2012 Holiday Lantern Tours Include Historic Shrewsbury Presbyterian Church

SHREWSBURY, NJ - Monmouth County Historical Association will again participate in the annual Holiday Lantern Tours of Shrewsbury’s Historic Four Corners, a National and State designated Historic District, on Friday evening, December 7. On this special evening, the historic buildings at the corners of Broad Street and Sycamore Avenue will be open to welcome the public. Tours begin at 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. and are by reservation only.
The tours will include four historic properties: Monmouth County Historical Association’s Allen House, which was built circa 1710; Christ Church (1769); the Presbyterian Church (1822); and Shrewsbury Friends Meeting House (1816).

At the Allen House, which served the community as a tavern in the mid-18th century, visitors will be greeted by the tavern keeper and his family who will illustrate tavern life through dramatic first-person storytelling. Live instrumental music and singing by Heather MacDonald will be followed by cookies and cider generously donated by Foodtown in Red Bank, and general merriment.

In Christ Church, the Rev. Harry Finch, who served as rector from 1830 - 1863, along with many of his notable 18th and 19th century parishioners, will be on hand to guide visitors through the church. Christ Church’s bazaar opens on the night of Lantern Tours for visitor shopping. Tours of the Presbyterian Church will also be offered; the second church building on that site constructed 22 years after their original church burned in 1800. Visitors will also have the opportunity to see the Shrewsbury Friends Meeting House, learn more about the Quakers’ unique style of worship, and be treated to light refreshments.

The cost of tickets is $15.00 for adults and $8.00 for children 12 and under. Tours leave from Christ Church located at 380 Sycamore Avenue. Please call Renee at 732-915-5862 to reserve a place on the tour.

Monmouth County Historical Association is a private non-profit organization that works to preserve history and provide educational opportunities since its founding in 1898. The Historical Association’s Museum and Library is located at 70 Court Street, Freehold, New Jersey. Museum hours are: Tuesday - Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Library is open Wednesday through Saturday. For membership or admission fees and further information, please call (732) 462-1466 or visit our web site at www.monmouthhistory.org.

Newsbrief written by Monmouth County Historical Association

History: Kneel-Ins in Memphis Lead to Desegregated Worship (1964)

In September, Oxford University Press published The Last Segregated Hour: The Memphis Kneel-Ins and the Campaign for Southern Church Desegregation, by Stephen R Haynes. Below is an excerpt from their description of the book: (Oxford also displays some independent reviews of the book.)

"On Palm Sunday 1964, at the Second Presbyterian Church in Memphis, a group of black and white students began a "kneel-in" to protest the church's policy of segregation, a protest that would continue in one form or another for more than a year and eventually force the church to open its doors to black worshippers.

In The Last Segregated Hour, Stephen Haynes tells the story of this dramatic yet little studied tactic which was the strategy of choice for bringing attention to segregationist policies in Southern churches. "Kneel-ins" involved surprise visits to targeted churches, usually during Easter season, and often resulted in physical standoffs with resistant church people. The spectacle of kneeling worshippers barred from entering churches made for a powerful image that invited both local and national media attention. The Memphis kneel-ins of 1964-65 were unique in that the protesters included white students from the local Presbyterian college (Southwestern, now Rhodes). And because the protesting students presented themselves in groups that were "mixed" by race and gender, white church members saw the visitations as a hostile provocation and responded with unprecedented efforts to end them. But when Church officials pressured Southwestern president Peyton Rhodes to "call off" his students or risk financial reprisals, he responded that "Southwestern is not for sale."

Drawing on a wide range of sources, including extensive interviews with the students who led the kneel-ins, Haynes tells an inspiring story that will appeal not only to scholars of religion and history, but also to pastors and church people concerned about fostering racially diverse congregations."

The author offered some comments a couple of weeks ago in Faith in Memphis about the publication of his book. Urban Faith has a review of the book.

