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 LIBRARY OF THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY 
 
 PRINCETON. N. J. 
 
 S\ne 0,\^+Vi- 
 
 Presented bv 0106/ Wi\^Tr\Or' 
 
 BX 9211 .P49124 F706 1920 
 Somerndike, John Mason, 187 
 -1939. 
 
 The Presbyterian church of 
 ^E^ankford . 1 7 70-1 Q7n 
 
flH 
 
The 
 
 Presbyterian Church 
 
 of 
 
 Frankford 
 
 1770-1920 
 
 By 
 JOHN M. SOMERNDIKE 
 
 Published by 
 
 THE ANNIVERSARY COMMITTEE 
 
 1920 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 Foreword 5 
 
 Chapter I — 
 
 Beginnings 9 
 
 Chapte:r II — 
 
 The Development of a Presbyterian Or- 
 ganization 31 
 
 Cn AFTER III — 
 
 An Era of Upbuilding and Progress 59 
 
 Chapter IV — 
 
 Years of Expansion 7Z 
 
 Chapter V — 
 
 Twenty-five Years of Fruitful Ministry ... 95 
 
 Chapter VI — 
 
 The Sunday-school of the Presbyterian 
 
 Church of Frankf ord 123 
 
FOREWORD 
 
 In preparation for the celebration of the One 
 Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary of the Presby- 
 terian Church of Frankford and the Twenty-fifth 
 Anniversary of Doctor Laird's ministry, a Com- 
 mittee was appointed consisting of representatives 
 of the Session, the Board of Trustees and the 
 congregation. 
 
 The Committee was unanimous in its judgment 
 that one of the most effective ways of commemorat- 
 ing this anniversary occasion would be the publica- 
 tion of a complete book containing a history of the 
 Church. The writer was appointed to undertake 
 the work. 
 
 History is always a fascinating study. To search 
 through the archives of forgotten days, to call 
 before us the men and women who served their day 
 and generation faithfully and well, and to whose 
 labors and sacrifices we are indebted for the build- 
 ing of the church whose One Hundred and Fiftieth 
 Anniversary it is our privilege to celebrate, was an 
 agreeable task. 
 
 The history of the Presbyterian Church of Frank- 
 ford is one in which the present generation may 
 have a pardonable pride. For an institution to 
 attain to the venerable age of one hundred and fifty 
 years, its foundations being laid before America 
 became a nation, is so rare as to justify more than 
 passing notice. 
 
 As these pages are perused it may seem to those 
 in whose memories many of the events recorded 
 were but recently enacted, that a fuller and more 
 
6 Foreword 
 
 detailed account might have been given concerning 
 certain outstanding characters who contributed in a 
 large way toward the perpetuation and growth of 
 the church. 
 
 The writer's only apology for the apparent brevity 
 in referring to the life and work of many of the 
 saints who have labored here is that the limitation 
 of space made it impracticable. Many volumes 
 could be filled with the story of their toils and 
 sacrifices for their beloved Zion. Scores of others 
 also, though occupying humbler places, were no less 
 consecrated and devoted than those whose names 
 appear. 
 
 Likewise an entire volume should have been de- 
 voted to the events of the present pastorate, whose 
 Twenty-fifth Anniversary gives us the opportunity 
 of paying our tribute of affection and appreciation 
 to him whom all men delight to honor; and much 
 could be written concerning those who have labored 
 so zealously with him. But here again we have 
 been restricted. Future historians will record these 
 things when this generation shall have passed 
 beyond. 
 
 As the story is told to our children and to 
 
 children's children may it ever serve to show forth 
 
 to them the wonders of God's grace. May the 
 
 example of godly life and sacrificial service which 
 
 these years of sacred association of pastors and 
 
 people have unfolded, inspire them to still larger 
 
 endeavor; and may greater victories of faith be 
 
 their reward! t ivt o 
 
 J. M. Somerndike:. 
 
 May, 1920. 
 
COMMITTEE 
 
 OF THE 
 
 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY 
 OF THE CHURCH 
 
 AND THE 
 
 TWENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 
 PASTORATE OF THE REV. JOHN B. LAIRD, D.D. 
 
 John W. Liberton, Chairman. 
 Henry S. Battin. 
 George E. Borie. 
 Henry S. Borneman. 
 Norman S. Castor. 
 Charles C. Davis. 
 Robert Dawes. 
 Frederick L. Degener, Jr. 
 Daniei. R. Greenwood. 
 W. Howard Hoi^den. 
 James S. McMaster. 
 Thomas N. Murray. 
 Robert L. Sheppard. 
 John M. Somerndike. 
 Cl^INTON Y. W11.GUS. 
 
CHAPTER I 
 
 BEGINNINGS 
 
 "Walk about Zion, * * * tell the towers thereof, mark 
 ye well her bulwarks, * * * that ye may tell it to the 
 generations following." 
 
 Traversing the two miles of Frankford's main 
 thoroughfare in 1920, with its modern shops, its 
 banks, its offices, imposing church edifices, library, 
 public park, postoffice, railway terminal, and its 
 elevated railway structure overhead, one sees little 
 to bring to memory the history of earlier days. 
 The ancient landmarks, one by one, have disap- 
 peared under the ruthless pressure of business en- 
 terprise. Indeed it is difficult to picture the old 
 Frankfort village of a century and a half ago, out 
 of the few remnants that have been preserved, for 
 we find the old Frankford Presbyterian Church to 
 be among the few properties which have withstood 
 all the changes which the passing years have 
 wrought. By the labors and sacrifices of faithful 
 followers of the Christ, through succeeding gener- 
 ations, this structure stands on its original founda- 
 tions, still devoted to the sacred use for which it 
 was first erected by loving hands. Is it not signifi- 
 cant of the unchanging character of things eternal, 
 and prophetic of the enduring power of the Word 
 of God, that this shrine made sacred by the feet of 
 thousands of earth's pilgrims, should have survived 
 the storm and stress of time? With the swift 
 
10 The Presbyterian Church of Frankford 
 
 passing of the years, tens of thousands have found 
 within the temple's precincts the fulfillment of their 
 souls' longings, the satisfaction of their spiritual 
 hunger, and the consolation of God's Word. Still 
 it stands bearing witness to the Truth and pointing 
 weary souls heavenward. 
 
 The little village clustered about the vicinity of 
 Frankford Creek, where stood the old flour mill, 
 made famous by the visit of Lydia Darrah, in her 
 daring adventure to save Washington's troops from 
 a surprise attack, was composed of only a few 
 German families. They lived rather colorless lives, 
 viewed from our present point of advantage, but 
 wholesome, with homely pleasures, a warm spirit of 
 neighborliness, and withal a religious zeal and 
 Christian devotion in individual and family life, 
 which imparted a sturdiness of character and a 
 stability of community life, whose influence has 
 permeated every period of its development. To the 
 east of them there was a settlement of Quakers, 
 descendents of some of those who accompanied 
 William Penn upon his great religious enterprise. 
 
 From their Fatherland, these German folk 
 brought with them a deep reverence for God and 
 His Word. The fires kindled by the Reformation 
 Period through which their forefathers had passed, 
 had long since died out, but the story of the trials 
 and persecutions which they endured were re- 
 counted over and over again from generation to 
 generation around the family altars, as they read 
 from the sacred Book and chanted the hymns of 
 Zion. Heroes of the faith they were, no less than 
 
Beginnings 1 1 
 
 their forefathers who had withstood the trying 
 times of the days of Luther and Zwingli. 
 
 Little wonder then, that soon after they arrived 
 in this little settlement, they gathered for worship 
 on the Sabbath day, from house to house, without a 
 preacher, finding joy and uplift in singing God's 
 praises. With deep fervor and emotion, they chant 
 the " Ein Feste Burg ", they read the precious prom- 
 ises of God's Word, spending long seasons in 
 prayer, and in the study of the catechism. The 
 nearest church organization was the German Cal- 
 vinistic or Reformed congregation in the village of 
 Germantown, whose missionary pastor was respon- 
 sible for two other outstations. The little flock in 
 Frankfort could not hope to have their own shep- 
 herd, because they were few in number, and not 
 sufficiently provided with means to sustain him. 
 Neither did it seem practicable to impose any addi- 
 tional burdens upon the faithful pastor of the Ger- 
 mantown congregation, whose widely scattered 
 parish made it difficult for him to minister to the 
 needs of the families for whom he was already 
 responsible. 
 
 As the people from the neighboring villages came 
 to Frankfort to grind their meal and to visit friends 
 or relatives, their religious welfare doubtless was 
 the subject of frequent conversation around the 
 humble firesides, and it is not strange therefore that 
 the " Dominie " in Germantown, Christopher Faber, 
 was informed concerning the devotion of these 
 people, and began to manifest an interest in them. 
 This faithful missionary pastor, for the ministers 
 
12 The Presby^ierian Church of Frankford 
 
 of that day were missionary heroes in the truest 
 sense, made occasional visits to Frankfort, and en- 
 couraged the people in their efforts, doubtless hold- 
 ing before them the hope that at no distant time, in 
 the Providence of God, provision might be made for 
 the pastoral oversight and guidance which they so 
 ardently desired. 
 
 It was not long before their prayers and longings 
 began to give promise of fulfillment, for they were 
 soon reinforced by a company of Swiss immigrants 
 from the city of Basel. Coming from that strong- 
 hold of the Protestant faith it was not strange that 
 they readily joined with singleness of mind and 
 heart in the religious aspirations of their German 
 neighbors. They, too, could look back upon an 
 ancestry that had passed through fiery trials and 
 sufferings in the Thirty Years' War. They had 
 lived under the shadow of the great university, 
 whose history was inseparably woven into the warp 
 and woof of the Reformation struggle, whose halls 
 were the scene of many a warm controversy between 
 the Reformation heroes and those who had per- 
 verted the Truth to serve their selfish ends. It was 
 the home of Zwingli, that fearless advocate of 
 Protestantism, whose name will forever stand with 
 those of the great Reformation leaders, Luther and 
 Calvin. From that day until the present Basel 
 University has been the seat of the best Protestant 
 scholarship. It has never swerved from the Re- 
 formed Faith. 
 
 With their forces thus strengthened, the leaders 
 of the Frankfort settlement now felt justified in 
 
Beginnings 1 3 
 
 appealing to the " Coetus ", or Convention of the 
 Reformed Churches in Pennsylvania, for pastoral 
 guidance. The " Coetus " was the ecclesiastical 
 body in America representing the mother Church 
 in Holland. During a period of forty-five years, 
 until 1792, the Reformed churches in America 
 stood in the closest relation to the Reformed Church 
 of Holland, from whose ranks most of the ministers 
 of the American churches were received. In addi- 
 tion, the mother Church in Holland sent frequent 
 donations of money to help in sustaining the work. 
 Careful minutes were kept of the meetings of the 
 Coetus, and yearly reports were sent to Holland, 
 where they were carefully preserved. Indeed the 
 only official records of these churches are those 
 which are now in the possession of the mother 
 Church. 
 
 In 1769 the Germantown church, after being 
 without a pastor for a year following the transfer 
 of Christopher Faber to another field, presented to 
 the Coetus a unanimous request for the services of 
 Christian Frederick Faehring, a young man of 
 thirty-one years, who was one of the first Reformed 
 ministers to receive his ministerial education in 
 America. The records refer to him as one " whom 
 God's Providence deprived of his father in the 
 early years of his life, he thus becoming an orphan 
 and a servant of others. But God himself, in a 
 special manner taking his father's place, directed 
 him so that he applied whatever he earned in the 
 sweat of his brow, with an extraordinary and vol- 
 untary desire to the study of languages, and the 
 truths which God has revealed for our salvation." 
 
14 The Presh])terian Church of Frankford 
 
 The story of his early years is a thrilling one. 
 His father died in the military service of Germany, 
 and his mother knew that if her son remained in 
 that country he also would be compelled to enter 
 the army. To avoid this, when the boy was but 
 seven years of age, she tied him to her back, and 
 skating across the Rhine, escaped out of the country. 
 Amid trying experiences, she finally made her way 
 to the coast and found passage for America, arriv- 
 ing in Germantown, where she sought refuge with 
 friends who had previously emigrated to this coun- 
 try. Mr. Faehring saved enough of his earnings to 
 enable him to enter the College of New Jersey (now 
 Princeton University). Through one of his teach- 
 ers he became acquainted with the members of the 
 Pennsylvania Coetus. The records continue : " We 
 felt compelled to aid this man according to our 
 ability, and each minister gave him something for 
 maintenance, and support, so that through God's 
 Grace he might attain his object." For three years 
 he was instructed in theology, according to the 
 custom of that period, by three different ministers, 
 spending a year with each, and residing in their 
 homes. There were no theological seminaries, and 
 for many years all the young men who were trained 
 for the ministerial ofifice were prepared in this man- 
 ner, often at great sacrifice on the part of both 
 teacher and student. 
 
 Mr. Faehring was given a preliminary exami- 
 nation in 1768, and the following year was again 
 examined, ordained to the Gospel ministry, and as- 
 signed to the Germantown Church and the outlying 
 
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 Photographed from the original record written in German at the time the first 
 building was erected in 1770. The translation is found on pages 14 and 15. 
 

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Beginnings 1 5 
 
 fields. The coming of Mr. Faehring, full of the 
 vigor and freshness of youth, gave new hope to the 
 Frankfort settlers, whom he doubtless visited more 
 frequently than his predecessor had done. He en- 
 couraged them to begin preparations for a house of 
 worship as the first step toward receiving recog- 
 nition from the Coetus as a church organization. 
 
 Accordingly, in January, 1769, they purchased a 
 lot at the corner of Paul's Back Lane (now Paul 
 Street) and Church Lane (now Church Street). 
 The next year, through the assistance of friends, 
 they resolved to erect a house of worship on this 
 spot, commencing the work in April, 1770. Con- 
 cerning this action on the part of the little company, 
 we are fortunate in having the original record pre- 
 served, which was written in German. Let this tell 
 the story of the beginnings of this sacred work. 
 
 " In the name of the Holy Trinity. Amen. 
 Whereas it has pleased the Almighty and All-wise 
 God through His providence and His Holy Ghost, 
 to inspire the following persons, viz. : George 
 Castor, Sr., Henry Rohrer, Sr., Rudolph Neff and 
 Sirach Schudy to build a house for the glory of His 
 Holy Name: Therefore, these above-named per- 
 sons, with their friends, have consulted together 
 about the undertaking of this great work; and the 
 following persons, viz. : Frederick Castor, Rudolph 
 Mawrerer, Jacob Zebly, Jacob Myer, have joined 
 them to help with heart and hand and deed to carry 
 out the above measure. The beginning of this was 
 undertaken by the above-named persons, in the year 
 of our Lord 1769, in the month of January, in the 
 
16 The Presbyterian Church of Fran^ford 
 
 purchase of a lot for a burial-ground. But after 
 this, through the help of God, and the many friends 
 and patrons, whose names will be found in the min- 
 ute books, and to whom we and our successors will 
 owe the most sincere thanks, it was resolved that a 
 church should be built on the said burial-ground, 
 and the work thereof was commenced in April, 1770. 
 " We can well affirm that the progress of this 
 building was conducted in a desired manner, by the 
 blessing of God, in great harmony, in a peaceful 
 and untiring effort. On the fourth of May, in the 
 same year, the corner-stone was laid by the Rev. 
 Mr. Faehring. Since the church is not entirely out 
 of debt, as you will see in the minutes and records, 
 as well as from the receipts of Rudolph Neff and 
 Frederick Castor; we therefore felt constrained to 
 present a correct account and full statement of all, 
 that our descendants and all who shall be interested, 
 might have a record which they could examine in 
 the future. Wherefore, we say to those who will 
 follow us, be careful and wise ; be on your guard — 
 so that you may increase as well as enlarge your 
 numbers ; and never get tired of keeping this build- 
 ing in good repair. We wish you therefore good 
 success. * O Jerusalem, lift up your heads, O ye 
 gates ; and be ye hfted up, ye everlasting doors ; and 
 the King of glory shall come in.' Now God Al- 
 mighty, Creator of the universe, we commend to 
 Thee this house which we have built in Thy Holy 
 Name, and for the glory of God. Keep in Thy hands 
 and protection those who shall meet in it. Destroy 
 all false doctrines and all that is intended to destroy 
 
Beginnings 1 7 
 
 Thy Word. Give now and forever Thy grace, peace 
 and unity, and Thine shall be the praise and thanks, 
 honor and glory, now and forever. Amen." 
 
 This was the last record, with the exception of a 
 few accounts, that was made during the period of 
 thirty-seven years, until 1807, while the church was 
 affiliated with the German Reformed body. During 
 this time all the services were conducted in the 
 German language. There was no Sunday-school, 
 of course, because the Sunday-school movement had 
 not yet come into existence. Children were cate- 
 chized thoroughly before confirmation, but this was 
 the only religious training which the church at- 
 tempted in behalf of its youth in those early days. 
 
 Among the names of the founders of the church 
 will be recognized the honored sire of the Castor 
 family, branches of which have been closely identi- 
 fied with the church's life through the succeeding 
 generations to the present. 
 
 Among the friends to whom reference is made in 
 the original record, and whose financial assistance 
 made it possible for the building to be erected, were 
 Samuel Neswinger, Rudolph Shutz, Leonard Froe- 
 lich, Yost Myers, Jacob Madeira, Jacob Schmid, 
 Jacob Mag, David Bleuh, Christopher Bender, 
 Frederick Scheibly, George Wilkins, Edward Steils, 
 Jacob Geisse, Leonard Kaufifmann, Alexander Ed- 
 wards, Ulric Neif, and many other residents of the 
 village who realized the value of a church in safe- 
 guarding and stabilizing the community life. 
 
 The church building was a one-story structure, 
 forty feet wide and thirty feet long, about one- 
 
18 The Presbyterian Church of Frankford 
 
 fourth the size of the present edifice. The cost of 
 the building was carefully recorded, as follows : 
 
 £. s. d. 
 The stone, lime, sand, hair, and 
 
 hauling ,...133 2 10 
 
 Boards, planks, shingles, and other 
 
 lumber 109 6 3 
 
 Paint, oil, glass, and painting 27 16 8 
 
 Mason work and plastering. 64 16 8 
 
 Carpenter and cabinet work 97 16 9 
 
 Blacksmith work and other incidentals 28 17 5 
 
 Whole cost of building when finished . 461 15 11 
 or about two thousand four hundred dollars 
 ($2,400). 
 
 There were but sixteen churches in Philadelphia 
 at the time the comer-stone of the Frankford 
 Church was laid, four of them being Presbyterian. 
 In Frankford there was but one place of worship, 
 the old Friends Meeting House, the second in the 
 State of Pennsylvania, a wooden structure, which 
 later (in 1776) was replaced by the brick building 
 which still stands at the comer of Unity and Wain 
 Streets. 
 
 Following the erection of the house of worship, 
 Mr. Faehring held services regularly, probably once 
 a month, for a period of two years. In 1772 he was 
 called to the pastorate of a Reformed church in 
 New York. Frequent reference is made in the Min- 
 utes of the Coetus, to the excellent work of Mr. 
 Faehring, and he is highly commended for his faith- 
 
Beglnmngs 19 
 
 fulness and piety. The records of the Coetus of 
 1770, however, contain a statement which gives evi- 
 dence of the fact that he had not reached a state of 
 grace that made him immune from the attractions 
 of the opposite sex. He chose a wife from among 
 the daughters of his elders, which was quite in good 
 taste and judgment, but in the manner of his con- 
 quest he was not as discreet as became one who 
 occupied the exalted position of spiritual leader. 
 The matter is best explained by quoting the record : 
 " In the last session a complaint was lodged against 
 Dominie Faehring by Sebastian Mueller, an elder of 
 the congregation at Germantown. The accusation 
 was to the efifect that Do. Faehring had in a sly 
 manner eloped with Mueller's daughter. But we 
 could not come to a decision with regard to this 
 case and therefore it was taken up again to-day and 
 more fully investigated. Then the following action 
 was taken, that, although Mr. Faehring had some 
 cause for such procedure, yet the way in which he 
 had entered into wedlock was very offensive and 
 irregular. Mr. Faehring showed regret and repent- 
 ance and asked the Coetus for forgiveness. With 
 this Coetus was satisfied." 
 
 With the calling of the Rev. J. C. Albertus 
 Helffenstein in 1772, to succeed Mr. Faehring as 
 pastor of the Germantown Church, the congregation 
 in Frankford was given larger recognition. The 
 record states : " The congregation at Frankford, 
 which in the past was served by Do. Faehring, asks 
 that Do. Helffenstein, of Germantown, serve them 
 every two weeks in the afternoon, but in such a 
 
20 The Presh})tenan Church of Frankford 
 
 manner that no disadvantage shall arise to the con- 
 gregation in Germantown with regard to cate- 
 chization. 
 
 " Resolved : The congregation of Frankford shall 
 thus be served by the minister of Germantown 
 (every other week, in the afternoon), but with the 
 condition that Do. Helffenstein shall hold cate- 
 chization in Germantown in the forenoon. More- 
 over, two Sundays in the year shall be granted to the 
 congregation at Frankford for holding communion." 
 
 Mr. Helffenstein evidently was a man of unusual 
 scholarship and administrative ability. Upon the 
 occasion of his reception by the Pennsylvania 
 Coetus, he is said to have " brought a very excellent 
 testimonial of his life and doctrine." He was prom- 
 ised an annual stipend of seventy-five pounds, Penn- 
 sylvania money, for his services in Germantown and 
 Frankford. He belonged to a family in which there 
 had been a succession of ministers since the Refor- 
 mation. He was bom in the Palatinate. In the 
 book " One Hundred Years of the Presbyterian 
 Church of Frankford ", Dr. Thomas Murphy gives 
 the best authentic record of these early pastorates. 
 He writes concerning Mr. Helffenstein : " While on 
 his way to this country, a severe storm at sea led 
 him to consecrate himself more entirely to the 
 service of God. His sermons were very pointed and 
 stirring, and his ministry was greatly blessed. 
 Often, it is said, was his congregation overwhelmed 
 by the mighty power of truth, as it flowed with 
 majesty and tenderness from his heart. He died of 
 consumption in the year 1789. 
 
Beginnmgs 2 1 
 
 " During part of the interval between 1775 and 
 1779, while Mr. Helffenstein was at Lancaster, the 
 church was probably supplied by the Rev. Samuel 
 Dubbendorf, then pastor of the German Reformed 
 Church of Germantown. He had come over from 
 Europe as chaplain with the Hessian soldiers. But, 
 afterwards, * through the plunderings of the English 
 soldiers, he lost nearly all he had, and amid terror, 
 want and famine, saw all his satisfaction and com- 
 fort in temporal things carried away as by a storm.' 
 On this account he left his field in Germantown and 
 vicinity after a stay of about two years. Mr. Dub- 
 bendorf was a man tender and refined in his feel- 
 ings, of strong affections, and greatly devoted to the 
 work of the ministry. He was never married. 
 Neither the date of his birth nor his age is recorded. 
 
 " Towards the latter part of Mr. HelfiFenstein's 
 pastorate — in 1787 — we find, in an Act of Incorpo- 
 ration, that the Rev. Philip R. Pauli was minister of 
 this church. It is probable that he became such in 
 consequence of Mr. Helfifenstein's declining health. 
 Mr. Pauli was a native of Prussia, born in 1742. In 
 that country he was fully educated, and came to 
 America in 1783. Soon afterwards he took charge 
 of the Academy of Philadelphia for six years. It 
 was during part of that time that he was minister of 
 this church. Subsequently he became pastor of the 
 German Reformed Church in Reading, Pa., which 
 he served for a period of nearly twenty-two years. 
 He was a superior linguist, a thoroughly educated 
 man, and an active and faithful minister of the 
 Gospel. He died in 1815, amidst the deepest sor- 
 
22 The Presb})ierian Church of Frankford 
 
 row of the people to whom he had successfully min- 
 istered for so long a time. 
 
 " The next minister who officiated in the German- 
 town and Frankford Churches was the Rev. Le- 
 brecht Frederick Hermann. His ministry com- 
 menced here about 1789 or 1790, and continued for 
 twelve years. In many respects he was a very 
 remarkable man. He was a native of Germany, and 
 the last of the German missionaries sent over to this 
 country under the care of the Classis of Amsterdam. 
 After leaving his charge here he preached in various 
 places in Chester, Montgomery and Berks Counties. 
 No less than five of his sons entered the ministry 
 for which he had himself prepared them. During 
 many of the last years of his life he was blind. He 
 outlived all his early friends and fellow-laborers, 
 and died in 1848 at the age of eighty-four. Among 
 his last words were : ' It is well with me. I am 
 nearing heaven — my body is very weak, and will 
 soon be dissolved; but Jesus, my Redeemer, will 
 construct for me a glorified body from tliis mass of 
 corruption.' 
 
