In Ruttenber and Clark’s 1881 “History of Orange County New York” it is noted that “The Methodist Episcopal Church of Greenville executed a certificate of incorporation Dec. 23, 1850.” [The Methodist Episcopal denomination was a forerunner of the United Methodist Church.] Yet, the church is certainly older than that date. The same volume notes “The house of worship is said to have been built about fifty years ago, and a church was doubtless formed much earlier than the above date of incorporation indicates.” Subtracting fifty years from 1881 puts brings us to 1831, a date that is certainly plausible given that the authors also note “Mr. John Manning states that he himself joined the church in 1836.” (p. 696)
An article in the Sussex Independent, October 10, 1930 is titled, “Greenville Methodists Observe Fiftieth Anniversary.” Perhaps that was the fiftieth anniversary of a second building of the church. The article also refers to “an old book owned by Perry Moore” wherein “is found first mention of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Greenville. Trustees of the church, October 27, 1856… the present church was built by Gabriel Easton and his son, John Eaton, who is one of the oldest residents of Greenville.” Then it includes a list of pastors starting in 1881. Ruttenber and Clark note ministers even further back: “Early ministers were Rev. Sedgwick Rusling, Rev. Mr. Grace, and Rev. Bromwell Andrews, the latter about 1836.”
A newspaper article from the Middletown Daily Argus, Jan 6, 1896 notes “Mr. [Ira Loder] Stoddard’s parents were prominent members of the Greenville Methodist Church and he united with the church in early youth. For fifty years he was associated with the Methodist Church of this city and took an active interest in its affairs. He was elected trustees in 1847…” “born in the town of Greenville (then Minisink) Aug. 5th, 1817.” His “early youth” must have been in the 1820s or 1830s at the latest.
A church symbol is shown approximately in the location of the Greenville Methodist Church on David H. Burr’s 1829 map of Orange County. (on the far left of the map)
But, it seems this was actually a Baptist church. In Greenville – The Land and its People the author Harold Ray Decker writes, “The Baptist Society of Greenville grew out of the First Baptist church of Brookfield. On January 27, 1816, the Greenville congregation was legally formed at a meeting held at the home of Jonathan Wood. … The church building was built the same year, between the present day Soudant house on the north west intersection of Greenville Turnpike and Mountain Road, and the District #5 school house. … the location of the Baptist church is shown on the Beers Map published in 1875.” (p. 254)
Decker also notes that “By 1833, only forty-nine years after the organization of the Methodist Episcopal Church in America, the new faith had reached remote places such as Greenville. … The original subscription reads as follow: ‘We the undersigned subscribers being desirous to erect a house about the size, on the ground, of the Baptist Meeting House for use of the Methodist Episcopal Church the seats of which when finished are to be free to any and every person who may feel disposed to occupy the same on religious occasions: to be built on a site selected in the following manner. The subscribers shall or may meet together on the first day of January, 1833 at 12 o’clock noon of said day at Simon M. Stoddards and proceed to ballot for a site…” (p. 255-256)
This timing matches with a mention of the Methodists Church in Greenville that I’ve found in the Unionville Presbyterian Church minutes of Feb. 20 1833 where “Thomas Miller was dismissed as a member from this Church by his own request and recommended as such to the society of the Methodist Episcopal Church near Greenville.”
The deed for the property is then found in the Orange County Deeds (Book 49, p. 165) Apr 25, 1833. There we find, “Increase B. Stoddard, Walter Manning, Henry Clark, Samuel G. Smith, Job Hall, David Green, and Simeon M. Stoddard Trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church in all of the town of Minisink” acquiring property of three quarters of an acre on west side of Goshen and Minsink Turnpike in Lot 8 in the 6th division of the Minisink Patent to build a place of worship.
Presumably the church was built shortly after this purchase of land.
However, the Methodist faith seems to have been in the area already for some time. In a Deerpark / Port Jervis section, Ruttenber and Clark note, “Some time about 1818 Mr. Cummings, the third Methodist preacher, moved into the valley. He had six preaching-places,—at the school-house at Gegce’s Mill; in the red school-house on the Peenpack road (now known as Kingston Avenue, Port Jervis); at the house of Martin Decker, then situate near where Mr. Penny’s hotel now stands, or near the junction of Main and Pike Streets, Port Jervis; at ‘Stoddard’s,’ near Greenville; at the house of Mr. Bridges at Cahoongie; and at the house of John Patterson, at Boydville.” (p. 725)
On the J. C. Sidney 1851 Map of Orange County as “Metho M.H.” short for “Methodist Meeting House.” This shows its first location. (the Baptist Church is not shown on this map)
Now it is moved down the road:
What are we to conclude?
The Methodist were first meeting before 1820 at “Stoddard’s house” (probably Increase Stoddard?). Then, they build their first building in 1834. The second building, which is still standing today, was built in 1881 about a half mile east of the original site.
Now, the Baptist church. It is on the 1875 Beers map (along with the “M. E. CH.” – the Methodist Episcopal church.) Perhaps it was just an oversight that the Baptist church was not labeled on the 1851 J. D. Sidney Map. Ruttenber and Clark have the Baptist church existed from 1816 to “the present time” (1881).
