The Jersey City news., 1902-05-31
PASTORS HOME
Merriam House at Newton
to Be a Refuge for Dis
abled Presbyterian
Clergymen. !.
WESTMINSTER TO Be ABANDONED
-s
Historic Building Formerly
the Colonial Executive
Mansion-Among the
Churches.

Interest in the Merriam house at New
ton has been revived by the decision OF
the Presbyterian General Assembly to
close the Westminster at Perth Amboy
and transfer such of the latters inmates
who would go to the home at Newton.
This was decided upon when an over
ture from the Presbytery of Elizabeth
asking that the Perth Amboy home be
kept going as a retreat for aged minis
tiers be voted down.
The Perth Amboy house has cost $685.
seses during the last eighteen years. an
average Of ss,6s4.73 per year. and s4s4.9s
per guest.
An average of twenty-one inmates have
occupied 1t each year.
The Newton home is said to be far more
heaithful than the old place. II has an
endowment of $4,000.
Dr. H. @. Mendenhall. of Elizabeth, de-
ciared that the inmates of Perth Amboy
do not want to go TO the Merriam home,
and that from twenty-five to thirty are
there and protest against going away.
The Merriam house, which was left to
the Presbyterian Board of Relief by the
late Henry w. Merriam. to be used as a
home for disabled Presbyterian ministers,
comprises ore of the most magnificent
residence properties in Northern New
Jersey.
Everything that the architects skill or
the landscape gardeners craft could do
to beautify the place was done during
Mr.. Merriam's lifetime
Mr.. Merriam, in addition to the house,
gave to the Board only $4,000 in trust
to maintain the property. and the income
from the endowment was not considered
sufficient to carry out the intentions ex-
pressed in the terms of Mr.. Merriam 5
bequest.
Mr.. Merriam was a millionaire shoe
manufacturer.
He was brought to Newton by a stock
company of citizens, who built his factory
for him
He was devoted to the interests of the
town and of his employees His personal
relations with his employees were remark
ably close. An instance of this was noted
in 1892, on his cath birthday, when he dis
tributed $4,000 among them as a testi-
monial of his regard for them.
On his s5th birthday he made them an
other distribution of ss5,ooo. and short
time afterward of $1,000.
Westminster was known as the Presby-
terian Home for Infirm Clergy, which was
a bester indication of the use to which it
was put.
The building was the Gubernatorial
mansion In the colonial days when
Perth Amboy was the capital of Eas.
Jersey. Governor William Franklin, son
OF Poor Richard, lived there when the
revolutionary war broke out Earlier, for
fivc years, it was occupied by Chief Jus
fsce Sinyth.
The building was completed in 1765. 1t
was built and originally owned by the
Proprietors of East Jersey.
In 1878 the proprietors disposed of the
property, John Pattsone becoming ITS
owner. In 1909 the building was remodelled
and given the name of the Brighton.
The War of 1872 ruined the owners Of
the place, which had become a popular
hostelry and resort. Matthias Bruen pur-
chased the property and occupied it as
his residence until his death, half a CEN
tury ago.
After some years as a summer resor :,
the Brren House, as ii became known,
was given to the Presbyterian Church
for use in trust, as home for infirm
clergymen. their widows and orphans.
For many years old and infrm preach
ers, returned missionaries and other de-
serving Christian workers have been en-
tertained and cared for in the historic
mansion. Many have died there.
The present pastor of Perth Amboy' )
First Presbyterian Church, Rev. Dr.
Harlan G. Mendenhall. took up his resi-
dence there when he was installed and