The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-05-17

aItuS tOOdy Ou tuC COl uCA Oi WCutiCtn act site donated by the Elyton Land xS0 feet in dimension.
 come greatly endeared to all member. | of the parish and 1t was realized tho
 bishop had told the truth when he saio | he was sending the best man he had 1T l the diocese
 | The first service held by Mir Pitt. was in unfinished store on Firs
 avenue, between Twenty first ant Twenty second streets, the construc. tion of a home for the Advent parisl I being under way
 Those who were members of the first | days of the church will recall with in terest that the original building was erected by contractor named Britt
 who, not being paid the full amount agreed upon, after completing the build. ing locked 1t up against those seeking
 to use 1t and thus it remained for sev-
 eral days. until funds (and it was q | day of scarce funds then for every
 member of the new, young church.
 could be raked. scraped and piled to-
 gether to satify Britt
 | There were just about 20 members
 of the parish then.
 | Today there are between $40 and 900 1 R. H. Pearson and Major Miner were
 the first two .wardens of the Advent parish.
 | The first church was built right where | the parish house is now, in appearance of frame, resembling an old fashioned | country store, about 40xSO feet in d. mension.
 This structure was used until the con- struction of the present magnificent edifice which is today the Church of the , Advent
 The present church was begun in the latter eighties and completed about tho 1 middle nineties Bishop Richard H l Wilmer referring to it, in laughing way, as "the church going up by geo. graphical formations" owing to the slow progress made towards it's com pletion.
 l After Rev. Philip A. Fitts left the parish 1t was served in sequence by James A VanHoose Stringfellow oi Montgomery, Hunt of Tuscaloosa. A. Kenney Hall, Rev. Charles Morris, J. B Gray of California and Rev. Thomas J Beard, from one of the Mobile parishes In the interregnums caused by such frequent changes, for one reason or another of rectors, MT. Ellis Phelan who was superintendent of the Sunday school, officiated as lay-reader. hav- ing been appointed regularly to that position by the proper authority. Ellis Phelan was one man who should be remembered by many in the Bir-
 mingham of today, for he was one of the most brilliant men mentally this district has ever known, while being true and loyal to such a personal and
 moral code as to win friends and hold them in far greater number than falls to the lot of the ordinary mortal. Ellis Phelan was a man among men He and Major Milner were associated to- gether during the great war as members
 of the famous division of fighting gallants commanded by Pat R. Cleburne. who fell
 at the battle of Frapklin, and after the war they renewed their friendship as pioneers in Birmingham.
 MT. Phelan married Miss Amy Hawkins of Jefferson county, of whom 1t was said | 'the best thing which can be said about 1 her is that she was wholly worthy of her husband" Mrs. Phelan died in a l pneumonia epidemic in 1879 or 1880, which l caused the death of Mrs. Eliza s. Shep- i herd, another devout woman who was a l loyal member of the parish at the same | time.
 | MT Phelan was the first superintendent | of the Advent Sunday school and was 1 also the first lay-reader of the parish,
 later going to a New England state where 1 he became a judge of one of the superior | courts, gaining renown as one of the
 most eminent baristers of his period. The present home of the parish was
  Thomas J. Beard. and was completed un- der the rectorship of the Rev. John c. Murray. today bishop of Maryland. The estimated cost of the present build ing, that is the church proper. is T5,000, and to that sum the parish house and rectory will add $25,Oo0 more. the three buildings and the land representing a round valuation of s2Oo000 worth of church property today
 Tv, l~f1 a uo1ianf farfa about this church many interesting fea- tures develop. Joseph F. Johnston, twive governor of Alabama and later United States senator for two terms, was a member of the Church of the Advent when he first came to Birmingham, not withdrawing his membership until the organization of the parish of St. Mary 's-on-the-Highiands. St. Mary s-on- the Highlands sprang. as every one knows, from the Church of the Ad- vent.
 It was first planned as a mission of the Church of the Advent and before the organization of the mission was perfected was resolved into an individual parish. Mrs. George Ward. mother of George B. Ward, once mayor of this city and today a member of the Birmingham city commis- sion. is a revered member of the Advent parish, who relates in charming manner
 incidents of reminiscent nature.
 Mrs. Pearson- widow of R. H. Pearson is another devout member of the Advent whose records would be incomplete with out mention of her name.
 R. H. Pearson, who was a member
 of the first Advent vestry, was one of
 the earliest settlers of Birmingham, go
 ing through the "cholera period" with
 such big-hearted courage as to deserve great praise. Up to the time of his death
 four years ago he was, in the opinion o1 many qualified to speak. one of the ablest attorneys northern Alabama has known,
 and he will always be regarded as one Fof the strongest men of Birmingham
 early days.
 Chancellor Thomos Cobbs father of J B. Cobbs. whom many think will be the
 next postmaster of this city, was another
 active member of the parish in its earlier
 days, as was Gem Rufus ", Rhodes
 founder of the Biymingham News. Gen eral Rhodes was for many years menn- Der of the Advent vestry and Judge VII. liam g. Mudd. for S years a circuit judge l of Alabama, wansa contemporary of his tn church affnirs for yoarn.