USA > Massachusetts > Berkshire County > North Adams > History of the North Adams Baptist Church from October 30, 1808 to October 30, 1878 > Part 2
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"Return.
"April 14, 1827. I have notified the proprietors of the "within specified Meeting House, by posting up a notification "on the door of said house.
"EDWARD RICHMOND."
The proprietors met agreeably to this call, and,
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HISTORY OF THE NORTH ADAMS BAPTIST CHURCH.
"Voted; To choose a committee of three to ascertain and "report as to the right of each religious society to occupy said "house."
James Cumming, Giles Tinker and Artemas Crittenden were the committee.
At a meeting held May 10, 1827, the committee made the following report :
"We the subscribers, a committee chosen to report to the "owners of the Meeting House in North Adams, called the "Baptist Meeting House,
"Do report as follows : That when the Baptists have no min- "ister of their own denomination to preach to them, and the "Presbyterians have a minister of their denomination to preach "to them, the Baptists consent that the Presbyterians occupy "said house. On examination we have ascertained that the "Baptists and those that are most interested in the prosperity of "the Baptist people, own the greater share of said house.
"We further report that in our opinion, for the prosperity "of religion, the union and good feeling of Christians, and the "benefit of Society, the Baptists and others consent to a neigh- "borly accommodation of said house to the Presbyterians and "Methodists ; said report if accepted to remain in force for one year.
"J. CUMMING, "G. TINKER.
"N. Adams, May 10, 1827."
The legal steps taken in calling the above meeting,-the pro- curing of an order from a Justice of the Peace and the formal return to the Justice, show that an important question was pending, and that it was then to be determined in legal form. The report of the committee was accepted. By accepting it, the proprietors practically declared that the house was for the use of the Baptists ; that they should have exclusive use of it when they had a pastor ; the Presbyterians to use it only when they had a pastor, and the Baptists had none. It appears to
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HISTORY OF THE NORTH ADAMS BAPTIST CHURCH.
have been already known as the Baptist Meeting House. By this action of the proprietors it was formally declared to be for the use and benefit of the Baptist church, although still owned by the pew holders.
About two years after this it was found necessary to take steps toward the building of a larger house of worship. The proprietors were called together by the following notice :
"The proprietors of the Baptist Meeting House in the North "Village of Adams are hereby notified to meet at Alpheus "Smith's on Saturday, the 7th day of February next, at 5 "o'clock in the afternoon, to take into consideration the dispos- "ing of the old Meeting House.
"And also others who are subscribers or interested in build- "ing the new Meeting House are requested to meet at the same "time and place to take measures for locating and building said "house.
"N. PUTNAM, Proprietor's Chr.
"North Adams, January 29, 1829."
The proprietors met agreeably to the above notice, and,
"Voted: To appoint a committee of three to ascertain the "proprietor's right in the old Meeting House, and what pro- "portion each one owns.
"Voted : That the same committee ascertain what can be done "with the old Meeting House; and what it can be sold for, "either where it stands or taken off, and where a place can be "procured to set the new one to the best advantage."
Subsequently Edward Richmond, Wm. E. Brayton and David Darling were appointed a committee "To dispose of the old Meeting House, and superintend the building of the new." It was also "Voted : That said committee be authorized to prize the pews in the old house and sell said old house to the highest bidder."
In accordance with this authorization there was posted the following
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HISTORY OF THE NORTH ADAMS BAPTIST CHURCH.
"NOTICE.
"Agreeable to a vote of the proprietors of the Baptist Meet- "ing House in this village, the subscribers will sell said house "to the highest bidder on Saturday, the 23d inst., at 4 p. m., at "said house. Terms made known at the time of sale. "EDWARD RICHMOND, "W. E. BRAYTON, "DAVID DARLING, "Committee.
"N. Adams, May 20, 1829."
The sale was postponed to the 8th of June, when the house was sold at auction to Jeremiah Colgrove for $185. The pews had been appraised by the committee, so as to determine their relative values, and this sum, $185, was to be paid over to the proprietors in liquidation of their respective claims, in propor- tion to the appraised value of each pew, except so far as the owners would voluntarily surrender their claims. Thirty-four years had passed since the first sale of the pews. The entire number of ascertained proprietors now was but nineteen. Some of these relinquished to the building committee for the benefit of the new house their proportion of the amount for which the house sold.
