Chronicles of Oklahoma
Volume 17, No. 3
September, 1939
TRINITY EPISCOPAL CHURCH, TULSA
By
John Bartlett Meserve
Page 265
A history of Trinity Episcopal Church in Tulsa invites a brief resume of the interesting historic background of the Church
in what is today the Diocese of Oklahoma. From 1838 to 1893, the Church in the old Indian Territory was committed to the ecclesiastical
jurisdiction, first of the Missionary Bishop of the Southwest, and later of the Bishop of Arkansas. The General Convention
of the Church which convened at Philadelphia on August 19, 1835, created the Missionary District of the Southwest, which embraced
the States of Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and the Republic of Texas. The Indian Territory, embracing what is
today the State of Oklahoma, save the panhandle, and which had been created by a recent Act of Congress, was also included
within this district.
The Rev. Leonidas Polk,1 the young rector of St. Peter's Church at Columbia, Tennessee, was consecrated the first Missionary Bishop of the newly created
district, on December 9, 1838, at Cincinnati, and served as such until October 16, 1841, when he became the initial Bishop
of the Diocese of Louisiana. Bishop Polk becomes a major figure in the early history of the Church in Oklahoma. The new Bishop
made his first and only venture into the Indian Territory in the latter part of January, 1841, while en route to Texas. On
the oc-
1The Rt. Rev. Leonidas Polk, a son of William and Sarah (Hawkins) Polk, was born at Raleigh, North Carolina, on April 10, 1806.
He attended the University of North Carolina in 1821-23 but entered the Military Academy at West Point in 1823 graduating
in June, 1827. Six months later, he resigned his military commission and entered the Virginia Theological Seminary at Alexandria.
He was ordained deacon on April 9, 1830 and in the ensuing month, married Frances Devereaux. He was priested in May, 1831
and served as assistant pastor of Monumental Episcopal Church at Richmond, Virginia. He subsequently removed to Tennessee
where he served as an assistant to Bishop Otey and as rector first, of St. John's Church at Ashwood and later of St Peter's
Church at Columbia. An outstanding service was his contribution to the establishing of the University of the South (Episcopalian)
at Sewanee, Tennessee, the corner stone of which he laid on October 9, 1860. Came the springtime of '61, Bishop Polk enlisted
with the Confederacy and, because of his training at West Point, was appointed a major-general on June 25, 1861 being promoted
to lieutenant-general on October 10, 1862. He was killed by a cannon ball in the skirmish at Pine Mountain, Georgia, on June
14, 1864, closing a military service most faithfully rendered. He rests beneath the chancel window in the rear of St. Paul's
Church at Augusta, Georgia. For a more extended sketch of Bishop Polk, see the December 1938 issue of the "Historical Magazine
of the Protestant Episcopal Church", which issue is commemorative of the centennial anniversary of his consecration to the
Episcopate of the church.
Page 266
casion of this visitation, he visited Chief John Ross of the Cherokees at his home at Park Hill, subsequently holding services
at Ft. Gibson where he established a "Preaching Station." In pursuing his course toward the Red River, services were held
at Doaksville in the Choctaw country, where the intrepid Bishop contacted the Rev. Messrs. Kingsbury and Byington, prominent
Protestant Missionaries of other denominations who were maintaining schools among the Indians. He was entertained at the home
of Peter P. Pitchlynn who was later to become a chieftain of the Choctaw Nation.
The Indian Territory was, at that time, a sequestered region and truly an Indian country. The Federal Government was concluding
its removal of some 60,000 of its red proteges from the Southeastern States to the old Territory. There were few whites in
this country at that time and, only in rare instances, was their presence tolerated. There were no missionaries of the Episcopal
Church among the Indians of the Territory during those inceptive days, the spiritual concerns of these simple folk being influenced
by missionaries of the Baptist, Presbyterian, and Methodist denominations. Among the Seneca Indians in what is today, Ottawa
County, Oklahoma, it is known that lay-reading services of the Church had been maintained some years before.2
Upon the retirement of Bishop Polk, in the fall of 1841, the Rt. Rev. James Hervey Otey,3 Bishop of Tennessee, was assigned to the Southwest Missionary District. In touring the district, Bishop Otey reached Ft.
