The History of Cayuga County 1789-1879 page 482
Town of Sempronius

Sempronius. Many of the first settlers in Sempronius came from Stillwater, Saratoga county, and were members of the Baptist Church there. At an early period their efforts were directed to the establishment here of those religious advantages they had enjoyed at home. Early in 1797 they commenced to hold religious exercises, meeting each Sabbath for conference and prayer. Sunday, February 4th, 1798, they were visited by Elder David Irish, of the First Church in Scipio, now Venice, at which time ten converts related their experience and were baptized, viz: John Titus, Jonathan Burgess, Ezekiel Sayles, Jr., Harvey Burgess, Ira Abbott, Mary Burgess, Sarah Abbott, Olive Burgess, Phebe Summerton and Polly Titus.

At a meeting held the following Sunday, it was resolved to organize a Church, and articles of faith and covenant were adopted. Saturday, February 24th, 1798, a council, composed of delegates from the First Church of Scipio, the Second Church of Aurelius and the Churches in Milton and Pompey, was convened at their request at the house of Joel Burgess, and after a suitable examination they were recognized as a regularly constituted Church. The original members, in addition to those baptized by Elder Irish, were Seth Burgess, John Summerton, Henry Persoll, Jotham Bassett, Joel Burgess, Ezekiel Sayles, Abraham Sayles, Rebecca Summerton, Sarah Sayles, Rhoda Titus, Hannah Burgess and Phebe Taylor, "old professors." March 7th following they arranged with the Second Church of Aurelius to meet by delegation at the house of Elder John Lesuer, and jointly secured his services as pastor, to preach one-half the time to each Church, up to the last Saturday in August next following, each Church agreeing to pay him twelve bushels of grain and fifty pounds of meat for a half years' salary.

The Church united with the Scipio General Conference at the time of its formation in 1799, and was one of the Churches constituting the Cayuga Baptist Association in 1801.

Elder Lesuer continued his labors with this Church till 1804, and succeeded in increasing the membership to fifty-seven. He was succeeded October 27th, 1804, by Elder Robert Niles, whose labors were closed by death January 24th, 1816. Under his faithful and judicious labors, the Church gradually increased in numbers and strength, but enjoyed no general revival till 1816.

Elder Niles was succeeded in the pastorate by Moses Wares, who entered upon his labors in 1817. His settlement proved unfortunate for th church, which soon became involved in serious difficulties, and resulted in his exclusion from their body. Elder Nathaniel L. Moore, their next pastor, took the pastoral care in 1819, and continued until 1824. In 1821, the members of this church living in the south-east part of the town petitioned to be set off as a separate church and were constituted in 1822, the Second Baptist Church in Sempronius. Elder H. Gaston succeeded Elder Moore in the pastorate in 1824 and continued till 1828. In 1827, up to which time the church enjoyed peace and union, the agitations growing out of the subject of Masonry commenced and continued to work inharmony for a long series of years. Church fellowship was set aside, and discipline became the order of the day. Elder A. Dennison succeeded to the pastorate in 1828, and continued till 1831. He was followed in 1832 by Daniel Dye, who continued till 1835, during which time about forty were baptized. N. L. Moore again became the pastor in 1835 and remained till 1839, when he was succeeded by S. Wright, who remained only one year. The church seems to have been without a pastor from this time until 1844, when D. D. Chittenden bcame the pastor, he likewise remaining but one year. The next pastor appears to be Bishop Ames, who entered upon his labors in 1848, and closed them May, 1851. He was followed by N. L. Moore from the church in Milan, whom he also succeeded, remaining one year. Ames was the last pastor the church had. From 1827, the church dwindled and gradually lost its vital energy.

December 29th, 1809, the church decided to become incorporated, and January 25th, 1810, Thaddeus Histed, Isaac Dunning and Ezekiel Sayles were elected the first trustees. The incorporation was perfected February 1st, 1810. The first church edifice erected by this Society was built in 1810. It was a frame structure and stood near the cemetery in the north edge of Sempronius. It was burned in 1837. Their next house was built in 1842, in Kelloggsville, and is now occupied by the Methodist Society in that village, to whom it was deeded in 1861. Previous to the building of the first house, meet-

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