At a meeting of the proprietors held March 11, 1829,
"Jeremiah Colegrove made a proposition as follows : That he "would give a deed of the land where the old house stands, also "relinquish all his right in the old house, in consideration of "his having too slips in the new house, which he has designated "on the plan."
The proprietors,
"Voted, To accept the above proposition."
Mr. Colgrove had originally, more than thirty years before, bought seven pews in the old house, for which he had paid $109 ; and he still held three pews on the main floor and all the
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HISTORY OF THE NORTH ADAMS BAPTIST CHURCH.
pews in the gallery that then had a proprietary ownership. These pews covered, according to the appraisal, nearly one-half of the entire value of the pews, then held by the ascertained proprietors. He now proposed to relinquish all right in that house, and take in lieu thereof two slips in the new house, and give, in addition, a deed to the land on which the house stood.
The following is a copy of the deed of this land, as now of record :
"A."
"Jeremiah Colgrove to To all people to whom these pres- ents shall come.
"Otis Blackinton.
"Greeting :
"Know ye, That I, Jeremiah Colgrove, Esq., of Adams, in "the County of Berkshine, and Commonwealth of Massachu- "setts, in consideration of the sum of ninety-six dollars to me "in hand paid by Otis Blackinton-Trustee of the First Baptist "Church and Society of Adams, the receipt whereof I do "hereby acknowledge, do hereby give, grant, sell and convey "unto the said Otis Blackinton, and his successors in said office "as Trustees of the said Church and Society of Adams forever, "for the purpose of erecting thereon a Meeting House for Reli- "gious services ; said religious services to be exclusively regu- "lated by the Baptist Church, the following described piece of "land, situate in said Adams, (North Village), beginning at a "stake and stones eight feet from the southeast corner of Ste- "phen Damon's dwelling house, bearing south forty-eight de- "grees west; thence south forty-eight degrees west four rods "and twelve links; thence south fifty-seven degrees east seven- "teen links; thence south twenty-five and a half degrees west, "three and a half rods to the Turnpike Road; thence south "sixty-nine degrees east six rods and twenty-two links on the "north side of said Turnpike to the County road ; thence north "nine and a half degrees east seven rod and ten links on the "west side of said County road; thence north sixty-one degrees "west four rods to the place of beginning, being the site of the
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HISTORY OF THE NORTH ADAMS BAPTIST CHURCH.
"old Baptist Meeting House, and by estimation containing forty "square rods of land, be it the same more or less.
"To have and to hold the aforegranted Premises to the said "Otis and his successors in office to their use and behoof for- "ever, for the above mentioned purpose. And I do covenant "with the said Otis and his successors in office, that I am law- "fully seized in fee of the aforegranted premises-that they are "free of all incumbrances-that I have good right to sell and "convey the same to the said Otis and his successors in office, "and that I will warrant and defend the same Premises to the "said Otis and his successors in office forever, against the law- "ful claims and demands of all persons.
"In witness whereof I, the said Jeremiah Colgrove, Esq., "hereunto set my hand and seal, this tenth day of March, in "the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and twenty- "nine.
"JEREMIAH COLGROVE & Seal. her
"Signed, sealed and delivered in presence of us
"LYDIA X COLGROVE & Seal. mark "CHAS. B. KEYES, "JOHN WHIPPLE.
"Berkshire, ss. April 14, 1829. Then the above named "Jeremiah Colgrove acknowledged the above instrument to be "his free act and deed. Before me,
"WM. E. BRAYTON, J. Peace.
"18 August, 1830. Rec'd and recorded from the original, by "G. N. BRIGGS."
This relinquishment of his pews by Mr. Colgrove and the relinquishment to the building committee of the claims of seven others, left but $62 to be paid to the remaining proprietors, out of the $185, for which the house sold.
The old frame house was removed by Mr. Colgrove, who had purchased it, to the lot on which it now stands, directly in the rear of present church edifice. It is now used as a dwelling house and carpenter shop. It is 96 years (116 now) since it was built, but it appears to be as sound as when erected.
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HISTORY OF THE NORTH ADAMS BAPTIST CHURCH.
