Church Memorials & Family Names

Church of the Ascension
548 Congress Street
Troy, New York

On Sunday, February 14, 1868, Rev. George H. Walsh, D.D., of St. John’s Episcopal Church organized at the home of William Cox on Congress Street, Ida Hill, St. John’s Free Mission.

The meetings of the Mission were first held in a room in a building in the rear of the Ida Hill Cotton Mill. Afterwards, they were held in the building at 326 Congress Street and later in the upper part of the house at 322 Congress Street which was then standing on the present site of St. Francis de Sales Roman Catholic Church.

Franklin W. Farnam and his wife, Jane K. Farnam, members of St. Paul’s became interested in St. John’s Free Mission and became determined to erect an edifice for its use to be called The Free Church of the Ascension.

Construction started on the church in the summer of 1869 at a site on the south side of Congress Street opposite Mt. Ida Falls. The cornerstone of the church was laid by Right Reverend William Croswell Doane, Bishop of Albany on October 19, 1869 and he consecrated the church on February 18, 1871. The tower of the church is one hundred and six feet high and has a chime of nine sweet toned bells.

The Church of the Ascension has been closed for several years.

The following Memorial Names that were found in the church were ranscribed by TIGS volunteer Rebecca Rector.

Name	Memorial	Location	Inscription	Church	Status
Allen, C. D., 1st Lt.	Large Plaque -  Dedicated Christmas 1920	Rear of Church	1st. Lt. C. D. Allen - Served in WWI  - Army	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Bailey, E. H., Corp.	Large Plaque -  Dedicated Christmas 1920	Rear of Church	Corp. E. H. Bailey - Served in WWI - Army	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Bailey, J. H.	Large Plaque -  Dedicated Christmas 1920	Rear of Church	J. H. Bailey - Served in WWI - Army	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Ballantyne, H. E.	Large Plaque -  Dedicated Christmas 1920	Rear of Church	H. E. Ballantyne - Served in WWI - Navy	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Beattie, D. S., Sgt.	Large Plaque -  Dedicated Christmas 1920	Rear of Church	Sgt. D. S. Beattie - Served in WWI - Army	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Benson, Jane Braithwaite	Stained Glass Window	Left Side	Glory of God - In Loving Memory of Robert Benson & Jane Braithwaite Benson - 1907	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Benson, Robert	Stained Glass Window	Left Side	Glory of God - In Loving Memory of Robert Benson & Jane Braithwaite Benson - 1907	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Bills, Alfonzo	Stained Glass Window	Right Side	In Memoriam - Alfonzo Bills and wife Caroline Hammond - Gift of Their Daughter - 1908	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Bills, Caroline Hammond	Stained Glass Window	Right Side	In Memoriam - Alfonzo Bills and wife Caroline Hammond - Gift of Their Daughter - 1908	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Bosworth, F. A.	Large Plaque -  Dedicated Christmas 1920	Rear of Church	F. A. Bosworth - Served in WWI - Army	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Braithwaite, Jane	Stained Glass Window	Left Side	Glory of God - In Loving Memory of Robert Benson & Jane Braithwaite Benson - 1907	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Brown, H.	Large Plaque -  Dedicated Christmas 1920	Rear of Church	H. Brown - Served in WWI - Army	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Buchanan, Margaret C.	Stained Glass Window	Right Side	Gift Of Margaret Buchanan Stone - In Sacred Memory of Husband Henry A. Stone & Her Mother Margaret C. Buchanan - 1907	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Burkhardt, C. H., Corp.	Large Plaque -  Dedicated Christmas 1920	Rear of Church	Corp. C. H. Burkhardt - Served in WWI - Army	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Caird, James	Organ Plaque	Front of Church	James Caird Memorial Organ - 1929 - By The People	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Caven, W. J.	