USA > Massachusetts > Franklin County > Rowe > History of Rowe, Massachusetts, third ed > Part 5
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Tradition has it that the first Florida bridge was an open one "built partly of logs, which becoming unsafe was set on fire by persons unknown." A covered one replaced the open one, and a second covered one just finished was taken off by the flood of 1869. The latter part of this tradition coincides with the town records, for in May 1869 the town instructed the selectmen to contract for the "building of Florida Bridge so called, in connection with Florida and Charlemont," and in August of the same year the town voted to change the location "60 rods or less below" the old site. The torrential rains came later and the special town meeting to borrow money to make good the damage was called for November 2nd. After months of haggling the town in February 1872 decided to pay its share of the new bridge and to borrow $2000 for the same. The trouble lay in the fact that one corner of the old bridge (upstream) was in Rowe, having been so surveyed by the farsighted Charlemont
*These were on the old "Burton Road", which climbed the heights by an easier grade than the present road, and continued south- westerly to the Churchill and Granger places.
46
HISTORY OF ROWE
selectmen when the line was first perambulated, while no part of the new bridge was within the limits. The Florida bridge was replaced by the present iron structure in 1886.
In 1827 it was voted to join Monroe (which had been a town for five years) in building a bridge across the Deerfield, and in 1853 it was voted to rebuild half of the Monroe Bridge. This was a narrow covered bridge, 115 feet in length accord- ing to the map of 1830; and before the advent of the paper mills, it was a wild and picturesque spot. Later it was re- placed by an iron bridge which was swept away in 1901 and was replaced by the present iron structure.
In 1807 the town voted to join Hawley and Charlemont in petitioning the General Court for grant of a lotterry "for the purpose of building a Bridge over Deerfield River on the County road leading from Charlemont through said Hawley to Northampton . . This county road ran southerly from the Charlemont covered bridge through Hawley, the edge of Plainfield and Ashfield to Goshen and so on, and was doubtless the route taken by delegates from Rowe to county conventions at Hatfield* or Northampton. It is marked on the map of 1788.
In 1817 the town was willing to allow a lottery to build three bridges over the Deerfield, but the following year it voted against the county building a bridge "at the falls" (Shelburne Falls), at a cost of $1500.
In May 1825 the town procured a hearse and harness and built a hearse house. In 1850, "the committee chosen to examine the Hearse House, Hearse, etc. report that the frame is worth repairing and recommend the necessary repairs- That the wheels and perhaps the shafts to the hearse are all that are worth anything and recommend a hearse to be con- structed after the modern fashion also recommend the pur- chase of a new Pall Cloth." In 1883 a hearse was procured
*In March 1787, L't. John Wells was allowed "£ 1-0- for Time and Expenses for going to a Convention at Hatfield in May 1786."
47
MASSACHUSETTS
and the following year the town built the hearse house on the Pond Road .* Some years since a party unknown amused himself by firing several shots through the door, thereby damaging the hearse. The calibre of the bullets was found to be .25 while most of the small rifles in the neighborhood (including the writer's) were .22.
The first mention of guide-posts was at the town meeting in May 1795, when agreeable to an act of the General Court, it was "Voted that the selectmen set up guide posts and keep the same in repair in this Town." In 1822 guide-posts were erected "At the angle of the Roads leading to Charlemont and Zoar near the Mills, At the angle of the Roads leading to Heath and to Whitingham and Readsborough near the Meet- inghouse, At the angle of the Road, leading to Heath and to Whitingham, and also at the angle of the said Heath Road and the Road leading to Charlemont." In 1840, it was "Voted to place guide posts-one near the store of Reed and Drury, Readsborough, Monroe, Charlemont and Heath, ** one near James Fords directing to Whitingham, one near John W. Wheelers directing to Whitingham-one near the east School House directing to Charlemont, Heath and Rowe."
*In 1956 the town voted to spend $500 to build the present hearse house in the West Cemetery to preserve the old horse-drawn hearse for its antique value.
*** The north road led to Readsborough, the west to Monroe, south to Charlemont, and east to Heath and Whitingham.
48
HISTORY OF ROWE
CHAPTER V
"Upon this rock I will build my church."