Towson in the Choctaw country on March 23, 1844, where he conducted services. Bishop Otey was relieved of this assignment
when the Rev. George Washington Freeman,4 on October
2The Rt. Rev. Jackson Kemper, a son of Daniel Kemper was born at Pleasant Valley, Duchess County, New York, on December 24,
1789. He attended the Episcopal Academy at Chesire, Connecticut and in 1805 entered Columbia College in New York, graduating
in 1809. He was ordained a deacon in St. Peter's Church, Philadelphia, Pa., on March 11, 1811 and priested on January 23,
1814 at Christ Church, in that city. While serving as rector of St. Paul's Church at Norwalk, Conn. on September 25, 1835,
he was consecrated the first Missionary Bishop of the Episcopal Church in America. His diocese embraced Indiana and Missouri.
Bishop Kemper visited the Seneca Indians in what is today, Ottawa County, Oklahoma, in November, 1836 where he reports that
lay-reading services of the church had been maintained among these Indians. His ambitious program to establish an Indian diocese
with its own Missionary Bishop to inaugurate work in the Indian Territory, came to naught. He was probably the first Episcopal
Bishop to enter the old Indian Territory. Bishop Kemper passed away on May 24, 1870.
3The Rt. Rev. James Hervey Otey, was born at Liberty, Virginia on January 27, 1800, was consecrated Bishop of Tennessee in
Christ Church, Philadaiephia, Pa., on January 14, 1834, being the first Bishop of that Diocese. He was the first Chancellor
of the University of the South, married Elizabeth D. Pennell on October 12, 1821 and died on April 23, 1863. He rests in the
ancient cemetery at St. John's Church, Ashwood, Tennessee.
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26, 1844, was consecrated Bishop of Arkansas "and the Indian Territory south of the 36½ parallel of latitude and to exercise
Episcopal supervision over the Missions in the Republic of Texas." Bishop Freeman visited Ft. Gibson where he conducted services
at the post. The Rev. Daniel MeManuss, an Episcopal clergyman served continuously as chaplain of the military post at Ft.
Gibson from September 3, 1845 to June 1, 1857 and conducted regular Sunday services. The Bishop passed away on April 29, 1858,
and was succeeded by the Rev. Henry Champlain Lay who was consecrated Bishop of Arkansas,5 the Indian Territory and the Territories of New Mexico and Arizona, on October 23, 1859. Bishop Lay served until 1869 when
he was transferred to the new diocese of Easton, Maryland. He visited the Indian Territory in June, 1860. The Rev. Henry Niles
Pierce succeeded Bishop Lay and was consecrated Bishop of Arkansas and the Indian Territory on January 25, 1870.6 Shortly thereafter, he established the first Episcopal church in the old Territory, at Oak Lodge, a short distance west of
Ft. Smith. Facts as to the exact date of the founding of this church are still fugitive. Bishop Pierce passed away at Little
Rock on September 5, 1899.
The Church in Arkansas had become an independent diocese on August 26, 1871, but it was not until 1892 that the Missionary
District of the Indian Territory and the Territory of Oklahoma was created by the General Convention. The Rev. Francis Key
Brooke was consecrated the first Missionary Bishop of the new district at Grace Cathedral Church,7 at Topeka, Kansas, on January 6, 1893,
7The Rt. Rev. Francis Key Brooke, a son of the Rev. John Thomas and Louisa R. (Hunter) Brooke, was born at Gambier, Ohio, on
November 2, 1852. He graduated from Kenyon College at Gambier in 1874 and was ordained deacon in Christ Church, at Cincinnati,
Ohio, on November 21, 1875. He was priested at Christ Church, Springfield, Ohio, on May 5, 1877 and served thereafter as rector
in the following churches;—Grace Church, College Hill, Ohio, in 1875-77, Christ Church, Portsmouth, Ohio, in 1877-80, St.