Large Plaque -  Dedicated Christmas 1920	Rear of Church	W. J. Caven - Served in WWI - Army	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Clark, L. B., Sgt.	Large Plaque -  Dedicated Christmas 1920	Rear of Church	Sgt. L. B. Clark - Served in WWI - Army	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Corps, Martha	Stained Glass Window	Right Side	Gift Of Matthew R. Green - In Memory of his Mother Sarah Green & His Aunt Martha Corps - All Saints Day - 1909	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Cox, Annie	Stained Glass Window	Right Side	In Memory Of - Eliza A. Cox and William A. Cox - By Daughters - Annie & Mary G. Cox - (William Cox house was where the first service was held which led to the formation of the Free Church of the Ascension)	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Cox, Eliza A.	Stained Glass Window	Right Side	In Memory Of - Eliza A. Cox and William A. Cox - By Daughters - Annie & Mary G. Cox - (William Cox house was where the first service was held which led to the formation of the Free Church of the Ascension)	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Cox, Mary G.	Stained Glass Window	Right Side	In Memory Of - Eliza A. Cox and William A. Cox - By Daughters - Annie & Mary G. Cox - (William Cox house was where the first service was held which led to the formation of the Free Church of the Ascension)	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Cox, William A.	Stained Glass Window	Right Side	In Memory Of - Eliza A. Cox and William A. Cox - By Daughters - Annie & Mary G. Cox - (William Cox house was where the first service was held which led to the formation of the Free Church of the Ascension)	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Dodds, R. M.	Large Plaque -  Dedicated Christmas 1920	Rear of Church	R. M. Dodds - Served in WWI - Army	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Dorlon, C. P., CPO.	Large Plaque -  Dedicated Christmas 1920	Rear of Church	CPO. C. P. Dorlon,  - Served in WWI - Navy	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Dorlon, J. H.	Large Plaque -  Dedicated Christmas 1920	Rear of Church	J. H. Dorlon - Served in WWI - Navy	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Dorlon, P. S., 1st. Lt.	Large Plaque -  Dedicated Christmas 1920	Rear of Church	1st. Lt. P. S. Dorlon - Served in WWI - Army	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Egolf, Alma M.	Stained Glass Window	Left Side	In Memoriam - Miss Alma M. Egolf - All Saints Day 1906 - By Sunday School Class And Friends	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Fake, W.	Large Plaque -  Dedicated Christmas 1920	Rear of Church	W. Fake  -  Served in  WWI - Army	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Farr, F.	Large Plaque -  Dedicated Christmas 1920	Rear of Church	F. Farr - Served in WWI - Navy	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Fisher, O. L., Jr.	Large Plaque -  Dedicated Christmas 1920	Rear of Church	O. L. Fisher, Jr.  -  Served in  WWI - Army	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Gillespie, P. D.	Large Plaque -  Dedicated Christmas 1920	Rear of Church	P. D. Gillespie  -  Served in  WWI - Army	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Green, Matthew R.	Stained Glass Window	Right Side	Gift Of Matthew R. Green - In Memory of his Mother Sarah Green & His Aunt Martha Corps - All Saints Day - 1909	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Green, Sarah	Stained Glass Window	Right Side	Gift Of Matthew R. Green - In Memory of his Mother Sarah Green & His Aunt Martha Corps - All Saints Day - 1909	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Hammond, Caroline	Stained Glass Window	Right Side	In Memoriam - Alfonzo Bills and wife Caroline Hammond - Gift of Their Daughter - 1908	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Holt, R. L., Capt.	Large Plaque -  Dedicated Christmas 1920	Rear of Church	Capt. R. L. Holt  -  Served in  WWI - Army	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Hulsapple, M. B.	Large Plaque -  Dedicated Christmas 1920	Rear of Church	M. B. Hulsapple  -  Served in  WWI - Army	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Knowlson, C. B., CPO.	