History of Troy Conference
Many of the earliest events of early American Methodism in took place in the New York Conference area and some of these events took place in the Troy Conference area as well.
In Troy Conference, the denomination's history begins with the first Methodist meetings within what is now Troy Annual Conference Area. In the year of 1765 or 1766, Captain Thomas Webb, who had been appointed “barrack-master” at Albany, N.Y., set up prayer meetings and began preaching to his soldiers.
Phillip Embury with his cousin, Barbara Heck, established the first Methodist society in what became the Troy Conference in 1770. Converted to Methodism by John Wesley, Embury had preached his first sermon in New York City in 1766, and two years later, helped build the first Methodist Church there.
In the Spring of 1770, Embury and Heck left New York City and settled on property they had purchased in West Camden, N.Y. With his friend, Thomas Ashton of Cambridge, N.Y., Embury formed a Methodist Society, the second society formed north of New York City.
John Wesley's housekeeper, Margaret Appleton Peckett, became known as the "Mother of Methodist in Troy Conference." Peckett and her family settled in Bradford, Vt. in 1779-1780, and organized a Methodist Class. "Mother Peckett" mentored many young men who went into the ministry and she eventually became known as the “Mother of Methodism in Troy Conference."
Freeborn Garrettson was appointed presiding elder of what would become the Troy Conference area by Bishop Francis Asbury after the New York Annual Conference held in 1788. Garrettson, accompanied by nine young men, fanned out through the Hudson and Mohawk valleys and in the Lake Champlain area.
Garrettson appointed Lemuel Smith to form the Cambridge Circuit, which was to include the Ashgrove area. Smith founded a church, believed to be the first Methodist Church north of New York City, which was also known as the second Methodist meeting house in New York State. The meetihng house was completed in 1780. Bishop Asbury held conference session there in 1803.
Other early circuits were:
- Shoreham, where Darius Dunham was assigned
- Lake Champlain where Samuel Wigton was assigned
- New City (later to become Lansingburgh) where Samuel Talbot was assigned to preach
These were the first places within the territory of Troy Conference to receive regular preachers from the authority of the church. However, there were many other locations where preaching was done before that date.
In 1789, Smith and Cornelius Cook were assigned to the Schenectady Circuit. The Coeyman’s Circuit was also formed and John Crwford was the preacher.
In 1790, the New Lebanon Circuit appears and the preachers are Samuel Smith and Thomas Everard. It was at this time that Methodism was introduced to Pittsfield, Mass
In 1791, the Stockbridge, Mass., Circuit was formed, as well as the Saratoga Circuit. David Kendall was the first preacher in the Saratoga Circuit
In 1792, Freeborn Garrettson was traveling along the Mohawk River as far as Utica, as well as the Chenango and Susquehanna Rivers. He was one of the greatest men of early Methodism. The Garrettson Station Church in Albany was named after him. The impression prevailed that all Methodists were Tories and thet were especially hated by the patriots. This put these early preachers in constant danger. Freeborn Garrettson was almost beaten to death on one occasion because he was a Methodist preacher.
In 1794, Garrettson sent Joshua Hull to Vermont to preach. In 1798, the Vergennes Circuit was formed and Joseph Mitchel and Abner Wood were the preachers. Mitchel was a very powerful preacher and he converted Elijah Hedding, who later became one of the most prominent bishops in the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1801, Hedding was admitted to the New York Conference and was appointed to the Plattsburgh Circuit along with Elijah Chichester, as senior pastor. Their entire circuit would take them 300 miles.
In 1795, the City of Troy was made part of the Cambridge Circuit.
In 1799, the Essex Circuit (Vt.) was formed and Lorenzo Dow was the preacher. Dow was known as being very eccentric. The Essex Circuit received a name change to the Fletcher Circuit in 1801 and Laban Clark and James Coleman were the preachers.
In Brandon, Vt., a circuit was formed in 1801 and the preachers were Ezekiel Canfield and Ebenezer Washburn.
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Troy Conference Organized
In 1832, Troy Conference was organized as its own Conference area. Their first meeting was in 1833. Prior to this time, the Troy Conference area was under the jurisdiction of the New York Conference. The newly formed Troy Conference consisted of the Troy District, the Saratoga District, the Middlebury District and the Plattsburgh District. At this time there were 61 appointed locations to serve with 89 preachers.
The Troy Conference continued to grow and many more preachers served the pulpit. Many church buildings were constructed in many communities throughout the Conference area so that the Methodists could have a meeting place.
In the 1850’s, Phoebe Palmer, a holiness evangelist, began holding revivals in St. Johnsbury and Lyndon Center,Vt and in Troy, Albany, Hudson Falls,and Plattsburgh, N.Y.
In 1856, the Conference created a Conference Missionary Society. After a few years this was abandoned. In 1877, the Troy Conference Ministerial Aid Society was organized. Ministers who earned more than $800 per year were asked to contribute one percent of their income to the fund.
Newbury Bible Institute (Vermont) is founded, the first American Methodist seminary, the forerunner of the Boston University School of Theology.
In 1868, the Round Lake Association was formed and the first Camp Meeting was held for 10 days beginning on September 1, 1869. The first camp meeting was the annual meeting of the National Holiness Association. The camp meetings showcased some of the greatest preachers in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the Methodist Episcopal Church South and some of the great preachers of Methodism in Canada.
Also in 1868, the Troy Conference Historical Society was formed. It wasn’t until 1873 that a committee was formed to write a constitution for the society. Its first president was Rev. P.P. Harrower. The collection of records started with a trunk to store the collection in and a book to record the inventory. The book in the trunk was storeed in the State Street Methodist Church in Troy, New York.
In 1874, the Conference Minutes included a report of the Woman’s’ Foreign Missionary Society. At this time there were missionaries in Japan, China, India and Africa.
In 1888, women were granted the right to become a deaconess in the church. They were under the supervision of pastors. Women were assigned to settlement houses, hospitals and large urban churches.
In 1892 a Troy Conference Missionary Society was organized with the aim being to benefit all the churches in the Conference that needed help.
In 1915, Lillian Rember was a deaconess appointed to supply the Worchester MEC, in the Vermont Conference.
In 1921, the Methodist-Episcopal Church General Conference granted women the right to be ordained as local deacons and local elders. Women are now granted licenses to preach.
In 1925, Ruth G. Barr becomes the first woman in Vermont Conference to be assigned as a local deacon. In 1926, Eliza Duffield and Georgia Harkness become the first women in the Troy Conference to be ordained local deacons. Between 1926 and 1956 Harkness became the primary spiritual leader in the struggle for full clergy rights for women. See the Timeline for Women in the Troy Annual Conference.
In 1940, the Vermont Conference became part of Troy Annual Conference. Vermont at one time was its own Conference area where the eastern half of the state once was part of the New Hampshire Conference.
The Vermont Conference had been organized in 1844. “The Great Debate” over what Conference Vermont should be part of lasted for many years. Vermont has been part of five different Conferences over time. They were part of the New York, New England, New Hampshire, Vermont and Troy Conferences.
In 1956, women were granted Full Clergy Rights by the General Conference.
In 1968, the Methodist Church merged with the Evangelical United Brethren to form the United Methodist Church.
In 2008, the Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference voted to create a new conference in Upstate New York on July 1, 2010. The churches of Troy Conference will move forward with the New York churches becoming part of the new Upstate New York conference and the Vermont churches becoming part of the New England Annual Conference. Read more about the new configurations.