PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH AT PLEASANT GROVE HISTORY, WASHINGTON TWP., MORRIS, NEW JERSEY

Copyright (c) 2000 by Stewart J. A. Woolever, Jr. (sjaw@citilink.net).

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THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH AT PLEASANT GROVE.
The stone church at Pleasant Grove was built between 1803 and 1807. It is
possible that the latter year is the date of its completion, and that it was
more than one year in course of construction. There is a tradition, however,
to the effect that a log house of worship preceded the erection of the stone
church, both standing on the site where the present one is. The church
community was organized under the care of the Presbytery of New Brunswick,
and the first pastor was the Rev. Dr. Joseph Campbell, who left the
principalship of the preparatory school at Princeton to commence his labors
at the Grove church in 1809. None of the early records of the church are
preserved, and it is only from 1833 that the names of the officers, and
other matters connected with the organization, can be learned. Dr. Campbell
continued to minister to the church until October 1830, and from that time
until October 1833 there seems to have been no settled pastor.

In 1833 the Rev. H. Whitefield Hunt jr. was installed as pastor. The elders
at that time were Conrad Honness, Samuel Stephens, Peter Lance, James Hance,
John Lance and John Lindaberry. Mr. Hunt was a man of much ability and
exercised a commanding influence in the community where he was called to
labor. He was born at Sparta, in Sussex county, in 1799. He was prepared for
college under Dr. Findley at Basking Ridge, and graduated from Princeton in
1820. He was converted in early life, and for a time previous to his college
course assisted Rev. I. Tyler in his classical school at Trenton. After
graduation he conducted the Trenton Academy. He was licensed as an
evangelist previous to his graduation from the Princeton seminary, and in
1823 made a missionary tour throughout the State of New York. He was
ordained by the presbytery at Newton in 1823 as a colleague of his father in
the church at Alexandria, where he remained until 1826. In May of that year
he opened a classical school at Schooley's Mountain, which he continued for
about five years. In 1831 he became a stated supply at Pleasant Grove,
Danville and Stanhope, and he was installed as pastor at Pleasant Grove in
1832, and at the 2nd Mansfield in 1857, in both of which churches he
continued until 1860. His pastorate at
Page 388

Pleasant Grove consequently continued twenty-eight years.

Mr. Hunt was succeeded in 1861 by the Rev. G. Lane, who remained but two
years in charge of the church, and was in turn succeeded by the Rev. J. H.
Clark (1863-69). Mr. Clark was fond of gardening and agricultural pursuits,
and signalized his pastorate by planting fine orchards of apple, pear and
peach trees in the parsonage grounds; and industry of which his successors
still reap the fruits.

The pastorate was filled from 1870 to 1872 by the Rev. M. Ayres Depue, and
from 1872 to 1876 by Rev. Samuel Sawyer. In the latter year the Rev. Burtis
C. Megie, D. D., was installed.

Dr. Megie had previously been in charge of the church at Dover, during a
period of thirty-eight years. His original progenitor in this country was
John Megie, who came from Scotland to Perth Amboy in 1685. His son was
Joseph. Joseph had sons, among whom were Joseph and Michael. Michael was the
father of Rev Dr. David Megie of Elizabeth, and grandfather of Judge William
Megie, of Elizabeth, and Rev. Dr. David Megie of Patterson. Joseph was the
father of Daniel H. Megie, of New York city, and grandfather of Rev. B. C.
Megie, D. D., of Pleasant Grove, Rev. Daniel E. Megie, of Boonton, and Rev.
William H. Megie, of Brooklyn.

The following figures show the number of communicants connected with the
church since the year 1830: There were when Dr. Campbell left, in 1830, 83
communicants; added during the pastorate of H. W. Hunt, 223; of G. Lane, 14;
of Mr. Clark, 57; of Mr. Depue, 16; of Mr. Sawyer, 100; added up to 1879,
63; total, 556.

The present church edifice was built in 1857, and is a handsome and
commodious frame structure. In the graveyard in which it is situated there
are no stones of very great antiquity, but the cemetery is remarkable for
the great length of days to which those who have been buried in it had
attained. Perhaps a third of the stones mark the resting places of persons
of over seventy years of age; several of those who rest beneath them reached
the age of ninety years and upward, and one a hundred.

One monument in this inclosure, a plain slab of marble, is remarkable for a
daguerreotype fixed in it. It is the picture of Mrs. Hannah Louisa Dorland,
wife of Rev. Jacob S. Harden, and who was poisoned by him in the most
deliberate and cruel manner. The event, which occurred in 1859 (in another
county, however), created intense excitement throughout all this portion of
the State. Harden was hanged at Belvidere in 1860.

Rev. Dr. Spencer H. Cone, pastor of the First Baptist Church of New York
city, is buried here.