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First Church Built in White Bear Lake
The Church gets its
name; Aubreys leave. 1861-1874
The Aubreys yearned for the kind of church they had known
in England. Through their efforts and those of the Honorable Mr. Adshead,
British Consul in St. Paul, $800 was raised in England to build an eighteenth
century Hanoverian church in White Bear Lake. Bishop Whipple (see Plate 4 below) wrote in his diary
January 19, 1861:
“Preached at White Bear Lake in the school house where services
have been held for the past year by Dr. Paterson.”
Another entry for that year:
“Monthly services are being held at White Bear Lake where a
faithful English church woman and her husband conduct Sunday School and are
building a beautiful rural church.”
Bishop Whipple (see Plate),
at age 37, had been elected
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Plate. Right Rev.
Henry Benjamin Whipple, First Bishop of the Diocese of
Minnesota
(click here
or on image for higher resolution views) |
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Bishop of
Minnesota in 1859. The Bishop traveled throughout the Diocese of Minnesota and,
in addition to supporting the building of churches, was very fond of fishing.
Apparently 1861 was his first visit to White Bear. He was a strong advocate for
reform of the U.S. Government’s Indian System. He felt that selfish and
dishonest officials, along with the traders, were responsible for problems with
the Indians.
From an account in the 1871 edition of The St. Paul
Pioneer:
“The Sioux Indians claimed that the 1851 treaty gave them the
right to hunt, fish and gather berries in this region. In the fall of 1855, a
party of Sioux came upon some Chippewas and in the fighting killed and scalped
one of their enemy. They then retreated to the shores of Goose Lake where they
yelled like demons while shaking the bloody scalp, which frightened the white
women and children. The Indians were loth to leave this region. In the spring
of 1862, Little Crow and Red Iron with two or three other chiefs came into the
neighborhood and encamped near J. R. Clewett’s home. Mr. Clewett spoke their
language. The Indians spoke of great wrongs inflicted on them by the traders
and agents. Mr. Clewett remarked soon after to his friends, ‘There is going to
be trouble -- these Indians feel so bitter.’ But the warning was disregarded and
the uprising and the terrible massacre of 1862 came.”
No Indian-related deaths were reported in the area around
White Bear, but the settlers lived in fear of their lives for many months. At
night they put blankets over the windows so prowling Indians could not tell how
many people were in the house.
After the army put down the uprising, many of the Indians
were sentenced to death. Bishop Whipple played an important role in obtaining a
pardon from President Lincoln for many of these Indians. As a result only
thirty-eight were put to death, instead of the much larger number originally scheduled
for execution.
In the book Fifty
Years of Church Work – The Diocese of Minnesota, 1857-1970, by Tanner:
“Dr. Paterson was really the founder of the Church of ‘St.
John’s in the Wilderness’ at White Bear Lake. For though Dr. Van Ingen in his
zeal for the extension of the church, held the first service there about
1858-9, as is supposed in a log school house, and went there a few times, the
work soon fell to the care of Dr. Paterson, who had the spiritual care of the
people up to the date of his death.”
At White Bear Lake, John Aubrey hired Cyrus Greaves
(Walter Grieves?), who lived at the home of William Weber, to build the church.
Mr. Greaves had made a little model of the church that he carried to the work
site every day and carried home every night. Much of the wood had been provided
by James C. Murray of Bald Eagle. Tamarack logs formed the foundation. Apparently,
they started work in the spring of 1861 since one story relates:
“The neighbors made a bee and chopped the trees down and snaked them
out on the ice on Bald Eagle Lake, intending to load them on sleds the next day
and haul them to the site of the future church; but in the morning, when they
went for them, they found that the weight of the logs had sunk the ice so that
the logs were afloat and before they got to their destination they were well
soaked.”
