First Baptist Manlius

On June 15, 1909, the prospects of filling the Manlius Baptist Church pastorate and the parsonage promptly were apparently not hopeful, and the Church voted 22 yes, 1 no, to give the Trustees power to rent the parsonage for one year. On August 22, 1909, a special Church Meeting was called to give the Pulpit Committee directions for future conduct. Mr. H. E Ransier spoke favorably of the work of Reverend C. M. Tower. Reverend Tower was well known in the Syracuse area. He was a District Missionary of the Baptist Missionary Convention and had led two week long meetings with the Immanuel Baptist Church in 1891 and 1905. The Congregation voted to call Reverend Tower as a candidate. Reverend Tower preached to the Congregation and on September 12, 1909, a meeting was held to consider a call to Reverend Tower to serve as pastor of the Manlius Baptist Church. Reverend Tower, for reasons not explained, was emphatically rejected. The vote was 30 no, 1 yes, and 2 blank. The Congregation may have rejected Reverend Tower at least partially for economic reasons. Reverend Tower would have been a full time pastor in need of a house and the Trustees were concluding that the Church needed to collect house rent on the parsonage to make ends meet, and that meant engaging another part-time pastor from the Colgate Seminary.

On September 26, 1909, Mr. Daniel John Bloxham from the Colgate Seminary preached to the congregation. The Church promptly voted to engage Mr. Bloxham as a supply pastor during his studies at the Seminary or "until relations with him are severed." The informal vote (women voting?) was 38 yes, 1 no and 1 blank. The formal or legal vote was 25 yes, 2 blank and was declared to be a unanimous vote.

Daniel John Bloxham was born in Derby, New York on January 14, 1884. He received an AB degree from Colgate University in 1907, was secretary of an organized charities society in New Rochelle, NY from 1907 to 1908 and studied in the Colgate Seminary from 1908 to 1910. Mr. Bloxham did not graduate from the Seminary nor was he ever ordained. Mr. Bloxham was married and had two children.

Mr. Bloxham's salary was to be $12.00 per week and his "entertainment over Sunday," which meant lodging and meals for Mr. and Mrs. Bloxham, at a cost to him not to exceed $2.00 each weekend. His services were to continue during the remaining two years of his time in Colgate and perhaps after, but to be terminated by either the Church or himself if so desired with a notice of one month. He was to arrive each weekend in Manlius on Saturday night and leave Monday, giving two sermons and other work that is possible " consistent with his strength." Every fourth week he was to come on Friday to conduct the Friday Night Prayer Meeting and Covenant Meeting. The other Weekly Prayer Meetings were to be led by "our brother, Deacon E. H. Hilts." The Parsonage was rented out to help meet "the heavy indebtedness of last year."

It was the general policy of the Baptist Church that only ordained ministers were allowed to administer the Sacraments of the Lord's Supper and Baptism. Some of the old Baptist leaders may have turned over in their graves when on November 5, 1909, the Church authorized Mr. Bloxham to administer the Lord's Supper.

At the Annual Meeting on December 6, 1909, the Church voted to accept the offer of the American Baptist Publication Society to furnish envelopes for 1910 giving (with the understanding that the Church would make a canvas to secure pledges for weekly offerings for missions.) This became known as the Duplex Envelope System. No examples have survived. A later version was two-sided with one side for Benevolence giving and the other side for Church expenses. The offer of free envelopes has long since expired.

Before the invention of methods of reproducing printed material easily and inexpensively in the Church office, and even before we had a Church office, the Church relied on the local printing shop to make needed copies. The Church has an example of a printed bulletin used when Rev. D. J. Bloxham was pastor. It was a standardized version, i.e., the same one would be used every Sunday. There were no dates, hymn numbers, special notices, etc., but it gave the worshippers the order of service, the general times of Church activities and the names of the Church Officers. The Doxology and the hymn "Holy, Holy, Holy" were sung every Sunday. There were notices read, offerings taken, a selection by the choir, and a sermon. Today's worshippers would not be uncomfortable if the same order of service were used.

Church was at 10:30 A.M.; Sunday School was at 12:00; Junior Christian Endeavor was at 4:00, Senior Christian Endeavor at 6:00, followed by the Evening Service at 7:00. (The Church had long since given up its afternoon service.) Every Thursday the members met for a Prayer Meeting and on the last Friday of the month before the first Sunday of the next month the Covenant Meeting was held. Communion was held on the first Sunday of alternate months. On the back page there was a list of the officers of the Church. The duplex envelope system for providing for the general expenses of the Church and Mission Offerings was explained, and a cordial welcome was extended to all to attend and participate in the services. The Bulletin is reproduced in the Appendix.

