Rev. Thos. Nichols

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" background="0a5d05a3.jpg"> <div> Orange County, New York</div> <div> American History and Genealogy Project</div> <div> Rev. Thos. Nichols</div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="0a6d2123.jpg"> <div> <A HREF="http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ny/county/orange/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ny/county/or"><U>Orange County AHGP/ALHN</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ny/state/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ny/state/"><U>New York AHGP/ALHN</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://ahgp.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://ahgp.org"><U>AHGP</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://alhn.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://alhn.org"><U>ALHN</U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I><B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="623" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 1010 WIDTH="617"><div> <IMG SRC="049d4200.jpg" border=0 width="212" height="288" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Old English Text MT" >O</FONT>NLY one month passed after the formal resignation of Dr. Wood, when the Church secured the permanent services of the young and handsome theological student, Thomas Nichols.</div> <div>      He was just fresh from the seminary.  He was, it is thought, one of the best equipped men that has ever preached in Chester.  He had been sitting at the feet of such theologians as Prof. H. B. Smith, of Union, and later of Prof. W. S. T. Shedd, then of Andover, but later filling the chair with princely acceptance at  Union.  He represented the new school side of the Church and was full of zeal in the feeding of the people with truly gospel food. He was tested very severely as a young man for five months during the Winter 1862 and `63, and then March 11, 1863, the people stood up and said “ this is the man we want for our under shepherd in Christ.  We shall support him with our money and love as long as the Lord shall keep him among us doing such work as this.”</div> <div>      He was ordained and installed on March 11th, 1863. Rev. Joseph McNulty, D.D., of Montgomery, preaching the sermon.  A little more than a month later he brought his people Anna M. Boyd, of Owego, a blushing bride, who was henceforth to be the sharer of all his toils and sorrows and joys.  From the day of their marriage, April, 22d, 1863, she has been doing her part as a faithful ministers wife, beloved by all who know her.  All the Chester girls wondered how he should have found a wife in Owego.  They knew he had been born in Yonkers, N. Y., the date, February 5th, 1838, is added now as possibly a new item of interest.  The secret of it, however, lay in the fact that he went to Owego Academy, Owego, N. Y., to prepare for College.  He passed from this preparatory school to the College of New Jersey (Princeton), from which he graduated in 1856.  It was not until two years after graduating that he began a Christian life and decided to give himself up to the preaching of the Gospel.  He entered the Union Seminary in 1858, remaining two years and graduated from Andover Seminary in 1861.  He found both his work and his home very congenial to him.  His son, Rev. Thomas McBride Nichols, the eldest of his live children.  Pastor of the Market Square Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, Pa., was born here.</div> <div>      To the more than two hundred members which Mr. Nichols found on the Church roll when he came, were added one hundred members lacking one during his pastorate.  He also made seventy-eight lives happy at the marriage altar, and comforted the friends of a hundred and twelve souls passed from life into death.</div> <div>      The deep appreciation of the people was manifest by addition of $200 more to his salary at the close of his second year, and the continuation of it during all the years that he remained.  The excitement of the Civil War was at its height about the time he began his ministry in 1863, and yet there is no record of unpleasantness.  It speaks well for both people and preacher.  He leaves this testimony: “I preached my first sermon in support of the Government the Sabbath after the battle of Gettysburgh.  It was not my last, and I had the support of loyal and patriotic congregation.” There were other difficulties also growing out of the times when Mr. Nichols began his ministry in Chester.</div> <div>      The place was suffering considerably from the recent opening of the Lehigh Valley Railroad to Warwick, N. Y.  This made Warwick a new business centre and rival. Growth was slower than usual though it has never been rapid.  Changes of property were few, and there was but little building except big barns by the farmers.”  Yet the place felt a little of the impetus of the national prosperity in the high price paid for milk and for onions.  The difficulties of Mr. Nichols' troubleous times were greatly smoothed by the strong level-headed, spiritual men that he had associated with him in the Eldership.  Where one was weak another was strong, and they held up the hands of the young minister while the battle with evil went forward.</div> <div>      They were James Holbert, Walter H. Conklin, Ira Hawkins, Jesse Roe, George Conklin, Nathaniel Roe, Gabriel Seely, Robert W. Colfax and Jeheil I. Clark.  Just before Mr. Nichols passed to his new field of labor, having preached his farewell sermon June 4th, 1871, Mr. Ira Hawkins fell asleep in Christ, very much lamented by all, and especially by his Pastor. Mr. Nichols, who has still many warm friends in Chester, is now pleasantly located at Milford, Pa., which is within the bounds of the same Presbytery that ordained him.</div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="pg17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Rev. Theodore A. Leggett, D.D."><U>Next Page</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="pg1.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Table of Contents"><U>Table of Contents</U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></I></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>