1846, in Philadelphia.

See the Convention Journal of

1846, printed in New-Church Magazine of that year. Later, and prior to 1853, the following additional names were signed to the constitution:

Robert Arthur,
George W. Hall,

Anna M. Hall,

S. S. Randall,

Mary Arthur,

Z. H. Hall,

S. Yorke Atlee,

D. L. Parkhurst.

Robert Arthur was a brother of T. S. Arthur, the proprietor of "Arthur's Home Magazine," and the author of "Ten Nights in a Bar Room," and many other much-read stories. In a book entitled, "The Good Time Coming," published in 1855, he was accused of verging on Swedenborgianism.

The Anna M. Hall named above later became the wife of Dr. Robert Bruce Donaldson, the well-known dentist for many years in this city. She is still living at this date, 1920.*

In 1858, Dr. N. C. Towle, Rufus Dawes, and Elias Yulee, were appointed a committee to revise the constitution. Mr. Yulee was a brother of David Levy Yulee, who was at that time a U. S. Senator from Florida.

In 1859 the revised constitution was adopted, and an effort was then made to have all the members of the society sign the same, in the order of their having become members of the New Church. This resulted in a partial list, the best that seemed possible, and the names and numbers are as follows, as gathered from a record found among the data kept by the Secretary.

*She died Feb. 21, 1920-3 days after this paper was read to the Columbia Historical Society.

John Cranch and Wm. G. Cranch, were sons of Chief Judge Wm. Cranch. John was an artist, and he painted the portrait of his father that hangs in the General Term court room of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia.

It is likely that some of these people became members. later than 1859, and that there were at the time the revised constitution was adopted, several other members whose names do not appear in this list.

The society soon attempted to acquire a house of worship of some kind, where regular meetings could be held. In 1847, a room was rented of Capt. William Easby, in a frame building at the foot of Capitol Hill, and fitted up for the use of the society for services. It was a commodious room, originally prepared for an artist. Seats, cushions,

and other furnishings were put in, and in June of that year, it was first occupied as a church for worship. The rent up to January 1, 1848, was remitted by Capt. Easby. In 1852 a committee was chosen to undertake the building of a church for the use of the Society. John Cranch, Pendleton and Crutchett, constituted the committee. A lease was made by William G. Cranch to the trustees of the Society, Oct. 12, 1852, of lot 4 in Square 685, for the yearly rent of $10, with contract of sale if $1,000 be paid within ten years.

On the receipt of this lease and contract, a committee was appointed to solicit subscriptions for the building of the church. Among those who contributed are many who were members of other churches, or of no church, thus showing that the business men and citizens of Washington were desirous then as now of helping in any enterprise that appealed to them to promise a new improvement to the community.

So many of these names are known to the older residents of the District of Columbia, whose children and grandchildren are still here, that I have thought it would be interesting to record some of them in this history. The amounts subscribed were not large, $100 being the largest, and $1.00 the smallest, as I find from the report of the committee. Most of the donors were local, although a few were from Virginia and Maryland.

Selina Barclay,

A. G. Pendleton,

James Crutchett,

D. S. G. Cabell,

G. W. Hall,

Selina Pendleton,

Mary E. Dawes,

Brashear & Mitchell,

Lewis Kengla,

Wm. W. Corcoran,

S. S. Whiting,
Elisha Whittlesey,

Wm. M. Wood,

Thos. DeKalb Harris,
A. M. Knight,

George M. Fox,

James Adams,
Margaret Milburn,
Jonas Green,

J. V. N. Thorp,
Roger C. Weightman,
John M. Jamison,
Mr. Stanford,

Wm. T. Griffith,

Robert Farnham,

Hon. (David Levy) Yulee,

Selina D. Pendleton,

J. W. Maury,
John A. Smith,
S. E. Bruser,
George Mathiot,
Wm. H. Birch,
P. M. Pearson,
Wm. B. Todd,
S. T. Pendleton,

Lt. R. B. Riel,

Capt. Slack.

The church was built on the east side of North Capitol Street, between B and C Streets, almost opposite the house that was erected by George Washington, and which was known for years as the "Hillman House." For sometime after the church was built, it was used by the society for regular meetings, with lay readers. Rufus Dawes, not a regularly ordained minister, was for several years the leader, and he often read sermons prepared by himself before the society was organized, and afterward; and at a meeting in 1848 it was voted, that he be desired to consider himself at liberty to introduce as many original sermons as convenient.

Some differences arose between members, soon after the church was built, and several united to form another organization, known as "the New Church Association of the City of Washington." This association made application to rent the church for the purpose of public worship Sept. 15, 1855, but the society could not rent the property to the association; and so informed Mr. John Cranch who had asked for it for the association.

Soon after that, Dec. 13, 1855, a meeting was held, brought about through the kindly intervention of Mr. Dawes, and several interviews between the two organiza