Our congregation’s location in 1969

by Mike Roberts, Church Historian

Where were we as a church in 1969? An examination of church documents gives us glimpses into our church and its membership fifty years ago. During the year 1969, the church was located at Salem Acres and the minister was Karl Bach.

On January 6th, members participated in the 3rd annual Community Christmas Tree Burning Ceremony. “The Other Wiseman” was read and was followed by a burning of Christmas trees at the old Anderson Elementary School.

On January 7th, a special program was offered at church by the Couples Club. A guest speaker from the Cincinnati Telephone Company, engineer Harold A. Stephens, introduced guests to the wonders of a recently developed scientific device called the laser beam.

On March 30th, a drive for new membership was begun. The beliefs of our church were spelled out in the following declaration presented in the order of service. “Universalists believe in immortality in the greater majority, some do not; but, all agree that the best way to prepare for any future life after death including the memory of man is to live an exemplary life here and now! Universalists reject all doctrines of the Trinity, of ‘original sin’ and of salvation through the vicarious suffering and death of Jesus. The similarity of opinion among Universalists is the knowledge that sooner or later, reasonable minds working on the same materials as this earth, are likely to arrive at similar conclusions. Universalists believe that the great ideals of life and their fulfillment will ultimately be realized by all men of all religious faiths, even though every faith must reflect its own cultural patterns.”

In May, planning for the opening of the Salem Acres swimming pool began. It was noted that the cost of running the pool for the summer season ran between $400 to $500. It was motioned and passed that a $1.00 fee for adults and 25 cents for children be charged for pool use to defray the cost of operation.

On September 11th, a congregational meeting was held to discuss the dire financial situation of the church. Average costs for operating the church were $405 per week. Average collections for Sunday services were $135 and money accrued from investments averaged $105. That left a deficit of $165 per week.

At the September Board of Trustees meeting, Reverend Karl Bach offered his resignation as he felt there was no way the church could afford to pay the salary of a minister and remain solvent. It was agreed that he could remain with the church up to three months while he sought another church to serve.

The youth of the church held a drive to collect clothes for the Cherokee Indian Mission School in Bunch, Oklahoma.

In December, the Service Circle continued its work with the Men’s Ward of Longview Hospital. Small parties were held at the hospital once a month throughout the year and a Christmas party was conducted by the ladies for the men patients. Gifts were collected from the church and baskets distributed at the Christmas party. Among the gifts donated for the baskets were fruit, candy, cigarettes, handkerchiefs and cash.

Also in December, the Clara Barton Guild passed around a petition seeking signatures of support for a resolution to be raised at next summer’s General Assembly concerning women’s rights.

This commitment to women’s rights was significant in the history of the Universalist Church. The year 1969 marked the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Women’s Centenary Aid Association. At the 1869 biennial convention of the Universalist Church, this organization was initiated, making it the first women’s national church organization in the United States. It was begun to raise funds for church activities but quickly evolved into a group providing financial support to liberal colleges and eventually to funding its own missionary program. It later became the Unitarian Universalist Women’s Federation.

Posted for March 2019.

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by Mike Roberts, Church Historian

As you enter our sanctuary on Sundays or on other occasions, you certainly notice the brightly colored quilt that decorates the right wall. You may also have noted the date in the lower right-hand corner, 1885.

Quilt donated by Florence Angus

A plaque to the right of the quilt identifies the quilt as a gift from Mrs. Florence Case Angus and that it was donated in December 1985, the month that marked the opening of our present Heritage Church building.

An article written by Debbie Wiatt for the Hyde Park Living magazine dated November 1985 tells more of the story of Mrs. Angus and her gift to us.

“They just don’t make things the way they used to… and if you want proof, just talk to Florence Angus. Covering a table in the living room of her Hyde Park home is an exquisite quilt that was made in 1885—100 years ago— and it is still in mint condition!

