USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Hanover > History and records of the First Congregational church, Hanover, Mass., 1727-1865, and inscriptions from the headstones and tombs in the cemetery at Centre Hanover, Mass., 1727-1894. Being volume I of the church and cemetery records of Hanover, Mass > Part 3
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"His children were Myron, born in Haverhill, N. H., 1794, and died 1818, aged 24; Lyndon Arnold, born at Haverhill, 1795, graduated at Dartmouth College, married a daughter of Rev. Dr. Griffin, and settled as a physician in Newark, N. J .; Stephen Sandford, born at Haverhill, 1797, and settled as pastor of the Congregational Church, Westminster, Mass .; Laura, who died in infancy; Carlos, born in Hopkinton, 1801, graduated at Union College, and settled as pastor over the Presbyterian Church in Massillon, Ohio; Grace Fletcher, wife of Rev. Job H. Martin, died in Haverhill, Mass., 1840; Sarah Towne, second wife of Rev. J. H. Martin, of New York; Harriet, wife of William H. Sandford, of Boylston, Mass .; and Ellen, wife of C. B. Sedgwick, Esq., of Syracuse, died May 23, 1846, aged 33. The wife of Mr.
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THIRD MEETING HOUSE.
Smith died in Pompey, N. Y., April 5, 1835, aged 64. He was living in 1847, in Boylston, Mass., but has since deceased.
"During the ministry of Mr. Smith the second meeting-house was torn down, and the third, or present house erected; which stands in the centre of the town, facing the East, and is a modest structure, surmounted by a steeple, and in the belfry hangs the old bell given by Mr. Josselynn, in 1785, and recast in 1788."
Rev. Ethan Smith had offered to become a member of the church on the condition, that if his moral character or conduct should be called in question he should be tried only by a council mutually chosen for the purpose, and the church had received him on this condition as a member. His wife, Bethesda, pre- sented a letter from the church in Poultney, Vt.
In March, 1830, the church was invited to sit in council, by pastor and delegate, to aid in forming the Third Congregational Church, Plymouth, into two churches. Deacons Barstow and Cook were chosen, that one of them might accompany the pas- tor, as they shall agree.
At the monthly church meeting, held June 3d, 1831, the church voted, that in the future, examinations of candidates be as usual by the committee, but also in the presence of the church, and that other members besides the committee have opportunity to ask questions.
Sabbath noon, June 12th, a letter missive was read to the church from Kingston, requesting the aid of the church in the installation of a pastor over the evangelical church in that place. Dea. Isaac Cook, with Dea. Barstow, as alternate, was chosen delegate with the pastor. Again on Sabbath, Nov. 6th, a letter was read from a committee of the church in Halifax, requesting the church to aid (with a number of other churches mentioned in the letter) in an ex parte council, to give advice relative to difficulties between their pastor and themselves, the pastor hav- ing utterly declined to unite in calling a mutual council. This church voted not to comply with the request ; at which the pas- tor, Mr. Smith, was grieved, deeming the vote uncharitable and irregular.
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REV. MR. WOODBURY.
About this time the pastor, being called to take a journey, hired a REV. MR. WOODBURY, of Boston, to supply his pul- pit two Sabbaths. Mr. Woodbury, though a total stranger to Mr. Smith, was well recommended, and was a candidate in good standing. After preaching one Sabbath, the church was con- vened on the following Thursday, Dec. Ist, and with Dea. Isaac Cook as moderator, voted to send the following communication :
"Congregational Church in Hanover to the Rcv. Mr. Woodbury.
"SIR: Having heard you preach last Lord's Day, and believing as we do that your preaching is subversive of the Gospel of Christ, and contrary to the confession of faith adopted by this church, and danger- ous to the souls of men, we, therefore, request that you would not preach to us the next Lord's Day."
