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 9
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8 .* Rev. Hugh Wallis was born in Coleraine, June 15, 1767, whose father, James Wallis, was an elder in Rev. Mr. Taggart's church ; graduated at Dartmouth in 1791; studied theology at Cambridge ; was licensed by Berkshire Associa- tion, June 14, 1793 ; ordained at Bath, Me., Dec. 9, 1795, and Rev. Eliphalet Gillett preached the sermon, which was published ; dismissed from there, Aug. 16, 1800; installed in Pompey, N. Y., Jan. 5, 1803, and dismissed from there, Jan. 1, 1809 ; installed in Norwich Society, Litchfield, N. Y., Dec. 5, 1809 ; dismissed from there, April 20, 1814 ; then performed a mission in Genesee County, N. Y. ; then preached in Pembroke, N. Y., and afterwards about a year in Gates, where he lived six years after he ceased preaching, and died in 1848. He also preached in Sheldon and Alden, N. Y., and was installed in Stockton, N. Y. He aided in forming many of the churches in Western New York, and 13
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the Presbytery of Genesee ; for more than twenty-five years his house was a home for ministers in that region. He was married to Miss Mary Duncan of Coleraine in 1798, who died in 1805, and who was sister to the first wife of Rev. Samuel Taggart, by whom he had one son, Hugh, now living in Pembroke, N.Y. ; was married to Susannah Upham in 1808, who died in 1837 ; and was married to Mrs. Nabby Butterfield in 1839, who survives him. He died in Gates, N. Y., Sept. 7, 1848, aged 81. Rev. James Ballintine preached his funeral sermon. The epitaph on his grave- stone is the following : "He has gone down to his grave, like a shock of corn fully ripe."
Of the eight Congregational and Presbyterian ministers here reckoned as sons of Coleraine, six were natives of the town; seven were graduates ; seven were pastors of churches ; one is a foreign missionary ; and five are living.
OTHER DENOMINATIONS.
BAPTISTS. The first Baptist church in Coleraine was formed Sept. 5, 1780, with nineteen members. Among the preachers who have supplied this church are Revs. E. Smith, Obed Warren, John Green, R. Freeman, Thomas Purrington, George Witherill, James Parsons, George Robinson, J. M. Purrington, Joseph Hodges, Francis Smith, Milo Frary, An- thony V. Dimmock, and William E. Stowe in 1853. This church had 96 members in 1853. The second Baptist church was formed in 1786; and in 1853 had thirty mem- bers ; Rev. Edmond Littlefield preached to them eighteen years ; Revs. Mr. Smith and Arad Hall supplied one year each ; Rev. Edward Davenport has supplied them more or less for about thirty-five years ; to some extent, preaching has been furnished by Revs. D. H. Grant, Nathaniel Ripley and C. L. Baker, and A. W. Goodnow. Methodist preachers have also occupied their house of worship considerably since 1830. The following Baptist ministers are from Coleraine, viz., Revs. Stephen Call, Anson Clark, Ichabod Clark,
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Frederic Freeman, Joseph Freeman, Jeremiah Hall, Daniel B. Purrington, Jesse M. Purrington, Thomas Purrington, Moses Randall, Joshua Vincent, J. Ransom Washburn, Jona- than Wilson, Edward Davenport, and Israel W. Wood.
C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N-S. One C-h-r-i-s-t-i-a-n preacher, Rev. Harvey Totman, originated from Coleraine.
METHODISTS. A Methodist class was formed in 1832; and the earliest records of the church date back to 1836. The following preachers have supplied preaching, viz., Revs. J. D. Bridge, E. Mason, Freeman Nutting, D. E. Chapin, H. P. Hall, John Cadwell, W. A. Braman, A. S. Flagg, W. M. Hubbard, and Rev. Mr. Middleton in 1853. The following Methodist ministers are from Coleraine, viz., Revs.
Zaccheus Davenport, Joseph B. Dennison, Origin Dunnell, Lorenzo Hastings, Ichabod Marcy, and Thomas Marcy.
PERFECTIONISTS. One preacher of this order, Rev. Loren Hollister, originated from Coleraine.
UNIVERSALISTS. Universalist preacher from Coleraine, Rev. Reuben Farley.
SUMMARY of Preachers originating from Coleraine : Con- gregationalists, 8 ; Baptists, 15 ; Methodists, 6 ; C-h-r-i-s- t-i-a-n-s, 1; Perfectionists, 1; Universalists, 1. Total, 32.
