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 6
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36
60
CHURCHES AND MINISTERS
1852 Mr. Cummings published a "Dictionary of Congrega- tional Principles and Usages," a volume of some 400 pages. " After being settled one year, a providential injury left him exposed to short periods of insanity for the rest of his life. He spent between four and five months in the State Lunatic Hospital at Worcester, in the years 1849 and 1850-the last time self-committed, and with good advantage. Had it not been for this, he would never have prosecuted the work of his Congregational Dictionary ; but there he could attend to it with peculiar facilities (having access to the Antiquarian Library in Worcester); and it was a sanitary employment." His ministry in Buckland was about eight years.
4. REV. ASA B. SMITH was installed pastor of the church, March 22, 1848, and the sermon was by Rev. Austin Cary of Sunderland. Mr. Smith was born in Williamstown, Vt., July 16, 1809; graduated at Middlebury in 1834; studied theology at Andover and at New Haven ; ordained as a mis- sionary, Nov. 1, 1837 ; preached for a time at Woodbridge, Ct., in which period a revival was enjoyed, and about 50 were added to the church; under the patronage of the Amer- ican Board, started for Oregon, March 15, 1838, with his wife ; rode 2,000 miles on horseback; reached his destina- tion, Sept. 1, 1838; remained in Oregon, among the Indians, three years ; on account of the failure of his wife's health, removed in 1841 to the Sandwich Islands, and remained there till 1845; then, on account of his own ill health, left the mission ; returned by way of China and South Africa, to the United States, May 4, 1846; then supplied a year in South Amherst ; and still remains pastor in Buckland, now in the sixth year of his ministry there.
Of the four pastors of this church, one died while a pastor, and two were dismissed ; and the average length of their pastorates is about fourteen years and a half; and three are now living.
61
OF BUCKLAND.
CONGREGATIONAL MINISTERS WHO ORIGINATED FROM BUCKLAND.
1 .* Rev. Jesse Edson was born in Buckland in 1773; graduated at Dartmouth in 1794; studied theology with Rev. John Emerson, of Conway ; was licensed by Hamp- shire Association, Aug. 4, 1795; supplied, for a time, the church in Gill ; was ordained in Halifax, Vt., Nov. 23, 1796, and Rev. John Emerson preached on the occasion ; and died as pastor in Halifax, Vt., Dec. 14, 1805, aged 32.
The following account of him is from a manuscript his- torical discourse, delivered by Rev. Alpheus Graves, while a pastor in Halifax, Vt. :- " During his ministry, ninety-nine were added to the church-eleven of whom were received by letter. In the fall and winter of 1797 and '98, there was a general revival of religion in the town, of the fruits of which, forty-three united with the Congregational church in 1798. A considerable number united with the Baptist church, the same year. Mr. Edson was highly acceptable to his people, both as a minister and as a pastor, receiving their affectionate confidence. As a preacher, he was sound in doctrine, though not characterized as a doctrinal preacher. In his intercourse with his people, he was courteous, intro- ducing the subject of religion in an easy and happy manner. His person was tall and slender. His preparations for the pulpit were made with readiness. He interested himself in the young people of his charge, and was accustomed to preach to them one sermon a year. Mr. Edson's salary was one hundred pounds. He died at an early age, much la- mented by his people, leaving a widow and three children." He published an interesting sermon, which he preached to the young, Oct. 17, 1799.
His remains sleep beside those of his successor, Rev. Thomas H. Wood, near the sanctuary where they preached the gospel. The following epitaph is on Mr. Edson's grave- stone, viz. :-
62
CHURCHES AND MINISTERS
" My flesh shall slumber in the ground, Till the last trumpet's awful sound ; Then burst the chains in sweet surprise, And in my Saviour's image rise."
2. Rev. Washington A. Nickols was born in Buckland, in 1808; graduated at Amherst in 1834; finished the theolog- ical course at Andover in 1838; ordained as pastor in Brook- field, in September, 1838, and the sermon was preached by Rev. Dr. Snell, of North Brookfield ; was dismissed through failure of health, in 1842; and has since been employed in a large family school in Brookfield, till 1853, when he relin- quished it. He married a daughter of Rev. Moses Miller. He is now preaching in Chicago, Illinois.