Presbyterian Church Houses Red Cross Shelter Workers During Recent Storm

First Presbyterian Church of Caldwell hosted Red Cross volunteers working at nearby shelters during Hurricane Sandy. (The Caldwells Patch, 17 Nov 2012). Just another way that a Presbyterian church can serve its community during a disaster.

Brick Presbyterian Feeds Its Neighbors in Response to Hurricane

Brick Presbyterian Church, with assistance from Osbornville Baptist Church, served meals to anyone who needed them in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. (NJ.com, 5 Nov 2012). See a photo and brief text here.

Soup Kitchen Crew Serves Through Hurricane

Soup kitchen workers unlikely heroes of Hurricane Sandy (NJ.com)

Hurricane Sandy Heroes: Unlikely Crew Runs Soup Kitchen in Flooded Atlantic City (NJ.com, 11 Nov 2012) tells the story of four guys who showed up for work as usual to serve meals in a soup kitchen during the storm of two centuries. Sister Jean's Kitchen, located in the Victory First Presbyterian Deliverance Church in Atlantic City, provides breakfast and lunch to as many as 600 needy people daily. Sister Jean Webster died nearly two years ago, but her spirit (and the soup kitchen she founded over 25 years ago) live on.

Christmas 2012 - Let's Decorate the Sanctuary

The Worship and Music Commission invites the congregation to join them in decorating the sanctuary for the Christmas season this Saturday December 1st starting at 9 am. Word is there will be refreshments (and plenty to do).

2012 Advent Dinner Set for December 2nd

The First Presbyterian Church of Matawan is holding its annual Advent Dinner on Sunday 2 December 2012 at 4 pm in Fellowship Hall. Come and make some holiday crafts, then enjoy a catered dinner and singing of Christmas carols. A free will offering will be collected on the day of the dinner. Many people have already signed up for what is always one of the most popular events of the season. If you've not yet registered, come anyway and share some Christmas cheer in Christian fellowship.

Hurricane Sandy Information and Monmouth Presbytery

To keep abreast of New Jersey evacuation updates: http://readynj.posterous.com/ To check on the Presbytery Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/monmouthpresbytery

History: Reverend Michael R Miller (1974-1985)

Michael R Miller was born 26 Feb 1935 in East Liverpool, Ohio and died 2 Mar 1997 in Riverton, NJ. Rev Miller's tenure at the First Presbyterian Church of Matawan (1974 - 1985) began with great promise and proceeded with considerable church growth, but it ended in his arrest and eventual conviction for sexual abuse against church youth. It was the most painful chapter in the church's history.

As a young child, Rev Miller lived in Pittsburgh, where his father studied at Western Theological Seminary. (Sources: 1940 Federal Census; Independent, pg 3, 18 Jun 1980; Rudolph Miller's obituary, the Genealogy Pit Stop Blog, 14 Jul 2009.)

According to the 1940 Federal Census for Ohio, Michael R Miller, age 5, born in Ohio, was living at 1115 Vine Street, East Liverpool, Ohio, in the household of his parents, M Rudolph and Miriam Miller. Living in the household were a younger brother, Stephen K Miller, age 1, born in Pennsylvania, and a 17-year-old maid named Grace Serafy. Rudolph and Miriam were each 36 years old and born in Pennsylvania to Austrian fathers and Pennsylvanian mothers.  Rudolph's occupation was listed as minister. Rudolph had 5 years of college and his wife had 2 years of college.

Rev Miler's father, Rudolph Miller, served as minister at Trinity Presbyterian Church in East Liverpool, Ohio from Apr 1939 until Jan 1968, with a 46-month break while he served as a chaplain in the US Army during World War II. He lived nearly 102 years. (Source: Rev Miller's father's obituary, which can be found at the Genealogy Pit Stop Blog, 14 Jul 2009.

