USA > Massachusetts > Franklin County > History of the churches and ministers, and of Franklin association, in Franklin County, Mass., and an appendix respecting the county > Part 18
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3. Rev. Pindar Field was born in Sunderland, May 1, 1794; at the age of one year removed with his parents to Hawley, where he lived till manhood ; studied three years at Williams College, but graduated at Amherst in 1822 ; studied theology two years at Andover ; was licensed in December, 1824; labored as a teacher among the Indians in Oldtown, Me. ; in 1825, preached in Deanfield, Me., the first sermon ever preached there, and a great revival was enjoyed in the place, in which " nearly the whole population were hopefully converted ;" then preached in Madison, N. Y., and a revival was enjoyed in 1826, as the fruits of which about seventy made a profession of religion ; in 1827 and 1828 preached for Rev. Samuel Green of Boston, and in Palmer, and in Bridgewater ; from 1828 to 1831, preached in Hamilton, N. Y., and was installed as pastor there in August, 1830, and
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Rev. William R. Weeks preached the sermon ; he gathered a church in that place of eight members, and left it in three years consisting of one hundred and forty members ; preached in Apulia, (Fabius, ) N.Y., from 1831 to 1834 ; was installed as pastor at Oriskany Falls, N. Y., Dec. 31, 1834, and was dismissed from there May 26, 1846 ; then preached at Mar- shall, N. Y., and was installed pastor there, Feb. 23, 1848, and was dismissed from there, Jan. 15, 1851; and, since 1851, has been supplying at North Pitcher, N.Y., and Linck- laen, N. Y.
4. Rev. Thomas A. Hall was born in Hawley, Sept. 2, 1813; graduated at Williams in 1838; studied theology with Rev. John H. Bisbee of Worthington ; was licensed by the Hampshire Association in November, 1840; was ordained as pastor in Dalton, June 16, 1841, and Rev. Mr. Bisbee preached on the occasion ; was dismissed from there, Sept. 29, 1847 ; and since then has had charge of the Academy in Lee, and, for some part of the time, has supplied vacant churches. Mr. Hall still lives in Lee.
5. Rev. Urbane Hitchcock was born in Hawley in 1782 ; graduated at Williams in 1806 ; studied theology with Rev. Dr. Packard of Shelburne ; was ordained as a pastor in Dover,Vt., Dec. 21, 1808, and was dismissed from there, Feb. 13, 1813 ; in 1815, labored as a missionary under the Mis- sionary Society in Vermont ; afterwards lived for many years in Charlemont, and followed agricultural pursuits ; then lived in Hawley, and in Palmer, and now resides in Ware, and has relinquished preaching.
6. Rev. Jonas King, D. D., was born in Hawley, July 29, 1792 ; under his father's direction read the Bible through before he was six years old, and every year afterwards, till he was fifteen years old ; graduated at Williams in 1816 ; studied theology at Andover ; was ordained as an Evangelist in Charleston, S. C., Dec. 17, 1819 ; labored for a few months in that city among the seamen and the colored people ; was chosen a Professor of Oriental Literature in Amherst College
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in 1821, but never entered upon the duties of the office ; visited France and studied at Paris ; in 1823 went as a mis- sionary with Rev. Pliny Fisk to Jerusalem ; spent four years in the Turkish dominions ; returned to France ; in 1827, visited the United States ; travelled 3000 miles in the United States as an agent of the American Board ; by request of the Ladies' Greek Committee in New York, went out, in 1828, with provisions for the suffering Greeks, and acted as an agent for the distribution of the charitable bounty ; was soon commissioned by the American Board as a missionary, and has since then labored in that capacity in Greece. An ac- count of his labors, trials, and persecutions in Greece, is given in the pages of the Missionary Herald for the past ten years. Dr. King was married by Rev. Dr. Rufus Anderson, at Tenos, in Greece, July 22, 1829, to Miss Anna Aspasia Mengous, by whom he has seven children. He was a bene- ficiary of the American Education Society. He received his doctorate from Nassau Hall.
