Chapter VII: Part II: C. C. Hine and His Times (2)

Application was duly made to Presbytery, and a committee of
Ministers and Elders was appointed to visit Woodside and organize a
Church, which duty they performed on the evening of Monday, Sept.
23d. Seventeen members united at that time, seven others have
signified their intention of doing so, and it is thought the number
will soon be increased to thirty.

An eligible lot of nearly a half acre has been secured, and
subscriptions, sufficient to pay for it, made by the residents. An
appeal is now made to the Newark Churches for means with which to
build a Chapel. $4,000 or $5,000 will be needed.

The rapid growth and flattering prospects of Woodside are well known
in this community, and the importance of FIRST occupying this
promising field can hardly be over estimated. Generous encouragement
promptly extended will, under God’s blessing, result in the speedy
up-building of a much needed place of worship.

THE FIRST CHURCH OF WOODSIDE.

The following “Annals of the First Presbyterian Church of Woodside” are copied from memoranda in Mr. Hine’s handwriting:—

“Woodside, Essex County, N. J.

“June, 1867.

“The first Public Worship held in Woodside was at 8 o’clock on the Evening of Sunday, June 9, 1867, in the house of Mr. C. C. Hine on Belleville avenue.

“Rev. Wm. C. Scofield of the Central Presbyterian Church, Newark, preached a stirring discourse from the text, ‘What think ye of Christ?’

“After the sermon it was announced that a Sunday school would be organized in the same place at 2-1/2 o’clock p. m. on the following Sabbath; and on a vote to establish and maintain a Social prayer meeting twenty hands were raised pledging attendance.

“At this date the village of Woodside is a mere suburban settlement, containing some forty houses that have all been built within the past sixteen months (this, of course, refers to the Washington avenue neighborhood). The want of Church privileges has been deeply felt, and this movement is designed to supply that want, draw the people of Christ together and build up a Church wherein and whereby He may be honored and souls saved.

“Saturday, June 8th, was a rainy day. The storm continued furious over night and until after midday Sunday. At sunset it was fair. Notice had been inserted in the Newark evening paper, and on Sunday afternoon forty-one houses were visited (by Mr. Hine himself) and personal invitation extended. About one hundred people assembled and the accommodations were crowded to their utmost capacity.

“Wednesday Evening, June 12, 1867.

“Twenty-five persons attended the first prayer meeting to-night. Messrs. Hine, Teal, Bennett and Pettit prayed—in the order written, and with singing and remarks and reading a part of Luke 12th the hour was profitably spent.”

MR. HINE’S HOUSE THE FIRST CHURCH BUILDING.

The parlor of Mr. Hine’s house was left unfurnished; it was a room 15x25 feet and the arrangement was such that the hall and the “library” across the hall could be used as an overflow. He purchased benches for the main room and placed a speaker’s table at the front end of the room, so that it commanded the hall and beyond, as well as the parlor. A bell so heavy that it shook the entire house, when in use, was hung in the tower, and his eldest, who, though young, was a husky lad, recalls with many a smile how he used to shift those long, heavy benches to meet the varying requirements of the day, displaying a species of muscular Christianity at this time which greatly pleased his sire, and how he would sit on the tower stairs and study his Sunday school lesson while he rang the bell for church or school.

But not all were of so becoming a disposition, for I am told that Mr. A. P. Scharff, who taught a class in Sunday school, called his scholars a “Band of Hope”, as that was the only thing he could do for them.

I very clearly recall being a member of the infant class—Class No. 9—under Miss Hannah Teel of blessed memory, and seating myself with other infants on the ledge of a book case in the library. If ever there was a good woman and a faithful one, it was Miss Teel, who watched over that infant class for many years, and who was wholly unconscious that she was doing anything more than her plain duty. That kindly face is indelibly impressed on the memory of many grown-ups who were once children of the infant class.

Of Miss Teal an old-time neighbor says: “Her memory is dear to all who were children in the early seventies. She was a woman of much executive ability and, in addition to her Infant Class in the Sunday school, she had a school for young children. Her sway was mild, but firm, and she delighted in teaching the little girls not alone the four necessary branches and sewing, but also many gems of poetry suitable for their young minds. In her home she was the mainstay of the household.”

Three churches were organized in this house, which can truly be called the First Church of Woodside: the Presbyterian, St. John’s Episcopal, and the Dutch Reformed, the latter being formed after a split in the Presbyterian congregation.

A SPLIT IN THE PRESBYTERIAN CONGREGATION.

In organizing the first church the majority favored the Presbyterian denomination, and funds were collected for a church building, which was duly erected on Carteret street. The first minister was one Clarence Eddy, and he proved so very unsatisfactory that he was soon invited to resign. I believe that the governing body of the Church had had occasion to censure the reverend gentleman for something, and later found that the minutes containing the censure had been tampered with. This was the last straw, and Mr. Eddy was given an easy opportunity to vacate, as the following letter indicates:—

“Woodside, N. J.

”June 15, 1870.

“Rev. Clarence Eddy.

“Dear Sir—The undersigned, members of your congregation, beg respectfully to express the belief that a dissolution of your connection with the church is, under existing circumstances, desirable.

“We, therefore, earnestly request that you will take early steps to consummate the separation; and this we do in a spirit of kindness to yourself and of regard for the church. We entertain no sentiment of personal hostility towards you and desire the separation to be made in such a manner as shall least disturb your own feelings and interests, both professional and private, and best conserve all the important relations involved.”