Rev Miller spent his teenaged years living with his parents in East Liverpool, Ohio.He lived with his parents in New Jersey while his father served as Post Chaplain at Fort Hancock on Sandy Hook. He attended Yale University in Connecticut, graduating with a bachelor's degree in political science in 1956. He then attended Union Theological Seminary in New York, earning a masters of divinity in 1960. He was ordained at East Liverpool, Ohio on 8 Jun 1960. (Source: Independent, pg 3, 18 Jun 1980)

Rev Miller served as assistant minister at Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church from 1960 to 1964. He then served as pastor of the Lakeside Presbyterian Church in Rochester, New York from 1964 to 1974. (Source: Independent, pg 3, 18 Jun 1980)

"[He] found himself in the midst of a riot-torn city experiencing all the social and economic problems
of the Sixties. As pastor of a large urban congregation, he dealt with problems of busing to achieve racial balance, riots in the ghettos, anti-war demonstratilons, and confrontations with black militants." (Source: Independent, pg 3, 18 Jun 1980)

Rev Miller then answered the call to serve at First Presbyterian Church of Matawan in 1974. The church was the second-largest church in the Monmouth Presbytery with 780 parishioners. (Source: Independent, pg 3, 18 Jun 1980)

The 26 Oct 1977 edition of The Independent (pp 4, 8) carried a letter from area clergy encouraging the end of a protracted teachers strike in the local school district. (The same paper, pg 4, included a request for funds so a letter could be sent to the community explaining a committee's interest in changing the name of the township from Matawan to Aberdeen.)

Rev and Mrs Miller presented a scroll marking Rev Miller's 20th year of ministry.

The 18 Jun 1980 edition of The Independent (pg 3) covered the 8 Jun 1980 celebration of the 20th anniversaryof Rev Miller's ordination as a Presbyterian minister. The congregation gave the couple a gift of a trip to Israel.

The 29 Oct 1980 edition of The Independent (pg 8) told of the previous Sunday's festivities related to the 260th anniversary of the founding of the First Presbyterian Church of Matawan. Performances included "Leaves from a Church History Book," written and directed by Sandy Campbell, Barbara DeVilbiss, and Louise Ginesi, and "The Body of Christ," an anthem commissioned by the church specifically for the occasion and written by Eugene Butler, a prominent church music composer and seminary classmate of Reverend Miller. The anthem was dedicated to Timothy Carter Smith, a young church elder who was killed in an automobile accident three years earlier..

The Style section of the 14 Oct 1984 edition of The New York Times reported the society wedding of Martha Miller, the daughter of Rev Miller and his wife, Debbie, who was serving as an educational consultant for the Monmouth Presbytery. Rev Miller helped in the officiating at this wedding, which took place at the National Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC.

Charges of sexual abuse were leveled against Rev Miller and he resigned in 1985.

The 27 Aug 1986 edition of The Independent (pg 23) reported that former Presbyterian minister Michael Miller had pleaded guilty to sexually molesting two teenage members of the congregation and was awaiting sentencing. He faced a ten-year sentence and possible fines. The former pastor renounced the authority of the Presbytery to discipline him, according to Rev Harlan Durfee, clerk of the Presbytery of Monmouth.

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The awful legacy of the Miller ministry is that not only had there been a sexual predator in the pulpit, but the leadership had left him in the pulpit and at the head of the Session long after accusations against him had surfaced. They accepted his pleas of innocence and effectively refused to believe the charges made against him by his victims. They even launched a legal defense fund for Rev Miller and in other ways supported him while outside the church the wheels of justice persisted against him. When Rev Miller eventually pleaded guilty, it was a surprise to most. As overwhelming as the shame and betrayal were that the leadership felt, it was nothing compared to the betrayals and shame experienced by the victims. Some families left the church but the church survived with the help of the Presbytery.

The General Assembly would eventually fix the rules so that a minister under such charges would no longer be able to remain in office while sexual abuse charges were pending against him/her. The Rules of Discipline in the PCUSA Book of Order included D-10-0106 (below), which compels a Session to put their minister ("teaching elder) on administrative leave.