“One first notices the intricate detail and brilliant colors. The entire quilt is made from pieces of silk and velvet of varying shapes and sizes, carefully bound together with stitching so perfect that the backing is almost as attractive as the front. Each piece is either needlepointed or hand-painted with a unique design that obviously had some special meaning. For instance, there are two women’s names, a pair of scissors, several hand-held fans, various animals, and other interesting designs lovingly attached and painted into the quilt.

“The quilt was made by Mrs. Ichabod Blakeslee with the help of her nine-year old granddaughter, Claudia Berdan (Mrs. Angus’ father’s cousin) in 1885 in the southern Minnesota town of Chatfield. Through the years the quilt changed hands and eventually found its way to Mrs. Angus’ living room. As magnificent as it is, she hates to keep the quilt to herself and would like someday to display it so that everyone can enjoy its beauty. Unfortunately, she heard about the recent quilt show at the Cincinnati Art Museum too late to enter. You can be sure, though, that Mrs. Angus will jump at the opportunity to show off this lovely heirloom. Be sure to look for it!”

Mrs. Ichabod Blakeslee (Louisa) unfortunately passed away just two years after completing the quilt. Her granddaughter, Claudia Berdan, reached adulthood and became a school teacher in Chatfield. She married Charles Seymour and they eventually moved to Great Falls, Montana. At age 64, Claudia was widowed and was working in Great Falls as a dressmaker. She died at age 88 in Great Falls in 1964.

As to our benefactor, Mrs. Florence Case Angus passed away on March 9, 1998 at the age of 97. It states in her obituary from the Cincinnati Enquirer that she worked as a medical technologist at Children’s Hospital and was a member of the group that developed the Sabin oral polio vaccine.

These closeup pictures of the quilt help to reveal the intricacies of the designs. Take the opportunity to examine the quilt swatch by swatch to see the detail of this marvelous example of homemade art.

The picture below of Florence Angus holding the quilt appeared in the November 1985 issue of Hyde Park Living. Our thanks go to the publisher (www.livingmagazines.com) for permission to use the photograph.

Florence Angus holding the 1885 quilt

Article “The Quilt” date: February 2019.

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Rev. Ayers, 1934

by Mike Roberts, Church Historian.

A few of the ministers that have served our church eventually found their way to serving Universalism on a larger stage. In 1902, Samuel Ayres was ministering in the small upstate New York village of Victor when he received the call to serve in Cincinnati. He had been ordained into the Universalist Church ministry in 1898 and the Victor church was his first assignment.

Ayres was born in Jersey City, New Jersey on July 23, 1870 to Samuel J. and Sarah Ayres. His father was born in New York and worked as a delivery clerk in New York City. Ayres mother was born in England. By 1880 the family had moved to and was living in New York City.

By comparison to his predecessors, Samuel Ayres stay in Cincinnati was lengthy serving from 1902 to 1909. During that time, the church was still settling into its new building and was redefining its role in a suburban neighborhood. One of Ayres first duties was to oversee and host the 70th session of the Miami Association of Universalists which was held at the Essex Place church.

A sampling of Ayres’ sermon titles during his stay include, “Gospel Conversations: Jesus and the Woman of Samaria” and “The Divine Indifference.” One newspaper notice states that one Sunday, Ayres delivered an 11 a.m. sermon on “The Place of Jesus in Religion” and later that day at 8 p.m. delivered a sermon on “The Personal Element in Religious Experience.”

In one of his first sermons delivered to the congregation, Ayres stated that “Life is difficult and mysterious to many. All classes in their several ways have endeavored to solve the problem of right living. Man has dug down into the earth and gone to the depth of the sea and taken forces of the great physical world, yet in this art of all arts, he is still the creature of his own passions. Life for him today is beset with difficulties. It may be said that he who has gained the victory in the science of life is always and everywhere the master of those difficulties which seek to pull him down. Happiness in the social world depends largely on living our own life in our class and in our means. We should seek to be ourselves, not shadows or imitators of others and use our own talents in our own way, so developing a personality that has some initiative.”

