On May 26, 1874, David H. Huntting (1815-1885) gave a historical address to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the First Presbyterian Church of East Hampton’s Sunday school. Huntting was a logical choice as a speaker since he had strong connections to the school and the church. He was a church deacon who taught at the Sunday school and previously served as its superintendent. The great-great-grandson of the Rev. Nathaniel Huntting (1675-1777), he was a lifelong member of the church.
According to an article in the May 28, 1874, issue of The Sag Harbor Express, he gave “a very interesting and appropriate discourse of about an hour in length, bringing forward many statistics and incidents of history, giving a list of the first teachers of the school, a list of pastors who had labored faithfully for the school, and closed with a lengthy sketch of its present condition and future prospects.” Many spoke highly of the address, and the following year it was printed by John H. Hunt, a Sag Harbor publisher.
Included in that publication is a copy of the program for the afternoon and evening activities. Other speakers were the then-superintendent, Dr. Edward Osborn (1836-1905), the Presbyterian Church’s current pastor, the Rev. John Dunlap (J.D.) Stokes (1839-1921), and the Rev. James M. Huntting (17981882), David’s uncle, who gave the celebration’s opening address, and who had founded the Sunday school and served as the first superintendent.
There was much to celebrate in 1874. In 1824, the first year of the Sunday school, only 50 students attended classes. Fifty years later, attendance had tripled, to 153 children.
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Christina Pellegrino is a librarian and archivist in the Long Island Collection.
