THE

CHURCH OF THE HOLY INNOCENTS.

The church which bears this title was the fifth parish organized in this city by the Protestant Episcopal church. The increase of the population, and the extension of the city had necessitated some special provision for the spiritual wants of the members of that church living in the northern part of the town. A considerable part of them, however, were neither sufficiently settled in their resi dence, nor pecuniarily able to originate so important an undertaking, of themselves. The claims of this field had not been unobserved by others; but a decisive movement to accomplish the object of building up a congregation in that quarter was first made in 1847 by the Rector of St. Paul's church in cooperation, chiefly, with the layman, then and for many years its senior-warden, who finally assumed the whole expense of the undertaking. It was proposed to erect a chapel in the northern part of the city, and to sustain it as a free church and mission. The disastrous fire of 1848 put a stop to the circulation of the subscription paper which had been commenced, and nothing was accomplished. A sketch of the chapel intended to be built had been obtained from Mr. Frank Wills, an admirable architect, and estimates in accordance with it had been made, the material to be of brick, and the edifice to be as inexpensive as possible. The means to build with were not forthcoming. Eventually Mr. William H. De Witt, who had taken a leading part in the enterprise from the commencement, assumed the entire cost and charge of the work, having already given the site for the building.

The corner stone of the church was laid by the Rt. Rev. the Bishop of Maryland, June 7, 1849, with the usual services, in the presence of a number of clergymen,

the Rev. Dr. Kip delivering an address. The work on the building was pushed forward with energy, by Messrs. Orr & Cunningham, masons; Mr. Stuart and Mr. Parsons, wood-workers. Being the first specimen of proper Early English architecture, in the city, the edifice was an object of curiosity to many besides those who felt a deeper interest in it in view of the sacred purposes which it was to subserve.

On Sexagesima Sunday, A. D. 1850, being the 3d of February, the church, being entirely completed and arranged, it was first opened for the solemn services to which it was ever after to be appropriated. The Rev. Sylvanus Reed, who had taken the charge of the parish, officiated and preached on this occasion.

The legal organization of the parish in accordance with the statutes of the state of New York, took place on the 16th of February, 1850. The wardens and vestry. men elected at that time were the following:

Wardens.-William H. De Witt, John Buckbee.

Vestrymen.-Robert Server, John D. Parsons, John H. Bowne, E. H. Clarke, Joshua Rathbun, S. H. H. Parsons, Esq., Wm. Headlam, and Wm. Lacy.

And at the first meeting of the vestry, the Rev. Mr. Reed was elected to the Rectorship of the church.

The certificate of the incorporation of the parish having been laid before the standing committee of the diocese of New York, it was formally approved by them on the 13th of June; and it was admitted to union with the convention of the diocese at the Special meeting of convention, in November, 1850.*

The congregation had not yet been gathered, but as soon as the church was opened, those who signified to the Rector their desire to become members of the parish were registered and visited by him.

The Holy Sacrament of the Lord's Supper was first celebrated on Sunday the 17th of February, to about

*An oversight in the execution of the form of incorporation prevented the admission of the parish into the convention at its meeting September, 1850.

twenty persons, there being then about thirty families in the congregation. Holy baptism was administered to an adult at evening prayer on the same day. A daily service was for some time celebrated. The Sunday school was organized at the close of the year, in a school room furnished by Mr. De Witt.

The entire property, consisting of two lots of ground, and of the church edifice, with its furniture, was conveyed by a perpetual lease to the corporation, legally formed, of the Rector, Wardens and Vestry of the Church of the Holy Innocents, upon condition that the church should always be occupied by, and used in the services of the Protestant Episcopal church; that its sittings should always be free; that its donors should have the care of the grounds, edifice and furniture, and temporalities, the privilege of enlarging the building, and of nominating to the rectorship. The donors also reserved the right of reentering the premises for the purpose of conveying them to any other corporation of the Episcopal church in the city; or to a chartered school; without, however, diverting the church from the sacred uses, originally intended, or altering its character as a Free church. A reservation of a right of nomination to the rectorship, to the donors and their heirs (said heirs to be of the age of twenty-one years, and communicants in the P. E. church), was, subsequently by formal release, changed to a right to descend to their issue; and was limited to three nominations and required to be exercised within a year from the occur. rence of a vacancy. They also reserved the right to erect a free school on any part of the church lot.

Arrangements were made for the consecration of the church in July, 1850; but the illness of Bishop Whittingham prevented its taking place at that time, although the clergy and people were assembled in the church.*

*Opposition was made to the consecration of the church and a protest against the Bishop's proceeding was presented to him, signed by three clergymen of the city, one of whom some time after formally retracted his part in it. The ground of the opposition was, the nature of the reservations to the donors, and their heirs, and it was alleged that the deed of conveyance had been altered from the form in