USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Groton > Historical sketch of Groton, Massachusetts. 1655-1890 > Part 6
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The sixth minister was the Reverend Caleb Trow- bridge, a son of Deacon James Trowbridge, of New- ton. He was born on November 17, 1692, and grad- uated at Harvard College in the class of 1710. On March 10, 1715, he was married, first, to Sarah Oliver, of Newton ; and on September 18, 1718, to Hannah
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Walter, of Roxbury. Mr. Trowbridge was blessed with a family of nine children, and until recently some of his descendants were living at Groton. He died on September 9, 1760, and lies buried in the old burying-ground, where the inscription on a slab of slate laid over his grave makes a just statement of his religious and social character.
The seventh minister was the Reverend Samuel Dana, son of William Dana, and born in that part of Cambridge which is now Brighton, on January 14, 1738-39. He was a graduate of Harvard College in the class of 1755, and ordained in the ministry at Groton on June 3, 1761. No articles of faith or church covenant appear on the church records until the period of his settlement. On May 6, 1762, he was married to Anna Kenrick, of Newton; and they had five children born at Groton. His pastorate appears to have been harmonious until the political troubles of the Revolution began to crop out, when a sermon preached by him in the early spring of 1775 gave great offence to his parish. Mr. Dana's sympa- thies were with the Crown, while those of the people were equally strong on the other side; and the ex- citement over the matter ran so high that he was compelled to give up his charge. After his dismissal from the town and church he remained at Groton during some years, preaching for a year and a half to a Presbyterian society, then recently organized ; and later he removed to Amherst, New Hampshire, where he died on April 2, 1798.
The eighth minister was the Reverend Daniel Chaplin, a son of Jonathan Chaplin, of Rowley,
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where he was born on December 30, 1743. He grad- uated at Harvard College in the class of 1772, and studied theology under the tuition of the Reverend Samuel Haven, of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He was ordained at Groton on January 1, 1778, when he became pastor of the First Parish, and he continued to hold this relation until the time of his death, on April 8, 1831, being the last minister settled by the town. The degree of D.D. was conferred upon him by his Alma Mater in the year 1817. On June 24, 1779, he was married to Susanna, eldest daughter of the Honorable James and Susanna (Lawrence) Prescott, of Groton. After their marriage they lived for awhile in the house built by Colonel William Lawrence, who was Mrs. Chaplin's grandfather. It was situated on the north corner of Main and Court Streets, lat- terly the site of Liberty Hall, which was burned on March 31, 1878; and subsequently they removed to the dwelling built by Major William Swan, and situated on School Street, north of the burying- ground.
Dr. Chaplin's youngest daughter, Mrs. Sarah (Chaplin) Rockwood, died in Cortland, Cortland County, New York, on November 26, 1889, at the re- markable age of 104 years and eighteen days.
The ninth minister was the Reverend Charles Rob- inson, the eldest son of Caleb Robinson, of Exeter, New Hampshire, where he was born on July 25, 1793. He graduated at Harvard College in the class of 1818, and was ordained over the Unitarian Church at Eastport, Maine, where he remained two years and a half. Mr. Robinson was installed at Groton on No-
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vember 1, 1826, and resigned his charge in October, 1838. He was afterward settled at Medfield and at Peterborough, New Hampshire, but in the year 1860 he returned to Groton, where he resided until his death, on April 9, 1862. During his residence here he was married, on July 3, 1827, to Jane, only daugh- ter of the Honorable Stuart John Park, of Groton, who died on March 23, 1828; and subsequently to three other wives.