James Church, Piqua, Ohio in 1880-84, Grace Church at Sandusky, Ohio, in 1884-86, St. Peter's Church at St. Louis, Mo., in
1886-88 and Trinity Church at Atchison, Kansas, in 1888-93. He received his M. A. degree at Kenyon in 1831 and his D. D. degree
from the University of the South in 1911. He was a trustee of Kenyon College. Bishop Brooke was consecrated Missionary Bishop
of the Missionary District of the Indian Territory and the Territory of Oklahoma, at Grace Cathedral Church at Topeka, on
January 6, 1893 and remained in that position until October, 1910, when the district was divided and thereafter, as Bishop
of the Missionary District of Oklahoma until his death on October 22, 1918. He married Mildred Ruth Baldwin, at Bolivar, Tennessee,
on January 5, 1881. She passed away at Chicago, on August 23, 1928. Bishop Brooke is buried at Gambier, Ohio. For a more extended
sketch, see "Right Rev. Francis Key Brooke" by Rev. H. J. Llwyd, Chronicles of Oklahoma, XII, 52 et seq.
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and the first sustained effort to promote the Church in what had hitherto been strictly an Indian country, was undertaken.
The white population in the Territories now far exceeded the Indian citizenship and the days of frontier life had lapsed.
Tulsa is situated in what was then the extreme Northern part of the Creek Nation in the old Indian Territory portion of the
new Missionary District. By direction of Bishop Brooke, the initial Episcopal service was held in Tulsa, in November, 1903,
being conducted by the Rev. Everett E. Williams,8 a missionary residing at Vinita. This service was held at the home of Mr. Dan Hunt, which stood at the corner of 3rd Street
and Boston Avenue. The towering 25-story National Bank of Tulsa Building today adorns the site. Trinity Mission was established
by Bishop Brooke and the Rev. Mr. Williams remained in charge until June, 1904, when he removed to Shawnee. In February, 1904,
Bishop Brooke celebrated the first communion service of the new mission, in the home of W. B. Frederick at the corner of 3rd
Street and Cincinnati Avenue, and later in the spring held communion services in the old Christian Church which stood at the
corner of 2nd Street and Boulder Avenue. During those formative days of the Church in Tulsa and before the completion of the
first church edifice, services were held at various places but principally in the Masonic Hall on First Street between Main
Street and Boston Avenue. In the latter part of June, 1904, the Rev. Richard D. Baldwin,9 who
8The Rev. Everett E. Williams, a son of Augustus A. and Adell (Beesler) Williams, was born at Portsmouth, Ohio on September.
12, 1875. He was ordained deacon on Whitsunday in 1902 and priested on March 8, 1905. He married Bettie Griffith Clark at
Shawnee, Oklahoma on May 24, 1905. After her death in 1936, he married Alice Belle Redcliffe on July 9, 1938. He has retired
from the ministry and now (1939) resides at 903 3rd street, Hudson, Wisconsin.
9The Rev. Richard D. Baldwin was born at Springfield, Ohio on November 10, 1866. He graduated from the University of Cincinnati
on May 28, 1890 with the degree of L. L. B., was admitted to the bar and practiced law at Springfield for seven or eight years.
Influenced by Bishop Brooke, he abandoned his career at the law and entered Berkeley Divinity School at Middletown, Conn.,
from which he graduated on June 7, 1904. He was ordained deacon on June 26, 1904 at Guthrie and priested at Shawnee in the
spring of 1905. Immediately after his graduation he came to the Indian Territory and was placed in charge of the church missions
at Vinita, Tulsa and Sapulpa. On each Sunday, he held morning services at Vinita, afternoon services at Sapulpa and evening
service at Tulsa. The Rev. Mr. Baldwin was influential in the construction of church buildings at Tulsa, Sapulpa, Chelsea,
Durant and Lawton. He married Frances Botefuhr at Fayetteville, Arkansas on December 28, 1904. He passed away on December
3, 1934 at Fayetteville, Arkansas where his widow resides (1939) at 4 East Lafayette street.
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had recently arrived from Ohio, was placed in charge of the newly organized Trinity Mission, as deacon and later as priest-in-charge.
The first Woman's Guild was formed in 1905 with Mrs. Dan Hunt as its first presiding officer. The site upon which the present
church building now stands was acquired on March 11, 1905 for a consideration of $800 and the construction of the first church
building was commenced. The church building was completed in the fall of 1906 at a cost of $3500 and was dedicated by Bishop
Brooke, assisted by the Rev. Mr. Baldwin.
