_Saint Peter's Parish_
Cheshire entered upon his work in Charlotte with a feeling that here he
had an excellent opportunity for extending the influence of his church,
particularly in the missionary field. He did not feel any fear or
trepidation at the thought of this larger and more difficult work,
although he had no great confidence in his own ability. He went to his
new parish with the determination to give to it his best, and throughout
his rectorate there he never lost sight of that ideal. When some of his
friends heard that he was going to St. Peter's, they told him he was
taking over one of the hardest and most undesirable parishes in the
Diocese. This was indeed a discouraging description of his new work, but
after serving twelve years at St. Peter's, Cheshire remarked that he had
found nothing which would justify such a characterization of that
parish.
Cheshire did not bring his wife and children to Charlotte at once but
left them in Chapel Hill for the summer. During this time he lived with
Mr. John Wilkes, the senior warden of the parish, and took his meals at
a boarding house. Finding no parish rectory in Charlotte, he bought a
house on North Church Street. This purchase took all he had saved from
his law practice, plus an additional thousand dollars which he had to
borrow. His salary from St. Peter's being twelve hundred dollars a year,
he was able to carry a debt of this amount. With a salary this size he
felt that he had been "raised to a condition of affluence." In an
exuberance of generosity he offered to become responsible for the
support of an orphan in one of the foreign mission orphanages. For some
reason his proposal was not accepted. It was not long, however, before
he found that his salary was little if any above his actual needs.
When Cheshire became rector of St. Peter's there were one hundred and
thirty-seven communicants in the parish. Mr. John Wilkes and Colonel
Hamilton C. Jones were his senior and junior wardens, respectively.
These men were quite different in temperament, but both were sincerely
devoted to the welfare of the church. The young rector found in them
staunch friends and helpful advisors. One of the first tasks Cheshire
set for himself was to visit and become acquainted with each member of
his congregation. After making a careful study of the parish register,
he purchased a small memorandum book in which he wrote down the full
name, age, and church status of each person connected with St. Peter's.
By the end of his first summer in Charlotte he had become fairly well
acquainted with most of his parishioners.
One of Cheshire's predecessors at St. Peter's was the Rev. Benjamin S.
Bronson, rector of the parish from 1867 to 1878. He had been greatly
interested in institutional work, and had begun several enterprises in
the course of his ministry in Charlotte. None of these, however, was
carried to a successful conclusion under his direction. Mr. Bronson's
capacity seemed to be limited to merely initiating worth-while projects.
His efforts were not futile, for he instilled in his congregation a deep
interest in this type of work. Cheshire often said that what he was able
to accomplish in Charlotte was due in part to the enthusiasm for
institutional work which Mr. Bronson had aroused in his parishioners. He
confessed that he did not have the type of mind which readily produced
original ideas: "I think I can only methodize and put into practice
ideas I get from others."[16] Although he exaggerated his lack of
originality, he was strikingly successful in taking a good idea or
suggestion and making it work.
When Cheshire came to Charlotte he found one of Mr. Bronson's charities
still in existence, although in a sadly neglected condition. This was a
four-room house which was known as St. Peter's Home and Hospital. The
good work which was being done in a very small way by this institution
strongly appealed to Cheshire. He regularly visited the sick there, and
soon began to lay plans for enlarging its usefulness. For this purpose
he enlisted the aid of a retired clergyman, Rev. Lucian Holmes, who was
then conducting in Charlotte a small school for boys. Mr. Holmes visited
the people of the city, soliciting contributions ranging from ten cents
to one dollar a month. His efforts were successful, and in a
comparatively short time the little hospital was assured of a modest
monthly income. It was planned that the women on the Board of Managers
of the hospital should collect the pledges. Thus, under Cheshire's
direction, St. Peter's hospital was firmly established and has continued
to grow in usefulness to the community from that time to the present
day.
Shortly after becoming rector of St. Peter's, Cheshire began to take an
active interest in the church's work among the Negroes. He found among a
large Negro population only one communicant. Prior to the Civil War
Negroes had worshiped with the whites, sitting in galleries erected for
their use. Following the war and reconstruction, however, the church had
of necessity been forced to curtail its work among the Negroes. He
recognized in this condition an opportunity for a great work. Since his
parish was large and demanded the greater part of his time, he asked
Bishop Lyman to send him an unmarried clergyman who could devote all his
efforts to the Negro work. The Bishop complied with his request, and in
the spring of 1882 sent Rev. Charles C. Quin to Charlotte. Quin received
a stipend of two hundred dollars a year from the Diocese, which Cheshire
supplemented with fifty dollars out of his own pocket. In addition, Quin
lived with the Cheshires, who gave him his room and board.
