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First Presbyterian Church of Byron
The First Presbyterian Church of Byron was organized by the Reverend
Seth Hardy, June 24, 1845 at which time the following named persons
presented testimonials of dismissal and recommendations from other
churches and desired to be organized into a church: Joseph Wendell,
Phoebe W. Wendell, Eliza Wendell, Nancy Hathaway, Peter Kanouse, G.B.
Runyan and wife, Samuel Lovejoy, Mary B. Lovejoy, Emily Kelsey, Sarah C.
Kanouse, Joseph Royce and Sally Royce.
After adopting the name for the Society, Joseph Royce and Joseph Wendell
were elected Elders. The first motion made after completing the
organization was to the effect that the members should neither use nor
traffic in intoxication liquors, which was unanimously carried. In the
afternoon, Arthur B. Hathaway was baptized, after which Reverend Seth
Hardy administered the sacrament.
The meetings of the Society were usually held in the old school house
until the church edifice was built in 1858 at the cost of two thousand
dollars. It was dedicated in 1859 with the Reverend Chauncey Osborn
officiating. Membership totaled thirty-eight. The new church stood in
the southeast corner of Church and Hamilton Streets and services was
held on Sunday afternoons.
There is no record as to when this Society disbanded nor to what
churches its members became affiliated, but some of those family names
appear in the history of the Methodist and Baptist churches so we might
assume that they joined one of the other churches in the community.
In 1898 the building was sold to the village to be used as an opera
house. It was used by many different organizations for various sorts of
entertainment, commencements, funeral of Ellen May Tower (military), Dr.
Webster and D.G. Royce and was known as the “Opera House”. It burned
March 14, 1908.
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