History of Saint James': Ministers and Rectors

Originally posted 08/25/2015

Leading up to the 2016 bicentennial year of Saint James’ Church, the History Committee has submitted, thus far, 32 essays on the parish’s rich past.  From the start, the Committee offered to furnish an essay for each Sunday’s bulletin and weekly news – 52 in all.  The essays are meant to stimulate interest through vignettes of earlier times, not to encapsulate all of the parish’s long and remarkable history.  Several essays have touched on the ministries and personalities of former senior clergy.  These were Messrs. Keith, Lemmon, Barten, Lindsay, Nelson, and Laird.  From time to time, future essays will continue in that vein.  Fuller pictures of these clerics, distinguished on the whole, can be the subject of a future project.

At this juncture, it may be useful for readers to have a listing of names and dates of the 19 ministers and rectors of our parish and church, while they served in that capacity.

Ministers of Hamilton Parish (est. 1730)

• The Rev. James Keith                                    1733-1751
• The Rev. John Brunskill, Jr.                        1753-1757
• The Rev. James Craig                                    1762-1800
• The Rev. Charles O’Neil                                1800-1806

Rectors of Saint James’ Church (1816-present)

• The Rev. George Lemmon                            1816-1846
• The Rev. George Hatley Norton, D.D.        1846-1856
• The Rev. Otto S. Barten                                 1859-1865
• The Rev. James R. Hubbard, D.D.              1866-1871
• The Rev. John S. Lindsay                              1871-1879
• The Rev. George W. Nelson                          1880-1903
• The Rev. William H. Laird                            1904-1908
• The Rev. Edwin S. Hinks                               1908-1913
• The Rev. William G. Pendleton                     1913-1920
• The Rev. Paul D. Bowden                              1920-1963
• The Rev. David J. Greer                                 1964-1980
• The Rev. Prentice Kinser, III                          1981-1992
• The Rev. P. Lawrence Murphy                      1997-2005
• The Rev. C. Christian Pierce                          2007-2012
• The Rev. Benjamin Wells Maas                    2013-present

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