The purchase of the VanBrocklin property in 1908 was soon regretted. Perhaps the revenues from renting the house and the hitching barn were not as large as hoped and certainly there were expenses involved in keeping up the property and paying the mortgage. As early as May 1909 the Trustees were looking for buyers. B. W. VanBrocklin was asked to buy back the property, but he was not interested. The most promising offer was from F. Vasto, who owned property to the east of the Church on Seneca Street (later considered as a site for the new Church.) For some reason B. W. VanBrocklin objected strenuously to F. Vasto's purchase of the property. The Trustees felt that it would not be advisable to sell the property over the objections of B. W. VanBrocklin, who then changed his mind and bought back the property himself for $2200.00 in February, 1910.

The Janitor, Mr. Reed, lost his Church job of renting the horse barn, but was offered the job of Church janitor for another year (1910) at the salary of $1.50 a week and the use of a vacuum cleaner. (If necessary the Trustees were willing to offer as much as $1.75 per week.) The Church rented the shed for stabling horses in the winter until July 1923 at which time Mr. VanBrocklin desired to use it for other purposes.

On February 25, 1910, the Church again found itself out of debt (that was once as high as $1300.00), and fittingly celebrated its freedom with another Jubilee in the presence of a large and enthusiastic gathering at the Church. Papers representing the various sums aggregating the entire amount were burned by William Nightingale in behalf of the Church and Society. There was an entertaining musical and literary program followed by dainty refreshments served by the Baptist Church women.

At a March 1, 1910, Trustee meeting the Board resolved that "we adopt as our corporate seal a circular emblem bearing the words Baptist Church and Society in Pompey and Manlius." If this seal had actually been produced, it would have been our second. Azariah Smith procured a seal and presented it to Trustees at a January 23, 1829, meeting. The fate of both of the seals is unknown.

On March 6, 1910, the Church, apparently impressed with Mr. Bloxham's spiritual leadership, went a step further and authorized him to administer Baptisms. (Even though Mr. Bloxham was allowed to do everything an ordained minister could do, Mrs. Harris, Church Clerk, always referred to him as "Mr." Bloxham.)

On April 29, 1910. Pastor and Mrs. D. J. Bloxham were received by letter from the Salem Baptist Church in New Rochelle, New York. Mrs. Yettie R. Harris and Miss Rachel A. Harris were appointed delegates to the Northern Baptist Convention in Chicago, Illinois, May 6-13, 1910.

The Protestant Churches of Manlius joined forces again for their annual summer picnic outing, this time at Long Branch on July 20, 1910. All attendance and financial receipt records were broken. "Four crowded cars (trolley) left Manlius at 8:30 A.M. returning at 4.5 and 7 P.M. with no mishap of any kind to ruin the day's pleasure. "

The Church was apparently thriving under Reverend Bloxham's leadership, even if he was only present during the school year on weekends. He appeared to be a "very popular and respected leader." During the summer months, because of the heat, the Sunday Evening Services were shortened to 45 minutes duration (instead of the usual 60 minutes.)

In late July and August Rev. Bloxham was seriously ill with blood poisoning and was being taken care of at the home of Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Nightingale on Pleasant St. He recovered, but within the month, the Congregation was told of the death of the Bloxham infant son. Whether it was because of these misfortunes or other reasons, Reverend Bloxham decided to discontinue his studies at Colgate for the 1910-1911 academic year.

Apparently, Reverend Bloxham gave the Church his full attention for 1910-1911. One of the highlights was a Sunday Evening Union Service at which Reverend Bloxham gave an illustrated address (stereopticon slides- a first) on the subject "The Doctor."

The Sunday School Orchestra (4 violins, 3 cornets, 1 organ) was being drilled by Mrs. B. W. VanBrocklin. The Christmas Tree and Concert on December 17, 1910, was largely attended with Santa Claus as the leading feature. A local pharmacist, Herbert Ransier, delivered an illustrated lecture on the Crow Indian Mission to the Junior Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor Society. William Nightingale (running unopposed) was voted a village Trustee on February 21, 1911.

In 1910 the Ladies Aid Society of the Manlius Baptist Church published a "Choice Collection" of recipes. In the preface the ladies wrote in part "we believe each recipe has been tried and found true. Hereunto do we put our names, and give to our friends. The books were sold to raise money for the Ladies Aid projects. The price was not mentioned. In the preface there was also printed a short poem (authorship not known) extolling the status of the cook:

We may live without poetry, music, or art;
We may live without conscience, we may live without heart;
We may live without friends, we may live without books;
But civilized man cannot live without cooks.

Among the contributors of the 560 recipes was Mrs. D.J. Bloxham, wife of the current Pastor. She specialized in Shepherd's Pie and Coffee Pudding. Other contributors were Mrs. Carlotta Conrad, wife of the pastor before Rev. Bloxham, Ella Barber, Yettie Harris, Rachel Harris, Mrs. I. N. Loomis, and Louise Davis. There were advertisements from local merchants as well as many from the city of Syracuse. The Church has two copies of the cookbook in its historical collection.

