Puffin .

Church Centenn ials , thus far , are among the rare events

i n the history of Canada . I t would , therefore . have been

remarkable had the church of S t . Marks ’

, Niagara , passed

through a century of i ts existence without commemoration

of the fact . More remarkable sti l l had i t proved , after the

event ’s celebration,had no record or memorial of the proceed

ings of the time been kept . That we might not be in such a

case,the publication of a memorial volume was asked for,

and the small book before us is the issue . Thework of compi la

tion and writing was committed to one of our best local b istori

cal writers,and al l wi l l concede that Miss Janet Carnochan has

faithful ly performed her part, and we would add has done so

gratuitously. Part of the matter w as taken from her very

able paper read before the Canadian I nsti tute i n 1890 ; but

the major portion is quite new and hitherto unpublished . To

al l i ntents and purposes , therefore , i t i s a new history . The

photo . i l lustrations were done espec ial ly for this work by two

gentlemen amateurs , whose names we are not at l iberty

to publish . The corporation of St . Mark ’s hereby tender

Miss Carnochan, and the above-mentioned gentlemen , thei r

heartiest thanks for thei r trouble , and hope that they may find

some l ittl e gratification i n the measure of permanency given

thei r work , as also in its general appreciation .

To al l interested,to those who took part i n the celebra

tion , and to the general publ ic , we commend this brief

memorial , which is i n real i ty but a partial narration of the

events i n the l ives of three success ive rectors , the last of

whom , comparatively free from i nfirmi ty , sti l l l ives to puruse

these pages .

J OH N C . GARRET, Citrate in charge.

R U S S EL W ILK INS ON ,

D . B . MACDOUGALL,

C/zurchwardens.

51aMark’

s

HE beautiful old chu rch of

St . Mark ’s , Niagara , forms

i n itself an ample refutation

of the statement , sometimes

sneeringly made , that Can

ada has no history ; for the

edifice and its surroundings

form a history i n themselves .

I t has been said , and wel l said , that were one to study the

h istory of this church—its tablets,its registe r, and al l

that may be seen from its square tower—he would be

tolerably famil iar with a great part of the history of Upper

Canada. I n attempting to sketch the story, we find an

ample store of di ff erent materials—a picturesque grey stone

church , with projecting buttresses and square tower , peeping

through the branches of magnificent old trees,many tablets

i ns ide and out , tombstones hacked and defaced by the rude

hand of war , an old register , dating back to 1 792 , kept

with scrupulous neatness , its pages giving an ever-shifting

kaleidoscopic V i ew of di fferent national iti es,of pioneer l ife ,

of mi li tary occupation , of the red man , Britain’

s faithful al ly ,

of the poor s lave , here freed by legal enactment , of w aifs

and strays from al l lands,while the su rroundings te l l of

French occupation two hundred years ago,of booming

cannons and blazing rooftrees a century ago .

Long before the modern touris t had invaded ou r quiet

town and learned of the beauti es wi th which we are so

famil iar , oracularly tell ing us what to admire,some of us

are pleased to remember that i t was our ideal of an old

English pari sh church and churchyard . When the late

lamented Dean Stan ley vis i ted St . Mark ’

s,he said “This is

a piece of old England . The parish of St . Mark ’

s is

un ique in th is particular , that in the century which has

elapsed there have been only three incumbents , with a

record of 37 , 28, and 35 years respectively. The value of

its register is shown by the fact that permiss i on was obtained

some years s ince to copy al l the earl ie r pages , and this record

has been placed in the archives of the H istorical Society

of the c ity of Bu ff alo. The Rev. Robert Addison , the

6

firs t rector , who had been sent out by the Society for

the Propagation of the Gospel , must have had a vein of

quiet humor , as shown by the quaint remarks i nterpolated

here and there at the notice of baptism , wedding or burial .

He was evidently a scholar and a lover of books , for his

l ibrary of several hundred volumes , now in the possession

of the church , would bring from far and near the lover of

rare and curious books . Here is a Breeches B ible and

Prayer Book , i n which is off ered prayer for Henrietta Maria ,

wife of Charles I . , and in dull , dusky leather many rare

and valuabl e folio editions to rejoice the heart of the bibl io

maniac .

The fi rs t entry is J u ly 9th , 1792 , a baptism , the first

burial being July 3 l st, and the first marriage is in these

words : “Aug. 23rd, 1 792 , Henry Warren , bachelor , to

Catherine Aglor , spinste r. ” “ Aug. 16th buried a soldier

in the Fort on the other s ide of the river . “Aug. 24th ,

marri ed Capt. James Hamilton to Louisa , his wife . The

remark appended to this te l ls a tale of a new country“ They had been married by some commanding officer or

magistrate , and thought i t more decent to have the off i ce

repeated .

” “ Buried Jan . 6th , 1 793 , Jane , a daughter of

Martin , Col . Butler’

s negroe .

” “ July 6th,a sergeant of the

sth Regt . , shot for desertion . He was attended a good while

before he su ff ered . He died well . ” P rv. Wyndham ,of

the sth Regt . , shot himself Mar . 20,“ A p . 1 2th,

7

1 794, William Dixon , bachelor , to Charlotte Adlem , spinster .

May 1sth , Col . John Butle r , of the Rangers , buried !my

Here is a pathetic entry : “ July , 1 794, buried a

chi ld of a poor stranger called Chambers .

” Sept . 9th ,

buried a soldier , surfei ted by drinking cold water . ”

“ Baptisms,Sept . grd, Cloe , a mulatto .

” Married John

Jacks and Rose Moore , negroes .

” These must have come to

thei r new homes s laves , but , to the honor of Canada be it

said , by Act of the Parl iament which sat within s ight of

S t . Mark ’

s , declared free long before Britain by many a

hard-fought s truggle i n the House of Commons made her

chattels free,or our neighbors in the United States

,by the

unstinted pouring out of mil l ions of dollars and of a more

costly treasure of tears and blood,did the same . “ Dec .

1 sth , 1 794, Mr . Barnham ,a stranger

,dropped down dead .

”

“ Burials,Jan . I st

,1 798 , an Indian chi ld .

” “May 7 th , 1 799,

servant of Mr . Justice Powel l ki l led i n yd . wel l . The

next entry tells of the time when this was the capital .

Buried an infant chi ld of the Atty .-Gen .

’

s servant . ” Oct .

10th , R . B . T ick el l buried and the comment on some to

us never to be explained tragedy,Alas

,he was starved .

”

“ Sept . 24, White , the butcher from England , and an Indian

chi ld .

” I t is noticeable that the rector must have been

indefatigable i n his exertions,for we find him baptizing at

Tw elve Mile Creek,Twenty Mile Creek

,Forty Mile Creek ,

Ancaster,Fort Erie

,St . Catharines , Head of the Lake , Chip

8

pewa,Grantham

,The Fal ls

,York

,Long Point . On these oc

cas ions , and when people came from long distances to Niagara ,

there are often a great many baptisms recorded on the one day ,

the comment “ of riper years showing that many bes ides

chi ldren were baptized . June 24th , 1 799, occu rs a wel l

known name Baptism,Allan Napier M cNabb , from

York ” ; as also occur the names of Ridout , Givens , Macaulay ,

from the same place . “ Buried,worn out by excess at the

age of Baptised,Amos Smith , of riper years .

”

“ Buried,old Mr . Doudle . “ Baptised

,1 80 1 , David , son of

I saac,a Mohawk Indian . Buried

,Cut Nose Johnson , a

Mohawk chief. “ Poor old Trumper , Capt. Pi lkington’

s

gardener. ” These s l ight descriptive terms show a human

interest,a kind heart

,a humorous vein . I n tu rning the

yel low but well-preserved pages,we see such express ions

as“ fel l i n a duel

,

” French refugee,

” boy drowned ,”

ki lled by lightning,

” “ fel l down the mountain ,” te l l ing

of tragedies which must have saddened many a home in

this new country,but of which no one now can give

us any further detai ls . I t is remarkable that in al l

the early notice of baptisms,there is nothing but the name

and those of the father and mother ; after some time come

not ices of god-mothers, and i n 1 806 th is ful ler notice !

