USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Granville > History of Granville, Massachusetts > Part 19
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seven children ; sent one boy to college at an expense of $600.00 ... "
From having their religious services in private houses here and there, he early secured a regular meeting place, for it appears in the records of the South East School District that on September 14, 1818, it was "voted that the Baptist people have the liberty to occupy the School House for Religious worship." This was a long step forward and it was soon followed by another. Through his influence a site for a meeting house was secured. On March 31, 1821, Bishop Tillotson and Samuel Tillotson conveyed by warrantee deed to the "Baptist Church" the land whereon the present meeting house stands. The description of the land in that old deed is inter- esting. It says : "Beginning on the east side of the old highway from Granville to Granby ten rods south of the Wheelwright's Shop on the Gillet lot, so-called, to a stake and stones; thence southerly on the highway twelve rods to a stake and stones; thence east four rods to a stake and stones ; thence northerly parallel to the highway twelve rods; thence west four rods to the point of beginning; con- taining forty-eight rods of ground." Another piece of land described in the deed was on the other side of the road. This deed is recorded in Hampden Registry of Deeds in Volume 68 at page 111.
Three years later, in 1824, he succeeded in getting the meeting house erected, himself helping to build it. This house of worship was used by the church until 1849, when it was decided to build a larger meeting house, and a committee was appointed to "sell the old house as soon as practicable." How promptly this committee performed its duties is indicated by an entry a month later (April 29, 1849) : "The old meeting house has been sold at auction to John Phelps for $105.00." It was then moved across the road and some- what to the south where it now stands and is occupied as a dwelling house. It is owned by Lillian Vecchio.
Upon the removal of the old building, services were conducted temporarily in the Academy building near by, while the new meeting house was in process of construction. The building committee con- sisted of Rev. George D. Felton, Edmund Barlow and William H. Spelman. A contract was made with Silas Noble to build the new meeting house. In this contract fixed sums were specified for different parts of the structure and Mr. Noble, being a conscientious young
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man, carried out the specifications literally. The sum determined upon for the seats was less than it should have been and the only way Mr. Noble could figure out how to keep within the allowance was to cut down on the width of that part upon which the worship- pers sat. Those narrow seats had one very practical advantage to recommend them. When any one in the congregation happened to fall asleep during the preaching service, the sleeper promptly slipped off onto the floor. One such slip per person was sufficient to cure such lapses. Later on, this short sighted economy was remedied by making the seats wider. So rapidly was the building erected that the dedication service was held in it December 19, 1849, and it has been in constant use ever since. A little more light is given us by another entry in the record, which is the following: "April 6, 1850. J. S. Root is authorized to settle with Mr. Noble for building the meeting house. Debt not far from $100.00." Apparently the church was sound financially as well as spiritually. The meeting house was without a bell for a number of years but this lack was supplied in 1863. An entry in the diary of Ira L. Root under date of August 6, 1863, in reference thereto says: "they have hung the new bell." Horse sheds for the protection and shelter of the teams of the worshippers were added about that time. These were southerly from the meeting house and were discarded only upon the arrival of the automobile in the early part of the present century.
The calls upon the church for help were as many and as varied in the earlier days as in this generation, and this little church gave of its substance then as well as now. In the handwriting of Mr. Felton appears this item : "December 1, 1850. Took up a contribu- tion for Bro. Edmund Kelly, a colored preacher, pastor of the 2nd Baptist Church in New Bedford, to aid him in purchasing from bondage his wife and four children, who are now in Tennessee, held in slavery by James Walker." This kind of a call would appeal to a sympathetic gentleman like Mr. Felton.
Another entry, still in his own handwriting, helps us further to understand and appreciate the fine sentiment of this man. "Died, March 21, (1851) Sister Abigail Gillet aged 76, the last of the little band who first formed themselves into a Baptist church in this place." Only a fine grained gentleman could write such an epitaph.
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In 1835 Elder Root ceased his labors as pastor of the church and in 1846 passed to his reward.
