A Moment in our History

A Moment in Our History #4 ­ February 8, 2009
By Drew A. Nicholson, Village and Church Historian

METHODISM COMES TO PAWLING

            Methodism in the English colonies of North America began in 1766 when Philip Emery, a Wesleyan preacher from Ireland, “began to preach in New York City and formed a Methodist Society [church], now the John Street Church.”  He was soon joined in America by Robert Strawbridge, also from Ireland, who settled in Frederick County, Maryland, wherein he preached and formed Societies.

            America proved to be fertile ground for Methodism, and on December 24, 1784 at the “Christmas Conference” held in Baltimore, Maryland, the Methodist Episcopal Church was officially organized under a plan developed and forwarded by John Wesley to Rev. Dr. Thomas Coke for presentation to the Conference.  At that Conference Rev. Dr. Coke and Rev. Francis Ashby were elected as joint Superintendents of the Methodist Episcopal Church in America, and Dr., Ashby was consecrated as a Bishop. 

            In the Methodist itinerant tradition, preacher circuit riders moved out from the seaboard counties into the interior spreading the gospel—and they came at last to the Harlem Valley.  Exactly when these circuit riders first arrived in region of the Town of Pawling is lost to history.  And when the New York Conference first met in Amenia in 1809 (and again in 1813) there was no mention by name of these riders in the records.  However, research by our Church ancestors in the 1930s uncovered the names of three men who are likely to have brought Methodism to the Harlem Valley: Peter Moriarity, Billy Hubbard and William Thatcher.

            Peter Moriarity was born in Maryland of Irish Catholic parents.  Tradition has it that in spite of his parents’ warnings, he secretly attended Methodist services; he was converted and entered the “itinerant ministry” in 1781.  In 1789 he came to the NY Conference and preached for 31-years.  He was known as a “plain, pious man, diligent in his labours and a good example of Irish wit which [was] an asset…for preaching.”

            Billy Hubbard was born in Norwich, CT in 1771 and joined the NY Conference in 1798.  “He was appointed to the Dutchess Circuit in 1802…and in 1806 to the Courtlandt Circuit which [included] the eastern end of [Putnam and Dutchess Counties].”  Hubbard was considered somewhat eccentric; he died in 1844 after 46-years in the ministry.

            William Thatcher was born in Norwalk, CT in 1769.  At 19 he visited Baltimore and “was converted under Methodist preaching.”  [Must have been powerful stuff back then!]  At 28 he entered the Methodist ministry; he passed at the age of 87 and is buried in Poughkeepsie.

            The continued rapid growth of Methodism in the early 19^th century is evidenced by the need in 1837 to subdivide the Courtlandt Circuit.  “Wherever a little group of believers could be brought together under Methodist auspices a leader was appointed by the group…The preachers followed a schedule of preaching appointments in private home, school houses, union churches in some cases, open air meetings, Methodist building wherever they had been built etc. in order to reach the greatest number of people,” according to the 1937 The History of the Pawling Methodist Episcopal Church.

As a result the new Pawlingsville Circuit was created. 

            The Pawlingsville Circuit encompassed the area between what is now Hurds Corners and the “little nest of houses” known locally as “Goose Town” (also “Gorestown,” a reference to Pawling’s location in the section of the Beekman Patent ceded to the Philipse family and which was referred to as the “Gore”).  This “little nest” was to become the Village of Pawling. 

            District Superintendents called conference four times a year in the early 19^th century as a way to bring the widely scattered officials together to conduct the business of the Church.  The first quarterly conference in which the Pawlingsville Circuit participated was held at the New Fairfield , CT church on July 7, 1838.  Rev John Reynolds—having been appointed to the Circuit in the spring of 1838—was reported in the minutes as Pastor-in-charge and Rev. Uriah Meade was designated as a Local pastor.  The conference voted to support Pastor Reynolds with “$150 for ‘table expenses, house rent, fuel etc.’ and $200 ‘quarterage [salary], one quarter of it to be paid at each Quarterly conference.’  The total for the year was $350.”

            The Second Quarterly Conference was held in the “old church” [our first church, the one that was located on what is now South Street] on September 22.  William St. John, representing the South Pawling “class” (i.e. a growing church) reported $5.59 in receipts.  What had begun as meetings in homes such as that of Col. William Pearce [related in Moment #3 last week] had now been recognized as a prospering church in the Circuit.  Soon events that would lead to the building of the second church, the one on East Main Street, would take place.  But that is another story!

 [Next week the story of the second church, the one that Daniel Dodge found too small for a proper funeral, will be told.  Please let me know what you think of these “Moments”—comments are always appreciated.]

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