Middletown transcript., 1878-04-20
9istorita1.
Forest Chnrch.

Forest Cnurchs
Extract from the centennial Ser
mon" preached by Rev. John PAT
ton, d. d., in Forest PresbyteriaI
Church, Oct 20, 1876.
"In 1742 the Draw
yer's Church divided on the question
of Old and New Side, which at tha
period agitated the Presbyterian body
and drove it asunder for II years
The Old Side remained with the build
ing, and the New Side left and consti
tuted the churches of St. Georges anc
the Forest. According to DR. ReaC
the Withdrawing party were constitut
ed into society and formed a large
and respectable congregation, and very
shortly afterward invited Rev. VIM
Robinson to be their minister; who
labored with great success, but left il
1746 and became the pioneer Of Pres
byterianism in Virginia The Forest
Church was composed of a portion Of
the New Side who withdrew from
Drawers 1742. They worshipped
for while with the St. Georges peo-
| pie, and some of them perhaps at Back
Greek till 1850 The Forest congre-
cation is known to have purchased the
site of its first place of worship in
1850. In that year Robert Alexander
decided lot to Peter Bayard, James
Bayard, Sluyter Bouchell, Benjamin
Sluyter, William Moore, Jno. Moody,
James Shaw. Thomas Rothwell, and
John Vandyke, Trustees Of the Forest
congregation, called the Presbyterian
congregation of Bohemia and Apo
quiGimink under the care of the Synod
of New York.
After the Rev. Mr.. Robinson left,
the people of St. Georges called Rev.
Samuel Davis, then a young man, Of
Welsh descent, born a short distance
from Summit Bridge on the farm now
occupied by the Lum family. He
speat some time with them, but not as
a Pastor, and removed thence to Han
over, Virginia. He was afterwards
President of Princeton College, visited
England and collected funds for its
endowment, and was one Of the most
talented and eloquent men Of the aye.
After he left they united with the
congregation of Middletown, which
was composed principally Of the peo-
pie that withdrew from Drawers, and
few of those that belonged to Back
Creek congregation, and invited a
Mr.. John Rodgers to be their Pastor.
He accepted their invitation, was in
stalled March 18th, 1749, and labor
ed sixteen years among them. So
popular was DR.. Rodgers that the ad
jacent congregations found it difficult
to sustain a minister, especially Draw
yer's and Pencader. He was called to
Wall St. Church, New York and re-
moved in 1865; was the Moderator of
the First General Assembly of the
Presbyterian Church in the United
States;* and died in 1871. Rev.
Elihu Spencer was called to succeed
him in these two churches and contin-
ued with them four years. After him
Rev. Thomas Smith was called, and
accepted; but difficulty arising be-
tween the two congregations they sep
arated; and Mr.. Smith remained with
Middletown people, and labored with
them till his death in 1892. The glebe
belonged to the two in 1776. After the
death of Mr. Smith, the Forest con-
gregation called Rev. Mr.. Cheally,
who was exceedingly popular in the
pulpit, but was misguided and i'm
moral man. During his ministry the
church declined, and its glebe was
lost, and the ruin of the original en-
terprise was eventually completed.
Since his time the pulpit was supplied
by Rev. Mr.. Burton and Rev. Mr..
Wilson, ministers of Drawers. The
old edifce went gradually to decay.
1t stood in the southeast portion Of the
present cemetery. When no longer
fit for use as a place of worship, and
crumbling to decay it was sold, and
whatever was of value was borne away.
The columns in front of the cottage on
Broad St. adjoining the Academy
were formerly part Of the ancient
edifce. know of no other remains.
The cemetery is still there, embracing
the same site where the old sanctuary
had stood, and where the worshipping
had gathered for near a
hundred years, fit resting place Of
the dead, to be kept inviolate and
decorated, and in waiting for
the children in their turn to sleep by
the side of their fathers. The beauti-
full trees that formerly adorned the
spot and gave it SO characteristic q
name, have all disappeared. The
.ribes no longer assemble to keep holy
lay. The voice of the preacher, of
prayer, of praise, of the sacred oracles
5 no more heard in the hallowed
place. The Sessional Records, the
oil of the membership, the communion
et of solid silver hnorn to hare belonged