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BELMONT IN 1865
Before I take up a short history of The Church of the Good Shepherd in Belmont, it would be well to have a picture in mind, of the place where the Church was to be built.
In 1865 Belmont could hardly be called a town. It was a midway station on the stage road between San Francisco and San Jose. There were a few houses that clustered around the four points of the intersection of the Old County Road and the Spanishtown Road (now call Ralston Avenue). Near this intersection there was a hotel, a livery stable, a general store, a blacksmith shop, two or three saloons, and three or more private houses. Two of these houses belonged to the Janke family. Mr. Janke and his two sons owned and operated a public picnic ground or amusement park, located where Twin Pines and Alexander Sanitarium now stands.
In Belmont there were two big houses, one owned by Count Cipriani which, in the sixties, was sold to William Ralston for a summer home. This was a wooden mansion of ninety-nine rooms. Very near the Ralston home was the house of Mr. S. M. Mezes who originally owned, from a Spanish grant, nearly all the valley land and hilltops in Belmont. There was a school house built in the early sixties, and in 1863 the Southern Pacific trains began to run through the settlement so there was a railroad station.
All the rest of the inhabitants in the sixties were made up of farmers who shipped their hay in sailing schooners from the Belmont Wharf to San Francisco, or carried their farm products by wagon to the city.
Some of these farms were the Schmoll farm, the Newhall farm, the Phelps farm, the Hull farm and brickyard, the Robert Mills farm, the McLellan farm, the Boulinger farm, the Barre farm, the Pullan farm, the Yount farm, the Callahan farm, and the Harrington farm. Most of these farms or ranches took in the tops of the hills where the new homes are at present. The Yount farm would be now in the bottom of Crystal Springs Lake. This farm property was sold to the Spring Valley Water Company when, in the late eighties, a central system was established to furnish water to San Francisco and the peninsula towns.
A CHURCH WAS BORN
Dan drove his horses along the long, dusty, and monotonous road. As he passed San Mateo he felt that he was nearing home, and he was tired. At four o’clock that morning he had packed and started his long, tiresome day. The spring wagon had carried three boxes of butter. The butter was pressed into rolls, and there were sixty rolls in a box. The year was 1865. Besides the butter he had with him his milk, dressed hogs, sheep, and other produce. It all made up the high-piled wagonload. Now, the spring wagon was empty, but its owner’s purse was well filled. Dan made two trips a week, and he always did well selling to the hotels of San Francisco. He had worked hard for fourteen years. It was his own farm, and he was happy.
A few more jolts, a few more swallows of dust, and he would be home. Mixed with the air of the late afternoon he breathed the rich fragrance of his sur- rounding barley field. Quail gave their jaunty “coo-cook’-coos”. Doves flew about in the oak trees. What rich, lush beauty, and in the home stretch he began to think aloud just what Carry meant when on Sunday morning he had picked up his buoyant little daughter, Julie, and, with her two long braids flying with a whirl, they had waltzed together around the kitchen. Then it was that his wife had exclaimed, “Dan, Dan, it’s Sunday. One day is just like another in this God-forsaken place. The child should be learning her catechism-dancing, indeed!”
Now, as he drew near his gate, he reviewed over in his mind his wife’s speech. “No soul in a place like this? Why, the farm had made him rich and prosperous. I’ve got it. We’ve a school house, so why not build a Church? I’ll call the farmers together and we’ll have a meeting. I shall give the first fifty dollars and we will have our own Church.”
One afternoon the tiny spark was lighted and it took fire. By the middle of the sixties, as a result of the loving contributions of money and labor, a Church was built in Belmont. The cross at the top of the tall steeple welcomed all from the north and the south. Yes, there was a bell and it called the people to prayer, to baptisms, and to weddings. The first Church was located on the Old County Road. It was just south from Ralston Avenue. The Church was named The Church of the Good Shepherd. At first it was a mission attached to St. Peter’s Church in Redwood City. In a few years the Bishop gave the Church to the San Mateo parish, and Belmont was fortunate to have the Rev. Alfred Brewer as one of its first ministers. Many a happily remembered Christmas drama was enacted in the Church.
During the early part of the nineties or the late eighties, the theological seminary was founded in San Mateo and students from the seminary were sent to con- duct the services in the little Church. Under these students there was always a crowded congregation.
A student minister became a leader in the community. He was an educated and a devout young man. He led Church fairs and was a welcome visitor at all home parties and picnics. When invited to dinner at any of the houses, he would give a helping hand at drying the dishes, and, in this way, he made himself liked by the young people of the house. These young student ministers received good practice in Belmont. After a year or so when they had completed their training, they would be graduated and would be sent to some Church elsewhere. They left their mark on both Belmont and the world.