Following Elder Root there were sundry short pastorates and on the first Sunday after Thanksgiving in 1843, a young man by the name of George D. Felton began to supply the pulpit. The following spring he was called to the pastorate and began his labors as their settled minister on April 1, 1844. Soon thereafter he took unto himself a wife, a sister of his deceased wife, and they lived in the house on the north side of the road leading from Granville to Granville Center occupied in 1935 by Thomas A. Banks, and later by Archie Jensen. This house was then called the old parson- age. Title thereto stood in the names of two of the deacons of the church, individually, and when it was decided to build a new and larger meeting house (the present one) these two deacons wished to contribute the value of this parsonage to the funds for the new building, so Mr. Felton very obligingly bought the parsonage from them and paid them what they had paid for it, to wit : $450.00. This was in 1849. Mr. Felton lived in this house until the end of his pastorate.
Mr. Felton was a refined, scholarly gentleman, warm hearted and spiritual in the care of his parish which he served for twenty-one years. How diligently he worked may be seen by the data compiled by him and offered in connection with his farewell sermon on Janu- ary 15, 1865. He had in the course of his ministry added 75 new members to his church; performed 70 marriages; attended 400 funerals ; preached 2100 sermons and conducted 3150 prayer meet- ings. In 1850 he established a Sunday School which has continued to the present time. Truly a notable service for a people he loved.
After his resignation he served a church in Robertsville, in the town of Colebrook, Connecticut, and a church in Bloomfield, Con- necticut, and in poor health returned to Granville in 1874 to spend his remaining years. Here he purchased his former home, which he had sold upon closing his ministry here in 1865, and continued to reside there until his death in 1885.
For about thirty years the question of a parsonage had not bothered this sturdy church, but shortly after the resignation of Mr. Felton it pressed for attention and in 1873 and 1874 the church
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secured the Academy Building which was, and now is, the building next north of the meeting house. It became necessary to obtain four deeds to acquire the entire title, the first one being dated August 27, 1873, and the last one July 31, 1874. In all these deeds, curiously enough, the grantee is not the church, but the several deacons of the church in their official capacity. This building was remodelled and has since been known as the parsonage.
When the meeting house was built, the choir was provided for in the gallery at the west end of the building according to the approved style of that day, but in 1874 an addition was made to the east end of the meeting house so that the choir could be before the congre- gation instead of being behind it. After a few more years, the need of a chapel was felt and another addition to the meeting house was made at the northeast corner of the building, of appropriate size and shape, and this was used the first time September 12, 1889, for the regular Thursday evening prayer meeting. This enlargement of their plant satisfied all demands for several years. From the time of its construction the meeting house had been heated (?) by wood burning stoves, but in 1893 a furnace was installed and was used for the first time January 14, 1894, to the greatly increased comfort of the congregation. Later there arose a need for kitchen facilities in connection with their social meetings, so in 1927 the chapel was extended to the north sufficiently to meet the needs of the time, and the desired equipment added. Still another addition to the chapel was made in the latter part of 1935. This latest enlargement of its facilities is twelve feet wide and extends the entire length of the chapel. It is on the east, or rear side and has space in the basement for a furnace for heating purposes. This involved securing some additional land from Miss Lillian R. Gaines and her sister and brother.
The church organization was found to be rather unwieldy and awkward to handle, so the church was incorporated January 18, 1905, thus keeping up with the best methods of procedure.
In its earlier years when Baptists were scarce in this part of New England, the church was a member of the Danbury, Connecticut, Association, but it is now a member of the Westfield Association and has been such since 1825.
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In the 155 years of its existence, this church has had a long list of faithful and for the most part hard working pastors who have been duly installed and resided in Granville.
Mention ought to be made that in the early days of this church its facilities for baptism were of the pioneer type. Having no other baptistry, a large pool in Seymour Brook was used in administering the rite of baptism. This pool is even now called the "baptisin' hole." It is at a point where the brook is on the north side of Water Street, about a quarter of a mile up stream from the present drum factory. Beside the pool and near the road there is a large boulder. It is not known when this pool was first used for baptism, nor how recently it was used, but many of the older residents remember such occasions. This pool was also used by the Methodists quite frequently after the organization of that church in 1881.