It is of interest to know that the first marriage service of the Church in Tulsa was performed by Mr. Baldwin on August 31,
1905, the contracting parties being Winford Bourland and Edithe Throop. On September 6, 1904, the first baptism was administered
by Mr. Baldwin, being that of Nellie Belle and Ruth Voris Short. The Rev. Mr. Baldwin retired from his charge on July 1, 1906
and was succeeded by the Rev. James E. McGarvey, who became the deacon-in-charge until October 31, 1908. On December 2, 1906,
the first confirmation class was presented by the Rev. Mr. McGarvey and confirmed by Bishop Brooke. The members of the class
were, Beatrice Alexander Poindexter, Martha Belle Frederick, Lillian Bowman Butler, Sarah Elizabeth Hunt, Emma Little Neves
Hammat, and Guy Winfred Johnson. Mr. McGarvey also conducted the first funeral services of the church in Tulsa, being that
of Patrick Gill, on November 13, 1906. Mr. McGarvey passed away some years ago.
Trinity Mission became a self-supporting parish early in 1909 and the Rev. Gilbert A. Ottmann became its first rector on February
1, 1909. The first parish meeting was held in February, 1909,10 at which Mr. Ottmann presided and the following were elected the first vestrymen of Trinity Parish: J. A. Steele, B. T. Hainer,
F. A. Levoy, Dan Hunt, W. H. Roeser, C. W. Deming and Lewis Emery. W. Lyle Dickey became the first senior warden of Trinity
Parish.
10The Rev. Gilbert Almon Ottmann was born at Fulton, New York on December 7, 1856. He received his early education at the Colgate
Academy and took a partial course at Hobart College After several years in business he began his preparation for the ministry.
The years 1882-3 he spent at Anadarko, Oklahoma in Indian school work. He returned to New York and entered St. Andrews Divinity
School at Syracuse and was ordained deacon on February 26, 1885 and priested on October 2, 1885. He served as rector at Fayetteville,
N. Y. in 1886-8; Pasadena, California in 1888-9; Sacramento, Calif., in 1891-96; St. Louis, Mo., in 1896-1901; Atlanta, Ga.,
in 1901-3; Savannah, Ga., in 1903-7; Newport, Ark., in 1908 and Tulsa, Okla., in 1909-12 from whence he went to Palm Beach,
Fla., and later to Trinity Church at Trinidad, Colo., of which church he was rector at the time of his death. While in California
he served as chaplain of the state senate and later in the Spanish-American War served as chaplain of the 2nd Missouri Volunteer
Infantry. He married Minnie E. James on August 26, 1880 who passed away on October 24, 1893. On January 38, 1903, he married
Florence Hardy who survives him and resides (1939) at 2127 California Street, Washington, D. C. Mr. Ottmann passed away at
Denver, Colorado on March 17, 1922 and is buried at Trinidad, Colorado.
Page 270
In October, 1910, the Missionary District was divided, by action of the General Convention, the two districts embracing substantially
the areas which hitherto had defined the Indian Territory and the Territory of Oklahoma. The old Indian Territory section
being styled the Missionary District of Eastern Oklahoma, and the Territory of Oklahoma portion being the Missionary District
of Oklahoma. On January 26, 1911, the Rev. Theodore Payne Thurston was consecrated Bishop of the Eastern District and established
his residence at Muskogee.11 Bishop Brooke remained in charge of the Western District.
