, Weeden WITTER, Betsy NYE (wife of B. B. NYE), Mary CRANDALL (daughter  of James), Luke CLARK, Cyrene COON (wife of Ezra), Patty BABCOCK (wife of Chas. B., Jr.), Ephraim CLARK.
After fifteen years it was found that a majority of the members had become located in and near West Edmeston, and for their accommodation they built a meeting-house in  1843, which cost $800. Subsequently it was enlarged so as to seat two hundred an fifty persons. Its present value is $1200. For ten years after its erection the meetings were held alternately between the two chapels. They were all removed to West Edmeston in 1854, and soon after the name of the church was changed. Up to this date the terms of ministerial service only in part can be accurately ascertained. Daniel COON, the first pastor, was employed several years. Samuel B. CRANDALL, his successor, also served for several years. He was followed by Varnum HULL, who preached for them only one year, during g1841. Eli S. DAILEY, a resident minister and physician of Brookfield,  preached during the time to 1844, when Giles M. LANGWORTHY served one year. Samuel B. CRANDALL was re-employed, and continued his labors until 1850, the year of his death, which took place at South Brookfield. Eli S. BAILEY was again secured, and labored five years, to 1855. He was succeeded b Libbeus M. COTTRELL for three years, to 1858. Eli S. BAILEY again served two years, to 1860. John P. HUNTING from April 1, 1860 to 1863. Alexander CAMPBELL three years, to 1866, from which time the  present pastor has had the care of the church.
The following are the present officers: J. Bennett CLARKE, pastor; Ransom T. STILLMAN, Ethan STILLMAN, and William H. BURDICK, deacons; Amos S. STILLMAN, clerk. The  present membership is one hundred and eleven.
It will be seen that this sketch covers a little more than half a century. Revival seasons from time to time have been enjoyed, and in the list of members for that period nearly five hundred different names have been enrolled.


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