First United Methodist Church, Mays Landing, NJ has a rich historical heritage spanning the last two centuries. In 1860, the Methodist Church in Mays Landing was known as "Bethel Methodist Church".
Below is a portion of the stay of Reverend Albert Matthews in Mays Landing. We are most fortunate to have had preserved his interesting tales about life in the wilderness called Mays Landing Circuit.
Rev. Albert Matthews
Methodist Minister of Mays Landing Circuit
March 12, 1860 - March 27,1861
From: The Autobiography of Rev . A. Matthews
The Cape May County
Magazine of History and Genealogy
June 1972
Chapter I
"For sometime past, I have felt constrained to put on record a few facts in relation to my life, my labors, and my religious experience. At the same time I have felt reluctant to make any record of my labor's or of my experience; least it might have the seeming of egotism. If our lives have been usefully spent, we shall live in the memory of good men, although our names are never recorded on the page of History. It is not therefore from any vain desire to perpetuate my memory, or to secure a place in history; that I record Some of the Leading events of my life. I do this rather to gratify my family & personal friends, to whom I have no doubt such a record, will prove highly acceptable.
The old Bible preserved as a kind of heir loom in my Fathers family records the event of my Birth as having occurred on the 5th day of January in the year of Our Lord 1825. My parents resided at this time I believe in the Village of Dyers Creek in Cape May County in the State of New Jersey. My Father whose name is William, is a farmer. By this laborious employment, he has supported a large family with some degree of comfort and respectability...................................
Skipping to Chapter VI
Closing my labors on Willow Grove and leaving the friends regretting the rule of the Church would not permit of my return the third year, I Set out March 12,1860, for Salem, the Seat of our annual Conference. At the close of a harmonious Session my name was announced in connexion with May's Landing Circuit. Within the bounds of this charge were Six preaching places; of which May's Landing the County Seat of Atlantic County, was the central point. At this point the pastor with his family resided in a hired house, the church being to poor to own a parsonage. I found a very pleasant home among this people. I soon became Strongly attached to them and labored among them in great harmony. All the Churches, except the one at the Landing were extremly old and delapidated. The people generally were in very moderate circumstances. There did not seem a chance to do a great work for the Master here. Still something might be done, and these Sheep in the wilderness ought not to be left without a Shepherd. My visits to those appointments lying around the place of my home were generally gratefully received. When I look back upon these earlier scenes in my ministry I am often forcibly reminded that I was living in a day of Small things.
Every Sabbath afternoon I had an appointment either at Weymouth Iron Work's, or at Estleville. In the evening I returned to the Landing to hold a prayer meeting. I have often wondered how it was, that these good friends did not require me to preach in the evening. I have Since So often been required to preach three times on the Sabbath, and have found so many person's who could not seem at all to appreciate the fact that to much may be required of a Minister; that the conduct of my May's Landing friends in failing to exact this Service for me really appears onaccountably Strange. For the good Judgment and Christian kindness which they displayed in this matter, I shall never fail to feel grateful. Through he week I had more or less preaching to do on this charge. At Catawba, A Small Church had been erected many years before, when the notorious Joseph West, was looked upon as a man of wealth and consequently of importance also.
This man, although once a professor of religion and a Methodist, was convicted of perjury and served a term in the State Prison. While living on May's Landing Circuit I was introduced to Mr. West, who was then a Lawyer by profession. The shame of his crime and imprisonment had not seemed to humble his proud Spirit; nor led him to repent and do his first work's over again. I then entertained grave fears that a worse fate than confinement within the gloomy walls of a prison, awaited this gifted but fallen man. In the church at Catawba I usually preached in the evening once in two weeks. The pulpit was an old fashioned Box pulpit. One of its most striking features was its elevation. It was reached by ascending a flight of Stair's, as though one were ascending the second story of a dwelling. I never entered this pulpit to preach. It really seemed that those who designed it, desired to place the preacher as near heaven as possible when he preached.
There were a few poor families living in the vicinity of this little Church. These would assemble on the evening of our Stated meeting, and Standing within the enclosure of the Altar rail, I tried to preach to them Jesus and the resurrection. I had also two other quite obscure preaching places. One of these was called Joslinville, and the other Carmantown. In the neighborhood of these appointments the wild Beast made their Lair and Sportsmen gathered for the excitement of the chase. Deer were often shot and the flavor of venison often issued from the cabin's of the settlers. Bear's were also occasionally encountered, and when Bruin put in an appearance in the neighborhood, the excitement of the well trained hunter's was almost unbounded. At Joslinville we worship in a School House. The hour of preaching was eleven Oclock A.M. on a week day once in two week's. The congregation numbered from fifteen to twenty person's. These were charcoal Burners and their families. They were most attentive hearers of the word and appreciated and loved their pastor. On the following day after preaching at Joslinville, I preached at Carmantown to a congregation usually less than twenty person's. In this place our house of worship was a miserable Log cabin. All the dwelling houses except one in the neighborhood were also made of Log's.
A sad calamity befel one of the families of this place in the winter of 1859. My predecessor on the circuit, Rev. S. H. Johnson (Samuel H. Johnson), was engaged in holding a protracted meeting in the Log church of Carmantown. The people became more and more deeply interested as the meeting progressed. A Brother Archibald Campbell, occupied with his family a Log Cabin situated about one mile from the place where the meeting was held. His family consisted of himself and Wife and three children. His oldest Son a Lad of about twelve years of age bore his Father's name. One evening the parents left the children in charge of the cabin while they attended meeting. The children becoming Sleepy fastened the door and retired to Bed. After falling asleep, they were awaken by a sense of Suffocation, to find the room full of smoke and the cabin on fire. They arose and attempted to unbolt the door, and escape from the flames. In their fright however, they were unable to move back the Iron bolt that held the door of the cabin, and made them prisoners. How to escape they knew not, and already the flames had caught tho the little clothing which in their haste and fright they had put on. At this critical moment, Archibald with the energy that is born of dispair knocked a hole through the window sash and gained the out side of the burning cabin. Instead of assisting the remaining children to escape as he had done, he ran to a neighbor's house for help. The little ones within loudly crying O, Archy save us! Open the door or we shall be burned up. When he returned to the cabin with help, the voice of the children was hushed and their Spirits had ascended to heaven in a charriot of fire. The cabin was consumed and all it contained. The neighbor who had been summond to the scene of the disaster, now fled to acquaint Mr. Campbell of the sad fate of tow of his children. Archy followed, running with all speed, although he was badly burned, Just as he came in sight of the humble place, where his parents and their neighbors were praying praising God, ignorant of the terrible calamity that had occurred in their midst, he fell exhausted in the road. The neighbor leaving him where he fell pressed on and reached the meeting house and broke the fearful tidings to the almost distracted parents, and their sympathising neighbor's. All now hasted to visit the smoldering ruin's of the burnt Cabin. As they came along where Archy had fallen and where he was still lying, they took him up and carried him to one of their houses and attended to his case. He was however, so seriously burned together with his fright and exhaustion, that he lived but a few hours. I often passed the place where these children were burned. My heart always felt sad as I looked upon the charred and blackened remains of the burnt Cabin. I knew Mr. Campbell well and sometimes conversed with him in relation to this afflictive circumstance. From his own lips I received the main facts, given in the above account."
