INVENTORY OF ALL THE ESTATE BELONGING TO THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH and CONGREGATION OF SHELTER ISLAND, JUNE 1, 1834.

For one hundred and fifty years this community and church have enjoyed the help of funds in maintaining the cause of religion among them. Mr. Benjamin Conkling lived to be eighty-two years old. He died Feb. 21, 1826, and was buried in the cemetery in the rear of the church, where there stands a headstone with this inscription upon it:

"In Memory of

Benjamin Conkling, who died Feb. 21, 1826, aged eighty-two. It is but justice to the character of Mr. Conkling to say that he was an obliging neighbor; in his habits industrious, in his dealings honest. He liberally aided the cause of virtue and religion, and in his last moments bequeathed a large proportion of his property to the Presbyterian church and congregation of Shelter Island, for the support of the gospel."

Close beside this stone and the grave of Mr. Benjamin Conkling is the grave of his brother, Shadrach Conkling, who died in January, 1827. It too has a headstone with a lengthy inscription upon it in singular contrast to that of Mr. Benjamin Conkling. It reads as follows:

"In Memory of

Shadrach Conkling, who died Jan. 23, 1827, aged eighty-eight. Mr. Conkling possessed a sound mind and excellent understanding, and was a firm patriot, a good neighbor, charitable and strictly moral. He owned, at the time of his decease, a large estate, which he bequeathed to his relations, who were all very poor, and among whom were seven orphan children. Posterity will decide upon the wisdom manifested in the disposition of the estates of these two brothers."

I do not intend to go into the merits of this proposition. One can, however, read very plainly between the lines of these epitaphs. Perhaps this significant fact will aid "posterity" in forming a correct opinion, namely, that while both men were wealthy bachelors, the latter contributed but twenty dollars to the erection of the present building, while the former gave two hundred dollars and yearly hired a pew, giving besides fifty dollars per annum to the support of the church. But we look in vain for Mr. Shadrach Conkling's name upon the pew lists of those ten years which are still in existence.

CHAPTER VI.

At the close of the Rev. Ezra Youngs' ministry, in 1828, during the last six months of which he preached here but a third of the time and two-thirds at Cutchogue, he was succeeded by the Rev. Jonathan Huntting. In September of that year the parish authorized the trustees "to make use of five hundred dollars of the Publick property to hire a Minister to Preach the Gospel unto us." Mr. Huntting had just ceased to be the pastor of the Southold church, his pastoral relation being dissolved on the 27th of August, 1828. To that church he had ministered more than twenty-two years, and now, at the age of fifty, in the very prime of his powers, God gave him to this flock as their shepherd and leader. He here continued to labor until the fall of 1832, a period of four years, during which his labors were blessed to a marked degree. He did not change his place of residence, however. That still remained at Southold, from whence he came weekly to minister unto this people. On June 19th, 1832, the parish sought to induce him to take up his abode on this island by passing the following resolution: "Voted that the Trustees be authorized to allow the Rev. Jonathan Huntting the sum of four hundred dollars a year for preaching for us provided he will come on the island and live." To this proposition he declined, but still continued to supply the pulpit, in response to the action of the parish, to the following 1st of July, when the trustees were instructed to "hire the Rev. Jonathan Huntting until they could procure another clergyman," presumably to come and live upon the island; and to this end they were at the same time directed "to write to procure a clergyman to preach for us on trial." Mr. Huntting was a man of marked ability and power; in life pure and transparent, in labors devoted and successful. His long pastorate at Southold is in itself a high testimonial to his excellency of character and acceptableness as a preacher, a workman that needed not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. There are those living among us to-day who remember him with great esteem and warm affection. One good brother in the parish of Franklinville, whither Mr. Huntting went after ceasing to serve this people, in speaking of him to me said: "Mr. Huntting was a wonderful man, a powerful preacher. I can hear him pray now (nearly sixty years since the