 " The last of the German ministers who officiated 
 here was the Rev. John William Runkle. He was 
 pastor of the Germantown Church, but preached 
 regularly here from the 1st of March, 1802, for a 
 few years, until the church passed gradually over to 
 the Presbytery. He also was a native of Germany, 
 came to this country when about fifteen, and died 
 in 1832, at the age of eighty-four. He must have 
 been a man of decided character, as has been de- 
 scribed. * He was a man of strong physical consti- 
 
Beginnings 23 
 
 tution, tall and raw-boned in person. His powers 
 of endurance were very great. He was venerable 
 and patriarchal in appearance, excitable in temper, 
 warm in preaching, in short, a " son of thunder ".' 
 He was in advance of his time, and hence regarded 
 somewhat as a fanatic. His preaching was evan- 
 gelical, apt in illustration, and affectionate in appeal. 
 He ever manifested much sympathy towards the 
 suffering, visiting also prisoners and those under 
 sentence of death. Such was the goodly array of 
 men of God, most of them ministers sent from a 
 distant land, under the care of the orthodox and 
 pious Christians of Holland, who for a long time 
 ministered in this venerable church." 
 
 It is of interest to note that the list of pastors of 
 the Frankford Church during the first thirty-two 
 years of its history, is identical with that of the 
 German Calvinistic, or Reformed Church in Ger- 
 mantown during the same period, showing that the 
 two congregations formed one parish. The latter 
 became the Market Square Presbyterian Church, 
 whose history, like that of its sister congregation, 
 has been one of great usefulness and power in pro- 
 moting the Kingdom of our Lord. 
 
 Very little is known concerning the events in the 
 life of the Frankford Church during this formative 
 period. Soon after the first building was erected, 
 the colonies were stirred to their foundations by the 
 oppression of George the Third, who had succeeded 
 to the British throne after the signing of the treaty 
 of Paris, which marked the close of the Seven 
 Years' War. England had not yet realized that the 
 
24 The Presb}}tenan Church of Frankford 
 
 French and Indian War had transformed a nation 
 of civiHans into a miHtary organization trained with 
 the British regulars and capable of defending the 
 rights of the people. It had produced such leaders 
 as Washington, Gates, Gage and Mercer, and they 
 were ready to withstand by force of arms the at- 
 tempts to exploit the colonies. 
 
 One of the most influential French statesmen of 
 that day, with prophetic insight, foresaw the conse- 
 quences of the American struggle, when he said, 
 " England will ere long repent of having removed 
 the only check that could keep her colonies in awe. 
 They no longer stand in need of her protection. 
 She will call on them to contribute toward support- 
 ing the burdens they have helped to bring upon her, 
 and they will answer by striking off all dependence." 
 Thus he outlined the history of the next twenty 
 years. 
 
 Nothing but this could have built up the con- 
 nection of common interest and the realization of 
 the strength of united action. For it must be re- 
 membered that the great forces of modern civiliza- 
 tion, the locomotive, the telegraph, and the daily 
 newspaper which now bind together one hundred 
 and ten millions of people throughout the wide ex- 
 panse of America, were then unknown. Means of 
 communication and transportation were very primi- 
 tive. It took seven days to go by stage from Phila- 
 delphia to Pittsburgh, four days from Boston to 
 New York, and when the stage from New York to 
 Philadelphia reduced its schedule to two days, it 
 was called a " flying machine ". In winter a letter 
 
Beginnings 25 
 
 would be five weeks in traveling from Philadelphia 
 to Virginia. The newspapers were few, and con- 
 tained little news. It has been estimated that the 
 reading matter in all the forty papers which existed 
 at the time when the Frankford Church was 
 founded, would not fill ten pages of a modern daily- 
 newspaper. 
 
 Philadelphia in those days was a city of about 
 thirty thousand. Its streets were unpaved. Dr. 
 Franklin tells us that looking out from his office 
 window he daily saw horses mired in the mud. 
 Street illumination was unknown. Leather was so 
 dear that children were obliged to go barefoot most 
 of the year. Measures for sanitation and preven- 
 tion of disease were unknown. If sickness broke 
 out in a family, every member of the family was 
 stricken. We are told that every fifth person in 
 Philadelphia was disfigured with smallpox. In in- 
 tellectual New England the schools were open two 
 months in winter for boys and two months in sum- 
 mer for girls. The school master's principal duty 
 was flogging. One writer tells that he was unable to 
 get a problem in arithmetic for three weeks, and 
 was flogged every night because he was not able to 
 solve it. 
 
 The favorite way for raising money was the 
 lottery. Schools, colleges and churches were built 
 thereby. State legislatures granted lotteries " for 
 the advancement of religion and the upbuilding of 
 churches ". The library of Harvard was built with 
 lottery money. Princeton, Columbia, and Union 
 
26 The Presb\)terian Church of Frankford 
 
 thought it not unwise to do likewise. New York 
 built a pest-house and a jail with lottery money. 
 
 The people of Philadelphia dressed in the English 
 style of that period. The gentlemen of that period 
 wore bright colored and highly decorated coats, 
 three-cornered hats, ruffled shirts and wrist-bands, 
 knee breeches, silk stockings, low shoes and silver 
 buckles. Every one wore a wig, except convicts and 
 slaves. Boys, servants, Quakers, even paupers, 
 wore them. In a newspaper of 1767, a wig-maker 
 advertised that he was prepared to provide wigs for 
 all classes of people " in the most genteel and polite 
 taste ", assuring judges, divines, lawyers and phy- 
 sicians " because of the importance of their heads, 
 that he can assort his wigs to suit their respective 
 occupation and inclinations." He announces to the 
 ladies that he can furnish them with " a nice, easy, 
 genteel and polite construction of rolls such as may 
 tend to raise their heads to any pitch they desire." 
 
 The storm of the Revolution broke in 1772, and 
 during the years that followed, until the adoption 
 of the Constitution, in 1789, there was little growth 
 or progress in church life and work. During this 
 period the Frankford Church was used, for a time, 
 as a military prison. We are told that following 
 the battle of Trenton, where Washington made his 
 midnight attack upon the Hessians, he sent some of 
 his prisoners down the Delaware River and across 
 the country to Frankford. This fact is interestingly 
 attested to by the Rev. Samuel D. Miller, D.D., for 
 many years the beloved Rector of St. Mark's 
 Protestant Episcopal Church, who, by a strange co- 
 
Beginnings 2 7 
 
 incidence, secured a copy of a journal written by a 
 Hessian officer which had been found in Hesse 
 Castle, Germany. This officer participated in the 
 battle of Trenton and was among the captured. 
 He records the fact that he was " imprisoned for 
 a time in a little village called Frankfort, above 
 Philadelphia." 
 
 During this trying era the church suffered a loss 
 in the membership through the defection of a num- 
 ber of German families, who would not agree to 
 the urgent demands of the younger members of the 
 congregation for services in English. Preferring 
 to continue their worship in the German language, 
 some of the dissatisfied older members joined in 
 establishing a Lutheran Church. 
 
 The closing years of the eighteenth century were 
 marked by a widespread indifference toward relig- 
 ion. Church life was at a low ebb. The bitter con- 
 troversy that arose between political parties, and 
 leaders in the early days of the Republic found its 
 way into the ranks of the religious forces. The 
 leading pulpiteers of that day were not at all back- 
 ward in raising their voices against Adams and 
 Hamilton and other Federalists, openly charging 
 them with conspiracy to establish a monarchy. 
 From Jefferson's election they seemed to anticipate 
 the utter extermination of Christianity, although his 
 benefactions for religious purposes were well 
 known. His diary showed the sum of $978.20 given 
 in one year and $1,585.60 in another, for Bibles, 
 missionaries, chapels and other Christian work. 
 
 The church in Frankford seems to have suffered 
 
28 The Presbyterian Church of Frankford 
 
 a decline during this period, for it appears to have 
 been without a pastor during the closing years of 
 the century, and its membership was greatly de- 
 pleted. Doubtless the few faithful ones found it 
 difficult to raise sufficient funds to maintain regular 
 services. It should be remembered, however, that 
 by this time a new generation had arisen, which was 
 in every sense American. The children of The 
 original German settlers, born in America, some of 
 whom had fought with the Continental Army, were 
 absorbed in the destinies of the new republic. They 
 spoke English and cared little for the traditions 
 which were so sacred to their fathers. They would 
 not attend the preaching services in German, and 
 demanded that public worship be conducted in the 
 English language. The original members would not 
 yield, and they withstood the pressure which the 
 younger generation brought to bear upon them, even 
 though they saw the church for which they had 
 labored and sacrificed so much, gradually declining 
 and facing almost certain dissolution. 
 
 About this time, also, the original members were 
 greatly discouraged and downcast, because the con- 
 vention of the Reformed churches in Pennsylvania 
 had separated from the mother Church in Holland, 
 declaring independence in all matters pertaining to 
 the welfare of the various congregations. To many 
 of the saints this action foreshadowed certain dis- 
 aster to the churches on this side of the Atlantic. 
 No longer would they receive financial aid from 
 Holland, and many who had been reared under the 
 fostering care of the mother church had little confi- 
 
Beginnings 29 
 
 dence in the ability of the American churches to 
 sustain themselves without her assistance and 
 counsel. 
 
 But in His all-wise providence, God preserved a 
 remnant out of the congregation, who looked to- 
 ward the dawning of a brighter day, when the walls 
 of Zion would be repaired and when they would 
 again resound with hymns of praise and thanks- 
 giving. To their faith we owe a debt of deepest 
 gratitude, for without them the history of this old 
 church of which we are justly proud, might have 
 closed with the dying century. But God had willed 
 otherwise, and while they labored and prayed and 
 waited. His guiding hand was preparing other forces 
 through whose instrumentality new life and hope 
 would be infused. 
 
The Rev. Thomas J. Biggs, D.D. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 THE DEVELOPMENT OF A PRESBYTERIAN 
 ORGANIZATION 
 
 " And he led them forth by the right way." 
 
 From 1802 until 1809, as the result of the events 
 recorded in the preceding chapter, the church 
 passed through the most critical period of its 
 history. Although it retained its connection with 
 the German Reformed body until 1807, it was served 
 by Presbyterian ministers as a mission station for 
 five years previous to that time. Services were 
 held but once a month in the English language, and 
 the church building was leased for the remaining 
 Sabbaths to what was known as " The Church 
 Company," which evidently was a federation of 
 other denominations. In 1805 this lease was an- 
 nulled, doubtless as a result of renewed interest 
 being developed, and the accession of new members. 
 The Rev. John William Runkle was engaged as pul- 
 pit supply for two or three years during this period 
 of the church's life. About 1805 or 1806 the pulpit 
 was frequently supplied by a Baptist minister named 
 Allison, who had charge of the Erankford Academy. 
 He preached with great acceptance. Later he was 
 assisted in the Academy by another minister of the 
 same denomination, Mr. Montoney. He also fre- 
 quently preached in the church. Later a number of 
 persons of their own faith united with them, and in 
 1807 organized a Baptist Church, located formerly 
 
 31 
 
32 The Presbyterian Church of Frankford 
 
 on Pine Street, now at Paul and Unity Streets, 
 which has grown and prospered until the present 
 time. 
 
 As early as 1802, the attention of the Presbytery 
 of Philadelphia was attracted to the opportunity of 
 extending its influence by encouraging the feeble 
 organization in Frankford and reviving the faith of 
 those who had fallen away. The minutes of the 
 Presbytery of Philadelphia, of October 2, 1802, 
 record the following action : " It was represented 
 that there are many people in the town of Frankford 
 who are destitute of the privileges of the gospel, and 
 who are desirous of receiving it from the ministers 
 of this Presbytery. And it was therefore ordered 
 that the Rev. Messrs. Boyd, MilldoUer, Linn, Potts 
 and Janeway, each supply, said people two Sabbaths 
 before the next stated meeting of Presbytery, and 
 make arrangements among them for that purpose." 
 
 It was not until 1807, however, that the congrega- 
 tion decided formally to entrust its destinies to the 
 Presbyterian body. Mr. George Castor was ap- 
 pointed to visit the Presbytery of Philadelphia at 
 its meeting on April second, to make application to 
 the Presbytery to take the congregation under its 
 care and supply it with pastoral oversight. The 
 Presbytery gave him an earnest and sympathetic 
 hearing. The petition presented by Mr. Castor was 
 signed by thirty families, all of whom pledged them- 
 selves to be governed by the rules of the Presby- 
 terian Church, and to be faithful to its doctrines. 
 Arrangements were made for an adjourned meeting 
 of the Presbytery to be held in the Frankford 
 
The Development of a Presbyterian Organization 33 
 
 Church on December eighth of the same year, to 
 receive it as a Presbyterian Church. 
 
 It was well, as subsequent events proved, that this 
 action of the church in transferring its connection 
 from the German Reformed to the Presbyterian 
 body was unanimous, and that it was afterward es- 
 tablished by the legislature. Otherwise there might 
 have been serious legal trouble in consequence of 
 the law forbidding the transfer of property from 
 one denomination to another if there be even one 
 vote in opposition to it. In fact, many years later, 
 legal investigations actually were made by Germans 
 (not the German Reformed Church), and action in 
 the courts was not instituted simply because the 
 original action of the church was in strict conform- 
 ity with the law. 
 
 During this period, coincident with the restoration 
 of regular services, the old building was repaired, a 
 new roof being placed upon it, and the rude benches 
 which had been used since the church's organization 
 in 1770, replaced by the more modern and comfort- 
 able pews. 
 
 Attending this meeting of the Presbytery, and 
 participating in the exercises, were men whose 
 names stand out prominently in the history of 
 American Presbyterianism, the Rev. William Ten- 
 nent, D.D., the Rev. Ashbel Green, D.D., the Rev. 
 Archibald xA.lexander, D.D., the Rev. Jacob J. Jane- 
 way, D.D., the Rev. WilHam Latta, D.D., and the 
 Rev. George C. Potts, D.D. During the year 1808, 
 and until June, 1809, when the first Presbyterian 
 minister was installed, every one of these men sup- 
 
34 The Presbyterian Church of Frankford 
 
 plied the pulpit as he found opportunity ; Rev. Wil- 
 liam Tennent, D.D., we are told, preaching twenty- 
 one Sabbaths. 
 
 The mention of these names, and the formal 
 affiliation of the church with the JPresbyterian body, 
 brings us face to face with the rise and develop- 
 ment of Presbyterianism in America. The history 
 of the introduction of Presbyterianism into America 
 is of special interest in this connection, because it 
 was under Presbyterian guidance and encourage- 
 ment that the church was preserved at a critical 
 time. As a Presbyterian congregation it has grown 
 and prospered, its work, its ministry and its able 
 leaders bringing it into a position of prominence and 
 influence which comparatively few churches have 
 attained. 
 
 The Presbyterian Church in the United States of 
 America began its existence through the labors of 
 the Rev. Francis IVlackemie, a native of Rathmelton, 
 Donegal County, Ireland. Shortly after his gradu- 
 ation from the University of Glasgow, the Presby- 
 tery in Ireland, which licensed him to preach the 
 Gospel, received an application from the colony of 
 Maryland for assistance in obtaining a minister. 
 
 Many of the settlers, especially on the Eastern 
 Peninsula, were Presbyterians from Ireland, Scot- 
 land, and England, who had come to the new coun- 
 try for the sake of the religious freedom denied 
 them in their native land. The application was from 
 Colonel William Stevens, one of the earliest set- 
 tlers, from Buckinghamshire, England, judge of the 
 Somerset County Court, and the incumbent of other 
 
The Development of a Presbyterian Organization 35 
 
 high offices in the Province. In full sympathy with 
 the godly people whom he himself had invited to the 
 country, he addressed the Presbytery, laying before 
 them the needs of these Presbyterian exiles, and 
 begging in their name for some man of apostolic 
 mould to minister to them. The appeal struck a 
 responsive chord in the heart of young Mackemie, 
 and he was designated as a suitable person to under- 
 take this mission. Having concluded to do so, he 
 was ordained with a view to his coming to America. 
 After preaching for a while in Barbadoes he came 
 to this country and settled in Maryland. There he 
 organized the Presbyterian Churches at Rehoboth 
 and Snow Hill, in 1683. Thus, under the tolerant 
 laws of a colony founded by a Roman Catholic 
 nobleman, the Presbyterian Church of America 
 began its existence. 
 
 In 1692 Mr. Mackemie visited Philadelphia and 
 planted the seeds of Presbyterianism here. Serious 
 dissensions among the Friends had opened the way 
 for the commencement of services of Baptists, 
 Episcopalians, and Presbyterians, and it seems more 
 than probable that Mr. Mackemie, during his visit, 
 gathered together the little band of Presbyterians 
 and that their association for public worship may 
 be dated from that time. It is certain that five years 
 later, in 1697, a congregation of Presbyterians, in 
 connection with the Baptists, was meeting in a 
 frame building on the northwest corner of Second 
 and Chestnut Streets. The Rev. Jedediah Andrews 
 was ordained and installed pastor of the First Pres- 
 byterian congregation in 1701. 
 
36 The Presbyterian Church of Frankford 
 
 The original Presbytery was organized in the 
 First Church edifice in the spring of 1706. In 1716, 
 the mother of all our Presbyteries assumed the name 
 of Synod. It was the first purely Presbyterian 
 Synod in the territory of the United States. 
 
 The growth of Presbyterianism in Philadelphia 
 during the first forty years of the eighteenth century 
 was but slow. Several times it received aid for its 
 support from abroad, and in 1737 the Church ob- 
 tained a grant of fifty pounds from the Synod for 
 the purchase of a graveyard. The growth of the 
 city itself was by no means rapid. In 1750 it con- 
 tained only 15,000 inhabitants, and Fourth Street 
 was its western limit. 
 
 Towards the middle of the century Presbyter- 
 ianism received a new impulse from a large immi- 
 gration, and also from the remarkable revival that 
 attended the labors of George Whitefield. The in- 
 flux from abroad was wholly Protestant and largely 
 Presbyterian. In September, 1736, one thousand 
 families sailed from Belfast. On the ninth of that 
 month one hundred Presbyterians from Ireland 
 arrived in Philadelphia. Others followed them at 
 intervals during the succeeding year. The state of 
 religion, which had been very low, was greatly 
 improved before the arrival of Whitefield. But his 
 labors gave it a new impulse. Not infrequently 
 congregations numbering from 5,000 to 10,000 
 people listened to the words of the great preacher. 
 Dr. Benjamin Franklin tells us that " from thought- 
 lessness, or indifference about religion, it seems as 
 if all the world were growing rehgious, so that one 
 
The Development of a Presh^ierian Organization 37 
 
 could not walk through the streets of an evening 
 without hearing psalms sung in different families 
 in every street." 
 
 The Second Church was organized in 1743, under 
 the pastoral care of the Rev. Gilbert Tennent. 
 
 During the second half of the eighteenth century 
 only two churches were formed in connection with 
 the Philadelphia Presbytery — the Third Church in 
 1762, and the Fourth Church in 1799. Meanwhile 
 the one Presbytery of 1706 had grown into sixteen, 
 and the one Synod of 1716 into four; and on the 
 21st day of May, 1789, the first General Assembly 
 of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of 
 America, consisting of thirty-one Commissioners 
 (twenty-one ministers and ten elders) duly ap- 
 pointed by their respective Presbyteries, met and 
 was constituted in the Second Presbyterian Church 
 of Philadelphia. 
 
 Thus, at the close of the eighteenth century, there 
 were in Philadelphia four churches in connection 
 with the General Assembly of the Presbyterian 
 Church in the United States of America. In this 
 city during that century was formed the first Pres- 
 bytery in 1706, its first Synod met in 1717, and its 
 first General Assembly in 1789. 
 
 It is noteworthy, and significant of the missionary 
 zeal and of the broad spirit of catholicity which has 
 always characterized the Presbyterian denomination, 
 that the Presbytery of Philadelphia should have 
 been willing to provide the Frankford community 
 and church with ministerial oversight during five 
 years while it retained its connection with the Ger- 
 
38 The Presbyterian Church of Frankford 
 
 man Reformed Classis. It was purely a missionary 
 venture based upon a recognition of an obligation 
 which came from a knowledge of a need which no 
 one else seemed to be able to supply. This unselfish 
 spirit of service, regardless of denominational 
 prestige, or aggrandizement, has ever been the dis- 
 tinguishing virtue of Presbyterianism in America. 
 Her ready and liberal response to every known need 
 pertaining to any branch of the Kingdom's interests 
 is recognized and appreciated by all Christendom. 
 
 Lest it may seem to have been a capricious act 
 upon the part of the congregation that composed the 
 Frankford Church at this period, to sever its con- 
 nection with the German Reformed Church, which 
 had been maintained through a period of thirty- 
 seven years, it should be clearly understood that by 
 this act, not one principle of faith or polity upon 
 which the church was founded, was violated. The 
 Reformed churches are all Presbyterian in their 
 form of government, and the shades of difference 
 in matters of doctrine are unimportant. In essen- 
 tials they have always been united. Negotiations 
 have been in progress for several years looking 
 toward the organic union of these two ecclesiastical 
 bodies. 
 
 Knowing something of the character of the men 
 who were the leaders of the Frankford Church in 
 these early days, we may be assured that the transfer 
 of their ecclesiastical affiliation was by no means a 
 hasty action. Doubtless some were slow to approve 
 the change, and we can readily believe that those 
 who favored it were called upon to exercise all their 
 
The Development of a Presbyterian Organization 39 
 
 powers of persuasion, with much tact and patience, 
 to convince certain of the older members that the 
 interests of the Kingdom would be advanced by 
 concurring with them in presenting a unanimous 
 petition to the Presbytery. 
 
 The elders of the church at this period were Jacob 
 Gransback, Rudolph Neff, Conrad Axe and George 
 Castor. Philip Buckius and Caleb Earle were added 
 to the Session during the year of transition. There 
 were three deacons : John Myers, Daniel Peltz and 
 Henry Castor, who served until 1802. The trustees 
 were John Rohrer, Rudolph Neff, Frederick Castor, 
 Joseph Dearman, Jacob Bener, Philip Buckius, 
 Stephen Decatur, Benjamin Fisher, George Castor, 
 Jacob Myers, Jacob Mower, John H. Worrell, 
 Thomas Horton, Frederick Teese, John Buckius, 
 George C. Troutman, Henry Retzer, Jacob Harper 
 and Ezra Bowin. The names are recorded in the 
 order of their election. George Castor was the 
 President and Treasurer of the Board of Trustees. 
 Jacob Deal was the only one holding the office of 
 deacon from 1802 until 1809. 
 
 Among the members of the congregation, besides 
 the officers whose names are recorded, were the 
 family of Colonel Patton, who was then the Post- 
 master of Philadelphia, having received his ap- 
 pointment from President George Washington; 
 Enoch Edwards, brother of the younger Jonathan 
 Edwards ; and the parents of the naval hero Commo- 
 dore Stephen Decatur, whose residence was but a 
 short distance from the church, on the highway 
 which later was known as Powder Mill Lane; and 
 
40 The Presbyterian Church of Fran^ford 
 
 there were others whose descendants have figured 
 prominently in professional careers and in the 
 social and business life of the city through succeed- 
 ing generations. 
 
 May we not imagine ourselves attending a Sab- 
 bath morning service during these days of renewed 
 interest in the church's welfare? We enter the 
 church grounds through a gate, and pass beneath 
 the elm saplings that had recently been transplanted 
 from the woods near Milestown. As we approach 
 the door of the sacred edifice we are greeted by the 
 familiar figure of George Rohrer, who faithfully 
 performed the office of sexton for nineteen years, 
 from 1799 to 1818. We take our seat upon the 
 backless pine benches, which had never known 
 paint or upholstery. The walls are colored with a 
 blue wash, which has faded to a pale tone. Before 
 us stands the small, barrel-shaped pulpit elevated 
 high above the people, near the ceiling, and reached 
 by a single flight of steep and narrow steps. From 
 it, on either side, extend elevated seats which are 
 occupied by the officers of the church, after the 
 custom of those days. At the opposite end of the 
 room is a small gallery which accommodates the 
 choir. Two huge coal stoves are placed at opposite 
 ends of the room to combat the winter blasts, one 
 of them being elevated upon a table in the middle 
 aisle, but a few feet from the preacher, doubtless 
 out of consideration for the people in the pews and 
 for the preacher's comfort as well. From the center 
 of the ceiling a heavy iron rod supports a glass 
 chandelier, equipped with candles, to furnish il- 
 
The Development of a Presh'^tenan Organization 41 
 
 lumination for the evening services, supplemented 
 by small tin sconces hung upon the side walls which 
 also were provided with sperm candles, their com- 
 bined power furnishing but a very poor light. 
 
 At the front of the church stands the communion 
 table, a small stand, the top of which was about two 
 feet square, and as it was not high enough when 
 standing on its own proper legs to reach the top of 
 the chancel enclosure in which the minister stood 
 while administering the ordinance, there were four 
 sticks provided which were tied to the legs of the 
 table, by which a cubit or two was added to its 
 stature. For many years the Sacrament of the 
 Lord's Supper was administered on this sacred spot, 
 with just as great solemnity and impressiveness as 
 in the more recent days under more favorable cir- 
 cumstances. The tankard, goblets and plates were 
 made of pewter, antique style, probably brought 
 from Germany or Switzerland. 
 
