There are nine memorial windows in St. Luke's: three on each side of the nave and three above the altar. The persons memorialized date from the 1860's to the 1880's. The information that follows about the persons memorialized is based on contemporary research on the internet, local information, etc. At present there are no known church records regarding how the windows came to be. The information about each window will be added gradually until all nine are on this site. The amount of information known about each person varies considerably. (Researched by The Rev. Lyle L. Brown)
In Memoriam Clarence S. Albright Died April 11th 1873
Clarence Sydney Albright was born on 14 June 1847 in Iowa to Jacob and Rachel Albright. Rachel is the lady who made the Betsy Ross flag. Clarence died at the age of 26 years in 1873. His cause of death is unknown. He is buried in the Fort Madison City Cemetery (the one with the old iron fence around it).
Clarence Sydney Albright was born on 14 June 1847 in Iowa to Jacob and Rachel Albright. Rachel is the lady who made the Betsy Ross flag. Clarence died at the age of 26 years in 1873. His cause of death is unknown. He is buried in the Fort Madison City Cemetery (the one with the old iron fence around it).
In Memoriam Thomas L. Lawrence Died Nov 12th 1871
Thomas L. Lawrence was born on 12 December 1823 in Ohio; his parent’s names are unknown. On 18 November 1864 he married Elizabeth Jane Eads in Johnson County, Missouri. In the 1870 Census, the Lawrence’s are living in Fort Madison, Ward 3. They have two children: Lillie, 3 years and Thomas Loomis Eads,7 months. His occupation is listed as a manufacturer, but it doesn’t say of what. They also had two domestic servants, so perhaps business, whatever it was, was doing all right. Another son , Hoel Douglas Eads Lawrence was born on 19 January 1872. Hoel was born after the death of his father which occurred on August 20, 1871, cause unknown. Both Hoel and his father, Thomas, are buried in City Cemetery, Fort Madison. Hoel married Rose D. Stellern on 21 February 1900—she was born in 1880. Lily Lawrence married Richard Bow in St. Luke’s Church on 4 July 1889. She died in Houston, Texas in 1943. Thomas Loomis Lawrence married Jean L. Gibbons on 15 October 1891; he died in 1925 and is buried in City Cemetery, Fort Madison; she died in 1961.
Thomas Lawrence’s wife, Elizabeth Eads Lawrence, married a man by the name of Case after Thomas’ death. A daughter was born to his union, named Marie Louse and she married Carl E. Stoeckle in St. Luke’s on 19 May 1897; she died a year later on 23 May 1898.
In Memoriam Charles F. Smith Died Aug 20th 1862
Charles F. Smith was born on 15 September 1840 in Northamptonshire, England (some records give 15 December 1840 as DOB) to Thomas and Mary Ekins Smith who were married in the parish church in Raunds, Northamptonshire, England. The memorial window gives his death date as 20 August 1862 other records give 16 August 1862. In the census of 1860 he was listed as a dairyman, as was his father, Thomas. In later censuses Thomas, his father, was listed as an ice dealer. When Thomas and Mary were married in England his job was listed as a shoe dealer and hers as a mantua maker, the later perhaps due to the fact that her father-in-law was listed as a lace dealer.
Since Charles was 21 when he died in 1862, it seemed as though he might have been a Civil War casualty; however, no record of Civil War service or his death was found.
Charles was buried in the Fort Madison City Cemetery; the stone is very weather worn and hard to read. The name Richard Smith is also on this stone. Also buried in City Cemetery are Thomas and Mary Ekins Smith along with their daughter Mary Ann Smith (1857-1946)
Charles F. Smith was born on 15 September 1840 in Northamptonshire, England (some records give 15 December 1840 as DOB) to Thomas and Mary Ekins Smith who were married in the parish church in Raunds, Northamptonshire, England. The memorial window gives his death date as 20 August 1862 other records give 16 August 1862. In the census of 1860 he was listed as a dairyman, as was his father, Thomas. In later censuses Thomas, his father, was listed as an ice dealer. When Thomas and Mary were married in England his job was listed as a shoe dealer and hers as a mantua maker, the later perhaps due to the fact that her father-in-law was listed as a lace dealer.
