Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1906-09-06
AURA CHURCH CELEBRATES.
Anniversary of the
Formation of the Society Held Yes
terday. Interesting Historical


Formation of the Society Held Yes
terday. Interesting Historical
owing to the storm on Wednesday
the centennial anniversary of the Aura
NJ. e. Church was held yesterday and
it was quite largely attended. We
give below very interesting histori-
cal sketch prepared and read by MI
Roy Ledden.
This celebration of the one-hun
dredth anniversary of this church we
consider an important event It Isl
just and fitting that we do. But II we
call to our notice conditions which ex-
listed, and events which transpired
within a mile of the spot, at date
much earlier than the founding OF this
church, we, at once, are convinced OF
the propriety of our assembling our
selves in this place.
We have been fortunate in obtain
ing from reliable records the Informal
ton that it was in this vicinity that
Methodism was first established IN.
New Jersey. Within mile northeast
from here, the house on what is now
known as the Evan Davis farm, stands
on the spot, where Lighthouse once
served as the home of John Early the
first Methodist of New Jersey. The
frame of the Lighthouse is the frame
of part of the house now standing.
Rev. John Atkinson in his "Memor-
ial of Methodism of New Jersey" pub
lished in 1860, gives the following ac-
count of Father Early: when the
Wesleyan reformation began to spread
over New Jersey, it was exceedingly
small and feeble A Methodist in
those days, was rare phenomenon.
The first of this sect of whom we have
any information, was John Early, a
native of Ireland where he was born
in the year 1888 He immigrated to
this country in 1854, and settled in
New Jersey. Somewhere between this
period and 1910, as near as can be de-
termined by the record, he embraced
the doctrines of the Gospel as shown
by Methodism. He lived respected
and useful in the community of the
church of his choice for about sixty
years, when he died at the advanced
age of four score and ten.
"He resided in Gloucester county,
and for forty years filed the Offices of
class leader and steward of the cir
cult to which he belonged. He was
consistent Christian, faithful
friend, an obliging neighbor, kind
husband, fond parent-devoted to
the interests and welfare of those
whom Providence had committed to
his care. His long life of fidelity con-
tributed much, doubtless, to the cause
of Christ in the region where he lived;
and in the history of Methodism in the
State, his example appears like lone
star shining in a clear place in the
heavens, and shedding its serene efful-
gence upon the darkness, clouds, and
tempest of dreary and fearful night
While he was the first in New Jer-
sey to identify himself with the peo-
pie called Methodists, he also gave at
an early and trying period in the his
tory of the denomination, a son TO the
itinerant ministry of the church. That
son, William Early, entered the minis
try at the age of twenty-one. In 1871
he bore the cross into the wilds of
Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
Methodism in it's ecclesiastical form
owes its origin in New Jersey to an
officer of the British army, Capt
Thomas Webb We find Capt Webb
preaching justification by faith in the
market house and courthouse OF the
! town of Burlington, NJ J., as early as
ITO. On December IA, Ito, he formed
a small class and appointed Jos. Toy,
its leader In year or less from the
time Toy was placed in charge of the
class at Burlington, he removed to
Trenton He there, in 1771 with some
other ardent associates formed a
Methodist Society.
Rev. Francis Asbury, later Bishop
Asbury, was the first of Methodist
ministers to scatter the doctrines of
Wesley broadcast throughout this
State. He landed in Philadelphia,
from port near Bristol, Eng, or the
/ 9th of October, 1771. On the 7th of
/ November, he went to Burlington, on
his way to New York, and preached
in the courthouse to a large, serious
congregation.
The work was soon extended to New
Mills (now Pemberton) a town sever
al miles from Burlington. Ex-Governor
i Fort, of New Jersey, in a private note
says 1.-THE tradition was that the M e.
Church there New Mills was the
first in this State, and the third in the
United States, in point of time-John
/ st. Church, N. Y, being first: a
SAANA I'll IL &sAcA ArAA0 A5ll q w UiAQSC 81
second; and New Mills third This
agrees with an article by Gov. Fort
published in the Christian Advocate
and Journal of Feb. 14th, 1884, in
which he claims that the church at
New Mills was the first erected in the
State of New Jersey. But Rev. ]. At
kinson proves to us, quoting from AS
bury's journal, the following facts:
Il. The first Methodist meeting
house, or church in New Jersey was
built in the Township of Greenwich,
Gloucester county.
-. The second church was built in
! Trenton in 1773.
80 The third Methodist Church of
New Jersey was built in New Mills in
1775.''
Just where the first Westinghouse
the one in Greenwich township, Glou-
cester county, was located have been
unable to learn as that township there
included territory extending from