May 3rd, Eliza Ann Maria Vigoreux ,daughter of Capt .

Henry , Royal Engineers , and Eliza ; god-father , Rev . Lou is

Vigoreux god-mothers , Dowager Lady Spencer and Anna

9

Maria Vigoreux. Here is the name of one who,justly or

unjustly , received much blame in the war :“ Baptism

,

Nov . 20th , 1808, Augusta Margaret F i rth , daughte r of

Col . Henry Proctor , commandant of the 4l st Regt . , and

Elizabeth . Married,Dec . 1 l th , 1807 , Lieut . Wm . Proctor

,

brother of Col . Henry Proctor,commanding at Fort George

,

to Joan Crooks . ” We sti l l find buttons of the 41 5 t Regt .

on the l pes of Fort George . I n 1808 very frequently

occurs the record : “ Buried , i nfant of the 41 st Regt .

Nov . ,1807 , John Conrad Gatman

,an old German

,buried

1 8 10, Master Taylor , of 100th Regt . , ki lled by l ightn ing.

Old Amen Misner , May sth ,“ Married

,Thomas

M cCormack,bachelor , to Augusta Jarvis , spinste r.

”

Here is the brief record of the hero of Upper Canada ,

who did so much , by wise counsels , prompt action , and

undaunted courage,to save our country and repel the

invaders , who , gal loping away in the early morn ing, was i n

sorrow and gloom brought back , by his compan ions i n arms ,

a corpse : Oct . 1 6th,1 8 1 2 : Burials , Gen . Sir I saac Brock ,

Col . John M cDonald, they fell together at Queenston , and

they were buried together i n the north east bast ion of Fort

George . ”

During the time of the occupation of the town by the

Americans from May to December , the notices go on i n the

register,but i t may be noticed that there are no marriages

from May z ud,18 1 3 to Jan . 18th , 18 14, except those of two

I O

I ndian chiefs , thus recorded Mohawk chief, Capt . Norton ,

to his wife Catherine,I th ink on 27th Ju ly , 18 13 , when she

was baptized,and Jacob Johnson , another Mohawk chief, was

married to his wife,Mary

,on 2 1 5 t Aug. , thi s year .

” “ Buried,

July 1 7 th , Col . C . Bishop , died of h is wounds . As th is

brave young soldier was buried at Lundy ’s Lane , Mr . Addison

must have been cal led on to ride al l these miles to perform

this service . The next i tem gives us another gl impse of war

fare On the day on which the engagement between S i r

James Yeo and Commodore Chauncy took place on the lake ,

our dear friend , Mrs . M cNabb , w as buried in Mr . Servos ’s

burying ground , supposed to be 29th Sep . , 18 1 3 . This

history gives as the 28th Sept . , but i t is evident that during

this exci ting period some of the entries have been made from

memory , l oth J une, 18 16 Buried , George Lawe , Es! . ,

Usher of the B lack Rod .

” Married , 18 1 7 , Rev . WilliamnSamson

,minister of Grimsby , to Maria Nel les .

“Buri ed , 18 19,

James Rogers , innkeeper,” and the remark ,

“ A bad profess ion

for any but ve ry sober men .

” “ Sept . 23rd, 1822 , Poo r old

Hope,

Feb . 23rd, baptized Agnes Strachan , daughter of

Hon . Dr. J . Strachan , rector of York , and Ann his wife .” Here

may be seen the names of most of the regiments that have

been quartered here, 4s t, 8th King

’s , 100th, 99th, 70the

Sappers and Miners , etc .

Rev . Mr. Addison was mil i tary chaplain for many years .

I n 1820 we find another name as performing baptisms in that

I I

capacity,there being a very neatly kept l ittle book , a mil i tary

regis ter of baptisms for Fort George , U .C. , from 1 82 1 to

1 827 , by R . W . Furney .

The Rev . Thos . Creen was appointed ass istant minister

of N iagara 3 rd July , 1826 . The last entry apparently in the

hand of Mr . Addison is i n 1827 , i n tremulous characters ,

s igned , i nstead of full name ,“ R . and here , i n another

hand,is recorded the burial of th is venerable man , whose

zeal,piety and kindness of heart we have seen told , al l

unwittingly,i n these pages : “Oct . 9th , 1 829, the Rev . Robt .

Addison departed this l ife on the 6th , i n the 7sth year of hi s

age . ” On the outs ide wall of the church is a large tablet to

his memory , and another ins ide . I t is remarkable that al l

the entries are s igned Ministe r of Niagara” by Mr . Addi

son . M r . Creen was appointed ass istant minister 3rd July ,

1826 , but i n 1835 he s igns his name Thos . Creen , Rector .”

The last entry in his hand is , May 1 7 th , 1854, a list of con

firmations .

While the register thus aff ords a complete h istory of

these years i n so many respects,i t is remarkable that no

documentary evidence has been produced to show exactly

when the church was bui lt , or how long it was i n process of

construction,but the date general ly accepted is 1802 . Before

its erection the congregation seems to have met in the Court

House , near th e s i te of the present one , and in the interval

during the war of 18 1 2 , and for some time fol lowing , i n the

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old I ndian C ounci l Chamber, afte rwards used as a mil itary

hospital , and lately burned down . After the battle of

Queenston Heights the church was used as a hospital for our

own wounded , and while the town was occupied,for seven

months , by the Americans , i t was used as a barracks by them .

When the town w as burnt , S t. Mark’

s shared the fate of other

bui ldings,only its stone walls remain ing the Indian Counci l

Chamber and some of the bu i ldings known as Butler ’s

Barracks were not burned as the British troops w ere march

ing in ,they were thus saved . Here are two letters brought

to notice by our distinguished l i tterateu r , Mr . Kirby , F

which have been lying forgotten,and now

,after seventy- two

years,throw a flood of l ight

,giving us information , unex

pected as i t i s i nvaluable . They were written by CO1. Wm .

Claus to Hon . and Rev . Dr . Stuart , asking ass istance from

the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel .

“ N IAGARA, U . C . , J an. 18th, 18 18.

Anxious that someth ing should be done towards

rebuilding our church , which in the winter of 18 1 3 was

unfortunately des troyed by the enemy at the t ime our

town w as burnt, I would not take th is freedom if there

appeared the most dis tant prospect or steps taken to

make it even in a state that we could attend divine ser

vice,but during this season i t is hardly poss ible to attend.

It remains in the s tate the Commissariat put it in for the

purpose of storing provisions in after we repossessed

I S

ourselves of the frontier, with the trifl ing addition of a

temporary reading desk, and gallery for the troops .

Your lordsh ip saw the state i t was in last summer.

Noth ing whatever has been done or l ikely to be done.

I t is not even weather-proof. The church was made

use of in 18 12 as our hospital for the wounded . We were

deprived of our all and home , and have barely the

means of getting covering for ourselves and famil ies,to which must be attributed the melancholy state the

church remains in.

The next letter is dated Niagara,20th Sept . , 1820,

first speaks of the vis i t formerly paid and goes on thus

It may not be amiss to recapitulate. Previous to

war of 18 12 the small congregation of N iagara erected ,at their own expense , a church which cost 1 200 cy .

In October, 18 1 2 , i t was taken possess ion of and used

as a hospita l for the wounded, and kept for that pur

pose unti l the place was evacuated by us in May , 18 13 .

On our re -occupying of N iagara, in the winter of 18 13

and 18 14, i t was again taken possess ion of by the publi c

and made a provis ion store of,and continued so unti l , I

th ink , 18 16, when appl ication was made to H is Majesty 's

Government for some aid towards putting it into a

s tate to perform d ivine service in, when H is Majesty

was gracious ly pleased to order 36500 stg. , which has

been received and appl ied , but falls short of accom

plishing our wish notw iths tanding we are keep ing the

14

TABLET T O R EV . T . CREEN .

work going on. Our congregations are too poor to ex

peet much from them. From their being within gunshot

of the enemy 's l ines they su ff ered the loss of all they

possessed , burnt out and plundered of everyth ing, and

they had really not yet recovered their misfortunes

from the late unhappy events .