After securing an assistant for the Negro work, Cheshire's next step was
to find a place in which to worship. He found an old house in the Negro
section of Charlotte, which he bought and remodeled sufficiently to make
it serve as a mission. He named the little chapel St. Michael and All
Angels. Although Quin was placed in charge of this mission, Cheshire
held an evening service there every second Sunday. In this way he was
able to keep in personal contact with the congregation.
The work progressed so well that it was not long before the need for a
larger church was apparent. Seeing this need, Cheshire solicited
contributions for a new church from his parishioners and from various
churchmen throughout the Diocese. He sent Quin to Pennsylvania, New
York, and Connecticut with letters to his friends in those states,
asking for assistance. Cheshire and Quin were fairly successful in their
efforts to raise funds for the new church, and in the spring of 1883 the
cornerstone was laid. In the course of the year the nave and chancel
were completed, while the transepts were left to be finished at some
future time. It was a well-built brick church and large enough to allow
for considerable growth in the congregation. It stands today as a
testimonial to Cheshire's zeal in advancing the work of the church.
Shortly after it was built, Quin resigned and was succeeded by Rev.
Primus P. Alston, a colored clergyman, who remained in charge of the
parish for over twenty years. St. Michael and All Angels was now
practically independent of St. Peter's, although it was still under
Cheshire's general direction.
While in the process of establishing St. Michael's, Cheshire was at the
same time engaged in another missionary enterprise. He found in a
section of Charlotte, known as Mechanicsville, a number of families who
were members of the Episcopal Church but were not connected with St.
Peter's parish. Seeing an opportunity to extend the work of the parish,
he determined to bring the services of the church to these people. He
began by establishing a Sunday school in an abandoned schoolhouse in
this section. The Sunday school gradually expanded into a little
mission, which he called St. Martin's. Not long after the mission was
started, the building in which the services were held was destroyed by
fire. Not permitting this misfortune to discourage him, he began almost
at once to lay plans for the erection of a chapel on the same location.
After negotiating with the Charlotte school board, he was able to buy
the property for fifteen hundred dollars, to be paid in three
installments. Cheshire himself paid the first installment of five
hundred dollars, while two of his parishioners guaranteed the remainder.
He procured his part of the cost by selling a lot in Tarboro which his
father had given him. When the land was bought, he began the work of
raising money for the erection of a chapel. His loyal friend, Mr. John
Wilkes, came forward as usual and supported him generously with both
time and money. Other friends came to his assistance, and work was soon
started on the building. Cheshire organized the Guild of St. Martin to
help him in carrying forward the work on the chapel. Some time before it
was completed, he began to hold a service in the little church every
Sunday night. This service was in addition to three others which he held
each Sunday at St. Peter's. Thus, Cheshire had literally built from the
ground up the mission of St. Martin's. It maintained a steady growth and
in time became one of the larger parishes of the Diocese.
There seems to have been almost no limit to Cheshire's missionary
fervor. He was not content to confine his labors to the bounds of
Charlotte. Shortly after coming to St. Peter's he visited Monroe, and
there he found a number of churchmen who at one time had been served by
the rector at Wadesboro. At the request of these churchmen Cheshire gave
them a monthly service, being assisted for a time by Mr. Quin. In 1885
the work at Monroe was turned over to Rev. Edwin A. Osborne. During his
rectorate at St. Peter's Cheshire also held services from time to time
at Rockingham, Mooresville, Mount Mourne, and Davidson College. He did
not, however, succeed in establishing a permanent mission at any one of
these places. If he had had more time to devote to this distant
missionary work, he might have met with better success.