The baptism of a person at this place was an event of no small importance and the children of the village vied with each other to see if they could get there early enough to get a place on the big boulder where they could watch the proceedings.
Later, after Mr. Cooley had created his private lake south of the village, baptisms were sometimes made there. These events at this place also caused a general scramble among the children to secure the best points of vantage from which to see what might take place.
The Methodist Church (Beech Hill)
During the decade following the close of the War for Independ- ence, religion in New England declined greatly. At that time the only settled minister in Granville was at Middle Granville where the Second Church was served by Lemuel Haynes, and later by Aaron J. Booge. Taxes were heavy and the Town's people were struggling to keep out of poverty, so they had little wherewith to induce any minister to settle among them. One result of the times was that in their desire to have the gospel preached among them as frequently as they could afford to pay for it, they had the services of many preachers. Sometimes for a single Sunday, sometimes for several Sundays in succession, but many a Sunday passed without a preacher.
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While this was the religious situation in Granville, an itinerant Methodist preacher by the name of Robert Dillon appeared in 1792 in the Beech Hill portion of Blandford, and asked permission to preach at the home of Abijah Babcock. The requested courtesy was granted. Notice of the coming event was circulated and a few, moved by a feeling of curiosity, went to neighbor Babcock's house to see this unknown preacher. At the appointed time Mr. Dillon came. He opened his service by singing the well known hymn commencing: "Come, sinners, to the gospel feast" and after the hymn he knelt down and prayed. This action was heretical enough to make things interesting. The orthodox attitude for the preacher when offering prayer was standing. Mr. Dillon's next move was equally interest- ing. After the prayer he read a text from the Bible, then he closed the book and delivered his sermon without the aid of any notes whatsoever. While this course was not exactly heretical, it was new and unheard of. All regularly orthodox sermons were written out at length and then read to the congregation. After the sermon he knelt down again and prayed. Another unheard of procedure. Then he dismissed the meeting, took each one by the hand and said a few words to him. This too, was something new, and we can well under- stand how this meeting would become the chief topic of conversation in the succeeding weeks.
Mr. Dillon went from Mr. Babcock's to the home of Anson Fair- child, in Granville, and there made an appointment to preach at the home of Deacon David Rose two weeks later. Now Deacon Rose was a Baptist. He had pondered much upon the teachings of the Bible and was one of the prime movers in the Baptist Church recently organized in Granville, but he had no objection to permit- ting the new preacher to expound the gospel at his home. So the meeting was held according to the previous arrangement, and it was attended not by a few, but by most of the residents in that locality. Probably curiosity was still the feeling which caused many to attend, but interest in the subject moved others to be present.
On this occasion Mr. Dillon's appointment was kept by another itinerant Methodist preacher, one Matthias Swaim. He had the same method of procedure followed by his predecessor. His sermon must have been electrifying, because it at once caused great argu-
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ment and feeling ran high. After the service he inquired of Deacon Rose if they wished to make another appointment for another ser- mon. The good Deacon replied that he liked the preaching, but his brethren did not like to have him open his house to them and he did not like to grieve his brethren. Whereupon Mr. Fairchild said : "Make the appointment at my house," and there the next services were held, and Methodist services continued to be held there for some time.
It must not be thought that this challenge of Methodism was to be allowed to plant the heresies of Arminian doctrine in the midst of orthodoxy without a struggle. Indeed, no. The Rev. Mr. Booge went forth to battle, and appointed a meeting to be held on the same day in the same neighborhood. Surely a new excitement had arrived. Some stayed with the Calvinists and attended their meet- ing, and some went with the Methodists and attended their meeting. Arguments pro and con were many and heated, but the new heresy would not down, and the hotter the argument the more it flourished. To show how high and bitter the religious feeling was in those days is the following remark made by Rev. Billy Hibbard when he was riding the Granville Circuit in 1801: "Some throw stones at me and some set their dogs on me as I ride along. But the Lord defends me. I never had a stone hit me, nor a dog bite me. Some threatened to whip me, but I escaped it." The last sentence doubtless refers to the ambush laid for him between Westfield and Springfield.