At the construction site, a church raising bee was
organized and work was done by local citizens, and even some Indians. The
framework of the building was constructed of logs and finished with sawed
lumber. At first there were no window sashes, tamarack boughs being placed in
the openings. There were no pews in the church; people sat on plain benches. It
was completed that summer and painted a dark red. The little church was
probably 15 ft. wide by about 25 ft. long. There was one large room and a small
entry room (see Plates).
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Plate.
St. John’s in the Wilderness Church in
Cottage Park, about 1870
(click here
or on image for higher resolution views) |
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Plate.
Painting of the Old Church
(click here
or on image for higher resolution views) |
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From Early History
of White Bear Lake, Helen Johnston Stickley, 1933:
“Cyrus Greves, who boarded with the Webbers at the time of the
building of the church, took charge of the design and erection. He was doomed
to lose his life in the Fisk pioneer expedition after the Civil War. Through
the Dakotas, Montana and as far west as Idaho, this oxen train of immigrants
were pushing on to a new location. They were guarded by government soldiers
under Capt. James Fisk. Indians harassed the train all along the way. While
crossing a muddy stream, the last oxen team became stalled. Greves who was just
ahead, stopped his team and went back to help his friend get out of the mud. The
rest of the train moved slowly on, gradually getting out of sight of these two.
Indians quickly surrounded them, killing them before the rest of the expedition
was aware of their danger. The pioneer train stopped and settled in what is now
Idaho. They named this state for Captain Fisk’s daughter, Ida, and added the
Indian greeting of welcome, ‘Ho’ to it, creating the name Idaho.”
From Bishop Whipple’s diary for August 29, 1861:
“Consecrated to the worship of Almighty God the beautiful church
of St. John in the Wilderness White Bear Lake. The services were very
interesting on a/c of the loving faith which had erected so beautiful house of
worship in troublesome times. It was designed & erected by Mr. J. Aubrey an
English churchman who has selected this place for his home.”
After the consecration service Mrs. Aubrey
(see Plates below) served lunch
to over one-hundred people at her home. The Rev. Paterson presented a silver
communion set in a plush bound chest to the parish in honor of his wife. Alice
Paterson had passed away in May of 1861. Mrs. Paterson had suggested the name
St. John’s in the Wilderness because of the sparsely populated wilderness area
that it served.
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Plate Photograph of Laura Aubrey (click
here or on image for higher resolution views) |
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Plate. Painting of Laura Aubrey in the Church Parlor
(click here or on image for higher resolution views) |
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What is the correct name for our church?
In 1867, we have
the following: Certificate of Incorporation of a Protestant Episcopal Church at
White Bear Township in the County of Ramsey and the State of Minnesota, under
the name of “Saint John’s in the Wilderness.” In most of the old newspaper
accounts about the beginning of this church, the name they used was “St. John’s
in the Wilderness,” indicating that this little church was located in the
wilderness when it was built. Today, many people think the name of this church
should be “St. John in the Wilderness” indicating that it was named after St.
John who was in the wilderness.
It was 1860 when the Aubreys donated about 3 acres of land
for the Episcopal Church and cemetery. The church was built in the following
year and a clear title deeded to the parish was recorded Sept. 30, 1861. The
deed was made to the trustees, to be held until the church was organized and
incorporated. The first trustees were Rev. Andrew Paterson, the Honorable John
Adshead and John Aubrey. A list of early church members included: John and
Laura Aubrey, William Freeman and family, N. R. Fitzhugh and family, Thomas
Milner and family, Joseph Freeman and family, Thomas Fulton and family, H. A.
Hill and family, Thomas Keller and family, William Leip and family, Mr. Marsham
and family, W. R. Merriam and family, James C. Murray and family and C. L.
Williams and family.
