Extract from “The History of St Andrew’s Williamstown 1787-1987”
by Mary J. Wilson
During the American Revolution, the land along the north shore of the St Lawrence River, called ‘The Front’, as well as the land along the Raisin River, was settled by Loyalists who were forced to give up their land and many of their possessions and endure many hardships on their way to Glengarry. Among the arrivals in 1784 from the Mohawk Valley was Sir John Johnson, a prominent landowner in the Colonies and commander of two battalions of the King’s Royal Regiment of New York, which fought for the Loyalist cause in the Revolution. Williamstown was named for his father, Sir William Johnson. Loyalists were soon joined by emigrants from Scotland, eager to establish new homes and provide a better life for their families. They were attracted to the Glengarry settlement where their compatriots were already settled and where they could worship and bring up their children in the faith of their fathers and provide them with a sound education as well.
The Rev John Bethune, who was the first minister of the Kirk of Scotland to come to Upper Canada, founded the first Presbyterian Church in Upper Canada in 1787 at Williamstown. The church of 1787 was built of logs. Its furnishings were primitive, the seats being planks resting on cedar blocks. During the week, it served as a school, thus beginning a tradition of religious and educational instruction in the community. After the founding of the Williamstown congregation, Mr Bethune established churches at Lancaster, Martintown, Summerstown and Cornwall and, as the records state, he baptized 2576 persons, several of them formerly black slaves. The second church was built of stone in 1804, making it the first stone Presbyterian church in Canada. That church collapsed in 1809, although the church bell, which was donated by the great explorer Sir Alexander MacKenzie, is still in use in the present church. Construction on the current church began in 1812. The original interior layout of the church was based on that of St Nicholas East Kirk, Aberdeen, a church much admired by Mr Bethune. Skilled French stone masons were brought in from Lower Canada where they had over a century of experience. Work on the church slowed considerably in 1813 and 1814 due to the war. The church was completed in 1818. Unfortunately, Mr Bethune never lived to see his church completed, as he died in 1815. It was three years before his replacement, Rev John McKenzie succeeded him.
The Rev Peter Watson was inducted in 1856. As did his two predecessors, he preached in both English and Gaelic, but was educated at Queen’s College, Kingston, which was established in 1842 for the purpose of providing students with theological training in Canada without having to rely on the mother church in Scotland. When the union of the four Canadian branches of the Presbyterian Church took place in 1875 to form the new Presbyterian Church in Canada, Mr Watson left to minister to those in the congregation who wished to maintain their connection with the Church of Scotland. But his relations with the members of St Andrew's Church were always friendly.
Almost 100 years after the founding of the church, the congregation felt that, while the old-fashioned, high pulpit, square pews with stiff formal backs, venerable book boards and clattering pew doors had served their purpose, it was time to modernize the interior. With the active encouragement of the Rev Alexander MacGillivray, the decision was taken to transform the church into a modern, graceful place of worship.
By the end of 1924, there were many meetings being held regarding church union. In 1925, the congregation of St. Andrew's voted to join the newly formed United Church of Canada, which was made up of Presbyterian, Congregationalist and Methodist congregations.
The church hall, which was built in 1880, was the centre of the social life of the congregation for many years. The hall was a two storied building with sheds underneath to shelter the horses – the only means of transportation at the time of its construction. After years of climbing the long stairs to the top storey with baskets of food and heavy cans of water, a change was required. In 1957, Mrs Irvine, the minister’s wife contacted one of the contractors of the St Lawrence Seaway who had been involved with moving buildings for its construction. For a price of $2200, he was able to bring the old hall down to earth. He told the women of the church that they could leave the dishes in the cupboard without fear of breakage. He was true to his word, as not a single dish was even cracked.
In 1962 there was a major change in the congregation. At that time, a number of smaller churches in the Presbytery had been considering the advisability of reorganization. On June 30, 1962 the pastoral charge of Williamstown-Martintown was organized. About this time, St. Andrew's manse (Williamstown) was sold and a smaller modern manse was built adjacent to the church, to serve the two congregations.
In July 1997, the Williamstown congregation celebrated its 210th anniversary. A total of 13 ministers had served this community over its long and vibrant history. On August 1, 1997, the Rev Andrea Harrison became the 14th minister. She looks forward to continuing the proud traditions of St Andrew's United Church.