The work of building the new house was now vigorously prosecuted. On December 20, 1828, Elisha Kingsley, Edward Richmond, W. E. Brayton and Nathan Putnan had been ap- pointed a committee "To draft a plan of building, and ascertain whether sufficient money can be raised to build the house." The plan adopted was for a brick house, forty by sixty feet, with a spire. The square pews of the old house were to be superceded by "slips" in the new ; but as before, the ownership was to be absolutely in the holders of the sittings. The needed funds were, therefore, obtained as far as possible by the sale of the slips as they were shown upon the plan. As many slips as possible were sold, and then a subscription paper was cir- culated to secure help from those who might not desire to pur- chase slips. The original subscription paper, yellow from age, soiled and worn by much handling, and bearing the autograph signatures of many of the old citizens, is still preserved in the archives of the church. As this was the first house of worship built by any one denomination in the village of North Adams, this subscription paper is well worthy of preservation. The heading is as follows :
"Whereas, the Baptist Church and Society propose building a "Meeting House to be located in the North Village of Adams, "we the subscribers promise to pay the several sums set against "our names for the purpose aforesaid-provided there is "twenty-five hundred dollars raised for that purpose-the same "to be paid to the building committee that shall be appointed. "Said sum of $2,500 to be subscribed by the first of April "next.
"Adams, December 29, 1828."
On this paper $128 was subscribed, and a portion of that was payable in work. The balance of the money was raised by the sale of slips. Edward Richmond, Wm. E. Brayton and David Darling were the building committee. The work was pushed rapidly forward. After the exterior was completed it was
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HISTORY OF THE NORTH ADAMS BAPTIST CHURCH.
found there would not be funds enough in hand to finish the building. The following paper was, therefore, circulated and signed by the holders of fifty pews :
"We the subscribers agree to pay two dollars on each slip "which we have subscribed for in the new Baptist Meeting "House for the purpose of painting the inside of said house, "and also for procuring stove and pipe."
This paper with the autograph signatures is preserved among the papers of the church, as are also specifications, contracts, bills, accounts, receipts, memoranda, etc. These were all care- fully placed on file by the committee, and almost every part of their work and the exact cost can be traced from the original papers. One of the most interesting of these papers is an account of "Work turned in on Meeting House," much of the labor having been rendered without pay.
The following is what was paid for the building of the house :
For Lumber
$629 89
Nails. .
55 44
Boarding Carpenters
137 81
Lime. .
127 17
Sand
55 72
Underpinning, and cut stone Brick
209 00
Glass
46 88
Spire. .
40 00
Painting outside
126 00
Mason work, besides underpinning
268 00
Carpenter's work
615 00
Blacksmithing 49 88
Damage to Magoon on act., of waiting for brick. 6 00
Miscellaneous. .
32 00
Trimmings. .
34 95
Painting inside, and stove and pipe.
98 33
$2,867 22
355 15
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HISTORY OF THE NORTH ADAMS BAPTIST CHURCH.
The final report of the committee is as follows :
The Society in account with the Committee.
Dr.
Paid J. Colgrove for land and right in old house $96 00
Slips set off to proprietors in old house. . 91 00
Cost of new house $2,872 00 $3,059 00
Cr
By amt. of slips sold. $2,248 00
Sale of old Meeting House. 185 00
Amt. of subscription supposed col- lectable 50 00
Tax on 50 slips.
100 00
Pews in old house relinquished. 33 00
Pews unsold 421 00 $3,037 00
There is a difference of $4.78 in the cost of the house as given in the official report, and as given in the detailed memo- randa above, occasioned probably by including in the report some small item omitted in the memorandum. The $96 paid to J. Colgrove, and named in the deed as price paid him for the land was paid by deeding to him the two slips previously agreed upon, that being the price of the slips. The slips in this house were to be deeded to the purchasers, as the pews had been in the old. As the slips had had no previous owners there was a puzzling question as to the source whence the purchasers were to derive their deeds. It was finally settled by the proprietors that were to be, thus :
"At a meeting legally notified, held at the house of Alpheus "Smith, Innkeeper, the 22d day of May, 1830:
"Voted; That said Building Committee be and they are "hereby authorized to deed said slips to the several individuals "who have or may subscribe toward building the same."
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HISTORY OF THE NORTH ADAMS BAPTIST CHURCH.
The pews were accordingly deeded to the purchasers by the Building Committee. The following is a copy of the first deed put on record :
"Know all men by these presents :
"That we, Edward Richmond, David Darling and William E. "Brayton, a committee appointed by the Baptist Church and "Society in Adams, North Village and vicinity, for building a "Meeting House in said village and for disposing of the slips "in said house, in consideration of the sum of two hundred and "thirty-eight dollars paid by Otis Blackinton, of said Adams, do "hereby sell and convey unto said Otis slips No. 6, No. 9, No. "11, No. 16 west in said house, to have and to hold the same to "him the said Otis his heirs and assigns forever.