The early records for the Episcopal Church in White Bear
Lake show the first baptisms for Episcopalians occurred August 19, 1860 in the
old school house. Rev. Paterson baptized the following children of Richard and
Mary McLagan: Emma Julia McLagan, born in 1853, Olive Josephine born 1855 and
Georgiana born in 1857. Also baptized that day were four children of William
and Emily Stiles who were born between 1851 and 1857. Apparently, this was the
first opportunity for these families to find a minister to baptize their
children. The first baptism in the new church was in June, 1862 for Ralph, the
son of Albert and Mary Waite. The first marriage recorded was that of William
C. Ashton and Ellen Milner on June 23, 1862.
John and Laura Aubrey
(see Plates above) were well known in this community. In
an old newspaper article, Mrs. H. K. Getty, born here in 1859, the daughter of
James C. Murray, related what she remembered of the Aubreys. She spoke of Mr.
Aubrey roaming the country accompanied by “Powder” and “Shot” his hunting dogs.
Mrs. Aubrey was described as having a splendid Christian spirit, exceptional
kindness and a sunny disposition. Everyone in the neighborhood loved her. She
had an old servant whom she called “Tay” who made splendid gingerale. It was a
great treat for people of the community to drop in to the Aubrey home to drink
some of Tay’s gingerale and listen to Mrs. Aubrey play her piano.
One day a letter came to the Aubreys announcing that Sir
John Dean had returned to England, and had again taken his title and some of
his possessions. Still the Aubreys remained in White Bear, saying nothing of
their aristocratic ancestry. But later, when word was received of Sir John’s
death on Sept. 7, 1868, it was time for the eldest son to return England and
assume the baronetcy. It was then that the residents of White Bear learned that
for ten years they had been associating with two people whose ancestors could
be traced back to William the Conqueror. The monument they left here was “St. John’s
in the Wilderness.” In England, the Aubreys resumed their titles. John became
Baronet, Sir Aubrey John Dean Paul, and Laura became Lady Paul.
In 1870 or 1871, Lady Paul wrote a letter regarding a
request from Rev. Edward D. Neil to describe their life at White Bear.
“With regard to your proposal of our giving you a sketch of our
life at White Bear, I am afraid I cannot promise anything, excepting the photos
which I send with the greatest of pleasure. … The one thing that gives me deep
pleasure to look back to my Western Experiences, is the remembrance of the
continual kindness & courtesy we as strangers always received. ... The treatment
we received in America has left a warm spot in my heart which can never change
as long as life lasts.”
On June 9, 1867, after the morning service, the
congregation met for the purpose of incorporating themselves as a parish and a
corporation by the name of Saint John’s In The Wilderness. They elected George
Keller and N. R. Fitzhugh as wardens. Vestrymen were David Smith, Joseph
Freeman, William Freeman and Thomas Millner. The articles of incorporation were
recorded on August 28th, 1867. On the 13th of April 1868,
there was a meeting at the home of W. W. Webber for the election of officers
for the church. The following were elected officers: Secretary: Joseph Freeman;
Wardens: N. R. Fitzhugh and Wm. Freeman; Vestry: Thomas Milner, David Smith, W.
W. Webber and Joseph Freeman. St. John’s in the Wilderness Church was organized
as a district mission within the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota as of April 13,
1868.
In the early days, services were held once a month by a
minister who came out from St. Paul. From 1860 to 1874, it was usually the Rev.
Andrew Bell Paterson. During the very cold part of the winter, there were no services
in the new church due to the difficulty in heating the building. Sometimes deep
snow and high winds prevented the minister from traveling by horse and sleigh
from St. Paul.
From a recollection by Mrs. Hester Ann Freeman:
“Early on Sunday morning she would start her husband’s brother
(Joseph Freeman) off on the long trek from where they live on Birch Lake,
through the village, across frozen White Bear lake, with a bundle of kindling
and fire wood tied to his back; so as to build a fire in the little church and
have it warm by the time the other members arrived.” The Freeman family walked
to church on Sunday. They believed the horses should also have a day of rest.
The first funeral in the church was in October 1868 for
Samuel C. Stiles, one year old, who died of “Billious Fever.” The cemetery
records indicated one earlier burial, for “unknown,” in 1861.
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