Early Clergy of Pennsylvania and Delaware, S. F. Hotchkin, 1890 - Chapter 7, History of Calvary Church, Wilmington Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Judy Banja and Sally Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/pafiles.htm ________________________________________________ EARLY CLERGY OF PENNSYLVANIA AND DELAWARE. BY REV. S. F. HOTCHKIN, M.A. Author of The Mornings of the Bible, History of Germantown, &c. P. W. ZIEGLER & CO., PUBLISHERS, NO. 720 CHESTNUT STREET, PHILADELPHIA, PA. 1890 Copyright, 1890, by Rev. S. F. Hotchkin. NOTE: Use URL: http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/1pa/1picts/hotchkin/early-clergy.htm to access other chapters. HISTORY OF CALVARY CHURCH, WILMINGTON. 76 CHAPTER VII. HISTORY OF CALVARY CHURCH, WILMINGTON. IN 1857 a mission was started in a portion of the city then ill-supplied with religious advantages. Services were opened in a carriage shop at Front and Justison Streets, and sustained by the rector, Rt. Rev. Alfred Lee, Bishop of the Diocese, and his assistant. The attendance increased and a large and flourishing Sunday-school was gathered. The fruit of this effort was the erection of Calvary Chapel on Washington, corner of Third Street, at a cost, with the lot, of over $5000, opened for divine service October 20th, 1859. The growing work there continued to be a part of the operations of St. Andrew's Church until April 15th, 1868, when it was organized as an independent parish and was received into union with the Convention of the Diocese, June 3d, 1868. 1866. The Rev. Charles E. McIlvaine, assistant to the Bishop, was in charge. 1868. The Rev. George A. Latimer was elected rector. In October of this year the chancel addition was finished and furnished. In 1873 the benches were removed from the basement Sunday-school room, the floor carpeted, table desks furnished to the teachers and chairs for the scholars. March, 1877, the Rev. George A. Latimer resigned, and was succeeded by the Rev. B. H. Latrobe in April, 1877. HISTORY OF CALVARY CHURCH, WILMINGTON. 77 September 1st, 1878, the Rev. Mr. Latrobe resigned and was succeeded by the Rev. William G. Ware. In November, 1879, the Rev. William G. Ware resigned, and was succeeded by the Rev. George W. DuBois, D.D., on December 30th, 1879. In December of the same year the Sunday-school room was renovated. The next year the church was painted and frescoed. Dr. DuBois resigned January 1st, 1885. May 1st, 1885, the Rev. B. H. Latrobe was elected rector of the parish for the second time and accepted the election. The present rector, the Rev. David Howard, took charge on Whit-Sunday, May 29th, 1887. Last August the church was repaired and beautified at an expense of twenty-six hundred dollars, which has been entirely paid, leaving no debt whatever on the church. The interior has been rearranged, a center and two side aisles made, where before there were only two, the chancel and nave newly carpeted, the old gas fixtures removed and replaced by two handsome Coronas, a two-manual pipe organ, with fourteen stops and twenty-four notes in pedals, built by John Brown, of Wilmington, Delaware, placed on the Gospel side of the chancel. The exterior has been greatly improved. The walls painted, a belfry twenty feet high erected on the church, a portico placed over the front door - all of which gives the building a decided churchly appearance. Two years ago there were only fifty-eight (58) communicants. There are at present ninety-four (94). The Sunday-school numbers one hundred and ten scholars. A Guild, composed of ladies and gentlemen of the congregation, was organized last November. Its object is to afford its members facilities for social HISTORY OF CALVARY CHURCH, WILMINGTON. 78 intercourse and instruction in Church History, also to aid in the temporal and spiritual growth of the parish. It meets every Thursday evening. Also a children's Guild, which meets every Saturday afternoon in the Sunday-school for the purpose of sewing and making fancy articles. This little class contributed eighty-five dollars toward the repairs of the church. Last January the vestry purchased a rectory, No. 505 West Third Street, for thirty-one hundred and twenty-five dollars, having paid twenty-four hundred cash, leaving a mortgage of seven hundred dollars, which they hope with the aid of the Guild and friends, to pay off before the next Convention meets, in June, 1890. Weekly celebrations of the Holy Communion at 7 A. M. were introduced last Lent, which are well attended. Peace and harmony prevail throughout the parish, and there is every indication of life and growth. The Church of the Ascension, at Claymont, was largely composed of those who had belonged to the ancient parish of St. Martin's, at Marcus Hook, Pa. A history of the parish is given in Scharf's History of Delaware, Vol. 2, pp. 912-913, which we abridge. In 1843 Bishop Lee preached in the Naaman's Creek, (now Claymont,) school-house. For several years services were occasionally held here. The building committee for the new church were Thomas Clyde, George Lodge, William Gray, George Williamson and William C. Lodge. Rev. Greenbury W. Ridgely was elected rector, and Rev. L. W. P. Balch succeeded him. Rev. Dr. John B. Clemson, rector of Marcus Hook, presented the lot for the church, (which joined his place), and was for many years its rector, succeeding Dr. Balch. The church was consecrated by Bishop Lee, Sept. 14th, A.D., 1854. Dr. Clemson had a boarding HISTORY OF CALVARY CHURCH, WILMINGTON. 