Since Charles was 21 when he died in 1862, it seemed as though he might have been a Civil War casualty; however, no record of Civil War service or his death was found.
Charles was buried in the Fort Madison City Cemetery; the stone is very weather worn and hard to read. The name Richard Smith is also on this stone. Also buried in City Cemetery are Thomas and Mary Ekins Smith along with their daughter Mary Ann Smith (1857-1946)
In Memoriam Naomi Cattermole Died April 27th 1860
Naomi Tillett Cattermole was born on November 7, 1734 in Hasketon, Suffolk, England. In October 1806 she married James Cattermole. To this union were born seven sons and two daughters. Naomi and James emigrated from England to the United States in 1832 with all their children. In the US Census of 1850 they were living in Hancock County, Illinois. They moved to Lee County, Iowa in 1851—the Iowa Census of 1856 recorded they had been living in Iowa for five years.
Their eldest daughter, Elizabeth, born in 1808, married her cousin, Henry Cattermole. They met while he was vising James’s family in Ohio. Henry and Elizabeth lived in Fort Madison where he was a successful businessman and banker (German-American Bank). Several years after Henry’s death, Elizabeth donated $30,000 toward the establishment of the Cattermole Library in Fort Madison. She also gave $500 to buy books for the library.
In the minutes from a meeting to organize Hope Episcopal Church dated March 25, 1854, both James Cattermole and Henry Cattermole are recorded as Vestrymen.
Naomi Cattermole is buried in the Fort Madison City Cemetery.
In Memoriam Charles Cattermole Died Sept 27th 1877
Charles Cattermole was born in December 1875. He was only 21 months old when he died. He was the son of Arthur Charles Cattermole and his wife the former Caroline (Carrie) Wilson. They were married in St. Louis, Missouri, on November 11, 1869. Arthur was the youngest child of James and Naomi Cattermole, born on July 3, 1829. Arthur and Caroline also had a son named Robert Wilson Cattermole, born circa 1873, who lived into adulthood. The Brass Eagle Lectern, still in use, was given by Caroline in memory of her husband, Charles, in 1893.
Both Charles and Caroline Cattermole are buried in the Fort Madison City Cemetery.
Naomi Tillett Cattermole was born on November 7, 1734 in Hasketon, Suffolk, England. In October 1806 she married James Cattermole. To this union were born seven sons and two daughters. Naomi and James emigrated from England to the United States in 1832 with all their children. In the US Census of 1850 they were living in Hancock County, Illinois. They moved to Lee County, Iowa in 1851—the Iowa Census of 1856 recorded they had been living in Iowa for five years.
Their eldest daughter, Elizabeth, born in 1808, married her cousin, Henry Cattermole. They met while he was vising James’s family in Ohio. Henry and Elizabeth lived in Fort Madison where he was a successful businessman and banker (German-American Bank). Several years after Henry’s death, Elizabeth donated $30,000 toward the establishment of the Cattermole Library in Fort Madison. She also gave $500 to buy books for the library.
In the minutes from a meeting to organize Hope Episcopal Church dated March 25, 1854, both James Cattermole and Henry Cattermole are recorded as Vestrymen.
Naomi Cattermole is buried in the Fort Madison City Cemetery.
In Memoriam Charles Cattermole Died Sept 27th 1877
Charles Cattermole was born in December 1875. He was only 21 months old when he died. He was the son of Arthur Charles Cattermole and his wife the former Caroline (Carrie) Wilson. They were married in St. Louis, Missouri, on November 11, 1869. Arthur was the youngest child of James and Naomi Cattermole, born on July 3, 1829. Arthur and Caroline also had a son named Robert Wilson Cattermole, born circa 1873, who lived into adulthood. The Brass Eagle Lectern, still in use, was given by Caroline in memory of her husband, Charles, in 1893.