The tenth minister was the Rev. George Wads- worth Wells, son of Seth and Hannah (Doane) Wells, of Boston, where he was born on October 17, 1804. He graduated at Harvard College in the class of 1823, and then pursued his theological studies at the Harvard Divinity School. For a while he preached in Boston and Baltimore, and, on October 24, 1827, was ordained at Kennebunk, Maine, as colleague pas- tor of the first Congregational Church in that town, where he remained during eleven years. On Novem- - ber 21, 1838, Mr. Wells was installed over the First Parish in Groton, where he preached with great ac- ceptance and success until his death, which took place on March 17, 1843. The last time that he of- ficiated in the pulpit was on Sunday, February 5th of that year. He was married on May 30, 1833, to Lucia Gardner, daughter of John Fairfield, of Bos- ton. Just before graduation at college, his middle name was inserted by an Act of the Legislature, on June 14, 1823.
The eleventh minister was the Reverend Joseph Couch Smith, a native of Waltham, where he was born on July 18, 1819. He graduated at Bowdoin
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College in the class of 1838, and subsequently passed two years at the Andover Theological Seminary. On October 11, 1842, he was ordained in Portland as an Evangelist. After Mr. Wells's death he came to Gro- ton, and was installed on July 12, 1843. Here he re- mained during eight years, working diligently and faithfully in the cause of his Master, to which he had devoted his life. Finally the loss of his health com- pelled him to ask a dismission, and his relations to the society ceased in August, 1851. After passing six or eight months in foreign travel, and returning home much invigorated, he was called to the Chan- ning Congregational Church, at Newton. Here he preached for four years, when his physical infirmni- ties again compelled him to seek retirement from his cares and labors ; and he sailed for the Sandwich Isl- ands in the hope that he would still be able to act as an agent of the American Unitarian Association, but in this he was disappointed. After a rapid decline he died at Honolulu, of consumption, on December, 29, 1857.
Mr. Smith was twice married,-first, on August 31, 1843, to Augusta Hepsibah, daughter of Ivory and Louisa (McCulloch) Lord, of Kennebunk, Maine; and secondly, on December 8, 1846, to Margaret Ann, daughter of George and Margaret (Shattuck) Brig- ham, of Groton. His first wife died at Groton, on June 20, 1844, and his widow in Lowell, on March 31, 1864.
The twelfth minister was the Rev. Crawford Night- ingale, a son of Samuel and Elizabeth Kinnicut, (Thompson) Nightingale, and born in Providence,
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R. I., on November 3, 1816. He graduated at Brown University in the class of 1834, and at the Harvard Divinity School in 1838, and was ordained as an Evangelist, in Providence, on November 7, 1838. He was married, on May 13, 1846, to Mary Hoyt, daugh- ter of William Henry and Frances Wiswall (Hum- phrey) Williams, of Athol. Mr. Nightingale was settled over the parish on January 26, 1853, and received his dismissal on September 1, 1866, though he continued to be a resident of the town until the year 1875. Before coming here he held a pastorate at Chicopee, and had previously acted as a mission- ary in Toledo, O., and in Chicago. He has now re- tired from the laborious duties of his profession, though he preaches occasionally, and is living at Dorchester.
The thirteenth minister was the Rev. George Mc- Kean Folsom, a son of Charles and Susanna Sarah (McKean) Folsom, and born in Cambridge on Feb- ruary 6, 1837. He graduated at Harvard College in the class of 1857, and at the Harvard Divinity School in 1866. He was ordained at Groton on December 12, 1866, and married, on January 8, 1867, to Susan Cabot, daughter of Charles, Jr., and Susan (Cabot) Jackson, of Boston. In April, 1869, he left Groton and removed to Dedham, where he was installed over another parish. He died in Boston on May 20, 1882, and his wife at Dedham on June 27, 1871. An only child, a daughter, born at Groton on November 16, 1867, survives the parents.
The fourteenth minister was the Rev. John Martin Luther Babcock, a son of James Babcock, of Ando-
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ver, Me., where he was born on September 29, 1822. His father's family removed to Boston in the year 1825, where he remained until 1846. In early life he studied for the Baptist ministry, and joined the cleri- cal profession in 1852, though he was not ordained until January, 1854. He held pastorates at different towns in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, but later he changed his denominational relations and entered the Unitarian pulpit, being settled at Lancas- ter, N. H., before coming to this town. He was in- stalled over the First Parish on April 26, 1871, though he had been preaching here since December 1, 1870, and received his dismission on August 31, 1874, though he continued to fill the pulpit until April 1, 1875. Since leaving Groton he has given up the profession. On November 30, 1843, he was married (first) to Martha Day Ayer, of Plaistow, N. H., who died on January 26, 1846 ; and, secondly, on April 5, 1849, to Miriam Clement Tewksbury, of Wilmot, who died at New Hampton, N. H., on September 22, 1888.