Large Plaque -  Dedicated Christmas 1920	Rear of Church	CPO. C. B. Knowlson,  - Served in WWI - Navy	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Knowlson, L. K., Sgt.	Large Plaque -  Dedicated Christmas 1920	Rear of Church	Sgt. L. K. Knowlson  -  Served in  WWI - Army	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Lee, John W.	Plaque on Wall	Front of Church	John W. Lee - Trustee For 50 Consecutive Years Attended The Christmas Carol Services	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Lee, John Walker	Organ Plaque	Front of Church	In Memory Of - John Walker Lee - By His Wife - 1929	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Martin, Ephraim	Stained Glass Window	Left Side	In Memory Of His Parents - Henry L. Ward & Beulah A. Ward & Her Father - Ephraim Martin - H. Judd Ward & Bela J. Ward - 1921	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
McChesney, L.	Large Plaque -  Dedicated Christmas 1920	Rear of Church	L. McChesney - Served in WWI - Navy	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
McNally, R. J.	Large Plaque -  Dedicated Christmas 1920	Rear of Church	R. J. McNally  -  Served in  WWI - Army	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
McQuide, J. C., 2nd. Lt.	Large Plaque -  Dedicated Christmas 1920	Rear of Church	2nd. Lt. J. C. McQuide  -  Served in  WWI - Army	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
McQuide, K. T., Sgt.	Large Plaque -  Dedicated Christmas 1920	Rear of Church	Sgt. K. T. McQuide  -  Served in  WWI - Army	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Mitter, H., PO.	Large Plaque -  Dedicated Christmas 1920	Rear of Church	PO. H. Mitter - Served in WWI - Navy	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Reisel, A. H.	Large Plaque -  Dedicated Christmas 1920	Rear of Church	A. H. Reisel  -  Served in  WWI - Army	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Richards, J. T.	Large Plaque -  Dedicated Christmas 1920	Rear of Church	J. T. Richards  -  Served in  WWI - Army	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Stone, Henry A.	Stained Glass Window	Right Side	Gift Of Margaret Buchanan Stone - In Sacred Memory of Husband Henry A. Stone & Her Mother Margaret C. Buchanan - 1907	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Stone, Margaret Buchanan	Stained Glass Window	Right Side	Gift Of Margaret Buchanan Stone - In Sacred Memory of Husband Henry A. Stone & Her Mother Margaret C. Buchanan - 1907	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Thompson, G. V.	Large Plaque -  Dedicated Christmas 1920	Rear of Church	G. V. Thompson  -  Served in  WWI - Army	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Ward, Bela J.	Stained Glass Window	Left Side	In Memory Of His Parents - Henry L. Ward & Beulah A. Ward & Her Father - Ephraim Martin - H. Judd Ward & Bela J. Ward - 1921	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Ward, Beulah A.	Stained Glass Window	Left Side	In Memory Of His Parents - Henry L. Ward & Beulah A. Ward & Her Father - Ephraim Martin - H. Judd Ward & Bela J. Ward - 1921	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Ward, H. Judd	Stained Glass Window	Left Side	In Memory Of His Parents - Henry L. Ward & Beulah A. Ward & Her Father - Ephraim Martin - H. Judd Ward & Bela J. Ward - 1921	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Ward, Henry L.	Stained Glass Window	Left Side	In Memory Of His Parents - Henry L. Ward & Beulah A. Ward & Her Father - Ephraim Martin - H. Judd Ward & Bela J. Ward - 1921	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
White, Caroline	Stained Glass Window	Right Side	Gift of Henry & Caroline White - Easter 1907 (Henry worshipped here from The date of the opening)	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
White, Henry	Stained Glass Window	Right Side	Gift of Henry & Caroline White - Easter 1907 (Henry worshipped here from The date of the opening)	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed
Zeh, R. M., PO.	Large Plaque -  Dedicated Christmas 1920	Rear of Church	PO. R. M. Zeh - Served in WWI - Navy	Church of the Ascension, Troy	Closed

If anyone is interested in helping on a similar project,
contact Bill McGrath at:  seamus@nycap.rr.com