Page images
PDF
EPUB

chiefly of a few Irish emigrants. Among these was Mr. Ashton, also an Irish emigrant, after whom the place was named. Mr. Embury was a carpenter by trade, and lived in humble life, a faithful Christian, and a useful local preacher, until the year 1775, when he died in peace, and was buried in the town of Cambridge, about seven miles north of Ashgrove. In 1832, his remains were removed, and with appropriate religious services, entombed in the burying ground in Ashgrove. In 1786, Mr. John Baker, another emigrant arrived from Ireland, and united with the little band at Ashgrove. After several unsuccessful attempts to get the services of a regular preacher, they succeeded in 1788, when Rev. Lemuel Smith was sent to them, the appointment, as above indicated, bearing the name of Cambridge circuit. This may be considered the first circuit formed within our limits. Mr. Smith brought the society into regular order, and extended his labors in various directions with success. The same year the first Methodist church within the bounds of our present Conference, and, indeed, the first north of Dutchess county, was erected at Ashgrove. A stone in the wall of the church at North White Creek, as well as the records of a book recently examined at the house of the widow Hanna, at Ashgrove, in which the New York Conference held its session in 1803, testify to the fact that this first church was erected in 1788. It was subsequently enlarged and afterward destroyed, and a new one was erected a few rods from the former site. This was destroyed by fire, and the present house of worship was erected in its stead. Mr. Smith was succeeded by Mr. Darius Dun. ham, in 1789. Ashgrove, at an early date, became a centre and strong-hold of Methodism, and around it cluster some of the most interesting associations of our early denominational history. There, side by side, repose

the remains of those faithful men of God and preachers of the word, Philip Embury, David Noble and David Brown. Of the former of these I have already spoken.

Mr. David Noble was a local preacher, a holy, zealous man, who had emigrated from Ireland about 1794. He resided at Johnsburg, from which place, when in the 74th year of his age, he went to visit a married daughter near Ashgrove. In the evening of the same day, July 10, 1807, as he was exhorting the people with his accustomed zeal, in a little pulpit that had been fitted up in the school-house, he warned them to be prepared to die, and said he blessed God that he was ready to go at any moment when God should please to call him. He had no sooner spoken these words than he sunk back in his chair, and in a few moments, without uttering another word, expired. On his tombstone is the following epitaph:

"This man was faithful in his Master's cause;

Three minutes exchanged the pulpit for eternal joys.” Many of his descendants in and about Johnsburg are members of the M. E. church, and one of them, Rev. Edward Noble, is a member of the Troy Conference.

Mr. David Brown was born in the county of Down, Ireland, in 1760; entered the traveling connection in this country in 1794; and died at Ashgrove, in September, 1803, in the 44th year of his age. Few even among the best of men have been so generally beloved in life, or so greatly lamented in death, as was this holy His cheerfulness, seasoned with all the gentleness of humble love; his meekness, wisdom and uniform stability won the affections and sealed the friendship of his cotemporaries. He had a peculiar excellence in reproof. Its edge was so keen, and yet so tempered with cheerful kindness, as at the time to give pleasure rather than pain; and yet so directed as to produce with un

erring certainty, its effect. Often, it was not until some time after he had gone, that his supposed pleasantry was first seen to have a pointed, serious meaning. He lost no love by his reproofs. God blessed his labors to the salvation of many, and in the terrible pains attendant upon the dysentery of which he died, the river of peace in his soul was raised to a flood-tide of joy, upon the bosom of which he entered into the desired haven. His last words were, "The Lord's will be done; my anchor is cast within the veil." Surely the memory of these worthies should be cherished by their spiritual descendants. For other particulars relative to this holy man, the reader is referred to the Autobiography of Rev. T. Spicer, p. 63.