Both Charles and Caroline Cattermole are buried in the Fort Madison City Cemetery.
In Memoriam Knud Iverson Espy Died Dec, 29th 1884
Knud Iverson Espy is memorialized in the same window as his father, Capt. Stephen B. Espy. Capt. Espy will be written about separately in a future LOGO.
Knud was the only son born to Stephen Espy and his wife Rebecca née Cutler on September 11, 1853 in Lee County, Iowa. His older sister was Toma Espy Morrison. Knud graduated from the University of Notre Dame preparatory school, class of 1870, where he took a commercial course. He received several awards for his bookkeeping skills. In 1871 he began work as a bookkeeper for Morrison Brother’s Plow Works in Fort Madison, where he worked for ten years. He also worked as a bookkeeper for a prominent Chicago firm [name unknown] for a year and a half and then for R. W. McConn who was in the lumber business in Leon, Iowa, beginning in 1882.
On January 19, 1876 he married Ada Zimmerman. She patiently cared for him throughout their nine years of marriage. They had no children. When she remarried she gave her only son the middle name of “Espy”.
Knud suffered from mental illness throughout his life, which worsened over the years despite trying various cures. Ultimately he was confined to the mental hospital in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, where he subsequently died at age thirty-one years. Knud Iverson Espy is buried in the Fort Madison City Cemetery.
Researched by The Rev. Lyle Brown, 01/26/2019. The information is primarily from a bio on the internet site Find a Grave and from the Annals of the University of Notre Dame.
In Memoriam Capt. Stephen B. Espy Died Sept. 20th 1863
Captain Stephen B, Espy is memorialized in the same window as is his son, Knud Iverson Espy.
Stephen Barlow Espy was born June 8, 1827, in Espyville, Crawford, County, Pennsylvania. He was the ninth of ten children born to Patterson Espy and Mercy née Freeman. Mercy was a Quaker from Newark, New Jersey. George Espy, Patterson’s father and Stephen’s grandfather settled the hamlet of Espyville in 1789, after serving in the Revolutionary War. He was one of the “barefoot boys” of Valley Forge. Patterson Espy was a lawyer of good education; he had initially studied to be a Presbyterian minister. Prior ancestors of Scotch-Irish origin had settled in this area of western Pennsylvania.
Stephen came to live in Fort Madison in September 1846 when he was 18 or 19 years old. In Fort Madison he engaged in the mercantile business with his uncle and brother. In September of 1848 he married Rebecca Cutler, the daughter of Judge Cutler, one of Iowa’s pioneers. Several members of the Cutler family settled in Washington Township north of Fort Madison. In the Iowa census of 1856 Stephen is listed as living in Fort Madison with his occupation being a merchant. But in the 1860 Federal census he is living in Washington Township and is said to be a farmer. However, in the spring of 1861 he temporarily opened a general store in Shelbyville, Illinois. Shelbyville is south of Decatur, Illinois.
He used his business as a recruiting office for the Union Army and this soon led to the formation of field Company G of which he was elected Captain at the age of 35. Company G became part of the 115th Illinois Infantry Regiment. He was mustered in on August 8, 1862 at Camp Butler. Captain Espy’s ability in the management of his company soon identified him as a suitable officer for staff duty and he was detailed as brigade commissary of subsistence, in which capacity he was serving at the time of the battle of Chickamauga which took place September-18-20, 1863. On September 20, 1863, Stephen Barlow Espy was killed in battle. His body was not recovered and it is probable that he is buried with 1500 unknown soldiers from the Battle of Chickamauga who were re-interred at the National Cemetery in Chattanooga, Major George Hicks In a letter to the New York Tribune soon after the battle said the following of Captain Espy:
“Captain S.B. Espy, of General Whitaker’s staff, was a very lion that day. He was advised to remain with his [supply] trains, but too noble spirited for that, he forthwith went on the field, and, fearless of danger, did wonders in cheering and rallying the men under the destructive fire of the enemy. He was one of Illinois’ noble sons, and his loss is severely felt.”