!

The answer to this lette r , dated 25th Dec . , 1820, men

tions that the Society had lately placedmoney in the hands

of the Bishop of Quebec for aid in bui lding churches , and

refers the wri ter to him .

The rebu i lding must have taken place between 1 8 16 and

1 828 and the addition in 1843 , as the curious ly carved pulpi ts

have that date . The new part of the church added then ,

forming the transepts , can plainly be seen to be a diff erent

color from the old part,the nave containing the tower .

Several pictu res of the church be fore the transepts were bui l t

are in existence , having a spire instead of the four points as

now. One water color bears the date 1834.

The church was consecrated in 1828 , on Sunday , Aug .

3rd, by the Hon . and Rt . Rev. Charles James , Lord Bishop of

Quebec , brother of the Earl of Galloway , i n the presence of

H is Excellency S i r Peregrine Maitland , his staff

and other dignitaries . Morning prayer was said by Rev.

Robert Addison,the lesson and Litany by Rev . Thomas

Creen,the ass istant min is ter

,the B ishop preaching.

I S

During the incumbency of the second rector many muni

ficent gifts were made to St . Mark ’s , showing w hat loving

hearts worshipped withi n i ts wal ls . The beautifu l tablets i n

the chancel w i th the Commandments,Creed and Lord ’s

Prayer,were brought from England

,the money to provide

them being given by the widow of the Hon . Robert D ickson .

The s i lver communion plate was presented by M rs . Downs ,

and the Bishop ’s chair by the Hon . Will iam Dickson , the

font by M rs . Hal l and M rs . Melvi l le . The smal l c rimson

arm chai r was presented to the sexton , John Ray , when a

feeble old man , by the Sunday school chi ldren , who also

erected the stone in the graveyard to his memory. The

stained glass window in the chancel was the first of the

kind i n Upper Canada. Two chaste tablets of white marble

commemorate the name of a family noted for l iberal i ty to the

church,and this “ gift of l iberal i ty ”

seems to have been in

herited by thei r descendants , for the placing of the present

fine- toned organ was largely due to the l iberal contribution

of Geale Dickson ,E s! . ,

and the beautiful chime of bel ls was

a memorial gift from the same gentleman and his brother,

Walter A . Dickson , Es! .

The vis i tor to St . Mark ’s may spend a profitable hou r i n

reading the numerous tablets on the wal ls commemorating

many who , during the last centu ry , worshipped here , and

whose memory is thus kept green .

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The oldest record may be found ins ide the eastern door,

having been brought from the graveyard,where it had been

found partly covered , and placed here for safety . I t i s

rudely carved and imperfectly spel led,bv some hand un

ski lled in or al l unused to such work

I n the porch at the north door of the older part of the

church is a stone which had fallen down in the graveyard ,

and now placed here forcibly brings back to us the rattle

of musketry and rush of foemen the day when Niagara was

taken

In memory of Capt. M . M cLe l land, aged 42

years , Charles Wright andWm . Cameron, in the 25th

year of thei r age, of the I st Regiment ofLincoln Mil itia ,who gloriously fell on the 27th day of May , 1 8 1 3 , also

Adjutant Lloyd, of the 8th !K ing’

s) Regiment of Infantry.

A s lurid l ightnings dart their vivid l ight ,So poured they forth their fires in bloody fight

They bravely fell and saved their country ’

s cause,They loved their Cons t i tution, K ing and Laws .

”

I 7

At the north end of the church is the tablet erected

by friends of the first rector to his memory bearing this

inscription

In memory of the Rev. Robt. Addison, first mis

sionary in th is district of the venerable the Society for

the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts . He

commenced his labors in 1792, which , by the bless ing

of D ivine Providence , he was enabled to continue for

37 years . Bes ides his stated serv i ces as minister of

St. Mark ’

s in the town , he vis ited and officiated in

diff erent parts of this and adjoin ing districts unt i l other

miss ionaries arrived ! Remember them which have

the rule over you .

Here we unrol l a page of history , a name handed down

to obloquy by the ski l l of the poet and the imaginative powers

of the sensational write r, but no doubt time , which rights

so many wrongs , wil l yet do justice to the memory of one

so bitterly spoken of by Engl ish poet and American historian .

The poet Campbel l acknowledged his information on the

subject had been incorrect,and we hope to see some histori es

we wot of revised,but how difficu lt to rectify such wrongs .

Here is the inscription

Fear God and honor the K ing. In memory of

Col . Butler, H is Majesty ’

s Commiss ioner for Indian

Affairs , born in New London, Connecticut , 1728. H is

18

TABLET T o COL . J OH N BU TLER .

l ife was spent honorably in the service of the Crown.

In the war with France for the con! uest of Canada , hewa s distingu ished at the battle of Lake George , Sept.

1 755 at the s iege of Fort N iagara and its capitulation,25th July , 1 759. In the war of 1 776 he took up arms in

defence of the un i ty of the Empire, and raised and

commanded the Royal American Regiment of Butler's

Rangers. A s incere Chris tian a s well as a brave

sold ier, he was one of the founders and the firs t patron

of this parish . He died at N iagara, May, 1 796, and

is interred in the family burying ground , near th is town.

Erected 1880.

Near the tab let to the firs t incumbent is one to the second ,

the Rev . Thomas Creen . He was a graduate of Glasgow

Univers i ty , and , having good class ical attainments , taught a

private school in the town . He was distinguished for amia

bility of disposit ion , an unsuspic ious nature , and unpretentious

manner , his great benevolence to the poor being yet remem

bered . Many of his pupi ls became distinguished men , and

some of them,i n grateful remembrance

,erected th is tablet :

In memory of Rev. Thos . Creen, late Rector of Ni

agara , born in Rathfri land. Ireland , Nov. 20th, 1799.

D ied at N iagara , J an. 6th , 1864. How beautiful upon

the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good

t idings, that publisheth peace.’

Isa iah 52

I9

Among the names of the contributors may be mentioned

B ishop Fulle r , Judge Bu rns , Miles O’

R eil ley, Thomas Street ,

Hon . W. H . Dickson , John W . Ball , Henry Garrett , Robert

Miller. Of these , scarcely any are now alive , the last one to

join “ the s i lent majori ty being John W . Ball , Es! . , a re

spected o ffice-bearer and l iberal supporter of St . Mark’

s for

half a century, coming a long distance , often in inclement

weather , to conduct the Sabbath school , faithfully for years .

Outs ide the eastern walls is the story of one who has been

fondly remembered,and whose tragic fate , far from home and

friends , is recorded also i nside the church on a marble tablet

Sacred to the memory of Capt. Copeland Rad

cl iff e, of H is Britann i c Majesty’

s Navy , who fell wh ile

gallantly leading on hismen to board one of the enemy ’

s

schooners at anchor off Fort Erie, on the night of the

17th of August, 18 14.

One is erected at the request of brothers and s isters by

his nephew,the other by Capt . Davies , R .N . , at the request

of his mother. Many a tear has no doubt been dropped to

the memory of the brave young sai lor. Another, near this ,

reads

Donald Campbell , Is lay , A rgyleshire , Fort Major

of Fort George , died 1 st Dec . , 181 2. Interred on wes t

side of Garrison gate, Fort George.

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A lso i s found the name of Li eut . -Col . Elliott ,

who fought in the Peninsular War. Col . Kingsmi l l and a

daughter of Chief J ust ice Sewel l have tab lets erected to thei r

memory. I n the church altogether are s ixteen tablets ; two

in the vestibules , and three on the outer walls . I t may be

mentioned that seven are to mil itary and naval heroes,four

to clergymen,and four women ’s names are here recorded .