CONWAY.
This town was incorporated, June 16, 1767, and its population in 1850 was 1831. Three churches have been organized in Conway, viz., one Congregational, one Baptist, and one Methodist.
CONGREGATIONALISTS.
CHURCH. The Congregational church was organized, July 14, 1768, with thirty-two members. The first Meet- ing-house was built in 1769, and was occupied till the second house was built, which was in 1842. The second and present house of worship is located a short distance
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north of the site of the first one. The first pastor preached on his first Sabbath in Conway in a barn, and the preceding Sabbath in Brattle Street Church, Boston ; and the council that ordained him was called together by a horn.
Nineteen revivals have been enjoyed, and, as the result, about six hundred added to the church, viz., in 1771, and twenty-three additions ; in 1780, and fourteen additions ; in 1788, and one hundred and eighteen additions ; in 1806, and ten additions ; in 1808, and ten additions ; in 1816, and fifty-four additions ; in 1817, and eleven additions ; in 1822, and forty-one additions ; in 1825, and eleven additions ; in 1828, and thirty-eight additions ; in 1829, and eleven ad- ditions ; in 1831, and sixty-one additions ; in 1838, and twenty-eight additions ; in 1842, and eighteen additions ; in 1843, and sixty-five additions ; in 1846, and fifteen ad- ditions ; in 1848, and fifty additions ; in 1850, and forty- nine additions ; in 1852, and thirty-five additions. From the organization of the church to the close of 1852, one thousand and thirty-six persons were received to this church. Councils to settle difficulties were called, May 20, 1778; Dec. 23, 1783 ; and Oct. 25, 1809. This church has given invitations to ministers to settle as pastors, who declined to settle, as follows, viz., Rev. Mr. Judson, Rev. Hervey Wilbur, July 15, 1816 ; Rev. John Maltby, March 29, 1826.
In the eighty-five years and a half since the organization of this church, it has had settled pastors about eighty-one years and a half, and has been destitute of the same four years.
The amount contributed to the cause of Benevolence in 1853, was $1,192 89. The number in the Sabbath School in 1852, was 300. The number in the church in 1853, was 342. This church has had six pastors.
PASTORS. 1 .* REV. JOHN EMERSON was settled as pastor, Dec. 21, 1769, and died while in the pastoral office, at Con- way, June 26, 1826, aged S1. The following obituary,
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written by Rev. Dr. Hitchcock, now President of Amherst College, appeared in the Boston Recorder of Dec. 22, 1826:
"Mr. Emerson was born at Malden, in this State, Nov. 20, 1745, O. S., and was the son of Rev. Joseph Emerson, minister in that place. A circumstance worthy of notice is mentioned of his father, that during a ministry of nearly fifty years in that town, he was detained from the house of God but two Sabbaths. He preached both parts of the Sab- bath on which he died. A more particular account is given of him in Alden's Collections, and in Allen's Biography.
"John Emerson, the subject of these remarks, was the youngest of thirteen children, three of whom were ministers of the gospel. His education was strictly religious ; and would in these days be called puritanical. His mother, daughter of the distinguished and eccentric Samuel Moody, minister in York, Me., was assiduous in her instructions, and never suffered a day to pass, without retiring with some one of her children, for secret prayer. In this parental faithful- ness we discover the foundation of the religious character and usefulness of their youngest son. Indeed he seems to have been one, who was sanctified from the womb. He could not recollect the time, when religious exercises and duties were not familiar to him; and at the age of ten, in the absence of his father and elder brothers, he was in the habit of conducting family worship. He entered the Uni- versity at Cambridge, at the age of thirteen, and graduated in 1764. * * * Mr. Emerson, after due preparation for the ministry, was invited to succeed his father in his native place. But he did not comply with the request, nor with several others of the same kind, from parishes in the eastern part of the State. In 1769 he was unanimously chosen to the pastoral office by the inhabitants of Conway, a place that had been incorporated only two years before, and con- tained only four or five hundred souls. He, however, ac- cepted the invitation, and half a century afterwards he very shrewdly described the commencement of his labors there,
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by saying, 'It was literally, John preaching in the wilder- ness.' He lived, however, to see that wilderness disappear, and more than two thousand souls to be settled in the place. The church, which was organized July 14, 1768, rather more than a year before his settlement, rapidly gained strength under his ministrations, and within fifty years he had admitted five hundred and twelve to her communion. In June 21st, 1821, it being the fifty-second year of Mr. Em- erson's ministry, and he having become incapable of sustain- ing the cares and duties of a large parish, a colleague pastor was settled with him, whose ministry, however, in conse- quence of feeble health, continued only to November, 1825, a little more than four years. During that time Mr. Emer- son continued to preach and perform parochial duties occa- sionally ; and sixty-eight individuals united with the church, making the whole number from the beginning of Mr. Emer- son's ministry to its close, five hundred and eighty persons. To these add the thirty-two, who were originally organized, and it gives six hundred and twelve, the whole number who have belonged to the church in Conway, up to the time of his death. After the dismission of his colleague, he again became sole pastor of the church ; he entered with as lively interest as ever into the ministerial work, and exerted him- self to the utmost to supply the deficiency. When the pulpit was not otherwise supplied, he officiated, and seemed to feel an increased anxiety for the church and people whom he loved. He even went to the house of God on the day before he died, prepared to preach, and would have done it, had not another clergyman been providentially present. The next day, June 26, 1826, in the 81st year of his age, without any warning, and probably unconscious of his danger, he was gently released, almost in a moment, from all earthly trials. During his ministry, he had followed one thousand and thir- ty-seven of his people to the grave, and only one or two of those who settled him were left behind.