Dr. D. Charles Gardiner who, for about fifty years was Dean of the Chapel at Stanford University, told the following story which occurred during his practice years in Belmont. After holding evening service in the little Church there would be no convenient train to return home to San Mateo. Because of this the minister was forced to walk the four miles home in the dark which, under ordinary circumstances he did not mind. On one particular Sunday night, to walk home was utterly impossible. It was too stormy and wet. He decided to sleep in the Church. He chose for a bed a wooden bench in the vestry room. He soon found that it was much colder than he had thought so he wrapped himself in some white coverings which were kept to protect the sacred vessels of the Church. Swathed in white from head to foot, he stretched himself out on the bench and was soon fast asleep. At one o’clock he was suddenly awakened. The rain pelted, and the wind came in gusts. The door was wrenched open with the force of the wind. As the student minister slowly rose from the bench to see what was the matter, an illuminating flash of lightning lighted up the opening. In the doorway stood a hobo. For an instant the minister thought of the poor hobo in the rain, then he heard fast retreating steps. Before the following thunderclap was over, the minister was out in the Churchyard to invite the poor man into the dry vestry room of the Church. It would be less cheerless with the Good Shepherd watching two of his sheep. Although he looked all around the Churchyard the hobo had fled- no doubt, with renewed faith.
In the year 1894, the pastor of The Church of the Good Shepherd was Mr deWolf Cowie. He presented to the Bishop one of the largest and, I believe, the first Confirmation class in Belmont. I have in my possession a card signed by William Ford Nichols, D.D., Bishop of California. In that year, May 6, 1894, a class of fourteen were confirmed in the Church and were ready to make their first Communion. At the ceremony the Church was filled, and the crowd standing extended to the gates of the Churchyard. In the days when there were no automobiles and very few other diversions, the Church, besides its spiritual influence, had also its social side.
For some years at Easter we had some grand times decorating the Church. Miss Bates, a professional and noted Church and wedding decorator of the time, came down each year from San Francisco. Under her supervision, we had some startling floral effects that made a pleasant decorative sight for Easter. Miss Bates afterwards married Will McLellan, a brother of Miss Belle McLellan who for many years was principal and teacher of the Belmont Public School. Both Mr. McLellan and his sister belonged to a big and active Episcopal family that lived on the property now owned by the Bay Meadows race track.
In 1910 there was a vestibule entrances added to the Church. Mr. Thomas Pennington, in loving memory of his mother, gave the pretty yellow green glass windows that are still in the present Church. Mr. Pennington lived in Belmont and was a part- owner of an iron foundry in San Francisco. The beautiful window above the altar was designed and executed by Tom Hammerson. He was a glazier and the son of Alfred Hammerson, a pioneer of the seventies in Belmont. Mrs. Hammerson, his mother, was an indefatigable worker in the early days of the Church. The window above the altar has always been an inspiration. As we sit in the little church, it gives one a feeling of peace. Our Lord seems to embrace us as he does the little lamb in the window.
The Southern Pacific Railroad had a single track through Belmont. When the Church of the Good Shepherd was built in 1865 the train’s southern terminal was at a place where Palo Alto now stands. The trains were not frequent at that time. Only one train a day passed up and down the peninsula. In about 1895 the Southern Pacific laid a double track so that freight and passenger trains could easily pass. The back of the Church property was adjacent to the Southern Pacific tracks. As time went on, trains became more and more frequent. This was disastrous, for just as the minister was at the most interesting part of his sermon, along would come a. long, rumbling, heavy freight train. Sometimes, added to this, a special Sunday train would come puffing along just as the freight train chose to clear. As this was only ten feet from the back of the Church, the sermon naturally stopped. It was impossible to be heard over the noise of the train and it would be at least five minutes before the minister could proceed with his sermon.
This continued disturbance created a new thought. The Church should be moved to a new location.
There was a clause in the Church deed that read something like this: If ever the Church was moved, the piece of property it occupied would revert back to the generous donor, Mr. Schmoll. Since the Church was built, the price of land in Belmont had become much higher. It would take money to buy land, and money at that time was very hard to acquire. The population was perhaps around five hundred people. It was still the only Church in the town, but three fourths of the population were now Roman Catholics who went to Church in one of the neighboring towns. What could we do? For some years we just stood it.
Next came the first World War. Preceding and following World War I there seemed to have been a general lack of religious fervor all over the western part of the country. Automobiles were becoming popular, and people were beginning to worship the cult of the open air. For a few years our Church was closed.
In 1922, Ruby Hastings (now Virs. Lobingier) obtained permission from the Bishop to open the Church, and a Sunday School was established. For two years or so Mrs. Hastings and Dorothy Rich (now Mrs. O’Weill) taught Sunday School. The Rev. Maloney came from Redwood City and, at times, held services in the little Church. At this time the Rev. William Brewer frequently led the services. In 1925 Mrs. Hastings moved to San Francisco and for a few years the Church was closed again.
Toward the end of the twenties, Mr. Overton, who was a chemist living in San Carlos came to the rescue. Mr. Overton, a lay reader, was not an ordained minister but he was a wonderful and an enthusiastic worker. He obtained permission from the Bishop to reopen the Church again. A good Church spirit was aroused, and a new organ was bought to replace the old one which had become toneless. For some years, Mrs. Joy, a Church member, gave her services as organist. A guild was formed, and the Church was soon in running order again.
The Church attendance was variable. Generally, there was a filled Church. But at times, Mrs. Overton and her five children would make up half of the congregation. A vested choir appeared for the first time in these years of the Church. Carol singing on Christmas Eve began. I remember attending a Christmas party at the new firehouse where the Christmas carols made a happy addition. On Christmas Eve of another year, carollers traveled by car and visited many houses–one was the club house of the new Belle Monti Properties Club which is now the Congregational Church of Belmont.