The Episcopal Church was being repaired and with the usual spirit of cooperation between Churches still intact, we extended an invitation to the Episcopalians to use our "house" during the month of August, 1910. On October 10, 1910, the Church, evidently pleased with the work of Mr. Bloxham, voted to increase his salary from $12.00 to $15.00 per week (plus rent). However, in order to be able to pay the extra money, a Committee of three was appointed to canvass members not now paying for the support of the Church to secure the extra money needed.

The purchase of new hymnbooks had been discussed earlier and set aside for lack of money, but at the October 10, 1910, meeting the Church resolved that a Committee of Rev. D. J. Bloxham, Mrs. Yettie Harris, F. B. Perry and H. E. Ransier be appointed to act in selecting and securing a supply of Church Hymnals.

The village fathers established a curfew and depended on using church bells to announce the time of withdrawal from the streets of the village. The ringing of the Baptist bell during the Sunday Evening Service annoyed the congregation. At the same October 10th meeting, the Church resolved that the Clerk of the session be appointed to wait on the Village President (now called Mayor) to determine if some other bell could be used for the curfew, or at least that the bell not be run during Sunday Evening Services.

The Trustees in their December 12, 1910, meeting notes published a budget for 1911:

"From a careful estimate," the Trustees thought it probable that the Church would be short $85.00 at the end of 1910, unless some new pledges were made. At their January 30, 1911, meeting the Trustees reported pledges totaling $1020.29.

The village was trying to uphold its Sunday Blue Laws (no fishing within village limits on Sunday, no movies, and no sale of meat on Sundays.) The sale of groceries was prohibited after 10:00 A.M. (however, soft drinks, fruits, confectioneries and cigars could be sold all day long.

In the May 19, 1911, Fayetteville Bulletin an announcement was made of a special series of evangelistic tent services to be held for a duration of six weeks in the village of Manlius by Evangelist Ernest Crabill, starting on June 4, 1911. The Manlius Baptist Church Clerk was worried that the Church would not yet have secured the services of a new minister who would help to bring in new converts. The Crabill services were to be held in a large tent in the Manlius Village that would hold 700 people. For the week before the services a series of cottage prayer meetings was arranged with the Protestant Churches of Manlius to prepare the people for the crusade. Unfortunately, the tent was blown down in a serious storm that swept the area on Sunday Evening, June 4, 1911. The tent was "whipped to pieces" by the strong winds and driving rain. Undaunted, and determined to carry on his services, the Evangelist Crabill and his singer Mr. Moser directed the construction of a wooden tabernacle with the aid of 12 volunteer carpenters (with wood borrowed from S. Cheney and Son and returned to them after the meetings) in two days. (The Church has a picture of the interior of the wooden tabernacle.) To add to their difficulties, Reverend and Mrs. Crabill were called away at the beginning of the services because of the illness of his mother in Ohio.

The Meetings opened on Sunday, June 4, 1911, and closed on Monday, July 17. (On July 19 eight men razed the tabernacle to the ground, removed the nails from the lumber, completing the task in five hours.) There were nightly meetings for special groups: the Sunday School, Shopman's Night, Physicians night, Businessmen's night, a men only night, a Fraternal Organization night, and special afternoon meetings for women. A total of 123 converts signed cards for application for admission as members among the different village churches during the campaign. Thirteen of the converts were baptized in the Baptist Church, five were received by experience, and others were expected.

Although the success of his career as a Pastor seemed assured, Reverend Bloxham was not certain of what he wanted for his future and resigned as pastor of the Manlius Baptist Church effective June 1, 1911. He gave his reason as ill health. (On the same evening 30 Manlius Odd Fellows attended the Evening Service and listened to a forceful sermon by the Pastor on the "Good Samaritan." Rev. Bloxham's father was a leading member of the State Grand Lodge.)

Early in June, 1911, Reverend and Mrs. Bloxham and daughter Evelyn left for Angola, New York, where they were to spend the summer. In the fall Reverend Bloxham enrolled in the Cornell University Graduate School and became Principal of the Ovid High School.

From there he went to work for the Traveler's Insurance Company. This career was interrupted for one year in 1918 when he served as Executive Secretary of the Army YMCA. On April 18, 1912, Mr. and Mrs. Bloxham were given letters of dismissal, but no specific church was mentioned by the clerk. Manlius friends who remembered the Bloxhams were saddened to hear of the death of their daughter Evelyn at the age of 24. The Bloxhams were then residing in Rochester, NY. (noted in the Eagle Bulletin of December 12, 1935.)