In the fall of 1883 there came to Cheshire an opportunity to do what he
later characterized as "the most entirely gratifying and successful work
of all my missionary undertakings."[17] Columbus W. McCoy, of Long Creek
Township, Mecklenburg County, invited Cheshire to hold a service in his
community, stating that a number of people in his neighborhood had
manifested an interest in the Episcopal Church. McCoy had formerly been
a Presbyterian, but having become acquainted with the Book of Common
Prayer, he expressed a desire to join the Episcopal Church. Cheshire
accepted the invitation, and on November 18 held his first service there
in the community schoolhouse. He passed the night with Mr. McCoy and
spent the next day in visiting the people of the neighborhood. He felt
that "very little can be accomplished in a new field by merely having a
service, even a Sunday service, unless time is given to personal
familiar visiting from house to house, to know the people, and to
establish some influence among them."[18] He held a second service that
night, and returned to Charlotte the following morning. This same
procedure was followed in his subsequent visits.
In December Cheshire went again to Long Creek, but in consequence of bad
weather, he did not return again until the spring. Beginning in May,
1884, he held monthly services in the Long Creek community. Observing
the growing interest of the community in the church, he decided to hold
a series of services for them from August 12 through the 16th. He
secured the assistance of Rev. Dr. George B. Wetmore and Rev. Mr.
Osborne. The services were held in Beach Cliff Schoolhouse and were so
well attended that part of the congregation was forced to sit
out-of-doors. Cheshire and his assistants took turns in preaching in the
morning and evening. In the afternoons they visited those families who
had shown an interest in becoming members of the church. In the course
of the week they baptized sixteen persons, for the most part children,
and at the end of the services fourteen adults signified their desire to
be confirmed. At the close of the week's preaching Cheshire was
presented with a petition signed by eleven persons who asked that they
be organized as a mission under the name of St. Mark's Chapel. This was
indeed a successful conclusion to the week's work.
On October 25 Bishop Lyman visited Long Creek and confirmed sixteen
persons. Following the confirmation he organized the congregation as a
mission to be known as St. Mark's. Cheshire continued his monthly visits
to the new mission until January, 1885, at which time he turned this
work over to Rev. Edwin A. Osborne, who had already taken charge of
Cheshire's congregation in Monroe. Upon assuming this work Mr. Osborne
moved from Henderson County to Charlotte. During the remainder of
Cheshire's rectorate at St. Peter's, he and Mr. Osborne became intimate
friends and co-operated generously in each other's work.
Although Cheshire devoted most of his time and energy to St. Peter's
parish and its missions, he did not neglect his duty to the Diocese. He
attended all of the diocesan conventions and took an active and
significant part in their deliberations. Probably the most important
action taken by any convention during his ministry was that relating to
the division of the Diocese. The question of dividing the church in
North Carolina into two dioceses had been discussed from time to time by
the conventions since the election in 1873 of Bishop Lyman as assistant
bishop. Bishop Atkinson had favored a division at one time, but when the
question was placed squarely before the convention of 1877, he came out
strongly against it. The large number of clergy and laity who favored
division dropped the proposal for the time-being out of deference to
Bishop Atkinson, who, they felt, did not have much longer to serve. Upon
his death in January, 1881, the question was again brought forward. At
the convention of 1882, held in Calvary Church, Tarboro, Dr. M. M.
Marshall, rector of Christ Church, Raleigh, introduced resolutions
declaring the sentiment of the people on division and calling for a
committee to consider proposals for the erection of a new diocese. The
convention approved Dr. Marshall's resolutions, and the Bishop appointed
a special committee to report upon the subject.
After some study of the proposal this committee submitted a majority
report calling for a division of the Diocese. Bishop Lyman, who during
Bishop Atkinson's life-time had advocated the formation of a new
diocese, now reversed his position. Upon hearing the report of the
special committee, the Bishop delivered "an impassioned attack upon the
report."[19] The opposition of the Bishop led to a long and, at times,
acrimonious discussion. When the question was finally voted upon, the
committee's report was adopted by a large majority of the clergy and
laity. The convention appointed a committee of clergymen and laymen to
confer with the Bishop upon the details of the division, to obtain his
consent, and to report to the next diocesan convention. Cheshire was
made a member of this committee.
St. Peter's parish, Charlotte, was host to the diocesan convention of
1883. The most pressing and important business of this convention was
the question of forming a new diocese. On the second day the Committee
on Conference with the Bishop made its report. The committee stated that
after a consultation with the Bishop it found that he was opposed to a
division of the Diocese because he felt that one bishop in good health
could do the work for the entire state, and that the church in North
Carolina was not financially able to support two bishops and two
diocesan organizations. The Bishop told the committee, however, that he
would consent to the erection of a new diocese provided a large majority
of clergy and laity desired it, the line of division to be satisfactory
to him, and the permanent funds to be divided equally between the two
dioceses. Following the report the convention voted on the question:
forty-two clergymen voted for division, and eleven against; twenty-nine
parishes voted for, and ten against. Cheshire voted for the creation of
a new diocese, as he had done in the convention the year before.