During the beginning of the thirties, to the sorrow of many of his friends, Overton passed away. He was, comparatively, a young man, and died of a quick case of pneumonia.
Time marched on. The Church was still troubled by the noise and frequency of the trains. The new highway, El Camino Real, which had come to pass in 1915, added to the clamor. The noise was now beginning to become intolerable.
In 1935, the Rev. Schuyler Pratt was given the ministry of the little Church. The Rev. Pratt immediately saw the urgency of the situation. He understood the necessity of a new site for the Church, and he at once suggested a remedy and acted upon it. He was a good organizer, and things were soon under way. Mrs. Vannier was appointed to visit the heirs of the Schmoll estate. She was to discuss the removal of the Church and to see what could be done about the property. Mrs. Schaberg, the daughter of Mr. Schmoll, gave permission to sell the land. The price obtained from the sale she would donate toward the new lot and the removal of the Church. She also gave two thousand, five hundred dollars, in the name of her brother, to be invested in the rebuilding and improvement of the Church.
Mrs. Albert Lane, who was then president of the Ladies’ Guild, was commissioned to find a suitable location for the new building. The present piece of land near the creek and facing on Fifth Avenue was the final choice.
Now, comes the material that I gained from Mr. David Horn. The Church was moved across the tracks and it took its little journey to its present location well. It began services under the broad name of the Community Church of the Good Shepherd. As had always been the case, any religion was welcome. The parish house was ready to be built. Episcopalians, Catholics, Baptists, and Congregationalists all pitched in and were ready to work on the building.
Mr. Boyse, a Baptist, was appointed as chairman of the building committee. This caused disagreement. One of the members felt this was terrible. How could a Baptist be chairman of an Episcopal committee? The objector felt so strongly about it that he took a trip to San Francisco and laid the case before Bishop Parsons.
“How can a Baptist take the lead in the work done on an Episcopal Church? What can be done?” he asked.
Said the Bishop, “Have you ever had a parish house before?”
“No. “
“You are going to get a parish house, aren’t you? Well, what difference does it make if a Baptist is building it or any other denomination? You’ll get the parish house all the same.”
So, Mr. Boyse stayed on the building committee. Now came a heterogeneous crowd of willing workers. Most of them had never done a day’s work of this kind before. Mr. Fred Patterson was the head carpenter, and Fred Johnson, Sr., helped him. Albert Lane did the fireplace and chimney, and Charles Hodgson took over the work of the stairs. John Smith, the LeGarde brothers, and Frank O’Brien, all Roman Catholics, came over from the firehouse and put down the underflooring. Jack Kramer and Jules Combatelade worked on the top flooring. Louis Barrett, Sr., who was U.S.. Forest Service Supervisor of Lands and Recreation in California, and Mr. Joy, a government civil engineer, were the “clean-up boys”. As the work proceeded in the morning everything had been tidied-up and cleaned-up by the “clean-up gang” at night.
But discouragements came as they do with everything• At times Reverend Schyuler Pratt would come along and smooth things out. He’d pour oil upon the waters and bring back enthusiasm.
Then a different trouble came. Pa Johnson (Fred Johnson, Sr.) had lost his pipe. Everyone had something to say. No one had seen it. Work stopped. Then one man came forward. “A pipe? I saw a pipe when we were laying the foundation.”
Mir. Johnson stopped for a minute. His pleasant face cleared into a kindly smile while his deep baritone voice slowly drawled, “Well, I guess I can get another pipe.”
Following the Rev. Mr. Pratt in the Church of the Good Shepherd we had the Rev. Mr. Castledine, and after that the Rev. Ralph Smith.
Now we come to Noble Owens. During his first year here, Mr. Owens was a seminarian from the divinity school. He was originally from Virginia. He was a busy worker and everyone liked him. During his second year with us he was both ordained and married. This made a need for a Church rectory. The front sitting room, on the left side of the Church, had already been built when the Church was moved. In 1935 Mrs. Schaberg died, and in her will she had left a memoriam gift of five thousand dollars to the Church. Three thousand, nine-hundred and fifty-five dollars was spent to add two bedrooms, a dinette, and a kitchen to the front sitting room. When the building was finished, Mrs. Annette Alexander furnished the new home. She let Mr. and Mrs. Owens have the joy of choosing the furniture while she paid the bills. All things being ready, the newly-weds moved in.
When Mr. Owens was pastor of the Church a race question came up. Some of the charming and well liked families of Belmont seemed to forget that they were living in the free founded state of California, and they called a city mass meeting. They wanted to have a clause included in every deed prohibiting a sale of land to anyone of the colored race. At this meeting a petition was drawn up and passed, but the Church took a firm stand against it, protested, and it was dropped.
The Young People’s Association was founded in the Rev. Owen’s time. It promoted chaperoned dances, and pleasant recreation for the young people of the Church. There was a large Sunday School and through these years Mrs. L. A. Barret was its superintendent.
