Valley Girl Views: The Milton Presbyterian Church (& The Stained Glass Window Dedications)

The First Presbyterian Church, Milton Pa

The first strictly Presbyterian Church (as they had built an early church, Harmony , along with another congregation at an earlier time) at Milton was constructed in 1838, was a "one story brick edifice, on Front Street above Broadway" according to Bells History of Northumberland County.

Sketch of the two story brick First Presbyterian Church

That building was replaced with a two story building on the same site, dedicated on August 16 1856.

That building was lost in the 1880 fire that destroyed most of the town. After the fire, services were held under a tent on Market street, in the Episcopal Church building, in the Armory, and in the building of J.R. Smith and Company.

On June 25 1882, the congregation held a service in the lecture room of their new stone church. The building was dedicated 5 years later, on November 20 1887.
The 1887 church still stands today.

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THE STAINED GLASS WINDOW
DEDICATIONS

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Nearly all of the windows have modern plaques, stating that the glass was restored in the memory of... But only a few of the windows have original dedications right in the glass. Those are:

In Memoriam

Iaac Brown 1804-1883

and his wife

Mary Lawrence Brown 1816-1885

by their daughter

Caroline Louisa Fonda

Isaac Brown owned a store on front street in Milton

The building was lost in the 1880 fire

(Bethany United Methodist Stands at this location today)

The children of Isaac and Mary included: George Lawrence Brown, Caroline Louisa Fonda, and Mary Esther Slocum, William Brown, Isaac Washington Brown, Webster Casing Brown.

Restoration in Memory of

Dr Charles S. Tomlinson

1991

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In Memoriam

Elizabeth Lytle Watson

Born September 18 1819 - Died March 6 1884

Being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ"

By Her loving niece

Helen H. Piper Benedict

Elizabeth Lytle Watson was the daughter of David & Elizabeth [Lytle] Watson.

Helen Hutchinson Piper, daughter of Edmund and Harriet [Watson] Piper. She Married Frank W. Benedict

Harriet Watson was the "youngest daughter of the late David Watson, one of the early and prominent settlers in the West Branch Valley, he together with his brothers, George and John, having founded the borough of Watsontown. "

The Watson Family is buried in the Milton Cemetery

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Restored in God's Name by

Robert and Mary Hertz

1991

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In Memory Of

Joy Carter Dickerman

Born December 4 1844

Died April 10 1904

Her children rise up and call her blessed."

Joy Ivy Carter was born in England, came to America, and married Charles Heber Dickerman. The Dickerman's lived at 541 Broadway, in the house known as Rose Hill - the Public Library building - today.

Charles, born in 1843, graduated from Harvard in 1860. He taught in public schools, and was a law student for a time. In 1863 he "abandoned the law" and accepted a position with Carter & Son, coal operators at Beaver Meadows, Carbon Co., PA." He then became involved in the coal commission business in Bethlehem Pa, and in 1869 he became interested in the Chapman Slate Company, Chapman Quarries, Northampton Co., Pa., miners and manufacturers of roofing slate and other slate products. In 1880, Dickerman became associated with S.W. Murray, in the manufacture of freight cars. He moved to Milton that year, and remained with the Murray & Dougal Co until it was sold in 1899 to the American Car & Foundry Co.

The children of Charles and Ivy were:

Adelia Margaret (Mrs. Howard H. Williams, Plainfield N.J.),

William Carter (vice president of the American Car & Foundry Company, No. 165 Broadway, New York City),

Grace Beatrice (Mrs. Guido C. Vogel, Milwaukee, Wis.)

Joy Chandler (Mrs. G. W. B. Fletcher, Philadelphia, Pa.).

"The family are attendants of the Presbyterian Church, and Mr. Dickerman is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and of the Lawyers Club, of New York City." Charles and Ivy a are buried in Milton Cemetery.

New Plaque:

"Restoration in memory of Mr & Mrs John Y. Shreyer Jr, Mrs Mary Schreyer Bender, Miss Eleanor Schreyer, 1991"

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In Memory Of

Eliza C. Hammond

In Memory Of

Robert H. Hammond

Robert H. Hammond was a U.S. Congressman. He engaged in mercantile pursuits and served as a Brigadier General in the Pennsylvania State Militia. He enlisted in the U.S. Army, served as a Lieutenant in 1817, then later resigned, returned to Pennsylvania, where he was register- recorder of Northumberland County and Postmaster of Milton, (1833-37).

In 1837, he was elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-fifth and Twenty-sixth Congresses, serving until 1841. After leaving Congress, he reentered the Army and was commissioned paymaster. During the Mexican-American War, he was seriously wounded and died at sea before reaching port at age 55.

Elizabeth Clark ws born abt 1792. She married Robert Hammond in 1818. The children of Robert and Eliza included: Lt. Thomas Clark Hammond, Edward Decatur Hammond, Oscar Hammond, Washington Hammond, David Steitz Hammond, Lafayette Hammond, and Catherine Hammond.