When the question of a territorial division came up for discussion,
Cheshire moved that the new diocese be composed of the counties of
Hertford, Bertie, Martin, Pitt, Greene, Wayne, Sampson, Cumberland, and
Robeson, and all that part of the state located between those counties
and the Atlantic coast. Cheshire later withdrew his motion when the
special Committee on a Line of Division presented an amended report
which embodied in substance his recommendation. The convention
unanimously adopted the amended report. Cheshire was in favor of placing
the counties of Edgecombe and Halifax in the eastern Diocese and
retaining Cumberland in the old Diocese. When he saw, however, that
Bishop Lyman would not give up Edgecombe and Halifax, he recommended
that Cumberland should be included in the new division. This was the
arrangement finally adopted.
After an agreement had been reached on the line of demarcation, Cheshire
offered the following resolutions: (1) that the convention of 1883
ratify the work of the convention of 1882 relative to a division of the
Diocese; (2) that the Bishop of the Diocese and the General Convention
of the church be requested to give their consent to this procedure; and
(3) that all the securities and properties of the church in North
Carolina be equally divided between the two dioceses, as should be
agreed upon by a committee representing both. Cheshire's resolutions
were voted upon separately, and were all adopted. Following their
approval the convention received a letter from Bishop Lyman announcing
his consent to the formation of a new diocese. Thus was decided an
important, and vexing, problem of the church in North Carolina.
The convention of 1883 was the first in which Cheshire had taken a
significant part, but from that time forward his influence and counsel
became increasingly important. He was made chairman of the committee on
the division of diocesan properties. His committee had a difficult task
in dividing the permanent funds of the church to the satisfaction of
both dioceses. The problem caused a few very bitter discussions in
several succeeding conventions. Cheshire usually led the discussions,
often taking the side of the new diocese against Bishop Lyman and a
majority in the convention. More often than not he won his point, since
his opponents rarely took the pains to make themselves fully acquainted
with the facts. Cheshire was sometimes accused of being discourteous in
his manner towards the Bishop when they disagreed. It can be fairly
said, however, that he was never intentionally so. In a letter to the
Bishop he remarked that he often spoke excitedly and impetuously upon
any subject about which he felt very strongly, and that this
characteristic was sometimes interpreted as discourtesy.[20] Cheshire
had the highest respect for Bishop Lyman and admired him both as a
bishop and a man. Nevertheless, it was almost inevitable that two such
decided and forthright characters as Lyman and Cheshire should have
pronounced disagreements.
One of Cheshire's most valuable contributions to the diocesan
conventions was his services on the Committee on Canons. He was a member
of this committee from 1884 through 1893, with the exception of 1887-88,
serving as its chairman for several years. He made himself thoroughly
acquainted with the canons of the church, and while serving on the
committee, he did most of its work. During these years debates on the
canons occupied much of the time of the annual conventions. Long after
becoming bishop, Cheshire remarked that he was happy to observe that
this was no longer true, and that "We have come to be interested in more
important business." He did not mean to belittle the value of canonical
law, but rather to emphasize the importance of other work.
In 1887 Cheshire made a revision of the canons, expecting the convention
of that year to call for a revisal. He also carefully annotated the
canons and the articles of the diocesan constitution. The convention of
1887 did call for a revision to be made and be presented to it the next
year. However, Cheshire was "surprised and disappointed" when the Bishop
did not reappoint him to the Committee on Canons. Hearing of the work
Cheshire had already done on the canons, Dr. Kemp P. Battle suggested
that he should present to the next convention his revision as a
substitute for the one to be proposed by the committee. Cheshire decided
to follow this suggestion. When the committee presented its report to
the convention of 1888, he rose to say that he had prepared a revision
of the canons the year before and had been advised by some of his
friends to offer it as a substitute. Several requests were made from the
floor that he should explain his work. Following his explanation a
motion was made that his revisal be adopted in place of that of the
Committee on Canons. The motion was carried by a large majority, and
after making several minor changes, the convention adopted Cheshire's
revision. Its action was a signal tribute to the high character of
Cheshire's work.