The fifteenth minister was the Rev. Joshua Young, a son of Aaron and Mary (Coburn) Young, and born at Pittston, Me., on September 29, 1823. He gradu- ated at Bowdoin College in the class of 1845, and at the Harvard Divinity School in 1848. He was mar- ried, on February 14, 1849, to Mary Elizabeth, daugh- ter of Dr. Sylvanus and Mary Bell (Warland) Plymp- ton, of Cambridge. Mr. Young was settled in Gro- ton at the beginning of 1875, and still continues to be the minister of the parish. Before coming to this town he had held pastorates in Burlington, Vt., and in Hingham and Fall River. On commencement,
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June 26, 1890, he received the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity from his Alma Mater.
The formation of a second church in Groton dates back to the summer of 1825, when the venerable Dr. Chaplin, enfeebled by age, became so infirm that he required the help of an assistant. At that time he was well past eighty years, and the powers of a vig- orous manhood were beginning to fail him. On Sun- day afternoon, July 10, 1825, a very hot day, Dr. Chaplin, near the end of his sermon, fainted in his pulpit ; and soon after the question of settling a col- league pastor came up. This matter gave rise to much controversy and discussion, and resulted in a division of the old parish into two societies.
It happened during a period when throughout the Commonwealth many of the Congregational Churches were undergoing great changes in their creed, and were forming new lines of theological be- lief. Few persons of the present day are aware of the bitter animosity that prevailed in New England at that time, when these churches were torn asunder by internal dissensions, and of the sectarian feeling that followed the division of the parishes. At the begin- ning of the troubles the Reverend John Todd, a grad- uate of the Andover Theological Seminary in the class of 1825, had received a call to become a colleague pas- tor with Rev. Dr. Chaplin, but which, owing to cer- tain informalities, was never recognized by the town, and over his settlement the main controversy had arisen. The second society, made up of those who had now separated from the First Parish, was duly organized and a house of worship built, which was 6
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dedicated to the service of God on January 3, 1827, and at the same time Mr. Todd was ordained in the ministry. He remained as pastor of this society, which became known as the Union Congregational Church, until January 8, 1833, when he was dismissed at his own request.
The Reverend John Todd was the eldest child of Dr. Timothy and Phebe (Bud) Todd, and born in Rutland, Vt., on October 9, 1800. He graduated at Yale College in the class of 1822, and then entered the Theological Seminary at Andover. On March 11, 1827, he was married to Mary Skinner, daughter of the Reverend Joab Brace, of Newington, Conn., who died at Pittsfield on April 29, 1889. After leaving Groton, Dr. Todd held pastorates at Northampton, Philadelphia and Pittsfield, where he died on August 24, 1873, after an illness of three months. In the year 1845 the degree of Doctor of Divinity was conferred upon him by Williams College. He was the author of more than thirty volumes, besides many sermons and pamphlets, including among them "The Stu- dent's Manual," a work which has exerted a wide in- fluence on the young men of the country.
The second minister of the Union Church was the Reverend Charles Baker Kittredge, a son of Josiah and Mary (Baker) Kittredge, and born at Mount Ver- non, N. H., on July 4, 1806. He graduated at Dart- mouth College in the class of 1828, and at the Ando- ver Theological Seminary in 1832. He was ordained at Groton on October 15, 1833, but the time of his ministry here was short, as he was dismissed on August 31, 1835. After leaving this town he was set-
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tled over various parishes in different places, and died at Westborough on November 25, 1884. Mr. Kit- tredge was married, on July 9, 1830, to Sarah, daugh- ter of Charles and Susanna (Bayliss) Brigham, of Grafton, who died on March 26, 1871.