This letter was signed by forty-six members of the church, including the families of Messrs. Hine, Nichols, Halsey, Swinnerton, Beach, Dovell, Blackwood, Harlan, Briggs, Smith, Snowdon, McDonald, Whitehead, Coeyman, Boyden, Slater, Maclure, Carter, Snyder, Baldwin and Tompkins.

Mr. Eddy refused to accept the gentle hint and it then became necessary to take the matter before the Newark Presbytery, which held several highly spiced meetings, and which finally decided that “we must support the poor minister”, as one of the other “poor” ministers incautiously stated in public, and there was nothing left for those who had organized the church and erected the church building but to resign.

The following, taken from a newspaper clipping, shows what the separation meant to the church. The writer, who merely signs with the initial D, states that of the $5,000 already paid on the church, less than $450 were paid by those who remained, while some $4,500 were raised and paid by those “who, from self respect, have been obliged to leave it”, and more than two-thirds of the current expenses of the church were also paid by them. Personally I am just enough lacking in Christian charity to be pleased at the hole the Eddyites found themselves in, but that has long been a thing of the past and the bitter feeling then engendered is so completely forgotten that one who was in the front rank of the Eddyites can now say that “Mr. Hine was Woodside”.

A PARTISAN.

Mr. Daniel Halsey, who resided on Carteret street, at one time did business in Petersburg, Va., and it became the custom to have Mr. Halsey send to Petersburg for a colored girl when any of his neighbors desired such help; thus there was gradually formed a small colony of Southern negroes, who were usually intensely loyal to their employers. One of these, a large, husky negress named “Milly”, was employed by Rev. Mr. Eddy and thereby hangs a tale, as the story books say.

Shortly after the split in the Presbyterian Church, and when the feeling was very bitter and the entire neighborhood was divided into “Eddyites” and “Hineites”, Mr. Hine had occasion to call on Mr. Eddy for some purpose and was conducted by that gentleman upstairs to his study.

Two or three times during the interview Mr. Eddy, who was an extremely nervous man, thought he heard some one on the other side of the closed door and, excusing himself, got up to look out into the hall, but, seeing no one, resumed his seat. The conference over, Mr. Hine was shown out, and as Mr. Eddy returned to his study he saw standing in a niche near the head of the stairs his colored Milly, with a flat-iron in either hand and, as he approached she brandished her weapons, shouting as she did so: “Ah was ready for him! Ah was ready for him!” expecting, of course, there was to be a fight and recognizing her duty to her employer. Probably Mr. Hine never knew how close he came that day to a broken head.

Milly was one of the impulsive sort and, so far as her lights went, she lived up to them. Mrs. Perry tells how, when she used to stand on the corner of Lincoln and Elwood avenues, hesitating to engage the sea of mud which lay between her and home, and which was usually over shoe-top—the real, red, Jersey mud—Milly, when she happened to spy her beloved Sunday school teacher in this predicament, would rush from the Eddy back door to the corner, pick up the little woman, tuck her under her arm and carry her across the street as a child might carry a doll. It was of no use to resist; Milly was as large as a man and as strong as two.

PIONEERING IN WOODSIDE.

In these crude times many were the emergencies that arose, and much ingenuity was called into play to meet them, for between the Erie Railroad and that farce known as the street car, Woodside was almost as isolated as an island in mid ocean. Thus the making of a mistake that in these days would be a trifle was sometimes momentous in its consequences.

This gave a certain pioneer flavor to the situation and made of the community one great family where neighbor was dependent on neighbor, and thus brought out and developed character that the present easy times do not call out, and men and women loomed large or small as they actually deserved.

One of the small-sized emergencies which arose had to do with a certain Sunday morning communion service in the Presbyterian Church, and the situation was like this:—

Mrs. Cumming had made objection to the use of wine at the communion, claiming that its very smell was intoxicating and its influence bad, and the discussion that followed led to a resolve to try unfermented wine, which was then just beginning to be introduced. As a consequence Mr. John Maclure, at whose house the vessels used in the service were kept, and who had charge of the preparations for the service, made a special journey to New York to purchase a bottle of the unfermented wine.

Mrs. Margaret Perry, a daughter of Mr. Maclure, tells how on the Sunday morning of this particular communion service, while she was practising the morning’s music on the church organ and her father was preparing the communion table, she heard an exclamation of surprise, and looked up to ascertain the trouble.

Mr. Maclure was a Scotch Presbyterian, and was necessarily limited in his Sunday morning vocabulary, and there he stood in a momentary daze, and wholly unable to fit words to the situation, with a quart bottle in his hand which, instead of containing, as he had supposed, unfermented wine, was full of Carter’s best black ink. The clerk in New York had wrapped up the wrong bottle.

Imagine the desolation of the situation when, after inquiring of Mr. Hall, rector of St. John’s, it was learned that he had only just enough for his own communion service, and there was no other where to turn, for there was probably not a bottle of wine of any sort in the small community.

But here was demonstrated the pioneer readiness to meet and conquer the unexpected. Mr. Maclure gathered his family about him and all repaired to his garden, where the grapes were just beginning to ripen, and while some gathered others pressed the fruit, and by straining the mass through cheesecloth enough “unfermented wine” was secured to meet the situation and save the day.

PASTORS OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.

Following Mr. Eddy came Dr. James Evans, who served for five or six years; then the Rev. James A. Trimmer, four to five years; the Rev. Jos. W. Porter, five to six years; the Rev. Henry C. Van der Beek, who served nineteen years; during his pastorate the church was moved to Forest Hill. The present incumbent is the Rev. Frederick W. Lewis.

