The History of Cayuga County 1789-1879 page 320
Town of Mentz

year.  He was succeeded in 1873 by Elder S. Seigfried, the year 1872 being spent without a pastor, as was also the year 1874.  In 1875 Elder E. Widman became the pastor; but in the following year the pulpit was again vacant.  Elder Ross Matthews assumed the pastoral care in 1877, in the fall of which year he was succeeded by Elder Ira Dudley, the present pastor.  The church has a present membership of 130.  The attendance at the Sabbath school is 75.

The Methodist Episcopal Church of Port Byron was incorporated June 10th, 1850, Daniel McQuigg, Daniel Mead, John Ferbush, John A. Taylor, and Alex. Gutchess being elected the first Trustees.  Rev. H. C. Hall was at that time pastor of a small class, and their meetings were held in the church formerly owned by the Presbyterian Society, which property was bought by this Society January 1st, 1851, for $850.  The following July the church was assigned to the Oneida Conference.  In 1854 a parsonage was built, at a cost of $1,500.  It 1862 it was moved to a new lot and enlarged and furnished at a cost of $1,000.  In 1858 the church edifice was somewhat remodeled and repaired at an expense of $1,500; and again in 1872, the entire inner structure was rebuilt in modern style, involving an expense of $7,500.  In 1878, the sum of $2,000 was raised, $1,000 of which was applied to the purchase of a pipe organ, and the remainder to liquidating the entire indebtedness of the Society.  

The pastors who have served this Society since its incorporation and the date of their service, are as follows:  Revs. James Landreth, July 1850; B.R. Pratt, 1851; Oran Lathrop, 1852; Zachariah D. Paddock, 1853; Sylvester H. Brown, 1855; Alanson White, April, 1857; Fitch Reed, 1858; Albert B. Gregg, 1860; Wm. Jerome, 1862; David R. Carrier, 1864; George C. Elliott, 1866; Ephraim C. Brown, 1868; Richard R. Redhead, 1870; Henry T. Giles, October, 1873; and Reuben C. Fox, the present pastor, in 1876.  There are about 170 members and the Society is united and prosperous.  There is also a flourishing Sunday-School of over 200 members, of which E.R. Redhead is superintendent.

The present officiary of the Church and Society is as follows; Rev. R. C. Fox, pastor; Revs. Barnabas Wood and Wm. C. Toll, local preachers; Tobias Schemerhorn, Charles F. Stiles, Jonathan Myer, G.W. Latham, R. R. Stilwell and E. R. Redhead, class leaders; Augustus Kelly, John Wilson, A. J. Caldwell, L. B. Burritt, D. H. Mills, Andrew Shelter, E. A. Dickinson, Joseph H. Hadden and J. W. Barrus, stewards; John Wilson, Eber M. Treat, H. V. Howland, G. W. Latham, D. H. Mills, C. F. Stiles, Augustus Kelly, Jonathan Myer and J. W. Barrus, trustees.

St. John's Church, (Roman Catholic,) at Port Byron, was organized about 1858, the Catholics in Montezuma being largely instrumental in its formation.  The priests who have officiated are those who have ministered to the church in Montezuma, who have generally been stationed at Weedsport. The Society has never had a resident pastor. Their church edifice was formerly a school-house, which they bought and remodeled.

ST. PAUL'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF PORT BYRON was organized about 1863, though meetings were held by members of this denomination about twenty-five years ago, the services being conducted by transient pastors at irregular intervals. Among the original members were F. M. King, Charles Hamilton and wife, George B. Gillespie, H. C. Badgley and Mrs. Martha Kendrick. The first settled pastor was Rev. J. H. Rowling, who continued his ministrations about two years, and was succeeded by a Rev. Mr. Foster, who remained about one year. He was succeeded by a Rev. Mr. Paul. From the time that Mr. Paul severed his connection with the church it has had no settled pastor until about eighteen months since, at which time the services of Rev. Wm. Lord, the present pastor, were secured. The existence of the Society has been a constant struggle from the beginning, and it has several times languished and revived. The Society is now adapting to its use a building donated to it by Mrs. Frances Matson, wife of Rev. Dr. Matson, of New York, which has been moved to a lot of one and one-half acres, donated by the heirs of Nathan Marble, the father of Mrs. Matson. They have expended $525 in fitting it up and expect that the expenditure of $400 will finish it for occupancy, when it will seat about 100 persons. They held services in this building for the first time June 2d, 1878. Previous to this their meetings have been held in the town hall or in the houses of other denominations.

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