This, as well as a case of church discipline the year before, shows that the church had a regard for discipline and its well being. The last Sabbath in Dec. of the year 1831, Mr. Smith having received an invitation from the Board of Overseers of the City Missions, of Boston, to engage as a city missionary, requested of the church a dismissal, and accordingly a council was called, and he was regularly dismissed Jan. 12th, 1832. The council were unanimous in their conclusions, and expressed themselves as highly gratified to find, from the documents, that there was a state of very desirable harmony existing between the pastor and his church and society; and that nothing had been exhibited, or even suggested, as detrimental to the minis- terial, the Christian, or moral character of the pastor. In his youth, Mr. Smith learned the trade of "tanner and currier and shoemaker." At the age of 18 he became a soldier in the Rev- olutionary War, and was stationed at West Point when Benedict Arnold attempted to betray the fort and the country into the hands of the enemy. It was not until he had reached the age of 21 that he began preparation for a liberal education. At the age of 30 he was a well-educated man, having been graduated with honor at Dartmouth College. He spent some time in studying theology, with the distinguished Dr. Burton, of Thetford, Vt. His first settlement was at Haverhill, N. H., where he remained
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THIRD MEETING HOUSE.
about 9 years. He was settled in Hopkinton, N. H., about 18 years, and when he was settled in Hanover, it was his fifth place of settlement. After he left Hanover, he labored about a year in Boston, as city missionary, and then was employed in the State of New York. His wife died in 1835, leaving him to travel alone the journey of life. He had ten children, eight of whom reached adult years. The whole period of Mr. Smith's ministry was 59 years. He was a great student of the Bible. His son, Rev. Carlos Smith, says of him: "He was an indefa- tigable Bible student, and beyond all the mer I ever knew, fa- miliar with the Bible. It was with him THE BOOK. He pored over it with ever fresh delight. I remember hearing him say, in his old age, 'new beauties were opened up to him contin- ually.' He had a warm and deep sympathy for all classes of men, however ignorant and degraded, and for all of those Christian and benevolent societies and operations which are adapted to promote human elevation and human happiness." He spent the closing years of his life with his children, partic- ularly with his daughter, the wife of William H. Sanford, of Boylston, where he died in the year 1849. It is remarkable that three of his sons were in the ministry, as pastors, and three of his daughters were wives of pastors.
At a regular church meeting, held April 4th, 1833, a commit- tee of three was chosen, consisting of Dea. Isaac Cook, Dea. Elijah Barstow, and Elisha Bass, to visit those members whom they judged to walk disorderly, and to make a report to the church at some future day. The same committee was appointed to make inquiry respecting the articles of faith. On the 8th day of the following June, a regular meeting of the church was held in the vestry, and Dea. Elijah Barstow being chosen moderator, an invitation was extended to the REV. ABEL G. DUNCAN to become their pastor, and Elisha Bass was appointed a com- mittee to communicate to Mr. Duncan the doings of the church. The following is the answer to their invitation:
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REV. ABEL G. DUNCAN.
To the Cong'l Chh. in Hanover and the Society connected therewith.
BRETHREN AND FRIENDS: Having prayerfully considered your invi- tation to settle among you in the Gospel ministry, and the leadings of Divine Providence, I now cheerfully consent to take the oversight of you, and to minister to you in holy things, on the conditions proposed. Praying that you may share with your children and the Israel of God in the blessings of his gracious covenant, I subscribe myself your ser- vant for Christ's sake. A. G. DUNCAN.
Hanover, Aug. 2d, 1833.
Accordingly, a council was convened at the house of Rev. Abel G. Duncan, Aug. 22d, for the purpose of installing him pastor, if thought proper. The council was composed of repre- sentatives from the following churches : 2d church, Abington; 3d church, Abington; 2d church, Randolph; Union church, Braintree and Weymouth; church in North Wrentham. Also Rev. Stephen Thurston of West Prospect, Me., afterward of Searsport, Me., was invited and was present. The members of the council were unanimous in voting that they were satisfied, after due examination into Mr. Duncan's doctrinal opinions, his views of experimental piety, his aptness to teach, and his views relative to entering the ministry of the Gospel. Installation services were held in the church at 2 o'clock, when the following persons took part : Rev. Moses Thatcher, of North Wrentham, offered the introductory prayer ; Rev. Stephen Thurston preached the sermon; Rev. Jonas Perkins, of Braintree, made the prayer of installation; Rev. Daniel Thomas, of 2d church, Abington, the moderator, gave the charge to the pastor; Rev. D. Brigham, of 2d church, Randolph, gave the right hand of fellowship; and Rev. Lucius Alden, of 3d church, Abington, the scribe, offered the concluding prayer. In the month of October following, Mr. Duncan and his wife were received as members of the church. Rev. Abel G. Duncan was born in Chester, Vt., in 1802. He graduated at the Bangor Theological Seminary in 1828, was set- tled for four years in Jackson and Brooks, Maine, and was installed in Hanover Aug. 22d, 1833. He proved himself a faithful minister and an excellent citizen, having had the honor
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THIRD MEETING HOUSE.