The Rev. Mr. Ottmann retired as rector of Trinity Church on December 15, 1912 and the Rev. James J. H. Reedy who had come
to the parish in 1911,12 served as locum tenens until the selection of the Rev. Chauncey Y. Fling of Waterford,13 New York as rector
11Rt. Rev. Theodore Payne Thurston, a son of Benjamin Eaton and Mary Ann (Siddall) Thurston was born at Delevan, Illinois on
June 30, 1867. He graduated from the public schools at Philadelphia in June, 1883 and from Shattuck School at Faribault, Minn.,
in 1887. He received his B. A. degree at Trinity College at Hartford, Conn., in 1891 and his D. D. degree from that institution
in 1911. He attended the Episcopal Theological School at Cambridge, Mass. from which he graduated in 1894 and later he received
his D. D. degree from the University of the South. He was ordained deacon in 1894 and was priested in 1895. He served as rector
of St. Paul's Church at Onatonna, Minn., in 1894-7, at Winona, Minn, in 1897-1903 and of St. Paul's Church at Minneapolis,
Minn., in 1908-11 and on January 26, 1911 was consecrated Missionary Bishop of the Missionary District of Eastern District
of Oklahoma. Upon the death of Bishop Brooke, he became Bishop of the church in the entire State of Oklahoma and served as
such until his resignation on October 15, 1926. His resignation was occasioned by ill health. Bishop Thurston married Jane
Mitchell at Franklyn, Pa., on September 21, 1904. She passed away on May 14, 1905 and on June 8, 1920, he married Daisy Carroll
Speer. He now (1939) resides at 2808 State Street, San Diego, California.
12The Rev. James Jay Hamilton Reedy, a son of Rev. William Michael Reedy, a Presbyterian minister, was born at Curwensville,
Pa., on May 3, 1852. His parents removed to Freeport, Ill., in 1854 where he lived until 1868 when he removed to Council Bluffs,
Iowa, subsequently removing, to Nebraska in 1876. He was educated at the Jefferson Normal School, at Jefferson, Iowa, taught
school and later attended the Theological Seminary at Topeka, Kansas. He lived at Denver, Colo., from 1900 to 1906, when he
came to Newkirk, Oklahoma. In 1907, he became identified with the Whirlwind School near Watonga, Okla., where he taught among
the Cheyenne Indians. He was ordained deacon at Trinity Church, Council Bluffs, Iowa in 1889 and was priested by Bishop Brooke
at St. Paul's Church, at Oklahoma City on January 25, 1908. From 1909 to 1911, he served the churches at Vinita, Chelsea,
Claremore and Afton. He came to Tulsa on July 2, 1911 and served thereafter as curate of Trinity Church until May 1, 1935
upon which date he was made curate emeritus. He is a much beloved character.
13The Rev. Chauncey Vorhis Kling, a son of William Virgil and Amelia (Osterhout) Kling was born at Cobleskill, New York on August
10, 1873. He graduated from Hartwick College in 1896 and from Hartwick Theological Seminary in 1899 with the degree of B.
D. and served in the ministry of the Lutheran church in 1899-1905. He was ordained deacon in the Episcopal Church On May 10,
1906 at St. John's Church at Ogdensburg, New York and was priested on May 9, 1907 at St. Paul's Church at Waddington, N. Y.
of which church he served as rector in 1907-8. He served thereafter as rector of Grace Church at Waterford, N. Y. in 1908-13
and on April 6, 1913 became rector of Trinity Church, at Tulsa, serving until April 4, 1920. He returned to New York where
he served as rector of St James Church at Ft. Edward, N. Y. from June 1, 1920 until June 1, 1922. At present (1939) he is
rector of Trinity Church at Troy, N. Y. where he has been in service since 1922. He married Rosa Lee Turk on August 8, 1896
who passed away on March 19, 1933. He married Ann McManus of Troy on September 17, 1934. He received his D. D. degree at Trinity
College, Hartford, Conn., on June 19, 1939. The Rev. Mr. Kling resides (1939) at 585, 4th avenue, Troy, New York.
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in 1913. The service of the Rev. Mr. Kling began on April 6, 1913, and was concluded on April 4, 1920. A Woman's Auxiliary
Branch was formed in 1912 with Mrs. John Carson as its initial president, and the Altar Guild was created the same year with
Mrs. Fred Cabel as president. On October 22, 1918, the beloved Bishop Francis Key Brooke passed away and the two missionary
districts in Oklahoma again were united and Bishop Thurston became Bishop of the Church in the entire State.