"In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands and "seals this 10th day of July, 1830.
"EDWARD RICHMOND, [L. S.] "WM. E. BRAYTON, [L. s.]
"DAVID DARLING, [L. S.]
"Witness :
"ANSON L. BRAYTON,
"Berkshire, s. s."
"Then the above-named Edward Richmond, David Darling "and Wm. E. Brayton personally appeared and acknowledged "the above instrument as their free act and deed. Before me, "Jeremiah Colgrove, Justice of the Peace, North Adams, 13th "July, 1830."
This deed recites that the committees were appointed by the Church and Society. The meeting at which they were at first appointed as a Building Committee, and also the meeting at which they were empowered to sell the pews, were meetings of the proprietors. Up to this time all transactions were by the proprietors, not by the church, as such. The church records not only contain no mention of such a committee, but no refer- ence or allusion whatever to either this house, or the old one, no more than if either had never been in existence, until the dedication of this new house. That entry is as follows :
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HISTORY OF THE NORTH ADAMS BAPTIST CHURCH.
"Voted; That the following account of the dedication of the "new meeting house be recorded in the church book.
"The religious exercises for the first time were on Thursday, "the 20th of January, 1830, at 11 o'clock a. m.
"Reading of the Scriptures by Bro. Keyes.
"Prayer by Elder C. W. Hodges, of the 3d Church in Shafts- "bury, Vt.
"Singing.
"Dedicatory prayer by Elder W. G. Johnson, of Stamford, "Vt.
"Singing.
"Sermon by Elder J. Matteson, of the First Church in "Shaftsbury, Vt.
"Singing.
"Prayer by Elder H. T. Baldwin, of Bennington, Vt.
"Singing.
"Benediction by Bro. Keyes.
"Singing.
"The house was commenced (in building), the last of June, "1829. It cost 2,872 dollars."
In the final report of the committee as given above, slips valued at $421 were reported as unsold. This was virtually a debt upon the house. This was soon paid by the sale of slips. except so much as was represented by the value of four of the lowest priced slips for which no sale could be found. These remained unsold until 1837, when the following entry appears upon the church record :
"The subject of the four side slips which are on the Build- "ing Committee was brought up by Bro. D. Darling for the pur- "pose of making them free.
"Voted; Bros. Kingsley, Browning and E. Ingraham be a "committee to assess an equal tax (in their judgment) on each "male member of the church to make the said slips free."
Practically this was simply the Baptist Church paying the debt on the Baptist Meeting House. But the idea of a sepa- rate, outside proprietorship was so fundamental that they con-
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HISTORY OF THE NORTH ADAMS BAPTIST CHURCH.
ceived of it only as buying the pews ; so the church bought four slips in its own house, and as the church would not want to occupy its four slips, albeit they were the only ones it owned, it could set them apart for the public. Thus the church, as such, for the first time became part owner of its own property. But even now although it had paid for four slips the church was not considered as having a voice in the meetings of the proprietors. These slips were simply considered to have been paid for by the membership of the church, but really to belong to nobody, and therefore free.
Under this system of outside proprietorship it will be readily seen that the church could not control its own property. The deeds to the slips and pews were given without reservation or condition to the purchasers, their heirs and assigns, to have and to hold forever. The church was liable to be dispossessed at any time by a vote of the majority of the proprietors.
The church saw and felt the danger. In the old house a majority in interest of the proprietors were not even professors of religion. It was held in law, in such cases that the property was for religious uses. Beyond that there was no limitations. If by inheritance or purchase or change of convictions, a ma- jority of the proprietors had become Presbyterians or even Universalists, the Baptists by a mere vote might have been dis- possessed from the house they had built, and have seen it occu- pied by others. Indeed it was merely by a vote of a majority of the proprietors, as we have already seen, that the Baptists came into the exclusive use and occupancy of the old house. Under this system, which still prevails to a considerable extent in this Commonwealth, it has been no very rare thing for a society to ignore, or come into open conflict with the church. About the time of which we write in different parts of New England, the orthodox Congregational churches stood by in utter helplessness and saw their houses of worship passed over
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HISTORY OF THE NORTH ADAMS BAPTIST CHURCH.
to the Unitarians. This system, so far as our people were con- cerned, was in part the result of the oppressive laws of that period.
The laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts at the time of the organization of the church, in 1808, laid upon the Bap- tists most burdensome exactions. The law with reference to the maintenance of public worship, passed in 1786, empowered,
"The qualified voters of any parish or precinct, at every "annual meeting, to grant such sum or sums of money as they "shall judge necessary, for ministers, meeting houses, or other "parish charges, to be assessed on the poles and property, "within the same, as by law provided."
This gave the majority of the lawful voters in every parish the power to lay any amount of tax they pleased for the pur- pose of building meeting houses, supporting the ministry or for any parish charges, to be appropriated as the majority might order. At this time, throughout the State, with but very few exceptions, the Congregationalists were in the majority. They were thus placed in possession of a religious establishment, and were enabled to impose and expend taxes for the support of religion as they pleased. All minorities were compelled to sub- mit to their exactions.
The Bill of Rights declared that "all monies paid by the sub- "ject to the support of public worship, &c., shall, if the require "it, be uniformly applied to the support of a public teacher or "teachers of his own religious sect or denomination, provided "there be any on whose instruction he attends."
The construction put upon this by the courts was, that the taxes imposed must be paid into the treasury, then, if there were in the parish those who dissented from the majority, they could, by course of law, have the money they had paid in, drawn out and applied to the support of their own denomina- tion ; provided there were a minister of their denomination
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HISTORY OF THE NORTH ADAMS BAPTIST CHURCH.
upon whose instruction they were actually attending. Inas- much as assessors, collectors, treasurers, judges and jurors were generally on the side of the majority it will be readily seen that the road traveled by our fathers was anything but a smooth one. They were conscientiously opposed to the sup- port of worship by taxation. As they would bring no one into the church by compulsory baptism when in helpless infancy, so they would not compel the adult under the pains and penalties of civil law to the support of the church. Neither were they easily compelled, contrary to their consciences. The older members of the church in North Adams remember well the stories oft told to them by their fathers and mothers, of collec- tors in the neighboring towns levying upon, and selling for parish taxes, their cattle, or farming implements or even house- hold utensils.
. In 1811 the Chief Justice of the State decided that no society except those incorporated by law could be entitled to the privileges in regard to draw back money. The Baptist churches were not incorporated. This left them no redress. They must pay taxes to support what was called "the standing order" and support their own churches besides. Intense feeling was aroused throughout the State. Petitions signed by many thou- sands of citizens were sent to the General Court praying for a modification of the laws. Elder John Leland, of Cheshire, ac- cepted a seat in the Legislature for the furtherance of religious liberty, and rendered most efficient service. A law was passed in June, 1811, of the following import :
"That whenever any person shall become a member of any "religious society, corporate or unincorporate, and shall pro- "duce a certificate of such membership to the clerk of the town "'where he dwells, signed by a committee of the society chosen "for the purpose, such person shall ever afterwards, so long as
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HISTORY OF THE NORTH ADAMS BAPTIST CHURCH.
"he continues such membership, be exempted from taxation for "the support of public worship and public teachers of religion, "in every other religious corporation whatsoever."
From this it will be seen that even by this law, religious equality was far from being secured. As the Baptists were almost every where in the minority they must either pay the parish taxes, or submit to the humiliating, condition of obtain- ing from a committee a certificate by which they might be exempted.
As the Baptist church in North Adams was for nineteen years the only church in the place, it might at the time of its organization have been incorporated under the law of 1786 and have imposed taxes upon the whole community for its benefit by simply a majority vote. It might subsequently have done the same under the law of 1811. Absolute religious freedom has, however, ever been a fundamental article in the Baptist faith. They would neither pay taxes willingly for the support of other churches, nor tax others for the support of their own churches.
Neither would they as the law then stood become incorporated. Every incorporated society was required by law to be con- stantly provided with a preacher. In case it was without three months in any six it was liable to a fine of not more than sixty nor less than thirty dollars for the first offense, and for every subsequent like offense to a fine of not more than one hundred dollars nor less than sixty, and the costs of prosecution. The Baptist churches spurned the putting of their necks under such a yoke. They would call the preachers they believed God called and sent to them, even if they had to wait three or six months for the man.
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