In the spring of 1793, the Methodist meetings were held at the home of Capt. Benjamin Barnes, and the new doctrine was so far successful in making converts that two classes were formed. Capt. Barnes was the leader of one and David Frost was the leader of the other.
The first quarterly meeting of which there is any record was held June 18, 1793, in the barn of Capt. Barnes. Thomas Ware was the Presiding Elder and Joel Ketchum preached the sermon in the afternoon.
In those days a quarterly meeting was an affair of no mean pro- portions. It was a very common thing for members to go thirty or forty miles to attend such a meeting, and that distance in those days was considerable of an undertaking. It was either horse-back
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or farm wagon or on foot. To get an idea of the importance of such a meeting in those days, it is interesting to note that at one such gathering in Granville in 1794, before the Circuit was estab- lished, and before the meeting house was built, there were present members from the Methodist congregations in Granville, North Granby, Granby, Turkey Hills, Suffield, Agawam, Bushy Hill, East Worthington, West Worthington, Lee and Tyringham. A very courageous showing for a remote hill-top community.
From the record it appears that later, after Methodism had become firmly rooted in New England and Granville had become one of the great centers of that church, it was a common thing to find members attending quarterly meetings in Granville from churches in the following places: Ashfield, Barrington, Becket, Bethlehem, Blandford, Buckland, Case's Farms, Chester, Conway, Cummington, Feeding Hills, Hartland Hollow, Hartland Hill, Hooppole, Hop Meadow, Horse Hill, Loudon, Montgomery, Northampton, Pittsfield, Sandisfield, Stockbridge, Tatham, West- field, West Springfield, Windsor and Wintonbury. Not all these members were present at any one time, but usually members from fifteen or twenty places were at every quarterly meeting.
On June 20, 1795, the Granville Circuit with two riders was established, and the church on Beech Hill was the largest and most important on the Circuit. It was therefore the executive center of the Circuit which embraced all of Massachusetts west of the Con- necticut River and south of the Deerfield River, as well as a large part of Hartford County in Connecticut. The first stewards of the Granville Circuit were Lewis Ely of Granville, Thomas Hubbard of Lenox and Gideon Allen of Agawam.
Mudge, in his History of the New England Conference, says : "Granville, on the border of Connecticut, southwest of West Spring- field, was one of the plantings of the Litchfield Circuit ... and for several years rivalled or exceeded in fame and numbers the societies in Lynn and Boston. In 1800 it reported 300 members, and in 1810, 352, while Lynn had but 245 and Boston 306." In 1799, however, Pittsfield began to forge ahead of Granville in number of members. In spite of the large membership of the Gran-
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ville church, only the following names have been checked as being its members :
Capt. Benjamin Barnes
Lewis Ely
Anah Barnes
David Frost
Edward Bancroft
Esther Frost
Justin Cooley
Rubin Farnum and wife
Gaius Cooley
Dan Robinson's wife
Mrs. O. E. Darling
Anson Fairchild
Thomas Ely
Joel Bancroft
Ebenezer Barnes
Although the standing order opposed the Methodists, as they had the Baptists, and disputed and preached loudly against them, some were kindly disposed toward the brethren and did them many a good turn. One such instance is well worth recalling. In 1795, when the Granville Circuit was established, Lemuel Smith was one of the riders assigned to that Circuit. He brought his family to Capt. Barnes' to stay a few days until he could find a place for them to live. He set off to look for a place and after spending two days, he returned discouraged, not having found a house he could get for his family. "Now," said the Captain, "you have spent two days among your brethren and cannot find a house. Let us see what an old Presbyterian can do. I know of a shop; we will go and see what can be done with it." They went and found that, with a little repair- ing, it would make the family comfortable, and they moved in and were comfortably provided for. When it came time to provide hay for his horse, Smith told the Captain he wanted a place to put some hay for his horse. "Oh !" said the Captain, "it will only be a bother ; the hay will get all mixed up ; you feed your horse, and we will make it all right." So the horse was fed on the Captain's hay. When the Captain made cider, Smith said he wanted a barrel of cider. The Captain told him to take one, but Smith would not take it without paying for it. "Well, then pay for it," said the Captain. So the minister took his cider. In the spring when he was about to remove from Granville, he called on the Captain for his account. "I have no account, except for the barrel of cider," said the Captain. "You said you would pay for that, so you may give me seventy-five cents, that is all."