Matthew 16-18
It is believed that Rev. Cornelius Jones built his house near the old Wells-Ford house three-quarters of a mile east of the subsequent centre of the town, and that the dwelling was made of planks split from white ash timber, floor of the same material, and the roof covered with long split shingles. In this house, Mr. Jones preached to the people every Sabbath until 1770 when a small church edifice was built on land given by himself near the southwest corner of the cross roads at the old centre. Deacon Thomas in 1845 stated that it was "about the size of the Orthodox house," that it was covered with "a single coat of rough boards," with a door in the centre of the south side, and "instead of glass windows to defend the inmates from the sweeping blast, it was surrounded by a dense forest of ever-green." The early records were destroyed in the parsonage fire; and we find little that is authentic before 1785, when the town voted to build a pound near "the meeting-house." We do know, however, that the Church of Christ in Myrifield with nine signatures to the Covenant was organized at a much earlier date, and that by 1776 the number had materially increased. The church-roll of 1776 contained the names of Aaron and Eunice Gleason, William and Mary Hartwell, Abiah and Abigail Lamb, James and Thankful Thayer, Hannah Thomas, Mary McAllister, Jedediah, Elizabeth and Rachel Lamb, Mary Wilson, Lucy Chapin, Esther Eddy, Gideon Chapin, Sarah Chapin, Abigail and Henry Wilson. April 4, 1785 the town voted "to hire preaching two months the year ensuing." It will be remembered that two tythingmen were chosen the previous week. The following year, March 13, 1786, the town voted to choose a committee "to take cognizance of the old rate bill respecting building the meetinghouse which
49
MASSACHUSETTS
is now standing in this Town." Three years later, March 9, 1789, Asa Foster was granted £3-2 "for making 168 squares of sash fixing windows and setting glass for the meet- inghouse." Apparently extensive repairs were made in the fall of 1787 as many small items appear in the old records.
Plans for a new and larger meetinghouse began to be dis- cussed, and in April 1791 the town voted to build "a Meeting- house fifty feet long and forty feet wide." Nothing came of it because the voters could not agree upon the location. The trouble was over the question of the centre of the town. Some thought that the land west of the Deerfield would never be settled, or if it were there would be no communication with the main town. Through the rest of that year and for a good part of the next, the controversy increased. There were votes and counter votes. An article in the warrant called for a petition to the General Court at Boston to appoint a committee to determine the location, but happily there were enough with either a sense of humor or local pride to vote down this proposal.
Finally, it was decided to build the new meetinghouse on the lot on which the old one stood; and a new structure was erected in the summer and fall of 1793. According to Deacon Thomas the frame was prepared under the leader- ship of Asa Foster and was ready for raising about July first. The men were assisted by the contents of a barrel of rum, and everyone had a bountiful meal prepared by the mothers, wives and daughters. The top timbers were put in place the following day under charge of Jesse Howard. Then a board floor was laid, a work-bench placed under the pulpit window with steps to ascend it, and some boards nailed up in front for a pulpit. The seats were of boards. If the town's vote was carried out, the new building was painted a cream color with red roof and green doors. It was en- tirely completed for several years, as we find a number of warrants containing articles "for further finishing the meet- inghouse;" but at length, at a meeting December 24, 1801,
50
HISTORY OF ROWE
the town was imbued with the Christmas spirit and took definite action to finish the structure. A porch was added the following year. In 1798 mention was made of east and south doors.
Nov. 1, 1802 the town voted to seat the meetinghouse "ac- cording to what each Person shall pay on the three last grants of money that was granted for finishing the Meeting House." Below we give the list which was submitted by the committee and which was accepted with a few changes.
Pew
Pew
Isaac Langdon
24
Jacob Bliss 31
Lieut. Gideon Chapin
Benjamin Shumway
Capt. William Taylor
11
Reuben Gleason 1
Noah Brown
Joshua Dodge
Asa Foster 2nd
10
Nathan Foster 12
Standish Foster
Joel Hill
Lemuel Barret 25
Benjamin Stone 9
Archibald Thomas
Capt. Nath. Corbet
Rev. Preserved Smith 23
Col. John Wells
Isaiah Adams
20
John Hiberd 22
Thaddeus Merril
Moses Bullard 26
Caleb Blakeslee
14
Ambrose Potter Jr.
Ebenezer Hayward
Baldwin Potter 21
Jonas Gleason 7
Jonathan Marsh
William Langdon 2
Josiah Carpenter Ezra Tuttle
17
Jedediah Barret
Thomas Goodnow Jr. 2
John Cheney
30
Moses Streeter
Jonah Hill
Silas Colton
29
Amze Langdon 6
Ebenezer Nims
Nathaniel Gleason Amos Richardson
Asa Foster 28
John Brown
Martin Wilson
John Blodget 15
Abijah Barr 27
Isaac Slatter
Jude Cross Sylvester Nash
Doc. Haynes 15
Cornelius Barr
Charles Basset Timothy Knolton Jr.