time). He put his whole soul into it." The year after he was ordained at Southold, namely, the year 1808, he married Miss Julia Sayre, of Easthampton, his own native place. How he met this most estimable woman and proposed to her has been told to me by the same brother, and will doubtless be as interesting to others as it was to me, for which reason it will be here repeated. The story is as follows: "While on his way to Presbytery, which met in that year at Easthampton, Mr. Huntting passed through Franklinville on horseback. It was the usual mode of travel in those days, and the route from Southold to Easthampton was by way of Mattituck, Riverhead, Canoe Place, Southampton and so on to the place of destination. Reaching Franklinville, Mr. Huntting dismounted to pay his respects to Mr. Seldon Herrick, who at the time was a widower. Here Mr. Huntting met Miss Sayre, who happened to be at Mr. Herrick's on a visit. As Mr. Huntting was about to resume his journey, Miss Sayre and Mr. Herrick joined him, the lady intending at the time to return to her home. And so they started off together, Mr. Herrick and Miss Sayre in a carriage, and the dominy on his horse. After they had gone some distance and were crossing the sandy plains south southeast of Riverhead Mr. Herrick proposed a change to Mr. Huntting, he to ride the preacher's horse and Mr. Huntting to take his place in the carriage. This was readily agreed to, so Mr. Herrick mounted the steed and Mr. Huntting placed himself alongside the fair and attractive damsel. Such close contact had its effect, for before long their friendship ripened so fast that the dominy proposed to Miss Sayre right then and there, and was accepted. By this time Mr. Herrick, having become tired of riding on the dominy's horse, suggested to Mr. Huntting that they resume their original positions, which was agreed to and effected. Now it happened that Mr. Herrick, being a widower, was also in search of another helpmeet, and thinking the present a good chance to get one, broached the subject to Miss Sayre and proposed to her. To his great astonishment and discouragement Miss Sayre responded that while the dominy was in the carriage he had made a similar proposal and had been accepted. They were married Sept. 20, 1808."

Mr. Huntting was born Feb. 13, 1778, graduated from Yale College in 1804, returned to his native place and became an instructor in the academy in Easthampton, at the same time prosecuting the study of theology under the instruction of Rev. Dr.

Lyman Beecher, his pastor, and the Rev. Mr. Bogart, of Southampton. On the 10th of October, 1805, he was licensed to preach by the Presbytery of Long Island. As a licentiate he supplied the pulpit in Fishkill for five months in 1806. In June he began his labors at Southold, where he was ordained and installed as pastor the 20th of August, 1807. His subsequent labors have already been stated, except that he frequently supplied this pulpit after the close of his continued services in 1832. As for instance in 1834, when he preached for a month. Again in 1837 for a like period. Again in 1842, when he supplied for two months, and in 1843, when he ordained two of the members as elders in this church. During them all his home continued at Southold, where he died December 30th, 1850. Thirty persons united with this church during his ministry, most of them being the gracious fruits of a mighty revival that occurred during the last part of 1831 and the early part of 1832. During that revival they held seasons of services called "four days' meetings," when various members of the Presbytery would be present to assist the preacher in his revival efforts. In all one hundred and thirty-two persons had by this date united with the church since its organization in 1808. The next person. to unite with this Society was Mr. John Bowers, who joined by letter Oct. 10th, 1833. He afterwards felt himself called to the gospel ministry, and in time became a Congregational pastor, being ordained at Wilbraham, Mass., on May 11, 1856. He supplied the pulpit at Agawam Falls for one year. After this he was called to St. Johnsbury, Vt., where he was installed as pastor over the Third Congregational Church Feb. 4th, 1858, and continued to reside there until his death, just five years later, on Feb. 4th, 1863.

Mr. Huntting was succeeded by the Rev. Daniel M. Lord, already known to this people, having taught school here during the winter of 1827-8, and at the same time supplying their pulpit and taking charge of the weekly prayer meeting. "That winter," says Mr. Lord in his historical discourse, "was memorable for two events, (1) for the burning of the school-house, with the loss of all the schoolbooks, and (2) for a revival of religion, during which some fifteen or eighteen indulged the hope in the mercy of God. It was a work characterized by deep solemnity and pungent convictions for sin." At this time, as we have seen, Mr. Lord was a sophomore in Amherst College, with his eye set on the ministry. Upon completing his college course he entered Princeton Theological Seminary,