EC Johnson – Pittston History – Part 3
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201 Mary Gray. Ellen Carrol. Henry's Bearer. Henry Obookiah. and many others similar. The three last named, I was personally familiar with. The others, I tried in vain to read. The two "Henrys" introduced me to India and the Sandwich Islands, which offered novelty and enter- tainment . "Ellen Carrol" was a saintly little girl, misunderstood and ridi- culed. I took her part warmly; and read and re-read, until she became a fast friend of mine, such as one can find only in a book, which never "talks back',' or does things unexpected and disappointing. I appropriated that book, nobody saying me nay. I finally loaned it to a school mate and could never get it back. As Jereboam's name is never mentioned in Scripture without the addition of "who made Israel to sin", so that girl's name and the site of her house never recur to my mind except with the mental anathema: "who last Ellen Carrol". Before our new Church was built, I spent a season in the Sunday School of the Episcopal Church. This was through my Aunt Elizabeth's influence, who was a member of that church. They had not yet built St. James Church, which stood were the Post Office Building now stands, but held services in a hall. Here I was trained in the Prayer Book and the Chatechism. I mastered it, even to the answer of "Who is my neighbour?" This training helped me later, when I was hired as organist in St. James Church; and had also made me feel at home and in sympathy with a ritualistic service. It is pleasant to be able to look back and see how all of the various steps of life have each been a preparation for the one next higher. I played the Cabinet Organ in our Presbyterian Church and then the pipe organ until I went to Norristown, to be absent nearly two years. Mr. Waddeli, a thorough Scotsman with native prejudices, called the pipe organ "a kist o' whustles"; and he would no longer sit in the "kirk" when it was installed. I hope the playing of the "kist" had nothing to do with his dissatisfation. That "kist o' whustles" now serves the Avoca Presbyterian Church. Mrs. C. C. Bowman presented it to that church when she replaced it in the Pittston Church with the large one from the First Prysbyterian Church of Scranton. The "Kist" used to stand in the square gallery where hung the cracked bell that rang in the belfry of the Wilkesbarre First Church, "Old Ship Zion." Dr. Parke gave this historic bell to the Wyoming Histor- ical and Geological Society for preservation in their rooms; and purchased 202 for the Pittston church the bell that the Scranton First Chruch discarded when it rebuilt. Thus the First Presbyterian Church of Pittston has now both the bell and the organ of the Scranton Church. 2a B. THE WELCH PEOPLE AND CHURCHES. They came here experienced miners. They brought with them not only the practical knowledge of mining coal, but also their deeply emotional religious characteristics and their enthusiasm for choral music. They built the first church in town (Dr. P). It was on Pine Street and is now converted into a dwelling house. It was built up against a sand hill, with basement, front steps, leading up from each side, to porch and entrance doors. It was formed of wood and painted white gable end to street and three or four windows on each side, with panes of 9 x 7 common window glass. They were accommodating to the community and allowed the Method- ists and Episcopalians to have service there by turns in the intervals of their own. St. James church was organized in 1852. Not long after this was built the church at the corner of LaGrange and Railroad Streets was built. This too was against a hill with a basement front and entrance to the church at the rear. If it served no other purpose it was well worth building for the meeting place of Welch choirs and musical societies. Almost nightly the swelling sound of the grand wild music of Welch filled the neighborhood with its impressive volume. (Ferore) This was a Baptist church. The zeal of the Welchmen for his own peculiar tenenets of doctrine (?) soon led to the erection of the Congre- gational Welch church, later a new Baptist edifice was built close beside the Congregationalist on LaGrange Street and the old sanctuary abandoned to Band Rehearsals and the like. Its basement, as that of the Pine Street church served as school room, for private or borough schools at various times. But there were not a sufficient number of Baptists