In the three days of the Battle of Chickamauga four thousand men fell dead—that is 55 men killed every 60 minutes for 72 hours, about a man a minute. Also, twenty-five thousand men were wounded, thousands so severely they were unable to crawl away from the fighting to seek shelter or help. “The reality of the Battle of Chickamauga is far more horrifying than any ghost story,” says the National Military Park’s historian, Jim Ogden.
Stephen Espy was the father of five children: Toma, the wife of Col. George Morrison of Fort Madison, who died in 1930; Pussie who died in 1855, age 4; Knud who died in 1884; Florence Mercy who died in 1924; and Georgiana who died in 1938.
The DAR Chapter in Fort Madison is named after Jean Taylor Espy, Stephen’s grandmother, who was active in aiding the American soldiers in the Revolution.
The Robert Barr Family
The four persons memorialized in the southwest window of the nave all have a relationship to Robert and Nancy Braden Barr who moved to Lee County, Iowa from Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania sometime between 1849 and 1851. The Barr’s were farmers who lived in Pleasant Ridge Township with a post office address of West Point. Robert and Nancy Barr are buried in the Fort Madison City Cemetery,
In Memoriam
Thomas A. James –Died Oct 9th 1860
Thomas A. James date of birth is unknown, but the fact his widow the former Elizabeth Barr, born in Pennsylvania on 11 February 1836 received a Mexican –American War pension means he was born in 1828 or later if he entered the war in 1846. The war lasted two years, 1846-48. He was a private in the Artillery Co A, Clark’s Battalion, Missouri Volunteers. Thomas and Elizabeth took out a marriage license in Lee County on 10 September 1858 and were married at St Luke’s (Hope Episcopal then) on September 21st,. One daughter, Martha, aka “Mattie” was born to this marriage. Elizabeth’s pension began in 1887; she died in 1897 and is buried in Fort Madison City Cemetery. Elizabeth and her brother William were the first confirmations at St Luke’s.
William W. Barr—Died Sept 14th 1863
William W. Barr was born in Westmoreland County, a county in southwestern Pennsylvania in ca 1833. He came to Iowa when he was about 17 years old; in the 1860 Federal Census he is listed as living with his parents on a farm in Pleasant Ridge Township, Lee County. He was confirmed on May 2, 1858 at Hope Episcopal Church. He enlisted on 16 August 1861, in the Union Army in the Civil War and served as a Private in C1, Iowa Calvary. William died in the Civil War of disease and is buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, St. Louis, Missouri. He was 30 years old when he died.
B. Franklin Barr—Died Sept 30th 1863
Benjamin Franklin Barr was born on 8 June 1837, in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. He came to Iowa with his parents, brothers and sisters in about 1851. On 31 December 1860, age 23, he married Rosella (Rozilla) Johnson. In the Civil War he served as a Private in the 1st Iowa Calvary. He was a casualty of the war and died in Webster General Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee. He is buried in the Memphis National Cemetery (formerly the Mississippi River National Cemetery). In 1880 Rosella and her daughter Ola, age 17, are living with her father. On 28 November 1863, Rosella filed for a Civil War Pension.
Martha J. Barr—Died March 15th 1885
Martha Jane Barr was born in Pennsylvania on 15 June 1839 to Robert and Nancy Braden Barr their fourth child... She died on March 15, 1885 at age 46, probably in Lee County, Iowa; however, the only early record I could find about her was in the 1850 Federal Census which states she is 11 years old and is living with her parents on their farm in Pleasant Ridge Township. She apparently never married as her last name is Barr in the memorial window. As of this writing, no other information about her was found.
Researched by The Rev Lyle L Brown , March 25, 2019.