SUNDAY SCHOOL IN THE ELLIOTT STREET SCHOOLHOUSE.

Mr. Swinnerton writes that Mr. Hine did not favor the suggestion that another Sunday school be started when the subject was first proposed, as he was not willing to do anything that would appear like opposition or that might cause damage to his first love, but there were sixty-odd children among the families that had left the Presbyterian Church, and they were soon clamoring for Mr. Hine. In the meantime the trustees of the public school which had just been erected on Cottage, now Elliott, street, Messrs. Albert Beach, John C. Bennett and James Swinnerton, offered the use of the building for Sunday school purposes, and though Mr. Hine hesitated, they kept on with the work of organization and, when he fully appreciated the feeling, he yielded and, once his mind was made up, took hold in good earnest.

FORMATION OF CHRIST CHURCH OF WOODSIDE.

The Sunday school was naturally followed by a church organization, and the services of the Rev. John M. Macauley, who was then living in Belleville, were secured, Mr. Hine and Mr. E. A. Boyden being appointed a committee for this purpose. As a burned child dreads the fire, it was but natural that the first thought was for a church organization independent of all denominational control but, this not appearing feasible, it was later decided that the Reformed Dutch Church would satisfy the larger number, and that denomination was adopted.

The following, taken from the church books, shows the method of procedure and gives the names of those who were active:—

“Woodside, N. J., May 16, 1871.

“At a meeting held at the house of Mr. Charles C. Hine, and composed of representatives from thirteen families of the neighborhood, it was resolved to organize a Church Society.

“After reading of the scriptures and prayer being offered by Revd. Dr. Macauley and Messrs. C. C. Hine and H. H. Nichols, the meeting was formally organized by the election of Horace H. Nichols as Chairman and Jas. Swinnerton, Jr., as Secretary.

“It was then voted to organize without a denominational name or connection, and on the standard of belief of the Presbyterian Church, and it was also decided, by a full vote, to call the Society ‘Christ Church of Woodside’.

“A committee composed of H. H. Nichols, C. C. Hine, E. A. Boyden and Jas. Swinnerton, Jr., was appointed to post the legal notice and arrange a meeting for the election of officers, etc.

“The meeting then closed with prayer by Dr. Macauley.

“The persons present at the above meeting were:

“Revd. Dr. Macauley,

“Mr. and Mrs. C. C. Hine,

“Mr. and Mrs. H. H. Nichols,

“Mr. and Mrs. A. Beach,

“Mrs. Callen,

“Mr. L. Dovell,

“Mr. Stent,

“Mr. Warnock,

“Mr. and Mrs. E. F. Higgins,

“Mr. and Mrs. E. A. Boyden,

“Mr. and Mrs. B. G. Blackwood,

“Mr. Jno. I. Briggs,

“Mrs. Miller,

“Mr. Dowling,

“Jas. Swinnerton, Jr.

“JAS. SWINNERTON, Jr., Secretary.

“The following is a copy of a notice posted pursuant to vote of meeting held the 16th inst.:—

“NOTICE!

“Notice is hereby given that a meeting will be held at 8 o’clock on the evening of Tuesday, May 30, 1871, at the house of Mr. Chas. C. Hine, in Newark, Essex Co., N. J., to complete the organization of a church to be known as ‘Christ Church of Woodside’, and to elect officers for the same and to transact such other business in connection therewith as may be necessary. Persons desirous of uniting are requested to present their letters at that meeting.

“H. H. NICHOLS,
”C. C. HINE,
“JAS. SWINNERTON, JR.,
”E. A. BOYDEN,
“Committee.

“Woodside, May 18, 1871.

“Woodside, May 30, 1871.

“Pursuant to notice given, a meeting was held at 8 o’clock p. m. this day at the house of C. C. Hine, Esq.

“After prayer by Rev. Dr. Macauley, the meeting organized by the election of Mr. H. H. Nichols as Chairman and E. F. Higgins as Secretary.

“The notice calling the meeting was then read by the Secretary and, after some discussion, a paper was drawn up and signed by those persons present willing to unite in the proposed Church organization.

“The following is a copy of said paper and signatures:—

“We, the Undersigned, hereby organize ourselves as a Christian Church, to be known as ‘Christ Church of Woodside’, Essex Co., N. J., to be governed by such standards and regulations as may be hereafter adopted. (Signed by)—

“H. H. NICHOLS,
”MARY C. NICHOLS,
“AMELIA F. NICHOLS,
”C. C. HINE,
“MARY H. HINE,
”JANE A. AVERY,
“B. G. BLACKWOOD,
”R. T. BLACKWOOD,
“E. A. BOYDEN,
”JANE D. BOYDEN,
“LOUIS DOVELL,
”MRS. LOUIS DOVELL,
“ALBERT BEACH,
”MARIA A. BEACH,
“MRS. G. B. CALLEN,
”JAS. SWINNERTON, JR.,
“ELIZABETH E. SWINNERTON.

“Messrs. C. C. Hine and E. A. Boyden were appointed a committee to secure additional signatures.

“It being thought desirable not to proceed further in the organization until the report of the committee had been received, the meeting adjourned to meet at the same hour and place on Tuesday evening, the 6th day of June, 1871,

“ELMER F. HIGGINS,

“Woodside, June 6, 1871.