As the membership grew, there came a need for a building
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wherein they could hold their services and quarterly meetings. So in the early part of the year 1797, the timber for a meeting house was cut, and Daniel Bromley, who was then one of the riders on the Granville Circuit, hauled the timber together with his own horse. Francis Hamilton was the master builder. The frame was raised and it was roughly boarded. Compared with the meeting houses of today, it was a pretty crude affair, but it served its purpose and provided a meeting-place for those who preferred that form of worship. It was more than two years before it was finished, and it appears never to have had any steeple or bell, but regardless of what it lacked, it was used as soon as the members could assemble in it and be protected from the storms. The end of the building was toward the road, and it stood on the westerly side of the highway leading from Ripley's Corner to Blandford, and was only a short distance south of the Blandford town line. It was the first Methodist meeting house to be erected in Massachusetts west of the Con- necticut River.
At the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Churches, in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1796, the New England Conference was formed, embracing not only all New England, but also that part of New York east of the Hudson River, and part of Canada. The Granville Circuit remained in the New England Conference till 1800, when the New York Conference was formed. The new Conference then embraced all of Massachusetts west of Worcester. The Granville Circuit remained in the New York Conference, being part of the time in the Pittsfield District, part of the time in the Rheinbeck District and part of the time in the Troy District, until 1829, when it was restored to the New England Conference, where it remained until the Circuit was abolished.
The crowning event in the history of this church was the great convocation of New England Methodists when the Third New England Conference was held there September 19, 1798, the first Conference having been held in Lynn, Massachusetts, and the Sec- ond in Readeville, Maine, and Wilbraham, Massachusetts, (two sessions ). To the Beech Hill section of Granville came the powers of New England Methodism: Bishop Francis Asbury; Jesse Lee, the impetuous southerner, commonly conceded to have been the
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Apostle of Methodism to New England, and organizer of twenty- two Circuits in that area; the gifted and eccentric Billy Hibbard, who was assigned to the Granville Circuit one year ; Lorenzo Dow, who later became a famous preacher. More than fifty of the most brilliant Methodist preachers were in attendance, as well as exhorters and laymen in great numbers. Just how this great con- course of people was cared for, fed and lodged, does not appear, but it seems as though physical comfort was of so little account that it was considered unworthy to record how they fared. Of course that is just one more unheralded deed of noble women. In connec- tion with this Conference, one little anecdote has been rescued from oblivion.
It seems that David Frost, a prominent member of the church, desired to provide accommodations for the Bishop and the Rev. Lee, as near the meeting house as possible, and thought best, owing to the very scattered homes of Methodists in that neighborhood, to arrange with Deacon Lloyd, a member of the orthodox church, to board the Bishop and Lee during the Conference, because the Deacon had a large and comfortable home. When the time came for the Bishop to go on, Deacon Lloyd took sufficient silver money, which was very scarce in those days, and handed it to Mr. Frost asking him to give it to the Bishop with which to pay the bill for his accommodation. All this left-handed sort of business was done so that the Deacon's family would not know of his contribution to the expenses of the Conference. This little subterfuge was carried out as planned, but as sometimes happens, there was an unexpected flare back. The Deacon's irrepressible boys were heard bragging that their family got silver money for boarding the Bishop.
Many of the facts relating to these early days were set down by Armor Hamilton, probably of Blandford, in 1857 when he was eighty-three years old. He thought he was at that time the only one then living who had worked on the construction of the Beech Hill meeting house.
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