79 school for boys, and in 1860 Rev. S. F. Hotchkin became his assistant minister, in after years succeeding to the rectorship. In 1876 Rev. Mr. Hotchkin was succeeded by Rev. Charles S. Betticher, who remained until 1878, when Rev. R. Heber Murphy followed from 1879 to 1882 and Rev. P. B. Lightner, from 1882 to 1886; he was followed by Rev. Edward Owen, and at this date (1890) Rev. William H. Moffett is in charge of this church and Calvary Church. There is a pleasant rectory near the bank of the Delaware. Rev. J. Sturgis Pearce was the head of the boarding school after Dr. Clemson. Rev. Dr. Suddards had a summer home at Claymont. Rev. Marmaduke Hirst once lived on F. O. C. Darley's place, and Rev. Mr. Morris on Dr. Suddard's farm. Rev. T. G. Clemson, Rev. William Marshall and Rev. Thomas McKee Brown were members of this parish before entering the ministry as well as Rev. W. H. Graff. GRACE CHURCH, BRANDYWINE HUNDRED. (Abridged from Scharf's History of Delaware, p. 912.) In 1835 a meeting was held in Talley's school house to organize this church. Dr. A. Prince was chairman, and James A. B. Smith, secretary. In 1836 the school house was bought and fitted up as a church, and consecrated by Bishop H. U. Onderdonk. Isaac Smith and Dr. Abner Prince became wardens. Rev. William J. Clark, rector of St. Andrew's, Wilmington, was the first rector. Rev. Samuel C. Stratton, Rev. Dr. Kensey Johns Stewart, Rev. W. H. Trapnell and Rev. Zebadiah H. Mansfield, (who taught a classical school in Wilmington) were successive rectors after Mr. Clark. In 1861 Rev. Dr. J. B. Clemson became rector, the HISTORY OF CALVARY CHURCH, WILMINGTON. 80 parish being under the care of his assistant minister, Rev. S. F. Hotchkin, who was afterwards rector. He resigned in A.D., 1875, Rev. C. M. Callaway, Rev. Dr. William M. Jefferis, Rev. H. Greenfield Schorr and Rev. Robert H. Wright followed, and, in 1886, Rev. L. H. Jackson was rector, at this date (1890) Rev. Jeremiah Karcher is rector. Rev. Samuel H. Griffith and Rev. Joshua Cowpland also had charge of the parish for a time. In 1872, a lot of 10 acres was bought on the Concord pike for a church and cemetery. The corner-stone of the new stone church was laid by Bishop Lee, October 1st, A.D., 1874, and the church was opened July 4th, 1875. Henry M. Barlow was the builder. The previous Sunday final services were held in the old church, a place endeared by sacred associations to many souls as "the gate of heaven." Louis smith and William P. Cresson, were largely instrumental in this good work. Miss Mary Jane and Miss Elizabeth Forwood have long been faithful Sunday-school teachers. Colonel Thomas Robinson and William Smith in early days, and Valentine Forwood, and Francis Tempest and Hugh Ramsey and John Saville in later times must be mentioned as helpful vestrymen. Mrs. W. P. Cresson presented a nice rectory and an infant Sunday-school room. There is "a good sexton's house." Mr. F. Pearson was a Sunday-school librarian in the old church. CALVARY CHURCH, BRANDYWINE HUNDRED. Services were held in Newark Union Meeting House, near this church, by Rev. G. W. Ridgely, Rev. Asa S. Colton and Rev. Samuel Hazelhurst. The latter clergyman was assistant minister to Bishop Lee in Wilmington. In November, A.D., 1855, this parish was HISTORY OF CALVARY CHURCH, WILMINGTON. 81 organized with the bishop's approval, under Rev. Mr. Hazelhurst. See journal of convention, 1856, pp. 23-24. In 1860 Rev. S. F. Hotchkin took up this work under the nominal rectorship of Dr. Clemson, but afterwards as rector. In 1862, (Sept. 25th,) the corner-stone of the new church was laid on land presented by Mrs. Barbara Carr, whose farm joined the lot. Bishop Lee consecrated the church, January 29th, 1863, preaching an impressive sermon. Rev. Dr. Charles Breck, of Trinity Church, Wilmington, assisted in the service. A large amount of the needed money was raised in small sums. Joseph Shipley aided generously. The building is a neat one of stone. The parish has been generally under the care of the rectors of Claymont, though Rev. Dr. William Jefferis, when rector of Grace Church, served it faithfully for a time. Under Rev. P. B. Lightner's rectorship, the church building was much improved in the interior.