to represent the town for six years in the State Legislature, and having been for many years chairman of the school committee. Mr. Duncan remained in Hanover a little more than twenty years, and was active in school matters, and in the cause of temperance and that of anti-slavery. During his ministry the church experi- enced three special seasons of revival, and 60 persons by profes- sion and letter were added to the church. Soon after Mr. Duncan became pastor, two persons were excommunicated ; one for breach of covenant "in going to the Baptists without consulting with the church, and neglecting to give the church satisfaction," and the other for having "embraced the heresy of Universalism." In May, 1835, Joshua Perry was chosen delegate with the pastor to attend a council in Scituate, in order to install Rev. Luke Spofford pastor over the Trinitarian Church. In the following month the pastor, with Wm. Church, were sent to meet in council to advise the church in South Weymouth in relation to their affairs. In the month of July following, a day of fasting and prayer was observed by the church in view of certain "favorable indications of good to Zion." During the years that follow, we find that church meetings were regularly held, and from time to time persons were admitted into church member- ship, and in August, 1839, a committee of three, consisting of Deacons Barstow and Cook and Br. Elisha Bass, were appointed to converse with any members who might be guilty of breaking covenant or transgressing the divine precepts. In 1836, the church having considered the matter, caused to be printed a small pamphlet containing twenty-nine doctrinal articles of their creed and their covenant. Each article is followed by a list of passages from the Bible as proof texts. It seems that a certain promissory note called the Mellen note, had become a source of difficulty in parish meetings. By this note the parish was obli- gated to pay to the church six dollars annually for the expenses of the communion services. At a regular church meeting held Aug. 5, 1836, this note was relinquished and given up. In the summer of the year 1840, the meeting-house was painted white, and the stoves were removed into the entry. The aisles of the
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REV. ABEL G. DUNCAN.
house were also carpeted. While there were some signs of out- ward prosperity, we find the pastor mourning over the very low state of religion, so that in those days there were tides of relig- ious interest. During the last half of the year 1841, the church was engaged in a controversy with one of its members in regard to the doctrines, and at meeting after meeting the matter came up, and a committee was appointed also to wait upon him and report. This case of discipline was remarkable for the length of time consumed and the many meetings called in the controversy. Had the women been allowed to vote it might have been settled much sooner.
In regard to the favorable indications of a revival, a day of fast- ing, humiliation and prayer was observed March 9th, and March 25th we find the record that a series of meetings was held dur- ing the week, and Revs. Powers and Ward, of Abington, Lewis, of South Weymouth, Colman, of Scituate, and Perkins, of Wey- mouth and Braintree, preached. The weather was unfavorable, but the Holy Spirit was present and good results were manifest. April 7th it is recorded that REV. JAS. R. CUSHING, of E. Haverhill, held a series of meetings, preaching nine times. June 22d, Dea. Elisha Barstow died, after a few days' sickness, at the age of 73. It is recorded of him that he was a worthy man, "who for some months past has appeared very much devoted to the work of the Lord." We find the pastor in mak- ing this record giving expression to the feelings of his heart : "Ah! Lord God! Wilt thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel ? Turn us again and cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved." At the close of the year 1842, the pastor left an interesting record. We find recorded for the first time, in the year 1847, the amount of monthly benevolent contributions for the year. The amount was $85. Twenty of this was given to the A. B. C. F. M., twenty to American Missionary Association, and twenty-five to American Home Missionary Society. We find also at the close of the year 1849, the same amount and the same appropriations. In the year 1851, the pastor met with a severe loss. Sabbath evening, October 12th, Mrs. Lucia Harlow,
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wife of the pastor, died at the age of 56, after twelve weeks of severe suffering, borne with Christian meekness, patience, forti- tude and submission. She was a descendant of Govs. Bradford and Carver, and possessed a spirit worthy of her Puritan stock. At one time during her illness she remarked, in an ecstacy, " Precious Savior ! I shall soon be with him," and her last audi- ble accents breathed forth his name, "Precious Jesus." The following year the pastor was cheered by receiving into the church among many others, his two children, William Paley and Lucia Ann. In the year 1853, a donation of twenty dollars was given to the pastor by the Misses Sarah and Rhoda Ford to purchase a Pulpit Bible and Hymn Book for the use of the pul- pit. At a regular church meeting in 1834, it was voted that the pastor be requested to record the fact that the table and chairs used at the communion are the property of the church by regu- lar purchase with money raised by the church. In the year 1854 occurred the division of the church, "though," according to Rev. Mr. Allen, in his history of the church, "it was a friendly division, and as those mostly concerned thought to be a necessary one." Thirty-two persons, members of the church, were dismissed and recommended, March 10th, for the purpose of being organized into a church at the Four Corners, for the better accommodation of themselves and their families, and others living in that vicinity. Among them was numbered a large proportion of the church's most reliable and active sup- porters.
