144    NEW    YORK    STATE    GAZETTEER.

last Tuesday in May. This denomination has organizations in 32 States and Territories, in 19 of
which State Conventions are held. It has 4 educational, 9 missionary, 1 tract, and 4 Sunday
school associations, 1 relief fund, and 1 book and newspaper establishment,—all of which are of a
State character. It has 85 associations, 1,334 churches or societies, 913 church edifices, 655
preachers; 18 periodicals, and 9 institutions of learning.

Tlie Wesleyan Methodists.¹ This denomination in the United States was formed by
seceders from the M. E. Church, May, 1843.

Besides these, there are churches in the State known as Bethels, Evangelical, German Evangelical
Reformed, Jewish, Calvinistic Methodists, German Methodists, Moravians, French Evangelical
Fresbyterian, Protestant Community of Inspiration, Second Advent, True Dutch, Free, and Union,
numbering in the aggregate a large number of church edifices and communicants.²

RELIGIOUS, LITERARY, AM) BENEVOLENT SOCIETIES.

Societies of a religious, humane, and benevolent character began to be formed in considerable
numbers about 1822-25. The objects of these societies enlisted the co-operation of members of the
different religious denominations and of other philanthropic persons, and annual meetings were
held in New York for the several objects.    *

The time of meeting has been usually in the second week in May, and the appointments were
so made that the same persons could attend several of them in succession. These societies have
become numerous, and “Anniversary week” thus becomes a season of interest to thousands. The
assembling of so large a number of persons from distant sections of the Union has led reformers
of every degree to appoint the anniversary meetings of their societies at the same time and place;
and there is scarcely a society for the promotion of religion, morality, charity, or civil and social
reform that is not thus annually brought to public notice, its operations exhibited, and its
claims ilrged.

The societies exclusively under the control of a single denomination are noticed under the reli¬
gious sects.    ■>

The principal societies of a general character are as follows:—

Tlie American Bible Society, formed by a convention of 60 persons, mostly clergy¬
men,. May 8, 1809, has for its object the publication and distribution of the Bible and parts