For over 150 years, historic St. Paul’s Episcopal Church has stood at the intersection of S. Saginaw and E. Third Streets in Downtown Flint. Ground was first broken on May 9, 1872, the cornerstone set 20 days later and construction took 15 months to complete, ready for the first service held in the new church on August 24, 1873.
Along the way, the church has been the site of some of the most famous and celebrated exchanges of vows in city history. You’ll likely recognize some of the names and have heard of their estimable achievements.
One of the most notable weddings took place on April 18, 1906 when Margery Durant married Dr. Edwin Ruthven Campbell at historic St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. The officiant for the service was Reverend W. Dudley Powers and ushers included J. Dallas Dort and Arthur Bishop. When Dr. Ruthven came to Flint, he was a boarder in the home of Circuit Court Judge, Charles H. Wisner. After their nuptials, the couple moved into a home on Stevens St. just east of Downtown Flint.
For over 150 years, historic St. Paul’s Episcopal Church has stood at the intersection of S. Saginaw and E. Third Streets in Downtown Flint. Ground was first broken on May 9, 1872, the cornerstone set 20 days later and construction took 15 months to complete, ready for the first service held in the new church on August 24, 1873.
Margery was the daughter of William C. “Billy” Durant, founder of General Motors, Chevrolet, Frigidaire and A.C. Spark Plug, and the savior of Buick Motor Company. He started the Flint Road Cart Company, later Durant Dort Carriage Company with partner J. Dallas Dort, who was also heavily involved with all the companies. Arthur Giles “A.G.” Bishop was a bank president, chairman of the GM board, and financier of many of Durant and Dort’s business activities. Wisner built the first automobile in Flint history.
Once Durant’s physician, Dr. Campbell left his medical practice and went into the automobile business with his father-in-law, Billy Durant. He was instrumental in the founding of Chevrolet.
Sometime before April of 1910, the Campbell family had moved to a home on E. Kearsley St. Coincidentally, this home stood next door to that of the St. Paul rectory, home of Reverend Powers who had performed Margery and Edwin’s wedding. One address to the east of the Campbells was the home of Charles Stewart Mott. Their neighbors along E. Kearsley St. included some other well-known Flint families: Dr. James C. Willson and David Dunbar Buick (founder of the firm bearing his name).
The Genesee Democrat reported details of the Durant-Campbell wedding:
“Precisely at 8:00 o’clock the organist began the bridal chorus from Lohengrin, and Mr. J. Dallas Dort and Mr. Arthur G. Bishop, two of the ushers proceeding to the head of the center aisle, stretch broad satin ribbons down either side of the aisle to the main entrance. As Dr. Powers appeared in the chancel from the vestry room, the bridal party began the March up the aisle, led by the four ushers, Messrs. J. D. Dort, Arthur G. Bishop, Clifford Durant and Dr. Herbert A. Bruce, of Toronto, Ont.
Then came the maid of honor, Miss Annabelle Bagley, of Pittsburgh, PA., and the bridesmaids, Miss Lucy Reese, of New York City, and Miss Helen Chesbrough, of Detroit, followed by the bride, on the arm of her father. Meanwhile, the groom, attended by his best man, Mr. William B. Powell, of Boston, Mass., had entered from the Sunday school room. He met the bride at the chancel, and together they approached the altar, preceded by the other members of the bridal party.
The wedding gifts of which the bride and groom were the recipients comprised a wealth of beauty and costly tokens of substantial regard and good wishes, notable among them being 10,000 shares of stock in the Durant-Dort Carriage Company, of the value of $150,000, from the father of the bride.”
That stock gift from Margery’s dad is worth nearly five million dollars in 2025 money. Nice start!
On March 2, 1920 Charles Nash’s daughter, Mae, married Basile W. DeGuichard in a service performed at St. Paul’s by the Rev. J. Bradford Pengelly. Witnesses were Albert Champion and John McKeighan.
Charles Nash worked for Durant and Dort and later became president of Buick and then president of General Motors. After parting company with GM, he went on to form his own auto company, Nash Automobile which became one of the American automakers’ “Big Four.”