The following interesting account of Dr. King, when a boy, is taken from Littell's Living Age for May 8, 1852 :-
" JUVENILE ENERGY .- In December, 1807, W. H. May- nard, Esq., was teaching a school for a quarter in the town of Plainfield, Massachusetts. One cold, blustering morning, on entering his school-room, he observed a lad he had not seen before, sitting on one of the benches. The lad soon made known his errand to Mr. Maynard. He was fifteen years old ; his parents lived seven miles distant ; he wanted an education, and had come from home on foot that morn- ing, to see if Mr. Maynard could help him contrive how to obtain it. Mr. Maynard asked him if he was acquainted with any one in the place. 'No.' 'Do your parents know any one here ?' 'No.' 'Can your parents help you towards obtaining an education ?' 'No.' 'Have you any friends that can give you assistance ?' 'No.' 'Well, how do you expect to obtain an education ?' ' I don't know, but I thought I would come and see you.' Mr. Maynard told
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him to stay that day, and he would see what could be done. He discovered that the boy was possessed of good sense, but no uncommon brilliancy ; and he was particularly struck with the cool and resolute manner in which he undertook to conquer difficulties which would have intimidated common minds. In the course of the day, Mr. Maynard made pro- vision for having him boarded through the winter in the family with himself, the lad paying for his board by his ser- vices out of school. He gave himself diligently to study, in which he made good but not rapid proficiency, improving every opportunity of reading and conversation for acquiring knowledge ; and thus spent the winter. When Mr. May- nard left the place in the spring, he engaged a minister, who had resided about four miles from the boy's father, to hear his recitations; and the boy accordingly boarded at home and pursued his studies. It is unnecessary to pursue the narrative further. Mr. Maynard never saw the lad after- wards. But this was the early history of the Rev. Jonas King, D. D., whose exertions in the cause of Oriental learn- ing, and in alleviating the miseries of Greece, have endeared him alike to the scholar and the philanthropist, and shed a bright ray of glory on his native country."
It is an interesting coincidence, that the first three Amer- ican missionaries to Jerusalem were born within twenty-five miles of each other, and in what was then the same county, and within thirty-five days of the same time :-
Rev. Pliny Fisk, born in Shelburne, June 24, 1792;
Rev. Levi Parsons, born in Goshen, July 18, 1792;
Rev. Jonas King, born in Hawley, July 29, 1792.
7. Rev. Foster Lilley, Jr., was born in Hawley, June 6, 1812; at about four years of age, removed to Castle Creek, Broome County, N. Y .; graduated at Williams in 1838; studied theology at Auburn ; was licensed, April 15, 1840, by the Presbytery of Tioga, N. Y .; preached at Chenango Forks, N. Y .; in 1842, preached at Gainsboro', Upper Can- ada ; preached as a stated supply at Deposit, N. Y., from
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1842 till 1845 ; from 1845 to 1849, preached at Hornells- ville, N. Y. ; was ordained as an Evangelist at Spencer, N. Y., Sept. 11, 1849, by the Presbytery of Tioga ; from 1849 to 1852, preached at Kennedyville, N. Y., Wheeler, N. Y., and Spencer, N. Y. Since 1852, he has been preaching as a Home Missionary in three villages in Hume, N. Y., where he now resides. Mr. Lilley has two brothers, who are min- isters, viz., Rev. Alvah Lilley of Pewaukie, Wisconsin, and Rev. Arunah H. Lilley of Craneville, N. J.
8 .* Rev. Alfred Longley was born in Hawley, Nov. 10, 1809; never graduated at any college, but studied at various academies, and was at Oberlin Institution, from 1838 to 1840; was licensed by Franklin Association, July 26, 1843 ; then taught and preached in Farmington, Ohio; was or- dained as an Evangelist at Lafayette, Medina County, Ohio, in 1845, and preached in the same place four years. He died with the consumption, at Chatham Centre, Ohio, March 16, 1851, aged 41. He was the son of Hon. Thomas Long- ley, and has one brother, who is a minister, viz., Rev. Moses M. Longley of Chatham Centre, Ohio.
The following notice of Mr. Longley was published in the New York Independent, April 10, 1851 :- " He was a a man of true benevolence ; the poor he ever remembered ; and was not forgotten of his God when himself became poor and dependent upon the charity of others. The kindness of friends often affected him to tears. The goodness of God in giving his Son to die for sinners ; in hearing and answering his prayers, and sending the very thing he needed and at the time he needed it, were themes upon which he loved to dwell, and called forth devout thanksgiving and praise. When inviting christians to pray with him, he would some- times say, 'Be sure you spend much of the time in giving thanks.' The tracts, 'Poor Joseph,' and 'Christ is All,' or 'Choice Drop of Honey from the Rock Christ,' were precious morsels to him. But the Bible, when he became so weak that he could not read it much, he loved to have placed
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where he could lie and see it-feast his soul upon, and plead the precious promises it contained. Death, as it drew near, appeared very pleasant to him. 'It seems,' he said, 'like going to sleep. Christians should not be afraid to die. Let sinners sing
' Hark, from the tombs a doleful sound !'
but christians should not sing it.' During his sickness, he took great delight in singing; and very early on Sabbath morning went to join in the new song above. He has left a wife, one son, and many friends, who mourn their loss, but rejoice in his gain." His marriage with Miss Julia M. Read of Norton, took place in 1842. One of his sisters is the wife of Rev. S. R. Riggs, a missionary among the In- dians at Lacquiparle, Minnesota.