Soon after this division, it seemed necessary to the pastor to bring his long and faithful ministry in this place to a close. Accordingly there was read in the meeting-house Sunday, April 2d, 1854, the following communication to the church:
To the Congregational Church in Hanovor :
"Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ." I came unto you as soon as I was sent for, and for these twenty years and over have been laboring to fulfil the 'intent ye sent unto me ' to accomplish ; and for the past two years God had
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REV. ABEL G. DUNCAN.
given that measure of prosperity which appeared to be the promise of better days for this church and society. But a change has come over us, and the condition of things seems to indicate that another should come in my stead and reap that whereon he has bestowed no labor. PERMANENCY in the Pastoral Office seems to give way to the love of novelty and change, and the churches are in the course of experi- ment which, in the opinion of the General Association, will result most unfavorably to their interests. I have considered it my duty heretofore, to make sacrifices of feeling and of interest for the retard- ing of such a result. But wishing no longer to stand up for a prin- ciple so rapidly lost sight of in the excitements and changes of the day ; feeling it to be no longer a duty in view of the circumstances of your present condition ; realizing that my motives and sacrifices for the principle have not been, and still are not, appreciated by this people ; and being willing, while I commit my way to the Lord, to bide my time, I most freely yield to the desire of a change, having in common with the most devoted friends of this beloved church an earnest desire for its perpetuity, peace and prosperity. I, therefore, do now resign into the hands of the great Shepherd and Bishop of Souls, from whom I received it by solemn installation, and into your hands, the pastorate of this church, the resignation to take effect on and after the first day of May next ; and I respectfully request you to unite with me in calling a mutual council to advise relative to the matter. While I take this opportunity to express my gratitude for your multiplied favors, for which I pray that God may richly reward you, I ought in justice to say that my stipulated compensation has always been inadequate to meet my necessary expenses, more especially for the last few years, since the manifest lessened value of money, while my own means for making up your lack of remuneration have been sensibly diminished. The necessary result has been, not- withstanding all my struggles to avoid it, that I am unable fully to meet the clains on me, which are justly due. I prefer no claims, but do appeal to the generosity and magnanimity of those to whom I have ministered ; not because I so much desire a gift, but I desire that fruit may abound to their account. Although you have suffered a great diminution of your members, strength and influence, yet I trust that you will be united and will speedily secure a sound and godly ministry, and that you will humbly and prayerfully in faith and active, zealous effort, wait on the Lord for his blessing. May the light of this ancient Zion never be quenched, but shine with the pure radiance of truth and holiness from generation to generation. And suffer me to ask your continued prayers for one who has rejoiced in your joys, and sorrowed in your sorrows, and who has above all things desired and labored for your salvation, and the salvation of your children.
Yours in the bonds of the Gospel,
A. G. DUNCAN, Pastor."
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THIRD MEETING HOUSE.
1
This resignation was accepted by the church, and it was voted that the council to be called be the same that shall meet at the "Four Corners," April 12th, 1854, to organize the Congrega- tional Church there contemplated. Deacon Cook and Josiah Chamberlain were chosen to unite with the pastor in calling the said council and in representing the church before it ; and Dea- con Cook was chosen to attend with the pastor the council to be convened at the "Four Corners," to assist in the organiza- tion of the brethren who have been dismissed, and others who may unite with them into a Congregational Church, to worship in the new house recently erected in the village. Accordingly the council met at the house of Dr. Garratt, Hanover Four Corners, now the residence of James T. Tolman, and organized by the choice of Rev. James W. Ward as moderator, and Rev. Isaac C. White scribe. The churches invited were represented as follows :
Church in Abington Centre, Rev. J. W. Ward.
Joshua Whitmarsh, Delegate.
Hingham, Rev. E. P. Dyer, Pastor.
Hanson,
Isaac N. Damon, Delegate. Rev. S. L. Rockwood, Pastor.