The third minister was the Reverend Dudley Phelps, a native of Hebron, Conn., where he was born on January 25, 1798, and a graduate of Yale College in the class of 1823, and of the Andover The- ological Seminary in 1827. He was ordained at Haverhill on January 9, 1828, where he remained until the year 1833, and during 1834 and 1835 was the editor of the Salem Landmark. Mr. Phelps was installed at Groton on October 19, 1836, where he continued as pastor of the church until his death, which took place on September 24, 1849. He was the father of the late Hon. Benjamin Kinsman Phelps, district attorney of New York, an only child by the first wife, who was Ann Kinsman, of Portland, Me. The second wife was Lucretia, daughter of the Hon. Benjamin Mark and Lucretia (Gardner) Farley, of Hollis, N. H., and of Groton, to whom he was mar- ried on October 12, 1837.
The fourth minister was the Reverend Edwin Adolphus Bulkley, a son of Erastus and Mary (Wal- bridge) Bulkley, and born in Charleston, S. C., on January 25, 1826. He graduated at Yale College in the class of 1844, and at the Union Theological Sem- inary in 1848, and was married, on September 28, 1848, at Huntington, Long Island, N. Y., to Cath- arine Fredrica, daughter of Daniel and Catharine Fredrica (Kunze) Oakley. Mr. Bulkley was installed
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over the society on September 18, 1850, and dismissed on January 10, 1864. Before coming to Groton he was settled at Geneva, N. Y., and on leaving this town he went to Plattsburg. At the present time he has charge of a Presbyterian Church at Rutherford, N. J. He has been blessed with eight children, of whom three survive, and five of the eight were born at Groton. In the year 1868 the degree of D.D. was conferred upon him by the University of Vermont.
The fifth minister was the Reverend William Wheeler Parker, a son of Ebenezer and Hannah Brooks (Merriam) Parker, and born at Princeton on March 2, 1824. He graduated at the Andover Theo- logical Seminary in 1858, and on August 24th, of that year, he was married at Holden to Emily, daughter of Joel and Diodamia Walker. Mr. Parker was in- stalled at Groton on May 16, 1865, and dismissed at his own request on August 25, 1868. Since leaving this town he has lived in several places, but is now residing at Harwich Port.
The sixth minister was the Reverend Jeremiah Knight Aldrich, a son of Nehemiah Knight and Sarah Bowen (Branch) Aldrich, and born in Provi- dence, R. I., on May 20, 1826. He became a licen- tiate after an examination before the Windham County (Connecticut) Association of Congregational Ministers, on June 4, 1862, and was ordained at Cen- tral Village, Plainfield, in that State, on February 17, 1863. He was settled at Groton on June 1, 1870, and dismissed at his own request on May 18, 1873. Mr. Aldrich was married, on June 3, 1848, in Providence, R. I., to Sarah Hamer, of Taunton.
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The seventh minister was the Reverend Benjamin Adams Robie, a son of Thomas Sargent and Clarissa (Adams) Robie, and born at Gorham, Maine, on Sep- tember 9, 1836. He graduated at the Bangor Theo- logical Seminary in the class of 1865, and was mar- ried on July 6, 1869, at Vassalborough, to Lucy Hedge Wiggin, of that town. He was settled as pastor-elect on April 1, 1874, and resigned on April 1, 1884.
The eighth minister was the Reverend George Austin Pelton, a son of Asa Carter and Ophelia (Austin) Pelton, and born at Stockbridge, on April 15, 1833. He graduated at Yale College in the class of 1861, and at Andover Theological Seminary in 1864. He was licensed to preach by the Essex South Association in February, 1864, and ordained "to the work of the Gospel ministry " without installation, at Franklin, on August 9, 1865. Mr. Pelton was mar- ried in New Haven, Conn., on April 27, 1864, to Catharine Sarah, daughter of Seth Warner and Cath- erine Post Brownson. He was settled as pastor-elect on May 15, 1884, and resigned on May 15, 1886.