The chu rchyard i s also very interest ing for here may

be traced the rifl e-pits const ructed during the war . The

lover of the curious may find many pathetic and sometimes

strangely grotesque l ines , the des i re to be remembered

being so strongly implanted within the human breast . Length

of service seems to be the'

rule , for here i s an inscription

I n memory of John Ray , 50 years parish clerk of St . Mark’s

,

who died at an advanced age , Oct . 6th , 1846.

Not many feet from the church i s the large fiat stone so

often vis i ted hacked and marred for to the ignoble purpose

of a butcher s block was this sacred memorial put i n 18 1 3 .

The hatchet marks have almost obl i te rated some of the words

To the memory of Charles Morrison, a native Of

Scotland , who res ided many years at Machil imack inac ,

as a merchant , and s ince the cess ion of that post , he

came a British subjec t by election. He was disting

uished by loyalty to his sovereign. D ied here on his

way to Montreal , on the 6th day of September, 1802,aged

2 1

Anotherflat stone , but raised above the ground , also hacked

in the same way,commemorates the name of Geo . Forsy th

,

a native of North Britain , long a merchant and magistrate i n

the town , beloved for his mild manners and great worth .

Died 1806 .

Perhaps the most pathetic story told in the graveyard is

that on a monument near the eastern door of the church , to

seven young men lost by the s i nking of the yacht Foam .

They had left Toronto , no doubt gay and happy , on Saturday ,

1 l th J uly , 1874. The vesse l foundered near the entrance to

the river, the fate of those on board not being known ti l l

Monday morning,when the captai n of the steamer from

Toronto saw the mast of the yacht above the water . The

plot with the seven graves is careful ly tended , and oft is the

tragical story told . A beautifu l Old weeping wil low waves

its long slender branches over the graves , breathing a low,

sad requiem .

While so many inscriptions around are valuable and

interest ing from an historic point of view , other records are

interesting and often entertain ing as decidedly odd attempts

at versification and orthography , no modern inscriptions

attempting such lofty fl ights,but general ly merely giving

names and dates .

A chi ld of four who died 2nd March , 1802

My time is short the longer my rest

God called me hence because He thought i t best.

22

TABLET TO COL . E LL IOT .

So weep not drie up your tears

Heare must i l ie til l Chris t A pears .

A nother reads

F i l ial aff ection, stronger than the grave,From Time ’s obl iterating hand to save,Erects th is humble monument of s tones

Over a father 's and a mother's bones.

!

H e’

s gone No more his infant smiles ,The smile of innocence, shal l dart

H is power electri c to expand

A nd warm a tender parent 's heart

H is l ips which I kissed are faded and cold ,H is hands which I pressed are covered with mould ,H is form which I clasped is crumbled away,A nd soon by his s ide his weepers shal l lay.

!

Here is an attempt to keep alive the memory of a soldier

Thomas Eastham,late Trumpeter of

esty'

s Royal Artil lery ’

s Drivers , 1839.

Here l ies , withinth is s i lent grave,A Royal sold ier, brisk and brave,Who suddenly was snatched away

From off th is sodden foot of clay.

23

The ex igencies of rhyme,rhythm and syntax are boldly

met and conquered metaphors and simi les abound

The fairest flower that natu re shows

Sustains the sharpest doom

H is l ife was l ike a morning rose

That withers in its bloom

Weep not, mother, for John is at rest ,

H is s ins forgot and in Heaven blest. !

“Ah , here they l ie , as budding roses

B lasted before their bloom ,

Whose innocence d id sweets disclose

Beyond that flower ’

s perfume. !

What higher praise could be given than this

Here l ies as much v irtue as could l ive.

Man'

s l ife I What is i t ! '

T is a flower

Looks fresh and dies w ith in the hour.

I t i s doubtful if the following inscription meant al l that

i s impl ied

Sacred to the memory of the two infant childrenof Rev. R. U . Turney, chaplain to H . B . Majesty ’

s

Forces , and Jane, his wife.

Dear, as thou didst in modes t worth excell ,More dear than in a daughter's name , farewell.

Farewell , dear Maria But the hour is nigh

When if I ’m worthy we shal l meet on high

Then shall I say , triumphant from the tomb ,Come to thy mother ’s arms , dear Maria , come.

24

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These are al l of the fi rst decade of th is century,and form

a contrast to the brief l ines on two monuments of the las t few

years

The memory of a l i fe nobly rendered is immortal .

Laid here in faith , hope and l ove , al l that is morta l of

The miss ionary work of the first i ncumbent has been

referred to,extending over so many miles , baptizing alike

the dusky chi ldren of Africa and the red men of America . I t

i s remarkable that the present incumbent,the Rev. Arch

deacon M cMurray , labored among the I ndians at Sault S te .

Marie,his firs t wife , the daughter of J ohn Johnson , and his

wife,an Indian maiden , was of great use as an interpreter

i n his ministrations . !I n 1891 he paid a visi t to the scene of

his labors almost sixty years before , and met at the Shing

wauk Home several whom he had baptized . ) Returning to

York to take orders , having been too young previous to this ,

he found Bishop Stuart had gone to Kingston fol lowing him,

he was s ti l l d isappointed on reaching that place and went on

to the Eastern Townships to be ordained and then return to his

work in the far West . I n 1853 he was delegated to vi si t the

neighboring Republ ic to ask ass istance for Trin ity College .

In 1854he vis i ted Quebec with regard to the settlement of

the Clergy Reserves,and in 1864vis ited Great Bri tai n in the

interests of Trini ty College .

25

During the last few years , since 1884, a curate has ass isted

in the work of the parish . F i rst the Rev . E . Stewart Jones ,

who took a great interest i n the young men of the congre

gation , helped to form the Order of United Workmen , also a

Temperance Society , i nducing many to join . Much grief was

expressed at his untimely death . The Rev. J as . B . Meade

fol lowed him , who also left many warm friends . The present

curate in charge has worked faithful ly s ince 1888 , extending

his labors to Vi rgi l , where a miss ion church has been started

which bids fai r to become a permanent one .

During the last few years , the question of holding a

celebration on the hundredth anniversary of the founding of

the Parish of St . Mark ’s , had frequently been discussed . A s

the time approached , another question came up for settlement

which had Often been mooted , namely , alterations i n the

i nterior of the chu rch . Some preferred to keep the bu ilding

with al l its ai r of antiquity , its high , straight-backed , box

pews , its gallery , etc . I t was necessary , at al l events , that

the church should be thoroughly cleansed and renovated , and

this , with painting , had already been decided on , but i t was fel t

by many that reseating had become a necessity , more room

being urgently requi red the modern sl ips would give a much

larger seating capacity , while the removal of the galleries

would make the church much l ighter and more ai ry. This

question had been under discussion for three years , and i t

was finally decided that the alterations proposed should be

26

R EV . J A S . B . M EADE .

R EV . E . S TEWAR T J ONES .

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may be due to the churchwardens and the congregation for

thei r eff orts !and they meri t much) , the pri ncipal credit

should be given to Rev. John C . Garrett , curate in charge ,

on whom the respons ib i l ity rested , as the programme was

entirely his work , i n which he showed the same zeal , j udg

ment,and tact he had shown for the th ree previous years of

his ministry here , and but for which continuous and zealous

labor it i s not l ikely such a success ful centennial service could

have been held .

Large congregations'

fil led the chuch , and these were

representative , there being chi ldren and grand-chi ldren of the

three rectors , and many descendants of those who had wor

shipped here a centu ry ago , who had borne the burden and

heat of the day , so that now could be held in this beauti ful

bui lding these thanksgiving services . The chancel , reading

desks , etc . , were dressed with flowers and ferns , the beauti

ful white water- l i ly of the neighborhood forming a conspicu

ous feature i n the decoration of the font.