In Memoriam The Rev. William Adderly Died August 9th, 1873
The Rev. William Adderly's memorial window is the west one above the altar (the inscription in the window was covered by the woodwork during one of the remodels). He was born in Ireland according to most sources, but at what age he came to America is unknown. He appears to have been born sometime between 1812-1816; sources vary as he gave ages to census takers that are not consistent given the number of years between the censuses. His gravestone says he was born in 1814. He is buried in St. Paul’s Episcopal Cemetery, Industry, Beaver County, Pennsylvania.
In the 1840 US Census, the Rev. Adderly, was living in Allegheny, Allegheny Co., PA. In the US Census of 1850 he was living Fallston, Beaver County, PA, aged 40, born in Ireland with his wife Mary, 33 years old, born in New York. However, in the Iowa State Censuses of 1852 and1854 he is found living in Burlington, Des Moines Co,, Iowa and the household in 1856 consisted of 1 white male and 1 white female each aged 40-49 [but Mary was 33 in 1850, thus she should have been only about 37 in 1854-[unresolved discrepancy], plus two free white persons 20-49. An Iowa Census of 1856 said the he had lived in Iowa for five years, thus, it seems reasonable to conclude that he probably arrived in Iowa in 1851. The US Census of 1860 listed the Rev. Adderly as an Episcopal clergyman living in Fort Madison, Lee Co., Iowa, and that he owned real estate valued at $1500 and had a personal estate of $300. It said he was married within the year, but the only other person living in the household is Agness Adderly, aged 16, his niece and housekeeper. Who he married is unknown.
In a 1934 history of St. Luke’s, the Rev. James H. Drew-Brittian stated that the Rev. Adderly was the part-time priest Hope Episcopal Church in 1854 coming down from Burlington. Perhaps he continued as part-time in 1855-56, but that is is unclear. This record does state that the Rev Adderly became the full-time rector during the years 1857-63, thus he must have been the priest in residence when the current church building was consecrated in September1857. The church cost $4000 to build with only $60 of it unpaid.
The Rev. Adderly apparently went back to Pennsylvania after he left Hope Church in 1863 as he is listed living in Ohio Township, Beaver Co., PA in the 1870 US Census. In the house aged 26 is Parthenios Leake Adderly, aged 26 keeping house, and two sons, James S. aged 2, and John C. aged 9 months. These two sons are mentioned in his will as minors at the time of his death in 1873. Parthenios Adderly died in 1878, aged 32-33 years. Apparently the Rev. Adderly had a second marriage later in life, probably about 1866 or 1867. In the 1880 US Census the two boys, aged 12 and 10 years, are living with their maternal grandparents, James & Sarah Leake, in Georgetown, Beaver Co., PA.
The Rev. William Adderly's memorial window is the west one above the altar (the inscription in the window was covered by the woodwork during one of the remodels). He was born in Ireland according to most sources, but at what age he came to America is unknown. He appears to have been born sometime between 1812-1816; sources vary as he gave ages to census takers that are not consistent given the number of years between the censuses. His gravestone says he was born in 1814. He is buried in St. Paul’s Episcopal Cemetery, Industry, Beaver County, Pennsylvania.
In the 1840 US Census, the Rev. Adderly, was living in Allegheny, Allegheny Co., PA. In the US Census of 1850 he was living Fallston, Beaver County, PA, aged 40, born in Ireland with his wife Mary, 33 years old, born in New York. However, in the Iowa State Censuses of 1852 and1854 he is found living in Burlington, Des Moines Co,, Iowa and the household in 1856 consisted of 1 white male and 1 white female each aged 40-49 [but Mary was 33 in 1850, thus she should have been only about 37 in 1854-[unresolved discrepancy], plus two free white persons 20-49. An Iowa Census of 1856 said the he had lived in Iowa for five years, thus, it seems reasonable to conclude that he probably arrived in Iowa in 1851. The US Census of 1860 listed the Rev. Adderly as an Episcopal clergyman living in Fort Madison, Lee Co., Iowa, and that he owned real estate valued at $1500 and had a personal estate of $300. It said he was married within the year, but the only other person living in the household is Agness Adderly, aged 16, his niece and housekeeper. Who he married is unknown.