The ninth minister was the Reverend John Bar- stow, a son of Ezekiel Hale and Eunice (Clark) Bar- stow, and born at Newton Centre on February 16, 1857. He graduated at Dartmouth College in the class of 1883, and at the Andover Theological Sem- inary in 1887. He began his labors at Groton on April 1, 1887, and was ordained and installed on June 29th, of the same year. Mr. Barstow was married at Wethersfield, on July 5, 1887, to Mary Weller Wol- cott, of that town. He was dismissed at his own re-
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quest on September 12, 1889, and is now settled over a society at Glastonbury, Conn. At one time his father was the principal of Lawrence Academy.
The tenth minister is the Reverend Edward Leeds Gulick, the present pastor. He is a son of the Rev- erend Luther Halsey and Louisa (Lewis) Gulick, and born in Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands, on March 21, 1862. He graduated at Dartmouth College in the class of 1883, and at the Union Theological Seminary, New York, in 1887. He began his labors on October 27, 1889, and was ordained on December 23d of the same year.
A Baptist Society was organized on December 5, 1832, and the Rev. Amasa Sanderson was the first minister. Captain Josiah Clark, one of the members, generously gave them the use of a commodious hall in the third story of a house at the south corner of Main Street and Broad Meadow Road. In the year 1841 the society erected a meeting-house on the spot where the Rev. Mr. Hobart's dwelling stood, which was a garrison-house in the summer of 1694.
Mr. Sanderson was a native of Gardner, Mass., where he was born on April 16, 1796. He was married, first, at Weston, in 1822, to Abigail Rand, who died on January 3, 1867 ; and, secondly, at Nashua, New Hampshire, in July, 1867, to Mrs. Mary Rebecca (Batchelder) Woodbury, widow of Seth Woodbury. Mr. Sanderson supplied the pulpit until May, 1843, when from feeble health he resigned his charge. He died in Nashua, New Hampshire, on June 1, 1877, and buried at Ayer.
The Rev. Alfred Pinney, of Auburn, New York,
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was the second minister, and had charge of the society from August, 1843, to August, 1844. He is a son of Joshua Lasselle and Mary (Lake) Pinney, and born at Middlefield, Otsego County, New York, on October 15, 1812. In early life he studied the profession of medicine, which he practised for a while, but soon afterward gave up in order to enter the ministry. He began a course of study in the academic department of Madison University at Ham- ilton, New York, with a view to graduate from the college and the Theological Seminary, but owing to trouble with his eyes he was compelled to abandon the plan. On June 8, 1841, Mr. Pinney was married in Troy, New York, to Olivia Marcia Brownell ; and he is now living at No. 95 Madison Street, Brooklyn.
The Rev. Lewis Holmes, a native of Plymouth, was the third minister. Born on April 12, 1813, he grad- uated at Waterville College (now Colby University) in the class of 1840. He was settled at Groton in May, 1845, and remained until May, 1849. Mr. Holmes was settled over various societies in Massachu- setts, and died at Plymouth on May 24, 1887.
The Rev. John Allen was the fourth minister, and his pastorate extended from June, 1849, to September, 1853. He was born at Mansfield on March 27, 1792, and died at East Providence Centre, Rhode Island, on November 28, 1882. He was married, first, in the year 1816, at Easton, to Sally Bonney ; and secondly, on April 22, 1856, in Boston, to Mrs. Anna (Carpenter) Carpenter, daughter of Caleb Carpenter, and a native of Rehoboth. His father's name was Joseph Allen.
The Rev. George Everett Tucker was the fifth min-
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ister, and his service began in November, 1853, and lasted until June, 1857. Born at Canton on February 29, 1820, he fitted for college at Pierce Academy, of Middleborough and graduated at Brown University in the class of 1842. He has held pastorates at var- ious places in Rhode Island and Maine, and died at Dedham on October 24, 1888, while on a visit, though his home was at Brunswick, Maine.
