The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-06-20
St; Johns P. E. Church At
Elizabsth to Celebrate I 9
Two Hundredth Ami
Versary
NEXT SUNDAYS PROGRAMME
DISTINGUISHED CLERGYMEN
WHO HAVE BEEN RECToRs OF
THE CHURCH IT'S PRESENT
STATUS u
- fr q
special 10 .rhe Jersey city Newa."l

Especial to "The Jersey city News'')
ELIZABETH, June 20, 1906.-A re-
ligious event of Importance and one of
deep interest to the Episcopalians of
New Jersey and more especially to those
of that denomination living in this city,
next Sunday of the laying of the corner
stone of st. Johns Church in this city
the pioneer oone in this section of the
State and the mother church of Eliza
beh Episcopalians While the first
Episcopal service was held in this city,
November 3, 1703, it was not until June
"a, 1905, on the festival of st. John the
Baptist that the corporate or organic life
Of the parish began, when the corner
stone of the old st. Johns Church was
laid on the ground where the first divine
service had been held, nearly three
years previously.
Its first rector was Rev. John Brooke,
who came to East Jersey from England
July 15, 1705. He sailed for England
in November, 1907, and was lost at sea.
Old St. Johns Church was built of brick
and was fifty feet long, thirty feet wide
and twenty-one feet high. Its second rec
tor was Rev. Edward Vaughn, who
took charge in 17O9 He died in 1747,
and was succeeded in 1751 by Rev. DR..
Chandler, who, being a devoted loyalists
was forced to leave the country in 1775,
when the Revolutionary War began.
He did not return until 1875. He re-
manned rector of st. Johns until his
death in 1870.
The eleventh rector of the church was
Rev Richard Claiming Moore, Jr., and
during his incumbency Christ Episcopal
Church. and offspring of st. Johns, was
founded in 1858, while Grace Church, at
Elizabethport, was established in 1945,
and Trinity Church in 1859. The
twelfth rector of St. Johns was Rev.
DIR. Samuel A. Clark, during whose ad-
ministration the present church ediice
was built. He was succeeded at his
death by Rev. DIR. William S. Langford,
and when the latter resigned the present
rector Rev DR.. Otis A. Glazebrook then
chaplain of the University of Virginia,
where he was graduated, was called to
fill the vacant pulpit.
Rev DR. Glazebrook, who served as
an officer under Stonewall jackson in
the Civil War, took charge of ST. Johns
IN November, 1885 During his capable
administration the old church has pros
pered greatly and is now the largest in
the. diocese Of New Jersey, of which
Bishop John Scarborough is the head.
1t has nearly 1,400 communicates, in
cluding those who worship in st. An
drew's Mission Chapel, erected in 1891,
at Division street and Rebecca place,
which is a branch of St Johns. Both
have about 500 Sunday y-school pupils
ST. Andrews chapel, with the land and
parish house, cost about $4,000. Dur
ing Rev. DIR. Glazebrook's pastorate
there has always been erected adjoin-
ing the church, a rectory at a cost of
$4,000. while the land on which ii
stands cost $4,000. The church has al
so been tiled. and its interior renovated
and decorated at a cost of nearly $1,000.
by transfers from other Episcopal
churches and by confirmation, while dur
ing the same period the baptisms have
been seventy-four, and the contributions
from all sources exceeded SIT GOO. St
Johns has a fine mixed choir of thirty
FIVE voices, the organist and choirmaster
being Bauman Lowe. 1t has one of the
most fashionable congregations of any
church in New Jersey. The assistant
rector is Rev. Brockholst Morgan.
Its officers are: Wardens Francis
Collingwood. Joseph Gales; vestrymen,
Warden R. Dix, William T. Day, George
G. Thomas, II. G. Higgins. George f.
Jones. Melville Egleston, Theodore T.
johnson, Edward Olmstead, Benjamin
H. Campbell; clerk of vestry, Warren r,
Dix; treasurer, Christopher r. Carter.