USA > Massachusetts > Hampshire County > Belchertown > Historical sketch of the Congregational church in Belchertown, Mass. > Part 15
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271
APPENDIX.
APPENDIX N.
THE ANCESTRY AND LINEAGE OF MRS. SARAH PORTER, WIFE OF REV. EXPERIENCE PORTER.
Mrs. Porter was the eldest daughter of Dr. Phineas Smith, formerly of Sharon, Conn. Dr. Smith was a lin- eal descendant of from Rev. Henry Smith, the first set- tled minister of Weathersfield, Conn., who came to this country from England, in 1630, and landed at Plymouth. He had been ordained a protestant minister in England. There is a record in family descendants, stating that the Rev. Henry Smith was installed in the ministry in Weathersfield, in 1637. (See Note A).
In a very valuable recent publication of the "FOOTE FAMILY," by Nathaniel Goodwin, Esq., of Hartford, there is the following notice of Rev. Henry Smith : " The first notice we have of him, is on the records of the first church in Charlestown, Mass., where, according to an entry therein, himself and Dorothy his wife, were ad- mitted to full communion of the church, on the 5th of the 10th month, 1637. As near as can be ascertained, he was installed in Weathersfield, in the spring of 1641, at which time the church was regularly organized. Mr. Smith died in 1648. But little is known of his ministry, as not a vestage of a church record is to be found during his life."
He left a widow, who married John Russell, senior, the father of Rev. John Russell, who was his immediate successor in the ministry at Weathersfield, and who moved from there with a majority of his church, to Had- ley, Mass., in 1659. Mrs. Smith was again left a widow by the death of Mr. Russell, and moved to Hadley with Rev. John Russell, in 1659. Rev. John Russell died in Hadley, December 10, 1692, in the 66th year of his age. Rev. Henry Smith left one son, Joseph ; he married, had a family, and died leaving one son, Ichabod ; he married, had a family, and died leaving four sons-Samuel, James, Ichabod, and Joseph. 'These four brothers were farmers and resided in Suffield, Conn. Samuel was born in 1697.
272
APPENDIX.
At 23 years of age he married a daughter of Rev. Cot- ton Mather, of Boston. Rev. Cotton Mather was son of Rev. Increase Mather, President of Harvard Col- lege from 1685 to 1701. He was son to Rev. Rich- ard Mather, who was chosen teacher in the first church gathered in Dorchester, Mass., in 1636. Rev. Richard Mather was father of Rev. Eleazer Mather, the first min- ister of Northampton, ordained there in 1661.
Samuel Smith, the eldest son of Ichabod, (and grand- son of Rev. Henry), had four sons and one daughter, Elizabeth ; she married Graves Loomis, of Suffield, Conn., and had a large family of children. His sons were Dan, Cotton Mather, Simeon, and Paul. The eldest son, Dan, was born in Suffield in 1731 ; he married Kersiah Devo- tion in 1752; she was daughter of Rev, Ebenezer Devo- tion ; they had one daughter, Lucy; she married Wil- liam Goodrich, of Sharon, Conn.
The eldest son, Dr. Phineas Smith, was born in Suf- field, Conn., January, 1755. He married Abigail Lay, of Lyme ; they had five sons and two daughters. Rich- ard, the eldest son, born 1779, was a graduate of Yale College in 1797, studied the profession of law, settled in practice in Batavia, New York, has been Surrogate of the County, and is still residing in that place.
Frederick, the second son, born 1782, educated a mer- chant, died unmarried, at Natchez, Mississippi, in 1817.
Phineas, the third son, born 1785, educated a merchant ; after arriving at the age of manhood he turned his atten- tion to the study of Theology, was licensed to preach, settled in the ministry, and is now in the State of Michi- gan in professional labors. He married Miss Sophia Tryon, daughter of Hon. John Tryon, of New Lebanon.
John L., the fourth son, born 1787, resides in the State of New York. George, the youngest son of Dr. Phineas Smith, born 1793, was a graduate of Yale College in 1812, went to the South, and died early in life. Sarah (554), the eldest daughter, married Rev. Experience Por- ter, in 1806; she died in 1825. (See Historical Sketch of her, page 59). Elizabeth, the youngest daughter (565), married Samuel Strong, Esq., and resides in this
273
APPENDIX.
place. DAN SMITH, EsQ., the youngest brother of Dr. Phineas Smith, of whom mention is made in the sketch of Mrs. Porter, married Betsey Hunter in 1780, and remov- ed from Sharon, Conn., to West Haven, Vt., in 1788. They had two sons and three daughters. Their eldest son, John Devotion, was educated a merchant, went to the South, and died in early life; William Hunter, the youngest son, was a farmer, resided in Vergennes, Vt, married Electa, daughter of Hon. Samuel Strong, of Ver- gennes, and died in 1843, aged 53; Lucy Maria, their eldest daughter, married Hon. Moses Strong, of Rutland, Vt., a lawyer by profession, in 1801 : she died there in 1823, aged 40; Betsey Matilda, the second daughter, married Mark Doolittle, the author of these sketches, in 1807; she died in 1814, aged 28 ; Lorane, the third daughter, married Rev. Nathan S. S. Beman, D. D., of Troy, New York, in 1811, his first wife ; she died in the State of Georgia in 1818, aged 30.
