CHURCH RECORDS OF ONTARIO

WAYNE COUNTY, NEW YORK

ONTARIO - 1877

by Mrs. Bessie Tuttle

First Wesleyan Methodist Church of Ontario

The first Wesleyan Methodist Church of Ontario was instituted in March, 1857, by Rev. George Pegler, with twenty four members, viz: -

The first trustees were John Clark, O.B. Turner and Seth Eaton. The Class-leader was William Pye.

The early meetings were held in the brick school house, at Ontario Village. The present church building was erected in 1865. Its location is on the Ridge Road at the Village. It is wooden in material, and in size 35 feet by 47 feet. It was dedicated by Rev. Adam Crooke on May 15, 1869. There is a parsonage connected with it and the value of the property is Six Thousand ($6,000) Dollars.

The pastors to the present (1877) have been Rev. George Pegler, Rev. Sibley, Rev. I.I. Payne, Rev. A.W. Staples, Rev. S. Salisbury, Rev. G.L. Payne, Rev. G.H. Hardy and Rev. R.W. Pagham.

The membership is sixty-nine (69). The first Superintendent of the Sunday School which was formed in 1857 was John Cooper. The school then numbered twenty-five scholars. Richard Brittan is the present superintendent (1877) and there are eighty (80) pupils. The school has the advantage of a library of three hundred volumes.

First Methodist Episcopal Church of Ontario

The First Methodist Episcopal Church of Ontario was organized as early as 1812, in the house of Zebedee Hodges where the meetings were held for some time.

Israel and Hannah Sabins, Charles and Amy Sabins and Alice Hodges were of the early members. The first church building was completed in 1836. It was of stone, 36 by 46 feet and stood 2 1/2 miles north of the Center. It was demolished in 1865 and in its place was built that present fine brick structure which was dedicated in August, 1867, by Rev. I.B. Ives of Auburn. The cornerstone had been laid in 1866 by I.H. Kellogg. The value of the church property is Eight Thousand Dollars.

The pastors on this charge were the same as in Walworth on the old Methodist circuit, until May, 1872 when this became a separate church and Elder Chandler became pastor. His successors have been William Post, John Irons and O.N. Roberts, the present (1877) pastor.

The membership is fifty-six (56).

Presbyterian Church of Ontario

The Presbyterian Church was formed in 1832 by Rev. Bliss, with seven members, namely: -

Deacon Sutphin and wife
Mr. Curtis and wife
Mr. Mack and wife, and
Mr. Decker

The first meetings of this Society were held in a brick school-house at Ontario Village. Its first and only officer was Deacon Sutphin. Their first and present house of worship was completed in 1842 and dedicated the same year. It is of stone and stands at Ontario Center. The pastors in order were:-

Elders Bliss, Merritt, Judson, Eddy, Burbank, Manly, Holcomb, Young, Bosworth, Dada

that last the present (1877) elder.

There is a membership of seventy-nine. The Sunday School was established soon after the society. Its average attendance is one hundred. The Superintendent is J.C. Houck.

Ontario Baptist Church

The Ontario Baptist Church was formed on July 3, 1817. The deacons chosen were Abraham Foster and Jonathan Chandler. George B. Davis was employed as pastor on the same day. The meeting-house was built in 1834 and repaired in 1849. It is situated at Ontario Center. Church property is valued at Two Thousand Dollars. Mr. Davis was succeeded in 1821 by James Davis, who was not ordained untnil 1826. He was followed in 1834 by Elder Kinney. In 1835 James Going remained a year, when Mr. Draper was called to the pastorate and served from 1853 to 1855. William Corbin was settled as pastor and remained from 1855 to 1859. Orin Munger, two years, then Rev's Gregory, Benjamin Warren, Eastman, Perkins,J.S. Everingham, Ira Bennett, D.R. Smith and Mr. Baker the last pastor (1877). The membership is sixty-six. The Sunday School has an attendance of fifty and George Brown is Superintendent.

Ontario Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church was organized August, 1869.

Ontario Advent Christian Church

The Advent Christian Church was organized August, 1874.

Also included with the church sketches was a half page of miscellaneous items.

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS FROM LOCAL HISTORY

The first birth in Ontario was Melissa Hopkins, daughter of Freeman Hopkins on May 7, 1806.

The first death in Ontario was that of Harriet Kilburn in the year 1811.

WILLIAMSON

PULTNEYVILLE

The first male birth - Captain Throop Nov 19 1807
The first female birth - Julia Throoop -- -- 1809
The first deaths - two children of Samuel Throop: H.N. a boy of three years and Julia a child but a year old, drowned.
The first burials (1808) on the Martin farm: William Cornwall, Robert Armstrong and Mrs. J.W. Hallett.

WILLIAMSON'S CORNERS

The first burial (1809) Mrs. Seeley. Second, child of William Rogers.

Sentence at the end of the three pages above - "The foregoing sketches were copied by Mrs. Bessie Tuttle of Sodus, New York." The sketches were written in 1877 but from that statement we can't tell if Mrs. Tuttle herself wrote them in 1877, or if Mrs. Tuttle was one of the D.A.R. members in 1934, copying material from an 1877 source. It may be a copy made from Professor W.H. Macintosh's 1877 History of Wayne County, New York. We'd like to be able to attribute these passages to a proper source.

The above sketches and miscellaneous historical notes were found in Vol. 67, Miscellaneous Collected Records of the D.A.R., 1934, pages 204-206. A copy of the original typescript is available to view in the genealogy room at the New York City Public Library. For information about persons listed please contact the Office of the County Historian.

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