One connoisseur of old pewter to whom our
service was shown says the two plates and four
cups are undoubtedly of the same period though
the cups seem to have no touch mark on them.
The four small trays that hold the cups have
quite a different marking, two doves under a
crown, with LO on one side and VE on the other,
may be by Townsend — these small hall marks
were often used in addition to the special touch
mark — but are possibly of a little later date.
In the photograph of our old pewter service
may be noticed a small heap of oblong disks in
the foreground. These are the old "tokens"
formerly given to each communicant at the sac-
ramental service. They are of lead, worn
97
very thin, and all but one bear the initials B. P.
This, tradition has it, stands for Bertram Pastor,
thus linking us with the very first minister of
Paxton after her formal organization and the
election of a session in 1732. The other token is
marked H. S. and may belong to the old Han-
over Session, one of the early Presbyterian
churches of this region, but long since passed
away.
98
>-sM:
:?7
<■<-" ^^-u^.oi^^ ,4^a^^jycc K^jc^-^j, X' ^,^ ■ / 'VX >-
^, atij^^L? ff,-,,^ <A«^ ,1^^ A^Lii .t,;^.t,i.,,^. y*~*f»^u%^ ^Ti^L^im^ "^
A Page from the Minutes of Old Donegal Presbytery— First Visit
of Presbytery to Paxton Church, August 28, 1734.
XII
MONOGRAPHS ON THE
MINISTRY
Paxton Church has had a ministry during nearly two
centuries in which we may well take pride. All have been
men of wide education, strong piety and force of char-
acter, and it is not well that their work for this church
and countryside be forgotten. These sketches, necessarily
brief, are a slight tribute to the pastors without whom this
church would long since have been abandoned and Presby-
terianism in Paxton Valley be but a name.
Rev. James Anderson
1726—1732
In the obscure records of Paxton^s earliest
days we first focus definitely on the name of
Rev. James Anderson, of Donegal, who, after
1726, gave one-fifth of his time to Derry and
Paxton. He was a Scotchman, born in 1678,
educated in the University of Edinburgh, or-
dained by the Presbytery of Irvine and sailed
for America in 1709. Landing in Virginia, his
Calvinistic ways took not kindly to the gay
Cavaliers. He comes over the border, is pastor
at New Castle, Delaware, but later is pastor of
the First Presbyterian Church of New York City,
built in Wall Street in 1719. At his own request
he was transferred to Donegal in 1726, and thus
came into touch with this church.
Mr. Anderson was of the old-time Covenanter
99
type, and his rigid views of life and discipline
were none too well received by his New York
flock. According to an old historian he was a
man of talents, learning and piety, a graceful
and popular preacher, sternly orthodox, and
domineering of disposition. Like Mr. Elder, he
was bitterly opposed to Whitefield. On one oc-
casion, after the great revivalist finished preach-
ing. Parson Anderson rushed furiously to the
stand to refute him but was restrained.
Mr. Anderson severed his connection with
Paxton and Derry in 1732 — according to Pastor
William Downey's History he was never more
than a stated supply — but did not die until 1740,
being buried at old Donegal.
Page 36
Presented as published in 1913. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
One connoisseur of old pewter to whom our service was shown says the two plates and four cups are undoubtedly of the same period though the cups seem to have no touch mark on them. The four small trays that hold the cups have quite a different marking, two doves under a crown, with LO on one side and VE on the other, may be by Townsend — these small hall marks were often used in addition to the special touch mark — but are possibly of a little later date.
In the photograph of our old pewter service may be noticed a small heap of oblong disks in the foreground. These are the old "tokens" formerly given to each communicant at the sacramental service. They are of lead, worn
very thin, and all but one bear the initials B. P. This, tradition has it, stands for Bertram Paxton, thus linking us with the very first minister of Paxton after her formal organization and the election of a session in 1732. The other token is marked H. S. and may belong to the old Hanover Session, one of the early Presbyterian churches of this region, but long since passed away.
>-sM:
:?7
<■<-" ^^-u^.oi^^ ,4^a^^jycc K^jc^-^j, X' ^,^ ■ / 'VX >-
^, atij^^L? ff,-,,^ <A«^ ,1^^ A^Lii .t,;^.t,i.,,^. y*~*f»^u%^ ^Ti^L^im^ "^
A Page from the Minutes of Old Donegal Presbytery— First Visit of Presbytery to Paxton Church, August 28, 1734.
MONOGRAPHS ON THE MINISTRY
Paxton Church has had a ministry during nearly two centuries in which we may well take pride. All have been men of wide education, strong piety and force of character, and it is not well that their work for this church and countryside be forgotten. These sketches, necessarily brief, are a slight tribute to the pastors without whom this church would long since have been abandoned and Presbyterianism in Paxton Valley be but a name.
Rev. James Anderson 1726—1732
In the obscure records of Paxton^s earliest days we first focus definitely on the name of Rev. James Anderson, of Donegal, who, after 1726, gave one-fifth of his time to Derry and Paxton. He was a Scotchman, born in 1678, educated in the University of Edinburgh, ordained by the Presbytery of Irvine and sailed for America in 1709. Landing in Virginia, his Calvinistic ways took not kindly to the gay Cavaliers. He comes over the border, is pastor at New Castle, Delaware, but later is pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of New York City, built in Wall Street in 1719. At his own request he was transferred to Donegal in 1726, and thus came into touch with this church.
Mr. Anderson was of the old-time Covenanter
type, and his rigid views of life and discipline were none too well received by his New York flock. According to an old historian he was a man of talents, learning and piety, a graceful and popular preacher, sternly orthodox, and domineering of disposition. Like Mr. Elder, he was bitterly opposed to Whitefield. On one occasion, after the great revivalist finished preaching. Parson Anderson rushed furiously to the stand to refute him but was restrained.
Mr. Anderson severed his connection with Paxton and Derry in 1732 — according to Pastor William Downey's History he was never more than a stated supply — but did not die until 1740, being buried at old Donegal.