 The men are seated on one side of the sanctuary 
 and the women on the other. The service begins 
 with a song of praise led by Mr. Andrew Lockey, 
 a Scotchman who stands beneath the pulpit, with a 
 table before him, obtaining the pitch of the tune with 
 his tuning fork, and lining out the Psalms from the 
 ancient Psalmody, as paraphrased by the greatest 
 hymn writer of all ages, Isaac Watts. The service 
 proceeds in a dignified and reverential spirit, con- 
 cluding with a sermon of at least an hour in length, 
 a learned discourse on a theological theme such as 
 was expected of the preacher of that period. Such 
 was the Presbyterian Church of Frankford as our 
 forefathers knew it. 
 
42 The Preshyierian Church of Frankford 
 
 THE FRANKFORD ACADEMY 
 
 It is significant also that contemporaneous with 
 the passing of the church under Presbyterian con- 
 trol, the subject of education should immediately 
 present itself for consideration. As the ministers 
 of Philadelphia Presbytery visited Frankford from 
 time to time to occupy the pulpit during the years 
 previous to 1807, they were doubtless impressed by 
 the fine company of children and youth in the com- 
 munity who were without any means of acquiring 
 an education. There were no public schools at that 
 time, all the educational facilities that were available 
 being under the supervision of religious bodies. 
 
 Here again we may digress briefly to refer to the 
 influence of Presbyterianism upon the development 
 of popular education. "Of the seven ministers of 
 the original Presbytery, six were graduates of uni- 
 versities and colleges. The interest of the Presby- 
 terian Church in education, however, was not solely 
 because of its belief in an educated ministry. 
 Presbyterians taught by the Holy Scriptures make 
 religion a personal matter, not between a man and 
 the Church, but between the individual soul and 
 God, and this necessitates personal knowledge on the 
 part of human beings of God's Word, God's law for 
 human life. Education in religious truth is there- 
 fore a cardinal principle for Presbyterians, and the 
 steps are easy and swift to secular and popular edu- 
 cation. This logical connection between Calvinism 
 and education is recognized by Bancroft, who says 
 Calvin was the first founder of the public-school 
 
The Development of a Presby^terian Organization 43 
 
 system. It is also shown by the history of academic 
 and popular education. Presbyterian Scotland es- 
 tablished the first schools for popular education. 
 Harvard and Yale universities were founded by men 
 who believed in the Westminster Confession. The 
 Presbyterian Synod itself founded the Log College 
 and its successor, Princeton University. Education 
 is one of the foundation stones of both Church and 
 nation. Then honor to whom honor is due. Honor 
 to the men who believed in the Westminster Con- 
 fession, who under its influence built colleges rather 
 than cathedrals, and who believed both in educated 
 ministers and an educated people !"* 
 
 It is not strange, therefore, that one of the first 
 acts of the church after its adoption into the Presby- 
 terian family, was to purchase (in 1808) the build- 
 ing known as the Frankford Academy, for the sum 
 of two thousand dollars. This was accomplished 
 not without sacrifice, but it is an indication of the 
 new spirit of activity which had taken possession of 
 the church upon its entrance into this new period 
 of its history. 
 
 The Frankford Academy had its beginnings in 
 1768 when William Ashbridge, Rudolph Neff and 
 Isaiah Worrell, as trustees of a fund raised by the 
 people of Frankford for the erection of a school, 
 purchased a piece of ground at Wain and Spring 
 Streets, upon which a school, afterwards known as 
 the Spring House School, was erected. In 1799 the 
 property was transferred to the Friends Society, the 
 
 * Concise History of the Presbyterian Church, Roberts. 
 
44 The Presb])ienan Church of Frankiord 
 
 sum of %ZZ7 being paid to those not belonging to the 
 Friends, representing the proportion of their inter- 
 est. This money was apphed toward the purchase 
 of a lot on Paul's Lane, on the site where the 
 Rehoboth Methodist Episcopal Church was later 
 erected. A building was erected in which school 
 was held on the second floor. It was chartered in 
 1800 as the Frankford Academy. The building was 
 used also for a town hall and a portion of it as a jail. 
 
 In 1808 the title to the property was transferred 
 to the Trustees of the Presbyterian Church, as has 
 already been stated. The church continued to sup- 
 port it until 1830, when it was sold to Robert and 
 Samuel Huckel, who, in turn, sold it to the society 
 afterward organized as the Rehoboth Church. It 
 has been described as a substantial stone building 
 with a piazza along its entire front and in later 
 years with a neat cupola on its northern end, fur- 
 nished with a bell. In this Academy Stephen De- 
 catur received most of his education. Frankford 
 and the vicinity were indebted to it as their principal 
 place of learning for a long time. In that academy 
 many of the earlier residents of Frankford received 
 that education, which but for the nurturing of this 
 Church, they would never have reached. This 
 acknowledgment is due to the wisdom and foresight 
 of the fathers. And it was at great sacrifice that 
 the Church maintained its academy. The support 
 of the Church itself does not seem to have occupied 
 more of the care and struggles of the trustees than 
 did the welfare of their academy. 
 
 It was a joyful occasion when, on July 8, 1809, 
 
The Development of a Presby^terian Organization 45 
 
 the first pastor, Rev. John Whitefield Doak, was 
 installed. The Rev. Jacob L. Janeway, D.D., pre- 
 sided at this service, the Rev. James Wilson, D.D., 
 preached the sermon, and the Rev. William M. Ten- 
 nent, D.D., delivered the charge to both the pastor 
 and people. For the first time in its history the 
 church now had a pastor of its own who would 
 devote his entire time to the cultivation of this 
 parish. Mr. Doak was a young man, a native of 
 Tennessee, the son of the Rev. Samuel Doak, D.D.,' 
 a noted Presbyterian minister who, after preaching 
 the Gospel for several years in Virginia and North 
 Carolina, settled in Washington County, Tennessee, 
 where he erected a log house for educational pur- 
 poses, at the same time establishing the Salem Pres- 
 byterian Church, which remains until the present 
 day. The educational institution which he estab- 
 lished, Washington College, was the first effort in 
 that direction in the valley of the Mississippi. Dr. 
 Doak presided over it from 1785 until 1818, when 
 he moved to Bethel and opened another school 
 which he called Tusculum Academy, which has con- 
 tinued through all the years as an institution for the 
 preparation of young men for the Gospel ministry, 
 hundreds having been sent forth to break the Bread 
 of Life to hungering souls. 
 
 Mr. Doak, who was called to the Frankford 
 Church, had served the churches in New Dublin and 
 Wytheville, Virginia, and at Mount Bethel and 
 Providence, in Tennessee, before coming to Frank- 
 ford. He came north to raise funds for Washington 
 College. While in Philadelphia he was given an 
 
46 The Presbyterian Church of Frankford 
 
 opportunity to preach in this pulpit a number of 
 times, resulting in a unanimous call to become the 
 pastor. During his pastorate the church grew and 
 prospered. 
 
 Under his leadership the congregation soon out- 
 grew the small building which was erected in 1770 
 for the little company who composed the church's 
 membership at that early period. After much de- 
 liberation, the congregation resolved, at a meeting 
 held on August 28, 1809, to undertake the enlarge- 
 ment of the old structure. Contributions were so- 
 licited, not only among the members of the church, 
 but throughout the community, and the response was 
 most gratifying. When a sufficient amount had 
 been subscribed, after a year of earnest effort, the 
 work was begun, the building being lengthened, 
 and the side walls extended forty feet. Thus 
 the seating capacity of the church was more than 
 doubled. Among the long list of subscribers to 
 this enterprise were Ann Decatur, John McAllister, 
 Joseph Wigfall, Mary Baker, John McMullen, 
 George Onyx, Jacob Fraley, Yost Yonker, Robert 
 Ralston, Abraham Kintzing, Abram Duffield, Sam- 
 uel Wakeling, Anthony Kennedy, Rebecca Neff, 
 Alexander Martin, Robert Patton, Derick Peterson, 
 Rachel Wetherill and Colonel James Burn. The 
 Building Committee consisted of George Castor, 
 Joseph Dearman and John H. Worrell. The car- 
 penter work was done by Henry Retzer, and the 
 mason work by Jacob Deal, whose son Charles, 
 fifty years later, built the present edifice. 
 
 The first person admitted into the church mem- 
 
The Development of a Presbyterian Organization 47 
 
 bership under Mr. Doak's ministry was the mother 
 of Commodore Decatur. Six new elders were 
 elected during this pastorate, Robert Smith, Samuel 
 W. Doak (a brother of the minister) and Jacob 
 Myers, in 1810; Edward Gilfillen, M.D., William 
 Nassau and Captain Jacob Peterson in 1812. The 
 music of the church was in charge of Joseph R. 
 Dickson, who was succeeded in 1810 by Samuel 
 White, who held the office of chorister for one year, 
 after which John G. Teese was elected, continuing 
 until the installation of Mr. Doak's successor. 
 Probably the most important events in Mr. Doak's 
 ministry were the organization of the Sunday-school 
 in May, 1815, and the enlargement of the church 
 building, but within the short space of seven years 
 he was obliged to resign because of impaired health. 
 The pastoral relation was dissolved August 28, 1816. 
 Returning to the hills of his native State, his phys- 
 ical vigor was restored and he took up the study of 
 medicine, becoming a physician, greatly beloved, 
 besides preaching as stated supply in the churches 
 at Salem and Leesburg, where his father had 
 labored. 
 
 In 1818, upon the retirement of his father from 
 the Presidency of Washington College, the Rev. 
 "Johnny" W. Doak (as he was familiarly called, 
 and as his name is recorded in the Minutes of the 
 General Assembly) was called to succeed him. He 
 served but two years. While on his way to attend 
 the meeting of his Presbytery he was suddenly 
 stricken and died of consumption, a disease from 
 which he had suffered for many years. 
 
48 The Presbyterian Church of Frankford 
 
 Mr. Doak was married in 1809 to Miss Jane H. 
 Alexander, a half-sister of the Rev. Dr. Archibald 
 Alexander's father. Eight children were born to 
 them, one of them, Archibald Alexander Doak, be- 
 coming a very successful minister in the Presby- 
 terian Church. 
 
 The funeral sermon preached by the Rev. Stephen 
 Bovell, D.D., refers to Dr. Doak in these words : 
 " As to his natural genius, it is well known to have 
 been much above mediocrity. His understanding 
 was clear, his invention quick, his judgment pene- 
 trating, and accurate, his conceptions of religious 
 subjects sublime, and his manner of expression ele- 
 gant, solemn and usually impressive. In the pulpit 
 he was fervent, zealous and animated, speaking the 
 truth in love, and warning all with the greatest 
 earnestness to flee from the wrath to come, and to 
 embrace the hope of mercy, while mercy may be 
 obtained." 
 
 Mr. Doak died in October, 1820, at the age of 
 forty-two. 
 
 For more than a year after the departure of Mr. 
 Doak the church was without a regular pastor. 
 During this period the church was supplied by Dr. 
 Snowden, Dr. Rogers, Dr. Janeway, Dr. Neill, Dr. 
 Belville and other prominent members of the Pres- 
 bytery of Philadelphia. From among the candidates 
 who were considered, the congregation finally united 
 in the choice of the Rev. Thomas J. Biggs, D.D., 
 who was installed November 10, 1818. Dr. Biggs 
 was a man of ripe scholarship and unusual pulpit 
 power. He was born in Philadelphia, November 29, 
 
The Development of a Presh^^terian Organization 49 
 
 1787, and reared in the Old Pine Street Presbyterian 
 Church under the pastorate of the noted Rev. 
 Archibald Alexander, D.D., graduated from the 
 College of New Jersey in 1815, entering Princeton 
 Theological Seminary the same year. He was li- 
 censed to preach by the Presbytery of Philadelphia 
 in 1817, ordained November 10, 1818, and on the 
 same date was installed as pastor of the Frankford 
 Church. Upon this occasion also. Dr. Janeway pre- 
 sided, the sermon being preached by Dr. William 
 Neill, and the charges to pastor and people delivered 
 by the Rev. George A. Potts. 
 
 Concerning the life of Dr. Biggs, we are fortunate 
 in having preserved the address delivered by his 
 friend and classmate, the Rev. Charles Hodge, D.D., 
 LL.D., the celebrated theologian, at the Centennial 
 of the church's history in 1870. In the course of 
 his reminiscences of Dr. Biggs he said : " It was in 
 the year 1812, in the sophomore recitation room of 
 Princeton College, the roll of the class graduating 
 1815 was first called. At that period in the history 
 of the college there was no freshman, — or none to 
 speak of. Allen, Baker, Biggs, — names familiar 
 from 1836 to 1840 — constituting the class, of whom 
 much less than half, probably not more than one- 
 third still live. As might have been expected there 
 was a great diversity in the age and degrees of 
 preparation for the college course among the mem- 
 bers of this class. Dr. Biggs was one of the oldest 
 and one of the best-prepared for the curriculum 
 upon which he was about to enter, and was very 
 well qualified to teach the rest of us. Almost all 
 
50 The Presbyterian Church of Frankford 
 
 were so much below him in the standard of 
 preparation for college that he was well qualified to 
 be our tutor. 
 
 " His associates in the class of 1815, many of 
 them, have become more or less known to the 
 church as preachers of the gospel. It was during 
 the last winter of connection in college — the winter 
 of 1815 — that that revival of religion within the 
 walls of Nassau Hall occurred, which is, perhaps, 
 one of the most remarkable that has ever been 
 known in the history of the college. I believe at 
 least twenty ministers were the fruits of that re- 
 vival. Twenty young men from the number of those 
 then gathered into the church consecrated them- 
 selves to the service of Christ in the ministry of 
 reconciliation. Dr. Biggs, however, and his room- 
 mate, the Rev. Daniel Baker, had long been mem- 
 bers of the church, and it was largely to their in- 
 fluence, to the wisdom of their counsels, to the 
 fidelity of their admonition, to the assiduity of their 
 efforts, that that work of grace was, under God, so 
 successfully carried on. I wish I could summon 
 around me some of the men who were then in col- 
 lege, and ask them if they could not remember the 
 room of Biggs and Baker in the northwestern part 
 of that college building. That room is consecrated 
 in the memory of many yet living. There, night 
 after night, we young men bowed down with broken 
 hearts and subdued souls, bathed in tears, struggling 
 for eternal life; and those men, afterwards so 
 prominent in the history of the church, were all to 
 guide, to admonish, to point to Christ and bid no 
 man despair since Christ, the Son of God, had died." 
 
The Development of a Presbyterian Organization 5 1 
 
 Among the classmates of Dr. Biggs were others 
 whose names are indelibly inscribed on the records 
 of American Protestantism, all of whom contributed 
 in a large way toward the growth and extension of 
 the Kingdom's influence, such as the Rev. Daniel 
 Baker, D.D., one of the most successful and widely 
 known evangelists of the Presbyterian denomina- 
 tion ; and the Rev. Bishop John Johns, of the diocese 
 of Virginia, who was known as one of the most 
 scholarly men of the Protestant Episcopal faith in 
 America. 
 
 The pastorate of Doctor Biggs, covering a period 
 of thirteen years, until 1831, was marked by a sub- 
 stantial increase in membership, both of the congre- 
 gation and Sunday-school, and by a widening of the 
 church's activity and influence. 
 
 Three years after entering upon his ministry in 
 Frankford, Dr. Biggs married Rebecca Neff, the 
 grand-daughter of Rudolph Neff, one of the found- 
 ers of the church. The wedding took place on Sep- 
 tember 7, 1820. The bridal party was composed of 
 Miss Mary Neff, Miss Castor, a daughter of George 
 Castor, the Rev. Dr. Charles Hodge, of Princeton, 
 and the Rev. Dr. Steele, of Abington, Pennsylvania. 
 Six children were bom to them while residing in 
 Frankford, one of whom, Henry W. Biggs, became 
 a Presbyterian minister, being pastor of the Presby- 
 terian Church in Chillicothe, Ohio, for many years. 
 From 1828 to 1831 Doctor Biggs was a Director of 
 Princeton Theological Seminary. 
 
 During his ministry the following elders were 
 elected: Roderick Adams, in 1820; William Gibson, 
 
52 The Presbyterian Church of Frankford 
 
 Christopher Coon, Thomas D. Mitchell, M.D., in 
 1829; Alfred Jenks and George T. McCalmont, in 
 1830, 
 
 Doctor Biggs resigned his charge at Frankford to 
 accept the professorship of Ecclesiastical History 
 and Church Polity in Lane Theological Seminary, 
 which had just been established in Cincinnati, Ohio, 
 an endowment having been provided for this chair 
 upon the condition that he be chosen to fill it. He 
 continued his connection with Lane Seminary for 
 seven years. In 1839 he became the President of 
 Cincinnati College, where he remained until 1845, 
 when he accepted the Presidency of Woodward Col- 
 lege, in the same city, continuing in that office until 
 1851. During his residence in Cincinnati Dr. Biggs 
 ministered to the Seventh Presbyterian Church, and 
 later to the wealthy and influential Walnut Hills 
 Presbyterian Church. Upon retiring from his edu- 
 cational work he was called to the pastorate of the 
 Fifth Presbyterian Church of Cincinnati, which he 
 served for four years. In 1864 he passed to his 
 eternal rest, at the age of seventy-seven. 
 
 The noble character and useful life of Dr. Biggs 
 is best described in the tribute of appreciation, 
 uttered by his friend. Bishop Mcllvaine, of the 
 Protestant Episcopal diocese of Ohio, upon the 
 occasion of his funeral : " I have known the deceased 
 for fifty years. I entered the college of New Jersey 
 in 1814. The first time I saw him was when he 
 came forward in the chapel to lead the singing, 
 which he was accustomed to do. Dr. Green was 
 then President of the college. The students were 
 
The Development of a Presbyterian Organization 53 
 
 generally irreligious, and opposed and persecuted 
 the few who professed religion. The latter, only 
 twelve or thirteen in number, one of whom was 
 young Biggs, were very faithful. They were ac- 
 customed to meet every evening at nine o'clock for 
 prayer in the room of one of their number, and in 
 these meetings they prayed earnestly for a revival 
 of religion in the college. Prior to this there had 
 never been a revival of religion in the college, and it 
 required great faith to expect it. At length, in an- 
 swer to prayer, the Spirit of God was poured out, so 
 that in two or three days the largest room in the col- 
 lege was filled with the previously irreligious, asking 
 for the prayers of the pious. The twelve or thirteen 
 were now fully occupied in ministering to their fel- 
 low-students. The first prayer meeting I ever at- 
 tended was in the room of young Biggs and Daniel 
 Baker. Many were brought into the kingdom in 
 connection with this revival. A beautiful trait in his 
 character was the largeness of his Christian regards. 
 He was beautiful too in his faith, and the joyfulness 
 of his hope. He never seemed to see God in the pil- 
 lar of cloud, but always in the pillar of light. Christ 
 was so near to him that he felt no doubts. Great 
 lovingness of mind and heart characterized him be- 
 yond what is usual. It beamed from his counten- 
 ance, it spoke from his voice, and was expressed in 
 his whole manner. He must have been useful, as 
 he was." 
 
 The Trustees of the Frankford Church during 
 the pastorates of Mr. Doak and Dr. Biggs were 
 George Wilson, Edward McVaugh, Adam Baker, 
 
54 The Presbyterian Church of Frankford 
 
 Jacob Peterson, Edward Gilfillen, M.D., Jacob Deal, 
 Dr. William Hurst, Lewis Wurnwag, Peter Brous, 
 George Haines, Henry Rohrer, Conrad Baker, 
 Robert Worrell, Hugh McKinley, Henry Castor, 
 Danfrith Woolwurth, Daniel Thomas, Jacob Myers, 
 Abraham Tenbrook, John R. Neff, Benjamin A. 
 Prentiss, Joseph Pierson, Captain William Hess, 
 Joseph Wigfall, Jacob Coates, Peter Buckius, Gard- 
 ner Fulton, James Tatham, John G. Teese (who 
 long and faithfully filled that office — the latter part 
 of his Hfe President of the Board), Dr. John White, 
 xA^braham Yonker, Conrad Fries, Roderick Adams, 
 Samuel Wakeling, Samuel Castor, Dr. Thomas D. 
 Mitchell, Joseph Allen, William Gibson, Bela 
 Badger, John Wilen, Charles Dewees, Rudolph 
 Buckius, George K. Budd, Adam Slater and Alfred 
 Jenks. 
 
 When Dr. Biggs became the pastor Mr. Jesse Y. 
 Castor was elected to the position of chorister, 
 which he held for three years, until 1821. During 
 that time he organized the Harmonic Society, a 
 singing school of the old time character, whose 
 meetings were held around the huge stove in the 
 church auditorium, and which was continued for 
 many years by those who succeeded him. Under 
 his leadership the first choir was organized out of 
 this singing school. James Seddins became the 
 musical director in 1821 and performed acceptable 
 service until 1827, when Dr. Thomas D. Mitchell, 
 one of the elders, assumed this laborious task. 
 Shortly afterward William Gibson was placed in 
 charge and continued until 1833. Jacob Harper 
 
The Development of a Presbyterian Organization 55 
 
 became sexton of the church in 1818, and was suc- 
 ceeded by John D. Harper in 1829, and two years 
 later by James P. WilHams. 
 
 Following the resignation of Dr. Biggs, the con- 
 gregation extended a unanimous call to the Rev. 
 James G. Watson, who had occupied the pulpit a 
 number of times during his pastorate, but he de- 
 clined to accept the call. Shortly afterward the 
 Rev. J. T. Marshall Davie was called and was in- 
 stalled August 28, 1832. The Rev. Alexander 
 Boyd presided on this occasion, the Rev. William F. 
 Gibson preached the sermon and the Rev. Robert 
 Steel delivered the charge to pastor and people. 
 
 Previous to the installation of Mr. Davie, the 
 entire community was stricken with the cholera 
 epidemic and church services were held only oc- 
 casionally by Mr. Barber, who was secured to supply 
 the pulpit until the newly-elected pastor should 
 'assume charge. 
 
 Mr. Davie's pastorate was comparatively brief, 
 covering a period of two years, when he accepted a 
 call to the Presbyterian Church in Lancaster, Penn- 
 sylvania, of which James Buchanan, who later be- 
 came President of the United States, was a member. 
 Mr. Davie passed to his eternal reward in 1862, at 
 Flatlands, Long Island, having fulfilled his ministry 
 faithfully and with marked success. It was declared 
 concerning him, that he was a man of even temper, 
 patient and sweet-spirited, and of a uniformly 
 happy and forbearing disposition. 
 
 The Rev. Austin G. Morss was called to succeed 
 Mr. Davie and was installed on April 30, 1835. At 
 
56 The Presby^terian Church of Frankford 
 
 this service the Rev. John McDowell, D.D., pre- 
 sided, and delivered the charge to the pastor. The 
 Rev. Robert Adair preached the installation sermon 
 and the Rev. James L. Dinwiddie delivered the 
 charge to the people. The records concerning the 
 ministry of Mr. Morss indicate but little growth in 
 the church's life and activity. He tarried but two 
 years, closing his ministry in 1837. 
 
 During this period the Presbyterian Church in the 
 neighboring community of Bridesburg was organ- 
 ized (1837). Dr. Biggs had prepared the way for 
 this enterprise by holding occasional services in the 
 school house, and his successors continued this work 
 which gave promise of bearing fruit in a permanent 
 organization. This was the beginning of an era of 
 church extension activity that was continued during 
 subsequent years, making the Presbyterian Church 
 of Frankford a " mother of churches " in the truest 
 sense. 
 
 During the pastorates of Mr. Davie and Mr. 
 Morss three new elders were elected. Charles 
 Dewees, John D. Harper and John Deal, (for many 
 years the Postmaster in Frankford), the latter per- 
 forming the duties of that office for more than forty 
 years. The trustees, according to the date of their 
 election, were Christopher Wisner, Peter Slaughter, 
 David Smith, Samuel Dixon, Thomas Bell, Daniel 
 Yonker, Francis Putt, George J. Foulkrod, John D. 
 Harper, John Lamb, M.D., John Deal, David Hun- 
 ter, William Wilkey, Dr. R. R. Porter and Jesse 
 Castor. The musical directors were Daniel Axe, in 
 1833, and Abraham Barnard, from 1834 to 1838. 
 