The small candlesticks which are now kept in the children’s chapel were given to the Church by Captain Joseph Murphy as a thank offering to the Church for his safe delivery from the sea. In World War II, Capt. Murphy with the officers and a crew of thirty men, went through a harrowing experience. All through the first half of the war the ships carrying freight to the war-torn countries were unarmed. Capt. Murphy’s ship was torpedoed and shot from under him. Thirty men were crowded in one small open boat on the Pacific. After ten days at sea they were rescued off the coast of one of the Hawaiian Islands. The large candlesticks are over two hundred years old and were given to the Church in memory of the Captain by E. P. Richards of Vancouver, B.C.
The next minister, Rev. Thomas Schott, was from Canada. He came to Belmont when the population was expanding from approximately 1000 to our first 5000 inhabitants. Veteran’s homes were being built on the old Belle Monti property, and they began to spread over the hills. These young people came to Church, but because of their debts, if they felt that they could not contribute to a monthly support of the Church, Reverend Scott did not insist.
The Rev. Mr. Scott never forgot the old and the sick. This congregation who had to stay home, looked forward to his visits and his cheering and hearty laughter. The Sacrament was taken to anyone who asked for it, Many times it happened at the expense of his own convenience.
The Sunday School had a good representation. Mr. Lew Masters was the superintendent of the Sunday School through these years, and at the same time he was one of the vestrymen of the Church.
The Rev. Mr. Scott ministered for about three years until he was called to a Church in the East Bay area.
Into the little parish on August 15, 1945, came the Rev. John E. Daley. The town and the parish began to grow, simultaneously, and the Church and Church activities came to life. As this history is written, the rector who is called Father Daley by his congregation, has been with us for twelve years. Because of his interest in the sick and infirm, Father Daley provides regular ministry to the patients in the local sanitariums and in the various hospitals in the area along with his parochial ministry.
Each year regular delegates are sent to the Diocesen Convention in San Francisco. Once a year a large confirmation class is presented to the Bishop. Good speakers from time to time came to the Episcopal Churchwomen’s meetings or other activities of the Church.
Father Daley is a big man with a vigorous personality, and he is gifted with a wonderful voice which is an asset to any choir. Everyone loves the Daleys. Father and Mrs. Daley have four children, two boys and two girls.
Belmont’s population has now, in 1960, jumped to seventeen thousand. Since Father Daley came here, four new churches have been added to the town. The congregation of the Church of the Good Shepherd has grown proportionately.
On November 21, 1960, The Church of the Good Shepherd became an Incorporated Parish.
MUSIC IN THE CHURCH
Throughout the generations music has always been an inspiring influence in the Church. The really great music – the music of the Masses and the oratories of Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and Brahms were all composed for the Church.
People came to Church to praise God with songs. Many are not blessed with good voices, but they love to sing when their voices are led or mingled with a good choir. It is here where the organist comes in. The organist can make or mar a choir.
An organist is a minor dignitary of the Church, humble and patient and at all times ready to give. The organist must give time to choir practice once or twice a week, must be faithful in attendance every Sunday, and is generally seated in the most uninteresting seat in the Church.
I am going to tell you a little about every organist that we have had since the beginning of the Church services in the Church of the Good Shepherd.
Hannah Schmoll
Hannah Schmoll was our first organist. Imagine, if you can, a young and popular girl. The year is 1865–just sixteen years after gold was discovered in California. What a thrill it must have been to her as she sat down at the organ and played at the first service in a new Church built in a town of less than five hundred people. Outside the Church there were hitching posts where saddle horses and horses with buggies were tied.
Hannah lived in a farmhouse located about where Sunnyslope Avenue crosses Broadway. Her father was a landowner of some extent, and he farmed the land where Brookhaven district of Belmont now stands. His property extended from the foothills to the Old County Road and west to Emmet Street.
Hannah Schmoll played the organ for quite a few years until she became Mrs. Schaberg and moved to Redwood City. Mr. Schaberg was for years one of our county officials at the San Mateo County Court House.
Mrs. Van Court
Irs. Van Court was the Church’s second organist. She was a great Church worker. When money was needed for furnishings or other urgent calls, Mrs. Van Court would solicit from William Ralston, S. M. Mezes, or anyone she could waylay at the station as they took the train into San Francisco. On special occasions her son, Jinny Van Court, would play his violin at Church.
Mr. Van Court was a photographer, and he and his wife and family lived in a gable-roofed house in a pretty ravine at the foothills of the Day View district of Belmont. After the Van Courts moved to Redwood City, this house burned down.
Ella Reed
Ella Reed was the next organist in the Church. She lived at a farm on the Old County Road in what is now San Carlos. Belmont then extended on the south to Finger’s Crossing near Redwood City and there was no San Carlos at that time.
Lena Waltermire
Lena, or Mrs. Alfred Waltermire, was the fourth organist in the Church. Mrs. Waltermire’s mother-in-law, with whom she lived, owned the Belmont Hotel which was situated on the northeast corner of Ralston Avenue and the Old County Road. This was the little southern lady who was widely known for her hospitality in the days before the railroad came. The stages stopped for lunch each day at the Belmont Hotel on their way from San Francisco to San Jose.