3. Rev. Lebbeus R. Phillips was born in Ashfield, Nov. 1, 1806, and in early life removed to Buckland, where he lived and made it his home, till settled in the ministry. He graduated at Williams in 1836; studied theology at East Windsor Hill; preached in Halifax, Vt., a part of the years 1839 and 1840; was ordained as pastor in Sharon, July 25, 1841, and Rev. Dr. R. S. Storrs, of Braintree, preached the sermon. Mr. Phillips still remains a pastor in Sharon.
4. Rev. David Rood was born in Buckland, April 25, 1818 ; removed to Plainfield in 1827 ; graduated at Williams in 1844; finished his theological course at East Windsor Hill in 1847; was licensed to preach in Northampton in 1846 ; was ordained as a foreign missionary at Plainfield, Oct. 7, 1847, and the sermon was preached by Rev. Morris E. White, then of Southampton ; embarked for his destina- tion in South Africa, Nov. 3, 1847 ; and is now laboring as a missionary among the Zulus in South Africa, at Umlazi, a station five miles from the sea.
5. Rev. Lathrop Taylor was born in Buckland, Aug. 3, 1813 ; graduated at Middlebury in 1839; finished the theo- logical course at Andover in 1842; was settled as pastor of the Spring Street Church in Taunton, May 10, 1843, and Rev. I. P. Langworthy, of Chelsea, preached the sermon ;
63
OF BUCKLAND.
and he was dismissed from there in June, 1845 ; installed as pastor in Springfield, Vt., Oct. 1, 1845, and Rev. Erastus Maltby, of Taunton, preached the sermon; and he was dis- missed from there, Nov. 4, 1851; installed as pastor in Fran- cestown, N. H., Nov. 19, 1851, and the sermon was by Rev. Austin Richards, of Nashua, N. H. Mr. Taylor is still pas- tor in Francestown, N. H.
Some other ministers have spent a portion of their early life in Buckland. Rev. Theron M. Hawks removed from Charlemont to this place in 1835, at fourteen years of age ; an account of whom is given in the sketch of Charlemont ministers. Rev. Alvah Lilley removed to Buckland in 1805, at eight years of age, and lived there five years ; a notice of whom may be found in the account of Ashfield ministers. Rev. Francis Williams, a native of Ashfield, lived near the borders of Buckland, and was connected with the church and meeting there.
Of the five Congregational ministers here enumerated as sons of Buckland, four are supposed to have been born in Buckland ; all received a collegiate education ; all have been settled as pastors, except one, who is a foreign missionary ; and all but one are now living.
OTHER DENOMINATIONS.
BAPTISTS. In a history of the Baptist church in Ashfield, published in the Minutes of the Franklin County Baptist Association for 1852, it is said : "On the 22d of July, 1789, ten individuals were delegated from this church to form a branch in Buckland." The clerk of the Baptist church in Buckland makes the date of the organization of that church to be Nov. 21, 1828. Its number of members in 1853 was 26. The following preachers have supplied the church, viz .: Revs. Linus Austin, James M. Coley, Benjamin F. Reming- ton, John K. Price, Amherst Lamb, Alden B. Eggleston, P. P. Sanderson, James Parker, and James Clark in 1853. One Baptist minister, Rev. William Wilder, originated from Buck- land.
64
CHURCHES AND MINISTERS
EPISCOPALIANS. Rev. Lucius Carter, of this order, orig- inated from Buckland.