“An adjourned meeting was held at 8 o’clock p. m. at Mr. Hine’s house and, after prayer by Rev. Dr. Macauley, the officers of the last meeting presiding, the minutes of the first and second meetings were read by the secretary and approved.

“Mr. Nichols reported having conferred with the Gentlemen interested in the Reformed Church, who stated that they did not intend to locate in Woodside.

“Mr. Boyden for Committee to secure additional signatures, reported having seen several persons who stated that they would attend this meeting if possible, and that some were present.

“Mr. Hine then read a form of covenant which was referred to a committee of three, consisting of Dr. Macauley and Messrs. Beach and Blackwood, for revision or amendment, who at once retired and, after about fifteen minutes, returned.

“Dr. Macauley reported that the committee thought the paper remarkably well drawn up, but that they would suggest that the clause reading ‘that repentance to-ward God, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and assistance from the Holy Ghost are sufficient to cleanse us from our sins and restore us to fellowship with our God’, be altered slightly in its phraseology, which alteration would not materially effect or change the meaning, as follows: ‘That through repentance towards God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, by the grace of the Holy Ghost, we may be cleansed from our sins and restored to fellowship with our God’, which amendment being accepted by Mr. Hine, this paper as amended was adopted and reads as follows:—

“In the fear of God and with a sincere desire to promote the cause of Christ and our own growth in the divine life, we do now enter into covenant with God and with one another in the formation of a Church to be known as ‘Christ Church of Woodside’, the following being a brief summary of our belief. We take the scriptures of the Old and New Testament as the only rule of faith and practice; we avouch the Lord Jehovah to be our God and portion and the object of our supreme love and delight; the Lord Jesus Christ to be our Saviour from sin and death, our Prophet to instruct us, our Priest to atone and intercede for us, and our King to rule over, project and enrich us, and the Holy Ghost to be our Sanctifier, Comforter and Guide.

“Unto this Triune God—Father, Son and Holy Ghost—we do without reserve and in a covenant never to be revoked, give ourselves to be his willing servants forever, and in humble reliance on the Lord Jesus Christ we promise to discharge our several duties, in the closet, in the family and in the community, and also to attend upon the stated means of Grace, the preaching of the Word and the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

“We do humbly confess the total depravity of our natures, the enmity of our hearts against God and the manifold transgressions of our lives, but we believe, nevertheless, that through repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, by the grace of the Holy Ghost, we may be cleansed from our sins and restored to fellowship with our God; and as a further expression of our faith and belief we adopt the creed commonly known as the Apostle’s Creed.

“We do bind ourselves by covenant to this Church, to watch over it in the Lord, to seek its peace and edification, to submit to the discipline of Christ as here administered and to strive together for the support and spread of the gospel of our Saviour in all ways as opportunity may be given us, relying only upon Him who is able to keep us from falling and to present us faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.

“On motion of Mr. Beach, Messrs. H. H. Nichols, C. C. Hine and B. G. Blackwood were elected as Elders for one year.

“Messrs. A. Beach, E. A. Boyden, E. F. Higgins, Jas. Swinnerton, Jr., and L. Dovell were elected as Trustees for one year.

“After prayer by Dr. Macauley the meeting adjourned.

“ELMER F. HIGGINS,
”Secretary.

“Christ Church, Woodside, Newark, N. J., from which the First Reformed Church of that place was organized, held its first service of public worship in the schoolhouse on the corner of the old Belleville road and Cottage street, on the 19th of February, 1871, Rev. John M. Macauley, D. D., officiating. In the following month—March 12, 1871—Dr. Ray Palmer and Rev. Mr. Strieby preached; with this single exception Dr. Macauley continued to preach there for two years. During this time a call, signed by every member of the church not absent from home at the time, was tendered to Dr. Macauley to become the regular pastor of the church.

“In September, 1872, the question of a denominational connection was decided in favor of the Reformed (Dutch) Church and application was made to the classis of Newark for admission. This application met favorable consideration and a committee consisting of Revs. E. P. Terhune, D. D., J. P. Strong, D. D., C. E. Hart, and Elders A. C. Wheaton, James Browe, was appointed to visit Woodside and organize the church in accordance with the regulations of classis.

“Woodside, October 30, 1872.

“The committee appointed by classis to organize a Reformed Church at Woodside assembled for that purpose Wednesday evening, October 30th, at the schoolhouse. The exercises were opened by religious services. Rev. Dr. J. P. Strong preached a sermon from Psalm lxxxvii., 3d verse.

“After these services the committee proceeded to receive the members, thirty-two in number, applying to be organized as a church.

“The organization was completed by the election of Horace H. Nichols, Charles C. Hine and Baxter G. Blackwood as Elders, and James Swinnerton, Jr., Louis Dovell and E. A. Boyden as Deacons.

“The following resolutions were adopted:—

“Resolved, That the ordination of officers take place on Sabbath, November 17, 1872.

“Resolved, That the title of the church be ‘Christ Church, The First Reformed Church, Woodside’.

“November 17, 1872, after morning service, and in pursuance of previous action, the ordination of the officers elected October 30th was taken up, Dr. Macauley officiating. Mr. Boyden having declined to act as Deacon, Messrs. Dovell and Swinnerton were duly ordained to that office, and Messrs. Blackwood, Nichols and Hine as Elders.”