Mrs. Lindsay
Mrs. Willian Lindsay, the mother of six children was a shining personality. She, with her family, came to Belmont to be near her sister, Mrs. Caesar Splivalo, who had built here. It may interest some to know that the land on which the Splivalo home was built is now being subdivided into apartment lots, and it was for many years the home of the Californian Sanitorium. Whatever Mrs. Lindsay attempted whether music or otherwise, she was a perfectionist. She was our organist for a number of years.
One of the Church’s most successful fairs was managed in her time. The fair was opened with a grand march. Mrs. Lindsay led the march as Mother Goose.
Lillian Hammerson
Lillie Hammerson was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Hammerson. They settled in Belmont in 1875 and lived across the road from the Church. As I have mentioned before, Mrs. Hammerson was an indefatigable Church worker. Lillian faithfully played the organ until past the turn of the century. She was married to Charles Lambert at a pretty wedding in the Church. She played the organ for some years after her marriage until they moved to Redwood City where Mr. Lambert was one of the foremost real estate agents of the county.
Hazel Hammerson
Hazel Hammerson while attending high school took over as organist of Good Shepherd Church. She was a pretty little thing, and she spent many happy Sundays at the organ. She was organist for some years until she married Mr. Barneson, the son of Captain Barneson of San Mateo. Mr. and Mrs. Barneson moved to Los Angeles, so the Church lost her services.
Mrs. Joy
When Mr. Overton took over the services of the Church Mrs. Joy came to the organ. Mrs. Joy was the wife of a government civil engineer. For many years she lived at the corner of Sixth Avenue and Ralston. Besides playing the organ, she was an enthusiastic Church worker. In about 1950 she sold her house and went to live with her daughter, Francelia, in Pittsburgh, California, where her daughter was a school principal.
Mr. Duckenfield
Now, for a period of years, the Church of the Good Shepherd had a man for an organist. Mr.. Duckenfield worked for an insurance company in San Francisco. He had always been very interested in music. The latter part of his years in playing the organ he developed asthma. During the weekends he found relief from this affliction by going to the mountains. On Friday evenings he would leave for the country near Los Gatos, but he was always on hand on Sunday for the afternoon or evening service. We hope that the joy of playing the organ was ample reward for his faithfulness.
After moving the Church to its new location on Fifth Avenue many people played the organ for a short period. Among these were the names of Isabel Sutcliff, Mrs. Boyse of San Carlos, and Mrs. David Horn. Mrs. Horn is one of the senior members of the Church choir and was always generous in giving her services. At present she will fill in anytime as a substitute organist.
Doris Conway
Doris Conway, a graduate of Stanford University had a home on Alameda de las Pulgas. She settled in Belmont about eighteen years ago when the old Belle Monti Club was in existence. Although she had a family, a husband and three growing boys, she still found time to take over the duties as organist of the Church.
Mr. Guild
Mr. Guild was organist through the last years when the Rev. Owens was in the pastorate. He played the organ during the years when Rev. Scott was pastor and during Father Daley’s first year in the Church-about eight years in all. Mr. Guild was in the advertising business. Mrs. Guild was an active member of the Ladies’ Guild.
Mrs. William Brady
Mrs. Brady is the wife of a banker. They live with their three children on Coronet Blvd, in Belmont. Mrs. Brady was confirmed in the Church of the Good Shepherd in 1949. This was in Father Daley’s first confirmation class of his pastorate. Before Mrs. Brady came to Belmont she played the organ in the Temple Methodist Church in San Francisco. Prior to that she had ten years training in music, and she majored in music at the San Francisco State College.
ORGANIZATION OF THE DIOCESE
The government of the Episcopal Church is closely related to that of the United States Government in that it is democratic in its operation.
The Diocesan Convention is held once a year, usually the first Tuesday and Wednesday in February, in Grace Cathedral, San Francisco. The convention, presided over by the Bishop, is composed of duly elected representatives from each parish and mission congregation within the Diocese, together with the clergy of the Diocese. All sessions of the convention are held with the clerical and lay delegates meeting together, though frequently the clerical and lay delegates vote separately. This is called “voting by orders,” which, since most issues must be decided by a majority vote of both the clergy and the lay delegates, ensures proper democratic procedure.
The lay delegates elected to represent the parishes and mission congregations are so elected at the annual business meeting of the local parish or mission. The annual parish meeting of the Church of the Good Shepherd is held on the second Wednesday in January. At this meeting the vestrymen are elected as well as the delegates to the Diocesan Convention. Representation is based on the number of communicants within the parish: one delegate for the first 100 communicants and and additional delegate for each 50 (or major fraction thereof) communicants thereafter, not to exceed eight delegates, one of whom must be a women.
Special meetings of the parish may be called during the year at the discretion of the rector, and special conventions of the Diocese may be called at the dis- cretion of the Bishop.
THE CHURCH GUILD
Looking over the early Church records, there is not mention of a Church Guild, but in the days of the eighties and nineties the women of the Church could always provide a program for the Sunday School children.
There was the yearly Christmas tree and the Christmas Sunday School party in the Church. A night or two before Christmas at one of the houses there would be a meeting of the old and the young people. They would string yards of popcorn and make bright net bags for candy to decorate the tree. A late supper would follow, and everyone would have an enjoyable time preparing for the Church Christmas tree.