Deacon I. F. Stetson, Delegate. Rev. H. D. Walker, Pastor.
East Abington,
Deacon -, Delegate.
Scituate,
Rev. Daniel Wight, Pastor. Deacon J. Cudworth, Delegate.
North Abington, Rev. J. C. White.
The council, after fully considering the papers and the facts, voted to dissolve the pastoral relation, and recommending that those who had enjoyed his ministrations should raise at least two hundred dollars as a mark of their continued affection and regard, and their desire to do justice to one who had labored long and faithfully in the Gospel ministry. They cordially recommended Mr. Duncan to the churches of Christ as a Brother beloved, a sound, faithful preacher of the Gospel, as one who
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1
REV. ABEL G. DUNCAN.
had long- sustained the relation of a discreet and affectionate pastor. They also expressed their deep sympathy for the en- feebled church, and somewhat disheartened by the diminution of members. We find that during his ministry in this place, Mr. Duncan baptized 117 persons, infants and adults, besides receiving a large number into the church. After closing his ministry in this place, he resided and was acting pastor in the Congregational Church in Assonet for eleven years, and after living in Scotland, a part of Bridgewater, for about five and one- half years, acting pastor there, he came back to Hanover in 1873, to spend the few remaining days of his pilgrimage, having reached the age of more than three score years and ten. Here, with health enfeebled in his house on King Street, he resided for about ten months with constantly failing prospects of recov- ery, much of the time upon a bed of sickness, until April 23d, 1874, when he quietly passed away. As he had lived a Christian life, so he died a Christian death, exclaiming shortly before he breathed his last, in the full triumph of a Christian hope: "Oh, precious, precious Saviour! Wonderful, wonderful Saviour! His name shall be called wonderful, counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." The Rev. Mr. Allen, a successor, in his historical account, says : "Mr. Duncan held the pen of a ready writer. Not only did he prepare his written sermons with great care and facility, but he wrote not a little for the press in fugitive and occasional pieces. I know, how- ever, of only four works which were issued in his own name. The first is an address which he delivered in Boston, in 1838, before the Physiological Society, of the city, and was published there. The second is a sermon which he preached in 1853, at the funeral of Mrs. Mary Anna (Perkins) Wight, the wife of Rev. Daniel Wight, of Cohasset. The third is a religious tract which was published by the Boston American Tract Society, on the subject of Baptism, for the manuscript of which they offered a premium (I think) of fifty dollars, and which they appraised to him. The fourth is a little book, called the "Pastor's Man- ual," a very good and useful work, and often of great conven-
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THIRD MEETING HOUSE.
ience in the performance of pastoral duties. Besides these he prepared several volumes of his own sermons in manuscript for the press, which were not published on account of the risk in expense which he would have to assume, and in the same way a volume of religious meditation in prose and poetry by himself, was prepared for publication, but for the same reason failed to come before the public." Mr. Duncan was a man of much more than ordinary talent and perseverance. After he was fifty years of age he began the study of the Hebrew language. The children of Mr. Duncan were Laura J., who married Nahum D. King, of North Adams, and died October 22d, 1859, aged 30 years. Lucia A., who married Henry S. Dean, of Taunton, and died April 3, 1881, aged 48 years; and William Paley, of Cambridge, a lawyer by profession, in practice in Boston, who studied at Williston Seminary, Easthampton, and at Amherst College, and married Abbie F. Crane, daughter of Capt. John Crane, of Freetown, and has two sons, John F. and Payson Williston, a daughter, Laura Mabel, born October 30, 1865, died March 31, 1867.
Reference has been made to the literary ability of Rev. Mr. Duncan. He was, indeed, a man of rare scholarship as a linguist, having an intimate knowledge of ancient and several modern languages, reading each tongue with facility, and in belles-lettres was equally gifted. He was a skilled logician and a wise coun- sellor in denominational church polity, and his advice was frequently sought by the several churches and ministerial asso- ciations in Plymouth, Norfolk and Bristol Counties. His modest and friendly demeanor at all times commended him even to those who opposed him in opinion. One incident is remembered concerning him in this connection. A man called at his house one evening during his pastorate at Hanover, and assailed him with violent language about a certain matter of opinion only. Mr. Duncan heard him silently to the end, and then with singular dignity and kindness, replied only in these words : "Rebuke not an elder." Suffice it to say, the excited caller was so much impressed by the manner and simple words
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