When a written statement of an alleged offense of sexual abuse toward any person under the age of eighteen, or who it is alleged lacked the mental capacity to consent, has been received against a teaching elder, the stated clerk receiving the allegation shall immediately communicate the allegation to the permanent judicial commission. The moderator of the permanent judicial commission shall within three days designate two members, who may be from the roster of former members of the permanent judicial commission, to determine whether the accused shall be placed on a paid administrative leave during the resolution of the matter. The cost of such shall be borne by the employing entity whenever possible or be shared by the presbytery as necessary. While administrative leave is in effect, a teaching elder may not perform any pastoral, administrative, educational, or supervisory duties, and may not officiate at any functions such as Baptism, funerals, or weddings.

Herbert B Smith, Pulpit Supply (1909)

Herbert Booth Smith served as pulpit supply at the First Presbyterian Church of Matawan circa 1909. The 8 April 1909 edition of The Matawan Journal said he had been paid $1,368.24 as of 31 Mar 1909, according to a treasurer's report on the front page of the paper. Only $90 had been paid for other supplies.

According to the 1900 Federal Census, Herbert lived with his parents and four siblings in Baltimore, MD. His father, J Addison Smith, was a preacher who was born in Jul 1856 in Texas. His parents were born in Kentucky. His mother was Eva Smith, born in Aug 1858 in Virginia. Herbert was the eldest of the four Smith children -- Herbert (Aug 1883 MO), Eva (Jul 1887 MO), Peyton (Oct 1889 MD), Rhoda (Jan 1894 MD), and Lucile (Sep 1899 MD).  They had a black servant named Bertie Sie, age 23, born in Maryland.

The 1910 Federal Census showed him lodging at a boarding house at 175 Fulton Avenue in Rochester, Monroe County, NY. He was 26 years old, single, born in Missouri to a father from Texas and a mother from Virginia. He was a clergyman at a church.

Rev Smith submitted a US passport application in Jun 1912 while living in Knoxville, TN as a clergyman. He was 5' 7" tall, clean shaven, had brown hair, hazel eyes, and a dark complexion. He was 28 years old, having been born 7 Aug 1883 in Des Peres, St Louis County, Missouri.

Rev Smith was a fraternal delegate of the Presbyterian Church to the Waldensian Synod, according to the Minutes of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the USA, 1914, pg 185. He was living in Westfield, NJ when he joined the US Navy in 1917, according to The History of Westfield, by Charles A Philhower, pg 91.

He was living in Los Angeles and working for the Synod of California in 1919, according to Minutes of the General Assembly that year. He had earned his Doctorate of Divinity degree.

The 1920 Federal Census showed Herbert Booth Smith, age 36, living at 223 South Alexandria Avenue in Los Angeles, CA as a clergyman, pastor of a church. His wife was Jean C Smith, age 38. She was born in Tennessee to a father born in Virginia and a mother in North Carolina. Their children included Herbert B Smith, Jr, age 5, born in the District of Columbia; and James C Smith, age 3, born in California. Also living with them was Jean's son from a prior marriage - J Hoyle Ragsdale, age 12, born in TN to a father born in Missouri and a mother born in Tennessee. They also had a maid servant named Helen Awadesto, age 22, born in California to a Mexican father and a Californian mother.

He nominated Charles Erdman as moderator of General Asssembly at Columbus in 1925, according to The Presbyterian Controversy: Fundmentalists, Modernists, and Moderates, by Bradley J Longfield, pg 150.

The 1930 Federal Census showed Herbert B Smith born about 1883 (47 years old) in Missouri to a father from Texas and a mother from Virginia. He was a minister at a Presbyterian church. He was head of household living at 744 South Serrano Avenue in Los Angeles, CA. He was 30 when he first married. His wife was Jeane C Smith, age 41, born in Tennessee to a father from Virginia and a mother from North Carolina. Their children in the household included Herbert B Smith, Jr, age 15, born in Washington, DC; James C Smith, age 13, born in California; and Joseph W Smith, age 5, born in California. Herbert and Jeane were married about 1912-13.