During the summer of 1872 arrangements had been made for the erection of a neat chapel on an elevated piece of ground on Washington avenue and work on the same commenced. The building was completed during the following Spring and worship was begun therein on the 2d day of March, 1873. The house was dedicated shortly afterward (March 9th), Revs. Terhune, Strong, Abeel, Hart and the pastor, Dr. Macauley, taking part in the services. The stained glass used in this building was a Woodside production, made by George Laerter in a small place in the neighborhood of Washington avenue and Halleck street.

DR. MACAULEY THE FIRST PASTOR OF CHRIST CHURCH.

On the 5th of March, 1873, at a meeting attended by all the elders and deacons, it was resolved to repeat the call to Dr. John M. Macauley, to become the settled pastor of the church. A committee was then appointed and instructed to proceed with that duty in conformity with the usages of the Reformed Church. The call was duly drawn up and, on the 31st of December, 1873, a meeting, moderated by Rev. Dr. J. P. Strong, of Belleville, was held, at which the instrument was completed and signed and ordered to be placed in Dr. Macauley’s hands for approval prior to presentation at the next regular meeting of classis.

DR. JOHN M. MACAULEY.

On May 3, 1874, Dr. Macauley was installed pastor of the church. The Doctor was a man of rare education, a delightful companion with a brilliant mind and a forceful and graceful method of speaking; a pulpit orator of the old school, trained in gesture, word and manner as well as mind. Will Cumming, of the River road, then a young man studying law, and himself unusually clever, used to come regularly to the Sunday morning service in order to study the Doctor’s polished manner and language. The Doctor was one of the very few who could preach a long sermon and hold the close attention of his audience to the last word.

TWO UNMENTIONABLES.

After the Doctor came two who covered a period extending from 1881 to 1894, and concerning whom little that is agreeable can be recorded. However a search of the church records shows that on December 8, 1888, a bill for fertilizing the church lawn was submitted by the pastor and ordered paid; thus we see that his labors were not all in vain. During this period the church building was moved from No. 215 Washington avenue to the present location and a parsonage was erected in the rear.

REV. ISAAC VAN WART SCHENCK.

As is well known it is easier to get an old man of the sea on one’s back than to get rid of him, but the spell was finally broken when, on August 13, 1894, a call was extended to the Rev. Isaac Van Wart Schenck, who proved to be the opposite in every respect of his two predecessors. Mr. Schenck was a whole-souled man who always gave his best to the church and he was greatly beloved by Mr. Hine.

It is interesting to note that the first trolley car ran through Woodside on the first Sunday that Mr. Schenck preached in the church.

REV. HENRY MERLE MELLEN.

Mr. Schenck was succeeded by the Rev. Henry Merle Mellen in September, 1900, and, under his administration, the present church edifice was erected, the success of this enterprise being largely due to Mr. Mellen’s exertions.

On December 6, 1903, the mortgage of $1,900 on the old church property was burned and the church cleared of all indebtedness.

February 4, 1904, the question of erecting a new church edifice was publicly discussed by the congregation, and the minister was instructed to appoint a building committee of twenty members.

March 10, 1904, the building committee met and organized with Judge Alfred F. Skinner as chairman, William B. Abbey as secretary, and George S. Bruen as treasurer. It was decided to limit the cost of building and furnishings to $25,000.

April 29, 1905, Charles G. Jones of Belleville was selected as architect.

March 20, 1906, it was decided to move the old building to the back of the lot.

April 12, 1906, ground was broken for the new building.

June 14, 1906, the corner stone was laid under the auspices of the Classis of Newark.

January 20, 1907, the new church was opened for worship.

January 21, 1907, the building was dedicated.

Memorial windows to the memory of Mr. C. C. Hine and Mrs. Mary H. Hine, to Mrs. Anna W. Hine and to the parents of Mr. Mellen, the minister, were placed in the building.

The cost of the new church complete was a trifle over $46,000.

This brief outline by no means tells the story. As before stated, the inception of the church is due to the Rev. Henry Merle Mellen, and the raising of money was also largely due to Mr. Mellen’s activity and unselfish devotion to the cause. The building committee was more than fortunate in its chairman and members, and the result of their work is an ornament to the locality.

INCIDENTS OF THE EARLY DAYS OF THE CHURCH.

During the very early days of the church on the hill, sexton Budd introduced his patent gasoline lamps for lighting purposes, and no doubt was proud of his accomplishment, but why the crazy things did not blow up the first time they were lighted is the chief mystery of the situation. As nearly as we can recall the outfit consisted of the ordinary glass font with a small metal tube at the top through which the vapor arose, which gave light when a match was applied. These did not stay long, for Mr. Hine, who was an insurance man, very shortly discovered their possibilities.

The lighting of Christ Church was first accomplished with kerosene lamps, there being no gas in the neighborhood then, except that made on the premises of Mr. Hine for his own house. It occurred to that gentleman that he could attach the church (which then stood on the lot adjoining his home) to that same gas machine, and thus do away with the dim and troublesome kerosene burners.

The idea was good, but the pumping machinery which forced the flow of gas through the pipes was inadequate for the extra work and, as a result, the pump must be wound up by hand two or three times during a Sunday evening. This usually fell to the lot of the small boys who did not go to evening service, they being strictly charged to visit the cellar every thirty minutes or so and do the necessary work; but small boys had a way of getting sleepy in those days, and there is a tradition that Mr. Hine, being warned by the gradual dimming of the lights, had to leave the church in a great hurry occasionally and operate the pump himself.

THE CHURCH CHOIR.