METHODISTS. The Methodist society existed many years as a fractional part of a large circuit, and consequently had no separate records. The date of the organization of the church cannot be ascertained ; but it is as early, probably, as 1820, or perhaps still earlier. The following ministers have supplied as preachers, viz. : Revs. Ibri Cannon, Orrin Peir, Henry Hat- field, John Nixon, Samuel Avery, John J. Matthias, Moses Ammadon, Robert Travis, J. B. Husted, Alexander Hulin, Elias Crawford, John Luckey, John Parker, Hiram H. White, William Todd, Joel Knight, Noble Shepard, Philo Hawks, Ziba Loveland, Erastus Otis, Otis Wilder, Windsor Ward, Daniel Graves, Simon Pike, William Gordon, Mr. Oakes, C. C. Barnes, William Taylor, E. K. Avery, S. Drake, Leonard Frost, Proctor Marsh, Porter R. Sawyer, Henry S. Shedd, George W. Green, Homer W. Clarke, Moses Palmer, A. G. Bolles, Solomon W. Johnson, Solomon Cushman, George E. Chapman, A. S. Flagg, M. Leffingwell, and Austin F. Her- rick in 1853. The Methodist Meeting-house at Shelburne Falls is on the Buckland side of the line, but the church and society are considered as belonging to Shelburne. One Meth- odist minister has originated from Buckland, viz., Rev. Wind- sor Ward.
SUMMARY of preachers originating from Buckland. Con- gregationalists, 5. Baptists, 1. Episcopalians, 1. Meth- odists, 1. Total, 8.
CHARLEMONT.
This was a frontier town during the French and Indian wars, and was greatly exposed to the attacks of the enemy. In the limits of the town were three garrisons, Taylor's, Rice's, and Hawks', which were part of a line of fortifica- tions projected by Colonel Williams in 1754. The town was incorporated, June 21, 1765. The population in 1850 was 1,173. Five churches have been organized in Charle-
65
OF CHARLEMONT.
mont, viz., three Orthodox Congregational, one Baptist, one Methodist and one Unitarian.
CONGREGATIONALISTS.
FIRST CHURCH. The first church became extinct, and, the records being lost, it is not certainly known when it was organized, or when it became extinct. As the town was incorporated in 1765, and the first pastor was settled in 1767, and the deacons were chosen in 1767, the church was probably formed about the time of the settlement of its first pastor, in 1767. The church was probably disbanded, or considered extinct, at the time of the dismission of the first pastor, April 15, 1785, as a part of the members, living in Heath, were at that time organized as a church in Heath, and a new church was formed about three years afterwards in Charlemont.
But little is known relative to this first church, which is now defunct. The two meeting-houses, in which they wor- shiped, were situated in that part of Charlemont which is now included in Heath. The second one was built about 1767. Unhappy differences between the pastor and people arose during the latter part of his pastorate among them. From the town records it appears that his people, or the town, considered him as dismissed from them, not by a council, but by their own vote, Aug. 29, 1781. He, not considering himself dismissed from the church, and being refused the use of the meeting-house, gave notice that he should hold meetings and preach at his own private house ; and he continued thus to do for several years, a few of his people attending upon his ministrations. At length he claimed his salary, and it being refused, he commenced a legal prosecution and recovered it. At one stage of the dif- ficulties, the pastor called a council to advise in relation to his dismission from the church. The council advised him to continue for six months longer, in the hope that a recon- ciliation might be effected during that time. During the
9
66
CHURCHES AND MINISTERS
difficulties, Rev. Jesse Reed preached in Charlemont, as a supply, to a portion of the people who were disaffected with the pastor. Mr. Reed continued to preach for several years ; was reproved by the Association of Ministers for preaching in the parish, when the pastor was not dismissed ; made his confession to the Association, and died in Charlemont in January, 1791, and was buried there. He had lived in the town about ten years. The first church, during the proba- ble period of its existence, from 1767 to 1785, had but one pastor, whose nominal ministry in Charlemont was about eighteen years.