At the morning service , July 9th , eighteen clergymen

were present i n thei r robes , and the various parts of the ser

vice were thus taken : From beginning to Apostles ’ Creed ,

Rev . Canon Houston , M .A . ; fi rst lesson , Rev . J as . A rdil l

second lesson , Rev . Rural Dean Downie ; from Apostles

Creed to end of thi rd collect , Rev. Canon Bull , M .A

Epistle , Rev. Rural Dean Gribble ; Gospel , Rev . E . J .

Fessenden, B .A . the ep istole r , gospeler and preacher, Rev.

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R EV . J . c . GARRET T .

E. A . Baldwin , M . A . , ass isted the Ven. A rchdeacon

M cMurray i n the adminstration of the Holy Communion .

The Rev. A . H . Baldwin in beginning his address said

he felt proud as a Canadian in taking part in the celebration .

The past years had seen deeds and works done for Christ i n

the district of Niagara of which Canadians might be proud .

The history of the establ ishment of this church was ful l of

sti rring and gallant deeds . The present generation could

not realize the tremendous odds that had to be faced by the

early miss ionaries i n Canada , and it was to thei r heroic labors

the Church in Canada owed its pos i t ion to-day . A great

nation l ived to the south of them , and in the history of that

nation was much that rendered the present Occas i on of vas t

importance . The revolut ion of more than a hundred years

ago and the outcome of it i n the revol ut ion of France had

been attended with far-reach ing effects . Yet Christ ’s Church

l ived,as i t must l ive . The application for miss1onar1es to

come to Canada was heard by Robert Addison , and since

then many noble men had come out—at that time there were

but five other ministe rs i n Upper and Lower Canada . He

des i red to add a word of tribute to the faithfu l services per

formed by the Ven . Archdeacon M cM urray. Well might the

people here thank God for the grand and glorious privi leges

which they possessed in the beautifu l opportunities of this

church , and in the grandest and best of services , and the

purest and hol iest teaching that was known to the wor ld .

29

They must have hard hearts that could not apprec iate those

glorious privi leges , being sti l l a dependency of the greatest

nation of the world , and possessing perfect l iberty. God keep

i t so , and ever preserve the ties that bind Canada to the

Motherland .

The resident and vis i t ing clergy adjourned to the school

room adjoining after the morning service , where l uncheon had

been prepared by the ladies of the congregation . The after

noon se rvice was held at four o ’c lock , when the tablet to

commemorate the centenary of the parish was unvei led by

Rev . Canon Read , D .D . , i n the name of the Father , the

Son,and Holy Ghos t. The tablet is of brass

, 32 x 27 i nches ,

and contains the fol lowing inscription

To the glory of God . Th is tablet is erected by the

congregation of St. Mark 's Church , in grateful com

memoration of the 100th ann iversary of the foundation

of this parish , on the 9th July, 1 792. The nave of the

church was buil t about 1807 , and burned during the

war of 18 12, the walls only remaining. I t was restored

1820, and enlarged to the present d imens ions in 1843 .

During the century the living has been held by the

follow ing incumbents : The Rev. Robert Addison, 1792

to 1829; the Rev. Thomas Creen, 1829 to 1857 ; The

Rev. Wm . M cMurray, D .D. , Archdeacon of

N iagara , to the present time , ass isted s ince 1888 by the

Rev. J . C. Garratt as curate in charge. !

30

CENTENARY TABLET .

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i n negotiating several important t reaties between the whites

and the red men . I n this respect the archdeacon ’s labors

fo rmed a paral lel , as at one time much of the same territory

was covered , so that the present incumbent was not only a

successor in faithful work , but i n his miss ionary footsteps .

We could only develop in character by the doing of

good work and constant eff orts for the glory of God . The

dreams that God gave us in the present,He gave us power to

make real ities i n years to come .

The Venerable Archdeacon M cMurray read a resum!

of the doings of the last hundred years,which deserves to

be given i n full , but the exigencies of the hou r obl ige us

to epotomiz e the firs t portion , but all the last part i s given as

read . He commenced by address ing “ My dear parish

ioners and friends ,” explain ing the steps that had been taken at

the publ ic meeting of the congregat i on , agreeing to hold meet

i ngs for three days to give expression to thankfulness to

God,to have sermons and addresses , to place a brass tablet

i n the nave of the church to commemorate the day.

The Rev. Robert Addison was appointed miss ionary of

N iagara on 1 7th J uly , 1791 , but did not reach this spot

ti l l June, 1 792 . The first entry in the registe r reads as

fol lows ! J uly 9th , 1 792 , baptized John M cNab , of Colin

and El izabeth,

’ j ust 100 years ago to-day . Mr. Addison ’s

ministry w as marked by unti ring z eal and incessant labors

extending to the London district,officiating at Hamilton ,

32

VEN . ARCH DEACON M’

M U R R A Y .

Grimsby , St . Cathari nes , Jordan , Chippewa , ! ort Erie , being

firs t chaplain to the Parl iament at N iagara and next at York ,

ti l l the appointment of Rev. John Strachan . A s many of

the records were burnt i n 18 1 3 , i t is impossible to tell with

certainty when the church was bui lt . A meeting of al l

those friendly disposed was held , and it was decided that

the stones should be hauled from the mountain by the

farmers and those having teams,i n the winter

,and this , i t

is bel ieved , took two or three years , and was begun in 1807 .

This was the nave of the present bui ld ing. During the war

of 18 1 2- 14 the church was used as a hospital , then a bar

racks , then by the commissariat . There are i n possess ion

of the chu rch,two letters from Col . Claus to the Hon . and

Rev . Dr . Stewart , dated 18 18 and 1820, asking him for

help to put the church in a state i n which to hold publ ic

worship . St . Mark ’

s Church,having after many and vigor

ous st ruggles been made fit for Divine worship , was conse

crated i n 1828 by the Hon . and Right Rev . Charles James

S tuart,the Lord Bishop of Quebec .

“ The fi rst incumbent,the Rev . Robert Addison , did not

long survive the event,pass ing away , after 37 years of activeand mos t laborious service i n his Master ’s work

,regretted

by all who knew him , and his remains were depos i ted under

the chancel of the church he so fondly loved .

“He was succeeded by the Rev . Thos . Creen , who had

taken charge of the parish and acted as his curate for th ree

33

years . H e was a scholarly man and a good class ic,and

establ ished a school of a superior character,at which several

of the leading men of the day were educated . He was a

clear and perspicuous writer , and his serm ons give testimony

of no ordinary talent . The Rev . Thomas Creen was pre

sented to the Rectory of N iagara on the 26th of January,

1836, and was inducted on the z ud May by Dr. S trachan,

the Archdeacon of York,duly commiss ioned by the Hon .

and Right Rev . Charles James Stuart,Bishop of Quebec .

H is health fai l ing , he requ ired ass istance , and had at diff erent

periods as his cu rates the Rev . Edw . Baldwin ,the Rev .

Dr. Lundy , the Rev. W . Reynolds , the Rev . T. B . M cK enz 1e .

H is health being sti l l feeb ler he res igned the rectory in 1 856 .

During Mr. Creen’

s incumbency the large transept was

added to the nave,most substantial ly bui lt

,and at consid

erab le cost . The tower wi th its mass ive but t resses was also

erected,and the wal l s of the church tuck-pointed and laid

out in squares , as they appear to-day . Galleries were added

around the nave and transepts , two handsome structures

were bui lt,one to serve as a reading pew and the other as

a pulpi t , and the church enti re ly reseated .

Mr. Creen having resigned , the parish was off ered to

me by Bishop S trachan,which I accepted

, and was inducted

on 3rd February , 1857 , by the Venerable Archdeacon Bethune ,

of Cobourg . Thus the three incumbents , the thi rd one sti l l

l iv ing,have fi l led up on this day

, 9th July , 1892 , the period

34

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walls and cei l ings have been ornately decorated ; i n fact , the

whole inte ri or has undergone a thorough renovation . A

few objected to these changes when they were proposed,

but the Vestry thought i t best to override the arguments

of some , as they were merely of a sentimental character .