Mr. Hine was musical to his finger tips and found great enjoyment in the practice of the art. In his youth he composed a number of songs and ballads which were published in St. Louis. Naturally he had charge of the church music, and among the pleasantest experiences of his life were the choir rehearsals, and particularly was this the case when Mr. Jay Ten Eyck presided at the organ and the quartet choir consisted of Mrs. F. W. Schmidt, Mrs. Dr. J. E. Janes, Mr. Harrison I. Norton and Mr. Hine. One who knew him well at that time has said that “he was just like a boy going to a ball game when he came down to the church on choir rehearsal nights”, such was his enthusiasm.

The selection and preparation of special music for Easter and other occasions gave him the most keen delight. At such times he would come home with an armful of carols and spend evening after evening trying them, usually with his flute, his daughter-in-law being at the piano. The possibilities were then taken up by the choir and the resulting music was reasonably good, though considerable good natured fun was poked at the choir-master on one occasion, at least, when, after having labored earnestly over a long Easter Sunday anthem the domine immediately began his prayer with, “Oh, Lord, we thank Thee that it is finished”.

Mr. Hine was notably successful with the Sunday school music, having a peculiar faculty for arousing the enthusiasm of children. His “Now, children!” brought prompt and complete attention from all, and he was so absorbed himself in the work and was so much a part of it that the children abandoned themselves to his sway and responded with a gusto that made the singing of the school a great feature.

WOODSIDE, 1868-9.

Woodside was set off from Belleville in 1868 and lasted as an independent town just about two years. Again I fall back on Mr. Swinnerton, who was town clerk both years, for details. He says:—

“When the new element came it found a lot of old-timers, very glad to welcome us and to benefit by the church and Sunday school privileges, but unwilling to spend any money for street or sidewalk betterment. Belleville contained many of the same sort, but there were some there who helped us secure our set-off into a township.”

WOODSIDE TOWNSHIP.

UNION TICKET.

For Judges of Election,
CHARLES AKERS,
EDWARD P. SNOWDEN,
HORACE B. NICHOLS.

For Assessor,
NATHANIEL J. CRANE.

For Collector,
JAMES S. GAMBLE.

For Town Clerk,
JAMES SWINNERTON, JR.

For Justice of the Peace,
ELIAS OSBORN.

For Town Committee,
CHARLES AKERS,
MILES I’ANSON,
JOSEPH I. DOWLING,
HORACE CARTER,
JOHN McMULLEN.

For Commissioners of Appeal,
JOHN C. BENNETT,
EDWARD G. FAITOUTE,
JOHN I. BRIGGS.

For Chosen Freeholder,
CHARLES AKERS,
HORACE H. NICHOLS.

For Constables,
JOHN BURKE,
BETHUEL MUNN,
PHINEAS M. SMITH.

For Surveyors of Highways,
TRUMAN H. ALDRICH,
GEORGE K. HARRISON,
JOHN C. BENNETT.

For Pound Keepers,
NATHANIEL J. CRANE,
JOHN C. BENNETT,
JOHN I. BRIGGS,
JOHN McDONALD,
GEORGE K. HARRISON.

Road Tax $4,000 00
School Tax, per child 3 00
Poor Tax 500 00
Dog Tax, as the law allows.
Incidental Expenses 500 00

“The village had scarce gained its independence, however, when it was saddled with a heavy debt in the shape of bonds for the Midland (now Greenwood Lake) Railroad. This made it imprudent to attempt the raising of money for local improvements, but the year Mr. Hine was on the Town Committee $4,000 was raised for street improvements and divided between the five districts of River road, Washington avenue, Back road, Bloomfield road and the cross road in Woodside. Mr. Hine spent $600 in making a gravel walk from the cemetery to Carteret street, and gave the remaining $200 to General Cumming for use on the Gully road.

“Our portion went to Soho (which appears to have been then a part of Woodside). The others stirred the ground a little, leaving the mud as deep as ever.” Woodside was an awful mud-hole in wet weather.

The Town Committee met at night, usually in the house of Mr. Swinnerton, Town Clerk; none but the town officers attended these meetings. The two annual town meetings were held in a small hall on Washington avenue, opposite the Morrison & Briggs carpenter shop; this hall burned later. Two or three informal meetings were held in a small carpenter shop standing in Mr. Swinnerton’s yard, on the northeast corner of Elwood and Lincoln avenues (this was the first Morrison & Briggs shop). Here Woodside was given its present name.

So far as can now be recalled the Town Committeemen were General Cumming, for the River road; Mr. Hine, for Washington avenue; either Mr. Phillips or Mr. Faitoute, for Lincoln avenue; Charles Akers, for the Bloomfield road; “a fine, old Irish gentleman for Soho”, and Joseph Dowling for the cross street. James S. Gamble was Treasurer.

A WOODSIDE TRAGEDY.

Possibly the only tragedy connected with Woodside was the shooting of Albert D. Richardson on December 2, 1869. Mr. Richardson was a celebrated newspaper correspondent and an author of some note. He had traveled over a large part of the United States and had settled in Woodside because of its rural beauty, having purchased the house built by Miles I’Anson, which now stands on Summer avenue, facing Chester.

A Mrs. McFarland, who was later known to literature as Abbie Sage Richardson, and who came of a good Boston family, married Daniel McFarland, the black sheep of a prominent New York family, and, after supporting him for a reasonable length of time, she secured a divorce. Mr. Richardson assisted her in establishing herself, and about this time McFarland, while under the influence of liquor, met him in the office of the Tribune and shot him down. Richardson was removed to the Astor House and lived for a week. He was a widower with three young children and, desiring Mrs. McFarland to look after them, he married her while on his deathbed.