"Being rather careless of his manuscripts, it is not possible
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to state the precise number of his written sermons; they probably amounted to about thirty-five hundred. In fifty years, he administered baptism to twelve hundred and nine- teen subjects. His ministry was blest with several revi- vals. *
" The whole length of Mr. Emerson's ministry was nearly fifty-seven years. On the 26th of Dec., 1819, he preached a half century sermon, which exhibits a valuable history of the town from its first settlement, by one who had been an eye witness. He there states, that for fifty years, the whole time in which he had been unable to perform the duties of the ministry, did not amount to one year. Thus it appears, that in this instance the ministry of the son, added to that of the father, exceeded a hundred years !
"After stating these facts in regard to Mr. Emerson, it seems hardly necessary to add, that he was faithful in his holy calling,-for the preaching of unfaithful pastors God does not permanently bless. Since he was the first spiritual guide of the church in Conway, and continued to a recent period, it will be just to compare the present religious state of that people with that of a place similarly situated, which for fifty years has been destitute of religious instruction, and to estimate the fidelity and usefulness of his ministry by the difference. That church and society are emphatically his epistle, known and read of all men. He was warmly at- tached to his people, and towards the close of life his de- sires rose almost constantly to God for a blessing upon them.
"Neither is it necessary, after what has been stated, to add that Mr. Emerson believed and preached the doctrines of grace. For a genuine revival of religion has never yet re- sulted from the exhibition of any other truths, or where these were withheld. In his half century sermon he says to his people, 'the peculiar doctrines we have adopted, and to which we still adhere, by way of distinction are called Calvinistic, viz. : entire human depravity, the necessity of regeneration by the special operations of the Holy Spirit,
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justification by faith, an obedient holy life flowing from evangelical repentance of sin, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, love to God, &c. These doctrines, which are emphatically doctrines of free grace, have been invariably held and pub- licly preached to my people.' Not long before his death, when he supposed himself on the very borders of the grave, and was giving directions for his funeral, he expressed to the writer of this notice his unwavering belief in these same' truths; and declared in particular, that he could form no idea of that religion, which excluded the doctrine of atone- ment. He seemed desirous of leaving his dying testimony in favor of those grand peculiarities of the gospel.
" It is not intended in this sketch to attempt a minute delin- eation of the character of Mr. Emerson. To those acquainted with him, this would be useless; and to others, the works that follow him exhibit his character better than eulogy could do it. A prominent trait must not, however, be omit- ted. He was eminent as a man of prayer. 'He spent more time,' says his son, the present minister of Manches- ter, 'in the devotional exercises of the closet and family, than I ever witnessed in any other man; most of the time from the close of the Sabbath exercises, until dark, was spent in this way.' And it may be added, that probably during the last years of his life, the greater part of his time was spent in communion with God. For twelve years pre- vious to his death, he was greatly troubled in conversation with an impediment in his speech, in consequence of a par- alytic affection. But it is a curious fact, that whenever he led in devotional exercises, this impediment almost entirely disappeared. What could be the reason, but that he had be- come more habituated to pray than to converse ? In this praying spirit we discover the secret of his faithfulness and success in the ministry.