Rev. Cotton Mather Smith, the second son of Samuel Smith, and uncle of Dr. Phineas Smith, was many years a settled minister in Sharon, Conn. He had one son, HON. JOHN COTTON SMITH, Governor of Connecticut from 1813 to 1817. He was also a member of Congress and a judge of the Supreme Court of Conn.
APPENDIX P.
THE DOOLITTLE FAMILY.
Abraham Doolittle, supposed to be the progenitor of all by the name of Doolittle in this country, came from England and settled in New Haven, Conn., about the year 1640 or 1642. In 1644 he took the oath of fidelity in the Colony, and acted as Executive County Officer in New Haven. He was one of the three appointed by the New Haven Committee, to superintend the affairs of the
274
APPENDIX.
New Settlement. This "New Settlement " was after- wards, in 1670, incorporated into a town by the name of Wallingford. He was one of the first settlers in that town, and before its incorporation. He was one of the village Vigilence Committee in the time of King Phillip's war; his house was protected by a picket fort, against an attack by the Indians. He married, and by his first wife he had two sons and two daughters. Abraham, his eldest son, was born February 12, 1649; John, his sec- ond son, was born June 14, 1655; Elizabeth and Mary were the names of his daughters. After the death of his first wife, he married Elizabeth Mosse, July 2, 1663. By his second wife he had seven children. Samuel, his eld- est son by his second wife, was born July 7, 1665 ; the other sons by the second marriage were, Joseph, Ebene- zer, Daniel, and Theophilus. Abraham Doolittle died in 1690. Joseph, his son, married Sarah Brown, daughter of Samuel Brown ; he died in May 1733, aged 66. Eb- enezer married Sarah Hall, daughter of Samuel Hall ; he died in December, 1711, aged 39. Daniel married Hannah Cornwall; he resided in Middletown. Theoph- ilus married Thankful Hall, daughter of David Hall. John, the second son of Abraham by his first wife, mar- ried for his first wife, Mary Peck, February 13, 1682. His second wife was Grace Blakesley. Benjamin, a son of John, born July 10, 1695, was a graduate of Yale Col- lege in 1716, studied Theology, and was settled in the ministry in Northfield, Mass., in 1718: the first settled minister in that place ; he married Lydia Todd, October 14, 1717; he died suddenly in Northfield, January 9, 1748. Samuel, a brother of Rev. Benjamin, moved from Wallingford to Northfield, and died there in 1736, leav- ing two sons, Ephraim and Moses. Daniel, son of the first Abraham, died in Wallingford in 1755, aged 80; he left a son by the name of David. An only daughter of David, Elizabeth, married David Brooks, a graduate of Yale College in 1768.
Abraham Doolittle, 2d, married for his first wife, Mercy Holt, daughter of William Holt of New Haven, Nov. 9, 1680 ; by her he had two sons and two daugh-
275
APPENDIX.
ters. John, the eldest son, born August 13, 1681; Abra- ham, born March 27, 1684; Sarah, born February, 1686, and Susanna, born April 15, 1688. His second wife was Ruth Lathrop, from New London, a sister of John and Joseph Lathrop; she died leaving no children. Abra- ham, 2d, married for a second wife Elizabeth Thorp, daughter of Samuel Thorp; by her he had three sons- Samuel, Joseph, and Thomas, born between the years 1698 and 1705 inclusive. John Doolittle, the eldest son of Abraham, 2d, married for his first wife, Mary Freder- ick, daughter of William Frederick of New Haven, Feb- ruary 28, 1705 ; after her death he married Mary Lewis. By these two wives he had ten children : four sons and six daughters. His sons were, John, Frederick, Obed, and Nathan; his daughters, Susanna, Eunice, Phebe, Mary, Kersiah, and Patience. These children were born between the years 1707 and 1732 inclusive. He died at Wallingford in in 1745.
John, the eldest son of John, and grand-son of Abra- ham, 2d, born February 6, 1712, married in 1734, had two sons and two daughters; his sons were Philemon and Titus ; his daughters, Eunice and Hannah. He died at Wallingford in 1746. Philemon, his eldest son, married Lydia Hall, January 5, 1757. He had four sons and five daughters. His sons were John Frederick, Rice, Jared, and Jesse ; his daughters, Phebe, Kersiah, Lydia, Patience, and Hannah. Philemon moved from Walling- ford, Conn., to Blandford, Mass., in 1771, and again moved to Western New York in 1795.
