Miles P. Squier

Miles Powell Squier, D.D. (May 4, 1792 - June 22, 1866), born in Cornwall, Vermont, was a minister in the early 19th century.

Early life

Squier was the second child of Wait Squier and Hannah Powell Squier, who were both of English descent and natives of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, they were married in 1790. He was one of three sons and three daughters who survived into adulthood, the names of his siblings were Wait, Jr., Calvin, Laura, Lorinda, Aurelia, and Huldana, Laura and Lorinda. His parents, Wait Sr. and Hannah Powell Squier moved to New Haven, Connecticut in 1794 where the elder Wait Squier took up farming. Miles P. Squier, who was in his youth, a rather precocious lad, graduated from Middlebury College in 1811. There is evidence that he attended under a scholarship program for the poor. Miles Squier was especially interested and proficient in Greek literature. Following Middlebury, he then attended Andover Theological Seminary, graduating in 1814.

Although he preached his first sermon to the parishioners of the First Presbyterian Society as a licentiate pastor in the service of the Young People’s Missionary Society in 1815, he so impressed the members that before he left, he was given a letter of invitation to serve as pastor for the then incredible salary of $1000 yearly. The then 24-year-old pastor moved to Buffalo, New York in December 1815; however, his installation was not until May 3, 1816. While living in Buffalo, on 22 February 1820, he married his wife, Catherine Seymour (8 October 1792 – 6 December 1873), then of Rome, New York but who was born in Hartford, Connecticut. Miles and Catherine had no children.

Pastorate of the 1st Presbyterian Church

From May 3, 1816 - January 1, 1824, Squire was pastor of the First Presbyterian Church and this would be his first and only time that he accepted such a position as a “settled pastor”. During his pastorate, the First Presbyterian Church membership grew, adding 158 members during his over seven years here. The first church building was constructed per a contract with Mr. John Stacy, a church member. The construction of this wooden building was authorized on Tuesday, December 24, 1822; the total cost of construction being $874, John Stacy however, deducted the cost of a pew for his own use. Money raised from pew sales totaled $100 in excess over the cost of construction. The edifice was completed in May 1824. During the 1823 construction, the congregation had fallen in arrears with payment of his salary, concern over the finances of the church led the then 32-year-old pastor to make the difficult decision that it was time to dissolve his relationship with the church, so on January 1, 1824, Rev. Squier preached his last sermon as pastor and moved on. He was the original owner of lots 85 and part of lot 86, located north of Chippewa and Main Streets in Buffalo, a plot which he sold on July 19, 1825.

Geneva, New York and Beloit College Years (1824-1866)

Following his ministry at First Church, Rev. Squier left Buffalo to do missionary work, supply pulpits and do education work. He and his wife settled in Geneva, New York where he established the Geneva Female Seminary and the Geneva Lyceum for young men, especially for those preparing for education for the Christian ministry thereafter; later, he served as financial agent of Auburn Theological Seminary, where he served on the Board of Trustees from 1838 to 1845, and then, in 1849, he received and accepted the professorship of philosophy at Beloit College in Beloit, Wisconsin In 1850, he was elected to the chair of Mental and Moral Philosophy following a $10,000 bequest to the college, this was a post he held until his death where in the 1865 catalogue that he received from Beloit College, he is listed as “Professor Emeritus” . During his long life, he maintained close ties with First Presbyterian Church and no doubt visited it during his travels between Geneva and Beloit. In 1862, Rev. Dr. Walter Clarke’s “The First Church of Buffalo - a half century discourse ” (pub. 1862), he mentions his close friendship with Dr. Squier and his assistance in providing information for that work. Miles P. Squier died June 22, 1866, in his old home where he lived, at 5 Lyceum Place in Geneva, located the heart of the Finger Lakes on the north end of Seneca Lake, at the age of 77. His wife, Catherine Squier, died December 6, 1873, in Geneva, at the age of eighty-two years.

Notes

External links

•  "Squier, Miles Powell". Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. 1900. 

Persondata
Name	Squire, Miles
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	May 4, 1792
Place of birth
Date of death	June 22, 1866
Place of death