Isaac Pierpont
16
Asa Pane 1
Warren Wilson
Capt. Zebulon Benton
Gideon Chapen
Joel Hall
Jonas Gleason Jr.
51
MASSACHUSETTS
Pew
Pew
Henry Wilson Jr. John Fisher Stephen Brown
4
Heman Kintfield Nahum White 16
Rufus Streeter Timothy Carpenter
Job Stafford Humphrey Taylor Paul Knolton
6 Daniel Warner James Streeter Samuel Bell Orrin Thurber
5
Titus Todd James Brown
2
Eanos Lamb Jonathan White Jr. 10
Isaac Cooper Stephen Gleason
13
Jeremiah Shumway Ebenezer Knolton
Amos Willmath Abijah Weers
19
Abner Chapin Jr. Amos Gleason Jonathan Fisher Joseph Chapin
7
Eliphalet Cutting
Simeon Barr Thomas Cheney John Williams
5
Charles Hibard Levi Tuttle Ebenezer Fellows Jonathan Cressy
11
Lewis Chandler John Thomas Samuel Bolton
32
Appolos Carpenter David Below (Ballou) John Huntington David Thomas
4
Eli Tuttle Jonathan White Consider Brown
8
Jacob Briant Elisha Briant 13
John Adams Thomas Goodnow Judah Goodspeed Amos Bradley
3 *
Israel Braley Matthew Barr
Levi Ray Samuel Lamson 12
Jelah Munson Ebenezer Allin Shadrach Chapin Col. Benjamin Otis
Gideon Langdon Nathaniel Corbet Jr.
May 1, 1804 it was voted
"to asign the two wall Pews next to the Pulpit to the old People and the Pew at the Corner at the left hand of the alley next to the Deacons Seat to our Minister and that the rest of the Pews in the Lower part of the Meeting House be seated three Families in a Pew on the last Highway Tax . . . and that they draw their Pews
Noadiah Warner
Shuman Langdon
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HISTORY OF ROWE
after being closed and that the Galleries be seated according to the discretion of the seaters."
"The Inhabitants were classed and chose their Pews as follows :- "
Class Pew
Class Pew
1. Rev. P. Smith John Wells, Esq.
23
Gideon Chapin
Archibald Thomas
3. Nathan Foster 25
Charles McCloud
14. Ebenezer Hayward 20 Ambrose Potter Jr.
4. Caleb Blakslee 22
Consider Brown
Lemuel Barrett Noah Brown
15. Stephen Gleason 7
Standish Foster
Isaiah Adams Job Stafford
5. Thaddeus Merril 12
Benjamin Shumway
Pardon Haynes
6. Ebenezer Nims Benjamin Stone
Asa Foster
7. Jacob Bliss 31
Joel Hill
Jonathan Marsh
14
19. Nahun White 17
Jonas Gleason 26
Lewis Chandler John Thomas
9. Reuben Gleason Joshua Dodge
20. Ezra Tuttle 6 Simeon Barr Isaac Pierpont
10. Noadiah Warner John Hibberd
21
21. Paul Knowlton 4
Moses Streeter
James Brown Abijah Barr
11. Abijah Ware Josiah Carpenter
22. Gideon Langdon 27
Gideon Chapin Jr.
Thomas Cheney Samuel Ballou
12. Moses Bullard Martin Wilson
28
23. Asa Pine 2
Ebenezer Allen
Benjamin Otis
Jonathan Cresey 5
13. Shadrach Chapin Henry Wilson Jr.
29
24. Timothy Knowlton Jr. Jedediah Barret
1
16. Stephen Brown John Cheney Isaac Cooper
17. Joel Hall Sarah Taylor Judah Goodspeed
8. Zebulon Benton Isaac Slatter
18. Cornelius Barr 16 Amos Wilmarth Titus Todd
Baldwin Potter
2. Isaac Langdon 24 William Taylor Silas Colton
53
MASSACHUSETTS
Class
Pew
Class
Pew
John Williams 25. Jonathan White Jonas Gleason Jr.