I t was decided to prese rve as much of the ancient structu re

as was cons istent with the plan for increasing the seating

capacity of the church , which involved the removal of the

old galleries , the box pews , the remains of which may yet

be seen i n the wainscot which l ines the walls .!

I t was the

opin ion of some , that the old pews were those that were

bu i lt i n the original bu i ldi ng. This was not the case , as the

whole of the interior of the church was burned in the war

of 18 1 2 . I n 1843 the church was enlarged and pews placed

therein , and likewise the gal leri es .

Nor must i t be omitted here to state that th rough the

energetic and valuable services of the Rev. J . C . Garrett , the

curate i n charge,aided by the indefatigable and praise-worthy

exertions of the churchwardens , D . B . M cDougal l and

R . Wilkinson , Esqs . ,and a will ing and generous congrega

t ion,the praise-worthy alterations and improvements have

been brought to a happy conclus ion . The history of thi s

ancient chu rch would be incomplete were i t closed without

adding that the hei rs of the late Rev. R . Addison have pre

sented his valuable and unique l ibrary of some volumes

to the rector of St . Mark ’s Church and his successors i n per

36

petuity, and are now safely p laced in the rectory for al l time

to come .“ Feel ing, as I now do , that the end of my work in the

ministry of Christ ’s Church cannot be long delayed , after a

servitude of s i xty-one years , and having already exceeded the

years allotted to man,permit me , as I may not have another

occas ion so suitable , to leave you , my dear parishioners , a

memorial to which , I trust, you and your chi ldren may fre

quently refer when al l that is mortal of your rector is placed

in yonder grave awaiting the resu rrection morn . And in what

more appropriate language can I express it than i n the words of

the beloved Apostl e St . Paul , which I have so frequently

endeavored to press upon your minds , and now again!There

fore , my brethren , dearly beloved and longed for , my joy and

crown , so stand fast in the Lord , my dearly beloved ; be

careful for noth ing,but in everything by prayer and suppl i

cation with thanksgiving let your requests be known unto

God . And the peace of God which passeth al l understanding

shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ J esus .

F inally , brethren , whatsoever th ings are true , whatsoever

things are honest , whatsoever things are just , whatsoever

th ings are lovely,whatsoever things are of good report , i f

there be any virtue,if there be any praise , think on these

things and the God of peace shall be with you . F inally ,

brethren,farewel l

,be perfect

,be of good comfort , be of one

mind , l ive in peace , and the God of love and peace shal l be

with you .

’

37

I n the evening , service was again held in the church ,

those who took part being Rev. Principal Mi lle r, B .A . , R ev .

T . B . Hodgins , Rev. J . Lee , Rev. J . A rdil l . The Rev . Robert

Ker , rector of S t. Ca tharines , preached from the words ,

This shal l be wri tten for those that come after,and the

people which shal l be born shall praise the Lord . Psalm

ci i . , 18 .

“ The s t ream of time has carried us swiftly forward ,

when we find the shadows of the centuries have deepened

about our path , and at th is the time of the evening sacrifice ,

we can almost feel the dying pulse beats of twice a thousand

years . The atmosphere we breathe to-night i s laden with the

perfumes of history . Here , there , and yonder , repose the

actors in as great a drama as ever gave stabi l ity to a young

nation —soldiers and c itizens , patriots and heroes , whO

fought well , none bette r . J ust one hundred years ago , the

flag of Engl ish Churchmanship was formally planted on th is

Niagara peninsu la,and a fai rer heri tage never fel l to any

people . Prose almost merges into poetry when we use the

words of the great prophet and say ,! I t i s a great land , a

land of brooks of wate r, a land of wheat and barley and

vines ,’ etc . This Niagara peninsula is a gem set amid the

sparkl ing waters of two seas , and looking over its h omes of

happiness , i ts vineyards and peach orchards , we are forced to

exclaim with the psalmist ,! Yea, we have a goodly heri

tage . ’ But one hundred years ago the great Niagara cataract

ro l led forth i ts mighty Te Deum i n al l but eternal sol i tudes .

38

Writers speak in glowing terms of the Mayflower,and

of the memories that gather round Plymouth Rock , but with~

out at al l seeking to deprec iate worth at the expense of truth ,

I have l i ttle hes i tation in saying that when the whole story

shall have been told , the United Empire Loyalists , i n point of

true heroism , of earnest devotion , and of unostentatious p iety ,

are superior at every point to the Pi lgrim Fathers . They

were not only men of courage and devotion,but they were

God-fearing men in an eminent degree,who adhered to thei r

Church even when i t was negligent i n following them with its

services . The exact date of the arrival of the Rev . R .

Addison is not known , but his fi rst oflicial act recorded was

on the 9th July , 1792 , exactly one hundred years ago to-day .

Had Mr. Addison kept a diary of his work and the progress

of events , i t would be of incalcu lable value to the future

historian , but so far the only l i terary remains we have of this

excel lent man,is the unique parish register belonging to this

church . He began his labors in 1 792 , but when the bu i lding

of the church commenced is not c lear . St . Catharines

Episcopal Church , Twelve-Mile Creek , better known as St .

George ’s Church , was begun in 1 795-6, and it is probable this

may have been begun in 1794. Again and again the s torm

of battl e su rged against these wal ls , and again and again the

force of i ts angry waves was broken . The grass which

grows so green to-day around this sacred edifice , was once

dyed red with the blood of patriots and heroes . Outs ide , you

39

can trace the s inuous windings of trenches and breastworks

and the tablet in the vestibule tel ls of men who fel l glori

ously ; le t Fort George’s lonely sycamore

,so sweetly sung by

your local poetess , te l l of othe r heroes and patri ots for

whom story has reared no chaplets and of whose deeds mural

tablets con tain no record . Through al l the awful and excit

i ng events of war, the fi rs t rector of th is parish pursued the

even tenor of his way unti l the 6th October,1829, when he

was cal led to rest . He was fol lowed in the rectorship by the

Rev . Thos . Creen , another faithful ministe r of Christ , and

then came the appointment of you r present rector,who has

faithful ly min istered to you in spi ri tual things for well n igh

forty years,and who is sti l l as clear in tel lectual ly as when

,i n

1864, he had the distinguished and unusual honor for a colonial

c lergyman of preaching beneath the dome of St . Paul ’s

Cathedral,London , to many thousands who gathered to hear

h im . On thi s centennial night we call up the men who

fought and suflered, and wou ld question them as to the part

they played . But the horoscope of the future must be cast

by ourselves . The ful l moon to-night looks down upon as

peaceful a scene as man ever witnessed .

Afar the lake spreads l ik e a sea ,

A nd near the river, broad , blue, deep ,

Its waters flowing s i lently,

A s resting from their frant ic leap

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On Sunday , July 10th , three impress ive services were

held , the beauty of the church and the beautiful weather al l

adding thei r quota to the auspic ious occasi on . There were

over six hundred persons present at the morn ing service ,

among them chi ldren and grand-chi ldren of the th ree incum

bents during the hundred years , there being two grand

chi ldren and ten great-grand-children of the late Robert

Addison , the fi rst rector . I t was a strange coincidence that

one of hi s grandsons , Vicar S tevenson , was orda ined in

Toronto on this day . There were also descendants present

of Col . John Butle r , the first patron of the parish . An item

of interest i n connection with the celebration of the Communion ,

was that the combined ages of four of the officiating clergy

men reached 334, namely , Ven . Archdeacon M cMurray , 83

Canon Arnold , 86 ; Canon Read , 85 ; Rev. Dr. Ker , 80.

The fol lowing was the order of service From beginning to

Apostles ’ Creed,Rev . Rural Dean Gribble first lesson , Rev.

Rural Dean Wade ; second lesson , Rev. A . Bonney ; from

Apostles ’ Creed to end of thi rd col lect , Rev . Canon Bul l ;

Epis tle,Ven . Archdeacon Dickson , D .C . L . ; Gospel , Rev . Canon

Read,D .D . The beautiful anthem ,

“ This is the day which

the Lord hath made,

”was sung by the surpl i ced choi r of S t .

