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BRIGHAM’S ELMIRA DIRECTORY, FOR 1863. Return To 1863 Directory Front Page

The first Senator from the Southern Tier in the Western District was Vincent Mathews, 20^th Session 1796 and 1797. 22^nd Session ’98, ’99 and 1800. 24^th do. 1801 and 1802.
 

Of the members of Congress, none appear from this section until the 11^th Congress, 1809 to 1811.
 

Trinity Church, Elmira, is located on the corner of Main and Church streets. This edifice was commenced in 1855 and completed in 1858. Seats six hundred persons. A brick building; cost $20,000. The organization was in 1833. The first Rector was Rev. Thomas Clark; present Rector, Rev. Andrew Hull. Communicants, one hundred and sixty. Sunday School one hundred and thirty scholars, twelve female and five male teachers. Francis Collingwood, Superintendent.

Wardens-Harvey Luce, B. P. Beardsley

Vestry-William P. Yates, Dorns Hatch, John Arnot, Jr., E. H. Benn, V. B. Read, J. R. Lawrence, G. L. Smith, Francis Collingwood.

Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church-Located on Corner of Cross and High Streets; number of members, 3,000; edifice built in 1854, 130 by 60, of brick; cost $35,000. First Pastor, Rev. Patrick Brady; present, Rev. M. Kavanaugh.

Sunday School-John Byrne, Superintendent; 10 male teachers, 20 female teachers; male scholars, 175, female scholars, 225.

First Presbyterian Church-Organized 1793; first Pastor, Rev. Daniel Thatcher; present Pastor, Rev. George C. Curtis, D. D.; members, 278; brick building now erecting, corner of Baldwin and Church streets; entire length, including Lecture Room, 132 feet; width of Church edifice, 62 feet; Lecture Room, 35 by 78 feet.

Sunday School, Superintendent, J. Redfield; 10 male, 23 female teachers; number of scholars, 60 males, 115 females.

Second Presbyterian Church –Organized 1860; location, corner of Church and Lake streets; edifice built in 1862, of brick, 70 by 90; cost $20,000; first Pastor, Rev. David Murdoch; members, 148.

Sunday School, Superintendent, D. Thompson Dunn; 8 male, 20 female teachers; scholars, 85 male, 118 females.

First Methodist Episcopal Church-Location on Baldwin street, between Second and Church; Pastor, James E. Latimer; organized, -------; present edifice was built in 1851, of brick, 54 by 76; cost $10,000.

Sunday School, Superintendent, Elias S. Huntley; teachers, 10 male, 13 females; scholars, 60 male, 100 females.

Second Methodist-Hedding Church-Church street, between College Avenue and Columbia; members present, 200; built in 1852, brick; cost $20,000; first Pastor, Wm. H. Goodwin, D.D.; present Pastor, Rev. Edwin J. Hermans.

Sunday School, Superintendent, David Decker; teachers, 8 males, 8 females; scholars, 40 male, 60 females.

African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church-Built in 1852, 30 by 40, wood; cost $1,000; first Pastor, John Tappen; present, James H. Smith.

Independent Congregational Church-Organized in 1845; first Pastor, F. W. Graves; present, T. K. Beecher, D.D.; edifice built in 1858, 90 by 65; cost $9,000; members, 240.

Sunday School, Superintendent, Charles T. Farrar; teachers, 8 males 21 females; scholars, 70 males, 90 female.

First Baptist Church-Location, Church street, between Wisner and Main; organized in May, 1829; first Pastor, Philander D. Gillett; numbers of members, 221; edifice built in 1848; wood, stuccoed; cost $8,000; present Pastor, Rev. T. O. Lincoln, D.D.

Sunday School, Superintendent, N.P. Fassett; teachers, 8 males, 21 females; scholars, 82 male, 127 female.

Central Baptist Church-Church street, corner of Church and Conongue; organized in 1859; edifice built in 1860, of brick 54 by 80; cost $10,000; first Pastor, Rev. J.R. Wilson; present, (supply) S.M. Broakman.

Sunday School, Superintendent, B.P. Fenner; teachers, 5 male, 17 females; scholars, 45 male, 75 females.