They are buried in the Milton Cemetery.

Modern Plaque:

"In Memory of

Mr & Mrs F. Parson Kepler Sr

Restored by :

Mr & Mrs Lewis Kepler

Mr Donald Kepler

Dr & Mrs Edward N. Moser

1991"

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In Memory Of

Our Father and Mother

Michael And Jane Reid Bobst

Michael Bobst was born in Maryland in 1792.

Note - if you search Michael on Ancestry, dozens of trees will list Michaels wife as Jane Shmeck. This window however, lead me to believe her maiden name was most likely Reid. Based on that, I found the following:

"Married on Thursday evening, November 29th 1821, by Rev. Dr William Paxton, Mr Michael Bobst of this borough (Gettysburg) to Miss Jane Reid, the daughter of Colonel James Reid of Millerstown (now Fairfield) this county.

DAUGHTER OF COL. REID

Note: as stated in the marriage announcement Jane (Reid) Bobst was a daughters of Col. James Reid, of this County. This being the case, she was also a niece of Lt. Thomas Reed, of Revolutionary War fame" - The Gettysburg Times, 1964

They are buried in Harmony Cemetery, Milton PA.

Restoration in Memory of

Ralph C. Hans

1991

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In Loving Memory Of

Celeste Stoughton

Born June 5 1831 Died February 14 1906

Celeste Stoughton was the daughter of

Leonard & Eliza [Sydell] Stoughton

The Family is buried in Milton Cemetery

In Memory Of

Frederick G. and Frances W. Hastings

Elizabeth Thompson Geroge

Restored by

Walton and Jane Thompson

1991

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Restoration by

J. Fred & Bess Wertman

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Restoration in Memory Of

Ray A. Bower

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"Restoration in Appreciation of Gods Love and His Many Blessings"

1991

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"In Memory Of Mary Elizaeth Fry

Restored by

Robert & Frances Roche and Richard H. Fry

1991"

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The Organ

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Austin Organ Co. (Opus 1759, 1931)

Chests: Austin Universal Air

25 ranks. 1,743 pipes. 4 divisions. 3 manuals. 25 stops. 30 registers.

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THE CLOCK

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The Clock in the Milton Presbyterian Church is a " Model 16 containing movements #263" by the Seth Thomas Clock Co.

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READ MORE
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From Bell's History of Northumberland County,1891:

There was a considerable Presbyterian element among the early population of Milton and vicinity, connected with the organizations of Warrior Run and Chillisquaque, of which the Rev. John Bryson became the first regular pastor in 1789. After the erection of a school house at Milton he began to preach there occasionally, but it was not until the year 1806, ten years after these services were begun, that arrangements were made for their regular continuance. In this movement James P. Sanderson appears to have been the active spirit; he formulated a subscription paper for the support of preaching "every other Sabbath for one year from this date" (April 17, 1806), and in this manner the sum of sixty-two dollars, fifty cents was pledged by the following persons:

John Armstrong, John Brady, Calhoon & Cowden, John Chestnut, David Derickson, John Gillespie, Elizabeth Gallagher, Robert Gray, Edith Hepburn, John Hetherington, James Humes, James Hutchinson, Polly Housel, Jane Irwin, Samuel Jordan, Henry Kirk, James McCord, Arthur McGowan, James Miller, Isaac Osmond, William and Thomas Pollock, John Quin, Ezekiel and James P. Sanderson, James Seringer, Daniel Smith, Robert Taggart, Moses Teas, and Bethuel Vincent.

It is probable that this list includes all the Presbyterians of the town, and also others without the pale of that church.

In the following year the subscription paper was again circulated, and the following new names appear: Guyan Arthur, John Davison, John L. Finney, Philip Goodman, James Moodie, George Searles, and Samuel H. Wallis.

Mr. Bryson continued to preach at Milton under this arrangement, probably until 1812, and was connected with religious and educational work in this and adjoining counties until his death, August 3, 1855. In 1810 Rev. Thomas Hood succeeded him, and in 1811, with the approbation of Northumberland Presbytery, he organized a church at Milton, of which James P. Sanderson, Lazarus Finney, and Arthur McGowan, the first elders, were installed, December 3, 1811.

The school house on Lower Market street and Broadway and the Episcopal church on Marr's lane were the places of worship until 1817, when the Presbyterians united with the Lutheran and Reformed congregations in the erection of Harmony church. This was abandoned in 1832, and from that time until 1838 the Baptist and Associate Reformed churches were occupied.

On the 29th of August, 1836, a congregational meeting was held to devise measures for the erection of a church building, and a committee was appointed to solicit subscriptions, but the movement subsided without definite results. It was renewed at a congregational meeting on the 8th of August, 1837, and pushed to a successful consummation; July 29,1838, a one-story brick edifice on Front street above Broadway was dedicated, and in this building the congregation worshiped until 1856, when it was superseded by a two-story brick edifice on the same site, dedicated August 16.

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