PASTOR. * REV. JONATHAN LEAVITT was the first and only pastor of this church, and was installed over it near the close of 1767. He was born in Suffield, Conn., Jan. 22, 1731 ; graduated at Yale in 1758 ; ordained as pastor in Walpole, N. H., May 27, 1761; dismissed from Walpole in May, . 1765 ; held the pastoral relation about eighteen years in Charlemont ; and passed the remainder of his life on the same spot, the place of his residence being included in Heath at the incorporation of that town in 1785. He died in Heath, Sept. 9, 1802, aged 71. The council that dis- missed him from Walpole, say of him : "We esteem him a young gentleman endowed with many desirable minis- terial accomplishments." Mr. Leavitt's first wife was Miss Sarah Hooker, of Farmington, Con., who died suddenly, Oct. 11, 1791, by wrong medicine given by her daughter. She was the mother of twelve children, the first of whom was an only daughter. The eleven sons lived to arrive at manhood, but are now dead. Two of Mr. Leavitt's grandchildren, viz., Joshua Leavitt and Jonathan Leavitt, and one great grandchild, R. S. Leavitt, are now ministers. Mr. Leavitt's second wife was Mrs. Tirzah, the widow of Jonathan Ashley, Esq., of Deerfield, who died Nov. 22, 1797.
A ministerial acquaintance of his says of him : "Mr. Leavitt dressed in the costume of his day. He wore a great white wig and a cocked up hat, and made a dignified ap-
67
OF CHARLEMONT.
pearance. He would do more execution with one nod of his wig, than you or I could in talking half an hour."
Another minister, connected by marriage with the Leavitt family, says: "Mr. Leavitt was pastor of the church in Charlemont through the hard struggle of the Revolution, which was especially hard upon the farmers of the new mountainous settlements. His people fell greatly short of furnishing an adequate support for his very large family, and, after twelve years, ceased to pay him anything. After the close of the Revolution, he obtained a part of his neg- lected salary by a legal course, which created dissatisfac- tion on the part of some of the people, which did not sub- side in many years. Mr. Leavitt was endowed with good talents ; was a gentleman in his manners ; hospitable and very sociable in his ample home ; and a christian man in his deportment, at home and abroad. His sermons are sound in theology, and manifest a mind that is able to work with profound subjects ; not fresh and beautified by the imagina- tion, not ardent and overflowing with love, but didactic, dry, and clean, and very long. His services were delivered in a dull monotony, and his prayers were incredibly long, in pub- lic and in family devotions. Feb. 28, 1802, Mr. Leavitt writes : ' My son Joshua went away the June preceding the death of his mother, and has not been heard of since.' The last of July following he learned that bales of cotton had been seen in the city of New York, marked ' Joshua Leavitt.' The father immediately started on a journey of discovery, and, on his return, was taken sick, and died soon after reach- ing home. It was a plain case of travel disease, induced by anxiety, excitement, and horseback journeying of several days in the sun."
A manuscript account of his death says : "He endured the pains and distress of his disorder with great patience. He manifested, during the course of his sickness, the most en- tire resignation to the will of his Creator, and, at last, ap- peared to expire without a struggle, in the hope of a blessed immortality."
ยท
68
CHURCHES AND MINISTERS
The following obituary notice is taken from the Green- field Gazette, of Sept. 20, 1802 : " Mr. Leavitt was taken sick with the dysentery on the 20th of August, while at- tending upon his youngest son, who was sick with the same disorder. For eighteen days he endured the pains and dis- tresses of his disorder with great patience. During the time of his sickness he manifested the most cheerful resignation to the will of his Creator, and a firm belief in the mercy of God through the merits of Christ. A little before he breathed his last, he raised his hand to his head, and endeavored to close his eyes as well as he could, and, at the close of life, appeared to expire without a struggle, in the hope of a happy immortality. It is but just to remark, that, in early life, Mr. Leavitt made a profession of his belief in the religion of Christ, and ever after appeared to be steadfast, zealous, and sincere in maintaining the doctrines of the gospel. He considered the scriptures as the only perfect rule, and the character of Christ as the only perfect example, for the con- duct of men. His hope of acceptance with God was in his mercy, through the merits of the Redeemer. This hope seemed to be a cordial to his spirits, in all the trying and distressing scenes of his life, and his unfailing support while passing through the dark valley of the shadow of death. ' Blessed is he who trusteth in the Lord, whose hope the Lord is.' Mr. Leavitt has left a numerous family and many friends to mourn the loss of an affectionate husband, a most excellent father, and a faithful friend." In 1801 he published a volume on the "New Covenant and the Church's Duty." SECOND CHURCH. The second church was organized June 6, 17SS, with sixteen members. The council, embrac- ing Revs. Nehemiah Porter of Ashfield, John Emerson of Conway, and Roger Newton of Greenfield, was in session three days. The first Meeting-house was built about 1790, and the second, located about two miles west of the first, was built in 1845. This church has enjoyed nine revivals, as the fruits of which nearly two hundred united with it,
69
OF CHARLEMONT.