The Development of a Presbyterian Organization 57 
 
 It could hardly be expected that the church would 
 show any substantial growth, much less could there 
 be any extension of its activities under the unfavor- 
 able conditions which prevailed after the departure 
 of Dr. Biggs. Two brief pastorates of two years 
 each, and nearly three years of vacancy, during 
 which at frequent intervals they were without even 
 a pulpit supply, would not be likely to add any new 
 strength to the congregation. Besides this, the 
 whole aspect of the church's membership had under- 
 gone a decided change. Many of the descendants 
 of the original families had moved away, and the 
 few new members who had been received were not 
 influenced by the trials and sacrifices borne by those 
 who had gone before. The absence of aggressive 
 leadership was apparent in the attitude of the 
 people. No revivals had taken place, and a spirit of 
 indifference and lethargy pervaded every depart- 
 ment of the church's life. This was reflected in the 
 condition of the church building, which showed 
 signs of neglect, no effort being made to provide for 
 its renovation. It was evidently a time of discour- 
 agement to the little flock, and we can picture them 
 wrestling in prayer for the strengthening of the 
 walls of their beloved Zion, for the anointing of 
 one sent of God who would lead them into new 
 pastures, and for such an outpouring of His Holy 
 Spirit as would bring seasons of refreshing. Their 
 faith was soon to be rewarded in the coming of one 
 whom God was preparing for this particular task. 
 
The Rev. William D. Howard, D.D. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 AN ERA OF UPBUILDING AND PROGRESS 
 " This is the Lord's doing ; it is marvellous in our eyes." 
 
 The year 1838 was a memorable one in the annals 
 of American Presbyterianism. It was the year of 
 the " great division " of the Presbyterian forces. 
 The " Plan of Union " with the General Association 
 of Connecticut, a congregational body established in 
 1801, under the provisions of which five Congrega- 
 tional Associations became officially parts of the 
 Presbyterian Church in the U. S. A., introduced the 
 germs of strife into the governing bodies, which 
 developed into open controversies, culminating in 
 the " great division " of 1838 into the Old School 
 and New School branches. This division continued 
 until 1870, when a re-union was effected. 
 
 *" A large portion of the Church contended that 
 the time had come for the conduct by strictly de- 
 nominational agencies of all evangelistic work, and 
 the Pittsburgh Synod, in 1831, constituted itself as 
 the Western Foreign Missionary Society. Those 
 opposed to the establishment of denominational 
 agencies belonged to the party known as the ' New 
 School ' ; those who advocated it, to the * Old 
 School '. Doctrinal and other questions were to a 
 considerable extent raised in the controversy. The 
 best authorities, however, are of the opinion that the 
 
 * A Concise History of the Presbyterian Church, Roberts. 
 
 59 
 
60 The Preshytenan Church of Frankford 
 
 main issues which divided the Church, were those 
 relating to constitutional law and to general mis- 
 sionary policy. This view is substantiated not only 
 by a study of the history of the Church for fifteen 
 years preceding the great schism, but also by the 
 fact that, when, after thirty years, it was proposed 
 to unite the long-separated branches of the Church, 
 doctrinal differences, though in some particulars as 
 marked in 1867 as in 1837, did not suffice to pre- 
 vent reunion. The acts of the Assembly of 1837 
 are also a part of the evidence of the correctness of 
 this position. The Assembly first of all, on May 
 23, by a vote of one hundred and forty-three to one 
 hundred and ten, abrogated the Plan of Union with 
 the General Association of Connecticut. On June 
 1 it passed a resolution ' that by the operation of 
 the abrogation of the Plan of Union of 1801 the 
 Synod of the Western Reserve is hereby declared to 
 be no longer a part of the Presbyterian Church in 
 the United States of America.' This action was 
 followed successively by resolutions against the 
 American Home Missionary Society, and the 
 American Education Society, by the excision of the 
 Synods of Utica, Geneva and Genesse, and by the 
 establishment of the Presbyterian Board of Foreign 
 Missions. When the Assembly of 1838 met, the 
 ' New School ' commissioners protested against the 
 exclusion of the delegates from the four exscinded 
 Synods, organized an Assembly of their own in the 
 presence of the sitting Assembly, and then withdrew 
 from the house. The matters at issue between the 
 Schools were referred to the civil courts for settle- 
 
An Era of Upbuilding and Progress 61 
 
 ment. The first decision was in favor of the New 
 School, but the case on appeal was decided in favor 
 of the Old School. By the latter decision the Old 
 School Assembly became legally the General As- 
 sembly of the Presbyterian Church." 
 
 Individual congregations felt the violence of the 
 storm of bitter controversy which shook the Church 
 to its very foundations, and many of them were dis- 
 rupted, and rent asunder by the divisions which 
 ensued. The Presbyterian Church of Frankford 
 declared its allegiance to the Old School party and 
 became a member of the Second Presbytery of 
 Philadelphia, which at that period consisted of six- 
 teen members, among whom were some of the great- 
 est theologians and pulpit orators known to Presby- 
 terian history, notably the Rev. John McDowell, 
 D.D., one of the most famous of Philadelphia 
 preachers, pastor of the old Central Church, who 
 became Moderator of the General Assembly, and 
 later its Stated Clerk ; the Rev. William Neill, D.D., 
 who also was Moderator of the General Assembly, 
 besides holding the position of President of Dickin- 
 son College, and later the Secretary of the Presby- 
 terian Board of Education ; the Rev. C. C. Cuyler, 
 D.D., a great pulpit orator and pastor of the Second 
 Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia; and the Rev. 
 Courtlandt Van Rensselaer, another Moderator of 
 the General Assembly, and prominent in the 
 Church's educational activities. 
 
 It was quite natural therefore, in selecting the 
 new pastor for the Frankford congregation, he 
 should be chosen from the ranks of the " Old 
 
62 The Presbyterian Church of Frankford 
 
 School " ministers. Doubtless the counsel of such 
 men as Dr. Neill, then ministering to the First 
 Church in Germantown, was sought. The fact that 
 his pupil, Rev. William D. Howard, was called to 
 lead the congregation in the critical period, seems 
 to be more than a mere coincidence. Concerning 
 Mr. Howard's loyalty and allegiance to " the faith 
 once delivered to the saints ", there could be no 
 question, since he was trained under Dr. Neill, who 
 was a tower of strength in defence of the funda- 
 mentals of evangelical belief. 
 
 Mr. HoKvaiid was J^orn in Philadelphia, July 28, 
 1814. At the age bi fifteen he becanie a member of 
 the Second Presbyterian Church, under the pastor- 
 ate of the Rev. Joseph Sanford. Dedicating his 
 life to the Gospel ministry in his early teens, he 
 began his studies in the Manual Latin School, in 
 Germantown, in 1830, as the first step in preparing 
 himself for his sacred calling. When this institu- 
 tion was merged into Lafayette College he removed 
 to Easton and continued his studies. In 1833 he 
 returned to Germantown and pursued a theological 
 course under the tutelage of Doctor Neill. He 
 was licensed to preach by the Second Presbytery of 
 Philadelphia in October, 1837, his installation as 
 pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Frankford 
 taking place on March 13, 1838. His preceptor. 
 Doctor Neill, who had also participated in the in- 
 stallation of Dr. Biggs, twenty years before, pre- 
 sided and delivered the charge to the minister. The 
 Rev. R. W. Landis preached the sermon and the 
 Rev. Robert Steele, D.D., delivered the charge to the 
 
An Era of Upbuilding and Progress 63 
 
 people. Mr. Howard proved to be a man of rare 
 ability both as a preacher and as an executive. 
 
 When Mr. Howard came to Frankford the entire 
 population did not exceed two thousand souls. He 
 found the Church in a feeble condition. The con- 
 gregation, under the most favorable conditions did 
 not exceed one hundred and fifty persons. With 
 few exceptions the people were poor, paying their 
 minister a salary of but six hundred dollars a year. 
 The Church register contained about eighty-five 
 names, the Sunday-school membership numbered 
 from thirty to thirty-five, with five or six teachers. 
 The Church was deeply in debt, and the property 
 sadly in need of repairs. 
 
 The story of Dr. Howard's ministry so attract- 
 ively related by himself in later years, will bear 
 repetition here, for doubtless few of the present 
 congregation are familiar with it. 
 
 " Though they were a little flock there were 
 among them some godly men and women who loved 
 the church for its own and its Master's sake, and 
 who labored prayerfully and earnestly to build up 
 its waste places. Prominent among these were Mr. 
 George Castor and his most estimable family; Mr. 
 John D. Harper, who was * an Israelite indeed in 
 whom ' there was * no guile,' — to whom more than 
 to any other one the congregation is indebted for 
 the comfortable parsonage they have so long pos- 
 sessed; Mrs. John Deal, one of the gentlest of 
 Christians, a lady whose life was spent in deeds of 
 charity; Mrs. David Hunter, whose affection for 
 the church was as tender as a mother's for her child ; 
 
64 The Presbyterian Church of Frankford 
 
 Mrs. Parthenia Clark, a godly widow who helped us 
 much by her prayers ; Mr. Tennant and Mr. Finlay- 
 son, the one a canny, the other a fierce Scot, who 
 had a passion for orthodoxy, and who, at three- 
 score years and ten, we have no doubt, would have 
 been ready to shoulder a musket in defence of the 
 kirk and the crown rights of King Jesus. 
 
 " Mr. Castor was a man of iron will and extra- 
 ordinary energy, and as he had considerable sub- 
 stance he was, for a long period of years, an efficient 
 friend of the congregation ; and to his family, every 
 one of whom now sleep beside him in the little 
 cemetery adjoining, this church owes a deep debt 
 of gratitude. 
 
 " The families of Dr. George T. McCallmont, Mr. 
 George F. Womrath, Mr. John Wetherill, Mr. 
 Thomas Wriggins, Mr. William Blackburn, Mr. 
 Samuel C. Ford, Mrs. Ball and her sons, Joseph 
 and Charles, cast in their lot with us, and from 
 these households the church derived many of its 
 most consistent members, and active and liberal 
 Christian workers. 
 
 " From time to time many of the youth whose 
 parents had long been connected with the congre- 
 gation became members of the Church. Among 
 these were members of the families of Mr. Enoch 
 Arthur, Mr. Daniel Yonker, Mrs. Hubbs, Mrs. 
 Quicksall, Mrs. Dewees, and others. There were 
 several families to whom the church was much in- 
 debted, who did not live within the bounds of the 
 congregation, but who still retained their connection 
 with it. The principal of these were Mr. Bela 
 
An Era of Upbuilding and Progress 65 
 
 Badger, Mrs. James Hart, his daughter, and Mrs. 
 Martha Dungan, his sister-in-law. Mr. Badger was 
 a hberal man, and was ever ready to help us with 
 his counsel and his purse. These families did much 
 to carry forward the first fairs which were held by 
 the congregation, and it was in no small part owing 
 to their activity and liberality, that they were so suc- 
 cessful. During the summer the congregation was 
 increased, the treasury somewhat replenished, and 
 the pastor encouraged by the presence of a number 
 of families from Philadelphia whose country resi- 
 dences were in the neighborhood. Among these 
 were Comegys Paul, of the First Church ; James N. 
 Dickson, an elder of the Sixth Church; Alexander 
 W. Mitchell, M.D., an elder in the Tenth Church ; 
 William McMain and Dr. Bergen. In the early part 
 of the ministry of the speaker the congregation was 
 under great obligations to Dr. John F. Lamb. Dr. 
 Lamb was a somewhat remarkable man, and though 
 he subsequently became alienated from the congre- 
 gation and withdrew from it, yet he was, in one of 
 the darkest hours of its history, an efficient friend. 
 Forgetting everything that was, or that seemed to be 
 unkind either to himself or to the Church, the 
 speaker feels himself called upon to bear this testi- 
 mony in favor of one who spent a long life in this 
 community, and whose ashes now lie in yonder 
 little church-yard. 
 
 " One of the first things the young pastor felt 
 called upon to do was to endeavor to heal the 
 breaches which had been made by the unhappy con- 
 troversy which had preceded his coming. In this 
 
66 The Presbyterian Church of Frankford 
 
 difficult task he was singularly aided by giving 
 heed to one word dropped by a wise and good man. 
 That word was * conciliation.' * A soft answer turn- 
 eth away wrath.' So we found it. Conciliation 
 was like oil on the troubled waters. Families which 
 had been alienated returned to the congregation, 
 and some of these were among the most valuable 
 families we had ; friends who had been at variance 
 were reconciled; the past was forgotten because we 
 resolutely refused to allow it to be spoken of ; and 
 ere long a day of slow but increasing prosperity 
 dawned upon us. From the beginning a few were 
 added to the church. Very few indeed at first, but 
 still enough to show that the work had the Master's 
 approval. The first year only seven — three on ex- 
 amination and four on certificate; the second, fif- 
 teen — nine on examination, and six on certificate ; 
 the third, ten — two on examination, and eight on 
 certificate — and so on. At no time during the first 
 ten years was there any special outpouring of the 
 Spirit. In the eleventh and last year, however, a 
 gracious visitation was enjoyed, during which 
 twenty-three persons were received into the church 
 on profession of their faith, which though not abso- 
 lutely, was relatively, a large number; and it was 
 regarded as a special mark of the Divine favor. 
 During the time of the speaker's pastorate there 
 were added to the church one hundred and forty- 
 two persons — eighty-two on examination, and sixty 
 on certificate, nearly doubling the number of names 
 on the church roll. 
 
 " Whilst attending to these more important mat- 
 
An Era of Upbuilding and Progress 67 
 
 ters, the congregation did not neglect the house of 
 worship. To all, we may say, to a few especially, 
 the very stones and dust were precious. We began 
 by mending our ways. A brick pavement was laid 
 from the sidewalk on the street to the front door. 
 A vestibule was partitioned off ; the stoves were dis- 
 placed by a capacious furnace in the cellar ; the 
 venerable chandelier and homely sconces were suc- 
 ceeded by more modern and somewhat splendid fix- 
 tures, to burn oil; the lofty pulpit was taken down 
 and one put up, which, though plain, was really not 
 only convenient but also beautiful. In front of it 
 was a platform which was furnished with neat ma- 
 hogany chairs ; the little, crippled communion table 
 was set aside ; a new communion service was pro- 
 cured; the pews were taken down, remodelled and 
 painted ; the depressing blue on the walls, as we 
 could do nothing else, was covered with a coat of 
 plaster; and the aisles were carpeted. And when 
 all this was done we had as pretty a little village 
 church, methinks, as could have been found within 
 the limits of our broad Commonwealth. 
 
 " The funds to make these repairs and improve- 
 ments were raised, in considerable part, by fairs 
 gotten up and conducted by the ladies of the 
 congregation. 
 
 " About 1844,, if we remember aright, the con- 
 gregation took active measures to build a parsonage, 
 constructing it in such a way as to secure a lecture- 
 room under the same roof. The house was finished 
 and the lecture-room furnished at a cost of about 
 twenty-five hundred dollars. It was a very consid- 
 
68 The Presby^ierian Church of Frankjord 
 
 arable undertaking for the congregation at the time, 
 but as it was engaged in, after much deliberation 
 and prayer, with great earnestness and resoluteness 
 of purpose, in due time it was successfully ac- 
 complished. The subscriptions were not in money 
 alone, but in material, labor and time. One for 
 example gave the stone in the quarry, others took it 
 out, whilst others hauled it. The sash were all 
 painted, and, unless our memory is at fault, every 
 pane of glass put into them by Mr. John D. Harper, 
 assisted by the unskilled hands of the pastor. He, 
 however, as we can testify, became quite an expert 
 painter and glazier before the work was completed. 
 
 " Whilst these labors were being carried forward 
 in Frankford, there were several places in the sur- 
 rounding country where occasional religious ser- 
 vices were held. One of these was at a school- 
 house on Hart Lane, between, as the phrase then 
 was, Frankford and the city; another at Bustleton, 
 a village some five miles to the northwest; and a 
 third at Holmesburg, about as far north. At this 
 latter place, where several families belonging to the 
 church, including one of the elders, Mr. Robert 
 Pattison, resided, these humble endeavors proved to 
 be the germ of a church. Gradually, but steadily, 
 under the smile of Heaven, the little church grew. 
 When the period began the congregation was feeble 
 and discouraged ; when it closed it was compara- 
 tively strong and full of hope. When it began the 
 sanctuary was by no means comfortable^ — there was 
 no parsonage, no lecture-room, considerably less 
 than a hundred church members, the Sabbath con- 
 
An Era of Uphuilding and Progress 69 
 
 gregations were small, and the Sabbath-school very 
 small. When it closed the church building was a 
 sightly and most comfortable house of prayer — there 
 was a good parsonage, a small, but pleasant lecture- 
 room, the church membership had been doubled, the 
 congregations were more than doubled, and the 
 Sabbath-school increased eight or ten fold. It was 
 the Lord's doing. To Him be all the praise." 
 
 In 1849, after a pastorate of eleven years. Dr. 
 Howard received a flattering call from the Second 
 Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh, which he ac- 
 cepted, and was installed on May 16th of that year, 
 continuing to serve that church with notable suc- 
 cess until his death on September 22, 1876. 
 
 For several years Dr. Howard was a Trustee of 
 Washington College, Pa. He was President of the 
 Board of Trustees of the Western University of 
 Pennsylvania. In 1849 he was elected a Director 
 of the Western Theological Seminary. For many 
 years he was a member of the Boards of Foreign 
 and Home Missions of the Presbyterian Church. 
 From the organization of the General Assembly's 
 Committee on Freedmen, he was a member of it, 
 and was, for the first year, its Chairman. In 1857 
 he preached a sermon before the General Assembly, 
 at Lexington, Kentucky, by appointment of the 
 previous Assembly, in behalf of domestic missions. 
 This discourse was afterwards published by the 
 Board. He was the author of many sermons, pub- 
 lished by request. A number of these were preached 
 before the Synod of Pittsburgh; the others were 
 delivered on various special occasions. Dr. Howard 
 
70 The Presbyterian Church of Frankford 
 
 was a fine specimen of a Christian gentleman. As 
 a friend, he was sincere and ardent. His preaching 
 was earnest and instructive. As a presbyter, he 
 was faithful to duty; and as a pastor, he was uni- 
 versally beloved and abundantly useful. 
 
 During Dr. Howard's pastorate Robert Pattison 
 was elected to the eldership in 1839. In 1840 Henry 
 Bill was placed in charge of the music of the church. 
 He was succeeded in 1844 by William J. Warner, 
 who continued in office until 1848, when David 
 Chipman was elected. 
 
 Two of the elders of the church were called to 
 their heavenly home while Dr. Howard occupied this 
 pulpit, Roderick Adams, in 1838, at the age of 
 fifty-one, and George Castor, in 1844, at the age of 
 seventy-nine. The former was for a short time the 
 only elder of the church. He was said to be a man 
 beloved by the entire community, with scarcely an 
 enemy. Mr. Castor, whose name frequently ap- 
 pears in these pages, was *" a descendant of one of 
 the four who laid the foundations of the church in 
 the beginning, he was five years old when his grand- 
 father helped in that good work. Himself among 
 the first of its elders — when the church was to be 
 established in a new connection — when its first 
 house of worship was to be enlarged — when great 
 trouble had to be taken to supply its pulpit — when 
 great sacrifices had to be made to bear its expenses 
 and maintain its ordinances — George Castor was al- 
 
 * " One Hundred Years of the Presbyteria,n Church of 
 Frankford " — Murphy. 
 
An Era of Upbuilding and Progress 71 
 
 ways firm and ready. He has been known even to 
 mortgage his own property, that the interests of his 
 Zion might be supported. Such was the venerable 
 and upright man, whose name for nearly half a 
 century was on almost every page of our church's 
 history." 
 
 A mission Sunday-school was established by Dr. 
 Howard at Rocky Hill (Cedar Hill) on the old 
 farm of Mr. Teese, which later was acquired by 
 Mr. Robert Cornelius, a staunch member of this 
 church, and for many years an elder. Later a 
 building was erected on the Cornelius property to 
 accommodate the school, and it was conducted first 
 by Miss Constance Cornelius, and later by Miss 
 Hallie Cookman, the grand-daughter of Mr. Cor- 
 nelius. In later years it was known as the Lawn- 
 dale Sunday-school. 
 
 The close of Dr. Howard's ministry found the 
 church in a better condition than it had ever been in 
 all its previous history. It was now considered one 
 of the most influential pulpits in the vicinity of 
 Philadelphia. Its activities were widely known and 
 recognized. Its pastors had been men who were 
 leaders in tTie larger field of Presbyterian enter- 
 prise, taking a prominent part in the development 
 of denominational agencies of an educational and 
 missionary character. Its congregation was com- 
 paratively large and its Sunday-school one of the 
 best in the State. 
 
 Having attained to this position of strength and 
 influence, the church is now prepared to enter upon 
 the larger work for which God had been pre- 
 paring it. 
 
The Rev. Thomas Murphy, D.D., LL.D. 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 YEARS OF EXPANSION 
 
 *' Lord thou hast been our dwelling place in all 
 generations." 
 
 There was an interim of only a few months be- 
 tween the departure of Dr. Howard and the instal- 
 lation of his successor, the Rev. Thomas Murphy. 
 As has already been intimated, the Presbyterian 
 Church of Frankford was now considered a desir- 
 able pulpit, with a large and harmonious congrega- 
 tion, and with all branches of its work in a pros- 
 perous condition. But the responsibilities of Dr. 
 Howard's successor were intensified because of 
 these things, for it required a man of more than 
 ordinary ability to maintain the high standards that 
 had been attained, and to press forward to still 
 larger conquests. Commenting upon the situation 
 years afterward, Dr. Murphy said : " Difficult in- 
 deed was the undertaking of him who followed Dr. 
 Howard in the position he had filled so long and 
 so well." 
 
 Nevertheless when the call was presented to Mr. 
 Murphy, who had but recently graduated from 
 Princeton Theological Seminary, he accepted. Mr. 
 Murphy was a native of Ireland, bom February 6, 
 1823, in Antrim County, near the Dunlane Church, 
 the son of WilHam and Mary Rollins Murphy. His 
 father became an elder of that church under the 
 pastorate of the celebrated Dr. Henry Cooke. Wil- 
 
 73 
 
74 The Presbyterian Church of Frankford 
 
 Ham Murphy came, in 1834, to the United States 
 and settled in New Hartford, New York. Mr. 
 Murphy took a preparatory course in Hamilton 
 College, and entered the College of New Jersey in 
 1841, graduating with the second honor, in 1845. 
 He completed a three years' course in Princeton 
 Theological Seminary in 1848; was licensed by the 
 Presbytery of New Brunswick, February 2, 1848. 
 On the 11th of October, 1849, he was ordained by 
 the Second Presbytery of Philadelphia, at the same 
 time being installed pastor of this church. The 
 Rev. Robert Morris presided, the Rev. Silas An- 
 drews, D.D., preached the installation sermon, the 
 Rev. Robert Steele, D.D., delivering the charge to 
 the pastor, and the Rev. Henry S. Rodenbaugh the 
 charge to the congregation. 
 
 Immediately after his graduation from the 
 Seminary Mr. Murphy was married to Miss Ann 
 Sorter, of Blawenburg, New Jersey, a country vil- 
 lage about five miles from Princeton. 
 
 Upon assuming this, his first pastorate, the young 
 minister very wisely directed his energies toward 
 conserving the good results accomplished by his dis- 
 tinguished predecessor, introducing no radical 
 changes, but rather adapting himself to the situation 
 as he found it. The transition was accomplished 
 without friction of any kind, and no department of 
 the church's work was permitted to suffer a decline. 
 He conceived his work to be that of " strengthening 
 the things that remain ", and then with having 
 gained the confidence of the people, he set himself 
 to the task of " lengthening its cords and strengthen- 
 
Years of Expansion 75 
 
 ing its stakes." That this policy was successfully 
 carried out is shown by the expansion of the 
 church's work and influence that characterized his 
 long and happy pastorate covering nearly half a 
 century, nearly one-third of the church's entire 
 history. 
 
 Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. 
 Murphy, two of them dying in infancy. Archibald 
 Alexander, the older of the two children who grew 
 to maturity, was born on October 30, 1851. He was 
 named in honor of the great professor and preacher 
 who at that time was recognized as the most learned 
 and influential Presbyterian minister in America. 
 Young Archibald was dedicated to the Gospel min- 
 istry in his early youth, making a public profession 
 of his faith at the age of fifteen. He pursued his 
 preparatory studies under Dr. H. D. Gregory, in 
 Philadelphia, and graduated from Princeton Col- 
 lege in 1872. He entered the Seminary in the Fall 
 of that year, remaining two and a half years, when 
 ill health interrupted his course. He was licensed 
 to preach by the Presbytery of Philadelphia North 
 on September 29, 1874. After leaving the Seminary 
 early in 1875 he spent several years in private study 
 and in assisting his father in his pastoral work. In 
 1878 he was placed in charge of Grace Chapel, in 
 Jenkintown, which was then a mission of the Ab- 
 ington Church, continuing until 1880. He was or- 
 dained June 13, 1881, by the Presbytery of Phila- 
 delphia North and installed pastor of the Levering- 
 ton Presbyterian Church, in Roxborough, which he 
 served for one year. Later pastorates were at Port 
 
76 The Presby)terlan Church of Frankford 
 
 Carbon, Pa. (1882-1886) ; Huron, South Dakota, a 
 Congregational church (1886-1887) ; Spring Garden 
 Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia (1888-1890); 
 First Presbyterian Church, Springfield, Ohio (1891- 
 1894) ; and the Second Presbyterian Church in New 
 Brunswick, New Jersey ( 1895-1905) . After a brief 
 illness he fell asleep on May 19, 1905, at the age of 
 fifty-three years, and was buried in Blawenburg, in 
 the old burying-ground of his mother's family. He 
 was unmarried. 
 