He was still living in Los Angeles when he served as Moderator of the General Assembly of the PCUSA in 1941, according to a transcript of the 22nd Annual Presbyterian Dinner held 5 Dec 1941.

The Smiths expected a visit to their home in Lima, NY from their grandson, 2nd Lieutenant Gene F Smith, according to The Lima Recorder, 27 Mar 1952 edition. He hoped to arrive in time to attend their golden anniversary celebration.  

He wrote a book on pre-retirement planning for ministers as a member of the PCUSA Board of Pensions, San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1972.

FPC History: Rev William H Dilts (1926 - 1935)

1926

William Henry "Bill" Dilts was born 11 Feb 1897 in Wernersville, PA, to Thomas Baird Dilts (1873 - 1963) and Christie (MacCallum) Dilts, according to a biography at Find-a-Grave. His date and place of birth were confirmed on his WWII draft application.

The 8 Jun 1944 edition of The Matawan Journal noted that Rev Dilts was born near Reading, PA, the son of Mr and Mrs Thomas Blair Dilts, who were living at the time in Greensburg, PA.

The 1910 Federal Census showed the household of Thomas B (36) and Christian (30) Dilts with sons William H (13) and Horace J (10) Dilts. They were living in Latrobe, PA in Westmoreland County. Thomas and Christian had been married 14 years and Christian had borne 2 children and lost none.

The 1920 Federal Census showed Thomas B (45) and Christie (41) Dilts living in Greensburg, PA in Westmoreland County with sons William H (22) and James H (20) Dilts. Thomas was an insurance agent; William a student; and James a clerk in retail supplies.

He graduated with honors from Greensburg High School and found work with the Pennsylvania Railroad. He received his BA from the College of Wooster in Wooster, OH in 1923, according to Find-a-Grave and the 8 Jun 1944 edition of The Matawan Journal..

MATAWAN, NJ (1926-1935)

Rev Dilts, still at Princeton, was called as pulpit supply for a six month term in February 1926, according to The Journal.

Rev Dilts officiated at the funeral of Anna (Messereau) Tompkins, wife of Silas P Tompkins, who died on 21 Mar 1926, according to the Happenings of Yesteryear section of the 12 Apr 1956 edition of The Brewster Standard. As the first woman to vote in Matawan, Tompkins voted for Warren G Harding as President of the United States in 1921. As a child, she dined with President Lincoln and said she heard the Lincoln-Douglas debates.

Before his interim period ended, the congregation at Matawan unanimously called him to serve as the church's pastor, according to The Journal. He cleared his examination at the summer meeting of Monmouth Presbytery, but only after a rigorous examination. Rev Frank Lukens, chair of the Presbytery's Education Committee, oversaw the examination.

The 8 Jun 1944 edition of The Matawan Journal noted that Rev Dilts was called as pulpit supply in January 1926 and began that service on 4 Feb 1926. He replaced Dr Charles H Bruce. He was unanimously called by the congregation on 13 May 1926.

Rev Dilts graduated Princeton Theological Seminary with the Class of 1926 and was subsequently ordained and installed as pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Matawan on 24 Jun 1926, according to the 25 Jun 1926 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 1 col 4).

Details of the service and surrounding events published in The Journal:

• The ministers involved in the ceremonies were feted at the home of Henry S Terhune.
• Rev H J O Rinker, Moderator of the Presbytery of Monmouth, conducted the ordination.
• Mrs W A Close sang "Just as I Am."
• Rev J H Owens, from Red Bank, read the Scriptures.
• Rev D L Parsons, from Shrewsbury, offered the ordination prayer.
• Rev John Muyskens, pastor of the Red Bank Presbyterian Church, delivered the ordination sermon.
• Rev John Van Ness, from the Presbyterian Church at Narberth, PA, delivered the charge to the pastor.
• Rev Joseph Lyons Ewing, Synodical Superintendent of National Missions of New Jersey, delivered the charge to the people.
• Mrs Lucile Parsons played several selections on the piano during the reception afterwards.
• Mrs W H Diggin chaired the refreshments committee.