"It ought also to be mentioned, that Mr. Emerson's char- acter was long and severely tried in the school of affliction. Suffice it to state, that for twenty years a son, whose early
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days were bright and promising, was a chained maniac be- fore his parent's eyes. One and another partner he was called to yield to the grasp of death, and more than half of a numerous family."
His funeral sermon was preached by Rev. Edward Hitch- cock, his successor, from which the following is an extract, viz. : " Early was the grace of God implanted in his heart ; and through a long summer was holiness growing and ex- panding under Divine cultivation, watered by the showers of Divine grace, and gathering strength amid the tempests of affliction, that raged long and fiercely around him. For many a year, has the heavy fruit seemed ripe for the harvest ; and at last has he come to his grave in a full age, like as a shock of corn in his season."
Rev. Moses Miller says of him : " I considered Mr. Emer- son as a model preacher in the age in which he lived, in his delivery and style of composition. His enunciation was ex- cellent. His manner of preaching was solemn, dignified, affectionate, and respectful, as becometh an ambassador of Heaven."
Mr. Emerson studied theology with his father ; one of his brothers, Joseph, was a minister in Pepperell ; and another brother, William, was a minister in Concord ; he had one son, Samuel M., who was a pastor in Heath, of whom some account is given in the history of Heath pastors ; and Rev. John B. Emerson, late pastor in Newburyport, was his grandson. He published several occasional sermons. His ordination sermon at Conway was preached by Rev. Joseph Ashley of Sunderland. His first wife died May 25, 1806 ; and his second wife, Dec. 8, 1821. On his gravestone are inscribed the following texts, viz. : " If a man die, shall he live again ?"-Job. "I am the Resurrection and the Life ; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live."-Jesus Christ.
2. REV. EDWARD HITCHCOCK, D. D., LL.D, was ordained pastor in Conway, June 21, 1821, and Rev. Chester Dewey
14
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preached on the occasion ; and was dismissed from Conway Oct. 25, 1825. He was born in Deerfield, May 24, 1793; did not pass through a regular collegiate course ; pursued classical and theological studies at New Haven ; received the honorary degree of A. M., from Yale, in 1818; LL.D. from Harvard in 1840; and S. T. D. from Middlebury in 1846. After his dismission from Conway, he was a Pro- fessor of Chemistry and Natural History in Amherst College, from 1825 to 1845; and has been the President of that Col- lege since 1845. He has published large and elaborate works on geology, and various smaller works on other sub- jects. His ministry in Conway was about four years.
3 .* REV. DANIEL CROSBY was ordained pastor in Conway, Jan. 31, 1827, and Rev. Dr. Justin Edwards preached the sermon ; and he was dismissed from Conway, July 24, 1833. He was born in Hampden, Me., Oct. 8, 1799; graduated at Yale in 1823 ; finished the theological course at Andover in 1826; after leaving Conway was installed pastor of the Winthrop Church in Charlestown, Aug. 14, 1833, and was dismissed from there in May, 1842, and then entered upon editorial duties at the Mission House in Boston in behalf of the American Board, while he resided in Charlestown, where he died, Feb. 28, 1843, aged 43.
The following extracts are from the funeral sermon preached by Rev. David Greene, viz. : " As a public re- ligious teacher, Mr. Crosby was lucid, scriptural and rational. There was a vein of common sense and practicalness, an honestness of intention, a directness of aim at the intended object, and an earnestness in his endeavors to accomplish it, which were highly characteristic ; and his sermons, while they did not bear the marks of great genius, or learning, or profound research, yet showed, every one of them, that they had been laboriously thought out and constructed by him- self. * As a pastor, Mr. Crosby was remarkably method- ical and efficient. As to his official visits to his people, as a shepherd set to watch over the flock, few if any of them are
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disposed to charge him with partiality or neglect, or with want of fidelity and appropriateness. His work was planned out and kept before him. He took pains to know the re- ligious state of every family, and almost, may it be said, as far as the human mind can know, the religious state of every soul. His visits were always acceptable ; and families, even the children in them, love to expatiate on what they enjoyed on such occasions.