After six years in the pulpit, Ayres left Cincinnati for a calling in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. He also had a lengthy stay there not leaving until 1919. It was then that Ayres took on the role for which he is most remembered. He accepted the job as superintendent of the Universalist Church Japanese Mission and moved with his wife Minnie to Japan. He and his wife ran the mission there for 6 years leaving in 1925. The mission in Japan had been established to offer refuge for orphans and to teach the Universalist Christian doctrine to whoever in the population was interested. Mrs. Ayres said that in light of their belief in world-wide universalism, the focus of the mission was more on service and social relations with the Japanese. Ayres wrote a monthly letter published in the Christian Leader and frequently spoke of all the entertaining and lecturing they did in Japan in an attempt to establish relationships with the local population.

The Universalist Church in Tokyo was called the Central Church. Later a house for female orphans was opened called the Blackmer House. In 1923, the Yokahama earthquake struck the mission hard, destroying the church and badly damaging the Blackmer House. The earthquake was measured at 7.9 on the Richter Scale and left an estimated 140,000 people dead. The Ayres helped rebuild and then left the mission and returned to the United States in 1925.

Upon their return to the U.S., Minnie and Samuel Ayres were active in promoting the Japan mission through speaking engagements and tours. In 1928, they visited Cincinnati to promote the mission and renew old acquaintances.

Sadly, the Central Church and Blackmer House were destroyed by American bombing at the end of World War II. Little physical evidence of the Universalist presence remained after 1945 but a small group of Japanese Universalists was still worshiping there after the war.

Minnie Ayres was also very active in the Universalist youth movements serving in several national capacities. She also played a regular role in the annual national conventions. By 1930, Samuel had returned to the pulpit in Lewiston, Maine. In 1934-5, he substituted for a pastor on leave in Worcester, Massachusetts and in 1940, the Ayres were living in Southover, New York on Long Island. The Ayres had two children, Gilbert B. and Charlotte. Samuel died in 1955.

November, 2018.

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Cincinnati around 1850, when the First Universalist Society was located on Walnut Street between Third and Fourth Streets.

by Mike Roberts, Church Historian

The Stephens family name runs through the archives of our church for over 100 years. James and Elizabeth Stephens were the first members of the family to join the First Universalist Society of Cincinnati. Mrs. Stephens, then Elizabeth Guysi, was born in Philadelphia in 1822. Her parents had immigrated from England. The family set out from Philadelphia for the West when she was still a young girl. They traveled by flatboat and her father sold tin and copper utensils at stops along the way in order to pay expenses. Eventually they arrived in Cincinnati and settled here.

Elizabeth was raised a Presbyterian and eventually married James Stephens. Her husband was a saddle maker by trade who had migrated to the city from Princeton, Indiana. About the time of their marriage, the couple decided to attend a revival meeting at the Wesley Chapel. At the end of the session, the Reverend John Gurley, minister of our Universalist Church, announced that he would be making his reply to the sermons at the Universalist Church on Sunday. Elizabeth and James decided to attend and thus began a lifelong commitment to liberal religion.

James was an active member of the church until his death in 1885. Elizabeth and he joined the First Society when it was located on Walnut between 3rd and 4th Streets. They participated in the move to the new church on Plum Street and saw the move from there to a rented church on Peebles Corner. Elizabeth was still around to see the construction of the Essex Place church and her son Charles had a stained-glass window installed in the church in her honor. Elizabeth passed away in February of 1922, one month after her 100th birthday.

Charles continued the Stephens tradition of service to our church for decades. He served in numerous positions including many terms on the Board of Trustees, as secretary of the church and as an advisor and frequent committee member. In his private life, Charles was a lawyer and founded the firm of Stephens, Lincoln and Stephens with his son, Charles Jr.

In the late 1800’s, Charles was one of the leaders of a reform political movement attempting to take control of city government away from the corrupt Cox political machine. Charles ran for Vice-Mayor and lost but eventually the effort led to elections which ousted the machine from power.

At a very young age, Charles was appointed to the Union Board of High Schools which oversaw public high schools in the city. In his original terms he served with Alfonso Taft, the father of William Howard Taft. He remained on that board for 72 years. He also served as a director of the Atlas Bank. At the time of his death, it was believed he was the oldest member of the Ohio Bar Association.

