The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-06-12
REV. FIErCHER HAwLEY, ID.

several we reprint the obituary below.
DIR. Hawley had many relatives in this
county, who will be pleased to read and
preserve the biography of this distin-
guished clergymau.-ED.
DIR. Hawley was lineal descendant of
Capt Jehiel Hawley, the early settler of
the town and founder of the church at
Arlington, Vermont, where DR.. Hawley
was born Nov. 22nd, 1918. His early
years were spent upon his fathers farm
attending in winter the common district
school, until the age of about Is years,
when he entered the grammar school of
Kenyon college, Gambler Ohio, and al
forwards Burr seminary, Manchester,
Vermont, where he completed his pre-
paratOry course for college. He then
spent year or two at the Polytechnic
Institute of Prof. Eaton, at Troy, N. Y,
when he entered Union college, Sche-
nectady, and graduated in 1870 During
the time he was in Troy he delivered
lectures at the celebrated female semi
nary of Mrs. Emma Willard in that city.
In October, 1910, he entered the general
Theological seminary of the Protest
ant Episcopal church in the city OF
New York, and graduated in June, 1913
He was ordained Deacon by Rt. Rev.
Bishop Onderdonk in ST. Stevens
church, New York city, in July, 1913,
and Priest by the Rt. Rev. Bishop Brow
nell in st. Johns church, Hartford,
Conn.,, in 1915. The severe duties of the
previous years having impaired his
health, he was advised to seek milder
climate, and accepted the rectorship Of
st. Johns church, Christiansted, Santa
Cruz, West Indies, an island belonging
to Denmark. Three quarters of the pop
ulatiOn of this land were cOlOred and
slaves to the few whites, mostly English,
who owned large plantations, growing
sugar cane and making therefrom sugar,
molases and rum. This land, the gem
of the sea, was discovered by Columbus
on the IUUn OF November, I4Uo, anu 81
beautiful was it that he named it Holy
Cross Santa CRUZ There was a small
church, but utterly inadequate for the
wants of the people, and he at once set
about to enlarge it, under great Difficult
ties. There were no architects or me-
chanics, and he had not only to plan and
make drawings, but work out models
with his own hands of the several parts
of the finish of the building, as a sample
for the negroes to work from. He sue
ceeded in erecting large church suf-
ficient to accommodate 1900 or more. II
was while he was there that the great
instruction of the slaves broke out
which threatened to destroy and burr
everything on the island. The white
inhabitants were utterly pOwerless to re-
sist them, and death to all seemed immi
nent. DR.. Hawley proposed to the
Romish Priest to join him, and clad il
their white robes of Office, they marched
out and met the mob of negroes, who
We're burning and laying waste the sugar
mills and plantations. Fortunately tho
negroes had great respect for, and conf
dence in these two priests, and wert
thus held in check for three days, until
the military arrived from the neighbour
ing island of st. Thomas, and a truce
was declared. The King of Denmark
had appointed DR.. Hawley to be the heaC
of the Colonial Council, and special advis
or to the Governor General. Inasmuch al
it was impossible for the planters to carr!
on their plantations without the labor o
negroes, or the negroes to live without
the help of the planters, Dr. Hawley pro
posed modification of the former re
lations existing between them which
was acceptable to both parties, anC
adopted by the government, which has
continued to this day. as a solution o
the slavery question in Santa Cruz. AT
ter fourteen years of active and etficien
work in church and State, DR.. Hawle,
returned in June, 1850, to the United
States, leaving the Island in much NOR
prosperous condition than when he wen
there, which was greatly due to hi
active efforts, good judgment and wis
counsel. During his residence there N
made visit to this country, and wa
married November 2nd, 1853, in Burling
ton, Vermont by the Rt. Rev. BishOl
Hopkins to Miss Marian Garfield, siste
of ThOs. IL. Garfield of Burlington. b,
whom he had two children, Mr.. Thos. c
Hawley, an esteemed citizen of thi
country, and Mrs. Swami, wife of til
Rev. George E. Swami of indianapolis
Indiana.
Soon after his return to the Unite,
States, Bishop Polk of Louisiana cam
to Vermont, and insisted upon DR.. Haw
ley's going to Louisiana to take charg
of Trinity church, of which the BishO
was then rector, and which he had t.
give up on account of the arduous dutie
of his piscopate-claiming that as Dl
Hawley had been residing for years in
southern climate, he was especial
adapted for the climate of New Orlean
and the work of the large parish of Trim
ity. With much reluctance he cOnsente
to the Bishops urgent request AM
Orleans in December 1850. His genia
and cultivated manners, and his zealou
devotion to his duties soon made him
favorite with the southern people of a
classes, so that when the civil war bro<
out he retained the confidence of all, a
though he frankly announced to ther
his opposition to secession and firm ad
herence to the UuiOn.
Some time after the blockade wa
raised and the arrival of Gen. Butler
he was allowed to leave for tn
North, and arrived in New York on til
25th of September, 1862, to begin lif
over again as it were, without any mean
or situation, his own health and that G
his family being much impaired by thei
suffering in New Orleans.
He officiated temporarily at Triuit
church, Chicago, and Grace churcl
Brooklyn, until 1864, when Bishop Wi
liams wanted him to come to Danbury
Conn, to take charge of and harmonic
many unhappy divisions and conflictin
interests, in that arcient parish. Her
the administrative ability and wisdol
for which Dr. Hawley was characterized
was called into active exercise. But u
soon brought about harmony of int
csts, which resulted in his raising SCI
practically building new stone churcl
one of the largest in the Diocese.
Meanwhile the Mission at Station
Springs, in Connecticut, had becom
quite weak by removals and otherwis
and DR.. Hawley's great success at Dal
bury commended him to the people
that Mission as well as to the Bishop, 6
the proper person to revive it, and at Il
Bishops request he resigned the paris
at Danbury and removed to Staffol
Springs in 1875. He soon got the pc
pie together and infused with renewC
zeal and energy, raised quite a su
of money and built for them a new al
beautiful church. Hele he workC
with his accustomed activity az
Judgment until he established the churC
upon firm foundation. But the cl
mate was too severe for the children, AZ
having acquired some land in Beck
county, Minnesota, he accepted a CT
to st. Paul's church, Brainerd, where
removed September 10Th, 1880. Here
devoted himself TO the work of Il
church with his usual zeal and effort
and spending some time each year
making improvements upon his far
at Lake Park, in which he took gre
interest. In the fall of 1887. while pas
ing from his study to tie dining roo
in the rectory at Brainerd, he sudden
fell, and without byeaking any bones,
apparent injury, he lost the use of h
left leg, from which he never recovere
and had been unable to walk ever sine
Few men in their day or generate
have done more good to their fello
men or have been more universally b
loved by all who knew them, than i
Hawley and without an enemy he pass,
away to receive the reward of the got