United Church of Monmouth
welcomes you!

 

Eliza McClure Cochrane

As 21st Century Christians worshipping in this 19th Century building, we find ourselves surrounded by remembrances of earlier Christians. So let us begin with the life of Eliza McClure Cochrane whose name appears on the first stained glass window to the left of the sanctuary's main entrance.

She was born in 1795, the daughter of Capt. James McClure, an officer of the Continental Army. Her mother's name curiously enough is not listed in Cochrane's History of Monmouth and Wales. She lived in Waldo, Maine, near Penobscot Bay. At 30 years of age she was the widow of Thomas McClure and had no children.

On January 4, 1825, she married her second cousin, Dr. James Cochrane, Jr. Her first born daughters, Mary Jane and Mary Eliza, each died before they were two years of age. Her five sons and last daughter all lived into adulthood. Their home was the old cape with attached one horse barn on the north side of Main St. and Berry Rd.

In 1860 during the midst of great political uncertainty in America this 65 year old grandmother assumed the responsibility of raising her newborn grandson, Harry Hayman Cochrane, when her daughter-in-law died a week after childbirth.

When the Great Rebellion finally began she had plenty to worry about. Every morning she awoke to the same concerns. Would this Union survive? Could she raise baby Harry to adulthood? Would her youngest son Granville, survive the battlefield? Yet every morning when she looked out her window she would see this building (then located at the present Monmouth KWIK Stop). In the end, the United States did survive. Granville did survive his severe wound from the battle of Antietam, and baby Harry did live to write about this remarkable woman.

Harry wrote, "His (Dr. Cochrane Jr.) union with this lady was the most fortunate circumstances of his life. She was descended from the same colony of Argyleshire (Scotland) emigrants to which the doctor traced his lineage, was well educated, and possessed in a large measure the talent and versatility which have, in a less marked degree, coursed in the veins of her children. . .his wife, who possessed remarkable business tact, and had a system for everything. . .His wife survived several years after his demise. Up to the day of her death, which occurred in her ninety-second year, her mind was as clear and her spirits as buoyant as those of a woman in the prime of life." ~~Larry Buggia, Church Historian, would like to thank Arthur M. Griffiths for his assistance with this article.

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Hattie Emma Clifford (1865-1911)

A former Methodist member of this church, Hattie lies buried in the adjacent cemetery, next to her parents. One of our stained glass windows (pictured above) is dedicated to the memory of her parents, Rev. Nathaniel And Lucy Almeda Clifford. On Hattie's headstone are inscribed the following words: "A friend and teacher of the colored people"

As a young woman Hattie lived a very busy life in Monmouth. She began teaching at the age of sixteen in the Back Street School. By the age of twenty she had graduated from Kent's Hill Seminary as a music teacher.

Probably some point after this time she coughed up blood, which would mark the beginning of her life with tuberculosis. Emotionally she would vacillate between shame, despair, and hope.

"Harriet E. Clifford, a white woman originally from Maine. . .earned the love of generations of young Black women in her work at Atlanta University." ~~W.E.B. Dubois

"It was my privilege to be associated with Miss Clifford during nearly all of what constituted the most important and significant period of her life work, and I learned to discover in her one of the rarest of women. She taught music in Atlanta University for nearly eleven years--a longer period of service than any other music teacher in the institution ever had. . .she not only loved her art but loved her pupils also. . .Her sweet Christian character was a wonderful harmony which hallowed and sanctified her teaching of music and lifted it up out of the commonplace.

"For the past three years of invalidism have still found Hattie Clifford teaching us wonderful lessons of patient endurance,, courageous hope, sweet submission, and undying loyalty to the school she loved so much and to all the oppressed people for whom it was founded." ~~Horace Bumstead, D.D. (President of Atlanta University)

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The organ was built by George H. Ryder of Boston, Massachusetts in 1878 for the First Baptist Church in Augusta.

Although the organ was moved to Monmouth around 1919, it was probably not installed in the United Church until 1924. Frederick Chenery, Jr. M.D. served as the first organist until about 1940. Ruby Haskell, mother of Jean Walker, served after him until about 1974. Since 1974 we have been blessed with the dedication and talents of Mrs. Marion Donnell. Mildred Flanders taught Mrs. Donnell to play the organ so that she could work at the Bragdon-Flander's Funeral Home. Mrs. Donnell played the piano for Eastern Star for 35 years. It is also worth noting that the gold pipes in the front of the organ are all working pipes and the cabinet is black walnut wood.

Dr. Stanley Painter attended to both Howard and Elsie Howland during their final illnesses. Dr. Painter mentioned to Elsie one day about the problems he had with the organ when he served as substitute organist. Rev. Joseph LeMaster and H. Earle Flanders also probably influenced Elsie Howland to establish the "Howard & Elsie Howland Fund" for the upkeep of the organ

. ~~by Larry Buggia and Marion Donnell

Organ Historical Society

In August of 1992, the Organ Historical Society held its annual National convention in Maine. At that time there was a week of organ recitals, one of which was here in the United Church. Our recitalist was Dr. Frances Norbert, Chair of the Misic Department at Whittier College in California. A few weeks later Dr. Norbert wrote us a letter mentioning some of the problems she had found in playing our organ and urging us to address them. She also contacted David Wallace of Gorham, or organ technician. He drew up a "shopping list" of repairs that would be helpful, and in April of 1993 the church council voted to authorize him to do the necessary work. It was fall before Mr. Wallace could start the work in the church, but he had been working at home restoring a used reservoir he had obtained several years ago from the United Methodist Church in Brunswick. He revamped this to fit our organ. In November, he accomplished his work here in the church, helped by the fact that we joined East Monmouth for the Thanksgiving service, so he had two uninterrupted weeks to make repairs. He cleaned the instrument, repaired pedal flute pipes, valves, Swell pipes that had become bent, and replaced the two smaller wind regulators (probably installed in the 1960's) with the traditional double-rise reservoir like the one originally in the organ, the one from Brunswick. This now provides the Swell with more stable and plentiful wind, resulting in greater power and clarity of sound. The expense of this restoration was borne by the Howland Organ Fund. In 1974, in memory of Elsie and Howard Howland, Mrs. Howland left money to be used for the maintenance of the Ryder Tracker Organ.

~~byMarion Donnell

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United Church of Monmouth 778 Main Street (Route 132) Monmouth, ME 04259 Reverend Desmond Parker, Pastor (207) 933-2931

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