In a 1934 history of St. Luke’s, the Rev. James H. Drew-Brittian stated that the Rev. Adderly was the part-time priest Hope Episcopal Church in 1854 coming down from Burlington. Perhaps he continued as part-time in 1855-56, but that is is unclear. This record does state that the Rev Adderly became the full-time rector during the years 1857-63, thus he must have been the priest in residence when the current church building was consecrated in September1857. The church cost $4000 to build with only $60 of it unpaid.
The Rev. Adderly apparently went back to Pennsylvania after he left Hope Church in 1863 as he is listed living in Ohio Township, Beaver Co., PA in the 1870 US Census. In the house aged 26 is Parthenios Leake Adderly, aged 26 keeping house, and two sons, James S. aged 2, and John C. aged 9 months. These two sons are mentioned in his will as minors at the time of his death in 1873. Parthenios Adderly died in 1878, aged 32-33 years. Apparently the Rev. Adderly had a second marriage later in life, probably about 1866 or 1867. In the 1880 US Census the two boys, aged 12 and 10 years, are living with their maternal grandparents, James & Sarah Leake, in Georgetown, Beaver Co., PA.
In Memoriam The Rev. R.F.G. (Robert Francis Graham) Page Died Sept. 14th, 1877
The Rev. Robert Francis Graham (R.F.G.) Page’s memorial window is the east one above the altar (the inscription in the window was covered by the woodwork during one of the remodels). He was born in Jamaica, West Indies on June 4 1822 and was baptized at St. Thomas in the Vale in 1822. He came to the United States in 1856. He is found in the 1856 Census of Iowa living in Center Twp., Henry County age 34 years. On the page in the census where he is listed there are a several persons who list their prior residence as Jamaica (interesting?).
A history of the church written in 1934, states that the first baptism recorded at Hope Episcopal was done by the Rev. Page in 1856 when he baptized Lizzy Maria daughter of Morton and Louis Case, her two brothers Edward Morton and Robinson McLellan; and Edward and Elizabeth Johnstone. Whatever record this was taken from can no longer be found.
In the U.S. 1860 Census, R.F.G. Page is 37 years old and working as a clerk in a bank. He owns real estate worth $1000 and personal property worth $200. Other persons living in the household are: Isabella Page, age 27, music teacher with real estate valued at $1000 and personal property at $400 (maybe this is the piano forte on which she was taxed $4.00 in Lee County?); Chris Stephenson, age 18 from Sweden, a domestic; and B.R. Kifford, age 40, pastor of an Episcopal Church with $500 of personal property, born in Massachusetts. Whether Isabella is his wife or his sister is not determinable. Records indicated his wife’s name was Lila Maria Anne Edwards Caswell, born in Jamaica in 1842, died in 1937.
In 1862 the Rev. Page is listed in the Catalog of Griswald College as a faculty member in the Theological Department an institution founded by Bishop Henry Lee, in Davenport, Iowa (it was mentioned in Knud Espy’s write-up). It further states he was living in Mt. Pleasant. He apparently attended seminary in Jamaica, which is very possible, since Jamaica was a British Colony, and the Anglican Church would have been a dominant institution on the island.
The Rev. Page served Hope Episcopal Church (St. Luke’s) from 1864-66. However, I found it interesting that his son, Robert Edward Page, was christened in Fort Madison, Lee County in 1867, as he was born on March 16, 1867. There is another child mentioned named Betsy Page, but no dates were given concerning her. The parents name’s in the records were R.F. Page and M.A. Page (this name goes with the long one in the second paragraph above).
From Iowa he migrated to Wisconsin as he is recorded as attending the Annual Episcopal Conference of Wisconsin on June 16, 1869 as the Rector of St. John’s in Sparta, Wisconsin. On May 1, 1870 he again attended the Annual Wisconsin Conference. In the U.S. Census of 1870, the Rev. Page, age 48, is living in Sparta, Monroe, Wisconsin and his occupation is clergyman. His wife Maria is 28 years old and there are two children: Robert 3 years old born in Iowa and Marion, 1 month old, born in May in Wisconsin. In 1874 he transferred to the Diocese of Illinois--I could not determine where. Presumably, he died in Illinois, but I couldn’t find a record of that--the window says he died in 1877 on September 14th, another record gave a date of September 19th.
