The History of Cayuga County 1789-1879 page 204

Mrs. Webster, Milo Webster, Mrs. Daniel Woodworth, Lydia Reynolds, and Lois Sexton.**

FIRST METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH.--This society was first organized April 24th, 1819. Auburn was then included in the "Cayuga Circuit." In 1820 it became a separate charge and its first pastor was Gardner Baker. The society then comprised fifty-one memers and they erected a plain wooden chapel on the site of the parochial school building on Chapel street, in which they worshiped until 1834.

In 1832, John Seymour and Tallmage Cherry erected with their own funds a substantial stone church on the corner of North and Water streets, at a cost of $13,000, which was dedicated February 6th, 1833. Rev. John Dempster officiated. The society bought the building one year later. In April, 1867, the church edifice was destroyed by fire and the loss was a serious one to the society, as they had just completed extensive repairs and paid off all indebtedness upon it. Rev. William Searls had just been assigned to this charge, and he found his people without a place of worship. The loss was promptly supplied. A lot was purchased on the west corner of South and Exchange streets, and a beautiful church edifice erected upon it at a total cost of about $40,000. The society also owns a parsonage of the estimated value of $4,000. There remains an indebtedness of $11,000 on the entire church property. The new church was dedicated Jan. 7th, 1869.

The following are among the regularly appointed pastors of this society:

Gardner Baker, John C. Cole, John E. Robie, George Peck, Z. Paddock, James Richardson, Joseph Castle, H. F. Row, Selah Stocking, Thos. H. Pearne, A. J. Crandall, D. W. Bristol, Wm. H. Pearne, David Holmes, A. J. Dana, B. I. Ives, Wm. Ready, A. S. Graves, D. W. Thurston, D. A. Whedon, W. C. Steele, Wm. Searls, E. Horr, Jr., William Annable and John Alabaster.

Present Officers--Bishop, Gilbert Haven.
Presiding Elder--Rev. U. S. Beebe.
Pastor--John Alabaster.
Members of Annual Conference--Rev. B. I. Ives, and Rev. Wm. Searls.
Local Ministry--Rev. Julius Robbins, Rev. Frank Houser, Rev. A B. Benham, Rev. A. J. Sanders, and Rev. Allen E.                    Atwater.
Trustees--John W. Haight, President; John F. Driggs, Secretary and Treasurer; John Elliott, Andrew J. Sanders, George              H. Evans, D. H. Schoonmaker, and William J. Moses.

This society embraces about four hundred and twenty-five members, and the scholars of all ages in the Sabbath School, are three hundred and fifty, under the superintendence of Mr. Elmer Houser.

THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY FAMILY on North street near Chapel, was organized as the Fourth Roman Catholic Church of Western New York, August 3d, 1820, with Hugh Ward, John Connor, James Hickson, Thomas Hickson, and David Lawler, as trustees. They worshiped first and for several years in the court-house and the school house on the academy grounds. In 1834 they bought the wooden building on Chapel street, then recently abandoned by the Methodist society, by whom it was erected in 1821, and dedicated it October 23d, 1834. The pastors from this period were Revs. F. Donohue, Grace, Bradley, and Thomas O'Flaherty, the latter of whom officiated from 1845 to 1856. He was succeeded by Martin Kavanagh, from 1856 to 1857, and by Michael Creedon from 1857 to 1862. During Father Creedons' pastorate, in 1859-'61, the present brick church on North street was erected, at a cost of $35,000. Their next pastor was James McGlew, who commenced his labors in 1862 and closed them in 1864, when he was succeeded by Thomas O'Flaherty, whose second pastorate continued until 1869. He was succeeded in that year by Martin Kavanagh, which was also a second pastorate, and continued until 1874. During Father Kavanagh's second pastorate, in 1873, the present brick school on Chapel street was built, at a cost of $15,000, the old church, near the same site, having till then been occupied as a school-house. Edward McGowan succeeded Kavanagh and remained three years till 1877, in September of which year Wm. J. Seymour, the present pastor, commenced his labors. The parsonage belonging to this church is valued at $7,000, and the convent occupied by the Sisters of Mercy, at $5,000. Both are located on Chapel street. The present membership of the Church is about 3,500. The parochial school connected

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**Compiled from the History of the Cayuga Baptist Association
and from an article from Mr. O. F. Knapp, published in the Auburn
Daily Advertiser, December 2d, 1876.

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