Champion was the co-creator (along with Durant) of the company bearing his name, A.C. Spark Plug, long one of the most important divisions of General Motors, and before that one of America’s greatest manufacturing concerns.
W.F. Stewart was an early carriage-builder, and later the primary body-builder for early Buicks. On May 29, 1901 his son, Samuel Sidney Stewart, married Emma Christy Willett (Billy Durant’s cousin, daughter of John Willett and Rebecca Crapo Durant (Billy’s sister), by St. Paul’s priest, the Rev. R. E. MacDuff.
Here’s how the Genesee Democrat covered it:
The wedding of Samuel Sidney Stewart and Miss Emma Christy Willett on Wednesday evening was one of the social events of the season. Mr. Stewart is the son of Mr. W. F. Stewart, and the bride is the granddaughter of Mrs. R. C. Durant. Both are popular young people in Flint.

(L-R) Stewart Mott, Ruth Mott, Sherrill Dansby, Susan Mott Dansby, C.S. Mott, Maryanne Mott. 2004.7.25 Ruth Mott Foundation Archives, Flint, MI
The marriage ceremony was performed at the residence of Mrs. Durant, corner of South 2nd and Church streets, at 7:00 by Rev. R. E. Macduff, rector of Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church, the ring service being used. The bride’s dress was of cream corded silk, trimmed with point lace and she carried bridal roses.
She wore a veil which was arranged in a unique manner as to be exceedingly becoming. Miss Anna Willett, sister of the bride, was made of honor, and Miss Jesse Wolcott was bridesmaid. Both were gowned in dresses of white muslin and carried American Beauty roses.
On October 17, 1913 Lucy Aldrich and Neil Berston were married in a ceremony held at the Aldrich home on Garland St. Aldrich was the daughter of Fred Aldrich, a senior leader of the Durant Dort Carriage Company, and then later instrumental in helping to bring Billy Durant back to Flint from New York where he was operating the Durant Dort Securities Company on Wall Street.
The reason this was critical is because Aldrich helped to convince Durant that he needed to save the foundering Buick Motor Company in Flint. As history shows, he did just that – and parlayed it into the General Motors Company and Chevrolet, among other magnificent achievements. Aldrich also played a significant role in the creation of that Chevrolet company, along with Buick and GM. He later parted company with Durant, along with Dort. They teamed up to create another Flint automobile company, Dort Motors.
Neil Berston went on to create a city recreational institution known as Berston Field House. Still operating and currently undergoing significant renovation, Berston is one of the most venerable and historic athletic facilities in America today.
Dr. Herbert Hills and Frances Pierce were married at the bride’s home on November 8, 1906. Dr. Hills purchased the first Buick in Flint, and when Aldrich helped coax Durant back to Flint, it was Hills who took Durant out on a series of test drives and then loaned him his Buick Model B for test driving. The result: Durant became convinced that the car was a “self-seller” and he could build Buick into a winner.
It was Frances and her brother John L. Pierce who gifted a gorgeous Tiffany window to St. Paul’s. John L. Pierce was one of the developers of the Capitol Theater, the College Cultural Neighborhood, and the Woodcroft neighborhood.
On December 22, 1954 Susan Mott and Sherrill Dansby were married at St. Paul’s, followed by a reception held at the historic Flint Golf Club. The club was founded by many of the auto industry founders.
Susan’s father was Charles Stewart Mott, founder of the Mott Foundation that has gifted over a billion dollars to Flint. His fortune resulted from his 60 years as a GM board member, among other business interests, including a term as Mayor of Flint. Mott’s original firm Weston-Mott, builders of automobile axles, was acquired by GM after Billy Durant, J. Dallas Dort and A.G. Bishop recruited him and then-partner William Doolittle to move their firm from New York to Flint.
The walls of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church witnessed the wedding ceremonies of many historic Flint figures; but on the days of those sacred events, the only thing that mattered was the beautiful bride and the joyful union of their families – just like today!
Many thanks to Walt Peake, Resident Historian at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and Genesee County Historical Society Board Member, for invaluable research assistance with this story.