Charles and his wife, Alice Mayhew Bard, had three sons, Charles Jr, Howard and Bard. Bard became the vice-president of a printing company but died at age 48. Howard, at the time of his father’s death, was serving as vice-president of the St. Louis Browns American League baseball team. Charles Jr. worked with his father in their law firm.

Charles Stephens Sr., like his mother, lived a long life. He was still active in his law firm and his church when he suffered a cerebral embolism in 1940 and died three weeks later at the age of 99.

Charles Jr. was also active in the church into the 1940’s but his name fades from active membership at that point. He died in 1961 at the age of 83, somewhat lacking the longevity of his father and grandmother. He was a lawyer for his entire adult life, teaching at the local law school for many years.

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Gravestone of Charlotte Wooley Crosley at Spring Grove Cemetery

by Mike Roberts, Church Historian

On January 14, 1949, Mrs. Charlotte Woolley Crosley passed away at her home on Hamilton Avenue in College Hill at the age of 85. Mrs. Crosley was the mother of Powel Crosley Jr., founder of Crosley Radio and WLW, the Crosley Motor Car Company and owner of the Cincinnati Reds. Her husband, Powel Crosley Sr., was a prominent lawyer and real estate developer in Cincinnati and had played an integral role for many decades in the First Universalist Church (our congregation’s name at the time). He had represented the church as its attorney as well as holding numerous elected positions with the church organization. He died in 1932.

Powell Crosley and Charlotte Utz were wed on October 8, 1885 in a ceremony conducted at her parents’ home on Gilbert Avenue. The wedding was officiated by the Rev. Marion Crosley, brother of the groom and a prominent Universalist minister who was serving in the state of Maine at the time of the wedding.

Mrs. Crosley was the daughter of Lewis and Elizabeth Woolley Utz. Charlotte Crosley graduated from Woodward High School and then attended the Cincinnati School of Design and later the College of Music where she studied piano.

In her obituary in the Cincinnati Enquirer, it was stated that outside of her home, which was her primary interest in life, she found her greatest satisfaction in working with the First Universalist Church on Essex Place which her grandparents had helped to found. At her death, she was one of the church’s oldest members and was active in church affairs right up to the time of her death. Mrs. Crosley had especially been a vital member for decades in the church’s women’s groups including the Clara Barton Guild and the Service Society.

Survivors included sons Powel and Lewis Crosley, and a daughter, Mrs. Albert B. Chatfield; two sisters, Miss Henrietta Utz and Mrs. George Caskey; five grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.

August 2018.

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by Mike Roberts, Church Historian

We are now well into Summer 2018. As you read this, you probably have already decided which fireworks show to see, where to do your picnic and whether or not the lowly Reds are worth watching. Members of Heritage UU Church were involved in such planning 15 years ago. What was happening in our congregation in the Summer of ’03?

The June topics for sermons were: Ralph Waldo Emerson; an explanation of the meaning of our flaming chalice; and campus ministry and UU (all presented by Reverend Bill Gupton), as well as a celebration of the summer solstice by Suzanne Epperson and friends; and, on June 30, a hymn sing led by Clay Pendergrass.

There was also a Town Hall Meeting on June 8, led by Board President Melissa Rockenfield. Some members attended a leadership training exercise in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Rising 9th graders joined with St. John’s UU for a Friday the 13th Lock-In. The Board of Trustees for 2003-2004 were announced as Chris Burroughs, Beth Coulson, Sara Curtis, Sam Gamble, Melissa Rockenfield, Mark Scheid, Tamara Smith, Neal Watzman and Garry Wilson.

Reverend Bill Gupton was on vacation in July and guest sermons included “Imagine There’s No Heaven: Some Thoughts from Salman Rushdie by Barb Rohrer and Sam Gamble; the summer picnic held at Woodland Mound Park hosted by Neal Watzman and the Heritage Men’s Group; and “No Place Like Home” by Peg Fay Feder. July’s book club selection hosted by Barb Barnes was “The Sparrow” by Mary Doria Russell. Donations were being accepted for a medical relief mission to Ecuador sponsored by the Lexington, Kentucky UU Church. Barb Rohrer represented our church on that mission. Workshops were being planned from the Welcoming Congregation Committee chaired by Kathy Nalepa.

