The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1923-10-24
PASTORS WRITE LETTERS
TO FORMER PENSIONERS
District Superintendent Rev. Alfred
Wagg, D. D., Sends Kindly Greet
ings to Salem Church.

One of the features of the "Ofd
Home Week" celebrated at Salem NJ.
E. Church last week, was the writing
/. of letters by former pastors, to be read
to the congregation. One of such let
tiers came from Rev. Alfred Wagg, d.
D., who was a pastor at Salem proba-
bly, about forty years ago, and who
now is the District Superintendent of
the New Brunswick District. He re-
calls many incidents and old family
recollections which touch the heart,
as the letter is read. The letter fol-
lows:
Your letter received. l am glad to
recall our three years pastorate at
Salem Church. | took my bride there,
being married about three months af-
ter my appointment to the charge.
Two Of our children were born in that
parsonage as it used to be; one of
whom, the first-born, was taken home
to Heaven, after being with us four
months. Our three years there were
very happy years to us; the salary
was small ($550), but the people were
very kind, and kept our larder filled
with bay-truck and farm products.
The good friends loom up before
me, as l write to you, and l think of
the names of Disbrow, Ryons, Risleys,
Hiltons, Ingersolls, Collins, Newells,
Humphreys, Potters, Stebbins, Jeffreys,
Lakes, and oh SO many others l can
not name.
We recan Mr.. and Mrs. Pardon Ryon,
our nearby neighbors, and grandmoth-
er Ryon, blind, a saint of God, whom
1 visited every Monday. Mrs. Ryon
was a real mother to my young wife,
and her refined personality and kindly
spirit we cannot forget. We further
rectli special kindness of James Ry-
on's family, MI. and Mrs. Lewis Steel
man, Sheriff Collins, and many others,
among whom was Arnold B. Race and
family, into whose love and home we
were given an abundant entrance.
There was no Methodist Church in
P1easantville, as it was in those days.
and my church was usually crowded,
both morning and night, Including a
great company of young people, and
elder ones who would walk down from
the territory about the station and
beyond.
The children of that period are your
leading families and officials now, a
number of whom | recall with great
pleasure, and have great joy in meet
ing them in different parts of the
country from time to time. You have
your beautiful new church now, with
the old parsonage and grounds beau
tifully modernized; but, our first par
sonage home, the cottage as it used to
be-. with the kitchen stove in h din
ing room, looks as we remember 1t,
very beautiful to us, for there we be-
gan housekeeping, and there u first
baby was born, and mother Jeffreys
across the lot was u nurse, and a
real lovely old fashioned nurse and
mother she was. And then, the old
Church with galleries all around, often
filled with people. and the high pulpit,
all cared for by Bro. Stebbins, is fresh
in my memory to-day.
want.to thank the children OF those
good people for the love their fathers
and mothers gave us, in that our first
appointment; and l want to urge
them all to be true and faithful to God
and His Church until they and we and
all are brought to our Home above.
wish to congratulate them on the
achievements wrought in the past
years and on the appointment to their
charge of the present pastor and his
wife, who together have served so.
splendidly in other fields of labor,