At the Sunday School party which followed, a big silver star would be placed at the top of the tree and the children would gather around and sing “Star of the East”. After a short Christmas program each child would take home a bag of candy, an apple, and an orange. Mr. W. A. Emmett each year donated to the party a box of oranges and a box of apples. His store was for many years the only general store in Belmont. In it he supplied everything from a pin to a bale of hay. This store was the same building that is now “The Country Store”, located between the Southern Pacific Railroad and the Old County Road on Ralston.
We had beautiful altar cloths from the beginning of the Church. These were either given to the Church by the more prosperous neighboring Churches, or they were made by separate enthusiastic workers.
In 1926 services were conducted by a lay reader, Mr. Overton, and in that same year the Ladies’ Guild was formed. Its first president was Mrs. Fred Johnson, Jr., then followed Mrs. Klages, Mrs. Kramer, Mrs. Patterson, Mrs. William Gardiner, Mrs. Charles Hodgson, Mrs. Harry Walden, Mrs. J. l. Morrison, Mrs. A. S. Henzen, Mrs. A. H. Nieheus, and Mrs. G. D. Horn. The Ladies’ Guild purchased a new carpet for the Church and cushions for the kneeling benches. They also purchased furnishings for the kitchen in the parish hall. In 1949, a Woman’s Auxiliary was established. This group of ladies met in the evening and the Ladies’ Guild continued their meetings in the daytime. About 1953, the Ladies’ Guild was disbanded.
THE WOMAN’S AUXILIARY
As the Church of the Good Shepherd began to grow, it became apparent that there was a need for an affiliated branch of the Woman’s Auxiliary to the National Council of the Episcopal Church, and in 1949 the Woman’s Auxiliary of the Church was begun. Mrs. Harry Holder was its first chairman and did much toward promoting the ideals of the Auxiliary. After a period of alternating fat and lean seasons, yet with a steady growth of purpose, the Auxiliary became the right arm of the parish.
The main function of the Woman’s Auxiliary is to further the missionary outreach of the Episcopal Church, both in the foreign field and at home. Each year the ladies fulfilled their obligation through their missionary supply program.
On the local scene, the Woman’s Auxiliary members are charming hostesses at every parish function, cooking delicious dinners and promoting the family spirit which so prevails within the parish. They prepare the breakfasts every month for the Men’s Club and provide the care of small children every Sunday so that mothers and fathers can attend Church together. Their projects are far too numerous to recount in this short digest, but we could not conclude this review without mentioning the devotion to the Church which members of the Auxiliary always exhibit. On the second Friday of every month there is a Corporate Communion for all women of the parish, and their meeting, which is held on the second Tuesday, is always preceded by a service of worship in the Church.
The history of every Auxiliary is filled with the accounts of rummage sales, bazaars, fairs, dinners, and even shampoo sales, to say nothing of the many gadgets which one can buy from a member, and our Auxiliary is no different in this respect. Last year a book sale was held and it was called the Left Bank”-not on the left bank of the Seine River in Paris where all the book stores are but on the “Left Bank” of the parking lot of the American Trust Bank of San Carlos. In September a rummage sale was conducted in the parish hall. Both of these projects were extremely successful.
The present chairman of the Woman’s Auxiliary (the official name has been changed to the Episcopal Churchwomen) is Mrs. Robert Ward, who succeeded Mrs. K. C. Schroeder, last year’s president. Other chairman have been Mrs. Walter Guild, Mrs. Adrian Hodges, Mrs, Joseph Lowe, Mrs. Harry Hager, Mrs. Austin Trumbull, Mrs. Guiot Eberhard, Mrs. Fred Pfrommer, Mrs. Frank Plaisted, and Mrs. William Houser.
The outstanding project of the ECW this year has been the establishing of the “This “n’ That” shop in the two basement rooms of the parish hall. The shop is filled with all kinds of exciting bric-a-brac, household items, clothing, furniture which is sorted, repaired and sold by the members of this hard-working group of ladies. A plaque on the wall states the purpose of the shop: “Our work is dedicated to the Glory of God and the extension of His Kingdom throughout the world.” Ten per cent of all profits is devoted to missionary work at home and abroad.
THE ACOLYTES
We must not forget the services, rendered the Church by the faithful young acolytes. The acolytes assist the minister in connection with the Sunday service. The acolyte takes care of the flag, and the cross. He proudly bears the cross and leads in the processionals of the service, and following him is the flag bearer, but his main duty is to assist at the Altar during the Holy Communion.
There are about fifteen acolytes. The chief acolyte trains the new boys. The chief acolytes who have served in the last ten years are Donald Smith, Norman Dingle, Patrick Russell, Michael Daley, and Larry Grandfield.
THE ALTAR GUILD
During the thirties and the forties, the altar vestments and vessels were cared for by members of the Altar Guild under the direction of Mrs. Harrison Klages and Mrs. William Gardiner, who served unselfishly, and with devotion. When Mrs. Gardiner moved away in 1949, Mrs. Klages almost single handedly carried on with the task of preparing for the services. When Mrs. Klages was no longer able to continue with the Altar Guild, Father Daley appointed Mrs. E. Bert Darr as chairman. Under her leadership the Altar Guild was greatly expanded with as many as twenty-five women serving regularly. In the past ten years, the Altar Guild has completely replaced all of the old Eucharistic vestments and the altar linens and hangings. In 1958 a beautiful funeral pall was made by the ladies, under the direction of Mrs. I. O. Smith and her mother, Mrs. Ella Cornett, an expert seamstress and friend of the parish.