9. Rev. Moses M. Longley was born in Hawley, June 14, 1815, and is a brother of the subject of the preceding sketch. He studied some at Amherst College, but graduated at Ober- lin Institution in 1842; finished his theological studies at Oberlin in 1845; was licensed by Lorain County Associa- tion, Ohio, Aug. 11, 1845; was ordained as an Evangelist at Guilford, Ohio, May 29, 1846 ; and preached in that place from 1845 to 1847; supplied some in Westfield, York, and Lodi, Ohio ; and for about six years has been supplying in Chatham Centre, Ohio, where he still lives.
10. Rev. Isaac Oakes was born in Hawley, June 10, 1795; graduated at Williams in 1820; studied theology at Andover ; was licensed by the Essex Middle Association, July 8, 1823 ; and was ordained as an Evangelist at Sa- lem, Sept. 25, 1823, with others, and Dr. Elias Cornelius preached on the occasion ; was installed as pastor at West- field, N. Y., Aug. 11, 1824, and the sermon was by Rev. William Page ; and he was dismissed from there, May 1, 1831; from 1831 to 1834, supplied in Warsaw and East Bethany, N. Y. ; installed as pastor in Lancaster, N. Y., June 24, 1834, and the sermon was by the late Rev. Dr. Norris
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Bull ; continued pastor in that place about four years ; after- wards supplied four different places, for several years each, and among them Riga and Nunda, N. Y .; and is now preach- ing in Oakland, Livingstone County, N. Y. Mr. Oakes has buried all his children, seven in number.
11. Rev. Alvah C. Page was born in Hawley, March 17, 1806 ; graduated at Amherst in 1829; studied theology with Rev. F. Freeman of Plymouth ; licensed by Pilgrim Associ- ation, Dec. 21, 1830 ; ordained as an Evangelist at Charle- mont, Nov. 8, 1831, and the sermon was preached by Rev. Dr. Packard of Shelburne; preached in Warwick in 1831; then supplied the church in Montague; in 1832, 1833, and 1834, preached in Rutland, N. Y., Pembroke, N. Y., and Bethany, N. Y. ; was settled as pastor in Norwich, January, 1835, and Rev. William A. Hawley preached the sermon ; dismissed from there, July 20, 1836; settled as pastor in Tyringham, April, 1837, and Rev. H. Goodwin preached the sermon ; dismissed from there, Jan. 25, 1843; settled as pastor in New Alstead, N. H., October, 1844, and Rev. Dr. Barstow of Keene, N. H., preached the sermon ; dismissed from there, May 19, 1847 ; settled as pastor in Pelham, Jan- uary, 1848, and the sermon was by Rev. R. Crossett ; dis- missed from there, May 9, 1850 ; settled as pastor in Hol- land, Dec. 3, 1851, and the sermon was by Rev. Dr. Bates of Dudley. Mr. Page is still in Holland.
12. Rev. Jeremiah Taylor was born in Hawley, June 11, 1817; graduated at Amherst in 1843 ; finished his theolog- ical studies at Princeton, N. J., in 1847 ; was licensed, April 29, 1846, by the Presbytery of New Brunswick, N. J .; and was settled as pastor in Wenham, Oct. 27, 1847, and the sermon was preached by his brother, the late Rev. Oliver A. Taylor, and was published. Mr. Taylor has two brothers, who are ministers, of whom notices are subjoined. Mr. Taylor is still in Wenham. He preached one year at New Brunswick, N. J., and was invited to settle there.
13 .* Rev. Oliver A. Taylor, brother of Revs. Jeremiah,
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Rufus, and Timothy A. Taylor, was born at Yarmouth, Aug. 18, 1801; when about three months old, his parents removed with him to Ashfield, and when about two years old, re- moved with him to Hawley; graduated at Union in 1825; finished the theological course at Andover in 1829; resided at Andover for some time as a resident licentiate and as an instructor in the seminary, and supplied different churches ; received calls to settle in several places, and among others, Topsfield, Braintree, and Hatfield ; ordained as an Evange- list at Newbury, Nov. 14, 1838; installed as pastor at Man- chester, Sept. 18, 1839; and died while pastor of the church there, Dec. 18, 1851, aged 50. Rev. Dr. Crowell of Essex preached his funeral sermon. Mr. Taylor was married to Miss Mary Cleaveland of Topsfield, Nov. 8, 1843. His brother, Rev. Timothy A. Taylor, has compiled an interest- ing memoir of him, which was published in 1853.
