The Passing of the Dutchess County Bible Society

THE PASSING OF THE DUTCHESS COUNTY

BIBLE SOCIETY

At a meeting of the Dutchess County Bible Society, held in June of 1964, at the Bangall Methodist Church, the organization celebrated its sesquicentennial anniversary. A year later, having served its one hundred and fifty years in good measure, the Council meeting was held in May at the home of Mrs. Arthur James and, after prayerful consideration and much sadness of heart, it was voted that the society become inactive.

The Reverend Eli Hyde came to the town of Amenia as pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Smithfield in 1812. His wife, Mrs. Sally Hyde, was much concerned with the fact that many families in the neighborhood did not possess a Bible and, in January of 1814, she called together several of her friends and neighbors and they organized a society for the distribution of the Scriptures in their immediate vicinity. The group was called "The First Female Bible Society of Dutchess County and Vicinity." They drew up and signed a constitution to be circulated among neighbors and friends to recruit members.

At a second meeting, held March 1, at the home of Mrs. Hyde, forty-one members were present. They came from miles around, some on horseback, and one of them came a distance of twelve miles. They elected officers: Mrs. Sally Hyde, president; Miss Elizabeth Reynolds, secretary; Mrs. Sally Wilson, treasurer and seven others to complete a board of managers: Mrs. Mary Thompson, Mrs. Rachel Barton, Miss Cornelia M. Thompson, Mrs. Sally Boyd, Miss Susan Goodrich, Mrs. Sally Sanford and Miss Susan D. Nye.

Disregarding the inconveniences of travel, the group met regularly in increasing numbers at the homes of the members. Two meetings were held each year, in May and October, and the members paid fifty cents each as annual dues. (Later any sum was accepted in payment.) The members were urged to send out letters to ministers and female societies and individuals in outlying districts, urging them to form similar organizations. The announced primary object of the society was to lay out its funds in the purchase of Bibles to be distributed under its immediate direction.

Within six months the membership had increased to more than one hundred and contributions amounting to $77.66 had been made. The first Bibles were purchased from the Connecticut Bible Society, 104 of them at 62Y 2 cents each (the price charged to booksellers),

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and the Connecticut society gave them an additional forty. It was reported that "more than one hundred families who had been destitute of a whole copy of the Bible have had the Word of God put into their hands." It was also reported that the Bibles were generally received with thankfulness. Most of them were given away but some few were sold at cost, or less.

The American Bible Society was organized in New York on 1\/lay 11, 1816 and thereafter the Dutchess County society made annual contributions to that institution and purchased most of its supply of Bibles from that source. The books were sent to Poughkeepsie by boat and were taken out to the Amenia church when convenient.

In addition to purchasing and distributing Bibles, the society made contributions for translations into many foreign languages. By the time the society was celebrating its 25th anniversary the list of places in need of the Scripture included not only the western states, the Mississippi valley, Texas and Canada, but many foreign lands: the Sandwich Islands, Armenia, Turkey, Russian Finland, Ceylon and India. On this occasion it was reported that 1,836 volumes, at a cost of $1,224.61, had been purchased from the American Bible Society and $88.57 had been given to the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, during the first three years of the existence of the latter organization. In 1851, every cent raised was sent to the American Bible Society.

Up to 1879, the membership, especially the workers, were mainly from the Methodist and Presbyterian churches and a special invitation was extended to women of some of the other sects to join with them. In 1897 the society was commended for "being broad-minded enough to embrace all denominations."

A fiftieth anniversary was celebrated during the Civil War. A particularly happy occasion marked the seventy-fifth anniversary in 1889 with the presence of the Reverend Hiram Hamilton, an officer of the American Bible Society, and the Reverend George Seeley, a missionary to India at home on furlough, among those who participated. Both Mr. Hamilton and Mr. Seeley were natives of the area. It was reported that the membership of the society had reached more than four hundred and the Bible was then in print in excess of three hundred languages and dialects.

The Dutchess County Female Bible Society celebrated its centennial in 1914 and two years later the American Bible Society was observing a like anniversary. At intervals there was discussion in the local society concerning the inclusion of the word Female in the name

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but it was not until 1928 that is was officially changed.

The centennial in 1914- was an occasion for great rejoicing at the Smithfield Church. It was reported that during the one hundred years of its existence the society had purchased $6,000 worth of Bibles and Testaments and, in addition, had sent $20,000 to the American Bible Society to help in its world-wide work.

Over the years the society had never lost sight of its primary object, the distribution of Bibles. When this country was at war, Bibles had been supplied to the men in services; they had been furnished to Sunday Schools, hospitals, camps and homes in the county. Hundreds of copies of the Ten Commandments had been placed in all of the schools in the district; members had helped staff a booth at the county fair and had secured a copy of the Bible in Braille for a young man who was blind.

Having established an extraordinary record of service the organization voted to become inactive. It was decided to place the records of the society in the keeping of the Little Nine Partners Historical Society in its newly acquired Harris-Husted house. Miss Ruth E. Barlow, a long-time officer, was asked to compile a history of the society and it was voted that any funds remaining in the treasury be sent to the American Bible Society. (That organization is planning a sesquicentennial observance in May of 1966.)

Miss Barlow has prepared a most comprehensive history of the one hundred and fifty years of endeavor, during which time literally thousands of copies of the Scriptures have been distributed at a cost of nearly $12,000, and further contributions of nearly $70,000 have been sent to the American Bible Society for its work in translating and distributing the Bible throughout the world. The history is a tribute to the local women who set a precedent for interdenominational effort which has helped in the translation of at least one book of the Scriptures into more than 1,200 languages, complete Bibles in 230 languages and the New Testament into about 300 others.

Miss Barlow's mimeographed story of the organization has been made available to all cooperating churches and individuals. A copy in the files of the Dutchess County Historical Society has been the basis for this historical sketch.

The Editor

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