Mary ’s-on- the-Hill,Buff alo . Mr. A . L . Andrews , organist

of the same church,pres ided at the organ . The choi r num

bered th i rty,the process i on cons isted of forty-three , there

being thi rteen clergy . The Rt. Rev. A . Cleveland Coxe ,

42

R T . R EV . DR . CO! E .

D.D . , LL.D. , of Buffalo , B i shop of Western New York ,

preached the sermon , taking for his text 1 Cor. , i. , 26 ,“Whether one member suff er

,al l the members suff er with

him , or if one member be honored all members rejo ice . I n

opening,the eloquent preacher said that the Gospel of Christ

ove rcomes those things which divide mankind , levels moun

tains , rises superior to c i rcumstances and unites the races in

one kingdom . I n the absence of the b ishop of the diocese ,

he,a representative of a siste r church

,was privi leged to offi

c iate at one of the services of this solemn festival . Coming

from another land,but from where the bel ls of St . Mark ’s

cou ld be heard across the narrow fi rth cal l i ng them to Divine

service , and from a daughter chu rch which was proud to be

a development of the mother church , he cons ide red it a privi

lege to be present,not as a foreigner , but as one in the

blessed brotherhood of the people of God , which the Apostles

so wonderful ly i l lustrated in the chapter of which the text is a

part , teach ing them the triumphing over al l pol i tical agita

tions ,and, if need be , over war i tself. The Christian re ligion

was one which th rew its mighty influence into the world of

men , hateful and hating one anothe r , as a leaven which was

worked and kneaded into a unified whole . But we complain

that God in H is providence had not wrought out H is promise

speedily enough . This church was one hundred years old , and

you have had three rectors in that t ime whose h istory can be

given with much accuracy , and if we went back eighteen such

43

periods we are at the t ime of the Apostles . Was that long in

the eyes of Him in whose s ight a thousand years was but

as one day ! We had this comfort i f we looked beneath the

surface . I t was one of the grandest evidences of the power

of the Gospel , that representatives of nations once engaged

i n bi tter strife could now meet together for the worship and

glory of the God of peace . The Gospel of Jesu s Christ was

one of peace , and through its beneficent i nfluence wars were

fewer and strife less bitte r as each year passed away. When

hearing comp laints of the s low progress of Christian ity , i f we

consider the ages that the Great Father’s omniscient wisdom

took to accompl ish H is wondrous purposes,we wil l no longer

speak of the s low advancement of the teach ings of Chri st .

Tru ly , i n Canada during the last centu ry the truth s of the

Word of God have spread with great eff ect. Science said

that , i n the clock-work of A lmighty God , even the sun was

revolving round a central star that s ince the creation of

man the solar system had not completed a single revolut ion

on the dial plate of the universe . Thus the period that had

e l apsed s ince Christ came into the world paled into insignifi

cance.

H is beloved brothe r who at'

present offic iated in this parish

had now labored fifty years,and who could say with what

measure of good ! He was laboring among the I ndians at

the Sault when he !the speaker) was at col lege , and he was

glad yet to recogniz e him as leader, though he himself had

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been created a father in the church . He !Dr. McMurray)had gone among the I ndians when they i n his own country

thought he had gone beyond the pale of civi l ization . He

thanked God for the history of thi s venerable parish , and

rejoiced that he was able to take part i n this centennial . Had

not the Lord promised that those who honored H im , He

would satisfy with long l i fe ! and there now remained for

him but one th ing, the crown of glory.

During the col lection of the off e rtory the choi r rendered

the anthem Lift up you r heads , ye everlasting gates ,” with

admirable eff ect . The Holy Communion was celebrated , on

conclus ion of the service , by the Rt . Rev . Dr. Coxe , ass isted

by the epistoler and gospele r,and the Ven. Archdeacon Mc

Murray . The afternoon se rvice , which cons isted of Litany

and sermon,commenced at o ’clock . The reader was the

Rev . Canon Arnold, B .A . , and the Ven . Archdeacon Mc

Murray . Rev . Rural Dean Wade preached from the text ,

I was glad when they said unto me , Let us go into the

house of the Lord .

” Psalm cxxi i . They should remember in

the fi rst place that David,the author of the psalm , actual ly

enjoyed the experience of which he so vividly wrote . When

the I srael ites went to the house of God it was for the threefold

purpose of rece iving forgiveness,rendering worship and

obtaining bless ing . There were two principal parts about the

rendering of worship to God , namely , the giving of ourselves

and the giving of our substance to God . A las , to many the

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house of God i n these days was more l ike a place of enter

tainment than a place of praise . David was glad , too ,

because the house of God was the place of communion and of

fel lowship . The promise made to the Jews stood as sound

for us to-day as it did for them . Where two or th ree are

gathered together i n my name,there am I . ” Pride and vain

glory too often interfered with the communion that God ’s

people should enjoy. David also rejoiced to frequent the

sanctuary because i t was the place of hallowed associations.

I n conclus ion , they would al l pray , as they looked at the

veteran ministe r who had so long pres ided over the parish ,

that God would grant him continued bless ing in his old age .

The service i n the evening was again largely attended ,

384persons being present ; the choi r of S t . Mary’s-ou- the

H il l , Buff alo , ass isting , as at the morning service . The

fol lowing cle rgymen took part : Rev . Rural Dean Wade ,

Rev. Robert Ker,Rev . F . B . Hodgins , R eV. J . Lee , Rev . J . C .

Garrett . The anthem,Lord

,we pray Thee that thy grace

may always prevent and follow us .

”The sermon was

preached by Ven . Archdeacon Dickson , D .C . L from Deuter

onomy xxx 1 1 .,2,Remember the days of old consider the

years of many generations .

” The wanderings of the ch ildren

of Israel were referred to,and a paral le l drawn between this

and the experiences of the United Empire Loyalists . He

knew that there were many descendants of U . E . Loyalists

here , and probably many of them were present. The action

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verse 38 , was taken up . This was followed by a discuss ion

of the prayer book preface of ceremonies . At p .m.

l unch was served i n the school room by the ladi es of the con

gregation to the vis i t ing and res iden t c lergy and others ,

the Rev . Dean Langtry and the Rev . Septimes Jones being

present.

At 2 p .m. an audience gathered in the church,when the

R ev. C . B . Lee , of Hamilton , read a paper by the Rev. D r .

S cadding, en ti t led“ Church Annals at Niagara, from A .D .

1 792 to A .D . 1892 . The paper was replete w i th valuable

information of St . Mark ’s . The opening referred to this

being a period of centennials and other celebrations in

Canada , United States , and Europe . The fol lowing points in

the history of S t. Mark ’s were touched upon : The interest

taken by Governor S imcoe in the establ ishment of church

worship ; the e rection of the nave of the present edifice in

the burn ing of the wooden portion of the structure'

in

1 8 1 3 the uti lization of the bu ilding as a hospital ,at one t ime

for the Brit ish forces , and the occupancy of it as a barracks

at another period by the American invaders ; the rebuildi ng

of the edifice and the addi tions thereto the death of t he first

recto r the m in istry of his successor , the Rev . Thomas Cre en

and the arrival of the present incumbent , the Ven . Archdeacon

of Niagara . In referring to Mr . Addison , he said :“ I myself

remember Mr. Addison very wel l , having when a boy heard

him Ofliciate i n St . James ’ Church at York . H is oval , i ntel

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lectual countenance and fin ished s ty le of reading made a

strong impress i on. I particularly remember his walking,

arrayed i n his academic gown,bands , and cle rical hat , afte r

the service , down King street to the Quetton St . George

mans ion , sti l l standing . He was chaplain to the House of

Assembly , and remained at York during the sess ion , often

being entertained by Mr. J . S . Baldwin .