The following obituary notice of Mr. Taylor was pub- lished in the Puritan Recorder for Jan. 12, 1852 :-
" Died at Manchester, Dec. 18, 1851, Rev. Oliver Alden Taylor. He was the eldest son of Jeremiah and Martha Shaw Taylor. He was born at Yarmouth, Aug. 18, 1801. His mother was the youngest daughter of Rev. Timothy Al- den, pastor of the Congregational church in Yarmouth, and grand-daughter of Rev. Holyoke Weld, pastor of the church in Attleborough. His father in the early part of his life fol- lowed the sea, and for some time sailed as master of a vessel.
" Not long after his marriage, and while Oliver was an in- fant, he returned from the sea and entered upon agricultural pursuits in the western part of the State. Owing to misfor- tunes in business, the father's means were limited, and to the mind of this son the prospect became dark for obtaining even a common education, so far was his home from the district school-house, and so new was the country around. Having no companions, he was led to spend those hours in reading and study at home, which are too generally wasted by youth in idle sports. This gave shape to his subsequent life. His
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mother, devotedly pious, was faithful in instilling into his youthful heart religious instruction. She had indeed, like Hannah, lent him to the Lord before his birth.
" At the age of fifteen he became deeply interested in the subject of religion, and, as he hoped, gave his heart to the Lord. In the spring of 1816, he, with fifty-three others, united with the church in Hawley, and ever after main- tained a consistent christian character. As his mother con- versed with him on the advantages of a public education, and acquainted him with the fact that her grandfather, father, and three brothers had been graduates at Harvard College, his soul was inflamed with desires for like advan- tages. He borrowed all the books within his reach, and committed many portions of them to memory. Longing for a public education, he was continually devising means for securing it. Friends were found who kindly offered to assist him. But being the eldest son, the father felt that his ser- vices at home could not be dispensed with. He was not, however, discouraged ; but improved diligently every mo- ment of time not spent in labor, in cultivating an acquaint- ance with books, even taking them into the field with him, that no opportunities for study might be lost. In this way he committed many portions of the Latin grammar ; reciting it to a friend who kindly aided him in the effort. At length the desire of his heart was gratified. He entered an academy in a neighboring town, a few weeks before his father's decease.
"Here he prepared for college. His pecuniary means being exhausted, he borrowed ten dollars, and commenced a journey on foot of more than five hundred miles, to Alle- ghany College in Pennsylvania, where he entered at the age of twenty, under the patronage of his uncle, the Rev. Tim- othy Alden, President of the college. The following year he was transferred to Union College, N. Y., where he had grad- mated in 1825. His theological course of study he completed at Andover in 1829. In April, of the same year, he was li- censed to preach the gospel by the Presbytery of Newbury-
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port ; and in March, 1838, was ordained as an Evangelist by the same body. The ten years intervening between his licensure to preach and his settlement in the ministry, he spent at Andover, in literary and theological pursuits, and in preaching the gospel as opportunity occurred. In 1835, he brought through the press, his 'Brief Views of the Saviour for the Young.' The same year, he translated from the German, (appending copious notes of his own,) an elaborate work on the 'Music of the Hebrews.' This, in two arti- cles, was published in the Biblical Repository of that year. These articles secured his election to the Oriental Society, which meets semi-annually at Boston, and New Haven, Ct. In 1838, he issued his 'Catalogue of Andover Theological Seminary ;' concerning which work, Professor Tholuck of Germany remarked to a professor in that seminary, that 'he regarded it the best evidence of the existence of ripe scholar- ship in America, of anything which had fallen under his eye.'
" At various other times he has prepared for the press im- portant articles. In September, 1839, he was installed pastor of the Congregational church in Manchester, where, after a faithful and successful ministry of twelve years, he finished his course and departed to receive his final reward. In ad- dition to his faithful labors as a pastor, he continued his re- searches as a student, especially in Oriental literature and Biblical science, for which he was eminently distinguished. In 1844 he gave to the Sabbath School Society ' The Memoir of Andrew Lee.'
" In Angust, 1851, he was attacked with his last sickness, which he bore with much christian patience and resignation. At early dawn on the day previous to his death, he remarked that he had for some little time been enjoying a wonderful visit from his Saviour. He said he had had for several days, at about the same time, sweet visits, but this seemed more vivid and overwhelming than any other. He felt an inex- pressible sense of his own vileness, and a strong, all-absorbing desire to be lost in the glory of God ; but what, more than
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all, seemed to fill his whole soul was a desire that God would appear for the conversion of his flock. 'I feel,' he said, ' no wish or desire but to be wholly lost in the glory of God ; and if the conversion of this people could be brought about by means of my death, O, how joyfully would I go this moment.' He then for some time prayed audibly, with such intense emotion as to excite fears for the effect upon his feeble frame, and the whole burden of his prayer was for his dear flock, exclaiming, ' O my people, the flock thou, dear Shepherd, hast committed to me.'