WOODSIDE AND THE STREET CAR.

From the beginning and up to comparatively recent times Woodside has been compelled to make a continuous fight for proper street car service.

The first car track laid extended from the cemetery to Orange street, where it met the track which had been laid in 1862 from Market street. There was but one car, and that was pivoted on the trucks so that, a king bolt being drawn, the body of the car was swung around while the trucks remained on the track—this instead of reversing the horses to the other end of the car, as was done later. About 1865 the tracks were extended north through Woodside to Second river, to what was then known as “Flanigan’s station”, and for six years they went no further.

It was many years before the Woodside section was treated as part of the main line, all sorts of bob-tail excuses being offered us. Cars would come as far as the “Pump” (cemetery), and there passengers could wait for the “bob-tail” or walk as they saw fit. There was no shelter against the winter’s storm or shade from the summer sun. “Old Mose”, who watered the horses at the pump, which stood just about where the Washington avenue sidewalk on the west now ends, was possessed of a movable bench which followed the shadows of the trees as the sun made its daily progress through the heavens, and this was the only spot whereon to rest our weary bones while waiting. Mose was a good natured old soul whom every one liked, and was as much of an institution as was the old West-farm pump from which he drew the water for the horses. His “Now, William, let her propel”, when it was time for a car to start, became a by-word.

Naturally those living in Woodside were always grumbling at the poor car service furnished, and there was a constant fight with Mr. Battin, and later with Mr Barr, and many a delegation descended on the Board of Aldermen, and almost invariably its head and front was Mr. Hine who, while he loved peace, did not believe in peace at any price. The company’s charter required that all cars should run to the city line (Second river), and Mr. Hine, with his wonted energy, at once inaugurated an active campaign by writing to the papers as well as stirring up the City Fathers, and by dint of his “sticktoitiveness”, as he called it, he won his point and the octopus was forced to loose his tentacles and be subject to the law governing its agreements.

In this connection a friend writes concerning Mr. Hine: “I remember, of course, his prominence in our town meetings and meetings after Woodside became annexed to Newark. He was the best speaker by far in our section, and better versed in parliamentary rules, so that he kept the meetings in better order than they would otherwise have been. He had a great faculty of leading people to state their views, thus getting a subject well ventilated and adding much interest to a meeting. In consequence of his great ability for speaking he was always chosen leader of our citizens’ delegations whether to the City Fathers for better horse car facilities, or to the Erie Railroad officials for improvements on that ‘system’.”

NOTES ON MR. HINE’S CHARACTER.

Mr. Hine’s character was of a grade not often met with. I was with him probably more than any one else, as for many years we came and went together morning and night and were closely associated during business hours, and I can in all truth say that never once have I heard him utter a word, even by implication, that could not have been uttered in any presence, nor did I ever hear him gossip of his neighbors nor offer a criticism of any one not present except once, and that was so gentle that, had it come from another, it would have passed unnoticed. In this one case he referred to an erratic genius who played the church organ for many years, and who sorely tried his patience.

But it must not be supposed that because of his gentle ways Mr. Hine could not fight. Nothing could stop him when a sense of duty impelled; not even the fear of death—if he ever had any such fear. As an instance: When traveling for the Ætna Insurance Company Mr. Hine, shortly after his marriage, and when a wife and baby were dependent on him, was sent to a town in Arkansas to establish an agency for the company, being instructed to select a certain man if he was found to qualify.

They met and Mr. Hine, being satisfied, gave the man his commission as agent, but during the following evening he discovered that his new appointee had celebrated by getting drunk, and immediately concluded to take up the agency. Those acquainted with the man, however, insisted that he do nothing of the sort, stating that his agent was a fire eater, who would accept it as a personal insult and would shoot.

Mr. Hine believed that only a coward carried arms and never did so himself, though he had been much in the Southwest and recognized the small value put on life (this was about 1857 or 8). However he saw what he believed was his duty and, while admitting later that he faced the man with considerable fear of the consequences, he did face him, and as briefly and with as little sting as possible, stated his reasons for withdrawing the commission. Strange to say the “fire-eater” acknowledged the justice of the move and expressed himself as sincerely sorry at the outcome. Only the highest class of courage can compel a man to face such a situation.

I once by chance heard him tell an individual himself that he was either a knave or a fool, but neither knew that the remark was overheard, and Mr. Hine never again spoke of the matter so far as I know. He could tell the man himself, if necessity demanded it, but would never speak of it to others.

His contempt for money, except for the good it could be made to do, was genuine and deep seated. His charities, considering his limited income, were boundless, as evidenced by his check stubs after his death. An examination of these showed merely that the $50 or $100 had gone to “an old friend”, or were marked with the one word “charity”. While in many cases money thus handed out was ostensibly loaned, Mr. Hine early learned never to expect its return, and he was seldom disappointed. One of his pet aphorisms, “gratitude is a lively sense of favors to come”, was frequently applied to this situation.

The fact that he was imposed on and defrauded by charity fakirs time and again never made any difference; the next time he would take chances rather than run the risk of not helping where help was needed. He often said that “he could swallow anything he could get through his shirt collar”, and his shirt collar was a mighty easy affair, as many “a friend in need” discovered.