” The names of some

of the Old famil ies which figure i n the Church and State

records with Mr. Addison are D ickson , Ball , Nellis , Crooks ,

Street , Keefer , Kerby , Macklem ,Powell

,Servos , Merritt , and

Clench , the descendants of most of which fami lies sti l l res ide

on the N iagara peninsula . The Rev . Canon Bul l thanked

the ven . archdeacon and the Rev . J . C . Garratt for the kind

reception given to the visiting c le rgy . He hoped that the

valuable paper just read would be publ ished i n book form ,

and thought that the l ives of Canadian miss ionaries should

be placed in the Sunday school . I t was the duty of Canadians

to hand down the records of noble deeds , and thu s insti l

patriotism into the hearts of the generations to come .

The Rev . Dr. Langtry said that m1s5 1onary work had

been done in the district as early as 1 784 by

~

the Rev . J .

Ogi lvie , and by the Rev . G . Stewart i n 1 794. The Rev.

J . C . Garrett,cu rate i n charge s ince 1888 , closed the meeting

with thanking the cle rgy for thei r p resence , particu larly

B i shop Coxe , expressing regret at the unavoidabl e absence

of the beloved bishop of the diocese .

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At in the even ing the centennial ce lebrat ion was

brought to a close by a social re-union in the school house .

The chief feature of which was the presentat ion of a hand

some onyx clock , onyx vases , and an ornamental lamp with

onyx shaft to Archdeacon and M rs . M cMurray. Mayor

Paff ard made a brief address , compl imentary to the Ven .

Archdeacon and M rs . M cM urray, and introduced the follow

ing ladies , who presented the gifts to the rector and his

esteemed wife M rs . Morson , Mrs . H . A . Garrett , the Misses

Waters,Best and Manning. The clock bears the fol lowing

inscription : Presented by the congregation of St . Mark ’s

Parish , Niagara, to the Venerable Archdeacon and Mrs .

M cMurray to mark the centenary of this parish , and the very

estimable part which the archdeacon has taken therein for 36

years . Niagara , 9th J uly , The archdeacon repl ied

in words suitable to the occas i on,showing deep feel ing.

On every s ide were heard express ions of gratification at

the admirable arrangement of the whole centennial gatherings

and the successful carrying out of the well-matured plans ,

and too much praise cannot be given to those in charge of the

programme . During the services the sum of $350 was raised

to help defray the debt on the school house . Large handsomely

framed photographs of Rev . Thomas Creen and the present

rector have been placed i n the vestry , and it i s hoped that a

good portrai t of the fi rst rector may be secured to accompany

them .

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The following resolut ion , which explains itself, was sent

to the archdeacon

R esolved,“ That we , the members of the Ruri-decanal

Chapter of Lincoln and Welland in session assembled , des i re

to congratulate most hearti ly the Venerable Archdeacon

McMurray , recto r of S t . Mark’

s Church,Niagara

,upon his

having been permitted to witness the centenary of his parish ,

and , while we acknowledge the D ivine blessing which has

rested upon his labors i n the past,as evidenced by the erec

tion of the rectory and school house , the improvement of the

graveyard and the restoration of the church , the parish being

made complete i n al l its arrangements , we pray that the same

degree of peace that he has always hi therto enjoyed as rector

of Niagara may be experienced by him unti l the close of his

l ife . ”

Moved by Rev . P . W . Smith , seconded by Rev . Canon

Houston,and carried unanimous ly by a standing vote at

Niagara , on Monday, July 1 1 th, 1892 .

5 !

1 7921 1892 .

N IAGARA , june 1 5 th , 1 892 .

DEAR S I R

With the enc losed Order of Services of the Centenary

Celebration of St . Mark ’

s Parish to be held on the 9th , 10th

and 1 1 th Ju ly , i n St. Mark’s Church

,we hereby extend to you

a most cordial invi tation to be present and participate therein .

The Off erings wi l l be devoted to the l iquidation of Parish

debt .Yours faithfully

,

WI LLIAM MCMU RRAY,R ector .

J OH N C . GARRET T , Curate in charge.

Programme of Services to be held in the Church of St .

Mark ’

s, Niagara , Ont . , on the 9th , 10th and I I th days of J uly ,

1892 , to celebrate the One Hundredth Anniversary of the

foundation of St . Mark ’s Parish .

All the Reverend Clergy of the Deanery of Li ncoln and

Welland have been i nvi ted to take part i n the exercises . The

preachers are the Righ t Reverend A . Cleveland Coxe , D . D . ,

LL .D . ,Bishop of Western New York , Bu ff alo , N . Y. ; the

Venerable Archdeacon Dickson , Guelph , Ont . ; the

Reverends A . Baldwin , M . A .,Toronto

,and Robert Ke r,

St . Catharines .

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EVENSONG .

From beginning to Apostles ’ Creed - The Reverend Principal

Mil ler, B . A.

F irst Lesson—The Reverend T. Shutt, M .A.

Second Lesson—The Reverend W. J . Pigott.

From Apos tles ' Creed to end of Third Collect—The Rev. J . Evans .

Third Collect to the Grace—The Reverend J . A rdil l .

SUNDAY , JULY 1OT H , 1 1 A .M .

Morning Prayer and Holy Communion. Celebrant and Preacher

The Right Reverend Dr. Coxe, B ishop of Western N ew York

MORNING P RAYER.

From beginning to A postle ’s Creed—The Reverend W. J . Armitage .

F i rs t Lesson—The Reverend Charles Scudamore—z Chron. V.

Second Lesson—The Reverend E . J . Fessenden, B .A .

From Apostles ’ Creed to end of Third Collec t -The R everend G

Johnston, B .A .

Epistle—Venerable Archdeacon D ickson. Gospel - The Reverend

Canon Read , D .D.

The Epis toler, Gospeler and Venerable Archdeacon M cMurray wi ll

ass ist the B ishop in administering Holy Commun ion.

SUNDAY , JULY 1OT H , P .M .

Litany and Sermon. Reader—The Reve rend Canon Arnold , B .A .

Preacher—The Reverend Arthur Baldwin, M .A. Collect and

B less ing—The Reverend P. L. Spencer.

SUNDAY, JULY 1OT H , 7 P .M .

EVENING PRAYER .

Preacher—The Venerable A rchdeacon D ick son, D .C .L.

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From beginning to Apostles ’ Creed—The Reverend J . J . Morton.

F irst Lesson—The Reverend A. Baldwin, B .A .

Second Lesson—The Reverend F. B . Hodgins .

From Apostles ’ Creed to end of Th ird Collect—The Reverend M .

K er, D.D.

From Third Collect to the Grace—The Reverend J . C . Garrett.

MONDAY , JULY 1 1TH .

MEETING O! DEANERY.

8 a. m.—Holy Communion. Celebrant—The Reverend the Rural

Dean.

10 a . m.—Meeting of Chapter.

p . m.- Lunch in School House.

2 p . m.-Paper by Reverend Dr. S cadding, to be read by the Rev

e rend Arthur Baldwin, M . A.

Short addresses by the Reverends P. L . Spencer Canon Bul l , M .A

W. J . Armitage , and others.

MONDAY, JULY 1 1T H , P . M .

Parish R e-union, School House and Grounds.

I n what bette r words than those of Geo . Macdonald ,

i n describing an old church in the Sea Board Parish , can

this imperfect sketch of an old church be concluded : “ And

when I saw i t , I rejoiced to think that once more I was

favored with a church that had a history , for , to give the

ful l idea of the bui lding,i t i s necessary that i t should be

one in which the hopes and fears , the cares and consola

tions , the loves and desi res of ou r forefathers shou ld have

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been roofed ; where the hearts of those through whom our

country has become that which i t is—from which not merelythe l ife blood of our bodies

,but the l ife blood of our spi ri ts

has come down to us—whose ex i stence and whose eff ortshave made i t poss ible for us to be that which we are .

Therefore , I would far rather, when I may , worship in an

old church whose very s tones are a history of how men

strove to real iz e the infinite,compell ing even the powers

of natu re i nto the task .

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