Rev Dilts was to preach at the union service at the Baptist church at 8 pm Sunday evening, according to the 16 Jul 1926 edition of The Matawan Journal. He also officiated at the funeral of Margaret (Dunn) Scoby, widow of Spencer Scoby, which was held at Rose Hill Cemetery.

Rev Dilts traded pulpits for the week with Rev W Wylie Young of the Second Presbyterian Church in Cranbury, according to the 25 Jan 1929 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 5 col 2).

Rev Dilts married Anne Gertrude McCulloch (1904 - 2006), of Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada on 5 Sep 1929 in Truro, where her parents had started the local church, according to Find-a-Grave.

Mrs Dilts returned on 20 Feb 1920 from a one-month visit to her old home in Canada, according to the 21 Feb 1930 edition of The Matawan Journal.

The Rev and Mrs Dilts were living in Matawan for the 1930 Federal Census. William H Dilts was 33 and Ann M Dilts was 25. William was a Presbyterian minister. William's brother James had moved to Chagrin Falls, OH in Cuyahoga County and had a wife and three children, one named for their father, Thomas B Dilts.

Rev Dilts' daughter Joan Christine was born 29 Aug 1930 during his tenure at the Presbyterian church in Matawan, according to her father's Find-a-Grave website. Joan graduated with a MA degree from Harvard University's School of Education and went on to teach American history in Attleboro, MA beginning in the fall of 1953, according to the 26 Nov 1953 edition of The Livingston Leader.

Mrs Dilts and daughter Joan were baptized Tuesday by the moderator of the General Assembly, the Rev Hugh Thompson Kerr, of Pittsburgh, at the Old Tennent Church, according to the 17 Apr 1931 edition of The Matawan Journal.

Rev and Mrs Dilts were planning a year of study leave at Edinburgh University in Scotland, according to the 26 Jun 1931 issue of The Matawan Journal, as recounted in the 6 Jul 1961 edition of the same newspaper. His leave would begin 1 Sep 1931, at which time the church would use pulpit supply.

Rev Dilts did a year's graduate work overseas at New College, Edinburgh University, Scotland and Marburg, Germany, according to the 26 Nov 1953 edition of The Livingston Leader. He and his wife traveled to Palestine and around Europe during the year sabbatical.

Rev Dilts did a reading of Tennyson's narrative poem Enoch Arden before the South Amboy Women's Club, according to the 21 Sep 1934 edition of The South Amboy Citizen (pg 1, col 3).

Rev Dilts was to be guest preacher on 28 Oct 1934 at Memorial Presbyterian Church in Brooklyn, NY, according to the 27 Oct 1934 edition of The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (pg 6).

Rev Dilts served as Moderator of Monmouth Presbytery, according to the 26 Nov 1953 edition of The Livingston Leader. The 8 Jun 1944 edition of The Matawan Journal said he was moderator in 1933 and also served as commissioner to General Assembly.The 17 Apr 1931 edition of the same newspaper said Rev Dilts had been serving as moderator of Monmouth Presbytery for the past six months.

Rev Dilts did post-graduate work at Union Theological Seminary and Columbia University, , according to the 26 Nov 1953 edition of The Livingston Leader.

The 8 Jun 1944 edition of The Matawan Journal noted that Rev Dilts resignedon 17 Sep 1935 to accept a call to Westminster Presbyterian Church in West Chester, PA.

WEST CHESTER, PA (1935 - 1944)

Rev Dilts accepted a call to serve the Presbyterian church at West Chester, PA, which was twice the size of the Matawan church he was leaving, according to the 8 Aug 1935 edition of The Red Bank Register.