Titus Doolittle, Esq., the youngest son of John, and great-grand-son of Abraham, 2d, was born at Walling- ford, June 12, 1745; married Mary Lewis, daughter of Dr. Lewis of Wallingford. In 1771 he moved from Wal- lingford to Westfield, Mass., with a young family. The part of Westfield where he settled was incorporated into a town by the name of Russell, in 1792. He was a farmer by occupation. He had five sons and three daugh- ters. His eldest son, John, died in early life, unmarried ; his second son, Titus, a farmer by occupation, married
276
APPENDIX.
1
Mary Tracy, daughter of Rev. Stephen Tracy, of Norwich, Mass., in 1794; she died in 1843. He is living in Pains- ville, Ohio. He has had a family of ten children, most of whom have died ; has no son living. Joel, the third son, was a graduate of Yale College in 1799, was a Tutor in the College at Middlebury, Vt., studied the profession of law, settled in business at Middlebury ; married Sa- rah P. Fitch, daughter of Ephraim Fitch, Esq., of Paw- let, Vt. He was at sundry times a member of the State Legislature, of the Governor's Council, and many years a Judge of the Supreme Court of the State of Vermont. He was a member of the Corporation of Middlebury College. The last State office that he held, was that of member of the Board of the Council of State Censors ; he was chosen President of the Board. He died at Middlebury, March 9, 1841, aged 67. He left four sons and two daughters. His sons were, John Titus, Charles Hubbard, Joel, and Mark Raboteau. These sons are in Ohio; three of them in Painsville. His daughters were, Sarah and Elizabeth. The fourth son, Amasa, a farmer by occupation, resided in Cheshire, Conn. ; he married Mary Hitchcock, daugh- ter of Amasa Hitchcock, of Cheshire ; he died in 1825, aged 49, leaving one son, Amasa Lewis, now residing in Cheshire, and one daughter, Mary ; she married Reuben Palmer, Esq., and now resides in West Springfield, Mass. Mark, the fifth and youngest son, was a graduate of Yale College in 1804, studied the legal profession, settled in Belchertown, and is the author of these Sketches. For
his first wife he married Betsey Matilda Smith, daughter of Dan Smith, Esq., of West Haven, Vt ; she died Nov. 13, 1814, aged 28. (See Appendix N, page 271). She left two daughters-Lucy Maria, born August, 1809, mar- ried Dr. Horatio T. Johnson of Belchertown, in 1834, and now resides in this place ; Betsey Matilda, born in May 1814, married John Stacy, a graduate in 1837 of Yale College, in 1838. They now reside in Addison, State of New York. He is Principal in an Institution for Classical Instruction. August 10, 1817, Mark Doo- little married for his second wife, Sarah T. Raboteau, daughter of Charles C. Raboteau, Esq., formerly of
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APPENDIX.
Newburyport. By this marriage he had two children : William C., who died in early childhood, and Sarah Lo- rane, who died July 29, 1842, aged 18 years. The daughters of Titus Doolittle, Esq., were, Elizabeth, married Abraham Bradley of Russell ; she died April 28, 1831, aged 64, leaving sons and daughters. Mary, . married Noble Fowler of Southwick, Mass .; she died March 11, 1847, aged 78, leaving four sons. Martha, married Solomon Gillett of Colchester, Conn., and now resides in that place. Titus Doolittle, Esq., died Nov. 23, 1818.
Ist Generation, Abraham Doolittle, died Aug. 11, 1690, aged 70. 2d
Abraham Doolittle, 2d, died Nov. 10, 1732, aged 83.
3d « John Doolittle, died Nov. 1746, aged 65.
4th
John Doolittle, 2d, died Nov. 1747, aged 35.
5th « Titus Doolittle.
6th Mark Doolittle.
25
NOTES.
-
NOTE A.
I am inclined to think that there is an error in date of the record stating that Rev. Henry Smith was installed at Wethersfield, in 1637. It was probably in 1641. It is stated by Mr. Goodwin, in his work before alluded to, that previous to the installation of Rev. Henry Smith as the first pastor of the church at Wethersfield, Rev. Richard Denton and Rev. Mr. Pruden labored with the people, until the former left in 1641, for Rippowams, and the latter joined his own church at Milford. Previous to 1641, unhappy divisions arose in that church ; the con- tention was carried before the General Court, at Hart- ford, in 1640. In these contentions several names are given, of those prominent in that controversy. Mr. Smith's name is not used or adverted to in these conten- tions, till 1643, when he became the object of censure and severe accusation. These charges were finally brought before the Governor and Magistrates, and fully heard, and Mr. Smith cleared from all imputation of blame or wrong, by the unanimous decision of the whole Court, and an order passed, to be read in the several towns, for clearing Mr. Smith from all accusations against him ; and another order passed, that whosoever should be con- victed, under two witnesses, of renewing or continuing the former complaints against him, shall forfeit to the County ten pounds. In 1644 a part of the church seced- ed and made a settlement in Totocket, (now Branford), and the contentions ceased.