From time to time Cheshire served on other regular and special
committees. He was a member of the Executive Missionary Committee from
1885 to 1891, and a member of the Board of Managers of the Thompson
Orphanage from 1886 through 1893. In all his activities he manifested a
zealous interest in the affairs of the Diocese. In consequence of his
work in the diocesan conventions and his productive ministry in
Charlotte, he came to be recognized as one of the outstanding clergymen
of the state.
Cheshire's first personal contact with the work of the church outside of
North Carolina was with the University of the South at Sewanee,
Tennessee. Feeling that the churchmen of his Diocese displayed an
unwarrantable lack of interest in the welfare of the University of the
South, he resolved to bring to their attention the needs and
opportunities of the institution. In 1885 he made an appeal for support
of the school in the columns of the _Church Messenger_. He wrote
personal letters to prominent churchmen, and made addresses on behalf of
the University in as many parishes as he could conveniently reach. His
voluntary efforts met with some success. Perceiving Cheshire's active
interest in the school, Dr. Jarvis Buxton, clerical trustee for the
University from the Diocese of North Carolina, resigned this position at
the convention of 1885. Dr. Buxton then nominated Cheshire to succeed
him, and the convention unanimously confirmed his nomination. From 1887
until he was elected bishop he attended every meeting of the trustees.
During this period Cheshire formed many lasting friendships with the
trustees and professors he met at Sewanee. These associations gave him a
better understanding of the church's work outside of his Diocese.
The diocesan convention further recognized Cheshire's ability by
electing him one of the clerical deputies to the Triennial General
Convention of 1886. He was re-elected a deputy to the succeeding
conventions of 1889 and 1892. As far as the journals reveal, he did not
take an active part in any of these meetings. It was characteristic of
him to have little to say in a body of which he was a new member until
he had become thoroughly acquainted with its personnel and procedure. At
the General Convention of 1889 he was made a member of the Missionary
Council and was re-elected to the Council in 1892. Attendance upon these
conventions further broadened his knowledge of the work of the national
church and brought him into contact with many of its prominent figures.
In consequence of his energetic parochial work and his active
participation in diocesan affairs, Cheshire received, during his
rectorate at St. Peter's, several calls to other parishes. In September,
1888, the vestry of Calvary Church, Tarboro, asked him to become their
rector to succeed his father, who wished to retire. Cheshire refused the
call. It is to be supposed that he preferred the larger opportunities
offered in Charlotte, but his personal papers do not reveal why he
rejected the invitation. Writing to him concerning his refusal, Bishop
Lyman stated that he was pleased to learn that Cheshire was to remain in
Charlotte, and that he recognized "how great a calamity it would have
been to the interest of the Church, in your own, and in the adjacent
counties, had you decided to resign your present position. I am sure,
too, that your determination to remain will greatly strengthen the
hearts of those around you, and greatly increase your powers of
usefulness."[21] This commendation of his work by Bishop Lyman, who was
not inclined to give excessive praise, must have been encouraging to
Cheshire. Three years later he received a call from the vestry of St.
Paul's Church, Macon, Georgia. They offered him a rectory and a salary
of sixteen hundred dollars a year, but he also declined this call.
The most complimentary consideration Cheshire received, prior to 1893,
was in the summer of 1891. At that time Rev. Henry Lucas, rector of St.
Mark's Church, Brunswick, Georgia, in behalf of himself and several
other clergymen, wrote Cheshire to ask if he had any objection to his
name being used as a nominee for bishop of Georgia. Lucas stated that
the diocesan convention of Georgia was to meet on July 1, in Macon, to
elect a bishop. Cheshire replied that if he were elected by the
convention he would be "on the whole unwilling to accept." The Georgia
convention met and elected a bishop, but Cheshire's name was not placed
in nomination because the delegates did not wish to risk a refusal. Rev.
A. W. Dodge, a member of the convention, wrote Cheshire: "I think we
could have elected you without any great difficulty if you had been
willing to serve us."[22] In none of his writings examined does Cheshire
give an explanation of his unwillingness to become bishop of Georgia.
His love for North Carolina and its people and a sincere conviction that
he should devote his life to the work of the church in this state is
probably the best explanation of his decision.