Young Men’s Christian Association-Organized in 1858; number of members at organization, 45; present number, 202; Reading Room in Ely’s Hall; 30 newspapers, 12 magazines.
 

Reading Room open daily, from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Free to all. Strangers especially invited to avail themselves of the privileges of the reading room.

The Fire Department of Elmira is well and efficiently organized, and reflects much credit on the enterprise and public spirit of the citizens.
 

SKETCH OF THE PRESS

A very important auxiliary in promoting the substantial growth and permanence of our industrial, scientific, moral and religious institutions, is the Country Press; without the assistance of which no enterprise can succeed. Although that Press has done and is doing a great work for society in a sphere where no metropolitan journals can compete with it, it is too often left to languish unsupported, owing to the fact that men do not appreciate its great importance until the very moment when they have "an axe to grind: on the editorial grindstone. It is the local journal that gives character and importance to the town or district wherein it is published. We claim for it in this respect, a precedence over all other influences. Its usefulness might be vastly increased, and the interests of community correspondingly promoted, if its efforts to subserve the common welfare were responded to by a generous confidence and patronage, instead of a distrust, at present much too common, of its faithfulness and reliability, indicated by a parsimonious support, grudgingly bestowed.

For many of the facts in this sketch of Elmira Newspapers we are indebted to the Gazeteer of the State of New York, published by R. Pearsall Smith in 1860.

Publisher

The first paper published in Chemung County, (then Tioga) was called The Telegraph, published by Brindle & Murphy, at an early day. (We have not the date of its first issue at hand.) In 1816 its name was changed to The Vidette, Brindle & Murphy publishers, subsequently published by William Murphy.

The Investigator was commenced at Elmira in 1820, by Job Smith. In 1822 its name was changed to the The Tioga Register, and in 1828 to The Elmira Gazette, and its publication continued by Mr. Smith until 1831. It was successively issued by Brinton Paine, Cyrus Pratt, Pratt & Beardsley, Mason & Rhodes, George W. Mason, William C. Rhodes, until 1857, when it passed into the hands of S. C. Taber, by whom it was published until September 1858, when F. A. DeVoe purchased the office, and has published the paper uninterruptedly since that time.

In August 1856, The Daily Gazette was started and continued until June 1857, when it was suspended, and again started in April 1860 by its present proprietor, with Horton Tidd as Editor, who still continues to occupy that position, he having been the Editor of the Weekly Gazette since its purchase by Mr. DeVoe.

The Elmira Republican was commenced in 1820 and in 1828 it was changed to The Elmira Whig, and published by James Durham. In 1829 it was again changed to The Elmira Republican and Canal Advertiser. In 1831 it passed into the hands of John Duffy and its name was changed back to The Elmira Republican. It was afterwards issued by Birdsall & Huntley, Ransom & Birdsall, Polleys & Carter, Polleys & Cook, Polleys & Huntley, S. B. & C. G. Fairman, C. G. Fairman, Fairman & Baldwin, Baldwin & Dumars, and Mr. Calhoun, until 1857, when it was discontinued. The Elmira Daily Republican was issued a short time in 1846. The Daily Republican was issued from the Republican office from the fall of 1851 to 1855.

The Elmira Advertiser, Daily and Weekly, was commenced in 1853 by Fairman Brothers. In 1856 F. A. DeVoe became pecuniarily interested in it and Fairman & DeVoe continued its publication until January 1^st, 1863, when Mr. DeVoe sold his interest, and S. B. Fairman became the sole proprietor. He continues the publication of the Daily and Weekly with S. B. & C. G. Fairman as Editors.

The Elmira Daily Democrat was issued a short time in 1851 by J. Taylor and S. C. Taber.

The Young American-a journal designed more especially for young people-was published in 1855, by James H. Paine. And was continued nearly a year.

The Daily Press was established in May, 1859, by Messrs. Dumars, Van Gelder and Paine; subsequently published by Dumars & Van Gelder, R. R. R. Dumars, Dumars, & Paine, and was purchased by its present proprietors-Messrs. Thayer & Whitley-in October, 1862.

The Temperance Gem, a monthly publication was issued in Elmira in 1856.