NYGenWeb PUTNAM COUNTY, New York

PUTNAM COUNTY MEMBERS OF THE
NEW YORK BAPTIST UNION FOR MINISTERIAL EDUCATION
1854-1855

Source: Sixth Report of the Board of Trustees of the New York Baptist Union for Ministerial Education; with the Proceedings of the Annual Meeting, Addresses, etc., etc. Held at Rochester, July 10, 1855; Together With a Statistical Report of Institutions of Learning. Rochester: Steam Press of A. Strong & Co., Democrat Office, Eagle Bank Block, 1856.

The "New York Baptist Union For Ministerial Education" was a membership society whose objective was to:

"...furnish means of instruction to such young men of the Baptist denomination, as shall give satisfactory evidence to the churches of which they are members, and to the Trustees of the Society, of their personal piety, and their call to the gospel ministry."

Fundraising visits to Putnam County area Baptists were made by Rev. Hezekiah West of Watkins, Schuyler County, and Rev. Zenas Freeman of Rochester, Monroe County. Members paid dues of at least two dollars per year; life membership was $20.00. Although there was already a thriving Baptist theological seminary in Hamilton, NY in 1854-55, the Union's goal was to create further opportunity for a thorough training in the ministry at a new seminary in the city of Rochester, Monroe County. By 1855 the Union had raised $40,000 towards the permanent endowment of professorships, a library of 7,000 volumes, and $28,000 in scholarship funds for a school with three full-time professors and 40 theological students.

Monies were being raised at a time of severe economic depression in the country overall. For fundraising purposes the state was divided into 3 geographic sections. Letters were sent to pastors of 636 Baptist churches in the state. Only 210 churches responded and insufficient monies proportionate to the seminary's needs were raised. The names of local residents below were culled from listings of all Union members across NY State.

Type of Donation:
• L.M. = life membership
• end. = general endowment notes and subscriptions
• int. = interest on subscriptions, notes, etc.
• U.S. = ?; not listed in table

Name of ministers who secured the donations, Name of Member, Residence, Type of Fund, Amount Donated.

Per Rev. Z. Freeman - Rep. for February (1855)
Mrs. H. Jane Carver, Red Mills, L.M. $8.00
Aaron Ganung, Carmel, end. $25.00, int. $6.13
James H. Watts, Carmel, end. $25.00
James H. Kniffen, Carmel, end. $25.00, int. $6.13
J.H. Lee, Red Mills, int. $2.50

Per Rev. H. West - Rep. for June (1855)
Mrs. Israel Pinckney, Red Mills, L.M. $7.00
Stephen Arnold, Red Mills, U.S. $5.00
Miss Asenath Pierce, Carmel, for Rev. C.H. Underhill, L.M. $5.00
J.H. Lee, Red Mills, end., $20.00

LIFE MEMBERS
By Payment of Twenty Dollars and Upwards
Ganung, Aaron, Carmel, Putnam
Jaycox, Isaac, Cold Spring
Jaycox, Mrs. Isaac, Cold Spring
Kelley, Ebenezer, Carmel, Putnam
Kent, David, Patterson, Putnam
Kniffin, James H., Carmel, Putnam
Pinckney, Isaac, Red Mills, Putnam
Towner, John M., Patterson, Putnam

All spellings and locations are as in the original book. There was no further information about donors or their churches.

Contributed by Martha Perry Magill & Conrad Vogel
Copyright © 1999 Martha Perry Magill
All Rights Reserved.

These pages were last updated: Sunday, 16-Jun-2002 12:15:40 MDT

Return to Putnam County main page

Return to NYGenWeb web site.

© 1998-2002  Cathy Horn. All Rights Reserved.