The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-01-13

dam. The very day that the Dutch flag
was pulled down and the flag of Eng
land fioated above the battery fort the
spirit of Trinity appeared and COB
bled up a little Dutch church near
the fort. This was 10 1864. but it was a
very fair beginning. The first Governor
of he province, Fletcher. was an ardent
churchman, and the first thing be did was
to give the Dutch aud other inhabitants TO
understand that the conquest carried with
it the established church. and 10 rush the
assembly and the people OF New York for
is official recognition and maintenance.
There was considerable friction, but after
several years of hard fighting the Gov
ernor gained his point, and in 1896 got
vestry who wers styled Managers of the
affairs of the Church Of England and the
city of New York"
The first clergyman was one William
Vesey, whose name decorates the street.
lamps hard by ST. Paul. He was COM
nelled to 90 to England for his ordination.
While h. was away the Manager" aD-
piled TO the assembly and OBJ aimed an act
of incorporation and when Mr.. Vesey re-
turned full-fedged priest be found
Trinity parish in existence. with a char
ter CT its own and ready for business.
The Rev. Mr.. Vesey was indicted Christ
mas day, 1857. being ne fifth of the reign
of William and Mary. By the charter
thus obtained, appointed by the Gov
eroor Of the province and sanctioned
by the royal seal. Trinity was presented
with certain piece and parcel of ground
gate of the city OF New York, COM
monty called and known as Broadway;
also certain church and steeple." pre-
sumably the same captured from the I'M
fortunate Dutch. However, the Dutch
were apparently satisfied In some particular
grant of their own. The "church and
steeple" thus come by was the first Trinity
church, and was formally opeued March
Is. 1893. For the support of the rector and
church a tax was imms diateiy laid upon
the people of the parish.
To further put the parish of Trinity
church" uuon its feet the good Queen
Anne, in 1905. made an additional grant
to the corporation by letters patent
signed by Lord Cornbury, then Gov
then called Queens Farm, lying on
the west side OF Manhattan Island, and
extending from st. PauPs Chapel north
ward along the river 10 the Skinner road,
now Christopher street. This farm
was afterward called Kings farm"
Church Farm" Il was little else than a
farm and lay outside the city walls and
was cultivated. But it so supplemented
the former grant that the church corpora
ton was then in possession of practi-
cally all of that portion Of the city
lying west of Broadway. between
the Battery and Christopher street. For
many years it was third of the entire
city of New York. It is through this
tract Church street runs. and the whole
has been built up these hundred years.
Immediately following this grant the
building of a church was begun and pro-
vision was made at the same time for tax
ing the parish still further to pay for it.
Subscriptions didn't come In very fast in
those days. The church was, therefore.
small affair. Some of the money used ha d
been raised TO liberaie slaves, slaves worked |
on the building. and commissions on
"all weifts," wrecks and drift whales, |
and all that sort Of thing went 10 swell |
the Golfers of the managers. The CORPORA |
tion was gathering impstus for its great |
financial future.
The new church was a small square edi- |
fee that would now be considered CON- |
mon in country town, but it was then |
deemed an imposing structure. st !
stands" said descriptive writer |
of the day, "very pleasantly upon |
the banks Of Hudson River. and |
has q large cemetery on each side. |
Enclosed 10 front by planted paled fence. |
Before it is a long walk rallied off from |
Broadway. the pleasantess street of any |
In the whole town."
AS enlarged in 1857 it was .'about 14S feet |
long, including the tower and chancel. |
and " feet broad. with steeple It's feet |
high" The vestrymen were of the most /
citizens and distinguished Off |
cials of the British Government in the |
colony. It had already three complete sets |
of communion plate bestowed upon il by |
royal y-one from William and Mary. ore |
from Queen anne and the other from one |
of the Georges. People began obligingly |
to die and leave 1t something. About this |
time its original rector. Mr.. Vesey. died |
also. and was succeeded by the Rev. Mr. |
Barclay. in 1916 We know all about Bar
clay by reason of his street, which he left
behind him, near Vesey's.
In time its congregation got too big for
Trinity, and church of lease" was
protected. This was erected on Beekmau
and Cliff streets-Messrs. Reads. Ludlow.