280
NOTES.
NOTE B. (From page 14).
There is nothing to be found on our church or precinct records, stating the nature of the difficulties that existed between Mr. Billing and the church, which lead to his dismission. I have in my possession, manuscripts one hundred years old, handed down from father to son, cast- ing some light on this subject. A presentation of it is in the following document, under date of 1750 :
"In as much as many are endeavouring to destroy ye Rev. Mr. Edward Billing's character, and prevent his be- ing useful and serviceable to ye souls of our fellow men, we think ourselves obliged to let ye world know ye follow- ing things, namely : that ye rise and ground of yº fierce contention at Cold Spring with Mr. Billing, was his dif- fering sentiments from most of ye church with respect to ye qualifications for ye enjoyment of ye two sacraments, upon ye account of his holding that none but visible christians or saints were to be admitted to ye special or- dinance. A great clamour was raised in this part of the country, and church meetings were frequently called to prepare ye way for Mr. Billing's dismission; and at last ye church and pastor agreed in passing ye following vote : ' The pastor and church at Cold Spring, being divided in their sentiments with regard to ye qualifications which give a right to 'full communion' in ye church, when con- vened at ye meeting house, ye 2d Tuesday of September, 1750, voted to call a Council, in a convenient time, to consider and give advice with regard to their difficult circumstances, resulting from ye above mentioned differ- ent sentiments. Voted, at a church meeting, 9th of Oc- tober, 1750, yt ye business of ye Council, whenever called, shall be this, viz : to endeavour to accommodate the dif- ference between pastor and church, and if the endeavours prove ineffectual, then proceed to determine whether pas- tor and church, being of different sentiments as above mentioned, be a reasonable ground for separating them'."
The Council convened, but I can find no result speci- fied of their doings. The differences of opinion as to
1
281
NOTES.
qualifications for the enjoyment of the two sacraments were not reconciled. I can find nowhere the point of dif- ference between Mr. Billing and a majority of the church specifically stated, or the thing claimed by one party, and denied by the other. We have seen (page 16 and 17), that those embracing the half-way covenants, admitted persons to baptism and to the church, as being in "a state of education," and upon a moral sincerity ; yet did not admit them to "full communion"-that in form the church had distinct covenants, one for those thus admit- ted, and one for such as were admitted to full commun- ion. From all the sources of information that have come within my reach, I infer that Mr. Billing did not fellow- ship this practice, or believe it to be scriptural. It is clear to my own mind, that Mr. Billing maintained that none should be admitted into covenant relation to the church, or entertained as members in any sense, but such as professed experimental religion. Such a faith as the half-way covenant churches required of those that were admitted to " full communion"-that none but such had any right, on their own account, to participate in the or- dinances of the church. This question did not touch the right of infant baptism upon the faith of parents, but ap- plied to those only who on their own account sought the privileges of the church, without any profession of exper- imental religion.
I have found no evidence that this question which dis- turbed the peace of the church in Mr. Billing's day, and caused his dismission, was ever a disturbing subject after the settlement of Mr. Forward. The Articles of Faith adopted at his settlement, were those of the Reformation, and such as have ever been held by the church since. Other trials, however, were visited upon the settlers. The war between England and France, in which the Colonies were involved, was severe in demands on their time, ser- vice, and means of living ; heavy drafts for money and men were made repeatedly. In 1757 a draft was made for forty one effective militia men to go into that service as soldiers. The order was complied with. It embraced no small portion of the heads of families in the place,
25%
282
NOTES.
and on whom their prosperity in civil and religious af- fairs depended. Thirty-two of this number that went out were church members ; they were out different lengths of time; it proved a sore calamity to the settlers, and would have been such if their pay had been more. Their remuneration was very small. At a session of the Gen- eral Court, held in June, 1758, an order passed for pay- ment of those of the militia who had been out in that campaign, as follows :
For each Colonel,
10ª
$1,67 per day.
66
Lt. Colonel,
8ª
1,33 "
Major,
1,17
66
66
Captain,
5ª
83
66
66
66 Lieutenant,
38 9ª
621
66
Ensign,
3ª
50
66
Adjutant,
38
50
66
47
66
Corporal,
28 9ª
46
6€
66 Soldier,
2ª 8ª
44
66
9707
66
Chaplain,
5ª
83
Surgeon,
4º 6ª
75
Serjeant,
2º 10ª
$
H
.
&
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