After Matawan, Rev Dilts served Presbyterian churches in West Chester, PA; Newark, NJ; Geneseo, NY; and Holley, NY, according to Find-a-Grave.

Rev Dilts served as Moderator of Chester Presbytery, according to the 26 Nov 1953 edition of The Livingston Leader. The 8 Jun 1944 edition of The Matawan Journal said that he served Chester Presbytery as its moderator in 1942 and as its chair of Christian education. He also chaired the Chester Chester schools' committee on weekly religious instruction.

Rev Dilts registered for the World War II draft in 1942. He and his wife were living at 339 West Union Street, West Chester, PA. He listed his employer as Westminster Presbyterian Church, Church & Barnard Streets, West Chester. 

Rev Dilts' brother, James Horace Dilts, was killed in World War II, according to Find-a-Grave.

NEWARK, NJ (1944 - 1953)

Rev Dilts accepted a call to serve at the South Park Presbyterian Church, 1035 Broad Street, Newark, NJ, according to the 8 Jun 1944 edition of The Matawan Journal. He expected to begin his work in Newark in mid-September 1944. He would replace C Ransom Comfort, Jr as pastor.

Rev Dilts served at the South Park Presbyterian Church in Newark, NJ from about 1944 until 1953, according to the 26 Nov 1953 edition of The Livingston Register. He served as permanent clerk of Newark Presbytery. He was President of the Forest Hill Literary Society of Newark.

Mrs Sarah B Stillwell of Matawan left a quarter of her estate to Rev Dilts, who was living in Maplewood at the time, according to the 20 Jan 1949 edition of The Red Bank Register (pg 2 col 3). Half of her estate was used to establish a trust called the Daniel Schenck and Elizabeth Webster fund at First Presbyterian Church of Matawan. The 7 Jun 1945 edition of The Matawan Journal noted that Miss Sarah B Stillwell and Mrs Edwin H Dominick visited the Dilts in Maplewood.

GENESEO, NY (1953 - 1965)

1953

Rev Dilts arrived in Geneseo, NY in early November 1953 and would be installed as pastor of the Central Presbyterian Church there on 1 Dec 1953, according to the 26 Nov 1953 edition of The Livingston County Leader. In the meantime, he would deliver the ecumenical Thanksgiving sermon in Geneseo. He had recently left the South Park Presbyterian Church of Newark, NJ, which he'd served for 9 years, to accept the call to Geneseo.

The installation service would have the following participants:

• Rev Stanley Gutelius, of Rochester, would ask the ordination questions on behalf of the Presbytery of Rochester.
• Dr Arthur J Adams, of Central Church, Rochester, would preach the sermon.
• Rev W Wylie Young, of Batavia, would deliver the charge to the pastor.
• Rev Joseph Surter, of Bergen, former pastor of Central Presbyterian at Geneseo.
• Rev Valentine S Alison, of Lima, would read the scripture.
• Rev W Edward Stokesberry, of Avon, would deliver the installation prayer.

Rev Dilts, while serving as pastor of the Geneseo Central Presbyterian Church, told the local newspaper about the Christmas eve fire that had consumed his first church at Matawan, according to the 3 Feb 1956 edition of The Livingston County Leader.

Rev Dilts sent a telegram on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Glenwood Mission Band of the First Presbyterian Church of Matawan, according to the 14 Jan 1960 edition of The Matawan Journal. The organization had been associated with United Presbyterian Women (UPW) for the past five years. The Glenwood Circle narrated the event.

HOLLEY, NY (1965 - 1972)

Rev Dilts announced his resignation as pastor of the Geneseo Central Presbyterian Church and his intention to begin serving at the Presbyterian Church in Holley, NY beginning 3 Oct 1965, according to the 8 Sep 1965 edition of The Livingston County Leader (pg 1 col 2). He had served at Geneseo since 8 Nov 1953.

Rev Dilts retired in 1972 and moved to Truro with his wife, according to Find-a-Grave. They are buried together at Robie Street Cemetery in Truro.