For August, the Sunday sermons included “The Loose Leaf Bible” by Bill Lyon; “On Principle,” a look at our seven principles by Rev. Gupton; a report on the Boston General Assembly by Rev. Bill; “For Praying Out Loud” by Annie Foerster; and, “Letting Go Your Ticket,” a whimsical look at ticketless travel by Rev. Bill. The traditional end-of-summer water ceremony was held on September 7.

In August, Donna and Mark Buckley were hosting a Jimmy Buffett Pool Party as a prelude to the church’s first ever auction later in the fall. Also, Sam and Barb Gamble hosted a Roadhouse Barbecue on August 30th. Among actions at the Board of Trustees meeting, Sam Gamble was elected President and Keith Armstrong was appointed to serve as the liaison between the church and Anderson Township on the new bike path to be constructed next to our property.

While much good was being accomplished at our Newtown Road Church, world events were generally in turmoil during that summer. George Bush had declared major fighting was concluded in Iraq on May 1st but the fighting was only increasing by the end of the summer. Lance Armstrong won his fifth straight Tour de France under a cloud of doping accusations. NASA was struggling to overcome the Columbia disaster. Gasoline cost an average of $1.83 per gallon. Fifty million people were plunged into the dark in the largest blackout in U.S. history. And, finally, the Reds finished with 69 wins and 93 losses in 2003. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

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Paramount Theater in Walnut Hills, where City Temple met in the 1940’s.

by Mike Roberts, Church Historian

In 1949 our church merged with a group known as the City Temple. Prior to the merger, a district officer of the Universalist Church asked the City Temple pastor to describe his church. This is the response from Dr. Harry Grannison Hill which was passed on to our own Board of Trustees.

Dear Dr. Evans,

I have learned from one of the members of my Board that you would like to have a little history of the City Temple.

Perhaps I can best approach the subject by giving you a little of my own background. I graduated from Bethany College in West Virginia and was ordained to the Christian Church ministry in 1897. After serving as pastor for Christian Churches in Hebron, Indiana, Cincinnati, and Omaha, Nebraska, I went to Indianapolis and soon found that I was becoming too liberal for their creed. I was never completely away from religious activity as I organized and became leader of the Peoples Church of Indianapolis in addition to Chautauqua lecturing and managing and being President of Indiana College of Music and Fine Arts. While leading a Truth group in Indianapolis, I was called to be pastor of the New Thought Temple of Cincinnati and when I left there in 1943, I organized and became pastor of the City Temple. Now I am 75 and have had over 52 years in the ministry and find that my health dictates my retirement. Consequently, my people are seeking new leadership.

We have been holding our services in the Paramount Theatre and when we learned that the First Universalist Church of Walnut Hills was without a pastor and that their membership had become somewhat smaller the last year or so, we felt that a merger might benefit both groups. As the enclosed constitution indicates, we are a non-denominational group. We have no creed but the brotherhood of man as expressed in the example and teachings of our elder brother, Jesus the Christ. We believe God is all powerful and is the One to be worshiped as the Supreme Spirit. We believe that every man has within himself the spark of divinity which causes him to aspire to all that is good, true and beautiful. We have been supported solely by the voluntary love offerings of our people and have never had any money-making affairs and have never dunned people for contributions. The City Temple has never been in debt and has always had more than enough to meet all expenses.

I have known many Universalist ministers well and have held services in Universalist Churches here and in Illinois and am rather familiar with the teachings which I find very acceptable. The recent pastor of the First Universalist Church was a co-member of a liberal ministers group here in Cincinnati. If there is further information that I can give, I shall be most happy to answer any question you might wish to ask.

Sincerely,
Harry G. Hill

Dr. Hill’s health prevented him from much activism in the merged churches and in February 1951, Dr. Hill passed away and was buried in Spring Grove Cemetery.

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