Again the name of the Altar Guild members and their activities are too numerous to include in this report, but the names of two ladies besides Mrs. Darr’s will be remembered whenever the history of the Guild is read. They are Mrs. Pearl Morrison and Mrs. Nancy Grandfield. The former has served as Mrs. Darr’s executive assistant, and the meticulous care with which she carried out her work is without parallel in the parish. Mrs. Grandfield, whose avocation is the making of Church vestments, has given full Eucharistic vestments in the liturgical colors of black, rose, green and purple with matching altar super-frontals. These vestments were all handmade and are of expert craftsmanship.
For nine years Mrs. Darr devoted practically all of her talents and energies to the training of new members and instilling in them the spirit of unselfish service to God. Certainly the recent history of the achievement of the Altar Guild is the history of Mrs. Darr’s love and sacrifice for it.
In 1960 the rector appointed Mrs. Raymond Pohl to be chairman of altar work and she has carried on faithfully in the tradition that makes Good Shepherd Church outstanding in service. Present members of the guild, besides the chairman are Mrs. William Houser, Mrs. Frank Walsh, Mrs. Lilly Dingle, Mrs. Al Robertson, Mrs. William Gaylord, Mrs. Darrell Silvers and Mrs. R. M. Grandfield.
GIFTS AND BEQUESTS
In 1882, Henry Scott Jeffreys presented the church with a new bell cast by the Garret Foundry of San Francisco. Although the Church apparently had a bell prior to this time, no record of it can be found.
In 1910, Thomas Pennington gave the green glass windows in memory of his mother. At the same time, the beautiful window over the altar was given to the Church by Thomas Hammerson through his firm. About the same year, Frances Young, a resident of Belmont, designed and paid for the vestibule entrance to the Church. Miss Young was in partnership with an architect in San Francisco. They were the architects who designed the addition made to the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco following the earthquake of 1906.
Mrs. Schaberg, in the name of her brother, George Schmoll, gave 2,500 toward the renovation of our Church and its removal from the Old County Road to its present site. In 1935, Mrs. Schaberg died. She left $5,000 in her will as a memorial gift to the Church. With this money the little rectory beside the Church was completed and a reed organ was bought. This organ was later exchanged for a part-payment on a new electric organ.
In 1948, the parish hall was enlarged and the basement rooms of the children’s chapel were built at a cost of $27,000. Two large gifts of money amounting to $9,000 were given toward the cost of this building program by Mrs. Annette Alexander and Mrs. Edith Coleman. Mrs. Elizabeth Rebec loaned the Church the sum of $12,000 in order that all costs on the addition could be paid upon completion of the building. Mrs. Rebec was to be repaid at the rate of $1,440 a year, but every time she received a payment she always gave it back to the Church, either as a gift or by purchasing much needed equipment.
So many things were done by this great patroness that we couldn’t possibly enumerate them all, but to mention just a few: the present sacristy was built and outfitted with cabinets for keeping the sacred vessels and vestments. The altar cross and processional cross were given in memory of her son, Dr. William C. Rebec. In 1952, Mrs. Rebed paid for the complete landscaping of the grounds around the Church and parish hall. In 1950, when the rectory had become too small for the Rector’s growing family, she paid for the remodeling of the garage which was made into a bedroom and which now serves as the Rector’s office. Mrs. Rebec purchased vestments, hymnals, and prayer books; furniture, both for the parish hall and the rectory; and, because she loved to read and wanted others to enjoy good books, she constantly provided the parish with good books and other publications for the library. In 1951, when the public school asked for permission to use the parish hall and all of its facilities for classrooms, the vestry granted this request. Because of the inadequacy of the rectory for family living and because of the public school situation which limited many weekday Church activities, a new rectory was purchased at 950 Broadway, and Mrs. Rebec cancelled the balance of $8,500 owed her by the Church as her gift toward the rectory fund. In honor of Mrs. Rebec the former rectory was named Rebec House.
Mrs. Rebec died in November, 1958, in her 98th year. On Easter Sunday, 1959, recording equipment that had been installed in the tower of the Church was dedicated in her memory. The great music of the Church bears witness to the beauty of its dear friend.
On February 12th, 1956, the new Baptismal Font was dedicated to the Glory of God in memory of Bobby Brady. At the same time the statue of the Good Shepherd, given by Mirs. Ella Cornett, was dedicated.
In 1959 a film projector and film strips were purchased for the use of the Church School with money from the Anniversary Fund.
After the death of Mrs. Annette Alexander in 1959, we were advised that she had remembered the Church in her will with a gift of $1,000.
On June 17, 1959 a children’s shrine and garden was dedicated. This garden was planned and developed by Mrs. Raymond Pohl in her desire to provide a suitable memorial for her own infant daughter Rebecca, and for all children whose “face the angels behold in Heaven.”
Some years ago Father Daley established a memorial Anniversary Fund to which people have contributed gifts of money on days of personal significance to them. As this fund grows, additional and lasting memorials can be provided.