During these years in which Cheshire was assuming a greater share of
diocesan work, his parochial and missionary duties in and outside of
Charlotte were not neglected. The only serious criticism of his services
which was brought to his attention by his parishioners was that the
missions in Iredell and Mecklenburg counties demanded too much of his
time. Cheshire, however, maintained that in serving the rural missions
he was at the same time building up St. Peter's, since the missions
would eventually furnish many new members to the town parish. In spite
of this criticism, he continued his missionary and institutional work.
In 1885 and 1886 he gave wholehearted assistance to Rev. Edwin A.
Osborne in establishing the Thompson Orphanage in Charlotte as a
diocesan institution. The last parochial enterprise of St. Peter's
Church in which he participated was the founding of the Good Samaritan
Hospital for Negroes. The movement for the hospital was initiated by
Mrs. John Wilkes, with whom Cheshire co-operated in every way. He
devoted much time to raising the money for the purchase of a lot. In
1888 he laid the cornerstone of the hospital and three years later
officiated at its formal opening. The Good Samaritan was the first
hospital for Negroes to be established in North Carolina.
In the course of his pastorate in Charlotte Cheshire was on the
friendliest of terms with the ministers of the other denominations,
although he sometimes strongly differed with them. He was a member of
the local Ministerial Association, serving for a time as its
vice-president. The association often passed resolutions inviting
popular preachers to hold revivals in Charlotte. Cheshire, not in
sympathy with professional revivalists, customarily opposed this
procedure.
When the association once invited the well-known preacher, Sam Jones, to
hold a series of services in Charlotte for ten days, all the ministers
except Cheshire closed their churches during the revival. At the time,
he was criticized rather severely for his lack of co-operation. Some
eighteen months later Jones announced he was returning for a second
revival, although he had received no invitation. Hearing of his plans,
the Baptist pastor, at the next meeting of the Ministerial Association,
proposed a resolution that the ministers of the town should not close
their churches during Jones' visit, nor co-operate with him. He declared
that, while his church had gained a good many members immediately
following the revivalist's services, most of them had by this time
deserted him, and the whole effect of Jones' preaching had been to lower
and demoralize the religious life of his congregation. The other
ministers concurred in his opinion. Cheshire, however, objected to the
resolution on the grounds that he would not oppose any man who, as far
as he knew, was "honestly trying to preach the Gospel as he understood
it." He opposed it also as a matter of policy, since, in his opinion,
nothing would please Jones more than to be able to say that "a lot of
little two-by-four preachers got together, and voted to keep Sam Jones
out of Charlotte."[23] Cheshire's argument convinced the other clergymen
that he was right, and the resolution was dropped. The incident well
illustrates his keen sense of fairness and good judgment.
Cheshire's domestic and social life in Charlotte was happy and
interesting. Although his salary was not large, he was able to make his
family reasonably comfortable. When he and Mrs. Cheshire left Chapel
Hill, they had two children, Elizabeth and Sarah. During their twelve
years in Charlotte four other children were born to them—Joseph Blount,
Annie, Godfrey, and James Webb. This was a large family to support on a
clergyman's salary, but by good management they were able to make their
life pleasant. The Cheshires were hospitable people and enjoyed
entertaining their friends. The Dean of the Convocation of Charlotte and
the Diocesan Evangelist, as well as many other visiting clergymen,
usually stayed with them when visiting St. Peter's parish.
Cheshire made many friends in Charlotte outside of his congregation as
well as among his parishioners. He accomplished a great deal in building
up a more friendly attitude on the part of the other denominations
towards the Episcopal Church. The fearless and positive stand he always
took on questions involving the principles and policies of his church,
while antagonizing some people for a time, in the end won him many
admirers and the respect of all.
When Cheshire resigned his rectorate of St. Peter's in 1893 to become
assistant bishop of the Diocese of North Carolina, he left in the parish
a record difficult for any future rector to equal. In the course of his
twelve years at St. Peter's he had increased its membership from one
hundred and thirty-seven to two hundred and sixty-three. He organized
and established St. Martin's parish, St. Michael and All Angels' mission
for Negroes, St. Mark's mission at Mecklenburg, and St. Paul's mission
at Monroe. He sponsored the building of St. Peter's and the Good
Samaritan hospitals, and assisted Rev. E. A. Osborne in establishing the
Thompson Orphanage. These were significant accomplishments for a
rectorate of twelve years. But as almost everyone else, Cheshire also
experienced some failures. In his attempts to establish missions at
Rockingham, Mooresville, and Mount Mourne, he had not been successful.
However, balanced against his successes, these failures seem small.