 Mary Rollins was born on January 18, 1861. 
 She graduated from Young Ladies' Seminary, in 
 Norristown, where she had taken a course in prep- 
 aration for a literary career. Miss Murphy soon 
 became well known as a writer of short stories and 
 poems. She was a leader of the church's young 
 people and she made liberal use of her talents along 
 literary and musical Hues in all departments of 
 church activity. She was the organizer and for 
 many years the President of the Young Ladies' 
 Mission Band. For several years she was the Ed- 
 itor of " Over Sea and Land ", a missionary maga- 
 zine for children, published by the Women's For- 
 eign Missionary Society of the Presbyterian Church 
 in the U. S. A. After the resignation of Dr. 
 Murphy, and the death of Mrs. Murphy, she was 
 in constant attendance upon him until the time of 
 his death. She survived him only three months, suc- 
 cumbing to an attack of pneumonia (April, 1901) 
 and was buried in the resting place of the other 
 members of the family, in Blawenburg, New Jersey. 
 
 During the second year of his ministry in Frank- 
 
Years of Expansion 77 
 
 ford, Mr. Murphy began holding services on Sab- 
 bath afternoons in the school-house at Holmesburg. 
 This was done largely at the request of Mr. Robert 
 Pattison, an elder in the Frankford Church, who 
 resided in Holmesburg, and who, with other Pres- 
 byterian families, also residing there, felt that the 
 time was ripe for establishing a Presbyterian church 
 in that community. For three years Mr. Murphy 
 conducted services there, culminating in the or- 
 ganization of the Holmesburg Presbyterian Church 
 on April 26, 1853, with seventeen charter members, 
 nearly all of whom were transferred from the roll 
 of the Frankford Church. Mr. Pattison was the 
 only elder, the Rev. James Scott was its first pastor. 
 The present membership of the Holmesburg Church 
 is 248. 
 
 After eleven years the old Frankford church 
 building which had been enlarged in 1810 was again 
 found to be too small to comfortably provide for the 
 increased membership, and to accommodate the 
 growing activities of the church. Although there 
 were many tender associations clustered about its 
 sacred precincts, which made it difficult for some of 
 the older members to reconcile themselves to the 
 destruction of the old building that had stood for 
 nearly ninety years, they realized the necessity of en- 
 largement and they were willing to make the sacri- 
 fice. The cornerstone of the new building was laid 
 on June 9, 1859, the work being completed and the 
 house formally dedicated on June 14, 1860. The 
 mason work was done by Charles Deal, and the 
 
78 The Presbyterian Church of Frankford 
 
 carpenter work by William Irwin, both members of 
 the church. 
 
 The first pipe organ was installed in the gallery 
 in the rear of the church auditorium in 1865, at an 
 expense of over two thousand dollars. The first 
 organist was Mr. George Lehman. He was suc- 
 ceeded by Mr. H. Clinton Yonker, in 1883. Upon 
 his death, in 1889, his sister. Miss Irene Yonker, 
 now Mrs. William A. Wilgus, was elected to fill the 
 vacancy, serving with rare efficiency and satisfaction 
 until the present time. 
 
 During the first fifteen years of this pastorate 
 there were three revivals, the first in 1854, the 
 second in 1858, and the third in 1866, when nearly 
 one hundred persons were received into the church 
 membership at one communion service. Every such 
 service witnessed additional accessions upon pro- 
 fession of faith. It is a remarkable fact that during 
 all the years of Dr. Murphy's ministry there were 
 additions to the church membership at every com- 
 munion season, with two exceptions, which occurred 
 during the Civil War. 
 
 It is impracticable to follow the events which 
 transpired in the developing life of the church dur- 
 ing each succeeding year of this unusual pastorate. 
 By summarizing the results accomplished during the 
 entire period, we can look across these fruitful years 
 and see the remarkable manner in which the 
 church's efforts were blessed. 
 
 According to Dr. Murphy's own statement in his 
 forty-fifth anniversary sermon, twelve hundred and 
 forty-four new members were received into the fel- 
 
Years of Expansion 79 
 
 lowship of the church during his ministry, of whom 
 four hundred and twenty-seven came by certificate 
 of dismission and recommendation from other 
 churches. It was his unique privilege to welcome 
 into the church fellowship the representatives of 
 three generations successively. He officiated at five 
 hundred and thirteen marriages. Debts of long 
 standing were discharged, and the church freed 
 from all financial encumbrance. Improvements 
 were made to the church property, the graveyard 
 wall being erected, the iron fence constructed, 
 memorial windows installed, and the Sunday-school 
 rooms renovated. The manse was improved, and 
 repaired, water and gas installed, and other modem 
 facilities introduced. 
 
 The outstanding feature of Dr. Murphy's min- 
 istry, however, was the organization of other Pres- 
 byterian churches in the neighboring communities 
 largely as the result of his efforts. " It is an element 
 for which we would render to the God who has 
 helped us the most profound gratitude," he said. 
 " It is a branch of our church life of which we may 
 not only justly boast, but we would be culpable if we 
 did not record it to the glory of our divine Helper. 
 It is a point which excites the wonder of everyone 
 who hears it, and for which we stand pre-eminent 
 above every other church with which I am ac- 
 quainted either in this city or elsewhere." 
 
 Reference has already been made to the organiza- 
 tion of the Holmesburg Church in 1853. The Ann 
 Carmichael Church (Erie Avenue) was the next to 
 be organized on February 12, 1877, with forty-one 
 
80 The Presbyterian Church of Frankford 
 
 members. The location was one of the outlying 
 posts, then called Coopersville, where the Frankford 
 church maintained a Sabbath-school, and where 
 some of its members and officers resided. 
 
 The first germ of the enterprise was a proposition 
 to the mother-church, in which his family were 
 members, by Mr. William Baird, to open a Sabbath- 
 school in a building adjoining his residence, which 
 was accompanied with an offer of pecuniary aid. 
 In consequence, a committee was appointed by the 
 church Session to superintend the enterprise ; the 
 sum of two hundred dollars was secured, a Sabbath- 
 school was opened, and Sabbath afternoon services 
 were established. At these services the pastor of 
 the Frankford church either preached himself, or 
 secured another to do so, every Sabbath ; the pastor 
 also occasionally conducted service on an evening in 
 the week. This continued for about two years, 
 when the work fell into the hands of the Rev. S. J. 
 Milliken, who had been appointed by Presbytery to 
 conduct missionary services on the line of the North 
 Pennsylvania Railroad. 
 
 In 1876, Mr. Thomas Potter, an elder of the 
 Chestnut Hill Church, who owned and operated 
 large oilcloth factories in the neighborhood, with 
 noble generosity erected a fine house of worship, 
 bearing the entire expense himself, and at the same 
 time engaged to contribute two hundred dollars 
 every year toward the support of a pastor. The 
 organization consisted of forty-one members, and 
 was named the Ann Carmichael Church, in mem- 
 
Years of Expansion 81 
 
 orial of a beloved sister of the generous donor of 
 its sanctuary. 
 
 The first step in the founding of the Disston 
 Memorial Church, in Tacony, was the appointment, 
 by the Session of the Frankford Church, March 1, 
 1883, of a committee to establish a mission in that 
 place, to be under the care of the Session. The 
 second step was the spending of three years in 
 building up a Sabbath-school, holding prayer- 
 meetings, and preaching by the Frankford pastor, 
 sometimes on Sabbath afternoons, and sometimes 
 on week evenings. All this was accomplished 
 through the untiring energy, the earnest work, the 
 wise planning and the personal sacrifices of Mr. 
 Barton Castor and his family, who were members 
 of the Frankford Church. 
 
 The third step was the building, by Mrs, Henry 
 Disston, at her sole expense, of a beautiful and well- 
 appointed house of worship. Concerning this the 
 not-exaggerated language of the people was, 
 " Words are inadequate to express the gratitude of 
 our hearts to this noble, generous lady for this gift. 
 Long will her memory be enshrined in the hearts of 
 those who owe her so much." 
 
 The fourth step was the dedication of the com- 
 pleted church building by the Presbytery, April 1, 
 1886. On the same day the church was organized 
 with twelve members, and with two elders — Barton 
 Castor and William W. Milner. 
 
 Two years later the Presbyterian Church at 
 Wissinoming was organized as the result of a mis- 
 sion established by the Session of the Frankford 
 
82 The Presbyterian Church of Frankford 
 
 Church. It was nurtured into a strong and rapid 
 growth by Mr. Barton Castor, an elder of the Ta- 
 cony Church, and his devoted family. Through 
 their unceasing efforts a frame chapel was built, a 
 large Sabbath-school formed, a weekly prayer- 
 meeting established and preaching maintained on 
 the evening of every Lord's Day. When such an 
 enterprise as this applied to be formed into a church 
 the request was promptly granted, and the mission- 
 ary committee, by direction of Presbytery, organized 
 it on the evening of October 11, 1888, with a mem- 
 bership of twenty-eight persons, with Mr. Barton 
 Castor as its ruling elder. 
 
 Following this the work in Lawndale was devel- 
 oped. It was the culmination of years of faithful 
 effort upon the part of Dr. Murphy. In the manu- 
 facturing village of Crescentville, adjoining it, he 
 had preached, generally once a month, for more 
 than twenty years, sometimes in the house of one of 
 the workmen and sometimes under a willow tree. 
 Some of the most marvelous triumphs of grace he 
 had ever seen were witnessed there. Two of these 
 ought to be put on record. John Schofield had been 
 grossly intemperate from his earliest days. He 
 could neither read nor write. He could scarcely 
 utter an intelligible sentence in consequence of stam- 
 mering. But the Lord touched his heart. He be- 
 came a changed man. Tracts were selected for him 
 which he gave to his friends until a temperance 
 reformation followed. He learned to read the Bible. 
 He turned the chief room of his house into a kind 
 of chapel in which a weekly prayer-meeting was 
 
Years of Expansion 83 
 
 established, where he was the chief speaker. The 
 other case was that of Samuel Williams, an old 
 Welshman. He was the first-fruits of John Scho- 
 field's labors. Though he could not read and 
 scarcely knew there was such a thing as a Bible, and 
 could remember nothing about religion but what he 
 had learned from a little bound-girl in a home where 
 he had been a bound-boy in England, yet he was 
 brought to the saving knowledge of Christ, gave 
 clearest evidence that he was a new man, and was 
 baptized when eighty-four years of age. 
 
 The church had its origin in the formation of the 
 new suburb of Lawndale, largely by Presbyterian 
 families from the northern part of Philadelphia. 
 As soon as they had taken up their residences in this 
 new section they set about preparations for the es- 
 tablishment of a church ; a large Sabbath-school was 
 formed, Sabbath evening services were established, 
 at which Rev. Samuel J. Milliken and others 
 preached, and the erection of a house of worship 
 was begun. They soon applied to Presbytery to be 
 organized into a church. The request was granted, 
 and the organization was effected December 17, 
 1888. 
 
 At the close of Dr. Murphy's pastorate he de- 
 clared that out of the one hundred and thirty-two 
 members on the roll when he was installed, in 1849, 
 but thirteen remained, only six of whom were able 
 to attend the church services. The honorary degree 
 of Doctor of Divinity was conferred upon him by 
 the College of New Jersey, in 1872. The degree of 
 LL.D. was conferred upon him by Washington Col- 
 
84 The Presbyterian Church of Frankford 
 
 lege, Tennessee, in 1891. He was a member of the 
 Presbyterian Board of Publication for seventeen 
 years, for some time Chairman of its Missionary 
 Committee, having had a leading part in originating 
 the Sabbath-school work of that Board. In 1873, as 
 delegate to the General Assembly of the Church of 
 Ireland, he addressed that body on the subject of 
 " One Federate Council for all the Presbyterian 
 Churches of the World." The resolution then 
 adopted by that General Assembly was the first in 
 the series of public movements which resulted in 
 organizing this Council. 
 
 Dr. Murphy was a commissioner to the General 
 Assembly ten times, was several times the Moder- 
 ator of the Presbytery of Philadelphia North, and 
 was recognized as an ecclesiastic of imusual ability 
 and influence. 
 
 He was the author of several publications, among 
 which are " One Hundred Years of the Presbyterian 
 Church of Frankford," published in 1872, contain- 
 ing an account of the Centennial celebration; 
 " Pastoral Theology," which was regarded as one 
 of the most valuable treatises on that theme, being 
 used as a text-book in many of the theological 
 seminaries, of which three thousand copies have 
 been published. His booklet, " Duties of Church 
 Members to the Church," published in 1878, has had 
 a wide circulation and is still extensively used. 
 More than 220,000 copies of this work have been 
 printed. " People and Pastor " was published in 
 1887, and " The Presbytery of the Log College," a 
 volume of over 500 pages, and a most important 
 
Years of Expansion 85 
 
 work from a historical standpoint, appeared in 1889. 
 His " Message to the Seven Churches of Asia " was 
 the result of long years of earnest study and re- 
 search, being published in 1895. He was a fre- 
 quent contributor also to the current Presbyterian 
 periodicals. He was a man of sound learning, 
 persistent force, evangelical spirit and thorough 
 Presbyterianism. 
 
 The following elders were ordained and installed 
 during Dr. Murphy's ministry: Robert W. Solly 
 (1853), William Irwin (1853), Philip Cressman 
 (1853), Benjamin Rogers (1864), William J. 
 Warner (1864), Robert Cornelius (1866), William 
 E. Hamill (1870). In 1872 eight additional elders 
 were elected : Joseph McConnell, William B. Dixon, 
 William Scott, J. M. Somerndike, Sr., Joseph L,. 
 Kinkerter, David Nimlet, Marshall D. Yonker, and 
 J. Keith Yerkes. With the passing of the years the 
 hand of death removed many of these faithful 
 servants of the church, and it became necessary, in 
 1893, again to elect additional elders. At that time 
 William Fetter, Dr. George Hale, S. R. Caldwell, 
 William Charlton and Andrew Mitchell were or- 
 dained and installed to this sacred office. 
 
 A long list of names appear as members of the 
 Board of Trustees during this period. They were 
 Francis Deal, Frederick Tryon, Enoch Arthur, Rob- 
 ert W. Solly, George J. Castor, William Jones, 
 Thomas Wriggins, Benjamin Rodgers, Joseph Scat- 
 tergood, William Blackburn, Randolph W. Evans, 
 William E. Hamill, David Murdock, William Irwin-, 
 James C. Thompson, Rudolph Adams, Reuben My- 
 
86 The Presb})tenan Church of Frankford 
 
 ers, Dr. E. F. Leake, Thomas W. Duffield, John G. 
 Cumming, Alfred H. Foster, James Miller, Samuel 
 Wakeling, Joseph Ball, James McAllister, John C. 
 Cornelius, Jacob F. Wagner, Thomas Banes, Dr. 
 William F. Guernsey, William Keas, F. K. Wom- 
 rath. Barton Castor, John McMullen, Charles H. 
 Fitler, George Taylor, George F. Borie, William 
 Carruthers, Thomas Green, Henry Davenport, John 
 Holden, Alfred W. Garsed, Dr. George Hale, Jr., 
 Arthur M. McComb, Joseph Culbert, Joseph S. 
 Wamick, Sr., William W. Fouldrod, Sr., Thomas 
 C. Foster, John A. Hoffman, S. R. Caldwell, Dr. R. 
 C. Allen, William R. Gaulbert, Alfred B. Anderson, 
 William Bault, Harry K. Fries, Edward Water- 
 house, Joseph Clark, and Joseph L. Kinkerter. 
 
 One of the church's most faithful officers, Mr. 
 John Deal, was called to his heavenly home in 
 October, 1880. In view of influence upon the 
 church's life, his memory should be perpetuated. 
 For many years Mr. Deal was the Postmaster in 
 Frankford. He was an elder of the church during 
 the pastorates of Dr. Howard and Dr. Murphy. 
 For eight years he was the Superintendent of the 
 Sabbath-school. For more than forty-five years he 
 was a member of the Board of Trustees, efficiently 
 performing the duties of Secretary for thirty-five 
 years. In 1877, by action of the congregation at 
 the annual meeting, a pew was set apart for the use 
 of Mr. Deal during his lifetime in recognition of his 
 long continued and efficient services. 
 
 The music of the church was under the direction 
 of David Chipman, James O'Neill and Luther B. 
 
Members of the volunteer choir in 1874. The organ was then in the gal- 
 lery. Note also the old style pews with doors. On the front row 
 (from left to right) are Miss Mary E. Williams, Miss Emma Morris, 
 Mrs. Maggie R. Otley, Marshall D. Yonker, Mrs. Yonker, Mrs. Samuel 
 Watson, Mrs. Elizabeth Chipman, Mrs. Elwood Yerkes, Mrs. James 
 Baird. Back row (standing), James Chestnut, George Lehman (organ- 
 ist), Dr. George Hale, Jr., Benjamin Chestnut. 
 
Years of Expansion 87 
 
 Guernsey from 1848 until 1853. In 1854 Marshall 
 Davie Yonker was elected chorister, and continued 
 efficiently in that office until 1897. The church has 
 never had a more faithful and devoted worker than 
 Mr. Yonker. He was always at his post of duty, 
 surrounding himself with a fine body of young 
 people whom he laboriously trained. It is greatly 
 to his credit that during all the years of his in- 
 cumbency the church was never without a choir to 
 lead the singing, all the members giving voluntary 
 service. Mr. Yonker was active in every depart- 
 ment of church activity. He was Secretary of the 
 Board of Trustees from 1877 until 1912, besides 
 being an elder for forty years and active in the 
 Sabbath-school. After his death the church en- 
 dowed a pew in memory of Mr. Yonker and his 
 work. 
 
 The most important historical event in Dr. 
 Murphy's ministry was the celebration of the Cen- 
 tennial Anniversary in 1870. The exercises were 
 held on Wednesday, May the fourth, beginning at 
 ten o'clock in the morning. The Rev. Matthew B. 
 Grier, who was then editor of " The Presbyterian," 
 presided. The invocation was offered by the Rev. 
 Joseph Beggs, pastor of the Falls of Schuylkill 
 Church ; the opening hymn was read by the Rev. 
 James Price, pastor of the Seventh United Presby- 
 terian Church of Frankf ord ; the Scriptures were 
 read by the Rev. William E. Schenck, D.D., the 
 Corresponding Secretary of the Board of Publica- 
 tion and Sabbath-school Work, from the forty- 
 eighth Psalm. Rev. William Blackwood, D.D., 
 
88 The Presbyterian Church of Frankford 
 
 pastor of the Ninth Presbyterian Church, offered 
 prayer, and the introductory address was delivered 
 by the Rev. George W. Musgrave, D.D., LL.D., the 
 distinguished pastor of the West Spruce Street 
 (now the Tenth) Presbyterian Church of Philadel- 
 phia, followed by an historical address by Dr. 
 Murphy, in which he reviewed in detail the history 
 of the church from its beginning in 1770. The 
 morning service concluded with the benediction by 
 the Rev. J. Addison Henry, pastor of the Princeton 
 Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia. 
 
 The exercises were continued throughout the af- 
 ternoon, the Rev. J. Grier Ralston, D.D., LL.D., a 
 learned scholar and educator, presiding. The Rev. 
 Joseph A. Warne offered the invocation, followed 
 with prayer led by the Rev. Albert Barnes, D.D., 
 the famous pastor of the old First Presbyterian 
 Church in Philadelphia, noted as one of the most 
 eloquent preachers of his generation. An address 
 was delivered by the Rev. William D. Howard, 
 D.D., who was pastor of the church from 1838 to 
 1849, in which he recounted the events during his 
 ministry in Frankford, comparing the church as he 
 found it in 1838 with its prosperous condition and 
 improved facilities in 1870. The Rev. Charles 
 Hodge, D.D., LL.D., of Princeton Theological 
 Seminary, addressed the gathering on " The Early 
 History of Presbyterianism in this Country, and 
 Reminiscences of Dr. Biggs." The Rev. James 
 McCosh, D.D., LL.D., the venerable and distin- 
 guished President of Princeton Seminary, followed 
 with an address on " Presbyterianism and an Edu- 
 
Years of Expansion 89 
 
 cated Ministry." The hymn was read by the Rev. 
 B. L. Agnew, D.D., who was then the pastor of 
 Westminster Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia, 
 concluding with the benediction by Dr. Ralston. 
 
 At the evening service, the Rev. J. Addison 
 Henry presided, and the invocation was offered by 
 the Rev. Calvin W. Ferriday, followed with prayer 
 by the Rev. J. B. Davis, and an address by the Hon. 
 Joseph Allison, LL.D., a noted judge in the Phila- 
 delphia civil courts, and one of the foremost Presby- 
 terian laymen of that period, on " The Founders of 
 the Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia." The 
 Rev. Elias R. Beadle, D.D., LL.D., pastor of the 
 Second Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, one of 
 the most forceful preachers in the city, delivered an 
 address on " Presbyterianism and Missions." The 
 Rev. W. R. Work, the first pastor of Trinity Pres- 
 byterian Church, read the hymn, followed by an 
 address by the Rev. John Hall, D.D., a Presby- 
 terian minister of international reputation, and 
 pastor of the Fifth Avenue Church in New York 
 City, which for many years has been regarded as the 
 wealthiest congregation in the Presbyterian com- 
 munion. Dr. Hall was one of America's greatest 
 preachers. His remarks dealt with the Presbyterian 
 institutions. The exercises of the day closed with 
 the benediction, which was pronounced by the Rev. 
 William A. Jenks, pastor of the Bridesburg Presby- 
 terian Church. The church choir, augmented by a 
 special chorus, rendered several selections during 
 the exercises under the leadership of Mr. Yonker. 
 
 It was the greatest day in the history of the 
 
90 The Presb])ierian Church of Frankford 
 
 church. The auditorium was beautifully decorated 
 with evergreens and spring flowers. On the walls 
 were " 1770-1870," and with them the words of 
 Scripture most appropriate to the occasion, " Thou 
 hast been our dwelling-place in all generations." 
 Quoting from an account of the celebration pub- 
 lished in " The Presbyterian," the following state- 
 ment completes the record of that memorable oc- 
 casion : " We must not forget to add that the hos- 
 pitalities extended by the church to the strangers 
 who were drawn by the attractive services of the 
 day to Frankford, were generous and hearty. The 
 ladies of the church had provided dinner and tea, 
 and gave their guests such a bountiful entertain- 
 ment that, we doubt not, many of them wished that 
 they could see their fair entertainers oftener than 
 once in a century. And the only shade of regret 
 which steals in on such occasions, comes with the 
 thought that when the anniversary arrives again, all 
 the faces which looked so bright and happy last 
 week, will have vanished from the earth, and all the 
 voices that spoke or sang be silent on earth forever. 
 Blessed be God for the hope that all will at last be 
 gathered where the worshippers do not separate, and 
 where the generations that have successively filled 
 one church on earth will sing together of the loving- 
 kindness of the Lord, and praise Him who has been 
 the dwelling-place of his people in all generations." 
 
 The Committee which arranged the celebration 
 consisted of Reuben Myers, Chairman, Joseph Ball, 
 Secretary, Linford Castor, Treasurer, Alfred H. 
 Foster, John McMuUin, William E. Hamill, Fred- 
 
Years of Expansion 91 
 
 erick K. Womrath, Rudolph Adams, Samuel Wake- 
 ling, Howard Yonker and James C. Thompson. 
 Never on any occasion, either before or since, have 
 so many distinguished ministers been brought to- 
 gether in a service in this church, paying tribute to 
 its work and honoring its leaders. 
 
 The year in which this celebration was held is a 
 memorable one in Presbyterian history, owing to 
 the fact that the re-union of the Old and New 
 School branches of the Presbyterian Church, which 
 had been divided since 1838, was consummated. 
 This was an event which brought great joy and 
 satisfaction to Presbyterians everywhere. It marked 
 the beginning of a new epoch of spiritual power, and 
 a widening of the denominational activities both at 
 home and in other lands. 
 
 Following these events the work of the church 
 progressed in a most encouraging manner, until the 
 year of Dr. Murphy's accident. Early in 1881, upon 
 returning from Princeton, the train upon which he 
 was a passenger was wrecked in a collision near 
 Princeton Junction. Dr. Murphy, among many 
 others, was very seriously injured. For a time 
 his recovery was doubtful. The congregation 
 passed through a period of deep anxiety, for Dr. 
 Murphy was in the very prime of his vigor with his 
 greatest work apparently yet to be accomplished. 
 The prayers of his loyal people were answered, how- 
 ever, and his life was spared. After four months 
 he resumed his duties, but his physical powers were 
 impaired in such a manner that he was never able 
 to continue his work with the aggressiveness and 
 
92 The Presb})tenan Church of Frankford 
 
 force that marked the first thirty years of his min- 
 istry. One of his Hmbs was injured to such an 
 extent that during the remainder of his Hfe Dr. 
 Murphy walked with difficulty and was always 
 obliged to depend upon a stout cane. 
 