THE MEN’S CLUB
The purpose of the Men’s Club is to foster the religious life as well as to provide good fellowship within the Church. For a number of years the men have sponsored the annual Preaching Mission during Lent, and the parish has benefitted from such outstanding missioners as the Rev. Father Bonnell Spencer, Prior of t. Calvary Monastery in Santa Barbara, and Dean David Scovil of the Cathedral of Los Angeles. They also brought the Rev. John Baldwin, Order of the Holy Cross, to be the Good Friday preacher in 1958.
On the parish level they have a Corporate Communion and breakfast for the men and boys of the parish on the second Sunday of each month. They entertain the women of the parish at breakfast every year on Mother’s Day and have a dinner meeting for men on the third Thursday of each month. Mr. I. O. Smith likes to cook these dinners. It is his hobby, and with his helpers he easily manages some fine dinners.
In the area of service, for about eight years the men have done all of the work on Saturday mornings, cleaning and preparing the Church and parish hall for the Sunday services and activities. They decorate both the interior and the exterior of the Church during the Holy seasons of Christmas and Holy Week.
Every fall the men carry out the Every Member Canvass, visiting in the homes of the Church members and instructing them in the Christian program of stewardship. One of their most outstanding projects occurred in 1954 when the new Sterling Downs section of the city was developed. The members of the Men’s Club called upon every new resident to welcome them to the community and invited them to make our parish their Church home. Almost five hundred calls were made in a single day by these men.
Some of the presidents of this organization were William Kuhn, Guit Eberhard, Frank Plaisted, Bert Darr, Harry Hager, Wally Wallerstedt, and Howard Scheffel, Sr.
A VISIT TO HENRY OHLHOFF HOUSE
During 1957 the interests of the members of the Social Relations Committee of the Church of the Good Shepherd centered around the need of a place of rehabilitation for alcoholics. Also, feeling this great need, Father Daley brought from Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, a speaker, The Rev. Canon E. B. Ferguson. The speaker stressed the need of a house to shelter alcoholics where they could rehabilitate themselves in general and become useful citizens again.
The talk made a great impression on the members of the social relations committee and all through the year of 1957 these members had gatherings at their homes. They began to find many others interested in the same subject. As a result of these gatherings the amount of $1400 was collected to be used for this worthy cause. This amount was taken to the Cathedral and the subject was again fully discussed. Purchase of a shelter for alcoholics in San Francisco was proposed. In time, and partially as a result of this talk, an old mansion on Steiner and Fell Streets in San Francisco was bought, and renovation on it was begun. Labor on the building was donated free by many good citizens. By July 7, 1958 Henry Ohlhoff House was ready for occupancy.
Mr. Frank Plaisted of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Belmont was made a charter member of the board, and Al McVicker was the first director of Ohlhoff House. During the last year Father Daley became a member of its board.
Henry Ohlhoff House was dedicated in November 1958 with Bishop Pike presiding. At the dedication Mayor Christopher and many of the dignitaries of San Francisco were present. During the ceremony Bishop Pike visited each separate room and blessed it.
The house has been open for more than two years and during that time many men have recovered and are again in gainful employment. In residence they must abide by certain rules. When they come in they rest and are given food. They are found work and pay $75 a month for their room and board when they are able to do so.
The Church women feel that they have had a bit to do with the founding of Henry Ohlhoff House. Since the first gift of $1400 they have, each year, sent a cash donation toward its support besides sending Christmas gifts. This past year they founded a “Good Shepherd” room in the house, completely furnishing it as one of the dormitories for the men.
In the spring of last year, some of the ladies of the Church received an invitation to visit Henry Ohlhoff House. They were served a delicious luncheon, and afterwards they spent a pleasant hour looking into the work of the institution.
The Rev. Kenneth Sandercock is the present resident priest and director. He is very well known to us as he has been our visiting minister during Father Daley’s 1959 summer vacation.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The writer wishes to thank the following:
The Rev. John Ellis Daley for his help for some of the material given during the recent years of the Church.
Mrs. Nancy Grandfield for the loan of Church records.
The ladies of the Church for the stenographic and assembly work of the book.
For information from old residents of Belmont: Mrs. Ida Waltermire Malone, Ross, California; Mr. McGovern, Sunnyvale, California; Mrs. Ida Barre Alexander, Mrs. L. Vannier, Mrs. Robert McGowan, and Mrs. Ruth Ross, Belmont.
Mrs. Christine Seymour for her enthusiasm and encouragement.
All those who have helped me in contributing information by telephone or visits: Mrs. Gardiner, Mr. William Kuhn, Mr. and Mrs. David Horn, Mrs. Ernest Darr, Mrs. I.O. Smith, Miss Martha Jane Safely, Mrs. Charles Hodgson, Mrs. Robert Ward, Mrs. Lobingier, and Mrs. Frank Plaisted.
For the letter from the Treasurer of the Diocese of California concerning the disposal of the Hannah Schaberg Bequest to the Church of the Good Shepherd.
For the letter from Mr. J. S. Shea, Historical Section of the Southern Pacific Railroad in San Francisco concerning the earliest trains through Belmont in 1863.
For the cover design by Mrs. Kenneth Bess.
Original archived scan of church history from 1960. Enjoy!