viz., in 1792, and forty additions ; in 1815, and eighteen additions ; in 1821; in 1824, and seventeen additions ; in 1828, and twenty additions ; in 1830, and forty-one addi- tions ; in 1842, and twenty-six additions ; in 1847, and twenty additions ; and in 1850, and eighteen additions. Councils have been called by this church to settle difficulties as follows, viz., Feb. 9, 1791 ; May, 1792; Feb. 25, 1795 ; July 13, 1842 ; and Oct. 31, 1843. This church has given invitations to the following ministers to settle as pastors, who declined to settle, viz., Rev. Enoch Pond, March 20, 1789 ; Rev. Thomas Moore, Dec. 15, 1790; Rev. Caleb Blake, May 5, 1791 ; renewed the call to Mr. Blake, July 10, 1791 ; Rev. Gordon Dorrance, July 2, 1794 ; Rev. Theodore Hins- dale, Nov. 24, 1794; Rev. Tilton Eastman, Feb. 6, 1799 ; Rev. James Kimball, Aug. 2, 1824; Rev. Parsons Cooke, D. D., Nov. 15, 1824; Rev. Theodore J. Clark in 1852. The amount contributed to the cause of benevolence, in 1853, was $99 39. The number in the Sabbath School, in 1852, was 120. The number in the church, in 1853, was 87. In the 65 years since the church was organized it has had settled pastors about 47 years, and has been destitute of the same about 18 years. This church has had five pastors.
PASTORS. 1 .* REV. ISAAC BABBITT Was settled as pastor, Feb. 24, 1796, and dismissed June 7, 1798. He was born in Easton, Conn., Feb. 26, 1757, and, at about twelve years of age, removed to Hanover, N. H .; graduated at Dart- mouth in 1783; studied theology with Rev. Eden Bur- roughs, D.D., the father of the notorious Stephen Burroughs ; preached some in Vermont ; was married March 20, 1795, to Miss Prudence May, daughter of Deacon Ezra May, a major in the revolution, and who is reported to have been the very first settler in Goshen. After his dismission from Charlemont he resided about one year in Goshen, and removed to Hartwick, N. Y., about 1801, and engaged in agriculture ; he removed to Seneca Falls, N. Y., about 1832, and lived there till his
70
CHURCHES AND MINISTERS
death. He had seven children, three daughters and four sons, several of whom are now living in the western states ; one son, Rev. Calvin W. Babbitt, a graduate of Amherst College and Andover Seminary, resides in Metamora, Ill.
A minister of Mr. Babbitt's acquaintance says of him : " Mr. Babbitt was a modest, sober and pious man. In his sentiments he might be called a strict Calvinist. He was a plain preacher, but not very forcible. His way and manner of delivery were not pleasing. He was a good man, I trust, but an unpopular preacher. He had a kind of tickling in his throat, which rendered his speaking disagreeable." In his speaking he had a habit of hemming so frequently as to injure his delivery. A correspondent says of him : "Mr. Babbitt was frank in his manners, social and cheerful in his disposition. His death was caused by a cancer on the limb, from which he suffered some years. During his last illness, and for some time previously, he seemed waiting for the summons to go hence. He said to a friend, a few hours before his death, that he had good news to communicate. The gentleman inquired what it was, when he replied that his physician had said he could survive but a short time. He seemed delighted at the idea of leaving earth and earthly things."