 In spite of this handicap, however, his work was 
 not neglected. Many times Dr. Murphy responded 
 to the demands of his congregation in visiting the 
 sick and burying the dead, experiencing a weari- 
 ness of body due to his affliction, of which he never 
 complained, but which was a constant drain upon 
 his vitality, especially in his later years. 
 
 It was saddening to those who had known Dr. 
 Murphy in the early years of his ministry, and by 
 whom he was held in affectionate regard, to witness 
 his steadily failing strength as old age approached. 
 For, " our intercourse with each other as people and 
 pastor has been one of exceptional happiness, and 
 advantage," said Dr. Murphy in his forty-fifth anni- 
 versary sermon, delivered September 9, 1894. He 
 continued, " We have become greatly endeared to 
 each other by the personal memories of innumerable 
 joys and sorrows. Many a time have we been 
 brought close together at the sick-bed, the marriage 
 altar, the festive board, the grave, and especially in 
 the sanctuary of our God, and the sacramental table. 
 By sympathy in your sufferings and sorrows ever 
 since some of you were born, we have been cemented 
 in bonds of affection which can never be broken." 
 
 It was becoming increasingly evident, however, 
 both to Dr. Murphy and to the congregation, that the 
 burden of pastoral duties was heavier than his im- 
 
Years of Expansion 93 
 
 paired health and waning strength could bear. Ac- 
 cordingly, on April 16, 1895, he presented his resig- 
 nation, to take effect May 5th. In grateful recogni- 
 tion of his long and faithful services he was immedi- 
 ately elected Pastor-Emeritus, with a salary suffic- 
 ient to provide for his needs. Dr. Murphy contin- 
 ued in this relation until his death, on December 26, 
 1900, in the seventy-eighth year of his age. Upon 
 retiring from the pastorate he moved from Frank- 
 ford to Blawenburg, New Jersey, residing on the 
 farm where Mrs. Murphy was reared, and which he 
 had purchased. During the winter months he re- 
 sided in Philadelphia. Mrs. Murphy passed away, 
 after a brief illness, on July 26, 1895. The member- 
 ship of the church at the close of Dr. Murphy's 
 pastorate numbered about four hundred. 
 
 During this pastorate the church was active in 
 promoting the cause of temperance. Frequent pub- 
 lic meetings were held in the interests of temperance 
 and the movement was given every possible encour- 
 agement. Among the noted temperance workers 
 and lecturers who addressed these gatherings were 
 Frances E. Willard and John B. Gough, the latter 
 being the most famous temperance lecturer the 
 world has ever known. It is a peculiar providence 
 that made his appearance in this church the last 
 meeting he should be permitted to address. In the 
 midst of one of his characteristic flights of oratory 
 and eloquence, in the presence of a large audience, 
 he was suddenly stricken. Medical assistance was 
 immediately summoned, and he was removed to the 
 home of Dr. R. Bruce Burns, adjoining the manse. 
 
94 The Presb})terian Church of Frankford 
 
 where he Hngered a few days and passed to his 
 eternal reward. His last words upon the public 
 platform, uttered in this church, were an exhorta- 
 tion to youth which will outlive his memory: 
 " Young man, keep your record clean." Several 
 years afterward, when the church auditorium was 
 renovated, the boards from the old platform were 
 taken by Mr. Joseph S. Warnick, Sr., and converted 
 into canes, for which there was a wide demand be- 
 cause of the fact that it was from this platform that 
 Mr, Gough made his last public address. They 
 found their way into the homes of many of the 
 families of the church. 
 
The Rev. John Baker Laird, D.D. 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF FRUITFUL MINISTRY 
 
 " One generation shall praise thy work to another, and 
 shall declare thy mighty acts." 
 
 In approaching the task of recording the events of 
 the past twenty-five years, the writer is conscious of 
 the fact that the narrative must necessarily be held 
 within certain limitations. 
 
 While Doctor Laird's pastorate of a quarter of a 
 century will be appropriately recognized as a part of 
 the anniversary exercises, in May, 1920, the story of 
 the unprecedented progress of the church under his 
 leadership should be fully recorded. It is fitting also 
 that recognition should be given to the larger work 
 of the Kingdom in which he has had such a promi- 
 nent part. 
 
 If Dr. Laird's wishes were consulted, this chapter 
 would contain a very simple record of the events 
 connected with the progress of the church since 
 1895, but the writer feels a sense of responsibility to 
 the congregation in embracing this opportunity to 
 expressing our appreciation of the qualities which 
 have endeared him to us, the depth of our affection 
 for him as our pastor and friend, and our gratitude 
 to God for the success with which He has crowned 
 his ministry. Knowing that if these pages had been 
 submitted to him they would have been severely 
 censored, and having sufficient knowledge of the 
 events to record them without his assistance, the 
 
 95 
 
96 The Presbyterian Church of Frankford 
 
 writer submits this chapter to the judgment of those 
 whose souls have been refreshed by his ministry, and 
 whose Hves have been enriched by his friendship. 
 
 As we stand on the threshold of a new epoch in 
 the church's life, we pause to take a parting look 
 over the long road which we have traversed as we 
 have traced the course of its history through a 
 century and a quarter. Generation after generation 
 has passed in review, each contributing its part in 
 faithfulness and devotion toward the preservation 
 of the sacred heritage which had come to them 
 through the mercy and guidance of a gracious 
 Providence. 
 
 As we look across the years, we are impressed 
 with the position of distinction to which the min- 
 isters of this church have attained in the councils 
 of our great denomination. It is interesting also to 
 note that among its members, especially its officers, 
 we find the names of men who have been elevated to 
 high office in civic and national affairs, rendering 
 distinguished service, besides many who have fig- 
 ured prominently in commercial and professional 
 life in the community. To an unusual degree this 
 church seems to have attracted to its membership 
 those who have had a leading part in the develop- 
 ment of industrial, financial and educational enter- 
 prises in Frankford, and in the city of Philadelphia. 
 This is not less true of the present time than of the 
 past. Thus we see something of the far-reaching 
 influence of the church and its ministry during all 
 the years of its history. 
 
 Truly may we say that God's hand has been upon 
 
Tn>ent^-five Years of Fruitful Ministry 97 
 
 us in blessing through all the changes that the years 
 have wrought. To our forefathers and to us has 
 been given the high privilege of influencing the cur- 
 rent of human life in each succeeding age, toward 
 high and holy endeavor. " Not unto us, O Lord, 
 not unto us, but unto thy name be all the glory." 
 
 But the church's mission had not yet been ac- 
 complished. Rather had it been gathering strength 
 for the greater work yet before it. The record of 
 the past quarter of a century gives unmistakable 
 evidence that God had destined this venerable insti- 
 tution for greater things than were foreseen by 
 those who had laid the foundations and built stone 
 upon stone, the enduring structure of a strong and 
 virile organization. All that had gone before was 
 but the shadow of the larger work which the future 
 years were to witness. But who should be called to 
 lead the congregation into the larger areas of service 
 toward which a guiding Providence was directing 
 its steps ? " There was a man sent from God 
 whose name was John." Richly endowed for the 
 task and with the baptism of spiritual power to sus- 
 tain him, he could not fail. 
 
 As we bear grateful testimony to the ardent and 
 successful labors of his pastorate of which we joy- 
 ously unite in celebrating the Twenty-fifth Anni- 
 versary in this year of grace 1920, our souls are 
 uplifted in praise and thanksgiving for all the bless- 
 ings which God has vouchsafed to him and to us 
 during this eventful period. 
 
 Unique as our history has been, probably nothing 
 appears in retrospect that is more remarkable than 
 
98 The Presb})terian Church of Frankford 
 
 the manner in which the transition from the old to 
 the new was accomplished when the ministry of Dr. 
 Laird began. Seldom has any church, after a long 
 pastorate, been able to unite upon a new leader in 
 such a short time as elapsed between the retirement 
 of Dr. Murphy and the installation of his successor. 
 That a congregation should, with such unanimity 
 and without a long and trying period of vacancy 
 with a procession of candidates, find it possible to 
 agree upon the one to whom they would entrust their 
 spiritual guidance, speaks eloquently for the stability 
 of its people, of the wisdom of its officers, and the 
 directing hand of God in its affairs. 
 
 Early in the year 1895 Dr. Murphy declared to 
 the Session of the church his intention to lay down 
 the responsibilities which the burden of years had 
 made it difficult for him to bear. With unusual 
 sagacity, they began to make preparations for the 
 change. They took counsel, very wisely, with the 
 venerable Dr. William M. Paxton, the Professor of 
 Homiletics in Princeton Seminary, who was a life- 
 long friend and classmate of Dr. Murphy, and who 
 frequently occupied the pulpit during his ministry. 
 The desire for a young man was unanimous, and it 
 was the earnest hope and prayer of the Session that 
 they might find in the senior class at the Seminary 
 the one whom God had been preparing for this 
 special task. Here again we see His guiding provi- 
 dence, for Dr. Paxton, with the hearty endorsement 
 of the other members of the Seminary faculty, all 
 of whom were familiar with the Frankford Church, 
 and friends of Dr. Murphy, selected the young 
 
Tn>eniy;-five Years of Fruitful Ministry) 99 
 
 student who had already been declared by his class- 
 mates to be the ablest preacher in his class. From 
 the time he entered the Seminary he had attracted 
 the attention of the faculty by his unusual ability, 
 his close application to his studies, and his conse- 
 cration. It was not strange, therefore, that they, 
 with prophetic insight, perceived in him the quali- 
 ties that would lead him into a career of wide in- 
 fluence and usefulness. 
 
 He was engaged to preach on February 10th and 
 February 17th, 1895. The entire congregation was 
 impressed with his clear expositions of Scripture 
 truth. His unassuming manner and the absence of 
 any attempt to produce sensational effects appealed 
 to the conservative spirit of the people, and with one 
 accord they were convinced that he had indeed been 
 " sent to the Kingdom for such a time as this." On 
 the first Sabbath when he appeared in the Frankford 
 pulpit he preached from the text, " Behold the Lamb 
 of God." It was a clear and forceful presentation 
 of the plan of salvation. Many doubtless will re- 
 member also the sermon preached on the second 
 Sabbath morning from the text, " The Lord God is 
 a Sun." If they were influenced by the first ser- 
 mon, the second was a discourse of such spiritual 
 penetration and earnestness that they were con- 
 vinced that he was the man of God's choice. No 
 other candidates were heard and in due time a 
 unanimous call was extended to him. 
 
 Mr. Ivaird was born on a Lancaster County farm, 
 near the little village of Mount Nebo, Pennsylvania, 
 the son of Clarkson and Anna O'Neill Laird. He 
 
1 00 The Presbyterian Church of Frankford 
 
 attended the country school, where the foundations 
 of his education were laid. His father was one of 
 the two elders in the little country church in Mt. 
 Nebo. Through the influence of godly parents and 
 the surroundings of a Christian home, supplemented 
 by faithful attendance upon the Sunday-school, he 
 was led in early youth to make a public profession 
 of his faith in Christ. He was admitted to the Mil- 
 lersville State Normal School and after completing 
 his course found a position as a teacher in one of 
 the Lancaster County schools. But this was merely 
 a preparation for larger things toward which he 
 was aspiring. While teaching school, he pursued 
 his studies in the classics and mathematics under a 
 private tutor in Lancaster to prepare himself for a 
 college course. In the autumn of 1888 he was 
 matriculated in Lafayette College, graduating with 
 honors in 1892. 
 
 While a student in Lafayette College he was led to 
 dedicate himself to the work of the Gospel ministry. 
 It was an unmistakable leading of the Holy Spirit 
 that confirmed him in this life decision, and his 
 career from that moment has been a perfect testi- 
 mony to the fulfillment of God's promise to such as 
 hear the call to become His ambassadors. He en- 
 tered Princeton Theological Seminary in the Fall of 
 1892, graduating in the Spring of 1895, entering at 
 once upon his ministerial duties in Frankford. He 
 was ordained and installed on June 20, 1895. 
 
 The Rev. Charles R. Erdman, D.D., presided and 
 preached the sermon ; the Rev. Louis F. Benson, 
 D.D., delivered the charge to the congregation, and 
 
Ttvent^-ftve Years of Fruitful Ministry 101 
 
 the Rev. Alexander Henry, D.D., the charge to the 
 new pastor. 
 
 The entire work of the church was given a new 
 impetus by the constructive plans which he intro- 
 duced. It soon became apparent that the task of 
 reviving the old church, whose activities had been 
 weakened during the declining years of an unusually 
 long pastorate, was not an easy one. The physical 
 conditions also were unfavorable. The population 
 of Frankford was not experiencing any substantial 
 growth at that period; the location of the church 
 property was not conducive to the enlargement of 
 the congregation, the movement of the residential 
 section being farther and farther away from the 
 church. It was evident, therefore, that the greatest 
 attraction must be in the magnetism of the min- 
 ister's personality and in the power with which he 
 proclaimed his message. Mr. Laird was equal to 
 the situation and his influence soon began to mani- 
 fest itself in increased congregations and in an ever- 
 enlarging number of accessions to the church mem- 
 bership. The publication of the weekly bulletin was 
 begun early in the Fall, making its first appearance 
 on September 15, 1895, and it has been continued 
 without interruption until the present, except during 
 the summer months. 
 
 Special attention was given to the development of 
 interest among the young people, many of whom had 
 become indifferent, the societies having declined 
 through the lack of sympathetic leadership. New 
 societies were formed for the boys and girls and for 
 the young men and women; the societies that had 
 
1 02 The Presb})ierian Church of Frankford 
 
 survived being infused with new life under the 
 stimulus of new methods and youthful contact. 
 
 It was little wonder, therefore, that this first year 
 of strenuous labor, following closely upon years of 
 incessant study without time for recreation, was a 
 severe test of the young pastor's physical strength. 
 The congregation was not unmindful of the situ- 
 ation, and steps were taken to arrange a season of 
 rest and refreshment such as would restore him to 
 health and vigor. The funds were generously pro- 
 vided to enable him to spend the entire summer in 
 Europe. Returning in the Fall, his health fully re- 
 stored, he was greeted with enthusiasm by a loyal 
 and devoted congregation who were ready to follow 
 his guidance into new fields of service. 
 
 During the next year (1897) the church choir 
 was re-organized upon the retirement of Mr. Yonker 
 as chorister. Reference has been made to his faith- 
 ful labors. Mr. David M. Lovett succeeded him as 
 musical director, and in the following year a quar- 
 tette of paid singers was engaged. The Session 
 realized the value of the musical part of the church's 
 services and advocated a liberal investment of 
 church funds for its development. Through subse- 
 quent years frequent musical services on Sabbath 
 evenings have attracted large congregations and 
 have been a potent factor in widening the sphere of 
 the church's influence in the community. Mr. 
 Lovett was peculiarly qualified by musical genius 
 and training to assume this new responsibility, and 
 through nearly a quarter of a century, under his 
 efficient leadership a high standard has been main- 
 
Tn>eniy-five Years of Fruitful Ministry 1 03 
 
 tained, and the efforts of the minister ably supple- 
 mented, besides effectively adding to the attractive- 
 ness of the Sabbath services. 
 
 The same year a movement was begun to pur- 
 chase a new organ in place of the old instrument, 
 which had been in constant service for more than 
 thirty years. The necessary funds were soon pro- 
 cured and the present organ was installed, with 
 motor power, at an expense of more than three 
 thousand dollars. 
 
 By this time the church building again began to 
 show indications of decay and it became necessary 
 to apply a new coat of cement to the outside walls, 
 besides inserting new stone bases. Three new en- 
 trance doors were installed to replace the old doors, 
 through which two generations had passed. The 
 memorial windows also had faded and were sadly 
 in need of repairs. Upon corresponding with the 
 families who had provided these windows, they 
 heartily concurred, with but two exceptions, in the 
 proposal to install new windows, and the necessary 
 funds were immediately made available. The 
 Ladies' Aid Society contributed the funds for the 
 renewing of the two windows which it was not 
 found practicable for the families interested to 
 provide. 
 
 THE MEMORIAL WINDOWS 
 
 It will be of interest to include in this history a 
 brief statement concerning the memorial windows. 
 On the north side of the church, beginning at the 
 eastern end, we find the Womrath Memorial, con- 
 
1 04 The Presbyterian Church of Frankford 
 
 tributed by the family of Mr. Frederick Womrath. 
 Mr. Womrath was a trustee of the church for many 
 years and took an active interest in all its affairs. 
 
 Adjoining the Womrath window is the Josephine 
 L. Buckius Memorial. This was erected by her two 
 daughters, Mrs. William W. Foulkrod and Miss 
 Emma C. Buckius. Mrs. Buckius was a faithful 
 member of the church for more than fifty years. 
 
 The next window on the north side was con- 
 tributed in memory of Mrs. Catherine McMullen by 
 her daughter, Mrs. Catherine Ervien, her grand- 
 children, Mrs. Matthias Coates, the Misses McMul- 
 len, Mr. R. C. McMullen, and the sons of Thomas 
 Rowland, who also are grandchildren of Mrs. 
 McMullen. 
 
 The fourth window represents the Castor-Foster 
 Memorial, given by the children of Mr. and Mrs. A. 
 H. Foster, who for many years were active workers 
 in the church, as a memorial to their mother, and to 
 the Castor family, who were active in the church's 
 early history. 
 
 The fifth window is known as the Carpentier 
 Memorial, contributed originally by Mrs. Carpen- 
 tier, who generously provided in her will for the 
 payment of an annuity of three hundred dollars to 
 the church, which the church has now received for 
 many years. 
 
 On the south side of the church the first window 
 is the McVaugh Memorial, contributed by Mrs. V. 
 E. Archambault, in memory of her father, Edmund 
 McVaugh, who for many years was a trustee of the 
 church and for a time the church's treasurer. 
 
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Trveni^-five Years of Fruitful Ministry 1 05 
 
 Adjoining this is the Adam Baker Memorial, 
 erected by Mr. John F. Lewis, in memory of Mr. 
 Adam Baker and his wife, EHzabeth Baker (nee 
 Neff). 
 
 The third window on the south side is the Ru- 
 dolph Neff Memorial, given by Dr. Joseph S. Neff, 
 of Philadelphia, one of the descendants of the origi- 
 nal family who played such a large part in the or- 
 ganization of this church. 
 
 The next window is the Maurer Memorial, which 
 was contributed by Mr. G, Albert Lewis in memory 
 of Jacob Maurer, one of the founders of the church. 
 
 The fifth window is the Harper Memorial, which 
 was erected by the Harper and Huckel families in 
 memory of the members of the Harper family who 
 had taken a prominent part in the church's work 
 during its early history. 
 
 The window on the south stairway was contrib- 
 uted by Mr. Harry F. Wagner and Mrs. R. Bruce 
 Burns in memory of their father and mother, Mr. 
 Jacob F. Wagner and Mrs. Eliza Wagner, both of 
 whom were active in the church's work for many 
 years, Mr. Wagner being a faithful member of the 
 Board of Trustees and generous in providing for 
 the church's needs. 
 
 The Joseph L. Kinkerter Memorial window in 
 the front of the church was contributed by the 
 Sabbath-school. 
 
 These improvements made others necessary, be- 
 sides the introduction of additional facilities. Dur- 
 ing the year 1899, a new boiler was installed to en- 
 large the heating capacity of the church. This, 
 
1 06 The Preshyterian Church of Frankford 
 
 however, was presented by members of the congre- 
 gation, and it led to the necessity of installing a 
 complete steam heating system. Lavatories were 
 built in the basement, besides a fully equipped 
 kitchen, several thousand dollars being expended in 
 making these improvements. This was followed by 
 the erection of the memorial window to Mr. Joseph 
 L. Kinkerter, the entire cost being borne by the 
 members of the Sunday-school. 
 
 The Olney Presbyterian Church was organized 
 during 1899, with forty charter members from the 
 Frankford Church. This is one of the largest of 
 the churches that have grown from this old " mother 
 of churches," its present membership being about 
 800. 
 
 Early in 1901 a special meeting of the congrega- 
 tion was called to consider the erection of an ap- 
 propriate memorial to Dr. Murphy. After careful 
 consideration it was decided that the memorial 
 should take the form of a baptismal font suitably 
 inscribed, to be placed in the church auditorium. 
 The funds were promptly subscribed and the work 
 completed the following Fall. 
 
 Three new elders were ordained and installed on 
 October 11, 1903: Mr. Henry S. Borneman, Mr. 
 Robert Dawes and Mr. John W. Liberton. 
 
 Improvements to the manse were made during the 
 following year, a portico being placed over the old 
 doorway in conformity with its colonial design, and 
 cement walks laid around the house. The plumbing 
 was repaired and renewed, the rooms re-papered, the 
 entire building painted and other necessary improve- 
 
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 < 
 
Trvent^'five Years of Fruitful Ministry^ 1 07 
 
 ments made to add to the comfort of the minister 
 and to adorn the exterior. 
 
 These things are recorded because they are an 
 indication of the prosperous condition of the church 
 during the first decade of Dr. Laird's ministry. The 
 success of his labors was beginning to be known and 
 his abiHties recognized, beyond the immediate 
 boundaries of his parish. It is not surprising, 
 therefore, that his Alma Mater, in recognition of 
 scholarly attainment and good service, honored him 
 by conferring upon him the degree of Doctor of 
 Divinity, in June, 1904. The congregation rejoiced 
 with their minister in this distinction which had thus 
 been bestowed, and they arranged a reception in 
 recognition of the event. A few months later he was 
 again honored in being elected a member of the 
 Board of Trustees of Lafayette College. The same 
 year Dr. Laird was elected a Trustee of Wilson Col- 
 lege, in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. 
 
 The year 1905 marked the Tenth Anniversary of 
 Dr. Laird's ministry. A large committee was ap- 
 pointed to make arrangements for the proper cele- 
 bration of this event. Beginning on Sabbath, May 
 4th, services were held throughout the week. The 
 anniversary sermon was preached by Dr. Laird 
 before a congregation that taxed the seating capacity 
 of the church. The afternoon services were devoted 
 to the Sabbath-school anniversary, it being the 
 ninetieth year of its existence; and the evening 
 service being arranged in recognition of the one 
 hundred and thirty-fifth anniversary of the or- 
 ganization of the church, the Rev. Richard S. 
 
108 The Presbyterian Church of Frankford 
 
 Holmes, D.D., preaching the sermon. The follow- 
 ing Tuesday evening a musical service was held, at 
 which a sacred cantata was rendered by a large 
 chorus choir, and an address delivered by the Rev. 
 Charles Wood, D.D., pastor of the Second Presby- 
 terian Church in Philadelphia. On Wednesday 
 evening reports were presented by the various or- 
 ganizations of the church reviewing the progress 
 they had made during the ten years just completed. 
 The celebration was concluded on Thursday evening 
 with a reception to Dr. Laird. Many distinguished 
 visitors were present, besides a large company of 
 friends of the church, in addition to the members of 
 the congregation. The Rev. Ethelbert D. Warfield, 
 D.D., LL.D., who was then the President of Lafay- 
 ette College, Mr. John H. Converse, then the Presi- 
 dent of the Baldwin Locomotive Works and Chair- 
 man of the General Assembly's Committee on Evan- 
 gelism, the Hon. Robert N. Willson, who at that 
 time was the senior judge of the Philadelphia courts 
 and President of the Board of Publication and 
 Sabbath-school Work, and the Rev. Alexander 
 Henry, pastor of the Hermon Presbyterian Church, 
 delivered brief addresses bearing testimony to Dr. 
 Laird's efficient service in the affairs of the church 
 at large, as well as in his own parish. It was a 
 memorable occasion. A feature of the reception was 
 the presentation of a purse to Dr. Laird by the con- 
 gregation as a token of their affection and in recog- 
 nition of this happy occasion. The suggestion was 
 made that the gift be used to provide for a summer 
 sojourn in Europe. Within a few weeks Dr. Laird 
 
Trventy-five Years of Fruitful Ministry 1 09 
 
 sailed, his vacation period being extended to enable 
 him to arrange a satisfactory itinerary. During the 
 following year Dr. Laird was elected a Director of 
 Princeton Theological Seminary. He is now the 
 first Vice-President of the Board of Directors. 
 
 In 1908 extensive repairs again were necessary, 
 the church auditorium being re-frescoed, the organ 
 re-voiced, a new carpet purchased, the pews fur- 
 nished with new cushions and storm sash erected to 
 protect the new stained-glass windows. The light- 
 ing system was changed and a new roof placed on 
 the north side of the building. About eight thousand 
 dollars were subscribed and expended before the 
 work was completed. When the improvements 
 were finished and viewed by the congregation, it 
 was declared that the auditorium was one of the 
 most beautiful in Philadelphia. We today may 
 justly be proud of the house in which we are privi- 
 leged to gather for worship. The furnishings and 
 decorations combine to create an effect of simplicity 
 and richness which are in keeping with the sacred 
 purposes to which the church is dedicated. 
 
