Historic Paxton, her days and her ways, 1722-1913

Parson Elder, by far the most important of the early pastors, has been treated of at length elsewhere. His was the longest charge of any in the history of the church. He was ordained and installed at Paxton, December 22, 1738 — the manuscript of his ordination sermon still exists — and in his fifty-two years' pastorate the church grew in numbers, until "the congregation was so large many could not obtain seats within the stone church/' according to testimony coming down to us from one of the visitors to old Paxton in 1763. From this same visitor, Miss Alexander, who with her father. Colonel Hugh Alexander, visited old Paxton meeting house in 1772, we get a most delightful picture of the church life in the days of Parson Elder. Many of us may recall the pleasure of this picture when Dr. George S. Chambers read the reminiscences to the great audience gathered to Paxton by the Sesqui- Centennial Celebration, and it seems well worth reprinting. "Miss Alexander rode from Harris' Ferry to Paxton Church with her father for the morning service, arriving while the congregation was assembling. She observed in her ride how little grown timber there was between the Susquehanna and the church, it having been destroyed about twenty years before in the Indian War of "Apparently all the men of the congregation were present; the church grove was filled with fine horses; vehicles of any sort were rare. The women were neatly, generally prettily clad, the men substantially, mostly in dark broadcloth, with buff waistcoast and short clothes. The crowd took their places in the decorous way of their Presbyterian fathers. Soon the service was opened by a large, broad-shouldered, very tall, well-clad clergyman, who wore a Geneva band, his hair showing marks of advancing age. His manner was grave, and impressive, as much so as that of any man I have heard since. When she spoke of this she was seventy-five years of age. His style of delivery plain, very clear, and commanded the reverent attention of all. The music w^as led by a precentor. At the close of the service Colonel Alexander and his daughter were introduced to Rev. Mr. Elder. She was much struck by the refined address, dignity and ease of the clergyman.'^ His was not an easy charge. The sturdy Scotch-Irish are not wont to be acquiescent even to a deeply revered pastor; but the personality and deep religious fervor of Mr. Elder, one of the ablest men of his day, made for great spiritual growth as well as material prosperity. An amusing story of Paxton's treatment of a supply in the eighteen months between Mr. Bertram and Mr. Elder illustrates a spirit of independence in the flock which it takes rare tact to handle. A Mr. Craighead was appointed a supply but didn't fill it because two of the elders wrote him the people would refuse to come out to hear him. This trouble came up to Presbytery — whose methods in those early days seem rather inquisitorial — and old Paxton was lectured severely "for such disrespect to our Presbyterial order and authority." Nor did the temporizing supply escape rebuke: he was sternly told he "should have staid and attempted to preach until they shut the doors against him.'' Rev. Nathaniel Randolph Snowden 1793—1796