19
36. Jude Cross 3
John Huntington
William Langdon 26. Samuel Lamson John Brown
32
37. Samuel Negus Daniel Warner
Levi Ray
Ezra Brown
27. Sylvester Nash
Selah Munson
13
38. Samuel Carpenter Elisha Briant
Charles Winchester
Gallery
28. Eliphalet Cutting
David Balleau
8
Charles Hibberd
29. Thomas Goodnow Jr.
Nathanial Gleason
18
Horace Thurber 30. John W. Blodget
Gallery
Charles Basset 1
Jonah Hill 31. John Hall Below Amos Richardson 3
James Streeter 32. David Thomas Amzi Langdon
2
Rufus Streeter 33. Timothy Carpenter Appolos Carpenter
6
Ezra Bradley 34. John Hibberd Jr. Jude Tuttle
15
Abner Chapin Jr. 35. Samuel P. Nims Ebenezer Fellows
14
Class Widow Colton Widow Ward Widow Wilmarth Widow Goodspeed Widow Thomas
Pew
"We assign five Pews on the North end of the Gallery to the young women Begin- ning west to count and also the front Seats in the Gal- leries to the Singers."
Stookly Carpenter 39. Jeremiah Shumway Amos Gleason Joseph Chapin
Jesse Gleason
40. Noah Brown Jr. Nathaniel Corbet Jr. Thomas Chapin Archibald Taylor Stephen Brown 2nd
Gallery Pews
41. Alfred Olds
Septimeus Foster Martin Dier Nathan Wheeler
Matthew Barr Henry Wilson Jonathan Marsh Mr. Dodge Ambrose Potter Aaron Gleason Widow Nash Widow Brown John Adams Nathaniel Corbet Hezekiah Pierpont Thomas Goodnow Ephraim Hill
Stephen Woodward
Caleb Carpenter
54
HISTORY OF ROWE
Rev. Preserved Smith was ordained as the first regular pastor November 21, 1787, although Rev. Abisha Colton had done some preaching the previous year. Mr. Smith was dis- missed May 30, 1804, and his connection with Rowe is so in- teresting that we reserve another place for its discussion. After his dismissal, the town invited Rev. Freeman Sears of Natick, but Mr. Sears declined. The town made him a second offer with an increase in salary from $333.33 to $500, but Mr. Sears remained obdurate.
Rev. Jonathan Gilmore next received a call to settle, which he accepted. However, the council, when called to install him, found only a small majority in his favor, and they de- clined to install him.
Rev. Jonathan Keith became the second settled pastor, Jan. 6, 1808. He was a native of Bridgewater and a gra- duate of Brown in the Class of 1805. £ At his own request he was dismissed from the Rowe church June 10, 1812, after the town in 1811 had refused to pay his "debt at Deerfield" amounting to $100. Again Rev. Preserved Smith settled as the pastor, December 2, 1812, and remained over nineteen years until his resignation March 10, 1832. His successors were Rev. William L. Stearns, 1833-1849; Rev. Stillman Barber,* 1850-1852; Rev. Increase Sumner Lincoln, 1853- 1860; Rev. Hiram Norton, 1861-1864; Rev. Levi Woodbury Ham, 1864-1866; Rev. William M. Bicknell, 1867-1885; Rev. John Mason W. Pratt, 1886-1888; Rev. Herman Haugerud, 1893-1895; Rev. Samuel Thomson, 1895-1896; Rev. Edward P. Pressey, 1896-1899; Rev. Walter Knight, 1900-1902; Rev. Margaret B. Barnard, 1902-1916; Rev. Robert M. L. Holt, 1916-1920; Rev. Mary L. Leggett, 1920; Rev. Thomas H. Weston of Greenfield supplied the pulpit between 1885 and 1886, and Rev. Daniel H. Rogan of Athol and Mrs. Lyche of
*Rev. Stillman Barber married the author's grandparents, Danforth Whiting and Laura Ballou, in Monroe in 1851. In a day-book of Elias Keith, who made furniture in the one-story tenement near the town-hall, are several items purchased by Rev. Barber in 1850-51.
55
MASSACHUSETTS
Warwick between 1888 and 1893. The Society was in- corporated in 1911. In recent years, services in the summer and early fall months have been conducted by the following: Rev. Anita T. Pickett, 1921-1925; Rev. J. C. Allen, 1926-1929; Rev. McGlenon, 1930; Rev. J. C. Allen, 1931-1934.