The congregation of Trinity Parish had now exceeded the accommodations of the church building, and plans were already under
contemplation for the construction of a new and more commodious house of worship. As early as February 21, 1919, the matter
of new church construction was submitted to the annual parish meeting and highly approved. The Rev. Mr. Kling was succeeded
by the Rev. Rolfe P. Crum who held his first service in Trinity Church on June 22, 1920,14 being installed by Bishop Thurston on November 18, 1920. To him was committed the task of building the new church. The old
church building was dismantled and ground broken for the construction of the new church building upon the site of the original
church edifice, on December 11, 1921. The growth of the congregation and the building of the new structure, made necessary
the holding of services elsewhere, and on December 12, 1920, the regular church services were held in the Majestic Theatre
and continued there until June 4, 1922, when the first service was con-
14The Rev. Rolfe Pomeroy Crum, a son of Xenephon Xerxes and Anna Marcia (Phelps) Crum, was born at Cleveland, Ohio, on January
5, 1889. He attended school at Bolton Grammar School at Cleveland in 1895-1902, East High School, Cleveland, 1902-06, Western
Reserve University, Cleveland, 1906-11 where he received his A. B. degree, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass., 1911-14 and
received his M. A. degree, Episcopal Theological School, Cambridge, Mass., 1911-14 and received his B. D. degree. He received
his D. D. degree at Western Reserve University at Cleveland in 1930. He pursued studies at Cambridge, England in 1931-2. He
was ordained deacon at St. Paul's Cathedral, Boston, in June 1914 and priested at Trinity Church, Boston in May 1915. He served
as chaplain with the American Red Cross in France from July 1918 to January, 1919. He served as curate of Trinity Church,
Buffalo, New York in 1914-16 and as rector of St. Mark's Church at Syracuse, N. Y. in 1916-20 and of Trinity Church, Tulsa,
Oklahoma, from June 1, 1920 to December 31, 1925. He served thereafter as rector of St. Mark's Church, San Antonio, Texas
in 1926-31 and of St. Andrews Church, Philadelphia, Pa. 1932-36. He was chaplain of a cruise around the world in 1936 and
in 1938-9 president of Neff College, in Philadelphia.
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ducted by Bishop Thurston in the crypt of the new church building then under construction. The Rev. Mr. Crum concluded his
services in the parish on December 31, 1925, and on May 9, 1926, the new church edifice was formally dedicated with services
conducted by the Rt. Rev. James Ridout Winchester, Bishop of Arkansas, assisted by the Rev. Mr. Crum who was then rector of
St. Mark's Church at San Antonio, Texas. The new church building, at the corner of Fifth Street and Cincinnati Avenue and
in immediate proximity to the downtown district of Tulsa, is a fine example of English Gothic architecture with inspiring
stained glass windows and most beautiful wood carvings.
Bishop Thurston severed his connection with the Missionary District of Oklahoma, by his resignation on October 15, 1926. The
Rt. Rev. E. Cecil Seaman, Missionary Bishop of North Texas, functioned as Bishop of the Missionary District of Oklahoma until
October 2, 1927, when the Rev. Thomas Casady was consecrated Bishop of the District.15 The Rev. A. Edward Saunders became rector of Trinity Church on November 1, 1926,16 concluding his service by resignation on October 31, 1929, to be succeeded, on Jan-
15The Rt. Rev. Thomas Casady, a son of Simon and Sarah Conarree, (Griffiths) Casady was born at Des Moines, Iowa on June 6,
1881. He received his B. A. degree at the University of Iowa in 1902 and was a student at the General Theological Seminary
in New York City, in 1903-06. He was ordained deacon at Des Moines, on June 24, 1906, priested at Oelwein, Iowa on February
15, 1907 and served as rector of the following churches;—Oelwein, Iowa in 1907; at St. Mark's Church at Des Moines, from January
1, 1908 to November 1, 1912; Church of the Ascension, at Pueblo, Colorado from November 1, 1912 to May 1, 1920 and of All
Saints Church at Omaha, Nebraska, from May 1, 1920 to October 2, 1927. He was consecrated Missionary Bishop of the Missionary
District of Oklahoma, at Omaha, Neb., on October 2, 1927. He received his S. T. D. degree from the General Theological Seminary
on October 27, 1927 and his D. D. degree from the University of the South, in June 1928. The Missionary District became the
Diocese of Oklahoma on January 17, 1838 and Bishop Casady became the first Bishop of the Diocese of Oklahoma. He married Frances
Le Baron Kasson on June 27, 1906. The much beloved Bishop resides (1939) at 603 East 18th Street, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
16The Rev. Albert Edward Saunders, a son of Rev. Albert E. Saunders, a Methodist clergyman and Minnie A. Shaw, his wife, was
born at Downer's Grove, Illinois, on October 25, 1892. He was educated at private schools, Wheaton College, the Northwestern
University and at Garrett Biblical Institute at Evanston, 111. In September, 1923 he was ordained deacon in the Episcopal
Church. He was priested in March, 1924 and served as rector of St. James Church at Hibbing, Minnesota in 1923-26; of Trinity
Church at Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1926-29; of St. Martin's Church at Providence, R. I., in 1929-33 and of Christ Church on Clinton
Street at Brooklyn, N. Y. since 1933. He married Irene Lamberson on September 16, 1915. Rev. Mr. Saunders received his D.