Well folks that’s all I know about the Rev. Page—wonder who thought so well of him as to memorialize him in the altar window? Probably we’ll never know.
In Memoriam The Rt. Rev. Henry W. Lee, DD Died September 26, 1874
The Bishop Lee memorial window is the large Good Shepherd window above the altar.
Henry Washington Lee (July 29, 1815 – September 26, 1874) served as the first Bishop of Iowa from 1854–1874. He also served as Provisional Bishop of Nebraska from 1857–1859 and Provisional Bishop of Kansas, 1860–1864.
Lee was born in Hamden, Connecticut, but the family soon moved to Springfield, Massachusetts, where he grew up and was educated. His father was Roswell Lee, who was a colonel and the superintendent of the Springfield Armory. He was ordained a deacon at Grace Church in New Bedford, Massachusetts and a priest in the Episcopal Church by Alexander Viets Griswold in October, 1839. That same year he married Lydia Mason Morton of Tauton, Massachusetts. They raised two sons and a daughter. He spent four years as rector of Christ Church in Springfield, and eleven years as rector of St. Luke's Church in Rochester, New York. He received a Doctor of Divinity (DD) degree from Hobart College in 1850, and the University of Rochester in 1852. He received an honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD)from the University of Cambridge, England in 1867.
Lee was elected the first bishop of the Diocese of Iowa on June 1, 1854, and he was consecrated by John Henry Hopkins, Bishop of Vermont; Samuel A. McCoskry, Bishop of Michigan; and William H. DeLancey, Bishop of Western New York, on October 18, 1854 in St. Luke's Church, Rochester. The bishops of Massachusetts , Maine, and Illinois were also in attendance. Lee was the 61st Episcopal bishop consecrated in the United States, and represented the Evangelical wing of the church.
Before Lee arrived in Iowa he visited several large and wealthy churches on the east coast and solicited necessary funds for his new diocese. He then made a visitation of the principal churches of his diocese and then took up residence in Davenport. There were at the time 200 Episcopalians in the state. He invested money he had obtained from donors in the eastern United States by purchasing six thousand acres of land. With the sale of this land over time he was able to build an episcopal residence and start Griswold College in Davenport. The diocese was also able to realize an endowment of $53,000.
Lee’s hard work in Iowa was recognized by the national church. He played an active role on the Board of Missions. Lee was also selected to serve as Provisional Bishop of Nebraska from 1857–1859 and he served as Provisional Bishop of Kansas from 1860 to 1864.
Lee was bishop during the American Civil War (1861–1865) and he refused to make a public statement or even discuss the matter in private. He also urged those who attended the diocesan convention to do likewise. Lee did, however, preach to the Union soldiers at Camp McClellan and Camp Hendershoot at Davenport, as well as the Confederate prisoners of war at Rock Island. Through an interpreter he also preached to members of the Dakota Tribe who were held prisoner in Davenport following the New Ulm Uprising in Minnesota.
In 1867, Lee made a trip to Europe to attend the first Lambeth Conference. While he was there he preached in some of the largest churches in England, Ireland and France.
That same year he laid the cornerstone for Grace Cathedral, later renamed Trinity Cathedral, in Davenport. He lived long enough to see the church completed in 1873, but without its steeple. It was one of the first cathedrals built by the Episcopal Church in the United States.
Bishop Lee’s visits to Fort Madison as written in a history of St. Luke’s by the Rev. James H. Dew-Brittain, rector of St. Luke’s in 1934 were:
The source for this write-up is Wikipedia which relied on the book, The Beautiful Heritage, A History of the Diocese of Iowa, 1853-2003, by Loren N. Horton.