On the other hand, no matter how much it might curtail his income by antagonizing a customer, he would hit every head in sight if he thought it deserved it, and he knew how to hit—none better. He had a way of grasping a situation and clarifying its follies or crooked features that was at times merciless.

As before stated, Mr. Hine’s opportunities for school education were limited in his youth. On the other hand, his knowledge was almost universal. How he kept abreast of the times as he did was a mystery, even to his own family, for he had no time to read, beyond his morning and evening paper between home and office. His evenings, when not filled with church matters, were largely taken up by those who were ever calling on him for help and who never went away without receiving the best he had to give, whether they were young or old, or the poorest of the poor. He would explain a matter to a child with as much courtesy and patience as to an adult.

On one occasion when he was confined to the house with some slight indisposition a small girl appeared at the back door with a straggling bunch of field flowers in her hand and handed it in with the simple message, “Tell Mr. Hine that I love him”. Hardly anything could have touched the recipient more deeply, and yet that small girl voiced a sentiment that was almost universal among those who knew him best.

Mr. Hine was as punctilious in doing for his own boys as for the church, and while he believed in making them earn those things they desired, that they might the more fully appreciate them, he always stood by his agreements, not only in letter but in spirit. His idea seems to have been to make the boy feel satisfied that he had been given a square deal. Possibly one or two small instances will do no harm here:—

One of the boys once saw a velocipede in a Newark store that he thought he wanted, and began to save his money for that purpose. As I recollect it, the machine was to cost $12. In the meantime the father saw one in New York for $10 that looked to him just as good, and told the youngster about it, and announced that he would bring it out. On arrival it proved to be a size or two smaller—a $10 size—and the boy was disappointed, but instead of telling him it was just as good, he seemed to get down to the lad’s level and appreciate that it was a matter of importance to him, and he made good without a hint of grumble at the extra trouble involved in taking the machine back and bringing out the larger one, and he paid the added $2 himself. He had said he could get one just as good for less money. He seemed to expect no particular thanks, merely giving the impression that he was only doing what he had agreed to do.

Mr. Hine’s eldest was probably born with a streak of tar in his composition, for he has been an ancient mariner ever since I first knew him. No sooner was the boy large enough to run around a bit than he wanted a row boat on the river; but his father promptly responded to such a proposition with, “No, young man; not until you can swim across the river”, evidently in the belief that this was still some seasons off. But the lad wanted the boat, and the moment he could stand the temperature he was in the river, and generally several times a day (his mother never suspected how often), and by hard work and much persistence he managed to get the hang of the thing long before the summer was out, and one day announced that he could swim across the river and wanted the boat.

Naturally his father was a bit incredulous, but they went to the water’s edge, and while the elder hired a boat at the Point House, the son retired to the privacy of the Melius dock and stripped for the ordeal. His clothes were put in the boat and the two started, and you can be sure that the father kept close by in case of accident, but there was none, and the boy got across all right. Then his father asked if he could swim back, and he said he would try, and did.

No sooner were his clothes on again than he said: “Now, can I have that boat?” and quite as promptly came the answer, “Yes; we will go down town now and get it”. There was no quibbling or hesitation or delay, and no matter how the father may have felt in allowing his small son to have a boat, he had given his word and that settled it, and within the hour the lad was rowing up the river in his own boat, as proud as any small boy could be and without any idea of the situation except that both parties to the bargain had lived up to it.

His methods of punishment were usually well fitted to the occasion. I still recall one instance with a clarity of vision that omits no detail. Mr. Hine was left in charge of the Winser premises during the absence of that family in Europe and, during that portion of the year when “sling shots” are in vogue, a group of young highwaymen, of which the younger two hopefuls of the Hine family were members, thought it was fine fun to sling stones between the blinds of the Winser house, then vacant, and hear the glass smash. But one day Mr. Hine discovered what was going on, and appointed himself a committee of one to investigate. He made no fuss whatever—just said we would have to replace the glass. It made no difference that others besides ourselves had helped in the mischief; if the others would help to pay for it that was all right, but none of his affair. Of course few of the other boys could see the thing from our point of view, and it took just about all of our little hoard, which had almost reached the point where we could purchase a greatly desired printing press, to pay for the damage. It was a cruel blow, but we never broke any more glass.

Mr. Hine, just as a matter of course, did any little thing he could for friend or neighbor; it never occurred to him to hesitate when he saw the opportunity.

When the matter of a station agent was first being agitated for the Woodside stop on the Newark branch of the Erie, one who thought he wanted the job fixed up a petition and went to the depot one morning to secure the signatures of such commuters as he knew. Seeing Mr. Hine and hoping for his name to head the list, he offered the paper to him, asking that he sign it if he approved. After reading Mr. Hine not only signed, but himself took the paper to every man present and insisted that each one sign, responding to those who objected that they did not know the young man, that he did, and had known him almost all his life, and knew he was safe to indorse. The result was that twice as many signatures were secured from that group as were hoped for. It was a small thing, but the prompt and hearty way in which it was done made it a benediction, and that man still thinks of Mr. Hine with pleasure and likes to tell why.

MRS. MARY HAZARD AVERY HINE.

Mrs. Mary Hazard Avery Hine was born in Westport, Conn., January 29, 1821. Her parents removed to the West when she was a young woman, and she met Mr. Hine in St. Louis, Mo., and there married him. Mrs. Hine was educated in New Haven, receiving the best schooling which that city could give a girl eighty odd years ago, and she grew up under favoring circumstances. She was a woman of fine mind and great breadth and strength of character, and a recognized leader.