The Rev. Lucius Edwin Smith was the sixth min- ister, and served the society from December, 1857 to September, 1865. Mr. Smith is a native of Williams- town, where he was born on January 29, 1822, and a graduate of Williams College in the class of 1843. He first studied law in his native town and was ad- mitted to the bar in the year 1845 ; afterward studied divinity and graduated at the Newton Theological Seminary in 1857. His editorial services have been extensive, and he is now associate editor of the Watchman (Boston). The degree of D.D. was con- ferred upon him by his Alma Mater in 1869.
The Rev. Oliver Ayer was the seventh minister, and had charge of the society from April, 1866, till March 29, 1874. He is a son of Daniel and Nancy (Day) Ayers, and was born at Plaistow, New Hampshire, on August 2, 1810. He graduated at Brown University in the class of 1834, in the same class with the Rev. Crawford Nightingale, of Groton, and immediately after graduation became the principal of Rockingham Academy at Hampton Falls, New Hampshire. In the year 1837 he was ordained at Littleton, Massachu- setts, where he was the pastor of the Baptist Church until 1843, and then, after a settlement at Dover,
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Claremont and Deerfield, all in the State of New Hampshire, he came to Groton in the spring of 1866.
After leaving his town he was settled for six years over a society at North Oxford, since which time he has been living in Providence, with no pastoral charge. Mr. Ayer was married, first, on November 5, 1835, to Caroline Persis, daughter of William and Elizabeth (How) Garland, of Portsmouth, who died on Sep- tember 23, 1857; and, secondly, on September 16, 1862, to Susan French Sargent, of Lebanon, New Hampshire.
The Reverend Benjamin Franklin Lawrence was the eighth minister, and settled over the society from July, 1874, to August, 1880. He graduated at Colby University in the class of 1858, and studied at the Newton Theological Institution during the years 1859 and 1860. He has had charge of various parishes in New England, and is now at East Jeffer- son, Maine.
The Reverend Herman Franklin Titus served the church from December, 1880, to February, 1881, with- out settlement. He is a son of Moses and Sophronia (Patch) Titus, former residents of the town.
The Reverend Thomas Herbert Goodwin was the ninth minister, and settled over the society from October, 1881, to January, 1884. He is a son of Benjamin and Lucy Adams (Mixer) Goodwin, and born in Manchester, New Hampshire, on July 4, 1847. He was married, on March 23, 1871, at New London, New Hampshire, to Arvilla Olive Pattee, and is now living at North Hanover.
The Reverend Frank Curtis Whitney was the tenth
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minister, and settled over the church from August 1, 1884, to October 1, 1889. When he left the society he went to Minnesota.
The Reverend Samuel Bastin Nobbs, the present pastor, is the eleventh minister, and took charge of the congregation on December 1, 1889. He is a son of James and Eliza (Haynes) Nobbs, and born at Charlton Kings, Gloucestershire, England, on July 1, 1862. After a short residence in Australia he joined his parents in their removal from England to New York in September, 1881. Receiving his preparatory education at Gloucester, England, he entered the Theological Seminary at Hamilton, New York, in the year 1885, where he graduated in 1888. His first pastorate was at Newport, Vermont. Mr. Nobbs was married, on July 1, 1886, to Loue Maud Richardson, of Hamilton, New York.
During the year 1885 a house of worship was built at West Groton, which was dedicated on October 7, according to the ritual of the Methodist Church. The Congregational, Baptist, and Episcopal Societies of the town were well represented on the occasion, and everybody seemed to feel that the new building was a benediction to the village. In the "Life of John Todd " (page 181), written by his son, there is an early allusion to a chapel built during the winter of 1827, as follows : "My friends are preparing me a pretty chapel over at this spot [West Groton], and as soon as it is finished I am to open a battery there." All recollection of this building among the inhabitants of the village has now passed away.
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