Mr. Babbitt died at Seneca Falls, N. Y., Aug. 8, 1833, aged 76. Rev. A. G. Orton, who attended him in his sick- ness and preached at his funeral, says of him : " Through all his illness, till death came to his relief, though he suffered much, he was never heard to breathe a syllable of complaint ; his countenance, ever calm and bright, with a smile of more than earthly joy, looking forward to his release with patient hope, and a firm unwavering trust in the God of his salva- tion." His physician, who was inclined to skepticism, said that he had seen more evidence of the reality of religion in the case of Mr. Babbitt than he had ever witnessed before. " To see a case so afflictive as that, so distressing and pitia- ble, yet so calm and joyful, there's something which no
71
OF CHARLEMONT.
mortal can gainsay." An obituary notice of Mr. Babbitt was published soon after his death in the " Seneca Far- mer." Mr. Babbitt's ministry in Charlemont was about two years.
2. REV. JOSEPH FIELD was installed pastor, Dec. 4, 1799; and was dismissed from Charlemont, July 10, 1823. He was born in Sunderland, in 1772; graduated at Dartmouth in 1792; studied theology with Rev. Dr. Charles Backus of Somers, Ct .; settled as pastor in Fairfield, Herkimer County, N. Y., Dec. 4, 1797, and the sermon was by Rev. Eliphalet Steele of New Hartford, N. Y. ; dismissed from Fairfield in the spring of 1799; supplied a short time in Westminster, Vt., (West Parish), and was then settled in Charlemont. Mr. Field married a daughter of Rev. John Emerson of Conway. He performed a missionary tour in 1805, in the State of New York, under the Hampshire Missionary Society. He has published several sermons ; a volume of Strictures on Rev. Daniel Merrill's work on Baptism ; a volume of twelve ser- mons on the Divine Government ; a Treatise on the Trinity ; and " Clerical Discipline," in two parts. He was a Rep- resentative of Charlemont to the Massachusetts Legislature in 1828, 1835, 1836, 1837, 1838, 1839, and 1842. He has continued to reside in Charlemont since his dismission. His dismission was in consequence of his becoming a Unitarian. He has supplied the Unitarian church in Charlemont, more or less, since his dismission from the Orthodox church. After the change in his doctrinal views, an account of the mutual doings of Mr. Field and the Franklin Association with which he was connected, was recorded by the Associ- ation ; and Mr. Field also gave his views of the same, in " Clerical Discipline." His ministry in Charlemont was about twenty-three years and a half.
3 .* REV. WALES TILESTON was ordained pastor, March 16, 1825, and the sermon was by Rev. Dr. William B. Sprague of Albany ; and he was dismissed from Charlemont, March 22, 1837. Mr. Tileston was born in Williamsburg, Nov. 24,
72
CHURCHES AND MINISTERS
1792 ; pursued his collegiate studies chiefly at Williams, but graduated at Union in 1822; studied theology at Andover, and with Rev. Dr. Asa Burton of Thetford, Vt .; was li- censed by Orange Association, Vt., Aug. 6, 1823 ; installed as pastor in Nunda Valley, N. Y., in the spring of 1838; dis- missed from there in 1840; resided there two years, and supplied neighboring churches ; supplied at Perry Village, N. Y., in 1842; supplied in Perry Centre, N. Y., in 1843 ; in 1844 removed to Rockford, Ill., and lived there four years ; in 1849, removed to Galesburg, Ill., and preached at Andover, Ill., till June, 1850. Rev. Abel Caldwell of Hunt's Hollow, N. Y., preached his installation sermon at Nunda Valley, N. Y. He buried his first wife in the early part of his ministry, in 1827. She was Miss Rebecca Gookin. His second wife, a Miss Clapp, from Greenfield, survives him. He had nine children, four of whom are living.
Rev. Lemuel Leonard, a former parishioner of Mr. Tiles- ton in Charlemont, says of him: "The most obvious and prominent things that impressed my mind were his kind- ness of disposition and sympathy, which qualified him emi- nently to minister to the sick and dying as a spiritual adviser and comforter. His interest in the young, and his encour- agement of young men to acquire an education, were re- markable ; and many of the young people of his charge in Charlemont remember his kindness and encouragement to this day, with great thankfulness."
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.