In 1800 a Methodist class was formed. By 1828 the num- ber had increased to 60, when a meetinghouse was erected on the knoll east of the bridge by which the road to Heath crosses Pelham Brook. The land was deeded by Solomon Reed to Elisha Brown, Horace Blakeslee, Josiah W. Reed and John I. Bassett, Trustees. The following were preach- ers: Rev. Messrs. Elijah Ward, Timothy Carpenter, Samuel Carpenter, Shadrach Bostwick, Peter Van Ness, Michael Coate, Joseph Mitchell, Joseph Crawford, Freeman Bishop, Elijah R. Sabin, Daniel Ostrander, Daniel Brumley, C. Ham- mond, J. W. Lewis, Wm. Bardwell, Edward A. Manning, L. B. Clarke, J. W. Jordan, Edward Day, Moses Spencer, G. R. Bent, Lorenzo White, Randall Mitchell, E. J. Stevens, N. J. Merrill, John H. Lord, W. H. Adams, Alfred Noon, A. M. Osgood, W. E. Dwight, W. E. Knox, Burtis Judd, and L. P. Frost. The church did not flourish for many years; and Holland writing in 1855 stated that the society was not then prosperous. The writer some years ago, found the bible in place on the pulpit opened at Lamentations, mute evidence of the Society's decline. Samuel Woffenden wrote in his diary, "The last preaching service held in the old Methodist Church was in 1889, the Pastor was Rev. Emmaneul Charlton a Swede; he also preached in Charlemont." But in 1870 notices of town meetings were posted at the East School- house instead of at the "East Church."
In November 1797, the town voted to "discharge a number of Baptists from the sallery tax," including Isaac Slatter, Job Stafford, Nathan Holton, Jacob Bliss, and Cornelius Barr. Services were held in private houses and in the West School- house; and July 15, 1810, the baptist church was organized with 27 members. The first meetinghouse was built in
56
HISTORY OF ROWE
1835 near the west schoolhouse, close to the site of the Miller-Ayers house. Mrs. Peck describes it as follows :-
"The house was painted white when built, with three windows on each side and two in the rear. The inside walls were white with an arched ceiling. The pulpit was between the two doors and the window back of it had a parted white curtain trimed with fringe. The other windows had white curtains in later years. There was one aisle with pews or slips, six on each side that would seat about eight grown persons and two shorter slips across each end of the open space in front. There were two rows of seats across the rear end, which were the singers' seats, each row rising a step high- er. A stove in front of the north row of slips with pipe passing over the aisle, a red bookcase at the end of one of the shorter pews, a red table, and two elm seated chairs completed the furniture .. . The house was lighted in the evening by candles or lamps on the pulpit, and table below, and by candles in little candlesticks in front of tin reflectors on the walls between the windows. Soon after the meetinghouse was built the singing was accompanied by a violin, and after that by a bass viol, but for several years a melo- deon or cottage organ was carried in on Sunday."
In May 1876 the parsonage was sold for $250 and the meetinghouse for $40 and the money applied toward build- ing the present Baptist meetinghouse below the village school. This was dedicated December 6, 1876. The bell was acquired in 1885. The house and lot above the school house were purchased for a Parsonage in April 1890. The old meetinghouse was moved southwest to the Hibbard-Kiley place where it now forms the main part of the Kiley-Trues- dell house.
Elder Samuel Carpenter became the first pastor of the Baptist Society in 1810 and continued until 1821. His suc- cessors were Rev. Arad Hall, 1824-1833; Rev. Edward Daven- port, 1835; Rev. Nathaniel Ripley, 1840-1845; Rev. B. F. Remington, 1845-1847; Rev. James Parker, 1847-1850; Rev. George Carpenter, 1850-1854; Rev. Erasmus D. Fish, 1854- 1865; Rev. Charles Brooks, 1865-1868; Rev. I. M. Willmarth, 1868-1870; Rev. A. A. Millard, 1870-1871; Rev. George Car- penter, 1871-1873; Rev. Rufus Smith, 1874-1875; Rev. H. C.
57
MASSACHUSETTS
Coombs, 1875-1877; Rev. Jacob Davis, 1877-1889; Rev. Charles G. Simmons, 1890-1892; Rev. Alfred D. Barter, 1893- 1897; Rev. C. J. Harding, 1897-1898; Rev. H. C. Buffum, 1899- 1901; Rev. Otis Darby, 1901-1904; Rev. J. E. Dinsmore, 1904- 1907; Rev. Rolla Hunt, 1908-1910; Rev. Luther Holmes, 1910- 1912; Rev. C. W. Sables, 1912; Rev. Leslie B. Moss, 1913; Rev. J. R. Lawrence, 1915-1916; Rev. D. T. Richards, 1916- 1918; Rev. S. A. Caldwell, 1918-1922-who lived in Florida, which town he served with Rowe and Monroe. From 1922 until December 1927, the pulpit was supplied by students from Mt. Hermon. Then Rev. A. A. Lawrence, Dec. 1927- Sept. 24, 1928; Rev. Chas. I. Osterhout from Oct. 7, 1928 to 1947, serving also the Baptist church in Florida where he lived in the parsonage.