" There had been read to him for two or three days succes- sively, passages from the twelfth, thirteenth and fourteenth chapters of Luke. He dwelt with great delight on these precious portions of scripture, and each time the Bible was taken, he would say, ' Read right on where you left off ; that is so sweet.' He generally preferred those passages of scrip- ture which brought him nearest to Christ. On being asked what message he would send to some dear friends, he dicta- ted the substance of what has been stated of his feelings in the morning, and added, 'Several hours have elapsed, and those feelings and intense views remain the same ; I would have them recorded for the glory of God.' To his brother who came from a neighboring town to see him, he said, ' You see what we may all be brought to. How infinitely important that we be in Christ.'
" Seeming to be conscious that his end was near, he said, ' I have no fear, I am not in the least agitated, if it is so.' A few hours before his death, the following sentence was, at his direction, recorded in his journal : ' If I mistake not, this is the first time in which I could say with Job, Though he slay me yet will I trust him; and with Isaiah the Prophet, Here, Lord, am I, send me. Here, Lord, (it is my prayer, ) help me to rest myself for a time. Here, amid the billows of temptation, which the adversary of souls may roll over me, help me to abide for eternity.' After this, amid great distress of body, moments of darkness crowded into his mind,
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but these seemed to be lost sight of in the all-prevailing desire to be absorbed in the glory of Christ.
" Thus died as he had lived, this venerated and beloved servant of God, this devoted friend and benefactor of man. Like Barnabas, he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost, and of faith. To the service and glory of his Master, he consecrated all his time, talents, influence and acquire- ments ; sparing no pains, and shunning no sacrifices that he might advance his kingdom, and promote the honor of his name. His life was laboriously spent in doing good. For though hours, and days, and years were spent in assiduous study, it was not to get glory to himself, but to fit himself for greater usefulness, and bring more glory to his Lord, by proclaiming more effectually from the pulpit and the press the unsearchable riches of his grace.
" As a pastor, he was diligent, watchful, and successful. As a preacher, he was instructive, earnest, faithful and im- pressive. In the work of the Lord, he was faithful unto the end, neither halting in his course, nor for a moment harbor- ing the thought of quitting his Master. When he entered his service it was for life, rather, I should say, for eternity. His ears were bored at the door of the church. The cove- nant he there made was an eternal covenant. His heart overflowed with love, and, through all succeeding days, he could habitually say, ' I love my master and will not go out free.' Yet he was deeply sensible of many deficiencies in duty, and daily bewailed his sins before the Lord. He counted not himself to have apprehended, nor to be already perfect, but this one thing he did, forgetting those things which were behind, and reaching forth unto those things which were before, he pressed toward the mark for the ยท prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. And in no way, and by no means was he more diligent in run- ning the christian race, than in humbly waiting upon God without ceasing, for his Spirit to enlighten, direct, sanctify, and strengthen him. He was evidently much in prayer, as
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appeared from his habitually devout frame of mind, as well as from the sacred unction spread over all his ministerial and christian services. It was owing doubtless to this habit of prayer, as well as to other means, that he was so remarkably diligent and successful as a scholar ; according to the chris- tian axiom, ' Bene orasse est bene studuisse.' With an ardent thirst for knowledge, and with capacities for acquiring and possessing it, he richly stored his mind with its treasures, especially in all the departments of literature connected with theology. This rendered his conversation entertaining and profitable, and the productions of his pen highly instructive, useful, and interesting, and qualified him to be eminently suc- cessful in all his pulpit performances. But his chief and crowning excellence was, that he brought all his attainments, and all his powers of body and mind, and laid them at the feet of Jesus to be used only in his service and for the pro- motion of his glory. He was a humble, devoted, zealous and faithful servant of Jesus Christ."
14. Rev. Rufus Taylor was born in Hawley, March 24, 1811 ; graduated at Amherst, 1837 ; finished the theological course at Princeton, N. J., in 1840; licensed, March 25, 1840, by the Presbytery of New Brunswick, N. J. ; ordained as pastor in Shrewsbury, N. J., Nov. 10, 1840 ; dismissed from there, March 31, 1852 ; and installed pastor in Man- chester, May 6, 1852, and the sermon was by his brother, Rev. T. A. Taylor. He still remains in Manchester.
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