The Bishop Lee memorial window is the large Good Shepherd window above the altar.
Henry Washington Lee (July 29, 1815 – September 26, 1874) served as the first Bishop of Iowa from 1854–1874. He also served as Provisional Bishop of Nebraska from 1857–1859 and Provisional Bishop of Kansas, 1860–1864.
Lee was born in Hamden, Connecticut, but the family soon moved to Springfield, Massachusetts, where he grew up and was educated. His father was Roswell Lee, who was a colonel and the superintendent of the Springfield Armory. He was ordained a deacon at Grace Church in New Bedford, Massachusetts and a priest in the Episcopal Church by Alexander Viets Griswold in October, 1839. That same year he married Lydia Mason Morton of Tauton, Massachusetts. They raised two sons and a daughter. He spent four years as rector of Christ Church in Springfield, and eleven years as rector of St. Luke's Church in Rochester, New York. He received a Doctor of Divinity (DD) degree from Hobart College in 1850, and the University of Rochester in 1852. He received an honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD)from the University of Cambridge, England in 1867.
Lee was elected the first bishop of the Diocese of Iowa on June 1, 1854, and he was consecrated by John Henry Hopkins, Bishop of Vermont; Samuel A. McCoskry, Bishop of Michigan; and William H. DeLancey, Bishop of Western New York, on October 18, 1854 in St. Luke's Church, Rochester. The bishops of Massachusetts , Maine, and Illinois were also in attendance. Lee was the 61st Episcopal bishop consecrated in the United States, and represented the Evangelical wing of the church.
Before Lee arrived in Iowa he visited several large and wealthy churches on the east coast and solicited necessary funds for his new diocese. He then made a visitation of the principal churches of his diocese and then took up residence in Davenport. There were at the time 200 Episcopalians in the state. He invested money he had obtained from donors in the eastern United States by purchasing six thousand acres of land. With the sale of this land over time he was able to build an episcopal residence and start Griswold College in Davenport. The diocese was also able to realize an endowment of $53,000.
Lee’s hard work in Iowa was recognized by the national church. He played an active role on the Board of Missions. Lee was also selected to serve as Provisional Bishop of Nebraska from 1857–1859 and he served as Provisional Bishop of Kansas from 1860 to 1864.
Lee was bishop during the American Civil War (1861–1865) and he refused to make a public statement or even discuss the matter in private. He also urged those who attended the diocesan convention to do likewise. Lee did, however, preach to the Union soldiers at Camp McClellan and Camp Hendershoot at Davenport, as well as the Confederate prisoners of war at Rock Island. Through an interpreter he also preached to members of the Dakota Tribe who were held prisoner in Davenport following the New Ulm Uprising in Minnesota.
In 1867, Lee made a trip to Europe to attend the first Lambeth Conference. While he was there he preached in some of the largest churches in England, Ireland and France.
That same year he laid the cornerstone for Grace Cathedral, later renamed Trinity Cathedral, in Davenport. He lived long enough to see the church completed in 1873, but without its steeple. It was one of the first cathedrals built by the Episcopal Church in the United States.
Bishop Lee’s visits to Fort Madison as written in a history of St. Luke’s by the Rev. James H. Dew-Brittain, rector of St. Luke’s in 1934 were:
- May 31, 1857. Bishop Lee preached at the Court House twice and in the evening at the Penitentiary. On the Fourth Sunday of Easter Bishop Lee preached twice, catechized the Sunday School and confirmed three persons.
- 1859. Bishop Lee preached and confirmed twelve persons. He congregation is reported as to “never be more flourishing.”
- 1861. Bishop Lee made his annual visit and preached at the Penitentiary to 120 person.
- Bishop Lee appears to have visited the parish regularly. There are no Parochial Reports filed with convention during the early 1860’s.
The source for this write-up is Wikipedia which relied on the book, The Beautiful Heritage, A History of the Diocese of Iowa, 1853-2003, by Loren N. Horton.