Rev. Samuel P. Everett was for some years a member of the church and preached at various times between 1866 and 1868. He also filled the pulpit of the Baptist church in Whitingham, Vermont, (six miles north of Rowe) at various times, and was the regularly settled pastor there from June 1, 1870 to January 1, 1872.
To return to the old meetinghouse at the centre of the town. In May 1814 the following ambitious vote was pass- ed, -To raise $100 to repair and paint the meetinghouse. "Voted to paint the body of the house a French yellow the roof a Chocolate Colour & the inside a Light Blue." Buț this action was rescinded shortly after and $15 was appro- priated instead. During the next few years we find con- siderable discontent over the seating. The proper solution was found in 1845 when the pews or slips as they were called, were auctioned off to the highest bidders, and the proceeds used to defray the cost of the new edifice.
Rev. Preserved Smith changed his theological views and became a Unitarian in 1821, and his congregation soon ac- cepted this denomination. March 10, 1832 he made his last prayer in Rowe at a meeting when he resigned. The follow-
58
HISTORY OF ROWE
ing December the church extended a call to Rev. William L. Stearns who settled the following month. In the meantime the Second Congregational Church (Orthodox) was organized April 10, 1833 with only three members, who worshipped in a barn. In 1834 they built a meetinghouse just south of the old Unitarian meetinghouse, which they used until 1856, when it was made over into a public hall. A decade later it was moved three-quarters of a mile down the hill and ac- quired the name of Union Hall, perhaps because Orthodox, Unitarians and Baptists have each held services in it in the hard winter months.
The Orthodox society by 1853 included 28 members. The first pastor was Rev. John C. Thompson, who was ordained in 1835. He was dismissed in June 1837, and succeeded by Rev. Andrew Govan, September 1838-1842. Rev. Benjamin F. Clarke was settled from 1843 to 1850 and was succeeded by Rev. J. Pomeroy. When their meetinghouse was moved down the hill, the society had diminished to such an extent that it became advisable to discontinue services.
In 1845, the "Church of Christ in Rowe," as the old society, now Unitarian, was called, built the third meetinghouse, a few rods east of the intersection of the roads. It was mod- elled on the plans of the churches at Greenfield and Charle- mont and cost $1673.07. The writer well remembers at-
tending services in 1898. The present stone and wood structure was built in 1907, at what is now the center of Rowe three-quarters of a mile south of the old center, and is erected on the site of the Union Hall which latter was sold to Arthur Fisk and removed across Pelham Brook. The new meetinghouse cost $5916.36 of which $5000 was given by Frederic E. Smith as a memorial to his great-grandfather Preserved Smith.
59
MASSACHUSETTS
CHAPTER VI PRESERVED SMITH IN ROWE
"And I will raise me up a faithful priest."
1 Samue! 2-35
At the spring town meeting, March 19, 1787, the voters appropriated the sum of fifteen pounds "for the use of the gospel in this Town," and chose Deacon Jonas Gleason and Henry Wilson "a Committee to provid Preaching." At the same meeting Nathan Foster was allowed 18 shillings "for his horse and spending Money after a candidate" and Nathan Foster, Jr. 16 shillings "for his services after a candidate." In the summer of 1787 Rev. Preserved Smith, a young divine* one year out of college, and a native of the neigh- boring town of Ashfield (where his father, Ebenezer Smith, was a Baptist minister), came to Rowe as a candidate. He had joined the Revolutionary army at the age of sixteen and had served in five campaigns in the 5th Hampshire County Regiment commanded by Col. David Wells of Shelburne (whose daughter he was later to marry in 1788) and had been present at the surrender of Burgoyne. He had taught school winters, worked summers, and fitted himself for college with the aid of Rev. Mr. Hubbard of Shelburne. In 1786 he had graduated from Brown University. The new candidate boarded two months at the house of Benjamin Shumway for which the latter was allowed two pounds and eleven shillings, while Nathan Foster was granted 6/5 for "dineing Mr. Smith while a candidate."
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