D. degree from the University of Tulsa in 1929. He resides (1939) at 326 Clinton Street, Brooklyn, N. Y.
Page 273
nary 1, 1930, by the Rev. Edward H. Eckel, Jr.,17 who is the present (1939) rector. The Rev. John A. Gardner served as assistant rector from 1927 to 1928.18 The Rev. James J. H. Reedy served as curate of the church from 1911 to May 1, 1935, at which time he was made curate emeritus.
Other curates of the parish have been the Rev. Messrs. Quentin Ferguson, from January 1, 1933 to September 24, 1934, Judson
S. Leeman, from June 1, 1935, to September 1, 1936, Paul R. Abbott from September 1, 1936 to June 1, 1937, and Robert Harold
Stetler who came to the parish on September 1, 1937, and is still (1939) in service. The Order of St. Martin was formed in
the church in April, 1928, and the Laymen's League in January, 1938 with Judge Louis W. Pratt as its first president. Not
least among the organizations of Trinity Church is the Social Service League, formed by Mrs. John Carson on November 19, 1920.
A church publication, the Trinity Tidings, was published first in October, 1930, and has been issued weekly since, save during the months of July and August in each
year. Mrs. Marie M. Hine, the present organist and choir directress, has served since May 2, 1920.
Trinity parish has shared the rapid growth of Tulsa and its church membership today embraces some 1375 communicants.
In 1938, Oklahoma churchmen gave pause in thought of the unafraid Christian mentor whose service as the first Bishop of the
old Indian Territory had its inception a century before. Most appropriate and commemorative it was, that on January 17, 1938,
the last fragment of the extensive Missionary District over which the Rt. Rev. Leonidas Polk had presided, became the Diocese
of
17The Rev. Edward Henry Eckel Jr., a son of the Rev. Edward Henry and Anna Todd (Reynolds) Eckel, was born at Newport, Delaware
on April 23, 1890. He attended the public schools, graduating from the High School at St. Joseph, Missouri in 1907. He entered
the University of Missouri in the following year, but became a Rhodes scholar from Missouri shortly thereafter. He went to
England and entered Wadham College in 1910 at Oxford and received his B. A. degree with honors in theology, in 1913. Upon
his return to the United States, he entered the senior class at the General Theological Seminary at New York City and graduated
in 1914. He was ordained deacon on June 7, 1914 at Christ Church in St. Joseph, Mo. and placed in charge of Christ Church
at Warrensburg, Mo. He was ordained to the priesthood on December 20, 1914. The Bachelor of Divinity degree was conferred
upon him by the General Theological Seminary in 1915. Rev. Mr. Eckel Jr. became curate of the Church of St. John the Evangelist
at St. Paul, Minnesota, in November, 1916. In February, 1918, he became rector of St. Paul's-on-the-Hill, at St. Paul, Minn.
and a year later assumed additional charge of the Church of the Epiphany. He married Emily Hewson Pope at St. Paul on April
30, 1927 and on January 1, 1930 became rector of Trinity Church at Tulsa which position, he today (1939) most capably honors.
Page 274
Oklahoma. The Rt. Rev. Thomas Casady became the first Bishop of the new Diocese.19
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