to maintain regular services and it was used for other meetings. The Welch women were trained at home to carry burdens on their heads. Most wonderful feats they sometimes did. A pail of water balanced on a coil pad placed on top of the head would be carried any distance without touching hands to it. A woman has been known to walk from the Welch settlement just above Wilkes Barre to the settlement at Hyde Park, Scranton, with a large bundle on her head, a distance of near twenty miles with the greatest cheerfulness. Another walk up a slight grade from the Basin to Main Street with a wash tub filled with water on her head. "Just lift it on for me" said she and they lifted it on and she walked off with a firm, steady tread. It gave grace of carriage etc. They decorated a baby's coffin with all bright colored ribbons and carried it through the street on a bier, the procession following, all on foot. 2a B. The Welch were great church folk. They built the first church in town (Note: this seems a repetition). It stood on Pine Street where now stands the Public School. The church had a basement front, steps led up to the two doors. It was of wood, painted white, with gable end facing the street. It was built against a sand hill, and its bare sandy graveyard was at the back and side. This has been removed, the hill graded down and the barren fields on each side are now covered with homes and gardens. The church was sometimes occupied by the Methodists until they built their old brick church on Broad Street and in the issue of the Gazette August 6, 1850, is a notice that "Rev. J. D. Miles of Wilkes Barre will preach next Sabbath at 3 P.M. in the Welch Chruch in this village". Mr. Miles was rector of the St. Stephens Episcopal church in Wilkes Barre and came up to preach once a fortnight to those of that denomination. He laid the foundation of what grew into St. James Episcopal Church. After the Cash Store block now the stores of Burke and Antrim and Co. was built a hall on second floor served as a meeting place for the congre- gation and for its Sabbath School of Episcopal congregation. A hall in "Marble store" served before this as we find in Gazette of (See Christian in Pittston-1880) (?) 2a B. BAPTIST CHURCH IN PITTSTON Rev. James Finn was the first pastor of the Baptist church in Pittston. He was ordained before coming from near Goshen, N.Y., He had a son, William, of Dundoff. In 1820 James Gordon knew Mrs. Finn, the widow of Daniel Gore of Joseph's Plains, a woman of fine presence and attractive manners, then about seventy years old. She died between 1832 and 38 at Clifford, Susquehanna County aged eighty-five. Dr. William H. Smith had several daughters, no sons. He married a widow named Smith. One daughter married James Sutton of Exeter, one married James Bedford of Abington, one married Naphtali Hurlbut, one married Isaac Osterhout of Putnam (Tunkhannock). Another married Snowden and became grandmother to Rev. Charles Snowden of Wilkes Barre Episcopal Church in 1891. Another married Gaylord of Plymouth. Dr. Smith died at LaGrange in 1814, his wife Margery died in 1816. In 1802 he lived at Old Forge — was in business there with James Sutton. In politics he was a Radical Federalist. His Philosophy was similar to that of the French school. He was a highly educated man, a classical scholar. He published a humorous book entitled: "The Phil- osopher's Stone" "A drop of Honey for a poor despairing Alchemist". Unless Dr. Bedford has a copy there is none probably existent. Dr. S was eccentric. In the latter part of his life he was a spiritualist. One day he came on horseback to his son-in-law Nephtali Hurlbut's tavern (the old Seville House). His trousers pockets were stuffed full of drugs. In dismounting be broke a vial and greatly damaged his trousers. His daughter at once set about repairing them but he remained over night. James Gordon, a mere boy, carried the candle to light him to bed and saw him fall into an abstracted mood. Recalled Jem Scoville "Come here and meet me as you promised". He repeated the name and kept calling until Mrs. Hurlbut came and persuaded him to get into bed. During the later years of his life he bought and sold much land. In all deeds he gave he always reserved the iron ore and stone coal. Baptists residing in Plainsville were the Gores, Samuel Carey, Ephriam White, the Westbrooks, John Worden. In Pittston were such men as the Hardings, Browns, John Phillips Benedict, David Dimmock and his two sons, the Marcys, St.