In that same sacred spot, the Ashgrove grave-yard, repose the ashes of others of that first little Methodist band within our borders. Could they arise from their dusty beds and behold the advancement of that work in which they toiled and suffered, how would they exclaim, "What hath God wrought?" Who knows but they do look down from the resting place of their spirits, and rejoice in the spread of scriptural holiness in our midst? Among those whose remains repose in that spot, we ought not to forget the name of Mr. Ashton, the first Methodist in Ashgrove, by whom the ground was given to the church. This devoted man fitted up a room in his house, which, for many years, was known far and near as the Preacher's Room. There Asbury and Garrettson, and very many other weary itinerants, found a hearty welcome, a place of retreat and repose from their long journeys, a home, when such homes for Methodist preachers were "few and far between." his last will he bequeathed to the society some two or three acres of ground adjoining the grave-yard, on which a parsonage was built, which was doubtless the first

In

one owned by the church within our bounds. He also gave a cow for the use of the preacher, and a perpetual annuity of ten dollars to be paid to the oldest unmarried traveling preacher of the New York Conference. Besides this, he gave all the furniture of the Preacher's Room. Among these articles was a large chair occupied by Bishops Asbury and Whatcoat when presiding at the first Conference within our bounds, which was held at the house of Mr. John Baker, at Ashgrove, in 1803, the friends in that immediate neighborhood being better able to entertain the preachers than they were in the vicinity of the church. This chair is still preserved in the parsonage. To allow the name of Ashton to be forgotten among us would be alike barbarous and ungrateful. Some account of the early history of Methodism in Ashgrove may be found in the Methodist Magazine for 1827.

In 1789 two other circuits appear on the Minutes, viz: Coeymans Patent and Schenectady. John Crawford was appointed to the former, and Lemuel Smith and Cornelius Cook to the latter. In June or July, 1789, Mr. Garrettson preached in the Assembly Chamber at Albany, "but found much opposition among the citizens generally to the truths he delivered. A few, however, bowed a willing obedience to the word, and a small society seemed to be in a flourishing state." (Garrettson's Life, p. 204-5.) Thus we learn that one of the first societies in this region was in the city of Albany. From Albany Mr. Garrettson went to Schenectady, where he also found a strong current of prejudice setting in against his endeavors to do good, though he was permitted to preach in the English church." Every where within our bounds high-toned Calvinism prevailed and presented a bold opposition to our pioneers. Later in the same year, "after holding a quarterly meeting at

66

Ashgrove, which was attended with signal displays of the power of God. Mr. Garrettson returned to Albany, where he met the little society." The same year was one of prosperity in Canaan, under the labors of Messrs. Bloodgood and Wighton.

A circumstance occurred on the 23d of July of this year, 1789, which well nigh deprived the church of the services of the pious and talented Garrettson. Being in Sharon, Conn., he went out into the field to catch his horse. "He was tied with a long rope," says Mr. G., “and as I had hold of the rope, he gave a sudden start, and by some means the rope got around my arm and body so that I was thrown and bereft of my senses. How long I lay in that situation I know not. I knew not who or where I was. After lying some time in as much pain as if I had been on a rack or wheel, I made an attempt to lay my head on my hat for a pillow, and saw the two first letters of my name in my hat, and immediately I knew myself, and cried out, 'Is this poor Garrettson? Where is he and what is the matter? I received a small degree of strength, and arose from the earth, walked to the house, and was laid upon a bed. Providentially, a skillful surgeon was at hand, who came to me and found my shoulder dislocated, and my left wrist, thumb and shoulder, and several fingers much strained, my body severely bruised, and several contusions on my head. Several assisted, and my shoulder was replaced, blood was let, and my wounds bound up. Immediately after I was bled, I recovered my senses as perfectly as ever, and was enabled to look up by faith to my beloved Savior, and received a strong confidence in him. Many came to see me, and my soul was so happy that I was constrained with tears to exhort all that came near. I think I never had so strong a witness of perfect love. I was enabled to bless God for

« PreviousContinue »