" At Conway, where he spent nearly six years of his ministry, and where he was called to his work with great unanimity, there was a growing interest in his preaching and pastoral labors, and a steady advance in the religious and missionary feeling of the people till his removal. The im- pressions made, especially on the young, by his sermons, his concert lectures, and his family visits, are still fresh in their most affectionate and respectful recollections, and can never be forgotten. * * *
" During his residence in Conway, two seasons of religious revival were enjoyed, and one hundred and thirty-two persons were added to the church on profession. *
" When attacked with his last illness in December, he was confident from the first that he should not recover. In the taking down of this house of clay, he anticipated a long and painful sickness, and a distressing death, and expressed some fear that he might be left to impatience and complaint. One day he said to a friend who visited him, ' I have been examining myself to learn if I have any will of my own respecting the result of this sickness, and I find that if it were left with me, I should, of choice, with the highest pleasure, refer it back to God, to do just as he sees best. I have examined the point repeatedly, and I am sure I am not mistaken.' When his physician informed him that he prob- ably could not recover, he said to a friend the next day, ' I feel much better than yesterday ; then I was in suspense as to what the Lord would do with me ; now I understand that I am soon to die, and I am relieved from all uncer-
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tainty.' On another occasion he said, .' There is nothing in me, and I have done nothing which I can offer as a ground of acceptance with God. All my hope is in Christ.' * * * ' Here I am,' said he, ' with no pain, no anxiety, all my wants met, just waiting God's time to die.' * * ' In look- ing forward to heaven,' said he, 'I can conceive of nothing better than serving God perfectly and forever.' "
Mr. Crosby published a small work on the "Character of Christ," and several sermons. His remains were interred in the Mount Auburn cemetery, in Jessamine Path, and the following is a part of the epitaph on his gravestone, viz. : " The Winthrop Church have erected this monument in grateful remembrance of their beloved pastor, who during eight years labored among them with eminent fidelity and success." "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."
4. REV. MELANCTHON G. WHEELER was installed pastor in Conway, June 19, 1834, and Rev. Dr. Storrs of Braintree preached on the occasion ; and he was dismissed, Aug. 18, 1841. Mr. Wheeler was born in Charlotte, Vt., in 1802 ; graduated at Union in 1825 ; studied theology at Princeton, N. J., and Andover ; was ordained as an Evangelist at New- buryport, Aug. 12, 1829 ; supplied about a year at Falmouth ; installed at Abington, Oct. 13, 1831, and the sermon was preached by Rev. Daniel Huntington ; dismissed from Abington, Aug. 28, 1833 ; after his dismission from Conway lived in South Hadley and performed some agency for the Seminary ; installed in Williamsburg, October, 1843, and Rev. Mr. Condit, then of South Hadley, preached the ser- mon ; dismissed from Williamsburg, March, 1845 ; resided a year in Northampton, and supplied the Edwards Church four months ; in 1847, travelled as an agent for the New York Observer ; in 1848, commenced an agency for the American Colonization Society, in which he is still engaged ; from 1848 to 1852 resided in Auburn, and since then has lived in Auburndale, West Newton. His ministry in Conway was about seven years.
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5. REV. SAMUEL HARRIS was settled as pastor in Conway, Dec. 22, 1841, and the sermon was preached by Rev. Daniel Crosby ; and he was dismissed from Conway, Feb. 11, 1851. Mr. Harris was born in East Machias, Me., June 14, 1814; graduated at Bowdoin in 1833 ; finished the theological course at Andover in 1838 ; installed as pastor of the South Church in Pittsfield, after being dismissed from Conway in 1851, where he still remains. He is the author of several treatises that have received premiums. His ministry in Con- way was about nine years.
6. REV. GEORGE M. ADAMS was ordained pastor in Conway, Sept. 18, 1851, and Rev. Dr. William T. Dwight preached on the occasion. Mr. Adams was born in Castine, Me., July 7, 1824 ; graduated at Bowdoin in 1844; finished the theological course at Andover in 1850, and spent some time in Germany in theological studies. He is still a pastor in Conway, in the third year of his pastorate there.
Of the six pastors of this church, four were dismissed ; four are still living ; one was a pastor of the church fifty-six years and a half ; and the average length of their pastorates in Conway is about fourteen years.
CONGREGATIONAL MINISTERS ORIGINATING FROM CONWAY.
1 .* Rev. Joel Baker was born in Conway, March 7, 1768, and died in West Granville, Sept. 1, 1833, aged 65. The following is an extract from the unpublished sermon preached at his funeral by Rev. Dr. Timothy M. Cooley of East Granville :
" His parents were respectable and religious, his father being deacon in the church, and his mother a member emi- nent for christian graces. Little is known of his childhood and early youth, except that he was visited with epileptic affections, from which he was entirely recovered, through the divine blessing on the care and kindness of his excellent mother. He was early devoted to literary pursuits, with reference, I believe, to the ministry ; and, in 1792, was grad-
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