 The exterior appearance of the church property 
 was improved at the same time by the removal of 
 the old carriage sheds, which had stood for many 
 years, but which were no longer required. The 
 lawn of the manse property being thus extended, it 
 was sodded, and poplar trees and shrubs planted. 
 
 The year 1910 marked the beginning of the En- 
 dowment Fund in the form of a resolution adopted 
 by the Board of Trustees to obtain the sum of fifty 
 thousand dollars as a permanent endowment to pro- 
 
1 1 The Presby^terian Church of Frankford 
 
 vide for the perpetual maintenance of the church in 
 its present location. It was a wise and sagacious 
 action, and one in which the entire congregation 
 concurred. Amounts have been contributed toward 
 this fund by the various societies of the church, by 
 individuals and through bequests of deceased mem- 
 bers. The full amount could readily be realized if 
 provision were made in the wills of the church mem- 
 bers for the payment of a modest amount out of 
 their estates when they shall have been called to 
 their eternal rest. Surely the house of God is 
 worthy of such an expression of our appreciation in 
 view of all that it contributes toward our spiritual 
 welfare and growth. 
 
 In consequence of a destructive wind storm which 
 passed over the northeastern section of the city on 
 the morning of February 22, 1912, the church was 
 seriously damaged. The chimney falling, crashed 
 through the roof and scattered the debris upon the 
 pews. Heavy rains damaged the walls and carpet, 
 and it became necessary to expend over five thous- 
 and dollars in repairing the damage. Voluntary sub- 
 scriptions were immediately pledged, and it is in- 
 scribed upon the church's records that never before 
 in its history had such a large amount been so 
 quickly and cheerfully contributed. It was but an 
 additional expression of the love of a devoted 
 people for the house which had been made sacred 
 as the dwelling-place of the Most High. 
 
 The resignation of Mr. Robert R. Martin, who 
 filled the position of Sexton for twenty-four years 
 with universal satisfaction, was recorded in Janu- 
 
TTventy-five Years of Fruitful Ministry 1 1 1 
 
 ary, 1913. Mr. Martin was a familiar figure about 
 the church property and performed his duties, even 
 during the years of faiHng health, with a rare de- 
 gree of faithfulness. Three additional elders, Mr. 
 Charles C. Davis, Mr. Robert L. Sheppard and Mr. 
 Thomas Spencer were ordained and installed May 
 25, 1913. 
 
 Again, in 1914, the attention of the congregation 
 was directed to the necessity of improvements in the 
 manse. Arrangements were made to begin a work 
 of alteration and renovation, which was completed 
 later in the year at an expenditure of more than 
 three thousand dollars. The interior was practically 
 rebuilt, a new heating system installed and other 
 changes made to provide all the facilities of a mod- 
 ern home, at the same time preserving the original 
 form of architecture. 
 
 The Sunday-school room was renovated during 
 the summer of 1916, the platform being enlarged, 
 the walls re-papered, a new lighting system installed 
 and new furniture purchased, at an expense of two 
 thousand dollars. Storm doors were erected and 
 minor improvements made to the property in 1918 
 at an expense of about fifteen hundred dollars. 
 
 THE WORLD WAR 
 
 During the progress of the World War from 
 August, 1914, until our country entered the conflict 
 in April, 1917, the pulpit of the Frankford Church 
 maintained a neutral attitude in conformity with the 
 request of the Federal Government, although the 
 
1 1 2 The Presh^ierlan Church of Frankford 
 
 conditions and events leading up to this gigantic 
 struggle frequently were reviewed and analyzed, and 
 lessons drawn from them as a means of strengthen- 
 ing the unity of our people and bringing them into 
 a larger appreciation of the foundation principles 
 of our American Republic. But when the United 
 States finally declared war upon the Central Powers, 
 this church took its stand in no uncertain manner in 
 the support of the government, and loyally co- 
 operated in every form of patriotic endeavor. Com- 
 mittees of women were formed to solicit subscrip- 
 tions to each of the five Liberty Loan campaigns, 
 many thousands of dollars being given by members 
 of the church. Several classes in the Sunday-school 
 purchased Liberty Bonds and donated them to the 
 Endowment Fund. A committee was appointed also 
 to secure subscriptions to the American Red Cross 
 Association, and in response to their efforts hun- 
 dreds of contributors were enrolled. Large contri- 
 butions were made to various forms of war relief 
 work in Europe and in the Near East. The utter- 
 ances of a patriotic character from the pulpit at- 
 tracted large congregations, contributing in a helpful 
 way toward encouraging the people in supporting 
 the government's attitude in prosecuting the war. 
 
 Many of the young men of the church were en- 
 listed in different forms of war service. One by one 
 they departed for the training camps and naval 
 schools. Many of them won officers' commissions. 
 A large service flag was placed in the church with a 
 large American flag, and they were kept constantly 
 in view until the boys returned. Several were 
 
Twenty-five Years of Fruitful Mmstr}f 1 1 3 
 
 wounded in action, but recovered and were able to 
 return to America with their respective divisions. 
 Of the seventy-eight who went forth from this 
 church upon this crusade in behalf of liberty and 
 justice for all mankind, in response to their Coun- 
 try's call, every one returned. Again we record the 
 kind providence of God in watching over them and 
 in bringing them back to their loved ones. In grate- 
 ful recognition of God's goodness, the congregation, 
 at the suggestion of Dr. Laird, resolved to erect a 
 tablet to be placed in the foyer of the church audi- 
 torium to perpetuate the memory of its members 
 who had gone forth prepared to make the supreme 
 sacrifice, if necessary, in defence of the principles 
 of democracy. The funds were cheerfully sub- 
 scribed and the tablet, which is one of the most 
 beautiful erected by any institution, inscribed with 
 the names of all who had participated in the war, 
 was dedicated in the Fall of 1919. Future gener- 
 ations will point with pride to this enduring mem- 
 orial to the church's heroes of the World War. 
 
 Thus we bring our story of the old church down 
 to the present year. Not less remarkable than many 
 other incidents recorded in these pages is the fact 
 that the year closing April the first, 1920, shows the 
 largest number of accessions to church membership, 
 and the largest amounts contributed by the congre- 
 gation toward church support and benevolences in 
 the entire one hundred and fifty years of its life and 
 work. Nothing could more forcefully demonstrate 
 the growing power and influence of the present 
 pastorate. 
 
1 1 4 The Presbyterian Church of Frankford 
 
 It is of interest to note, however, that the sphere 
 of Doctor Laird's usefulness reaches far beyond 
 the narrow hmits of his parish responsibilities. His 
 counsel is sought in the larger work of the Presby- 
 terian denomination to an unusual degree, and as a 
 consequence he has been honored by being elected 
 to serve on the executive boards of several educa- 
 tional institutions, such as Lafayette College (1904), 
 Wilson College (1904), Directors of Princeton 
 Theological Seminary (1906), Trustees of Lincoln 
 University (1907), Trustees of Princeton Seminary 
 (1915). In March, 1920, Dr. Laird was elected 
 President of the Board of Trustees of Wilson Col- 
 lege. Dr. Laird was a member of the College Board 
 of the Presbyterian Church from 1907 until 1917, 
 when it was merged with the Board of Education by 
 action of the General Assembly. Since 1901, Dr. 
 Laird has taken an active part in the activities of 
 the Board of Publication and Sabbath-school Work, 
 being the Chairman of its Missionary Committee, 
 besides serving helpfully on other Committees, and 
 a Trustee of the corporation. 
 
 He has been honored by his Presbytery by elec- 
 tion as a Commissioner to three General Assemblies, 
 meeting in Winona Lake, Indiana, in 1898; in Co- 
 lumbus, Ohio, in 1907; in Chicago, in 1915, and in 
 Philadelphia, in 1920, besides being frequently 
 elected to represent the Presbytery in the meetings 
 of the Synod of Pennsylvania. 
 
 In 1915 Dr. Laird was the unanimous choice of 
 the Synod for the position of Moderator, which he 
 filled with honor and distinction. It was upon this 
 
Trvent})-ftve Years of Fruitful Ministr}) 1 1 5 
 
 occasion that one of the staff correspondents of 
 " The PubHc Ledger " paid this tribute to his genius 
 and energy : 
 
 " * Busy people are the only ones who ever ac- 
 complish anything/ 
 
 " That is why the Presbyterians made Rev. Dr. 
 John B. Laird their Pennsylvania Moderator. 
 
 " Whenever two or three persons are gathered 
 together to do something worth while, Dr. Laird is 
 certain to be one of them, and very likely their 
 chairman. 
 
 " All who know the new Moderator intimately 
 realize that he will be a lorn figure in the happy 
 hereafter if there aren't at least sixteen hours of 
 hard work to be done every day. 
 
 " A newspaper account of his election says Dr. 
 Laird * has numerous friends.' Numerous is a 
 feeble word in this connection. Everybody is his 
 friend, and if you doubt me, go up into Frankford, 
 where he has been preaching for twenty years, and 
 ask anybody, from the president of the bank to the 
 boot-black on the corner." 
 
 Upon returning from a meeting of the synod 
 a complimentary dinner was arranged by the Men's 
 Society of the church, which was attended by 
 more than two hundred men of the church and 
 community. 
 
 After an elaborate banquet, Rev. R. P. D. Ben- 
 nett, pastor of the Summit (Germantown) Church, 
 and a classmate of Dr. Laird, spoke most interest- 
 ingly of Seminary experiences and of pleasant 
 journeyings abroad with Dr. Laird. Among other 
 
1 1 6 The Presbyterian Church of Frankford 
 
 things, he said : " Dr. Laird was a friend and favor- 
 ite of every member of his class in Princeton 
 Seminary. Many young men have been helped by 
 him to make the most of their lives." 
 
 Rev. Dr. Charles R. Watson, Secretary of the 
 Board of Foreign Missions of the United Presby- 
 terian Church, was the second speaker. 
 
 In introducing the third speaker, Dr. Francis L. 
 Patton, who but a short time before had retired as 
 President of Princeton Seminary, Dr. Laird said: 
 " One of the great privileges and pleasures of my 
 life is that of presenting to the people I love the 
 man who is the prince of preachers and the greatest 
 theologian in the world today." Dr. Patton was at 
 his best, and made one of his happiest addresses. 
 In closing he said : " I want to congratulate this 
 congregation upon its minister. The Church knows 
 and honors Dr. Laird throughout its length and 
 breadth. It has trusted him greatly, and placed 
 many burdens upon him. And now, he has had con- 
 ferred upon him an honor second only to that of 
 being Moderator of the General Assembly — the 
 Moderatorship of the Synod of Pennsylvania, our 
 largest Synod. I feel that my life has been greatly 
 enriched by his friendship. May God bless him 
 abundantly in the work he is now doing, and in the 
 greater work that is before him !" 
 
 Dr. Laird is a member of the Council of Re- 
 formed Churches, constituted by the General As- 
 sembly of 1907, and has taken a leading part in its 
 deliberations at the meetings held in New York, 
 
Twent^'ftve Years of Fruitful Ministry 1 1 7 
 
 New Orleans, Pittsburgh, Louisville, and Phila- 
 delphia. 
 
 The reward of work is more work, and this surely 
 has been Dr. Laird's daily portion. For in addition 
 to the responsibilities of his church work in connec- 
 tion with ecclesiastical agencies, he has been a leader 
 in community enterprises. When the Frankford 
 Hospital was confronted with the urgent necessity 
 of conducting a campaign to raise one hundred 
 thousand dollars and looked about for the man who 
 possessed the qualities of leadership that would 
 assure success, they turned to the pastor of the 
 Presbyterian Church of Frankford. He organized 
 his forces, inspired them with his own enthusiasm 
 and the goal was reached within four days, with 
 several thousand dollars additional. 
 
 When the United States entered the World War 
 and local Red Cross chapters were being organized 
 everywhere, the citizens of Frankford were among 
 the first to establish their headquarters and to begin 
 to work for the relief of the sick and wounded 
 soldiers and sailors. Again Dr. Laird was called to 
 assume the responsibilities of leadership. In the 
 great drive for funds, the citizens rallied to his call 
 without regard to race or creed. When the final 
 results were computed, it was found that Frankford 
 had far exceeded its quota, enrolling fifteen thous- 
 and members. The Frankford Chapter, of which 
 Dr. Laird was the President, was the second largest 
 Red Cross organization of the southeastern district. 
 
 But with all his popular gifts Dr. Laird has al- 
 ways placed his responsibilities as a minister of 
 
! 1 8 The Presb})terian Church of Frankford 
 
 Christ above every other consideration, and in all 
 his labors he has maintained the dignity of his 
 sacred office. In pastoral work he is prompt in re- 
 sponding to every case of need. No call for assist- 
 ance is unheeded by him, it matters not whence it 
 comes. The lowliest homes, whether connected with 
 the church or not, can always depend upon his 
 prompt and sympathetic ministrations. Wherever 
 there is illness among the congregation he is always 
 to be found, a faithful visitor, bringing cheer and 
 encouragement. He is a friend of little children, 
 and he calls them all by name. It is not strange that 
 they love him. 
 
 The many occasions when he has shared out of 
 his own possessions with those who were in need, 
 children clothed, rents paid, loans advanced, none 
 will be permitted to know. Likewise the scores of 
 times he has tenderly watched by the bedside of 
 those who were friendless and alone, ministering 
 comfort in their last hours, will never be recorded, 
 because he regards these calls as God-given oppor- 
 tunities for service in Christ's Name, and not to be 
 proclaimed from the housetops. And so it shall ever 
 be until his ministry shall have been fulfilled. 
 
 Dr. Laird is known everywhere for his adherence 
 to the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith. 
 He delivers a positive message. In his interpreta- 
 tion of Scripture truth he is true to the historic 
 position of Presbyterianism, and to the traditions 
 of the church of which he is called to be the min- 
 ister. He conforms to the standard set by the great 
 Apostle for the minister of Christ : " Preach the 
 
Tn>ertt\)-five Years of Fruitful Ministry I 1 9 
 
 Word, be instant in season and out of season ; con- 
 vince, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and 
 teaching." 
 
 The Trustees elected during the ministry of Dr. 
 Laird are Joseph C. Lukens, Dr. Horatio Pilking- 
 ton, Henry S. Battin, Robert L. Sheppard, Robert 
 Dawes, James S. McMaster, Jr., Daniel R. Green- 
 wood, James Gray, Norman S. Castor, Frederick L. 
 Degener, Jr., William Howard Holden, Dr. Em- 
 mett O'Neill, Jr. 
 
 On April 20, 1919, live additional elders were or- 
 dained and installed as follows : Daniel R. Breneiser, 
 Norman S. Castor, Wilbur G. Dunning, William B. 
 O'Hara, John M. Somerndike, Jr. 
 
 Some statistics will be of interest concerning the 
 condition of the church in the year 1920. The act- 
 ive membership now numbers 837, an increase of 
 109 per cent, during a quarter of a century; with a 
 Sabbath-school enrollment of 843. The number of 
 accessions to the church during Dr. Laird's pastor- 
 ate is 662 by profession of faith, and 470 by cer- 
 tificate from other churches. The number of 
 baptisms administered to infants is 389. 
 
 The amount contributed for church support and 
 benevolences during the year 1919-1920 is $24,- 
 000.00, which is nearly five times as large as the 
 amount recorded in the closing year of the pre- 
 ceding pastorate, indicating a congregation whose 
 ideals of stewardship have been developed to an 
 uncommon degree. The total amount expended 
 in repairing and improving the church property 
 during these twenty-five years is larger than the 
 
120 The Presbyterian Church of Frankford 
 
 total expenditures for repairs and improvements 
 (not including the new building in 1859) during 
 all the previous years of its history. We bear 
 testimony to these things not boastingly, but in 
 humble recognition of the blessing of God upon 
 the united labors of pastor and people under the 
 efficient ministry of Dr. Laird. May he be given 
 strength of body and length of days, with spiritual 
 force constantly renewed from the Source of all 
 power, to continue to lead this people into the 
 larger areas of service which are opening before 
 them! What the future has in store for us none 
 can foresee, but of this we are assured, that if we 
 go forward in faith, relying upon His unfailing 
 grace, guided by the wisdom which is from above, 
 the coming years will record still greater conquests 
 and richer blessings. 
 
 The prophet of ancient Israel set up a stone to 
 memorialize the victories which God had graciously 
 granted them, and His presence with them in their 
 struggles, with the inscription, " Hitherto hath the 
 Lord helped us." It was to stand through succeed- 
 ing generations as an enduring testimony to God's 
 care and guidance. And well may we at this mile- 
 stone in our history set down this record of the 
 wonders of God's grace and the leading of His 
 providence, not for ourselves only, but for those 
 who shall come after us in guiding the affairs of our 
 beloved church. May they never permit her sanc- 
 tity to be profaned, and may they ever hold in 
 sacred memory the saints of God who have here 
 
Twenty-five Years of Fruitful Ministr}) 1 2 1 
 
 ministered and labored so unselfishly during all the 
 passing years to the glorifying of His Name. 
 
 Glorious things of thee are spoken, 
 
 Zion, city of our God; 
 He whose word cannot be broken 
 
 Formed thee for His own abode. 
 On the Rock of Ages founded, 
 
 What can shake thy sure repose ? 
 With salvation's walls surrounded, 
 
 Thou mayst smile at all thy foes. 
 
George Castor 
 
 l.Sir)-1844 
 
 John D. Harper 
 1845-1853 
 
 John Deal 
 
 1854-1862 
 
 Rev. Thomas Murphy 
 1862-1872 
 
 Joseph L. Kinkerter 
 
 1874-1898 
 
 William Hamill 
 1872-1873 
 
 S. Rowland Caldwell 
 
 1808-1966 
 
 SUPERINTENDENTS OF THE SUNDAY-SCHOOL 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 THE SUNDAY-SCHOOL OF THE PRESBYTERIAN 
 CHURCH OF FRANKFORD 
 
 "And he took a little child and set him in the midst 
 of them." 
 
 When the Frank ford Church was organized in 
 1770 the modern Sunday-school movement had not 
 yet been introduced. The children of godly parents 
 were taught the Bible, the catechism, and the church 
 hymns at home, and the minister frequently ex- 
 amined them when making the round of pastoral 
 visits, but there was no attempt upon the part of 
 the churches to conduct schools of religion on the 
 Sabbath day, making them an integral part of the 
 church's life and work. 
 
 Robert Raikes, a printer of Gloucester, England, 
 is called the Father of the modern Sunday-school, 
 and its origin dates from the year 1780. He became 
 impressed with the ignorance of the children of the 
 working class and being a zealous churchman, he 
 was distressed as he walked through the streets of 
 the city, to see the children quarreling, swearing, 
 indulging in vicious practices, and otherwise dese- 
 crating the Lord's Day. Popular education was un- 
 known either in England or America at that time. 
 The children of the laboring class were put to work 
 in the factories at a very early age, and consequently 
 had no opportunity to learn even to read or write, 
 much less to develop an ambition for a higher edu- 
 cation. Whatever was to be done to keep them from 
 
 123 
 
124 The Presbyterian Church of Frankford 
 
 growing up in absolute illiteracy would have to be 
 done on the Sabbath. Raikes conceived the idea of 
 gathering these children together each Sabbath, em- 
 ploying four women to instruct them in reading and 
 the Anglican Church Catechism, paying them one 
 shilling a day. He then prepared and printed in his 
 own shop, a text-book called " Readinmadesy." 
 Children between the ages of six and fourteen were 
 admitted upon condition that they come with clean 
 hands and face, and hair combed. 
 
 The morning session lasted from ten until twelve 
 o'clock. At one o'clock they attended church and 
 then the Sunday-school was continued until five- 
 thirty. Boys and girls were kept separate and 
 classes were composed of five or six pupils each. 
 The movement grew rapidly and within eight years 
 250,000 pupils were enrolled. An English historian, 
 referring to the effect of the work of Raikes, writes : 
 " It was then that the moral, the philanthropic, the 
 religious ideals which have moulded English society 
 into its present shape, first broke the spiritual torpor 
 of the eighteenth century." From this the modern 
 Sunday-school has developed, spreading its in- 
 fluence over the entire world. The introduction of 
 the Sunday-school into America in definite, aggres- 
 sive form took place during the early years of the 
 nineteenth century. Here the Sunday-school from 
 the beginning was a church school, and the work of 
 Bible teaching was directed and fostered by the 
 church authorities. In this respect it was quite 
 different from the " ragged school " founded by 
 Robert Raikes. During the years that followed, 
 
Members of the first class in the Frankford 
 Presbyterian Sunday-school. 
 
 Mr, William Gibson 
 
 Teacher of the first class of boys 
 
Sunday-school of the Church of Frankford 123 
 
 each denomination formed its own general agency, 
 to care for the interests of this work, which was 
 rapidly gaining headway as a nation-wide move- 
 ment, and to publish suitable literature. 
 
 As the direct result of the success of the 
 Sunday-school movement in England, the first or- 
 ganization for the purpose of developing it in 
 America was " The First Day or Sunday-school So- 
 ciety," organized in Philadelphia in 1791. The 
 movement was given additional popularity through 
 the visit of the Rev. Robert May, a missionary of 
 the London Missionary Society, who stopped in 
 Philadelphia in 1811 on his way to India, and by 
 his public addresses awakened a widespread inter- 
 est in the establishment of Sunday-schools. 
 
 Doubtless it was largely through the new impetus 
 which had been given to the religious nurture of the 
 young through his visit, that the leaders of the 
 Frankford Church were led to consider the advisa- 
 bility of organizing a Sunday-school. In April, 
 1815, the work was begun with seven little girls and 
 two teachers. As might be expected, Mr. George 
 Castor, who seemed to be the leader in every for- 
 ward step which the church undertook throughout 
 his long and useful life, was the man who assumed 
 the responsibility for promoting this new project. 
 
 It is a quaint picture that is presented to us, of 
 this little company gathered about the huge stove in 
 the church auditorium, dressed in the strange cos- 
 tumes belonging to that period, and seated on the 
 rude backless benches. Mrs. Martha Dungan, a 
 
126 The Presbyterian Church of Frankford 
 
 godly woman and a teacher in a private school, was 
 the first teacher, and associated with her was Mrs. 
 Hannah Neff Patterson, a granddaughter of Ru- 
 dolph Neff. We are able to find the names of only 
 four of the seven original members of the school. 
 They were Mrs. Mary Wakeling, Mrs. Mary Strat- 
 ton. Miss Martha Harper and Miss Sarah Neff. 
 
 It appears that there was considerable opposition 
 to the school at first because it was free. The par- 
 ents protested that they were able to pay for their 
 children's schooling. From this it is quite evident 
 that the church at large had not yet come to an un- 
 derstanding of the underlying principle of the 
 Sunday-school, namely, that the church is respon- 
 sible for the religious instruction and training of its 
 children ; nor did they appreciate the importance of 
 the child in the church's life and work, as does the 
 church of the twentieth century. 
 
 Three years after the opening of the school, a 
 class of boys was formed, followed by others within 
 a short time. The first teachers of the boys' classes 
 were Mr. William Gibson, Mr. William Nassau and 
 Mr. John Deal. Such was the humble beginning of 
 a work which has been continued through the suc- 
 ceeding one hundred and five years without a break. 
 There are few Sunday-schools in America whose 
 organization antedates that of the Sunday-school of 
 this old church. 
 
 A few years afterward the school began to hold 
 its sessions in the choir gallery in the rear of the 
 church auditorium. Mr. George Castor continued 
 as Superintendent until he died, in 1844, a period of 
 

 
 This Cettiltes 
 
 -^ 
 
 
 1: : ^^/ '///!'u^,r...,,. 
 
 t"^^) 
 
 3 
 
 /y 
 
 !^,V - '.4^'' '■'>\- 
 
 
 
 Certificate of membership issued to Sabbath-school pupils more than half 
 a centuryago. This certificate is the property of Mrs. Elwood Yerkes, 
 (nee Guckes) who has been a member of the Sunday-school for sixty- 
 six years. 
 
Sunday-school of the Church of Frankford 127 
 
 twenty-nine years. None of his successors in that 
 office was privileged to serve the church in this ca- 
 pacity for so long a time. His immediate successor 
 was Mr. John D. Harper, who assumed the duties 
 of Superintendent upon the death of Mr. Castor, 
 during the pastorate of Dr. Howard. 
 
