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The following information was extracted from Evert's
History of Jefferson County, New York 1797 to 1878.
The First Congregational Church of Antwerp
Rev. Isaac Clinton, the principal of the
Academy at Lowville, first organized the church in 1819. The original members
were William Randall, Percival
Hawley, Edward Foster,
Elijah Hoyt, Hosea Hough,
Mrs. Hawley, Mrs. Foster,
Mrs. Frances Eaton, and Mrs. Polly
Copeland. The group went back and forth as to
be Presbyterian or Congregational. Rev Charles G. Finney
labored during July, August and September 1824 and many were moved by his
powerful sermons. There were forty-one conversions to the church.
This got the church started and in 1831 they built their first
meetinghouse. Japhet Chapin was mostly responsible for building this edifice.
The church grew under the direction of twenty-two different ministers and nearly
seven hundred members in the aggregate. In 1869 the congregation built one of
the finest stone church buildings in the area at a cost of $20,000.
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
The first Episcopal service in Antwerp was the
baptism of Annis Elizabeth daughter of Alexander P. and Elizabeth S. Sterling,
at Sterlingburgh,
September 6,1855.
The first organization was Frederick Hyde, a
young deacon, followed by Rev. Wm. A. Ely, deacon. The first wardens were Oliver
Child of Philadelphia and Alexander P. Sterling of Antwerp. Services were first
held in Mrs. Wm. Gill’s house until 1871 when the church was built on lot
donated by Mrs. Gill, Mrs. Laton Bentley succeeded in raising $2000.
The Catholic Church
The commencement of Catholic services in
Antwerp began in 1849. They purchased the brick church built by Mr.
Parrish. The church is in charge of the priest
at Redwood.
Baptist Church – Antwerp Village
The Baptist church was organized in 1824. Among
its first members were Daniel Coolidge, Jerome Woodbury, Eli Whitford
and his wife, Walter Colton,
Obadiah Chamberlain, and Richard Huntley.
Reorganization was affected in 1836 with Obadiah Chamberlain,
David Manning, and Joseph Palmer
as trustees. Their meetinghouse was completed in 1843. Divine worship ceased in
1865 and their last meeting was held in 1866. There the Methodist Protestant
Society of Antwerp later used building as a place of worship.
Methodist Episcopal Church – Antwerp Village
This society used the building built by the
Baptist. This building was completely destroyed by fire. Through subscription
they were able to have new building dedicated nine months later.
The membership at this time is about on hundred fifty.
Methodist Protestant Church
In 1868 Methodist Protestant classes were
organized in Antwerp, viz.: one at Hoard neighborhood with forty-two members;
one at Hall’s corners, with twenty-two members; and a third at Rockwell Creek,
with thirty-eight members. They met in their local schoolhouses.
The M. E. Church – Sprague’s Corners
The organization of Methodist at Sprague’s
Corners was effected in 1837 with trustees: Isaac Sprague, John Howe, Elijah
Steele Jr., Abel Goodenough,
William Brown, Martin Michel,
and Samuel Kingsley. They purchased land
from Moses Burge a building site with
John Howe being the architect and builder. This
was demolished and C. C. Miller, as
architect, erected the present church edifice.
Free-Will Baptist Church –
Sprague’s Corners
In 1870 there was a union of the Antwerp and
Fowler Baptist society with the Wesleyan Methodists of Sprague’s Corners. The
Wesleyan society, which was merged with the Free-Will Baptists, was formed in
1845 with Emor Bell, Allen Woodward, and Abel Goodenough, trustees. The reason
for the secession from the M. E. Church was a disagreement on the question of
slavery. The other member of the union, the Antwerp and Fowler Baptist church—dated
its existence from 1838 when Amos Sheldon, I. H. Bosworth, Alexander Wright,
Leonard Pike, Ansel Clark,
and Moses Burge organized the church as
trustees.
The Presbyterian Church – Ox Bow
The Ox Bow Presbyterian Society of Antwerp and
Rossie formed in 1820 with Abraham Cooper, Rueben Streeter, James Ormiston,
Abraham Lewis, James Douglas, Abner Benton, Orren Matthews, and Percival Hawley,
as trustees. Principally people from the south of Scotland formed the
organization. There grew up a dissatisfaction, which resulted in dissolution of
the church’s allegiance to the Assembly, and a change of name to that of “The
Associate Reformed Church of Antwerp and Rossie." This took place in 1837 under
trustees: Andrew Culbertson, James Dickson, Robert Darling, John Barrow, William
Fleming, and William Trumbell. After 1852 they resumed their original relations
to the General Assembly, as a regular Presbyterian church.
The Methodist Episcopal Church – Ox Bow
A Methodist church organization existed in Ox
Bow in 1833 with Ira D. Shepard, William H. Collar, Samuel Bonfy,
Ebenezer Beardsley, and Abraham Lewis,
trustees. Connected with the church is a flourishing Sabbath-school, under the
superintendence of Mr. Joseph Graves.
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