 No records of the Sunday-school have been pre- 
 served prior to 1870. We are obliged, therefore, to 
 depend upon the descriptions of the school given by 
 those who were in close contact with its work dur- 
 ing the years preceding the date of the earliest re- 
 corded events. In his address at the Centennial 
 Celebration in 1870, Dr. Howard stated that when 
 he began his ministry in Frankford, the member- 
 ship of the Sunday-school did not exceed thirty-five, 
 with five or six teachers. He continued, " Early and 
 special attention was given to the children of the 
 congregation. Every appliance we could command 
 to increase the numbers in the Sabbath-school and 
 to increase its efficiency was brought into requisi- 
 tion. Among others a magic-lantern was procured, 
 and as often as possible exhibitions and lectures on 
 Scripture subjects were given, not only to the schol- 
 ars of our own school, but also to the children of 
 the town. On these occasions the little church was 
 thronged not only with children, but also with men 
 and women, who seemed to take just as much pleas- 
 ure in looking at the gay pictures and listening to 
 the simple lectures as the juveniles themselves. 
 When the speaker came among this people there was 
 a faithful and persistent, though very small, band of 
 Sabbath-school teachers, to whose ranks, from time 
 
T28 The Presbyterian Church of Frankford 
 
 to time, as scholars increased, others were added, 
 until they became a little host. Our quarters in the 
 gallery were presently found to be too confined for 
 us, and we were obliged to betake ourselves to the 
 body of the church; and in process of time the little 
 sanctuary was well-nigh filled with scholars, teach- 
 ers and school officers. In eleven years we had 
 grown certainly from less than fifty teachers and 
 scholars to over three hundred. 
 
 " One of the most pleasing facts in this connection 
 is that quite a number from the school were brought 
 into the church. For a long time we were ac- 
 customed to have a little prayer-meeting immedi- 
 ately after the exercises of the school were over. 
 These were among the most precious meetings the 
 speaker ever attended, and he believes the simple 
 services conducted on these occasions were more 
 successful in gathering souls into the fold of Christ 
 than any other service he performed. The Sabbath- 
 school was emphatically the nursery of the Frank- 
 ford Church.'* 
 
 Mr. Harper was succeeded by Mr. John Deal in 
 1854, who filled the office of Superintendent until 
 1862 with great efficiency. Upon his retirement it 
 was found difficult to secure anyone to take up the 
 work and the responsibility fell upon the shoulders 
 of Dr. Murphy, who yielded to the entreaties of the 
 teachers of the Sunday-school to become their leader 
 in this important department of the church. The 
 school grew and developed during his administra- 
 tion, but with the close of the year 1872, Dr. Murphy 
 indicated his desire to be relieved of this responsi- 
 
Sunday-school of the Church of Frankford 1 29 
 
 bility, and at the election of officers in January, 1873, 
 Mr. William Hamill was elected to take his place. 
 He served for one year only, and was succeeded in 
 1874 by Mr. Joseph L. Kinkerter, who had been Mr. 
 Hamill's assistant, besides having served as the Li- 
 brarian of the Sunday-school for a number of years, 
 and who had become increasingly interested in its 
 work. 
 
 The list of officers of the Sunday-school as it 
 appears in the earliest records is interesting because 
 it indicates the organization of that period : 
 
 President of the Teacher's Association, Mr. 
 Joseph Ball. 
 
 Secretary, Mr. J. M. Somerndike, Sr. 
 
 Treasurer, Miss Mary Gibson. 
 
 Superintendent, Mr. William Hamill. 
 
 Assistant Superintendent, Mr. Joseph L. Kin- 
 kerter. 
 
 Female Superintendent, Mrs. A. H. Foster. 
 
 Assistant Female Superintendent, Miss Cath- 
 erine Emery. 
 
 Librarian, Mr. David Thomas. 
 
 Clerk, Miss Lizzie Murdock. 
 
 Doorkeeper, Mr. Gransback. 
 
 It is worthy of note that, even at this period, 
 comparatively recent, at least to many of the older 
 members of the church, Sunday-schools were con- 
 ducted in a very primitive fashion when compared 
 with the graded well-equipped Sunday-school of the 
 present. There were no denominational lesson 
 periodicals published. The subject of the arrange- 
 
1 30 The Presb\)tenan Church of Frankford 
 
 ment of a uniform lesson system for the Sunday- 
 schools of all denominations was then being widely 
 discussed, but nothing definite was accomplished in 
 this direction until a few years later. 
 
 It was the custom of the Frankford Sunday- 
 school of that day to appoint a Committee each year 
 to prepare a course of lessons for the ensuing year 
 and weekly meetings of the teachers were held to 
 discuss the lesson assigned for the following Lord's 
 Day, under the leadership of the minister. The 
 records of the school indicate a serious discussion 
 concerning this matter in 1872. During the previous 
 year the first attempt had been made upon the part 
 of the Presbyterian denomination to publish a lesson 
 course for its Sunday-schools. This was under- 
 taken by the Rev. Henry C. McCook, D.D., who 
 prepared an outline covering a cycle of eight years. 
 Four series were issued, each covering a period of 
 six months, and they were called " The Westminster 
 Sabbath-school Lessons." 
 
 The knowledge of this course probably accounted 
 for the reluctance of the committee appointed in 
 1872 to formulate a different set of lessons for the 
 Frankford Sunday-school. The discussion resulted 
 in the adoption of the course prepared by Dr. Henry 
 C. McCook, and published by the Board of Publi- 
 cation. In 1875 the publication of " The West- 
 minster Question Book " was begun. The first 
 Sunday-school Quarterly appeared in 1880, and was 
 adopted immediately by the Frankford Sunday- 
 school. 
 
 Under the wise administration of Mr. Kinkerter 
 
Sunday-school of the Church of Frankford 1 3 1 
 
 the work of the Sunday-school was carried forward 
 in a manner that brought to his support the leading 
 men and women of the church. His plans were con- 
 structive and practicable. He was a leader who was 
 equipped mentally and spiritually for the task. A 
 man of quiet, unassuming disposition, yet firm and 
 positive in his convictions, Mr. Kinkerter brought 
 the school steadily up to a high standard of excel- 
 lence. Special attention was given to the library, 
 which contained several hundred volumes, and 
 which was an important part of the school's work, 
 for no public libraries were available at that time. 
 It was Mr. Kinkerter who introduced the plan of 
 holding a Christmas entertainment, the first being 
 held in December, 1875. He also originated the 
 idea of giving the school a summer excursion. The 
 plan of awarding books for bringing in new pupils 
 into the school was put into operation for the first 
 time by Mr. Kinkerter in 1876. He kept in close 
 touch with the wider development of the Sunday- 
 school movement and was always on the alert for 
 new ideas and methods that would contribute 
 toward the upbuilding of the school in efficiency 
 and equipment. 
 
 During his administration Sunday-school Insti- 
 tutes were held in the church for the training of 
 the workers, a normal class was introduced for the 
 preparation of teachers, and an Intermediate De- 
 partment was organized, of which Mr. J. M. Som- 
 erndike, Sr., was the first Superintendent. Mr. 
 Kinkerter led the school in participating in every 
 good work, not only in connection with the church, 
 
1 32 The Presbyterian Church of Frankford 
 
 but in missionary and other enterprises. Mission- 
 ary offerings were largely increased, and substantial 
 sums were raised for other good causes, such as the 
 Presbyterian Orphanage, the Bible Society, the 
 erection of the Witherspoon Monument in Fair- 
 mount Park, besides assisting the Sunday-schools 
 of the weaker neighboring churches in Tacony and 
 Wissinoming. 
 
 The spiritual life of the school was maintained at 
 a high standard. Every Sabbath, at the close of the 
 Sunday-school session, a prayer meeting was held, 
 which was always well attended by the officers and 
 teachers, as well as the older pupils. Hundreds 
 were brought into church fellowship during the 
 years of his superintendency, largely as the result 
 of his own godly example, and the evangelistic 
 emphasis which he persistently advocated. 
 
 The Primary Department, or " Infant Depart- 
 ment," as it was called for many years, was pre- 
 sided over by Mrs. Stratton until January, 1882, 
 when Miss Mary R. Murphy assumed the task, as- 
 sisted by Miss Maggie Foster. Miss Murphy was 
 adapted to this work both by training and tempera- 
 ment. Many of the adult members of the church 
 today can look back across the years when they sat 
 on the little red benches, arranged in tiers, the boys 
 on one side and the girls on the other, while Miss 
 Murphy taught them to sing the simple little chil- 
 dren's hymns, and taught the lesson of the day in 
 her inimitable way. All the children loved her. In 
 those days children remained in " the infant room " 
 until they were considered " big enough " to go into 
 
Facsimile of the pin given to 
 the members of the Sundav- 
 school at the One Hundredth 
 Anniversary in 1915. 
 
 Robert Dawes 
 
 Superintendent 1907-1916 
 
 Henry S. Borneman 
 
 Superintendent 1917-1920 
 
 J. M. SOMERNDIKE 
 
 Superintendent 1910-1917 
 Re-elected 1920 
 
 John W. Liberton 
 
 President of the Sunday School 
 
 Teachers' Association 
 
 since 1900 
 
Sunda\)-school of the Church of Frankford 1 33 
 
 the main school, usually at the age of nine, ten, or 
 even twelve years of age, so it can readily be un- 
 derstood that the task of conducting this depart- 
 ment was not an easy one. At times it became 
 necessary to enforce discipline in no uncertain way, 
 and not infrequently the best reason that could be 
 given for the transfer of a boy to the main school 
 was that he was uncontrollable and a source of dis- 
 turbance in the infant department. But all who had 
 the privilege of passing through this department, 
 coming under Miss Murphy's influence, will think 
 of those years with tender memories of her sympa- 
 thetic and happy disposition. She had the rare 
 faculty of being able to enter into the spirit of child 
 life, and so she won their confidence and love. 
 
 In 1887 the Sunday-school rooms were renovated 
 and refurnished. The old settees, which had seen 
 years of service, having replaced the old benches 
 many years before, were sold and chairs were pur- 
 chased for the pupils, with arm chairs for the teach- 
 ers. The floors were covered with new matting and 
 small chairs were purchased for the children in the 
 Primary Department. Additional alterations were 
 made in 1890, the old sash partitions being removed 
 and replaced by large doors, the library being moved 
 to the rear of the platform. The old frosted glass 
 windows were replaced by new ground glass panes, 
 which remain until this day. The money for the 
 windows was raised by the " Coral Workers," a 
 children's mission band un<ier the leadership of Mrs. 
 J. M. Somerndike, Sr. The cost of these alterations 
 was about one thousand dollars. 
 
1 34 The Presbyterian Church of Frankford 
 
 With the coming of the new pastor, Mr. Laird, in 
 1895, the Sunday-school, with every other depart- 
 ment of the church's work, was revived and 
 strengthened. Mr. Laird reaHzed the value of the 
 Sunday-school to the church, and immediately 
 entered into its work as the teacher of a large class 
 of young men. He developed plans for building up 
 the school in membership, and brought its work into 
 harmony with the more modern methods. 
 
 Early in 1898, after a long and serious illness, Mr. 
 Kinkerter asked to be relieved of the duties of Su- 
 perintendent. An appropriate minute was adopted 
 at the meeting of the Sunday-school Association 
 when Mr. Kinkerter's resignation was reluctantly 
 accepted. Mr. S. Rowland Caldwell, who had been 
 elected as Assistant Superintendent in 1888, and 
 who later became the Superintendent of the Inter- 
 mediate Department upon the death of Mr. Somern- 
 dike, was elected to the position made vacant Dy Mr. 
 Kinkerter's resignation. Mr. Caldwell entered upon 
 his duties with enthusiasm, and with the loyal sup- 
 port of the entire school. A man of attractive per- 
 sonality, and with an intimate knowledge of all 
 branches of Sunday-school work, he was well quali- 
 fied for the task. There was a revival of interest in 
 the work of the school, and all departments felt the 
 impulse of his aggressive spirit. 
 
 Toward the close of the year 1898 the Sunday- 
 school, as well as the entire church, experienced a 
 deep sense of loss when Mr. Kinkerter was called 
 to his eternal reward. Memorial services were held 
 in the Sunday-school on January 8, 1899, and ap- 
 
Sunda})-school of the Church of Frankford 1 35 
 
 propriate resolutions were adopted. A movement 
 was immediately begun to raise a fund in the 
 Sunday-school for the erection of a memorial win- 
 dow in the church in recognition of his work. 
 Liberal contributions were made, more than six 
 hundred dollars being collected, and the window 
 was dedicated a few months later. It is the largest 
 window in the church, facing on Frankf ord Avenue, 
 the design being illustrative of the parable of the 
 Good Shepherd. 
 
 At the beginning of the year 1903 plans were 
 made for the reorganization and grading of the 
 Sunday-school. A special meeting of the Teachers' 
 Association was held for a conference with Mr. 
 Israel P. Black, for many years a national leader in 
 Sunday-school work. As the result of this confer- 
 ence the present system of graded organization and 
 instruction was adopted. The Intermediate Depart- 
 ment was abolished and a Junior Department estab- 
 lished, of which Miss Edith Borie was elected Su- 
 perintendent. She was succeeded in 1917 by Mr. L. 
 Cheston Starkey, the present Superintendent. A 
 Beginners Department was organized with Miss Ray 
 Sullivan as Superintendent. She was succeeded by 
 Mrs. William A. Wilgus, who is still serving effi- 
 ciently in that position. The Primary Department 
 was continued under the leadership of Miss Jean 
 Barr. She was succeeded by Mrs. David M. Lovett 
 in 1907. The plan of annual promotions was 
 adopted ; supplemental lessons were introduced, new 
 records opened, and the whole work of the school 
 
1 36 The Presbyterian Church of Frankford 
 
 brought to a standard in conformity with the latest 
 improved methods. 
 
 In December, 1906, the removal of Mr. Caldwell's 
 residence from Frankford made it necessary for him 
 to resign from the position of Superintendent. The 
 news of his retirement was received with universal 
 regret. Through his efforts the school was in a 
 prosperous condition, with a full corps of loyal and 
 efficient workers. At the beginning of the following 
 year (1907) Mr. Robert Dawes was elected to suc- 
 ceed Mr. Caldwell. During his administration, 
 covering a period of nine years, the school continued 
 to grow and develop in all of its activities. The 
 attendance was increased, a high spiritual tone was 
 maintained, and there were numerous accessions to 
 the church from the ranks of the Sunday-school 
 membership. The school owes much to the faithful 
 services of Mr. Dawes for the way in which he 
 consolidated and stabilized the work of the entire 
 organization. 
 
 On May 2, 1915, the Sunday-school celebrated its 
 One Hundredth Anniversary. Special exercises 
 were held on the Sabbath with a social meeting on 
 the following Wednesday, at which a pageant was 
 given portraying the different periods of the school's 
 history. Large congregations gathered for these 
 services. Souvenir programs were prepared and 
 each pupil was presented with a pin stamped with a 
 reproduction of the original church edifice. 
 
 After nine years of efficient service Mr. Dawes 
 retired, and was succeeded by Mr. J. M. Somern- 
 dike, Jr., who held the position for one year, and 
 
Sunday-school of the Church of Frankford 1 37 
 
 was followed by Mr. Henry S. Borneman, who 
 served efficiently until the close of the year 1919, 
 when Mr. Somerndike was re-elected to the position. 
 
 The history of the Sunday-school would be incom- 
 plete without a reference to the long and faithful 
 service of Mr. John W. Liberton, as Secretary for 
 the Beginners, Primary and Junior Departments, 
 and as President of the Teachers' Association. The 
 interests of the Sunday-school have always claimed 
 a large share of his thought and effort, and his wise 
 planning and thoroughness in detail have contributed 
 much toward keeping the work of the school in a 
 flourishing condition through all the changes in the 
 official staff. 
 
 The Sunday-school has been blessed also in the 
 leaders of its music. For many years Mr. Yonker, 
 while chorister of the church, performed the duties 
 of musical director in the Sunday-school, with un- 
 selfish devotion. He was succeeded by Dr. George 
 Hale, and later by Mr. David M. Lovett, whose con- 
 nection with the Sunday-school music dates from 
 January, 1890, when he was elected organist of the 
 school. Mr. Lovett has served also for nearly thirty 
 years as secretary of the Teachers' Association. 
 
 Tribute should be paid also to the faithful work 
 of the teachers of the Sunday-school, upon whom in 
 the last analysis, must always rest the responsibility 
 for the success or failure of the work. The school 
 has been richly blessed in the efficiency of its teach- 
 ing force. Through all the years, thousands have 
 been brought into a knowledge of the Word, and a 
 great multitude gathered into Christ's Kingdom 
 
1 38 The Presb})ierian Church of Frankford 
 
 through their labors. While space does not permit 
 the naming of all, special mention should be made 
 of Miss Mary Gibson, who taught for sixty years. 
 Miss Margaret Murdock, whose service extended 
 over a similar period, Miss Sarah Irwin, Miss 
 Sarah Gaskill, Mrs. J. L. Kinkerter, Mrs. George 
 Lewis, Miss Foulds, Miss Sarah McMenamin, the 
 Misses Gill, the Misses Dawes, Miss Lewis, Mrs. 
 Anna Fries, Doctor George Hale, and others. 
 
 As this record of one hundred and five years of 
 Sunday-school effort is scanned, it may truthfully 
 be said that much of the growth and success of the 
 church has been due to the emphasis which it has 
 given to the training of her children and youth. It 
 is equally true that the churches which have ne- 
 glected the teaching function have withered and 
 died. 
 
 The present membership of the Sunday-school by 
 departments is as follows : 
 
 Officers and Teachers 48 
 
 Beginners Department 84 
 
 Primary Department 86 
 
 Junior Department 77 
 
 Senior Department 386 
 
 Home Department 90 
 
 Home Department Visitors 9 
 
 Cradle Roll 63 
 
 Total 843 
 
The Societies 1 39 
 
 THE LADIES' AID SOCIETY 
 
 Unfortunately no records have been kept con- 
 cerning the work of this splendid society. For its 
 history we are dependent upon the information 
 which we have been able to gather here and there 
 among the members. Its organization dates back to 
 the time of the Civil War, the original purpose of 
 its existence being to prepare lint and bandages for 
 the wounded soldiers, besides comforts for the sick. 
 The first president was Mrs. Mary Stratton. Other 
 presidents have been Mrs. Joseph Ball, the mother 
 of Joseph Ball, Esq., Mrs. William B. Dixon and 
 Mrs. Joseph L. Kinkerter, who occupies that office 
 at the present time. 
 
 They have never failed to respvond to calls for aid 
 both in Frankford and elsewhere. Money and 
 clothing were sent to the sufferers in the great 
 Chicago fire of 1871, and to the survivors of the 
 Johnstown flood in 1889. Besides these gifts they 
 have made frequent donations of substantial 
 amounts to the treasury of the church for repairs 
 and improvements. 
 
 For many years it has been their custom to pre- 
 pare a box of clothing as a Christmas gift to a mis- 
 sionary. Many needy families of struggling min- 
 isters on the mission field have thus been gladdened 
 and made comfortable. Each year a large number 
 of garments are made for the Presbyterian Hospital 
 and the Frankford Hospital. For many years all 
 the sewing was laboriously done by hand, but the 
 comparatively recent introduction of sewing ma- 
 
1 40 The Presbyterian Church of Frankford 
 
 chines operated by electric motors has enabled the 
 Society materially to increase its output. 
 
 THE WOMAN'S MISSIONARY SOCIETY 
 
 This Society represents the consolidation of two 
 missionary organizations which had their beginnings 
 many years ago. In December, 1877, a meeting was 
 held in the church for the purpose of forming an 
 Auxiliary of the Woman's Foreign Missionary So- 
 ciety of the Presbytery of Philadelphia North. 
 Thirty-eight persons subscribed their names as mem- 
 bers of the new society, which was known as the 
 Woman's Foreign Missionary Society of the Pres- 
 byterian Church of Frankford. Mrs. Thomas 
 Murphy was the first President. Committees were 
 appointed to canvass the congregation for members, 
 and solicit subscriptions for the foreign missionary 
 magazines. 
 
 In the first year of its existence the Society con- 
 tributed $41 toward work in the foreign field. 
 
 The first efforts of the Society were directed 
 toward aiding in the support of Mrs. Fitch in China, 
 and Miss Elizabeth Milliken in Japan. After seven 
 years of faithful service, Mrs, Murphy resigned the 
 Presidency in 1884, in favor of Mrs. Mary Stratton, 
 who, in 1885, was succeeded by Mrs. Anna Fries. 
 In 1887 Mrs. Jacob Wagner became President of the 
 Society, and held the position until 1894, when Mrs. 
 George S. Webster was elected to that office. 
 
 In this record of earnest work for foreign mis- 
 sions, special mention must be made of Mrs. James 
 Anderson, who gave faithful service for twenty-five 
 
The Societies 1 4 1 
 
 years as Secretary, and Mrs. Joseph McConnell for 
 a longer period as Treasurer of the Society. 
 
 In 1883 the Home Missionary Society of the 
 Presbyterian Church of Frankford was organized, 
 through the earnest efforts of Mrs. George Hale, 
 Sr., who remained its President through a number 
 of years. Mrs. Hale was followed in office by Mrs. 
 George Lewis. Upon her resignation Mrs. Russell 
 Thomas was made President of the Society, and 
 later Mrs. Richard C. Allen was elected. 
 
 In 1913, as the work in both the foreign and home 
 fields had increased, and it was felt that more effect- 
 ive results could be obtained by uniting their forces, 
 the two Societies were consolidated as the Woman's 
 Missionary Society of the Presbyterian Church of 
 Frankford, with Mrs. Richard C. Allen President. 
 
 THE YOUNG WOMEN'S MISSIONARY SOCIETY 
 
 This Society was organized in April, 1881, by a 
 company of young women of the church under the 
 leadership of Miss Mary R. Murphy. Her mission- 
 ary interest had been aroused through a visit of two 
 of the officers of the Woman's Foreign Missionary 
 Society in Philadelphia. At their suggestion Miss 
 Murphy undertook the work of forming this or- 
 ganization for the study of missions and the en- 
 largement of missionary support. The Society 
 adopted as its motto, " Overcome evil with good," 
 and under the stimulus of this exhortation it has 
 accomplished a remarkable work for missions, and 
 for the church. Miss Murphy was the first Presi- 
 dent, continuing in that office, with the exception of 
 
1 42 The Presb})terian Church of Frankford 
 
 two or three years, until 1895. Mention should be 
 made also concerning the efficient service of Miss 
 Edith W. Borie, who was President for nine years, 
 and of others, including Mrs. David M. Lovett. 
 
 In 1888 the Society began the publication of a 
 monthly paper, " The Church Herald," which ap- 
 peared regularly for a number of years. 
 
 Besides imparting missionary information and 
 contributing substantial sums toward the work of 
 the mission boards, this Society has engaged in other 
 forms of helpful service. For many years its mem- 
 bers assumed the responsibility of clothing a girl in 
 the Presbyterian Orphanage. They originated the 
 custom of placing flowers on the pulpit at the Sab- 
 bath services. They have co-operated by generous 
 contributions in every improvement to the church 
 property, besides responding to every call for 
 workers. 
 
 The present membership of this Society is nearly 
 two hundred. Its contributions to missionary causes 
 average about $450 annually. Its President is Miss 
 Mabel Corson. 
 
 THE WESTMINSTER GUILD AND THE JUNIOR 
 MISSION BAND 
 
 Two other missionary organizations are the direct 
 outgrowth of this Society's efforts, the Westminster 
 Guild for older girls, and the Junior Mission Band 
 for the children. The work of these two organiza- 
 tions is fostered and encouraged by the parent So- 
 ciety. The President of the Westminster Guild is 
 Miss Isabel M. Somerndike. The Junior Mission 
 
The Societies 1 43 
 
 Band is under the leadership of Mrs. WilHam A. 
 Wilgus. 
 
 THE MEN'S SOCIETY 
 
 In 1902 the Men's Society was organized for the 
 purpose of uniting the men of the church for the 
 promotion of the church's work and influence and 
 to develop the social spirit among them. This So- 
 ciety for many years assumed the financial responsi- 
 bility for the publication of the weekly church bul- 
 letin, and provided ushers for the church services, 
 besides assisting in many other ways. Large sums 
 have been contributed by this Society toward the 
 various improvements and repairs, besides making a 
 contribution of $1,000 toward the endowment fund 
 of Lafayette College. 
 
 The social welfare of the men of the church has 
 been effectively promoted through an annual ban- 
 quet held during the month of November, which is 
 largely attended ; and through occasional entertain- 
 ments, besides other public meetings addressed by 
 noted lecturers and leaders in civic affairs. Mr. L. 
 Cheston Starkey was elected President of the Men's 
 Society to serve during the year 1919-1920. 
 
 THE USHERS' ASSOCIATION 
 
 Under the auspices of the Men's Society an Ush- 
 ers' Association was organized in 1916. The object 
 of this organization is to provide ushers for the 
 evening services of the church and for special meet- 
 ings in the church auditorium. Its members include 
 
1 44 The Presbyterian Church of Frankford 
 
 the younger men of the church and Sabbath-school, 
 all of whom manifest a deep interest in the work 
 assigned to them. Frequent social meetings are held 
 with occasional debates and literary evenings. Mr. 
 James M. Gray, Jr., is the President of this 
 Association. 
 
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